Sports complex at Montreal's Olympic Park won't reopen before early 2025

The sports facilities at Montreal's Olympic Park will remain closed until early 2025. 

Nearly six months ago, a major fire tore through the park's facilities, forcing the sports centre and the National Sports Institute (INS) to close down.

The spring fire sent many Canadian Olympic teams scrambling to find other venues to train with only a few months to spare before this past summer's Paris Olympic Games. On Friday, the Olympic Park's management posted an update to social media, describing the work to decontaminate the facilities as a "colossal task."

The fire started at the base of the stadium next to its ventilation system, spreading the smoke throughout the Montreal tower.

According to the park, the fire affected an area that spans 100,000 square metres and uses a ventilation network that is more than nine kilometres long. In April, the provincial government approved a $40-million subsidy for the repairs. 

"The fire caused significant damage due to the smoke infiltration in the sports complex and in the ventilation system as well as all the water that was needed to put out the fire," reads the Facebook message from the Olympic Park. 

"For obvious safety reasons, it is imperative that we remove all the contaminants related to the fire to completely eliminate the risk of them spreading throughout the areas that have already been cleaned and decontaminated."

Francis Ménard, executive director of the Fédération de natation du Québec, a provincial swimming group, says one of its clubs normally trains at the Olympic Park year round and was hoping to return there in October.

"The pressure on other pools in Montreal is very high," Ménard said.

The federation is holding a major competition next March, and it's scheduled to