Copper Giant as the Title Partner of the 48th KGHM Bieg Piastów - Cross-Country Skiing Festival

KGHM, which has supported the most important cross-country skiing event in Poland for many years, has for the first time become the title partner of the 48th  KGHM Bieg Piastów on the Jakuszycka Glade. The agreement is for collaboration on three runs: The 9th  Bicycle Bieg Piastów, which is already behind us, the 48th  KGHM Bieg Piast - Cross-Country Skiing Festival and the 12th  Summer Bieg Piastów.

- The Bieg Piastów is an event that goes beyond the definition of a sporting event. For years, it has been a meeting of thousands of people from all over the world who share a common passion and enjoy being active at both professional and amateur levels. Among them and for them, KGHM volunteers work every year. Our employees compete in the events, but also cheer on the competitors. The cooperation between the copper company and the Bieg Piastów is a perfect example of social responsibility and action for the people of the whole of Poland and beyond - said Kamil Kowaleczko, chief communications officer of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.

- Thanks to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.'s involvement in our sporting events, we can continuously develop, implement new projects and encourage thousands of people to adopt an active lifestyle. Thank you for your continued support and kindness. We are proud and grateful that the next edition of the 48th  Bieg Piastów will be held under the aegis of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. - said Kaja Sznajdrowicz-Kręcichwost, Managing Director of Bieg Piastów.

One result of KGHM's long-term commitment is the cross-country skiing trails on the Jakuszycka Glade, which are free of charge for everyone. The trails are highly rated in the skiing community, are groomed and prepared for skiers as well as cross-country skiers or cyclists for the whole year.

Every year, the cooperation is expanded to include other projects such as the pro-social "Akademia Biegowa KGHM", i.e. free weekly training in cross-country skiing for primary school pupils from Lower Silesia. During classes led by professional instructors, the children learned about cross-country skiing techniques and good cross-country skiing behaviour.

An important part of the activities under the agreement is the volunteer work of KGHM. Every year, employees of the copper company appear on the Jakuszycka Glade and, at specially prepared stands, provide support and cheering for the competitors. Volunteers largely create a great atmosphere around the event, full of friendliness and smiles. Good words and smiles from KGHM employees are priceless support for the athletes.

From 2022 onwards, representatives of Foster Families are also invited to the next editions of the Bieg Piastów, which promotes foster parenthood on a daily basis as part of the KGHM Mie(dź) Rodzinę campaign. Thanks to the organisers, these special guests have already taken part in hiking and cycling rallies. In addition, a Family Zone is organised each time on the Jakuszycka Glade, offering family attractions and animations for the youngest participants.

48. Bieg Piastów - Cross-Country Skiing Festival is scheduled for 25 February - 3 March 2024. The previous edition attracted almost 6,000 competitors from all over the world. In turn, the 12th Summer Bieg Piastów will take place next August.

KGHM has been an active sponsor of Polish sports for years. The copper giant offers patronage of major events at local, national, and international levels alike.  It supports athletes from various disciplines: soccer (Zagłębie Lubin), volleyball, handball, basketball and winter sports.

Another example of the pro-social involvement of KGHM is the “Copper Rivalry” scholarship program, which supports the development of young athletes on their path to a professional career. This year, a new edition of the project was inaugurated in September.  As many as 30 athletes from all over Poland will receive financial support. This is the highest number of scholarship recipients since 2019, when the programme was launched.

It is worth emphasising that volunteer actions are an equally important element of KGHM's pro-social activities in the Copper Belt. This year alone, dozens of both collections for the needy and social initiatives related to the promotion of foster parenthood or projects promoting an active lifestyle have been carried out. Small apiaries have appeared at branches of the copper company as part of the 'Copper Bees' campaign. The beehives are taken care of by volunteer workers from KGHM.