Olympics News
IOC sets up £106m fund for all athletes at Games
Milano-Cortina competitors will be first to be paid
The International Olympic Committee has broken with 130 years of tradition by deciding to pay athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.
Starting with the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, all competitors will be entitled to a $10,000 (£7,600) grant from the IOC regardless of whether they are NBA stars or on the poverty line.
Continue reading...Committee to study Lake Placid-NYC Games
2042 emerges as earliest realistic target
State cites existing venues and IOC shift
The prospect of a Winter Olympics stretching from the Adirondacks to New York City has taken its first formal step toward reality as state leaders launched a year-long review into whether the two destinations could jointly host a future Games.
New York governor Kathy Hochul on Monday announced the formation of the Lake Placid-New York City Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games Exploratory Committee, a statewide group tasked with evaluating whether a future Winter Games built around existing venues and shared between the two locations could be delivered sustainably and responsibly.
Continue reading...Kirsty Coventry: IOC will have taskforce for any issues
Referee Omar Artan refused entry by US officials
The International Olympic Committee insists it is “confident” that the LA Games in 2028 will not face the same immigration issues that have marred the buildup to the World Cup – including Africa’s top referee, Omar Artan, from Somalia being refused entry by US officials.
Despite Fifa’s close relationship with the Trump administration, it was also unable to stop Iran being moved from a training camp in Arizona to Mexico and some of its officials being denied entry visas.
Continue reading...Olympic gold medallist diver reflects on the financial and emotional challenges since retiring from the sport, and teaming up with his hero Tom Daley
“It’s like I’ve already got an open wound and you’re stabbing me in it,” Matty Lee says as, deep into our second hour at a beautiful old Edwardian swimming pool in Leeds, we turn to Kirsty Coventry’s recent comments that athletes should not be paid at the Olympic Games. In her role as the International Olympic Committee president Coventry, a former swimmer who won seven Olympic medals including gold in 2004 and 2008, has caused outrage among athletes.
The IOC confirmed in its own financial report that it made $12.4bn (£9.2bn) between 2021 and 2024 and so Lee, an Olympic diving champion, grimaces when he considers Coventry’s resistance to paying the people we want to watch – the athletes. It is sobering to consider her stance in the company of Lee who, without bitterness, has told me about his hidden world as a retired Olympic champion now struggling emotionally and financially.
Continue reading...Macklin Celebrini returns to Canada's men's hockey team for the world championship tournament (May 15-31 in Switzerland), three months after leading the Milan Cortina Olympics in goals at age 19.
The Canadian roster for worlds also includes 2014 Olympic gold medalist forward John Tavares and more past NHL All-Stars — forwards Mathew Barzal, Ryan O'Reilly and Mark Scheifele, defensemen Evan Bouchard and Morgan Rielly and goalie Cam Talbot.
Celebrini, the first teenager to play for a Canada men's Olympic hockey team in the NHL participation era, will play at a second consecutive worlds.
In 2025, he was the youngest NHL player at worlds as Canada exited in the quarterfinals.
Then in Milan, he scored a tournament-leading five goals and had 10 points, second only to teammate Connor McDavid, as Canada took silver to the U.S.
Celebrini, the No. 1 overall 2024 NHL Draft pick by the San Jose Sharks, ranked fourth in the NHL in points this season with 115. The Sharks missed the playoffs.
World championships take place during the Stanley Cup playoffs, so players whose NHL teams are still alive do not participate at worlds.
Meet the 2️⃣3️⃣ players who will wear the at #MensWorlds!
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 8, 2026
Voici les 2️⃣3️⃣ joueurs qui porteront la au #MondialMasculin!
ROSTER: https://t.co/sfrs3l0ZKL
FORMATION : https://t.co/MfjPGLV9Nnpic.twitter.com/NUFFnwTn9t
Trans athletes and those with DSD must be treated with respect, and the new testing regime must be run with sensitivity. But this is a step forward
The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude transgender women and most athletes with differences of sex development (DSD) from women’s Olympic sport has won praise from most major sports bodies but criticism from some activist groups.
It also closes the door on a period where often well-intentioned inclusivity came at the expense of sportswomen, and those who pointed out that the rules were not fair.
