6 h. ago Mark Allen advances in Masters despite battle with food poisoning

Allen wins five frames in a row against Mark WilliamsZhao Xintong cruises to 6-2 win over Gary WilsonMark Allen shrugged off a bout of food poisoning to beat Mark Williams 6-2, winning five successive frames, and book a Masters quarter-final with Judd Trump or Ding Junhui, who play on Wednesday.Speaking to the BBC, Allen, the 2018 champion, said: “I prepare properly for these events, but I couldn’t prepare for this at all as I’ve been lying in bed all week with food poisoning. I just thought: ‘Go out there and give my best.’ I wouldn’t have had much left if it had got much closer.” Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago Figure skater who lost his parents in Reagan airport plane crash qualifies for Olympics

Maxim Naumov earned his spot at the Winter Olympics with a third-place finish last week

Events

16 h. ago Olympic tensions flare as US skeleton star alleges Canadian coach rigged qualifying event

Katie Uhlaender misses sixth trip to OlympicsAthlete says she was deliberately deprived of pointsSporting tensions between the USA and Canada have erupted once again, this time in skeleton as next month’s Winter Olympics approach.USA’s Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian in skeleton, has accused the Canadian team of depriving her of a place at the Milan-Cortina Games by manipulating a qualifying event over the weekend. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago Australian Open is drawing record crowds before the tournament has even begun

To supercharge the Melbourne Park event, ‘Opening Week’ maximises the music, food and wellness – and adds a $1m tennis showcase“Cricket’s in December,” Tennis Australia’s chief executive, Craig Tiley, says with a smile on a record-breaking first day of the Australian Open on Monday. The veteran may be rumoured to be considering a move to the US Tennis Association, but for now he remains focused on his sport’s summer dominance.“Our objective is we want to own January,” he says. At the launch of one of many Melbourne Park sponsor activations, conditions are ripe for Tiley to talk a big game. “We’re intense, and we’re intense because we’re 21 days, every day.” Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Maxim Naumov makes US Winter Olympics team year after parents’ death in DC plane crash

US Figure Skating names team for Milan-CortinaNaumov’s parents were also OlympiansUS Figure Skating has confirmed the 16 athletes who will represent Team USA at the Milan-Cortina Games next month in Italy, including Maxim Naumov, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, who were world champions in pairs figure skating in 1994, became coaches at the Skating Club of Boston. Last January, they were returning from Wichita, Kansas, host of the 2025 US championships, along with 26 others connected to figure skating, when their plane collided with a military helicopter, killing everyone on board both aircraft. Continue reading...

Events

67 h. ago Jon Rahm approves controversial LIV Golf rule change that would've stripped him of title

Jon Rahm says major changes are on the cards for LIV Golf, which suffered a setback at the end of last year

Politics

68 h. ago Virgil van Dijk refuses to rule out unexpected career change after Liverpool exit

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk swapped the Anfield turf for Vogue studios in a recent fashion shoot, where he jokingly refused to rule out more appearances on the catwalk after his football career ends

Politics

69 h. ago Team GB Olympic champion speaks out after changing sports with motivation clear

Two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones won gold for Great Britain in taekwondo at the 2012 and 2016 Games but she has now swapped the mat in favour of another sport

Sport

3 d. ago Jade Jones' bold life change at 32 after becoming an OIympic hero at 19

Jade Jones won Olympic gold in taekwondo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics but now the Team GB star has her sights set on more glory after a career change in her 30s

Politics

4 d. ago Meet Team GB's globetrotting speed skater bidding for Winter Olympic lift

Smeding swapped her training base in the Netherlands for Calgary in Canada to work under coach Bart Schouten, in search of a clean slate after a season dogged by injury

Politics

4 d. ago Darren Fletcher made one change that immediately improved Man United

Darren Fletcher will be back in the dugout for Manchester United on Sunday when they host Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup third round.

Politics

4 d. ago Kicking zones and a ban on losing teams: NFL playoff tweaks we’d like to see

The postseason consistently serves up enthralling football. But there are ways to make it even more compellingNo legitimate Super Bowl champion should have a losing record in the regular season. The Panthers, crowned NFC South champions at 8-9, are not an outlier. Since 2010, five teams with losing records have made the postseason. The 2022 Bucs were the first team to make the dance with a losing record since the league instituted a 17-game schedule. This season, the NFC South has done it again. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Man City boosted by rule change as they seek to finalise Antoine Semenyo deal

Manchester City are to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth this week and he could have an immediate impact

Economics

5 d. ago Former British Olympic sprinter accused of ‘appalling’ move after joining Enhanced Games athlete

UK Athletics chief Jack Buckner is ‘profoundly disappointed’ in Reece Prescod after becoming the second British athlete to join after swimmer Ben Proud

Sport

6 d. ago Fuming Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘proposes dramatic Man Utd tactical change with £71m forward moved to wing

SIR Jim Ratcliffe could be on the brink of a major tactical shake-up at Manchester United. The Old Trafford owner reportedly wants to see £71million forward Bryan Mbeumo at wing-back. Mbeumo joined the club last summer and played every game under Ruben Amorim aside from a recent spell due to his Afcon duties. The ex-Brentford...

Events

6 d. ago Championship club confirm major change to stadium with work to commence midway through season

WREXHAM are set to upgrade their stadium by adding rail seating in one of their stands. Ryan Reynolds' club are continuing their incredible journey under their Hollywood ownership after enjoying three straight promotions to the Championship last season. The Welsh outfit are now ninth in the second tier and just one point off the play-offs...

Economics

8 d. ago ‘The Glastonbury of sport’: Luke Littler effect takes darts to new heights

A peak audience of 2.5m watched the world championship final on Sky as Luke Litter defended his titleIf further proof was needed about the burgeoning popularity of Luke Littler and darts, it came with early viewing figures from Barb that showed the 18-year-old’s second world title victory on Saturday night was watched by a peak audience of 2.5m on Sky.They are huge numbers in a sport that, not so long ago, would have been delighted with anything over a million. That is the Littler effect in action. But after thrashing the Dutch player Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final, he promised that his latest success – and the £1m first prize, a record for his sport – would not change him. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Edinburgh Rugby change narrative by holding on for win at Benetton

Everitt’s men clinch big URC triumph in Italy

Politics

9 d. ago The moment I knew: I was ready to paddle back to shore when she leaned in to kiss me

As Andrew Ngeh and Kathleen Oliver paddleboarded together in a secluded bay in Vanuatu, the chemistry between them was undeniableGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIn 2015, I’d been living in Vanuatu for a year, coaching the Vanuatu women’s beach volleyball team as they aimed to qualify for the Rio Olympics. I was a volunteer through an Australian government program, and a new intake of Australians were arriving in Port Vila one afternoon in February so I went to the Australian High Commission to meet them.I got chatting with this gorgeous and bubbly girl called Kath, who’d been volunteering in Indonesia. I thought we were meeting for the first time, but as I introduced myself, Kath explained that we had in fact met before, walking across Pyrmont Bridge in Sydney during our training weekend. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Major darts rule change branded 'ridiculous' ahead of Luke Littler final

The Professional Darts Corporation has announced a major Tour Card rule change for Q School, with the last two players each day now receiving cards instead of just the winner

Politics