The Polish Olympic Committee caused a scandal with his appointment. At the Olympics, the Pole did not finish the start
Alpine skier Michał Jasiczek finished his slalom performance at Winter Olympics 2026 after 23 seconds. The Pole’s appointment to the Polish national team aroused considerable controversy.
Michał Jasiczek is the hero of the famous change made by the Polish Olympic Committee in the official nominations for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Although the Polish Ski Association, headed by president Adam Małysz, recommended Piotr Habdas for the event in Italy, ultimately PKOL – led by Radosław Piesiewicz – chose another alpine skier.
WINTER 2026: Michał Jasiczek did not finish the slalom. 23 seconds of the Pole on the route!
Habdas, deleted by the Polish Olympic Committee, did not hide his bitterness at the way he was treated. Ultimately, it didn’t help, because Jasiczek went to the 2026 Winter Olympics. It was the fourth time for the alpine skier at the Olympics. Unfortunately, the national representative from Lublin did not finish the slalom on Monday (February 16). The Pole’s performance ended after only 23 seconds.
Conditions on the ZIO 2026 route were demanding, visibility was poor, and there was heavy snow. More than half of the participants did not finish the competition. However, Jasiczek also failed to finish the competition during his last two Olympic appearances. A Pole managed to do just that… over a decade ago, during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
2026 Games in Italy. Where and when to watch the Poles’ starts?
The Polish national team during the opening games consists of 60 athletes. In the 21st century, there has never been a Polish woman or a Pole on the Olympic podium during the Winter Olympics. During the last winter games, Poland finished the competition with one medal. The bronze medal was won by ski jumper Dawid Kubacki in the competition on the normal hill.
It is already known that Kubacki’s result was beaten at the Winter Olympics 2026 by a debutant among Olympians – Kacper Tomasiak. The 19-year-old great talent won a silver medal in the normal hill competition and a bronze medal in the large hill competition in Predazzo.
Another Olympic runner-up, Vladimir Semirunni, who made his debut at the Winter Olympics, was also runner-up in the 10 km speed skating race.
In the history of the Olympic Games, the Polish national team has won a total of 26 medals – seven gold, nine 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.
Broadcasts from Winter Olympics 2026 in Poland are provided by Telewizja Polska (TVP) and the Discovery group (Eurosport). The event will last until Sunday, February 22.
