The ceremony was attended by around 200 people, including Slovak Olympic Committee (SOC) President František Chmelár, secretary general Josef Liba and the Mayor of the city of Martin, Andrej Hrnčiar.

London 2012 bronze medal winning shooter Danka Barteková, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission, was also in attendance and was joined by a number of current Slovakian Olympians ,including double Olympic champion Michal Martikán.

Slalom canoeist Martikán was the first athlete to claim an Olympic gold medal following Slovakia's independence in 1993, winning at Atlanta 1996. 

The Monument, funded by the IOC, SOC and the City of Martin, features five huge globes made of granite from the Tatra Mountains representing the five Olympic rings.

The stones sit on a black marble base which is designed to symbolise the country's soil while there are 24 thin plates of gold, silver and bronze set into the marble to represent the 24 Slovakian athletes buried in the cemetery that competed at Olympic Games as far back as the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896.

Alojz Szokol, winner of a bronze medal in the men's 100 metres at Athens 1896, is one of the athletes laid to rest in the National Cemetery.

Szokol was one of six Slovakians win medals at the Olympics when the country was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while 53 claimed medals under the flag of Czechoslovakia up until the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

As a result, representatives from the National Olympic Committees of Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic were also in attendance.

SOC President František Chmelár officially unveiled the Olympic Monument in Slovakia's National Cemetery ©SOC



Since first competing at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympics, Slovakia has won 29 medals - nine gold, 11 silver and nine bronze.

"This project is important for two reasons," said Chmelar.

"Firstly - it's thanks to all [the] Olympians for what they have done for Slovakia.

"And second - it's an inspiration to current and future generations, that [they can] develop their talents and potential and strive in sport or anything else to achieve the maximum.

"Because, without that the [country] cannot develop."

The Monument has been completed in less than a year after the first stone was laid on November 6 last year.

Mojmíra Vychodil was chosen to design the Monument by the SOC and at today's ceremony he was presented with a special IOC Sports and Art Trophy for his work by Bartekova and Chmelar.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related Stories
October 2014: Slovak Olympic Committee launches online initiative at Olympic Academies seminar
September 2014: Slovak Olympic Committee signs up state lottery firm Tipos as exclusive partner