Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall

As part of the build-up of infrastructure for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, a brand new indoor ice-rink was constructed adjacent to Koševo Olympic Stadium. Work on this stadium began as soon as the announcement was made in 1978 that Sarajevo had won its bid to host the '84 Winter Olympics. The design for this arena was conceived by the architect duo Lidumil Alikalfić & Dušan Đapa, while engineering work was coordinated by Osman Morankić. Of all of the sports venues built for these Olympics in Sarajevo, Zetra Stadium was the most expensive, costing near a billion Yugoslav dinars to construct. Unveiled in January 1983 for the hosting of the World Junior Speed Skating Championships, the stadium's primary form is composed of six massive steel trusses which support the weight of the entire structure. Over this angular modernist construction was laid copper roof panels while the interior ceiling was left with its girders and utilities exposed. The seating capacity of the stadium is roughly 12,000. Interestingly, the name of the complex "Zetra" is somewhat mysterious and controversial, as its origin and meaning are not clear. The news outlet Radio Sarajevo relates how confusion over the stadium's name even incited some ethnic tensions in Sarajevo. During the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, competitive matches for speed skating, ice hockey and figure skating were held here, including the many medal ceremonies. At the end of the games, Zetra was used to host the Olympic Game's closing ceremonies. In the six years following the Olympic games, Zetra was used for a number of sporting and cultural events. However, as tensions boiled across Bosnia in the build-up to the Bosnian War in 1991, Zetra Stadium hosted a concert called "YUTEL za mir" (YUTEL for Peace), which was an anti-war event hosted by the Yugoslav National Broadcasting Agency 'Yutel'. It was attended by tens of thousands of young people from across the region. This was the last major event held at Zetra before it was struck by missiles during the Siege of Sarajevo, which resulted in catastrophic damage to the arena. Also during the war, French soldiers with the United Nations used the burned-out ruins of Zetra Stadium as a military post. After the war ended in 1995, Zetra was in an extremely dilapidated and damaged state, while the fields around the stadium were used as an improved cemetery for the many across Sarajevo who perished during the war. Funds were put forward in 1997 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the City of Barcelona and the European Union to reconstruct Zetra Stadium, which was completed in 1999. Today, Zetra Stadium continues to operate an ice rink, which is used for a whole host of sporting events, while the arena also hosts many other sporting, musical and cultural events as well. The complex is often referred to as the "Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall", named in honor of the IOC head who worked towards reconstructing the stadium after the war's end. In addition, a modest museum exists within the arena dedicated to the history of Sarajevo's 1984 Winter Olympic Games.

Great place for sports activities

Old, needs lot of reconstruction. But ok.

place for fun and fitness

Nice place. Sport and recreation. Concert hall