Aleš Háma stepped down from hosting the Athlete of the Year gala on Saturday, November 7, 2026, ending a twenty-year run on the broadcast.
The announcement came at the very end of the live broadcast on Czech Television‘s ČT1 channel.
Throughout the evening, the event unfolded as usual, with the Czech Athletic Federation noting that hurdler Lurdes Gloria Manuel claimed top honors with 1,383 points as the indoor world champion over 400 meters, while Dušan Král earned Coach of the Year, Michal Rada was named Junior of the Year, and sixteen-year-old hurdler Linda Botková took Discovery of the Year.
Only after the sporting honors were handed out did the host take the microphone to address the audience. I am already here to say goodbye – not just to tonight’s evening, but also to Athlete of the Year,
he told viewers in a statement highlighted by Globe24.
Explaining his departure without hesitation, the presenter pointed to the passage of time and the need for fresh perspectives in television programming. He offered a direct rationale for closing the chapter.
A person should know how to end certain life stages. After twenty years, it is time for someone else to stand here, to bring fresh wind and ideas.
Aleš Háma, via Tiscali
He also expressed gratitude to the competitors who brought the sport into his daily routine over two decades, adding, Thank you, athletes, for what you have given me and for bringing athletics into my life.
The exit aligns with a broader generational shift across major domestic programs. Earlier in the autumn, on September 14 during a press conference reported by MediaGuru, Marek Eben and Tereza Kostková announced that their fourteenth anniversary season of StarDance would be their last, concluding their own twenty-year partnership with a final episode scheduled for December 12.
Television representatives noted in mid-October on the social network X that discussions regarding successors had concluded, though network executives declined to confirm specific names while retaining broadcasting rights.
Tabloid reports and entertainment outlets immediately noted the coincidence, questioning whether the presenter might position himself for the dance competition vacancy. Past precedent exists for such a jump, as he previously stepped in for Kostková during an October 30, 2021 broadcast when illness sidelined her, playfully telling her beforehand to recover quickly so she and Eben could hand off the broadcast from StarDance to the Athlete of the Year gala.
