Until now, the fans came to see the athletes in the stadium. That is about to change. Now, the athletes will come out to see the fans as well – stated the organisers of the Diamond League in the Silesian Stadium. They announced Day Zero – three additional events in the Katowice town square. Among those competing will be the world high jump record holder.
There are certain rules in the world. For decades, one of them was this: athletics happens in a stadium. If you are interested, you must come into the athletes’ grounds. It was there that they could be seen and applauded. Things are changing. The organisers of the Silesia Diamond League have decided to step out of the box and to add another day of competition in 2025.
The event, planned in the centre of Katowice, will take place on August 15th – one day before the main part of the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial.
– Zurich has hosted competitions in a railway station hall for years. Sometimes it is the shot put, other times the pole vault. In Manchester, sprinters race in one of the city’s main streets. In Białystok, the pole vaulters, shot putters and high jumpers step out into Kościuszko Square, where they are literally surrounded by athletics fans. We thought we had the perfect space for that kind of experiment in Silesia, too. Day zero will be a warmup, an appetizer before the main course – said Marek Plawgo, communications director of the Polish Diamond League meeting.
The show – in the words of the organisers – will be fully dedicated to women. They will compete in the high jump, pole vault and shot put.
– Calling it a warmup is an understatement – the Memorial’s sports director Piotr Małachowski said with a wink – First, these events are spectacular when you watch them from up close. Secondly, we take care to provide the best quality on the startlists. One example is Yaroslava Mahuchikh. The high jumper is the Olympic champion from Paris, but even more importantly, the new world record holder (2.10). Many great jumpers came before her, but it was not until the talented Ukrainian came along that Stefka Kostadinova’s historic mark was bettered. Her record lasted 37 years. That speaks for itself – stated Małachowski.
The three-hour long spectacle will take place as close to the Silesians as possible – the temporary infrastructure including stands will be set up in the Katowice town quare. It is only a stone’s throw away from the railway station, the Spodek arena or the promenade on Mariacka Street.
– Even though over 42 thousand people came to the meeting last year, we believe that in order to promote athletics, we should step outside, too. To get it closer to people who perhaps do not know it well. I am sure our offer is an exceptional one. That it will attract people – added Plawgo, noting also – the location is chosen to catch even those who leave their homes not knowing the competition was taking place. We care about such guests as well. That is why the show is not ticketed. Everyone can attend if they wish.
The Katowice town square competition will start on August 15th at 3:15 PM. The event will be broadcast by Telewizja Polska as well.
– Two days are better than one, right? – Małachowski said with a laugh.
Tickets for the Polish Diamond League meeting, the main part of which was scheduled for August 16th in 2025, can be purchased for that part, taking place in the Silesian Stadium. They can be ordered through the eBilet.pl. The best sectors, including those nearest to the finish line and the pole vault, are nearly full already – this is the last moment for purchase.
– The tickets are selling twice as fast as they were last year, which is an indication of great attendance numbers. The athletes are lucky this year. London is sold out, as are both days of the Diamond League finals in Zurich. We drean of achieving the same feat. That may happen thanks to you – were the words of encouragement from Plawgo.
What draws the fans are the results and the star names. The newly announced Mahuchikh joins an exceptional lineup. It has long been known that last year’s world record setters, Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, are coming back to Silesia. The Norwegian enigmatically stated he asked the organisers for a 1500 metres race, in which he has an „ambitious plan regarding time”. Apart from the middle-distance star, also appearing in Silesia will be the high jump greats – Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim and the hurdlers, headed by Grant Holloway, unbeaten indoors in his career. Facing him will be the European indoor champion from Apeldoorn, Jakub Szymański.
The strength of the Polish contingent at the event will come from other star names as well. Apart from Ewa Swoboda, Natalia Bukowiecka has also confirmed her return to Silesia. The lineup naturally also includes the top hammer throwers, Wojciech Nowicki and Paweł Fajdek.
– I want to underline these are just the initial names. We are working on making history once again. And that means we needs the best in the world. That is what we want to offer you – Małachowski stated.
More news on the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial can be found on the memorialkamili.pl website and the social media channels of the meeting – on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
The saying is relevant not just to the programme of the Silesia Diamond League. On August 16th, in the main part of the event, the organising committee has more aces up their sleeves. With two months to go, the hosts announced the main rival for Ewa Swoboda in an unorthodox way. Unorthodox, as it was the users of the interactive Fans’ Diamond Guide who were the first to find out – on the freshly released website diamentowaliga.memorialkamili.pl
– It is a unique value that we offer you – Plawgo said joyously, enumerating what can be found in the Guide. – There are biographies of the stars, information on the „Kama” Memorial, the detailed rules of every event. There is also news not available anywhere else and stories from the entire Diamond League season. Now the fans who visited the site were able to read about Julien Alfred.
It will be she standing in the blocks next to the Polish World Indoor Championships runner-up.
– We are talking about the new 100 metres sprint queen, from a country of whose existence few people were aware before the Paris Olympics. It was neither Jamaica nor the USA that took the crown in the event. It went to the island of St. Lucia, shocking the fans in the Stade de France – Małachowski recounted.
The 23-year old’s win in France was one of the greatest media stories in the history of the Olympics. It was a historic first Olympic gold for her country! When she ran, Adele stopped her concert. A clip showing what was happening in St. Lucia at the time was posted on the internet. Thousands of people gathered around big screens put up in small towns and celebrated the triumph of their hero. When Alfred came back home in September, the government declared a day off. A festival lasting for several days took place on the island, ending with establishing a public holiday.
– She is definitely an athlete worthy of the largest scenes. And that is what we are preparing in the Silesian Stadium – Plawgo concluded.