Poland eyes up hosting Summer Olympics in 2040 or 2044

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that his country will strive to host the Summer Olympics for the first time, with a particular eye on the games in 2040 and 2044.

Tusk was speaking at a sports field in Karczew, a town south of Warsaw, on Friday, where boys were doing football training behind him.

"Life will show whether this is a realistic goal," he said. "Taking into account the initial decisions, commitments, declarations of the International Olympic Committee, we can talk about 2040 or 2044."

"I dedicate this decision to today's 10, 12, 15-year-olds that Poland will formally make efforts to organise the Olympic Games," added Tusk as he also pledged investments to renovate and expand youth sports training facilities.

"I probably won't be running around the pitch when the Olympics are in Poland," said the 67-year-old PM, himself an amateur but avid football player. "But I can do a lot over the next few years to make this dream a real project."

Tusk's announcement comes after a poor display by Poland at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where the country won only one gold.

Poland won 10 medals altogether and took 42nd place in the overall standings, making it the country’s worst performance since 1956.

Poland has also yet to stage a Winter Olympics, although it did co-host the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship along with Ukraine.

Standing alongside Tusk, Sports Minister Sławomir Nitras said: "I saw the games in Paris and I can say that from the organisational side, we are able to organise such an event. I think Polish sport is waiting for it."

Poland isn't the only European country eyeing up a potential bid for the Olympics in the next couple of decades. Germany, Hungary and the UK are among the countries which have expressed a keen interest in playing host either for the 2036 or 2040 edition of the games.