Other Sports

Olympics-Speed skating-Eitrem and Jilek warn relocation of 2030 event could harm Games spirit

MILAN, ‌Feb 8 (Reuters) - Olympic 5,000 metres champion Sander Eitrem and ‌silver medallist Metodej Jilek voiced disappointment at the prospect ‌of the French Alps 2030 speed skating events being held outside France, warning it could harm the competition's atmosphere.

World

Cultural fusion marks "Year of the Horse" celebrations in Cairo

CAIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cairo's Swiss Club hosted celebrations on Sunday for the 2026 Chinese Spring Festival, welcoming the Year of the Horse with food, art and performances that drew nearly 1,000 Egyptians and more than 200 Chinese residents.

Other Sports

Olympics-Who decides? Vonn crash exposes tensions over athlete autonomy

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy , Feb 8 (Reuters) - The question of whether ‌Lindsey Vonn should have started the Olympic downhill race on Sunday has expanded beyond a single athlete or race, exposing a deeper tension at the core ‌of elite sport: who decides when an injured competitor is fit to compete and what message that choice sends.

Football

Soccer-Slot bemoans officiating as Liverpool lose late on v Man City

LIVERPOOL, England, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Liverpool manager Arne ‌Slot believes Liverpool are an improved side from a few months ago despite their 2-1 ‌loss to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, a chaotic defeat that leaves them with ‌one win in their last seven Premier League fixtures.

Other Sports

Olympics-Vonn should not have raced at Crans‑Montana, Tomba says

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb ‌8 (Reuters) - Italian ski great Alberto Tomba said Lindsey Vonn should not have raced at ‌Crans-Montana last month, arguing that the desire to win one more race set in ‌motion a chain of risks that ultimately caught up with her at the Winter Olympics.

World

Annual high-level economic policy conference opens in Saudi Arabia's AlUla

ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The second edition of AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies opened here on Sunday, centering on the opportunities and challenges facing emerging market economies amid profound global economic changes.

World

France's Alexis Lebrun defends European Top 16 title

MONTREUX, Switzerland, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- French table tennis player Alexis Lebrun successfully defended the men's singles title at the 2026 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup by beating Slovenia's Darko Jorgic 3-1 for the second straight year here on Sunday.

Hockey

Olympics-Ice Hockey-Top scorer Johansson and Sweden stay focused on group stage before medal hunt

MILAN, Feb ‌8 (Reuters) - Sweden's Thea Johansson netted a fourth goal of the Milano Cortina Games in her ‌side's 4-0 win over France on Sunday to seal a quarter-final place, but she ‌and teammates remain focused on closing out the group before their medal bid begins in earnest.

World

Norway's Eitrem breaks Olympic record in men's 5,000m speed skating win at Milan-Cortina Games (updated)

MILAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian world record holder Sander Eitrem broke the Olympic mark here on Sunday to claim the gold medal of the men's 5,000 meters speed skating event at the Milan-Cortina Games.

Hockey

Olympics-Ice hockey-Matthews named captain of US men's team

MILAN, ‌Feb 8 (Reuters) - Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston ‌Matthews will serve as captain of the ‌United States men's Olympic ice hockey team at the Milano Cortina Games, USA Hockey announced on Sunday.

Other Sports

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Helicopter crew recounts smooth but complex rescue after Vonn crash

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) - ‌The helicopter crew tasked with evacuating U.S. ski great Lindsey Vonn from the Olimpia delle Tofane piste ‌described a technically demanding but smoothly executed rescue operation carried out under bright skies during Sunday's ‌Olympic downhill.

Football

Soccer-Bayern open six-point lead with five-goal thrashing of Hoffenheim

MUNICH, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's Luis ‌Diaz scored a hat-trick and Harry Kane grabbed a double in a comprehensive 5-1 win ‌over 10-man Hoffenheim on Sunday to ensure the reigning champions restored a six-point lead at ‌the top of the Bundesliga.

Football

Soccer-Man City snatch chaotic 2-1 win at Liverpool to stay on Arsenal's heels

LIVERPOOL, England, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Manchester City's Erling Haaland converted a ‌stoppage-time penalty to give his side a 2-1 victory at Liverpool on Sunday, narrowing the gap with Premier League leaders Arsenal to six ‌points and breathing new life into the title race.

World

3 dead after truck crashes into cargo van in SW Romania

BUCHAREST, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Three people, including two children, were killed and one man was injured on Sunday afternoon after a head-on collision between a truck and a cargo van in Caras-Severin County in southwestern Romania, authorities said.

World

France wins biathlon mixed relay gold at Milan-Cortina 2026

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- France captured gold in the mixed 4x6km relay, the opening event in biathlon at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, while host nation Italy claimed silver and Germany secured bronze on Sunday.

Other Sports

Olympics-Luge-Langenhan takes crushing luge gold for Germany

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) - ‌Max Langenhan delivered an astonishing performance to strike gold in the men's luge singles on Sunday, breaking the track ‌record four times in a row to win by a mile and continue Germany's domination of the ‌event they have taken in four of the last five Olympics.

Hockey

Olympics-Ice hockey-Sweden sail into quarters with 4-0 win over France

MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Sweden secured their place ‌in the Olympic women's ice hockey quarter-finals with ‌a 4-0 win over France in Group B at Milano Rho arena on Sunday, condemning the French to their third defeat in as ‍many games.

Other Sports

Olympics-Curling-Electronic handles are a hit at Milano Cortina Games

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Curlers ‌have welcomed the introduction of electronic handles on the stones at the Winter Olympics which can automatically detect and flag ‌hog line violations, saying the technology makes the genteel sport fairer than ever.

World

Venezuelan opposition politician Guanipa freed as prisoner releases continue

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo ‌Guanipa has been freed from jail, his family said in a statement on Sunday, the latest high-profile ‌release by the government in Caracas, which is under pressure from the U.S. to free political ‌prisoners.

World

Feature: New Year vibes spark China-Zambia connections at Lusaka temple fair

LUSAKA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people in Zambia's capital on Sunday got a front-row taste of Chinese New Year traditions as a Spring Festival temple fair brought vibrant performances and rich aromas to Lusaka, an event organizers said helps deepen people-to-people ties under the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.