Experts warn of poor condition of Belgrade Arena roof for years

The N1 newsroom obtained a document that the Institute sent to Arena in 2018, highlighting neglected maintenance of the roof structure, which could jeopardize the safety of the venue's users.

The most recent notice from the Institute was sent on November 15 of this year, stating that damage to the roof structure had already been observed. Just a few days later, on November 19, a public procurement notice was published, seeking a contractor for the "repair of the metal roof cover."

However, Arena Belgrade's director, Goran Grbovic, claims that the company "engaged the Institute for Materials and Construction to assess the condition of the building," although the available data on the Public Procurement Portal does not indicate this.

"Before any event takes place in the Arena, whether entertainment or sports, a structural engineer approves it. If they were to say that it's unsafe, we would close the Arena—no matter what event it is," Grbovic told N1.

Construction of Arena Belgrade began in the 1990s for the 1994 World Basketball Championship, which was supposed to be held in Yugoslavia. Due to the outbreak of war, the championship was ultimately hosted by Canada, and construction of the Belgrade arena was only completed in time for EuroBasket 2005.

Today, the arena serves as the home court for Partizan and Crvena Zvezda basketball teams, who compete in the EuroLeague, and also hosts numerous concerts by international and regional music stars.