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PANORAMA: Culver City adding ‘28 Senegal NOC House? WADA keeps staff out of U.S. due to USADA fight; FIE says countries must admit all athletes, or else!

By
Rich Perelman
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The medal design for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida (Photo: WXC Tallahassee 2026).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● After a long process to approve a major hospitality and public fan festival space for the New Zealand Olympic Committee, Culver City Mayor Dan O’Brien took the occasion of his “State of the City” address last Thursday (6th) to announce he wasn’t stopping there.

Included in his presentation at the Culver Theater was a panel discussion on sports and specifically about Culver City and the 2028 Olympic Games. A video promoting Culver City and its appeal as an “NOC House” location was shown – O’Brien uses it as a recruiting tool – and he welcomed cyclist Rashaan Bahati, born in Lynwood, California and the 2008 U.S. national Criterium champion and Jorrit DeVries, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Chief Representative in California to the panel chat.

O’Brien explained that beyond New Zealand’s program will be a possible NOC House for Senegal, working with the Bahati Foundation, with brings cycling to youth, with programming to be centered in the city’s Media Park, on Venice Boulevard. Other west African nations could also participate.

DeVries is development a business start-up center in southern California to tie in Dutch businesses and capital and while The Netherlands has already secured pre-Games training facilities in Mission Viejo, its NOC headquarters for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be in the Los Angeles area. Culver City, perhaps? O’Brien brought DeVries in with the idea to begin the discussions with The Netherlands Olympic Committee.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The Times (London) reported Monday:

“The World Anti-Doping Agency has blocked its staff from travelling to the US while a federal investigation into the Chinese swimming scandal is continuing.”

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy has withheld U.S. dues from WADA over the January 2021 Chinese swimming mass-positives incident and the U.S. Congress has held hearings and introduced legislation to pressure WADA over what is seen as acquiescence to the no-sanctions decision of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency.

Reporter Matt Lawton quoted from a report by WADA Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI) from September, which noted:

“Until there is an acceptance from Usada that there was no improper cover-up by Wada of the Chinese swimmers’ case, as well as a commitment to refrain from attacking Wada on that front, any dialogue with Wada at leadership level will remain impossible.”

● Russia ● As far as aquatic sports are concerned, the head of the Russian Aquatics Federation, Dmitry Mazepin, told the Russian news agency TASS:

“We’ve done everything except the flag and anthem. That’s the main goal for 2026.

“After the Winter Olympics, we have a chance to compete under the flag and anthem. If everything goes as it is today, then I believe we’ll have the flag and anthem by May 2026. That’s my prediction.”

World Aquatics is now allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams to compete as “neutrals.”

● Athletics ● The medal design for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, to take place in Tallahassee, Florida on 10 January, were revealed, with a Florida theme.

The award was created by 2008 U.S. triple jump Olympian Rafeeq Curry, the 2006 NCAA champion for Florida State and 2011 U.S. Indoor champ. According to the announcement:

“The medal’s engraved lines symbolize both terrain and movement – echoing Florida’s rivers and rolling hills. At the top, radiating sunrays embody Florida’s global moniker, The Sunshine State, while an arrowhead pattern honors the Apalachee people – native tribe in the Tallahassee region – as an acknowledgment of the land’s deep cultural legacy.”

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● A little unusual, but USA Bobsled & Skeleton announced a new sponsorship agreement with Maryland-based Rice Law, which handles personal injury cases. Said Rice Law Managing Partner Randolph Rice, “Like the athletes of USABS, our team believes success comes from preparation, collaboration, and perseverance.”

A new trend?

● Fencing ● The International Fencing Federation (FIE) issued a statement to its member federations on Monday following the refusal of Indonesia to admit Israeli gymnasts to the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta last month:

“In view of the season 2025-2026 which has just started, and in order to avoid any issue, the FIE Executive Committee would like highlight the following principles: all eligible athletes, teams and sports officials must be able to participate in FIE competitions and events without any form of discrimination, in accordance with the FIE Statutes, the Olympic Charter and the fundamental principles of non-discrimination, autonomy and political neutrality that govern the Olympic
Movement.

“Therefore, the FIE will be extremely vigilant when allocating its competitions and events and will make sure that:

“● It receives all written contractual assurances from the organiser and the highest government authorities of the host country, ensuring that all eligible athletes, sports officials and teams can access the host country and compete without any form of discrimination, including the right to be treated equally as per the applicable protocol for all participants;

“● Such assurances are effectively implemented by the organiser and the host country. Failing that, the FIE will be ready to take appropriate action, including but not limited to postponing, relocating, or cancelling the event.”

These requirements, of course, will not only apply to Israeli competitors, but also the Russian and Belarusian “neutrals” who are eligible to compete under FIE rules. The FIE President, Russian Alisher Usmanov, has “stepped back” from his office, but remains a significant influence.

● Football ● FIFA held a “FIFA Professional Players Consultation Forum” on Sunday (9th) in Rabat, Morocco, with 30 player unions, while the worldwide union FIFPro was not included.

As for the continuing question of player seasons for club and country, “principles” were mentioned again for (1) “At least 72 hours of rest between matches,” (2) “Rest period/holiday of at least 21 days between seasons,” (3) “One rest day per week,” and (4) “Measures to consider long-haul intercontinental trips and climatic conditions.”

FIFPro, which claims 65,000-plus members and 72 national player unions, said it was not invited and that the FIFA meeting “did not involve a meaningful global representation of independent player unions that speak on behalf of players and are an integral part of labour negotiations.” It added:

“FIFA has previously applied similar strategies with agents and fans, creating FIFA-friendly organisations for consultation processes rather than engaging with the recognised football representative bodies. Extending this practice to employment matters and promoting fake or ‘yellow’ unions undermines collective worker representation and runs counter to International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions.”

● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Championships for rifle and pistol in Cairo (EGY), Samrat Rana (IND) upset four-time World Cup winner Kai Hu (CHN) in the final of the men’s 10 Air Pistol on Monday.

Hu had a 223.0 to 222.9 lead going into the final round, but shot 9.5 and 10.8 (20.3) to 10.2 and 10.6 (20.8) for Rana, enough for a 243-7 to 243.4 win. India also got the bronze with Varun Tomar scoring 221.7.

The women’s 10 m Air Pistol gold went to China’s Qianxun Yao, 20, who moved up from third at the 2022 World Juniors and scored 243.0 for the victory. Ho Ching Shing (HKG) was a solid second at 241.2, ahead of Wei Qian (CHN: 221.4) in third.

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ATHLETICS: Bracy-Williams banned for three years, nine months in doping case, including tampering and whereabouts charges

By
Rich Perelman
-
Fred Kerley and Marvin Bracy-Williams finishing 1-2 at the 2022 World Championships men’s 100 m final (Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics).

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≡ MAJOR DOPING BAN ≡

Marvin Bracy-Williams was a 2016 U.S. Olympian in the 100 m, ran a lifetime best of 9.85 in 2021 and in 2022 won the World Championships men’s silver in the 100 m in 9.88.

He ran 9.93 in 2023, no. 20 on the world list for the year and then disappeared from the sport due to a provisional suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Now we know the rest of the story.

On Monday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced that Bracy-Williams, now 31, has accepted a 45-month suspension:

● “After receiving credible information from a whistleblower in early 2024, USADA immediately opened an investigation which included collecting a targeted out-of-competition urine sample from Bracy-Williams. As a result of that test, Bracy-Williams tested positive for an anabolic agent and was immediately provisionally suspended by USADA on February 5, 2024.”

● “During the investigation – which USADA conducted with Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Orlando District Office, Miami Field Division – it was discovered that Bracy-Williams had initially attempted to tamper with the investigation.

“Soon after his attempted tampering, Bracy-Williams admitted his violations and provided substantial assistance. The positive test and attempted tampering are treated as a single violation under the World Anti-Doping Code because the tampering occurred in connection with Bracy-Williams’ use of testosterone.”

● “Under Article 10.8.1 of the [World Anti-Doping] Code, an athlete who faces an anti-doping rule violation that carries a period of ineligibility of four or more years, like Bracy-Williams did, may receive a one-year sanction reduction if the athlete admits the violation and accepts the asserted sanction within 20 days of notification of the alleged anti-doping rule violation charge. Per the rule, Bracy-Williams qualified for a one-year reduction to the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility.”

● “In addition to the one-year reduction for his admission of his violations, USADA granted Bracy-Williams a significant reduction of his sanction for providing important substantial assistance to the investigation. This resulted in a 21-month period of ineligibility for Bracy-Williams’s violations for his testosterone use and for his attempted tampering.”

But it got worse:

● “While the investigation was pending, Bracy-Williams committed a further anti-doping rule violation by accruing his third Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period while included in USADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP).

“The Whereabouts Failures occurred on August 10, 2023, October 4, 2023, and June 4, 2024. The period of ineligibility for a Whereabouts rule violation is 12-24 months but is subject to an increased range in this case because it constitutes Bracy-Williams’s second violation. USADA determined that a 24-month period of ineligibility for the Whereabouts rule violation was appropriate based on the circumstances of the case.”

So, Bracy-Williams received 21 months for the testosterone-and-tampering violation and 24 months for the “whereabouts” failure for a 45-month total. His suspension runs from 5 February 2024, meaning he won’t be eligible until November of 2027, when he will be 33.

USADA chief Travis Tygart indicated that Bracy-Williams was part of a larger doping scheme, in which his assistance was valuable:

“This case is also an example of the importance of cooperation between like-minded-organizations and law enforcement agencies when it comes to eradicating organized doping schemes.

“When the rules are applied as they should be, we can hold people accountable while also pursuing additional anti-doping rule violations and criminal charges. This investigation has already resulted in several impactful outcomes which will be announced at a later date, as the overall investigation continues.”

The U.S. went 1-2-3 in the men’s 100 m at the 2022 Worlds with Fred Kerley (9.86) leading Bracy-Williams (9.88) and Trayvon Bromell (9.88). The top two have been in trouble ever since.

While Bracy-Williams has had his results from 1 June 2023 nullified, Kerley did not make it out of the semis at the 2023 Worlds 100 m, made an astonishing comeback after considerable chaos in his track and personal lives to win a Paris Olympic bronze (9.81) and then had more trouble with police in January 2025, ran in one Grand Slam Track meet and was then suspended due to his arrest.

In August, he was provisionally suspended for “whereabouts” failures by the Athletics Integrity Agency, which he has denied. In September, he signed with the doping-friendly Enhanced Games, to be held in May 2026.

Bromell, on the other hand, has been an inspiration. He was injured in 2024, but roared back in 2025, finishing fourth at the USATF Nationals and made the relay team for the World Championships in Tokyo, running third leg in the heats, with the Americans winning the final with a different line-up (with Bromell receiving a gold medal). At 30 and having run 9.84 this year, he remains a contender.

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TRANSGENDER: Times of London reports IOC working group moving toward transgender ban, possibly for 2026

By
Rich Perelman
-
Test tubes in a laboratory (Photo by Andrea.exp15 via Wikipedia)

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≡ THE LATEST ≡

“It was a very scientific, factual and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence.”

That comment is from a Monday story in The Times (London), referring to a presentation made by International Olympic Committee medical director Dr. Jane Thornton (CAN) at a meeting of the IOC’s “Protection of the Female Category” working group, established on 5 September.

One of four such groups, but the only one whose members have not been identified “to protect the integrity of the group and their work,” apparently received the presentation well. According to The Times report:

“Sources said the presentation by Thornton, a Canadian former Olympic rower, stated that scientific evidence showed there were physical advantages to being born male that remained with athletes, including those who had taken treatment to reduce testosterone levels.”

The Times story indicated that action on the working group’s effort, and a possible ban on transgender women and women with “differences in sexual development” could be presented for approval to the IOC membership as early as the 145th IOC Session at the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games in February.

The IOC Executive Board will meet on 9-10 December and the annual Olympic Summit will take place in Lausanne (SUI) on 11 December, where a position could be taken by Olympic “stakeholders.”

In response to an inquiry from the BBC, the IOC responded that “the working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet.”

Nevertheless, the leak to The Times indicates that there is movement toward the position taken by World Athletics, which imposed a requirement on 30 June 2025 for a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene, present in males. The concept has been endorsed further by the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS), which has not adopted a timetable, but is working with its member federations on how to implement the requirement, possibly by 2027.

The concept was initially trumpeted by Reem Alsalem (JOR), the United Nations Special Rapporteur for violence against girls and women in an August 2024 report. She explained in an October 2024 news conference:

● “In order to ensure, fairness, dignity and safety for all, including females – women and girls, females – we would need to maintain a female-only category in sports, while at the same time also having more ‘open’ categories for those wishing to play sports in categories that do not respond to the sex they were born into.

“That is one thing. The other thing is, as requested by many women and girls in sports, is to bring back – or actually not bring back – is to introduce sex screening, which as you know was discontinued in 1999.

“So that should be sex screening have become a lot more reliable now, cheap, can be administered in a confidential, dignified manner, should be introduced … as an element of – what was that called – eligibility, in female sports.”

● “As we know from the many studies that we have, males have a biological advantage in sports, especially during and after puberty, and artificial suppression of testosterone does not do away with this advantage. This is what the scientists and the experts are saying, not to mention pressuring anyone to artificially suppress testosterone in order to qualify for any category also raises ethical and human rights issues, which I also spoke about in the report, and should therefore also not be done.”

The IOC has gone through many phases in the women’s eligibility area and did sex testing until ending it in 1999. It adopted a 2015 “consensus” statement which allowed competitors into the women’s category if their testosterone levels were below a threshold of 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months.

In November 2021, it adopted the IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics, which called for preventing an athlete’s entry into a competition based on their self-determined gender identity only on the basis of research that shows a demonstrated advantage.

That appears to be where the IOC is headed now, but with new research, but a sure legal challenge coming to any new regulations. The IOC may find scientific backing for its new position, but the SRY-gene test has been criticized as imperfect, so it will undoubtedly be tested in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, European Court of Human Rights and all other forums which may be available.

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PANORAMA: U.S.’s Padilla claims history at Trampoline Worlds; American Bak defends rowing Beach Sprint gold; Shibutanis sixth in Ice Dance comeback

By
Rich Perelman
-
Pure joy for Trampoline Worlds gold and silver medal winner Ruben Padilla of the U.S. (Photo: USA Gymnastics).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games: China ● The China Media Group, which includes the state-run broadcaster CCTV, announced it has purchased media rights in China for the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games and the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Winter Games.

No terms were announced, of course.

● Olympic Games 1996: Atlanta ● TSX correspondent Karen Rosen noted a report from the Atlanta Business Chronicle:

“A series of land transactions occurred in late October that will allow Fuqua Development to transform the former site of the Stone Mountain Tennis Center, a long-gone stadium built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, into a Costco-anchored development known as Mountain Marketplace.”

Most of the land for the $200 million project was purchased from Gwinnett County. The retail element will be anchored by Costco, with 248 apartments to be built on six acres on the site.

The Stone Mountain Tennis Center was built for the 1996 Games as a permanent site for tennis for $22 million and after the Games, had a 7,200-seat center court. It closed in 2007 and was transferred to Gwinnett County in 2016. It was then demolished in 2018.

● Freestyle Skiing ● Italian teen star Flora Tabanelli, who won the 2025 World Championship in women’s Big Air, was injured in a training fall last week and diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

Still just 17, she will try for rehabilitating the knee rather than surgery in order to maximize her chances to compete in the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina. She is the third Italian star skier to suffer substantial injury, after alpine stars Federica Brignone and Marta Bassino have also been sidelined.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Korea Open in Gwangju, top seed Jia Heng Jason Teh (SGP) downed Yudai Okimoto (JPN), 21-14, 21-15 in the men’s Singles and top-seeded Pin-Chian Chiu (TPE) defeated Thuy Linh Nguyen (VIE) in the women’s final, 21-16, 21-15.

South Korean won the men’s and Mixed Doubles finals, while Japan took the women’s Doubles.

● Curling ● The defending champions in what was the Grand Slam of Curling “National” made it to the finals once again in Lake Tahoe, Nevada for what appears to be the first time a Grand Slam event has been held outside of Canada! A stop in Las Vegas was scheduled in 2021, but was wiped out by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The women’s final came down to another battle between three-time World Champion Rachel Homan (CAN) – the defending champion here – and four-time World Champion Silvana Tirinzoni (SUI). The match was 2-2 after three ends and 3-3 after five, then Tirinzoni took a 4-3 lead in the sixth. But Homan’s rink upped their game and scored two in the seventh and two in the eighth for the win and a 7-4 final.

The men’s championship saw top-seed Bruce Mouat (SCO) – the defending champion – against no. 2 Matt Dunstone (CAN), the Masters champion from earlier in the season. Mouat’s rink got out to a 2-0 lead right away, but Dunstone tied it in the second end. Dunstone then scored in three more ends and had a 6-4 lead after eight. But Mouat found two in the eighth and a winner in the extra end for the 7-6 win and the trophy.

● Cycling ● At the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Riyadh (KSA), French Olympic bronze winner Anthony Jeanjean won his first Worlds gold, taking the men’s BMX Freestyle final, scoring 94.44.

American Marcus Christopher was a close second at 94.02 and Australian Olympic champion – and defending World Champion – Logan Martin won the bronze at 91.68. American Justin Dowell finished sixth at 90.44.

Two-time Worlds silver medalist Sibei Sun (CHN) took her first Worlds gold, scoring 95.86, leading a Chinese sweep with Paris Olympian Jiaqi Sun (93.08) and Xiaotong Fan (92.10) finishing 2-3. Six-time World Champion Hannah Roberts of the U.S. was 10th at 67.66.

● Fencing ● The FIE World Cup season opened with events in Foil and Sabre. At the Foil World Cup in Palma de Mallorca (ESP), Czech Alexander Choupenitch defeated Gergo Szemes (HUN) in the men’s final, 15-10. A Russian “neutral” squad won the team title.

Martina Favaretto (ITA) won the women’s final over Yuka Ueno (JPN), 15-9 and Favaretto led the Italian team over the American entry of Emily Jing, Lee Kiefer, Jaelyn Liu and Lauren Scruggs in the team final, 45-32.

The Sabre World Cup was in Algiers (ALG) was the second career World Cup gold for 19-year-old American Colin Heathcock, winning by 15-12 over Fares Ferjani (TUN). France defeated Romania, 45-40, in the team final.

Korean Ha-young Jeon won the women’s tournament, defeating Sugar Katinka Battai (HUN), 15-12. Jeon led the Korean women to the team title, 45-39, over Battai and Hungary.

● Figure Skating ● The 46th edition of the ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy was in Osaka (JPN), with Beijing 2022 silver medalist Yumi Kagiyama (JPN) winning the men’s title for the third straight year. He won the Short Program and was second in the Free Skate, edging Shun Sato, the 2024 Grand Prix Final bronzer, by 287.24 to 285.71. Well back in third was Lukas Britschgi (SUI: 246.94). Americans Andrew Torgashev and Jimmy Ma were 10th and 11th at 212.01 and 208.56.

Japan’s three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto was an easy winner in the women’s Singles, scoring 227.18 ahead of Sofia Samodelkina (KAZ: 200.00). Americans Sarah Everhardt (186.69) and Elyce Lin-Gracey (162.41) finished fifth and 10th.

Pairs came down to a win for two-time Worlds bronzers Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (ITA) in the Free Skate – despite a fall – passing Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN), 208.58 to 207.28. China’s Beijing 2022 champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han led after the Short Program, but were fourth in the Free Skate at 203.79.

Americans Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov (193.00) and Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe (187.40) finished fifth and sixth.

In the Ice Dance, Britain’s World Championships bronze winners, Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson won both segments and won at 205.88, with Italians Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (198.67) second and Americans Caroline Green and Michael Parsons (187.90) third. Two more American pairs placed 5-6: Katarina Wolfkostin and Dmitriy Tsarevski (182.85) and – in their return to competition – Maia and Alex Shibutani, the 2018 Olympic bronze winners and three-time Worlds medalists, scored 180.50 for sixth.

A video of Alex Shibutani strongly criticizing his sister last month was leaked to social media, and he apologized, saying “Unfortunately, I lost my temper in training and it shouldn’t have happened. I apologized to Maia right after our practice.”

● Football ● North Korea did it again at the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco, winning for the fourth time and defending their 2024 win by a 3-0 shutout of The Netherlands on Saturday in Rabat, with all of its goals in the first half.

North Korea has won this tournament in 2008, 2016, 2024 and 2025 and has won four of the nine times this event has been held. The Dutch won their first medal; Mexico won its second-ever medal with a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win in the bronze-medal game over Brazil, after a 1-1 tie in regulation.

Group stage matches are continuing at the FIFA men’s U-17 World Cup in Qatar, with the U.S. advanced into the playoff round after winning their first two matches. They defeated Burkina Faso in the opener, 1-0 on a Cavan Sullivan goal in the 79th minute and then came from behind to win against Tajikistan, 2-1, on goals from Nimfasha Berchimas (30th) and Sullivan, who got the winner on a penalty in the 61st.

The final U.S. group game will be against the Czechs on the 11th.

● Gymnastics ● There are only two events for trampoline in the Olympic Games – one each for men and women – but American Ruben Padilla had a week to remember at the FIG Trampoline World Championships in Pamplona (ESP).

On Sunday, he won his first Worlds individual trampoline medal, a silver in the men’s Trampoline final, scoring 61.950 behind China’s Zisai Wang (63.470), the Olympic silver medalist from Paris. It was the first time since Stormy Eaton won silver at the 1974 championships that an American man had won an individual trampoline Worlds medal!

But Padilla had already been busy:

● On Friday, he teamed with Trevor Harder, Simon Smith and West Fowler to take the Double Mini Team title with 28 points to 22 for Australia.

● On Saturday, he won gold in the Double Mini final, at 31.300, with Fowler third at 28.800.

Still just 24, Padilla now has six Worlds golds in Double Mini, Double Mini Team and All-Around Team events, plus eight Worlds silvers and two bronzes.

The U.S. won two other medals, with Fowler, Kaden Brown, Xavier Harper and Bailey Mensah winning silver in the men’s Tumbling team final, behind Azerbaijan, 26-22. The women’s Double Mini team of Aliah Raga, Kennedi Roberts, Grace Harder and Susan Gill won gold, scoring 26 points to 23 for defending champion Great Britain.

Overall, the U.S. won six medals (3-2-1) to tie for second with China (4-0-2) and Japan (1-3-2). “Neutral” athletes won 10 medals (4-5-1), of which three golds were won by Belarusians.

● Ice Hockey ● The World Champion U.S. women swept the first two Rivalry Series match-ups against arch-rival Canada, winning 4-1 in Cleveland, on Thursday and 6-1 on Saturday in Buffalo.

After a 1-1 tie through the first period of the opening game, the Americans got three goals in a row from Abbey Murphy for the 4-1 victory. The second match was scoreless through the first period, and the U.S. grabbed a 2-0 lead on scores by star Hilary Knight and Kelly Panek, then Canadian star Marie-Philip Poulin scored to cut the lead to 2-1.

The U.S. outscored Canada 4-0 in the third for the 6-1 win, this time with Knight getting the hat trick with two goals in the period.

The last two games in this series will be on 10 and 13 December, in Edmonton (CAN).

● Rowing ● The World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals was in Antalya (TUR) in 2025, with increased interest as the event will be on the Olympic program in Los Angeles for the first time in 2028.

American Christopher Bak was the men’s star once again, winning the men’s Solo final for the second straight time in 2:33.82 to 3:00.77 for Spain’s Ander Martin. Mathis Nottelet (FRA) took the bronze.

New Zealand’s Emma Twigg, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic winner in the women’s Single Sculls, won the women’s Solo final – at age 38 – in 2:42.70 over Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig (35), the Tokyo bronzer, who finished in 2:56.15. Britain’s Laura McKenzie won the bronze.

In the Open Division races, the U.S. won the Mixed Quadruple Sculls with Cox gold in 2:07.24 over Spain (2:10.32), and won silver in the Mixed Double Sculls with Bak and Sera Busse in 2:16.95, just behind Lithuania’s 2:16.71 with Dominykas Jancionis and Martyna Kazlauskaite.

Bak now has four gold, one silver, and one bronze in Beach Sprint Worlds, the most golds ever and equal with Tunisia’s Hela Mohamed for the most total medals.

● Shooting ● The second edition of the ISSF World Championships for rifle and pistol, separate from the shotgun events, is ongoing in Cairo (EGY), with final-round drama in both 10 m Air Rifle medal rounds.

The men’s 10 m Air Rifle final went to Maximilian Dallinger (GER), a three-time Worlds medalist at 50 m, in a tight 252.0 to 251.7. final-round battle with Swede Victor Lindgren, the Paris Olympic runner-up. China’s Paris Olympic gold medalist Lihao Sheng took the bronze at 229.9.

The women’s 10 m Air Rifle final was also tight, with Korea’s Paris Olympic champ Hyo-jin Ban holding on for a 255.0 to 254.0 victory with China’s 2024 World Junior winner Zifei Wang second. India’s Elavenil Valarivan took the bronze at 232.0.

On Sunday, China’s Sheng and Wang combined for the Mixed Team Air Rifle gold, 16-3, over a second Chinese team in Xinlu Peng and Honghao Wang.

In the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol, France’s Clement Bessaguet edged Anish Anish (IND), 31-28 in the final, winning his first Worlds gold after silvers in this event in 2022 and 2023.

In the non-Olympic men’s 50 m Pistol, South Korea won the team title, 1,648 to 1,646, over India. The women’s individual title went to 20-year-old Qianxun Yao, the 2022 World Junior Champion, as she and Nasir Nasirova (AZE) both set a world record of 550, but Yao won with more 10s.

● Table Tennis ● At the WTT Champions in Frankfurt (GER), Japan’s 18-year-old rising star Sora Matsushima won the men’s Singles with a dramatic 11-8, 15-13, 11-13, 18-16, 11-9 (4-1) win over Germany’s Dang Qiu.

The all-Japan women’s final was a tight win for Olympic bronzer Hina Hayata, who won over Miwa Harimoto, 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 6-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 (4-3).

● Taekwondo ● At the World Taekwondo World Cup Mixed Team Championship in Wuxi (CHN), fourth-seed Brazil defended its 2024 title and won for the third time overall, defeating South Korea in the final, 2-0. China won the bronze, 2-0, over top-seeded Uzbekistan.

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FOOTBALL: FIFA’s Infantino, ever the promoter, says U.S. will have “horde of barbarians but happy barbarians invading” for 2026 World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) speaks at the American Business Forum in Miami on 7 November 2025 (Image: DRM News screen shot).

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≡ INFANTINO TALKS AND TALKS ≡

“Well, I really don’t know if Americans realize what is going to happen. Mexicans, they get it probably a bit more because they know more about football. Canadians are even more north, so, but what will happen in this country is something incredible.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) rarely misses an opportunity to talk about football and he was center stage at last week’s American Business Forum in Miami, Florida, about FIFA, the 2026 FIFA World Cup and his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who spoke to the Forum a day earlier.

Infantino was the most energized when he spoke about the impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played in 11 U.S. cities, three in Mexico and two in Canada. Overheated? For sure, but always entertaining … and always looking for money:

“I mean, let me say one more thing first, because after you’re going to conclude, I guess, since we are in a business forum here. So there are business people here as well.

“I need to say one thing about business as well, otherwise they think I’m just, you know. kind of having fun as a president but … the business has to has to also work. So the football GDP, global football GDP is around 300 billion U.S. dollars a year. Out of this $300 billion, 70% is generated in Europe but mainly from outside of Europe. In the U.S. it’s around $10 billion. If the U.S. would be doing – and this is an advice to all business people in this room to invest in FIFA and in football – if the U.S. would be doing one-third of what European countries do, you would speak about $110 billion – instead of $10 – $110 billion GDP in the U.S.

“So this to say that there is such a big potential and I think that those Americans – why I say this – because I think that those Americans who didn’t or don’t realize what is happening next year they will realize it, because this country and Canada and Mexico will be you know, flipped upside down, back up, back down.

“You will have a horde of barbarians, but happy barbarians invading the country with the result that soccer or football will conquer America. This is a country that’s never been conquered for the first time. We will conquer America.

“This I announce it here officially.”

Infantino actually said this before, after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but maybe he forgot. He continued:

“Yes, it is an incredible economic impact of only the World Cup, [that] has an economic impact of around $40 billion, 200,000 jobs which will be created, five, six million people coming here to watch the games but also you know to enjoy their holidays in Miami Beach or anywhere else in beautiful Florida.

“So it moves so much and not just that because the entire world will be focused on North America and Canada, Mexico and the United States next year. I was mentioning the figure of six billion – six billion – people will be watching the World Cup. I mean the [NFL] Super Bowl is watched by 120 million people, 130 [million], we have six billion people watching the World Cup. This means that the eyes of the world will be focused on Miami and the rest of North America.”

Earlier in the session, Infantino was asked by host Carlos Diaz-Rosillo, head of the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University, about his relationship with Trump:

“I have a great relationship. I’m really lucky. I have a great relationship with President Trump, who I consider really a close friend. But of course he’s been and is very, very helpful in everything we do for the World Cup. He was the president. He mentioned it today when the U.S., together with Canada and Mexico was awarded the World Cup.

“And he’s really engaged. He has such an incredible energy and this is something that I really admire. He does things. He does what he says. He says what he thinks. He says actually what many people think as well but maybe don’t dare to say and that’s why he’s so successful.

“And I have to say I am a bit surprised sometimes when I read some comments, some negative comments because as far as – I’m not American – but as far as I understand, President Trump was elected in the United States of America. Was quite clearly elected, and when you are in such a great democracy as the United States of America, you should first of all respect the results of the election.

“And then you know, again, he was elected based on a program based on what he said and he’s just implementing what he said he would do. So I think we should all support what he’s doing because I think he’s doing pretty good, and for FIFA even more.”

This did not sit well with some folks, who pointed to FIFA’s policy of political neutrality. Miguel Maduro (POR), the former head of the FIFA Governance Committee told The Athletic:

“While he can recognize the legitimacy of President Trump, he should also recognize that in a democracy, others can oppose his policies. To remain politically neutral requires not to take a position on that political debate, much less to argue that all should support President Trump’s policies. To do so appears a clear violation of the duty of political neutrality imposed on any FIFA official by Article 15 of its Code of Ethics.”

FIFA also announced a “FIFA Peace Prize” which will be awarded for the first time at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw on 5 December at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Trump is widely expected to be the first recipient.

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: Fourth FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying disciplinary summary for 2025 shows 54 more incidents, now 220 for the year!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ DISCIPLINE OR CHAOS? ≡

FIFA gives out awards for “Fair Play,” but it also publishes lists of disciplinary sanctions for various issues related to the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches being played in the five regional confederations in Africa, Asia, Europe, North American and the Caribbean, Oceania and South Africa.

The newest list, published on 5 November contained 54 more incidents which involved 33 federations:

Armenia, Benin, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (2 sanctions), Curacao (2), Czech Republic. El Salvador (2), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy (2), Kosovo (2), Latvia, Libya, Luxembourg, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales

The heaviest sanction was a CHF 87,500 fine against the Serbian federation involving an 11 October match against Albania, with:

● “Misconduct of players and officials
● “Team misconduct
● “Discrimination and racist abuse
● “Order and security at matches
● “Causing a disturbance during national anthems”

The number of fans allowed to attend the next Serbian match was reduced by 25%.

The Romanian federation was fined CHF 57,000, had its next match spectator limited reduced by 15% and a “prevention plan” is to be implemented due to:

“Discrimination and racist abuse, Order and security at matches, Failure to comply with and implement existing safety rules and take every safety precaution, Invasion or attempted invasion of the field of play, Lighting of fireworks or any other objects, Use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit a message that is not appropriate for a sports event.”

As for players (and one coach), there were 17 involved, from 14 federations, including:

Andorra (2), Armenia, Burundi, Comoros, Gabon, Honduras. Indonesia (2), Luxembourg, Qatar, Sao Tome (coach), Saudi Arabia (2), South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.

All but one received a CHF 5,000 fine and suspensions from one to four matches. The UAE’s Matar Obaid Saeed Mesfer Al Dhaheri was sanctioned for “Misconduct of players and officials, Unsporting behaviour towards an opponent or a person other than a match official, Assault on a match official” and received a CHF 10,000 fine and a 16-match suspension!

So, with still some matches to be played, the four reports on 2026 World Cup qualifiers published so far this year:

● 05 Nov.: 54 incidents (17 players)
● 07 Oct.: 72 incidents (20 players)
● 28 Aug.: 41 incidents (10 players)
● 22 May: 53 incidents (23 players)

All together, that’s 220 incidents this year alone, including sanctions on 70 players.

That’s a lot of sanctions at a lot of matches, especially in a sport which champions fair play.

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ANTI-DOPING: USADA’s Tygart rips WADA’s “cooperation” idea on Enhanced Games; AIU suspends final dozen Russians from 2011-15 doping program

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart at the 17 June 2025 Senate subcommittee hearing on the World Anti-Doping Agency (U.S. Senate video screen shot).

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≡ THE BIG PICTURE ≡

World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka (POL) told reporters in London (GBR) on 30 October that he was “very keen” to work with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to try and stop the May 2026 Enhanced Games, whose central theme is to be doping-friendly. Banka explained:

“We really want our colleagues from the U.S. to do more to make sure that this event will not happen.

“There are some legal possibilities they can lobby for. USADA has made general comments, but maybe it’s time to try to convince the people who have financed this that it’s dangerous.

“That’s their role and responsibility because the event is going to take place in Las Vegas.”

Last Thursday, USADA chief Travis Tygart slammed back with comments to Inside The Games:

“For an organization reportedly part of a criminal investigation by US law enforcement, the continued and blatantly false attacks from WADA President Banka are a telling smokescreen.

“His attempts to smear America and our U.S. Olympic and professional athletes is a desperate attempt to divert attention away from his failure in allowing China to sweep 23 positive tests under the carpet [in 2021]. This abject failure potentially robbed the world’s clean athletes of 96 medals, including 18 (14 gold) US swimming medals, from the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games.

“Those who value clean and fair sport should stand up and demand that WADA be fixed.

“We are working closely with our partners FIFA and the [International Testing Agency] to ensure this summer’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games are the cleanest on record, and not a repeat of the 2021 and 2024 Games where certain athletes with positive tests were allowed to compete, win, and in a way, have their own Enhanced Games. The Enhanced Games have nothing to do with our athletes, the World Cup, or the Olympics, and President Banka knows this.”

Tygart, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy and the U.S. Congress have been at odds with WADA since the 2024 disclosure of the positive tests of 23 Chinese swimmers in January 2021, who were cleared by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency with WADA filing no appeal. The U.S. has withheld its $3.625 million dues payment for 2024 over the issue.

On Friday, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced 12 suspensions of retired Russian athletes who were found to have been doping during the state-sponsored project from 2011-15 run out of the then-head laboratory of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency in Moscow. Data from the RUSADA Moscow Laboratory Information System (LIMS) and the reports by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren were used to determine the doping positives:

None in this group were big stars; two were men:

● “The AIU has banned Marat Ablyazov (Russia) for 4 years from 7 November 2025 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results since 3 July 2013″ (100 m: best of 10.36 in 2013).

● “The AIU has banned Pavel Ivashko (Russia) for 4 years from 7 November 2025 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results since 19 May 2014″ (400 m: 45.25 in 2015; European Junior 400 m winner in 2013).

Ten were women:

● “The AIU has banned Veronika Chervinskaya (Russia) for 2 years from 5 December 2024 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 25 November 2014 until 8 December 2016″ (100 m hurdles: 13.03 in 2018).

● “The AIU has banned Tatyana (Dektyareva) Dementyeva (Russia) for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 18 July 2014 until 8 December 2014″ (100 m hurdles: 12.68 in 2010; World Championships fifth in 2011).

● “The AIU has banned Valeriya Fyodorova (Russia) for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 17 June 2014 until 6 February 2015″ (Triple Jump: 13.69 m/44-11 in 2014; World Junior Champs fourth in 2014).

● “The AIU has banned Inessa Gusarova (Russia) for 2 years from 14 June 2024 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 16 June 2014 until 16 June 2016″ (800 m: 2:01.00 in 2020).

● “The AIU has banned Svetlana Karamasheva (Russia) for 1 year and 6 months from 17 June 2029 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results 26 July 2014 until 7 June 2017″ (1,500 m: 3:59.61 in 2012).

● “The AIU has banned Natalya Kholodilina (Russia) for 2 years from 7 November 2025 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 6 June 2014 until 13 September 2014″ (20 km Walk: 1:29:49 in 2013).

● “The AIU has banned Yelena Kotulskaya (Russia) for 4 years from 7 November 2025 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results since 14 June 2013″ (800 m: 1:57.77 in 2012; European Indoor silver medalist in 2013).

● “The AIU has banned Marina Novikova Pandakova (Russia) for 4 years from 7 November 2025 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results since 2 July 2013″ (20 km Walk: 1:27:25 in 2020).

● “The AIU has banned Svetlana Rogozina (Russia) for 2 years from 18 July 2024 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 15 July 2014 until 23 July 2016″ (800 m: 1:59.54 in 2014).

● “The AIU has banned Margarita (Smirnova) Korneychuk (Russia) for 2 years from 3 June 2024 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 11 June 2014 until 10 June 2016″ (Heptathlon: 5,798 in 2017).

Even worse was that four of the suspensions were for second- and third-time doping offenses:

● Dektyareva: two-year sanction from 18 December 2014 for a 1st violation.

● Fyodorova: already served a four-year sanction for a 1st violation.

● Kamarasheva: already served a 30-month sanction from 7 June 2017 for a 1st violation, and is currently serving an 8-year sanction from 17 June 2021 for a 2nd violation.

● Kholodilina: already served a two-year sanction from 22 September 2014 for a 1st violation.

The AIU noted that this was the “last batch” of cases from the Moscow lab data for athletics; cases in other sports are ongoing.

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PANORAMA: On Location lost millions on Paris 2024 hospitality; Russia asking for “phased return” in track & field, suing for 2026 skiing access

By
Rich Perelman
-
Artist's rendering of the stage at the Arena di Verona for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games closing ceremony (Image: Milan Cortina 2026).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The On Location hospitality sales effort for the Paris 2024 was confirmed as a money loser for its parent, IMG, now part of TKO Group, which owns the UFC mixed martial arts and WWE wrestling programs.

Chief Financial Officer Andrew Schleimer explained during the TKO Group earnings call for the third quarter of 2025:

“[O]ur year-over-year results were impacted by the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was a key driver of the decrease in revenue as well as the increase in adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin as the event was loss-making.”

(“EBITDA” is earnings before income taxes, depreciation and amortization.)

On Location, the official hospitality providers for the International Olympic Committee, was acquired by TKO from Endeavor in October 2024, after the Paris Olympic Games. It provides high-end hospitality services for many top-tier events in many sports, but Paris 2024 was its first as the official Olympic hospitality service. It is already contracted to LA28 and has made substantial guarantees and payments to the organizing committee.

Endeavor reported $899.8 million for the third quarter of 2024 in its events and experiences business, with a loss in adjusted EBITDA of $68.0 million. For the third quarter of 2025, revenue for the IMG “segment” that includes On Location was $337 million but with $61 million in adjusted EBITDA earnings, a $129 million flip! TKO Group’s 2025 third-quarter total revenues were $1.12 billion.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Milan Cortina 2026 organizers announced “Beauty in Action” as the theme of the Winter Olympic closing ceremony that will take place on 22 February 2026 at the historic Arena di Verona.

The venue itself should be spectacular, built by the Romans around 30 of the common era and beautifully preserved. It has been the site of musical performances for more than a century, with opera seasons running since 1913!

Improvements to the walkways and other safety elements are being made as part of the Italian government’s Games support program overseen by government construction management firm Simico.

In terms of the show:

“The official render of the stage that will host the Ceremony at Arena di Verona was unveiled during the event. The set design will be inspired by a drop of water, symbolizing a natural cycle in constant motion that unites mountains, plains, cities, lagoons, the sea and the sky.

“The tribute to water, which, in its solid form is essential for winter sports, will guide the creation of the stage, setting up a completely new look for the Arena. The stage and the public will no longer be separated: the center of the stage will be a big Italian square, alive and everchanging, allowing movement, shiny surfaces, choreographies and scene transformations.

“The athletes, the true protagonists of challenges, dreams and unforgettable achievements, will be at the centre of a shared celebration, which will pay tribute to their courage, hard work and pride in overcoming their limits.”

As expected, the Russian Ski Association and the Russian Paralympic Committee filed on Thursday against the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) at the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow Russian athletes to compete for qualifying positions for the Milan Cortina Winter Games as “neutral athletes.”

No hearing date has been set as yet. FIS has declined to allow “neutral” athletes in its competitions.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● One day after the Olympic Winter closing in Verona, the Olympic flag – which will be handed over during that ceremony – will arrive in Albertville (FRA), the site of the 1992 Winter Games to recognize the beginning of the journey to 2030.

● Russia ● An on-site audit of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) by the World Anti-Doping Agency is coming soon, but it hasn’t been easy. RUSADA Director General Viktoria Loginova told the Russian news agency TASS:

“Finally, today we can say that, in all likelihood, the audit will take place soon. We are preparing for this. For a long time, the issue was that we couldn’t guarantee the experts’ safety, so the audit was postponed. But we’ve written letters repeatedly, and thanks to the Ministry of Sport’s negotiating position, this step has been taken, and the audit will take place.

“This audit is to determine the extent to which the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decisions have been implemented, including the payment of certain fines, fees, and everything related to bans. WADA will evaluate all of this. And, of course, the issues of our independence, the issues outlined in the CAS decision.”

The WADA audit is seen as a key test ahead of any consideration for RUSADA’s reinstatement.

● Athletics ● The All-Russian Athletics Federation is proposing a “phased” return of Russian athletes to international competition. Federation Secretary General Alexander Jorjadze, speaking at the “Russia: A Sports Power” forum in Samara explained:

“We proposed a phased return to World Athletics, starting with juniors. This is the paradigm we’re pursuing in our dialogue; it’s slow, but it’s happening. Everything has been communicated to the International Federation Council. There is dialogue, but we can’t set a timeline.

“Our situation is difficult. The All-Russian Athletics Federation is subject to permanent sanctions. As a federation, we are almost completely deprived of all opportunities, and there are other restrictions. The situation is complex, but not a dead end.

“We are in dialogue, it’s not public. The two presidents, Sebastian Coe (GBR/World Athletics) and Petr Mikhailovich Fradkov (ARAF), are in contact. There is a working group on the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes.”

● Equestrian ● Russian and Belarusian “neutral” teams will be able to compete beginning in 2026, under a decision taken by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) Board on Wednesday.

Russian and Belarusian equestrians had been approved as “neutrals” in individual events, but not teams. Despite a continuing request from the International Olympic Committee for Russian and Belarusian teams not to be allowed in international competitions, some federations are allowing “neutral” teams in aquatics, for example.

Further, the FEI eliminated outside reviews of “neutrality,” deciding “the checks of neutrality will be delegated to the relevant NFs. Appeals will be handled by the FEI. The decision is effective immediately.”

FEI events will also now be allowed to be staged in Belarus, as of January 2026.

● Figure Skating ● The International Skating Union formally revised the results of 2022 European Skating Championships, in which Russian Kamila Valieva won on the ice, but was later famously disqualified for doping.

This moves Russians Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova to first and second, with Belgium’s Leona Hendrickx now third.

● Football ● At the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco, defending champion North Korea advanced to the finals once again on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Brazil. The Netherlands got by Mexico, 1-0, on a 69th-minute goal by Lina Touzani.

The final comes on Saturday (8th),with the Dutch in the medals for the first time ever. North Korea has won the tournament in 2008, 2016 and 2024 and finished second in 2012.

FIFA announced a new “FIFA Peace Prize,” to be awarded at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw in Washington, D.C. on 5 December, “to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.”

The award is to be made annually, with multiple reports indicating that the award will be given to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has a close relationship with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino (SUI).

FIFA announced fan voting has opened for its player of the year awards, with Lindsey Heaps of the U.S. on the list for the top women’s player and Phallon Tullis-Joyce one of six choices for best women’s keeper.

Voting for this phase will run through 28 November; four groups – coaches, captains, football media and fans – will each be weighted as 25% in the survey.

● Sailing ● Dutch star Marit Bouwmeester announced her retirement from competitive sailing and, at 37, will concentrate instead on the Marit Bouwmeester Academy, to promote sailing to children. She explained in a World Sailing post:

“Sport has given me so much; now I want to give something back. Sailing, SUP, canoeing: they should be as natural for kids as swimming or skating.”

Bouwmeester dominated the Laser Radial class, winning silver-gold-bronze-gold at the 2012-16-20-24 Olympic Games, and five World Championships golds in 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020 (plus four silvers!). She was the Rolex World Sailor of the Year winner in 2017 and 2024.

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GYMNASTICS: Israeli gymnasts, barred by Indonesia from World Gymnastics Championships, were assured they would be safe in Jakarta

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ INDONESIA’S BAN ALL POLITICS? ≡

The Indonesian government and its Olympic officials have stated and re-stated that they refused to grant entry visas to already-entered Israeli gymnasts for the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta because of threats to public order if they were allowed to compete.

On 8 October – 11 days prior to the championships – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo said, “Regarding athletes from Israel, as the Governor of Jakarta, under current circumstances, I will not allow their presence.

“There’s no benefit in having Israeli gymnasts compete in Jakarta right now – it would only spark anger.”

Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir, also an International Olympic Committee member since 2019, wrote on X on 23 October:

“We at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as representatives of the Indonesian Government, adhere to the principle of maintaining security, public order, and public interest in every international event organized. This step is in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws and regulations. This principle is also based on the 1945 Constitution, which respects security and public order, as well as the obligation of the Indonesian Government to uphold world order.

“On that basis, Indonesia has taken steps to avoid the arrival of the Israeli delegation at the Gymnastics World Championships. We understand that this decision carries consequences, wherein as long as Indonesia cannot accept the presence of Israel, the IOC has decided that Indonesia cannot host world championships, Olympic events, Youth Olympic Games, and other activities under the Olympic umbrella.”

The International Olympic Committee issued a statement a day earlier, ending talks on Indonesian aspirations to host any future Olympic events and asking the International Federations also to shut Indonesia out until it agrees with the IOC’s position that “all eligible athletes, teams and sports officials must be able to take part in international sports competitions and events without any form of discrimination by the host country, in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the fundamental principles of non-discrimination, autonomy and political neutrality that govern the Olympic Movement.”

But a different story is being told by two of the six Israeli athletes who were to compete in Jakarta, Lihie Raz, the 2020 European Championships women’s Floor bronze winner, and Eyal Indig, who competed in the men’s All-Around at the 2021 World Championships in Japan.

Indig told Fox News Digital:

“The formal reason given by the Indonesian government was that us participating would endanger us, and the other national delegations.

“For us, it was very strange. [Israeli] security did a scan one week before our flight, in Indonesia, they were in Indonesia, and they authorized everything in terms of security. So we had full authorization from Israel security’s team, and you can believe me that they wouldn’t authorize anything that wasn’t safe. And our federation kept telling us it was safe.”

In fact, Indonesia’s senior minister of law, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, confirmed to The Associated Press that the Indonesian gymnastics federation has submitted a request for the six-member Israeli team to be granted visas, but that “the federation has withdrawn the sponsorship letter.”

Indig told Fox News Digital, “one thing I can say is that this incident has nothing to do with the ceasefire. It’s a blatant incident of discrimination on the basis of nationality.”

The question of whether the Indonesian refusal of entry visas for the Israeli gymnasts was warranted becomes important in the IOC’s deliberations into what to do about the Indonesian government and what to do about the feckless Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which pathetically acquiesced to the Indonesian government’s demands, in contradiction to its own rules.

Further, the action by the Israel Gymnastics Federation and the six gymnasts against the FIG continues in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where the Israel side is asked “for FIG to take the necessary measures that guarantee Israeli participation in the championships, or in the alternative, to move or to cancel the championships.” The Court of Arbitration did not grant an injunction to the Israelis, but the matter could result in other sanctions or damages to be paid to the Israeli side.

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LOS ANGELES 2028: LA28 organizers announce opening of 2028 volunteer program registration, with community works beginning soon

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OPENS ≡

One of the unexpected, but most lasting legacies of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles was the use of volunteers as the primary workforce. Unquestioned inside the organizing committee, which already appreciated the deep, existing volunteer ethos long a part of Los Angeles civic life, the attentiveness, enthusiasm and efficiency of the 33,500 volunteers who supported the 1984 Games stunned the Olympic athletes, officials, visitors and especially the International Olympic Committee.

Volunteers have been a crucial part of the Games and every major international sporting event ever since.

On Thursday, the LA28 organizers announced the opening of registration for its 2028 volunteer program – sponsored by Delta Airlines – with the following parameters:

● “Registration is open now for community volunteering. Submit the form below to let us know you’re interested, and you’ll be notified when opportunities become available. Registering does not guarantee a spot.”

● “Community volunteer events kick off in fall 2025 and registered volunteers will be invited to participate via email as opportunities become available.”

● “Games-time volunteering applications will open in the summer of 2026. You don’t need to volunteer in the community to apply for Games-time roles, but early involvement is encouraged.”

The registration process is brief: just six questions, with no personal information other than your name and an e-mail address.

The program comes with a special LA28 emblem featuring an “A” that depicts people working together.

LA28 chief executive Reynold Hoover has talked about the community impact of the LA28 organizing effort in the aftermath of the January wildfires in the area and how the volunteer effort can be extended into the pre-Games period. He added in Thursday’s announcement:

“We are not waiting until 2028 to tap into Los Angeles’ resilience, generosity and grit. This unique initiative channels the spirit of volunteerism long before the Opening Ceremony, and we have the chance to create a model for future Host Cities, as well as a legacy for Los Angeles and the Games.

“Our hope is that this program can be a catalyst for Angelenos to give back to the city they love, unite across communities and help build a stronger city together.”

According to the announcement:

“Launched earlier than standard Games timelines, the LA28 Volunteer Program will support meaningful causes for the surrounding region and will set an elevated benchmark for community engagement while inspiring broader participation and driving lasting impact across the region.”

The Paris 2024 experience is instructive, as it was a great success both in terms of interest, but also in performance:

● 311,351 applications to volunteer in 7 weeks in 2023
● 283,375 public applications; 27,976 from recruitment efforts
● France (134,541), Mexico (13,193) and U.S. (10,177) applied most

● 41,189 volunteers: 34,879 Olympic; 15,823 for Paralympics
● 143 nations represented in the actual volunteer corps
● 60% of Paralympic volunteers were Olympic volunteers

The Paris organizers used both in-person and online training programs to get volunteers ready, beginning in late 2023 but mostly in 2024.

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PANORAMA: Poll says 72% of Germans favor a future Olympics; McLaughlin-Levone eyes LA28 double; BALCO doping lab chief Conte passes at 75

By
Rich Perelman
-
Brilliant 2025 World 400 m Championships win for American star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Photo: Dan Vernon for World Athletics).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The International Weightlifting Federation announced the 12 weight classes for 2028, lining up the six men’s and six women’s weights with the full listed of classes contested by the federation:

● Men: 65 kg, 75 kg, 85 kg, 95 kg, 110 kg, +110 kg
● Women: 53 kg, 61 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 86 kg, +86 kg

This compares with the eight classes for men and women in IWF events:

● Men: 60 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 75 kg, 85 kg, 95 kg, 110 kg, +110 kg
● Women: 49 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 61 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 86 kg, +86 kg

So, the men’s 60 kg and 70 kg classes are merged into 65 kg and 75 kg for Olympic purposes with the four heaviest classes remaining the same. For women, the 49 kg and 57 kg weights are merged into 53 kg and 61 kg. The new IWF classes will be in use from 1 August 2026.

This brings the LA28 record total of events to 353, across a record 36 sports. The Tokyo 2020 Games had 339 events and Paris 2024 had 329.

● Olympic Games: Germany ● A poll for the German magazine Stern showed that 72% of Germans welcome a future Olympic and Paralympic Games, possibly in 2036, 2040 or 2044.

Only 22% were opposed and 6% had no opinion, in a survey of 1,008 adults on 30-31 October.

Where city or regional bids have been rejected in the past, Munich saw strong support for its referendum to bid for the Games, with 66.4% reported in favor. Bids are also being prepared by the Berlin region, Hamburg and Rhine-Ruhr, which successfully hosted the World University Games this year.

The poll asked those in favor of the Games which region they preferred, with Munich in front at 39%, then 24% for Rhine-Ruhr, 15% for Berlin and 11% for Hamburg. Munich hosted the 1972 Olympic Games, the most technically-advanced ever at the time, but permanently marred by the murder of 11 Israeli delegation members by Palestinian terrorists.

The German Sports Confederation (DOSB) expects to make a choice on a candidate and a targeted Games in 2026.

● Olympic Winter Games 2034: Salt Lake City ● Salt Lake Community College, Utah’s largest two-year college with nearly 50,000 students across eight campuses, announced the “relaunch” of its educational outreach program with US Speedskating and the expansion of its “Beyond The Podium” effort with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USA Climbing.

Made possible by Utah philanthropists Jeff and Helen Cardon, the project offers tuition-free courses and career counseling, plus nutrition guidance and performance testing through the Exercise Science program.

This started with speedskaters in 2018, with 14 Olympians taking part, and 12 more for the Beijing 2022 quadrennial, Now, 19 athletes from the three federations are enrolled, able to continue their studies while training to make the 2026 Milan Cortina team. Said program director Chris Needham, a national-team skater from 2000-10:

“We anticipate more than a dozen will end up competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics. We envision a program that supports around 100 athletes in the lead-up to 2034.”

● Doping ● Victor Conte, whose work in developing performance-enhancing drug solutions for world-class athletes exploded into one of the largest doping scandals in history, died Monday at age 75, according to an X post by his sports nutrition company, SNAC Systems. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Conte became infamous as the center of a doping scandal involving his Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), with a Federal investigation beginning in 2002. In 2003, coach Trevor Graham (JAM) provided a syringe to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency which had been used to deliver BALCO drugs, which proved to have prohibited substances.

Conte and three others were indicted in 2004 and Conte pled guilty in 2005 to distributing steroids and money laundering, sentenced to four months in prison. Multiple BALCO clients were identified – and some were sanctioned (including criminal charges) – including baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and a long list of track stars, including Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Regina Jacobs, Alvin Harrison, Calvin Harrison, Kevin Toth, Kelli White and others.

Post-BALCO, Conte became a promoter for clean sport and using his sports nutrition background, worked with multiple boxers and his SNAC Systems nutrition company.

● Athletics ● World Athletics announced the finalists for its “athlete of the year” awards, to be presented on 30 November:

Track Athlete of the Year/Men:
● Noah Lyles (USA): World 200 m Champion; 100 m bronze
● Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN): World 800 m Champion

Track Athlete of the Year/Women:
● Femke Bol (NED): World 400 m hurdles Champion
● Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA): World 400 m Champion

Field Athlete of the Year/Men:
● Mondo Duplantis (SWE): World vault Champion
● Mattia Furlani (ITA): World long jump Champion

Field Athlete of the Year/Women:
● Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA): World long jump Champion
● Nicola Olyslagers (AUS): World high jump Champion

Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year/Men:
● Sabastian Sawe (KEN): London and Berlin Marathons winner
● Alphonce Simbu (TAN): World marathon Champion

Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year/Women:
● Peres Jepchirchir (KEN): World marathon Champion
● Maria Perez (ESP): World 20 km and 35 km walks Champion

Fan voting will help select the overall men’s and women’s athletes of the year, on the World Athletics social channels, through 8 November.

Speaking to NBC News, U.S. star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said she is definitely eyeing a 400 m-400 m hurdles double in Los Angeles in 2028, if the schedule makes it possible:

“Of course, you can’t pursue everything at one time. You got to take it one at a time and allow your body to really gear up to race some of these really fast races. But yeah, I definitely still think I’d love to dip under 50 at some point [in the hurdles], if time permits, and run faster in the 400 and try to go for that longstanding record.”

McLaughlin-Levrone won the Tokyo and Paris Olympic titles in the hurdles and has set six world records, now at 50.37 last year. In the 400 m, she won the World gold in 2025 in 47.78, moving to no. 2 all-time and close to the 47.60 world mark by Marita Koch (GDR) from 1985.

Asked about Grand Slam Track, for which she was a strong promoter when announced, but still owes millions in athletes fees and vendors, she said she would consider returning in 2026, but:

“I think we’d have to see how it comes back and what the security of it looks like. I think there was a lot of athletes that loved the model, loved what they were able to put out from a product standpoint, but of course, you have to be able to sustain that. And so, we would honestly just have to see what that sustainability looks like before venturing into anything moving forward.”

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced changes to its TYR Pro Swim Series, with an eye toward mirroring conditions which the U.S. team will face at the upcoming World Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games:

“Certain events will transition to a prelims/semifinals/final format, while one distance event at each meet will be contested as prelims/finals. The change is designed to mirror the racing environment athletes experience at major international meets and enhance long-course racing opportunities throughout the season. With the change, TYR Pro Swim Series meets will expand to four full days of morning and evening sessions as opposed to the traditional three-and-a-half-day format.”

At the four stops in 2026 (Austin in January, Westmont in March, Sacramento in May and Indianapolis in June), specific events will be held with semifinals, or with preliminaries for the 800 m and 1,500 m Freestyles. In those events which have expanded rounds, the winner’s prize will be increased from $1,500 to $3,000.

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SWIMMING: USA Swimming selects ‘88 gold winner Lang to head the Board; Dressel says he’s not done yet!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American swimming sprint star Caeleb Dressel (Photo: Panam Sports)

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≡ USA SWIMMING: CROSSROADS ≡

Olympic swimming relay gold medalist Brent Lang was elected as the new Chair of USA Swimming on Tuesday, to serve through the remainder of the resigned Natalie Coughlin’s term, to September 2029.

Lang won an Olympic men’s 4×100 m Freestyle relay gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and a 1991 World Championships 4×100 m Free relay gold. He spent more than 20 years at digital care coordination and communications pioneer Vocera Communications, and was Chair and chief executive into 2022, when it was acquired. He is continuing in the high-tech medical field with multiple companies today.

Relative to USA Swimming, Lang crucially served as a board member of USA Gymnastics from 2018-24, joining in the midst of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal and helping to guide the organization through the process of settlement and restructuring.

Lang was only elected to the USA Swimming Board on 27 September to a four-year term by the House of Delegates, but is now Chair less than six weeks later.

He joins USA Swimming at a time when the organization is looking to re-establish dominance in the pool on the international level, find new funding and expand its base of participation among youth swimmers, coaches and parents.

Lang inherits a new executive team at the federation, with Kevin Ring appointed as chief executive on 4 September, coming from sports marketing positions with the PGA of America and Legends Golf. Decorated ex-Stanford and Olympic women’s coach Greg Meehan was hired as National Team Managing Director last April, to take charge of the development and performance of the American swim teams at the World Aquatics Championships and the Olympic Games. Marketing and communications chief Jake Grosser was elevated to Chief Operating Officer last July.

Lang’s election makes a new interview by SwimSwam.com co-founder Mel Stewart, the 1992 Olympic 200 m Butterfly and Medley Relay gold medalist – and Lang’s teammate on the 1991 U.S. World Championships team – with sprint star Caeleb Dressel even more compelling.

Stewart posted the 90-minute-plus talk with Dressel, 29, the nine-time Olympic gold winner, who covered all kinds of things, including about his future. The short answer is, he’s not done yet, saying:

“I’m not ready to be done, and I love the water too much. And kind of the biggest thing after Paris [2024] was I don’t want to let my demons in the sport override how much I love the sport and that be the reason that I end my career early.

“I don’t think that’s fair to swimming, the sport in general. And I don’t think it’s fair to myself. I love it too much to let the bad parts just take control. So, still working on getting a handle of the the bad parts, the baggage.

“But the water’s always been kind to me. It always will be. And I don’t ever want that ever want that to change. So yeah, I mean I’m still putting in a lot of work, but right now it’s just, it’s new. It’s fun. I’m sure there’ll be some hiccups along the way, but I’m game for it. And right now I’m very, very excited for the future.”

Dressel won a Paris 2024 Olympic gold in the men’s 4×100 m Free relay, a silver in the 4×100 m Medley and gold in the Mixed 4×100 m Medley, swimming in the heats. In his individual events, however, he was sixth in the final of the men’s 50 m Free and did not make the final in the 100 m Butterfly. He had won both of those events at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Dressel said he has left his long-time training base at the University of Florida, explaining that there was nothing wrong there, but that he needs a different situation now.

Asked about the doping-friendly Enhanced Games next May in Las Vegas, Dressel was clear that he is not interested, but noted that the lure of a big payday demonstrates a hot issue in the sport which needs to be addressed:

“I think the bigger issue at hand is you have people willing to sacrifice their whole reputation, their whole swim career because they weren’t getting paid enough within the sport. … I feel like World Aquatics and USA Swimming and all the governing bodies should see the bigger picture here.”

If they weren’t already, Lang, Ring and Meehan are now all on notice.

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RUSSIA: World Aquatics to allow Russians, Belarusians to take part as “neutrals” in all disciplines, including water polo

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ “NEUTRAL” POLO TEAMS? ≡

World Aquatics has been in the forefront of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally on a “neutral” basis, after a review to assure their “neutrality” concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a 3 November 2025 letter to World Aquatics member federations, Executive Director Brett Nowicki (USA) explained a further clarification of the eligibility policy:

“We write to update you on a recent decision of the World Aquatics Bureau modifying the Guidelines for Athlete Participation in World Aquatics Events During Periods of Conflict (the ‘Guidelines’).

“In this regard, please be advised that Neutral Athletes are now eligible to participate in all water polo competitions and team events, in addition to individual events. The same eligibility, integrity, and neutrality conditions as previously applied under the Guidelines to individual athletes will continue to be strictly enforced by the Aquatics Integrity Unit.

“In addition, the Guidelines now extend to all Continental-level events, in addition to any World Aquatics event or qualifying competition for the World Championships and/or the Olympic Games, across all disciplines and age categories.”

The Russian news agency TASS reported that this new World Aquatics policy would start beginning on 1 January 2026.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee recommended that Russian and Belarusian teams be excluded from international competitions.

The TASS story noted that “Russian athletes will be allowed to take part in competitions in a neutral status and will be banned from associating themselves with Russia in any way.”

However, if implemented in a parallel fashion to World Aquatics’ policy for individual neutrals, the new regulations open the door for Russian and Belarusian teams to compete in team water polo competitions, with all players individually reviewed for “neutrality.”

At the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, Belarusian “neutrals” were entered as “Neutral Athletes A” and Russians as “Neutral Athletes B,” including in relays. Belarusian athletes won a total of three medals (0-1-2) and Russians won 18 (6-8-4), the fifth-highest total overall.

Because of their ban from international competition since 2022, neither Belarus nor Russia are world-ranked in water polo in either the men’s or women’s divisions and will have to work their way back up into ranking contention.

This new policy is out of line with the IOC’s continuing 2022 recommendation on a ban for Russian and Belarusian teams, which matters for the 2028 Olympic Games, but not for World Aquatics’ own competitions from January of 2026 on.

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U.S. NATIONAL GOVERNING BODIES: Fascinating numbers on the biggest NGBs by membership, with softball, tennis and ice hockey 1-2-3!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ WILD NGB MEMBER STATS ≡

When Americans think about the U.S. Olympic Team, naturally sports like track & field and swimming – where the U.S. wins a lot of medals – come to mind right away, and some of the team sports where the U.S. has been dominant, like basketball.

But diversity, equity and inclusion reports submitted to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and published annually since 2013 show that U.S. national federations in hugely-popular sports such as soccer, have no members at all (that’s right, none!).

That’s because their “licensed players” are all part of other organizations, such as those in youth soccer, adult clubs, school teams from middle schools all the way up to the NCAA level, professional leagues and so on. This is the case with the NGB financial leader, the U.S. Soccer Federation, which has many of these organizations associated with it, but not the players, of which it estimates there are 4.2 million in the country.

But there are U.S. National Governing Bodies who do have direct memberships and which oversee competitions in the country, and the 2024 “Demographic Data Report” for each NGB offers pages of details, including membership and the number of athletes on the “National Team” as defined by the NGB. The 2024 statistical leaders, ranked by number of members (with the number of national team athletes – as listed by the NGB – added at the end):

● 1,000,000: USA Softball (128 national team members)
● 700,943: US Tennis Association (29)
● 476,185: USA Volleyball (263)
● 413,729: USA Swimming (108 in 2023)
● 344,500: USA Wrestling (139)
● 301,861: USA Triathlon (18)
● 195,040: USA Gymnastics in 2023 (142)
● 129,178: USA Track & Field (286)
● 82,633: USA Rugby (76)
● 82,523: U.S. Equestrian Federation (76)
/10/
● 78,909: US Rowing (51)
● 65,715: USA Boxing (13)
● 42,000: USA Water Polo (34)
● 41,158: USA Fencing (26)
● 40,638: USA Cycling (99)
● 32,460: USA Archery (39)
● 27,583: USA Field Hockey (80)
● 20,522: USA Weightlifting (44)
● 16,392: US Squash (9)
● 14,894: American Canoe Association (43)
/20/
● 14,344: USA Judo (22)
● 14,000: USA Table Tennis (8)
● 11,540: USA Taekwondo (19)
● 6,390: USA Diving (107)
● 5,842: USA Artistic Swimming (14)
● 5,008: USA Shooting (44)
● 3,364: USA Badminton (0)
● 2,009: US Sailing (6)
● 882: USA Team Handball (67)
● 126: USA Pentathlon (8)
/30/
● 0: USA Baseball (166)
● 0: USA Basketball (63)
● 0: USA Climbing (79)
● 0: USA Golf (4)
● 0: USA Skateboarding (45)
● 0: U.S. Soccer (113)
● 0: USA Surfing (7)
/37/

USA Gymnastics did not enter the number of members in its 2024 report, so the 2023 number is shown; the number of national team members for USA Swimming was an obvious typographical error, so the 2023 total is shown.

As for the winter NGBs, one is far ahead of the rest:

● 672,690: USA Hockey (138)
● 245,986: US Figure Skating (411)
● 39,246: US Ski & Snowboard (238)
● 21,000: USA Curling (29)
● 1,968: US Speedskating (29)
/5/
● 1,432: USA Biathlon (12)
● 383: USA Luge (19)
● 334: USA Bobsled & Skeleton (34)
● 0: USA Ski Mountaineering (16)
/9/

The US Figure Skating report showed an incorrect 60,355 members in 2024, but the federation’s own annual report showed a record of 245,986 in 2023-24.

Just for fun, let’s look at the top NGBs and their membership numbers from five years ago, in 2019, before the pandemic. The eight Olympic NGBs now with 100,000 or more members had, pre-pandemic:

● 620,292: US Tennis Association (+80,651)
● 411,675: USA Swimming (+2,054)
● 385,758: USA Volleyball (+90,427)
● 252,419: USA Wrestling for 2018-19 (+92,081)
● 129,494: USA Triathlon (+98,633)
● 123,956: USA Gymnastics (+71,084)
● 123,829: USA Track & Field (+5,349)
● 77,358: USA Softball (+922,642)

USA Softball’s membership exploded during the pandemic, reporting 563,808 in 2020, then was shown as 104,686 in 2021, 132,639 in 2022 and then one million in 2023 and 2024; the federation states that it has more than 120,000 teams registered in youth and adult leagues for men and women.

Among the winter NGBs, USA Hockey had 636,753 members in 2019 vs. 672,690 now (+35,937); US Figure Skating showed 203,023 members in 2019 and has reached 245,986 in 2024, for a gain of 42,963.

If you’re a fan of diversity, you won’t find a wider set of disparities between sports than in the membership reports. None give a complete picture of the state of their sports in the U.S., since they do not include the enormous participation in high school, NCAA or other sports-sponsoring organizations, such as the enormous soccer infrastructure in the country.

But in the U.S.’s top Olympic medal-producing sports, it is remarkable that swimming and track & field rank fourth and eighth among the top membership NGBs in the U.S.

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PANORAMA: Dodgers show power of sport in Los Angeles; Kipchoge’s marathon plan going forward; record membership for USA Boxing!

By
Rich Perelman
-
A new frontier for twice women’s 400 m World Champion Femke Bol (NED): the 800 meters! (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Los Angeles ● This is nothing to do with the Olympic Games, but a lot to do with the importance of sports in communities.

Los Angeles is in a difficult period after the wildfires in January, continuing political storms pitting labor against business and the Democrat-dominated City Council and mayor against the Trump Administration, deep financial issues and a lot more, but Saturday’s Major League Baseball World Series win by the hometown Dodgers made things better, for a moment.

In the Los Angeles Times’ “Dodgers Dugout” newsletter (sign-up for free here) on Monday, Assistant Sports Editor Houston Mitchell wrote this:

“On Sunday, I went to my local Walgreens and there in an aisle was a man wearing a Dodgers jersey. I walked by and said ‘Go Dodgers.’ He said ‘Yes!’ and told me how he was able to go see Game 4 at Dodger Stadium. That he will be paying off the tickets for a while, but he now has a cherished memory with his son, even though the Dodgers lost that game. A man nearby overheard and walked over and started talking about the Dodgers. Then a woman overheard and chimed in. Then one of the employees. For about 20 minutes in the middle of a Walgreens in Glendora, about 10 Dodgers fans talked about how great Game 7 was.

“And it hit me. If you took a picture of us, we would look like we had nothing in common. An older white guy, the younger Latino with tattoos everywhere. The mom with two little kids. The middle-aged Black man wearing the Jackie Robinson jersey. The lady stocking the shelves. The Asian man who became a Dodgers fan because of [Shohei] Ohtani and couldn’t stop smiling. And more. It was a true melting pot.

“Sports is the great unifier. If we started talking about other things in life, we probably would disagree about things and wouldn’t spend two minutes together. But for 20 minutes, we were all the same. We were Dodgers fans basking in the glow of what our team did. How it brightened our week. There were high-fives and fist bumps all around when the little group broke up. We probably will never see each other again, but for a brief time we were a family. That’s what sports can do for people, and that’s what the Dodgers did for many more Saturday.”

● Olympic Games 1948: London ● The French National Olympic Committee passed on the sad news of the death of Charles Coste, at 101, who had been the oldest living Olympic gold medalist.

Coste was a member of France’s winning Team Pursuit squad in London in 1948 in his only Olympic appearance. He became a professional rider shortly after and competing until 1959, including three rides in the Giro d’Italia and two entries into the Tour de France.

He was honored as a torchbearer – in his wheelchair – in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, passing the flame to the final torchbearers, Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec.

● Athletics ● Following his 17th-place finish at the New York City Marathon, Kenyan marathon superstar Eliud Kipchoge finished his third marathon of the year, finishing sixth in London, ninth in Sydney and completed his first try in New York. He has now run all of the seven World Marathon Majors.

Kipchoge announced after the race he is starting the “Eliud Kipchoge World Tour,” with races on all seven continents. But was this his last marathon? LetsRun.com’s Jonathan Gault wrote on X:

“Kipchoge’s manager Valentijn Trouw [NED] told me Kipchoge still plans to compete in the elite fields in these races. But Kipchoge’s focus is not zeroed-in on running as fast as possible as it has been over the past two decades. He wants to promote the sport & interact more with fans.”

Dutch star Femke Bol, the two-time women’s 400 m hurdles World Champion explained in an interview with European Athletics her new adventure in the 800 m. She said in part:

“The switch feels really, really nice, really exciting, also really scary. I’m still young [25]. I’m mentally, physically, feeling really fit, and it’s, it’s a really, really big challenge. That’s also why I want to do it while I still feel at my best.

“I also really feel ready for new impulse, new kind of training, new kind of racing, and that makes me really excited.

“I think after the Olympics, you start to re-evaluate everything. Look at the past years, look at the upcoming years. And it was a thought that came to my coach and me at the same time of also wanting to go to the 800 m.”

The Athletics Integrity Unit continues its campaign against “whereabouts” failures and missed tests. Friday’s thread:

● “Following our focus on Missed Tests and Whereabouts Failures, let’s now clarify the serious difference between that violation and Evading Doping Control. We are looking closer at what this specific Anti-Doping Rule Violation means and why it carries such a severe consequence.”

● “Rule 2.3 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules lays it out clearly: ‘An Athlete evading Sample Collection; or Refusing or Failing to submit to Sample Collection without compelling justification after notification by a duly authorised Person.’”

● “This isn’t about missed Whereabouts updates nor about a Missed Test when a Doping Control Officer can’t find an athlete during the daily 60-minute time slot for testing. This is about the moment an athlete is notified to test, and chooses not to comply.”

● “Three key forms of violation:
“– Evading the doping control officer after notification
“– Refusing to give a sample
“– Failing to provide a sample after being properly notified, without a valid reason”

● “These are serious violations. The standard sanction? Four years. Early admission may reduce that to three. But the principle is simple: Once an athlete is notified, testing is not optional.”

Now you know.

● Boxing ● USA Boxing continues to grow, with Membership Director Lynette Smith announcing in the federation’s “The Neutral Corner” newsletter that registrations for 2025 passed 67,500, another record for the organization.

From a pre-pandemic total of 50,631 in 2019, USA Boxing claimed a record 59,850 in 2023, then surpassed it at 65,712 for 2024 and now more than 67,500 for 2025, with the final total still to be published. That’s at least 33.3% growth since the pre-pandemic total in 2019, and climbing.

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ATHLETICS: World Athletics’ World Indoor Tour expands to 77 events for 2026, but what kind of meets are included?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ WORLD INDOOR TOUR ≡

World Athletics announced that its World Indoor Tour for 2026 has expanded to 77 meets in all, the most ever, with the first event on 13 December in Romania.

The World Indoor Tour is made up of four levels of meets, including “Gold,” “Silver,” “Bronze” and “Challenger.” A 12-page set of regulations (C 1.5) covers the requirements for each level (almost):

Gold:
● Minimum $75,000 prize money
● $7,050 per-event min. prizes for places 1-6
● Minimum 6, up to 9 “core events”; min. 14 events total
● 3,000 seating capacity
● Anti-doping testing required (min. 10)

Silver:
● Minimum $30,000 prize money
● No required events or minimum per meet
● $4,000 per-event min. prize money
● 2,000 seating capacity
● Anti-doping testing required (min. 6)

Bronze:
● Minimum $12,000 prize money
● No required events or minimum per meet
● $2,500 per-event min. prize money
● 1,000 seating capacity
● Anti-doping testing required (min. 4)

Challenger:
● No requirements listed other than approval of the meet by the national federation and submission to the World Athletics calendar.

In terms of athlete payment and support, the rules require for Gold-Silver-Bronze meets:

● “Organisers must pay prize money within 30 days of receipt of the doping control clearance from the Athletics Integrity Unit and complete invoices which must comply with the communicated legal, fiscal and procedural requirements of the Organiser.”

● “Organisers must reimburse an Athlete’s travel expenses. The reimbursement will either be made at the Meeting or within 2 weeks after the Meeting, provided the necessary paperwork (i.e. receipts, invoices etc.) has been given to the Organiser.”

So the requirements are pretty light on the lower end of the scale, for Bronze and Challenger meets. The meet breakdown for 2026:

● 8 Gold-level
● 26 Silver
● 16 Bronze
● 27 Challenger

Thus, the meets which will attract nearly all of the attention will be the eight gold meets:

● 24 Jan.: New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston
● 01 Feb.: Millrose Games in New York
● 03 Feb.: Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava (CZE)
● 06 Feb.: World Indoor Tour Gold Madrid in Madrid (ESP)
● 08 Feb.: INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe in Karlsruhe (GER)
● 11 Feb.: Belgrade Indoor Meeting in Belgrade (SRB)
● 19 Feb.: Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophee EDF in Lievin (FRA)
● 22 Feb.: ORLEN Copernicus Cup in Torun (POL)

As with the Diamond League, the schedule is all over the weekly calendar, with five of the eight Gold-level meets taking place within 11 days.

The U.S. has two Silver-level meets listed: the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada on 16-17 January and the Sound Invite in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on 14 February.

There are two Bronze-level meets listed in the U.S.: the Dr. Sander Invitational in New York on 24 January (same day as the New Balance Indoor) and the DeLoss Dodds Invite in Manhattan, Kansas on 30-31 January.

It will be a busy indoor season, but as is usually the case today, hard to follow.

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LUGE: Crucial Court of Arbitration for Sport decision opens door for Russian lugers for 2026 Winter Games … maybe

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, in Lausanne (SUI).

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≡ NO 2026 RUSSIAN LIFELINE YET ≡

“The Panel considered that the overall exclusion of Russian athletes was not a proportionate measure to achieve the only purpose sought by FIL (i.e. preserve safe racing conditions), since additional measures could be found to conciliate safety with the participation of Russian athletes.

“The Panel ruled that the exclusion of RLF athletes from FIL competitions is maintained, but the prohibition of Russian athletes who satisfy the criteria of AINs to compete is set aside. Consequently, the appeal was partially upheld.

“The request by the six athletes to immediately participate in international events was dismissed.”

That’s from the summary of two decisions announced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday in cases brought by the Russian Luge Federation (RLF) and six Russian lugers against the Federation Internationale de Luge (FIL), trying to force their way back into international competitions.

They lost, but the Russian federation won a smaller, possible victory. The decision, not yet published in full, could have an impact far wider than the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina (ITA):

● In June 2025, the FIL Congress extended its ban on Russian athletes from international competitions, “citing risks to the safety of competitions.”

● In July, six Russian athletes and the Russian Luge Federation filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration, asking for the ban to be overturned and for Russian athletes to be immediately reinstated.

● In the October hearing, the FIL said the ban was for safety reasons and not targeted at Russians over the invasion of Ukraine.

As noted above, the Court of Arbitration for Sport panel came back – once again – to one of its key concepts, of “proportionality.” Is the action of the federation merited as is, or are there lesser measures that it could have taken to still allow Russian athletes to compete?

The panel’s answer was that the luge federation could have and should allow Russians to compete in its competitions if they follow the “International Neutral Athlete” (AIN) program installed by the International Olympic Committee. Successfully implemented for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the IOC set up strict “neutrality” criteria and had a three-person panel in place to review all athletes proposed by the National Olympic Committees of Russia and Belarus for the Paris 2024 Games.

All team entries were prohibited since they would need to be identified as “Russia” or “Belarus.”

But this holding settled nothing for the Russians:

(1) The request by the Russian athletes to compete immediately and be able to earn FIL World Cup points in a quest to be able to qualify for Milan Cortina 2026 was denied. Per the panel’s formula, only Russian athletes who are shown to be “neutral” are required to be allowed to compete.

(2) The FIL has no “AIN” criteria or a panel to consider applications. If the FIL decides not to appeal the finding to the Swiss Federal Tribunal – which would take more time – it would still have to come up with its own “AIN” program from scratch.

(3) Further, another case, filed by Russian speed skater Daria Kachanova, a two-time Worlds team-event medalist in 2019 and 2020, challenged a finding by the International Skating Union that she was not a neutral in view of her “affiliation with CSKA Moscow, a sports club controlled by the Ministry of Defence of Russia.” A majority of the panel agreed with the decision by the ISU and Kachanova’s appeal was dismissed.

So, the Russians won a procedural victory for “neutral” athletes to compete, in line with the allowances made by the International Skating Union, which has a very limited qualification path for Russian and Belarusians in individual events.

But no ability to compete. And whether any Russian luge athletes will be able to compete in a FIL competition to try and quality for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games is an open question.

On 21 October, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) decided not to allow Russian or Belarusian reinstatement and decided not to implement a “neutral athlete” program. The Russian, of course, are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but there is no guarantee that a different panel will use the FIL case as a precedent, or find a different approach.

In a parallel case, decided on 26 September, the European Table Tennis Union ban on Russian and Belarusian participation in its events was overturned in part because the ETTU’s actions were not “proportionate” and its own rules and regulations do not allow for such a ban as imposed. On proportionality, the ETTU case panel wrote:

“[W]hen the issue of proportionality is considered, there is no evidence of any discussion or consideration by the Respondent of steps that might have been taken that were short of a complete ban on Russian participation in ETTU events. Was it feasible to hold ‘closed door’ events, without any public participation? Was it feasible to play matches on neutral grounds / in neutral territories? Would either of those things have alleviated the risk to safety?”

The CAS holdings in the FIL and ETTU cases may also have an impact on the continuing appeal by the Israel Gymnastics Federation and its six gymnasts against the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) for its acquiescence when the Indonesian government refused to allow the Israeli team into the country for the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships.

Did the FIG do all it could, especially when its own statutes require it to cancel or move events when such discrimination occurs?

This appeal, as noted by the CAS announcement, is continuing and the FIL and ETTU cases will certainly have an impact.

The other impact of the FIL and ETTU cases will be – as the ISU has already done – a thorough examination by International Federations and regional bodies on what their Executive Boards can and cannot do according to their own rules. The ISU prepped for this and was ready when the question of Russian and Belarusian participation was raised at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Others were not, and are not, as well prepared and as the Israeli situation in gymnastics shows, is not only about Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine.

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PANORAMA: Intuit to sponsor LA28 to retain “Intuit Dome” naming; just 27 prize money T&F meets in U.S. in 2024? World-record Free Skate for Malinin!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Figure skating World Champion Ilia Malinin of the U.S. (Photo: spiritedmichelle via Wikipedia).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Sportico.com reported that the financial and marketing software giant Intuit has become a sponsor of the LA28 organizing committee and as such, will have the “Intuit Dome” name retained instead of the “Inglewood Dome” reference for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

LA28 had indicated it was primarily interested in selling naming rights for venues for its temporary sites, but Intuit’s sponsorship also forecloses any other company even trying to obtain visibility at its named arena, which will host basketball.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030 ● World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) continues to hammer away at getting cross country into the Winter Games. He told The Associated Press on Saturday:

“The new president [Kirsty Coventry/ZIM] is clear they want to put everything on the table at the moment. It’s a very different atmosphere. It’s very much how can we improve together rather than we’ll tell you how to do it. She’s blown some oxygen into the organization.”

Coe notes that adding cross country would allow more African participation in the Winter Games, which is currently minimal. A change in the Olympic Charter would be needed as the current rules limit Winter Games sports to those held on snow or ice.

● Youth Olympic Games 2026: Dakar ● A young lion named “Ayo” – meaning “joy” – is the mascot of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN), announced Friday, in ceremonies marking one year to go.

● International Olympic Committee ● On the sidelines of the International Federation Forum in Lausanne (SUI) last week, the IOC held a consultation session with IF senior officials on Thursday.

An overview of the meeting noted five primary elements: (1) Athletes, (2) the Olympic Games, (3) Reach, Engagement and Revenue Generation, (4) the Olympic Movement, and (5) A Better World, with IOC chief Coventry introducing and closing the seminar. Some interesting details included:

“The Olympic Games topic focused on making events more dynamic, the integration between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as making International Federations more involved in the delivery of the Games to support athletes and utilise them as expert delivery partners.

“Ties look to be strengthened in engagement between the IOC and International Federations too with a pooled rights model to be explored between them, while collaboration is to be encouraged between IFs and Olympic partners.

“It is expected that shared codes will be created to professionalise governance across the IFs and their Member Federations. Increasing sustainability efforts remains a priority, while there is discussion of reforming the revenue distribution model.”

The IFs have been calling for some time for closer collaboration with the IOC to help make their non-Olympic-year events – especially – more meaningful and valuable. It appears the IOC under Coventry is willing to listen, notably the fascinating mention of a “pooled rights model.”

● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency listed the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) on its “watchlist” for non-compliance. No sanctions are attached at this stage, with fourth months given for ADAK to implement a corrective plan, by 2 March 2026.

The specific problems were not disclosed, only the “failure to address several critical requirements following an audit carried out by WADA in May 2024.” Kenya has well-documented doping issues, especially in track & field, where it has more than 100 ineligible persons on the Athletics Integrity Unit’s suspension list.

● Indonesia ● Following its meeting last week in Lausanne, the Indonesian Olympic Committee portrayed its meeting with the International Olympic Committee as “positive,” following the Indonesian government’s refusal to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country to compete at the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships.

Asked for its own statement, the International Olympic Committee press office replied:

“The IOC administration had a fruitful meeting with the NOC of Indonesia on 28 October 2025 to discuss the outcomes of the IOC Executive Board decision and discuss the next steps expected of the Indonesian Government in this regard.”

It did not specify what those steps are; the IOC Executive Board is expected to take up the issue at its December meeting.

● Athletics ● Pete Rea, the head coach of ZAP Endurance running group in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, wrote this as part of a featured story on Road Race Management’s RRM.com:

“In 2024 there were 27 domestic U.S. track and field meets in total (indoor and out) that offered any measure of prize purses for top finishers, and unlike road races where physical space in the competition “arena” is less limited, entry to these track & field meets is extremely selective with only 12-16 competitors often allowed per event.”

Rea offered no further details, but his story further noted the continuing reduction in road-racing prizes as well:

“In the last 20 years prize money available to top runners has been dwindling. While World Marathon Majors (7 in total now) and a handful of select races globally at shorter distances, continue to have deep pockets and resources for the best in the world, total prize money on the global road running circuit has fallen by more than 35% since 1988 according to a 2022 industry study by French Sport publication L’Equipe, with many races reducing prize money or eliminating it entirely over the last two decades.”

Not a pretty picture, with Rea observing that future running stars will need to be more inventive in their own marketing to make a living at the sport.

Following his 17th-place finish at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Kenyan superstar marathoner Eliud Kipchoge said he’s on to a new goal, reported as the “Eliud Kipchoge World Tour”:

“The tour will see the double Olympic marathon champion run races across all seven continents with the sole purpose of ‘uniting the world through running’. He will complete seven marathons across the continents in the next two years.”

Baylor University reported that legendary Baylor track coach Clyde Hart passed away on Saturday at age 91 in Waco, Texas, after a long fight with cancer.

Hart came to Baylor in 1963 and continued as head coach and later director of track & field until his retirement in 2019. He coached the iconic Michael Johnson, and Olympic champions Jeremy Wariner and Sanya Richards-Ross and was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton held its Skeleton Selection Races on Friday and Saturday, with Sara Roderick winning the first two-race set and Kendall Wesenberg winning the second set. Austin Florian won the first men’s race set and Dan Barefoot won the second.

Based on this, the federation named its IBSF World Cup team for the first half of the 2025-26 season, with Florian, Barefoot and Nick Tucker for the men, and Roderick, Wesenberg and Kelly Curtis joining Worlds silver winner Mystique Ro.

Not named was five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender (2006-10-14-18-22), who was third in the first selection race and disqualified in the second. She is likely now to compete in the North American Cup and/or Europe Cup series and try to work back onto the World Cup team and possibly an Olympic berth for Milan Cortina.

● Football ● The Turkish Football Federation has imposed suspensions on 149 referees and assistant referees of eight to 12 months, who were involved in betting on football matches.

An investigation showed that 371 match officials (out of 571 total) had betting accounts and 152 were “actively gambling.”

Federation chief Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu told CNN on Friday, “There is a moral crisis in Turkish football. There is no such thing as structure. The fundamental problem at the core of Turkish football is an ethical one.”

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Archery ● The World Archery Indoor World Series began with the Swiss Open in Lausanne, with the home team scoring a win in the men’s Recurve final, as Keziah Chabin defeated Israel’s Roy Dror, 6-4. Czech Marie Horackova, the 2023 World Champion, won the women’s Recurve gold, over Italy’s Lucilla Boari, 6-2.

The Compound wins went to Britain’s Ajay Scott and Francesca Aloisi (ITA).

● Athletics ● At the NYC “Abbott Dash to the Finish Line” 5 km race on Saturday morning, former NCAA Division III 5,000 m champ Annie Rodenfels won the pre-New York City Marathon 5k for the third time in a row. She rolled past Weini Kelati, Ellie St. Pierre and Parker Valby in the final 400 m to win in 15:33 to 15:34-15:35-15:37.

The strong performances were noteworthy for St. Pierre – back from maternity – and Valby, finally competing again after a broken bone in her left foot.

The men’s winner was Kenyan Amon Kemboi in another sprint finish, in 13:50, just ahead of Americans Cole Sprout (13:51) and Anthony Rotich (13:52) and Briton Adam Fogg (13:53).

● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Hylo Open in Saarbrucken (GER), the Singles finals pitted Denmark and Indonesia in both! Second-seed Jonatan Christie (INA) won the men’s title by 21-14, 21-14 over Magnus Johannesen (DEN), but Mia Blichfeldt (DEN) managed a 21-11, 7-21, 21-12 win over Indonesia’s top-seeded Putri Kusama Wardani.

Denmark won a second title in the Mixed Doubles; Chinese Taipei and France won the men’s and women’s Doubles.

● Figure Skating ● World Champion Ilia Malinin of the U.S. won his second straight ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada Internationale title, this time in Saskatoon, piling up 333.81 points, the second-highest score in history!

Malinin led the Short Program at 104.84, then won the Free Skate at 228.97, the best ever, surpassing his own total of 227.79 from the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts. His program included six quadruple jumps, including a quad Flip, quad Lutz, quad Loop, another quad Lutz, quad Toeloop and quad Salchow. He did not include his patented quad Axel, which only he has done in competition; he did include two triple Axels. Wow.

Well back in second was 2024 European runner-up Aleksandr Selevko (EST: 257.21); American Tomoki Hiwatashi was ninth at 230.58.

Worlds bronze winner Mona Chiba (JPN) won the women’s Singles, scoring 217.23 to edge 2023 Worlds runner-up Isabeau Levito of the U.S. (209.77), with 2021 U.S. champ Bradie Tennell fourth at 195.07 and Sarah Everhardt seventh at 174.59. It’s Chiba’s first Grand Prix win.

Canadian stars Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps won Pairs for the third straight year, scoring 213.40 and winning both segments. Germans Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin scored 207.18 for second and Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were third at 199.11.

Four-time Worlds medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer (CAN) won in Ice Dance for the sixth straight time at Skate Canada, scoring 202.89. Lithuania’s Alison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius finished second (200.92) and Americans Christina Carrera and Anthony Ponomarenko got fourth (191.23). Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville and Leah Neset and Artem Markelov were 9-10 at 166.32 and 165.19.

● Football ● In the quarterfinals of the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco, defending champion North Korea advanced to the semifinals for the fifth time with a decisive 5-1 win over Japan on Saturday. Brazil will be its opponent on 5 November in Rabat, edging Canada on penalties, 5-4, after a 0-0 tie in regulation time.

On Sunday, the Netherlands advanced with a second straight 7-6 penalties win, this time over France, after a 2-2 tie in regulation. Mexico and Italy also went to penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation, with Mexico moving on with a 5-4 decision.

● Table Tennis ● Paris Olympic silver medalist Truls Moregard scored his first World Table Tennis “WTT Champions” win of 2025 in Montpellier (FRA) on Sunday, defeating Sora Matsushima (JPN) in the men’s final, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9. Moregard also won the Europe Smash earlier in the year to confirm his star status.

The women’s final saw Yidi Wang (CHN), the 2021 Worlds bronzer, won her second WTT Champions title of 2025, finally overcoming German Sabine Winter in seven sets: 8-11, 10-12, 11-5., 11-4, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9.

The sixth and final WTT Champions for 2025 will be in Frankfurt (GER) this week.

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ATHLETICS: Kenya’s Obiri kicks to NYC Marathon course record in 2:19:51, while Kipruto outlasts Mutiso at the line in 2:08:09

By
Rich Perelman
-
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri winning the 2023 women's Boston Marathon (Photo courtesy Boston Athletic Association).

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≡ 54th NYC MARATHON ≡

Sunday’s New York City Marathon started in cool, 50 F temperatures on Staten Island, but the running was hot, especially by Kenyan star Hellen Obiri.

The women’s race started first and a group of 14 had separated by the 10 km mark, led by defending champion Sheila Chepkirui (KEN), 2023 winner Obiri, 2022 champ Sharon Lokedi (KEN) and 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials winner Fiona O’Keeffe at 33:53.

