In the lead up to the 2012 European Championship, everything in Britain was telling us that the tournament in Ukraine and Poland would be one to forget.

BBC's Panorama went a step further, claiming that racism was rife and that all football fans should expect trouble and even violence from the "aggressive" locals, particularly in Ukraine, who took savage joy in confrontation.

Of course hindsight showed us that this could not be further from the truth.

Both Poland and Ukraine excelled, the fans loved the event and it was hailed by UEFA President Michel Platini as one of the greatest ever editions of the tournament.

Undoubtedly boosted by such acclaim, Ukraine has unsurprisingly now set its sights a little higher, with the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games being the primary objective.

Rumours of the bid have been circulating for some time while the idea is said to be the brainchild of Sergey Bubka - the President of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Bubka, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Board member, is someone whom I have always regarded as one of the more fascinating people at the very top of sport politics.

Now 48-years-old, Bubka still possesses the giant, muscular frame and physique that saw him become the greatest pole vaulter on the planet.

Sergey Bubka still possesses the physique that helped him become the best pole vault athlete on the planet

In a stellar career, he won an Olympic gold, six consecutive world titles and set a world record of 6.15 metres that no one has come close to matching.

It is perhaps for this reason that he has something of a mystique and is considered a stern and imposing individual. It helps some paint him as the pantomime villain to Britain's smiling Sebastian Coe, with the two surely set to clash in the battle for the Presidency of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) when incumbent Lamine Diack decides to step down in the coming years.

However, perceptions of Bubka are far from the truth.

He is in fact a funny, charming and instantly likeable individual who I've never run into without receiving a smile and the warmest of handshakes from.

And, contrary to popular belief, he is actually good friends with Coe.

But the story here is of a Winter Olympic and Paralympic bid that he will surely lead.

The beautiful Carpathian Mountains near Lviv will be at the heart of Ukraine’s plans to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

And it was an issue that took primary position at the Ukrainian Sport Congress in the capital Kyiv.

It was a congress that I was fascinated to attend as it saw every Ukrainian summer and winter sport federation represented.

In attendance were senior figures including Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov, IOC Executive Board member Pat Hickey and, of course, Bubka.

Ironically, Bubka and I arrived at the same time and he couldn't suppress a smile as he saw me looking a little weathered following a rather late evening out in the lovely city the night before.

Rather helpfully, he also ensured I made it into the congress after I misplaced my official invitation (one of the perks of knowing one of Ukraine's greatest ever athletes).

And with that, we were in.

I shall spare you the full details of the congress, but it is safe to say that the bid was a core theme.

Lviv was to be the bid city and the nearby Carpathian Mountains, the second-longest mountain range in Europe, the core location of the bid.

Arena Lviv ensured that the beautiful city hosted matches at Euro 2012

It was explained the huge benefits bidding would have on the small region, which successfully hosted Games during Euro 2012.

The plans look extremely impressive, but even without the United States, who have ruled out a bid for the 2022 edition of the Games, there will almost certainly be stiff competition.

France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland have all suggested they will move for the biggest prize in winter sport.

But armed with a wonderful story of regional regeneration, which we all know is a popular theme with the IOC, and a certain Sergey Bubka, they will be formidable contenders.

And it is that man Bubka who is the ace in the pack.

A bid leader cannot win a bid single-handed, but they can be very useful indeed; as Coe showed only too well with the London 2012 bid in Singapore in 2005.

Sebastian Coe (L) and Sergey Bubka (R) are two of the most influential figures in the Olympic Movement that can help shape a bid race

So combine Bubka, a great city, a country that wants to improve at winter sport and a story that could see the IOC help give the city of Lviv a lasting sporting legacy and you have a very real prospect of a 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Ukraine.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames