Slovakia's national hockey team will play Latvia in Bratislava as part of their third preparation phase. The two teams last met in December during preparation for the Christmas Kaufland Cup in Banská Bystrica, where Slovakia defeated Latvia 3-2 in overtime.
Jessica Campbell has departed the Seattle Kraken after serving as an assistant coach since July 2024. The 33-year-old Canadian made history as the first woman to hold a coaching position on an NHL team's staff when she joined the franchise. Campbell announced her intention to pursue coaching opportunities with another team, marking the end of her groundbreaking tenure with the Kraken that broke gender barriers in professional hockey's top league.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the upcoming FIFA World Cup as a spectacular event, calling it the greatest event in history and predicting it will generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. Trump made these statements at the White House while FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat beside him, nodding in agreement. The FIFA chief, who has been living in Qatar for over four years, has extensive knowledge of the World Cup's revenue-generating potential. Trump's enthusiastic promotion of the tournament reflects his administration's emphasis on major sporting events as economic drivers, though the article suggests concerns about inflated expectations regarding ticket prices, transportation costs, and hotel occupancy rates.
Sidney Crosby, one of hockey's greatest players, may have played his final playoff game after the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round. Cam York scored the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 6, sending Philadelphia to the second round and ending Pittsburgh's season. The defeat raises questions about whether the 36-year-old Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, will have another opportunity to compete for hockey's ultimate prize. The Penguins' early playoff exit marks another disappointing postseason for the aging core that dominated the NHL in the 2000s and 2010s.
Komárno defeated Slovan Bratislava 3-0 in the second match of Slovakia's top-tier handball championship final series, moving within one victory of claiming the Bohumil Golian Cup. The two teams are meeting in the championship final for the third consecutive year, with Komárno now holding a commanding position in the best-of-series format. The Bohumil Golian Cup is awarded annually to the winner of Slovakia's premier handball league.
Denmark secured a 3-1 victory over Norway in an international friendly match. In another preparatory fixture, Austria fell to Germany by a score of 4-3.
Slovak forward Okuliar contributed two assists in the fourth game of the championship final series, bringing his team Skelleftea closer to claiming the title. The 25-year-old striker has accumulated 12 points across 14 playoff games, including four goals and eight assists, demonstrating strong performance throughout the postseason campaign.
HK Nitra captured their third ice hockey championship after defeating Slovan Bratislava 4-3 in overtime during the decisive seventh game of the Tipsport League playoff final. The victory secured Nitra's triumph in the series with a 4-3 overall result. The championship represents Nitra's third title in the top Slovak professional ice hockey league, following a dramatic final series that required the maximum seven games to determine the winner.
Slovakia defeated Tunisia 3-0 in what appears to be a team competition, securing second place in their group. Ľubomír Pištej opened the scoring for Slovakia with a 3-1 set victory over Wassim Essid. The result allowed the Slovak team to claim the runner-up position in the group standings.
Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas disclosed that he followed an extreme diet regimen that he compared to drug addiction. The Finnish driver revealed that his weight loss efforts began in 2014 when he was racing for the Williams Formula One team. Bottas described the restrictive eating pattern as having addictive qualities, suggesting the intense pressure in professional motorsport can lead drivers to adopt unhealthy practices in their pursuit of competitive advantage through weight reduction.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran will participate in the upcoming World Cup championship. Iran's participation had been uncertain due to the ongoing military conflict between the United States and the Asian nation. The confirmation removes doubts about whether geopolitical tensions would prevent Iran from competing in football's premier international tournament.
The African Football Confederation announced its support for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA president. Infantino assumed leadership of world football's governing body in February 2016 following a major corruption scandal that led to the suspension of his predecessor Sepp Blatter. The endorsement from Africa, which represents 54 of FIFA's 211 member associations, provides significant backing for Infantino's campaign to continue leading the organization that oversees global football governance and the World Cup tournament.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund will cease financing the LIV Golf series, the controversial golf circuit announced alongside changes to its leadership structure. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who serves as governor of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and was one of the key architects behind LIV Golf's creation, has stepped down from his role as chairman of the series. The leadership changes come as the Saudi-backed golf league, which launched in 2022 as a rival to the established PGA Tour, faces an uncertain financial future without continued support from the kingdom's main investment vehicle.
Košice defender and team captain Krivák is experiencing his first final, which serves as major motivation for the player. The defender is in his fourth season with the eastern Slovak team, having joined from Škendija Tetovo in North Macedonia, where he won his only trophy to date as the country's champion. The final represents a significant milestone in his career with Košice.
Slovak alpine skier Petra Vonnová sustained severe injuries during February's Winter Olympics that will keep her out of training for an extended period. Vonnová suffered a serious knee injury and complex tibia fracture after a heavy crash during the downhill event in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The injuries are significant enough that she estimates it will be another year and a half before she can return to training, marking a major setback for the Slovak skiing competitor's career.
The apartment of Ján Kováčik, president of the Slovak Football Association (SFZ), has been seized by a bailiff due to outstanding debts spanning several years. The enforcement action targeted his apartment in Bratislava's Karlova Ves district, according to an investigation by the Index news portal. The debts are owed to Geomatix, a company owned by Eduard Maták, a former partner of the influential Penta financial group. Maták acknowledged that he had previously lent money to Kováčik, and the football association president only began repaying the debts after being contacted by journalists about the matter. The Slovak Football Association is the governing body for football in Slovakia, while Penta is one of the country's most prominent investment groups with significant influence in various sectors of the economy.
Slovak defender Dávid Hancko made a dramatic return to Atletico Madrid's starting lineup for their Champions League semifinal against Arsenal, after missing five matches due to an injury that could have ended his season. The 26-year-old center-back sustained the injury during Atletico's Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Barcelona but recovered in time for one of the most important matches of the season. His return from what appeared to be a potentially season-ending injury has generated significant discussion among football fans and analysts, though opinions remain divided on various aspects of his performance and comeback.
Philadelphia eliminated Pittsburgh from the current hockey season, while Montreal moved within one step of advancing to the next round. Montreal got off to a strong start with Brendan Gallagher scoring a goal in the third minute of their game.
Slovak NHL first-overall draft pick Juraj Slafkovský and 16-year-old hockey sensation Nela Lopušanová collaborated on filming a commercial for Budiš. Slafkovský, who represents one generation of Slovak hockey talent, joined forces with Lopušanová, a teenage phenomenon who has earned international recognition as the "female version of Connor McDavid," one of the NHL's biggest stars. The pairing brings together two of Slovakia's most promising hockey talents from different generations and genders for the advertising campaign.
Slovakia's under-18 national hockey team secured a spot in the semifinals of the World Junior Championship after defeating Denmark 7-1. The tournament is being held on home ice in Slovakia, giving the young national team additional motivation as they compete for medals. A hockey scout noted that everything is aligning well for the Slovak team, emphasizing the importance of not repeating mistakes made by other teams in similar situations. The decisive victory over Denmark demonstrated Slovakia's strong offensive capabilities as they advance to the medal rounds of the prestigious international youth tournament.