Canadian curlers notch one win, one loss against U.S. teams; McMorris cleared for slopestyle
02/13/26 12:01
Disqualified Ukrainian athlete loses appeal over helmet
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych lost an appeal of his disqualification from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied the appeal, agreeing with the International Olympic Committee and the sliding sport’s federation that Heraskevych’s plan to wear a helmet showing the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian coaches and athletes killed since Russia invaded their country four years ago would be in violation of Olympic rules.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 11:34
Canadians compete in men’s biathlon 10km sprint and 10km interval-start race
Calgary’s Adam Runnalls was the highest-placed Canadian in the men’s biathlon 10 km sprint event at the Milan Cortina Olympics, in 31st.
Ottawa’s Zachary Connelly finished 48th, while Logan Pletz of Regina was 55th and Jasper Fleming of Squamish, B.C. crossed the line in 80th.
France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet topped the podium, while athletes from Norway captured the silver and bronze medals.
Cross-country skier Stephen Thomas was the highest-placed Canadian in the men’s 10km interval-start race, coming in ninth.
But the day belongs to Norway’s Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who has won an eighth gold medal in cross-country skiing, tying an all‑time Winter Games record. The 29‑year‑old’s victory is his third gold at the 2026 games.
France’s Mathis Desloges won silver, Norway’s Einar Hedegart captured bronze, and Canada’s Remi Drolet landed in 19th spot.
– The Canadian Press
02/13/26 11:13
Women’s curling team falls to U.S.
– Rachel Brady
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Rachel Homan in action during the women’s curling round robin session against the U.S. on Friday.Misper Apawu/The Associated Press
The United States women’s curling team beat Canada for the first time ever at an Olympic Games on Friday, edging past Rachel Homan’s top-ranked rink 9-8.
The Canadian team, which also includes Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes, and Tracy Fleury, fell to 1-1 in round robin play after a topsy-turvy game at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
“Obviously, we wanted to win that game,” said Homan. “But there’s lots of games left, and we’ll just take the lessons from that game.”
Canada’s women return to the Olympic ice on Saturday, with games against Great Britain and Switzerland.
02/13/26 10:28
Poulin returns to practice after injury
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin returned to practice today after missing Canada’s final two preliminary-round games with a lower-body injury.
She sat out a 5-0 loss to the United States — Canada’s worst defeat and first shutout in Olympic women’s hockey.
The superstar centre’s status for her country’s first elimination game of the women’s hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics remains a question mark.
Canada faces Germany in the quarterfinals Saturday. Poulin said “we’ll see” when asked about her availability.
— The Canadian Press
02/13/26 09:54
Canadian snowboarder doesn’t get desired result but celebrates Olympic journey
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Audrey McManiman, pictured competing in women’s snowboard cross, and Eliot Grondin will join forces Sunday in the mixed team snowboard cross event.David Ramos/Getty Images
Canadian Audrey McManiman’s Olympic snowboard cross race ended earlier than she wanted Friday, missing out on the quarterfinals.
But the 31-year-old from St-Ambroise-de-Kildare, Que., was still able to celebrate the journey that brought her to the Milan Cortina Games.
“I went through a year off with a second ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery on my left knee,” said McManiman. “In total, my third ACL surgery but second on the left knee. I did my first ACL at 16 years old and the last ACL surgery at 29 years old. It’s not the same thing.”
“It was a lot of work to come back,” she added.
McManiman finished 11th four years ago at the Beijing games “without an ACL.” This time, she timed the latest surgery to be ready for Milan.
McManiman and Eliot Grondin will join forces Sunday in the mixed team snowboard cross event.
– The Canadian Press
02/13/26 09:40
Norwegian biathlete wins another bronze medal, four days after confessing his infidelity
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Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid on the podium of the men’s biathlon 10km sprint event.FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images
Sturla Holm Laegreid of Norway won a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday in the men’s sprint biathlon race – three days after making an unexpected confession during a post-race interview.
