– Today we cannot afford to pay these bonuses for medalists – Katarzyna Kochaniak-Roman, spokeswoman for the Polish Olympic Committee, told the Polish Press Agency, adding that another sponsor, Polkomtel, did not pay the January invoice, terminated the contract and is in arrears with a large sum.
The POC spokeswoman confirmed to PAP that the tranche from Zondacrypto, from which bonuses for medalists were to be paid, had not been received. She emphasized that after Polkomtel settles the arrears, the first decision will be to transfer the outstanding funds to the accounts of the Olympic athletes.
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Earlier, the president of the Polish Olympic Committee, Radosław Piesiewicz, announced that if the next tranche of funds from the Zondacrypto cryptocurrency exchange is not received by the end of April, he will terminate the sponsorship agreement.
Zondacrypto scandal
The Zondacrypto cryptocurrency exchange has been the general sponsor of the Polish Olympic Committee since October 22, 2025. In accordance with the agreement, the POC headquarters changed its name to “zondacrypto Olympic Center”, and in February, a large neon sign advertising the sponsor appeared on the building, which has also been named after John Paul II for 20 years. After signing the agreement in Monaco, the Polish Olympic Committee announced that, for the first time in history, performance awards will also be given to Olympic athletes who take places 4-8 in this year's Winter Games in Italy. The sponsor was supposed to transfer the bonuses in tokens, but he did not do so.
- New facts in the Zondacrypto case. In the background there is a well-known speculator and a huge amount of money
On April 17, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Katowice initiated an investigation into the insolvency of Zondacrypto. It is being investigated for fraud of significant value and money laundering. On the day the proceedings were initiated, the amount of damage was estimated at at least PLN 350 million, but – as investigators point out – it increases with each passing day, as does the number of victims. Then Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that according to estimates, up to 30,000 people could be injured. people.
