Russian billionaire Gennady Timcenko is set to build the largest hockey hall in St. Petersburg in the world. The Russian media revealed that the new arena should have a capacity of 22,500 spectators, and in 2023 the World Ice Hockey Championships should be played in it. Costs are estimated at $ 295 million, more than $ 6.5 billion.
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Timkenko, according to Forbes magazine 62. the richest man in the world, is the president of SKA St. Petersburg and a member of the leadership of the Continental Hockey League. Besides Russian, he also has Finnish citizenship and is the co-owner of Jokerit Helsinki. An entrepreneur in energy and transport is considered to be one of Vladimir Putin's close associates.
Hitherto, the largest hall in which hockey is played regularly is the Bell Center in Montreal, which has 21,288 fans. The current Ice Palace in St Petersburg dates back to 2000 and has 12,300 spectators.
No organizer of the World Championship in 2023 has been decided yet. The Czech Republic was also involved in it, but the president of the International Hockey Federation René Fasel recently indicated that the Czechs would have to wait for another year. The reason could be the opening of a new St Petersburg lobby.