ATHLETICS: Kiplimo wins third straight, Ngetich dominant at World Athletics Cross Championships in Tallahassee

January 10, 2026

tsx pix 2026-110 ngetich wins w x-c (world feed) — All smiles for Kenya's Agnes Ngetich as she wins the women's World Athletics Cross Country title in Tallahassee (World Athletics video screen shot).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ WORLD CROSS CHAMPS ≡

The 46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida started with a bright sky and 67 F temperatures, but with 90% humidity at Apalachee Regional Park, and a nice crowd of more than 5,000 on hand on the custom-built course.

The setting was fun, the racing was great, the meet looked to be very well organized and two great champions destroyed good fields for the men’s and women’s senior titles. Race-by-race:

Mixed Relay (4 x 2 km):
Ethan Strand of the U.S. (5:12) and Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot passed first, but Australia’s Linden Hall – who attended Florida State in Tallahassee ran away in the final third of the second leg to take a six-second lead (11:11) on France and South Africa.

France’s Antoine Senard (16:31) overtook Jack Anstey (AUS) over the log section and passed first, but Australia had world 2,000 m record holder Jess Hull on anchor. Wes Porter of the U.S. passed third (+0:09).

Hull, who has been training in the U.S., ran to the front right away over Agathe Guillemot and stayed on the gas to win easily in 22:23 to 22:26 over France. Ethiopian star Hirut Meshesha – the 2024 All-African Games 1,500 m winner – ran Ethiopia into third (22:34), ahead of defending champ Kenya (22:42) and Gracie Morris and the U.S. in fifth (22:43).

It’s the first time that anyone other than Kenya (3 golds) and Ethiopia (1 gold) has won this event and the first time that African nations did not finish 1-2. But given the visa issues that plagued Ethiopia, the bronze was impressive.

Women (10 km):
Temperatures were up to 73 F and 73% humidity when 101 women started at 8:35 a.m. Favored Agnes Ngetich (KEN) – the road 10 km world-record holder at 28:46 from 2024 – led a group of four who had a four-second lead on the pack by 2 km. It was six seconds at 3 km over Joy Cheptoyek (UGA), Senayet Getachew (ETH) and Asayech Ayichew (ETH), with another nine seconds back to the next group.

The television shot from a drone couldn’t put Ngetich and the chase pack in the same shot (!) by 4 km, with Ngetich taking a 17-second lead. She won the bronze in 2023 and was on the way to Kenya’s 10th straight women’s title. Ngetich passed 5 km in 15:19 and was up by 25 seconds, with Cheptoyek and Getachew 2-3 and Ayichew falling back.

Ngetich was lapping runners as she took the bell at 8 km, 40 seconds up on the field and rolled to the win in a masterpiece run in 31:28, with a huge smile on the run-in to the tape.

Cheptoyek pulled away in the final kilometer to take silver in 32:10 with Getachew in 32:13.

Ethiopia took the team title easily with 19 points, ahead of Kenya (36) and Uganda (37). Ednah Kurgat of the U.S. was 10th (33:28), followed by Karissa Schweizer (17: 33:58), Katie Izzo (25: 34:25) and Grace Hartman (32: 34:47) for 83 points and fourth place. Emily Venters was 33rd (34:48) and Weini Kelati was 40th (35:25), falling well back on the final lap and a half.

It’s Ethiopia’s first women’s gold since 2019, and their 13th all-time.

Men (10 km):
Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo was looking for a third straight win in the men’s race, started at 75 F and 67% humidity. Wesley Kiptoo of the U.S. had the lead at the 2 km mark at 5:39, with Kiplimo in 32nd.

Tadese Worku (ETH) took over at the end of the second lap (11:34), with 16 within two seconds and Kiplimo up to fourth. And Kiplimo was in the lead heading to the start of the fourth lap, in 17:14, with six in the lead pack and Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) closest.

Kiplimo, Ebenyo and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi – second to Kiplimo the last two times – crossed in front at the bell at 22:56, five seconds up on the field. Kiplimo surged ahead through the sandy beach section and Aregawi gave chase, breaking away from Ebenyo. Kiplimo was up by 0:08 with a km left and ran alone to the finish in 28:18. He’s the first to win three in a row since Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele took five in a row from 2002-06 (and also won in 2008).

Aregawi got his third straight silver in 28:36 and Ebenyo took bronze in 28:45 and Worku was fourth (28:39). You have to go back to the first three editions of the event to find Spain’s Mariano Haro finishing second three consecutive times in 1973-74-75.

Ethiopia (2-4-6-18) won the team title at 30, a satisfying result considering their visa issues, followed by Kenya (34) and Uganda (39). The U.S. leader was American Cross champ Parker Wolfe in 12th (29:28), then Kiptoo in 14th (29:34), Graham Blanks in 19th (29:41) and Nico Young in 36th (30:19). Their 81 points placed them in fourth; France was fifth at 92.

Ethiopia won its first title since 2017 and 11th all-time.

In the U-20 races, defending women’s champion Marta Alemayo steadily built a lead and entered the final 2 km lap with a seven-second lead. She won the 6 km race easily in 18:52 and became the fifth to win two consecutive titles; countrywoman Letesenbet Gidey was the last to do it in 2015-17.

Teammate Wosane Asefa was second (19:18), then Charity Cherop (UGA: 19:19); Ethiopian Yenenesh Shimket was fifth (19:35) and but for their entry visa problems, the Ethiopians would have won their sixth team title in a row. As it was, Uganda and Kenya each scored 29 points, with the fourth-place finisher the tie-breaker and Peace Chebet was 10th to 11th for Miriam Kibet for Kenya. It was the first win for Uganda in the event.

Japan was third (87) – for the 17th time in this event – and the U.S. was fourth at 108, with Blair Bartlett the top finisher in 16th (20:36).

The men’s 8 km U-20 race had Kenyans Emmanuel Kiprono, Frankline Kibet and Andrew Alamisi in front entering the final lap, and Kibet sprinted to the line first, with Kiprono, Alamisi and Andrew Kiptoo going 1-2-3-4 (23:18-23:20-23:28-23:42) to complete a team sweep (10 points).

Uganda was a clear second in the team race (31) and then the U.S. won the bronze (75) with Tyler Daillak in 16th (24:46), then Jackson Spencer (18: 25:00), Daniel Skandera (19: 25:02) and Aidan Torres (22: 25:20).

The bronze is the first for the U.S. since 2023 (which was the first since 1982!).

This was the first Worlds Cross in the U.S. since 1992, but based on how well this one went, it won’t be the last.

★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Int’l federations want more IOC money, Olympic event control; Ukraine skeleton racer asks Russian suspension; Chloe Kim injured!

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Association of Summer Olympic International Federations ● The ASOIF Strategy 2026-32 plan was unveiled, with new President Ingmar De Vos (BEL-equestrian) explaining:

“[T]he new strategy takes a more deliberate and forward-looking approach. It maintains ASOIF’s core purpose while sharpening its focus. Greater emphasis is given to collaboration and influence, with the purpose of championing the role of the IF whilst also protecting the jurisdiction and mandate of the IF.”

The primary objectives include collective representation of International Federations interests in the Olympic Movement, to “establishment of a clear and objective process and methodology for determining the Olympic Games Sport Programme” as well as “[c]larify Olympic Games revenue distribution based upon transparent and objective criteria” and better information-sharing between federations.

At the core: more money for the IFs from the International Olympic Committee and more say on what sports and events are included in the Games (which then impacts revenue sharing).

● Enhanced Games ● The latest athlete to sign with the Enhanced Games is British sprinter Reese Prescod, 29, who last competed in 2024. He had a best of 9.93 in 2022, but managed only 10.00 in 2024; he was a member of three British Worlds teams and a Tokyo 2020 Olympian.

● Athletics ● World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR) visited Jamaica and pledged an additional $100,000 support to help rebuild facilities in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, for

“programme support focused on ensuring athletes from the impacted western side of the island can continue to train and compete in regional and global championships, including the CARIFTA Games in Grenada in April and the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, USA, in August.

“Our funding will be allocated to areas such as transport and accommodation to ensure impacted athletes have access to facilities for training and competition, and replacement of equipment, rather than infrastructure, considering that this is a local and national government responsibility.”

The Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Mercyline Chelangat (UGA) for five years for testosterone use from 10 October 2025. Now 28, she is a 1:08:27 half-marathoner (2022) and 2:24:12 marathoner from 2023.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Activist Ukrainian (and two-time Olympian) skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych posted a broadside against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation on Thursday for admission of Russian “neutrals” which he believes are, in fact, supporting the war against Ukraine:

● “Today, during the European Cup stage in skeleton, the Ukrainian national team, together with the teams from Latvia and Sweden, held a protest against the participation of so-called “neutral” athletes whom the IBSF has admitted to competitions.”

● “Our national team has every moral right to this protest. These young Ukrainian athletes have gone through real hell, and our entire country continues to endure it due to russia’s full-scale invasion. At the same time, the majority of the admitted “neutral” athletes support the war against Ukraine in one way or another (examples in the thread).”

● “Olympic sport is always politics, and russian sport is one of the key instruments of russian propaganda. Anyone who does not understand this is either consciously supporting russia’s actions against Ukraine or simply refusing to see reality.”

He ended with:

“The Bobsleigh Federation of russia remains a member of the IBSF despite gross violations of the Olympic Charter: recognizing Ukraine’s occupied territories as russian and spreading propagandist symbolism. For similar violations, the russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the IOC. Why the IBSF acts differently is unclear to us.

“The Bobsleigh Federation of russia must be suspended, and all athletes involved in supporting the war must be barred from competitions.”

● Football ● The expected rush of friendly matches in the U.S. ahead of this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup started Thursday with qualifiers Brazil, France, Croatia and Colombia announcing dates in March:

● 26 March: Brazil vs. France at Foxborough, Ma.
● 26 March: Croatia vs. Colombia at Orlando, Fl.
● 29 March: Colombia vs. France at Landover, Md.
● 31 March: Brazil vs. Croatia at Orlando, Fl.

The promoters include Unified Events, Florida Citrus Sports, Pitch International, Lions Sports & Media and Cardenas Media Network. Only the 26 March match with Brazil and France is at a World Cup site.

The inquiry into betting by Turkish football referees and officials is deepening as 212 more individuals were referred to the Professional Football Discipline Committee, including 108 coaches and team staff and 104 football agents.

All of the coaches have been temporarily suspended, with the inquiry now focused on individuals who were involved in the country’s professional leagues during the previous five years and placed bets during that time.

In October 2025, an investigation reported 371 of 571 match officials in Turkey had active betting accounts and 152 had been betting on football matches.

● Freestyle Skiing ● French Olympic women’s Big Air silver medalist Tess Ledeux is out of the Milan Cortina Winter Games due to a concussion suffered last March. A World Champion in both Big Air and Slopestyle, she wrote in a Friday social post:

“With the help of the medical staff, I have made the decision to draw a line under my season. Probably the hardest decision of my life. … This choice is difficult, almost impossible to accept. It feels unfair.”

Ledeux, still just 24, has suffered from continuing dizziness, fatigue and headaches since then. She said she will be looking forward to a Winter Games in her own country at French Alps 2030.

● Snowboard ● U.S. women’s Halfpipe star Chloe Kim posted a video on Instagram Thursday with bad news:

“I’m here in Switzerland and on my second day of training, I took the silliest fall … and that ultimately resulted in my dislocating my shoulder. Just so fun.

“Trying to stay really optimistic. I think I don’t have much clarity right now because I haven’t gotten an MRI yet, but that’s scheduled for tomorrow. … So yeah just trying to stay really optimistic, but I feel really good about where my snowboarding is at right now so I know that the minute I get cleared and I’m good to go, it should be fine.

“I’m just hoping that it doesn’t take too long. But I’m going to be chilling for the next little while. So if you have any recs on how I should kill all this time that I have, please let me know.”

She appeared to hurt her left shoulder and said she is “not in that much pain” and that she has range of movement. She added in the text column:

“trying to stay positive through these moments so difficult. I have gone through so many waves of emotions I literally have a migraine. The only thing I can do is rest/do everything in my power to come back as soon as possible. thank you all for supporting me on this wild journey! will keep you posted 🙂 p.s I think I am getting old”

She’s 25.

● Swimming ● The International Swimming Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2026:

“Swimmers Nathan Adrian (USA), László Cseh (HUN) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED); Open Water Swimmer Ferry Weertman (NED); Diver Tania Cagnotto (ITA); Water Polo Player Simone Fountain (AUS); Artistic Swimmer Heather Simmons-Carrasco (USA); Masters Swimmer Richard Burns (USA); Coach Jane Figueiredo (ZIM); Contributor Stephen A. “Sid” Cassidy (USA); and Paralympian Beatrice Hess (FRA).”

Adrian won five Olympic golds in the men’s sprints and relays, including the London 2012 men’s 100 m Free; Cseh won four Olympic silvers and two bronzes in the 200-400 m Medley and the 100-200 m Butterfly, and Kromowidjojo won Olympic golds in the 50-100 m Frees in 2012 and the 4×100 Free relay in 2008.

She married Weertman, the 2016 Olympic men’s 10 km open-water champion in 2022. Simmons-Carrasco was a member of the American gold-medal team at the Atlanta 1996 Games.

They will be inducted on 16 May at the ISHOF in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: World Athletics Cross Country Championships on in Tallahassee on Saturday, with Kiplimo looking for a third straight title

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 2024 — Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda repeats as World Athletics Cross Country champion in 2024! (Photo: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images for World Athletics)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ ALL EYES ON TALLAHASSEE ≡

For the first time in 34 years, the World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be in the U.S., this time in Tallahassee, Florida at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday morning. The last time was in 1992 in Boston, with Kenya sweeping the men’s and women’s team titles and that could happen again.

Despite some significant entry visa problems for the Ethiopian team in particular, a total of 485 athletes are entered from 52 national federations for men’s and women’s senior-level races (10 km), a 4 x 2 km mixed relay and junior races for men over 8 km and women over 6 km. The schedule (times Eastern):

● 9:45 a.m.: Mixed Relay
● 10:20 a.m.: U-20 women
● 10:55 a.m.: U-20 men
● 11:35 a.m.: Women
● 12:20 p.m.: Men

A look ahead:

Men (145 entered from 43 federations):
An African runner has won this race every time beginning in 2002: that’s 16 in a row. All of the winners have come from Ethiopia, Kenya or Uganda, with Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) winning the last two and ready to go for a third.

He will be assisted by Dan Kibet, who finished 11th in 2024; Uganda was second in the team race in 2024, third in 2023 and won it in 2019. Kiplimo will certainly be challenged for the race win by France’s World 10,000 m winner Jimmy Gressier and Spain’s European Cross champ Thierry Ndikumwenayo.

Ethiopia won three in a row in 2013-15-17, then second in 2019-23 and third in 2024 and even with the visa issues, could win again. Berihu Aregawi was second in the 2023 and 2024 races and would prefer a victory this time. He has Tadese Worku, 12th in 2024, back again and Biniam Mehary, fifth in the Paris Olympic 5,000 m in 2024.

Kenya has won the last two men’s team titles and is led by 2023 World 10,000 m silver winner Daniel Ebenyo, but with new faces on the team for 2026.

The U.S. hasn’t won a team medal since 2013, but has a competitive squad with national champ Parker Wolfe, Paris Olympian Nico Young and ex-NCAA cross champ Graham Blanks.

Women (101 entered from 30 federations):
Kenyans have won this race nine years in a row, but two-time winner Beatrice Chebet won’t try for a third as she is out for maternity. Agnes Ngetich, the bronze winner in this race in 2023 and fourth in 2024, is back to lead the squad, plus national cross champion Maurice Chebor.

Ethiopia has an all-new senior team, but Senayet Getachew won the U-20 race in 2023. Uganda has Sarah Chelangat, fifth in 2024, and Joy Cheptokyek, 17th in 2024 as the squad leaders.

Kenya has won the women’s title seven of the last nine times and two in a row; Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda have been the medal winners in three of the last four Worlds.

The U.S. last won a team medal in 2011 (bronze) and has two-time national champ Weini Kelati back; she was 14th in the 2024 Worlds. Edna Kurgat, the 2022 U.S. cross champ is on the squad, along with 2024 squad member Allie Ostrander (27th) and Paris Olympian Karissa Schweizer, a member of the 2019 U.S. Worlds Cross team.

Mixed Relay (15 national teams entered):
This will be the fifth time for the Mixed 4×2 km relay, with Kenya winning in 2017, 2023 and 2024, all three times over Ethiopia, which won in 2019.

The Kenyans will be favored again with World 1,500 m bronzer Reynold Cheruiyot, Purity Chepkirui and Kyumbe Munguti returning from the 2024 winners.

There is prize money; for the senior races, it’s $30,000-15,000-10,000-7,000-5,000-3,000 for the top six in each gender, and team prizes of $20,000-16,000-12,000-10,000-8,000-4,000 for the top six. The Mixed Relay has prizes of $12,000-8,000-6,000-4,000 for the top four.

This is the third time the Cross Worlds are in the U.S., previously in 1992 in Boston and in 1984 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In terms of U.S. broadcasting, NBC has it with live coverage from 9:35 a.m. Eastern on its Peacock streaming service and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock and then from 1-2 p.m. Eastern on Peacock.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

FIGURE SKATING: Glenn shines in women’s Short Program in star-studded U.S. Championships featuring three World Champions

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating National Championships are heading toward their climax in St. Louis, Missouri with the Short Programs for the women’s Singles and Pairs on Wednesday, the men’s Singles and Ice Dance first-day skating on Thursday and then the final sessions on Friday and Saturday.

Always important, these essentially Olympic Trials events are all the more important as American skaters are in the splendid position of having won three World Championships golds at the 2025 World Championships in Boston and then three more at the 2025 International Skating Union’s Grand Prix Final, in each case with the same skaters:

● Men: Ilia Malinin
● Women: Alysia Liu
● Ice Dance: Madison Chock and Evan Bates

In terms of seasonal best scores in international competitions (only) so far, the U.S. has the clear leader for men and Ice Dance, but multiple contenders in the women’s division, but are unlikely medal contenders in Pairs:

Men:
● 1. 333.81, Ilia Malinin
● 11. 257.81, Jason Brown
● 21. 245.71, Tomoki Hiwatashi

Women:
● 3. 222.49, Alysia Liu
● 7. 214.78, Amber Glenn
● 8. 212.71, Isabeau Levito

Pairs:
● 7. 205.49, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov
● 10. 199.11, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea
● 12. 194.00, Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy

Ice Dance:
● 1. 220.42, Madison Chock and Evan Bates
● 7. 202.27, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik
● 13. 192.35, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

On Wednesday, two-time defending champion Glenn was brilliant, scoring 83.05 – the highest score ever compiled by an American – and more than five points better than the best international score in 2025-26, 78.00 by Japan’s Ami Nakai – but with only a modest lead over Liu, who scored 81.11. Lebeau was third at 75.72 and Sarah Everhardt fourth (71.10).

Glenn’s 83.05 was, of course, a U.S. Nationals record, smashing the 79.40 by Bradie Tennell from 2021. The top three all recorded personal best scores.

In Pairs, defending champions Efimova and Mitrofanov also scored a lifetime best at 75.31 – which would no. 5 on the 2025-26 world list – leading Shin and Nagy (67.67) and Kam and O’Shea were third at 67.13.

Malinin and Chock and Bates are strong favorites to win their events. For Malinin, it would be fourth national title in a row; Chock and Bates have won six American national titles and the last four straight.

The remaining schedule (Central time) and broadcast options (Eastern time: +1 hour):

Thursday, 08 January:
● 4:03 p.m.: Ice Dance ~ Rhythm Dance
● 7:18 p.m.: Men ~ Short Program
Broadcast:
● Live on Peacock
● Delayed on USA Network and Peacock at 5 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Central)

Friday, 09 January:
● 2:03 p.m.: Pairs ~ Free Skate
● 2:44 p.m.: Women ~ Free Skate
Broadcast:
● Live on Peacock
● Delayed on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central)
● Replay on Saturday on NBC, USA Network and Peacock at 6 p.m. Eastern

Saturday, 10 January:
● 2:28 p.m.: Ice Dance ~ Free Dance
● 3:30 p.m.: Men ~ Free Skate
Broadcast:
● Live on Peacock
● Delayed on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central)

The U.S. Championships is not a “trials” in the strict sense, as U.S. Figure Skating will select its team, rather than simply picking the top finishers. NBC and Peacock will have a “Making Team USA” special on Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern time to actually name its Milan Cortina squad.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LOS ANGELES 2028: L.A. City Planning Commission advances ordinance to exempt LA28 temporary works from slow permit process

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TEMP USE ORDINANCE ≡

A purely bureaucratic, technical – but important – step in the process of allowing the LA28 organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to actually stage the events moved ahead Thursday morning.

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission approved a draft ordinance to exempt the organizing committee, and potentially others, from the normal, laborious and lengthy planning and approvals process by a 6-0 vote.

The draft ordinance will now be sent on for review by the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Public Land Use Management Committee, and then ultimately to the City Council itself for final approval. But the City’s primary planning review board was fully satisfied.

This “Zoning Code Amendment Ordinance pursuant to Section 138.1.3.D.3. of Chapter 1A of the Los Angeles Municipal Code” started with a City Council motion in December 2024, with an initial draft presented in September 2025 and continuously refined. In its present form:

● “Olympic and/or Paralympic Projects” are defined as “Any supporting facilities, installations, uses, and/or activities that serve athletes, officials, spectators, visitors, and/or residents at approved competition venues or non-competition venues necessary to host Olympic and/or Paralympic events including but not limited to training facilities, security perimeters, broadcast and media centers, transit infrastructure, live sites, and fan zones.”

● Temporary projects desiring relief from planning and zoning regulations under the ordinance must be applied for by 27 August 2028, the last day of the 2028 Paralympic Games. Further, the report noted:

“Under California Assembly Bill 149, passed in September 2025, temporary facilities must be completely removed and the area restored to a clean and safe condition within six months after the conclusion of the Games. The proposed Ordinance comports with this six-month period with a specific date of removal of temporary facilities and restoration to original condition by February 27, 2029, after which the provisions of the proposed Ordinance would be null and void and any unpermitted construction or operations would be subject to the existing provisions of the City’s Code, including Code Enforcement.”

● Projects must be within a competition venue, or if not, must be approved by three City department reviews.

● The report also noted, importantly: “The proposed Ordinance does not directly grant or authorize building permits or any certificate of occupancy. Once the planning and zoning exemption has been granted to an eligible project, the project may then proceed to the Department of Building Safety, and other relevant departments, to begin the building permit process.”

● Because of public concerns over controversial permanent projects, such as the Dodger Stadium gondola from Union Station, any permanent construction seeking an exemption would still require a City Council resolution to be adopted.

In fact, the draft ordinance specifically bans its use for “Large-scale cable-guided transportation projects or other aerial mobility projects,” which would also ban air-taxi programs from using the ordinance. LA28 has Archer as an Official Supporter and as its “Official Air Taxi Provider.”

The seemingly odd deadline for application-and-adoption of a resolution for permanent construction under the ordinance to 27 February 2029 – six months after the Paralympic Games – is in fact quite clever, allowing temporary improvements for the Games that are worth making permanent to be converted under the ordinance. An example was given of a swimming pool installed for training for the Paris 2024 Games that was kept in place afterwards as a facility for the local area.

A similar ordinance was adopted ahead of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and was used without significant difficulties. The 2028 equivalent has taken an important step to being available as well.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

MILAN CORTINA 2026: NBC announces on-air crew of 82 to cover Winter Games, but half of the play-by-play will be called in Connecticut

Rich Perelman

January 7, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ NBC ANNOUNCE CREWS ≡

There will be lots of familiar faces – and voices – on the NBC channels calling the Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and elsewhere in northern Italy starting on 6 February.

But only about half of the play-by-play and analyst teams will actually be there.

NBC announced its cast of 82 on-air analysts and commentators for its Winter Games telecasts, with Mike Tirico returning as the primetime show host for the fifth time. Also:

“Rebecca Lowe serves as a daytime host (on NBC and Peacock) for her seventh consecutive Olympics. Maria Taylor hosts Olympic Late Night on NBC and Peacock, marking her fourth Olympic assignment. Craig Melvin (Olympic Late Night, Feb. 7-9) and Ahmed Fareed (daytime on Sat., Feb. 7) will also serve as NBC hosts due to NBC Sports’ Legendary February assignments.”

NBC has divided the coverage into 13 event groups, and the play-by-play for six of them will be at the NBC Sports International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Connecticut and seven will have at least one play-by-play announcer in Italy.

This is possible thanks to the “Olympic Cloud” satellite service created by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Broadcasting Services team, in conjunction with Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group. Introduced for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – in 2021 – the project allows rights-holding broadcasters to access the Games broadcast signals produced at the International Broadcast Center to be available, in full, in their home studios.

This dramatically reduces the need for play-by-play announcers and analysts to be on-site and has created a welcome reduction in space needed for the International Broadcast Center and fewer accreditations, buses and hotel rooms for broadcaster staff.

Even so, NBC will have a huge team in Italy, but will continue its concept, refined at Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024, to have some announce teams on-site and some at its Stamford, Connecticut studios.

The seven sport teams slated to be on-site in Italy:

● Alpine Skiing: Dan Hicks (play-by-play) and analysts Steve Porino and Ted Ligety.

● Bobsled, Luge and Skeleton: Leigh Diffey (pxp) and analysts Erin Hamlin Hodge, John Morgan and Bree Scharf.

● Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard: Todd Harris (pxp) and analysts Todd Richards, Tom Wallisch and Lindsey Jacobellis.

● Freestyle Skiing/Aerials and Moguls: Trace Worthington (pxp) and Hannah Kearney (analyst).

● Figure Skating: Terry Gannon and Bill Spaulding (pxp) and analysts Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir.

● Ice Hockey: Kenny Albert (pxp) and analysts Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, A.J. Mlezcko, Jen Botterill and Angela Ruggiero.

● Speed Skating: Bill Spauling (pxp) and analyst Joey Cheek.

Commenting from Stamford are another seven sport teams:

● Biathlon: Randy Moss (pxp) and analyst Chad Salmela.

● Cross Country Skiing: Steve Schlanger (pxp) and analysts Kikkan Randall and Salmela.

● Curling: Jason Knapp, Jim Kozimor and Sloane Martin (pxp) and analysts Kevin Martin, Tyler George and Jamie Sinclair.

● Ice Hockey: Brendan Burke and Chris Vosters (pxp) and analysts Anson Carter and T.J. Oshie.

● Short Track: Ted Robinson (pxp) and analyst Katherine Reutter-Adamek.

● Ski Jumping: Paul Burmeister (pxp) and analyst Johnny Spillane.

● Ski Mountaineering: Chris Vosters (pxp) and analyst Max Valverde.

Hicks will be doing his 16th Olympic assignment with NBC and Robinson will be working his 15th Olympics, 14 of them with NBC.

NBC covers interviews and any possible needs for someone on the ground with reporters at every sport, for example, veteran track & field reporter Lewis Johnson for speed skating. In addition, a team of eight “SportsDesk” reporters will be spread out for breaking news in Milan, Cortina and Livigno.

NBC divested itself of cable channels CNBC and USA Network, now part of Versant, but these channels will carry significant parts of the Winter Games. Their hosts will all be in Stamford, as will the “Gold Zone” whip-around coverage.

NBC’s own Peacock streaming channel will have everything – plus some special camera feeds and new games – and some programming will be on the new NBC Sports Network channel.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: No Russian fan flags in Milan Cortina; three SafeSport cases with arrested investigator in review; only five Russians in T&F testing pool

Rich Perelman

January 7, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The International Olympic Committee told Sveriges Radio (SWE) that Russian flags or any other item with national symbols will not be allowed in the stands during the Olympic Winter Games.

Such flags were seen during the Tour de Ski events in Italy; Russian athletes competing in the Winter Games are doing so as “individual neutral athletes.” So, “[t]he decision applies to countries that are only allowed to compete under a neutral flag,” which are Russia and Belarus.

● International Olympic Committee ● The promised “Olympic Highlights Programme,” allowing athletes to have access to clips from their Games performances, has been activated for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games:

“The Olympian Highlights Programme will give you access to one approximately 60-second clip per Games edition that you have competed in. This clip will contain a selection of competition highlights and, if applicable, medal ceremony footage.”

Three formats – 16×9, 9×16 and 4×5 – are being offered to allow optimal use on varying social-media platforms. The project will expand later in the year to include Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina 2026 highlights, with other Games available over time.

The highlights are created via an artificial intelligence tool and delivered via the IOC’s Athlete 365 site.

● U.S. Center for Safesport ● An audit report released Monday stated that three investigations in which former investigator Jason Krasley participated prior to his arrest for theft and later, sexual assault, while an Allentown, Pennsylvania police officer, should be reopened.

After Krasley was arrested, he was dismissed by SafeSport and all of his cases were audited by an outside law firm, engaged in February 2025. The 17-page report included:

“Aleta Law completed an exhaustive audit of 114 SafeSport investigations conducted in whole or in part by Krasley. Ultimately, auditors determined that, except in limited circumstances, Krasley’s conduct adhered to the Center’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and did not impact investigation outcomes.

“However, auditors found sufficient evidence to justify the reopening of three matters for investigation by a separate external firm. Aleta Law further recommended, based on its findings, that the Center implement a number of changes to its policies and procedures and/or emphasize its existing practices to address concerns identified during the audit.”

In addition to the three cases cited, SafeSport re-opened two other cases based on new information “obtained outside the scope of the audit.”

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS men’s World Cup was in Madonna di Campiglio for a mid-week Slalom on Wednesday, with Olympic champ Clement Noel finishing third and fifth in the two runs and winning with a combined total of 1:43.05. Finland’s Eduard Hallberg got second, winning the first run and then 11th in the second for a 1:43.17 total, and Paco Rassat (FRA: 1:43.42) third.

Hallberg, 22, won his second career World Cup medal.

● Athletics ● It does not appear that Russian athletes will be reintroduced into international competitions in any significant numbers anytime soon.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that the Athletics Integrity Unit has included only five Russians in its Registered Testing Pool for the first quarter of 2026, the primary group of high-profile stars to be consistently tested. Three race walkers and high jumpers Danil Lysenko and Maria Kochanova.

The Russian total in the Registered Testing Pool had been 40 previously.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● A make-up IBSF World Cup Skeleton race from the cancellation in Winterberg (GER) was held Wednesday in St. Moritz (SUI), with Britain’s World Champion Matt Weston winning in 2:15.67. He finished a startling 1.29 seconds up on Italy’s 2:16.96, with Olympic champ Christopher Grotheer (GER: 2:17.17) in third.

Austin Florian was the top American, in 10th at 2:18.17. Weston has won four of the five races this season.

● Boxing ● World Boxing announced three new member federation application endorsements for Armenia, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, bringing the total membership to 155.

These federations can only be formally included by the World Boxing Congress, later in 2026.

● Cycling ● British road star Simon Yates announced his immediate retirement on Wednesday, finishing his career at age 33, having won the 2018 Vuelta a Espana and the 2025 Giro d’Italia and fourth at the 2023 Tour de France.

He claimed 23 wins in UCI World Tour events and said in a statement, “I have been thinking about it for a long time, and it now feels like the right moment to step away from the sport.” He had been under contract to Team Visma-Lease A Bike for the 2026 season. He added:

“I am deeply proud of what I have managed to achieve and equally grateful for the lessons that came with it. While the victories will always stand out, the harder days and setbacks were just as important. They taught me resilience and patience, and made the successes mean even more.”

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced a “strategic partnership” with the new World Fencing League, founded by 2013 men’s Foil World Champion Miles Chamley-Watson, to “collaborate on coordinated communications and promotional initiatives that highlight elite competition while promoting pathways to participation.”

Said USA Fencing chief Phil Andrews:

“We see the World Fencing League as an exciting opportunity to bring more visibility to fencing and create new pathways for fans and athletes alike. Our goal is clear: more opportunities for fencers, more eyeballs for the sport and innovation that benefits everyone. As a league founded by a visionary U.S. athlete like Miles Chamley-Watson, getting involved was a natural choice. We’re committed to doing what we can to see this initiative succeed, and we believe its success will be good for fencing at every level.”

The World Fencing League’s debut event is slated for April 2026 in Los Angeles.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The second of two FIS World Cup Aerials events was in Lac-Beauport (CAN), with two-time World Champion Laura Peel winning her first medal of the season at 113.76, trailed by first-event winner Winter Vinecki of the U.S. (109.90) and 2022 Olympic gold medalist Mengtao Xu (CHN: 97.02).

● Surfing ● Surfing is not a sport usually associated with doping, but Peruvian surfer Miguel Tudela, the 2023 men’s Worlds bronze medalist, was sanctioned with a 16-month ban for doping for the use of the anabolic steroid metenolone.

This came from a 16 January 2024 out-of-competition sample with the sanction imposed by the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, Tudela – now 31 – was given credit for being removed from competition from the time of his positive test, which meant his ineligibility ended on 16 August 2025.

● Table Tennis ● The International Table Tennis Federation named former Swedish Sports Confederation chief executive Stefan Bergh as its new Secretary General, taking over later in the first quarter of 2025. His role will be to “lead the ITTF administration and drive the Federation’s strategic execution and international presence, working across governance, events, development and global partnerships to strengthen ITTF’s standing worldwide.”

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: NBC sells out Winter Games ads; Fitzgerald Mosley takes over at SafeSport; U.S. denies visas to 14 Ethiopians for World Cross Country

Rich Perelman

January 6, 2026

tsx pix 2026-106 us speed skating OWG team (uss) — The U.S. speed skating team for Milan Cortina 2026 (Photo: US Speedskating).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● NBC announced Tuesday that it “is officially sold out of its Olympic inventory, setting a new Winter Olympics ad sales record with more advertisers investing in the upcoming Winter Games than ever before.”

The announcement added:

“Following the massive success of the 2024 Paris Olympics, brands were more eager than ever to commit to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, with over 100 new advertisers investing in the upcoming Games. NBCUniversal also marks the highest linear and digital revenue in Winter Olympics history with the Milan Cortina Games, further showcasing the power of cross platform for brands.”

NBCUniversal also said it has sold all of its ad inventory for February’s NFL Super Bowl LX, and the 2026 NBA All-Star Game to be held in Inglewood, California.

● U.S. Center for SafeSport ● After a lengthy search since the dismissal of Ju’Riese Colon last April, the Center named 1984 Olympic women’s 100 m hurdles gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 February 2026.

