Sola Arena

Sola Arena is Norway’s first indoor velodrome, and that wooden track defines the space. It is a 250-meter UCI Cat 2 circuit with banked turns reaching a steep 43 per cent incline. The track was built by the German specialist Velotrack, commissioned for a facility that opened in September 2021.

The complex houses a multi-purpose hall with a synthetic sports floor for handball, basketball and volleyball, alongside an indoor running track. The capacity is modest: 1,260 fixed seats, though this expands to 2,500 for major events when temporary seating is added.

From its opening until February 2022 it was simply Sola Arena. The sponsorship deal with energy company Vår Energi changed the title to Vår Energi Arena Sola. The construction was handled by the general contractor Consto, with architectural design by Trollvegg. It was built for Folkehallene, an inter-municipal collaboration for sports facilities in Rogaland.

The figure of 4,000 people is sometimes attached to the name, but that refers to the adjacent outdoor football stadium, Sola Stadion, which is part of the same sports park but serves as the home ground for Sola FK. The arena itself does not host football matches. It is a quiet complex in the Sandsletta district, distinct from the noisy pitches next door.

The synthetic floor allows for shifting sports without changing the infrastructure. The indoor running track provides a separate lane for athletes.