Men’s volleyball: Can Poland end their 48-year medal drought at Paris 2024?
Over the past decade the Poles have clinched numerous major titles, and they currently hold the top spot in the men's world rankings. In the last five Games though, they couldn't advance beyond the quarter-finals: can the reigning European champions break the 'Olympic curse' next year?
They are the reigning European and Volleyball Nations League (VNL) champions, they top the men's world rankings, and one of their clubs has won the CEV Champions League in the last three seasons: Poland is currently a dominant force in the sport and can be considered one of the hottest favourites for gold at the Paris 2024 men’s Olympic tournament.
Since claiming their third world title in 2018, ‘the White and Reds’ have excelled at international level by stepping on the podium in every major tournament… apart from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where their journey ended for the fifth consecutive time at the quarter-finals.
However, the team – who since 2022 is coached by Serbia's Nikola Grbic – was able to overcome that painful experience and nine members from the Tokyo 2020 squad triumphed at the recent European championships.
Now, the Poles aim to end this triumphant season by securing a spot for Paris 2024 via the upcoming Olympic qualification tournament: "It is the last tournament and also extremely important, because we all want to qualify immediately, so we can prepare in the best way possible for next season’s Olympics," Grbic told Volleyballworld.com.
Poland lift their second CEV European trophy in Rome.
Leon, Sliwka, Huber: The stars of the Polish men’s team
One of the standout players for the Poles in the Euro final against Italy was Wilfredo Leon.
The 30-year-old Cuban-born spiker, who during the tournament set a new world record for serve speed (138 km/h), was unstoppable in the decisive match in Rome, tallying a total of 13 points, including three aces, and deservedly earned the award of MVP of the tournament.
"I was honoured to receive this award, but all my teammates would have deserved it," Leon told PolskieRadio.
The Polish attacking line also boasts formidable outside hitters Aleksander Sliwka and Tomasz Fornal, along with opposite Lukasz Kaczmarek, who was pivotal in the VNL success with 25 points in the final against the USA in front of more than 11,000 home fans in Gdasnk.
The 29-year-old exemplifies the depth of Grbic’s roster as he stepped in for injured captain Bartosz Kurek. One of the recent additions to the team is also middle blocker Norbert Huber, who played a crucial role in the Euro triumph after replacing Mateusz Bieniek, contributing significantly to Poland’s defensive effectiveness with 20 successful kill blocks.
The newfound balance between attack and defence was duly acknowledged during this summer’s VNL, where Pawel Zatorski became the first libero to secure the MVP award of the event.
Lukasz Kaczmarek and Aleksander Sliwka pose with the VNL trophy
Poland’s rise in volleyball
Poland has a rich history of international success in volleyball, one of the most popular national sports alongside football and ski jumping.
The journey began in the 1970s when Hubert Jerzy Wagner’s men secured their inaugural world title in 1974, followed by their first (and to date, only) Olympic gold in Montreal two years later.
With the turn of the new century, it was time for the women to shine: the ‘Zlotka’ or ‘Golden Girls’ claimed two European crowns in 2003 and 2005, under the guidance of the late Andrzej Niemczyk.
Spurred by the women's achievements, the Polish men entered a new era of success in 2006. Led by Argentine coach Raul Lozano, they won silver at the World Championships, claiming an epic victory against the Russians in the semi-finals. In 2009 then came the triumph at the Euros before they clinched two medals in the World League: bronze in 2011 and gold in 2012.
This surge in success led to packed arenas across the country, from Lodz to Katowice, known as the ‘Mecca of Polish Volleyball.’
The 2014 home World Championships sparked an unprecedented media frenzy, with over 60,000 people attending the opening match at the National Stadium in Warsaw. The nation's interest peaked when Poland triumphed in the final against Brazil, marking their first world title in 40 years.
This success was replicated four years later, and only Italy in 2022 could preventing them from achieving a historic treble when Poland once again hosted the tournament.
At the same time, at club level, the local PlusLiga has started to attract the world’s top talent. In 2021, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle became the first Polish side to claim the CEV Champions League, successfully defending their title twice.
And more major tournaments are coming up: The country's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has recently announced that Poland will stage the 2027 World Championships as well.
The disappointment of the Polish players after the defeat against France at Tokyo 2020.
Olympic curse
Six players from the 2018 world champion team also contributed to the recent Euro victory.
The only achievement missing from their trophy cabinet is an Olympic medal, but they must overcome the 'quarter-final curse.'
Since Athens 2004, the men’s Polish team haven't been able to advance past the last-8 stage: in the most recent Games in Tokyo, they finished at the top of their pool, only to lose 2-3 in the first knockout match against eventual winners, France.
On the other hand, the women's team has already secured their first Olympic ticket since Beijing 2008, building on their progress after winning VNL bronze this summer.
In the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Wilfredo Leon and his teammates need to finish in the top two of Pool C to secure a direct spot for Paris. They are the highest-ranked squad in a group that includes hosts People’s Republic of China (29), along with Argentina (6), the Netherlands (10), Mexico (21), Belgium (22), and Bulgaria (30).