A large-scale sports complex is set to open in Mondorf-les-Bains

Construction of a sports complex at the entrance to the municipality of Mondorf-les-Bains, next to the Saar motorway, has been underway for two years now. The centrepiece of the 28,000-square-metre site will be Luxembourg’s first indoor velodrome, featuring a 250-metre track and stands with capacity for 1,500 spectators. The cycling arena itself will occupy only around 10,000 square metres, whilst the remaining area is earmarked for facilities for school and community sport, including a swimming pool, a sports hall and a climbing wall.

The project’s lead architect, Shahram Agaajani, describes the development under construction as a unified ecosystem bringing together several buildings under one roof. This architectural concept minimises the environmental impact, whilst also reducing resource consumption and overall maintenance costs. Furthermore, the complex is being built in the immediate vicinity of a future secondary school designed to accommodate 1,600 pupils. The mayor of the municipality, Steve Reckel, emphasised that the integration of the facilities will spare the school the need to build its own training pools, and pupils will no longer have to travel to neighbouring towns for swimming lessons.

During the implementation phase, the project budget underwent a significant revision: the initial estimate of 64 million euros was increased by a further 34 million euros. According to the Minister for Sport, Martine Hansen, the cost overrun is due to a general rise in the prices of building materials, as well as the need to adapt the facility to modern accessibility standards for people with reduced mobility and the new, stringent requirements of the International Cycling Union.

During the construction phase, adjustments were also made to the plans to ensure that the velodrome would be integrated with the sports hall of the future school. The authorities are confident that the financial investment will pay for itself in full, as the new complex will address the shortage of high-quality sports infrastructure in the region and will be used daily by schoolchildren, local residents and professional athletes. The facility is expected to be fully opened by 2029.