The construction of the complex started in June 1981 and was officially opened by then-
President of the International Olympic Committee,
Juan Antonio Samaranch, on 14 February 1982.
Olympic venue Zetra Olympic Hall was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1982. Its first major event was the 1983
World Junior Speed Skating Championships. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice" with a
copper roof. The indoor venue hosted
ice hockey and
figure skating events, as well as the last closing ceremony held at an indoor venue until
Vancouver 2010. From
1984 to 1991, Zetra remained in service as a venue for ice sports. It served as the venue for several international speed skating events, and several speed skating world records were broken here.
Destruction The arena suffered substantial damage from shelling, bombing and fire by the Serb forces on Monday, May 25, 1992 during the
Bosnian War. The interior of the structure, such as the basements and main hall, were put into service as a
morgue, storage space for medication and supplies, and a staging area for UN equipment. The wooden seats from the venue were used as material for
coffins for civilians killed in the war.
Reconstruction After the war, it was discovered that though the building was badly damaged, the foundation was secure. Although the original blueprints were never recovered, in September 1997, reconstruction on the venue, facilitated by the
SFOR, began. The
International Olympic Committee donated $US 11.5 million to the project, which cost an estimated
DM 32 million (
€ 16.4 million). The reconstruction was completed in 1999. ==Current use==