Czechs Ready for ANOC World Beach Games

(ATR) Czech athletes are excited to compete at the inaugural ANOC World Beach Games in Qatar but they are going in without any preconceived notions.

"It’s a new event and I don’t expect anything – it’s better than having some big expectations," said Karolína Rehackova, the captain of the Czech women's four-member beach volleyball team.

The Czech Republic is one of 97 NOCs sending athletes to compete at the first-ever World Beach Games, Oct. 11-16, in the Middle Eastern country. The Czech delegation will be 25, including 13 athletes competing in six sports.

Rehackova, who has participated in the European Games but has no Olympic experience, is looking forward to the vibe and atmosphere in the Athletes Village situated just off the Arabian Gulf.

"It’s always nice to see some athletes from other sports because during my season I see only beach volleyball players," she said.

The Czech athletes spoke to Around the Rings at an informal press conference at the Kayak Beach Bar, on Prague’s Vltava River last week.

Temperatures in Doha are expected to range from 28 to 35 degrees Celsius (82 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) during the six-day global multi-sport event.

"We are expecting very hot weather, so maybe that’s why the race is so short," said Tomas Svoboda, a triathlete who will compete in aquathlon, which combines two sprint legs of running (2.5km x 2) and one of swimming (750m).

The first World Beach Games, under the umbrella of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), were initially awarded to San Diego. However, lack of sponsorship forced ANOC to relocate the multi-sport event from the Southern California coastal city to Qatar in May.

Skateboarding, sport climbing and karate, all of which will make their Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, are on the Doha program. Given a lack of waves off Qatar’s coast, surfing is expected to be staged independently at a future date and location to be determined.

Svoboda, who is currently ranked number one in the world in aquathlon, admitted that he would have preferred to go to San Diego, despite the substantially longer travel.

"I was looking forward to beach games in California and I’m a little disappointed with the change from California to Qatar," Svoboda said.

"I have some experience with racing in the Middle East and Dubai and these countries. I am expecting very expensive hotels and good organization, but I’m a little afraid of no fans being around to watch the events."

Competitions will be divided between two primary venue clusters – Katara Beach and the Al-Gharafa sports complex. The Athletes Village is situated just north of the city center along the coast and south of the Katara Beach cluster.

Veteran Czech Republic Chef de Mission Martin Doktor visited the capital of Qatar for meetings in July, when temperatures soared to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). He conveyed that preparing and coordinating logistics are somewhat similar to an Olympic Games, albeit it on a substantially smaller scale.

"All these things are nearly the same like when we prepare for the Olympics, just smaller numbers," Doktor tells ATR. "We’re communicating with just a couple people with the organizing committee, so it’s easier.

"It’s like when we were preparing for the first European Games – we were also curious about what will be the result of this.

"I think it’s a good way for the federations to show Olympic sports in different ways," said Doktor, a double gold medalist in sprint canoe at Atlanta 1996.

Approximately 1,250 athletes will compete for 350 medals in 14 disciplines across 13 sports. The competition begins on Oct. 11, one day before the opening ceremony, and wraps up on Oct. 16.

Fans will be able to watch live streaming of competitions on a new Doha 2019 WBG website, launched for the inaugural event.

The ANOC XXIV General Assembly will immediately follow the beach games, with some 1,000 delegates expected to convene at the annual gathering. The meetings will take place at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Hotel, Oct. 17-18.

Written and reported by Brian Pinelliin Prague.

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