Two-time Olympic silver medalist swimmer Martina Moravcová has criticized the catastrophic state of the swimming infrastructure in Slovakia and how athletes need more to succeed.
In a recent interview for the Slovak paper Denník N, Moravcová, one of the most successful athletes in the history of Slovak independence, lamented the lack of infrastructure and facilities available for aspiring athletes across the country.
“Without infrastructure and a base, our success will depend on one or two talented and hardworking individuals with a good family background. It has always been our case and it is still our case,” Moravcová said.
In the wake of her comments, Denník N then sent questions to the president of the Slovak Swimming Federation (SPF), Ivan Šulek, for his input, including how Slovakia stacks up compared to neighboring countries.
Slovakia currently has 4,000 athletes across all swimming sports and only five functional 50-meter indoor pools, the president said.
In comparison, the Czech Republic has 28,000 swimmers and 15 50-meter indoor pools. In Poland, there are 30,000 active members in 600 clubs with 15 Olympic-size swimming pools.
And versus Hungary, Šulek minced no words when praising the country’s achievements on this front: “In Hungary, 18 50-meter swimming pools were built last year alone. I repeat, in one year. In addition, there are five 50-meter pools just in Budapest. That is the same number we have in the whole of Slovakia, ” he said, adding that no pool in Slovakia apparently meets proper Olympic parameters.
“Thanks to their infrastructure, the Hungarians were able to introduce a program in schools so that every child can swim, as they had built a pool in almost every village. In total, Hungary boasts more than 800,000 active members (although not all swimmers) in swimming sports clubs,” he continued.
At the recent Paris 2024 Olympic games, Hungary took home 2 Golds and 1 Silver in swimming. The country of 9.6 million also earned 2 Golds, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze for swimming in the Paralympic Games. Slovakia, albeit with a population of just 5.4 million, garnered zero swimming medals in both Games.
For reference, in terms of national resources Slovakia recorded $133 billion of gross domestic product in 2023, while Hungary saw GDP of $212 billion.
