The Polish Olympic Committee (PKOl) voted to remove President Radoslaw Piesiewicz on September 14 following his arrest on corruption charges. The executive board appointed Marian Kmita as acting president to lead the organization through April, when a permanent successor will be elected.
Piesiewicz was arrested on suspicion of receiving kickbacks from Zondacrypto, a now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange. The former president had negotiated and signed the sponsorship agreement between the Olympic committee and the exchange.
According to authorities, Zondacrypto's former chief executive Przemysław Kral provided Piesiewicz with lavish gifts, including a luxury watch valued at $46,605. In exchange, investigators allege Piesiewicz used his influence to intervene with UOKiK, Poland's consumer protection authority, on behalf of the exchange.
Government officials characterized Zondacrypto as a Ponzi scheme with alleged ties to nationalist opposition groups, organized crime, and Russian intelligence services. The company's collapse resulted in approximately $94 million in losses and affected around 30,000 victims.
Internal pressure for leadership change had been building for months. A group of 15 committee members formally protested the Zondacrypto sponsorship agreement shortly after it was signed last year. Polish authorities launched an investigation in April, prompting calls from the country's sports federations for Piesiewicz to resign.
Kmita acknowledged the scandal has left the Polish Olympic Committee in a difficult financial situation and announced an immediate audit to assess the extent of financial damage.
