Heavyweight backing for bid

Poland and Ukraine pulled in heavyweight support for their successful bid to host UEFA EURO 2012™ with former world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and the greatest ever pole vaulter Serhiy Bubka among the ambassadors backing their candidature in Cardiff.

Proud and grateful
Bubka was not just lending his fame to the tender but also attending in his capacity as president of Ukraine's National Olympic Committee, and could not hide his delight at the bid's surprise success. He told uefa.com: "We're happy and very proud and we'd like to express the gratitude of our sports family, of our Olympic movement, to the Executive Committee of UEFA. We understand that this is a serious and major task but this is also very important for our nations, for our futures, and we will do our very best to have a successful championship."

Stability and development
Bubka, who broke the men's pole vault record 35 times, added: "I think it's important to give eastern Europe such an important event, because football is the most popular sport in what are very sporty countries. We need to change the world, to change Europe, and this will give us a big chance to develop our countries and to integrate into the European Union and world society much faster. And this will bring stability for Europe and stability for our successful future."

Celebration time
Klitschko, world heavyweight champion in 2004 and 2005, was in exultant mood as he spoke to uefa.com: "I'm very happy, an ocean of emotion. I'd like to thank very much the UEFA Executive Committee. It's a very big responsibility for Ukraine but tonight both countries, Ukraine and Poland, will be celebrating the biggest sports event ever to be held in the countries." Asked what he thought persuaded the Executive Committee to vote in Poland/Ukraine's favour, Klitschko said: "It was a very emotional presentation, it showed all the options we have in Ukraine. It's a good question - why the committee chose us - but we showed our country in the best way and showed our will and the potential of what we can do in 2012."

Beenhakker delight
Poland are seemingly on target to qualify for UEFA EURO 2008™, leading qualifying Group A by five points, and the man responsible for that renaissance, coach Leo Beenhakker, is confident Poland's progress will be boosted still further by today's outcome. The Dutchman told uefa.com: "I'm very happy for Polish football, I've been working there for eight months and we know Poland has a great football history. We are very busy building another good team, we are on our way to EURO 2008™, but what we are missing in a major way is infrastructure - stadiums and training facilities. The good thing is that the government and national association are going to have to start work tomorrow and realise exactly everything that we are missing in the coming three to four years. That, for me, is the big win with this decision."

2008 focus
The 64-year-old former AFC Ajax, Feyenoord and Real Madrid CF trainer is not prepared to predict whether he will still be at the helm when Poland co-host the 2012 finals, saying: "I'm at an age when I go year to year and my first step is to focus on qualifying for EURO 2008™. I'm not in a situation to think ahead to 2012 – it is too far away for me." The tournament might be six summers away, but for the great and good of Polish and Ukrainian sport in Cardiff today, the countdown to UEFA EURO 2012™ has already begun.