The United States appear set to be awarded team figure-skating gold from the 2022 Winter Games after the results achieved by Russian skater Kamila Valieva were officially disqualified.
Valieva, who tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in December 2021, was handed a four-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.
Valieva, who was 15 at the time, was cleared to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing by the Russian anti-doping agency and the failed test only came to light after she had helped her country to team gold.
The International Olympic Committee has said it can now award team figure-skating medals from the 2022 Games “in accordance with the ranking”.
That means the USA, who originally won silver, would be awarded gold, with the original bronze medallists Japan being upgraded to silver. Canada, who missed out on a medal, look set to get the bronze.
The IOC said it was ready to hold a “dignified” medal ceremony once the results had been officially ratified by the sport’s international federation, the International Skating Union.
“The IOC welcomes the fact that the CAS ruling provides clarity in this case, and the athletes from the team figure skating competition at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 can finally get their medals, for which they have been waiting so long,” an IOC spokesperson said.
“The IOC is now in a position to award the medals in accordance with the ranking, which has to be established by the International Skating Union. We have great sympathy with the athletes who have had to wait for two years to get the final results of their competition.
“The IOC will contact the respective NOCs (national Olympic committees) in order to organise a dignified Olympic medal ceremony.”
Valieva’s ban, backdated to the time of the original failed test, will run until Christmas Day 2025.
CAS found she had been unable to establish that the doping violation had not been committed intentionally, and found her age made no difference in the necessity to prove that the violation was not intentional.
“This case, and its circumstances, are further proof of the need to address the part played by the athletes’ entourage in doping cases,” the IOC spokesperson added.
“This is even more important if the athletes are minors, who are even more reliant on their entourage.”
The IOC only learned of Valieva’s doping violation after the team event in 2022 and immediately sought to appeal the decision of RUSADA to lift her suspension. The appeal was joined by the ISU and the World Anti-Doping Agency but an ad-hoc CAS panel cleared her to keep competing.
She entered the individual figure-skating event but ultimately finished in fourth place.
What the papers say
Conor Gallagher could make a move across London as the end of the January transfer window looms. According to The Times, Tottenham are weighing up a potential bid for Chelsea’s England midfielder, 23.
Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri, 22, could be heading for a spell away from Old Trafford. Spanish club Granada have revived plans for a loan move for the Uruguay international, reports the Manchester Evening News.
West Ham have turned their attention to Portuguese winger Jota, 24, from Al-Ittihad, according to the Evening Standard. Hammers talks with FC Nordsjaelland over Ghanaian forward Ibrahim Osman, 19, have stalled.
Leeds have made an offer to Everton for Ben Godfrey, reports The Sun. The Championship club are looking to take the England international defender, 26, on loan.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jacob Ramsey: Newcastle, Tottenham and Bayern Munich are interested in the 22-year-old midfielder, with Aston Villa considering a sale to comply with financial regulations, reports The Athletic.
Chuba Akpom: Everton and Luton are keen on signing the English forward, 28, on loan from Ajax, says Teamtalk.
Anthony Edwards scored 27 points and helped spark a late run that propelled the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 107-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday in a clash of teams that had been tied for the Western Conference lead.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Rudy Gobert amassed 12 points and 18 rebounds as the Timberwolves bounced back from Saturday's one-point loss at Sacramento and dropped the Thunder to third place in the tightly bunched conference standings.
The Denver Nuggets moved a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City and remained a half-game behind Minnesota with Monday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Oklahoma City had erased a 10-point third-quarter deficit to take a 97-96 lead on two Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throws with 2:43 left, but Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to start a pivotal 9-0 spurt.
The Thunder would miss their next four shots as the Timberwolves began pulling away. Edwards followed McDaniels' trey with a running dunk and McDaniels scored on a tip-in before Towns capped the run with two free throws that put Minnesota up 105-97 with 15.5 seconds to go.
Minnesota owned a 62-52 advantage nearing the midway mark of the third quarter before the Thunder seized momentum with an 11-0 run. Gilgeous-Alexander had six points and Jalen Williams scored the last five of the flurry, which gave Oklahoma City a 63-62 edge with five minutes left in the period.
The Thunder, who were coming off a stunning 120-104 loss to the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons on Sunday, received 37 points and eight assists from Gilgeous-Alexander and 20 points from Williams.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City's third-leading scorer at 17 points per game, was held to just four points on 2-of-9 shooting, however, as the Timberwolves finished with a 46-34 point advantage in the paint.
Jokic has another triple-double as Nuggets spoil Rivers' debut with Bucks
Jamal Murray scored 35 points and Nikola Jokić posted his 14th triple-double of the season to power the Denver Nuggets to a 113-107 win over Milwaukee in Doc Rivers' first game as the Bucks' head coach.
Jokic compiled 25 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists to add to his league-leading triple-double count and help the defending NBA champions keep pace with first-place Minnesota in the West. The Nuggets have now won five of their last six games.
Rivers, who coached the Boston Celtics to an NBA title during the 2007-08 season, was hired shortly after the Bucks dismissed Adrian Griffin on Jan. 23 despite sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record. Assistant Joe Prunty coached Milwaukee's last three games and went 2-1.
The veteran coach's tenure started off strong as the Bucks jumped out to a 24-11 lead midway through the first quarter, though the Nuggets ended the period on a 12-0 run to cut their deficit to 26-25 entering the second.
Denver gradually asserted control and owned an 84-75 advantage early in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks hit three straight 3-pointers during a 13-2 spurt that put them back ahead with under nine minutes to play.
The game remained tight until the Nuggets pulled away with an 8-0 run, which Murray capped with a jumper that gave Denver a 106-97 lead with 3:17 to go.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced Milwaukee with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting along with 12 rebounds, while Brook Lopez had 19 points and Damian Lillard finished with 18 in the loss.
Suns bounce back by handing Heat seventh straight loss
The Phoenix Suns kept rolling behind a balanced attack and strong defence that resulted in a 118-105 victory over the reeling Miami Heat, the seventh consecutive loss for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Eric Gordon scored 23 points off the bench to lead six Phoenix players in double figures in a game the Suns led by as much as 28 points en route to stopping a two-game losing streak.
The Suns also got 22 points from Devin Booker and 20 from Kevin Durant, with both stars finishing with eight rebounds and seven assists each.
Miami went 14 of 36 from 3-point range but was stonewalled from inside the arc, shooting a subpar 39.6 per cent on 2-point attempts in this latest defeat. The Heat have lost seven straight for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 26 points and recent acquisition Terry Rozier had 21 in his fourth game with the Heat.
Miami shot just 35.4 per cent in the first half as the Suns built a 62-49 lead at the break, and its shooting woes continued as Phoenix extended the margin in the third quarter.
Booker had 12 points and the Suns shot over 68 per cent for the period to open up a commanding 100-74 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Liverpool announced the signing of Brazilian forward Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan on this day in 2013.
The 20-year-old became manager Brendan Rodgers’ second signing of the January transfer window after finalising the details of his medical and work permit.
Coutinho was on his fourth club – all in different countries – in three years, but having spoken at length with compatriot and new team-mate Lucas Leiva, he was confident he would adapt to life on Merseyside.
“I’ve been talking to him for some time and he said good things about Liverpool,” said the midfielder, who began his career with Vasco da Gama before moving to Inter, who loaned him to Espanyol.
“He believes this might be a nice club for me and now it’s happening. I’m very confident and excited to come and start to train with the team and be available to the manager.
“I’ve been playing in Italy for two and a half years and I believe I will adapt with ease here.
“I’m feeling very happy, it’s a very important step in my career and I’m expecting to come here and play good football to give my contribution on the pitch.
“Liverpool is a great club with great players. We’ve always heard about Liverpool’s history in Brazil.
“They are the club that have been interested in me and that have showed this interest so I know they believe in me and my football.”
Coutinho went on to make 201 appearances for the Reds, scoring 54 goals, before he was sold to Barcelona for £130million in 2018.
Now 31, he currently plays for Qatari club Al Duhail, on loan from Aston Villa.
Claude Giroux's goal with 1:24 remaining in overtime completed a furious rally as the Ottawa Senators overcame a three-goal deficit to earn a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators in Monday's lone game of the NHL schedule.
Ottawa trailed 3-0 after one period before goals from Drake Batherson, Tim Stuetzle and Brady Tkachuk in the second tied the game, and the Senators received a superb relief effort from goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to help spur the comeback.
Korpisalo stopped all 17 shots he faced after taking over for Mads Sogaard, who was pulled after one period after allowing three goals on 11 shots.
After the Predators failed on a 2-on-1 attempt late in overtime, the Senators countered with an odd-man rush of their own. Stuetzle worked a give-and-go with Giroux, who blasted his teammate's pass over Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros for the game-winner.
Ottawa, tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 40 points, had lost two in a row coming in but improved to 4-1-2 over its last seven games.
The Predators lost for the fourth time in five games despite a solid performance from Saros, who made 14 saves in the third period to force overtime and finished with 31.
Michael McCarron staked Nashville to an early lead when he rocketed a loose puck past Sogaard 8:26 in. Philip Tomasino and Yakov Trenin then scored 2:30 apart before the end of the first period to give the Predators a seemingly comfortable 3-0 advantage.
Franck Kessie stepped up from the penalty spot to send defending champions Senegal tumbling out of the Africa Cup of Nations and spark wild celebrations in Yamoussoukro.
Kessie had given hosts Ivory Coast hope when he coolly dispatched an 86th-minute spot-kick past Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to send the tie into extra-time.
And the 27-year-old delivered once again with the crucial kick to seal a 5-4 win in the shoot-out after Moussa Niakhate had missed his earlier effort for the favourites.
The Ivory Coast’s win continued a remarkable revival for the hosts who had looked down and out in the group stage after a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Equatorial Guinea.
Senegal had looked set to end the curse that had seen no defending champions reach the last eight since 2010 when Habib Diallo rifled home with just four minutes on the clock.
The hosts responded well as they pinned Senegal back in their own half, but the holders’ defence held firm and Ivory Coast were restricted to a succession of half-chances.
Seko Fofana’s run into a dangerous area was superbly snuffed out by Niakhate and Senegal almost extended their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Ismaila Sarr stumbled over a shooting chance.
Sarr came close again early in the second half but Ivory Coast continued to press through Oumar Diakite, who almost served up a leveller for Jean Philippe Krasso just before the hour mark.
The holders missed an even better opportunity in the 74th minute when Kessie’s free-kick was parried by Mendy, who somehow got in the way of the same player’s follow-up from a tight angle.
Substitute Nicolas Pepe missed another huge chance when he lashed a curling effort straight at Mendy, but earned his side their crucial penalty four minutes from time when he was tripped by Mendy in the box.
Kessie kept his cool to force the additional half-hour and after neither side could break the deadlock, it came down to the shoot-out where the hosts scored all five to seal a famous triumph.
Franck Kessie scored the winning penalty as hosts Ivory Coast sent holders Senegal tumbling out of the Africa Cup of Nations, sparking wild celebrations in Yamoussoukro.
Kessie, who had coolly dispatched an 86th-minute spot-kick past Edouard Mendy to earn a 1-1 draw send the round-of-16 tie to extra time, delivered again with the crucial kick to seal a 5-4 shoot-out win after Moussa Niakhate had missed for favourites Senegal.
The Ivory Coast’s win continued a remarkable revival for the hosts, who had looked down and out in the group stage after a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Equatorial Guinea.
Senegal had looked set to end the curse that had seen no defending champions reach the last eight since 2010 when Habib Diallo rifled home with just four minutes on the clock.
The hosts responded well as they pinned Senegal back in their own half, but the holders’ defence held firm and Ivory Coast were restricted to a succession of half-chances.
Seko Fofana’s run into a dangerous area was superbly snuffed out by Niakhate and Senegal almost extended their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Ismaila Sarr stumbled over a shooting chance.
Sarr came close again early in the second half but Ivory Coast continued to press through Oumar Diakite, who almost served up a leveller for Jean Philippe Krasso just before the hour mark.
The holders missed an even better opportunity in the 74th minute when Kessie’s free-kick was parried by Mendy, who somehow got in the way of the same player’s follow-up from a tight angle.
Substitute Nicolas Pepe missed another huge chance when he lashed a curling effort straight at Mendy, but earned his side their crucial penalty four minutes from time when he was tripped by Mendy in the box.
Kessie kept his cool to force the additional half-hour and after neither side could break the deadlock, it came down to the shoot-out where the hosts scored all five to seal a famous triumph.
England fly-half Marcus Smith is awaiting scan results on a leg injury sustained in training just five days before the Guinness Six Nations’ opener against Italy.
Steve Borthwick’s squad are on a training camp in Girona and the England head coach is scheduled to announce his starting line-up on Thursday.
England’s Six Nations’ hopes would be given a huge blow if Smith is ruled out as fellow fly-half Owen Farrell is ineligible for selection following his move from Saracens to French side Racing 92 last week.
Farrell had already made himself unavailable for this season’s Six Nations in order to focus on his mental well-being and Smith was a leading contender to fill his boots.
Smith left England’s training camp on crutches and headed for a scan after his session had been cut short.
England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth told several national media outlets: “Hopefully it’s very precautionary, but if he is not (available) it would definitely be a blow for us.
“It wasn’t a big incident. He was just jogging, but he pulled up and happened to be right next to a physio by the sideline, so they walked off after that. All the usual stuff (medical assessments) will happen.”
Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson is relishing the prospect of his side hosting his old club Newcastle after Rovers came from behind to beat Wrexham 4-1 at Ewood Park in the FA Cup fourth round.
The League Two visitors were on for an upset when Andy Cannon put them in front in the 19th minute, bringing a huge roar from the 7,000-plus away fans in the ground.
But Blackburn responded in ruthless fashion with goals in quick succession just past the half-hour mark from Sammie Szmodics and then Sam Gallagher as goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo was punished for racing out of his area.
Szmodics, the Championship’s leading scorer this term with 16 goals who had bagged a hat-trick in the 5-2 third-round victory over Cambridge, then netted his second of the night just prior to the interval before Sondre Tronstad wrapped things up in the second half.
Former striker Tomasson – a Newcastle player in 1997-98 – said in his post-match press conference when asked about the fifth-round clash with the Magpies that had been set up: “It’s special.
“When I saw the draw, I was thinking about the Champions League game against Barcelona where we won it 3-2, I thought that could be nice if we were able to win against Wrexham, to see my former club here.
“We know how well Newcastle has performed. So I’m really pleased to see my old club coming here.”
On his team’s display against Wrexham, Tomasson said: “It was a good performance, and when you play the FA Cup it’s about winning.
“A game like this could be extremely dangerous, Wrexham are bringing on a Monday night more than 7,000 fans, they had a great run last season, beating Coventry, almost beating Sheffield United as well. The team have done a very good performance and we are pleased to be through to the next round.”
Andy Murray remains winless in 2024 after losing in three sets to France’s Benoit Paire in the first round of the Open Sud de France.
Murray, who exited both the Brisbane International and the Australian Open after his opening match, let slip a one-set lead against Paire, currently ranked 112, to lose 6-2 6-7 (5) 3-6 in just short of two and three-quarter hours.
Former world number one Murray raced into a 3-0 lead in the opening set after breaking Paire’s first service game and broke the Frenchman for a second time in the eighth game to wrap it up 6-2 in 38 minutes.
Paire, who reached a career-high ranking of 18 in 2016, responded by breaking Murray in the opening game of the second set and after the Briton broke back to level it up at 4-4, it headed for a tie-break.
Murray won three successive points from 5-1 down and saved a set point to claw it back to 6-5, but lost the next point on his serve and Paire clinched the tie-break 7-5 to level the match.
After both players had lost their serve early in the decider, Paire made the decisive break when 4-3 ahead and served it out to seal an impressive win.
Murray, who has said this year could be his last on tour if he is “not enjoying it”, lost in the opening round to Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane and fell to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets at the Australian Open.
The British Horseracing Authority has said it is looking into how leading Randox Grand National contender Monbeg Genius may be affected by a freezing order placed on the assets of owners Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman.
Assets linked to the couple have been frozen, as a National Crime Agency investigation into PPE firm Medpro continues.
According to the Financial Times, about £75million of assets, including a townhouse in Belgravia and an estate on the Isle of Man, have either been frozen or restrained following an application by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Purchased for £80,000 via a Goffs sale in November 2020, Monbeg Genius is trained by Jonjo O’Neill and was third in the Ultima Handicap at last year’s Cheltenham Festival when coming home behind subsequent National hero Corach Rambler and multiple Grade One winner Fastorslow, who is now among the favourites for the Gold Cup.
He was most recently seen finishing third again in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in early December, but a setback meant he missed potential outings in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and the Classic Chase at Warwick.
A spokesperson for racing’s governing body said: “The BHA is aware of reports regarding a court order in relation to the assets of Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman.
“We are in contact with the relevant individuals to understand what implication, if any, there are for their involvement with racing.”
Speaking earlier this month, O’Neill said he hoped Monbeg Genius would come right in time for Aintree, but that he would need a run beforehand in order to make the cut for the race, which this year will have a reduced field of 34 runners, adding that should he not make the National then races like the Scottish National and Midlands National will be considered. His ante-post price for the National on April 13 ranges from 14-1 to 20-1.
In a statement last week, a spokesman for the couple said: “Doug and Michelle did not contest the application (by the CPS) and were happy to offer up these assets, which means they can begin the task of proving their innocence more quickly.”
Johnson Charles and Maheesh Theekshana were the catalysts as the Sharjah Warriors moved into second on the International League T20 (IL T20) points table with a dominant nine-wicket win over the Dubai Capitals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Monday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the Capitals were reduced to just 104 all out off 18.2 overs.
Sikandar Raza (22), Roelof van der Merwe (21), David Warner (16) and Rovman Powell (10) were the only Capitals batsmen to scratch double figures.
Theekshana produced a masterful spell of bowling to take 4-20 from his four overs while being well supported by Daniel Sams’ 3-28 off four.
