Shuttered after fire, Montreal's Olympic Park sports complex to finally reopen this month
Facilities to open Feb. 24 after being closed since March 2024
The sprawling sports complex inside Montreal's Olympic Park is set to reopen on Feb. 24, after a fire forced it to close down over 10 months ago.
Aquatic sports activities will resume the following week, on March 3, according to Jean Gosselin, a spokesperson for the complex, known as the National Sports Institute (INS).
Lengthy decontamination work forced hundreds of elite athletes to train elsewhere since a fire broke out at the base of the Olympic Stadium tower on March 21, 2024.
The fire affected an area that spanned 100,000 square metres and smoke infiltrated a ventilation network more than nine kilometres long. In April 2024, the provincial government approved a $40-million subsidy for the repairs.
The sports complex will reopen to the public on March 31.
Before its closure, between 250 and 350 athletes specializing in judo, diving, weightlifting and several Paralympic sports frequented the INS on a daily basis to train or receive medical services.
Decontamination of the facility was initially scheduled to take between four and six months. In September, the park announced the reopening had been pushed to early 2025.
"Smoke entered the INS sport centre and ventilation system, bringing and dispersing soot throughout the floors," said Olympic Park spokesperson Cédric Essiminy.
Based on reporting by Radio-Canada, translated by Cassandra Yanez-Leyton