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Hero’s welcome home for Polish volleyball team

18.09.2023 00:30
Crowds of enthusiastic fans have greeted members of the Polish men’s national volleyball team when they arrived home after winning the European championships for the second time.
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Poland volleyball players led by their Serbian coach Nikola Grbić (fifth from right, front row) are given a warm welcome at Warsaws Chopin Airport on Sunday.
Poland volleyball players led by their Serbian coach Nikola Grbić (fifth from right, front row) are given a warm welcome at Warsaw's Chopin Airport on Sunday.Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

The Poles defeated Italy 3-0 in the final in Rome on Saturday night, taking their second continental championship gold after a win in 2009 in Turkey.

A crowd of fans on Sunday greeted the team at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport with chants of “Thank you, thank you.”

President Andrzej Duda tweeted his congratulations at the weekend.

"After 14 years, we are European champions again," he said on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. "Way to go! Bravo, bravo, bravo!"

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki praised the team, saying: "You are our national treasure. Thank you."

The sports ministry said it was proud of the national team.

The 2023 Men's EuroVolley championships were held in Italy, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Israel from August 29 to September 16.

The Poles won the bronze at the 2021 EuroVolley tournament.

Poland won world championship titles in 2014 and 2018 and finished runners-up last year.

Earlier this year, Grbić's men won the Volleyball Nations League.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Marcin Matuszewski.