Soft toys and a jagged edge: how Russia is circling the Winter Olympics
First came the reverberating cheers,Then a deluge of soft toys lobbed from the stands,But across the face of the brilliant Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian there was only the faintest of smiles,For now,So far at these Winter Olympics, a Russian is yet to win a medal.
But there is a possibility that could change on Thursday when the 18‑year‑old Petrosian, who sits in fifth after the short programme, takes to the ice again shortly after 9pm.It won’t just be in Milan where people will be watching the result closely, but in the very highest places in Moscow too.Which tells you something about how the mood music has shifted in Russia – and how its return from the sporting cold is closer than you might think.Two years ago the Kremlin could not have been more frigid about the Paris Olympics.In fact, the few Russians who competed as “authorised neutral athletes”, after they were vetted to check they did not explicitly support the war in Ukraine, were criticised.
Irina Viner, Russia’s rhythmic gymnastics president, even went as far as to call those who went “traitors”, and suggested that only “homeless” athletes competed without their flag and anthem.One rower told Match TV that the Kremlin had compensated Russian competitors who dropped out.Now, though, Russia is firmly behind its Olympians again.As Russia’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said before the Games: “I’ll definitely be watching wherever our guys perform.It’s a must-see.
”That view was amplified vociferously on Wednesday by the TV presenter and Putin loyalist Dmitry Guberniev,After calling Petrosian “a great girl” and predicting she would beat everyone, he reflected the shift in Moscow’s support for the 13 Russians here in Milano Cortina, in bawdy terms,“It’s interesting how life changes,” he said,“I see posters everywhere on the roads about our beloved Olympians in Italy,Many called the Paris Olympians traitors.
Life is changing for the better, all those arrogant little bastards and assholes are keeping their mouths shut now.”It might sound strange to western ears – especially given the war in Ukraine is still raging, and Russia was also previously banned for massive state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Olympics they hosted in 2014 – but most seasoned Olympic insiders believe Russia will be allowed back this year.Look at the direction of travel.In December the International Olympic Committee called for Russian youth athletes to be allowed to compete internationally under their own flag, paving the way for them to compete at the Youth Games this summer.And this month Kirsty Coventry, the IOC president, insisted that “every athlete should be allowed to compete freely without being held back by the politics and divisions of their governments”.
She did not explicitly mention Russia, but everyone in the room knew which country she was talking about.Certainly Mikhail Degtyarev, Russia’s sports minister and head of the Russian Olympic Committee, sounded bullish on Wednesday, as he predicted a return to international sport under the Russian flag and anthem could come as soon as April or May.And there was also a jagged edge to his remarks, as he warned the IOC what would happen if it did not hurry up.“If the IOC doesn’t bring our case up for discussion, we will, of course, go to court,” he told the Russian website Championat.“The cutoff date is May.
And we won’t just go to court demanding the reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee, but we will file a commercial lawsuit in Swiss civil courts, because we are losing money that we spend on training athletes who were barred from competition due to the IOC’s decision.An unlawful decision, in our opinion.”Two outstanding issues remain.The first is over Russia’s breach of the Olympic charter by unilaterally including regions of Ukraine in the Russian Olympic Committee – which is the reason it is banned from Milano Cortina.And it also still has to pay outstanding fees to the World Anti-Doping Agency.
But no one – including Degtyarev – believes these are significant barriers to re-entry,Meanwhile on the slopes in Italy there has been only the occasional gripe and grudge from the Russian team about how they have been treated,This week the Russian ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov claimed that the organisers did not give him a free mobile phone because he was a neutral athlete,“All athletes are given Samsung phones, but we were shortchanged, only given shampoo and toothpaste,” he said in an unboxing video on social media,“Oh well, we didn’t come here for phones.
”There was also mild frustration back in Russia when Petr Gumennik was awarded sixth place in the men’s figure skating, with even Peskov, whose wife is the former Olympic champion Tatiana Navka, getting involved.“I am not a specialist, but my wife says that Petr could have easily been in the top three with a different attitude from the judges,” he said.While some back home remain queasy about their athletes competing as neutrals, rather than in the red of Russia, Degtyarev urged them to think of the bigger picture.“I can tell these people that our athletes, who are making their way abroad as neutrals, have not given up their passports, citizenship, flag and anthem.They love Russia, they fight for it, and the whole world knows they are Russian.
