Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For a nation of ten million souls, the Czechs punch way above their weight when it
comestosportingtriumphs:overthepasttwodecades,theyhaveconsistentlyproduced
world-classtennisplayers,astrongnationalfootballteamandseveraloftheworld'stop
ice hockey players. The two sports that pull in the biggest crowds, by far, are football
(soccer) and ice hockey. Participating in sports activities is also relatively easy, and re-
centlytherehasbeenamini-boominrunningandkeepfit.Anyonewholikestopullon
a pair of trainers while on holiday should check out RunCzech (
runczech.cz
), which
organizes marathons and half marathons across the country.
Getting
tickets
towatchaparticularsportiseasy(andcheap)enoughontheday-onlyreally
big matches sell out. To find out about forthcoming sports events, read the sports pages in
Prague Post
, ask at a PIS office or check the website of the given club or venue.
FOOTBALL
The Czech national
football
(
fotbal
; soccer) team has enjoyed mixed fortunes since making
the final of Euro '96 and the semi-finals of Euro 2004, failing to qualify for the World Cup
in 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014. As with most of the smaller European nations, the best home-
grown players seek fame and fortune abroad. As a result, domestic teams usually struggle in
European competitions.
INFORMATION AND TICKETS
the seasons run Aug-Nov and March-May, and matches are usually held on Sat. Tickets for
domestic games are around 100-150Kč and four-figure crowds remain the norm. Don't ex-
pect the electric atmosphere of other bigger leagues.
