Tarnowskie Góry has long been renowned for its silver and water, which makes our town the ideal place to celebrate water-themed anniversaries. It is therefore no surprise that the Silesian Regional Swimming Association chose to organise the official celebrations of its centenary right here. During the gala in our town, distinguished figures from the world of sport gathered to celebrate the region’s century of activity together.

 This is a tremendous honour for us, all the more so because – as Piotr Korab, Head of the Department of Culture, Tourism and City Promotion, has repeatedly emphasised – Tarnowskie Góry is built on swimming. The town has consistently supported local swimmers for years, and the partnership with the Tarnowskie Góry club is going extremely well. We simply swim together, and the Head himself admits with a smile that he always looks forward to a call from the coach to hear what new idea they’ve come up with this time.

Such an important swimming anniversary simply couldn’t go without special guests! We were honoured by the presence of Otylia Jędrzejczak herself, President of the Polish Swimming Federation, at the gala.

The anniversary gala was full of moving moments and special occasions. The Association’s authorities recognised our town’s tremendous commitment to the development of athletes by presenting us with a beautiful, official token of appreciation. A real surprise and a source of great pride was also a film specially prepared for the occasion. Although the legendary sports commentator Przemysław Babiarz was unable to attend the event in person, his distinctive voice rang out from the screen. Hearing the words ‘swimmers from Tarnowskie Góry’ repeated time and again in his iconic narration was an incredibly moving experience for us all.

Of course, there was no shortage of ceremonial honours and official expressions of gratitude for years of work in support of swimming in the Silesian Voivodeship. The Tarnogórski-based Silesian Brass Quartet performed during the gala, adding splendour to the entire evening.

In gratitude for all these honours and the wonderful collaboration, we wish the Silesian Regional Swimming Association another 100 years full of sporting triumphs. And, in light of this year’s celebrations marking our town’s anniversary, it is with great joy that we add our best wishes for another… 500 years! Let’s swim together towards further successes.