Czech Republic at the 2018 Winter Paralympics facts for kids
The Czech Republic sent a team of amazing athletes to the 2018 Winter Paralympics! These exciting games took place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Czech team competed in two main sports: para-alpine skiing and sledge hockey.
There were 24 talented athletes, along with 16 support people and 4 administrators, all working together. The country first earned four spots for para-alpine skiing, but they worked hard and got two more, sending a total of six skiers! The sledge hockey team also made it to South Korea after doing great in a special tournament held in Sweden.
Before the games, the team faced some challenges with getting enough money to train. This made it a bit harder for them to prepare and compete at their best for the 2018 Games.
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Meet the Czech Team!
In June 2017, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) told the Czech Paralympic Committee (ČPV) that the Czech Republic could send four athletes to the 2018 Winter Paralympics for para-alpine skiing. Three of these spots were for men, and one was for a woman.
Patrik Hetmer was one of the first skiers chosen for the team. Later, in September 2017, Pavel Bambousek, Miroslav Lidinský, and Anna Pešková also looked like strong choices for the para-alpine skiing team.
The full team was officially announced on February 6, 2018. It included athletes for both para-alpine skiing and sledge hockey. Overall, there were 24 athletes, 16 support staff, and 4 administrators. Anička Pešková was the only woman athlete representing the Czech Republic in Pyeongchang. The team had 6 alpine skiers and their 2 guides. Tomáš Vaverka, who competed in snowboarding at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, was chosen for para-alpine skiing this time.
The whole group was set to fly to South Korea on March 3, 2018.
Here are the members of "Team Czech Republic" who participated in the 2018 Games:
| Name | Sport | Gender | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pavel Bambousek | para-alpine skiing | male | |
| Pavel Doležal | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Michal Geier | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Zdeněk Hábl | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Patrik Hetmer | para-alpine skiing | male | vision impaired |
| Miroslav Hrbek | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Michaela Hubačová | para-alpine skiing | male | guide skier |
| Zdeněk Klíma | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Benjamínek Tadeáš Kříž | para-alpine skiing | male | vision impaired |
| Zdeněk Krupička | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Pavel Kubeš | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Martin Kudela | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Miroslav Lidinský | para-alpine skiing | male | |
| Miroslav Máčka | para-alpine skiing | male | guide skier |
| David Motyčka | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Radim Nevrlý | para-alpine skiing | male | guide skier |
| Martin Novák | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| David Palat | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Anička Pešková | para-alpine skiing | female | vision impaired |
| Jiří Raul | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Zdeněk Šafránek | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
| Tomáš Vaverka | para-alpine skiing | male | |
| Karel Wagner | sledge hockey | male | sledge hockey minimum disability open class |
Para-Alpine Skiing
Para-alpine skiing is a sport where skiers with disabilities race down snowy mountains. They use special equipment or ski with guides.
How They Qualified
In June 2017, the Czech Paralympic Committee learned they had four spots for para-alpine skiing at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. Three spots were for men, and one was for a woman. By September 2017, Pavel Bambousek, Miroslav Lidinský, and Anna Pešková were strong candidates for the team.
The team trained in early autumn 2017 on glaciers in the Czech Republic. This helped them get ready for their first races in November in Landgraaf, Netherlands. After that, they went to Pitztal for more races.
Skiers to Watch
Patrik Hetmer was one of the first skiers chosen for the 2018 team. He also competed in the 2014 Winter Paralympics. Patrik has a vision impairment, so he races with his guide skier, Miroslav Máčka.
Anička Pešková was the only woman representing the Czech Republic in Pyeongchang. She is also a blind skier and is guided by Michaela Hubačová. Anička even won a medal at the 2010 Winter Paralympics! She returned to alpine skiing in 2017 after taking time off to have a baby.
Benjamínek Tadeáš Kříž raced in South Korea with his guide skier, Radim Nevrlý. Tomáš Vaverka, who used to compete in snowboarding at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, was chosen to compete in para-alpine skiing this time.
