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Pavel JURAK (CZE), a pioneer in clean sport Rzeszow (POL) – 7 March 2009 
Pavel JURAK (CZE) is the man who advocated zero tolerance for alcohol in archery (one of the few sports to do so). From a pianist to a doctor, to an archer and a theologian, he is having quite an exciting life. He is back to shooting and enjoying every minute of it! Pavel, you were the one who introduced zero tolerance for alcohol in archery. Please tell us how that happened? I had been part of the Czech anti-doping committee since 1989. At the Archery European Championships in Luxembourg, I saw that some teams were drinking just a little bit of alcohol before shooting. I thought they actually would gain an advantage if they would drink just a little bit. It reduces anxiety. At the Congress during the 1993 World Championships in Antalya, I presented a motion to ban not only alcohol but all substances that could influence psychological tension. I had the support of important people such as the late EMAU President Gino MATTIELLI or the famous archer Rick MCKINNEY. However, we were not sure at all that the motion would pass. I needed to make a very good presentation. I guess I did because the motion was approved unanimously. So what was the effect of this decision? For instance, we started to test for alcohol with very precise testers. The effect was real on the competitions. Some archers, who were among the top competitors, never appeared at such level any more. However, you know that anti-doping is a long fight. At the Djakarta World Championships in 1995, the FITA Medical Commission actually raised the tolerance at 0.2 per thousand. I resigned from the commission to show that I was totally against this decision. Now, I am glad that the limit is back to 0.1. That shows your passion for clean sport. Now, it’s a surprise to see you on the shooting line at these world championships. How did you do it? You could say that I have been recycled (smile)! I was a right-handed recurve archer until about 1995. I participated at the 1989 World Championships in Lausanne and 1991 in Krakow, very close to here. I was a coach for the national team in 1993. Then, shooting created some problems with my finger and I could not play the piano. So I started to shoot compound for fun. However, I was missing recurve shooting, and in 1998, I tried to shoot left-handed recurve. In 2001, I did the trials for the 2001 World Championships in Beijing and I qualified as a left-handed archer! I haven’t participated in a world championship since then, and this winter I did the trials (series of national tournaments) for these indoor world championships. I was surprised when the federation called me to announce that I was going to Rzeszow! Here, I am at a world championship, twenty years after my first one! So what are you at the end, an archer, a pianist or a doctor? My grandfather was a master in violin and was giving concert. When I was about 18, I was playing the piano and I had to choose if I wanted to become a professional musician or a doctor. I kept playing piano as a hobby but I chose to be a doctor. I went into sports medicine and I also taught this subject. Last but not least, in the last few years I have been studying theology. Archery is just a wonderful way of life. It helps your mind, your body, your spirit. You really don’t need any banned substance to perform and feel good with archery. You just need to plan your training and use all your resources. You need to think about nutrition, physical preparation, mental and skill. Sometimes, archers focus too much on the target and not enough on the skill itself. I recommend archery to everyone, because it keeps you healthy! Thanks Pavel, and take care! Didier MIEVILLE FITA Communication
Pavel JURAK (CZE) is the man who advocated zero tolerance for alcohol in archery (one of the few sports to do so). From a pianist to a doctor, to an archer and a theologian, he is having quite an exciting life. He is back to shooting and enjoying every minute of it! Pavel, you were the one who introduced zero tolerance for alcohol in archery. Please tell us how that happened? I had been part of the Czech anti-doping committee since 1989. At the Archery European Championships in Luxembourg, I saw that some teams were drinking just a little bit of alcohol before shooting. I thought they actually would gain an advantage if they would drink just a little bit. It reduces anxiety. At the Congress during the 1993 World Championships in Antalya, I presented a motion to ban not only alcohol but all substances that could influence psychological tension. I had the support of important people such as the late EMAU President Gino MATTIELLI or the famous archer Rick MCKINNEY. However, we were not sure at all that the motion would pass. I needed to make a very good presentation. I guess I did because the motion was approved unanimously. So what was the effect of this decision? For instance, we started to test for alcohol with very precise testers. The effect was real on the competitions. Some archers, who were among the top competitors, never appeared at such level any more. However, you know that anti-doping is a long fight. At the Djakarta World Championships in 1995, the FITA Medical Commission actually raised the tolerance at 0.2 per thousand. I resigned from the commission to show that I was totally against this decision. Now, I am glad that the limit is back to 0.1. That shows your passion for clean sport. Now, it’s a surprise to see you on the shooting line at these world championships. How did you do it? You could say that I have been recycled (smile)! I was a right-handed recurve archer until about 1995. I participated at the 1989 World Championships in Lausanne and 1991 in Krakow, very close to here. I was a coach for the national team in 1993. Then, shooting created some problems with my finger and I could not play the piano. So I started to shoot compound for fun. However, I was missing recurve shooting, and in 1998, I tried to shoot left-handed recurve. In 2001, I did the trials for the 2001 World Championships in Beijing and I qualified as a left-handed archer! I haven’t participated in a world championship since then, and this winter I did the trials (series of national tournaments) for these indoor world championships. I was surprised when the federation called me to announce that I was going to Rzeszow! Here, I am at a world championship, twenty years after my first one! So what are you at the end, an archer, a pianist or a doctor? My grandfather was a master in violin and was giving concert. When I was about 18, I was playing the piano and I had to choose if I wanted to become a professional musician or a doctor. I kept playing piano as a hobby but I chose to be a doctor. I went into sports medicine and I also taught this subject. Last but not least, in the last few years I have been studying theology. Archery is just a wonderful way of life. It helps your mind, your body, your spirit. You really don’t need any banned substance to perform and feel good with archery. You just need to plan your training and use all your resources. You need to think about nutrition, physical preparation, mental and skill. Sometimes, archers focus too much on the target and not enough on the skill itself. I recommend archery to everyone, because it keeps you healthy! Thanks Pavel, and take care! Didier MIEVILLE FITA Communication
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