STATEMENT ON THE RESULTS OF THE TECHNICAL INSPECTION OF THE PGE NARODOWY STADIUM ROOF STRUCTURE

11 listopada 2022

During the standard annual technical inspection of the steel structure of the roof, a defect was discoverd in one of the elements of the steel-rope structure. Due to discovering the defect, after immediately obtaining the recommendation of the constructor of the structure in question, the company SBP based in Stuttgart, as well as its contractor, the Italian company Cimolai and after the recommendation of experts for the sake of safety, the operator of PGE Narodowy stadium decided to temporarily exclude the stadium from use.

As part of the ongoing standard inspection of the roof structure condition, expert tests were carried out on its individual elements, including steel connectors of the ropes supporting the spire. As a result of the inspection, a structural defect of one of the connectors was revealed. Therefore, the operator of PGE Narodowy stadium immediately contacted the designer of the structure, SBP and its contractor, Cimolai, in order to consult and diagnose the causes of the situation. On 10 November 2022, in the presence of the roof structure designer and its contractors, as well as scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology at PGE Narodowy stadium, a number of inspections were carried out. They resulted in the recommendation of designers, contractors and experts to take the stadium out of use and carry out additional tests that will allow to assess the way of removing the defect. At the same time, control and measurement devices were installed allowing for ongoing monitoring of the condition of the connector structure.

Due to the recommendation of the designers and experts, the management board of the operator of PGE Narodowy stadium decided to suspend the stadium and exclude the possibility of staying at it. Any activity at the stadium has been completely shut down. This applies to both sporting and cultural events, as well as conferences, congresses, activities in office space and trips to the arena. The recommendation of the constructors and experts also prevents Poland-Chile from playing a friendly match at the stadium, scheduled for November 16.

Operator of PGE Narodowy stadium remains in constant contact with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. At the request of the Minister of Sport and Tourism, the crisis staff is currently meeting, which consists of representatives of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Polish Football Association and the operator of PGE Narodowy stadium. At the same time, there is a staff at the stadium whose task is to manage the consequences of detecting the defect, as well as to seek to determine the causes and ways of repairing the element as soon as possible. Stadium operator will also commission a number of additional expertise covering the condition of all structural parts of the roof.

Since there is a scheduled Poland-Chile match, the stadium operator is also in contact with the Polish Football Association. We will keep you updated on all issues related to the work aimed at restoring PGE Narodowy stadium full operational capability. Any questions on this matter should be addressed to the PGE Narodowy stadium spokeperson, Małgorzata Bajer.