The Avanhard Stadium was the home ground of FC Stroitel Pripyat, the town's amateur football club. Construction finished in early 1986 and the official opening match was set for 1 May, alongside the launch of the amusement park. The grass pitch was never played on; today birch trees more than a decade old grow at the centre circle.
The stands are still partly intact, with rows of plastic seats bleached by sun and snow. Walk the outer running track for a sense of how thoroughly the forest has taken back the place: in some sections the asphalt has lifted entirely, pushed up by roots from below.