Barra Velodrome
 Interior view of the Barra Velodrome, during the 2007 Pan American Games | |
 | |
| Location | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Field size | 250 m × 7 m (820 ft × 23 ft) track |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 2007 |
| Demolished | 2013 |
| Construction cost | $35 million |
| Architect | Sander Douma Architects |
The Barra Velodrome was a track cycling venue located in Barra da Tijuca, in western Rio de Janeiro, and was one of three venues constructed as part of the City of Sports Complex for the 2007 Pan American Games, where it hosted track cycling and speed roller skating events. The venue was initially slated to host cycling events for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but was instead demolished in favour of the replacement Rio Olympic Velodrome, after the International Cycling Union (UCI) deemed the venue unsuitable for the games. The Olympic Aquatics Stadium now occupies the former site of the velodrome.
History
The facilities planned for the 2007 Pan American Games included the City of Sports Complex on the location of the Nelson Piquet International Autodrome, which encompassed an indoor arena, an aquatic center and a velodrome. The indoor arena for track cycling would be the first in Brazil and second in South America with a wooden track, designed and built in the Netherlands with Siberian Pine by Sander Douma Architects.[1] It would originally be a temporary facility, but by 2007 the Rio city administration decided to turn into a permanent one. Legal and bureaucratic issues made construction, which was supposed to have ended by the end of 2005, only pick up in early 2006, and the buildings were delivered on July 2007, shortly before the games.[2] After the conclusion of the games, the Barra Velodrome quickly became obsolete, as the venue failed to attract events in the years following the Pan American Games.[3]
After Rio de Janeiro secured the rights to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the velodrome was penned as the venue for track cycling.[4] However, in 2013 the International Cycling Union (UCI) declared, to the dismay of taxpayers and local media, that the Barra Velodrome was not suitable to host Olympic events.[5] It was decided after the fact that a brand new velodrome was to be built for the Olympics, and the Barra Velodrome be demolished, in a new plan for the rechristened Barra Olympic Park. Upgrading the existing velodrome to meet the standard required by the UCI, according to the Government of Brazil, would cost "practically the same as building a new one".[6] The original pieces of the velodrome were originally planned to go to Goiânia, only for the city to back out because of rebuilding costs, and then picked up by Pinhais.[citation needed] The Rio Olympic Velodrome, constructed north of the site of the Barra Velodrome, served as its replacement, hosting track cycling events at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The temporary Olympic Aquatics Stadium, which hosted swimming and water polo, was built on the former site of the Barra Velodrome. It will be succeeded by two smaller swimming venues after the conclusion of the games.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Dallas, Enfold. "The Barra Velodrome, Rio de Janeiro Brazil". SDA Velodromes. Sander Douma Architects. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Universo Online staff (2007). "Pan 2007 - Complexo do Autódromo". Universo Online (in Portugese). Grupo Folha. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Wagner, Fritz; Mahayni, Riad (9 March 2016). Transforming Distressed Global Communities: Making Inclusive, Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable Cities. Routledge. p. 167. ISBN 9781317007685.
- ^ Vinter, Phil (18 September 2012). "Roll on Rio: Stunning waterfront plans unveiled for Brazil 2016's Olympic Park - designed by British designers who made London such a success". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan (28 March 2013). "Rio 2016 Olympics: stadium closed indefinitely over safety fears". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ "Barra Region - Portal Brasil 2016". Brasil 2016. Federal government of Brazil. 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 20 August 2016 suggested (help) - ^ World Build 365 staff (5 August 2016). "Sustainable Olympic aquatics stadium unveiled ready for Rio 2016 Games". World Build 365. ITE Group. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 20 August 2016 suggested (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
- City of Sports Complex, Rio 2007 official website (archive.org copy)