The vacation season is beginning, a time when busy Warsaw residents start thinking about recreation. This is the time for sports and exercise.

Most people prefer active leisure outside Warsaw, but you can find many sports centers in the city as well. Most of these facilities are swimming pools and sports halls, many of them built by the municipality in the past several years. But the latest survey by the Sport and Recreation Office (BSiR) shows that Warsaw still has a lot to do. Just before the summer season, BSiR Director Wiesław Wilczyński announced his office's plans for the coming months.

The most impressive plans are those associated with the modernization and construction of sports facilities. The modernization projects will involve the most popular sites. The city is returning to its plans to build a new stadium on Łazienkowska Street for the Legia soccer club. This flagship sports project has been waiting for several years to be carried out, but those who are responsible for it now have promised that construction works will start this fall. The zl.360 million Legia stadium for 34,000 spectators is to be completed in 2009. The stadium is needed not only by the Legia club. To meet UEFA's requirements for the Euro 2012 championship finals, Poland needs to have several training pitches of appropriate standards and the new Legia stadium could be used for this purpose. The stadium of the Polonia club is also supposed to serve as a training facility. The city's investment program includes the modernization of the Polonia stadium and work on this project has already started. The renovation of the western stand and the construction of a canopy to be suspended above it will be completed this year. Then, modernization work will start on the southern and northern stands. After modernization, the stadium will be able to accommodate 15,000 spectators. The total cost of the project is estimated at zl.25 million.

The city, in partnership with the Totalizator Sportowy company, is also planning to convert the skating track in the Stegny neighborhood. The project is to start next year and be completed in late 2010. Wojciech Zabłocki, an architect and an Olympic fencing champion, is the man behind a futuristic design for this indoor track. The cost of the project, including a hotel and tennis courts, is estimated at zl.100 million. Additionally, the city is planning another three projects regarded as strategic: the construction of a skate park in Stegny, the modernization of the swimming pool complex on Inflancka Street and the construction of a swimming pool for the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw (AWF).

The authorities of individual Warsaw districts have noticed the favorable climate for sports projects and are cooperating with the city authorities on projects on their territory. The Włochy district has started to build a zl.25-million sports arena with a swimming pool and a fitness club. A similar facility will be constructed in the Wesoła neighborhood for zl.11 million. A sports hall for 20,000 spectators will be built in Targówek, while Żoliborz will get a new facility for track-and-field events, skating, archery and soccer. The largest project to be carried out by a Warsaw district will be the sports complex for the Hutnik sports club in Bielany. It will comprise a sports hall, stadium, indoor swimming pool, skate park and hotel. This project, planned for several years, will cost zl.500 million. In all, more than 60 new sports projects of different size are planned throughout Warsaw. Work on more than 40 has already started.

Most of them are local projects that aim to promote active leisure among local residents. Several programs prepared by the BSiR have a similar goal. The point is to promote sporting activity and tackle anti-social behavior among children and young people. Under the Open Sports Facilities program, elementary, junior-high and high school students are offered free access to sports activities in the afternoon and evening. The full program starts in September. Another program, Be in Shape, is intended for junior high school students, who are supposed to take part in a strategic sports game and learn how to work in a team.

There is also a program intended for elderly people with special activities organized for them at sports clubs.

The city has decided to exploit the favorable climate for sports created thanks to Euro 2012 and is determined to carry out projects that have been planned for many years. But it will take some time before these efforts produce results in the form of Olympic successes by Warsaw athletes.