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Let’s play three truths and a lie (there’s too much news to just do two).

  1. Curling at the Winter Olympics is embroiled in controversy over athletes illegally touching the granite stone after release.

  2. The NRL has rewritten State of Origin eligibility rules, opening the door for international players to be selected if they qualify for NSW or Queensland.

  3. The Tour de France is set to introduce a ‘mystery stage’ where cyclists won't know the route until 30 minutes before the start.

  4. Australian tennis player Destanee Aiava has announced her retirement, describing the sport as her “toxic boyfriend” and calling out what she says is a racist, misogynistic and hostile culture.

The lie will be revealed at the bottom of the newsletter!

Milano Cortina ‘26: Medal tally

Country

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

1. NOR 🇳🇴

12

7

7

26

2. ITA 🇮🇹

8

4

10

22

3. USA 🇺🇸

5

8

4

17

4. NED 🇳🇱

5

5

1

11

4. SWE 🇸🇪

5

5

1

11

11. AUS 🇦🇺

3

1

1

5

Milano Cortina ‘26: Tonight’s top moments

Monday 16 February (all times in AEDT)

8pm, Alpine Skiing: Men's Slalom run 1
The tightest, shortest, and twistiest of the downhill skiing disciplines. Athletes will navigate 72 gates across less than 700m for a spot in the final🏅, scheduled at 11.30pm. No Aussies in this event. 

9pm, Short Track Speed Skating: Women’s 1000m Quarterfinals 
No Aussies in this event, where five athletes at a time take to the 111.12m track, shorter than the 400m speed skating loop. The bronze and silver medallists from 2022 (Belgian Hanne Desmet and South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong) are in separate quarterfinals. They’ll be gunning to improve on their previous results in the absence of Dutch gold medallist Suzanne Schulting, who is competing in the 1500m instead. The semis will be held at 9.57pm and the medal race 🏅 at 10.47pm. 

9:17pm, Short Track Speed Skating: Men's 500m Heat 🇦🇺
In the heats, four skaters race against each other at a time. Australian Brendan Corey is in the fifth heat with two 2022 gold medallists in Hwang Daehon (South Korea) and Maxime Laoun (Canada), though both medals came in longer events (the 1500m and the 5000m men’s relay, respectively). Even if the Aussie doesn’t beat them, he’ll qualify if he is one of the four fastest third-placed athletes. 

Tuesday 17 February (all times in AEDT)

2.40am, Ice Hockey: Women’s Semifinals - U.S. v Sweden
This is a true clash of the titans. Both countries topped their groups in the round robin stage with 12 points apiece, well ahead of the next qualifiers. The U.S. won gold in 2018 and will be seeking a return to the top podium spot, while Sweden is aiming for its first medal in 20 years. 

5am, Bobsleigh: Women’s Monobob Heat 3 🇦🇺
Typically, bobsleigh involves a team of people pushing and jumping into a sled on ice. In monobob, only one athlete does all the work. Australia’s Bree Walker needs to be in the top 20 finishers to make the final race for the medal at 7.06am.  

5.30am, Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Freeski Big Air Final 🏅 
No Aussies in this event, where athletes ski down a slope and up a huge ramp, doing tricks in the air. The top three qualifiers are all ones to watch, including 2022 gold medallist Eileen Gu (China), who has complained the final takes place at the same time as the training for her snowboarding half-pipe event. 

6am, Figure Skating: Pair Skating – Free Skating 🏅
No Aussies in this event, but there is a pair from Georgia looking to win their country’s first-ever Winter Olympic medal. The duo qualified for the final with the second-highest score.

7.10am, Ice Hockey: Women’s Semifinals - Canada v Switzerland
Another do-or-die clash, this time between Switzerland, a rising power that has only medalled once (in 2014), and Canada, which is usually top of the podium but has struggled with form. When these two met in the round robin, Canada won 4-0 — from 55 shots on goal, almost all of which were blocked by Switzerland’s 5’2” goalie Saskia Maurer.

