The year 2024 will go down in history as one of the worst for Polish Olympic Committee, and certainly in terms of image. The Games in Paris, which were poor for our country, raised an avalanche of questions about the future of Poland sportsbut not only that. Many uncomfortable facts and irregularities came to light surrounding the Polish Olympic Committee and its president, Radosław Piesiewicz.
Medalists are waiting, Piesiewicz and Nitras at war, the Polish Olympic Committee in chaos
First of all, medalists from Paris still They are waiting for the money as a reward that was promised for the discs they obtained. In the meantime, the president of the Polish Olympic Committee, Radosław Piesiewicz, came into conflict with the minister of sport, Sławomir Nitras. The minister ordered a number of inspections regarding the Committee's finances and the trip to the Paris Games. He also disclosed the president's monthly earnings, which he described as “higher than the salary of the president of Orlen”. State Treasury companies, such as Tauron, PKP Intercity and Krajowa Grupa Spożywcza, began to leave the Polish Olympic Committee en masse. Nitras also suspended funding for the Committee.
Orlen will not give another chance. It's over
Now another heavy blow has fallen on the Polish Olympic Committee and Piesiewicz himself. Orlen withdrew from supporting the Committee. The Polish multi-energy giant informed the Polish Olympic Committee about its decision on Monday, December 30. The contract expiring at the end of the year will not be extended. That's for sure – representatives Orlen they confirmed it in a statement for the WP SportoweFakty portal. However, this does not mean that the company has completely left Polish sport. Now, however, instead of the Polish Olympic Committee, Orlen will cooperate with individual sports associations.
– The contract with the Polish Olympic Committee ends this year and will not be continued. Orlen intends to continue to systematically support athletes, primarily through direct cooperation with sports associations. Thanks to this, we can be sure that the funds allocated for this purpose will be used both to prepare for the most prestigious sports events and to educate young sports talents – we read.
– Plans for 2025 include further individual contracts with athletes representing Poland internationally. An important element of the undertaken activities, in line with the assumptions of Orlen's sponsorship strategy, will be initiatives promoting sports activity among children and youth – emphasized in the statement.