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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Games of the Small States of Europe ● The 20th edition of this event, limited to the nine European countries with populations of less than one million – as of 1985 – opened in Andorra on Monday.
About 1,000 athletes from Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino are competing in 16 sports, through Saturday (31st).
● Cuba ● The Cuban Olympic Committee issued a statement on Tuesday, railing against the denial of visas to travel to the U.S. or Puerto Rico for competitions and meetings, including:
“[COC President Roberto Leon] Richards and COC Secretary General Ruperto Herrera Tabío were unable to attend the Panam Sports Executive Committee meeting, held in Miami from May 13 to 15, nor the Olympic Solidarity Forum for the National Olympic Committees of the Americas, which began days later in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“By the way, we recall that the visa denial for COC Vice President and International Olympic Committee member María Caridad Colón Ruenes prevented her from participating in the Panam Sports Women in Sports Commission session on May 5 in Miami.
“The United States government’s arbitrary and politically motivated handling of visa authorization in the implementation of its aggressive policy against the Cuban people is nothing new in the field of sports.”
The statement also noted visa denials this year for the FIBA men’s AmeriCup Qualifiers in Puerto Rico and World Athletics Masters Indoor Championships, and added:
“The COC warns about the impact of this policy on Cuba’s full participation in an Olympic cycle culminating with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and requests the International Olympic Committee, Panam Sports, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to intervene to end politicized decisions that undermine Cuba’s right to occupy its place on international sporting stages.”
● Transgender ● More from the California Interscholastic Federation on the State track & field meet where transgender AB Hernandez (Jurupa Valley) has qualified in the women’s division in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
In addition to including athletes from the Southern Section Masters meet who would have qualified if Hernandez had not competed, this protocol will apply to those events at State as well:
“On Friday, May, 30, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump qualifying events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark will also be advanced to the finals.
“Additionally, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event.”
● Athletics ● The first round of the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships opened for men in Jacksonville, Florida (East region) and College Station, Texas (West) on Wednesday.
Action in Jacksonville was hampered by a lightning delay, with some events postponed and the running events delayed from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the 10,000 m starting at 1:01 a.m.! Marks were understandably modest; Auburn’s national 200 m leader Makanakaishe Charamba (ZIM) led all qualifiers at 20.22 (wind -0.3 m/s). The 10,000 m finished at 1:31 a.m. with Furman senior Dylan Schubert the leading qualifier at 29:00.47 off a 59.74 last lap!
Arkansas’ Jordan Anthony, the double sprint winner at the SEC Championships, led the 100 m West qualifiers at 10.08 (+1.3). He won heat one of the 200 m in 20.50 into a 1.7 m/s headwind, behind USC’s Garrett Kaalund (20.40: -0.4) and Max Thomas (20.42: +0.2), and Texas’ Xavier Butler (20.45: -0.3).
New Mexico freshman Ishmael Kipkurui (KEN) and teammate and defending NCAA champ Habtom Samuel (ERI) were the 1-2 qualifiers in the 10,000 m in 28:09.32 and 28:09.33.
The women’s first round will be held Thursday at both sites, then the second rounds on Friday and Saturday to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon in June.
● Cycling ● Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro, in danger of losing his lead in the 108th Giro d’Italia, struck back in Wednesday’s 17th stage, speeding away in the final 1.6 km to win over the hilly finish of the 155 km route to Bormio.
The stage had two major climbs, but the stage was decided with 9 km left on the small, final climb and descent of Le Motte. French star Romain Bardet pushed first, but was caught by Del Toro with 5.5 km to go, with 2019 winner Richard Carapaz (ECU) right with Del Toro.
Del Toro won in 3:58:48, with Bardet and Carapaz both four seconds back and Simon Yates (GBR) in fourth (+0:15). That moves Carapaz into second place, but now 41 seconds back of Del Toro, with Yates third (+0:51).
The last major tests come on Friday and Saturday, both difficult climbing stages to see if Del Toro can hang on for a life-altering victory.
● Football ● FIFA has insisted that women be allowed to attend matches in Iran, but a national team match against North Korea was moved from Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city, to Tehran in the face of prohibitions by religious groups.
Inside World Football reported, “FIFA has stipulated that women must be given the opportunity to attend matches following multiple disturbances and protests outside venues where they have been denied entry, both for club and national team games.
“Mashhad has previously been a flashpoint in the protests to the point where women were beaten outside the stadium while a match was on-going.”
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Abdullah Ibhais, who was a communications staff member for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, said he will sue the Committee and FIFA for his wrongful arrest and more than three years of imprisonment.
He told the Norwegian magazine Josimar that he had raised questions about how migrant workers were being treated on World Cup construction projects, and on 15 November 2021, he was arrested. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared him held arbitrarily, and was finally released in March 2025. He is now in Jordan, and said:
“I mean, the level of injustice, the violations that people will actually allow. The level of tolerance they show towards Qatar because it’s wealthy is unbelievable.”
● Swimming ● Some of the most decorated American men’s swimmers are skipping the 2025 USA Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis next week, meaning they will not compete in the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July.
Nine-time Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Caeleb Dressel did not enter in the 50 or 100 m Freestyles or Butterflys, while backstroke stars and Olympic medal winners Ryan Murphy (nine Olympic medals) and Hunter Armstrong (seven Worlds golds) have both decided not to swim.
The star American women are in, with Katie Ledecky in the 200-400-800-1,500 m Freestyles, Gretchen Walsh in the 50-100 m Freestyles and 50-100 m Butterflys, and Torri Huske entered in six events: 50-100-200 m Frees, 50-100 m Flys and 200 m Medley, but will likely scratch out of some of these.
Five-time Worlds gold medalist Regan Smith is entered in the 50-100-200 m Backstrokes, of course, and the 100-200 m Flys.
Olympic 200 m Breast champ Kate Douglass is in seven events (for now): 50-100 m Free, 50-100-200 m Breast; 50 m Fly, and the 200 m Medley, where she is two-time World Champion.
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