Winter Olympics & Paralympics: Italy's Milan-Cortina chosen to host 2026 Games

Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have been announced as the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted for Italy's joint bid ahead of Stockholm, Sweden.

Skating sports and ice hockey will be held in Milan, while most alpine skiing events will take place in the resort of Cortina.

Other snow sports will be held in other venues in the Italian Alps, including Bormio and Livigno.

Cortina previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, while Turin staged the 2006 edition of the Games.

There were only two candidates left after four other bidders - the Swiss city of Sion, Japan's Sapporo, Graz in Austria and the Canadian city Calgary, which hosted in 1988 - had earlier dropped out of the race with concerns over the event's size and cost.

The results showed Milan-Cortina had received 47 out of the 82 votes cast.

Sweden has never hosted a Winter Games before and the wait goes on after its Stockholm-Are bid - based around the capital and its largest ski resort, but also including Latvian city Sigulda - received 34 votes. There was one abstention/blank vote.

IOC president Thomas Bach said: "Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to an outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country.

"The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world."

Delighted members of the winning delegation shouted "Italia, Italia" as the decision was announced.

Toronto Raptors: 2018-19 NBA Champions

Raptors capture first NBA title, beat Warriors in Game 6
By JANIE McCAULEY | AP Sports Writer

Jun. 14, 2019 1:11 AM ET

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Kawhi Leonard raised his arms high in triumph and celebrated Canada's first NBA championship.

''We the North!'' is now ''We the Champs!''

Leonard and the Toronto Raptors captured the country's first major title in 26 years with their most remarkable road win yet in the franchise's NBA Finals debut, outlasting the battered and depleted two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors 114-110 on Thursday night in a Game 6 for the ages.

''I wanted to make history here. That's what I did,'' a soaking wet Leonard said, ski goggles perched on his forehead and sporting a fresh black champions hat.

Stephen Curry missed a contested 3-pointer in the waning moments before Golden State called a timeout it didn't have, giving Leonard a technical free throw with 0.9 seconds left to seal it. Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP for a second time, then got behind Andre Iguodala for a layup as the buzzer sounded, but it went to review and the basket was called off before Leonard's two free throws. That only delayed the celebration for a moment.

When it actually ended, the typically stoic Leonard could let it all out. A Canadian team - and we're not talking hockey here - stood on top of one of the traditional major sports leagues for the first time since the Toronto Blue Jays won the 1993 World Series.

Serge Ibaka pulled his head up through the hoop by the Golden State bench as the crowd chanted ''Warriors! Warriors!'' after a sensational send-off at Oracle Arena.

Curry walked away slowly, hands on his head on a night Splash Brother Klay Thompson suffered a left knee injury and departed with 30 points.

Fred VanVleet rescued the Raptors down the stretch with his dazzling shooting from deep to score 22 points with five 3s off the bench, while Leonard wound up with 22 points. Kyle Lowry scored the game's first eight points and finished with 26 in all to go with 10 assists and seven rebounds.

Fans poured into the streets in Toronto, screaming and honking horns after the Raptors pulled off a third straight win on Golden State's home floor that said goodbye to NBA basketball after 47 seasons. And the Raptors did it with the very kind of depth that helped define Golden State's transformation into a dynasty the past five seasons.

This time, the Warriors were wounded.

Golden State already was down two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who had surgery Wednesday for a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Then, the Warriors lost Thompson - and they couldn't overcome just one more heartbreaking injury.

''A lot of bad breaks in the finals, to be honest,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. ''Like us, they kept on playing. We just had to keep on playing no matter who was out there. And I think they were super intense high-level games and both teams desperately trying to win.''

This thrilling back-and-forth game featured 18 lead changes, nine ties and neither team going ahead by more than nine points.

Curry scored 21 points but shot just 6 for 17 and went 3 of 11 on 3s. Iguodala added 22 for his biggest game this postseason as the Warriors did everything until the very last moment to leave a lasting legacy at Oracle.

Thompson provided his own dramatic memory. He injured his knee when fouled by Danny Green on a drive at the 2:22 mark of the third, was helped off the court and walked partially down a tunnel toward the locker room, then - shockingly - re-emerged to shoot his free throws before going out again at 2:19. He didn't return and left the arena on crutches.

''More than the what-ifs is just feeling bad for the players involved. Injuries are always part of the NBA season - any professional sport, injuries play a huge role,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''It's just the nature of these injuries, the severity of these injuries. And we'll know more about Klay. But we can sit here and say, well, if this hadn't happened or that hadn't happened, that doesn't matter. What matters is Kevin Durant is going to miss next season with an Achilles tear and Klay suffered a knee injury.''

