The consortium led by James Bord has pulled out of the process to buy Sheffield Wednesday nine weeks after it was given preferred bidder status. More from @mjslater.bsky.social

2030 French Alps organising committee CEO exits amid governance dispute reut.rs/4rD0n4n

Sheffield Wednesday are back on the market. James Bord’s group has pulled out, claiming its due diligence has revealed club is not worth their “significantly higher” than reported bid. Bord & Co are completely out. They deny it’s related to regulatory process. www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...

To say these guys had a newsy Winter Olympics is something of an understatement but I think this was a well-intentioned mistake. www.nytimes.com/athletic/706...

I bring good news & bad news. Bad first: we lost the curling. Well played, Canada. But the good news is that millions of us haven fallen in love with a new sport, right? Next Grand Slam event is next week in Newfoundland. Let’s go! www.nytimes.com/athletic/706...

I suspect many of you will be distracted by another US-Canada clash on ice, but here’s a report from Canada’s win over their neighbours in the women’s curling bronze-medal match. No elbows out but a great game. www.nytimes.com/athletic/706...

The country that invented the game vs the country that loves it most. The best team of the last two years vs a veteran group of proven winners. A silent assassin vs “a killer”. GB vs Canada in the men’s curling final, 1905 local. What else would you be watching?!? www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

The curling comes at you so fast in Cortina, I didn’t even have time to share this one about USA’s big win over Switzerland before they started playing Switzerland again. www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

A story about an unvetted Russian who infiltrated Milan Cortina’s opening ceremony and…..did something nice. www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Ski Sunday fans, a quiz! Can you name all of these chaps? Bonus points for the selfie-hunters in the middle.

Fantastic news, the war is over…wait, what?!?! www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Biathlon, you are bonkers…but I love you. As Norwegian super-fan (& my new friend) Pal put it: “The athletes are good. But what are they doing? They’re competing for 20 minutes. We’re doing this for 20 hours, day after day. We’re the real Olympians!” www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

A report from curling’s frontline, where everyone agrees it’s time to move on….but not before Canada accuses Sweden of a “premeditated” wind-up & breaking lots of rules, too. And Sweden says Canada has been at it for years. Apart from that, all is calm. www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

A report from curling’s frontline, where everyone agrees it’s time to move on….but not before Canada accuses Sweden of a “premeditated” wind-up & breaking lots of rules, too. And Sweden says Canada has been at it for years. Apart from that, all is calm. www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

AFC Wimbledon have been looking for investment for a bit. In theory, it should be easy - new ground, in London, room to grow, good story. But investors tend to want control, while AFC want to stay “fan-owned”. Will they trust a group led by a club hero? www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

Sorry, kids, that T-shirt I promised you from the Olympics has sold out. Will try to buy the Sochi 2014 cocktail set instead. www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

There’s a lot of cool kit, made using the latest tech, at the Olympics. And some of the world’s top brands are trying hard to make you want it. And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making. www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...

In a clash of ideals, nobody won. Apart from Russia. The worst possible result. www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

There’s a lot of cool kit, made using the latest tech, at the Olympics. And some of the world’s top brands are trying hard to make you want it. And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making. www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...

For those wondering why Avram Glazer wants to buy an Indian cricket team that only plays two months a year & rents its stadium, there are 1.47bn reasons. No sport is as popular anywhere as cricket is in India, the world’s most populous nation & 5th largest economy. www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

Vladyslav Heraskevych was fastest in Wednesday’s final practice session before the men’s skeleton starts tomorrow. He was second fastest on Tuesday & fifth best on Monday. So he’s in great form. It would be a shame, then (and a bad look for the IOC) if he can’t race. www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

The US men’s curling team led by Danny Casper is about to start its Olympic campaign against China. Casper likes a challenge. He must. He’s still dealing with the effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome & his day job is selling Alfa Romeos in Minnesota. www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...

If, like millions around the world, you’ve been watching curling for the first time in four years, you’ll have spent a lot of time looking at the stones. But do you know how they’re made or, even better, where they come from? Well, wonder no longer. www.nytimes.com/athletic/vid...

With one small but powerful idea (& a brilliant PR strategy) Vladyslav Heraskevych has grabbed the Olympic family’s attention & asked it a difficult question: you say athletes come first, but what about these athletes? This is new IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s first big test.

Come on, Scotland!!!!

Green Bay has its cheeseheads, Cortina’s got graniteheads.

Ukrainian skeleton competitor Vladyslav Heraskevych said a helmet he has used in training at the Milano Cortina Games with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine cannot be used in Olympic competition after being told by the IOC that it violates a rule on political statements.

We are five years on from Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds' takeover of Wrexham, then a fifth tier side — now one promotion from the Premier League. They both spoke to @rsooty73.bsky.social to reflect on their time so far — and the future ⬇️ 🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...

