Winter Paralympics walks tightrope as Russia’s inclusion risks ceremony boycott

The Paralympic torch left its home in Stoke Mandeville this week and has arrived at the gateway of the Dolomites. The towns of Bolzano and Trento will host “flame festivals” over the weekend to welcome the Paralympic movement and commemorate its progress on the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Games. It will be a joyous, poignant start to what could be a fractious fortnight.While the flame is being passed between torch bearers, the leaders of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will be scrambling to contain what increasingly resembles a diplomatic incident. A decision last week to invite 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Winter Paralympics at Milano Cortina has been met with full-throated criticism from across Europe and beyond

Jacks and Ahmed find dramatic late blitz to earn England unlikely win over New Zealand

A game played on a turning wicket and dominated by spin was decided, appropriately, after a decisive, savage twist. Just as it looked as if England’s unconvincing progress through the World Cup was the one thing destined to remain on its predictable path Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks spun the game, and the group, in their team’s favour.England’s pursuit of a target of 160 was appearing increasingly forlorn until its 18th over, bowled by Glenn Phillips, which started with them needing 43 off 18 and ended, two sixes and a couple of fours later, with a manageable 21 required off 12. Ahmed started the next with another boundary to keep the momentum going and before the penultimate delivery the batters conferred. “I said: ‘I’ll get a single and you just have a free hit,’” Jacks said; he got his single and Ahmed deposited the final delivery into the stands

England beat New Zealand by four wickets: T20 Cricket World Cup Super 8s – as it happened

Henry goes short, it hits Jacks on the helmet or glove and that’s it! It runs away for four and England win! A 44 run partnership from 16 balls between Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed has pulled the rug from New Zealand!Righto, that’s us done here. A fantastic game, England are hitting their straps at just the right time. New Zealand now have a nervy wait, they need Sri Lanka to do them a favour by beating Pakistan.We’ll be bringing you the semi-finals and final next week but that’s all from me today, goodbye!England Captain Harry Brook:Are England peaking at right time?double quotation markI think so. We still haven’t played that perfect game

Perfect pitches for historic matches | Letters

Alex Preston, in his travel feature on Corfu (21 February), writes about playing with the Lord’s Taverners on “the only cricket pitch in the world I know that’s set within a Unesco world heritage site”. Wonderful though the cricket ground in Corfu undoubtedly is, I am surprised that Preston’s fellow Taverner, Andy Caddick of Somerset and England, didn’t let him know that Bath also enjoys a cricket pitch within a Unesco world heritage site (and possibly two if you include the Rec), while the ground at Galle, Sri Lanka, where Caddick played a Test in 2001, adjacent to the Fort, is mighty close.David DuddingLondon Greenwich Park is also a Unesco world heritage site and has a cricket field in the south-west corner.Alan Burkitt-Gray London Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

Promotion and relegation from Prem to be scrapped as rugby moves to franchise model

English rugby has adopted a franchise system for the first time with promotion and relegation from the Prem scrapped from the end of this season.In the biggest change to the club game since the introduction of a formal league in 1987, the Rugby Football Union’s council voted overwhelmingly in favour of proposals to ringfence the existing 10-team Prem on Friday, with a view to expanding to 12 clubs in 2029-30.Entry to the Prem will be decided on a points-based system rather than simply on-field performance, with applications to be invited from expansion franchises. Birmingham City’s owner, Knighthead Capital, is interested in joining, as reported by the Guardian on Thursday.The criteria will include minimum standards regarding stadiums and player development, as well as a commitment to operating a team in Premiership Women’s Rugby or funding a regional women’s development plan

Cheltenham hopeful of ticket-sale turnaround for festival after three years of decline

Ticket sales for the 2026 festival meeting at Cheltenham are ahead of the levels at the same point 12 months ago and there is growing confidence at the track that attendance will be up at next month’s showpiece meeting after sharp declines over the past three seasons.This year’s festival, which opens on 10 March, will be the second since Guy Lavender took over as Cheltenham’s chief executive at the start of 2025, but the first at which it should be possible to assess the effect of a range of initiatives to improve the customer experience that have been introduced over the last 15 months.“Overall we are very positive about where we are for sales at the festival,” Lavender said on Friday, “and there is growth from last year. It’s too early to give definitive numbers and there are a few days to go, but overall we are moving in the right direction.”Recent changes at the meeting include the reintroduction of a Ladies’ Day on Wednesday, the most poorly attended day in recent seasons, and a relaxation of rules on areas where alcohol can be consumed