In the year of 2000 a new
greyhound race track at Praskačka, near the city of Hradec
Králové, was built. This greyhound race track was the only track
in the Czech Republic. The area of this race track, like every other
estate, had its own history. There was someone who had the race
track built and someone else run the race track. Owners and
greyhound races operators were changing like houseowners and
tenants change in a house.
The area of this race track is situated in
an urban area with high value soil that automatically raises the
value of such land. This area, on which the race track has been
built, is not swamped by any river, pond etc. and it has high
market value.
This was also known well to estate agencies, that were to sell
this property from the former owners (a local matrimonial firm).
The owners have moved to the United Arabian Emirates and they
ended all their business activities including the rent of the
racing and football grounds (contemporaries remember that
football teams, UAE footballers among others, regularly trained on
the grass football field inside the racing track oval).
The logical interest of estate agencies was
to sell the sports area in the most profitable way. The estate
agencies therefore offered to rent the area property especially to
developpers dealing in the field of apartment structures. Whether
it sounds incredibly or not there is not much left space to bulid
on left because the city of Hradec Králové grows rapidly.
It was also known that this small village of Praskačka would be
connected to the motorway in 2008, which increased the value of
this area even more.
The price value raised to such extend that probably overreached
financial competences of both some developpers and any racing
organizations.
(Note to 1/2009: The apartment structures
advanced to the sportsground area by the end of 2008 and family
houses have been built directly at the borders of the greyhound
racing track Praskačka).
Anyone was allowed to enter negotiations
with estate agencies or the owners of the sportsground area
(greyhound race track).
Also all the previous tenants of this area had absolutely the same
possibility to buy and own the local greyhound race track.
However neither Czech racing federation led by Mr. Tomas Mika and
Mr. Ivo Widziolek (ČDF) or Czech greyhound racing club led by Mr.
Jan Potůček (ČGDK) or any other chiefs of cynological or sport
clubs bought the area, in spite of the fact that they had the
possibility to do it.
The Greyhound racing in the Czech
Republic was certainly endangered and it is evident that building
apartment structures on this area would cause the end of the
greyhound racing on a sand track. The sand surface is the best
surface for thin greyhound legs and some greyhound owners let
their greyhounds run only on sand surface. Greyhound racing itself
is an activity that - not only in this country but also in the
neighbouring states - falls in nonprofit and rather expensive
hobby cathegory.
Nevertheless some greyhound owners
(R. Želinský, Z. Grondol, J. Grondolová, L.
Jurková)
were not incurious to such situation and
wanted to keep greyhound racing intact.
With the help of their contacts they managed to find a buyer for
this area.
The Czech International, a.s. joint stock company became a new
owner of this track in spite of the fact that it was evident that
it was a highly disadvantageous investment to rent this area for
the purposes of greyhound racing.
The share holders of this company were acquianted with the fact
that graeyhound racing cannot be operated without further
investments in this area.
The company was able to reconstruct the area in record-breaking
short time but with really high expenses. Besides the expenses
connected with purchasing the property, the company invested in
expensive technical equipment.
It is evident that no other organization
would do such good will because business companies do not buy
properties in order to pass through but to earn money for their
share holders. The difference makes only whether the shareholders
are greyhound-dog fanciers or not.
The shareholders of this company "missed the odd the pence" and
they keep supporting the greyhound owners. They are giving up
their dividents (joint-stock pay-off) so that their company could
(as the lessor of the mentioned race track) could keep supporting
greyhound owners both financially and technically even in future. |
