Macinka: Russian anthem should not be played in Czechia during war

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motoristé) says he cannot imagine the Russian anthem being played on Czech soil while the war in Ukraine continues. He made the remark on CNN Prima News when asked about Russian hockey teams taking part in international tournaments, including the upcoming championship in Ostrava.

The minister’s three arguments

Macinka gave three reasons for his position. First, the Russian anthem should not be heard in Czechia while the war goes on. Second, in his words, civil society is being deliberately turned into an activist movement. He said he could not picture activists glued to the asphalt outside the ice arena in Poruba having to be removed from the road as they try to stop the Russians from getting into the venue.

The minister described his third argument as a personal opinion: he considers hockey a men’s sport. “Our wonderful feminists” will probably be unhappy, he said, but they will have to survive the championship in Czechia without a team of “Russian mannish women.”

When the host asked whether the phrase had been too harsh, Macinka replied that he understands the “feminist pressure” in favor of women’s hockey, but still does not regard hockey as a women’s sport.

Lipavský’s reaction

The other guest on the program, Jan Lipavský (ODS), responded sharply, saying he “feels disgust at these chauvinistic remarks,” which he considers entirely unnecessary. At the same time, he agreed with the minister’s main point. In his view, the participation of Russian teams is morally unacceptable because of the anthem, the flag and the very fact that they represent the state, whether they are young women or grown men, in Germany for example.

Lipavský noted that the reaction of sports teams, sponsors, states and politicians shows that, under the current decisions, such tournaments will simply fail. He said he was confident the international federation would find a “normal solution.”

Visas and the Schengen question

According to Macinka, the Czech government does not plan to issue visas to Russian women’s hockey players. It remains an open question what to do if another Schengen country issues them visas.

The minister intends to discuss this next week with Adam Hadamczik, president of the Czech Ice Hockey Association, and Sports Minister Boris Šťastný (Motoristé). He had wanted to hold the meeting last week but, as he put it, he was “struck down by some terrible, deadly viral cold” and was out of contact for several days.

As a reminder, following an arbitration court ruling, the International Ice Hockey Federation must admit Russian teams to its tournaments. Several countries, hockey organizations and sponsors have objected and threatened to withdraw their support if the Russians take to the ice. The Czech Ice Hockey Association, Škoda Auto and Tipsport have also joined the boycott.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz