Czech Senate awards silver medals to Pastrňák and Voráček

On Monday, Czech Senate chairman Miloš Vystrčil (ODS) awarded silver commemorative medals to 17 figures to mark Czech Statehood Day, celebrated on the feast of St Wenceslas. Among the laureates were economist and former presidential candidate Jan Švejnar, hockey players David Pastrňák and Jakub Voráček, and human rights defender Elena Gorolová.

The medals are awarded to people who have distinguished themselves in their profession or enhanced the Czech Republic's reputation abroad. According to the Senate, Vystrčil chose this year's laureates from more than a hundred nominations. He noted that the laureates are people willing to make sacrifices and overcome fear, which is why awarding the medals on Czech Statehood Day is especially symbolic. “I find it symbolic that on this very day I have the chance to give a medal to you — people who are the salt of our land and of our Czech state. Dear fellow citizens, I wish all of us that our country always has enough salt, and that we never again live in a bland, flavourless, normalisation-era way,” Vystrčil said in his speech.

Hockey players donate earnings to charity

Pastrňák and Voráček received a joint medal for supporting the Voráček Foundation, which helps people with multiple sclerosis. The citation reads "for goals and assists that help": both NHL players donate money to the foundation for every point they score during the season. “I hope we’ll manage to build some kind of centre in the near future,” said Voráček, who attended the ceremony in person; Pastrňák's interests were represented by his agent.

Human rights defenders, rescuers and journalists

A medal was awarded to Kamila Bendová and her late husband Václav Benda for their fight for freedom, human dignity and civic responsibility. Czech Television journalists Daria Stomatová and Jan Šürger, who report from Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, received a joint award. Also honoured were rescuer Petra Homolová, founder of the "Wish Ambulance" project, and human rights defender Elena Gorolová.

Eight more laureates from various fields

Other medal recipients include debt and enforcement-proceedings expert Radek Hábl, who has spent years systematically fighting Czechs' over-indebtedness, and foster mother Ivana Součková, who campaigns for children with disabilities to grow up in families rather than institutions. Awards also went to theatre director Dušan Pařízek; inventor, environmentalist and founder of the Semix company in Otice near Opava, Kamil Lisal; director of the "Thank You That We Can" organisation Bára Stárek, who organises events marking the anniversary of the fall of communism on Národní třída in Prague; founder of the Hradec Králové Region police symphony orchestra Petra Soukupová; philanthropist entrepreneur and founder of Eurowag Martin Vohánka; and Olomouc social worker representing the interests of cancer patients, Věra Zůkalová.

A tradition since 2012

In addition to this year's laureates, last year's Nobel laureate in economics, Philippe Aghion, already received the medal in May — he had given a lecture at the Senate on innovation, economic growth and Europe's position in global competition, and was honoured for supporting dialogue between scientists and politicians. The ceremony marking the feast of St Wenceslas has been held since 2012: that year's laureates included Charter 77 Foundation founder František Janouch, philosopher Erazim Kohák, scientists Blanka Říhová and Pavel Hobza, actor Lubomír Lipský and athlete Jarmila Kratochvílová. Last year, 20 people received medals, including priest Ladislav Heryán, war reporter Vojtěch Boháč, actor and director Jiří Mádl, and founder of the "One World in Schools" programme Karel Strachota.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz