"Poland will make formal efforts to host the Olympic Games. Only time will tell if this is a realistic goal, but we will take it seriously,” stated Tusk during a recent visit to a sports facility in Karczew, a town south of the capital, Warsaw.

The leader, originally from Gdansk, explained that 2040 and 2044 were the earliest and most tangible dates to aim for, given other organisational decisions made by the IOC that would have supposedly granted Doha, with its substantial Qatari investment, the privilege of hosting the first edition in West Asia.

The official announcement would be made between 2026 and 2027, which is why, pending official confirmation, Qatar is seen as the likely choice. In these two decades, the small nation on the Arabian Peninsula would have hosted the 2022 World Cup and the 2036 Olympic Games, demonstrating a strong interest in being an international showcase.

This is due, according to the outlet Relevo, to the rotation of continents, as since Tokyo in 2020, there hasn’t been an Asian location. That said, this is assuming no African alternative emerges to challenge Qatar’s ambitions.

Within the framework of this unwritten rule of continental rotation, Poland would be a strong contender, as since the recently concluded Paris Games, there wouldn’t be an Olympic venue in Europe until the 2040s. A benefit that, obviously, must be accompanied by an ambitious effort and project, which, in Tusk’s words, will be guaranteed.

"I probably won’t be able to run on the field when the Olympic Games are held in Poland," confessed the 67-year-old Prime Minister. "But I can do a lot in the coming years to turn this dream into a real project," he confidently declared.

According to reports, Poland’s neighbour and another European giant, Germany, also has plans to bid for the 2040 Games, potentially seeking to bring the Olympics back to Berlin. It would be the third time the German capital has hosted, following the 1916 and 1936 Games, not to mention Germany’s fourth overall, considering Munich 1972.

Poland was the host of last year’s European Games in 2023 and also co-hosted the 2012 UEFA European Championship with Ukraine over a decade ago, so the Eastern European nation is eager for another large-scale event. In fact, the Minister of Sports, Slawomir Nitras, hinted at the possibility: “I watched the Paris Games, and I can say that, from an organisational standpoint, we are capable of hosting an event of this magnitude. I believe Polish sport is ready for it.”

In pursuit of a tangible goal, Tusk saw the moment as right to unveil a new legislative project. It will be a statute aimed at "improving the profile of women’s sport and human equality." The law would guarantee Polish women at least 30% of leadership positions in sports authorities. Tusk’s allies in the Civic Platform party welcomed the move, saying it would "create opportunities" to further enhance Poland’s sports infrastructure.