There will no longer be ice skating at Nikolajka, Prague 5 is considering its own stadium
“The building is in a very bad condition in terms of construction and technology, the owner does not invest in it for a long time. The necessary reconstruction of the engine room, for which the owners already received a subsidy in 2020, did not even take place,” says Prague 5 councilor for sports David Dušek (STAN).
According to him, the city district supported the operation of the ice stadium with subsidies for both sports clubs, yet the owner does not invest in it.
Representatives of the town hall believe that the reason may also be the fact that the just-approved metropolitan plan gives the owners of the winter stadium a greater opportunity for it than just playing sports.
“The situation was communicated to us by the management of Niko Prague in May of this year, i.e. at the moment when the season was practically planned, the competitions were booked, the concentration was ensured, etc. The reason is supposed to be the rising price of energy or the current state of the engine room,” hockey club HC Smíchov, which will temporarily to train in other places in Prague and outside Prague.
“We have tried many times to reach a compromise with the current owner of the stadium, but there is no way to talk with him. Regardless of his plans, the ravages of time have bitten irrevocably into the stadium. Investing in the further operation of a significantly outdated stadium does not make economic sense. Rather than fighting with the owner for years now, we prefer to choose our way,” says the mayor of the district, Renáta Zajíčková (ODS).
The editors contacted the company Niko Praha, which actually owns it, but the questions have not yet been answered.
Ambitious plans
A petition was created to preserve the stadium. It collected 1,668 signatures in less than two months. “We believe that thanks to your support, we can stir up politics so that they do their best before the elections and Smíchov has a place to skate again,” the organizers said.
However, the Prague 5 district no longer expects that operations at the stadium will ever be resumed. Instead, the politician, in cooperation with a private investor, plans to build a temporary ice rink at another location, and then a new stadium.
“We managed to get an investor who will provide the necessary financial cooperation that can be used in the implementation of a long-term and short-term solution. He undertook to operate the new winter stadium in the long-term version and to enable the implementation of all sports activities of HC Smíchov and the figure skating club Stadion Praha under appropriate conditions for both clubs,” adds councilor Dušek.
A short-term option would mean the construction of, for example, an inflatable hall on a leased plot of land. “However, we are looking for a long-term solution in which we can obtain land on which a new stadium could be built,” said the mayor, adding that she wants Prague 5 to be clear about where the new ice surface will be built by the end. “We are intensively looking for real possibilities and are negotiating with investors who have expressed an interest in cooperation,” concluded Zajíčková.