Bulgaria claims Eurovision crown

The final was held at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital, where Dara's performance earned top honors ahead of Israel's Noam Bettan, who finished second with 343 points, and Romania's representative, who took third with 296 points. The victory marked Bulgaria's first win in the competition's history, capping a week of rehearsals and semifinals that drew thousands of fans to Vienna.

Protests disrupt Vienna final

Five countries — Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iceland and Ireland — withdrew from the competition to protest Israel's participation, while over 1,000 protesters converged on Christian Broda Square and marched toward the venue bearing placards stating "Don't celebrate genocide" and "No stage for genocide." Inside the arena, audience members waved Palestinian flags during Bettan's performance and booed when Israel's public vote results were announced.

Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, condemned Israel's presence during the broadcast, writing on social media that "there should be no stage for Israel at Eurovision while there is an ongoing genocide, unlawful occupation and apartheid." During the first semifinal on May 12, security personnel removed protesters wearing "Free Palestine" slogans from the venue after audience members chanted "Stop the genocide" and displayed Palestinian flags.

Broadcasters criticize EBU as ratings fall

Spain's RTVE public broadcaster transmitted a message supporting "peace and justice for Palestine" at the start of its broadcast, momentarily darkening its screen to display the text in Spanish and English. Belgium's Flemish public broadcaster VRT warned it may reconsider future participation unless the European Broadcasting Union changes its policies regarding countries engaged in active war.

Viewership declined significantly in several markets amid the boycott calls, with Dutch broadcaster NOS reporting a 42% drop in semifinal ratings compared to 2025 — the country's least-watched Eurovision semifinal since 2012. Italian public broadcaster RAI drew 1.87 million viewers for the first semifinal, falling from 2.489 million in the previous year, while audience figures also fell in the UK, Sweden and Belgium.

Bridging tradition and modernity

Erdogan stated that athletics serve as a vital mechanism for transmitting culture across generations, arguing that contemporary society retains a deep yearning for traditional values despite modernity's relentless pressures. "The point isn't to revive our traditional sports to their former glory," he said, adding that the goal is to plant seeds connecting historical spirit with present capabilities while fostering identity among youth. He also urged festival attendees to remember children in Gaza who cannot play peacefully with their families amid ongoing conflict.

Reaching disconnected youth

Research conducted by the union indicates that half of young people in Türkiye do not engage in sports activities. Erdogan believes traditional athletics can bridge this gap by attracting those disconnected from mainstream offerings through culturally resonant alternatives. The organization will showcase these efforts during the 8th Ethnosport Culture Festival, scheduled to run from May 21–24 at Istanbul Atatürk Airport — an event he described as crucial for nations struggling to preserve their distinctive cultural heritage against globalization's homogenizing effects.

Football commentary

While identifying mounted archery as his favorite spectator sport, Erdogan admitted he would choose football if playing himself, identifying publicly as a dedicated supporter of Fenerbahce. He noted the Istanbul club currently sits in second place and has accumulated substantial points throughout the season, yet remains narrowly excluded from championship contention due to morale issues visibly affecting player performance. "Ultimately, a footballer can lose the championship because of their morale in a single match," he said, stressing that persistent tension among fans, management, and players demands immediate resolution to restore peace within the club.

Alpine Glory and Biathlon Brilliance

Italy's Federica Brignone added to her remarkable Games, capturing her second gold medal in the women's giant slalom, defeating Sweden's Sara Hector and Norway's Thea Louise Stjernesund. In biathlon competition, Sweden's Martin Ponsiluoma claimed gold in the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit, while Italy's Lisa Vittozzi triumphed in the women's 10-kilometer pursuit ahead of Norwegian and Finnish competitors.

Freestyle, Skeleton, and Speed Skating Highlights

Canadian Mikael Kingsbury dominated the men's dual moguls final, defeating Japan's Ikuma Horishima 30-5 to secure gold. Great Britain celebrated a golden double with Tabitha Stoecker and Matt Weston winning the mixed team skeleton event, while Femke Kok of the Netherlands set an Olympic record of 36.49 seconds capturing women's 500-meter speed skating gold. Britain also prevailed in mixed team snowboard cross, edging host nation Italy and France. Norway's Anna Odine Stroem topped the women's large hill ski jumping podium, completing a Norwegian gold rush on the day.

Alpine Glory and Cross-Country Dominance

Italy's Federica Brignone captured gold in the women's super-G with a time of 1:23.41, securing her first Olympic title at age 35 and becoming the oldest alpine skiing gold medalist in Winter Games history. France's Romane Miradoli claimed silver, while Austria's Cornelia Huetter took bronze. In cross-country skiing, Sweden's Frida Karlsson earned her second gold of these Games by winning the women's 10-kilometer freestyle in 22:49.2, ahead of compatriot Ebba Andersson and American Jessie Diggins.

