Patinoarul Mihai Flamaropol

It is not unusual for Bucharest to have a sporting venue that does not quite exist yet. The Patinoarul Mihai Flamaropol stands at Bulevardul Basarabia 35-37. The original rink opened in 1958 and was covered over in 1972 to prepare for the Ice Hockey World Championships Group B tournament, which was a significant moment for the Romanian national team.

A new arena is being raised on the same ground, but the work has not been straightforward. The initial contract was awarded to the Astaldi-UTI association, but it was terminated in 2019. Construction paused until 2024, when Concelex SRL took over the project. The capacity for this new venue has shifted in the reports; while initial plans suggested 3,100 seats, a later announcement in August 2023 raised the figure to 4,424. The surface will be artificial ice.

Before the demolition, it hosted major figure skating concerts, bringing in skaters such as Evgeni Plushenko and Brian Joubert. The venue was originally named "Patinoarul 23 August" before it was renamed in honour of Mihai Flamaropol, a Romanian footballer and ice hockey player.