A great sports investment in Warsaw! Were the games an additional motivation?

On Friday (February 27), a special press conference was organized at the Sports and Recreation Center in Bemowo, Warsaw. The meeting concerned another important investment in the context of the development of winter sports in Poland. Warsaw will have a new, year-round ice rink.

And this is very good news, including: for representatives of short track, hockey and speed skating.

A great investment in Warsaw’s Bemowo district! Motivation after the Olympics?

The head of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism was also present at the conference. Jakub Rutnicki did not hide his satisfaction with the fact that another important step had been taken in the context of sports infrastructure.

– We need year-round ice rinks measuring 60 by 30 meters, thanks to which we will be able to develop hockey and train shorttrack players and speed skaters. This is very necessary and I am very glad that Warsaw will implement such an investment. We need investments in ice rinks all over Poland, but we also really need such ice rinks in Warsaw (…) If we want to have medalists of the Winter Olympic Games in the future, young people and children who will be great at skating, we need an appropriate infrastructure program. I am proud that the Ministry of Sport and Tourism has been implementing a special program for the construction of ice rinks for two years, thanks to which 94 investments of this type will be implemented throughout the country for the amount of over PLN 211 million, admitted Minister Rutnicki.

The ministerial funding will be allocated for the construction of an indoor ice rink with the function of a skate park, along with sanitary, locker room and technical facilities, the purchase of a refrigeration unit, an ice grinding vehicle, a skate sharpener and dryer, sports equipment (skates, equipment for driving lessons) and landscaping.

The funding was symbolically received from Minister Rutnicki by the mayor of the capital city, Rafał Trzaskowski. The head of Warsaw did not hide his joy at another important step in the context of the development of sports infrastructure in the city.

– In Warsaw, we focus on sports infrastructure: we are renovating our stadiums, e.g. Hutnik or Skra. We are also preparing for new investments in the youth sports center at the Polonia Center and the modernization of the swimming pool complex on Namysłowska. However, in order for us to move on to our long-term plans and prepare for Warsaw and Poland to host the Olympic Games, we need to take care of universal sport. And the investment planned in Bemowo, which will cost a total of PLN 20 million, will contribute to this – said the mayor of Warsaw.

In the context of winter sports, the president also reminded that thanks to over PLN 70 million of support from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, a new skating track is being built at the Stegna Center.

Is this some kind of popular movement after Winter 2026? Several dozen hours ago, positive news appeared in the context of the toboggan run in Karpacz, long awaited in Poland. Now an ice rink in Warsaw, also a multi-million investment.

The recently concluded event in Italy certainly did not hinder, but accelerated the activities. But it would also be unfair to have such a zero-sum approach to the matter.

The ice rink construction program has been implemented since 2024. In its first edition, co-financing was granted for 48 tasks for a total amount of over PLN 95 million. In the second edition, 46 investments received funding in the total amount exceeding PLN 115.9 million. In total, there are 94 investments throughout Poland, for which funding of approximately PLN 211 million was granted.

Winter Winter 2026: Four Olympic medals for the Polish team

The Games on the Apennine Peninsula were quite successful for the Polish team. Looking at the medal achievements, this is the best performance of the Olympic team in red and white colors in over 12 years.

Medals for the Polish national team during the 2026 Winter Olympics were won mainly by ski jumpers. One of them, a 19-year-old Olympic debutant – Kacper Tomasiak – won three of them. The leader of coach Maciej Maciusiak’s team was silver on the normal hill, bronze on the large hill in Predazzo and again the Olympic vice-champion in the duet competition. In the latter case, Paweł Wąsek formed a two-person team with Tomasiak.

We also cannot forget about the first medal for Polish men at the Winter Olympics since 2014. Vladimir Semirunniy reached for it. “Władek” became the Olympic vice-champion in the 10 km distance.

In its history of participation in the Winter Olympics, the Polish team has won a total of 27 medals – seven gold, ten silver and ten bronze, respectively. Interestingly, the first bronze medal for Poland was won by Franciszek Gąsienica-Groń (Nordic combined) almost exactly 70 years ago, during the Olympic Games in… Cortina d’Ampezzo. This year, history has come full circle in a beautiful Italian-Polish Olympic circle.

Speaking of history, another special story happened during Winter Olympics 2026. Namely, Klaudia Adamek was the first in the history of Polish Olympism to take part in both the summer and winter games. A former athlete and participant of the Olympic Games in Tokyo (2021) in the 4×100 meters relay, she completed the Olympic set by starting in Italy (2026) in the bobsled doubles.