Rhénus Sport project to be resuscitated

Article posted by Coliseum, March 30^th, 2021

Image: Chabanne and Partenaires Architects

The Rhénus Sport project (France) – which was lying in the cans – got a fresh lease of life recently.

‘stades.info’ stated that the Strasbourg Eurometropolis unanimously voted to pay a deposit of 700,000 euros on the 7.8 million subsidies intended for this project.

Rhénus Sport presently offers a capacity of 6,150 seats. The ambition is to increase it to 8,120 spaces with the addition of retail space. The cost of the project is currently estimated at 40 M €. The objective is to deliver the revamped Rhénus Sport in 2024.

Eurométropole de Strasbourg is the métropole, an intercommunal structure, centered on the City of Strasbourg. It is located in the Bas-Rhin Department, in the Grand East region, Northeastern France.

Rhénus Sport (originally Hall Rhénus, also known as Rhénus Sport Arena and Arena de la SIG) is a multipurpose arena located in Strasbourg, France. The seating capacity is 6,200 for basketball games. It is currently home to the professional French League club Strasbourg IG.

Strasbourg IG is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League, and internationally in the Basketball Champions League.

‘stades.info’ further stated that though Strasbourg Eurometropolis was unanimous in the above decision, nevertheless, few differences cropped up as regards the contours of the project – naming rights, taking into account the current COVID-19 scenario, the economic viability of the project, etc.

Vincent Debes, Vice-President in charge of Sports, reassured, “I do not mean that we are going to supervise, but we will bring clarity to this project which was problematic. It will have to meet needs, be able to host sporting and cultural events without competing with existing structures. With the Wacken swimming pool, the canoeing club, the tennis club, the sports fields and now the spaces at Archipel 2, there are opportunities to develop the sport in this part of the City.”

In the coming weeks, a Technical Committee bringing together all public and private stakeholders will meet to develop new specifications and move forward together on this project. Its purpose will be to:

Ensure the prerequisites for the initiation of the project (economic studies, validation of authorizations and signature of the necessary documents);
Consolidate the technical and commercial management of the project (economic model and commercial programing);
Guarantee the environmental ambition of the project and its integration into the neighborhood;
Validate the intervention conditions of banks and naming rights; and
Finalize the reciprocal commitments of the project leader and the public partners.

This project should be fully integrated into the neighborhood and take into account the new post-COVID world.

This project is fully in line with the strong commitments of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis in terms of sports policy and will contribute to the sporting influence of its territory. Come June 2021, and the European Women’s Basketball Championships will be held in Strasbourg.

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