there and be who i am. cheering to be part of the team and be on the squad. i cinque giorni a folgaria. in northern italy, the town of folgaria. population 3,000, plus visitors. this winter, this week — these visitors. let's go west mids! woo! skaters, skiers, officials, volunteers representing their clubs, creating here the first ever british winter games for the special olympics, for intellectual disability,

with a guiding philosophy... let me win. but if i cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. cheering and applause we have to come to international countries to guarantee the snow and the environment for these winter games. but what it does is showcase that pathway of opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to take part in sport. when you see people on the slopes, in the ice rinks, you feel that the athletes have a sense of freeness. they feel like they're doing something that everybody else does. directly above the town — the peaks. spectators cheer special olympic sports always begins with a process called divisioning. everyone is assessed for their ability and everyone will compete against others of a similar level. now, every level has medals, every medal has the same value, and everyone is here to win.

commentator: he's got some pace. - woo! that's why david corr gave everything for the finishing line and beyond. it was soon clear that david was all right, actually, more than all right. went up to the corner, i let rip of my skis. you can drive so much harder. i, i... i cannot do a stop. but i keep, keep, keep going to the finish line. then things to be happening. then i just fall, like you just saw. thenjust spot—on. did it hurt? bit, but no. joe laughs so next time, are you going to have the same speed, but maybe a bit more control, david? no. your mum and dad are over there, i think. i'm not sure if they're happy about that.

tough. everyone laughs mum and dad, what is your reaction to that interview? they laugh we're not sure, really. but we'll be having a chat. proud dedicated parents are vital. but for people with intellectual disabilities, sport provides precious independence. mikey lines said goodbye to his mum at the airport. see you soon. i will. are you going to be good? i will be good. supported by team—mates and staff, he's travelled for the first time in his life independently. i like to do some races and i'm looking forward to the closing ceremony and disco. i have to be very brave whilst i'm skiing. yeah. and i promise i won't fall over. and i hope i don't miss any gates. that would be very good. how did it feel when you said goodbye to your mum

at the airport? yeah... they said good luck for me and i hope i do very well at skiing. yeah. and ijust enjoy myself and taking part of it. all: wahey! yeah, because i'm independent and i like to do different things like bowling in guildford and bowling in tolworth. yeah. and i like skiing on sundays as well. fantastic. yeah. hi. the competitors here try to find dry slopes near to their british clubs to practise. for many, this was actually the first time they'd skied on snow. people shout encouragement so tell me, is it different when you're on a dry slope and then on real snow? it's easier on snow. it's easier? yeah. - is it more fun? yeah. — why is it easier? because it's smoother? yeah. and what did you think of all the supporters here? amazing. they did a good job. yeah? yeah.

does that help you feel proud? yeah. go, josh. go on, josh. | find it a bit like... ..like challenging.| so when you're skiing on a dry slope and then you come to the real snow here, is it different? yes. — well different. i went to birmingham once, fake snow. - yes. yeah. tell me the difference between fake snow and real snow. you can tell the difference when you're on it. - do you go faster? yeah. speed alone isn't always the aim. lizzie williams from wales learned brand—new techniques while she competed, with her italian guide right by her side. spectator: well done, lizzie! in this vision of sport, every level of ability has a place and this is the result. cheering go on, lizzie.

cheering that was quite, you're quite emotional. yes, i am. tell me why. because we worked a lot for this race on these days, because the first time, first race, we had some difficulties. we had struggle. we struggling on following each other. and today we finally did it. you got to the bottom, lizzie. not only, we did all of the gates. all of the gates. yes. directly beneath the slopes, the sport moves indoors. folgaria's very own ice rink a stage. so lots of the skaters are working five times a week in their training programmes. and for our athletes,

particularly when they've got an intellectual challenge, it's quite difficult to remember all these routines, so they work really, really hard to get everything right. and they practise and they practise. and then when they come out to perform, they've done all the hard work and then they can just let it rip and they can really enjoy it. what was in your heart when you were watching that today? i loved watching them enjoy themselves so much. and you could see all this like little challenges that they had set themselves. you know, whether it was a performing goal because they wanted to be barbie on the day and sort of like express all the movements, or they wanted to nail some elements that they hadn't done earlier in the week. they wanted this to be the special performance that they would take home and remember. and they were selling it to us and it was capturing so many special moments for them. i just loved watching them skate. cheering what does the coach tell you to really concentrate on when you're doing your routine? keep practising, focus and listen. so to be a part of the

team be on the squad. it's just the same for these guys as it is for the other. guys that achieve national . status, international status. meg's very dedicated. she's at the rink for an hour, hour and a half every- morning before college. so we're up at 5:15 to get meg out the door to train. - so, you know, meg puts an awful lot of work in, i as does mum behind the scenes to get her there, to produce - a performance like this today. cheering and applause we never— imagined that meg would get to this level in sport. but events like this - give her a chance to compete on an international stage. sport is so much more i than sport when it's used in the right kind of way. sport expands the world for these competitors. jenny lee fits in practice between her shifts at work. she has a learning disability, she's deaf. jenny has cochlear implants, and through skating, she has confidence.

