Dear and kind pedestrian friends,

we would like to start the first article of this year with something optimistic and pleasant. After all, Czech walking deserves it and needs positive words like salt. Unfortunately, the situation does not allow something similar!!!

In recent weeks, there have been many questions about whether anyone has any idea how it will be with the league rounds and competition dates in 2024. The question of why these questions are not directed to the responsible persons - members of the competition committee - is quite relevant. Unfortunately, the answer is classic fear. Most interviewers are afraid to speak up so they don't end up being the complainer. Possibly so that someone doesn't get angry with them and they don't have to worry that they won't finish the race. Such fears are probably just an irrational need, when we all want to be liked by those around us, but unfortunately this is how we got here.

Due to the information vacuum regarding the team competition, we have decided to write an open letter to the chairman of the competition commission, Mr. Veverko, because the schedule for the league rounds on the track is already known from 20.12.2023, and unfortunately the pedestrian one is still on the ČAS website in no document or calendar does not appear.

We are attaching the text of the open letter in its entirety and we hope that the situation regarding the zero information will be rectified soon.

Lucie Nekulová and Josef Smola

Dear Mr. Squirrel,

I take the liberty of addressing you with this open letter, given your position as chairman of the competition commission.

The competition committee is responsible for drawing up the schedule for the following year. On 20.12.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX

the date of the athletic competitions of adult teams of all league levels was officially published. League competitions on the track will start on 11.5.2024. and athletes who want to help their clubs earn league points can plan their calendar.

Unfortunately, the published document completely lacks information about the dates of the pedestrian competitions, which are directly linked to the league rounds. Walking races usually start well in advance.

Last year, the league even started on April 2.4. If we take into account that in recent years, league pedestrian competitions have never started later than mid-April, and at the same time, the fact that the first pedestrian round has to take place before May 11.5 is quite surprising when the competitions on the track already have dates, and the walkers still haven't seen their date sheet published.

Most of the participants in the first and second league races are working people who need to combine their love of athletics with their work and personal lives, so planning is key for them. Masters athletes then need to know whether they will be able to participate in top competitions of their age level, or whether they will be needed in the league.

After last year's deadline found its bottom, because the organizer of one of the league competitions only found out about the official allocation of the league competition from a published document, we went down another unexplored path, when traditional organizers are sent messages asking if anyone has already spoken to them about the league . I dare to express the opinion that such a painstaking search for information regarding how things will actually be with the league is, to put it mildly, undignified.

So would it be possible to officially publish the dates of league competitions for pedestrian disciplines as well? If this is possible for track competitions 5 months before the start of the first race, there is perhaps no relevant reason why it could not be the same for pedestrian competitions.

The open letter will be published on the website smolachuze.cz, given the growing number of inquiries as to whether anyone has any idea how the league will fare.

Thank you for your time and hopefully correcting the current situation.

Lucie Nekulova