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TSX REPORT: Millrose Games draws 1.087 million on TV; Macron protects Seine booksellers; anti-doping pioneer Catlin passes at 85

By
Rich Perelman
-
Eight American Records in six lifts for 61 kg teen star Hampton Morris! (Photo: USA Weightlifting on Instagram)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Millrose Games draws million-plus on TV; Lyles wants more
2. Paris 2024: Macron intervenes to save booksellers along Seine
3. Paris 2024: Balconies along the Seine the newest worry
4. Francophone Games 2027 to Armenia (yes, Armenia)
5. Anti-doping pioneer Dr. Don Catlin passes at 85

● The Millrose Games drew more than one million television viewers on NBC on Sunday, an 11% increase over 2023, but not as strong as the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix a week earlier. But Noah Lyles wants more.

● French President Emmanuel Macron decided that the famed booksellers boxes along the Seine River will not be moved for the Olympic opening on 26 July. The security folks will have to work around them.

● The newest worry in Paris is overcrowding on balconies that overlook the Seine, as two people were hurt in a balcony break last year.

● The 2027 Jeux de la Francophonie was awarded to Armenia, which has just 10,000 French speakers among 3.2 million people. But when you need a host, anyone who wants to do it is welcome, right?

● Anti-doping pioneer Dr. Don Catlin, who headed the UCLA laboratory created for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, passed away at 85, leaving a legacy of achievement on which today’s anti-doping protocols are based.

● World Championships: Aquatics (2: Curzan and Armstrong sweep 100 m Back titles) = Biathlon (Vittozzi stops French sweep at women’s Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (French ministry confirms IOC will decide on Russia and Belarus) = Los Angeles 2028 (Russian Olympic Committee SecGen says U.S. wants Russia at L.A.) = World Anti-Doping Agency (2: 241 sanctions so far in Russian LIMS cases; WADA pursuing Nigeria and Venezuela at CAS) = Russia (Sadulaev allowed at European wrestling champs) = Athletics (long doping suspensions for Chepchirchir and Rachna) = Shooting (Hancock and Rhode win World Cup Mixed Team Skeet) = Weightlifting (Morris scores European Champs “win” for U.S.) = Wrestling (UWW re-admits Indian federation, with conditions) ●

1.
Millrose Games draws million-plus on TV; Lyles wants more

In a difficult scheduling environment on Super Sunday, the Millrose Games on NBC drew 12% more viewers than in 2023, with an average audience of 1.087 million from 1-3 p.m. Eastern time.

That’s up from 972,000 in 2023, on a Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern, a bit better time slot, and continued an improved audience situation for both major indoor meets on NBC so far:

● 2023: 866,000 for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (4 Feb.)
● 2024: 1.197 million on 4 February (+38.2%)

● 2023: 972,000 for the Millrose Games (11 Feb.)
● 2024: 1.087 million on 11 February (+11.8%)

● 2023: 954,000 for the USATF Indoor Nationals (18 Feb.)
● 2024: Coming up on Saturday (17 Feb.: 4 p.m. Eastern)

The Millrose Games itself was spectacular, with a world record in the women’s 60 m hurdles, a world best in the men’s Two Mile and three American Records. One interested viewer who wanted more was triple World Champion Noah Lyles, who tweeted:

“Really wish there was a post show to watch [so] we can talk about everything that happened at @MillroseGames like they had at @NBIndoorGP”

NBC’s Millrose broadcast ranked fourth in its time slot, behind a CBS pre-Super Bowl show (3.11 million), the Iowa-Nebraska women’s basketball game on Fox (1.772 million) and the first two hours of the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf on the Golf Channel (1.243 million). The first hour of the Boston-Miami NBA game at 2 p.m. Eastern on ABC was also ahead of Millrose at 2.131 million.

The Millrose telecast again showed weakness among younger fans in the 18-34 range at 88,000, which was out-drawn by all of the events against it. However, this was up from 69,000 in the 18-34s for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix the week before.

NBC had Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding on prior to the Millrose, from Mammoth Mountain in California, drawing an average of 618,000 from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern. Interest in the 18-34 demographic was again quite weak, at 44,000.

The NFL Super Bowl on CBS, Univision and Nickelodeon from 6:30 p.m. Eastern set an all-time U.S. viewing record at 123.45 million, with 120.25 million on CBS alone.

2.
Paris 2024: Macron intervenes to save booksellers along Seine

The picturesque second-hand book stalls along the Seine River will not be moved for the 26 July Olympic opening, with French President Emmanuel Macron ending the issue with a Tuesday statement that “has asked the interior minister and the Paris prefect’s office that all of the booksellers are preserved and that none of them are forced to move.”

Paris police had ordered most of the bookstalls along the Seine to be removed for security and access control purposes: initially 604 of the 932 “boxes” and then revised down to 428 boxes as a compromise.

In reply, the Cultural Association of Booksellers of Paris filed a court action on 19 January against the planned removals, with a test removal already completed to show that the boxes could be taken away. The Paris police said their plan was to restore them in place within a few days (and still during the Games).

Macron’s statement characterized the “bouquinistes” – who have been along the river for as many as 150 years – as a “living heritage of the capital.”

The Olympic opening was originally expected to have as many as 600,000 spectators, with 100,000 ticket buyers on the riverside, lower quays and up to 500,000 on the upper quays. The upper-quay capacity has been cut to 200,000 for a 300,000 total, all of whom will have tickets, with those for the upper quays distributed free by the authorities. That crowd will now have to be managed with the bookstalls staying in place.

3.
Paris 2024: Balconies along the Seine the newest worry

The alarm has been sounded on overcrowding on apartment balconies with a view of the Olympic opening on the Seine River. Per Agence France Presse:

“The National Real Estate Federation (FNAIM) has alerted local authorities to the risk of collapses and accidents unless balconies that are often designed for two or three people are checked beforehand for their structural soundness.”

The state of the elegant apartment complexes which make Paris so beautiful could be an issue on 26 July, when the Olympic Games open, as two people were significantly injured in May 2023 when their fifth-floor balcony failed.

Olivier Princivalle, the FNAIM head in the Paris area, told AFP, “We need to be absolutely sure that the balconies can take the weight and that handrails are well sealed in to avoid any sort of incident.” Apartment balconies in private residences are not under the jurisdiction of any government authority, but the building owners are responsible for the safe upkeep of the structures, some of which are centuries old.

A technical brief from the French Board of Architects has been requested. There is little doubt that terraces and windows will be jammed on the day of the opening.

4.
Francophone Games 2027 to Armenia (yes, Armenia)

Most people have never heard of the Jeux de la Francophonie, an event started in 1989 as a competition for athletes from French-speaking countries, somewhat in parallel to the English-themed Commonwealth Games that began in 1930.

It was held on a regular schedule through 2017, but funding issues caused Moncton and Dieppe in New Brunswick (CAN) to return the 2021 event in 2019, and it was subsequently awarded to Kinshasa (COD). But the 2021 date was moved to avoid a clash with the Tokyo Olympic Games and then moved again to 2023, where it was held from 28 July-6 August, amid some controversies, notably over organization and costs.

What, then, for 2027? The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) had been casting around for a host and, finally, on 8 February, voted by videoconference to award the 10th edition to Yerevan, Armenia. About 4,000 athletes will compete in seven sports and a wide cultural program.

Armenia?

It only joined the OIF in 2012 and has a little more than 10,000 French speakers among a population of 3.165 million. English is far more widely spoken in this former Soviet Republic, which became independent in 1991.

So how does it end up hosting the Jeux de la Francophonie?

Because it wants and the Armenian government will pay for it. The OIF was in no position to be picky, as Armenia was the only bidder.

Observed: While the Jeux de la Francophonie is not a high-profile event on the level of the Asian Games or Pan American Games, this episode underscores the difficulty in finding hosts for events of this type.

Putting the Francophone Games in Armenia is not terribly different from awarding the Commonwealth Games to Mexico. As of now, there is no host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria pulled out in mid-2023, and the event may be delayed to 2027 or broken into pieces until a future host wants to bring it back together. None are on the horizon, although discussions about 2034 are being held in New Zealand.

Credit to the OIF for being flexible, but it now has to try to find a host for 2031 … who could step in to host 2027 if tensions between Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan take a turn for the worse.

5.
Anti-doping pioneer Dr. Don Catlin passes at 85

One of the pioneers in the U.S. anti-doping movement, Dr. Don Catlin, passed away at age 85 on 16 January 2024 in Los Angeles after suffering from dementia and ultimately a stroke.

Catlin was a key player in the development of the U.S. anti-doping movement, after serving in the U.S. Army at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and then coming to UCLA as an Assistant Professor in Pharmacology.

When Los Angeles was selected to host the 1984 Olympic Games, the anti-doping movement was in its infancy and Catlin was called on to assist in the creation of the Ziffren Olympic Analytical Laboratory at UCLA, the first such lab in the United States. Paid for by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Catlin was in charge of the analytical testing of all of the Olympic doping samples during the 1984 Games.

The quality of the lab’s work was so high that Catlin was instantly in demand to assist other organizations in their anti-doping work, including the National Football League, the NCAA and various leagues in professional baseball.

The lab eventually separated from UCLA, with Catlin continuing as a Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and the Chief Science Officer of the private-sector Banned Substances Control Group, Inc.

In 2003, Catlin was asked to decipher an unknown substance from a used syringe provided to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency by a “high profile” track coach. It turned out to be a manufactured steroid called tetrahydrogestrinone (THG: “The Clear”) and the discovery eventually led to the BALCO scandal, named for the Bay Area lab that distributed the steroid to athletes that included Olympic sprint star Marion Jones and many others.

Said Travis Tygart, the head of the USADA, “He was the pioneer of anti-doping, and I think having someone with his stature and academic background with a lab at one of the finest universities of the world, UCLA, brought credibility to the scientific side” of the anti-doping effort.

While gregarious and inquisitive, Catlin had a no-nonsense approach to his anti-doping work, believing most importantly that lives could be saved if athletes would refrain from using these dangerous drugs.

Catlin was a long-time member of the IOC Medical Commission and retired from UCLA in 2007. He said in a National Public Radio interview of sports and doping, “You’ll never get all the drugs out of it. The rewards are too huge. [M]y hope is, and I think it’s not unrealistic, that you should be able to watch a track and field final and be satisfied that nobody is doping.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● The U.S. swept the men’s and women’s 100 m Backstroke titles on the third day of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT).

Nineteen-year-old Claire Curzan got a big start in the women’s 100 m Back final and was never headed, winning in a lifetime best of 58.29 and moving to no. 10 on the all-time list and no. 4 among Americans. She moved up from the bronze in this race in 2022 to defeat Australian teen Iona Anderson (59.12) and Canada’s Ingrid Wilm (59.18). It’s Curzan’s seventh career Worlds medal (3-1-3) and she’ll be busy the rest of the week.

The men’s 100 Back final had 2022 and 2023 Worlds bronze winner Hunter Armstrong of the U.S. and he added to his medal collection with a gold to go with his 50 m Back win in 2023, and three relay golds. He had to pass Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez on the final lap to win by 52.68 to 52.70, with Greek Apostolos Christou third in 53.36. Fellow American Jack Aikins finished eighth in 54.60.

In the men’s 200 m Free final, Korea’s Sun-woo Hwang completed his move up the podium from silver in 2022 to third in 2023 and now to gold in 1:44.75, just ahead of two-time European champ Danas Rapsys (LTU: 1:45.05) and American Luke Hobson (1:45.26), who won his first Worlds individual medal. It was the first U.S. medal in this event at the Worlds since 2017.

