Íþróttarhúsið á Torfnesi (, ), known colloquially as Jakinn or Ísjakinn (English: The Iceberg), is a multi-purpose indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

in Ísafjörður, Iceland. It is the homecourt to

Íþróttafélagið Vestri Íþróttafélagið Vestri (, ), known as Vestri, is an Icelandic multi-sports club based in northern Westfjords. The club was formed in 2016 from the merger of KFÍ The Vestri men's basketball team, commonly known as Vestri, is a basketball te ...

(basketball and volleyball) and Knattspyrnufélagið Hörður (handball) but also hosts several other events every year.

History

Groundbreaking took place in the spring of 1988 and the arena officially opened on 18 September 1993. The first game played was an

exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

between reigning

national champions National champions are corporations which are technically private businesses but due to governmental policy are ceded a dominant position in a national economy. In this system, these large organizations are expected not only to seek profit but als ...

Njarðvík Njarðvík () is a town in southwestern Iceland, on the peninsula of Reykjanes. As of 2009, its population was 4,400. History In 1995 it merged with the town of Keflavík and the village of Hafnir to form the new municipality of Reykjanesbær. ...

and

KFÍ The Vestri men's basketball team, commonly known as Vestri, is a basketball team based in Ísafjörður, Iceland. The club was founded in 1965 as Körfuknattleiksfélag Ísafjarðar and held that name until it merged with newly founded Íþrótta ...

which included guest players John Rhodes, Frank Booker, Birgir Örn Birgisson and former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player Pétur Guðmundsson.

National team games

The Icelandic men's national handball team has played three games in the building since its opening, all victories. Its first official game there was a 23–18 victory against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

on 13 April 1995. In 1997 it defeated

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

27-24 and in 2014 it defeated

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

33–28. The Icelandic men's national basketball team has twice played in Torfnes, on 12 May 1995 in a 53–81 loss against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and on 10 May 1998 in a 65–55 victory against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

References

External links

Ísjakinn on Ísafjörður.is
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ithrottarhusid A Torfnesi Buildings and structures in Westfjords Basketball venues in Iceland Handball venues in Iceland Indoor arenas in Iceland Multi-purpose stadiums in Iceland Volleyball venues in Iceland Sport in Westfjords