One more sport saw its Rio 2016 home declared ready for action on Wednesday, as the Boxing Arena was handed over to the local Organising Committee. Located within the Rio Centro Convention Centre Pavilion 6, in Barra da Tijuca, the 7,500m2 Boxing Arena is expected to play host to 5,500 fans per event.
The handover ceremony was overseen by Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, and by Rio de Janeiro’s mayor, Eduardo Paes. After handing over the key to the Arena, Paes spoke a little about what athletes and fans could expect from the venue.
“It was originally planned as a temporary arena, but we changed the project and it will now be a permanent venue,” said Paes.
After the Olympic Games, the Boxing Arena will be transformed into a theatre as part of the Rio 2016 legacy programme.
“Rio biggest theatre at the moment is the Municipal Theatre that has a capacity of 3,000. This new venue will enable Rio to host a lot more events and will address the longstanding absence of a large theatre in the city,” said the Rio mayor.
The Boxing Arena at Rio Centro will also host the volleyball competition during the Paralympic Games.