Euro 2012: The Cost

As the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament opens and soccer madness grips everyone in patriotic fervor, there are already calls and questions on whether the games were actually worth it to Poland and Ukraine.  (By the way, the games opened yesterday with a 1-1 tie between Poland and Greece.  Russia stomped the Czechs (think 1968 style) 4-1.)  Several articles—a couple are here and here—bring up the enormous cost of the games as well as citing precedents, namely Greece with the 2004 Athens Olympics, but also the Euro 2004 Portugal games.
First off, cost: it's widely claimed that Poland spent $25 billion dollars getting ready for the games.  That's a staggering amount, no doubt, and one should look a little more closely at it.  The real cost was in infrastructure improvements, ($15 billion on roads alone), whilst the cost of the four stadiums (construction and renovation) amounts to something around $1.5 billion.  There are also other costs, such as: security (not just providing security, but also the cost of arrests and trials.  Notably, inmates were moved from host cities to jails in other cities to make room for expected arrests.  Many judges were put on standby to handle the increase in prosecutions as well), building the strefa kibica (fan zone), clean up, etc.  But these are paltry sums compared to the overall total.  Poland spent more than Ukraine, but then again, it did have access to EU money.
The claim that Poland spent $25 billion preparing is ludicrous and wrong.  Much of that money is EU money that was flowed in Poland to help rebuild its decaying infrastructure.  All the projects were already earmarked before Poland even made its bid for the games.  Now, the tournament probably increased the priority of certain projects—the case in point being the semi-notorious A2 Berlin-Warsaw highway.  It gained notoriety for: A) Having the Chinese contractor be kicked out because it failed to pay its sub-contractors.  B) Being opened when still incomplete for the Euro 2012, and will have to be closed afterwards to finish it up (an extra layer of pavement is needed on a good-sized portion).  But the A2 highway wasn't built for the games, it was going to be built anyway, and probably on the same schedule.  The second metro line has as much to do with the Euro 2012 as do the new trams in Lodz, Krakow, and just about everywhere else (cities that are not hosting the games, but renovated their tram lines).  It has not been noticed much, but Poland has also been using EU funds to build small, rural roads (this will be covered in a future post).
That's not to say the games did cause infrastructure and other projects to be done.  There are, but not what everyone thinks.  The real cost that can be directly attributed to the games was building the stadiums, and it's quite shocking to see the main contractor file for bankruptcy protection.  There was a big push to beautify the cities before the games came, and it shows.  Renovations the rail stations, finished just in time, have turned the dank platforms and corridors into hallways of light.  Warszawa Centralna's transformation has eased travel through there and really updated it as a gateway into the city.  Speaking of gateways, it may have been planned long ago, but the recent opening of the SKM line to the airport is sure to be a boon for travelers.
Infrastructure has received much of the attention, but the stadiums themselves have attracted their fair share of criticism.  Most barbs are aimed at the National Stadium in Warsaw.  The high cost of the structure, at almost 2 billion zlotys, has dropped some jaws.  Critics say that it'll turn into a white elephant, a costly building to maintain and will be under utilized.  The Polish National team doesn't have a long schedule to ensure that paying fans will be packing the stands every week, but events have already been scheduled.  From concerts to the Polish Bowl (I think I'll attend that), the building is a prime venue.  It has to compete will the Sluzewiec racetrack (hippodrome) and the Bemowo airport for such events like concerts and music festivals.  Other stadiums have taken the fashionable thing and sold their naming rights to offset the cost of construction and operation.  (Note:  Ironically, when the Polish National Team recently played Andorra, they played at the Pepsi Arena, home Legia Warszawa, and not in the National Stadium, which was under UEFA control.)

Now that we have spent so much time harping on the cost, let's look at the gains.  Poland is betting on two things to recoup the cost of the games: an increase in tourism (not just the short-term spike, but also long term), and an increase in investment.  Tackling the second hope first, Poland is trying to show that it can execute big projects on time, plus show off its shiny new roads and rails.  An influx of foreign capital will cause the ever-growing forest of stationary cranes standing above halted construction projects to finally move once more.  The first hope is for an increase of tourism, on which Europe is increasingly becoming reliant (think Greece and Portugal).  Poland wants to show that they're not all racist anti-semites, regardless of what the BBC aired.  The increase of tourists during the games is a given, and they'll spend big, buying all sorts of bric-a-brac and crap in the form of Euro 2012 souvenirs.  As for the future, Poland hasn't showcased its crown jewels (read: Krakow), here, but the hosting cities are known to be beautiful, Wroclaw and Gdansk in particular.

While the games are costly, the cost isn't so high as is reported.  Most of the work done was financed with EU help, but there were also smaller contributions, such as the EEA and Norway grants.  The great part of the infrastructure improvements were already set forth and would have happened anyway.  What we're seeing is a developed economy rapidly modernize, closing the gap in deficiencies, and increasing its debt.  This happens all the time with developing economies, and is now going on in China (all eyes are on them).  The question is whether the EU money will continue to flow, especially as other countries are one-by-one seeking bailouts.  The spigot could be turned off and Poland could be left with a mess of half-finished projects and join the sad graveyard of countries who were too ambitious in their hopes to host major international competitions.
What will the future be and what will the games leave as their legacy?  I don't know and no one does, but they have served a purpose to strengthen national pride and open Poland to the rest of Europe.  Whether the gamble that they'll increase tourism and investment will pay off, that's something we'll just have to wait and see.

