Barcelona election season is in full swing, with the countdown ongoing to the presidential vote next month. Joan Laporta is the overwhelming favourite to be re-elected, and right now, he is in the process of staking his claim to return to office.

On Saturday, Laporta was out-and-about in Barcelona, as he continued his campaign run. He made a speech at the Port Sitges Resort Hotel, and as per MD, he spoke during this on how he had helped stabilise the Catalan club’s financial woes.

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“The club is objectively and indisputably better than five years ago, thanks to a management that has allowed the entity to save itself from a limit economic situation, recover its institutional credibility and put it back in the front line. Good management is not the result of chance, but of constant work, courageous decisions and the commitment of a management and executive team that has placed the shield above any other interest.”

Image via David Ramos/Getty Images

Laporta: Barcelona cannot fall into inexperienced hands

Laporta made it clear that he believes voters should back him because of his experience of running the club, as he aimed a small dig at the candidates also in the running to become Barcelona’s next president.

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“The club does not it must fall into inexperienced hands. Institutional stability must be reaffirmed, social and economic, culminating the project of the new Spotify Camp Nou, consolidating a modern, professional and high-level governance model, maintain the sporting ambition in all sections, guarantee the ownership model of members and continue to defend the essence of the Club and the commitment with democracy, freedom and the Catalan language and culture.”

It has been two weeks since Laporta handed in his resignation, as per Barcelona rules for the election process. He is confident of being re-elected, and right now, it is clear to see why, given how popular he has been with the club’s members and supporters.

02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Ceremony done and dusted

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

2026 Olympics officially closed

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Volunteers honored and moment of rememberance

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Medals for final events awarded

As is tradition, medals for the last set of events of the Games will be awarded in the stadium. We start off with the women’s 50 km mass start cross country skiing, won by Sweden’s Ebba Andersson.

Then it’s the same event for the men. This one, muc like fve other events, was won by Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who won six golds in total and formed part of a Norwegian podium clean sweep in this event. 

The country of just 5.5 million have punched well above their weight to finish top of the medal table by some distance.

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

And now for something a little different…

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Athletes arrive in the arena

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Italian flag raised as Olympic flame arrives

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Closing ceremony for 2026 Olympics begins

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

European nations dominate Winter Olympic medal table

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Final weekend brings protests and PR gaffes

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Politics and sport prove tough to separate at 2026 Olympics

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

What to expect from the Olympic closing ceremony

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02/22/2026February 22, 2026

Welcome to our Winter Olympics closing ceremony coverage!

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Elite jumper Constitution Hill appears headed toward a pioneering bid for the 2026 Melbourne Cup on the back of his dominant return to action in England last weekend.

Michael Buckley, the owner, discussed on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday—screened Sunday afternoon Australian time—that the $10 million 3200m Flemington spectacle in November is his prized objective.

Buckley with trainer Nicky Henderson haven’t confirmed a hurdles comeback at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, but the owner holds firm views on late-year plans.

“I think we need to make a plan, we can always change it along the way,” Buckley said.

“I think that the horse should be running around about the end of August or beginning of September, in either the Ebor (at York), or there’s a race at Goodwood, or in the Irish St Leger, with a view to going to Melbourne.

“I think he’ll stay two miles on the flat.

“If you were asking me what I’d like to do, that’s what I’d like to aim at.”

Constitution Hill returned via a 9-1/2 length rout at 2414m on Southwell’s all-weather track, raced in Saturday’s early Australian hours.

This was his first flat race, following falls in three of four preceding jumps starts. He entered with a streak of 10 jumps victories, eight Grade 1s.

A March 17, 2017 foal by Blue Bresil, the horse would enter the Melbourne Cup as a 10-year-old per Australian standards for hemisphere-bred runners.

The oldest Melbourne Cup winners at eight years old are Toryboy (1865), Catalogue (1938), and Twilight Payment (2020), from the event’s 1861 origins.

Given his jumps background, Constitution Hill must secure black-type flat credentials for Melbourne Cup qualification and undergo Racing Victoria’s thorough vet checks.

The owner is confident of approval, despite the horse’s odd trotting gait, with Henderson set to supply video evidence to examiners.

“As far as I know, he doesn’t have anything that would be adverse to getting in,” Buckley said.

