Polish dailies revel in Justyna Kowalczyk’s recent triumph in Nordic Skiing world championships.
Presented by Peter Gentle
Most of the Polish dailies devote their front pages to the coverage of the weekend’s victory of Justyna Kowalczyk in the Nordic World Cup in Liberec, the Czech Republic. On Saturday, Kowalczyk won a gold medal at the Women's 7.5 km Classic and 7.5 km Free Pursuit race at the Cross Country competitions and was the first ever Polish sports woman to win this competition. Gazeta Wyborcza calls Kowalczyk a “golden girl” and writes about the perfectly prepared race. In Rzeczpospolita, Kowalczyk is called “the Queen of Snow”, while Super Express declares the competition to be most perfect race ever. Last Thursday, Justyna won bronze in the 10 kilometer race thus repeating the achievement of Józef Łuszczek who won the world champion title exactly 31 years ago and who was watching her run.
Dziennik daily reports that the Polish government has been negotiating the country’s entry into euro zone for three weeks now. Neither the president nor the governor of the national Bank of Poland have been informed about the talks with the European Central Bank. This, Dziennik claims, is likely to lead to a fresh wave of tension between the most important centres of power. So far President Lech Kaczynski has been skeptical about the plans and is to give his official stance on the introduction the common European currency tomorrow.
The weak zloty makes Poland’s borderland an attractive shopping spot for Germans, Slovaks and Lithuanians – reads an article in Rzeczpospolita headlined “Shopping? Only in Poland”. According to the daily, shopping malls close to Polish borders are experiencing the retail boom with Slovaks are coming in droves to Poland not only to ski but also to seek major bargain hunting since the majority of retail items are between 20 and 40 percent cheaper in this country than in Slovakia. Home improvement stores, furniture and furnishings shops are besieged with shoppers from across the southern border. According to analysts, the effects of the increased borderland trade will be visible in the Polish economy only in several months’ time – writes the daily.
The already mentioned Dziennik publishes an appeal of a mother of a terminally ill man who has appealed for the right of an assisted suicide to her 40-year-old son. “I want euthanasia for my son” says Barbara Jackiewicz on the front page of the paper. “Please, allow Krzys to die with dignity, just like the Italian Eluana,” she continues referring to Eluana Englaro from Italy who underwent obtained an assisted suicide several weeks ago. Krzysztof is suffering from a rare complication after measles, which caused his brain to cease working. For 24 years now the man has had no contact with the world. The paper also publishes an editorial urging Poland to finally legally regulate the issue of euthanasia which so far has been forbidden in an overwhelmingly catholic Poland.
A record number of visitors came to see the headlines-making exhibition “The Bodies” – writes Warsaw’s daily Życie Warszawy. According to the daily, crowds including the elderly, high school students and families with children came to Blue City, one of the capital’s mall to see 13 bodies and 250 human organs displayed there. Most of those questioned by the paper’s reporter on the spot were glad they stood in the line for hours to see it. The exhibition showcasing human bodies dissected to display bodily systems has already provoked protests in many countries. Last week Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate has asked the prosecution to investigate whether an exhibition showcasing preserved human bodies does not constitute a violation of law but found no reason to prevent its launch in Warsaw – writes Życie Warszawy.