The Sokol Hall in Poděbrady is set for reconstruction, and a gymnastics hall will be added

Poděbrady - A large reconstruction could begin this year at the Sokol Hall in Poděbrady. This will include structural modifications to the building and the transformation of an older hall into a modern gymnastics facility. Repairs and investments will require 8.5 million crowns, 70 percent of which should be covered by a grant from the National Sports Agency (NSA), with the remainder promised by the city. For further investments, particularly for equipment, electrical installations, and insulation of the hall, the Sokols launched a public collection at the end of last year and have already raised over 410,000 crowns from donors, said Sokol chairman Radek Smejkal to ČTK.

"For the past few years, we have been renting half of the historic building to a squash and bowling operator, but due to little interest in this sport and especially because of COVID, they had to stop, and we terminated the lease. This is the part that we want to turn into a modern gymnastics gym so that we don't have to put away all the equipment after each training session, as we alternate with other sports," said Smejkal. The new hall for sports gymnastics and other gymnastic sports should be safer and will have features such as a foam and stretch pit, an acrobatic strip, a built-in competition trampoline, and a workout corner.

A year ago, the Sokols had an architectural design for the reconstruction created, which aims to partially restore some elements from the time of the building's origin. Last autumn, they applied for a grant from the NSA. "We are expecting a decision every day; we believe it will be successful, and we will be able to start as soon as possible," added Smejkal. According to him, the grant should cover the structural modifications and investments, such as a special floor, window restoration, but it does not cover the equipment. "In the structural modifications, we have additionally included electrical installations, insulation of the hall, sound system installations, and sports equipment," he added. These expenses, amounting to 1.6 million crowns, should be covered by the public collection they launched last December. So far, people have contributed over 410,000 crowns.

The historic building of the Poděbrady Sokol Hall was constructed in 1927. During the reconstruction in the 1960s, one of the halls was converted into a city cinema. It was in operation until 2000 when the city found another space for it. In 2018, the façade underwent reconstruction, the windows were replaced, and the so-called large hall, which serves several sports sections, was insulated.

The Sokols in Poděbrady manage about 3.5 million crowns annually, with operations and maintenance costing about 1.5 million crowns according to Smejkal. Part of the expenses is covered by rents, part by the city, and grants from the NSA, which are primarily intended for coaches' salaries. The sports gymnastics section of the Sokol unit in Poděbrady has about 200 members, and the new hall will also be utilized by other sections, schools, and the public.