But the pace increased and just six were in the front group at 20 km, with Obiri, Chepkirui and O’Keeffe in the lead. At the half, it was down to four, with Chepkirui, Lokedi and Obiri at 1:11:01 and O’Keeffe at 1:11:02. Paris Olympic marathon winner Sifan Hassan (NED) was fifth at 1:11:06 and was working to move up to the leaders. She regained contract in another half-mile, but those five had separated.

Chepkirui kept pushing and dropped Hassan again by 23 km and then dropped O’Keeffe by 25 km. O’Keeffe was three seconds back and Hassan, 17 seconds behind. O’Keeffe worked her way back into the front group by 27 km and Hassan was closing her gap from fifth.

Hassan had caught up by the 18-mile mark with a 5:10 mile to get back with the leaders and they were through 30 km in 1:40:11. Chepkirui went back to the front and started a surge, with Obiri and Lokedi that dropped O’Keeffe and Hassan again.

By 35 km, it was the three prior champs running in front at 1:56:48 and now O’Keefe (1:57:27) and Hassan (1:57:56) comprehensively dropped from contention.

Lokedi – in just her seventh career marathon and fourth in New York – surged after 24 miles and Obiri followed, but Chepkirui fell back, down seven seconds by 40 km (24.9 miles). They were together coming into Central Park and then Obiri put the hammer down with about three-quarters of a mile to go and ran away to win in a course record of 2:19:51! That shattered the 2:22:31 mark from 2003 by Kenyan Margaret Okayo.

Lokedi was second in 2:20:07 and Chepkirui finished third in 2:20:24.

This was Obiri’s eighth career marathon; at 35, she has won four of them, finished second twice and third once. After a sixth in New York in her 2022 debut, she has never finished lower than third, at the Paris Olympic marathon last year. Lokedi completed her seventh career marathon, with five top-three finishes; she has been 1-3-9-2 in New York in the last four.

O’Keeffe, in just her third career marathon, was the top American in fourth in 2:22:49, followed by Annie Frisbie (2:24:12) and then Hassan in sixth (2:24:43). Two more U.S. finishers were in the top 10, with Emily Sisson eighth (2:25:05) and Amanda Vestri ninth (2:25:40).

The men started at 9:06 a.m. local time, 30 minutes behind the women, with 21 in contact through 10 km and Britain’s Paris 5,000 m Olympian Patrick Dever – in his marathon debut – in the lead.

At the half, 21 were still in the lead pack, with Japan’s Yudai Fukuda – running his sixth marathon of the year – in front at 1:05:18. American steeple star Hillary Bor was in front by 25 km as the race narrowed to about 15 challengers. Bor’s pace cut the lead pack to eight, with Kenyan superstar Eliud Kipchoge and defending champ Abdi Nageeye (BEL) both falling back.

By 30 km, eight were in the front, led by 2021 winner Albert Korir (KEN) in 1:32:21, who finished 1-7-2-3 in New York in the past four races. But the race broke up with Kenyan stars Benson Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso, Bor and Dever in front.

By 23 1/2 miles (38 km), Kipruto and Mutiso – the 2024 London winner – had broken away, dropping Bor and Dever. Kipruto, the winner in Boston in 2021, Chicago in 2022 and Tokyo in 2024, kept surging and Mutiso kept coming back.

Kipruto and Mutiso passed 40 km in 1:58:58, with Korir up to third and Dever fourth, both in 2:02:23. In Central Park, Kipruto had the lead, and was 3 m up with 300 m to go.

Mutiso made a final dash in the final 100 m and almost got even, but Kipruto had it on the lean at the line, reported on ESPN2 as 2:08.530 to 2:08.690! Both were 2:08:09 officially.

It’s Kipruto’s fourth World Marathon Major win and 13th top-three finish in 18 career marathons. He’s been in the top three in nine of his last 10 marathons. This was Mutiso’s eighth career marathon, with six medals.

The U.S. had two in the top 10, with Joel Reichow sixth in 2:09:56 and Charles Hicks seventh in 2:09:59. Bor finished 12th (2:10:47) and Kipchoge, possibly in his last competitive marathon – but his first NYC Marathon – was 17th in 2:14:36.

Prize money was $100,000-60,000-40,000-25,000-15,000-10,000-7,500-5,000-2,500-2,000 for men and women for a total of $534,000 combined. An additional prize pool for U.S. finishers was $25,000-15,000-10,000-5,000-3,000 for the top five.

Obiri collected an added $50,000 for destroying the course record.

This was the final World Marathon Majors event of 2025, but the marathon season isn’t over. Of note, the ultra-fast Maraton Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich in Spain comes on 7 December.

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EQUESTRIAN: FEI General Assembly documents show good financial discipline, but demonstrates even a well-managed federation is underfunded

By
Rich Perelman
-
A Frederiksborg horse (Photo: FEI).

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≡ FEI GENERAL ASSEMBLY ≡

The 2025 Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly starts on Tuesday and will continue through 7 November, in Hong Kong, following a very good year in 2024, when the Paris Olympic equestrian competitions in Versailles were spectacular to say the least.

The FEI is also considered to be fairly well managed and its finances demonstrate careful husbanding of financial resources … but also show that even a well-run federation is still significantly dependent on the quadrennial television rights dividend from the International Olympic Committee.

Equestrian, sometimes seen as a sport only for the privileged, is pretty vibrant, with events up 77% from 2009 to 2024, to 4,721, primarily in jumping (1,718), with the U.S. (541) and France (504) hosting the most events last year. The federation has 44,107 registered members (24,879 in jumping) and 79,647 registered horses (52,606 in jumping).

The financial report for 2024 shows a fairly healthy situation (CHF 1 = $1.24 U.S.):

For 2024:
● CHF 84.756 million assets
● CHF 25.475 million reserves
● CHF 68.499 million income
● CHF 67.094 million expenses
● CHF 1.404 million surplus

For 2023:
● CHF 72.325 million assets
● CHF 24.070 million reserves
● CHF 58.462 million income
● CHF 54.963 million expenses
● CHF 3.489 million surplus

So with the Olympic year, revenues went up by 17.2% and expenses went up by 22.1%, both related to the IOC TV dividend of CHF 16.112 million (~$20 million U.S.), of which CHF 12.848 million (~$16 million U.S.) is tucked away, to be distributed to the FEI’s budget in 2025-26-27-28, with another IOC payment coming after the Los Angeles Games.

This is safe and sane financial management. And the budgets filed at the General Assembly for 2025 and for 2026 show a continuation along the same track, but without any breakthroughs:

Budgeted for 2025:
● CHF 57.579 million income
● CHF 57.579 million expenses
● CHF 0 surplus

Budget proposed for 2026:
● CHF 61.348 million income
● CHF 60.837 million expenses
● CHF 0.511 million surplus

Still, it’s worth noting that the FEI’s reserves, even with the Olympic revenue in the bank, are CHF 25.475 million at the end of 2024, against annual spending of CHF 54.093 in 2023, CHF 67.094 million in 2024 and the budget of CHF 57.579 million for 2025.

The FEI spends most of what it takes in and keeps enough for emergencies, essentially. But compared to its expenses, it is underfunded, taking in sponsorship, broadcast and other marketing revenues of just CHF 27.503 million in 2023 and 26.636 million in 2024. The budgets for 2025 and 2026 show just a little more:

● 2025 commercial revenue: CHF 29.079 million
● 2026 commercial revenue: CHF 27.908 million

And while sponsorship revenues are shown as CHF 26-27 million per year, the costs of that support are CHF 15-16 million per year. The FEI loses about CHF 4.5 million a year on broadcasting, with income only between CHF 844,000 and 912,000 in ‘25 and ‘26.

So, even what appears to be a well-run federation is still small on the revenue side, and any serious interruption of its revenues would create serious problems very quickly.

This is an issue which is being discussed with more and more urgency by the International Federations with the IOC, including through the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), whose President is … FEI President Ingmar De Vos (BEL).

He has a big task in front of him, on behalf of all of the other International Federations, and for his own.

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CANOEING: British slalom canoer Rozentals suspended by Paddling UK for “explicit” Instagram video

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ CANOEING AND POVERTY? ≡

“The breaches of the Athlete Code of Conduct and Performance Athlete Agreement amounted to gross misconduct invoking the following clauses under 8.6 of the Athlete Disciplinary Policy:

“● Deliberate actions or omissions that bring Paddle UK’s name into serious disrepute.

“● Indecent, offensive or immoral behaviour.

“● Offensive use of social media.”

That’s the decision of the Paddling UK governing body in the case of slalom canoer Kurts Adams Rozentals, 23, who has turned to the explicit-video OnlyFans site to earn money for training, but then showed too much on a mainstream social site. Per the Paddling UK disciplinary notice posted on Friday (31st):

“Paddle UK can confirm that in line with our Athlete Disciplinary Policy, a canoe slalom athlete has been de-selected from the World Class Programme and issued with a two year suspension which is back dated to the time of the offence.

“The decision was issued by a disciplinary panel following an independent investigation led by Sport Integrity and a disciplinary hearing where the athlete presented his case.

“The disciplinary panel found that:

“● the athlete admitted posting an explicit video on their public Instagram profile which was subsequently removed given its explicit nature.

“● the athlete had intentionally misinformed the press that his suspension was related to his OnlyFans social media account.”

Rozentals won a European U-23 Championships bronze in the men’s C-1 class in 2024 and a Worlds U-23 C-1 silver in 2023. He complained publicly in May about the modest funding allocated to him and that he had to turn to the adult-content-allowed OnlyFans site to make money.

The BBC reported Friday that “he uploaded a video of him performing what it called a ‘sexual act’ on an aeroplane to his public Instagram account in March, and that this amounted to gross misconduct.”

Rozentals told the BBC he thought the sanction was “extreme” but also said that while had realized £100,000 from the video from January to May 2025, he received only £16,000 as an annual stipend from Paddling UK (£1 = $1.32 U.S.):

“This ban would have never happened if athletes were funded properly. And while I understand the video could be described as crazy, it was not illegal and certainly shouldn’t be the reason for banning an athlete.”

He continued:

“Looking back now, I probably wouldn’t post something like that. But I remember the state of mind I was in when I did film it and post it. It was the first time in my life I saw real progress in my financial situation. It was the first time I was able to fund the training myself.

“It was the first time I was able to get my mum something nice after her sacrificing everything in order to allow me to chase my dream. And it came from crazy videos like the one that got me banned.

“I saw a direct correlation of me making those type of videos and my life situation improving. So, I was in this state of mind where I knew that all I have to do to continue this, is keep making videos like this. It’s a crazy world we live in. I don’t regret it.”

As the posting was in March 2025, Rozentals will be internationally eligible again sometime in March of 2027, well in advance of the 2027 ICF World Slalom Championships in Spain and a shot at participating in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Observed: Rozentals’ situation is common to athletes in many Olympic sports which do not have mass public followings and which see very little revenue outside of the quadrennial Olympic television money from the International Olympic Committee.

The last posted financial statements from the International Canoe Federation are from 2023, showing CHF a modest 439,719 in operating revenue and an operating loss of CHF 3.079 million for the year, and CHF 2.006 million operating revenue for 2022 and an annual operating loss of CHF 2.095 million. There were also investment losses which made the final annual results worse (CHF 1 = $1.24 U.S.).

As of the end of 2023, the ICF had CHF 12.851 million in assets and reserves of CHF 10.743 million. It survives, quadrennial to quadrennial, on its IOC television rights sales share.

It’s not a rich sport, for Rozentals or almost anyone else, save for a few superstars who win Olympic, World Championships and World Cup golds. And Rozentals isn’t doing that, at least not yet, and not until 2027 at the earliest.

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PANORAMA: Valieva doping ban confirmed by Swiss Federal Tribunal; World Athletics robbed of $1.7 million; LA28 names ceremonies producers

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● British television producer Ben Winston and experienced Olympic and Paralympic show producer Scott Givens (USA) were named by the LA28 organizing committee as Executive Producer and Creative Director, respectively for ceremonies for the 2028 Games. Also:

“FulFive, a new entity composed of Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents, will produce the iconic Ceremonies and be led by Givens and Ryann Lauckner as Co-CEOs of the venture.”

Winston produced the handover ceremony for LA28 that was part of the Paris 2024 Olympic closing ceremonies.

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● The Swiss Federal Tribunal turned away the appeal from Russian skater Kamila Valieva to overturn her doping ban that disqualified her results from the 2022 Winter Games, and she was ordered to pay CHF 7,000 in court costs and CHF 8,000 each to the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Skating Union (CHF 1 = $1.25 U.S.). Per The Associated Press:

“Five Swiss federal judges stated in their verdict published on Thursday that the fresh arguments by Valieva’s team were conjecture and highly questionable, while the [2022] scientist’s report was not conclusive evidence.”

The scientific report, commissioned by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, said that her positive was more likely from intentional use but that contamination was not “impossible.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Russian Ice Hockey Federation chief Vladislav Tretiak told the Russian news agency TASS that further discussions about Russian team eligibility with the International Ice Hockey Federation are worthless:

“I believe that it is useless asking them [IIHF] about this since we’re not even invited to the congresses; we only participate in them online. They’ve made it clear to us that until the special military operation ends, we won’t be allowed in under any circumstances.”

● SportAccord ● Kelly Fairweather (RSA), who has been the International Olympic Committee Sports Director, the chief executive of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), is joining SportAccord as Managing Director.

Fairweather’s enormous experience across the Olympic Movement is seen as a key to help rebuild and expand the SportAccord convention and new programs which bring the business side of international sport together.

● Athletics ● “Earlier this year World Athletics uncovered the systematic theft of money from the organisation by two employees and a contracted consultant.

“While one of the employees left the organisation before their theft was discovered, another employee and a consultant had their contracts terminated following an internal investigation.

“Detailed cases have been prepared and handed over to the relevant judicial and legal authorities for criminal investigation.”

The Thursday announced noted the thefts totaled about €1.5 million (~$1.74 million U.S.) and was uncovered “by World Athletics’ finance department during the first annual auditing process under a new financial leadership team.” New internal controls have been introduced and the federation will try to recover what it can through the courts.

USA Track & Field announced its nominees for its athletes-of-the-year award, with fan voting how open through 10 November. The nominees for the men’s and women’s track and field categories, for the Jesse Owens and Jackie Joyner-Kersee Awards:

Men:
● Rai Benjamin ~ 400 m hurdles World Champion
● Ryan Crouser ~ Shot World Champion
● Cole Hocker ~ 5,000 m World Champion
● Noah Lyles ~ 200 m World Champion, 100 m bronze
● Cordell Tinch ~ 110 m hurdles World Champion

Women:
● Valarie Allman ~ Discus World Champion
● Tara Davis-Woodhall ~ Long Jump World Champion
● Anna Hall ~ Heptathlon World Champion
● Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ~ 100/200 m World Champion
● Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ~ 400 m World Champion
● Katie Moon ~ Vault World Champion

Voting is also being held in the Paralympic men’s and women’s categories.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed an appeal by sprinter Issam Asinga (SUR’ ex-U.S.) from a doping positive in 2023. Asinga, then 18, set the world on notice with World Junior Record of 9.89 in the 100 m and still no. 5 all-time among juniors at 200 m at 19.97.

But he tested positive at an out-of-competition test on 18 July 2023 and was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit. He claimed that the positives came from products provided to him by Gatorade during an athlete-of-the-year ceremony. But:

“After considering the evidence, the CAS Panel found that the athlete had failed to establish that, on the balance of probabilities, it was more likely than not that the gummies he ingested prior to his anti-doping test were contaminated with GW1516.” Thus, his four-year ban stands from 9 August 2023.

● Taekwondo ● In the final weight classes to be decided at the 2025 World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi (CHN), Uzbek Najmiddin Kosimkhojiev won his first career Worlds medal – a gold – over Brazil’s Olympic 68 kg bronzer, Edival Pontes, 4-2, 5-3 in the men’s 74 kg final.

Turkey’s Merve Duncel won her second Worlds gold – adding to her 2023 49 kg class win – with a 6-2, 2-0 victory in the women’s 53 kg final over Saudi Dunya Abutaleb, the 2022 Worlds 49 kg bronze winner.

Overall, China won nine medals (0-1-8) while Turkey (3-2-1) and South Korea (2-2-2) each won six.

● Wrestling ● The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2026, which includes wrestlers Ben Askren, Tervel Dlagnev, Lee Roy Smith and Shannon Williams-Yancey.

Askren was a Beijing 2008 Olympian and a two-time NCAA champion at Missouri in 2006-07. Dlagnev, competing as a heavyweight, was a two-time Olympian and was elevated to the bronze medal at the London 2012 Games, and won World Championships bronze medals in 2009 and 2014. Smith was a 1983 Worlds silver medalist at 62 kg and won the 1980 NCAA title for Oklahoma State at 142 lbs.

He becomes the third Smith family member in the Hall of Fame, with brothers John Smith and Pat Smith, inducted in 1997 and 2006. They are the second family trio in the Hall, with the Peerys (father Rex and sons Ed and Hugh Peery).

Smith is also retiring next year as the head of the Hall of Fame, a position he assumed in 2004. Williams-Yancey won Worlds silvers in 1991-93-94-97 among seven Worlds appearances and was a four-time U.S. national champion.

Enshrinement will take place on 5-6 June 2026 at the museum, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

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ANTI-DOPING: World Anti-Doping Agency says Chinese doping incident whistleblower search only following up on athlete council request

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ WADA’S RESPONSE TO ARD ≡

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s head of Intelligence and Investigations, Gunter Younger (GER) told reporters Thursday that it is, indeed, trying to uncover the source of information provided to news media about the 2021 Chinese mass-positives doping incident.

Younger said, “We’re not chasing the whistleblower. What we want to try to find out is how the leak happened and what was the motivation of the leak.”

He said the agency maintains strong protections on behalf of informants, but think the leak could have been politically motivated.

The Russian news agency TASS reported a longer, explanatory statement from WADA:

“A misleading article appeared on a German sports website, in which the authors attempt to present a completely different, erroneous story based on false assumptions and rumors.

“In May 2024, the WADA Athletes’ Council issued a public statement asking WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department to investigate the leak of personal data related to cases of unintentional detection of banned substances in samples of Chinese swimmers in 2021.

“This data included highly confidential medical records of athletes, some of whom were minors at the time, and the Athletes’ Council was concerned that the rights of these athletes had been violated by those who leaked confidential information to media outlets, which in turn published the names, photographs, and medical data of these children.

“As for the details of the ongoing investigation, WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department operates independently of the organization’s leadership.”

The story by the German ARD channel reported that the inquiry “is being conducted with the consent of President Witold Banka [POL] and director general Olivier Niggli [SUI]”:

“According to information from the ARD doping editorial team, various anti-doping organisations have been asked by WADA in recent months to disclose details that could lead to the identification of possible whistleblowers in connection with the ‘China file’. This happened despite the security risks that such an action entails for potential whistleblowers in Chinese affairs.”

ARD editor Hajo Seppelt (GER) wrote on X:

“What a mockery, how WADA officials twist even the simplest facts in the China case. Instead, they hunt down brave whistleblowers (with the argument that they’ve been urged to do so). I wonder who in WADA leadership can still look themselves in the mirror.”

Questions over the doping positives of 23 Chinese star swimmers at a national meet in January 2021 continues to dog WADA, despite extensive efforts by the agency to clear itself, including a report from the former attorney general of the Swiss canton of Vaud, which raised more questions than it provided answers.

Criticism continues among news media – including ARD – but also by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, which has refused to pay the U.S. annual dues of $3.6 million for 2024.

ARD’s summary of the affair and the issues it raised included:

“WADA’s handling of the China affair sparked worldwide criticism, and to this day, athlete organisations accuse it of a lack of consistency and transparency, as well as of bowing to the sporting superpower China. In China, an investigation supervised by state security forces in 2021, shortly before the Tokyo Olympics, concluded that all 23 swimmers who tested positive had been unintentionally contaminated by hotel food during a national competition. However, no evidence or detailed explanations were provided.

“WADA nonetheless accepted the Chinese authorities’ arguments without conducting their own on-site investigation. In addition, the Chinese anti-doping agency, CHINADA, deviated from its own rules and did not publish the suspected cases. WADA did not object to this either. Later, WADA leadership claimed that due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, they had been unable to conduct an independent investigation on the ground in China. They also attempted to argue that the small concentrations of the banned heart medication trimetazidine found in the swimmers’ bodies ruled out intentional doping – a claim strongly doubted by many renowned scientists.”

The controversy continues, seemingly without end.

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MEMORABILIA: Compact Ingrid O’Neil auction 99 offers wide selection of Olympic medals, some low-opening-bid torches, and a boomerang!

By
Rich Perelman
-
A souvenir boomerang created for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, now on sale at Ingrid O’Neil Auction 99! (Photo: Ingrid O’Neil Auction 99 catalog).

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≡ INGRID O’NEIL AUCTION 99 ≡

You never know what turns up in an auction and the 99th auction of Olympic and related memorabilia from Ingrid O’Neil offers 208 lots with the usual star medals, but also an excellent selection of medals and Olympic torches with modest opening bid pricing.

There are 23 items with opening bids of $5,000 or more:

● $26,000: 1976 Montreal silver medal, with case
● $20,000: 2014 Sochi Winter gold medal, with case
● $18,000: 2014 Sochi Winter silver medal, with case
● $15,000: 1992 Albertville Winter silver medal, with case
● $15,000: 2024 Paris Olympic torch
● $14,000: 2014 Sochi Winter bronze medal, with case
● $9,000: 2000 Sydney silver medal (rowing)
● $8,500: 2008 Beijing silver medal (baseball)
● $8,500: 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch
● $8,000: 1928 St. Moritz Winter gold medal

● $8,000: 1928 Amsterdam gold medal
● $7,000: 1960 Rome Olympic torch
● $7,000: 2012 London Olympic flame security lamp
● $6,500: 1029 Antwerp gold medal
● $6,000: 1920 Antwerp silver medal
● $6,000: 1928 Amsterdam bronze medal
● $6,000: 1932 Los Angeles bronze medal
● $6,000: 1964 Tokyo Olympic torch
● $5,000: 1912 Stockholm silver medal
● $5,000: 1920 Antwerp bronze medal

● $5,000: 1932 Lake Placid Winter participation medal
● $5,000: 1948 St. Moritz Winter bronze medal
● $5,000: 2022 Beijing Winter torch

Bargain hunters will note that the auction also has a significant number of Olympic and Olympic Winter Games torches with starting prices of $2,500 or less:

● Olympic Games (8): Berlin 1936, Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972, Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992, Beijing 2008, Rio 2016.

● Olympic Winter Games (3): Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018.

There are also torches from London 1948 and Seoul 1988 with a $3,000 starting bid.

Fans of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles may like a 15 January 1930 official invitation to attend the Games of the Xth Olympiad – with the dates of the Games to be announced – starting at $140.

There are always some unique, even strange, items which pop up in sales like these and this auction includes:

● A harmonica with printed “Olympia” and the Olympic Rings on the outside, produced for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin (starts at $100).

● A Berlin Olympic Village map and miniatures set, with painted wooden houses and trees, in a sort of toy diorama. This starts at $300.

● Best item of all: a souvenir boomerang related to the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne (AUS), featuring the Olympic rings, created by the Italian community of Melbourne! It starts at $90; no guarantee that it works!

All of these items are available for bids, with the auction ending on 15 November.

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ESPORTS: Olympic Esports Games deal with Saudi Arabia ends as Coventry reported uncomfortable with event’s direction; this could be an IOC opportunity

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ OLYMPIC ESPORTS GAMES ≡

While not a complete surprise, the International Olympic Committee announced the rapid end of its agreement with the Saudi National Olympic Committee to create an “Olympic Esports Games” after just more than a year:

“In the last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) have discussed the concept of the Olympic Esports Games at length in line with the partnership they announced in 2024.

“Recently, the two parties and the Esports World Cup Foundation sat down again and reviewed this initiative. They mutually agreed that they will end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games. At the same time, both parties are committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on separate paths. The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games, taking the feedback from the ‘Pause and Reflect’ process into account, and pursue a new partnership model.

“This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible.”

The July 2024 deal between the IOC and the Saudi NOC specified the “duration of the partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC will be 12 years, with Olympic Esports Games held regularly,” and the first event in 2025.

The 2025 start of the project was pushed back to 2027. The joint IOC-Saudi development committee included the Esports World Cup Foundation and IOC and Saudi representatives.

However, the deal unraveled by mid-year, The Esports Advocate reported:

“On Aug. 23, the Esports World Cup Foundation announced the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a new tournament promising nations vs. nations competition, taking place every two years. The competitions are being co-developed along with Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft, according to the announcement. The ENC announcement was made at the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”

That sounds a lot like what an “Olympic Esports Games” would look like, including the participation of major game publishers.

The Esports Advocate report also noted that the structure of the gaming industry has been a problem for the IOC, since there are no parallels to the “international federations” in sport. Instead, there are weak associations of publishers – the International Esports Federation and Global Esports Federation – which do not control the actual games (owned by publishers). The IOC has acknowledged this as a difficulty. And, according to the report:

“Ultimately, the Saudis put forward a proposal to the IOC to create a federation of its own, and then the IOC, under [ex-President Thomas] Bach, agreed to it, but when he was replaced by [Kirsty] Coventry, things shifted. She did not like the proposal because it would not provide a democratic process and would ultimately be under the control of the Saudi government in perpetuity, according to our sources.”

Now, the IOC will have to start over.

Observed: This could be an opportunity for the IOC, rather than a setback. World Rowing introduced its “World Indoor Rowing Championships” in 2018, now with both in-person and online versions. The Union Cycliste Internationale has been holding a “Cycling Esports World Championship” – first using the Zwift platform and then MyWhoosh – since 2020.

This week, World Athletics announced “RUN X,” the first “World Treadmill Championship,” to be held in the fourth quarter of 2026.

So, with several Olympic-sport international federations already involved in in-person electronic competitions, and at least a half-dozen more with true electronic games providing virtual versions of their sport, there is enough to start an “Esports Games” in 2026 or 2027.

The possibility to have an event which combines actual physical activity and electronic gaming underscores the IOC’s interest in exercise and sport, as well as integrating gaming. Further, UCI President David Lappartient (FRA) distinguished himself with his work during the Bach Administration as the Chair of the IOC Esports and Gaming Liaison Group and then Chair of the Esports Commission, a position he still holds, and could lead this effort (he was not the IOC’s delegate to the failed committee working with the Saudis).

Such an event could well be put together by 2027, and if the IOC wishes to make a further statement on building bridges between countries, continents and people, it could consider placing the event in one of the world’s major technology development centers: Israel.

No need to be concerned about whether the event will be financially supported by the Israeli government, which is busy with other matters at present. The event can be paid for, in full, by the Indonesian Olympic Committee, as restitution for preventing Israeli athletes from competing at the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships.

Indonesian entries, of course, would be welcomed.

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PANORAMA: Milan Cortina ‘26 marks 100 days to go; big Italian Winter Games prize money! WADA trying to find Chinese whistleblowers?

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Olympic and Paralympic victory platforms for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games (Photo: Milan Cortina 2026).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The 2026 Winter Games organizers marked 100 days to go before the 6 February opening of the Games in Milan, revealing the designs of the Olympic and Paralympic podiums.

Concerns continue over the construction of the main ice hockey arena, the PalaItalia Santa Guilia, which is running behind schedule, but is expected to be completed in time.

Organizing committee chief executive Andrea Varnier said more than 850,000 of the total of 1.4 million Olympic and Paralympic tickets had been sold so far.

Italian sports officials confirmed that prize money for its medal winners at the 2026 Winter Games will be the same as for Paris 2024: €180,000 for gold, €90,000 for silver and €60,000 for bronze. Legislation is being worked on to allow the winnings to be tax-free.

That’s about $208,814, $104,407 and $69,605 U.S. Italy’s target is 19 total medals, from a team expected to number about 209.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The German ARD channel’s doping editorial team reported Wednesday that the World Anti-Doping Agency “is seeking to expose whistleblowers who passed on information about suspected doping cases in China to ARD. Human rights organizations are strongly criticizing the so-called ‘Operation Puncture’.”

The effort, which WADA told ARD “was commissioned by its Athletes’ Commission to conduct such an investigation,” could place such informants in danger, as governments generally do not tolerate such behavior. The story noted that the Athletics Integrity Unit had been contacted by WADA on this issue and “declined to exchange information.”

WADA has been suffering since the ARD expose in 2024 of a mass-doping incident among star Chinese swimmers in January 2021, who were ultimately not sanctioned by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), with no appeal filed by WADA. The U.S. government, in protest, has withheld its $3.6 million dues from WADA for 2024, and has not paid in 2025.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Now, the USOPC medical staff has its own sponsor for the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games in February. The healthcare apparel brand FIGS will outfit about 150 physicians, nurses, trainers and other professionals for the USOPC support team in Italy:

“The official Team USA Medical Team kit features specially designed scrubwear, outerwear, knitwear, and accessories, all of which include distinct Team USA Medical Team emblems in a spirited palette of red, white, and blue. To support the healthcare professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to power Team USA’s athletes, FIGS is introducing its new FIBREx fabric, which is making its debut in the Winter Games collection.”

● NCAA ● The Athletic obtained a document from NCAA Division I Cabinet Chair Josh Whitman, who is also the Illinois athletics director that included:

“During its October meeting, the Division I Cabinet determined that, for the remainder of the current [2025-26] academic year and for the rosters competing during the 2026-27 academic year, it will maintain existing eligibility rules as they pertain to student-athletes competing in no more than four seasons of athletics competition in a particular sport over a consecutive five-year period.

“The Cabinet is studying these policies, along with several related eligibility rules, and will later consider what changes, if any, to implement for future academic years. When challenged, the current rules have been upheld by the overwhelming majority of courts.”

Discussion is continuing about extending eligibility to five years, but no changes yet.

● Athletics ● Another Kenyan doping ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit, this time it’s Esphond Cheruiyot “for 3 years from 23 October 2025 for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Trimetazidine).” His results are nullified from 21 September 2025.

He’s a 2:09:46 (2025, now nullified) marathoner and has a best of 1:01:24 in the Half (2024).

● Football ● The U.S. women completed their international match window with a friendly against New Zealand in Kansas City, Missouri, and a 6-0 rout.

Although not quite as quick as the first-minute goals against Portugal, the U.S. was on offense right away and after getting free on the right side via a back-heel pass from midfielder Lily Yohannes, Michelle Cooper sent a line-drive cross to the far side of the New Zealand goal where the onrushing forward Emma Sears blasted it into the net for the 1-0 lead in the 8th minute.

It took 20 minutes for the Kiwis to get deep into U.S. territory and the American offense was unrelenting, but didn’t get a second goal until defender Emily Sams sent another sharp cross across the goal and striker Catarina Macario pounded a right-footed laser toward goal and it flew off the foot of New Zealand keeper Claudia Dickey for the 2-0 edge in the 34th.

In the 44th, midfield star Rose Lavelle found herself at the top of the box, with room, and sent a loose ball screaming inside the goal post for a 3-0 lead to close the half, with the U.S. taking 85% possession and 18-0 on shots!

The goals kept coming in the second half, with Sears scoring in the 55th, Macario again in the 66th and Sears with the hat trick in the 84th. The Americans finished with 82% possession and a 34-3 shots advantage.

The round-of-16 matches at the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco finished on Wednesday, with Canada pounding Zambia, 6-0; Japan blanking Colombia, 4-0; France ousting Spain on penalties (5-4) after a 4-4 tie and Mexico edging Paraguay, 1–0.

In the quarters, Brazil will face Canada and defending champ North Korea will play Japan in the upper bracket. France and the Netherlands and Mexico and Italy will play in the lower half.

● Taekwondo ● At the World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi (CHN), Iran’s Abolfazi Zandi, the 2022 World Junior Champion, won his first Worlds medal with a 7-3, 12-8 win over Belarus “neutral” Georgli Gurtsiev in the men’s 58 kg final.

Another World Junior winner – from 2024 – Tunisia’s Wafa Masghouni won on criteria in two rounds against Hungary’s Viviana Marton, the Paris 2024 Olympic champ, 7-7 and 0-0, in the women’s 62 kg championship.

The tournament will finish on Thursday.

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FENCING: Trio of women fencers file class-action vs. USA Fencing over trans entries in January event; pro-trans ex-USA Fencing Chair explains not running again

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE LATEST ≡

Fox News reported that Paris Epee Olympian Margarita Guzzi Vincenti and two other female fencers have initiated a class-action suit against USA Fencing for allowing transgender females to compete in the January 2025 North American Cup tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. From the complaint:

● “Because Defendant USFA’s youth and cadet policy authorized self-identification ‘without restriction’ and lacked any verification mechanism, biological males under 16 were permitted, and could have been expected, to compete in the women’s event.”

● “Defendant USFA also does not disclose to members or participants whether transgender or non-binary athletes are entered in a given event, leaving female athletes and parents unable to make informed participation decisions.”

● “On information and belief, Defendant USFA never implemented any system to monitor or verify compliance with this requirement. In practice, this lack of oversight allowed biological males to register for and compete in women’s events regardless of whether they had completed any hormone-suppression treatment.”

The suit alleges violations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and named former USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt – who was Chair at the time of the January tournament – in the suit as well. USA Fencing replied with its own statement, noting:

“USA Fencing is aware of the class-action complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Oct. 29, and we strongly dispute its allegations. We will address this matter through the legal process and have no further comment at this time.”

Lehfeldt, a long-time coach who was elected Chair in September 2024, chose not to run for re-election as Chair and Dr. Scott Rodgers, a Paralympic medal winner, was elected last week as the new federation Board chief.

Lehfeldt explained his reasons in a Friday post on his TheFencingCoach.com site titled, “I’m Tired, Boss,” which included:

● “When I stepped into this role a year ago, I did it because I love this sport and I wanted to help fix some of what was broken. I knew it would be hard work, but I underestimated just how much of my time and energy it would take. Between my full-time job, young kids, and using nearly all my vacation days to volunteer, I’ve reached a point where I’m simply tired. Add that year with the last quad spent with the Men’s team, and Jesus Christ, I’m exhausted, y’all.”

● “And to be even more candid: I didn’t sign up to spend my nights and weekends dealing with lawsuits, death threats, and distractions that pull focus from the real work of governing and growing our sport. I want to get back to fencing, to mentoring, to coaching, and to just being part of the community I love, not constantly defending it in courtrooms and comment sections.”

He noted the federation’s financial and membership successes on his watch, along with myriad technical and community changes to provide more involvement. He added that he’s not walking away:

“As for what’s next: I’m not disappearing. I’ll continue serving as an At-Large Director for at least the next year, and I’ll keep doing everything I can to support good governance and responsible leadership from that seat.”

And he said he will continue to support inclusion, including for trans fencers:

“No matter your race, religion, gender, gender identity, or socioeconomic background – this sport belongs to you. That’s not just a slogan to me; it’s a commitment. And even with the challenges we’ve faced, I’m going to keep fighting for a fencing community that’s open, accessible, and welcoming to all.”

Lehfeldt was pummeled at a 7 May 2025 riotous U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency which degenerated into name-calling between the Republican and Democrat committee members. Prior, pro-trans statements made by Lehfeldt were highlighted by Republicans and he insisted that physical differences between men and women are not relevant in fencing:

“Ultimately, fencing is a sport of strategy and technique. More than anything else, those elements will most frequently determine who prevails. And when it comes to strategy and technique, neither sex has any inherent advantage. For that reason, among others, transgender status does not confer any inherent advantage over a cisgender fencer.

“Indeed, cisgender women have beaten transgender women in 55% of the bouts for which USA Fencing has data.”

USA Fencing changed its participation policy on Lehfeldt’s watch as of 1 August 2025 to comply with instructions by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee that all National Governing Bodies align with President Donald Trump’s 5 February 2025 Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Women Out of Men’s Sports” and ban trans women from competing in the women’s category.

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ATHLETICS: World Athletics’ new “Ultimate Championship” ticket prices and seating revealed; it’s all pretty reasonable!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Ticketed seating for the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest (HUN) (Image: World Athletics).

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≡ ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

For track & field, the pillar events of the four-year Olympic cycle has been the same for decades:

● Year 0: Olympic Games
● Year 1: World Athletics Championships
● Year 2: nothing
● Year 3: World Athletics Championships
● Year 4: Olympic Games

These championship events are supported by a season-long Diamond League, now 15 meets, with a two-day final, usually in Brussels (BEL) and Zurich (ZUI).

Under British President Sebastian Coe, World Athletics is trying to create new interest in the “middle year” between World Championships and drummed up a new “Ultimate Championship” for 2026:

● Three-day event in Budapest (HUN)
● Three-hour show aimed at television
● Scheduled for 11-13 September
● All finals, in 28 events
● $10 million prize money purse

The fields will automatically include invitations to the 2024 Olympic and 2025 World Championships gold medalists, the 2026 Diamond League winner (finals held the week before) and other top stars from the World Athletics Rankings.

Now, tickets are being readied for sale, with Wednesday’s announcement that sales will open on 10 November, but with a pre-sale window from 6-9 November for those who sign up on the meet Web site.

The per-day pricing, for the meet to be held at the National Athletics Centre – site of the 2023 World Athletics Championships – appears to be quite reasonable, as big-event pricing goes these days (layout shown above; prices in Hungarian Forint):

● Finish line: 69,000 HUF ($206.00 U.S.) ~ 2 sections at the finish line (pink)

● Category 1: 44,000 HUF ($131.37 U.S.) ~ 4 sections on the home straight (yellow)

● Category 2: 29,000 HUF ($86.58 U.S.) ~ 13 sections on the backstraight and two close to the start lines for the sprints and lane races (blue)

● Category 3: 15,000 HUF ($44.78 U.S.) ~ 14 sections on the turns (purpose)

There are also Category 4 sections (gray), which are not being sold, and will be used for news media, officials, sponsors, guests and athletes. These comprise seven sections on the home straight and four sections on each turn (11 total).

The National Athletics Centre sat 36,000 for the 2023 Worlds, with special second-decks which have been removed for permanent use. The listed capacity of the stadium now is 14,000, but with strong sales, might be augmented.

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INDONESIA: After Israel gymnastics ban, Indonesian National Olympic Committee meets with IOC, says the “results were positive”

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ INDONESIA MEETS IOC ≡

Following the brazen refusal of the Indonesian government to allow Israeli athletes into the country for the just-concluded FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta, the International Olympic Committee asked representatives of the Indonesian National Olympic Committee to discuss the situation in Lausanne (SUI).

That meeting was on Tuesday afternoon, with Indonesian NOC chief Raja Sapta Oktohari and four members of the NOC’s Executive Committee. Oktohari told Indonesian media that everything went fine:

“Our diplomacy with the IOC went very well and the results were positive. We provided a comprehensive understanding of the current situation, both in gymnastics and in Indonesia in general. From this meeting, we gained a breath of fresh air and a positive meeting point to continue the dialogue constructively.

“Essentially, we have succeeded in improving communication channels with the IOC. They understand Indonesia’s position, and we also understand the IOC’s responsibility to uphold the principle of non-discrimination. Now the focus is no longer on the problems that occurred yesterday, but how we move forward, today and tomorrow, to build a joint solution.”

Oktohari essentially doubled down on the Indonesian government’s action against Israel, in polite, diplomatic language:

“It should also be emphasized that the Indonesian government’s stance reflects the stance of the Indonesian nation. We continue to uphold the values of sportsmanship, we support and uphold the Olympic Charter, but we also want and will always advocate for world peace.

“Communication and transparency will always be the keys to success. Because this is not yet complete, it is still a process towards success.

“We also explained that the Indonesian government’s stance is not just about sport, but also about maintaining and ensuring the safety of all parties involved. This stance also upholds and supports the Olympic Charter and serves as the basis for advocating for world peace.”

Oktohari says he hopes for the best for the future:

“We want this momentum to be a new beginning in strengthening global trust in Indonesia. Good communication, an open attitude, and constructive diplomacy are our path to sustainable solutions.”

The IOC did not make any statement about the meeting on Tuesday. In its unhappy declaration of 22 October, the IOC said it has ended discussions about future Olympic events being held in Indonesia and asked the International Federations to do the same.

It also asked the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique to come to Lausanne to explain its position of meek acquiescence to the Indonesia ban of the already-registered Israeli team.

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LOS ANGELES 2028: LA28 CEO Hoover confident on sponsorship sales, not concerned over Trump comments on possibly moving Games

By
Rich Perelman
-
LA28 chief executive Reynold Hoover testifying before a Senate Subcommittee hearing on 10 June 2025 (Senate video screen shot).

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≡ CITY COUNCIL UPDATE ≡

“On track” was the phrase used by LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee chief executive Reynold Hoover to position the progress to date before Wednesday’s meeting of the Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Appearing with Chief Operating Officer John Harper, Hoover started with finances:

“From a financial perspective, we continue to feel very optimistic about our path forward with, as I said, 989 days to go. … We’ve signed more partnerships this year than we announced in all of 2024, allowing us to remain on track to reach our goals.

He added later, “Right now, we’re at about $1.7 billion in sponsorship revenue, that’s contracted. We’ll hit $2 billion by December. We’ve raised more money than Paris did in the entire time.

“So we are well on our track to hit our $2.5 [billion], I think is our budget number in sponsorship revenue and we are well on track to get that. We just signed another deal yesterday, and there’s, I think, three or four more contracts that we will announce in the coming weeks.”

He was asked about comments from U.S. President Donald Trump about potentially moving the Games if he didn’t feel it was safe to hold it in Los Angeles. No need worry was the reply:

“The President and the administration has been very supportive of the Games in L.A. and I think they recognize, and I have said before to members of Congress, there is no other city in the United States that could host the Games than L.A.

“The size and the scope of the magnitude of the undertaking, because of the iconic venues, because of the ‘no-build Games,’ because it’s 15,000 athletes coming, nearly 15 million people coming to visit and be a part of the Games, there’s no place else you can go.

“The President wants these Games to succeed, I think that’s evidenced in the billion dollars in security funding that was out into the [One Big Beautiful Bill Act], and we’re working with FEMA – I’ve had conversations directly with FEMA leadership on that money, and Council President [Marqueece Harris-Dawson] and I have talked about it as well – how that money will flow to help us, to help you all, with security planning.

“So I feel very confident, the Games will be in L.A. and the Federal government will support the safety and security of the Games.”

Hoover also noted some other areas:

● “Registration for Olympic Games tickets [sales] will open in January of ‘26, on our web site at LA28.org. … We’re proud to announce that single tickets will start at only $28 and we’ll have early-access tickets for locals, who live around the Games venues, as well as L.A. City residents.”

● Asked about visas for athletes and others who need to come for the Games:

“[LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman and I have both talked with Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio on a number of occasions about that. We have a whole team dedicated just to visa processing. At the State Department’s request, we have developed and will launch at the end of this year, a program called ‘VisaLink’ which is automating an electronic process to assist people that need visas, associated with the Games, because it’s not just the athletes.

“People will be starting to come, and have come already, to work with us directly at LA28, or will be part of, say, building the International Broadcast Center and other media people that will be coming in to help with Games delivery that will be coming in from overseas and will require visas. We feel really confident that we’re in a good spot.”

● He was, of course, asked about concerns over venue issues, especially the City’s $2.6 billion effort to expand the Convention Center:

“As we sit here today, I don’t have any concerns that any of our venues will not be ready in time for the Games. We are looking and watching closely, the Convention Center and the construction and we feel confident the City is going to make its deadlines, so we can get the Convention Center delivered to us on time.”

● Hoover was also asked by Council member Bob Blumenfield if LA28 would be adding money to the $160 million for youth sports it has already committed to:

“I think the short answer is no. You know, $160 million was our commitment to PlayLA and that number, we’re not changing. Of the $60 million we’ve provided the City so far, we’re really excited and happy about where the program has gone. In July, we celebrated the millionth enrollment in the program; the program, as you know, is oversubscribed and we’re really excited about it.

“We look to the City, then, to figure out how best to continue the PlayLA program, because we see it as an incredible, incredible success.”

Much of Wednesday’s session was taken up with a discussion with the City’s Director of the Bureau of Contract Administration, John Reamer, Jr. He explained a continuing dialogue with LA28 on how the organizing committee will work cooperatively to look to local businesses for contracts related to the Games.

Reamer said that a tiered approach to contracting was being developed, for LA28 to try and find businesses in the City of Los Angeles first, then businesses within a to-be-specified radius of an LA28 operating site and then to businesses in L.A. County, before moving elsewhere.

Council member Monica Rodriguez engaged in a long discussion with Reamer about exactly how much money will be spent by LA28 with City of Los Angeles businesses and what will the City’s economic development team do to get small companies ready to compete. Those answers are yet to come.

Rodriguez then harangued Hoover about LA28 doing that work:

“When taxpayers in Los Angeles are the financial backstop for any shortfalls that come as a result of these Games, it should be City businesses – not Long Beach, not anyone else in the County, the County isn’t going to get tapped, Long Beach isn’t going to get tapped – it’s taxpayers in Los Angeles that will be stuck holding the bag with any other, you know, cutbacks to their services and other implications in service delivery. They’re the ones that are going to bear the brunt of any failures to meet those targets and that’s why I want to continue to reinforce with you all: how are you going to help support those small businesses, in concert with L.A. City, to make sure those businesses are actually ready to pursue those procurement opportunities?

“What are you tangibly going to help do and who are you actually working with in the City family to help fulfill that.”

Hoover explained that the organizing committee is getting ready to offer more details on its procurement plans:

“LA28 is, and will continue to be, committed in helping small and local businesses access contracts for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and we’re excited to continue that work … We’re developing a procurement plan, as I think we’ve all talk about in the past, that will be shared in early ‘26. This plan will detail the industries and types of contracts we’ll procure, along with the anticipated timelines for those opportunities.

“It will serve as a clear roadmap on how local, small and diverse businesses can engage with us as we prepare for the Games.”

He noted that workshops are already being lined up by the organizing committee to reach out in sectors where LA28 will need help – food service was mentioned – and to also help businesses get prepared.

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PANORAMA: India sees Olympic medal surge by 2036; Denmark ends gambling ads in football matches; Ingebrigtsen wants 1500-mile-5000 WRs in 2026!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins the 2024 Diamond League Final 1,500 m in Brussels (Photo: Diamond League AG)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games: India ● A sports transformation on the scale of China is being implemented in India, now the world’s most populous nation, explained Indian Olympic Association President P.T. Usha in an interview with the French-language FrancsJeux.com (computer translation from the original French):

● “India is currently undergoing a complete transformation of its sporting landscape, guided by the vision and leadership of the national government. This transformation aims to position India as a leading sporting nation, both in terms of large-scale participation and elite performance.

“Our goals are clearly defined: to be among the top ten nations in the Olympic medal standings by 2036 and enter the top five by our centenary in 2047. This ambition is underpinned by a sustained and systematic effort encompassing governance reform, infrastructure development, athlete support systems, and grassroots engagement across the country.”

● “India’s Olympic ambition is part of a structured, long-term plan, with clearly defined targets and the creation of state-of-the-art performance centers across the country. While our goals are ambitious, they reflect the spirit of a nation that is ambitious to its very core. India is the fastest-growing democracy and is poised to become the world’s third-largest economy.

“With over 600 million young people and a comprehensive national sports strategy, we believe we can achieve transformational progress similar to that achieved by China between the mid-1990s and 2008. 2036 is not a moment too soon; it is an opportunity to showcase India’s emerging capabilities on the world stage while accelerating the performance of our athletes to a world-class level.”

The next step for India is to be awarded the 2030 Commonwealth Games, at the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Scotland on 26 November 2025.

● Alpine Skiing ● Appearing at the USOPC Media Summit in New York, U.S. skiing star Lindsey Vonn, now 41, has all her focus on making the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team for Milan Cortina:

“I don’t think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren’t in Cortina. If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it. But, for me, there’s something special about Cortina that always pulls me back and it’s pulled me back one last time.

“I think I’m in potentially the best shape of my life, which is saying something at my age. Because of my knee replacement, I literally can do anything I want to do. I’m not restricted.”

Vonn won and Olympic gold and bronze in Vancouver in 2010 and a 2018 bronze in Korea across four Olympic appearances (so far).

● Athletics ● After injuries plagued him in 2025, Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen has big plans for 2026′ he told Norway’s Verdens Gang:

“I hope to take the world record in 1,500 m, mile and 5,000 m. If I can do that, I have to be satisfied. I have to look out for some events and dates where I can have the best chance of making some good attempts at it. [Wife] Elisabeth and I have started looking at the dates.

“Most of the tracks are good to run on, but all tracks can also have bad conditions. There will be a bit of bingo, but it is generally a bit safer further south in Europe. Monaco has been a very good race for many years, Paris is good. Silesia is very good. These are races I have looked forward to. And most likely Bislett. It’s always something I look forward to.”

Wow!

● Football ● Denmark passed an extensive gambling promotional ban last Friday – “Gaming Package 1” – described by the Ministry of Taxation as:

“a comprehensive agreement that will slow down and reverse the development of gambling addiction in Denmark. The goal is to create a more responsible and safe gaming market – especially for children and young people, who are increasingly exposed to gambling and gambling-related advertising.”

The measures include “regulation of influencers and significant restrictions on the marketing of gambling, including a ban on gambling advertisements during sporting events, a ban on the use of famous people in advertisements and on marketing that may affect children and young people. At the same time, the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction is being strengthened with targeted offers for children and young people, together with a new research fund that will create better knowledge about gambling behavior and addiction.”

Broadcast ads for gaming are banned from 10 minutes before kickoff to 10 minutes after, live odds are not to be shown in stadiums, and gaming advertising is banned within 200 m of schools or on buses. “Free money” introductory games are also outlawed.

Said Tax Minister Ane Halsboe-Jorgensen:

“This is the beginning of a showdown with a gaming industry that has been allowed to take up too much space for far too long, so that entertainment does not turn into addiction. This requires both responsible providers, stronger rules and a sustained political effort.”

At the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco, the U.S. and the Netherlands played to a 1-1 tie in their round-of-16 match, with the Dutch advancing on a 7-6 win on penalty kicks. Both sides made their first six penalties, but after Tess van der Vliet scored the seventh for the Netherlands, Chloe Sadler’s attempt for the U.S. was saved.

In the other early round-of-16 matches, Brazil eliminated China, 3-0; defending champ North Korea swamped Morocco, 6-1 and Italy sailed by Nigeria, 4-0. The rest of the bracket will play on Wednesday with the quarters on 1-2 November.

● Swimming ● Happy returns for newly-retired U.S. breaststroke star Lilly King and James Wells, who were married on Saturday (25th), after he proposed to her – on television – at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis in 2024.

They both swam at Indiana, with Wells ending his competitive career in 2021 and King finishing at this summer’s Worlds in Singapore after two Olympic and 12 World Championships gold medals.

● Taekwondo ● At the World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi (CHN), the men’s 68 kg class went to Thailand’s Banlung Tubtimdang, moving up from silver at 63 kg in 2023. He won by 10-5, 7-1 over Korean Yu-hyeon Seong, with American Maikol Rodriguez picking up one of the bronzes, his first Worlds medal.

The women’s 67 kg division was the second Worlds win for Luana Marton (HUN), who won at 57 kg in 2023! She defeated Milena Titoneli (BRA) by 8-1, 2-1 in the final. The tournament ends on the 30th.

● Wrestling ● Impressive showing for the U.S. men’s Freestyle team at the 2025 United World Wrestling U-23 World Championships in Novi Sad (SRB), with four golds and the team title.

The American winners included Luke Lilledahl (57 kg), Jax Forrest (61 kg), Mitchell Mesenbrink (74 kg) and Levi Haines at 79 kg. The U.S. scored 137 points to beat Iran (127).

The U.S. women’s Freestylers finished third with 106, behind India and Japan. Kylie Welker was the lone American winner, at 76 kg. Audrey Jimenez won silver at 50 kg and Jasmine Robinson was second at 72 kg.

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FOOTBALL: U.S. Soccer Federation reports 37% rise in revenue for 2025, with 594% fund-raising rise in one year and $459 million in assets!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ U.S. SOCCER’S MILLIONS ≡

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S., a powerfully-refreshed American women’s team and a $250 million national headquarters and training center being built in Georgia, the U.S. Soccer Federation showed near-record revenues for its fiscal year ended on 31 March 2025.

The newly-posted financial statements showed significant increases in revenue in key areas:

Operating revenue:
● $263.740 million in 2025 (ending 31 March 2025)
● $192.192 million in 2024

(This is the most revenue for U.S. Soccer since 2017, when income was $290.199 million)

Sponsorship:
● $121.057 million in 2025
● $101.915 million in 2024

Fund-raising:
● $50.340 million in 2025
● $7.256 million in 2024

Major event revenue shares (such as Olympic Games):
● $34.400 million in 2025
● $25.441 million in 2024

All of this and the donations and support attendant to the new Arthur M. Blank National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, jumped U.S. Soccer’s total assets by more than double in 2025:

● $459.085 million in total assets in 2025
● $192.412 million in total assets in 2024

This is startling and is keyed by:

● $187.316 million in cash
● $100.940 million in investments
● $100.441 million in property value

That compares to 2024 values for the same items of $54.853 million cash, $95.802 million in investments and just $1.593 million in property and equipment.

It’s also worth noting that U.S. Soccer is not sitting on its money. With $263.740 million in operating revenue, the federation spent almost all of it – $261.932 million – with the biggest items:

● $107.152 million in national team support
● $37.693 million in sponsorship, licensing and fan engagement costs
● $19.543 million on events
● $12.788 million on the training center
● $23.125 million on legal fees
● $31.773 million on administration and personnel

So the net surplus for the year was just $1.808 million, plus $6.462 million in investment income. That moved the federation’s reserves to $86.252 million total, from $77.981 million at the end of fiscal 2024.

This surge in funding shows U.S. Soccer is riding a wave of popularity for the sport in the U.S., with the 2026 World Cup coming, as well as the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and is – importantly – attracting major investment into the game in the U.S. It is by far the richest of all the U.S. National Governing Bodies.

The training center is expected to make a major difference in the development of the already-promising junior teams in the U.S., along with the powerful women and the inconsistent men’s national squad.

How this financial strength will impact youth soccer is yet to be seen, as the federation continues to see criticism of “pay for play” situations at the grassroots level which has reduced some opportunities for youth in some areas.

Money can’t solve everything, but the U.S. Soccer grant funding and its “Soccer Forward” program saw only a combined spend of $4.451 million in 2025.

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ANTI-DOPING: AIU chief Howman scoffs at high numbers of negative tests, says “sophisticated dopers still evade detection”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Athletics Integrity Unit chief David Howman (NZL).

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≡ HOWMAN WARNS ON DOPING ≡

“Have we devoted sufficient resources to determine what the cheats are now doing?

“Find out what the bad guys are up to before you have spent time and money attempting to catch them. Basic reasons for this are that those of us trying to catch them do not think like cheats, and do not look at how to beat the rules, just how to enforce them.

“People advising athletes how to break the rules might be lawyers, doctors, scientists, coaches, parents or others. All may have different ideas or ways. How to use the Whereabouts rules to dope yet avoid a 4-year penalty and perhaps accept a 2-year sanction.”

That’s from Athletics Integrity Unit Chair David Howman (NZL), from his keynote address to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s annual Symposium on Anti-Doping Science, held on 27 September in Atlanta, Georgia.

His remarks, obtained from the USADA with the permission of the AIU, underlined the very real challenges being faced by the anti-doping movement today – including pressure on funding – and asked:

● “Can we undertake higher-quality testing based on data gathered by intelligence?”

● “Can we change the quantitative approach to a qualitative one so that cheats are caught?”

Howman further asked what seems like a question that must have been answered already. But:

“Without a measure for doping behaviour reliably, evaluating the effectiveness of anti-doping programs is ILLUSIVE.

“I quote from the Chair of the WADA Prevalence Committee: “Despite the importance and abundance of cumulated data over time the evidence base for doping prevalence in competitive sport is still weak and fragmented with most evidence pointing to a prevalence rate of 0 to 5% overall, and up to 30% as the most plausible estimate in sport- and method- specific analyses.”

That’s a disaster and far from the less-than-1% doping violations seen in the blizzard of testing statistics issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency and others. And Howman – politely – ripped into the anti-doping infrastructure now in place:

“The programs have remained pretty much the same. Registered testing pools (RTPs) at both National and international levels require mandatory testing for those RTP athletes. This can lead to testing by numbers rather than quality testing. Why – because to be compliant requires an RTP and 3 tests per annum for each athlete in that RTP.

“There is little guidance as to how and when tests might best be taken, just a minimum, and the ADO [anti-doping organization] is compliant. And, is there any guideline as to the numbers that must be in an international sport RTP? Particularly team sports? If so, has that led to more effective testing?”

He returned to the question of, is the mostly-testing regimen actually reducing doping?

“[W]e don’t seem to have any ability to confirm any of it.

“And the reports provide data which is already old. So, to answer the question whether the industry is successfully reducing doping is difficult.

“Perhaps it might be a little how we have ‘stopped’ corruption in our societies. If you don’t look very hard you don’t see.

“I suggest we have not reached the ‘ridding’ nirvana, in fact, we are still only catching the dopey dopers and they are getting dopier. Most sophisticated dopers still evade detection.” (emphasis added)

That’s a terrible conclusion, especially from someone who was the Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency from 2003-16. But Howman, who said at the start of his talk that his aim was to move forward and not slap backward, had some ideas, including:

● Analyze some samples at non-WADA-accredited labs for intelligence purposes, for faster turnaround and “use” cases; he noted, “[f]or example, pathology labs for cheap profiling, hair testing, forensic analysis.”

● “Contaminated products: Currently manipulation of supposed contaminated products is a problem. Proving product contamination might usefully require independent sourcing of product, independent testing. Three groups are looking at this issue.”

● Introducing a way for WADA to “rank or grade” anti-doping organizations on the quality of their program as a way to “encourage, support and incentivize excellence in anti-doping by developing a program to grade ADOs on quality/excellence.” Now, only compliance is rewarded, not quality.

Howman opened his remarks by stating “I was intending to be provocative and somewhat of a devil’s advocate, but I realize to some that is being critical, and my intention here is to provide a positive picture of what might be, and to raise the bar of anti-doping practice,” and he noted that an overlooked aspect of the doping trade is what happens to the athlete who is cheated:

“In 2002, Beckie Scott was 18 months later awarded the gold medal, the only athlete in Olympic history to have won bronze, silver and gold in one event. How have we compensated those who missed their day on the podium and all the accompanying opportunities of sponsorship and money?

“ANSWER: We haven’t. So why not?

“Probably because we have not thought laterally enough to even imagine such a possibility. Maybe because it is not covered by any rule, regulation or process among the hundreds of pages enveloping anti-doping now. Surprisingly, it has not been raised by any of the many athlete groups across the network.”

Now 51, Canadian cross-country skiing star Scott was originally the bronze medalist in the 2×5 km Pursuit race at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but became the gold medalist after the two Russians ahead of her were disqualified for doping.

Howman suggested:

“Perhaps a fund to which applications from athletes can be made to an independent board following set rules and processes. The fund might be established by sport by adding 0.5% to all broadcast contracts as an integrity fund. Whatever is proposed, can it be started, please.”

Howman’s message in Atlanta is that the anti-doping effort now is still not what is hoped for and those with ingenuity, money and support are still cheating. But with an approach that rewards catching cheaters – even before they start – and not simply being compliant with the myriad of rules and regulations that make up the anti-doping world today, meaningful progress will be at hand.

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FENCING: International federation at a financial crossroads, projects 19,575% increase in marketing revenue for 2026 and will still lose millions

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ FIE FINANCIAL CROSSROADS ≡

The Federation Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) has had, for many years, one of the strangest financial positions in the entire Olympic Movement.

Starting with the first election of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov as President in 2008, the federation’s marketing and commercial promotional efforts were quickly reduced to zero and Usmanov personally donated CHF 87,158,404 (about $98.489 million U.S.) over 13 years, to 2021.

But the donations stopped after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as Usmanov was placed on multiple sanctions lists. He stepped down from the duties of FIE President, but re-surfaced in late 2024 long enough to be re-elected for a fifth term by 120-26 last December.

He immediately stepped back again and Egypt’s Abdelmoneim ElHusseiny has been appointed as the Interim President.

But without Usmanov’s financial support, the FIE now faces significant financial challenges, dependent even more on the quadrennial television rights payments from the International Olympic Committee.

This is highlighted in the documentation for the 22 November 2025 FIE Congress to be held in Manama (BRN), including interesting financial reports, audited financial statements and budgets for 2026.

In short, the FIE is at a crossroads and has to break out of its self-imposed (Usmanov-imposed?) shell, soon.

