Sports

A Russian flag is held above the Olympic Rings at Adler Arena Skating Center during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on February 18, 2014. DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under their own national flags at the 2026 Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, the Games' governing body confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, February 17. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) told AFP the athletes would be "treated like [those from} any other country." Athletes from Russia and Belarus had been banned from competing under their own flags since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The IPC unexpectedly lifted its suspension on Russian and Belarusian athletes at the organization's genera...

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, attended the final day of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Bavaria, on February 15, 2026. LIESA JOHANNSSEN/REUTERS President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde appears to be preparing for an early departure before her term ends in October 2027. Responding to reports from Bloomberg on Monday, February 16, and then from the Financial Times on Wednesday, February 18, the ECB released a statement leaving the possibility open: "President Lagarde is totally focused on her mission and has not taken any decision regarding the end of her term." In June 2025, when initial rumors suggested she might be leaving to take over as president of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the French na...

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron after winning the Olympic gold medal in ice dance at the Milan rink, February 11, 2026. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP At Italy's Blaise & Francis Hotel in Northern Milan on Thursday, February 12, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron entered to a round of applause. It was barely 10:30 am, and the duo, fresh off an Olympic gold medal win in ice dance the previous night, had already lost count of how many interviews they had given. French and international media alike were, of course, beyond eager to hear from the golden pair. In a first-floor meeting room, relaxed with their well-earned medals around their necks, they answered Le Monde's questions, as attuned to each other as they were in their performance on the ice. ...

Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov reacts after competing in the figure skating men's singles free skating final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 13, 2026. WANG ZHAO / AFP US star Ilia Malinin suffered the biggest upset of the Winter Olympics on Friday as the overwhelming favorite for the men's figure skating title fell twice to finish off the podium, with Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan taking a surprise gold. Malinin, a two-time defending world champion and undefeated for over two years, had been leading after Tuesday's short program, but he capitulated and ultimately finished 15th in the free skate, and eighth overall, after an error-strewn routine. "I was not expecting that. I...

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, on November 20, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. PHELAN M. EBENHACK / AP Chris Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star point guard, announced his retirement on Friday in a social media post after the 40-year-old American was released by the Toronto Raptors. "This is it! After 21 years I'm stepping away from basketball," Paul posted on Instagram after being dropped following his trade to Toronto by the Los Angeles Clippers last week. Paul has averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game over 1,370 career NBA games for New Orleans, Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Golden State, San Antonio and the Clippers. ...

France's lock Charles Ollivon dives for the line to score another try during the Six Nations match between Wales and France at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on February 15, 2026. PAUL ELLIS / AFP France turned on the flair with a devastating eight-try show of power as they thrashed Wales 54-12 in their Six Nations meeting at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, February 15. Wing Théo Attissogbe scored twice in the second half as France made it two wins from two. The Bordeaux-Begles no. 10 showed off his pace and skills as he scored one try and teed up three others as France made it two wins from two. After two rounds they are the only side that can still claim a Grand Slam while Wales sit bottom of the table with...

"I don't think I'll ever be let into the USA, at least not while Trump is in charge. And I'm fine with that." Ukaleq Slettemark did not shy away from her position, speaking with a smile. The 24-year-old Greenlandic biathlete will make her debut at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday, February 11, but she has already made several headlines. As Donald Trump repeatedly stated his intention to seize Greenland, the Nuuk native was among the most outspoken voices against the US president's threats. "You cannot have two cultures that are further from each other [between the US and Greenland]," the biathlete told Le Monde. "Our way of viewing the world is that we are part of nature... We don't exploit our nature... We don't damn value capitalism ...

Milo, one of the two mascots of the Winter Olympic Games, stands amid the crowd on Milan's main square, Italy, on February 5, 2026. PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP Since Friday, February 6, thousands of people with mud clinging to their shoes have made their way through Milan's Sempione Park each evening. This steady stream of visitors is united by a common goal as the sun sets: To watch the Olympic flame shine beneath the Arco della Pace, one of the city's many landmarks. "We came because we don't live very far away. We watch the competitions on TV, but the cauldron and the stands nearby are our family's weekend outing," said Maria Rossi, who had traveled by train from Lecco, 50 kilometers away, on Sunday with her two sons, aged seven and nine. She thoroughly enjoyed the four-minute ...

French athlete Julia Simon poses with the gold medal for the women's 15-kilometer individual biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, February 11, 2026. MOSA'AB ELSHAMY / AP Julia Simon won a second Olympic gold medal, this time in the women's 15-kilometer individual biathlon race. Teammate Lou Jeanmonnot took silver at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday, February 11. Simon missed only one target and completed the course in 41 minutes, 15 seconds. Jeanmonnot missed two and finished 53 seconds behind. It was Simon's second gold of the Milan-Cortina Games after teaming with Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot and Quentin Fillon Maillet to win the mixed relay on Sunday. ...