News digest: It's an Olympic gold day for most in Slovakia, protest day for some

Trap shooter Rehák Štefečeková wins her first Olympic gold. Anti-vaxxers block traffic in downtown Bratislava. Slovakia has sold its unused Sputnik V doses.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. This is the Thursday, July 29, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. Catch up on the main news of the day in less than five minutes with our daily overview. We wish you a pleasant read.

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Rehák Štefečeková has struck Olympic gold

Trap shooter Zuzana Rehák Štefečeková is celebrating the success of her career after she won the gold medal in Tokyo on Thursday morning.

It is the first medal for Slovakia at the ongoing Olympic games and the first Olympic gold for the shooter who previously won silver medals in Beijing and London.

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"I am full of immense joy. I am very happy about my gold, but also about having proved to myself that I can shoot a final," she said after the final for the public-service broadcaster RTVS.

Slovaks in Tokyo:

  • Trap shooter Erik Varga did not make it to the finals. He and Rehák Štefečeková will compete together in mixed trap shooting. (Sportnet)
  • Monika Škáchová ended ninth in the finals of the C1 water slalom competition. Her ambition was to make it to the finals. (olympics.com)
  • Golfer Rory Sabbatini is 20th after the first round of the Olympic tournament, with his initial 18 holes at 69 hits, two below par and six hits behind the leader of the competition, Sepp Straka of Austria. The second round takes place on Friday. (olympics.com, TASR)
  • Boxer Andrej Bandi Csemez lost to the Armenian representative and dropped out of the Olympic tournament. (Sportnet)
  • Archer Denisa Baránková, the youngest member of the Slovak Olympic team, dropped out in the first round when she lost against an Estonian representative. (Sportnet)

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Featured story for today

Zuzana Rehák Štefečeková, a trap shooter and a mother of two, is a woman with a clear head and heart. The first makes her an excellent athlete, the latter makes her an excellent person, writes Sportnet Editor-in-Chief Boris Vanya in the profile of Slovakia's latest Olympic champion.

Related article Golden Zuzana hits nearly anything that moves Read more 


Anti-vaxxers paralysed traffic in central Bratislava

Traffic was paralysed in parts of downtown Bratislava after an anti-vaccination protest staged in front of the Presidential Palace spilled into the adjacent streets.

The protest attracted hundreds of people who managed to block some of the major traffic veins in the centre of the Slovak capital for practically the entire afternoon. The police reported there were about 1,500 people in attendance. The protestors, who were publicly supported by the far-right ĽSNS, said they were planning to stay put for days, "until the government and [President] Čaputová step down", according to the Denník N daily.

The police have not intervened against the protestors. Officers present on the scene told Denník N in the afternoon that they were waiting for further instructions and want to avoid any violence.


Covid and vaccination news

  • Covid vaccines will be available in several places around Slovakia without the need to register in advance. More pop-up walk-in vaccination points will be in operation this weekend, including in shopping centres in Hlohovec, Galanta, Poprad, and Prešov.
  • In May and June of this year, 18,135 people were diagnosed as Covid positive in Slovakia, of whom 91 percent were not vaccinated, the Institute for Strategies and Analyses running under the Government Office reports.
  • A negative Covid test result will no longer be required for up to 100 athletes and organisers of sports events in green districts (currently all of Slovakia), based on a planned update of the Public Health Authority ordinance.
  • Slovakia has donated 10,000 unused doses of the Spikevax vaccine by Moderna to the Czech Republic. Slovakia has also sold its unused Sputnik V doses, but the Health Ministry has yet to provide more details on the sale. Currently, 241 people are waiting for their Sputnik V shot in the online waiting room. Registration for this vaccine is no longer possible.
  • The Constitutional Court has corrected its decision from earlier this week that suspended some of the rules for crossing borders to Slovakia. There will be no changes in the rules for cross-border workers and for teenagers.

In other news

  • Volkswagen in Bratislava is gradually preparing for its announced major investment. Once the plant is ready, it will produce the Volkswagen Passat and Škoda Superb vehicles in the Slovak capital.
  • Primeval beech forests in eastern Slovakia have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as an extension to an existing transnational natural site in Europe.
  • The Za Ľudí board decided against convening an extraordinary congress, leader Veronika Remišová announced.
  • Economic sentiment has worsened in Slovakia in July but remains above pre-pandemic levels at 100.8 points in the seasonally adjusted indicator. (Statistics Office)
  • Labour Minister Milan Krajniak of Sme Rodina will submit part of the pension reform for interdepartmental review. He admitted there will be no constitutional changes involved, as it does not have the support of 90 votes in the parliament.
  • Cyclist Peter Sagan has quit the Bora-Hansgrohe team. (Sportnet)

Do not miss on Spectator.sk today

Related article Adjustments on local level may make all the difference in coping with climate change Read more  An ecologic disaster in central Slovakia results in mass death of fish Read more  Tourists unknowingly report their offences to park rangers Read more 

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

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