Change of condition for the “Mihai Flamaropol” Skating Rink: the City Hall of Sector 2 takes over the entire contract from the Capital
The City Hall of Sector 2 requests the full takeover of the reconstruction project of the “Mihai Flamaropol” Skating Rink, against the background of dissatisfaction with the pace of execution of the works, said Mayor Rareș Hopincă for “Adevărul”. Although the contract with the Concelex company was concluded by the Capital City Hall in September 2024, and the works actually began in August 2025, the construction site is progressing slowly, and the project still remains without a clear completion horizon, almost 10 years after the demolition of the old arena.
The works at the “Mihai Flamaropol” Skating Rink are moving forward. PHOTO: Facebook / Rareș Hopincă
Inaugurated in 1958, the “Mihai Flamaropol” Skating Rink in Bucharest was closed in 2013, after experts showed that the roof was in danger of collapsing. 3 years later, in the spring of 2016, the entire structure was demolished to make way for a modern arena.
The first contract for the reconstruction of the “Mihai Flamaropol” Skating Rink was signed in June 2015 with the association SC UTI Grup SA – Astaldi Spa, following an auction organized by the Capital City Hall under the mandate of Sorin Oprescu. The value of the works was approximately 108 million lei, excluding VAT. The construction site was opened in 2016, with an estimated completion date of two years, but the works progressed slowly and were far from meeting the original timetable.
In 2019, the contract was terminated by the administration headed by Gabriela Firea, the project being then completed in a proportion of about 35%. For the resumption of the investment, a new technical expertise was required, completed only at the end of 2022, during the mandate of Nicușor Dan. Later, the Capital City Hall relaunched the procurement procedure for the continuation of the works.
A new contract was signed in September 2024 with the Concelex company, for an amount of 128.9 million lei without VAT, with an execution term of 24 months, of which four months were allocated to the design. The project provides an arena with 3,661 seats, an ice surface of international standards (60 x 30 meters), as well as a multifunctional sports center with a capacity of approximately 800 people. It would include a basketball court, a semi-Olympic swimming pool, fitness and recovery areas, climbing areas and an indoor skate park.
Mihai Flamaropol skating rink, still far from completion
The works actually started only in August 2025, in the context in which the City Hall of the Capital reached an agreement with the City Hall of Sector 2 regarding the sharing of costs. So they should be completed early next year. However, the inauguration is still a long way off due to further delays.
In a response sent to the “Adevărul” request, the City Hall of the Capital claims that, due to the fact that the construction site was abandoned for several years, the builders had to carry out the cleaning and restoration of the site in a condition that would allow the continuation of the execution.
“Work at the Mihai Flamaropol artificial ice rink was resumed in 2025, after a long period of blockage, the project being suspended since 2019. Currently, the investment is being carried out in partnership with the City Hall of Sector 2, after the re-bidding of the contract. The site was taken over after a long period of inactivity, which required a series of initial evaluation interventions, cleaning and bringing it to a stage that would allow the work to continue”, sent the City Hall of the Capital.
Nicuşor Dan: The City Hall will auction the necessary works for the Flamaropol ice rink
According to the institution, up to this point, site organization works, verification and remediation of existing elements, including concrete and metal structures, as well as consolidation interventions, have been carried out. Also, basic infrastructure works, such as the working platform and drainage systems, were carried out in parallel with the preparation of the masonry works.
“To date, site organization work, verification and remediation of existing elements (concrete and metal structures), as well as consolidation interventions have been carried out. Also, work has been carried out on the basic infrastructure, including the work platform and drainage systems, and preparations are underway for the start of masonry work. According to the contract, the deadline for the completion of the execution is 20 months from the issuance of the start order (04.08.2025). The exact date of opening to the public can be estimated more precisely as the works progress.” shows PMB in the response sent to the Adevărul request.
The City Hall of Sector 2 wants to take over the contract
Contacted by Adevărul, the mayor of Sector 2, Rareș Hopincă, admits that the works are behind schedule compared to the original schedule. In this context, the mayor says that he has reached an agreement in principle with the general mayor, Ciprian Ciucu, for the full takeover of the administration of the “Mihai Flamaropol” Skating Rink and the entire project.
“The works are, to a certain extent, the result of debates between the builders and the Bucharest City Hall, which provides contract management. At the moment, the project is not progressing at the pace we would like, especially given that we provide approximately half of the financing. For this reason, approximately 2 weeks ago, we requested the full takeover of the administration of the investment objective and the project itself. Currently, as we are not the direct beneficiary and the project manager contract, we do not have all the necessary data to make detailed assessments. In this context, we had a discussion with the general mayor, in order to accelerate its completion it is a complex one, a multifunctional ensemble, not just a simple point objective”, the mayor of Sector 2, Rareș Hopincă, told Adevărul.
