Euro-2012 News Online

February, 5^th UEFA General Secretary David Taylor will pay visit to Lvov, as informed Euro-2012 Department manager of Lvov municipal council Oleg Zasadny.

“Secretary General has to visit all the cities in Poland and Ukraine preparing to host Euro-2012. That’s his checking visit before May when host-cities of Euro-2012 will be defined. Mr. Taylor will check preparation of our airport, stadium and training fields” - added Oleg Zasadny.

Officials from European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have recently had meeting with deputy administrators of local government. The goal of this meeting was discussing potential possibilities of project credits for municipal highways and transport infrastructure reconstruction in the host-cities of Football Championship Final matches.

As informed in press-agency of Coordination Bureau for organization and hosting of Euro-2012 in Ukraine, the matter was about a list of priority objects to obtain EIB and EBRD support.

International financial institutions’ reps have assured of their interest in active and efficient cooperation with local authorities and governmental bodies within final Championship organization framework.

Lvov delegation offered report for UEFA experts with detailed quantitative layout of construction estimate and its time schedule, also information on ground work finishing - first construction stage, and beginning of the next stage, that is construction of stadium basement which according to schedule will last till the end of May, 2009.

Azovintex Company, general contractor representative, has submitted for UEFA reps all the necessary project documents and Head of Municipal Board for Stadium Construction showed to the experts organizational structure of customer’s service.

Inspectors were also informed of vice prime-minister Ivan Vasyunik, Football Federation of Ukraine experts, core Ministries’ reps and also those from Coordination Bureau for Euro-2012 organization under Cabinet of Ministers who are going to visit Lvov on January, 23^rd in order to hold the meeting of organizational committee for Lvov infrastructure development for Euro-2012. The participants will check out airport, hotels, and stadium and training grounds’ readiness. UEFA inspectors are satisfied with everything they’ve seen and heard.

Minister for Family, Youth and Sports of Ukraine Yury Pavlenko has stated that first training bases for teams-participants of Euro-2012 will be ready in 2009.

For carrying out the Championship according to UEFA requirements 16 base training grounds where participants of Euro-2012 can train during the Championship, as well as two transfer bases for each host-city where football teams will have trainings before each game are to be ready.

As he said, except for 28 training bases where re-equipment and reconstruction is planned only, 4 new bases will be constructed. The biggest number of training bases is planned to be prepared in Kiev (8) and Kiev area (6).

Preparation of training bases for Euro-2012 is by 15 percent sponsored due to the State budget (598,2 mln hryvnyas, the rest of finances is received from investors (2423,13 mlnn  hryvnyas ).  

To accommodate football teams participating in Euro-2012 the possibility of using additional base camps in the territory of Ukraine (Crimea, Black and Azov seas’ coast) which would meet UEFA requirements is also explored.

On January, 21st, the enlarged session with UEFA, FFU, Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports representatives, and also Olimpiyskiy NSC management and reconstruction group of the capital’s stadium took place. They’ve analyzed dynamics performance on the main arena of Euro-2012 and recognized it as positive.

During the meeting inspectors of the European Football Union have expressed satisfaction with a course of works at the stadium which will hold final matches of the European Championship. They’ve noted from the end of November, 2008 works are conducted as scheduled. 

Also state value of operating constructions’ conditions is completed, and the general plan of NSC Olimpiyskiy functioning during Euro-2012 is developed.

According to the selected reconstruction project net capacity of arena before Euro-2012 makes 63 467 spectators, total capacity will make 69 423 fans, designers claim. 

In his turn the head of UEFA Department for Stadiums and Security Mark Timmer, who has participated in the meeting, noted if present positive dynamics keeps up then in May they’ll report to UEFA’s Executive committee about works carried out in a proper way at the stadium. 

The official summed up that with present day pace Kiev stadium will be put in operation in set terms that is till June, 2011.

FFU President Grigory Surkis couldn’t hide his satisfaction with visitors’ assessments: “It’s for the first time that we receive from the UEFA experts such favorable reviews concerning the stadiums. It testifies that now Ukrainian authorities work as one team, and our country moves confidently ahead to its goal”.