The FIE’s financial position got steadily worse after Usmanov stopped donating, with almost no revenue (all figures in CHF; 1 CHF = $1.26 U.S.):

2022:
● CHF 508,432 operating revenue
● CHF 1.273 million total revenue including investment gains
● CHF 7.617 million expenses
● CHF 6.758 million loss
● CHF 28.529 million reserves

2023:
● CHF 599,253 operating revenue
● CHF 1.756 million total revenue including investment gains
● CHF 8.288 million expenses
● CHF 6.533 million loss
● CHF 21.996 million reserves

2024 (Olympic year):
● CHF 674,022 operating revenue
● CHF 1.652 million revenue from investment gains
● CHF 12.704 million revenue from IOC television rights
● CHF 15.029 million total revenue
● CHF 6.740 million expenses
● CHF 8.951 million surplus
● CHF 30.946 million reserves

For 2025, the budget shows another loss coming:

● CHF 518,100 operating revenue
● CHF 1.650 million revenue from IOC television rights (remainder)
● CHF 2.168 million total revenue
● CHF 6.820 million expenses
● CHF 4.652 million loss
● CHF 26.294 million reserves (projected)

And the Congress documentation has the 2026 budget included, with more losses, but a startling turnaround in revenue:

● CHF 8.437 million operating revenue
● CHF 14.260 million expenses
● CHF 5.823 million loss
● CHF 20.471 million reserves (projected)

Now, the losses keep coming as expenses went way up – by 209% – thanks to more federation projects, more prize money and more marketing efforts. But the FIE is now expecting a staggering expansion of its sponsorship revenue from zero to CHF 7.5 million, and an overall rise in commercial revenue from CHF 40,000 to 7.87 million, a 19,575% increase in 2026.

Wow.

And if the sponsorship revenues do not come through … then the FIE is looking at enormous loss and reserves of perhaps two years of operating costs (maybe) before receiving more IOC money at the end of 2028.

The FIE’s finances demonstrate the challenges in reliance on IOC television rights money when the federation does not generate enough operating revenue.

It has decided that it has to join the modern world of sponsorship sales to survive, and surely the silent Usmanov agrees with this. But to go from absolute zero to CHF 7.5 million ($9.45 million U.S.) in a year is more than ambitious.

Many other federations, not to mention the IOC in Lausanne, will be watching what happens closely in 2026.

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PANORAMA: AIU’s Howman sounds the alarm on anti-doping effectiveness; Olympic luge training on the new Cortina track; World Treadmill Champs in ‘26!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Athletics Integrity Unit chief David Howman (NZL) at his keynote address at the USADA Symposium on Anti-Doping Science in September (Photo: AIU).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● The locally-celebrated recent Queensland infrastructure committee review of the Fitzroy River in Rockingham that cleared the site for use for sprint canoeing and flatwater rowing for the 2032 Olympic Games did not, of course, include any agreement from the International Canoe Federation or World Rowing.

And so the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Council noted in a stern statement on Monday:

“Regarding Brisbane 2032, several ASOIF members have conveyed concerns regarding the consultation and communications process regarding venue validation. While recognising the complex nature of planning the Olympic Games it is essential that IFs are involved early and meaningfully in venue validation as they must approve their venue(s) based upon objective criteria aimed at ensuring a level playing field for the athletes. ASOIF encourages the Brisbane 2032 organisers to proactively communicate to and engage with the IFs.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● For all those who doubted that the new sliding track in Cortina could be finished in time, the doubting is done. On Monday, 140 sliders from 25 countries started two weeks of training on the “Pista Olympica Eugenio Monti.”

The International Training Period comes ahead of the FIL test event from 24-30 November, just after the ISBF World Cup from 21-23 November.

● International Olympic Committee ● IOC President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) told the International Federation Forum in Lausanne (SUI) on Monday that working together is key to maintaining the credibility of international sport:

“We are faced today with many challenges and obstacles, and we are only going to be able to overcome them if we work together. My coach always used to tell me that we’re only as strong as our weakest link.

“So, to ensure that the weakest link is just as strong as you are, you work together, you embrace each other, you hold each other accountable, and you find ways to get stronger together. And this is what all of us in this room need to do. We need to ensure that we are strengthening our policies on the protection of athletes. We need to ensure that we are protecting, and finding new and innovative ways to uphold, our principles and values. …

“We want the next generation to be able to have faith in who we are. They have to trust us, they have to understand the policies we are putting in place. We have to show transparency and neutrality in how and why we are making decisions.”

● Association of Summer Olympic International Federations ● Further to the ASOIF Council meeting on Monday, the group stated it “fully supports” the IOC Executive Board statement, admonishing Indonesia for banning Israeli from the FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta.

Worth noting: FIG President Morinari Watanabe (JPN), whose International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) rolled over when told by the Indonesian government it refused entry visas for the Israeli team, is a member of the ASOIF Council. Apparently he was in favor of the IOC’s position, although the FIG did nothing.

● Anti-Doping ● If you continue to worry about doping in sports, you’re not the only one.

At the 24th annual U.S. Anti-Doping Symposium on Anti-Doping Science in Atlanta, Georgia in September, Athletics Integrity Unit Chair David Howman (NZL) told more than 75 anti-doping leaders and strategists:

“We are still only catching the dopey dopers. Most sophisticated dopers still evade detection.”

That’s a wake-up call for the anti-doping movement, with Howman urging a change from the quantity of testing to the quality of tests, when taken and from who, intelligence-led profiling and to explore compensation for doping-free athletes who have been financially impacted by cheaters.

He has sounded the alarm.

● Memorabilia ● Hall of Fame women’s basketball star Teresa Edwards won four gold medals with the U.S. team at the 1984-88-96-2000 Olympic Games and placed that first from 1984 with Heritage Auctions.

The sales closed this past weekend and her LA84 gold brought $25,620 in bidding that closed on Saturday, including the buyer’s premium. It has been projected to bring $40,000, but the medals shows some sides of oxidation around the edges and comes in a substitute box, not the original presentation box.

There were a few other Olympic items in the Fall Sports Catalog Auction and a slabbed Olympiastadion pass for the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, graded very good to excellent, brought $1,128.50, including the buyer’s premium.

A sample gold medal from the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, created by Jostens as a sales tool and enclosed in a wood case, sold for $610.00 with the buyer’s premium.

The top-selling item was a 1914 Babe Ruth rookie card when he was with Baltimore of the International League, selling for $4.026 million!

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The formal promotion of Team USA for the 2026 Winter Games has begun, a day ahead of the USOPC Media Summit in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday:

“The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today unveiled its ‘One for All’ campaign and anthem film, continuing its immersive brand platform spotlighting athletes’ powerful stories ahead of Milano Cortina 2026, LA28 and beyond. Featuring new athletes from a variety of winter sports, backgrounds and experiences, the campaign is the first opportunity for fans to get acquainted with the athletes on the road to Italy.”

The “One For All” will be available on NBC networks, YouTube, Meta and TikTok; the USOPC is also launching its first augmented reality experience on Snapchat.

● Athletics ● World Athletics announced its final group of “Athlete of the Year” nominees, this time for the out-of-stadium events:

Men:
● Caio Bonfim (BRA) ~ World 20 km Walk champ; 35 km silver
● Evan Dunfee (CAN) ~ World 35 km Walk champion
● Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) ~ World road leader at 5 km and 10 km
● Sabastian Sawe (KEN) ~ London and Berlin Marathons champion
● Alphonce Simbu (TAN) ~ World Marathon Champion

Women:
● Tigst Assefa (ETH) ~ Worlds silver, London Marathon winner
● Sifan Hassan (NED) ~ Sydney Marathon winner, London third
● Peres Jepchirchir (KEN ) ~ World Marathon Champion
● Agnes Ngetich (KEN) ~ World women-only 10 km record
● Maria Perez (ESP) ~ 20 km-35 km Walk World Champion

Fans can vote to narrow the field to finalists via World Athletics platforms on Facebook, Instagram and X through 2 November.

World Athletics announced a new event – “RUN X” – a 5 km World Treadmill Championship, to take place in the fourth quarter of 2026, in cooperation with Italian equipment company, Technogym:

“Starting from Q1 2026, fitness and wellness clubs from all over the world will be able to affiliate and join the network hosting the first World Treadmill Championship. Starting from Q2, runners will be able to register for the competition that will be held in Q4 of 2026. RUN X will give members the chance to compete against professional athletes via an online leaderboard displaying real-time rankings from participants across the globe. The 5km results will be certified through treadmills connected to the Technogym Digital Ecosystem. The top-ranked participants in each country, categorised by age group, will then advance to regional championships to qualify for the world final.

“The final will take place in an iconic location at the end of 2026, where the world’s top 10 male and 10 female runners will compete for the first-ever treadmill world title in an exciting and engaging format that takes running to a completely new level. RUN X will feature a US$100,000 prize pool, while World Athletics will grant wild cards for some of its World Athletics Series events, such as the World Road Running Championships.”

World Athletics is following up on the path taken by World Rowing, which has been conducting “World Indoor Rowing Championships” – using rowing machines – since 2018, and online since 2021. It’s a unique way to reach people where they are, extending their exercise routine into competition.

The kicker for World Athletics is to allow winners into its track or road championship events!

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Flavor Flav has found his winter sport:

“USA Bobsled/Skeleton is excited to announce that Flavor Flav has generously committed to being an official sponsor and hype man for our team for the upcoming season on our journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics.”

Flav (William Drayton, Jr.) co-founded he iconic rap duo Public Enemy and came out famously in 2024 as a supporter, sponsor and “hype man” for USA Water Polo. Now he’s already involved with the American bobsled and skeleton teams:

“Flav has officially joined as a member of USA Bobsled and Skeleton. Over the weekend, he participated in several bobsled rides and skeleton runs at Utah Olympic Park.

“Flav even brought out some of his friends from Maroon 5, who participated in a passenger bobsled ride. He then surprised some of the athletes and took them to Maroon’s concert on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.”

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced the election of Dr. Scott Rodgers as its new Board Chair, replacing the controversial Damien Lehfeldt, who had served since September 2024.

Rodgers is a three-time Paralympian from 2000-04-08 and a 2004 Paralympic bronze medalist. He continues to compete and is the first active fencer and first Paralympian to lead the federation. Off the piste, he is an electrical engineer with long experience in the defense industry, including 10 years with Lockheed Martin.

He was elected on 24 October and will serve into the fall of 2027, unless recalled earlier.

● Football ● FIFA announced the opening of a second ticket-sale window for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with entries for a purchase slot open through Friday (31st). Actual sales will begin on 12 November, with special reserved times for buyers from the host countries: Canada, Mexico and the U.S. A total of one million tickets is allocated for this sales period.

The Turkish Football Federation said Monday that of its 571 active referees in its professional leagues, 371 have accounts (65%) with one or more betting companies and that 152 have wagered on football matches. There was no data to show whether any bets were made on matches in Turkey; most of the action was on games in foreign leagues.

Ten of the officials were reported to have bet on 10,000 or more matches each!

● Modern Pentathlon ● The absorption of World Obstacle into the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) continued with an agreement at the end of the 2025 World Obstacle Championships in Beijing (CHN) that the 2026 Worlds will be the last for World Obstacle. So:

“Meetings in Beijing reinforced this progress, resulting in renewed confidence that a World Obstacle Congress can be convened in early 2026 for National Federations to vote on the dissolution of World Obstacle, marking a significant milestone in the unification of the sport under UIPM, the sole governing body of Obstacle sport within the Olympic movement.”

Obstacle racing is now an element of the pentathlon event set, replacing equestrian after the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

● Taekwondo ● The 2025 World Taekwondo Championships is ongoing in Wuxi (CHN), with China, Turkey and South Korea leading the medal parade.

In the five men’s classes decided so far, the Koreans have two wins, by Eun-su Seo at 54 kg and defending champion Sang-hyun Kang at +87 kg. Tunisia’s Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi, the Tokyo 2020 runner-up and Paris bronzer at 58 kg, moved up successfully to a gold at 63 kg. Brazil’s Henrique Marques won his first Worlds medal – gold – at 80 kg and Tokyo 2020 80 kg bronze winner Seif Eissa (EGY) took the win at 87 kg after winning 80 kg Worlds bronzes in 2022 and 2023.

The U.S. won a bronze in the men’s +87 kg class with Jonathan Healy, his first career Worlds medal!

Turkey has two golds in the women’s classes so far, with Emine Gogebakan winning at 46 kg for her first Worlds medal, and Nafia Kus defending her title in the +73 kg class after winning a Paris 2024 bronze at 67 kg.

Brazil got its second gold from Maria Clara Pacheco at 57 kg, moving up from bronze in 2023, and defeating Paris 2024 Olympic champ Yu-jin Kim in the final.

You-yun Liu (TPE) won the 49 kg class over Elif Sude Akul (TUR) and Belgian Sarah Chaari took the 73 kg victory for her second Worlds gold; she won at 62 kg in 2022, and got a Paris bronze at 67 kg last year!

The championships, which have drawn a record 991 competitors, continues through Thursday.

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FIGURE SKATING: Ex-Russian/German skater Efimova seeking accelerated U.S. citizenship to compete in 2026 Olympic Pairs with husband Misha Mitrofanov

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. Pairs stars Misha Mitrofanov and Alisa Efimova at the 2025 ISU World Championships (Photo: Flowering Dagwood via Wikipedia).

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≡ EFIMOVA IN STARS & STRIPES? ≡

Born in Finland in 1999, Alisa Efimova was accepted into a Russian figure skating training group in 2013 and from 2014 to 2020, skated for Russia in Pairs with Aleksander Korovin, winning the Pairs silver at Skate America in 2018.

Korovin retired and Efimova teamed up with German Ruben Blommaert and began skating for Germany in 2022. They placed fourth at the 2023 European Championships, but Blommaert retired in 2023.

That led her to look for a new skating partner and she got that and more in 2023, when she accepted a week-of-training try-out – via Instagram – with American Misha Mitrofanov, who she had met previously at a Russian training camp when he was skating with former partner Audrey Lu.

Efimova and Mitrofanov paired perfectly on the ice, working with coaches from The Skating Club of Boston and qualified into the 2024 U.S. nationals in Columbus, Ohio, placing second overall and winning the Free Skate after less than a year together.

They also got married in February of 2024!

Following the one-year waiting period for transfer of allegiance under International Skating Union rules, they won the U.S. title in 2025 in Wichita, Kansas, moving from third to first during the Free Skate, and placed sixth at the ISU World Championships held in Boston in March.

They are the top American Pairs entry in the weakest event for the U.S. team, which scored World Championships golds in the other events at the Boston Worlds: Ilia Malinin (men), Alysia Liu (women) and Madison Chock and Evan Bates (Ice Dance).

So, according to Efimova, writing in a post for The Skating Club of Boston:

“As I reflect on my journey that brought me to Misha and the United States, one of the biggest things that stands out for me besides Misha is what it means to be part of a community. Misha’s family and The Skating Club of Boston took me in as their own family right from my arrival. Nowhere had I seen how strangers can quickly become friends, and give you so much support and care. And how a community can actually become a family too. Since I became family with Misha and first stepped inside The Skating Club of Boston, I have always been home while being away from my birth home in Finland.

“The sincere striving in the attitude and approach of the Americans to be the best in the world is the other thing that has really impressed me from living here. I see it in the skating club, within U.S. Figure Skating, my fellow Team USA athletes, and among the many fans of figure skating. The supportive network and expertise that U.S. Figure Skating and the Team USA provides is very powerful, which shows through every person connected with the organization. For example, U.S. Figure Skating officials are volunteers, yet they regularly travel to watch and monitor our training sessions in Boston. They share their knowledge, feedback and critiques, as well as their passion for the sport. They sacrifice their free time for the possibility for us to improve; and to push us to become best in the world.

“Also, the loyalty of figure skating fans in the United States is the strongest I have seen anywhere in the world. I never knew that people just watching the sport can wish you that much success. Americans really care! I first experienced that with the standing ovation after our free skate at this year’s U.S. Championships. I realized that when we are on the ice, we are not only representing ourselves, we are also representing all the people who stand behind us. We are representing this whole country. That is both meaningful and powerful to me.”

But her path to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games is blocked:

“The U.S. Olympic team for figure skating will be decided in early January 2026 after the U.S. Championships in St. Louis, MO. At the moment, Misha and I will not be eligible to make the team because I don’t yet have a U.S. passport and must currently wait 20 more months as of this December’s USOPC deadline.

“Making the Olympic team would not only be a dream come true for me, it would also be my greatest chance to give back to the country which has become my new home. And to help bring Olympic gold to the United States with deep gratitude and pride.”

Thus, The Skating Club of Boston is campaigning for help for Efimova and Mitrofanov to be able to compete to make the U.S. team for Milan Cortina:

“Alisa obtained her United States Green Card approval on July 27, 2024. She is now seeking a waiver of the full-three year waiting period for a U.S. passport so as to be eligible for the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Olympic Team.

“According to the U.S. Figure Skating leadership, Alisa and Misha would be the final winning element of the U.S. Olympic Team to afford it the best possible opportunity of winning the gold medal in the Figure Skating Team event at the 2026 Winter Games. This was proven with their performance at April’s World Team Trophy event in Tokyo, Japan. As a team, the United States not only won the competition, they did it with the highest team score in the history of the competition.”

This is not going to be easy, as the U.S. generally has not advanced such citizenship requests in the past, and time is running out.

But if the Trump Administration and the U.S. Congress want to celebrate a love story with the potential for a happy (gold medal) ending, and for Efimova, the right partner on the ice (and in her life) on the third try, this is a pretty good candidate.

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PANORAMA: Major league players possible at LA28; Liu and Chock & Bates win at ISU Grand Prix in China; U.S. women rebound vs. Portugal, 3-1

By
Rich Perelman
-
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates on their way to an Ice Dance gold at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 2023 (Photo: ISU)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred talked with reporters at the World Series about the possibility of Major League players at the 2028 Olympic Games:

“I am positive about it. I think that the owners have kind of crossed the line in terms of, we’d like to do it if we can possibly make it work. There are logistical issues that still need to be worked on.”

He added, “We have made a lot of progress with LA2028 in terms of the calendar. Right now we’re in discussions with the players’ association about that set of issues. … The logistics of L.A. as evidenced by how long we’ve been talking about it are difficult. The chances that we’re playing in Brisbane [2032] – difficult, right? Even way more difficult than being in L.A.”

● Olympic Games: Future ● Agence France Presse reported that “A strong majority in the German city of Munich voted in favour of a bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2036, 2040 or 2044 in a referendum on Sunday.

“Early results showed around 62 percent of voters in the Bavarian capital voted in favour.”

Turnout was at least 39% of eligible voters, which is a record for a referendum in city history. Munich hosted the technically-advanced, but infamous 1972 Olympic Games, when Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 members of the Israeli delegation in the worst security incident in Olympic history. A prior referendum in 2013 rejected a bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. But there is enthusiasm for the future.

Three other regions – Hamburg, Berlin and Rhine-Ruhr – are also bidding and may hold their own referenda in 2026. The decision on a bid region and the Games to bid for will be decided in late 2026.

● Anti-Doping ● The French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) and the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) released a joint statement in response to French sprinter Mouhamadou Fall signing up for the doping-allowed Enhanced Games next May.

Fall, 33, has run 10.04 in 2021; he has already been hit twice for doping for positives in 2022 and 2023; he is currently serving a ban through 11 July 2026. The AFLD-CNOSF statement included:

“The promoters of this competition want to encourage athletes to break records by authorizing the use of doping. This initiative constitutes a negation of the spirit of sportsmanship and a serious threat to the health of participants, in addition to the harmful image it conveys of sporting performance.

“While the 20th century was marked by the fear of state doping, the 21st century could see the emergence of a new form of institutionalized doping, at the instigation of certain unscrupulous private promoters ready to sacrifice sporting integrity and health issues to organize an artificial spectacle. Faced with this danger, the MSJVA [Sports Ministry], the CNOSF, and the AFLD wish to reiterate that doping has nothing to do with sport. It constitutes a serious violation of sporting ethics and the fundamental values of integrity, respect, and responsibility.”

The AFLD promises special scrutiny of any French athlete who signs up to compete in the Enhanced Games.

● Athletics ● The London Marathon announced a record £87.3 million (about $116.18 million U.S.) raised for charity from the 27 April race, surpassing the £73.5 million raised in 2024.

The total since the race began in 1981 is now over £1.4 billion. Endurance.biz reported:

“Enthuse, the official online fundraising partner for the TCS London Marathon, saw another record-breaking year on its platform. In total, more than £35.8 million was raised by participants on Enthuse with an average donation of £46.75 and an average fundraiser page value of £2,809.”

● Boxing ● World Boxing confirmed candidates for its 23 November elections in Rome (ITA), with two-time Middleweight World Champion Gennadiy Golovkin (KAZ) and Greek federation chief Mariolis Charilaos facing off for the federation presidency.

There are no U.S. candidates for Vice President or the Board of Directors. One of the board candidates is Indonesia’s Raja Sapta Okohari, head of the country’s National Olympic Committee, who supported the denial of visas to Israel for the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships.

● Skiing ● U.S. Ski & Snowboard celebrated its 59th Gold Medal Gala in New York on Friday, raising a record $3.2 million in support of the many teams sponsored by the federation. More than 500 people attended the event, including 20 athletes as the 2025-26 gets ready to start.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS World Cup season opened as usual with the Giant Slalom in Soelden (AUT), with the home crowd thrilled on Saturday as Austrian Julia Schieb won her first World Cup gold at age 27!

Starting eighth, she roared into the lead at 1:07.80 for the first run, taking over from American Paula Moltzan, with Moltzan second best at 1:09.08. Schieb was only 13th on the second run, but still won with a total time of 2:16.51, with Moltzan holding on for second at 2:17.09. Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami, a prior winner in Soelden, moved from fifth to third on the second run at 2:17.62.

American star Mikaela Shiffrin also made a second-run move, from sixth to fourth at 2:17.93. Fellow U.S. skier Nina O’Brien finished sixth (2:18.26) and five Americans placed in the top 13.

Sunday’s men’s race showed that four-time World Cup winner Marco Odermatt (SUI), now 28, has no intention of slowing down. He won his 46th career World Cup gold, leading after the first run and then holding on for a 1:56.03 to 1:56.27 win over Marco Schwarz (AUT). Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath was third (1:56.30); River Radamus was the only American finalist, in 21st.

● Athletics ● Defending champions Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) and Agnes Ngetich (KEN) retained their titles at the Valencia Half Marathon in Spain, with Kejelcha moving to no. 2 on the year list at 58:02, winning by 37 seconds.

Ngetich took the world lead, winning in 1:03:08, way ahead of Fotyen Tesfay (ETH: 1:05:11), the no. 3 performance ever and her second-fastest ever, behind her 1:03:04 win in 2024.

● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour French Open in Cesson-Sevigne (FRA), four-time Worlds medalist Anders Antonen (DEN) managed to overcome home favorite Christo Popov (FRA) in the men’s Singles final, 21-12, 21-19, while Olympic champion Se Young An (KOR) dominated the women’s final – 21-13, 21-7 over second-seed Zhi Yi Wang (CHN).

South Korea won in men’s Doubles, Japan took the women’s Doubles and China won in Mixed Doubles.

● Beach Volleyball ● At the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Cape Town (RSA), the top-seeded Swedish pair of Jacob Holting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson (SWE) got their second tournament win of the season, defeating Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg (AUT) in the final by 21-15, 21-18.

Hendrik Mol and Mathias Bernsten (NOR) won the bronze over Remi Bassereau and Calvin Aye (FRA), 21-18, 14-21, 15-8.

Third-seeded Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann (GER) won the women’s title, 21-17, 25-23 over 17th-seeds Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon (NED) for their first title and third medal of the season.

Fellow Germans Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grune won the bronze over Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova (LAT), 17-21, 21-15, 15-9.

● Curling ● The men’s final at the Pan Continental Championships in Virginia, Minnesota was a match of Olympic champions, as 2014 Sochi victor Brad Jacobs (CAN) faced American John Shuster, skip of the 2018 PyeongChang gold medal winners. The U.S. had a 2-1 lead after the fifth, but Jacobs got two in the sixth, two in the ninth and two in the 10th for a 7-3 win.

The bronze went to Tsuyoshi Yamaguichi (JPN), whose team edged Xiaoming Xu (CHN), 6-5.

In the women’s tournament final, Canada’s three-time World Champion Rachel Homan faced 2025 Worlds bronzer Rui Wang (CHN); Homan had a 3-2 lead after 5 ends, but Wang went up 4-3 after six, 5-3 after seven and 7-4 after nine. Homan got three in the 10th to make it close at 7-6, but Wang pulled the upset.

Korea’s Eun-ji Gim’s squad won the bronze, 11-8, over the U.S. team, skipped by Tabitha Peterson, with three points in the extra end!

● Figure Skating ● The U.S. picked up not just two wins, but two 1-2 finished at the International Skating Union Cup of China Grand Prix in Chongqing!

World Champion Alysia Liu of the U.S. led the women’s Singles after the Short Program over Rinka Watanabe (JPN), but in the Free Skate, it was 2025 Grand Prix Final winner Amber Glenn who took over. She won the Free Skate at 141.74, with Liu second at 137.46, and Glenn won the event with 214.78 points. Liu was second at 212.07 and Watanabe third with 198.63.

In Ice Dance, three-time World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates dominated the event, winning the Rhythm Dance (84.44) and Free Dance (123.81) to total 208.25. But fellow Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, fourth at two of the last U.S. championships, won their first Grand Prix medals, were second in both sections and second overall at 202.27.

Defending champion Shun Sato (JPN) won both the men’s Short Program and Free Skate and totaled 278.12 and won decisively, with Italian Daniel Grassl (269.43) and Kazak Mikhail Shaidorov (263.67) were 2-3. Americans Tomoki Hiwatashi (245.71) and Jacob Sanchez (221.21) went 4-7.

In Pairs, two-time World Junior champions Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (GEO) swept both segments and won with 217.24 points, over two-time Worlds medalists Italians Sara Conti and Niccolo Macli (209.88). Olympic champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (CHN) finished third (202.92). Americans Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman finished seventh (181.70).

Next, the series moves to North America and the Skate Canada Internationale in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan next week.

● Football ● Sunday’s match with the U.S. women facing Portugal again in East Hartford, Connecticut took on a lot more significance after 23rd-ranked Portugal’s 2-1 win on Thursday. The Portuguese came in having an 0-6-2 record in their prior eight matches, but were more than a match for the Americans in Chester, Pennsylvania. It was only the third loss for an Emma Hayes (GBR)-coached U.S. team, now 21-3-2, after five straight wins.

Hayes changed eight of the 11 starters and the U.S. scored in the first minute again – just as in the prior game – at the 47-second mark as forward Olivia Moultrie slammed a shot off a loose ball in the middle of the box after trying a centering pass. But what next?

The Portuguese responded right away as defender Beatriz Fonseca got free on the right side and sent an arcing cross into the box that was headed in by Jessica Silva in the 5th for the 1-1 tie.

The U.S. replied with more pressure and a near-miss from defender Avery Patterson. In the 10th, midfielder Lily Yohannes sent a ball into the box that was corralled by forward Jaedyn Shaw, who back-flicked to Moultrie, who sent another diagonal shot that rolled off the far post and into the net for a 2-1 lead. That’s the way the half ended, with Portugal at 52% of possession, but the U.S. more aggressive at five shots to two.

The U.S. continued the pressure in the second half and controlled the match, but couldn’t get close to a goal. Finally, in the 82nd, striker Ally Sentnor sent a corner kick into the box, where it was met by sub midfielder Sam Coffey, running left to right across the box and sending a spinning, right-footed shot into the Portugal goal for the 3-1 final.

Possession turned around and the U.S. finished with 51.5% and a 10-4 shots advantage. The U.S. women will finish this international window against New Zealand on Wednesday (29th) in Kansas City.

Group play concluded at the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco, with Italy, defending champ North Korea, , the U.S., Canada and Spain rolling through their groups with 3-0 records.

The U.S. team, in group C, hammered Ecuador, 3-0, then cruised past China, 5-2, and clubbed Norway by 5-0. The Americans will face the Netherlands (1-2) in the round-of-16 playoffs on the 28th, and if advanced, the winner of the Spain-France match in the quarters.

● Squash ● Egyptian stars Mostafa Asal and Hania El Hammamy took the titles at the U.S. Open Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

World Champion Asal, the 2021 champion won his round-of-32, round-of-16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final by 3-0 scores, sailing past fellow Egyptian Youssef Obrahim, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 in the semis and then 11-9, 11-3 and 11-3 in the final over second-seed Paul Coll (NZL), the 2023 winner.

Worlds silver medalist El Hammamy – second twice before in this tournament – won all five of her matches in straight sets – 15 in all – beating Olivia Weaver of the U.S. in the semis, 11-7, 11-6 and 11-9. In the all-Egyptian final, El Hammamy won a tough battle with Amina Orfi, 11-9, 12-10 and 12-10.

● Speed Skating ● Six-time World Champion Jordan Stolz was busy at the U.S. national championships (with some invited foreign guests) in Kearns, Utah, winning the men’s 1,000 m on Friday in 1:07.00 over Cooper McLeod (1:07.13 lifetime best) and the 1,500 m on Saturday in 1:43.37, with Casey McDermott-Mostowy (1:44.69) and Casey Dawson (1:44.84) and McLeod (1:44.88).

But McLeod won Friday’s first 500 m in 34.44 with Stolz second in 34.74, and then Zach Stoppelmoor won Saturday’s 500 m in 34.39, to 34.44. McLeod was third in 34.49.

Dawson won the 5,000 m in 6:11.44 (by more than six seconds) and took the 10,000 m in 12:46.57, winning by more than 53 seconds.

Olympic 500 m champion Erin Jackson stormed to two wins in her specialty, taking Friday’s race in 37.76 over four-time World Championships gold medalist Brittany Bowe (38.20), and then on Saturday over Bowe again, 37.31 to 38.05, with 2019 World Champion Vanessa Herzog (AUT) third (38.25).

Bowe came back to take the 1,000 m over Jackson on Friday, 1:14.69 to 1:15.41, with Greta Myers third (1:16.41), and Bowe won the 1,500 m on Saturday over Myers, 1:53.33 to 1:55.13.

Myers won the 3,000 m in 4:05.71; Swiss Nadja Wenger took the women’s 5,000 m in 7:30.32.

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CYCLING: Netherlands wins nine golds, as Lavreysen dominates sprints (again) and van de Wouw gets three wins at UCI World Track Championships

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ UCI WORLD TRACK CHAMPS ≡

Dutch star Harrie Lavreysen continued his sensational riding at the UCI Track World Championships that concluded in Santiago (CHI), adding a new title to his championship list.

After having won the men’s Keirin and Team Sprint earlier, he branched out a bit and won the 1,000 m Time Trial, finishing ahead of teammate Jeffrey Hoogland, 57.978 to 58.163, with Joseph Truman (GBR: 59.268) in third.

In the Sprint on Sunday, Lavreysen faced 2024 Paris Olympic silver winner Matt Richardson, then of Australia but now riding for Britain. Nevertheless, Lavreysen won his seventh Worlds Sprint gold, 2-0, and now has World or Olympic golds in 2019-20-21-22-23-24-25 and won twice in 2021 and 2024 with Olympic and World titles. That’s nine wins in a row. Wow!

In the non-Olympic Individual Pursuit, Britain’s Josh Charlton moved up from silver in 2024 to win in 2025, defeating Rasmus Pedersen (DEN), 4:04.122 to 4:07.496 in the final. American Anders Johnson won the bronze for his first Worlds medal. Britain got another gold in the non-Olympic Points Race from Joshua Tarling, who edged American Peter Moore, 56-48. It was the first World Track Champs medal for both.

