TRUMP DISRESPECTS THE WOMEN’S WINTER OLYMPIC TEAM IN 'LOCKER ROOM TALK'

 

ALYSA LIU STORMS TO GOLD | #MILANOCORTINA2026

SUZANNE SCHULTING GOES FOR GOLD | HIGHSPEED ON SKATES | #MILANOCORTINA2026

RE-LIVE ICE DANCING | ICE SKATING | #MILANOCORTINA2026

 

USA BEATS CANADA IN OT FOR FIRST MEN'S HOCKEY OLYMPIC GOLD IN 46 YEARS

 

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Jack Hughes took a hockey blade to the teeth in the third period, but found revenge with a dramatic one-timer in overtime to lead Team USA past Canada for the Americans' first men's hockey Olympic gold medal in 46 years Sunday in Milan, Italy.

"This is all about our country right now," Hughes said on the NBC broadcast. "I love the USA. I love my teammates. It's unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. We have so much support amongst players. "I'm so proud to be American today."

The New Jersey Devils forward beat Canadian net minder Jordan Binnington for the golden goal 1:41 into the 3-on-3 bonus period of the 2-1 gold medal game triumph at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The score sealed the 2026 Winter Olympics title exactly 46 years to the day of the Americans' Miracle on Ice victory from the 1980 Winter Olympics

It also resulted in the first men's and women's hockey gold medal sweep for the United States at the same Olympics.

Teeth-cracking physicality was matched only by scintillating speed in the rivalry matchup, with the world-class rosters foiling vicious offensive assaults.

Canada, who played without its injured captain, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, for the second consecutive game, outshot Team USA 41-26. Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck totaled 41 saves.

"He was our best player by a mile," Hughes said of Hellebuyck. "Unbelievable game."

Binnington made 26 stops, but allowed first blood on his first save opportunity six minutes into the finale. Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy brought the initial lamp lighting.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews found Boldy behind the Team USA blue line to start the breakaway. Boldy flipped the puck up with his blade and juggled through Canadian traffic. He then faced up with Binnington and slid the puck by the St. Louis Blues goalie's right knee pad.

Canada proceeded to launch a deluge of daggers at Hellebuyck in the American net, with seven of the next eight shot attempts. But the Canadians couldn't beat the Winnipeg Jets goalie until Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar equalized with 1:44 remaining in the second period.

The deep red sweaters swarmed Hellebuyck down the stretch and increased their physicality, including a high stick from Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett to Hughes' teeth, but could not find an opening against the American goaltender, resulting in overtime.

Hellebuyck proceeded to use every inch of his frame to deny Canada's Connor McDavid-led attack until Hughes beat Binnington to end the finale.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski received the puck behind the American net at the start of the final play. He poked a pass forward to Hughes, who stabbed the puck away from Canada.

Werenski recovered the possession along the right boards as Hughes skated wide left. Werenski then found him again with a feed inside the left circle.

Hughes pulled back his stick shaft and unloaded, pelting a screamer by Binnington's for Team USA's third men's hockey Olympic gold medal.

"Unreal game by our team," Hughes said. "Just a ballsy, gutsy win. That's American hockey right there. That's a great Canadian team, but we're USA. We are so proud to be American. Tonight was all for our country."

Hughes finished the tournament as Team USA's top goal scorer, with four over six appearances in Milan. His brother, Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, logged an assist in the victory to push his total to a team-leading seven.

Hellebuyck's 95.65% save percentage was the best among Olympic goaltenders.

McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) finished the 2026 Winter Olympics with a tournament-best 13 points, from 11 assists and two goals.

Winning moments from the 2026 Winter Olympics

- Alex Butler

THE BEST OF AUSTRALIA | ICONIC MOMENTS

 

MEDALS FOR MILANO CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS REVEALED

 

OLYMPIAN STURLA HOLM LAEGREID CONFESS TO AFFAIR ON NORWEGIAN TV

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LINDSEY VONN CRASHES AND AIRLIFTED FROM MOUNTAIN AT WOMEN’S OLYMPIC EVENT

 

AP PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES MOMENTS LINDSEY VONN CRASHES AT WINTER OLYMPICS

 

LINDSEY VONN'S SISTER OFFERS HEALTH UPDATE AS WINTER OLYMPICS ICON AIRLIFTED TO HOSPITAL

American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, 41, was airlifted to hospital following a devastating crash at Milan Cortina 2026, with her sister Karin Kildow speaking out on the terrifying incident

Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to hospital(Image: AP)

Lindsey Vonn's sister has spoken out after the American skiing legend's terrifying crash at the Winter Olympics, which required her to be airlifted to a hospital.

She revealed that Vonn's surgeon is present and will be heading to the medical facility. Competing in her first Olympics in eight years at Milan Cortina, the 41-year-old Vonn had only recently suffered a complete rupture of the ACL in her left knee.

Despite making a remarkable comeback to competition last year following a five-year hiatus, Vonn's Olympic dreams were shattered during the downhill alpine event on Sunday morning.

Lindsey Vonn suffered a shocking fall on Sunday(Image: GETTY)

The Team USA superstar seemed to lose her balance after her right arm made contact with the gate, sending her veering sharply to the right while airborne. As she attempted to regain control, Vonn crashed to the ground at high speed, ending up in a crumpled heap on the snow.

Her anguished cries filled the unsettling silence, prompting organisers to play background music to mask the eerie quiet, as stunned spectators sat frozen in the stands.

After what felt like an eternity, Vonn was carefully placed into a medical bag and then transported to the hospital via helicopter, reports the Mirror.

The stark image of the yellow helicopter and Vonn's red bag against the snow-covered mountains' white backdrop left viewers worldwide watching in horror.

Speaking to USA Today, Vonn's sister Karin Kildow revealed that she was aware of all the risks and was simply pushing her limits. Kildow also reassured fans that Vonn was in the hands of the best medical team possible.

"I mean that definitely was the last thing we wanted to see and it happened quick and when that happens, you're just immediately hoping she's okay," she expressed.

"And it was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, it's not a good sign. But she really...she just dared greatly and she put it all out there. So it's really hard to see but we just really hope she's okay.

"She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I'm sure they'll give us a report and we'll meet her at whatever hospital she's at."

- Daniel Blackham, Mikael McKenzie and Will Schofield

FRANJO VON ALLMEN WON THRILLING GOLD ⛷️ | #MILANOCORTINA2026

 

TOP MOMENTS FROM THE WINTER OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY

 

OPENING CEREMONY TODAY, FIGURE SKATING BEGINS AT MILANO CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS

Workers drive a golf buggy outside a compound next to the San Siro Stadium during rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, at , in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Moguls skier Mikaël Kingsbury, of Deux-Montagnes, Que., and ski cross racer Marielle Thompson, of Whistler, B.C., both Olympic gold-medallists, will carry the Canadian flag in Livigno.

Figure skating begins today in Milan with Day 1 of the team event. Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier lead off for Canada with the rhythm dance, followed by Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud in the pairs short program and Madeline Schizas in the women’s singles short program.

In Cortina, Canada’s mixed doubles curling team of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, unbeaten at 3-0, continues round-robin play against the United States.

Canadian alpine skiers are scheduled for downhill training, with the women training in Cortina d’Ampezzo at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre and the men on the Stelvio Ski Centre course in Bormio.

- The Canadian Press

CHINA'S AI TECHNOLOGY POWERS MILANO CORTINA OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES

Cross country skiers make their way in heavy snowfall on a track parallel to the mountain pass road near Toblach running between the Olympic venues in Cortina and Antholz, northern Italy, January 25, 2026. /VCG

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the first official large language model in Olympic history, developed with technical support from Chinese companies, has been deployed simultaneously for professional Games operations and public services.

On the operations side, an AI assistant allows members of national Olympic delegations to access official information simply by asking questions in their native languages, significantly improving coordination and preparation efficiency.

