"I have decided to seek the position of PKOl president," Korzeniowski said in a statement on Thursday, adding that he wanted to devote his "knowledge and energy" to the "systemic development of Polish Olympic sport."
In a post on X, he thanked the ministers he had worked with and called it "a difficult but natural step" in his career, saying the goal was to rebuild the organisation's reputation and standing.
Sports Minister Jakub Rutnicki thanked Korzeniowski for his contribution, citing his experience and expertise.
Korzeniowski had advised the ministry since October 2024, working on strategic directions for Polish sport.
The move follows the arrest of PKOl chief Radosław Piesiewicz last week over the Zondacrypto cryptocurrency exchange affair.
Piesiewicz was charged with influence peddling and favouring a group of creditors amid the company's looming insolvency.
He denies wrongdoing and is now in three-month pre-trial detention after a court granted a prosecutors' request.
Former Olympic cyclist Mieczysław Nowicki, acting on Piesiewicz's behalf as one of his deputies, has called a meeting of the PKOl board's executive committee for September 8—the first gathering of the organisation's leadership since the arrest.
Most of its 16 members are pushing for a full board meeting to be convened at the same time, arguing that only that body has the power to formally remove Piesiewicz before the end of his term.
No decision on that has yet been made.
(ał/gs)
Source: tvn24.pl, PAP