President Pavel is thoroughly enjoying the winter games. He's a champ, fans say, praising his skill with the hockey stick.
The Czech delegation is sending 113 athletes to this year's Olympics, making it one of the largest delegations. It's no surprise that Czech fans are cheering with great enthusiasm. More than half of the population expressed their interest in watching this year's games. Directly from the heart of the events, Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlová showed their support.
The greatest interest among Czech fans is in ice hockey. According to statistics, more than 65 percent of viewers plan to watch it. The survey shows that almost two-thirds believe the team will bring home one of the medals. Czechs were similarly optimistic about the performance of Ester Ledecká, with more than half predicting a gold medal. Instead, her younger colleague Zuzana Maděrová claimed it, who was warmly embraced by the head of state right after finishing the race.
Second place in popularity is clearly occupied by biathlon, which up to 45 percent of respondents plan to watch. The third place is divided according to gender preferences: while men show a greater interest in alpine skiing, women tend to prefer figure skating. The least popular disciplines are short track and ski mountaineering, according to surveys by STEM/MARK.
Petr Pavel Fully Enjoys the Winter Olympics
President Petr Pavel is also sharing his Olympic experiences on Instagram.
"She's done it! Gold for Zuzana Maděrová in Livigno. Huge congratulations and deep respect. Thank you for the excellent representation of the Czech Republic. It was an honor to be there,"
he wrote on a post celebrating the golden success of the young snowboarder.
On social media, he also shares moments from the Olympic Festival in Český Budějovice, where, besides cheering, he also tried his hand at various Olympic disciplines. With equipment from the Alpine Pro brand, he experienced what curling entails. At the biathlon shooting range, Eva Pavlová got a chance to show what she's got. With the words, "This will be embarrassing now," Pavel finally showed his skills on the ice, demonstrating that he's not unfamiliar with a hockey stick and puck.
"He's a champ. Finally, we have a president who is in shape," fans comment under the posts.
A Piece of Home at the Olympics
Czech fans can feel at home even in Milan. The Czech House is a place at the Olympics where you can cheer for free within your community. During the live broadcast of the races, you can also enjoy quality Czech beer. Various programs are prepared as well, such as competitions, interviews, or predictions.
"Czech Houses are now inseparably linked to the Olympics. It's like a home base, a piece of home at the Olympic location. Although it's not that far for us now, it's still nice to have our own place where we can go to support our team,”
said President Petr Pavel.
"Casa Ceca" is located a short distance from the Olympic village and will be open until February 22.
"We Stand by You," sings Ben Cristovao in support
Support for the Czech Olympic team was also shown by Ben Cristovao in his new single Vlajka, which he specifically wrote for them.
"I tried to put myself in the shoes of the athletes who are under immense pressure during major competitions, and write a song that I, as someone representing my country, would want to hear. Words that would motivate me and at the same time not judge me if something doesn't go as planned,"
explains Ben.
The song itself is receiving a wave of criticism alongside praise. Many people don't like it and label it as unsuccessful. However, young athletes are dancing to it and recording videos. Zuzana Maděrová also added one such video to her account on TikTok.
Sources: original text, Instagram, TikTok, Refresher, olympijskytym.cz, STEM/MARK