The Warriors then needed only 13-1 overs to reach 105-1 and secure their third win in five games.
Charles top-scored with an unbeaten 43 off 33 balls including four fours and one six. Joe Denly was Charles’ partner at the crease with an unbeaten 23 off 16 balls. Earlier, Niroshan Dickwella made a 30-ball 37.
England newcomer Tom Hartley hopes the fairytale finish to his Test debut persuades India to “put a bit more respect on my name”.
The left-arm spinner, who was fast-tracked into the side after just 20 first-class games, played a starring role in a famous win at Hyderabad with second-innings figures of seven for 62.
That capped an emphatic shift in fortunes for the 24-year-old, who had earlier suffered a nightmare start when Yashasvi Jaiswal clubbed a solid first delivery in Test cricket for six.
More of the same followed just three balls later and his initial nine-over spell came at a princely cost of 63. While some may have been concerned over his readiness for the big stage, there was nothing but support from his team-mates.
He went on to pay that back quicker and more dramatically than anybody could possibly have anticipated and now travels to Visakhapatnam with a spring in his step and a point proven.
“I was so nervous that first day…so to come and out in the fourth innings and do what I did, hopefully they can put a bit more respect on my name and go forward from there,” he told BBC Sport.
“I’ve been hit for a lot of sixes in my career, so I don’t let these things get on top of me. It was more frustration of ‘why me? why am I getting picked on?’.
“The background that I’ve had is to not let yourself get down. I just want to be a fighter and throw some punches back.”
Hartley explained how his grounding in limited-overs cricket, including as an opening option for Manchester Originals in the Hundred, allowed him to compartmentalise his brutal welcome from Jaiswal.
“He’s not the first and he won’t be the last,” he told reporters.
“You look at the first ball and it wasn’t a bad ball. If that’s the way they want to play you’ve just got to play with it.
“Thankfully I’ve had this white-ball background and, even playing in the Championship this past year, lads have come after me. You’ve just got to accept it. I’m fine with it if people want to come after me.”
Hartley, whose local club Ormskirk CC opened up to offer free drinks to members in honour of his achievement on Sunday, progressed from relative unknown to marked man at breakneck speed.
How India choose to combat him in the second Test promises to be an intriguing sub-plot but one thing he knows he can rely on is the full backing of captain Ben Stokes.
The England skipper won plaudits for the way he kept his rookie involved after his difficult introduction, publicly showing his faith where others might have taken defensive measures.
“The confidence that he has, the way he just builds you up, there’s no negative thoughts,” said Hartley.
“After that first innings it was real tough for us and, personally, I didn’t bowl the way I really wanted to. But it’s all positive, if you’ve not bowled great it’s, ‘Right, what can we do better in the second innings?’ He brings so much confidence and life to this team.”
While Hartley’s stock has never been higher, there is an elephant in the room when it comes to his Lancashire prospects next season. The Red Rose have signed Australia’s Nathan Lyon on an overseas deal for 2024, with the off-spinner expected to be available for the majority of the season.
England would be disappointed if that hinders the progress of their latest find but the man himself has a better idea.
“I highly doubt (Lyon will miss out) so I hope we’re playing together, that would be fantastic,” he said.
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui insisted there can be no slip-ups from his side at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The 1976 champions finished top of their group with wins over Tanzania and Zambia either side of a draw against DR Congo to set up a last-16 clash against South Africa in San Pedro on Tuesday.
South Africa prevailed 2-1 when the teams met in the tournament qualifier in June so Regragui is taking nothing for granted.
“It’s a knockout match, it’s a change of competition, we can’t afford to make any mistake,” Regragui said in quotes on the tournament website. “We’ve done well so far, but we want to do better.
“We have a lot of respect for South Africa. They were the last team to beat us on the continent. We’re not in a favourable position, which is why I’m insisting on my group’s humility.”
Sofiane Boufal is likely to miss the rest of the tournament with a muscular problem while Hakim Ziyech is struggling with an ankle knock.
“The medical staff and I are doing everything we can to get him back on the pitch,” Regragui added. “If we have to take a risk with him, we’ll take it.”
South Africa bounced back from a 2-0 defeat to Mali in the tournament opener to beat Namibia 4-0 and hold Tunisia to a goalless draw to finish second in their group.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos said: “We already beat Morocco a year ago and we can do it again. Anything is possible and we want to create another surprise in this competition.
“We’re confident, we believe in ourselves and in what we can do. I think we’ll have to go into this match with the same frame of mind we’ve had recently, but I want us to be at a very high level.”
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