Fitzgerald Mosley brings a wealth of experience in sports and operations, having served as the Chief of Sport Performance for USA Track & Field from 2009-13, as Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee from 2013-16 and then head of Laureus USA from 2016-20.

She does not have a background in law enforcement and will face a significant challenge to revamp SafeSport to not only help protect Olympic-sport athletes, but to improve communications within the case structure and to make investigations shorter, tighter and to come to final determinations more often. Fitzgerald Mosley acknowledged as much in the announcement, noting:

“As an athlete, I felt safe, supported, and strengthened in my career, and I am committed to helping all athletes within the Olympic and Paralympic movement feel that same sense of support. While the Center has moved the needle on athlete safety nationally, my vision is to ensure we are building an organization that athletes can believe in, the staff can be proud of, and the public can trust and respect.”

● Athletics ● LetsRun.com reported that the U.S. entry visas were refused for 23 of 34 applicants for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships this Saturday (10th) by the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia, and that while senior men’s and women’s teams will be running, the refusals have decimated the U-20 teams.

Ethiopian Athletics Federation Secretary General Amensisa Kebede said “at least 14 athletes had their US visa applications rejected and that some coaches and team officials also experienced problems. The majority of rejected applications were from U20 athletes (six men and four women), but Kebede said four senior athletes also had their applications rejected, including two members of Ethiopia’s 4 x 2k mixed relay.”

Consequently, the Ethiopian U-20 men’s team will have only one men’s entry and three women’s entries, insufficient to score as a team, which requires four finishers. Ethiopia’s junior men had won three of the last six team titles and the women had won five in a row.

Ethiopia was able to recruit senior athletes with existing U.S. visas and fill out their teams for the senior men’s, women’s and mixed relay races.

The Athletics Integrity Unit announced its first suspension of 2026, actually a decision from 22 December 2025 of then-36-year-old Saudi distance runner Yousef Mohammed Al-Asiri for 10 years.

He was tested twice during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) and both samples were found to contain the banned substances darbepoetin (“dEPO”) and recombinant erythropoetin (“EPO”). He was provisionally suspended as of 23 September 2023.

His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was denied and as to sanctions, as he had also had a doping positive and a two-year ban in 2014, a 12-year suspension was requested by the AIU. The penalty was shortened to 10 years by the arbitrator.

● Biathlon ● US Biathlon named its 2026 Milan Cortina team following time trials in Antholz (ITA), with Worlds silver medalist Campbell Wright going to his second Games, but first for the U.S.; he represented New Zealand in 2022.

Alaskan Maxime German will make his Olympic debut on the men’s team, along with Paul Schommer (second Games) and Sean Doherty (fourth).

The women’s team includes Deedra Irwin, going to her second Games, Luci Anderson (first), Joanne Reid (third) and Margie Freed (first).

● Freestyle Skiing ● American Winter Vinecki claimed a win in the third leg of the FIS Freestyle World Cup Aerials tour, in Lac-Beauport (CAN), scoring 93.58 against 81.78 for Canada’s Marion Thenault. Emma Weiss (GER: 79.33) took the bronze with Tasia Tanner of the U.S. in fourth (73.95).

Vinecki, 27, won her fifth individual Aerials World Cup title, with her last also at Lac-Beauport in February 2024.

Two-time Worlds team medalist Dmytro Kotovski (UKR) won his first World Cup medal of the season with a victory in the men’s competition, scoring 131.56 to best Jiaxu Sun (CHN: 125.97) and two-time Worlds silver winner, American Quinn Dehlinger (125.53).

A second round of Aerials will be held on Wednesday.

● Ski Jumping ● Austria’s two-time Worlds Team medalist Daniel Tschofenig won the final leg of the Four Hills Tournament, in Bischofshofen (AUT) off the 142 m hill, scoring 303.9 points, with Slovenian star Domen Prevc finishing second at 299.8, edging Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi (299.6).

Prevc was the easy winner of the Four Hills title – his first – with a total of 1,195.6 points to 1,153.3 for Jan Hoerl (AUT) and 1,150.6 for Stefan Embacher (AUT).

The organizers made a major announcement, with the 2026-27 Four Hills to include women in the program for the first time, with floodlights for night competitions to be installed in Innsbruck.

At the women’s FIS World Cup jumping in Villach (AUT: 98 m hill), Slovenia’s World Champion Nika Prevc – Domen’s younger sister – took the win for the second straight day with 248.7 points, winning the first round and then second on her second jump. Austria’s Lisa Eder was second for the second straight day (248.1) and won the second round. Agnes Reisch (GER: 240.9) was third.

Josie Johnson was the leading American finisher, in 15th (212.6).

● Speed Skating ● US Speedskating announced its 2026 Olympic team following the conclusion of its Olympic Trials, with six-time World Champion Jordan Stolz and defending Olympic 500 m champ Erin Jackson leading the charge.

The men’s team starts with Stolz in the 500-1,000-1,500 m-Mass Start, where he will be a favorite or co-favorite in all four races. The world-record Team Pursuit squad of Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman are also medal favorites, with all three also in individual events. Zach Stoppelmoor and Cooper Mcleod will compete in the 500 m and Conor Mcdermott-Mostowy and Mcleod will be in the 1,000 m.

Jackson will race in the 500 and 1,000 m; six-time Worlds gold medalist Brittany Bowe will go in the 1,000 and 1,500 m and in the Team Pursuit, with Giorgia Birkeland, Mia Manganello and Greta Myers. Manganello is also a medal threat in the Mass Start and Myers will also contest the 1,500 m and Mass Start. Sarah Warren will race as the second American at 500 m.

This is one of the strongest teams in U.S. history; in this century, the U.S. won eight medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, then seven at Turin 2006. But the total went to four at Vancouver 2010, zero in 2014, one in 2018 and then three at Beijing 2022. Something closer to 2002 and 2006 is hoped for this time.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TEAM USA WINTER MEDAL TRACKER: Gold rush continues for Britcher, Diggins, Goepper and Schumacher in 12-medal weekend!

Rich Perelman

January 6, 2026

tsx pix 2026-106 schumacher, gus (wiki-sandro halank) — U.S. Cross Country star Gus Schumacher (Photo: Wikipedia via Sandro Halank)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ STAT BLITZ ≡

The winter-sport schedule slowed over the holidays and into the New Year’s weekend, but American winter athletes were still on the prowl, winning a dozen medals and a major honor over the past week and weekend:

Alpine Skiing: FIS World Cup at Kranjska Gora (SLO):
● Women/Giant Slalom: Bronze ~ Paula Moltzan
● Women/Slalom: Silver ~ Mikaela Shiffrin

Shiffrin lost for the first time in six Slalom races this season, but by just 0.14 to 2025 World Champion Camille Rast (SUI), her likely principal rival in Milan Cortina in February. Moltzan was fourth in the Slalom and is skiing her best just at the right time, making her a medal threat as well.

Cross Country Skiing: FIS World Cup at Tolbach (ITA) ~ Tour de Ski I
● Men/5 km Interval Mass Start: Gold ~ Gus Schumacher
● Women/10 km Classical: Bronze ~ Jessie Diggins
● Women/5 km Interval Mass Start: Gold ~ Diggins
● Women/20 km Classical Pursuit: Gold ~ Diggins

Cross Country Skiing: FIS World Cup at Val di Fiemme (ITA) ~ Tour de Ski II
● Women/10 km Freestyle Mass Start: Silver ~ Diggins

What is there is say about the amazing Diggins, now 34, who has said this will be her final season in competitive skiing. She won her third Tour de Ski title – no other American has ever won – and said afterwards:

“This was really, really fun. I think this was by far my best Tour ever, where everything came together. …

“When you win the Olympics, that’s amazing, but that’s one race. The Tour is day after day. You have to put it together and you have to be on – and that’s a lot of pressure on you and the team. You have to keep it fun – it’s really hard.

”I felt like I had awesome skis that were super competitive, every single day, and that really matters.

”It takes everyone coming together to make it happen and we have such an amazing staff working so hard to support us. It takes a village and I’m really proud and grateful for my village. It’s so fun to feel good on this last Tour.”

Diggins remains the women’s seasonal leader and is no. 1 in the seasonal Distance rankings.

Schumacher won his second career World Cup gold and was also sixth in the Pursuit and seventh in the 10 km Mass Start. Is he suddenly a contender?

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup at Calgary (CAN):
● Men/Halfpipe: Gold ~ Nick Goepper
● Men/Halfpipe: Bronze ~ Birk Irving
● Women/Halfpipe: Bronze ~ Svea Irving

Goepper is looking toward a fourth Olympic Games and he has medaled every time: Slopestyle bronze at Sochi 2014, Slopestyle silver at PyeongChang 2018 and another Slopestyle silver at Beijing 2022. Now he’s a contender in the Halfpipe, where he won the Worlds silver in 2025. Is this his year for a gold at last?

In his second season of concentrating on the Halfpipe, he now has six medals (2-2-2), but all but one have come at U.S. or Canadian venues. He said after the win:

“It feels amazing. I really needed this one to qualify for the Olympics for the USA team. And I got the best pants award.

“They make us do this every single time, until the last minute. I’ve got to have a conversation with somebody (laughing), but it definitely gets it all down to the wire.

“[The U.S. team] likes to pick the person who’s skiing the best right when it counts, right when they’re peaking, and this is kind of how it happened with me the last time round, it was kind of last second. I’m just thrilled to come away with the win today.”

Luge: FIL World Cup in Sigulda (LAT):
● Women/Singles: Gold ~ Summer Britcher
● Team Relay: Bronze ~ U.S. (Britcher, Zach DiGregorio and Sean Hololander, Jonny Gustafson, Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby)

Any idea that Britcher’s win at Lake Placid in December was a fluke on a home track was ended with a statement win in Latvia, her seventh career World Cup gold:

“I’m very, very happy. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs here in Sigulda, and a long time ago it was my favorite track, and I really loved it. And this week was so much fun. The track crew did an amazing job preparing the track, so it was a lot of fun to feel that joy on the track again here.”

The coming weekend has a much fuller schedule, but a dozen medals and five golds is a tremendous start to 2026.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee believes the American team in Milan Cortina has the potential to do even better than the good performance in Beijing in 2022. Outside of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games (34 total medals) and the all-time record of 37 in Vancouver (CAN) in 2010, the best-ever U.S. performance in a Winter Games was 28 medals in the doping-readjusted 2014 Games in Sochi (RUS), followed by 25 at Turin 2006 and Beijing 2022.

Could the U.S. win 30 medals in a Winter Games outside of North America? We’ll find out in a little more than a month.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Brisbane ‘32 stadium renderings offered; Modi says “strong efforts” for 2036 Games in India; Kenya’s Chebet on maternity for 2026

Rich Perelman

January 5, 2026

tsx pix 2026-105 brisbane 2032 stadium (cox arch and hassell) — Renderings of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Stadium, from the State of Queensland (AUS) and COX Architecture and Hassell.

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● Australian architects COX Architecture and Hassell were appointed as the design team for the 2032 Olympic stadium, with renderings provided, showing a multi-level oval with a roof over the seating areas, but not the field.

COX Architecture Board Chair Richard Coulson commented:

“We are humbled and delighted to have been awarded the project which will be a Stadium for all of Queensland. The Stadium will be of the Park and be a catalyst for increasing the connectivity, useability and amenity of Victoria Park. It will have a critical role in 2032 but its life after the Games will be its most important legacy for the community.”

The 63,000-seat venue will host athletics and the major ceremonies in 2032 and will be paid for by the Queensland government in coordination with the national government.

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated in a video that the country is aiming to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

He spoke online at the opening of the senior national volleyball championship in Varanasi, stating:

“The 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in India, and the country is making strong efforts to host the 2036 Olympics, with the aim of giving more and more players greater opportunities to compete. …

“India has hosted more than 20 major international events across several cities, including the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Hockey World Cup, and major chess tournaments.

“The government has significantly increased the sports budget, and today India’s sports model has become athlete-centric, with focus on talent identification, scientific training, nutrition, and transparent selection, ensuring that the interests of players are prioritized at every level.

“Today the nation is riding on the ‘reform express’, with every sector and every development destination connected to it, and sports being one of them.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Speaking with reporters before the final of the IIHF men’s World Junior Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, International Ice Hockey Federation chief Luc Tardif (FRA) spoke about the delayed finish of the new PalaItalia Santagiulia Arena in Milan:

“We’re going to have a tournament in this building. The infrastructure for ice hockey – the dressing rooms, the practice area and the field of play – that’s going to be ready.

“We supervise and the experts of NHL, NHLPA, us are following it day by day. But the quality of the ice, the quality of the infrastructure is there. You can be confident on that. The [test event] will not be exactly what I expected, but it will be a nice setup for the Olympic Games. We will be able to sleep much better.”

The arena will host the IHL Serie A and Italian Cup Final Four from 9 to 11 January, replicating the Olympic program with three games per day.

● Athletics ● Kenyan superstar Beatrice Chebet, 25, the double Olympic gold medalist in Paris and the 2025 Worlds 5-10 winner, will take 2026 off for maternity, posting on Instagram on Monday:

“I’ve chased finish lines, medals, and dreams. Now I’m chasing a love I haven’t met yet. Motherhood begins in 2026.”

She added in a second post, “The last 2yrs have been more than incredible for us, every goal and dream checked out! Unfortunately won’t be able to defend my world cross title @worldxcchampionships. Our hearts are full and can’t wait for this next chapter of life…..see you in 2027!”

● Ice Hockey ● /Updated/Two-time winners Sweden and the Czech Republic faced off for the gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Minnesota on Monday, with the Swedes racing off to a 3-0 lead with just 16:13 left in the game. But the Czechs got two goals in two minutes to close to 3-2 with 24 seconds left; an empty-netter ended it at 4-2 for Sweden.

The Swedes earned their third win in this tournament, previously winning in 1981 and 2012. The Czechs won their second silver in four years, having lost to Canada in 2023.

Canada faced Finland in the bronze-medal match, and had a 3-2 lead at the period, 5-3 after two and finished with a 6-3 win, its sixth bronze in the history of the event.

Speaking about the tournament before Monday’s games, IIHF President Tardif told reporters:

“The Wild gave us a fantastic arena, and sometimes you get good crowds, but you can see empty seats … We’re satisfied. And we’re satisfied also about the quality of the infrastructure.

“It’s winter time, it’s cold, and we cannot forget the geopolitical situation makes it not so easy. I think you understand what I want to say, I don’t want to go further, but that was important.”

That’s a reference to the currently fractious relations between the U.S. and Canada, which did not send fans in strong numbers.

USA Hockey unveiled its 2026 Olympic Winter Games team on Friday, with 25 players chosen and all but three from the team that placed second in last February’s Four Nations Face-Off, losing to Canada by 3-2 in overtime in the final.

U.S. general manager Bill Guerin told reporters, “I liked the way we played: Everybody was together, everybody played the right way. The biggest thing for me was the chemistry, and I think the chemistry allowed the guys to play the way that they did.”

Defensemen Jack Sanderson and Brock Faber are the only ones on the team with Olympic experience; they played for the U.S. team in 2022 in Beijing (CHN). Four players from the gold-medal-winning 2025 IIHF World Championship team were included: forward Clayton Keller, keeper Jeremy Swayman, forward Tage Thompson and defender Zach Werenski. All 25 members of the team are NHL players.

Olympic rules allow 20 skaters and two goalies to dress for each match at the Games.

The American women’s team of 23 players includes 11 with Olympic experience and 21 of the 23 players who won the 2025 IIHF World Championship gold over Canada.

Forward Hilary Knight will be a five-time Olympian, while Kendall Coyne Schofield and defender Lee Stecklein made their fourth team. Three-time selections include defender Cayla Barnes, Alex Carpenter, defender Megan Keller and Kelly Pannek; and defender Caroline Harvey, Abbey Murphy, Haley Scamurra and Grace Zumwinkle are to be two-time Olympians.

● Ski Jumping ● The women’s FIS World Cup tour was in Villach (AUT), jumping off the 98 m hill on Monday and Tuesday, with World Champion Nika Prevc winning her sixth gold of the year, scoring 247.9 points to 245.2 for Lisa Eder (AUT) and 234.5 for Germany’s Selina Freitag. Josie Johnson was the top American, in 16th (205.2).

● Speed Skating ● US Speedskating’s Olympic Trials finished in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday, with drama in the 500 m and Mass Start events.

Men’s star Jordan Stolz had already qualified by prior performance for the 500-1,000-1,500 m and Mass Start races, and he finished second to Casey Dawson in the first Mass Start race, 7:56.580 to 7:58.799, with Ethan Cepuran third in 7:59.067. Cepuran was the leader going into the second race to get the second and last U.S. spot in Milan.

Stolz blew away the field, rolling into the lead with 2 1/2 laps to go and won in 7:54.716. Cepuran pulled away with less than two laps to go and was a clear second in 7:58.104 and will make the team for Milan in this race; Dawson was third in 7:58.718. Stolz finished with 180 points, to 162 for Cepuran and 146 for Dawson. Cepuran and Dawson are already part of the star U.S. Team Pursuit squad, with Emery Lehman.

In the second 500 m races, both Stolz and Olympic champ Erin Jackson, both already qualified, skipped the round, leaving the drama to who else would qualify. In the men’s races, Zach Stoppelmoor was fastest at 34.661, ahead of Conor Mcdermott-Mostowy (34.959) and Austin Kleba (35.312). Taking the best times of the two races at the Trials, Stoppelmoor won the event (34.661), with Stolz second (34.761) and Cooper Mcleod third (34.820) and Mcdermott-Mostowy fourth (34.959). So, Stoppelmoor and Mcleod are in line to join Stolz in Milan.

The U.S. has one spot besides Jackson in the women’s race and Sarah Warren won the final pair in 38.663, her best of the Trials, ahead of Mckenzie Browne (39.009, best of 38.888), and clinched her place on the American team – her first at age 29.

The women’s Mass Starts were open for one place as Mia Manganello was already qualified based on her ISU World Cup performances. Greta Myers, 21, won the first race in 8:40.495, just ahead of Piper Yde (8:40.579) and well up on Marley Soldan (8:46.192). In the second, Manganello shot past Myers in the final lap-and-a-half and won cleanly, 9:12.064 to 9:12.880.

Myers, in second, clinched the second spot for the U.S., in addition to her 1,500 m slot. Manganello finished with 180 points to 162 for Myers and 145 for Yde.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LOS ANGELES 2028: Business vs. labor war continues as new “Olympic Wage” initiative filed to raise City-wide minimum wage for all to $30 by 2030

Rich Perelman

January 5, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ BUSINESS vs. LABOR ≡

The continuing tug-of-war between business interests and labor in the City of Los Angeles got hotter at the end of the year and may have to be decided by voters later in 2026.

While this has nothing directly to do with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee, it will have an indirect impact on costs – depending on the outcome – and may have a significant impact on business in the city in the run-up to 2028.

Today’s fight goes back to the approval by the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Karen Bass of the so-called “Olympic Wage” ordinance that went active in September, raising the minimum wage for many airport and hotel workers at larger hotels to $30.00 per hour on 1 July 2028 in steps from $22.50 per hours in 2025 to $25.00-27.50-30.00 in 2026-27-28.

At the same time, however:

● Business interests filed a petition for an initiative to repeal the City’s business tax, which would remove a projected $805 million from the City’s already-precarious budget and create another financial disaster. The petition was approved for circulation last October.

● L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson filed a motion on 5 December to stretch out the Olympic Wage increases to 2030, starting at $24.00 on 1 July 2026 and then to 25.00-$27.50-29.00-30.00 to 1 July 2030.

Labor groups, notably the activist Unite Here Local 11 union and the L.A. County Federation of Labor railed at the motion, which will be considered by the City Council in future hearings.

In the meantime, the union was busy with its own proposal to revise minimum wages for everyone in the City of Los Angeles, filing a new petition on 29 December 2025.

Labeled the “Olympic Wage Initiative,” it proposes to raise the minimum wage city-wide for businesses with 26 or employees from the current $15.00 per hour to:

● $26.25 on 1 July 2027
● $27.50 on 1 July 2028
● $28.75 on 1 July 2029
● $30.00 on 1 July 2030

Businesses with 25 or fewer employees would also see a raise to $30.00, but in smaller increments to 2032. In both cases, the minimum would be raised annually thereafter by a measure of the Consumer Price Index.

After the usual recitals on how costly it is to live in Los Angeles, the initiative notes:

“Another purpose of this initiative ordinance is to reenact in full through the popular vote certain worker protections in the Citywide Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance (citations omitted) as they existed as of December 15, 2025 (with amendments in some provisions to increase the protections).

“Reenacting these protections in full through the popular vote is intended to ensure, consistent with state law and the Los Angeles City Charter, that future city councils cannot repeal or amend these protections to weaken or reduce them without the consent of the voters.”

Neither the repeal of the City Business Tax or this new “Olympic Wage” initiative are on the ballot yet for either the June or November 2026 municipal elections. But the race to get both on is underway and if either eventually passes, will have major impacts on the way business is done in the City of Los Angeles, with ripple effects on adjacent cities, Los Angeles County and the State of California.

Observed: Los Angeles is a city at war with itself, which has only intensified as we moved from 2025 to 2026.

For the LA28 organizers, there is nothing to do about either of these initiatives; Olympic and Paralympic organizing committees are temporary and LA28 will close up in 2029. Smartly, LA28 has silently refused to be involved in any way, observing the long-held political neutrality stance of the International Olympic Committee.

But both of these initiatives and other possible ballot measures over sales and other taxes will impact them, possibly significantly and could create an environment of foregoing new community or possibly cultural projects in order to ensure finishing with a surplus at the end of the Games in 2028.

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman said in a September interview that the first responsibility of the organizers is to ensure there is no deficit:

“We have to pay for these Games ourselves. My job above everything else is to make sure there are zero financial losses. … There may be things we don’t do or have to scale back. My job – full stop – is to make sure we don’t lose a penny. It is the singular driving force for everything we’re doing.”

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: Kenya and India again 1-2 on the Athletics Integrity Unit list of ineligibles for 2025, but a deeper look shows signs of improvement

Rich Perelman

January 5, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE AIU SANCTIONS REPORT ≡

The books are closed on 2025, and the Athletics Integrity Unit, the cheating, doping and malevolence watchdog for track & field, posted its year-end list of ineligibles.

The list runs for 29 pages of small type, with a total of 683 entries. The usual suspects were at the top of the list once again:

● 140: Kenya (20.5% of the total)
● 137: India (20.0%)
● 75: Russia (11.0%)
● 31: China
● 21: South Africa

● 19: Turkey
● 17: Ethiopia
● 17: Ukraine
● 15: Italy
● 15: United States

● 13: Kuwait
● 13: Morocco
● 11: France
● 11: Nigeria

So the top three countries in terms of entries constitute 51.5% of the entire list! For comparison, here are the top 10 at the end of 2024:

● 119: Kenya
● 108: India
● 73: Russia
● 26: China
● 20: Turkey

● 18: Italy
● 18: South Africa
● 17: Ukraine
● 16: United States
● 15: Morocco

Looking back a little further, to the end of 2022 (2023 not available) and Kenya and India have been skyrocketing in terms of sanctions, while Russia has calmed:

Kenya:
● 2025: 140 (+21)
● 2024: 119 (+65)
● 2022: 54

India:
● 2025: 137 (+29)
● 2024: 108 (+43)
● 2022: 65

Russia:
● 2025: 75 (+2)
● 2024: 73 (-19)
● 2022: 92

The Kenyan government promised a five-year, $25 million funding boost against doping in 2022 and while the rise from 2022 to 2024 can point to better enforcement and testing, at least the net sanctions total has been substantially reduced from 2024 to 2025. Further, in 2025 alone, there were eight infractions listed, way down from 34 in 2024!

To place this in context, AIU chief executive Brett Clothier (AUS) told the BBC in mid-2023:

“Everyone has to be prepared because there are going to be a lot more doping cases in Kenya in the next few months and years.

“I’m trying to tell everyone: ‘Don’t be surprised. Don’t be shocked’. This is what needs to happen to get this under control. It’s now or never.”

He looks like a prophet now, but the added funding also runs out in 2027. What then?

India 13 infractions listed in 2025 and Russia had just four. These are improvements and bear close watching for 2026.

The U.S. had no infractions dated to 2025 tests, but 200 m star Erriyon Knighton lost his eligibility until July 2029 when an appeal of his 2024 positive by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the AIU was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

MEMORABILIA: U.S. Olympic swim star Ryan Lochte’s golds and autographed flags bring more than $466,000 at auction

Rich Perelman

January 4, 2026

tsx pix 2026-104 lochte, ryan 2018 (j.d. lasica-wiki) — Ryan Lochte relaxing before a race in 2018 (Photo: Wikipedia from J.C. Lasica).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ LOCHTE SALES BRING $466,720 ≡

In his second major sale of personal memorabilia, U.S. Olympic swim star Ryan Lochte saw three of his gold medals sell at auction on Saturday evening, along with three signed flags signed by the American swim teams.

Part of the Goldin Auctions’ December Elite Sports Auction program, Lochte’s items included:

● Athens 2004 Olympic men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay gold: sold for $80,250 with the buyer’s premium, after 15 bids.

● Athens 2004 USA Olympic flag, signed by the U.S. swim team: sold for $19,250 with the buyer’s premium, after 15 bids.

● Beijing 2008 Olympic men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay gold: sold for $183,000 with the buyer’s premium, after 27 bids.

● Beijing 2008 USA Olympic flag, signed by the U.S. swim team: sold for $34,160 with the buyer’s premium.

● Rio 2016 Olympic men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay gold: sold for $122,000 with the buyer’s premium, after 23 bids.

● Rio 2016 USA Olympic flag, signed by the U.S. swim team: sold for $28,060 with the buyer’s premium.

The total: $466,720, with the buyer’s premiums included. The Beijing 2008 relay gold was part of the record-setting eight-gold-medal haul for teammate Michael Phelps; in fact, Phelps and Lochte both swam in all of three of the gold-medal races for which medals were auctioned.

Lochte said in December that he was selling the medals to meet financial obligations related to their homeowners community in Florida, to which he and his estranged wife owed dues and fees, on top of prior debts for taxes and other items.

This was the second auction for Lochte, who had previously worked with RR Auction on a 2022 sale that brought $166,779:

● $89,423 for his pair of Beijing 2008 bronze medals
● $56,348 for his three London 2012 silver and bronze medals
● $21,008 for his Athens 2004 silver medal
● $16,143 for his Breitling watch purchased after the 2012 Games

Lochte said he would donate the proceeds to the Jorge Nation Foundation, which arranges special trips for terminally-ill children.

Lochte is now 41 and still has his Olympic golds for the Beijing 2008 200 m Backstroke, the London 2012 400 m Medley and London 2012 4×200 m Freestyle relay. He also has a stunning collection of World Championships medals, with 18 golds, five silvers and four bronzes, plus short-course Worlds awards including 21 golds, 10 silvers and seven bronzes!

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Coventry says “neutral athletes” sure for Milan Cortina; multiple bids for 2028 U.S. Marathon Trials; more gold for Jessie Diggins!

Rich Perelman

January 4, 2026

tsx pix 2021-110 diggins, jessie TdeSki 750 — Another win for American cross-country star Jessie Diggins!

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) was interviewed by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Friday, and expressed her continuing confidence in the upcoming Games:

“Remember the incredible atmosphere of Paris 2024? Well, in Italy, in a month’s time, I expect something similar. You Italians bring a unique passion to sport, and your mountains will be a beautiful backdrop. Winter sports were born on Europe’s peaks. It will be an Olympic edition from which we can learn a lot.”

She also confirmed that regardless of what might happen with negotiations between Russian and Ukraine, “At this point, nothing would change the decision already made: neutral athletes on an individual basis.”

Coventry noted the unique aspect of the Milan Cortina Games with venues spread so widely, explaining, “We’re entering a different phase: the new normal is that of Games spread across the country. The data we collect in Italy, by consulting with stakeholders, will guide us for the future. If adjustments need to be made, of course, we will.”

Asked how future bidding will be handled, she explained:

“The IOC commissions are working on it. We’d like to overhaul the Games’ bid process: it must become even more inclusive and transparent. We’re talking about 2036 and beyond: the Games are already assigned until Brisbane 2032 (summer) and Salt Lake City 2034 (winter). We’re receiving interest from many different regions of the world, who would like to harness the power of sport to change things.”

● Mediterranean Games ● The International Committee for the Mediterranean Games announced the death of its President, Italian Davide Tizzano, on 29 December at age 57, in Naples after a long illness.

He was a two-sport athlete, winning Olympic golds in rowing in the men’s Quadruple Sculls in 1988 and in the Double Sculls in 1996. He also competed in sailing, and was part of America’s Cup crews in 1992 and 2007.

He was elected as the President of the Italian Rowing Federation in 2004 and served until his death; he was a member of the ICMG Executive Committee from 2013 until he was elected as President in 2021.

● Germany ● A new German law allows athlete bonuses for medal performances at the Olympic Games to be tax-free.

The final passage came on 19 December, and in effect for the Milan Cortina Winter Games in February. The amounts of the bonuses were also raised, to €30,000 for gold, €20,000 for silver and €10,000 for bronze. (€1 = $1.17 U.S.)

Olympic medal bonuses are paid by the Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe (German Sports Aid Foundation), which receives government support as well as private funding.

● Russia ● The Russian Sports Minister, Mikhail Degtyarev, who is also the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, wrote on his Telegram page about expectations for 2026:

“Our main goal for the coming year is to restore the full status of the Russian Olympic Committee, to participate as a unified Russian national team in the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, and to reach the finish line for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“Dialogue with the IOC and international federations is yielding results: eligibility for Russian athletes is being expanded, our anthem is being played at many competitions, and the Russian national flag is being raised. This year, we have significantly increased the participation of our athletes in World and European Championships, and the number of medals won in Olympic sports has increased by 50 percent.”

● Athletics ● Per industry news site Road Race Management:

“USATF has received multiple bids to host the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials. Identities of the bidding cities have not been publicly announced at this time. The bids are currently undergoing legal review to ensure they are eligible for selection as is the case with all USATF National Championships. An announcement is anticipated by late spring of 2026.”

Bids from cities were due in back on 1 September, but the federation has been completely silent on any details of bids received so far.

● Gymnastics ● The Associated Press reported on the slow response and incomplete handling of the cases against former gymnastics coach Sean Gardner by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, noting complaints against him in 2017 and 2018, but no action by the Center until 2022. Further:

“[A] new AP investigation has found that months before Gardner’s [August 2025] arrest on allegations of installing cameras in a girls’ gym bathroom in Purvis, Mississippi, he was willing to accept a lifetime ban from coaching gymnastics as part of a deal where he would admit to the abuse, according to three people involved with SafeSport and its handling of the case.”

He is facing Federal charges of child pornography with trial set for 2 March 2026.

Gardner was temporarily suspended in July 2022, but has never been permanently banned. He is shown as “ineligible” as of 12 September 2025 due to a “Criminal Disposition – involving a minor; Criminal Disposition – Sexual Misconduct.” Others in the database are shown with “Permanent Ineligibility.”

● Swimming ● World Aquatics named repeat winners of their swimming Athlete of the Year awards: French men’s star Leon Marchand and Canadian women’s world-record setter Summer McIntosh.

McIntosh collected four golds at the World Aquatics Championships, while Marchand won three.

In an interview with SwimSwam.com, McIntosh, still just 19, said she is looking for more world-record time in the future. She is already the world-record holder in the 400 m Free and 200 m and 400 m Medleys, and has eyes on going “8:04 or faster” in the 800 m Free, with the current world record belonging to American Katie Ledecky at 8:04.12.

McIntosh also said she wants the world record in the 200 m Butterfly, currently 2:01.81 by Zige Liu (CHN) from 2009 and is aiming to swim in the 1:52s for the 200 m Free, with three swimmers having been that fast, with Ariarne Titmus (AUS) holding the world record at 1:52.23.

Wow.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Swiss Camille Rast, the 2025 World Champion in the Slalom, won her third straight medal in a FIS women’s World Cup race and got her first win of the season in Kranjska Gora (SLO) in Saturday’s Giant Slalom.

She led after the first run and was third in the second for a total of 2:00.09, to best three-time Giant Slalom winner this season Julia Scheib (AUT: 2:00.29) and American Paula Moltzan (2:00.56), who was second after the first run and got her first World Cup medal of the season.

Fellow Americans Mikaela Shiffrin (2:01.14) and Nina O’Brien (2:01.94) finished fifth and eighth.

Sunday’s Slalom was an all-out battle between Rast and Shiffrin, who had won all five Slaloms on the World Cup circuit this season. Rast led after the first run by 50.24 to 50.34 and after Shiffrin had the lead with a 50.00 second run, Rast responded with a brilliant 49.96 to get the victory, 1:40.20 to 1:40.34. Swiss star Wendy Holdener was third (1:42.03) and Moltzan completed a brilliant weekend with a 1:42.17 fourth-place finish. Fellow American A.J. Hurt was 13th (1:43.80).

Tragedy for 2022 Olympic women’s Slalom silver winner Katharina Liensberger (AUT), who suffered a right knee fracture and meniscus and medial collateral ligament damage in a training crash on Friday in St. Michael (AUT). The 2021 World Champion in the Slalom, she will require surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup in Winterberg (GER) had weather trouble that cancelled the men’s Skeleton racing, but the women’s got in, with 2016 Worlds runner-up Janine Flock (AUT: 2:00.22) getting her second win of the season, ahead of American Worlds runner-up Mystique Ro (2:00.60) and Anna Fernstaedt (CZE: 2:00.83).

Kendall Wesenberg and Kelly Curtis of the U.S. finished 10-11.

Two-time World Champion Laura Nolte (GER: 1:59.37) won the women’s Monobob over Cynthia Appiah (CAN: 1:58.53) and Germany’s two-time Worlds medalist Lisa Buckwitz (1:58.57). American stars Kaillie Armbruster Humphries (1:58.70), Elana Meyers Taylor (1:58.73) and Kaysha Love (1:58.78) finished 5-6-8.

The Two-Woman race on Sunday belonged to Nolte as well, with Deborah Levi, winning in 1:53.63, leading a German sweep ahead of Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide (1:53.79) and Kim Kalicki (1:54.29) with two push athletes. Armbruster Humphries and Sylvia Hoffman were fourth at 1:54.58. Meyers Taylor and Jasmine Jones were eighth (1:54.87).

