Wisłoka Dębica

Wisłoka Dębica (Polish pronunciation: ) is one of the oldest existing sports clubs in Poland, founded in 1908 by a group of Dębica's high school students. The name comes from the River Wisłoka, which flows by the town of Dębica (south-east Poland, 110 kilometers east of Kraków). The most famous athletes, representing the club, are Greco-Roman wrestlers. They won numerous medals, including Olympic, World and European Championships. Names like twins Kazimierz Lipień and Józef Lipień, Ryszard Świerad, Jan Michalik or Roman Wrocławski (who later emigrated to the US, and was the coach of Rulon Gardner) are well known by all fans of wrestling. The club is also renowned for soccer players such as Leszek Pisz, Mirosław Kalita and Waldemar Piątek, who started their careers there, boxers (such as vice-champion of Europe, Roman Gotfryd), and bicycle racers. Their football team competes in the fourth group of the III liga, the fourth tier of Polish football league system. First departments, opened in 1908/09, were bicycle-racing, track and field, and well as skating. Association football, the most popular of all sports in Poland, followed some time later – around 1909 (though there is no credible source to confirm this date). The best decade for the club were the 1970s, when its departments were separately sponsored by Dębica's main factories, and its athletes won medals during various national and international competitions. White-green athletes marked their presence on several sports arenas. However, since the 1990s, following a general slump in Polish sports, Wisłoka also has had many financial problems. There are few sponsors, and most of them are local businesses, whose financial means are limited. Therefore, most sports departments have been closed, except for football, wrestling and women volleyball.