GLOBETROTTING by Phil Hersh: Who will win 2019 figure skating worlds? My gold...
Yuzuru Hanyu reacts after his free skate at the 2018 Olympics, when he won a second straight Olympic gold. (Getty Images.) March 15, 2019 There are two ways to do figure skating predictions. One is based on the unlikely event that the top six or so skaters or couples in every discipline skate cleanly (wouldn’t […]
THE BIG PICTURE: Russia still at the center of World Anti-Doping Agency’s annual...
The continuing question of Russian doping cast a long shadow over the Annual Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) during its Annual Symposium on Wednesday and Thursday in Lausanne, Switzerland. Just prior to the meeting, the leadership of 18 National Anti-Doping Organizations issued a statement that noted the forthcoming election of a new WADA […]
LANE ONE: Which Olympic sports are going to die?
There was a collective eyebrow-raising in the world of Olympic sports when the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) released its “Future of Global Sport” report on 28 February. In its 46 pages, the collective wisdom of a 17-member, blue-ribbon panel of sports experts – from Olympic and non-Olympic backgrounds – was shared with […]
LANE ONE: USOC Board focuses on Congress, athlete advocacy and gymnastics in L.A....
The United States Olympic Committee has been battered by accusations and scandal, hammered in Congressional hearings, changed out its leadership … and got the message. The USOC Board of Directors met in Los Angeles, California on Thursday and Board chair Susanne Lyons and chief executive Sarah Hirshland spoke to reporters afterwards by conference call. They […]
LANE ONE: FINA asks for dismissal of International Swimming League and athlete suits
Following the cancellation of a high-profile swimming meet scheduled for last December, the new International Swimming League (ISL) filed suit against the international governing body for swimming – the Federation Internationale de Natation or “FINA” – in U.S. Federal Court. ISL filed its own suit, and one in the names of U.S. stars Tom Shields […]
THE BIG PICTURE: With Congress on its tail, USOC is putting heat on...
Stung by the multiple Congressional inquiries into its responses – or lack of responses – to the sexual-abuse situations in swimming, gymnastics and other sports, the United States Olympic Committee has begun an intense program of review of its affiliated National Governing Bodies. The USOC has already begun the process of formally revoking the status […]
THE BIG PICTURE: GAISF moves World Urban Games from Los Angeles to Budapest
The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) made a significant announcement early Monday morning, moving the World Urban Games from Los Angeles (USA) to Budapest (HUN): “In November 2018, the GAISF Council began discussions with Los Angeles for a 2019 edition. After much deliberation, however, the Council decided that Budapest’s proposed sports programme was […]
LANE ONE: Agenda 2020 and the future of Baseball, Softball and other sports...
The 21 February announcement that Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing and Breakdancing were the requested additions to the program of the 2024 Olympic Games by the Paris organizing committee left sports such as Baseball, Softball, Billiards, Chess, Karate and Squash out of the Games. And they are not happy about it. The World Karate Federation has […]
THE BIG PICTURE: Estonian skier admits to doping for years
The stunning arrests of five Cross Country skiers at the FIS Nordic World Championships in Seefeld (AUT) for doping has provided a clear signal that doping is hardly a thing of the past. On Friday, the identities of all five skiers became known and led to a statement from the Estonian Ski Association: “The Estonian […]
LANE ONE: The strange case of rowing, Los Angeles and the 1932, 2012,...
The International Olympic Committee has trumpeted the benefits of its Agenda 2020 reform program, one of the first initiatives undertaken by then-new IOC President Thomas Bach in December 2014. Its concepts significantly changed the bidding process for the Olympic Games and Winter Games, in part by emphasizing the use of “existing facilities and the use […]
THE BIG PICTURE: German Cartel Office relaxes IOC’s Rule 40 restrictions through 2026
A long administrative process that began in 2017 resulted in a decision issued Wednesday (27th) that “extended” the personal advertising activities of German athletes...
THE BIG PICTURE: Doping arrests shock World Nordic Ski Championships in Austria
The excitement of the World Nordic Skiing Championships, and the amazing exploits of Norway’s Therese Johaug, were interrupted by the stunning announcements that five athletes had been arrested in morning raids on Wednesday (27th). Reuters reported that nine people were arrested during the course of 16 raids carried out, including two athletes from Austria, two […]
THE BIG PICTURE: Nassar abuse survivors have until 29 April to file claims...
The wheels of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court are now spinning on the USA Gymnastics filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, with the posting of an order opening a two-month time period for sexual-abuse claims to be filed against USA Gymnastics. The order states that “on February 25, 2019, the Court entered an order (the “Bar […]
THE BIG PICTURE: Paris 2024 asks for four added sports: three from 2020,...
The International Olympic Committee went back to the past when it allowed Tokyo 2020 to propose added sports for its program, as used to be done through the 1972 Games in Munich. Paris 2024 released its request for four sports – but without any details as to events or competitors – and asked to add […]
LANE ONE: Appreciating the amazing Mikaela Shiffrin: is she the finest skier ever?
In the midst of seasons and watching who wins and who loses, it’s easy to lose perspective when seeing an athlete having a historic season, or seasons. Sometimes, it’s best to just enjoy seeing one of those special performers who are obviously one of the best to ever compete in their sport. In the big […]
THE BIG PICTURE: USA Gymnastics hires a new chief executive (again)
USA Gymnastics has been targeted by the United States Olympic Committee for de-certification as the National Governing Body for the sport, but it isn’t acting like it. On Tuesday, the organization announced that Li Li Leung, a Vice President of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has agreed to become the next USAG President and Chief […]
LANE ONE: On volunteerism and the Olympic Games, you see which “economists” actually...
The Associated Press’s Stephen Wade posted a story last Friday entitled “Olympic volunteers: One-time chance, or exploitation?” and proceeded to quote a Drexel Sports Management processor named Joel Maxcy, who called the practice of using volunteers, “To me, it’s very clearly economic exploitation.” The rest of the article struggled to find any prospective volunteers for […]
LANE ONE: Burger King is not an Olympic sponsor, but it has the...
This is a busy time for the leadership and staff of the International Olympic Committee, even though there is no Olympic Games – winter or summer – in 2019. The IOC and especially the Executive Board have a long list of issues to be dealt with, including the continuing saga of Russia and its standing […]
LANE ONE: Could Kasper’s outburst lead to a reduction in the size of...
In case you missed it, there was a huge explosion inside the Olympic Movement last week after an interview with Federation Internationale de Ski President Gian-Franco Kasper appeared in the Swiss daily Tages Anzeiger. Kasper, a Swiss now 75, has been with the FIS since 1975. He was Secretary-General from 1975-98 and then became its […]
THE BIG PICTURE: Int’l Paralympic Committee reinstates Russia, but with lot of conditions
Since the Russian doping scandal broke in 2015, the International Paralympic Committee has been much stronger in its dealings with its Russian National Paralympic Committee than the International Olympic Committee has been with the Russian Olympic Committee. That continued today (8th), even as the IPC agreed to conditionally re-admit Russia after 29 months on suspension, […]
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