A Przemyśl native in the Polish national team. He shined during the World Cup.

The Deaf Futsal World Championships in Italy were a historic event for the Polish national team. It was the first time our national deaf team had achieved such a high ranking in a World Cup. A 6th-place finish is truly a huge achievement. The tournament brought together the best teams from around the world, and the Poles put in a strong performance, demonstrating fighting spirit, commitment, and significant progress on the international stage.

In the qualifying phase (six-team groups), the Polish national team competed in Group A, facing strong teams from different continents. In their opening matches, Poland achieved two convincing victories, defeating England 6-3 and Morocco 13-2. In their third match, they clearly lost 7-1 to the very strong hosts, but this heavy defeat didn't dampen their hopes of advancing. The next match, against Uruguay, ended in a 9-2 victory for Poland, and in their final group match, they lost 3-1 to Iran. Despite the two defeats, thanks to favorable results in other groups and a better goal difference, Poland finished third in the group and advanced to the quarterfinals! For the first time in history, this is a milestone for Polish deaf futsal in reaching the world's top ranks.

In the quarterfinals, Poland faced Brazil, one of the tournament favorites. The match was incredibly exciting – the Poles led for most of the match, displaying excellent defensive organization and determination. Unfortunately, Brazil managed to turn the tables in the final minutes and won 6-3. After losing in the quarterfinals, the Polish team competed for places 5-8. First, they defeated Turkey 3-1 in a thrilling overtime. This allowed them to play for 5th place in the World Championship. There, they faced Sweden and were forced to concede their superiority, losing 4-7.

As mentioned, finishing 6th in the World Championships is a huge success for the Polish Deaf national team. It demonstrates significant progress on the international stage. According to the association's leadership, this result inspires further work and the development of Deaf futsal in Poland, and also represents an important step in the team's development and opens new perspectives for the future. It's worth emphasizing the role of sport as a tool for integration and promoting sporting values ​​within the Deaf community.

The Polish national deaf futsal team consisted of Tomasz Orłoś, Damian Gryz (goalkeepers), Michał Łysiak, Adam Wojewoda, Paweł Szewczyk, Krzysztof Łuczywek, Piotr Barzał, Szymon Nowicki, Adam Żurek, Jan Paczyński, and Kamil Michałek. The national team is coached by Piotr Ożóg, with Damian Stec as his assistant and Bartosz Rosiak as their physiotherapist.

– said the coach of the Polish national team, P. Ożóg.

Words of thanks are also due to the board of the Polish Deaf Sports Association, headed by its president, Wojciech Stempurski, for the professional organization of consultations, preparations and the trip to the world championships.

Tomasz Orłoś wore the official jersey with the eagle on the chest many times. Photo: private collection.

As we have already mentioned, Tomasz Orłoś from Przemyśl was among the 11-man squad for the Polish national deaf futsal team. He was one of two goalkeepers and showed excellent performances in the matches in which he played.

In 2021, Tomasz Orłoś won the election as president of the Przemyśl Branch of the Polish Association of the Deaf, a position he holds to this day. "As president, as a player, as a person, he's always been the same: helpful, hard-working, persistent in his pursuit of success, patient, steadfast, modest, and friendly," say the Przemyśl branch's employees.

He began his football career as a teenager at the Janusz Korczak Special Educational and Care Center No. 2 in Przemyśl. Despite his hearing and speech disabilities, he communicates perfectly with hearing athletes. His goalkeeping talents have been recognized by many clubs. He has kept goal for Czuwaj Przemyśl, Viking Orły, Leśnik Bircz, Bizon Medyk, Tęcza Kosienice, and Zorza Trzeboś, among others. He is currently the goalkeeper of the A-class Dynovia Dynów, which until last season was coached by another Przemyśl native, Krzysztof Jędruch. T. Orłoś also plays for the Rzeszów Sports Club for the Deaf "Rest Gest." He has played for the Polish national football team for the deaf in various age groups since 2009. In recent years, he has played for, among others, in the 14th Summer Deaf Olympics in football in Brazil (2022) or the European Deaf Football Championship in Turkey (2024).