In just two weeks, on 7-23 February 2014, athletes from all over the world will meet in Sochi, Russia to compete and win trophies at the XXII Winter Olympic Games. To com-memorate this event, on Thursday 23 January 2014 Narodowy Bank Polski is putting into circulation coins "Polish National Olympic Team Sochi 2014" - gold coin with the face val-ue of 200 zloty, silver coin with the face value of 10 zloty and a 2 zloty coin in Nordic Gold.

2.5 thousand gold coins, 30 thousand silver coins and 800 thousand coins in Nordic Gold are waiting for coin collectors. The reverse of the gold coin depicts a speed skater, the reverse of the silver coin a ski jumper and the reverse of the 2 zloty coin a cross-country skier. The gold coin was designed by Urszula Walerzak, the silver coin and the reverse of the 2 zloty coin by Robert Kotowicz. The author of the obverse with an eagle of the 2 zloty coin is Ewa Tyc -Karpińska.

During the auction in the "Collector" system ended on 10 January, the price of the gold coin was fixed at PLN 2220 and the price of the silver coin at PLN 85. The 2 zloty coin in Nordic Gold will be available in NBP regional branches, where from 23 January it will be possible to exchange it at the nominal price.

Olympic Games are a recurring element in coin issuance programme of Narodowy Bank Polski.

• The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. This name was given to the skiing competition held at the resort in the year of the VIII Olympic Games hosted in Paris. Some winter sports competitions had been previously run during the summer Olympic Games, such as figure skating since 1908, and ice hockey since 1920.
• Poles have taken part in winter Olympic Games since the beginning of their existence, that is, since 1924. Poland is one of the twelve countries which took part in all winter Olympics.
• The first medal for Poland at winter Olympics – a bronze – was won by Franciszek Gąsienica Groń in Nordic combined during the 1956 Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
• The first Polish gold medallist in the history of Winter Olympic Games is a ski jumper Wojciech Fortuna, who managed to achieve this feat during the 1972 Olympic Games in Sapporo.
• Most medals, as many as 5 (1 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze) were won by ski jumpers. The most decorated Polish athlete in the history of Winter Olympics is a cross-country skier Justyna Kowalczyk with 4 medals (1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze).
• The white-and-reds had the most success during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada where they won six medals. Justyna Kowalczyk took one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Adam Malysz became a silver medallist twice. Poland’s medal tally was completed by the bronze medal taken by the Polish female skaters in team competition.
• The participants in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will compete in 98 competitions in 15 sports disciplines. As compared to the previous Olympic Games there will be as many as 12 new competitions, including special slalom snowboarding, women’s ski jumping and team competition in figure skating.

Сountry: Poland
Data of issue: January  23, 2014
Face value:   200 zloty / 10 zloty   / 2 zloty
Metal: Au 900 / Ag 925 / CuAl5Zn5Sn1
Weight: 15,50 g / 14,14 g / 8,15 g
Diameter: 27 mm / 32 mm / 27 mm
Quality: Proof / Proof / standard
Mintage, pcs: 2,500 / 30 000 / 800 000

Subsequent collector coins of NBP will be issued shortly: on 24 February the coin “Polish konik” from the series "Animals of the World", on 3 March the coin “Casimir the Great" from the series " Treasures of King Stanislaus Augustus" and "Type 2 Dinar of Bolesław Krzywousty" of the series "The History of Polish coins"