Spartakiad (Czechoslovakia)

Spartakiad
1965 Spartakiad
Statusinactive
Genresports event
Location(s)Prague
Country Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Inaugurated1955 (1955)
Most recent1990 (1990)
SponsorCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia

The Spartakiads or Spartakiades[1] in Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak: Spartakiáda) were mass gymnastics events, designed to celebrate the Red Army's liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945.[2] The name refers to the 1921 Prague Spartakiad organised by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.[3] They were organised by the Communist government as a replacement of the similar Sokol gatherings, which were disapproved by the regime and discontinued after World War II.[4] The Spartakiads took place at the Strahov Stadium, the largest stadium ever built and the venue of the last pre-war Sokol gathering.[5] Most of the organisers of the Spartakiads were former Sokol officials.[3]

History[edit]

The first Spartakiad took place in 1955, and was subsequently held every five years.[2] The Spartakiad scheduled for 1970 was canceled in the wake of the Prague Spring and the beginning of normalization.[6] Preparations for the 1990 Spartakiad were interrupted by the Velvet Revolution, but the event still took place as the "Prague Sports Games", albeit on a much smaller scale than the previous ones.[7]

The Spartakiads involved large numbers of people; for example, at the 1960 Spartakiad about 750,000 gymnasts from the whole country took part and over 2,000,000 spectators witnessed the event.[8] The last major edition in 1985 saw around 160,000 people perform across fifteen demonstrations.[9]

Before each Spartakiad, local Spartakiads were held, with juries selecting the best gymnasts from each region for the national event.[9] Men and women of all ages practiced and performed exercise routines. Appearance was originally mandatory for students and servicemen of the armed forces and police.[10] During the Normalization years, it became more voluntary.[11]

The 1985 Spartakiad notably originated the Michal David pop song Poupata (Flower Buds), which remains popular in the Czech Republic today[12] and inspired a 2011 film of the same name.[13]

Gallery[edit]

  • 1960 Spartakiad view from the stands.
    1960 Spartakiad view from the stands.
  • 1965 Spartakiad performance.
    1965 Spartakiad performance.
  • Members of the Czechoslovak People's Army about to perform in the 1980 Spartakiad.
    Members of the Czechoslovak People's Army about to perform in the 1980 Spartakiad.
  • 1980 Spartakiad view from the stands.
    1980 Spartakiad view from the stands.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bláha, Pavel et al.: Antropometrie československé populace od 6 do 55 let: Československá spartakiáda 1985. = Antropometric studies of the Czechoslovak population from 6 to 55 years: Czechoslovak spartakiade 1985. Praha : Ústřední štáb Československé spartakiády 1985, 1987, 244 p.
  2. ^ a b Morkes, František (18 December 2005). "Jak vzniklo slovo "spartakiáda"". Czech Radio (in Czech). Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Roubal, Petr (30 April 2024). Spartakiads : the politics of physical culture in Communist Czechoslovakia (First English ed.). Czech Republic. ISBN 978-80-246-4366-3. OCLC 1140640610.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Friedrich, Alex (12 August 1998). "What to do with ab aging giant". Prague Post. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  5. ^ "Accommodation in Prague Vokovice – Hostel and Apartments Spartakiáda – About Spartakiada". Hostelspartakiada.cz. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  6. ^ Roubal, P. (2020). Spartakiads: The Politics of Physical Culture in Communist Czechoslovakia. Václav Havel Series. Karolinum Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-80-246-3851-5. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  7. ^ "The first ever Spartakiad mass exercise and how it was influenced by the Sokol movement". Radio Prague International. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  8. ^ Marek, Lukáš (21 September 2009). "Strahovský stadion: zašlá sláva spartakiád". Pražský deník (in Czech). Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b T., D. (10 August 1985). "Za socialismus, za mir !". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  10. ^ Szantová, Olga (30 June 2000). "Sokol slet starts in Prague". Czech Radio. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  11. ^ Chris Johnstone (27 July 2017). "Spartakiady". Radio Prague. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  12. ^ "První spartakiáda kombinovala tanky a holuby. Šest totalitních bylo plné prosovětského nadšení s komunistickou symbolikou". Český rozhlas (in Czech). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Flower Buds / Poupata". European Film Awards. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

See also[edit]

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