It’s finally here and it makes you want to! The first harbinger of spring in Olivia Business Centre has a rather unusual face. Being active in many ways – such an idea for longer and longer days will certainly make many afternoons and weekends more pleasant. For a good start, just after Christmas, running and sailing classes, and a moment later family bicycle trips, a golf academy, a cruise to Bornholm, as well as meetings with sports champions and specialists in the field of dietetics and health. Our goal is to integrate people working at the Centre through the development of common passions – explain Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Maciej Olszewski, the originators of the Olivia Sport project.
Olivia Sports, what is it?
Mateusz Kusznierewicz: Olivia Sports is a project addressed to people working at Olivia Business Centre. From the very beginning, the mission of this place has been integration through the development of common passions. We want the residents to feel as comfortable as possible here, hence the idea of providing positive experiences and emotions during cyclical sports activities and events.
Maciej Olszewski: You can never have too many of them! We can see how the football league project has developed – the competition is entering a decisive phase and we should know the new champion before the summer holidays. This year, a record number of 17 teams entered the competition. At the same time, sailing meetings as part of the Olivia Yacht Club are very popular. The success of these activities and the questions about the next ones left us no choice (laughs).
Where do you start?
Maciej: We will debut on April 24 with running classes led by the most recognizable Polish extreme marathon runner. Piotr Suchenia has triumphs on both poles in his sporting achievements. The World Team Champion from Perth is a certified athletics coach and a popular blogger. He has a great contact with people, he can motivate and ignite to action. For many runners, he is an authority, so his next challenge is hardly surprising. I will tell you that Piotr intends to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. You see, we will be trained by the best of the best!
Only running trails in April?
Maciej: The sea is calling on the second day after training with Piotr. It will be the first descent on the water this season. Sailing training followed by 4 short races will take place under the supervision of Mateusz.
A truly masterful hand!
Maciej: That was exactly the assumption. We want the classes to go beyond pure physical activity and also be a meeting with interesting characters. Piotr and Mateusz are cool, positive people. They have a great contact with the participants and conduct classes in a very interesting way.
Matthew: Glad to hear! In addition to the above-mentioned activities, we will soon start cycling and Nordic Walking. We are also planning to organize sailing courses and cruises. However, we know that sailing is not the only way to live (laughs), so in the long run we will invite you to training in golf, dance, self-defense, dragon boats, boxing, tennis and horse riding.
This season at Olivia’s is going to be hot
Matthew: The list of activities is long. We want everyone to find something for themselves. We are open to suggestions and ideas of the participants. Olivia Sports is addressed to nearly 10,000 residents of OBC and we want them to have a real impact on its shape.
Who should be interested in the classes?
Maciej: Everyone who wants to move around a bit, be in a nice, interesting company, go out together, meet new people, spend time actively and interestingly, but also those who would like to try their hand at real sports competition. We are compiling a list of sporting events in which we will take part as Olivia Sports and for which our participants could prepare under the professional supervision of coaches.
Amateurish, but serious?
Mateusz: Most of us who work at OBC do sports by the way. Despite the fact that we do it at the amateur level, we want to “squeeze” as much as possible, optimize training and achieve the best possible results. We know very well that preparing for a competition at the right level is a complex and long-term process. Physical form alone is insufficient. Warm-up, stretching, proper diet, rest, logistics and equipment are also important. Interestingly, many people forget about this extremely important element of preparation. Hence our idea to meet with specialists in the field of preparations for the season, equipment and technical aspects, or injury prevention in sport. We will also organize events ourselves, such as the Star Challenge or the Children’s Day.
Where can I find information about planned classes?
Maciej: We invite you to the calendar of events on the OBC website. At the same time, we will inform you about the details on all social media channels of OBC and O4 Coworking, in the OBC newsletter, as well as by means of posters on screens and in elevators. We will be happy to answer your questions, just write an e-mail to: info@oliviasports.com, sharing your comments and ideas with us.
Interviewed by: Dagmara Rybicka, Olivia Business Centre
Mateusz Kusznierewicz – sailor, Olympic Champion, World and European Champion. He represented Poland at five Olympic Games. He was a member of the Olympic team for 20 years. In 1999 received the international “World Sailor of the Year” award. In 2004 honored with the title of “Sailor of All Time”. Vice President of Sport in the Polish Sailing Association. Captain of the Polish national team preparing to compete in the SSL Gold Cup 2021. Founder of the Kusznierewicz Academy. Co-founder of ZOOM. ME. Experienced trainer and mentor.
Maciej Olszewski – a graduate of the Gdańsk University of Technology – MBA “Management in Sport” and the Academy of Physical Education and Physical Education in Gdańsk. Coach, sailing and skiing instructor. He has many years of experience in managing projects and institutions in the field of sport and tourism – the Institute of Sport in Warsaw, the Central Academic Sports Centre AZS, the Rugby Club Lechia Gdańsk. Organizer of international sports events – Volvo Gdynia Sailing Days, Nord Cup Regatta, World University Championships.
