Igrzyska Olimpijskie w Polsce - The Olympic Games in Poland

Recently there have been proposals to organize the Winter Olympics in Poland in 2006. This idea has both fervent opponents and devoted supporters. Hosting the Olympic Games is a very big financial and organizational effort. Is Poland prepared to organize such a big sports event? I do not think it is possible at present. It is a hard and difficult task. Besides, if we organized the Winter Olympics in Zakopane, the environment would suffer the most: many trees would have to be fallen to make room for new buildings and roads, wild animals would have to leave the area. Moreover, Poland is not a rich country and cannot afford to spend a lot of money on such an undertaking. Our roads do not comply with the European standards. If we want to organize the Olympic Games in Warsaw in 2012, we should build a new stadium. The existing stadiums are too small. Besides, Polish economy should develop steadily, so as to gain other countries' confidence, and to make the world believe that Poland is a good candidate to organize this great sports event. There are some people who are very sceptical about it. I think that Poland can hold the Olympic Games in a few years' time. We need time to adjust to the European standards, to build appropriate infrastructure and gather funds. I am sure that one day this dream will come true, and the Games will be held in Warsaw or in Zakopane, where crowds of people will arrive to watch the Olympic Games and to discover our beautiful homeland.

[Arkadiusz Szymczak]