Polonia Bydgoszcz
Polonia Bydgoszcz is a Polish sports club based in Bydgoszcz most known for its speedway team ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz which currently race in the 1. Liga (the 2nd division). The club has won the Polish Speedway League Championship seven times, the latest in 2002, and European Team Championship three times, the latest in 2001. The club also has a football team who play in the lower leagues but in the past had more success. History. BKS Polonia Bydgoszcz was founded on May 14, 1920, by Edmund Szyc, a sports enthusiast and official of Warta Poznan. Szyc, who had  come to Bydgoszcz from Poznan in the early spring of 1920, wanted to create a sports organization with a patriotic spirit, based on Polish Army soldiers garrisoned in the city. The hues of Polonia were white-red-green (to commemorate Polish flag, plus green, the traditional colour of Warta Poznan’s jerseys). In the Second 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 most notable athletes of that time were: Stanislaw Zakrzewski (high jumper), Klemens  Biniakowski (runner, who participated in the 1928 Summer Olympics), Feliks Wiecek (cyclist, winner of the 1928 Tour de Pologne). Polonia’s football team were four times champions of Polish Pomerania, but failed to win promotion to the Ekstraklasa. After World War II, Polonia was reactivated on October 21, 1945. In 1947, its football team once again won local championships. On May 22, 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 May 24, 1957 , BKS Polonia and "ZS Gwardia" (sports organization supported by Milicja Obywatelska) merged into "Milicyjny 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 to Ekstraklasa in 1953), while its speedway team was the 1955 Champion of Poland. Furthermore, several Gwardia’s track and fielders took part in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. In the early 1950s, Gwardia had as many as 17 departments. Its most famous sports  personality of that time was tennis player Jadwiga Jedrzejowska. The newly established "Militia Sports Club Polonia Bydgoszcz" took over Gwardia’s hues (red - white - blue), to commemorate the colors of the French Revolution, and to symbolize the new, Communist regime of Poland. In 1962, the name of the club was changed into "Bydgoszcz Sports Club (BKS) Polonia", to be changed into "Guards Sports Club (GKS) Polonia" in 1974. Finally, in 1990, the name "Bydgoszcz Sports Club Polonia" was returned. In the late 1980s, GKS Polonia had over 1500 members, including 700 athletes. In 1990, the police authority (former Milicja 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 ice hockey department was separated from the organization. In the same year, the speedway team of Polonia won Polish Championship. By the late 1990s, Polonia returned to its former glory. Speedway team, with Tomasz Gollob, was three times Polish champion (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 as "Zuzlowy Klub Sportowy (Speedway Sports Club) Polonia", and the traditions of BKS Polonia are continued by the football team, called "Klub Pilkarski (Football Club) Polonia". Management. Polonia Bydgoszcz since 27 October 2006 is Joint stock company (pl: "spółka akcyjna" or "S.A."). Speedway section. Competitions in Bydgoszcz. Speedway Grand Prix. Polonia Bydgoszcz hosts the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland in the Polonia Bydgoszcz Stadium (1998–99, since 2001). In 2000 Polonia hosts Speedway Grand Prix of Europe. Tomasz Gollob won in Bydgoszcz SGP 6 times. Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby. The Pomeranian-Kuyavian  Derby is the name given to speedway matches between Polonia Bydgoszcz and Unibax Toruń. Criterium of Aces. The Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces () usually referred to as the Criterium of Aces ("Kryterium Asów") is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the Polonia Bydgoszcz. The Criterium of Aces held in the Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz. It is seen by riders and fans as the official opening of the new season. First staged in 1982, although a similar meeting was held in the 1951 as Criterium of Aces ("Criterium Asów"). The most successful rider in Criterium  history is Tomasz Gollob (former Polonia's rider). He won Criterium 14 times between 1990 and 2008. Stadium. The stadium is located on "ulica 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 by Tomasz Gollob (60.11 sec on June 20, 1999). Football section. Polonia Bydgoszcz's football section competes in the regional league. There home ground is Stadion Miejski im. Józefa Piłsudskiego.