Grassmarket

Alpine Combined so much more exciting when you do it properly - ie the slalom leg is run from the slowest to the fastest.

More on that. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10581663/Russian-gymnast-causes-outrage-wearing-national-WAR-symbol-shirt.html

Probably on huge bonuses for an NR.

Pogačar keeping it boring.

Don’t know if this link will be geo-blocked outside the UK, but a little VPN craftsmanship might help. https://www.youtube.com/c/Channel4Sport

Great win for Lotte Kopecky in the Strade Bianche - takes something to beat the Dutch once they’ve set their minds in a race.

Must have been the caption, it’s been corrected. No doubt about Chloe Chevalier missing 4 though.

Problems with the graphics today - has Hanna Oeberg really missed 5?

Jess Diggins is not racing in Oslo today, so that’s decided. Johaug off on a solo run, determined not to repeat her previous mistake.

I did like Kilde’s reaction when Mayer beat him. Usually skiers put on a “hey, it’s cool “ face, but Kilde was effing & blinding* *Old fashioned English expression meaning “Swearing a whole lot”

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne at age 52, just the day after the death of another legend Rodney Marsh. Some of the balls Warne bowled utterly defied the laws of physics. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10577963/Cricket-legend-Shane-Warne-died-aged-52-massive-heart-attack.html#comments

In another hammer blow to Russian morale, WWE pro Wrestling is forbidding its shows to be transmitted on PPV to the Russian market. So, it's going to be like living in Stalin's time, when the Red Army Choir was the only form of entertainment allowed.

& banned from weightlifting. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10576349/International-Weightlifting-Federation-bans-athletes-Russia-Belarus-participation.html

Adds three - Katherine Johnson-Thompson & Holly Mills in the Pentathlon. Think the Pent was a bit short, so WA rounded people up. Charlie Da'Vall Grice in the 800m, courtesy of Elliot Giles's win in Madrid.

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