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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● It was reported that Chris Grover, head of the U.S. cross country ski program, told the “Race Ready” podcast that if the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) allows Russian athletes to compete next year:
“If admitted, Russia’s Olympic quota will be two people – a man and a woman.”
This only concerns cross country and not the other five FIS disciplines on the Olympic program.
● Mediterranean Games 2026: Taranto ● A meeting between the Taranto 2026 organizers and the International Mediterranean Games Committee (CIJM) on Wednesday in Rome (ITA) was attended by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and Taranto City officials. In the end, the Italian side reiterated its guarantees that the event would take place and that a solution to the issues over contracted services would be found.
The 20th edition of the Mediterranean Games is scheduled for 21 August to 3 September in 2026.
● Alpine Skiing ● U.S. superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, the winningest World Cup skier ever, said in a media session hosted by Atomic, her ski sponsor, that she will concentrate on her two premier events, the Slalom and Giant Slalom, in the run-up to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
She ruled out any Downhill races, where she has suffered injuries, and may also skip Super-G racing until after the Milan Cortina Games. As for the future, she was asked about whether this might be her last Winter Games:
“I’m not really a numbers girl. I’m so uncertain. To be honest, I don’t know. You can say 50-50.”
● Athletics ● The Rome daily Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that the Italian track & field federation’s disciplinary tribunal has banned Giacomo Tortu – brother of sprint star Filippo Tortu – for three years for “espionage” against Tokyo 2020 Olympic men’s 100 m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs.
Giacomo Tortu paid to try and have Jacobs’ phone and other devices hacked, to try and find information that would indicated that Jacobs was doping. The 36-month ban will prevent him from serving “in corporate roles, carrying out federal activities, or accessing training and competition facilities.”
● Basketball ● The Associated Press reported that long-time Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is in line to be named as the head coach for the U.S. teams at the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
Spoelstra served as an assistant coach with the Paris 2024 U.S. team that won the gold medal for the fifth straight Games.
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Aaron Gulliver, a push athlete on the Great Britain Four-Man sled that won silver at the 2023 Worlds and bronze in 2025 – driven by Brad Hall – was banned for two years by the International Testing Agency for use of the prohibited substance ostarine.
His out-of-competition sample from 2 March 2025 turned up positive. Gulliver showed that the positive was not intentional and is suspended from 24 March 2025 to 24 March 2027, missing the Milan Cortina Winter Games.
The U.S. sled, driven by Frank del Duca, finished fourth at the 2025 Worlds Four-Man on 15 March 2025, and as Gulliver was disqualified from 2 March forward (the date of the positive test), the Americans could be advanced to the bronze medal.
● Cycling ● The amazing Tadej Pogacar (SLO), coming off of victories in the UCI World Road Championship, the European Road Championship, the Tour de France and six other races this season, is the favorite to win his fifth Il Lombardia in a row at Saturday’s 119th edition.
The route is a challenging 241 km from Como to Bergamo, with five major climbs and two minor ascents, including the 1,058 m Passo di Ganda just 40 km from the finish.
Pogacar is trying to win his third “Monument” race this year – the ancient events that go back before World War I – having taken the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Liege-Bastogne-Liege and finishing third at Milan-Sanremo and second at Paris-Roubaix.
His primary challenger is expected to be Belgian Remco Evenepoel once again, the Worlds and European runner-up and the three-time Worlds Time Trial gold medalist. They finished 1-2 last year
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Chinese track cyclist Junhong Lin, a four-time Worlds medal winner from 2010-16 was provisionally suspended by the International Testing Agency as a re-test of a January 2016 test showed the presence of anabolic steroids.
Now 34, Lin won Worlds silvers in the Team Sprint in 2010 and 2014, the women’s Sprint in 2016 (possibly now in danger) and a Sprint bronze in 2014.
● Football ● The Round-of-16 playoffs at the FIFA U-20 World Cup saw four traditional powers advance in the upper bracket, as Mexico defeated Chile, 4-1; Argentina sailed by Nigeria, 4-0; Spain edged Ukraine, 1-0, and Colombia beat South Africa 3-1. Mexico and Argentina, and Spain and Colombia will meet in quarterfinal matches on the 11th.
In the lower bracket, Norway edged Paraguay, 1-0, in extra time, as did France, with a 1-0 win over Japan. Their quarterfinal will be on the 12th.
The U.S. got a goal from midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi in the 15th to lead Italy, 1-0, at half, and then fellow midfielder Nico Tsakiris scored in the 79th for a 2-0 lead. Cremaschi also scored at 90+3 for the final score.
The Americans will play the winner of Morocco and South Korea in the quarters on the 12th, in Rancagua.
● Swimming ● The Italian swimming federation gave 90-day suspensions to swimmers Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino for shoplifting in Singapore airport shop after the World Aquatics Championships in August. The federation statement included:
“Considering the facts revealed during the investigation and the willingness of the athletes who pleaded guilty to cooperate, the prosecutor’s office has ordered their suspension from public and state activities for a period of 90 days.”
The two swimmers left Singapore for a vacation after the meet, and were caught shoplifting when they returned to the Singapore airport on the way back to Italy. Both will miss the European short-course Championships in Poland in December.
● Weightlifting ● At the IWF World Championships in Forde (NOR), the home team got a gold medal as women’s Olympic 81 kg champion Solfrid Koanda triumphed in the women’s 86 kg class. She was second in the Snatch, but won the Clean & Jerk and took the combined title with 272 kg, just ahead of Snatch winner Yudelina Mejia (DOM: 271 kg). Arveta McElderry of the U.S. was 11th at 235 kg.
In the men’s 94 kg class, Paris Olympic 89 kg champion Karlos Nasar (BUL) won his third Worlds gold, winning the Clean & Jerk with a world record of 222 kg and taking the combined title at 395 kg. Iran’s Alireza Moeini won the Snatch with a world record 182 kg and finished second overall at 391 kg. It’s Nasar’s third Worlds gold at three different weights: 81 kg in 2021, 89 kg in 2024 and now at 94 kg.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday.
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