At the end of the 1980s, the design of the national stadium in Vilnius was approved. In 1991 the building had solid foundations, including some of the stands. However, in 1993, construction work was stopped. And so history repeated itself every few years: workers returned to the construction site, only to stop their work after a while due to lack of funds. Lack of funds and numerous complaints from the Public Procurement Office. The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport also had reservations. And although in 2020 the city authorities once again canceled the tender, now the situation has changed. Everything indicates that in the end the inhabitants of Vilnius will see a beautiful building on the Szeszkinie hill.
About half a million people live in Vilnius – a city 400 km in a straight line from Warsaw, and the facility is to accommodate 15,000 spectators. In addition to the impressive stadium, the new project also includes 15 other sports facilities, such as: six basketball courts, training pitches for football, handball halls, but also places for training boxing, gymnastics and athletics. The complex also includes a sports museum, community center, library and even a kindergarten.
“National Disgrace”
The facility is to be put into use within a few years. In an optimistic scenario: in mid-2025. The cost of the investment is approximately – depending on the sources – EUR 180 million. Since Tuesday, the demolition of the remains of a stadium designed back in the Soviet times, which the vice president of Vilnius calls “a national disgrace”, has been underway.
Lithuania is only the 136th team in the FIFA ranking. For comparison: Poland is in 27th place (Belgium leads).
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
