Take part in a free sports competition and help fight against COVID-19 by supporting the “Silent Heroes” campaign! On June 14th, you will have an opportunity to compete with others in a virtual 40 km cycling race during the Citi Handlowy COVID-19 Relief Challenge. For those who prefer outdoor activities, we have prepared two additional challenges – running and cycling.
- We want to combine business with pleasure. Everyone is missing the joint events and the excitement of competing side by side. We were supposed to meet on June 14th during the 5150 Warsaw triathlon competition, but as we know, the pandemic thwarted our plans. We must unite to defeat it, but we don't want to give up on our sports passions completely – says Łukasz Maleszewski, spokesperson for the 5150 Warsaw.
- We always support our customers and partners. We stand with them and for them in these turbulent times as well. Today, we appreciate the benefits of sport more than ever. It provides a wonderful escape from the hardships of everyday life, but also gives us a sense of community and the awareness that we are all together in this difficult time. We also share a common goal – to fight the effects of the pandemic – so that we can safely get back to “normal” as soon as possible and enjoy the full range of sports emotions again – said Maciej Kropidłowski, Vice President of the Management Board of Citi Handlowy.
Citi Handlowy COVID-19 Relief Challenge is a virtual competition which refers to the Olympic distance of the Ironman 5150. The participants will therefore be able to cover a distance of 40 kilometres by bicycle or to run any route of 10 kilometres.
Thanks to the cooperation with Citi Handlowy, participation in the challenge is free of charge, however, each competitor can voluntarily make a contribution to the fight against COVID-19. During the registration process, you will be able to donate any amount of money to the #CisiBohaterowie (Silent Heroes) campaign.
The collection is simultaneously conducted on the Planet Heroes crowdfunding platform.
Citi Handlowy has actively supported the fight against the coronavirus pandemic from the very beginning. One of the measures is the #CisiBohaterowie campaign, run for medical services by the Citi Handlowy Foundation. So far, Citi volunteers have prepared and delivered over 8300 balanced meals for paramedics in Warsaw and Olsztyn. Another objective to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 is to raise funds for the purchase of modern equipment for the diagnosis of coronavirus-infected persons for the RK Emergency Services Support Foundation (Fundacja Wsparcia Ratownictwa RK). Such equipment, including mobile ultrasound devices, will allow paramedics to more quickly qualify patients suspected of contracting SARS-CoV-2 for testing, as well as to examine people who come into their care for reasons not directly related to the coronavirus infection – e.g. as a result of an accident or an emergency.
Citi Handlowy COVID-19 Relief Challenge Formula
Registration for the Citi Handlowy COVID-19 Relief Challenge will take place via the SlotMarket.pl platform.
Each person has two options for entering the Citi Handlowy COVID-19 Relief Challenge.
- Virtual cycling race – a proposal for cyclists who like to compete. The race will start on Sunday, June 14th at 9:00 a.m. and will take place on the 40 km-long route of the 5150 Warsaw cycling stage. The competition will be held via Rouvy app, with the use of Augmented Reality technology. To take part in the race, it is necessary to have an interactive cycling trainer. The start package includes a 30-day access to Rouvy app and the competition will be broadcast live on Facebook. The 5 fastest cyclists in the OPEN women's and men’s categories will be awarded a free participation in the 5150 Warsaw 2021 competition.
- Running or cycling challenge – simply cover a distance of 40 km by bike or run 10 km once in the period between June 14th and June 30th and record your effort with one of the popular MyVRace compatible training apps. The distances correspond to the length of the cycling and running stages during 5150 Warsaw.
- We hope that thanks to the open and free-of-charge formula of the project, Citi Handlowy COVID-19 Relief Challenge will become a great opportunity for having fun and competing with each other. Not only for the triathlonists who were supposed to take part in the 5150 Warsaw competition on June 14th, but also for the entire community of active people who are looking for interesting initiatives in this difficult season, which is marked by many cancelled popular sports events – says Łukasz Maleszewski.
Participation in the competition was confirmed by outstanding athletes, including the following professional triathlonists: Tomasz Brembor, Aleksandra Jędrzejewska, Sergiy Kurochkin, Paulina Kotfica and Paralympians from Team Citi: Natalia Partyka and Maciej Lepiato.