Spain’s Albert Torres, now 35, won the Omnium for his second career Worlds gold, 11 years after he won the Madison in 2014! Torres scored 133 points to outlast Kazushige Kuboki (JPN: 131) and Lindsay De Vylder (BEL: 131). Ashlin Barry was the top American, in 16th.

The Elimination Race went to Italian veteran Elia Viviani, 36, ahead of Campbell Stewart (NZL) and Yoeri Havik (NED). It’s Viviani’s third Worlds gold in the event, after wins in 2021 and 2022.

Belgium’s De Vylder and Fabio van den Bossche won the Madison with 81 points to 73 for Mark Stewart and Tarling (GBR) and 71 for Denmark. The U.S. (Moore and Graeme Frislie) was ninth with 29.

Dutch sprinter Hetty van de Wouw was the women’s star. Having already helped the Netherlands won the women’s Team Sprint, she then took the Sprint final over Japan’s Mina Sato by 2-0, moving up from second in 2024. Van we Wouw added a third gold – like Lavreysen – in the 1,000 m Time Trial, setting a world record of 1:03.652 in the qualifying and another – 1:03.121 – in the final, winning by more than a second and a half!

In Sunday’s Keirin, van de Wouw had to settle for winning the 7-12 final, as Japan’s Sato won the gold over Emma Finucane (GBR: +0.049).

The Dutch distance star Lorena Wiebes had already defended her Scratch Race title, but added the Omnium for her third career Worlds gold, scoring 136 points and winning three of the four events. Marion Borras (FRA) was second at 127 and Amalie Didericksen (DEN: 120) got her second medal of the meet in third. Megan Jastrab of the U.S. was 15th.

Britain scored golds in the Individual Pursuit, with defending champ Anna Morris defeating teammate Josie Knight in the final, with American star Chloe Dygert taking third for her 10th career Worlds medal. In the Madison final, star Katie Archibald teamed with Madelaine Leech to win over France’s Borras and Victoire Berteau, 30-24. For Archibald, it was her 17th career Worlds medal (7-7-3).

In the Points Race, Mexico’s Yareli Acevedo got her first career Worlds medal with a 63-58 win over Morris and Bryony Botha (NZL: 56).

The overall medal standings showed Britain with 14 medals (4-8-2) and the Dutch with nine golds and 13 total (9-2-2). No other country had more than five; the U.S. finished with three (0-1-2).

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SWIMMING: World Aquatics World Cup ends in Toronto with WR orgy; Douglass’ stunning 100 m Free world record (49.93) is first ever under 50!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American swim star Kate Douglass (Photo: Team USA).

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≡ TORONTO WORLD CUP ≡

The final installment of the three-meet World Aquatics World Cup series – in 25 m, short-course pools – was in Toronto (CAN) with a sensational eight world (short course) records set over the three days:

Thursday:
● Men/200 m Backstroke: 1:45.12, Hubert Kos (HUN)
● Men/100 m Butterfly: 47.68, Josh Liendo (CAN)

Friday:
● Women/200 m Freestyle: 1:49.36, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS)

Saturday:
● Men/100 m Backstroke: 48.16, Hubert Kos (HUN)
● Men/200 m Breaststroke: 1:59.52, Caspar Corbeau (NED)
● Women/100 m Freestyle: 49.93, Kate Douglass (USA)
● Women/800 m Freestyle: 7:54.00, Lani Pallister (AUS)
● Women/200 m Backstroke: 1:57.33, Kaylee McKeown (AUS)

Douglass erased the women’s 100 m Free world mark by the legendary Cate Campbell (AUS) at the Westmont stop, then became the first woman ever under 50 seconds with a 49.93 masterpiece, beating second-place O’Callaghan by almost second (50.82)!

Still just 23, Douglass has said she isn’t sure about continuing to 2028, but wanted to see what she could really do in this World Cup series. Remember, her individual Olympic medals have come in the 200 m Breast and 200 m Medley and her Worlds medals in the same strokes, save for a 2024 Worlds silver in the 50 m Free. Does she think she’s a sprinter now?

Meanwhile, O’Callaghan got her second world record in two meets in the 200 m Free, taking 0.41 from her Westmont record of 1:49.77. It also earned her a Triple Crown in the event.

Australian teammate Pallister won the 800 m Free Triple Crown and demolished the 2022 world record by American Katie Ledecky of 7:57.42, winning by a Ledecky-like 15.69 seconds!

The best rivalry in the World Cup was the Backstroke war between Olympic champ McKeown and American Regan Smith, also a former World Champion. On Saturday, McKeown took another win in a world mark of 1:57.33, pushed all the way by Smith, who touched in 1:57.86, also under McKeown’s Westmont mark of 1:57.87.

Kos, the Olympic 200 m Back gold medalist, got world records on Thursday and Saturday and won the triple-triple with Triple Crowns in the 50-100-200 m events. His Saturday 100 m Back record took American Coleman Stewart of the U.S. (48.33 in 2021) out of the record book.

Dutch Breaststroke star Corbeau, who swam at Texas, won the Paris 2024 200 m Breast bronze, and became the first ever under two minutes at 1:59.52, crushing Russian Kirill Prigoda’s mark of 2:00.16 from 2018.

Those were the boldest headlines, but there were also 26 “Triple Crown” possibilities going into Toronto, for swimmers trying to sweep all three meets in the same event. There were 23 Triple Crown winners out of the 26 in all, each of whom got a $10,000 bonus; 14 triples came on the final two days of the meet:

Friday:
● Men/50 m Back: Hubert Kos (HUN: 22.67)
● Men/200 m Fly: Ilya Kharun (CAN: 1:49.71)
● Men/200 m Medley: Shaine Casas (USA: 1:49.79)

● Women/200 m Free: Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS: 1:49.36 WR)
● Women/100 m Breast: Kate Douglass (USA: 1:02.93)
● Women/50 m Fly: Gretchen Walsh (USA: 23.91)

Saturday:
● Men/200 m Free: Luke Hobson (USA: 1:39.94)
● Men/100 m Back: Hubert Kos (HUN: 48.16 WR)
● Men/200 m Breast: Caspar Corbeau (NED: 1:59.52 WR)
● Men/50 m Fly: Ilya Kharun (CAN: 21.80)

● Women/100 m Free: Kate Douglass (USA: 49.93 WR)
● Women/200 m Back: Kaylee McKeown (AUS: 1:57.33 WR)
● Women/100 m Fly: Gretchen Walsh (USA: 53.10)
● Women/200 m Medley: Alex Walsh (USA: 2:04.01)

On Friday, six Triple Crowns were clinched, but two were broken up. U.S. sprint star Jack Alexy lost in the final of the men’s 100 m Free to Josh Liendo (CAN), 45.30 to 45.55, and Australian Backstroke machine McKeown edged American star Smith in the women’s 100 m Back, 54.49 to 54.57. For McKeown, it’s a lifetime (short course) best; she remains the no. 2 performance (behind Smith) all-time and this was the no. 5 performance ever. Smith’s was no. 8.

On Saturday, all nine Crown-eligibles won their events. Casas, who won the 200 m Medley Triple Crown, swept all three men’s Medleys (100-200-400 m) in Toronto. Corbeau swept the Breaststroke events, taking the 100 on Thursday, the 50 on Friday and the world record in the 200 on Saturday.

The Walsh sisters earned Triple Crowns in three events between them!

Beyond the rewriting of the record book, there was big money on the line for the top-scoring swimmers in the series. With her historic world record in the 100 Free, U.S. star Douglass overtook teammate Gretchen Walsh, 177.5 to 177.3, earning $100,000 to $70,000 for Walsh. McKeown was third overall (173.3), earning $30,000, then teammate Pallister (171.0: $15,000).

World-record setter Kos won the men’s title with 175.8 points, followed by Casas (171.2), then Corbeau (171.0) and Kharun (169.2).

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GYMNASTICS: Analysis reveals good U.S. showing at Artistic Worlds, with most men’s golds since 2003, as Whittenburg, Malone win Rings and Horizontal Bar

By
Rich Perelman
-
American star Brody Malone, two-time World Horizontal Bar gold medalist (Photo: USA Gymnastics).

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≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

This was the year the U.S. was going to have a hard time at the World Artistic Championships, unfortunately held in Jakarta (INA), which made headlines that will continue for years after the Indonesian government refused to allow Israel to compete.

For the American teams – men and women – only Brody Malone returned from the bronze-medal-winning Paris team. None of the U.S. women returned at all from the superstar 2024 team that won seven medals, including the team gold.

So? Instead of a flop, the U.S. ended up with five medals (2-2-1), the same as three of the prior four post-Olympic Worlds, when the Team events are not held:

● 2021: 5 (1-1-3)
● 2017: 5 (1-3-1)
● 2013: 12 (3-6-3)
● 2009: 5 (2-1-2)
● 2005: 9 (4-4-1)

The American women’s squad suffered the loss of U.S. All-Around champion (and Paris alternate) Hezly Rivera to injury as well as emerging star Claire Pease, 16, who was the U.S. runner-up on Vault in her first senior nationals in 2025 and won a FIG World Cup on Beam.

So it was the men who picked up the slack, producing two golds and a bronze, while the women earned one silver and one bronze.

The men’s wins came from veteran Donnell Whittenburg on Rings and Malone on the Horizontal Bar. It’s the first time for two American men’s golds in the same Worlds since Paul Hamm won the All-Around and tied for the Floor Exercise title since 2003, when the meet was held in Anaheim, California! Before that, you’re back to 1979 and three golds for Kurt Thomas (Floor and Horizontal Bar) and Bart Conner (Parallel Bars). Details:

● Whittenburg, 31, was in his sixth Worlds, with his prior best on Rings of eighth in 2022. But he was a four-time U.S. champion, although only third in 2025. But he dominated in Jakarta, with the highest difficulty score of 6.000 and the third-best execution score of 8.700 to total 14.700, well ahead of Turkey’s 2022 World Champion Adem Asil (14.566) and China’s 2022 World Champion Xingyu Lan (14.500).

Whittenburg broke all kinds of records for age, passing Thomas as the oldest U.S. men to win a Worlds golds; Thomas was 23 in 1979. Moreover, he’s the oldest American Worlds medalist ever, well past Paul O’Neill (1994 Rings silver), who was 28.

It’s Whittenburg’s third career Worlds medal, after a Team bronze in 2014 and an individual bronze on Vault in 2015.

● Malone, 25, was less of a surprise, having won the Horizontal Bar gold at the 2022 Worlds and was the lone Paris Olympian returning. The key to his win was again having the highest difficulty (6.400) and he tied for the best score in execution (8.533) and totaled 14.933. He beat All-Around champ Daiki Hashimoto (JPN: 14.733) and Britain’s Joe Fraser (14.700), the 2019 Worlds Parallel Bars gold medalist.

For Malone, it’s his third career Worlds medal, also including a 2021 bronze on the Horizontal Bar.

In the other men’s events, China took two wins, with Yanming Hong scoring 14.600 on Pommel Horse to edge Mamikon Khachatryan (ARM: also 14.600) on better execution, with Patrick Hoopes of the U.S. winning bronze at 14.566), his first Worlds medal. Jingyuan Zou, China’s two-time Olympic champ on Parallel Bars, won his fourth Worlds gold in the event at 15.300, ahead of Japan’s Tomoharu Tsunogai (14.500). Whittenburg placed fifth at 14.233.

Carlos Yulo (PHI) was dazzling in Paris with Olympic wins on Floor and Vault and he was back for both in Jakarta. He won the Vault (also in 2021) at 14.866, ahead of Artur Davtyan (ARM: 14.833), but Britain’s Jake Jarman, the 2023 Vault World Champion led a U.K. 1-2, scoring 14.866 to 14.666 for teammate Luke Whitehouse. Yulo picked up the bronze at 14.533, with Kam Nelson of the U.S. fourth at 14.133.

The American ended with five finalists in the six events and three medals, despite losing Asher Hong, the U.S. men’s 2025 All-Around-Floor-Rings-Vault champion, to injury.

The U.S. women started well with a silver for Leanne Wong in the All-Around, repeating her 2021 Worlds silver. There were American finalists in all four apparatus finals, who earned one medal.

That was from Joscelyn Roberson on Vault, who scored an average of 13.983, behind All-Around winner Angelina Melnikova (RUS “neutral”) and Lia Monica Fontaine (CAN: 14.033). Algeria’s Olympic Uneven Bars winner Kaylia Nemour won her first Worlds gold, scoring 15.566, way ahead of Melnikova (14.500) and Fanyuwei Yang (CHN: 14.500). American Skye Blakely was fourth at 14.333.

On Beam, Qingying Zhang (CHN), the A-A bronzer, took the Beam at 15.166 ahead of Nemour (14.330) and Japan’s Akio Sugihara (14.166). Dulcy Caylor of the U.S. – age 17, in her first Worlds – placed eighth at 11.800. Sugihara won on Floor, scoring 13.833 to edge Britain’s Ruby Evans (13.666) and Abigail Martin (13.466). Caylor, in her third final of the meet, was sixth at 12.966.

The two medals for the American women was the worst since 2001 (0-0-2 then), but there were also three-medal performances in 2002 and 2021.

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SWIMMING: Toronto World Cup finale starts with world records by Hungary’s Hubert Kos and Canadian Josh Liendo!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic and World Champion Hubert Kos (HUN) (Photo: Aniko Kovacs for World Aquatics).

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≡ SWIMMING WORLD CUP ≡

The third and final World Aquatics World Cup in Toronto (CAN) got off to a hot start on Thursday evening, with two world records:

● Men/200 m Backstroke: Hungary’s Olympic champion, Hubert Kos, came in having won the first two legs of the series and finished with the “Triple Crown” and a world record of 1:45.12. That bettered the 1:45.63 by Australian star Mitch Larkin in 2015 and Kos won by more than two seconds over Italian star Thomas Ceccon (1:47.49), who set a national record and is now no. 9 all-time.

● Men/100 m Butterfly: Swiss Noe Ponti, the 2024 World Short-Course champ, came in trying for a Triple Crown in Toronto, but Canadian Josh Liendo – the Paris 2024 silver man – got to the touch first in a world record time of 47.68. That improved on Ponti’s 47.71 from 2024; he finished third in 48.48 with Ilya Kharun (CAN: 48.35) in second.

Ponti was the only “Triple Crown” that didn’t happen on Thursday as the other seven were completed (eight of nine in all):

● Men/100 m Medley: Shaine Casas (USA: 50.28)

● Women/50 m Free: Kasia Wasick (POL: 23.21)
● Women/400 m Free: Lani Pallister (AUS: 3:51.87)
● Women/50 m Back: Kaylee McKeown (AUS: 25.35)
● Women/200 m Breast: Kate Douglass (USA: 2:13.45)
● Women/200 m Fly: Regan Smith (USA: 2:00.34)
● Women/100 m Medley: Gretchen Walsh (USA: 55.99)

Each of the Triple Crown winners received a $10,000 bonus; Liendo got a $2,500 bonus for being a “Crown buster,” Both world-record setters earned $10,000 bonuses. McKeown touched ahead of U.S. star Walsh in the 50 m Back, 25.35 to 25.40.

The other event winners included Liendo, who got a second victory in the men’s 50 m Free, beating American sprint star Jack Alexy, 20.31 to 20.70. Caspar Corbeau (NED: 55.55) won the men’s 100 m Breast over Olympic star Adam Peaty (GBR: 56.59), and the men’s 400 m Free was a U.S. 1-2 for Carson Foster (3:36.52) and Kieran Smith (3:37.28).

The World Cup continues on Friday and Saturday; the U.S. broadcast is on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.

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PANORAMA: No Russians or Belarusians at Winter Paralympics; alpine World Cup opener has Shiffrin looking for win 102; Coughlin leaves USA Swim Board

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. gymnastics star Leanne Wong earned her second Worlds All-Around silver at the 2025 World Championships (Photo: USA Gymnastics).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games ● The International Olympic Committee updated its prior report on venues used at the Olympic and Winter Games, reporting that 86% of the 982 permanent “venues that have hosted medal events, opening and closing ceremonies, and Olympic villages across 53 editions of the Games, from Athens 1896 to Beijing 2022″ are still in use today.

The 33 sites from the Tokyo 2020 Games and 16 from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games have continued in operation.

● Winter Paralympic Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Although the International Paralympic Committee agreed to reinstate the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committee, it turns out that none of their athletes will compete in the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games:

“[T]he IPC has received confirmation from each of the four international federations with sports on the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games programme – the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), International Biathlon Union (IBU), World Curling and World Para Ice Hockey – that, in practice, no athletes from the two nations are likely to qualify for March’s Games.”

The International Biathlon Union, International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) and World Curling have all barred Russia and Belarus from their competitions. While the International Ice Hockey Federation allows Russia and Belarus to participate per the IPC decision in September, it is too late for either to qualify a team for Milan Cortina.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC named Koby Langley as its new Chief Operating Officer, to “serve as a key executive partner to the CEO, providing operational leadership and oversight across strategic planning, finance, information technology, procurement, and facilities management.” He will start on 10 November.

Langley’s career has been closely tied to the U.S. military and to serving veterans, including as litigation counsel for the U.S. Army, as a Senior Adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as Director of Veteran, Wounded Warrior, and Military Family Engagement in The White House in 2014-15. He is currently with the American Red Cross, currently as a Division Vice President for the northeastern U.S.

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS World Cup season opens, as usual, with the Soelden Giant Slalom in Austria this weekend, with American star Mikaela Shiffrin looking for her 102nd World Cup win and her third win on the famed Rettenbach glacier after victories in 2014 and 2021.

Of her 101 total wins, 22 are in the Giant Slalom and she has won 43 World Cup medals in the event.

She told reporters this week that she plans to limit her World Cup entries leading into the Olympic Winter Games mostly to the Giant Slalom and Slalom. She will not race any Downhills and will enter the Super-G on 14 December in St. Moritz (SUI) as a trial to see if she will do any more.

“I’m feeling skeptical that I’m going to be able to expect to balance it all. … I’ve been to Games where I skied six events. I skied all of the events and it was a wonderful experience; wouldn’t do it again. It was exhausting for multiple years after the fact.”

Injured Italian star Federica Brignone and Norway’s Alexander Steen Olsen won the Soelden races last year; Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) won in 2023, but the men’s race was canceled due to bad weather.

World Cup races are broadcast in the U.S. by NBC on its Peacock streaming service.

● Cycling ● At the 2025 UCI World Track Championships in Santiago (CHI), Dutch superstar Harrie Lavreysen followed up on his Paris 2024 Olympic win in the Keirin with his fourth career Worlds gold.

The Worlds winner in 2020-21-22, he won with a 9.901 final lap and a 0.107-second edge on Leigh Hoffman (AUS) and 0.187 on Dutch teammate Jeffrey Hoogland. Hoffman won his fifth career Worlds medal, but his first individual medal, while Hoogland claimed his 22nd (!) career Worlds medal and third in the Keirin (silvers in 2021 and 2022).

The men’s 40-lap Scratch race was a victory for German Moritz Augenstein, ahead of Yanne Dorenbos (NED) and Iuri Peitao (POR). Grant Koontz of the U.S. was seventh, leading with three laps to go and then involved in the mass finish.

Two-time defending World Champion Denmark won a third straight men’s Team Pursuit gold with a win over Australia in the final, 3:43.915 to 3:47.256. New Zealand won the bronze, 3:48.877 to 3:49.799 over the U.S. squad of Ashlin Barry, Koontz, Graeme Frislie and Anders Johnson. It’s the best U.S. finish since a bronze in 1995.

In the women’s Elimination Race – twice re-started for crashes – Ireland’s Lara Gillespie was the winner, ahead of British star Katie Archibald (her 15th career Worlds medal!) and Helene Hesters (BEL); Megan Jastrab was the top American, in 10th. It’s Gillespie’s second career Worlds medal after a Points bronze in 2024.

The women’s Team Pursuit was won by last year’s bronze winner Italy, who defeated Germany in the final by 4:09.569 to 4:09.951. Defending champ Britain won the bronze, 4:12.380 to 4:18.675 for Belgium.

● Football ● The U.S. women faced Portugal in the first of a two-game friendly series in Chester, Pennsylvania and got the lead after 33 seconds, as star forward Rose Lavelle took hold of a pass into the middle of the box from striker Catarina Macario and smashed it into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Portugal found its footing and started creating chances and got the equalizer in the 41st, as a perfect corner from midfielder Kika Nazareth found defender Diana Gomes for a header that flew into the U.S. net. Portugal had 58% possession in the half and a 4-3 edge on shots. 

The U.S. turned up the pressure in the second half and had a 13-3 advantage on shots, but could not score. A Portugal corner turned into a shot from midfielder Fatima Pinto that was blocked, but Pinto then found the net with a right-footed shot that made it 2-1 and that was the final. Portugal had 51% possession and the American 16-7 shots edge went for naught.

The re-match will be Sunday (26th) in East Hartford, Connecticut.

● Gymnastics ● They say lightning never strikes twice in the same spot, but it did on Thursday in Jakarta (INA) at the FIG World Artistic Championships in the women’s All-Around.

Russian “neutral” Angelina Melnikova, the 2021 women’s All-Around winner, won again with American Leanne Wong – second in 2021 – winning the silver again. Even with a fall on Beam, Melnikova totaled 55.066 points, with Wong at 54.966. Qingying Zhang (CHN) took the bronze at 54.633; American Dulcy Caylor fell on the Uneven Bars and scored 51.532 for 13th.

There was controversy, of course; The Associated Press reported:

“Melnikova, who struggled on floor exercise during qualifying, appeared to have both of her heels land out of bounds during her first tumbling pass, a major deduction. She recovered to put together a clean and dynamic routine and her score included just a one-tenth deduction for stepping out, indicating judges believed only one foot landed out of bounds.

“Had the judges ruled that both of her feet stepped onto the colored carpet that serves as the border, she would have been docked three-tenths of a point, which would have put Wong in first.”

Wong won on Vault (14.466) and was seventh in the Uneven Bars, third on Beam and sixth on Floor. Algeria’s Olympic Bars champ Kaylia Nemour won that event (15.166), Zhang scored best on Beam (14.833) and Aiko Sugihara (JPN: 13.666).

Hezly Rivera, the 2025 U.S. A-A champion, had to skip the Worlds due to injury. Wong won her fifth career Worlds medal (2-2-1).

● Swimming ● In a surprise, USA Swimming announced that 12-time Olympic medal winner Natalie Coughlin, 43, the federation Board Chair since the beginning of October, will step down as of 5 November.

Coughlin had been on the USA Swimming Board since 2016, elected as Board Vice Chair in November 2023 and elevated to Chair this month, replacing Chris Brearton. Now she’s leaving; she said in the announcement:

“I have complete confidence in Kevin Ring’s vision for the future of USA Swimming and Greg Meehan’s leadership of the National Team, and I believe this is the right moment in time for me to step aside. While I will continue to volunteer and support the swimming community, I am excited to focus on my family and being a swim mom to my two young kids.”

Beyond swimming and family, Coughlin is also a partner in Gaderian Wines in St. Helena, California. The announcement noted:

“USA Swimming’s Athlete Advisory Council will appoint an athlete to fulfill the remainder of Coughlin’s term and the Board of Directors will elect a new Board Chair in the coming weeks.”

The Aquatics Integrity Unit banned American Master swimmer Hannah Caldas for five years “from 18 October 2025 to 18 October 2030, due to violations of the World Aquatics Integrity Code, the Policy on Eligibility for the Men’s and Women’s Competition Categories and the Operational Requirements to the Policy.”

New York Aquatics issued a statement on Caldas’ behalf that included:

“During the investigation, World Aquatics required Ms. Caldas to undergo a genetic or chromosomal test – at her own expense – to ‘prove’ compliance with the organization’s ‘chromosomal sex’ requirement under its Gender Policy to take part in the older-adult recreational World Aquatics Masters competition. This test was required even after Ms. Caldas provided World Aquatics with her birth certificate identifying her as female.

“‘Chromosomal tests are invasive and expensive procedures,’ Ms. Caldas said. ‘My insurance refuses to cover such a test because it is not medically necessary. No U.S. state requires genetic tests for recreational sports events like these. Not even U.S. Masters Swimming, the national governing body for recreational adult swimming in the U.S., demands this for any of its events.’”

A story in Britain’s Daily Mail identified Caldas, 47, as transgender, but the AIU and New York Aquatics statements did not mention it.

● Taekwondo ● At the World Taekwondo General Assembly in Wuxi (CHN), Korean Dr. Chungwon Choue was elected to a sixth and final term as President, through 2029. Running unopposed, he received 143 of 149 possible votes (five against, one abstention). He has served as the head of the federation since 2004.

There were two Americans elected to the World Taekwondo Council: Inseon Kim and Richard Jay Warwick. Reunion and Saint Pierre & Miquelon were approved as Associate Members of the federation, raising the total membership to 215. The 2025 World Championships will begun on Friday, with a record 991 athletes from 179 federations registered to compete.

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ATHLETICS: Women’s marathon world-record holder Chepngetich admits to “unintentional” doping, gets three-year suspension anyway

By
Rich Perelman
-
Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, the new women’s world-record holder at 2:09:56 in Chicago, on 13 October 2024! (Photo: Bank of America Chicago Marathon)

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≡ CHEPNGETICH SUSPENDED ≡

“Women’s marathon world record-holder, Ruth Chepng’etich, has been banned for three years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), after admitting to Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) regarding the presence and use of Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).”

That’s from the Thursday announcement by the Athletics Integrity Unit, which explained in detail the circumstances:

● “The 31-year-old Kenyan, a former World marathon champion and a three-time winner of the Chicago Marathon, accepted the charges and sanction following a positive test for the banned diuretic from a sample on 14 March this year and a subsequent AIU investigation into the circumstances.”

● “Whilst diuretics are known to be abused by athletes to mask the presence in urine of other Prohibited Substances, HCTZ has also been identified as a potential contaminant in pharmaceutical products. It has been ascribed by WADA a minimum reporting limit of 20ng/ml, below which a positive test should not be reported. An estimated concentration of 3800ng/mL of HCTZ was found in the positive urine sample of Chepng’etich.”

● “[O]n 11 July 2025, Chepng’etich was confronted with evidence acquired from her mobile telephone indicating a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional. She was also informed that all the supplements and medications that had been taken for analysis had been reported by a WADA-accredited laboratory as negative for HCTZ. Chepngetich maintained her position at this second interview that she could not explain the positive test and that she had never doped.”

● “On 31 July 2025, Chepng’etich changed her previous explanation. She wrote to the AIU to state that she now recalled that she had taken ill two days before the positive test and she had taken her housemaid’s medication as treatment, without taking any steps to verify if it contained a prohibited substance. She stated that she had forgotten to disclose this incident to the AIU investigators. She sent a photo of the medication blister pack which clearly marked the medication as being ‘Hydrochlorothiazide’.”

The AIU stated that it found “her new explanation to be hardly credible,” and not only imposed the standard two-year ban for HCTZ, but:

“To the contrary, the ADR treats the type of recklessness described by Chepng’etich in taking her housemaid’s medication as being indirect intent, for which an increased four-year sanction applies.”

Because Chepngetich accepted the penalty within 20 days of notification, she received a one-year reduction in the ban.

That means she is banned for three years from 19 April 2025 and would be technically eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which begins on 14 July. Her results are nullified from 14 March 2025; her last race was on 9 March, second place at the Lisbon Half.

Her world record of 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon from 2024 continues in force and her wins at the 2019 World Championships and her nine wins in 15 career marathons are unaffected.

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GYMNASTICS: Indonesian IOC member accepts country’s ban on hosting events for barring Israel; FIG said it had no choice but to continue

By
Rich Perelman
-
Indonesian Gymnastics Federation President Ita Yuliati, FIG President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) and Secretary General Nicolas Buompane (SUI) (l-r) at the pre-World Championships news conference on 18 October 2025 in Jakarta (Image: GymCastic podcast video screen shot).

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≡ INDONESIA BANS ISRAEL ≡

Following the 10 October announcement by the Indonesian government that it would not issue entry visas for the Israeli team to compete at the 2025 FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta, The Times of Israel reported:

“Raja Sapta Oktohari, head of the national Olympic committee, said Indonesia was ready to accept any consequences for blocking the Israeli athletes from competing.

“‘We will review the consequences after the event,’ he said.”

That sentiment was confirmed by Erick Thohir, the Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2019. He wrote on X on Thursday:

“We at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as representatives of the Indonesian Government, adhere to the principle of maintaining security, public order, and public interest in every international event organized. This step is in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws and regulations. This principle is also based on the 1945 Constitution, which respects security and public order, as well as the obligation of the Indonesian Government to uphold world order.

“On that basis, Indonesia has taken steps to avoid the arrival of the Israeli delegation at the Gymnastics World Championships. We understand that this decision carries consequences, wherein as long as Indonesia cannot accept the presence of Israel, the IOC has decided that Indonesia cannot host world championships, Olympic events, Youth Olympic Games, and other activities under the Olympic umbrella.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Government remain committed to preparing a blueprint for national sports development, including strengthening 17 flagship sports and building a national team training center. Indonesia will continue to play an active role in various sports events at the Southeast Asian, Asian, and global levels, so that Indonesian sports can serve as an ambassador and a reflection of the nation’s strength in the eyes of the world.”

Translation: Oktohari was right; Indonesia is not concerned with the consequences of refusing Israeli participation at the World Championships.

From the point of view of the Indonesian organizers and the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the issue is not Israel’s right to compete but concerns over public rioting over Israel’s participation.

FIG Secretary General Nicolas Buompane (SUI) was clear about this. Asked at the pre-Championships news conference last Saturday (18th) why this possibility was not taken into account beforehand, since Indonesia had stridently refused Israeli participation as recently as the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games (the event was canceled) and the 2023 FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup (event moved to Argentina). Buompane stunningly answered:

“When it comes to it, it was previsible not that much in our sense.

“Okay, we know that there is no relationship if I may say so between both countries. But at the same time when the bid has been allocated to Indonesia, we receive a confirmation from the government and this is part of the bidding process mentioning that all participants will be granted with a visa and it was the case until the 9th of October.

“Everybody got their visa and suddenly because of these threats [for riots] and all this they had to change their mind for security reason.”

He was then asked about the FIG regulations, which require all qualified athletes to be able to enter, specifically Articles 26.3 and 26.4:

● “The organisation of events is entrusted, with advance notice, to Member Federations which fully guarantee that the Statutes and Regulations of the FIG will be observed together with the terms of the contract which they are obliged to enter into with the FIG. The preparation and conduct of the competitive programme is under the control of the FIG.”

