Minister Nitras has requested that the expenses related to the official Polish delegation at the Paris Olympics be disclosed to Radosław Piesiewicz, President of the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOl).
Nitras urged that the public be provided with detailed information on which expenses were covered by the state budget, which were paid by State Treasury companies, and how much of the total amount was allocated to the Polish Olympic team and the athletes themselves.
The Minister of Sport also emphasized the need for a detailed review of the salaries for the PKOl board, noting that previous presidents and members served in their roles voluntarily and without compensation.
Additionally, Nitras has requested that Marian Banaś, President of the Supreme Audit Office, conduct an urgent and immediate audit of spending by the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOl). The minister specified that this concerns the 92 million PLN allocated over the past three years.
The PKOl has yet to respond to the Polish Minister of Sport’s stance on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games financial accounts. Polish Radio 24 reached out to PKOl spokesperson Katarzyna Kochaniak-Roman, who declined to comment.
Minister of Sport criticizes Olympic results and announces reforms
In an interview with Polityka magazine, Sławomir Nitras described the performance of Polish athletes at the recent Paris Olympics as "unsatisfactory" and "inadequate given the country’s potential, size, and investment."
Poland was surpassed by 41 countries in the medal rankings, despite spending 500 million PLN (approximately 116.6 million EUR) on preparations for the Games—an amount that could have built a dual-carriageway road from Koszalin to Gdańsk.
The Minister of Sport criticized the Polish athlete training system, stating that Olympic successes are due to the individual efforts of athletes rather than the support from sports associations, which have wasted public funds on luxury expenditures instead of investing in athlete preparation.
Sławomir Nitras announced plans to introduce legal reforms allowing national team members to elect sports association leaders and to ensure that at least 30% of management positions are held by women. He also promised to present a strategy for the development of Polish sports by early next year, aimed at improving organization, funding, athlete training, and infrastructure through 2040.
Source: IAR/PAP/PR24/Polityka
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