The gymnasium named after Čáslavská should be in 2022

The project has been discussed since 2016, when Čáslavská passed away at the age of 74. According to Slavík, the absence of such a hall is one of the reasons why Czech artistic gymnastics is not as successful as it was in the past. "We lack modern training facilities for athlete preparation," he noted.

The hall is expected to be not only for artistic gymnastics but also for other gymnastics sports, such as trampoline jumping, sport aerobics, acrobatic gymnastics, teamgym, or modern parkour, which the international federation wants to push for inclusion in the Olympic program in 2024 in Paris. "There are also plans for a hall for gymnastics and functional training for other athletes, such as track and field athletes, divers, judokas, or team sport players," Slavík added.

The main hall will have seating for 200 spectators. "International matches, national championships, or smaller international competitions can be held here," said Slavík.

The project has the support of the Czech government and is expected to be funded from the state budget. "I welcome this initiative, as gymnastics is fundamental to all sports. The facilities available in Prague are certainly inadequate," said the government commissioner for sports, Milan Hnilička.

Currently, the necessary changes to the zoning plan are being addressed. The outgoing mayor, Adriana Krnáčová, supports the project, but after the recent municipal elections, the leadership of the city hall will take on a completely different form.

The actual construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2020. "It's a long-distance run. Because I am originally a long-distance runner, a marathon runner, I am not afraid of it," said the head of Olymp, Jiří Beran.

He finds it logical that the gymnastics center will be established at Olymp, which is an organizational unit of the state as a resort center of the Ministry of the Interior. "Why should the state invest in something else? There are 250 professional athletes being prepared here in various disciplines. Gymnastics is the foundation for most sports," he added.