She is very well aware of how complicated not only sports can be for the disabled, but also the movement and orientation around the city itself. The fact that she is no stranger to the sport proves that she runs herself, supports Brno clubs and athletes and is personally involved in the preparation of the multifunctional hall at the Brno Exhibition Center.
In September, Brno will host the 9th European Games for Handicapped Youth. What does this mean for you?
Brno is a friendly city, now actually cosmopolitan, it is a place for meetings and a place where the sport has a long tradition and is very popular among people. So where else but here should such an event take place? The benefits for Brno, but especially for the participants of the games are innumerable: Every experience gained in another city or another country is enriching, any sports activity makes sense and education that disability is not an obstacle is still needed. The participants, the organizers and the donors, without whose contribution the program of such a scale would probably not have been prepared, have my sincere admiration.
Competitors from several European countries will be heading to Brno these days. Emil Open 2020 will not only be about measuring their strength in summer sports but also about the accompanying program. How is the city of Brno doing with barrier-free access?
The situation has greatly improved in recent years. Emphasis is placed on facilitating movement and orientation in public space, in transport and publicly accessible buildings. I know that formal names can scare some people, but I must mention the Advisory Board of the Brno City Council for Barrier-Free Brno, which maps places problematic for people with disabilities and initiates the necessary changes or modifications. It also works closely with institutions and organizations representing people with various disabilities. And I would definitely recommend to visitors of the city an online map of accessibility of Brno on the web address www.brno.cz/mapa-pristupnosti.
How does the city of Brno help people with disabilities play sports?
Fully accessible or accessible with assistance are the city swimming pools and swimming pools - proved by the fact that on Kraví hora swimming competitions are held as a part of the games. I consider the opening of two workout fields for disabled athletes to be a great success of the last two years - the first is in the Hroch sports complex in Komín, the second introduced recently, grew up in the Hněvkovského complex in Komárov. We are gradually starting to build a new, large and, above all, outdoor complex in the former military premises near Anthropos, which could also be used by disabled recreational athletes.
Will you have time to attend this year?
I plan to accompany the athletes from Brno at the beginning. I promised to add my hand to the work and help on the spot with the organization - volunteers would undoubtedly be able to do it easily without me, but I want to make this symbolic gesture of support. I have gladly accepted the invitation to a benefit evening with Jan Kraus at the Radost Theatre. I am equally happy to invite the public because the selected entrance fee will be awarded to the Emil Endowment Fund, which has long been dedicated to helping disabled children and supporting their sports activities.
What about you and sports?
I really like running, which is pleasant for body and soul, but it also allows me to participate in various charity runs and help good things that way. Like many other Brno residents, I have recently discovered the magic of hiking - sometimes we do not even realize how many interesting destinations are in Brno, but also in our immediate vicinity. Besides, I am a proud fan of Kometa and Zbrojovka and a big fan of other Brno teams and athletes. I appreciate the activities of many smaller clubs, and it is certainly not without interest that the city of Brno, together with the South Moravian Region through the Brno Center for promising athletes, financially supports dozens of young and very successful talented people. Among them, we can find Olympians or medalists from the most prestigious competitions and races, such as the World Championships, the European Championships and the World Cup. Many of them have already become internationally recognized stars in their disciplines, which has been achieved, for example, by track cyclist Tomáš Bábek or sports climber Adam Ondra. One of our largest and most important strategic projects, which I also deal with personally, is also related to the support of sports, and that is the construction of a multifunctional hall at the Brno Exhibition Centre. There will be a modern arena in which, in addition to hockey, handball, tennis, volleyball, basketball or floorball can be played while meeting the strict criteria of international federations for these sports.
