Sport Life agrees with Kyiv authorities to open sports and recreation centers in capital
Kyiv, December 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The Sport Life group of companies, which manages the Sport Life fitness club chain as well as the chain of Eurasia restaurants and sushi bars in Russia and Ukraine, has agreed with Kyiv's authorities on the opening of at least one sports and recreation center in each district of the capital, according to the press secretary of the standing commission of Kyiv City Council for youth and sports and the president of the Federation of Track and Field Athletics of Kyiv, Viktor Hryniuk.
"Now a new initiative has been born with Sport Life, and Kyiv city administration's head supported it. We plan to build at least one sports and recreation center in each district… with good workout rooms, swimming pools, fitness rooms, boxing gymnasiums, etc," he told the press at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine last week.
He said that investment of the city and Sport Life group in the opening of the centers would probably be divided in equal parts and that Sport Life would manage the centers.
"I think at least ten centers should be built at once, and very quickly. There is an agreement with the city leadership to start building two or three centers next year," he added.
In turn, Sport Life founder Dmytro Yekymov said that the company is ready to invest in equipment for all of the centers in the program.
"We signed a protocol of intent [with Kyiv City Administration] around a month ago. We're ready to invest around $5-7 million in each center," he said.
Sport Life was founded in 2001 by the Kyiv-Capital venture fund in Maryland (the United States) to invest in sports infrastructure n Easter Europe.
Sport Life manages a chain of fitness clubs, health food restaurants and sushi bars, sports clothes and equipment stores, and tanning salons. The group also imports the Hammer Strength, Precor, TechnoGym, BodyCraft and StrongMan sports equipment brands to the CIS countries.
The first Sport Life fitness club opened in Kyiv in March 2007. The chain now consists of five clubs in Ukraine – four in Kyiv and one in Kryvy Rih.