Qczaj in Cyprus. He led a training session for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity at the seaside in Larnaca.

Qczaj in Cyprus has transformed the seaside promenade into a large training hall. On January 12, 2019, Daniel Kuczaj led an open charity training session in Larnaca supporting the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. The event took place almost directly on the seafront, on a stage at Finikoudes Beach.

There was a microphone, music, a workout, and the iconic red heart of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. Surviving photos show Qczaj exercising against a backdrop of palm trees, the sea, and the masts of the Larnaca marina. It's hard to imagine a more Cypriot setting for a fitness event.

Qczaj in Cyprus. Training in Finikoudes

On Saturday January 12, 2019, the day before the 27th Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, an event called "Love yourself with QCZAJ".

The Cypriot calendar of events billed it as a charity fitness training open to the public. It was scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 1:00 p.m. The venue was a stage by the beach. Finikoudes – one of the most recognizable points of Larnaca.

The event was organised by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation, the Polish Embassy and the Polish community in Cyprus.

And this time, helping was combined with movement.

Training with a view of the Mediterranean Sea

Photos from the event perfectly show how unusual the setting was.

Qczaj leads the training session in sportswear, wearing a headset microphone. Behind him, the beach, sea, palm trees, and yacht masts are visible.

A huge banner hung next to the stage, stating:

"Love yourself with QCZAJ in Cyprus"

and about the charitable nature of the training supporting the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

This wasn't a closed training session in a hotel gym or fitness club.

The event took place in a public space and was open to all.

"Fall in love" in Cypriot

Qczaj, or Daniel Kuczaj, gained popularity thanks to the combination of fitness training with humor, a distinctive way of speaking and the slogan "fall in love".

Even before his visit to Cyprus, he was one of the most recognizable figures in Polish fitness online. Polish Radio described him at the time as a personal trainer, coach, and performer who encouraged people to enjoy exercise rather than build unnecessary pressure around training.

In Larnaca, his characteristic slogan was even incorporated into the name of the event.

“Love yourself with QCZAJ.”

Which is exactly what he had been repeating to his community for years – only this time with a Cypriot beach in the background.

The Cypriot Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity was just gaining momentum

Qczaj's visit took place at a time when the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity in Cyprus was still a relatively new initiative.

In an interview published a year later, the organizer of the Cypriot headquarters mentioned that the 2019 edition was primarily intended to integrate Poles living in different parts of the island.

Qczaj, Sabina Jeszka, and Monika Urlik traveled to Cyprus that year. The main final event took place in Limassol, while Qczaj's training session the day before was held in Larnaca.

This is an important distinction.

Qczaj actually trained with the participants in Larnaca at Finikoudes, and later the Cypriot Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity continued the final events.

Not only for Poles

The choice of place was not accidental.

Finikoudes is the focal point of Larnaca's tourist scene – an open space through which both locals and tourists pass every day.

The charitable training could therefore be noticed even without prior knowledge of the activities of the Polish foundation.

Cypriot local media included the event in the official list of events taking place in Larnaca that week. Importantly, it was not presented solely as a Polish event. The announcement mentioned "Charity Fitness Training for everyone" – training for everyone.

This was one of the ways the Polish Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity reached out beyond its own community.

There was also a personal souvenir

After the event, not only photographs from the training were preserved.

Among the archival materials there is also a handwritten note from Qczaj expressing gratitude for the support of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

It's a small detail, but it fits well into the overall story. It shows that the visit wasn't just a matter of arriving, doing an hour of training, and then quickly leaving.

It was a meeting with people involved in the organisation of the Cyprus Orchestra.

Spend some time at Finikoudes instead of the gym

Celebrities have visited Cyprus on numerous occasions, performing concerts, hosting events, cooking, or visiting privately.

Qczaj did something completely different.

He moved his training to one of the most characteristic places in Larnaca.

Without the walls of a fitness room.

With palm trees, a marina and the Mediterranean Sea in the background.

And above all, for a specific purpose – to support the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity together with the Polish diaspora.

On January 12, 2019, for a few hours, Finikoudes became the most unusual Polish training hall in Cyprus.

Sources: archival photographic materials from the event; Larnaka Online – calendar of events in Larnaca from January 2019; archival materials regarding the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity in Cyprus; Polish Radio.