EURO venue Stade de Nice to open

The new Stade de Nice, one of the ten venues that will stage UEFA EURO 2016, will be officially opened on Sunday, with the host city's logo to be unveiled at half-time during local side OGC Nice's match with Valenciennes FC.

The Stade de Nice gates will open at 13.00CET on Sunday, a full four hours before kick-off in the Ligue 1 fixture, with plans to create a Riviera-style carnival atmosphere to mark the occasion.

From 15.30CET an official launch event "dedicated to all fans" will take place, while at half-time, Nice's official host city logo will be revealed in the centre circle by youngsters from the football club, to the accompaniment of a video celebrating the previous EURO tournaments.

There will also be a prize draw for 30 members of the public to win tickets to the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying draw, to be held in Nice on 23 February 2014.

The successor to the old Stade du Ray, Nice's home since 1927, the new ground has been under construction since August 2011, with the 35,000-capacity arena expected to be an asset for the whole Riviera region, as a venue for entertainment and sport.

UEFA President Michel Platini said: "I recently visited the stadium in Nice and found it to be a great venue – modern and functional – and one with which I'm sure spectators will be delighted."

Architects Wilmotte & Associés SA have created the eco-friendly Stade de Nice in the Var valley, 15–20 minutes' drive from central Nice, and the stadium will also house the French national sports museum, with 100,000 items documenting the country's sporting heritage.

It is one of four stadiums being built from scratch for UEFA EURO 2016 along with the grounds in Lille, Bordeaux and Lyon. The first 24-team EURO will be played between 10 June and 10 July 2016.