Built: London 2012 basketball arena
‘Stratford venue will have amazing atmosphere’
Four down, one to go. The London 2012 Basketball Arena – dubbed The Mattress because of its striking external covering – has become the fourth Olympic Park venue completed.
The 12,000-seat venue will also host handball and wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby during the Paralympics.
The exterior will act as a canvas for an artistic and innovative lighting design.
Dismantled
You may also want to watch:
After the Games it will be dismantled to be reused elsewhere.
The arena was one of the quickest to be built with initial works on site beginning in October 2009 and work to erect the 1,000-tonne steel frame started in March last year.
Most Read
- 1 Engineering student wins place at Princeton University
- 2 West Ham United reveal 2021/22 Umbro Third Kit
- 3 Free fitness sessions on offer in Newham as parkrun returns
- 4 Ex-McDonald's crew member in final of national awards honouring those shaping business world
- 5 West Ham sign World Cup-winning goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on loan
- 6 More than 20 places in Newham hit by flooding, council says
- 7 Forest Gate flats bid gets green light despite neighbours' objections
- 8 The secondary schools in Newham rated outstanding by Ofsted
- 9 Fried chicken outlet to open at Westfield in Stratford
- 10 Meet the Forest Gate pastor supporting athletes at Tokyo Olympics 2020
A test event is planned in August when the venue will host the London International Basketball Invitational, which will see six top men’s teams from around the world in action.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson lavished praise on the new venue.
He said: “Basketball is one of the most atmospheric competitions of the Games and this has been captured by the artistic design of the arena.”
