Four years after the João Doria (PSDB) administration suggested the construction of a new multi-sports arena in place of the Ícaro de Castro Mello stadium, in Ibirapuera, the government of São Paulo will pay R$63 million to renovate it and leave it in conditions to host the main international athletics events.
On Tuesday (30), the Olympic Stadium Consortium, headed by the Bahian company OCC Construções, presented the best price in a public notice conducted by CDHU, the state’s Housing and Urban Development Company, a discount of 22% of the stipulated maximum value.
OCC is the same company that recently participated in the renovation of Mangueirão, in Belém, another iconic Brazilian athletics stadium. Saeid Engenharia and Playpiso, specialized in sports flooring, also participate in the consortium.
The turnaround for Ícaro de Castro Mello, which the Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) management now calls the “Olympic stadium”, began at the beginning of this year, when the Department of Sport rented the place for a drift event, a type of race of cars.
The information only became public when the organizer published a video on social media of a machine removing the blanket from the athletics track, which generated strong repercussions. The site is in the process of being listed by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan), which had not been consulted about the race.
Under pressure, the secretariat reacted by canceling the race and creating a working group on a reform project, with the participation of athletics entities, which had already worked with athletes to prevent, in 2020, Doria from going ahead with the concession project — which proposed tearing down the stadium and transforming the Ibirapuera gymnasium into a shopping center.
Iphan, under the influence of then president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), intervened by opening the listing process, which made the concession difficult.
Now, Tarcísio is advancing the reform while trying to reverse the complex’s listing in Federal Court. The plan is to deliver the works 16 months after contracting, which depends on the approval of the result of the notice, contested by the consortium that came in second place.
Opened 70 years ago, Ícaro de Castro Mello was last renovated between 2010 and 2011, which included a first-class international track.
Until 2014, it hosted most of the main national tournaments. In 2016, the track was no longer suitable for hosting competitions. Over the years, until 2020, athletes also migrated from there. After the installation of a field hospital during the pandemic, the track became impractical.
With promises of privatization since 2017, the Ibirapuera sports complex has not received significant public investment for a decade. Now, the renovation of the stadium includes a new lighting system, 5,200 seats, a track with nine lanes and several structural improvements.
The executive project does not mention the need to install football goals on the lawn, an indication that the department does not intend to use Ícaro as a football stadium, as happened mainly in the 1990s, when the place was the main stage of the first wave of professionalism in women’s football in the country. The men’s teams from São Paulo, Corinthians and Santos also played games there.
Ícaro de Castro Mello (1913-1986) was an architect, urban planner and athlete. South American record holder in high jump and pole vault in his time, he participated in the Berlin Olympics in 1936. His office was responsible for the Ibirapuera gymnasium (between 1952 and 1957).