The Two-Man race was the fourth win in five World Cup races this season for 2023 World Champion Johannes Lochner (with Georg Fleischauer) in 1:49.81, ahead of Adam Ammour (GER: with Alexander Schaller: 1:50.11) and double Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (GER; with Alexander Schueller: 1:50.32).

Sunday’s Four-Man was another German sweep, but with Friedrich winning in 1:49.07, ahead of Lochner (1:49.09) and Ammour (1:49.13). Kris Horn had the fastest American sled in eighth (1:49.61); Lochner celebrated his 100th career World Cup medal with his runner-up finish.

How competitive was this race? Consider this: the top 16 sleds – 16! – finished with one second of Friedrich’s 1:49.07 winning time.

● Cross Country Skiing ● American star Jessie Diggins, the three-time World Cup seasonal champion, has been tearing up the 20th Tour de Ski women’s racing, taking third in last week’s 10 km Classical race in Tolbach (ITA), then winning the 5 km Freestyle Interval Mass Start race on 31 December in 10:51.2 from Swedes Emma Ribom (10:56.7) and Moa Ilar (10:58.1), with U.S. teammate Julia Kern 10th (11:01.9).

Diggins then took the New Year’s Day 20 km Classical Pursuit in 52:14.8, way ahead of Ilar (52:50.0) and Teresa Stadlober (AUT: 52:36.3).

The skiing moved to Val di Fiemme (ITA) and a Classical Sprint, won by Finn Jasmi Joensuu in 3:45.75, beating Swiss Nadine Faehndrich (+0.44), with Diggins seventh overall and leading by 1:19 into Sunday’s 10 km Freestyle Mass Start finale.

Norway’s Karoline Simpson-Larsen won in 37:05.3, but Diggins was second in 37:14.1 to wrap up the Tour de Ski title over Stradlober, 2:11:26.1 to 2:13:43.8. It’s her third career Tour de Ski title and she is the only American ever to win it.

In the men’s Tour de Ski racing, American Gus Schumacher stunned the field with a win in the 5 km Freestyle Mass Start in 9:36.4, beating Benjamin Moser (AUT: 9:35.6) and Lars Heggen (NOR: 9:36.0). It’s Schumacher’s second career World Cup gold. Norway went 1-2 in the 20 km Classical Pursuit with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo winning his fifth World Cup race of the season in 46:01.7, trailed by teammate Mattis Stenshagen (46:52.8), with Schumacher sixth in 47:01.9.

In Val di Fiemme, Klaebo won the Classical Sprint in 3:21.28, ahead of Jules Chappez (FRA) and Anton Grahn (SWE), and started Sunday with an 83-second lead on Heggen for the Tour de Ski title.

In the 10 km Freestyle Mass Start, Stenshagen got the win in 33:25.5 over Jules Lapierre (FRA: 33:32.1) and Iversen (33:45.9), with Schumacher in 16th. Klaebo won the Tour de Ski title – his fifth – in 1:56:12.4, with Stenshagen second at 1:56:42.5. Schumacher finished a very creditable seventh, 2:17.0 behind Klaebo.

● Freestyle Skiing ● Three-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper of the U.S. – now 31 – popped up at the FIS Halfpipe World Cup on Saturday in Calgary (CAN), winning at 94.80 to edge New Zealand’s 2025 World Champion Finley Melville Ives (92.20) and American 2021 Worlds bronzer Birk Irving (89.80).

Australia’s 15-year-old Indra Brown won her first World Cup gold in the women’s final, scoring 85.20 ahead of Kexin Zhang (CHN: 84.20) and American Svea Irving (83.20).

● Ice Hockey ● /Updated/The annual IIHF men’s World Junior Championship continues in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, with Sweden winning Group A at 4-0 ahead of the U.S. (3-1). Canada won group B at 4-0, with the Czech Republic second (3-1) and Finland third (2-2).

In the playoff quarterfinals, Sweden and Canada advanced easily, with the U.S. eliminated by Finland, 4-3, in overtime. In Sunday’s first semifinal, Sweden advanced with a 4-3 win over arch-rival Finland in an eight-round shoot-off (2-1) after a 3-3 tie in regulation and overtime. The second semi was a wild match with the Czech Republic scoring with 1:14 to play to take a 5-4 lead on Canada and adding an empty-netter for a 6-4 win.

The final will be on Monday.

● Luge ● The fourth FIL World Cup of the season was in Sigulda (LAT), and American Summer Britcher showed her Lake Placid women’s Singles win was no fluke, coming from third after the first run to win the second and take the combined race in 1:23.840, just ahead of Lisa Schulte (AUT: 1:23.877) and two-time World Champion Julia Taubitz (GER: 1:23.91). American teammate Ashley Farquharson was fifth in 1:24.131.

In the women’s Doubles, two-time World Champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp won for the second straight World Cup in 1:24.814, with 2025 Worlds bronzer Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina second (1:24.845). The U.S. went 4-5 with Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (1:25.640) and Maya Chan and Sophia Gordon (1:25.672).

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Felix Loch got his third men’s Singles win of the season in 1:35.409, winning both runs to edge 2023 World Champion Jonas Mueller (AUT: 1:35.490) and reigning World Champion Max Langenhan (GER: 1:35.508)

The men’s Doubles was an upset, first-time win for home favorites Eduards Sevics-Mikelsevics and Lukass Krasts in 1:23.508, ahead of three-time Olympic champs Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. Latvia also got the bronze with veterans Martins Bots and Roberts Plume (1:23.593). The U.S. was 9-10 with Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa (1:24.316) and Zach DiGregorio and Sean Hollander (1:24.218).

Austria won the team relay in 3:01.215, with the U.S. squad of Britcher, DiGregorio and Hollander in men’s doubles, Jonny Gustafson, and Forgan and Kirkby third in 3:01.643.

● Ski Jumping ● The 74th Four Hills Tournament continued on the 142 m hill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) with the second leg and another win for 2025 World Champion Domen Prevc (SLO), scoring 303.1 and winning both jumps. Austria’s Jan Hoerl was a distant second at 287.7.

On to the third leg in Innsbruck (AUT) on Sunday on the 128 m hill, and Prevc almost pulled off a third straight win, but Ren Nikaido (JPN) led after the first jump, with Prevc third. The Slovenian star won the second jump, but fell short, 276.5 to 276.0, and had to settle for second.

American Jason Colby was ninth (250.9). Going into the final leg in Bischofshofen (AUT), Prevc has a huge 895.8 to 854.4 lead on Hoerl.

The women’s Two Nights Tournament started in Garmisch-Partenkirchen off the 142 m hill with double World Champion Nika Prevc (SLO) taking her fifth win of the season at 271.1, well ahead of Selina Freitag (GER: 248.0) and star newcomer Nozomi Maruyama (JPN: 244.1).

On New Year’s, Canada’s Abigail Strate took the win at 268.2 in Obertsdorf (GER) on the 137 m hill, getting her first World Cup victory, ahead of Ping Zeng (CHN: 257.7) and Freitag (257.3). Prevc was fourth but took her third Two Nights title at 527.7, ahead of Freitag (505.3).

● Snowboard ● The third stage of the FIS World Cup Halfpipe season was in Calgary (CAN) on Saturday, with Australia’s Valentino Guseli – the 2023 Worlds runner-up – winning his third career World Cup gold at 87.75, ahead of Swiss David Habluetzel (80.00).

Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking won her first-ever World Cup title in front of home fans, scoring 82.50 to 77.50 for Shaotong Wu (CHN).

● Speed Skating ● /Updated/The U.S. Olympic Trials were on in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and continuing into Monday (5th). The American superstar, Jordan Stolz, was already qualified for his main events in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 m based on prior performance, so while he was required to start each race, his status was already set for those events.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t the center of attention, and in Saturday’s 1,000 m, he tripped in the first five strides, got up and then raced to the third-fastest time of the day (1:07.968)! But it also allowed for Conor McDermott-Mostowy (1:07.606) and Cooper Mcleod (1:07.845) to finish 1-2 and in line to make the squad as the U.S. has three entries.

Sunday had the first 500 m and the 1,500 m, and Stolz was in winning form, taking the 500 m in 34.761, ahead of Mcleod (34.820) and Zach Stoppelmoor (34.940). Preferring to rest, Stolz started the 1,500 m, but quickly stopped the skated off the track. Emery Lehman (1:44.202) and Casey Dawson (1:45.601) went 1-2, with McDermott-Mostowy third (1:45.897).

On Saturday, the women’s 1,000 m went to Olympic 500 m champ Erin Jackson, skating in the final (11th) pair and winning in 1:14.625. She was a decisive winner ahead of three-time World Champion Brittany Bowe (1:15.016), who will be on her fourth Olympic team. Mia Manganello (1:16.559) was third.

Jackson was in strong form for the first women’s 500 m on Sunday, winning in 38.158 over Sarah Warren (38.863). Bowe was a big winner in the 1,500 m in 1:55.030, with Giorgia Birkeland a distant second in 1:59.451.

In the distance races, Dawson won the men’s 5,000 m in 6:12.857 and was named to the U.S. team for both the 5,000 and 10,000 m races. Dawson was a clear winner over Ethan Cepuran (6:19.335) and Kelin Dunfee (6:31.960).

Greta Myers won the women’s 3,000 m in 4:06.799, edging Birkeland (4:08.652), and is currently an Olympic alternate.

The meet continues on Monday with two Mass Start races and the second 500 m for men and women.

For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX SPECIAL: It’s here! Our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and more now posted!

Rich Perelman

January 3, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TSX CALENDAR ≡

The 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina is coming and the most comprehensive schedule anywhere of winter-sport World Cups and qualifiers is now available … all in one place! It’s all in the latest update to our TSX calendar – an exclusive 910-event listing – for all of 2026 and a few of the larger events beyond to 2034, with 45 sports listed (and many more, including all of the disciplines!).

Our updated International Sports Calendar focuses on sports and events on the Olympic and Winter Games program for 2026 and 2028, plus a few other meetings and multi-sport events.

Please note: this listing will change! However, this edition is a good place to start for following many of the events coming up in the rest of a busy year ahead.

Two calendars are included in the single PDF download: an 20-page listing in chronological order and a 21-page listing by sport (and in date order within each sport).

It’s free! Get your download right now, right here!

You can receive our exclusive TSX Report by e-mail by clicking here. You can also refer a friend by clicking here, and can donate here to keep this site going.

LANE ONE: Top stories of 2026 will feature the Olympic Winter Games, the FIFA World Cup … and women

Rich Perelman

January 1, 2026

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TOP STORIES OF 2026: 5 to 1 ≡

The new year brings new issues, but the schedule says that the biggest stories in 2026 will take place in February and (mostly) June. But are developing stories to watch in our countdown from no. 5 to no. 1.

5. Another new track concept: the Ultimate Championship
After a sensational Paris Olympic Games on the track in 2024 and a brilliant World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September 2025, the track and field world would normally be taking a breather in 2026.

Not now. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) told reporters in his year-end briefing,

“It is really imperative that every year, at the right broadcastable moment, we have a billion people watching our sport. We can’t go a year without that, it just can’t happen.

“So that was, in large part, why we did that and when we looked at what that product would look like, we challenged ourselves to be different.”

The result is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, over three nights in Budapest (HUN) from 11-13 September, essentially an all-star event with the Olympic and World Champions from 2024 and 2025 and the top athletes of 2026, with a $10 million prize purse. The program has 28 events, fewer than in the Olympics or Worlds and in a finals or semis-and-finals format.

A winner? Time will tell, but in the aftermath of the implosion of Grand Slam Track, this will be another test of whether another new concept can find success.

4. The year LA28 goes public
On 23 February, the eyes of the Olympic world will turn from Milan and Cortina to Los Angeles and its third Olympic Games in 2028. And 2026 will be the coming-out year for the LA28 organizing committee.

Volunteer registration began in late 2025 and will pick up steam in 2026. Ticket lottery sign-ups will begin on 14 January and ticket sales will begin much earlier than usual, slated for April.

With no new venues to be built and an unprecedented 11-year run-up to the Games when awarded in 2017, LA28 has been mostly quiet. That has to change as there will be questions galore – some serious, some silly – about the plan, about Los Angeles and how the Games will work, spread from the San Fernando Valley in the north all the way to the San Diego County line in the south.

A year ago, the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for 2028 was concerned about a lack of progress within the organizing committee, but there has been new energy from chief executive Reynold Hoover and significant sponsorship sales activity from U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties chief John Slusher. Those efforts will accelerate in 2026.

Open to more questions is the readiness of the City of Los Angeles, facing continuing budget deficits and a shortage of police officers, and the L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which has asked the U.S. government for $3.2 billion for Olympic program support and received nothing. Look for the Trump Administration to turn its attention to L.A. and 2028 after the FIFA World Cup concludes in July.

3. Coventry, the IOC and “protection of the female category”
There has been a noisy, but steady march by the major international federations, in athletics, aquatics, cycling, rowing and others, to removing transgender athletes and those with “differences in sex development” from competition in the women’s division in their sports. In February 2025, even the United Nations Special Rapporteur for violence against women and girls has called for sex screening to be reinstated for the Olympic Games.

Into the middle has stepped new International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), who formed a working group to deal with the “protection of the female category.”

The work has been kept very quiet, so much so that even the members of the working group have not been named, in order to keep them shielded from lobbying and attacks. And their report and recommendations are due in the first quarter of 2026. Per Coventry in a December briefing:

“It’s maybe not going to be the easiest thing to do, but we are going to try our best to be sure than when are talking about the female category, we are protecting the female category and doing that in the most fair way and in finding a consensus for everybody to be able to at least believe in and get behind in. …

“We want to make sure that we can try and ensure that we’ve spoken to all stakeholders and that we’ve really taken adequate time to cross the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s. … I don’t want to try and constrain – maybe is the right word? – the working group that they need to have a specific deadline, but I am hopeful in the next couple of months, definitely within the first quarter of next year, we will have a very clear decision and way forward, which I think we’re all looking forward to.”

World Athletics has been at the forefront, including commissioning more scientific research and, based on its findings, issuing a requirement last July for eligibility in last September’s World Athletics Championships:

“All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.”

Many believe that is where the IOC is likely to come out.

2. Coming in February: the Olympic Winter Games
The IOC’s concept of using existing venues to cut down on costs for staging the Olympic Games has been pushed to its logical extreme by the Milan Cortina organizers, who have events taking place all over northern Italy, but primarily in Milan and 1956 Winter Games host Cortina d’Ampezzo. Familiar World Cup venues will be featured for skiing and snowboarding, with the ice events mostly in Milan.

There have been venue construction issues, with a miraculous new sliding track created in just months and still questions about the main ice hockey arena, still not open. But the Games will go on, with considerably more joy than Beijing 2022, held during a continuing Covid-19 lockdown and damaged by the Kamila Valieva Russian doping scandal in figure skating.

But the competition should be fierce, with Norway expected to win the most medals again, and Germany and the U.S. both expected to have strong teams. The American outlook, at the turn of the year, is especially bright, with star skaters such as World Champions Ilia Malinin, Alysia Liu and Madison Chock and Evan Bates in figure skating and six-time World Champion speed skater Jordan Stolz.

Alpine star Mikaela Shiffrin – undefeated in five Slaloms this season – and comebacking Downhill gold medalist Lindsey Vonn headline the skiing team and on Wednesday, history was made as three-time Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins and emerging star Gus Schmacher both won FIS World Cup 5 km Freestyle races in Toblach (ITA), reportedly the first time two Americans had won World Cup races on the same day!

And then there are the star-studded men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, both with gold-medal ambitions. It should be quite a show.

1. The biggest FIFA World Cup ever
There will be a lot of firsts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with 48 teams and 104 matches for the first time, three countries – Canada, Mexico and the U.S. – hosting the event and FIFA running the event itself from new offices in Coral Gables, Florida.

Questions about logistics have faded recently as FIFA created a ticketing system using “dynamic pricing” that reacts to demand and increases or decreases prices. But with 6-7 million tickets to sell, FIFA has received more than 150 million requests and prices have skyrocketed. For group stage matches, current pricing is from $140 to $2,735!

So, FIFA is accused of making the World Cup only for the rich. Quite right.

As the 11 June starting date gets closer, however, the questions of entry visas to a much more careful U.S. State Department, accommodations, ground transportation, culture, security and more will be scrutinized incredibly closely, in the largest sporting spectacular in the U.S. since 2002.

Against a backdrop of human rights concerns and Arab culture, the Qatar 2022 World Cup was a smashing success on the field, overshadowing all other issues. Will the 2026 World Cup be the same, or will issues off the field color the tournament? It will take the full month of the event to know for sure.

Beyond these on-field events, look for a rising visibility for the International Committee for Fair Play (CIFP), under the direction of American Sunil Sabharwal. Founded in 1963 in Paris (FRA), it has been fairly quiet for most of its history, but Sabharwal wants to raise not so much the CIFP itself, but the fair-play concept. More and more federations – including the IOC, FIFA and World Athletics – are incorporating Fair Play Awards into their events and in annual awards; look for this to be expanded.

Sabharwal wrote in a New Year’s message, “I find myself reflecting on a simple but profound truth: Fairness is not a distant ideal; it is the atmosphere we breathe. …

“You do not need a stadium to practice fair play; you only need to look at your surroundings-your office, your school, your local club-and ask, ‘How can I tilt this environment toward fairness today?’

“Fairness does not prevail by accident; it prevails because people like you decide that it must.”

Good advice to start the year.

Rich Perelman
Editor

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: Projecting the top stories of 2026 (10 to 6), with questions about Russia, Israel, esports, doping, college chaos and, of course, track & field

Rich Perelman

December 31, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TOP STORIES of 2026: 10 to 6 ≡

The post-Olympic year of 2025 is done and a Winter Olympic year is getting started in 2026. What will the top stories be in the new year? Time for predictions, or – let’s say – projections of the issues that will garner attention and interest. Some good and some not good at all.

10. Russia, Israel and access to sport
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and is still fighting its war of aggression. Hamas, the ruling body in Gaza, massacred more than 1,200 Israelis in a coordinated attack on 7 October 2023 and took 250 hostages and Israel responded with a comprehensive attack, leading to a fragile “cease fire,” in effect since 10 October 2025.

In 2022, the International Olympic Committee declared quickly that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not participate in international competitions, including teams. An IOC plan to allow “neutral” individuals who have shown no public support for the war was developed at the end of 2023 and implemented for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In December, the IOC decided that Russian and Belarusian “youth” competitors and teams can compete internationally without restrictions, subject to federation rules and procedures.

In October 2025, Indonesia – after giving assurances earlier – refused to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The IOC ended all discussions about future events in Indonesia and the government has still not said it will allow Israeli participation in the future.

At the Olympic Summit on 11 December 2025, the Olympic stakeholders “reaffirmed that athletes have a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organisations.”

So what happens in 2026? Russia and Belarus appear to be in a re-entry phase, but what about Israel and other IOC-recognized countries that have been refused visas, such as Kosovo? And what of the increasing scrutiny on entry into the United States, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June and July?

9. The IOC and esports?
A 12-year deal between the IOC and the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee to create and stage a new, “Olympic Esports Games” was announced with great fanfare in July 2024.

In October 2025, the deal was dead, with the announcement noting in part:

“The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games, taking the feedback from the ‘Pause and Reflect’ process into account, and pursue a new partnership model.

“This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible.”

What does the IOC do now? Under prior President Thomas Bach (GER), a link to the e-sports community was created, but has stalled. As he noted at the time, the structure of competitive gaming is much different from Olympic sports, with commercial publishers instead of International Federations.

There are perhaps more than three billion active gamers worldwide, but many fewer registered professionals. Will new President Kirsty Coventry’s IOC seek out engagement, as Bach did? Find a blend with active sport contested online, a la the World Rowing Indoor Championships? Do nothing?

Remember this line in “The Godfather” from 1972? Looking to the future, consigliere Tom Hagen told his boss, Vito Corleone, “if we don’t get a piece of that action, we risk everything we have; I mean not now, but ten years from now.”

8. Collegiate sport still in chaos
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee stated that “75% of U.S. Olympians will have competed collegiately as part of their journey to Team USA” for the Paris 2024 Games and that the American collegiate system is a bedrock of the U.S. athlete development program.

In 2025, collegiate athletics surged into chaos as pay-for-play was fully implemented, firstly and mostly for college football and also significantly impacting college basketball for men and women. The now-legal payments to players, and barely-regulated booster pay on top of that, plus the costs for coaches, support and facilities, threatens to crowd out all other sports, including Olympic mainstays such as track & field, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics and many others.

The NCAA is looking to Congress for legislative support and some collegiate conferences and the USOPC are beyond the SCORE Act, which requires that the large football-playing schools maintain a 16-sport program which will ensure continued funding of non-revenue sports, which are essentially everything other than football and basketball at most schools.

But the SCORE Act (H.R. 4312) and competing bills have not made it across the finish line yet and do not appear to be close. The Trump Administration is in favor of a Congressional fix to the college sport mess, but has many other priorities.

There is a wide agreement that collegiate sport’s structure is broken, but how to fix it is not clear. We’re here to help: The Sports Examiner proposed a comprehensive fix in 2024, detailed here.

7. What about the Enhanced Games?
Under the leadership of then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP), the World Anti-Doping Agency was formed in 1999 to take the global lead against doping in sport, on competitive, ethical and medical safety grounds.

In 2025, a new competition was announced, doing away with doping tests and encouraging “enhanced” athletes to compete in a showcase of “superhumans,” titled the Enhanced Games, planned to be held at Resorts World in Las Vegas, Nevada in late May of 2026.

Widely condemned, the event is to feature a small number of sprint events in track & field and swimming, plus weightlifting, all trying to break world records set by athletes who have competed in competitions which follow the World Anti-Doping Code.

Each event is to have a $500,000 prize purse, with $250,000 for the winner; world-record bonuses will pay $250,000 except for the 50 m Free swim and 100 m dash, which will have $1 million payouts for records.

WADA and many other organizations have labeled the event dangerous and unethical. The promoters have had trouble signing up athletes, who will be instantly banned from Olympic and International Federation competitions. So far, nine swimmers, three track athletes and two weightlifters have agreed to participate, and the Enhanced Games had a lawsuit alleging restraint of trade against WADA, World Aquatics and USA Swimming was dismissed.

But the Enhanced Games got a $40 million lifeline in a complex transaction in November, with the promise of more, with a product line to follow which would be the basis of the business going forward.

Will the Enhanced Games be held? If so, will anyone care? Many in the Olympic world have disowned it, but there will be attention paid to see what happens – if anything – in May.

6. Will ATHLOS succeed where Grand Slam Track failed?
One of the big questions of 2025 was whether Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track would succeed. It did not, staging only three of its planned four meets, selling less than 65,000 tickets across eight meet days and staring at $31.4 million in debt at the end of 2025.

Now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Delaware, Grand Slam Track is trying to settle its debts – it owes its athletes about $7 million – and get re-energized with new funding. It will have an uphill climb to regain any trust within the track & field community. But it is trying.

Getting ready to enter the fray, apparently, is ATHLOS, a project of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who staged two showy, end-of-season meets in New York in 2024 and 2025, with a limited event program, strong athlete pay and integrated concerts which had more fan attention than the meets.

Ohanian has promised an ATHLOS “league” beginning in 2026:

“The ATHLOS League introduces a team-based competition model designed for and by the modern athlete. Taking place after the conclusion of the World Athletics season, ATHLOS will feature multiple meets hosted in major cities, culminating in a final championship event.”

The ownership is to include athletes such as Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall. That’s all there is to say at present. The details, with Grand Slam Track’s experience as a cautionary tale, will be fascinating.

Coming New Year’s Day: our projected top-five stories of 2026, including a fight over science and two of the world mega-events.

Rich Perelman
Editor

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: Coventry’s election to IOC Presidency the top Olympic-sport story of 2025, amid some dark developments in track and gymnastics

Rich Perelman

December 30, 2025

tsx pix 2025-320 coventry accepts ioc win — IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), addressing the IOC members after her election (Photo: IOC video screen shot).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TOP STORIES of 2025: 5 to 1 ≡

The year 2025 produced some incredible performances by star athletes and memorable upsets on the field, but the top stories of the year – for the most part – took place off the field and in board rooms, Congresses and government offices.

The Sports Examiner selections of the top stories of 2025 from no. 10 to no. 6 are here; let’s count down the top five:

5. FIFA World Cup ticket prices soar, as does demand
With an expansion to 48 teams and 104 matches, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to shatter all kinds of records.

One of those will be for ticket prices, as FIFA – which is organizing the tournament itself – made a shift to try to capture as much ticket revenue as possible, using dynamic pricing and sending prices skyward. An Associated Press review of prices as of 11 December showed:

● Group stage: from $140 to $2,735
● Round of 32 and 16: $190 to $980
● Quarterfinals: $535 to $1,775
● Semifinals: $905 to $3,295
● Final: $4,185, $5,575 and $8,680

Facing blistering criticism from fan groups, FIFA created a $60 ticket tier for a few hundred tickets per game for fan support groups working with member national federations. But nearly all tickets appear ready to be sold as FIFA said more than 150 million tickets have been requested vs. the 6-7 million to be actually available.

4. Indonesia denies Israel access for gymnastics World Championships
Following a consistent policy over decades and despite earlier promises, the government of Indonesia barred Israeli athletes – including defending men’s Floor Exercise World Champion Artem Dolgopyat – from competing at the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta in October by denying entry visas.

The door slammed on 10 October, nine days before the event began and in time for World Gymnastics – as now known – to follow its own rules, cancel the event and find a new host on postponed dates. But it did not, as Secretary General Nicolas Buompane (SUI) confirmed that the federation did not see this coming:

“When it comes to it, it was previsible not that much in our sense.

“Okay, we know that there is no relationship if I may say so between both countries. But at the same time when the bid has been allocated to Indonesia, we receive a confirmation from the government and this is part of the bidding process mentioning that all participants will be granted with a visa and it was the case until the 9th of October.

“Everybody got their visa and suddenly because of these threats [for riots] and all this they had to change their mind for security reason.”

The International Olympic Committee tried to intervene, but failed and then ended any dialogue about a future Olympic Games or other events in the country and asked the International Federations to also stay away. Indonesia, which shut down the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games and had the 2023 FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup removed over not allowing Israeli participation, does not care and has not responded to IOC requests for future guarantees to allow athletes of all nations to compete there.

Black eye for Indonesia, black eye for the naive World Gymnastics and no word from the IOC on any sanction or even a rebuke to its two members who failed in this episode: Indonesian member Erick Thohir, the country’s youth and sports minister, and World Gymnastics President Morinari Watanabe of Japan.

3. LA28 organizers reach $2 billion in sponsorship sales
Although publicly mostly silent, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee was busy in 2025, moving its headquarters to a historic downtown L.A. skyscraper, finishing some venue moves and focusing on flagging domestic sponsorship sales.

That turned into a success for the year, with major “Founding Partner” sponsorships announced for Honda in June, and then Starbucks in September, Google in October and Intuit in November. In all, there are 29 corporate partners across three levels announced by the end of the year, with $2 billion now committed out of a $2.517 billion budget line item.

LA28 also began taking names for volunteer roles and will open ticket lottery registrations in January 2026. Staffing expanded noticeably, from less than 200 at the start of the year to about 600 at year’s end. The organizers also filed a lengthy “Impact and Sustainability Report,” with goals for environmental protection and local hiring.

It was not as rosy a year for the City of Los Angeles, which started with devastating fires, notably in the Palisades area, then having to close a $1 billion budget gap by eliminating open positions and getting help from its labor unions and, in September, approving a $2.63 billion expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. This project will not be finished in time for the 2028 Games, requiring it to be paused, and if behind schedule, the multiple sports to be held there might have to be moved.

Parallel to all of this is a continuing, angry tug-of-war between business interests and labor unions in Los Angeles, especially over minimum wage legislation, possibly to be settled at the ballot box in 2026 elections referenda. LA28 is not directly involved, but could be impacted significantly as a bystander in 2028.

2. Grand Slam Track starts, does not finish and may be finished
When announced in 2024, there were high hopes for the Grand Slam Track concept of four major meets with star athletes and strong prize money. The reality proved to be much less.

Created by Atlanta 1996 Olympic icon Michael Johnson, the circuit opened in Kingston, Jamaica on 4 April and drew modest attendance at the National Stadium, with an estimated 4-5,000 on Friday, then about 10,000 on Saturday and perhaps 8,000 on Sunday, in a 35,000-seat venue. It turned out that meet killed the circuit’s financing, as a probable investor decided not to participate after seeing the turnout.

The results on the track were great and the follow-up meet in Miramar, Florida was nearly full, – in a 5,000-seat facility – in early May and then a terrific house at Franklin Field in Philadelphia at the end of May with an estimated 18,000 on hand for each of the two days there.

But by that point, investor money was long gone and the fourth meet, to be at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, was canceled. Millions were owed to athletes and vendors and Chapter 11 bankruptcy was declared in December.

Grand Slam Track has $143,126 in cash and debts of $31.4 million, owed to investor Winners Alliance ($11.4 million), athletes ($7.0 million) and vendors and suppliers ($13.0 million). Winners Alliance is advancing additional loans of more than $3 million for restructuring through March 2026 to help get the program back up and running, but the key will be to pay athletes in full.

And any future meets will need to be cash-and-carry as far as vendors and suppliers are concerned.

The Philadelphia meet showed the possible viability of the concept, much more so than the first two meets, but it appears that finding the right venues was a challenge and the television audiences were in the 250,000 range on The CW plus some more on NBC’s Peacock streaming network. There are many more question marks than answers, starting with whether Grand Slam Track will return, in 2026, 2027 or beyond.

1. Olympic swim star Kirsty Coventry elected as IOC President
“This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought that I would be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible Movement of ours.”

That was Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry, speaking to the IOC Session immediately after her election as President on 20 March in Costa Navarino, Greece.

Coventry won the vote over six other candidates, with 49 votes, the exact minimum number required to win in the first round, out of 97 votes cast, ahead of Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP: 28); Sebastian Coe (GBR: 8); David Lappartient (FRA: 4) and Morinari Watanabe (JPN: 4); Prince Feisal Al Hussein (JOR: 2) and Johan Eliasch (GBR: 2).

At 41, she became the second-youngest IOC President ever, and brought multiple firsts, including being the first woman President of the IOC and the first from Africa. She has extensive U.S. ties, having swum collegiately at Auburn University before winning seven Olympic medals – including two golds – in 2004 and 2008.

In her early months as President, she has maintained the policies of predecessor Thomas Bach (GER), but with a more informal and relaxed style. As she promised, she has invested significant time in listening to the IOC membership, which has felt cut-off from the organization’s decision making, and created four working groups to consider new approaches for the future for commercial partnerships and marketing; the Olympic sports program, the Youth Olympic Games and “protection of the female category.”

Coventry clearly does not want to be rushed in new directions, and is very desirous of consensus, so far as is possible with difficult topics such as differences in sex development and transgender participation. She has maintained Bach’s approach to “neutral” athletes for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games for Russia and Belarus.

But she is finding her own style, and has received a warm welcome from the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees thus far. The harder decisions are yet to come, starting with the “female category” question in early 2026.

These top-10 moments are not, of course, all that deserve mention for 2025. No recap of the year can be complete without noting the continuing chaos in collegiate sports in the U.S., with millions now going to football and basketball players and smaller sports such as track, swimming, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, tennis and so on all threatened as resources shrink.

Important also has been the work of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, which is benefitting from a share of the LA28 sponsorship revenue streams and which received a sensational $100 million gift in March from Stone Ridge Holding Group founder Ross Stevens, to create a fund that will provide $100,000 in cash and a $100,000 death benefit to each Olympian and Paralympian, available 20 years after their qualifying Games or at age 45, whichever is later, beginning with the 2026 Winter Games.

Up next: the projected top stories of 2026!

Rich Perelman
Editor

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: The top Olympic-sport stories of 2025, part one, from Ariarne Titmus bows out to the Tokyo World Athletics Champs!

Rich Perelman

December 29, 2025

World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025, Tokyo 25. — Best when his best was needed: 2025 Worlds men’s 200 m gold medalist Noah Lyles of the U.S. (Photo: Mattia Ozbot for World Athletics).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ TOP STORIES OF 2025: 10 to 6 ≡

How could any year follow the sensational Paris Olympic Games and a lot more in 2024?

Well, there was a lot going on in 2025 and not just with more brilliant performances on the field, but also away from the arena, pools and stadia. Let’s start the countdown of The Sports Examiner’s top-10 stories of 2025, from no. 10 to no. 6:

10. Aussie swim star Titmus retires
Australia’s Ariarne Titmus entered 2025 after winning a second straight women’s Olympic 400 m Freestyle, a gold in the 4×200 m Free relay and silvers in the 200 m and 800 m Frees. But at age 25, she stunned the swimming world by announcing her retirement in October. Her post-to-herself on Instagram said in part:

“You’ve just turned 25 and the time feels right to step away from swimming. The pursuit was unrelenting and you gave it every skerrick [every tiny bit] of yourself. You walk away knowing every stone was turned, no regrets. You’re fulfilled, content and happy.

“What’s ahead for you is exciting. New goals, more time with the people you love most and the chance to wholeheartedly put yourself, not your sport first.”

She said in an interview that while swimming had always been first in her life, other goals were now becoming more important. So she’s done, finishing with eight Olympic medals (4-3-1) and nine World Championships medals (4-2-3).

In a not-completely-unrelated development, Canada’s 19-year-old Summer McIntosh won the women’s 400 m Freestyle at the 2025 Worlds, as well as the 200 m Butterfly and the 200-400 m Medleys, and set world records in the 400 Free and both medleys.

9. Russia’s slow return
Two days following the close of the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games will mark the fourth anniversary of the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, on 24 February 2022.

Russia is still fighting and the Ukrainians have made a heroic defense of their country. The world was so shocked by the war that even the Olympic Movement reacted by essentially banning Russian and ally Belarus from international competition, in part so that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not themselves be attacked.

But while the war continues, the International Olympic Committee is leading a long, drawn-out thaw that is allowing some Russians and Belarusians back into international competition. New IOC President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) has continued the “Individual Neutral Athlete” program – created for Paris 2024 – for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, complete with an independent review panel.

But some International Federations, such as for judo, have been ready to re-admit Russians and Belarusians with full colors and fanfare. The IOC’s recommended ban on team entries held for 2025, but at the Olympic Summit on 11 December, the stakeholders:

“supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports. The definition of youth competitions and the application of these recommendations depends for this purpose on the regulations of each International Federation (IF). The Summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organisations for their consideration. It was recognised that implementation by the stakeholders will take time.”

Moreover, the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued decisions that winter-sport federations for luge and skiing cannot simply ban all Russians and Belarusians, but must make provisions for “neutrals” using the IOC’s guidelines.

Ukrainian officials are furious, as are sports leaders in the Baltic countries, Poland and the Nordic countries. But they are complying. Meanwhile, Russia’s offensive continues.

8. The anti-doping wars continue
This wasn’t the best year in the fight against doping. Beyond the announcement of the Enhanced Games (see below), the brawl between the World Anti-Doping Agency, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Congress showed no signs of abating.

The centerpiece of the fight continues to be the WADA handling of the mass-positives incident of 23 Chinese swimmers in January 2021, with the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency issuing no suspensions and eventually no sanctions, insisting on contaminated food. WADA did not appeal and in October 2025, USADA chief Travis Tygart once again slammed back at WADA President Witold Banka (POL):

“His attempts to smear America and our U.S. Olympic and professional athletes is a desperate attempt to divert attention away from his failure in allowing China to sweep 23 positive tests under the carpet [in 2021]. This abject failure potentially robbed the world’s clean athletes of 96 medals, including 18 (14 gold) US swimming medals, from the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games.

“Those who value clean and fair sport should stand up and demand that WADA be fixed.”

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, continues to refuse to forward U.S. dues of $3.625 million for 2024, and in June, S. 233, the U.S. Senate’s “Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act of 2025” was reported out of committee. It has stalled, but the situation continues to deteriorate.

Moreover, the alarm bell over the effectiveness of the worldwide anti-doping effort was rung by Athletics Integrity Unit leader David Howman (NZL), who said at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in December:

“But let’s be honest and pragmatic – the system has stalled. Intentional dopers at elite level are evading detection. We are not effective enough nowadays in catching cheats. We have great education programmes which help but they don’t impact the intentional rule-breakers in elite sport.”

7. The Enhanced Games
On top of the other issues in doping came the May announcement of the Enhanced Games, in which doping will be allowed, with events in athletics, swimming and weightlifting, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in May 2026.

The lure was money and plenty of it, with founder Aron D’Souza (AUS) promising medical supervision and safety and a full-on chase of “world records.”

The announcement immediately shook the anti-doping community, with stern warnings from WADA and national anti-doping authorities about the dangers inherent in the event, and bans for athletes, coaches or officials who participate.

However, the event has hardly taken off. Athlete recruitment was difficult from the start and at year’s end, a total of nine swimmers, three track athletes and two weightlifters have signed up, including 2022 World 100 m champ Fred Kerley of the U.S., who is facing multiple legal issues in Florida off the track. That’s 14 out of the 100 or so the organizers say they need.

Recruitment got so tough that a lawsuit was filed against WADA, World Aquatics and USA Swimming for their actions against pro-doping events, but a U.S. District Judge dismissed the action for lack of a valid claim in November. Then, D’Souza was replaced as the head of the organization and a $40 million cash infusion was reported in a transaction that will place Enhanced Games as a trading stock on the NASDAQ exchange in 2026.

There are a lot of folks in the Olympic Movement who do not want to see the Enhanced Games take place. If the financing comes through as promised, it seems that at least one edition is likely to be held, but there are many more questions than answers.

6. World Athletics’ sensational return to Tokyo
There was great anticipation for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where the Olympic Games had been held in 2021 with no spectators, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It turned out that the wait was worth it, with more than 50,000 in the stands for each of the evening sessions and fabulous competitions on the track and the infield.

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis set another men’s vault world record at 6.30 m (20-8) and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson went 1-2 in the men’s 100 m, but the U.S. dominated with 16 gold medals in all.

Sprint star Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won three, in the women’s 100-200-4×100 m and hurdles icon Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won two, running the second-fastest women’s 400 m in history and a leg on the winning 4×400 m team. The women also saw field-event wins from Katie Moon (vault), Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump), Valarie Allman (discus) and Anna Hall in the heptathlon.

The American men had Noah Lyles win his fourth 200 m title, a sweep in the hurdles from Cordell Tinch (110) and Rai Benjamin (400) and a stunning victory from Paris 1,500 m winner Cole Hocker in the 5,000 m. The U.S. men won the 4×100 m relay with Lyles on anchor and Olympic champ Ryan Crouser, out all season with an injury, defended his Worlds shot put title in his only meet in 2025. And the U.S. won the mixed 4×400 m as well.

The meet was superb and the U.S. team was impressive. The sport as a whole benefitted from having the Worlds at the end of the season, leading to a better-organized training and development schedule for the athletes, especially the big stars.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) reflected in December, noting:

“On any matrix of assessment, any metric, Tokyo was our most successful World Championships …

“For 84 countries to leave a world championships with either a finalist, or a top-eight finish, is unprecedented. I will say this, and I will never tire of saying it, there is no sport that has that global reach at world-championship level.”

These were all important developments this year, but there were more. Coming tomorrow: the top five stories of 2025!

Rich Perelman
Editor

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: U.S. led 2025 Worlds combined medal winners; women’s hurdle height raise idea is 30 years old; Diggins leads Tour de Ski

Rich Perelman

December 29, 2025

tsx pix 2024-317 diggins, jessie (usski) — U.S. cross-country skiing superstar Jessie Diggins (Photo: U.S. Ski Team).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● World Sport 2025 ● The Italian all-sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport made a survey of the 32 sports and disciplines on the 2028 Olympic program that held world championships in 2025 and totaled up the medal winners. The top 10, by total medals won:

● 1. 88, United States (35-25-28)
● 2. 76, China (25-23-28)
● 3. 71, Japan (24-23-24)
● 4. 47, Australia (13-16-18)
● 5. 45, France (11-14-20)

● 6. 41, Italy (13-14-14)
● 6. 41, Great Britain (7-18-16)
● 8. 34, South Korea (7-9-18)
● 9. 30, Germany (7-16-7)
● 10. 29, Netherlands (14-6-9)

The U.S. won 53 medals in athletics and swimming combined, which would have ranked ahead of all but China and Japan this year!

Many thanks to former Torino 2006 Winter Games Chief Operating Officer Luciano Barra for noting the feature.

● Athletics ● Former World Champion Kim Batten’s plea for raising the women’s 400 m hurdles height to 33 inches (from 30) struck a chord with 35-year track coach (and devoted TSX reader) Ron Brumel:

“Thirty years ago, I attended a two-week session in West Chester, Pa. to acquire a ‘Level 2′ USA Track & Field coaching certification.

“Amongst the many things that I learned, was during a hurdle seminar with Ralph Mann, the great 400 hurdler for the time that running sub-49 seconds was a rare feat.

“Mann presented research indicating (in 1996), that women’s hurdle heights were too low, and that the hurdles should be raised to 36 inches for the 100 meters, and 33 inches for the 400 hurdles, in order to approximate equivalency with the men’s events in these disciplines.

“Women’s hurdle events are amongst the most exciting competitive races on the higher levels, with the 100 now inching toward sub-12.0 seconds, and the 400 toward sub-50.

“It seems to me that, at least on the senior level, these events need to place more emphasis on technical abilities, rather than pure sprint speed. The heights should remain at the current levels for high school and sub-20 (juniors), which makes sense considering that the men’s events have had a 3-inch differential in the highs for as long as I can remember.

“Research from the 1990s has verified this concept. Time for re-evaluation.”

● Cross Country Skiing ● The 20th Tour de Ski continued in Tolbach (ITA) with the Interval Start Classical 10 km and another Norwegian sweep in the men’s race, as Mattis Stenshagen got his first career World Cup gold in 22:11.0, trailed by superstar Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (22:19.9) and Emil Iversen (22:21.1).

Gus Schumacher was the top American, in 17th (23:00.9).

Three-time Worlds medal winner Astrid Slind (NOR) won the women’s race in 25:33.7, pulling away from Teresa Stadlober (AUT: 25:40.7) and American star Jessie Diggins (25:42.5), who now has the overall Tour de Ski lead by 39 seconds over Slind!

Two more races in Tolbach, with a Mass Start Freestyle 5 km on Wednesday and the Classical 20 km Pursuit on Thursday, before moving to Val di Fiemme.

● Ski Jumping ● The much-celebrated 74th Four Hills Tournament has started with jumping off the 137 m hill in Obertsdorf (GER) and Slovenian star – and 2025 World Champion – Domen Prevc taking the first leg.

He won both rounds and scored 316.7 to dominate the field, with Daniel Tschofenig (AUT: 299.2) second and German Felix Hoffmann (297.3) in third. Jason Colby was 19th for the U.S. (264.7). Next is the 142 m hill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) on New Year’s!

● Swimming ● World Aquatics named German star Florian Wellbrock and Australia’s Moesha Johnson as its Open Water Athletes of the Year. Wellbrock swept the World Championships golds in the 5 km, 10 km, 3 km knock-out sprints and a leg on the winning 4×1,500 m relay!

Johnson won both the 5 km and 10 km golds at the Singapore Worlds, plus a bronze in the 3 km sprints.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

FOOTBALL: FIFA says total ticket requests for 2026 World Cup have surpassed 150 million so far

Rich Perelman

December 29, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 ≡

“We have six to seven million tickets on sale and in 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests. So, 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is.

“In the almost 100 years of the World Cup, FIFA has sold 44 million tickets in total. So, in two weeks we could have filled 300 years of World Cups. Imagine that. This is absolutely crazy.”

That’s FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI), speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday (29th), with the federation posting a release which added:

“At the halfway point of the ongoing Random Selection Draw ticketing phase, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is already breaking records as over 150 million ticket requests have been submitted to date by fans from over 200 countries.

“The outcome of the current phase that opened on Thursday, 11 December 2025 means the FIFA World Cup 2026 is oversubscribed over 30 times based on verified individual credit card numbers submitted with each ticket application. The demand also represents 3.4 times more than the overall number of spectators who have attended the 964 matches that make up all 22 editions of the competition combined since 1930.”

In terms of the sales logistics going forward, the post explained:

“The Random Selection Draw ticketing phase remains open until Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 11:00 ET (17:00 CET), and the timing of a ticket request within this window does not affect the chances of success.

“Fans can enter the draw and find full details at FIFA.com/tickets. Following the closing of the current phase, a draw will take place thus giving all fans equal chances of success. Those who are unsuccessful will have the opportunity to secure their seats during the subsequent sales phases as additional tickets are made available.”

FIFA has come in for withering criticism for the pricing of the tickets, which have soared far above any expectations, and with FIFA using dynamic pricing to try and capture as much of the actual match-to-match value as possible; in the past, the margin between the original value of a ticket and the eventual market value has gone to re-sellers. Not this time.

A very small number of $60 tickets are being made available to national federations to sell to their support groups, but the cost is what the market will bear. So far, FIFA is soaking in revenue beyond its dreams.

And FIFA never fails to mention:

“As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of men’s, women’s and youth football throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations. FIFA expects to reinvest over 90% of its budgeted investments for the 2023-2026 cycle back into the game, with the aim of significantly boosting the development of football around the world.”

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: Bankruptcy filings show Johnson to remain as Grand Slam Track head, but Winners Alliance essentially owns the league

Rich Perelman

December 28, 2025

tsx pix 2024-1201 grant slam trk-johnson — Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson (Photo: Grand Slam Track).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ BANKRUPTCY UPDATE ≡

“The Debtor does not have sufficient available sources of working capital and/or financing to operate its business or maintain its property in the ordinary course of business without the DIP [debtor-in-possession] Facility and authorized use of Cash Collateral.”

That’s the situation in which Grand Slam Track finds itself, as noted in the 23 December 2025 Order issued by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Delaware. In a 21 December filing, the Chief Restructuring Officer, Nicholas Rubin, noted its financial situation, requiring a rescue loan:

● $143,126 in cash on hand
● $31.4 million in debt
● $5.3 million in secured debt to Winners Alliance
● $6.1 million in unsecured debt to Winners Alliance
● $7.0 million owed to athletes
● $13.0 million owed to suppliers and vendors

Winners Alliance is the commercial – for-profit – arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association, and was the primary funder of Grand Slam Track. It provided $13 million in start-up capital in return for equity in the venture in April 2024. According to the Rubin filing:

“The Company therefore retained PJT Partners (“PJT”) to conduct a formal capitalraising and strategic outreach process. The engagement contemplated a broad-based market check, including outreach to strategic investors, family offices, private equity sponsors, venture capital firms, and new entrants to the sports and entertainment investment space. Between January 2025 and March 2025, PJT contacted more than 150 potential investors on behalf of the Company and facilitated extensive diligence and management engagement, including the distribution of marketing and diligence materials, provision of data room access, and coordination of live management presentations.

“During this period, members of the Company’s management participated in more than 30 live pitch meetings with prospective investors, addressing topics including the planned structure of the inaugural 2025 season, projected operating results, capital requirements, and potential paths to scalability. Despite this extensive outreach, many prospective investors declined to proceed or deferred investment decisions, frequently citing the early-stage nature of the league, the absence of completed operating results from a full season of competition, uncertainty regarding the ramp-up of media and sponsorship revenues, and the lack of a committed lead investor.”

In March 2025, possible investor Eldridge Industries decided to wait on committing to Grand Slam Track until seeing the first meet in Kingston, Jamaica on 4-6 April, and thereafter declined to participate. That caused the financial collapse of Grand Slam Track.

The recap noted that the three meets in Jamaica, Miramar, Florida and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sold a total of 64,566 tickets with “merchandise sell-outs at each event.”

Winners Alliance continues to have faith in the concept, and in the 23 December Order, will provide further loans of up to $3.25 million, and will have first call on repayment. The loans are being made at a quite-sharp interest rate of 14.5%.

But that $3.25 million will not go to pay off vendors and suppliers, or for most of the athlete expenses. It costs money to be in bankruptcy and the Order included a 13-week budget from 19 December 2025 to 20 March 2026 of $3.03 million:

● $1.58 million in operating expenses
● $1.45 million of restructuring expenses

The operating expenses include $421,643 in salaries and does include $200,000 for “Racer Contract Guarantees,” about 2.9% of the remaining debts to athletes.

The next major step comes in January, per the loan agreement:

“On or before January 30, 2026, Borrower shall have filed a Disclosure Statement and a proposed Chapter 11 Plan, which shall provide that GST emerges reorganized with Michael Johnson and Stephen Gera remaining as officers of the Reorganized Debtor and be in form and substance acceptable to Lender in its sole discretion.”

Gera, a former Marine who served in Iraq and later worked with teams in the NFL and NBA, joined Grand Slam Track in January 2024 and has served as President and Chief Operating Officer. He and Atlanta 1996 Olympic icon Johnson began discussions about the Grand Slam Track concept in mid-2023.

The loans are due to be repaid, or possibly converted into equity, by 15 April 2026.

Observed: Winners Alliance is willing to spend some more money on Grand Slam Track to see if it can make it pay and is keeping Johnson in charge. It will be an uphill climb, for sure, but the Philadelphia meet showed that there is fan interest.

But Grand Slam Track cannot go forward without paying off its debts, especially to the athletes. That’s the key, and any future ventures are going to require cash-in-advance to athletes and vendors.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES: IOC-funded study shows, despite climate change, likely future spots for Winter Games in U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia

Rich Perelman

December 28, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1228 winter games climate map — Map of possible Winter Games host locations from “Climate change and the climate reliability of hosts in the second century of the Winter Olympic Games” (2024).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ A WINTER GAMES FUTURE? ≡

The good news is that there is a future for the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games for the next 55 years, that is, there will be places where it is snowy and cold, even with climate change:

“Under a more probable mid-range emission scenario, 52 locations remain climate-reliable for the OWG in the 2050s and 46 in the 2080s. The scheduling of the PWG in March put it at higher risk, with only 22 climate-reliable locations in the 2050s and 16 in the 2080s.

“When a more stringent minimum snow depth requirement was applied, the number of reliable locations declined slightly for both OWG and PWG, signifying the importance of advanced sustainable snowmaking as an adaptation strategy.

“While it is inevitable that climate change will impact the geography and development of winter sports to some degree, a reassuring finding is that even with a diminished pool of potential host locations, with continued adaptation, the OWG-PWG can endure as a genuinely global celebration of sport.”

That’s the summary finding in the latest work from Daniel Scott from the University of Waterloo (CAN) Department of Geography and Environmental Management and Robert Steiger from the University of Innsbruck (AUT) Department of Public Finance in “Climate change and the climate reliability of hosts in the second century of the Winter Olympic Games,” from the November 2025 edition of Current Issues in Tourism research journal.

Scott, especially, has written extensively on this topic, with papers published in 2014, 2018 and 2022, about the future of the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Paralympics, and this review was “supported by the International Olympic Committee.” Steiger has also published examinations on the questions, notably in 2019 and 2020.

Based on the data in the 2019 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, “Warming in mountain regions is projected to continue at a rate of approximately 0.3°C per decade until the mid-twenty-first century (independent of the emission pathway), which remains slightly above rates of global warming.”

Also:

“[A]n analysis of historical average weather conditions at the OWG, indicating that from the 1920s to the 1950s, the average maximum daily temperature of host locations was 0.4°C. This figure rose to 3.1°C during the 1960s to 1990s, and further increased to 6.3°C in the games held in the twenty-first century (including the [2022] Beijing Games).”

(0.4 C = 32.7 F; 3.1 C = 37.6 F; 6.3 C = 43.3 F)

While the study worries about future Winter Games sites, it also notes the cupboard is hardly bare, referring to their past reviews and a threshold of 30 cm (11.8 inches) of snow:

“These studies found that, depending on the emission trajectory, 10–13 of 21 former OWG host locations will remain climatically reliable by the 2050s. This number will further decline to 8–12 locations by the 2080s. The PWG, scheduled after the OWG in the later part of the winter season (March) is more sensitive to climatic changes with only 8–10 out of 21 former PWG locations will remain reliable in the 2050s and only 4–10 in the 2080s.”

The new study looked at 93 possible locations for Winter Games, with the earlier Olympic Winter Games more reliable, of course. By the 2050s:

● 45-55 of 93 sites to produce reliable snow
● 20-28 of 93 sites marginally reliable
● 10-28 of 93 sites unreliable

By the 2080s, a worst-case scenario, about 35 sites would be at least marginally reliable. This could go down to just four sites out of 93 in a 2080s worst-case scenario for the Winter Paralympics, held in March.

So will there be places with snow, for biathlon, skiing and snowboarding, bobsled, luge and skeleton racing?

The study does not provide a list of names, but the map of sites deemed “reliable” for both the Olympic and Paralympic winter events shows:

● Canada: Alberta
● United States: Colorado, Utah, New York

● Asia/west: Turkey, Georgia
● Asia/central: Kazakhstan
● Asia/east: China, Japan

● Europe/north: Norway
● Europe/central: France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy
● Europe/east: Russia
● Europe/south: Spain

So there are places for the Winter Games for at least several more decades to come.

Observed: No big surprises here, as the study echoes prior findings, but is updated with a look at more possible sites, which is reassuring for the future.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Shiffrin wins no. 106 with fifth Slalom gold in a row; U.S. Soccer expecting to get $100 million from 2026 FIFA World Cup dividend!

Rich Perelman

December 28, 2025

Record-setter: American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (courtesy U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association; copyright Reese Brown)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Italy ● For decades beginning in the 1950s, the Italian National Olympic Committee – known as CONI – received money from a share of the state-sanctioned “Totalcalcio” betting pool and was, for a time, one of the best-funded NOCs in the world.

But the receipts declined and CONI’s finances are much shakier now. So, the Italian government has included in its 2025 budget legislation a new game, “Win for Team Italia,” from which 26.5% of the proceeds will go to CONI to establish a more constant financial base.

Time will tell if this actually works. It did before.

● Russia ● The National Olympic Committees of the Baltic States – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – sent a joint letter to the International Olympic Committee, “expressing deep concern about the IOC’s recent recommendation to allow young athletes holding Russian and Belarusian passports to participate in international competitions.”

The message explained that “[s]uch participation creates a basis for the dissemination of state propaganda in international sports, especially in the sensitive context of youth sports,” and asked to “maintain and strictly enforce the current restrictions prohibiting Russian and Belarusian athletes from representing their countries under their national flags, anthems and symbols in all international competitions, including youth competitions, until the aggression against Ukraine has ended and accountability for violations of international law has been ensured.”

Further, it was requested that “neutral athlete” designations be maintained only for “those athletes from Russia and Belarus who have passed reliable integrity and anti-doping controls, who have no connection to military, state or propaganda structures, who fully respect the Olympic Charter and whose participation does not involve national symbols, team formats or a delegation associated with a country.”

● Athletics ● Kim Batten knows the 400 m hurdles, winning the 1996 women’s Olympic silver in Atlanta and the 1995 World Championships gold in Goteborg (SWE), setting a then-world record of 52.61.

Now 56, she posted on Facebook that it is time that the hurdle height is raised:

“As the former world record holder in the women’s 400 hurdles, Today I am officially launching the ‘Raise the Hurdles’ campaign to increase the height of the women’s 400 hurdles from 30 inches to 33 inches.

“This has long been a debate in the track and field community, but never has it been more evident of the need than the last few years with the recent performances and progressions in the event across the board, and dominated by the phenomenal current World Record Holder Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone.

“But THE TIME IS NOW to scale into this challenge and opportunity. Follow Our launch and check back here to sign our upcoming petition at the start of the 2026 year.”

The height for the women’s 100 m hurdles is 33 inches; does this mean that event should raise to 36 inches? The men’s 110 m hurdles height is 42 inches and the 400 m hurdles are 36 inches high.

Ukrainian hammer thrower Anatoliy Bondarchuk, who won a gold for the USSR at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, has died at age 85, at his home in Kamloops (CAN). He also won an Olympic bronze in 1976 and had a best of 77.42 m (254-0).

He later became a renowned coach, including the 1976 and 1980 Olympic winner Yuri Sedykh, still the world-record holder from his 1986 throw of 86.74 m (284-7).

European Athletics announced an agreement with artificial intelligence “localization” firm CAMB.AI, using the service to provide instant language support. Per the announcement, “CAMB.AI for Publishing, which can transform digital content into more than 150 languages through advanced AI-powered translation and dynamic text-to-speech (TTS) technology,” will be used to offer content in multiple languages. European Athletics chief executive Christian Milz (SUI) noted:

“This development marks a major step forward in making our sport more accessible and engaging for fans across the continent. We launched the new languages at the 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa last week and our website is now available in 12 additional languages, with more to follow.”

● Fencing ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the International Fencing Federation has approved the re-integration of Russian and Belarusian junior athletes into international competitions with no restrictions on national symbols, flag and anthem.

The first tournament with Russian entries is expected to be the FIE Junior and Cadet World Cup in the UAE from 2-4 January.

● Figure Skating ● Russian star skater Kamila Valieva’s doping disqualification ended on 25 December and she has been returned to competition and now at 19, intends to resume her career.

The Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, Veronika Loginova, told TASS:

“There are no complaints. The athlete communicated with us throughout the entire period, asking questions, clarifying her status in events, and complying with all disqualification requirements as correctly as possible. This high-profile case served as a lesson – both for her and for the entire sports community.

“And we see that the figure skating federation has begun working with parents and young athletes – and this is already a significant shift. Her return to sport will be automatic; no additional procedures are required.”

● Football ● ESPN reported that the 2026 World Cup hosting agreement between FIFA and Canada, Mexico and the U.S. allows for the host-country federations “to receive 1% of the tournament’s gross revenues. This amount will be split across the three countries. With tournament revenues forecasted to reach $13 billion, along with the fact that the U.S. is hosting 75% of the matches, the expectation of the USSF [U.S. Soccer Federation] is that it will receive $100 million.”

USSF Secretary General JT Batson sees that money going to make soccer “the most played sport in the country,” meaning:

“Ultimately our goal is to have a very large endowment that is focused specifically on participation, access, growth of the game. And this $100 million will be an awesome jumpstart to that.”

● Gymnastics ● The U.S. Center for SafeSport issued sanctions against four individuals in the sport on 22 December, suspending coaches Al Fong and Armine Barutyan for “Physical & Emotional Misconduct,” with the penalties subject to appeal. Fong and Barutyan operate the well-known GAGE Center in Blue Springs, Missouri, which replied in a statement:

“While we fully support the mission of SafeSport and the importance of creating healthy, safe training environments for athletes, we are deeply disappointed by this outcome and respectfully disagree with the findings.

“These determinations were made without eyewitness testimony and through a committee-based process. We believe the decision does not fairly reflect the full record or context and we intend to exercise our right to arbitration.”

Fong’s suspension is for five years and Barutyan, for one year.

The Center also sanctioned coach Matthew Auerbach of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for “Criminal Disposition – Sexual Misconduct” and declared him ineligible, with the penalty subject to appeal, and imposed a temporary restriction on coach Kyle Bergsteiner of Chesapeake, Virginia for “Allegations of Misconduct.”

● Swimming ● In an interview with SwimSwam.com, new USA Swimming chief executive Kevin Ring explained that “The USOPC does have a policy that starting in 2028, only American athletes will swim at USOPC facilities.”

That means at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where USA Swimming is headquartered. The story noted, “[o]f the 219 medals awarded in the pool in Paris [at the 2024 Olympic Games], only 14 went to international athletes who train in the United States and they were spread out among just six athletes.”

It was later clarified that the ban will be for 2028 only.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Remember this name during the Olympic Winter Games: Julia Scheib.

The 27-year-old Austrian is a rising star on the FIS women’s World Cup circuit in the Giant Slalom, winning her third race this season in Semmering (AUT) on Saturday. She was second to Swede Sara Hector after the first run, but Hector faded to 12th on the second run and Scheib picked up the win in 1:56.46, with Swiss Camille Rast second (1:56.60) and Hector third (1:56.86).

American star Mikaela Shiffrin was eighth on both runs and finished sixth in 1:57.91; A.J. Hurt was 21st.

The Sunday Slalom saw Shiffrin keep her streak intact this season: five Slaloms, five wins! She was only fourth after the first run, to 2025 World Champion Rast (SUI), 0.54 second behind. But she blasted the second run in 53.58 and although Rast was second-fastest at 54.21, Shiffrin got the win, 1:48.82 to 1:48.91. Albania’s Lara Colturi was third in 1:49.39.

It’s Shiffrin’s 106th career World Cup win and 69th in the Slalom, both records, of course.

The men’s World Cup was in Livigno (ITA), where seven-time Worlds medalist Marco Schwarz (AUT) picked up his second World Cup gold in a week, taking the Super-G in 1:10.33 over Swiss Alexis Monney (1:10.53) and teammate and Downhill World Champion Franjo van Allmen (1:10.58). Ryan Cochran-Siegle (1:10.89) and River Radamus (1:10.91) finished 13-14 for the U.S.

For Schwarz, it’s his eighth career World Cup win and first in a Super-G!

● Cross Country Skiing ● The 20th Tour de Ski opened in Tolbach (ITA) with the Freestyle Sprint, with Norwegian star Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo winning his fourth World Cup race of the year and third Sprint in 2:28.82, leading a Norse sweep. Lars Heggen (2:29.95) was second and Oskar Vike (2:29.62) was third.

World Sprint runner-up Kristine Skistad (NOR) won the women’s Sprint in 2:49.79, ahead of Coletta Rydzek (GER: 2:50.03) and Sweden’s Olympic silver winner Maja Dahlqvist (2:50.14). American Jessie Diggins, the seasonal World Cup leader and a two-time Tour de Ski winner, was fourth in 2:51.11.

The highly-prized Tour de Ski continues in Tolbach with a Classical Interval Start 10 km, 5 km Freestyle Mass Start and a 20 km Classical Pursuit before moving to Val de Fiemme.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TRAINING: Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center operator approved for 10-year lease extension by City of Chula Vista

Rich Perelman

December 23, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ CHULA VISTA ≡

The lease for the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center was extended by the City of Chula Vista at its 16 December Council meeting, with a 10-year term awarded to its existing operator, Elite Athlete Services, LLC.

Originally built as a U.S. Olympic Committee training facility in 1995, it was transferred to the City of Chula Vista in 2016. The City, in turn, leased the facility to Elite Athlete Services, which has run it since then.

The continuing success of the center allowed for the new, 10-year lease to 31 December 2035, with an extension available for two added years.

The CVEATC has made enough money to allow the new agreement to contemplate capital improvements, which were not specified. Elite Athlete Services President Brian Melekian explained at the City Council meeting:

“We’re the home of U.S. Archery, we’re the home of U.S. Rugby, we’re the home of U.S. Paralympic track & field, we’re also a home of U.S. Soccer, a home of US Rowing, a home of a number of other national governing bodies.

“We also extend beyond just the United States; we’re essentially the home of Team Canada as they prepare for the Olympics in 2028, and a number of other international bodies.

“In Paris in 2024, 92 medals were won [by athletes at the training center]. If we were our own country, we would be sixth in the world on the medal table.”

Melekian hopes that 100 medals will be won by U.S. athletes who train at the Center for 2028. Several soccer teams also train at the Center, with German power Bayern Munich coming to train in January. By the numbers:

● 155-acre campus, with 30 acres still undeveloped
● 20 sports in training at 16 specific facilities
● 297-bed residence facilities on the campus
● Full-service, 24-hours-a-day dining (1,000 meals/day)

The Center has a right of first refusal to host the February 2028 US Rowing Olympic Trials, and expects other events to be held there related to the 2028 Olympic Games.

The agreement includes a $500,000 annual fee to Event Athlete Services and a share of net profits, a portion of which is to go to capital improvement projects.

Council members were concerned about costs to use the facilities, but the Center also needs to maintain reasonable finances and capital improvements will be aimed at revenue increases. Melekian noted that a future gymnasium and an artificial turf would make a significant difference in the attractiveness of the facility.

The resolution to approve the finalization of the agreement passed by a 5-0 vote.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TEAM USA WINTER MEDAL TRACKER: Vonn marches on with two more World Cup medals; four U.S. podiums in Lake Placid luge World Cup!

Rich Perelman

December 23, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ STAT BLITZ ≡

It was another good week on the slopes and sleds for U.S. winter-sport athletes, starting with ageless wonder – she’s 41 – Lindsey Vonn, who has now won four World Cup medals in five races this season!

Alpine Skiing: FIS World Cup at Val d’Isere (FRA)
● Women/Downhill ~ Bronze: Lindsey Vonn
● Women/Super-G ~ Bronze: Lindsey Vonn

Vonn was upset with her skiing in the Downhill, citing a mistake that might have cost her the win. But on Sunday, she got her first Super-G podium of the season in third place and remarked:

“All in all, I’m not disappointed in my skiing. Yesterday I made a mistake; today, I just had the wrong direction but it wasn’t really a mistake, so I’m happy with it.

“It’s really hard to always be on the podium, so I’m walking away with a smile.”

Vonn was named to her fifth U.S. Olympic Team by U.S. Ski & Snowboard on Tuesday:

She is SO back ?? @lindseyvonn is officially headed to her 5th Olympic Winter Games ????#stifelusskiteam #readyforgold #olympics pic.twitter.com/BBvafMdldx

— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) December 23, 2025

Biathlon:
● Men for Milan Cortina: Campbell Wright, Maxim Germain
● Women for Milan Cortina: Margie Freed, Deedra Irwin

No World Cup podiums yet this season, but U.S. Biathlon has now named four athletes for the 2026 Winter Games; Germain and Freed will make their Olympic debuts in Italy. Wright represented New Zealand at Beijing 2022.

Bobsled & Skeleton: IBSF World Cup in Sigulda (LAT)
● Two-Woman ~ Gold: Kaillie Armbruster Humphries and Emily Renna

Armbruster Humphries got her 31st World Cup in the Two-Woman sled, while Renna got her first World Cup medal. Armbruster Humphries said afterwards:

“Being back on top after three years feels great. This is my first win as a mom, and a first win ever for Emily, this is a special one for us both. I’m proud of how we performed at the start and down the track. The equipment and the MUSA sleds specifically ran really well here.”

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup in Copper, Colorado
● Men/Halfpipe: Gold ~ Alex Ferreira
● Men/Halfpipe: Silver ~ Hunter Hess

The conditions were challenging, with high winds, but Ferreira said he just persevered:

“It’s really difficult because it’s a lot of wind, it’s scary, it’s flat light. I don’t know, I just keep telling myself over and over again, ‘I can do this, I can do this, I can do this’. Then I go out and do it.”

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup in Secret Garden (CHN)
● Team Aerials: Silver ~ Kalia Kuhn, Ashton Salwan, Connor Curran

Luge: FIL World Cup in Lake Placid, New York
● Men/Doubles: Gold ~ Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa
● Women/Singles: Silver ~ Ashley Farquharson
● Women/Singles: Bronze ~ Summer Britcher
● Women/Doubles: Bronze ~ Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby

Make no mistake, the win for Mueller and Haugsjaa was completely unexpected. Said Mueller:

“I feel amazing and to do this at home, there’s just nothing like it, it’s super awesome! I was trying not to think a lot about the second run and just think about the one job we have of sliding. Other than that, I normally feel pretty sick between runs!”

Nordic Combined: FIS World Cup in Ramsau (AUT)
● Women/Mass Start 5 km + 98 m jumping: Silver ~ Alexa Brabec
● Women/Gundersen 98 m jumping + 5 km: Silver ~ Alexa Brabec

What the 21-year-old Brabec has done is hard to explain, after the U.S. had missed the World Cup podium since 2020! She said after Sunday’s runner-up finish, “I am super happy to get second both days. It shows that it is not a fluke.”

Sadly for her, women’s Nordic Combined was not included on the Milan Cortina program.

Snowboard: FIS World Cup in Copper, Colorado
● Women/Halfpipe: Bronze ~ Bea Kim (18!)

On a thinner week of competition so close to the holidays, U.S. entries won 13 medals, including three golds, including an astonishing four medals in luge!

The winter-sport schedule mostly shuts down until the weekend after New Year’s, but the Team USA prospects – so far – look strong for the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games, with World Cup placements all over. More to come in 2026?!

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Int’l Skating Union latest to consider all-disciplines worlds; Int’l Swimming League trying for 2026 comeback

Rich Perelman

December 22, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The National Olympic Committee of Denmark announced that it will establish its “national house” and high performance center at the Westin Long Beach for the 2028 Games.

The famed triple-mast tall ship DANMARK, used as a training ship for the Danish navy, will also come to the Games and be moored in Long Beach, assuming the required permits are obtained.

Long Beach now has two “NOC Houses” committed for 2028, as Greece previously confirmed its presence.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Italy named its four flag bearers for the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Games, with two-time World Champion and triple Olympic medalist skier Federica Brignone named while still recovering from her brutal crash in April 2025.

