Sports
Torch arrives in Milan to cheers and protests
Feb 3, 2026; Como, ITALY; The Olympic torch arrives in Como during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images MILAN — The Olympic torch arrived in front of Milan’s giant gothic cathedral on Thursday amid cheers and protests in the city on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Nicoletta Manni, a leading ballet dancer at the nearby La Scala theater, carried the flame on to a platform in the shadow of the cathedral where it was used to light a brazier.
Most of those packing the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) in light rain and along the route had cheered the torch’s passage and snapped photos with their smartphones. The torch was brought into the square through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele arcade.
A small group of demonstrators flew Palestinian flags on the edge of the square in solidarity with the citizens of Gaza. There were also pro-Palestinian protests near the city’s university earlier in the evening.
Israel has a group of 10 athletes competing at the Games.
On Thursday morning, environmental group Greenpeace staged a protest in front of the cathedral, protesting the role of Italian oil major Eni ENI.MI as a sponsor of these Games.
An installation depicted the Olympic rings dripping black oil, a visual denunciation of companies it accuses of contributing to global warming and threatening winter sports dependent on cold conditions.
“Kick polluters out of the Games,” read one of the banners.
In a statement, Eni said it “shares the importance of addressing climate change” and would continue investing in the energy transition as part of its plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The flame began its journey across Italy in December after being lit in Rome and has traveled through all 110 Italian provinces. It called in on Games co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites last month.
The Games are due to open officially on Friday evening, with an opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro soccer stadium, twinned with a celebration in Cortina.
Italian Olympic ski champions Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni will have the honor of lighting the cauldrons for the Games on Friday, Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant stay put as deadline passes
Dec 15, 2022; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (left) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shake hands after the game at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Two of the biggest names rumored to be on the move remained with their teams as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant did not change uniforms before the NBA trade deadline expired Tuesday.
While Antetokounmpo did not express a desire for a trade publicly, and the Milwaukee Bucks did not say they were shopping for a new home for their star, there were plenty of interested suitors reported as the deadline neared.
Morant, whose relationship with the Memphis Grizzlies has reportedly been strained, also was rumored to be on the move but now stays with his original team for the time being.
Teams reported to be interested in acquiring Antetokounmpo, a 10-time All-Star and two-time MVP, included the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
None could come up with a reported steep asking price that included elite young talent, multiple first-round picks, or both.
Antetokounmpo, 31, remains on top of his game in his 13th NBA season, all with the Bucks, scoring 28.0 points with 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 30 games this season. In 889 career games (824 starts), he is scoring 24.0 points with 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
In each of the past nine seasons, Antetokounmpo has finished at least in the top seven of MVP voting.
Multiple reports indicated that as of three hours before the deadline, the Bucks were no longer taking offers for their top player.
Teams with reported interest in Morant, a two-time All-Star, included the Sacramento Kings, Timberwolves and Heat, with the Kings and Heat reportedly showing heavy interest as recently as Wednesday. According to an ESPN report, no team made what was deemed to be a “serious offer.”
Morant, 26, is currently out of action through the upcoming All-Star break with an elbow injury. He has played in just 20 games this season, scoring 19.5 points with 8.1 assists.
In seven seasons with the Grizzlies, Morant has scored 22.4 points with 7.4 assists in 327 games (325 starts).
By not making a move at the deadline, both the Bucks and Grizzlies will be the center of attention for potential offseason trades of their stars.
Antetokounmpo is making $54.1 million in the first season of a three-year, $175.4 million contract, while Morant is making $39.4 million in the third season of a five-year $197.2 million deal.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Knicks G Miles 'Deuce' McBride out indefinitely
Jan 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) reacts during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images New York Knicks guard Miles “Deuce” McBride is slated to undergo core muscle surgery on Friday and could be out until the playoffs, The Athletic reported.
McBride reportedly underwent an MRI exam last week to determine the severity.
It’s not known when the injury occurred. McBride has missed the past five games with the team citing “left ankle injury management” as the reason for those absences.
The Knicks took a step to plug the loss on Thursday by acquiring point guard Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans before the trade deadline. The fifth-year pro and New York native has career averages of 8.1 points, 3.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 20.3 minutes in 268 regular-season games (34 starts) over five seasons with the Pelicans.
McBride, 25, is averaging a career-best 12.9 points in 35 games (14 starts). He has made a career-high 42.0% of his 3-point attempts and has a total of 102 treys, just 13 shy of his career high.
In five NBA seasons with New York, McBride is averaging 7.1 points in 271 games (42 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ski Jumping: WADA on lookout over alleged penis-enhancement claims
Jan 9, 2026; Livigno, ITALY; A drone view shows the big ski jump in the Livigno Snow Park, which will host all Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing events, including disciplines like Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, Ski Cross, Snowboard Cross, Moguls, Aerials, and Parallel Giant Slalom in preparation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Yara Nardi/Reuters via Imagn Images MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) — Winter Olympic doping chiefs say they will be on the lookout for any evidence male ski jumpers are artificially enlarging their penises in a bid to manipulate one of the sport’s rules and gain an aerodynamic advantage.
WADA Director General Olivier Niggli, speaking at a press conference in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, said the World Anti Doping Agency would explore whether the alleged practice constitutes doping.
Niggli was responding to questions following a report in German newspaper Bild which raised fears of some male ski jumpers attempting to manipulate the 3D body-scanning measurements used to size competition suits by temporarily enlarging their penises.
Ski jumpers undergo a full body scan to ensure their skin-tight suits do not have extra material which would give them more lift as they soar through the air. The crotch of a ski jumper’s suit is allowed to run to the bottom of the athlete’s genitals, meaning an enlarged penis would give them more potentially performance-enhancing material.
The Bild report said the newspaper had discovered insider talk of athletes injecting hyaluronic acid into their penis to alter their suit measurement point, thereby securing a larger, more aerodynamic suit for the duration of the season.
Niggli said WADA had no indication the alleged practices were taking place and stressed WADA only intervenes when a method of cheating falls within the definition of doping.
“I am not aware of the details of ski jumping and how this can improve (the performance), but if any sign was to come to the surface, we will look at it. I haven’t heard about that until you mention it,” he told reporters in Milan.
“If it is actually doping related — we don’t do other means of enhancing performance — but our committee (annually reviewing banned substances) will certainly look to whether it falls into this category,” he added.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) did not respond to a request for comment.
The issue has drawn attention partly because suit manipulation has previously led to sanctions in the sport.
Two of Norway’s Olympic medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, were suspended for three months last year after their team was found to have secretly adjusted seams around the crotch area of their suits at the 2025 World Ski Championships.
Three members of the coaching staff were also banned.
WADA President Witold Banka, asked about the reports on Thursday, responded with a smile, saying ski jumping was very popular in his native Poland and that he would look into the matter.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
