Poland's sports encompass almost all sporting disciplines, in particular: football, volleyball, motorcycle speedway, ski jumping, track and field, handball, basketball, tennis, and combat sport. The first Polish Formula One driver, Robert Kubica, has brought awareness of Formula One Racing to Poland. Volleyball is one of the country's most popular sports, with a rich history of international competition. Poland has made a distinctive mark in motorcycle speedway racing thanks to Tomasz Gollob, Jaroslaw Hampel, Bartosz Zmarzlik, Maciej Janowski and Rune Holta. Speedway is very popular in Poland. They won the world cup (2014), and the Polish Extraleague has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland. The Polish mountains are an ideal venue for hiking, skiing and mountain biking and attract millions of tourists every year from all over the world. Cross country skiing and ski jumping are popular TV sports, gathering 4–5 million viewers each competition, with Justyna Kowalczyk, Dawid Kubacki, Adam Małysz and Kamil Stoch as the main attractions. Baltic beaches and resorts are popular locations for fishing, canoeing, kayaking and a broad-range of other water-themed sports.
Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation, due to his excellent vision.
Andrzej Szarmach is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a Polish former professional football player and manager who played as a winger. He was a member of Poland's golden generation of football players who rose to fame in the 1970s and early 80s. Over a decade, he represented Poland at five major tournaments starting with gold at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich and ending with a third-place finish at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. He reached the peak of his career at the 1974 World Cup, where he was the leading scorer and the only Pole to-date to have won the honour. After retiring from his playing career, he had a brief stint as manager in several clubs in and out of Poland.
Roman Jacek Kosecki is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Henryk Wojciech Kasperczak is a Polish former professional football manager and player.
Jerzy Paweł Gorgoń is a Polish former professional footballer who is best remembered for his participation in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was a 6'4" tall central defender, who became well known in 1967 while playing for Górnik Zabrze. He helped Zabrze to five consecutive Polish Cups in 1968–72. Gorgoń participated in the 1974 World Cup in, then, West Germany, winning third place with the Poland national team and being his squad's defensive pillar.
Lesław Ćmikiewicz is a Polish former professional football manager and former player. He played for Polish clubs including Śląsk Wrocław and Legia Warsaw. He also played for the New York Arrows and Chicago Horizon in the Major Indoor Soccer League.
Władysław Antoni Żmuda is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a defender for Śląsk Wrocław, Widzew Łódź, Hellas Verona, New York Cosmos and US Cremonese. He earned 91 caps for the Poland national team and is a four-time FIFA World Cup participant. At the 1974 FIFA World Cup, where Poland claimed third place, he received the FIFA Young Player Award.
Piotr Jarosław Świerczewski is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. During his 20-year professional career, he played for clubs such as Lech Poznań, GKS Katowice, AS Saint-Étienne (France), SC Bastia (France), Gamba Osaka (Japan), Olympique de Marseille (France), Birmingham City F.C. (England), Polonia Warsaw and ŁKS Łódź. His older brother Marek is also a former footballer.
Kazimierz Kmiecik is a Polish former professional footballer who spent most of his career with Wisła Kraków, where he played 304 league matches and scored 153 goals. This makes him the best goalscorer in history of the club. He also played for Larissa and won the first Greek cup for the history of the team, in 1985. He is today a legend in Larissa and remains a fan favourite.
Willy Roy is a retired American soccer forward and coach. He played for several teams in the National Professional Soccer League and the North American Soccer League in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the United States national team from 1965 to 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Piotr Mowlik is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Zygmunt Paweł Maszczyk is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Joachim Jerzy Marx is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Besides Poland, he has played in France.
Andrzej Władysław Jarosik was a Polish footballer who played as a forward.
Hubert Jerzy Kostka is a Polish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Kostka participated in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where Poland won the men's football tournament. Kostka is not only a successful player, he also was a manager, and graduated as a mining engineer from the Silesian Polytechnic in Gliwice.
Janusz "John" Kowalik is a Polish former football manager and player who played as a striker. A prolific scorer in the European leagues and the North American Soccer League, he was the 1968 NASL MVP.
Stanisław Andrzej Terlecki was a Polish footballer.
Przemysław Adam Frankowski is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a wing-back or winger for Ligue 1 club Lens and the Poland national team.
