Sarajevo’s Olympic facilities became famous worldwide as a case of post-Olympic negligence and lack of legacy plan. Well, at least one of them might change its fate and become a football stadium.

White elephant is now a commonly used term, especially in relation to the Olympics, which often see facilities underused or unused at all following the global event. Those in Sarajevo are a monument of negligence and a sad reminder of former Yugoslavia’s aspirations.

Out of all the Olympic facilities used in 1984 the Zetra speed skating track isn’t the worst case, it’s constantly being used. That said, it’s not the designated use. It had 6 tennis courts installed inside, then an ice rink, now a 3G mini football field. Now it might be demolished entirely and make room for something much larger. FK Sarajevo are hoping to deliver their new stadium there.

The Bordo-bijeli have been using the nearby national stadium for years, but it’s both too large and dated, let alone its poor sightlines. And with derby rivals Żeljeznicar going forward with their new stadium, it’s only natural that FK Sarajevo do something, too.

The project is challenging because FK Sarajevo desire no fewer than 15,000 seats with a budget of no more than €25 million. Work on such concept was commissioned in 2015 to ADS Studio, renowned domestically for large projects. The company created a robust plan of stands with two tiers along the sides and a single tier behind each goal.

Due to very limited space within the site additional floor space was planned for parking under the entire stadium. Meanwhile, across 6 floors there’s enough space to fit a spa, centre for sports medicine, restaurants, fitness club and other uses, along the traditional sporting and administrative facilities, including club offices and megastore.

If they started in 2015, why are we writing about it now? Because the scheme is being discussed only now. FK Sarajevo reportedly have a couple investors from China willing to participate in the project, however they still need support from local authorities to go forward. If they do, we’ll keep you informed!