Tanya Aldred writes about sport for the Guardian
Continue reading...Brazilian Oscar Schmidt, a Basketball Hall of Famer and the Olympic basketball scoring king (1,093 points), has died at age 68.
In a statement reported by Brazilian media, Schmidt's family noted that he battled a brain tumor the last 15 years "with courage, dignity, and resilience, remaining an example of determination, generosity, and love for life. Recognized for his brilliant career on the court and his remarkable personality off it, Oscar leaves a legacy that transcends sports and inspires generations of athletes and admirers in Brazil and around the world."
In five Olympics from 1980 through 1996, Schmidt averaged 28.8 points per game over 38 total games played.
That included a 42.3-point-per-game showing at the 1988 Seoul Games and a 24-point performance against the Dream Team in 1992 (a 127-83 defeat).
"There was not a shot that I don't like," he said.
Brazil's best Olympic finish in that span was fifth.
“I was the top scorer in the Barcelona Olympics even with the Dream Team there," Schmidt, nicknamed "Mão Santa" (Holy Hand), was quoted as saying.
Schmidt tallied 304 more points than the Olympics' second all-time leading scorer — Australian Andrew Gaze — and more than twice as many points as the U.S.' all-time leading scorer, Kevin Durant (518).
In the 1987 Pan American Games final, Schmidt scored 46 points — 35 in the second half — as Brazil rallied from a 20-point deficit to upset a U.S. team of college stars in Indianapolis. He called it his greatest achievement.
"The Brazilian sport, unfortunately, is saying goodbye to a great name, but I'm sure that his story will never be forgotten," Brazil Olympic Committee Marco Antonio La Porta said, according to a translation. "More than results and medals, Oscar represented values that define the Olympic spirit: dedication, overcoming, respect for the opponent. In each competition, he took with him not only talent, but also inspiration for all who believe in the transformative power of sport and the Brazilian flag in their hearts. His legacy lives on on the courts and hearts he touched along his journey. May your memory continue to motivate new generations to dream big and compete with honor. Your story, immortalized in the COB (Brazil Olympic) Hall of Fame, will remain in our hearts. Rest in peace Holy Hand. Your legacy will never be forgotten."
The 6-foot-9 Schmidt is largely considered the best player never to play in the NBA. He was drafted in the sixth round by the New Jersey Nets in 1984 but never joined the league.
"I say thank you very much (to the Nets), but if I play one game here, I will never play with my national team never more," Schmidt said in his 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech, noting international rules at the time when NBA players were not allowed in the Olympics.
A young Kobe Bryant, growing up in Italy, was awed by watching Schmidt play in that league on TV. In 2016, Bryant compared Schmidt to Dirk Nowitzki, "but he can do things that Dirk Nowitzki can't," Bryant said.
"He's out there scoring 45 points, 47 points and, as a kid, I was just extremely curious on how the hell that's possible," Bryant said. "He could just do it all. He was a great shooter, but he could handle the ball. He could get to the spots on the floor and play with a lot of passion, too."
Olympic administrator who helped secure the Games for London in 2012 and stood up to Russia over doping
Sir Craig Reedie, who has died aged 84, was a key figure in London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympics. As a member of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games from 2005 to 2013, he formed a brilliantly effective campaign partnership with Sebastian Coe, the bid leader, doing much crucial work behind the scenes, first by helping to win the support of British politicians and then by marshalling the all-important votes of Olympic delegates who would determine where the Games would go.
Coe, to whom Reedie was a long-time mentor, was under no illusion that without the older man’s diplomatic skills and influential presence within the Olympic and Paralympic movement, which he had developed earlier as chair of the British Olympic Association (BOA), London might never have won the right to host the 2012 Games.
Continue reading...Aaround 5% of tickets will cost more than $1,000
Tickets for general public to go on sale on 9 April
Tickets for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games will go on sale to the general public on 9 April, organizers said on Monday, as LA28 also moved to reassure fans over ticket security by naming a group of verified resale platforms.
A presale for residents in qualifying areas of Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, which will host softball and canoe slalom events, will begin on 2 April.