Laegreid also won bronze in the 20-kilometre individual race on Tuesday, but revealed in a live broadcast that he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend and hoped to win her back.
His tearful confession was criticized by some who said it took the focus away from teammate Johan-Olav Botn, who won the gold medal in that event.
“I deeply regret sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon,” Laegreid said in a statement issued by the Norwegian team on Wednesday.
Quentin Fillon Maillet of France won Friday’s sprint race – his second gold of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after the mixed relay – and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway took silver.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 09:09
Stellato-Dudek ready to compete after injury
– Robyn Doolittle
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Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps practice in Milan on Friday.Fabrizio Troccoli/The Globe and Mail
Pairs figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek, who was forced to pull out of the team event after suffering a head injury just days before she was due to leave for Milan, said the last 10 days have been a “living nightmare that I would not wish on anybody.”
However, she said she now feels fully recovered and is ready to compete in Sunday’s short program.
On Friday morning, Stellato-Dudek appeared for the first time since news broke just before the Games that she had been in an accident while training in Quebec. The 42-year-old, who is set to become the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating in nearly 100 years, skated in a 30-minute practice with her partner Maxime Deschamps.
Read more about Stellato-Dudek’s preparation for Sunday here.
02/13/26 08:21
Brush up on your figure-skating jumps
Is that a loop jump or a Salchow? The Globe’s Robyn Doolittle breaks it down.
Figure skaters perform their jumps in the blink of an eye. The Globe’s Robyn Doolittle, herself a skater, gives some tips on how to identify the different moves when watching the Winter Olympics at home.
02/13/26 08:09
McMorris cleared for slopestyle event after crash
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Mark McMorris talks to reporters following men’s snowboard slopestyle practice in Livigno on Friday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Snowboarder Mark McMorris of Canada, a three-time Olympic bronze medalist, said on Friday he had recovered from a recent concussion and received clearance from doctors to compete in the men’s slopestyle event at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
McMorris had to sit out the big air contest after he hit his head during a practice run on Feb. 4. He said he suffered a concussion, bruising at the top of his pelvis and strained abdominal muscles.
After riding in a training round on Friday, McMorris said he was “feeling pretty darn good again” and was grateful that he had had more than a week to recover from the fall.
– Reuters
02/13/26 07:39
Forget the Red Bull – these Canadian curlers get their energy from smelling salts
– Rachel Brady
Curlers on the Canadian men’s team at the Winter Olympics gather around their bench before each game and sniff some smelling salts. Sometimes they do it again at the fifth-end break.
It’s something the team of Brad Jacobs, Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy started doing back in November for a jolt of energy before taking the ice. They felt they were lagging in night games, and they went looking for a solution.
“We’re all dads, we go to bed at 9:30 after putting the kids to bed,” said Hebert, the team’s second.
So they bought some smelling salts – a pungent substance consisting of ammonium carbonate that irritates the airways and improves alertness – after seeing NFL and NHL players use them. They’ve been using them ever since.
“We had to get off the Red Bull at some point, we were getting too old for that,” said Jacobs, the skip.
“It’s almost like a little team dynamic thing now, where we crack the salts, we all smell it together, and we laugh, and we go through the burning pain, but it does wake you up, makes your eyes water a little bit, and gets you going.”
02/13/26 07:39
Logan Thompson’s journey from Brock University to Team Canada
– Grant Robertson
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Logan Thompson, who currently plays for the Washington Capitals, is one of the goalies on Canada’s men’s hockey team at the Games.Marton Monus/Reuters
Team Canada goalie Logan Thompson’s season at Brock University helped revive his career, sending him on an improbable hockey journey that has taken him through the minors to the NHL and now to Milan, where he is one of the goalies on Canada’s star-studded team at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
It’s a tale for every hockey player who was never picked, who thought they were done but insisted on never giving up.
“It’s been a weird journey. I obviously I never thought I’d be in the NHL. And being in the Olympics was definitely not even in the question,” Thompson said.
