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This has been an exciting weekend for Czech sports, this week: Martin Koukal wins gold in 50km at world championships. Slavia eliminated from UEFA cup in controversial match. Czech hockey playoffs to commence. Milan Hejduk continues to produce goals in the NHL. League leaders Sparta Prague come-up short in dramatic match in Ostrava. Jiri Novak places second in Dubai Open.

In today's Sports News: Czech skier Martin Koukal adds a 5th place finish to a successful week at the cross country skiing world championships in Italy; Czech football side Slavia get set for the second leg of the UEFA Cup last sixteen; and Jaromir Jagr and Petr Sykora both shine in team wins in NHL ice hockey action.

In sports this week: Slavia victorious in UEFA Cup action. Prague teams tied for top spot in Czech football league. Katerina Holubcova comes in third at world biathlon championships, Martin Koukal sixth at cross country world cup. The race for last spots in Hockey playoffs heating up. And, Martin Straka, Milan Hejduk, and Robert Reichel carry their teams to victory in NHL action.

This week in sport: Arena to be build for Hockey World Championships after all. Czech's score in Champion League action. HC Sparta Prague defeat arch rivals HC Slavia Prague despite another delay. Radek Bonk scores the wining goal in battle between top teams in the NHL. Another Czech football player moves to Russia. Hooligans cause problems at football games over the weekend. And, police have dropped the case against Tomas Hunal.

The Czech football season has resumed after the winter break, and Sparta have seen their lead over Prague rivals Slavia reduced to just one point. Roman Sebrle has had a winning start to the season with gold in the septathlon in Tallinn, though fellow Czech Tomas Dvorak only came fifth and is not assured of a starting place at the world championships. And Prague's Wenceslas Square is the unusual venue for an aerial skiing display.

Tomas Rosicky has again been named Czech Footballer of the Year, while the Czech national team have caused an upset by beating European Champions France 2:0 in Paris. The football league is back on this weekend after the winter break, and ice hockey's league leaders have been deprived of three points in connection with drug-taking. And "Cyling's Emil Zatopek" Jan Vesely has died at the age of 79.

The Czech Republic have lost an epic Davis Cup tie against holders Russia, with everything hinging on the very last set of the weekend. There was no joy for the Czech ice hockey squad either - they went to the Swedish Games hoping to win the Euro Hockey Tour but suffered a total washout and ended up second from bottom of the final table. And Sparta Prague have been and gone and sold captain Jiri Novotny, who'd only been there 16 years and won 13 league titles.

The Czech Republic's plans to host the 2004 world ice hockey championships are in serious doubt, as a dispute arises over the building of a necessary new arena. The Czechs get off to a losing start at the Swedish Games, but good news for hockey fans comes in the form of Jaromir Jagr's 500th NHL goal. The draw is being made for this weekend's hotly anticipated Davis Cup tennis clash with Russia, and Ludmila Formanova is beset by fresh health worries.

A poor landing in the world championships has cost Ales Valenta a place on the podium at the same venue where he won gold in freestyle aerial skiing at the Winter Olympics a year ago. Leading figures in Czech tennis have come out in support of Bohdan Ulihrach, who could face a two-year suspension if he fails a second test for nandrolone. Sparta Prague captain Jiri Novotny, who has won 13 football league titles at the club, is in talks about a possible transfer with Russia's Kazan. And down-on-his-luck Olympic ice hockey winner Jiri Dopita has signed

Czech ice hockey coach Slavomir Lener says the core of his squad for next week's Swedish Games will go to the World Championships next spring. Czech tennis has been rocked by a drugs scandal, with Bohdan Ulihrach failing a test for the banned substance nandrolone. And injury-prone former Czech international footballer Patrik Berger has announced that he is finally calling it a day at Liverpool.