Olympics – Winnipeg Free Press

FILE - Ilia Malinin of the United States falls during the men's free skate program in figure skating at the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Malinin wins fair play award for his grace in defeat to Shaidorov at Winter Olympics

The Associated Press 2 minute read 10:06 AM CST

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — American figure skater Ilia Malinin was awarded the Milan Cortina Olympics fair play award on Thursday for his sportsmanship after finishing off the podium.

In one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history, the 21-year-old Malinin fell twice and made other big mistakes in the free skate and Kazakh Mikhail Shaidorov won the men's gold medal. Malinin later said the pressure leading up to the event and the abuse he received online was unbearable.

Despite his own despair at dropping from gold medal favorite to eighth place, he still took the time to congratulate and warmly embrace Shaidorov, who was only in fifth place after the short program led by Malinin.

“Congratulating Mikhail wasn’t about the results,” Malinin told the International Olympic Committee. “It was about the shared journey we take as athletes. Knowing that fans worldwide connected with that moment means more to me than any medal.”

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Curling rocked again as 2 stones are stolen at the Milan Cortina Paralympics

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 3:57 PM CST

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — It's another scandal for curling, this time at the Paralympics.

Two stones that were going to be used in the wheelchair curling event that began Wednesday at the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games have been stolen.

The incident came a couple of weeks after the sport was in the headlines during the Olympics as the Canadian team was accused of cheating.

World Curling told The Associated Press that local authorities were investigating the circumstances that led to the granite rocks being stolen from the Curling Olympic Stadium.

US biathlon head coach steps down after team falls short in bid to win its first Olympic medal

Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

US biathlon head coach steps down after team falls short in bid to win its first Olympic medal

Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:23 PM CST

U.S. Biathlon head coach Armin Auchentaller will leave the team at the end of this season after the Americans failed to win their first medal in the sport at the Winter Olympics.

No replacement was named, which is significant since he oversees both the men's and the women's teams. He took on the dual role when the previous men's team coach left after the 2022 Olympics.

Auchentaller, an Italian, brought the U.S. biathlon team inside knowledge to the Milan Cortina Games, having grown up skiing and racing at the range used for the Olympic competition. His assistant coach and the ski wax technicians are also from the Anterselva region. The team even produced a documentary about their quest for the teams' first Olympic podium finish: “Long Shots: U.S. Biathlon's Underdog Story.”

Yet they came up short.

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Yesterday at 3:23 PM CST

Campbell Wright, of the United States, competes in the men's 15-kilometer mass start biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

The victory lap for America’s Olympic hockey champions quietly shed politics from the celebration

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

The victory lap for America’s Olympic hockey champions quietly shed politics from the celebration

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:22 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — It took until noon on Saturday, less than 12 hours before showtime, for the script to arrive.

The opening monologue for “Saturday Night Live,” of all things, was about to become a turning point in a national celebration that had somehow gone sideways in the week after the U.S. won Olympic gold in men’s and women’s hockey. Instead of basking in the glory of twice beating rival Canada in overtime, players like Hilary Knight and Megan Keller on the women’s side and Jack and Quinn Hughes on the men’s side were fielding questions about politics and sexism.

Executive producer Lorne Michaels told the players the show was going to have some fun with the situation.

President Donald Trump joking on a call with the men that he'd get impeached if he didn't also invite the women to the White House drew laughter from some of the players and plenty of criticism. Their appearance at the State of the Union address — after the women's team declined for logistical reasons — also derailed the headlines and conversation further into politics.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:22 PM CST

United States women's gold medal hockey players Megan Keller, center, and Haley Winn, rear left, are greeted during a gathering with fans, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Winter Paralympics 50th anniversary: Chinese dominance expected amid boycotts over Russian flag

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Winter Paralympics 50th anniversary: Chinese dominance expected amid boycotts over Russian flag

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 7:05 AM CST

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The Winter Paralympics come to Milan Cortina to celebrate their 50th anniversary, with China looking to extend its dominance as a Paralympic powerhouse and Ukraine and other nations boycotting the opening ceremony over the return of the Russian flag and anthem.

