Global through national. Euro 2012 in Poland

Maurice Roche, the author of the now canonical work on mega-events Mega-events and modernity (Roche 2000: 5), noted that each event is unique and “a separate story must be created about each one. Perhaps this is why the social sciences, striving for generalization, were inclined to assume that they belonged to the field of history and that little could be said about them at a general level.” In this work, I will try to outline such a “separate story” about Euro 2012 in Poland. At the same time, however, I will try to situate the specific case of Poland in the context of the sociology of mega-sports events, guided by questions about the motives and interests of the people and institutions involved in the application and preparation process. Who was interested in the event taking place in Poland? What political, economic and social benefits did representatives of Polish institutions see in this process? How did the application process for the right to “host” a major sports event proceed? What did the preparation process look like? Did it differ from the preparations taking place in other countries that hosted major sports events? Have preparations for Euro 2012 resulted in institutional and legal changes? And above all, to what extent have relations with UEFA been transformative for Polish state institutions? Finally, have relations with Polish state institutions influenced the functioning of UEFA?