“We knew that the police were working on our findings. I had no idea that it would lead to the head of the Czech Tennis Association, Ivo Kaderek,” describes journalist Artur Janoušek, who pointed out irregularities in the distribution of tennis subsidies. Due to the suspicion of misuse of state money, the police charged a total of five people and five companies. According to the police, how did the system work and what are the conditions in Czech tennis?
You can watch the entire interview in the introductory video or listen to it in your favorite podcast app. What were its main themes?
0:38-2:12 According to Czech Radio investigative journalist Artur Janoušek, how much will the case of subsidy fraud affect Czech tennis and its reputation in the world? What did he expect from the first publication of information about suspicious money flows in Czech tennis, which Janoušek published last May?
2:12-8:08 How did he know what to look for in the subsidy accounting documents and how did he discover that a large part of the money intended for the entire tennis association was going to one association, which is Orel jednota Praha-Balkán? Why didn’t anyone think about this information before? What role does the National Sports Agency play in the whole story, which distributes subsidies and should also check whether the money goes where it is intended? Is Janoušek expecting more charges to be added to the case?
8:08-10:10 How did the whole system work according to the police? How much money did the Orel jednota Praha-Balkán association just receive?
10:10-12:41 About how far back in history can the suspicious distribution of subsidies go?
12:41-19:14 What kind of pressure did journalist Janoušek face from Ivo Kaderka and from the tennis association? Did he ever feel afraid or on edge during his search?
19:14-25:04 Has anything changed in the attitude of individual clubs after the police raided and charged five people? Is there an effort to clean up Czech tennis?
25:04-27:23 Has the approach and work of an investigative journalist changed in any way recently? And do the people he writes about change in any way?
