Under communist rule in Czechoslovakia, athletes were subjected to the games because political figures wanted superiority of the system through the showcasing of sports.
Lukas Krpalek wins gold for Czech Republic in Judo at Tokyo 2021 Games
Present-day Olympic performances are symbols of national pride. While there may not be as many podium placements as in the United States, the Czech athletes bring promotion and widespread recognition to the sports, which go into increasing institutional support. This support is considered vital as it brings in sponsorship, funding, infrastructure donations, engagement in sports culture, and buzz for media coverage.
Overall, the games shape Czech culture and foster national pride through sports and tradition. While Czech lands entered the games in 1900 as Austria-Hungary and again in 1920 as Czechoslovakia, it wasn’t until 1996 that the independent Czech Republic entered the Summer Games. Since their 1996 entrance, they’ve brought home 67 medals from the summer games.
Top sports for the Czech athletes include Canoeing, Track and Field, and Shooting. This may be in part due to some of the greatest Czech athletes in the sport who went on to coach future Olympic teams or bring recognition to the sport in their time served on the Czech Olympic Committee. Atlanta 1996, Martin Doktor returned home with two gold medals in the canoe sprint and went on to coach the Czech canoe teams in London 2012 before becoming the sports director of the Czech Olympic Committee. Javelin star Jan Železný has four medals and holds the world record at 98.48 meters. Železný remained active in the sport from 1996 to 2006 and continued to set records until retirement. Czech Locomotive, Emil Zátopek competed for the Czechoslovakia team and is most remembered for the games in Helsinki 1952 with dominating in both the 5000 and 10000-meter races and competing and winning the marathon, which was amazon considering he had never raced in one or prepared prior. In the world of track, Emil is a legend with his 18 world records set on kilometer and mile tracks.
Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner Men’s Beach Volleyball pair
With that all being said, there are athletes we can look forward to watching in this year's games. Men’s beach volleyball pair Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner are coming off of their FIVB World Championship win and many anticipate a place for them on the podium. Female sailing pair, Zosia Burska and Sára Tkadlecová are two to keep your eye on this summer. The duo have brought a huge spotlight to sailing for the Czech Republic and on social media are trending in eastern European feeds as leading females in current sports. Another confirmed athlete for the country is fencer Alexander Choupenitch who took home Bronze in the last Olympic games in Tokyo. Choupenitch is expected to participate in men’s foil in this year's games and is a favorite for a place on the podium. While in other sports it may not be clear which exact athletes will be heading to Paris, based on the country's history and performances seen in the past year, Men and Women’s Canoeing, Archery and Shooting, and Track and field events with an exaggerated meaning on field events, we are sure to be entertained with the Czech Republic athletes in this year’s games.
Written By Jacqueline Nicole Denson
Olympic events begin Wednesday 24 July 2024 and run until Sunday 11 August 2024.
Watch at NBCUniversal for US; CT for Czechia; RTVS for Slovakia.
SOURCES:
“Czechia (CZE).” n.d. Oylmpedia. https://www.olympedia.org/countries/CZE.
Kolár, František, and Jirí Kössl. n.d. “ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CZECH AND CZECHOSLOVAK OLYMPIC COMMITTEE.” Olympic World Library, 11-26. file:///C:/Users/Czech%20Center%20Museum/Downloads/F.Kolar-v2n3e.pdf.
“Tokyo Olympics: Czech golds in heavyweight judo, canoe slalom; China tops women's trampoline.” 2021. SPORTSTAR. https://sportstar.thehindu.com/olympics/tokyo-olympics/tokyo-olympics-2012-czech-republic-gold-heavyweight-judo-canoe-slalom-china-gold-women-trampoline/article35637433.ece.
“WE ARE ONE TEAM #olympijskytym.” n.d. olympijskytym. https://www.olympijskytym.cz/en/czechteam.