Latest news with #MilanCortinaGames
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2026 Milan Cortina Olympic hockey groups set for men's, women's tournaments
The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic men's and women's hockey groups are set with France replacing Russia in both tournaments. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) confirmed the groups Monday, noting it is following an IOC recommendation in place since March 2023 that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be banned from team events in Olympic sports. Russia and Belarus have been suspended from IIHF tournaments, including the annual world championships, since shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to compete as individual neutral athletes in some sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics upon review and invitation by the IOC, but not in any team sports. After 2026 Olympic hockey qualifying ended, the IIHF announced two possible fields for the Milan Cortina Games: one with Russia in both tournaments (qualifying via world ranking) in case its suspension would be lifted and one without Russia in both tournaments. France was the next-highest-ranked team in qualifying for both men (first Olympic appearance since 2002) and women (first Olympic appearance ever). 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey groups Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France (replaces Russia) Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy Group C: U.S., Germany, Latvia, Denmark Teams of players from Russia won Olympic men's hockey gold in 2018 and silver in 2022, with no NHL participation either time. The Russian name, flag and anthem were not allowed at either Games due to the nation's anti-doping violations. NHL players are expected to return to the Olympics in 2026 for the first time since 2014. Canada won the last two Olympic tournaments with NHL players in 2010 and 2014, plus won this past February's 4 Nations Face-Off — a best-on-best tournament with NHL players from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland. A team of players from Russia, the Unified Team (1992) or the Soviet Union played in every Olympic men's tournament from 1956 through 2022, winning nine of those 18 tournaments. 2026 Winter Olympics women's hockey groups Group A: Canada, U.S., Finland, Czechia, Switzerland Group B: Japan, Sweden, Germany, Italy, France (replaces Russia) The Russia women's hockey team, which has never won an Olympic medal, would have been placed in the lower-ranked of the two Olympic women's tournament groups had it been allowed to participate. The seven Olympic women's tournaments held so far have been won by either Canada (five times) or the U.S. (twice). Only once has a team other than Canada or the U.S. made the final — when Sweden lost to Canada in 2006. At the 2022 Olympics and recent world championships, all of the Group A teams — the world's five highest-ranked teams — automatically qualified for the quarterfinals. Nick Zaccardi,
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jørgen Graabak joins list of Norway winter sports stars to retire year before Milan Cortina Olympics
Jørgen Graabak, whose four Olympic gold medals are a Nordic combined record, is the latest winter sports star from Norway to retire a year before the Milan Cortina Games. Graabak, 34, previously posted that he had competed in his final World Championships this past winter in his hometown of Trondheim, Norway. Advertisement Worlds are held in odd-numbered years, so at the time there was still a chance he would compete one more season and bid for a fourth Olympics in 2026. But Graabak decided to end his career immediately, after putting his 3-year-old son, Johannes, to bed on Sunday, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "I have spent a lot of time at his bedside reflecting after he has fallen asleep in recent weeks," he said, according to a translation of the report. Graabak's reflections included writing a letter to Johannes and his newborn son, Noah, according to NRK. "The time has come for me to put my skis on the shelf and be allowed to be a support system on your path towards your goals, wherever that path may lead," the letter read in part. "That is for you to decide, and I will be there. I am looking forward to it." Advertisement Graabak won individual large hill and team event gold at the Olympics in 2014 and 2022, plus team silver in 2018 and individual normal hill silver in 2022. He won his first individual World Championships medal this season, silver in the large hill event in Trondheim on March 8. He ranked 15th in the season World Cup standings. Jarl Magnus Riiber, Norway's other Nordic combined superstar, announced in January that he was retiring after the 2024-25 season. Johannes Thingnes Bø and Tarjei Bø, brothers who are Olympic champion biathletes, also retired after this past season. Therese Johaug, who had retired in 2022 after winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, had announced that her comeback for the 2024-25 season was for one season only. Advertisement Then in April, Johaug said that she would take time to mull whether to extend the comeback for 2025-26. She is expected to announce her decision on Monday. Norway won the most medals at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. It also won the most medals in Olympic program events over all the winter sports world championships this season — 43 total and 17 gold, which would both break the Olympic records (held by Norway) if duplicated at the Milan Cortina Games. Graabak, Riiber, the Bø brothers and Johaug combined to win nine individual medals, including four golds, at 2025 World Championships. Norway leads the way in 2025 winter sports world championships medals Norway won the most medals and gold medals at winter sports World Championships in 2025.
