I. PKO Praha warmly invites you to the 78th Christmas swimming event in the Vltava — the Alfred Nikodem Memorial.
This oldest and best-known cold-water swimming event will take place on Thursday 26 December 2024, at 11:00, in the Vltava beside Prague’s National Theatre.
Swimmers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, England, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Hungary will take part. The course runs across the Vltava between Střelecký and Slovanský islands, with the start and finish beside Slovanský Island. The distances are 100, 300 and 750 metres.
The river will welcome both leading swimmers with international honours and recreational cold-water swimmers, who value the pleasure of healthy exercise in winter water with like-minded friends.
A week before the event, the water temperature is around 7°C. Although the forecast promises a considerable drop in temperature, experience suggests that swimmers may not be able to earn winter-swimming performance grades at the National Theatre this year. These can only be achieved in water classified as “icy” — 4°C or colder.
The river flow during the event should be more favourable than in the previous two years. Last year, the competitive part of the event had to be cancelled at the last minute because of the flood risk.
As usual, there will be a team competition based on the three highest-placed swimmers from each participating club. Prague 1 Mayor Terezie Radoměřská will personally present the Prague 1 District Cup.
All the awards will once again be presented in the splendid Small Hall of Žofín Palace. Every year, a considerable number of swimmers leave before the awards ceremony, perhaps unaware that it also includes a generous raffle with many lovely prizes. There are usually enough prizes for most of those still in the hall to receive something. So plan your departure carefully…
Further details, particularly for swimmers, are available in the official event programme (in Czech).
Instructions for participants
- Registration — Žofín Palace: please do not stay inside longer than necessary.
- Changing rooms: we have not hired the basement (the Knights’ Hall) this year. Everyone will change in the large heated tents beside Žofín Palace, labelled for men and women. An additional mixed changing tent will be available at the tip of the island, closest to the start.
- Race numbers and timing: swimmers in the 750-metre event will have their numbers marked in another tent beside Žofín Palace. Each must also collect a timing chip there and wear it for the swim. Finish by touching the finish board. The recreational 100- and 300-metre swims are non-competitive: swimmers will not have numbers marked, do not collect timing chips and will not be timed.
- Food: after providing packaged baguettes for hygiene reasons during the Covid period, we returned two years ago to the Memorial’s traditional sausages and bread. Vegetarians are catered for: no advance notice is needed. Simply collect your meat-free food at registration instead of taking a meal voucher.
- Schedule: the 750-metre heats will start immediately after the opening ceremony, with several waves within each heat. The first wave is provisionally scheduled for 11:15.
This year’s event is again part of the Czech Sports Union’s “Sportuj s námi” (“Play sport with us”) programme.
The main event partner is Pražské Benátky. The event is also supported by Pražská plynárenská, Bytostav, SUPTel, Etewa, Fiskars, Born To Swim, Elektroštika, Jůzek-elektro, Masi-co, the family jewellery company JK Jitka Kudláčková, the Prague Fire Rescue Service, Prague City Hall and Prague 1 District.
Main event partner
Partners
Cold-water swimmers’ baptism
Come along to the traditional cold-water swimmers’ baptism on Sunday 5 January 2025 at 15:00, in the side channel of the Vltava beside Camping Kotva in Prague-Braník (Nádraží Braník stop, trams 2, 3, 17 and 21).