Czech men at the World Championships for the first time

After many years of waiting and more or less futile attempts, the Czech men's team is finally at the World Championships. In the American town of Grand Forks, in the beautiful Ralph Engelstad Arena, twelve of the best national teams are playing for the title of World Curling Champion and the Czechs are among them. Even the welcome at the airport is friendly - a sign with flags and language versions of the welcome. A small mistake doesn't matter. The entrance to the tournament is fabulous. The defeated are the Scots, the fourth time since the Czechs have been at the World Cup in a short time, and then even the home Americans, who do not hide their surprise at the convincing and confident performance of the Czech team. A Czech fan, Grand Forks resident Lada Novak, sits in the stands and cheers, "Let's go with honey." He knows practically nothing about curling, but he sees the Czechs and is impressed. He's a hockey player at heart, a successful smoker by business. After four draws, the table is flattering for the Czechs - first place, if only it would last! Sunday night brings the first loss, to Norway. After eight ends we shake hands, not so much because the match is lost, but rather because it is not possible. Canada and Germany are the most dominant so far, but people are starting to talk about Czech curling with appreciation.

photo by Jiří Snítil