Part of Auckland Heritage Festival 2025 – Theme: Auckland at Play. Discover the inspiring stories behind two successful Polish sportspeople and a Paralympian in Auckland. Agnieszka Radwanska is a previous winner of the ASB Classic women’s tennis singles. In 2017, she told the NZ Herald, “I have never lost in Auckland so I have very good memories. It always amazes me that the crowds are full right from the start.” Iga Swiatek is a previous runner-up in the tennis singles tournament in Auckland and the first Pole to win a major singles title. A household name in Poland, she organised a charity tennis event with Radwanska to raise money for children and teenagers impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Stop press – Iga has now won the women’s singles at Wimbledon in a 6-0, 6-0 clean sweep. Polish-born Wojtek Czyz made history as New Zealand’s first Paralympics representative in badminton, relocating to Auckland to train ahead of Paris. His personal motto is: “Don’t think of what you were, but of what you are and of what you aspire to be”.