Poland as a Hostess to the Summer Olympics

The closing of the Summer Olympics in Paris coincided with the news that Poland may seek to host the summer games in 2040 or 2044. Questions are being raised: what new - after the spectacular in many ways Paris Games - could Poland offer in the future? Which cities would apply to host the Games? How to take full advantage of the right to host the Olympics? Poland could revolutionize the organization of the Olympic Games, forever making its mark on the history of the sports movement.

Let's start with the data setting the context for the last Olympics and future Games. Over the past 100 years, the number of disciplines and participating countries has steadily increased. While in 1896 in Athens only 241 sportsmen competed in 10 disciplines, Paris of 2024 welcomed 10,714 male and female athletes competing in 48 events.

The second - and fundamental - trend is the heat waves that have plagued Europe for years. Just a few years ago, we have suffered high temperatures only in August, today also in July; in 2040, we may feel like in an oven already in June. Athletes in Paris complained widely about the lack of air conditioning, which resulted in poor sleep and worse performance. A photo of Italian swimmer Ceccon, who chose to sleep under a park bench in search of coolness, became an infamous symbol of this struggle.

Poland can respond to both of these challenges by permanently improving the organization of the summer games. On the one hand, the number of sports that run concurrently at the Olympics needs to be reduced to, say, 12. On the other hand, the Olympics should last longer and take place earlier in the year - for example, throughout April and May. A slower and deeper way of experiencing the Olympics would be a return to the sources - the first Summer Olympics in Paris took place from May 14th to October 28th, 1900.

The second area where Poland should innovate concerns the question of which city should host the Olympics. Why should it be a city and not cities? The Winter Olympics do not both take place in one city. Football championships sometimes do not even take place in one country. The surfing competition at the Paris Olympics was held in Tahiti - almost 16,000 kilometers from Paris. So why not propose a summer Olympics in some of the best-prepared Polish cities? The “100 minutes”* project involves building high-speed rail long before 2040. - strengthening our offer to the International Olympics Committee.

Finally - how would we make the most of the right to host the Olympics if we got it? Infrastructure, tourism revenues, increased prestige, etc. are obviously important. Being the host of the Olympics should also be one of the drivers for bridging the gap separating the life expectancy of Polish women and men from the rest of the world's most developed countries. As I wrote in June, according to the World Bank's 2021 data. Poland ranks 62nd in life expectancy. We are also the 18th worst performing society (out of 201 countries) in terms of the gender gap in life expectancy (8 years).

Regular physical activity is key to improving healthy life expectancy, according to the World Health Organization. The Olympics in Poland could be the impetus for a nationwide program to promote healthy lifestyles, activity from kindergarten to senior citizens' homes. The organization of the Olympics would serve to improve the quality and length of life of Polish women and men.

These three changes: reducing the number of competitions held simultaneously, extending the duration of the Olympics and moving it to earlier in the year would make participation in the Games more accessible, affordable and sustainable. Combining these changes with hosting the Olympics in several localities would reduce the burden on the infrastructure and residents of the cities hosting the Olympics, strengthening local support for the Games as a result. Poland can contribute a great deal to the Olympic movement - and this is no small thing.

* Project to bring all major Polish cities within less than 100 min of travel by train - to be achieved through built-up of high-speed railway network.