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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games ● Speaking with the Hungarian Nemzeti Sport, International Olympic Committee Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP) noted the gravitational pull of the Games that makes it impossible for politics to stay away:
“The success and visibility of the Games attract those who seek to articulate their own causes as loudly as possible here.
“But the Olympics are about unity, friendship, and the message that ‘another world is possible.’”
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● U.S. superstar Kevin Durant won a fourth Olympic gold on the American team at the 2024 Paris Games and said he wants to be considered – at age 39 – for the 2028 L.A. Games as well:
“I didn’t want to just take my name out of consideration just because of the simple fact that I’m older and I did it before.
“[USA Basketball Managing Director] Grant [Hill] understands my love for Team USA. That’s my family. The level of love I have for Team USA and the whole organization over there is unmatched, so I’d love to be part of it until I’m done playing.
“I understand how tough that decision is for Grant, and how many great players are going to emerge the next year and a half, and I’m also very old compared to a lot of these players. I know I’ve got my work cut out for me to make that team.”
● Olympic Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Members of the victorious U.S. men’s hockey team arrived in Miami from Italy on Monday night, and then flew to Washington, D.C., where they were received at The White House, in advance of attending the State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Five members of the men’s team could not attend; the NHL schedule resumes on Wednesday. The gold-medal-winning American women’s team was invited, but declined, citing scheduling conflicts.
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The International Ice Hockey Federation announced its awards for the Olympic men’s tournament, with Canadian star Connor McDavid named as Most Valuable. The Tournament Directorate choices for best position players selected McDavid as the Best Forward, American Quinn Hughes as Best Defender and American Connor Hellebuyck as Best Goalie.
The media-selected All-Star Team included those three, plus defender Cale Makar (CAN) and forwards Macklin Celebrini (CAN) and Juraj Slafkovsky (SVK).
● Winter Paralympic Games 2026 ● The Paralympic Flame was lit Tuesday in Stoke Mandeville (GBR), the site of the original event – the 16-athlete Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 – that became the Paralympic Games.
The flame was kindled by three-time Paralypic alpine skier Millie Knight (GBR) and four-time ice hockey Paralympian Andrea Macrì (ITA). The Paralympic Torch Relay will comprise 11 days before arriving for the Paralympic opening in Verona (ITA) on 6 March.
Approximately 665 athletes from 50 nations will contest 79 medal events in six sports.
● AAU Sullivan Award ● Public voting has opened for the 96th AAU Sullivan Award – first awarded in 1930 – with a deadline of 5 March 2026. The 17 finalists comprise both collegiate (8) and Olympic (8) and Paralympic-sport (1) athletes in eight different sports:
● Olivia Babcock, Volleyball (Pitt)
● Cameron Boozer, Basketball (Duke)
● Evan Bates & Madison Chock, Figure Skating
● Azzi Fudd, Basketball (Connecticut)
● Hannah Hidalgo, Basketball (Notre Dame)
● Blake Horvath, Football (U.S. Naval Academy)
● Erin Jackson, Speed Skating
● Grace Lau, Karate
● Alysa Liu, Figure Skating
● Jeremiyah Love, Football (Notre Dame)
● Ilona Maher, Rugby
● Ilia Malinin, Figure Skating
● Tatyana McFadden, Para Track & Field
● Fernando Mendoza, Football (Indiana)
● Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing
● Braden Smith, Basketball (Purdue)
● Zahid Valencia, Wrestling
Chock & Bates (silver), Liu (two golds), Malinin (gold) and Shiffrin (gold) all won medals at the recent Olympic Winter Games in Italy, although the award is for achievements during 2025.
The winner will be announced in a ceremony in New York on 7 April 2026.
● Fencing ● USA Fencing was happy to announce positive results from a safety study on Tuesday:
“The study, conducted by USA Fencing’s Data Resource Team using Fencing Time Live data collected between August 2019 and July 2025, found that medical withdrawals from direct elimination bouts occurred at a rate of just 0.338% – roughly one withdrawal for every 296 bouts. Of the 44,527 unique competitive fencers analyzed, only 3.9% experienced even a single medical withdrawal over the entire six-season period, and 83% of those fencers withdrew just once.”
This was across 637,283 bouts from 26,930 events. Foil bouts had the highest withdrawal rate, Sabre was in the middle and Epee was the lowest. Age was a factor: the lowest withdrawal rate was among 10-and-under fencers and the highest was for those at 30+ years and in the age 13-14 categories.
● Football ● For some time, the chatter around the 2026 FIFA World Cup was about possible “relocation” of matches due to safety concerns by U.S. President Donald Trump, then about moving matches out of the U.S. to protest the Trump Administration.
Now, after a firefight that killed a cartel leader in state of Jalisco – where the Estadio Guadalajara will host four matches – the talk is suddenly about moving matches out of Mexico.
A media statement which was reported by The Athletic included:
“At FIFA Mexico, we are closely monitoring the situation in Jalisco and remain in constant communication with the authorities.
“We will continue to follow the actions and directions from the different government agencies, aimed at maintaining public safety and restoring normalcy, and we reiterate our close collaboration with federal, state, and local authorities.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that there is “no risk” for the World Cup matches in the country and that in Jalisco, “little by little the situation is returning to normal.”
Further reporting indicates that FIFA would only consider moving matches as a “last resort,” and depending on the safety and security situation. The tournament begins on 11 June, in Mexico City.
¶
At a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, dealing with preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Miami Host Committee Chief Operating Officer Ray Martinez pointed to the stall in funding from the Federal government due to the continuing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security as its funding has been held up in Congress. Said Martinez:
“We are 107 days out from the tournament, but more importantly we are about 70-something days out from starting to build the [Miami 23-day] fan fest. These decisions have to be made, generously, within in the next 30 days. Our local agencies are very anxious. Without receiving this money, it would be catastrophic for our planning and coordination.”
Asked if events surrounding the tournament will be subject to cancellation, Martinez explained:
“That is correct. We have to start making some really tough decisions, and that starts with our fan festival. Obviously the matches up at the stadium will take place, but preparing for the other impromptu events and all the watch parties we’re expecting to see, that will be in jeopardy.”
The Miami Host Committee has asked for $70 million in funding, out of a $625 million allocation in last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But the agency distributing the funds – the Federal Emergency Management Agency – is part of the Department of Homeland Security and is on hiatus amid the funding showdown in Congress.
Host cities are under heavy financial pressures due to FIFA’s requirements, and a major fan festival program planned for Liberty State Park in New Jersey, for which tickets had been sold, has been cancelled in favor of some smaller, free events. The town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, site of Gillette Stadium, has said it will not issue permits for the matches until its security costs of $7.8 million are covered.
● Sport Climbing ● The World Climbing Executive Board reinstated the Russian and Belarusian federations during its 10-11 February meeting, maintaining neutral status for all of their competitors and continuing the ban on the hosting of any events in those countries.
The ban against Russia and Belarus had been in place since 2022.
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For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