The Games will officially kick off on Friday amid the tensions of the war in the Middle East, which prompted travel difficulties for some of the nations coming to Italy because of a widespread flight disruptions. Iran was due to have one skier at Milan Cortina.

Wheelchair curling launched the competition schedule on Wednesday and the sport was quickly hit by another scandal as two rocks were stolen from the Curling Olympic Stadium. During the Olympics, the Canadian team was accused of cheating.

The Paralympic Games are back in Italy 20 years after Torino 2006. It will be the 14th edition of the Winter Paralympics since the inaugural edition in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, in 1976. Nearly 200 athletes competed in two sports at the time. Some 660 athletes will participate across the six sports in Italy from Friday through March 15.

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Updated: 7:05 AM CST

FILE - Kristin Kloster Aasen, former first vice president of Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, left, and Morten Aasen former Norwegian equestrian athlete wave to the Norway team at the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Susana Vera/Pool Photo via AP, ,File)

NHL commissioner Bettman says criticism of U.S. men’s team at Olympics ‘unfortunate’

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

NHL commissioner Bettman says criticism of U.S. men’s team at Olympics ‘unfortunate’

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:51 PM CST

CALGARY - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman declined an opportunity Tuesday to weigh in on the political aspect of the U.S. hockey celebration at the Milan Cortina Olympics, but did say he thought what was portrayed "was unfortunate and not accurate."

"I know for a fact that the men's team had no intention of doing anything to slight the women's team," Bettman said at a media availability at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "If anything, both teams were chanting, 'Two for two.'"

The Americans won Olympic gold in the men's and women's tournaments. Both finals were 2-1 overtime wins over Canada.

Following the men's victory on Feb. 22, the Americans were joined in the locker room by FBI director Kash Patel. The players also got a speakerphone call from President Donald Trump.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:51 PM CST

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks during a press conference in Calgary on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dayne Patterson

Jack Hughes returns to his day job in the NHL after TV tour as the US Olympic hockey hero

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Jack Hughes returns to his day job in the NHL after TV tour as the US Olympic hockey hero

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes was enthralled by Lorne Michaels' stories that highlighted his time at “Saturday Night Live” and enjoyed sharing the stage with brother Quinn and U.S. women's captain Hilary Knight on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Now the U.S. men's golden goal-scorer is ready to get back to his day job in the NHL.

Hughes skated Tuesday morning in the aftermath of appearing on Fallon's show, which is expected to be the last stop on his whirlwind media tour since becoming a national star in Milan — for now. His work with the New Jersey Devils continues now for the stretch run of the season.

“The best couple weeks of my life and just a lot of fun celebrating with the guys and enjoying it,” Hughes said. “Now, after all this, it’s in the rearview mirror for a little bit. We’ll pull it out back in the summer. But yeah, it’s back to Devils and locking back in here and trying to win some games.”

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Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes (86) walks toward the ice to warm up before an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Figure skaters with disabilities seek a place in the Paralympic spotlight

James Ellingworth, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Figure skaters with disabilities seek a place in the Paralympic spotlight

James Ellingworth, The Associated Press 6 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

As a long jumper, Stef Reid never thought she'd need to learn how to land on ice. Now she's part of a movement hoping to get figure skating into the Paralympics.

Skating sports are a big gap on the program when the Winter Paralympics start on Friday. Figure skaters with disabilities challenge the norm in a sport with often-fixed ideas about how a skater should look.

Reid's path to figure skating is unique. An amputee athlete who won three Paralympic medals in track and field, she was a familiar face on British TV. Being invited to appear on the 2022 series of a celebrity skating show, “Dancing On Ice,” still came as a shock.

“It had just never crossed my mind because it is probably one of the last sports you think about for somebody with a physical disability,” Reid tells the AP.

