President of the Republic of Poland Karol Nawrocki met with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, in Milan. During the talks, they discussed the possibility of Poland hosting the Olympic Games in 2036. After the meeting, President Nawrocki revealed how the talks went.
Olympic Games in Poland? The President meets with the IOC President
Today, President of the Republic of Poland Karol Nawrocki and Polish Olympic Committee President Radosław Piesiewicz met with International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. During the talks, they discussed the possibility of Poland hosting the Olympic Games in 2036.
Asked by journalists about the meeting, the head of state said it was “a very good conversation”, while noting that it is too early “to talk about whether the Games will be held in Poland, but I certainly expressed our readiness to do so in 2036, pointing out that this is the position of both the President of Poland and the Polish government, that this is something that unites rather than divides.”
“We are the twentieth-largest economy in the world. I also emphasized this to President Coventry. I said that Poland is also a leader in the region, so this would be a great achievement. Moreover, after yesterday’s talks with the presidents of the region, with the presidents of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, I said that for the entire region this would certainly be something exceptional,” he said.
Asked whether further meetings on the matter would take place, he replied: “I think so. Of course, this is a process. We discussed the fact that we are at a specific stage. However, I believe that the voice of the Polish president in this matter was important.”
“Poland is a safe country. This is also a great asset of our national community, that we are a safe country. So I have the impression – of course, I did not expect a declaration, because that is not how this works. We are talking about a very broad perspective, but this proposal was received with openness,” he announced.
The President was also asked in which year the Games could be held in Poland.
“I spoke about 2036, but we must assume that in this process there are 2036, 2040, and 2044. However, today we talked about 2036. I also pointed to our experience as a country in organizing Euro 2012, as well as world championships and European championships in many sports disciplines. We have much to be proud of. It is a source of pride to be the President of Poland and to seek such endeavors,” he said.
Poland’s bid to host the Olympic Games
The organization of the Olympic Games in Poland – the most important sporting event in the world – is mentioned in the “Strategy for the Development of Polish Sport 2040.” In political declarations, the years 2040 or 2044 are mentioned. Robert Korzeniowski, adviser to the Minister of Sport, did not rule out the possibility of submitting an application for the 2036 Games.
Polish Olympic Committee President Radosław Piesiewicz recalled a few days ago that the POC Executive Board, supporting the idea of hosting the Games in Poland, authorized him to begin actions aimed at submitting Poland’s bid to the International Olympic Committee.