Euro 2008 kicks off in Dhaka
Ambassador of Switzerland Dr Dora Rapold (C) speaks during a press conference at the Goethe-Institute library in the city yesterday.Photo: STAR
Euro 2008 not only kicks off in co-hosts Switzerland and Austria, it had an official launch here in Dhaka as well.
Ambassador of Switzerland Dr Dora Rapold yesterday unveiled a string of exciting events in connection with the second largest football event at the Goethe-Institut in Dhanmondi yesterday.
"The events will include a party on the opening day (Saturday), live screening of matches, children film show, movies and other fun activities like face-painting, quiz, games," said Dr Rapold during a press conference at the Goethe-Institut library.
"I am very pleased and excited that the Embassy of Switzerland in cooperation with Goethe-Institut Bangladesh has organised these events," she said.
Some of these matches will be shown in both Goethe-Institut and the German Club in Gulshan, as the Swiss embassy does not have a large auditorium in Dhaka.
The ambassador informed that her country will be hosting a major sporting event after a break of 58 years, the last being the FIFA World Cup of 1954. Now, the country has four stadiums to host 15 out of 31 matches, out of which three stadiums are already used for national matches. The 30,000-capacity Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich was rebuilt and opened in August 2007, she said. Switzerland will host upto 1-1.4 million guests during the football tournament.
Along with Dr Rapold, Goethe-Institut director Torsten Oertel and deputy head of the Swiss embassy Elizabeth Bosch Maliner were present during the press conference.
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