Czech athletes settling in Olympic Athens

With just a few hours to go before the Olympic Games in Athens officially begin, the majority of the 140 athletes in the biggest Czech team ever are already in place and getting ready for the event. General Secretary of the Czech Olympic Committee Vladimir Dostal is there as well, and comments on the atmosphere.

Czech athletes settling in Olympic Athens

Photo: CTK

"Compared to the atmosphere I experienced in winter and in spring, Athens is rather empty. Maybe it's surprising but many Athenians were instructed to leave Athens for their holidays, so for example traffic is not so heavy. When I left Athens in February, the lord mayor of Athens promised that when we come in August, we come to a completely different city. Now I can confirm she was right. The infrastructure like tram routes, highway etc. has been mostly finished, and constructions of the sport facilities are also almost completed. So the Athens is relatively clean and empty now."

How about the conditions for Czech athletes like the lodging, food etc.?

"Last night I visited the Olympic village where I met with the leadership - chief of the mission and other people helping to organize their stay - I can confirm again what our media already mentioned, that we have an Olympic house on a perfect place, the rooms themselves are very nice and comfortable. Although, there are some small problems, Mr Dvorak (the chief of the mission) is always able to solve them very quickly. As for the food, I was not in the canteen, but they say it's perfect, there are several cuisines prepared for the athletes, so as I could see everything seems to be very nice there."

Is the weather O.K. as well? I think the weather in Greece can be very hot, especially for the Czech athletes who are not used to it.

"Oh, that could be a real problem. I don't know exactly, but I estimate the temperatures between 35 and 40 °C. Fortunately, the humidity is not so high, so the conditions for the athletes are not so terrible. The organizers try to organize some sport events early in the evenings, for example for the rowers, because of the wind, but anyway, Athens is hot. However, we must take into account that most of the competitions will be held indoor. The halls are air-conditioned, so I think there won't be any problem. The greatest problem will be for the track and field competitors, namely the marathon runners."

Is everybody there yet or who is missing?

"Well in the moment, the Czech team is comprised of 140 athletes. Of course, not all of them have arrived to Athens. Namely the track and field competitors and modern pentathlonists are still expected to come. On the other hand, shooters, gymnasts, cyclists, rowers have already come and they are preparing in the Olympic sport facilities."