Hockey: Hadamczik says he is stepping down

The head of the Czech men’s hockey team Alois Hadamczik has said in an interview for a commercial radio station he will be stepping down as head coach following the team’s finish outside the medals at this year’s Winter Olympics. The squad was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the US and only managed wins against Latvia and Slovakia in the tournament. Mr Hadamczik had a contract to lead the team until 2015, when Prague will host the Ice Hockey World Championship. The coach cited intense media pressure as one of the reasons for leaving. Under his lead the Czechs won two bronze and one silver medal in the World Championships and secured bronze at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.