Polish Olympic Committee president Radoslaw Piesiewicz was detained on Thursday as part of an investigation into suspected corruption linked to cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto, according to a judicial source cited by AFP.
Investigators believe the Olympic boss may have received financial benefits in return for partnership deals struck between the PKOl and Zondacrypto. The arrangement is also said to have included the use of the committee’s influence to help the company, which has since shut down.
Arrest comes amid corruption claims
Radoslaw Piesiewicz is suspected of personally profiting from contracts signed between the Polish Olympic Committee and Zondacrypto. The probe is focused in particular on the terms of the partnership and any possible financial kickbacks.
According to several Polish media outlets, he also allegedly received a watch valued at 40,000 euros from Przemyslaw Kral, the head of Zondacrypto. Radoslaw Piesiewicz rejects that claim and says he bought the watch himself.
Zondacrypto deal at the heart of the case
The agreement with the crypto platform reportedly included plans for top Polish athletes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics to receive rewards in cryptocurrency. But the payments linked to the partnership are said to have been irregular.
The deal has become one of the main flashpoints between the PKOl president and Polish sports federations. For months, a large majority of them have been calling for him to quit, not least because of his ties to Zondacrypto.
Probe widens into Polish nationalist circles
The investigation is not limited to Radoslaw Piesiewicz. Poland’s national prosecutor is also examining the alleged role of several figures from the nationalist right, including former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro and his ex-deputy Marcin Romanowski.
Investigators are also looking at Zondacrypto’s links with various conservative players, including the Republika TV channel and the organisers of the CPAC conference held in Poland in May 2025.
That conference took place a few weeks before the second round of the Polish presidential election, eventually won by Karol Nawrocki, the nationalist candidate backed by PiS and also supported by Donald Trump.
Radoslaw Piesiewicz’s arrest therefore lands in a case that reaches far beyond the Polish Olympic Committee and now shines a light on the alleged links between sport, politics and the crypto industry.
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