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"MMA popularity exploded thanks to KSW" – interview with Elk’s President, Tomasz Andrukiewicz
On January 29th Elk will hold the first KSW show in 2011: KSW Extra 2 – President Cup. It is already safe to say, that it will one the biggest sporting events in Mazury in quite some time. On that occasion I had a pleasure to talk with Elk’s President, Mr. Tomasz Andrukiewicz about MMA, Elk’s residents sporting successes and infrastructure. Enjoy my interview.
In January Elk will hold the first event of the series of KSW President Cups. How did this happen that this huge MMA show will visit your city?
- I’m very happy that KSW Federation will commence its series of President Cup professional events in Elk. The idea of organizing it in our city was born during one of the previous Maciej Kawulski’s visits here, when we talked about the possibility of bringing KSW to Mazury.
Will it be the first such event in the city’s history?
- A few similar events has taken place in Elk recently. In November 2009 our Sports and Entertainment Hall hold a professional boxing show. It was on the biggest events in Elk’s hall history. Over seventeen hundred people watched it in attendance along with a few millions viewers on Polsat and Polsat Sport. Another combat sports event took place in February it was a show called Fight Night with multiple K-1 and full-contact bouts. It’s also worth mentioning that Elk has had successes in the combat sports area. Two-time Olympic bronze medalist Leszek Blazynski is an Elk native, Polish K-1 champion Lukasz Makarewicz lives here along with Remigiusz Karpinski multiple Polish and American champion in Karate Kyokushin. Our city is a place for many successful combat sports gyms specialized in boxing, karate, viet bo dao, judo, MMA or kickboxing.
How did you become interested in MMA? Have you ever trained any martial arts?
- Although I haven’t trained any combat sports, I have a varied athletic experience as I practiced swimming, skiing, skating and rollerblading. I’m also a huge fan of volleyball. I enjoy a true sporting rivalry in the spirit of fair-play. I admire athletes, who put enormous work and sacrifices in order to be successful, but remain humble at the same time. Many boxers, kickboxers or karate practitioners are my acquaintances.
The interest in KSW events is gigantic. Many people want to see the mixed martial arts competition live. How does the Elk’s infrastructure look like? Does the city possess the suitable sports hall? What is its capacity? - In 2007 we built a brand new Sports and Entertainment Hall in Jeziorna district, which is situated near the Warsaw-Bialystok road. The hall is used by Elk’s schools in the morning and local sports clubs in the evening. We regularly hold big sporting events here such as Plus Liga volleyball matches, dancing competitions, combat sports shows and concerts. The hall has seven hundred seats in the stands, but the complex is so big that if it’s necessary it can hold fifteen up to twenty hundred people. The hall also has it’s own gym, athletic recovery facility and a large parking lot.
Please tell us about the sport in Elk. What successes does the city pride itself on?
- The evolution of sports in Elk is a dynamic process on many different platforms. First of all we try to build a sports and entertainment infrastructure here. This year we put into service a new municipal football stadium with roofed stands and a tartan racetrack. Near this place we’re also building an ice rink, tennis courts and other tartan sports fields. The stadium neighbors on the Water Park with various swimming pools, saunas, hydro massages and many other attractions. We administer many different facilities such as sports and entertainment hall, a dozen or so streetball and bastetball courts and football pitches.
We financially support our athletes and their coaches throughout the whole year and subside training camps, competition trips and daily sports clubs activities. We grant money under the special program of “small and big donations”. What’s more we’ve created a special system for supporting the best athletes, coaches and clubs by awarding scholarships and prices for outstanding achievements both on the domestic scene and internationally. We pride ourselves on many athletes who mark their place with prominent success in all kinds of sports in Poland and abroad. I’ll mention only a few of them: Sebastian Kosiorek (two-time Olympian in rowing, multiple Polish championships gold and silver medalist, European championships silver medalist), Remigusz Karpinski (World championships bronze medalist, five-time European championships medalist, American championships gold and silver medalist, ten-time Polish champion in karate kyokushin), Lukasz Makarewicz (International Polish K-1 Champion, Germany champion), Lukasz Lemieszko (European championships silver medalist in karate kyokushin), Adam Jankowski (European champion in Viet vo dao), Cezary Samelko (youth amateur European boxing championships silver medalist), Dominik Golak (junior World champion in powerlifting and senior European championships bronze medalist), Michal Samlec (Polish 10 km championships silver medalist), Marzena Wasiuk (Polish cross country running champion), Krzysztof Florczak (Polish MTB championship silver medalist), Martyna Mik (Polish sailing champion). It’s also worth mentioning that 2003 Tour de Pologne winner Cezary Zamana is an Elk’s native as well as the late Leszek Blazynski – two time Olympic bronze medalist in boxing. A year ago Municipal Sports Club Mazur Elk advanced to the 3rd football league. Last but not least Jerzy Kulej lives in Elk now and together we plan a few interesting boxing events here.
What can you say about the popularity of MMA?
- I think that mixed martial arts popularity stems from the wide variety of techniques allowed in the sports, its unpredictability and pageantry. Thanks to KSW Federation and Polsat the sport gained enormous popularity in our country. Lots of talented fighters enters the professional competitions and achieve the world class level. I’m also very glad that in Elk we have a strong group of MMA disciples. There is a chance we will see an Elk’s fighter at the upcoming show. I know that the negotiations are in progress.
