Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum closed after a piece of ceiling fell
Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum was closed for repairs after a small piece of concrete fell from the ceiling of the nearly 60-year-old facility that hosts several university sports teams and spring graduation ceremonies.
ATHENS, Georgia — Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum was closed for repairs after a small piece of concrete fell from the ceiling of the nearly 60-year-old facility that hosts several university sports teams and spring graduation ceremonies .
No one was hurt when the concrete fell on Wednesday, the school said.
The shutdown is not expected to affect the men’s and women’s basketball teams, which have completed their home schedules, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a home gym meet against Arkansas will now be held Sunday in a Atlanta suburban arena.
“The University of Georgia has closed the Stegeman Coliseum until further notice. This action was taken because a small piece of the ceiling was discovered to have fallen (Wednesday). No one was injured,” it said. school in a statement.
The gymnastics competition has moved to Gas South Arena in Duluth, about 45 miles west of Stegeman Coliseum in sprawling suburban Atlanta. The Gym Dogs are scheduled to host Michigan in their final regular season meeting on March 10.
Several other events scheduled for Stegeman Coliseum over the coming weeks could also be affected. The university and several high schools in the Athens area typically use the facility for spring graduation ceremonies.
“Safety is the university’s top priority and the building will remain closed until necessary repairs are completed,” the school’s statement read. “We don’t know how long this will take at this time. The university has started notifying groups that have booked the Colosseum and advising them to find other locations.
The 10,523-seat arena opened in 1964 as an all-concrete structure built around two giant satellite dishes. It has undergone numerous renovations over the years, including a $13 million project that was completed in 2009. A giant dashboard was hung from the roof in 2017 as part of another round of improvements which cost $8 million.
The facility hosted volleyball and rhythmic gymnastics during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
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