Donald Tust has confirmed his country’s aspiration to host the Olympic Games for the first time in its history. After Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, Qatar will be the chosen host country for 2036. The campaign for 2040 is already open and Poland is bidding as one of the possible host countries, although it is not alone and Germany is also in the running.

‘Poland will make efforts to host the Olympics,‘ said Tusk, who explained that 2040 and 2044 were the earliest and most tangible dates to aim for as the previous years’ venues had already been awarded. According to an unwritten rule of continental rotation, Poland would be a strong candidate for a return of the Olympics to Europe.

‘I probably won’t be able to run on the field when the Olympics are held in Poland, but I can do a lot in the coming years to turn this dream into a real project,’ said the prime minister. According to many media, including Sports In, Germany is a serious contender to host the 2040 Olympics and become the third time the German capital has hosted the Games, the fourth time in the country including Munich in 1972.

Dziś w Karczewie na Orliku ogłaszam, że Polska przystępuje do walki o organizację Igrzysk Olimpijskich, strzelam bramkę i cieszę się jak dziecko. pic.twitter.com/xShXhFCzvd

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) August 16, 2024

COMPETITION EXPERIENCE

Poland hosted the European Games in 2023 and also co-hosted Euro 2012, demonstrating its experience of major events, but with an appetite for another major sporting event in the country. Sports minister Slawomir Nitras commented that ‘I saw the Paris Games and I can say that, from an organisational point of view, we are capable of hosting an event of this magnitude, I think Polish sport is ready for it’.

Tusk saw the time as right to present a new legislative project. It will be a statute aimed at ‘raising the profile of women’s sport and human equality’. The law would guarantee Polish women at least 30% of leadership positions in sports authorities. Tusk’s allies in the Civic Platform party welcomed the measure, saying it would ‘create opportunities’ to further improve Poland’s sporting infrastructure.