World Polonia Games
The World Games of the foreign Poland ( Polish: Światowe Igrzyska Polonijne ) are sporting competition events that are organized for members of Polonia, the Polish diaspora. There are both summer and winter games, which are held at various locations in Poland in alternate years. The aim of the games is a closer link between living abroad Poland to the land of their ancestors. In his principles, the World Games the Olympic idea, according to which the participation and not winning is the most important thing to follow. The event is organized by the Association "Polish Community " ( Wspólnota Polska), supported by the Polish president as patron and abroad TVP Polonia, who took over the patronage of the media.
History
Background
Already at the turn of the century around 1900, that is still during the third partition of Poland, to Polish athletes arrived from near and far to compete in competitions. One example is the "Meet Polish Falk shank " ( Zlot Sokolstwa Polskiego ), which took place in Krakow in 1910. The occasion was the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Tannenberg, which is why the event is referred to in Poland as the " Grunwalder meeting " ( Zlot Grunwaldzki ). At the sporting event was attended by around 10,000 Poles from Europe and the USA.
In the 1930s, the sport experienced a rapid development in Poland, including especially the gold medals the athletes Walasiewicz Stanisław and Janusz Kusocinski during the Olympic Summer Games 1932 in Los Angeles contributed. The emerging enthusiasm for sports led to the creation of numerous Polish sports clubs in the Diaspora.
During the "V. Congress of the Organizing Council of Poland abroad first Polonia sports games " ( I. Polonijne Igrzyska SPORTOWE, PIS) ", which was held in Warsaw in November 1933, the orientation was " resolved. They were addressed to Poland from abroad, and the Free City of Danzig. Your organizing committee headed by the Senate Marshal Władysław Raczkiewicz.
The first games in 1934
At the first World Games for Poles abroad in 1934 in Warsaw finally participated 400 athletes. The athletes were 13 teams, including participants from Canada, Brazil and the former Empire of Manchukuo in Manchuria. The greatest team formed here Poland from the Free City of Danzig with 64 competitors. The opening ceremony on August 1, 1934 at the Warsaw Stadium Wojska Polskiego lived with Polish President Ignacy Moscicki. After playing the Polish national anthem and the hoisting of the flag of Poland the invasion of the athletes who were all dressed uniformly in white shirt and red tie took place. Successful team were the Polish emigrants from France, followed by the athletes from Danzig and Czechoslovakia.
1974 to today
The tense situation in Europe and the outbreak of World War II in the late 1930s was one reason that the games after 40 - year break in 1974 in Krakow found a continuation only again. The authorities prevented thereby participation of ethnic Poles from the Soviet Union that can participate freely in the Games until 1991.
Found in 1989 in Zakopane the first " World Winter Games of people of Polish " instead. They were originally planned for the three -yearly basis, but were held only since 2000, after an eight-year break every two years. The World Summer Games since 1997 took place back in regular intervals of two years, so that since 2000, alternating each year either summer or winter games held.
1990 in Warsaw ( Stowarzyszenie " Wspólnota Polska " ), the Association "Polish Community " was founded, which organizes the World Games to date. The aim of the association is to strengthen the bonds among the Polish community abroad. The long-time president of the Association, the politician Andrzej Stelmachowski, sat down in the 1990s vehemently in favor of revitalizing the Games a.