IBB Polonia London November matches in CEV Cup called off

The Champions of England’s matches with Brno have been cancelled as of the 23rd October 2020 the opponents of IBB Polonia London officially tendered their withdrawal from the CEV Cup. The reason for the withdrawal was the pandemic situation in the Czech Republic. As a result the English club advances to the next round.

The global situation has caused major changes in the world of sport. Countries are trying to manage the number of infected citizens, governments introduce restrictions that directly affect the operations of sports clubs, and in the Czech Republic, sports alls have been closed and the team from Brno, that was scheduled to play with IBB Polonia London on 10th and 12th November, has nowhere to train. Consequently, the team has officially withdrawn.

The situation is not dissimilar in London, where IBB Polonia functions, but the English champions are not prepared to give up and quit like the opposition. From the start of the season, the club is very aware that it must be flexible with how it works and be adaptable to the daily changing situation. The club’s staff are constantly seeking solutions and finding ways to ensure safe training and improvement of form. As was previously informed, groups of six became the norm for daily training sessions. Other changes were the way that training in the weights room could occur. Then on the 17th October, the government decided to totally close sports halls and training was banned. In a creative solution to the problem, the club decided to relocate to Cyprus. Due to the decision of the Czech team, IBB Polonia London had to instantly change plans and cancel the trip to Cyprus where the matches sere to take place. Now a new plan has been created to maximise the preparation time for the next round in December for the 1/8th round of the CEV Cup. The rivals will soon be known in mid-November. It will either be the team from Belorus – Shakhtior Soligorsk or the Serbian team OK Nis.

“I am very sad that we will not play with Brno. I know that the situation is very tough for sport, and so I respect the decision of Brno. We will not give up or withdraw. We have a huge number of obstacles, we are not allowed to train on court or too much in the weights room. Together with the Cypriot Federation, we were preparing the event and the matches against the Czechs in Nicosia. Their withdrawal has totally scuppered our plans. Now we are changing everything and working flexibly once again with new ideas again because we are staying in the competition and we wish to represent ourselves as positively as possible in Europe. We have a great team and a great strategic sponsor – IBB Builders Merchants – and so we want to show that we can win with foreign teams.” said IBB CEO IBB Polonia London, Bartek Łuszcz.

“We wanted to play Brno, and so we are disappointed that it is no longer possible. We know the situation is tough, and this is why we understand their decision. So long as we remain healthy and can maintain safe environments, we will not give up. We will look for a solution, to keep our short and long term dreams a possibility. We introduced some new ideas of professionalism at the start of the season in terms of the team and business development. We constantly look to improve on court and build connections with overseas clubs. We build media interest, including British TV, and we continue to attract new fans and sponsors. Thanks to this, we increase our budget annually and develop as a business. We evolve as a sports club, and within the world of organisational, financial and marketing. I thank the entire leadership of the club for their hard work and I am convinced that the future will bear fruit for the club during the next matches of the CEV Cup. This will continue over the next few years” said majority shareholder and owner of IBB Builders Merchants, Jacek Ambroży.

The next phases of the club in the CEV Cup will be shared imminently.

Pic. sandsphotos.co.uk