Czech morning news in brief: Top headlines for Aug. 6, 2021

Speed canoeist Martin Fuksa advances to Olympic semifinals

Czech speed ​​canoeist Martin Fuksa won a kilometer-long race at the Tokyo Olympics this morning and has advanced to Saturday's semifinals, skipping quarterfinal competition. Fuksa held the lead in this morning's race after the start before dropping into third place, but during the last leg he moved back into first for the victory.

Fuksa's younger brother, Petr, finished third in an earlier race at the same event and fourth in the quarterfinals, eliminating him from Saturday's semifinals. Czech canoeists and kayakers have been having a lot of success at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo. Canoeist Jiří Prskavec won the K1 Men's Slalom last week for a gold medal, while crewmates Josef Dostál and Radek Šlouf won the bronze medal in the men's kayak double 1000 meter race yesterday.

Czech retail sales up 7.1 percent year-on-year, now above pre-pandemic levels

Retail sales in the Czech Republic during the month of June rose by 7.1 percent year-on-year after adjusting for calendar effects, according to new data released by the Czech Statistical Office. The numbers follow similar results from previous months; Czech retail sales grew 7.3% year-on-year in May and 7.2 percent in April. In a month-on-month comparison, sales were up 0.6 percent in June. Retail stores were aided by the loosening of restrictive measures, the last of which had been removed by June. According to analysts, retail sales in the Czech Republic are now above pre-pandemic levels, and should remain there. "Growth was recorded in all major areas," said Marie Boušková, director of the Czech Statistical Office's Department of Trade, Transport, Services, Tourism and Environment Statistics.

Critically endangered turtles can now be seen at Prague Zoo

From this weekend, Prague Zoo visitors can see nine critically endangered northern river terrapins the at the Čambal pavilion. Prague Zoo is the only public zoo outside Asia to exhibit turtles from this particular subspecies, batagur baska. The young turtles are currently five years old, and they will live to be about a hundred, reptile curator Petr Velenský told reporters yesterday. "It is one of the rarest and most interesting turtles in the world, which is practically extinct in nature," said Velenský. According to Velenský, the turtles were discovered in 2008 by the Austrian herpetologist Peter Praschag and his colleagues.

Sparta Praha football club fined for racist abuse by fans

The Sparta Praha football club has been fined 100,000 crowns and will have to conditionally close several sections of its stadium as punishment for some of its fans, who racially abused black Olomouc player Florent Poulolo during an opening round match in the Czech football league. The disciplinary commission of the Czech Football League Association announced the punishment in a press release yesterday. In the July 24 match, some Sparta fans also threw items on the pitch. The 24-year-old Poulolo, from Martinique, wanted to stop playing after the incident, but his teammates convinced him to stay on the field. If there are any expressions of racism among its fans during the next four league matches, Sparta will have to close additional parts of its stadium.

Slovak region donates wood to repair Czech school damaged by tornado

The Slovak region of Trnava, which borders on South Moravia, has donated 300 cubic metres of wood to the Czech area hit by a tornado in June. The wood is primarily for a new roof at an elementary school in Hodonín, according to Trnava Governor Jozef Viskupič. Viskupič symbolically gave the wood to Hodonin Mayor Libor Střecha on Thursday. "Right after the destructive night, I contacted the region’s Governor Jan Grolich and offered him aid in any form. Members of the South Moravian regional crisis staff later concluded that construction material would help the most. They asked us to provide wood that is needed for the roof repairs, but in fact not available on the market," Viskupič said. Hodonín is located just next to the Slovak border. The elementary school is the most damaged building in the town, the South Moravia Region stated in a press release.