The Aleksandar Nikolić Hall () is an indoor sports
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 ...
located in
Palilula,
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, Serbia. The official seating capacity of the arena is 8,000.
Formerly known as Pionir Hall (), it was renamed in 2016 in honour of Serbian basketball player and coach
Aleksandar Nikolić
Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of S ...
. The hall is well known for its frequent matches between different
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 ...
clubs, especially
Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade),
Partizan, and foreign clubs. Projected by Ljiljana and Dragoljub Bakić, the hall has been described as the "architectural icon of the postmodernist Belgrade".
History
Constructed in 1973 by
Ljiljana and
Dragoljub Bakić under a tight deadline, the modernist building won the architects a "Grand Prix of the Belgrade Architecture Salon". The structure was noted for its use of repeated elements and natural light.
The arena hosted the final round of
EuroBasket 1975
The 1975 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1975, was the nineteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
First round Group A – Split
Group B – Karlovac
Group C ...
,
the final of the
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
's
1976–77 season (in which
Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated
Pallacanestro Varese
Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian basketball league system, Italian first ...
), and the
FIBA EuroCup's
1997–98 season final. In October 1989, the 16th World Judo Championships took place in Pionir Hall.
The arena hosted several preliminary round games of the
EuroBasket 2005 and
2013 World Women's Handball Championship.
On 23 February 2016, the name of the arena was changed from Pionir Hall to Hall Aleksandar Nikolić, after the former basketball player and coach,
Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić.
In April 2017, the arena played host to the Davis Cup World Group Quarterfinal between Serbia and Spain, with Serbia winning the tie 4-1 to advance to the semifinals.
In 2019, the hall was thoroughly renovated, at a cost of €2 million euros. The renovation included new seats, telescopic stands, a new hardwood court and screens, new lighting, modernization of the ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and an increased seating capacity.
In October 2023, it was decided that the Israeli team
Maccabi Tel Aviv will play its home international games in Aleksandar Nikolić Hall due to a security concerns because of an ongoing
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
.
Gallery
File:Pesic u Zvezdi.jpg, Crvena zvezda players practice under the command of head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
Svetislav Pešić
Svetislav "Kari" Pešić ( sr-Cyrl, Светислав "Кари" Пешић; born 28 August 1949) is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Serbia men's national team.
Playing career
During his club ...
in 2008
File:Hala Pionir Beograd.jpg, The venue's interior in June 2010
File:Davis Cup match (doubles) between Serbia and Greece, September 2024.jpg, Doubles playing during the Davis Cup match between Serbia and Greece, September 2024
Concerts
See also
*
List of indoor arenas in Serbia
References
External links
Hala Pionir
{{KK Partizan
1973 establishments in Serbia
Basketball venues in Serbia
Handball venues in Serbia
Indoor arenas in Serbia
Judo venues
KK Crvena Zvezda home arenas
KK Partizan
Sports venues completed in 1973
Sports venues in Belgrade
Volleyball venues in Serbia
Palilula, Belgrade
Yugoslav Serbian architecture