TSX REPORT: IOC confident in Seine Olympic water quality; 79% like 2034 Winter Games in Utah; ISU limits jumps but not somersaults!

June 14, 2024

tsx pix 2023-725 paris torch and eiffel tower — The Paris 2024 torch, pictured over the Seine River (Photo: Paris 2024)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Dubi: “very confident we will swim in the Seine”
2. Euro star Lobalu earns place in Paris as refugee
3. Euro 24 and U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials starting up
4. New poll shows 79% of Utahans support 2034 Winter Games
5. ISU limits figure skating jumps, but OKs somersaults!

● International Olympic Committee Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi said the Executive Board was briefed Thursday on the improvements to the drainage in the Seine River and expressed high confidence that the open-water and triathlon events will be held there.

● The IOC extended an invitation to European 10,000 m champ Dominic Lobalu to join the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. Although he ran for Switzerland at the Europeans, he is not yet a Swiss citizen and therefore cannot be part of the Swiss team at the Games. A team from Afghanistan will compete in Paris, with three men and three women, but no official of the Taliban government will be accredited for the Games.

● Two big events are getting started, the UEFA EURO 2024 football championship in Germany, with England and France as the favorites, and the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, in Indianapolis. The U.S. is expected to field a deep and talented team, but will be competing in a temporary pool on the field level of the Lucas Oil Stadium!

● New polling for The Deseret News showed that 79% of Utahans approve of having the 2034 Olympic Winter Games there, a figure which has remained consistent across three years of surveys. Similar strength of support has also been seen in polling in Los Angeles for 2028.

● The International Skating Union’s figure skating branch approved rules changes to reduce the number of jump sequences in Singles and Pairs beginning in the 2026-27 season, and approved somersaults in competition, effective immediately. A comprehensive presentation was made on how the ISU plans to expand its fan base and impact in all of its disciplines.

● Panorama: LA28 (Bell to chair Cultural Olympiad) = World Anti-Doping Agency (Tunisian anti-doping head still detained) = Athletics (3: Bromell out for Trials due to injury; European Athletics awards €50,000 Gold Crowns; Schwarzman pledges $15 million in USATF Foundation grants) = Cycling (stars Valente and Dygert named to U.S. track cycling team for Paris) = Football (filing asks Euro Court of Justice to consider player’s right to rest in calendar war with FIFA) = Swimming (Aussie magic: McKeown swims no. 2 time ever in women’s 200 m Backstroke) ●

1.
Dubi: “very confident we will swim in the Seine”

Confident. In a word, that sums up the International Olympic Committee’s view on the promised water quality in the Seine River for the open-water swimming events and the triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

At Thursday’s news briefing following the second day of the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne, Executive Director for the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi (SUI) said the issue was mentioned during the Paris 2024 briefing:

“Certainly an explanation by Prefect [of the Ile-de-France Marc] Guillaume. He made clear that it was understood that now, with the full infrastructure in place, especially the well of Austerlitz, they will be able to cope with the request for swimming in the Seine.

“So, very reassuring. He mentioned, however, that the rains of these last days – torrential rains over the last weeks, even, more than days – made it more complicated, but they felt very confident hat the whole program they had designed is in place.

“So, no reasons to doubt. We are very confident as well that we will swim in the Seine this summer.”

The renovation of the Paris water treatment system, at a cost of about $1.5 billion U.S., is a signature effort of the City of Paris for the 2024 Games, and both the Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and French President, Emmanuel Macron, have said they plan to swim in the Seine prior to the Games.

Because of the level of pollution levels in the river for more than a century, swimming has been banned since 1923, but Hidalgo has said that she wants to designate three areas for public swimming after the Games.

As Dubi noted, the issue is the weather. The new treatment concept included the construction of two giant reservoirs to capture rainwater that had overflowed the existing treatment system and caused direct discharge of sewage into the river. The new basins, one inaugurated in April and one coming on line later in June, are designed to end this problem.

But if there are heavy rains, there could be problems.

The triathlons come first, on 30-31 July for the men’s and women’s races and on 5 August for the mixed relay. The open-water 10 km swimming races are scheduled late in the Games on 8-9 August. This spaced-out schedule allows the organizers some flexibility to re-schedule the races if the (heavy) rains come.

2.
Euro star Lobalu earns place in Paris as refugee

One of the feel-good stories of the European Athletics Championships in Rome was the performance of Swiss distance runner Dominic Lobalu, a refugee from South Sudan who left at age eight in 2006, went to Kenya and became part of the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team, competing at the 2017 World Championships in London.

In 2019, he competed in the Harmony Geneva Marathon and decided to stay. Five years later, in Rome, he won a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000 m on 8 June and won the 10,000 m on the 12th. And now he is going to Paris, thanks to an IOC Executive Board decision on Thursday:

“Considering that Lobalu has a refugee status in Switzerland, verified by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and has recently achieved the World Athletics standard for participation in the Olympic Games (5,000m), he is fully eligible to be included in the IOC Refugee Olympic Team with immediate effect.

“Although Lobalu was recently allowed by World Athletics to represent Switzerland in World Athletics competitions (despite not having Swiss nationality), the EB confirmed that he is not eligible to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 because he is currently not a Swiss national, in accordance with Rule 41.1 of the Olympic Charter.”

The IOC also achieved one of its long-standing goals, announcing that Afghanistan will participate in Paris with six athletes, including three women:

“The EB confirmed that the IOC-recognised NOC and its leadership (including the NOC President and NOC Secretary General in exile) continue to be the IOC’s only interlocutor for the preparation and participation of the Afghan NOC team in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. No representative of the de facto authorities/Taliban government will be accredited for these Games.”

The three men will compete in athletics, judo and swimming and the women in athletics and cycling.

The IOC is also assisting the National Olympic Committee of Sudan, currently in exile due to the civil war there, with getting athletes to Paris. One athlete is currently qualified in athletics and the IOC expects a team from 3-9 athletes once all of the qualifications are completed.

3.
Euro 24 and U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials starting up

Two big events get going this week, with the European Championship in men’s football in Germany and the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The UEFA EURO 2024 kicks off on Friday in Munich with Germany and Scotland and the 24 teams will continue with group play through 26 June, in six groups:

● A: Germany, Hungary, Scotland, Switzerland
● B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
● C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
● D: Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France
● E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine
● F: Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic

The two teams from each group and the four highest-ranked third-place teams will continue to the round of 16 starting on 29 June. The quarterfinals will be played on 5-6 July, the semis on 9-10 July and the final on 14 July at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.

Matches will be played in Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.

England, which was runner-up in 2020 to Italy, is the co-favorite in the tournament along with France, followed by Germany, Portugal and Spain. The longest odds are for Georgia and Slovakia.

Prize money of €331 million (about $360 million U.S.) will be offered, with each team receiving €9.25 million plus match bonuses of €1 million for a win and €500,000 for a draw. Advancement to the round of 16 is worth €1.5 million, to the quarter-finals an added €2.5 million, and to the semi-finals another €4 million. The runners-up will receive €5 million more and the winners will get €8 million. (€1 = $1.07 U.S.).

In the U.S., the matches will be on FOX or FS1.

While EURO 2024 will last for a month, the 26 men and 26 women who will represent the U.S. in swimming will be determined from Saturday (15th) through the following Sunday (23rd) at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

This time, the event will be held for the first time in a football stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Temporary pools have been installed for competition, warm-up and training on the field level with seating of up to 30,000!

USA Swimming has a downloadable “Swimming Watch Party Kit” available, with the full schedule and some fun games.

A total of 28 events will be contested – 14 each for men and women – with heats in the morning at 11 a.m. Eastern, shown on USA Network and NBC’s Peacock streaming service. The finals will be held each evening at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

USA Swimming explains the Olympic qualifying process this way, noting the team limits of 26 men and 26 women:

● “The first-place finisher in each event, as well as the top-4 finishers in the 100m and 200m freestyle events (due to relays), are the first priority to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team”

● “If spots remain, second-place finishers in each event are given second priority to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team”

● “If spots remain, the fifth-place finishers in the 100m and 200m freestyle events qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team as relay-only swimmers”

● “If spots remain, the sixth-place finishers in the 100m and 200m freestyle events qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team as relay-only swimmers”

The U.S. leaders going into the Trials on the 2024 world list:

Men:
● 50 m Free: Ryan Held (21.68: 7th on the 2024 world list)
● 100 m Free: Chris Guiliano (47.49: 2nd)
● 200 m Free: Luke Hobson (1:45.26: 8th)
● 400 m Free: David Johnston (3:46.99: 20th)
● 800 m Free: David Johnston (7:48.20: 16th)
● 1,500 m Free: Charlie Clark (14:57.44: 12th)
● 100 m Back: Hunter Armstrong (52.68: 3rd)
● 200 m Back: Jack Aikins (1:56.21: 9th)
● 100 m Breast: Nic Fink (58.57: 3rd)
● 200 m Breast: Matt Fallon (2:08.18: 7th)
● 100 m Fly: Caeleb Dressel (50.84: 5th)
● 200 m Fly: Luca Urlando (1:55.63: 16th)
● 200 m Medley: Carson Foster (1:56.97: 7th)
● 400 m Medley: Carson Foster (4:10.79: 6th)

Women:
● 50 m Free: Kate Douglass (23.91: 2nd)
● 100 m Free: Kate Douglass (52.98: 7th)
● 200 m Free: Katie Ledecky (1:54.97: 6th)
● 400 m Free: Katie Ledecky (3:59.44: 3rd)
● 800 m Free: Katie Ledecky (8:12.95: 2nd)
● 1,500 m Free: Katie Ledecky (15:38.25: 1st)
● 100 m Back: Regan Smith (57.51: 2nd)
● 200 m Back: Regan Smith (2:03.99: 2nd)
● 100 m Breast: Lilly King (1:05.67: 5th)
● 200 m Breast: Kate Douglass (2:19.30: 2nd)
● 100 m Fly: Torri Huske (55.68: 1st)
● 200 m Fly: Regan Smith (2:04.80: 2nd)
● 200 m Medley: Kate Douglass (2:07.05: 2nd)
● 400 m Medley: Katie Grimes (4:32.45: 3rd)

At Tokyo in 2020, Dressel won five golds in all, Bobby Finke won the 800-1,500 m Frees, Ledecky won the 800-1,500 m Frees and Lydia Jacoby won the women’s 100 m Back. In all, the U.S. led the medal count in swimming again, with 30 medals (11-10-9) to 21 for Australia (9-3-9).

The swimming trials are the start of a massive two weeks on NBC, with diving to follow, as well as track & field (21-30 June) and gymnastics (27-30 June).

4.
New poll shows 79% of Utahans support 2034 Winter Games

One of the reasons that the Salt Lake City bid for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games is sailing toward confirmation by the International Olympic Committee in July is the overwhelming, steadfast support for the event within the state.

The Deseret News released a new poll on Tuesday, showing 79% approve or strongly approve of bringing the Games back to Salt Lake City, with only 14% opposed and 7% who said they did not know.

The breakdown noted that 48% “strongly supported” having the Games and another 31% approved. The poll surveyed 889 registered voters in Utah and has a margin-of-error of 3.4%.

This new poll is consistent with Deseret News polling from the last two years, conducted in concert with the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah:

● 2023 (Jan.): 82% approve (55+27), 12% disapprove, 6% don’t know
● 2022 (Jul.): 79% approve (44+35), 16% disapprove, 5% don’t know

Also worth noting is that the 2024 poll was conducted by a different firm from the 2022-23 polls – HarrisX this time – and had 10% more respondents, but retained the same strong support.

The support in Utah is similar to that seen for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. A Los Angeles Times poll released in February 2022 showed 76% approval of the Games and 16% disapproval. A July 2023 national survey taken by the Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics reported that the event “positively impacts the United States” by 78-4% (779-36) with 15% saying no impact and 3% not sure.

A March 2023 Los Angeles Times poll asked about the Games in a different way. Surveying only residents of the City of Los Angeles, 57.2% said the 2028 Olympics would be good for L.A., 20.2% said it would be bad, 16.2% said it won’t matter, and 6.2% undecided or refused to answer the question.

Those results were far better than for the question of whether Los Angeles was a good or excellent place to live: only 47.8% agreed, 33.2% said it’s just fair and 17.6% called it “poor”!

5.
ISU limits figure skating jumps, but OKs somersaults!

Major rules changes in figure skating were approved Thursday at the International Skating Union Congress in Las Vegas, changing the number of jumps allowed, but also removing the ban on somersaults.

After lengthy discussion, multiple groups of proposals were approved, with some rejected. A package of proposals in the Singles and Pair Skating Technical Rules – nos. 234-246 – was passed which will revamp the allowed elements in all programs:

Illegal Elements/Movements (proposal 236 for rule 610):
● Removed “somersault type jumps”
● Reason: “somersault type jumps are very spectacular and nowadays it is not logical anymore to include them as illegal movements”

Singles (proposal 239 for rule 612):
● Six jump elements allowed instead of seven
● Three spins maximum, with one a choreographic spin

Pairs (proposal 245 for rule 621):
● Two lifts allowed instead of three
● One choreographic lift allowed, no choreographic sequences
● No pair spin combinations, but one choreographic pair spin OK

These changes were sold as a move to a more “well-balanced program,” reintroducing more choreographic and expressive elements and lessening the overwhelming scoring impact of jump sequences. One of the outcomes of these changes will be lower scores.

One of the discussion points was the timing of these new elements, since the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy is coming up quickly. So, at the request of the ISU Council, the implementation of the changes on the jumps and other items in the 234-246 package were delayed to the 2026-27 season, after the Milan Cortina Games have concluded (the vote on this was 31-25).

However: three items were approved to be instituted immediately – for the 2024-25 season – including the approval of somersault jumps.

ISU Director General Colin Smith (GBR), who came from years of running the FIFA World Cup and that federation’s other championships, gave the Congress an in-depth look on Monday at new concepts to drive growth in figure, speed, short track and synchronized skating.

The two pillars of the strategic plan were the athletes and the fans, both current and future. Said Smith:

“Delivering events is often referred to as the ‘experience delivery business,’ and we want to make sure that people become absorbed in the sport of skating, and if not already, become engaged fans of our sport.”

He explained over more than 40 minutes a series of initiatives the ISU has started, or wants to start to take the single focus of the competitions and expand them:

● “Athlete showcasing: our skaters are athletes, they are the stars of the show. We need to help them want to help us, so featuring hashtags, helping our athletes delivering in their social media and working with us also to develop and promote the sport.”

● “Stadium dressing, fan zones, sponsor activations, food and drink, merchandise, comfort for our fans when they go to watch our events.”

● “We want to curate the show so it’s not only about watching what’s on the ice, but creating an entertainment, a show while they are there, where the performances on the ice are front and center.”

Central to these improvements will be better television production, with more graphics, more live scoring and more “stuff” as shown in a rocking video: “skaters as heroes, more entertainment, more action, more drama, more behind the scenes, more moments of joy, more analysis, more interviews, more insights … more of what fans and skaters love.”

He also spoke at length about content – digital engagement in all forms and formats, and well beyond the standard platforms – that goes way beyond the on-ice performances as shown on television (for which he also underscored the need for better presentation):

“So how are we going to create this extra content? A lot of it is behind the scenes. A lot of it is off-ice as well, and on-ice we will provide program packaging, with magazine programs and highlight programs. And we work with our partner Infront [Sports & Media] on the distribution.

“So this additional content will add real flavor and flair that we can then further use to promote our sport.”

Delivery also has to expand. The ISU Web site will split into two: one for the existing governance and information side, and another simply for fans, a “front door” for them for all four disciplines of the ISU. Then there’s the ISU app, also to be re-designed to offer continuous engagement opportunities: not just events, highlights and stories, but also games and ways to involve fans at all times.

Smith talked at length about in-arena presentation, modern uses of signage to offer more commercial sales possibilities, and even teased the new look of the now-approved Short Track World Tour, which will have national-team uniforms with team names – such as the Belgian Ice Bears and the French Roosters – and opportunities for new sponsor sales on the uniforms themselves.

And he made a critical point, noting that the ISU needs to create a sense of anticipation each year as its season approaches, so that skating can “own winter:””

“Consistency in the calendar, the predictability of when fans can watch skating is key to helping them join our sport.”

That’s something every sport must agree on, if they are going to grow. Smith’s plans are ambitious, but the Congress was convinced and gave approval for many of the reforms requested.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers announced the appointment of Maria Arena Bell as the Chair of the LA28 Cultural Olympiad:

“Bell is an experienced executive and Founder of Vitameatavegamin Productions as well as an arts advocate with more than three decades of experience. A native Angeleno, she served as Board Chair at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles at a pivotal time; chaired P.S. Arts, providing arts education programs in LA County and the Central Valley; and was appointed to the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission; amongst other notable positions.”

The announcement noted that Bell will be contributing her time “as an unpaid volunteer with the LA28 organizing committee, she will report to LA28 Chairman and President Casey Wasserman.”

Bell, 61, won an Emmy Award for her work on “The Young and the Restless” and served from 2013-17 as a member of the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The situation surrounding the brief suspension of the Anti-Doping Organization of Tunisia and the arrest of its director has not been resolved.

On Thursday, WADA issued a statement asking for the release and reinstatement of ANAD Director General, Mr. Mourad Hambli, who was detained after he and other officials followed the WADA requirements for the then-suspended organization an at international swimming competition in Tunisia:

“WADA has met with and subsequently written to the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Government of Tunisia urging him to do all that is necessary to secure Mr. Hambli’s release. In addition, on 28 May 2024, WADA wrote to the Tunisian Embassy in Switzerland, the Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and specialized institutions in Switzerland to schedule a meeting with the ambassador to discuss this urgent matter. To date, no response has been received. …

“Reports that the ANAD Director General had been arrested for doing so is a matter of grave concern.”

ANAD was suspended on 30 April 2024 and, as expected at the time, was reinstated as of 15 May due to a change in national laws regarding doping in sports. But Hambli is apparently still in custody.

● Athletics ● Trayvon Bromell, the World Indoor 60 m champion in 2016 and a Worlds 100 m bronze winner in 2015 and 2022, is out for the U.S. Olympic Trials after injuring his leg at the Citta di Savona meet on 15 May. He ran 10.14 in his opener in late April, but was last in 10.87 in the Savona final and will miss a try for his third Olympic team.

The European Championships awarded “Gold Crowns” to 10 athletes who were the best in their event groups in terms of their performance on the World Athletics scoring table:

● Men/Sprints-Hurdles: Karsten Warholm (NOR), 400 m hurdles
● Men/Distance: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), 1,500-5,000 m
● Men/Jumps: Mondo Duplantis (SWE), pole vault
● Men/Throws: Leonardo Fabbri (ITA), shot put
● Men/Combo-Road: Johannes Erm (EST), decathlon

● Women/Sprints-Hurdles: Femke Bol (NED), 400 m hurdles
● Women/Distance: Nadia Battocletti (ITA), 5,000-10,000 m
● Women/Jumps: Malaika Mihambo (GER), long jump
● Women/Throws: Sandra Elkasevic (CRO), discus
● Women/Combo-Road: Nafi Thiam (BEL), heptathlon

Each will receive €50,000 (about $53,687 U.S.), the first time that prize money of any kind has been paid at the Europeans.

Good news for USATF athletes, as one of the sport’s biggest donors has pledged yet more money for support:

“In an unprecedented show of support for Team USA athletes ahead of the 2024 Olympics, Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s largest alternative investment firms, has pledged $15 million to the USATF Foundation over the next four years. This brings Mr. Schwarzman’s gifted and pledged support for the Foundation to nearly $30 million since 2013.”

Schwarzman, now 77, will have funded 655 athletes grants after the 2024 grant list is revealed. The new funding will be distributed:

“Every year over the next Olympic cycle, 65 track & field athletes will be awarded $40,000 Stephen A. Schwarzman grants and 35 additional athletes will be awarded $30,000 Stephen A. Schwarzman grants.”

The USATF Foundation Board and other donors have pledged another $10 million in funding to complement Schwartzman’s donations.

● Cycling ● USA Cycling named a strong women’s track cycling team for Paris, led by Tokyo 2020 Omnium champion Jennifer Valente, back for her third Olympic Games.

Valente, 29, has also won Team Pursuit medals at Rio in 2016 (silver) and Tokyo 2020 (bronze) and will be back for more, along with Chloe Dygert, who was on both of those medal-winning teams. They will be joined by Kristen Faulkner and Olivia Cummins.

Valente will also contest the Madison, this time with Lily Williams; Valente and Megan Jastrab were ninth at Tokyo 2020 in the event.

Dygert, 27, will be busy, also qualifying for the road race and the Individual Time Trial.

The only U.S. qualifier in the men’s events is Grant Koontz, in the Omnium.

● Football ● The fight between player unions and FIFA over the ever-more-crowded international match calendar took another step on Thursday, with the English Professional Footballers Association joining the French players union (UNFP) in an action in a Belgian court:

“The claim specifically asks the Brussels Court of Commerce to refer the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The ECJ would be asked to provide a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of EU law as it relates to footballers’ rights under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including the right of players to take an annual period of paid leave. The ECJ would then send the case back to the court in Belgium for a final ruling which could have a significant and far-reaching impact on the way the football calendar is structured.”

At specific issue is FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup for 2025, moving from seven clubs in a 10-day tournament in Saudi Arabia in December 2023 to a 32-team, 29-day tournament in June and July next year, but other club competitions – for example in UEFA – have also expanded.

● Swimming ● Day four of the Australian Olympic trials produced more fireworks in the pool, starting with the no. 2 performance of all-time from Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 200 m Backstroke.

She split 60.58 and 62.72 to win handily in 2:03.30, not far behind her 2023 world-record swim of 2:03.14. She won by more than four seconds.

Lizzy Dekkers, the 2023 Worlds runner-up in the women’s 200 m butterfly, won that event in 2:06.01, behind her April performance at the Australian nationals in 2:05.20 (no. 3 in 2024). Abbey Connor moved to no. 8 worldwide in second at 2:06.82.

World-record setter Ariarne Titmus got her third win of the meet and moved to no. 3 in the world for 2024 in the women’s 800 m Free, timing 8:14.06. Lani Pallister was second in 8:18.46, now no. 6 on the world list.

Rio 2016 men’s 100 m Free champ Kyle Chalmers won his specialty in 47.75, slower than his 47.63 win at the national championships in April, which ranks fourth worldwide.

The meet concludes on Saturday.

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TSX REPORT: Salt Lake 2034 sailing, headwinds for French Alps 2030; four more Valieva 2022 appeals! Big TV audience for NYC Grand Prix!

Rich Perelman

June 13, 2024

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Salt Lake City 2034 bid sails on, not so French Alps 2030
2. Bach: emotional moment at the Eiffel Tower
3. IOC: Int’l Federation role is not to pay prize money
4. Four new appeals in Beijing 2022 skating Team event drama
5. Strong NYC Grand Prix TV audience, good NCAA T&F ratings

● The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board approved the recommendations of its Future Host Commission and forwarded the French Alps 2030 bid and the Salt Lake City 2034 bid to the IOC Session for approval in July. The Salt Lake City bid is complete; the French Alps bid still needs government guarantees.

● IOC President Thomas Bach opened the Executive Board meeting Lausanne by telling his colleagues about Paris 2024: “They are ready. They are set,” and shared an emotional moment of seeing the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower.

● The IOC Executive Board posted a statement, chiding World Athletics for offering prize money for the winners of the Paris 2024 track and field events, including “The NOCs and the IFs have different roles to play to make their support for athletes effective and transparent.”

● Four appeals in the endless wrangling over the Beijing 2022 Winter Games were filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, including three from Russia and one from Canada, all widely anticipated. A hearing on the Russian appeals was held Wednesday; the Canadian appeal hearing is still to come.

● Big viewing audience for the NYC Grand Prix track meet on NBC on Sunday, with 1.371 million, following an 81% year-over-year increase for ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Track & Field Championships! But both were overshadowed by football matches, especially the Brazil vs. Mexico friendly in College Station, Texas!

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: Air France to carry 20% of athletes attending Olympic or Paralympic Games; “MindZone” and Olympic Village nursery to debut in Paris) = Los Angeles 2028 (LA28 asks for Para Climbing to be added to 2028 program) = Milan Cortina 2026 (“very reassuring” construction report given to IOC) = Int’l Testing Agency (IOC adds $10 million grant to ITA budget for 2025-28) = Russia (BRICS Games opens in Kazan) = U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (New Era Cap joins as licensee) = Athletics (3: world leads in three more events as European Champs close in Rome; Katir and Cherono face new suspensions for doping; “official” NCAA attendance figure provided) = Basketball (2: USA Basketball names women’s Olympic team; college, Olympic and NBA legend Jerry West passes at 86) = Football (U.S. men rebound with 1-1 tie with Brazil) = Skating (ISU Congress agrees to re-write constitution, allow markings on costumes) = Swimming (3: Titmus smashes 200 Free world record in Aussie trials; 1,007 qualify for U.S. trials; Court of Arbitration tosses Thomas’ suit to enter U.S. Trials) ●

1.
Salt Lake City 2034 bid sails on, not so French Alps 2030

As expected, the Salt Lake City-Utah bid for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board to be presented for formal election on 24 July at the IOC Session in Paris.

Karl Stoss, the IOC’s Future Host Commission Chair for the Winter Games, told an online news conference that the Salt Lake City situation is near-perfect:

“The Salt Lake City project is a really great project, with a very, very strong engagement from the private side. So that means 100% privately-funded revenues in this project. And it is guaranteed and it is very clear for us that this one will be a very comprehensive and balanced budget.

“So, from our side, nothing is outstanding. It’s going on, and as we told you in Salt Lake City already, I think Salt Lake City would be ready to start the Olympic Winter Games tomorrow.

“But they have still time ‘til 2034 and we are looking forward to see all the friends in Paris for the election.”

At a follow-up online news conference from Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City-Utah chief executive Fraser Bullock said it’s not over yet (but getting close):

“Obviously, we have to prepare a little bit for when there’s going to be the formation of an OCOG or an organizing committee. We don’t spend a lot of time on that; let’s win the bid first, but obviously some ongoing efforts.”

He explained that while any discussions concerning the host-city contract for the 2034 Games with the IOC are confidential, “they are collaborative, they are a wonderful partner, and we’re reviewing all kinds” of items related to the bid.

And what about start-up funding for a 2034 organizing committee, planned to be exceptionally thin, but which will still need money?

“Relative to early funding, no, we haven’t asked for nor will we receive any early funding from the IOC. We are fortunate that we have a very supportive community, and our formula for funding the organizing committee in the early years is spend very little, but raise money from our community that will support the needs we have, both early on and all the way through the Games.

“And so it will be all donations because we don’t have any opportunity to pursue sponsors until L.A. [2028] is concluded.”

Next up is a private online briefing for all IOC members on 26 June of about 30 minutes, followed by questions. The election date in Paris has been fixed as 24 July.

Salt Lake City’s proposed dates for the 2034 Games are 10-26 February for the Olympic Winter Games and 10-19 March for the Winter Paralympic Games.

Things are more unsettled for the French Alps 2030 bid, where the required governmental guarantees for things like finances, security, athlete access and so on have not been completed, and complicated by the snap elections for the French Parliament to be held on 30 June and 7 July.

Stoss explained:

“The French Alps 2030 project has committed to deliver all outstanding guarantees prior to the IOC Session. Due to the current political situation in France, the documents could not be finalized before the [Executive Board] decision.

“Therefore, today’s EB decision on French Alps 2030 is subject to the following being delivered in accordance with IOC requirements. It means prior to the IOC Session, submission of the Games delivery guarantee by the French government and a final confirmation of a public partnership contribution to the Games organization budget from the two regions of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes [AURA] and Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur [PACA] and the French government.”

Stoss also spoke to the situation for 2038, where a “preferred dialogue” has been identified with Switzerland, noting the discussions are ongoing:

“We are waiting for a few answers, and we are in a very good dialogue with them, and I think we will continue this dialogue very fast, after Paris. Maybe in 2025 we start a targeted dialogue with Switzerland.”

The IOC Executive Board did approve the “initial sports program” for 2030, with the same core sports for all Winter Games this century: biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing. The specific disciplines in each will be confirmed in 2025.

2.
Bach: emotional moment at the Eiffel Tower

The IOC made available a video of the opening of the IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, with President Thomas Bach (GER) expressing his enthusiasm for the forthcoming Paris Games:

“Paris is not only on track to deliver the first-ever Olympic Games aligned with our Olympic Agenda reforms, but they are ready. They are set.

“You can feel this in the discussions with everybody, but also in the city . So I had a pretty emotional moment there on Saturday afternoon, it was unbelievable. They had put up, over the night, the [Olympic] Rings at the Eiffel Tower, and then on Saturday, we went there. I wanted to see it first-hand; photos are nice, so we went to the Trocadero – full of people, everybody in awe – looking at the Rings and the Eiffel Tower.

“Then it was about sunset, then the Eiffel Tower turned first into bronze, then into gold, in the background, you had the cupola of the dome of the Invalides, shining in gold, it was really breathtaking.

“Then we were waiting for a couple of minutes, and then the sun set, and the Rings were illuminated. It’s really unbelievable and you can feel this in the city.”

The Executive Board meeting continues through Friday; Bach is expected to hold his media briefing on Friday.

3.
IOC: Int’l Federation role is not to pay prize money

The IOC Executive Board issued a statement Wednesday in its customary, calm tone that emphasized that it is not the role of International Federations to pay prize money to athletes who win medals at the Olympic Games.

In April, World Athletics announced that it would pay $50,000 to each Olympic gold medal winner in Paris (individuals or relay teams), a first among international federations. The move has been celebrated among athletes, but condemned by other federations. The IOC’s view:

“The NOCs and the IFs have different roles to play to make their support for athletes effective and transparent.

“The role of the NOCs is to develop the athletes, give them the best possible training and competition conditions, and support them in education and their daily life with regard to their profession. Finally, it is the prerogative of the NOCs to select the athletes from their country who have qualified on the field of play for the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, the athletes take part as members of the Olympic team of their respective NOCs. A significant majority of NOCs reward their team members for their achievements at the Olympic Games.

“The IFs have a different role. The athletes do not participate as members of their sport, but as members of their national Olympic team. The role of the IFs is to develop their sport universally, to give as many people as possible access to their sport, and finally to undertake to close the gap between athletes from more privileged countries and those from less privileged ones. In this way, they have to create more equal conditions for all the athletes around the world in their respective sports.

“These distinct responsibilities were recently reaffirmed by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF) and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).”

The statement did not indicate that any action would be taken against World Athletics, which will fund the $2.4 million in payments from its share of the IOC’s television rights payment given to the federations after each Olympic Games. It is expected to receive $40 million or more from the IOC following the Paris Games.

4.
Four new appeals in Beijing 2022 skating Team event drama

The endless saga of the doping positive of Russian skater Kamila Valieva and the final results of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games Team figure skating event, is continuing with a Wednesday hearing and four appeals of the final results to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 12 June hearing concerned three of the four appeals:

● Russian Olympic Committee vs. International Skating Union
● Figure Skating Federation of Russia vs. International Skating Union
● Aleksandr Galliamov, Nikita Katsalapov, Mark Kondratiuk, Anastasia Mishina, Victoria Sinitsina and Kamila Valieva v. International Skating Union

These three appeals all seek the same outcome, to place Russia as the winner of the event – that was the result on the ice in Beijing, prior to the disclosure of Valieva’s doping positive – changing the re-ranking of the results by the ISU, which elevated the United States to the gold medal, Japan to the silver, but with a re-scoring concept that left Russia in third place.

The fourth appeal is from Canadian skating and includes team members Madeline Schizas, Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier, Kirsten Moore-Towers, Michael Marinaro, Eric Radford, Vanessa James and Roman Sadovsky, plus Skate Canada, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It names as defendants the Russian team member, the Russian Olympic Committee, the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, the International Skating Union and the International Olympic Committee.

This appeal asks the Court of Arbitration for Sport to rule on the ISU’s re-ranking of the results from 30 January – highly questioned at the time, and since – and to place the U.S. first, Japan second and advance Canada to third, based on the ISU’s competition and anti-doping rules in place at the time of the Beijing Winter Games.

Reports indicate that the Canadian appeal will be heard on 22 July; all four are questioning the same result and all sides said after the ISU’s January holding that they would appeal.

The ISU, in its re-ranking, subtracted the 20 points won by Valieva for first places in the women’s Short Program and Free Skate. That brought down the Russian score from 74 to 54, behind the U.S. (65) and Japan (63). However, the Canadians point to ISU rules which specifically require a re-ranking to elevate the placement (and points won) by athletes impacted by the disqualification of an athlete ranked above them.

By doing this, Canada would earn an additional point in both the women’s Short Program and Free Skate and would have 55 points, to 54 for Russia, and thus the bronze medal.

5.
Strong NYC Grand Prix TV audience, good NCAA T&F ratings

Nielsen television audience data for last weekend is now available, with good numbers for the NCAA Track & Field Championships on ESPN, but much bigger for Sunday’s NYC Grand Prix.

The NCAA meet in Eugene concluded with strong viewing – more than 500,000 – for both the men’s Friday finals and the women’s Saturday finals:

● 5 June (Wed.): 340,000 on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern
● 6 June (Thu.): 257,000 on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern
● 7 June (Fri.): 602,000 on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. Eastern
● 8 June (Sat.): 519,000 on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. Eastern (40)

The four-day total on ESPN and ESPN2 was 1,718,000, way up from the past three years:

● 2023 in Austin: 948,000 combined total (2024: +81.2%)
● 2022 in Eugene: 1,178,000 combined total (2024: +45.8%)
● 2021 in Eugene: 909,000 combined total (2024: + 89.0%)

The 602,000 audience for Friday’s men’s finals was the best since 603,000 in 2022 for the Saturday women’s finals.

However, Sunday’s NYC Grand Prix – featuring Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles on NBC – did much better, with a prime, 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) slot and an average audience of 1.371 million!

That’s the biggest T&F television audience of the year (min. 250,000; all times Eastern):

● 09 Jun.: 1.371 million on NBC for USATF NYC Grand Prix
● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 25 May: 1.166 million on NBC for Prefontaine Classic
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals

● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 07 Jun.: 602,000 on ESPN for NCAA T&F Championships
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships
● 08 Jun.: 519,000 on ESPN for NCAA T&F Championships

● 05 Jun.: 340,000 on ESPN2 for NCAA T&F Championships
● 06 Jun.: 257,000 on ESPN2 for NCAA T&F Championships

The NYC Grand Prix also had a respectable 106,000 audience in the prized 18-34 age demographic; Saturday’s NCAA Champs had 40,000 in the same age group.

National-team football matches also did well, especially with Spanish-language audiences:

● 08 Jun.: 709,000 on Telemundo for USA-Colombia at 5:00 p.m.
● 08 Jun.: 611,000 on TNT for USA-Colombia at 5:30 p.m. Eastern
● 08 Jun.: 203,000 on TNT for USA-Colombia pre-game at 4:30 p.m.

The age 18-34 audiences included 117,000 on TNT and 101,000 for Telemundo.

The Mexico-Brazil friendly, a 3-2 win in stoppage time for the Brazilians before 85,249 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas (8:30 p.m. Eastern), was a much better draw, with 1.589 million on Univision and 249,000 on TUDN for a 1.838 million. The combined 18-34 audience totaled 319,000.

For comparison, the French Open finals on NBC in Paris drew 756,000 for the women’s Swiatek-Paolini championship on Saturday and 1.621 million for Sunday’s Alcaraz-Zverev men’s final.

Saturday’s NBC Sports Olympic Trials special, which included wrestling, drew 644,000 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Air France is going to be busy this summer; it announced Wednesday:

“Based on reservations made at this stage, the company expects to carry 20% of all athletes and para-athletes travelling to Paris and France, i.e., 1 in 5 athletes, mainly from Brazil, the United States, Italy and Japan.

“In terms of the different categories of athlete, the company plans to carry 15% of Olympic athletes and 35% of Paralympic athletes. 13% of the “Olympic family”, comprising mainly members of the National Olympic Committees and the International Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games will also travel on Air France.

“Over the summer of 2024, Air France expects to carry up to 125,000 customers per day, equivalent to the volumes during summer 2019. Athletes, delegations and supporters will be arriving en masse over 24, 25 and 26 July, and departing on 11, 12 and 13 August, with a peak in traffic expected on 12 August. Traffic peaks are also expected during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Supporters for these two competitions flying with Air France will be arriving mainly from the United States, UK, Italy, Germany and Japan.”

The IOC unveiled two new athlete services for 2024, to be housed at the Olympic Village, the Athlete365 Mind Zone and the Olympic Village Nursery.

The Athlete365 Mind Zone is the first space in an Olympic Village looking after the athletes’ mental health, and Olympic Village Nursery will provide a space for playtime and family bonding for athlete parents:

“The Nursery does not provide childcare, but is rather a dedicated and quiet space for Olympians and Paralympians to have quality time with their children. It can be booked for a private or shared timeslot through an online booking system.”

● Paralympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizing committee proposed the additional of Para Climbing to the program of the 2028 Paralympic Games, the first time an organizing committee has asked to add extra sports to the Paralympic program.

The 22 core sports for the 2028 Paralympic Games were approved by the International Paralympic Committee in January 2023: Blind Football (soccer), Boccia, Goalball, Para Archery, Para Athletics, Para Badminton, Para Canoe, Para Cycling, Para Equestrian, Para Judo, Para Powerlifting, Para Rowing, Para Swimming, Para Table Tennis, Para Taekwondo, Para Triathlon, Shooting Para Sport, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis.

Para Climbing, as an added sport, can be formally approved at the IPC Governing Board meeting on 26 June.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi (SUI) said the IOC Executive Board received an upbeat report on the preparation for 2026:

“The crux of the report was really the presence of Simico CEO [Fabio Massimo] Saldini, going into the details of each of the venues that they are in charge of developing in the next few months.

“So, very reassuring, very detailed report on each of them, including the bob and luge track. I will not comment any further than saying that so far the initial steps are according to timeline. But we have also said, and on numerous occasions, that this is an extremely tight timeline.

“The same goes for the ski jumping hills in Val di Fiemme, which have suffered delays in their construction. A new homologation and testing scheme is being put in place with the international federation, the FIS.”

Dubi added that Milan Cortina is also developing a ticketing program that assures strong attendance and sufficient revenue against their budget.

● International Testing Agency ● The IOC Executive Board founded the ITA in 2017 with a $30 million grant and on Wednesday, an additional $10 million donation was authorized for the period of 2025-28. The announcement noted:

“The ITA, pursuing a sustainable financial model that mainly relies on revenues from the over 70 international sports bodies to which it delivers programmes, has been able to reduce its reliance on the IOC’s Olympic Movement financial contribution to only 9 per cent of its annual budget. This figure is lower than anticipated at the inception of the Agency, and demonstrates its increased financial independence.”

● Russia ● The BRICS Games in Kazan were opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (12th), and will continue through the 24th. Initial reports were of 4,751 participants from 60 countries – 90 have been invited – competing in 27 sports and 387 events.

(BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.)

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC announced a new licensing deal with New Era Cap, which “will provide exclusive headwear to U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, beginning with the moment they make the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through their experiences in Paris.”

This is the first U.S. Olympic team product agreement with a “headwear-focused brand” and American athletes “will receive three additional New Era caps – a bucket hat, a beret, and a trucker-style cap – that are exclusive to Olympians and Paralympians.”

The licensing deal also includes the LA28 organizing committee, with specific products to be created for sale.

Team USA hats and caps from New Era are on sale now.

● Athletics ● The 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome came to a close on Wednesday, with strong performances in the final two days that included multiple world-leading performances:

● Men/High Jump: 2.37 m (7-9 1/4), Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)
● Men/Triple Jump: 18.04 m (59-2 1/4), Pedro Pichardo (POR)
● Men/Triple Jump: 18.18 m (59-7 3/4), Jordan Diaz (ESP)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 52.49, Femke Bol (NED)
● Women/Long Jump: 7.22 m (23-8 1/4), Malaika Mihambo (GER)

Tamberi, the co-Olympic champ in Tokyo, thrilled the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, won the men’s high jump at 2.31 m (7-7), , then cleared 2.34 m (7-8) and 2.37 m (7-9 1/4) on his first tries for his third European title, also in 2016 and 2022. Ukraine’s Vladyslav Lavskyy was second, equaling his lifetime best of 2.29 m (7-6).

The triple jump was sensational, with Portugal’s Olympic champ Pablo Pedro Pichardo taking the world lead in round two at 18.04 m (59-2 1/4), his third-longest jump ever. But Spain’s Diaz – like Pichardo, a former Cuban – exploded in round five to 18.18 m (59-7 3/4), moving him to third all-time!

Dutch star Boll had the lead from the second hurdle on in the women’s 400 m hurdles final and breezed to a 52.49 win, a full 1.6 seconds up on Louise Maraval (FRA), 52.49 to 54.23. Bol defended her 2022 title and from 21-24 has won nine European titles, both indoor and outdoor.

In the women’s long jump, Germany’s Mihambo – also Olympic champ in Tokyo – ended the proceedings early, throwing down a massive 7.22 m (23-8 1/4) winner in round two. It’s her second-best jump ever and best in five years! Italy’s Larissa Iapichino moved to no. 3 on the outdoor world list in second at 6.94 m (22-9 1/4).

Norway’s Olympic 1,500 m champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the lead just 600 m into the men’s 1,500 final and did not relinquish it, winning his sixth Euro outdoor track title (he’s only 23) in 3:31.95, with Belgium’s Jochen Vermeulen getting a lifetime best for second in 3:33.30.

Teammate Karsten Warholm won his third European gold in succession in the 400 m hurdles in 46.98, astonishingly, not among his personal top-10 fastest races! He was well ahead of a national record 47.50 by Italy’s Alessandro Sibilio.

Dominic Lobalu, a refugee from South Sudan now running for Switzerland, followed up his 5,000 m bronze with a final-lap win in the men’s 10,000 m in 28:00.32, ahead of France’s Yann Schrub (28:00.48).

Mondo Duplantis (SWE) took his third European title in the men’s vault, winning at 5.92 m (19-5), then cleared 5.97 m (19-7) and 6.10 m (20-0) before going to a world record 6.25 m (20-6) and missing three times. Greek Emmanouil Karalis boosted himself to no. 3 on the outdoor world list in second at 5.87 m (19-3).

Tokyo Olympic javelin silver winner Jakub Vadleych (CZE) moved up from second in 2022 to European Champion with his final-round 88.65 m (290-10) bomb that also makes him no. 2 on the world list this season. He overtook German Julian Weber, the 2022 winner, who reached 85.94 m (281-11) in the first round, but could not improve.

Estonia’s Johannes Erm moved to no. 2 in the world for 2024 with his 8,764 in the decathlon, a lifetime best, with Norway’s Sander Skotheim second at 8,635. World-record holder Kevin Mayer (FRA) was fifth at 8,476.

Italy capped off a great meet with a 37.82 win in the men’s 4×100 m, with the Netherlands a distant second in 38.46. Only the U.S. (37.40) has run faster among national teams. Belgium, with 400 m champ Alexander Doom on anchor, won the 4×4 in 2:59.84 (which would have placed fourth at the NCAA meet), ahead of Italy in 3:00.81.

Swiss Mujinga Kambundji repeated as European women’s 200 m champ at 22.49 (+0.7), just ahead of Daryll Neita (GBR: 22.50). World 800 m leader Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) didn’t feel well, but led wire-to-wire to win the 800 in 1:58.65, ahead of Gabriela Gajanova (SVK: 1:58.79).

Italy’s Nadia Battocletti completed a 5-10 double with a national record 30:51.32 runaway in the women’s 10,000 m in 30:51.32. Diane van Es (NED) got a lifetime best in second in 30:57.24.

Great Britain, with Neita on anchor, won the 4×100 m in 41.91, no. 2 in 2024, with France (42.15) second. Bol anchored in 50.45 to help the Netherlands win the 4×4 in 3:22.39, also no. 2 among national teams in 2024. Ireland was a close second in 3:22.71 and Belgium was right behind at 3:22.95.

Austria’s world no. 2 Victoria Hudson got her first European medal with a 64.62 m (212-0) win in the javelin.

Italy triumphed on the medal table with 24 in all (11-9-4), followed by France with 16 (4-5-7) and Great Britain with 13 (4-4-5).

The Athletics Integrity Unit has added charges of tampering against already-suspended distance stars Mohamed Katir (ESP: suspended to February 2026) and Lawrence Cherono (KEN).

Katir, the 2022 Worlds 1,500 m bronzer and 2023 Worlds 5,000 m runner-up, was banned for “whereabouts” failures; Cherono, a 2:03;04 marathoner from 2020, has been charged with the use of trimetazidine and provisionally suspended; the tampering charge is additional.

Association of Track & Field Statisticians Treasurer Tom Casacky kindly provided the official attendance figures for the NCAA T&F Championships in Eugene last week:

● 5 June: Day 1 – 8,668
● 6 June: Day 2 – 9,458
● 7 June: Day 3 – 9,997
● 8 June: Day 4 – 9,802

The total is 37,925, a far cry from what was observed in the stands at Hayward Field. But those are the “official” figures.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball formally named its women’s Olympic team on Tuesday, with a goal of an eighth consecutive gold medal in Paris, and selected 12 players who already own a combined 15 Olympic golds.

Diana Taurasi will be trying for a sixth Olympic gold, with Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson all returning from the Tokyo 2020 championship team. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young won at Tokyo as members of the USA 3×3 Women’s National Team.

A six-member Women’s National Team Committee, chaired by Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Jen Rizzotti told The Associated Press why sensational newcomer Caitlin Clark was not selected:

“[W]hen you base your decision on criteria, there were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes. Then sometimes it comes down to position, style of play for [coach] Cheryl [Reeve] and then sometimes a vote. …

“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about [Clark] in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl.”

Clark – or someone else – could still be selected in case of injuries or illness which would sideline one of the already-named players.

One of the greatest players and one of the most gifted executives in the history of basketball, Jerry West, passed away on Wednesday at age 86 in Los Angeles.

The brilliance of his career in basketball is illustrated by his election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times: as a member of the 1960 Olympic champion basketball team, as a 14-time NBA All-Star in 1980 and as a contributor, to be enshrined later this year.

He starred at West Virginia, co-captained the 1960 Olympic team with Oscar Robertson and then was a 10-time All-NBA First Team performer for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 14-year career from 1961-74. He annually elevated his play during the playoffs, earning the nickname, “Mr. Clutch.” His 1972 Lakers won the NBA title and enjoyed a record 33-game winning streak during the season. Across 14 seasons, he averaged 27.0 points per game (with no three-point shot), 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.

West coached the Lakers for three seasons, then became the team’s general manager in 1982 and shepherded the team through the “Showtime” period with five NBA titles. He rebuilt the team in the 1990s with Phil Jackson as coach and Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant as the stars, but left before their championship run began.

He became the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-07, was an executive board member with the Golden State Warriors from 2011-17 and consulted with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2017-24.

● Football ● The U.S. men got another test before its Copa America schedule starts on 23 June, facing powerful Brazil in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, but showed real progress with a hard-fought, 1-1 draw.

The iconic Brazilians, perpetually on offense, had 60% of possession in the first half and scored first with a 19th-minute goal by Rodrygo. A clever pass from Raphinha from right to left reached an open Rodrygo at the left edge of the penalty area and he sent a liner across the U.S. goal and into the net for the 1-0 lead.

The U.S. equalized soon after as midfield star Christian Pulisic sent a hard, right-footed bounding free kick from the top of the box in the 26th. That’s how the half ended, with Brazil taking eight shots to six for the Americans.

Brazil dominated most of the play to start the second half, but could not score on U.S. keeper Matt Turner. Pulisic had a great chance to give the U.S. the lead in the 68th, shooting all alone with a liner from the left of goal, but Brazil’s star keeper Alisson got his left hand on it and made the save.

In the last 20 minutes of the second half, the game turned into end-to-end rushes. Rodrygo was in on Turner in the 74th, almost face-to-face, and sent a hard shot, but Turner slapped it away with his left hand. Pulisic made a gorgeous pass to sub striker Brenden Aaronson right in front of Alisson in the 83rd and had a point-blank chance, but the Brazilian keeper rejected it. And Pulisic barely missed a diagonal shot from left to right in the 86th aimed at the far edge of the Brazilian goal.

And Turner had to reject a last Brazilian chance on the final play of the match at 90+6 on a Vinicius Junior shot off of a corner to save the draw.

The U.S. entered the game with a 1-18 record all-time against Brazil and got its first draw in the series, a marked improvement from the 5-1 rout by Colombia last Saturday. Brazil finished with 61% possession and a 24-12 advantage on shots, but had to settle for the draw.

● Skating ● At the International Skating Union Congress in Las Vegas, delegates gave President Jae Youl Kim (KOR) his requested endorsement of the federation’s Vision 2030 plan and agreed to move forward with re-drafting of the ISU Constitution to bring it up to date.

Also approved was a new approach to investments of the federation’s considerable reserves to allow for better returns, seen as crucial to keeping or eliminating future operating deficits, currently projected for each year through to 2029.

On the ice, Urgent Proposal 11 was passed, allowing sponsor logos on athlete uniforms; for figure skating:

“[T]hey may display on their person and their clothing not more than six advertising markings, trademarks, logos or other distinguishing signs (hereafter called “markings”), provided they are dignified and with a maximum of 60 cm2 each and do not refer to tobacco or alcohol while being off the ice including in the “kiss and cry” area, the television interview area, during the official warm-up before the competitive performance and during practice sessions.

“One marking of the clothing supplier may also be displayed, not larger than 30 cm2. No markings are permitted on boots or blades, except for the boot manufacturer’s name on the boot heel not larger than 10 cm2 and one engraved identification of the manufacturer not larger than 20 cm2 on each blade and each blade guard.”

So, look for “clothing suppliers” to have their logos on figure skating costumes in the future; given the design of some costumes, this will be interesting.

In Short Track, the ISU Short Track World Cup series is being renamed the Short Track World Tour for greater visibility.

The ISU Congress will continue through Friday.

● Swimming ● Australian Freestyle star Ariarne Titmus barely missed breaking her own women’s 400 m Free world record on the first day of the Australian Olympic Trials on Monday, but smashed the 200 m Free world mark on Wednesday!

She had to to win, with 2023 World Champion Mollie O’Callaghan in hot pursuit, and Titmus touched in 1:52.23, breaking O’Callaghan’s 2023 mark of 1:52.85 from 2023. O’Callaghan was second in 1:52.48, the no. 2 performance ever.

In the women’s 100 m Back, world-record holder Kaylee McKeown won in 57.41, the second-fastest time in history, missing her own mark by 0.08. O’Callaghan was (again) not far behind in 57.88, no. 3 in the world for 2024 and no. 4 on the all-time list!

Cameron McEvoy, the 2023 World Champion in the men’s 50 m Free, won that race in 21.35, a time only he and Britain’s Ben Proud have bettered this year.

The meet continues through Saturday.

SwimSwam.com reported that the final number of swimmers qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis landed at 1,007.

About 950 are expected to actually compete in the meet, which starts Saturday.

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow her to swim at the U.S. Olympic Trials because she had no standing to challenge her status.

The CAS decision, issued on Monday (10th), pointed out:

“The panel concludes that since the Athlete is not entitled to participate in ‘Elite Event’ within the meaning of USA Swimming Policy, let alone to compete in a [World Aquatics] competition, which occurs upon registration with WA prior to a competition or upon setting a performance which leads to a request for registration as WA world record, she is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions.

“The policy and the operational requirements are simply not triggered by her current status.”

She’s not registered.

Thomas has not competed at all since the 2022 NCAA Championships – a short-course meet – and posted no long-course times at all since transitioning during the qualifying period that began on 29 November 2022 and concluded on 9 June.

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TSX REPORT: Salt Lake City projects $4 billion 2034 budget; Int’l Skating sees losses for the rest of the 2020s; why Fred Kerley left ASICS

Rich Perelman

June 11, 2024

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Salt Lake City details $4 billion budget for 2034 bid
2. ISU shows $9.565 million loss for 2023 and more coming
3. Kerley: “more to something than what meets the eyes”
4. Not too many track & field fans in Eugene, or in Rome
5. Sharp increase in early NCAA T&F Champs viewing

● The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games unveiled its detailed budget for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games, with a total income of about $4 billion and an all-private-sector, balanced budget that includes contingency plans for both cost overruns and revenue shortfalls. The net operating budget – in 2034 dollars – is almost exactly the same as the 2002 Winter Games actual costs, inflated to 2034 levels!

● The International Skating Union Congress is on in Las Vegas, with a warning from President Jae Youl Kim: “unless we take bold measures today to improve our content,” the fan base will wither away. The financial statements showed losses in 2022 and 2023 and the projections showed losses continuing to 2029!

● World 100 m champ Fred Kerley walked away from his 100 m race in New York on Sunday and walked away from his ASICS sponsorship, two weeks before the Olympic Trials. On Monday, more details came out about the situation and why Kerley and ASICS decided to “part ways.” His performances over the last two years tell the tale.

● Attendance at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene was poor, barely more than half-full on the best days, but even worse at the European Championships in Rome. Ticket sales for the meet at the famed Stadio Olimpico was termed “a disaster” as the meet opened and other than Saturday night’s men’s 100 m final, has been poor throughout.

● In contrast, the U.S. television audiences for the first two days of the NCAA Track & Field meet were way up from recent years, with a combined 597,000 on ESPN2, up 58% from the 2023 figures, also from ESPN! Wow!

● World Championships: Modern Pentathlon (Korea sweeps men’s and women’s relays) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (new French parliament elections should not hinder Games) = Athletics (4: Moon stars at own vault invitational; Doom impressive in 44.15 400 m win at Euros; Netflix “Sprint” series to debut 2 July; three more Kenyan doping suspensions) = Figure Skating (2: Tennell and Liu back on ice for 2024-25 season; famed coach Carroll passes at 85) = Football (2: three Spanish fans sentenced to jail for racism; Berhalter sees 5-1 loss to Colombia as a wake-up call) = Swimming (world leads for Titmus and McKeown at Australian trials) ●

● Errata: A couple of errors on Monday. Houston’s Louis Hinchliffe won the 100 m with no second “c” in his name, and Elliott Cook’s runner-up time in the 1,500 m was 3:39.57, not 3:39.47. Thanks to Alan Mazursky and Olivier Bourgoin for the corrections! ●

● Schedule: Owing to a prior commitment, no post will appear on Wednesday. Back on Thursday! ●

1.
Salt Lake City details $4 billion budget for 2034 bid

After more than 100 revisions and incorporating data on each employee and hundreds of line items needed for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games found that its actual operating budget was … almost identical to what the 2002 Winter Games cost.

Yes, there’s a lot of math involved and valuations of costs out to 2034 dollars, but during a Monday briefing, the operating cost – that’s different than the total cost – of the 2034 Winter Games was projected at $2.83 billion, vs. $2.84 billion from the 2002 Games, recalculated for inflation to 2034.

The total cost is projected – again, in 2034 dollars, with roughly a 20% inflation factor added in – at $3.998 billion:

Revenues:
● $1.800 billion: domestic sponsorship
● $1.190 billion: tickets and hospitality
● $751 million: IOC contribution
● $200 million: licensing and merchandising
● $307 million: donations, disposal, other
● –$251 million: contingency

Expenses:
● $843 million: sponsorship revenue sharing
● $793 million: sports, services, operations
● $500 million: staff
● $430 million: administration, governance, sustainability
● $407 million: technology
● $374 million: communications, design, marketing
● $309 million: venue preparation
● $133 million: ceremonies and cultural programs
● $210 million: contingency

After netting out the $843 domestic sponsorship joint venture with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and some related expenses, the “core operations” budget is estimated at $2.83 billion.

The budget and the accompanying bid questionnaire responses note that there is no government subsidy at all, even for the Paralympic Games. And there is no venue construction required at all, even though the number of events has expanded from 78 events to 116.

People are a major expense component of the Games, but in order to keep expenses as low as possible, only a tiny staff is envisioned from 2024-28, perhaps only 10 people, to continue planning and maintain communications and discussions with stakeholders. In 2034, a projected 1,700 staff – plus thousands of volunteers – will be needed to operate the Games.

A separate joint sales team with the USOPC analogous to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties group now established for the 2028 Los Angeles Games will be created, but after the 2028 effort is completed and closed.

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board meets this week and is expected to accept a recommendation of its Winter Future Host Commission on Wednesday to submit the Salt Lake City-Utah candidature to the IOC Session in Paris for the formal award of the 2034 Winter Games.

2.
ISU shows $9.565 million loss for 2023 and more coming

“In the recent years, the ISU revenues have been stagnating, … and it is expected to go down unless we take bold measures today to improve our content. I know this because I have been talking to the existing commercial partners about their contracts. They want to pay us less once contracts expire in 2026 and 2027. So we have to act now to make our content more attractive.”

That’s International Skating Union President Jae Youl Kim (KOR) at the ISU Congress ongoing in Las Vegas, Nevada, campaigning for the adoption of a new vision for skating – figure, speed, short track and synchro – to be fully implemented by 2030.

He bemoaned ratings data from the U.S. (NBC) that while 1.6 million Americans watched the World Figure Skating Championships last March, only 2.4% were under age 35. Kim continued:

“Let’s be very open. Our fan base is aging. Unless we attract new, younger-generation fans, who’s going to come to our competitions 20 years from now, 30 years from now, after all of us retire? This thought keeps me up at night.”

The federation’s concerns also extended to the 2023 ISU financial statements, now available. For last year, ISU revenues – in Swiss francs: CHF 1 = $1.12 U.S. – remained steady at CHF 35.860 million vs. CHF 35.523 million in 2022. Operating expenses were up only slightly, to CHF 38.472 million from CHF 37.454 million in 2022.

So, the ISU had relatively modest operating losses both years at CHF 2.611 million for 2023 after CHF 1.930 million in 2022. But the federation took a pounding on the exchange rate between a stronger U.S. dollars that heavily impacted its CHF holdings.

With a loss of CHF 8.573 million on finances, the ISU lost CHF 11.097 million for the year ($12.380 million U.S.), which was down from CHF 19.069 million in 2022 ($21.273 million U.S.).

This was cushioned somewhat by a final television rights payment from the International Olympic Committee from the 2022 Winter Games of CHF 7.500 million, reducing the actual loss for 2023 to CHF 3.597 million ($4.013 million U.S.).

However, the ISU noted that as it receives most of its revenues in U.S. dollars and pays for most of its expanded in dollars, it will switch its functional currency “at the end of the current accounting period.”

Kim’s worrying announcement about future revenues is a call to action, although the ISU is quite financially healthy. Its statement show reserves at the end of 2023 of CHF 276.932 million, or about $308.943 million U.S. Nevertheless, the financial projections shown to delegates on Monday had operating deficits of between CHF 13.7 million and 17.2 million in each year of 2024-25-26-27-28-29! The planned turnaround in investment income would create a bottom-line surplus in 2029.

(A slide in U.S. dollars showed deficits of $15.7 million to $19.6 million over the same six years, with a $1 million net income, thanks to investments, in 2029.)

The ISU Congress will be considering multiple new concepts. One proposal is on lifting the ban on somersaults in figure skating. Possibly spectacular, such stunts could also be dangerous, and will any approvals be conditioned on the use of helmets as well?

3.
Kerley: “more to something than what meets the eyes”

Yes, the NCAA Track & Field Championships were great, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles were stars at the NYC Grand Prix on Sunday. But the buzz is about U.S. sprint star Fred Kerley.

The 2022 World 100 m Champion signed a sponsorship deal with ASICS in early 2023, and despite ASICS being a primary sponsor of the NYC Grand Prix, came to Icahn Stadium wearing Puma spikes.

His blocks slipped on the first start of the men’s 100 m, then he appeared to simply false start, but said the blocks slipped again. Then he walked away, and left the track, annoyed at the situation. He told reporters afterwards he left his ASICS spikes at the airport.

After the meet, Chris Chavez of Citius Magazine reported later a statement from ASICS: “ASICS and Fred Kerley have mutually parted ways and he is no longer an ASICS sponsored athlete. We wish him the best in his career.”

Kerley tweeted Monday, “there is more to something than what meets the eyes” and posted a video of himself running a sprint workout. What is going on here?

Former U.S. and Nigerian sprinter Rae Edwards of @RaesTake TV – a 10.00 man himself from 2010, and a two-time Pan Am Games relay bronze medalist – offered some answers.

● He replied to Chavez that Kerley and ASICS “had parted ways way before New York. Not after what happened today.”

● He explained that Kerley had been adamant that “He has not liked the spikes that ASICS has given him.” That’s at the core of what’s going on.

● And Edwards added this, as Kerley has walked away from what was reportedly a big contract with ASICS: “Fred is the first athlete that I know that has been on that level – the top level – to where, it’s ‘no, I’m going to do what I want to do.’”

Jonathon Gault of LetsRun.com posted Monday:

“FYI I asked Fred Kerley’s agent Ricky Simms yesterday about what kit/shoes he plans on wearing at the Olympic Trials. Here’s what he said:

“’He does not have a new sponsorship agreement. He is free to wear his choice of footwear and apparel for now.’”

Edwards emphasized that Kerley made a remarkable decision to leave his principal sponsor in what is truly an athlete’s-first choice … because the most important meet to him is coming up in two weeks – the Olympic Trials – and he’s not going to make the U.S. team with the spikes he was wearing.

Check out Kerley’s progression (and spikes) since he switched to the 100 m full-time in 2021:

● 2021: 9.84 ~ Olympic 100 m silver (Nike): 11/19 races sub-10
● 2022: 9.76 ~ World 100 m Champion (Nike): 9/10 races sub-10
● 2023: 9.88 ~ Worlds 100 m semifinalist (ASICS) 7/8 races sub-10
● 2024: 10.03 ~ World list no. 32 (ASICS): 0/4 races sub-10

Of his 10 fastest 100 m times, only one was with ASICS spikes – his 9.88 in Yokohama (JPN) in May 2023. The rest were in Nike spikes.

The first round of the men’s 100 m at the Trials will be on Saturday, 22 June, at 6:22 p.m. He has that long to get the right spikes and be ready. What a story!

4.
Not too many track & field fans in Eugene, or in Rome

The NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene were compelling and even spectacular in places, with lots of surprises and star performances from Mississippi’s McKenzie Long, Florida’s Parker Valby and many more … but not so many fans.

No official attendance figures were noted, but the 12,650-seat new Hayward Field – which was pretty much full for the Prefontaine Classic on 25 May, was at best perhaps 35-40% of capacity on the first two days, including the teams sitting in the stands.

For the final days for men and women on Friday and Saturday, it wasn’t much better, perhaps 45-50%? And everyone was crowded into the home straight, with the backstraight full of empty seats. There’s a good reason for that: if you’re sitting in front of the roofline, it’s pretty hot on that side.

Eugene has hosted 10 of the last 15 NCAA Track & Field Championships (2010-24) and will host 2025, 2026 and 2027. In the same period, it has also held the U.S. nationals (USATF) eight times and the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

Add in the Pre Classic, and while Eugene is clearly “TrackTown USA,” it no longer supports the sport as strongly as it used to in terms of attendance. There are too many meets, and in 2024, the local choice has clearly been to go to the one-day Pre meet and then go to the U.S. Olympic Trials from 21-30 June. The NCAA was the odd-meet-out this year.

Whether that changes in the future is anyone’s guess, but what appears clear is that the community’s attachment to the new facility is not nearly as close as to the original, much more modest venue that opened in 1919.

Eugene is not alone, and it may be worse in Rome, as the much-larger Stadio Olimpico appears to have about the same number of fans as Hayward Field … for the European Championships!

Veteran British observer Pat Butcher, in his “Globerunner” blog, noted last week:

“[T]he gulf between spectator and [TV] viewer will be emphasised even more, because there weren’t even 10,000 attendees in the revamped stadium which hosted the 1960 Olympic Games. And given that at least a thousand of those were knots of vocal foreign supporters, it’s worth asking ‘whither stadium athletics in future?’ at least for this event whose proximity to the Olympic Games in Paris has severely affected entries.”

He observed that the meet was (unusually) being shown on two Italian channels and wondered if this “suggests that some sports may be better confined to the box.”

The Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano – The Daily Fact – went further, with Lorenzo Vendemiale explaining in detail last Friday:

“As revealed by Il Fatto in recent days, just a few hours after the inauguration, just 80 thousand tickets were sold over six days of competitions, including those discounted or given away. We are stuck at 30-35% of availability.

“And we are talking about a capacity that has already been reduced from the usual 65,000 at the Olimpico to less than 40,000 seats, due to the needs of athletics (jumping platform, giant screens, technical and photographer area, etc.). The average is around 15 thousand spectators per day, but if we consider that Saturday evening with [Lamont Marcell] Jacobs‘ 100 meters will be almost sold-out, there will be sessions with 4-5 thousand present. It’s true that the numbers of athletics are certainly not those of football, but here you risk making a fool of yourself.”

His report further noted that this edition of the Europeans is being supported with €13 million in public funding (about $14.0 million U.S.), and that European Athletics chief executive Christian Milz (SUI) said in an email message seen by the newspaper that “To be honest with you, this is a disaster.”

After the pre-event sales were low – “either due to the marginal importance of the event itself or due to the lack of promotion” – tickets have been heavily discounted and “now the tickets are practically given away, with the initiative of 1 euro entry for students and teachers on the opening day, in a desperate attempt to fill the stands.”

Observed: This is what is heard increasingly from athletes, who see themselves more as performers, but too often without an audience to perform for. Their on-the-track excellence has not been matched by the promoters.

Butcher’s comments that track & field’s future may be a television sport and not an in-stadium spectator event is worth considering against the backdrop of the noisy crowd at 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium in New York for Sunday’s NYC Grand Prix.

There were stands only on one side, but there were repeated comments from the athletes about how they loved the noise.

5.
Sharp increase in early NCAA T&F Champs viewing

Although Hayward Field was hardly full for the NCAAs, the first two days saw a sharp increase in viewership compared with recent years.

Nielsen data for the men’s first day on Wednesday and women’s first day in Thursday – both on ESPN2 – totaled 597,000, way up from the first two days in 2023 (379,000, up 58%), in 2022 (312,000, up 91%) and 2021 (442,000, up 35%):

● 5 June (Wed.): 340,000 on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern
● 6 June (Thu.): 257,000 on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern
● 7 June (Fri.): not available yet (9 p.m. Eastern)
● 8 June (Sat.): not available yet (5:30 p.m. Eastern)

2023 in Austin: 948,000 combined total
● 7 June (Wed.): 152,000 on ESPN2
● 8 June (Thu.): 227,000 on ESPN2
● 9 June (Fri.): 176,000 on ESPN2
● 10 Jun. (Sat.): 393,000 on ESPN2

2022 in Eugene: 1,178,000 combined total
● 8 June (Wed.): 187,000 on ESPN2
● 9 June (Thu.): 125,000 on ESPN 2 (estimate)
● 10 Jun. (Fri.): 263,000 on ESPN2
● 11 Jun. (Sat.): 603,000 on ESPN

2021 in Eugene: 909,000 combined total
● 9 June (Wed.): 206,000 on ESPN2
● 10 Jun. (Thu.): 236,000 on ESPN2
● 11 Jun. (Fri.): 233,000 on ESPN2
● 12 Jun. (Sat.): 234,000 on ESPNU

Audience data for Friday and Saturday’s shows will be available later in the week.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Modern Pentathlon ● Two relay titles were decided on Monday at the UIPM Worlds in Zhengzhou (CHN), with Korea sweeping both the men’s and women’s Team relay.

Tokyo bronze medalist Woong-tae Jun and Chang-wan Seo teamed up in the men’s relay and dominated, winning in fencing, placing third in riding and second in swimming to pile up a big lead. They finished with the second-fastest Laser Run and won with 1,466 points to 1,442 for Ukraine’s Maksym Aharushev and Oleksandr Tovkai.

It’s Jun’s fourth Worlds relay gold, also in 2016-17-19, and his seventh overall!

Sun-woo Kim and Seung-min Seong were even stronger in the women’s relay, winning by 1,321 to 1,282 over Haydy Morsy and Amira Kandil of Egypt. Kim and Seong were second in fencing and riding, won the swimming and won the Laser Run for Korea’s first women’s relay victory; their best prior finish was third in 2022.

The 2024 Worlds will continue through the 16th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A sharp projected defeat for French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party in European Parliament elections caused him to dissolve the French Parliament on Sunday, with snap elections to be held on 30 June and 7 July, less than three weeks prior to the 26 July opening of the Olympic Games.

Macron’s Renaissance Party is projected to receive less than half of the 32% currently shown for the right-wing National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen. Macron, as President, was separately elected and will serve to 2027, so his role at the Games is assured.

On Monday, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) voiced no concerns: “France is used to holding elections and they will do it once again. There will be a new parliament, a new government, and everybody will support the Olympic Games.”

Paris 2024 organizing committee chief Tony Estanguet, agreed, adding, “There have been a dozen elections since we became candidates to host the Olympics. Regardless of who is in charge, we have always been able to work with the political authorities.”

● Athletics ●/from Jill Jaracz of the Keep The Flame Alive podcast/The first Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic at Olmsted Falls (Ohio) High School was a success for her with about 2,800 people in attendance on Saturday – standing right on the field, next to the runway – and a win for Moon as well.

Moon, the reigning Olympic champion – and world leader at 4.85 m (15-11) – has been slowed by Achilles tendinosis, but came in at 4.53 m (14-10 1/4) and cleared on her second try. She won the event at 4.63 m (15-2 1/4) with a second-try clearance and made 4.73 m (15-6 1/4) on her first. She missed three times at 4.86 m (15-11 1/4).

Emily Grove was second at 4.58 m (15-0 1/4). Said Moon:

“Everything about this is a dream come true. My results never happen without this community and the support, so it’s just so meaningful to be here and to do it in front of them to show them what they helped create.”

Of her injury, Moon said she felt rusty, but more jumps are getting her ready for the Olympic Trials:

“It’s definitely not gone, but it is so much better. Each week it’s getting better and better, and so that, more than anything, I’m just so thrilled with. By the end in my last couple trips down the runway, I really started to feel more like myself in the run, and that’s all you can ask for.”

At the European Championships in Rome, Belgium’s Alexander Doom confirmed himself as a medal contender for Paris with a runaway win in the men’s 400 m.

Doom won the World Indoor 400 m title in March over Norwegian 400 m hurdles superstar Karsten Warholm, and won his first outdoor European title in a sterling 44.15, now no. 4 on the 2024 world list. He was well clear of runner-up Charles Dobson (GBR), in a lifetime best of 44.38.

The men’s 200 m was more pedestrian, with Swiss Timothe Mumenthaler winning in 20.28 (wind: +0.8 m/s), ahead of Italian star Filippo Tortu (20.41). Three-time European Cross Country medalist Alexis Miellet got his first track medal, a win in the men’s Steeple in a lifetime best of 8:14.01, leading teammate Djilali Bedrani (8:14.36) for a 1-2 finish.

The women’s 400 m went to Polish star Natalia Kaczmarek, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, in a season’s best 48.98, now no. 3 in 2024. Last year’s NCAA champ for Texas, Ireland’s Rashidat Adeleke got the silver in 49.07 – a national record – and Lieke Klaver (NED) took third in 50.08.

Swiss Angelica Moser, the 2021 Euro Indoor winner, won the women’s vault and moved to no. 3 on the 2024 world list at 4.78 m (15-8 1/4), turning back Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist Katerina Stefanidi (GRE: 4.73 m/15-6 1/4).

Italy continued its fabulous meet with Sara Fantini’s win in the women’s hammer, reaching 74.18 m (243-4) on her fourth throw to move up from third in 2022. Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk, a four-time European champ, was second at 72.92 m (239-3), a seasonal best.

The Euros continue through Wednesday.

The Netflix series “Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans” will debut on 2 July and the trailer is now available. The series will highlight American stars Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and others, across six episodes.

Three more Kenyan provisional suspensions from the Athletics Integrity Unit: Sophy Jepchirchir for testosterone, and Judith Jerubet and Jackline Jeptanui for triamcinolone acetonide.

Jepchirchir, 30, was second in the women’s division of the Milano Marathon on 7 April in 2:27:12; Jerubet, 35, is a 2:25:54 marathoner from 2023, and Jeptanui, 38, has run 2:38:44 for the marathon in 2022.

● Figure Skating ● They’re back: two-time U.S. women’s champions Bradie Tennell and Alysia Liu are both now scheduled to be in action in the ISU Grand Prix Series this fall.

Tennell is slated to skate at Skate America (18-20 October) and the NHK Trophy in Tokyo (JPN) in November, while Liu is entered in Skate Canada from 25-27 October, and in Tokyo as well.

The other U.S. women’s entries include Isabeau Levito (Skate America and the Finlandia Trophy in November), Ava Marie Ziegler at Skate Canada and the Cup of China in November, Amber Glenn at the Grand Prix de France in November and the Cup of China, and Lindsay Thorngren at the NHK Trophy and Finlandia Trophy.

Tennell, 26, skated in the 2023 World Championships, but broke an ankle in training before the 2023-24 season. Liu, 18, announced her retirement on 9 April 2022, but posted an Instagram video in March saying she was returning to the ice.

Sad news of the passing of legendary U.S. coach Frank Carroll, 85, on Sunday (9th), after a battle with cancer. He mentored multiple Olympic and Worlds medalists including Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, Tim Goebel and many more.

He began coaching in 1960; NBC Sports’ Nick Zaccardi noted, “He coached at least one skater at every Olympics from 1998 through 2018, the year he retired from coaching elite skaters.”

He is a member of both the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

● Football ● Three fans who racially abused Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior (BRA) during a game at Valencia in May 2023 pled guilty and were sentenced to eight months in prison in the first racism-related convictions in Spain.

The Associated Press reported:

“The sentence found the defendants guilty of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.

“The fans, who were sitting behind one of the goals at Mestalla [Stadium], made monkey gestures and sounds toward Vinícius, who immediately called attention of the referee and pointed to the fans in the stands. The Brazil forward had tears in his eyes as fans throughout the stadium continued to jeer him.”

The three fans, who were not identified, are also banned from entering football stadiums for two years and must pay court costs. The plea deal reduced their potential jeopardy from a full year in prison and three years away from stadia, after the defendants showed remorse, and read out an apology in court.

Colombia’s 5-1 rout of the U.S. men’s team last Saturday was a wake-up call for the squad, according to coach Gregg Berhalter. Trailing only 2-1, the U.S. gave up three goals in the final 13 minutes, all on losses of possession in their own end. Said Berhalter:

“From the 75th minute on, it was I think a lack of respect for our opponent [and] the game of soccer, what we were doing. We’re not framing it a lesson learned, we’ll frame it as a wake-up call.”

He praised the U.S. effort to score a goal in the 58th to a cut 2-0 halftime deficit to 2-1, and noted that “we got back into the game, how we were aggressive, how we had them on their heels. They were struggling for a moment when it was 2-1, and we weren’t able to capitalize on it, and then the game went to pieces. There were some positive chunks of the game, but again, what I’m looking at right now, 5-1? It’s not good enough, that’s for sure.”

The U.S. plays Brazil on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, in advance of the opening of the Copa America – being played in the U.S. this time – on 20 June.

● Swimming ● The Australian Olympic Trials have started in Brisbane, with world-record holder Ariarne Titmus putting everyone on notice in the women’s 400 m Free, winning in the second-fastest time ever, 3:55.44. That’s just 0.06 off of her 2023 world record.

Kaylee McKeown, the 100-200 m Olympic Back champion, took the world lead for 2024 in the 200 m Medley, winning in 2:06.63, making her the no. 3 performer of all time.

Sam Williamson won the 100 m Breast in 58.80, now no. 6 in the world for 2024. The Trials continue through Saturday.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Fab T&F weekend for McLaughlin-Levrone, Florida men, Long, Valby; media blows up over Clark non-selection

Rich Perelman

June 10, 2024

tsx pix 2024-609 McKenzie Long (reed jones ole miss sports) — Three wins (and two world leads) for Mississippi's McKenzie Long at the NCAA Champs! (Photo: Reed Jones, courtesy Ole Miss Sports)

★ 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 ≡

1. McLaughlin-Levrone, Lyles dominate in New York
2. NCAA men: Surprises galore, as Florida three-peats!
3. NCAA women: Long triples, Valby, Smith double, Hogs run wild!
4. Media outraged over Clark being skipped for Paris
5. Now the Milan Cortina 2026 ski jumps aren’t ready

● This was quite a weekend for track & field fans, punctuated Sunday by a spectacular 48.75 400 m performance from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in New York in stiff wind conditions, fastest in 2024. There was also a 19.77 200 m win for Noah Lyles, plus multiple world leads at the European Champs in Rome. And what about Fred Kerley?

● Amid upset after upset at the NCAA men’s championships in Eugene, Florida somehow threaded its way through a crowded field and won its third straight team title, finishing third in the 4×400 m relay to win by a point over Auburn, 41-40.

● The stars were out at the NCAA women’s championships, with Mississippi’s McKenzie Long taking the 100, getting two world leads in the 200 m plus a fab second leg on the 4×100 m for three wins. Distance star Parker Valby of Florida won twice, giving her five NCAA titles in one academic year!

● News media across the nation blew up after news leaked on Friday that WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark would not be named to the U.S. Olympic basketball team by USA Basketball. It was reported her popularity was a problem (why?), but the choices were instead of other, veteran WNBA players.

● More complications for the Milan Cortina organizers of the 2026 Winter Games, as the ski jumps at Val di Fiemme will not be available for the FIS World Cup season – the expected test event for 2026 – due to renovations. Instead, tests will be made in the summer (?) of 2025.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (open-water test event canceled due to rains and sewage overflows in the Seine) = European Olympic Committees (Krakow-Malopolska yielded €3 million operating surplus) = Archery (no. 1 Kaufhold shines in SoCal Showdown) = Badminton (China wins for at Indonesia Open) = Basketball (U.S. men win again in FIBA U-18 AmeriCup) = Beach Volleyball (U.S.’s Cheng and Hughes impressive in Elite 16 win in Ostrava) = Canoe-Kayak (Fox sisters claim three silvers in Slalom World Cup II) = Cycling (3: Roglic takes Criterium du Dauphine; Kopecky takes Women’s Tour of Britain; Bruni and Hoell takes World Cup Downhill) = Football (Colombia trounces U.S. men, 5-1, in friendly) = Gymnastics (Brazil takes four golds at Pan Am Rhytnmics) = Shooting (McIntosh wins World Cup women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions) ●

1.
McLaughlin-Levrone, Lyles dominate in New York

If you’re a track & field fan, this was quite a weekend, with the NCAA Championships in Eugene, the European Championships ongoing in Rome and the USATF NYC Grand Prix on Sunday. All together, 11 world-leading marks (or ties) in eight events were made:

● Men/Long Jump: 8.41 m (27-7 1/4), Simon Ehammer (SUI)
● Men/Long Jump: 8.65 m (28-4 1/2), Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) (twice)
● Men/Decathlon: 8,961, Leo Neugebauer (GER)
● Women/200 m: 21.95, McKenzie Long (USA)
● Women/200 m: 21.83, McKenzie Long (USA)
● Women/400 m: 48.89, Nickisha Pryce (JAM)
● Women/400 m: 48.75, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.31, Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA)
● Women/4×400 m: 3:17.96, Arkansas (GBR-JAM-USA)
● Women/Triple Jump: 14.85 m (48-8 3/4) (tie), Ana Peleteiro-Compaore (ESP)
● Women/Heptathlon: 6,848, Nafi Thiam (BEL)

At the NYC Grand Prix, the Icahn Stadium stands were full, but pesky winds bedeviled the sprinters and jumpers, with headwinds facing everyone on the straightaway.

Everyone except Olympic and World Champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Running only her fifth race of the year and first at 400 m, she started in lane five and had made up the staggers on all three racers ahead of her with 180 m to go and ran unchallenged to the finish – clearly impacted by the headwind on the straight – in a world-leading 48.75!

That’s just 5/100ths behind the American Record of 48.70 by Sanya Richards-Ross from 2006 and 1/100th off her lifetime best of 48.74 from 2023 (no. 10 performer ever). She will now look forward to the U.S. Olympic Trials back in Oregon, beginning on 21 June. Far behind in second was Talitha Diggs in 50.91 and Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams in third in 50.94.

The last race of the day was the men’s 200 m, featuring World Champion Noah Lyles in his season opener at the distance, but technical issues delayed his start. A recall was made due to block slippage in lane five for younger brother Josephus Lyles, and then multiple athletes asked for new blocks, which had been a problem all day.

After an 11-minute delay, everyone who wanted new blocks got them and meet staff members stood on the back of everyone’s blocks for the start. Starting from lane seven, Lyles made up the stagger on Brandon Carnes to his outside just 80 m into the race and stormed into the straight for an impressive 19.77 win into a 1.6 m/s headwind – statistically worth 0.09 – so he could have run 19.68 with zero wind!

Former NCAA champ Joseph Fahnbulleh (LBA) came on with his trademark finish, from fifth to second, in 20.15, with Josephus Lyles third in 20.51.

The wind held down performances, but there was a lot of interesting things going on.

The men’s 100 m was wild, with a recall and a warning to the field, then 2022 World Champion Fred Kerley false-started. He said his blocks slipped, had them re-set, but then walked away from the track. Jamaica’s Sandrey Davison, in lane one, also asked for – and got – a new set of blocks, didn’t like those and was moved to Kerley’s lane five.

About eight minutes later, the race finally started and former Stanford star Udodi Onwuzurike (NGR) got the lead after about 10 m and held on to win in a modest 10.24 (wind -0.7 m/s). Kendal Williams of the U.S. closed for second in 10.25 and Pjai Austin was third in 10.26.

Then things got crazy. Kerley was not disqualified, but was shown as “did not start.” Signed with ASICS – one of the meet sponsors – in 2023, he was wearing Puma spikes! He said afterwards:

● “They was just taking too long. I was requesting for some new blocks, one of my pads was broken. I slipped the first time and I slipped the second time and I’m not going to [have that] happen a third time. … I was not DQ’d.”

● Asked about the switch from ASICS to Puma, he said “I ain’t switch it up. I left my bag at the airport.”

● Chris Chavez of Citius Magazine reported later a statement from ASICS: “ASICS and Fred Kerley have mutually parted ways and he is no longer an ASICS sponsored athlete. We wish him the best in his career.” Wow; not the last you will hear about this story. Added Kerley: “This is a small meet; the bigger meet is in two weeks.”

London 2012 champ Kirani James (GRN) got the early lead in the 400 m, but there were four in contention down the final straight. Chris Bailey of the U.S. came up in lane seven to challenge in the last 10 m, but James broke the tape in a seasonal best of 44.55, then Bailey in 44.73 and Rio 2016 champion Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) in 44.74.

Mexico’s Jesus Tonatiu Lopez – the national record holder – had the lead after the bell over Isaiah Jewitt of the U.S. and could not be passed. He held off a fading Jewett and a charging Wes Ferguson of the U.S. to win in 1:44.96, with Ferguson at 1:45.06, Joey Hoey at 1:45.35 and then Jewett fourth in 1:45.41.

The men’s 1,500 m was an encouraging win for 2022 World Champion Jake Wightman (GBR), who ripped off a 52.59 final lap to win in a seasonal best of 3:34.01, edging Americans Eric Holt (3:34.05 lifetime best), Hobbs Kessler (3:34.41), Vince Ciattei (3:34.62) and a lifetime best for distance star Grant Fisher (3:34.90).

Trey Cunningham, the 2022 Worlds silver medalist, ran away with the 110 m hurdles in 13.21 (-0.8), leading almost from the start. Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell came up late for second in 13.28.

In the field events, Dontavious Hill got a lifetime best in the high jump and was the only one to clear 2.26 (7-5), ahead of Earnie Sears at 2.23 m (7-3 3/4), and Marquis Dendy, the 2016 World Indoor Champion, took the long jump at 8.07 m (26-5 3/4) in the fifth round, just ahead of Carey McLeod (JAM) at 7.97 m (26-1 3/4).

Donald Scott of the U.S. won the triple jump with his second-round try of 16.94 m (55-7), with Jordan Scott (JAM) second at 16.92 m (55-6 1/4). American Donavan Banks won the javelin at 79.20 m (259-10), ahead of Jordan Davis (78.72 m/258-3) and Curtis Thompson (78.63 m/257-11).

The women’s 100 m was run into 2.1 m/s headwind, so the times were slow. On the outside, Rio 2016 relay gold medalist Morolake Akinosun had the lead in mid-race, but in the middle of the track, three-time U.S. champ Aleia Hobbs got to the front at 80 m. But she was out-leaned by Nigeria’s Favour Ofili (11.18), and by Akinosun in second (11.20); Hobbs was third at 11.21.

Two-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica was again having trouble, finishing ninth in 11.48 and having to be carried off the track for treatment with a lower right leg injury. Her prospects for Paris do not look good.

Worlds 200 m silver winner Gabby Thomas was fourth in the 100 m in 10.34, then doubled back and was only third off the turn in the women’s 200 m, but then charged home and ran away from the field to win in an impressive 22.42 into a 3.1 m/s headwind. Tamara Clark and Jenna Prandini were distant in second and third in 22.79 and 22.96.

Sage Hurta-Klecker took over on the final lap to win the women’s 800 m in 2:00.33, just ahead of Olivia Baker (2:00.73) and Sammy Watson (2:00.91).

A fabulous field in the 100 m hurdles, but World Indoor Champion Devynne Charlton (BAH) not only got the best start, but held her form beautifully and won in 12.56 into a headwind (-1.9). American Alaysha Johnson came hard at the end for second in 12.58 and world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR) got third in 12.66.

Vashti Cunningham had no trouble in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.95 m (6-4 3/4) on her first try. Canada’s World Indoor champ Sarah Mitton took the shot at 20.15 m (66-1 1/2), with Tokyo silver medalist Raven Saunders of the U.S. – now back from a whereabouts suspension – second at 19.11 m (62-8 1/2).

World leader and World Indoor Champion Tara Davis-Woodhall was long jumping on the far side of the track and far away from the grandstand, but it didn’t matter. She exploded in round three, reaching 7.14 m (23-5 1/4) into a headwind, a mark no one else has reached this year. Fellow Americans Jasmine Moore and Quanesha Burks were 2-3 in 6.88 m (22-7) and 6.86 m (22-6 1/4).

The women’s javelin was a surprise, with Kara Winger – who retired after her sensational second-place finish at the 2022 Worlds in Eugene – back in action and winning at 63.22 m (207-5), just short of the 64.00 Olympic qualifying standard, but now no. 11 on the world list for 2024. She is qualified to compete at the Olympic Trials. Former American Record holder Maggie Malone Hardin was second at 59.93 m (196-7).

Four events were held on Saturday, with Alex Rose (SAM) winning the men’s discus at 66.18 m (217-1) and Daniel Haugh of the U.S. winning the hammer at 77.76 m (255-1). World leader Yaime Perez (CUB) took the women’s discus with her first throw of 68.31 m (224-1) and Rachel Tanczos of the U.S. won the hammer at 73.55 m (241-3).

Meanwhile, the European Championships are on in Rome, at the Stadio Olimpico, with startling results in the men’s long jump and women’s hurdles!

First, Swiss decathlete (and long jumper) Simon Ehammer got a world lead at 8.41 m (27-7 1/4) in the qualifying round! But that was nothing compared to the final, where Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) went wild: a world-leading 8.42 m (27-7 1/2) in the first round, then 8.49 m (27-10 1/4) in round three and 8.65 m (28-4 1/2) in round five, which he matched in round six!

It moves Tentoglou to equal-13th all-time and was a meet record. Italian star Matteo Furlani’s 8.38 m (27-6) world junior record in second was almost lost in the excitement, with Ehammer third at 8.31 m (27-3 1/4).

The women’s 100 m hurdles was equally special, with France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela improving her lifetime best by 0.21 in Rome, first to 12.43 in the semis, then to a fabulous 12.31 in the final (+0.8), now equal-10th all-time! She beat Swiss Ditaji Kambundji (12.40) and Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska (12.42), both of whom got national records.

In the men’s 100 m, Tokyo Olympic champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA) ran a season’s best of 10.02 to win (+0.7), with teammate Chituru Ali second in 10.05. Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen checked off one of his 2024 goals with a win in the 5,000 m in 13:20.11, taking the lead at the bell and winning over George Mills (GBR: 13:21.38) and Dominic Lobalu (SUI: 13:21.61).

France’s Gabriel Tual made his move with 200 m to go and won the men’s 800 m at 1:44.87, beating Mohamed Attaoui (ESP: 1:45.20) and Catalin Tecuceanu (1:45.40). Italy’s Lorenzo Simonelli got a huge win in the 110 m hurdles in 13.05 (+0.6), moving him to no. 2 this season and easily winning over Enrique Llopis (ESP: 13.16).

Italy went 1-2 in the men’s Half Marathon, with Yemaneberhan Crippa – the 2022 Euro 10,000 m champ – winning in the final 300 m in 1:01:03, with teammate Pietro Riva (1:01:04) surging for silver over German Amanal Petros (1:01:07).

Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri dominated the shot as expected, winning with 22.45 m (7308). And Slovenia’s giant 2022 World Champion, Kristjian Ceh, won the discus at a modest 68.08 m (223-4), handing Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna his first loss of the season (third at 67.458 m/221-5).

Tokyo Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki (POL) won his third straight European title in the hammer with a season’s best of 80.95 m (265-7), moving to no. 3 on the world list. Hungary’s Bence Halasz was second at 80.49 m (264-1).

In the women’s 100 m final, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith won her second European title – and first since 2018 – with a 10.99 win (+0.7) , with Poland’s Ewa Swoboda barely out-leaning Zaynab Dosso (ITA), with both in 11.02.

Irish star Ciara Mageean – silver winner in 2022 – closed hard of the final turn and sprinted to the 1,500 m victory in 4:04.66, ahead of Georgia Bell (GBR: 4:05.33). France’s Alice Finot made a big move on the final lap to win the Steeple in 9:16.22, with two-time Euro champ Gesa Krause (GER) second in 9:18.06, just ahead of Elizabeth Bird (GBR: 9:18.39).

Italy’s Nadia Battoclietti won the 5,000 m in 14:35.29, moving to no. 13 on the world list for 2024. Karoline Grovdal (NOR) had to settle for silver after being out-sprinted, then won the Half Marathon easily in 1:08:09.

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh defended her 2022 European title with a seasonal best of 2.01 m (6-7) on her second attempt, to defeat 2022 bronze winner Angelina Topic (SRB), who made 1.97 m (6-5 1/2). Spain’s Tokyo bronze winner Ana Peleteiro-Compaore equaled the world lead with her fourth-round triple jump of 14.85 m (48-8 3/4) and won over Tugba Danismaz (TUR: 14.57 m/47-9 3/4 national record).

Dutch shot star Jessica Schilder defended her 2022 Euro gold with a win at 18.77 m (61-7), ahead of teammate Jorinde van Klinken (18.67 m/61-3). Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic (nee Perkovic) won her seventh European title in the discus with a seasonal best of 67.04 m (219-11), with van Klinken second at 65.99 m (216-6).

Belgium’s two-time Olympic heptathlon gold medalist, Nafi Thiam, showed she is ready to defend, winning the heptathlon by more than 200 points with a world-leading 6,848 – her third European title – her third-best score ever!

Ireland won the Mixed 4×400 m over Italy, 3:09.92 to 3:10.69. The Europeans continue through Wednesday.

2.
NCAA men: Surprises galore, as Florida three-peats!

The final day of the men’s NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon hardly followed the script, but an exciting meet came down to the 4×400 m relay to determine the team champion.

The men’s 100 m was a stunner, with Britain’s Louis Hinchliffe in the mix off the start, but came on strong in the last 30 m and got to the line first in a lifetime best of 9.95 (wind: 0.2 m/s), ahead of national co-leader Favour Ashe (NGR-Auburn) in lane two at 9.99. Hinchliffe had never broken 10 seconds with legal wind before, and moved to no. 10 in the world for 2024 and may have run himself onto the British team for Paris 2024!

Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot (UGA) was the favorite in the 200 m off his 19.75 seasonal best, and the race was no contest. But it was Penn State’s Cheickna Traore (CIV) who had the lead by the 50 m mark and stormed into the straight unopposed, winning in 19.95 (-0.1). Behind him, South Florida’s Saminu Abdul-Rasheed (GHA) moved up in the final 25 m for second, but was passed at the line by Florida senior Robert Gregory for second, 20.08 to 20.12, with Orogot fourth (20.14).

The world leader in the 400 m, Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams (Georgia) was the 400 m favorite, but USC star Johnnie Blockberger and Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson held the lead going into the final straight. But Morales Williams was strong, moving up steadily and winning in the final 50 m in 44.47. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi (NGR) also moved late to get second (44.52), ahead of JeVaughn Powell (Florida: 44.54) and Blockberger (44.90).

The men’s 800 m had collegiate leader Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M) as the favorite, but Clemson’s Tarees Rhoden (JAM) had the early lead over 2023 runner-up Yusuf Bizimana (GBR-Texas), were 1-2 at the bell and maintained those spots into the final straight. But when the sprinting started, it was Whitmarsh charging to the lead through the traffic, but on the outside, Virginia’s Shane Cohen was flying in the final 50 m and got to the line first in 1:44.97, with Whitmarsh second in 1:45.10; Rhodes faded to fourth in 1:45.70.

The 1,500 m started slowly at 62.5 for the first 400, then 62.0 for the second 400, and with Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona) barely in front at the bell and holding on through 1,400 m. Oregon’s Elliott Cook took the lead with 50 m left, but Washington’s Joe Waskom – the 2022 NCAA champ – was pushing hard and won at the line in 3:39.48 to 3:39.57; Waskom finished in 52.6, while Sahlman faded to fourth in 3:39.92.

That’s three NCAA 1,500 m titles in a row for Washington, after Nathan Green won last year; that’s the first single-school three-peat in the event since Don Paige and Sydney Maree for Villanova in 1979-80-81.

Virginia’s Nathan Mountain, fourth last year, led the 3,000 m Steeple with two laps to go and at the bell, with three close behind. Georgetown’s Parker Stokes – third in 2022 – moved up on the backstraight and after Mountain took a hard final water jump, surged on the straight and won going away in 8:24.58 for his third top-8 finish in the last four years. Mountain was second in 8:25.71.

The 5,000 m was typically slow, and pack was still all in contact with three laps to go. Then Northern Arizona’s Brodey Hasty got to the front with two laps left, and Harvard’s Graham Blanks – the NCAA Cross Country champ – blew into the lead on the first turn and the running was on. Blanks pulled a pack of five away from the field at the bell, with Nico Young (NAU) closest. Young took the lead with 200 m left, with North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe and defending champ Ky Robinson (AUS-Stanford) chasing him into the straight. Wolfe had the best speed and sprinted away to win in 13:54.43, with Young and Robinson second and third, in 13:54.65 and 13:55.00.

All eyes were on Auburn frosh – and national leader – Ja’Kobe Tharp in the 110 m hurdles, but Nebraska’s Darius Luff was in front over the first hurdle and ran clean to the line at 13.19 (+0.1), moving to no. 8 in the world in 2024. Tharp was behind, but moved hard in the last half, taking second over the ninth hurdle and finishing at 13.20. Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott also came late to get third in 13.27.

Defending champ Chris Robinson of Alabama ran faster than he did to win in 2023, but no one could touch Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean in the 400 m hurdles. Fourth last year, he was well in front on the final turn and sailed home with a lifetime best of 47.23, moving to no. 4 on the world list for 2024! Robinson was good, a clear second in 47.98, 0.15 better than his winning time last season.

On the infield, Jamaican Romaine Beckford (Arkansas) was the only one to clear 2.26 m (7-5) and defended his 2023 title, when he was at South Florida. Salif Mane (USA) of Fairleigh Dickinson, fifth last year, got off a fabulous first triple jump of 17.14 m (56-2 3/4) and no one could catch him! Miami senior (and 2023 runner-up) Russell Robinson got close, reaching 17.13 m (56-2 1/4) in round five, but had to settle for second.

The decisive action in the discus came in round three, as South Africa’s Francois Prinsloo reached 63.61 m (208-4) and was the clear winner over USC frosh Racquil Broderick who got out to 61.77 m (202-8) in round four.

Let’s save the relays for last. In the 4×100 m, Auburn took over with Dario Matau (RSA) and Maka Charamba (ZIM) in the last half of the race, winning in 38.03, the fourth-fastest mark in collegiate history. Only the U.S. and Canada have run faster in the world in 2024! Defending champion LSU came up late to edge Houston for second, 38.21 to 38.25.

The meet came down to the 4×400 m relay, with Auburn at 40, Florida at 35 and USC and Alabama at 32, but the Tigers did not have a 4×4 team. Alabama or USC would have to win to take the team title, but if neither won and Florida got third, it would win. Its 400 m third-placer Powell ran a brilliant 44.34 second leg to break the race open and hand off first, but the lead shrank with Rios Prude (44.91) on the third leg with Texas A&M’s Kimar Farguharson (JAM) splitting 44.38 to pass almost together.

Florida’s Jenoah McKiver looked good on anchor coming into the final straight, but A&M’s Robinson, only eighth in the 400 m, stunned over the final 100 m, passed a stumbling McKiver, and head-bobbed a 43.20 split to win in a collegiate-leading 2:58.37, a meet record! McKiver slowed badly in the final 30 m, running 43.91 and was passed by Arkansas’ James Benson II’s 43.18 (!) split to get second in 2:58.83, to 2:58.98 for Florida in third.

That third-place finish gave the Gators six points and a 41-40 win over Auburn for the national outdoor title from 2012-24, the third in a row for Florida and coach Mike Holloway. It’s his seventh outdoor men’s title and 12th national title including indoor track. And he had his women’s squad ready for an assault on another title on Saturday.

3.
NCAA women: Long triples, Valby, Smith double, Hogs run wild!

Saturday’s brilliant final day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon saw a triple win (with help) from McKenzie Long of Mississippi, a never-before-seen “super-sweep” in the 400 m, multiple collegiate records, and meet doubles from Florida’s Parker Valby and Texas’ Ackelia Smith. This was special.

The first running event, the 4x100m was a showcase for Ole Miss’s Long, charging into the lead on the second leg and then Gabrielle Mathews ran a fabulous curve and Jahniya Bowers finished it in 42.34. LSU and South Carolina went 2-3 in 42.57 and 42.63.

Long came back in the 100 m, but got out behind LSU’s Brianna Lyston (JAM) and Oregon’s Jadyn Mays (Oregon), but came on in mid-race and was in front with 40 m to go and got an impressive win in a wind-aided 10.82 (+2.2 m/s). Lyston held on for second (10.89w), but Mays (10.95w) was passed by Rosemary Chukwuma (NGR-Texas Tech: 10.90w) for third.

Long was the big favorite in the 200 m, improving her world lead to 21.95 in the heats. And she delivered, staying close on the turn, then bursting into the lead over JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) and Mays, and rolling to a sensational win in 21.83 (+1.0), another world lead and tying the great Evelyn Ashford for no. 10 on the all-time U.S. list! Ford, a frosh, got second in 22.08 and Mays was third in 22.19. Next up for Ford: the Olympic Trials.

Arkansas came into the 400 m with the top three performers on the season, with Nickisha Pryce (JAM), Kaylyn Brown and Amber Anning (GBR). Arkansas was lined up in lanes 5-6-7-8 and while Rosey Effiong moved best early, Pryce took over around the final turn and finished strong with a collegiate record and world-leading 48.89! Brown chased her home in 49.13, then Anning (49.59) and Effiong in 49.72, a 1-2-3-4 sweep, reportedly the first time ever in NCAA history!

That scored 29 points for the Razorbacks and gave them the meet lead at 44-43, and the four stars now rank 1-2-4-5 on the 2024 world list! Wow!

LSU’s Michaela Rose came in as the defending champ and had the four fastest times in the nation this season. Rose took over with 300 m to go and led NCAA Indoor champ Juliette Whitaker (Stanford) with 200 left and challenging into the straight. Whittaker had an extra gear, however and pushed away as Rose faded, winning in 1:59.61. Her teammate, Roisin Willis got second (2:00.17) with a final 10 m charge to pass Oklahoma State’s Gabija Galvydyte (LTU: 2:00.23). Rose ended up fourth in 2:01.03.

Defending champion Maia Ramsden (NZL-Harvard) stayed near the front of the 1,500 m on a slow pace, then took off with about 700 m to go and threw down a 61-second lap that gave her a commanding lead at the bell and she cruised home with a second straight title in 4:06.62. She’s the first repeater in this event since 2003-04 when Mississippi State’s Tiffany McWilliams did it.

Behind Ramsden, Kimberley May (NZL-Providence) passed home favorite Klaudia Kazimierska (POL-Oregon) around the final turn for second, 4:08.07 to 4:08.22.

In the Steeple, Alabama frosh Doris Lemngole (KEN) and defending champ Olivia Markezich (Notre Dame) both broke from the pack with three laps left. Lemngole had the lead at the bell and the Kenyan was too fast between the barriers and was well ahead out of the final water jump; she rolled home in a collegiate record of 9:15.24, now no. 7 on the 2024 world list! Markezich ran a lifetime best of 9:17.36 (no. 2 all-time collegiate; no. 9 worldwide in 2024) for second; Janette Schraft (Iowa State) surged on the straight for third in 9:34.82.

The Parker Valby show was on in the 5,000 m – she was the defending champion – and took the lead on the second lap. She and Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi (KEN) – second in the 10,000 m – broke away with 2,400 m to go, then Valby pushed away with 1,600 m left, heading for the win and looking for the Olympic qualifying mark of 14:52.00. She was at 13:42.60 at the bell and needed a near-69 second lap to get the mark, but came up just short with a lifetime best and collegiate record of 14:52.18 (69.59).

It’s her fifth NCAA title in one academic year – reportedly the first time it’s been done – with cross country, the 3,000 and 5,000 m and now the 5-10. And Florida for 10 important team points. Olemomi was second at 15:10.04 and Baily Herstenstein (Colorado) was third in 15:10.98.

Florida needed a big race from Grace Stark in the 100 m hurdles to stay in the team race and they got it, as she took over on the fifth hurdle and stormed to a 12.47 victory (-0.5) , now no. 9 on the 2024 world list. Washington State’s Maribel Caicedo (ECU) was a solid second in 12.56 and UCF’s Rayniah Jones came on late for third in 12.59. Stark moved up from fourth in 2021 and fifth in 2023 to own the podium this time.

Arkansas needed Rachel Glenn’s help in the 400 m hurdles, especially after she failed to score in the high jump, despite being the collegiate co-leader coming in and the NCAA Indoor champ. Defending champ Savannah Sutherland (CAN-Michigan) had other ideas and led the race on the backstraight and the turn over Glenn and looked good over the ninth hurdle. But USC’s Jasmine Jones had the speed on the straight, passed Glenn and then took the lead from Sutherland with about 20 m left and won in 53.15, moving her to no. 3 in the world in 2024!

Sutherland got a lifetime best of 53.26 in second (no. 4 in 2024) and Glenn was third in 54.11, scoring six points and extending Arkansas’ team lead.

Entering the final running event, the 4×400 m, Florida had a 59-53 lead on Arkansas, but how could the Razorbacks lose after super-sweeping the 400 m?

Anning went into the lead right away (50.52) and passed first to Effiong, who rolled to a 10 m lead on Georgia. Effiong ran 49.21 and Pryce blew up the race completely (49.20) and passed to Kaylin Brown on anchor (49.05) for a collegiate record of 3:17.96!

That’s by far the fastest in the world this year, the no. 10 performance in the event all-time, and the fastest ever by a non-national team! And the win clinched the team title for the Hogs, 63-59, over Florida, with Texas third (41).

The high jump lost 2021 champion Glenn of Arkansas at 1.82 m (5-11 1/2) in 13th. Defending champ Charity Hufnagel (Kentucky) was 12th and out at the same height. In the meantime, Rose Yerboah (GHA-Illinois), Elena Kulichenko (CYP-Georgia) and Temitope Adeshina (NGR-Texas Tech) all made 1.97 m (6-5 1/2) – all lifetime bests – and all also reached the Olympic qualifying standard for Paris!

All three missed 2.00 m (6-6 3/4), and Yeboah and Kulichenko decided to share the title, with Adeshina third.

Texas’ Ackelia Smith (JAM) completed the long jump-triple jump double, moving to no. 5 on the world list for 2024 at 14.52 m (47-7 3/4) in the fourth round. Three of her jumps would have won, with Darja Sopova (LAT-Illinois) second at 14.01 m (45-11 3/4).

National leader Veronica Fraley (Vanderbilt) won the discus with her fourth-round throw – a lifetime best – of 63.66 m (208-10), with Jayden Ulrich (Louisville) second at 63.05 m (206-10) from the second round.

Collegiate leader Timara Chapman (Texas A&M) stayed consistent to lead the heptathlon, placing third in the 100 m hurdles and high jump, seventh in the shot, fifth in the 200 m, second in the long jump and fourth in the javelin to enter the 800 m with a 116-point lead. Chapman finished third in her heat of the 800 m, and seventh overall to wrap up the title at 6,339. Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien got a lifetime best in second at 6.234.

Spectacular. Just spectacular.

4.
Media outraged over Clark being skipped for Paris

A meltdown is the only way to describe the reaction to reports of USA Basketball skipping over Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark for its 2024 U.S. team for Paris.

USA Today’s Christine Brennan posted on Saturday:

“Two other sources, both long-time U.S. basketball veterans with decades of experience in the women’s game, told USA TODAY Sports Friday that concern over how Clark’s millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time on a stacked roster was a factor in the decision making. If true, that would be an extraordinary admission of the tension that this multi-million-dollar sensation, who signs autographs for dozens of children before and after every game, has caused for the old guard of women’s basketball. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.”

The Associated Press reported that Diana Taurasi, a five-time gold medal winner, will try for a sixth gold at age 42 and will be joined by Olympic veterans Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson.

Griner, Stewart and Taurasi played on the 2016 and 2020 winners, with Collier, Gray, Loyd and Wilson on the Tokyo 2020 team. Tokyo women’s 3×3 gold medal winners Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, are also to be named.

Three members of the 2022 FIBA World Cup-winning team also made the Paris squad: Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu and Alyssa Thomas.

Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke, almost exploded:

“What this team needs is a reason for the casual fan to watch.

“With the roster as currently constituted, none of that is happening. I can confirm this from experience. I have covered 10 Olympics and rarely did I venture to the women’s tournament because there was little interest and no buzz amid solid veterans playing to a foregone conclusion.

“With Clark, everything changes. With Clark, there will be deafening buzz, overwhelming interest, millions watching.

“With Clark on the team, even if she just plays a few minutes a game, the greatness of the USA women’s game and its newfound popularity will be amplified, accentuated and celebrated.

“And isn’t that the role of the USA women’s basketball committee? To not only win a gold medal, but to make that medal shine by putting the USA dynasty in the best possible light?

“How is a team without Caitlin Clark doing this? What sort of discussions about the future of USA women’s basketball would not include her? What on earth are they thinking?”

USA Basketball has been silent and has not yet announced its Paris team. But it is getting lots of attention.

Clark said Sunday, “I’m excited for the girls that are on the team. I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way: me being on the team or me not being on the team. I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it will be fun to watch them.

“Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; it’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there.”

5.
Now the Milan Cortina 2026 ski jumps aren’t ready

“The facility on which the competitions for the 2026 Olympic Games will take place will not be ready in time for the planned World Cup date.”

That’s from the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS), which announced Friday:

“There has been one change to the ski jumping World Cup calendar for the coming winter, and it concerns the World Cup in Predazzo (ITA). The World Cup in Val di Fiemme, which was also supposed to be a test for the 2026 Olympic Games, has been canceled. …

“Last week, the FIS was informed by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026, that the ski jumping facility in Val di Fiemme will not be completed in time to host the 2025 test event, the Ski Jumping World Cup on 11 and 12 January 2025.

“The reason for the cancellation was communicated by the Province of Trento, which is responsible for the management and handover of the venue.

“There are reports of considerable delays in the construction of the facility. The venue is expected to be handed over at the end of April 2025.”

FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile (ITA) explained that there is no reason for worry:

“The facility should be ready in April or May 2025, we have been given a binding promise. We will therefore organize Grand Prix competitions at the facility in summer 2025 as part of our summer competition series. We will hold individual competitions, men’s super team and mixed team competitions, all as planned. Only in the summer.

“This event will definitely give us the important experience and testing we need before competing at the Olympic Games.”

The delays at Val di Fiemme come on top of the rushed construction schedule for the new sliding track being built in Cortina d’Ampezzo, also designated for test events in March of 2025. That construction effort passed its first test, of a small initial section, with the work continuing on an aggressive schedule.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● One of the issues being watched carefully in the run-up to the Games is the water quality in the Seine River, to be used for open-water swimming and triathlon.

An open-water swimming test event scheduled for this week has been canceled, due to heavy rains which created overflow discharges into the river, making the pollution levels too high. Agence France Presse reported that discharge levels of 349 cubic sq. m per second, vs. the desired level of 100.

One of the new treatment reservoirs built to handle such overflows has not yet begun service, but will later in June. A first reservoir was opened in April, and the cleaning of the river to once again allow swimming has been a signature effort of the City of Paris attached to the Games, at a cost of about $1.5 billion.

● European Olympic Committees ● Noted during the 53rd EOC General Assembly in Bucharest (ROU) were the good results of the III European Games in Poland last year. Said EOC head Spyros Capralos (GRE):

“I am also delighted to reveal that following the financial success of the European Games in Krakow and Malopolska, we will redistribute €3 million [~$3.24 million U.S.] to the NOCs – €500 for each participating athlete. This further underlines the EOC’s commitment to ensuring the NOCs receive the most comprehensive support we have ever been able to offer.”

The General Assembly also formally approved Istanbul as the host for the 2027 European Games.

● Archery ● World no. 1 Casey Kaufhold of the U.S. was a clear winner at the Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown in Chula Vista, California.

Kaufhold, 20, defeated Gabriela Schloesser (NED) by 6-0 in the final, winning her five elimination matches by 6-0, 6-5 over Samantha Ensign, 6-0, 6-2 and 6-0. Mexico’s Aida Roman won the bronze, 6-4, over Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez.

World no. 15 Jack Williams, the second-ranked American, won the men’s Recurve title with a 6-0 shutout of Gabe Anderson in the final, while Alex Gilliam took the bronze, 6-5, over Christian Stoddard.

● Badminton ● China swept to four wins in five events at the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, starting with an all-Chinese final in the Mixed Doubles and Zhen Bang Jiang and Ya Xin Wei sweeping Si Wei Zheng and Ya Qiong Huang (CHN), 21-11, 21-14.

Next came the only loss of the finals, as Koreans Ha Na Baek and So Hee Lee – second-seeded – defeated Qing Chen Chen and Yi Fan Jia (CHN), 21-17, 21-13. But Chinese stars won the last three events.

