Polish Olympic Committee chief detained over links to collapsed crypto firm

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The president of the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOl), Radosław Piesiewicz, has been detained as part of a criminal investigation into Zondacrypto, a cryptocurrency firm that collapsed earlier this year and was a major sponsor of Poland’s Olympic team.

The development comes a day after Waldemar Żurek, Poland’s justice minister and prosecutor general, revealed that prosecutors are investigating possible crimes relating to Zondacrypto’s financing of various individuals and organisations, including PKOl, Piesiewicz, and figures from Poland’s right-wing opposition.

On Thursday afternoon, Żurek announced that Piesiewicz had been detained and would be charged. He said he was unable to reveal what the charges would be, but confirmed that prosecutors are investigating a €40,000 watch reportedly given to Piesiewicz by the former head of Zondacrypto, Przemysław Kral.

Under Piesiewicz’s leadership, PKOl signed an agreement in 2025 with Zondacrypto that made the crypto firm the main sponsor of the Polish team at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy.