Wednesday night’s plane crash outside Washington, D.C., that killed a yet-unknown number of U.S. figure skaters, coaches and family members was devastating news for the skating community. It also rekindled painful memories of another tragedy nearly 64 years ago.

On Feb. 15, 1961, the entire U.S. figure skating team died in a plane crash in Belgium on its way to the that year’s world championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Among the 72 passengers killed in the crash were 18 skaters, plus 16 coaches, officials, judges and family members. It remains to this day one of the nation’s greatest sports tragedies.

‘Those were all my friends and coaches,’ 1960 Olympic bronze medalist Ron Ludington told the (Wilmington, Delaware) News Journal in a 2010 interview. ‘I grew up with them, and I traveled all over the world with them.’ 

Ludington was supposed to be one of the coaches on the flight, but he had to back out at the last minute.

None of the 60 passengers and four crew members aboard Wednesday’s American Airlines Flight 5342 survived the crash as the plane collided with a military helicopter as it was about to land at Washington Reagan National Airport.

The flight originated in Wichita, Kansas, the site of the recently completed U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

U.S. Figure Skating, the sport’s national governing body, said in a statement that the athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. championships.

‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,’ U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.

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At least 10 members of the figure skating community were among the 60 passengers on the commercial jet that collided with a military helicopter in the skies near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.

Doug Zeghibe, the chief executive of the Skating Club of Boston, said in a statement that six people affiliated with his club were on board the flight after attending a national development camp for junior and novice skaters in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this week. The group included Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, who won the 1994 world championships as pairs figure skaters for Russia before moving to the United States and becoming coaches.

Teenage figure skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane − as well as their respective mothers, Jin and Christine − were also on the flight, Zeghibe said. Authorities have said they do not believe there are any survivors from the collision.

‘Skating is a very close and tight-knit community,’ Zeghibe said in a news conference. ‘These kids, and their parents, they’re here at our facility in Norwood six sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond. And I think, for all of us, we have lost family.’

Delaware-based coach Alexandr Kirsanov and two of his skaters, Sean Kay and Angela Yang, were also on the fatal flight, Kirsanov’s wife Natalia Gudin told The News Journal, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, identified Inna Volyanskaya, a former Russia skater who coached in northern Virginia, as another one of the victims.

U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body that oversees the sport, said in a statement that ‘several members’ of the figure skating community were aboard the plane that had departed earlier Wednesday evening from Wichita, which hosted the 2025 national championships last week. As of Thursday evening, it had not specified the number of figure skaters or coaches involved in the collision, nor identified any of them by name.

‘We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,’ U.S. Figure Skating said in the statement.

Naumov and Shishkova’s son, figure skater Maxim Naumov, was not on the plane with his parents, Zeghibe said. Reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who lives and trains in the Washington area, also indicated that he was not aboard the flight.

‘I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident,’ Malinin wrote on Instagram. ‘The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words.’

Malinin competed in Wichita over the weekend and clinched his third consecutive national championship. But, like many of the top senior-level skaters and their supporters, he had left the city prior to Wednesday.

U.S. Figure Skating hosted camp in Wichita after nationals

Some members of the figure skating community remained in Wichita to participate in a three-day development camp hosted by U.S. Figure Skating, an educational training program offered only to elite young skaters in the country. The governing body says on its web site that the camp is intended to ‘accelerate their exposure to high performance programs and Team USA,’ serving as a proving ground for novice and junior athletes who are hoping to represent Team USA on the international stage.

‘The camp follows the competition. It’s for younger skaters that have been identified with promise by U.S. Figure Skating’s high development organization,’ Zeghibe explained in the news conference. ‘U.S. Figure Skating was looking to everyone at that high-development national camp as the future of the sport.’

Sarah Hirshland, the chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, referred to the young skaters in a statement as Olympic hopefuls who ‘represented the bright future of Team USA.’

‘They were remarkable young people and talents, passionately pursuing their dreams, and they will forever hold a cherished place in the Team USA family,’ Hirshland said.

The International Skating Union, which is the international federation that governs the sport, and the International Olympic Committee also issued statements offering their condolences to those impacted. IOC

‘Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together,’ the ISU said.

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Authorities say they don’t expect to find survivors

The collision occurred just before 9 p.m. Wednesday above the Potomac River, which runs along the southern and western side of Washington D.C. Authorities said American Airlines Flight 5342 attempted to land and collided in midair with the Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying three people.

John Donnelly, D.C. fire and EMS chief, said Thursday that officials do not believe there are any survivors. They had recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter as of early Thursday.

‘I want to express my sincere condolences for the accident that happened… and also for those on the military aircraft, ‘ American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told reporters. ‘It’s devastating we are all hurting. At this time we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the (American Airline) flight.’

– Karissa Waddick, Kim Hjelmgaard and Reuters

Coming off an overtime loss in his virtual golf league debut just three days earlier, Rory McIlroy turned things around in the great outdoors, nailing a hole-in-one during Thursday’s opening round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

McIlroy flew his tee shot directly into the cup on the par-3 15th hole at Spyglass Hill from 119 yards out, vaulting him into a five-way tie for the lead at 3-under par.

McIlroy celebrated with his caddie and high-fived his playing partners, including European Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Åberg as he made a triumphant walk to the green.

It was McIlroy’s second career ace on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, 35, played his first match with his Boston Common Golf team on Monday, losing to fellow TGL co-founder Tiger Woods in overtime.

He then traveled from Florida to California to make his first start of the 2025 PGA Tour season.

His hole-in-one is the sixth one at Spyglass’ short par-3. The last one came in the 2023 Pro-Am by Justin Rose, who went on to win the tournament.

It’s no secret that former Iowa Hawkeye Caitlin Clark has been the biggest name in women’s sports the past few years. Her domination on the basketball court has drawn numerous new fans to women’s basketball, both professional and collegiate. It also has drawn a lot of revenue to her organizations.

The WNBA’s Indiana Fever had the highest average attendance in the league during Clark’s rookie season, averaging over 17,000 fans per home game, more than 4,000 higher than the next closest team – the New York Liberty. For perspective, the year before Clark’s arrival, the Fever averaged 4,066 fans per home game.

If Clark’s sheer presence could do such wonders for a WNBA franchise, imagine her impact for her alma mater, the University of Iowa. As a Hawkeye, Clark brought the organization to new heights, reaching the NCAA Tournament finals each of her final two years, the furthest the Hawkeyes have ever reached. However, the university’s 2024 fiscal-year statement shows that her biggest contribution came in the millions of dollars she brought to the school.

The report showed that Iowa women’s basketball revenue exceeded that of the men’s team for the first time. Here are the most notable findings, per The Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow.

The impact of the Crossover at Kinnick

The women’s basketball outdoor exhibition game against DePaul, held at Kinnick Field, on Oct. 15, 2024 did wonders for the team’s popularity. In that game alone, Iowa drew 55,646 fans, a national record for women’s basketball. While much of the proceeds for the game (approximately $250,000) were donated to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, at $10 a ticket for adults and $5 for fans 18 and under, the university still made massive profits from the event.

Ticket sales rose by over 400% in two years

During Clark’s sophomore season at Iowa, the Hawkeyes women’s basketball team generated $767,069 in ticket revenue. By Clark’s senior season, they were generating $3,260,451, more than four times their totals from two seasons prior.

While this success was obviously tremendous for the university, it did come at a minor cost to the men’s basketball team, which saw its ticket revenue fall by 14.6% from $3,471,938 to $2,965,969 in that same two-year span.

The interest in women’s basketball has seemingly carried into the 2024-25 season as well. General public seating for the season sold out in late September 2024, possibly making Iowa women’s basketball the most popular women’s basketball program in the country even without Clark.

Clark’s popularity didn’t come without its costs

With Clark drawing fans to games hours before tipoff, additional security and staff needed to be hired. All in all, the university spent $1,709,387 to stage women’s basketball games, more than six times what the defending national champions, LSU, spent for the same purpose ($258,000), and nearly three times more than the defending men’s champions, UConn ($610,000).

The Crossover at Kinnick alone cost the university six figures to stage the contest. While it wasn’t as much as a football game, which cost Iowa an average of $421,212, it was still a costly expenditure compared to every other athletics department.

The UEFA Champions League will conduct the draw for its knockout stage Friday in Switzerland, setting the bracket for world’s premier club soccer tournament for the rest of this season.

The 2024-25 edition of the Champions League saw the first major format change in decades, with the group stage standings sorting all 36 entrants (as opposed to the old standard that involved numerous groups of four). Wednesday’s final set of games resulted in 12 sides being eliminated, leaving 24 clubs to battle it out in an expanded knockout round.

The group stage came with plenty of drama. Manchester City, who have won four straight Premier League championships, trailed a must-win game at halftime only to survive and advance with a comeback victory. Many of the sport’s most famous clubs — teams like Liverpool, Barcelona, and Arsenal — advanced with ease, while upstarts like Lille, PSV, and Celtic surpassed expectations to claim knockout stage spots of their own.

Here’s what to know about the Champions League playoff phase draw:

When is Champions League draw for knockout round playoff?

UEFA will conduct the draw for the Champions League knockout round on Friday, Jan. 31 at the confederation’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw will begin at 6 a.m. ET.

What Champions League teams qualified for knockout round?

With the UEFA Champions League ending its group stage on Wednesday, this season’s format change has resulted in 24 teams advancing to the knockout round. The new format gave the top eight teams in the group stage a bye to the round of 16. In order of finish, those teams are the following:

Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Inter Milan
Atlético Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Lille
Aston Villa

16 more teams move on to a new playoff phase. Within that subset, the eight teams that finished higher in the group-stage standings will be seeded in Friday’s draw. Those eight teams are as follows:

Atalanta
Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
AC Milan
PSV
Paris Saint-Germain
Benfica

Finally, the last eight teams to qualify for the knockout stage’s playoff phase are the following:

Monaco
Brest
Feyenoord
Juventus
Celtic
Manchester City
Sporting Clube
Club Brugge

Champions League knockout round playoff bracket

Despite the need for a draw, UEFA’s new format for the Champions League has given fans a rough look at what the knockout stage bracket will look like:

Friday’s draw will effectively take the standings from the group stage, and sort the teams that qualified for the playoff phase into eight pots of four. Teams that finished higher in the standings will be set up to play those that finished further down. For example, Atalanta (ninth place) and Borussia Dortmund (10th) will be in a pot with Sporting Clube (23rd) and Club Brugge (24th). The teams in 11th and 12th will be in a pot with those that finished 21st and 22nd, and so on.

The draw will determine which teams in a given pot will square off in the playoff phase: Atalanta could play Sporting Clube or Club Brugge, rather than the more clear-cut ‘higher seed vs. lower seed’ approach seen in events like NCAA’s college basketball tournament.

When does Champions League knockout round playoff begin?

The knockout round in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League begins with the playoff phase, which will see all teams play home-and-away matches settled by aggregate scores over the two legs.

Games in the first leg of the playoff phase will be played on Feb. 11-12, with the second legs coming one week later on Feb. 18-19.

On Friday, Feb. 21, UEFA will hold a draw for the bracket for the rest of the knockout stage, beginning with the eight sides that secured an automatic berth in the round of 16 and the eight teams that advance through the playoff phase. The Champions League final will be held Saturday, May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

How to stream Champions League knockout round playoff draw

The Champions League knockout round draw on Friday can be streamed on Paramount+, UEFA.com, and on UEFA’s YouTube channel.

Watch the Champions League knockout draw on Paramount+

Champions League draw for knockout round: TV, time, streaming for Friday

Date: Friday, Jan. 31
Time: 6 a.m. ET (12 p.m. local)
Streaming: Paramount+, UEFA.com, UEFA’s YouTube channel
Location: House of European Football (Nyon, Switzerland)

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The Indiana Fever are giving Caitlin Clark a college reunion with a little international flare at the start of her second WNBA season.

“We couldn’t be more excited to play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and we know Iowa fans will deliver an unforgettable homecoming for Caitlin,” Indiana Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement. “Countless Hawkeye fans have become Fever fans, and we consider them family. That’s what will make this preseason matchup so special for us.”

Clark won all major national player of the year awards and led the Hawkeyes to the Final Four in back-to-back seasons (2023-2024) to close out her record-setting college career. She was then selected by the Fever with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and earned rookie of the year this past season after averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Clark expressed her approval for the additional Fever exhibition game in May with a one-word reaction on social media. She tweeted, ‘Yes,’ in response when the Fever’s official X account asked, ‘Iowa, are you ready?’

Clark has appeared in multiple playing venues in Iowa because of her popularity. The Hawkeyes played a preseason exhibition game against DePaul in October 2023 at Kinnick Stadium, home of the university’s football program, and set a new women’s basketball record when 55,646 were in attendance.

Tickets for the Fever preseason game in May against the Brazilian National Team will be sold through the school, with more information to come at a future date.

This will be the first time in franchise history Indiana plays a game at Iowa, and team officials aren’t shying away from the dynamics that have led to their first visit. They described Carver-Hawkeye Arena as being, ‘known for its electric atmosphere and winning moments from No. 1 draft pick and former Hawkeye, Caitlin Clark’ in its news release announcing the matchup.

Perhaps she has one more thrill in store for the fans that helped turn her into a national phenomenon.

The countdown to next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off is ramping up with captains being named on Thursday and rosters being adjusted because of injuries.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews will be the U.S. captain, while the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman will lead Canada, Finland and Sweden, respectively.

Sweden made a roster change this week, replacing injured New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom with the Philadelphia Flyers’ Samuel Ersson.

Canada will have to replace Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who withdrew to rest an injury and prepare for the rest of the season.

Finland will have to replace Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who’s week to week and getting an additional test after Vegas’ Mark Stone fell into his leg during a recent game.

The tournament — featuring NHL players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden — will run from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

Here are the updated rosters, leadership teams, schedule and broadcast information for the 4 Nations Face-Off:

USA 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Initial six players (listed alphabetically)

F Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
D Adam Fox, New York Rangers
D Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
D Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

Rest of the roster

F Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
F Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
F Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
F Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
F Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
F J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks
F Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
F Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
F Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
D Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
D Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
D Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
D Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
G Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
G Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins

Captain: Matthews. Alternate captains: Matthew Tkachuk, McAvoy

Canada 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Initial six players

F Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
F Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
F Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Rest of the roster

F Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
F Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
F Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
F Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
D Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
D Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
D Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights (won’t play, replacement not named yet)
D Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
D Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
D Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
G Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens

Captain: Crosby. Alternate captains: McDavid, Makar

Finland 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Initial six players

F Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
F Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
F Mikko Rantanen, Carolina Hurricanes
D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars (won’t play because of injury; replacement not named yet)
D Esa Lindell, Stars
G Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators

Rest of the roster

F Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens
F Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks
F Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils
F Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars
F Kaapo Kakko, Seattle Kraken
F Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
F Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers
F Patrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens
F Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
F Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks
D Jani Hakanpaa, Toronto Maple Leafs
D Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
D Olli Maatta, Utah Hockey Club
D Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
D Juuso Valimaki, Utah Hockey Club
G Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres

Captain: Barkov. Alternate captains: Aho, Granlund, Rantanen

Sweden 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Initial six players

F Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
F William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
F Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
D Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins

Rest of the roster

F Viktor Arvidsson, Edmonton Oilers
F Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils
F Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
F Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild
F William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights
F Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
F Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins
F Gustav Nyquist, Nashville Predators
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings
D Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames
D Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild (currently injured)
D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
D Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
G Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers (replaces injured Jacob Markstrom)
G Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
G Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators

Captain: Hedman. Alternate captains: Ekholm, Erik Karlsson, Nylander

4 Nations Face-Off schedule, TV

(Times p.m. ET)

Wednesday, Feb. 12:  Canada vs. Sweden at Montreal, 8, TNT
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland at Montreal, 8, ESPN
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden at Montreal, 1, ABC
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada at Montreal, 8, ABC
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland at Boston, 1, TNT
Monday, Feb. 17:  Sweden vs. USA at Boston, 8, TNT
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game at Boston, 8, ESPN