Worlds bronze medalist Yu Fei Chen (CHN) won a grueling battle with World Champion Se Young An (KOR), 21-14, 14-21, 21-18, then 2018 Worlds silver winner Yu Qi Shi (CHN) won over Worlds bronze medalist Anders Antonsen (DEN) in the men’s Singles final, 21-9, 12-21, 21-14.

The men’s Doubles finale saw second-seeds Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang (CHN) take down Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee (MAS), 19-21, 21-16, 21-12.

● Basketball ● The U.S. men entered the FIBA men’s U-18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires (ARG) as the six-time defending champions and having won 10 of the 12 tournaments contested all-time.

They had to face home favorite Argentina in the final, but it was no contest, as the Americans pulled away in the second quarter and won in a 110-70 rout.

The U.S. led, 24-23 at the quarter mark, then went on a 28-13 second-quarter run for a 52-36 lead at the half. After a 37-14 third quarter, the lead was 89-50, on the way to the 11th U.S. win in 13 editions of this tournament and seventh in a row.

The U.S. shot 52.4% from the field, led by point guard Darius Acuff Jr. with 26 points, guard Jasper Johnson with 19 and forward Nikolas Khamenia and center Daniel Jacobsen with 11 each. Argentina was held to 35.6% shooting; forward Tyler Kropp – a power forward from Powell, Ohio – led with 20 points.

Canada won the bronze, 89-67, for its eighth straight medal in this tournament and second consecutive third-place finish.

● Beach Volleyball ● The fifth of seven Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournament was held in Ostrava (CZE), with the 2023 World Champions – Americans Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes – getting their first win of the season.

Seeded fifth, they swept top-ranked Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa (BRA) in the semis and then out-fought 2019 World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (CAN) in the final by 21-13, 21-23, 15-12 in the final. Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova (LAT) swept aside Ramos and Lisboa in the third-place match, 21-18, 21-19.

The red-hot Swedes, top-ranked David Ahman and Jonaton Hellvig (SWE) won their second Elite 16 of the season in their third final, 21-19, 21-18 over Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot (NED). Americans Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh got an impressive bronze medal with a win over Olympic champs Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR) by 21-15, 21-14.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The famous Australian Fox sisters were all over the Slalom World Cup II in Prague (CZE), but had to settle for three silver medals.

First was Olympic C-1 champ Jessica Fox, with 48 career World Cup wins, who won silver medals in both the C-1 and K-1. Emma Vuitton (FRA) took the K-1 at 94.12 seconds (0 penalties), with Fox faster, but suffering four penalties to finish at 94.29 and Germany’s Tokyo K-1 winner Ricarda Funk at 94.40 (4).

Czech Gabriela Satkova thrilled the home fans with a win in the C-1 final over Fox, 96.35 (2) to 97.94 (4); American Evy Leibfarth was ninth at 162.37, having missed a gate (50). The two silvers for Fox give her a fabulous career total of 77 World Cup medals.

In the Kayak Cross, younger sister Noemie Fox also won silver, second to Angela Hug of France.

European men’s K-1 champion Giovanni de Gennaro (ITA) won the men’s race in 79.07 (0) over Mateusz Polaczyk (POL) 81.28 (0) and Jakub Krejci (CZE) 81.35 (0). In the C-1 final, Czech Jiri Prskavec, the Tokyo Olympic K-1 gold medalist, got his first career World Cup win in C-1 at 86.32 (0), beating 2023 World Champion Benjamin Savsek (SLO: 87.14/0) and 2023 Worlds runner-up Nicolas Gestin (FRA: 88.43/2).

Spain’s Manuel Ochoa won the Kayak cross final ahead of Tillmann Roeller (GER).

● Cycling ● After the massive crash that nullified stage 5 of the 76th Criterium du Dauphine in France, 2022 champion Primoz Roglic (SLO) got serious and rode away with two straight stage wins and won an eight-second victory over American Matteo Jorgenson.

Stage six had a late climb and an uphill finish at the end of 174.1 km and Roglic won by three seconds over Guilio Ciccone (ITA) and took the race lead by 19 seconds over Remco Evenepoel (BEL), also impacted by the crash. On Saturday, the 155.3 km route to Samoens 1600 had two more major climbs and another uphill finish, with Roglic winning at the line over Jorgenson in 4:29:16 as Evenepoel fell back in 13th. So, Roglic had a 1:02 lead going into Sunday’s 160.6 km eighth stage, more of a hilly course but with another uphill finish.

This time, it was Carlos Rodriguez (ESP) out-sprinting Jorgenson to the line in 4:18:02, with Roglic back in sixth, 48 seconds off the pace. That closed things up, but Roglic maintained an eight-second lead at the end, with Jorgenson next and Derek Gee (CAN: +0.36) third, and Evenepoel in seventh.

Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky won the first two stages of the 9th Women’s Tour of Britain and sailed to a 17-second win over Anna Henderson (GBR).

Kopecky won a mass sprint to take the opening stage on Thursday, then out-dueled Henderson to the line to win the 140.1 km second stage and maintain her lead. She was 17th in the mass-sprint finish of the flat third stage, won by Lorena Wiebes (NED), and continued her 17-second advantage on Henderson.

In Sunday’s hilly finale in and around Manchester, a group of 13 pushed for the finish and Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) won the stage in 2:37:51 over 99.2 km, with Kopecky fourth and Henderson 10th, all in the same time. That left the final standings with Kopecky up 17 seconds on Henderson and Christine Majerus (LUX) in third.

At the third Downhill leg of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series in Leogang (AUT), five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA) won for the second time in 3:05.523, a couple of seconds ahead of Canada’s Finn Iles, the 2016 World Junior Champion (3:07.917).

Austria’s Valentina Hoell, the 2022 and 2023 World Champion, also won for the second time this season, timing 3:40.141 to 3:47.243 for American Anna Newkirk, who won her first medal this season.

● Football ● The U.S. men entered Saturday’s friendly against Colombia in Landover, Maryland with an all-time record of 3-13-5 against the South Americans and had not won against Colombia since 2005.

After a 5-1 loss, the gap between the teams seemed even larger. Colombian forward Jhon Arias scored in the sixth minute off a pass that was deflected off a U.S. defender and after a positioning touch, beat U.S. keeper Matt Turner from about six yards out.

Striker Rafael Borre got a second goal for Colombia in the 19th on a bicycle kick from inside the box, following a failed U.S. clearance. That was the halftime score, with Colombia leading on shots, 8-6. Christian Pulisic hit the post for the U.S. with a header in the 32nd.

And the U.S. got back into it in the 58th as forward Tim Weah with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, across to the left corner.

But the visitors turned up the pressure after a series of substitutes, with the U.S. getting punished for repeatedly losing the ball on its half of the field. Sub midfielder Richard Rios scored in the 77th, then sub forward Jorge Carrascal in the 85th and sub forward Luis Sinisterra in the 88th to make the game a runaway. Colombia ended with a 15-10 shots edge, but the U.S. had more possession at 53%.

Colombia extended in unbeaten streak to 22 games. It doesn’t get easier for the U.S., with Brazil next on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

● Gymnastics ● Brazil was the big winner at the Pan American Rhythmic Championships in Guatemala City (GUA), starting with Barbara Sundays taking the All-Around at 130.150 points, just ahead of American Rin Keys (130.000) and Maria Alexandre (BRA: 129.550). Megan Chu of the U.S. was fifth (123.300).

Sundays also won on Hoop (34.300), leading a 1-2 with teammate Geovanna Santos (33.100), ahead of Chu (32.950) and Keys (32.850).

Alexandre won the Ball final, scoring 34.550 over Keys (33.400) and Chu (33.000), and on Ribbon at 33.150, with Sundays second (32.400) and keys and Chu in fourth and fifth. Keys won on Clubs (33.700) over Sundays (33.100) and Alexandre (31.300), with Alexandria Kautzman of the U.S. in fourth (29.400).

● Shooting ● In the final events of the ISSF World Cup in Munich (GER), Britain’s 2018 World 50 m Rifle/Prone gold medalist, Seonaid McIntosh won the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions title in a runaway, scoring 466.7 in the final to 462.6 for China’s Jiayu Han, the 2023 10 m Air Rifle champion.

Norway’s Ole Halvorsen won the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions gold at 464.3, ahead of Istvan Peni (HUN: 464.1), holding a 0.6-point lead with two shots remaining, but seeing the margin go down to 0.2.

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TSX REPORT: Big TV audience for Biles at U.S. Nationals; USA Gymnastics planning training center; Neugebauer scores 8,961 at NCAAs!

Rich Perelman

June 7, 2024

tsx pix 123117 biles, simone 750x500 — Simone Biles at the 2016 Olympic Games (by Agencia Brasil Fotografias via Wikipedia Commons)

★ 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 ≡

1. Big TV audience for Biles & Co. at U.S. Nationals
2. World leads for Neugebauer and Long at NCAA Champs
3. USA Gymnastics training center hoped to be ready pre-LA28
4. FIFA asked to pressure Saudi Arabia on labor over 2034 World Cup
5. Skating icon Heiden on Stolz: “once-in-a-generation talent”

● A strong viewing audience for the women’s finals at the USA Gymnastics nationals in Ft. Worth last weekend, drawing 2.285 million on NBC – second-most for a sports program on the day – to see Simone Biles claim a record ninth national title.

● At the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, German Leo Neugebauer (Texas) won the decathlon with a fabulous collegiate record 8,961 points, becoming the no. 6 performer in history. In the women’s prelims, McKenzie Long of Ole Miss improved on her world lead in the 200 m to 21.95!

● USA Gymnastics chief executive Li Li Leung told reporters prior to the start of last week’s national championships that the federation has made its way back from the Larry Nassar scandal and is now fixed on creating a new, national training center. Multiple locations are interested, and the hope is that it will open prior to the 2028 Olympic Games!

● Just as with the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, activist human rights organizations are insisting that FIFA use the awards of the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Portugal and Spain, and the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia as a lever to improve working conditions in each country. It’s already pretty shrill.

● In a meeting of speed skating greats, 1980 Olympic legend Eric Heiden presented the US Speedskating athlete of the year award to new star Jordon Stolz. Of the youngster, Heiden said he’s already a big fan, can have success at longer distances and is a “once-in-a-generation talent”

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: football tickets discounted for prelim matches; government asked for more Paralympic funding) = Russia (Minister says country not leaving the Olympic Movement) = Athletics (2: Kipruto’s team asserts innocence; more AIU doping suspensions) = Basketball (U.S. 3×3 women’s team confirmed for Paris) = Cycling (3: Glasgow ‘23 Worlds emissions less than 2022 World Athletics Champs in Eugene; Evenepoel leads Roglic in Criterium du Dauphine after stage 5 crash; Kopecky leads women’s Tour of Britain) = Equestrian (FEI reports CHF 57.4 million in 2023 revenues) = Sailing (World Sailing to split Worlds in 2026 and 2027) = Shooting (Olympic and Worlds medalists star at ISSF World Cup ) ●

1.
Big TV audience for Biles & Co. at U.S. Nationals

Have no doubt: Simone Biles is not only the greatest women’s gymnast in history, but also its biggest TV star.

The USA Gymnastics national championships in Ft. Worth, Texas had a big audience on Sunday night, as Biles, Suni Lee, Skye Blakely, Jade Carey and others performed with an eye toward qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis at the end of the month:

● 2 June: 724,000 on NBC for men’s finals (3:00 p.m. replay)
● 2 June: 2,285,000 on NBC for women’s finals (7:00 p.m. live)

However, it is also true that the magic is on network television and not on the finance-centric CNBC, which had much lower audiences for other sessions:

● 1 June: 126,000 on CNBC for men’s qualifying (12:00 p.m. replay)
● 1 June: 232,000 on CNBC for women’s qualifying (2:30 p.m. replay)
● 1 June: 208,000 on CNBC for men’s finals (8:00 p.m. live)

Note that a replay of the men’s finals on NBC drew 724,000 vs. a live audience of just 208,000 on CNBC.

As for the prized age 18-34 demographic, the women’s nationals had a very respectable 128,000 on Sunday and the men’s replay had 83,000. The CNBC shows averaged between 6,000-10,000 viewers in the 18-34 age group.

The 2.285 million audience for the women’s nationals finals was the no. 2 sports show of the show and the top sports show in its time slot. In its first hour of 7-8 p.m., gymnastics was third behind CBS’ “60 Minutes” (5.016 million) and ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (3.491 million). In the 8-9 p.m. slot, only “60 Minutes” did better (4.176 million).

Actually, the 2024 audience for the national was down a little from 2023, when Biles made her return to the scene, which averaged 2.66 million on NBC.

Nevertheless, this is good news for gymnastics and for NBC, which is looking to build up through the Olympic Trials coverage in swimming, track and gymnastics from 15-30 June and into a huge audience for the Olympic Games from Paris in July and August.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team’s two friendlies against South Korea got some attention on TNT:

● 1 June: 106,000 on TNT for USA-Korean women pre-game (4 p.m.)
● 1 June: 346,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women (5 p.m.)

● 4 June: 161,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women II pre-game (7:30 p.m.)
● 4 June: 462,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women II (8:00 p.m.)
● 4 June: 198,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women II post-game (10:00 p.m.)

Pretty interesting to see the 198,000 post-game audience on Tuesday, following up on the dazzling debut by 16-year-old Lily Yohannes.

The 1 June (Saturday) game vs. Korea had 33,000 viewers in the 18-34 demographic.

2.
World leads for Neugebauer and Long at NCAA Champs

Friday was women’s semifinals day at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and Mississippi’s McKenzie Long ran a world-leading 21.95 in the 200 m, but Germany’s Leo Neugebauer was making history in the final day of the decathlon.

Texas’ Neugebauer was ready to crush his 2023 collegiate record of 8,836, and on Wednesday, he won the long jump, shot put and high jump and scored a collegiate-record 4,685 first-day total. On Thursday, he was on fire again, running 14.36 for fifth in the 110 m hurdles, then winning the discus and pole vault. After a fourth in the javelin, he was at 8,309 with the 1,500 m left.

He ran steadily at the back of the pack in the 1,500 m and finished in 4:44.61, ending with another collegiate record, of 8,961, now no. 6 all-time, with the no. 6 score in history. He’s got to be a medal favorite for Paris. Mississippi State’s Peyton Bair was second with 8,131 points.

Long got her world leader in the 200 m semis, but there was another star attraction on the track in the women’s 10,000 m.

That would be four-time NCAA champ Parker Valby of Florida, trying for a 5-10 double and the collegiate record holder. The pace was slow, but Valby ran steadily, breaking away from everyone except Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi (KEN) with four laps to go and then breaking free with 1,200 m left, winning in a meet record of 31:46.09, with a 62.7 last lap. She’ll be back to try to defend her 5,000 m title on Saturday. Olemomoi got a lifetime best of 31:51.89 in second.

There were five field-event finals on Thursday:

● The hammer was held early and Iceland’s Elisabet Rut Runarsdottir (Texas State) moved up from seventh in 2023 to the title, winning at 70.47 m (231-2) over Rice’s Tara Simpson-Sullivan (GBR), at 69.96 m (229-5), who was fifth last year.

● Rutgers junior Chloe Timburg ended up winning the pole vault at 4.65 m (15-3), after Charlotte’s Riley Felts missed once at 4.60 m (15-1), 4.65 m and 4.70 m (15-5). Timburg then went to 4.71 m (15-5 1/2) for her final height, a lifetime best and a meet record; she’s now no. 6 on the 2024 world list. NCAA Indoor champ Hana Moll of Washington was third at 4.50 m (14-9).

● Defending champ Ackelia Smith (JAM-Texas) got control of the long jump in the third round with her first legal jump of 6.79 m (22-3 1/2). Only Florida’s Claire Bryant was close, at 6.74 m (22-1 1/2) in the fifth round, for second.

● Collegiate record holder Jaida Ross of Oregon, throwing on her home ring, won the shot easily, at 19.57 m (64-2 1/2) on her final throw. All six of her throws would have won, with Gabby Morris of Colorado State second at 18.66 m (61-2 3.4).

● Nebraska’s defending champ Rhema Otabor (BAH) bombed the field in the fifth round, reaching 64.19 m (210-7) and setting the collegiate record and moving no. 5 in the world for 2024! Texas A&M junior Lianna Davidson (AUS) got a lifetime best of 60.70 m (199-2) for second.

In the semis, Oregon star Jadyn Mays stormed to an 11.04 win in the first heat of the 100 m (wind: +1.5 m/s), but LSU’s Brianna Lyston zoomed to a 10.99 win (+0.7) in heat two. But Mississippi’s Long dominated heat three with a lifetime best of 10.91 (0.0) and moved up to equal-sixth in the world for 2024 with Lyston.

Mays got a lifetime best in the 200 m first heat and moved to seventh in the world at 22.27 (+1.1), but JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) ran hard on the turn and zipped to a 22.14 win (+1.2), just 0.03 off her seasonal best. Long – the world leader at 22.03 – looked sensational and got a new world lead at 21.95 (+0.3)! Wow.

The women’s 400 m was expected to be all about Arkansas and Amber Anning (GBR) won heat one in 50.67, then Nickisha Pryce (JAM) and Rosey Effiong were 1-2 in heat two in 49.87 and 50.42! In heat three, frosh Kaylyn Brown completed the Hog sweep, running away in 49.82! Those were the top four times of the day; amazing.

Penn State’s Hayley Kitching (AUS) was a surprise winner in the first heat of the 800 m in 2:01.47, then defending champ and collegiate leader Michaela Rose of LSU ran away with heat two in 1:59.90. Stanford’s Juliette Whitaker held on to take heat three in 2:00.09, barely ahead of Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte (Oklahoma State: 2:00.11).

Providence’s Shannon Flockhart (GBR) sprinted down the straight to win the first women’s 1,500 m heat in 4:05.99, a lifetime best and now no. 4 in collegiate history! Defending champ Maia Ramsden (NZL-Harvard) separated on the final straight to win heat two in just 1/100th slower, in 4:06.00.

Alabama frosh Doris Lemngole (KEN) ran away with the first heat of the Steeple, winning by almost 10 seconds in 9:38.69. The second heat was a three-way dash to the line, won by Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich, 9:50.08 to 9:50.11 over Lithuania’s Greta Karinauskaite (Cal Baptist).

World no. 6 Maribel Caicedo (ECU-Washington State) was a clear winner in the 100 m hurdles first heat in 12.53 (+0.8), then the wind came up for Florida’s Grace Stark in heat two, a big winner at 12.52 with a 3.4 m/s wind-aid. Michigan’s Aasia Laurencin came on in the final half of the race winning heat three in 12.77 (+1.1).

Arkansas’ Rachel Glenn dominated heat one of the 400 m hurdles, winning by more than two seconds in 53.80, fastest in the nation this season and no. 5 on the 2024 world list! The prior collegiate leader, USC’s Jasmine Jones won heat two easily, in 54.20. Defending champ Savannah Sutherland (CAN-Michigan) had the best finish in heat three and won in a lifetime best of 54.04, now no. 7 in the world for 2024.

Ole Miss won the first heat in the 4×100 m with the fastest time in the nation this year in 42.22; only the U.S. has run faster this season worldwide! Arkansas was clear winner in heat at 42.45 thanks to Kaylyn Brown’s fab third leg, and LSU won the third heat in 42.63.

South Carolina’s Ford anchored the Gamecocks with a 49.72 leg to win the first 4×400 m semi in 3:27.10, then Houston’s Michaela Mouton (50.74) flew down the final straight to win semi two in 3:27.55. Collegiate-record-holding Arkansas dominated the third heat as expected, winning by more than two seconds in 3:25.51.

The men’s finals (and the heptathlon) come on Friday.

3.
USA Gymnastics training center hoped to be ready pre-LA28

The long and twisting road for USA Gymnastics on the road back from the Larry Nassar abuse scandal has reached a good point, according to USA Gymnastics chief executive Li Li Leung, who delivered detailed “state of the sport” remarks just before the start of the artistic national championships in Ft. Worth last week:

● “This year we also have a record -breaking five coaches who are being recognized by the Positive Coaching Alliance as Coach of the Year national winners. So we’ve transformed the culture of the sport, we’ve rebranded the organization, unveiled a mascot, instituted a therapy dog program, expanded mental health and sports medicine programs, brought on seven new partners in less than two years and have also welcomed full arenas of energetic and newly engaged fans.”

● “In fact, we’ve grown so much that we’ve also entered into a new phase of partnerships. With so many new partners coming on board over the last couple years, the most recent being Nike, Core Hydration, Samsonite, Skippy, and of course Comcast. We’re actually pulling back a bit from recruiting new partners and are now going to focus on execution of those partnerships.”

● “When you look at the level of competition we’ve had and at the level of excitement for fans and partner engagement on the concourse and in social media and at retail, this thing as it is, it’s really been a renaissance period for us and the days of partnerships just being about signage and badging exercises are long gone.

“Here in Fort Worth we’re going to see, and at [Olympic] Trials, we’re going to see a lot of activations and a lot of meaningful engagement between brands, fans and athletes. So we are so grateful to our corporate partners, including our endemic partners, for caring about the sport, for caring about the athletes, for caring about our fans, and for recognizing that together we can do more.“

Leung also spoke at length about a major project to create a national training center for the federation:

“The first initiative is something that I initially spoke about last year, and that is our proposed training wellness center. And I should note that wellness is specifically part of the project name because that is an important and integral aspect of the center.

“So last year began a process of soliciting and gaining interest in community in terms of cities for our center. And the vision is that this facility will be the heart and hub of gymnastics in America. The training will in the center be a place where not only the athletes train, but also a place for gymnasts of all levels. and the entirety of our community will be welcomed and celebrated.

“So all seven disciplines of our sport will be served at this center. It will be a place for training, for competition, for education, for camps, and so much more. When we did the initial survey of interest, responses from over a dozen metro areas were received. And we have since brought an expert in real estate development and site selection who’s going to help us guide through the next phases of that project.

“So an RFI – Request For Information – has gone out and responses are currently coming in for that. Our goals narrow things down to about five finalist cities by the summer time and then select our site by the end of this year or early in the new year.

“Selection is going to be based on a number of different factors which will have a weighted system. And some of the main criteria are core-facility specifications, proximity to medical resources, and proximity to a major airport, overall quality of life, cost of living, and there’s a whole host of many other considerations. So this training wellness center is a massive undertaking, and the fact that we’re in a place where we can envision that kind of growth really just shows how far we’ve come over the last several years.”

She was not ready to give a grand-opening date, explaining, “it completely depends on what the proposals are that come in, I mean, ideally we’d like it up and running before LA 2028. You know, I envision that we’ll get proposals that would put a shovel in the ground, or retrofit existing facilities.

“If it’s retrofitting existing facilities, that will be a lot easier as opposed to shovel-in-the-ground. Again, ideally, it’s before L.A., but it will depend on what the proposals are coming in.”

Leung also noted that a significant promotional element for the federation is its new mascot, a stylized cat named “Flip,” which has been well received:

“So two weeks ago, for those of you who were there, you would have seen Flip come to life at the Core Hydration Classic. And in gymnastics, mascot aren’t as common as major league sports team so I actually wasn’t really quite sure how the debut would take place but I could not believe the reaction to Flip.

“And frankly even Flip couldn’t believe the reaction to him. So, kids went crazy for Flip and whenever there was a roar from the crowd if gymnastics wasn’t going on it was because of what Flip was doing, and the people who actually bring Flip to life are former professional mascots. And they actually said to me afterwards that they have never had as positive a reaction to a debut of a mascot as they had with Flip.”

Leung was asked about whether members of the gymnastics teams will participate in the Paris opening on the Seine River and beyond the security questions, she noted that for those participating, “you will literally be on your feet for close to nine hours that day in the heat.” But it will be up to each athlete to decide for themselves.

4.
FIFA asked to pressure Saudi Arabia on labor over 2034 World Cup

Paralleling the build-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, international labor organizations are lining up to accuse Saudi Arabia of worker mistreatment and demand that FIFA use its award of 2034 World Cup to change labor practices there. On Wednesday:

“[T]he Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) is filing two formal complaints with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) against Saudi Arabia for severe human rights abuses and wage theft involving at least 21,000 construction workers by various but mainly two now-bankrupt Saudi construction companies alone.

“The complaint emphasises the exploitative living and working conditions among the country’s vast migrant workforce: conditions that BWI notes are akin to forced labour. As Saudi Arabia positions itself to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, this complaint demands immediate attention from FIFA and the international community. FIFA is expected to receive the single bid for the 2034 World Cup host in July.”

The BWI statement further highlighted FIFA’s own regulations on respecting human rights:

“Article 7 of FIFA’s Human Rights Policy states that ‘FIFA will constructively engage with relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort to uphold its international human rights responsibilities.’

“FIFA must ensure that Saudi Arabia addresses grave labour rights abuses and aligns its labour laws and practices with international standards before any further consideration of its World Cup bid.”

FIFA made significant efforts with the Qatar government to reform the legal structure of its “kafala” sponsorship system, but concerns remain about whether the changes have been significant.

Amnesty International, which followed the build-up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup closely, issued a report on Saudi Arabia and the 2034 World Cup, with its head of Labor Rights and Sports, Steve Cockburn (GBR) saying:

“With only a single bid to host each tournament [for 2030 and 2034], and major human rights concerns surrounding both, there are huge questions about FIFA’s willingness to stand by the pledges and reforms it has made in recent years, including exercising its right to reject any bid which does not meet its stated human rights requirements.

“The human rights issues associated with the joint 2030 World Cup bid are significant and must be addressed but the risks associated with the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid by Saudi Arabia – including those faced by workers, fans and journalists – are of an entirely different magnitude and severity.”

The Amnesty report called out both bids:

● “The 2030 joint bid from Morocco, Portugal and Spain – with three matches being played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – carries human rights risks primarily related to labour rights, discrimination, freedom of expression and assembly, policing, privacy and housing.”

● “Saudi Arabia has an appalling human rights record and its bid carries a broad range of very serious risks. The Kingdom has spent billions in recent years on an image rehabilitation campaign, heavily reliant on investment in sports including football to distract from its abysmal track record of abuses. A draft penal code looks set to further entrench many human rights violations in law.”

FIFA is expected to formally award the 2030 and 2034 World Cups in the fall.

5.
Skating icon Heiden on Stolz: “once-in-a-generation talent”

American skating star Jordan Stolz, now 20, has won back-to-back World Championships golds in the 500-1,000–1,500 m distances and the World Allround Championship earlier this year. Who better to ask about him than the immortal Eric Heiden, whose stunning performance at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid still seems surreal, sweeping all five golds in the 500-1,000-1,500-5,000-10,000 m speed skating events.

Heiden, now 65 and a long-time orthopedic surgeon, presented Stolz with the Eric Heiden Award as the 2023 US Speedskating athlete of the year, at a federation awards ceremony last month in Utah. And he had a lot of nice things to say:

● “For speed skating he’s sort of a once-in-a-generation talent and I don’t think he yet really knows what his limits are. He’s certainly done well in the shorter distances and the middle distances but last year he started spending a little bit more time in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m and I think he was pleasantly surprised with his results. He’s got a lot of potential there also.”

● “He’s very technically sound as a skater and has a good feel for the ice. He also has mental fortitude and the ability to really push himself when he’s out there skating, sometimes beyond what he’s comfortable with.”

● “He is the world’s best speed skater right now and he’s had felt that pressure now for two years so when it comes to the Olympics it may be ramped up a little bit, that pressure, but he is already accustomed to dealing with it.

“I’m not so concerned about that. I think he’s going to do just fine. He’s been to the Olympics once before [2022] so that experience is important just to be in the Olympic Village and around a bunch of different athletes and now when he goes back, he’s going to be very focused on what he has to do and he’s not going to get distracted by the Olympic experience.”

Perhaps the ultimate compliment from Heiden was this:

“I do stay in touch with his coach [Bob Corby] a little bit just to find out what he’s doing because I love watching the guy skate. He’s sort of rejuvenated my interest in speed skating to see a guy do things that I used to be able to do.

“Our accomplishments are pretty similar at this age [Heiden was 21 in 1980]. The thing I am always amazed with newer athletes or athletes in this era is their ability to focus on their sport despite all the social media. He is very focused on what he’s doing, he’s got a great family around him, and he’s got a good coach that keeps his feet on the ground and allows him to focus on what he needs to do to get better.”

Heiden also competed in two Winter Games, finishing seventh and 19th in the 1,500 m and 5,000 m in Innsbruck (AUT) in 1976 before his record-shattering performance in Lake Placid. Stolz appears ready to make quite a splash in his second Games, in 2026.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● FrancsJeux.com reported on the latest Paris 2024 “Ticketing Thursdays” sales packages, with a major push towards selling tickets to the preliminary football matches, always one of the hardest sells at any Olympic Games.

With “around a million tickets to sell,” an offer of four tickets at €15 each is now available for most matches for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, but not the semifinals or finals. About 30,000 other tickets have been made available in other sports, including canoeing, equestrian, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby sevens, swimming and water polo.

The Paris 2024 organizing committee has asked the French government for an additional €30 million (about $32.68 million U.S.) in financial support for the Paralympic Games.

According to the satirical weekly Le Canard chaine (“The Chained Duck”), ticket sales for the Paralympic Games have been lagging – about a third of the total available – so the request is being made now. The national government agreed to €100 million in the original budget and added €70 million in December 2022.

● Russia ● Continuing a consistent theme, the new Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev told the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday:

“We are not leaving the Olympic Movement, we are still there.

“On the one hand everybody wants us pack it in, but we are not going to do that. This issue is subject to external influence and our athletes suffer from discrimination.

“We are rooting for our athletes everywhere. Our athletes are preparing for the BRICS Games [in June in Kazan]. I am sure that they will find success to our great cheers.”

● Athletics ● Kenyan distance star Rhonex Kipruto is unmoved by the decision of a disciplinary tribunal that imposed a six-year sanction on him for abnormal readings in his Athlete Biological Passport and will continue to challenge the finding.

In a news release, his Prague (CZE)-based management team challenged his uneven ABP readings by pointing to the impact of travel, timing, use of alcohol and other factors, and insist that “Rhonex’s honest and vast efforts (and of his legal and scientific teams) collide with what seems to be an impenetrable wall created by current anti-doping rules and regulations.”

His agent, Davor Savija (SRB), commented:

“My advice to Rhonex has been consistent throughout this process – follow the lead of legal and scientific teams. In relation to potential appeal at [the Court of Arbitration for Sport], my advice to Rhonex is to wait for pending genetic testing to come in and to have legal and scientific teams evaluate the case further, in light of these new testing results and said Decision. …

“My wish is that this press release reaches various scientists and legal minds, with hope Rhonex gets additional support as he searches for the truth in relation to how his body functions and how this functioning is captured by the ABP.”

The drumbeat of sanctions from the Athletics Integrity Unit continued on Thursday with two more provisional suspensions.

French distance runner Mehdi Frere, a 2:05:43 men’s marathoner from 2023, was suspended for whereabouts failures, and Sultan Haydar (TUR) “for Evading, Refusing or Failing to submit to Sample Collection.” Haydar has run 2:21:47 in the women’s marathon in 2023, the Turkish national record.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball confirmed its women’s 3×3 Olympic team for Paris with Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith selected.

Brink (WNBA: L.A. Sparks), Burdick and Van Lith (TCU) were members of the winning squad for the 2023 FIBA 3×3 women’s World Cup (also with Linnae Harper), with Brink named Most Valuable Player. Burdick was a member of the U.S. 5×5 gold-medal team at the 2023 Pan American Games. Howard (WNBA: Atlanta Dream) was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2022.

● Cycling ● The Glasgow organizers of the UCI’s first mega-championships in 2023 published a sustainability report, highlighting various initiatives aimed at social and environmental goals.

There is no scorecard available showing if the results are good or bad, but a comparison can be made to the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, for which data was compiled by Nielsen for World Athletics:

World Athletics Championships 2022
(Eugene, Oregon, USA):
● Held 15-24 July 2022
● 1,705 athletes from 179 countries
● CO2 emissions estimated at 97,095 tons
● 77.8% from air travel to the event

UCI World Championships 2023
(Glasgow, Scotland, GBR):
● Held 3-13 August 2023
● About 2,600 athletes + 8,000 mass event riders
● CO2 emissions estimated at 61,051 tons
● 99.3% from air travel to the event

Based on these measures, the cycling event was more efficient with diversion of waste and reduction of energy use, but the overwhelming amount of emissions from travel demonstrates that true “net-zero” events are far away as long as athletes, support staff and spectators come from far and wide to attend an event in person.

The 76th Criterium du Dauphine stage race in France is on this week and will finish on Sunday; it’s often seen as a tune-up for the Tour de France.

Belgian star Remco Evenepoel, the 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner and the 2023 World Time Trial winner, took the race lead after winning the stage four time trial on Wednesday, moving from 33rd to first, with a 33-second edge on Slovenian star Primoz Roglic, the 2022 winner of this race.

Thursday’s stage five had to be stopped after a major crash about 20 km from the finish on a wet, downhill section of the 167 km course to Saint-Priest, and it was decided that the stage would not count in the standings. Both Evenepoel and Roglic were involved, with the Belgian apparently in good shape, but Roglic landed on a shoulder and was not sure if would continue.

American Matteo Jorgenson stands third, 1:04 back, with three stages left, all of which have significant climbs and uphill finishes.

The four-stage women’s Tour of Britain opened on Thursday with a win by Belgian star Lotte Kopecky, her fourth Women’s World Tour victory in 2024, following a sprint of nine riders to the line at the end of the hilly, 142.4 km route to Llandudno.

The other stages are fairly flat, with sprints expected at the end of each. Two-time winner Lizzie Deignan (GBR) sits fourth (+0:12) after the first stage.

● Equestrian ● The Federation Equestre Internationale Board met in Lausanne on 4-5 June and approved the “Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan” and allocated CHF 1.0 million (about $1.2 million U.S.) for implementation, focused on the health of horses.

The FEI reported good financial results for 2023, with revenues of CHF 57.382 million and expenses of CHF 54.963 million. The surplus of CHF 1.07 million leaves the FEI’s reserves at more than CHF 24 million (CHF 1 = $1.22).

● Sailing ● World Sailing announced that it will split its world championship events, with Valencia (ESP) hosting the single-crewed events in 2026 (Formula Kite, IQfoil, Laser, Laser Radial) and Gdynia (POL) will be the site for the two-person crew events in 2027 (470, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17), both as qualifiers for Los Angeles 2028.

World Sailing chief executive David Graham (GBR) explained:

“A split championship format reflects the direction from our wider stakeholder group; the benefits of which are being seen already in that the level of interest was much higher as it reduces the financial and logistical resources required from the hosts.”

Six editions of World Championships for all of the Olympic classes have been held from 2003-23, with The Hague (NED) hosting last August,

● Shooting ● The stars were out at the pistol range at the ISSF World Cup in Munich (GER), with the 2010 World Champion, Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic, 37, taking the women’s 10 m Air Pistol final, scoring 244.4 to 240.1 for China’s Tokyo bronze winner, Ranxin Jiang.

In the women’s 25 m Pistol, France’s Camile Jedrzejewski, 22, won a tight final from Germany’s 2023 World Champion Doreen Vennekamp. They tied at 40 and went to a shoot-off, with Jedrzejewski hitting 10s on all five shots to three for Vennekamp.

India’s Sarabjol Singh piled up a good lead in the men’s 10 m Air Pistol final, then held on to edge China’s 17-year-old Shuaihang Bu, 242.7 to 242.5. And two-time Olympic bronze winner Yuehong Li took the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol title, 32-28, over Rio 2016 Olympic champ Christian Reitz (GER).

Competition concludes Friday with the 50 m Rifle/3 Positions finals.

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TSX REPORT: LA28 hires ex-Lt. Gen. Hoover as CEO; Kenya suspends 33 (!) for doping; Kremlin says Microsoft disinfo report “slander”

Rich Perelman

June 6, 2024

tsx pix 2024-605 hoover, reynold xmas 750 — Former U.S. Army Lt. General and new LA28 organizing committee chief executive Reynold Hoover (Image: U.S. Department of Defense video screenshot)

★ 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 ≡

1. LA28 names retired Lt. Gen Reynold Hoover as CEO
2. Report: Kenya suspends 33 for doping; Kipruto gets 6 years
3. Samuel wins crazy 10,000 m finish at NCAA T&F Champs
4. Teen Yohannes stars as U.S. women beat Korea, 3-0
5. Kremlin calls Microsoft disinformation report “slander”

● The LA28 organizing committee named former U.S. Army Lt. General Reynold Hoover as its new chief executive. A West Point graduate, he served in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan, but was also a lawyer in private practice and an advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush on security issues. He will start next week, taking over a small team of 180 that will eventually grow to about 4,000.

● News reports in Kenya said that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) suspended 33 athletes, with 26 in track & field and small numbers in basketball, rugby and handball. In addition, the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Kenya’s 10,000 m star Rhonex Kipruto – the world 10 km road world-record holder – for six years for doping.

● The men’s semifinals and a few finals were held at Wednesday’s NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, with New Mexico frosh Habtom Samuel from Eritrea winning the 10,000 m after being in a crash on the track in the final 1,000 m. USC’s JC Stevenson was the surprise long jump winner at 8.22 m (26-11 3/4) in the final round.

● The U.S. women won their second straight friendly over South Korea on Tuesday, 3-0, but it was tougher than the first game. Substitutes Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman brought instant offense in the 62nd minute and Lily Yohannes, 16, dazzled with her poise, passing and scored a goal as well!

● The Kremlin denounced the Microsoft report on Russian disinformation efforts against the Olympic Games in Paris as “slander,” but the U.S. State Department acknowledged the report and indicated the U.S. had its own intel on what the Russians were doing.

● Panorama: Los Angeles 2028 (LA28 and City of L.A. in intel property agreement) = Milan Cortina 2026 (first inspection of sliding venue construction) = Winter Games 2030 (French government bid guarantees not complete) = Archery (Ellison defends U.S. field title) = Athletics (Boston Marathon raises record $71.9 million for charity) = Skiing (U.S.’s Paine elected to Council, no FIS Games ‘28 award yet) = Swimming (3: P&G joins USA Swimming as 2024 sponsor; Trials pool complete at Lucas Oil Stadium; McMahon banned for four years for doping) = Triathlon (USA Tri names Paris team) ●

1.
LA28 names retired Lt. Gen Reynold Hoover as CEO

“Today, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announce Reynold Hoover as Chief Executive Officer, leading the Organizing Committee’s staff through the planning and execution of the Games. Hoover comes to LA28 following leadership positions in the U.S. Military, along with senior civilian roles in the federal government, and brings significant experience in planning, operations and logistics to help deliver the world’s largest peacetime gathering – the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Hoover, 63, is a retired U.S. Army Lt. General, beginning his career as a 1983 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and serving through December 2018, retiring as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Northern Command. He served in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and served in Afghanistan in 2009-10 as the Commanding General of the Joint Sustainment Command.

His career, however, has also included significant civilian assignments, including as a Special Agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, as Chief of Staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and as a Special Assistant for U.S. President George W. Bush for Homeland Security matters.

In addition, he’s a lawyer, graduating from The Catholic University of America in 1997 and has been an attorney in private practice and chief counsel at CSX Intermodal.

His appointment was confirmed on Wednesday (5th) and he will begin his tenure on 10 June 2024 at the LA28 offices in Los Angeles. Said LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman:

“Reynold is one of the few people in the nation who possesses the operational and logistics expertise that the Olympic and Paralympic Games require.

“He’s been tasked with some of our nation’s most complex challenges, and we are fortunate to have him on our team as we prepare to welcome the world in 2028.”

Observed: Hoover will inherit a series of contradictions when he starts at LA28 next week. The LA28 Games has the advantages of a no-build plan, requiring no new venues to host the Games, a huge advantage over most prior organizers.

Moreover, Wasserman and former chief executive Kathy Carter have repeatedly insisted that already-contracted revenues from the International Olympic Committee, sponsors, licensing and hospitality are sufficient to hold the Games now, and that more commercial agreements are on the way. Hiring Hoover and noting his logistical expertise underscores the confidence in the finances.

But: LA28 is a small group so far, with about 180 staff now and 10 jobs currently listed for hire. That team will expand to about 4,000 by the middle of 2028 and then shrink to almost nothing by the end of that year. It’s a big undertaking to find the right mix of people and programming to get everyone moving together toward a common goal.

Those who have engaged with the LA28 staff have found them dedicated and personable, but there are concerns that the planning effort is not as advanced as it could be at this stage. The management turnover has quite a bit to do with this, and it’s now up to Hoover to create and sustain momentum toward ultimate success in 2028.

2.
Report: Kenya suspends 33 for doping; Kipruto gets 6 years

The Kenyan newspaper Nation reported Tuesday that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has suspended 33 athletes for doping, with 26 in track & field and seven others in basketball (3), rugby (3) and handball.

This kind of mass suspension has been forecast in November 2023, when ADAK chief executive Sarah Shubutse said that 50 athletes would be suspended by the end of that month. Instead, the mass suspension announcement came seven months later.

The leading athlete reported to be on the list – which was not posted on the ADAK Web site as of Wednesday – is Joshua Belet, 26, who won the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon in a lifetime best of 2:04:18, no. 12 on the world list last year. He also represented Kenya at the World Athletics Championships in the marathon, but did not finish.

This kind of mass sanction had been expected since the Kenyan government, after liaison with the Athletics Integrity Unit, promised added funding of $5 million per year for five years beginning in 2023 to try and reverse the alarming doping trend in the country, which was on the verge of suspension.

The Nation story quoted ADAK legal officer Bildad Rogoncho as crediting the increased funding to allow the agency “to visit camps countrywide to conduct more out-of-competition testing, especially on second and third-tier competition athletes.”

He added that ADAK is cooperating with another national anti-doping agencies to maintain testing protocols on athletes, such as in Peru.

The 2022 World U-20 5,000 m champion David Kiprotich Bett was also suspended; sanctions among the 33 varied, with the maximum of four years.

In addition to the mass suspensions reported to be imposed by ADAK, the Athletics Integrity Unit slammed 24-year-old Kenyan 10,000 m star Rhonex Kipruto with a six-year ban “after a Disciplinary Tribunal ruled irregularities in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) resulted from doping.”

He was provisionally suspended on 11 May 2023, and a hearing on his case centered on readings from his Athlete Biological Passport. The disciplinary panel concluded that the “cause for the abnormalities in the ABP is more likely to be due to blood manipulation,” with the likely cause to be via use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO), as “no other plausible explanation” was available for the abnormal values. Kipruto denied any and all doping, but the panel noted that he could not explain the test results in his Athlete Biological Passport.

Moreover, abnormal scores were shown close to major events, such as the 2020 Valencia road 10 km where he set the current world record of 26:24, and his 2019 World 10,000 m bronze medal in Doha (QAT). He is now banned until 10 May 2029.

Kipruto can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The AIU also provisionally suspended Rueben Kiprop Kipyego, 27, who ran 2:03:55 in 2021 for second at the Milano Marathon for whereabouts failures; he has not raced since 14 May 2023.

Also provisionally suspended was Ethiopian Ebsite Tilahun, 22, a 2:27:47 women’s marathoner from 2022, for use of the prohibited synthetic corticosteroid Triamcinolone acetonide.

According to the AIU’s current Global List of Ineligible Persons, Kenya now has 84 listed, second to India (89), and ahead of Russia (81). Ethiopia has 14 on the list and the U.S. has 12.

3.
Samuel wins crazy 10,000 m finish at NCAA T&F Champs

The men’s qualifying and a few finals of the NCAA Track & Field Championships were featured on Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, with a wild finish in the only track final.

The men’s 10,000 m had a dozen in contention with three laps to go, but coming into the home straight, Alabama’s Patrick Kiprop (KEN) tripped and a major crash ensued, with about six runners impacted. But national no. 2 Habtom Samuel (ERI-New Mexico) got up quickly, kept his composure and worked himself back into the top four at the bell.

With 200 to go, Samuel – who had competed for Eritrea at Hayward Field at the 2022 World Championships – hit the jets and ran away with the race with a 58.16 last 400 m and a 28:07.82 final. Kiprop got up for second on the final straight in 28:08.59. Kenyan Denis Kipngetich (Oklahoma State) got third in 28:10.25. The field events were also entertaining, although slightly less dramatic:

● There were five field-event finals, starting with the hammer and California’s Rowan Hamilton (CAN) winning with his third-round throw of 77.18 m (253-2), just ahead of defending champ Kenneth Ikeji (GBR: 77.12 m/253-0).

● In the vault, Kentucky senior Keaton Daniel was the first to clear 5.62 m (18-5 1/4) and then 5.72 m (18-7 1/4) to win. Only Kansas’ Clayton Simms could also clear 5.62 m and finished second. In his four years at Kentucky, Daniel finished second, third, eighth and first as a four-time scorer at the NCAA.

● USC sophomore JC Stevenson was standing seventh through five rounds in the long jump, then exploded to a lifetime best of 8.22 m (26-11 3/4) in the sixth round, the collegiate leader and moving to equal-eighth in the world for 2024! Florida State senior Jeremiah Davis had been the leader since the second round at 8.07 m (26-5 3.4), but had to settle for second.

● In the shot, Mississippi’s Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan had the lead from round one at 20.42 m (67-0) and no one could match that. With the title secured, he scored a lifetime best of 20.88 m (68-6). Wisconsin’s Jason Swarens got second at 20.38 m (66-10 1/2).

● The javelin belonged to 2022 champion Mark Minichello, who was then at Penn and now at Georgia. His second-round throw of 80.70 m (264-9) wasn’t challenged and he won his second title easily. Washington’s Chandler Ault moved up to second in round five at 79.31 m (260-2).

In the track qualifying, Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe (Houston) and Nigerian Kanyinsola Ajayi (Auburn) won their heats in the 100 m in 10.09 (wind for both: +0.3 m/s) and Ghana’s Saminu Abdul-Rasheed (South Florida) took heat three in 10.14 (-0.3). Penn State senior Cheickna Traore (CIV) stormed down the straight to take the first 200 m heat in 20.02 (+0.7), Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot (UGA) took heat two in 20.09 (+0.5), and Abdul-Rasheed came on late to win the third heat in 20.15 (0.0).

World 400 m leader Christopher Morales Williams (CAN-Georgia) had to work hard in the final 50 m to win heat one in 44.96, Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi (Alabama) won heat two in the final 10 m (45.14), and USC’s Johnnie Blockburger took heat three in 45.13.

Virginia’s Shane Cohen was eighth with 100 m to go in the first heat of the 800 m, but first at the line in 1:46.94. National leader Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M) took the lead on the final turn in heat two and won in 1:46.01 and Indiana’s Camden Marshall charged down the straight to win heat three in 1:48.17.

Elliot Cook (Oregon: 3:37.25) and Liam Murphy (Villanova: 3:39.68) won the two 1,500 m heats, with Abdelhakim Abouzouhir (MAR-Eastern Kentucky: 8:32.58) and James Corrigan (BYU: 8:28.84) taking the Steeplechase prelims.

World no. 7 Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) was an impressive winner in the first heat of the 110 m hurdles, equaling his lifetime best of 13.18 (+0.2). Darius Luff (Nebraska) won heat two in 13.31 (+1.0) and 2023 runner-up Da’Vion Wilson (Houston) took heat three in 13.34 (-0.4).

Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel (NGR) took the first heat of the 400 m hurdles in 48.93, then Caleb Dean (Texas Tech) went wild in heat two, equaling his lifetime best of 48.05 and no. 6 in the world this season. France’s Clement Ducos (Tennessee) came off the turn even with defending champ Chris Robinson (Alabama) in heat three and they finished 1-2 in 48.64 and 48.79.

As usual, the relays were sensational, with Auburn (38.38), Houston (38.48) and Florida (38.45) winning the three semifinals; all three are among the top 17 in the world for 2024. In the 4×400 m, Florida won heat one in 3:01.78 over LSU (3:02.95), then Texas A&M ran down Arkansas, 3:01.17 to 3:01.56 in heat two and Alabama held off USC, 3:01.88 to 3:02.29 in heat three.

The decathlon was all about defending champion and collegiate record-holder Leo Neugebauer (GER-Texas), who won the long jump, shot put and high jump to compile a collegiate-record 4,685 first-day total. He scored 4,591 on the way to a collegiate record 8,836 last year. Wow!

Thursday has the women’s semifinals, some field finals and the last half of the decathlon.

4.
Teen Yohannes stars as U.S. women beat Korea, 3-0

Unlike the 4-0 drubbing that the U.S. women’s national football team gave to South Korea last Saturday in Colorado, Tuesday’s rematch was proving to be much more difficult.

Yes, the rainy conditions at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota had a lot to do with it – and the U.S. changed nine starters – but after midfielder Crystal Dunn scored off a cross from Jenna Nighswonger that looped behind the Korean defense in the 13th minute, the Americans had trouble solving the entrenched Korean midfield defense. The half ended 1-0, with the U.S. holding only a 6-4 edge on shots.

More of the same to start the second half, until the 62nd minute, when Saturday’s offensive stars – Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, plus midfielder Sam Coffey – came in.

The game changed immediately, with Smith feeding Jaedyn Shaw, who barely missed to the right of the Korean goal in the 65th. Then Rodman sent a pass across the Korean defense to Smith past the left post, which she controlled and then sent a seeing-eye shot from a bad angle into the goal for a 2-0 lead in the 69th.

The U.S. was now in control of the game and creating more chances and coach Emma Hayes (GBR) sent in 16-year-old Lily Yohannes for her first international appearance in the 72nd. In the 76th, she fed Rodman for a hard shot that was saved by Korean keeper Jung-mi Kim. Swanson almost got a third goal for the U.S. in the 80th, but Kim saved it, but Yohannes scored in the 82nd off a Rodman pass that found her open about 10 yards in front of goal for the 3-0 final.

Casey Murphy was sharp in goal for the U.S., with two strong saves in the second half.

Impressive would be an understatement on Yohannes, who became the third-youngest American woman to ever score an international goal, and was the youngest player to play for the national team since Amy Steadman and Kristen Weiss debuted against Italy in March 2001.

The U.S. finished with 68% of possession and a 14-7 edge on shots, with two more pre-Olympic friendlies scheduled on 13 and 16 July against Mexico and Costa Rica. And Hayes now has to think about whether Yohannes’ debut was so good that she has to be on the plane for Paris.

5.
Kremlin calls Microsoft disinformation report “slander”

The Kremlin took notice of Sunday’s report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, which noted:

● “[W]ith less than 80 days until the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed a network of Russia-affiliated actors pursuing a range of malign influence campaigns against France, French President Emmanuel Macron, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Paris Games. These campaigns may forewarn coming online threats to this summer’s international competition.”

● “Modern Russia, as well as its predecessor the Soviet Union, has a longstanding tradition of seeking to undermine the Olympic Games. If they cannot participate in or win the Games, then they seek to undercut, defame, and degrade the international competition in the minds of participants, spectators, and global audiences.”

● “Starting in June 2023, prolific Russian influence actors—which Microsoft tracks as Storm-1679 and Storm-1099—pivoted their operations to take aim at the 2024 Olympic Games and French President Emmanuel Macron. These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the IOC on the world stage; and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.”

On Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters in Moscow that the report is “sweeping criticism that has no basis in argument, nothing.

“Unfortunately, we are increasingly faced with such [criticism], but it has nothing to do with reality, it is absolute slander and nothing more.”

On Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked about the Microsoft report:

“[Y]eah, I would say first of all it’s not surprising to see that the Kremlin is seeking to disrupt the Games with disinformation. We’ve seen them sow disinformation across any number of fronts. And it’s especially not surprising that they’re doing it with respect to the Olympics, where their athletes are banned from competing under the Russian flag because of the Kremlin’s long history of abusing fair competition in the Olympics.

“When it comes to a message for people that want to attend the Olympics, I think they should look at the information that law enforcement puts out, look at the information that the French Government puts out. We have been working with the French Government for some time to ensure a safe, secure Olympics, and we’ll continue to do so.”

Queried whether the U.S. government had its own information on Russian disinformation actions and the Paris Games, Miller added:

“We do have information as it relates to that, in fact, yeah. … There is information that we have engaged with our allies and partners with respect to that report, and I think I’ll leave it at that.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The City of Los Angeles and the LA28 organizers have prepared an agreement to share intellectual property, specifically a set of LA28 Olympic and Paralympic “host city” logos that the city can use for its own promotions moving forward.

LA28 for its part, will get to use the City’s logo; interestingly, the City flag has not yet been included in the agreement, but can be added later.

There are no financial elements to the agreement, and it can be expected to sail through the City’s committee structure and get eventual approval by the City Council and Mayor Karen Bass.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Positive results from the first test of the construction effort on the sliding venue in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA) for the 2026 Winter Games. The first 15 m of the sliding track was inspected on 29 May by the government commissioner.

Following “was an inspection by the representatives and experts of the various stakeholders of the track construction site and in the late afternoon, the spritz beton procedure, which is concrete sprayed through an air-compressed nozzle onto the iron framework, was carried out.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2030 ● The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board will meet next week and is expected to recommend to its membership the election of the French Alps to host the 2030 Winter Games and Salt Lake City to host 2034.

The French all-sports daily, L’Equipe, reported, however, that the national guarantees are not yet signed by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The delay is reported to be on the budget, with the government not in agreement with the bid committee on the amounts to be raised commercially from sponsorships, tickets and merchandising.

The bid is reported to see the budget at €1.8 billion, with €420 million to be raised by the organizing committee (€1 = $1.09 U.S.), but the government thinks the needs will be higher. This needs to get resolved.

● Archery ● Two-time World Field Champion Brady Ellison defended his USA Archery Field Nationals title in a weather-shortened event that finished Tuesday in Noblesville, Indiana.

Ellison, also on his way to a fifth Olympic Games in Paris, outscored Matthew Nofel and Alex Gilliam in the final round, 68-54-54, to take top honors. Ellison’s wife Toja, was the silver winner in the women’s Compound division.

Savannah Vanderwier won the women’s Recurve title with 53 points, to 52 for Molly Nugent and 50 for Heather Jane Koehl.

● Athletics ● The Boston Athletic Association announced that the 128th Boston Marathon set a new fundraising record of $71.9 million for charity:

“Combining funds raised through the 168 non-profit organizations in the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program – $45.7 million – with other donations and fundraising from race participants, the 2024 total surpasses the previous record of $40.2 million set last year. This brings the total charitable fundraising since the program began in 1989 to over $550 million.”

● Skiing ● The 55th International Ski & Snowboard Federation Congress met in Reykjavik, Iceland and elected a new FIS Council, with American Dexter Paine elected and re-joining the Council, on which he served from 2014-22.

The existing FIS Council, meeting a day earlier, awarded the 2029 World Alpine Championships to Narvik (NOR) – the first time ever for the standalone Worlds in Norway! – and Val Gardena (ITA) for 2031. The Freestyle and Snowboard Worlds in 2029 will be in Zhangjiakou (CHN), but the Lahti (FIN) bid for the 2029 Nordic Worlds “did not meet some of the requirements to be formally appointed and will now have 30 days to submit its case to the FIS Council.”

The massive, new FIS Games for 2028 was not awarded, with FIS stating, “In agreement with Swiss-Ski and candidate Engadine/St. Moritz, the FIS Council has decided to postpone the process of awarding the hosting of the FIS Games 2028.”

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced a short-term sponsorship with Proctor & Gamble for its Gillette Venus brand – the “Official Razor of Team USA” – as a trusted blade for competition prep at the highest level:

“As part of the sponsorship, Venus will be featured on a 50’ tall digital board greeting the athletes as they walk to the starting blocks at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, presented by Lilly. A celebration party for the American swimmers at the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Paris will be supported by P&G. The company will also show its support via a donation to the USA Swimming Foundation which demonstrates P&G’s passion in the long-term growth and development of the sport for young and old.”

