Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Minister of Sport and Tourism Sławomir Nitras presented the details of the new initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism during a press conference in Karczew, held at one of the first Orlik fields in Poland.

“We want the ideas of sports, the Olympic spirit and the heroes who won the medals and our hearts, to have an impact on our everyday lives, to motivate the younger generations. . . .It is not just about physical health, but also the relationships built during these activities,” 

said the Prime Minister at the press conference.

The Orlik fields, which enable their users to practise various sports, were built between 2008 and 2012 as part of the government programme “My Football Field - Orlik 2012.” This has increased the quality of accessible sports facilities by leaps and bounds.

“As far as the Orlik fields are concerned, I am one of the founding fathers of this idea and I am still very happy about it today. This is probably the one thing that nobody criticises,” 

Donald Tusk admitted.

In the 2024 edition, the government plans to allocate over 207 million PLN for the overhaul of these facilities.

The Orlik fields are now available in more than 67% of all municipalities in Poland. With 2604 complexes, there are a total of 5208 fields. After many years of use, the facilities are in dire need of a renovation; that is why the ministry is pursuing an initiative to overhaul them and restore them to their former glory.

The Ministry of Sport is ready to earmark the funding to overhaul these complexes in the next year or two. What is more, we have secured the funds to build 90 new facilities,” 

Minister Sławomir Nitras added. 

The Ministry of Sport and Tourism will build 1,000 new facilities in the coming years.

“We are also keen to see more of these facilities not only in municipalities, but also in large cities - more modern, as well as more versatile,”

the Prime Minister declared.

In 2024, 225 million PLN has been earmarked for these projects. Local authorities will be able to receive subsidies up to 50% of total expenditures, with the least affluent ones being able to request up to 70% of the total amount to be subsidised.

“Active School” is a government programme enabling children youth and families to take advantage of sports facilities by making school halls, playing fields or sports halls available outside school hours and professional animators hosting activities and classes on weekdays and weekends. The offering is aimed at all residents, not just school students.

“This year, we have launched the largest grassroots sports initiative ever conceived by the Ministry of Sport. The Active School programme enabled us to open 3,000 sports facilities after school hours. We want them to be open to the general public, so that the local communities can use them at their leisure - in an organised and safe manner, of course,” 

said Minister Nitras.

The salaries of the instructors are fully covered by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.  

“These days, they can enjoy a decent hourly wage. By the end of last year, the meagre wages almost led many of them to give up on their careers. Without them, there would be no point to the facilities,” 

the Prime Minister stated.

Today, the instructor earns an hourly rate of 60 PLN. 36 PLN more than in 2023.

The “Active School” initiative also features a national football tournament for girls and boys.

During the press conference, the Prime Minister revealed that the Polish bid to host the Olympic Games has been in the works for a number of months now.

There are some things that bring us together, no matter what we believe in or which party we support. When the Olympic torch is lit in Warsaw, we think that we will be able to say that this goal brought everybody together,” 

Donald Tusk stated.

Minister Sławomir Nitras assured that Poland was ready to tackle this challenge from an organisational standpoint.

“This is not just about sport, it is also about infrastructure. As such, it benefits the entire community. We need to start the debate about making the Olympic Games happen in Poland, about seeing this project succeed. We also need to think about how to use this prospect as a driving force, not only for sport, but for Poland as a whole - just as we did in 2012 with the European Football Championship,” 

the Minister for Sport and Tourism stated.

Donald Tusk claimed that given the preliminary decisions and declarations of the International Olympic Committee, the Games in Poland could happen in 2040 or 2044.

The Prime Minister thanked Minister Sławomir Nitras for his efforts to improve the situation of women in Polish sports. The draft bill will be processed in the coming weeks.

“I wanted to thank Minister Nitras for this draft bill that will ensure that 30% of all seats in all bodies and sports associations need to be reserved for women,” 

Donald Tusk stated.

Other measures taken by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism to improve the situation in Polish sports include ensuring funding transparency and introducing solutions that prevent abuse perpetrated by coaches.

The funding of Polish sports has not always been transparent, even though it concerns taxpayer money. This issue has become particularly apparent in the context of the recent results of Polish athletes during the Olympic Games. Only the Polish Badminton Association and the Polish Olympic Committee did not respond to the request of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism to the sports associations and organisations to disclose their expenses.

“Minister Nitras showed me that there are formal recommendations from the International Olympic Committee that call for the full transparency of institutions such as the Polish Olympic Committee, and that require them to release their financial statements to the public,” 

the Prime Minister noted.

. . .Best practices, outlined in an official document of the International Olympic Committee, mandate the disclosure of such information. It clearly says that even benefits, flights, accommodation costs and all the other expenses should be made public,” 

the Minister of Sport and Tourism added.

Following an audit, the Ministry will release the information received from other organisations and associations. The Polish state has the tools needed to unveil what was going on behind the scenes in the world of Polish sports and what changes are needed. Should the need arise, the government is ready to change the relevant laws to support the process. All sports associations should have a shared interest in promoting transparency of their operations.