Description
The Traktor Ice Arena named after Valery Belousov or simply the famous Chelyabinsk Traktor Arena is a multifunctional ice palace located in the administrative center of the Chelyabinsk region. It hosted the 2012 European Judo Championships, the 2014 World Judo Championships and the 22nd World Taekwondo Championships in 2015. Dverey is the current home arena for local teams - HC Traktor, MHC Belye Medvedi and WHC Belye Medveditsy.
Before the construction of the Traktor Ice Arena, the current stadium of HC Traktor - DS Yunost had been in operation for over 40 years. The project was developed by Skanska, which recently built a similar arena in Mytishchi. Construction began in the spring of 2007 and was completed in 2009, with some delays. The grand opening coincided with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Chelyabinsk Region. In their very first match at their new home arena, the Traktor hockey players beat their neighbors from Magnitogorsk with a score of 3:2.
The city municipality paid special attention to the creation of parking spaces, since soon after the opening it was discovered that many fans had to park on the side of the road and in the courtyards of nearby houses. An additional 21 million rubles were allocated for these needs.
In the summer of 2012, the Traktor ice arena was modernized to meet modern requirements; the latest generation of sideboards and protective glass were installed on it.