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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Iran ● As part of its continuing internal repression amid the continuing attacks from the U.S. and Israel, the Iranian regime hanged 19-year-old national team wrestler Saleh Mohammadi and two additional Iranian men, Mehdi Ghasemiand and Saeed Davoudi, on 19 March, allegedly for killing two police officers earlier in the year.
United World Wrestling said in a 27 February statement that Mohammadi was at risk and called for a “fair, transparent, and impartial trial, conducted in full respect of fundamental rights, and reaffirms its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.”
The International Olympic Committee, in a statement to Fox Digital, said:
“The IOC, as a civil, non-governmental organization, has neither the remit nor the ability to change the laws or political system of a sovereign country. This is the legitimate role of governments and the respective intergovernmental organizations.
“The IOC is a sports organization whose remit and success is based on bringing the world together in peaceful competition. We have to be realistic about the IOC’s ability to directly influence global and national affairs.
“At the same time, we will continue to work with our Olympic stakeholders to help where we can, often through quiet sports diplomacy. The IOC remains in touch with the Olympic community from Iran.”
The activist group Global Athlete called for the IOC “to immediately suspend the Iranian National Olympic Committee and all Iranian national sports organizations,” in view of the execution.
● Athletics ● In the continuing Grand Slam Track bankruptcy case, the schedule of assets and liabilities filed on Friday shows the circuit’s total indebtedness now stands at $41.579 million, up from $40.680 million on 22 January.
The added debt came from new money to fund the bankruptcy proceeding from Winners Alliance, which us also the largest creditor of all and wants to put more money in to “re-start” the project.
The new filing shows five priority unsecured claims and 340 non-priority claims, with Winners Alliance owed the most at $12.113 million, beyond another $5.020 million in secured claims.
The next hearing is slated for 16 April, at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
● Baseball ● The World Baseball Classic championship game had the most viewers for a non-World Series game in the U.S. since the 2015 All-Star Game, with an average viewing audience of 10.78 million on FOX and FOX Deportes.
In fact, 2026 produced the top three most-watched telecasts in WBC history, with the U.S.-Dominican semifinal at 7.37 million and U.S.-Mexico pool match at 5.02 million. Seven games were at 2.98 million or more, compared to only two others ever before (both finals).
The entire WBC averaged 1.29 million viewers per game on FOX-FS1-FS2, way ahead of the 2023 tournament, at just 506,000.
≡ RESULTS ≡
● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS World Cup Final started in Kvitfjell (NOR) with the Downhill and Super-G events, and the third win of the season for Italy’s Laura Pirovano in the women’s Downhill on Saturday.
As the 14th starter, she rolled through the course in 1:30.85 and took the lead from American Olympic Champion Breezy Johnson (1:31.10) with German Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (GER: 1:31.10) in third. Fellow American Jackie Wiles was 14th in 1:32.03. Pirovano won her third Downhill in a row and took the season title, 536-453 from German Emma Aicher, with Johnson third (413) and Lindsey Vonn fifth (400) despite her injuries.
On Sunday, Italian star Sofia Goggia got her 29th career World Cup win in the Super-G, in 1:29.23, just ahead of 2022 Olympic Downhill champ Corinne Suter (SUI: 1:29.55) and Weidle-Winkelmann (1:29.83). Aicher was fourth and moved to within 45 points of American Mikaela Shiffrin (22nd) for the overall World Cup lead. Keely Cashman was the top American, in 10th (1:30.78). Goggia won the seasonal Super-G trophy, her first.
The men’s Downhill on Saturday was the 25th career World Cup win for Dominik Paris (ITA), winning in 1:45.37, followed by Olympic champ Franjo von Allmen (SUI: 1:45.56) and Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr (1:45.97). American Ryan Cochran-Siegle was 16th (1:47.09). Swiss star Marco Odermatt had already won the seasonal title; he finished with 706 points to 515 for von Allmen.
The Super-G on Sunday was a repeat: Paris won, in 1:26.81, beating Kriechmayr (1:26.88) with Raphael Haaser (1:27.19) taking third. Swiss star Marco Odermatt had already clinched the seasonal Super-G title. Olympic silver winner Cochran-Siegle was 12th (1:28.60).
● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Orleans Open in France, the all-French men’s Singles final saw second-seeded Alex Lanier defeat Toma Junior Popov, 21-11, 21-13, while Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) took the women’s gold, 21-15, 21-15 over Pitchamon Opatiniputh (THA).
China won the men’s Doubles, Japan took the women’s Doubles and the home French got a second gold in the Mixed Doubles.
