Vice-premier to consider possibility of holding 2022 Winter Olympics in Slavske

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov will consider, at the request of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the potential of the village of Slavske in Skole district, Lviv region, as a probable capital for the Winter Olympic Games in 2022.

The information and communications department of the Ukrainian government's secretariat reported on Saturday that Kolesnikov had said this on the Shuster Live show on the Ukraina TV channel.

He noted that Slavske had ski centers that could be used for hosting the Winter Olympics.

"The initiative of President Viktor Yanukovych, who proposed that Ukraine bid to host the Winter Olympics, is extremely important for the country. It will help improve the international image of our state and contribute to the development of sport and tourism in Ukraine in general and in the Carpathians in particular. We have unique opportunities in this regard, and therefore, I think that President [Viktor] Yanukovych's initiative will receive maximum support in society," Kolesnikov said.

He said that apart from Slavske, he was planning to consider the possibility of building sports infrastructure for the Winter Olympics in other places of the Carpathian region, particularly in the village of Vorokhta in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

On May 27, Yanukovych proposed holding the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Ukrainian Carpathians.