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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Christophe Dubi (SUI), the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Director for the Olympic Games, told Agence France Presse that the success of the wide-spread venue plan for 2026 is crucial to future Games as well:
“The opening ceremony in four locations allows all the athletes, perhaps for the first time, to come to the ceremony. And then, every evening, there will be a form of Champions Park in Milan, Bormio, Val di Fiemme … with the impression, wherever you are, that it is the celebration of the Milan-Cortina Games.
“For all those who will experience the event, such as journalists or spectators, it will be necessary to realize that the planning is essential and that we do not go from Milan to Cortina by fast train. It will be the same for 2030, and for 2038 if the Games are organized in Switzerland.
“The success of the Milan Games is fundamental for us, because it determines an operational system that we will replicate, a little differently, for the 2030 French Alps edition and then on a roughly equivalent project, Switzerland 2038. The sign that we are giving is that we are using what already exists, that it is right to go where we know how to do it and where we are equipped.”
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Czech ski and snow star Ester Ledecka, the two-time Olympic champion in the Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom and the 2018 Olympic gold medalist in the women’s Alpine Super-G, said Monday that as the Snowboard PGS and Alpine Downhill are being held on the same day at the 2026 Winter Games, she will try for a third Snowboard gold.
Ledecka, the Czech National Olympic Committee and the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) lobbied for a schedule change that would allow her to do both events, but to no avail. They will continue as scheduled, on 8 February, about 200 miles apart.
“I cried a bit few times about it, but we did the best we could. I understand that it’s not easy to coordinate the program but I believed that it could be done. I’m the only athlete who has qualified for the event in two sports for the third time, so I was hoping that they would take that into account.”
In 2025, Ledecka won her second Worlds gold in the Snowboard PGS and a bronze in the Alpine Worlds Downhill.
● Enhanced Games ● Olympic icon Carl Lewis told Reuters last week during an appearance in India that as far as the Enhanced Games is concerned, “I don’t think it’s going to be successful.”
He added that “I don’t think many athletes will compete” and “I don’t think any records will be broken because I don’t think the event is going to happen because I don’t think the money will be there because I don’t think people would support it.”
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Two-time World Short-Course Swimming Championships 50 m Backstroke bronze medalist Shane Ryan (IRL), now 31, has agreed to participate in the 2026 Enhanced Games. The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano reported Ryan’s comments about the decision:
“You know what? For once I thought about myself. Let me earn some money. …
“I don’t make money from people’s opinions. They don’t help me build my future. With that money, I’ll be able to pay off my car payment and, if possible, even part of it for a house in Philadelphia. I have to be very, very careful with money because life is getting much more expensive.”
He is the eighth swimmer announced for the May 2026 event.
● Athletics ● The 10 nominees for the World Athletics Field Athlete of the Year have been announced:
Men:
● Mondo Duplantis (SWE) ~ World Vault Champion
● Mattia Furlani (ITA) ~ World Long Jump Champion
● Ethan Katzberg (CAN) ~ World Hammer Champion
● Hamish Kerr (NZL) ~ World High Jump Champion
● Pedro Pichardo (POR) ~ World Triple Jump Champion
Women:
● Valarie Allman (USA) ~ World Discus Champion
● Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA) World Long Jump Champion
● Anna Hall (USA) ~ World Heptathlon Champion
● Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) ~ World High Jump Champion
● Cam Rogers (CAN) ~ World Hammer Champion
Fan voting to identify the finalists is open on the federation’s Facebook, Instagram and X channels through 26 October. The winner will be announced at the World Athletics Awards on 30 November.
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USA Track & Field announced a 2026 “USATF Tour” program, designed to smooth out the U.S. meet schedule, if meets will apply right away:
“In 2025, 19 World Athletics Continental Tour meets, two Grand Slam events, and one Diamond League meet competed for attention within a 15-week period in the United States. This disorganized approach creates unnecessary competition for athlete participation as well as for ticket sales, broadcast windows and viewership. As the national federation, it is the responsibility of USATF to facilitate collaboration to streamline this landscape by establishing a strategic national calendar, shared marketing and media support, and consistent competitive standards.”
The federation statement sees the Tour concept as “a transformative opportunity to elevate professional track and field competition through the standardization of best practices, coordination schedules and with financial, marketing and logistical support from the federation.”
All of the meets in the program would receive World Athletics Continental Tour status and USATF assistance described as “drug testing, officials, broadcast coordination, medical support, and branding assets valued at $15,000–$50,000 per event.”
Meets must apply quickly, with the deadline coming on Friday, 31 October! The 19-question application is straightforward and easy to compete in a few minutes. The program schedule is to be announced on 5 December 2025 at the USATF Annual Meeting.
● Beach Volleyball ● The U.S. went 1-2 at the FIVB women’s U-21 World Championships in Puebla (MEX), with Sally Perez and Avery Jackson defeating Zoey Henson and Sarah Wood in a hotly-contested final, 25-23, 21-16. What was even more remarkable is that this was the first tournament for Perez and Jackson as partners.
Latvians Gustavs Auzins and Kristians Fokerots won the men’s title, 21-19, 21-19 over Poland’s Szymon Beta and Artem Besarab. It’s the seconds Worlds gold for Auzins and Fokerots as they won the U-19 Worlds in 2022!
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The Appeals Tribunal for the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) ordered a change in the federation’s ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes:
“The Tribunal decided it shall be enforceable only to the extent that it prohibits athletes from competing who do not satisfy the IOC’s Individual Neutral Athletes (INA) rules for Milano Cortina 2026. Furthermore, the IBSF Appeals Tribunal denied the request by the Bobsleigh Federation of Russia for an immediate entry of its athletes into any IBSF competitions.”
The text of the decision was not published. The IBSF Board will meet Tuesday to consider the decision and whether to appeal it further.
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Interesting new partnership for USA Bobsled & Skeleton, announcing Monday:
“Edward Jones financial advisors in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Upstate and Western New York, and parts of Pennsylvania will work closely with the team to provide career guidance, mentorship, financial literacy education, and job opportunities for athletes transitioning out of bobsled and skeleton, helping set them up for long-term professional success as they move on from elite-level sports competitions.”
USA Bobsled & Skeleton has J.P. Davies, an Edward Jones Principal, as a member of its board. The agreement is potentially an important one for athletes, usually more focused on training than tracking investments.
● Boxing ● World Boxing published its first World Rankings, including all 20 weight classes, with World Championships leaders Uzbekistan (12 in the top 5) and Kazakhstan (11) the top countries. Turkey (8), Brazil (7) and China (6) are next. The rankings are based on points earned at the Worlds, World Cup and 2024 Olympic Games.
The U.S. has three boxers in the top 10s, with silver winner Yoseline Perez fourth in the women’s 54 kg class. Naomi Graham stands eighth at 75 kg, and Malachi Georges is eighth in the men’s 90 kg class.
● Football ● U.S. Soccer announced its formal bid for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup – already fixed as the only bid to be considered – in partnership with Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica. According to the statement:
“The official bid book and related documentation will be submitted to FIFA in November 2025. The global governing body is expected to officially announce its decision at next year’s FIFA Congress on April 30 in Vancouver.”
FIFA said in April that the U.S. bid – with partners – was the only one received for 2031. The U.S. has previously hosted the tournament in 1999 and 2003.
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Players in Spain’s La Liga staged a silent protest before several matches against the league plan to play a Barcelona v. Villareal match in Miami on 20 December. While not shown on television, the players stayed still for 15 seconds; the action was arranged by the player union. Fan groups in Spain have also complained bitterly about the movement of games from their communities.
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