A great celebration of the queen of sports in Bolesławiec! On November 4, an athletics stadium was opened at the Complex of General and Vocational Schools named after Major Henryk Sucharski in Bolesławiec. The ribbon was cut, among others, by Bolesławiec County Starosta Dariusz Kwaśniewski and deputy headmistress of ZSOiZ Dorota Wojtyniak.
Those attending the ceremony included Lower Silesian Marshal Cezary Przybylski, Director of the Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism of the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Marcin Przychodny, two-time world hammer-throwing champion Paweł Fajdek with his coach Jolanta Kumor, as well as Justyna Serafińska-Gruman, secretary of MKS Bolesłavia, and Bartosz Gruman, head of the club.
The first to speak was Laura Słocka-Przydróżna, headmistress of ZSOiZ: “I am certain that this modern facility will contribute to the development not only of our school, but of all schools and our county. In one interview, Mr. Paweł Fajdek said: I proved that I can do impossible things. Today I can say the same on behalf of everyone gathered here: we have done something that seemed impossible. The Complex of General and Vocational Schools has a fantastic athletics facility.
Starosta Dariusz Kwaśniewski spoke about the difficulties involved in creating the stadium, but immediately stressed: “In a year, two or three, we will not remember how much it cost. The hundreds of children who will run, jump, throw and put here will finally have a place where they can pursue their sporting passions.”
He added: “This stadium could only have been built here. There is no such place left anywhere else in the city. It is neither municipal nor county-owned; it is ours and open to everyone. We have built something that will simply remain after us.”
Cezary Przybylski: “The Lower Silesian Voivodeship is clearly a leader when it comes to creating conditions for the development of youth sport. This is the 42nd athletics facility built as part of the ‘Lower Silesia for the Queen of Sport’ programme. I am deeply convinced that thanks to this facility we will have European and world champions, because the potential is here.”
A note of caution was added by Paweł Fajdek: “Facilities are not everything. Athletes know that where you train is not important; what matters is determination and money for training. PLN 2.7 million for the investment? Great. I wish local governments could find one million złoty for the next five years. Not for young people, but for those who leave the junior age group and become under-23 athletes and seniors. So that they can continue to develop and train. To achieve success, it is not enough to train until the age of 19 and then stop. You have to work until the age of 25 if you want to travel somewhere and shine on the world stage. This is my modest request to everyone: that a support programme for seniors and under-23 athletes be created. I hope that this will happen someday.
Bartosz Gruman: “I am immensely pleased that these are no longer dreams but reality. On behalf of all the coaches, officials and athletes of Bolesłavia, I promise that this will be the sporting heart of Bolesławiec. It is already clear that this stadium is alive.”
The investment cost nearly PLN 2.7 million. The following facilities were built beside the school in Bolesławiec: a four-lane oval track, a six-lane sprint track, a long-jump pit with a runway, a high-jump facility, a pole-vault facility and a multi-purpose sports field. According to the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the total cost of the investment was PLN 2.69 million, of which PLN 300,000 was provided from the voivodeship budget and as much as PLN 1 million came from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The remainder came from County funds.