Prague is planning a sports concept, which will determine, among other things, the investment approach

Prague - The capital city will have a concept for the development of sports drafted, based on which it will determine, among other things, where new sports facilities will be built in the future. The councilor for education, sports, and leisure, Vít Šimral (Pirates), stated in an interview with ČTK that it should be completed in June. The city's leadership already has a clear idea of several large projects that it plans to either undertake itself or participate in. These include, for example, an athletics hall, facilities for water and winter sports, or a multifunctional sports complex.

"In March, we will likely announce a tender for a new concept for the development of sports in Prague. It will be a contract in the range of one to one and a half million," said the councilor. According to him, the existing concept is completely inadequate and was hastily prepared just to meet a legal obligation. Part of the questions that the new document should answer includes the management of sports facilities and the construction of new ones.

"The further development of sports projects, especially in smaller city districts, will be based precisely on this development concept, which will also intertwine with the education development concept. Because our entire program is about supporting mainly youth sports and generally the sporting of children," Šimral explained.

Prague is already clear, according to the councilor, that it wants to build a multifunctional sports hall, probably based on an older project in Vysočany. In the case of other already clear large projects, the capital city will play the role of a partner, as they are being built either by the state or by private investors.

The Ministry of Education plans to build an athletics hall in Prague and also a water sports facility with a new artificial canal in Troja. For both projects, the city will provide land, just like in the case of the gymnastics hall named after Věra Čáslavská, which will be built in Stromovka by the Olympic Center of Sports of the Ministry of the Interior. According to the councilor, the sports facility for ice sports in Jižní Město is the closest to starting construction, which is being built by a private investor and should open to the public in May 2020. Šimral added that the city plans to ensure capacity for school skating in it and, in return, will pay a portion of the operating costs to the operator.

Regarding other projects, the city hall, according to Šimral, will support, for example, the construction of a multifunctional playground planned by the Bohemians club in Strašnice. In cooperation with Prague 10, the reconstruction of the Eden swimming stadium and the Ďolíček football stadium is also planned. The city will negotiate with the Ministry of Education regarding the reconstruction of the Friendship Stadium in Strahov.

Concerning already existing sports facilities, the city hall will strive, based on data obtained from the Prague Sports Union, to allow the public to use gyms, Sokol halls, and other sports venues during times when they are not occupied by clubs. At the same time, the city hall plans to provide current information on the occupancy of all sports facilities on the website www.prahasportovni.cz.