With U.S. distance superstar – and five-time winner – Katie Ledecky skipping the meet, Italy’s Simona Quadarella returned to the top of the podium in the women’s 1,500 m Free. She had won in 2019 in Gwangju when Ledecky was ill and won the 2017 bronze and 2023 silver in this event, and now a second gold in 15:46.99. That was almost 10 seconds up on Bingjie Li (CHN: 15:56.62), with Isabel Gose (GER: 15:57.55) third.

In the women’s 100 m Breaststroke final, China’s 19-year-old Qianting Tan followed up her 2021 World short-course gold with the Worlds 50 m gold in 1:05.27, ahead of fast-closing Tes Schouten (NED: 1:05.82) and Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey (1:05.92). Haughey swam this race just minutes after her 200 m Free semi, taking her first Worlds medal outside of the freestyle stroke.

The U.S. double by Curzan and Armstrong isn’t new, as it’s been done four times before in the 100 m Back, by Bob Jackson and Linda Jezek in 1978, by Lenny Krayzelburg and Lea Maurer in 1998, by Aaron Peirsol and Natalie Coughlin in 2007 and Matt Grevers and Missy Franklin in 2013.

The men’s 800 m Free, 50 m Breast and 200 m Butterfly come on Wednesday, along with the women’s 200 m Free and the Mixed 4×100 m Medley relay.

In the men’s water polo quarters, Spain edged Montenegro, 15-12, and will meet Italy, an 11-10 winner over Greece. Croatia won another tight match with Serbia, 15-13, and France got by Hungary, 11-10, to advance to Thursday’s semifinals.

● Biathlon ● The IBU World Championships continued in Nove Mesto (CZE), with Italian star Lisa Vittozzi breaking up the French parade in the women’s events with her first career Worlds individual-event gold in the 15 km Individual race.

She shot clean in all four stops and won in a runaway in 40:02.9 to 40:23.4 (0 penalties) for Germany’s Janina Hettich-Walz, with France’s Julia Simon – who had won the Sprint and Pursuit – third in 40:32.5 (1). American Deedra Irwin was a very creditable 11th in 42:57.3 (1).

Vittozzi, 29, now owns 10 Worlds medals from 2015 on (2-4-4) and got her second gold, after a relay win in 2023. The men’s 20 km Individual race comes on Wednesday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed during a Tuesday briefing that the International Olympic Committee will be responsible for deciding if and which Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals at the Paris 2024 Games:

“The IOC allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Games under a neutral flag. France respects the autonomy of the sports community and takes note of the committee’s decision. …

“It is up to the national federations and the IOC to identify athletes who comply with the criteria of neutrality and, accordingly, can participate in the Games. France will ensure that these criteria are strictly observed before and during the Olympics.”

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The Secretary General of the Russian Olympic Committee, Rodion Plitukhin, told reporters at a Moscow sports forum on Tuesday that the organization is looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Games:

“Both podiums and home Olympic Games, the biggest sporting events, are still ahead of us.

“The state of affairs in the Olympic movement allows us to set a goal for the Russian Olympic team to participate with the flag and anthem at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Our sworn friends [the U.S.] can’t afford to just win their home Games without competing with the strongest, they won’t forgive themselves.”

Observed: Plitukhin might want to consult the history books; the U.S. team at the 1984 Los Angeles Games had no trouble winning with joy in the absence of the USSR and the other countries that boycotted.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The continuing prosecution of cases of Russia’s state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15 has yielded 241 sanctions so far. In a statement to the Russian news agency TASS, WADA noted:

“WADA’s ‘Operation LIMS’ investigation has been a significant success with 241 sanctions having been imposed to date by 18 Anti-Doping Organizations. An additional 41 cases have been charged with another 119 remaining under investigation. A number of further cases were investigated and were closed due to a lack of available evidence.”

WADA finally was able to retrieve the “LIMS” data from the Moscow Laboratory at the center of the doping scandal in Russia in early 2019 and has been distributing the evidence to the interested international federations, as well as pursuing cases on its own motion.

WADA has referred two non-compliance cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, for Nigeria and Venezuela, with both having multiple “critical requirements” of their anti-doping programs. Both have disputed the WADA finding and the matter will now head to arbitration.

The penalties for being non-compliant can include the prohibition of their flag being used at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

● Russia ● Russian Olympic 97 kg Freestyle wrestling gold medalist Abdulrashid Sadulaev will compete as a “neutral” at the European Championships in Bucharest (ROU), after not having received a visa to enter Romania as of the end of last week.

However, six other Russians had not received visas yet and were still in limbo.

● Athletics ● Two heavy doping sentences, for Kenyan marathoner Sarah Chepchirchir and Indian women’s hammer thrower Kumari Rachna.

Chepchirchir, 39, the 2017 Tokyo Marathon women’s winner (2:19:47) received an eight-year ban for use of Testosterone discovered from a test at the Chonburi Marathon in Thailand on 5 November 2023. She did not respond to the doping charge and as this was her second doping violation – she had just completed a 2019-23 suspension – was banned for eight years through 21 December 2031.

Rachna was banned for the use of multiple steroids in out-of-competition tests in September 2023 and an in-competition test in November 2023. She had been banned for four years from 2015-19 and failed to respond to any inquiries about her 2023 doping positives, leading the Athletics Integrity Unit to impose a 12-year ban to 23 November 2035!

● Shooting ● The final event of the ISSF World Cup in Shotgun was the Mixed Team in Skeet, with the all-star American pair of three-time Olympic champs Vincent Hancock and Kim Rhode equaling the world record of 149/150 to lead the qualifying.

In the final, they cruised to the gold by 45-40 over Yaroslav Startsev and Elizaveta Boiarshinova of Georgia. Said Hancock:

“We tied the world record in qualification. My goal here today was just come out and implement what I learned over the last couple of days.

“All of this competition is practice, everything is a stepping stone leading to the Olympics, and trying to get back to the place where we all dream to go.

So I’m thankful and grateful for two medals here. But now it’s home, practice and making the Olympic team hopefully next month. That’s the next competition. That’s where my focus is.”

● Weightlifting ● The USA Weightlifting squad is competing as guest competitors at the 2024 European Championships in Sofia (BUL), skipping the Pan American Championships in Caracas (VEN) due to safety concerns, and teen sensation Hampton Morris is making the most of it.

U.S. performances will count toward Olympic qualifying and 19-year-old Morris had a career day on Tuesday in the men’s 61 kg class, “winning” the class at 297 kg, although he will not get a medal as a guest.

The event was officially won by home favorite Gabriel Marinov (BUL) at 281 kg. Morris lifted 126 kg in the Snatch – equal to second in the official competition – and did 171 kg in the Clean & Jerk, the best of the day, as was his 297 kg total.

Along the way, he set eight American Records in his six lifts, including senior-level marks in his weight class for Snatch, Clean & Jerk and total. He now ranks seventh in the Olympic qualifying ranking with one more competition to go in April.

● Wrestling ● United World Wrestling lifted sanctions against the Wrestling Federation of India, imposed last year in view of actions taken against wrestlers protesting abuse by the former federation president.

The UWW Disciplinary Chamber ended the suspension with the condition that Athletes’ Commission elections be held with no discrimination against those who protested, and not later than 1 July.

The WFI, for its part, now intends to resume its role as the national federation for the sport in India.

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TSX REPORT: New Paris arena opened Sunday; will the Paris swim schedule change for Marchand? Two U.S. swim golds at Doha Worlds!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American teen skating star Ilia Malinin was named “Most Valuable Skater” at the ISU Skating Awards (Graphic courtesy International Skating Union)

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Fabulous! Now 26 donors have covered 52.3% of our technical and support costs goal. But we need your help too. Please consider a donation to help keep TSX going. Thank you.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. New Arena Porte de la Chapelle opens in Paris
2. Will the Paris swimming schedule be modified for Marchand?
3. U.S.’s Malinin wins ISU “Most Valuable Skater”
4. Russian wrestlers refused visas; IIHF will not re-admit for 2024-25
5. Protestors gather in rain against Milan Cortina 2026

● The Arena Porte de la Chapelle, a multi-purpose arena to be used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympic Games, was opened to the public on Sunday. It’s the only new sports facility built for the Games inside Paris itself and will be the home of the Paris basketball club.

● French swim sensation Leon Marchand is in position to win four individual medals at Paris 2024, but the schedule is against him on 30 and 31 July with an unusual possible double in the 200 m Butterfly and 200 m Breaststroke. But he apparently has gotten some relief in the semis, with the events moved further apart within the same session. But what about the 31st?

● American teen skating star Ilia Malinin won the “Most Valuable Skater” designation at Sunday’s ISU Skating Awards honoring the 2023 season. Eight awards were distributed in all, with former Canadian star, and now coach, Brian Orser honored with a Lifetime Achievement award.

● Russia continues to be front-and-center, with seven of 10 wrestlers denied visas for the European Championships in Romania; the International Ice Hockey Federation decided not to re-admit Russia or Belarus for 2024-25, and the sports minister saying Russia will pay its WADA dues.

● A group of protestors estimated from 100 to 1,000 gathered in a rainstorm Saturday in Milan against the “unsustainable” 2026 Milan Cortina Games, notably the decision to spend public funds on the building of a new sliding track in Cortina.

● World Championships: Aquatics (2: Fink and Douglass take swimming golds; U.S. women out-last Australia to meet Spain in semis) ●

● Panorama: Beijing 2022 (Canadian Olympic Committee protests Team event bronze to Russia) = Athletics (2: Jamaican star Fraser-Pryce to retire after Paris; Semenya fund-raising for further appeal) = Fencing (France’s Thibus suspended for doping) = Football (2: USSF approves pay for President; Argentina qualifies for Paris, so will Messi play?) ●

1.
New Arena Porte de la Chapelle opens in Paris

The only new facility to be built for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games that is actually inside the city limits of Paris itself opened on Sunday, the Arena Porte de la Chapelle.

The facility seats 8,000 and will host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics during the Olympic Games and badminton and powerlifting during the Paralympic Games later this year.

The primary tenant will be the Paris Basketball Club and the venue will be known as the Adidas Arena outside of the Olympic and Paralympic period. The facility includes the main arena floor, but also two additional gymnasiums which will be available for year-round use; they will be warm-up areas for both Games.

The opening was highly political, as the arena is located in what has been a high-crime area, with significant drug activity. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters on Sunday:

“People used to talk about this area as a ‘no-go zone’ … But we made a commitment to change things. Today we have the demonstration that change is possible.”

Investment in the Porte de la Chapelle area has reached €500 million (about $538.7 million U.S. today), including new landscaping on areas which had been used for drug dealing and an effort to move migrant camps away. With a university research center expected to open in 2025, the area is hoped to be transformed with the influx of 1.2 million or more visitors a year. Construction was completed in about two-and-a-half years.

The other major new sports facility being built for the Games is the aquatics center, under construction in the Saint-Denis area north of Paris, which will seat 5,000 and host artistic swimming, diving and preliminary water polo matches.

2.
Will the Paris swimming schedule be modified for Marchand?

If you’re not already familiar with French swimming star Leon Marchand, please remember his name.

Because you will be hearing a lot about him as Paris 2024 grows closer and he becomes the face of the Games for France during the first week. At 21, he’s the two-time World Champion in the men’s 200 m Medley and 400 m Medley and the 2023 Worlds winner in the 200 m Butterfly. And the world-record holder in the 400 m Medley as well.

In 2023, he ranked first worldwide in the 200 m Fly and 400 m Medley, second in the 200 m Medley and third in the 200 m Breaststroke. Certainly a possibility for four individual medals, plus the 4×200 m Freestyle. Fantastique!

But for Paris this summer, he has a real problem: the schedule on 30 and 31 July:

● 28 July: 400 m Medley (heats and final)
● 30 July: 200 m Butterfly, 200 m Breaststroke (heats and semis)
● 31 July: 200 m Butterfly, 200 m Breaststroke (finals)
● 01 Aug.: 200 m Medley (heats and semis)
● 02 Aug.: 200 m Medley (final)

On those days, Marchand would have to swim both events in the morning and evening of the 30th, then come back and swim both finals – currently scheduled back-to-back, maybe 15 minutes apart – on the 31st.

Enter French swimming federation technical director Julien Issoulie and Marchand’s coach, famed American (and Arizona State) coach Bob Bowman, who famously guided Michael Phelps to greatness.

According to the French daily Le Monde, both are lobbying Paris 2024 to modify the schedule to allow more time between the two events:

“We asked that one of the two events are scheduled at the start of the session and the other towards the end. We all got involved, Bowman had the same discussion as us with World Aquatics.

“The international federation had never encountered this problem because until now, no very high level swimmer had done the 200 m breaststroke and the 200 m butterfly. They thought about it within the technical committee, we did everything to make them aware that it would be good to postpone the tests.”

The Le Monde story said that the two 200 m semifinals on the 30th would now be about an hour apart, but no change has been indicated in the back-to-back finals on the 31st. However, the men’s 4×200 m Free final will also be at the end of the 30 July schedule.

Issoulie said the decision on what Marchand will swim won’t be decided now:

“Indeed, it could change the situation but for the moment, we are keeping this question in suspense.

“We know very well how it happens: if we say that he is doing four [individual] races and ultimately we don’t line him up for one of them, we will hear, ‘Leon is not doing well.’ The strategy is for him to be qualified everywhere, but we leave the choice until the last moment.”

Moving events around a bit inside of a session is hardly unheard of, notably in track & field, even at the Olympic level. France will be waiting.

3.
U.S.’s Malinin wins ISU “Most Valuable Skater”

The International Skating Union Awards for 2024 were revealed on Sunday in Zurich (SUI) during a special “Art on Ice” show, with American teen star Ilia Malinin winning the Most Valuable Skater award.

This award is not for the best performance of the year, but “Honors the Single Skater or Pair or Ice Dance Couple who promoted Figure Skating – due to a successful competition season, creating (social) media attention and engagement in 2023.”

Malinin, 19, wowed the skating world by becoming the first to complete the quadruple Axel jump in competition, in 2022. He won a bronze at the 2023 World Championships and was the 2023 ISU Grand Prix Final winner. He beat out Japan’s Shoma Uno and Kaori Sakamoto, both of whom won the 2023 World Championships golds.

The announcement noted Malinin’s “impressive Instagram following of 127,000.”

There were seven more award categories, for current skaters and those who support them:

● Best Newcomer: Hana Yoshida (JPN)
● Most Entertaining Program: Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA)
● Best Costume: Loena Hendrickx (BEL)

● Best Choreographer: Benoit Richaud (FRA)
● Best Coach: Mie Hamada (JPN)
● Lifetime Achievement: Brian Orser (CAN)
● Special Achievement: Deanna Stellato-Dudek (CAN)

Siao Him Fa’s award for the best program and Richaud’s award for choreography are connected as they work together. Hamada coaches the newcomer award winner Yoshida, as well as women’s World Junior Champion Mao Shimada and 2024 Four Continents winner Mone Chiba.

Orser has starred as a two-time Olympic silver winner for Canada in 1984 and 1988, the 1987 World Champion and as a coach from 2005, with stars including Olympic gold medalists Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) and Yuna Kim (KOR), two-time World Champion Javier Fernandez (ESP) and many others.

Stellato-Dudek was honored for coming back to skating after a 2000 World Junior Championships women’s silver for the U.S., then retiring until 2016 and returning as a Pairs skater. She transferred to skate for Canada with Maxime Deschamps in 2021 and they won the 2024 Four Continents gold at age 40!

4.
Russian wrestlers refused visas; IIHF will not re-admit Russia for 2024-25

Pushback against Russian participation continues, as the European Wrestling Championships began Monday in Bucharest (ROU), but seven of the 10 wrestlers on the Russian team – expected to compete as “neutrals” – have not received visas. Among those not receiving visas are men’s Freestyle Olympic champions from Tokyo at 57 kg (Zaur Uguev) and 97 kg (Abdulrashid Sadulaev). Per coach Khadzhimurat Gatsalov:

“Of the announced [team] composition, only three currently have visas, the rest still do not have them, our team is due to fly on February 14. If we do not receive visas, we will replace them with those who have them. At this stage there are no visas including the Olympic champions Sadulayev and Uguev. The leadership of the federation is doing everything to rectify the situation; they are contacting the embassy and the consulate.”

Uguev won a quota place for Russia (as a “neutral”) with his fifth-place finish at the 2023 World Championships; Russia does not yet have a quota spot at 97 kg. The European Championships is not an Olympic qualifying event; the final European qualifier will come in April in Baku (AZE).

The International Ice Hockey Federation announced Monday that it will not readmit Russian or Belarus for its 2024-25 season tournaments:

“Based on a thorough analysis, the IIHF Council concluded that it is not yet safe to reincorporate the Russian and Belarusian Teams back into IIHF Competitions. Therefore, Russia and Belarus will not participate in the 2024/2025 IIHF championship season. This decision will also apply to the Belarusian team regarding the Final Olympic Qualification Round that will be played in August 2024.

“As it has been done over the past years, the IIHF Council will continue to monitor the situation, with the latest date to determine if it is safe to reincorporate Russia and Belarus for the 2025/2026 Championship season in May 2025 at the IIHF Council meeting ahead of the IIHF Annual Congress.”

The IIHF suspended Russia and Belarus in February 2022 as a reaction to the invasion of Ukraine and has maintained the ban since.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said Monday that Russia will pay its still-outstanding dues for the World Anti-Doping Agency for 2023:

“I will not announce the numbers, but we will pay the amount agreed with WADA. Now we are waiting for confirmation for next year, we agreed that they will establish a contribution formula, because we cannot rely on the Council of Europe, of which Russia is no longer a member. For this year, the amount will be paid in the amount that we agreed upon.”

WADA has expected Russia to pay $1.267 million U.S. for 2023 and while there is a dues amount already set for 2024 of $1.335 million, this is under review by WADA in view of Russia no longer being a member of the Council of Europe.

Russia continues to be held in non-compliance by WADA and the outstanding dues is one of the issues.

5.
Protestors gather in rain against Milan Cortina 2026

There was a protest against the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Saturday, with widely varying estimates of the number who showed up in the rain.

The Associated Press reported that “Around 150 people gathered in the pouring rain on Saturday outside the construction site for the Olympic Village in Milan.”

The Reuters story opened with, “Around 300 people marched in Milan on Saturday to protest over the environmental impact of the Winter Olympics that will be held in northern Italy in 2026.”

Agence France Presse’s report stated, “Around 1,000 people marched on a soaking wet day in the northern Italian city to decry the building of infrastructure for the Milan-Cortina Games.”

In any case, Saturday’s event, and other efforts like it was organized by the Comitato Insostenibili Olimpiadi – “Unsustainable Olympics Committee” – described by AFP as “a network of hiking groups, environmental activists, heritage associations and left-wing political movements.”

Their ire was directed at public spending for the controversial new sliding track in Cortina to replace the demolished Eugenio Monti track from the 1956 Winter Games and being built for more than €81.6 million (~$87.9 million U.S.) on an extremely accelerated timeframe, against the wishes of the International Olympic Committee.

Signs included protests of “concreting,” “gentrification,” “greenwashing,” “privatization” and “eviction.” One protester decried “spending more than 100 million euros of public money on a sport that is practiced by only 20 people in the whole of Italy.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● Swimming is now fully underway at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT), with the U.S. taking its first two wins in the pool.

Although many of the U.S. stars passed on Doha to concentrate their efforts on training for the U.S. Olympic Trials coming in June, some veterans sought out the Worlds and Nic Fink and Kate Douglass came up golden.

● Men/100 m Breast: Legendary world-record holder and two-time Olympic champ Adam Peaty (GBR) was back after a sabbatical following an injury-filled 2022 and is rounding into shape. But Fink, after a bronze in this event at the 2022 Worlds and silver in 2023, led at the turn and held on to win his second individual Worlds gold in a world-leading 58.57. Italy’s Niccolo Martinenghi charged up from fifth at the half to pass Peaty on the way home and got second in 58.84 with Peaty third in 59.10.

● Women/200 m Medley: Douglass came in as the defending champion and left no doubt with a lifetime best 2:07.05 victory by more than a second-and-a-half over Sydney Pickrem (CAN: 2:08.56) and China’s Yiting Yu (2:09.01), who won the Worlds bronze for the second year in a row. At age 22, Douglass already owns 10 Worlds medals (3-3-4), and she remains sixth on the all-time list (with the no. 11 performance).

● Men/50 m Free: Portugal’s Diogo Ribiero won a silver in this event at the 2023 Worlds in Japan and moved up to the top of the podium at 22.97, beating Michael Andrew of the U.S. by 0.10 (23.07) and Australian freestyle star Cameron McEvoy (23.08). It’s Andrew’s fourth Worlds medal in an individual event (0-2-2), and moved him up from his 2022 bronze in the 50 Fly.

● Women/100 m Fly: German Angelina Kohler led the race from the start and won cleanly in 56.28, ahead of American Claire Curzan (56.61) and Swede Louse Hansson (56.94). Curzan won her second career individual Worlds medal after a 2022 bronze in the 100 m Back.

The men’s 200 m Free and 100 m Back and the women’s 1,500 m Free, 100 m Back and 100 m Breaststroke finals are on tap for Tuesday.

In the women’s water polo quarterfinals, the U.S. struggled past Australia by 10-9, taking an 8-3 lead into the final quarter, but then getting outscored by 6-2! Maddie Musselman led the U.S. attack with three goals.

Meanwhile, Spain edged Canada, 12-9; Spain and the U.S. will meet in one semifinal on Wednesday. Hungary won a shoot-out to get past the Netherlands, 13-12 (5-4) and Greece defeated Italy, 14-12.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● The Canadian Olympic Committee joined in with disbelief in the International Skating Union’s award of the 2022 Olympic figure skating Team Event bronze medal to Russia and posted a brief statement on Friday:

“We don’t believe the ISU statement provides further clarity or justification and continue to believe the Canadian team should be awarded the bronze medal following the CAS decision. We are working closely with Skate Canada to explore our options for appeal.”

● Athletics ● Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, now 37, told Essence magazine that she will retire after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but that she is certainly not burnt out:

“There’s not a day I’m getting up to go practice and I’m like, ‘I’m over this.’

“My son needs me. My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me. We’re a partnership, a team. And it’s because of that support that I’m able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years. And I think I now owe it to them to do something else.”

Fraser-Pryce owns five World Championship golds in the women’s 100 m, one in the 200 m and four on relays and was the Olympic women’s 100 m gold medalist in 2008 and 2012, then third in Rio and second in Tokyo.

Her goals for Paris: “showing people that you stop when you decide. I want to finish on my own terms.”

Two-time Olympic women’s 800 m gold medalist Caster Semenya (RSA) told reporters in Johannesburg on Friday that she is asking for help in funding her continuing effort to overturn the World Athletics regulations which prevent her from competing with her naturally-high testosterone levels:

“We lack funds. We have a lot of experts that come in that we need to pay. Anything that you may contribute, it makes a huge difference.”

Her appeal to the European Court of Human Rights resulted in a directive to the Swiss Federal Tribunal to undertake a more thorough review of her case, which could result in making the Swiss court an option to review all Court of Arbitration for Sport decisions. The Swiss have asked for a review of the ECHR decision by a larger Grand Chamber panel, which will commence on 15 May in Strasbourg (FRA).

● Fencing ● The International Testing Agency announced that French star Ysaora Thibus, 32, the 2022 women’s World Foil Champion and a Tokyo Olympic Team silver medalist, has tested positive for Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) used to improve muscle mass and strength.

The positive came from an in-competition sample from the FIE Foil World Cup in Paris on 14 January 2024. Thibus, no. 8 in the FIE World Rankings is provisionally suspended and can ask to have her B-sample tested for confirmation.

● Football ● At the U.S. Soccer Federation Annual General Meeting in Dallas, Texas, the federation pushed ahead with its stated priorities, listed as

“World Cup 2026 legacy, the Safe Soccer clearance program, growing the number of referees, democratizing soccer knowledge, a unified sporting strategy, ecosystem partnerships and the development of the National Training Center.”

A special emphasis was confirmed on “working more closely with membership,” which has been singled out as a current weakness, especially at the community and youth levels.

The USSF National Council also passed a motion – with 80.88% in favor – to provide a salary for the USSF President, up to now a volunteer position:

“The Council approved a stipend for the U.S. Soccer president of $150,000 with a reduction to $75,000 if selected to another position within soccer as a direct consequence of their role as President.”

ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported:

“The thinking is that having the office of president be a volunteer position restricted the pool of available candidates to those who were wealthy enough to meet the time commitment needed to do the job.”

The two-stage pay levels reflect compensation available elsewhere; Carlisle was told that current USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone receives $125,000 per year as a member of the CONCACAF Council.

Most U.S. National Governing Body Presidents are volunteers. USSF can certainly afford it, with $171.67 million in assets as of the end of 2022. It’s by far the richest of the American NGBs.

In the South American Olympic (U-23) qualifiers, Argentina defeated Brazil, 1-0, on Sunday in Caracas (VEN) and qualified second in the tournament to advance to Paris this summer.

Paraguay (2-0-1) advanced as the tournament winner and drew (3-3) with Argentina and defeated Brazil, 1-0. The Brazilians, who won the Olympic golds in Rio and Tokyo, lost two of three matches and will not play at the Olympic Games for the first time since 2004.

With Argentina in and three over-23 players allowed for the Olympic tournament, the call has already gone out for superstar Lionel Messi – who will be 37 in June – to join the squad if he wishes. He already owns an Olympic gold from the 2008 Beijing Games.

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For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: ISU defends Russian Team bronze; Gabba redevelopment vaporizes; marathon record man Kiptum dies in car crash

By
Rich Perelman
-
Kelvin Kiptum won the 2023 Chicago Marathon in world-record time. On Sunday, he died in a car crash in Kenya (Photo: Bank of America Marathon/Kevin Morris)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. ISU defends handing Russia 2022 OWG Team bronze
2. Queensland’s A$2.7 billion Gabba project suddenly dead!
3. Montreal could demolish the Stade Olympique, but for C$2 billion?
4. World indoor marks for Charlton, Kerr, three U.S. at fab Millrose
5. Marathon record holder Kiptum killed in car crash

● The International Skating Union defended its re-scoring of the Beijing 2022 Team Event in figure skating, giving Russia the bronze and leaving Canada fourth. But this isn’t over, and the drama will go on and on.

● Suddenly, all the political backing for the A$2.7 billion re-development of the Brisbane Cricket ground – The Gabba – has vaporized and the project is expected to be severely downsized once an ongoing review is completed in March.

● Montreal’s Stade Olympique, the symbol of the 1976 Olympic Games, is set for a C$870 million roof renovation …. because it would cost C$2 billion to tear it down! Really?

● Fabulous Millrose Games in New York, with world indoor records for Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas in the women’s 60 m hurdles and Britain’s Josh Kerr in the men’s two-mile. Plus three American Records!

● Tragedy: Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, 24, died in a car crash outside Eldoret in Kenya on Sunday night.

● World Championships: Aquatics (5: China’s Pan get 100 Free record; China sweeps Olympic diving events; China sweeps artistic team events) = Biathlon (Norway and France dominate Sprint and Pursuit) ●

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (2: Odermatt wins sixth straight G-S; Gut-Behrami takes seasonal lead) = Athletics (eight world leaders as Lievin as Girma, Holloway, Tsegay scare records) = Basketball (U.S. women survive Olympic Qualifying Tournament) = Cross Country (Diggins wins again!) = Cycling (France and Sakakibara wins BMX season openers) = Fencing (4: Olympic champs Kiefer and Cheung win Foil Grand Prix; Olympic champ Szilagyi wins Sabre World Cup; Kong takes Epee World Cup win; Kharlan gets 14th World Cup Sabre gold) = Football (U.S. women dominate CONCACAF U-17s) = Freestyle Skiing (2: Thompson sweeps Ski Cross; China and U.S. sweep Aerials) = Ice Hockey (Canada swamps U.S. three straight to win Rivalry Series) = Luge (Aparjods and Fraebel surprise in Oberhof World Cup) = Nordic Combined (Riiber on nine-race streak in Otepaa) = Shooting (Cassandro and Scocchetti take Trap World Cup titles) = Short Track (Korea scores five wins at Dresden World Cup) = Snowboard (Hirano and Ono win seasonal Halfpipe tiles in Calgary) ●

1.
ISU defends handing Russia 2022 OWG Team bronze

The International Skating Union’s confusing award of the bronze medal to Russia in the re-score of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Team Event in figure skating following the 29 January disqualification of Russian skater Kamila Valieva was compounded with an even more cryptic statement on Friday. It included:

“The decision of the ISU Council with regard to the consequences to the official results of the Team event of Beijing 2022, clearly expressed in the ISU Statement of January 30, 2024, was based on a comprehensive evaluation from legal experts. This evaluation was, in turn, founded on the applicable rules and principles that are specific to this OWG Team event and is, therefore, the only decision that complies with the CAS Panel’s award. For the sake of clarity Rule 353 para 4 in the ISU Special Regulations is not applicable in this case.

“In any complex and extraordinary situation like this, the reallocation of points could negatively affect the relative team ranking, adversely impacting teams that had nothing to do with the incident in question. Therefore, we have to abide by the rules and principles. In light of this case, we will further clarify the rules and principles moving forward to ensure any such cases are dealt with more efficiently in the future.

“The CAS decision itself may be subject to appeal, therefore the ISU will not be discussing this matter in further detail in public at this stage.”

Others will be discussing it, however. It was noted in the TSX Report for 31 January that:

● Rule 353 of the ISU’s Special Regulations for Technical Rules for Singles, Pairs and Ice Dance, in section 4 – titled “Publication of Results” – the text is clear about scoring for disqualified competitors:

“Disqualified Competitors will lose their placements and be officially noted in the intermediate and final results as disqualified (DSQ). Competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than the disqualified Competitor(s) will move up accordingly in their placement(s).”

● Moreover, Rule 11.2.2 of the ISU Anti-Doping Rules is in a section titled “Consequences to Teams” and states:

“An anti-doping rule violation committed by a member of a team, including substitutes, occurring during or in connection with an Event may lead to Disqualification of all of the results obtained by the team in that Event with all Consequences for the team and its members, including forfeiture of all medals, points and prizes, except as provided in Article 11.2.3.”

The key phrase here is “in connection with an Event,” which in the Valieva case would indicate that her doping positive, revealed literally minutes after the Team Event finished on 7 February 2022, would appear to apply here. If so, the entire Russian team should be disqualified, and the Canadians awarded the bronze medal.

The ISU makes only a blanket statement and gives no explanation for its ruling, other than its reference to “legal experts.”

Skate Canada protested the initial re-scoring and reserved its rights to take this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and once any appeal to the Court of Arbitration decision in the Valieva case proper is made (and if made, dealt with), there can be little doubt a filing will be made on behalf of the Canadian team which finished fourth.

Which means that this long-running drama, at least for the Canadian and Russian skaters, is likely not close to being finalized any time soon.

2.
Queensland’s A$2.7 billion Gabba project suddenly dead!

The headline of the story on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation site was definite:

“Queensland politicians all agree the $2.7 billion Gabba redevelopment plan is dead”

The project, to tear down and redevelop the famed Brisbane Cricket Ground – “The Gabba” – in advance of the 2032 Olympic Games was a signature project of the Queensland government under Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk (Labor). But Palaszczuk retired on 15 December 2023 and her successor, Steven Miles, appointed a commission to review the project.

Former Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk and his team are in the midst of their effort, with their report due by 18 March. But the political will behind the project has evaporated.

Miles had originally supported the plan as Palaszczuk’s deputy, but once in charge, the continuing outcry over the expanded cost – and the impact of a two-year project on the surrounding community – led him to ask for a critical review, saying “My preference is to find a better value-for-money outcome, that has always been my preference.”

The most current cost estimate of A$2.7 billion (about $1.76 billion U.S.) has been the driving force on souring support for the concept. Even at the bid stage, the International Olympic Committee’s review pointed out that the existing Carrara Stadium in a Gold Coast suburb, functioned well as the site for ceremonies and athletes at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Now, former Australian Olympic Committee chief John Coates, also an important International Olympic Committee member and the driving force behind Brisbane’s bid, said “we should abandon the Gabba,” and current AOC President Ian Chesterman said in a statement:

“We believe there are other, more creative solutions than rebuilding the Gabba for the Games which provide a legacy for our sports and even greater access for fans to an exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Political opposition chimed in, with Shadow Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure minister Jarrod Bleijie saying “The Liberal National Party have always held the view we do not support the full Gabba knockdown, it was a $2.7 billion project without a business case, without any financial credibility behind it.”

And Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner (LNP) said in a television interview that “I think today we can officially say the Gabba rebuild is dead, buried and cremated – and that is a good thing. …

“Let’s use what we’ve got. Let’s have a look at the best and most cost-effective way to do it. If there’s spare money, we want it to go into transport and roads, not into stadiums.”

The question now is where to hold the ceremonies and track & field, with Suncorp Stadium – known as Lang Park or “The Cauldron” – an obvious choice. It’s an existing stadium for rugby and football seating 52,500, which could work for the ceremonies, but another location would be needed for track. Coates suggested the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, a 48,500-seat facility in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan.

Said Miles, “let Graham Quirk do his work on the review and I’ll wait for his findings.”

3.
Montreal could demolish the Stade Olympique, but for C$2 billion?

The financial disaster that was the Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal, Quebec in 1976 was centered around the construction of multiple stadia, most notably the futuristic-looking Stade Olympique.

But it wasn’t even close to being finished by the time the Games was held, and the roof was only installed in 1987.

Now, the roof is causing more problems; the CBC reported:

“The venue can’t hold games or exhibitions half the year because of the roof’s fragility – events are cancelled if more than three centimetres of snow are forecast.