Construction of the competition and three auxiliary pools inside Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials has been completed, after a 12 May start. The Myrtha-built facilities took just about three weeks to finish.

The main pool was placed into a built-up platform about 10 feet above the football field, with pool depth at about eight feet.

Freestyle swim star Kensey McMahon of the U.S. has been suspended for four years in a decision from an independent arbitrator:

“[T]he arbitrator determined that McMahon will receive a four-year sanction after testing positive for vadadustat during an in-competition drug test at the Phillips 66 National Championships on July 1, 2023. … Vadadustat is a non-specified substance in the category of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics and is prohibited at all times.”

McMahon won a Worlds Short Course bronze medal in the women’s 1,500 m Freestyle and was third at the 2022 U.S. Nationals in the 400-800-1,500 Frees. In 2023, she won the NCAA title in the 500 yards and 1,650 yards for Alabama.

● Triathlon ● USA Triathlon confirmed its Paris 2024 Olympic team, with the already-qualified Morgan Pearson and Taylor Knibb to be joined by Seth Rider, and Kristen Kasper and Taylor Spivey.

Knibb was a Tokyo silver medalist in the Mixed Relay, and is also qualified to compete in road cycling in the women’s Time Trial, while Kasper and Spivey are first-time Olympians. Spivey, Knibb and Kasper were the three highest-ranking American women in the ITU Olympic ranks in 4-7-15.

Pearson was also a member of the Tokyo Mixed Relay silver team, while Rider is going to his first Games.

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LANE ONE: Is track & field on the brink of a breakthrough, or on the verge of another disappointment?

Rich Perelman

June 5, 2024

tsx pix 2024-604 la grand prix start 750 (rp) — Start of a women’s 100 m race at the 2024 USATF L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium (TSX photo)

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In many ways, track and field has never been better. Brilliant athletes like Noah Lyles, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Mondo Duplantis, Ryan Crouser, Sha’Carri Richardson, Femke Bol, Faith Kipyegon, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Tara Davis-Woodhall and many more are tearing it up on the track and on the infield.

But then there was McLaughlin-Levrone, speaking at the end of May to Anderson Emerole of The Final Leg in a short video shared on X (ex-Twitter):

“I feel like we don’t do a good job marketing ourselves, especially in the U.S. market. We need more TV deals, we need people to actually be able to see our sport and not have to pay all the time to watch subscriptions online.

“That’s just my opinion.

“I think the Netflix documentary [six 45-minute shows coming in June] is going to be huge. I think that’s going to be very, very helpful.

“And I feel like, yeah, there’s not enough money in our sport to really push it the way that we really want to, so we need to bring people in who are going to invest in us to market ourselves better, like a tennis, like an NFL, NBA, and I think things are in the works that are going to make that happen.”

She was asked about the much-publicized track league for 2025 being promoted by U.S. Olympic icon Michael Johnson – with more details to come this month – and the all-women 776 Invitational coming in September from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian:

“I think those are great opportunities; I mean, let’s see what happens with them. I’m happy to be a part of whatever it ends up being, to grow our sport.”

And that’s the question: will these grow the sport to where the sport’s athletes and fans think it should be, in the daily conversation along with the big ball sports, golf and tennis?

Maybe, but only if they listen to McLaughlin-Levrone and learn from what has made the ball sports, golf and tennis successful:

(1) It’s about the sport, not about the Olympics.

There is a continuing delusion that because a sport is popular at the Olympic Games, it’s sure to be popular on its own. This is – let’s say it clearly – NOT TRUE.

If so, the International Swimming League, a creation of Ukrainian energy billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin in 2019 would have been a big success. It had a lively team format, many of the world’s top swimmers and ran for three seasons, losing a reported $20 million-plus per season, before it stopped due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Three sports – track, swimming and gymnastics – are in the highest tier of popularity and impact at the Olympic Games, and their International Federations receive the largest shares of the International Olympic Committee’s television rights fees provided to the International Federations. This amount should be $40 million-plus each from Paris in 2024.

But none of these three federations shows huge income outside of the Olympic Games. Including their Olympic payments, these three leading federations had average annual revenues – per their own statements – across the four years from 2019-22 (including the Covid year of 2020):

● $58.4 million/year for World Athletics
● $44.5 million/year for World Aquatics
● $25.7 million/year for Federation Internationale de Gymnastique

In comparison, the U.S. Soccer Federation alone had 2022-23 fiscal year revenues – for one year – of $148.0 million.

The Olympics are what’s popular, not so much the sports in it. It is not by accident that the three most-watched sports at the Olympic Games date back to the dawn of the modern Olympic era, and for track & field, back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.

Track & field has to make it on its own.

(2) McLaughlin-Levrone is right: it’s about television.

For all the subscriber losses that over-the-air and cable television have had in the U.S., it still accounts for more than half of all television viewing. Using Nielsen’s reporting of U.S. viewing and removing non-program viewing (such as video games, personal DVD use, music channels and so on), television usage is still well ahead of streaming, although it is getting closer:

● 2022/Jan.: 68.5% Broadcast-Cable, 31.5% Streaming
● 2022/Jul.: 61.7% Broadcast-Cable, 38.3% Streaming

● 2023/Jan.: 62.8% Broadcast-Cable, 37.2% Streaming
● 2023/Jul.: 56.2% Broadcast-Cable, 43.8% Streaming

● 2024/Jan.: 59.1% Broadcast-Cable, 40.9% Streaming

A lot of the reason for the continuing interest in television is live sports, and in April 2024, broadcast and cable use was 51.3% of all viewing, streaming was 38.4% and other uses were 10.4% (excluding the other uses, television had a 57.2% share and streaming had 42.8%).

Track & field does well on network television and poorly on cable. Last week, TSX reported on U.S. viewing of the seven televised meets on NBC so far in 2024:

● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 25 May: 1.166 million on NBC for Prefontaine Classic
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals
● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships

Cable audience have often been less than 200,000, and the all-streaming Atlanta City Games, with a slight overlap against the USATF L.A. Grand Prix on 18 May, had 170,777 views on two YouTube channels.

McLaughlin-Levrone is right: track needs to be on television, and on live, network television. Put the highlights online.

(3) It’s about what the fans want.

McLaughlin said, “we need people to actually be able to see our sport” and that not only means being on television, but to know what channel it’s on and when it is on. This is a huge problem for track.

To start, there is no clear schedule of events for American track fans (or those in other countries for that matter). At present, there is a continuous hodge-podge of meets of all types and sizes on any given day in dozens of countries that no one can follow. World Athletics has created a recognition program for hundreds of meets under the “World Athletics Continental Tour” label, with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Challenger levels, essentially collecting low-major meets down to minor ones, with no appreciable rhyme or reason. Anyone who meets the requirements can sign up.

For the top-tier Diamond League circuit – started in 2010 – there are now 15 meets under the overall sponsorship of Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group since 2019. These are the showcase invitational meets in the sport, but are also organized on an inconsistent, irrhythmic basis. In 2024, the 15 meets (16 days) are scheduled:

● 3 on Thursday (Oslo, Lausanne, Zurich)
● 4 on Friday (Doha, Monaco, Rome, Brussels)
● 5 on Saturday (Xiamen, Shanghai, Eugene, London, Brussels)
● 4 on Sunday (Marrakech, Stockholm, Paris, Silesia)

Who can keep up with this? Who wants to? You don’t have this problem with the major team sports which draw serious media rights fees, all of which have dependable timing:

● College Football (12 games): played weekly, September-November
● Major League Baseball (162): played daily, April-October
● NBA Basketball (82): played daily, October-April
● NHL Hockey (82): played daily, October-April
● NFL Football (17): played weekly, September-January
● Premier League soccer (38), played Saturday-Sunday, August-May

Golf and tennis are similar, starting during in the week but deciding who wins and loses on weekends, almost all year round, with four or five traditional, high-profile tournaments in each sport.

It’s not hard to become a fan of these sports, because they are overwhelmingly simple in schedule and easy to follow. Track & field is closest to college and NFL football and soccer leagues in that meets are best attended on weekends and the outdoor season takes place in large venues (vs. indoor arenas).

Moreover, although the number of media partners for these professional sports is expanding and including some streaming outlets, most leagues have 2-3 primary national TV outlets, which are well known. And those outlets heavily promote their telecasts (and each other’s games!).

Track gets none of this, and has always been a loose collection of independently-staged events that have little relation to each other. And there is no consistency in track meet scheduling, timing or format. That has hurt the sport in a time when other leagues are better organized, formatted and promoted (in part due to their media partners).

This is why there is so much hope for Johnson’s new – but so far unknown – league that he says has $30 million in capital behind it.

But there is also Ohanian’s 776 Invitational one-off in September and a Duael Track single-race extravaganza in Jamaica from software entrepreneur Barry Kahn, also planned for September. How do they fit in?

And growing something special will take patience. The USATF L.A. Grand Prix attracted about 4,500 spectators for its first edition at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in 2023 and had perhaps 5,500 or a few more in 2024. But the number of tickets actually sold went down. This is hard work.

That there is strong interest in track is good. How this turns out is anyone’s guess. The flop of the well funded-to-start International Swimming League should be a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks the answer is just money.

It’s not.

Athletes are important. Fans are really important. And you need the right people, partners and perseverance to amplify the idea. So far, World Athletics appears ready to embrace anyone who has a good idea, money and is ready to play by its competition and doping rules. That’s also good.

It is not lost on long-time observers of American sport that the creation and growth of the powerful professional sports leagues has been done from by investors and promoters, not by governing bodies. The way is open for track to take its place, if it can solve the financial, scheduling and exposure issues that have held it back for decades.

Because the athletes are great, maybe the best ever. But it won’t be easy.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: World Athletics reveals 2026 $10M all-star meet; Microsoft: Russia trying to disrupt Paris 2024; Watanabe v. Gayibov in FIG rematch

Rich Perelman

June 4, 2024

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. World Athletics unveils “Ultimate Championship” for 2026
2. European Athletics readies €50,000 “Gold Crowns” for Rome
3. Microsoft: Russia trying to disparage Paris 2024 Games
4. Watanabe and Gayibov in FIG Presidency rematch
5. Boxing Federation of India joins World Boxing

● World Athletics finally disclosed its season-ending new event for 2026, the “Ultimate Championship,” essentially a three-day all-star meet with a record $10 million in prizes, including appearance money for all qualifiers. It will be held in 2026 and every even year, completing the odd-year World Championships.

● European Athletics is also offering athlete prizes for the first time at its 90-year-old European Championships starting Friday in Rome. €50,000 will be provided to each of 10 winners of the “Gold Crown,” the highest-scoring performance in five event groups each for men and women.

● A Microsoft report detailed extensive Russian propaganda activity online, designed to spread disinformation about the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, primarily using video but also with automated bots on social media channels. The French are well aware of the threat.

● A re-match of the 2021 election for President of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) will take place in October, with Japanese incumbent Morinari Watanabe again facing European Gymnastics chief Farid Gayibov of Azerbaijan. Watanabe is running for a third term, but has not been able to jump-start FIG’s revenues above past levels.

● The Boxing Federation of India will join World Boxing and work to bring over more Asian members in a bid to build up this new federation so that boxing can be confirmed on the program for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

● Panorama: Commonwealth Games (no word on 2026 host yet) = Athletics (2: Kenyan Olympic Trials to be in Nairobi; 14 stars inducted to Collegiate Hall of Fame) = Fencing (2025 Hall of Fame class announced) = Gymnastics (rosters for U.S. Trials announced) = Shooting (Sheng gets 10 m Air Rifle record in Munich World Cup) = Table Tennis (Fan and Sun win WTT Champions Chongqing) = Wrestling (nine inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame) ●

● Errata: Some readers of Monday’s post saw references to the Chechen region of Russia as Chenchen; thanks to reader Dan Bell for telling us first!) ●

1.
World Athletics unveils “Ultimate Championship” for 2026

Announcing its long-promised “off-year” event, World Athletics announced its new “Ultimate Championship” for 2026, a three-day event to be held in September in Budapest, Hungary:

“Highlighting this revolutionary competition is a record-setting prize pot of US$10 million, the largest ever offered in the history of track & field athletics – with gold medallists set to receive US$150,000. This innovative event, debuting 11-13 September 2026 and set to be held every two years, will first be hosted in Hungary’s capital city of Budapest, promising a spectacular conclusion to the summer athletics season.”

This will be a national-team event, with athletes in their national uniforms, and the highest prize money yet offered by the federation, with $150,000 for the winners. About 400 athletes are expected to compete, from about 70 countries in a short-format event, with finals-only in field events and semifinals (at most) and finals in running events.

This will place 8-16 athletes in each event, with a clear focus on the top stars. Said World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon (GBR):

“There will be a strong focus on television audiences, with an aim to reach the biggest global audience possible. We also want to enhance the viewing experience, both at home and in the stadium, so we are looking at what new competition innovations can be introduced, all of which will be thoroughly tested in advance. We truly believe this will be a game changer for our entire sport.”

The game-changer could be that the event is planned to be held every two years, including in Olympic years, creating a new seasonal dynamic:

● 2026: Diamond League final, Ultimate Championship
● 2027: Diamond League final, World Championships
● 2028: Olympic Games, Diamond League final, Ultimate Championship
● 2029: Diamond League Final, World Championships
● 2030: Diamond League Final, Ultimate Championship

The event format and specifics are not finalized, as the announcement noted, “consultation with stakeholders – including athletes and their representatives, coaches, shoe companies, broadcast organisations, Member Federations and many others – will continue throughout the summer before a full event launch this coming Autumn.”

Qualifying for the event is primarily to be through the World Athletics World Rankings, with direct invitations for the Diamond League winners and prior-year World or Olympic champs.

The promised $10 million prize purse is larger than the $8.498 million paid for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, which had prizes from $70,000 for the winner to $5,000 for eighth place in individual events and from $80,000 to $4,000 for relays. There was a $100,000 bonus for world records.

Importantly, Monday’s announcement added that “All athletes competing at the championship will be financially rewarded,” which is certainly not true at the World Championships.

Observed: The choice of Budapest for this first Ultimate Championship makes sense, given excellent government support for events of this type, the success of the 2023 Worlds there and that Marton Gyulai, the Executive Director of Sport for the 2023 Worlds was named last September as the Director of Competition and Events for World Athletics.

The creation of what is essentially an “all-star game” format for a year-end program is logical and can bring a clear sense of closure to the 2026 season. How it will mesh with the Diamond League final will be fascinating; in 2025, the Diamond League final will be in Zurich (SUI) from 27-28 August, so an Ultimate Championship two weeks later in Europe works logistically and can create a rhythmic final month of (almost) weekly meets of high quality.

However, the high-profile European Championships are already scheduled for 10-16 August 2026 in Birmingham (GBR) and for 21-27 August in 2028 in Chorzow (POL).

The bet on the part of World Athletics is that television interest in the event will be high, as the National Athletics Centre which sat 36,000 for the 2023 Worlds has permanent seating for 15,000 in the lower bowl. If desired, more seats can be added, but at what cost for a weekend event?

The “all-star” format at the worldwide level is not new; in response to the impact of the now-on-hiatus International Swimming League, FINA – now World Aquatics – organized a “Champions Series” more or less on the same concept in 2019 (three meets) and 2020 (two meets) before discontinuing it. Each edition paid $1.69 million in total prizes, a lot of money in swimming, but far less than the $10 million to be offered by World Athletics in 2026.

It’s too early to speculate how the Ultimate will work with the proposed new league led by 1996 U.S. Olympic sprint icon Michael Johnson, or other events which have been promised or suggested. But with the dates settled and the 2025 Diamond League calendar to go by, the format of the late-summer meet schedule is out there early. That’s good for everyone.

2.
European Athletics readies €500,000 “Gold Crowns” for Rome

The European Championships in track & field have been contested since 1934, but have never paid prize money, until now. With the 90th-anniversary 2024 edition starting in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Friday (7th), European Athletics is not exactly paying prizes to each winners, but it’s taking a first step with its “Gold Crowns.”

The men’s and women’s events have been grouped in fours and fives and the “best performance” among the winners in each of these groups will receive €50,000 (about $54,523 U.S.) as a “Gold Crown” winner. The groups (same for men and women):

● Sprints & Hurdles (5): 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 100 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles

● Middle & Long Distance (5): 800 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m, 10,000 m, Steeplechase)

● Throws (4): Shot Put, Discus, Hammer, Javelin

● Jumps (4): High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump

● Road/Combined Events/Relays (5): Half Marathon, 20 km Race Walk, Decathlon or Heptathlon, 4×100 m, 4×400 m

That’s €500,000 in total, with the determination of who gets what based on the World Athletics outdoor scoring tables. And yes, an actual “Gold Crown” is planned to be given to each winner.

The concept was agreed in October 2023. According to European Athletics, “The Gold Crown initiative comes on the back of the publication of the new European Athletics Strategic Roadmap 2024-2027 in which competition and athletes are a priority and it includes an objective to ‘strengthen the European Championships, attracting the best athletes and creating the best possible event for fans, sponsors and broadcasters alike.’”

It’s another move toward the professionalization of the sport and the reality that athlete highly value their earning opportunities in what are often short careers due to injuries, competition or other factors. To continue to attract the top European stars, a move toward prize money was obviously needed. Look for more money in future editions in Birmingham (GBR) in 2026 and Chorzow (POL) in 2028.

3.
Microsoft: Russia trying to disparage Paris 2024 Games

“[W]ith less than 80 days until the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed a network of Russia-affiliated actors pursuing a range of malign influence campaigns against France, French President Emmanuel Macron, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Paris Games. These campaigns may forewarn coming online threats to this summer’s international competition.”

Sunday’s report from Microsoft notes that this is nothing new:

“Modern Russia, as well as its predecessor the Soviet Union, has a longstanding tradition of seeking to undermine the Olympic Games. If they cannot participate in or win the Games, then they seek to undercut, defame, and degrade the international competition in the minds of participants, spectators, and global audiences.”

For 2024, the effort apparently started last year:

● “Starting in June 2023, prolific Russian influence actors—which Microsoft tracks as Storm-1679 and Storm-1099—pivoted their operations to take aim at the 2024 Olympic Games and French President Emmanuel Macron. These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the IOC on the world stage; and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.”

● “The ‘Olympics Has Fallen’ website and video became the first in many videos MTAC encountered from Storm-1679. The video, which falsely purported to be a Netflix documentary narrated by the familiar voice of American actor Tom Cruise, clearly signaled the content’s creators committed considerable time to the project and … analysis confirmed the fake documentary used AI-generated audio resembling Cruise’s voice to imply his participation, spoofed Netflix’s iconic intro scene and corporate branding, and promoted bogus five-star reviews from reputable media outlets.”

The report further describes efforts “to foment public fear to deter spectators from attending the Games” and most recently, “a notable increase in Storm-1679’s French-language content as the Olympics campaign gained steam, possibly signaling an effort to target the French public more directly or set the scene for alleged unrest in the lead-up to the Games.”

Looking toward the Games period, the report sees the Russian “[a]ctors are likely to use a mix of propaganda facilitated by generative AI across social media platforms to continue their campaigns against France, the IOC, and the Olympic Games” and to use automated bots as much or more than video.

Microsoft itself pledged that it “remains committed to protecting the conduct and integrity of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. MTAC will monitor and report on any campaigns stemming from Kremlin-backed actors in the lead up and opening of the Paris Games.”

The French are well aware of these efforts and President Macron and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin have both warned against such actions and have stated a significant monitoring effort has been organized in its security services.

4.
Watanabe and Gayibov in FIG Presidency rematch

The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) certified its candidates for elections at the upcoming FIG Congress on 25 October 2024 in Doha (QAT). The same two candidates for President from 2021 are running again: incumbent Morinari Watanabe from Japan and European Gymnastics President Farid Gayibov, who is also the Azerbaijan Minister for Youth and Sports.

On 6 November 2021, Watanabe was elected to a second term – he began as President in 2017 – by winning the vote, 81-47, over Gayibov.

During his tenure, Watanabe has maintained the high standing of gymnastics within the Olympic Movement, which is as a first-tier sport in terms of popularity and prestige, along with World Aquatics and World Athletics. Those three federations are slated to receive $40 million or more for its share of International Olympic Committee television rights sales from the 2024 Paris Games.

However, he had not cracked the code on revenue, as FIG – despite being one of the most popular Olympic sports – has floundered with the same rise and fall in income and assets during and after Olympic years (from FIG financial statements; CHF 1 = $1.12 U.S. on 3 June 2024):

Income:
● 2017: CHF 22.271 million
● 2018: CHF 20.324 million
● 2019: CHF 21.634 million
● 2020: CHF 19.035 million (pandemic)
● 2021: CHF 34.074 million (Olympic year)
● 2022: CHF 20.988 million
● 2023: CHF 17.783 million

Assets:
● 2017: CHF 60.293 million
● 2018: CHF 52.013 million
● 2019: CHF 47.654 million
● 2020: CHF 44.485 million (pandemic)
● 2021: CHF 72.905 million (Olympic year)
● 2022: CHF 56.817 million
● 2023: CHF 48.046 million

Reserves peaked at CHF 35.6 million in 2021 (Olympic year), but are expected to recede to CHF 25.7 million by the end of 2024.

FIG’s major money makers are its Artistic and Rhythmic World Championships, held in all non-Olympic years, although it also holds Worlds in Trampoline, Aerobic, Acrobatic and Parkour. At the FIG Council meeting, it was noted that no bids were received for 2028 World Championships in Acrobatic, Aerobic, Parkour or the 2029 World Gym For Life Challenge.

FIG’s World Cup and World Challenge Cup series meets – Artistic and Rhythmic – are consistent money losers and in Artistic, are only occasionally attended by World Championships medal winners. Under Watanabe, this structure has not significantly changed.

Elections will also be held for Council and committee positions. USA Gymnastics chief Li Li Leung is a member of the FIG Executive Council and is running for another term.

5.
Boxing Federation of India joins World Boxing

The boxing federation of the world’s most populous country is in process to join World Boxing, with the Friday announcement welcoming the Boxing Federation of India:

“The membership application has been approved by the BFI’s General Assembly and will be ratified by World Boxing’s Executive Board. The BFI President, Mr Ajay Singh, recently met with World Boxing’s President and Secretary General to discuss ways in which India can support the International Federation in growing its membership base in Asia, where the BFI is one of the largest National Federations.

“As part of its commitment to the future development of World Boxing, the BFI aims to play a leading role in establishing an Asian Confederation and drive the recruitment of other National Federations in the region.”

India is a significant player in Asian boxing, winning five medals – tied for third-highest – at the last Asian Games, held in 2023. Six Indian boxers have qualified for the Paris 2024 Games.

Said BFI chief Singh:

“It is absolutely vital to the sustainability of boxing that it retains its Olympics status, so we are delighted to join World Boxing and look forward to working closely with the Executive Board and our fellow members to shape the future development of the sport and deliver a brighter future for boxers across the world.

“The BFI shares the same values and goals as World Boxing and are keen to play a leading role in its development. We also wish to be at the forefront of the formation and hosting of a new Asian confederation to ensure boxing continues to expand and grow its membership on the continent.”

India is believed to be the 28th member federation of World Boxing, which will need many more to become a satisfactory governing body in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Commonwealth Games 2026 ● The month of May came and went and no announcement was made – as had been projected – on a 2026 host for the Commonwealth Games, following the withdrawal of Victoria, Australia in 2023.

The London-based Commonwealth Games Federation told GamesBids.com that “further time” is required before a 2026 host can be announced.

● Athletics ● Athletics Kenya announced that its 14-15 June Olympic Trials will take place at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, which is a World Athletics-certified facility, alleviating fears that marks made at the Trials might not be accepted for Paris qualification.

A spectacular class of 14 stars was inducted by the U.S. Collegiate Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association into the Collegiate Track & Field Hall of Fame during Sunday ceremonies at the University of Oregon:

● Rosalyn Bryant (Cal State L.A.): 1976 Olympic 4×400 m silver medalist
● Regina Cavanaugh (Rice): six-time NCAA women’s shot put champion
● Hollis Conway (Louisiana): 1988 Olympic men’s high jump silver medalist
● Bill Dellinger (Oregon): 1964 Olympic men’s 5,000 m bronze medalist
● Benita Fitzgerald (Tennessee): 1984 Olympic 100 m hurdles champion
● Glenn Hardin (LSU): 1932 Olympic silver, 1936 Olympic 400 m hurdles gold
● Balazs Kiss (USC): four-time NCAA men’s hammer champion
● Marty Liquori (Villanova): 1968 Olympian, five-time NCAA champion
● Larry Myricks (Mississippi College): 1988 Olympic long jump bronze
● Louise Ritter (TWU): 1988 Olympic women’s high jump champion
● Karl Salb (Kansas): six-time NCAA shot champion
● Amy Skieresz (Arizona): six-time NCAA women’s 5,000-10,000 m champion
● Trecia-Kaye Smith (Pitt): seven-time NCAA women’s long jump-triple jump champ
● Angela Williams (USC): NCAA women’s 100 m champ 1999-2000-01-02

This class accounted for an astounding 67 national collegiate titles, 25 collegiate records, five Olympic or World Championships medals, and four world records set during their collegiate careers. The Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame was established in 2022, honoring the greatest stars in cross country and track & field.

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2025, including three U.S. fencing stars: 1984 Sabre Olympian Phil Reilly, 1996 Olympic Epee fencer Jim Carpenter, and 1991 Pan American Team Foil gold medalist Jane Hall Carter.

Dan Magay, who won an Olympic Sabre Team gold with Hungary at the 1956 Melbourne Games, was elected as a “Legacy” candidate; he defected to the U.S. to escape Soviet repression in Hungary and won American national titles in 1957, 1958 and 1961.

Pat Bedrosian was elected in the Veterans category, coaches Amgad Khazbak, Semyon Pinkhasov and Kornel Udvarhelyi were honored, and Jeff Bukantz will be inducted as a contributor, having served as a referee in two Olympic Games and the U.S. team captain for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic squads.

They will be inducted during the Summer Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the summer of 2025.

● Gymnastics ● USA Gymnastics announced the rosters for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Artistic Gymnastics, coming up on 27-30 June in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The field will include 16 women and 20 men, vying to be selected to the team for Paris.

The women will be led, of course, by nine-time national champ Simone Biles; three-time national champion Brody Malone is the leading men’s entrant.

● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Cup in Munich (GER), China’s 19-year-old Lihao Sheng – the Tokyo Olympic runner-up – broke his own world record in the men’s 10 m Air Rifle, scoring 254.5 points to increase his own mark of 253.3 from the Asian Games last year. Slovakia’s Patrik Jany, the 2021 European Champion, was second at 251.3.

In the all-teen final of the women’s 10 m Air Rifle, China’s Huang Yiting, 17, overcame 16-year-old Hyojin Ban (KOR), 252.7 to 252.6, with 21.1 points to 20.5 in the 10th frame. Sheng and Yiting combined to easily win the Mixed Team title in the 10 m Air Rifle, 16-4, over Norway.

● Table Tennis ● In the second WTT Champions tournament of the season, this time in Chongqing (CHN), China swept both titles again, with Zhendong Fan and Yingsha Sun earning the titles.

Fan, the two-time World Champion in men’s Singles and Tokyo Olympic runner-up, won a wild 4-3 battle over Chuqin Wang in a repeat of the 2023 Worlds final: 11-9, 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-4. It’s Fan’s second career win in a WTT Champions event.

Sun has now won both WTT Champions events this season and has won four of the seven ever contested! She defeated 2021 World Champion Manyu Wang in another 4-3, see-saw thriller, 11-13, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9.

Two more WTT Champions events are scheduled for 2024, in Montpelier (FRA) and Frankfurt (GER).

● Wrestling ● The National Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted nine members in ceremonies held last Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The inducted athletes included 2012 Olympic Freestyle 60 kg bronze medalist Coleman Scott, 2016 World Freestyle 61 kg Champion Logan Stieber and 2004 Olympic women’s 72 kg Freestyler Tocarra Montgomery, also the 2003 Pan American Games champion.

Coach Tadaaki Hatta, himself a two-time All-American at Oklahoma State, was inducted for his coaching career; Darryl Miller received the Order of Merit for his role as an athletic trainer; Steve Banach received the Outstanding American award recognizing wrestlers for their contributions to society outside of the sport and J.R. Johnson was honored with the Meritorious Official award. Jonathan Koch was honored with the Medal of Courage as a former wrestler who overcame the loss of all or part of all four limbs and now helps others as a coach and motivational speaker.

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TSX REPORT: Biles supreme for ninth U.S. All-Around title; Seville upsets Lyles in 100 m in Jamaica; French police arrest teen terror threat

Rich Perelman

June 3, 2024

tsx pix 2023-827 biles, simone (usag-john cheng) — The incomparable Simone Biles (Photo courtesy USA Gymnastics/John Cheng)

★ 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 ≡

1. Biles sweeps all four events for record ninth U.S. national All-Around title
2. Seville beats Lyles in Kingston, McLaughlin-Levrone 52.70 in Atlanta
3. French police arrest teen in suspected “Islamist attack” plot
4. World Athletics unleashes its “Pioneering Change” plan
5. Another Russian federation doubtful about LA28

● The sensational Simone Biles won a record ninth USA Gymnastics national All-Around title in Ft. Worth and also took the two-stage totals on all four apparatus, winning by almost six points. Returning from a bad knee injury, Brody Malone won his third men’s U.S. All-Around title in four years.

● A busy weekend on the track, with world leads for Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who beat Noah Lyles in the men’s 100 m, 9.82 to 9.85, in Kingston, for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Atlanta in the women’s 400 m hurdles (52.70) and in three events at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, plus more world-record attempts from Mondo Duplantis!

● The French Interior Ministry announced that police arrested an 18-year-old from the Chechen area of Russia who was apparently plotting a suicide attack on an Olympic football match in St. Etienne.

● World Athletics posted its strategic plan for 2023-27, emphasizing a higher profile for the sport, more exciting meets, placing the World Championships at the end of each season and trying out new concepts like the long jump “take-off zone” as well as the one-mile Steeplechase and a mixed 4×100 m relay.

● The head of the Russian fencing federation also believes it is unlikely that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

● Spotlight: La Liga and English Premier League worried that FIFA will require them to cut from 20 to 18 clubs to make room for FIFA’s own events. ●

● Panorama: Tokyo 2020 (Ledecky on the Chinese doping scandal: confidence in anti-doping system “is at an all-time low”) = Olympic Games 2036 (Chile announces interest) = World University Games (FISU celebrates 75th anniversary) = Artistic Swimming (four medals for Canada’s Simoneau at Markham World Cup) = Badminton (five wins for China in Singapore Open) = Boxing (Olympic qualifier concludes; Australia tops all nations with 12 entries in 13 classes) = Canoe-Kayak (Aussie star Fox gets 48th career World Cup win in Augsburg) = Football (U.S. women trounce Korea, 4-0, in Hayes’ debut as coach) = Gymnastics (Kovtun stars in World Challenge Cup in Koper) = Rugby Sevens (France and Australia take seasonal titles in Madrid) = Surfing (Ferreira and Fierro win WSL Tahiti Pro tournament in Teahupo’o) = Swimming (Haughey and Gorbenko sweep Mare Nostrum series) = Weightlifting (three doping positives for Turkey) = Wrestling (Steveson signs with NFL’s Bills as defensive line prospect) ●

1.
Biles sweeps all four events for record ninth U.S. national title

There was little doubt that the iconic Simone Biles would win another All-Around title at the USA Gymnastics National Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas on Sunday night, but in a field that included Tokyo Olympic All-Around winner Suni Lee and Floor gold medalist Jade Carey, could she really sweep all four events?

She did.

Biles, 27, dominated the field and piled up 119.750 points in the two rounds of All-Around competition to win over a star-studded field by almost six full points. More than that, she won each of the four events, based on the two-stage totals. The top scorers by apparatus:

● Vault: Simone Biles 30.800, Skye Blakely 29.400, Jade Carey 29.100
● Bars: Biles 29.050, Jordan Chiles 29.000, Blakely 28.850
● Beam: Biles 29.600, Suni Lee 29.100, Blakely 28.650
● Floor: Biles 30.300, Kayla DiCello 27.800, Tiana Sumanasekera 27.500

In terms of the final overall scores, Biles was simply in another dimension:

● 1. Biles, 119.750
● 2. Blakely, 113.850
● 3. DiCello, 110.800
● 4. Lee, 110.650
● 5. Chiles, 110.400

Carey finished seventh at 109.300; two-time Worlds Team gold winner Leanne Wong was eighth (108.650) and 2023 Worlds Team gold winner Joscelyn Roberson was 10th (108.200).

Moreover, consider that Biles’ score in 2024 was her best at the Nationals since 2018 (!) and that her first-day 60.450 total was her best at the Nationals since 2016! It was her record ninth U.S. All-Around win; the scores:

● 2013: 60.500 (one All-Around only)
● 2014: 122.550 (61.800 + 60.750)
● 2015: 124.100 (61.100 + 63.000)
● 2016: 125.000 (62.900 + 62.100)
● 2018: 119.850 (60.100 + 59.750)
● 2019: 118.500 (58.650 + 59.850)
● 2021: 119.650 (59.550 + 60.100)
● 2023: 118.450 (59.300 + 59.150)
● 2024: 119.750 (60.450 + 59.300)

In terms of national apparatus championships, she now has a staggering 23 of those:

● Vault: 7
● Bars: 2 (2018 and 2024)
● Beam: 7
● Floor: 7

This is beyond astonishing, but there is more coming, at the Olympic Trials at the end of the month and, barring some catastrophic mishap, on to Paris for her third Olympic Games.

Six-time Worlds medal winner – and a member of the 2022 and 2023 Worlds Team golds – Shilese Jones withdrew prior to the start of the meet; her statement:

“Unfortunately, I won’t be participating in the Xfinity Championships this year. With Paris as my ultimate focus, it’s best for me to prioritize recovery and resting my shoulder this weekend. Both the medical team and I are confident this is the right decision to ensure I’m at full strength for Trials. I’m excited to support my fellow athletes and teammates this weekend. I am submitting a petition to USAG for Olympic Trials and hope to have the opportunity to compete in Minneapolis!”

The USA Gymnastics Athlete Selection Committee approved petitions from Jones and Kaliya Lincoln to go to the Trials in Minneapolis from 27-30 June.

Another familiar star was back on top of the men’s podium, as Brody Malone returned from a devastating right knee injury off the horizontal bar in 2023, surgery and rehab to take his third national All-Around title in four years.

A Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Malone won both rounds of the All-Around, scoring 85.950 on Thursday and 86.350 on Saturday, for a 172.300 total. That placed him ahead of Worlds All-Around bronze winner Fred Richard (170.250) and Stanford’s Khoi Young (16.550).

Malone, the 2022 World Champion on the Horizontal Bar, won that event at 29.500 (both rounds combined), was second on Rings (29.250), fourth on the Pommel Horse (28.100), fifth on the Parallel Bars (29.450), sixth on Vault (28.400) and 12th on Floor (27.600).

Richard won on Floor (29.500), 2021 World Champion Stephen Nedoroscik took the Pommel Horse gold at 30.00, Alex Diab won on Rings (29.450), World silver winner Young took the Vault (29.650), Yul Moldauer won on Parallel Bars 30.800).

Including the A-A title and the Horizontal Bar win, Malone now has seven career national titles.

2.
Seville beats Lyles in Kingston, McLaughlin-Levrone 52.70 in Atlanta

This was a busy weekend on the track, with meets all over, but the headliners were in Kingston and Atlanta.

At the annual Racers Grand Prix sprintfest in Jamaica, home favorite Oblique Seville – the fourth-placer at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships 100 m – got the start of his life and held to win in a lifetime best and world-leading 9.82 (wind: +0.9 m/s).

That was just good enough to beat World Champion Noah Lyles of the U.S., who moved up hard in the final 15 m, but was just short in second at 9.85, with Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN: 10.02) third and Kendal Williams of the U.S. in fourth (10.06).

Seville improved by 0.04 and Lyles equaled his second-fastest time ever, but the different in the start reaction times – 0.163 for Seville to 0.189 for Lyles – told most of the story.

Just as impressive was the women’s 100 m win for World 60 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA), who won the women’s 100 m in 10.78 (+1.3), just 0.01 off of the world lead by the injured Jacious Sears of the U.S. Despite having the next-to-last reaction to the gun, she set yet another national record and is definitely in the medal discussions for Paris.

Another world-leading performance came from fellow Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert – the NCAA champ last year for Arkansas – with boomed out to 17.75 m (58-3) in the fourth round to win by more than a meter. Wow!

Trey Cunningham of the U.S. won the 110 m hurdles in a season’s best of 13.12 (+0.8) over Rasheed Broadbell (JAM: 13.26) and Michael Dickson of the U.S. (13.26).

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone returned to the women’s 400 m hurdles for the first time in two years at the HBCU Pro Classic: Edwin Moses Legends meet on Friday at Morehouse College in Atlanta, an American Track League event.

She was an easy winner in a world-leading 52.70, but there were other strong marks as well.

Olympic silver winner Keni Harrison won the women’s 100 m hurdles in 12.60 (wind: +0.2 m/s), and fellow American Tamara Clark took the women’s 100 m in 11.04 (+0.8), while Canada’s Audrey Leduc upset Tamari Davis of the U.S. in the 200 m, 22.36 – a national record – to 22.39 (+1.1).

American Pjai Austin won the men’s 100 m in 10.03 (-0.9) and Terrance Laird was an easy winner in the 200 m in 20.30 (+0.6). Christopher Bailey, third at the U.S. Indoor Nationals this year, got a lifetime best of 44.42 to win the 400 m and move to no. 9 in the world for 2024.

The Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm (SWE) saw three world-leading marks, but also another set of world-record tries by vault king Mondo Duplantis:

● Men/800 m: 1:43.23, Djamel Sedjati (ALG)
● Men/3,000 m: 7:33.59, Narve Nordas (NOR)
● Men/3,000 m Steeple: 8:01.63, Lamecha Girma (ETH)

The fans came to see national hero Duplantis in the men’s vault and it took only three jumps for him to clear the field except for two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S., as both cleared 5.90 m (19-4 1/4) on their first tries. The bar went to 6.00 m (19-8 1/4), and Duplantis cleared on his opening try, while Kendricks missed three times and finished second. American recordman KC Lightfoot was third with his clearance at 5.80 m (19-0 1/4).

Duplantis, having made his only four jumps of the meet, immediately asked for the bar to go to 6.25 m (20-6) for his third try at a ninth world record. But he missed three times – the first and third were really close – and is now 0-9 in his jumps at that height.

Now the world leaders:

● World leader Djamel Sedjati, the 2022 Worlds silver medalist, got the hot pace he wanted in the men’s 800 m, but didn’t challenge the leaders until 200 m to go. But he passed Ben Pattison (GBR) and American Bryce Hoppel on the turn and ran away on the home straight to improve on his own world-leading time to 1:43.23. Hoppel was second with a strong finish in 1:44.29, with Tshepiso Masalela (BOT) coming up for third in a photo-finish with Pattison, with both in 1:44.44.

● In the 3,000 m, Swiss Dominic Lobalu had the lead for most of the race, but Norway’s Narve Nordas – the 2023 Worlds 1,500 m bronze winner – moved up with 250 m to go and then blasted the final straight to win in a world-leading 7:33.49, trailed by Lobalu (7:33.68) and Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva (7:33.96).

● In the Steeple, world-record holder Lamecha Girma (ETH) opened his season and had the lead ahead of the pacesetter by 1,200 m, and had countryman Samuel Firewu – the world leader coming in – somewhat close He was well clear of the field with two laps left, was all alone at the bell and romped home in a world-leading 8:01.63, his sixth-fastest time ever.

Firewu was all alone in second for most of the last three laps, with a personal best of 8:05.78, with Mohamed Jhinaoui (TUN) coming up on the last lap to get third in a national record of 8:10.41. Tokyo fourth-placer Getnet Wale (ETH) was fourth at 8:10.73; American Hillary Bor finished seventh in 8:15.53.

Much attention was paid to two superstars looking to jump-start their outdoor seasons:

● The questions concerning two-time World 200 m champ Shericka Jackson (JAM) continued. She won the 200 m convincingly, but had to battle a 2.0 m/s headwind and posted a modest time of 22.68. Sweden’s Julia Henriksson was a surprise second in 22.89. Anavia Battle of the U.S. was fourth in 22.98 and Jenna Prandini was seventh in 23.31.

● Dutch World women’s 400 m hurdles champ Femke Bol made her seasonal debut in the event and exploded in the home straight to overtake Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton after hurdle eight and win going away in 53.07. Clayton was a clear second in 53.78 and countrywoman Andrenette Knight got third in 54.62.

And there was a lot more:

Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme won the men’s 100 m from a charging Kyree King of the U.S. in 10.16 to 10.18, into a 1.0 m/s headwind. The non-Diamond League men’s 400 m looked like a win for Zakithi Nene (RSA), as he led into the final straight, only to be passed by American Vernon Norwood and then both were passed by Quincy Hall of the U.S. in the final 50 m and the win in 44.68, to 44.80 and 45.29 for Nene.

German Robert Farken won the men’s non-Diamond League 1,500 m, taking control at the bell and winning in 3:33.53, beating Luke McCann (IRL: 3:33.66) and Federico Riva (ITA: 3:33.87).

Brazil’s 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos, coming off of his big win over world-record holder Karsten Warholm at the Bislett Games, had the lead almost immediately in the 400 m hurdles and won easily in 47.01. Commonwealth Games champ Kyron McMaster edged CJ Allen of the U.S. for second, 48.05 to 48.12, seasonal bests for both.

Discus world-record setter Mykolas Alekna (LTU) won his sixth straight meet this season with his third-round throw of 68.84 m (225-10), followed by three fouls. Commonwealth Games champion Matthew Denny (AUS: 66.75 m/219-0) was second and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl (SWE) finished third at 66.10 m (216-10).

In the women’s 100 m, African Games champ Gina Bass (GAM) got out best, but had to hold off a charge from American Brittany Brown and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) to win in 11.15 (wind: -0.8 m/s), with Ta Lou-Smith given second in 11.16 and Brown with a seasonal best of 11.18 in third.

The non-Diamond League women’s 400 m was a win for Alexis Smith of the U.S. in 51.18, well ahead of Zeney Geldenhuys (RSA: 52.18). The non-D.L. 800 m was a comfortable win for Britain’s Jemma Reekie, taking over after the bell and finishing in 1:57.79, beating Vivian Kiprotich (KEN: 1:58.64).

World no. 2 Birke Haylom (ETH) took control of the 1,500 m by the 1,000 m mark and was running strongly in the lead onto the final backstraight. But she could not match a charge by Britain’s Olympic silver winner Laura Muir, who had the lead into the final straight and won in 3:57.99, trailed by Kenyan Ednah Jebitok with a lifetime best of 3:58.88, Australian Georgia Griffith (3:59.17) and then Haylom (3:59.84). Danielle Jones of the U.S. got fifth in a lifetime best of 4:00.64.

The women’s shot was a tight battle between World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. and World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton of Canada. Jackson got out to 20.00 m (65-7 1/2) in round two and that turned out to be the winner, as Mitton managed 19.98 m (65-6 3/4) in the second round, but could not improve. Maggie Ewen of the U.S. was eighth at 18.27 m (59-11 1/4).

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 2023 World Champion, made her outdoor debut and popped over 2.00 m (6-6 3/4) on her second try to win over Imke Onnen (GER) and fellow Ukrainian Iryna Gerashchenko, both at 1.94 m (6-4 1/4). Cuban Leyanis Perez, the World Indoor silver medalist, grabbed the lead in the women’s triple jump at 14.67 m (48-1 3/4) in the second round, and no one could match her. Two-time Worlds silver winner Shanieka Ricketts (JAM) was second with 14.40 m (47-3) and two-time Olympian Keturah Orji of the U.S. was sixth at 13.75 m (45-1 1/2).

The Diamond League is on hiatus now until the Meeting de Paris on 7 July, to be held in the Stade Charlety and NOT in the Stade de France, which will be used for the Olympic Games.

3.
French police arrest teen in suspected “Islamist attack” plot

The French Interior Ministry posted this statement on Friday (computer translation):

“On May 22, 2024, the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) arrested an 18-year-old Chechen national suspected of wanting to commit an Islamist-inspired attack on national soil in Saint-Etienne (Loire).

“The preliminary evidence suggests that he was actively preparing an attack against the Geoffroy Guichard stadium (Saint-Etienne), during the football events which will take place there as part of the Olympic Games that our country will host next summer. He would have liked to attack spectators, but also the police and die a martyr.

“Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, congratulates the intelligence services which once again demonstrate their full mobilization and effectiveness in the fight against terrorism and the protection of our country. This is the first foiled attack against the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 50th attack foiled by our intelligence services since 2017.”

Preliminary terrorism charges were filed on Friday. Darmanin has said previously that the country’s security services are on high alert, especially for possible attacks by Islamic groups, environmental activists, far-right organizations, Russian cyberattacks from Russia and others.

The suspect moved to France with his family in 2023 and had no police record prior to this incident. French media reported that police found him “exchanging encrypted messages with known Islamists. Photographs and videos of the stadium were allegedly found on his phone and computer.” The Chechen Republic is in southern Russia, near the Caspian Sea, is mostly rural and strongly Islamic.

The Stade Geoffrey Guichard is scheduled to his six group–stage football matches, three each for men and women.

4.
World Athletics unleashes its “Pioneering Change” plan

“With this new strategy, the next four years must be a game changer for the sport of athletics.

“We are the number 1 Olympic Sport by audience and reach and our World Championships also see many millions of people around the world watching our athletes. We will build on these big moments by ensuring we have a major athletics global event taking place EVERY year. An event that ends the classic outdoor season with flair, entertainment and purpose that attracts large global audiences.”

That’s from the introduction to the new World Athletics Strategic Plan for 2023-27, called “Pioneering Change.” The 36-page document is the successor to the 2020 “Strategy for Growth” plan and follows the goals set in the 2021 “World Plan for Athletics 2022-30.”

The plan lists four primary pathways forward: more and better events, more innovation in events and access to athletes, “more ways in which our athletes can be stars” and more ways to get involved as an athlete, coach or official. But it also notes that “Almost three quarters of 13-37 years olds say that they do not need to watch sports live, preferring to watch highlights and clips and over half of the 12-27 year olds (Gen Z) do not like traditional sport or formats.”

So, the report identifies specific themes and projects to expand the touch of athletics at all levels and for all age groups. Action items called include, but are not limited to:

● Increasing fan appeal and understanding of the sport: “End each season with a global championship event that will engage millions of fans around the world.”

● “Launch a new global championship event to take place in 2026 that is made for television and will appeal to millions of people around the world.”

● Funding new funders and organizations outside of World Athletics to put on more meets and pay more prize money to athletes.

● “Recruit, retain, reward and educate people in our sport and create more ways for them to be part of global athletics regardless of region, age or level,” a under-appreciated but crucial goal to provide enough qualified coaches to help athletes and officials for meets.

Not mentioned directly in the report, but in the accompanying announcement were new developments to be tested and considered, some of which have been previously made public:

● “A mixed 4x100m relay and a steeplechase mile
● “A take-off zone for horizontal jumps
● “Improved efficiency of measurements
● “New ways to decide tie-breakers in jumps using new technology
● “Reviewing the weights of women’s shot put and javelin”

The report states, based on research commissioned from Nielsen Sports, that “Athletics is ranked fourth in terms of sports interest globally,” and that World Athletics is currently working on an annualized budget of $55 million (U.S.) per year once extraordinary income – the quadrennial, $40 million-plus Olympic television dividend from the International Olympic Committee – is averaged out.

Observed: This four-year plan covers the last four years that iconic British double Olympic champion Sebastian Coe (GBR) will be the head of World Athletics. It sets clear goals and some detail on how they will be achieved.

Importantly, the language of the plan conveys the underlying unease among many athletes, agents, coaches and fans that the sport – as great as it is and in a period of stunning achievement on the track and infield – that athletics is not where it should be in terms of popularity, funding and attention.

There are good motives and a clear direction of what needs to be achieved to move this sport forward. Doing so will be extraordinarily difficult in a time when the biggest sports and leagues – FIFA, the NFL, the NBA and others – are pressing even harder to expand their already-strong market share and crowd others out whenever possible.

5.
Another Russian federation doubtful about LA28

Ilgar Mamedov, the head of the Russian Fencing Federation, was the latest to cast doubt on whether Russian athletes will be able to compete in Los Angeles at the 2028 Olympic Games. He told the Russian news agency TASS (DeepL translation):

“If the 2028 Olympics were not in Los Angeles [USA], there would have been more positives and illusions about us coming back.

“Judging by what’s happening now, frankly, there’s not much optimism. But you realize that everything can change at any moment. As soon as everything is over where this situation [the invasion of Ukraine] is happening, I think everything will normalize.

“We have to wait and in no way betray [Russia], because those who betray now, to put it mildly, will feel uncomfortable when everything is over. It won’t work to pretend that everything is fine, that it was just the way things had to be done. Everyone now faces a choice: to do right or wrong.”

The Paris 2024 Games will see the smallest Russian Empire/Soviet/Russian presence in the Olympic Games in 116 years, competing only as “Individual Neutral Athletes” with no Russian identification. The International Olympic Committee has its own team of reviewers to determine whether the athletes deemed qualified for Paris by the International Federations meet its standards for admission.

Multiple Russian federation heads have opined that Russian athletes will be similarly limited for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games and a few have shared Mamedov’s view that LA28 may not be much better.

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Football ● Amid threats of boycotts of the new, expanded FIFA Club World Cup for 2025 from Spain’s La Liga and the English Premier League over the expansion of FIFA-organized tournaments into periods when clubs have been able to do their own programming comes a new worry reported in the British paper The Sun: forcing leagues to cut teams.

By doing so, the number of matches that clubs play would be reduced and create the requested rest for players … to compete in FIFA-sponsored events instead of domestic league matches. An unnamed source in Friday’s story said:

“We all think that this is the ultimate aim from FIFA, to find a way of making us drop to 18.

“What you can put your money on is the [FIFA] working group [on player welfare] saying there is too much domestic football, that we should all go down from 20 clubs to 18 and that the least impact on players comes from international matches.

“We wouldn’t be shocked if they have already written their conclusions.”

The Premier League, La Liga and Serie A in Italy have 20 clubs each, with 18 in the French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga. La Liga chief executive Javier Tebas told The Sun:

“If we don’t take action the industry is in danger, right now. FIFA’s solution is just to create new competitions. But for that to happen and for us to be able to fit these competitions in, we would have to lose two clubs from La Liga.

“That would mean we’d have to make 70 players unemployed at those clubs and it would lose thousands of jobs related to those clubs. We need to fix the current problems before creating new competitions that will destroy the industry, clubs, jobs, the dreams of fans – and football.”

FIFA, for its part, said that no such changes are contemplated and that national leagues retain autonomy over their own competitions. But the continued war of words from England and Spain are a demonstration of the tension over FIFA’s enthusiasm for new programs which it will organize and operate.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2020: Tokyo ● “It’s hard going into Paris knowing that we’re going to be racing some of these athletes. And I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low.”

That’s seven-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky of the U.S., from a Sunday interview on the “CBS News Sunday Morning” program, commenting on the Chinese swimmer positives for trimetazidine in 2021 that were determined to be “accidental contamination” by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency, with no penalties, conclusions that were not challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“It doesn’t seem like everything was followed to a ‘’T’ regarding the handling of the case.

“I’d like to see some accountability here. I’d like to see some answers as to why this happened the way it did. And I’d really like to see that steps are taken for the future so that we can regain some confidence in the global system.”

Of the 23 Chinese swimmers who registered positive tests, four athletes won five event medals at Tokyo 2020 and multiple swimmers on the list are expected to compete in Paris.

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced Saturday that his country will look to bid for the Games of the XXXVI Olympiad in 2036 (computer translation from the original Spanish):

“[W]e have shown that Chile has the organizational conditions, the management capacity and the international leadership to organize world-class sporting events.

“That is why I announce that we will begin the path so that Chile is, for the first time in its history, a candidate to host the 2036 Olympic Games. And, to this end, I have instructed the Minister of Sports, Jaime Pizarro, to formalize the procedures through a letter of intent that has already been sent to the Chilean Olympic Committee, to begin the application process for our headquarters with a view to 2036.”

This means that Chile will enter into a “continuous dialogue” with the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission for the summer Games, joining multiple other countries with interest, such as India, Indonesia, Poland, Qatar, Turkey and others.

Chile successfully hosted the 2023 Pan American Games, with 6,909 athletes from 41 delegations, competing in 39 sports.

● World University Games ● Saturday (1st) was the 75th anniversary of the founding Congress of the Federation Internationale de Sport Universitaire (FISU) in Zurich (SUI) in 1949, with six original members: Italy, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

The stated purpose of the new federation:

“To promote the cultural aspect of the student body from all countries, to exchange the experiences of university sport, to organise international university meetings, and to spread the moral values of sport.”

A “Summer International University Sports Week” was held in 1949 in Merano (ITA) with nine participating countries, but the World University Games as known today was first held in 1959 in Turin (ITA), with 985 competitors from 45 countries.

● Artistic Swimming ● The third stop on the World Aquatics World Cup tour in Markham (CAN) was a showcase for home favorite Jacqueline Simoneau, the two-time Worlds medal winner in the Solo division. But the Montreal native won four medals in Markham, starting with the Solo Technical final, scoring 256.7950 over China’s 18-year-old Huiyan Xu (244.2050).

Hu won the Solo Free at 231.98354, with Simoneau second at 230.5750. The Canadian star then teamed with Audrey Lamothe for silver medals in the Duet Tech and Duet Free. Worlds medal-winning sisters Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini-Marina Alexandri (AUT) won the Duet Technical in a tight final, 248.3567 to 248.3350, and Japan’s Moe Higa and Tomoka Sato took the Duet Free by 253.7730 to 246.5501.

Kazakhstan’s Eduard Kim won the men’s Solo Technical at 204.3900 and teammate Viktor Druzin took the men’s Solo Free, scoring 193.7938.

In the Mixed Technical final, Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez and Mireia Hernandez won at 228.1233, and then Gonzalez and Emma Garcia won the Mixed Free final at 200.3854.

● Badminton ● China placed finalists in all five events and won four at the Singapore Open, although there was no suspense in the all-China final in the men’s Singles, with Yu Qi Shi taking down Shi Feng Li, 17-21, 21-19, 21-19.

Unseeded Ji Ting He and Xiang Yu Ren (CHN) swept aside Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA) in the men’s Doubles, 21-19, 21-14 and top-seeded Qing Chen Chen and Yi Fan Jia (CHN) defeated Ami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (JPN), 21-15, 21-12.

In the Mixed Doubles, top-seeds Si Wei Zhang and Ya Qiong Huang (CHN) swept Po-Hsuan Yang and Ling Fang Hu (TPE), 21-11, 21-19.

Top women’s seed Se Young An (KOR) was the only non-Chinese winner, taking down no. 2 seed Yu Fei Chen (CHN) by 21-19, 16-21, 21-12.

● Boxing ● The final Olympic Qualifying Tournament was held in Bangkok (THA), with quota slots finalized in all 13 classes, with 578 boxers from 132 countries vying for 28 men’s and 23 women’s spots.

The U.S. won two more spots in Paris, with Roscoe Hill winning his quota bout by 5-0 at 51 kg, over Gan-Erdene Gankhuyagiin of Mongolia. Alyssa Mendoza earned her place in Paris in the women’s 57 kg class, also with a 5-0 win, over Maud van der Toorn (NED).

