World Polonia Games

The German football team at the 1934 games in Warsaw.

As early as the turn of the century around 1900, during the period of the third partition of Poland, Polish athletes travelled to participate on sports competitions.[1] For example, the "Meeting of the Polish Falconers' Union" (Zlot Sokolstwa Polskiego), which took place in Krakow in 1910 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Tannenberg, in which around 10,000 Poles from Europe and the United States took part in. Sports and athleticism was developed in Poland in the 1930s, during the time of the independent Second Polish Republic, with the nation participating in the Olympic Games.[1] The growing enthusiasm for sports led to the establishment of numerous Polish sports clubs in the diaspora.[1]

At a "Congress of the Organizing Council of Poles Abroad” in Warsaw in 1933, the "First Polonia Sports Games" (I. Polonijne Igrzyska Sportowe, PIS) were organized for Poles living outside of Poland (including those from the Free City of Danzig).[2] Its organizing committee was headed by the Marshal of the Senate Władysław Raczkiewicz. The firsrt games were held in 1934 in Warsaw, and 400 athletes took part from 13 nations worldwide.[2] The opening ceremony on August 1, 1934, in Warsaw's Stadion Wojska Polskiego was attended by the President of Poland Ignacy Mościcki.[1] The largest team was made up of Poles from the Free City of Danzig with 64 competitors, with the most successful teams being those from France, Danzig, and Czechoslovakia.[1]

Team Canada at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter World Polonia Games in Zakopane.

The Second World War and post-war tension resulted in a four decade break in the games until its revival in 1974 in Kraków. Even then, authorities initially prevented the participation of Poles from the Soviet Union and its successor states until the nation's collapse in 1991.[2] In 1986, the first winter World Polonia Games took place in Zakopane for the first time. They were originally held every three years from 1986 to 1992, but have now been held every two years since 2000 after an eight-year break.[6]

In 1990, the association "Polish Community" (Stowarzyszenie "Wspólnota Polska") was founded in Warsaw, which organizes the World Games to this day. The aim of the association is to strengthen ties among Poles living abroad.[1] The association's longtime chairman, the politician Andrzej Stelmachowski, campaigned for a revival of the Games in the 1990s. At the 1991 Summer Games, participants had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II, who was present at the event.[1]

Since 1997, the main media patron and co-organizer of the games has been TVP Polonia.[3] The games have been held annually, with the event alternating between summer and winter games each year, since 1999; Summer Games are held in odd-numbered years and Winter Games in even-numbered years. Games hosts vary, while the regular hosts of the Winter Games have been the Beskids (6 times; consisting of the cities of Bielsko Biała, Cieszyn, Szczyrk, Tychy, and Wisła together) and Zakopane (5 times).[7] In 2018, the Winter Games were brought to Krynica-Zdrój for the first time.[8]

The games continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis, although to a reduced extent and with increased health and safety precautions in place for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 games.[9] The games continued with their regular layout in 2023 with the XXI Summer World Polonia Games in Nysa and Wroclaw.[4]

In addition to a children's and family tournament, the Summer Games have consisted of:

Source:[10]

In addition to a children's and family tournament, the Winter Games have consisted of:

Source:[1]

• Andżelika Borys (Belarus: 2011), Polish-Belarusian activist and president of the Union of Poles in Belarus[13]
• Irène Debrunner (Switzerland: 1974), Swiss freestyle swimmer and Olympic athlete[14]
• Stanisława Walasiewicz (United States: 1934, 1977), Polish-American track and field athlete and Olympic champion[15]
• Bożena Wojciekian (Canada: 2011), Polish-Canadian shot putter[13][16]

• Bogdan Borusewicz (opened the 2011 Summer Games), Marshal of the Polish Senate[17]
• Anna Gębala-Duraj (torchbearer and guest at the 2006 Winter Games), Polish cross-country skier and Olympic athlete[18]
• Wiesław Gębala (torchbearer and guest at the 2006 Winter Games), Polish cross-country skier and Olympic athlete[18]
• Pope John Paul II (guest at the 1991 Summer Games)[1]
• Grzegorz Lato (guest at the 2011 Summer Games), Polish footballer and president of the Polish Football Association[13]
• Lech Kaczyński (opened the 2010 Winter Games), President of Poland[12]
• Longin Pastusiak (opened the 2004 Winter Games), Speaker of the Polish Senate[12]
• Maciej Płażyński (opened the 2006 Winter Games), Deputy Speaker of the Polish Senate[12]