“But throughout the years, Quebec politicians have said that the only reasonable option is to continue maintaining the stadium – even if its roof has never really worked since it was completed in 1987 – than to get rid of the concrete behemoth in the city’s east-end.”

Caroline Proulx, the Quebec Tourism Minister, said last week that the preferred solution is to spend C$870 million to replace the roof – over four years – with the stadium to close in two years if nothing is done to fix it. (C$1 = $0.74 U.S.)

Why not tear it down? Well, Proulx said that could cost C$2 billion! That’s because the venue was built with pre-stressed concrete, making implosion almost impossible, moreover possibly damaging the subway lines which run around and under the stadium.

McGill University engineering professor Daniele Malomo told the CBC:

“The problem in demolishing something like that is that you can’t just cut the concrete,” explaining that to do so would release huge amounts of energy from the steel rebar inside; “It will behave like a bomb, essentially.”

The city of Montreal was left with C$1 billion debt after the Games, significantly due to the Stade Olympique, on which building continued. The debt was finally extinguished in 2006, with the stadium locally known as the “Big Owe.”

4.
World indoor marks for Charlton and Kerr at fab Millrose, U.S. records for Monson, Fisher and St. Pierre!

There was great anticipation for possible world records at the 116th Millrose Games in New York on Sunday, but in the first event on the track? That’s what happened, along with another world mark, three American Records and world-leading performances in six events:

● Men/Mile: 3:47.83, Yared Nuguse (USA)
● Men/Two Mile: 8:00.67, Josh Kerr (GBR) ~ World Record

● Women/60 m: 6.99, Julien Alfred (LCA)
● Women/Mile: 4:16.41, Elle St. Pierre (USA) ~ American Record
● Women/Two Mile: 9:04.84, Laura Muir (GBR)
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.67, Devynne Charlton (BAH) ~ World Record

In the first elite event on the track, Charlton was out fast and had the lead at the first hurdle against an excellent field that included world leader Tia Jones of the U.S. Jones came on as did Jamaica’s two-time World 100 m hurdles Champion Danielle Williams, but they could not dent the lead and she crossed in a world record of 7.67, busting the 2008 mark of 7.68 by Susanna Kallur (SWE). Williams and Jones went 2-3 in 7.79. Wow!

In the women’s 60 m, Alfred took the world lead with a powerful performance right from the start and ran away from everyone in 6.99, her fourth-fastest indoor 60 m ever. Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes was a distant second at 7.14.

American distance star Alicia Monson took over the two-mile once the pacing ended and led British star Laura Muir at the mile in 4:35.40. Ethiopian teen Melknat Wudu came up to challenge Monson and then Muir took over with 300 m to go. At the bell, it was Muir, 19-year-old Medina Eisa (ETH) and Wudu as Monson fell back, and then Eisa shot back Muir for the win in the final 50 m in 9:04.39, moving her to no. 2 all-time!

But Eisa was subsequently disqualified for an improper move that cut off another runner. So Muir ended up the winner with a national record of 9:04.84 (now no. 2 all-time) and Wudu moved up to second in 9:07.12 (no. 4 all-time). Monson got third and an American Record of 9:09.70 (no. 5 all-time), moving aside Elle St. Pierre’s 9:10.28 from 2021.

The men’s two-mile had record aspirations, with World 1,500 m champ Josh Kerr (GBR) and 2022 Worlds 10,000 m fourth-place Grant Fisher of the U.S. at the front of the pack. Fisher passed 1 1/4 miles in the lead with Kerr just behind and well clear of the rest of the field. Kerr took over with 300 m left and was clear of Fisher at the bell and charged home – raising his hand to the crowd with 50 m to go – and winning in a world record of 8:00.67, shattering British icon Mo Farah‘s 8:03.40 time from 2015.

Fisher was second in 8:03.62 and claimed the American Record, displacing Galen Rupp’s 8:07.41 from 2014. Fisher is now no. 3 all-time and Cole Hocker of the U.S. finished third in 8:05.70 to move to no. 6 all-time. New Zealand’s George Beamish was fourth in 8:05.73 and now ranks seventh on the all-time list.

Australian Jessica Hull, the world leader at 3,000 m, took over the women’s Wanamaker Mile with a half-mile to go, trailed closely by American Record holder St. Pierre, who took the lead at the bell. St. Pierre opened up a 5 m lead with a half-lap left and steamed home in a world-leading 4:16.41, breaking her own U.S. mark of 4:16.85 from 2020. Hull got a national record of 4:19.03. St. Pierre stays at no. 3 all-time and Hull is now no. 10.

The men’s Wanamaker Mile was another world-record attempt, especially after the U.S.’s Yared Nuguse ran the no. 2 time in indoor history in 3:47.38 last year. This time, Nuguse was tracked early by World Road Mile champ Hobbs Kessler and Britain’s George Mills, with pacer Derek Holdsworth (USA) passing 440 yards in 55.64 and 880 yards in 1:52.28. Nuguse took over with four laps left, and passed the 1320 mark in 2:51.87, slowing to a 59.38 quarter.

Mills passed Kessler at the bell and Nuguse hit the gas and moved away to win decisively in 3:47.83, the no. 3 performance in history. Kessler came back to pass Mills on the final straight to get second in 3:48.66, now, the sixth-fastest indoor mile ever – at 20 – and now the no. 4 performer ever. Mills was third in 3:48.93, now no. 6 ever. Nuguse covered the final quarter in 55.96.

Everyone expected super-starter Christian Coleman – the world-record holder – to get out quick in the men’s 60 m, but Japan’s Hakim Sani Brown actually had the early lead. But Coleman came on and had the race in hand in the final 10 m and won in 6.51, equal-seventh in the world for 2024, but a good warm-up for next week’s USATF Nationals in Albuquerque. Sani Brown held fast for second in 6.54, equaling his lifetime best.

Bryce Hoppel came from behind in the men’s 800 m, moving past Kenyan Noah Kibet, the 2022 World Indoor runner-up, coming into the final straight and won in 1:45.54, to move to no. 7 on the year list. Kibet was second in 1:46.09 with Mark English (IRL) third in 1:46.61.

The men’s 60 m hurdles was a shocker, with Dylan Beard, who only got to the semis at the USATF outdoor champs in 2023, coming hard off the final hurdle to win in 7.44, moving to equal-third on the 2024 world list. He beat some big names, including 2023 Worlds bronze winner Daniel Roberts (7.51) and 2022 Worlds runner-up Trey Cunningham (7.52).

The men’s vault was down to Olympic silver winner Chris Nilsen and American Record man KC Lightfoot at 5.92 m (19-1), and neither could go higher, with Nilsen winning on the countback.

American Talitha Diggs – a Worlds 400 m finalist last year – came off the final turn and shot past Ireland’s Worlds 400 m fourth-placer Rhasidat Adeleke to win the women’s 300 m, in 36.21 to 36.42. It’s Diggs’ second-fastest ever at the distance.

Former Stanford All-American Olivia Baker sprang into the lead at the bell in the women’s 800 m and it looked like Tokyo Olympic 800 m bronzer Raevyn Rogers was ready to strike off the final turn, but it was emerging star Allie Wilson who came back on the final straight to win in 2:01.61, ahead of Baker (2:01.91) with Rogers fading to sixth (2:02.49).

World Champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) and 2016 World Indoor champ Vashti Cunningham of the U.S. were the only ones left by 1.97 m (6-5 1/2) and Mahuchikh cleared cleanly on her first try and Cunningham got over on her third. At 2.00 m (6-6 3/4), Cunningham missed, but Mahuchikh got over on her third to win her sixth straight meet dating back to 2023.

Next week: the USATF Indoor Nationals, which will be the selection meet for the World Indoors in Glasgow in March.

5.
Marathon record holder Kiptum killed in car crash

A terrible tragedy in Kenya, as men’s marathon world-record holder Kelvin Kiptum, 24, and coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a car crash outside of Eldoret, Kenya about 11 p.m. on Sunday evening.

Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge explained:

“This was a self-involved accident where one Kelvin Kiptum, the world marathon record holder, was driving his vehicle with two passengers. Kiptum and Hakizimana died on the spot and the third person was rushed to Racecourse hospital in Eldoret.

“He lost control, veered off the road, entered into a ditch 60 meters away and hit a big tree.”

A third passenger, a woman, was also hurt seriously, but survived and was taken to a hospital in Eldoret.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga posted on X (ex-Twitter): “Devastating news as we mourn the loss of a remarkable individual, Kelvin Kiptum, world record holder and Kenyan athletics icon. Together with his coach, they tragically passed on in an accident tonight. Our nation grieves the profound loss of a true hero.”

Kiptum set the world marathon record of 2:00:35 in winning the Chicago Marathon on 8 October and was ready to try for the first sub-2:00 marathon in competition at the Rotterdam Marathon in April. He ran his first marathon at Valencia (ESP) in December 2022, winning in a sensational 2:01:53, then won in London last April in 2:01:25 before taking the world record in Chicago.

He had been a half-marathon runner beginning in 2018 before exploding to marathon fame in 2022. An unimaginable tragedy.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● Swimming began at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT), with many of the top stars missing, but even so, with a sensational world record on the first day.

Korea’s Woo-min Kim, the 2022 Asian Games champion, won the men’s 400 m Free in 3:42.71, fastest in the world this year, ahead of 2022 World Champion Elijah Winnington (AUS: 3:42.86) and Lukas Martens (GER: 3:42.96).

The big news came in the men’s 4×100 m Free relay, as Chinese star Zhanle Pan led off in 46.80, a world record for the 100 m Free, shaving 0.06 off of Romanian David Popovici’s 46.86 from 2022. Pan had been no. 5 with his 46.97 mark from last season. China won the race in 3:11.08, trailed by Italy (3:12.08) and the U.S. squad of Matt King, Shaine Casas, Luke Hobson and Carson Foster won the bronze at 3:12.29.

Australia’s Erika Fairweather, the 2023 Worlds women’s 400 m Free bronze medalist, won in Doha at 3:59.44, maintaining her spot as no. 5 on the all-time list, and the world leader for 2024. China’s Bingjie Li was second (4:01.62) and Germany’s Isabel Gose got the bronze and a national record of 4:02.39.

Australia and the U.S. had won the last six editions of the women 4×100 m Free, but the Netherlands returned to the top of the podium for the first time since 2011, winning at 3:36.61, ahead of Australia (3:36.93) and Canada (3:37.95). The U.S., already qualified for Paris, did not enter a team.

In diving, China completed a sweep of the Olympic-program events, with victories in the men’s 10 m Platform and women’s 3 m Springboard and scored nine golds during the Worlds.

Hao Yang had finished second on the men’s 10 m in 2019, then third in 2022 and 2023, but got the gold in Doha at 564.05, ahead of Tokyo Olympic champ Yuan Cao (553.20). Both were well clear of Ukraine’s 18-year-old Oleksiy Sereda (528.65), who won his first Worlds individual medal. Brandon Loschiavo of the U.S. was eighth at 453.35.

Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen, who won the women’s 3 m Synchro, went 1-2 in the women’s individual 3 m, scoring 354.75 and 336.60, with Korea’s Su-ji Kim third (311.25). For Chang, it’s her first Worlds individual gold, after a bronze in this event in 2022 and silver in 2023. Chen earned her first silver after wins in 2022 and 2023. American Sarah Bacon finished fifth (302.65).