Mr. President, thanks for the interview.
- My pleasure.
Interview by Artur Przybysz
In January Elk will hold the first event of the series of KSW President Cups. How did this happen that this huge MMA show will visit your city?
- I’m very happy that KSW Federation will commence its series of President Cup professional events in Elk. The idea of organizing it in our city was born during one of the previous Maciej Kawulski’s visits here, when we talked about the possibility of bringing KSW to Mazury.
Will it be the first such event in the city’s history?
- A few similar events has taken place in Elk recently. In November 2009 our Sports and Entertainment Hall hold a professional boxing show. It was on the biggest events in Elk’s hall history. Over seventeen hundred people watched it in attendance along with a few millions viewers on Polsat and Polsat Sport. Another combat sports event took place in February it was a show called Fight Night with multiple K-1 and full-contact bouts. It’s also worth mentioning that Elk has had successes in the combat sports area. Two-time Olympic bronze medalist Leszek Blazynski is an Elk native, Polish K-1 champion Lukasz Makarewicz lives here along with Remigiusz Karpinski multiple Polish and American champion in Karate Kyokushin. Our city is a place for many successful combat sports gyms specialized in boxing, karate, viet bo dao, judo, MMA or kickboxing.
How did you become interested in MMA? Have you ever trained any martial arts?
- Although I haven’t trained any combat sports, I have a varied athletic experience as I practiced swimming, skiing, skating and rollerblading. I’m also a huge fan of volleyball. I enjoy a true sporting rivalry in the spirit of fair-play. I admire athletes, who put enormous work and sacrifices in order to be successful, but remain humble at the same time. Many boxers, kickboxers or karate practitioners are my acquaintances.
The interest in KSW events is gigantic. Many people want to see the mixed martial arts competition live. How does the Elk’s infrastructure look like? Does the city possess the suitable sports hall? What is its capacity? - In 2007 we built a brand new Sports and Entertainment Hall in Jeziorna district, which is situated near the Warsaw-Bialystok road. The hall is used by Elk’s schools in the morning and local sports clubs in the evening. We regularly hold big sporting events here such as Plus Liga volleyball matches, dancing competitions, combat sports shows and concerts. The hall has seven hundred seats in the stands, but the complex is so big that if it’s necessary it can hold fifteen up to twenty hundred people. The hall also has it’s own gym, athletic recovery facility and a large parking lot.
Please tell us about the sport in Elk. What successes does the city pride itself on?
- The evolution of sports in Elk is a dynamic process on many different platforms. First of all we try to build a sports and entertainment infrastructure here. This year we put into service a new municipal football stadium with roofed stands and a tartan racetrack. Near this place we’re also building an ice rink, tennis courts and other tartan sports fields. The stadium neighbors on the Water Park with various swimming pools, saunas, hydro massages and many other attractions. We administer many different facilities such as sports and entertainment hall, a dozen or so streetball and bastetball courts and football pitches.
We financially support our athletes and their coaches throughout the whole year and subside training camps, competition trips and daily sports clubs activities. We grant money under the special program of “small and big donations”. What’s more we’ve created a special system for supporting the best athletes, coaches and clubs by awarding scholarships and prices for outstanding achievements both on the domestic scene and internationally. We pride ourselves on many athletes who mark their place with prominent success in all kinds of sports in Poland and abroad. I’ll mention only a few of them: Sebastian Kosiorek (two-time Olympian in rowing, multiple Polish championships gold and silver medalist, European championships silver medalist), Remigusz Karpinski (World championships bronze medalist, five-time European championships medalist, American championships gold and silver medalist, ten-time Polish champion in karate kyokushin), Lukasz Makarewicz (International Polish K-1 Champion, Germany champion), Lukasz Lemieszko (European championships silver medalist in karate kyokushin), Adam Jankowski (European champion in Viet vo dao), Cezary Samelko (youth amateur European boxing championships silver medalist), Dominik Golak (junior World champion in powerlifting and senior European championships bronze medalist), Michal Samlec (Polish 10 km championships silver medalist), Marzena Wasiuk (Polish cross country running champion), Krzysztof Florczak (Polish MTB championship silver medalist), Martyna Mik (Polish sailing champion). It’s also worth mentioning that 2003 Tour de Pologne winner Cezary Zamana is an Elk’s native as well as the late Leszek Blazynski – two time Olympic bronze medalist in boxing. A year ago Municipal Sports Club Mazur Elk advanced to the 3rd football league. Last but not least Jerzy Kulej lives in Elk now and together we plan a few interesting boxing events here.
What can you say about the popularity of MMA?
- I think that mixed martial arts popularity stems from the wide variety of techniques allowed in the sports, its unpredictability and pageantry. Thanks to KSW Federation and Polsat the sport gained enormous popularity in our country. Lots of talented fighters enters the professional competitions and achieve the world class level. I’m also very glad that in Elk we have a strong group of MMA disciples. There is a chance we will see an Elk’s fighter at the upcoming show. I know that the negotiations are in progress.
Mr. President, thanks for the interview.
- My pleasure.
Interview by Artur Przybysz
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