Ukraine presented its Olympic Bid - Lviv 2022 - in Sochi

Ukraine presented its Lviv 2022 Olympic Bid concept to the International Olympic Committee members, athletes and supporters at the Main Media Center in Sochi.

“The Ukrainian flag is waving above the Olympic Sochi. This flag is not just a symbol of Ukraine. It also symbolizes our faith in winning here in Sochi. Our athletes (both the ones that have already finished their competitions and those that are having their final training sessions and preparing for the fight) are in need of our support. This flag was hoisted to let them know that entire Ukraine (from Luhansk to Lviv and from Sevastopol to Chernihiv) is cheering for our Olympic team. And we expect the Ukrainian flag to be flying above the Sochi medal stands as well,” this was an address of Acting Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Vilkul to Ukrainian athletes and supporters.

He also stated that the government of Ukraine had raised bonuses for Olympic medal winners by 25% in comparison with the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The Sochi athletes will get over a million UAH for gold, 680,000 UAH for silver and 470,000 UAH for bronze.

President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Serhiy Bubka said: “Ukraine’s first Olympic campaign is the first and most important step in the hard effort required to promote Ukraine in its striving to become the Olympic host. Ukraine needs the Games, no doubt about it.” Serhiy Bubka added that the 2022 Olympic Bid is a vital step to spread the word about Ukraine as a whole and the Carpathian region and Lviv in particular. Serhiy Bubka also expressed the hope that “Lviv’s Olympic Bid will inspire young people to pay more attention to winter sports”.  “Traditionally, Ukrainians are better at summer sports; at the same time we have been observing an increasing interest of Ukrainians in winter sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics in Lviv will further stimulate this interest and create the necessary conditions,” said the NOC President.

Meanwhile, Chief executive officer of the Lviv 2022 Bid Committee Serhiy Goncharov told about the bidding process. “The competitive spirit here at the Olympic Games is stronger than elsewhere. Today athletes are not the only ones competing. Countries are also fighting for the rights to host the future Games. It won’t be easy for Ukraine to win. Our competitors are strong members of the Olympic family. Many of them already have the Olympic bid experience, while it’s Ukraine’s first attempt. But we are ready for competition. Our Application File is being put together by one of the most professional teams in the world – a consortium of such companies as Keneo, Teneo, Populous, Masterconcept and PWC. The management of these companies are well known in the world of sports management. Their leading experts worked on the successful bids of Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, London 2012, Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. The Olympic experts present here in Sochi expressed their interest in Ukraine’s Olympic Bid. However, regardless of the IOC decision with regard to the Ukrainian Bid, the Application File is of great importance for the entire country as it gives a clear understanding of the region development strategy, as well as tourism and sports development. The Application File is basically an integral part of the long-term development strategy for the country and the region,” said Sergej Goncharov.

He also noted that the Lviv 2022 Bid is unique. The population residing within a 5-hour car drive from Lviv constitutes over 21 million people. Therefore, to leverage the potential of Lviv and the Carpathians more effectively, it’s necessary to develop relevant infrastructure and tourist facilities.

In turn Acting Minister of Youth and Sports Ravil Safiullin stressed that Ukrainians have always fancied winter sports, but the sporting infrastructure of the Carpathian region is not sufficiently developed. Therefore, both Ukrainians and foreigners will benefit from Ukraine featuring modern sports facilities in close proximity to the EU border. Moreover, the preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics will produce positive economic effects all over the country. “The 2022 Games will provide impetus for the development of the region for at least 20-30 years ahead. In fact, the whole country will win as the associated works will require products of various industrial enterprises across Ukraine,” stated Ravil Safiullin.

Deputy City Mayor of Lviv Andriy Moskalenko invited journalists, athletes and Olympic experts to visit Lviv in order to experience the unique ancient city first-hand and enjoy leisure in the Carpathians. “Lviv is an interesting, multicultural and hospitable city with rich history. Its great cultural heritage is a new discovery for the world community. The city center is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our highest value is the citizens. Thanks to them the city has incredible spirit. Lviv already has experience of hosting international sporting events, for example, EURO 2012, and we will be ready to notch up the same success when staging the 2022 Winter Olympics,” said Andriy Moskalenko.

During the 2022 Olympic Bid concept presentation Oleksandr Vilkul and Sergey Bubka also presented its Logo which is an essential component of the Lviv 2022 Bid, its “face” that will make Ukraine, Lviv and the Carpathians known to the world. The Logo has been developed by the best designers of famous international companies North Design and Teneo that are experienced in logo development and positioning for the Olympics and World Championships. All in all, 4 draft logos were developed considering cultural, historical, geographical and sporting peculiarities of Lviv and the Carpathian region. The official Lviv 2022 Logo has been selected by Ukrainians through an open vote on the website www.lviv2022.in.ua. Over 32,000 users have voted for the winning logo, while in total almost 60,000 Ukrainians have participated in the vote.

“I am proud that our Logo has been selected by citizens by open vote and not in someone’s office. This Logo is reflective of Lviv’s openness to the world, its friendliness, tolerance and multicultural character. It also combines the city’s ancient history and unique natural conditions,” stated Oleksandr Vilkul.

Background:

In November 2013 Ukraine submitted an official declaration to the IOC on its intention to participate in the bid process for the rights to stage the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

In March 2014 the Lviv 2022 Bid Committee will submit an Application File to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in Lausanne (Switzerland). The Application File will then be thoroughly studied by an IOC-appointed Working Group.

An Application File is the main document that all Applicant Cities submit to the IOC. It contains a detailed description of the Olympic concept, relevant infrastructure, the Olympic project’s environmental impact etc. In the case of Ukraine, the Application File is basically a part of the Carpathian Region and Lviv City Development Strategy. 

Along with the Application File, the Bid Committee has to submit the so called Photo File which is a text and visual description of the Olympic venues. The Application and Photo Files have to be accompanied by government guarantee letters ensuring that the government of Ukraine will perform the entire scope of works associated with the preparation and hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympics providing the IOC awards the Games to Lviv. 

The applicant countries will be shortlisted in July 2014, while the final election of the host country will take place in July 2015 in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Currently Ukraine is competing for the rights to stage the planet’s major winter sports event against such countries as Poland and Slovakia (joint bid), Kazakhstan, Norway and China.