Grassmarket

Our annual tribute to the finest traditions of Napoleonic Civil Engineering coming up.

Off we go as we approach the first pavé of the day.

More early season live Athletics tonight from the USA. Boston Marathon on Monday.

Always a busy weekend for fans of US Women’s College Sports with the NCAA Gymnastics Finals going up against the NCAA 10-pin Bowling Finals. Sadly, no chance of the Golden Double.

Opportunities for scrap metal merchants in the northern Black Sea area. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61114843

Four years ban for Joyce Chepkirui (Has been in the pipeline for a while) As a whole still on a special regime for testing. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/africa/61098248

Hmm, very suspicious about this story. Sounds to me like one of Britain's best-ever female weightlifters is being banned for defending the integrity of women's sport. I'd like to find out a lot more. British Weight Lifting (BWL) has implemented a sanction, determined by an independent Arbitrator, against Sarah Davies after she admitted she had made comments of a discriminatory nature against a fellow athlete. Ms. Davies admitted that she contravened articles 3c, 3d, 3e of the BWL athlete agreement and the BWL athlete code of conduct. The finding was independently adjudicated by an independent arbitrator appointed by Sport Resolutions, who also determined the sanction. https://britishweightlifting.org/article/british-weight-lifting-sanctions-olympian-sarah-davies

14th Annual British Wife-Carrying Championships held today. Congratulations to winner Alex Bone, who wins first prize - a barrel of ale, which I hope he won’t be sharing with the missus. Has qualified for the Big One - the World Championships held annually in the historic home of wife-carrying, . https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10705125/Swept-feet-Couples-annual-wife-carrying-race-150-barrel-ale-prize.html

Oscar-worthy “Well, that’s the way it goes” reaction from Cosnefroy. Meantime inside

Wow, we now have a Kabbadi League! Seems a bit more…diverse…than the Swiss Cricket Team for example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-9DbaAOJMw

Seemingly Switzerland lost by running down their clock down to 0:00 , doesn’t happen very often

It’s back to the 30s in Russia. One week you’re riding in a chauffeur-driven limousine. Next week, you’re mining coal in Vorkuta, minus most of your teeth. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10702605/Russian-intelligence-official-moved-feared-high-security-Moscow-jail-Putin-steps-purge.html

It’s the same as the transgender issue. Everyone wants someone else to take the decision, so nothing gets done.

More tedious Hollywood agitprop, then.

Probably just a practical decision: these are all amateur players.

4 0 so we’re promoted. Well done everyone!

British sprint canoeist Liam Heath hangs up his paddles. https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/news/2022/liam-heath-mbe-retires-from-competitive-racing

We got live athletics this week. US, US based & Caribbean athletes participating in a meet in Bermuda - at the Flora Duffy Stadium, no less.

beat 6-0 with every point a steal - Czechs had the hammer for 10 ends.

Cracking excuse here. Milwaukee catcher Pedro Severino was suspended for 80 games on Tuesday following a positive drug test for Clomiphene - a female fertility drug that has been banned by Major League Baseball as a performance enhancer. Since late 2020, my wife and I had been trying to start a family unsuccessfully,' Severino said in a statement issued by the players' association. 'When we returned to the Dominican Republic after the 2021 season, we sought medical assistance to determine why we had not succeeded. 'One of the doctors I consulted with prescribed me with a medication to treat infertility issues. Unfortunately, I now know that the medication contained Clomiphene. I accept responsibility for this mistake and have decided not to challenge my suspension.' https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10688641/Brewers-catcher-Severino-suspended-positive-drug-test.html

Hungary has voted the wrong way & will now be knouted by their overlords. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/04/05/watch-live-ukraine-likely-to-overshadow-vdl-s-address-to-meps-on-bloc-s-political-prioriti

Once the positive test is in it usually takes a few months, but the train will surely get to the station.

Unfortunately Russian sporting authorities have done nothing over the last decade to earn the benefit of any doubts, so I have no objection to a four-year Olympic cycle of prayer & reflection.

Pogačar, you absolute moron!

Now the ski jumping season is done, Pogačar takes over the task of sporting domination.