17th All Sokol Slet starts in Prague

Some 15,000 members of Sokol, a Czech physical fitness movement with branches the world over, marched through the centre of Prague on Sunday, opening the 17th All Sokol Slet, or jamboree, taking place in the Czech capital. The event, which features mass performances at the Fortuna sports arena in Eden, will last for several days. The all-Sokol jamborees are held once in six years and are attended by hundreds of Sokol members from around the world.

The Sokol sports and physical fitness movement was founded in 1862, by leading figures of the National Revival movement. It was banned both by the Nazis and by the Communist regime. Its activities were restored after 1989 and today it is one of the largest all-age physical fitness associations in Czechia, with around 160,000 members.