The Milan Winter Olympics have finally kicked off, blessing us with some top-tier sporting entertainment that’ll hopefully get us through the final few weeks of darkness and dreary weather. But you might have noticed something different about the official title of a competing nation: the Czech Republic, or ‘Czechia’, as it’s known in the competition.
Has the country officially changed its name, or does the shortened title only apply in certain circumstances? We’re here to explain. Below is a guide to why the Czech Republic is also known as Czechia.
Why is Czech Republic now called Czechia?
Czechia and the Czech Republic have both been used in an official capacity for years (since 2016, in fact), with the former being simply a shortened form. For the last two years, however, the Czech Republic has only been used in things like official government documents, legal correspondence and embassy business. Sort of how France is called the ‘French Republic’ in some very formal contexts.
Czechia, on the other hand, is what the country would prefer to be called in less formal situations – stuff like literary works and newspapers, as well as by people representing the country like sportspeople. For example, ‘Czechia’ is the official name of the national men’s football team, listed as such by UEFA and FIFA, and it is increasingly being used by commentators and pundits for football tournaments, including during the UEFA Euros 2024. Cast your minds back to the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Team Czechia was the squad’s official name then, too.
When did Czech Republic become Czechia?
This isn’t the first time that Czechia (or the land that now constitutes the country) has undergone a name change. Historically known in English as Bohemia, the area was known as Czechia as early as the 1990s, when still part of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic emerged after a peaceful split from Slovakia in 1992.
The news of the renaming circulated in 2023, but the government resolution was actually passed in 2016. So, better get used to reading and hearing about Czechia! Now read our guide to the most essential stuff to see and do in the Czech capital Prague.
What other countries have changed their names?
Countries changing their names is nothing new. In fact, plenty of states have done so over the years. Whether trying to better capture the geography of a country, ditch a colonial past or to just simplify things a little, there are plenty of reasons why states change how they’re known on a world stage.
Despite initially being a bit difficult to get used to, these things gradually become completely normalised. Zimbabwe was once Rhodesia, Thailand was Siam, Myanmar was Burma, Iran was Persia and the Netherlands was once Holland.
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