KGHM 'Ambassador of Poland 2019' distinctions awarded
The 'Ambassador of Poland 2019' awards sponsored by copper firm KGHM were given out in Warsaw on Saturday to people who have created a positive image of Poland in the fields of culture, sport and science as well as a popular-vote award and a special prize.
Ambassador of Poland for culture distinction went to a pianist Krzysztof Jabłoński, who received the award from Culture Minister Piotr Gliński.
The prize for sport was won by world champion glider acrobat and the first woman in history to win in the Advanced class, Patrycja Pacak.
The science distinction was awarded to NASA engineer Artur Chmielewski, who is working on a Polish space programme.
The popular-vote prize went to Andrzej Bargiel, the first person to ski from the summits of K2 and Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world, on the border of Pakistan and China.
The special prize was awarded to Linda and Robert Ollis, parents of American soldier Michael Ollis, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2013 while saving the life of Polish officer Karol Cierpica.
The winners were chosen by a committee from among candidates submitted online. The committee was made up of the head of the Prime Minister's Office, Michał Dworczyk, presidential aide Adam Kwiatkowski, Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski, Deputy Culture Minister Paweł Lewandowski and Prof. Wojciech Roszkowski, deputy president of the Polish Athletics Association.
