Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Wednesday that Ukraine has a strong chance to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games since the country gained experience in hosting the Euro 2012 Soccer Championship this summer.
According to Xinhua, Azarov said, “the success of Euro 2012 and the positive assessment of Carpathian mountains potential increase our chances in the bid for the 2022 Winter Games”.
But he added that the Olympics are a much bigger event than Euro 2012 and it will be more difficult to host them, noting that Ukraine still has 10 years to prepare.
Azarov said that he held talks with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge and the presidents of several sports federations during the Opening Ceremony of the London Games, and that the officials expressed optimism about Ukraine’s sporting potential.
Xinhua reports that in the near future the Ukraine government aims to attract 1.4 billion U.S. dollars to promote Ukraine’s bid.
In 2014 the country intends to bid for the 2022 Games in the Carpathian Mountains of western Lvov region.
