Mexico City Residents Enjoy the World's Largest Ice Rink

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Thanks to an ingenious plan by city officials, inhabitants of the metropolis were able to enjoy the experience of ice skating on what has been billed as the “largest ice rink in the world”. The rink was situated in the city's massive Zócalo plaza, a popular tourist attraction in the city.

Skating enthusiasts in Ottawa, however, need not worry about losing their title for maintaining the “longest ice rink in the world”.

With unusually cool temperatures in the Mexican capital this winter, the rink opened to skaters on the first of December and was a prime attraction for literally hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic individuals. Estimates indicate that at least half a million people donned skates for the month and a half that the 3,200 square meter rink was in operation. Another four million people are estimated to have watched curiously from the sidelines.

It was the first occasion that Mexico City residents were able to take advantage of such a pastime. There was no admission fee and according to the city's English language daily, The News, the free rink was Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's “latest effort to provide fun pastimes to working class residents who can't afford such activities”. In order to celebrate the successful run, a closing ceremony was held on January 12 that included prominent national and international speed and figure skaters.

In spite of the hype and popularity of the move, critics of the municipal government have been quick to point out the relatively exorbitant costs associated with having maintained not only the Zócalo plaza rink but two other smaller rinks in a city that cannot spare such elaborate expenses. The opposition National Action Party, or PAN, estimated that it cost approximately $150, 000 a day to operate the rink. The city defended the plan, however. A city government official told the The News that the rink “cost the city no more than 5 million pesos (about $500, 000) in total”. The official added that “independent sponsors absorbed the brunt of expenditures”, which is estimated at close to $2 million.

PAN has been recently polling visitors to the historic plaza in attempt to sway public opinion against the mayor's initiative. Some PAN members believe that the Zócalo is an inappropriate venue for such large activities as concerts and ice skating, citing a Swiss study from 2006 that revealed how extremely unstable the soil is beneath the plaza. In May 2007, Shakira performed in front of up to 120,000 fans in the plaza. As well, the popular Mexican group Café Tacuba delighted some 165,000 fans within Zócalo's confines in June 2005.

The mayor may be listening to the dissent. The News reports that sources within the city government have indicated that the so-called “world's largest ice rink” will be partitioned into smaller venues throughout the city in the coming weeks which is sure to delight newly minted fans to the time honoured recreational activity. Reports, however, suggest that the “world's largest ice rink” may return to the Zócalo next winter.