Nelson Mandela Forum

Property

The structure is property of the city of Florence and is managed, since 2003, by the Associazione Palasport – Nelson Mandela Forum under a 12-year management agreement.

The Nelson Mandela Forum has a formal agreement with the Nelson Mandela Foundation that allows the use of the name of the South African former president.

The structure's compound is 25000 sqm with 10000 sqm of spaces where there are a main arena, a boxing training center, two areas used for gym (the latter being for many years home of the fencing center of Florence), one free climbing facility, and open spaces occupied by three permanent exhibitions on human rights.

History

The arena hosted the 1990 basketball FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup Final, in which local Italian club Knorr Bologna won the title, in front of a crowd of 6,000 spectators.

In 2010 and 2018, the arena was one of the venues of the men's Volleyball World Championship.

The main financial sponsors are Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena (a bank foundation) and Unicoop Firenze (a supermarket chain). It has hosted the concerts of: Pooh, Vasco Rossi, Alessandra Amoroso, Mark Knopfler, Eros Ramazzotti, Oasis, Bob Dylan, Michael Bublé, Max Pezzali, Depeche Mode, Neil Young, Lenny Kravitz, Marilyn Manson, Biagio Antonacci, Zucchero, Renato Zero, Francesco Guccini, Jovanotti, Tiziano Ferro, Gianna Nannini, Subsonica, Giorgia, Caetano Veloso, Boy George, Claudio Baglioni, Deep Purple, Antonello Venditti, Elisa, Laura Pausini, Litfiba, Marco Mengoni, and many more. On 11 June 2010, it hosted WWE in Europe with Smackdown.

From 22 to 29 September 2013 the Forum will host the 2013 UCI Road World Championships. As a result, the city has recently paved all the principal streets near the Forum.

Bellator MMA has hosted two events in the arena Bellator 168 on 10 December 2016 and Bellator 188 on 9 December 2017 which were both headlined by Italian fighter Alessio Sakara.

Current use

During the summer when the main arena is not utilized, the compound of the Mandela Forum hosts two open-air cinemas with 600 and 250 seats that operate for the whole of the summer holidays season.

At the entrance of the Mandela Forum there is a mural painted by the South African Ndebele artist Esther Mahalangu inaugurated on 17 November 2010 by the Minister of Arts and Culture of the Republic of South Africa Paul Mashatile.

For the 2013–14 Euroleague season it was the home arena of Italian League club Mens Sana Basket.

The Dave Matthews Band performed live there on 18 October 2015.

In February 2018, the Mandela Forum hosted the 50th edition of the Italian Basketball Cup, Italy's first-tier cup competition

References

References

1. (4 November 2004). "Zucchero propone un concerto di beneficenza a Firenze". Rockol.
2. (2013-04-02). "Siena to play in Firenze the Euroleague games after this season?". Sportando.
3. [http://www.court-side.com/news/blog/montepaschi-siena-could-play-in-florence/ Siena could play in Florence] {{Webarchive. link. (10 November 2013 . Court-side.com (2 April 2013).)
4. "Palazzetto". [[Azzurra Volley San Casciano]].
5. "Un nome un simbolo". Nelson Mandela Forum.
6. [http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php Nelson Mandela Foundation]. Nelsonmandela.org.
7. [http://www.galeon.com/realmadridbasket/recopas.htm 4 RECOPAS DE EUROPA – (2 SUBCAMPEÓN) (EUROPEAN EUROCUP – SAPORTA CUP)] {{Webarchive. link. (10 February 2019 . Galeon.com.)
8. {{usurped
9. "www.volley2010.com".
10. "L'arena di Marte". Nelson Mandela Forum.
11. link. (4 December 2010 . Info.gov.za (18 September 2012).)
12. link. (29 June 2011 . Info.gov.za (18 September 2012).)
13. . (25 September 2017). ["Final Eight 2018: ufficializzata Firenze come sede dell'evento 15-18 febbraio"](http://www.sportando.com/it/italia/serie-a/247944/final-eight-2018-ufficializzata-firenze-come-sede-dell-evento-15-18-febbraio.html#refresh_ce).