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First Prague Cold-Water Swimming Club

The oldest and largest cold-water swimming club in the Czech Republic

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Balviten Baltic Challenge 2016

A year ago, Leszek Naziemiec told us about a planned swim across the Baltic Sea. Swimming 170 km in icy water sounded crazy to me, but as I had already been winter swimming for a while, I provisionally agreed to join, with the proviso that I was already signed up for two other events: the North Channel and a crossing of the Río de la Plata from Uruguay to Buenos Aires. It would depend on the dates. As you know from last year, Zdeněk Tlamicha eventually went to the North Channel, while I, Jakub Valníček, went to Argentina with Zuzana Pátková. Unfortunately, all three events fell at almost the same time, so we did not go to the Baltic. That crossing took place without us, with a team of Leszek Naziemiec, Łukasz Tkacz, Iveta Nováková and Aneta Lokajová. Bad weather forced them to stop after about two days and 70 km. Read more…

Jakub Valníček, Jitka Vachtová ·

Spring Club Trial and Campfire

Our spring and autumn club trials have become a tradition, giving I. PKO Praha swimmers and invited members of the public a chance to compare their form. This year’s spring race took place on 19 June 2016, starting near our clubhouse on the right bank of the Vltava in Braník. We affectionately call the event our “triathlon”: a working party, a race and a campfire. This time it was more of a “quadrathlon”, with a club general meeting added to the programme. Read more…

Expedition to the Pole of Cold — Oymyakon

On Wednesday 15 June 2016, our I. PKO clubhouse hosted a fascinating talk by polar explorer Václav Sůra about his expedition to Oymyakon. Oymyakon is a settlement in Siberia known as the Pole of Cold, the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. The invitation to the talk opened with these words: “Taking a tent and a sledge and going camping in Siberia, at the Pole of Cold, seemed like a great idea to me.” Read more…

Jitka Vachtová ·

The Final Race of the 2015/2016 Winter Swimming Season

On 9 April 2016, Zářičí hosted the final race of the Czech Winter Swimming Cup season. The weather was unkind: constant rain, water at 10.7°C and air at 8°C. A total of 120 swimmers from seventeen clubs competed over 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 metres. I. PKO’s top-three finishers in this final event were Jakub Valníček (third, 1,000 m), Adolf Goebel (first, 500 m) and Jan Slabý (third, 250 m). Read more…

Ivan Landa ·

I. PKO’s success at the 2016 Winter Swimming World Championships in Tyumen, Siberia

The first Winter Swimming World Championships held in Russia took place in Tyumen from 8 to 12 March 2016. There were 1,275 swimmers from 42 countries, the oldest aged 91 and the youngest eight. Events covered 25, 50 and 100 metres in various disciplines — freestyle, breaststroke and relays — plus 200 and 450 metres freestyle, across different age groups. The Czech swimmers’ results were outstanding: the Czech Republic won seven medals, two gold, one silver and four bronze, and finished an excellent seventh overall among the participating countries! Read more…

Czech Winter Swimming Breaststroke Championships: Prague 2016

On Saturday 5 March 2016, I. PKO Praha organised the Czech Winter Swimming Breaststroke Championships. Our swimmers performed superbly on home ground, taking home more medals than any other participating club. The venue was Podolí Swimming Stadium’s unheated outdoor pool.

Only swimmers who had met the qualifying standards could enter the breaststroke championships. Other swimmers could enter a freestyle competition held alongside, outside the championships themselves. Read more…

Braník Ice 2016

Updated with Antonín Kutil’s photo gallery.
On 6 February 2016, our club organised the fourteenth Braník Ice as part of the Czech Cup: traditionally the last opportunity to earn points before the Czech Winter Swimming Freestyle Championships in Brno. For the fifth year, it was held as the Ladislav Nicek Memorial, honouring the elder statesman of Czech cold-water swimming. I would like to begin with a few words about a man I remember personally and used to meet at competitions from the start of my membership in November 2007. Read more…

Jarmila Pokorná ·

Invitation to the 2nd Kryathlon

Following last year’s successful debut of the new sport of Kryathlon, the event named after outstanding endurance athlete and cold-water swimmer Václav Pátek returns. His memorial will again take place the day after Braník Ice, on Sunday 7 February at 11:00 in Velká Chuchle. Read more…

Vladimír Chmela ·

Cold-water swimmers’ baptism 2016

Alongside the Christmas memorial — the St Stephen’s Day swimming event beside Prague’s National Theatre — I. PKO’s cold-water swimmers’ baptism is eagerly followed by swimmers and the watching, cheering public. Swimmers look forward to it all year and regard taking part as an honour. It is primarily for club newcomers, but other swimmers also receive this “sacrament”, being “baptised” again for the new season. It always takes place on the first Sunday of the new year. Here is my report from this year’s ceremony on 3 January 2016. Read more…