Its formal name, Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso,[1] honors a former Clube de Regatas do Flamengo president.

The architects were Rafael Galvão, Pedro Paulo Bernardes Bastos, Orlando Azevedo and Antônio Dias Carneiro, the engineer was Joaquim Cardoso.

The arena also hosted the 1963 event of the same competition, with the home team, coached by Kanela taking the gold medal,[1] its second Men's Basketball World Championship in a row.

[4][5] In 2013, WWE.com claimed the arena was the site of the 1979 WWE Intercontinental Championship tournament, an April Fools' Day prank.

[6] For the 2007 Pan American Games, the gym was remodeled,[4] with new central air conditioning, an added four-sided scoreboard, a new sound system, a dome which allows natural lighting during the day, new comfortable seating, and adaptions to all international requirements.