The Polish Olympic Committee's Subjection to the Communist Authorities in the Stalinist Period: An Inside Story.

The article, based on archive materials and press publications, as well as major academic studies, contains information on attempts by the Communists in Poland to take control over the Polish Olympic Committee (POC) in the Stalinist period. After the Olympic games in London in 1948 they 'closed' the POC's activity in order to nominate a 'new' POC in June 1950 created by people connected with the dominant Communist Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP). The POC even included two Soviet officers of Polish origin, while the people's power forced the previous president of the organization to resign. However, throughout the whole Stalinist period in Poland the Communists did not manage to deprive Professor Jerzy Loth of his membership in the International Olympic Committee, whom they were planning to replace with their trusted people. For that reason, they sent to Lausanne the names of their candidates at least four times. They did so even when the POC was formally 'closed'. In spite of that, until 1956, the people's power did not manage to implement the plan of taking full control over the POC. This fact is largely thanks to the management of the POC and Professor Loth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]