Fondazione Fiera Milano launches the Milan Ice Fiera Arena: opening in october at Fieramilano Rho
The temporary facility will house the ice rink at Fieramilano
Fondazione Fiera Milano today presented the project for the construction of the Milan Ice Fiera Arena, the temporary facility designed to house the ice rink with approximately 4,000 seats, which will be built in the fieramilano exhibition centre in Rho, near the Porta Sud entrance.
The project was presented in the presence of the Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG), the project’s sporting partner.
Thanks to an investment of around €5 million by Fondazione Fiera Milano, entirely self-financed, the project will enable the construction of a facility capable of hosting ice hockey, para ice hockey, figure skating and curling competitions, as well as introductory short track courses, events and ice shows. The facility will be available to athletes for competitive activities, will host introductory sports courses for children and young people, and will also be open to the public.
‘The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics have reignited the flame of passion for ice sports, and we do not want it to go out. For this reason, Fondazione Fiera Milano has decided to transform Olympic enthusiasm into a tangible and valuable project, in collaboration with institutions and stakeholders. During the Olympic period, our facilities hosted around 180,000 spectators, and now it is time to provide a new infrastructure that will be operational as early as next October. The initiative reinforces the multi-purpose nature of the exhibition centre, building on the work carried out for the Olympics in Halls 13–15 and 22–24. We are also particularly proud that the federal centre for ice sports will be built here, confirming the sporting and strategic value of the initiative. In this endeavour, the involvement of further partners and sponsors is a fundamental element. “The arena will help raise the profile of the exhibition centre, making it increasingly attractive and vibrant even outside the events calendar, and bringing the general public, families and young people closer to sport and entertainment, thanks in part to the synergy with Fiera Milano,” said Giovanni Bozzetti, President of Fondazione Fiera Milano.
“The construction of the Milan Ice Fiera Arena represents a crucial step forward for the development of ice sports in Italy and, in particular, in a strategic location such as Milan. As a Federation, we are committed to supporting this project so that it may become a benchmark for high-level competitive sport, but also, and above all, for the development of young people and the entire movement. Modern and accessible facilities are essential for building the future of our sports because they allow us to broaden the base and attract new participants. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Fondazione Fiera Milano, moves precisely in this direction; it is a tangible legacy of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and represents a best practice that we hope will become a model to be replicated in other Italian cities,” explains Andrea Gios, President of the Italian Ice Sports Federation.
The temporary facility will be operational for around three years, pending the construction of the permanent ice rink currently under consideration. The construction and subsequent use of the facility will in no way affect the running of events scheduled at the exhibition centre.
The facility will consist of a marquee with a galvanised steel supporting structure and double-layered anti-condensation PVC sheeting, with a main structure area of 5,130 square metres and a total covered area of 5,710 square metres. The facility will be equipped with a pre-match warm-up area, eight 42-square-metre changing rooms for athletes (totalling 252 square metres), as well as a modern air treatment and dehumidification system.
The necessary procedures for obtaining planning permission from the Municipality of Rho are currently underway; once these are complete, work will commence, with completion expected by next October.
Much of the infrastructure used to build the temporary ice rink can subsequently be reused within the exhibition centre, such as the marquee, the stands and the air-conditioning systems, or repurposed for the construction of the future permanent ice rink, such as the ice-making system.
Fondazione Fiera Milano has already commenced preparatory work for the development of the facility, for which an initial call for tenders has been published and is available in the ‘Tenders and Contracts’ section of the institutional website. Fondazione Fiera Milano Tenders and Contracts section: https://www.fondazionefieramilano.it/it/gare-e-appalti/index.html