František Zajíček

František Zajíček enjoyed all disciplines of skiing from a young age, winning his first cross-country meet at the age of nine. He pursued this passion as a Military Academy student, but the annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 by Nazi Germany led to his discharge from the army and a new career as a government clerk. Secretly, however, he joined the underground Czech resistance and took an active part in the movement during World War II. He rejoined the Czechoslovakian army once the conflict was over and served as an intelligence officer but, in 1950, he was sentenced to life imprisonment following a politically-motivated accusation of collaboration with the Gestapo during the war. He was released in an amnesty agreement in 1960.

Two years prior to his incarceration Zajíček had represented his country at the 1948 Winter Olympics as a member of the four-man bobsleigh team, which also included Max Ippen, Ivan Šipajlo, and Eduard Novotný. The quartet placed 14th out of 15 squads in the tournament. Zajíček was also an alternate on the Czechoslovakian military ski patrol team, which was a demonstration event in St. Moritz. His brother Jaroslav was also present at the Games and competed in three cross-country skiing events. After František’s release from prison he worked on a collective farm, but was also permitted to serve as a ski instructor. In 1991 he was posthumously cleared of charges of collaboration and restored to the rank of colonel in the army.