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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The National Olympic Committee of Denmark announced that it will establish its “national house” and high performance center at the Westin Long Beach for the 2028 Games.
The famed triple-mast tall ship DANMARK, used as a training ship for the Danish navy, will also come to the Games and be moored in Long Beach, assuming the required permits are obtained.
Long Beach now has two “NOC Houses” committed for 2028, as Greece previously confirmed its presence.
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Italy named its four flag bearers for the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Games, with two-time World Champion and triple Olympic medalist skier Federica Brignone named while still recovering from her brutal crash in April 2025.
Also named were Short Track star Ariana Fontana, cross country skier Federico Pellegrino and curler Amos Mosaner. Skiers Chiara Mazzel and René De Silvestro will be the flagbearers for the Paralympic Winter Games Games.
For the Olympic Winter Games, the Italian flag will be presented in two locations, with Fontana and Pellegrino at the San Siro stadium in Milan and Brignone and Mosaner in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The French government’s construction oversight firm for Olympic works, Solideo, has begun efforts related to the 2030 French Alps Winter Games, with an estimated budget of €1.4 billion (about $1.645 billion U.S.).
About 40 projects are anticipated, with funding primarily from the regions hosting the Games – Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – and the national government at €587 million. Another €213 million will come from local governments, for €800 million in public funding.
Another €500 million-plus is expected from private developers.
● Pan American Sports ● The winners of the Panam Sports Junior Awards for 2025 were announced, with Guatemalan swimmer Roberto Bonilla winning the men’s award and Ecuadorian weightlifter Jessica Palacios taking the women’s honor. Bonilla won two golds at the Junior Pan American Games and Palacios winning one.
Brazil’s handball champions won the men’s top-team award; Jamaica’s 4×100 m relay team won the women’s trophy.
The Fair Play Award went to Puerto Rico’s Gladymar Torres, for her celebration of teammate Frances Colon’s bronze medal in the women’s 100 m, an event in which Torres finished fifth.
● Alpine Skiing ● Norway’s 2025 Worlds runner-up, Atle Lie McGrath, scored his fourth career FIS World Cup win in the Slalom at Alta Badia (ITA), moving up from second after the first run, with a combined time of 1:44.50. That overtook Olympic champ Clement Noel (FRA), who faded to 22nd on the second run and finished in 1:44.80, with Swiss World Slalom Champion Loic Meillard third.
Jett Seymour was the top American, in 29th (1:46.76).
● Freestyle Skiing ● German Ski Cross star Florian Wilmsmann, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, has been banned for 19 months for “whereabouts” failures by the International Testing Agency. But he will not miss the Milan Cortina Winter Games:
“[W]hilst the whereabouts failures occurred in previous years, the athlete’s period of ineligibility was imposed retroactively and ran until 17 November 2024, as allowed by the FIS [anti-doping rules]. In addition, all individual competitive results obtained during the period of ineligibility, namely from 18 April 2023 and 17 November 2024, are disqualified, including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes.”
Wilmsmann placed second at the 21 December FIS World Cup race in Innichen (ITA), his first medal of this season. His 2023-24 season results, which included two silver and two bronze World Cup medals, will be wiped out.
● Skating ● The International Skating Union Council is the latest to consider an all-in-one championship for all of its disciplines – figure, speed, short Track and synchronized – and it was reported Monday:
“A preferred bidder has been identified, with development and feasibility work continuing into 2026. Formal confirmation of the Combined World Championships concept is targeted for spring 2026.”
The Union Cycliste Internationale pioneered this concept in Glasgow (GBR) in 2023, with 13 world championship events held together and considered a significant success. The International Ski & Snowboard Federation is in the process of naming a host for its first all-disciplines “FIS Games” in 2028, to be held over 16 days. Now, the ISU is looking at the concept.
● Skiing ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation released its latest list of “neutral” Russian and Belarusian personnel, but with a curious twist: almost as many “support personnel” as skiers!
There are 38 names on the list now, with 21 skiers and 17 support personnel!
● Belarus: 20 approved: 10 skiers, 10 support
● Russia: 18 approved: 11 skiers, 7 support
FIS has said additional names will be added as the individual applications come in and are reviewed.
● Swimming ● Reuters reported that the International Swimming League, which last saw action in 2021, is planning a comeback for late in 2026, or perhaps 2027. Commissioner Ben Allen (HKG) said that format changes are being discussed, with funding based on broadcast and sponsorship, instead of relying on Ukrainian founder Konstantin Grigorishin for support.
A seven-match schedule, primarily in the U.S. and Europe, is being forecast.
The league ran for three years and lost millions each year, despite recruiting many top swimmers.
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