In their best Bay Area version of Jurassic Park - Toronto's jam-packed gathering spot to cheer the Raptors - hundreds of red-clad fans stayed long after the game ended to watch the Larry O'Brien trophy ceremony. They waved the Maple Leaf and sang ''O Canada'' just as they did here after winning previously this series.

Lowry's hot start was almost fitting. It was the Toronto guard who got shoved on the sideline in Game 3 by Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens, now banned by the league and team for a year.

The Raptors, in their 24th season of existence, rallied from two games down to beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals then took down the mighty Warriors on their home floor to deny Golden State a three-peat.

The Raptors went 8 for 32 on 3s in a 106-105 Game 5 defeat as the Warriors staved off elimination Monday in Toronto. They started 5 of 6 from long range in this one and finished 13 of 33 and converted 23 of 29 free throws.

Curry and these Warriors never, ever count themselves out. Yet down 3-1 in their fifth straight NBA Finals, they didn't have the health it took to win the past two titles and three of the past four against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

''This five-year run's been awesome but I definitely don't think it's over,'' Curry said.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Leonard scored 732 points this postseason and on Thursday passed Allen Iverson (723) for fourth place and Hakeem Olajuwon (725) for third on the NBA's single-postseason scoring list. James is second with 748 accomplished last year behind Michael Jordan's 759 points in 1992. ... Toronto 9-16 all-time at Oracle Arena but 4-0 overall this season.

Warriors: Thompson's 374 career postseason 3s passed James (370) for third place on the career playoff list, trailing only Curry (470) and Ray Allen (385). ... Thompson notched his second 30-point performance this postseason, 13th of his career and fourth in a finals game despite not playing the entire fourth quarter.

FOR OAKLAND

A gold rally towel read FOR OAK on one line and LAND on the next with the K and D lined up in white - a clever way to also pay tribute to Durant with his initials ''KD.''

Kerr narrated a pregame tribute to Oracle's legacy on the big screen.

In the 2,070th game at Oracle, the Warriors sold out their 343rd consecutive game and said farewell at last to the place they called home nearly five decades. Now, Golden State will move its games, practices and day-to-day operations to new Chase Center in San Francisco beginning next season.

St. Louis Blues: 2018-19 Stanley Cup Champions

BOSTON -- The St. Louis Blues are Stanley Cup champions for the first time.

St. Louis defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on Wednesday.

"It doesn't feel real," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "It's absolutely incredible. I can't even explain. It feels like a video game we're in. It's what you dream of as a kid, posing with the Stanley Cup, getting to lift it. It's a special group. We're going to party hard."

Jordan Binnington made 32 saves; Alex Pietrangelo and Ryan O'Reilly each had a goal and an assist; and Schenn and Zach Sanford scored for St. Louis, which entered the NHL in 1967-68 and had never won a Cup Final game in three prior appearances (1968-70).

O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"Most of these guys on [the trophy] I pretended I was as a kid, and now to be on here with them, it's an incredible feeling," O'Reilly said. "I can't believe that we hung on and got this done."

Tuukka Rask made 16 saves, and Matt Grzelcyk scored for Boston, which won Game 6 of the best-of-7 series 5-1 on Sunday.

"It's an empty feeling," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "It's a long year. Someone had to win and someone had to lose and we came out on the wrong side of it. It's not the way you picture it. It's as simple as that."

The Blues were last in the NHL on Jan. 3. They are the first team to win the Stanley Cup after being last in the standings at least 30 games into a season.

St. Louis defeated the Winnipeg Jets in six games in the Western Conference First Round, the Dallas Stars in seven games in the second round, and the San Jose Sharks in six games in the conference final.

"It had to be this way, man," Binnington said. "It was an incredible year and I can't believe where we're at. It's awesome."

Rask allowed more than three goals in a game for the first time since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 17, ending a streak of 19 games allowing three or fewer. He allowed two goals on four shots in the first period.

"It was a nightmare for me, obviously," Rask said. "Barely didn't make a save in the first. And you know we tried to create, we had good chances, and [Binnington] made the saves when they needed."

O'Reilly gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 16:47 of the first period, scoring from between the hash marks on a deflection of Jay Bouwmeester's shot from the point. He became the first player to score in four straight Cup Final games since Wayne Gretzky did so with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985.

O'Reilly was the leading scorer of the Cup Final with nine points (five goals, four assists) and finished tied for the most points in the playoffs with 23 (eight goals, 15 points) with Bruins forward Brad Marchand (nine goals, 14 assists).

"Put the team on his back," Schenn said of O'Reilly. "He obviously believed we could do it. We all believed we could do it. He led the way."