Also named were Short Track star Ariana Fontana, cross country skier Federico Pellegrino and curler Amos Mosaner. Skiers Chiara Mazzel and René De Silvestro will be the flagbearers for the Paralympic Winter Games Games.

For the Olympic Winter Games, the Italian flag will be presented in two locations, with Fontana and Pellegrino at the San Siro stadium in Milan and Brignone and Mosaner in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The French government’s construction oversight firm for Olympic works, Solideo, has begun efforts related to the 2030 French Alps Winter Games, with an estimated budget of €1.4 billion (about $1.645 billion U.S.).

About 40 projects are anticipated, with funding primarily from the regions hosting the Games – Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – and the national government at €587 million. Another €213 million will come from local governments, for €800 million in public funding.

Another €500 million-plus is expected from private developers.

● Pan American Sports ● The winners of the Panam Sports Junior Awards for 2025 were announced, with Guatemalan swimmer Roberto Bonilla winning the men’s award and Ecuadorian weightlifter Jessica Palacios taking the women’s honor. Bonilla won two golds at the Junior Pan American Games and Palacios winning one.

Brazil’s handball champions won the men’s top-team award; Jamaica’s 4×100 m relay team won the women’s trophy.

The Fair Play Award went to Puerto Rico’s Gladymar Torres, for her celebration of teammate Frances Colon’s bronze medal in the women’s 100 m, an event in which Torres finished fifth.

● Alpine Skiing ● Norway’s 2025 Worlds runner-up, Atle Lie McGrath, scored his fourth career FIS World Cup win in the Slalom at Alta Badia (ITA), moving up from second after the first run, with a combined time of 1:44.50. That overtook Olympic champ Clement Noel (FRA), who faded to 22nd on the second run and finished in 1:44.80, with Swiss World Slalom Champion Loic Meillard third.

Jett Seymour was the top American, in 29th (1:46.76).

● Freestyle Skiing ● German Ski Cross star Florian Wilmsmann, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, has been banned for 19 months for “whereabouts” failures by the International Testing Agency. But he will not miss the Milan Cortina Winter Games:

“[W]hilst the whereabouts failures occurred in previous years, the athlete’s period of ineligibility was imposed retroactively and ran until 17 November 2024, as allowed by the FIS [anti-doping rules]. In addition, all individual competitive results obtained during the period of ineligibility, namely from 18 April 2023 and 17 November 2024, are disqualified, including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes.”

Wilmsmann placed second at the 21 December FIS World Cup race in Innichen (ITA), his first medal of this season. His 2023-24 season results, which included two silver and two bronze World Cup medals, will be wiped out.

● Skating ● The International Skating Union Council is the latest to consider an all-in-one championship for all of its disciplines – figure, speed, short Track and synchronized – and it was reported Monday:

“A preferred bidder has been identified, with development and feasibility work continuing into 2026. Formal confirmation of the Combined World Championships concept is targeted for spring 2026.”

The Union Cycliste Internationale pioneered this concept in Glasgow (GBR) in 2023, with 13 world championship events held together and considered a significant success. The International Ski & Snowboard Federation is in the process of naming a host for its first all-disciplines “FIS Games” in 2028, to be held over 16 days. Now, the ISU is looking at the concept.

● Skiing ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation released its latest list of “neutral” Russian and Belarusian personnel, but with a curious twist: almost as many “support personnel” as skiers!

There are 38 names on the list now, with 21 skiers and 17 support personnel!

● Belarus: 20 approved: 10 skiers, 10 support
● Russia: 18 approved: 11 skiers, 7 support

FIS has said additional names will be added as the individual applications come in and are reviewed.

● Swimming ● Reuters reported that the International Swimming League, which last saw action in 2021, is planning a comeback for late in 2026, or perhaps 2027. Commissioner Ben Allen (HKG) said that format changes are being discussed, with funding based on broadcast and sponsorship, instead of relying on Ukrainian founder Konstantin Grigorishin for support.

A seven-match schedule, primarily in the U.S. and Europe, is being forecast.

The league ran for three years and lost millions each year, despite recruiting many top swimmers.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

MILAN CORTINA 2026: After complaints from the FIS, Saldini says snow production at Livigno for Freestyle skiing will be fine

Rich Perelman

December 22, 2025

tsx pix 2025-220 IT's your vibe 2026 motto (MiCo) — The Milan Cortina 2026 slogan: "IT's your vibe!" (Photo: Milan Cortina 2026)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ ENOUGH LIVIGNO SNOW? ≡

After complaints from International Ski & Snowboard Federation head Johan Eliasch (GBR) about snow production for the Freestyle skiing venue in Livigno ahead of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy, a news conference was held there on Monday.

Eliasch told the Italian news agency ANSA that FIS has concerns over snow preparation for Freestyle skiing in Livigno at the Winter Games:

“The Italian government and the regions organizing the Games still have a lot of work to do and need to speed up the process. There’s a problem with snow production, and there have been delays. Unfortunately, the Italian government hasn’t allocated any funds, so [the organizers] are struggling to make ends meet, which is a shame. We call them three times a day: morning, noon, and evening.”

On Monday, Livigno Mayor Remo Galli, Alessandro Morelli, Italian Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the head of the SIMICO construction oversight group, Fabio Saldini spoke to reporters, and Saldini explained:

“Snow production was scheduled to begin on December 20th. On December 12th, at night, a problem arose: a pipe broke, as happens with construction site management.

“After five days, it was fixed. We brought forward snow production, and to date, we’ve met the start date. We’re filling the reservoir with approximately 14,000 cubic meters of water per day, so we can guarantee 28,000 cubic meters of snow per day. The 53 cannons are all in perfect working order, so we can produce 3,500 cubic meters of snow per hour.

“To date, approximately 160,000 cubic meters of snow have already been produced on the system, and I’m keeping my promise to deliver the Livigno Snow Park to the community by January 20th, so that the test event can be held between January 20th and 25th. For me and SIMICO, Livigno has represented the emblem of the Olympics, and of unity in times of difficulty.

“Here we have found a community capable of reacting to all the difficulties that life throws at us. We have not suffered the complexity, but we have managed it at all. On the other Carosello slope, the Livigno Aerials and Moguls, we are producing 210,000 cubic meters of snow – as requested by the FIS and the IOC – and the overall production will be 910,000 cubic meters of snow guaranteed for January 18-19.

“In conclusion, I must say that all the problems that arose, which are part of the normal management of construction activities, have been brilliantly resolved without leaving any traces.”

The Milan Cortina Games have been under pressure on construction projects, most especially the new sliding track in Cortina, which has been completed, and the new PalaItalia Santagiulia ice hockey arena, which is being privately financed and built and is to host a test tournament from 9-11 January.

Now, the Livigno Freestyle site is under criticism, but Saldini is once again expressing confidence in the outcome.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Worries over snow for Milan Cortina; gymnastics now looking at Pilates? Another luge gold for the U.S.? Yes!

Rich Perelman

December 21, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1218 marcus mueller-ansel haugsjaa (fil-michael kristen) — A happy Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa (USA) after their first FIL World Cup win, in Lake Placid! (Photo: FIL/Michael Kristen).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● International Ski & Snowboard Federation President Johan Eliasch (GBR) voiced concerns over snow preparation for Freestyle skiing in Livigno at the Winter Games, telling the Italian news service ANSA:

The Mayor of Livigno, Remo Galli told the Italian news service ANSA: “I know our area and I’m not at all worried; we’ll have all the snow we need to host a great Olympics. In early December, we inaugurated the Monte Sponda snowmaking basin. A valve had to be replaced, but for a few evenings, all the cannons have been working and everything is going perfectly. Livigno is at 1,800 meters, and temperatures will drop further in the coming weeks, so I’m very optimistic.”

● Athletics ● Arkansas’ Jordan Anthony and Alabama’s Doris Lemngole won the men’s and women’s Bowerman Award for 2025, presented during the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association convention in Grapevine, Texas.

Anthony won the NCAA Indoor 60 m and then the outdoor 100 m and had an amazing 9.75w (+2.1) performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Kenya’s Lemngole won the NCAA women’s Steeple title and became the first to break the 9:00 barrier at 8:58.15. She also set the collegiate women’s indoor 5,000 record and won the NCAA Indoor title as well.

● Basketball ● The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced its 2026 Hall of Fame class, including seven star players and one coach:

● Sue Bird (USA)
● Celine Dumerc (FRA)
● Clarisse Machanguana (MOZ)
● Dirk Nowitzki (GER)
● Ismenia Pauchard (CHI)
● Hedo Turkoglu (TUR)
● Wang Zhizhi (CHN)
● Coach: Ludwik Mietta-Mikolajewicz (POL)

Bird, of course, won five golds with the U.S. Olympic teams in 2004-08-12-16-20 as the point guard as well as four FIBA World Cup titles. She retired after the Tokyo 2020 Games.

This class will be inducted on 21 April 2026 in Berlin (GER).

● Football ● The Swiss Federal Tribunal dismissed the appeal of former FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke (FRA), who was found guilty of bribery regarding the same of television rights for the 2018-22-26-30 FIFA World Cups in Italy and 2026-30 in Greece, for €1.25 million (~$1.464 million U.S.), between 2013-15.

Valcke’s guilt on bribery was confirmed by the appeals chamber of the Federal Criminal Court, which sentenced him to 11-month suspended sentence and a suspended fine. The question of confiscation of the bribe amount must be decided later.

● Gymnastics ● World Gymnastics President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) posted a year-end message, calling 2025 a “year defined by innovation, global growth and unity.”

He did, however, mention the failure of the Indonesian government to allow Israel to compete at the World Artistic Championships in Jakarta in October:

“Artistic Gymnastics held its World Championships for the first time in Southeast Asia, in Indonesia. This milestone event, once again marked by unprecedented participation, significantly strengthened the growth of gymnastics in the Asian region. It was regrettable that not all National Federations were able to attend, notably Israel. We must continue to uphold the independence of our sport from political influence, and our organisation together with the global gymnastics family, remains committed to supporting all athletes worldwide.”

He also signaled a new area of possible expansion for the federation:

“Toward the end of the year, many of our officials attended a Pilates event in Turkiye, reaffirming the need for a global gymnastics convention. At the same time, our federation reflected on its traditionally conservative structure and has begun a transformation toward a more open, sustainable organisation with a long-term vision.”

The Pilatres market worldwide was estimated at $11.8 billion in 2023 with growth to $30 billion by 2030.

● Handball ● Egypt’s Hassan Moustafa, 81, was elected for a seventh term as International Handball Federation President, winning 129 votes to 24 for Franc Bobinac (SLO), 20 for Gerd Butzeck (GER) and three for Tjark de Lange (NED).

It had been thought that a vote on the return of Russian and Belarusian teams to IHF competitions might be taken, but the issue was pushed off to the spring.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● The women’s World Cup was in Val d’Isere (FRA), with Austria’s Cornelia Huetter getting her 10th career World Cup win in Saturday’s Downhill in 1:41.54, ahead of Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (GER: 1:41.80) and U.S. star Lindsey Vonn (1:41.89). Said Vonn afterwards:

“I thought I skied well in the middle, and then on the bottom I was carrying a lot of speed and with the light, I didn’t quite see the terrain, and I lost my balance.

“It cost me probably half a second or more so I’m disappointed in myself for that mistake. But when you’re going fast, anything can happen and I’m just happy that I hung on to the podium and the red [leader] bib.”

Vonn showed she is going to be a contender in the Super-G on Sunday, finishing third in 1:20.60, behind 2018 Olympic Downhill champion Sofia Goggia (ITA: 1:20.24) and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson (1:20.39). Fellow American Keely Cashman was 11th (1:21.20).

It was Vonn’s first Super-G medal of the season and her second since 2018.

The men’s World Cup tour was in Val Gardena (ITA) with a big weekend for four-time defending World Cup champion Marco Odermatt (SUI). He won the Thursday Downhill in 1:24.48, just ahead of countryman and 2025 World Champion, Franjo von Allmen (1:24.63) and Italian star Dominik Paris (1:24.67). Kyle Negomir was the top American, in 11th (1:25.39).

It was Odermatt’s 50th career World Cup gold; he’s now in a tie for fourth all-time on the men’s win list with Italian star Alberto Tomba (ITA: 1986-98). But he wasn’t done.

Friday’s Super-G was the first-ever World Cup medal for Czech Jan Zabystran, in 1:24.86 with Odermatt second at 1:25.08; Negomir was 19th (1:25.95). Saturday’s second Downhill belonged to von Allmen in 1:58.67, with Odermatt second again in 1:58.97; Negomir was 16th in 2:00.52.

The men’s tour moved to Alta Badia (ITA) on Sunday for a Giant Slalom and then a Slalom on Monday. Sunday’s race went to Austria’s Marco Schwarz, now 30 and a seven-time Worlds medal winner, who won his seventh career World Cup gold in 2:35.02 after leading the first run. He held on with Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathan second (2:35.20) and Stefan Brennsteiner (AUT: 2:35.24) third. River Radamus was the top American, in seventh (2:35.89).

● Badminton ● The BWF World Tour Finals were in Hangzhou (CHN), with a surprise win in the men’s Singles by Christo Popov (FRA) over defending champion Yu Qi Shi (CHN), 21-19, 21-9. It’s Popov’s third career win on the BWF World Tour and his first in a tournament above the 300 level!

The women’s title went to 2021 champion and reigning Olympic champ Se Young An (KOR), who defeated defending champ Zhi Yi Wang (CHN), 21-13, 18-21, 21-10.

The men’s Doubles went to top-seeded Won Ho Kim and Seung Jae Seo (KOR), 21-18, 21-14, over Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang (CHN), while Koreans Ha Na Baek and So Hee Lee defended their 2024 title in the women’s Doubles, beating Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto (JPN), 21-17, 21-11.

The Mixed Doubles went to second-seeded Yan Zhe Feng and Dong Ping Huang (CHN) over Zhen Bang Jiang and Ya Xin Wei (CHN), 21-12, 21-17.

● Biathlon ● Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn, 26, has exploded in his second season in the IBU World Cup, and extended his overall seasonal lead in Annecy (FRA).

He won the men’s 12.5 km Pursuit on Saturday, in 31:20.8 (0 penalties), ahead of Emilien Jacquelin (FRA: 31:38.4/3) and fellow Norwegian Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (31:38.7/2). American Campbell Wright was 16th (32:48.4/2).

The 10 km Sprint was a Norwegian 1-2, with Vetle Christiansen winning in 25:00.6 (0), followed by Dale-Skjevdal (25:04.1/2). Jacquelin was third (25:05.6/1) and Botn was fourth (25:06.6/0). Wright was 20th.

Sunday’s 15 km Mass Start was the second win of the season for Tommaso Giacomel (ITA), winning in 33:35.1 (1) over Eric Perrot (FRA: 33:53.2/0) and Christiansen (33:56.4/2). Wright was seventh (34:19.1/2).

Three-time women’s Worlds gold medalist Hanna Oberg (SWE) won the women’s 7.5 km Sprint in 19:24.9 (0), followed by four-time Worlds relay gold winner Lou Jeanmonnot (FRA: 19:28.2/0) and Italy’s four-time Worlds gold medalist Dorothea Weirer (19:36.3/0).

In the 10 km Pursuit, Jeanmonnot got her first win of the season in in 27:58.8 (1), beating Finn Suvi Minkkinen (28:29.0/0) and Wierer (28:31.5/1). The 12.5 km Mass Start was the first win of the season for Maren Kirkeedie (NOR: 32:53.2/1), just ahead of Jeanmonnot (32:53.5/1) and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA: 32:54.0/1). American Deedra Irwin was 13th in 33:15.9 (2).

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Two-time Olympic gold medalist Francesco Friedrich (GER, with Alexander Schuller) finally got a win in the Two-Man racing at the IBSF World Cup in Sigulda (LAT), overcoming countryman Johannes Lochner’s sled (with Thorsten Margis) for the first time this season, 1:38.97 to 1:39.20. Adam Ammour completed the German sweep in 1:39.39. Frank Del Duca and Josh Williamson of the U.S. finished fifth in 1:39.62.

Sunday’s second Two-Man had Lochner winning for the third time this season (with Georg Fleischauer) in 1:38.84, ahead of Friedrich (1:39.37) and Ammour (1:39.66) for another German sweep, the fourth in a row this season. Del Duca had the top U.S. finish, in fifth with Hunter Powell, in 1:39.90.

New Zealand’s Breeana Walker got her second straight World Cup win in the women’s Monobob in 1:46.48, over two-time World Champion Laura Nolte (GER: 1:46.59). Elana Meyers Taylor (1:46.73) and Kaillie Armbruster Humphries (1:46.79) finished 5-6.

In the Two-Women racing, Armbruster Humphries broke through – with Emily Renna – for the win in 1:42.80, beating 2018 Olympic champ Lisa Buckwitz (1:43.07, with Lauryn Siebert) and Nolte (1:43.08, with Leonie Kluwig). Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and former Notre Dame heptathlete Jadin O’Brien were 0.02 back in fourth (1:43.10).

It was Armbruster Humphries’ 31st World Cup Two-Woman race win, but the first since she turned 40 on 4 September. It was also Renna’s first win.

Two sets of Skeleton races were held to make up for the cancellation of the Innsbruck stop. Britain and Belgium were the big winners, as two-time World Champion Matt Weston (1:40.35) and 2025 Worlds runner-up Marcus Wyatt (1:41.17) went 1-2 in the first men’s race and then Wyatt won the second over Weston, 1:41.37 to 1:41.51. Austin Florian was the top American, in 14th and 13th places.

Belgian Kim Meylemans, the 2024 Worlds runner-up, won both women’s races in 1:43.90 and 1:44.16, beating Tabitha Stoecker (GBR: 1:44.24) in the first race and 2025 Worlds bronze winner Anna Fernstadt (CZE: 1:44.24) in the second. Mystique Ro and Kelly Curtis of the U.S. tied for 15th in the first race, their best finish of the weekend.

● Curling ● At the Grand Slam of Curling Canadian Open in Saskatoon, four-time World Champion Silvana Tirinzoni’s Swiss rink finally got the tournament trophy, winning in her fifth women’s final, 7-1 over Japan’s Olympic silver winner Satsuki Fujisawa.

Scotland’s Ross Whyte, the men’s Olympic runner-up in 2022, faced Swiss Yannick Schwaller, the 2025 Worlds runner-up, in the men’s final. Whyte had a 2-1 lead after four, but Schwaller exploded for four points in the fifth and that was decisive, on the way to a 7-4 win and his first Grand Slam of Curling gold.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The U.S. scored a 1-2 finish at the FIS men’s World Cup Halfpipe in Copper, Colorado, with two-time Olympic medalist Alex Ferreira getting the win at 91.50, ahead of teammate Hunter Hess (89.00) and Canada’s Andrew Longino (84.00). Women’s World Champion Zoe Atkin (GBR) won the women’s event, scoring 89. 25, to beat Indra Brown (AUS: 80.00). Kate Gray of the U.S. was fifth (72.25).

The second World Cup in Aerials was in Secret Garden (CHN), with the home favorites 1-2 in the men’s final, with Tianma Lee (128.01) and Olympic champ Guangpu Qi (120.80) and two-time World Champion Noe Roth (SUI: 110.67) in third. Quinn Dehlinger of the U.S. was fifth (95.47).

China swept the women’s competition, with 2023 World Champion Fanyu Kong (102.17), Meiting Chen (97.45) and Olympic champ Mengtao Xu (97.02) taking the medals. Kalia Kuhn was the top American, in seventh (78.75).

In the Sunday Team event, China went 1-2, with the U.S. (Kuhn, Ashton Salwan, Connor Curran) third, 315.35 to 308.49 to 267.41.

Three-time seasonal champion Reece Howden (CAN) won his second straight FIS World Cup men’s Ski Cross final on Saturday in Innichen (ITA), beating Swiss Alex Fiva, the Olympic silver winner, in the final. On Sunday, Howden doubled up, defeating 2023 Worlds silver winner Florian Wilmsmann (GER) in the gold-medal final.

The women’s Saturday racing saw the third career World Cup gold for France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel, over two-time World Champion Fanny Smith (SUI) in the final. For the first time in four races this season, Sweden’s Olympic champ Sandra Naeslund didn’t win, but she took the bronze.

Sunday saw Naeslund get back to the top of the podium, winning over Olympic and Worlds bronzer Daniela Maier (GER) in the final.

● Luge ● The FIL World Cup continued in the U.S. for the second straight week, in Lake Placid, New York, with a stunning, first-time win for Americans Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa in the men’s Doubles. They led after the first run and had the third-fastest second run to win in 1:27.509, ahead of Latvia’s 2025 Worlds silver men Martins Bots and Roberts Plume (1:27.567). Said Haugsjaa:

“We were so nervous before the second run; it was the first time we were the last ones sitting at the top. But we are so proud that we made it down the run and were able to clinch our first World Cup victory in front of this great crowd.”

Two-time Olympic champ Felix Loch (1:41.766) led a German 1-2 in the men’s Singles, with two-time World Champion Max Langehan second at 1:41.820. Jonny Gustafson and Tucker West went 8-9 for the U.S. in 1:42.379 and 1:42.442.

The women’s Singles went to eight-time Worlds gold medalist Julia Taubitz in 1:28.824, coming from third to first on the final run. American Ashley Farquharson got onto the podium for a second straight week and took silver in 1:28.956 while teammate Summer Britcher moved from sixth to third on her second run for the bronze in 1:29.054. Third American Emily Fischnaller got fourth in 1:29.071.

In the women’s Doubles, two-time World Champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (AUT) led after the first run, ahead of 2025 Doubles Worlds bronze winner Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina (GER), and they finished that way, with Egle and Kipp at 1:28.310 and the Germans at 0.284 seconds behind. Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby won the bronze, moving up from fourth after the first run in 1:29.119. The second U. S. sled of Maya Chen and Sophia Gordon fell from third to fifth on the second run.

In the Mixed Singles, German sleds went 1-2 with Langenhan and Merle Fraebel winning, followed by Loch and Taubitz. West and Britcher finished fourth for the U.S.

● Nordic Combined ● The FIS World Cup circuit was in Ramsau (AUT), with Austria continuing its season-opening streak of men’s winners, with Thomas Rettenegger taking his second gold, scoring 148.0 points in the mass start 10 km race and 98 m jumping. Norway’s Jens Oftebro was second (126.9), and younger brother Stefan Rettenegger was third (129.2).

On Saturday, Beijing 2022 Normal Hill gold medalist Vinzenz Geiger (GER) got the win in the Gundersen 82 m jumping and 10 km race, in 23:36.7, with Oftebro just behind in second (23:36.8) and seasonal leader Johannes Lamparter (AUT: 23.45.1) in third.

The women’s Mass Start 5 km and 98 m jumping on Friday went to Norway’s Ida Marie Hagen, who for her second win of the season at 127.2 points, with American Alexa Brabec (21) in second place (126.7), beating Finn Minja Korhonen (123.6). Fellow American Aniika Malacinski was 11th (110.3).

Saturday’s Gundersen 5 km and 98 m jumping was a repeat at 1-2, with Hagen winning in 14:41.9, then Brabec at 15:00.6 and Natalie Armbruster (GER: 15:15.4) in third. Malacinski was 11th again (16:23.4).

That’s three medals this season for Brabec, in four events, a true breakthrough for the U.S. Women’s Nordic Combined is not on the Milan Cortina Winter Games program.

● Ski Jumping ● Slovenian star Domen Prevc continued his win streak at the FIS World Cup in Engelberg (SUI). Jumping off the 140 m hill on Saturday, the 2025 World Champion won his fifth straight World Cup, scoring 330.2 points to 326.4 for German Felix Hoffmann and 318.1 for Ren Nikiaido (JPN). Jason Colby was an encouraging seventh for the U.S. (313.9).

Sunday’s jumping saw Japan’s 2022 Olympic Champion, Ryoyu Kobayashi strop the streak, winning at 310.0, coming from fifth to first on his second jump. Prevc (306.4) finished second and Felix Hoffmann (GER: 303.8) was third. Kevin Bickner was 29th for the U.S.

The breakout women’s star this season in Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama, who took her fifth win in nine events this season at 274.9, barely edging double World Champion Nika Prevc (SLO: 273.2) and Anna Odine Stroem (NOR: 267.0). Paige Jones of the U.S. was 27th (189.4).

Prevc came back to win on Sunday, at 281.4, followed by Stroem (267.4) and Germany’s 2023 World Champion Katharina Schmid (247.9).

● Snowboard ● Japan went 1-2 in the Friday men’s FIS World Cup Halfpipe in Copper, Colorado, with Ryusei Yamada (19) winning at 94.50, and 2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka second at 90.50. Chase Blackwell was the top American, in fifth, at 79.00.

Korea’s Ga-on Choi (17) won for the second straight time this season, scoring 94.50, ahead of Olympic bronzer Sena Tomita (JPN: 88.75) and American newcomer Bea Kim (18: 75.25) winning her second career World Cup medal.

In the first Parallel Slalom of the season, in Davos (SUI), two-time Worlds silver winner Arvid Auner (AUT) won for the first time this season, ahead of Italian Gabriel Messner in the gold final. Italy’s Aaron March was third and won a medal for the fourth time in five races this season.

Italy got the women’s gold, from World Team medal winner Elisa Caffont, beating Zuzana Maderova (CZE) in the final.

● Table Tennis ● At the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada, Korea’s Minseo Oh won the see-saw men’s Singles final, 11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 3-11, 10-12 and 11-8 over Koyo Manamitsu (JPN), while defending champion (and 10-time Worlds medal winner) Yan Guo (CHN) took the women’s title, 12-10, 8-11, 13-11, 11-2, 16-14 over Chen Sun of the U.S.

Nandan Naresh and Daniel Tran won the men’s Doubles, and Chengzhu Zhu (HKG) won in the Women’s Doubles (with Sun) and in the Mixed Doubles (with Jishan Liang).

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ANTI-DOPING: Doping violations in 2023 rose 20% over ’22 and up 46% over ’21, but WADA says this is a “positive sign”; India leads with 217 sanctions!

Rich Perelman

December 20, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ WADA VIOLATIONS REPORT ≡

Doping violations were up in 2023. Up a lot actually, compared to 2021 and 2022, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Anti-Doping Rule Violation Report:

● 2021: 1,552 adverse findings
● 2022: 1,979 adverse findings (+27.5%)
● 2023: 2,301 adverse findings (+16.3%)

● 2021: 1,375 sanctions
● 2022: 1,672 sanctions (+21.6%)
● 2023: 2,005 sanctions (+19.9%)

So, coming back out of the Covid-19 pandemic:

● Adverse findings up 48.3%
● Sanctions up 45.8%

So, is WADA worried? Not according to Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI):

“The year-on-year increase of Anti-Doping Rule Violations, even allowing for the fact that more samples were collected in 2023, is a positive sign that the system is catching more violators.

“Improvements in testing and analytical techniques are assisting us in that process while we are also ensuring we can distinguish genuine cheats from those who are victims of contamination, and these figures are another positive step forward for the global clean sport community.

“In addition, research tells us that effective education and awareness programs are helping to prevent doping before it occurs, providing athletes with the tools and the knowledge they need to compete clean. It is very clear that in recent years anti-doping has become more sophisticated, including through non-analytical methods such as intelligence and investigations, and that this multi-pronged approach is having the desired effect on the ground.”

Niggli referred to the testing statistics, which did show an increase:

● 2021: 241,430 samples collected
● 2022: 241,143 samples collected (-0.01%)
● 2023: 271,775 samples collected (+12.7%)

What is also true is that the total number of actual sanctions is pretty small: 2,005 out of 241,775 samples is just 0.08%. Not close to even 1%, but how many athletes lost medals to those 2,005 sanctioned positives?

WADA collects data on much more than just Olympic sports, so just looking at summer Olympic (ASOIF) and winter Olympic (WOF) sports for 2023:

Olympic sports:
● 214,624 samples collected
● 1,363 positives (0.63%)
● 1,026 sanctions (0.48% + 66 cases pending)

Winter Olympic sports:
● 18,378 samples collected
● 56 positives (0.30%)
● 33 sanctions (0.18% + 3 cases pending)

The reduced number of sanctions vs. positive tests are due to a number of factors, including medical reasons or findings that there is no case to pursue (including Therapeutic Use Exemptions).

The leading sports with doping positives are no surprise, based on past experience:

● 270: Athletics ~ out of 41,477 tests (0.65%)
● 182: Weightlifting ~ out of 12,078 tests (1.51%)
● 120: Cycling ~ out of 24,781 tests (0.48%)
● 69: Wrestling ~ out of 7,280 tests (0.95%)
● 60: Football ~ out of 34,884 tests (0.17%)

Among the winter sport, only ice hockey had more than five, with 20 (out of 3,597 tests or 0.56%.

In terms of total countries and total positives (not just Olympic and winter sports), the leaders in analytical (test positives) plus non-analytic (investigations) :

● 222 (217+5): India
● 209 (109+100): Russia
● 109 (63+46): Italy
● 81 (72+9): Kenya
● 62 (56+6): France

● 59 (57+2): Kazakhstan
● 57 (49+8) Brazil
● 57 (46+11): United States
● 42 (41+1): Norway
● 41 (41+0): South Africa

Many of the Russian sanctions were from the recovery of the Moscow Laboratory data from the state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15.

Despite the low percentage of positives and sanctions, there is still a lot of doping going on. As Athletics Integrity Unit head David Howman (NZL) said at the recent World Conference on Doping in Sport:

“[T]he system has stalled. Intentional dopers at elite level are evading detection. We are not effective enough nowadays in catching cheats. We have great education programmes which help but they don’t impact the intentional rule-breakers in elite sport.”

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Enhanced Games lawsuit vs. WADA, swimming gets final dismissal; AIU says 98% of finalists at Tokyo worlds tested O-o-C!

Rich Perelman

December 18, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The lawsuit brought by the Enhanced Games against the World Anti-Doping Agency, World Aquatics and USA Swimming was ended with the failure of an amended complaint to be filed and a final dismissal.

The matter had been dismissed by U.S. Federal District Court judge Jesse Furman back in November for failing to state an actionable claim on restraint of trade. But, he allowed 30 days for an amended complaint to be filed, and none was. In a statement, WADA noted:

“WADA welcomes the decision and thanks the court for its early dismissal of this claim by the Enhanced Games. It vindicates the strong stance we have taken on this matter. WADA has the right – indeed the responsibility – to speak out against the Enhanced Games, an event that risks athletes’ health by encouraging them to take powerful, performance-enhancing drugs without therapeutic need.”

The Enhanced Games has signed some more athletes since filing the suit, completely undercutting its own insistence that it cannot do so because of WADA or the swimming governing bodies. Essentially, the doping-friendly event is attracting recently-retired athletes or those who are at or nearing the end of their careers.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC is managing the complicated process of determining whether to recognize National Governing Bodies in several sports, with chief executive Sarah Hirshland explaining in a Monday briefing the status for badminton, cricket and surfing, with no certifications issued yet.

There is another ongoing procedure, for skateboarding, with USA Skateboarding in place but not a recognized NGB, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard offering to become the NGB; it has excellent financial resources, but the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act requires that a National Governing Body can only belong to one International Federation and U.S. Ski & Snowboard is already a member of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS).

The USOPC confirmed to The Sports Examiner on Thursday that “the process for identifying an organization for Skateboarding has been paused to determine the best outcome for athletes that complies with the respective rules of the International Federation and the Act.”

In other words, patience is in order.

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit released more 2025 testing data, showing that the amount of out-of-competition testing has increased significantly prior to World Athletics Championships, but not just by the AIU, but also by national anti-doping organizations (NADOs):

● 6,193 out-of-competitions tests for Tokyo 2025
● 5,542 out-of-competition tests for Budapest 2023

● 3,940 out-of-competition NADO tests for Tokyo 2025
● 3,300 out-of-competition NADO tests for Budapest 2023

It was also noted that the number of entries who had no out-of-competition testing in the 10 months prior to a Worlds continues to decrease, from 33% for Eugene in 2022, to 27% for Budapest in 2023 and 20.6% for Tokyo 2025. Moreover, for Tokyo, 52.9% of all entries had three or more out-of-competition tests.

Only 2% of the event finalists (top-8) in Tokyo had not been tested out-of-competition; on average, finalists were tested out-of-competition an average of 5.67 times in the 10 months prior.

● Cycling ● A potentially important addition to the USA Cycling National Collegiate Championships for 2026 and beyond was announced Thursday, with men’s and women’s races for high school students added for Track, Mountain Bike, and Cyclocross.

Said USA Cycling Director of Membership Eric Bennett, “By integrating high school categories into our Collegiate National Championships, we’re creating an environment where young athletes can see what’s possible, meet collegiate riders and coaches, and take their first real step toward racing in college. It’s a huge opportunity for exposure, for the students and for the programs, and it strengthens the long-term pathway for the entire sport.”

Cycling is not an NCAA or NAIA sport, so USA Cycling – by necessity – runs programs for collegiate riders.

● Figure Skating ● Per The Associated Press, “The U.S. government admitted Wednesday that the actions of an air traffic controller and Army helicopter pilot played a role in causing a collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk near the nation’s capital, killing 67 people.”

Of the 60 passengers aboard AA flight 5342 were 24 skaters, family and officials returning to the Washington, D.C. area from the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

The filing is in response to one of the lawsuits related to the crash, which said that air traffic controllers did not follow required procedures for visual separation of aircraft; the filing stated that the Army helicopter pilots did not “maintain vigilance.” The document also said that others such as the airline and pilots may also be at fault.

● Snowboard ● The fourth of 13 stops on the FIS World Cup tour for 2025-26 was in Carezza (ITA) for a Parallel Giant Slalom, with the home team engineering a sweep! Two-time Worlds gold medalist Roland Fischnaller, 45 (!), won his 23rd career World Cup race, ahead of teammates Aaron March in the final, with Mirko Felicetti taking the bronze.

Austria’s Sabine Payer, a three-time Worlds medalist, won for the second straight World Cup – her third medal in four races this season – in the women’s final, winning over Pole Aleksandra Krol-Walas; Japan’s 2023 World Champion Tsubaki Miki won the Small Final for third.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: Fred Richard and Ilia Malinin create “National Backflip Day” on Sunday as Team USA fund-raiser

Rich Perelman

December 18, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1218 malinin-richard (usopc) — U.S. stars skater Ilia Malinin (l) and gymnast Fred Richard, getting ready for National Backflip Day! (Photo: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ NATIONAL BACKFLIP DAY! ≡

This is pretty crazy, but also a fun way to raise some money for Team USA, with help from backflip stars Fred Richard – the 2023 World Gymnastics All-Around bronze winner – and Ilia Malinin, the men’s figure skating World Champion, who has already integrated the now-legal backflip into his routines on the ice.

