Wroclaw venue opens to the tune of George Michael
Saturday, September 17, 2011
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UEFA EURO 2012 tournament director Adam Olkowicz spoke of his delight after the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw was officially opened with the staging of a George Michael concert on Saturday.
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The third UEFA EURO 2012 venue in Poland has been officially opened with the staging of a George Michael concert in Wroclaw.
Around 30,000 people were in attendance at the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw to see the pop star perform with the aid of symphony orchestra. The 44,000-capacity arena, which will be home to Ekstraklasa club WKS Śląsk Wrocław, will host three group matches at next summer's final tournament. Before then it will stage Poland's friendly with Italy on 11 November.
"I am delighted to say the words 'the stadium in Wroclaw is open'," said the city's mayor, Rafał Dutkiewicz. "It's your venue, Wroclaw citizens." The ground, situated in the west of the city close to the ring road, last week staged the world heavyweight boxing title fight between Vitaliy Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek.
The official opening was marked by a gun salvo outside of the stadium, while enthusiastic spectators shouted: "Wroclaw, Wroclaw." The concert concluded with a dramatic fireworks show.
"It was a grandiose opening ceremony with the world mega star George Michael," said Poland's tournament director, Adam Olkowicz. "I'm very satisfied; especially with the last few months of construction work and the fact that we already have three EURO venues in Poland."
