Will the World Championships in Zakopane be a ghost event? “Laughter in the hall and cabaret”

There are problems with the Junior Nordic Ski Championship from the very beginning. First, the competition was to be organized in the Beskids in 2021. However, the reconstruction of the running routes in Kubalonka was underway, so Zakopane took over the role of the organizer. There were concerns about a timely construction. It was successful, but not because construction progressed at an impressive pace. The Polish Ski Association canceled the championship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Junior World Championships in Zakopane – a ghost event? “Zero information”

The organization of the event was taken over by the Finns, and the capital of the Polish Tatra Mountains was given another chance – in 2022. This time, nothing indicated any problems. And yet. In the fall of 2021, it turned out that in Zakopane, cross-country skiers would not be able to compete for medals. The reason for the decision was the covered ice track under the Tatra Mountains, promised by President Andrzej Duda. – Therefore, it is not possible to conduct a running competition in Zakopane – explained Andrzej Wąsowicz from the Silesia-Beskid Ski Association.

A dozen or so days ago, the event in Zakopane did not even have a website or profiles in social media. The organizers of previous editions of events in Germany or Finland took great care of such aspects. This is completely different in Poland. Now there is an Instagram and Facebook profile. The website was not created, but a reworked one, which was addressed to the struggles of the World Cup.

– TV broadcasts will be the main promotion. It has never happened before, and we have already held the junior world championships. Now virtually all competitions will be shown on television. From the point of view of the country, this will be the biggest promotion, explains Andrzej Kozak from the Tatra Ski Association.

But there is no promotion even in Zakopane itself. – this is another event that is not promoted. Summer Polish Championships in jumping? Zero information and fans. Winter National Championships? Lots of tourists in Zakopane, but nobody knows about the competition, and tickets are 100 zlotys. And only via the Internet – says Sport.pl Maciej Pawlik, former jumper and author of the “Niewyraźnie o sport” channel.

And he shows us the newsletter that the Zakopane authorities issue every month. In it we find information about various events, but not a word about the World Junior Championships. – This is a ghost party? – a surprised Zakopane man asks.

Zakopane wanted to take over the event, but PZN did not agree

– The city obviously needs no advertising. I’ll tell you this way. The entire junior world championship in Oberwiesenthal was financed by the local authorities, paying 15 million euros. And this is the difference in commitment, Kozak replies.

Our information shows that Zakopane wanted to take over the organization of the event, but the city authorities did not get permission to do so. Perhaps they are silent about the party. We have to rely on guesswork, because the City Hall did not answer Sport.pl’s questions.

– The city ignores jumping. Less and less clubs, or they are saved by Kuba Kot and Kamil Stoch. Zakopane, which is the cradle of jumping, should promote the competition. Especially since the organization costs money, so it was good to earn at least a little. We dream about the games and world championships, but we cannot promote the junior championships. This is audience laughter and a cabaret – says Maciej Pawlik. And he adds that on the Wielka Krokiew ski jump during the World Cup you can always see an inscription promoting Lesser Poland, not a city. – It is very unpleasant for Zakopane citizens. I don’t know if there is any conflict between the city and the union, he wonders.

Ma³opolskie voivodship participates in the costs of organizing the competition. – They put it in their promotion plan and they do. We had a discussion with the mayor of Zakopane on this subject, but the city cannot afford such a contribution, and we cannot afford to reduce the budget of the event, because we have no other subsidies – explains Andrzej Kozak.

And why does the union not care about better promotion of the event? – The Junior World Championships is obviously a high-ranking event, because the competitors are often from the top. However, this is not an event that is so widely received. It is such a difficult matter – replies Kozak from the Tatra Ski Association.

The first competition of the World Junior Championships will start on March 2. Then Norwegian combinators and combinators will compete for medals.