Polish Independence Day celebrated in Qatar

Hundreds of Polish nationals residing in Qatar celebrated their nation’s upcoming Independence Day with a vibrant display of athleticism and community spirit at the ‘7th annual Independence Run’, held at the Lusail Multipurpose Arena Friday.

Organised by the Witold Pilecki Polish School and the Polish Embassy in Doha, the event saw participants of all ages participate in 400m and 1,000m races, marking a growing tradition of celebrating Polish independence through sport. It served as a prelude to Poland’s 106th Independence Day on November 11.

“Sport is a great way to bond and to celebrate. There are many sports events organised in Poland on this day, even longer distance ‘Independence runs’, so we, in a way, link it to other events that are held throughout the country.

“The more sport you do in a responsible manner the healthier you are and it brings happiness to the community,” head of Mission Tomasz Sadzinski told Gulf Times.

He said Polish communities worldwide mark the occasion in different ways, ranging from cooking events to reading contests, adding that the November climate in Qatar made the run particularly suitable.

Sadzinski cited the key role of Witold Pilecki Polish School in holding the event, providing a space for community members to gather, practice Polish, undertake Polish-language projects, and build relationships as it operates voluntarily.

Edyta Gierycz, leader of the Witold Pilecki Polish School in Qatar, echoed this view, saying: “We’ve been providing Polish classes in Qatar since 2013, and eight years ago, we started celebrating our national day with this sports event.

“Every year, it gets bigger, and we invite the entire Polish community in Doha – all families – to join us. We’re all winners because we’re running for Poland,” she said. “Even though we live outside of our country, we still feel that Polish vibe, and that’s very important”.

Gierycz underlined the event’s family-centric nature and its educational value, noting that children learn from parents, not just from school.

“They observe their parents, learn how to love our country, how to celebrate National Day, what it means to us,” she said, as she thanked Ministry of Sport and Sports For All Federation for their support, enabling the event to be held at the Lusail Multipurpose Arena.

“Sports connects people and create positive vibes, and we show our kids and teach them that you can celebrate and show patriotism in this way,” Gierycz added. “Our kids love sports and the celebration meets the expectation of our community, they like this day... and we prefer to go out of school and to do activities together”.

She highlighted the importance of maintaining a connection to Polish culture while living abroad.