This is all happening pretty fast:

● This Sunday, 21 December, will be National Backflip Day, off of the 12/21 date number mirror and also the Winter Solstice, marking the formal end of Fall.

● Per the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, “On National Backflip Day itself, Richard will be hosting an all day backflip stream live across his @FrederickFlips social media channels from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center starting at 10 a.m. MT.

“Starting today [Thursday], fans can post a backflip video with #NationalBackflipDay and also tag @FrederickFlips for a chance to be featured in the livestream and to contribute to the cause.”

● You don’t have to be a gymnast or figure skater either:

“This video can be of fans doing an actual backflip if they’re able and exercise caution, or even flipping a water bottle (or coin, pancake, etc.) or asking Frederick for advice on how to positively and creatively flip around any kind of situation in life that he may reply to during the stream – be creative and safe.”

And the goal is to raise some money:

“The goal for the day is simple, yet ambitious. The stream will be filled with stunts, appearances and surprises, and for every flip video submitted, a generous United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation (USOPF) NextGen Council donor will match impact up to 10,000 flips and up to $10,000. This year’s National Backflip Day will generate support for the Team USA Fund.”

Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible in most circumstances, and Richard and Malinin are already chatting this up on @TeamUSA social sites, with video of their in-person meeting.

Richard has been a backflip champion, setting a world mark in May for the most backflips in a day — he did it with 1,111 in about 15 hours – covered on his social sites and raising $61,665 through his FrederickFlips Foundation for gymnastics equipment for international youth in Africa.

With a very high-pressure, high-profile and therefore serious Olympic Winter Games coming in February, this is a fun program and a way for anyone to participate, even if it’s just flipping a coin in front of your phone!

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: USA Swimming to pay $2.7 million in direct-athlete stipends in 2026; FIFA OKs $727 million World Cup 2026 prize & prep money

Rich Perelman

December 17, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com reported that on its most recent podcast, USA Swimming chief executive Kevin Ring said that “the professional athletes who were members of the APA [Athlete Partnership Agreement] would be receiving a 15% increase in annual support, their first increase since the inception of the APA in 2010.”

The story explained that, in real numbers, this means an increase from $39,000 per year to $45,000 annually, the first time these figures have been revealed publicly.

The APA will be extended to the top 30 male and female swimmers, up from 26 since 2021.

Ring explained, “what we really start focusing on is, not just the APA, but what can we do to really support the athletes even further because APA is one aspect of support, but what else would we be doing to make sure they all get what they need to allow them to continue to swim and perform at the highest level.

“My hope and my desire and my plan is that the 15% is going to be a starting point. That between now and 2028 we want to continue to grow that for the professional athletes.”

Observed: This means that USA Swimming will be paying $2.7 million in stipends to its top 60 swimmers in 2025. This is not huge money, of course, but it is significant, and there are other awards available during the year. But, aside from the salaries paid to U.S. Soccer national team members, are there other U.S. National Governing Bodies which pay as much to what is essentially their national team?

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A study released Monday by the French High Commission for Planning of the total costs of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but which also factored in benefits not accounted for in the €6.63 billion public cost stated by the country’s Court of Auditors. (€1 = $1.17 U.S.)

The new study, conducted by the Research Centre for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions (Credoc), found that by applying a cost-benefit analysis against the public costs and comparing 2024 to a year without the Games (e.g., 2023), the “net cost” to the public was much less.

Considering added jobs related to the Games and associated works, an increase in the number of people participating in sport, and long-term infrastructure benefits, the study concludes:

“Taking into account all these monetized costs and benefits, the net cost to the nation as a whole amounts to €5.5 billion compared to a year without the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and €5.8 billion compared to a scenario where the Games would have been held elsewhere. This cost could be reduced in the future by the legacy benefits of the Games, settling at €2.5 billion compared to a scenario without the Games and €2.8 billion compared to a scenario where the Games would have been held elsewhere.”

(€6.63 billion = $7.78 billion U.S.; €5.50 billion = $6.46 billion U.S.; €2.5 billion = $2.93 billion U.S.)

That’s a lot different than the Court of Auditors’ total, which primarily added up all of the actual spending. The actual cost won’t really be known for another 10-20 years when the full impact of the 2024 Games will have run through French society.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan ● It’s hard to believe, but two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time World Champion snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis is 40 now, and NBC announced Wednesday that she will join the network’s coverage of the 2026 Winter Games as an analyst for Snow Cross.

She’s more than familiar, having nearly won (except for an early celebration) the 2006 Olympic final (but settling for silver), then winning at Beijing 2022 and in the Mixed Team event with Nick Baumgartner. She will be working with play-by-play man Todd Harris at the 2026 Games.

She told The Associated Press, however, that she is not declaring herself retired. But after the birth of her daughter, Ayla, she is taking a step back from the starting line.

● Youth Olympic Games 2026: Dakar ● The medal design for the 2026 YOG has been finalized, using a look submitted by Spanish designer Pilar Barbadillo Vicario, picturing a lion’s head, whose mane also forms two faces, each wearing an olive-leaf crown, evoking the ancient origin of the Games. Said the designer:

“When I was designing the medal, I was thinking about what you see when you already have it at home afterwards. It represents everything you’ve achieved over time – not only the moment you win it, but all the work behind it and what can motivate you in the future.”

The reverse of the medal will be designed by the Dakar 2026 organizers via a national competition and will incorporate national cultural elements alongside the Youth Olympic Games emblem.

● Transgender ● Skate Canada told the CBC that it will not hold events in Alberta in view of the province’s ban on transgender women in women’s events:

“Following a careful assessment of Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, Skate Canada has determined that we are unable to host events in the province while maintaining our national standards for safe and inclusive sport.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith responded on X, including:

“Skate Canada‘s refusal to hold events in Alberta because we choose to protect women and girls in sport is disgraceful.

“We expect they will apologize and adjust their policies once they realize they are not only compromising the fairness and safety of their athletes, but are also offside with the international community, including the International Olympic Committee, which is moving in the same direction as Alberta.”

The IOC has said it expects results from its working group on “protection of the female category” sometime after the Milan Cortina Winter Games end in late February.

● Athletics ● Run fast, get paid. Here’s a new promotion for high school stars:

“Marathon Sports and Diadora are offering a $40K NIL agreement to the first high school boy to break 4:00 in the mile and the first high school girl to run under 4:35 while competing in the Mezzofondo distance spike.

“Hit that mark, and you become eligible to sign a $40,000 NIL contract with us, promoting the spike, telling your story, and becoming the athlete connected to one of the boldest product launches in the sport.

“We believe this spike can change the conversation.”

It’s a one-year name-image-likeness deal and the “performance window” is from 8 December 2025 to 15 March 2026. Wow.

Liberian and ex-U.S. sprinter Shania Collins was announced as an Enhanced Games athlete, the first women track & field entrant. She has bests of 10.92 and 22.45 from 2022, but managed only 11.40 and 23.61 in 2024. She won the U.S. Indoor 60 m title (7.19) in 2019.

● Football ● FIFA announced the prize pay-outs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, raised to a record $727 million (with prep payments) in total:

● $50 million: Champion
● $33 million: Runner-up
● $29 million: Third
● $27 million: Fourth
● $19 million: 5th to 8th
● $15 million: 9th to 16th
● $11 million: 17th to 32nd
● $9 million: 33rd to 48th

All teams will receive $1.5 million additionally for preparation costs.

The $727 million is actually less than the $1 billion in funding for the 2025 Club World Cup, in which participating teams were paid a total of $525 million and the actual competitive results divided another $475 million.

Inside World Football reported that fan festivals for the New York/New Jersey area will include locations with an entry charge. The newly-announced Fan Zone Queens at the U.S. National Tennis Center was reported to price tickets – not available yet – at $10 per person, and tickets are now on sale for the Liberty State Park site in Jersey City, N.J. at $12.50 per person.

A third fan area at Rockefeller Center in New York will be free. All will have large-screen viewing, “football experiences” and food and merchandise available for sale.

FIFA World Cup fan festivals have typically been free, but the U.S. Tennis Center program in Queens will be produced by live-events giant LiveNation. The story notes that fan fests in Kansas City, Philadelphia and Vancouver will have free admission. Free-entry sites have been the norm for fan fests in the past.

● Weightlifting ● Paris Olympic men’s 73 kg bronze winner Bozhidar Andreev (BUL), 28, tested positive for the steroid mesterolone during an out-of-competition test on 15 October. He has been provisionally suspended pending a possible request from Andreev for the testing of the B-sample.

● Wrestling ● United World Wrestling published its list of the top-ranked wrestlers in each discipline and weight class, with four Americans listed, including men’s Freestylers Zahid Valencia (86 kg), Trent Hidlay (92 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg), plus women’s Freestyle star Helen Maroulis (57 kg).

Each year-end, top-ranked wrestler receives CHF 5,000.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LOS ANGELES 2028: Santa Monica turns 180, agrees to contract for “Club France” and Olympic broadcast installation for 2028

Rich Perelman

December 17, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1217 santa monica-club france — “Club France” presentation slide from the Santa Monica City Council meeting on 16 December 2025.

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ CITY OF SANTA MONICA ≡

After pushing aside the idea of hosting beach volleyball at the 2028 Olympic Games on its beaches in April, the City Council of the City of Santa Monica gave a unanimous go-ahead for the hosting of “Club France” and a “Nations Village” during the Olympic period.

The Council approval allows City Manager Oliver Chi and staff to “execute a Letter of Intent (LOI) term sheet and negotiate and execute a license agreement subject to CEQA [California Environmental Quality Act] compliance” for two specific 2028 programs:

● “[W]ith the French National Olympic and Sport Committee [CNOSF] to host a hospitality house activation at the Annenberg Community Beach House during the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.”

Operated by the CNOSF, Club France is to be the “primary gathering point for French athletes, officials, guests, fans, and media at every Olympic Games. The concept blends live event viewing, cultural programming, French culinary offerings, and athlete celebrations in an open, vibrant environment that promotes national pride and international engagement.”

The use is projected for 35 days at the beach facility opened in 2009 and which includes beach facilities, a pool, an event house and the guest house, left over from the estate of film star Marion Davies. A fee of $1.55 million will be paid, plus city services reimbursement as required.

● “[W]ith LOIDL LLC dba Hochsitz to host a Nations Village to include International Olympic Committee (IOC) satellite broadcast center, National Olympic Committee hospitality house, and brand hospitality house activation at Crescent Bay Park and portions of Lot 4 South during the LA28 Summer Olympic Games.”

This concept does not include any specific hospitality houses for National Olympic Committees yet. It does include a “temporary broadcast center serving official Olympic and Paralympic media partners, hospitality houses for participating nations, and premium brand activations.”

Hochsitz is a production company which has previously created Olympic sponsorship centers for Proctor & Gamble and Omega, for several National Olympic Committees, and for rights-holding broadcasters, such as NBC and the BBC. It would install several event spaces which could remain for future use for the community.

No rental fee was cited in the City report.

All of this is a 180-degree turn for Santa Monica, which negotiated with the LA28 organizing committee for more than a year before pushing away from hosting beach volleyball. But Santa Monica has changed.

Substantial financial difficulties, safety and economic concerns, Santa Monica approved the ”Realignment Plan” in March, including a prior toward “using real estate strategically, attracting and retain businesses, and bringing energy to public spaces.”

Brand-new Mayor Caroline Torosis, sworn in on 10 December 2025, noted at Tuesday’s meeting, “In previous administrations, there has been quite a reticence, quite frankly, to have these large-scale events on our beach and now we’re talking about a couple,” and asked how the Realignment Plan has helped shift the City’s view on events.

It was explained that the cross-departmental planning effort has been improved significantly and the cost structure has changed. City Manager Chi, who started in July 2025, explained at the Council meeting that in the past, “[i]f you wanted to have an event, we didn’t charge you what it cost to provide security, we charged you three times what it cost us” as the emphasis was on making money.

Now, the Santa Monica approach is more focused on “cost recovery”; per the report:

“To manage these opportunities, staff have developed a unified pricing methodology and preliminary evaluation framework that emphasize fiscal responsibility, cost recovery, public benefit, operational feasibility, and alignment with community values. A single, all-inclusive license fee structure is proposed for major coastal activations that combines land use, parking replacement, and City concierge services, including permitting, inspections, and public safety.”

Along with the two Olympic-period projects – and other National Olympic Committees and Olympic sponsors have inquired about space in Santa Monica – the Council also gave staff the go-ahead on a FIFA World Cup 2026 program for sponsor ABInbev for Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club fan experience, which would also include a buy-out of the nearby, 169-room Viceroy Hotel, for 11-27 June 2026.

ESPN is also asking for use of beachfront for a “broadcast and fan-engagement experience” in February 2027 related to the NFL Super Bowl taking place at SoFi Stadium.

Santa Monica turned its back on the Olympic Games earlier in 2025, but with a turnover of its City Council and its City staff leadership, appears to be back in the Games, at least in a small way, at the end of the year.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TEAM USA WINTER MEDAL TRACKER: Ten Team USA golds, with five for Stolz, and 19 medals plus a Rivalry Series sweep of Canada!

Rich Perelman

December 16, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1216 britcher, summer (FIL) — U.S. luge star Summer Britcher, celebrating her FIL World Cup win in Park City! (Photo: FIL).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ STAT BLITZ ≡

The normal weekend winter-sport competition schedule spilled over into Tuesday, but ended with more American medals in another amazing show from U.S. stars. Here’s the weekend-plus medal recap:

Alpine Skiing: FIS World Cup in St. Moritz (SUI)
● Women/Downhill I ~ Gold: Lindsey Vonn
● Women/Downhill II ~ Silver: Lindsey Vonn

At 41, Vonn dominated the first Downhill in St. Moritz, winning her 83rd career World Cup gold in her 409th start, and she was thrilled:

“The win means so much to me. I knew in the summer I was on the right path, and all the hard work has paid off. … Systematically, every single thing I could do to be faster, I did. I knew I was skiing fast, but you never know until the first race, and it was a little faster than I expected.”

She is the oldest skier, man or woman, to ever win a World Cup race. Wow. More on what this win may mean for Milan Cortina here.

Alpine Skiing: FIS World Cup in Courchevel (FRA)
● Women/Slalom ~ Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin

The Tuesday Slalom was Shiffrin’s fourth win in a row in the event this season, and no. 105 for the all-time World Cup wins leader. She said afterwards:

“I am not asking questions. I don’t know, sometimes you just have to take it and roll with it. Right now, tonight – don’t ask questions, just ride the wave.”

Bobsled & Skeleton: IBSF World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR)
● Skeleton/Mixed Team ~ Silver: Mystique Ro and Austin Florian

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup in Steamboat, Colorado
● Men/Big Air ~ Gold: Troy Podmilsak
● Men/Big Air ~ Silver: Konnor Ralph

This was Podmilsak’s second win this season, and the 2023 World Champion leads the seasonal standings with one more competition remaining, in March.

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup in Secret Garden (CHN)
● Men/Halfpipe ~ Bronze: Hunter Hess

Ice Hockey: Rivalry Series
● 06 Nov. in Cleveland: U.S. 4, Canada 1
● 08 Nov. in Buffalo: U.S. 6, Canada 1
● 10 Dec. in Edmonton: U.S. 10, Canada 4
● 13 Dec. in Edmonton: U.S. 4, Canada 1

There’s no gold medal here, but a very honorable mention for the U.S. women, who swept the Rivalry Series with Canada for the first time ever – for either side – in the seventh edition, with a combined score of 24-7.

However, U.S. defender Laila Edwards noted after the sweep was completed, “This definitely gives us confidence. But I wouldn’t mistake it with satisfaction. We know nothing is going to be easy come February.”

Luge: FIL World Cup in Park City, Utah
● Men/Doubles ~ Silver: Zach DiGregorio and Sean Hollander
● Women/Singles ~ Gold: Summer Britcher
● Women/Singles ~ Bronze: Ashley Farquharson
● Team Relay ~ Bronze: Britcher, DiGregorio-Hollander, Jonny Gustafson, Chevonne Forgan-Sophia Kirkby

Britcher won for the first time since 2018, with Farquharson getting her first career World Cup medal. Said the winner, “I feel so good. It’s been quite a while since I’ve stood on top of the podium, so I can’t even describe it; it’s just incredible! And to do it here with my family and to share the podium with Ashley, the only thing better than getting a podium is sharing the podium with a teammate.”

Snowboard: FIS World Cup in Secret Garden (CHN)
● Men/Big Air ~ Bronze: Oliver Martin

Speed Skating: ISU World Cup in Hamar (NOR)
● Men/500 m I ~ Gold: Jordan Stolz
● Men/500 m II ~ Gold: Jordan Stolz
● Men/1,000 m ~ Gold: Jordan Stolz
● Men/1,500 m ~ Gold: Jordan Stolz
● Men/Mass Start ~ Gold: Jordan Stolz
● Men/Team Pursuit ~ Gold: Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, Ethan Cepuran
● Women/Team Pursuit ~ Silver: Brittany Bowe, Mia Manganello, Giorgia Birkeland

Stolz was unreal, not just winning the 500-1,000-1,500 m events he used to, but the Mass Start as well. He explained why he started sprinting with two laps left:

“I was falling behind Metodej Jílek [CZE], and I don’t think everybody thought that I’d be able to get a little gap on them, but I just attacked at two laps to go. It was a little bit of a risk, but it worked.

“I saw the opportunity. I had nothing to lose anyway. I thought, if I attack here and I get caught, at least I tried.”

The U.S. men’s Team Pursuit squad clinched a fifth straight World Cup seasonal trophy, and now have their eyes on the Winter Games.

To review, that’s 19 Team USA total medals for the weekend-plus, of which 10 were gold and half of those won by Stolz! There’s another heavy week coming in winter sport this weekend, then slowing to almost nothing during the Xmas week.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Shiffrin slaloms to win no. 105 in France; FIFA cuts some ticket prices for national supporters; Tebogo rejects foreign offers!

Rich Perelman

December 16, 2025

Slalom 2018 Killington FIS World Cup Photo: Reese Brown/U.S. Ski & Snowboard — American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin (Photo: Reese Brown/U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games: Future ● The German sports minister, Christiane Schenderlein, told the Augsburger Allgemeine the future for a German Olympic bid is bright:

“I consider all the candidacies to be on an equal footing. Now we need to see how North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg position themselves. In Berlin, the debate is currently very lively. I find it positive and important that the current mayor has clearly stated his support for a candidacy. … The 66% approval rating in Munich is a clear result. This gives Bavaria the opportunity to continue working in a focused manner on its candidacy.”

As for finance: “We can finance the Games without any problem. The business community is also showing strong interest … major German companies are stating very clearly that they want to support the Games in Germany. And we, as the federal government, are fully committed to this bid.”

The German Sports Confederation (DOSB) has signaled a selection is to be made as to site and year in the fall of 2026.

● Ready, Set, Gold! ● The unique legacy of the failed Los Angeles bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, the Ready, Set, Gold! program that matches Olympic and Paralympic athletes with Southern California elementary and middle schools for inspiration and guidance, reached new highs in 2025.

A total of 28 schools in grades K-8 were involved with the program in the fall semester in 2025, touching 6,000-plus students, with another 20 schools to be added for the spring semester. Coverage will now extend to districts in Compton, Inglewood, Carson, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Upland, and, of course, Los Angeles.

The unique aspect of Ready, Set, Gold! is the year-through nature of the program, Each outreach to a specific campus begins with a full-school assembly, where the athletes share their personal journeys, lessons learned, and the values that shaped them. Then, throughout the school year, the athletes return for four additional physical education sessions that bring social-emotional learning to life through movement, teamwork, and wellness.

The in-person project has expanded to online outreach as well, again featuring Olympians and Paralympians sharing their life stories and experiences.

● U.S. Center for SafeSport ● A change in the language in the 2026 U.S. SafeSport Code section XIII.B. notes that considerations for sanctions in the sexual abuse area do not diminish over time:

“When the violation involves child sexual abuse, the age of the incident(s) shall not be considered and is not relevant to the assessment of appropriate Sanctions.”

It’s a clarification that will impact older cases, and underlines that abuse, whenever committed, is still abuse.

● Alpine Skiing ● American star Mikaela Shiffrin was in her fourth World Cup Slalom of the season, this time in Courchevel (FRA) on Tuesday night and roared to a first-run lead in 49.77, with a big 0.83-second lead on Swiss Camille Rast (50.60).

She came back with the fifth-fastest second run and won easily in 1:42.50, with Rast at 1:44.05 and German Emma Aicher third (1:44.21). Fellow American Paula Moltzan was fifth in 1:44.32.

For Shiffrin, it was her 105th career World Cup win, with 68 coming in the Slalom; she is undefeated in the discipline this season and is the overall World Cup leader.

● Athletics ● Paris 2024 Olympic men’s 200 m champion Letsile Tebogo (BOT) said in a radio interview with Duma FM in Botswana that he has received offers from three countries for a change of citizenship:

“I’ve got three offers on the table, from Qatar, Abu Dhabi [UAE] and Tunisia. Those are the three offers that are there on the table, and we are still trying to see. We told them what we are worth, and they are promising to up their game, so that’s how it is.”

All of the offers were rejected. Tebogo, 22, would have to wait three years for a change of allegiance to be formalized, according to World Athletics rules.

Florida coach Mike Holloway was named by USA Track & Field as the volunteer Chair of the federation’s High Performance Division, which includes the Men’s Track & Field, Women’s Track & Field and Race Walking committees and the Joint Development Group, which includes development committees and the Long Distance Running Division.

Holloway’s teams have won 14 NCAA titles and he was the head coach for the U.S. track & field team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. His appointment will end in December 2028.

● Boxing ● World Boxing announced the provisional admission of 15 more national federations, including Morocco, Puerto Rico and Tunisia, to bring the total to 152. They can be formally admitted as full members at the 2026 World Boxing Congress.

● Diving ● The USA Diving Winter Nationals concluded in Midland, Texas with the synchronized events, with Jack Ryan and individual winner Quinn Henninger taking the men’s 3 m final by scoring 802.98, ahead of Luke Sitz and Joshua Sollenberger (792.21). In the 10 m, 2025 national champ Joshua Hedberg and Carson Tyler defended their summer Nationals win with a dominant performance at 827.07, winning by more than 94 points.

The women’s titles went to national champ Sophie Verzyl and Anna Kong (559.14) in the 3 m final, over Lily White and Bailee Sturgill (528.12), and Ella Roselli and Bayleigh Crawford in the 10 m, scoring 582.66 and winning by almost 94 points.

● Fencing ● USA Fencing is selecting a new logo (maybe) and members get to help choose.

After using separate marks for Olympic and Paralympic fencing, a new, combined logo is being offered, with two options: a new look with the fencer facing forward, and a “zoomed-in” portion of the existing mark, with a thrust across the mark.

Members have until 5 January to choose either of the new concepts, or retain the two-logo system now used.

● Football ● FIFA said that total ticket requests have reached 20 million for the 2026 World Cup, but in response to blistering criticism over pricing from fan associations, announced a special, “Supporter Entry Tier” at $60, applying to all World Cup matches:

“The entry tier tickets will be allocated specifically to supporters of qualified teams, with the selection and distribution process managed individually by the Participating Member Associations (PMAs). Each PMA will define its own eligibility criteria and application process. They are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams.

“In total, 50% of each PMA allocation will fall within the most affordable range, namely Supporter Value Tier (40%) and the Supporter Entry Tier (10%). The remaining allocation is split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier.”

FIFA announced its annual award winners on Tuesday, with French forward Ousmane Dembele winning the men’s player of the year honor and Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati winning the women’s trophy for the third straight year.

The top keepers were Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and English women’s star Hannah Hampton. The top coaches were Luis Enrique (ESP) for his work with Paris Saint-Germain, and England’s Sarina Wiegman (NED).

The FIFA Fair Play Award was bestowed on Dr. Andreas Harlass-Neuking (GER), the team physician for SSV Jahn Regensburg, who ran into the stands to resuscitate a fan ahead of a Bundesliga match with FC Magdeburg.

● Freestyle Skiing ● At the FIS Ski Cross World Cup in Arosa (SUI), the 2025 seasonal champion Reece Howden (CAN) got his first win of the season in the men’s final, crossing first ahead of Johannes Aujesky (AUT), who won his third career World Cup medal (0-1-2).

The women’s final saw Sweden’s Olympic champ Sandra Naeslund win her third in a row to start the season, defeating Olympic bronzer Daniela Maier (GER) and two-time World Champion Fanny Smith (SUI).

● Luge ● While Russian “neutral” luge athletes were issued U.S. entry visas that would have allowed them to compete last week in Utah, they are planning to race at this week’s FIL World Cup in Lake Placid, New York.

The Associated Press reported that three Russian athletes were de-certified as “neutrals” by the International Luge Federation based on new evidence concerning their neutrality, which requires no public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After consultation with the International Olympic Committee, Alexsandr Gorbatsevich, Sofiia Mazur and Kseniia Shamova were declared ineligible as neutrals. Three others continue to be eligible to compete.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: Coe excited by 2025 success, especially the Tokyo Worlds, but looking ahead to 2026 and the new Ultimate Championship

Rich Perelman

December 16, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1216 coe news conference — World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) during his 2025 year-end news conference (Photo: World Athletics video stream screen shot).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ COE’S YEAR-END REVIEW ≡

“On any matrix of assessment, any metric, Tokyo was our most successful World Championships both in global reach, both in commercial partnerships and we went into those World Championships with more partners than we’ve ever had; the local organizing committee, some 14 local partnerships, which is unprecedented, and I think the athletes, the raised profile of the athletes – and this is the gift that keeps giving, on the track and off the track – made a huge difference, to the point where our own commercial revenues have increased over 25% in the last four years.”

The success of the 2025 World Athletics Championships was the capstone to a highly-successful 2025 in the view of World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR), who made his annual end-of-year news media tour of the world by videoconference on Tuesday.

He took special pride in noting that athletes from 84 federations made a final in Tokyo in 2025, way up – for example – from 47 who made finals when the Worlds were first in Tokyo in 1991:

“So we’ve sort of nearly doubled the number of countries in 30 years.”

The Tokyo Worlds ended up with 619,288 tickets sold, the third most ever behind Beijing 2015 and London 2017, and with evening sell-outs in seven of nine sessions. Moreover, the economic impact of the 2025 Worlds was projected at more than $522 million.

Across all of the World Athletics Series events in 2025, there were 1.4 billion viewer-hours across 234 territories or countries.

In the Diamond League and Continental Tours, more than 21,000 athletes competed and 222 national records were set. World Athletics-labeled road events had 5.5 million entries from 67 nations.

For 2026, he noted, “A huge season next year, we’ve got six [World Athletics Series] events,” including the Cross Country Worlds and World U-20s in the U.S., World Indoors in Poland, the World Relays in Botswana, the World Road Running Championships in Denmark, plus the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest (HUN) in September.

“This is indicative of the global reach of the sport that we have WAS events in six different continents next year. And that is also important, in a complicated, complex world, where multi-lateral systems are beginning to un-couple, we’re actually in there, working at the development end of sport, but also working in a commercial capacity as well. And that’s a good place for World Athletics to be.”

As for the Ultimate Championship, a totally new, three-day event developed by World Athletics, Coe explained:

“This is a big moment. It’s a very different type of format, it’s a very different model. It’s a different model for the athletes, it’s a very different model for host cities. I like to think it’s a glimpse of the future. …

“This new format matters, and it’s not just because of the historic $10 million prize pot – that is important – we really do want something that reads all action and no filler. It’s three hours a night over three nights, it’s unashamedly aimed at increasing our footprint across broadcastable offerings and we’ve really re-imagined the format to eliminate down time.

“So we have a condensed schedule of only semi-finals and finals. Yeah, not every track event, not every field event. And it will be one discipline at a time. And a new field-event format featuring dynamic height progression and continuous athlete filtering. And it’s really designed to maximize the amount of time at the business end of the competition.

“It will be and needs to be a re-imagined spectacle for our athletes, for our spectators an I’ve already seen some of the ideas that are surfacing – more than surfacing – around the field of play, our ability to focus on our stars, innovations like continuous and predictive data and athlete audible, technical, wearable equipment.

“The challenge we all have … is lending understanding to what is a complicated sport. If it was simple, it would be football.”

Of course, he was asked about the situation with Grand Slam Track, now in bankruptcy proceedings. He skipped any direct comment, but saw the positives from what was attempted:

“I have always, from the very outset … I will always welcome new thoughts about formats, investment and innovation. …

“Apart from Grand Slam at the moment, I take comfort from the fact that people want to invest in our sport. That tells me that we’re creating a platform that it’s an investable proposition.”

But he underlined the need for not only innovation, but also for a sustainable business plan and strong execution. He added, “Going forward, probably a bit more probing on new ideas, which we certainly don’t want to strangle, but are they going to go full-term and are they going to do set out to do, which is change the landscape for athletes. That’s entirely what we’re trying to do with Ultimate.”

Coe was asked about the International Olympic Committee’s review of the “protection of the female category” and if he thought the World Athletics position – with SRY gene testing as a primary determinant – would prevail. He answered cautiously but optimistically:

“I was at the Olympic Summit [last week], we didn’t have lengthy discussions about the protection and promotion of the female category.

“I know I can say that we have been very supportive of the direction of travel at the International Olympic Committee. I had good conversations with Kirsty [Coventry/ZIM] while we were campaigning for the same job, and was comforted in my conversations with her, at that stage, that she did understand that I was very open to revisiting and finding a little more clarity around that particular space.

“World Athletics has a very long, and I would say, distinguished history. My health and science teams are the best in the world – very happy and proud to be able to say that – [and] we’ve had many decades of having to deal with this.

“And, look, just a few weeks ago, we had an online session here with many International Federations and those organizations that are really keen to understand the practicalities of what we’ve had to do, whether it’s been some of the Court of Arbitration issues and actually the delivery of the SRY testing. I think we have set the right tone, and I think we’ve done it with moderate and careful language. We’re not rabid about it, but we are very confirmed in our view that the female category does need protecting, and it does need promoting, and I’m pleased in the direction of travel that the IOC have taken, and very proud that World Athletics has got input into that.”

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: LA28 ticket lottery sign-ups start 14 January; Mariah Carey in Milan Cortina opening; 100-event “World Triathlon Tour” coming in 2027

Rich Perelman

December 15, 2025

tsx pix 2019-124 vonn, lindsey 750 (us ski) — U.S. skiing star Lindsey Vonn (Photo: US Ski & Snowboard).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers announced that sign-ups for the ticket lottery will begin on 14 January 2026, with ticket sales to begin later in the year.

Registration is free and if selected, will be assigned to a designated time period to buy tickets available in that period. This is a much earlier sale of tickets than for prior Games, but LA28 will have more tickets available for sale than any prior Games.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The organizing committee announced that American music star Mariah Carey will perform at the Olympic opening on 6 February in Milan. It will be Carey’s first appearance at an Olympic Games. Per the announcement:

“Recognised worldwide for her unmistakable voice and for a musical legacy that spans generations and cultures, Mariah Carey perfectly embodies the emotional spirit of the Games.

“In this context, music, a universal language that bridges stories and perspectives, intertwines with the main theme of the Opening Ceremony: Armonia. At the San Siro Olympic Stadium, this principle will take shape through an encounter of cultures, creativity and participation.”

● Youth Olympic Games Winter 2028: Dolomiti Valtellina ● The 2028 Winter YOG will be smaller than the 2024 edition in Gangwon (KOR), with about 1,600 athletes instead of 1,803 and about 74 events vs. 81:

“The programme will include the seven core Winter Olympic sports (biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing) and eight new events, including synchronised skating, mixed singles luge, moguls, and rail events for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, while 15 events from Gangwon will no longer be on the programme.”

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment named its 2025 award winners, including long-time USA Wrestling chief executive Rich Bender as its George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award. Bender has been at the helm of the federation since 2001 and has not only seen excellent medal performance from American athletes, but an expansion of the sport and new highs in memberships and the adoption of women’s wrestling as an NCAA championship sport.

Superstar diver Greg Louganis and 22-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden won the William E. Simon Award for sustained athletic excellence; Dr. Sean McCann received the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Award for service to the U.S. Olympic Movement in psychological services and counseling, and seven-time Paralympic medal winner Dr. Cheri Blauwet won the new William J. Hybl Paralympic Contributor Award, notably for her work as Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and Associate Professor at Northwestern University.

The USOPC also announced that Hybl, 83, and twice President of the USOC (as then known), is retiring as head of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment, which oversees investment and distribution of the $93 million share of the surplus from the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He will be succeeded by former USOPC Board Chair Susanne Lyons, who also served as the USOPC’s chief executive during a transitional period in 2018. Lyons has been a member of the Endowment Board since 2018.

● Alpine Skiing ● “All the people that didn’t believe in me, I have to thank them because it really gives me a lot of motivation.

“I’m surprised that people haven’t figured that out by now. That every time you talk bad about me it just makes me stronger and better and more motivated. So I would love for people to keep coming at me. It would be great. Motivate me even more.”

That’s American ski star Lindsey Vonn, 41, as reported by The Associated Press, after placing first, second and fourth in the two FIS World Cup Downhills and Super-G in St. Moritz (SUI) over the weekend.

She had said that she would retire after the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, but now, “I think I might need to change my approach,” and compete to the end of the World Cup season in March and then consider her future.

● Athletics ● During a long interview by India’s Sportstar, U.S. Olympic sprint champ Noah Lyles was asked about running the 400 m in the future:

“I ran a 400 m last year too, but I don’t see it happening for me to run a competitive event. If it does, it will happen after the Los Angeles [Olympics]. But I really don’t like the training. It’s not the race. It’s the training. That’s the hard part.”

He’s also not the souped-up personality you see in public all the time. Asked about misconceptions people have:

“The funniest one is when people expect to be in my private life as I am on the field. But that exuberance is very specifically for the sports setting. I might still carry my confidence outside it but it’s not over the top because that’s no longer what’s required of me.”

Lyles also commented on the World Athletics athlete of the year awards, noting especially that American triple women’s sprint gold medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden “wasn’t even nominated. At this point, this award is kind of a joke.”

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation has deemed the Two-Man, Two-Woman and Four-Man events to be “team” competitions and under the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee from 2022, are not required to be open to “neutral” athletes.

