National Bank of Ukraine has minted 11 commemorative coins of Euro 2012. The presentation was held at the National Sports Complex Olimpiisky on December 27, with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Borys Kolesnikov and Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine Volodymyr Krotiuk among participants. Taking this opportunity, The Day asked the people in charge of Ukraine’s preparations for Euro-2012 what this country will show its guests besides football, taking into account our centuries-old cultural and historical traditions. The issue is especially interesting since we have not seen yet any official presentation of the cultural program for Euro-2012.
Borys Kolesnikov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine:
“I will not tell you yet the details of the cultural program, nor will I reveal its, so to speak, secrets, because it would be less interesting then. We have planned an adequate number of events. We will host 16 matches in four cities. We are working with the local authorities to produce several formats of the cultural program for fans and guests of the championship. Generally, there will be four such formats according to the model we have developed. There will be one format of the cultural program throughout Ukraine on The Days when our national team will play. Quite a different format will be provided for The Days when matches will take place in our Euro-participating cities, but without the Ukrainian team.. The third format is for The Days when no games will be played in Ukraine, and the fourth one is for The Days when there will be no matches at all. That is, we are working out various options. I think we and the local councils will present the final version of the cultural activities program this March.”
Markian Lubkivsky, tournament director of UEFA Euro-2012 in Ukraine:
“Our main task is holding the tournament itself. But, of course, the cultural program is a very important component of the coming event. This is a unique chance for Ukraine to open itself and to show itself to the world. We will have a lot of fans coming here. According to preliminary forecasts, the number of visitors could reach one million people. The vast majority will come to Ukraine for the first time, and of course, they will be interested in more than just football. Therefore, their impression after visiting Ukraine will depend on how well we will be prepared and how we will show ourselves.
The cultural program is primarily the responsibility of the host cities. We are already working with them on it. I believe we should not overdo it. Fans are quite a specific audience, so the cultural program for them should be dynamic, modern and not overloaded with events. Few people will choose long routes and visits to museums.
I think the emphasis should be on contemporary art and street life. Of course, Christian tradition of Ukraine, its churches will attract attention, too.
We are preparing currently the cultural program for the UEFA family. We want to show them the best examples of Ukrainian culture. We consult many institutions on this issue now. Our consultants include individual artists, famous people such as Skrypka, Vakarchuk, Malkovych, as well as artistic associations, such as Mystetsky Arsenal, National Historical and Cultural Sanctuary “Sophia of Kyiv” and so on. We have conducted Friends of the Euro program. It is also somewhat related to the presentation of Ukraine, its culture and sports to the world. We want to show the best that we have. We will show modern Ukraine, not the usual kitsch and false folk tradition.”