● Biathlon ● The final stage of the IBU World Cup was in Oslo (NOR), starting with another win for Norway’s suddenly dominant Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won his fourth race in a row with a victory in the 10 km Sprint in 25:21.4 (1 penalty), ahead of France’s Olympic relay gold medalists Emilien Jacquelin (25:25.3/1) and Eric Perrot (25:26.0/1). Campbell Wright of the U.S. was 11th (26:19.1/2).
The 12.5 km Pursuit was nearly the same: Laegreid won again, in 30:31.4 (0), followed by Perrot (30:31.4/0) and then Jacquelin (31:42.6/2). Wright was 13th (33:16.2).
The “Laegreid Express” was finally stopped on Sunday, as Norwegian teammate Johan-Olav Botn won the 15 km Mass Start in 37:15.6 (0), followed by Phillip Nawrath (GER: 37:19.3/0) and Perrot (37:29.3/2), with Lagreid fourth (37:36.2/1). Wright was 12th (38:57.8/4). Perrot won the seasonal trophy with 1,198 points, to 929 for Laegreid; Wright was 13th (604).
The women’s races featured Sweden’s famed Oeberg sisters. The 7.5 km Sprint went to four-time Olympic medalist Hanna Oeberg in 20:20.4 (0), followed by Italy’s Olympic Pursuit winner Lisa Vittozzi (20:40.5/0) and then Elvira Oeberg in third (20:40.5/0). Margie Freed was the top American, in 13th (21:39.0/0).
The 10 km Pursuit was more of the same: Hanna won in 30:14.0 (3), followed very closely by France’s Olympic Individual winner Julia Simon (30:14.5/1) and then Elvira in 30:37.2 (1). Freed was 28th as the top American again (33:02.1/3).
On Sunday, the 12.5 km Mass Start, Vittozzi won her third gold of the season in 34:58.9 (1), over Hanna Oeberg (35:03.1/1); Freed was 21st (37:27.3/2). France’s Lou Jeanmonnot won her first seasonal title, scoring 1,135 points to 958 for Hanna Oeberg.
● Cross Country Skiing ● The FIS World Cup finished up in Lake Placid, New York, with a celebration for retiring American star Jessie Diggins, who won her fourth career seasonal World Cup title!
The races, however, continued Sweden’s run of success, with Olympic Sprint champ Linn Svahn winning the 10 km Classical in 29:04.4, ahead of double Olympic champ Frida Karlsson (29:05.8) and Norway’s Heidi Weng (29:26.5). Diggins was fifth in 29:36.9.
Saturday’s Freestyle Spring was a Swedish sweep, with Svahn (2:52.58), Jonna Sundling (+0.46) and Maja Dahlqvist (+1.54). Diggins was ninth, reaching the semifinals.
On Sunday, the 20 km Freestyle Mass Start was another Swedish 1-2, for Sundling (48:17.1) and Svahn (48:20.6), with Weng third (48:21.3). Diggins – despite a late crash – was 12th in 48:33.6 in what is promised to be her final competitive race.
All together, Diggins totaled 2,303 points to 1,922 for Moe Ilar (SWE), and 1,623 for Dahlqvist. Diggins finishes, at age 34, as the greatest American cross-country skier of all time, with four FIS World Cup seasonal titles in 2021-24-25-26, 31 World Cup wins, four Olympic medals (1-1-2) and seven World Championships medals (2-3-2). She and Kikkan Randall, the Olympic Sprint winners in 2018, have been the bedrock on which the American cross-country program has been built.
The men’s seasonal race was already clinched by Norwegian superstar Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, and he was back from a crash last week to win the 10 km Classical in 26:44.5, beating teammates Andreas Ree (26:59.2) and Mattis Stenshagen (27:08.5). Gus Schumacher of the U.S. was seventh in 27:25.0.
Italy’s 2017 World Champion Federico Pellegrino took the Freestyle Sprint in 2:35.01, ahead of Lars Heggen (NOR: +1.24) and Anton Grahn (SWE: +1.28). JC Schoonmaker of the U.S. made it to the semifinals.
Klaebo was challenged in the 20 km Mass Start, but got to the line first ahead of teammate Harald Amundsen, 41:57.0 to 41:57.8. The Norwegian sweep was completed by Einar Hedegart (41:59.5), with Schumacher 20th as the top American (43:09.6). Klaebo was the seasonal overall winner with 2,301 points, to 1,848 for Amundsen and 1,443 for Pellegrino; Schumacher was seventh (1,113).
● Curling ● The World Curling Women’s World Championship finished in Calgary (CAN), with Switzerland (Xenia Schwaller, skip) and Kerri Einarson’s Canadian squads topping the round-robin standings at 11-1 and 10-2.
