2023 in Lublin will be dominated by sport. The city will host many championships and tournaments, including both nationwide and international. Many of those aim directly at the youth and embrace European Youth Capital celebration. Approximately 48 million zloty from the city budget was allocated to ventures connected with sport activity last year.
Lublin has pursued a specified strategy of local sport development for over a decade. In recent years we have systematically invested in infrastructure, firmly supported sports activity of children and youth, developed cooperation with sports clubs and introduced original training projects. Thanks to these actions we can relish master titles and medals won at the most significant sports events. We have become a recognisable and well-respected partner. Also this year we will not lack national and international sports events in Lublin, the European Youth Capital. Last weekend there were Polish Academic Swimming Championship and Polish Junior Wrestling Championship. More sports competitions are still ahead of us - says Beata Stepaniuk-Kuśmierzak, Deputy Mayor of Culture, Sport and Participation.
At the end of May Lublin will host the International Goalball Tourney. The tourney for people with vision disability, from age of 23 and younger for boys and to 30 years for girls. It will be held from May 25 to 28 in Centre for Physical Culture at Langiewicza street. Around 70 participants from European countries will take part in the tournament. Representatives from Romania and Ukraine have already confirmed their participation. The event is organised in cooperation with young volunteers and UMCS students.
May, 28 is also the date of Athletics Stars Meeting. The most prominent Polish athletes will participate in the competition organised at stadium, located at Piłsudskiego street. Over 20 Olympic medalists, World Championship, Europe Championship and many other Polish representatives have announced their performance. There will be 16 categories for men and women: sprint, hurdles, 4x100m relay, 800m and 1500m endurance run. They will compete in technical categories such as hammer throw, discus throw and high jump.
And the next day, on May 29, Erasmus+ Students Championship will begin. Interuniversity sports tournament will last until June, 2 and will cover at least six disciplines: futsal, beach volleyball, basketball, e-sport, badminton, bubble football. Students from all Universities in Lublin will participate. The event will take place in sports facilities owned by e.g. UMCS, Lublin University of Technology, University of Natural Science, Medical University, Catholic University of Lublin and Primary School no. 6.
In the Middle of June, 12. edition of European Taekwon-Do Cup and International Children’s Taekwon-Do Cup will take place in our city. The championship is scheduled from June 15 to 18, in sport and entertainment hall of Medical Academy at Chodźki Street. Participants of Taekwon-Do clubs from 24 countries will come to Lublin. For 3 days, over 1000 athletes will compete with each other.
And, in the second half of July, over 700 young athletes from national clubs will compete not only for medals in the Polish Championship but also for the possibility to take part in international events. From July 18-20 at the athletic stadium in Lublin 77th PZLA Polish Championship U20 will be held.
Sporty sensations for basketball fans will not be missed either. From September, 27 to October, 1 World Basketball Championship 3X3 U23 will take place. There will be competition in female and male categories, 20 teams in each category will take part. In total 96 matches will be played during a five-day competition. All full, sports infrastructure will be located at Zamkowy Square.
As part of the European Youth Capital 2023, the final of the Skateboarding Polish Championship will take place. The event is planned at the turn of August and September at Rusałka skatepark.
Lublin supports local sport
In 2022 nearly 26 million zloty through grants were handed to Lublin’s clubs and associations conducting activities to support and promote physical culture, and around 19,5 million zloty for training and participation in league games in senior categories and more than 2,6 million zloty for sport training courses for children and youth.
The city supports sport clubs, operating on the premises of Lublin, by running sport courses, playing matches, and organising sport events with the use of city sport infrastructure. In 2022 over 17,5 million zloty was allocated for this aim. The financial contribution is being used by students from Lublin schools through carrying out sport activities at municipal swimming pools.
In 2022, Lublin once again hosted numerous national and international sports events. In Lublin very important basketball meetings were held - two elimination matches in men’s basketball for the World Championships to be held this year in Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan: Poland-Estonia and Poland-Israel matches, as well as the qualifying match for 2025 European Basketball Championship Poland-Switzerland.
Suzuki Polish Basketball Cup 2022 Final Tournament was also performed, with 8 best teams of the Energa Basket League. In addition, 16 basketball teams competed at Lublin's MOSiR hall as part of the Lotto 3x3 LIGA Tournament. Furthermore, numerous activities were conducted to promote the City of Lublin during combat sports galas - Polsat Boxing Promotions 7 Gala and Knockout Boxing Night Professional Boxing Gala. In 2022, cyclists of the 79th Tour de Pologne also rode through the streets of Lublin, where the last stage of the tour ended.
Lublin also rewards athletes and coaching staff. In accordance with the City Council's resolution on the establishment of Lublin City Awards in the field of sports, a total of PLN 85,000 was granted last year. The laureates were Małgorzata Hołub-Kowalik and Zbigniew Świderski - a canoeing coach and long-time president of the "Fala" Canoe Society. Awards were also given to medalists of the XXIV Summer Deaflympics, held in Caxias de Sul, Brazil, in May 2022. In addition, PLN 250,000 was allocated to sports scholarships. Benefits were given to 21 athletes for winning medal places, or for participation in top-rank competitions. Scholarships, ranging from PLN 500 to PLN 2.7 thousand per month, were awarded for a period of 9 months. Additionally, in 2022 the city provided nearly PLN 1.25 million for extracurricular sports activities for students.
The city has also implemented additional editions of the Citizen Budget projects - "Active Generation" and "Active Lublin," which offer free sports activities for city residents, including children, youth, as well as adults and seniors.
This March, the City of Lublin was awarded the title of Sport Local Government 2022 by the Sport Business Poland Association for its activities to develop, promote and innovate sports and sports business.
