Daily news summary

Czech canoeists take bronze in kayak four in Rio

The Czech Republic’s canoeists have taken bronze in the kayak four 1,000 metres at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The team of Josef Dostál, Daniel Havel, Jan Štěrba and Lukáš Trefil finished just behind the second-placed Slovaks to equal the Czech Republic’s result at the London Olympics in 2012. The Czechs now have nine medals from Rio: one gold, one silver and seven bronze.

Sáblíková: No legal action over Rio qualification debacle

Czech speed skater Martina Sáblíková says she does not want to become involved in legal action or wrangling over money in connection with her failure to qualify for cycling’s individual time trial at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Such moves would not bring the Olympics back to her, the 29-year-old wrote on her Facebook page. Sáblíková believed she had made the grade for Rio but later discovered she had not, with the Czech Cycling Federation being seen as having wrongly interpreted the qualification rules. The agency that represents her said this week that it was considering legal action against the federation over the debacle.

Czech village gets bust of Franz Joseph I

A bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria was unveiled in the East Bohemian village of Pohleď on Saturday. It is the first time a Czech municipality has erected a memorial to the ruler in a century, the news website iDnes.cz reported. The monument, which was initiated by the Society for the Revival of the Czech Monarchy, is near a tree that was planted by local people in 1908 on the 60th anniversary of Franz Joseph I’s coronation.

125th anniversary of opening of Petřín Lookout Tower marked

The 125th anniversary of the opening of Prague’s Petřín Lookout Tower is being marked this weekend. Among the events taking place is a guided tour of Petřín hill by the curator of an exhibition at the lookout tower exploring its history. The 65 metre structure and the cable car leading up to it were opened in 1891 in connection with the Jubilee Provincial Exhibition held in Prague in that year. The lookout tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower.

Jáchymov marks 500th anniversary of foundation

Events marking the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the West Bohemian town of Jáchymov are reaching a climax this weekend. On Saturday a procession of historical figures through the town is being followed by a light show referring to the town’s past, while on Sunday a special mass is being said at a local church. The locally minted 16th century silver currency the tolar is regarded as being a forerunner of the dollar. In the 20th century Jáchymov was known for its uranium mines, where many political prisoners were used as forced labour.

Temperatures over next four weeks should be higher than average

Temperatures over the next month should be above average for the time of year, according to a regular four-week forecast issued on Saturday by the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute. While August so far has been cooler than average, it will be relatively warm between August 22 and September 18, the forecasters said. Rainfall is likely to be below average in that period.

Animated film to recreate Nagano ice hockey glory

The Czech Republic’s triumph at the Olympic Games in Japan’s Nagano in 1998 is to be created in an animated film, FilmNewEurope.com reported. Entitled Nagano – The Birth of Heroes the puppet-based film is being directed by Pavel Sadílek and will feature the voices of Vojta Dyk (as Jaromír Jágr) and Jiří Bartoška (Ivan Hlinka). It is due to premiere in February next year, on the 20th anniversary of the Nagano gold medal win.

Berdych to miss US Open due to appendicitis

The Czech men’s tennis number one Tomáš Berdych says he will not be taking part in the US Open due to health reasons. The 30-year-old tweeted on Saturday that he was unable to make the Grand Slam event after this week being diagnosed with appendicitis in Cincinnati. The one-time world number four said he was returning to Europe for treatment.