History
The idea of building a new arena in Prague came on the heels of the "golden era" of Czech ice hockey: winning 3 gold medals in a row. The arena was proposed to be built in time to host the 2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, but due to unforeseen complications with the investors, the ice hockey governing body had to switch that tournament to Finland. The arena's main backer then became Sazka a.s., a Czech betting company.
The construction of the arena (which began in September 2002) was not without problems, but it was finally finished in time to host the 2004 tournament, the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
In March 2008, the building was renamed O2 Arena.
In March 2011, Sazka filed for insolvency due to debts from building the arena.
Read more about this topic: O2 Arena (Prague)
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