Sports

Ice dancers train ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena, February 2, 2026. FABRIZIO BENSCH / REUTERS Sequins and rhinestones, lycra and velvet: Figure skaters, who have been getting their bearings for the past few days on the ice at Milano Ice Skating Arena – the venue for figure skating at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games – are preparing to don their dazzling costumes and rise to the challenge. The top 10 nations in the world rankings will open the festivities with the team event, from Friday, February 6, to Sunday, February 8. All of them – the United States, Japan, Italy, Canada, Georgia, France, United Kingdom, South Korea, China and Poland – hope to compete in a more serene atmosphere than the one that prevailed in Beijing in 2022....

Italy's Louis Lynagh rejoices with teammate Leonardo Marin, right, after scoring a try during the Six Nations rugby match between Italy and Scotland at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Saturday, February 7, 2026. GREGORIO BORGIA / AP Italy heaped the pressure on Scotland coach Gregor Townsend on Saturday, running out deserved 18-15 winners in their Six Nations opener played in atrocious wet conditions in Rome. The hosts led throughout the match, taking the initiative from the start with two tries inside the opening 15 minutes. Townsend, who had his head in his hands at the final whistle, has had his future cast into doubt after a series of poor results. Italy landed the first blow in the seventh minute with Louis Lynagh running on to touch down Juan Ig...

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen competes in men's downhill alpine skiing during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Valtellina, Italy, February 7, 2026. DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen claimed the first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics as he blasted to victory in the men's downhill on Saturday, February 7, hours after the Games opened. After a glittering ceremony in Milan and in venues across the Italian Alps on Friday, all eyes were trained on the most prestigious of all the Alpine skiing events in Bormio. In bright sunshine, reigning world champion Von Allmen mastered the fearsome Stelvio course while Marco Odermatt, his Swiss teammate and the pre-race favorit...

England's Henry Pollock celebrates scoring their sixth try against Wales with Tommy Freeman and Henry Arundell, Rugby Union, Six Nations Championship, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Britain, February 7, 2026. ANDREW COULDRIDGE / ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS England winger Henry Arundell said his team felt "frustrated" despite hammering Wales 48-7 on Saturday, February 7, to launch their Six Nations title bid in promising fashion at Twickenham. Arundell bagged a hat-trick as the hosts scored seven tries but were denied further touchdowns by the television match official. Replacement back-rower Henry Pollock and center Tommy Freeman had efforts chalked off in a dominant performance as England won a 12th straight Test to underline their status as Six ...

The Milan-Cortina Olympic Games mark a new stage in the reintegration of Russian athletes into international competitions. The momentum has been fueled by Moscow's efforts to use sports as an instrument of power, explains researcher Lukas Aubin in an interview with Le Monde.

Behind his Formica counter, Dominique Hirigoyen was back at work. With a rotary phone to his left and a large merchant's scale to his right, the septuagenarian was enjoying the new burst of activity. Three years after closing, his grocery-bar was now serving as the campaign headquarters for the local boy. Serge Blanco, 67, was running for mayor of Biarritz, southwestern France. No one should ever leave Saint-Martin, the neighborhood at the entrance to the city. The legend of French rugby has devoted his whole life to it. "I started out playing football on that field across the street," he said. "I was supposed to try out in Nantes. I was 14... I never went. I just couldn't leave my mother." Nor Biarritz. "Caracas" was always just a line on his birth certificate, the city where ...

United States' Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, February 8, 2026. JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill on Sunday, February 8, ending the American skiing great's improbable dream of winning a medal despite competing with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Vonn was just 13 seconds into her run in bright sunshine in Cortina d'Ampezzo when she lost control, twisted in the air and crumpled in the snow. The 41-year-old's cries of pain could be heard on the microphones as medical staff attended to the stricken skier on the piste. Thousands of spectators at the bottom of the run fell silent and Vonn's wa...

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye during his team's victory over the Broncos in Denver, Colorado, on January 25, 2026. JOHN LOCHER / AP The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl – an outcome few would have predicted. Seven years after their last appearance in the National Football League (NFL) championship game, which they won, the New England franchise will face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, February 8, in Santa Clara, near San Francisco, California. Long the dominant force of the 21st-century NFL, with six titles in nine Super Bowl appearances between 2002 and 2019, the Patriots return this time without their iconic quarterback, Tom Brady, who retired from football three years ago. Since the end of the Brady era – after his departure in 2020 for...

Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the men's figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on February 8, 2026. STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH / AP US star Ilia Malinin saw off a resurgent Japan with a pulsating routine to keep the Olympic team figure skating gold in American hands on Sunday, February 8. "Quad God" Malinin led the men's free skating final in Milan with Japan taking silver and host nation Italy claiming bronze after three days of competition. Malinin hit five quadruple jumps, but did not deliver the first-ever quad axel jump in Olympic competition as he had promised. The 21-year-old scored 200.03 to push Japan's Shun Sato into second place with 194.86. ...

Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in celebrates scoring their fifth goal with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and teammates, PSG v Olympique de Marseille, Parc des Princes, Paris, France, February 8, 2026 BENOIT TESSIER / REUTERS Ousmane Dembélé struck twice as Paris Saint-Germain blew away bitter rivals Marseille on Sunday, reclaiming top spot in Ligue 1 with a crushing 5-0 victory at the Parc des Princes. Dembélé opened the scoring after just 12 minutes and added a second before half-time as PSG delivered a real statement of intent going into the crucial months of the season. Facundo Medina's own goal made it 3-0 before substitutes Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Lee Kang-in got in on the act as PSG recorded their biggest-ever margin of victory over Marseille,...