WARSAW – Prof. Tadeusz Slomka will lead the Polish University Sports Association in the years 2016-2018. The election of the new authorities took place during the XXVI Congress of AZS in Warsaw.
The XXVI Congress of AZS, which took place within the walls of Warsaw University of Technology and the Gromada Hotel, was attended by honorary members of AZS, the outgoing authorities of AZS, representatives of state authorities (Piotr Nowacki, advisor to the President of Poland; Jan Widera, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Sport and Tourism; Kamil Bortniczuk, the director in the office of the Minister of Science and Higher Education), rectors of universities in Warsaw, presidents of Polish sports associations, invited guests and above all the delegates of Polish AZS units.
Congress passed a resolution granting the dignity of Honorary Member of AZS. The eminent group of honorary members of AZS, who held their meeting in a record number entered new members to the Convention: Marek Adam, Henryk Boś, Tadeusz Czułno, Stefan Dousa, Józef Grajewski, Kajetan Hądzelek, Janusz Jaszczuk, Włodzimierzr Leśniewski, Zygfryd Nowak, Stefan Piechnik, Henryk Sorys, Stanisław Szymanski, Zdzisław Targoński, Richard Wryk and Stefan Żynda. The Congress also adopted a resolution on giving the medal of Bronisław Czech. The winners of this award were Karolina Chrapek, alpine skier of AZS AWF Katowice (Winter Universiade medallist); Joanna Fiodorow, athlete AZS Poznan (Summer Universiade medallist); Radosław Kawęcki, swimmer AZS AWF Warszawa; Stefan Kupczak, Nordic combined AZS AWF Katowice (Winter Universiade medallist); Joanna Linkiewicz, athlete AZS AWF Wroclaw; Justyna Świety, athlete AZS AWF Katowice and Paweł Zagumny, volleyball AZS Warsaw University of Technology (all Summer Universiade medallists).
The Congress adopted several resolutions concerning amendments to the Statute of AZS. They concerned the change of the name of the Treasurer of AZS for Vice-President Financial (which resulted from the amendment of the Law on Associations) and the appointment of a new Vice-President for development (which resulted from the recommendation of the board of the AZS and the new challenges facing our organization).
The bygone year was summarized, highlighting the sporting and organizational successes by members of AZS for the period 2014-2016. AZS honoured Marian Dymalski, who was elected FISU Vice-President; Adam Roczek, for his re-election as EUSA president, the authors of ‘History of AZS’ Ryszard Wryk, Halina Hanusz and Bartłomiej Korpak, and Grzegorz Miedziński for his contribution to cycling in AZS. Special thanks and congratulations for Prof. Marek Rocki, since AZS was under his leadership for the last 13 years. The outgoing Chairman of AZS, which has recently become the Rector of the School of Economics in Warsaw, received the most important AZS award: The Golden Griffin of AZS.
Outgoing AZS President Marek Rocki
The following AZS units were awarded: AZS AWF Katowice (for the organization of sport training programmes and for the success in international competition at the Universiades and WUC), AZS Poznań (with the ability to connect competitive sport at the highest level with a broad training of children and young people and the dissemination of sport), AZS UMCS Lublin (for the promotion activities of AZS through exceptionally effective cooperation with the university authorities and the local government of the city of Lublin) and AZS Warsaw (for outstanding promotion of AZS by organizing many national sporting events). Bronze ‘Badge of Merit for Sport’ at the hands of a representative of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism received: Marta Soboś, Edyta Nizioł-Babiarz, Aleksander Fangor, Grzegorz Miedziński, Konrad Wełpa, Pawel Danielczuk, Łukasz Zarzycki and Antoni Małecki.
On the first day there were also three sessions, during which the most important current issues concerning competitive sport, sport for all and the economic problems were discussed. The conclusions reached by the participants of the discussions became the general resolution for the next term.
New AZS President Prof. Tadeusz Słomka
The highlight of the XXVI Congress of AZS were obviously the election of the new authorities. It is worth to emphasize that the number of delegates exceeded 95%, which proves the strong commitment of delegates and their concern for the future of AZS. Prof. Tadeusz Słomka, rector of AGH Krakow, chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Technical Universities was elected as new president of AZS. In recent years his university won twice the general classification of the Polish Academic Championships and this season it is on its way to repeating its success.
In his first speech, the new president highlighted several key areas, on which AZS should focus, such as further development of the Academic Centres, dissemination in higher education institutions of good practices on academic sport, expansion of cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and to increase activities and sports and recreational activities for students.
AZS is the largest sports association in Poland, operating uninterruptedly for over a century and also the largest student organization. AZS has more than forty thousand members, including the medallists of the world’s biggest sport events.
(Source: AZS –Photos: Dariusz Sokołowski)