The anti-Communist activist and Senior Speaker of the Sejm passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 78.

Morawiecki, who is the father of current Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, rose to prominence as the founder Solidarność Walcząca (Fighting Solidarity) an underground anti-communist organization established after the imposition of martial law in 1981. After hiding for many years, Morawiecki was arrested and later deported by communist authorities in 1988, but secretly snuck back into Poland to resume the struggle for Polish independence.

Leaders across the political spectrum expressed their condolences at his passing, including opposition Civic Coalition leader Grzegorz Schetyna, who lamented the loss of “the creator and legend of Fighting Solidarity” and a man who had taught him “how to fight for a free Poland” in the 1980s.

Morawiecki had recently been awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his “outstanding service to democratic change in Poland.”

Source: PAP

At the 17th edition of the World Athletics Championships in Doha last night, Polish high jumper Kamila Lićwinko took fifth place with a personal best of 1.98 meters.

Though she didn’t win a medal, Lićwinko’s presence in the finals came as a surprise to many, as she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, only last September. Her surprising finish in Doha bodes well for her return to the sport in which she took home medals at the World Cup in London in 2017 and in Sopot in 2014.

In another pleasant surprise, Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Anita Włodarczyk received a gold medal Sunday night in the hammer throw despite not competing in Doha due to knee surgery. The medal was awarded for her 2013 performance in Moscow after the previous winner was disqualified for failing an anti-doping test.

Włodarczyk’s teammate, Joanna Fiodorow, also took home the silver after competing in the hammer throw on Sunday. The World Athletics Championships continues throughout the week until Sunday.

Source: PAP

While today marks the official start of the academic year for institutions of higher education across Poland, university students aren’t the only ones headed back to school.

As part of the „Multigenerational Polytechnic” project funded by the EU, Gdańsk Politechnika is offering free educational courses for children, youth, adults and seniors.

Some 50 scientific and socio-economic courses are being offered in a variety of forms, including online courses, lectures, workshops, and seminars, along with laboratory and fieldwork sessions. While some courses, such as “Elements of law and finance” are tailored for specific age groups, other “multigenerational” courses, such as “Design Thinking” and “Physics for Grandparents and Grandkids” are designed for the whole family. The overarching goal is for the classes to be practical and participatory, where “the task will be to conduct an experiment, solve a problem, create an object of everyday use, or design a spatial structure.”

Classes will take place on Thursday and Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings beginning mid-October and running through February 2020. Enrollment is open from now until October 6th, and the limited number of spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The full set of classes can be found online http://www.pg.edu.pl/pwp

Source: PAP

October marks the final month of the “Kręć Kilometry dla Gdańska” or “Spin kilometers for Gdańsk” city cycling challenge and the last chance to rack up points for prizes.

The city-wide game, which also runs in Sopot as “Spin into Sopot,” aims to promote cycling as an ecological transport alternative for commuting outside of the summer season. Participants track kilometers traveled via the free “Activy” app and are awarded points which they can later redeem for prizes like cycling jerseys, bike gear, and gift certificates.

The game is an extension of the European Cycling Challenge held annually in May. In 2018, a record number of 300 companies and over 3,500 cyclists took part in the competition in Gdańsk, with a grand total of 1.6 million kilometers traveled.

As of October 1st, some 5000 participants have already cycled 950,000 kilometers around Gdańsk.

For more information on how to spin your own kilometers for Gdańsk or Sopot, visit https://www.grarowerowa.pl/ or http://www.rowerowygdansk.pl/

RGEN NEWS/EP