Zbigniew Boniek clearly about Polish reality. “Some hate others”
The ten Olympic medals for Poland at the Paris Games were widely reported. Zbigniew Boniek, a legend of Polish football, also spoke about the matter.
After the Polish Olympic team’s performance at the games in the capital of France, there was a lot of commotion. Minister Sławomir Nitras, responsible for the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, among others, stepped into action. There was a clash between the ministry and the Polish Olympic Committee, and the time for public appearances and settling of accounts also came.
Zbigniew Boniek openly talks about the situation of sports in Poland
Zbigniew Boniek commented on the whole mess in his own style. “Zibi”, known for his sharp tongue, assessed the mood in Poland after the games.
– In Poland, everyone and everything is hated – it is poured out, if not from one side, then from the other. We live in a divided country. The past eight years have caused some to hate others, and any reason is a good reason for another brawl. Every day we get news about who stole and how much, and who protected whom at the time. We have never had a real reform of sports, we do not have a long-term strategy, which is needed for sports to develop. If there is no such strategy, then every time we will wonder what went wrong, why there are 5 medals and not 7 – admitted Boniek in an interview for TVP Sport.
The UEFA vice-president and former outstanding Polish representative also referred to ideas for healing Polish sport. His opinion seems to be spot on.
– Each time, it will be decided by chance and the courage of an individual, it will not be the result of planned actions. We think that comfort is necessary to achieve success, and victory is born from pain and hard work. You have to suffer your share. Physical culture is neglected, and yet professional sport comes from universal, mass sport. Stars are picked out from the crowd – adds the former president of the Polish Football Association.
Ten medals for the Polish team at the Paris Olympics
Poland finished the Olympic Games with ten medals in the capital of France. The first to win the Olympic vice-championship was Klaudia Zwolińska, a whitewater kayaker. The bronze medal was then added by the Polish epee fencers, who snatched the team success by winning the match for 3rd place against the Chinese after a great fight.
The men responded to the women’s successes. The bronze medal was won by rowers, the Polish doubles team consisting of Dominik Czaja, Fabian Barański, Mirosław Ziętarski and Mateusz Biskup. On Friday, August 2, Iga Świątek added a bronze medal. She was the first in the history of the Polish Olympic movement to win an Olympic medal in tennis.
The next two medals were successes in the timed climb, two Aleksandras – Mirosław with gold and Kałucka with bronze. Natalia Kaczmarek also added a bronze medal on Friday (i.e. August 9), after a great run in the 400-meter final. This was also the first, long-awaited medal for Poland, looking at the track and field competition.
The eighth medal, Olympic silver, was added on Saturday by the Polish volleyball team. The Poles lost to France 0:3 in the final. The penultimate medal was won by boxer Julia Szeremeta, who ultimately gave silver in the 57 kg category.
And this one on the last day of the 2024 Olympic Games, in track cycling, by Daria Pikulik.
