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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The Los Angeles City Council voted by 12-0 for a change of the portion of 39th Street in downtown Los Angeles from Main Street to Figueroa Street, leading into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as “Paralympic Way.”
A motion by Council member Curren Price Jr. asked for the roadway to be renamed as “Paralympic Street,” but the motion was amended to “Paralympic Way.” The Los Angeles City Engineer is now directed to “initiate the process” of renaming the street.
The Coliseum is an especially appropriate venue to be recognized in this way as the first-ever wheelchair races held during an Olympic Games were contested in the Coliseum on 11 August 1984, a men’s 1,500 m and women’s 800 m.
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The LA28 organizers released the comprehensive Paralympic Games sports schedule, with 560 medal events from 15-27 August. Ticket sales will start in 2027.
● Olympic Games: Future ● At the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) General Assembly on Lausanne on Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee head of sports, Pierre Ducray (SUI), told the assembled federations that negotiations for the IOC’s hospitality contractor are getting ready.
U.S. firm On Location has been the IOC’s official hospitality provider for Paris 2024, Milan Cortina 2026 and for Los Angeles 2028, but a new contract is to be awarded for the 2030-32-34 Games in French Alps-Brisbane-Salt Lake City.
A request for proposal will be circulated on 18 May to six selected agencies – not named on Wednesday – with submittals due in the third quarter of 2026. A to-be-determined number of firms will be selected for a second submittal by the end of the year, with one targeted for contract. A final selection is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
On Location lost money on its Paris 2024 operation, but is expected to do better in Los Angeles in 2028, given the better-developed hospitality and suite-sales environment in the U.S.
One of the requests that will be made of the proposers to be create federation-specific hospitality offerings that can be combined with federation ticket availability, potentially allowing federation to get more money out of their ticket allocations at the Games.
● Transgender ● The IOC told the Russian news agency TASS that transgender women can still compete in the Olympic Games:
“Transgender athletes are not excluded from IOC events, including the Olympic Games. Like all other athletes, they are eligible to compete in the category that aligns with their biological sex.
“Transgender athletes who are biologically female – as per the eligibility requirement – and who meet qualification standards may compete in the female category as long as they have not used testosterone or other androgens.
“Transgender athletes who are biologically male and who meet qualification standards may compete in the male category. Outside the Olympic Games or other IOC events, like all athletes who do not qualify for the Olympics, transgender athletes can participate in all other sporting events available to them.
“In summary, the policy applies specifically to eligibility for the female category, which is defined as ‘the competition category designated for athletes who are biological females.’ It does not introduce new eligibility rules for the male category. Athletes who are not eligible for the female category ‘continue to be included in all other classifications for which they qualify, including any male category and any open category,’ where these exist.”
● Boxing ● World Boxing’s Executive Board recommended the addition of four new member federations, in Rwanda, Costa Rica, Cabo Verde and the Solomon Islands.
That brings the federation to an impressive 180 members, especially since it was formed in 2023!
● Canoe-Kayak ● A submission from Paddle Australia is in to to the International Canoe Federation to host the first World Paddle Games in 2030, bringing 10 disciplines together in a single event with 6,000 athletes.
The State of Queensland is backing the bid, which projects as much as A$200 million in total revenue (about $142.6 million U.S.). The competitions would be held at the Redland Whitewater Centre, two years in advance of their use for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. The event could be formally allocated by the ICF in late July.
● Cycling ● At the 109th Giro d’Italia, Danish rider Michael Valgren attacked in the final 1,000 to cross first at the end of the 202 km, hilly route to Andalo in 4:41:33, edging Andreas Leknessund (NOR: +0:03) and Damiano Caruso (ITA: +0:06).
Valgren emerged from a group of six who broke away on the final climb and into the finish. The race leaders did not change, with Danish star Jonas Vingegaard continuing to lead Felix Gall (AUT) by 4:03. The race finishes Sunday.
● Football ● The Attorneys General for New York and New Jersey said Tuesday they “subpoenas to FIFA seeking information about its ticketing practices. The attorneys general are specifically requesting details about ticketing practices at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will host eight World Cup matches, including the World Cup Final on July 19, 2026.”
Their statement noted:
“The investigation will probe a range of issues that have arisen with FIFA’s ticketing process. Fans have reported they were misled about where the tickets they were purchasing would be located. For its initial ticket sales, FIFA’s seat maps divided stadiums into four zones named Category 1 through Category 4, with Category 1 seats in the most desirable location. Yet after many fans had already bought tickets, FIFA created new zones, Front Categories 1 through 4, made up of the most desirable seats within each Category. Tickets in these Front Categories cost significantly more. Reports indicate that fans who bought tickets before these new zones were introduced were excluded from those seats and instead assigned less desirable seats, including seats far from the field or behind the goals.
“In addition, some fans have reported that they did not receive the tickets in the Category they paid for. These fans have reported that although they selected and paid for Category 1 tickets, which were the closest areas to the field, they were assigned seats further back in Category 2 areas.
“The attorneys general will also investigate FIFA’s ticket prices for 2026 World Cup matches, which have far exceeded the prices for any previous World Cup tournament. FIFA has used ‘variable pricing’ to adjust ticket prices based on demand. As FIFA released tickets in phases over the course of several months, prices for some matches skyrocketed. Press reports indicate that between October 2025 and April 2026, FIFA raised the price of tickets for more than 90 of the 104 World Cup matches, with prices for the three main ticket categories rising on average by 34%. The investigation will examine whether and how FIFA’s ticket release schedule, public statements, and other conduct may have impacted these prices.”
● Swimming ● Dutch sprinter Marit Steenbergen moved to no. 2 on the all-time women’s world list in the 100 m Freestyle with a lifetime best 51.86 win in the second leg of the Mare Nostrum series in Canet-et-Roussillon (FRA).
The 2024 and 2025 World Champion in the 100 Free, Steenbergen’s time moves her past American Anna Moesch, who surprised with an American Record 51.94 win at the AP Race London Invitational, to no.2 in history, behind Swede Sarah Sjostrom’s 51.71 world record from 2017.
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