In the playoffs, the Swiss defeated Sweden (Isabella Wrana) in the semifinals by 8-5 and Einarson swamped Japan and Satsuki Fujisawa by 11-3. In the championship, Schwaller struck first with two points in the second end, only to be matched by Einarson in the fourth. But the Swiss got two in the fifth, were tied at 4-4 in the seventh and then hit for two points in the eighth, to lead by 6-4. Einarson got to 6-5 in the ninth, but a final point from the Swiss gave them a 7-5 victory and the Worlds gold.
This was the third straight Canada-Swiss Worlds final, with the Canadians (Rachel Homan) winning in 2024 and 2025. Swiss teams had won the four titles before that.
Wrana and Sweden won the bronze, 8-5, over Japan. The U.S., skipped by Delaney Strouse, was 2-10 and did not advance.
● Cycling ● Even a crash with 33 km to go could not stop Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar from claiming his first win in the famed UCI World Tour Milan-Sanremo.
Pogacar crashed along with eight others with 33 km left, but was back in contact with the peloton just six km later and attacked with 24 km left. The only ones to follow were two-time Olympic Mountain Bike champ Tom Pidcock (GBR) and defending champ Mathieu van der Poel (NED) and the Dutchman gave way with 8 km left. It came down to a sprint and Pogacar won – after being second the last two years – in 6:35:49 over the 298 route from Pavia to Sanremo, with Pidcock in the same time. Van der Poel led a parade of riders four seconds back.
Pogacar has now won four of the five Monument races, missing only Paris-Roubaix, coming up on 12 April.
Belgian women’s star Lotte Kopecky won the women’s Milan-Sanremo – 156 km from Genova to Samremo – in 3:47:17, winning a sprint duel to the line over Noemi Ruegg (SUI), Eleonora Gasparrini (ITA) and Dutch star Puck Pieterse, who attacked on the final climb, but was caught for the final sprint.
¶
At the Pan American Championships road races in Colombia, Costa Rica’s Jason Huertas won a mass sprint to the line in the men’s 197.6 km road race in and around Monteria, with Cesar Macias (MEX) second and Leonardo Cobarrubia (ARG) third, all in 4:31:44.
The women’s road race (120.6 km) was a mass sprint finish, won by Catalina Soto (CHI) over Julieta Benedetti (ARG), both in 2:59:20, with the first 25 riders given the same time.
The men’s Time Trial (43.1 km) was won by Walter Bargas (COL: 48:56..03) over Eder Frayre (MEX: +0:54.38), and the women’s Time Trial was a U.S. 1-2 with Kristen Faulkner winning in 38:31.21 and Emily Ehrlich second (+31.84).
● Flag Football ● The World Champion U.S. men’s team had no trouble routing two teams of NFL players three times in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles on Saturday, held at BMO Stadium, which will be the site of the Olympic competition in 2028.
The U.S. won the first game, against Wildcats Flag Football Club by 39-14, with quarterback Nico Caseres completing 4-5 passes for 53 yards and three touchdowns; Darrell Doucette competed 3-3 passes for 27 yards and also had a rushing touchdown. Wildcats quarterback Joe Burrow completed 13-20 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown.
The second game was a 43-16 win for the U.S. over Founders FFC, with Caseres completing 14-14 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns; Doucette was 4-4 for 36 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Hurts was 7-11 for Founders for 69 yards and Tom Brady was 6-8 for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wildcats beat Founders, 34-26, with Burrow 7-7 for 87 yards and two touchdowns; Hurts was 10-15 for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a losing cause. In the final, “championship” game, the U.S. defeated the Wildcats again, 24-14, with Caseras 10-14 for 93 yards and a touchdown; Douchette also threw a touchdown on his one pass play. Douchette also rushed four times for 46 yards and scored twice for the winners. Burrow was 10-14 for 76 yards and a touchdown.
● Freestyle Skiing ● At the FIS Big Air World Cup in Tignes (FRA), Olympic champ Tormod Frostad (NOR) got his first medal of the season, winning at 186.50, ahead of teammate Leo Landroe (171.00) and American Troy Podmilsak (170.50). Podmilsak won the seasonal title with 260 points, over Luca Harrington (NZL: 200).
The women’s Big Air was a second-straight win for Canada’s Naomi Urness (166.75) in her first World Cup season in the event, winning over Anni Karava (FIN: 166.00). Urness also took the seasonal Crystal Globe, scoring 340 points to 230 for Karava.
In Slopestyle, Italian Miro Tabanelli got his first medal of the season – a gold – scoring 83.31 in the best-of-two rounds event, ahead of Olympic champ Birk Ruud (NOR: 83.08). British star Kirsty Muir won the women’s event (82.78) against Canadian Elena Gaskell (76.60).
¶
The Ski Cross World Cup in Craigleith (CAN) saw the second win of the season for Youri Duplessis-Kergomard in the first men’s final, over Canada’s Jared Schmidt. On Sunday, Italy’s Federico Tomasini got his first medal of the season, crossing ahead of Kaleb Barnum (CAN).
The first women’s final was a win for Olympic silver medalist Fanny Smith (SUI), crossing ahead of Hannah Schmidt (ITA). On Sunday, Swedish superstar – and two-time Olympic champ – Sandra Naeslund won for the ninth time this season, beating Marielle Berger Sabbatel (FRA) and Smith to the line.
The season finishes next week in Sweden.
● Judo ● Eight countries earned wins at the IJF World Tour Tbilisi Grand Slam in Georgia, led by Israel, which took three golds, from Izhak Ashpiz in the men’s 60 km class, Timna Nelson Levy in the women’s 57 kg and Raz Hershko in the women’s +78 kg division.
France (including 2017 World Champion Audrey Tcheumeo at 78 kg), Georgia, Turkey and Russia each won twice.
● Ski Jumping ● The FIS World Cup moved to the giant ski-flying hill in Vikersund (NOR) – 240 m – for men and women’s competition, with Austrian Olympic Team gold medalist Stefan Embacher winning the first men’s event, scoring 459.1 points, beating Japan’s Tomofumi Naito (446.8) and Norway’s Johann Andre Forfang (443.7). American Tate Frantz was 17th.
The women’s Saturday jumping was the third win of the season for Norway’s Eirin Kvandal (425.9), ahead of Frida Westman (SWE: 420.5) and seasonal champion Nika Prevc (SLO: 411.3).
On Sunday, dangerous wind conditions cut the women’s jumping to one round, won by Kvandal at 236.2, over Prevc (232.1) and double Olympic champ Anna Stroem (NOR: 223.2).
The men’s event was canceled because of the wind.
● Ski Mountaineering ● The ISMF World Cup in Val Martello (ITA) was shortened by the cancellation of the Individual Race due to unsafe conditions. The Mixed Relay was held on Saturday, with Austria’s Johanna Hiemer and Paul Verbnjak winning easily in 35:42.3, well ahead of Alba De Silvestro and Michele Boscacci (ITA: 36:08.4).
Sunday’s Sprint was another win for Olympic champ Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP: 2:56.8), over Arno Lietha (SUI: 2:58.9). French Olympic runner-up Emily Harrop won the women’s Sprint in 3:21.5, with Olympic fifth-placer Giulia Murada (ITA: 3:29.3) in second.
● Snowboard ● At the FIS World Cup in Flachau (AUT) for Slopestyle, Canada’s Eli Bouchard got his first medal of the season, winning at 81.11 points, ahead of American Justus Henkes (76.91), also winning a first medal this season. The women’s winner was 2023 World Champion Mia Brookes (73.25) over two-time Olympic champ Anna Gasser (AUT: 72.43). American Lily Dhawornvej took the bronze at 66.61.
¶
The Parallel Slalom World Cup in Winterberg (GER) concluded the season, with Korea’s 2018 Parallel Giant Slalom runner-up Sang-ho Lee winning the final over Christoph Karner (AUT). Italy’s Maurizio Bormolini had already wrapped up the seasonal men’s title.
The women’s race was a fourth win this season for Italian Lucia Dalmasso, the Olympic Parallel Giant Slalom bronzer beating Olympic silver winner Sabine Payer (AUT) in the final. Japan’s Tsubaki Miki won the overall seasonal title, with Dalmasso second.
● Swimming ● A sensational world record in the men’s 50 m Freestyle, as Australian star and Olympic champ Cameron McEvoy posted a brilliant 20.88 to win at the China Open in Shenzhen, with $10,000-8,000-6,000 prizes for the top three finishers.
McEvoy, 31, took out the 20.91 mark by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo from the supersuit era, in 2009, and finished well ahead of American star Jack Alexy (21.57) and Rio 2016 100 m Free champ Kyle Chalmers (AUS: 22.01).
McEvoy had gone 21.06 in 2023 and now has four of the top 11 times in history.
¶
At the NCAA women’s championships in Atlanta, Georgia, Virginia won its sixth straight title, with 589 points, ahead of Stanford (380.5) and Texas (376.5).
U.S. Olympic star Torri Huske was the big individual winner, taking the 100-yard Fly (48.49), 50-yard Free (20.66) and 100 yard Free (45.17). Virginia’s Claire Curzan was the other multiple individual winner, in the 100-yard Back (48.24) and 200-yard Back (1:46.10). Virginia won all four relays.
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