By Emily Goddard

Věra Čáslavská has donated two of her seven Olympic gold medals to the Slovak Museum of Physical CultureSeptember 17 - Věra Čáslavská, the most decorated Czech gymnast of all time, has donated two of her seven Olympic gold medals to the Slovak Museum of Physical Culture in what is a symbolic gesture towards Slovakia, which was part of her former native Czechoslovakia.

The 11-time Olympic medallist and former International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, President of the Czechoslovakian Olympic Committee from 1990 to 1992 and then of the Czech NOC until 1996, gave a gold medal each from Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968 during a ceremony in Bratislava for the "Winning and Losing. Slovak Sport 1993-2012" exhibition.

It is partly thanks to Čáslavská that when the Czech and Slovak republics peacefully "divorced" in 1993 that the common property of the Czechoslovakian Olympic Committee was shared between the two new NOCs.

"I was always representing Czechoslovakia, therefore I am convinced that part of all my medals belongs also to Slovakia," Čáslavská said during the ceremony.

"This is also expression of my great thanks to all my Slovak fans.

"I always felt very good in the Slovak part of former Czechoslovakia and that was a great time to compete here."

Čáslavská was awarded the European Olympic Committee (EOC) Order of Merit in 2002 and last year received the highest Slovak Olympic Committee award, the SOC Trophy.

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