Czech president hospitalized after motorcycle mishap

PRAGUE - Czech President Petr Pavel was injured while riding a motorcycle, the presidential office said on Thursday.

"The injuries are not serious, but they will require a short observation" at the Military University Hospital Prague (UVN), the office said on social media X.

It is not yet clear under what circumstances it happened.

The hospital confirmed on X that the president was admitted to the hospital "with an injury that is not serious".

"He was treated and hospitalized for preventive observation," it said.

Czech police later said that the injury did not occur on the road, but on a closed sports circuit.

"For this reason, we are not treating the matter as a traffic accident," the police said.

Pavel, 62, is known for his love of riding a motorcycle. Local newspaper Denik N said the president was injured on a closed circuit in the Central Bohemia region.

In a tweet, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wished the president "a speedy recovery".

In April, Pavel was injured in the face at a shooting range in Uhersky Brod during a visit to the Zlin Region, southeast Czech Republic. He suffered a minor laceration near his eyebrows while shooting a long gun, but the injury did not require medical treatment, the Czech News Agency reported.