Lviv enters 2022 Winter Games race
Kiev (AFP) - The Ukrainian city of Lviv on Tuesday officially joined the race to win the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics -- their announcement coming hours after Beijing declared their candidacy.
Ukraine National Olympic Committee (NOC) President and athletics legend Sergey Bubka and Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyy officially signed the letters of declaration expressing Ukraine?s intent to bid during the Ukraine NOC General Assembly in Kiev.
The bid by Lviv, situated in Western Ukraine with a surrounding regional population of 2.5 million, is something that Bubka, who is also on the decision making executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), didn't think possible a decade ago and for him said it all about the progress the country had made.
"Ten years ago I could not imagine that I would witness a Ukrainian bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," said the 49-year-old, who was crowned outdoor pole vault world champion six times.
"This confirms the revival of Ukrainian sporting traditions, the development of winter sports and a new focus on the Olympic values.
"We are creating an opportunity for future generations to join the Olympic Movement and to give the world new Olympic champions", said Bubka.
According to the Lviv 2022 Games Concept, the official Opening and Closing Ceremonies will take place in the recently built Lviv Arena. The area around the Lviv Arena will serve as the Olympic Park and will accommodate ice venues, the Olympic Village and the International Broadcast and Main Press Centres. Nordic skiing and alpine snow events will take place in the Carpathians, located near the city, which are in fact, the geographical centre of Europe.
Lviv faces a tough battle to win the race with aside from Beijing four other cities also declaring their intent to bid.
Other candidate cities for the 2022 Winter Games are Munich, who finished second in the race for the 2018 edition behind Korean bid Pyeongchang, Oslo, Almaty, the Polish city of Krakow and Sweden's Oestersund.
The 2022 Winter Games will be voted on by the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Kuala Lumpur in July 2015.
Oslo is the strongest candidate to host the event, the president of the International Ski Federation (FIS) said in an interview in September.
