Defence Minister J. Naď thanks P. Vlhová for winning overall Crystal Globe and gifts her one-day Special Operations Experience with SVK SOFs

Today (29 April 2021) at the Ministry of Defence, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď received skier Petra Vlhová, member of the Dukla Military Sports Centre Banská Bystrica and recipient of the overall Crystal Globe for overall World Cup title in downhill skiing in the 2020/2021 season. On this occasion, he thanked her for representing the Military Sports Centre and the whole of Slovakia so brilliantly and gifted her one-day SVK Special Forces Experience with the Slovak Special Operations Forces (SVK SOFs).

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “Obviously, Petra is among the world's top skiers. There is an unbelievably tremendous amount of hard work behind her successes, which is deserving of our admiration and recognition,” before adding that creating quality training conditions for Petra Vlhová and all DUKLA sportsmen and women remains a priority of the SVK MOD. “Petra, I would be pleased if, after such a demanding and successful season, you could find some time for an adrenaline experience which we have prepared for you with the SVK Special Operations Forces,” he said.

The Minister was keen to learn more about Petra's next steps and the future of the skiing associations in Slovakia. He revealed that the financial support from the Centre to the top DUKLA athletes would be re-evaluated.

Petra Vlhová has the status of top performing sportswoman at the DUKLA Military Sports Centre. This status allows her to make use of the possibilities the Centre offers for training, support to sporting events, and medical care. The DUKLA Military Sports Centre is committed to supporting Petra Vlhová also by employing two members of her support team – Matej Gemza, coach assistant, and Boris Vlha, support team member.