Grassmarket

The World Race Walking Team Championships from sunny Muscat are on the World Athletics channel on YouTube this weekend. https://www.youtube.com/c/WorldAthletics

And made complete arses of themselves in front of the whole world.

Seems strange she didn’t know: even I know that if you run out of bullets you’ve got to ask an Official.

Oh, for sure everything on AlJazeera is exclusive....

Do we know why? DQF must be bad handover, or not following course, or serious safety violation. Not doing enough loops, false start or minor technical error is only a time penalty.

Just to confirm that & are out. https://www.paralympic.org/news/ipc-decline-athlete-entries-rpc-and-npc-belarus-beijing-2022

Story here. https://www.paralympic.org/news/ipc-decline-athlete-entries-rpc-and-npc-belarus-beijing-2022 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/60599739

Things get serious. EA Sports has revealed that it is in the process of removing the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from FIFA 22. A statement from EA Sports added that the company 'stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people' after the country was invaded by Russia. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10570229/EA-Sports-remove-Russian-national-team-Russian-clubs-FIFA-22.html

And in a sporting dispute even more impossible to resolve than Russia/Ukraine…. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancelation of some regular season games and the postponement of the March 31 Opening Day after the players' union rejected owners' 'best and final offer' to end the sport's lockout on Tuesday. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10564995/MLB-extends-deadline-salvage-openers-5-p-m-Tuesday.html

Initial squad announced. There are likely to be more added later for obvious reasons. Women 60m: Cheyanne Evans-Gray; Daryll Neita 400m: Jessie Knight, Ama Pipi 800m: Keely Hodgkinson, Jenny Selman 1500m: Erin Wallace 3000m: Amy-Eloise Markovc, Amelia Quirk 60m hurdles: Megan Marrs LJ: Jazmin Sawyers, Lorraine Ugen SP: Sophie McKinna 4x400m: Hodgkinson, Knight, Pipi, Mary John, Victoria Ohuruogu, Hannah Williams. Men 60m: Andy Robertson, Adam Thomas 400m: Ed Faulds 800m: Elliot Giles, Guy Learmonth 1500m: Neil Gourley, George Mills 3000m: Jamaine Coleman, Marc Scott 60m hurdles: Andy Pozzi, David King SP: Scott Lincoln. 4x400m: Faulds, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Ben Higgins, Sam Reardon, Tom Somers, James Williams.

Final Event in the World Indoor Tour coming up tomorrow from Madrid. https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/news/villa-de-madrid-2022-rojas

Again with the long tables!

I watch a lot of Russian historical costume dramas on streaming. The one constant is that the Tsar always goes mad in the end.

“Large queues are forming in front of bank terminals in Moscow & other Russian towns. Photo taken at 5am.”

That whole area around the HS Station is unpleasant, but “Hell” would be going too far.

Not so often we are happy to see Johaug win, but we are today!

She looked very tired today.

Does the Garmisch double.

Even if it meant taking Janni Ahonen.

We have a new country! All of a sudden we see athletes racing under the IBU flag for a country called NAR, which I’m guessing means Something like Non-Affiliated Racer. Somehow I doubt Lombardot has a >6 minute lead after the first shooting. And NAR are off to a great start with the early lead. Fortunately NAR’s moment of glory is brief as & Bъlgaria go ahead. There has been no time for NAR to develop their own suits - I’d be agreeable to making them race in their underwear. win again! Otto Invenius takes the lead. Half a dozen proud Utah Finns are on hand to cheer him.

It’s not a sporting matter but a political decision. They’re probably not letting any Russian passports in.

Over in the skating thread they’re saying that the Norwegians are not letting Russians enter the country, so I imagine it’s the Russian Cup for the rest of the season.

Only one Norwegian made the women’s knock-out round; something’s badly wrong.

Could you repost? As far as I can see the story is that Estonia won’t let them into the country, therefore they can’t compete at Otepää but not more than that. Ah, no, update here. So the story is: No Russian or BLR teams at all, but all forthcoming host nations can ban the competitors from entering their country altogether if they wish. https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/ibu-russia-ukraine-war/50crYBiHnYhvDFc57crpgg

Kristoffer “Mr DNF” Jakobsen DNFs. Did get about 40% down though. Great result for Salarich, into 2nd . Miracle man Strolz takes the lead.