The Czech Republic have won their opening game at the European Football Championship, beating Scotland 2:0 at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Both of the Czechs’ goals came from striker Patrik Schick, with the second a spectacular long-range effort from just past the halfway line. UEFA said it was the longest distance for a goal in the tournament at 49.7 meters. The previous record of 38.6 meters came from Germany midfielder Torsten Frings at Euro 2004. The Czech Republic took the lead in Group D with three points and spoiled the party for Scotland, which was returning to a major men’s soccer tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup. Scotland started well, getting the ball up the field into crossing positions. Midfielder John McGinn had a good chance to score in the sixth minute, but his effort was deflected out for a corner. The Czechs started gaining a foothold as the first half wore on, with Schick forcing a save in the 16th with a near-post effort that was palmed away by Marshall. England, meanwhile, are second after beating Croatia 1-0 at Wembley on Sunday thanks to a second-half Raheem Sterling goal. The Three Lions are next up for Scotland in...
The unseeded 25-year-old defeated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to claim her first Grand Slam title. In a match between two first-time slam finalists, it was Krejcikova who came out on top to win 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday. The match ended with Pavlyuchenkova’s backhand landing long on the fourth match point for Krejcikova. The 25-year-old emulates compatriot Hana Mandlikova who claimed the trophy in Paris in 1981. Krejčíková paid an emotional tribute to her mentor former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotná who died of cancer at the age of 49 in 2017. “It’s hard to put into words. I cannot believe I have just won a Grand Slam,” said Krejcikova who was still outside the top 100 when the 2020 French Open, also known as Roland Garros, took place last October. “I spent a lot of time with Jana before she died. Her last words to me were ‘enjoy tennis and try and win a Grand Slam.’ “I know she’s looking after me. All this is pretty much because she is looking after me. “It was amazing that I got the chance to meet her. She was such an inspiration. I miss her and I hope she’s really...
While the Jaroslav Silhavy-coached side have made it to the Euro 1996 final round for the 7th consecutive time, their glory days were when it was Czechoslovakia. With only a handful of players in Europe’s top-flight clubs, it has become difficult for the Czech Republic to push for knockout rounds against European heavyweights. Since winning the 1976 European Championship, they have managed runners-up in 2000 and semifinal finish in 2004. Since then, apart from the quarterfinal finish in 2012, they haven’t done remarkably well. This time, they qualified from Group A, finishing runners-up behind England with five wins and three losses. However, it was their 2-1 win against England that will give them a lot of confidence going into the final round of Euro 2020. They are once again clubbed with England besides World Cup runners-up Croatia and Scotland. Czech Republic in Group D of Euro 2020 Czech Republic is in Group D alongside England, Croatia, and Scotland. While beating England in the qualifying round will be a confidence booster, in a tournament like Euro, it will be difficult to replicate that feat. Besides, Croatia, despite underperforming, are still a tough team to beat. Their best hope will be to...
By Joshua Donaldson, the editor of Youth Time Magazine. Jiří Ježek’s Team Birell won the inaugural Battle Of The Teams, beating Team Volkswagen by nearly 300 points in Prague on Sunday morning. The event, a marathon around the streets of central Prague, was the first of its kind, pitting four teams of eight world-class and homegrown long-distance running stars against each other, where every runner, no matter their time or ability, counted to the final points tally. The winning squad had Kenyan star, Benson Kiprupto, to thank for much of their success as he won the elite men’s race with a late burst on the final lap. In the elite women’s race, Purity Rionoripo was the star of the show, setting a new personal best on her way to victory by more than a minute. The Czech national championships also took place on the same course. Vit Pavlišta won the men’s race whilst Eva Vrabcová Nývltová beat Moira Stewartová to win the women’s edition and, in the process, qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next month. After the unique start at 6.30 am CET on the iconic Charles Bridge in the centre of Prague, the racers headed out for...
