The regional council expressed outrage that Mykolaiv had failed to restore the Central Stadium in the nearly four years since it was shelled

The running tracks at the Central Stadium are in a terrible state. Photo: NikVesti

The regional council has criticised the state of Mykolaiv’s Central City Stadium, which has still not been repaired following Russian shelling nearly four years ago.

This was discussed during a meeting of the relevant committee of the Mykolaiv Regional Council on 22 May, according to NikVesti.

The issue was raised by the committee chair, Yevhen Horburov, who showed committee members photographs of the stadium’s damaged running tracks.

«Take a look at the following photos — this is our Central Stadium. Almost four years have passed since that attack. Virtually all sections, particularly athletics, are forced to train right here,» he said.

The running tracks at the Central Stadium are in a terrible state. Photo: NikVesti

The running tracks at the Central Stadium are in a terrible state. Photo: NikVesti

In response, Mykhailo Nikolaev, head of the Youth and Sport Department of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, noted that athletes also train in the indoor arena and Peremoha Park. However, the councillor emphasised that there are no proper conditions for training there either.

«You do realise that the conditions in Peremohy Park aren’t 100% ready for proper training either. Just look at the next photo: the track is further away from the impact site, but nothing is being done there at all,» added Yevhen Horburov.

Mykhailo Nikolaiev replied that the problem needs to be resolved, but the stadium is a municipal facility. During the discussion, the councillor called on the regional authorities to respond more actively to the situation with the stadium.

«You too should exert some influence, make comments, draw attention to the matter so that we can rectify the situation. Well, this is the central stadium,» stated Yevhen Horburov.

As is well known, the Central City Stadium sustained the most damage in the summer of 2022. At that time, a Russian missile struck the running track directly, and the blast wave damaged the football pitch, the stands and the administrative building.

Viacheslav Misarenko, director of the municipal institution «Central City Stadium», previously told NikVesti that Russian shells had struck the stadium grounds several times during the full-scale war. Staff repaired some of the damage themselves, but the running tracks need to be completely replaced.

The running tracks at the Central Stadium are in a terrible state. Photo: NikVesti

The running tracks at the Central Stadium are in a terrible state. Photo: NikVesti

According to him, the problem lies not only in the new surface. Restoration also requires changing the geometry of the tracks, the base beneath them and the configuration in line with the modern requirements of the Athletics Federation. However, there is currently no funding for this.

Despite the damage, track and field athletes, footballers and young cyclists continue to train at the stadium.