Ing. Ludvík Janko

"Even though I was known to be a right-wing type, I joined the army as a platoon commander of printers in a secret printing house. After a while, I asked, 'How is it possible that someone you don't want to let cross the border and who you have problems with can join a secret printing house?' One of the officers told me, 'It's very simple, because you've been vetted, and for the next five years after you finish your military service, everyone can check up on you with impunity.'"

"The thing about sports was that in many cases, people who were opposed to the regime took refuge in it. I was always classified as not an enemy of the regime, certainly not, but I made no secret of my right-wing orientation and criticism of the regime. Especially when we went canoeing, there were basically no other people there. Under socialism, sport was an escape from what was happening in the country. Everyone was happiest when they could train continuously throughout the week. Every Friday, we tied our boats to a trailer and drove off somewhere for the weekend. In addition, there were two-week expeditions to Romania, Yugoslavia, and other countries at least three or four times a year. It was fun and an escape. It was quite easy to get along in a company of like-minded people. But it was certainly not the case that there were no opportunities for sport. The regime offered people the opportunity to use sport as an escape, because when they were doing it, they simply weren't causing any trouble."