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David Svoboda

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David Svoboda
Svoboda in 2013
Personal information
Born (1985-03-19) 19 March 1985 (age 39)
Prague, Czech Republic
Medal record
Men's modern pentathlon
Representing  Czech Republic
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Individual
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 London Relay
Silver medal – second place 2007 Berlin Team
Silver medal – second place 2008 Budapest Individual
Silver medal – second place 2009 London Individual
Silver medal – second place 2009 London Team
Silver medal – second place 2010 Chengdu Team
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Warsaw Relay
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Berlin Relay
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Debrecen Individual
Silver medal – second place 2009 Lipsk Team
Silver medal – second place 2010 Debrecen Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Moscow Team
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Medway Team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Sofia Mixed Relay
Updated on 24 August 2012

David Svoboda (Czech pronunciation: [ˈdavɪt ˈsvoboda]; born 19 March 1985) is a retired Czech athlete who competed in the modern pentathlon. At the 2012 London Olympics, Svoboda won the gold medal in the Olympic pentathlon. At the 2008 Olympics, Svoboda placed 28th in the pentathlon.[1]

David is the twin brother of professional triathlete Tomáš Svoboda.

Working in the Czech Olympic Committee

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Statement on the participation of Russian athletes at the 2024 Olympics

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On March 29, 2023, he caused outrage and a media storm[2] with his comments on Czech TV on the dispute over the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in connection with Russian aggression in Ukraine. He was invited to an interview on Studio ČT24[3] as the Czech Olympic Committee Sportsmen's Commission chairman. In his answers, he questioned Russian war crimes in Ukraine.[4]

Several personalities criticized his statements,[5] for example, Dominik Hašek, who declared on Twitter that Svoboda supported Russian propaganda and crimes, including the genocide of Ukrainian children, and must bear the consequences for this.[6] Vavřinec Hradilek and Lukáš Rohan, members of the Czech Olympic Committee Sportsmen's Commission, distanced themselves from his opinions and declared that Svoboda's opinion is not the commission's.[7] Journalist Jiří X. Doležal even commented that he should be stripped of his functions and uniform and tried for questioning genocide under Section 405 of the Czech Criminal Code.[8] Defense Minister Jana Černochová joined the criticism, distancing herself from Svoboda's statements on behalf of the entire defense department, inviting him to the interview and showing him 200 photos of killed Ukrainian athletes.[6][9]

Svoboda apologized for his statements and publicly asked for forgiveness,[6] for which he drew criticism from people who welcomed his original statement.[10] He resigned from his position in the commission, saying that "the dual role of a soldier and a representative of athletes in the commission does not go together."[11] The director of DUKLA Army Sports Center, Pavel Benc, announced that Svoboda would receive a written reprimand because he neglected the obligation of a professional soldier "to behave even outside of duty in such a way as not to endanger the seriousness and credibility of the armed forces."[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ "Czech David Svoboda takes gold". ESPN. 11 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Olympionik Svoboda vyvolal bouři výroky o Rusech. "Nechal jsem se vlákat do pasti"". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  3. ^ 29. březen - Studio ČT24 (in Czech), Česká televize, retrieved 2023-04-01
  4. ^ Šmejkal, Pavel. "Nejsem ďáblův advokát, snaží se Svoboda omluvit za vyjádření k návratu ruských sportovců do soutěží". Forum24 (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  5. ^ "David Svoboda v ČT: Udělal z nás debily, zuří sportovci". Blesk sport (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  6. ^ a b c "Olympionik Svoboda hájil návrat Rusů do závodů. Snesla se na něj vlna kritiky, Černochová zuří". cnn.iprima.cz (in Czech). Prima F. T. V. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  7. ^ "Může to být mýlka. Svoboda je jako slon v porcelánu. V Kremlu mají radost". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  8. ^ "Sundejte z Davida Svobody uniformu české armády a postavte ho před soud". Forum24 (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. ^ "Černochová o Svobodovi: Pojedeme za ukrajinskými vojáky, snad změní názor". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  10. ^ "KOMENTÁŘ: Fiasko sportovce v armádní uniformě. Svoboda po (ne)omluvě prohrál na plné čáře". cnn.iprima.cz (in Czech). Prima F. T. V. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  11. ^ a b "Svoboda končí v komisi sportovců olympijského výboru. Za slova o válce dostal v armádě důtku". ČT24 (in Czech). Česká televize. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  12. ^ "Ministryně obrany Jana Černochová se sešla s pětibojařem Davidem Svobodou". mocr.army.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
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