It’s one thing to play football in the ‘cold’. It’s another thing to play in temperatures of -8°C.

On Sunday, the final of the Canadian Premier League, Canada’s top professional football competition, saw Atlético Ottawa take on Cavalry FC in blizzard-like conditions. It was snowing so much that play was stopped several times so snow could be cleared off the field.

In these conditions, with Ottawa trailing 1-0, David Rodriguez kicked a stunning goal to equalise.

It is now being dubbed the ‘Icicle Kick’. Basically, a bicycle kick, but in sub-zero temperatures.

Rodriguez then added another in extra time to seal the title for his team.

12
The number of years that Hancock Prospecting, Gina Rinehart’s mining company, sponsored Volleyball Australia. The company’s sponsorship of the sport ended last year and will not be renewed, according to reports from The Guardian and The Australian. The news comes ahead of this month’s beach volleyball world championships in Adelaide. The company had contributed around $5 million in support during the 12 years. Hancock Prospecting is still a financial backer of swimming, artistic swimming, and rowing in Australia.

"This is a nightmare, and I have been living it for a while."
British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton speaking to Sky Sports about his first season with Ferrari. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has not finished on the podium in any of the 21 races so far this season. At the Brazilian GP on Sunday (local time), he retired due to car damage from two opening lap collisions. In response to the weekend’s results and Hamilton’s comments, Ferrari chairman John Elkann said: "We definitely have drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less because we still have important races ahead of us. Elkann added that he believes Ferrari could still reach second place in the team standings (Constructors’ Championship). McLaren has a commanding lead on 756 points, followed by Mercedes (398), Red Bull (366), and Ferrari (362).

Quebec City, Quebec used to have an NHL (ice hockey) team called the Nordiques. The team never won the Stanley Cup, until it moved to Denver in 1995 and was re-named the Colorado Avalanches. In its first full season based in the U.S, the team won the Cup, becoming the first team in any major sport from Colorado to do so. Now, French Canada is only represented in the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens.

🏟️ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is moving closer to banning transgender women from competing in female categories across all sports. IOC president Kirsty Coventry has made the policy a key part of her agenda, and sources have told BBC Sport the ban could take effect by 2026. The IOC says no final decision has been made. UK newspaper The Times reported earlier this week that the IOC’s early scientific reviews suggest athletes assigned male at birth could retain physical advantages even after hormone treatment. The move follows similar restrictions from World Athletics and World Aquatics and would mark a major shift in global sports policy.

🏉 The Wallabies have received a boost ahead of the final two Tests of their Spring Tour, with veteran fly-half James O’Connor returning to the squad for matches against Ireland and France. O’Connor joins the team in Dublin after missing the opening three games of the Spring Tour and adds depth alongside Carter Gordon at No.10. The 35-year-old has been in strong form since rejoining the national setup during the Rugby Championship. Meanwhile, former captain Will Skelton will not play in either of the final two matches for the year after injuring his ankle playing for French club La Rochelle.

🏉 Canterbury Bulldogs boss and rugby league media figure Phil Gould declared in a post to X that whoever is proposing to change the NRL’s kick-off rules “should be publicly whipped”. Gould’s comments follow reports from The Sydney Morning Herald on the weekend suggesting the NRL is considering amending the kick-off rules. The change would mean that after a try is scored, the team that scored has to kick the ball back to their opponents instead of retaining possession. The idea behind the change is to prevent blowouts and keep games closer. Fans and clubs are being surveyed before a final decision is made, with other possible tweaks including limits on how long team trainers can be on the field.

🚴‍♂️ Australia’s Logan Martin has claimed bronze at the BMX Freestyle World Championships in Riyadh, securing his sixth career podium finish at the event. The three-time world champion recovered from an early slip in his first run to score a third-best score of 91.68 in his second, behind France’s Anthony Jeanjean and American Marcus Christopher. Martin said he was proud to add another medal to his collection, completing the full set of gold, silver and bronze across his career. Fellow Aussie Brandon Loupos finished fifth in his return from injury, while Natalya Diehm placed eighth in the women’s event as China swept the podium.

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Jannik Sinner has made a strong start to his ATP Finals campaign with a convincing win over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. 

Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur will be in action tonight to keep his semi-final hopes alive.

Sinner began his title defence with a straight-sets victory (7-5, 6-1) in the ‘Bjorn Borg Group’, extending his indoor winning streak to 27 matches. 

Auger-Aliassime battled a calf injury in the second set, while Sinner continues his run of not dropping a set at the ATP Finals since losing the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic. The Serbian was due to play this year but withdrew with a shoulder issue. 

In the ‘Jimmy Connors Group’, American Taylor Fritz beat Lorenzo Musetti (6-3, 6-4) as he looks to go one better after finishing runner-up last year.

At midnight (AEDT), Carlos Alcaraz faces Fritz, with both players unbeaten after one match. The winner will be close to securing a semi-final spot. At 6:30am, de Minaur meets Musetti, with both needing a win to stay alive. Of the four times the two players have met, Musetti has won the last three. 

You can watch the ATP Finals live on beIN SPORTS.

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After one week of AFLW Finals, the field of teams has been narrowed to just six. This weekend, four teams are fighting to keep their seasons alive in two big semifinal clashes at IKON Park.

This is a meeting between two of the AFLW’s strongest and most experienced teams. Adelaide comes in confident after a big win over St Kilda in last week’s elimination final. The Crows created plenty of scoring chances last week but missed too many shots at goal, something they’ll be hoping to rectify to beat Melbourne. 

The Demons are coming off a tight 13-point loss to Brisbane in the qualifying final, but still showed plenty of fight. If Melbourne can win more of the ball around the middle, they’ll be hard to stop. 

The winner of this match will take on the undefeated North Melbourne Kangaroos in next week’s preliminary final, while the loser’s 2025 season will come to an end. 

Saturday night’s game will see Hawthorn take on Carlton at Carlton’s home ground, IKON Park. The Hawks are under pressure after being held goalless against minor premiers North Melbourne in last week’s qualifying final, and need to rediscover their trademark tackling and intensity. 

Carlton, on the other hand, is full of confidence after three straight wins, including a big 41-point victory over West Coast in last week’s elimination final. 

The Blues have never beaten Hawthorn before, but with their current form, this could be their best chance yet. Expect a fast, hard-fought contest as both sides battle to keep their finals dreams alive.

The winner of this semi-final will face the Brisbane Lions in a preliminary final.