Pietrangelo made it 2-0 with eight seconds left in the first. He scored on a forehand-backhand deke with a shot over Rask's blocker from the slot.

The Bruins outshot the Blues 12-4 in the first period and 23-10 through two periods but did not score.

Binnington, who played one NHL game three seasons ago prior to Dec. 16, became the first rookie goalie to win 16 games in a single NHL postseason.

"He was outstanding tonight," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I thought it was his best game of the series."

Schenn made it 3-0 at 11:25 of the third period, scoring on a one-timer off a pass from Vladimir Tarasenko. Sanford extended the lead to 4-0 at 15:22.

Grzelcyk ended Binnington's shutout with 2:10 remaining to make it 4-1.

"We did it, we did it," Blues forward Pat Maroon said. "I mean, there's nothing else. We put everything on the line from Jan. 3 on and we deserve this. What a way to finish it."

They said it
"We knew it was there, we knew we had the pieces, but it was so educational for myself to see how tough it is and how hard you have to work and how even-keel you have to be to keep coming every day and just keep punching at it. It was always there that we can do it, but to actually do it, it's exhausting. I'm exhausted." -- Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly

"We thought we were going to do it. We had that belief we have all year. We've done it plenty of times. It takes one goal to get going and swing that momentum, and we just didn't get that one early enough. We thought that we'd be able to come back, but obviously we didn't." -- Bruins forward Brad Marchand


Need to know
The road team won five games in the Cup Final for the fourth time (1945, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings; 1966, Montreal Canadiens and Red Wings; 2000, New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars). ... The Blues finished 10-3 on the road in the playoffs, including 3-1 in the Cup Final. They are the seventh team in NHL history, first since 2000, to win three road games in the Cup Final (1921 Ottawa Senators, 1928 New York Rangers, 1945 Maple Leafs, 1966 Canadiens, 1990 Edmonton Oilers, 2000 Devils). All seven won the Stanley Cup. ... St. Louis tied the record for most road wins in a single postseason (1995 Devils, 2000 Devils, 2004 Calgary Flames, 2012 Los Angeles Kings, 2018 Washington Capitals). ... The Blues are the fourth team in the NHL modern era (since 1943-44), first in 30 years, to win the Cup without a previous Cup winner on the roster (1974 Philadelphia Flyers, 1980 New York Islanders, 1989 Flames). ... St. Louis was swept in the Cup Final by the Montreal Canadiens twice and the Bruins. ... Boston has lost the Cup Final 14 times, most of any team.


What's next
Season complete

FFXIV: Tonight

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FFXIV: Let's Nyerrh! Fatter Cat GOLION Nyanka Nyuu Nyuu! ♥

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Portugal: 2018-19 UEFA Nations League Winners

At a glance
Portugal have added the UEFA Nations League crown to their UEFA EURO 2016 triumph after Gonçalo Guedes's second-half strike downed the Netherlands.

Defences held sway in an even first 59 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo, Memphis Depay and Bernardo Silva all carried menace, but as soon as they encountered their opponents' defensive walls, impenetrable fortifications marshalled by Virgil van Dijk and José Fonte, they floundered.

Then, on the hour, came the breakthrough. Bernardo Silva looked to have overcooked his disguised pass to Guedes, but the Valencia forward wrapped his foot around it and squeezed a shot inside the post. Despite getting two hands to the ball, Jasper Cillessen could not keep it out.

The Oranje have become used to falling behind and responded gamely, with Depay going close from a header. The Portuguese rearguard held firm, however, with the sight of Ronaldo clearing from open play an indication that it was all hands to the pump. Portugal have done it again.

Man of the match: Rúben Dias
"An assured performance from the young central defender," said UEFA Technical Observer David Moyes. "He played with a lot of confidence and took a lot of responsibility with the absence of Pepe through injury."

View from the stadium
Joe Walker, Portugal
Portugal have gone some way to banishing the demons of 2004 by claiming UEFA Nations League glory on home turf to add to their UEFA EURO 2016 title. On the balance of play, you have to say they were good value for it. Fernando Santos got his selection spot-on, Guedes repaying the faith with a fine winner and Danilo a colossus in midfield.

Derek Brookman, Netherlands
We didn't get to see the dynamic, bold Dutch we've become accustomed to. Frenkie de Jong never got the chance to dictate the rhythm of the game, Georginio Wijnaldum looked a little off the pace, and the gaps between the lines were too great. Maybe the long season finally caught up with the players. The team, nonetheless, can be immensely proud of their progress.

Key stats
1: Portugal are the inaugural UEFA Nations League winners!

