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UPDATE: PM voices satisfaction after Polish ski jumpers cleared to compete in Four Hills opener

29.12.2020 13:00
Poland’s prime minister has voiced satisfaction after the country’s ski jumping team was cleared to compete in the opening event of the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany on Tuesday.
The 69th Four Hills Tournament opens in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. It runs until Jan. 6, 2021.
The 69th Four Hills Tournament opens in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. It runs until Jan. 6, 2021.Photo: PAP/EPA/LUKAS BARTH-TUTTAS

The Poles got the go-ahead to compete from German health authorities after all members of the national team tested negative for the coronavirus, officials announced.

“Great news from Oberstdorf,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a social media post, thanking “everyone who fought to the end for such a decision to be made.”

He added that the ability to apply “pressure and fight for your goals always makes sense, be it in politics or sports.”

Dobre wiadomości w trudnych czasach są podwójnie cenne. Świetne wieści z Oberstdorfu. Presja i walka o swoje zawsze mają...

Posted by Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Earlier the Polish team was ruled out of the Four Hills opener, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, after one of its members, Klemens Murańka, tested positive for COVID-19.

Photo: Photo: PAP/Grzegorz Momot

Following an appeal by Polish officials, Murańka was tested again and the test came out negative, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.

All the other team members also tested negative after more tests were done on Monday evening, according to the Polish state news agency.

"Our ski jumpers will get to compete in Oberstdorf! Negative test results for our entire team," the Polish Ski Association (PZN) tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Morawiecki said on his Facebook page that he would be keeping his fingers crossed for the Polish team as it headed into the prestigious tournament opening in Germany on Tuesday afternoon.

Apart from Murańka, the seven-man Polish team for this year's Four Hills Tournament includes Dawid Kubacki, Kamil Stoch, Piotr Żyła, Andrzej Stękała, Aleksander Zniszczoł and Maciej Kot.

The Four Hills Tournament, which is part of the ski-jumping World Cup circuit, features a series of four competitions taking place in Germany and Austria every year.

In January, Kubacki became the third Polish ski jumper to claim the overall Four Hills Tournament title after soaring to victory in the final stage of the annual series in Bischofshofen, Austria.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR, PAP