London 2012 Basketball Arena Complete

By Sam Neter on June 11, 2011

The 12,000 seat basketball arena for the London 2012 Olympics was completed this week, the culmination of 15 months of building work.

Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee commented:

“Basketball is one of the most popular Olympic sports and spectators will be able to see the game played out in spectacular surroundings. It is a superb venue which will be the centre of some of the best team action during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The arena will see it’s first competitive action in August when the London International Basketball Invitational will take place; an Olympic test event and warm up for GB’s Eurobasket campaign, featuring Australia, China, Croatia, France and Serbia as well as the host nation.

The 35-metre high white venue will host men’s and women’s group basketball competition games, women’s quarter-finals and handball games but will have little legacy with plans for it to be dismantled after the Olympics having already been drawn up.

The main section of knockout matches in the basketball event will take place at the O2 Arena.

Dennis Hone, chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority said:

“Completing construction on the Basketball Arena delivers another striking Games-time venue for the Olympic Park and an innovative structure that can be re-used elsewhere after 2012. As the fourth Olympic Park venue completed and one of the quickest to finish construction, the Basketball Arena is another milestone for the Olympic Park ‘Big Build’ and a tribute to the companies from across the UK involved in its delivery.”

Excited about the Olympics? Got tickets? Will you be attending the test event in August?

Do you like our work?

We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.

We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.

We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.

If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.

We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.

Support Hoopsfix