Sports

Para alpine skier Jules Oestreich during a slalom event in Chamrousse, in the French Alps, on February 11, 2026. ETIENNE MAURY/COLLECTIF ITEM FOR LE MONDE "I finished three seconds behind the pace-setter!" Jules Oestreich, 16, stuck out his chest after finishing the slalom organized by the French Ski School (ESF) in the French Alps Chamrousse resort. At the finish line, he met Eelke Adriaensen, an 18-year-old who beamed as she said she thought she had earned the "gilded or silver arrow." This timed slalom was just another training session for the teens in colorful ski suits who hit the slopes every Wednesday, on weekends and during school holidays. Their hard work paid off. They became the 2025 French champions in the para alpine skiing category, which is reserved for ath...

England flanker Ollie Chessum catches a lineout ball during his team's (losing) match against Italy on March 7, 2026, in Rome, as part of the fourth round of the Six Nations. TIZIANA FABI / AFP Every four years, French fans of both snow and ice sports and rugby are met with a treat: The 2026 edition of the Winter Olympics, held in Milan-Cortina, from February 6 to 22, and the Paralympics from March 6 to 15, overlap with the Six Nations tournament. Between 1998 and 2022, France won five of the seven Six Nations tournaments held in the same year as the Winter Games (champions in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2022). Ahead of their final match against England on Saturday, March 14, at the Stade de France, Antoine Dupont and his teammates, sitting atop the standing...

Ireland's Jack Crowley, center, is tackled by Scotland's Finn Russell, left, and his captain Sione Tuipulotu during the Six Nations rugby union match between Ireland and Scotland, in Dublin, Saturday, March 14, 2026. PETER MORRISON / AP Ireland beat Scotland 43-21 on Saturday, March 14, to keep their Six Nations title hopes alive and win the Triple Crown for the fourth time in five years. Tommy O'Brien scored two of Ireland's six tries at Lansdowne Road as the Irish dashed Scotland's own hopes of the title and the Triple Crown. The Irish, who extended their winning run against the Scots to 12, have a three-point lead over France, who host out-of-form England later on Saturday. Ireland were quick out of the blocks, Jamie Osbor...

France's players celebrate after winning the Six Nations international rugby union match between France and England at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on March 14, 2026. FRANCK FIFE / AFP Thomas Ramos kicked a penalty after the final hooter to win the Six Nations for France with a mind-blowing 48-46 victory over a rejuvenated England on Saturday, March 14. Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored four of the 13 tries in a barn-storming encounter in which the lead changed hands numerous times. But Ramos’s kick ensured that France retained the title and denied Ireland, who had moved into pole position by beating Scotland earlier. Bielle-Biarrey, 22, took his tally to 29 tries in just 27 Tests for France and finished thi...

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, on March 14, 2026. MARK J. TERRILL / AP Daniil Medvedev ended Carlos Alcaraz's perfect start to 2026, stunning the world number one 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) on Saturday, March 14, to book an Indian Wells title clash with Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with his Australian Open triumph this year. He followed with a title in Qatar and took a 16-0 record into Saturday's semi-final. But Medvedev was up to the challenge, last month's Dubai champion running Alcaraz ragged as he pushed his own ATP win streak to nine matches ...

Athletes of Italy carry out the Italian flag before the rendition of the national anthem during the closing ceremony, Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics, Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, March 15, 2026. LISI NIESNER / REUTERS The 2026 Winter Paralympics came to an end on Sunday, March 15, with a glitzy closing ceremony in Cortina as China topped the medal table of a Games that saw several countries protest the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag for the first time since 2014. Amid a global backdrop of war in the Middle East and Russia's ongoing offensive in Ukraine, International Paralympic Committee President (IPC) Andrew Parsons told the Games' Paralympians that they "rose above pres...

President Donald Trump stands on stage next to the FIFA World Cup after receiving the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 football World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, December 5, 2025. JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP US President Donald Trump warned Iran's football team on Thursday, March 12, that their "life and safety" would be at risk if they took part in the upcoming World Cup in North America. Trump's comments came just two days after he told FIFA chief Gianni Infantino the Iranian players would be welcome despite the Middle East war. "The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety," Trump said on his Truth Social platform...

Sweden's Armand Duplantis reacts after clearing 6.31 meters for a men's indoor pole vault world record at the Mondo Classic pole vault gala in Uppsala, Sweden, on March 12, 2026. FREDRIK PERSSON / AP Armand Duplantis broke the pole vault world record on Thursday, March 12, for the 15th time at the meet that bears his name in Uppsala, Sweden, clearing 6.31 meters on his first attempt. The 26-year-old Swede broke the record he has owned since clearing 6.17m in 2020. Duplantis only took four vaults at the indoor event in his adopted hometown. After clearing 5.65, 5.90 and then 6.08 meters, all on his first attempts, he asked for the bar to be lifted 23 centimeters to a world-record height. He immediately soared over to end his e...

Banner in support of Achraf Hakimi, in the stands at Parc des Princes, Paris, on February 25, 2026. FRANCK FIFE/AFP "Achraf, total support." On February 25, during the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off match against Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) ultras unfurled a banner at the Parc des Princes in Paris in support of Achraf Hakimi, the team's vice-captain. The day before, an investigating judge had ordered the player to stand trial for "rape" before a criminal court. The supporters' highly visible message was quickly criticized by several advocacy groups and feminist activists, who pointed to the club's responsibility in the matter. On Instagram, Paris City Council member Alice Coffin (Greens) notably recalled being assaulted by Parc des...

PSG players at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on March 11, 2026. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP A gift by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and two late goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave titleholders Paris Saint-Germain a stunning 5-2 win over the English side in a thrilling Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday, March 11. It looked as if Chelsea would return to London for next week's second leg with a draw, and perhaps the upper hand in the tie, after they twice came from behind in the first hour at the Parc des Princes. Bradley Barcola's early opener for PSG was ccanceled ut by Malo Gusto, and a fantastic Ousmane Dembele finish which put the hosts back ahead just prior to the interval was followed by Enzo Fernand...