“Just really happy. Really thankful. I wouldn’t want to take my journey any other way.”
Read more about Thompson’s journey here.
02/13/26 07:03
Stellato-Dudek makes first Milan appearance
– Robyn Doolittle
Deanna Stellato-Dudek is making her first appearance in Milan at a morning practice session.
The 42-year-old skater looked strong coming onto the ice, running some edges and landing a double Axel. In a runthrough of her short program with her partner, Maxime Deschamps, she landed a strong throw triple loop, but skipped the assisted backflip.
Stellato-Dudek was forced to pull out of the team event on the first day of the Games after she suffered a head injury while training in Montreal and it was unclear whether she would be ready to compete in the individual pairs event. Three days ago, Skate Canada announced that she had been cleared by medical officials and was feeling well.
Stellato-Dudek is set to become the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating in nearly 100 years. She and Deschamps – who won the World Championships in 2024 – were podium hopefuls heading into these Olympics prior to her injury.
Read more about Stellato-Dudek’s journey here, and listen to The Decibel’s podcast episode today.
02/13/26 06:52
Men’s curling team undefeated after 6-3 win over U.S.
– Rachel Brady
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Brett Gallant, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert in action during their match against the U.S. in Men’s Round Robin Session 3.Issei Kato/Reuters
Behind a memorable highlight-reel deuce from skip Brad Jacobs on Friday intended to quiet his American competitors, the Canadian men’s curling team stayed undefeated at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with a 6-3 win over the U.S.
The team of Jacobs, Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy improved to a 2-0 record in round robin play.
The Canadian women’s curling team, skipped by Rachel Homan, will also meet Team USA on Friday (8:05 a.m. ET).
Team Jacobs is back on the ice later Friday (1:05 p.m. ET) against Sweden, the defending Olympic champions led by skip Niklas Edin.
Read more about how Canada fared against the U.S. here.
02/13/26 06:22
Italian biathlete wins doping suspension appeal
The National Court of Appeal of Nado Italia, the country’s anti-doping body, has upheld an appeal of a provisional suspension of Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler, who had tested positive for a banned substance during training last month.
In recognizing “the apparent validity of the involuntary intake or unconscious contamination of the substance in question,” the court decision means she’ll be allowed to compete in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next week, according to a press release from the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI).
Passler had argued that her positive doping test was because of contamination and she is not to blame.
Read more about Passler’s successful appeal here.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 05:54
Decision expected in case of disqualified Ukrainian athlete
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Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych speaks to the press after a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Milan on Friday.PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP/Getty Images
The Court of Arbitration for Sport was hearing the appeal surrounding the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Milan Cortina Games on Friday, though it still isn’t clear how he could compete in these Olympics even if he wins his case.
Heraskevych was in Milan for the hearing Friday, still believing that his plan to wear a helmet displaying the images of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who have been killed since Russia invaded their country in 2022 was not in violation of the Olympic Charter.
“I feel the same as the last four days,” Heraskevych said. “I believe I didn’t fail at any rules, so therefore I shouldn’t be suspended, and I should be today part of the Olympic Games, part of the competition, but not part of the hearing. So, we continue to fight for our truth.”
Read more about the hearing here.
– The Associated Press
02/13/26 05:42
Men’s hockey team continues quest for gold
The Canadian men’s hockey team continues its quest for gold with a preliminary-round game against Switzerland in a battle of undefeated teams.
The Canadians opened with a 5-0 win over Czechia as Jordan Binnington stopped 26 shots for the shutout. The Swiss, meanwhile, blanked France 4-0 as Timo Meier scored a pair.
The Canadians could be without defenceman Josh Morrissey, who left Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury.
– The Canadian Press
02/13/26 05:38
Gogolev gears up for men’s free skate
Canadian figure skater Stephen Gogolev will look to climb the standings when the men’s free program takes place. The 21-year-old from Toronto scored 87.41 points in the short program on Tuesday to sit in 10th place.
