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Verstappen Easily Wins F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing in action during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 24 September 2023. EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON
Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing in action during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 24 September 2023. EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON
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Verstappen Easily Wins F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing in action during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 24 September 2023. EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON
Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing in action during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit racetrack in Suzuka, Japan, 24 September 2023. EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON

Runaway series leader Max Verstappen returned to dominant form on Sunday, winning the Japanese Grand Prix and moving a step closer to securing his third consecutive Formula One drivers’ championship.
The Red Bull driver, who missed out on the podium a week ago in Singapore, started from pole and held on for his 13th win of the season.
McLaren driver Lando Norris was second, 19.4 seconds back of Verstappen, while his teammate Australia rookie Oscar Piastri was third for his first F1 podium.
With Verstappen’s win, Red Bull secured this year’s constructors’ title, their sixth overall and second in a row, The Associated Press reported.
Verstappen increased his lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to 177 points. He could wrap up his third consecutive title at the Oct. 6-9 Qatar Grand Prix.
It was a disastrous day for Perez, who was given a penalty for hitting Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and retired from the race after serving the penalty.
Verstappen saw his record 10-race winning streak come to end at Marina Bay in Singapore and came to Japan determined to get back on top of the podium. Prior to Sunday’s race, he led every session at the fast Suzuka circuit, where he wrapped up last year’s championship in a rain-shortened race.

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Sports

Arteta Dismisses ‘Bottlers’ Talk Amid Title Wobble

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
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Arteta Dismisses ‘Bottlers’ Talk Amid Title Wobble

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on February 18, 2026. (AFP)

Arsenal manager Mikel ‌Arteta rejected the term 'bottlers' ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit to Tottenham Hotspur, as the title race heats up after their lead was cut short by successive Premier League draws at Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games, with second-placed Manchester City now five points behind with a game in hand.

Under ‌Arteta, the ‌North London club has finished as ‌the ⁠runners-up in their ⁠last three campaigns.

"It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it like this because I don’t think anybody wants to do that as an intention," Arteta told reporters on Friday, when asked about ⁠the term being used regarding their ‌latest wobble in ‌the title race.

"That’s individual opinion, perspective. You have to ‌respect that. That’s what I said after ‌in the press conference. You lose two points against Wolves in the manner that the game played out, you have to take it on ‌the chin. It's part of our role."

"What I’m very interested in ⁠is ⁠the next one, what we are made of, what we love about this and how we write our own destiny from here."

Arsenal have also reached the League Cup final and the round of 16 in the Champions League and the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, Tottenham, who are 16th in the Premier League, will enter into Sunday's game under newly appointed manager Igor Tudor, who replaced Thomas Frank last week.

Sports

IOC Boss Coventry Hails Milano Cortina Games a Success

20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)
20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)
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IOC Boss Coventry Hails Milano Cortina Games a Success

20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)
20 February 2026, Italy, Milan: President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry holds a press conference. (dpa)

The Milano Cortina Olympics exceeded expectations despite a shaky build-up, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday, hailing the first spread-out Winter Games a success.

"These Games are truly ... successful in a new way of doing things, in a sustainable way of doing things, in a way that I think many people thought maybe we couldn't do, or couldn't be done well, and it's been done extremely well, and it's surpassed everyone's expectations," Coventry told a press conference.

It was the International Olympic Committee chief's clearest endorsement yet of a format that split events across several Alpine clusters rather than concentrating them in one host city.

Her assessment came after two weeks in which organizers sought to prove that a geographically dispersed Games could still deliver a consistent athlete experience.

The smooth delivery ‌comes after years ‌of logistical and political challenges, including construction delays at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena ‌and ⁠controversy over building ⁠a new sliding center in Cortina against IOC advice.

Organizers have also faced isolated disruptions during the Games, such as suspected sabotage on rail lines and protests in Milan over housing and environmental issues.

Transport concerns across the dispersed venues have been mitigated by limited cross-regional travel among spectators, though some competitors had to walk to the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in heavy snowfall that stopped traffic.

Central to the success of the Games, Coventry argued, was the effort to standardize conditions across multiple athlete villages despite the distances separating venues from Cortina d’Ampezzo to ⁠Livigno and Bormio.

Italian athletes’ performances also helped ticket sales, which amounted to ‌about 1.4 million.

