PHOTO: Bildbyrån
For almost two years, Finnish ice hockey’s flagship, the Helsinki Arena, has been empty and unused.
The reason: the war in Ukraine.
– It is sad, we all hope that the situation will be resolved, but it is not easy, says Jaakko Luumi of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
When Sweden plays its matches on Finnish soil in the Karjala tournament this weekend, it will be in the Nokia Arena in Tampere. This is because the large and classic arena in Helsinki, built for the World Cup in 1997, is closed and has been empty since February 2022.
It has been known as the Hartwall Arena, but when Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine began last February, the name sponsor pulled out.
Owned by Russian oligarchs
The arena is owned by the Russian oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and Roman Rothenberg and both are on the EU and US sanctions lists.
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This means that a sale needs to be approved by authorities both in Finland and internationally. A process reminiscent of when the English football club Chelsea was sold last year Roman Abramovich.
At the end of September, Ilta-Sanomat reported that a Finnish ownership group wanted to buy the arena and that the Russians, who had previously been reluctant to sell, had now changed their mind.
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But since then it has been quiet. At the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation, they claim to know no more.
– It is very difficult to know, all we hear are rumours. I think there are several business groups that have been interested in buying, but I don’t know if it’s that the owners don’t want to sell or that they can’t because of the restrictions, says Jaakko Luumi.
Moved tournaments
What remains is an empty and desolate arena with room for roughly 13,000 spectators, which was previously the home arena of the Finnish men’s national team and where a number of famous artists had concerts.
– We have not been able to use it for the national team matches and have had to move them to Turku and Tampere. Had the Helsinki Arena been open, we might have played the Karelia Tournament there last year and this year. Since then, it has been difficult for Jokerit, which has no arena of its own, Luumi says of the Finnish club that played in the KHL when the war started, but is now found in the second highest Finnish league, mesti.
The new and state-of-the-art Nokia Arena in Tampere has been the venue for the last two World Cup tournaments, but the lack of a large arena in the capital is great.
Few also know what condition the Helsinki Arena is in after being empty since February 2022.
– As I understand it, the owners have continued with the maintenance so that it can be put into use quickly when everything is resolved. But that’s just what I’ve heard. It is closed and it is not possible to get in there, says Luumi.
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