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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) talked with the French all-sport newspaper L’Equipe about the possibility of Russian entries at the 2026 Winter Games:
“We haven’t made a final decision. For Milan-Cortina, I’m not going to anticipate the Executive Board’s decisions in September and December , but I think we’ll probably follow the same decision as for Paris.”
The IOC implemented a strict review of Russian and Belarusian entries as to “neutrality” grounds, for those federations which allowed them to compete. Among the winter federations, the International Skating Union is allowing very limited entries – one per event – and the International Federation for Ski Mountaineering is allowing some entries.
The other winter federations for biathlon, bobsleigh and skeleton, luge, skiing and the team sports of curling and hockey have not allowed Russian entries.
● Event Security ● A panel on “Lessons Learned: An Examination of Major Security Incidents at Mass Gathering Events” was held last week by the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events. The panel, including senior law enforcement officials from Boston, Kansas City, Miami and New Orleans, emphasized two points especially: prevention of drone attacks and multi-level cooperation.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Groves explained that funding for preparation and protection of events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup – where Kansas City will host matches – and the 2028 Olympic Games is always the top issue, but beyond that:
“The second primary concern is detection and counter-UAS [unmanned aerial systems] authority. Despite our responsibility to safeguard the public, the local law enforcement agencies are currently constrained by Federal regulations that prohibit or severely limit our ability to detect, disrupt, or disable unauthorized drones in real time.
“This creates significant operational gap that hinders our capacity to respond effectively to aerial threats. The proliferation of consumer drones, their affordability, and their potential use by bad actors amplifies this concern. At times our officers are put in the position of observing potentially dangerous drone activity without the legal authority or technical tools to mitigate the threat.
“This not only endangers the safety of event attendees and infrastructure, but also undermines public confidence in our ability to provide a safe environment. We respectfully request Congress to prioritize the following:
● “Authorize the deployment of unmanned aerial systems – UAS – detection and counter-UAS technology at local and regional levels.
● “Current FAA BVLOS or beyond-visual-line-of-sight waivers without visual observers are limited to 200 feet AGL [above ground level], while standard UAB operations allow up to 400 feet above ground level.
“This restriction hampers our ability to monitor and secure wide areas, particularly around stadiums and large venues. For events like FIFA World Cup, authorization for BVLOS operations at 400 feet AGL is essential.
● “Ensure Federal UAS teams are embedded at each World Cup host site to provide airspace security. Without these changes, the increasing use of drones, whether by careless hobbyists or bad actors, will continue to outpace the ability of local law enforcement to respond. We stand ready to collaborate with federal partners to close this critical gap in public safety.”
Col. Robert Hodges, the Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, emphasized the need for close coordination among all levels of law enforcement, especially in responding to the New Year’s Eve terrorist truck incident on Bourbon Street that killed 15, injured more than 30 and caused the Sugar Bowl playoff football game to be delayed a day:
“I think it’s the collaboration between all branches of law enforcement at all levels, local, state, and Federal. No one worried about who’s getting the credit, just acting as a force multiplier. It doesn’t matter who’s in charge.
“We all – it doesn’t matter the badge or the uniform – just that we all work collectively and that we share the information. And I think we were able to do that with the help of many others who had challenges before us. We learned those lessons and we had been working very closely throughout the year of 2024 prior to that New Year’s Eve attack, and we had such a strong relationship with our partners in law enforcement.
“It’s no secret that the crime in the city of New Orleans, violent crime was down 40%, at the time of that attack. So when it did happen, and we all collectively were already there for the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve, everyone knew all the leaders in the room. We knew our capabilities, our limitations, and we leveraged that. And because we worked and trusted one another so much, that’s how we were able to build trust and work together regardless of backgrounds. No fiefdoms, no one trying to take credit.”
● Aquatics ● At the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, China scored two more golds, giving them five wins in six events so far. In the men’s 3 m Synchro, two-time Olympic champ Zongyuan Wang teamed with new partner Jiuyuan Zheng to win with 467.31 points, edging Mexico’s Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera (449.28). Britain’s Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding finished third (405.33); the U.S. pair of Grayson Campbell and Jack Ryan finished sixth (374.82).
In the women’s 10 m Synchro, Tokyo and Paris Olympic winner Yuxi Chen also teamed with a new partner, Minjie Zhang, and won easily, 349.26 to 304.80 over Mexico’s Gabriela Agundez and Alejandra Estudillo. North Korea’s Jim-mi Jo and Mi-hwa Kim took third, with Americans Bayleigh Cranford and Daryn Wright finishing sixth (274.41).
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Chinese prodigy Zidi Yu, 12, finished a close fourth in the women’s 200 m Medley in Singapore on Monday and has better prospects in the 200 m Butterfly and 400 m Medley. She spoke with reporters about her experience so far after making the finals of the 200 m Medley on Sunday night:
“This is my first world championship, I didn’t expect it to be so competitive. However, I am just trying to enjoy competing here, and I didn’t even expect to make it to the final. I only learned about it from you now; I didn’t know my result and time.
“Yes, I feel like there is a lot of attention on me, it’s a bit of pressure, but I try to concentrate on my swims.”
● Archery ● American stars Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold were the Recurve men’s and women’s winners at the USA Archery Team Qualifier Rebel Gear Buckeye Classic in Dublin, Ohio.
Ellison disposed of third-seeded Nicholas D’Amour, 6-0 in the men’s final, winning his matches by 6-0, 6-2, 7-1, 6-0 and 6-0. Kaufhold battled with fellow Olympian Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez and eked out a 29-27 final end to win by 6-5.
The Compound titles went to Stephan Hansen (men) and Sachiko Keane (women).
● Cycling ● At the fourth Tour de France Femmes, Dutch star Lorena Wiebes won the fairly flat third stage, 163.5 km to Angers, leading race leader Marianne Vos (NED) on the finishing sprint, with the first 70 riders receiving the same time.
Overall, Vos still leads Kimberley Pienaar (MRI) by 0:06 and France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prevot by 0:12 with six stages left, with the final four all climbing routes.
● Fencing ● At the FIE World Championships in Tbilisi (GEO), the U.S. scored another gold with Olympic and World Champion Lee Kiefer leading the women’s Team Foil squad of Emily Jing, Jaelyn Liu and Lauren Scruggs to a rout of France, 45-24, in the final. It’s only the second time the U.S. has won this event at the Worlds, and Kiefer was also on that team, in 2018!
Kiefer, still just 31, now owns nine Worlds medals in her career (3-2-4).
Italy won the men’s Team Sabre, 45-37 over Hungary, its first win in the event since 2015 and its seventh all-time.
● Football ● Record attendance for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, with a sell-out of 34,203 at the final in Basel and a total spectator count of 657,291. That’s an average of 21,203 per match and a total gain of 82,416 over the 2022 total of 574,875 in England.
Of the 31 matches, 29 were labeled as sell-outs, across eight host cities.
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