Czech President hospitalised right after a motorbike crash

PRAGUE: Following a motorbike accident yesterday, Czech President Petr Pavel was admitted to a hospital in Prague; nevertheless, his injuries are “not serious,” according to his office on X.

The 62-year-old, who has been in office since March 2023, will spend an unknown amount of time in the hospital.

According to Pavel’s office, “his injuries are not serious, but they will require a short monitoring stay in Prague’s Military University Hospital.”

Later, his spokesperson Vit Kolar informed the general audience on Czech TV that Pavel would stay in the hospital for “several days,” with little effects on his show.

“We think it won’t have a significant impact because it’s Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” Kolar stated.

“We will see” whether Pavel is well enough to travel outside the following week, he said to Czech TV.

The president will visit Jordan, according to a statement from Pavel’s office earlier on Thursday. It was unclear at the time if this trip was scheduled for next week. According to a diplomatic source, Pavel is also anticipated to meet with the foreign ministers of the NATO in an unofficial gathering in Prague on Thursday. According to Czech media, the president went down on a closed racecourse, and as a result, authorities are not looking into the incident. Pavel, a retired NATO general, is well-known for his love of motorcycles and currently rides a BMW R1200 GS.

Shortly after taking charge, he visited nearby Germany on a motorbike. Pavel ran into issues last summer when pictures of him riding a motorbike without a helmet were released by the media. – AFP