Sports complex at Montreal's Olympic Park won't reopen before early 2025

The sports facilities at Montreal's Olympic Park will remain closed until early 2025. 

Nearly six months ago, a major fire tore through the park's facilities, forcing the sports centre and the National Sports Institute (INS) to close down.

The spring fire sent many Canadian Olympic teams scrambling to find other venues to train with only a few months to spare before this past summer's Paris Olympic Games. On Friday, the Olympic Park's management posted an update to social media, describing the work to decontaminate the facilities as a "colossal task."

The fire started at the base of the stadium next to its ventilation system, spreading the smoke throughout the Montreal tower.

According to the park, the fire affected an area that spans 100,000 square metres and uses a ventilation network that is more than nine kilometres long. In April, the provincial government approved a $40-million subsidy for the repairs. 

"The fire caused significant damage due to the smoke infiltration in the sports complex and in the ventilation system as well as all the water that was needed to put out the fire," reads the Facebook message from the Olympic Park. 

"For obvious safety reasons, it is imperative that we remove all the contaminants related to the fire to completely eliminate the risk of them spreading throughout the areas that have already been cleaned and decontaminated."

Francis Ménard, executive director of the Fédération de natation du Québec, a provincial swimming group, says one of its clubs normally trains at the Olympic Park year round and was hoping to return there in October.

"The pressure on other pools in Montreal is very high," Ménard said.

The federation is holding a major competition next March, and it's scheduled to take place at the Olympic Park. Ménard is hoping the complex will reopen in time, but he added that Friday's announcement means it's time to start looking for Plan B.

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According to the Olympic Park, work is progressing and about 10 per cent of the park's spaces still need to be decontaminated.

"We're aware that prolonging the closure of the sports complex is causing major inconveniences for athletes, our clientele and staff as well as tenants and people that work in the Montreal tower," the statement reads.

Earlier this year, Quebec announced it would spend $870 million to replace the stadium's roof and technical ring. The provincial government justified the move by saying a new roof and ring would make the landmark a bigger draw for larger events.