A briefing before the start of the Czech Indoor Gala 2024 took place in the Ostrava athletics hall on Monday (29). Four athletic stars of the meeting, the president of the Czech Athletics Association and representatives of the city and region were present as the guests.
The Czech Indoor Gala has already established a solid position in the international athletics calendar and its quality is constantly increasing which is also confirmed by the fact that it received the highest category of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series this year. It is thus among the seven most elite indoor meetings in the world. Up to 130 athletes from 35 countries will compete in the 12 events of the main program. The Ostrava audience can look forward to five Olympic medallists, 15 World Championship medallists and 25 European Championship medallists. „It’s hard to express how proud we are for the reason that the meeting we’ve been building since 2016 has become one of the best in the world. The signal will go to more than 120 countries. I am happy that we can welcome a number of outstanding athletes and I believe that there will be a great show with a lot of interesting stories, because that is what this meeting will be about. I would like to thank the National Sports Agency, the Statutory City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region for their support, without which we would not be able to organise this meeting,“ said the president of the Czech Athletics Association Libor Varhaník.
Ostrava is a city of sports and athletics has always enjoyed a privileged position here, which is also confirmed by the mayor of the Statutory City of Ostrava, Jan Dohnal. „Ostrava has been supporting sports for a long time. We have top facilities here. We want to show the world that we are no longer an old industrial city but that we are a modern city worth coming to see. I am very glad that the Czech Athletic Association managed to get this meeting to the top. Tomorrow, we will be the capital of athletics, which is great advertising for us,“ he said. The mutual cooperation and support between the organizers is very beneficial for both parties, as evidenced by the words of the Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Stanislav Folwarczný. „When deciding on the support of the biggest sporting events, we also perceive their economic potential and contribution. We like to support sports and athletics, of course, as it has a great tradition in our region,“ he said. Karolína Maňasová was the only lady among the guests. The recent Czech record co-holder at the 60m would like to become independent at the head of this statistic. Her elite rivals, led by the leader of this year’s world rankings, Poland’s Ewa Swoboda should help her to achieve it. „I will start against very strong opponents, which I take as a plus because I like to compete under pressure. I don’t like to share so I believe that I will manage to improve the Czech record even more. I feel at home in this arena and I am pleased that such a top meeting is taking place in Ostrava. Parents and friends will come to watch so I hope to give the best possible performance,“ he believes in a successful performance in front of the home audience.
The Czech shot put record holder Tomáš Staněk will also want to make the most of the support of the Ostrava crowd. „I always look forward to Ostrava. Every time, it’s a high-quality competition whether it’s the Czech Indoor Gala or the Ostrava Golden Spike. I always want to fight with the best and I believe that I can push the season maximum as far as possible beyond 21 meters and we will see what it takes. The starting field is very good and I hope we will put on a great show,“ said the European indoor vice-champion.
However, the main favourite will be New Zealander Tom Walsh. The man with the impressive continental record of 22.90 will make his racing debut this year in Ostrava. „I am looking forward to the fight with strong opponents led by Tomáš (Staněk). It is clear to me that the home crowd will support him a lot but I believe that I will win. I feel in good shape so I’m hoping for a performance somewhere between 21.50 and 22 meters,“ the former world champion indoors and outdoors revealed his ambitions.
In the long jump, we can look forward to the Greek champion Miltiados Tentoglou. The man, who has already achieved every conceivable title including the Olympic gold, knows it well in Ostrava. He will be competing at the Czech Indoor Gala for the fourth time. „It will be my seventh race in Ostrava overall. I like it here. The arena is small but beautiful. I always enjoy a great atmosphere here. Even though I’m not exactly a showman, I feel the support of the crowd and it helps me a lot. Ostrava is one of the best athletic cities in the world,“ he paid tribute to the North Moravian capital.
The Czech Indoor Gala national program will start on Tuesday 30 January at 13:30 CET and it will be possible to watch it via a stream on the Czech Athletics Facebook page. The main program will then be broadcast live by ČT Sport from 16:50 CET.