Continue reading...Rand won gold, silver and bronze medals at Tokyo 1964
Mary Peters pays tribute to ‘most gifted athlete ever’
Mary Rand, the British track and field athlete who blazed a trail for women by winning three Olympic medals at the Tokyo Games in 1964, has died at the age of 86.
Rand was one of the giants of her sport: the epitome of speed, power and grace. Her long jump victory in Tokyo made her Britain’s first female Olympic gold medallist in athletics, and she followed it up with a silver in the pentathlon and a bronze in the 4x100m relay.
Continue reading...The story of the U.S. men’s hockey team winning the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics features a twist.
You know about Jack Hughes’ teeth, two of them knocked out before he scored the winning goal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada to secure the gold medal.
But do you know about the missing puck?
Specifically, the puck Hughes shot past Canada goalie Jordan Binnington for the game-winning goal, which gave the U.S. hockey team its first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team.
So where’s the “golden goal’’ puck? Did somebody get that puck? That's what former NHL player Tony Granato asked Hughes Feb. 26 during an interview on TNT.
"I honestly don't know where that puck went,’’ Hughes said. “I know who doesn't have it is me. I sure as hell don't have it.’’
A day after that interview, a spokesperson for the International Ice Hockey Federation told Sportico the puck was "designated for archival preservation with the (Hockey Hall of Fame) to ensure its long-term safekeeping and historical recognition."
Hughes, back in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, is not celebrating the decision like he did the golden goal.
"I'm trying to get it,’’ Hughes said of the puck in an exclusive interview with ESPN Tuesday, March 17. “Like, that's (b.s.) that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion. Why would they have that puck?"
That puck, along with the puck Megan Keller shot and scored in overtime that secured a gold medal for the U.S. women’s hockey team, are part of an "Olympics '26" display at the Hockey Hall of Fame, according to ESPN.
But not permanently. If Hughes can help it.
"I don't see why Megan Keller or I shouldn't have those pucks," Hughes told ESPN, explaining that his father has collected hockey memorabilia during the careers of Jack and his two brothers. "I wouldn't even want it for myself. I'd want it for my dad. I know he'd just love, love having it."
And what about those missing teeth?
That’s a story for another day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA Olympic hero Jack Hughes wants 'golden goal' puck. Can he get it?
The NHL season has resumed after the Olympic break and if a game is tied after 60 minutes, there will be a 3-on-3 overtime, followed by a shootout.
Just like the Olympics.
But when the NHL rolls around to the playoffs, it will switch to a 5-on-5 overtime.
The Olympics doesn't do that, though. It goes from a five-minute 3-on-3 overtime in the preliminary round, plus a shootout if necessary, to 10 minutes and a potential shootout in the knockout rounds up to the bronze medal. Even though the gold medal game's overtime lasts for however long it takes for the first goal to be scored it's still 3-on-3.
"It’s not a format we would have chosen, but we respect the rules of the tournaments we participate in," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told USA TODAY Sports.
When Jack Hughes scored in the Feb. 22 gold-medal game to give the USA its first gold since 1980, it was done at 3-on-3.
"You take four players off the ice, hockey's not hockey anymore," Canada coach Jon Cooper said after that game. "There's a reason overtime and shootouts are in play. It's all TV driven to end games. So there's not a long time. There's a reason it's not in the Stanley Cup Finals or playoffs because it gets ended in five."
He backtracked later in the news conference.
"All the teams know the rules going into these beforehand. So you can't come up here and say we're the losing team because we lost in a 3-on-3 and that's not fair," he said. "We knew the rules coming in. We won a game in this tournament 3-on-3 (against Czechia), so that's not the way it is."
Here's a look at the impact of 3-on-3 overtime at the Olympics:
The NHL has been using 3-on-3 (changed from 4-on-4) in the regular season since 2015-16 in an attempt to cut down on the number of games that go to a shootout.
It's incumbent early in the Olympics to have games not last forever because up to three games a day are played at the same arena.
The International Ice Hockey Federation kept a shootout for all games until recently, and a few gold medal games went to a shootout. The 1994 Swedish men's team won on the famed Peter Forsberg move. The 2018 USA women's team beat Canada in a shootout. Overtime was played at 4-on-4 in that year and the 2010 gold medal overtime won by Canada.
