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History The Coliseum was a project started during the administration of Governor Pedro Rosselló, initially as part of an olympic bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games. The Coliseum would have been used for events such as Gymnastics and Olympic Basketball, but in 1997, Athens was selected to host the games, and the construction of the Coliseum was jeopardized. Recognizing the need for such an arena anyways, the government decided to continue the construction, which finished in 2004 during the administration of Governor Sila María Calderón. The construction caused numerous controversies, including a redesigned interior during the Calderón administration several years into construction, was millions of dollars over budget and took several years to be finished. The facility was also relocated from its original location between the Hiram Bithorn Stadium and the "Roberto Clemente Coliseum" to its current location in the Hato Rey financial district, or "downtown San Juan". The coliseum was finally inaugurated in September 2004. The naming of the structure caused a controversy by itself. During the construction phase, plans called for the coliseum to be named El Coliseo de Puerto Rico (The Coliseum of Puerto Rico), but some local politicians argued for naming the coliseum after a Puerto Rican celebrity. Some of the names mentioned were that of pop star Ricky Martin, boxer Félix Trinidad and deceased actor Raúl Juliá. But the name of beloved local comedian José "Don Cholito" Miguel Agrelot (he had recently died) was finally chosen when the coliseum was about to open. A bust of "Don Cholito" now stands at the coliseum's lobby. Another controversy came about when the ticketing distributor was named. An exclusive contract was awarded to Banco Popular's Ticketpop, almost ignoring the bid by competitor TicketCenter. The situation almost went to trial, as both parties argued over who should sell the tickets for the events, but the puertorican government stood by their original contract with Ticketpop. Local producer Angelo Medina spearheaded a group that wanted the legislature to curb the managing powers of SMG, recently named to oversee operations and activities, because they feared that the company's relationship with non-local T.V. companies would limit the participation of local talent in the arena. Pollstar, the prestigious U.S. based magazine, chose the Puerto Rico Coliseum as the "International Large Venue of the Year 2005". This means it is recognized as one of the most important venues in the world, competing with the Sydney Superdome in Australia; the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England; The National Auditorium in Mexico City, and the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Concerts Sporting events Arts Other events | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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