What to do while in Ukraine

29 February - 100 days to go!!! 8/9 March - Finalists' workshop in Warsaw April-June - Trophy tour in Poland and Ukraine 2-4 April - 4th sponsors' workshop in Kyiv 30 April-3 May - Referees' workshop in Warsaw 9 May - Stadium handover 5 June - Official opening of the International Broadcast centre (IBC) in Warsaw 8 June - UEFA EURO 2012 opening match at the National Stadium in Warsaw 1 July - UEFA EURO 2012 final match at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv

Four more stadiums have been officially inaugurated, with the Arena Gdansk, the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw, the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv and the Arena Lviv receiving rave reviews when they opened their doors for the first time. Kyiv's renovated  Olympic Stadium, which will host five UEFA EURO 2012 matches including the final, was inaurated on 8 October with a vast theatrical production followed by a concert by the Colombian singer Shakira. "The whole country is celebrating a gift to all our people," said the president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. The Arena Lviv, meanwhile, opened on 29 October with a concert by the American pop-star Anastacia. Over in Poland, Franszek Smuda's national side played their first game at the new Arena Gdansk on 6 September. Their 2-2 draw with Germany provided a memorable introduction to international football at the venue, which had opened in August. On 17 September, 30,000 people then enjoyed a George Michael concert to mark the officia...

Poland's capital has undergone a transformation as it prepares for UEFA EURO 2012 and the end of the building work is in sight as the tournament approaches. The finishing touches are being put on the new National Stadium Warsaw in plenty of the big kich-off on 8 June 2012, whileWarsaw's Chopin airport awaits the first arrivals for the finals following its upgrade. The new airport in Modlin will be finished early in 2012 and will provide for 1.8 million passengers a year. Warsaw's rail infrastructure has also been improved. As well as a new line linking the two airports, the city centre and the stadium, the construction of a new station at Chopin airport is close to completion. The renovation of Warsawa Gdanska station is done, Warszawa Wschodnia and Warszawa Centralna stations are indergoing major overhauls, and the Warsawa Station is rebuilt. A second underground line is under construction, while new roads will facilitate the flow of traffic, including an express ring road...

Former Olympic pole vaulting champion Sergei Bubka played down concern by soccer fans there won’t be enough hotel rooms during this summer’s European Championships in Ukraine and  Poland . “Huge progress was made in the last two years, when the new president and government came in,” Ukraine’s Bubka, who is a member of the organizing committee for the European Championships, said in a round table interview in  London  today. The country is hosting with Poland. London’s Daily Telegraph reported in December that England fans could face “a chronic shortage” of rooms. All of England’s group matches will be played in Ukraine. Dutch newswire ANP reported in January that the majority of Dutch fans would be flying in and out of Ukraine on the same day because there aren’t enough hotel rooms available. Dutch tour operators may also put some fans up in hotels in  Turkey , and fly them in and out for matches from there, ANP reported. “It will be sorted,” said Bubka, who is also...

The 1992 finals in Sweden gave birth to one of the great myths of the European Championship. Legend has it that, when UEFA decided to replace war-torn Yugoslavia with the team that had finished behind them in the qualifying group, the Danes strolled into the dressing room, kicked off their flip-floops, threw down their beach towels and emptied bagfuls of suntan oil on the floor. As legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel recalls:"We were between two training sessions having lunch when the message came through that we were officially in finals. So the idea that they had to phone us and get us back from our holidays on the beach is a myth." Popular perception, how ever, was determined not to let the truth get in the way of a good story - and it was a great story. The Danes tiptoed into the tournament and won it. Politics certainly had a influence. Apart from the Yugoslav situation, the Soviet fragmentation process meant that the former USSR competed under an unfamiliar CIS banne...

Team base camps for UEFA EURO 2012 Team Hotel Training base (nearest host city) Croatia Hotel Sielanka, Warka Training Ground Sielanka, Warka (Warsaw) Czech Republic Hotel Monopol, Wroclaw Municipal Stadium Oporowska Wroclaw (Wroclaw) Denmark Hotel Marine, Kolobrzeg Municipal Stadium Kolobrzeg, Kolobrzeg (Gdansk) England Stary Hotel, Krakow Hutnik Stadium, Krakow (Wroclaw) Spain Hotel Mistral Sport, Gniewino Municipal Stadium Gniewino, Gniewino (Gdansk) France Kirsha Training Facility, Donetsk Kirsha Training Facility (Donetsk) Germany Hotel Dwor Oliwski, Gdansk Germany – Municipal Sport Centre Gdansk (Gdansk) Greece Hotel Warszawianka Wellness & Spa, Serock Municipal Stadium Legionowo, Legionowo (Warsaw) Republic of Ireland Sheraton Sopot Hotel, Sopot Municipal Stadium Gdynia, Gdynia (Gdansk) Italy Turowka Hotel & Spa, Wieliczka Municipal Stadium Cracovia, Krakow (Wroclaw) Netherlands Sheraton Krakow Hotel, Krakow Municipal Stadium Wisła Kraków, Krakow (Wroclaw) ...