Sport in the Czech Republic

Sport plays a significant part in the life of many Czechs who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals.

The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are football and ice hockey, both drawing the largest attention of both the media and supporters. The many other sports with professional leagues and structures include basketball, volleyball, team handball, Czech handball, athletics, floorball and others. Sport is a source of strong waves of patriotism, usually rising several days or weeks before an event and sinking several days after.

The events considered the most important by Czech fans are: the Ice Hockey World Championship, the Olympic ice hockey tournament, the European football championship, the football World Cup and matches for such events. In general, any international match involving the Czech ice hockey or football national team draws attention, especially when played against a traditional rival: Germany in football; Russia, Finland, Sweden and Canada in ice hockey; and Slovakia in both. Both summer and winter Olympic games are also very popular.

The Czech national team is one of the top teams in the world, regularly competing in the World Championship, the Winter Olympic Games and the Euro Hockey Tour. The national team captured their first Olympic Gold at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. From 1996 to 2001, the Czech Republic won six World Championship medals, including three consecutive gold from 1999 to 2001. Prominent Czech players include Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek, Patrik Eliáš, Tomáš Plekanec, Aleš Hemský, Tomáš Kaberle, Milan Michálek and Robert Lang, who captained the 2006 Olympic team to a bronze medal. The team last won gold at the 2010 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.

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