“2022 has been a good year for Polish sport. I assess it positively both in terms of the results achieved by our athletes and the work of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism” – admitted Minister of Sports and Tourism Kamil Bortniczuk during a press conference summarizing the past 12 months.
According to his calculations, Polish athletes last year won 844 medals at international events in all age categories, of which 187 were the work of representatives of Olympic disciplines.
“Historical successes are behind us. I would like to thank the Polish athletes for giving us so much joy in 2022” – said the head of the ministry, mentioning the historic first place of Iga Świątek in the world ranking of tennis players, vice – world championship for Polish volleyball players and European championship for the Polish women’s rugby sevens team.
He also noted that Poland is one of the European leaders in the organization of sports events and that the Ministry, together with Polish sports associations, has taken all measures to exclude Russia from international competition after its armed aggression against Ukraine.
“We have stood side by side in the fight to prevent Russian athletes from representing their country, from performing under the Russian flag to the accompaniment of the Russian anthem at the most important sporting events, thus legitimizing the criminal activities that their State commits in Ukraine. . as one of the leaders in the fight to cover Russian sport with far-reaching sanctions, we managed to achieve success,” Bortniczuk stressed.
The minister also noted that 2022 was a year of support for trade unions and athletes. Sports Station, among other things, co-financed competition at World Cup competitions, supported Polish sports associations in obtaining the rights to organize international events, and was involved in helping Ukrainian athletes.
The head of the ministry pointed out that in 2022, a record budget of almost PLN 2.5 billion was allocated to sport, including PLN 656 million for competitive sports, including for the new Team 100 scholarships.
“In the Team 100 program, the initial assumption was to award scholarships to a group of around 100 selected athletes covered by special state scholarship protection. Thanks to the increased budget, we were able to award more than 1,300 scholarships” – added Bortniczuk.
In 2022, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism also launched several pilot programs, e.g. the promotion of shooting, the modernization of Orliki, as well as the “Tennis Poland” program, within the framework of which 16 new courts and six roofs of existing courts are to be built. (PAP)
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