Marathon was always perceived as an individual race. RunCzech wants to change this tradition and therefore brings a new revolutionary approach, which will offer more tension and drama than it is usual in long-distance running. The Battle of the Teams will kick off this Sunday at 6:30 from Charles Bridge, the very first “team” marathon, where every runner and every time matters more than usual. The race will be over as soon as the last runner will cross the finish line. The historic centre of Prague will gladly welcome the 32 best worldwide marathoners on Sunday 30th of May, Czech athletes will not be missing and you can look forward to seeing Czech stars such as Jiří Homoláč, Eva Vrabcová Nývltová, Vítek Pavlišta, or young prospect Moira Stewartová. Marathon as a team sport It is not only about race; it is a brand new approach for running in itself. This approach is highly appreciated by long-term partner adidas, which believes that sport should be pushing boundaries and seeking new opportunities, while others might perceive challenges. This also supports their latest campaign called Impossible Is Nothing. “The main purpose is to change the overall perception of marathon racing and bring more tension...
An appeal filed by Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela against his 10-match ban from UEFA for racist behaviour has been dismissed, Europe’s soccer governing body said on Wednesday. Kudela was banned for 10 UEFA club and national team competition games after Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara complained of being racially abused by the Czech defender in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie in March. Czech coach Jaroslav Silhavy had left one spot open for Kudela when he announced his squad for next month’s European Championship but the Slavia Prague player is now ineligible. Kudela had said in a statement that he swore at Kamara after being fouled, but denied using racist language. Police Scotland were expected to question Kudela when he came to London to play Arsenal in the quarter-finals, but his club said he was not fit to travel before UEFA handed him a provisional one-match suspension hours later. Kamara’s lawyer Aamer Anwar welcomed the decision to uphold the ban but criticized UEFA for taking a soft stance. “The ban smacks of tokenism and in reality, UEFA has failed to take any real action against racism. Meanwhile, my client is yet to receive a full apology,” he...
RunCzech event on May 30 will feature an innovative concept which organizers say could be a ‘game changer’ in the world of distance running Battle of the Teams is the brainchild of RunCzech, organizers of the fabled Volkswagen Prague Marathon and other Gold Label running events around the Czech Republic and Europe. While the world suffered through the pandemic, the team at RunCzech focused on finding ways of keeping the running community energized and engaged. They’ve hosted virtual runs and they’ve staged races in unconventional locations where safety protocols could be maintained, such as airports and breweries, to name just two. But maybe their biggest breakthrough was the Battle of the Teams concept because it makes the marathon an even more strategic, complex and engaging spectacle. The idea is to assemble four teams, each made up of eight marathoners chosen from among the best in the world; four men and four women, with each team supported by a different corporate partner. Runners would be assembled and „drafted” into teams based on their personal bests over the past 48 months, so that their collective abilities would be evenly—almost perfectly—matched. What is most exciting about this is that the Battle of the...
According to the Czech Chamber of Fitness, the government will allow the operation of indoor sports facilities under a special regime from May 17, affirmed Chamber president Jana Havrdová. The information also follows from the directive of the Ministry of Health. The ministers did not mention the fitness centres reopening at the press conference after the government meeting yesterday. It was stated, however, in the resolution published later Gyms will open with a number of restrictions: the presence of more sportsmen than 1 per 15 square meters of the indoor area of a sports ground is not allowed, there must be no more than 2 people in a group and 10 people in total in a sports venue, all individuals present have to submit a negative test for COVID-19 (PCR, antigen, or self-test) not older than 48 hours OR a certificate of vaccination OR confirmation that they have contracted the virus no longer than three months prior, visitors must maintain a distance of at least 2 meters, changing rooms and showers remain closed. There is no clarity with the mask regime in sports venues. Details will be announced soon. Havrdová called this decision “light at the end of the tunnel”,...
