Huge stone for USA, here it comes … and it’s another goodun.They’ve been so clutch today and going into the final end, they lead Switzerland 6-3.A two-point end for GB, who lead Italy 7-3 with just one end to go; they’ve almost done their part.But the intrigue now is with the Switzerland v USA game, and when USA sneak a stone through the remove two of the Swiss ones, they go a long way towards securing their semi-final spot and 5-3 playing the ninth.Back with the women’s hockey, it’s still Sweden 1-1 Switzerland as we near the end of the third; the Swedes take a timeout.

Long discussions as USA consider their shot with four to go at the bottom of the ninth; each side has two in the house.They let go a yellow … and knock their own gear out.Switzerland have three ensconced, and this might be a pivotal end…GB, meanwhile, have a 4-3 lead and the hammer playing the ninth, but will need a decent end to feel secure when we move to the 10th.…and they have to settle for a one-point end.Switzerland trail USA 5-3, and GB’s hopes are almost extinguished.

They’re going to need a massive 10th end, but first of all, the ninth.Switzerland have one stone, but there are five yellows in the house; how many can their reds remove? Here we go…More on Russia/Ukraine/Italy:Italy, the host nation, called on Thursday for a reversal of the decision to let 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s Paralympic Games.The foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, and the sports minister, Andrea Abodi, urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance due to Russia’s four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, saying it contradicted the Olympic spirit.The Italian government expressed its “absolute opposition” to the IPC’s ruling in September, it said in a statement late on Wednesday, adding that Rome’s stance echoed that of 33 other countries and the European Commission.“Russia’s continued violation of the truce and Olympic and Paralympic ideals, supported by Belarus, is incompatible with the participation of their athletes in the Games, except as neutral individual athletes,” the statement said.

Russia’s embassy in Italy said it was unacceptable to target athletes with disabilities,“The harsh and undiplomatic stance taken by the two Italian politicians, backed by the authority of the government they represent, is offensive and deserves widespread condemnation,” it said on Telegram,We’re away again in the women’s hockey, Sweden and Switzerland locked at 1-1 as we start the third,And in the curling, GB women are running out of … sheet, leading Italy 4-3 playing the eighth but with USA up 5-2 on Switzerland at the same stage,The Swiss, though, have the hammer and, with two stones left each, they need to act.

Yesssssss.The Russian embassy in Rome on Thursday lashed out at Italy’s call for Russian athletes not to be allowed to compete under their national flag in the Paralympics in Italy next month.In a Facebook post, the embassy criticised the “not very diplomatic position” taken by the Italian government, saying it was “offensive and deserves universal condemnation”.The International Paralympic Committee this week said six Russians and four Belarusians will be allowed to take part under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Paralympics.Russia has been mostly banned from international sport since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, using the territory of its ally Belarus to help launch the offensive.

At the Olympics, Russian and Belarusian athletes have only been allowed to compete under a neutral flag.The IPC’s decision triggered fury in Ukraine, which has said it will not be sending any officials to the March 6-15 Paralympic Winter Games and has urged other countries to join the boycott.Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi in a statement on Wednesday urged the IPC to “reconsider its decision” and expressed “full solidarity” and “unconditional support” for Ukraine.They accused Russia of “an ongoing violation..

.of Olympic and Paralympic ideals”, calling it “incompatible with the participation of their athletes except under a neutral flag”.The Russian embassy said the comments were “unacceptable”, particularly from a host country of the Paralympics.Back to the women’s curling, USA are sizing up a chance for two and there’s a-hootin’ and a-hollerin’ as the stone makes its way up the sheet … and it’s there! USA lead Switzerland 5-2 after seven, while Italy have closed and now trail GB 4-3 playing the seventh.I mentioned the Miracle on Ice a few minutes ago so let me say again that, though its political analysis is rudimentary to say the least, the personal stories in the new Netflix doc on the topic are extremely moving.

It’s half-time in the hockey and it’s Switzerland 1-1 Sweden 1 to 1 between Switzerland and Sweden.Meantime, back on the sheet, we’re at the end of the seventh and USA, with the hammer, are looking to extend their 3-2 lead over Switzerland.Switzerland close the gap on USA to 3-2 and we’re playing the seventh.More excellent jiujitsu commentary from me.A terrific challenge from Lehmann, a pickpocketing really, sees her steal possession, shoot, regain the puck, and lash into the net.

