Canoeist Hilgertová to carry Czech flag at Olympics opening
The great canoeist Å tÄpánka Hilgertová has been chosen to carry the Czech flag at the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday.
It will be a remarkable fifth Olympics for the 40-year-old, who Czech PM to attend Beijing Olympics ...
Czech, US experts close talks on industrial cooperation agreement ...
Chelsea sign Barca playmaker Deco ...
Bulgaria withdraws lifting team ...
Defender Riise in talks with Roma ... took gold in the K1 event in 1996 and 2000. She will be the second Czech woman to bear her countryâs flag at an Olympics opening, after speed-skater Martina SáblÃková led the Czech team at the last winter Olympics. Will that put more pressure on Å tÄpánka Hilgertová in Beijing?
âAbsolutely not. I think carrying the flag is an acknowledgement of past successes â it doesnât represent expectations of what is to come. There are expectations of course, but I wouldnât link them to bearing the flag.â
Sparta win opening game in Czech leagueâ¦
The 2008-2009 season in Czech footballâs Gambrinus League got underway on Saturday. The biggest gate of the day was at Sparta Prague, where 15,500 saw new captain Patrik Berger lead Sparta to a 1:0 win over Mladá Boleslav. Berger had a quiet enough afternoon, but did put full back Michal Kadlec through for the only goal of the game. Seven yellow cards were handed out, and Sparta manager VÃtÄzslav LaviÄka says he instructed his charges to rein in their aggression.
âMaybe it was because it was the opening game, the motivation was high. We had to deal with it at half time, because there was a danger some of the players who got yellow cards in the first half could be sent off. Afterwards they played with greater responsibility in this respect.â
Sparta are in action again on Wednesday, when they take a 1:0 lead into the second, home leg of their Champions League second round qualifying tie with Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova. Victory will see Sparta face either Panathinaikos or Dinamo Tiblisi. Slavia Prague play Italyâs Fiorentina for a place in the lucrative Champions League group stage.
â¦while Slavia lose at Liberec
Back in the Czech league, Slavia got off to a poor start, with the defending champions losing 2:1 away to Slovan Liberec on Sunday evening. Slavia goalkeeper Martin Vaniak wonât have slept well on Sunday night, after his poor positioning allowed Liberec to score their second goal from a free kick 30 metres out.
Ostrava beat Kladno team clad in old Ostrava strips
Elsewhere, BanÃk Ostrava beat Kladno 1:0, with last seasonâs top scorer Václav SvÄrkoÅ¡ opening his account immediately. Bizarrely, Kladno were also kitted out in BanÃk strips. Their own were deemed too similar to BanÃkâs white home strip, so the referee ordered them to wear an old BanÃk away kit.
Laštůvka signs loan deal with Premier League club West Ham
Czech goalkeeper Jan LaÅ¡tůvka has signed a one-year loan deal with English club West Ham. LaÅ¡tůvka, who is contracted to Ukraineâs Shakhtar Donetsk, is getting his second opportunity in the Premier League, after previously spending a season at Fulham. He wonât be the only Czech at West Ham: their goalkeeping coach is former international LudÄk MikloÅ¡ko, while the Hammers also have young Czech goalie Marek Å tÄch on their books.
(radio-Prague)
<< Back