it's actually my first time being in italy and it's kind of like on my bucket list to go. so i'm like, i'm here, so... yeah. skating on that rink is very, very smooth to my home rink. my home rink is very bumpy. sometimes there's like condensation coming from the ceiling, and just a bump where i'm practising a trick. it changes what i can do, it just sometimes changes the speed of it on the ice. but sometimes, sometimes when i'm at the skating rink it feels like i'm driving a car, you know. sometimes when you're driving a car over a speed bump, that's what it feels like with my blade. so i'm just like, nope, not doing it. i'm not doing any. that must be exciting then to get on a really good surface. like proper smooth surface here. i mean, the routine looked incredible from where i was standing. what did you think of it today? yeah, i really enjoyed it. trying to... with that song i played, i tried to like get people to enjoy the place and just, you know, bring the party. yeah. # ain't nobody gotta tell you

# what you gotta do # many people with different disabilities can do the sport, what they really want to do. so i will try to sort of encourage them to do.. just give that push and to stay, you know, give it a go. it's all about having fun and just seeing what it is all about. but my number one thing is to try and get italian pizza. that's my number one thing, an italian pizza. i've been waiting for this! i reckon you can get an italian pizza in italy. yes. they laugh the gala performances were a celebration for the figure skaters and for all those who support them. cheering closing the programme, stephanie gott. from your perspective, how do you think the routine went today? 0k. it went how i planned it weeks ago. it was dedicated to my favourite coach, pam. she is the golden coach in my eyes. she's been a part of our

family the last 13 years and she doesn't know it. and she gets me ready always. she helps me pick the best music. we have a laugh at our lessons and she's the best coach you could ask for. thank you. 0h! can i ask you to think back to 13 years ago, and then think of the routine we saw from steph today and try and sort of... so when she first came on she was a little bit unsteady on one side, obviously unsure of herself. and gradually, obviously, the skating strengthened her leg up because she had a stroke when she was a baby and just, yeah, you've strengthened up, haven't you? she'sjust worked so hard to do everything, you know. everything's a challenge and she fulfils it, don't you? steph, can i ask you how important it was for you when you're doing all that practise, to have a big games that you're aiming for? how does that help? it helps when i've got my family support. this week i had some messages

from home, like from my nephew. he was cheering me on yesterday. i've been teaching him for weeks to say, "go auntie steph." and they sent, all my sister's kids sent pictures and that just made everything better because they're just too cute. joe laughs with a bit of cheek. can i ask you this? when you're doing the routine, what are the main things that the coach tells you that you try and keep in your mind when you're doing the routine? keeping time and remember all the moves that we teach you. fantastic. and enjoy yourself. she'sjust so dedicated in her practice. she has a book, she ticks it all off. she goes through all of it and she stays on the ice for three hours most days. she really works hard. cheering resilience. life with an intellectual disability demands it. all the athletes know it. spectators cheer

three, two, one. 60 on! _ back on the slopes, aberdeen�*s laith hou hou on the slalom run past the gates. just too close to one. i just fell on the ice and hurt my knee. laith could finish, but in the rules, he must get himself up and back on his skis. spectators: up! u -' up! that resilience, laith found it. i had managed to stand myself. come on, laith, let's go! come on _ cheering and then what did you do? you finished the course, didn't you? yeah, i did finish the course. and when you heard all the people cheering when you came across the line, they were very proud of you. yes, idid. were you proud of yourself? yes. thank you, laith. you're welcome. jack hale is back

with his mates. his friendships have been forged through skiing. he tried other sports. he loves this one. when i first went out skiing, ifelt... ..nervous to happy, into a smile. i try to feel comfortable and be confident and make sure that i'm proud of myself. i had a neck injury and that's what... ..shut me down. the hole injack�*s spinal cord wasn't caused by skiing, but it was going to stop him skiing. that's what everyone feared. it was very severe and he was told he could never do sport again. and it knocked him flying. it knocked us all flying. and after about two months, we thought, well, now his life, he hasn't got his sport,

hasn't got his friends. we need to do something about that. and he worked and worked and worked at physio relentlessly week in, week out. well, that looks a good exercise, jack. yes, it helps with all my muscles. does it? yes. and after a year, got back to being on the slopes and being back with his friends. it's his world. jack has had difficulties. he has underlying medical conditions. but thisjust brings out the best in him. and the day we leave to go on a trip with special olympics, especially things like the nationals, he's absolutely buzzing. he's a different person. and so to me, it's really important to see all the guys really happy but doing the sport that they're doing themselves. it's nothing to do with us. they've achieved it.

commentator: next up, we have bib number15. i we have got jack hale from southwest. - i sometimes think about how to step up strong and get out there and be who i am. just be safe. be careful. yeah, 0k. they're very sharp. the whole of my life is really amazing, who i am. and it's incredible to be a skier, who i am. i'm glad i'm going out there to a place i love, a beautiful career, and i'm excited already. brilliant. and loads of your friends are here, aren't they? yes, they are. so you get to do sport and you get to have fun with your friends. sounds great. sounds great to me. cheering

as a national winter games, this was a multi—sport event, and an opportunity to try something different, something new. now, skiing and skating take a lot of practice, but here's something more straightforward. if you've got snow and you've got a snow shoe, then straight away, look, you're doing snowshoeing. snowshoeing is a chuck the shoes on, hold your poles and head off along the track. so for us, in terms of that inclusive agenda, it really hits that lower—ability level. it's open for everybody, and it's something that you don't necessarily need snow to do. it can be trained on on sand. you know, you can train in all different types of environment, and it's transferable to the snowshoeing track when you get out here. it's about conditioning, it's about focus. and we're trying to develop those skills in our athletes, just as we are in terms of the cardio and the fitness. so, yeah, different, different type of activity for our guys to take part in.

and even mascots can do it. yes. our yeti has been out on the snowshoeing track, having a great time with our athletes. crowd: 0h! this is a competitive space. it's also a fun space forfreedom. but these days took two years to plan. for athletes with special needs, there has to be extra care. sponsors help. there's no government or lottery funding for this event. instead, led by adrienne purdie, there's unwavering, unpaid effort. katie, foods on the table and you're not here. each athlete has an individual need. so are those needs met and how are they going to cope? and each athlete reacts differently to situations. so, we're always... for us, the way this venue works is because we've got the skiing just over there and the ice rinks in town and the snowshoeing here, it's all very accessible. so we're not transporting them too much that, you know, getting on and off buses isn't particularly easy for some

of our athletes, you know, so there's that additional level of planning that goes into it. hello, james. how are you this morning? good. morning, morning. the organising committee — so we're from grampian, scotland — there's five of us on that. and this is...this is pure volunteer time for us. and then we rely on event volunteers and competition volunteers to come out and serve the lunches, help with the medal ceremonies, help on the piste. and so we have another 30 of those, and we are just blown away that people...by people's generosity to come and give up their holidays and pay their own way to come and help us to do this. and they're a great bunch of volunteers. so, to make it clear, people are paying to be here, on their annual leave... yes! ..to make this happen. yes. and they love it. and their reward is when they go snowshoeing with the athletes. and, you know, those are the times. but, yeah, and they do it because when you see the athletes being able to compete, when you see them

being able to do their events and the additional things, like the snowshoeing, and the smiles on their faces and the enjoyment that they have, that's...that�*s...that�*s what makes it all worthwhile. it's the first time we've brought all these sports together under a national winter games banner. so having skating, slalom, super—g, downhillall together, with all of our athletes together for the first time, we will absolutely do that again, without a doubt. we want everybody with an intellectual disability to have the opportunity to be involved in special olympics. that's what we're here for, because we see the impact of being involved. but from a societal point of view, we also know what a difference that makes. so an event like this really, really helps us shine that light, and you can't escape the fact that resource is everything. and we can do so much more with more resource. and by resource, it all will come back to funding. the future will also be guided

by the competitors themselves. katie day from the west midlands is the athletes leader — a formidable skier. i'd been waiting all week to meet her. it was well worth it. katie, thanks so much for your time. it's great to see you here at the end of the week in folgaria. now, before i came out here, people said, "keep an eye "on katie when she skis because she does something "special near the end when she roars." woo! katie roars what are you thinking when you're skiing out there? itjust releases the energy. the whole energy. i'm thinking, "let's get down there quick." it's just the whole experience of skiing in general, is... ..the energy. it's an electrifying experience out there. i get the impression, i think, katie, you're really proud to be on the athlete leadership team, is that right? 100% agree with you on that one, joseph. it's made a huge difference in my life.

