The meeting was first held in 1954 in memory of the Polish runner Janusz Kusociński, the 1932 Olympic champion over 10,000 metres,[1] who was killed on 21 June 1940 during the German AB-Aktion Operation.

Later on, the meet venue changed to a rotational basis and the memorial was held in cities such as Lublin, Bydgoszcz, Poznań, Szczecin and most recently Chorzów.

From its inception to the present day, the Janusz Kusociński Memorial has attracted world record holders and Olympic medallists.

Initially attracting top Eastern European athletes (including Soviet Olympic champion Vladimir Kuts at the first competition), Frenchman Michel Jazy, American Bill Nieder, and China's Ni Zhiqin were among the participants in its first decade.

The 1970s saw runners Ron Clarke and Filbert Bayi compete, while the 1980s featured performers including Wolfgang Schmidt and Sergey Bubka.