Former Gorzow coach Stanislaw Chomski will lead the Polish national side once again as they prepare for the much-anticipated PZM FIM Speedway World Cup Final at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy on August 29.
Chomski became the first Polish team manager to win the SWC, when they lifted the title at Wroclaw’s Olympic Stadium in 2005. This was before Marek Cieslak went on to win the Ove Fundin Trophy seven times between 2007 and 2017, and his successor Rafal Dobrucki led Poland to victory in Wroclaw when the competition returned in 2023, with the SWC now staged every three years.
Dobrucki stepped down shortly after the FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Torun last month, and Chomski was widely tipped to return to the hottest seat in international speedway management.
The Gorzow-born man, who led his hometown team to the PGE Ekstraliga title in 2016, knows the pressure will be on as he leads Poland into the biggest world team final for generations – staged at the iconic PGE Narodowy.
He said: “I accepted the offer to coach the national team because I'm motivated by great challenges. The SWC Final at PGE Narodowy will be one such challenge.
“We know the expectations of the fans and the community. It won't be easy, but challenges like these motivate me. It will be special because the SWC has never been held at a stadium like this before.”
Poland will face 2025 FIM Speedway of Nations world champions Australia, who qualified for next summer’s PZM FIM SWC Final with their victory in Torun. The Semi-Final winners from Landshut on May 1 and Riga on August 7 will join them.
Chomski knows defending Poland’s SWC crown, claimed in Wroclaw in 2023, will be no easy task. But he admits the team had no shortage of doubters when he led them to glory in 2005.
He said: “Back then, there were no willing coaches to manage the team because there were no successes, and the opponents were incredibly strong. Just think of names like Leigh Adams, Tony Rickardsson and Nicki Pedersen. They were the cream of the crop, and back then we were still waiting for Poland's second individual world champion. I told the riders then that they had a unique opportunity to become champions, and they did just that.
“Next year, we'll be defending the title we won in 2023 in dramatic circumstances. We won't be favourites, but sport has its own rules. We're at home and we'll try our hardest to win.”
Chomski admits he was initially reluctant to take the job. He said: “The talks took quite a while because it was a difficult decision. I haven't been an active coach for a year. In 2025, I was an advisor and mentor to Kamil Brzozowski, who was just starting out in the profession.
“When the media started asking me about the national team, I said no. I thought someone younger should take over. At the beginning of the talks with the speedway boss (national team chairman Ireneusz Igielski), I was also sceptical, but his arguments got us through. Now I can assure you that I will do my utmost to ensure the national team's success.”
Igielski is pleased to have secured Chomski’s appointment. He said: “It has taken a while, but today we can finally present the new coach of the Polish Speedway National Team.
“I won't deny that we've had a busy month, full of analysis and reflection, including on the direction the national team should take. However, we emerge from it all convinced that we made the best choice. I'm encouraged by the conversations I had with the new coach. His experience, responsibility and broad perspective all make me optimistic about the future.
“Stanisław Chomski, a man with a rich coaching resume, already has a gold medal in the SWC. Next year we have the Final at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, and we'd love for our new coach to add another gold medal.
“We know life throws up all sorts of scenarios. It's just sport, but you have to set goals, and in this case, it's only fitting that we set a goal of defending the title.”