The beginning of the 2024 XVIIth All-Sokol Slet (Gathering), the largest sporting, social and cultural event in our territory, is exactly 200 days away from today, 12 December 2023. Tens of thousands of Sokols throughout the country and from abroad devote time to intense preparation for the event, which has no parallel in the world and whose number of participants in the Slet week is larger than that at the Olympics.
“We are working hard to make the gathering an unforgettable experience for all the participants and spectators alike. From January, the things will start to heat up. Before we know it, we will be standing in Eden stadium,” says Petr Svoboda, Chief of the Czech Sokol Community (ČOS) and vice-chairman of the Slet program team.
The Slet week will take place in the capital Prague from 30 June to 5 July 2024 and will involve up to 20,000 people. The program will feature spectacular mass gymnastics performances, a parade through the center of the metropolis, a mass in the Cathedral of St. Vitus, a ceremonial opening and staging of Jirásek’s Lantern (Lucerna) in the National Theater, stage performances in the downtown and a special Sokol Gala program in the O2 Arena with attractive examples of sports practiced in the ČOS on display.
The total of twelve mass gymnastics performances rehearsed by the Sokols will be the highlight of the whole event. The individual choreographies were fine-tuned in autumn at the meetings of the trainers, and they are now being rehearsed in the Sokol gyms throughout the country. For the first time, the compositions will be presented publicly in May and June at district and regional gatherings, and eventually the Sokols will perform them in the Fortuna Arena of Eden stadium in Prague.
“The interest in the mass gymnastics performances is the greatest since the Velvet Revolution in 1989. All 42 district organizations are involved in the rehearsals, which is absolutely amazing,” reportedSvoboda with pleasure. He added that the details, such as the specific positioning of the gymnasts in Eden stadium, were already being discussed and the performances direction fine-tuned.
For example, the capacity of the composition for adult and senior women has been exceeded twice, and the interest in the other mass performances is great too, even though there is still a chance to sign up. Additional gymnasts would be appreciated for the performances “S tebou mě baví svět” (Enjoying the world with you) designed for families and “Čarodějky” (Enchantresses) for younger schoolgirls.
Slet in numbers:
- 20,000 gymnasts performing in Prague (mass and stage performances, Sokol Gala)
- 50,000 spectators in the stands of Eden stadium and O2 Arena
- 100,000 Sokol members involved in the entire Slet project
- 12 mass performances + 3 guest performances
- 14 participating regions
In addition to the Sokol performances, the audience, which is expected to reach the number of 50,000 people, will have the opportunity to see guest performances in course of two days. The Czech Association of Sport for All is rehearsing compositions for adults and children, the Slovak Sokol Gymnastic Union prepares a women’s performance and another organization having a chance to exhibit their skills is the Danish gymnastics school Ollerup.
Sokol members will also stage Jirásek’s classical play Lantern (Lucerna) in the National Theater. Intensive rehearsals are currently underway, directed by Bohumil Gondík, father of the popular duo of hosts Dalibor and Adéla Gondík.
Among other renowned personalities joining the Slet we could name the artist Jaromír 99, who is the author of the Slet visual style, the calligrapher Petra Dočekalová, famous for the rendition of the presidential oath on the occasion of the presidential inauguration of Peter Pavel and the author of the Sokol New Year’s greetings, or the actor and musician Milan Peroutka, who narrated the Slet manifesto and filmed the video clip for his latest song in the Nusle Sokol gym.
