Marek Brodský from the Czech Olympic Committee told us about the Olympic Parks
Marek Brodský, the communications director of the Czech Olympic Committee, told us why the Olympic Park is important and what its biggest benefit is.
Why do you organize the Olympic Parks? And what is its biggest benefit?
Our basic motivation is to introduce sport as a lifestyle, which is worth paying attention to. We want to present it to as many people as the Olympic Park format allows. We are focusing on children and youth, as we would like them to focus on sport over the long term and take sport as an integral part of their lives.
When did you start to organize the Olympic Park and how did it change over time?
The impetus was the Czech House in London, which was attended by about 50,000 Czechs. Two years later at the Olympics in Sochi, it was clear that the Czech House would be less accessible to fans, so we wanted to bring the Olympic atmosphere home. At the same time, we wanted to avoid having the Olympics, this celebration of sport, with people spending their time in front of television screens and not having time for sport. We were looking for a way to get them out of their armchairs and force them to go play sports. The park arose in Letná, which ended up being a great success - it was visited by about 400,000 people where winter sports were presented.
How would you briefly describe the Rio Olympic Park in Lipno?
When evaluating the Olympic Park from Letná, we found that visitors would welcome a similar event outside the capital, and summer sports require a large water surface. We found the perfect place here in Lipno where there is excellent infrastructure, as well as an ideal partner in the South Bohemian Region and Lipno municipalities.
What sets the Rio-Lipno Olympic Park apart from previous ones?
Above all, the composition of sports - summer sports require a necessary surface of water or sand for beach sports. The T-Mobile Beach Arena in Lipno nad Vltavou must be one of the largest sand pitches in the country and clearly ranks among the most popular sport venues.
Are you satisfied with the number of visitors to the park?
The final number of visits is slightly above 340,000, which is amazing - an average of over 20,000 people per day came to do sports. We are satisfied.
What are most pleased about so far?
We were all very pleased with the positive reactions from the various sports federations, which are in charge of presenting their sports. They all spoke very positively about how many people go to them and try their sports, especially children, whether it’s the traditional, such as football or athletics, or those “smaller” sports like boxing or chess.
How do you get feedback from visitors?
Like at Letná, we used a survey which a renowned agency prepared for us. You can meet the interviewer, who talks to visitors and discusses with them a set of questions, which should help in the coming years, to shift the park to the most suitable for the visitors.
How do you perceive AV MEDIA as a partner?
AV MEDIA is a great partner. I can’t imagine that anyone else would handle such challenges we face - after all, we are in the middle of the Bohemian Forest and the technicians must cope with the damp and cold ... in one sentence, it’s as if AV MEDIA sees no obstacles, only challenges!
