The Polish ski jumping champion.

Poland has little presence on the world stage, so when the opportunity arises Poles are more than anxious to get their flags out. Polish ski jumping champion Adam Malysz gives them that once in a blue moon chance.

Ski jumping is shown repeatedly on national television and the reason for this can only be what is indeed a rare species... a prize-winning Polish sportsman. Poles are not renowned for their sporting prowess, they're not what you could call active. In the four years I've spent running and cycling in the park daily with the dogs I could count my fellow joggers on one hand.

The populace prefer to sit in their blocks and watch television, mindless and banal television, and one of their favourite programmes is ski jumping... hours and hours of it. As far as I can see, if you've seen one ski jump you've seen them all, it must rank as one of the dullest sports invented. Nonetheless, tv stations nationwide continually show these dreary contests and the country gather round their Panasonics riveted.

On making new acquaintances it's not long before I'm berated because I'm not up to par on Adam Malysz... but who (apart from 40 million Poles) cares about ski jumping?