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| An artist’s rendition of Gdansk Stadium due for completion in time for Euro 2012 |
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When it co-hosts the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012, Poland hopes to showcase the country’s best assets to the rest of the world. After all, the quadrennial event is the third-largest sporting event in the world after the Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.
As this is the first time that Poland will host this event or any such event of this magnitude, the government has set up an organizing committee, called PL.2012, to oversee the huge preparations and ensure the success of Euro 2012, part of which will be held in Ukraine.
"We have invited experts from international companies with experience in big project management. With more than 300 projects and investments, it is essential to have clear timetables, responsibilities and budgets," says PL.2012 CEO and President Marcin Herra.
The committee is in charge of building all related infrastructure (including accommodations, transportation links and base camps for teams), constructing and refurbishing six stadiums, and supervising other matters such as security, medical services, telecommunications, intellectual property and promotional work.
In Poland, three stadiums need to be upgraded and another three will be built from scratch.
The largest new stadium will be located in the capital Warsaw, with a seating capacity of 55,000. The two other new venues will be in Gdansk and Wroclaw. The other host cities are Krakow, Poznan and Chorzow.
To keep the whole country involved and informed, PL.2012 set up what it calls the "Infrastructure Master Plan," found on www.2012.org.pl, as well as an online portal on the various stadiums, which are available to host cities and UEFA experts.
"We use the Internet to keep all parties informed and updated. We have a central budget, central risk management and a central timetable. UEFA also has access to this information and can check our progress every day so everything is transparent to them," says Herra.
Aside from posing an enormous challenge, Euro 2012 offers the co-host a tremendous opportunity.
"It’s an opportunity for Poland to take a huge step forward. It’s been 20 years since the Communist era and Poland has made significant progress. Right now, there is an opportunity to take another step in terms of infrastructure, new technologies and international perception. It will be an important catalyst for innovation," remarks the PL.2012 chief.
"We wanted to test ourselves and see if we could be successful. This will affect the mentality of the nation. We want to show that we are able to deliver what we promised. We have a chance to gain the respect and trust of the world. It will secure the future of Poland on the international stage," he adds.
Poland hopes to benefit from the investment made in preparation for Euro 2012 in the decades following the event as it will now boast of the best and most modern hotels in Europe, along with new roads, railways and airports.
Host cities will have new internal communications and transport systems that are environmentally friendly and meet the strictest international standards.
"Right now, we don’t have stadiums appropriate for international events. After this tournament, we will have state-of-the-art facilities in our biggest cities. We are working on business models, which will utilize these stadiums after the event is over. We want those assets to continue to bring benefits to Poland and not only related to football," Herra points out.
Poland expects to accommodate between 2 million and 4 million people during the three-week event, with a majority of them first-time visitors.
"We can redefine the image of this country. We hope people will return to Poland for other reasons after the tournament," says Herra.
www.2012.org.pl
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