The organisers are sure: “The World Championship will be our pride”

Today at 12:00 local time a press conference presenting the state of preparations for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland 2014 was held at the National Stadium in Warsaw. The Polish Volleyball Federation was represented by its President Mirosław Przedpełski and vice-President Artur Popko. Polsat TV Sports Director Marian Kmita and Łukasz Sekuła – board member of PL2012+ which manages the National Stadium were also present on the organisers’ side. Deputy Director of the Professional Sports Department Paweł Słomiński spoke for the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism.

Today at 12:00 local time a press conference presenting the state of preparations for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland 2014 was held at the National Stadium in Warsaw. The Polish Volleyball Federation was represented by its President Mirosław Przedpełski and vice-President Artur Popko. Polsat TV Sports Director Marian Kmita and Łukasz Sekuła – board member of PL2012+ which manages the National Stadium were also present on the organisers’ side. Deputy Director of the Professional Sports Department Paweł Słomiński spoke for the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism.

Mirosław Przedpełski: I’m happy that so many of us gathered here. The host cities’ representatives could not be with us today but we are in touch with them at all times. The place of today’s conference is not coincidental. The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland 2014 will start right here. The opening match will be something grand, something that the world hasn’t seen before. I’m sure that we will be able to prepare this event to the highest standards.

We are here to inform you about the present state of preparations – everything is going according to the schedule and without any obstacles in our way. Let me repeat what I often say – that Poland was chosen by the FIVB to organise this World Championship first and foremost because of its position as a Mecca of world volleyball. There is no other place like this. We have everything: the fans, the atmosphere and the organisation. We need to show the world that there is no better place to play volleyball than Poland.

Everybody in our federation has their hands full of work with the preparations. The opening ceremony is a great challenge but its organisation is well under control. This World Championship is a unique chance to boost volleyball’s popularity all around the world. New technologies will be introduced at this tournament and I’m sure that Polsat TV will do a great job in covering it all. I’m very glad that the whole world will see this.

Artur Popko: First of all, I’d like to assure you that our preparations are drawing to an end. We are thinking of the opening match at the National Stadium and working on it as a separate event. Over 3 thousand people will be working at the stadium during the opening ceremony. The most difficult and nervous moment was the opening of ticket sales but our fans didn’t let us down and the tickets for the National Stadium disappeared in 100 minutes. Tickets for all other arenas are also selling well. The teams will be playing in a total of seven venues. All host cities have been branded and atmosphere of waiting for the event is clearly noticeable. Branding of the venues themselves is the FIVB’s new creation. It‘s very attractive and well suited for such a prestigious event – not to mention that it matches well our national colours.

What remains after the World Championship is also important for us. All kinds of activities and events promoting volleyball among children and youth have been going on in the host cities and those will surely be continued. Thanks to the Ministry of Sport we will also have the Mini World Championship. The Trophy Tour made it possible for the fans to see the new Trophy with their own eyes – something that has never been done before. The Polish Volleyball Federation is ready for the World Championship. All formalities are either already completed or being finalized right now.

Paweł Słomiński: This is the second event of such scale and importance in the history of Polish sport. The Ministry of Sport supports volleyball in Poland. We subsidize the training of the national teams – not only seniors but also other age groups and beach volleyball – and let’s not forget volleyball schools. In 2014 the Ministry has donated PLN 31.5 million to the PVF – the highest subsidy among sports federations in Poland. I’m saying this with a sense of satisfaction, because cooperation with the Polish Volleyball Federation is perfect. The schooling system created by the PVF seems ideal. We also subsidize renovation of the competition halls, like Bydgoszcz’s Łuczniczka. Financial support for the organisation of the World Championship in Poland has also been given by the Ministry. And as a fan, I’m counting on our national team to get a hold of a medal.

Łukasz Sekuła: In 25 days more than 62 thousand spectators will have a chance to take part in the opening match of the World Championship. The National Stadium is proud to host the biggest sports event in this country – two years after Euro 2012. For us it is most important to provide the highest quality in organising the event and we are cooperating with the PVF to achieve this. This is a very busy and meaningful month for this stadium. First we will host a match between Real Madrid and Fiorentina, then we will see Ussain Bolt at the Kamila Skolimowsa Memorial, the FIVB World Championship and seven days later the Windsurfing World Cup – but the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship is our greatest pride. You have seen and heard a couple thousand volleyball fans sing the national anthem at other events. Imagine it sang by 62 thousand people. I have shivers just thinking about it.

Marian Kmita: This is the biggest TV production in the sports history of Polsat TV. It’s our pride. For 15 years we did what we could to make volleyball a part of our everyday life. We invested not only money but also a lot of heart. Surely, this event would not be held in Poland without Polsat TV. The World Championship’s volume and the demand for the event are far greater than we were estimating just a year ago. Half a million tickets have been sold. The TV coverage of the opening match will be something not seen before. Three production trucks, 30 cameras (including Spidercam and Super Slow Mo), 300 crew members. All this plus everyday news coverage in all our channels. 4 special PPV channels will enable us to show all of the matches live. We have announced that all Polsat and Polkomtel clients will get all these channels without additional cost. We hope that this will lead to integration among fans and in the special Fan Zones. I hope that this event well leave us proud and with a medal. It will be a fantastic experience for everyone.