When Brno does not obtain a grant for the athletics hall, according to the mayor, it should not be built

Brno – If Brno does not receive 300 million from the state for the construction of the athletic hall, it should not build it. The mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS) said this to ČTK and Czech Radio Brno today in response to the fact that the National Sports Agency halted the grant award process. The athletic hall is to be built for roughly one billion near the university campus. It should have 2,200 spectator seats and 170 parking spaces.

The agency halted the process last week. Its spokesperson Jakub Večerka stated that the city had entered into a commitment with the contractor, meaning a contract had been signed. "On the one hand, I believe the agency's reasoning is generally correct because it is assumed that a contract with the contractor should not be signed before the grant is awarded, which is the case here. On the other hand, we have legal analyses that speak to cases where applications should be assessed individually, and a contract can be signed in advance," Vaňková said.

There is a valid permit and a signed contract with the contractor for the athletic hall, who could start construction. "The contract does not state that the project will only proceed on the condition of the grant being awarded. Therefore, there is no motivational effect, and it seems as though we do not need the grant because we already have a contract with the contractor and have committed to pay him a certain amount," Vaňková stated. According to her, this is the main reason why the city received a promise of a grant for the construction of a multifunctional hall at the exhibition center estimated at four billion, where a contract has not yet been signed.

Hladík stated on Monday that he would propose filing an administrative lawsuit and that the athletic hall should be built. According to the mayor, in an administrative lawsuit, the court would decide whether the agency's decision was based on correct legal arguments. "However, that does not solve our problem with the grant provision. The court cannot decide that the National Sports Agency should provide money for the hall. It is not a civil proceeding," Vaňková said, who is a lawyer and has also dealt with administrative law among other areas.

Vaňková stated that the city will have to make a decision regarding the athletic hall in the coming days. "My personal opinion is consistent: if we did not receive the amount of 300 million crowns from the state, then we should not build," Vaňková added.