Demolish or leave? Authorities reveal fate of Yaroslavl athletic arena
The athletic arena in Yaroslavl is set for renovations instead of demolition, as announced by city officials.
The Yaroslavl city administration has explained what will happen with the athletic arena at 20a Chkalov Street. In response to a request from 76.RU, authorities stated that they will not demolish the building and construct a new one in its place. Instead, reconstruction will be carried out there.
«Currently, the Yaroslavl city administration is considering replacing the air-supported dome with a permanent roof based on metal trusses. Since changes to the object»s parameters and its parts are planned (height, number of floors, area, volume), including superstructure, rebuilding, expansion, as well as replacement and/or restoration of load-bearing structures, the subject of discussion is precisely reconstruction, not demolition,« the city administration said in its response to 76.RU.
Authorities reported that necessary surveys of the building have been conducted, and a concept and preliminary designs for the reconstruction have been developed. A technical specification for the design work has also been prepared.
Currently, the city administration is working on including the arena reconstruction project in investment programs. Authorities are also seeking funding sources.
«Thus, specific timelines for the work and the amount allocated for the design and estimate documentation are currently not determined. In the event that the athletic arena is closed for reconstruction, events and training sessions will be moved to municipal sports facilities in Yaroslavl,» the city administration clarified.
In early summer 2025, authorities discussed the demolition of the athletic arena in the Leninsky district. The facility has required repairs for several years. The issue became particularly acute in 2023 when the inflatable roof leaked in the arena. Nevertheless, training and competitions continue to be held in the building.
In 2024, the Yaroslavl city administration sent a request to the State Budgetary Institution of Yaroslavl Region «Project Institute» for architectural and construction design of the object. The project envisaged the demolition of the existing arena building and construction of a new one. Later, the city administration agreed to consider reconstruction. They settled on that, deciding to avoid demolition.
In December 2025, the All-Russian Athletics Competitions (0+), which were scheduled to be held in the arena on Chkalov Street, were canceled in Yaroslavl. Technical reasons were cited, with a promise to move the event to summer. The regional Ministry of Sports clarified: the reason for the postponement was that the event dates fell during the New Year holidays.
