Winter Olympics 2022

It comes around every 4 years and while some might prefer one season over the other, the Olympics are always an exciting event that pulls the world together for a short period of time. The comradery, friendship and competitive spirit exuded through the Olympic athletes and it is worth celebrating!

Olympic history goes back over 3000 years. The first celebrations were conducted in Olympia Greece and dedicated to the Greek God, Zeus. Fast forward to 1896, in Athens, it is believed to be the first time the current modern Olympic games were established with 12 nations represented and 280 participants. In 1994, the Olympic Committee decided to rotate the Winter and Summer Olympics to every 2 years.

From 4 to 20 February 2022, the Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, China. Most of us know of our home country athletes as they have qualified for their sporting events over the past several months. So many talented athletes are working extremely hard for the chance to make the olympics. What do you know about the Czech Republic Olympic history or current team?

In 1894, the Czech Republic was one of the 12 nations on the International Olympic Committee to lead the Olympic movement by the determination of Czech high school professor Jiří Guth. For hundreds of years the Czech Republic and prior with the Slovaks, Czechoslovakia, have been active, stable participants in the Olympic games. The Czech athletes have participated successfully achieving many medals as well as some athletes achieving legendary status on the national and international stages.

Interested in who is representing the Czech Winter Olympic team in Beijing? Check the Czech Olympic Team website. Did you know the first Czech Women’s Hockey team qualified for the winter olympics this year? Yes they did, many of the players have been working toward this achievement for well over 10 years. To follow the Czech ladies hockey team, the first game is 3 February against China, see their olympic schedule.

How about giving an Olympic event a try? This year, the Czech Olympic Festival will be held in Brno from 4 to 20 February. It is a festival that recreates the Olympic experience here in the Czech Republic. Opening ceremonies begin at 11:00 on 4 February with the lighting of the Olympic flame by Czech figure skater Tomáš Verner. Sporting events available to try are extensive as well as a few not so familiar such as snow volleyball and orienteering. Complete information, including specific locations for each sport and other live events, such as meet a Czech Olympian, can be found on the festival website.