In the non-Olympic Mixed 3 m Synchro, Australia’s Domonic Bedggood and Maddison Keeney won at 300.93, moving up from silver in 2023; it’s the second gold in the event for Keeney (also in 2019). Italy’s Matteo Santoro and Chiara Pellacani won the silver (287.49); the U.S. pair of Noah Duperre and Bridget O’Neil finished seventh (262.17).

The final two events in artistic swimming saw China complete a sweep in the Team events, taking the Free Routine at 339.7604, well ahead of Japan (315.2229) and the U.S. (304.9021), which scored bronzes in this event and the Team Acrobatic Routine.

In the Mixed Duet Free, China’s Wentao Cheng and Haoyu Shi – second in the Mixed Duet Technical – won this time at 224.1437, with Dennis Gonzalez and Mirela Hernandez (ESP: 208.3583) second and Mexico (Miranda Barrera and Diego Villalobos: 192.5772) third.

China won seven golds and nine medals in all to lead the medal table.

In the men’s water polo tournament, Spain, Greece and Serbia all finished group play at 3-0 and Hungary won its three games, with one by penalty shoot-out. The U.S. was 1-2 with a penalty shoot-out loss, but advanced to the playoffs.

On Sunday, Montenegro, Croatia and France won their games to advance, and Italy defeated the U.S., 13-12. The quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, with Spain vs. Montenegro, Italy vs. Greece, Serbia vs. Croatia and defending champ Hungary against France.

Serbia, Croatia, Spain and Italy all qualified for the Paris Games; the U.S. was already qualified as the Pan American Games gold medal winners.

In the women’s tournament, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Greece advanced from the play-in round to the quarterfinals on Monday. The U.S. will face Australia and possibly then the winner of Spain and Canada in the semifinals.

● Biathlon ● Norway has dominated the men’s IBU World Cup and France the women’s events and that continued at the IBU World Championships in Nove Mesto (CZE).

In the opening event – the Sprint – the Norwegian men swept the men’s medals and the French swept the women’s. Sturla Holm Largreid won the men’s 10 km Sprint in 25:23.9 (0 penalties), giving him three career Worlds individual gold, after two in other events in 2021. Three-time (and defending) champion Johannes Thingnes Boe took the silver (25:27.4/1) for his 33rd career Worlds medal (wow), and Vetle Christiansen was third (25:42.5/1). Campbell Wright of the U.S. was an encouraging 11th in 26:31.8 (0).

The French women swept the first four places in the 7.5 km Sprint, with Julia Simon winning her fourth career Worlds gold – but first in this event – in 20:07.5 (0), trailed by teammates Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (20:12.4/1), Lou Jeanmonnot (20:48.3/1) and Sophie Chauveau (20:51.7/1) in fourth. Deedra Irwin was the top American, in 39th, at 22:32.1 (2).

Simon kept up the pressure on Sunday, winning the women’s 10 km Pursuit in 29:54.8 (1), ahead of Italian star Lisa Vittozzi (30:41.1/1) and Braisaz-Bouchet (30:44.1/4), with Chauveau fourth (30:52.4/3). It’s Vittozzi’s ninth career Worlds medal (1-4-4).

Norway utterly dominated the men’s 12.5 km Pursuit, taking the top five places, with Boe winning in 32:36.9 (3), followed by Lagreid (33:05.6/2) and Christiansen (33:15.4/3). Wright continued his success for the U.S., finishing 12th at 34:58.4 (2), and Sean Doherty was 26th (36:58.2/1).

The Worlds continue through the 18th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● If it’s a Giant Slalom, it’s going to be Swiss Marco Odermatt on top of the podium, as he won his sixth straight in the event in this FIS Alpine World Cup season on Saturday, at Bansko (BUL).

No one was close as Odermatt led after the first run by 0.35 over Alexander Steen Olsen (NOR) and then extended his advantage to 0.91 on the second run to win with 2:15.75 to Steen Olsen’s 2:16.66. Austria’s Manuel Feller was third (2:16.83), with River Radamus the top American in 12th (2:17.91).

Sunday’s Slalom was canceled after 31 starters on the first run due to heavy rains. Odermatt continues as the seasonal leader with 1,506 points vs. 684 for France’s Cyprien Sarrazin.

There’s a new seasonal leader for the women as Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI), who won the World Cup title in 2016, won her third straight World Cup race, this time in Soldeu (AND). Saturday’s Giant Slalom was her sixth win of the season – four in Giant Slaloms – as she came from ninth after the first run to win with the no. 2 time in the second run.

Her total of 1:59.27 was just 0.01 better than New Zealand star Alice Robinson, who her second straight silver and 15/100ths better than American A.J. Hurt in third (1:59.42). For Hurt, 23, it’s her second career World Cup medal – both bronzes – and both this season. Paula Moltzan of the U.S. was 11th (2:00.43).

The Slalom went to Sweden’s Anna-Svenn Larsson for her second career World Cup win and first since November of 2022, when she tied with Swiss Wendy Holdener. This time, she was all alone at 1:49.25, winning the first run and hanging on as Zrinka Ljutic (CRO) won her second silver of the season (1:49.60) and Moltzan took the bronze for her first World Cup podium this season, in 1:50.08.

With U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin still recovering from a crash, Gut-Behrami took over the seasonal lead at 1,214 to 1,209 after 28 of 41 events.

● Athletics ● Hot running and jumping at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet, the Hauts de France, in Lievin (FRA) on Saturday, with world leads in eight events:

● Men/200 m: 20.21, Erriyon Knighton (USA)
● Men/800 m: 1:45.10, Eliott Crestan (BEL)
● Men/2,000 m: 4:51.23, Lamecha Girma (ETH)
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.32, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/Shot: 22.37 m (73-4 3/4), Leonardo Fabbri (ITA)

● Women/400 m: 49.63, Femke Bol (NED)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:17.11, Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
● Women/Vault: 4.84 m (15-10 1/2), Eliza McCartney (NZL)

Knighton moved to no. 12 all-time and no. 8 all-time U.S. with a decisive win in the men’s 200 m, 20.21-20.56 over France’s Ryan Zeze, while Crestan got a tight win over Mariano Garcia (ESP: 1:45.50) in the 800 m.

The rarely-run indoor 2,000 m saw Tokyo Olympic Steeple runner-up and indoor 3,000 m world-record holder Lamecha Girma get close to the world mark of 4:49.99 by Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) in 2007, but come up just short at 4:41.23, the no. 2 performance in history. All the distance races were hot, as Azeddine Habz set a French national record in the 1,500 m at 3:34.39, edging Vincent Keter (KEN: 3:34.44). The 2022 World Indoor champ in the 3,000 m, Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega, won in 7:31.38, a mark only three others (including himself) have surpassed this season.

World hurdles champ Grant Holloway dominated the 60 m hurdles, winning the final in 7.32, the equal-fourth-fastest time in history, which he has done three times! Just Kwaou-Mathey (FRA) was second in a national record of 7.43. Holloway now owns 10 of the top 13 hurdles performances in history.

Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri moved to no. 6 all-time indoor with his second-round win in the shot; he also reached 22.06 m (72-4 1/2) on his final try. American Sam Kendricks won the vault at 5.76 m (18-10 3./4) and triple jump World Champion Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR) took the triple jump at 17.21 m (56-5 3/4).

Dutch star Femke Bol continues to be a blur, improving her 400 m world lead to 49.63, the no. 4 performance in history; she’s already the world-record holder at 49.26 from last year. Ethiopia’s Tsegay, the world indoor 1,500 m record holder, took a shot at the 3,000 m mark of 8:16.60 by countrywoman Genzebe Dibaba from 2014, and came up only a little short, at 8:17.11, the no. 3 performance of all-time (she ran 8:16.69 last year). She won by more than 12 second over fellow Ethiopian Hirut Meshesha. A third Ethiopian, Freweyni Hailu, the world leader at 1,500 m, won that event at 3:57.24, the no. 4 performance of the season. Britain’s Jemma Reekie took the women’s 800 m in 2:00.40.

World outdoor hurdles record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR) won the women’s hurdles in 7.83 and Eliza McCartney got a world lead in the women’s vault at 4.84 m (15-10 1/2), her best-ever indoors.

● Basketball ● Four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for women were in Belgium, Brazil, China and Hungary, with the already-qualified U.S. and France participating, but everyone else looking to book a spot in Paris.

In front of 13,700 in Antwerp, the seven-time defending Olympic champion U.S. had to mount a big fourth-quarter rally to get close to Belgium. With the game at 79-79 and with the ball with five seconds left, the U.S. inbounded to guard Kelsey Plum, who drove and missed a short runner, but the put-back by Breanna Stewart gave the Americans an 81-79 win. The Americans won the game with a 24-13 fourth-quarter surge after being down nine at half and at the end of three quarters.

The U.S. crushed Nigeria, 100-46, in their second game, and Senegal, 101-39, in their final game to win the tournament at 3-0, but Belgium (2-1) and Nigeria (1-2) both advanced to Paris.

In Belem (BRA), Australia barely got by 1-2 Serbia, 75-73, in their final game to finish 3-0 and win the tournament, as both qualified for Paris, along with Germany (2-1).

In X’ian (CHN), France cruised to a 3-0 record, with China qualifying at 2-1 and Puerto Rico at 1-2. In Sopron (HUN), Japan and Spain were both 2-1 and advanced to Paris, as did Canada, which was 1-2 but had a +3 point differential as against -7 for fourth-place Hungary.

● Cross Country Skiing ● Thanks in part to the Covid-19 pandemic, the FIS Cross Country had not been in North America since 2019, but it came back this past weekend to Canmore (CAN) and will head to Minneapolis for racing next weekend.

And back in North America, of course American Jessie Diggins was ready to roll and scored an ecstatic win in the women’s 15 km Freestyle Mass Start on Friday. It was tight to the finish, but Diggins scored a 40:26.0 victory, just ahead of France’s Delphine Claudel (40:28.6) and Norway’s Heidi Weng (40:29.3). Sophia Laukli of the U.S. finished eighth in 40:34.6. It was Diggins’ sixth win of the season and increased her overall World Cup lead.

The Freestyle Sprint was won by Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad – her second gold of the season – in 3:03.88, ahead of Swedes Maja Dahlqvist (3:04.45) and Linn Svahn (3:05.28), with Diggins fifth in 3:05.89.

Sunday’s 20 km Classical Mass Start was the second win of the season for 10-time Worlds medalist Frida Karlsson (SWE: 57:08.2), just ahead of Finnish star Kerttu Niskanen (57:09.8) and Weng (57:16.3). Diggins was 10th in 57:50.5 and has a 2,055-1,731 lead over Svahn after 24 of 34 events.

The men’s 15 km Free was the fifth straight win for Norway, this time with World Champion Simen Hegstad Krueger taking the victory over seasonal leader Harald Amundsen, 36:06.5 to 36:16.3. Scott Patterson was the top American, eighth in 36:35.4.

The men’s Freestyle Sprint was another Norwegian win, as two-time Olympic Sprint winner Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo getting his seventh gold of the season in 2:44.40, with Erik Valnes second (2:44.83 and Swede Edvin Anger third (2:45.03).

The 20 km Classical Mass Start was the seventh World Cup win in a row for Norway, with four-time Worlds gold medalist Pal Golberg winning at the line in 52:10.7, ahead of Klaebo (52:10.9) and teammate Mathis Stenshagen (52:11.2). It’s the sixth Norwegian medals sweep this season.

The Canmore stop will wrap with a Classical Sprint on Tuesday.

● Cycling ● The UCI BMX World Cup kicked off with two races for men and women at Rotorua (NZL), with the first race for men mirroring the 2023 final World Cup standings.

