Sergey Bubka Announces Lviv 2022 Winter Olympic Games Bid Plans

Oct. 19, 2012 - PRLog -- October 19 2012, Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukraine National Olympic Committee President Sergey Bubka has pledged that Carpathian city Lviv plans to bid for the Winter Olympic Games in 2022.

Speaking at the third Ukraine Sport Congress in Kyiv which was also attended by Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, Bubka explained that a successful Lviv bid would provide a great legacy for the region.

Sergey Bubka said: “Our ambitions to host championships in Olympic sports and bid for the 2022 Winter Games correspond well with our nation’s ambitions to continue opening ourselves to the world, to bring our kids to sport. We have resources, we have national support. We need to go forward.

“People I talked to at the Congress, their arguments and their decisions made me sure that National Olympic Committee is on the right path.

“This is a historic moment for sport in Ukraine. It would be a great investment for the region and create a huge legacy for winter sports and tourism.

“This is also a good opportunity to help winter sport in Ukraine because while we are strong in summer sports, we are not so strong winter sport. But a Winter Games would change that and help create more top winter sport athletes in the area.”

President Yanukovych guaranteed permanent governmental support for every sport activity as well as for infrastructure projects and declared his firm intention to put forward Lviv’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

A unanimous vote was held, expressing the intentions of athletes, sport institutions, partners and media to support Lviv’s Winter Olympic bid.

European Olympic Committees President Patrick Hickey spoke about the importance of cooperation between IOC/EOC and NOC’s and underlined the possibilities and benefits from hosting major sport championships. Mr Hickey said: “The Olympic Movement is constantly interested in conquering new territories for expanding our ideas and for the good of sport.”

The Ukraine Sport Congress was also attended by more than 500 participants including all the national Olympic sports federations Presidents, three dozen Olympic champions, NOC sponsors, media partners and national and local government officials.

The Lviv bid comes after a feasibility study underlined the value that a successful Winter Olympic bid would provide for the economy and infrastructure in the Carpathian Mountains area.

During the opening ceremony Sergey Bubka introduced the newly established Order of the NOC of Ukraine – the highest national sport award. On the 60th anniversary of Ukrainian participation in the Games, the first Order was awarded to Nina Botcharova, Ukraine’s first Olympic champion (artistic gymnastics, team and vault gold medal, Helsinki 1952). The second Order 2 went to Larysa Barabash-Temple, a famous Ukrainian-American who partnered and coordinated the Ukrainian team at its first ever Summer Games in Atlanta 1996.

Six permanent partner companies signed agreements and contracts for future cooperation with the Ukrainian NOC at the Congress Hall. Directors from MTC, Bosco, Samsung, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and P&G offices in Ukraine declared their plans to sponsor the Ukrainian Olympic team and all NOC activities.

Numerous other issues were discussed during the Congress including venue construction, sponsoring Olympic sport, kids’ sport schools’ management.
ENDS