Olympic Games in Poland? Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced the expected date
Poland will make formal efforts to organize the Olympic Games, announced Prime Minister Donald Tusk. As he said in Karczew, the realistic dates are 2040 or 2044.
Minister of Sport Sławomir Nitras and Prime Minister Donald Tusk (author: PAP/Rafał Guz)
The head of government announced Poland’s efforts to organize the Olympic Games during Friday’s press conference at the Orlik pitch in Karczew. “The realistic perspective, taking into account the initial decisions, commitments, declarations of the International Olympic Committee, is 2040 or 2044,” the prime minister said.
He emphasized that Poland has no reason to feel inferior. He pointed out that the organization of Euro 2012 in Poland is still remembered by European partners as an organizational masterpiece. He added that the fact that “we managed to finish the motorways, airports, stadiums, and in many places we started from scratch” is appreciated.
Poland ready?
Minister of Sport Sławomir Nitras assured that Poland is able to organize the Olympic Games. “It requires infrastructure investments, but we already have many things,” he said. He announced that in November he intends to present the assumptions of a new strategy for the development of Polish sports. He added that it is to be a strategy until 2040, with preparations for organizing the Olympic Games in Poland in mind.
“I hope that we will spend the winter and spring of next year on a serious discussion with the sports community on how to ensure that the Olympic Games take place in Poland and are a success and a driving force not only for sports but for the whole of Poland, as was the case with Euro 2012,” said the Minister of Sport.
He noted that organizing Euro 2012 in Poland was a great civilization project. “The Games can be an even greater civilization project, but we have to prepare well for it,” assessed Nitras.
He emphasized that the Orlik in Karczew is one of the first to be put into use. He noted that for the last ten years, “because there was no such need before, and then there was no such need”, there were no funds for the modernization of this infrastructure. “We are ready to secure money for the modernization of all 2,604 Orliks in the next two years. We are also financially ready to finance the construction of 1,000 new Orliks in three years,” declared the Minister of Sport.
The Prime Minister recalled that he was the co-author of the Orlik program, which assumed the construction of a pitch in every commune by 2012. As the head of government stated, “it was the best thing that happened to him.”
Transparent sports financing
Tusk also assessed that the financing of Polish sports, both Olympic and at lower levels, must be transparent. He thus referred to doubts related to the spending of money by sports associations and the Polish Olympic Committee.
The Prime Minister noted that there are formal recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, which oblige institutions such as the Polish Olympic Committee to full transparency, to make financial reports available to the public. He noted that the atmosphere that this information is secret is devastating for the morale of Polish sports.
“This absolutely must end. In the event of checking all potential irregularities, we are already acting. The National Revenue Administration, other services will mercilessly hold sports activists, sports associations and the Polish Olympic Committee accountable for every zloty spent,” assured the head of government.
The Prime Minister also thanked the Minister of Sport for his work on the draft amendment to the Sports Act, including the provisions on strengthening the position of women in sports. As the Prime Minister said, the situation of women in Polish sports is “still something scandalous”. “In the coming weeks, we will amend the regulations, according to which 30% of seats in the management of sports associations will be for women; the act will also have an anti-violence dimension,” Tusk announced.
The government’s draft amendment to the Sports Act, which is in the Sejm and has passed its first reading, includes changes to the number of women on the governing bodies of sports associations. There are to be 30 percent of them if the number of board members is more than five. If there are fewer members, the board is to include at least one representative of each sex.
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