Spartakiad

• National mass gymnastic festival in Communist ruled Czechoslovakia was called Spartakiad. It was considered as a manifestation of friendship and defensive alliance between our common people and fraternal Soviet Union. This festival had a fixed position in the political system not only from the development of corporal education and sport, but also from political point of view.

• The whole of country was integrating into the process of practising Spartakiad. In 1985 it was the last Spaktakiad, sportsmen were divided into 15 categories: parents and children, the youngest pupils, junior school-girl, junior school- boys, older school-girls, older school- boys, female and male students, youth, unionist, students from universities, female students and women, women, men and army. Each group had their own composition, choreography and a kit. The parades of each show took part in towns. The best sportsmen moved on district performance, then on regional performance and at last on the national performance… The traditional climax was a finale of the best sportsmen on Strahov stadium in Prague.

• The first national Spartakiad was realized in 1955. The concluding ceremony was considered as a celebration of 10^th anniversary of the Czechoslovakian liberation by Soviet Union (the number of sportsmen were 557 000).

• On the 2^nd National concluding ceremony in 1960 participated 721 603 sportsmen.

• Next national mass festivals were in years 1965, 1975 and 1980.

• The last national mass festival was performed in 1985.

• The STRAHOV stadium spreads on area of 6 HA. It was built in1925 and a capacity of the stadium is about 200 000 visitors. Nowadays it is used for musical concerts, but strictly speaking, it ruins!

Translated by: Peter Svoboda

Update 11. November 2004
Ing. Lýdia Haliaková