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Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

Stef Reid, a former Paralympic athlete who now does figure skating, competes in the British Adult Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

US Olympic gold medalists Hilary Knight and Quinn and Jack Hughes appear on ‘Tonight Show’

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

US Olympic gold medalists Hilary Knight and Quinn and Jack Hughes appear on ‘Tonight Show’

The Associated Press 4 minute read Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Fallon made fun of Jack Hughes for getting a tooth knocked out before scoring his Olympic-final overtime goal and praised Hilary Knight for winning at her fifth Games as the U.S. gold medal-winning hockey players made another late-night television appearance after returning from Milan.

Knight, Jack Hughes and brother Quinn Hughes shared the stage on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Monday night, 48 hours after their memorable cameo alongside women’s golden goal scorer Megan Keller on “Saturday Night Live.”

Asked what was more nerve-wracking, playing in the Olympics or going on “SNL,” Knight responded without hesitation: “SNL.” Fallon brought up how Knight told her mother at age 5 she wanted to take part in Olympic hockey one day.

“I’m just dialed like that,” Knight said. “We didn’t even have women’s hockey in the Olympics at the time. I just must have seen it on TV and was like: ‘That’s what I’m doing. I want to play hockey.’”

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Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

United States' Hilary Knight (21) celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Paralympians try to focus on Milan Cortina Games amid tensions over Iran war, return of Russian flag

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Paralympians try to focus on Milan Cortina Games amid tensions over Iran war, return of Russian flag

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press 5 minute read 11:22 AM CST

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Athletes at the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics, the first global sports event since the war in the Middle East began last week, have been trying to block out news of the conflicts and focus on their preparations for the Games that officially start on Friday.

Others have been outspoken about the return of the Russian flag to the global stage and are defending their nation's boycott of Friday's opening ceremony.

The Games that mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics are getting underway amid the ongoing military attacks by the United States, Israel and Iran. The conflicts prompted travel difficulties for some of the nations coming to Italy because of widespread flight disruptions. Iran was due to have one skier at Milan Cortina, although his participation was yet to be confirmed.

“We are here to do a job,” U.S. wheelchair curler Laura Dwyer told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We are in the village, and we are at the venue, and we are working really hard to show up, and to do good things, and represent. So that’s what we are focused on, and no place I’d rather be than this beautiful place with this guy right here and at the Paralympic Games.”

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11:22 AM CST

Steve Emt, right, and Laura Dwyer, of the United States, and Yoji Nakajima, left, and Aki Ogawa, of Japan, greet each other after their wheelchair curling mixed doubles round robin session at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

End the ban: France backs return of intellectually disabled athletes to Winter Paralympics

Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

End the ban: France backs return of intellectually disabled athletes to Winter Paralympics

Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press 6 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

LANS-EN-VERCORS, France (AP) — On a well-groomed, snow-covered slope in the Montagnes de Lans ski area near the French city of Grenoble, a group of Alpine skiers take aggressive lines through the gates. Their trajectories are precise, the tempo is fast and the technique polished.

Among this competition squad are world champions — some with multiple medals to their names.

Yet none will line up in the starting gates at the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games, where more than 650 athletes will compete in 79 medal events from March 6.

The reason? They have cognitive disabilities and are not eligible to compete.

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Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

Melanie De Bona skis during training in Lans-en-Vercors, near Grenoble, France, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Knight delivers joke during ‘SNL’ appearance featuring US men and women hockey gold medal winners

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Knight delivers joke during ‘SNL’ appearance featuring US men and women hockey gold medal winners

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 4 minute read Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026

This time it was Hilary Knight’s turn to provide a big laugh — with an assist from the “Saturday Night Live” writers — in the wake of a weeklong dust-up involving the United States women and men’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey teams.

Knight, the U.S. women’s captain, along with teammate Megan Keller and men’s team brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes, made a surprise appearance during “Heated Rivalry” star Connor Storrie’s opening monologue on “SNL” on Saturday night.

