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 WATCH: Footage emerges of Beckton Alps ski slope
- 2 Driver, 18, wanted for driving wrong way through Blackwall Tunnel
- 3 'We haven't waited to act': Newham primary schools extend days to help pupils catch up after pandemic
- 4 Cause of death remains unknown after body found in disused Forest Gate pub
- 5 Jailed man caught with knife in Stratford to be handed court order
- 6 Views sought on future of Newham as local plan set for refresh
- 7 Body found in derelict pub in Forest Gate
- 8 Forest Gate triple shooting: 'Safety is everybody's business,' councillor says
- 9 Road and rail disruptions to expect in east London this week
- 10 Hundreds arrested after police crackdown on county lines
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.”
