Minister of Sport Sławomir Nitras on President Andrzej Duda's decision regarding the Sports Act

President Andrzej Duda at the end of December decided to refer the amendment to the Sports Act to the Constitutional Tribunal. His doubts were raised by the method of selecting some of the new members of the management boards of Polish sports associations and the penalties proposed by the legislator.

The president's decision was commented on by the Minister of Sport in “Fakty po Faktach” on TVN24 Sławomir Nitras from the Civic Coalition. He recalled that on this matter he announced that he would send a letter to the International Olympic Committee in which he would explain the assumptions of the Sports Act.

– I'm preparing, I want to do it well. I would like it (the letter – ed.) to be devoid of any purely ad hoc and political factor, and for it to be simply an opinion of the relationship, because that is what we agreed on, he said.

– I explained to them (IOC representatives – ed.) exactly what this law was about and how long we had been working on it. By the way, I would like to deny the information that appeared from Mr. President: it is a lie, it is untrue, that this bill was prepared on my knees, quickly, suddenly. We have been working on this bill for a year. We consulted it for six months with all interested parties, including the Polish Olympic Committee and sports associations, and the president could take part in these consultations – continued the Minister of Sport.

– We have been preparing this act for a year. I managed to mobilize the sports community around her – added the TVN24 guest.

Nitras also referred to the fact that in December the board of the Polish Olympic Committee approved the recommendation of Andrzej Duda as a member of the International Olympic Committee.

– Before the vote, I will inform all members of the International Olympic Committee who will decide who will represent Poland in the International Olympic Committee by letter what role the president played in this process – he said.

Nitras also stated that “the president stood against the entire sports community.” – He blocked solutions that were very important for athletes, for members of national teams, for pregnant women, for women in relationships, for players in relationships. The international world, international public opinion and sports opinion must find out what role the president played in this process – added the minister of sports.

Nitras was also asked why there are no women in the management of the ministry he governs, while in the public space he talks about the need for equal rights for women in the sports environment.

The minister replied that many departments in the ministry are headed by women. – Of course I have a problem, I don't hide it at all. This is the problem with the coalition negotiations, that's how it turned out. There is parity in the government, many ministries are dominated by women, but in this ministry there was no woman – he explained.

He noticed that the management of his ministry lacked a representative of the group Szymon Hołownia. – I am waiting for a serious proposal from Mr. Hołownia, because they have a vacant seat in the ministry. And I will be happy to submit an application to the Prime Minister (for the appointment – ed.) as soon as there is a person with the appropriate competences, and I believe that I will easily find such a person – he said.

The TVN24 guest also commented on the fact that President Andrzej Duda did not appear on Friday evening at the official inauguration of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, while the next day, on Saturday, he was seen on the ski slope.

READ MORE: “You could have said it straight away, in human terms, everyone would understand.” Tusk on Duda's absence

– I encourage everyone to be physically active, including the president, but not while working, not during duties. It seems to me that if Mr. President, for example, today, on his day off, (…), had gone fishing, everything would have been fine, but Mr. President's place was at this gala – he said.

The minister added that “it was the president's duty, together with the government, to show all our Europeans that both the president and the entire government and parliament support our priorities in the European Union.”