”And if there are no medals, will that be a blow to prestige, he was then asked.“It would be a blow if we weren’t there at all,” came the reply.“And the fact that we’re there is already a good result.”So what price we see Donald Trump shaking hands with Vladimir Putin at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics opening ceremony – and the Russian flag waving as 250 of its athletes enter the coliseum? A year ago it would have sounded preposterous.Now only a fool would rule it out.
As real wage growth falls again, Australian workers must feel the economy is rigged against them | Greg Jericho
In 2025 wages grew slower than inflation, which means that wages clearly are not the cause of rising prices. Not only have workers seen their purchasing power decline, but the RBA’s decision to raise interest rates has once again punished them for inflation that was not their fault.Before I go any further, excuse me while I go to the calendar and mark off yet another three months without a wage breakout. It’s a ritual I have been able to do my entire working life.There hasn’t been a wage breakout since I was in primary school but do not worry – the RBA is still on the watch, ever on alert to raise interest rates in an effort to increase unemployment and lower wage growth
Miner Glencore to give $2bn to shareholders despite profit slump
Glencore is to give $2bn (£1.47bn) to shareholders after a turbulent year in which profits slumped and talks collapsed over a blockbuster $260bn merger with the fellow mining company Rio Tinto.The FTSE 100 company announced the payout on Wednesday despite reporting that annual profits slipped 6% on the previous year to $13.5bn.It comes weeks after talks over what would have been the largest deal in mining history collapsed, leaving the Swiss-headquartered commodities company to press ahead with a plan to more than double its copper production over the next decade
UK inflation falls to 3%, boosting hopes of early cut in interest rates
UK inflation tumbled to 3% in January, giving a boost to hopes of an early cut in interest rates by the Bank of England.The slowdown was in line with a majority of City economists’ forecasts and marks the lowest level since March 2025.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that falls in petrol prices, air fares and food had driven the drop.In a welcome boost for households’ shopping budgets, the rise in prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks slowed sharply to 3.6% in the year to January, down from 4
US and Japan unveil $36bn of oil, gas and critical minerals projects in challenge to China
Japan has drawn up plans for investments in US oil, gas and critical mineral projects worth about $36bn under the first wave of a deal with Donald Trump.The US president and Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, announced a trio of projects including a power plant in Portsmouth, Ohio, billed by the Trump administration as the largest natural gas-fired generating facility in US history.As a diplomatic row between Japan and China over the security of Taiwan continues, testing the Japanese economy, Takaichi said the projects would strengthen her country’s ties with the US.While Takaichi did not directly mention China, she expressed hope in a statement that the investments would enhance Japanese and US economic security.“Our massive trade deal with Japan has just launched,” Trump declared in a social media post
The death of Heather Preen: how an eight-year-old lost her life amid sewage crisis
In 1999, Heather Preen contracted E coli on a Devon beach. Two weeks later she died. Now, as a new Channel 4 show dramatises the scandal, her mother, Julie Maughan, explains why she is still looking for someone to take responsibilityWhen Julie Maughan was invited to help with a factual drama that would focus on the illegal dumping of raw sewage by water companies, she had to think hard. In some ways, it felt 25 years too late. In 1999, Maughan’s eight-year-old daughter, Heather Preen, had contracted the pathogen E coli O157 on a Devon beach and died within a fortnight
Boost to British Steel as Turkey places high-speed rail order
British Steel has secured an order worth tens of millions of pounds to supply rail for a high-speed electric railway in Turkey, amid continuing uncertainty over the long-term future of the government-controlled steelworks in Scunthorpe.The site will supply 36,000 tonnes of rail to ERG International Group, the company announced, in what it called an “eight-figure agreement”.The rail is destined for a 599km railway line being built to connect the Turkish capital, Ankara, with the western port city of İzmir, which will reduce the travel time and cut carbon emissions.British Steel said securing the contract had allowed it to create 23 new roles at the north Lincolnshire site and to restart round-the-clock rail manufacturing for the first time in more than a decade.The deal, which was supported by UK Export Finance, is seen as a commercial boost for the loss-making manufacturer
Soft toys and a jagged edge: how Russia is circling the Winter Olympics
‘My DNA is in this car’: Lewis Hamilton revved up for Ferrari in new F1 season
Very good dog invades course but falls short of medal glory at Winter Olympics
Mikaela Shiffrin storms to stunning slalom gold to make Winter Olympic history
Hull KR’s rollercoaster ride from the depths to chance of World Club Challenge glory
The Spin | Lancashire’s new second home brings renewed hope and old grumbles