The Kölner Haie from the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) have filed an urgent application for more spectators at home games in the Lanxess Arena before the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club announced on Wednesday. The aim is to check the country’s Corona Protection Ordinance for its legality.
“The conditions in Europe’s largest ice hockey arena with ventilation that makes a Haie home game comparable to an open-air event, all of our proven and proven successful measures, the demonstrably high willingness and discipline of our fans and the development of the last Weeks in which the healthcare system is not expected to be overwhelmed have prompted us to have the regulation checked,” says Haie Managing Director Philipp Walter.
The Corona Protection Ordinance currently allows 4,000 viewers, which means a capacity utilization of 21 percent. “We think it’s absolutely justifiable to let significantly more fans into the arena,” Walter continued.