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New mural celebrates icons of Polish athletics

29.12.2021 08:15
A Polish deputy prime minister has unveiled a new mural in the capital Warsaw showcasing some of the country's best track-and-field athletes of the past century. 
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Polish Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński (right) unveils a mural in tribute to the best Polish track-and-field athletes of the past century, in Warsaw on Tuesday.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński (right) unveils a mural in tribute to the best Polish track-and-field athletes of the past century, in Warsaw on Tuesday. PAP/Piotr Nowak

Painted on the wall of a block of flats in Warsaw’s Mokotów district, the mural features a gallery of figures whose athletic exploits on the world stage have gripped the nation over the years, the state PAP news agency reported.

“The successes of Polish athletics are beautifully depicted in this mural,” Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński said on Tuesday.

“There’s no hiding the fact that we are moved as we look at the likenesses of remarkable sportsmen and women and remember their triumphs, with the emotions that they used to evoke in us, flooding back,” he added

Gliński told reporters that "thanks to such projects, new generations will be able to learn about the fine history of Polish sports.”

He noted that athletics accounted for nine of Poland’s 14 medals at this year’s Tokyo Olympics.  

The mural displays various Polish track-and-field icons from the three-time Olympic hammer throw champion Anita Włodarczyk to the runner Irena Szewińska, who was recently named the world’s best female athlete of all-time by the prestigious Track & Field News magazine.      

The 460-square-metre painting was prepared at the instigation of Tomasz Majewski, a sports official and a former successful shot putter with two Olympic gold medals to his name, the PAP news agency reported.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP