Brno will apply for a grant of 300 million for the planned athletics hall.

Brno – Brno will apply to the National Sports Agency for a grant of 300 million Czech crowns for the planned construction of an athletic hall near the university campus. The application will be submitted as soon as possible, said Jaroslav Suchý (KDU-ČSL), the councilor for education and sports, at a press conference today. The hall is expected to cost 800 million crowns, and according to the councilor, obtaining the grant is a condition for starting construction.

City leadership has hesitated over the investment, having repeatedly halted the project last year due to unresolved financing. "We can start building the hall immediately, but obtaining state funding is a condition. The cost of the hall is so high that Brno, together with the South Moravian Region, cannot afford it," said Suchý. The region had previously pledged 100 million crowns for the hall, which will be distributed over two years.

"We will submit the grant application as soon as possible; we expect the result to be known by the first half of the year at the latest," stated the councilor. Deputy Mayor Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) added that Brno will request the maximum amount, namely 300 million crowns.

The hall is to be located between Netroufalky and Bítešská streets opposite the Faculty of Sports Studies of Masaryk University. It will offer 2,200 spectator seats and 170 parking spaces. It is intended to be a facility for athletes who lack a hall for winter training in South Moravia. The hall is also expected to serve Masaryk University.