Women’s Super League Football, the organisation which oversees the top two tiers of women’s football in England, is monitoring developments with X’s artificial intelligence tool Grok due to concerns regarding its creation of sexualised images. More from @charpur.bsky.social bit.ly/4ai5rn6

YouTube TV announced the creation of a sports-focused monthly subscription plan that would carry most available live sports at a $20-per-month discount to its existing one-size-fits-all plan. The sports-specific plan will cost about $65 per month for existing YouTube TV subscribers.

Bad Bunny's halftime show at Super Bowl LX rose to the occasion. So, where exactly does his performance rank among the greats? @saadyousuf126.bsky.social has it in the top 10, narrowly above Kendrick Lamar's show last year 👀

Eileen Gu secured silver in the women's freeski slopestyle final in her breathtaking first run in the 2026 Winter Olympics. An outlier on Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, Gu earns $23m a year — but just $100k of it from her sport.

A day after President Donald Trump called Olympian Hunter Hess “a real loser” over the freestyle skier’s comments about representing the United States, Chloe Kim had this to say in these Winter Olympics that are becoming ever more politically charged.

JUST IN: Lindsay Vonn sustained a “complex tibia fracture" when she crashed in Sunday’s women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics. "Despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets," she wrote on Instagram.

USA’s fire & ice combo down the hometown favourites in a ding-dong mixed doubles curling semi. But while “boy Korey” & “girl Cory” have a shot at gold tomorrow, GB’s Dodds & Mouat must bounce back from a heavy defeat to Sweden. They play Italy for bronze. www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

Lindsay Vonn was the 13th racer in the start list and she was 13 seconds into her run…today was a bad day for triskaidekaphobics. Here’s a video from a subdued/worried women’s downhill course, which is a shame on lots of levels, not least for Breezy Johnson, who was brilliant.

The vice president of Lionel Messi’s boyhood team Newell’s Old Boys says the club are working on plans to bring the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner back to the side in 2027. www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...

Me on the death of the Washington Post sports section. This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry. www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...

It’s OK, we’ve had our first row about some new aerodynamic kit Team GB has developed - we can start the Olympics now. This one is about helmets the top-ranked British skeleton team want to use. Skeleton’s governing body said no. CAS to decide on Friday. www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...

The 2026 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony is on Friday but curlers curl when they want & they start this evening with the mixed doubles. As it’s probably been 4 years for most of you, I asked 2022 champ Eve Muirhead for a refresher on the lingo, rules & tactics. 🥌🧹🥇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...

Hugely significant moment at the IOC Session in Milan. Olympic bosses have just voted on whether pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping: Yes - 46 No - 49 Common sense prevailed. Just.

'It’s David against Goliath' I went behind the scenes at RC Lens last week, who are trying to do the unthinkable and pip Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title Includes interviews with their owner, head coach and captain #FiersDEtreLensois #RCL www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

Chelsea’s fans taunted the Emirates with chants of, “We’ve won it all.” They have a reputation as winners, Arsenal as a perennial project. But it's Chelsea who seem to be a work-in-progress. Tuesday's semi-final wasn’t pretty. But Arsenal are here to win, not entertain. @gunnerblog.bsky.social

There's an instinct to accuse Pep Guardiola of double standards when he talks about Gaza, Sudan or anything else, because of who he works for. It's understandable, but at least he's speaking out about something. www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

Sad story. Terrible blow for the city, the staff and students. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I’m absolutely stoked at the news the ScottsMiracle-Gro Field & PayPal Park will become Olympic venues in 2028. Bit mean of LA not to give Detroit a game, though. Detroit has bid for the Olympics nine times & now sees Columbus get some Olympic action. www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

Interesting line from @inttestagency.bsky.social chair Jacques Antenen at IOC Session in Milan. 8% of athletes at Milan Cortina 2026 weren’t drug-tested in pre-Games phase. Some big gaps in coverage, too. 13% of Norwegian team untested, only 1/3 of Finns, French & Swedish tested enough.

▪️ A missed penalty ▪️ A couple of sublime goals ▪️ A lot of not very much... ▪️One gloriously chaotic finish We asked Tim Spiers to watch five minutes of every Champions League game on ‘Wild Wednesday’. His patience paid off. www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

Want to learn more about Gianni Infantino? How he got to where he was etc - this is one of our special episodes of the @theathleticfc.bsky.social, featuring insight from @oliverkay.bsky.social @mjslater.bsky.social (inc presser battle) @adamcrafton.bsky.social et al podfollow.com/athletic-fc-...

On the one hand, Match of the Day has lost 10% of its traditional TV audience this season. But, on the other, the BBC has compensated for that decline with its digital offer and is up overall. Verdict? Good move - got to follow the audience. www.nytimes.com/athletic/700...