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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.

As Martina Navratilova wins her 57th Grand Slam tournament at the age of 46, 16-year-old Barbora Strycova takes the junior Australian Open for the second time. Ales Valenta is back in form, with his first ever freestyle aerial skiing World Cup win. Footballer Martin Zboncak is leaving Liberec for Sparta Prague and Bohemians' keeper Contofalsky becomes the latest player to leave the Czech league for Russia.

Slavia Prague ice hockey player Radek Duda is in hot water for punching a Liberec player after being sent off, and then lying about it on national television. Jiri Dopita's NHL career may not be over after all, and Jaromir Jagr's good form continues. Former tennis international Daniel Vacek has bought Ostrava football club and the present-day Czech tennis team has worries ahead of a Davis Cup clash with holders Russia.

Lukas Bauer has become the first Czech man to win a World Cup cross-country skiing race, and in front of a home crowd to boot. After an impressive start at the Australian Open, none of the Czech Republic's tennis players made it to the second week of the first Grand Slam of the year. Czech Tomas Tomecek is second overall in the truck category of the Paris to Dakar rally with only one stage to go, and former international goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek has just signed with an Italian second division football club, a far cry from his days at top English

Thursday saw the biggest upset at the Australian Open so far after Czech player Klara Koukalova scored a stunning second-round defeat of 6th seed Monica Seles, a former four-time Australian Open champion. Koukalova downed the American player in a dramatic three sets, after losing the first in a tie-break. The overall score: 6:7, 7:5, 6:3. It is the unseeded Czech player's first appearance at the Australian Open.