EU state’s leader hospitalized after motorcycle incident

Czech President Petr Pavel was injured at a private racing track

Czech President Petr Pavel has been hospitalized after being injured in a motorcycle accident, his office has said.

The 62-year-old politician was admitted to the Military University Hospital Prague (UVN) following the incident, the presidential office announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening.

“The injuries are not serious but will require a short observation in UVN,” the statement read. “We will publish more information when it becomes available.”

The circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear. Czech police stated that as the injury had occurred at a private sports circuit, and not on a public road, they were not treating it as a traffic accident.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala was among those to wish the president a speedy recovery in a social media message.

Pavel, a retired NATO general, is known for his passion for motorcycling, which has continued after he took office. He was caught on video riding his motorcycle without a helmet in April of last year. He subsequently apologized on social media, announcing he would pay the maximum administrative fine.