For the public, the "Olympic AI Assistant" is available worldwide, providing real-time, accurate answers to questions about competition rules, Olympic history, and other Games-related information.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the IOC has launched the first official large language model in Olympic history. She expressed appreciation for China's technological support, noting it is helping make the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games one of the smartest Olympic Games ever while opening up new possibilities for the Olympic Movement.

Beyond public services, Chinese AI technology is also deeply integrated into the Games' broadcast coverage. AI-enabled technologies, such as "bullet time," have been deployed at 10 core venues, covering more than two-thirds of competition events, including alpine skiing, snowboarding, and ski jumping, thereby enhancing the viewing experience for global audiences.

Sotiris Salamouris, Chief Technology Officer of Olympic Broadcasting Services, said winter Olympic sports are highly dynamic, characterized by extreme speed and explosive power. He noted that advanced technology that freezes athletes' movements and captures their performances from multiple angles helps audiences better understand these sports and fully appreciate the athletes' extraordinary achievements.

- CGTN

WINTER OLYMPICS 'PENIS-GATE' SPARKS ANTI-DOPING CONCERNS

Extraordinary questions have arisen over the prospect of athletes injecting acid into the penis, which would theoretically increase the suit sizes of ski-jumpers and improve aerodynamics

Getty

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has responded to extraordinary questions over ski jumping athletes and whether they are injecting acid into their penises in a bid to gain an advantage at the Winter Olympics.

Preliminary events are underway in Italy, where the 2026 Games will begin in earnest on Friday, and already there have been unusual concerns around the men’s ski jumping, which is due to start on Monday.

German publication Bild has raised the question of whether athletes might inject hyaluronic acid into their penises, in a bid to increase the size of their genitalia – with the wider aim of enhanced suit sizes to improve aerodynamics.

These strange concerns come after Norwegian Olympic medallists Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang were suspended for three months, after the team were found to have secretly tweaked the crotch seams on their suits at the 2025 World Ski Championships.

Norwegian head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and fellow team member Adrian Livelten were banned for 18 months for their involvement. The tactic apparently made jumpers’ suits larger, thus reducing their rate of descent due to bigger wingspans.

According to a study in the scientific journal Frontiers, adding 2cm to the circumference of a suit would reduce drag by 4 per cent and increase lift by 5 per cent. In theory, a 2cm enhancement in suit size would give an extra 5.8m in jump length.

Bild quoted Dr Kamran Karim, who said: “It is possible to achieve a temporary, visual thickening of the penis by injecting paraffin or hyaluronic acid. Such an injection is not medically indicated and is associated with risks.”

Olivier Niggli, Wada’s director general, said on the matter: “I’m not aware of the details of ski jumping – and how this can improve – but if anything was to come to the surface, we would look at anything if it is actually doping related.

“We don’t do other means of enhancing performance, but our list committee would certainly look into whether this would fall into this category. But I hadn’t heard about that until you mentioned [it].”

Wada president Witold Banka said: “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland [Banka’s home country], so I promise you I’m going to look at it.”

The IOC and Milano-Cortina 2026 have been approached for comment.

- Alex Pattle

FRANCE 2030, SALT LAKE CITY 2034 ARE THE PREFERRED WINTER GAMES BIDS - IOC

Karl Stoss. Reuters 

France 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 were picked as preferred hosts of the Winter Olympics and their respective bid teams will now go into a dialogue with the International Olympic Committee, the IOC said on Wednesday.

Bid leaders will intensify talks with the IOC, fleshing out plans and state support, with the Olympic governing body to decide on the 2030 and 2034 hosts at its session in July, 2024.

"The IOC Executive Board today invited the French National Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee into targeted dialogues towards hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the French Alps and the 2034 edition in Salt Lake City-Utah," the IOC said in a statement.

"We will start more detailed discussions with the interested parties," Karl Stoss, head of the IOC's Future Host commission, told a press conference.

"They (cities) have now to do their homework. The decision is not made yet. The work is not finished. But we have another six months to come to a decision," he said.