Sports News

Tatra truck in the Paris to Dakar Rally , photo: CTK

Just weeks after joining Sparta Prague, 21-year-old striker Jan Rezek made a dream debut on Tuesday, when he scored two goals. The next day the younger Gluscevic brother at the club also made his mark by netting two. After winning the latest stage of the Dakar Rally, six-time winner Karel Loprais is currently third overall in the truck category in a Czech-made Tatra. Jiri Novak is in good form ahead of tennis's Australian Open. And will Czech ice hockey fans get to see stars Jagr and Lang in action at the World Championships?

Rezek scores two on dream debut for Sparta Prague

Striker Jan Rezek,  photo: CTK
Just weeks after joining the leading Czech football club Sparta Prague, 21-year-old striker Jan Rezek made a dream debut on Tuesday, when he scored two goals in a 4:3 win over Germany's Hamburg, at a pre-season tournament in the Canary Islands. Rezek, who came to attention playing for Teplice in the UEFA Cup, said he was impressed by Sparta's approach.

"Sparta's style is not to keep chasing forward but to hold on to the ball and change the pace of their play. In the game against Hamburg there were really a lot of chances and I think it wouldn't have been so surprising if we'd scored eight goals. I think we were 100 percent better than them, and we outplayed them in our combination play."

Younger Gluscevic shines for Sparta, club also interested in Stajner

Sparta fielded a B-team in a game against Belgium's Anderlecht on Wednesday, which they won 2:1 with two brilliant goals from Vladimir Gluscevic, younger brother of Igor Gluscevic, who has yet to make an impact at Sparta. The club are aiming to sign yet another striker, Czech international squad member Jiri Stajner. Stajner says he would welcome the move from Hannover, where he does not have a stable position in the first eleven.

Six-time winner Loprais third in Dakar Rally as end approaches

Tatra truck in the Paris to Dakar Rally ,  photo: CTK
In the world-famous Paris to Dakar Rally, six-time winner Karel Loprais is currently third overall in the truck category in a Czech-made Tatra. The experienced driver won the thirteenth stage of the race on Wednesday, his second stage win. Loprais says the front runners in the truck category are evenly matched and that anything is possible between now and Monday's finish.

Ice Hockey World Championships will be on TV, Jagr and Lang may play

There was good news for Czech ice hockey fans this week, when it became known that the World Championships - which are being held this spring in Prague and Ostrava - would after all be shown on Czech Television. And there's been speculation that the Czech team could include Jaromir Jagr and Robert Lang, who are playing so well together these days at the Washington Capitals.

Novak in good form ahead of Australian Open

The leading Czech tennis player, Jiri Novak, is in fine form just days before the start of the first Grand Slam of the Year, the Australian Open. Novak defeated Holland's Raemon Sluiter on Thursday to reach the semi-final of the Aukland Open, in which the Czech is seeded second. In the Australian Open itself, Novak has been seeded 14th.

Cross country skiing World Cup meeting in Moravia a treat for Czech fans

The biggest sports event in the Czech Republic this weekend will be a World Cup cross country skiing meeting in Nove Mesto na Morave. Czech fans will be cheering on Lukas Bauer, who won their last year, Katerina Neumannova, who has won her last two World Cup races, and possibly Martin Koukal: he is carrying a hand injury and has yet to decide if he will take part.