Then, France’s Romain Mahieu won over countryman Joris Daudet and that’s how they finished on Saturday, with Swiss Simon Marquardt third (37.431). On Sunday, Daudet – two-time World Champion from 2011 and 2016 – won at 36.564 over Cedric Butti (SUI: 37.003) and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Niek Kimman (NED: 37.335).

Australia’s two-time Worlds runner-up Saya Sakakibara won the first women’s race in 36.758, beating Dutch 2018 World Champion Laura Smulders to the line (36.822) and Tokyo Olympic champ Bethany Shriever (GBR: 37.224). American Alise Willoughby, the Rio 2016 Olympic silver winner, was fourth (37.552).

Sakakibara completed the sweep on Sunday, winning at 36.339 over Shriever (36.367), Manon Veenstra (NED: 37.019) and Willoughby (37.716).

● Fencing ● Olympic champion and top-ranked Lee Kiefer of the U.S. scored another victory at the FIE Foil Grand Prix in Turin (ITA), defeating third-ranked Martina Favaretto of Italy by 15-11 in the final. Now 29, Kiefer won her fifth Grand Prix gold and has 33 career medals in Grand Prix and World Cup competitions. Two-time World Champion Arianna Errigo (ITA) and Anne Sauer (GER) won the bronzes.

Hong Kong’s Tokyo Olympic champ Ka Long Cheung scored a 15-11 win over Czech Alexander Choupenitch in the final for his first career Grand Prix gold. For Choupenitch, it’s his fourth Grand Prix medal. American Nick Itkin lost a 15-14 thriller to Cheung in the semis and shared the bronze medal with Enzo Lefort (FRA).

Hungary’s three-time Olympic gold medalist Aron Szilagyi won his 10th career FIE World Cup gold with a 15-7 win over Ali Pakdaman (IRI) in the men’s Sabre event in Tbilisi (GEO). Szilagyi now has 42 career medals in World Cups and Grand Prix. Pakdaman, 33, won his second career World Cup medal and first silver.

Top-ranked Mai Wan Vivian Kong (HKG) won a tight, 12-11 final against Korean Sera Song to win the FIE World Cup women’s Epee in Barcelona (ESP). It’s her second win in 12 days, after taking the Doha Grand Prix on 29 January. Song, ranked sixth worldwide, won her first medal of the season.

Ukraine’s four-time World Champion Olha Kharlan won the FIE World Cup women’s Sabre in Lima (PER), defeating Sugar Katinka Battai (HUN) in the final by 15-6. It’s her 14th career World Cup win, but her first since 2019; remember that she has a guaranteed entry into the Paris Games even if she does not qualify due to the controversial ending of her World Championships bout with Russian Anna Smirnova last year. The U.S.’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky lost to Kharlan in the semis and shared the bronze medal with Zaynab Dayibekova (UZB).

● Football ● For the fourth straight time, the U.S. and Mexico met in the final of the CONCACAF women’s U-17 championship, this time in Toluca (MEX).

The U.S. won all three of the prior finals, in 2016, 2018 and 2022, all by one goal. The Mexicans moved through Group A with a 3-0 record and an 8-0 goals-against total. The U.S. won its three games in Group B, outscoring its foes by 21-1. In the semis, Mexico edged Canada, 2-1, in extra time and the U.S. pounded Haiti, 7-1.

The American attack hardly stopped in the final, as Mya Townes scored in the 11th minute, Kimmi Ascanio got a goal in the 23rd and then Mexican midfielder Adrianna Gonzalez scored an own goal for a 3-0 U.S. lead by the 28th minute.

Alexandra Pfeiffer scored the final goal for the U.S. in the 62nd for the 4-0 final. This was the fourth straight win in this tournament for the U.S., and their sixth all-time, the most ever. In the third-place game, Canada stopped Haiti, 4-1.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The seventh of 11 stops on the FIS Ski Cross World Cup tour was in Bakuriani (GEO), with Sweden’s David Mobaerg winning the first men’s race, ahead of Worlds runner-up Florian Wilmsmann (GER) and seasonal leader Alex Fiva (SUI).

World Champion Simone Deromedis (ITA) took the second race, for his second win of the season, with Mobaerg getting his fourth medal of the season in second and Swiss Tobias Baur third.

The women’s racing was all about Canada’s Marielle Thompson, the 2014 Olympic gold medalist and Beijing 2022 runner-up. She had won two of the three races coming into Bakuriani, then swept both races on Saturday and Sunday. Thompson led a Canadian 1-2 with Brittany Phelan and then France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel got her seventh medal of her breakout season.

Thompson beat Berger Sabbatel in the second race, with Swiss Talina Gantanbein third. Thompson now has the seasonal lead, 812-730, over Berger Sabbatel.

The third of four stages in the FIS World Cup for Aerials was Lac-Beauport (CAN), with a sweep for China in the men’s events and a U.S. sweep for the women.

Olympic champ Guangpu Qi won Saturday’s competition, scoring 124.78 to lead a 1-2 with teammate Xindi Wang (119.47) with Canada’s Emile Nadeau third (105.30). On Sunday, it was Yifan Zhang, 20, with his first career World Cup win – and second medal – beating Wang, 119.03 to 108.50. Swiss Noe Roth, the 2023 World Champion, was third (100.00).

American Karenna Elliott, 23, won her first World Cup medal with a victory in the Saturday’s women’s event; she’s never finished higher than ninth! But she scored 89.18 to edge three-time Worlds medalist Danielle Scott (AUS: 84.24) and Marion Thenault (CAN: 83.19).

Fellow American Winter Vinecki won her third event in the five held so far this season on Sunday, at 97.88, with Meiting Chen second (CHN: 88.12) and Scott third (81.42). American Kalia Kuhn was fourth (79.75). Vinecki now has the seasonal lead from Scott, 352-340, with one event left in Almaty (KAZ) in March.

● Ice Hockey ● The 2023-24 Rivalry Series started well for the U.S. against arch-rival Canada, winning the first three matches by 3-1, 5-2, and 3-2 in overtime. The came a loss in December in a shoot-out in Sarnia, Ontario, 3-2.

The series finished with three games over the last week, with the Canadians winning both in Saskatchewan to end the series on Sunday in St. Paul, Minnesota with the series on the line.

In Saskatoon last Wednesday, Gabbie Hughes gave the Americans a 2-1 lead at the end of the second period, but Ashton Bell tied it with 8:31 to play in the third, and then Renata Fast scored with 5:53 to go to take a 3-2 lead and with an empty-netter with 0:54 to play, the final was 4-2.

In Regina on Friday, the U.S. offense never got going in a 3-0 shutout, with all of the goals scored in the third period. A power play in the first minute turned into a Natalie Spooner goal at the 0:58 mark and then Emily Clark scored at 10:52 of the third and Sarah Nurse at 15:35. Emerance Maschmayer turned away 27 U.S. shots.

Sunday’s match in St. Paul was a rout for the Canadians, winning 6-1 with a power-play goal from Spooner in the first period, then another power-play score 57 seconds into the second from Marie-Philip Poulin. Canada went up 3-0 on an Bell goal at 10:41 and while the U.S. got a short-handed score from Grace Zumwinkle at the 17:29 mark, Spooner scored again just 58 seconds later for a 4-1 edge at the end of the second period.

The U.S. replaced Nicole Hensley in goal after the third Canadian goal, but Abbey Levy had no more luck, as Emma Maltais scored a short-handed goal at 4:21 of the third and got a second at 7:58 for Canada’s fourth straight win in the series and the 6-1 final.

● Luge ● The first of weeks of competition in the FIL World Cup in Oberhof (GER), with Latvian star Kristers Aparjods winning his eighth career World Cup gold – and first outside of Latvia since 2022 – with a remarkable comeback.

He was only 17th after the first run, but second-fastest on the second to finish at 1:27.263 and that was good enough, as German Max Langenhan, the 2024 World Champion, was second (1:27.305) and 2018 Olympic winner David Gleirscher (AUT: 1:27.381) third. Tucker West was the top U.S. finisher at 1:27.704.

In the men’s Doubles, Austria’s Worlds runners-up Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl had the fastest times on both runs and won at 1:23.928, ahead of Hannes Orlamuender and Paul Gubitz (GER: 1:24.051), who won their first World Cup medal of the season. Triple Olympic champs Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won the bronze in 1:24.118. Americans Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander were ninth in 1:24.555.

A surprise in the women’s Singles, with German Merle Fraebel winning the upset over Worlds bronze medalist Madeleine Egle (AUT), 1:24.956 to 1:25.080, with 2021 World Champion Julia Taubitz (GER: 1:25.108) in third. Emily Sweeney was the top American, in eighth (1:25.445).

Two-time World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal took the women’s Doubles in 1:26.244, beating Sprint World Champions Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer (ITA: 1:26.277) and 2024 World Champs Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (AUT: 1:26.365). The U.S. went 6-7 with Maya Chen and Reannyn Weller and 2022 Worlds bronzers Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (1:27.090 and 1:27.210).

In the Team Relay, Germany won a tight race with Latvia, 3:12.942 to 3:13.092, with Austria third (3:13.230). The U.S., with Sweeney, Di Gregorio and Hollander, West and Chen and Weller, was fifth (3:13.996).

● Nordic Combined ● There has been no stopping Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber in the FIS World Cup, and he continued winning in Otepaa (EST). But it was close.

Riiber came in with seven World Cup wins in a row, and off the 97 m hill, he barely won the Mass Start 5 km cross-country race on Friday over Kristjian Ilves of Estonia, 21:28.0 to 21:30.4. But Riiber won the jumping and finished with 134.3 points to 127.0 for Ilves and 125.3 for Austrian star Johannes Lamparter. Eight in a row.

On Saturday, the Gundersen 97 m jumping and 10 km race was even closer, with Ilves first after the jumping, but Riiber coming from behind to win by 0.4, 22:19.9 to 22:20.3! Lamparter was third again, in 22:23.1. Nine in a row.

Sunday’s Gundersen with a 10 km race saw Riiber complete his sweep of the weekend, this time in a runaway, winning in 22:41.0 to 23:20.8 for Stefan Rettenegger (AUT). Riiber has now clinched the seasonal World Cup title with 1,670 points to 1,221 for Rettenegger, with four events left. It’s his fifth career title … at age 26.

In the women’s World Cup, Norway came in with a perfect record: 10 races and 10 wins. Gyda Westvold Hansen got her fourth win of the season in Friday’s 5 km Mass Start and 97 m jumping with 129.0 points to 113.4 for teammate Ida Marie Hagen, with Mari Leinan Lund completing the Norwegian sweep at 110.0. Annika Malacinski was 10th for the U.S. (83.6).

Hagen won the Gundersen 5 km at 13:08.8, followed by Japan’s Haruka Kasai (13:29.7), who won her first medal of the season, with Westvold Hansen third (13:38.6). Malacinski was 11th (15:05.1).

Hagen also won the 5 km Gundersen race on Sunday in 13:41.3, crossing before Leinan Lund (13:42.7), with Westvold Hansen third in 14:23.5. Malacinski was 12th (16:49.2).

● Shooting ● Italy swept the Skeet titles at the ISSF World Cup in Rabat (MAR), with Tammaro Cassandro, the 2019 Worlds runner-up, beating three-time Olympic champ Vincent Hancock of the U.S., 59-57 in the final.

Italy went 1-2 in the women’s Skeet final, with 2013 Worlds silver winner Simona Scocchetti edging Martina Maruzzo by 54-52. American Caitlin Connor made the final but was sixth.