The IBSF is allow individual competitors in the women’s Monobob and the men’s and women’s Skeleton events.

Surprisingly, the International Canoe Federation and World Rowing have allowed Russian crews in the Double Sculls and Pairs.

● Boxing ● New stars were in action at the USA Boxing National Championships in Lubbock, Texas, where the finalists are all to be invited to the federation’s training camp in January in Colorado Springs.

Only one 2024 champion defended their title, Naomi Graham in the women’s 75 kg class, defeating no. 2-ranked Kendra Samargia by 4:1. Two 2024 winners got to the finals, but lost, including Malachi Georges in the men’s 90 kg, to Joseph Awimongya (4-1) and Jennifer Lozano in the women’s 51 kg, to no. 2 Noelle Haro (3:2).

Haro was among six second-ranked fighters to win national titles, also Marcus Luther at 65 kg, taking a 5:0 decision over Rene Camacho and five women, including Haro. At 46 kg, no. 2 Lauren Flynn defeated Mireyna Cazares (5:0); at 65 kg, Jayshannet Zapata won by 5:0 against Qiermauri Polk; at 57 kg, Deborah Grant won by 5:0 vs. Norely Ramirez; at 65 kg, Marie-Angelis Rosendo won over no. 6 Alexis Proctor by 4:1; at 70 kg, it was Isabella Winkler winning by 5:0 over no. 3 Sage Rosario.

Seven of the 10 men’s winners were not ranked in the USA Boxing top 10 coming into the tournament; that was true for only two of the women, including Paulena Miles, who won a 4:1 decision against 2024 46 kg champ Emely Sandoval.

● Diving ● At the USA Diving Winter Nationals in Midland, Texas, 13-year-old ElliReese Niday followed up her 2025 Nationals gold with another big win in the women’s 10 m final, scoring 754.85 points to dominate the field, with Ella Roselli a distant second with 649.50.

Sophie Verzyl, who won the 3 m National Championship win in the summer, won again at 593.30, holding off Margo O’Meara (568.60). O’Meara took the 1 m gold, scoring 536.80 to best Avery Worobel (494.05).

In the men’s finals, Quentin Henninger won the 3 m title at 836.35 over Jack Ryan (806.35), moving up from third in 2024. Summer Nationals runner-up Jordan Rzepka won the 10 m event at 866.45, with Andrew Bennett second, scoring 780.40. Tennessee diver Bennett Greene won his first U.S. Nationals, taking the 1 m at 754.30, just ahead of Luke Sitz (745.10).

The Synchro events will finish on Tuesday.

● Football ● If you’re wondering about those controversially-high ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Associated Press compiled a thorough look at pricing as of 11 December, including for categories one, two and three, the top three tiers.

In summary, they’re not cheap.

● Handball ● The 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship in Germany and The Netherlands finished with Norway’s tense, 23-20 win over Germany in the final, but also with record tournament attendance of 354,029, breaking the prior high of 344,399 from the 2023 Worlds.

With 32 teams and 108 matches, the average attendance was 3,278.

● Short Track ● US Speedskating named its 2026 Olympic team, with high hopes for medals, with five returning Olympic performers.

Kristen Santos-Griswold won the ISU seasonal World Cup trophy last season and has battled back from injuries to start the 2025-26 season, but still won two World Tour medals. Corinne Stoddard has stepped up for the women, taking an impressive nine medals in the four World Tour meets.

Andrew Heo won the only men’s medal of the World Tour season, but it was a stunning gold in the 500 m at the final stop of the tour. Those veterans are joined by fellow Olympians Julie Letai and Eunice Lee. The newcomers are Kamryn Lute for the women and Clayton DeClemente and Brandon Kim for the men.

● Skiing ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) posted a list of approved Russian and Belarusian “neutral” athletes, eligible to compete in FIS competitions. As of Monday (15th), five Russians and nine Belarusians have received approval (14 total).

Two are Alpine skiers (both BLR), four in Cross Country (2 BLR, 2 RUS), six in Freestyle (5 BLR, 1 RUS), and one each in Nordic Combined (RUS) and Snowboard (RUS).

● Swimming ● Olympic and World relay champion Cody Miller, 33, the 2016 Olympic men’s 100 m Breaststroke bronze winner, was announced as the ninth swimmer to join the doping-friendly Enhanced Games.

He was a 2016 Olympian and made two U.S. World Championship teams, in 2015 and 2017. He said in a video, “I am fully retired from traditional forms of swimming … I have completely closed that chapter of my life.” As for the Enhanced Games, he explained:

“They’re paying me a lot of money. I have no shame in saying that. At the Enhanced Games, there is millions of dollars on the table. You know, you can look up the prize money structure for one day of swimming. If you win two events, that’s $500,000.

“That’s never happened before. If you set records, there’s more money. You win two events and set records, there’s a million dollars for one day of swimming. I’m proud that athletes in my sport have that opportunity to earn that kind of money to have those kinds of incentives that professional athletes should have.

“Me taking part in this event is going to allow me to do what I love, which is train, race, compete, and also provide for my family in a way that swimming has never given me before. You know, I went to the Olympic Games and won medals and made less than $100,000. I personally think we athletes deserve better than that and enhanced is doing that.”

He added, “My third primary life objective and I don’t want this to sound too cheesy but is to live a life of adventure.”

As for participating in a doping-friendly event, he said:

“All I ask is that you respect my decision as well. The reality is the world is changing. Enhancements is here. The Enhanced Games is here. And I think it will be cool for us to compare. Here are the enhanced athletes and here are the non-enhanced athletes. This is a new thing. It’s a new form of competition.”

As for the competitive aquatics world he came from, he said, “I also want to be super clear that I fully support clean sport in the traditional forms of swimming at the Olympic level in the [World Aquatics] sanctioned events. That’s how it should be. Those are the rules. Those rules should be followed. This is something different.”

Olympic icon Katie Ledecky competed in one event in the first Katie Ledecky Invitational meet in College Park, Maryland on Sunday (14th), but she made it memorable by becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mark in the 1,650-yard Freestyle, winning in 14:59.62.

This is not a world-record distance (it’s in a 25-yard, short-course yards pool), but smashed her own American Record of 15:01.41 from 2023.

● Table Tennis ● Although the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation was completed in November after being suspended after a near-riot in May, following the Presidential election, in Doha (QAT).

However, the questions concerning sanctions on those who yelled and screamed and called for changes to the voting have not been answered. So, on 5 December, the ITTF posted a procedure for investigation and possible sanctions that was dated as of 5 September.

It calls for an independent inquiry by London-based Harod Associates, to be completed by 28 February 2026 and any notice of charges to be made by the ITTF Integrity Board by 31 March 2026.

So, the meeting was finally over in November but consideration of the disruption is – quite rightly – not concluded yet.

● Triathlon ● The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon (TRI) announced Saturday an integrated schedule of events to be called the World Triathlon Tour in 2027. The new tour will “combine the existing T100 Triathlon World Tour, a rebranded World Triathlon Championship Series and World Triathlon Cups.

“The T100 Tour will be rebranded as the T100 World Championship Series. The World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) will be rebranded the T50 World Championship Series and a newly formed feeder series will be branded a ‘Challenger’ series. Combined across the different distances and two competition levels – World Championship and Challenger – the Triathlon World Tour will grow to approximately 100 events per year from 2027, with a number of new events being announced in early 2026.”

This is a move to reduce the fragmentation of the sport, which has sprint events of 750 m swimming, 20 km biking and a 5 km run; Olympic-distance events of 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run (51.5 km in all) and T100 events of 2 km swim, 80 km bike and 18 km run (100 km total). The same athletes race at all of these distances during the year, so the plan should assist athletes and is designed to increase the profile and commercial attractiveness of the sport.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: Grand Slam Track list of creditors includes seven athletes among top-20 creditors, including McLaughlin-Levrone, Thomas, Bednarek and more

Rich Perelman

December 15, 2025

tsx pix 2025-531 gst phila bednarek in victory (gst) — U.S. sprint star Kenny Bednarek at the Grand Slam Track stop in Philadelphia (Photo: Grand Slam Track).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ GST IN BANKRUPTCY ≡

Grand Slam Track amended its bankruptcy filing at the U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, showing estimated assets of $1-10 million, instead of less than $50,000.

It also disclosed that the voting shares in the company were owned by founder Michael Johnson (100% of Series A voting shares) and Winners Alliance, the commercial arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association (100% of Preferred shares).

A list of its 20 largest creditors was inserted, with seven athletes on the roster:

● $356,250 to Sydney McLaughlin (USA)
● $249,375 to Gabby Thomas (USA)
● $225,000 to Kenny Bednarek (USA)
● $218,750 to Josh Kerr (GBR)
● $211,875 to Marileidy Paulino (DOM)
● $190,625 to Alison dos Santos (BRA)
● $190,625 to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA)

The largest creditors were listed as Momentum-CHP Partnership, which appears to be related to broadcast production, at $3.036 million, then technology and event support group PMY USA at $1.268 million, and then design firm Girraphic, for $690,624.

Citius Magazine was listed as the ninth-largest creditor with $272,916 owed, ostensibly for promotional support. Other vendors for accommodations management, transportation, communications and marketing were also listed.

Grand Slam Track has been reported to owe as much as $19 million for payments to athletes and other vendors related to the four meets it scheduled for 2025, of which three were held, in Kingston, Jamaica; Miramar, Florida, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The filing shows between 200-999 claimants, assets of $1-10 million and total claims of between $10-50 million.

A statement for the circuit released on 11 December included:

“GST intends to utilize the Chapter 11 process to stabilize its finances, implement a more efficient cost and operating model, and position GST for long-term success. Earlier this year after committed financing fell through, GST undertook extensive efforts, in consultation with its advisors, to address its liquidity challenges and sought to negotiate payment arrangements that would provide a meaningful recovery to stakeholders. However, a court-supervised reorganization was deemed the most prudent path forward as these efforts continue.

“With a rightsized financial profile, the League will have the ability to return for future seasons and pursue new initiatives – including through the expansion of participatory events, enhanced media offerings, and deeper connections with the global running community – ultimately with the goal of executing on its vision of transforming track into a unified, globally commercialized sport.”

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

SHOOTING: Int’l Shooting Sport Federation opens inquiry into Euro Shooting Confederation elections amid Russian-influence accusations

Rich Perelman

December 15, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ EURO ELECTION INQUIRY ≡

On 30 November 2022, Italian Luciano Rossi ousted Russian billionaire incumbent Vladimir Lisin for the presidency of the International Shooting Sport Federation in a very tight, 136-127 vote. Rossi had lost to Lisin in 2018 for the same office, by four votes.

Lisin, whose involvement waned afterwards in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has not gone away. And he dramatically resurfaced in October 2025 at the European Shooting Confederation, where former ISSF Secretary General and incumbent President Alexander Ratner (RUS) was re-elected by 56-37 over Finland’s Karoliina Nissinen.

Nissinen, writing in a guest editorial for The Sports Examiner, stated:

● “The most shocking moment came just before the vote. According to several delegates who are ready to testify, the incumbent president, Mr. Ratner, publicly promised €200,000 to every member federation – a total of more than €23 million. When asked where the funds would come from, he reportedly pointed to Vladimir Lisin, the Russian businessman seated prominently in the front row, despite having no official role or delegate status. ‘He has it,’ Mr. Ratner allegedly said.”

● “I personally approached Mr. Lisin to ask whether the money being discussed was intended as sponsorship for the ESC – to be distributed fairly among all member federations. His response, as I recall it, was clear: ‘No. This is money I will give to whoever I want, to whoever I like, and to whoever supports my candidate.’

“It was deeply disturbing to witness such behaviour in a European sports assembly — not only for me, but for many delegates present.”

Nissinen called on the ISSF and the International Olympic Committee to review the election, adding:

“This appears to be part of a wider effort by Russian interests to regain influence over international sports federations — and to return to the Olympic Games through financial leverage rather than legitimate reform and participation.”

On Monday, the International Shooting Sport Federation issued a statement that included:

● “Multiple reports have been received by the ISSF Integrity Unit regarding alleged breaches of the ISSF Integrity code during the European Confederation General Assembly and Elections which took place in Yerevan, Armenia on 25 October.”

● “Following advice from the Integrity Officer that there is a prima facie case to answer under the ISSF Integrity Code, the ISSF Integrity Council will appoint an independent Investigatory Body to investigate the allegations and submit a report to the Integrity Council. Any sanctions relevant to this investigation will be applied in due course by the Adjudicatory Body, which is also independent.”

● “If it is found that there has been a violation of the Integrity Code, the Adjudicatory Body will convene a panel of three non-conflicted members to decide on the case based on the investigation report provided by the Investigatory Body. The independent Adjudicatory Body will also be responsible for applying any sanctions.”

Ratner remains as the head of the ESC while the investigation takes place at a time when Russian re-integration into international competitions is accelerating. What happens in the ISSF inquiry could impact the future of Russia not only in the European Shooting Confederation, but elsewhere.

But this will take time.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: Hirshland applauds $2 billion USOPP sales for 2028, growth of USOPF fund-raising efforts

Rich Perelman

December 15, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ USOPC BOARD MEETING ≡

The United States has been the most successful National Olympic Committee in history in terms of medals won at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is the only NOC which does not receive direct funding from its national government.

That’s because the USOPC has been the beneficiary of America’s love for the Olympic Games, and that has helped with fund-raising.

At a Monday briefing following last week’s Board meetings in New York, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland enthused about the corporate support coming together for the LA28 Games:

“Our joint LA28 and USOPC team – U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties, as we refer to it, ‘USOPP’ – will close out this year having achieved a really wonderful milestone. USOPP has raised more than $2 billion through domestic sponsorship and licensing agreements, with nearly a billion dollars in deals signed this year alone. And while the resources are critically important both to Team USA and to the execution of the LA28 Games, it is the brands and the stories they will tell that perhaps will have the greatest impact for us. …

“There is still much work to do and I can assure the team is not resting, but the reality is that this success puts the LA28 Games on track to be very successful, while building significant commercial value for Team USA for many years to come. We couldn’t be more pleased with where we sit.”

As for the USOPC’s own fund-raising efforts, Hirshland explained that support from Americans is coming to rise, for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation:

“We’ve seen consistent and steady growth in the Foundation since its inception just more than a decade ago as we think about quad-over-quad growth. I think, two quads ago [2017-20], we raised $125 million; last quad, we raised $225 million – that’s the quad that ended in 2024 – this year we’ll raise nearly $250 million, in a single year. So the momentum is very real.

“Now, that takes into account $100 million gift from Ross Stevens, so it’s a significant thing. We are seeing real growth in, I’ll say, major and transformational gifts, that gifts that are in the $10-25 million range. We’ve had several of them and we’re continuing to see the generosity of individuals who have that kind of capacity, which is really promising.

“But we’re also excited that we’re seeing growth at every level. So even the small gifts: on Giving Tuesday, we saw significant year-over-year growth in both the number of gifts and the average gift size, and these are $40-50 kinds of gifts coming from hundreds and thousands of people.”

Hirshland also pointed to new fund-raising efforts, in the Women’s Circle, and the Next-Gen Council.

On the Milan Cortina preparation side, Hirshland shared in the amazing exploits of skier Lindsey Vonn’s World Cup Downhill win at age 41 and Jordan Stolz’s five golds in a single ISU Speed Skating World Cup. But what about the continuing worries over the hockey rinks to be used in Milan? Said Hirshland:

“We have no concerns. We have all the confidence in the world that they’re going to have venues suitable to their talent and as I mentioned, we’re feeling incredibly excited about the talent coming in, both on the women’s side, the sled [Para] side and the men’ side. All three teams had an incredible 2025 and these are the best athletes in the world . They’re ready and we’re excited.”

One of the issues the USOPC is worried about is Olympic-sport collegiate programs. Hirshland noted:

“The risk for us is that schools cut Olympic-sport programs, or reduce the resources allocated to them, due to the financial pressures that they are facing. Our perspective and our commitment on this topic has not changed. Our focus remains on protecting broad-based sport and the Olympic and Paralympic pipeline and we will continue to actively engage Congress, the Administration, the NCAA, individual schools and all the conferences in that effort.

“We believe strongly there is a solution to be had that honors the athletes and Olympic and Paralympic sport, while also providing for the new revenue-sharing landscape and continued NIL [name-image-likeness] growth.”

The USOPC has come out in support of the SCORE Act, which was advanced out of committee in the U.S. House and awaits a floor vote.

Although the Milan Cortina Games are the main focus for the USOPC right now, there are ongoing issues with in multiple Olympic sports for which there is no currently-recognized National Governing Body. Hirshland noted the status for three sports:

● “USA Badminton has been de-certified, and so they are no longer a certified National Governing Body and the support for elite, Team USA athletes in that sport is being managed by our internal team here at the USOPC.”

● “Cricket [USA Cricket] is an entity which has not been certified as it is a new sport on the program, and so cricket has to essentially meet standards to be considered for certification. … Both the ICC [International Cricket Council] and the USOPC have some concerns about where that organization sits relative to its compliance, so there will be additional work to be done there before USA Cricket, as it stands today, would be in a position to be certified.”

● “Surfing is in the process of an application to be certified. I believe we just had a hearing in that proceeding just before Thanksgiving, and I think decisions around USA Surfing’s application will be made sometime in the spring; my guess is just post-Milan Cortina.”

Skateboarding is another sport for which an application has been made for certification by U.S. Ski & Snowboard, which certainly has the financial resources, but whose candidature runs afoul of the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sport Act (at 36 USC §220522 et seq.), which allows a National Governing Body to be a member of only one International Federation.

USOPC President Gene Sykes was the only American who attended the Olympic Summit in Lausanne last week and was asked about the follow-up to Indonesia’s refusal to issue entry visas to Israeli athletes for October’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships:

“We did have a discussion about that. It was a good, thorough and very direct discussion. …

“The IOC, as I say, issued this statement, reiterating that it is the responsibility of the host country, the competition organizer and the relevant governing bodies to ensure guarantees in advance for all athletes to compete without discrimination. They held a special Executive Board session to discuss the issue and they continue to talk to both the gymnastics federation and the Indonesian Olympic Committee about the issues.

“So, I think there is still a very strong view that this was not reflective of the direction and the approach that the IOC and its members would like to see in international sport.”

In a not-wholly-unrelated matter, LA28 organizing committee Chair Casey Wasserman appeared last week at the year-end event of the Israel Olympic Committee last week and gave assurances that Israeli athletes would not only be welcome at the 2028 Games, but would be safe and secure in Los Angeles.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: LA28 chief Wasserman assures Israel on security; Congressional Gold for ‘80 “Miracle on Ice” team; Stolz wins 5 World Cup golds!

Rich Perelman

December 14, 2025

tsx pix 2025-113 stolz, jordan (us speedskating) — An amazing five golds in one speed skating World Cup for American star Jordan Stolz! (Photo: US Speedskating).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman was in Israel and spoke at the year-end ceremony of the Israeli Olympic Committee. His remarks included assurances for the safety of Israeli athletes at the 2028 Olympic Games:

“We’re very focused on making sure every athlete has a safe and shared experience. I don’t want the Israeli athletes to feel like they have a different experience because of the security situation; they should feel equally safe doing the same thing as everybody else.”

He said he shows “no interest or patience” for those asking for a boycott of Israel and added:

“This is not a topic that anyone should be talking about. Moments like this is when you learn a lot about people’s character. And if you believe in this [Olympic] movement, you believe in the opportunity for everyone to compete. Not ‘everyone, but …’ That’s not an option; that is a standard that we need to hold ourselves to.”

● Olympic Winter Games 1980: Lake Placid ● Legislation (H.R. 452) for a Congressional Gold Medal honoring the gold-medal-winning 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. men’s hockey team was signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, along with team members Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and Buzz Schneider, in the Oval Office. Said Trump:

“We’re delighted to be joined today by true legends of American sports history, heroes for the entire nation, the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team. This was one of the biggest moments that I’ve ever seen in sports, and I like sports. These are the men who gave us one of the most storied athletic wins of all time, it’s called the ‘Miracle on Ice,’ and I guess that’s what it was.”

The medals will be placed at the Lake Placid Olympic Center in Lake Placid; the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota; and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation approved, in line with the requirements of its Appeals Tribunal, nine Russian athletes (two Bobsled, seven Skeleton) who satisfied the “neutrality” requirements issued by the Federation.

They are eligible to compete as individuals and as such “No flag will be used to identify Individual Neutral Athletes, respectively Individual Neutral Support Personnel and/or Neutral Officials (e.g. at ceremonies, protocol events, on-site, TV/media displays)” and “No anthem shall be used to represent any Individual Neutral Athletes at an official ceremony of an IBSF Competition (opening or closing, protocol events, medal ceremony, etc.).”

The regulations also imposed the cone of silence on these athletes at all IBSF events:

“Individual Neutral Athletes, their Support Personnel and/or Neutral Officials and their National Member Federation are not allowed to make any publication or other communication with any media channel linking their participation as an Individual Neutral Athlete, Individual Neutral Support Personnel and/or Neutral Official with Russia.”

● Football ● FIFA reported that requests for five million tickets were made to the FIFA Random Selection Draw, from potential buyers in more than 200 countries and territories:

“After 24 hours, the three host nations lead the way, with the subsequent top ten countries of residence for ticket requests being Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama.”

FIFA has received heavy criticism over ticket pricing; the BBC reported prices for Scotland’s group-stage matches (£1 = $1.34 U.S.):

“For the match against Haiti, the prices will be £134, £298 or £372, while for the Morocco games tickets will cost £163, £320 or £447 [both in Boston].

“For the clash with five-time champions Brazil on 24 June Scotland have been granted 3,736 tickets. It will be played in the Miami stadium which has a capacity of 64,091.

“Tickets for that match will cost £198, £373 or £523.”

With many of the U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup facing enormous costs and few opportunities to recoup them in view of FIFA sponsorship restrictions, the Sports Business Journal reported that U.S. cities identified as possible sites for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup are balking at FIFA’s terms:

“More than two dozen American cities are eager to host matches as part of U.S. Soccer’s joint bid with Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Those cities, however, declined to sign long-form agreements that FIFA expected ahead of last month’s bid deadline.

“Leaders of the cities included in the joint bid are seeking the opportunity to negotiate more favorable terms with FIFA before agreeing to anything binding. So far, they have only been willing to sign non-binding, one-page memorandums of understanding provided by U.S. Soccer.”

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● American star Lindsey Vonn, now 41, stole the show at the FIS women’s World Cup in St. Moritz (SUI), winning Friday’s Downhill in 1:29.63, way ahead of Austria’s Magdalena Egger (1:30.61) and Marjam Puchner (1:30.79).

It’s Vonn’s 83rd World Cup win – she’s no. 2 all-time among women – and her first since March 2018. Much more on what this win means here.

Vonn showed this was no fluke on Saturday, finishing second to Emma Aicher (GER) by 1:30.50 to 1:30.74, with 2018 Olympic Downhill winner Sofia Goggia third (ITA: 1:30.79) and American Breezy Johnson, the 2025 World Champion, fourth (1:30.90).

Sunday’s Super-G was New Zealand’s Alice Robinson third win of the season, this time in 1:14.84, ahead of Romane Miradoli (FRA: 1:14.92) and Goggia (1:15.03), with Vonn fourth in 1:15.11.

The men’s World Cup tour was in Val d’Isere (FRA), with a Swiss sweep in the Giant Slalom, as two-time Worlds gold medalist Loic Meillard (2:10.07), Luca Aerni (2:10.25) and World Cup champ Marco Odermatt (2:10.40) taking the medals.

The Sunday Slalom was a showcase for two-time Worlds medalist Timon Haugen (NOR: 1:37.89), moving from second to first on the second run. Meillard finished second (1:38.17) and Norwegian star Henrik Kristoffersen was third (1:38.23).

● Archery ● American star – and five-time Olympic medalist – Brady Ellison collected the men’s Recurve gold at the World Archery Indoor World Series in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), winning the final by 6-4 over France’s Thomas Chirault. The women’s final was all-Brazilian, with Ana Luiza Caetano winning by 6-4 against Isabelle Pereira.

The Compound titles went to Mathias Fullerton (DEN) and Alejandra Usquiano (COL).

● Athletics ● Sinclaire Johnson, the 2022 U.S. national 1,500 m champion, won the Merrie Mile in Honolulu on Sunday in 4:21.66, breaking the American road mile mark of 4:23.98 by Krissy Gear from April and beating Nikki Hiltz (4:24.82).

U.S. 800 m star Josh Hoey won the men’s side of the race (run concurrently) in 3:55.15.

● Biathlon ● The IBU World Cup in Hochfilzen (AUT) was a good one for three-time Worlds gold medalist Eric Perrot of France, who finished second to four-time Worlds medalist Tammaso Giacomel (ITA) in the men’s 10 km Sprint in 23:04.5 (0 penalties) to 23:08.5, but then won the 12.5 km Pursuit in 30:06.2 (0) to 30:16.4 (1) for Giacomel.

Campbell Wright of the U.S. was seventh in the Sprint in 23:33.1 (0) and eighth in the Pursuit in 31:27.2 (3).

Norway won the men’s 4×7.5 km relay in 1:11:54.8, while the U.S. (Sean Doherty, Maxime Germain, Paul Schommer, Wright) was fourth in 1:13.09.3 (7).

The women’s 7.5 km Sprint went to France’s seven-time Worlds medalist Lou Jeanmonnot in 19:59.4 (0), ahead of Maren Kirkkeeide (NOR: 20:14.7/1). Sunday’s 10 km Pursuit went to two-time Worlds gold medalist Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) in 28:31.5 (0), with Anna Magnusson (SWE: 28:42.9/1) second.

Deedra Irwin was the top American in both races, both times in 17th.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The Four-Man sleds raced twice at the IBSF World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR), but with expected results.

The first race was a German sweep, with 2017 World Champion Johannes Lochner’s sled winning in 1:39.88, ahead of double Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (1:40.02) and Adam Ammour (1:40.04). Kris Horn had the fastest American sled, in 15th.

Sunday’s second event saw Lochner win again in 1:40.01, beating Ammour (1:40.27) and Friedrich (1:40.29). Horn’s sled was sixth (1:40.56).

New Zealand’s Breeana Walker got her first win of the season in the women’s Monobob in 1:47.88, ahead of Katrin Beierl (AUT: 1:48.32) and two-time World Champion Laura Nolte (GER: 1:48.36). Kaillie Armbruster Humphries of the U.S. was seventh (1:48.51).

In the Two-Woman racing, German swept with Nolte (and Deborah Levi) in 1:43.49, then 2023 World Champion Kim Kalicki (1:44.05, with Talea Prepens) and 2018 Olympic champ Lisa Buckwitz’s sled (1:44.11). The U.S. went 4-5-9 with Kaysha Love (1:44.29, with Jasmine Jones), Humphries (1:44.43, with Azaria Hill) and Elana Meyers Taylor (1:44.68, with Sylvia Hoffman).

The men’s Skeleton was another win for two-time World Champion Matt Weston (GBR: 1:42.58) over seven-time Worlds medalist Axel Jungk (GER: 1:42.63) and Seung-gi Jung (KOR: 1:42.66). Four-time European champ Janine Flock (AUT: 1:44.31) took the women’s gold, ahead of Tabitha Stoecker (GBR: 1:44.49). Americans Mystique Ro (1:44.94) and Kelly Curtis (1:45.17) finished 7-11.

Stoecker and Marcus Wyatt (GBR: 1:49.33) won the Skeleton Mixed Team event, with Ro and Austin Florian of the U.S. in second (1:49.89).

● Cross Country Skiing ● At the FIS World Cup in Davos (SUI), Sweden’s 2022 Olympic Sprint winner Jonna Sundling took her second gold of the season in the Freestyle Sprint in 2:31.86, followed by Mathilde Myhrvold (NOR: 2:31.94). Sunday’s 10 km Freestyle went to Norway’s Karoline Simpson-Larsen, who won her first World Cup medal – a gold – in 26:34.9. Moa Ilar (SWE: 26:37.0) was second, ahead of Astrid Slind (NOR: 26:37.1).

American star Jessie Diggins finished fifth at 26:45.2, remaining the seasonal leader.

The men’s Freestyle Sprint was the fifth career World Cup win for France’s Lucas Chanavat, barely edging two-time Olympic silver winner Federico Pellegrino (ITA), 2:17.60 to 2:17.63! Americans Jack Young and Ben Ogden finished an encouraging 4-5.

The Sunday 10 km Free was the second win of the season for Einar Hedegart (22:40.7), at the head of a Norwegian sweep with Harald Amundsen (22:52.4) and Mattis Stenshagen (22:59.5).

● Freestyle Skiing ● The FIS World Cup Ski Cross season began in Val Thorens (FRA), with 2023 World Champion Simone Deromedis (ITA) winning the opener with teammate Edoardo Zorzi second. Canadian Kevin Drury, the 2019 Worlds bronzer, took the second event, beating Deromedis.

Beijing Olympic champ Sandra Naeslund (SWE) stamped herself as a favorite once again by sweeping both women’s races. She crossed ahead of Canada’s 2025 Worlds silver winner Courtney Hoffos in the first race and then in front of Marielle Berger Sabbatel (FRA) on Friday.

The third of four Big Air World Cup was in Steamboat, Colorado, with American Troy Podmilsak, the 2023 World Champion, winning for the second time this season, 182.50 to 179.50 over teammate Konnor Ralph, with 2025 World Champion Luca Harrington (NZL: 172.75) third.

Canadian Naomi Urness, who had never won a World Cup medal coming into the season, took her first win in the women’s final, scoring 156.25 over Ukraine’s Kateryna Kotsar (152.50). American Avery Krumme (142.00) was fourth.

At the Halfpipe season opener in Secret Garden (CHN), New Zealand scored a men’s 1-2 finish from 2025 World Champion Finley Melville Ives (90.00) over countryman Luke Harrold (89.00) with Americans Hunter Hess third (86.25) and Birk Irving in fourth (85.25).

China’s Eileen Gu, the 2022 Olympic champ, won the women’s division at 91.75, just ahead of 2025 World Champion Zoe Atkin (GBR: 90.25).

● Handball ● For the fifth time in six editions, Norway reached the final of the IHF Women’s World Championship held in The Netherlands and Germany. There, they had to face host Germany in the final in Rotterdam.

Norway had won the title in 2015 and 2021 and was second in 2017 and 2023, while the Germans were in their first final since winning the title in 1993. The Norwegians beat Montenegro in the quarters, 32-23, and the Dutch in the semis 35-25; Germany sailed past Brazil (30-23) and France (29-23) to get to the championship match.

The final was tight, tied at 11 at halftime. But the Norwegians edged ahead in the second half and won by 23-20 for their fifth Worlds gold all-time. Henny Reistad and Thale Deila each scored five for the winners; Germany was led by Emily Vogel and Alina Grijseels with four each.

France won the bronze with an extra-time, 33-31 win over the Netherlands.

● Ice Hockey ● The annual Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canada was in Edmonton (CAN) for the third of four games on 10 December, with the Americans storming to a 4-1 lead in the first period, then seeing Canada close to 6-3 after two, but scoring four more in the third and taking a 10-4 win and a 3-0 lead in the series.

Abbey Murphy scored twice for the U.S., as did Kelly Pannek. Sophie Jacques got two for Canada.

The finale was on Saturday, also in Edmonton, with the Americans finishing a sweep, 4-1, with two goals in the second and two in the third. Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards got the second-period goals for the U.S., who had a 2-1 lead at the second break. In the third, it was Hilary Knight with both goals, as Aerin Frankel saved 23 of 24 shots in goal.

The sweep was the first in history of the Rivalry Series – this is the seventh edition – that began in February 2019 and has consisted of varying numbers of games each season, from three to seven.

● Luge ● The second stop of the FIL World Cup season was in Park City, Utah, with 2023 World Champion Jonas Mueller (AUT) winning the men’s Singles in 1:29.640 over two-time defending World Champion Max Langehan (GER: 1:29.897) second. Jonny Gustafson was the top American, in fifth (1:30.215).

Five-time World Champion Toni Eggert, and Florian Mueller (GER), won the men’s Doubles in 1:26.222, just ahead of the American duo of Zach DiGregorio and Sean Hollander (1:26.273) with fellow U.S. racers Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa in 10th (1:26.717).

The women’s Singles was a sensational win for American Summer Britcher, her first on the World Cup circuit since 2018! The three-time Olympian won the first heat and then finished fourth in the second, with her combined time of 1:26.961 good enough to beat Verena Hofer (ITA: 1:27.066). Fellow American Ashley Farquharson took third (1:27.070) for her first career World Cup medal!

In Doubles, 2018 Olympic Singles silver winner Dajana Eitberger (GER) teamed with Magdalena Matschina to win in 1:27.140 over Austria’s two-time World Champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (1:27.416). The top U.S. pair of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby finished fifth (1:27.921) and Maya Chan and Sophia Gordon were ninth.

Italy won the Team Relay in 3:05.885, with the U.S. (Britcher, DiGregorio-Hollander, Gustafson, Forgan-Kirkby) finishing third in 3:06.451.

● Ski Jumping ● The fourth joint FIS World Cup for men and women was in Klingenthal (GER), off the 140 m hill, with Slovenian star – and 2025 World Champion – Domen Prevc winning his third straight competition at 298.5, winning both rounds! Austrian star Stefan Kraft was a distant second at 273.0.

Prevc scored again on Sunday, winning both jumps and scoring 275.1 points, with Japan’s Ren Nikaido second (262.1) and Ryoyu Kobayashi third (261.0).

Two women had won five of six events coming in and they won again, with new sensation Nozomi Maruyama (JPN: 240.5) winning by a point over 2025 double World Champion Nika Prevc (239.5). Prevc came back to win the second event, 294.1 to 290.1, over Maruyama, with Anna Odine Stroem (NOR: 272.4), the only other winner this season, in third.

● Snowboard ● The FIS World Cup Halfpipe opener was in Secret Garden (CHN), with Japan enjoying a men’s sweep with Beijing Olympic champ Ayumu Hirano (93.50), 2021 World Champion Yuko Totsuka (90.25) and 2025 Worlds runner-up Ruka Hirano (89.00) taking the medals.

Seventeen-year-old Ga-on Choi (KOR) took the women’s event, scoring 92.75, over 16-year-old Rise Kudo (JPN: 90.25) and three-time World Champion Xuetong Cai (CHN: 80.50).