With the entries for the 13 classes to be contested in Paris essentially complete (some re-allocations will be needed), the leading nation by number of qualifiers was Australia with 12, followed by Uzbekistan with 11 and Brazil, Ireland and Kazakhstan with 10. China, France, Italy, Thailand, Turkey and the U.S. all have eight.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The first Canoe-Slalom World Cup was in Augsburg (GER), with one of the all-time greats scoring yet another World Cup victory.

That would be Australia’s Jessica Fox, who stormed to a clear win in the women’s C-1 final, finishing at 11.68 seconds (2 penalties), ahead of Spain’s Nuria Vilarrubla (118.83/2), with American Evy Leibfarth seventh in 126.67 (4).

It was the 31st World Cup win for Fox in the C-1 and now 48 total World Cup wins all three disciplines, to go along with her four Olympic medals and 14 Worlds golds!

France’s Camille Prigent, a 2018 K-1 Team gold medalist, won the women’s K-1 in 106.41 (0), beating two-time World Champion Ricarda Funk (GER: 106.45/2). Worlds bronze medalist Eva Tercelj (SLO) won the Kayak Cross, ahead of Worlds silver winner Prigent and Leibfarth.

The men’s K-1 winner was Felix Oschmautz (AUT) in 101.66 (2), beating Finn Butcher (NZL: 102.66/2), and Slovenia’a Ziga Lin Hocevar won the C-1 in 101.57 (0), ahead of Marko Mirgorodsky (SVK: 101.84/0).

France’s Mathurin Madore won the men’s Kayak Cross final, with Swiss Dmitri Marx second, and Butcher getting his second medal in third.

● Football ● In their first game with Emma Hayes (GBR) as coach, the U.S. women cruised to a 4-0 victory over Korea in Commerce City, Colorado on Saturday.

The game was scoreless until late in the first half, when the U.S. got untracked with star striker Mallory Swanson slammed home a pass into the center of the box from Sophia Smith for a 1-0. Then, defender Tierna Davidson headed home the second goal off a cross by Caterina Macario in the 38th for the 2-0 lead that held through halftime, where the U.S. out-shot the Koreans by 8-2.

It only took three minutes of the second half for Davidson to get a second goal, with another header, this time from the right edge of the six-yard box off a Swanson cross. And Swanson got a second goal as well, from the right side of goal in the 74th for the 4-0 final.

The U.S. women held 67% of possession and ended with 15-4 shots advantage against an overmatched opponent. Jane Campbell got the shutout in goal for the U.S., her first start since a 2021 shutout of … South Korea!

Worth noting: Hayes sent a startling line-up that averaged just 25 1/2 years old, reported to be the youngest since April 2022.

The U.S. and Korea will face off again on Tuesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

● Gymnastics ● Ukraine’s 20-year-old Worlds All-Around runner-up Illia Kovtun was the stare of the FIG Apparatus World Challenge Cup in Koper (SLO), winning three events and taking a silver in another.

He started on fire, winning the Floor at 14.600, beating Olympic and World Champion Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) by 14.600 to 14.450. Kovtun then won on Pommel Horse at 14.900 with Kazakhstan’s Diyas Toishybek a distant second at 14.150. And he finished the first day with a silver on Rings, with teammate Igor Radivilov winning at 13.700 and Kovtun at 13.350.

On Sunday, Spain’s Pau Jimenez won the Vault (14.400), the Kovtun got his third win of the meet on Parallel Bars with a big score of 15.350, followed by Yuan-Hsi Hung (TPE: 14.900). The 2018 Asian Games winner on Horizontal Bar, Chia-Hung Tang (TPE) put up a big score to defeat 2017 World Champion Tin Srbic (CRO), at 14.950.

The women’s winners included Alexa Moreno (MEX: 14.600) on Vault, Lucija Hribar (SLO: 13.300) on the Uneven Bars, Veronica Mandriota (ITA: 13.050) on Beam and Lena Bickel (SUI: 13.300) on Floor.

● Rugby Sevens ● The 2023-24 HSBC Sevens finale was in Madrid (ESP), with the top eight teams in the men’s and women’s standings in a championship series play-off for the seasonal title.

In men’s pool play, Argentina and Fiji both went 3-0, but France won over Fiji in one semifinal, 21-14, and Argentina cruised into the final with a 21-14 win over New Zealand. But the French took the title – its second of the season – with a 19-5 finals win, with Fiji defeating New Zealand by 17-10 for third.

France thus won its first-ever Sevens series title, a good sign for its Olympic chances, and Argentina ended up second for the second season in a row. Fiji won the seasonal bronze for the third time in a row!

In the women’s pool play, Australia was undefeated at 3-0, but Canada tool Pool A at 2-1 over New Zealand (2-1). But the French overcame the Canadians in their semi, 19-17, while Australia managed 21-19 victory over the Kiwis.

In the final, Australia was a clear winner over France by 26-7, while New Zealand sailed past Canada, 26-14.

This was the 11th season of the women’s Sevens and either Australia (4) or New Zealand (7) have won every time. The French were runners-up for the second time in three seasons, while the U.S. women finished fifth.

● Surfing ● The World Surf League’s Tahiti Pro tournament, also a dress rehearsal for the Paris 2024 competition at Teahupo’o, finished with wins for Brazil’s Italo Ferreira and France’s Vahine Fierro.

Ferreira, the 2019 World Champion, won the men’s final against John John Florence (Hawaii), 17.70 to 17.16. Fierro, the 2017 World Junior Champion, got her first career World Surf League tour win over Brisa Hennessey (CRC) in the final by 15.17 to 12.00.

● Swimming ● Strong swimming in the final two events of the annual Mare Nostrum series, in Barcelona (29-30 May), and Monaco (1-2 June), with exceptional marks from Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey and Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko.

Haughey, the Tokyo runner-up in the women’s 100 and 200 m Freestyles, swept both events in this year’s Mare Nostrum series, and is now third in the world in 2024 from her 52.55 win at the first stop in Canet-et-Roussillon (FRA).

Gorbenko has been slashing national records all season and swept the women’s 200 m Medley, moving to seventh in the world for 2024 with her Barcelona winning time of 2:08.55, then moved to fifth in 2024 in the 400 m Medley in Monaco in 4:34.87.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, the four-time World Champion in the 50 m Free, confirmed her favorite status for Paris, winning the Skins race in Monaco in 23.84. That’s faster than anyone else has swum this year, but just behind her own 23.69 win at the World Championships in February.

David Popovici (ROU), the 2022 men’s Worlds winner in the 100-200 m Frees, won the 200 m Free in Barcelona in 1:44.74, moving to no. 3 in 2024. Korean Woo-min Kim, the 400 m Free World Champion, moved up to no. 4 in 2024 in his specialty, winning in Monaco in 3:42.42.

Hungary’s Kristof Milak, who dazzled as the 100-200 m Fly Worlds winner in 2022, got back into the mix for Paris with wins in Monaco in both events. His 100 m Fly victory in 50.75 moves to fourth on the year list and his 1:53.94 for 200 m is now second for 2024.

● Weightlifting ● The International Testing Agency announced three doping positives among Turkish lifters from tests in April 2023, for Hakan Sukru Kurnaz, Pelinsu Bayav and Dogan Donen.

Kurnaz was the 2022 World Junior Champion in the men’s 81 kg class and Bayav competed in the women’s 49 kg class; both tested positive for methasterone. Donen won the 2019 World Junior bronze in the men’s 61 kg division, and failed to provide his “whereabouts” three times within a 12-month period.

The triple sanction triggers a review by the International Weightlifting Federation’s Independent Member Federation Sanctioning Panel, and could result in Turkey losing its right to compete in Paris this summer; Turkey has qualified one lifter, European men’s 73 kg champion Muhammad Ozbek.

● Wrestling ● Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, the miracle winner of the 125 kg Freestyle final at the Tokyo 2020 Games, signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on Friday, projected as a defensive lineman.

Steveson – at 6-1, 275 lbs. – is not a football player; he wrestled at Minnesota and was a two-time NCAA Champion at 285 lbs. in 2021 and 2022. He signed with the WWE but that did not pan out and now he will try to use his skills in football.

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TSX REPORT: Ingebrigtsen, dos Santos, Gebrhiwet star in Oslo; any idea who Pierre de Coubertin is? FIFA Club World Cup boycott?

Rich Perelman

May 31, 2024

tsx pix 2024-510 dos santos, alison doha (marisa nassour DLAG) — Brazil’s Alison dos Santos won this race in Doha, then conquered Olympic champ Karsten Warholm in Oslo! (Photo: Marise Nassour for Diamond League AG)

★ 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 ≡

1. Oslo: Dos Santos beats Warholm, Inge 3:29.74! Gebrhiwet 12:36.73!
2. Pierre de Coubertin: the unknown Olympic visionary?
3. Paris 2024 Champions Park to host seven medal re-allocations
4. Premier League, La Liga to boycott FIFA Club World Cup?
5. Pogacar still thinking Tour de France and World Champs

● A fabulous Bislett Games in Oslo saw Brazil’s Alison dos Santos beat Karsten Warholm on his home track in the 400 m hurdles among world-leading marks in five events. Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet ran the second-fastest 5,000 m of all-time and Olympic 1,500 m champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen had to dive at the line to win his race and thrill the home crowd.

● An online roundtable discussion on Thursday explored the impact of the founder of the modern Olympic Games, France’s Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Amazingly, he is little known – if at all – outside of the Olympic Movement today, despite being responsible for restarting one of the world’s best-known events. A descendant and a historian explained his concept behind the re-start of the tradition from ancient Greece.

● The International Olympic Committee announced that medal re-allocations from the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games – seven events and for 10 athletes – will take place at the Champions Park at Paris 2024 on 9 August, at the Trocadero Gardens. Two Americans will receive their London 2012 golds.

● After protests prior to the FIFA Congress in Thailand, new warnings against the much-expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup – to be held in the U.S. in June and July – were voiced by the heads of the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, saying their teams will simply not participate unless the event is re-scheduled to allow more player rest.

● Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogacar confirmed that he is targeting the Tour de France and the UCI World Road Championships in 2024 and not the Vuelta a Espana, although he wants to win that race too … someday.

● Panorama: London 2012 (Russia’s Albegov has his weightlifting medal reassigned) = Basketball (study shows positive impact of national team play on club performance) = Boxing (IBA issues furious reply to IOC’s instructions to national federations) = Figure Skating (U.S. Pairs coach Sappenfield permanently barred by U.S. SafeSport) = Gymnastics (U.S. nationals this weekend paves way to Paris Trials) = Hockey (a zero-carbon field for Paris!) = Weightlifting (2: IWF exploring new ways to showcase the sport; only 0.06% doping positives in 2023) ●

1.
Oslo: Dos Santos beats Warholm, Inge 3:29.74! Gebrhiwet 12:36.73!

Another memorable Bislett Games in Oslo (NOR), with the home fans disappointed at a loss by hurdles star Karsten Warholm, but thrilled by a sensational 1,500 m win for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, among five world-leading marks:

● Men/1,500 m: 3:29.74, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
● Men/5,000 m: 12:36.73, Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH)
● Men/400 m hurdles: 46.63, Alison dos Santos (BRA)
● Women/400 m: 49.30, Marileidy Paulino (DOM)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:24.20, Georgia Griffith (AUS)

Everyone was expecting fireworks in the men’s 400 m hurdles, with Olympic champ and world-record holder Warholm in his favored lane seven, and Brazil’s 2022 World Champion dos Santos in lane five. And that’s what they got in a see-saw race that had Warholm out fast, but dos Santos staying right with him through seven hurdles. Warholm was first into the straight, but the Brazilian gave away nothing, closed on the run-in and after Warholm hit the tenth hurdle, steamed to the line to win in a world-leading 46.63, 1/100th better than U.S. star Rai Benjamin’s runaway 46.64 at the L.A. Grand Prix, and the ninth-fastest race ever. Wow!

Warholm was second in 46.70, now no. 3 in 2024 (in his season opener), followed by Kyron McMaster (IVB: 48.39). American CJ Allen was sixth in 49.42.

The final event was the men’s 1,500 m, with Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic champ, coming off a tight loss in the Prefontaine Classic mile last week. He was in a familiar tussle with 2019 World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN), with the two running together behind the pacesetters through 800 m, then Ingebrigtsen taking over, with Britain’s Elliot Giles in third. At the bell, Ingebrigtsen was just ahead of Cheruiyot and finally got a little separation into the straight.

But Cheruiyot kept coming and surged in the final 35 m, so Ingebrigtsen dove at the line to win in 3:29.74 to 3:29.77, the fifth straight time Ingebrigtsen has won this match-up, to the delight of the Bislett Stadium throng. France’s Azzedine Habz, coming on strong this season at age 30, sprinted into third on the final straight in 3:30.80, ahead of Isaac Nader (POR: 3:30.84) and Giles (3:31.06).

The 2023 Bislett Games saw a hot 5,000 m with Ethiopia’s two-time World Indoor 3,000 m champ Yomif Kejelcha beating Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo with both timed in 12.41.73 to move to no. 6 all-time. The 2024 edition was even hotter, with Kejelcha taking over at 3,600 m and holding the lead with Ethiopia’s Gebrhiwet close by and the two moving away from the field. Off of a 59.62 lap between 4,200 and 4,600 m, Gebrhiwet shot into the lead at the bell and stormed home in 54.99 to win in 12:36.73, the world leader for 2024 and the second-fastest time in history! Yowsah!

Kejelcha wasn’t far behind at 12:38.95 (no. 4 performer and performance ever), then Kiplimo (12:40.96, the no. 9 performance all-time). Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo ran 12:48.10 and was a distant fourth and pacesetter Addisu Yihune (ETH) held on for fifth in 12:49.65! The top 13 all broke 13:00!

In the women’s 400 m, 2023 World Champion Paulino won her fourth 400 m race without a loss this season in 49.30, pulling away over the turn from Poland’s 2023 Worlds runner-up, Natalia Kaczmarek, in 49.80, with American Alexis Holmes third in 50.40.

The women’s 3,000 m had Tokyo Olympian Jessica Hull (AUS) taking the lead with a lap to go over Karoline Grovdal (NOR) and Kenyan Caroline Nyaga, but fellow Aussie (and Tokyo Olympian) Georgia Griffith moved up on the backstraight, sitting third with 200 m to go. She charged into the straight with the lead and won in a lifetime best and world-leading 8:24.20, with Likina Amebaw (ETH: 8:24.29) closing hard for second and Hull settling for third in 8:25.82.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine continued his consistent form in the men’s 100 m, taking over in mid-race and winning in 9.94 (+0.4) from Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (JPN: 9.99) and Emmanuel Eseme (CMR: 10.01). Tokyo Olympic champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA) was fourth (10.03) and American Brandon Hicklin was fifth in 10.05.

The men’s 400 m saw Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith take the lead early and hold off London 2012 gold medalist Kirani James for a 44.07 win, a lifetime best and breaking his own European Record of 44.26 from 2023! He’s now no. 2 on the 2024 world list. James faded to 44.58 for second and a late charge from Vernon Norwood of the U.S. gave him third in a season’s best of 44.68. American Quincy Hall was fifth in 45.02.

American record-holder KC Lightfoot won the men’s vault as the only one to clear 5.82 m (19-1), ahead of five others who made 5.72 m (18-9 1/4), led by Emmanouil Karalis (GRE) and E.J. Obiena (PHI). American Sam Kendricks was fourth.

The men’s triple jump was dominated by 2023 World Champion Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR), who took the lead at 16.98 m (55-8 1/2) in the first round and improved to 17.27 m (56-8) in round four. He got a scare from Algeria’s Yasser Triki, who bounced out at 17.25 m (56-7 1/4) on his final try, but had to settle for second. American Christian Taylor was seventh at 16.14 m (52-11 1/2).

Discus world-record-setter Mykolas Alekna (LTU) got control of the event in the second round, reaching 70.91 m (232-7) and no one else got close. Australia’s Matthew Denny, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champ, spun the platter out to 67.71 m (222-1) in round three and got second; Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE) was third at 66.80 m (219-2).

The U.S. got a big win when 2019 Worlds silver medalist Brittany Brown emerged on the straight in lane eight and won the women’s 200 m in 22.32 (wind: -0.2 m/s) passing Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV: 22.36) and Britain’s Daryll Neita (22.50) in the final 35 m, with American Anavia Battle (22.84) fourth. In the mix off the turn, but not in the final 50 m was World Champion Shericka Jackson (JAM: 22.97 in fifth), in her second 200 m of the season after a 22.82 win at the Marrakech Diamond League on 19 May.

The women’s 800 m had Marrakech winner Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA) taking charge with 200 m to go, but with Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin moving into second on the straight and being chased by Australian Catrona Bisset. Sekgodiso got her second Diamond League win of the season in 1:58.67, and Goule-Toppin got a seasonal best of 1:59.10. Bisset was third in 1:59.29.

Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, the world leader in the women’s 400 m hurdles, took the lead from countrywoman Andrenette Knight after the fifth hurdles and built a lead on the straight, winning by 54.02 to 54.63. Fellow Jamaican Janieve Russell made it a sweep in 55.07.

China’s 2022 World Champion, Bin Feng had only two fair throws in the women’s discus, but got out to a season’s best 67.89 m (222-9) in the second round, good enough for the win over Sandra Elkasevic (CRO: 66.48 m/218-1).

Next up: the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm (SWE) on Sunday.

2.
Pierre de Coubertin: the unknown Olympic visionary?

“You don’t find that many misconceptions at all, because most people don’t know who Pierre de Coubertin is. And that’s maybe the most surprising thing of all, since everybody in the world knows about the Olympic Games. But very few people know about the founder.”

That was the surprising opening to an International Olympic Committee online roundtable discussion Thursday about Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Frenchman who was the driving force behind the revival of the Olympic Games in the 1890s.

George Hirthler – an American sports historian and writer who has researched and reported on de Coubertin for years and wrote The Idealist, a 2016 work of historical fiction which dramatized de Coubertin’s life – explained that outside of the Olympic Movement, which is well familiar with de Coubertin, he’s simply been lost.

“I think it has to do with the fact that he fell into obscurity in the 1930s, and the timing of his death in 1937 was unfortunate, and then World War II came along and really buried all public memory of the man.”

Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin (FRA), President of the Pierre de Coubertin Family Association and a fourth-generation descendant of Pierre de Coubertin, has researched his full works, of which much concerned the expansion of education in France, for both boys and girls. She emphasized the original concept of the goal behind the revival of the Olympic Games:

“When you do read all his books, there is one theme which is really kind of overarching: the idea is peace.

“The Olympics, all of this is a means, if you will, of establishing a sort of peace, and the thread throughout his history that one feels when one reads his books. … He believes that men fight because they do not understand one another. … so if you will, the Olympic Games are a means of attaining peace. …

“What he wanted to do was to create a humanity that had core values for all, and to understand that this would be of common interest and that we would all constitute a human ‘team.’”

She also noted that the process of creating the worldwide giant that is the modern Olympic Games started small:

“He said, ‘the first step is always the most difficult.’ I think the man was fundamentally pragmatic. Intention is set in motion, now it’s going to be a long road, but it’s about progress. … That’s how he started with Athens [1896], but the [Paris] Games of 1900, just after, were not great. In fact, it was a fiasco.

“The 1904 [Games], right after, St. Louis, not great. It took like four Games to really put in place enough to create mass attention, and a platform, a structure, with the opening ceremonies [in 1908], with all those rituals. So his philosophy was very pragmatic, it was all about progress and one step at a time, but in a very humble, practical way.”

Hirthler added that de Coubertin was concerned about the nationalism which quickly became associated with the Olympic Games:

“He was absolutely against fervent nationalism which is a narrow-minded view set, intolerant of other nations. But you have to remember that in 1894, when he founded the Olympic Games, that November he founded the French Olympic Committee. And he encouraged all of his colleagues in the IOC – he appointed 13 people originally to the IOC – to immediately form National Olympic Committees.

“There has never been anyone participating in the Olympic Games, I would say until the [2016] Refugee Team that did not come as a representative of their nation. So Coubertin was in favor, his whole purpose in creating the Olympic Games, was to bring all of the nations of the world together in friendship and peace through sport.

“And so it’s very clear that he wanted national teams, but if you read his memoirs and if you read particularly the chapter on London 1908 – the London 1908 Games – there was an incredible competition that developed beyond the field of play between the Americans and the Brits, because the Brits were officiating the Games and there were some calls that were made that the Americans took offense to, and he said that the wave of energy that filled the stadium darkened it, because it became a nationalist [situation] … and he was against that.

“He wanted people to be able to come together to celebrate, to win honor for their country, for the glory of sport and the honor of their country. He wanted [them] to win honor for their country by winning at the Olympic Games, but he didn’t want them to get carried away and fall into that patriotic fervor that we all sort of detest today.”

Modern critics, notably in France, have derided de Coubertin as against women and a racist, more as a way to rail against the Games as a waste than to consider de Coubertin’s lifelong work in education. IOC member Guy Drut (FRA), the 1976 Olympic champion in the men’s 110 m hurdles, slapped back at the modern “judges”:

“In France, a lot of people are simply being knocked off their pedestals, because of a number of people who believe, or who judge, the past with the eyes of the present.

“For us, this is unacceptable and I can say that for the whole of the French Olympic Committee. The status of Pierre de Coubertin is an honor that we wear.”

De Navacelle pointed to the introduction and expansion of women in the Games under de Coubertin’s time as IOC President:

“He wasn’t against the participation of women, because under his presidency [post-Games 1896-25], there were always women athletes, starting in 1900 and the number of women athletes went up six times [from 22 to 135]. … You need to look at things a bit pragmatically, and put things in context and put them in their era.”

Hirthler offered an amazing de Coubertin comment, framing his concerns about women and sports in the context of the intentions of the spectators:

“If there are women who want to play football or box, they should be free to, provided that it happens without spectators, because the [male] spectators who are grouping around such competitions do not come to see sports.”

On the question of racism, Hirthler pointed to de Coubertin’s scathing report to the French government on the unrepentant American South in 1889, and his comments when told of the “Anthropology Days” attached to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which also incorporated the Olympic Games. De Coubertin railed against what he called “an outrageous charade,” and poignantly predicted: “It will of course lose its appeal when black men, red men and yellow men learn to run, jump and throw and leave the white men behind them.”

Asked about the enormous expansion of the Games to 329 events for Paris 2024, Hirthler thought de Coubertin would heartily approve, but remembered his view that “no funds should be spent on unnecessary stadiums.”

And what can be done to remind people about the founder of the modern Olympic Movement? Said Hirthler, “The opportunity to do it is very clearly at the Olympic Games, during the ceremonies, and that’s probably where it should happen.”

3.
Paris 2024 Champions Park to host seven medal re-allocations

The “new” medal winners of the women’s 400 m hurdles from London 2012 will not be the only ones to receive their awards during Paris 2024 at the Champions Park at the Trocadero Gardens in the heart of Paris.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday that medal re-allocation ceremonies from seven events – one from Sydney 2000, one from Beijing 2008 and five from London 2012 – will be held on the afternoon of Friday, 9 August, heading into the final weekend of the Games:

● Sydney 2000: Athletics/women’s 200 m Bronze: Beverly McDonald (JAM)

● Beijing 2008: Athletics/women’s long jump Bronze: Chelsea Hammond-Ross (JAM)

● London 2012: Athletics/men’s high jump Gold: Erik Kynard (USA)
● London 2012: Athletics/men’s high jump Silver: Derek Drouin (CAN)

● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 1,500 m Bronze: Abeda Aregawi (ETH)

● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 400 m hurdles Gold: Lashinda Demus (USA)
● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 400 m hurdles Silver: Zuzana Hejnova (CZE)
● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 400 m hurdles Bronze: Kaliese Spencer (JAM)

● London 2012: Weightlifting/men’s 85 kg Bronze: Tarek Yehia (EGY)

● London 2012: Weightlifting/men’s +105 kg Bronze: Sang-guen Jeon (KOR)

Of the seven events, five of the re-allocations were due to Russian doping sanctions imposed after the Games, and one each for sanctions against a U.S. athlete and two Turkish athletes.

The Champions Park option was identified as an exception to the normal IOC protocol options for a medal re-allocation ceremony, but if the Champions Park concept – like the Medals Plaza at the Olympic Winter Games – is continued, it could be a welcome addition.

4.
Premier League, La Liga to boycott FIFA Club World Cup?

“Football is killing its own product. Those who run the game need to listen.

“If they don’t, then as unions we have a responsibility to the players to take action – and the legal route is the next step. The governing bodies have had every chance to meaningfully engage with us on this, but they have failed to do so.

“Current player workloads are unsustainable. People are realising the amount of games being pushed into the fixture calendar just don’t fit.”

That’s Professional Footballers Association chief executive Maheta Molango (SUI), speaking to The Sun about a potential action against the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, slated for next summer in the U.S.

Complaints and threats against the now 32-team Club World Cup have been filed by the FIFPRO player union and the World Leagues Association, and now the Professional Footballers Association and the head of the English Premier League, Richard Masters (GBR), and the chief executive of Spain’s La Liga, Javier Tebas (ESP), are also considering simply not having their members play. Two clubs each from La Liga and the Premier League have qualified.

The Club World Cup originated in 2000 as a short tournament matching the winning clubs from various leagues, with eight teams in the first program, then six or seven from 2005 to 2023. Now, the project is being expanded to 32 teams (and 64 matches) for 2025, with matches in the U.S. from 15 June to 13 July.

The clubs and player’s associations have demanded that the tournament be re-scheduled or postponed due to the impact on players and the number of matches to be played next year, both for club sides or national teams.

FIFA said in a 10 May statement that it is willing to discuss the issue, but sees no reason not to press on with the tournament as planned.

5.
Pogacar still thinking Tour de France and World Champs

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar’s brilliant win in his first Giro d’Italia, by the biggest margin – 9:56 – since 1965, has cycling fans salivating at the possibility of a Giro-Tour de France double … and perhaps even a shot at what no one has done before: win all three Grand Tours in a single year?

The answer is still no, says the 25-year-old Pogacar. In an featured interview with the UCI, he explained:

“Obviously the Tour and the UCI Worlds are two massive goals for me. Not just this year but each year. I don’t feel too much pressure, I’m still pretty young but I have a big hunger to win them some day.”

Asked specifically about the Giro-Tour-Vuelta triple:

“For sure I can say it is not on the cards this year. To win each Grand Tour is a major goal of mine some day, but to do it all in the same year… Maybe that’s too crazy.”

The story noted that the same-year Giro-Tour de France-UCI World Road Championship has only been done by the legendary Eddy Merckx (BEL) in 1974 and Stephen Roche (IRL) in 1987.

Asked to reflect on spectacular Giro d’Italia performance, Pogacar said:

“It’s been an amazing journey. When we arrived in Torino nobody could have told me it would be like this. Of course we hoped and dreamed of winning but to take six stages and wear the [leader’s] Maglia Rosa [jersey] for 20 stages all over Italy has just been such an unbelievable experience. Something I will never forget.

“Aside from the battle on the road I suppose the greatest challenge is everything that surrounds the Maglia Rosa and the responsibilities that go along with that. All the extra interviews and protocols take a lot of energy day after day but it’s something you get used to also. It’s also part of the job and something I understand.”

He added that his magical performance was also fun:

“Looking back I had some really nice moments and was able to enjoy myself a lot on the bike. I was fortunate to arrive at this Giro with close to perfect preparation and so was able to perform how I wanted and be attacking and aggressive and go for victories. My teammates played a huge hand in this as without them none of this would have been possible.”

Pogacar already owns two Tour de France wins, in 2020 and 2021 and was second in 2022 and 2023. And in terms of history, only seven riders have won the Giro and the Tour in the same year, the last being more than a quarter-century ago: Italian Marco Pantani in 1998.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2012: London ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the IOC has re-allocated the +105 kg Olympic bronze initially won by Ruslan Albegov (RUS) for doping, is now to be awarded to South Korea’s Sang-guen Jeon.

Albegov lifted a combined total of 448 kg to 436 for Jeon, but was disqualified in March, with the medals now re-allocated. Albegov, now 36, was first suspended for doping by the International Weightlifting Federation in 2019 for a two-year term.

● Basketball ● A research project at Klaipeda University in Lithuania explored the impact of playing on national teams in terms of improving or hurting subsequent club performances at the NBA level for 29 star players at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Led by student researcher Alper Can Konak, working under the supervision of Lithuania Basketball Federation Secretary General Mindaugas Balciunas, the bottom line:

“It is fair to state that competing in the Basketball World Cup helped players to improve all their type of shooting percentages, which supports the evolving trends of modern basketball, assist skills, court vision, and decision-making processes regardless of the level of club competition they normally play and a reduction in personal fouls that shows players are acting smarter with the experience they gain.”

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards endorsed the experience of playing with the U.S., explaining, “I think that changed my perspective about everything, being able to play with your team, playing within the game and not just try to play isolation ball all day, playing within a system. And Finchy [Minnesota coach Chris Finch] does a great job of making sure I stay within the system.”

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association shrieked in anger in reply to the International Olympic Committee’s statement on Wednesday, issuing a Thursday statement which started:

“Further to the unprecedented announcement by the IBA regarding its allocation of prize money for our Paris 2024 Olympic champions, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has immediately responded by giving an ultimatum to all National Federations and their boxers. Essentially the heavy-handed message is clear, if you fail to leave the IBA by the turn of the next Olympic cycle, then your athletes will not be able to compete at the Games. This is an absolute travesty and disgrace from allegedly one of the leading sports organizations in the world.”

This was followed by the IBA’s familiar litany of how it has reformed itself and cannot understand why it was expelled from the Olympic Movement in 2023. Then it went back to:

“Finally, after one of the most monumental and positive prize fund announcements made by the IBA in support of our athletes who will be participating in the Olympics in Paris 2024, the IOC responds by effectively punishing our boxers, the people who remain at the very heart of everything that IBA believes in and supports. A double standard and biased declaration, that once again shows the true colours of the International Olympic Committee.

“The admission by the IOC that they are unable to manage the qualification events, and indeed the finals of the boxing competition remains true. Many National Federations have commented on their negative experience with this journey for Paris 2024, and have witnessed the very low level, almost what seems like half-heartedly executed events.”

In the end, the IOC owns the Olympic Games and while boxing is welcome, the IBA is not. That’s the reality.

● Figure Skating ● Dalilah Sappenfield, a decorated Pairs coach whose teams include four senior-level national champions, was declared “permanently ineligible” on Wednesday by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

The listing, on the Centralized Disciplinary Database, noted “Physical & Emotional Misconduct; Retaliation; Proactive Policy Violation; Abuse of Process; Failure to Report” and was noted to be subject to appeal.

Sappenfield, based in Colorado, was accused of verbal abuse in a 2021 USA Today story reporting allegations by skater Tarah Payne, and multiple skaters were reported to have filed complaints.

● Gymnastics ● The last step before the Olympic Trials – the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas – started with men’s qualifying on Thursday and continues through Sunday, with the results to form the field for the Trials that will follow at the end of June.

The headliner, of course, is superstar Simone Biles, who will be trying for a record ninth individual All-Around title; she already has more – 8 – than anyone else. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic All-Around champ, Suni Lee, is also in the field, as is Olympic Floor gold medalist Jade Carey and members of the Worlds Team gold squad from 2023, including Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong. Tokyo Olympic Team silver winner and Worlds 2022 Team gold medalist Jordan Chiles will certainly be a factor as well.

The leading men’s stars include 2023 national A-A champion Asher Hong, the 2021 and 2022 A-A winner Brody Malone, and 2023 Worlds A-A bronze medalist Fred Richard.

In terms of broadcast availability:

● Sat., 1 June: 12:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern on CNBC for men’s Day 1 (Thursday delayed)
● Sat., 1 June: 2:30-5:00 p.m. Eastern on CNBC for women’s Day 1 (Friday delayed)
● Sat., 1 June: 8:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern on CNBC for men’s Day 2 (live)

● Sun., 2 June: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC for men’s Day 2 (Saturday delayed)
● Sun., 2 June: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC for women’s Day 2 (live)

The Olympic Trials will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 27-30 June.

● Hockey ● The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced a unique achievement for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games: a “carbon-zero hockey turf.”

Developed by Sport Group and made by Polytan, the “Poligras Paris GT zero is made from 80% sugarcane and manufactured using green electricity.” It also uses far less water than the familiar synthetic fields, adding to its sustainability advantages.

● Weightlifting ● Now returned to the Olympic program for 2028, the International Weightlifting Federation is carefully trying to chart its future, trying to make the sport more appealing and less costly to stage.

Following the 13-day, 700-entry IWF Worlds in Saudi Arabia, IWF Technical Committee Chair Sam Coffa (AUS) – also the head of the federation’s Innovation Committee – said changes are needed.

“We want it to be all over in six or seven days,” he said, with possibilities being studied for the use of dual platforms, instead of a single space, and/or reducing the number of athletes. The IWF has already decided to go from 20 weight classes to 16 (eight each for men and women), which will help. A proposal from the Technical Committee is hoped for by the end of 2024.

No detail is being overlooked, for example, less formal uniforms for officials are also being trialed, for example at the recently-completed World Youth Championships in Lima (PER).

The International Weightlifting Federation, in concert with the International Testing Agency, announced its anti-doping statistics for 2023, with 3,192 total samples collected and 18 rule violations so far (0.06%), with some of the test results still to be processed.

In-competition testing was responsible for 55.3% of all samples collected, with the rest from out-of-competition testing. The total number of completed tests was 2,522 from 1,039 athletes in 109 countries, with 52% of the testing on men and 48% on women.

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TSX REPORT: IBA to pay $3.1 million in Paris Olympic prizes; good TV audience for Pre Classic; Torch Relay proceeds “without major incident”

Rich Perelman

May 30, 2024

tsx pix 2024-529 PAG Lima signing (panam sports) — Signing of the 2027 Pan Am Games hosting agreement in Lima. In the middle (l-r): Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, Peru President Dina Boluarte and Panam Sports head Neven Ilic (Photo: Panam Sports).

★ 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 ≡

1. IBA to award boxing prize money for Paris; IOC unimpressed
2. Strong: 1.17 million viewers for Pre Classic T&F on NBC
3. Demus to receive 2012 hurdles gold on 9 August in Paris
4. Two world leads at Ostrava Golden Spike, plus 6 m for Mondo!
5. Paris 2024 torch relay proceeding “without major incident”

● The International Boxing Association, no longer a part of the Olympic Movement, says it will pay $3.1 million in prize money to top-five finishers in Paris Games. The IOC was not amused, and essentially ordered national federations to disassociate themselves from the IBA.

● Good audience for the Nike Prefontaine Classic last Saturday, with an average of 1.166 million viewers on NBC, the second-biggest audience for a track telecast this year.

● American Lashinda Demus, who was advanced to the gold medal for the London 2012 women’s 400 m hurdles after the Russian winner was disqualified for doping, announced that she and the other medalists will have their presentation in Paris at the Champions Park on 9 August.

● Two world-leading marks in the men’s 800 and women’s vault at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet this week, but also excitement from vault world-record holder Mondo Duplantis, who nearly set another world mark, despite cold, wet and windy conditions.

● The French Interior Ministry reported that the Olympic Torch Relay, which began in France on 8 May has progressed “without incident,” but also with 78 arrests so far and 30 destroyed drones.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (3: first invitations for free opening tickets; “Ticketing Thursdays” program introduced for more ticket sales; protest to foul the Seine River called for 23 June) = Olympic Games 2036 (Spanish site says, without sources, Games going to Qatar) = Milan Cortina 2026 (no back-up plan for sliding track, but other sites still in contact) = Lima 2027 (Pan Am Games host contract signed) = Russia (consular heads warns Russia of unfriendly reception in Paris) = Archery (passing of Olympic gold medalist Butch Johnson) = Athletics (2: vault star Braz suspended for doping, to miss Paris; another Kenyan sanction) = Cycling (Colombian rider Lopez sanction for four years on doping) = Fencing (USA Fencing readying try-it-yourself demos in 12 cities during Games) = Gymnastics (Douglas withdraws from U.S. nationals, looks ahead fo 2028) = Swimming (Chinese star Yang Sun, twice sanctioned for doping, wants to swim again) = Weightlifting (three doping sanctions against Ukrainian lifters, could endanger Olympic participation) = Wrestling (UWW appeal review found no refereeing bias in Chamizo-Byramov match) ●

1.
IBA to award boxing prize money for Paris; IOC unimpressed

Although the International Boxing Association was excommunicated from the Olympic Movement in 2023, it does not want to divorce itself from the Olympic Games.

On Wednesday, IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS) announced that the federation will pay prize money for Paris 2024 Olympic medalists, despite having nothing to do with the tournament:

“We support all our athletes participating in the 2024 Olympics, and on behalf of the entire international boxing community, I am extremely proud to announce that all Paris gold medallists in the boxing tournament will receive a substantial financial reward of $100,000.

“Out of this amount, the athlete will receive $50,000, their National Federation will receive $25,000, and their coach will receive $25,000. For a silver medal, $50,000 prize money will be awarded, with the athlete receiving $25,000, and the remaining $25,000 being distributed evenly between the coach and the National Federation. For a bronze medal, we will provide $25,000, of which $12,500 will go to the athlete, and $12,500 will again be distributed evenly.

“Additionally, athletes who lost in the quarterfinals and finished 5th, will each receive $10,000 from IBA, making the total prize money fund commitment equalling more than $3.1 million USD distributed to over 100 boxers.”

This follows the 10 April announcement by World Athletics – which is the Olympic governing body for track & field – that it would pay $50,000 to each Paris gold-medal winner, the first time an International Federation has made prize money available at an Olympic Games (this has been done routinely by National Olympic Committees however).

The IBA added that a “special awards ceremony to honor the Paris Olympic medallists will be announced shortly.” The IBA will also allow Olympic winners to fight at its “IBA champions’ Night” events, which carry additional prize money.

The International Olympic Committee was not amused, posting a reply on X (ex-Twitter) that included:

“As always with the IBA, it is unclear where the money is coming from. This total lack of financial transparency was exactly one of the reasons why the IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA. The IBA was not prepared to transparently explain the sources of its financing or to explain its full financial dependency, at the time, on a single state-owned company, Gazprom.

“Due to the suspension and the subsequent withdrawal of recognition by the IOC in 2023, the IBA had no involvement in either the qualification for or the organisation of the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and is not involved for Paris 2024, either. …

“For all these reasons, boxing is currently not on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28. The IOC has made it very clear that it cannot again organise such Olympic boxing competitions.

“In order to remedy this, Olympic boxing needs to be organised by a credible, well-governed International Federation. It is therefore already clear that any boxer whose National Federation adheres to the IBA will not be able to participate in the Olympic Games LA28. The respective NOC will have to exclude such a National Boxing Federation from its membership.”

The recently-organized World Boxing group is trying to be that new International Federation, and has 27 members so far. Its message on Wednesday noted, “the IOC has sent a clear and unambiguous message to all NFs and NOCs that if they want their boxers to have the opportunity to compete at an Olympic Games after Paris 2024 they need to take immediate steps to join World Boxing.”

Observed: The IOC has taken a further step to remove the IBA from involvement with the Olympic Movement by requiring that any National Olympic Committee which has a national boxing federation that is an IBA member “will have to exclude such a National Boxing Federation from its membership.”

The IOC statement, however, did not say that boxers cannot accept such gifts from the IBA, and doing so would be incongruous with its athlete-centric focus.

As far as the IBA and money, it continues to list the Russian energy giant Gazprom as its sole sponsor and “general partner” (it also has an equipment supplier, who is not a sponsor). That’s where the money is.

2.
Strong: 1.17 million viewers for Pre Classic T&F on NBC

A meet with history and cache, good fields and a good time slot on NBC added up to a very good 1.166 million average audience for the Nike Prefontaine Classic last Saturday, the second best audience of the year for track & field on U.S. television this year.

The seven meets shown on NBC in 2024:

● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 25 May: 1.166 million on NBC for Prefontaine Classic
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals
● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships

The Pre meet, shown from 4-6 p.m. Eastern, was the second-highest-rated sports program in its time slot, behind the 1.656 million for the PGA Tour’s Colonial at Ft. Worth, Texas on CBS. Both out-drew the in-progress telecasts of the Tennessee-Alabama NCAA softball Super Regionals (1.078 million) and the UFL’s Birmingham at San Antonio game (1.069 million).

In terms of the key age 18-34 audience, the Pre meet drew 73,000, while the golf on CBS had 82,000. The leader on the day was the Boston at Indiana NBA Eastern Conference playoff on ABC, which drew 6.482 million total and 973,000 in the 18-34 demo.

Thursday’s Bislett Games Diamond League meet from Oslo (NOR) will be shown on Peacock live, with a replay on Saturday at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sunday’s Bauhaus Galan meet in Stockholm (SWE) will be shown live on Peacock at 10 a.m. Eastern, and replayed same-day at 2 p.m. on CNBC.

3.
Demus to receive 2012 hurdles gold on 9 August in Paris

Following the disqualification of Russia’s Natalya Antyukh for doping in the women’s 400 m hurdles at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the details are now set for the re-awarding of the medals to American Lashinda Demus, Zuzana Hejnova (CZE) and Jamaican Kaliese Spencer this summer in Paris.

Antyukh won the race on the track, 52.70 to 52.77, then was disqualified in October 2022 from evidence gathered from the infamous Moscow laboratory that was the headquarters for the Russian state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15. That result was confirmed in 2023 and the IOC agreed to re-allocate the medals, with Demus moving up to the top of the podium.

Demus said of the original result, “This broke my heart as I knew I was the best runner in the race. Once I get to Paris, for the Olympic Medal Ceremony, my broken heart will finally be healed.”

She, Hejnova and Spencer will make more history, as the re-allocation is reported to be the first such ceremony to be held during an Olympic Games. Demus had wanted to have the ceremony during the track & field competition in Paris at the Stade de France, but owing to the schedule, it was agreed to have the presentation in Paris’s unique Champions Park ay the Trocadero Gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower. The park is a first-time concept to showcase Olympic medal winners outside of the stadiums, similar to what is done at the Winter Games medal plaza.

Demus had dreams of the IOC presenting the medal to her in Paris’ Olympic Stadium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Due to Olympic Stadium scheduling and IOC regulations, the IOC and Demus collaborated together on the idea of holding the medal reallocation ceremony in the Champions Park on Friday, 9 August. Said Demus, now 40:

“I’m thrilled the IOC will also recognize the deserving silver and bronze medalists, Zuzana Henjnova of the Czech Republic and Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica, respectively, as well. I also want to thank the [U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee] for their continued support.”

Demus expects to receive the honors with her family – husband Jamel Mayrant and sons Dontay and Duaine (both 16), Syre (5), and Sincere (4).

They have established a GoFundMe page for help with travel costs, explaining:

“[T]he IOC and the USOPC are only able to partially fund this trip of a lifetime for my family and I. This is where you come in. I’m hoping you can donate to help my family partake in this once in a lifetime moment. No gift is too small. We will use the money for airfare, meals, hotel, and Olympic tickets when we travel to Paris in August. We appreciate your donation and we can’t wait to get to Paris to get that GOLD MEDAL! Finally.”

4.
Two world leads at Ostrava Golden Spike, plus 6 m for Mondo!

The 59th Ostrava Golden Spike meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet, offered cold , wet and windy conditions, yet the quality was high, including two world-leading marks:

● Men/800 m: 1:43.51, Djamel Sedjati (ALG)
● Women/Vault: 4.84 m (15-10 1/2), Molly Caudery (GBR)

Sedjati, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, ran away from the field, taking off with 300 m to go and no one could challenge him, in just his second race of the season and first at 800 m. It’s his third fastest time ever and more than two seconds up on second-place Gabriel Tual (FRA: 1:45.79).

Caudery, the World Indoor Champion in 2024, started this season with a best of 4.66 m (15-3 1/2), but cleared 4.86 m indoors (15-11 1/2) and now a world-leading 4.84 m outdoors, despite the conditions.

Men’s world-record holder Mondo Duplantis (SWE) also won, clearing 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) on his third try and then trying for a world record of 6.25 m (20-6) and was actually encouraged despite three misses:

“The cold and windy conditions today made it a challenging competition for all of us. Pole vaulting is particularly sensitive to such weather. Despite this, I’m pleased with my performance, especially the close call on my third attempt at 6.25.

“It almost felt like the best jump of my life, and it’s boosted my confidence for future competitions. Sometimes, the first couple of attempts are about safety and conserving energy, but on the last one, I felt good enough to really go for it, and I was surprisingly close. It’s about mastering these conditions, and today was a solid step forward.”

Also in the field, Italian star Leonardo Fabbri won the shot at 22.40 m (73-6), but American Jordan Geist broke through the 22 m barrier for the first time at 22.09 m (72-5 3/4) and moved to no. 4 in the world for 2024.

On the track, Tokyo 200 m gold winner Andre De Grasse (CAN) took the 100 m in 10.10 (wind 0.0) and the 200 m in 20.09 (+0.4). The most exciting finish on the track might have been the final straight in the men’s 400 m, with Olympic champ Steven Gardiner (BAH) solidly in the lead, but with 2024 World Indoor Champion Alexander Doom (BEL) closing hard. Gardiner, coming back to full fitness after injuries last season, won in 44.39 to move to no. 6 in 2024. Doom finished in 44.44.

Italy’s Federico Riva barely won the men’s 1,500 m from Raphael Pallitsch (AUT), with both getting lifetime bests of 3:33.53 and 3:33.59 (national record). Germany’s Julian Weber, the 2022 European champ, won the javelin at 87.26 m (286-3), quite good for the conditions.

Poland’s Ewa Swoboda won the women’s 100 m (11.05 +0.7) and Natalia Kaczmarek took the 400 m in 50.09.

Another world lead, this time in Sochi (RUS) for Belarus’ 10-time national champion Viyaleta Skvartsova at the Russian national team championships on 22 May, at 14.85 m (48-8 3/4), a massive improvement over her prior best of 14.59 m (47-10 1/2) from 2023.

5.
Paris 2024 torch relay proceeding “without major incident”

Three weeks into the Olympic Torch Relay in advance of the 26 July opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the French Interior Ministry cited “an unprecedented level of protection which allows this beautiful popular festival to take place without major incident.”

The short “interim assessment of the security system” issued Wednesday noted that 1,000-1,500 police are engaged daily to secure the relay and that 610,000 spectators have so far participated in the evening welcoming ceremonies at each stop. As for protests (computer translation from the original French):

“Thanks to the anticipation system and the commitment of law enforcement and intelligence services, nearly 110 protest actions were obstructed. 78 individuals wishing to disrupt the relay were arrested. In addition, 30 suspicious drones were intercepted.

“To date, 393,000 administrative security investigations have been carried out, including 16,000 on the torchbearers and 17,000 on the personnel responsible for organizing the ‘cauldron ceremonies.’ These made it possible to exclude 1,550 people, including 33 torchbearers and 31 staff responsible for organizing the ‘cauldron ceremonies.’ More broadly, 41 individuals on S and FSPRT files were excluded from the organization of the Olympic Games and the torch relay.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The City of Paris announced that the process of distributing the 222,000 free spaces to watch the Olympic opening on 26 July has begun.

The first set of invitations were sent by electronic mail on Monday (27th) to about 55,000 addressees, with a follow-up message to be sent in 13 days, allowing invitees to claim up to four tickets. Responses will be required within four days.

Access codes will initially be sent to those accepting places on 10 June. A second set of codes will be sent once the first wave responses have been confirmed and duplicates eliminated. A final set of codes will sent in July.

The upper quays will be divided into 15 spectator zones, with concessions and shade area, will open at 3:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, with entries closed by 6:30 p.m.

Officials at a news conference on Tuesday noted that by keeping the bookstalls in place, the free seating for spectators was reduced by about 80,000 places.

Paris 2024 announced that it will be featuring new ticket offers for the Games on “Ticketing Thursdays”:

“Every Thursday from 10am CEST, Paris 2024 will be selling new tickets for the Olympic Games. These tickets will come either from places that had been allocated on a quota basis, pending the finalisation of the capacity of the various competition venues, or from places that had been reserved for various stakeholders involved in the Games. …

“To kick off this operation, over 40,000 tickets will be released on Thursday, 30 May, from 10 am CEST, including 30,000 in sports or category seats that are currently sold out.

“Tickets will be on sale across artistic gymnastics, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, basketball, skateboarding, BMX racing, 3X3 basketball, handball, athletics, water polo, boxing, wrestling, and many more!”

The statement also noted that 1,000 tickets for the Olympic opening would also be available.

A social-media-promoted “protest” tagged “#JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin” is calling for people to defecate in the Seine River on 23 June – the same day that Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would swim in the river after the city’s enormous overflow reservoir to reduce pollutants was opened earlier this year.

French President Emmanuel Macron also said he would swim in the river prior to the Olympic Games, but has not said when or where.

● Olympic Games 2036 ● The Spanish site Relevo posted a story on Tuesday stating that a deal is being worked out between the IOC and Qatar for the hosting of the 2036 Olympic Games, claiming:

“As Relevo has learned, members with weight in the International Olympic Committee confirm that the Qatari candidacy will be the one chosen to the detriment of the other cities that have shown interest in organizing the event.”

The story identified and quoted no sources, and is quite incredible, since – like the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the event would need to take place near the end of the year due to the hot climate in the Gulf region. That is a non-starter for U.S. broadcasters and most European broadcasters, who are both deeply involved in football (both kinds), basketball and hockey at that time.

Oh yes, NBC’s contract for the U.S. Olympic television rights ends after the 2032 Games in Brisbane. The IOC itself has said that no procedures toward naming a 2036 host would come until 2026 or 2027.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Milan Cortina 2026 organizers are not working on a back-up plan – they say – as the construction of the controversial new sliding track continues in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The project, begun in February, must be essentially completed in time for pre-Olympic testing in March 2025, and while the work continues, there are grave doubts. The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, however, reported Tuesday that:

“A first step of control over the timetable, also wanted by the IOC, is scheduled for the end of June. Yet, no later than a month ago, the managers of the existing tracks in Lake Placid (USA), Saint Moritz (Switzerland) and Innsbruck (Austria) were contacted again.”

● Pan American Games 2027: Lima ● The hosting contract for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima was finalized and signed in the Peruvian capital city by Panam Sports chief Neven Ilic (CRC) and Peru’s President, Dina Boluarte.

The city of Lima and the Peruvian Olympic Committee were also signatories to the agreement. Said Boluarte:

“They are the most important sports games on the continent, through which discipline, fraternity, cultural exchange and solidarity are promoted between participating nations. They are also a platform for disseminating the image of Lima and Peru internationally and a driver of the national economy.

“These Games will provide sporting growth for more than 9,000 athletes and for athletes, and in the face of this challenge, their realization requires the support and joint work of all the competent authorities. The contract signed today is palpable proof of the commitment we have with Lima 2027 and the guarantee that this event will be a total success.”

Peru won over Asuncion (PAR) for the re-award of the Games in March in part because it successfully hosted the 2019 Pan American Games and has limited construction needs for a second Pan Ams in eight years.

● Russia ● Alexey Klimov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department is warning any Russians planning to travel to the Olympic Games in Paris to beware:

“As for the possibility of provocations against Russian citizens, unfortunately, it should be taken into account when deciding to travel to France. The current French authorities are pursuing a generally unfriendly course towards our country, and the French media are deeply affected by aggressive Russophobia, which cannot but have a negative impact on the general atmosphere in France towards Russia and its citizens..

“As for the Olympic Games, I would like to remind you that French representatives have repeatedly declared a ban on the demonstration of Russian symbols at the Games.

“So far it is still hard to say how meticulously this ban will be implemented, for example, not in the stadiums, but on city streets, however, we cannot exclude the worst.”

● Archery ● Sad news of the death of Richard “Butch” Johnson, a member of the U.S. men’s miracle gold-medal team at Atlanta 1996.

A five-time Olympian in 1992-96-2000-04-08, he passed at age 68, and had a major impact on the sport in the U.S. He was also part of the Sydney 2000 men’s Team bronze for the U.S. and was a member of the Team gold winners at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro BRA).

He was remembered fondly by his Atlanta teammate, the 1996 individual gold medalist, Justin Huish:

“Butch was a fierce competitor, never wanted to share any of his trade secrets, and could care less if he embarrassed you on the field. He just wanted to beat you and win!!!

“However, there was this other side of Butch that shined brighter than any of his archery achievements did. He was one of the funniest [guys] you’ve ever been around. I never laughed so hard when he got rolling. He was also really caring, kind, supportive, and all things like that. The list would be way too long for this post.

“Truly one of a kind. I feel blessed to have returned back to archery at the exact time I did. His last tournament was my first tournament back at Nationals 2019. We shot the same score the first day and were paired up on the same target the last day. I got to shoot with him again which I am grateful for. Especially being his last time scoring at a tournament.”

Johnson stayed with the sport his entire life, managing the Hall’s Arrow Indoor Range and shop in Connecticut and still competing locally. He is survived by his wife Teresa.

● Athletics ● Another doping sanction against a champion athlete, this time of Brazilian vaulter Thiago Braz, the Rio 2016 upset men’s champion and a home-country highlight of that Games.

The Athletics Integrity Unit announced Tuesday that he has been suspended “for 16 months for the presence of ostarine glucuronide which the athlete said he consumed through sports supplements containing the banned substance.”

Braz, now 30 and the bronze medalist from Tokyo in 2021, tested positive on 2 July 2023 at the Bauhaus Galan meet in Stockholm (SWE), and was provisionally suspended on 28 July. He is now banned through 27 November 2024. The AIU wanted a four-year ban, but the hearing panel felt Braz was not completely reckless in his use of the supplements, having used them under medical supervision. The AIU could appeal the ruling.

Braz has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as the sanction would remove him from the Paris Olympic Games.

The AIU also announced sanctions against Kenyan distance runner Josephine Chepkoech – also known as Jepkoech – “for 7 years from 7 May 2024, for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Testosterone). DQ results from 18 February, 2024.”

She has a marathon best of 2:22:38 for a runner-up finish at the Sevilla Marathon in February, at which she tested positive. She had previously served a suspension from March 2015 to 2017 for use of Norandrosterone, extending her ban as a two-time offender.

Spanish steeplechaser Abderrahim Ougra – also reported to have run for Morocco – was provisionally suspended for “Evading, Refusing or Failing to submit to Sample Collection.” He’s run 8:24.76 in 2023.

● Cycling ● Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez, 30, who has won stages at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, was suspended for four years by the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal.

He was found to be using the banned peptide hormone Menotropin during the 2022 Giro d’Italia and has not ridden in a UCI World Tour event since 2022 and not at all in 2024. The ban’s effective date as 23 July 2023. The International Testing Agency noted:

“The disciplinary proceeding was initiated following an investigation conducted by the ITA based on evidence obtained from the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organisation (CELAD) in the so-called Operation ‘Ilex’ concerning Dr Marcos Maynar.”

The decision is appealable to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

● Fencing ● USA Fencing will be happy if you watch some or all of the action on the pistes from Paris. But it also wants you to try out an Epee, Foil or Sabre yourself.

The federation announced its “Fencing Across America” initiative for 25 July to 4 August this summer at 16 marquee locations across the U.S. in 12 metro areas, including New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The venues include Grand Central Terminal in New York, the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Union Station in D.C. and so on.

You’ll be able to pick up a weapon and understand what it feels like:

“Each site will be staffed by local club owners, with fencers from these clubs ready to demonstrate fencing techniques, answer questions and guide newcomers. In some cities, these ‘coaches’ may even include Olympians and Olympic coaches who are not competing or coaching in Paris.”

