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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.

In this week's Sports News: the Czech Olympic women’s basketball team suffers defeat by China; cancer survivor and badminton player Petr Koukal loses his first two Olympics matches; tennis star Tomáš Berdych crashes out of the Olympics; Petra Kvitová survives an early scare; the Czech women's beach volleyball duo fight back to secure victory and Jakub Voráček signs a four year contract with NHL team Philadelphia Flyers.

In the London Olympics, shooter Lenka Marušková advanced to the final round of the air pistol only three points away from first place but ended up eighth overall. Backstroker Simona Baumrtová set a new Czech record in the 100m race, finishing just under one minute and advancing to the semi-final. Gymnast Kristýna Pálešová lost her chance to qualify for the multi-disciplinary final, finishing eighth out of 14 in the first group.

The Czech team had worse results on the field on their first day of competition. The highest seeded tennis player Tomáš Berdych suffered a shocking upset on the central court at Wimbledon, losing to Belgian Steve Darcis in two sets, 6:4, 6:4. The 26-year-old can still hope for a victory in the doubles tournament, where he will be playing alongside Radek Štěpánek. Meanwhile, Kateřina Emmons lost her chance to defend her gold in rifling from Beijing, taking fourth place on Saturday morning, 1.2 points short of a bronze.

Despite tough going in the actual arena on the first day, the Czech Olympic team scored fashion points at the start of the London games on Friday with original and witty uniforms. The 133 athletes appeared during the opening ceremony wearing blue and white suits topped off with wellington boots and parasols. While ‘wellies’ trended high on Twitter throughout the evening, the New York Times summarised the fashion spectacle as ‘Lauren vs. Rubber Wellies’ – comparing the Czech accessory to the US team’s, reportedly ‘controversial’, choice of berets and blazers by Ralph Lauren. BBC commentators themselves were also amused at the fashion quip on English weather.

Better news for tennis world no. 4 Petra Kvitová, who narrowly defeated Kateryna Bondarenko on the first day of the Olympic Games. Kvitová won the first set handily from the Ukrainian but struggled in the second, ending the third in a close finish, 6:4, 5:7, 6:4. She will now continue to the second round.

President Václav Klaus has opened the Czech House in London’s Islington neighbourhood, which will serve as the country’s public hub for the Olympic Games. The large hall has space for 5,000 people and will be a meeting place for athletes and fans, sponsors and journalists. Concerts will also be held there, as will ceremonies for victorious Czech athletes. Czech Television has an open studio in the house, from which it will be broadcasting throughout the Olympics. A mechanical statue of a double-decker bus doing push-ups, the work of Czech artist David Černý, has reportedly drawn large numbers of passerby into the building.

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.

Czechs are placing bets on the outcome of the Olympic Games in London, putting their money on hot favourites such as Bara Spotakova, Petra Kvitova or Katerina Emmons. Betting companies say that while the interest is not as great as in football or hockey championships as far as Olympic events go this is definitely a winner. The overall sum is expected to reach 130 million crowns.

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