Dreaming of 2012

On Aug. 19, 2006, President Viktor Yushchenko signed an edict conferring awards on the players and coaches of Ukraine’s national soccer team. The awards ceremony finally took place in Kyiv’s House of Soccer on March 27, 2007.

“Soccer is a great force that unites not only one nation but also different countries and continents,” Yushchenko told the audience. According to the presidential press-service, the Ukrainian leader said that this sport is opening up new opportunities for our country’s all-round development.

Referring to the Ukrainian team’s successful debut at the 2006 championship, the president said: “This was a perfect opportunity to see a nation united by great yearning and one desire: to support our players and score a maximum number of victories.” The president thanked the players and coaches of the national team for their work, emphasizing that thanks to them, Ukrainian soccer took its proper place in European and world history. Head coach Oleh Blokhin received a special distinction, the order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. “I believe that our national team under Mr. Blokhin’s guidance will gain many more bright and glorious victories for Ukraine,” the president declared.

The Ukrainian leader also mentioned that on April 18 the UEFA executive committee is scheduled to vote on the Euro 2012 soccer championship. Ukraine has invested a lot of effort in order to gain the right to host the championship together with Poland. “We hope the voting will confirm Ukraine’s ability to host this event,” he said.

After the awards ceremony Andrii Shevchenko, captain of the national team, on behalf of his colleagues, presented the president with the team’s symbolic uniform.

In the House of Soccer the president visited the exhibit “Euro-2012: A Step into the Future,” a nationwide campaign focused on children’s drawings and letters. Over 1,700,000 Polish and Ukrainian children sent letters in support of their countries’ bid to host Euro-2012. The president was shown around the museum at the House of Soccer, where awards won by Ukrainian soccer players are on display.