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Thousands of people – Czechs and Londoners alike – have come to the Czech House in London since the start of the London Olympics. Inaugurated on Friday by President Václav Klaus, the venue offers Czech music, art, food, beer and other attractions as well as a chance to chat to some of the athletes competing in the games.

Czech President Václav Klaus along with Czech government officials and the mayor of the London borough of Islington on Friday opened the Czech House in London, the hub of all things Czech during the 2012 London Olympics. More expensive than the Czech house in Beijing four years ago, it is the venue all kinds of attractions and events for the guests of the Czech Olympic Committee, Czech sports fans, and visitors. Jan Richter reported on the opening ceremony over the phone from London.

The Czech music group Charlie Straight is in London set to perform at the Czech House cultural centre on the eve of the start of the Olympic Games.

With just a day remaining to the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the Czech House is getting ready to receive its first visitors. Located in the trendy area of Islington, the Czech House will offer a series of programmes including concerts, exhibits and film screenings, as well as opportunities to meet some of the Czech athletes competing in the Games. But even before the Games began, the venue is already drawing crowds of people who come to see one of the most original artifacts dedicated to the 2012 Olympics – a red double-decker bus

Czech badminton player Petr Koukal will carry his country’s flag at Friday’s Olympic Games opening ceremony in London, just a year after winning his battle against testicular cancer. The Czech Badminton Federation described the choice as “a big step for Czech badminton and a huge leap for Peter Koukal”. Shortly before departing for London with the team of Czech athletes Koukal shared his feelings with journalists.

Continuing problems with the country’s new vehicle registration system, which crashed for the umpteenth time on Wednesday, could see Transport Minister Pavel Dobeš resign by the end of the week. The prime minister warned Mr Dobeš that unless the faulty system was running without complications by Friday, he expected the minister to go.

A new work by renowned Czech artist David Černý has gone on display at the Czech House in Islington, London to coincide with the Olympic Games. Entitled ‘London Booster’, the work features a converted red double-decker... doing push-ups! The six-tonne mechanical sculpture even audibly grunts and groans as it lifts itself off the ground, making it a perfect draw for the upcoming Olympics.

The Czech Olympic teams are off for London, where their chances are thought to be excellent in more than half a dozen disciplines. Special flights took 66 Czech Athletes to the British capital on Tuesday, and President Václav Klaus and several government ministers are planning to visit over the coming days.

The new vehicle registration system is, once again, out of order, wreaking havoc on hundreds of drivers. A problem connecting the system to police and European identification databases means that vehicles are being registered at a snail’s pace, and that is just the latest problem since the system was launched two weeks ago.

Thursday saw the ceremonial opening in Prague of a new branch of the US-based Aspen Institute. The ceremony was attended by numerous former foreign ministers from around the globe, including former us Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.