“Nicky will make sure that they have a video of the way he trots…he’s a terrible trotter but he seems OK when he’s galloping.”

Constitution Hill is quoted at $15 in places for the 2026 Melbourne Cup slated for November 3.

Discover leading racing betting markets featuring Constitution Hill for the Melbourne Cup.

Zoe Atkin capped Team GB’s best ever Winter Olympics with a bronze medal in the freeski half-pipe, to go with three golds and a silver won earlier in the Games.

The 23-year-old is the reigning world and X Games champion and had qualified in top spot, but China’s Eileen Gu recovered from a poor qualifying performance to win gold in her best discipline, defending her title from Beijing four years ago.

Atkin was a disappointing ninth in Beijing and withstood the pressure in Livigno Snow Park to seal a first Olympic medal despite a crash on her second run, equalling her older sister Izzy’s slopestyle bronze from Pyeongchang 2018.

China took gold and silver through Gu – the most decorated freeskier in history, who added a gold to her slopestyle and Big Air silver last week – and Li Fanghui, with whom Atkin shared the overall World Cup crystal globe last season.

Atkin’s bronze takes GB’s overall medal haul up to five, matching the record set in Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang, but an improvement with three golds compared to just one at each of those Games.

She said: “I can’t even begin to describe the rollercoaster of emotions it is here at the Olympics. I was so stressed out today and so nervous. So I kind of played a little bit safer on my first run just to put one down. And then I set it up on that third run there, so I’m just super stoked.”

Her family and fellow Olympic medallist sister were in Livigno to cheer her on, and she added: “I wanted to one up her so bad! But no, watching her in 2018 has always been such a big moment of inspiration for me. And she’s always been my biggest role model. It was so full circle to have her watching me here and supporting me, when I was watching her in Pyeongchang when she got her medal. It’s really special, and to share that with her means so much.​​​​​​​”

The final was initially delayed by an hour and a half due to heavy snowfall in Livigno which completely blanketed the half-pipe, with poor visibility making it unsafe for the event to go ahead, before the decision was made to push it back to Sunday.

Fortunately the weather gods smiled on Livigno on the final day of the Games, and 11 athletes – missing Canada’s Cassie Sharpe, who qualified third but crashed hard and withdrew with a concussion – took to the Snow Park in bright sunshine.

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Nerves were on show for much of the field, with several of the early starters crashing on their first run and struggling to maintain balance landing on the fresh snow.

Gu produced a huge first trick but landed slightly awkwardly and bailed on the remainder of her run, having lost all her speed, and scored on 30.00 to go into eighth place.

But Li was on impeccable form, launching up the 7 metre wall fearlessly and transitioning well between difficult tricks to post 81.25, going into provisional third.

A relaxed-looking Atkin, who had qualified in first place, chatted to her coach at the top of the half-pipe and spent some time on her phone selecting her music choice for the run before setting off.

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The 23-year-old’s amplitude – the height she gets on her jumps – is her major advantage over her rivals, and she powered into the lead with a superb, consistent opening run to score 90.50, remaining in the lead and with more difficult tricks in her locker.

Gu put together a much better second run – successfully landing the trick she erred on in qualifying – to soar into the lead with 94.00, putting the pressure back onto Atkin.

Australian 16-year-old Indra Brown recorded the first 1080 of the day – a cork 1080, three full rotations in the air – but only scored 65.00, while Li pushed Atkin down to third with a 91.50.

Atkin soared 5.4 metres, nearly 2 metres higher than most of her rivals, into the air with her first trick but came unstuck later in the run, clipping the pipe with her skis and crashing hard, unable to improve her score.

Gu posted a 94.75 with her best run yet, reaching a height of 4 metres to maintain her position at the top of the standings and guarantee a medal.

The 22-year-old ran to hug compatriot Li after the latter completed another strong final run, posting 93.00 to put China in the top two podium spots.

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Atkin dropped into the half-pipe last, recovering after her crash to put in an excellent run, including a huge switch 900 for her final trick. Her amplitude was again miles higher than any of her rivals but it was only enough for bronze, a 92.50 – half a point off silver.

But she was delighted to make the podium and celebrated with her fellow medallists, the tears flowing as she prepared to accept her medal, while Gu dropped to the snow in joy and disbelief after defending her title.