Czech news in brief for August 28: Wednesday's top headlines

Prime Minister Petr Fiala has announced that the Grand Prix road motorcycling world championship will return to Brno, Czech Republic next year after a five-year hiatus. The state will provide financial support for the event through the National Sports Agency. The race will be organized by Dorna Sports, the Autoclub of the Czech Republic, the government, the South Moravian region, and Brno. Private entities will also contribute to funding the event. According to Fiala, the MotoGP event in Brno is not just economically important, but it is also an event that has a cultural dimension with a great tradition.

President Petr Pavel has signed an amendment allowing Czechs living abroad to vote by mail in national and European elections starting next year. The amendment aims to increase participation among Czechs abroad, who were not well-represented in the last election by the ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy parties. The amendment may face challenges in the Constitutional Court, but supporters argue that postal voting is common in many European countries and necessary for those living in remote areas.

A survey of 411 children aged 9-17 in the Czech Republic revealed that two-thirds enjoy going to school, while one-third, mostly from low-income families, do not. The survey, commissioned by the Czech Committee for UNICEF and conducted by the STEM/MARK research agency, also found that school performance greatly affects children's happiness, with 36 percent saying good grades make them happy and 59 percent feeling unhappy when they don't do well. Poor academic results were more distressing for girls and grammar school students, according to the survey.

The government and trade unions were unable to agree on a pay increase for public sector workers. The unions rejected the government's proposal to raise the base pay of some of the lowest-paid professions by 5 and 3 percent. The unions demanded a 15 percent increase for all workers, while the ministry suggested giving half of workers a raise of 7 or 10 percent. The unions deemed the government's offer as unfair and will discuss their next steps.

Sparta Prague’s football team secured a spot in the Champions League for the ninth time after defeating Malmö 2-0 in the final 4th preliminary round. Sparta had previously eliminated Irish team Shamrock Rovers and Romanian FCSB in the qualifiers. They will receive EUR 18.62 million (CZK 450 million) for their advancement. Slavia, another Prague team, can join them in the Champions League with a win in their match against Lille. This season, the competition will have a new format with 36 teams and a common table.

The Paralympic Games in Paris begin today with 32 Czech athletes competing. At the previous Games in Tokyo, Czech representatives earned eight medals, including two golds, and all the medalists will also compete in France. Athletes Anna Luxová and Aleš Kisý will carry the Czech flag at the opening ceremony, which will take place on the Champs-Elysées and the Concord Square and will be watched by 50,000 spectators. The Czech Republic will have representation in eight sports, with eight athletes in the largest group and one less participant in swimming.

The founder of the Help Ukraine Foundation, Vladimir Gergel, has been charged by a state prosecutor for embezzling millions of crowns from subsidies meant for the integration of Ukrainian refugees in Czechia. If proven guilty, Gergel could face up to 10 years in prison. The Czech Education Ministry provided CZK 20 million in subsidies for the Foundation's community center in 2022. Czech Television reporters previously found out that the Foundation collected fees from clients and did not pay its employees for the work they did.

President Petr Pavel stated at Prague Castle that NATO is not only militarily strong, but also gaining strength politically and taking a more global approach. He emphasized the need for Europe to be more geopolitically active and for NATO and EU membership to remain pillars of Czech security. Pavel also highlighted the importance of effective and deployable armed forces for credible deterrence. He stressed the significance of the EU enlargement process and will meet with Balkan presidents at the Globsec conference to support their inclusion in the EU.

The National Theatre in Prague has become the first Czech theater to receive a European sustainability certificate from the Theatre Green Book initiative. The certificate, awarded at the Avignon Theater Festival, recognizes the theater's efforts towards achieving zero emissions in production, operation, and buildings. The Theatre Green Book provides tools and calculators for theaters to track their sustainability progress, and the ND met strict criteria for its entry level, including using 50% recycled materials and implementing energy-saving measures.