On 20–25 October 2026, Poland will become the world capital of strength sports. The GPC Federation World Championships—one of the most important events on the international powerlifting calendar—will be held in Pabianice. Thirty countries will take part.

For the Bolesławiec champion, this is a huge opportunity and a dream. The only question is whether someone will help her reach it—and whether help will arrive before the first of her five final training sessions.

Sonia is losing out to training prices in Bolesławiec

Her disciplines are barbell bench pressing and para-arm wrestling. To prepare properly for the competition, she needs a coach—but an hour of coaching costs about 200 złoty, and sometimes more. For the athlete, this is an unaffordable sum.

For some time, she trained at Fit Style Zone because one of the residents paid for her membership. Thanks to that, she did not have to pay entry fees.

“I do not have a coach for barbell pressing because I cannot afford to pay about 200 złoty an hour, or even more,” says Sonia Turzyniecka.

Bolesławiec could support its champion

Sonia has five training sessions left before the competition. Without a coach’s support, each of them means working alone. The club is not obliged to provide such assistance. The city is another matter. The champion is an athlete associated with Bolesławiec, yet she has not managed to obtain support for her preparations for the world championships. The needs are very specific: training with a coach and a second night of accommodation during the competition. These are not large amounts of money—the sum quoted by the athlete is 1,500 złoty. The question remains why an accomplished para-athlete has to ask for such basic things on her own.

Sonia, with the nationwide “Women with Passion” statuette, has no money for… her passion

In September 2026, Sonia Turzyniecka, a multiple gold medalist in para-arm-wrestling competitions, received Poland’s highest distinction for women with disabilities who pursue their passion despite adversity. At a gala in Bydgoszcz, the athlete was presented with the prestigious Women with Passion 2026 statuette in the sports category.

Unfortunately, this did not make it easier for the athlete to compete or find sponsors. She still has to ask for every penny to take part in competitions.

Donors can contact Sonia by writing to the editorial office at: redakcja@istotne.pl