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Tag: Czech

  • Petr Pavel to become next Czech president

    Petr Pavel to become next Czech president

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    Petr Pavel, a former NATO general, will become the next president of the Czech Republic after resoundingly beating his opponent, billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, in elections that culminated on Saturday.

    Pavel secured 58 percent of the votes cast, compared to 42 percent for Babiš, according to the official tally.

    Current Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala congratulated the former general and staunch ally of Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia, calling Pavel a “civic candidate.”

    “The values that he represented won — and that’s a very important message in these internally and economically complicated times,” Fiala told a press conference in Prague, according to local media reports.

    The 61-year-old incoming president ran as a political independent and promised to reduce polarization in an Eastern European country that has been split along increasingly cultural and political dividing lines.

    “Values such as truth, dignity, respect and humility won,” Pavel told supporters and media in Prague. “I am convinced that these values are shared by the vast majority of us; it is worth us trying make them part of our lives and also return them to the Prague Castle and our politics.”

    While most of the political power resides with the Czech prime minister, Pavel has been a vocal supporter of closer ties with the European Union, including the adoption of the euro.

    Before diving into domestic politics, he was chief of the Czech army’s general staff between 2012 and 2015, and then served as chairman of NATO’s military committee from 2015 to 2018.



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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

  • Linda Fruhvirtova crests wave of Czech excellence at Australian Open

    Linda Fruhvirtova crests wave of Czech excellence at Australian Open

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    Every few years, without fail, a new group of young players emerges ready to consolidate the Czech Republic’s reputation as one of the dominant nations in women’s tennis. At the Australian Open, the process is unfolding once more. On Saturday, the 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova reached the fourth round of a grand slam tournament for the first time, defeating her compatriot Marketa Vondrousova, a former Czech prodigy herself, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 to advance.

    As both players struggled with physical problems in the final stages of a dramatic encounter, Fruhvirtova sealed victory by playing clear and focused tennis in the decisive moments as she recovered from a break down in the third set.

    The victory marks another step forward for one of the most promising young players on the tour. Last year, Fruhvirtova broke through by defeating Victoria Azarenka en route to the fourth round of the Miami Open. After qualifying for her first grand slam main draw at the US Open, she won her first WTA title in Chennai in September. She is now the youngest player inside the top 100.

    Czech teens have already marked some of the biggest stories of the year so far. The 2023 season began with a surprise run from Fruhvirtova’s junior teammate Linda Noskova, 18, who reached the final in Adelaide from qualifying, beating two top-10 players along the way.

    As Noskova fell in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open, fatigued by her efforts in Adelaide, two other Czech teenagers stole the spotlight by reaching the main draw: the 16-year-old Sara Bejlek and Fruhvirtova’s younger sister, Brenda, who became one of the youngest players to qualify for the main draw of a slam at 15.

    While Linda was establishing herself inside the top 100 last year, Brenda built her ranking by tearing through the lower-level ITF events, winning eight $25,000 titles. Now projected to rise to 129th in the live rankings, Brenda is progressing at an even quicker rate than her elder sister and it is only a matter of time before she joins her inside the top 100.

    Spectators hold up the Czech flag after Linda Fruhvirtova secures her place in the fourth round
    Spectators hold up the Czech flag after Linda Fruhvirtova secures her place in the fourth round. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

    In the fourth round, Linda will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic for her first grand slam quarter-final. Earlier, Vekic easily defeated Nuria Párrizas Díaz of Spain 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka reinforced her status as one of the favourites as she tore through Elise Mertens, the 26th seed, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round.

    After suffering from serving problems through much of last season, Sabalenka has served confidently and efficiently as she started the year by winning her 11th career title in Adelaide. She still has not dropped a set in 2023.

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    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )