Editor’s Note: With less than one year before the European soccer championship kicks off in June 2012, the Kyiv Post is launching a Euro 2012 page that will cover events from both host countries of Ukraine and Poland.
Olympic Stadium costs approach $600 million
Ukraine’s Euro 2012 agency in June received approval to order $48 million in additional services from Donetsk-based AK Engineering for building the capital’s Olympic Stadium, Nash Groshi reported, a non-profit that tracks government spending.
This is the second government order this year that AK Engineering has received for Olympic Stadium works. In March, the company received a $60 million government order.
This brings AK Engineering’s tally to $107 million in six months.
The company was made one of the stadium’s general contractors after former Donetsk Oblast governor and Party of Regions member Borys Kolesnikov was appointed Vice Prime Minister of Euro 2012 preparations.
The company was also involved in building Donetsk’s Donbas Arena for Rinat Akhmetov. AK Engineering’s founder and former shareholder is Ivan Shakurov, Kolesnikov’s partner in business and legal consultant, stated Nashi Groshi.
Since Kolesnikov took control of Euro 2012 preparations in 2010, the cost of building the Olympic Stadium has risen by $312 million.
The government’s latest Euro 2012 action plan estimates that a total of $14.5 billion of public and private money will be spent on tournament-related projects including infrastructure, venues, and accommodations.
112 emergency phone service to be launched
The 112 emergency phone number will cover four host cities.
Emergencies Minister Viktor Baloha said that a 112 emergency phone number will be launched in the four Ukrainian Euro 2012 cities of Kyiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Lviv by the beginning of the sports event.
“By the start of Euro 2012, the 112 system will be available in all cities that are hosting the championship,” he said at a press conference on July 1 in Kyiv.
Access to the 112 service will be open to both fixed-line and mobile phones.
Baloha said that the 112 system will be implemented throughout Ukraine by the end of 2012, start of 2013.
The corresponding draft law is ready, according to the minister and negotiations have been conducted with foreign experts who have deployed similar systems.
On July 11, an emergencies ministry delegation will make a second trip to the U.S. for consultations on the system.
Zukoski and Gaitana named friends of Euro 2012
Latest Euro 2012 friends singer Gaitana and Jorge Zukoski appear on stage with Markiyan Lubkivsky on July 2.
U.S. citizen and American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine President Jorge Zukoski and popular Ukrainian singer Gaitana were named the latest friends of next year’s European soccer championship.
During the Chamber’s July 2 annual picnic to mark Independence Day celebrations in the U.S., Ukraine’s soccer tournament director Markiyan Lubkivsky named the two newest additions to the Union of European Football Associations’ friends list.
“I’m really grateful to the Ukrainian local organizing committee for inviting me to join the exclusive group of Euro 2012 friends,” said Gaitana.
Zukoski, the long time advocate for competitive, free markets, was equally delighted.
Up to 100 people in Ukraine will be officially named as “friends” of Euro 2012.
Poland 78 percent ready for Euro 2012
Warsaw’s National Stadium seen from the Vistula River bank.
Polish Euro 2012 authorities announced that 78 percent of all key infrastructure projects for next year’s soccer championship are either finished or in the final stage of completion.
The scale of the number of completed infrastructure projects in Poland are the largest since 1989 with 172 institutions engaged in Euro 2012 preparations.
Poland expects close to 1 million tourists to visit for three weeks in June 2012.
Platini to inspect Ukraine in September
UEFA President Michel Platini was re-elected in March.
Union of European Football Associations President Michel Platini will visit Poland and Ukraine in late September, according to Ukraine Euro 2012 information center, citing Ukraine tournament head Markiyan Lubkivsky.
He said the purpose of the visit is to check the state of readiness of the two host countries before next year’s European soccer championship.
Platini will visit Ukraine again on December 2, during the ceremony for the Euro 2012 draw to be held at the Palace of Ukraine concert hall in Kyiv.
Kyiv Post staff writer Mark Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].
Read also ‘Lviv looks forward to Euro 2012, tourism boom expected’
