6 September 2011
Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov said yesterday that Ukraine is planning to open the renovated Olympic Stadium, which is due to host the final match of the UEFA European Football Championships in 2012, in Kyiv on October 8, Interfax reported. The total costs to rebuild the stadium could exceed USD 600 mln, according to the Kyiv Post. Kolesnikov also said Lviv would open its stadium officially on October 28. Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium was shuttered in December 2008 for massive repairs that included demolition and rebuilding the lower tier, construction of a 13-story building adjacent to the arena, and addition of a new roof covering the entire seating area. Seating capacity after the rebuild is expected to be over 60,000, which will make it Euro-2012’s largest venue. Work on renovating Ukraine’s Kyiv and Lviv stadiums had been plagued by scandals and a slow start, at one point prompting warnings from UEFA that it could move matches elsewhere. Ukraine’s two other host stadiums in Kharkiv (renovated) and Donetsk (new) both opened in 2009.