It’s now Sweden 1-1 Switzerland as the hunt for bronze in the women’s hockey intensifies.Finally! Svensson takes the puck around the back of the goal, lays it back, and from distance, Jungaker takes aim … and fires home.Sweden lead Switzerland 1-0 and, given they’ve been dominating, the shots, look good to secure the bronze medal.Now GB have a chance to steal.Italy send their yellow up the sheet … and it misses that which they needed it to hit.

At half-time, Sophie Jackson’s girls lead 4-1, and they’re in total control of the match … but can Switzerland do them a solid?Switzerland have one more go in the fifth, down 2-1 to USA, and this’ll need to be a precise one, sneaking by a yellow with another yellow in the house … but I’m not sure it’s hard enough … and it isn’t! USA, who need a win to progress, steal for 3-1, and GB, though they lead Italy 3-1, have a problem,Was Graham Poll reffing?"There's going to be a national inquiry in Canada as to how this was missed," 😬Czech Republic scored with an extra player on the ice which went unnoticed by the entire Canada side! pic,twitter,com/Rb80VBJ0WmFollowing a goal, the scored-against team has 45 seconds to appeal.

Right, we’re back under way in the women’s hockey, Switzerland 0-0 Sweden at the start of the second.And what’s this?! GB have a chance to make two – though not in the way I suggested, “excellent jiujitsu” and all that.They slide a stone on to the button, and that’s 3-1.Back with USA – tangentially, last week I learnt that the USA USA USA chant was born at Lake Placid in 1980, during the Miracle on Ice happened – they now lead Switzerland 2-1 playing the fifth, but the Swiss have the hammer.(When a mate and I were getting into MMA, we’d find ourselves gobbing off to each other like we knew what we talking about.

From there, we found ourselves saying “excellent jiujitsu” every time one of us – or anyone else – was, in our opinion talking ill-informed nonsense about any topic.)Italy have equalised in the curling, but GB have the hammer and Sophie Sinclair has a chance to knock one yellow into another, in the house.She gets close but not close enough, though there’s a red guard just outside the house that might work to grabbing a two later in the end.“A tweak to Nordic combined, says Eivind Krog, “should be that the athletes had to choose one pair of skis to use for both events (ski jump and cross-country), i.e.

either ski jump-skis or cross-country skis.This would bring in a new tactical element, and would make for a great viewing.Do you opt for a really good head start on the cross-country part, but with 2.5 m long skis, or do you risk your life with chopsticks in the ski-jump hill in order to go fast in the second part of the race?”I’ve swallowed my insides merely thinking about either.Great news: my wife has gone to the office meaning a) I’ve whacked the heating off, *knee slide*, and b) I’ve retrieved my laptop so now have Switzerland v USA on that in the women’s curling ….

and it’s now 1-1 after three.This is going be tight.Biggup Yara and hold tight all.GB lead Italy 1-0 playing the third, but USA, who GB need to lose, are up 1-0 on second-placed Switzerland.In the women’s hockey bronze-medal tussle, it’s Switzerland 0-0 Sweden with two minutes left in the first.

Another email on ski mountaineering tweaks, this one from Dan:double quotation markRe the email about the diamonds: Skimo is great,I think the diamonds are to test the ability to ski across the gradient as well as up,But the competition should really go the full Jeux sans frontières,How about some additional tasks at the top? Transferring water from one tub to another, or aiming sponges at a dummy,Ho ho ho, in a Stuart Hall voice.

Switzerland have played their Joker.Keep the ideas coming.In fact, what tweaks would you make to any Winter Olympic sport? Send them over to Daniel, who is back to take you through the rest of the afternoon.Curling: Great Britain opt to blank the first end against Italy in a must-win game, with the thinking that they can keep the hammer for another end.A semi-final spot is on the line.

An email from Chris on the ski mountaineering, which was such a thrill:double quotation markWhat’s with the “diamonds” in the uphill section of Ski Mountaineering – isn’t skiing uphill hard enough already? And couldn’t they make the downhill more tasty by making the competitors somersault off the jump?Maybe for 2030 in the French Alps? Somersault off the jump and then cartwheel across the finish line.Norway’s Jens Lurås Oftebro crosses the finish line first with a time of 41:18.0 in gruelling, snowy conditions.He has a hat-trick of gold medals at Milano Cortina, and what a way to nab the third – coming back after a mistake and stumble early on.He celebrates with his Norway teammates as Finland win silver (+0.

5sec) and Austria claim bronze (+22.3sec).Nordic combined: Finland are now in the lead, with Eero Hirvonen battling against Norway’s Jens Lurås Oftebro.Austria’s Johannes Lamparter is targeting bronze.