"The IIHF has tried various formats over the years – some years ago it was decided to align all overtime formats into (3-on-3) and as such it was also used for the Olympics," said IIHF spokesperson Noémi Villamarin.
The 2022 Olympics were the first to use 3-on-3 overtimes and to drop the shootout for the gold medal game.
The NHL originally was scheduled to send players to the Beijing Games but backed out to make up league games postponed by COVID.
Despite the 3-on-3, three men's games went through a full overtime to a shootout, including the USA's loss to Slovakia in the quarterfinals and Russia's semifinal win against Sweden. Two preliminary round games were settled in overtime, one after two minutes and the other after four minutes.
The 3-on-3 overtime in 2026 drew notice because NHL players – and therefore elite skill – were on the ice for the first time since 2014.
There were five overtime games in the men's tournament and no shootouts. One was in the preliminary round, three in the quarterfinals and the one in the final. The women's gold- and bronze-medal games also went to overtime.
The longest men's overtime lasted 3 minutes, 27 seconds when the USA's Quinn Hughes, Jack's brother, scored to defeat Sweden in the quarterfinals.
"That's as nervous as I've been ever in a hockey game," said Dylan Larkin, who had scored in regulation. "Just the way 3-on-3 goes, it's really just being opportunistic. Someone could fall, some puck could bounce, anything could happen, especially with the ice out there."
The USA took advantage the wider-open ice of 3-on-3 in the gold medal game. Jack Hughes pushed the puck past Canada's Cale Makar, Zach Werenski fought off a defensive play and fed Hughes for the winning goal at 1:41.
JACK HUGHES DELIVERS AMERICA'S GOLDEN MOMENT IN OVERTIME. pic.twitter.com/4foFDOri53
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 22, 2026
"It's still skilled players out there making skilled plays," Cooper said. "And the U.S. team has some skilled players – as do we. They made one more play than we did in overtime."
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off was the start of a commitment of the NHL to best-on-best international tournaments.
Canada beat the USA in overtime in the final, which was played at 5-on-5.
"The 4 Nations Face-Off was our tournament with our rules," Daly said.
A 2028 World Cup of Hockey is in the works. The NHL also has committed to send its players to the 2030 Winter Olympics in France.
Could there be a change in the overtime format before then?
"The IIHF is continuously evaluating all aspects of the game, also the OT format and will make decisions accordingly," Villamarin said.
Contributing: Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press; Michael Traikos, Hockey News
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Olympics 3-on-3 overtime change after rising criticism?
In Milan, athletes showed that patriotism can be generous. In Los Angeles, that definition will be tested on the biggest, loudest stage sport can offer
The Milano Cortina Winter Games ended on Sunday night as the Olympics always do: in light, spectacle and speeches about unity. In Verona, the Olympic flag passed to the French Alps and the twin flames were extinguished. But unofficially, at least, a flame also flickered 6,000 miles west.
If these Games felt political, just wait until Los Angeles a little more than two years from now.
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It’s been 16 years since the men’s hockey teams from the United States and Canada faced off in an Olympic gold medal game, but it’s barely been a year since Team USA and Canada last met with a title on the line at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off.
Both teams are facing off in today’s Olympics gold medal match with rosters that are largely unchanged from that pre-Olympics tournament last February. In the end, it was Canada that bested the United States in an instant classic 3-2 overtime thriller to win the first 4 Nations Face-Off.
Now, one year later: the NHL is back at the Olympics and we’re once again being treated to that classic matchup. USA vs. Canada. One of the biggest rivalries in hockey.
With a squad that Miracle on Ice icon Mike Eruzione calls “the best team we’ve ever had,” Team USA has gone undefeated across its five Olympic games so far. Most victories have been by a large margin, too, where Team USA scored 5+ goals. The most recent win in the semifinals was a 6-2 rout of Slovakia.
Canada is also undefeated in Milano, but there is still concern that captain Sidney Crosby, who was injured in the quarterfinals, may not suit up for the game. Crobsy missed the semifinals (Canada won 3-2 over eventual Bronze medalists Finland), but skated on Saturday in a positive sign that he could play in today’s gold medal matchup.
