100 days to go to the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26

Leading Polish athletes Adrianna Sułek-Schubert and Piotr Lisek were among the figures to share their excitement for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 during a media briefing held on Tuesday (9) to celebrate 100 days to go to the global event.

The Kujawy Pomorze region is continuing preparations for the most important winter event in athletics. In recent days, representatives of World Athletics visited the city and the venue – the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena Toruń – which will welcome the world’s top athletes along with thousands of fans for the event taking place from 20-22 March. Morning sessions will start each day at 10:05am, while afternoon sessions will begin at 6:35pm on Friday and Saturday, and at 5:40pm on Sunday. The first medals – in the women’s high jump – will be awarded during the opening session of the championships.

“Preparations are entering the final stage. We have just completed a three-day inspection from World Athletics, during which we received positive evaluations. There are areas that require intensified work, but we will certainly meet all the requirements placed before us,” says Piotr Całbecki, Marshal of the Kujawy Pomorze region. The organisation of the event is undoubtedly a challenge, but also an opportunity for the city of Toruń and local businesses. Many fans – not only from Poland but also from abroad – will come to admire the world’s best athletes.

“We are very pleased that the indoor world championships will attract many tourists. As a city, we are ready to welcome such a large number of guests. Thanks to this, local hotels, restaurants and pubs will be able to prepare fan zones and invite everyone to support the Polish athletes together,” emphasises Paweł Gulewski, Mayor of Toruń.

The fact that the World Indoor Championships will take place in Poland and specifically at the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena Toruń, a venue favoured by athletes, excites Polish competitors, who are eager to perform at their best. “I am preparing intensively for the indoor season and regularly train at the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Arena Toruń. I am counting heavily on the support of local fans, because competing in your own country – and even more so in your own region – is a truly special experience,” says Sułek-Schubert, a top Polish combined events athlete and ambassador of the championships. “Hosting a World Indoor Championships in Poland is something exceptional. I’m glad we’ll be competing on home soil. I’m sure the fans’ support will be extraordinary, and that’s what I’m counting on,” adds another ambassador, Polish pole vaulter Lisek.

Sebastian Chmara, President of the Polish Athletics Association, is convinced that organising such a major global event in Poland will help promote athletics in the country – one of the PZLA’s key goals. “We conduct numerous initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to be more active and choose athletics. Major events like the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 are a perfect opportunity to show Polish fans – especially the younger ones who haven’t yet had the chance – the beauty of our sport,” he stresses.

Ticket sales for the first batch began at the end of October. Nearly 3000 tickets for each of the six sessions will be available, and tickets can be purchased via the eBilet.pl platform. The first batch was released on Monday, and the next will be available at the beginning of next year. “Some tickets from the first batch are still available, but we encourage fans planning to come to Toruń to buy them early. The next batch will go on sale at the beginning of next year,” says Krzysztof Wolsztyński, Vice President of the Polish Athletics Association.

During Tuesday’s press conference, the official poster for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 was presented. It had previously been decided that the event’s mascot would be a friendly goose named Goosia.