This past year has been rough for everyone who’s longed for the competition and the camaraderie of participating in live road running events. In an attempt to satisfy demand, many organizations including RunCzech have been staging virtual races until it’s safe to host our traditional big celebratory runs. In the meantime, RunCzech has come up with several ways of making virtual races even more exciting and more enticing. “For one thing,” says RunCzech’s Michaela Šimeček, “we’re allowing runners to pick from a variety of different distances—marathon, half marathon, 10 km or a 4.2 km family MiniMarathon. And, in a twist on virtual marathons of the past, the RunCzech allows you to complete your distances over the course of several days.” Giving runners that option means you can take on a race that might otherwise be a little too challenging for you, and still add a marathon or half marathon to your running accomplishments. RunCzech is also adding a significant charitable component to its virtual events. According to Carlo Capalbo, president of the RunCzech Organizing Committee, “We have invented a new twist on the ancient sport of marathoning with our “Battle of the Teams” program. Elite marathoners competing in teams of...
The Slavia Prague football club is against setting up a closed European Super League and sides with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that oppose the plan. Twelve of Europe’s top clubs – AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Tottenham Hotspur – have all joined as founding clubs, a breakaway Super League, headed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. The 12 founding members have also stepped down from the European Club Association (ECA), which was led by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli who is seen as the architect of this plan. Obdivuhodny postoj nemeckych a francouzskych klubu. Respekt! Podobne jako oni plne podporujeme postoj FIFA a UEFA – fotbal potrebuje solidaritu a soutezeni v ramci stavajiciho modelu evropskych soutezi klubu z 55 fotbalovych asociaci. https://t.co/ZlMoDlJyb2 — Jaroslav Tvrdik (@JaroslavTvrdik) April 19, 2021 UEFA has issued a separate statement condemning the idea and threatening domestic, European, and world bans for clubs and possibly even international team bans for players on teams in a European Super League. UEFA also thanked the Bundesliga and Serie A giants for not signing onto the idea. The move...
From June 1st to June 30th, an online run, called Run4Prague, will take place to support small French shops impacted by the current epidemic situation. The organizers are aiming to collect 2,000,000 Kč through subscriptions and donations and give it back to the merchants. The initiative belongs to two young French guys, Brice and Charlie, both working in a startup studio based in Prague. “Every day after work, we were questioning how we can make a positive impact on people impacted by the crisis. One day, we were running along the Vltava and the idea became obvious!”. The idea being there, they directly tested it through the French community in a Facebook group called “Prahoo” and received their first positive feedback from runners. Feeling the idea’s traction, they went immediately visiting some French merchants to speak about the solidarity run. They are proud to have in the loop traditional and younger French shops of the Czech Republic such as Farmstore, Au Gourmand, Café Milleme, Le Marché – Tučné a Zdravé, Vino Delikatesy, and others to come. “More than just organizing the run, it is fantastic to meet these merchants, hearing their extraordinary stories and understanding how they reacted to this...
The Czech president’s office said Thursday it had complained to UEFA over the 10-match ban for Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela for racially abusing Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara. Kudela cupped his hand when he made the remark to Finnish player Kamara at the end of a Europa League last 16 games at Ibrox on March 18. Kamara, who insisted Kudela had racially abused him, was on Wednesday handed a three-match ban for attacking the Slavia player after the game which Slavia won 2-0 to give them a 3-1 victory on aggregate. In a stormy match, Rangers striker Kemar Roofe was banned for four games for a high challenge on Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar which left Kolar with a skull fracture. Vladimir Mynar, heading the office of Czech President Milos Zeman, said in a letter to UEFA’s disciplinary body that Kudela’s ban was disproportionately high compared to those for the Rangers players. “I want to point out the racism charges were not proven. Even a UEFA inspector questioned whether Ondrej Kudela uttered the racist remark,” wrote Mynar, who is a Slavia fan. “You have sentenced a decent man without a single proof… only to fulfil the pervert expectations of a narrow...
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