The first competition of this rank in the history of Poland was scheduled for 6 March 1974 in Nossal, and was held as part of the Bronisław Czech and Helena Marusarzona Memorial created immediately after the war. That season, Zakopane hosted top celebrities not only in alpine skiing, but also in ski jumping and running.
However, before the event itself occurred, there were many question marks. In “Przegląd Sportowy” of March 4, in an article titled “Zakopane before the big holiday,” we wrote: “Zakopane is alive with preparations for its great days – the monument to Bronisław the Czech Republic and Helena Marusarzona, and within it also the world.” Kop.” However, what is most worrying is the weather and strong winds. “It is still spring weather in Zakopane, the sun is shining over the Tatra Mountains, and there are about 50,000 tourists in the whole area. At the same time, everyone is worried that the mountain winds will ruin all these activities. It will truly be a disaster for this event, which is expected to be as spectacular as ever. Concerns arise from the fact that there are currently very large temperature differences between night and day (from minus 15 to plus 20), which leads to mountain formation. “Wind. Let's hope the weather is right,” he informed us.
A wonderful celebration
However, the weather gave an opportunity. The competition took place, although it meant a huge mobilization. The army had to carry snow from the forests to the slopes and then pour water on it. “Przegląd Sportowy” envoy Adam Chojński described this World Cup as follows: “Nossal had never seen such crowds before. On Wednesday, March 6, from the early morning hours, continuous crowds were marching through the streets of Zakopane, heading to Bicester. Magnets are the special guys in slalom. Skiing fans promised themselves great emotions and were not disappointed. All the world's leading slalom racers appeared in Nosal. The spectacle was magnificent – a display of impeccable mastery of technique and insane courage, fighting for the smallest fractions of a second Between the colorful columns falling in all directions, and the joy and despair at the finish line… in short, everything that is necessary to make a great sporting event.
The best in the slalom, then called special, on Nosal was the Spaniard Francisco Fernandez Ochoa. Paquito is an interesting figure in the history of alpine skiing. He has won only one World Cup, in Zakopane, and has three major event medals to his collection. Including two golds. In 1972, he became the Olympic champion and world champion. He finished third in St. Moritz during the World Slalom Championships.
Ingmar Stenmark, who later became the record holder for most World Cup victories, also competed in Zakopane when he was 17 years old. In total, he won 86 World Cup competitions. Last year, his score beat out Mikaela Shiffrin, who currently has 95 victories.
Let the whole world know that the Batchelds will win
Polish fans relied heavily on their players, including World Championship silver medalist Andrzej Paslida Koros. Apart from him, Kazimierz Borzykowski, Roman Derezinski and “Ałuś” brother Jan Bashlida also performed. The public even prepared a special banner supporting the brothers: “Let the whole world know that the Bacheld family will win.” However, there will be a near miss and Andrzej Bachleda-Curuś will not be present in front of his home crowd.
While training before the competition, he fell into a snowcat placed near the road. – Oh, I felt so good. That was two days before the start. I had a broken rib and at first I was wrapped in a bandage. I was tired of this slalom race and finished 6th. That was the end of my competitive career. I had breathing problems – he later said in an interview with “PS”.
At that time, Zakopane was a place for various types of meetings. During the memorial, the two best athletes in the world of that time got to know each other – German ski jumper Hans-Georg Aschenbach and Italian alpine skier Gustav Thone. As our envoy described, it turned out that representatives of two different skiing disciplines knew each other only through newspapers and television broadcasts. The Italian smiled as he spoke to Aschenbach: “I imagined you were much larger and more massively built,” he said.
Rape or assault?
However, it was not this meeting or competition that was most talked about, but rather the events that took place the night before the competition. Tony Seller, a former prominent skater, actor and singer, then artistic delegate of the Islamic Salvation Front, was detained by the police.
According to reports, a lavish party was held at the hotel attended by two representatives of the Yugoslav company San Marco. Tony Seller entered the room and then his prostitute. After a while, the girl came out crying. She contacted the police by phone at the reception and testified that she had been raped and showed the new wound as the Austrian's “work”.
News of Seiler's arrest immediately reached the organizers, and an international scandal hung in the air. There was a meeting in the World Cup competition office. Most of the delegates said that Siler was innocent and that the Yugoslavs were behind the case, while the woman's testimony was an attempt to extort money. Politicians at the highest levels were involved in the issue of the Austrian's release – from Austrian diplomats and ambassadors in Warsaw and Vienna to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The conversations concerned, among other things: deposit. The Poles initially wanted $15,000, which is equivalent to about 2 million Polish zlotys today (the author assumes that the average dollar rate in the 1970s was 135 Polish zlotys today). Ultimately, the bail was reduced. Some sources say two thousand, others five thousand. The money came from a hastily organized group among activists and athletes attending the World Cup.
Siler was released from custody and immediately left Poland. As Jurek Jurecki of Tygodnik Podhalański and Wojciech Cieśla of Newsweek write, there is no trace of this history in Poland either in the Institute of National Remembrance or in the archives of modern records. In the Polish People's Republic, no journalist discussed this issue. The documents in the Tatra Ski Association and the Ministry of Sports are also silent on this matter.
The case reached foreign newspapers. The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: “Bail set at 15,000 dollars for Tony Seiler,” and Bild: “A young Polish woman accuses: Seiler raped me.”
The Austrians tried to silence what they saw as unnecessary noise. Journalists from “Der Standard”, “Dossier” and “Öl” later found documents sent to Vienna by the authorities of the Polish People's Republic. Diplomats reportedly did everything they could to get the legend out of trouble.
However, in Poland, the case went ahead. In May 1974, the Zakopane prosecutor wanted to charge Siler with rape. But diplomats intervene again and the files never reach Austria. At that time, this country was an important lender to the authorities of the Polish People's Republic. Filing a criminal case against a famous sports star would be uncomfortable. A few months after the event in December 1974, the investigation officially stopped.
There is a slight change in the prosecution documents – instead of the word “rape” the word “assault” appears. It is unofficially said that Sellers paid a “part-time prostitute” in exchange for silence. Maybe we'll never know the truth. The Austrian died in 2009.
Seeler is still considered a hero in Austria, and his winter clothing brand is one of the most popular. -I have always respected and loved Tony very much. However, he had difficult periods in his life. He sometimes abused alcohol. He was losing his mind then. Perhaps this is what happened in Zakopane. He did some unpleasant things. It was doubly sad for us, because the World Cup in Zakopane was a great sporting celebration for us, but it was overshadowed by Seeler's transgressions. People talked more about these events than about the athletic competition, Bachelida Kourosh recalled.
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