Poděbrady is a traditional walking destination. The Poděbrady Walking International Meeting has regularly been held here for over ninety years (and history goes back to end of 19th century) and several major international events have already taken place at the spa colonnade. In 1997, the World Race Walking Cup took place here and in the 2017 season, the European Cup, which was the predecessor of the current European RW Team Championships, was held here.

Every year, the best walkers on the planet meet in the Central Bohemian spa town and it has long been one of the highest quality walking competitions in the world. The Poděbrady circuit is really fast, which is confirmed by the 20-kilometer course records, which were improved by Swede Perseus Karlström to 1:18:22 and Italian Antonella Palmisano to 1:27:08 at last year's 92nd Poděbrady walking edition. In 2023, a world record for the 35-kilometer course was even set here during the European Championships, which was achieved with a time of 2:37:15 by Spaniard María Pérez, who still holds the record today.

The fact that Poděbrady has its own name is also confirmed by the fact that it has been awarded the right to host three editions of the European Team Walking Championships. After the 2021 and 2023 editions, the best European walkers will return this year as well. "Organizing three editions of a major walking event is an honour for us and at the same time confirms the quality of the annual meeting and the local circuit. We will do everything we can to repay the trust of European Athletics for the third time,” says Libor Varhaník, prezident of the Czech Athletics Federation.

This year's edition of the European Race Walking Team Championships will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Over 200 walkers from 24 countries should take part, which is two federations more than the number of people who participated in this competition two years ago. In addition to the Czech representatives, of course, the largest European walking powers such as Italy, Spain, France and Germany will also be present, which will send the largest teams to Poděbrady.

There will be six championship races on the program, on the 20 and 35 kilometer routes for men and women and 10 kilometers for the junior and junior categories.

The Spa Colonnade will be lively all weekend. On Saturday, the first ever Czech Republic road running championships for one mile and five kilometers will take place here. There will also be a public run and walk for those who cannot participate in the European Team Championships. A rich accompanying program and fan zone will also be prepared for both days.