UEFA Euro Is Coming

The UEFA Eurocup is rapidly approaching, and for the first time ever the most prestigious European soccer tournament will be hosted by Poland and the Ukraine. It was a bold move by UEFA president Michl Platini, who has made it clear that one of his goals for his tenure as president is to dive einto less explored markets. Everything seemed to be coming along smoothly, with Poland building four new beautiful stadiums in the cities of Gdansk, Warsaw, Poznan, and Wroclaw. Over the past two years, Ukraine has built two stadiums, opened four airports, and unveiled a fleet of high-speed trains. It has spent $14.5 billion on preparations for the Euro 2012 football championships, a whopping sum for a small GDP country. Workmen have been tidying up outside Kiev's impressive web-roofed Olympic stadium, the venue for the July 1^st final.  

However, on the eve of the continental tournament, the Ukraine is staring at a public relations disaster that is almost out of control. Jailed opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, launched a hunger strike in April of 2011 after saying she was beaten by prison officials. Yulia V. Tymoshenko used to be the Prime Minister of the Ukraine and was regarded as a hero of the country’s “Orange Revolution.” The Orange Revolution used to be the party that opposed current president Viktor Yushchenko, a former Kremlin who seems to be stuck in Russian communist ideals. German chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to boycott the games in the Ukraine (where Germany will play most of its games) and there might be other western leaders who will follow suit.

History has shown us how sports and major sporting events can change the future of a nation and of the people involved, with a perfect example being the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa where the national rugby team played a major role in ending with the apartheid. Instead of “punishing” the Ukraine with what will likely not help with the release of Yulia Tymoshenko, leaders should be working on making the Eurocup 2012’s legacy a very positive one for two nations that have been struggling with poverty and corruption since their communist days.

By: Kevis G. Pinto