Utah Bound

The Polish national team for the 19th Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City took an oath of fair play Jan. 29. The next day, the athletes-25 men and five women-departed for the United States where they will begin competing Feb. 8.

Wishing everyone success:
Aleksander Kwaśniewski addressing the athletes

President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, well known for his keen interest in sports-in the past, he was minister for youth and sports in one of the last communist governments- attended the oath-taking ceremony. He wished everyone success and encouraged ambition for the top medals. He then handed the athletes official Olympic appointments and said he would make a trip to SLC as well.

The oath is as follows: "I vow to represent Poland with dignity, respect the rules of noble rivalry, always act in keeping with the spirit of fair play, and dedicate all my ambitions, skills, talent and will power to attain the best result."

The Poles will compete in ski jumping, cross-country skiing, figure skating, speed skating, short track, biathlon, the bobsled, snowboarding and Alpine skiing.

Adam Małysz, the best ski jumper in the world for the last two seasons and now leader of the World Cup pack, is Poland's best hope for a medal. But the recent drop in Małysz's form, dating from before the jubilee 50th Four Hills Tournament at the end of last year, leaves some cause for concern.

Even though in a recent World Cup competition in Zakopane Małysz came out on top, many wonder if his performance will be good enough to win the coveted Olympic gold.

Commentators believe that five to six jumpers, including the Pole, stand a chance of winning; luck and peak form on competition day will be decisive.

In addition to the "Polish Eagle"-as fans dubbed Małysz-figure skating couple Dorota Zagórska and Mariusz Siudek also stand a good chance of winning a medal. At a recent European championship, they were fourth, narrowly missing the bronze. Before the Olympic Games, the skaters, now married, have vowed to expand their program and vie for a medal. Snowboarder Jagna Marczułajtis also has ambitious goals.

Past Winter Olympics have yielded few medals for Polish athletes. Four years ago in Nagano, despite high expectations, the Polish team returned empty handed, with only two competitors winning points for placing fifth.

In the 18 Winter Olympics since 1924, Poles have won four medals-one gold, one silver and two bronze. The first was a complete sensation: in Sapporo in 1972 young ski jumper Wojciech Fortuna executed a phenomenal 111-meter-long jump and won the big-hill competition. This was Fortuna's only international success.

In Squaw Valley in 1960, two Polish speed skaters, Elwira Seroczyńska and Helena Pilejczyk, won silver and bronze respectively in the 1,500-meter race. Finally, in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Franciszek Groń-Gąsienica won a bronze medal in the Nordic combined event. The current Polish Olympic team includes Groń-Gąsienica's grandson, young ski jumper Tomasz Pochwała.

The Polish Olympic Committee has promised bonuses for Olympic medal winners. For a gold, each athlete will receive 28,000 euros (zl.100,000). A silver will pay zl.19,500 euros and a bronze 14,000 euros. Compared to the amounts promised by other committees, this is not outlandish. Russia has offered its athletes the most-115,000, 58,000 and 35,000 euros respectively.

W.Ż.

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