The Blessed Popieluszko

Yesterday it was bright and sunny and a little bit hot. It was also the day of the beatification of Jerzy Popiełuszko. It was held at Pilsudki Square, the same site as the ceremony remembering those who perished in Smolensk over a month ago.

Popieluszko was a Polish priest who was assassinated in 1984 by the Communist Secret Police. His was heavy associated with Solidarity and a staunch anti-communist, which made him an enemy of the State. His assassination caused a national uproar, and today he is considered a martyr of the Catholic Church.

Popieluszko adorns the cover of a pamphlet handed out.

I got there right as it was beginning—11:00AM—so I wasn't in the best position to see anything. In fact, I saw nothing. I was in the trees, so the branches and leaves obscured my view of the giant screens, but I could hear everything nicely. It started out with a recitation of (what I think was) all the Polish saints. There were speeches, a Mass, and a beautiful choir. The sun was bright and hot, and I think one elderly woman had to be led out of the crowd to heatstroke. Also, the crowd got pushy trying to get to the communion stations.

It was much of the same experience of the Kaczynski Memorial, but on a smaller scale. There was the crowd, the scouts, the barricades, but there were no giant water stations, or enormous screens in the Saxon Gardens. Afterwards, there was another event in Wilanow (one I did not attend.) People came from all over, supporters of Solidarnosc with bandanas around their necks with lettering such as "Solidarnosc Lodz", etc. People waved Polish flags, usually emblazoned with symbols of Popieluszko and Solidarity.

The field before Pilsudski Square the day before; they were setting it up.

The crowd jostling to get to communion.

Some hip monks in the Saxon Gardens.

Plane Crash: After Effects: Memorial Plus Volcanic Ash

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull (try saying that five times fast) has erupted, hurling plumes of ash into the sky. The ash has caused the cancellation of more than half of the EU's flights, and a great deal of transatlantic flight. The skies over Ireland, the UK, and Scandinavia have become virtual no-fly zones. Today, at around 9 AM, the cloud apparently nudged into Poland (near Szczecin.)

This ash plume is cause of some concern for Poland, since it may cause the cancellation of world leaders' plans to pay their respects to Kaczynscy on Sunday. The Poles were even mulling over delaying the funeral if Obama could not make it.

Volcanic ash is notorious in its ability to clog airplane engines (car engines have air filters, which make them less susceptible.) Mount St. Helen's eruption caused cancellations across the northwest, and volcanoes in Alaska routinely cause cancellations for Alaskan Airlines.

Volcanoes aside, there is still an uproar over the choice of the Wawel as a burial place. Facebook groups such as, I want to be buried at the Wawel, and, We Want a National Stadium Built on the Wawel (how retarded is that group?) have tens of thousands of members. The decision to bury them there basically came down to the Catholic Church, which usually throws its weight behind PiS, which in turn claims to be the party representing the Catholic Church. Oh, and I still don't care either way, but I think it's rather shameful the way that people are literally taking to the streets over this. Honestly, I think Kaczynscy being buried at the Wawel is a political move, and that it would be better if he was laid to rest in Powazki in Warsaw. Kaczynski was from Warsaw and probably should be laid to rest here as well. BUT, I can see that he might want to be buried in the Wawel. That's just my two cents.

Tomorrow, Saturday, there is a memorial for Lech Kaczynski at noon at Plac Pilsudskiego. There is a general prohibition of alcohol in Warsaw until 6 PM and all public transportation will be free. I'll be reporting on it and will write more about it tomorrow.

Tres

First off, they have a great subway here. It's only one line, but it outclasses every other one I've been on (except in Prague, where there were no turnstiles.) The trains at fast and so smooth! You don't even need to hold onto a rail or anything. The stations are well lit, well laid out, simple, look more like train stations. They are also exceptionally easy to enter, with wide, clean stairways descending underneath the earth. The platforms are huge and clean (the subway trains are very clean too, and there aren't rats crawling all over the tracks.) You know how in New York you walk into the station and you go, "Who's bright idea was it to lay down rubber on the platform?" and then you realize, with revulsion, that it's old, dirty chewing gum? Well these places are free from trash and are piss-free! Honestly!!! It's fantastic. They focused on the wrong things on the Big Dig. They should have spent the bajillion-gajillion dollars on replacing Boston's decrepit metro system. The trains are slow and noisy, they rattle and there are rats running all over the place. They should blow a line open and let the Charles River sweep everything (tracks, trains and all) out to sea and then start from scratch. The stations are a pain to get into, the platforms are disgusting, dark and poorly laid out. It would be worth it if they took one year and ripped the system apart.
The buses are a bit of both. They have the brand new buses which are clean, silent and smooth, and then they have the older buses that are more at home in a trash compactor. I swear, if it weren't for them being so drafty, I'd insist on having a canary hanging in each bus because of the diesel fumes and exhaust. (I think it wise to keep a keen eye on the young, elderly and infirm, as they are most likely to asphyxiate first.) They are anything but silent and they haven't had their shocks replaced since they were first installed in the factory (assuming that they had shocks to begin with.)
The trams are on par with the buses. They have several new ones, looking very futuristic and the glide right along, but they also have the ones from earlier decades. These chug right along and aside from a little shaking, which is partly the track's fault, they're fine.
All forms of public transportation here are packed with people. In Karlsruhe, it was not unheard of to find a seat midday. Here, there is no chance. The subway is crammed with folks (the buses as well) until it drops off around five pm. After that, most everything clears out. Old women and men are given priority, as are pregnant women. It's kind of nice to see the younger folks stand up and offer the elderly a place to sit. Usually the big-bellied lady will just waddle up and whoever is sitting there immediately vacates.