Sports News

By Peter Smith

Sport of course and let's start with the big hockey news that after nine seasons with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek is off to pastures new. The 36-year-old Olympic Champion has been traded by Buffalo to one of the league's top teams, the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for the winger Vyacheslav Kozlov.

The Sabres were faced with the dilemma of exercising their $9 million option to extend Hasek's contract or risk losing him for nothing. The move comes at the end of a successful season for the Czech - one in which his outstanding performances helped to take Buffalo to the Stanley Cup play-offs for the first time in 24 years. Hasek had planned to retire at the end of last season, but has since reiterated his intention to help the Czech Republic defend their Olympic gold medal at Salt Lake City in 2002.

Turning to motor racing and Czech driver Tomas Enge put in a fine performance at the weekend to finish third in Magny-Cours Formula 3000 race. The Australian driver Mark Webber was first past the chequered flag, seven seconds ahead of Enge's teammate, the championship leader Justin Wilson of Britain.

It only seems like last week that the curtain fell on the 2000/01 football season. Well, it was raised again on Sunday when Synod Stare Mesto hosted Romanian team Universitatea Craiova in the Second Round, First Leg of the Intertoto Cup. Although for many this summer competition is regarded as a waste of time, it shouldn't be forgotten that for the three lucky winners it does provide a route into the First Round proper of the UEFA Cup. Synot face a tough return leg in Romania next weekend, though, - in torrential rain, the Gambrinus League team triumphed 3-2 with a brace from Jan Trousil and one from Tomas Vajda

The Czech Under-20s team have been eliminated from the World Youth Championships in Argentina. It all seemed to be going well for the youngsters in their quarter-final tie against Paraguay in Mendoza, especially after the South Americans were reduced to 10 men when Julio Gonzalez was red carded in the 26th minute. However, Santiago Salcedo netted the only goal of the match five minutes later and the Czechs couldn't find a way back.