Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso or Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, sometimes called just Maracanãzinho ("Little Maracanã" or "Mini Maracanã"), is an

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in Maracanã in the north zone of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil. It is used mostly for volleyball. Its formal name, Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso, honors a former

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

president. The capacity of the arena is 11,800 and it was opened in 1954. It stands next to the

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...

History

Maracanãzinho's construction started on April 13, 1954 and lasted for only five months. It was built by Construtora Prolar S.A. The architects were Rafael Galvão, Pedro Paulo Bernardes Bastos, Orlando Azevedo and Antônio Dias Carneiro, the engineer was Joaquim Cardoso. The gymnasium was inaugurated on September 24, 1954, with that year's Men's Basketball World Championship, for which it had a capacity for 25,000 spectators. The arena also hosted the

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

event of the same competition, with the

home team In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...

, coached by Kanela taking the gold medal, its second Men's Basketball World Championship in a row. During the 1950s and the 1960s, the Miss Guanabara and

Miss Brasil Miss Brazil ( pt, Miss Brasil) is a Brazilian national beauty pageant, held annually since 1954. The competition has gone through several incarnations throughout its history, while its main purpose has been to select the Brazilian representative ...

beauty pageants were held in Maracanãzinho. During the 1960s and the 1970s several national and international music festivals were held in the gymnasium. The

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

and 1990 Men's Volleyball World Championship was held in Maracanãzinho. At the age of 32,

Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, better known as Simone, is a Brazilian singer of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) who has recorded more than 30 albums. Biography Simone was born on December 25, 1949, in Salvador, Bahia, as the seventh daughter ...

became the first female singer to fill the Maracanãzinho Gymnasium in 1981. The 2013 World Judo Championships was held in Maracanãzinho. The Maracanãzinho Gymnasium hosted

UFC 179 ''UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 25, 2014, at Ginásio do Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was headlined by a Featherweight Championship rematch between the current champ ...

in October 2014 and UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare in March 2015. The Maracanãzinho Gymnasium hosted the

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

competitions during the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

.Rio 2016 Volleyball Venues Approved by FIVB
/ref> In 2013, WWE.com claimed the arena was the site of the 1979

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster ...

tournament, an April Fools' Day prank.

Renovations

For the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Com ...

, the gym was remodeled, with new central air conditioning, an added four-sided scoreboard, a new sound system, a dome which allows natural lighting during the day, new comfortable seating, and adaptions to all international requirements. As a result, the Maracanãzinho became a venue for the volleyball competitions of the 2007 Pan American Games, and many other international competitions. After the renovations, the capacity of the arena was reduced from approximately 13,000 to 11,800 spectators for

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...

. The arena became much more comfortable for spectators, as the field of vision was increased for better viewing of the arena floor.

Concerts

The arena has also hosted a number of important rock concerts, including, among others, the following list: *

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

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* New Order *

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Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

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* Secos & Molhados *

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* Jethro Tull *

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

References

External links

*
Venue information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ginasio do Maracanazinho Sports venues completed in 1954 Indoor arenas in Brazil Sports venues in Rio de Janeiro (city) Venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic volleyball venues Volleyball venues in Brazil Basketball venues in Brazil Boxing venues in Brazil Judo venues