• 

• Sportsnet and bet365

  At bet365, you can watch thousands of live games, build your own bet, and can even make a bet while the game’s still being played. 19+. Play responsibly. Ontario only.

  More information

Questions about a possible return for Serena Williams continue to circulate around the BNP Paribas Open, but Venus Williams is not revealing anything.

After her three-set loss to Diane Parry in Indian Wells, Venus was asked whether fans might see the famous Williams sisters team up again in doubles this season.

Her response was short and direct.

“I think you should definitely ask her that.”

Speculation around Serena’s future has grown after the 23-time Grand Slam champion re-entered the anti-doping testing pool last summer, making her eligible to return to competition. Serena stepped away from tennis in 2022, saying she had “evolved” away from the sport.

While Venus did not confirm anything about a comeback, she has previously spoken about how much she enjoys seeing her sister play.

Speaking last year at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, she said:
“I’m her biggest fan. She can take six months off and she clocks it clean. You can’t teach that kind of talent. She’s just so good.

“The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. We always did everything together, so of course I miss her. But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.”

Serena herself has remained quiet about a potential return, though she has posted training clips on social media, including recent practice sessions with fellow American Alycia Parks.

For now, the rumors remain just that.

All eight matches of this weekend’s FA Cup fifth round will be available to watch on TV as teams bid to reach the quarter-final stage of the competition.

Two of the ties – the all-Premier League clash between Wolves and Liverpool and the blockbuster meeting of Wrexham and Chelsea – will be shown on the BBC, with every game live on TNT Sports and Discovery+.

The FA Cup quarter-final draw is expected to take place on Monday, before West Ham face Brentford. Other ties includes League One’s Mansfield Town hosting Premier League leaders Arsenal and Newcastle facing Manchester City at St James’ Park.

Here’s everything you need to know

FA Cup fifth-round TV schedule

Friday 6 March

20:00: Wolves v Liverpool, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+, BBC One and iPlayer

Saturday 7 March

12:15: Mansfield Town v Arsenal, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

17:45: Wrexham v Chelsea, live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+, BBC One and iPlayer

20:00: Newcastle United v Man City, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

Sunday 8 March

12:00: Fulham v Southampton, live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+

13:30: Port Vale v Sunderland, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

16:30: Leeds United v Norwich City, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

Monday 9 March

19:30: West Ham United v Brentford on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

When is the FA Cup fifth-round draw?

The draw for the fifth round will likely take place on Monday 9 March, before the match between West Ham and Brentford.

FA Cup remaining match-days

Quarter-finals: From Saturday 4 April 2026

Semi-finals: From Saturday 25 April 2026

Final: On Saturday 16 May 2026

With moveable aerodynamics here to stay, each circuit will now display ‘straight mode zones’ on its map, in place of the previous DRS detection points, to indicate when the active wings come into play.

At Albert Park, four DRS zones now become five straight mode zones, with the overtake mode activation and detection points marked at the end of the lap at Turns 13 and 14.

Also on Sunday, to celebrate International Women’s Day, the right-hander of Turn Six will be dedicated to Haas race engineer Laura Mueller and head of race strategy at Red Bull Hannah Schmitz.

German Mueller is the first female race engineer in Formula 1 and is back for a second season working with Frenchman Esteban Ocon.

Briton Schmitz, meanwhile, has been a key figure in Red Bull’s recent championship successes and her strategy calls have guided the team to many of their wins and podiums.

After a record medal haul at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, India has begun stepping up preparations for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The sports ministry and national federations are focusing on logistics, athlete readiness and infrastructure months ahead of the event.

The Games will be held later this year from September 19 to October 4, with thousands of athletes from across Asia expected to compete in dozens of sports.

As part of the build-up, Indian authorities have started introducing new measures, including simulated accommodation setups and detailed operational planning to ensure athletes are fully prepared before they travel to Japan.

Replicating container-style accommodation

One of the most unusual aspects of the upcoming Asian Games is the accommodation plan for athletes. Instead of a traditional athletes’ village, organisers have opted for repurposed shipping containers and cruise liners to house participants.

To help athletes get used to this unique arrangement, India has begun installing container-style housing units at Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centres in Patiala and Bengaluru. Athletes who qualify for the Games will spend at least one night in these units to familiarise themselves with the compact layout and living conditions.

Preference for land-based housing

While some participating countries may house athletes aboard a cruise liner docked at a nearby port, India has requested land-based accommodation for its contingent.

This request is particularly important for athletes competing in precision sports such as shooting and archery, where stability, rest and minimal environmental disturbance are crucial before competition.

Authorities believe staying on land rather than on a ship will provide a more controlled and predictable environment for athletes.

Review meetings and administrative planning

India’s preparations are also being monitored at the highest level. A review meeting chaired by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was recently held at the SAI headquarters in New Delhi.

Officials from the sports ministry, SAI and other stakeholders discussed travel logistics, operational readiness, training support and athlete welfare.

The meeting focused on ensuring athletes receive full backing in areas such as sports science, medical support, equipment, nutrition and travel arrangements.

Selection process and contingent size

India is expected to send a large contingent to the Asian Games, with more than 700 athletes across over 40 disciplines likely to participate.

The final size of the Indian contingent will be decided by a 15-member review committee scheduled to meet on March 20. The committee includes Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Indian Olympic Association President P. T. Usha, Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav, and Deputy Chef de Mission Achanta Sharath Kamal.

