Sports

Gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France pose with their medals after the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on February 11, 2026. STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH / AP French figure skaters Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry pulled off an incredible exploit on Wednesday, February 11, winning Olympic gold in ice dancing after skating together for just a year. Cizeron, 31, and 33-year-old Fournier Beaudry took the title ahead of reigning world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA after the free dance finale, in the wake of a turbulent year for the pair since teaming up. "It's quite dizzying when you look back a year ago to when we...

The costumes to be used during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Olympics in Milan, Italy, on January 29, 2026. GABRIELE MICALIZZI/CESURA FOR LE MONDE The curtain will rise at 8 pm on Friday, February 6, at Milan's San Siro stadium. The world will witness the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will run through February 22 in the capital of Lombardy and the resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the heart of the Dolomites. The event will be staged by creative director Marco Balich. The festivities that mark the start of the Olympics are always highly anticipated, but this time they have taken on a different significance for Italy. The previous Games were held in the summer of 2024 by their French neighbors. France is often cast as a foil. T...

Artists perform during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics. BEN CURTIS / AP The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened on Friday, February 6, with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium, echoed by celebrations at Games venues across the Italian Alps. The extravaganza reflected the most geographically widespread Games in history and, in a first, the 2,900 athletes paraded in the venues closest to where they will compete, in a bid to minimize travel. Under tight security, with helicopters buzzing over the San Siro, the curtain went up on the Games in a burst of color and light. Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy. BERNAT ARMANGUE / AP Athletes als...

Chappell Roan poses at the red carpet during the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 1, 2026. MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS US singer-songwriter Chappell Roan has announced she is leaving the talent agency led and founded by Casey Wasserman, the embattled 2028 Los Angeles Olympics chief whose name recently appeared in files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Grammy-winning singer said in a post on Instagram late Monday, February 10, that she was leaving the Wasserman agency with immediate effect. "As of today, I am no longer represented by Wasserman," Roan wrote. "I hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well. No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected t...

Guillaume Cizeron's announcement built up the suspense for his fans: "A new chapter is about to begin. I can't wait to tell you more, tomorrow at 2 pm," he wrote on social media on March 1, 2025. The next day, at the promised time, in another post, the ice dancer addressed his fans, as if he were revealing the next season of a hit television series. First came the photo, depicting a duo dressed in white, posing for the camera with piercing gazes. Cizeron was no longer accompanied by Gabriella Papadakis, with whom he had won five world titles and an Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2022, but rather stood beside Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a 33-year-old Québécois skater, his best friend. Then came the message itself, promising the union of "two stars destined to shine under the same sky." The...

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.