Basketball – Energy Saving Ordinance: Arena arch in Cologne is missing
Cologne (SID) – Due to the federal government’s energy-saving regulation, the lighting in the arch above the Lanxess Arena will not go into operation during the European Basketball Championship in Cologne. The outdoor advertising spaces are switched off at 10 p.m. as specified. This is reported by the management of the multifunctional hall on SID request.
On the other hand, during the EuroBasket, which begins on Thursday, the lighting on the exterior facade will be “until the end of the event on Wednesday”. This is “necessary for all visitors for reasons of traffic safety” and is therefore “also in operation after 10 p.m.”. This also applies to the digital areas in the hall, which “serve to guide visitors and represent essential information media in an emergency”. The federal ordinance has been in force since September 1, according to which neon signs must be switched off from 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. the following day.
According to the Arena announcement, there is an “exception for brief lighting at cultural events and folk festivals and generally all cases in which lighting is required for road safety or to ward off other hazards.” The management at the European Championship “takes this exception as a given”.