Two-time Olympic gold medallist Martin Doktor has been elected unopposed as the head of the Czech Canoe Union Canoe Sprint Committee.
He will be supported by Pavel Hottmar, Petr Naprstek, Zdenek Krpata, Vit Pjajcik, Filip Dvorak, and Jaroslav Radon as the National Federation looks to build on the success of Paris 2024.
At the Olympic Games Atalanta 1996, Doktor etched his name in Czech canoeing history by winning the canoe single 500 and C1 1000m crowns.
A multiple World Championships medallist, he has also served as the coach of the national team previously.
“It’s a big responsibility. Sprint canoeing is now at its absolute peak - we have two Olympic champions from the same Games, many other senior and junior successes, and strong club structures. So the task for the new leadership is to keep our sport in the best possible shape,” said Doktor.
“I’m glad that more new members are joining the Executive Committee, which also makes it a bit younger.
“One of my priorities is to keep athletes, who are now finishing or have recently ended their careers, involved in canoeing. I’m pleased that we succeeded, for instance, with Filip Dvorak.”
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One of the most successful sports in the country, Doktor is looking forward to the new challenges.
Apart from bringing more laurels to the nation, he wants to organise international events in Racice, and focus on education for coaches, work with referees, and sustainable financing, among other areas.
“Thanks to our success, we have decent state support. At the same time, we want to find new partners and create a marketing strategy to help us attract private funding too — because state money can’t always be used for everything we need,” said Doktor.
Doktor also serves as the Sports Director of the Czech Olympic Committee and Head of Olympic Missions.
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