| ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz | |||||||||
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| Club information | |||||||||
| Track address | Stadion Miejski im. Józefa Piłsudskiego ul. Sportowa 2 Bydgoszcz | ||||||||
| Country | Poland | ||||||||
| Founded | 1920; 105 years ago (1920) | ||||||||
| Team manager | Krzysztof Kanclerz | ||||||||
| League | Ekstraliga 2 | ||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||
| Club facts | |||||||||
| Colours | White and Red | ||||||||
| Track size | 348 metres (381 yd) | ||||||||
| Track record time | 59.64 seconds | ||||||||
| Track record date | 8 May 2011 | ||||||||
| Track record holder | Emil Sayfutdinov | ||||||||
| Major team honours | |||||||||
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Polonia Bydgoszcz is a Polish sports club based inBydgoszcz most known for itsspeedway team ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz which currently races in the1. Liga. The club has won thePolish Speedway League Championship seven times, the latest in 2002, andEuropean Team Championship three times, the latest in 2001. The club also has afootball team that plays in the lower leagues, though it was more successful in the past and played in thePolish top division, plus several other departments:athletics,cycling andboccia.
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BKS Polonia Bydgoszcz was founded on 14 May 1920 by Edmund Szyc, a sports enthusiast and an official ofWarta Poznań. Szyc, who had come to Bydgoszcz fromPoznań in the early spring of 1920, wanted to create a sports organization with a patriotic spirit, based onPolish Army soldiers garrisoned in the city. The colour scheme of Polonia was white-red-green (to commemorate Polish flag, plus green, the traditional colour of Warta Poznań’s jerseys).
In theSecond Polish Republic, Polonia Bydgoszcz was one of the largest sports organizations in the nation. It had several departments, such as football, track and field, boxing, ice hockey, cycling, basketball, handball and volleyball. Among the most notable athletes of the time were: Stanisław Zakrzewski (high jumper), Klemens Biniakowski (runner, who participated in the1928 Summer Olympics),Feliks Więcek (cyclist, winner of the 1928Tour de Pologne). Polonia’s football team were four times champions of PolishPomerania, but failed to win promotion to theEkstraklasa.
AfterWorld War II, Polonia was reactivated on 21 October 1945. In 1947, its football team once again won local championships. On 22 May 1946 the speedway department was formed, but in 1949, the so-called First Polonia was dissolved by the Communist authorities, who disliked its prewar, bourgeoisie roots.
In 1949-57, Polonia Bydgoszcz did not exist. On 24 May 1957 BKS Polonia andZS Gwardia (sports organization supported byMilicja Obywatelska) merged intoMilicyjny KS Polonia. The new club took over the traditions of the 1920 organization and quickly emerged as one of the most important sports clubs of the country. Former Gwardia Bydgoszcz was a powerful organization, with a top class football team (promoted toEkstraklasa in 1953), while its speedway team was the1955 Polish Champions. Furthermore, several Gwardia’s track and fielders took part in the1952 Olympic Games inHelsinki. In the early 1950s, Gwardia had as many as 17 departments. Its most famous sports personality of that time was tennis playerJadwiga Jędrzejowska.
The newly establishedMilitia Sports Club Polonia Bydgoszcz took over Gwardia’s hues (red - white - blue), to commemorate the colours of theFrench Revolution, and to symbolize the new, Communist regime of Poland. In 1962, the name of the club was changed intoBydgoszcz Sports Club (BKS) Polonia, to be changed intoGuards Sports Club (GKS) Polonia in 1974. Finally, in 1990, the nameBydgoszcz Sports Club Polonia was returned.
In the late 1980s, GKS Polonia had over 1500 members, including 700 athletes. In 1990, the police authority (formerMilicja Obywatelska) withdrew its financial support of the club. As a result, the club was supported by the city government. In 1992, the football team was closed to return in 1994, and the ice hockey department was separated from the organization. In the same year, the speedway team of Polonia won its third Polish Championship.
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By the late 1990s, Polonia had returned to its former glory. Speedway team, withTomasz Gollob, was four times Polish champion (1997, 1998,2000, 2002), table tennis team was among the best in the country, and football team won promotion to the third level.
In 2003, local authorities dissolved Polonia Bydgoszcz. The departments of the former organization created their own teams, such asZuzlowy Klub Sportowy (Speedway Sports Club) Polonia, and the traditions of BKS Polonia are continued by the football team, calledKlub Pilkarski (Football Club) Polonia.
Polonia Bydgoszcz since 27 October 2006 isJoint stock company (pl:spółka akcyjna orS.A.).
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TheKlub Sportowy "Polonia" (Sport's Club "Polonia") was created in 1920 and the motorcycle section in 1946. The team participated in the firstTeam Speedway Polish Championship during the1948 finishing 3rd in the second division.[4]
The team won thesecond division in 1949 and in1951 won the silver medal in the first division.[5] During the 1950s the club became a major force medalling four more times including winning the league and gold medal in winning the1955.[6]
In1971 the team won their second gold medal and they won thePolish Pairs Speedway Championship in 1974.Bolesław Proch won theGolden Helmet in1981.[7] Former rider and coach at the timeMieczysław Połukard was killed in a centre green accident in 1985.
