- Title: UKRAINE/ POLAND: Poland and Ukraine to co-host Euro 2012
- Date: 19th April 2007
- Summary: CONFETTI BLASTING INTO THE AIR CHILDREN CATCHING CONFETTI
- Embargoed: 4th May 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAAGGJ7EOA8ZQ71Z7CQRB9PVXMO
- Story Text: Poland and Ukraine have been chosen to co-host the European Championship soccer tournament in 2012, UEFA announced on Wednesday (April 18).
European soccer's governing body said it had selected the Poland and Ukraine bid ahead of Italy and another joint bid from Croatia and Hungary to stage the finals.
The Poland and Ukraine bid received eight votes to Italy's four. Croatia and Hungary got none. It is the first time either country has been chosen to host a major tournament.
Ukraine president Viktor Yushchenko said in a statement that the decision offered a great opportunity to both countries to host an "extraordinary" sporting event.
"Holding the 2012 European championship will be a wonderful opportunity for Ukrainians and Poles to welcome the best representatives of Europe's soccer family and produce an extraordinary sporting event," he said.
"Ukraine and Poland are capable of upholding the highest standards in staging such an important event.
"Ukraine and Poland will be able to show millions of fans the unforgettable charm of their cities and the history they have preserved so beautifully and put on display of Slav hospitality and culture," said Yushchenko.
The projected Polish venues for the tournament include Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw while the Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv would stage games.
Kiev's Olympic Stadium, used to host soccer at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, is the proposed venue for the final. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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