NBC Sports
23-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Jørgen Graabak joins list of Norway winter sports stars to retire year before Milan Cortina Olympics
Jørgen Graabak, whose four Olympic gold medals are a Nordic combined record, is the latest winter sports star from Norway to retire a year before the Milan Cortina Games. Graabak, 34, previously posted that he had competed in his final World Championships this past winter in his hometown of Trondheim, Norway. Worlds are held in odd-numbered years, so at the time there was still a chance he would compete one more season and bid for a fourth Olympics in 2026. But Graabak decided to end his career immediately, after putting his 3-year-old son, Johannes, to bed on Sunday, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. 'I have spent a lot of time at his bedside reflecting after he has fallen asleep in recent weeks,' he said, according to a translation of the report. Graabak's reflections included writing a letter to Johannes and his newborn son, Noah, according to NRK. 'The time has come for me to put my skis on the shelf and be allowed to be a support system on your path towards your goals, wherever that path may lead,' the letter read in part. 'That is for you to decide, and I will be there. I am looking forward to it.' Graabak won individual large hill and team event gold at the Olympics in 2014 and 2022, plus team silver in 2018 and individual normal hill silver in 2022. He won his first individual World Championships medal this season, silver in the large hill event in Trondheim on March 8. He ranked 15th in the season World Cup standings. Jarl Magnus Riiber, Norway's other Nordic combined superstar, announced in January that he was retiring after the 2024-25 season. Johannes Thingnes Bø and Tarjei Bø, brothers who are Olympic champion biathletes, also retired after this past season. Therese Johaug, who had retired in 2022 after winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, had announced that her comeback for the 2024-25 season was for one season only. Then in April, Johaug said that she would take time to mull whether to extend the comeback for 2025-26. She is expected to announce her decision on Monday. Norway won the most medals at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. It also won the most medals in Olympic program events over all the winter sports world championships this season — 43 total and 17 gold, which would both break the Olympic records (held by Norway) if duplicated at the Milan Cortina Games. Graabak, Riiber, the Bø brothers and Johaug combined to win nine individual medals, including four golds, at 2025 World Championships. Nick Zaccardi,
NBC Sports
20-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Hilary Knight eyes fifth, final Olympics in 2026
Hilary Knight, the most decorated female hockey player in American history, plans to make the 2026 Milan Cortina Games her fifth and final Olympics, her agent confirmed. 'It's time,' Knight said, according to USA Today. 'I have grown up in this program and it's just given me so much. I'm at peace. I just have this feeling that it's time. And I'm grateful that — hopefully I can stay healthy and everything — I can go out when I'd like to be done. That is such a privilege that only a handful of competitors get.' Knight, 35, still has to make the Olympic team. The 23-player U.S. Olympic roster is typically named in December or early January. She plans to continue playing club hockey in the PWHL after the Olympics, and could continue playing with the national team, but not at all the way through the next Olympics in 2030. Knight shares the American records for Olympic hockey medals (four — one gold and three silvers) and next year can become the first American hockey player to participate in five Olympics. She also holds the global records for World Championship gold medals (10), medals (15), goals (67) and points (120). Knight has been national team captain since 2023. The U.S. won the world title last April in an overtime final victory over Canada. Knight recorded a team-leading nine points and seven assists at worlds, playing the most minutes of any forward. Nick Zaccardi,
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ISU names figure skaters from Russia eligible for Olympic qualifying as neutral athletes
