Bucharest's main skating rink will not be re-opened as planned, and the authorities are currently in talks with businessman Ion Tiriac to build a new skating rink elsewhere, until the existing one will be demolished and rebuilt.

The Mihai Flamaropol ice skating rink in Bucharest, which closed down a year ago because of its utilities debt, will no longer re-open as planned, mainly because it was too expensive to keep it running for a short period of time.

Once re-opened, the skating rink would have had a short life span this season, as it would have been almost impossible to keep the ice from melting at above 17 degrees Celsius, according to municipality sources, quoted by Mediafax newswire. The skating season is also due to end soon – the artistic skating activity ends in March, and for ice hockey, in April.

The decision to keep the rink closed was made by municipality representatives, together with the ice hockey federation and several skating clubs in Bucharest. The skating rink, located close to the National Arena, and owned by the Bucharest City Hall, has EUR 300,000 in utilities debt.

It is however functional and only a short revision at the ice making equipment would be needed before re-opening the rink. The City Hall 'inherited' the skating rink and its debt, mostly on electricity and water, from the Youth and Sports Ministry. Back when the ministry decided to shut it down, the skating rink was managed by the Romanian Hockey Federation.

The authorities are due to meet businessman Ion Tiriac to talk about details of building a new skating rink on a land plot given by the municipality, with a target to erect it by September this year, which would cover the next skating season. The City Hall had promised to demolish the Mihai Flamaropol skating rink and re-build it at modern standards, with an estimated end date in 2015.

Ever since the Mihai Flamaropol ice skating rink was closed, athletes from the seven artistic skating clubs in Bucharest have been training on ice skating rinks inside shopping malls.

Closing down the only professional skating rink in Bucharest left over 150 professional skaters and 500 ice hockey players unable to train elsewhere than in shopping malls, or by commuting to Brasov, which has two skating rinks up to competitive standards.

editor@romania-insider.com