copravolley

Makes sense. Several other athletes won't be present that much in January either.

Sivert Guttorm Bakken  R.I.P.

Russia and Soviet Union follow that tactics for many decades, Stalin became a huge WWII winner because of that. NATO can't really afford a war of attrition or any open war against above par army right now. And Putin knows that. At least the nonsense about nuclear bombs is over. That threat was never going to materialise since Ukraine isn't that important to be casus belli for WWIII.

Some times ago there was only sport and now there is sport and army, although many of them die in war because Putin doesn`t respect the lives of his own people. 

I know that but Russia is more than Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Asian part is light years behind even former communist bloc like Poland or Czechia - enlisting in the army is really a way to get some money, in the wealthy democracies that wasn't the case since at least 1918 

@bestmen Look, I've been reading your comments regarding Russia for quite some time, and I don't want to bite my tongue this time.
 
First, context matters. I agree with @copravolley. It’s not an insult to say that people who don’t live near Russia often underestimate what this war actually means for Europe. Out of the three of us, I can say with certainty that I feel the most directly affected by and concerned about this war.
 
In the same way I wouldn’t share my opinions on Africans and the conflicts on their continent, or lecture Palestinians about the war in Gaza, it’s reasonable to listen first when Europeans explain why this is not just a political disagreement that happens to block Russian athletes from competing, but an ongoing war of aggression that doesn’t only affect Ukraine, but also countless other countries located nearby with a long and dramatic history of communism and Russian influence. To make it clear, you're absolutely entitled to your opinion. However, you have repeatedly pushed the same narrative about the supposed injustice towards Russian competitors.
 
Second of all, the claim that Russian athletes have nothing to do with politics is blatantly wrong. It's a lie, and you know it. Countless Russians are actively supporting the crimes that Russia is committing on Ukrainian soil, advocating for further military operations, and show little to no remorse. Many Russians supported Putin throughout his presidential campaigns and continued doing so even after the invasion. Just look at their public statements made over the past three years. They are expected to align with the state’s narrative. That’s not an individual moral judgment, it’s how the system works.
 
Major Russian sports clubs are directly linked to or derived from the military. Hockey players wear war symbols and slogans on their jerseys, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Russian sports and politics are two sides of the same coin, closely related ever since the state began pouring money into centralised doping programs and sporting propaganda. Bringing up Netanyahu or Israeli doping is pretty much just whataboutism. If there is proven, systematic wrongdoing in sport, it should be addressed through proper investigations and sanctions. That does not magically erase or excuse Russia’s actions, nor does it justify pretending this war doesn’t exist when it becomes inconvenient.

Czech

Ivana Spagna - Un Natale Che Non Finira'
 

 
 
 
Elio e le Storie Tese (ft. Graziano Romani) - Christmas With The Yours
This song was released as a charity single 1995
 

Wouldn't be a proper lead-up to an Olympics without plenty of fear-mongering from the media.  There are concerns, but not the existential crisis that some want to make it seem like everything is going to come crashing down.  

Biathlon
 
Giacomel seconda vittoria stagionale e terzo podio, due terzi posti per Wierer.
Bottino stagionale a 9 podi sommando anche le due vittorie (Wierer e Vittozzi) e i due podi in staffetta (donne e mista)
 
Sci Alpino
Torna alla vittoria Goggia, dopo due terzi posti 

This website is scandalous... The World Cup standings in men's single haven't been updated since yesterday competition... There are no any links to the Olympic rankings (they're not the same as the World Cup!). I don't know what these people are getting paid, but it looks like complete amateurs for me
 
https://www.fil-luge.org/en/overall-scores?event_season_id=33

In Italia, oltre Cervina, Livigno e poco altro, c'è il Crosspark di Colere che è ottimo. In Piemonte c'è quella di Bardonecchia, che è terribile

Happens at every games (the negativity). I remember the British press labeling the Vancouver games as the worst ever (before they even started). Arguably those were the best Winter Games in recent memory.

Yesterday he finished 15th and was slow timong in cross country, so it was hard to praise him. He still miss of stability, although he very like route in  Anterselva, so I'm still hope on his dominance there. Hopefully. Now, there isn`t a some monsters,  as Fourcade, or J. Boe, or Bjoerndalen, etc, and many people have a chance to win gold.

The Canadian men having 2 quotas, while not competing at the World Cups, is something interesting 

Current Skeleton Olympic Quotas (after 4/7 World Cup Stages):
 
Men:
 
3 Quotas:
2 Quotas:
1 Quota:
 
Women:
 
3 Quotas:
2 Quotas:
1 Quota:

Giacomel is getting weaker and weaker, and his running is poor. Nothing will come of it. Without Boe, he was supposed to be the fastest skier, but he's losing out to the Norwegians and Swedes. The rest of the squad, apart from Hofer, is essentially colapse.

Giacomel is getting weaker and weaker, and his running is poor. Nothing will come of it. Without Boe, he was supposed to be the fastest skier, but he's losing out to the Norwegians and Swedes. The rest of the squad, apart from Hofer, is essentially colapse.

Personally, I was hoping Giacomel would dominate the cross country on this season. Without that, he won't be the new Fourcade. Fifth place in the cross country is okay, but it's not enough. I don`t worry with his today`s 4 mistakes because a mistake can happen to anyone, but in the ski you can't lose 30 seconds to the Norwegian.

Unfortunately, she had to many stupid things in many situations – especially at the Olympics. Sometimes it was hard to believe the stupid things she did on the ice.

Zero progress for the Italian squad: one Giacomel and old Hofer, and the rest at the bottom. A wonderful result from the home Olympics in Cortina...

This guy submitted that song to our preselections, I wonder if he will be among 10 selected artists
 

A happy and disappointed smile in one photo 
 
Best result of the season and being so close of a podium, clearly a moment to celebrate and be so gutted at the same time. Still super proud of our Paja ! Awesome showing today