● Gymnastics ● London 2012 Olympic All-Around champion Gabby Douglas withdrew from this week’s USA Gymnastics National Championships, due to an ankle injury suffered in training this week.

The withdrawal ends her pursuit of an Olympic berth for Paris, already a long shot after a difficult result – with two falls – on the Uneven Bars at the Core Hydration Classic. Now 28, she said she plans to continue competing with her eyes now on Los Angeles 2028.

● Swimming ● Three-time Olympic champion and twice banned for doping, China’s Yang Sun told the Chinese site The Paper on Tuesday that he wants to return to competition.

He won’t be in Paris as he missed the Chinese trials due to his four-year ban that ended this month and Chinese regulations do not allow those with sanctions of a year or more to be on national teams. But at 32, he wants to get back into the water:

“I hope to be able to select a competition soon enough and stand on the starting block, getting back to the pool I was familiar with, getting back to the feeling that I was familiar with.

“I’m proud enough of all the results and honours I’ve achieved throughout my career. At the moment I just hope I can bravely stand on the starting block.”

● Weightlifting ● Bad news for Ukraine, as the International Testing Agency announced confirmed doping sanctions against three lifters: Ruslan Kozhakin, Bohdan Taranenko and Alina Marushchak.

Kozhakin (seventh at the 2021 Worlds at 89 kg) and Taranenko (+109 kg class) tested positive on 27 October 2022 for trimetazidine, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the results on 24 May 2024 and imposed a ban of four years from 2 December 2022, reduced by six months for cooperation.

Marushchak, the 2021 World Champion at 91 kg, tested positive on 10 March 2023 for the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide and under a plea agreement, was banned for two years from 13 April 2023.

Under the rules of the International Weightlifting Federation, a country is subject to fine, suspension and removal of qualified athletes for three or more positives in a 12-month period. Ukraine has qualified one lifter, Kamila Konotop, the 2023 Worlds women’s 59 kg silver medalist, for Paris; the matter has been turned over to the IWF’s Independent Member Federation Sanctioning Panel for review.

● Wrestling ● United World Wrestling’s Appeal Committee reported back on the claims of bias in the Olympic qualifier tournament 74 kg semifinal match between Italian star Frank Chamizo and Turan Byramov (AZE):

“After carefully considering the statements from the refereeing officials involved (Mr. Alexei Bazulin, Mr. Roman Pavlov, Mr. Ibrahim Cicioglu, Mr. Kamel Bouaziz, and Mr. Casey Goessl), the reports of the two review panels, and the opinions of impartial refereeing experts, the Appeal Committee concluded that there was no indication of bias in the officiating of the match. The issues identified were determined to be related to refereeing errors and technical aspects of officiating.”

Chamizo apparently scored a final takedown that would have given him the match (then at 8-8), but an appeal from the Azerbaijan coaches was upheld and the match ended with Byramov winning on criteria, and qualifying for Paris 2024.

The UWW Disciplinary Chamber, in response, reduced all of the sanctions imposed on the five officials involved.

Two-time World Champion Chamizo said he was offered $300,000 to lose this match, but did not take the bribe. No word on any further developments concerning his accusation. Chamizo did not end up qualifying for Paris 2024.

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TSX REPORT: Big talk at Pre from Bednarek, Kovacs, Ingebrigtsen; more athlete emotion in Paris TV coverage; FIFA-UEFA lose Super League round

Rich Perelman

May 28, 2024

tsx pix 2024-525 kovacs pre (logan hannigan-downs DLAG) — Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs sees the shot world record going beyond 24 m after Pre win! (Photo: Logan Hannigan-Downs for Diamond League AG)

★ 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 ≡

1. Bednarek: “first, that’s what matters”; Kovacs eyes world record
2. Ingebrigtsen second at Pre, sees two Paris golds!
3. Exarchos: Look for more post-race, on-screen chats in Paris
4. Madrid Court rules against FIFA, UEFA ban of Super League
5. Rowing raves on Florijn streak; World Tri on Olympic rankings

● Lots of talk after the Pre Classic, with men’s 200 m winner Kenny Bednarek looking for gold, regardless of who else is in the race and Joe Kovacs talking about a 79-foot shot put!

● Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen liked his seasonal opener at 3:45.60 for the mile (!), and sees two golds in Paris; hurdler Grant Holloway wants to sharpen up, but is also promoting his new sponsors!

● Olympic Broadcasting Services chief Yiannis Exarchos explained that the Paris 2024 plan will include Tokyo innovations such as the post-finish video links with family and friends. Rights-holding broadcasters continue to ask to “have greater access to athletes. Be closer to them, capture their emotions.”

● A Spanish court said that the actions of FIFA and UEFA to shut down the proposed European Super League by possible expulsion was anti-competitive and cannot be repeated. However, the decision did not ensure the Super League concept; it’s likely to be appealed anyway.

● Nice work by the international federations for rowing and triathlon, highlighting a world champion with a 29-race win streak, and how the World Championship Triathlon Series race in Italy affected the final Olympic Rankings … and who gets how many places in Paris!

● Panorama: Winter Games (French Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 to meet winter feds online) = Athletics (2: Asinga banned for four years for GW1516; Kenyans threaten boycott at Olympic trials over stadium choice) = Canoe-Kayak (Pimenta wins three at Sprint World Cup II) = Judo (Berliner, Myers and Stout win fourth straight national titles!) = Swimming (Grevers, 39, qualifies for seventh Olympic Trials!) ●

● Errata and schedule: Monday’s post stated that women’s 10,000 m world-record setter Beatrice Chebet of Kenya was the Worlds 5,000 m champ. Nope, she won the Worlds Road 5 km gold, with thanks to ace statistician Tom Feuer for the correction. Appreciation to Olivier Bourgoin for reporting four typos as well. Owing to some scheduled medical exams, TSX will not appear on Wednesday, but will be back on Thursday! ●

1.
Bednarek: “first, that’s what matters”; Kovacs eyes world record

Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic was fun and memorable, but most of the stars saw it as a stepping stone to bigger meets coming up.

One of the most energetic was Tokyo Olympic 200 m silver medalist “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek, who won in 19.89, saying afterwards:

“My goal is just to come out and compete and win. And that’s what I did. I’m happy about this performance because the weather is pretty cold. So I wasn’t really worried about the times.

“I ended up stumbling in the beginning of the race and that was kind of like, ‘oh crap’ moment. So I just collected myself and got the job done. Just making sure just stay focused, get back in the zone and stay and relaxed and then everything else will come forward, not trying to put too much pressure on me and just relaxing.

“Trust my training, trust my coach, I’ve been here before so no reason to put too much pressure on myself. I just treat it like any other meet: go in there and, and execute it and I can win the thing.”

About the future, he explained:

“We’re all about elevating every single year and I don’t want to go backwards. So this year I’m going for the gold and you know, I’m a vet now, so I know how to get the job done.

“I have a strictly just gluten-free diet. Instead of having dairy. like almond milk and all that stuff, I just drink raw goat’s milk and all that stuff. So I was just trying to stay more organic and raw and farm-to-fridge lifestyle. So that’s been helping me out a lot. If your body’s already dealing with stuff, you’re going to run a little bit slower because your body can only work on so many things at a time.

“The times will come. Could be 20.0 that wins the race, 19.1. I don’t care. But as long as I’m going through the finish line first, that’s what matters.”

Bednarek owns the world lead in the 200 m at 19.67, but will have to deal with World Champion Noah Lyles at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Another big winner who is looking for a lot more is shot star Joe Kovacs, the two-time World Champion who won with two throws over 23 m, finally at 23.13 m (75-10 3/4), the no. 9 throw in history:

“I think every event has something that mark you want to get over. Sometimes it feels like it’s a wall. I think there’s a lot more in the tank, but we were really preparing for the Olympic Trials. I’m trying to make sure my minimum level is super high.

“I’m kind of maybe a little bit more conservative in the technique right now because I want to make sure that no matter what, I’m in the ring, I’m throwing far. I can punch a ticket on that team because once you do that, you can have a little fun. Get wild. That’s where the real far throws come.”

Kovacs gave all the credit to his wife and coach, Ashley:

“It’s all Ashley. You know, she’s the boss at home as my wife and of course, when we get to the track. Because for me, I end up going down some rabbit holes I don’t need to and she zaps them before they happen. The effort that we are putting together as a team, I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t be enjoying this without her. When we go to the Trials, we’re getting the job done because of course, you want to win that meet.

And he predicted a huge extension of the world record, now 23.56 m (77-3 3/4):

“I think Ryan [Crouser] will throw farther this year. I think I’ll throw farther and I think it’s not out of the question to throw another meter farther than we did today.

“But that’s going to come with the stress off and the excitement, and when we can just roll the dice, because when you do that, that’s when the real whips and the launches come and that’s when the excitement comes after.

“If I can throw a PR, I’ll be proud of that day. I know there’s guys behind us trying to take myself, Ryan and whoever’s next after that spot. So you got to just keep rising the level and keep running away from it. And I hope that I’ll be doing that right now.”

No need to run for a conversion table; 24.13 m is a fantastic 79-2!

2.
Ingebrigtsen second at Pre, sees two Paris golds!

While World 1,500 m champ Josh Kerr (GBR) powered to a brilliant 3:45.34 mile win at Prefontaine – moving to no. 6 all-time – runner-up Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) reacted with plenty of confidence following his season opener of 3:45.60:

“It’s a very good start, definitely better than I was fearing. I’ve been injured and lost a lot of training. So you never know 100% how it’s going. But if one thing is for sure, it’s that if you’re not able to do the work, then you’re losing in fitness. But at the same time, I know that every day from here I’m gonna be better.

“I think I’m going to win both [the 1,500 and 5,000 m] in Paris. But if that is to happen, I really need to have a flawless next two months. Which I believe that I’m able to do. With this race, I think, I can definitely reach the same fitness that I had last year, if not better.”

Kerr really wanted this victory, and he got it by being bold:

“I wanted to win and I knew it would take something along those lines [3:45] to go out and win. I wasn’t focused on the time, and trying to find comfort in that first 800. I was able to find that and then press through the field and 600 to go, I thought, you know, what, why not, why not take it on and press and scare myself a little bit.

“You need to take the lead at some point in the race to go out and win it. So why not take it out when, you know, it’s early in the season and everyone’s kind of not trusting their instincts quite yet. If anyone’s going to do it, I’m going to do it. These guys I’m racing against are going to get better and better each month, and I need to do the same to try and stay ahead. I’ve got into this position because of hard work and determination and the right staff around me and I’m going to stick to doing that for the rest of the season.”

And Paris?

“I want to get that title and then I’m going to have some real fun with lots of different records and distances and stuff, but that’s the last one to check off of childhood dreams. And then I can go out and try to entertain the people as much as I can.”

The biggest showman at Pre might have been hurdles winner Grant Holloway, with a world-leading 13.03, taking time off from thinking about his to promote his sponsors, including Viva Seltzer – started in 2020 by three former college athletes – and his new jewelry partner:

“Viva is worldwide. I just wanna be able just to go out there. Obviously the fans knew I had put a tweet out, so I just want to continue just doing that [chugging down a can of Viva after the race]. I guess that’s a new tradition. …

“Jewelry is one of my new sponsors, David Yurman Jewelry. It’s been great, obviously came out for a little bit of bling today in the Diamond League, but it’s been great. I’m excited about it.”

As far as the hurdling:

“It’s definitely a building block but I think I could be better. Going forward, I just want to continue just to build off of that. … It’s still end of May, but, going forward, we just continue to build off of that. Staying consistent.

“I mean, throughout the years, I’ve been running high 12.9s, low 13.0s, and I think that’s what it takes. Obviously on any given day, it could be faster, it could be slower, but I just want to continue to go out there with an attitude of winning and we’ll see whatever that falls into.”

3.
Exarchos: Look for more post-race, on-screen chats in Paris

Madrid-based Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is responsible for the television coverage of the Olympic Games. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the International Olympic Committee, some of the issues presented by the Covid-19 pandemic in Tokyo in 2021 are no longer present, but the innovations are going to stay.

For example, OBS chief Yiannis Exarchos (GRE) told the French-language FrancsJeux.com site that the post-event, online athlete-to-family and friends contact experience from Tokyo will be contined (computer translation):

“Setting up such a device for the Tokyo 2020 Games was very complex, especially in just three months. But the reactions were so positive, from the athletes but also from the broadcasters, that we decided to repeat the operation this year in Paris, where the stands will nevertheless be full. We will even amplify it.

“The system will concern a greater number of sports. And we will connect athletes not only to their families and loved ones, if they were unable to travel, but also to their club, their village, their community. Athletes are very demanding. And it will add even more emotional content to our coverage of the Olympics.”

Exarchos explained that as OBS has been asked to do more and more, his primary clients – the rights-holding broadcasters – have asked to “have greater access to athletes. Be closer to them, capture their emotions.”

OBS, however, also supports the IOC’s own online and social-media programming, and feeds the needs of the rights-holding broadcasters with clips and short-form materials they can also use. Thus, although the Paris 2024 Games will comprise about 3,500 hours of competitions, OBS will produce 11,000 hours of contents for broadcaster and IOC use.

4.
Madrid Court rules against FIFA, UEFA ban of Super League

Judge Sofia Gil Garcia, head judge of Spain’s Madrid Commercial Court, issued a 71-page decision which confirms an earlier opinion by the European Court of Justice last December that FIFA and UEFA are not allowed to block projects such as the proposed European Super League from 2021.

The appeal was brought by the European Super League Company SL, which proposed a 12-club league with mid-week matches, featuring the best-known clubs from the English Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

The opinion declared that “UEFA and FIFA have abused their dominant position … by arrogating to itself the discretion to prohibit participation in alternative competitions.” The ruling further noted:

“Even though the Super League project as initially presented in the lawsuit has been abandoned and rejected by its creators, any requests related to it must also be dismissed. There should not be a blanket ban on future projects or changes to the existing one. To do otherwise would be to restrict any football competition project brought forward by the plaintiffs, which is not fair.

“It will be the responsibility of the parties involved to make adjustments and modifications as needed. This ruling does not mean that the approval of any competition is the focus of the case, but rather sets the groundwork for a fair competition system in organizing football events.”

ESLC sued, arguing that FIFA and UEFA were exercising monopolistic control of the European football market. UEFA issued a statement, acknowledging the holding, but also pointing to:

“In particular, UEFA is pleased to note that the judge confirmed the validity of a pre-authorisation system being in place for third party competitions to be approved under UEFA’s authorisation rules and recognised the undoubted benefits of such rules for the football sporting system. The court also confirmed that the current version of UEFA’s authorisation rules (as adopted in June 2022) is not affected by today’s ruling.

“Further, the court has not given the green light to, nor has it approved, projects like the Super League. In fact, the judge has asserted that the Super League project has long been abandoned and that she cannot be expected to rule on any abstract projects. In short, the judgment does not give third parties the right to develop competitions without authorisation and does not concern any future project or indeed any modified version of an existing project.”

A22 Sports Management, which was driving the Super League project, cheered the decision, saying “the era of the monopoly is now definitely over.” However, FIFA and UEFA can appeal the decision to the Provincial Court of Madrid, and this is widely expected to be filed.

5.
Rowing raves on Florijn streak; World Tri on Olympic rankings

Trying to cover 40 sports on the program of the Olympic Games and Winter Games means there isn’t always the opportunity to research great performances in every one. So it’s a treat when some of the International Federations realize that they have good stories they can promote, like these:

● Following the close of the second World Rowing World Cup in Switzerland, the federation’s “Monday Debrief” included this:

“Another dominant boat since Tokyo is Karolien Florijn. Florijn won silver in the Dutch women’s four in Tokyo, but has been in the single sculls ever since and has so far picked up two European Champion titles, two World Champion titles and five World Cup wins. That’s an impressive 29 international races winning streak.”

Dutch star Florijn is the reigning World Champion in the event and won a high-profile race in Lucerne in a possible Paris preview, winning by daylight in 7:25.76, ahead of 2023 Worlds bronze winner Tara Rigney (AUS: 7:27.33) and New Zealand’s Tokyo Olympic champ Emma Twigg (7:28.25).

● World Triathlon strongly promoted its final World Triathlon Championship Series race prior to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Cagliari (ITA). Beyond its usual, detailed, day-of recap, it followed up with “The key moves in the Olympic triathlon rankings after WTCS Cagliari.”

The story was clear about which countries had won which spots for Paris, in the men’s and women’s races, and the Mixed Relay, starting with the 11th-place finish of Spain’s Alberto Gonzalez Garcia:

“He finished 11th in his best ever WTCS performance to rise from 31st to 30th in the rankings. What it lacked in places gained, Gonzalez’s rise more than made up for in terms of significance. Indeed, his jump of one place might have been among the most impactful moves of the qualification period.

“With Gonzalez the last man and third Spanish athlete inside the top-30, Spain have earned the right to send three men to Paris this summer.”

Yep, 30th place meant three Paris qualifiers for Spain. A pretty important impact for finishing 11th. And the story explained how Hungary lost a third men’s qualifier, as Mark Devay finished 23rd, and coupled with other results, finished 31st in the Olympic rankings and a non-qualifier.

Although not dealt with specifically in the story, the women’s Olympic triathlon rankings showed the U.S. with four in the top 19 and seven inside the top 40. Because only Taylor Knibb has qualified for sure for Paris, Cagliari was the last chance to impress the USA Triathlon Olympic Games Athlete Selection Panel. The U.S. rankings:

● 4. Taylor Spivey
● 7. Taylor Knibb (already selected)
● 15. Kirsten Kasper
● 19. Summer Rappaport
● 38. Erika Ackerlund
● 39. Katie Zaferes
● 40. Gwen Jorgensen

In Tokyo in 2021, Zaferes won the bronze medal, with Rappaport in 14th and Knibb in 16th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games ● Online informational presentations will be made by the bid teams for the French Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 to the Olympic winter-sport federations on Tuesday.

Both groups will make 25-minute presentations covering the basic structures of their bids, followed by 35 minutes for questions. Both bids are expected to be confirmed ready for election at the 12-14 June meeting of the IOC Executive Board.

● Athletics ● Issam Asinga, born in Atlanta, but running for Suriname since mid-2022, set the track world alight with his world U-20 record of 9.89 in the men’s 100 m from the South American Championships in Sao Paulo (BRA) in 2023 at age 18.

On Tuesday, the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Asinga for four years for the use of GW1516, a hormone and metabolic modulator:

“GW1516 modifies how the body metabolises fat. It was originally synthesised and evaluated for the treatment of obesity, diabetes and other disorders caused by metabolic problems but is now not approved for human use.”

He tested positive on 18 July 2023, prior to the South American Championships and so his performances there, the 9.89 win in the 100 m and 20.19 in the 200 m, are annulled.

Asinga claimed contamination, but failed to convince the appeals panel:

● “Asinga claimed he took the Gatorade Recovery Gummies the week before the positive test and that subsequent testing of two unsealed containers of Gatorade Recovery Gummies, provided by the athlete, revealed the presence of GW1516 and GW1516 sulfoxide. However, the Disciplinary Tribunal found that Asinga did not satisfy his burden of proof to establish that the Gatorade Recovery Gummies were the source of the GW1516 metabolites detected in his Sample.”

● “In making its decision, among other matters, the Disciplinary Tribunal took into account the fact that the Gatorade Recovery Gummies provided in unsealed containers by the athlete for testing contained significantly more GW1516 on the outside than on the inside, which practically excludes any contamination by raw ingredients during the manufacturing process; that the Gatorade Recovery Gummies were batch-tested by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and were credited with the NSF Certified for Sport certificate; and that a sealed jar of Gatorade Recovery Gummies, from the exact same batch taken by Asinga, tested negative by the Lausanne anti-doping laboratory.”

Asinga has not competed since the SoAm Champs last year; he can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

From Kenyan site Pulse Sports: “Kenyan athletes have threatened to boycott the upcoming Olympics trials if the event is not held at a World Athletics-certified venue.

“Athletics Kenya (AK) is faced with a challenge of where to host the Olympics trials, slated from June 14-15, since Nyayo and Kasarani stadiums, the only two World Athletics-accredited venues in the country, are currently closed for renovation.”

The concern is that any marks made at the trials would not be allowed by World Athletics if made at a non-certified venue.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Five-time World Champion Fernando Pimenta of Portugal won three events to headline the second ICF Sprint World Cup, in Poznan (POL).

Pimenta won an Olympic bronze in the K-1 1,000 m in Tokyo, and tied for the win in the K-1 500 m with Poland’s Slawomir Witczak (1:45.29), took the K-1 1,000 m at 3:36.28 and the K-1 5,000 m in 20:58.14.

Another huge star, New Zealand’s five-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Carrington was busy, teaming with Alicia Hoskin to win the K-2 500 m, finishing second by 0.04 to teammate Aimee Fisher in the K-1 500 m and second by 0.18 in the K-4 500 m to China, 1:32.78 to 1:32.90.

The German men scored three wins, by Conrad-Robin Scheibner in the C-1 500 m (1:55.57), then a 1-2 finish in the K-2 500 m for Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke (1:33.36) and Max Rendschmidt and Tom Leibscher-Lucz (1:34.41), and then those four together – the reigning World Champions – in the K-4 500 m (1:20.32).

In the Olympic C-1 1,000 m final, Poland’s Wiktor Glazunow won in 4:06.61 and was second with Arsen Sliwinski in the C-2 500 m final to China’s Worlds silver winners Hao Liu and Bowen Ji, 1:40.50 to 1:41.84.

China scored four wins in the women’s paddling, with Olympic champs Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun taking the C-2 500 m in 1:55.92 and also going 1-2 in the C-1 500, with Sun winning in 2:13.92 and Xu in 2:14.10. Mengdie Yin and Nan Wang were 1-2 in the K-1 200 m in 41.50 and 42.24, and China won the women’s K-4 500 over New Zealand.

Ukraine got wins from Valeriia Tereta in the C-1 1,000 m in 4:43.74 and the C-1 5,000 m in 28:29.49; she was also third in the C-1 500 m behind the two Chinese stars. In the C-1 200 m, Liudmyla Luzan was the winner at 47.67.

Sweden got two wins from Melina Andersson, the 2023 K-1 5,000 m Worlds bronzer, in the K-1 1,000 m in 4:02.94 and in the 5,000 m at 23:45.98. Germany’s Worlds bronze medalists Lisa Jahn and Hedi Kliemke won the women’s C-2 200 m in 45.50.

● Judo ● Despite the overlap of the World Judo Championships in the UAE, some of the top American judoka were able to make it back to compete at the USA Judo National Championships in Ontario, California.

Ari Berliner raced back and took his fourth consecutive national title in the men’s 66 kg class with four straight wins. Melissa Myers took her third women’s 70 kg division national championship – and second straight – in overtime after returning from the Worlds, with a waza-ari against Chloe Williams.

Nicole Stout did not compete at the Worlds, but won a fourth straight national title in Ontario in the women’s 78 kg class, throwing Madeline Solis for ippon.

Three-time national champ Alexander Knauf was looking for a fourth straight title, but was defeated in the final by two-time nationals bronze winner Issei Barefoot in the men’s 90 kg final. In the women’s +78 kg class, Anna Atkinson also broke through from 2023 silver to 2024 gold, taking all four matches by ippon.

Eight winners in the Olympic weight classes were juniors due to the Worlds team being away; in fact, Malia Manibog (15: women’s 48 kg) and Daniel Liubimovski (16: men’s 100 kg) both won national championships while still eligible to compete in the U-17 Cadet division!

Liubimovski had perhaps the most intriguing match of the tournament, facing 47-year-old Tokuzo Takahashi, an eight-time winner in the men’s Openweight class. Neither could score in regulation, but Liubimovski threw Takahashi for ippon in overtime for the win.

Dominic Rodriguez, 19, won the U.S. 73 kg national title last year, but moved up to 81 kg for 2024 and won in overtime on penalties against Johan Silot Suse.

● Swimming ● Four-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers, who won the 100 m Backstroke at the London 2012 Olympic Games – now 39 – qualified for his seventh U.S. Olympic Trials.

Grevers qualified in the 50 m Freestyle with a 22.50 time trial at the Southwest Classic in Tucson, Arizona, inside the 22.79 cut-off for the Trials. An Olympian in 2008-12, he also competed in the Trials in 2000-04-16-20, so this will be no. 7. He wrote on Instagram:

“This side hustle has been nothing but fun for me but I need to give a huge thanks to my wife, Annie, for picking up my slack with the family and allowing me the time to train. …

“Getting to pull one of my greatest mentors and coaches of all time, Rick DeMont, out of retirement and collaborating with him on the pool deck has been an unexpected thrill. …

“Can’t wait to swim in a football stadium. See you in INDY!”

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Toyota’s end to its IOC sponsorship could impact LA28; Richardson among the Pre Classic stars; historic Giro win for Pogacar

Rich Perelman

May 27, 2024

tsx pix 2024-525 kerr-ingebrigtsen pre (matthew quine DLAG) — Britain's Josh Kerr wins the Bowerman Mile showdown with Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the Pre Classic (Photo by Matthew Quine for Diamond League AG)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Kyodo: Toyota will end IOC sponsorship post-Paris
2. U.S. Senators demand WADA answers on China swim incident
3. Chebet gets WR, Hodgkinson, Kerr, Richardson star at Pre
4. Pogacar finishes biggest Giro d’Italia win in 59 years!
5. New Teahupo’o tower in use for WSL Tahiti Pro tournament

● Kyodo News reported that Toyota will not renew its TOP sponsorship with the International Olympic Committee, ending a project begun in 2015. Toyota’s exit had been expected, but opens important sponsorship and budgeting questions for upcoming Olympic Games in Milan Cortina in 2026 and Los Angeles in 2028.

● Three U.S. Senators wrote to the World Anti-Doping Agency, accusing it of “selling access” to a Chinese firm that is supplying it with apparel at its events. The letter asks questions about WADA’s commercial partnerships, the anti-doping rules and asks for an independent audit of the Chinese swimming incident.

● Terrific action at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, with eight world-leading marks and a world women’s 10,000 m record from Kenyan Beatrice Chebet, breaking the 29:00 barrier. Later came impressive wins from American Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100 m, and British stars Keely Hodgkinson (women’s 800 m) and Josh Kerr in the Bowerman Mile.

● Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar finished a brilliant win in the 107th Giro d’Italia with a margin of almost 10 minutes, the most since 1965! Next up, he’ll try for a third Tour de France title.

● The replacement judging tower that was the subject of so much controversy in Tahiti for the Olympic surfing competition is working well for the World Surf League competition underway there.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (miracle home title for Czechs in men’s Worlds!) = Judo (Japan wins Mixed Team final, as always ) ●

● Panorama: Switzerland 2038 (Swiss formally accept “privileged dialogue” with IOC) = Archery (Korea dominated in Yecheon World Cup) = Athletics (hot sprinting at NCAA regionals) = Badminton (Denmark wins two at Malaysia Masters) = Beach Volleyball (Nuss and Kloth win Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Portugal) = Cycling (2: Wiebes sweeps RideLondon Classique; Pidcock and Ferrand-Prevot take Mountain Bike World Cups) = Gymnastics (France, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria win two at World Challenge Cup) = Modern Pentathlon (Bohm and Venckauskaite take World Cup Final) = Rowing (five wins for Dutch and British at World Cup II) = Swimming (2: another American Record for Regan Smith; Olivier and Cunha take Open Water World Cup) = Triathlon (Yee and Beaugrand win important WTCS in Cagliari) ●

1.
Kyodo: Toyota will end IOC sponsorship post-Paris

According to Japan’s Kyodo News Service, Toyota Motor Corporation will end its agreement with the International Olympic Committee as a “TOP” sponsor after the 2024 Olympic Games:

“The world’s biggest automaker will not extend the contract it signed in 2015 but does plan to continue supporting athletes and promoting sports in its own way, the sources said.”

The Kyodo story noted that sources had said that the company’s total spending on Olympic-related programming had likely exceeded ¥100 million (about $636.7 million U.S.) across 10 years. Further:

“Some people at Toyota have been dissatisfied with how sponsorship money is handled as they believe it is not used effectively to support athletes and promote sports, according to sources close to their thinking.”

Toyota became the first automobile manufacturer to become a TOP sponsor when it joined up, and received what appeared to be a windfall when Tokyo was later awarded the 2020 Olympic Games. But with the pandemic and the move of the Games to 2021, Toyota essentially collapsed its Olympic promotional projects and was mostly silent during the Games.

Kyodo reported that Toyota would like to continue as a sponsor of the International Paralympic Committee, but may be prohibited from doing so by the IOC-IPC support agreement.

Toyota will support the Paris 2024 Games with more than 3,000 vehicles in a demonstration of its technology innovations and sustainable approach to the future.

Observed: This is not a surprise, as Toyota’s unhappiness with its return-on-investment on its IOC sponsorship has been whispered for more than a year. Since its Olympic tie-in, the company has invested widely in various sports programs with Olympic federations in multiple countries, and is a sponsor of both USA Swimming and USA Track & Field. Those programs could continue, with the question now being asked: since its IOC sponsorship failed, what can (or should) it get out of these lower-level tie-ins?

A decision by Toyota not to renew their IOC sponsorship will have multiple additional ripple effects that will require quick answers:

● Will the IOC try to replace it at the TOP (worldwide) level?

● If so, how long will it bar National Olympic Committees – like the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee – from signing their own potentially lucrative auto (or “mobility”) sponsor or sponsors, so that it can sign another auto maker?

● If the IOC is not successful in getting a replacement sponsor, when will it release the category, and will there be enough time for sales efforts by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties unit prior to 2028?

Moreover, Toyota’s decision not to re-new could have an impact on the revenue expected by the LA28 organizing committee. The Host City Contract for 2028 states:

“for indicative purposes only, based on the experience of the IOC from previous editions of the Games of the Olympiad and without taking into account potential evolutions in the International Programme that may occur after the execution of the HCC (including, without limitation, potential renegotiations or renewals of current agreements covering key product categories which are forecasted to generate an estimated increase of USD 200.000.000 (two hundred million United States dollars) in the amount indicated below), the amount of the OCOG’s share of the net revenues (including cash and value-in-kind) from the International Programme foreseen under §8.1(e), is currently estimated at USD 437.000.000 (four hundred thirty seven million United States dollars).” (Emphasis added)

The LA28 revenue projection of $6.88 billion includes both the $437 million estimated in the Host City agreement and the expected additional $200 million from increased renewals. Toyota will not be contributing to that added $200 million on the revenue side as a continuing IOC sponsor.

In addition, without Toyota as a worldwide sponsor, future organizers for Milan Cortina 2026, LA28, Brisbane 2032 and the expected hosts for the 2030 Winter Games (French Alps) and 2034 Winter Games (Salt Lake City) will now have to find vehicles to replace those donated by Toyota, potentially another significant hit the expense side of their budgets.

There will be significant pressure on the IOC to make a decision on this category quickly, but that may not be in line with its longer-range thinking.

2.
U.S. Senators demand WADA answers on China swim incident

Three U.S. Senators sent a three-page letter on Thursday to the World Anti-Doping Agency, accusing it of “selling access” to China via a sponsorship deal in 2023.

The letter was generated as a further inquiry into the continuing tumult over the clearance by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency of 23 star Chinese swimmers of positive tests for Trimetazidine from January 2021 due to “accidental contamination” of a hotel kitchen which was preparing meals for the swimmers.

The letter went further than criticizing WADA for not filing an appeal or launching its own inquiry, but accused the agency of complicity:

“It is not just this one incident that causes concern for many athletes, anti-doping agencies, and fans across the world, but it is the fact that WADA has long shown questionable ethical behavior. For over a decade, WADA has taken commercial sponsorships from organizations with questionable ties. For example, WADA has a sponsorship deal with Chinese company ANTA Sports, which also sponsors the PRC’s national swimming team implicated in this scandal.

“This partnership amounts to WADA selling access to the regulators of the preeminent international anti-doping agency, gives the impression of impropriety and a conflict of interest, and raises questions about WADA’s relationship with other state sponsors of doping.”

ANTA Sports was reported to enter a three-year agreement in 2023 to provide WADA with WADA-branded apparel for use for its staff at events.

The letter asks for an independent auditor and for answers to five questions about anti-doping rules and three about sponsorships. The questions about doping included asking why an appeal was pursued against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva in 2021, and

“Did the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, or the proximity of the Tokyo Olympics, play a
role in the decision to decline to follow your own rules with respect to the positive tests from 23 Chinese swimmers?”

The sponsorship questions included about WADA’s commercial partnerships, and “In your view, does accepting sponsorship from countries that you regulate create a conflict of interest or the appearance of impropriety?”

The letter was signed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee); no specific reply date was included.

Observed: This was not an especially insightful letter, but is another log on the fire building under WADA for its lightweight treatment of the January 2021 Chinese doping incident.

WADA’s ability to investigate anything inside China in early 2021, with the Covid-19 pandemic still locking down parts of the country was essentially nil. Thus, it had to wait for the CHINADA report, which came months later, such that any follow-up investigation by WADA would have been worthless. Worse, the German ARD channel’s “The China Files” documentary in April, stated that the CHINADA report was developed from information collected by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

As WADA has stated, its ability to get anywhere with an appeal was zero, so it did not file. That was not the situation in the Valieva case, where the testing was done by a Swedish laboratory (with records available to WADA) and the Russian reinstatement of Valieva followed a defined internal appeals process within the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (with records available).

Moreover, having U.S. Senators criticizing WADA for having commercial sponsors is fairly laughable, especially accusing a Chinese company of having “access” by making WADA-branded shirts and jackets in its own factories.

The letter, however, touches on the real issue at hand, “trust and accountability” and that “When WADA loses the international community’s trust, it can no longer effectively do its job.” This pressure point will continue to be pressed by multiple sides, and needs to be addressed.

3.
Chebet gets WR, Hodgkinson, Kerr, Richardson star at Pre

Another hot Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene featured a sensational final mile and the return of Sha’Carri Richardson, but the history was made before noon, while the meet as a whole produced world leads in eight events:

● Men/Mile: 3:45.34, Josh Kerr (GBR)
● Men/10,000 m: 26:50.81, Daniel Mateiko (KEN)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.03, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/Shot Put: 23.13 m (75-10 3/4), Joe Kovacs (USA)

● Women/800 m: 1:55.78, Keely Hodgkinson (GBR)
● Women/Steeple: 8:55.09, Peruth Chemutai (UGA)
● Women/5,000 m: 14:18.76, Tsige Gebreselama (ETH)
● Women/10,000 m: 28:54.14, Beatrice Chebet (KEN) ~ World Record

The women’s 10,000 was not only the Kenyan Olympic Trials, but was set up as a world-record attempt for Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning World Champion.

And she was game, setting a hard pace, passing 5,000 m right on schedule at 14:31.08 in excellent, 55-degree (F) morning weather. She was towing the field, but not breaking them, and Chebet finally got the lead in the final three laps. Chebet, the 2023 women’s World Road Champion at 5 km, powered through the final km in 2:46.10 and broke Tsegay on the way to a 28:54.14 victory: the first woman ever to break 29 minutes! She crushed Letsenbet Gidey (ETH) and her 29:01.03 mark from 2021.

Tsegay was second in 29:05.92, the no. 3 performance ever, and Kenyans Lilian Rengeruk and Margaret Kipkemboi were 3-4 in 29:26.89 (no. 6 performance all-time) and 29:27.59 (no. 7). Spectacular!

The men’s 10,000 – also the Kenyan Olympic Trials – went off just after noon, and saw another world lead as Daniel Mateiko, a 27:03.94 man from 2021, won in a four-way, all-Kenyan sprint to the finish in 26:50.81 from Nicholas Kipkorir (26:50.94), Benard Kibet (26:51.09) and Edwin Kurgat (26:51.54). Benson Kiplangat and Kibiwott Kandie ran lifetime bests of 26:55.09 and 26:58.97 … and weren’t in it. Wow.

The distance races just kept delivering, with Ethiopians taking the top six places in the women’s 5,000 m and Tsigie Gebreselama taking the lead over Worlds 10,000 m bronze winner Ejgayehu Taye on the final straight to win, 14:18.76 to 14:18.92, with World Indoor 1,500 m champ Freweyni Hailu third (14:20.61) and the top five the fastest in the world this season. Gebreselama moved to no. 14 all-time.

Three races later, Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji took control of the women’s 1,500 m with 600 m left and just ran away from Australia’s Jessica Hull and World Indoor 3,000 m champ Elle St. Pierre (USA), winning easily in 3:53.75, now no. 11 all-time! Hull got a lifetime best and national record of 3:55.97 in second and St. Pierre was third in 3:56.00, the second-fastest time in American history! Olympic silver winner Laura Muir (GBR) was fourth (3:56.35).

Next was the women’s Steeple and world-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) led for most of the way, and at the bell, but her shadow, Olympic gold medalist Peruth Chemutai (UGA) made her move over the water jump to get even and then sprinted home off the final barrier to win in another world leader of 8:55.09 to 8:56.51, the nos. 9 and 15 performances ever. Faith Cherotich (KEN) was third in 9:04.45. Val Constein was the top American at 9:14.29, now no. 7 in U.S. history!

Perhaps the most impressive performance aside from Chebet was British 800 m star Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic silver winner and twice Worlds silver medalist. She tracked down World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) with 200 m to go and then exploded into the final straight and won a dominant victory in a world-leading 1:55.78, her third-fastest time ever. Moraa was second in 1:56.71, a seasonal best, with Britain’s Jemma Reekie third in 1:57.45, and Nia Akins of the U.S. fourth in 1:57.98.

Finally, the Bowerman Mile included a superstar line-up, but all eyes were on Olympic champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, facing Worlds 1,500 champ Josh Kerr (GBR) and American record holder Yared Nuguse. Last year in Budapest, Kerr out-kicked Ingebrigtsen on the final straight, but on Saturday, Kerr took the lead with 600 m to go and had Ingebrigtsen right behind him at the bell, with Nuguse trailing. Kerr and Ingebrigtsen dueled into the straight, but Kerr had more in the final 50 m to win in 3:45.34, the ninth-fastest time in history and moving Kerr to no. 6 all-time. Ingebrigtsen ran 3:45.60 for second and Nuguse was third in 3:46.22, as nine men broke 3:50!

On the infield, world-record holder Ryan Crouser did not throw as expected, but two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs continued his sensational season with a brilliant 23.03 m (75-6 3/4) in round two for a world-leading mark, then extended to 23.13 m (75-10 3/4) – the no. 9 throw of all-time – in the final round. Fellow American Payton Otterdahl got out to 22.16 m (72-8 1/2) in the fourth round for a clear second.

The sprints were also a story, starting with the men’s 110 m hurdles. Three-time World Champion Grant Holloway got out fast and dominated his race, with a world-leading 13.03 (wind: -0.1 m/s). Worlds bronze winner Daniel Roberts made up some ground on the run-in, but was second in 13.13, with Freddie Crittenden of the U.S. third (13.16) and Olympic champ Hansle Parchment (JAM: 13.28) fourth.

The women’s 100 m hurdles saw world no. 2 Tonea Marshall of the U.S. out early, but France’s improving Cyrena Samba-Mayela came on in lane seven and had the lead by mid-way and leaned hard to win in 12.52 (-0.9), equaling her national record. Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) closed for second on the run-in (12.54), with Marshall third in 12.55.

The men’s 100 m was a start-to-finish win for 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman, winning in 9.95 (+1.2), with barely ahead of a fast-closing Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN: 9.98), with Brandon Hicklin (USA: 10.08) in third.

The much-anticipated women’s 100 m had the crowd in a frenzy and World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson delivered. She got a quality start and overtook World 60 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA) by 40 m and kept building her lead to the tape in 10.83 (+1.5), no. 2 in the world in 2024 to the injured Jacious Sears (USA). Alfred ran a season’s best of 10.93 in second, with Dina Asher-Smith (GBR: 10.98) third. Ninth was two-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM: 11.30), who was making her seasonal debut.

Olympic silver winner “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek continued winning 200 m races against excellent fields, defeating training partner Courtney Lindsey, 19.89 to 20.09 (+1.8), with Kyree King of the U.S. third (20.15). The men’s 400 m hurdles went to Costa Rica’s Gerald Drummond in 48.56; world leader Rai Benjamin had been entered, but did not race.

American Emily Grove got a seasonal best of 4.63 m (15-2 1/4) on her third try to win over Olympic champ Katie Moon (USA: 4.53 m/14-10 1/4) in the women’s vault, and Cuban Leyanis Perez won the women’s triple jump over World Indoor winner Thea LaFond (DMA), 14.73 m (48-4) to 14.62 m (47-11 3/4).

Olympic champ Valarie Allman of the U.S. won her sixth meet without a loss in 2024 in the women’s discus, leading into the final round and then extending to 67.36 m (221-0), just enough to hold off Cuba’s world leader Yaime Perez’s final throw of 67.25 m (220-7). World Champion Cam Rogers (CAN) got a season’s best in the women’s hammer at 77.76 m (255-1), enough to hold off American Worlds winners DeAnna Price (76.74 m/251-9) and Brooke Andersen (76.34 m/250-5).

4.
Pogacar finishes biggest Giro d’Italia win in 59 years!

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar didn’t just win the 107th Giro d’Italia, he mauled a good field and won by the biggest margin since 1965 and the fourth-biggest since World War II!

The two-time Tour de France winner was the big favorite coming in, and had a 7:42 lead on Colombia’s Daniel Martinez going into Friday’s 19th stage. This was a nasty, 157 km route to Sappada, with three big climbs in the last half of the race. Italian Andrea Vendrame, 29, who had won a Giro stage back in 2021, attacked with 28 km to go and raced away to the win in 3:51:05, with Spain’s Pelayo Sanchez way back in second (+0:54); Pogacar was 21st (+15:56) and Martinez 23rd.

Saturday’s stage included two misery-inducing climbs to the 1,671 m Monte Grappa in the final half of the 184 km route to Bassano del Grappa, finishing on a giant descent. Pogacar took off near the crest – on the second run – and raced away over the final 34 km to record his sixth win in the race in 4:58:23, a sensational 2:07 up on seven chasers, led by Valentin Paret-Peintre and Martinez.

Pogacar’s lead was increased to a staggering 9:56 over Martinez and 10:24 over 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (GBR). His six stage wins equal the most in the post-World War II era, by the legendary Eddy Merckx (BEL) in 1973.

On Sunday, the flat, 125 km ride into Rome finished with the expected mass sprint and Belgium’s Tim Merlier getting his third stage win of this year’s Giro over Italian Jonathan Milan, who won three stages, was second four times and took the Points title. Pogacar was 74th and the first 101 riders received the same time.

Pogacar’s winning margin ranked as the best since 1965 – 59 years ago – and the fourth-best since World War II:

● 1. 24:16 for Carlo Clerici (SUI) in 1954
● 2. 23:47 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1949
● 3. 11:26 for Vittorio Adorni (ITA) in 1965
● 4. 9:56 for Tadej Pogacar (SLO) in 2024
● 5. 9:18 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1952
● 5. 9:18 for Ivan Basso (ITA) in 2006

Pogacar will contest the Tour de France, trying for a third title (also in 2020 and 2021), after finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) the past two years. No one has ever won all three Grand Tours in a single year – ever – and Pogacar says he won’t try, looking to the World Road Championships in Zurich (SUI). But if he wins the Tour?

5.
New Teahupo’o tower in use for WSL Tahiti Pro tournament

“We did things well: the tower was baptised in the traditional way, in the presence of a Tahitian sage and a priest. The situation here has calmed down now.”

That’s Max Wasna, the president of the Tahitian surfing federation and a native of Teahupo’o in Tahiti, speaking ahead of last week’s opening of the World Surf League’s Shiseido Tahiti Pro tournament that will continue through the 31st.

The event is using the new, aluminum replacement tower that was installed to replace the old wooden judging platform that was considered unsafe. After a huge controversy about the size and complexity of the facility – originally much larger – the construction of what was essentially an aluminum replacement was approved, constructed and installed.

The tournament is also functioning as essentially a rehearsal for the Paris 2024 Olympic competition and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet was on hand to see the event and the tower. He told Agence France Presse:

“Eveything is progressing well. Teahupo’o is a small corner of paradise, we are delighted to do it honour.

“We listened to the concerns expressed and we modified the tower a little so that it could integrate into this exceptional environment and respect this magical place.”

Annick Paofai, president of the Defence of Fenua ‘aihere group, which had been among the skeptics about the tower, even in its reduced format, and damage to the coral, was enthusiastic:

“We are happy, the tower is beautiful, I even have the impression that it weds itself to nature.

“It is excellent the associations protested because otherwise they (the construction workers) would have done just anything. One has to be honest and say there was not much damage.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s World Championship in Prague (CZE) had a surprise ending as the big favorites – undefeated group winners Canada and Sweden – both going down in the semifinals!

Instead, it was the home Czech Republic facing Switzerland in the final, with the Swiss returning for the first time since 2018 and the Czechs for the first time since 2010, and the Czechs hoisting the trophy for the first time in 14 years in front of a delirious crowd of 17,413 at the O2 Arena in Prague.

The final was tightly played through two periods with no score, only four total penalties and the Czechs having an edge on shots by 23-17. But at 9:13 of the third, David Pastrnak took a pass off of a Czech face-off win and smashed a one-timer from the left side for the first goal of the game, and keeper Lukas Dostal made it stand up.

The Swiss pounded the Czech zone and had 14 shots in the third to nine for the hosts, but ended up losing by 2-0 after an empty-net goal with 19 seconds left in the game from David Kampf.

The Czechs had won a bronze in 2022, but won for the seventh time in this tournament, previously in 1996-99-2000-01-05-10; Czechoslovakia won six times between 1947 and 1985.

In the semis, the Czechs smashed Sweden by 7-3, breaking open a 2-2 game with three goals in the second for a 5-3 lead and adding two more in the third. A blitz of three goals in 2:58 of the second – between 6:05 and 9:03 – changed the game, with Ondrej Kase, Martin Necas and Dominik Kubalik (his second) scoring. Two more came from Lukas Sedlak in the third, despite Sweden having a 40-23 edge on shots!

Then it was Canada’s turn to go down, despite coming back from two Swiss power-play goals in the first period, with single tallies in the second and third. The Canadians finally got even at 17:53 of the third on their own power-play with a John Tavares goal. But neither side could score in the period, or in overtime, so on to the penalty shoot-out, also tied, 1-1, after three rounds. But defender Owen Power missed to the right for Canada and Swiss forward Sven Andrighetto scored and the Swiss had a 2-1 victory!

In the third-place game, Sweden came back from 2-1 down in the third to score three times and win, 4-2. Defender Erik Karlsson evened the game at 9:35, then Carl Grundstrom got his second goal of the game for a 3-2 lead at 13:42 and the Swedes held on, getting an empty-netter from Marcus Johansson with five seconds to play for the 4-2 final. It’s Sweden’s first medal in this tournament since 2018!

The tournament was a big success with fans as well, with record attendance for the IIHF men’s Worlds of 797,727 or 12,464 across the 64 matches played from 10-26 May.

Looking to the future. IIHF President Luc Tardif (FRA) is looking to expand the quality of its tournaments:

“We have reached an agreement to bring NHL players for not just one but the next two Olympic Games [in 2026 and 2030].

“We’re going to sit down with the NHL to see if it’s possible to organize a World Cup on the level they’re doing in football.”

● Judo ● The IJF World Championships concluded in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with Japan winning the Mixed Team title over France, 4-1, to finish atop the medal table as usual.

This was the seventh time that the Mixed Team event has been held and Japan has won all seven. Moreover, France has won the silver in six straight Worlds! Georgia and Italy won the bronze medals, the second time in a row for the Georgians.

As for the final medal standings, Japan collected 10 total medals (4-2-4) to six for France (1-2-3), despite many of the sport’s top stars staying home to prepare for the Paris Olympic Games. Georgia (2-1-2) and South Korea (2-0-3) each won five medals.

Japan’s four golds were double the total for Georgia, South Korea and Azerbaijan, which won two each.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2038: Switzerland ● Although considered a formality, the Swiss agreed last week to continue seeking the 2038 Olympic Winter Games:

“At an extraordinary meeting of the Sports Parliament, the Olympic member associations of Swiss Olympic unanimously gave the green light to enter into the so-called privileged dialogue with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and reaffirmed their full support. During this dialogue phase, Switzerland will have exclusive time until the end of 2027 to deepen its candidacy dossier for the 2038 Winter Games.”

The Swiss Olympic Committee will contribute €6.7 million (about $7.3 million U.S.) and the federations about €200,000 for a total of €6.9 million in funding to support the bid effort.

● Archery ● The second World Archery World Cup was in Yecheon (KOR), with all-Korean finals in both the men’s and women’s Recurve gold-medal matches.

The men’s final went to 2023 World Team gold medalist Woo-seok Lee, who overcame three-time World Champion Woo-jin Kim in the final, 6-5, after a 10-9 shoot-off win. Abdullah Yildirmis (TUR) won the bronze.

The Korean men – Lee, Kim and Je-deok Kim – took the team title with a 5-1 win over Germany, with Canada third.

Si-hyeon Lim, who won the 2023 Worlds Mixed Team gold with Kim, took the women’s Recurve title, also by 6-5 on a 10-9 shoot-off with Hun-young Jeon. Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, won the bronze.

China’s Jiaman Li, Zhiyun Xu and Qixuan An upset the Korean women in the Recurve Team final by 5-4, while Germany won the bronze.

Mexico’s Valencia teamed with Matias Grande to take the Mixed Team gold over Ruka Uehara and Junya Nakanishi of Japan, 6-2

● Athletics ● While the Pre meet had much of the track & field world’s attention, the NCAA T&F Regionals in Fayetteville (West) and Lexington (East) had plenty of quality marks, especially in the sprints and hurdles (athletes are from the U.S. unless noted):

● Men/100 m: Louie Hincliffe (GBR-Houston) topped the Fayetteville quarterfinals in a swift, but windy 9.84 (+2.5), with Shaun Maswanganyi (RSA-Houston) second in 9.89, and California’s David Foster third in 9.91. In Lexington, Auburn’s Favour Ashe (NGR) was the fastest at 9.94 in quarterfinal two.

● Men/200 m: Lance Lang from Arkansas had the fastest mark in Fayetteville at 19.99w (+2.1) in quarterfinal one, but Maswanganyi scored a legal 20.08 (+0.4) to win quarterfinal three. Two fast quarterfinals in the East, with Penn State’s Cheickna Traore (CIV) winning quarter one in 19.93 (-0.1), ahead of Makanakaishe Charamba (ZUM-Auburn: 19.95). Jamarion Stubbs (Alabama State) followed with a win in 19.95 (+1.4) in quarter two and Wanya McCoy (BAH-Florida) chimed in to win quarter three in 19.95 (+0.5).

● Men/400 m: The action was in the East, with Alabama frosh Samuel Ogazi (NGR) winning quarter three in 44.53, no. 13 in 2024, over teammate Khaleb McRae (44.78). Just before, Virginia Tech’s Judson Lincoln took quarter two at 44.55.

● Men/110 m hurdles: In Lexington, Auburn freshman JaKobe Tharp won his quarterfinal in 13.24 (0.0) and in Fayetteville, Houston’s De’Vion Wilson won quarterfinal one, also in 13.24 (+1.8). Darius Luff of Nebraska won West quarter two in 13.27w (+2.4) and Ja’Qualon Scott (Texas A&M) won quarter three in 13.25w (+2.7).

● Men/400 m hurdles: Texas Tech junior Caleb Dean moved to no. 5 in the world by winning West quarter three in 48.05, with Oskar Edlund (SWE-Texas Tech) second in 48.70. The fastest East mark was Alabama’s Chris Robinson, winning quarter one in 48.77.

● Men/Long Jump: USC’s Johnnie Brackins moved to no. 12 on the world list with his West win at 8.15 m (26-9).

● Women/100 m: At the West Regional, Rosemary Chukwuma (NGR-Texas Tech) got things started with a 10.86w (+3.1) win in the first round, followed by a 10.87 win in the next race by Oregon’s Jadyn Mays in 10.87w (+4.7). In the quarters, Mays won the first race in 10.83w (+2.3), but Chukwuma got a legal wind and moved to no. 3 in the world at 10.88 (+1.2).

In the East, the wind cooperated and Georgia’s Kaila Jackson sped to 10.95 (+0.8) in the first round, then Brianna Lyston (JAM-LSU) opened the quarters at 10.99 (+0.8), followed by Dajaz Defrand of Florida State at 10.94 (+0.1) in the second race and McKenzie Long of Mississippi in quarter three at 10.92 (+0.5), no. 7 on the year list. Jackson ran 11.03 for second behind Defrand.

● Women/200 m: More of the same, with Mays running 22.13w in Fayetteville (+2.7), but legal winds in Lexington. Jackson had the fastest first-round some at 22.28 (+0.1), but Long – already the world leader at 22.03 – won the second quarterfinal at 22.10 (+0.5), with DeFrand at 22.34. JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) won the first quarter at 22.28 (-0.1) and Jackson took the third at 22.43 (-0.1).

● Women/400 m: World leader Nickisha Price (JAM-Arkansas) had the fastest West mark at 49.93, followed by teammate Kaylyn Brown (49.98).

● Women/100 m hurdles: Washington State’s Maribel Caicedo (ECU) flew to a 12.49 (+1.3) win in heat five in the West and then a windy 12.38 (+3.1) in her quarterfinal! USC’s Jasmine Jones won quarter three in a windy 12.58 (+3.1). In Lexington, Florida’s Grace Stark had the best mark at 12.55 (+1.4).

● Women/400 m hurdles: Rachel Glenn (Arkansas) sped to no. 4 on the world list with her 53.94 win on her home track in Fayetteville; Canada’s Savannah Sutherland (Michigan) ran 54.61 in the first round to stand seventh on the year list.

● Women/Jumps: Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith (Texas) won the West long jump at 6.86 mw (22-6 1/4w) and the triple jump at 14.31 mw (46-11 1/2w).

● Women/Shot: A collegiate record for Oregon’s Jaida Ross, who reached 20.01 m (65-7 3/4) in Fayetteville to stand no. 3 on the 2024 world list.

The NCAA Championships in Eugene come from 5-8 June.

● Badminton ● Denmark was the big winner at the BWF World Tour Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur (MAS), taking two titles, with top-seeded Viktor Axelsen (DEN) winning the men’s Singles over Zii Jia Lee (MAS), 21-6, 20-22, 21-13, and second-seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen winning the men’s Doubles against Korea’s Yong Jin and Sung Seung Na, 21-18-21-14.

China’s Zhi Yi Wang, the no. 2 seed, won the women’s Singles over India’s V. Sindhu Pursarla, 16-21, 21-5, 21-16. Japan’s top-seeded Rin Iwanaga and Kie Naknaishi (JPN) got the win in women’s Doubles by 17-21, 21-19, 21-18 over Yu Lim Lee and Seung Chan Shin (KOR).

Malaysia’s Mixed Doubles team of Soon Huat Goh and Shevon Jemie Lai (MAS) defeated Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari (INA) in their final, 21-18, 21-19.

● Beach Volleyball ● The world’s second-ranked women’s team of Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth scored their first win of the season in the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Espinho (POR).

The Worlds bronze medalists last season, Nuss and Kloth finished second in the prior Elite 16 tournament, in Brazil, but defeated Tanja Huberli and Nina Brunner (SUI) in a difficult final, 17-21, 28-26, 15-10. They had already gotten by top-ranked Ana Patricia and Duda Lisboa (BRA) in their quarterfinal match in Espinho.

The third-place match went to Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon (NED) over Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno (ESP), 21-18, 21-12.

The 2023 Worlds silver medalists, David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (SWE), got their second tournament win of the season with a 21-16, 21-13 victory against Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler (GER). In four Elite 16 tournaments this season, Ahman and Hellvig have won two and finished second one.

Brazil’s George Wanderley and Andre Loyola Stein took the third-place match against Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers (NED), 21-15, 30-28, for their third medal of the season (1-0-2).

● Cycling ● No doubt whatsoever about the winner of the UCI women’s World Tour’s RideLondon Classique, as Dutch star Lorena Wiebes won all three stages!

She took the first stage of 159.2 km in a final sprint over Letizia Paternoster (ITA) in 4:06:27, then out-sprinted countrywoman (and defending champ) Charlotte Kool for the stage 2 win over 142.6 km in 3:33:26.

Wiebes had just a 20-second lead over Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky going into Sunday’s 91.2 km in and around London, but out-dueled Kool and Kopecky to sweep the stages in 2:08:47 and finish with a 25-second win over Kool and 26 seconds over Kopecky in third and Paternoster in fourth.

It’s Wiebes’ third championship in this race, also in 2019 and 2022 … and she’s still just 25.

The third leg in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season was in Nove Mesto (CZE), with familiar faces in the winner’s circle.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock, the Tokyo Olympic champ and 2023 World Champion, took charge on the fourth of seven laps and stormed to a decisive win in 1:21:41, 32 seconds up on 10-time World Champion Nino Schurter (SUI: 1:22:13) and teammate Marcel Guerrini (1:22:25). It’s Pidcock’s first medal of the season.

France’s Victor Koretzky won his second straight men’s World Cup Short Track race in a blanket finish with American Chris Blevins and Thomas Litscher (SUI), all timed in 19:34.

The women’s XCO winner was French star Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, the four-time World Champion, who was even more dominating, winning by 1:02 over 2022 Worlds bronze medalist Haley Batten of the U.S., 1:24:44 to 1:25:46. Swiss Alessandra Keller was third in 1:26:15.

Keller, the 2022 Worlds Short Track silver winner, won the Short Track event by just one second – 19:06 to 19:07 – over Ferrand-Prevot and Batten.

● Gymnastics ● France, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria had multiple winners at the third FIG Apparatus World Challenge Cup in Varna (BUL), with France scoring victories on the men’s Parallel Bars with Cameron-Lie Bernard (14.333) and on the women’s Beam, as Lucie Henna won at 13.066.

Kazakhstan’s men got first-day wins on the Floor Exercise with Dmitriy Patanin scoring 14.033 to win over France’s Nicolas Diez (13.66), then Nariman Kurbanov won on Pommel Horse (15.433). Bulgaria’s Yordan Aleksandrov took the men’s Horizontal Bar title at 13.700, and 2024 European runner-up Valentina Georgieva (14.083) was the best in the women’s Vault.

The other men’s winners included Armenia’s Artur Avetisyan on Rings (14.500) and Ukraine’s 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Nazar Chepurnyi on Vault (14.383). Germany’s Elisabeth Seitz, the 2018 Worlds bronze winner on the Uneven Bars, won that event at 14.400, and Britain’s Ruby Evans took the Floor gold at 13.300.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The UIPM World Cup Final in Ankara (TUR) saw a first-time victory for Hungary’s Csaba Bohm, overcoming France’s three-time Worlds Team gold medalist Valentin Prades.

Bohm was third at the 2022 World Cup Final and took the lead in the swimming phase, taking a two-second lead into the Laser Run. And with a strong performance, second overall, he finished with 1,535 points, a new world record by a single point held by Woongtae Jun of Korea, Giorgio Malan of Italy and Emiliano Hernandez of Mexico.

Prades finished at 1,525 and Egypt’s Ahmed Elgendy was third at 1,524, after posting the fastest Laser Run in the field.

The women’s World Cup final was a runaway for Gintare Venckauskaite of Lithuania, a Worlds Team silver winner from 2023. Things looked best for France, as Marie Oteiza and Rio 2016 silver medalist Elodie Clouvel were 1-2 going into the Laser Run. But Venckauskaite, a Laser Run specialist, zoomed to the front from sixth place and 18 seconds back, with the second-fastest time in the field – while Oteiza and Clouvel were 16th and 13th – and won with ease, scoring 1,422 points.

Belarus’ Mariya Gnedtchik (a “neutral”), 20, a World Cup winner in Budapest this season, started 11th in the Laser Run but was third-fastest in the field and got second (1,405), with Turkey’s Ilke Ozyuksel coming up for third (1,400).

Hungary won the Mixed Relay with Balazs Szep and Michelle Gulyas finishing second in fencing and riding, winning the swimming and with a third in the Laser Run, scored 1,381 points to win over Egypt’s Ahmed Hamed and Salma Abdelmaksoud (1,372).

● Rowing ● As the prep for Paris is getting serious, Dutch and British crews won five golds in Olympic events at the second World Rowing World Cup in Lucerne (SUI), and the U.S. won in two events.

In the men’s Single Sculls, Worlds silver winner Simon Van Dorp (NED) turned the tables on World Champion Oliver Zeidler (GER), coming from behind to win, 6:48.29 to 6:49.33. World Double Sculls champions Melvin Twellaar and Stefan Broenink were convincing winners, 6:11.46 to 6:14.28 for Italy. And the Dutch – with their 2023 World Champions line-up – won the Quadruple Sculls by 5:44.98 to 5:46.50 for Poland.

The British won the Pairs with Worlds silver winners Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George in 6:32.56, ahead of Spain (6:35.19), and the Eights – where they are World Champions – in 5:25.75, ahead of the U.S. (5:25.95) and the Dutch (5:27.88).

In the Lightweight Double Sculls, Italy’s Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Stefano Oppo and Gabriel Soares won in 6:17.08, beating Switzerland (6:18.13).

In the women’s Single Sculls, World Champion Karolien Florijn (NED) won a high-profile race in 7:25.76, beating Worlds bronze winner Tara Rigney (AUS: 7:27.33) and New Zealand’s Olympic champ Emma Twigg (7:28.25).

Her Dutch teammates, World Champions Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester won the Pairs in 7:07.37, ahead of Australia (7:11.10), with Azja Czajkowski and Jessica Thoennes (USA) in sixth in 7:21.22.

World Champions Britain won the women’s Quadruple Sculls, and also took the Fours title (over the Dutch and the U.S.), as well as the Lightweight Double Sculls with World Champions Emily Craig and Imogen Grant (6:54.83), ahead of New Zealand (6:57.68) and the U.S. in third with Michelle Sechser and Molly Reckford (7:01.37).

The U.S. duo of Worlds bronze medalists Sophia Vitas and Kristina Wagner took the Double Sculls in 6:53.15, beating Amanda Bateman and Harriet Hudson (7:21.22). Canada won the eights in 6:04.47, with Britain second (6:05.57) and the U.S. third (6:08.77).

The final World Cup is from 16-18 June at Poznan (POL).

● Swimming ● An American Record for 2022 World Champion Regan Smith in the 100 m Backstroke, winning in 57.51 at the Nova Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine, California on Sunday.

She broke her own mark of 57.57 – at the time a world record – from the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Korea. She remains the no. 2 performer in history, now with the no. 4 performance ever, and no. 7. The rest of the top 10 remains with Olympic champ Kaylee McKeown (AUS).

Smith was on fire in Irvine, also getting lifetime bests in the 100 m Fly (56.26, no. 4 in 2024) and the 200 m Freestyle (1:57.23).

French star Leon Marchand won the men’s 200 m Medley in 1:55.74, moving to no. 2 in the world in the event this season.

Great news for France at the second World Aquatics 10 km Open Water World Cup in Golfo Aranci (ITA), as Rio 2016 bronze medalist and 2023 Worlds runner-up Marc-Antoine Olivier and Logan Fontaine went 1-2 in the men’s race as four men raced to the touch.

Late in the race, it looked like Hungary’s World 10 km Champion Kristof Rasovszky and teammate David Betlehem might be on the way to a gold-silver finish, but Olivier took charge with 300 m left and touched first in 1:50:03.0 to 1:50:04.4 for Fontaine. Rasovszky had to settle for third in 1:50:04.5 and Betlehem was fourth (1:50:04.8). Fontaine and Olivier went 1-2 in the World 5 km Championships in Doha in February, but the result was reversed here.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s 10 km gold medalist, Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha, showed that she is back from shoulder surgery at the end of 2022, winning the women’s race with a charge in the final 700 m to go 1-2 with teammate Viviane Jungblut, 2:02:00.7 and 2:02:02.0. Germany’s Leonie Beck, the 2023 World Champion, got third (2:02:02.2), out-touching lap 6 leader and 2016 Olympic champ and two-time World Champion Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED).

Italy won the 4×1,500 m relay by a second over Germany, 1:06:58.8 to 1:06:59.8, thanks to a strong anchor from 2022 World 10 km gold medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri. Hungary was third in 1:07:00.1.

● Triathlon ● Tokyo Olympic silver winner Alex Yee got a statement win at the World Triathlon Championships Series in Cagliari (ITA) on Saturday, our-running Hayden Wilde (NZL) to the finish by two seconds for his third straight win in this race.

The two were locked in against each other by the end of the bike phase and distanced themselves from the pack on the run, with Yee sprinting best to the finish to win, 1:39:44 to 1:39:46. It’s Yee’s sixth career World Championship Triathlon Series win. Wilde, the 2023 World Sprint Champion, finished second at Cagliari for the second straight year.

A mass of 24 women came out of the second transition and began the run together, but it was France’s Cassandre Beaugrand got her fifth career World Triathlon Championships Series win. She used the second-fastest 10 km run in the field, beating Lisa Tertsch (GER: fastest in the field by a second), 1:47:25 to 1:47:28, with 2023 World Champion Beth Potter (GBR: 1:47:31) edging Emma Lombardi (FRA: 1:47:32) for third.

The U.S. women’s Olympic selections will be heavily influence by this race and Taylor Knibb (already selected) finished 11th in 1:48:26, followed closely by 2019 World Champion Katie Zaferes (12th: 1:48:33). Taylor Spivey was 15th in 1:48:44.

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TSX REPORT: Police arrest possible Olympic Torch attacker; could Pogacar win all three Grand Tours in one year? Star-driven Pre Classic comes Saturday!

Rich Perelman

May 24, 2024

tsx pix 2020-920 pogacar tadej TdeF 750 (chabe1) — Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar on his way into Paris to win the 2020 Tour de France (Photo: Chabe1 via Wikipedia)

★ 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 ≡

1. French police make arrest over possible Torch Relay attack
2. Could Giro leader Pogacar do the unthinkable?
3. Superb men’s mile, shot, women’s 100 m headline Pre Classic
4. Hold on: McLaughlin-Levrone is qualified!
5. Injury ends Chusovitina’s try for a ninth Olympic Games

● French police arrested a man after seeing online chatter about a possible attack on the Olympic Torch Relay as it moved through Bordeaux on Thursday. There was not a specific threat to the relay, but no chances were taken. Meanwhile, recent rains canceled another opening ceremony rehearsal in the Seine River.

● Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar is cruising to a win in his first Giro d’Italia, which will finish on Sunday. He’s entered in the Tour de France, in which he is a two-time champion. If he should win, would he think about trying to win the Vuelta a Espana as well, a feat never accomplished in a single year? One cycling icon says he should think about it.

● The lone Diamond League meet in the U.S., the Prefontaine Classic, comes Saturday, with a power-packed line-up and live coverage on NBC. The men’s mile with Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, American Ryan Crouser in the shot and the women’s 100 m with Worlds winner Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaica’s two-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah are the expected headliners.

● Correction! It turns out that women’s 400 m hurdles Olympic champ Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, despite not having run the event since 2022. A rule passed by USA Track & Field in December 2008 allows Olympic and Worlds medal winners automatic entry to the following U.S. selection meets in the event(s) they took a medal!

● Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusotivitina, 48, had to withdraw from the Asian Gymnastics Championships due to injury and is unable to chase a spot in a ninth Olympic Games. The Vault specialist would have had to win the All-Around to get to Paris, but likely finishes with more Olympic appearances than any gymnast in history.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (Canada and Sweden on to men’s Worlds semis, U.S. out) = Judo (Japan finishes with most individual medals, again) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (Olympic and Paralympic podiums unveiled) = Athletics (Warholm runs 33.28, no. 2 ever, in the 300 m hurdles) = Boxing (20-event World Boxing calendar published) = Football (FIFA celebrates 120th anniversary in Paris) = Sailing (World Sailing passes new transgender policy) ●

1.
French police make arrest over possible Torch Relay attack

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Thursday that police arrested a man over suspicions he might attack the Olympic Torch Relay in Bordeaux. According to the German news agency DPA:

“Investigators confiscated a weapon that could fire rubber bullets.

“The prosecutors said the suspect had shown interest in the violent and misogynistic ‘incel’ movement, which is characterized by heterosexual men who blame women for their failings in life, romantic or otherwise.

“The relatives of the man in his mid-20s stated that he was mentally unstable.”

Online surveillance noticed a post from “Alex G” that referenced a murder of six people 10 years ago in Isla Vista, California related to blaming women. Prosecutors opened an investigation into possible charged for glorification of a criminal offence and criminal association.

The Paris 2024 Torch Relay opened in Marseille on 8 May and has been moving around the country, as well as to French departments overseas. Rioting over a voting reform measure in New Caledonia – completely unrelated to the Games – has canceled the Torch Relay leg there, scheduled for 11 June.

Another rehearsal of the opening ceremony program on the Seine River was canceled on Wednesday due to high water levels amid continuing rain in Paris. An 8 April rehearsal on the river was canceled and on Wednesday, a 27 May rehearsal was postponed.

Paris 2024 told Agence France Presse that rehearsals will continue “when the weather conditions allow for it.”

Beyond the ceremony, there has been concern about the use of the Seine for open-water swimming and the triathlon events due to high bacteria levels from too much water in the river. A massive new treatment reservoir has been completed to ensure that untreated water is not released into the river, but could be overloaded – causing unsafe bacteria levels – if there are heavy rains, as in 2023.

2.
Could Giro leader Pogacar do the unthinkable?

“If he wins the Giro and the Tour de France, and I’m him, then 100 per cent I try and win the Vuelta.

“If in 2015 I had my Giro victory, and [if] I then won the Tour de France, then I would have gone to the Vuelta. I didn’t win the Tour and I didn’t go to the Vuelta but Tadej has a good opportunity in history to do because it’s really hard to win. But he’s young and maybe in three years another rider arrives who is very strong and he can’t do it.”

That’s Spain’s legendary Alberto Contador, now 41, speaking to GCN before stage 16 of the 107th Giro d’Italia, with Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar the runaway leader and almost-sure winner come Sunday’s final stage in Rome.

Contador won the Giro in 2008 and 2015, the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009 and the Vuelta a Espana in 2008-12-14, so he knows what he’s talking about. And no one has ever won all three Grand Tours in the same year.

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard is the two-time defending Tour de France champion, having edged Pogacar in each of the last two years, after Pogacar won in 2020 and 2021. Vingegaard would normally be the favorite in 2024 again, but suffered a bad crash in April during the Itzulia Basque Country race, with a fractured collarbone and ribs and a punctured lung, and his status is uncertain.

Pogacar plans to ride in the 2024 Tour de France and if he wins, would he try for the first-ever triple crown? Only seven riders in history have ever won the career Triple Crown – Contador being one – but no one has won them all in a single year.

But Pogacar’s interest – for now – are elsewhere. Told of Contador’s comments, he told GCN:

“I think Vuelta for sure not. I have other plans after the Tour. But let’s focus first on the flat stages also, because you never know, we’re getting tired, all the peloton, and it can be some accidents or whatever, let’s hope not. So let’s go day by day to Rome.

“Then the big goal of the season is the Tour and World Championships so let’s take it easy.”

The Tour de France comes quickly from 29 June to 21 July, and the Vuelta a Espana is scheduled from 17 August to 8 September.

The UCI World Road Championships will be in Zurich (SUI) from 21-29 September. He finished third at the Worlds Roads Champs race in 2023, his first Worlds medal. But if he wins the Giro and the Tour, he could reconsider, right?

At the mostly-downhill 18th state of the 107th Giro d’Italia, the expected mass sprint finale saw Belgium’s Tim Merlier get his second victory – also in Stage 3 – in 3:45:44 over three-stage winner Jonathan Milan (ITA), with Kaden Groves (AUS) third, for his third medal of this Giro.

It’s Merlier’s third career Giro stage win.

The 178 km ride into Padova saw Pogacar cruise home in 30th with the same time as the first 89 riders. He maintains a 7:42 lead on Daniel Martinez (COL) and 8:04 on Britain’s Geraint Thomas with two climbing stages coming on Friday and Saturday before the ride to Rome on Sunday.

3.
Superb men’s mile, shot, women’s 100m headline Pre Classic

Another excellent edition of the Prefontaine Classic, the only Diamond League meet held in the U.S., is on tap for Saturday at the new Hayward Field in Eugene, with the usual plethora of Olympic and Worlds medal winners.

Perhaps the most anticipated event is the men’s mile, with 15 entries, including Olympic 1,500 m champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) making his seasonal debut, Diamond League Final runner-up (and World Indoor 3,000 m silver) Yared Nuguse of the U.S., Britain’s 2022 Worlds 1,500 m champ Jake Wightman and 2023 World 1,500 champ Josh Kerr, Rio 2016 Olympic champ Matthew Centrowitz of the U.S., Worlds Road Mile champ Hobbs Kessler (USA) and a lot more. Ingebrigtsen is the favorite in any race he runs; how ready is he?

The women’s 100 m is billed as a showdown between 2023 World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S. and two-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM), but don’t overlook Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV), at 35, currently no. 3 on the world list at 10.91, or World Indoor 60 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA).

Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser leads the field in the men’s shot, along with two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs of the U.S. and 2017 World Champion Tom Walsh (NZL). Any time Crouser is in the field, it’s special and the world-record holder will be making his outdoor debut for 2024.

The rest of the meet is terrific:

● Men/100 m: Final entries were not posted, but 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, the 2024 World Indoor 60 m bronze winner, are the expected stars.

● Men/200 m: “Kung Ku Kenny” Bednarek, the Tokyo Olympic silver winner, and the world leader at 19.67, is slated to again face Courtney Lindsey (19.71) of the U.S. and 2023 Worlds silver winner Erriyon Knighton – now 20 – making his seasonal debut.

● Men/110 m hurdles: Three-time World Champion Grant Holloway, 2022 Worlds runner-up Trey Cunningham, Tokyo Olympic champ Hansle Parchment (JAM) and 2023 Worlds bronze winner Daniel Roberts, among others!

● Men/400 m hurdles: World leader Rai Benjamin ran 46.64 at UCLA last week and won the Diamond League final last September in Eugene in 46.39! He’ll be chased by 2022 Worlds bronzer Trevor Bassitt of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke (48.11 this year).

● Women/800 m: World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) will face runner-up Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) and 2019 World Champion Halimah Nakaayi (UGA).

● Women/1,500 m: A too-big field of 15, starring World Road Mile champ Diribe Welteji (ETH) and teammates 2024 World Indoor 1,500 m gold winner Freweyni Hailu and Hirut Meshesha (3:54.87), plus Tokyo silver winner Laura Muir (GBR) and World Indoor 3,000 m champ Elle St. Pierre of the U.S.

● Women/Steeple: Look for world-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN), Olympic champ Peruth Chemutai (UGA), 2023 World Champion Winfred Yavi (BRN) and 2024 world no. 2 Faith Cherotich (KEN).

● Women/5,000 m: A huge field of 21, with all eyes on Olympic champ Sifan Hasaan (NED), running her third race of the year, challenged by Ethiopians Ejgayehu Taye, the 2023 Worlds 10,000 m bronze winner, possibly Hailu and Meshesha as well.

● Women/100 m hurdles: World Indoor Champion Devynne Charlton, two-time World Champions Danielle Williams (JAM) and Nia Ali of the U.S., Olympic silver winner Keni Harrison and Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR). And this isn’t even a Diamond League event!

● Women/Vault: Olympic and World Champion Katie Moon of the U.S. and two-time World Indoor Champion Sandi Morris (USA) are the expected stars.

● Women/Triple Jump: World list top three in Shanieka Ricketts (JAM), Thea LaFond (DMA) and Jasmine Moore of the U.S., plus American Record setters Keturah Orji and Tori Franklin, 2023 Worlds bronze winner Leyanis Perez (CUB) and two-time Worlds silver winner Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR).

● Women/Discus: A showdown between Olympic champion Valarie Allman of the U.S., 2023 World Champion Lagi Tausaga (USA) and world leader Yaime Perez (CUB).

● Women/Hammer: The World Champions from 2019 (DeAnna Price/USA), 2022 (Brooke Andersen/USA) and 2023 (Cam Rogers/CAN), with Andersen, Price and Rogers 1-2-3 on the world list for 2024!

The meet will be shown on NBC on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. Eastern, as well as on the Peacock streaming service.

As part of the Pre Classic, Kenya will hold its Olympic Trials races in the 10,000 m, with the women at 10:50 a.m. and the men at 12:05 p.m.

American sprint star Noah Lyles, for one, was confused, posting on X (ex-Twitter):

“Why in the world are we hosting another countries Olympic qualifier. We should know how much of an issue this is after worlds 22. Also their country won’t be able so see their athletes make the team in person.”

His reference was to the visa issues for Kenyan and other athletes to get into the U.S. for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, also in Eugene. It has been reported that Daniel Ebenyo, the 2023 Worlds 10,000 m silver winner, was denied a visa to enter the U.S.; however, he is on the entry list.

The 2023 women’s Worlds 5,000 m champ, Beatrice Chebet, is entered, as is 2023 Worlds 10,000 m bronze winner Margaret Kipkemboi and World Roads 5 km runner-up Lilian Rengeruk. The race favorite, however, will be Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning World Champion.

The men’s entries also include Kibiwott Kandie, the 2020 Worlds Half silver medalist, and Nicholas Kipkorir, the 2023 World Roads 5 km bronze winner.

The use of facilities in other countries for trials races has been common for Kenya and Ethiopia in recent years, especially for qualification for events which will be held near sea level. Running trials at higher altitudes in their home countries has been considered a disadvantage in selecting athletes who would perform best in Paris, which 115 feet above sea level. Nairobi is 5,889 feet above sea level.

4.
Hold on: McLaughlin-Levrone is qualified!

Thursday’s story noting that Tokyo Olympic women’s 400 m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone correctly stated she hadn’t run a 400 m hurdles race since 2022.

But to say that she’s not qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in the event was quite wrong (yes, very sorry about this).

Statisticians extraordinaire Kevin Saylors and Glen McMiken were both up early to point to USATF Rule 8 on “Automatic Qualification”:

“Any athlete who attains any of the following shall be afforded automatic qualification into a USA Indoor, Outdoor, Race Walking or Marathon Championship or USA Olympic Team Selection in the same event in which the performance was attained:

“1. Track and Field –
“(a) During the current or four previous calendar years, earned an individual medal in track and field in an Olympic Games or in a World Athletics World Indoor or Outdoor Championship.
“(b) Is the reigning USA Indoor or Outdoor champion.
“(c) Has a World or Olympic ‘A’ Standard that would apply to the current championship team selection.
“(d) Finish as one of the top three at the preceding year’s corresponding national championship (Indoor qualifies for Indoor, Outdoor qualifies for Outdoor).”

As reigning Olympic champ, McLaughlin-Levrone has a clear path into the field under item (a) and need not post a qualifying mark to be admitted to the Trials in Eugene from 21-30 June.

She will need a qualifying mark (a modest 54.85; she hasn’t run that slowly since 2018) to get into the Olympic Games, as she has not raced the event during the qualifying period beginning 1 July 2023, and must have a mark by 30 June 2024.

The USATF Rule 8 which allows medal winners to enter trials events without qualifying marks is fairly new. McMiken notes that it was included in the rule amendments approved at the 2008 USATF Convention in Reno, which took place after the Beijing Games were concluded earlier in the year, and has been in effect for London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and now Paris.

5.
Injury ends Chusovitina’s try for a ninth Olympic Games

Oksana Chusovitina, 48, trying for a long-shot qualification for Paris and a ninth Olympic Games at the Asian Championships in Tashkent (UZB), had to withdraw due to injury on Thursday. She wrote in an Instagram post (computer translation):

“Yesterday, while training on the podium of the Asian Championships, which is taking place in Tashkent and is a qualifying event for the Olympic Games in Paris, I was injured during the floor exercise. I will not be able to take part and I am very upset as I have been preparing for this competition for a long time. I started doing all-around and I wanted to perform in our country, in front of our fans. But, unfortunately, tomorrow you will not see me among the participants. I would like to express my gratitude to all of you, but you can come and support our girls. That’s what I’m going to do tomorrow!”

In order to qualify for Paris, Chusovitina would have had to win the All-Around in Tashkent, a tall order for a Vault specialist. But she will not compete and this ends a string of eight straight Olympic appearances for three different teams, and two medals:

● 1992: Unified Team (Team gold)
● 1996: Uzbekistan (10th in all-around)
● 2000: Uzbekistan (45th All-Around, 25th Vault)
● 2004: Uzbekistan (23rd Vault)
● 2008: Germany (9th All-Around, Vault silver)
● 2012: Germany (5th Vault)
● 2016: Uzbekistan (7th Vault)
● 2020: Uzbekistan (14th Vault)

She is one of just 18 athletes who have appeared in eight or more Olympic Games – including summer and winter – and the only one in gymnastics. Beyond her Olympic exploits, she also owns 11 World Championships medals, including three golds from 1991 (Team and Floor for the USSR) and a 2003 Vault win for Uzbekistan.

And she has a further legacy, with three named skills, two on the Uneven Bars and one on Floor. Amazing.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Group winners Canada and Sweden marched into the semifinals at the IIHF men’s World Championship, while the U.S. was eliminated by the host country, the Czech Republic.

Canada (now 8-0) won a convincing 6-3 victory over Slovakia (4-4) in Prague, taking a 2-1 lead after the first period on Jared McCann and Pierre-Luc Dubois goals, extending to 3-1 after two and scoring three more in the third. Nick Paul scored two goals for Canada, which had a 43-21 shots edge.

They will gave Switzerland (7-1) in Prague, which defeated Germany (5-3) by 3-1 in Ostrava, taking a 2-0 lead in the first, giving back a goal in the second and scoring the only third-period goal. Forward Christoph Bertschy was the scoring star, with goals in the first (7:22) and third periods (19:02).

Sweden is also undefeated at 8-0, pulling out a 2-1 win over eternal rival Finland (3-5) in overtime in Ostrava. The Swedes out-shot Finland, 35-20, but neither side could score in the first two periods. Finally, Rasmus Dahlin got a goal at 15:02 of the third that looked like a game winner, but the Finns got even at 19:02 from Hannes Bjorninen’s score and onto overtime. But a Finnish penalty for hooking led to a power-play goal from Joel Eriksson at 5:54 of the OT.

The home Czechs (6-2) thrilled a crowd of 17,413 in Prague with a 1-0 win over the U.S. (5-3), getting the only score of the game in the second period, just 16 seconds into a power play as Pavel Zacha scored. The U.S., which had a tournament-high 37 goals coming in, could not solve keeper Lukas Dostal, despite a 36-28 shots edge.

The semis are on Saturday and the medal matches on Sunday.

● Judo ● Individual weight classes were concluded at the IJF World Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with Japan – as always – leading the medal table with nine total and three golds.

On Thursday, Wakaba Tomita won the women’s +78 kg class for the first time, after a silver in 2021 and bronze in 2022. She defeated Turkey’s Kayra Ozdemir in the final, who won her third career Worlds medal (0-1-2).

The men’s 100 kg division went to Zelym Kotsoiev (AZE), the bronze medalist in 2022 and 2023, who got to the top of the podium by beating Canada’s Shady Elnahas, the 2023 Pan American Games winner, who got his first career Worlds medal.

In the men’s +100 kg class, Korea’s Min-jong Kim also got a break through after bronzes in this division in 2019 and 2022. He beat Georgia’s 2018 World Champion, Guram Tushishvili, who won his fourth career Worlds medal (1-1-2).

The Mixed Team event will be held on Friday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The International Olympic Committee, the Paris 2024 organizers and sponsor Proctor & Gamble (P&G) unveiled the victory podiums for this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The designs are spare, with details that reference iconic French engineer Gustav Eiffel’s arch designs, with muted colors: gray for the surfaces and off-white for the sides. The Paralympic podiums include wheelchair ramps as a standard element.

Following a project from Tokyo 2020, the podiums themselves were made from recycled plastic, and sustainably-sourced French poplar wood. All were constructed in France.

● Athletics ● First it was Brazil’s 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos with a sensational 46.86 season-opening win at the Doha Diamond League meet on 10 May. Then Rai Benjamin, the Olympic silver winner in Tokyo, with a fabulous 46.64 at the L.A. Grand Prix last Saturday at UCLA.

Now, Olympic and World Champion Karsten Warholm (NOR) showed he is also in form with a 33.28 win – by more than two seconds – for the 300 m hurdles at the Trond Mohn Games in Bergen (NOR) on Wednesday. That’s just 0.02 off of his own world best from 2021, with his 400 m hurdles debut coming at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 30 May.

● Boxing ● World Boxing announced a schedule of 21 member tournaments for the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 in eight countries, for men and women from U15 up to the elite level.

This provides a set of opportunities for boxers from its 27 federations to compete in, with the organization trying to attract other national federations to join to try and get boxing onto the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The only U.S. tournament listed now is the USA Boxing women’s championships from 13-20 August 2024.

● Football ● FIFA celebrated its 120th anniversary on Tuesday the 21st, the same date on which six national federations – Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as Real Madrid CF (for Spain) – which created the Federation Internationale de Football Association, in 1904.

The inaugural meeting took place in Paris at 229 rue Saint Honoré in Paris’ 1st arrondissement. Tuesday’s event was held at the Palais de l’Elysee, with representatives of the initial seven members, FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) and other guests were welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

● Sailing ● The World Sailing Council adopted a new Transgender Participation Policy, effective on 1 January 2025, that brings the federation in line with others such as World Athletics and the Union Cycliste Internationale in protecting the women’s category. From the announcement:

“[T]ransgender female athletes will only be permitted to participate in the female category of an event, or as a female athlete in the mixed category of an event, if:

“● they have not undergone male puberty;

“● they are also able to demonstrate that the concentration of testosterone in their blood has been less than 2.5 nanamoles per litre (nmol/L) continuously for a period of at least 12 months prior to the first event in which they wish to compete.

“In addition, transgender female athletes must maintain testosterone in their blood below 2.5 nmol/L at all times.

“Transgender male athletes will be permitted to compete in the male category of an event, or as a male in the mixed category of an event, if they provide a written and signed declaration that their gender identity is male.”

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Now the U.S. House is interested in Chinese swimmers; McLaughlin-Levrone needs a qualifier; inside a $14M NGB budget!

Rich Perelman

May 23, 2024

tsx pix 122118 us capitol-front 750 — The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. U.S. House committee wants action on Chinese swimming case
2. Could Pogacar approach a 60-year win margin at Giro d’Italia?
3. ~~McLaughlin-Levrone still needs Trials 400H qualifier!~~
4. Wanda Diamond League adds new Chinese partner: Zeekr
5. USA Fencing reports $14.4 million budget for 2024-25

● Now the U.S. government is into the 2021 Chinese swimming doping incident, with the House Select Committee on the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party sending a letter to the International Olympic Committee, but also to the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, asking about action under the feared Rodchenkov Act.

● Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar is not just rolling toward victory in his first Giro d’Italia, but has compiled such a big lead that he might win by the biggest margin in almost 60 years! Wow!

● Olympic women’s 400 m hurdles champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was superb at UCLA last weekend in winning the 200 m. ~~But: she doesn’t have a qualifying mark yet in the 400 m hurdles for the U.S. Olympic Trials and the entry deadline is coming up quick~~! (Wrong: see below)

● The Wanda Diamond League is seeing increasing visibility by Chinese companies, with new electric-car maker Zeekr coming on board as the “mobility” sponsor with specific activations coming up at four famed European meets.

● A detailed look into a U.S. National Governing Body budget, this time the projected $14.4 million for 2024-25 for USA Fencing. Where the money come from, and where does it go? Most of it comes from the fencers themselves!

● World Championships: Judo (Japan wins second, France and Germany win first in UAE Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Paris (Naudet brothers to produce Olympic film and documentary) = Special Olympics (World Games headed to Chile in 2027) = Athletics (GoFundMe page collecting for distance legend Gerry Lindgren) = Swimming (what if McIntosh won five golds in Paris?) ●

1.
U.S. House Committee wants action on Chinese swimming case

Now the U.S. government is in the act on the Chinese swimming doping incident, in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine in January 2021, but were not sanctioned due to “accidental contamination” in the kitchen in which their meals were prepared.

On Wednesday:

“Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the International Olympic Committee to launch a formal inquiry, seeking immediate action and transparency following the World’s Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) decision to allow Chinese swimmers to participate in the 2021 Olympics after testing positive for illegal substances.”

The letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray began with:

“We write today to request that the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation use its exterritorial jurisdiction to investigate individuals involved in doping schemes at international sports competitions that involve U.S. athletes as outlined in the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 (RADA).

“We specifically request that you investigate troubling reports that ‘[t]wenty-three top Chinese swimmers tested positive for the same powerful banned substance seven months before the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021′ and ‘continue[d] to compete after top Chinese officials secretly cleared them of doping and the global authority charged with policing drugs in sports chose not to intervene.’”

The Rodchenkov Act gives the Department of Justice authority to pursue individuals anywhere in the world who themselves assist or help others to carry out doping offenses related to major international sports competitions (it does not apply to athletes). It carries a 10-year statute of limitations and penalties of up to $250,000 in fines and up to 10 years imprisonment.

It has not been widely used, but did find a ring helping athletes including star Nigerian sprinter and long jumper Blessing Okagbare, who was banned for 10 years in 2022. El Paso kinesiologist Eric Lira was arrested, charged and pled guilty to supplying doping materials to Okagbare and others in 2023 and was sentenced earlier this year to three months in prison.

The letter to the International Olympic Committee begins:

“We write today to express our unwavering support for United States Olympic athletes and our profound concern regarding the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s mishandling of the recent scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.”

The IOC is requested to undertake an independent investigation – beyond that already being done by WADA – into the decision not to challenge the finding of no sanctions:

“How the IOC responds to this scandal will directly affect this summer’s Olympic games and their promise of fair play that unites athletes from around the globe. …

“The IOC must act decisively to uphold the spirit of fair play and accountability that unites athletes from every corner of the globe.”

Observed: Have no doubt that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which has relentlessly ripped WADA on this case since a 20 April documentary from the German ARD channel was aired, contributed to the interest of the House Select Committee.

How the FBI and the Justice Department react will be more interesting, since WADA was clear that it believed there was no way to counter the finding of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency of accidental contamination. Is there more to be uncovered?

If the FBI or Justice could find more, regardless of whether it would rise to the level of a prosecutable offense under the Rodchenkov Act, it could cause serious damage to WADA, which chose not to pursue the case under the difficult circumstances it was presented with as to access and time passage after the incident.

2.
Could Pogacar approach a 60-year win margin at Giro d’Italia?

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar, still only 25 and a two-time Tour de France winner, continued adding to his lead on Wednesday, finishing second in the 17th stage of the 107th Giro d’Italia.

The brutal, 159 km ride from Val Gardena – a ski resort – followed an up-and-down course across five climbs and ended with yet another uphill finish to Passo Brocon. Germany’s Georg Steinhauser, 22, attacked with 34 km left and could not be caught, finishing in 4:28:51.

Behind him, the overall second-placer, Colombian Daniel Martinez, tried to secure second, but Pogacar was having none of it and passed everyone else on the final uphill to the finish, taking second 1:24 behind Steinhauser, but 18 seconds up on Antonio Tiberi (ITA), Martinez and 2018 Tour de France champ Geraint Thomas (GBR).

With the time bonus for finishing second, Pogacar extended his lead again, now to 7:42 on Martinez and 8:04 on Thomas. With two more climbing stages remaining on Friday and Saturday, Pogacar seems able to name his margin of victory, already one of the biggest in Giro history.

Consider that in the post-World War II era, Pogacar currently has a 7:42 lead, already tied for no. 6 in margin of victory:

● 1. 24:16 for Carlo Clerici (SUI) in 1954
● 2. 23:47 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1949
● 3. 11:26 for Vittorio Adorni (ITA) in 1965
● 4. 9:18 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1952
● 4. 9:18 for Ivan Basso (ITA) in 2006
● 6. 7:42 for Eddy Merckx (BEL) in 1973

Could he approach 9:18 margin for Coppi in 1952 and Basso in 2006 and possibly ride to the biggest win in 59 years? Very little seems out of Pogacar’s reach … if he wants to go for it.

3.
~~McLaughlin-Levrone still needs Trials 400H qualifier!~~

/Updated/The last time Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran the 400 m hurdles, she won at the Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary on 8 August 2022, winning in 51.68, after setting the world record of 50.68 at the 2022 World Championships 17 days earlier.

She’s clearly ready for defense of her Tokyo Olympic 400 m hurdles gold after a lifetime best of 22.07 in the women’s 200 m at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA last Saturday. ~~Just one small problem.~~

~~McLaughlin-Levrone is not qualified to compete in the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials.~~

~~The USA Track & Field entry regulations explain the qualifying window as:~~

~~● Opened: 1 July 2023~~
~~● Closes: 9 June 2024~~

McLaughlin-Levrone has no 400 m hurdles races in that period, so she has entered the women’s 400 m hurdles at the Edwin Moses Legends Meet at Morehouse College in Atlanta on 31 May, a meet named for the men’s 400 m hurdles icon who redefined the event (and was a two-time Olympic champion).

(McLaughlin-Levrone, as Olympic champion in the 400 m hurdles from Tokyo, is granted automatic qualification into the U.S. Olympic Trials under USATF Rule 8, exempting medal winners from qualifying marks for Worlds or Olympic Trials. Sorry about that.)

It’s a Puma American Track League meet as well as a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet, and includes races from 100 to 1,500 m, plus the long jump for men and women and the high jump for women.

McLaughlin-Levrone has a modest seven-race win streak across 2023 and 2024, with four races at 400 m, two at 200 m and one in the 100 m hurdles.

4.
Wanda Diamond League adds new Chinese partner: Zeekr

China has increased its presence significantly in the track & field Diamond League, first with the naming of Wanda – the finance, real estate and sports conglomerate – as the title sponsor in a 10-year agreement than began in 2020.

As part of that deal, Diamond League meets were added in China and now clear of the Covid-19 pandemic, were held at the start of the 2024 season in Xiamen and Shanghai on 20 and 27 April.

Now comes a new Chinese sponsor: Zeekr.

The Tuesday announcement included:

“The Wanda Diamond League today announces electric vehicle manufacturer Zeekr as its new official mobility partner, in a move which brings athletics’ premier global series to the cutting edge of mobility and sustainability innovation.

“From 2024, Zeekr will partner with both the Wanda Diamond League and four individual series meetings to provide transport and mobility solutions for athletes, officials and VIPs in Oslo, Stockholm, Monaco and Paris.

“Since it burst onto the scene three years ago, Zeekr has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in electric mobility, driven by the conviction that great things happen when you seek more.”

Zeekr is not sold in the U.S., but is planning a $368 million initial public offering (IPO) for the U.S. market. Founded in 2021, it offers electric models in China with high technology applications and a focus on sustainability. Expansions are planned elsewhere in Asia and Europe.

It’s an interesting move, and in contrast to World Athletics – a part owner of Diamond League AG – which has five first-line commercial partners, all from Japan: ASICS, NTN, Seiko, Sony and TDK.

5.
USA Fencing reports $14.4 million budget for 2024-25

What does it take to run a national federation which has produced six medals in the last two Olympic Games, has 39,500 members and a staff of 19? Less than $15 million.

At its 18 May meeting, the USA Fencing Board approved the 2024-25 budget of $14,390,941, a reduction of 3.1% from 2023-24. What goes into all this?

● 46%: $6.59 million for national and regional events.
● 27%: $3.87 million for team training camps and competition travel.
● 14%: $1.97 million for administration and international events.
● 8%: $1.19 million for membership processing and support.
● 5%: $0.69 million for marketing and diversity-equity-inclusion.

And the revenue?

● 62%: $8.96 million from national events.
● 21%: $3.08 million from membership.
● 9%: $1.33 million from sport performance.
● 6%: $0.87 million from marketing and communications.
● 2%: $0.24 million from international events.
● 0%: $0.04 million from other items.

Total revenue is projected at $14.51 million for a small surplus for the year.

Grants from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee are forecast at $896,250 for the year, or 6.2% of the entire budget. Marketing revenue, including sponsorships, are projected at $845,006, or 5.8% of the total revenue.

Fencing, for the most part, is a sport paid for by the fencers, primarily through membership and tournament registration fees.

The financial statements were also part of the Board package and are showing growth, USA Fencing had $11.44 million in revenue in 2021-22 and $12.30 million in 2022-23; the projection is for $14.51 for 2024-25.

Assets were $4.69 million at 31 July 2023, with $1.12 million in reserves, but also $2.31 million in deferred income sitting in the bank, but not yet realized. There is $3.21 million in cash and investments.

This is not a wealthy National Governing Body, but its financials paint a picture of an efficient, reasonably healthy one for now, looking for new sources of revenue.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● Japan scored its second win at the IJF World Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE), as Goki Tajima, 26, won at 90 kg for his first senior individual medal! He defeated Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov, the 2017 World Champion at this weight, who also won a bronze at the 2019 Worlds, giving him a career medal of each color.

France won three medals on the day, with an all-French final in the women’s 70 kg class, and a win for Margaux Pinot over Marie Eve Gahie. Pinot, 30, won her first individual Worlds medal since 2019 and her first gold, overcoming Gahie, the 2019 World Champion.

Germany’s Anna-Maria Wagner became a two-time World Champion, winning at 78 kg over Alice Bellandi (ITA), a 2023 bronze medalist. France’s Madeleine Malonga, the Tokyo 2020 runner-up, took one of the bronzes.

Competition continues through Friday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Paris 2024 and the International Olympic Committee announced that brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet have been selected to produce the Official Film of Paris 2024.

The twist is that beyond the usual, 90-minute Official Film of the Games, a documentary series of five, 52-minute episodes will further showcase the “behind-the-scenes” effort for an athlete to get to the Games and the organization of the Games from within Paris 2024.

The series will be shown in France on France TV, ahead of the Olympic Games and after the Paralympics. The Naudet brothers will be working with French documentary company ELEPHANT.

● Special Olympics ● The Special Olympics World Games is headed to South America for the first time, as Santiago, Chile, will host the 2027 edition.

Following the 2023 Pan American Games and Parapan American Games held in Santiago in 2023, the 2027 Special Olympic World Games are projected for 19-31 October, with 170 national delegations competing in 20 sports.

Since holding the SOWG outside the U.S. for the first time, in 2003, the event has gone to Ireland, China, Greece, back to the U.S. (Los Angeles in 2015), to the UAE and Berlin, Germany in 2023, with 6,500 athletes participating.

● Athletics ● Gerry Lindgren, one of the greatest high school distance runners of all time and a 1964 U.S. Olympian, is now 77 and trying to retire, but is well short of enough money to do so.

A long-time fan and former high school runner in California, Kevin Young, has organized a GoFundMe page for Lindgren, with a goal of $150,000, and which has raised $8,994 so far from 91 donors. Wrote Young:

“Gerry Lindgren gave his all, training harder than any American runner ever had, winning many titles and races in high school, college and beyond. He represented the USA in the 1964 Olympics at age 18 in the 10,000m.

“Now it’s possible for us fans and supporters to show our appreciation for his hard work and sacrifice. Your donations will help him pay for recent medical bills (strokes in December 2023), will help him retire from his job at age 77 as a janitor at the University of Hawaii, and will help him pay off his mortgage.”

Lindgren won 11 NCAA titles at Washington State, including the 1969 Cross Country title over Steve Prefontaine among others. He is now running one more race, this time for retirement and against homelessness. All donations to the GoFundMe page go directly to Lindgren.

● Swimming ● Further to our note yesterday that Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh could challenge – in Paris – for the most individual-event Olympic golds in a single Games by a women’s swimmer: four by East German Kristin Otto in 1988.

Olympic stats star Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) chimed in, adding:

“And if McIntosh should go really wild, only three persons have ever won 5 individual gold medals at a single Olympics – Eric Heiden, Vitaly Shcherbo, and Michael Phelps.”

Heiden (USA) won five in speed skating at Lake Placid in 1980; Scherbo won five in men’s gymnastics as a member of the post-Soviet “Unified Team” in 1992 and Phelps, of course, won five in Beijing in 2008.

Phelps’ program in 2008 was strikingly similar to McIntosh’s events for Paris! He won the 200 m Free, 100-200 m Butterflys and the 200-400 m Medleys. McIntosh will also contest the 200 m Free, 200 m Fly and both medleys, but will swim the 400 m Free, not the 100 m Fly.

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TSX REPORT: L.A. Grand Prix did 846,000 on NBC; five events for Canadian swim star McIntosh; police search Milan Cortina 2026 offices

Rich Perelman

May 22, 2024

tsx pix 2021-625 thomas, gabby OT (tim healy trktwn usa) — Olympic 200 m medalist Gabby Thomas: a true professional (Photo: Tim Healy for TrackTown USA)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. L.A. Grand Prix track meet gets 846,000 viewers on NBC
2. Gabby Thomas shows what a true professional is
3. Five Paris events for Canada’s teen sensation Summer McIntosh
4. Italian investigators search Milan Cortina offices in probe
5. U.S. Anti-Doping blasts WADA once again

● USATF’s L.A. Grand Prix drew a respectable 846,000 viewers on NBC on Saturday, still short of the million-plus viewers for three indoor meets aired in February. The USA Gymnastics Core Hydration Classic drew 296,000 live on CNBC, but 805,000 for a next-day highlights show on NBC.

● U.S. sprint star Gabby Thomas did not run well in Los Angeles, but explained on X (ex-Twitter) that she was in the middle of a heavy training period, but had (1) committed to the meet and (2) did not want to disappoint her fans. That’s called professionalism.

● Canadian teen superstar Summer McIntosh, 17, qualified for Paris in five events and ranks in the top three in the world in each so far in 2024. Could she be the first woman to win five individual swimming golds in a single Games?

● The Italian financial prosecutors office searched the headquarters of the Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee, looking for irregularities regarding contracts for digital development services. The prosecutors said no current employees were targets of the probe.

● The U.S. Anti-Doping roared back at the World Anti-Doping Agency, refuting caustic comments concerning U.S. doping programs, and asking for the full file on the 2021 Chinese swimming doping incident to be publicly released.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (Canada and Sweden win men’s Worlds groups) = Judo (Georgia gets second win at IJF Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Cycling (Pogacar wins bad-weather Giro stage 16) = Rowing (U.S. picks up four spots at final qualifying regatta) = Swimming (Phelps says he is retired for sure) ●

1.
L.A. Grand Prix track meet gets 846,000 viewers on NBC

Reasonably good viewing audience for Saturday’s L.A. Grand Prix from Drake Stadium at UCLA, as an average of 846,000 U.S. viewers tuned in from 3-5 p.m. Eastern to see wins by Sydney McLauglin-Levrone, Rai Benjamin and others.

That was third in the time slot, behind the PGA Championship on CBS (3.517 million) and a WNBA game on ABC (1.343 million).

Viewership on U.S. television was good during the indoor season, with more than a million for three straight week in February, but then dropped for the World Indoor Championships and since then:

● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix

In terms of demographics, NBC had 58,000 viewers from 18-34 for the L.A. Grand Prix, vs. 149,000 for the Sparks at Aces WNBA game and 320,000 for the PGA Championship on CBS.

Cable viewership has been poor, with none of the Diamond League shows (live or replays) reaching the 100,000 level, but:

● 18 Apr.: 158,000 on ESPN2 for Boston Marathon
● 05 May: 107,000 on CNBC for World Relays

Sunday’s Diamond League meet from Marrakech did not reach the 100,000 viewership level for Nielsen’s reports. The NBC and CNBC shows are also presented on the Peacock streaming service, for which viewer information is not available.

However, the online-only Atlanta City Games, shown on the adidas YouTube channel and Noah Lyles’ channel, had 170,077 total views as of Monday, with 57,078 views on adidas and 112,999 on Lyles’ channel. It was on from 4:45-7:45 Eastern time, beginning 15 minutes before the end of the L.A. Grand Prix broadcast on NBC.

The USA Gymnastics’ Core Hydration Classic was also a televised highlight of the week and once again showed the impact of network television vs. cable.

On Saturday, the meet – featuring superstar Simone Biles – drew an average of 296,000 for live coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern on CNBC. Not bad, but the highlights show on Sunday on NBC at 2 p.m. Eastern did 805,000 viewers, with 53,000 in the 18-34 demographic.

Being on the network matters, still.

2.
Gabby Thomas shows what a true professional is

One of the unexpected results at the L.A. Grand Prix on Saturday were the modest performances for U.S. sprint star Gabby Thomas, the 2021 Olympic 200 m bronze winner and 2023 Worlds 200 m silver medalist.

At UCLA, she ran an early section of the women’s 100 m, finishing fourth in 11.42 and then, in the featured 200 m, was never in the race and ran 22.68 for sixth. Those are way off her 10.88 wind-aided 100 win and 22.08 200 victory at the Texas Relays at the end of March.

She owned up to the situation on X (ex-Twitter) afterwards:

“Obviously didn’t look like myself today, it happens every season when I compete in the middle of this training block, but I committed to the meet long ago, and I just can’t pull out when fans look forward to seeing us compete. I’m okay, everything is going according to plan.”

Observed: The main takeaway is not that Thomas’ ran poorly; she noted the reason in her post. But her attitude of (1) “I promised I would come” and (2) “fans expect to see me” is a key element not only in respect for her professionalism, but for a sport which too often has seen no-shows for no stated reason, disappointing fans who paid good money for tickets.

Good for her!

3.
Five Paris events for Canada’s teen sensation Summer McIntosh

When you’re planning your Paris viewing, don’t forget Summer McIntosh.

The 17-year-old Canadian swimming star concluded the Canadian swimming trials in Toronto last week with impressive wins that demonstrate she will be in the mix for gold in five events.

Her Trials events and times, and standings in 2024 so far:

● 200 m Free: 1:53.69, no. 2 in 2024
● 400 m Free: 3:59.06, no. 1 in 2024
● 200 m Fly: 2:04.33, no. 1 in 2024
● 200 m Medley: 2:07.06, no. 3 in 2024
● 400 m Medley: 4:24.38, no. 1 in 2024 ~ World Record

Interestingly, only her 400 m Medley record is a lifetime best! But she is already a Worlds medalist in four of her five events for Paris:

● 200 m Free: 2023 Worlds bronze
● 400 m Free: 2022 Worlds silver
● 200 m Fly: 2022 and 2023 World Champion
● 200 m Medley: no Worlds medals
● 400 m Medley: 2022 and 2023 World Champion

McIntosh will be one of the star attractions in the pool for Paris – not just for Canada – and it would not be a surprise to see her as the winner in what could be the race of the Games: the women’s 400 m Free – in which she is a former world-record holder – against world-record holder (and Tokyo winner) Ariarne Titmus of Australia and Rio 2016 champ Katie Ledecky of the U.S.

And if McIntosh should go wild? Only one woman has ever won four individual events in swimming in a single Games: East German Kristin Otto, in Seoul in 1988 (six total with the relays).

4.
Italian investigators search Milan Cortina offices in probe

The Italian financial prosecutor’s office – the Guardia de Finanza – searched the offices of the 2026 Winter Games organizing committee on Tuesday. Prosecutors explained in a statement:

“The checks underway are aimed at procedures used for the selection of technological providers and sponsors as well as the hiring of employees by the foundation.

“No current manager or employee of the foundation is under investigation.”

The Italian news agency ANSA reported “Former Fondazione Milano-Cortina 2026 CEO Vincenzo Novari is among three people under investigation in a probe into alleged bribery and perverting the free market.”

Searches were also made at Quibyt (formerly Vetrya), a company which was providing digital services for the organizing committee, and an office of the professional services firm Deloitte (an IOC sponsor), which took over the contract.

The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano added that investigators were also asking about a possible attempt to interfere with the choice of the Milan Cortina 2026 logo, chosen by a public online vote.

This is yet another organizing committee which has been investigated for possible financial crimes, as was Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Criminal prosecutions were made in Rio and Tokyo.

5.
U.S. Anti-Doping blasts WADA once again

Expanding on its frustration and anger with the World Anti-Doping Agency over the handling – in 2021 – of doping positives by 23 Chinese swimmers for Trimetazidine that were dismissed for environmental contamination, and what it sees as further mishandling of the case, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency unleashed yet another broadside on Monday. It included:

● “There is nothing more classic in a cover-up than diversion and smoke and mirrors, which seems to be all we are getting from WADA leadership ever since whistleblowers revealed blatant rule violations stemming from positive tests for the banned pharmaceutical drug, trimetazidine (TMZ). The second most classic response to a cover-up is to attack the messenger, which is the current situation as [WADA President Witold] Banka [POL] and surrogates plumb the depths of misinformation and half-truths to make personal attacks, even stooping so low as to attempt a hit-job on all U.S. athletes.”

● “Clean athletes, especially as we approach the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, deserve to know how a prescription drug, only available in pill form, found its way into a restaurant kitchen. Raising even more questions, is the suggestion that the drug managed to remain in that kitchen for months, at a time when strict COVID protocols required the most extensive cleaning regimens of public-facing facilities we have ever experienced. And, of course, even if this ‘immaculate contamination’ did happen, why did WADA allow China to escape its failure to follow the rules in not finding a first violation, no disqualification, or public announcement?”

The statement than went after five separate comments from WADA President Banka concerning U.S. athlete testing, and replied to each. The statement’s conclusion:

“Banka’s statement to WADA Foundation Board members attacked U.S. athletes and manipulated data to create a false narrative that is harmful to all athletes and the entire global anti-doping system. WADA must be a firm and fair arbiter of the rules, not the school yard bully instilling fear and abusing its power.

“Again, WADA can put all the world’s questions to rest by simply being transparent as the rules require and publishing the entire China file. We would hope this is a better outcome for the global anti-doping system than calling athlete’s integrity into question.”

This was USADA’s sixth public statement from 20 April on the Chinese swimming case, when the German ARD channel aired “The China Files” concerning this case.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Group play concluded at the IIHF men’s World Championship, being played in Prague and Ostrava (CZE), with Canada and Sweden winning their pools and moving on to the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Canadians won Group A at 7-0 (32-18 goals-against), followed by the Swiss (6-1), the host Czechs (5-2) and Finland (3-4). Sweden was also 7-0 and had an outstanding 35-9 goals-against total in Group B. The U.S. was second, winning four straight after a 1-2 start (37-16), followed by Germany (5-2) and Slovakia (4-3). The quarterfinals:

● Canada vs. Slovakia
● Sweden vs. Finland
● Switzerland vs. Germany
● U.S. vs. Czech Republic

The semifinalists will be re-seeded; the medal matches are on Sunday.

● Judo ● Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili won his third consecutive Worlds gold in the men’s 81 kg class at the 2024 IJF World Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on Tuesday.

He defeated Russian “neutral” Timur Arbuzov, 20, who won his first career Worlds medal. Joon-hwan Lee (KOR) won his second straight Worlds bronze and Somon Makhmadbekov (TJK) took the other bronze medal. Georgia become the first country to score a second gold this year.

The women’s 63 kg winner was Joanne van Lieshout, who moved up from bronze in 2023 by defeating first-time medal winner Angelika Szymanska. Olympic champ Clarisse Agbegnenou won her ninth career Worlds medal (6-2-1) with a bronze, and Kosovo’s two-time European medalist Laura Fazliu got her first Worlds medal.

