MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Russia's Euro 2020 Organizing Committee has reached agreement with organizing committees from two countries on a volunteer exchange at the championships, says Committee head Alexey Sorokin.
In September 2019, then-Deputy Prime Minister and the Euro-2020 Organizing Committee’s supervision board chairwoman, Olga Golodets disclosed that, following the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) representatives’ inspection visit to St. Petersburg, the Union will look into allowing Russian volunteers to work abroad during the championships. One month later, Sorokin told TASS that the Committee and the UEFA had begun developing a volunteer exchange program. In total, some 5800 people from 70 countries volunteered to assist in St. Petersburg during the Euro 2020. The volunteer supervision team picked 1000 people who will begin training in April.
"We have reached agreement with several countries," Sorokin said. "As it turned out, some countries had specific laws on volunteering which rendered the exchange impossible. Still, we negotiated the exchange with those who agreed."
The Committee press service told TASS that both Hungary’s Budapest and Spain’s Bilbao will send five volunteers each that will stay in St. Petersburg in June, while Russia will also send five people to the Hungarian and the Spanish cities. The Committee, together with the Volunteer Centers Association, will now choose the competition winners, who will be provided with visa assistance and will also have their transport and accommodation expenses compensated within Russia’s volunteer mobility program.
The press service noted that Russia might send its volunteers to other countries as well.
About Euro 2020
The 60th anniversary European Football Championship will take place in 12 European cities — St. Petersburg, London, Munich, Baku, Rome, Bucharest, Dublin, Copenhagen, Bilbao, Glasgow, Budapest and Amsterdam. St. Petersburg will host three group stage matches and one quarter-final. The Championship will take place between June 12 and July 12 this year.
The Russian national team will play with Belgium, Finland and Denmark. The former two matches will take place in St. Petersburg, while the latter — in Copenhagen.