Milano Cortina ‘26: The headlines

In case you missed it…

🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won giant slalom gold at Milano Cortina, securing Brazil’s first Winter Olympic medal and becoming the first South American athlete to reach a Winter podium. The 25-year-old led after the opening run and finished ahead of Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt and Loïc Meillard. Meanwhile, in the women’s giant slalom, Italy’s Federica Brignone won her second gold medal of the Games in front of a home crowd.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in action (Getty)

🏂 Scotty James became Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian on Saturday morning, winning silver in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at Milano Cortina. The five-time Olympian now owns three medals (two silver, one bronze). James scored 93.50 in a high-quality final won by Japan’s Totsuka Yuto. The 31-year-old had ambitions for gold and came into the event as the favourite, but a fall on his third and final run proved costly. He said: “In the next 24 hours, I’ll probably have a bit of a cry, but I’ll be happy as well because representing the country and winning a medal is unbelievable and I'm really proud of that.” Fellow Aussie Valentino Guseli finished fifth in the final, bettering his Beijing 2022 result by one place.

Scotty James was candid about his ambitions for gold at this Olympics (Getty)

⛷️ Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won a record ninth Winter Olympic gold as Norway claimed the men’s cross-country team relay. The 29-year-old anchored Norway to victory, finishing 22 seconds ahead of France, with Italy taking bronze. Klæbo has now won four gold medals at these Games and holds the outright record for most Winter Olympic gold medals.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has won nine Olympic gold medals (Getty)

Milano Cortina ‘26: What we’re talking about

Milano Cortina 2026 is officially Australia’s most successful Winter Olympic Games

Jakara Anthony is a two-time Olympic champion (Getty)

Over the weekend, the Australian team won an unprecedented third gold medal at a single Winter Olympics. It makes Milano Cortina 2026 Australia's most successful Winter Olympics ever, and there is still more to come.

Gold medal winners so far

Cooper Woods became Australia's first medal-winner at Milano Cortina 2026 with a remarkable victory in the men's moguls last Thursday.

Josie Baff then took Australia's gold medal tally to two, the country's best since Vancouver 2010, with a stunning victory in the women's snowboard cross. The 23-year-old came into the Olympics ranked second in the world. She said: "I feel like I deserve it. I've put in a lot of hard work, so I knew I could do it but to actually have the medal around my neck is very, very cool."

The moguls' success continued for Australia in a new Olympic event, dual moguls, with Jakara Anthony taking gold in the women's event and Matt Graham winning bronze in the men's event. Anthony won gold in the women's moguls in Beijing 2022 and is now the only Australian Winter athlete to have won two Olympic gold medals. The victory came after a disappointing eighth-place finish in the women's moguls.

Including Scotty James’ silver medal in the men’s halfpipe, Milano Cortina marks the first time that Australia has won five medals (of any colour) at a single Winter Games. Before this year, Australia’s best result had come at Beijing 2022 with a total of four medals (one gold, two silver, one bronze).

Who else is in contention?

Australia's medal haul could still grow. Bree Walker is a strong chance in the monobob, an individual bobsleigh event. The 33-year-old will race in the third heat tomorrow at 5am AEDT. She needs to finish in the top 20 to qualify for the final run, where medals are on offer.

Freestyle skiers Indra Brown and Danielle Scott are also in the mix as the Games reach their second half. Brown, 16, is Australia's youngest athlete at the Games and will compete in the women's freeski halfpipe beginning on Friday morning (AEDT). Meanwhile, Scott is a 35-year-old Olympic veteran competing in her fourth games and will contest the women's aerials event starting on Tuesday night (AEDT).

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Anything but Milano Cortina ‘26

⛳️ Anthony Kim has completed one of golf's most remarkable comebacks, winning his first title in nearly 16 years at LIV Golf Adelaide. The American shot a final-round 63 to edge out Spain's Jon Rahm and fellow American Bryson DeChambeau. Kim stepped away from the sport in 2012 due to injury and has since battled drug and alcohol addiction. He said: "Nobody else has to believe in me, but me. And for anybody that's struggling, you can get through anything." Meanwhile, on the PGA Tour, Australia's Min Woo Lee finished tied for second at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am as American Colin Morikawa claimed his first title since 2023.

