Aleksander Kwaśniewski on Polish volleyball's successes. "It's a reason to be proud."
A 3-0 victory in the Nations League final over Italy, the reigning world champions, is an incredible result for the Polish national team. The Polish volleyball players claimed gold at the 2025 VNL in stunning style. The Poles didn't drop a single set during the final tournament in China, winning 3-0 against Japan, 3-0 against Brazil, and 3-0 against Italy.
Aleksander Kwaśniewski spoke highly of Polish volleyball. He admitted it directly.These successes did not escape Aleksander Kwaśniewski's attention. The former Polish president addressed the condition of Polish sport over the years, since the period of the so-called political transformation. Unfortunately, the picture is rather bleak, but… there's volleyball.
"When I look at what's happening in Polish sport, the only discipline that has an organized training system, a good league, and does it sensibly is volleyball. Both for women and men. And that's the beginning and end of this systemic approach to sport. The rest are just point successes. Either Iga Świątek comes along and someone wants to invest in her development, risking it because when she was 12, no one knew she'd win Wimbledon, or she doesn't. And that's what's missing. Unfortunately, I regretfully say that over the past 30 years, the transformation has essentially failed. That is, despite various attempts and promises, unfortunately, it hasn't worked out […] Volleyball is a reason to be proud. What's more, on the same day our team won the Nations League, the U-19 national team finished runner-up in the world championship. They lost in the final to France, another powerhouse, but listen… So, if you're tired of politics, take an interest in volleyball." There will be a lot of satisfaction, the former president admitted on Channel Zero.
In the case of Aleksander Kwaśniewski, one can speak of quite a bit of sporting experience, including during his political career. The former president held, among other positions, the position of head of the Polish Olympic Committee.
The gold medal won at the 2025 VNL is the second gold medal for Polish volleyball players in this competition. The Poles previously won in 2023, during a tournament held at the Ergo Arena in Tricity.
Interestingly, looking at the all-time standings, the Polish national team has taken the lead. They have two gold medals, one silver, and three bronze medals. The Nations League, which has been played since 2018, is the younger sister of the former World League. Polish volleyball players have won the "World League" only once before, in 2012.
It's worth noting that the bronze medals at the 2025 VNL were won by Brazil. Brazil, defeated by Poland 3-0 in the semifinals, defeated Slovenia – the tournament's surprise – in four sets in Sunday's third-place match. The Slovenians were able to defeat the two-time Olympic champions and defending VNL 2024 champions, France, in the quarterfinals. As you can see, a lot happened in the Chinese Final Eight.
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