Sports News

In Sports News: the Czech Republic's Under 21 football team begin their campaign at the European Championships in the Netherlands; Czech motorcyclist Lukas Pesek is having a bad month - he has lost top spot in the 125 cc world championships after two falls in two races; pole vaulter Adam Ptacek sets a record - and then seriously injures his arm; and international footballer Marek Matejovsky gets hitched on the pitch.

Under 21s face England in first game at European Championships

Photo: CTK

The Czech Republic's Under 21 football team are currently in the Netherlands, preparing for their first game at their European Championships. However, on the very eve of their opening game, against a Premiership-star-studded England, the Czech line-up was not clear. Coach Ladislav Skorpil said he was having trouble picking a starting eleven, given that several of the Czech Under 21s had recently had health problems.

Ladislav Skorpil, photo: CTK

"The problem is that some of the players were out for a while. It's a question of finding those players who are now able to produce high quality performances. It's not simple. That's why we play friendly games, but when some players haven't appeared in them then you have to go on how they do in training."

The Czech Republic's opening game against England takes place, unfortunately, after the recording of this programme. But we will be bringing you the team's results in our news.

The Lvicata, or Lion Cubs, as the Czech Under 21s are called, will be without injured captain Martin Latka for the tournament in Holland. Fingers crossed, though, they can emulate their predecessors of five years ago; in 2002 a team including present full internationals Milan Baros, David Rozehnal and Zdenek Grygera won the tournament after a dramatic penalty shootout in which Petr Cech was the hero, saving two.

Former leader Pesek down to third after two falls in two 125cc races

The Czech motorcyclist Lukas Pesek has been making life difficult for himself in the 125 cc world championships. After leading the competition, he has fallen off the pace after falling off his bike in the last two races. Pesek's latest tumble came in Barcelona on Sunday, when he caused a crash four laps from the finishing line. The Czech rider, who blamed a brake failure for Sunday's setback, eventually managed to finish 13th, and is now third in the standings.

Ptacek sets pole vault record - then comes a cropper

Adam Ptacek, photo: CTK

Czech pole vaulter Adam Ptacek set a new meeting record last week, when he cleared 582 centimetres in the prazska tycka, or Prague Pole, which takes place every year in an unusual venue - the bottom of Wenceslas Square. But shortly after setting the record, Ptacek took a bad fall while trying to outdo that height by another four centimeters. The athlete did considerable injury to his arm, and though it isn't broken, it does seriously threaten his chances of taking part in the World Athletics Championships in Osaka. Five hundred eighty-two centimetres is one centimeter higher than Ptacek's own Czech record. However, it does not enter the record books as the Prague Pole is an exhibition event.

Czech international Matejovsky gets married on Mlada Boleslav pitch

It's not so unusual for fans to get married at sports stadiums, but it is certainly out of the ordinary for a professional footballer to get hitched on the turf at his home ground. But that's just what Czech international Marek Matejovsky did last week, when he and his partner Simona tied the knot on the pitch at Mlada Boleslav.