Charles University is proud to have many alumni who have achieved excellent results representing the Czech Republic in university competitions, World and European Championships, and the Olympic Games. Sport at Charles University is all about enjoyment and fair play. These guiding principles never change, even at the very highest level of performance. Unlike some universities (especially in the USA), Charles University does not select applicants on the basis of their sporting ability. Nevertheless, there are many top-performing sportsmen and women at our University, and we are very proud of their achievements. We strive to provide the right conditions enabling these talented students to pursue their sporting ambitions alongside their academic commitments (though of course academic commitments always have priority).

Professional Athletes from Our Faculties

Many staff members at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport are former professional athletes. Current part-time students of the Faculty include several Czech internationals: David Bakeš (snowboard cross – 3rd place in the European Cup), Kateřina Novotná (short track speed skating – 6th place in the 500 m event at the 2006 Turin Olympics, gold medallist in 2010 European Championship in Dresden), Tomáš Verner (figure skating – 2008 European Champion, 2011 European Championships bronze medallist, seven times Czech Champion). The Faculty’s full-time students currently include Lenka Bartáková (basketball), Simona Baumrtová (swimming - Czech record holder), Jaromír Ježek (judo), Kristýna Kolocová (volleyball), Jaroslav Radoň (canoeing), and David Svoboda (modern pentathlon, 2012 Olympic Champion). Part-time students who have represented their country include Natálie Dianová (modern pentathlon), Miroslava Knapková (single scull rowing, 2012 Olympic Champion), Pavel Petřikov (judo) and Vítězslav Veselý (javelin, 2012 Diamond League Champion).

Several prominent athletes are students at the Faculty of Law, and some of them have represented their alma mater in the Czech Academic Games. These exceptional talents include Viktor Pak and Peter Gyurovszky (beach volleyball – 1st place in the 2009 Czech Academic Games), Kamila Hebelková and Tereza Godalová (floorball – European Universities Games), Václav Smetana (badminton – 1st place in the 2009 Czech Academic Games, badminton doubles), Lukáš Dušek (judo – 1st place in the 2009 Czech Academic Games), Dagmara Kubinská (karate – regular medal-winner at the 2009–2011 Czech Academic Games, Junior World Champion in Morocco 2009, 2nd place in the 2011 European Universities Games), Anna Zástěrová (wild water kayaking, 1st place in the Czech Academic Championship and winner of all domestic 2011 competitions, 2nd – 10th place in the World and European Championships and the World Cup).

Students at the Second Faculty of Medicine are well aware of the importance of physical fitness – whether in the operating theatre or at the doctor’s surgery. Among the future doctors, physiotherapists, nurses and laboratory staff who have excelled in recent sporting competitions are Karel Musil (judo, 2nd place in the 2010 Czech Championships in the 66 weight class), Jiří Bomer (representing the Czech Republic in gymnastics), Tereza Cihlářová (World Champion 2009, 2010 and 2011 in team aerobics, several times national and European Champion), Kryštof Chaloupek (representing the Czech Republic in curling, bronze medallist at the 25th Winter World University Games), the middle distance runner Zuzana Krchová, the badminton player Eliška Maixnerová (International Champion Switzerland 2006, silver medallist in badminton doubles 2011, gold medallist 2010 and 2011 at the Czech Academic Games), and Michal Votava (rowing, Czech Republic 2008 Champion in men’s fours).

The Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové is the alma mater of Eva Ornstová, who came 1st in wild water canoeing (K1 Women) at the last Czech Academic Games. That was her second success at the Games, having already won the same event in 2009.

Among the many excellent athletes at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics are Jonáš Vojtěch (undergraduate student of financial mathematics, 2011 cross-country triathlon European U23 Champion), Šárka Hezoučká (graduate student of financial mathematics, multiple Czech Academic Champion in heptathlon, shot-put and discus), Jindřiška Vaněčková (undergraduate student of general mathematics, Czech Academic Champion in archery), Kristina Hostáková (undergraduate student of mathematical methods in information security, member of Hradec Králové Golf Club, fifth place in the International Women’s Championship Czech Republic 2009, International Champion Hungary 2008). One of the most prominent sports in the roll-call of outstanding achievements at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics is volleyball, which enjoys a long tradition and sustained popularity among the Faculty’s students. In 1962 a volleyball club at the Faculty was the founder member of the Slavia MFF Praha sports club. At present the volleyball section has 150 members, and its seven men’s teams and four women’s teams make it the largest adult-level volleyball club in the Czech Republic.

Charles University’s Faculty of Education has a rich sporting tradition thanks to the prominent role played by sport at the Faculty. Its students include Jakub Tesárek (European Champion and double World Champion in karate kata shotokan, 2009 and 2011), the runner Petra Kubešová (several gold and silver medals in the Czech Junior and Women’s Championships in middle and long distance events), the middle distance runner Dana Šatrová (this year’s Czech Champion in the 1500 m event), the long jump and triple jump specialist Lucie Uhlířová (eight times medallist in the Czech Women’s Championship, U22 Championship and Team Championship), floorballers Dominika Šteglová, Jana Vojáčková and Lucie Szotkowská (representing the Czech Republic, bronze medallists in the 2011 World Championships). One of the Faculty’s teaching staff, Dr. Irena Svobodová (Fleissnerová), has won 73 Czech championships in various swimming disciplines and was a gold medallist at the 1979 World University Games in Mexico.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is represented by a journalism student Anna Kulíšková, a medallist at the 2010 Vancouver and 2006 Turin Paralympics and a holder of crystal globes in downhill and super-G.