News

Czech foil fencer Alexander Choupenitch has secured third place at the Grand Prix in Lima. He was defeated in the semifinals by Italy’s Guillaume Bianchi, losing 10–15. Bianchi went on to win the final, beating Russia’s Kirill Borodachov 15–12.

Alongside two Grand Prix bronze medals this season, Choupenitch also claimed victory at a World Cup event in Mallorca in November. Over the course of his career, he has won seven Grand Prix medals — four bronze and three silver.

Czech biathlete Tereza Voborníková finished third in the mass start race in Oslo, securing her first individual World Cup podium. The 25-year-old from Vrchlabí described the season, which she ended in a career-best 12th place overall, as excellent and said her recent consistency had been key to success. Speaking to Czech Television, she added that experience from February’s Olympic race helped her in the final sprint. Voborníková held on to third place in the last lap, finishing just under five seconds ahead of Sweden’s Elvira Öberg.

The ANO party would win parliamentary elections in March with 34.2 percent of the vote, according to a STEM poll conducted for CNN Prima News. STAN has climbed to second place with 13.3 percent, overtaking ODS at 12.2 percent. The Czech Pirate Party would secure 8.1 percent and SPD 7.1 percent, both entering parliament. Other parties, including TOP 09 and the Greens, would remain below the threshold. Analysts say STAN is drawing support from voters of centre-right parties, while ODS has weakened partly due to competition from a new movement led by South Bohemian governor Martin Kuba.

Responding to a call by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to tighten security after Friday’s fire at a defence-linked facility in Pardubice, several Czech companies have begun stepping up protective measures. Among them is Aero Vodochody, a major Czech aircraft manufacturer producing military and training planes. The company said it had reinforced on-site security, increased airspace monitoring and put its fire brigade on full alert. Other firms, including Bagira Systems and Česká zbrojovka, also reported reviewing or strengthening safeguards. Police are investigating the Pardubice blaze as a possible terrorist attack, and the government has urged defence industry operators to reassess risks and improve protection of their facilities.