Sport | Topic Archive

In Sports News: the Czech Republic have drawn a tough qualifying group for Euro 2008, says Vladimir Smicer; Czech captain Tomas Galasek is to leave Ajax after six years; Czech Martin Damm and partner Leander Paes lose in the doubles final at the Australian Open; and Jaromir Jagr and the rest of the Czech colony at the New York Rangers go on a scoring spree.

Three-time football world champion Pele, Czech supermodel Tereza Maxova, and a twelve-year-old Czech boy named Vojtech: at a glitzy event in London over the weekend these three presented the Czech national squad's new football jersey. If clothes make the man, will the new ultra-light jersey, manufactured by Puma, "make" the Czech team in this year's World Cup? Organisers certainly hope so.

French 3rd seed Amelie Mauresmo knocks last Czech singles hopeful out of Australian Open; Jaromir Jagr's New York Rangers continue to win in NHL; a record 82 Czech athletes get nod for Winter Olympic Games.

The Czech international football goalkeeper Petr Cech has just been named the best goalkeeper in the world by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Cech, who plays for English mega-club Chelsea, has won that accolade at just 23 years of age.

In Sports News: as the Olympics draw near, cross country skier Katerina Neumannova wins her third World Cup race in a row; ski jumper Jakub Janda vows to quit ski flying, and denies German allegations that he cheats; footballer Tomas Repka rejoins Sparta Prague after eight years abroad; and most Czech tennis players go through on day one of the Australian Open.

Without question 2006 is a year to look forward to in Czech sport: from Olympic hockey to the football World Cup. Both tournaments are taking place just around the corner, in Italy and Germany, so a lot of Czechs will be on the move, both fans - and reporters. Jan Velinger spoke to Jan Palicka, a senior writer for Mlada Fronta Dnes, and asked him how he saw Czech prospects this year:

In Sports News: Jakub Janda becomes only the second Czech to win the Four Hills ski jumping tournament, though he shares first place with his biggest rival; cross country skier Lukas Bauer finishes second for the second weekend in a row; teenage tennis player Lucie Safarova wins the third WTA title of her career in Australia's Gold Coast; and ice hockey star Jaromir Jagr maintains his lead in the NHL players' points table.

Czech skiing reaches new heights with top finishes by Jakub Janda in ski jumping (2nd stage of the prestigious Four Hills) and Katerina Neumanova in cross-country; Tomas Tomecek crashes in Dakar; ice hockey's Jaromir Jagr continues to shine in the NHL.

In this rather seasonal Sports News: seventy-one hardy fellows (and ladies) brave the freezing River Vltava for an annual St Stephen's Day swim; former football internationals take part in an annual indoor tournament; Milan Baros scores while Petr Cech makes a terrible error; and Vladimir Ruzicka Jr follows in his father's footsteps, scoring his first goal in the national ice hockey league at 16.

In Sports News: ice hockey star Jaromir Jagr has been named Czech Sportsman of the Year for the first time; world champion cross country skier Katerina Neumannova says she doesn't mind finishing second, while third placed Jakub Janda wins another ski jumping World Cup event; the Czech ice hockey team lose all of their three games in Moscow's Rosno Cup; and Arsenal are reportedly keen to sign Czech footballer Tomas Rosicky.