Former names | Saku Suurhall (2001–2022) |
---|---|
Location | Haabersti, Tallinn, Estonia |
Coordinates | 59°25′34″N24°38′51″E / 59.42611°N 24.64750°E |
Owner | Marcel Vichmann |
Operator | OÜ Best Idea |
Capacity | Concerts: 10,000 (with standing) Basketball: 7,200 seated |
Surface | Versatile |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 7 July 2000 [1] |
Opened | November 2001 |
Architect | Esa Viitanen (Pro Ark OY) Andres Kariste (North Project AS) |
Project manager | Lemminkäinen Eesti AS [1] |
Tenants | |
BC Kalev/Cramo (KML) (2001–present) |
Unibet Arena (named Saku Suurhall until 31 December 2022 [2] ) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the Haabersti subdistrict of the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Opened in November 2001, it is the largest multi-purpose hall in the country with around 7,200 seats but can hold up to 10,000 people. [3]
It generally hosts basketball games, as well as sport competitions, trade fairs, corporate events and concerts. The name sponsor for the arena is the Swedish sports betting company Unibet and the venue is owned by businessman Marcel Vichmann via his company Best Idea OÜ.
Initial plans for the arena were announced in August 1999. [4] Unibet Arena opened in November 2001. Since 2002, the arena is a member of the European Arenas Association (EAA).
A total of 13,220 m2 spread over four floors. Every year around 300 events take place in the hall, of which about 70 are major events. It accommodates up to 10,000 spectators, of which 7,200 are seated. The first event in the hall was the Irish dance show Lord of the Dance. [3]
Some of the notable events, which took place in the arena are:
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tallinn, Estonia, following the country's victory at the 2001 contest with the song "Everybody" by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV), the contest was held at the Saku Suurhall on 25 May 2002. The contest was presented by Estonian opera singer Annely Peebo and actor Marko Matvere. It was the first Eurovision Song Contest held in one of the former Soviet republics.
The Lilleküla Stadium is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. It is the home ground of football clubs Flora and Levadia, and the Estonia national football team. With a capacity of 14,336, it is the largest football stadium in Estonia.
The Stormont Vail Events Center, formerly known as Kansas Expocentre, is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena built in 1987 in Topeka, Kansas. Previously, the Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association, Kansas Koyotes indoor football team,Topeka Tarantulas, Topeka ScareCrows, Topeka Pilots ice hockey and Topeka Tropics of the National Arena League (NAL) teams played there. Many other shows, including concerts, perform here.
Saku Brewery is an Estonian brewery and soft drinks company based in Saku. It was founded in 1820 by the local Baltic German landlord Graf Karl Friedrich von Rehbinder. Since 2008 Carlsberg Group has been the sole owner of Saku Brewery.
Wiener Stadthalle is a multi-purpose indoor arena and convention center located in the 15th district of Vienna, Austria. Austrian architect Roland Rainer designed the original halls which were constructed between 1953 and 1958, and later expanded in 1974, 1994 and 2006. The main hall, a multi-purpose venue, is Austria's largest indoor arena with a seating capacity of approximately 16,152 people.
The Estonian Ice Hockey Association is the national governing body of ice hockey in Estonia. Estonian membership in the International Ice Hockey Federation dated back to the 1930s, which had expired after the annexation of these countries by the Soviet Union in 1940 and 1945 respectively, was renewed after their sovereignty was re-established in the 1990s.
İzmir Halkapınar Sport Hall is an indoor multi-purpose sport venue that is located in the Halkapınar neighborhood of İzmir, Turkey. The hall has a seating capacity of 10,000 spectators.
BC Kalev, also known as BC Kalev/Cramo for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia. The team plays in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML), the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the FIBA Europe Cup. Their home arena is the Kalev Sports Hall.
The 2008 European Karate Championships, the 43rd edition, were held at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, Estonia from 2 May to 4 2008. A total of 509 karateka, 329 male and 180 female athletes, from 42 countries participated at the event.
Heino Enden is a retired Estonian professional basketball player who played mostly at the shooting guard position.
The Tondiraba Ice Hall, also known as Tallinn Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena complex in Tallinn, Estonia. It was opened on 1 August 2014 and is owned by the City of Tallinn. It has a current capacity of 7,700 spectators. It can host among other things basketball games, ice hockey games, curling and concerts.
Audentes Sports Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena complex in Tallinn. The sports center has a swimming pool, gym, track&field arena, ball halls, a wrestling and judo hall and a tennis center.
This is a list of Estonian television related events from 2002.
Paavo Nõgene is an Estonian producer and government official. He was serving as the Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Culture from 2013 through April 2018, when he resigned to pursue his career as the CEO of Tallink Group.
The 2017–18 Korvpalli Meistriliiga season was the 93rd season of top-tier basketball in Estonia.
The 2019 Men's European Volleyball League was the 16th edition of the annual Men's European Volleyball League, which featured men's national volleyball teams from twenty European countries. For the second season, the tournament had two groups: the Golden League, featuring twelve teams, and the Silver League, featuring eight teams.
Simple Session is an international extreme sports event taking place annually in Estonia.
Tallinn International Horse Show is an international equestrian sports competition which annually takes place in Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia. The first competition took place on 18–20 October 2002.
The 2024 European Junior Judo Championships was held at the Unibet Arena in Tallinn, Estonia, from 5 to 8 September 2024. The last day of competition featured a mixed team event.