In 2027, former elite ski jumper Jakub Janda will mark ten consecutive years as a Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). It was his election to parliament that led him to end his sporting career prematurely in 2017. Nevertheless, he has remained devoted to ski jumping and has served for eight years as Chairman of the Ski Jumping Section of the Czech Ski Association. Sport also remains one of his key areas of interest in parliament.
Former footballers often continue to play recreational football after retiring from professional sport. Is the same true for a former world-class ski jumper? Do you ever go ski jumping just for fun?
Unfortunately, ski jumping is not like football or cross-country skiing – it simply cannot be practised recreationally. As you get older, you naturally lose the quick reflexes that the sport requires, and risking injury no longer makes sense. I ended my professional career at a relatively advanced age for an athlete, and today I have no need to prove anything or show off.
Sport remains at the centre of your interests as an MP as well. How does Czechia compare in elite sport on the European and global stage?
It depends very much on the particular sport. In tennis, for example, we have consistently remained among the world’s elite, and I was delighted to see our football team qualify for the World Cup, even though the tournament itself was ultimately disappointing. We are also seeing the return of top-level motorsport with MotoGP, and we will even host a historic stage of the Tour de France on Czech soil. On the other hand, I am naturally saddened by the current state of ski jumping. We were once a world-leading nation in the sport, but unfortunately that is no longer the case. I still believe we will return to the podium because we have many talented young athletes. Across all sports, however, the key to success is quality infrastructure. We need to invest many times more in sports facilities than we do today, and that is an issue I have consistently promoted throughout my political career.
At the 2016 World Cup in Zakopane.
Czechs are among the most obese nations in Europe. Obesity medication for children is now expected to be covered by public health insurance. Where did things go wrong?
The growing obesity of the younger generation is a huge problem. The fact that we rank among the worst countries in this respect is alarming, and we must seriously consider how to change this situation. I certainly do not believe that treating childhood obesity primarily with medication is the right approach. In my opinion, the main cause lies in the Covid period, when children had to stay at home, their sports clubs were closed, and as a country we have never properly compensated for that loss of physical activity. During our time in government, we began addressing this intensively and invested record amounts in sports infrastructure. Our goal must be to ensure that sports facilities are as accessible and widely available as possible. The current minister declared that he would build 200 sports grounds every year, yet we are halfway through the year, and I see no evidence that anything is actually happening. Under his leadership, Czech sport is stagnating.
Another area of your parliamentary work concerns housing affordability. Property prices are beyond the reach of many people. What is your solution?
The Chamber of Deputies is currently discussing an amendment to the Building Act, from which much is expected. We will see what the final version looks like, but the main objective must be to significantly accelerate the approval process for large-scale residential developments. That is the only effective way to address the housing crisis in larger cities – we simply need to build much faster. The solution is certainly not for municipalities and cities to own and build housing. Czechia has not had good experiences with that approach in the past. It often resulted in hidden favouritism and municipal apartments being allocated to friends and relatives of local politicians. The only long-term solution is to simplify and liberalise the planning and permitting process so that the market can respond more flexibly to demand.
Part of your parliamentary work also focuses on relations with Poland. In what ways is Poland an inspiration, and where has it overtaken Czechia in recent years?
Poland is an inspiration to us primarily because of its ambition. It has stopped behaving like an “Eastern European country” and has begun acting like a major Central European country. It is investing in infrastructure, defence, energy, and the modernization of the country. I do not idealise Poland – it has its own problems – but in one respect it has clearly moved ahead of us: the courage to undertake major projects and see them through. Czech politics too often looks for reasons why something cannot be done. The Poles more often look for ways to make it happen. That is especially important for the Moravian-Silesian Region. Poland is not just our neighbour – it is our partner and a natural area for shared development.
How do you view the idea of creating a Katowice–Ostrava cross-border metropolitan area that, with more than three million inhabitants, would become the largest urban agglomeration in Central Europe?
I see the Katowice–Ostrava metropolitan area as a tremendous opportunity. Of course, the goal is not to create a single administrative city. Rather, it is about thinking in terms of a genuine metropolitan region with a shared history, industry, transport system, universities, and labour market. On the Polish side, the Upper Silesian–Zagłębie Metropolis already functions as a successful metropolitan partnership between cities around Katowice. Ostrava and the entire Moravian-Silesian Region can build on that model. If we succeed in strengthening links in transport, higher education, business, culture, and for young people, this could become one of the strongest metropolitan regions in Central Europe. For our region, it is a chance to stop being perceived as the edge of the Czech Republic and instead become the gateway to a major Central European metropolis. I dare say it could become the best place to live in Central Europe.
The author is a European editor of Deník
CV BOX
Jakub Janda (born 27 April 1978 in Čeladná) is a Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), a former world-class ski jumper, and Chairman of the Ski Jumping Section of the Czech Ski Association.
He studied Marketing Communications at the University of Entrepreneurship and Law. He also studied European Public Administration at the Technical University of Ostrava and Sports Management and Coaching at the Faculty of Physical Culture of Palacký University. He did not complete these studies.
He made his Ski Jumping World Cup debut in 1996 and scored his first World Cup points in March 1997. Four years later, he broke into the world’s top ten. He claimed his first World Cup victory on 23 January 2005 in Titisee-Neustadt. At the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, he won the silver medal on the normal hill and the bronze medal on the large hill. He won the Four Hills Tournament in the 2005–2006 season.
After being elected to the Chamber of Deputies in October 2017, he decided to retire from professional sport. He defended his parliamentary seat in 2021 and again in 2025.
He lives in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. From his first marriage he has a son, Oliver (15). Together with his wife Barbora, he is raising her daughter Meggie (15) and their daughter Willien (7).
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