The reform of the Polish sport has been presented to Olympic coaches
-We have prepared a pilot programme, which will cover at the beginning five sports: athletics, swimming, rowing, sailing and one of winter sports - said Joanna Mucha, Minister of Sport and Tourism, during a Spała conference of Olympic training coaches in summer sports.
On 19-21 November the coaches that had prepared the Polish Olympic team to the London Olympic Games, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, Sport Institute, Polish Olympic Committee, Centre for Sports Medicine and Polish sport associations have summed up the participation in this year’s Olympic Games.
During her speech the head of Polish sport has presented to the gathered guests the assumptions of the reform that will enter into force as of the next year.
– Each of the associations of these sports will have to present a list of specific names of sportsmen and women in the junior and youth categories complete with a specific programme of training for each of them. The association will be responsible for guiding their careers and we will provide the funds - continued the Minister.
- This is a very difficult task both for the Ministry and for the associations, hence we will start off with four or five sports. Moreover, we will bridge the junior categories with the professional sport in the senior category, which so far had practically been non-existent. Now the associations will be held accountable for planned results and not evaluated on the basis of the paper work - summed up Minister of Sport and Tourism.
The coaches were also informed that the financial resources for professional sport in 2013 will be at the same level as in the year of the Olympics. The London medallists have the scholarships for two years guaranteed and in the next season they will not be required to bring medals from championship events.
Joanna Mucha has also proposed that the sport associations should develop a coaching licenses system and take responsibility for improving the level of trainings and prestige of the profession.
- I will not agree with the claim that “it is impossible". For me this means that the person has not even tried. I am positive that we can do it - Minister of Sport and Tourism ended her speech.
During the three-day debate the meeting participants listened to the speeches of the representatives of the Minister of Sport and Tourism on the plans for 2013, the Polish Olympic Committee, Poland Club, Centre for Sports Medicine and author of the psychological programme “Strong and Tough Olympic Team” (Silna i Odporna Kadra Olimpijska) Marek Graczyk summing up the Olympic preparations and start of the Polish team in the Olympic Games. The Sport Institute had discussed the programme “Finding Talents” (Identyfikacja Talentów). The Director General of the Central Sports Center Piotr Marszałek has presented the offer of his subordinate organisation and Piotr Marek invited the associations to closer cooperation with the Trainers Academy (Akademia Trenerska).
During the conference the coaches: Paweł Kowalski (sailing, RS:X class), Andrzej Kijowski (archery) and Henryk Olszewski (athletics, shot put) have shared with the meeting participants their experience in Olympic preparations and their own training programmes, which resulted in London successes.