The 1990s and early 2000s was a golden period for the club as they won five Polish team championships, tenPolish Pairs Speedway Championships and eight individual championships (six of them won byTomasz Gollob). In 1991,Tony Rickardsson andPeter Karlsson became the first foreign riders for the club.[8]
In2007, the team was relegated from the top division for the first time in their history and the club underwent a period of mediocrity.[9] In2019 the team won the2. Liga.
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2007 Team Łopaczewski and Mazur was started only in PC Junior Team and PC Junior Pair
2008 Team
2012 Team
2022 team
2023 team |
Speedway Grand PrixPolonia Bydgoszcz hosted theSpeedway Grand Prix of Poland in thePolonia Bydgoszcz Stadium (1998–99, since 2001). In 2000 Polonia hostedSpeedway Grand Prix of Europe.Tomasz Gollob won in Bydgoszcz SGP 6 times.
Pomeranian-Kuyavian DerbyThePomeranian-Kuyavian Derby is the name given tospeedway matches betweenPolonia Bydgoszcz andUnibax Toruń.
Criterium of Aces
TheMieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces (Polish:Kryterium Asów Polskich Lig Żużlowych im. Mieczysława Połukarda) usually referred to as theCriterium of Aces (Kryterium Asów) is an annual speedway event held each year, which is organized by the Polonia Bydgoszcz.
The Criterium of Aces is held in thePolonia Stadium inBydgoszcz. It is seen by riders and fans as the official opening of the new season. It was first staged in 1982, although a similar meeting was held in the 1951 asCriterium of Aces (Criterium Asów). The most successful rider in Criterium history isTomasz Gollob (former Polonia's rider). He won Criterium 14 times between 1990 and 2008.
| Competitions | Total | Golden medals | Silver medals | Bronze medals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | Total | Years | Total | Years | ||
| Team (DMP) (since 1948) | 25 | 7 | 1955, 1971, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 | 7 | 1951, 1953, 1972, 1986, 1987, 1993, 2005 | 11 | 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2006 |
| Team U-21 (MDMP) (since 1978) | 7 | 1 | 1976, 1989 | 3 | 1986, 1988, 1992 | 3 | 1977, 1978, 1987, 2002 |
| Pairs (MPPK) (since 1974) | 18 | 11 | 1974, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 | 6 | 1979, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006 | 1 | 2010 |
| Pairs U-21 (MMPPK) (1980 U-23; since 1983) | 7 | 1 | 1980 | 4 | 1985, 1986, 1987, 2006 | 2 | 1988, 2001 |
| Individual (IMP) (since 1948) | 18 | 8 | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 | 5 | 1953, 1985, 1998, 1999, 2003 | 5 | 1951, 1955, 1972, 1990, 1997 |
| Individual U-21 (MIMP) (since 1967) | 12 | 8 | 1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 | 1 | 1987 | 3 | 1969, 1976, 1988 |
| Total Polish Championship medals: 87 | Gold: 36 | Silver: 26 | Bronze: 25 | ||||
| Competitions | Total | I place | II place | III place | |||
| Total | Years | Total | Years | Total | Years | ||
| European Club (KPE) (since 1998) | 3 | 3 | 1998,1999,2001 | ||||
| Team Cup (DPP) (?) | 0 | ||||||
| Golden Helmet (ZK) (since 1961) | 16 | 10 | 1981, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 | 4 | 1967,1972, 1996, 2002 | 2 | 2002, 2005 |
| Silver Helmet U-21 (SK) (since 1966) | 13 | 6 | 1984, 1986, 1987, 1999, 1992, 2007 | 2 | 1968, 1988 | 5 | 1966, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 |
| Bronze Helmet U-19 (BK) (1976-81; since 1983) | 10 | 2 | 1984, 2002, 2023 | 4 | 1985, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2000 | 4 | 1991, 1999, 2005, 2006 |
The stadium is located onulica Sportowa 2 (Sports Street). It contains 20,000 seats. The track is 348 metres long and has a granite surface. The track record was made byTomasz Gollob (60.11 sec on 20 June 1999).
Polonia Bydgoszcz played 7 seasons in theEkstraklasa, and their greatest successes were 5th place in1960 Ekstraklasa and the Polish U-19 Championship in 1980. Polonia Bydgoszcz ranks 53rd in the all-time Ekstraklasa table.Polonia Bydgoszcz's football section competes in theIV liga Kuyavia-Pomerania. Their home ground isStadion Miejski im. Józefa Piłsudskiego.[12]
Polonia Bydgoszcz ice hockey team enjoyed its greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was twice second (1954, 1955) and twice third (1964, 1965) in thePolish top division.
