TSX INTEL REPORT: Here’s how the 2028 Olympic Games can be taken away from Los Angeles + four U.S. swim records in ISL Derby & a dominant U.S. men’s soccer win!

= TSX INTELLIGENCE REPORT ~ 18 November 2019 =

● LANE ONE ● Conspiracy theorists, here’s how Los Angeles loses the 2028 Olympic Games!

Although there were a lot of other things going on the Congress last week, the Senate Commerce Committee approved 20 bills for consideration by the full Senate, including the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee reform act originally introduced by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut).

There is one element in the bill which is giving the USOPC and the International Olympic Committee a lot of indigestion, specifically the section which allows the Congress – by a Joint Resolution – to remove the entire USOPC Board of Directors, or to end the governing authority of a U.S. National Governing Body (starting with USA Gymnastics).

There is good reason to think that the IOC would find these powers as interfering with the autonomy of sport in the United States and could lead – as have incidents in other countries – to a possible suspension of the USOPC.

Think there’s no way the IOC would do such a things to its cash cow country, for television rights and sponsorships? Think again.

Depending on what happens and how it happens, there is a scenario for the 2028 Olympic Games to be removed under the Host City Contract, with a replacement host already in waiting. It’s hardly likely, but it is possible.

There is also a set of circumstances under which the IOC might find it to its advantage to suspend the USOPC and force U.S. athletes to compete under the Olympic Flag at the Winter Games in Beijing (CHN) in 2022.

Impossible? Read on here.

● FOOTBALL ● U.S. men sail past Canada and are ready to advance in CONCACAF Nations League

The U.S. men’s National Team came out and dominated Canada from the kickoff in Orlando on Friday evening and won, 4-1, to set itself up to advance out of Group A in the inaugural season of the CONCACAF Nations League.

After losing to Canada in Toronto, 2-0, earlier, the U.S. had to win to be in position to win the group in its final match vs. Cuba on Tuesday (19th).

They left no doubt.

Jordan Morris scored in the second minute and the U.S. scored three goals in the first 33 minutes and won, 4-1. That margin flipped the goal-differential in favor of the American side going into the Cuba game, so all the U.S. has to do is win in George Town (CAY) on Tuesday and they can move on.

The team is still very much a work in progress, but the energy and drive shown in Orlando was light-year away from the tepid effort against Canada in the first game. That’s a start. More here.

SWIMMING ● Four U.S. Short-Course records in ISL American Derby

The first season of the International Swimming League is coming to a close and the four U.S. teams competed together for the only time in the U.S. Derby in College Park, Maryland, to select the two finalist teams.

There was little doubt that those would be the L.A. Current and the Cali Condors and they advanced, but not before four American Short-Course (25 m) records were set during the meet:

● Men/50 m Breaststroke: 25.99, Ian Finnerty
● Men/100 m Breaststroke: 56.29, Finnerty
● Men/50 m Butterfly: 21.21, Caeleb Dressel
● Women/400 m Medley: 4:24.46, Melanie Margalis

Dressel continued to confirm his place as the top sprinter in the world, winning five individual events (plus two relays) and winning the Most Valuable Player award for the meet.

Breaststroke star Lilly King won all three of her events – 50-100-200 m – and set world-leading marks in the two longer races. She’s won all three of the Breaststrokes in all three of her meets!

The European Derby will be held in London (GBR) next week, with Energy Standard and the London Roar sure to go through to the final in Las Vegas, Nevada in December. More here.

Ukrainian Konstantin Grigorishin, the ISL founder and funder, told The Washington Post last week that his plan for the second year of the ISL program is to have 10 teams and 27 meets, instead of eight and seven.

It’s a big investment, but as a billionaire, he can afford it and still believes in the effort. Time will tell.

The public arbitration of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s case vs. Chinese distance Freestyle star Yang Sun was held last week in Montreux, Switzerland.

FINA had cleared Sun from charges that he avoided a test last September, when a doping-control officer came to his home. Sun said the DCO did not have the proper identification and he was therefore not required to provide a sample. But the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the finding and wants to suspend Sun from 2-8 years, as he is a repeat offender.

The procedure was marred by very poor interpretation from Chinese to English at the start of the day, but this was eventually fixed. The testimony took all day and there is no due date for the decision of the panel.

● WRESTLING ● U.S. finishes second in UWW Women’s World Cup

The annual Women’s World Cup, the dual-meet championship tournament among the world’s top teams was won, as usual, by Japan, which took the title for the 11th time in the 18 times it has been held.

With a powerful team of current and former World Champions, Japan defeated the U.S. by 7-3 in the championship bout on Sunday.

The U.S. did get wins from its three 2019 World Champions: Jacarra WinchesterTamyra Mensah-Stock and Adeline Gray, but that was it. More here.

● SCOREBOARD ● Superb wins for Jake Gibb and Brittany Bowe on sand and ice

The ISU Speed Skating World Cup season opened in Minsk (BLR) with Japan’s Nao Kodaira suffering a surprise loss at 500 m, ending her 23-race win streak. But American Brittney Bowe made a strong start to the season, winning the 1,000 m and finishing third in the 1,500 m.

As usual, the Dutch men dominated the competition, winning five of the six races. Canada won two women’s races, with Ivanie Blondin taking the Mass Start and Isabelle Weidemann winning the 3,000 m.

At the FIVB World Tour 4-star tournament in Chetumal, Mexico, the U.S. duo of Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb won their first World Tour gold as a team, defeating former World Champions Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen (NED) in three sets.

This was especially noteworthy because Gibb is 43 and become the oldest man ever to win a World Tour event; American John Hyden had held the distinction, at 41. Moreover, Crabb’s older brother, Trevor, won the bronze medal, paired with Tri Bourne!

Australian stars Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar won the women’s tournament over China’s Fan Wang and Xinyi Xia.

Click here for our summary coverage of the weekend’s results in Badminton ~ Baseball ~ Beach Volleyball ~ Fencing ~ Football ~ Speed Skating ~ Table Tennis.

At the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, the fifth of six ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix events, the hosts dominated, with 15-year-old Alexandra Trusova winning the women’s competition over two-time World Champion Evgenia Medvedeva, and American Mariah Bell.

Russian skaters went 1-2-3 in the men’s event, won by Alexander Samarin, 1-2 in Pairs and won the Ice Dance as well. More here