Grassmarket

Europa Cuo! European Cup was actually today's St Moritz race.

Just found out that here in Scotland it is a tradition to give all the winter road gritting / snowplough lorries individual names. Many are very funny. It's a tradition dating back to 2006, and the names are all created and chosen by schoolchildren. You can track them live! Gritter tracker | Traffic Scotland

National Championships in Beitostolen this weekend - believe that these are going to be the final decisive races for Olympic qualification. Live on Norwegian TV, probably not geoblocked. https://tv.nrk.no/programmer/sport-langrenn/underkategori

Australian break dancers no longer the worst top-level sportspeople on the planet! The organisers of a professional women's tournament which has gone viral on social media because of a wildcard player's dire performance have acknowledged she should not have been allowed to play. Egyptian Hajar Abdelkader, 21, lost 6-0 6-0 and served 20 double faults during the first-round match in Nairobi on Wednesday, with the footage leaving many viewers wondering if she had ever played tennis before. Hajar Abdelkader: Wildcard serves 20 doubles faults and loses match in 37 minutes - BBC Sport

For the first time in the history of the internet, someone on Twitter has a sensible idea. There isn't a single country in Europe where this hasn't happened at least once.

By which I do of course mean Saturday 10th. Here's the timetable in Florida time and your local time. Unlike the Europeans, there is no separate U-23 race. Timetable | Tallahassee, FL 26 | World Athletics Cross Country Championship

More Curling on free streaming this weekend with the Players' Championship from Manitoba. Crown Royal Players' Championship | Eurovision Sport

We get live coverage of the ParaBiathlon from Notschrei this weekend, which I think is the first ever time outside the Paralympics. IBU Para Biathlon World Cup - Stop 2 | Eurovision Sport

Just a small error with.the line in sight!

British cyclist and Grand Tour winner Simon Yates announces retirement Simon Yates announces retirement with immediate effect - BBC Sport

The World Cross Country Championships from Tallahassee are on.Sunday. Moved forward about three months on the calendar for some reason. Anyway, startlists are here. Seemingly visa issues as usual, but whether that is down to US intransigeance or national inefficiency is as always a matter of debate. https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/news/press-releases/entry-lists-world-cross-country-tallahassee-26-published

This is how Bandy hockey got its start. Obviously it is an old game with lots of variations all over the world, but the existing rules were written in this English microclimate by people who played on flat, frozen fields. Dozens of skaters - including an international competitor - have flocked to The Fens from far and wide after word got out that flooded fields had frozen over. Competitive skating began in the watery landscape in 1879 and since then it has become a magnet for lovers of "natural ice". Team GBR skater joins crowds on frozen fen fields - BBC News

No, not really. 90% of all sports journalists in every country are all just football reporters who don't understand how winter sports work now.

Good news about snow and weather conditions in Olympics-Milano Cortina Winter Games back on track as concerns over snow ease – FIS chief

He is going to be winning medals in his career, that is for sure.

First ever World Cup points in Alpine for off a start number of 70!

Got a challenger to the Norwegian men at last...... Ohoh Klaebo is struggling.... Manages to hold on. 2 in top 10!

Great second run from Goggia, has made up about 20 places.

Always my belief that many winter sports athletes are over-trained rather than under-trained. A week off does no harm at all.

Horrible day for Kimberley Bos, but do not despair, my herring eating vrienden! I remember Lizzie Yarnold also had the worst day of her entire career just a few weeks before winning her second gold, so it can be done.

Men's skeleton cancelled this morning for weather reasons. Seems they got part of Run 1 done, but obviously judged to be unfair conditions. Women's run postponed but is going ahead still. Team event cancelled.

And the women's World Cup order WENG Heidi NOR 52:12.8 DIGGINS Jessie USA 52:14.8 ANDERSSON Ebba SWE 52:23.7 DRIVENES Julie Bjervig 52:28.0 MATINTALO Johanna FIN 52:28.3 +15.5 5.94

Delay to the start of the Second Round in Garmisch-Partenkirchen because..... athletes stuck in lift....

There is a separate ranking based on gun-to-tape rankings in that particular race, who are awarded the FIS World Cup points, whereas Klaebo gets the Tour de Ski points. ANGER Edvin SWE 45:39.5 KRUEGER Simen Hegstad NOR 45:44.0 REE Andreas Fjorden NOR 45:44.1 PELLEGRINO Federico ITA 45:45.5 STENSHAGEN Mattis NOR 45:51.8

Some bits of news this morning AO Slind has a cold, withdraws which pretty much guarantees the win for Jess Diggins. And owe a crate of beer because Altamiras gave up a ski pole to Andy Musgrave mid-race yesterday.