The local government announced in 2006 that the Bukovel ski and snowboard resort was expanding to in anticipation of Ukraine bidding to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The additional land will be used for the construction of several new ski lifts and service projects. Previously, the land was a government-managed forest preserve area. Bukovel has also plans to build an Olympic winter stadium in preparation for a possible bid. In 2008, the head of the Ukrainian NOC (National Olympic Committee), Serhiy Bubka, announced that even though Bukovel is a world-class ski-resort the talks of hosting the Olympic games are ridiculous as the town does not have the required infrastructure to host such a big event. The deadline for the Olympic bid was October 15, 2009, for which Bukovel was not prepared.