Sports in Czech Republic

Hello. I am not from the Czech Republic, I am an American on my way to Prague in September in response to an invitation to coach wrestling in Prague. I can say that sport - in general - is an important part of Czech life and has played a very important role in Czech history. Olympic athletes have long been participating  from areas previously known as Bohemia and Moravia. But the most famous Olympian is probably the great runner Emil Zatopek.

Sports that are most popular are football (known as "soccer" to Americans) and ice hockey. Tennis is also popular and Czech stars have made a strong impact in the tennis world - such as Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova.  And two Czech players won in an "upset" yesterday in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

I am a retired American wrestler (1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympic trials) but I never made the US team - I was only one of the final guys to be in the selection. As a teacher I am moving to Vienna and Prague to teach English as a second language, coach wrestling, give presentations on American history and culture, and serve as a consultant to select clients. My European web site is www.hlabramsconsulting.com and I am looking forward to spending time in Prague!!

I am not certain about sports facilities in the Czech Republic but this is an area that I must explore. My larger project is the IISOH Library and Museum, a project to build a sports complex in central Pennsylvania with a sports library and museum. I must visit and examine sports facilities worldwide to determine the best designs that we can use in our project, so I will be visiting facilities in the Czech Republic. Then we will create a page on our web site devoted to SPORT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC and give addresses, contact information and notes about teams, clubs, facilities, etc. We will have a staff do this for every country! So volunteers are welcome.  Sorry that I do not have this done for you today!! See www.iisoh.org for more information.

When I am in Prague it would be nice to meet at a cafe or restaurant for a meal and a chat. See you then. Harvey.