Polish Olympic Committee Head Arrested on Bribery Charges

Radoslaw Piesiewicz, the president of the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOI), was arrested on Thursday as part of a corruption investigation, a judicial source confirmed to AFP. The arrest follows allegations that Piesiewicz accepted bribes in exchange for securing sponsorship agreements with "Zondacrypto."

The Polish Ministry of Sport announced the arrest, with Sports Minister Jakub Rudnicki stating on X (formerly Twitter) that Piesiewicz "never should have been the president of the Polish Olympic Committee" and had "discredited Polish Olympians."

Investigations into Piesiewicz began in April, prompting most Polish sports federations to call for his resignation. They hold him personally responsible for signing a sponsorship deal with "Zondacrypto" on behalf of PKOI. Under this agreement, athletes who won medals at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina were to receive bonuses in cryptocurrency. However, the platform faced financial difficulties and eventually shut down, with cryptocurrency payments to medal winners being sporadic at best.

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Radoslaw Piesiewicz was arrested.

The collapse of "Zondacrypto" has resulted in an estimated 350 million zloty (80.8 million euros) in losses, affecting approximately 30,000 people. Media reports suggest that Przemyslaw Kral, associated with "Zondacrypto," gifted Piesiewicz a watch valued at around 40,000 euros. Piesiewicz, however, claims he paid for the watch himself.

Authorities have accused "Zondacrypto" of having ties to nationalist opposition groups, organized crime, and Russian intelligence services. The government's allegations paint a picture of a complex web of illicit dealings that have significantly impacted Polish sports and its athletes.

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Such a person never should have been the president of the Polish Olympic Committee (...) Piesiewicz discredited Polish Olympians.