Crosby, famously, scored the overtime winner at the 2010 games, the last time USA and Canada faced off in an Olympic gold medal game.
The United States vs. Canada gold medal game is scheduled to start today, Feb. 22, at 8:10 a.m. ET.
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to watch USA vs. Canada live.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching TV live for free — its five-day free trial includes NBC (plus every other channel you’ll need for the rest of the Winter Olympics). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month for your choice of streaming plan and gain access to over 90 live channels.
Sling TV is another affordable way to stream the Winter Olympics; its Select plan includes NBC and starts at $19.99/month.
Below, check out the rosters for Team USA and Canada, along with each player’s NHL team.
United StatesThe 2026 Winter Olympics end later today, Feb. 22, with the closing ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
MILAN — Having played between the pipes for the Winnipeg Jets in seven of the past eight NHL postseasons, goalie Connor Hellebuyck has seen his fair share of big moments.
Not the kind with a Stanley Cup on the line, but the ones that are a byproduct of circumstances.
The Jets have failed to make it out of the first round — or qualifier — in four of those aforementioned playoff runs, and Hellebuyck has assumed a significant portion of the blame as the franchise’s longtime No. 1 netminder.
Hellebuyck has a shocking 1-9 record in his past 10 road playoff games dating back to 2021. His .917 save percentage from 2022 through this current NHL regular season leads the NHL, but it dropped to .872 in the postseason over that span.
One of the more recent lasting images of Hellebuyck is from Game 6 of the Jets’ first-round playoff series against the Blues last year.
He had already been pulled in Game 4, and after giving up five goals on 23 shots across 40 minutes of play — including four goals in 5:23 — Hellebuyck was on the bench at the start of the third.
In the NHL, Hellebuyck hasn’t been able to rise to the occasion.
Since rejoining international play, however, the Michigan native has left little doubt as to who the top American goaltender is. Team USA will need that to continue if it is going to top Canada for a gold medal Sunday.
Asked about his confidence level five games into his first Olympic tournament — during which he stopped 90 of the 95 shots he faced — Hellebuyck’s usual stoic demeanor completely changed.
“Oh, all-time high,” he said, cracking a smile for the first time in the scrum with reporters after his 22-save performance against Slovakia on Friday night. “You know, I’m really enjoying this. This is fun. You don’t get to be part of this so much. I’m going to enjoy every second out here.”
The 32-year-old is leading the Olympic tournament with a .947 save percentage and a 1.23 goals-against average. Up until this point, Hellebuyck has been sharp, steady and stingy.
After allowing a couple third-period goals to Slovakia in a blowout quarterfinal victory, Hellebuyck poked fun at himself, saying he “got a little bored in there, and it cost me a goal.” It was indicative of just how light Hellebuyck looks and presumably feels going into this gold medal clash with Canada.
His USA teammates have lauded the calmness that exudes from Hellebuyck behind them.
That kind of presence is exactly what the U.S. men’s hockey team will need to win this whole thing.
“He’s incredible,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “He’s been incredible year after year. And it seems like in this short tournament, even going back to last year at 4 Nations, he’s been a brick wall. He’s been awesome. He plays the puck very well. Seems like everything that’s hitting him, sticks. He’s so good. He’s so steady. Probably the greatest asset is just the confidence he gives us. We are very excited to have him behind us for the gold medal game.”
Hellebuyck is one of just 13 goalies in NHL history with three Vezina trophies — tying him with the likes of Patrick Roy, Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito. Just eight goalies have won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, and he is one of just three in this century.
It is Hellebuyck’s playoff failures, however, that have dominated his story through his 11-year NHL career. This game has the magnitude to change the narrative.
It’s been 46 years since the Miracle on Ice, the last time the Americans won gold in men’s hockey.
Canada holds a 4-1 record against the United States in Olympic tournaments featuring NHL players. Team USA has never beaten the Canadians when it mattered.
Hellebuyck, as the last line of defense, has an opportunity to become an American hero.
Suddenly, the NHL playoff stage wouldn’t look so big.