Thompson Recreation and Athletic Centre also known as Thompson Arena 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 ...

and athletic facility on the campus of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

. The arena is a full NHL-sized (200' x 85') ice surface with permanent stadium-style seating as well as tiered bleacher seating. The arena was completed in 1971 and it has a seating capacity of 3,615. Around the ice surface is a 200 metre Mondo indoor track. The indoor track is used primarily by sprinters, distance runners, throwers, and jumpers. During indoor track and field meets, the ice surface is covered and the inner rink becomes a field surface for activities such as

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

and

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

. As of September 2019, the track was re-surfaced and updated. This update was following criticism on the previous track's degrading condition and overuse. The annual Don Wright track meet is hosted in the Thompson Arena. Thompson Arena is the home to some of the teams of the

Western Mustangs The Western Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The school's athletic program supports 46 varsity teams. Their mascot is a Mustang named J.W. and the school colours are purple and white. ...

. The men's and women's ice hockey teams use the arena alongside the ringette and figure skating teams, while the track team uses the indoor track surface.

Western Student Recreation Centre

Attached to the Thompson Arena is the Western Student Recreation Centre. Known as the Rec Centre or Western Rec, it is a multi-level gymnasium facility and aquatic centre. It houses multiple basketball courts, volleyball courts, and squash courts, as well as a large fitness area with two floors of

weight training Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Traini ...

equipment, treadmills, and fitness studios. The facility was opened in February 2009. The Western varsity swim team and

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

team uses the 8-lane, 50m pool for training as well as hosting swim meets and competitions. The Athletic Department offices and administration is housed within the Rec Centre. This large facility comes as a result of a student-led initiative in 2006. Western students held a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

to fund a majority of the building's $35.7-million cost. From this, the undergraduate and graduate students pledged to donate a total of $101-million over 30 years for the initial purchase, building maintenance and support, with $14.8-million specifically funding undergraduate and graduate student bursaries. This was announced as the largest contribution ever from a student body to a Canadian university.

References

Sports venues in London, Ontario University of Western Ontario {{University of Western Ontario