The third and final stage in the Big Air circuit was in Steamboat, Colorado, with Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara getting his first win of the season at 180.25, ahead of teammate Kira Kimura (179.25) and Oliver Martin (174.00) of the U.S.

China’s Yuming Su, the Beijing 2022 Olympic winner, won the seasonal title with 200 points, over Kimura (189).

Two-time Worlds medalist Miyabi Onitsuka finished the sweep for Japan in the women’s final, scoring 174.00 to win against Seung-eun Yu (KOR: 173.25). Onitsuka took the seasonal trophy with 205 points to Yu’s 121.

The Snowboard Cross season was inaugurated in Cervinia (ITA), with France claiming a men’s 1-2 with brothers Jonas Chollet (17) and Aidan Chollet taking gold and silver. The French completed a sweep with Lea Casta, the 2025 seasonal champion, winning the women’s final over 2018 Olympic champ Michela Moioli (ITA).

Britain won Sunday’s Team final over Italy and France.

In the Parallel Giant Slalom in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA), two-time Worlds medalist Aaron March (ITA) was the men’s winner over 2022 Olympic winner Benjamin Karl (AUT) in the men’s final. The women’s final saw three-time Worlds medalist Sabine Payer (AUT) cross ahead of Kaylie Buck (CAN).

● Speed Skating ● The fourth ISU World Cup in Hamar (NOR), with American star Jordan Stolz collecting a sensational five more golds! Wow!

● Friday: He first won the men’s 500 m in a track record 33.97 ahead of 2025 World Champion Jenning De Boo (NED: 34.21), with fellow American Cooper Mcleod in ninth. He won the men’s 1,500 m in another track record of 1:44.16, ahead of two-time Olympic champ Kjeld Nuis (NED: 1:44.95).

● Saturday: Stolz won the 1,000 m in a track record 1:07.63, ahead of Poland’s Damian Zurek (POL: 1:08.21) and Nuis (1:08.25). American Conor McDermott-Mostowy finished sixth, Zach Stoppelmoor was ninth and Mcleod was 10th.

● Sunday: Stolz finished his sweep, winning the second 500 m in 34.14, with Zurek second in the same time, then Stolz took the Mass Start in 7:40.19, beating Olympic champ Bart Swings (BEL: 7:41.10)!

The U.S. won the Team Pursuit in 3:40.28 with Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran, well ahead of Italy (3:42.60). That’s six golds for the U.S. in a single men’s World Cup, certainly the most ever.

Czech Metodej Jilek won the men’s 5,000 m in 6:07.58, a track record, beating France’s Timothy Loubineaud (6:12.29).

The Dutch led the women’s competitions, with World Champion Femke Kok winning the first 500 m (37.05), Mass Start World Champion Marijke Groenewoud taking the 3,000 m in 4:00.95 and Bente Kerkhoff winning the Mass Start in 8:23.91, ahead of Groenewoud. American Mia Manganello was fourth in the Mass Start.

Japan’s Olympic 1,000 m champion and six-time Worlds gold medalist Miho Takagi scored wins in the 1,000 m (1:14.39) and 1,500 m (1:54.95), beating Kok (1:14.73) in the 1,000 m. American star Brittany Bowe finished fourth in the 1,000 m (1:15.50) and fifth in the 1,500 m (1:55.98). Yukino Yoshida (JPN) won the second 500 m in 37.65.

Canada won the women’s Team Pursuit in 2:57.20, with the U.S. trio of Bowe, Manganello and Giorgia Birkeland just behind in 2:57.29.

● Table Tennis ● Three-time Worlds medal winner Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) scored an important win in the World Table Tennis Finals in Hong Kong, defeating Paris 2024 Olympic runner-up Truls Moregard (SWE) in a thrilling final, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 10-12, 14-12, 11-2.

China’s 2021 World Champion Manyu Wang took the women’s gold over countrywoman Man Kuai, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10.

In the Mixed Doubles final, it was no contest as the Korean pair of Jonghoon Lim and Yubin Shim swept aside Paris 2024 Olympic champions Yingsha Sun and Chuqin Wang, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ANTI-DOPING: AIU chief Howman tells World Conference on Doping, “intentional dopers at elite level are evading detection”

Rich Perelman

December 14, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1214 clothier-howman wconf (wada) — AIU chief executive Brett Clothier (AUS) and Chair David Howman (NZL) at the 2025 World Conference for Doping in Sport (Photo: WADA via AIU).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ HOWMAN’S WARNING ≡

Following up on his pointed remarks at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s annual Symposium on Anti-Doping Science in September, the head of the Athletics Integrity Unit, David Howman (NZL) challenged his colleagues at the sixth World Conference on Doping in Sport in Busan (KOR) that more has to be done. Much more:

“The initiation and development of Code Compliance rules and processes, requiring minimum-level anti -doping activity across all Code signatories globally, has been a commendable achievement; an important building block.

“Our ineffectiveness in dealing with those who are beating the rules is hurting the anti-doping movement’s credibility, with the resulting risk that our clean-sport message falls on deaf ears.”

Key to Howman’s remarks and following up on his USADA Symposium comments, was his insistence on not just better collaboration, but a change in motivation, and incentives. This is key for him:

● “We must move beyond compliance to a system that supports effective, ambitious anti-doping efforts. Can we collaborate across disciplines to get the best science, the best data, and the best testing? At the Athletics Integrity Unit, we pride ourselves on our demonstrated ability to catch elite athletes who are cheating. However, we acknowledge we are not catching enough of them and that significant improvements are necessary. So how can we be assisted?” (Emphasis added)

● “One step is to ensure Anti -Doping Organisations (ADOs) are supported with the best investigative and scientific tools – and incentivised to succeed. A renewed focus on scientific research with closer alignment between WADA and cutting-edge ADOs on research priorities and opportunities would be beneficial. The International Standards might be better scrutinized regularly to ensure they fully support investigative efforts to uncover doping.” (Emphasis added)

● “A second step would be to ensure all ADOs are properly motivated to pursue anti-doping excellence. It is too easy for an ADO to undertake compliance-based testing without any probability of catching sophisticated dopers. We suggest more transparency on anti-doping data will help and WADA can be proactive in promoting the pursuit of excellence in anti-doping – not just compliance.” (Emphasis added)

Howman closed by underlining the AIU approach that desires to go far beyond the simple mechanics of testing enough people to check the boxes on the next WADA audit:

“The AlU’s mantra is ‘the right test, the right athlete, the right time,’ underlining our adherence to intelligence-led, targeted anti-doping work.

“We recommend this approach and are happy to knowledge-share. We must all do better to support our clean athletes by catching the dirty ones, especially those at the pinnacle of sport.”

He said in September that a further change in approach and attitude will be needed to get to where the clean-sport movement wants to go:

“Have we devoted sufficient resources to determine what the cheats are now doing?

“Find out what the bad guys are up to before you have spent time and money attempting to catch them. Basic reasons for this are that those of us trying to catch them do not think like cheats, and do not look at how to beat the rules, just how to enforce them.

“People advising athletes how to break the rules might be lawyers, doctors, scientists, coaches, parents or others. All may have different ideas or ways. How to use the Whereabouts rules to dope yet avoid a 4-year penalty and perhaps accept a 2-year sanction.”

Howman rang the warning bell in September in Atlanta and now again in Busan in December. The question for 2026 is whether he remains alone.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

INT’L OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Indonesia not interested in IOC’s insistence on political neutrality in sport; Israel is still not welcome

Rich Perelman

December 13, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ INDONESIA INTRANSIGENT ≡

At last week’s 14th Olympic Summit in Lausanne, leaders of the International Olympic Committee, the International Federations and National Olympic Committee restated the need for political neutrality, noting in the posted statement of the meeting:

“The Summit also reaffirmed that athletes have a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organisations. As role models in society, athletes have at the same time a responsibility and an obligation to respect, uphold and promote the Olympic values, before, during and after competition.”

This came on the heels of the mid-week meeting of the IOC Executive Board, and a question was sent to the IOC Press Office about the situation of the Indonesian National Olympic Committee, whose government refused to grant entry visas to the six-member Israeli team registered to compete at the FIG World Artistic Championships in Jakarta.

The Indonesian stonewall came on 10 October, the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (now World Gymnastics) rolled over in acquiescence despite its own rules stating that the event had to be canceled, and the meet was held from 19-25 October.

The IOC issued an unhappy statement on 22 October, ending discussions about future Olympic events in Indonesia and asking International Federations not to place events there.

The Indonesian member in the IOC, Erick Thohir, the youth and sports minister, fully supported the decision not to admit the Israeli team, writing in a post:

“We at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as representatives of the Indonesian Government, adhere to the principle of maintaining security, public order, and public interest in every international event organized. This step is in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws and regulations. This principle is also based on the 1945 Constitution, which respects security and public order, as well as the obligation of the Indonesian Government to uphold world order.

“On that basis, Indonesia has taken steps to avoid the arrival of the Israeli delegation at the Gymnastics World Championships. We understand that this decision carries consequences, wherein as long as Indonesia cannot accept the presence of Israel, the IOC has decided that Indonesia cannot host world championships, Olympic events, Youth Olympic Games, and other activities under the Olympic umbrella.”

On 28 October, an Indonesian delegation went to see the IOC in Lausanne, with NOC chief Raja Sapta Oktohari explaining afterwards that everything was fine:

“Our diplomacy with the IOC went very well and the results were positive. We provided a comprehensive understanding of the current situation, both in gymnastics and in Indonesia in general. From this meeting, we gained a breath of fresh air and a positive meeting point to continue the dialogue constructively.

“Essentially, we have succeeded in improving communication channels with the IOC. They understand Indonesia’s position, and we also understand the IOC’s responsibility to uphold the principle of non-discrimination. Now the focus is no longer on the problems that occurred yesterday, but how we move forward, today and tomorrow, to build a joint solution.”

It’s not fine.

While it did not come up in the post-IOC Executive Board news conference, the IOC Press Office was asked about the progress of the discussions with the Indonesians. The reply was short and to the point:

“The IOC held meetings with World Gymnastics and the NOC of Indonesia to discuss the events which happened in October. So far, the IOC has not received the requested guarantees from the government.”

An inquiry about any disciplinary actions against Thohir or World Gymnastics President (and IOC member) Morinari Watanabe of Japan – who was part of the Olympic Summit – went unanswered.

So nothing has changed.

Observed: This is a real test for the IOC. Thohir, as a minister in the Indonesian government, takes the position that “security needs” required Israel to be refused entry, in direct contradiction to the IOC’s standing policy.

Watanabe, and his federation, threw up their hands and said the show must go on.

Why are they both still IOC members in good standing? And why should the IOC continue to support World Gymnastics, or recognize the Indonesian National Olympic Committee?

At present, it’s not much of an issue with the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games coming on quickly and winter sport now in a frenzy of activity. But soon enough, that Games will be over, and the question about IOC leadership in sport will be asked, looking ahead to Los Angeles in 2028.

Indonesia created the latest bad precedent; taking Oktohari at his word in October, what is Indonesia’s contribution to a joint solution? Per the IOC, zero at present.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: Report says City of L.A. could consider lawsuit vs. LA28 on City costs; it’s way too early to be worried

Rich Perelman

December 13, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN ≡

Last week’s meeting of the Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Olympic and Paralympic Games ended when the committee went into closed session to discuss possible litigation, and when the Council members returned, they had nothing to report.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Council member Bob Blumenfield said afterwards, “There was no recommendation to move forward on litigation.”

Our TSX report of the meeting noted City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo told the committee that despite a 1 October 2025 deadline for a City agreement on costs with the LA28 organizers per the schedule laid out in the City’s Games Agreement – signed back in 2021 – it was not ready yet.

The “Enhanced City Resources Master Agreement” or “ECRMA” in City Council-speak is taking shape with the City and LA28 working towards a common understanding of what LA28 will pay for. In theory, this is everything above and beyond “normal and customary” services provided by the City that are “required for and in direct support of the Games.” Szabo explained:

“All of these services will be captured and the City – my office – will provide cost estimates for all of it, once it is established. We expect, in sequence, we would negotiate the finalized venue service agreements first and the NSSE [National Special Security Event] plans would come sometime thereafter.

“The initial cost estimates, those will be provided by October 2026, just under a year from today, once the venue service agreements are negotiated . We will then provide final estimates by the end of October in 2027.”

Szabo noted that there has been substantial progress with LA28 on the Enhanced City Resources Master Agreement in the areas not involved in security planning, specifically those under the designation of the NSSE, which is being administered by the U.S. Secret Service.

Having been in event management for more than 40 years, it’s no surprise that an ultra-aggressive date in 2025 – almost three years ahead of the 2028 Games – was not met for this agreement. Whether for an Olympic Games, Olympic Winter Games, Goodwill Games, Pan American Games, World University Games or civic spectaculars like the Statue of Liberty Centennial or National Columbus Quincentennial Celebration, all of which I have worked on, the idea that a financial agreement for city services could be reached three years out was impossible to consider.

Let’s just dial back to the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where a City Charter amendment was passed – overwhelmingly – in 1978 stating that the City of Los Angeles would not provide anything to support the Games that it was not reimbursed for.

During the organizing phase, the question of the agreement on costs for the City of Los Angeles was the closest thing to any real pre-Games hysteria, with worries that the City would make a bad deal, or a good deal, or no deal and somehow the Games or the City would collapse (or both).

In the end, there was an agreement between the City and the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, abused by one City department, but it came later than the current negotiations with LA28, as did agreements with other cities in which the 1984 Games took place:

● 1982-28 October: The City of Los Angeles and the LAOOC agreed on the framework for reimbursement, estimated at $19.3 million, to be paid from a trust fund created to collect a half-cent increase in the city’s hotel tax and a 6% municipal tax on Olympic tickets. Beyond that, the LAOOC was responsible.

● 1984-09 July: The Los Angeles Police Department demanded, just before the Games began, an additional $9.4 million for its security staffing needs. The LAOOC paid as required, but much of this was returned to the organizing committee in the post-Games reconciliation in 1985.

Once the 1982 framework agreement on costs was in place, the rest of the cities involved also entered into local-services contracts:

● 1983-26 April: Ventura County for $148,655, related to security.
● 1983-01 June: Orange County for $252,881 (security).
● 1983-27 June: San Bernardino County for $35,000 (security).
● 1983-08 August: City of Monterey Park for $131,609 (security).
● 1983-15 November: City of Anaheim for $110,000 (security).

Applying these timelines to the 2028 Games, the City of Los Angeles framework agreement would be reached in late 2026 and the subsequent agreements with other cities in 2027.

The benefit of the later timing is that the actual layout of the venues will be further along, leading to better cost estimates, and the planning by the security agencies will also be further detailed. That has been pushed into the “venue service agreements” that Szabo mentioned.

It’s a good thing that the City and LA28 are talking, and in detail. But as the worry appears to be over the security areas which the U.S. Secret Service will direct under the designation of a National Special Security Event, it’s way too early to panic.

The Times reported that Council President Harris Marqueece-Dawson said at a luncheon last Thursday;

“With this administration, you don’t know what the hell is going to happen, right? So both of us [the city and LA28] are looking at a $1.5-billion bill, and we’re like, ‘Yeah, I’m not paying it. You’re gonna pay it.’“

But as Trump has repeatedly stated his support of the Games and $1 billion was allocated for security costs related to the 2028 Games in the new Federal budget (so the issue is down to $500 million now, right?), Harris-Dawson added, “but on this particular issue, so far so good.”

The time for worry may come, and it is sure that security planning for 2028 will be heavily influenced by what happens at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For now, the words of English poet William Langland from around 1360 ring true: “Patience is a Virtue.”

Rich Perelman
Editor

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

MILAN CORTINA 2026: Could Lindsey Vonn’s stunning St. Moritz Downhill win lead to two or three golds at the Winter Games? Don’t bet against it!

Rich Perelman

December 13, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1011 vonn, lindsey 2018 OG (palsternakka-wiki) — American ski star Lindsey Vonn (Photo: Wikipedia via Palsternakka).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ “QUEEN OF THE DOLOMITES”? ≡

American skiing star Lindsey Vonn blew up the skiing world on Friday when she won the opening women’s FIS Alpine World Cup Downhill of the season at St. Moritz (SUI), destroying the world-class field in 1:29.63, almost a full second ahead of Magdalena Egger (AUT: 1:30.61) and Mirjam Puchner (AUT: 1:30.79), with 2018 Olympic Downhill champ Sofia Goggia (ITA: 1:30.94) in fourth.

At age 41, she won her 83rd career World Cup race and first since 2018, and showed this was no fluke on Saturday, when she placed second to Germany’s Emma Aicher, 1:30:50 to 1:30.74, with Goggia third (1:30.79) and American Breezy Johnson, the surprise 2025 World Downhill Champion, a close fourth in 1:30.90.

That’s amazing for someone who retired due to injuries in 2019 but only returned in 2025 thanks to knee replacement surgery in 2024

The results show the comebacking Vonn is not just a possible medal contender for the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games Downhill, she will be – barring injury – one of the favorites.

And that’s because the women’s Downhill will be in Cortina d’Ampezzo, her favorite track.

She emphasized this in interviews, including last week on Olympics.com:

“I wouldn’t even try this if it wasn’t in Cortina. I don’t think I would have any interest in doing it.

“Cortina is the draw. Cortina is the reason. It’s a very meaningful place to me. It’s where I got my first podium. I broke the women’s World Cup win record there, I’ve had a couple of wins there. It feels like home.

“So the fact that I can race for the first time at an Olympics on a track that I actually know well, I think is a huge opportunity. All the other courses I’ve raced in all the other Olympics, I’ve maybe had one or two races on them ever. Same for everyone else. This is a completely different ball game.”

Vonn won the Olympic Downhill gold and Super-G bronze in Vancouver in 2010 as well as a Downhill bronze in 2018. For 2026, she goes back to Cortina; just how well has she really done there?

Research shows that Vonn and Cortina are quite a pair:

● 21 Downhill starts since 2004: 12 medals (6-3-3)
● 21 Super-G starts since 2002: 8 medals (6-1-1)
● 3 Giant Slalom starts 2006: 0 medals
● 45 starts since 2002: 20 medals (12-4-4)

So, Vonn has won a medal 44% of the time she starts a race at Cortina, 57% of the time in the Downhill and 38% in the Super-G. She should stay away from the Giant Slalom; her three Cortina races in 2006-09-10 ended as did not finish, 10th and 19th!

And the schedule set up perfectly for her to try to win two golds in Cortina and be the skiing “Queen of the Dolomites” herself, as Cortina is known in the skiing world:

● 08 February: Women’s Downhill
● 10 February: Women’s Team Combined
● 12 February: Women’s Super-G

Vonn will be one of the favorites for the Downhill and if she wins, she will be in perfect position – barring injuries – to win a second gold in the women’s Team Combined with teammate (and all-time World Cup wins leader) Mikaela Shiffrin in the Slalom, pairing the two women with the most World Cup wins in the same event, on the same team!

Shiffrin already won the women’s Team Combined at the 2025 FIS World Alpine Championships, paired with Johnson, and a combination of Vonn and Shiffin would bring an unprecedented, combined 187 World Cup wins into the event.

A win there – a second 2026 gold – would then set up Vonn to chase a third gold in the Super-G two days later. Three Alpine golds in a single Games has only been done three times: Toni Sailer (AUT: 1956), Jean-Claude Killy (FRA: 1968) and Janica Kostelic (CRO: 2002).

Here’s an even wilder scenario: Vonn and Shiffrin could BOTH win three golds, if they win the Combined and then Shiffrin goes on to take the Giant Slalom and Slalom.

Impossible? Sure, until it happens. Not likely, but Vonn has opened the door with her stunning performance in St. Moritz. Before Cortina, though, there will be Downhill World Cups in Val d’Isere (FRA), then in 2026 in Zauchensee (AUT), Tarviso (ITA) and Crans-Montana (SUI) before the Olympic break.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

PANORAMA: Four-NGB United Sports Collective lands first sponsor; three Lochte relay golds on auction; U.S. qualifies men and women’s curling squads for Milan

Rich Perelman

December 11, 2025

tsx pix 2025-1211 lochte, ryan 2013 (Ubcwwong-wiki) — U.S. swim star Ryan Lochte in 2013 (Photo: Wikipedia via Ubcwwong).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Wall Street Italia site reported that “the overall impact on the economies of the regions involved – Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige – will exceed €5.3 billion, including direct spending, tourism, and new infrastructure.” (€1 = $1.17.)

The story was apparently significantly based on a 2022 study, which projected two million visitors for the Games from all sectors, and according to “research for Visa, foreign visitors— – especially Americans – are driving tourism demand. … Americans account for approximately 35% of foreign spending, followed by Germans, French, British, and Swiss.”

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Entertainer Snoop Dogg was named Thursday by the USOPC as its first-ever “Honorary Coach.”

This is a volunteer role, and “Snoop will lend his signature humor and heart to help motivate Team USA athletes on their road to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond.” He added in the statement:

“Team USA athletes are the real stars – I’m just here to cheer, uplift and maybe drop a little wisdom from the sidelines. This team represents the best of what sport can be: talent, heart and hustle. If I can bring a little more love and motivation to that, that’s a win for me.”

This is in addition to his NBC roles for the Milan Cortina Winter Games; he will also be promoting the Team USA Fund and working with Fanatics on a “Coach Snoop × Team USA” collection.

● U.S. National Governing Bodies ● The “United Sports Collective” formed by March and announced on Thursday their first corporate partner in Range, an all-in-one wealth management platform.

The Collective’s first deal includes USA Fencing, US Rowing, USA Lacrosse and USA Cycling, all of whom will recognize Range as their “Official Wealth Management Partner.” Terms were not released, but the program was characterized as a substantial agreement for the four federations, which created a marketing opportunity to a combined 350,000 families across the nation and at thousands of owned and sanctioned events.

● Memorabilia ● American swim star Ryan Lochte, who won 12 Olympic medals, including six golds, is auctioning three of his gold medals to meet financial obligations related to their homeowners community in Florida, to which they owed dues and fees, on top of prior debts for taxes and other items, altogether about $270,000.

The medals up now at Goldin Auctions include the Athens 2004 men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay, the Beijing 2008 4×200 relay and the Rio 2016 4×200 m relay, all starting at $20,000. The 2004 medal has already attracted one bid and the 2008 gold has two bids, with the price at $24,000 (not including the buyer’s premium).

The auction continues to 3 January 2026. Also available are framed USA Olympic flags from each of these Games, signed by the members of the American swim team; each has an opening bid price of $1,000. Lochte, who is estranged from his wife Kayla, also said in an Instagram post that he is writing a memoir, noting that “I was on top of the world. And in an instant, I became the most hated person in the world” after falsely claiming to have been robbed (along with three other U.S. swimmers) in Rio during the 2016 Games.

● Alpine Skiing ● Swiss star Michelle Gisin, 32, the Olympic gold medalist in the women’s Combined in 2018 and 2022, suffered a crash and injuries during a training run in St. Moritz.

According to the Swiss skiing federation, she has injuries to her right wrist and left knee and was airlifted from the scene and transported to Zurich, to have surgery. She was reported to be able to use her arms and legs normally.

This is the third significant injury to Swiss stars this season, as 2022 Olympic Super-G winner Lara Gut-Behrami suffered a season-ending left knee ligament tear during a practice run in Colorado in November and 2022 Downhill champion Corinne Suter also crashed in St. Moritz and is out for about a month.

● Athletics ● Anthony Alva-Palafox, 27, was charged with driving under the influence causing injury, according to the Anaheim Police Department after he drove off the street and into eight Anaheim High School track team members on Wednesday.

Seven of the eight runners were taken to the hospital for treatment, but none were in life-threatening danger.

● Biathlon ● The International Biathlon Union acknowledged the appeal by the Russian federation to allow its athletes to compete on the IBU World Cup circuit, at least as neutrals and issued a statement that included:

“Today, the [Court of Arbitration for Sport] notified the IBU that the RBU, the Russian Paralympic Committee, and eight Russian biathletes and para-biathletes have filed a Request for Arbitration. The IBU supports the decision of the IBU Congress to suspend the activities of the RBU and the Russian athletes, which was made on sound legal grounds. The IBU also confirms that the competition rules and the union’s statutes do not permit the participation of neutral athletes. The IBU is confident in its position and will fully cooperate with the CAS. IBU lawyers are currently reviewing the documents, and additional statements will be made within the established deadline.”

● Curling ● At the World Curling Olympic Qualification Event in Kelowna (CAN), both U.S. teams claimed spots in Milan for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

In the men’s playoffs, the Daniel Casper-led Americans, seeded second, defeated China (Xiaoming Zu) by 9-4 in their win-and-in match, scoring single points in ends 2-3-4-5 and then finishing with four points in the ninth end for the win. China faces Japan in the second and final play-in match.

The women’s first play-in match saw Japan (Sakaya Yoshimura) edge Marianne Roervik’s Norwegian team, 6-5, with a point in the 10th end in a back-and-forth match. That sent Japan to the Games and Norway to face the third-place American squad skipped by Tabitha Peterson. The Norwegians got off to a 3-0 lead in the second, but the U.S. tied it in the third and scored three single points in ends 5-6-7 for a 6-3 edge.

After a Norwegian point in the eighth, Peterson closed the door with two in the ninth for the 8-4 final and the last women’s ticket to the Games.

● Football ● Passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act included the “SAFER SKIES Act” which will allow state and local law enforcement agencies to disable unwanted drones at sporting events.

This capability has been repeatedly requested with the FIFA World Cup coming to 11 U.S. cities in 2026, as well as for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. State and local officials will be required to take the same instructional courses as Federal staff and be authorized to deal with drone threats themselves.

The leftist magazine The Nation reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin (SLO) will be the subject of filings at the International Criminal Court, accusing both of supporting “crimes against humanity” for funding of football clubs “that operate on land illegally seized from Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

The complaint is being filed by pro-Palestinian activist groups in Ireland and Scotland, as well as from Palestine itself.

● Skating ● Concerning the participation of Russian and Belarusian youth athletes, the International Skating Union told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The ISU is fully aware of the Olympic Summit’s support for the IOC Executive Board’s recommendation that access for young athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports to international youth competitions should no longer be restricted. Decisions regarding eligibility for ISU competitions are made by the ISU Council, and the ISU Council is expected to consider the IOC’s recommendation in due course.”

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

FOOTBALL: FIFA ripped for sky-high pricing for fan groups attached to the national teams, up to $4,185 as the lowest price for the final!

Rich Perelman

December 11, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ SKY-HIGH PRICES ≡

High ticket prices have fan groups furious over the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the Football Supporters Europe fan group calling the pricing a “monumental betrayal.”

The British site TheGuardian.com reported:

“Clarity came from the Croatian football federation publishing prices in its participant member association (PMA) allocation, which is designed to be made available to fans who attend the most matches and means that tickets are sold at fixed prices rather than distributed via the controversial dynamic pricing system.

“The Croatian federation listed the cheapest tickets for the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July at $4,185 (£3,120). The prices drew a furious reaction from FSE [Football Supporters Europe], which said the minimum the most dedicated fans can expect to pay to watch their team from the first match to the final would be $6,900 (£5,137.74) – five times more than it would have cost to do so when the World Cup was held in Qatar in 2022.”

Ticket allocations for the Participant Member Associations is to be about 8% of a stadium’s sales capacity. Pricing for the England Travel Supporters Club includes a minimum cost of $265 for the opener against Croatia in Dallas and $165 for the other Group L matches in Boston against Ghana, and Panama in New Jersey.

The Football Supporters Europe comment included:

● “Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year’s FIFA World Cup.”

● “In the price tables gradually and confidentially released by FIFA, tickets allocated to National Associations (PMA – Participating Member Association allocation), which typically distribute them via official supporters’ groups or loyalty programmes to their most devoted fans, are reaching astronomical levels. Based on the information currently available to FSE, if a supporter were to follow their team from the first match to the final through a PMA allocation, it would cost them a minimum of 6900 USD – nearly five times as much as during the FIFA WC 2022 in Qatar.”

● “Adding insult to injury, the lowest price category will not be available to the most dedicated supporters through their National Associations, as FIFA chose to reserve the scarce number of category 4 tickets to the general sales, subject to dynamic ticket pricing. This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is.”

The statement also noted that “[t]he bid document released in 2018 promised tickets priced as low as 21 USD. Where are these tickets now? The full way to the final, according to the same bid book, was supposed to cost 2242 USD in the cheapest category. This promise is long gone.”

The FSE call is for FIFA “to immediately halt PMA ticket sales, engage in a consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”

FIFA has now opened registration for its third public ticket sales period, through 13 January, with the announcement stating “Ticket prices will remain the same throughout this sales phase.”

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: Grand Slam Track files for bankruptcy reorganization; claims liabilities of $10-50 million, assets of less than $50,000

Rich Perelman

December 11, 2025

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡

The Grand Slam Track circuit showed assets of $0-50,000 and liabilities of $10-50 million on a U.S. Bankruptcy filing dated 11 December 2025 in the District Court of Delaware, with the organization now in the hands of a Chief Reorganization Officer, Nicholas Rubin.

The petition was signed by Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson, Grand Slam Track President Stephen F. Gera and attorney J. Rudy Freeman, and the form reports between 200-999 creditors.

The Grand Slam Track statement included:

“Michael Johnson, Founder of Grand Slam Track, said: ‘Grand Slam Track was founded to create a professional platform that reflects the talent and dedication of this sport’s athletes. While GST has faced significant challenges that have caused frustrations for many – myself included – I refuse to give up on the mission of Grand Slam Track and the future we are building together.’

“Nicholas Rubin, Chief Restructuring Officer, said: ‘These steps will allow GST to address its outstanding liabilities while continuing constructive discussions with interested investors. Ultimately, the goal of the reorganization is to create a more efficient operating structure, enhance athlete and partner relationships, and provide the League with a platform for future success.’”

The circuit has been reported to owe as much as $19 million after holding three meets, in Kingston (JAM), Miramar, Florida and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then canceled its final scheduled meet at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.

A request by Grand Slam Track for its non-athlete vendors to take 50 cents on the dollar – with a 5 December 2025 deadline – was rejected by multiple creditors, notably including World Athletics. As was noted in the offer, the result was bankruptcy, although the filing was in Chapter 11 for reorganization, not for Chapter 7 liquidation.

The letters sent to creditors indicated that there was “an outside party” interested in acquiring Grand Slam Track, but only if “debt-free.”

So, now the search for investors continues and any 2026 meets are extremely unlikely. Whether Grand Slam Track survives in any form is questionable, and the outcome of the effort will be to poison any promises made to athletes by any new concept that comes along without accompanying proof that they will – without doubt – be paid, and in full and on an agreed schedule.

Observed: All of this comes at a time when American track and field is experiencing a golden era of achievement on the field. But now Grand Slam Track is in bankruptcy and USA Track & Field started 2025 with negative net assets of more than $6 million. Moreover, the backbone of the U.S. development system – collegiate track – is under attack like so many sports due to the changes in rules that send most of the money collected by universities to football and basketball players.

How long can this go on?

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

INT’L OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Olympic Summit agrees to allow Russian and Belarusian youth athletes and teams to return to competition

Rich Perelman

December 11, 2025

tsx pix 2021-515 olympic rings at IOC 750 — Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the International Olympic Committee

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ OLYMPIC SUMMIT ≡

The Olympic Summit, a meeting of the permanent stakeholders in the Olympic Movement – the International Olympic Committee and heads of some of the International Federations and National Olympic Committees – has recently become a policy announcement forum under former IOC President Thomas Bach (GER).

In the first Summit under new President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), a major change in the approach to Russian and Belarusian athletes was announced:

“[T]he Summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports. The definition of youth competitions and the application of these recommendations depends for this purpose on the regulations of each International Federation (IF). The Summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organisations for their consideration. It was recognised that implementation by the stakeholders will take time.

“In addition, the standard protocols of the IF or the International Sports Event Organiser regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organisation concerned is in good standing.

“The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all IFs and International Sports Event Organisers for their own youth events.”

So, Russia and Belarus will be welcomed to the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN), despite the continuing war by Russia against Ukraine, which has gone on since February 2022. According to the IOC’s rules, “[t]he maximum age for participants will be 17 at the time of the Youth Olympic Games.”

However, the declaration also reiterated the sanctions against those who are publicly supporting the war and against senior-level athletes:

“At the same time, and based on the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, all athletes and their entourage must continue to support the Olympic Movement’s mission to promote unity and peace. Athletes and entourage members who act against this peace mission could be removed from competitions by the IF, their National Federation, their National Olympic Committee or the International Sports Event Organiser.

“In parallel, the IOC’s Recommended Conditions of Participation for International Federations and International Sports Event Organisers of 28 March 2023 should remain in place for senior competitions, and will be reviewed as necessary.

“Existing sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian governments should also remain in place. In particular, the restriction on accreditations or invitations to international sports events or meetings for government officials from Russia and Belarus should remain in place for both senior and youth events.

“IFs should continue to refrain from organising or supporting international sports events in Russia. This recommendation no longer applies to Belarus.

“With its considerations today, the Olympic Summit recognised that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments – sport is their access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and each another.”

For Russia and Belarus, this is a victory, although it signals that sanctions against the National Olympic Committees in both countries may remain in place for a while.

The Summit announcement also dealt with “political neutrality issues” this way:

“[T]he importance of political neutrality for the Olympic Movement was acknowledged, as it allows athletes to access sport across the world without interference. At the same time, it was highlighted that the concept of political neutrality within the Olympic Movement and sport needs clearer definition, and its practical application should be further clarified. The IOC’s Working Group will take this up.

Although not covered during Wednesday’s news conference, a question to the IOC Press Office concerning sanctions on Indonesia for refusing entry visas to Israeli athletes for the gymnastics World Artistic Championships in October, or on Indonesian IOC member Erick Thohir (the government youth and sports minister) and Japanese member Morinari Watanabe – the World Gymnastics president – for their complicity, has not received a reply at the time this story was posted.

Observed: The IOC and its partners are walking a tightrope on Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Israel, Indonesia, World Gymnastics and federations like the International Judo Federation, which has welcomed Russia back without restrictions.

The Summit statement also does not deal explicitly with how the IOC – or the federations – will screen YOG participants from Russia and Belarus and youth participants in all sports.

The comment that the determination of how to implement the new approach will take time will prove vaporous; those federations that favor Russian and Belarusian inclusion will do so as soon as possible in 2026. Those who do not, will delay.

The political impacts of the Summit approach to “youth” competitions are impossible to predict, but it makes the 2026 Youth Olympic Games a possible inflection (boiling?) point. The clear loser, once again, is Ukraine.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!