A handful of information about Racing Pigeon Olympiads
The history of using the homing ability of pigeons has at least 5,000 years. So old is the wall painting in an Egyptian temple, presenting the release of pigeons at the occasion of a pharaoh’s crowning ceremony and proving that pigeons were used to deliver messages. We find mentions of using pigeons to carry messages in many records, sculptures and paintings. In these historic times, homing pigeons were bred and used as carriers mainly in Arab countries, and then in ancient Greece and Rome, where they were used to relay information about outcomes of wartime skirmishes, sieges and army movements. For this purpose oriental pigeons would be used that descended – like all domesticated pigeons – from the Rock Pigeon, originally found in the Mediterranean Sea basin.
It was not until the 18th century that pigeon racing began to be practiced in Europe as a sport. Belgium was the pioneer and the cradle of breeding a modern racing pigeon. Pigeon races were gradually gaining popularity and pigeon breeding was so widespread that in 1936 Belgium had 400,000 registered members, and if we were to count their families as well, we would arrive at a situation where one in every three citizens of this small country fancied pigeons.
Homing pigeons were used as messengers in military operations. After World War I, homing pigeon breeding began to grow, supported by the military in all European countries. Clubs started to flourish, mostly in Western European countries, and national societies began to be established in countries other than Belgium.
In consequence, there was a need to have in place an international organisation that would standardize certain aspects of breeding these birds. In 1938, Brussels hosted an international pigeon racing congress that presented the achievements of different associations. A competition was established there to be based on flight results and called a Pigeon Olympiad. Before World War II, one more Olympiad was organised, namely in 1939. Further meetings were continued, beginning in 1948, when an international federation (Federation Colombophile Internationale) was founded at a meeting in London and it was agreed that Pigeon Olympiads would be held every two years, the first one taking place in Lille (France) in 1949.
Given the post-war isolation of the Eastern European bloc and difficulties in travelling across borders, Poland did not participate in first post-war Olympiads. It made its first presence only in 1957, when it joined the FCI and attended the 5th Olympiad in Amsterdam. Since then, the Polish association took part in all Olympiads, up to the upcoming one in Poznań, which is already the 32nd. It is the third Olympiad to be organised in Poland; two previous ones were held in Katowice in 1969 and in 1989 in the Spodek arena.
The international centre of pigeon racing is still in Europe. Its heart remains in Belgium, with FCI seated in Brussels, famous breeding centres and high-profile events, such as spectacular flights, auctions, etc.; it is successfully practiced in the Netherlands, England and Germany, as well. Pigeon racing enjoys immense popularity and growth as a sport in the Far East: in China, Japan and Thailand, yet we lack insight there. Only in China, there are over 300,000 registered breeders. The pigeon sport is different than European there; it is mainly „one loft racing” with large monetary prizes involved. Only twice was the Olympiad held outside Europe, i.e. in 1981 in Tokyo (Japan) and in 2001 in Cape Town (South Africa). Europe is now experiencing a downturn in breeders; the number of pigeon breeders is on the rise only in Portugal and has been increasing in Poland for ten years (on average by about 800 members per year). Our association has recently become a leader in this respect with 45,000 members, and is the second largest association after Germany that boasts 46,000 registered breeders. The growing popularity of this sport was the main reason behind the decision to organise this world’s largest pigeon racing event, i.e. the Olympiad, here.
The Olympiad involves exhibition competition in two main categories. The first is standard: subject to evaluation are the looks close to the adopted international racing pigeon model that addresses the appearance, muscles, feathering and bones of presented pigeons. The second category involves sports results of pigeons achieved in pre-defined competitions – 20% entered birds; the highest ranked positions are the best, and their worth increases with the number of competitors involved. This category is subdivided into the following classes: short-, medium- and long-distance flights and marathons (exceeding 1,000 km). Poland has emerged a strong leader in the Olympic competitions, winning about 40% of medal prizes in a couple of last exhibitions. For those who lack insight, the exhibits resemble one another; insiders however will note significant differences in the build and presence of different exhibits, such as: refinement, elegance and inborn radiating intelligence. Sometimes called racing horses of the sky, they fetch staggering prices on the market, often comparable to prices of good cars, and purchased mainly by breeders from the Far East (China, Taiwan, Japan) and North America (USA, Canada).
Polish racing pigeon exhibitions select our national team and are held every year, usually in Upper Silesia, which has the largest population of breeders, i.e. 8,500, and which is a close location for breeders from such large centres as Opole and Kraków. Every year, these national exhibitions attract about 20,000 pigeon fanciers. Until recently, their venue was the halls of International Katowice Fair, but since the well-known accident that claimed the lives of 65 people, exhibitions are now organised in Sosnowiec. We expect many more national and foreign visitors in Poznań, because it is a great attraction for breeders to see the world’s best pigeons, and that is what we use the fairgrounds’ infrastructure for. According to our estimates, the turnout will reach 50,000, and will be the highest among all Olympiads so far.
Currently, we have 14 sports races of adult pigeons in Poland, every year in the following months: May, June and July, with a few hundred thousands of pigeons all over Poland competing with each other at distances ranging from 100 to 1,200 km. The longest flights we have had were from Barcelona, London and Rome. We transport pigeons by car in special cabins that house from three to six thousands birds. Selected locations for release are areas of Poland and Western European countries: Germany and Belgium, on rare occasions it is the Netherlands and France. Large numbers of pigeons setting off together, such as over 30,000, make an unforgettable memory.
The growth of the pigeon sport in Poland has been recognised by state authorities. We have had Jarosław Kalinowski and Andrzej Lepper, Deputy Prime Ministers, as well as Ministers of Agriculture, Senators and MPs as guests of honour at our exhibitions. The achievements of our breeders have been recognised in letters of congratulation from the late President Lech Kaczyński, who presented the winners of Barcelona flight with crystal cups, while the incumbent President Bronisław Komorowski has presented our members with top state awards.
Tomasz Osiński
Deputy President of the Board
Polish Association of Racing Pigeon Breeders