4: Gonçalo Guedes's goal was his fourth in 17 appearances for Portugal, and his first competitive international strike.

10: Portugal are unbeaten in their last ten matches (W5 D5).

14: Portugal are 14 competitive games unbeaten on home turf, dating back to September 2014.

50: Jasper Cillessen became only the fifth goalkeeper to earn 50 caps for the Netherlands.

What's next?
A summer of celebrations for Portugal! Eventually, attention will then switch back to UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying this autumn. Portugal resume their title defence away to Serbia on 7 September. The Netherlands face Germany yet again on 6 September – it was, of course, a 3-0 victory against their great neighbours that set the Oranje on the road to the UEFA Nations League final.

Liverpool: 2018-19 UEFA Champions League Winners

Liverpool are champions of Europe for the sixth time after a 2-0 defeat of Premier League rivals Tottenham in Madrid.

The Reds' victory, courtesy of a Mohamed Salah penalty awarded in the first minute and converted in the second, plus a late Divock Origi effort, not only exorcises the demons of last season's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in Kyiv but also ends Jürgen Klopp's run of six successive club final defeats.


It gets sweeter still for Salah. His delight – or was it relief? – at converting from the spot after Moussa Sissoko was penalised for handball after just 24 seconds was no doubt magnified by the fact he was forced off injured in the Ukrainian capital last year.

Salah's strike was not the start of a customary deluge from Liverpool, though, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson going closest to doubling their lead with shots from distance later in the half. Heung-Min Son twice ran in behind for Spurs, but the north London club failed to engineer any clear openings of their own.

Then, much like buses in the city they call home, three came along all at once; Dele Alli headed over, before Son and then Lucas Moura were denied by Alisson Becker. Substitute James Milner had gone close to adding to Liverpool's lead by that point, but it was left to fellow replacement Origi to finish the job with a precise low effort three minutes from time.

Man of the match: Virgil van Dijk
As commanding as he has been ever since moving to Anfield in January 2018; another colossal performance from the Dutchman. Thomas Schaaf, leader of the UEFA Technical Observers in Madrid, said: "Van Dijk showed outstanding leadership and was Liverpool's best defender. He made crucial interventions when needed and played with a cool head throughout."

View from the stadium
Matthew Howarth, Liverpool reporter
This was far from vintage Liverpool, who struggled to keep possession for large periods of a nervous contest. Spurs, despite their best efforts, failed to capitalise on some promising situations in the final third as the Reds held their nerve to get over their 2018 heartbreak. A sixth European Cup is the least the club deserves after a quite remarkable campaign at home and on the continent.

Spurs will depart their first UEFA Champions League final perhaps harbouring a few regrets. Mauricio Pochettino's side were not quite as precise as usual against a Liverpool side that did its level best to disrupt the midfield. There were chances, but ultimately Spurs did not play with the freedom that has characterised what has nevertheless been a memorable run.

Reaction
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager
I don't want to explain why we won it; I only want to enjoy that we won it. We'll celebrate together, we'll have a sensational night. I feel mostly relief, relief for my family. The last six times we flew on holiday with only a silver medal it didn't feel too cool.

Jürgen Klopp on Liverpool's Madrid glory
We were all crying on the pitch because it means so much to us. It wasn't important for me to touch the cup; I loved seeing the boys having it and seeing some faces in the crowd. Going to Liverpool tomorrow with something to celebrate is big and I'm really looking forward to that.

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham manager
Now it's impossible to talk – we're all very disappointed, but I feel so proud of my players. Finals are about winning, not about playing well; it's not tactics. I want to congratulate Liverpool, Klopp, the players, the club and the fans because they've had an amazing season. They were fantastic. It's so painful, but we need to keep going.

Key stats
2: Salah's goal was the second fastest in a final after Paolo Maldini's effort 51 seconds into the 2005 decider.

5: A substitute has scored in five of the last six finals: Marcelo (2014), Yannick Carrasco (2016), Marco Asensio (2017), Gareth Bale (2018) and now Origi.

6: Liverpool's sixth European Cup means they go third on their own on the all-time honours board, behind only Real Madrid (13) and AC Milan (7).

6: Klopp's run of six successive final defeats, including three with Liverpool, stretched back to Borussia Dortmund's 2013 UEFA Champions League final loss to Bayern.

13: England now has 13 European Cups, clear in second place behind Spain (18) and ahead of Italy (12).

17: Klopp is the 17th coach to win the UEFA Champions League.

20: Of the 26 UEFA Champions League finals that have yielded a goal, 20 have been won by the team scoring first. Only 2003 ended goalless.