News

April brought extremely bad news for the canoeing world, as the Plastex factory was completely destroyed in a severe fire. Its founder, Ryszard Seruga - an Olympian from the 1972 Games and a four-time World Championship medallist in canoe slalom - transferred his passion for canoeing into building top-quality boats after ending his competitive career. Over more than three decades, his equipment was used by numerous elite athletes to win medals at the canoeing biggest competitions.

 

According to Polish media, 20 fire units battled the flames overnight at the Plastex facility in Warsaw. In the production hall, only a few elements remained intact - a bicycle, a table, torn chairs. Somewhere in that chaos lay Seruga’s Olympic medals and diplomas, the Polish media reported.

 

The fire destroyed many finished boats. “They were packed tightly on those shelves, all ready for export. There were over a hundred of them. Two containers were to be shipped to Canada, and one to China. Ninety-nine percent of our production is for export,” Seruga explained.

 

To Seruga, the company is more than a business. “I founded the company in December 1989. The first Olympic medal in our boats came in Atlanta 1996, thanks to Piotr Markiewicz — he brought home bronze. And from there, it took off. Since Atlanta, every Olympics brought us medals. In Sydney 2000, over 20 medals were won on our equipment,” Seruga told Sportowe Fakty. He added, “At the last Olympics in Paris, the Chinese won golds in our boats. They still buy from us, even though they make their own copies - they prefer ours.”

 

Plastex is the second-largest canoeing equipment factory in the world, just behind Nelo. Seruga didn’t even want to estimate the financial loss. “It’s all handmade. Inside were micro-tools, polishers, drills, fine mechanical equipment. A 7.5-meter CNC milling machine was destroyed - it cost nearly half a million złotys. That was a new machine. Milling just the bottom of a boat without a project can cost 50,000 zł per piece. A single kayak costs €3,000 to €9,000. A huge amount of capital has gone up in smoke. I had four medals in the office, including the World Championships gold. Plus the Olympic diplomas... The medals must be in there somewhere - hopefully I’ll find them,” Seruga said.

 

In these difficult times, the European Canoe Association stands by its long-time partner, Plastex. This support was expressed in a letter by Jean Zoungrana, President of the European Canoe Association, who among other things, said: “Since its founding in 1989, Plastex has become a key player in competitive canoeing. Your commitment to the development of canoeing, your partnership with the ECA, and your continuous support for athletes reflects your passion and professionalism. We also commend your contributions during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where your boats enabled numerous athletes to excel. We are confident that this adversity will further strengthen your company’s resilience.”

 

The leadership at Plastex has assured that despite this tragic event, the company will continue its work and mission in the future.