Race Schedule
The para-alpine skiing events included several exciting races:
- The downhill race started on March 10.
- The Super-G race was on March 11.
- The super combined event, which mixes Super-G and slalom, took place on March 13.
- The slalom event was held on March 14 and 15. Both men and women raced in the mornings. In the afternoons, women did their second run, followed by the men.
- The last para-alpine skiing race was the giant slalom, on March 17 and 18. Men and women raced at the same time in the mornings. In the afternoons, women raced first, then the men.
Sledge Hockey
The Czech sledge hockey team hoped to win a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. They saw the teams from the United States and Canada as their toughest competitors. This was the third time the Czech Republic had sent a sledge hockey team to the Winter Paralympics, having competed in 2010 and 2014.
Team Players
Defensemen Pavel Doležal and Karel Wagner were playing in their first Paralympic Games. Other defensemen on the team had played in Sochi before. Michal Geier, Zdeněk Hábl, Zdeněk Krupička, Zdeněk Šafránek, David Palat, David Motyčka, Zdeněk Klíma, and Martin Novák played as centers and wingers, which are attacking positions.
The team was coached by Jiří Bříza, who had been leading them since 2013. Jan Katauer was an assistant coach, and Jakub Novotny was the goaltender coach.
Here is the Czech Republic's sledge hockey team roster:
| Name | Position | Previous Games |
|---|---|---|
| Pavel Doležal | defenseman | |
| Michal Geier | forward | |
| Zdeněk Hábl | forward | |
| Miroslav Hrbek | defenseman | 2014 |
| Zdeněk Klíma | forward | |
| Pavel Kubeš | defenseman | 2014 |
| Martin Kudela | goaltender | |
| Zdeněk Krupička | forward | |
| David Motyčka | forward | |
| Martin Novák | forward | |
| David Palat | forward | |
| Jiří Raul | defenseman | 2014 |
| Zdeněk Šafránek | forward (captain) | |
| Karel Wagner | defenseman |
Getting Ready for the Games
In the two years before the Winter Games, the sledge hockey team faced some money problems. Because of issues with sports funding in the Czech Republic, the team received less money to help with their training and to travel to tournaments.
This meant the team couldn't afford much ice time at skating rinks to practice before their final qualifying competition in Sweden. They also couldn't buy new equipment like sledges, hockey sticks, or gloves. To be fully ready, the team captain, Zdeněk Šafránek, estimated they needed about 1 million Czech Koruna (which is about €39,452.23) for all their training and travel costs. Since they couldn't get enough money from the government, the players had to ask individuals to help them financially.
Despite these challenges, the team went to Nagano in February 2018 to compete in a tournament and prepare for the Games.
How They Qualified
Japan, Sweden, and the Czech Republic were the last three teams to qualify for the 2018 Games. They earned their spots based on how they finished at a special Qualification Tournament in Ostersund, Sweden, in October 2017. Other teams in that tournament included Germany, Slovakia, and Great Britain.
Game Schedule
For the sledge hockey competition, the Czech Republic was in Group B with the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
- They played South Korea on March 11.
- They played the United States on March 12.
- The Czech Republic played Japan on March 13.
| Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Czech Republic |
|||||||||
 Japan |
|||||||||
 South Korea |
|||||||||
 United States |
| March 11, 2018 15:30 KST |
Czech Republic |
15:30 KST | South Korea |
Gangneung Hockey Centre |
| March 12, 2018 12:00 KST |
Czech Republic |
12:00 KST | United States |
Gangneung Hockey Centre |
| March 13, 2018 19:00 MSK |
Czech Republic |
19:00 MSK | Japan |
Gangneung Hockey Centre |
Watching the Games
Some parts of the Paralympics were shown on television by ČT TV and ČT Sport in the Czech Republic. You could also watch the Winter Games live for free on ČT Sport's website.
See also
In Spanish: República Checa en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Pyeongchang 2018 para niños
