Billionaire Ion Tiriac builds EUR 3.6 mln ice rink in three months, asks state to invest in sport

Romanian billionaire Ion Tiriac has built a 5,000 sqm ice skating rink in just three months aiming to set an example for the authorities, which have been promising for years to build a new polyvalent hall in Bucharest. “I have high hopes that, after the elections, Romania will make yoth, health, and sports a priority,” Tiriac said at the official opening, according to local Ziarul Financiar. The ice rink is located in Otopeni, northern Bucharest, across the street from the airport. The investment was EUR 3.6 million and has been covered by the Ion Tiriac Foundation and other sponsors, including Telekom Romania, Allianz-Tiriac, Dedeman, and Skoda. The new rink is not called Tiriac Arena but Telekom Arena. Ion Tiriac says that the ice rink is just the first phase of a 20-hectare sports center in Otopeni, but that he would need a partnership with the state for such an investment. “I’ve reached a point in my life when I don’t need anything and I can give back. Next to this rink we could have an Olympic pool, a tennis academy with over 20 tennis courts, a multipurpose hall. It’s also very easy to make a 5,000-seat tennis arena, but it’s not my duty to make them all,” Tiriac was quoted as saying. Ion Tiriac, 77, is a former professional hockey and tennis player and an investor in banking, insurance, automotive, real estate, and sports. He is the richest Romanian, according to Forbes, with an estimated net worth of USD 1.09 billion. His Ion Tiriac Foundation has been investing in projects to promote sports among Romanian youth. Former Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac wants to buy sports base in Brasov editor@romania-insider.com