Jaromir Jagr announced on his Facebook page on Friday that he wanted to help Ukrainian refugees from the Czech Republic by collecting donations through a charity game. His wish will finally come true next Tuesday.
Posted at 4:30 p.m.
The team he plays for and owns, Rytíři Kladno, will face HC Sparta Prague and all the money raised will be redistributed to the refugees.
In reality, the match was supposed to take place at Kladno’s home, but the HC Sparta amphitheater can accommodate almost three times as many spectators.
“I am very happy to confirm that we managed to organize this in a very short time. Now our only wish is to sell as many tickets as possible. Buy a ticket and help these Ukrainian families in Czechia,” said the 50-year-old athlete.
Jagr feels concerned by the current situation, since the Soviet army had invaded Czechoslovakia, his country of origin, in 1968. It is therefore his way of helping these victims whom he understands, to a certain extent way. He also wears the 68 in homage to the Prague Spring, this liberalization of Czechoslovakia which had been crushed by the USSR.