Additional guests at the 2011 Summer Games opening ceremony in Wrocław included Jacek Bocian, Jan Brzeźny, Piotr Rysiukiewicz, Ryszard Szurkowski, and Urszula Włodarczyk.[17] Numerous Polish Olympians were also present during the 2011 Summer Games, including Halina Aszkiełowicz-Wojno, Włodzimierz Chlebosz, Mariusz Jędra, Mieczysław Łopatka, Ryszard Podlas, and Leszek Swornowski.[13]

No.	Year	Host	Games dates	Disciplines	Competitors	Nations	Top nation
I	1934	Warsaw	1–8 Aug	7	381	13	France
II	1937	Warsaw	Postponed and later cancelled
II	1974	Kraków	17–21 Jul	11	319	13	Czechoslovakia
III	1977	Kraków	17–20 Jul	12	687	15	Czechoslovakia
IV	1981	Kraków	15–19 Jul	11	383	12	Czechoslovakia
V	1984	Warsaw	15–20 Jul	14	495	15	Czechoslovakia
VI	1987	Kraków	26–31 Jul	16	1300	29	Czechoslovakia
VII	1991	Kraków	4–12 Aug	12	271	14	Czechoslovakia
VIII	1997	Lublin	24–31 Aug	13	600	24	Belarus
IX	1999	Lublin	23–29 Aug	12	350	16	Latvia
X	2001	Sopot	29 Jul – 6 Aug	17	789	21	Germany
XI	2003	Poznań	26 Jul – 2 Aug	16	700	22	Belarus
XII	2005	Warsaw	6–14 Aug	18	1000	28	Belarus
XIII	2007	Słupsk	28 Jul – 4 Aug	21	1068	28	Germany
XIV	2009	Toruń	1–9 Aug	23	1101	28	Germany
XV	2011	Wrocław	29 Jul – 6 Aug	28	1682	31	Germany
XVI	2013	Kielce	3–10 Aug	18	1000	30	Czech Republic
XVII	2015	Silesia[lower-alpha 1]	2–8 Aug	20	800	29	Belarus
XVIII	2017	Toruń	29 Jul – 6 Aug	23	1000	32	Czech Republic
XIX	2019	Gdynia	27 Jul – 4 Aug	22	1268	27	Czech Republic
XX	2021	Pułtusk	19–24 Sep	17	500	27	Czech Republic
XXI	2023	Nysa-Wroclaw	26 – 31 Aug		600	24	Czech Republic

Source:[1][2][4][19][14]

No.	Year	Host	Games dates	Disciplines	Competitors	Nations	Top nation
I	1986	Zakopane		6	200	10	n/a[lower-alpha 2]
II	1989	Zakopane		8	146	17	n/a[lower-alpha 2]
III	1992	Zakopane	2–7 Feb	n/a[lower-alpha 3]			n/a[lower-alpha 2]
IV	2000	Beskids[lower-alpha 4]	28 Feb – 5 Mar	4	215	17	Czech Republic
V	2002	Beskids[lower-alpha 4]	1–6 Mar	6	550	20	Czech Republic
VI	2004	Beskids[lower-alpha 4]	28 Feb – 3 Mar	7	625	23	Czech Republic
VII	2006	Beskids[lower-alpha 4]	24 Feb – 2 Mar	7	664	24	Czech Republic
VIII	2008	Beskids[lower-alpha 4]	29 Feb – 5 Mar	7	500	20	Canada
IX	2010	Zakopane	6–14 Mar	12	730	25	Czech Republic
X	2012	Beskids[lower-alpha 4]	25 Feb – 3 Mar	10	600	23	Lithuania
XI	2014	Karkonosze[lower-alpha 5]	23 Feb – 1 Mar	10	600	23	Lithuania
XII	2016	Podkarpackie[lower-alpha 6]	29 Feb – 4 Mar	12	500	16	Lithuania
XIII	2018	Krynica-Zdrój	25 Feb – 1 Mar	9	546	22	Czech Republic
XIV	2020	Krynica-Zdrój	20–23 Dec	4	120	10	n/a[lower-alpha 7]
XV	2022	Wisła	27 Feb – 3 Mar	10	500	21	Czech Republic

Source:[12][21]

Host cities of World Polonia Games

Warsaw (x4) Kraków (x5) Lublin (x2) Sopot Poznań Słupsk Toruń (x2) Wrocław Kielce Silesia Gdynia Pułtusk Host cities of Summer World Polonia Games

Zakopane (x5) Beskids (x6) Karkonosze Podkarpackie Krynica-Zdrój (x2) Wisła Zakopane (x4) Host cities of Winter World Polonia Games

Number of occurrences