31st January 2005
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Playing as one to be the perfect hosts
Poland and Ukraine have teamed up to host the European championships.
The government has given its support to a joint bid by Poland and Ukraine to host the 2012 European football championships.
The bid faces tough competition from a number of Europe's more seasoned hosts. Italy wants to play host some 22 years after it was home to the World Cup competition; Greece, refusing to rest on its Olympic laurels, is also entering the fray; and Russia wants to bring the competition east.
But what Poland and Ukraine lack in experience, they make up for in numbers. The two countries have a joint population of 90 million, giving them one of the largest-ever domestic audiences for the championship.
To house the competition, Poland will have to build five new stadiums and radically upgrade much of its road and rail infrastructure. The cost is estimated at €600-700 (zł.2,445-2,853) million. The bulk of funding is expected to come from local and central government coffers, along with EU structural aid and private investment.
The tournament could prove a catalyst for more than just infrastructure improvements. "I'm optimistic this time that we will succeed and that the national team may make a success of the tournament," Interior Affairs Minister Ryszard Kalisz told public radio. "Let's just hope we'll have the roads to get us to the games."
Polish support for the Orange revolution in Ukraine was clear, but it will take more than just words to make this bid a successful one. The political turmoil and economic uncertainty in the region will hamper efforts to get the country's facilities up to scratch for an event of this scale. The Ukrainian government will have to expand its two existing large stadiums and overhaul a decrepit tourism industry.
After a recent cabinet meeting, the Deputy Sports Minister, Wieslaw Wilczynski, said: "The joint costs of both countries should be similar to Portugal's for the last champonship-around €660 (zł.2,690) million."
Poland previously launched a failed bid to host the Winter Olympics in Zakopane. The European championships would provide millions to the country in ticket sales, tourism and sponsorship. A shortlist of three prospective host countries will be announced in November and the winner will be decided in December 2006.
From Warsaw Business Journal by Laurence Mackin
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