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Euro 2012 in Poland
February 23, 2012, Thursday
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On April 18, 2007, the Union of European Football Associations chose Poland and Ukraine to host the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012. Together with FIFA's World Cup, this event is the most important soccer competition on the European continent and takes place every four years. Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine will be the 14th such tournament.
With less than four months to the start of the first match of the UEFA Euro 2012 on June 8, Poland is busy getting the infrastructure ready for the championship.
The draw for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying competition took place in Warsaw on February 7, 2010. Fifty-one teams entered to compete for participation in the finals in Poland and Ukraine. The qualifying process began in August 2010 and concluded in November 2011. Only 16 teams qualified for the finals: Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.
Every four years, the three-week Euro attracts a multitude of spectators, therefore, host countries must meet stringent standards outlined by UEFA. The most important element of these international sporting events are the sophisticated stadiums with a capacity of up to 60,000 people. They should be equipped with modern facilities for the competing teams and spectators, journalists and VIP delegations. Host cities must have infrastructure capable of handling throngs of visitors. This encompasses upgrading public transportation systems, ensuring enough hotel rooms, building modern training centers for the participating teams, not to mention connecting the host cities with convenient highways and railways. Public safety is also a prime focus.
The four Polish cities that will host Euro 2012 matches are Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdansk and Poznan. Two cities will play a complementary role: Cracow and Chorzow. The host cities have already built new state-of-the-art football arenas. The recently completed National Stadium in Warsaw is an exquisite sports venue with a usable area of 32,000 square meters, which can accommodate more than 58,000 visitors. Apart from the turf pitch and the surrounding stands, the building boasts the largest conference room in the Polish capital, capable of hosting 1,800 people, a parking lot for 1,700 cars, restaurants, offices, shops and a large fitness club. The stadium is home to the Museum of Sports and Tourism and will be a viable business undertaking years after Euro 2012. The complex is located in the proximity of the financial center, on the bank of the Vistula River, forming a scenic view.
Apart from building world-class stadiums, Polish cities have laid solid foundations for modern infrastructure such as new roads and hotels; Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw are completing brand-new airport terminals. Warsaw recently opened a second terminal at its Okecie Airport and will also launch a new airport north of the city in June this year. Being a large and fast developing country in the European Union, Poland is building a network of major highways spanning the country from the seaport of Gdansk in the north to the Czech Republic in the south, from Warsaw via Poznan toward the German border near Berlin, and from Cracow via the Upper Silesian industrial area and Wroclaw toward Germany, to name just a few. Furthermore, major railways are being upgraded for speed and capacity to be ready for 20 Pendolino high-speed trains to start operation between major Polish cities from 2014.
With less than four months to the start of the first match of the UEFA Euro 2012 on June 8, Poland is busy getting the infrastructure ready for the championship.
The draw for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying competition took place in Warsaw on February 7, 2010. Fifty-one teams entered to compete for participation in the finals in Poland and Ukraine. The qualifying process began in August 2010 and concluded in November 2011. Only 16 teams qualified for the finals: Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.
Every four years, the three-week Euro attracts a multitude of spectators, therefore, host countries must meet stringent standards outlined by UEFA. The most important element of these international sporting events are the sophisticated stadiums with a capacity of up to 60,000 people. They should be equipped with modern facilities for the competing teams and spectators, journalists and VIP delegations. Host cities must have infrastructure capable of handling throngs of visitors. This encompasses upgrading public transportation systems, ensuring enough hotel rooms, building modern training centers for the participating teams, not to mention connecting the host cities with convenient highways and railways. Public safety is also a prime focus.
The four Polish cities that will host Euro 2012 matches are Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdansk and Poznan. Two cities will play a complementary role: Cracow and Chorzow. The host cities have already built new state-of-the-art football arenas. The recently completed National Stadium in Warsaw is an exquisite sports venue with a usable area of 32,000 square meters, which can accommodate more than 58,000 visitors. Apart from the turf pitch and the surrounding stands, the building boasts the largest conference room in the Polish capital, capable of hosting 1,800 people, a parking lot for 1,700 cars, restaurants, offices, shops and a large fitness club. The stadium is home to the Museum of Sports and Tourism and will be a viable business undertaking years after Euro 2012. The complex is located in the proximity of the financial center, on the bank of the Vistula River, forming a scenic view.
Apart from building world-class stadiums, Polish cities have laid solid foundations for modern infrastructure such as new roads and hotels; Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw are completing brand-new airport terminals. Warsaw recently opened a second terminal at its Okecie Airport and will also launch a new airport north of the city in June this year. Being a large and fast developing country in the European Union, Poland is building a network of major highways spanning the country from the seaport of Gdansk in the north to the Czech Republic in the south, from Warsaw via Poznan toward the German border near Berlin, and from Cracow via the Upper Silesian industrial area and Wroclaw toward Germany, to name just a few. Furthermore, major railways are being upgraded for speed and capacity to be ready for 20 Pendolino high-speed trains to start operation between major Polish cities from 2014.
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