Ukraine's Euro 2012 preparations enter home stretch: President

Kiev, May 31 (IANS): With 10 days remaining for the kick-off of the Euro 2012 football championship, Ukraine enters the final stretch of its tournament preparations, Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych said here.

“Preparations for Euro 2012 were difficult and controversial. Ukraine faced straitened circumstances at the beginning of 2010, when the UEFA questioned conducting the championship in Ukraine. But we overcame all obstacles and now enter the final stretch,” Yanukovych said during the meeting of the committee on preparation and holding of Euro 2012 finals.

Giving progress details on the Euro 2012 preparations, Yanukovych said Ukraine has reconstructed four stadiums, opened four airports, repaired over 3,800 km of roads and unveiled a fleet of high-speed trains, reported Xinhua.

Yanukovych said Ukrainian security services and police were well prepared for possible challenges and added that safety of Euro 2012 guests is the key priority for the Ukrainian authorities during the tournament.

According to official figures, Ukraine invested around $5 billion in sports, hotels and transport infrastructure during the preparations.

The 16-nation tournament, slated for June 8 to July 1, will take place in four Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Lvov, Donetsk and Kharkov and four Polish cities of Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan.