Sports weekend with Izvestia

Ski racing

Tour de Ski

The multi-day ski race Tour de Ski is traditionally considered one of the main sporting events during the New Year holidays. In the previous three seasons, it was not particularly interesting for Russian viewers due to the suspension of our athletes from international competitions. But the recent admission of Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev to neutral status gives reason to pay attention to the competition in Toblach and Val di Fiemme, Italy, the first stage of which will take place at the end of December and starts on the last day of this week, on the 28th.

December 28, sprint: 13:45, preliminary race, women; 14:20, preliminary race, men; 12:30-12:54, quarterfinals, women; 13:00-13:24, quarterfinals, men; 13:30-13:36, semifinals, women; 13:42-13:48, semifinals, men; 13:58, final, women; 14:08, final, men. December 21, individual race: 10:00 a.m., women; 12:30 p.m., men. Toblach-Dobbiaco Ski Resort (Toblach, Italy). Live broadcasts on Okko Sport

"Now the focus is on the Tour de Ski

Russian skier Savely Korostelev — about the specifics of performing on high-altitude trails, applications for the pre-Olympic stages of the World Cup and future plans

Chess

Rapid and Blitz World Championships

The traditional world rapid chess championship starts next weekend. As usual, it takes place in the last week of the year. A year ago, Volodar Mirzov, a young Russian grandmaster, won sensationally in rapid. Two other Russian chess players were among the top three winners: Alexander Grischuk became the second, and Yan Nepomnyashchy became the third.

All three will perform at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, where Russia will also be represented by Vladislav Artemyev, the 2018 European blitz champion and winner of the 2019 World Team Championship, Daniil Dubov, the 2018 rapid World champion, Andrey Esipenko, a participant in next year's tournament of candidates for the chess crown, and two dozen other Russian chess players. Among the women from Russia, winners of the November World Team Championship Alexandra Goryachkina, Ekaterina Lagno, Polina Shuvalova, Leia Garifullina, Anna Shukhman, Olga Girya, as well as three-time European champion Valentina Gunina will play.

Among the stars from other countries, we will see the current holder of the chess crown, the 18th world champion in classical chess, Gukesh Dommaraja from India, the 16th world champion Magnus Carlssen from Norway, the former world champion contender Fabian Caruana, as well as the winner of last year's World Women's Rapid Chess Championship Hampi Konera from India and the champion in blitz the Chinese woman Ju Wenjun. Rapid competitions will be held on the last three days of this week, December 26-28, and blitz competitions will be held at the beginning of next week, December 29-30.

December 26-28, 14:00, rapid. Qatar University (Doha, Qatar). Live broadcasts on the FIDE website

At the chess throne: Esipenko did not leave Russia without the main start of the two-year period

Despite his illness, Andrey won the most important match of the 2025 World Cup.

Hockey

The KHL Regular Season. Avangard – Metallurg, CSKA – Spartak, Dynamo (Minsk) – Dynamo (Moscow)

The KHL games have been very active in the last days of the year. There will be at least three significant confrontations. On December 26, a crucial match between the two leaders of the Eastern Conference will take place — Avangard Omsk, which is second, will host Metallurg Magnitogorsk, which heads the table for the entire regular season. Two days later, two derbies will take place in the West — Moscow and Dynamo. In the first of them, CSKA and Spartak, who unexpectedly found themselves in the lower part of the playoff zone, will meet, in the second, Dinamo Minsk and Moscow, which are in the top four of the conference.

December 26, 4:30 p.m., G-Drive Arena (Omsk). December 28: 17:00, CSKA Arena (Moscow); 17:10, Minsk Arena (Minsk, Belarus). Live broadcasts on Match TV, KHL TV, KHL Prime and Kinopoisk

Ivanovo means: the results of the regular season before the break in the NHL

Demidov is the best rookie, Ovechkin stopped scoring, and a Russian link appeared in Minnesota.

Ski racing

The Russian Cup. The fifth stage

Most Russian skiers have not yet returned to international competitions, so the main start for them is still the national cup. Its fifth stage will take place on the last weekend of 2025 in Kirovo-Chepetsk. Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov, Olympic champion Tatiana Sorina and other Russian stars will compete there in the sprint and individual race.

December 27, sprint: 11:00, preliminary race, women; 11:30, preliminary race, men; 13:00-13:24, quarterfinals, women; 13:30-13:54, quarterfinals, men; 14:00-14:06, semifinals, women; 14:12-14:18, semifinals, men; 14:28, final, women; 14:38, final, men. December 28, individual skiathlon: 11:00 a.m., women; 1:00 p.m., men. Ski and biathlon complex "Perekop" (Kirovo-Chepetsk). Live broadcasts on Match TV, Match Arena and Match Planet

That's what we've been waiting for: where our neutral athletes will perform before the Olympics

Skiers prepare for the "Tour de Ski", luge skiers skip KM in Latvia

Volleyball

Men. The Russian Super Cup. The final. Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) – Zenit (Kazan)

One of the main trophies of the season in Russian men's volleyball is being played this week in St. Petersburg in the "tournament of four" format. Following the results of the first semi-final, Novosibirsk "Locomotive" beat Moscow "Dynamo" (3:1). In the second semi—final, two Zenit teams met - St. Petersburg and Kazan. The victory was won by representatives of Tatarstan. Their final match with the "railwaymen" will be held on December 26.

December 26, 19:30, KSK Arena (Saint Petersburg). Live broadcasts on Match TV and Match! The planet"