Construction of the Sports Hall Borik began in 1972 and it was officially opened in 1974. This facility is the work of Banja Luka architect Sead Zahirović and was one of the largest sports venues in the former SFRY at the time. The dimensions of the playing field are 50 x 24 meters, and the spectator capacity is 2,400 seated and 1,200 standing.
The entrance hall is adorned with the Olympic Arch, dedicated to the people of Banja Luka who won gold medals at the Olympic Games. Tomislav Knez won Olympic gold in football in 1960. In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, Abas Arslanagić, Milorad Karalić, Nebojša Popović, and Dobrivoje Selec won gold in handball. After the Los Angeles Olympics, three more gold medals were brought to Banja Luka, won by Zlatan Arnautović and Zdravko Rađenović in handball, and Anton Josipović in boxing.
This was the first indoor sports facility in the city on the Vrbas River. Before the construction of the Sports Hall Borik, indoor sports competitions in Banja Luka were held at the Stadium of Sports Games, known as the Small Borac Stadium, located near the Bosna Hotel. Today, the building housing the Investment and Development Bank (IRB) stands at that location.
The construction of the sports hall marked the beginning of Banja Luka’s sports development. Just 22 days after its opening, the boxers of Slavija brought the first team title to the Borik Hall. By defeating Kablovi from Svetozarevo, in front of 4,000 spectators, Slavija’s boxers became the champions of Yugoslavia.
On April 11, 1976, Banja Luka’s Borac handball team lifted the European Champion’s trophy in front of their home crowd, after defeating Denmark’s Fredericia 17:15.
The legendary boxer Marijan Beneš won the European professional boxing title in the EBU (European Boxing Union) version on May 7, 1979, in the Sport Hall Borik by knocking out his opponent, French boxer Gilbert Cohen, in the fourth round.
In addition to its importance for sports development, the Sports Hall Borik also held great cultural significance for Banja Luka, hosting numerous concerts by famous Yugoslav and international musicians. Older generations will remember that one of the greatest blues guitarists, John Mayall, performed there, as did the Scottish hard rock/heavy metal band Nazareth and the English rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. On January 25, 1983, the famous English guitarist Alvin Lee, founder of Ten Years After, also played at Borik Hall.
There wasn’t a major Yugoslav rock band at the time that hadn’t performed at the Sports Hall Borik. Some of them include Bijelo Dugme, Smak, Riblja Čorba, Korni Grupa, Septembar, and Buldožer. Interestingly, the Sarajevo band Indexi held their final concert in right there in 2001. The concert took place in May, and by June, the band members decided to stop performing.
However, for many young people of that time in Banja Luka, the fondest memories are tied to the first disco club, which was located within the Sport Hall Borik. This was where first loves blossomed, and behind the hall, nighttime gatherings with guitars, some drinks, and a little something more were a must.
