Poland and Slovakia eye 'Barcelona Effect'

The Slovak and Polish premiers said on Wednesday they were eyeing the much-desired "Barcelona Effect" of economic growth as they endorsed their countries' bid to co-host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The "Barcelona Effect" is economic jargon for the long-term boost of hosting a major sporting event, in reference to the 1992 Summer Olympics.

"The Olympics will be the best advertisement for both countries and it could be an economic success story," Slovakia's bold leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico told journalists after meeting Poland's centrist Premier Donald Tusk in Poprad, a Slovak city in the High Tatra mountains straddling the Polish-Slovak border.