Funeral of Věra Cašlavská held out of public glare

The funeral of legendary Czech gymnast Věra Cašlavská took place on Thursday at the Šumperk crematoria with out the public and media. Last respects were given earlier at a Catholic church at nearby Bělá Pod Pradedem, in the north-east of the country, the news server Echo24 reported. Cašlavská, the winner of seven gold medals at the Tokyo and Mexico Olympics in 1964 and 1968, died at the age of 74 on August 30. A one hour tribute to the most successful ever Czech Olympic competitor will be paid in Prague’s National Theatre on Monday. Cašlavská was also know for her support of reforms ahead of the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and was persecuted by the Communist authorities afterwards for refusing to renounce her earlier views.