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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The Los Angeles City Council approved Tuesday by 13-0, the spending of $5.282 million to “to repair sidewalks near 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues, fan zones and key access routes” as well as engineering studies for public rights-of-way to get ready for the 2028 Games.
This was not noted as an expense for which the City is asking for reimbursement from the LA28 organizers, but is certainly a way to help avoid City liability for slip-and-fall accidents for bad sidewalks, which has been an increasing problem in recent years. The projects are also seen as a way to train young workers in street repair, addressing a City shortage that has kept sidewalk repairs from being made.
● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● Discussions between the 2030 French Alps organizers, the city of Nice and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region on venue sites moved forward but were not finished on Monday.
Per FrancsJeux.com, the building of an Olympic Village and a new ice rink appear to be going ahead. The use of the Allianz Riviera stadium to host ice hockey continues to be at issue, as it would prevent home matches of the OGC Nice team for several months. But the talks are continuing.
● Laureus World Sports Awards ● Tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) won the Laureus World Sportsman and World Sportswoman of the Year awards in Madrid (ESP) on Monday evening, with Paris Saint-Germain winning the World Team of the Year.
Among the winners was American Chloe Kim, as the World Action Sportsperson of the Year, taking the 2025 World Snowboard Championships gold for the third time in the women’s Halfpipe. Romanian gymnastics icon Nadia Comaneci won the Lifetime Achievement Award, 50 years after being the first to score a perfect 10.00 in the Olympic Games, back at Montreal ’76.
● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● PennyMac, the USOPC and LA28 “Official Mortgage Supporter,” announced a “Welcome Home: Athlete Mortgage Program,” supporting Team USA athletes.
The project offers athletes dedicated home-loan experts, special loan savings options and financial training support to make good choices.
● Athletics ● The annual USATF Mile Road Championships was held Tuesday evening in conjunction with the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines, Iowa as part of Drake Relays Week, with Paris Olympic 1,500 m bronze winner Yared Nuguse getting to the front of the men’s race by the halfway point and winning in 3:54.06 to 3:54.62 over the late-charging two-time defending champ Vince Ciattei. Drew Hunter was third in 3:55.29, moving up from sixth at the three-quarters mark.
Addy Wiley, who won the World Indoor women’s 800 m bronze, took the women’s title in 4:25.42, ahead of Gracie Hyde, the 2024 NCAA Division II 1,500 m champ for Adams State (4:25.64). Both passed Gracie Morris, the leader at 1,320 yards, who finished third in 4:25.75.
Prize money was paid to 10 places, with $10,000-7,500-3,000-2,500-2,000 for the top five.
On Monday, an indoor vault was held at the Jordan Creek Town Center, with U.S. record holder KC Lightfoot equaling his 2026 season best at 5.91 m (19-4 3/4) to win the men’s competition. Two-time World Indoor Champion Sandi Morris edged three-time World Champion Katie Moon on misses in the women’s event, with both clearing 4.75 m (15-7), moving to no. 8 on the world indoor list for 2026.
● Basketball ● The FIBA Women’s World Cup Draw was completed on Tuesday, with the 16 teams drawn into four groups (world rankings shown in parentheses):
● Group A: Japan (10), Spain (6), Germany (11), Mali (18)
● Group B: Hungary (19), Korea (15), Nigeria (8), France (2)
● Group C: Belgium (5), Australia (3), Puerto Rico (13), Turkey (16)
● Group D: United States (1), Czechia (17), Italy (14), China (4)
The tournament will take place in Germany from 4-13 September; the U.S. is the four-time defending champion, and has won 30 straight games in the tournament.
● Volleyball ● India has designs on hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, but after being cited as a “high risk” for doping in athletics on Monday, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) took over the Indian federation on Tuesday:
“[T]he FIVB Board of Administration has determined that the legal and administrative requirements established by the FIVB have not been respected by the interim leadership of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI).
“As such, the VFI’s provisional recognition has been revoked with immediate effect, granting temporary administrative competence to a Steering Committee – comprising representatives from the FIVB and the Indian Olympic Association – to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of volleyball activities in India.
“The welfare and support of athletes remains the FIVB’s top priority, and to this end, the Steering Committee has been mandated to ensure continuity, stability and proper governance during this transitional period. Their responsibility spans the following court-mandated areas: establishment of the Athletes’ Commission; conduct of State Association elections, and the alignment of the VFI Constitution with applicable legal and governance frameworks.
“Further, the Steering Committee will work to implement a transparent, merit-based national team selection, coordinate upcoming international and national competitions, and provide technical and high-performance support through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme, including the deployment of international coaching expertise.”
Not good.
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