Ilia Malinin, known as the "Quad God," continued to dazzle fans as he once again put his full warrior spirit on display during his latest performance at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Malinin landed a historic backflip to help Team USA win gold in the team event. The move was outlawed in 1976, with officials citing safety concerns. Before Malinin, fellow American Terry Kubicka was the last skater to land it legally at the Games.

Malinin will compete in Friday’s men's free skate and enters as the gold favorite. He could attempt the first Olympic quadruple axel.

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Malinin acknowledged taking a measured approach to what is widely considered the sport's most difficult jump.

"I'm hoping that I'll feel good enough to do it (on Friday)," he told reporters Tuesday. "But, of course, I always prioritize health and safety, so I really want to put myself in the right mindset where I'll feel really confident to go into it and not have that as something that I'm going to risk."

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The International Skating Union (ISU) lifted the ban on somersaults in June 2024, clearing a path for the backflip to return to skating’s biggest stage.

"Somersault type jumps are very spectacular and nowadays it is not logical anymore to include them as illegal movements," an agenda from an ISU meeting at the time said.

While the backflip does not have a set point value attached to it for skaters, last season Malinin admitted he enjoys performing the maneuver. 

"It gets that audience applause, feels really suspenseful and I really just like doing it," he said.

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Just months after lobbying for the banishment of the Israeli national soccer team to be banned from UEFA, Ireland has agreed to play Israel this fall in Nations League matches. 

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) only just approved a motion calling for Israel to be banned from UEFA back in November. The FAI joined the soccer federations of Norway and Turkey in calling for Israel's banishment, citing the country's war in Gaza. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also made a similar plea. The motions were ultimately rejected. 

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The FAI has not released a statement addressing its willingness to play Israel after calling for the team's banishment in the fall. 

"In 2025, a motion was proposed by members of the FAI General Assembly to vote on issuing a formal request to the UEFA executive committee for the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association from UEFA competitions for a breach of UEFA statutes," the FAI wrote.

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"Members then voted in favor to submit the motion to UEFA, which the association did in November 2025. While consultation has taken place with UEFA officials, the association does recognise that UEFA regulations outline that if an association refuses to play a match then that fixture will be forfeited and further disciplinary measures may follow -- including potential disqualification from the competition."

The two countries were drawn together in Group B3 of the Nations League on Thursday.

The UEFA was reportedly moving toward a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September, but the motion was put on pause. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced no action would be taken against the team on Oct. 3, after a historic peace proposal by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Irish soccer fans have protested Israel's participation in various sports leagues since the Hamas attack against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023. Irish protesters held signs that read "Ban Israel from UEFA and FIFA," and "Israel is a terrorist state" at a protest in Dublin on Oct. 4, 2025, just days before the two-year anniversary of the attack and at other locations throughout the country later in the year. 

Irish soccer fans were also seen holding signs that read "Show Israel the Red Card" at a game against Hungary in September. 

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