i've made lots of lovely friendships. it's also given me the key ingredients that i need in life. confidence, voice, a voice, friendship, fun, laughter, sportsmanship. what are the kind of challenges, do you think, that a lot of people with intellectual disability have in their lives, katie? people treat us like kids, and we are not kids. we are people, with feelings. just because we've got a disability, it doesn't mean that we are children. we are adults with hopes and dreams like everybody else. with the right support, we can achieve our hopes and dreams. when people with intellectual disability are trying to get opportunities, do you think sport can really help with that? absolutely. 100%. and special olympics can help that, because without special olympics, i wouldn't have the confidence to be where i am today and express my voice the way i do now. well done. yay! - the sport is here, katie,

forjust a few days. but do you think sport can change people's lives with intellectual disability? absolutely. 100%. without sport, none of us would be here. in 2025, athletes from all over the world will gather for a global winter special olympics. a few of these competitors will be selected to take part. there'll be a british delegation. numbers will be limited. 7a athletes took part in the first—ever british winter games. back in the town square with the mayor, they gathered for the presentations and the closing ceremony. many of the british special olympians left italy with medals. cheering all of them travelled home with precious memories. five days of sport in folgaria to empower the rest of their lives. hopefully. cheering

and to be absolutely clear, jenny lee did get her italian pizza.

hello there. once again, it's been another week that's been dominated by some wet weather at times but when we have had the sunshine, it's felt pleasant enough. and some of us on friday had a beautiful scene, just like carmarthenshire. hope you made the most of it, though, because particularly out to the west, the start of the weekend looks decidedly unsettled with more wet and windy weather arriving. ahead of it, we'll see quite a lot of cloud and the cloud thick enough for a spot or two of light drizzle that'll be easing away from north east england and eastern scotland. misty, murky conditions behind and then, some heavy rain by the middle part of the afternoon, so a west—east divide as we go through the day.

some of the rain will be quite heavy. still quite mild with it — 14 degrees. you can see across south east england and east of the pennines, we may well continue to see some brief glimpses of sunshine. but the rain through wales, stretching up through north west england, northern ireland and western scotland will turn increasingly heavy, accompanied by gusts of winds potentially around a0 mph. a little bit fresher as well into the north—east of scotland but generally, that mild theme set to continue. now, as we go through saturday evening and into the early hours of sunday morning, our weather front will continue to sink its way steadily south and east. the heaviest of the rain is likely to be now through the midlands and down towards south east england, and that's going to take its time to clear so during the early hours of sunday morning, expect a spell of wet weather. that'll probably still be there across east anglia and south east england for early birds on sunday but it will start to ease away through the middle part of the morning. a few scattered showers tucking in behind and then, sunday generally will be a case of sunny spells, a few isolated showers

and still relatively mild for this stage in february — 10—14 degrees the high. now, as we move out of sunday into the new working week, once again, we will see spells of wet weather at times. brief drier interludes to follow. by the middle part of the week, we'll see a spell of particularly wet and windy weather right across the country and that will have an impact on the feel of the weather. we'll lose that mild southwesterly flow, a northwesterly returns. cooler story for all from midweek onwards. so, planning ahead — might be a mild, relatively sunny start but it'll be wet and windy through the middle part of the week and then, colder air to follow behind.

live from washington, this is bbc news. alexei navalny, the jailed russian opposition figure, has reportedly died in prison. his family blames vladimir putin. translation: they will be held responsible for everything - they've done to our country, to my family, and to my husband. there's been an international outcry. president biden says putin is to blame for the death of the russian opposition leader. putin is responsible for navalny�*s death.

putin is responsible. and in moscow, supporters defy a public ban on gathering for navalny to lay flowers and honour his memory. hello, i'm caitriona perry. russia's most prominent opposition leader, alexei navalny, has died in prison — according to the country's prison service. his cause of death is not yet known but world leaders are already pointing the finger at the kremlin — an accusation russia has strongly denied. navalny, a fierce kremlin critic, was serving a prison sentence in a russian penal colony. this was the last time he was seen alive publicly, looking gaunt and emaciated via a videolink. member of alexei navalny�*s team put out a statement saying, in part: his wife yulia had a warning for the russian president.