With the Hughes brothers already on stage alongside Storrie, Knight and Keller joined them to a loud and lengthy ovation. The four players wore USA jerseys with their gold medals draped from their necks.

Knight opened by saying: “It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too.”

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Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026

United States' Kendall Coyne, left, and United States' Hilary Knight celebrate after victory ceremony for women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Durant’s LA 2028 hopes land on Spoelstra’s desk, and the US Olympic coach is listening

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Durant’s LA 2028 hopes land on Spoelstra’s desk, and the US Olympic coach is listening

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press 5 minute read Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026

MIAMI (AP) — If Kevin Durant ultimately decides to chase more Olympic gold, Erik Spoelstra seems interested in coaching him.

Spoelstra, the Miami Heat coach who will lead the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, said Saturday he's aware of Durant's recent comments about the potential of playing for what would be a fifth gold medal.

And the concept is clearly intriguing.

“Just him saying that is incredible," Spoelstra — an assistant on the 2024 Olympic team — said before the Heat beat Durant and the Houston Rockets 115-105. "You know, that’s the culture of USA Basketball. You just want the best American players to raise their hand and say, ‘I want to do this.’”

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Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, right, goes to the basket against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Wendl-Arlt, Egle-Kipp win World Cup overall luge titles, Taubitz closes in on crown

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Wendl-Arlt, Egle-Kipp win World Cup overall luge titles, Taubitz closes in on crown

The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt of Germany clinched their seventh men's doubles World Cup luge overall season title Saturday, while Selina Egle and Lara Kipp of Austria claimed the women's doubles crown for the second straight season.

Wendl and Arlt were third in the men's doubles race at St. Moritz, good enough to lock up the season title with one race left. Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl of Austria won the race, with Italy’s Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier second.

Egle and Kipp didn't even finish in the medals; they were fifth in the women's race and still clinched their points title. Olympic champions Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer of Italy won the race, with Elisa-Marie Storch and Pauline Patz of Germany second, followed by Anda Upite and Madara Pavlova of Latvia third.

In the women's singles race, Olympic champion Julia Taubitz of Germany won on Saturday and moved closer to the overall points title.

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Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026

Germany's Julia Taubitz poses with the gold medal after the women's single luge competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Troy Ryan tells AP he believes it’s time he steps down as Canadian women’s team coach after 6 years

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Troy Ryan tells AP he believes it’s time he steps down as Canadian women’s team coach after 6 years

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Troy Ryan is grateful and honored to have overseen the Canadian women’s hockey team at two Olympics and told The Associated Press on Friday that he believes it’s time he stepped down as coach.

Asked if he foresees coaching the team at the world championships in November, Ryan said: “I don’t believe so. I would never say never, but very unlikely.”

He then added: “I think it’s time for someone else to run with it and take it to new heights.”

Ryan spoke by phone from Seattle, where his Toronto Sceptres return from the PWHL’s month-long Olympic break to play the Torrent. And Ryan spoke a day after first suggesting his tenure as coach was over during a video conference call with PWHL reporters.

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Canada head coach Troy Ryan talks with his players during the third period of a women's ice hockey semifinal match against Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

A golden sweep by Team USA in Olympic hockey led to celebrations that got complicated and political

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

A golden sweep by Team USA in Olympic hockey led to celebrations that got complicated and political

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

The United States swept the hockey gold medals at the Winter Olympics for the first time, beating Canada 2-1 in overtime in both the men’s and women’s tournaments and finishing the tournaments unbeaten.

It set off a celebration that quickly became political:

The celebrations

— Women’s team: The players largely steered away from politics. Many said they failed to notice Vice President JD Vance, his family and guests — and large security detail — attending two preliminary round games where they sat directly opposite the U.S. bench. They celebrated Team USA’s third Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey win by wrapping themselves in the stars and stripes following Megan Keller’s overtime goal.

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

March 5, 2026

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