The tournament continues through Friday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Cycling ● Despite rain and snow that chopped up the route, Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar poured it on again, winning a weather-shortened 16th stage of the 107th Giro d’Italia.

Bad weather and a risk of avalanches caused the riders to refuse to ride a shortened route and forced the organizers to change the race to a 118.7 km ride from Laas to the uphill finish at Santa Cristina Valgardena.

Four riders were in front with 5 km left, with Ewen Costiou (FRA) on the attack, but passed by Giulio Pellizzari (ITA), only to be passed by Pogacar, who had moved up and made the decisive move with only 600 m left.

Pogacar won his fifth stage of the 2024 Giro in 2:49:37, 16 seconds up on Pellizzari and Daniel Martinez (COL). His lead is now an enormous 7:18 on Martinez and 7:40 on Geraint Thomas (GBR) with the race finishing in Rome on Sunday.

● Rowing ● At the World Rowing final Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne (SUI), the U.S. picked up four more spots for Paris:

● Men/Single Sculls: Jacob Plihal (second)
● Men/Double Sculls: Sorin Koszyk and Ben Davison (first)
● Men/Eights: (first)
● Women/Quadruple Sculls: Joyce-Delleman-Cohen-O’Connor (first)

This gives the U.S. entries in 12 of the 14 total events in rowing, equal with Romania for the most events qualified, ahead of Great Britain and the Netherlands (10).

● Swimming ● Michael Phelps is retired and that’s the way he wants it.

Interviewed for a “Meet the Press” segment on NBC, Phelps was asked how long it would take to get back to an Olympic level again:

“I know at my old age – I say ‘old age;’ I’ll be 39 this year – it’ll take five years for me to really get back. You know, I think the whole process of physically and mentally preparing for an Olympic Games is challenging. So, for me to be able to give myself the best chance to be able to perform how I would want to, it would take five years.”

But he also noted, “looking back, throughout my career there’s nothing else to do. And there’s no passion inside here that’s burning to get me out of bed to do it one more time.”

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: USATF L.A. Grand Prix improved in 2024; FIFA prepared for Palestinian sanction ask at Congress; three world leads in Atlanta

Rich Perelman

May 21, 2024

tsx pix 2022-331 infantino, gianni fifa congress — FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) at the 72nd FIFA Congress (Photo: FIFA video sctreenshot)

★ 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 ≡

1. Promising improvements at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA
2. FIFA sidelines Palestinian proposal vs. Israel before it starts
3. World leads by Simbine, Holloway, Davis-Woodhall at Atlanta City Games
4. Foundation Board supports WADA on China swimming case
5. IPC chief Parsons says “you will be dazzled” in Paris

● The Los Angeles market is a tough one for sports, but there was noticeable improvement in the operation of the USATF L.A. Grand Prix last Saturday and the Distance Classic on Friday night. Attendance in 2023 was about 4,500, but between 5,500-6,000 showed up on Saturday this year.

● The FIFA Council, led by President Gianni Infantino, removed the question of a vote on the Palestinian proposals to suspend the Israel Football Association from the FIFA Congress two days prior to the Congress itself – in the FIFA Council meeting – removing the possibility of a vote even before the Palestinian representative asked for a floor vote.

● The Atlanta City Games saw three world outdoor leaders from Akani Simbine (RSA: 100 m), Grant Holloway (USA: 110 m hurdles) and Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA). Noah Lyles won the men’s 150 m, equaling Tyson’s Gay’s American Record. More than 170,000 views of the event were made on two YouTube channels.

● The WADA Foundation Board supported the organization’s handling of the 2021 doping positives of 23 Chinese swimmers, but the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency continued its criticism.

● International Paralympic Committee head Andrew Parsons said the Paralympic Games are shaping up well, and that ticket sales are in line with the great success of London in 2012.

● World Championships: Judo (six nations win first six weights at 2024 Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: Russian volunteers for Paris continue to be stonewalled by the French Interior Ministry; Russian news media must also refrain from wearing any national symbols) = USOPC (FIGS to outfit medical staff) = Athletics (2: Vetter gets world lead in Gotzis heptathlon; Kwemoi sanctioned for six years by the AIU) = Boxing (India’s Hooda hit with sanctions, out of Paris) = Fencing (USA Fencing partners with 2-4-1 Care to introduce fencing to kids) ●

LANE ONE:
Promising improvements at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA

There was a time when a major track & field meet at UCLA’s Drake Stadium drew more than 10,000 spectators, but not recently. But the improved presentation and operation of USA Track & Field’s L.A. Grand Prix was a sign that such things might be possible again in the future.

Los Angeles natives nod to each other about the power of stars to attract attention and there was no doubt that the expected presence of Olympic women’s 400 m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – promised last year, but injured and did not run – was a significant factor in the success of the 2024 meet.

She received – by far – the loudest cheers on Saturday and the crowd was hushed for the unusual start right in front of them, as the prevailing wind indicates the 200 m should be run onto the backstraight. Once out of the blocks and into the lead on the straight, the crowd roared its approval as she beat an excellent field in a lifetime best of 22.07 (into a 0.3 m/s headwind!).

Where the first edition of this meet in 2023 had multiple operational gaffes, Saturday’s meet was better, much better:

● For those who purchased premium seating – hardly identified in 2023 – the two sections were clearly marked.

● A long-suggested VIP-type program at trackside – along the start – was implemented with a tent, catering and also access to the premium seating in the stands if desired. The price was $175 early and $250 late, but the area was busy and lively, and the Drake Stadium layout lends itself to expanding this concept.

● Interest in the premium seating, in two sections near the finish line, was modest. Tickets were $75 early vs. $135 late, but this seating area was only about 40% full.

● Sales in the general admission area – $30 early and $40 late – were good and most of the better sections, near the finish line, were fairly full.

● The single concession stand at Drake Stadium was initially overwhelmed – as always – but was easier to access later and beer and wine was available in a separate area and a Jersey Mike’s sub station – $15 turkey subs – was also available.

USATF did not get any help from local media, as the Los Angeles Times did not cover the meet. But even with tickets going on sale just 12 days prior, people figured it out anyway and where last year the announced Saturday attendance was 7,249 and about 4,500 people actually showed up, there were legitimately between 5,500 and 6,000 on Saturday, a significant improvement.

The post-meet concert program from 2023 was happily ditched, although DJ Trey Money was busy on both Friday night and Saturday with non-stop selections that covered 70 years. The coordination between what he was doing in one rim-of-the-stadium booth and the public address – in another booth – was not always in line, but much better on Saturday than Friday night.

And Friday night in 2024 was a lot better than Friday night in 2023.

First off, the Drake Stadium lighting is only concentrated on the football (soccer) field, added in the 1999 renovation of the facility, and the post-sundown events in 2023 were run in the dark. On Friday, a half-dozen temporary light banks were up and the runners could see where they were going, and the spectators could see them.

Very few spectators came early on Friday to see the women’s hammer and the good idea of having two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks interview the women’s vaulters ended up confused and uninformative, with no coordination of the stadium public address, DJ Trey Money and Kendricks.

But those who did come knew what they wanted to see: the men’s and women’s 5,000s in the evening and the attendance swelled to about 1,500 when those races went off, with considerable excitement to see a 12:51.60 win by Tokyo 10,000 m champ Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, and an impressive 14:34.12 lifetime best from World Indoor 3,000 m champ Elle St. Pierre of the U.S.

The L.A. market is a difficult one, but stars matter and there continues to be – as it has been for a century – strong interest in track & field in Los Angeles, a good sign for the LA28 organizers looking at four years down the road.

2.
FIFA sidelines Palestinian proposal vs. Israel before it starts

Almost 55 minutes during the middle of Friday’s 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok (THA) was spent with presentations and discussion on the Palestinian Football Authority’s proposals to suspend the Israel Football Association.

But the decision had already been taken.

It’s a lesson from FIFA and its President, Gianni Infantino (SUI) into defusing a red-hot issue, brought by the PFA in the midst of Israel’s response to the murderous 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas.

First up was Palestinian Football Association head Jibril Rajoub, who spoke in English for nine minutes. He catalogued a series of wrongs it attributes to the Israel Football Association, only obliquely referred to the brutal Hamas attack on Israel and concentrated on the suffering in Gaza.

He said:

“Regarding the proposal under discussion, [we] request a vote in today’s Congress which without any further delay as follows: to temporarily suspend the IFA as a member of FIFA with immediate effect, with the consequences that its membership rights under the FIFA statutes cannot be [continued] until the until the statutory objectives are respected.

“And to ban the IFA and its direct and indirect from any football-related activities falling under the competence of FIFA with immediate effect until when the statutory objectives of FIFA are respected.

“Three, to respect the territorial integrity of the PFA and to stop with immediate effect any footballing activity of the IFA and its direct and indirect members which is carried out in violation of article 71, paragraph 2 of the FIFA statutes, in the territory of the PFA, and to refer the overall matter to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for adjudication and for imposing appropriate sanctions on the IFA, and its direct or indirect members.”

Next up was Israel Football Association head Shino Moshe Zuares, who also spoke for about nine minutes, but began with the atrocities of 7 October, when “Instead of celebrating a holiday, we find ourselves fighting for our lives, against inhuman terrorists who raped, abused and murdered more than 1,400 civilians and took over 300 hostages.

“Instead of enjoying 500 football matches in our different leagues in that weekend, we find ourselves sitting in shelters, worried about the fate of our brothers and sisters.”

Zuares spoke directly to the PFA proposals:

“Once again, we are facing a cynical, political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football. Make no mistake, the IFA never violated rules set by FIFA or UEFA, and we will never do so in the future.

“We are not ones who allow using sports infrastructures for military and hostile action. The proposal submitted by Palestinian FA has absolutely nothing to do with the IFA’s activities.

“Unfortunately, I am standing here today on behalf of the IFA, answering once again the hostile and blatant proposal brought before you by Mr. Rajoub, a proposal that is based on motives and ambitions that have nothing to do with the spirit of sports, of the FIFA value of separating sports and politics.

“I am holding myself back and will not speak about the true motives, out of respect for this institution. I am doing it out of full confidence … that things can be better, for the game, for those who play it, in Israel, in the Palestinian authority, all over the world.”

Two other speakers demanded an immediate vote, but they were wasting their time.

Infantino, an excellent public speaker in multiple languages, has plenty of detractors as well as supporters. But he was completely prepared and explained, calmly, the issues presented to FIFA by the PFA proposals:

“The first one is that whilst the United Nations struggles in decades with the question of whether Palestine is a country or not a country, when it comes to FIFA, Palestine is a full member of FIFA like any of the other 210 members of FIFA, with exactly the same rights, and exactly the same obligations, like any other country.

“Now, like everyone else, I was extremely shocked by what happened on the 7th of October in Israel. And like anyone else, I was extremely, extremely shocked , and am extremely shocked, by what is happening now in Gaza. I pray. I pray for the mother who list their children. I pray for the children who lost their parents. I pray for all those people who suffer the unimaginable. I pray for all of them.

“And I want like all of you, just one thing – just one thing – peace. Peace. (Applause)

“What can we do? We are a football organization, and football is here to unite, not to divide. Sometimes it’s easier to divide , as I said before, but we are here to unite and I do not want to divide. I do not want to divide this Congress. I do not want to divide FIFA. I do not want to divide our 211 member countries and I have a responsibility, as President of FIFA. I have to apply the statutes of FIFA and its regulations.

“Whatever my personal conviction on this and other terrible matters around the world.

“So, first of all, during the Council meeting of the 15th of May 2024 – two days ago – all the Council members unanimously agreed to condemn the acts of violence that have taken, and are currently taken place, and decided to send a strong message of solidarity for the victims that are suffering.

“The FIFA Council also reiterated that football should not, and should never, become hostage of politics and always remain a factor for peace, a source of hope, a force of good, uniting people rather than divide them.

“Secondly, it is important to underline that the three requests that came from the proposal of the Palestine Football Association to this 74th FIFA Congress – all three of these proposals – they fall under the competence of the FIFA Council, and need therefore, to be treated by this body.

“Now due to the obvious sensitivity of these matters, FIFA will mandate as of now, independent legal expertise to analyze and assess the three requests made by the Palestinian Football Association and ensure – and ensure – that the statutes and regulations of FIFA are applied in the correct way.

“In order to ensure a fair and due process, of course, this legal assessment will have to allow for input, and claims, of both member associations. The results of this analysis and the recommendations which will follow from this analysis will subsequently be forwarded to the FIFA Council.

“But, due to the urgency of the situation, because we all know, all understand how urgent it is, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and take place before the 20th of July of this year. So in the next two months, to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.

“I trust that you, the Congress, can support to proceed in this way. Thank you very much. (Applause)

“In conclusion, let’s send to the world from this stage and this Congress a call, a strong call, for peace. Thank you very much.”

Observed: FIFA and Infantino took the PFA proposal and its impacts seriously and were thoroughly prepared. The PFA’s Rajoub acknowledged that he had brought similar proposals against Israel for the past 10 years, and this was more of the same.

With the constant references by Rajoub to FIFA’s rules and international law in support of his proposals, Infantino deflated the entire issue by saying that the FIFA’s rules required that the Council deal with this and not the Congress.

No doubt that the Palestinians already had significant Asian and African associations lined up for a vote, but there was no possibility of a decision already two days prior to the Congress. The Council has 37 members vs. 211 associations in the Congress and is geographically diverse, with Europe having the most members with nine, plus Infantino.

The reports will be written and the Council will decide what to do in July, but Infantino and the FIFA management retained firm control of the situation that could have been ugly.

3.
World leads by Simbine, Holloway, Davis-Woodhall at Atlanta City Games

Among all the great meets on last weekend, the lowest profile was the Atlanta City Games street meet in Piedmont Park, concentrating on sprinting with three world-leading outdoor marks:

● Men/100 m: 9.90, Akani Simbine (RSA)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.07, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Women/Long Jump: 7.17 m (23-6 1/4), Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA)

The men’s 100 m field was of high quality, but Simbine, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champ, stormed to victory in 9.90 into a small headwind of 0.4 m/s, ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.00) and prior co-world leader Kendal Williams of the U.S. (10.05).

Holloway, the three-time Worlds winner in the 110 hurdles, had only run the race in one meet this season, but blasted out of the blocks as usual and ran away, winning in 13.07 (-0.7), ahead of Robert Dunning of the U.S. (13.40). He’s ready for anything.

The headliner coming into the meet was triple World Champion Noah Lyles, running the odd 150 m, and winning convincingly in 14.41 to 14.66 for Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, the Worlds 100 m bronze medalist (wind +0.3). Lyles was not far behind the all-time best of 14.35 by Jamaican icon Usain Bolt from 2009 and his time equaled Tyson Gay for the best time by an American in 2010 during a 200 m race. Both are now no. 2 all-time.

In the 200 m straightaway race, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville had to hold off a late charge from Jereem Richards (TTO) to win in 19.96 (to 20.04, wind -1.1).

Italy’s Mattia Furlani came over from the continent to win the long jump at 8.06 m (26-5 1/2), but the bigger news was the women’s LJ, as World Indoor Champion Tara Davis-Woodhall, who got her fourth 7 m-plus meet this season at 7.17 m (23-6 1/4) in the fifth round, the best in the world outdoors in 2024. Fellow American Quanera Hayes was second with a season’s best 6.89 m (22-7 1/4), but no one except Davis-Woodhall has jumped 7 m in 2024.

Aleia Hobbs, the 2022 Worlds sixth-placer, equaled her season’s best in the 100 m at 10.88 (+0.5), and stayed no. 2 in the world for 2024. She was clear of Tamara Clark (10.98) and Mikiah Brisco (11.00).

Candace Hill barely beat Favour Ofili (NGR) in the women’s 150, with both timed in 16.30, with Hill equaling the American best in the event by Tori Bowie back in 2017. Lynna Irby-Jackson won the 200 m on the straight in 22.67 into a 2.2 m/s headwind!

Tokyo Olympic silver winner Keni Harrison made her seasonal debut in the 100 m hurdles, winning in 12.67 into a 2.2 m/s headwind over world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR: 12.73).

Observed: This is a fun meet and with adidas as sponsor, brings in many of the adidas-contracted athletes world wide. But on a weekend with a Diamond League meet in Morocco and Continental Tour Gold meets at UCLA and in Tokyo, this edition of the Atlanta City Games was much less visible because it was only shown on YouTube.

A Monday look at sites for the video showed 57,078 views on adidas’ YouTube channel and 112,999 on Lyles’ channel for a quite-respectable total of 170,077. The viewership for NBC’s L.A. Grand Prix show will be available in a couple of days.

4.
Foundation Board supports WADA on China swimming case

On Friday, the 42-member World Anti-Doping Agency Foundation Board was briefed on the Chinese swimming matter, during which 23 athletes were found to test positive for Trimetazidine, but were not sanctioned. WADA’s statement on the meeting included:

“At all stages, WADA has maintained that according to all the available evidence, this was not a case of doping but of no-fault contamination, and that WADA acted according to applicable processes and rules making no attempt to cover up the case in any way. As a response to calls, WADA has now referred the matter to an independent prosecutor, Mr. Eric Cottier [SUI], who will conduct a review with the intention of issuing a report by the end of June.”

WADA provided additional information, not seen publicly before, about the testing of these high-profile Chinese swimmers:

“As it relates to testing of the 23 Chinese athletes at the center of this story, Board members were informed that the athletes had undergone significant testing in the past few years. In fact, WADA is able to confirm that the 23 athletes provided approximately 1,700 doping control samples between 2018 and 2022, with certain athletes having been tested dozens of times per year, whether by swimming’s International Federation (now known as World Aquatics) or the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency. Indeed, in the almost four months from 1 April 2021 until the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games in July 2021, close to 300 samples were collected from the 23 athletes, which equates on average to several samples per month, per athlete.”

The Cottier inquiry is continuing and the Foundation Board was supportive. Questions remained unanswered as to why the inquiry took months, and if (and why) the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency report was in fact developed by the China’s Ministry of Public Security, as alleged in the German ARD documentary, “The China Files.”

However, WADA’s Founding President Dick Pound (CAN) was clear that he disapproves of the continuing, shrill protests of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

“I am deeply disappointed and disgusted by the deliberate lies and distortions coming from the United States Anti-Doping Agency, including that WADA has swept doping cases in China under the rug. That accusation, bereft of any truth, has but a single purpose: to deliberately damage the reputation of WADA and to lessen the worldwide trust that has been built up since WADA was created a quarter of a century ago to head up the international fight against doping in sport. What is missing in USADA’s conduct is a willingness to work for solutions; [it’s] just endless and biased criticism.”

Unimpressed, USADA head Travis Tygart shot back:

“As predicted, WADA is much better at circling the wagons than they are at actually being transparent. The fact is that WADA leaders violated their own rules by, at a minimum, not finding any violations or publicizing the cases. This is self-evident, no matter how many times or how angrily WADA denies it and replays its scripted efforts to convince the world everything is okay.”

5.
IPC chief Parsons says “you will be dazzled” in Paris

“Things you will not imagine possible – these athletes, they make it possible. You will be surprised, you will be excited, you will be dazzled. At the same time, you know that all the exciting events help change the world. It has a higher purpose. This combination is the future of sports.

“By watching the Paralympic Games, you will be electrified by the performances of the athletes, but also, something will change in you for the better. Whether you like it or not, whenever you’re exposed to Paralympic sport for the very first time, something changes in your heart.”

That’s International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons (BRA), looking forward to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Asked about the legacy, he underscored the place of the Paralympics beyond the field of play:

“This is an important question because the Paralympic Games are the only event with a global impact that puts persons with disabilities on centre stage. We have a big opportunity here – we have an incredible platform to advance the social agenda, the human rights agenda of persons with disabilities. ….

“We believe that compared to other marginalised groups or other minority groups, persons with disabilities are being left behind. On the global level, you see many people talking about gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and so on, but not about disability to the same level.

“So, right before this incredible event that will shape the way governments see the future of mankind, it is important to have this platform of the Paralympic Games to say, ‘We are here, and we are important.’ It’s not about representing the 4,400 athletes on the field of play, but providing a platform for the 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.

“This is what I want Paris 2024 to be: an incredible and exciting sports event that people will want to watch. At the same time, it will make the Paralympic Movement relevant to the point that people understand that we are a Movement that helps change the world.”

Parsons noted that ticket sales are also moving ahead:

“There is a lot of excitement in Paris and in France. I think the ticket sales reflect that – we are very, very close to where we were in London 2012.

“We know that many tickets will be bought in the final weeks and months. I think we have a very good foundation of awareness and interest, and now is the moment to focus on ticket sales. We have some good numbers, and we have some sports – wheelchair fencing, Para triathlon and shooting Para sport – that have already sold out.”

The 2024 Paralympics run from 28 August to 8 September.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● The 2024 World Judo Championships are underway in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with the first six weights going to winners from six different nations.

In the men’s lighter weights, Georgia’s Giorgi Sardalashvili moved up from bronze in the men’s 60 kg in 2023, defeating Yung Wei Yang (TPE) in the final, while Japan scored gold and silver at 66 kg by Ryoma Tanaka and Takeshi Takeoka. Two-time Worlds bronze winner Hedayat Heydarov (AZE) finally moved up to gold at 73 kg, defeating Tatsuki Ishihara in the final.

Mongolia’s Baasankhuu Bavuudorj won her first Worlds medal with a gold at 48 kg, beating Assunta Scutto in the final. Two-time Olympic medalist Odette Giuffrida (ITA) won her first Worlds gold at 52 kg, with a win over Diyora Keldiyorova in the championship match, and Korea’s Mimi Huh – 21 – won the 57 kg class for her first Worlds medal by defeating defending champ Christa Deguchi (CAN)!

Competition continues through the 23rd.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Russian volunteers for the Paris 2024 Games continue to get the cold shoulder from the French Interior Ministry, which will not even consider issuance of visas for the purposes of assisting at the Olympic and/or Paralympic Games.

The Russian news agency TASS quoted an unnamed Paris 2024 volunteer from Russia, who had received an assignment from the organizing committee:

“In early May, we wrote a collective letter to French Interior Minister [Gerald Darmanin], which was delivered to the ministry by Russian volunteers living in this country.

“More than two weeks have passed and there has been no response. But we continue to hope that the ban on Russian volunteers will be lifted and we will be able to join like-minded people from other countries for the Paris Olympics. We’ve worked with these people more than one Games and have become a friendly family.”

They received a explanation on 29 April from the French government that “volunteers with Russian citizenship received the letters with the refusal of accreditation and participation in the volunteer program for security reasons.”

Russian media will also be prohibited from displaying any national symbols at Paris 2024. TASS asked the International Olympic Committee about regulations on media, noting that via the IOC’s rules for athletes and teams, they “will be prohibited from displaying national symbols, including the national flag colors, the state emblem and the anthem.”

The IOC replied that “The same applies for media personnel, as for all spectators as specified in the document.”

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The medical apparel brand FIGS will outfit the 250-plus members of the USOPC medical support team for not only the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The announcement specified support of the USOPC medical staff, but not LA28 medical staff or volunteers.

● Athletics ● A world-leading heptathlon performance of 6,642 for Tokyo Olympic runner-up Anouk Vetter (NED) headlines the annual Hypo Meeting in Gotzis (AUT), perhaps the premier multi-events meet in the world.

Vetter won the shot and the javelin and finished third in the long jump and finished more than 100 points in front of Annik Kaelin (SUI: 6,506) and American Michelle Atherley, who got a lifetime best of 6,465. Annie Kunz of the U.S. was seventh (6,209).

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Damian Warner of Canada dominated the decathlon, scoring 8,678 to move to no. 3 on the 2024 world list. He won the 100 m and 110 m hurdles, was second in the discus and third in the long jump.

Sven Roosen (NED) got a lifetime best of 8,517 in second and Estonia’s Johannes Erm scored 8,462 in fourth.

The Athletics Integrity Unit sanctioned Kenyan Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games 10,000 m bronze medalist Rodgers Kwemoi for six years – beginning 8 August 2023 – for abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport. Further, his results from 18 July 2016 to 8 August 2023 are wiped out, removing his Commonwealth Games medal.

The expert panel found that “the profile bears several features of blood manipulation during the preparation for competition.” Kwemoi had bests of 26:55.36 from 2019 in the 10,000 m and 58:30 in the Half Marathon from 2022.

● Boxing ● Indian boxer Parveen Hooda, the 2022 Asian Games women’s 57 kg bronze medalist, was suspended for 22 months – ending 16 July 2025 – by the International Testing Agency for whereabouts failures.

She therefore loses her place at the Paris Olympic Games, to be filled by the International Olympic Committee under its qualifying process for the Olympic tournament.

● Fencing ● Addressing a major issue in the sport, USA Fencing is getting creative on how to attract new fencers:

“It doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars to get a young person interested in fencing. All you need is an empty space, a bag of modified pool noodles, and a group of kids who want to have fun and try something new.”

The federation announced last week that it has partnered with 2-4-1 Fencing, a project of the 2-4-1 CARE nonprofit. It debuted at the Project Play Summit 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland and is designed to offer an introduction to the sport “at roughly 2% of the traditional cost.”

How does it work?

● “The program uses modified pool noodles with a removable plastic handle, optional safety goggles, and simplified rules in games and activities that are tons of fun. But these activities deliver fun while also teaching skills in ways that will directly translate to Olympic-style fencing once the young person is ready to level up.”

● “Through a series of fencing games like Bodyguard, Swords vs. Spears and Time Tag, students have a blast while developing a lifelong love of fencing. Once they’re ready, students use the noodles like a foil, where the end of the noodle is used to score, and only touches on the torso count.”

Clever and interesting, it’s a creative initiative for a sport where the cost barrier to entry is quite high.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: FIFA gives ‘27 Women’s World Cup to Brazil; Palestine ask for Israel suspension to be studied; Biles sensational at Classic!

Rich Perelman

May 20, 2024

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. FIFA votes on Women’s World Cup … and racism
2. Palestine asks for Israeli exclusion; report coming
3. Biles shines for seventh win at Core Hydration Classic
4. First Olympic Qualifier Series draws 45,000 in Shanghai
5. Sekgodisa gets world 800 m lead at Marrakech Diamond League

● At the 74th FIFA Congress in Thailand, Brazil was awarded the 2027 Women’s World Cup by 119-78 over the Belgium-Netherlands-Germany bid. FIFA’s new anti-racism program was unanimously adopted.

● As it has done many times in the past, the Palestine Football Association demanded that FIFA suspend Israel from the federation on an immediate vote. Instead, FIFA will obtain a legal review and put the matter to the FIFA Council in late July.

● The great Simone Biles dominated the Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, winning two events and second in two others to win by almost two points over Shilese Jones. London 2012 All-Around gold medalist Gabby Douglas fell twice on her Uneven Bars routine and did not continue in the event.

● The International Olympic Committee’s first-ever Olympic Qualifier Series drew 45,000 spectators over four days in Shanghai, China, to see competition in BMX Freestyle, Breaking, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing. The U.S. got three wins!

● South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodisa took the world lead in the women’s 800 m at the Diamond League meet in Marrakech, Morocco in 1:57.26, but just as impressive were wins by Mykolas Alekna in the men’s discus and Moroccan national hero Soufiane El Bakkali in the men’s Steeple.

● World Championships: Cycling (Willoughby wins another BMX gold in Rock Hill!) = Ice Hockey (Canada and Sweden lead IIHF men’s groups) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: riots in New Caledonia cause Torch Relay to be canceled; Macron’s “Olympic Truce” ask rejected by both sides) = Badminton (two wins for hosts in Thailand Open) = Cycling (4: Pogacar dominant and on the way to victory at Giro d’Italia; Vollering puts the hammer down to win final stage and Vuelta Burgos a Femenina in Spain; Quinn and Faulkner take U.S. road titles; Dunne and Cabriou take Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup wins) = Fencing (husband-and-wife Foil stars Meinhardt (silver) and Kiefer (bronze) both medal in Grand Prix) = Gymnastics (three U.S. wins at Pan American Trampoline Champs in Peru) = Swimming (more wins for Ledecky and Dressel in Atlanta Classic) = Table Tennis (Jha on to Paris at Pan Am Olympic Qualifier) ●

1.
FIFA votes on Women’s World Cup … and racism

FIFA, the worldwide governing body for football, moved forward on two issues of import during its 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok (THA), but sidestepped – for now – a Palestinian request to oust Israel from the federation.

At the top of the agenda was the vote for the host for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Brazil – which had the highest score in the evaluation report – winning by 119-78 (and seven abstentions) over the joint bid from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Brazilian federation chief Ednaldo Rodrigues told the Congress:

“This is a win for women’s football in South America, and for women’s football everywhere which FIFA works every day to improve and strengthen.

“You can be certain that, without wanting to be vain, we will try to stage the biggest and best FIFA Women’s World Cup of all. I hope you can all come to Brazil and enjoy the hospitality of our country.”

It’s the first time the Women’s World Cup will be held in South America and follows the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, for which multiple new stadia were built or refurbished. Those facilities will be used again and no new venues will be built.

The award also gives Brazil and South America a major football event after the odd awarding of the FIFA World Cup for 2030 to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with single, centennial-celebration games in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay that eliminated a South American bid for 2034. Saudi Arabia was left as the only bidder for 2034 and will be confirmed as host later in 2024.

The FIFA Congress also unanimously passed the federation’s anti-racism program presented on Friday. FIFA’s summary of the program included (re-formatted for clarity):

“There are five action areas:

● “Racism is to be made a specific offence with mandatory inclusion in the individual Disciplinary Codes of all 211 FIFA Member Associations, and given specific and severe sanctions, such as match forfeits;

● “The introduction of a global standard gesture for players to communicate racist incidents and for referees to signal the implementation of the three-step procedure to halt, suspend and ultimately abandon matches;

● “A push for racism to be recognised as a criminal offence in every country in the world and for appropriate punishments; the promotion of educational initiatives together with schools and governments;

● “And the establishment of a new Players’ Anti-Racism Panel composed of former players, who will monitor and advise on the implementation of these actions around the world.”

Said FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI):

“Racism is something terrible. It is a scourge that exists in our society. And is one also that is infiltrated in football. For too long we were not capable of dealing with it in an appropriate way. We need to stand up and fight racism and defeat racism all together.

“We cannot accept any more what is happening in the stadiums, what is happening on the pitch, and those who still believe in the world – anywhere in the world – that they can still behave in a racist way when they are dealing with football, when they are attending a football game, when they are playing a game.

“Those who believe that, they must know that we don’t want them – we don’t want them. They have to go out, they have to be out, they don’t have to be part of our community, they don’t have to be part of football. …

“Racism is darkness, and somebody much more wise and intelligent than me once said: ‘If you are in a dark room, don’t be afraid, just light a candle.’ Today, we don’t light a candle: we light a big fire that will shine all over the world.”

2.
Palestine asks for Israeli exclusion; report coming

But racism continued on the agenda at the FIFA Congress.

The Palestine Football Association asked for FIFA to exclude Israel from the federation, with its head, Jibril Rajoub, asking for FIFA “to temporarily suspend the IFA as a member of FIFA with immediate effect.”

He was seconded by the Jordanian federation, with Secretary General Samar Nassar saying “We are not here to deliberate on the human tragedy. We are here to take a vote, the world is witnessing what FIFA will do today.”

No vote was forthcoming, and Israel Football Association President Shino Moshe Zuares told the Congress:

“Today, maybe more than ever, I believe that football must be a key element in healing the fractures and wounds, helping us and everyone to recover. Yet once again, we are facing a cynical, political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian Association to harm Israeli football.

“Make no mistake, the IFA never violated rules set by FIFA and UEFA and will never do so in the future.

“Seven months after the terrible day, when football matches cannot be played in large parts of Israel, north and south, and over 130 Israelis are still being held in Gaza, it is injustice that even in these circumstances we find ourselves fighting for our basic right to be part of the game.”

The Associated Press reported that the Palestinian federation has asked for similar sanctions against Israel “at least five times since 2014” and had gotten nowhere.

FIFA’s Infantino explained the next steps to be taken:

“Now, due to the obvious sensitivity of these matters, FIFA will mandate as of now independent legal expertise to analyze and assess the three requests made by the Palestinian Football Association and ensure that the statutes and regulations of FIFA are applied in the correct way in order to ensure a fair and due process.

“This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results and the recommendations … will be forwarded to the FIFA Council.

“Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and will take place before July 20 to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.”

He concluded with:

“Palestine is a full member of FIFA, like any of the other 210 members of FIFA, with exactly the same rights and exactly the same obligations, like any other country.

“Now, like everyone else, I was extremely, extremely shocked by what happened on 7 October in Israel. And like anyone else, I was extremely, extremely shocked and am extremely shocked by what is happening now in Gaza. I pray.”

“I pray for the mothers who lost their children. I pray for the children who lost their parents. I pray for all those people who suffer. And, I want, like all of you, just one thing – just one thing: peace. Peace.”

3.
Biles shines for seventh win at Core Hydration Classic

There was no doubt about the winner, as the incomparable Simone Biles won two events and was second on the other two on the way to her seventh career win in the All-Around at the Core Hydration Classic (formerly U.S. Classic) in Hartford, Connecticut.

Biles was supreme on Vault, winning with a sensational 15.600 score, with two-time Worlds Team gold medalist Shilese Jones a distant second at 14.350. Biles was also a runaway winner on Floor at 14.800, with Jones tying with Kaliya Lincoln at 14.000 for second.

On the Uneven Bars, Biles’ least-efficient event, she placed a very creditable second at 14.550 to Jones’ excellent 15.250 total. Biles also scored 14.550 on Beam, good enough for second.

The total was 59.500 for Biles’ seventh win in this event, in 2014-15-18-19-21-23-24. Jones was her primary challenger, totaling 57.650, with the win on Bars, second on vault (14.350), tying for second on Floor with Lincoln at 14.000 and fourth on Beam (14.050).

Tokyo Olympian Jordan Chiles, a member of the 2022 Worlds Team winners, was a clear third at 55.450, tying for third on Bars (14.300) and fourth on Vault (14.100). Jade Carey, the Tokyo Olympic Floor Exercise gold medalist, was fourth overall at 54.400, with a third in Vault (14.300), but only fifth on Floor (13.800). Skye Blakely, also a two-time Worlds Team gold winner, was fifth overall, scoring 54.350.

Suni Lee, the Tokyo All-Around gold medalist, skipped the Uneven Bars, but won on Beam (14.600). She also scored 13.150 on Vault for 22nd and tied for 17th on Floor at 13.000.

London 2012 Olympic All-Around champion Gabby Douglas was trying to qualify for the All-Around at the U.S. Nationals, but fell twice and scored only 10.100 on the Uneven Bars (43rd) and withdrew. She’s qualified in three events for the national championships, but not for the All-Around.

Next up is the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas from 30 May to 2 June, and finally the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 27-30 June.

4.
First Olympic Qualifier Series draws 45,000 in Shanghai

The International Olympic Committee’s foray into combined events in multiple sports as a showcase for the Olympic qualifying process received strong attention in Shanghai (CHN) for the first Olympic Qualifying Series program, which concluded on Sunday.

An announced 45,000 people attended the four-day event at the Shanghai Huangpu Riverside, in a temporary facility, built up with the competition sites for four sports, plus music and performance stages, food areas and more. There were more than 460 athletes from 55 National Olympic Committees and 120 national federations.

The U.S. came away with a win from Brooke Raboutou in climbing and two golds in Skateboarding, from Jagger Eaton and Tate Carew:

● BMX Freestyle Park:

France’s Anthony Jeanjean, the 2022 Worlds bronze winner, took the OQS win with a first-round 93.54 total, outlasting Tokyo Olympic champ Logan Martin (AUS), whose second-round score of 92.65 was just short. Darren Reilly (GBR: 89.28) was third.

China swept the women’s Park competition, with 2023 Worlds silver medalist Sibei Sun scoring 95.86 on her final routine to defeat Jiaqi Sun (93.68) and Yawen Deng (91.50). Five-time World Champion Hannah Roberts of the U.S. was fourth at 91.24.

● Breaking:

Twelfth-ranked Lee (Lee-Lou Diouf Demierre/NED) won the men’s division with a two-rounds-to-one decision in the final over China’s Lithe-ing (Xiangyu Qi), 7-2, 2-7, 5-4 for a 14-13 total.

The women’s all-Japan final went to Ayumi (Ayumi Fukushima), who won all three rounds against Ami (Ami Yuasa), by 6-3, 6-3, 7-2 for a 19-8 total.

● Climbing:

American Brooke Raboutou, the 2023 Worlds Boulder bronze medalist, scored an important win in the combined Boulder & Lead final, scoring 140.9 to out-score 2021 World Lead Champion Chae-hyun Seo (KOR: 134.3) and Britain’s Erin McNeice (127.8).

Korea’s Doh-yun Lee, the 2023 Worlds Boulder bronze winner, won the men’s division at 134.5, comfortably ahead of Alberto Gines Lopez (ESP: 124.5) and three-time Lead Worlds winner, Czech Adam Ondra (124.1).

In Speed, former world-record holder Veddriq Leonardo (INA) flew to an Asian Record of 4.83 to win the men’s division over Peng Wu (CHN: 4.88). China’s Yafei Zhou took the women’s Speed victory in 6.54 over Indonesia’s Rajiah Sallsabillah (6.75).

● Skateboarding:

The 2021 World Street champ, American Jagger Eaton, was consistently strong, posting two of the four routine scores over 90.00 and the second-best individual score at 92.55, then scored 93.13 and 92.60 on two of his tricks to win at 278.28, ahead of Japan’s Ginwoo Onodera (277.34) and Chris Joslin (275.34), who flew up the standings with his last two tricks scoring 92.86 and 94.61, best of the day.

The women’s Street title went to Brazilian star Rayssa Leal, the Tokyo silver medalist at 13, and now 16, who won a tight duel with Japan’s Liz Akama, 274.89 to 274. 35. Leal had one of only routine that scored over 90 at 92.23 on her second run, and added tricks worth 91.81 and 90.85, while Akama scored 92.55 and 91.69 on her last two tricks to nearly close the gap.

The U.S. scored again in the men’s Park, with Tate Carew getting a big score of 93.33 in the second round and that was enough for the win, ahead of Keegan Palmer (AUS: 92.30 in the final round) and Eaton, getting a second medal at 91.61 with his second-round routine.

Australian Arisa Trew, 14, scored 91.16 on her second run to win the women’s Park title, just ahead of Japan’s 2023 World Champion Kokona Hiraki (90.18) and 2018 World Champion Sakura Yozozumi (87.02), with all three scoring runs coming in the second round.

The second and final round of the Olympic Qualifier Series will be from 20-23 June in Budapest (HUN).

5.
Sekgodisa gets world 800 m lead at Marrakech Diamond League

Stop no. four on the Wanda Diamond League circuit was in Marrakech (MAR), with a small crowd at the Grande Stade, with a world lead in one event, in the women’s 800 m at 1:57.26 for South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodisa.

The race looked to belong to two-time Ethiopian Olympian Habitam Alemu, who had the lead at the bell, breaking away from the pack with Sekgodisa, the 2022 African Championships bronze winner.

Sekgodisa tried to take the lead on the inside on the backstraight, but Alemu shut her down, and continued leading into the straight. Sekgodisa tried to pass on the inside again, but couldn’t get through, but as Alemu drifted a little in the lead, Sekgodisa got by with about 40 m to go and won in a lifetime best and world-leading 1:57.26! Alemu was second in 1:57.70, now no. 4 in the world for 2024, and Noelle Yarigo (BEN) got third in 1:59.96.

The men’s Steeple, featuring national hero and Olympic and World Champion Soufiane El Bakkali was the concluding event, and included world leader Samuel Firewu of Ethiopia. And as usual in the Diamond League meets in Morocco, it was El Bakkali moving into the lead at the bell, with Ethiopia’s Olympic fourth-placer Getnet Wale giving chase.

Wale closed up with El Bakkali with 200 m to go and Firewu was closing as well, but El Bakkali sprinted into the water jump and re-established himself and sprinted hard on the straight to win in 8:09.40 in his seasonal debut, no. 3 on the world list. Wale was at 8:09.78 and Kenyan Amos Serem moved up to pass Firewu for third, 8:10.82 to 8:11.73. American Hillary Bor was sixth in 8:13.30.

The most-anticipated showdown was in the men’s discus, with new world-record man Mykolas Alekna (LTU), Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE), 2022 World Champion Kristjian Ceh (SLO) and 2022 Commonwealth Games winner Matthew Denny (AUS).

Alekna showed his class right away, taking the lead at 69.94 m (229-5) in the second round, and no one else was close. Denny reached 67.74 m (222-3) in round one, but Alekna spun out to 70.70 m (231-11) in the fourth. That was the winner; Stahl got third with his second-round 67.49 m (221-5).

All eyes were on Jamaica’s two-time World 200 m Champion Shericka Jackson in the women’s 200 m and she took the lead into the straight over Swiss Mujinga Kambundji. But Jackson did not thrash this field and held off Maboundou Kone (CIV) in the final 15 m to win in a modest 22.82 (-1.0), with Kone at 22.96. American Caisja Chandler was fifth at 23.06. Much less than had been hoped for from Jackson in her season opener.

Canada’s Tokyo Olympic 200 m champ Andre De Grasse was the headliner in the men’s 100 m, but Emmanuel Eseme (CAM) came on in the final 50 m and emerged as the winner in 10.11 (wind: -0.8 m/s). De Grasse was second in 10.19; Brandon Hicklin was the top American in fourth in 10.26.

The men’s 400 m had recent world leader Bayapo Ndori (BOT: 44.10) leading coming into the home straight, but World Indoor winner Alexander Doom (BEL) was gaining in lane three, with Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga coming on in lane two. Ndori ran out of gas about 5 m short and Doom out-leaned Samukonga at the line, with a lifetime best of 44.51. Samukonga ran 44.54 and Ndori stumbled in third at 44.59. American Quincy Hall was sixth in 45.52.

Kenyan world leader Emmanuel Wanyonyi ramped up the speed with 200 m to go in the men’s 800 m and was able to hold off countryman Wyclife Kinyamal, 1:43.84 to 1:43.98. The two were already 1-3 on the world list and France’s Yanis Mexiane had to make a hard charge in the last 70 m to get third in 1:44.13. But he could not challenge the Kenyans.

France’s Azeddine Habz took the lead at the bell as the pacesetter exited and just could not be caught. A sub-3:30 man, he kept extending his lead and then sprinted away from the field entering the home straight and won surprisingly easily in 3:32.86. Ethiopia’s Steeple world-record holder Lamecha Girma made a late push, but ended up fourth in 3:33.54, as George Mills (GBR) just edged countryman Elliot Giles for second, 3:33.47 to 3:33.50.

Cuba’s 2022 World Indoor Champion Lazaro Martinez got out to 17.10 m (56-1 1/4) in round three and Olympic champ Pedro Pablo Pichardo of Portugal just could not get right. He reached 16.92 m (55-6 1/4) in round four and had to settle for second, with Almir dos Santos (BRA: 16.90 m/55-5 1/2) a close third.

The women’s 5,000 was a four-woman breakaway, finally settled after the bell. Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay did most of the leading, but lurking closest was teammate Medina Eisa, the 2022 World Junior Champion. Tesfay led down the backstraight and through the turn, but Eisa would not be shaken, and found an extra gear in the final 15 m to get the win in 14:34.16, with Tesfay getting a lifetime best of 14:34.21 in second. Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok moved from fourth to third on the last lap in 14:35.64, also a lifetime best.

Jamaica’s world-leading Rushell Clayton got out quickly in the women’s 400 m hurdles and had a huge lead coming off the final turn. Clayton was cruising, with teammate Shiann Salon moving up to challenge a bit over the final hurdle and on the run-in. Clayton won in 53.98, with Salmon getting a seasonal best of 54.27 in second.

Teen Angelina Topic (SRB), the 2022 European bronze winner, got a lifetime best and a national record of 1.98 m (6-6) to win the women’s high jump. The 18-year-old was the only to clear 1.95 m (6-4 3/4), then went on to 1.98; Christina Honsel (GER) got second and Lia Apostolovski (SLO) were 2-3, also at 1.95. Topic moves to no. 2 on the world outdoor list for 2024.

In the women’s vault, 2021 European Indoor winner Angelica Moser (SUI) and Roberta Bruni (ITA) both cleared 4.65 m (15-3). Moser got over 4.73 m (15-6 1/4) on her third try and Bruni could not match, ending up second.

Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. took hold of the women’s shot with a 20.00 m (65-7 1/2) effort in round two and everyone had to chase her (pun intended). German Yemisi Ogunleye got closest at 19.40 m (63-7 3/4) in round two and was second; World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton (CAN) managed 19.36 m (63-6 1/4) in the third round and finished third.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● American star Alise Willoughby won her third UCI BMX World Championships gold on home soil at Rock Hill, South Carolina, her first in five years!

Now 33, she won as Alise Post back in 2017 at Rock Hill, then as Alise Willoughby in 2019 and now at Rock Hill again. She won a tight final in 32.513, just ahead of Swiss Zoe Classens (32.886) with Fellow American Delaney Vaughn third in 33.522.

The U.S. had four of the eight finalists, with Felicia Stancil fourth (34.283) and Carly Kane in sixth (35.255). Classens won her second career Worlds silver – also in 2022 – and Vaughn got her first Worlds medal. Said the winner of her second Rock Hill Worlds gold:

“Honestly, I always say this place has a special place in my heart and I wanted to deliver here. U.S. fans, U.S. based everything – I put in the work, [husband and two-time World Champion Sam Willoughby] at my side the whole way and here we are again.

“It is such an honor to deliver on the day. When you dream of it, when you hope for it, but doing it is a whole other thing. This feeling is so special. My family, my friends, fans, husband, coaches, staff, that have been here for this very long ride that continues. I’m just so proud to say that I’m still rising to potential.”

With medal finishes, both Willougby and Vaughn secured their Olympic team positions for Paris, with Willoughby making her third team, winning a silver in Rio in 2016, but crashing in Tokyo.

The men’s Worlds gold went to France’s Joris Daudet for his third career Worlds gold, first in 2011, then in 2016 and now 2024. He finished just ahead of two-time World Champion Niek Kimmann (NED: 33.300) and then French teammate, and 2018 World Champion Sylvain Andre (33.864).

For Daudet, 33, it’s his eighth Worlds medal (3-2-3), stretching from 2010 to 2024. Kimmann now has six Worlds medals (3-3-0) and Andre has four (1-1-2).

● Ice Hockey ● With group play set to conclude on Tuesday, Canada and Sweden are the lone unbeatens left at the IIHF men’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava (CZE).

The Canadians are 6-0, with two matches remaining and have out-scored their opponents, 28-15. Host Czech Republic is 5-1 (23-10) and the Swiss are 5-1 (26-11).

Sweden is 5-0 with a 26-7 goals edge, giving up the fewest goals so far. The U.S., which lost two of its first three games, is now 4-2 with a 31-13 goals-against total, getting six goals so far from forward Brady Tkachuk and five from Matt Boldy. Germany (4-2) is third in the group and Slovakia (4-2) is fourth; the top four advance to the quarterfinals, which begin on Thursday (23rd).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Rioting over a voting reform proposal in the French department of New Caledonia has left six people dead and French police and military on station on the streets of the capital city of Noumea.

In view of this, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera confirmed that the Olympic Torch Relay appearance, scheduled for 11 June, is being canceled.

“Priority must be given to a return to calm … I think that everyone understands, given the context, that the priority really is to consolidate the return to public order.”

French President Emmanuel Macron’s plea for an Olympic Truce during the Olympic and Paralympic Games has been rejected.

It was discarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the idea was noble, but not while Russian athletes are being refused entry into the Games. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Macron and shared with Agence France Presse:

“Let’s be honest… Emmanuel, I don’t believe it”.

“Who can guarantee that Russia will not use this time to bring its forces to our territory? First of all, we don’t trust Putin. We are against any truce that plays into the hands of the enemy.

“If it’s a truce, an Olympic truce for the duration of the Olympics, a land truce, they will have an advantage … [because of] a risk that they will bring heavy equipment to our territory and no one will be able to stop them.”

● Badminton ● The hosts got two wins to highlight the BWF World Tour Thailand Open in Bangkok, with Supanida Katethong winning the women’s Singles title over top-seeded Yue Han (CHN), 21-16, 25-23, and Jongkolphan Kitithrakul and Rawinda Prajongjai taking the women’s Doubles from Febriana Kusuma and Amallia Pratiwi (INA), 21-14, 21-14.

The Mixed Doubles had another Thai finalist with top-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, but they fell to China’s fifth-seeded Xin Wa Guo and Fang Hui Chen, 12-21, 21-12, 21-18.

Malaysia’s Zii Jia Lee took the men’s Singles over Ka Long Angus Ng (HKG), 21-11, 21-10, and India’s top-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the men’s Doubles from Bo Yang Chen and Yi Liu (CHN), 21-15, 21-15.

● Cycling ● After two sprint-stage wins for Italian stars Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar put the hammer down that essentially ended the Giro d’Italia with a brilliant victory in Sunday’s mountain stage.

On Friday, Milan won his third stage in Stage 13, getting to the line first in 4:02:03 in the 179 km route into Cento, just ahead of Poland’s Stanislaw Aniolkowski and German Phil Bauhaus. On Saturday, the second Individual Time Trial was on a flat, 31.2 km course to Desenzano del Garda and Ganna, a two-time World Time Trial Champion, timed 35:02 to win, with Pogacar second, 29 seconds back. That increased his overall lead from 2:40 to 3:41, now over 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (GBR).

Then came Sunday’s 222 km, four-climb mountain stage, with an uphill finish to Livigno and the 2,387 m Mottolino. Pogacar attacked on the final climb, with about 15 km to go and in third place overall. He passed Georg Steinhauser (GER), then set his sights on Colombian star Nairo Quintana, the 2014 Giro d’Italia winner.

With 1.9 km to go, Pogacar unleashed a final attack, passed Quintana and rode alone to the finish in 6:11:43, 29 seconds up on Quintana and 2:32 ahead of Steinhauser. Thomas was sixth, 2:50 behind and now trails Pogacar by 6:41 going into Monday’s rest day. Colombian Daniel Martinez is now third, at +6:56.

This is Pogacar’s sixth Grand Tour and he’s finished 3-1-1-2-2, with the last four in the Tour de France. Looks like he’ll win his third Grand Tour – and his first Giro – next Sunday in Rome.

Dutch star Demi Vollering won her third multi-stage race in a row with a 1:56 win in the Vuelta a Burgos Femenina in Spain.

After Finn Lotta Henttala won the opening stage in a mass sprint finish, Vollering won the hilly second stage to take the overall lead, played along in another sprint finish in stage 3, then won the final, 122 km stage on Sunday – with a major climb near the end – in 3:17:44. That was 41 seconds ahead of Dutch countrywoman Lucinda Brand and gave Vollering the overall title.

She finished 1:28 up on France’s Evita Music and 1:59 ahead of Karlijn Swinkels (NED). It’s Vollering’s second win in a row in this race and she is the defending champ in the upcoming tour de France Femmes. Can anyone stop her?

Sean Quinn won his first USA Cycling national road title at the USA Cycling National Road Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, winning a final sprint to the line over Brandon McNulty and Neilson Powless with all three timed in 5:15:52.

The hilly 212 km, 10-lap race saw the trio break free of the peloton on the third lap and they raced together on the final lap, with Quinn just ahead of McNulty.

The women’s race was six laps and 126 km and saw Kristen Faulkner, the Time Trial runner-up, win her first road national title in 3:29:38, 55 seconds up on Ruth Edwards. The two were together through five laps, but Faulkner stormed away on the final lap and won easily. Coryn Labecki was third in 3:35:17.

Ronan Dunne of Ireland barely out-fought five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA) in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill in Bielsko (POL), winning in 2:55:766 to 2:55.830 after maintaining the lead for most of the race. France’s Loris Vergier finished third (2:56.963).

France’s Marine Cabirou, the 2021 Worlds silver medalist, got the women’s title more comfortably, winning by more than a second over 2020 World Champion Camille Balanche (SUI), 3:26.643 to 3:27.831. German Nina Hoffmann was third in 3:28.323.

● Fencing ● At the FIE Grand Prix in Foil in Shanghai (CHN), world no. 2 and Tokyo Olympic champ Ka Long Cheung (HKG) took the men’s win over American Gerek Meinhardt, 15-7. It’s Meinhardt’s ninth career Grand Prix medal (4-3-2).

Italy’s no. 2-ranked Martina Favaretto took the women’s gold, 15-9, over Julia Walczyk-Klimaszyk of Poland, for her first career Grand Prix win. American Lee Keifer, the Tokyo Olympic champ – and wife of Meinhardt – picked up the bronze.

The FIE men’s Epee World Cup in Saint-Maur (FRA) saw Hungary’s 2019 World Champion, Gergely Siklosi, score a 15-9 final victory over Masaru Yamada (JPN). At the men’s Sabre World Cup in Madrid (ESP), Sebastien Patrice (FRA) won a tight duel with Hansol Ha (KOR) by 15-13, for his first career World Cup gold. William Morrill of the U.S. took one of the bronze medals.

At the FIE women’s Epee World Cup in Fujairah (UAE), no. 1-ranked Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG) won by 15-13 against Swiss Pauline Brunner. It’s Kong’s fourth career World Cup win. In Plovdiv (BUL), France’s Olympic Team silver winner Sara Balzer took down Ukraine’s four-time World Champion Olha Kharlan in the women’s Sabre World Cup final, 15-8. It’s Balzer’s sixth career World Cup win, while Kharlan earned her 33rd career World Cup medal.

● Gymnastics ● Ana DeHanes of the U.S. won the women’s division at the Pan American Trampoline Championships in Lima (PER), scoring 51.990 to edge Maria Oliveira of Brazil (51.460) and Rielle Bonne (CAN: 51.190).

The U.S. women – DeHanes, Logan McCoy and Leah Edelman – won the team title (51.520), while the men’s team gold went to Mexico (53.090).

Argentina’s Santiago Ferrari took the men’s title at 56.890, ahead of Americans Elijah Vogel (56.060) and Cody Gesuelli (55.740). The U.S. pair of Gesuelli and Paul Bretscher took the Synchro gold (49.190) over Brazil (47.550), while DeHanes and Edelman finished second in the women’s Synchro final (44.900) to Mexico 47.640).

● Swimming ● Freestyle super star Katie Ledecky continued winning at the Speedo Atlanta Classic, adding the women’s 200 m Free title on Friday in 1:55.71, about three-quarters of a second off of her seasonal best. It was her third win of the meet after the 400 m and 1,500 m Frees.

Star sprinter Caeleb Dressel was also busy, taking fourth in his first men’s 200 m Free final since 2022, timing 1:47.38 – an Olympic Trials qualifying time – behind winner Kieran Smith (1:47.10). Later that night, Dressel came from more than a second behind on the final lap of the men’s 100 m Fly and won in 51.38. Not his fastest this season, but the second half (26.15) was impressive.

Tokyo Olympic distance Freestyle double gold medalist Bobby Finke won the men’s 400 m Medley by more than eight seconds in an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 4:14.44.

● Table Tennis ● American Kanak Jha qualified for Paris 2024 by winning one of the knock-out draws at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Lima (PER). Jha qualified for his third Olympics by taking down Horacio Cifuentes (ARG), four games to one in the third knock-out tournament. Fellow American Nikhil Kumar reached the final of one of the knock-outs, but fell to Santiago Lorenzo (ARG), 4-1. The U.S. had no women’s entries, having already qualified.

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