Olomouc Wheelchair Relay

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The traditional Olomouc Wheelchair Relay returns for its 12th year.

During the twelve-hour sporting-cultural-beneficial-enlightening event, Olomouc residents will have plenty of fun for the whole family and there will be a varied musical programme. The Olomouc Wheelchair Relay will take place the day before the Mattoni 1/2 Marathon, so we can enjoy a great sports weekend together. Come and join us! We are doing it together again and we are connecting two worlds on one track!

 

 

How was the relay born?

The idea to organize a wheelchair relay was conceived years ago in the mind of Mr. Langer, our former chairman, and his friend Mr. John, who decided to bring more people together in an unconventional way by using a wheelchair, which for many is an indispensable helper, or a thing that those who do not need it prefer not to think about.

So how to remind people that there are people who cannot be without one? That they live with us, next to us, are very independent, but sometimes or more often need help?

How about organizing a relay race where there are no exceptions? All those who have healthy limbs or not, sitting in a wheelchair, prepare at the starting line and ride the same distance. But it's not about speed. The point is to make able-bodied people realise how difficult it is to cover even a 250 metre stretch using wheels and their hands.

And the fact that it is really hard is shown by the feelings of the people after completing the track, because you can hear them declaring, "Oops, it's clogging up, I didn't notice before that the road wasn't straight until now! I'm still going to the right! How am I supposed to go straight?" They laugh at how clumsy they are, you can see them concentrating and thinking how to turn to keep a straight course. After the start/finish there are appreciative words to the wheelchair users "...I'm bowing, it's really hard work!". And that's why we organise the Wheelchair Relay, even though there is a lot of work behind it by the coordinator, Trend staff, volunteers and helpers without whom the event could not work. We are delighted that all ages participate in the Relay and it also becomes an education for the little ones.

To add to the uniqueness of our relay, the entire event is combined with the Mattoni 1/2 marathon Olomouc, which starts a few hours after the relay ends. The team of people from RunCzech, which organizes the races not only in Olomouc but all over the Czech Republic and abroad, willingly helps us in its realization and we are very happy that they are personally involved in its course, including the founder of the RunCzech serial runs himself, Mr. Capalbo.

 

What is waiting for you this year?

Concerts and performances:

09:30 Cirkus Levitare

10:00 Apartment number 4

16:30 Ondřej Crhák

18:00 Soraya Dance Group

18:30 Isbina

20:00 Martin Šafařík

15:00 - 18:00 Balloon show

 

There will also be various competitions, tasks and attractions for children, such as a bouncy castle, face painting, bracelet making, badminton, pétanque, flying discs, children's table football, a tower of blocks, a demonstration of the Paralympic sport of boccia, an athletics corner of the Athletics Club Olomouc - Section of the Handicapped, etc. There will also be refreshments in the form of cotton candy, beer from the Ničitel microbrewery, ZON lemonade and „Trendy hot dogs“.