Prague, July 28 (CTK) – Czech politicians, mainly regional governors and mayors, are building Olympic parks before the Rio Summer Olympics, having found a chance to present themselves as patriots two months before regional and Senate elections, daily Hospodarske noviny reports.
A stress similar to that felt by the organisers of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games can be seen in four places in the Czech Republic, HN writes.
During next week, Olympic parks must be finished in Lipno, South Bohemia, Ostrava, North Moravia, Plzen, West Bohemia, and Pardubice, East Bohemia, where people will have a chance of practicing some sports and to root for the Czech Olympic team, it adds.
The exceptional effort is inspired by the success of the Olympic park built for the occasion of the Sochi Winter Olympic in 2014 in the Letna park in Prague, HN writes.
The parks, built for more than 100 million crowns, largely from the public means, will be much visited by politicians who have had the projects passed, it adds.
This is most visible in South Bohemia where the biggest park is being built alongside the Lipno water reservoir on the Vltava River for 65 million crowns, HN writes.
Regional governor Jiri Zimola (Social Democrats, CSSD) is smiling at his voters from the billboards with the slogan Enjoy the South Bohemian Olympic Summer across the region, it adds.
Along with 30 million crowns invested in the Lipno park, the regional authority has also spent another 20 million on the project Olympic South Bohemia that started at the beginning of the year, HN writes.
In a series of sports events, people have had a chance to try Olympic sports disciplines.
Zimola, the main face of the whole project, denies any connection with the elections and politics, HN writes.
“Your readers are certainly able to calculate how many times the investments will return to the local economy. I am proud of this and I am credited for this,” Zimola has written to the paper.
“If you see any political campaign behind this, it is just your problem,” he added.
The 16 billboards for roughly 160,000 crowns were commissioned by the CSSD regional committee.
The large outdoor billboards are to stay alongside roads till the end of August, HN writes.
The park will offer a chance of trying 50 sports disciplines, both Olympic and non-Olympic, for free, it adds.
There will be also cultural events and projection of Olympic races from Jumbotrons.
Along with the regional authority, the park is sponsored by the Czech Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Commitee with ten million crowns each and several private companies, HN writes.
The project is opposed by environmentalists who say it will harm the local landscape, warning of the cutting of healthy trees over it, it adds.
A group has called for a boycott of the project, HN writes.