Federations have also been asked to finalise teams early and plan international exposure tours so athletes can compete against strong global opposition before the Games.

Focus on logistics, travel and support staff

Several additional measures are being implemented to streamline preparations.

Each National Sports Federation has appointed a nodal officer responsible for studying the Asian Games technical handbook and briefing athletes and coaches about competition regulations. Coordination with Indian embassies abroad is also being strengthened to handle travel and logistical issues.

The government is also planning to appoint a chief medical officer for the entire contingent, while official kits and equipment are expected to be distributed well before departure to Japan.

India’s performance in the last Asian Games

India heads into the 2026 Asian Games with strong momentum after delivering its best-ever performance at the previous edition in Hangzhou.

The Indian contingent finished with a record 107 medals — including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze — and secured fourth place in the overall medal standings.

• 

• Sportsnet and bet365

  At bet365, you can watch thousands of live games, build your own bet, and can even make a bet while the game’s still being played. 19+. Play responsibly. Ontario only.

  More information

Golf courses are burial grounds for many things: lost balls, drainage pipes, unrealistic expectations.

At a club in England this week, the ground opened up to reveal something else: a long-sealed wine cellar.

The discovery came at Davyhulme Park Golf Club, outside Manchester, where a sinkhole formed on the 13th hole and exposed a brick-lined chamber beneath. Inside were wine bottles of assorted shapes and sizes, all of them empty but brimming with history.

In a report first published by the BBC, deputy head greenskeeper Steve Hopkins said he encountered the sinkhole during his morning rounds. Assuming a collapsed drainpipe, he fetched a digger to investigate. Instead of infrastructure trouble, he unearthed a relic.

The cellar is believed to have served Davyhulme Hall, a manor dating to the 12th-century reign of Henry II. The hall was demolished in 1888.

“I was basically the first person to go in there for over a hundred years,” Hopkins told the BBC.

Unlike the storied wine cellar at Augusta National Golf Club, this one holds nothing worth uncorking. But it does offer a taste of the club’s past.

The site of the sinkhole sits in a portion of the property known as “The Cellars,” which once served as a workers’ entrance. According to the club’s published history, Davyhulme Hall passed through generations before being inherited in 1844 by Robert Henry Norreys, known locally as Squire Bob.

The club, which proclaims itself the fourth-oldest golf club in England, began as nine holes. By 1931, after acquiring additional land, it expanded to 18, with the design work handled by the club’s professional, Ernest Smith, a character of some note. Smith would later earn a place in the Guinness World Records for playing golf in five countries within 24 hours, flying by light aircraft from Scotland and looping through the U.K. and Ireland in a single day.

In gratitude for his architectural work, the club granted Smith honorary membership, a rare gesture in an era when professionals were rarely welcomed into clubhouses as peers. Two years later, according to the club’s website, he eloped to South America with the daughter of a member to whom he had been giving “lessons.” The club’s history puts that word in quotes before noting, with admirable understatement: “This caused quite a stir.”

So has the cellar.

Per Hopkins’ account to the BBC, members have already begun debating what should become of it. Some have suggested preserving it as a feature of the course. For now, though, it doesn’t appear to be interfering with play.

Bob Harlan, the Green Bay Packers’ president and CEO for nearly two decades, overseeing the franchise’s return to consistent winning, has died at 89.

The Packers announced Thursday that Harlan passed away in Green Bay after a brief illness. Team historian Cliff Christl said Harlan had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia.

Harlan, father of longtime sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan, joined the NFL’s only publicly owned team in 1971.

He was elected president and CEO in 1989, serving until his retirement in January 2008.

“Bob restored the Packers’ tradition of excellence, winning a Super Bowl and renovating Lambeau Field into the iconic venue it is today,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “He also contributed substantially to our league, helping ensure that all cities, large or small, could be successful.”

During Harlan’s tenure, the Packers had 13 straight winning seasons from 1992-2004, won a Super Bowl during the 1996 season and got back the Super Bowl the following year. Harlan also was the Packers’ president/CEO during the $295 million redevelopment of Lambeau Field.

“Bob was a visionary leader whose impact on the franchise was transformational,” Packers president/CEO Ed Policy said in a statement. “From his inspired hiring of (general manager) Ron Wolf to turn around the club’s on-field fortunes to his tireless work to redevelop Lambeau Field, Bob restored the Packers to competitive excellence during his tenure and helped ensure our unique and treasured flagship NFL franchise was on sound footing for sustained generational success.

“We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Madeline, and the entire Harlan family.”

Harlan’s selection of Wolf as general manager came in 1991. At the time, the Packers had made just two playoff appearances since winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1966 and 1967 seasons.

Wolf reversed the Packers’ fortunes by acquiring Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons and adding Hall of Fame pass rusher Reggie White in free agency.

“Bob Harlan’s leadership of the Green Bay Packers was outstanding,” Favre said in a statement released by the team. “Hiring Ron Wolf and supporting the trade that brought me to Green Bay changed my career. The organization believed in me and gave me the opportunity.

“He was so supportive of me during the challenges I faced in my career. Challenges my family faced, too. He was always there offering his support. He was a great and kind man.”

• 

• Sportsnet and bet365

  At bet365, you can watch thousands of live games, build your own bet, and can even make a bet while the game’s still being played. 19+. Play responsibly. Ontario only.

  More information