Some are jealous, others simply don’t understand why halls and stadiums are packed to the brim, fanatics but always smiling fans. They also do not understand the viewing records on TV and on the Internet during volleyball broadcasts. Because it simply cannot be explained. There is a national phenomenon in this force that carries only positive associations.
This was not always the case. Twenty-five years ago, I remember, we competed in a small group of people from the volleyball community, TV (then TVP) and a few sponsors to create ambitious plans, which, ironically, couldn’t have had any optimistic premises at the time. After all, we were so refreshed after defeating the volleyball players at the Olympics in Atlanta, that we lost all the matches, and only once (!) won the entire tournament.
Our belief in Polish volleyball was based more on our dreams than on real possibilities. Nevertheless, it worked, even though today it’s still hard to believe that he was once so bad with our favorite discipline. However, the hard work of many unknown people, and a string of successes, which began with the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1997 and through the gold medal for Andrei Nemczyk, boys Raul Lozano, Daniel Castellani, Andrea Anastasi, Stefan Antiga and Vital Heinen, you took us to a different world of volleyball. The world is regularly marked with Polish medals in the World Championships, Cups, European Championships and the World League, known today as the League of Nations.
This has been the case for the past twenty years. No wonder, then, that we are so used to this luxury and today that not getting a medal from the Tokyo Olympics, or if the taste of bronze from the last European Championships was so pungent, is a disaster for us. This is who we are and we have set high standards for the upcoming coaches of the women’s and men’s national teams, the owners of the clubs competing in the European Cups, and even our junior and coaching teams participating in international tournaments. Our hunger is still not satisfied, so those who rely on the sporting success of our teams find it difficult with us.
Life was not easy for the former, current and future presidents of the Polish Volleyball Federation. The result of those that have already won more than twenty medals in the past two decades by Polish clubs and teams in international competitions is that the position of the PZPS President is slowly beginning to be as hot as the chair of the Polish Football Association. Yes, yes no exaggeration. It is also a Polish phenomenon that volleyball in our country is very close to football in terms of popularity.
Therefore, the race for the chair of the PZPS chair has also become interesting to outsiders who are only interested in sports from the mighty bell. They follow interesting information on the Internet about potential candidates, sometimes about their weaknesses, sometimes about their competitive advantages. And many may regret the lack of a general election for the presidency of this union, because this is a great Polish commodity, our unique treasure, which can easily be squandered.
It is enough for delegates to the general election congress to choose a fraudulent person who, despite clear statements and affirmations about his love for volleyball, will turn into a fraud and an ordinary fraud, putting his personal and business goals at the fore. . You have to be wary of this, and you better bet on people who have been in the environment for decades and proven in many battles. People who ate bread from more than one volleyball oven, gained something, but also lost something – because it is also an important experience. And not to reach the age of sixty, because the tasks of the new head of the PZPS should count at least two terms, so you need to look for a relatively young man who can mentally and physically withstand the presidential burden without him. Harm his health and the comfort of his work environment.
And are there such ideals in Polish volleyball? naturally! You just need to look around carefully and think carefully. Calmness in the right choice is absolutely necessary, because any mistake will cost us all – fans of Polish volleyball – very dearly.
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