The 2004 IIHF World Chmpionship which should be hosted by the Czech republic at the edge of April and May will take place in Arena Vítkovice in Ostrava which goes under a 700 million CZK reconstruction and in a nwwly build SAZKA ARENA in Prague 9, which building will cost according to the available figures some 6 billion CZK.

 SAZKA ARENA should become the most modern multi-purpose arena in Europe and the first of this kind in the Czech republic. It is considered to be quite a unique project offering Czech audience unsuspected possibilities  of watching not only sport but also cultural events. It will also be enriched by complex services which were experinced only when visiting some similar facilities abroad but not i the Czech republic.
      The birth of SAZKA ARENA was accompanied by a coincidence and troubles with building of the originally thought arena for the 2004 IIHF World Champioship.
      The shareholders of SAZKA, started to consider helping with the building of the arena at a time when the situation around building the new arena started to get complicated. At the same time SAZKA, a.s. got an offer to purchase land in the area of the former ČKD Lokomotivka. This estate was one of the best localities for a given purpose. Not only because of the size of the land but also according to a area plan, from the point of transport frontage and within the reach of the subway station of  line „B“ - „Českomoravská“ (at this area there exists so far not used direct entrance from the subway station) and train station Praha – Libeň. SAZKA together with the owner of the estate negotiated the conditions of this business deal including the ecological redevelopment of the locality. Together with it SAZKA authorized its subsidiary company BESTSPORT, Ltd. to prepare the project of the building of the arena and its following realization and to coordinate it with the chosen range of suppliers. 
 In October 2001 the Board of Directors of SAZKA officialy confirmed their previous decision of being the investor  of the building of the multi-purpose arena in the capital city of Prague to the representatives of the Czech Ice-Hockey Federation.
 According to SAZKA, Ltd. are terms required for this project high-powered but real. Altogether with the buildin of the arena itself also the following independent buildings must be realized, and these are: street reconstructions of Českomoravská and Ocelářská Streets.
      After its completing in February 2004, SAZKA ARENA will be able to hold 17 000 people for ice-hockey games, 18 000 visitors for music concerts ad 11 000 athletics fans in the galleries of adapted interior. Moreover the arena offers 67 private skyboxes, 4 Party skyboxes, 8 Premium lounges and 2850 club seats. There will be 29 fastfood brands and also 2900 rooms in restaurants. About 8950 sqm will be covered by retail and office areas. 
      SAZKA ARENA project is solved in a round ground plan linked to a training rink on the southern side. The structure of the building involves six levels.
      Level 1 (-5.5 m below the groung) comprises the playing site itself, dressing rooms for athletes, dressing rooms for staff, storing yard, technical services, kitchens for gastronomic services, the entrance hall for events organized at a level of the playing site, media facilities, storage and garages.
      Level 2 (at the level of the ground) will be occupied by lower vestibule for entering the lower audience, stairs up to upper estibules, a restaurant, shops and refreshment stalls for customers, social facilities and receptions for loges.
      Level 3 (5,5m above the ground) offers independent loges, more restaurants and social lounges.
      Level 4 (9m above the ground) icludes upper vestibule for entering the upper audience, social facilities, shops and refreshment stalls for visitors.
      Level 5 (14,5m above the ground) hides the technical base of the arena, engine room and fire airing.
      Level 6 (19,2m above the ground) hides more technical base of the arena, engine room for ventilation, commentators´cabins and media center.
Practice arena, needed for the purposes of the 2004 IIHF World Championships is a four-floor site linked to the arena, partly sunk under the ground with no room for viewers. In further time it can function as a rink for public skating or a place for various shows, exhibitions, cultural and sport events. Around this arena, on the gallery, shopping pasage for commercial use will be placed.     
      The main entrance to SAZKA ARENA will be from the north from Ocelářská Street (subway station „B“ – „Českomoravská“) and from the south from Českomoravská Street (tram station, train station Praha-Libeň). Naturally the parking places and undergroung garages will be also included in the arena.
      In upcoming years SAZKA ARENA also becomes part of a multi-purpose center „Green Island“ which will include a hotel with a congress center,  a multimedia scene,  a shopping gallery, office sites, a supermarket, a parking home and a park.