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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● World Games 2025: Chengdu ● The final week of the 12th World Games is underway in China, with finals on tap for three new sports on the 2028 Olympic program for Los Angeles. On Monday:
● Lacrosse Sixes: This was the first major international tournament for Lacrosse Sixes, with 32-minute matches, six players per team and a 30-second shot clock; the first World Championships will be held in 2026. Only a women’s competition was held.
In Chengdu, the U.S. women defeated Canada, 16-8, in the gold-medal final, with a 7-3 lead after the first quarter and 10-4 at halftime. Cassidy Weeks scored four for the U.S. and Sam Apuzzo had three; Annabel Child led Canada with three scores.
Australia beat Japan, 13-12, for the bronze. The U.S. ended 5-0 for the tournament and outscored its opponents by 129-50.
● Squash: France landed both men’s and women’s Singles finalists with defending World Games champ Victor Crouin (men) and Marie Stephan (women) facing Balazs Farkas (HUN) and 2022 Asian Games bronzer Satomi Watanabe (JPN) on Tuesday.
Flag Football, being held only for women in 2025, starts play on the 14th.
● Russia ● “We are changing the legislation, exiting the second court case with WADA and expecting them this year to inspect our laboratory and agency, there is already a preliminary agreement on this.
“After that, they will complete their audit, and RUSADA will begin to fully operate as a recognized organization. This is our strategy.”
That’s Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev on Monday, outlining the next steps for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to become compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and be reinstated by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
This is a stepping stone on Russia’s path to reinstatement; Degtyarev, who is also the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, is simultaneously negotiating quietly with the International Olympic Committee for the end of its suspension for taking over regional sports organizations which were part of Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion in February 2022.
While Degtyarev says the Russian NOC is not governing those organizations now, they are still in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia. The IOC is expected to discuss the Russian situation in some depth at its September 2025 Executive Board meeting.
● Archery ● USA Archery announced last Thursday (7th) that it has also amended its transgender participation policy to align with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s position, effective immediately:
“These policies require athletes assigned a male sex at birth who identify as a transgender female or non-binary to participate in USA Archery and World Archery events as male.”
● Athletics ● A two-year suspension for Kenyan distance star Judy Jelagat Kemboi, for the use of the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide, found in an 8 April 2025 out-of-competition test. The positive finding was held to be unintentional and her suspension runs from 6 August 2025.
Kemboi, 26, ranks in the top 60 all-time in the road 5 km (14:54 in 2024), 10 km (30:29 in 2024) and Half Marathon (1:05:43 in 2024). Her last race was on 27 April of this year, a 1:07:47 third in the Istanbul Half. He won the 2024 Kenyan national title in the Half.
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Vinegar fans unite! USA Bobsled & Skeleton has announced a first-time sponsorship with Boston-based Grillo’s Pickles, founded in 2008 and now available in 28,000 stores nationwide. The USABS announcement noted:
“Pickles and pickle brine are increasingly recognized for their performance and recovery advantages. Rich in naturally occurring electrolytes and vinegar-based compounds, they can help athletes rehydrate, reduce muscle cramps, and support recovery post-training. Partnering with Grillo’s ensures USABS athletes are refueling and refreshing with only the best, preservative-free pickles.”
● Football ● FIFA opened applications to volunteer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., with 65,000 volunteers expected to be engaged for the month-long tournament next year. According to FIFA, applicants must be 18 and speak English:
“Volunteers whose applications are successful will be invited to attend the Volunteer Team Tryouts, which are expected to begin in October 2025, with training to follow in March 2026.”
● Table Tennis ● At the $500,000 WTT Champions in Yokohama (JPN), three-time Worlds Doubles and Team medal winner Tomokazu Harimoto, the third seed, thrilled home fans with a 4-2 win in the men’s final over China’s second-seed and 2025 World Champion Chuqin Wang, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-13, 11-4.
Harimoto won the first WTT Champions tournament in Budapest (HUN) in 2022, but not since. Of the 13 WTT Champions tournaments all-time, he is now one of four to win twice or more; Wang has the most wins with three.
The women’s title went to China’s two-time Worlds Singles bronze winner Xingtong Chen for her first WTT Champions gold, defeating two-time World Champion and countrywoman Yingsha Sun, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5.
It’s the fourth straight win for China in the WTT Champions women’s Singles, by four different players.
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