PRAGUE, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek received Czech athletes who won medals at the Beijing Olympic Games and gave them symbolical brooches and buttons with the Czech lion, the Czech news agency CTK said on Wednesday.

    In a brief speech before their dinner, Topolanek thanked them for representing the Czech Republic and indicated that in the following conversation he would like to hear some advice on how to help Czech sport in the future.

    "You, the heroes of the Olympics and idols of the youth, should have followers," Topolanek said.

    "You should be followed by others who will also have the incredible feeling of touching the gold, silver or the bronze Olympic medal," he added.

    The women received brooches, the men shirt buttons. Topolanek gave the gifts to silver sculls rower Ondrej Synek, winner of the javelin throw Barbora Spotakova, silver slalom canoeists Jaroslav Volf and Ondrej Stepanek and golden shooter Katerina Emmons.

    The Czech Olympic delegation got three gold medals and three silvers in the Beijing Olympics.