"And the athletes are extremely happy. And they're happy ‌because the experiences that the MiCo (Milano Cortina) team and my team delivered to them have been the same," she ‌said.

Mixed relay silver medalist Tommaso Giacomel did, however, lament the fact there was no Olympic village near ‌the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena and that competitors were dotted around different hotels near the venue instead of in one place.

TWO OPENING CEREMONIES

Two opening ceremonies were held - the main one at Milan’s San Siro stadium and a more low-key parade on Cortina d’Ampezzo's Corso Italia, where athletes and spectators were within touching distance.

Feedback from competitors suggested the more intimate ‌settings had in some cases enhanced the Olympic atmosphere, Coventry said, taking the Cortina opening ceremony as an example.

The Zimbabwean, presiding over her first Games ⁠as IOC chief after elections in ⁠2025, framed Milano Cortina as proof of concept for future hosts grappling with rising costs and climate constraints, while acknowledging adjustments would follow.

"It allows us to really look at ourselves and look at the things that we have in place and how we're then going to make certain adjustments for the future," she said.

Beyond logistics, Coventry pointed to the broader impact of the Games, highlighting gender balance - with women making up 47% of competitors - and global engagement as marks of progress.

"But it's been an incredible experience and we're all very proud to have gender equity playing a big role in the delivery of the Games," she said, describing a "tremendous Games" in which athletes have "come together and shared in their passion".

With the closing ceremony in Verona approaching, Coventry said the focus would soon shift to a formal evaluation process, but insisted the headline conclusion was already clear.

"So we look forward to doing that and to learning from all the incredible experiences that I think all of the stakeholders have had across these Games, across these past two weeks," she said.

Sports

‘A Huge Mistake.’ Kompany Hits Out at Mourinho for Vinícius Júnior Comments

14 February 2026, Bremen: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich at Weserstation. (dpa)
14 February 2026, Bremen: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich at Weserstation. (dpa)
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‘A Huge Mistake.’ Kompany Hits Out at Mourinho for Vinícius Júnior Comments

14 February 2026, Bremen: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich at Weserstation. (dpa)
14 February 2026, Bremen: Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich at Weserstation. (dpa)

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has criticized José Mourinho for attacking the character of Vinícius Júnior after the Real Madrid star accused an opponent of racially insulting him during a Champions League match.

Benfica coach Mourinho suggested that Brazil forward Vinícius had incited Benfica's players with his celebrations after scoring the only goal in Tuesday's playoff match.

Vinícius accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of calling him "monkey" during a confrontation after his goal.

Mourinho also questioned why Vinícius, who is Black and has been subjected to repeated racist insults in Spain, was so frequently targeted.

"There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium," Mourinho said. "The stadium where Vinícius played something happened. Always."

Speaking on Friday, Kompany condemned Mourinho's comments.

"So after the game you have the leader of an organization, José Mourinho, who attacks the character of Vinícius Júnior by bringing in the type of celebration to discredit what Vinícius is doing in this moment," Kompany said. "And for me in terms of leadership, it’s a huge mistake and it’s something that we should not accept."

Mourinho’s celebrations

UEFA appointed a special investigator on Wednesday to gather evidence about what happened in Lisbon in Madrid’s 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. Madrid said it had sent "all available evidence" of the alleged incident to European soccer's governing body.

Referring to Vinícius' celebrations after curling a shot into the top corner, Mourinho said he should "celebrate in a respectful way."

Kompany pointed out Mourinho's own history of exuberant celebrations — such as when he ran down the sideline to cheer when his Porto team beat Manchester United in the Champions League.

Kompany said Mourinho's former players "love him" and added "I know he’s a good person."

"I don’t need to judge him as a person, but I know what I’ve heard. I understand maybe what he’s done, but he’s made a mistake and it’s something that hopefully in the future won’t happen like this again," he said.

Prestianni denied racially insulting Vinícius. Benfica said the Argentine player was the victim of a "defamation campaign."

‘Right thing to do’

Kompany said Vinícius' reaction "cannot be faked."

"You can see it — his reaction is an emotional reaction. I don’t see any benefit for him to go to the referee and put all this misery on his shoulders," he said. "There is absolutely no reason for Vini Junior to go and do this.

"I think in his mind he’s doing it more because it’s the right thing to do in that moment."

Kompany added: "You have a player who’s complaining. You have a player who says he didn’t do it. And I think unless the player himself comes forward, it’s difficult. It’s a difficult case."