The idea behind the Polish Paralympic Committee Plebiscite is promoting the sport of people with disabilities and breaking the barriers and stereotypes. The winners are granted the Sir Ludwig Guttmann statuette - in honour of the creator of the Paralympic Games. This year’s winners were announced on 7th December at gala ceremony. One of them was Andrzej Ochal - for 20 years associated with the Rehabilitation Department of the MUW.
National Team of Persons with Disabilities of the Polish Table Tennis Association has been training under his supervision since 2018. At this year's World Championships in Spain, Polish table tennis players won 15 "discs", thus taking 3rd place in the medal classification. This success guaranteed Andrzej Ochal Guttmann statuette in 2022.
- Thank you very much for this award. I am aware, that I am on this stage, because I have great sportspeople in my team: talented and hard working. I also have great coaching staff, for what I am particularly grateful - said Andrzej Ochal receiving the statuette.
This is Andrzej Ochal’s third award in Polish Paralympic Committee Plebiscite (he won his first in 2019 and second in 2021). In 2021, he was also awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the badge "For Merits for Sport". As a teacher at our university, he has been conducting original classes for students of physiotherapy for many years. He was three times awarded the Crystal Lancet - the award of students of the MUW for the best academic teachers of our university.
In the 4th Polish Paralympic Committee Plebiscite Szymon Sowiński (ZSR Start Zielona Góra), the gold medallist of this year's European and World Championships in shooting para sport, was named “Sportsperson of the Year”. The Polish Para Athletics Championships was recognized as the “Sports Event of the year”. PZSN "Start" was chosen as the “Organization of the Year”. The traditionally awarded title of "Friend of Paralympic Sport" went to Michał Pol, a journalist of the Kanał Sportowy and press attaché of the Polish Paralympic Team. The Honorary Award was granted to Zenon Jaszczur, the honorary president and co-founder of ZSS “Sprawni Razem". PKN Orlen received the statuette for the “Patron of Paralympic Sport”.
Fot. Bartłomiej Zborowski/Polski Komitet Paraolimpijski