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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Italian Competition Authority imposed fines of more than €2.5 million across six companies for ambush marketing related to the 2026 Winter Games, stating:
“The Italian Competition Authority has closed its investigations launched starting from January 2026 into Harmont & Blaine S.p.A., Rialto S.p.A. (‘Il Gigante’ supermarkets), MD S.p.A. (‘MD’ supermarkets), Magazzini Gabrielli S.p.A. (‘Oasi’ supermarkets), RetailPro S.p.A. (‘Pro7′ supermarkets) and Butan Gas S.p.A., finding the companies to have breached the prohibition against ambush marketing. The companies have been fined over 2.5 million euro in total.”
In specific, the companies were found to create “an association between their brand and the Olympics, thereby misleading the public as to the identity of the official sponsors” through “advertising campaigns and promotional activities which frequently featured or evoked, in different forms, the Olympic symbols (five rings) and emblems, and/or official names such as ‘Milano-Cortina/Milano-Cortina2026.’” (€1 = $1.14 U.S.)
● Olympic Winter Games: Alpes 2030 ● At a hearing of the French National Assembly Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education, organizing committee chief Edgar Grospiron emphasized that the shuffling of venue sites – notably moving the ice events from Nice to Lyon – has helped the project (translation from the original French):
“The requirements of the International Federations and the International Olympic Committee led us to consolidate the entire ice skating hub in the Lyon metropolitan area. Does this generate additional costs or delays? No, it generates substantial savings.
“Where we would have had to build a new ice rink, we are no longer building one; we will use existing facilities and install temporary ice rinks inside them.
“In Lyon, there’s been a significant optimization of our operations and a reduction in costs. All of this contributes to an enhanced Olympic experience, since Lyon is ultimately closer to the other mountain venues. This concept is more coherent and simpler to organize. The overall concept of the Games is strengthened as a result.
“The two most distant locations are a maximum of three hours apart by car, whereas it was eleven hours to Nice. There are more obvious cost optimizations to be made.”
The organizing committee Director General, Vincent Roberti, noted: “Being in Lyon rather than Nice allows us to save approximately 100 million euros compared to the initial budget.”
Grospiron said that 24% of the €591 million domestic sponsorship target has been met so far.
● Archery ● The fourth and final stage of the U.S. Archery Team Qualifier series was the Buckeye Open in Dublin, Ohio, with American stars Brady Ellison and Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez taking the men’s and women’s Recurve titles.
Ellison won 7-3 in the final over T Sanchez and Mucino-Fernandez took her third qualifying series title in a row, this time over fellow Paris Olympian Catalina GNoriega, 6-0.
The Compound wins went to James Lutz by 148-144 over Grady Kane in the men’s final, and Alexis Ruiz, 147-146, against Olivia Dean in the women’s division.
● Athletics ● Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser of the U.S. said he will miss the rest of the season due to continuing problems with his right elbow, which will require surgery.
He broke the olecranon, just at the bottom of the elbow, in May and it must be removed, and other work will be done to get his elbow and arm functioning properly.
● Canoe-Kayak ● The International Canoe Federation’s Slalom World Championships got going in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Monday and continue through Saturday in a preview of the 2028 Olympic competitions at Riversport OKC.
A total of 256 entries from 50 countries will contest 12 events, with the individual Kayak Cross (time trial) held on Monday and Australian superstar Jessica Fox winning in 51.05, ahead of Katerina Bekova (CZE: 51.08) and Lois Leaver (GBR: 51.17). Evy Leibfarth was the top American finisher, in 17th (54.20).
For the amazing Fox, it’s her 23rd Worlds medal and 15th gold, and third in Kayak Cross events.
The men’s Kayak Cross (time trial) final went to Britain’s Joseph Clarke in 46.54, for his 12th Worlds medal and seventh gold. He was 0.16 ahead of Jakub Krejci (CZE: 46.70) with Spain’s defending champion David Llorente third (46.98). It’s Clarke’s fifth Worlds gold in Kayak Cross events.
● Cycling ● Doping tests were carried out in the middle of the night for Tour de France stars Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) and four-time winner Tadej Pogacar (SLO), reportedly at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., respectively, on Sunday morning prior to the 15th stage. Said double Olympic gold medalist Remco Evenepoel (BEL), currently second:
“It’s pretty disrespectful. To be honest, [if] I had it, I would send my team to wake them [doping control officials] up to feel how it is.
“It’s something inhuman, it’s something that we should not accept as athletes. Everyone knows sleep is the only recovery moment we have, and if that gets disturbed. … This is the hardest and the biggest race in the world. This is a shame that this happened, and I hope it doesn’t happen any more in the future.”
The International Testing Agency told the AP:
“The ITA is conscious that nighttime testing may be disruptive to riders’ rest and recovery. However, the ITA, on behalf of the UCI, has the responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of the cycling anti-doping program and the integrity of cycling races.”
Vingegaard crashed during Sunday’s stage and had to withdraw from the race.
● Football ● The Spanish news agency EFE reported that 80 people were injured in nationwide celebrations of Spain’s win in the FIFA World Cup final, with 12 arrests (seven in Madrid). Two people were reported to have died, including a 13-year-old in Ciudad Rodrigo, killed when a fountain that several people climbed aboard collapsed.
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Britain’s Sky Sports posted that FIFA will investigate the actions of Argentine players after their loss to Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, with a brawl, pushing and shoving of Spanish players following the final whistle, notably midfielder Leandro Paredes, defender Nahuel Molina and assistant coach Robert Ayala.
● Tennis ● The Associated Press reported that the Women’s Tennis Association has included one-time-only SRY gene testing as part of the women’s eligibility policy, which will bring the sport into line with the International Olympic Committee’s regulations for the protection of the female category. The new policy includes:
“In this policy, ‘biological male’ means an individual who, regardless of their legal sex or gender identity, has an SRY gene and therefore has or previously had testes or streak testes; and ‘biological female’ means an individual who, regardless of their legal sex or gender identity, has no SRY gene and therefore has or previously had ovaries or streak ovaries.”
● Volleyball ● The men’s FIVB Nations League round-robin has been completed, with Japan standing undefeated and top-seeded into the playoffs that will start on 29 July in Ningbo (CHN).
2024 Olympic runners-up Poland and Slovenia followed at 10-2, then 2025 World Champion Italy, the U.S. and Turkey at 8-4 in places 4-6. Japan, the 2024 Nations League silver winners, will meet host China (1-11) in the top of the bracket, with the winner to take on the Italy-U.S. victor in the semifinals.
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