Pärnu wants to be considered as location for new multisport arena

Pärnu City Council on Monday sent a proposal to the Estonian Olympic Committee expressing readiness to build a national multifunctional arena, though it would not be completed by EuroBasket 2029.
Construction of the facility is also included in the Pärnu city coalition agreement between EKRE, Center Party, Parempoolsed and the electoral alliances Pärnu with Heart and Pärnu Unites.
The city council argues the multifunctional hall should be located in Pärnu because it would support regional development. It also notes that once Rail Baltica is completed, Pärnu will sit at a key junction between Tallinn and Riga, serving as a gateway to Europe.
According to Helen Veermäe, project manager for the hall at the Estonian Olympic Committee, representatives of Riigikogu factions, cities and the Ministry of Culture recently made a joint visit to Finland to examine the business model of a similar arena.
Veermäe said the first draft project plan should be completed within a couple of months, though it will not yet specify the hall's exact location. After that, it will be up to the state to decide where and how the facility will be built.
However, she said it no longer makes sense to expect the hall to be completed in time for the 2029 European Basketball Championship.
"At the very fastest, the hall could be completed in five years, provided all parties cooperate and the process runs smoothly. Personally, I hope it could be done in seven years, but for example, it took 12–13 years to build the Nokia Arena in Tampere," Veermäe explained.
The hall's location has previously been the subject of heated debate, as both Tallinn and Tartu have expressed interest.
Riigikogu member Tanel Tein (Eesti 200), who has led the multifunctional arena project since 2014, has previously argued it should be built in Tartu to promote regional development.
"A message that major events will take place in Tartu in the future, a message encouraging the construction of more hotel rooms, a message that keeps more people living in Tartu because everyone understands that economic opportunities in Tartu and South Estonia will grow significantly," the MP said in May last year.
The coalition agreement between Isamaa and the Reform Party in Tartu also states that the city will "cooperate with the state on the possible construction of a multifunctional hall in Tartu."
Former Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja (SDE) also said in May that the multifunctional hall should instead be built in Tallinn.
At the time, Oja said it would theoretically be possible to complete a new multifunctional hall in time for the 2029 European Basketball Championship — if it were made a priority.
However, the coalition agreement signed in December last year between Isamaa and Center in Tallinn makes no mention of the multifunctional sports facility.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski










