| Travelling to Bialystok On December 4-7, 2025, I travelled Poland to find out more about the country and the area before the MIST Games 2026. Have to say I had no fears about traveling to and on arrival I was so surprised at how open and friendly the country was. Even though Bialystok is 75km from the Ukraine border the troubles are approx. 1000km away I arrived at Warsaw Chopin airport mid-afternoon and as expected it was very busy but well signposted in English. Passport control took around 15 mins due to volume of people but flowed easily. Left the arrivals hall and headed to catch the 175 bus to Warsaw central train station and the journey took around 20 mins and the train ticket office was at the main entrance. Trains to Bialystok run every hour and the journey takes around 1hr 40 mins and was surprised how cheap the whole journey was. Bialystock Arrived at the train station and jumped in a taxi to a hotel I had booked very close to the rink. I had looked at many places to stay and found them very competitive and where I stayed was £60 for 2 nights and it was very clean and had everything I needed. The next morning, I met with some of the Polish skaters and was treat to a tour of the area. We then headed to the city centre. I was so impressed with the cleanliness, wide street and was lucky as the Christmas markets were open so we spent a lot time walking around. Visited a few tourist attractions but there was so much more to look at and visit. Had lunch in the city and there are so many bars, cafes & restaurants to choose from. Prices were also very competitive with such a wide range to choose from In the evening, we spent time in the city and it was so vibrant with lots of people enjoying the market. Had to sample a few bars and everyone was so friendly and it felt so relaxed and safe walking around. Bialystok Ice Rink Luckily there was a junior competition with 147 junior skaters. The rink which has everything required to stage the MIST Games. Ice surface is 60 x 30m with more than adequate barrier padding. It was warm and very bright with a large stand for the expected spectators. The rink has 6 large changing rooms to accommodate lots of skaters and at the far side it has a large warming up area including indoor running lanes, weight benches, exercise bikes so skaters can prepare properly for their races. Outside the rink there is a 400m athletics track which is available to use as an additional warm up area The competition had ISU officials on the ice, full electronic timing, a large results board giving a full flow of information for every race, and all this will be used during MIST. The organisers had also created an atmosphere in the rink that made the racing exiting for all the spectators watching. Summary Walking around Bialystok I felt so safe and the centre was so clean. The people I met and spoke to were friendly and helpful with a huge variety of hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes to make everyone’s stay enjoyable. The rink and the organising team are more than capable of ensuring that the MIST Games will be a superb competition for all and that everyone will go away with a lasting memory of MIST in Poland (27-29 March 2026). Reported by Keith Wright |
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