Gogolev had his breakthrough moment when he catapulted Canada into the team event final with a personal-best 92.99 points in the short program last week. He’ll be chasing a podium in a field topped by American Ilia Malinin and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.
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Stephen Gogolev competes during the men’s free-skate figure-skating team event on Sunday.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Malinin already has a gold medal in the team event. Now he has the chance to make Olympic history. The U.S. skater known as the “Quad God” leads the men’s figure skating competition heading into Friday’s decisive free skate.
Will he finally break out his toughest, highest-scoring jump, the quadruple axel? If he does, he’d be the first to do it at the Olympics.
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan is Malinin’s closest rival, but has to make up a five-point deficit from the short program.
– The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
02/13/26 05:00
Today’s Olympic schedule and event start times
– Globe staff
It’s another packed day in Italy as Canada’s men’s hockey team – fresh off a dominant round-robin win over Finland – look for another against Switzerland, and the women’s hockey quarterfinals begin.
On the ice, the men’s figure skating podium will be decided, with “Quad God” and reigning world champion Ilia Malinin jumping for the gold. Canada’s men’s and women’s curling teams are also playing the United States in round-robin games.
And on the speed skating track, Ted-Jan Bloemen will be racing for Team Canada’s first gold medal of the Games in men’s 10000m.
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Ted-Jan Bloemen competes in the men’s 5,000-metre speed-skating race in Milan on Sunday.Ben Curtis/The Associated Press
Here are the events to watch for, and you can find the full schedule here.
- 3:05 a.m. ET – Men’s curling round-robin (Canada vs. U.S.)
- 10:40 a.m. ET – Czechia vs. Sweden women’s hockey quarterfinal
- 8:05 a.m. ET – Women’s curling round-robin (Canada vs. U.S.)
- 1:05 p.m. ET – Men’s curling round-robin (Canada vs. Sweden)
- 3:10 p.m. ET – Canada vs. Switzerland men’s hockey round-robin
- 3:10 p.m. ET – United States vs. Italy women’s hockey quarterfinal
Medal events:
- 5:45 a.m. ET – Cross-country men’s 10k freestyle (Canadians Max Hollmann, Rémi Drolet and Thomas Stephen competing)
- 8 a.m. ET – Biathlon men’s 10km sprint (Zachary Connelly among four Canadians competing)
- 8:31 a.m. ET – Women’s snowboard cross
- 10 a.m. ET – Speed skating men’s 10000m (Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen competing)
- 1 p.m. ET – Figure skating men’s singles free program (Canada’s Stephen Gogolev competing)
- 1:30 p.m. ET – Snowboard men’s halfpipe
- 3:05 p.m. ET – Skeleton men’s singles run 4
02/13/26 05:00
Where to watch the Olympics in Canada
– Globe staff
CBC is Canada’s official Olympic broadcaster. The 2026 Winter Games will be available to watch on CBC through your TV provider, or to stream for free on the CBC Gem app or at CBCGem.ca.
You can also follow The Globe and Mail’s live coverage of all the latest news and analysis of the Games, on our website or mobile app.
02/13/26 05:00
Your guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics
– Globe staff
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have begun and are poised to be historic in more ways than one, as Team Canada and the world’s best athletes converge in northern Italy.
From hockey to figure skating and the debut of ski mountaineering, the competition will be nothing short of thrilling. But at the most geographically widespread edition of the Winter Games ever, international tensions – particularly toward the United States – will also be on full display.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Games.
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Team Canada’s Courtney Sarault celebrates after winning a bronze medal in the 500-metre short-track speed-skating finals on Thursday.Leah Hennel/The Canadian Press
02/13/26 05:00
Ask us your Olympics questions
– Globe staff
From how Canada is doing so far to what the energy is like in Italy, tell the The Globe’s Olympics team what you want to know about the Games. We’ll do our best to answer them.
Ask us your Olympics questions
What do you want to know about the 2026 Winter Games and Team Canada so far? Send us your questions, and The Globe’s journalists on the ground in Italy will try to answer them.
