- – The war between the Polish Olympic Committee and the ministry has been going on for several months. This volcano erupted right after the games ended, but it has been rumbling underground for a long time – a sports activist told Onet
- – What matters in the whole matter is what the activists in the sports federations decide. If they decide that the odds are up and that the war of principles with the government has become too much, then Bisevic’s future in the committee will not be long. However, if the pressure on him comes only from the top, it may not bear fruit – we hear from another activist
- As we heard, Radoslav Pesevich has been trying to contact the Minister of Sports through intermediaries for several months, but was told that he must first show documents and contracts with state-owned companies.
- More important information can be found on the Onet home page.
“real gold”
– We can already hear that some kind of horizontal structure is being created in the authorities of the Polish Olympic Committee and that a rebellion is raging against Pesiewicz. If it turns out that he is taking huge sums of money from the Polish Olympic Committee, it will be over. The noose has been tightened – Onet told a PO politician who has been involved in sports issues for years.
About that He recently publicly said that the president of the Polish Olympic Committee is getting paid. Sports Minister Slawomir Nietras. Radosław Piesiewicz himself does not refer to this information, does not reveal anything, and so far everything remains in the realm of speculation and hot gossip. According to them, Pisewicz is set to earn the same at the Polish Olympic Committee as the heads of major state treasury companies (outside the banking sector).
Paris, France, 26/07/2024. Olympic Games. President Andrzej Duda and President of the Polish Olympic Committee Radoslaw Bicewicz
If this information is proven true, it will harm the image of the committee chairman, especially since his predecessors did not pay their salaries. Among them was Andrzej Krasnicki, who headed the Polish Olympic Committee for 13 years, but unexpectedly in the spring of 2023 He resigned from running for another term, although he was entitled to do so.
There was much talk in the sports community that Krasnicki was practically forced to resign. It was even said that he had become a victim of political pressure. The Law and Justice party was in power at the time.
His place was taken by Radosław Piesiewicz, He is a close friend of Jacek Sassen, then Minister of State Assets, who was in charge of State-owned companies. Piesiewicz – who is also the president of the Polish Basketball Federation – The campaign idea was equally banal. He promised sports federations a lot of money from companies controlled by his good friend.
For unions, money coming from state-owned companies is real gold. Enterprises of all kinds have limited ability to control the direction of a specific zloty. The situation is different with ministerial money.
This is why all relationships The sport received a lot of attention, immediately after Poland’s unsuccessful Olympic Games. In Paris, Sports Minister Slawomir Nietras demanded information about who was in the French capital during the Olympics, where and for how long. The unions complied. The Polish Olympic Committee refused.
– The war between the Polish Olympic Committee and the ministry has been going on for several months. This volcano erupted right after the Olympics, but it has been rumbling underground for a long time – A sports activist tells Onet.
Bisevic felt that the climate around him was going to deteriorate. On October 15 last year, PiS lost the elections and it was clear that his friendly team would be wiped out of the sports ministry and state-owned companies.
Unexpectedly, in December 2023, news broke that the POC Board of Directors was proposing to change the Articles of Association.which would lock Piesiewicz into the position for up to 10 years. A scandal erupted. Ultimately, the change did not happen, but Bisevic did attract the attention of the new ruling camp.
“I would like to thank the delegates at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Polish Olympic Committee for their wise decision. The attempt to extend the term of office of the authorities, contrary to the Olympic Charter, puts the Polish Olympic Committee in a legally questionable position. Let us focus on the preparations for the Olympic Games in Paris, and for my part, I declare all possible assistance.” – wrote on the X website the Minister of Sports, Sławomir Nietras, who took office only a few days ago.
What will the unions do?
According to Onet’s information, the withdrawal of the changes was the result of, among other things, behind-the-scenes activities by Nitras. As we hear, Radoslav Pesevich later tried to reset the bad relations with the new minister through intermediaries.
– He sent several deliberate people, but it seems he got a clear message: cards on the table – we hear from our informant.
In fact, immediately after the last parliamentary elections, Bisevic began publicly distancing himself from the PiS. In an interview with sport.pl, he tried to present himself as a man of political renaissance:
– I have an ID card from one of the groups, the Democratic Party -demkraci.pl. from the late Professor Bronislaw Jeremik and Tadeusz Mazowiecki on flyers when I was running for the Sejm. With Henryka Buchniars as a candidate for the presidency of Poland. So the accusation that I am a member of the PiS is gloomy and untrue. I know Mr. Jacek Sasin, and I also know Mr. Grzegorz Schetyna. He said: I know a lot of people in politics, because that is the role of the president of the Polish Olympic Committee.
– He definitely knows him, because Grzesiek has been active in basketball for decades, so they must have been in contact – Schetyna’s friend told us.
It is also known that Pisewicz also wanted to favor former president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who was the head of the Polish Olympic Committee in the past.
However, his career gained momentum under the Law and Justice party, which was certainly helped by Jacek Sasin, whom Piesiewicz lent money to years ago to build stairs in his home. Thanks to these connections and influence, Piesewicz became president of the Polish Basketball Federation.
Jacek Sassen
Then he tested the patent based on financial promises from state-owned companies. In fact, Piesiewicz is still the head of PZKosz.
– What matters in the whole matter is what the activists in the sports federations decide. If they decide that the odds are up and that the war of principles with the government has become too much, then Bisevic’s future in the committee will not be long. But if the pressure on him comes only from the top, it may not bear fruit, as we hear from one activist.
– He may seem a bit rude, but he’s not stupid. If there’s anything I can advise the minister, it’s not to underestimate him. I think he’ll show what he’s capable of. – One of Radosław Piesiewicz’s former collaborators tells Onet.
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