It is costing PLN 186 mln to send the Polish team to the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing, which constitutes a substantial rise in expenses covered by the national budget for Olympic preparations. Every smallest sum was the object of repeated detailed study before spending, to ensure that most money would go to meeting the needs of individual sports disciplines and ensure competitors the very best training and medical care.
Mirosław Drzewiecki, Minister of Sport and Tourism claims that his ministry has left no stone unturned to ensure that the greatest possible sum of money was available for the Polish squad’s preparations and participation in the 29th Olympic Games. Requests for funding required to ensure effective preparations for the Olympics and made by the heads of sports unions met with a positive response from the Ministry.
Money spent on preparing for this event may not be translated into the number or colour of Olympic medals won, all the more so that the hosts are treating the Games in unusually prestigious terms and are clearly aiming at the best possible result ever to be achieved by any one country.
China’s evident appetite for medals is a grand challenge to the remaining members of the Olympic family. A widely voiced opinion is that the host country will occupy at least high ranking if not medal positions in all contested sports, which means that the Polish Olympic team is going to find it hugely difficult, though not entirely impossible, to reap a better medal harvest than it did in the Athens Games. To quote Minister Drzewiecki: “The Polish team has never had to face such difficult Olympics over the past 40-50 years than these Beijing Games.” On the other hand, however, let it be remembered that Poland’s lady’s hammer thrower Kamilia Skolimowska was not given even the vaguest chance for a medal in the run-up to the Sydney Games, while she came out on top with a victorious gold medal in the final account.
Mr Drzewiecki is convinced Poland has the talents to win more than 10 medals, adding that at the next 30th Olympics in London that number could be exceeded. The key, however, is the number of young sportspersons included in a system of pre-Olympics coaching. Thought must be given today to the London Games of 2012.
Piotr Nurowski was tight-lipped when asked about the number of medals Polish competitors can win in Beijing. His answer was: “The Polish Olympic Committee is no medal-planning commission. All we do is ensure the best conditions for competing and training.”
The Polish Olympic squad differs from those in previous Olympic Games also in the number of non-competing members, mainly coaches, doctors and rehabilitation therapists. Sports activists are also present but constitute a tiny proportion of the squad. Also, for the first time in Polish Olympic history, these persons will not reside in the Olympic village. Polish Olympic Committee president Piotr Nurowski heads the Polish squad and has three assistants: Zbigniew Pacelt, responsible for sports affairs, Wojciech Walkiewicz – organisation and Adam Krzesiński who looks after the Polish team’s finances. Kajetan Broniewski is the chief of the ten-person Olympic mission which is smaller than in several previous Games.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk was present at the ceremony of presenting Olympic nominations to the Polish representatives as they departed for Beijing, handing them and their accompanying personnel their symbolic fifth Olympic circles and wishing them much success and lots of medals.