Luge Supremacy and Speed Skating Success

Germany's luge team relay of Julia Taubitz, Tobias Wendl, Tobias Arlt, Max Langenhan, Dajana Eitberger, and Magdalena Matschina captured gold with a time of 3:41.672, extending the nation's Olympic dominance to four consecutive titles. Austria secured silver, with Italy claiming bronze. Host nation Italy celebrated another gold as Francesca Lollobrigida triumphed in the women's 5,000-meter speed skating race in 6:46.17, her second gold of Milano-Cortina 2026, ahead of Dutch skater Merel Conijn and Norway's Ragne Wiklund.

Snowboard, Freestyle, and Short Track Fireworks

Austria's Alessandro Haemmerle successfully defended his Olympic crown in men's snowboard cross, while South Korea's 17-year-old Gaon Choi became the youngest medalist of the Games, scoring 90.25 points to win women's snowboard halfpipe gold ahead of American defending champion Chloe Kim. Australia's Cooper Woods claimed gold in men's moguls freestyle with 83.71 points. In short track speed skating, Dutch star Xandra Velzeboer set a world record of 41.399 seconds in the women's 500-meter semifinals before taking gold in 41.609 seconds. Italy's Arianna Fontana earned silver, her nation's sixth medal of the Games. Dutch skater Jens van 't Wout won men's 1,000-meter gold, with China's Long Sun and South Korea's Rim Jong-un completing the podium.

FINA announced on Thursday that the Russian swimmer will be unable to compete in any FINA event "for a period of nine months, following Mr Rylov’s attendance and conduct at an event held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 18 March 2022. Mr Rylov’s suspension took effect on 20 April 2022."

Rylov, a gold medalist in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke categories at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, joined a Moscow rally last month in support of Russia's war on Ukraine.

The 25-year-old came to the demonstration with the letter Z affixed to his clothing, which is a pro-war symbol.

He was also wearing the medals he won at the Olympics last summer.

Speedo, a world-renowned swimwear and swimming goggles manufacturer, had earlier terminated Rylov's sponsorship agreement for his participation in the rally hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At least 2,345 civilians have been killed and 2,919 injured in Ukraine since the war began Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure believed to be much higher.

More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7.7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.

Kamaloglu beat her Hungarian opponent Tamara Dollak 8-6 in the final to clinch the gold.

The tournament in Plovdiv, Bulgaria will end on March 13.

He ran the marathon in 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 40 seconds, making him the fourth-fastest marathoner in history.

Another Kenyan, Amos Kipruto, finished second in 2:03:13, with Ethiopian Tamirat Tola coming in third in 2:04:14.

Separately, a three-time Olympian Stephen Mokoka from South Africa broke the 50-kilometer men's world record in a road race in Gqeberha with a time of 2:40:13, surpassing Ethiopia's Ketema Negasa.

Uyghur Turks criticized the Chinese government and accused it of carrying out “genocide" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Demonstrators carried East Turkestan flags and chanted "Freedom to East Turkestan" and "Boycott China's genocide Olympics.”

Protestors also criticized the US International Olympic Committee and media outlets such as the NBC network that is broadcasting the Games in the US.

They demanded that the International Criminal Court investigate genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghur people.

- China's practices in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Violations against the identity and culture of Uyghur Turks in China have been criticized by the international community in recent years.

Many Uyghur Turks are kept against their will in places that Beijing calls "vocational training centers" and the international community defines as "re-education camps".

Beijing does not provide information on how many camps there are in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, how many people there are and how many have returned to social life.

While the UN and other international organizations have reiterated their calls for the camps to be opened for scrutiny, China has so far allowed a few of the camps it designated itself to be partially viewed by a small number of foreign diplomats and journalists.

Chinese authorities are refusing UN officials' requests to freely investigate the region for direct information.

“Sports have nothing to do with politics,” said Wang Wenbin, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman.

“The Winter Olympic Games is not a stage for political posturing,” Wang said as Beijing is set to host the world’s biggest winter games next February.

The US, UK, Canada, and Australia have, however, said they will not send any officials to represent their nations at the opening ceremony of the games. The ban does not apply to their sportspersons.

Wang called on these countries to “demonstrate a more united Olympic spirit instead of undermining the Olympic cause,” Chinese public broadcaster CGTN reported.

“They will have to pay the price for this mistake,” he said, referring to the countries that will not send their officials to the Winter Olympics.

The spokesman tried to fend off any “ripple effect” due to the diplomatic offensive by the US and its allies.

“It’s not worth worrying whether there are ripple effects from individual countries,” Wang said. “We will see the success of the Games no matter whether their officials will come.”

He said many heads of state, government officials, and members of royal families have registered to attend the Beijing 2022.