Olympian’s frozen crypto payment adds to Poland’s growing political scandal

A Polish speed skater who finished just outside the medals at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics says he is still waiting to access an award payment that was transferred to an account on cryptocurrency platform Zondacrypto, adding a personal dimension to a widening political and financial scandal in Poland.

The company has faced complaints from users over delayed or frozen withdrawals and has said that a large amount of bitcoin remains locked in an inaccessible wallet.

The case has spilled into national politics after Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament that the platform had links to Russian-linked funds and accused opposition politicians of benefiting from its financing, allegations that are now being examined by prosecutors and security agencies.

Lawmakers on Friday again failed to override President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of a crypto‑asset market bill, leaving Poland’s implementation of EU MiCA rules blocked for now.