Euro 2012 Countdown

Kiev has been preparing & literally counting down (days, hours...below) for the Euro Cup since we arrived almost a year ago 

– now just 6 days from kick off! 

 The excitement has brought a lot of good, some bad and some ugly. 

Let's review….

What the heck is it?  No European would ask.  But as an American I needed the headlines. It's kind of like the Super Bowl but for soccer.  Starts with 16 European teams.  Sounds kind of no big deal to me, but it's not.  You'd think the Olympics were coming.  It's huge!

First step - spend like hell

Ukraine & Poland are co-hosting the tournament.  Ukraine has games in 4 cities - including Kiev.  The state $ pumped into improvements is staggering....  

$10B reported - $550MM on the Kiev stadium rebuild alone (stadium behind the building they just started putting a new facade on a few weeks ago - hurry people!).

(May sound reasonable vs. Chicago’s $660MM spend on Soldier Field upgrade ~10 years ago – but with labor at 150UAH (~$19) for an 11 hour work day – the #’s seem a bit rich)

And while there have been some questionable spending decisions (e.g. the company who was awarded the biggest construction contract is rumored to be connected to the Vice Prime Minister of Infrastructure – cozy!), the improvements are quite visible…

The rebuilt stadium is now HUGE holding 70,000!  (Madonna is even coming later this summer!).  We now boast some smooth roads in the city center AND English signs!

But the most very shocking of all was the sudden appearance of this….

 …YES – it is a BIKE LANE!!!!!!  OK it is just one stretch off of a major roadway – and a cynic might say it was put there for the image it will project rather than real dedication to alternative transportation BUT it looks like progress to me!

Second Step – promote, promote, promote

Euro cup fever is everywhere……signs on as many flat surfaces as possible….

  

….and non-flat surfaces 

Next step – jack up prices

Allegedly the hotel prices got jacked up so high (In Donesk a 40 euro room was going for 600), it detracted some.  Good news for us – we were able to secure tickets to a game via a late release of un-sold tickets!

Final step – deny controversy

As Ukraine gets more attention for hosting, it has a bigger stage on which to respond to the fairly extensive criticism.  The key allegations:

·       POLITICAL: Holding the former Prime Minister in prison & their belief that Ukraine ‘is suffering under dictatorship & repression’ is causing several Western European leaders to skip the tournament in protest 

·       RACIAL: After a TV clip showed Ukrainian ‘football hooligans’ beating an Indian fan, England’s ex-team captain Sol Campbell warned fans to “stay at home or they could end up in a coffin”

·       SEXUAL: The Dutch aired a TV ad that advises women to keep their husbands from attending Euro 2012 because they are likely to be seduced by Ukraine's beautiful women! 

My gym teacher's t-shirt reflects the sentiment

Zoe is staging her own protest - says she doesn't want to go since there aren't any girls playing!  

Net, net, the good news is the city has seen some major improvements it would not likely have otherwise & all the trouble has created a 'low bar' of expectations.  Here's to hoping Ukraine clears the bar by a big margin surprising skeptics.

Happy Sundays & here's to hoping for pleasant surprises!