● “Entry visas must be granted to the gymnasts/athletes and to the officials of all Member Federations. In the event that this requirement is not fulfilled, the allocation of the event would be cancelled with immediate effect by the Executive Committee.”

Buompane answered:

“Well, indeed, but as I said, we are focusing on this specific article. We would have loved to be able to respect it. But then you have other articles which speak also about security – force majeure – impossibility to cancel or to relocate at such a short notice.

“So that has to be taken into consideration. So what should we do? If we just take into account the article you just mentioned, we should tell them, you know, guys go home. Go home. So is that the answer to such a question? You know, we have been talking about this with our politician, with many stakeholders. I will not mention all of them because the list would be too long, but at the end of the day, the only way was just to go for it.

“So violation in a way, but we have a defense on that too, because once again you cannot just extract one article which is the one everybody’s pointing out at in this moment in time. There are others that will help us to defend ourselves because once again it’s not our decision, and we would love – contrary to that decision – to have everybody here on site, but again not possible as of today.”

The IOC made its unhappiness clear on its Wednesday statement, ending any discussions about Indonesian hosting future Olympic-related events and asking International Federations to do the same.

Both Indonesia and the FIG will get their chance to try their arguments out on the IOC in a forthcoming meeting in Lausanne, requested by the IOC on Wednesday.

Observed: So now we have the positions of Indonesia and the FIG that the championships are much more important than having Israel compete, due to possible rioting.

The IOC is not likely to be impressed, and beyond its stated request “that the International Federations include guarantees on access to the respective country for all athletes in their hosting agreements for any Olympic qualification competition around the world,” it can ensure compliance by the IFs.

How? By requiring adherence to this principle as a precondition to receiving a share of the IOC’s television rights fees from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and beyond. With more than half of the International Federations essentially dependent on IOC television money for survival, this audit requirement will instantly insert a new question into every bid for every IF event (and urgent requests for an answer to all existing event hosts):

“Please list any countries with which your national government does not have diplomatic relations.”

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SWIMMING: More world records on tap for World Cup finale in Toronto? There are 23 “triple crowns” on the line and the $100,000 series titles!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ WORLD CUP III ≡

The return of the World Aquatics World Cup to the U.S. for the first time since 2022 and beyond that since 2006, has been a rousing success, with a continuing attack on the short-course (25 m) world-record lists in the first two meets, in Carmel, Indiana (program cover shown above) and Westmont, Illinois.

The finale of the three-meet series starts Thursday in Toronto (CAN), with world records set or tied in five women’s events so far:

● Women/100 m Free: 50.19, Kate Douglass (USA)
● Women/200 m Free: 1:49.77, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS)
● Women/100 m Back: 54.02 (=), Regan Smith (USA)
● Women/200 m Back: 1:57.87, Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
● Women/50 m Fly: 23.72, Gretchen Walsh (USA)

But the focus going into Toronto is on 15 swimmers who have a chance to win one or more events at all three stops, in essence a “Triple Crown” (this list compiled by SwimSwam.com):

Men: 7 swimmers and 11 events
● Jack Alexy (USA): 100 Free
● Shaine Casas (USA): 100 Medley, 200 Medley
● Caspar Corbeau (NED): 200 Breast
● Luke Hobson (USA): 200 Free
● Ilya Kharun (CAN): 50 Fly, 200 Fly
● Hubert Kos (HUN): 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back
● Noe Ponti (SUI): 100 Fly

Women: 8 swimmers and 15 events
● Kate Douglass (USA): 100 Free, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
● Kaylee McKeown (AUS): 50 Back, 200 Back
● Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS): 200 Free
● Lani Pallister (AUS): 400 Free, 800/1500 Free
● Regan Smith (USA): 100 Back, 200 Fly
● Alex Walsh (USA): 200 Medley
● Gretchen Walsh (USA): 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 100 Medley
● Kasia Wasick (POL): 50 Free

Any swimmer who wins an event at all three meets wins $10,000. A new wrinkle this year is a $2,500 bonus to swimmers who become “crown busters” and break up a sweep.

World Aquatics is paying prize money from each meet for the top-scoring swimmers, men and women, earning from $12,000 down to $4,000. Swimmers also pile up points for the overall World Cup title, with much better pay of $100,000-70,000-30,000-15,000-14,000-12,000-11,000-10,000 for the top eight.

The chase for the overall title is tight:

Men:
● 1. 116.4 points: Hubert Kos (HUN)
● 2. 113.1 points: Ilya Kharun (CAN)
● 3. 112.3 points: Shaine Casas (USA)
● 4. 112.1 points: Caspar Corbeau (NED)
● 5. 107.7 points: Noe Ponti (SUI)

Women:
● 1. 118.1 points: Gretchen Walsh (USA)
● 2. 118.0 points: Kate Douglass (USA)
● 3. 114.4 points: Regan Smith (USA)
● 4. 113.7 points: Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
● 5. 113.5 points: Lani Pallister (AUS)

The meet can be followed on the Omega timing site, and will be shown in the U.S. on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.

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PANORAMA: IBSF weighing next move on Russian eligibility; Russia to sue FIS to compete; official posters unveiled for Milan Cortina 2026

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic posters, by Italian designers Olimpia Zagnoli (l) and Carolina Altavilla (r) (Photos: International Olympic Committee).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The continuing battle between business and labor in Los Angeles escalated again on Wednesday as the City Clerk approved the start of a petition drive to collect signatures for an initiative that would repeal the City’s business tax.

This specific tax brings in $805 million annually to the City of Los Angeles’ General Fund and a repeal would throw the City into another financial crisis, further complicating local government. To get the initiative on the June 2026 ballot, promoters must collect 139,497 valid signatures from local voters within 120 days of the official filing date (still to come).

This has nothing to do with the LA28 organizing committee, but could substantially impact the City’s preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games if passed next year.

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA), set up to manage the government-led venue preparations for the 2032 Olympic Games has approved the Fitzroy River as a suitable site for rowing and flatwater canoeing for the 2032 Games.

The venue had been criticized as unsuitable due to crocodiles in some areas and the impact of currents, but has been used for national rowing training for many years. Queensland Senator Matt Canavan told reporters that the state’s feasibility study was positive:

“Effectively now we have a green light for rowing in 2032. All the data is in – there is no longer any barrier to having the rowing here.”

The site has still not been approved by the International Canoe Federation or World Rowing, but it has passed the first test.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The official posters for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games were unveiled on Wednesday in Milan by artists Olimpia Zagnoli and Carolina Altavilla.

Zagnoli’s design – “Visione Olympica” – shows, in her words, “an eclectic character wearing the Olympic Rings as if they were glasses. In the background are snow-capped mountains. The idea is to emphasize the personality of those participating in the Olympics – both the athletes and those watching – who bring their own vibe to the event.”

Altavilla’s poster, untitled, “is to be able to visualise inclusion in sports, fostering the Paralympic spirit and generating a positive impact globally. The poster symbolizes the support among participants and the importance of being mindful of creating safe spaces for the development of others, highlighting the athletes’ determination, both in and out of competition.”

Both are now on sale and will ship in early November.

● Alpine Skiing ● Italy’s Marta Bassino, a two-time Olympian, two-time World Champion and the 2023 Super-G winner, suffered “a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau in her left leg” in a training crash in Val Senales (ITA). Now 29, she is due to be operated on and her recovery in time for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games is doubtful.

Fellow Italian Federica Brignone, a star in the Downhill, Super-G and Giant Slalom, tore up her left leg in a crash at the Italian championships in April and has not returned to skiing yet.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field re-arranged its relay coaching program for 2025 and it paid dividends at the World Athletics Championships with four wins in five events, the only loss in the men’s 4×400 m by 0.07 to Botswana.

Wallace Spearmon, himself a Worlds gold medalist on the U.S. men’s 4×100 m at the 2007 Worlds, told The Associated Press that a different approach was taken:

“We sent out depth charts so people knew exactly where they would run. We made sure athletes weren’t competing for a spot in the final. We said, ‘This is the order, this is your job, you handle your job and if you don’t like your job, then don’t get on the plane.’”

Spearmon explained that the relay orders were set well before the meet. But that did not mean they stayed consistent. The U.S. changed three of its four men’s 4×100 team members from the heats to the final, all four for the men’s 4×400 final, one for the women’s 4×100 m, all four for the women’s 4×400 and none for the Mixed 4×400. But it worked.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● While the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation’s independent appeals tribunal ordered the federation to follow the International Olympic Committee’s regulations regarding Russian and Belarusian “neutrals” competing in Olympic qualifying events, the federation told the Russian news agency TASS on Wednesday:

“The IBSF Executive Committee discussed the organization’s appeals tribunal’s decision and the IOC’s compliance with the tribunal’s criteria. Further steps will be developed in the coming days.”

The federation could appeal the decision of its tribunal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

● Cycling ● The 122nd edition of the UCI World Track Championships opened in Santiago (CHI) on Wednesday, with Dutch star and defending champion Lorena Wiebes taking the opening event, the women’s 40-lap (10 km) Scratch Race over 2018 Worlds bronzer Amalie Dideriksen (DEN) and Prudence Fowler (NZL). Bethany Ingram was the American finisher, in ninth.

The Dutch scored again in the women’s Team Sprint, moving up from second in 2024 and defeating Olympic and World Champion Great Britain in the final, 45.743 to 46.003. It’s the first-ever Netherlands win in this event at the World Championships. Australia won the bronze over Poland, 46.773 to 48.033.

The Netherlands completed their first-day sweep with an expected win in the men’s Team Sprint with the familiar trio of Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen and Roy van den Berg winning in 41.691 over Great Britain (42.060). Australia took another bronze, over France, 42.611 to 42.861.

For the Dutch trio, this continues their amazing run of golds in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and the World Championships in 2019-20-21–23-24-25 with a second in 2022. Lavreysen was also on the 2018 Worlds winning team and won a silver in 2017. Hoogland won silver at the Worlds in 2016 and 2017 as well. Amazing!

● Figure Skating ● Canada’s 42-year-old 2024 Pairs World Champion Deanna Stellato-Dudek said after her second-place finish at the Grand Prix of France last week with 33-year-old partner Maxime Deschamps:

“I’ve had that idea for a long time. Last year the ISU just allowed backflips and Adam Siao Him Fa [FRA] has done it and Ilia Malinin [USA] is on it but none of the women have done it. I wanted to show that the girls play the backflip game just as good as the boys. It is important to me.”

Yep! An ISU feature explained:

“She backflips from her partner’s chest. No pairs team has done that kind of assisted backflip before in international competition. Backflips became legal in ISU events in the 2024/25 season again following a rule change after being banned for decades.”

Stellato-Dudek was the perfect candidate for the trick, thanks to her years of gymnastics training before she took to the ice. The flip is now part of their programs going forward.

● Football ● FIFA announced a five-year collaboration agreement with the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) federations of trade unions for “joint inspections, training, and reporting to promote decent and safe working conditions for all workers involved in the construction and renovation of stadiums and other infrastructure linked to FIFA tournaments” through 2030.

The BWI was involved with FIFA in the construction effort leading to the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, and human rights activists have been critical of FIFA’s award of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, concerned over construction worker abuse, pay and living conditions.

● Gymnastics ● At the FIG Artistic World Championships in Jakarta (INA), Wednesday was the men’s All-Around day, with Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto winning his third straight Worlds gold, scoring 85.131 to edge 2021 World Champion Boheng Zhang (CHN: 84.333) and Swiss Noe Seifert (82.831), who won his first Worlds medal at age 26.

Hashimoto had the highest scores on Floor (14.000), Vault (14.466) and Horizontal Bar (14.700). Zhang took the Rings at 14.600 and Seifert was best on Pommel Horse (14.000). Russian “neutral” Daniel Marinov scored best on Parallel Bars (14.700). The U.S. had no finalists as Asher Hong was injured and did not compete in the qualifying.

● Rowing ● The addition of the Beach Sprint to the Olympic program for 2028 has raised interest in this new discipline. World Rowing announced that a record 55 federations have entered the 2025 Beach Sprint Worlds in Antalya (TUR) from 6-9 November.

A total of 342 athletes have been registered for the 10 boat classes. The men’s and women Solo have 40 and 33 entries, respectively – both Olympic events – with 33 for the Mixed Double Sculls.

● Skiing ● Norwegian media reported the vote in the FIS Council on the question of returning Russian and Belarusian athletes to qualifying events for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games was 10 in favor and 12 against.

The expected appeals from the Russian side will be coming, per Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev:

“The FIS has made a negative decision regarding the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions. We consider such actions completely unacceptable and have nothing in common with the principles and values enshrined in the Olympic Charter.

“The Ministry of Sport and the Russian Olympic Committee, in collaboration with our ski federations, will prepare appeals against the FIS Council’s decision.

“Russia’s position has been strengthened by a recent precedent – the court ruling in bobsled – which recognized the discriminatory nature of the suspensions. The appeal will be filed as soon as possible.”

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PARIS 2024: World Anti-Doping Agency observers report on Paris 2024 praises doping control effort, urges more effective coordination in future

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ INDEP. OBSERVERS REPORT ≡

The World Anti-Doping Agency published its 80-page Independent Observers Report for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which saw 4,154 of the 11,408 athletes (36.4%) at the Games tested.

Of these 530 were tested more than once, and across all tests, there were 12 positives reported. Four resulted in bans of 2-4 years, six cases were dismissed for lack of evidence or a Therapeutic Use Exemption in place, one resulted only in a disqualification and one case is still pending.

The six-member observation team made 71 recommendations to strengthen the effectiveness of the doping control program and the coordination of the program on-site. The continuously-repeated problems of a one-time event with staffing, communications, training and coordination with other functions – such as access control, sports and press operations – were present in Paris. Typically:

● “During the Paris Games the [observer] Team observed frequent issues with the location and efficiency of notification zones within venues. This was sometimes caused by sport specific protocols being observed that hindered athlete flows and effective notification of athletes.”

● “The [observer] Team note that key staff in Paris 2024 were hired (in our view) later in the process and despite their dedication and determination the anti-doping program experienced too many logistical issues. These logistical issues make the jobs of sample collection personnel significantly more difficult. At worst, they can jeopardize the careers of athletes if the processes can not be completed properly.”

● “It is perhaps inevitable that to deliver an anti-doping program of the size of the Paris Games, local organizing committees must recruit and rely on a large volunteer workforce to act as ‘chaperones’ during doping control missions.

“Despite often valiant attempts, the [observer] Team is of the view that there were too many issues regarding insufficient numbers of chaperones or those that were appointed who were unsuitable for the role. Specifically, too few numbers of total chaperones were available, there were issues caused by volunteers not turning up for shifts or an incorrect gender mix of chaperones being sent to venues. Issues of limited accreditation hindered a fast response and ability to re-task chaperones between different competition venues.”

In general, the observers were quite impressed by the professionalism of the International Testing Agency staff and of the laboratory work done for the Paris Games.

The report paid special tributes to the Doping Control Officers (DCOs) who directed the on-site program efforts, and, of course, the athletes:

“No sample collection is rarely the same and the success of the entire program hinges on the work of the DCOs. The DCOs were a group of international experts in their field. They perform under pressure and are the real heroes of the anti-doping program. We understand that it is difficult to have WADA IO Team members watching your every move during sample collection sessions. We were honoured to have worked so closely with all of you.

“Your professionalism, attention to detail and dedication to delivering the largest part of the anti-doping program needs special mention. These team members work incredibly long hours, often have to wait for transport to get back to their hotels at all hours of the evening/morning, deal with every kind of logistical issue imaginable, and are generally tired, thirsty and hungry. Continually through the Paris Games we witnessed your professionalism and dedication. You all did such a great job in protecting the integrity of the sample collection processes. Thank you all for doing an outstanding job, for your sense of humour and your incredible dedication and hard work.

“Lastly, but certainly not least, are the group of people who are the reason that we do what we do: the athletes of the Paris Games. We witnessed elation and heartbreak in equal measure. Despite the annoyance of having to interrupt your training, plans or post-event celebrations to sit in a [Doping Control Station] waiting room, you treated the anti-doping staff and [observer] Team members with grace and generosity. We thank you for your part in protecting the integrity of sport and ensuring the anti-doping program could be delivered.”

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GYMNASTICS: IOC Executive Board ends Indonesian Olympic bid talks; tells Indonesian Olympic committee and FIG to come to Lausanne over Israel visa rejections

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the International Olympic Committee

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≡ THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ≡

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and on 28 February 2022, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in international competitions.

The Indonesian announced on 10 October that it would not issue entry visas for the Israeli team to compete at the FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta, which began on 19 October. Appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the Israel Gymnastics Federation were unsuccessful and the IOC said in an unhappy statement on 17 October that it had intervened, but to no avail.

While the IOC’s statement said it would take up the matter at its December Executive Board meeting last Friday, that was determined not to be good enough. On Wednesday (22nd), the IOC issued a stern statement underscoring its anger at the situation. It included:

“In order to avoid similar situations in the future, the IOC EB decided the following:

“● To end any form of dialogue with the NOC of Indonesia about hosting future editions of the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Olympic events or conferences until such time as the Indonesian government provides the IOC with adequate guarantees that it will allow access to the country for all participants, regardless of nationality, to attend.

“● To recommend to all International Federations not to host any international sports events or meetings in Indonesia until such time as the Indonesian government provides adequate guarantees to the International Federations that it will allow access to the country for all participants, regardless of nationality, to attend.

“● To adapt the Qualification Principles for the Olympic Games, requesting that the International Federations include guarantees on access to the respective country for all athletes in their hosting agreements for any Olympic qualification competition around the world.

“● To request the NOC of Indonesia and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to come to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne to discuss the situation that occurred ahead of the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.”

This places more power behind the IOC’s position that “all eligible athletes, teams and sports officials must be able to take part in international sports competitions and events without any form of discrimination by the host country, in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the fundamental principles of non-discrimination, autonomy and political neutrality that govern the Olympic Movement.”

Indonesia has been talking about hosting more events, possibly the 2036 Olympic Games and were clear that hosting the FIG Worlds was a stepping stone to more such events. As for the impact of the government decision to refuse entry to the Israel delegation – which has been Indonesia’s policy since at least 1962 – the Times of Israel reported comments on the day of the announcement of the cancellation of visas:

“Raja Sapta Oktohari, head of the national Olympic committee, said Indonesia was ready to accept any consequences for blocking the Israeli athletes from competing.

“‘We will review the consequences after the event,’ he said.”

The rejection of the Israeli gymnasts is a political issue for Indonesia, which is a Muslim-majority country which has strongly backed the establishment of a Palestinian state. With six Israeli gymnasts registered to compete at the FIG Worlds – the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had requested visas for them, but later “withdrew” the request – anti-Israel agitation increased in Indonesia and there were safety concerns.

Two IOC members were involved: Indonesian member Erick Thohir, who is also the country’s Minister of Youth and Sport and publicly supported the visa shutout, and FIG President Morinari Watanabe, whose federation meekly accepted the Indonesian government decision.

Watanabe is also a member of the IOC’s three-person review committee overseeing the “neutrality” status of Russian and Belarusian athletes who are otherwise qualified to compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in northern Italy.

Their status is unchanged for now.

Observed: To its credit, the IOC – and new President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) – recognize the significant threat the Indonesian government’s action presents to the Olympic Movement.

Further to its credit, it did not wait until December to do something about it. It has started the sanctions ball rolling and there will be more sanctions to come.

If the IOC is going to enforce anything, it has to enforce its stance on political neutrality, not just with Indonesia, but importantly – as it stated today – with the International Federations, who award these championship events.

In 2023, Indonesia refused to allow Israel to compete at the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup and FIFA pulled the event and transferred it in a matter of a few weeks to Argentina (giving Indonesia the men’s U-17 World Cup a few months later, where Israel was not playing). FIG did nothing, even with a former IOC Presidential candidate as its leader.

That’s not good enough and the IOC knows it. More importantly, the IOC wants others to know it as well.

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PANORAMA: U.S. Ski & Snowboard offers ultra-lux “Crest Club,” partners with U.S. Army; Spain’s La Liga cancels controversial league match in Miami

By
Rich Perelman
-
The U.S. Army is now a sponsor of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Federation, honoring the 10th Mountain Division (Image: U.S. Ski & Snowboard).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The Los Angeles Times reported that the Starbucks Workers United union sent a 22-page complaint to the International Olympic Committee, accusing Starbucks of treating its workers – specifically about union relations – in ways which “conflict with the Olympic Games’ code of ethics.” The story noted:

“Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in response to a request for comment Monday that ‘allegations by Workers United have all previously been debunked and are without merit.’”

Starbucks joined the LA28 domestic sponsorship program as a Founding Partner in September and is not a sponsor of the International Olympic Committee.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The well-received “Mind Zone” for athlete relaxation that debuted at Paris 2024 will return for the 2026 Winter Games:

“Each of the six Olympic Villages at Milano Cortina 2026 will host its own dedicated area, offering activities such as mindfulness and visualisation through virtual reality, guided breathing exercises and art therapy sessions. The spaces, with the exception of Bormio, will be staffed by qualified IOC and International Federation safeguarding officers, trained in mental health first aid, who will be on hand for confidential conversations and further guidance if needed.”

The space will be branded for the IOC’s Athlete365 project and sponsored by Powerade.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The 2030 organizing committee board published its first end-to-end budget for the Games, showing €2.1 billion in total expenses (~$2.44 billion U.S.), with matching revenue.

Funding will come from the International Olympic Committee (30%), from the organizing committee from sponsorships, tickets and hospitality sales (44%) and from government support (26%).

● Deaflympics 2025: Tokyo ● Deaflympics activist and former participant Howie Gorrell notes that entries for the 2025 Dealympics in Tokyo (JPN) from 15-26 November include four Olympians:

● Nina Cutro-Kelly (USA: judo) from Tokyo 2020.
● Diksha Dagar (IND: golf) from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
● Terence Parkin (RSA: swimming) from Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
● Aleksey Shemarov (BLR: wrestling), from London 2012, competing as a “neutral.”

About 3,000 athletes from up to 80 countries and territories will compete in 21 sports.

● Basketball ● Amazing piece of history sold by RR Auction on 8 October in an autographs and artifacts sales, a December 1895 questionnaire filled out by Dr. James Naismith for the Handbook of Canadian Biography, in which answered the query on his “Record in journalism, science or art” as the “Originator of Basket Ball, author of rules &c.”

The single-page document sold for $17,840, including the buyer’s premium. Naismith invented the game at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA in 1891; he was later the basketball coach at Kansas from 1898-1907 and the track coach there from 1900-06. He passed away in 1939, but saw his game included in the Olympic Games as a medal sport for the first time in 1936, after being a demonstration event in 1904 and 1924.

● Football ● Facing pressure from players and fans, Spain’s La Liga canceled the controversial move of the 20 December match between Barcelona and Villareal to Miami, Florida. According to the league statement:

“LALIGA announces that, following conversations with the promoter of the Official LALIGA Match in Miami, the decision has been made to cancel the organization of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.

“LALIGA deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward. Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players, and the visibility of Spanish soccer in a strategic market such as the United States.”

Relevent Sports, the match promoter, told the Spanish league that the event needed to be postponed.

At the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup in Morocco, the U.S. went to 2-0 and clinched a spot in the round-of-16 playoffs with a 5-2 win over China. The Americans trailed, 1-0, but had a 3-1 lead by half and Lauren Malsom and Nyanya Touray both scored twice.

● Gymnastics ● Women’s qualifying finished on Tuesday at the FIG Artistic World Championships, with Russia’s 2021 World All-Around champion Angelina Melnikova – competing as a “neutral” – compiling the highest score at 54.566.

Japan’s Aiko Sugihara qualified second (54.099) and Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, the Olympic Uneven Bars gold medalist, third at 53.865. American Dulcy Caylor, 17, was fifth at 52.675 and advanced to the final, as did Leanne Wong, the 2021 Worlds silver winner, in ninth at 51.865. In the apparatus qualifying:

● Vault: Melnikova led at 14.499, with China’s Yelen Deng second (14.250); Jocelyn Roberson of the U.S. advanced in eighth place at 13.599. Wong was a non-qualifying 22nd at 13.066.

● Uneven Bars: Nemour, as expected, led at 15.533, way ahead of Fanyuwei Yang (14.566) and Melnikov (14.500). Skye Blakely of the U.S. advanced in seventh (14.166); Wong is the second reverse (11th) at 13.900.

● Beam: China’s Qingyang Zhang led all qualifiers at 14.366, trailed by Flavia Saravia (BRA: 13.833) and Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (13.833). Caylor qualified in sixth (13.333) and Blakely was ninth (first reserve), scoring 13.200.

● Floor: Maneca-Voinea, embroiled in the fight over the Olympic Floor bronze in Paris with Jordan Chiles of the U.S. and Romanian teammate Ana Barbosu, led at 13.666 with Rina Kishi (JPN: 13.566) second and Ruby Evans (GBR: 13.566) third. Caylor qualified eighth at 13.266; Wong was a non-qualifying 13th (13.066).

The men’s All-Around comes Wednesday with the women’s A-A on Thursday.

● Skiing ● “The package includes curated VIP experiences that bring you closer than ever to the sport. With unique access to the team and the mountains, including skiing with legends, private luxury après-ski opportunities, five-star accommodations, custom U.S. Ski & Snowboard apparel and exclusive first track resort ski and snowboard experiences, the new hospitality program is your opportunity to experience the speed, culture and emotion from the inside.

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard has long run donor-focused, high-end hospitality programs around World Championships and Olympic Winter Games. The addition of The Crest Club offers the most dedicated sports fans, partners and donors the opportunity to experience the exclusive insider-only program at additional destinations and surround themselves within the action of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and international athletes.”

That’s the build-up for the new “Crest Club,” launched as a “offers a five-star, white-glove experience that only the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team can provide,” in conjunction with Horizon Sports & Experiences.

Three events are offered for 2025-26: the women’s FIS Alpine World Cup races at St. Moritz (SUI) from 10-14 December; men’s FIS Alpine World Cup races at Kitzbuehel (AUT) from 20-25 January 2026 and the FIS Freestyle World Cup in Moguls, Dual Moguls and Aerials in Deer Valley, Utah from 18-26 January 2026.

Prices? You need to inquire directly.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced Tuesday that “the U.S. Army as the official armed forces partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, honoring the 10th Mountain Division,” famed for its World War II exploits in Italy.

According to the statement, USSS “athletes will don an Army/10th Mountain Division patch on team outerwear. In addition, the U.S. Army/10th Mountain Division will invest in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s athlete influencer program to highlight the division’s foundation in alpine history and have a presence at the Stifel Copper Cup presented by United, an Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Nov. 27-30 and the Stifel Lake Placid Finals, a COOP FIS Cross Country World Cup, March 20-22.”

● Tennis ● At its online Annual General Meeting last Thursday, the International Tennis Federation voted to change its name to World Tennis starting on 1 January 2026. According to the announcement, “the name change is designed to better reflect the organisation’s role as the sport’s global governing body and guardian, as well as the essential role it plays alongside its member nations to grow and develop tennis worldwide.”

The federation began as the International Lawn Tennis Federation in Paris in 1913, and changed to the International Tennis Federation in 1977.

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LANE ONE: Is the just-announced “USATF Tour” for 2026 the wrong solution to fix a real problem?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE NEW “USATF TOUR” ≡

The stated purpose of the Monday-announced 2026 “USATF Tour” is to “bring together World Athletics-labeled meets as well as those seeking World Athletics labels with a goal of enhancing sponsorship opportunities, improving athlete development and delivering a consistent experience for fans and viewers.”

According to the announcement:

“In 2025, 19 World Athletics Continental Tour meets, two Grand Slam events, and one Diamond League meet competed for attention within a 15-week period in the United States. This disorganized approach creates unnecessary competition for athlete participation as well as for ticket sales, broadcast windows and viewership. As the national federation, it is the responsibility of USATF to facilitate collaboration to streamline this landscape by establishing a strategic national calendar, shared marketing and media support, and consistent competitive standards.”

Really? Let’s see.

A check of the World Athletics Continental Tour calendar for 2025 – still up – showed that during the 15-week period of 23 March to 12 July this year, there were 16 Continental Tour meets in the U.S. Of these, 10 were Silver (S) level, four were Bronze (B) and two were Challenger events:

● 29 Mar.: The TEN in San Juan Capistrano (S)

● 05 Apr.: Miramar Invitational in Miramar (S)
● 11-14 Apr.: Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona (B)
● 23-26 Apr.: Drake Relays in Des Moines (S)
● 24-26 Apr.: Penn Relays in Philadelphia (S)

● 03 May: Save the 10,000 in Walnut (S)
● 17 May: Atlanta City Games in Atlanta (S)
● 24 May: Track Fest in Los Angeles (S)
● 24 May: USATF Throws Festival in Tucson (S)
● 30-31 May: Music City Track Carnival near Chattanooga (Challenger)

● 05 Jun.: Festival of Miles in St. Louis (Challenger)
● 14-15 Jun.: Portland Track Festival in Portland (B)
● 26-28 Jun.: Iron Wood Track Festival in Rathdrum (B)

● 11 Jul.: L.A. Throws Cup in Wilmington (B)
● 11-13 Jul.: Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis (S)
● 12 Jul.: Sunset Tour in Los Angeles (S)

There were also two Grand Slam Track meets in this period in the U.S., in Miramar and Philadelphia, and the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic, on 5 July.

The interesting aspect of the 16 Continental Tour meets is not their distribution over time, as suggested by the USATF statement, but their nature, created to cater to specific aspects of the sport:

● 4 deal only with throwing events
● 3 deal only with distance races
● 2 deal only with the rarely-run 10,000 m
● 2 are heavily sprint-focused events

That’s 11 of the 16, meets that were developed to support athletes and events who are often forgotten in larger, more commercial meets; just five were more of a traditional “track meet” and two of those were the relay extravaganzas at Drake and Penn.

For 2026, USA Track & Field has already calendered the return of two of its own meets to the Continental Tour Gold level:

● 06 June: New York Grand Prix
● 14 June: Los Angeles Grand Prix

So whatever the calendar arrangement is going to be for a USATF Tour, it’s going to be built around those dates, reserved to USATF.

In the 1970s, the misery of the European calendar – no Diamond League in those days – led to the creation of the “European Calendar Congress,” where the placement of meets was negotiated among the meet promoters, who also worked together on events, athlete invitations (payments) and cross-promotion.

In the U.S., USATF is not going to have much influence on the two schedule foundations of the sport:

● NCAA conference meets, regionals and championships
● Relay meets, notably Florida, Texas, Mt. SAC, Drake and Penn

Those meets will take their traditional places on the calendar and are anchored by high school and college participation, not the professionals. Wouldn’t it be better to get the relevant folks into a room to figure out the best way to highlight – program – the sport on a 52-weeks-a-year basis?

The “USATF Tour” announcement was issued on 20 October and meets have until 31 October – Halloween – to apply via a short questionnaire. It remains to be seen if it the concept will be a trick or (hopefully) a treat.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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