Lviv 2022 Hopes for Government Backing Amid Crimea Crisis

(ATR) Despite the political turmoil in Ukraine, Lviv 2022 says securing the Olympics is a "national priority".

In its application file, not yet public but seen by Around the Rings, the bid said its motivation to host the Games was based on the "genuine need" to provide more winter sports facilities for the region surrounding Lviv, which has a 2.5 million population.

"These Games are a national priority for Ukraine; consequently, the population will benefit tremendously from the focus on youth, sport and education," the bid file states.

"Our goal is for Ukrainian athletes to achieve the same success in winter sport that they enjoy in summer sport. Ukraine will have an elevated profile on the world stage, showcasing our unique culture and history as we modernise and demonstrating our capacity for developing and managing projects on such a large scale."

The bid application was filed after weeks of civil unrest and following president Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to step down. But Lviv 2022’s Olympic ambitions hang in the balance with a change of government coming and Ukraine’s political tensions with Russia over the annexing of Crimea.

Venues

Based in city and mountain zones, a Lviv 2022 Olympics calls for a mix of new, existing and temporary venues. The Olympic Park would include the figure skating and short track speed skating arena, a 10,000 seat ice hockey venue, curling, a speed skating oval and the Arena Lviv for opening and closing ceremonies. The main press and broadcast centres, Olympic Village and Olympic Family Hotel are also earmarked for this site. The second ice hockey venue, a 6,000-seater, would be built close to the Olympic Park. The new Vynnyky Sliding Centre is said to offer "tremendous legacy potential".

The mountain zone consists of three sites. The Tysovets Cluster – for biathlon, cross country and Nordic combined, with the ski jumping hills located on the site of the National Training Centre and an Olympic Village a short walk away. Panasivka Snow Park is situated 21 km from the Tysovets Olympic Village. Snowboard and freestyle competitions would be hosted here. Borzhava Resort is the siteof Alpine skiing, with an Olympic Village less than 1km from the finish area.

Olympic Villages

Three Olympic Villages, one in the city hub of the Games and two in the mountains. The athletes’ accommodation in Lviv will be built on 23 hectares inside the Olympic Park and include 3,500 beds in 2,000 rooms, consisting of six-storey maximum residential units in multiple buildings. Post-Games, the facilities will be turned into houses supported by community services buildings.

Accommodations

A mix of existing and new accommodation infrastructure is envisaged. The existing inventory capacity is in excess of 37,000 rooms. For the Games, the total inventory willincrease to more than 53,000 rooms including the media villages. The Lviv 2022 accommodation plan is based on about 29,800 rooms within the total projected inventory compared with the 23,300 rooms required by the IOC.

Transport

The city’s transport nextwork has benefited from modernization in the years since Ukrainian independence in 1991, with further investments made to prepare the city for its hosting role at UEFA’s Euro 2012 championship. This work included a new international airport terminal, which is located 6km from the city center and 9 km from the planned Lviv Olympic Village and IOC hotel. A new ring motorway, upgrading of the city’s road network and road connections to the capital Kyiv and a high-speed rail service between Lviv and Kyiv are other legacy benefits from Euro 2012. Further improvements in road and rail links between the venue clusters are planned, including a new road from the airport and a new tramline from the city center to the Olympic Park. The bid file said that most athletes would be accommodated within five minutes of their competition venue, and none will need to travel more than 30 minutes.

Dates

Lviv plans to stage the 2022 Winter Olympics Feb. 11 to 27 and Paralympics March 11 to 20.

Written by Mark Bisson.

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