To celebrate Polish Heritage Night, each fan entering the Verizon Center received their very own red or white hat with “Polska.pl” on it, prepared in Poland for this very occasion. Additional attractions prepared for Polish Heritage Night included a welcoming address by Wolf Blitzer, host of CNN’s the Situation Room, a screening of the promotion film “Polska. Where the unbelievable happens” as well as several performances by Polish cheerleaders from Gdynia. During the halftime break the sold-out Verizon Center crowd learned fun facts about Poland, including the numer of Polish Nobel Prize winners. Throughout the arena information screens displayed additional trivia about Poland.
Before the tip-off, Marcin Gortat, the only Polish player in the NBA, was awarded the honorary White Eagle Award by Ambassador Ryszard Schnepf. “Marcin Gortat is not only an incredible athlete, and an ‘ambassador’ of our country in the world’s best basketball league, but also an individual who wants to and knows how to apply his accomplishments to inspire youth, promote physical education, honor veterans and promote our country in the USA” remarked Ambassador Schnepf, explaining his decision to present Marcin Gortat with the award.
Special guests in attendance at the 2015 Polish Heritage Night included former National Security Advisor Professor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Head of Voice of America David Ensor, representatives of the US Administration as well as popular actress and dancer Izabella Miko. The entire arena gave a standing ovation to Polish soldiers, veterans of overseas missions to Afghanistan, as well as to the parents of Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, who was mortally wounded during an attack on an Allied base in Afghanistan while protecting a Polish soldier.
During the course of the post-game meet and greet with Marcin Gortat, Polish fans watched a special video message from the President of the Republic of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski. They also participated in contests and were given the opportunity to pose numerous questions to Marcin Gortat, with some especially hard ones coming from the youngest fans in attendance “How did you get so tall?”
Source: Polish Embassy in Washington DC, Press Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland
Photo © Polish Embassy in Washington DC