11 Jun 2007 07:05
With 340,000 inhabitants, Zurich is the biggest city in Switzerland and joins Basle, Berne and Geneva as Swiss hosts for UEFA EURO 2008â„¢. The city's mayor Elmar Ledergerber is eagerly awaiting the event and has a personal message for the fans coming to the tournament, which he has shared with euro2008.com.
A hearty welcome to our guests from all over Europe. We want to present ourselves as the perfect host and to do so we are undertaking thorough preparations. There will be an array of events to enthuse, impress and hopefully make our guests thirsty for more in Zurich. Personally, I can’t wait. The city of Zurich can use this opportunity as a platform to present its diversity to the rest of the world. We want to show off the city’s attractions, as well as fulfilling our obligations as a host. The honour of being chosen gives us added responsibility, which in my opinion is the perfect motivation to put on a great UEFA EURO 2008™.
Stadium revamp
At the moment the Letzigrund Stadium is being redeveloped. It should be finished and ready for use by summer 2007. The other preparations, such as the security, transport and marketing arrangements, are also moving along smoothly. Indeed, we are still within our time frame.
Public viewing
The public screening of events is becoming increasingly popular. This is primarily due to the demand for tickets exceeding supply and the enjoyment that can be gained from watching a game with thousands of others. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, we held live screenings on the Sechselautenplatz in the centre of the city and a huge number of spectators came along. This suggested to us that there should be somewhere in the centre of town for fans to come and watch the games. We intend to do all that is possible to offer this possibility so that as many fans as possible can enjoy a great footballing feast.
Personal pride
Taking on this challenge fills me with immense personal pride. The same can be said for the team of people who pull the strings in the background. They are working with passion and at full speed as the tournament approaches. I am sure that we will all enjoy an unforgettable and exciting UEFA European Championship.