Grassmarket

So much success we are unable to keep up, but at the US Cross Country NCAAs last weekend Joe Davies got a Second in Classic & a huge win in Freestyle. And today in the World Cup Ski Slopestyle in Tignes, Kirsty Muir came back from a long injury for a win! And Mia Brookes won the Snowboard Park & Pipe overall after a cancellation today. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cp3y2n99jqgo

Just to avoid doubt, the Ski Cross event from Craigleith this weekend is taking place in Craigleith, the Mountain Range in , and not Craigleith, the Retail Mall in Edinburgh . https://www.ukmalls.co.uk/shopping-centres/scotland/city-of-edinburgh/edinburgh-city-of-edinburgh-scotland/craigleith-retail-park

First Nations Cup of the year from a new Track in Konya, . Live on Discovery Plus & family. https://www.uci.org/article/uci-track-nations-cup-a-decisive-weekend-in-konya/1dRR5tyKd3u5Z61j5JanAu

Don't know if it still exists but there used to be a deal where shared their facilities with in Park and Pipe and in return Italy got access to UK Triathlon.

Vonn has worked her way to the top 20 now, but DNF today.

FIS tightens the rules to make it harder for Certain Nations We Will Not Name But They Are Found Inbetween & to cheat. FIS | FIS announces adjustments to equipment control policy in Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined

More carted off to Alcatraz in handcuffs; Nordic Combined and Women's Teams declared innocent. FIS | FIS suspends another three Norwegian athletes under investigation

Yeah but you have things like the Keely Klassic which was not all female 800m races.

One more big European meet before the Worlds, the Mondo Classic from Uppsala = PV only - tomorrow night. Eurovision Sport | Uppsala | Mondo Classic

Oh well, we will soon find out! Scotland Yard are onto them! https://www.fis-ski.com/inside-fis/news/2024-25/fis-suspends-norwegian-officials-and-athletes-under-investigation

Don't trust 'em!

OK, so rather like the cases that brought down Johaug and all the asthmatic cross country skiers about a decade back? They have been pushing the rules to the limit to get results. Not strictly illegal, but unsporting, like cycling team attacking after a crash has brought down the yellow jersey?

Has anyone got a summary of what is happening that is not in Italian or Norwegian? French would do.

answering the call with some decent entries & sneaking in a few newbies as well. Men Hamish Kerr (High Jump) Tom Walsh (Shot Put) Jacko Gill (Shot Put) Tiaan Whelpton (60m) Women Maddi Wesche (Shot Put) Kaia Tupu-South (Shot Put) Zoe Hobbs (60m) Olivia McTaggart (Pole Vault) Imogen Ayris (Pole Vault) Maia Ramsden (1500m) Laura Nagel (1500m) Alison Andrews-Paul (800m)

Full breakdown of the current entry status here. As you can see, they are short of numbers in pretty much every discipline, so I imagine there's lots of e-mailing going on to get some decent entry lists. All a bit ironic, because usually in it is spectators that are hard to find. But the usual solutions - free tickets to the PLA, and local schoolkids - won't work here. Road To | World Athletics

Not quite sure where are getting a team from, don't think we have a single pitch in the whole country. Looked it up! It is played in one really small area of England in between Peterborough - where there is an indoor arena - and Ely, where it can sometimes be played outdoors!

Read elsewhere that the Women's 400m.has only 12 entrants out of a projected 30! So enthusiasm not exactly overflowing. Also 4x400m do not earn places in Tokyo, so teams targetting the World Relays in May instead.

Strange new innovation in the Team Time Trial in the Paris-Nice* Instead of the whole team, or most of the team crossing the line together and the time being calculated on rider four or five, now the time is calculated on the second man, so the teams splits up at some agreed point just before the finish, and only the two fastest (obviously one necessarily being your superstar) cross the line together, and the rest can roll in when they wish. Presumably the idea is to make the whole thing less predictable, whereas in previous years it was always just two or three of the mega teams who really took the whole thing seriously. Don't know if this is going to be general now, or just confined to this race, or to ASO races or whatever. *Of course, someone is going to come along and say they've been doing it this way for years, and I've just been too drunk to pay attention.

Team just announced this morning - a bit bigger than expected Women 60m - Amy Hunt 400m - Amber Anning 1500m - Georgia Hunter Bell, Revee Walcott-Nolan 3000m - Innes FitzGerald (subject to rankings) Pole Vault - Molly Caudery Long Jump - Funminiyi Olajide Men 60m - Jeremiah Azu, Andy Robertson 1500m - Adam Fogg, Neil Gourley 3000m - George Mills Shot put - Scott Lincoln

1956 Olympic Lightweight Boxing Champion Dick McTaggart . Never turned pro, spent his whole career as an amateur & then after retirement as a coach. Old School. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwydp2d7l50o

Just caught up with this, so won't spoil it for everyone, but would you believe that in the two-man today there was still a dead heat going into the very final curve on the fourth run?

It's not several times - 1 decision & 1 appeal, that's all.

Come on, the Final. Bah! Cowards.

Bah, another shared gold in the PV. Revive them with oxygen & force them to jump until midnight if needed.

Because with the Olympics you are catering for a general audience who don't understand the technicalities.