Otto Jelinek

[trains]

PRAGUE. Jan 4 (AFP) - The Czech government announced the appointment
of
> former world figure skating champion and Canadian minister of sport and
> finance, Otto Jelinek, as its "coordinator of the Czech Republic's
> activities abroad."
> "His main task will be to establish the good name of the Czech
Republic
> in the world through the activities of the ministries of foreign affairs,
> industry and trade and regional development," government spokeswoman Lucie
> Orgonikova said.
> Jelinek told Czech news agency CTK that his mission would be "to sell
> the Czech Republic to tourists and businessmen."
> Born in 1940, Jelinek left what was then Czechoslovakia with his
sister
> Maria and parents following the communist coup in 1948, eventually ending
up
> in Canada.
> In the 1950s and 1960s, the brother and sister combination won a
> succession of figure skating titles, with the highlight being the world
> championship pairs title in the city of Otto's birth, Prague, in 1962.
> Afterwards, he pursued a political career in Ontario and at federal
> level in Canada before returning to the Czech Republic in 1994. Since
2003,
> Jelinek has been the Central European director of the auditing company,
> Deloitte

[Isk8NYC]

Wow! I didn't realize that the Jeliniks were still alive, well at least one of them. I wonder if his sister's still around? Must be all that exercise their parents instilled in them from young ages! Good for him, but I wonder if the Czechs returned his family's assets to them. They lost a lot when they fled to Canada.

I had read their story "On Thin Ice" many years ago; that's actually when I learned about the 1961 plane crash that killed the US team. Now I know why there's a scholarship fund managed by USFSA.

Thanks for the info.

[trains]

Otto's sister Maria is alive and well and gorgeous and living in Oakville Ontario.

[blades]

8-)

yup...otto was the ultimate party dude back in his competitive days...had it not been for his coach, otto would have been on the ill-fated plane with the americans...

as for maria...had the pleasure of meeting her last june at the ice capades reunion...i have to say that father time has been kind to her...she looked fabulous!!!