Anthony Kim celebrates victory in Adelaide (Getty)

🎾 Alex de Minaur has claimed the 11th title of his career, beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) in the final of the Rotterdam Open. In a dominant performance, the world number eight snapped the Canadian’s streak of 78 consecutive service holds and did not face a break point. It is de Minaur’s first indoor title and fifth ATP 500 crown.

De Minaur won the Rotterdam Open for the first time on his third consecutive attempt (Getty)

🏏 India’s women’s cricket side claimed a 21-run DLS win over Australia in the opening T20 of the multi-format series. Australia were bowled out for 133, with Arundhati Reddy taking 4-22, before rain halted India at 1-50. It marked a tough start for new captain Sophie Molineux. The victory sees India awarded two points, taking an early 2-0 lead in the multi-format series.

Reddy took four wickets for India (Getty)

🏉 Victoria defeated Western Australia 125-101 in the first AFL Origin clash since 1999 at a sold-out Optus Stadium on Saturday night. WA cut the margin to six in the final quarter, but Victoria sealed the Polly Farmer Cup with the last three goals. Lachie Ash won the E.J. Whitten Medal as Victoria’s best on ground, while WA’s Jesse Hogan kicked five and claimed the Graham Moss Medal as the standout performer for his state. Injury remains a concern for clubs with players involved in pre-season fixtures after Carlton defender Jacob Weitering was taken to hospital with rib and shoulder concerns.

The Big V celebrate victory over Western Australia (Getty)

🏀 The WNBL semi-finals opened with commanding Game 1 wins for the Townsville Fire and the Perth Lynx over the weekend. Townsville defeated the Southside Melbourne Flyers 88-60 after a 17-0 first-quarter blitz to take a 1-0 lead. Earlier in the weekend, Perth beat the Bendigo Spirit 86-76, powered by Anneli Maley’s 24 points and 14 rebounds. Both series are best-of-three, with spots in the Grand Final on the line. The next fixture will be Game 2 between the Spirit and Lynx on Tuesday night. 

The Fire dominated the Flyers (Getty)

🏉 The NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies impressed in Super Rugby Pacific's opening round, defeating fellow Australian sides with commanding performances. The Waratahs thrashed the Reds 36-12 in Sydney, with Max Jorgensen's double highlighting their renewed competitiveness, while the Brumbies demolished the Western Force 56-24 in warm Perth conditions. Elsewhere, the Highlanders upset defending champions the Crusaders 25-23, Moana Pasifika beat the Fijian Drua 40-26, and the Chiefs edged the Blues 19-15.

Max Jorgensen scored two tries for the Waratahs (Getty)

LIE: The Tour de France is set to introduce a ‘mystery stage’ where cyclists won't know the route until 30 minutes before the start.

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Looking back…

NBL (Sunday)

Who: Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks
Result: Hawks won 100-91

Who: Sydney Kings v Perth Wildcats
Result: Kings won 102-84

A-League Women

Who: Wellington Phoenix v CC Mariners
Result: Mariners won 2-1

Who: Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City
Result: Draw 0-0

NRL All Stars

Men's Game: Māori All Stars v Indigenous All Stars
Result: Draw 16-16

Women's Game: Māori All Stars v Indigenous All Stars
Result: Indigenous won 20-14

Six Nations Rugby

Who: Wales v France
Result: France won 54-12

Who: Scotland v England 
Result: Scotland won 31-20

Who: Ireland v Italy 
Result: Ireland won 20-13

Looking forward…(All times are AEDT)

T20 Cricket World Cup

Who: Afghanistan v UAE
Time: Starting now!

Who: England v Italy
Time: 8:30pm tonight

Who: Australia v Sri Lanka
Time: 12:30am tomorrow

Where to watch: Prime Video

FA Cup

Who: Brentford v Macclesfield
Time: 6.30am tomorrow

Where to watch: Stan Sport

Sheffield Shield

Who: Queensland v South Australia
Time: 10.55am tomorrow

Who: Western Australia v Victoria
Time: 1.25pm tomorrow

Where to watch: Kayo (free)

TDA asks

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