On occassion of the 25th anniversary of the first
partialy free elections in Poland, viewers of Polish
Television (TVP) and readers of the newspaper "Przeglad
Sportowy" could vote for the best athlete of
the last 25 years. The poll, that was organized
by the Polish Department of Sport and Tourism was
won by Adam Malysz ahead of cross country skier
Justyna Kowalczyk and the double Olympic Champion
from Sochi, Kamil Stoch.
The award to Malysz was presented by the President
of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski. "I think that
this award is for all fans and athletes, who experienced
good and bad moments during this time", said
Malysz. "I was named "Athlete of the Freedom"
in Poland but in my opinion all athletes, who fought,
sometimes even with themselves, deserve it. I'm
very happy that I was appreciated and that I had
my share in these 25 years."
The former head coach of the Polish ski jumping
team and the current president of the Polish Ski
Association, Apoloniusz Tajner, was named the "Coach
of Freedom" in Poland.