Turin Proposes Converting Olympic Ice Rink to Mosque
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
ROME — Authorities in Turin, looking for ways to make money from the giant buildings they built for last year’s winter Olympics, are planning to turn the city’s ice rink into a mosque. Turin’s urban planner, Mario Viano, suggested leasing the $113 million stadium for “a far from unsubstantial rent” to the local Islamic community.
With the ice rink in place, the stadium can seat 12,500 people. However, the rink can be covered, creating thousands more places for the city’s 25,000 Muslims. The Northern League and the National Alliance, two of Italy’s far-right political parties, have both submitted motions against the proposal.