Grassmarket

Commentator's curse.......

Unlike yesterday's huge dollop of luck for Amelia Coltman, a big dominating win for Freya Tarbit!

It is like in cycling after the year 2000. All of a sudden WE were the DDR!

Not often that people here congratulate sports governing bodies, but the IBSF have really done a good thing for skeleton this month. Three Asian Cup races and then three World Cup races all in Asia have really brought out all the athletes - 38 in the women's race and 34 in the men's today, great start to the Olympic qualifying campaign.

Caught up with the Sjusjoen ladies. Another biathlon baby comes through - I'm guessing Julie Baverel is the daughter of 2006 Olympic Gold medallist Florence? Thought Dorothy Wierer had retired, yet there she was. Just on her own though, not part of the team. And Anastasia Kusmina still going strong at age 40! Fourth today. 9/10

Old-school domination for Win 98.

Did not expect this, but FIS TV are live-streaming the Levi race. https://watch.fis-ski.com/live/273126

And that has messed up the international streaming!

100% record for Samuelsson- 1 1 1 1. Windy day but all the home shooting has been poor. Looks like Mandzyn ftw with 18/20.

There is actually a Cross Country season opener this weekend from Muonio, . Unfortunately the only coverage outside Finland is on Pay TV Ski Classics system. There were sprints today, then other events Saturday and Sunday. SC Play

There are even more races, but the others look more like IBU Cup selection races, so I'm guessing not much coverage. Biathlon | Bessans, Sjusjøen, Idre Fjäll, Kontiolahti, Martell-Val Martello, Lenzerheide, Obertilliach: two weeks before the World Cup, biathlon galore this weekend | Nordic Mag | N°1 Biathlon | Nordic skiing

Remember the Meat Loaf record "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)"? Well, here's a perfect example. A man has been caught trying to smuggle hundreds of endangered spiders and insects out of Peru. Officials stopped the 28-year-old Korean citizen, who had hidden the animals about his person, as he tried to leave the capital Lima. Smuggler caught with hundreds of tarantulas strapped to body in Peru - BBC News

Bookies favourite at the moment is Keely Hodgkinson 800m Paris, probably mine as well. Although there were many great golds, I think most people know that a gold in an historic athletics event is the most difficult of all. Also, her final was absolutely at TV prime time, and the history is that most-watched event of the year usually wins. Also, there is usually a strong regional vote, and she is VERY typical of her region.

How about Niewadoma? A heroic TdF win.

No major announcements in yet.

Both of these races usually have huge (well over 100) fields, because they're trying to give as many people a chance as possible. - Idre Fjall Saturday - Short Individual Men + Short Individual Women Sunday - Sprint Men + Sprint Women Don't see more info for that though, maybe one of our Swedes can find something. - Sjusjoen Saturday - Sprint Women + Sprint Men Sunday - Mass Start Women + Mass Start Men Sesongstart Skiskyting – Sjusjøen And the results page LIVE TIMING

Life imitates a Scooby Doo cartoon from the early 70s. SACRAMENTO, California — Four Californians allegedly used a bear costume to damage their luxury vehicles and claim insurance payouts, California officials announced Wednesday. California nabs insurance fraud suspects in bear-y unusual case - POLITICO

Good news! The four Swedish races this weekend are actually going out on Eurovision Sport! So no messing about with VPNs etc. Eurovision Sport | Home

As always, full coverage on The Curling Channel Pay TV site, but quite a lot of games on Discovery, including the finals.

John Fitzgerlad Kennedy's Attorney General was his 36 year old brother, Robert Francis Kennedy, so clearly no, having a long career as a successful lawyer is not a requirement.

Going to be a lot of people signing up for this.

Seb Coe making his pitch for leadership of the IOC. Lord Coe: World Athletics president says IOC needs to improve transgender athletes rules to 'protect female sport' - BBC Sport

New season streams are posted for the weekend if you need to get your schedule organised. Remember, it's a double bill from Pyeongchang on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, then a single race from next weekend. No bobsleigh yet, so I guess they will get double races with no skeleton later in the season. There were two Asian Cup races on the Pyeongchang track last weekend, and another scheduled for tomorrow, so no excuses for poor performance, everybody should be used to it by now. IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton - YouTube

races also on Saturday and Sunday. These are sometimes FTA, other times you will need your VPN. Skidskytte: Idre | SVT Play

So here we are....pre-season races ready to go. Always important for the big teams to get some last minute promotions for the first trio of pre-Christmas World Cup races, or even for club skiers to get some kind of promotion into a professional training group. races on Saturday and Sunday morning. Usually these are globally free to air live, although you sometimes have to wander round a bit to find the right link. Sport - NRK TV