“Baking is for me a feeling of happiness in difficult times, an opportunity for endless self-expression...,” says Vojtěch Vrtiška, pastry chef, calligraphy expert, and med student at the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University.

Thirteen students from Charles University were among the Czech representatives at this year's Olympic Games in Paris. Although they didn’t finish on the podium, some came close and all made a mark!

Only the top 20 crews from 20 countries get to compete in yachting events at the Olympics. And Czechia is the only one without direct access to the sea. We were represented by Sára Tkadlecová and Zosia Burska, both from CU.

It’s no surprise windsurfing is a big sport in coastal countries, but it enjoys considerable popularity in landlocked Czechia. Kateřina Švíková, representing the Czech Republic at the Olympic Games in Paris, is proof.

When you seek a divorce in the US, it is likely that the court will recommend or even order you to try to resolve the split by mediation first. Noemi Kotrlá, a student at the Faculty of Law, has focused on out-of-court dispute resolution.

The last World University Winter Games were extremely successful for Czech athletes, who brought home 12 medals. The first, a silver, was won in snowboardcross by Jakub Žerava, a student at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University.

Nine finalists provided unique insights into the fascinating world of natural sciences—that was the FameLab 2024 final in a nutshell. The culmination of the national competition, held under the patronage of the British Embassy in Prague.

The Czech delegation won eight medals at the Paralympic Games which wrapped up on Sunday. Three athletes with ties to Charles University also participated in Paris and did very well - with one competitor finishing just outside the medals.

The XVth Summer Paralympic Games have begun in Paris: among those hoping to clinch medals are three athletes with ties to CU: František Serbus, Anastasja Vištalová and Patrik Jahoda!

The Rector's Sports Day offered staff and students at Charles University numerous opportunities to burn calories at various sports venues in Prague, Hradec Králové and Plzeň. The event was organised by the Department of Physical Education of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.

The traditional Rector's Sports Day at Charles University offered a prime opportunity for competing students to measure sport skills and get to know each other across faculties. Teachers also were also able to take part at facilities in Prague, Hradec Králové and Plzeň.

Charles University student Ondřej Gemov spends a lot of time in the pool: “I haven’t left the water since I was six months old,” he jokes. Recent years have seen him clinch medals and spots on the podium. At 22, Gemov is one of the Czech Republic’s most promising swimming talents. When he has time, he follows fashion and Czech rap.

Czech baseball experienced its own smaller version of “Nagano ‘98” over the last few weeks. For the first time in history, the national team made it to the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Pitcher Lukáš Ercoli, a graduate of sports management at Charles University, helped the Czechs advance.

Sports associations that organise championship competitions in water rescue sports, pitting top swimmers in lifesaving disciplines such as manikin, relay, beach sprint and surf race. CU student and champion swimmer Dominika Geržová knows a thing or two about that.

She won the national final of the FameLab competition at the end of September and just won silver at the international grand final in Cheltenham! Future molecular biologist Eliška Jandová, a student at the Faculty of Science at CU. She confirmed her knack for public speaking and, most importantly, outlined hope for cancer patients.

When she was born, Dominika Hysková says she was a whirlwind that swept into her otherwise largely quiet family. She is eloquent and full of energy and her enthusiasm as the sole female student studying Military Physical Education in Czechia is contagious. One question? Which military unit she’ll serve with upon completing her Master’s degree.

She might have been a mathematician or a lawyer, but in the end Klára Grapová decided to study journalism. She is in her third year at the Faculty of Social Sciences and is set on a career as a sports journalist. She is also archer on the national squad.

Students from Charles University across all faculties have been helping to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. Most recently, students from two medical faculties at Charles University organised a charity hockey match that helped raise hundreds of thousands of crowns in support.

The Olympics are not just about sports and the joy of winning: sociologists also look at the role that money, politics and globalisation play. “Basically, all Olympics suffer some controversy,” says Matouš Veselský, a sociologist at the Faculty of Humanities.

Football is not just Messi and Ronaldo. Many exceptional players over the years emerged even from modest conditions in Czechia. Jan Kozel, a young football coach and CU graduate, says famous Czechs athletes should be role models for up-and-coming talent today. And not just from the world of soccer.