While the Winter Olympics won’t officially begin until the Opening Ceremony on Saturday morning (AEDT), some events are already underway.

Tonight, there aren’t any Aussies in action, but you can catch the preliminaries of the curling mixed doubles and ice hockey.

If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, several movies might help you get into the Winter Olympics mood. My strongest rec is ‘Blades of Glory’, one of Will Ferrell’s best.

100
The number of times netballer Liz Watson will have represented Australia as part of the Diamonds when she takes to the court in the opening match of a three-part series against Jamaica tonight. The series is set to help the Diamonds prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July. The Aussies defeated Jamaica, who are ranked third in the world, in the final of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“The Titans mean a lot to me and my family, and my goal has never changed since coming to the club. I want to remain loyal and be part of the team that delivers premiership success to the Gold Coast.”
Star rugby league forward Tino Fa’asuamaleaui in a statement announcing that he has chosen to stay with the Gold Coast Titans until the finish of the 2030 season. The news comes after speculation that Fa’asuamaleaui would take up the exit clause in his contract and explore other options. The Titans have not played finals since 2021 and are still chasing their first premiership.

Australia has never had a ski jumper compete at the Winter Olympics, despite the sport being on the Olympic program since 1924. The closest the country has come was Hal Nerdal, who jumped in the 60m event at the 1960 Games as part of the Nordic combined, but not in ski jumping itself.

🏀 In a busy NBA trade period, Australian basketballer Jock Landale has been traded twice in a week. Landale, who started the season with the Memphis Grizzlies, was first moved to the Utah Jazz before being sent on to the Atlanta Hawks. The move sees Landale join fellow Australians Dyson Daniels and Duop Reath at the Hawks. The trade period has also seen 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards and former league MVP James Harden change teams from the LA Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

⚽ Manchester City have booked a ticket to the League Cup final after a 3-1 win over Newcastle sealed an aggregate 5-1 victory across two matches. A first-half double from Omar Marmoush, followed by a strike from Tijjani Reijnders, put Manchester City three goals ahead within the opening 33 minutes. The result sends Manchester City to a final against Arsenal, who beat Chelsea 1-0 in the other semi-final yesterday. The final will be played in mid-March. The League Cup is a knockout football competition involving all 92 professional clubs in England and is played alongside the regular league seasons.

⛸️ Spanish figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté is hopeful he will be allowed to perform his ‘Minions’ routine at the Winter Olympics after Universal Studios granted late copyright clearance. Sabaté, a six-time Spanish national champion preparing for his Olympic debut in Milan, had been told earlier this week he could not use the music but after public support, the decision was reversed. He said: "Huge thank you to everyone who reposted, shared and supported. Because of you, Universal Studios reconsidered and officially granted the rights for this one special occasion… I'm so happy to see that the Minions hitting Olympic ice is becoming real again!"

🗞️ The Washington Post has shut down its sports section, ending a fixture that has helped shape Washington D.C’s sporting identity for decades. The move came as part of mass layoffs at the Jeff Bezos-owned news outlet, with one-third of the company’s staff losing their jobs. In a note to staff members, executive editor Matt Murray said: “We can’t be everything to everyone.” The closure of the Post’s sports coverage team marks the loss of one of the most respected sports desks in the U.S.

Super Bowl Monday: the biggest show of the year

Expect huge plays, clutch moments, and a halftime show (hello, Bad Bunny) that everyone will be talking about. 

This year, there’s another first: the Super Bowl is streaming on ESPN on Disney+. Tune in Monday, 9 Feb from 10:30am AEDT. 

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Australia has named moguls skiers Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham as its flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Here is what to know.

Anthony arrives in Italy as the defending Olympic champion and world number one in women’s moguls, having already won three World Cup events this season. Those victories lifted her to 26 career World Cup golds, the most by any Australian winter athlete. 

Graham, a silver medallist from PyeongChang in 2018, comes into his fourth Games in top form, ranked second overall in the World Cup standings. 

Both athletes have shared podium success this season, including a rare Australian men’s and women’s double on the same day.

Anthony and Graham will carry the flag in Livigno, one of several hubs used across the Games, which are spread across northern Italy. The main opening ceremony will take place in Milan’s San Siro stadium, with satellite celebrations also held in Livigno, Cortina, and Predazzo. 

The Opening Ceremony will begin early Saturday morning (AEDT). Some events, such as ice hockey and mixed curling, are beginning held before the Games officially start. 

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The 2026 Six Nations begins with expectations high after a record-breaking championship last year. 

The 2025 tournament produced more tries than any before it, and this year shapes as another tightly contested edition.

Here is what to know ahead of Round One. 

The Six Nations is an annual rugby union tournament contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Each team plays the others once, with home advantage rotating each year. 

Teams are awarded four points for a win and one bonus point if they score four or more tries. The losing team can earn a bonus point if the match margin is fewer than seven points, or if they score four or more tries. 

The team with the most points at the end wins the title, while a side that wins all five matches claims a Grand Slam.

France enters this year’s Six Nations as defending champions after scoring a tournament-record 30 tries last year. They welcome back captain Antoine Dupont after a serious knee injury, though the retirement of prop Uini Atonio and the omission of several senior players underlines coach Fabien Galthié’s willingness to refresh the squad. 

Ireland, champions in 2023 and 2024, arrive with injury concerns in the front row and questions at fly-half. With this fixture in Paris, France start as favourites, but Ireland’s experience means it looms as one of the tournament’s defining matches. Last year, France won this fixture 42-27. 

Scotland remains one of the competition’s most intriguing teams. Their talent is clear, but consistency has been elusive, with fourth-place finishes in the past two years. Scotland has never finished higher than third, but they will see an early trip to Italy as an opportunity to build momentum. 

Alongside Scotland, Italy are the only other team who have never won the Six Nations. That being said, they are no longer treated as an automatic win for the other teams in the competition. Gonzalo Quesada’s side has improved steadily and will view this fixture against Scotland as a genuine chance to make a statement. 

Last year, Scotland won this fixture 31-19. 

England arrive on an 11-match winning streak and will be hoping to turn that form into the side’s first Six Nations title since 2020. Steve Borthwick’s side was impressive in last year’s Autumn Nations series, recording wins against Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia.  

Wales begin a new era under coach Steve Tandy and will be focused on avoiding a third consecutive last-place finish. The Welsh have not won a Six Nations match since 2023. England’s form makes them clear favourites in this clash, but Wales will be looking to cause an upset.

Last year, England won this fixture 68-14. 

You can watch the Six Nations on Stan Sport.