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People in Prague can use dozens of sports facilities free of charge from Thursday, December 25, until Wednesday, December 31, as the city launches the 17th edition of its Week of Free Sport. Residents can choose from more than 40 activities at clubs and venues across the capital, ranging from swimming and ice skating to paintball and martial arts. City officials say the aim is to encourage people to end the year actively and to try sports without cost. Some venues apply limits, including specific opening times or advance reservations. Last year, the event attracted around 11,000 participants.

The Czech-Slovak public fundraiser Oksana50, aimed at raising money to purchase 50 evacuation vehicles for Ukraine, has already collected EUR 1 million. The Slovak Open Society Foundation, which organises the campaign together with the Czech Foundation for Ukraine, announced today that the target was reached two months ahead of schedule. Thanks to more than 10,000 donors, the symbolic EUR 1 million mark was passed the day before Christmas.

The fundraiser is named after the ambulance Oksana, christened by Ukrainian soldiers. The vehicle has been used, for example, to transport wounded soldiers from the area around the city of Pokrovsk.

Petr Macinka, head of the Motorists‘ party and foreign minister, will meet Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and the Motorists‘ candidate for environment minister, Filip Turek, by January 7, he told journalists today. The meetings will occur just before Babiš’s New Year lunch with President Petr Pavel, whose reservations about Turek are expected to be discussed.

Macinka said he was concerned by comments from Vít Kolář, head of communications at the presidential office, regarding Monday’s meeting between Pavel and Turek. The president has indicated he expects Babiš not to nominate Turek; if the prime minister does, the president may refuse to appoint him.

Turek has faced criticism over racist and homophobic social media posts. He has apologised for some but denies authorship of others. He remains the party’s only candidate for environmnet minister.

Under Czech law, shops larger than 200 square meters, such as major supermarkets, may be open until midday on Christmas Eve, but must remain closed for the following two days. Exceptions apply to shops in areas such as airports and railway stations, as well as to pharmacies and petrol stations.

Some retailers, including Penny Market, choose to keep all of their stores closed on Christmas Eve, too. Online food suppliers, such as Rohlík.cz and Košík.cz, will deliver orders on Christmas Eve until 2pm, but their services will be unavailable on Christmas Day and will resume on December 26.