Polish Olympic Team Gets Special Plane for London Send off

By Raymond Rolak

The Polish Olympic Committee announced their rosters for the 2012 London Olympics. With just over a week before the opening ceremonies, the Polish National teams are making final preparations. With only a few more additions expected, 216 Polish athletes from 22 different sports will be participating.

“I would like to underline that the squad is announced on the basis of the sporting unions’ decisions, which we respect,” Polish Olympic Chairman Andrzej Krasnicki said. “These forthcoming games are a great logistical challenge,” he added.
Undersecretary of State at the Sports Ministry, Jacek Foks said that Olympic preparations accounted for three-quarters of the ministry’s budget, a sum of 160 million zloty (40 million euro).

Four years ago Poland sent 263 athletes to Beijing, while the largest Polish contingent was present in Moscow for the 1980 Olympics, when 306 athletes and coaches participated.

The board of the Polish Olympic Committee also announced that there will prize money awards for athletes who return from London with a medal. For every gold medal won, the athlete can expect a prize of 120,000 zloty (30,000 euro), while winners of silver and bronze medals can expect to come away with 80,000 and 50,000 zloty respectively. For team sports, every member of the team will be paid out 75 percent of the sums allocated.

LOT Polish Airlines will again be painting one of their Boeing 737’s with a special livery for the London games. The rear portion of the fuselage will be painted on both sides with LOT\'s title as the “Official Air Carrier of the Polish Olympic Team - London 2012” and the symbol of the Polish Olympic Committee.

The aircraft with the Olympic colors will not only carry the Polish Olympic Team to and from London but spectators will also be able to buy seats for travel. The plane will carry out flights to other European cities as well.

LOT Polish Airlines Press Officer, Leszek Chorzewski, said, “The Olympics are among the most important sporting events in the world, and are a perfect opportunity to promote Poland abroad. LOT has supported out athletes for many years. It is a great honor for our company to be the official airline of the national team,” he added.

USOC Previews the Look for London
The United States Olympic Committee showcased their uniform ensembles by fashion house Ralph Lauren. The USOC announced that 530 athletes will represent the USA. They will all be wearing a ‘classic’ elegant look. This soft-retro was achieved for the American athletes with a look back to the 1948 London Olympics.

David Lauren, son of the famed designer said, “Knowing that we were going back to England, we tried to instill a feeling from the movie “Chariots of Fire.”


Katelyn Falgowski USOC women\'s fieldhockey

Men will wear cotton club-collar sport shirts, red and navy ties and double-breasted blazers. Female athletes will don similarly embroidered fitted navy blazers. Silk will be the fabric for the knee length cream skirts accented with silk scarves. The women will have a pants option also.

This will be the third time the famed fashion house and the USOC have teamed up for apparel. Lauren said, “The goal was to build on what was popular last time.” “We wanted something that felt very classic, very elegant but at the same time would be easy enough and comfortable enough for the athletes to feel good.”


Sarah Zelenka and Sara Hendershot.

He added, “The key is in the sharp tailoring, done in a way that gives every athlete an opportunity to look good. ... You have to create something that will work for a wrestler or a basketball player, as well as a tiny gymnast. And so all of those body types, coming up with silhouettes that can be flexible and comfortable is quite a task.”

Pin trading is a popular activity for spectators, locals and participants of the games. Coca-Cola, a longtime sponsor of the Olympics, will again highlight the United Kingdom, by having pin-centers for collecting. There are 182 official Coke-Cola 2012- London Olympic pins. Also, Coca-Cola selected deserving young people, who added to their communities through sports and arts to participate in carrying the torch. Right up through the opening ceremonies, the Olympic Torch Run can be seen live at:

http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.html