5.6.13

Flood Does Not Spare Czech Rowing

As already reported widely in the world media, the western parts of the Czech Republic have struggled with swollen rivers in the recent days. Floods have also hit neighbouring countries – Austria, Slovakia, and Germany.

As for the Vltava river that runs through the Czech capital Prague, the flood reached its peak on Tuesday, 4 June, and the flood danger has since been imminent down the stream, on the Labe (in German: Elbe) river.

Although the water volume stayed below the historically record 2002 flood in most of the affected areas, several rowing clubs have been damaged too.

Set up by Czech rowers, the Facebook website “Veslaři a povodně 2013” (Rowers and the 2013 Flood) monitors the situation. Photos of the flooded boat parks are being posted and offers of a helping hand released.

Screenshot of the Facebook flood help group for Czech rowers

As a today’s post informs, four rowing shells have been damaged in Litoměřice, the original hometown of the Czech Olympic rowers Milan Doleček and Milan Bruncvík, the latter of whom had represented Cambridge in this year’s Boat Race. Judging from the pictures, Mělník will probably be among the heavily affected rowing clubs.

In Prague, the only rowing club that obviously has not been affected by the flood is Dukla, the elite base of men’s national team. Officials of the clubs remember that the cleaning and reparation works in 2002 took at least one week but up to six months, depending on the extent of exposure to water and mud.

On 3 June, the only iconic rowing race in the Czech Republic has been cancelled due to water conditions. Known in English as Prague Mayor’s Eights (in Czech mostly in a shortened form, “Primátorky”), the 100th edition of the regatta was planned to take place on 7-9 June. A new term has been set to 20-22 September.

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