A list of figure skaters from Russia and Belarus who could qualify for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics as individual neutral athletes has been published by the International Skating Union, four months before the competition to determine if any earn spots at the Games. For Russia, the ISU announced two women's singles skaters (Adelia Petrosian and Alina Gorbacheva) and two men's singles skaters (Petr Gumennik and Vladislav Dikidzhi) have been approved to be eligible for the last Olympic qualification event in China in September. Advertisement Up to one entry per discipline is allowed at the Olympic qualification event — either Petrosian or Gorbacheva and either Gumennik or Dikidzhi — to compete for a spot at the Milan Cortina Games. The Russian figure skating federation indicated that it is prioritizing Petrosian and Gummenik, who are both potential Olympic medal contenders. The skaters from Russian who qualify Olympic spots in September cannot be substituted for another skater to compete at the Milan Cortina Games. No neutral pairs' team or ice dance couple from Russia was approved. Asked if that definitively means that no neutral pair or ice dance couple from Russia will be at the Olympics, the ISU referred to a document that stated that the Russian federation submitted at least one pair team and dance couple for review and that some athletes "did not pass the special screening process." The Russian skating federation said in a press release that it "tried long and hard" to find out why its pairs and dance skaters were not approved, "but the reasons are unclear" and that the ISU was not obliged to provide an explanation. Advertisement The ISU said that skaters nominated by Russian and Belarusian officials would only be approved if they "have neither publicly supported nor are publicly supporting the invasion of Ukraine and are not linked to Russian/Belarusian military or security agencies." They also would not be approved if they have been "associated with anyone serving a period of ineligibility due to an anti-doping rule violation." Skaters from Russia and Belarus have been barred from international competition due to the war in Ukraine since March 2022. Many top skaters from Russia have continued to compete domestically. This past December, the ISU announced that a limited number of skaters from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to return to international competition as individual neutral athletes for the last Olympic qualifying event. Advertisement There are five Olympic quota spots at stake in women's singles and men's singles, four in ice dance and three for pairs at the September Olympic qualification event. Many of the world's top skaters do not compete at the last Olympic qualifier since they already earned quota spots for their nations at March's World Championships. If the ISU's current list of skaters does not change, that means that none of the figure skaters from Russia who competed at the 2022 Beijing Games will return for 2026, including gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova. Petrosian, 17, is expected to contend for gold at the Milan Cortina Games if she qualifies. Women from Russia won the last three Olympic titles and went one-two at the last two Games. This past season, Petrosian was the only senior women's singles skater in the world to land both a clean quadruple jump and a clean triple Axel in competition, according to She did so in domestic Russian competitions only given the ban. Advertisement Petrosian joins the early list of Olympic medal contenders that also includes Americans Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn, who won the two biggest international events last season (worlds for Liu, Grand Prix Final for Glenn). Gumennik, 23, won a Russian men's singles event in February with six clean quads between two programs. American Ilia Malinin was the only man to land more than six quads at March's World Championships (eight, two negatively graded) en route to a repeat title. Silver medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan also landed six quads at worlds. A Russian men's singles skater last won a medal in 2010, but Gumennik is one of several early Olympic medal contenders along with the favorite Malinin, Shaidorov and 2022 Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan. Advertisement A pairs' team from Russia or the Soviet Union has won at least one medal at 14 of the last 16 Olympics, including 13 golds. As of now, there will be no pairs' team from Russia at the Milan Cortina Games. The same goes for ice dance, where a couple from Russia or the Soviet Union won at least one medal at 12 of the 13 Olympics the event has been held. The ISU previously said that skaters from Russia were not eligible for the Olympic team event. U.S. rolls to World Team Trophy figure skating title, but will 2026 Olympic team event be closer? The U.S. cruised past rival Japan in a competition that's similar to the Olympic team event.
