Poznań set to be first venue to be completed for Euro 2012

July 15 – Poznań will be the first Polish city to complete the preparation of its stadium for the European 2012 Championships, the city’s Mayor has claimed.

The 46,000 Budowa stadionu is due to start staging events later this year with an opening concert featuring Sting, Ryszard Grobelny has revealed.

“Work on the stadium is drawing to an end,” he said.

“We hope that by September, the stadium will already be functioning as a sports and cultural events arena.”

The stadium, which cost zl150 million (£31 million/$48 million), will be one of the most modern in Poland.

It will have 221 catering points, two restaurants, a bar and 2,050 parking spaces.

The city has invested a total zł.713 million (£146 million/$224 million) to modernise the complex, which includes the stadium where group games of the Euro 2012 tournament will be played.

The news is also a welcome boost for officials of the tournament, which Poland is co-hosting with Ukraine, where the preparations have been overshadowed by severe delays.

Adam Giersz, the Polish Minister of Sport, underlined that the final effect of the preparations hinges on cooperation between the government and local authorities.

“Poland is doing well with infrastructural projects,” he said.

“Now we need to focus on soft projects like security, business projects, financial guarantees, supervising tax-related issues and the execution of UEFA’s marketing rights.”