Sports News
Temperatures in Athens, the venue for next year's Olympics, regularly reach 40 degrees Celsius in August: we ask a member of the Czech Olympic Committee if they are worried about the effect the heat might have on Czech athletes. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says next season will be her last in the top flight, and suggests she may go into politics. Three Czech football teams have been in UEFA Cup action, with Teplice's away win against Kaiserslautern making the most headlines. Czech Borussia Dortmund stars Koller and Rosicky have both been in hospital this week, and a super-rich Qatari side featuring Gabriel Batistuta and Stefan Effenberg walked out of a friendly against Bohemians because the "Kangaroos" were too rough!
Olympic Committee worried heat may affect Czechs at Athens Olympics
With this year's athletics season not long over Czech athletes such as Roman Sebrle and Jan Zelezny are already focused on next year's Olympic Games, which are being held in the Greek capital, Athens. Temperatures in the city regularly reach 40 degrees Celsius in August, when the games are due to take place; won't the extreme heat be a problem for the Czech team? That's a question I put to Vladimir Dostal, the general secretary of the Czech Olympic Committee.
"Well, I think so, I really do think so. We have discussed the problem many, many times and so far there is in fact no solution. The Czech Olympic Committee is organising this month a special seminar for doctors, physiotherapists, athletes, coaches and other persons responsible for our sports movement aimed at the conditions which we expect in Athens, including the health service, training acclimatisation and so on."
What about the fact that it's being organised by the Greeks? Are you afraid of some organisational problems, given that the Greeks aren't known for being organised?
"The Greeks themselves say they are last minute people, and the present conditions of the venues bear out their words. Really, some sports facilities are under construction and we are a bit afraid of their finishing in time, so we just have to believe they will manage."
Narvratilova going to Olympics, considering entering politics
The Czech-born tennis legend Martina Navratilova has said she will be a member of the United States team at the Athens Olympics, though next season will be her last. Navratilova, who is 46, has suggested she may go into politics after she retires. She said "if Arnold Schwarzenegger can run for governor of California, then who knows? I have the muscles."
Top seed Novak into quarter-finals at Shanghai Open
Czech tennis number one Jiri Novak has reached the quarter finals at the Shanghai Open, after beating Robert Kendrick of the United States 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday. Novak, the competition's top seed, next faces Magnus Norman of Sweden.
Teplice overturn Kaiserslautern in UEFA Cup first round first leg
Slavia Prague halted their recent decline with a win against the Serbian club Sartid Smederevo. Slavia too won 2:1, though they will have been disappointed to concede a goal in the last minute.
The third Czech team in UEFA Cup action, Viktoria Zizkov, were beaten 1:0 by the Copenhagen club Brondby.
Rosicky and Koller both hospitalised this week
Czech star Tomas Rosicky has just been released from hospital, after an appendix operation. The midfielder expects to resume training in two or three weeks. By an unlikely coincidence, his Czech Borussia Dortumund team-mate Jan Koller is also in hospital; he's suffering from a lung infection.
Super-rich Qatari club walk off at half-time over rough play by Bohemians
The super-rich club Al-Arabi from Qatar, who feature former world stars Gabriel Batistuta and Stefan Effenberg, pulled out of a game against Prague club Bohemians at half-time on Wednesday, saying the "Kangaroos" were playing too roughly for a friendly. The Qatar club, in Prague for training, also refused to pay the costs of the game and left the "Dolicek" stadium in a hurry when Bohemians officials threatened to call the police.
Czech women's basketball team impress at European Championships...
The Czech Republic's women's basketball team have been going great guns at the European Championships in Greece, winning all five of their group games and finishing on top. The trainer of France, who came second in the group, praised the Czech team and said they had to be favourites to win the competition. The Czechs face Belgium on Friday in the quarter-finals.
...while their sport's championships are a washout for Czech volleyball team
The country's women's volleyball team, meanwhile, have been having a rather different experience at their sport's European Championships in Turkey, having lost four games in a row.
