The first press conference for the Czech Indoor Gala (CIG), which will take place on 4 February 2025 in the Ostrava Athletics Arena, took place in the U Pinkasů restaurant in the very centre of Prague. Guests of the meeting with the media were the elite Czech athletes Amálie Švábíková and Tomáš Staněk along with the President of the Czech Athletic Federation Libor Varhaník.
The Czech Indoor Gala belongs for the second year in a row to the elite company of (this year nine) World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold events. After last year’s successful debut among the best indoor meetings in the world, the organisers want to follow up with another attractive athletics spectacle, which will be provided by the biggest athletics stars of today.
Libor Varhaník said at the press meeting: “We are honoured that World Athletics has once again ranked us among the most prestigious indoor meets in the world. It is a sign of respect for the level of Czech athletics. Last year we were also ranked very high among the gold medal events, which pleases us as it is a very prestigious event.”
“It remains a priority for us to help Czech athletes to improve their world ranking thanks to this event, and last year it was confirmed that the Czech Indoor Gala played an important role in their ranking. For Czech athletes this is an opportunity to compete against the best competitors from all over the world. We want to build the meeting on attractive fights and stories so that the spectators leave the hall with the feeling that they must be in Ostrava again next year.”
Elite Italian challenge for the Czech record holder
Czech record holder Tomáš Staněk would like to follow up his third triumph at the Czech Indoor Gala. The owner of five medals from major indoor championships reigned over the CIG event in the 2018 and 2021 editions. Last year he finished second at the Ostrava Gala, beaten by American Roger Steen by five centimetres. After missing out on European bronze by just six centimetres in Rome this season and finishing tenth in the Paris Olympic final, he is looking to make a successful start to 2025.
Paris Olympics finalist Staněk said: “Competing in front of the home crowd is always a special thing and anyone who has experienced the Ostrava crowd knows what I’m talking about. The organizers always provide me with elite opponents. I am even more motivated to succeed against them in front of the Czech fans and I will try to do my best again. I will save my starts before the European Indoor Championships, but the Czech Indoor Gala will definitely not be among them.”
“The organizers don’t give me easy opponents, but it’s an extra motivation,” said Tomas Stanek about his already announced opponent Leonardo Fabbri. “I would like to give my best performance, it’s always something special to compete in front of a great home crowd. Of course, I would like to get closer to 22 meters (the qualification standard for Nanjing), but I am not committing to a specific performance. The main thing will be my health, because I have been throwing injured all season, now I believe everything will be fine.”
Tomas‘ challengers are led by one of the biggest stars of the event, Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri. He has had a very successful year in 2024, during which he hung a bronze medal on his neck at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, won the European Championships in Rome and won the Diamond League trophy, beating the American duo of Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs in the Brussels final. He pushed the Italian national record to 22.98.
Fabbri has already competed once at the Czech Indoor Gala, in 2020, when he finished second to Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki with 21.11, who then won in the still-standing meet record of 21.88, a PB that is definitely within the Italian’s grasp. “The Czech Indoor Gala at the beginning of February will be my first start in 2025. Come and see me and my friend from the Czech Republic Tomáš Staněk. Buy your tickets because it’s going to be fun. We’re going to throw really far,” he urges.
Švábíková will take on the Olympic medallist
Amálie Švábíková has not missed the Czech Indoor Gala once since 2018. In the last two editions, she has always taken second place behind Slovenia’s Tina Šutej, this year with a 463 centimetres effort. Later in the 2024 season she reached fourth place at the European Championships in Rome, and especially a very valuable fifth place at the Olympic Games in Paris. At the time, Amálie also improved the value of the 11-year-old national record of Jiřina Kudličková by four centimetres to the current 480 centimetres.
At the beginning of the autumn preparation period, she changed her coaching leadership and is now working with Kudličková. “I am surprised beyond measure how well we are getting on with Jiřina and I really enjoy training with her. Somehow, we women understand each other better,” Švábíková smiles in speaking about the new cooperation. „It’s no secret that we are friends, we know each other from the sector when she was still competing. She was one of the first to congratulate me after breaking the national record, and it was hers.”
“I would like to get close to my level of performance in this year also in the new season in the upcoming indoor season, which will be specific with two national team highlights. I can certainly speak for all Czech athletes that it is very good for us to have the opportunity to compete at an indoor event of the highest category in our home environment and I am very motivated to succeed in Ostrava. I don’t have to meet the Tokyo standard, but I always want to jump as high as possible, especially at quality home meets”.
However, Amálie’s road to her first victory at the Czech Indoor Gala will not be easy. In the sector she will face, among others, Olympic bronze medallist from Paris Alysha Newman. The 30-year-old Canadian secured the ‘precious metal’ at the Stade de France by improving her own national record to 485 centimetres.
The Commonwealth Games winner competed at the Czech Indoor Gala two years ago and finished with disappointing fifth place. This year, she would like to make amends in front of the Ostrava crowd. “I will be heading to Ostrava and I hope you guys come and watch. I will practice and can’t wait to get the season going,” Newman sent a message.
Tickets on sale
Tickets for the Czech Indoor Gala 2025 are on sale now via Ticketportal: …
Petr Jelínek