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Poles aim high at Women's Amputee Football World Cup in Colombia

04.11.2024 12:30
The Polish women's amputee football team is setting ambitious goals as it kicks off its campaign in the first-ever Women’s Amputee Football World Cup.
Womens amputee football: Poland players during a training session in Warsaw in December 2023.
Women's amputee football: Poland players during a training session in Warsaw in December 2023.Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak

The inaugural tournament begins on Monday in Barranquilla, Colombia, with Poland facing the host nation in the opening match.

The historic tournament runs until November 11 and features 12 teams divided into three groups.

Poland, regarded as one of the event's favourites, have been placed in Group A alongside Colombia, Brazil and Cameroon.

"The easiest thing to say is that our goal is to bring home the World Cup trophy, and I think each of us dreams of that," said Poland player Jolanta Ożga.

"But the most important goal is to look in the mirror and say: 'I gave it my all,'" she added. "We're up against strong teams we've never seen on the pitch before and don't even know much about from social media."

The team is coached by experienced men's amputee football players Marcin Oleksy, winner of the 2022 FIFA Goal of the Year, and Igor Woźniak.

"We have a mission with the team to go out there and fight," said Oleksy, emphasising the role of "positivity and resilience."

The Polish team was founded in April 2022 as Europe's first women's amputee football squad.

The Poles notched their first international victory in September last year, defeating the United States 1-0 with a historic goal by Marta Rumińska.

In the run-up to the World Cup, Poland secured two wins against England at the Amp Futbol Cup event in Warsaw, with goals from Anna Raniewicz and Monika Kukla.

"We trained really hard before the World Cup," said player Weronika Nowotny. "Each of us gave as much as she could, practicing three times a week on average and attending monthly training camps, as well as scrimmaging with the men's team."

Poland's group-stage matches are scheduled on consecutive days, with each game featuring seven players on each side and two 25-minute halves.

(gs)

Source: PAP, bbc.comamputeefootball.eu