● Short Track ● The fifth of six stages in the 2023-24 ISU World Cup was in Dresden (GER), with Korea winning five events to lead the medal parade.

World men’s 1,000 m champ Ji-won Park won both of the 1,000 m races, first in 1:26.406 over Felix Roussel (CAN: 1:26.482) and then leading a Korean 1-2 over Sung-woo Jang (1:25.317) in the second.

Roussel won the 500 m race in 40.078 in a Canadian 1-2 with Jordan Pierre-Gilles (40.619) following. Fellow Canadian William Dandjinou won the 1,500 m in 2:11.460, with Belgian Worlds runner-up Stijn Desmet second in 2:11.711; American Andrew Heo was fourth in 2:11.839. The Koreans also won the 5,000 m relay.

Breakout Korean women’s star Gil-li Kim won her sixth and seventh races of the World Cup season in the two 1,000 m finals, winning the first in 1:29.246 over Dutch 2023 World 1,000 m champ Xandra Velzeboer (1:29.319) and American Corinne Stoddard (1:29.948), Kim won again on Sunday, defeating two-time Olympic gold medalist Suzanne Schulting (NED), 1:31.480 to 1:31.593, with Stoddard third (1:31.601) and fellow American Kristen Santos-Griswold fourth.

Velzeboer won the 500 m in 42.108 and the Dutch won the women’s 3,000 m relay in 4:05.405, with the U.S. quartet of Eunice Lee, Julie Letai, Santos-Griswold, Stoddard third (4:09.740).

Belgian Olympic 1,000 m bronze winner Hanne Desmet (2:20.346) won the 1,500 m over Santos-Griswold (2:20.397), who won her ninth medal of the season, and Schulting (2:20.694).

The U.S. team of Heo, Marcus Howard, Santos-Griswold and Stoddard won the Mixed 2,000 m relay in 2:36.586, ahead of the Dutch (2:36.684).

The World Cup schedule will finish next week in Gdansk (POL).

● Snowboard ● The FIS World Cup Halfpipe season finished in Calgary (CAN), with Japan sweeping both titles via Ruka Hirano and Mitsuki Ono.

Australia’s Worlds runner-up Valentino Guseli won Saturday’s event, scoring 91.50 on his second run to best Hirano’s first-round 88.50, with Shulchiro Shigeno third at 86.75 in the third round. Hirano was second three times in five events and third once, finishing at 300 points on the season, to 230 for Guseli, with three-time World Champion Scotty James (AUS: 229) in third.

World bronze medalist Ono, 19, won the women’s event at 90.00, ahead of Maddie Mastro of the U.S. (88.25) and Japan’s Sena Tomita (87.00). It’s Ono’s second win in a row and third medal in four events this season; Mastro, a two-time Worlds medal winner, won three bronze medals in the four events. Ono finished with 380 points to 260 for Mastro and 230 for American Bea Kim.

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TSX BULLETIN: World indoor marks for Charlton and Kerr at fab Millrose, U.S. records for Monson, Fisher and St. Pierre!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Josh Kerr (GBR) won the Worlds 1,500 m last year and got the indoor two-mile world record at Millrose! (Photo: Stephen Pond/Getty Images for World Athletics)

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There was great anticipation for possible world records at the 116th Millrose Games in New York on Sunday, but in the first event on the track? That’s what happened, along with another world mark, three American Records and world-leading performances in six events:

● Men/Mile: 3:47.83, Yared Nuguse (USA)
● Men/Two Mile: 8:00.67, Josh Kerr (GBR) ~ World Record

● Women/60 m: 6.99, Julien Alfred (LCA)
● Women/Mile: 4:16.41, Elle St. Pierre (USA) ~ American Record
● Women/Two Mile: 9:04.84, Laura Muir (GBR)
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.67, Devynne Charlton (BAH) ~ World Record

In the first elite event on the track, Charlton was out fast and had the lead at the first hurdle against an excellent field that included world leader Tia Jones of the U.S. Jones came on as did Jamaica’s two-time World 100 m hurdles Champion Danielle Williams, but they could not dent the lead and she crossed in a world record of 7.67, busting the 2008 mark of 7.68 by Susanna Kallur (SWE). Williams and Jones went 2-3 in 7.79. Wow!

In the women’s 60 m, Alfred took the world lead with a powerful performance right from the start and ran away from everyone in 6.99, her fourth-fastest indoor 60 m ever. Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes was a distant second at 7.14.

American distance star Alicia Monson took over the two-mile once the pacing ended and led British star Laura Muir at the mile in 4:35.40. Ethiopian teen Melknat Wudu came up to challenge Monson and then Muir took over with 300 m to go. At the bell, it was Muir, 19-year-old Medina Eisa (ETH) and Wudu as Monson fell back, and then Eisa shot back Muir for the win in the final 50 m in 9:04.39, moving her to no. 2 all-time!

But Eisa was subsequently disqualified for an improper move that cut off another runner. So Muir ended up the winner with a national record of 9:04.84 (now no. 2 all-time) and Wudu moved up to second in 9:07.12 (no. 4 all-time). Monson got third and an American Record of 9:09.70 (no. 5 all-time), moving aside Elle St. Pierre’s 9:10.28 from 2021.

The men’s two-mile had record aspirations, with World 1,500 m champ Josh Kerr (GBR) and 2022 Worlds 10,000 m fourth-place Grant Fisher of the U.S. at the front of the pack. Fisher passed 1 1/4 miles in the lead with Kerr just behind and well clear of the rest of the field. Kerr took over with 300 m left and was clear of Fisher at the bell and charged home – raising his hand to the crowd with 50 m to go – and winning in a world record of 8:00.67, shattering British icon Mo Farah’s 8:03.40 time from 2015.

Fisher was second in 8:03.62 and claimed the American Record, displacing Galen Rupp’s 8:07.41 from 2014. Fisher is now no. 3 all-time and Cole Hocker of the U.S. finished third in 8:05.70 to move to no. 6 all-time. New Zealand’s George Beamish was fourth in 8:05.73 and now ranks seventh on the all-time list.

Australian Jessica Hull, the world leader at 3,000 m, took over the women’s Wanamaker Mile with a half-mile to go, trailed closely by American Record holder St. Pierre, who took the lead at the bell. St. Pierre opened up a 5 m lead with a half-lap left and steamed home in a world-leading 4:16.41, breaking her own U.S. mark of 4:16.85 from 2020. Hull got a national record of 4:19.03. St. Pierre stays at no. 3 all-time and Hull is now no. 10.

The men’s Wanamaker Mile was another world-record attempt, especially after the U.S.’s Yared Nuguse ran the no. 2 time in indoor history in 3:47.38 last year. This time, Nuguse was tracked early by World Road Mile champ Hobbs Kessler and Britain’s George Mills, with pacer Derek Holdsworth (USA) passing 440 yards in 55.64 and 880 yards in 1:52.28. Nuguse took over with four laps left, and passed the 1320 mark in 2:51.87, slowing to a 59.38 quarter.

Mills passed Kessler at the bell and Nuguse hit the gas and moved away to win decisively in 3:47.83, the no. 3 performance in history. Kessler came back to pass Mills on the final straight to get second in 3:48.66, now, the sixth-fastest indoor mile ever – at 20 – and now the no. 4 performer ever. Mills was third in 3:48.93, now no. 6 ever. Nuguse covered the final quarter in 55.96.

Everyone expected super-starter Christian Coleman – the world-record holder – to get out quick in the men’s 60 m, but Japan’s Hakim Sani Brown actually had the early lead. But Coleman came on and had the race in hand in the final 10 m and won in 6.51, equal-seventh in the world for 2024, but a good warm-up for next week’s USATF Nationals in Albuquerque. Sani Brown held fast for second n 6.54, equaling his lifetime best.

Bryce Hoppel came from behind in the men’s 800 m, moving past Kenyan Noah Kibet, the 2022 World Indoor runner-up, coming into the final straight and won in 1:45.54, to move to no. 7 on the year list. Kibet was second in 1:46.09 with Mark English (IRL) third in 1:46.61.

The men’s 60 m hurdles was a shocker, with Dylan Beard, who only got to the semis at the USATF outdoor champs in 2023, coming hard off the final hurdle to win in 7.44, moving to equal-third on the 2024 world list. He beat some big names, including 2023 Worlds bronze winner Daniel Roberts (7.51) and 2022 Worlds runner-up Trey Cunningham (7.52).

The men’s vault was down to Olympic silver winner Chris Nilsen and American Record man KC Lightfoot at 5.92 m (19-1), and neither could go higher, with Nilsen winning on the countback.

American Talitha Diggs – a Worlds 400 m finalist last year – came off the final turn and shot past Ireland’s Worlds 400 m fourth-placer Rhasidat Adeleke to win in 36.21 to 36.42. It’s Diggs’ second-fastest ever at the distance.

Former Stanford All-American Olivia Baker sprang into the lead at the bell in the women’s 800 m and it looked like Tokyo Olympic 800 m bronzer Raevyn Rogers was ready to strike off the final turn, but it was emerging star Allie Wilson who came back on the final straight to win in 2:01.61, ahead of Baker (2:01.91) with Rogers fading to sixth (2:02.49).

World Champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) and 2016 World Indoor champ Vashti Cunningham of the U.S. were the only ones left by 1.97 m (6-5 1/2) and Mahuchikh cleared cleanly on her first try and Cunningham got over on her third. At 2.00 m (6-6 3/4), Cunningham missed, but Mahuchikh got over on her third to win her sixth straight meet dating back to 2023.

Next week: the USATF Indoor Nationals, which will be the selection meet for the World Indoors in Glasgow in March.

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TSX REPORT: Paris 2024 medals include Eiffel Tower fragments; Infantino calls for match forfeits to stem racism; LA28 pitches MLB on Olympics

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic medals (Photo: Paris 2024)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Paris 2024 medals to contain hexagonal Eiffel Tower fragments
2. Infantino calls again for criminal charges on racism
3. Ceferin wins opening for added UEFA term, then walks away
4. Shiffrin: “my knee cannot handle the load of racing just yet”
5. LA28 pitches Major League Baseball on Olympic participation

● The Paris 2024 medals were revealed on Thursday and sport an Art Deco design by the renowned Maison Chaumet with a fragment of old Eiffel Tower iron – from prior renovations – attached to the face of each Olympic and Paralympic medal. A total of 5,084 will be made by the French Mint.

● Addressing the UEFA Congress in Paris, FIFA President Gianni Infantino again called for match forfeits as a way to battle racism in football, and asked for criminal penalties for offenders.

● UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin saw through changes to the organization’s rules that would him to run for essentially a fourth term, in 2027. Then he announced that he will not run! Amazing, particularly in the Olympic Movement.

● American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin provided a detailed update on her recovery from her 26 January crash, saying she is not yet ready to return to racing, but is continuing to work toward that as soon as practical. She also raised concerns on the workloads of the top skiers, which she believes is contributing to the rash of crashes this season.

● LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman made a well-received presentation to Major League Baseball owners about the possibilities for players to participate in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. But the schedule continues to be an issue.

● World Championships: Aquatics (4: China wins sixth straight men’s 10 m Synchro gold; Australia touches first in open-water 4×15; China concludes women’s Duet sweep; U.S. one of four unbeatens in women’s polo) = Biathlon (France dominates Mixed 4×6 km as IBU Worlds open) ●

● Panorama: Milan Cortina 2026 (total cost for new sliding track about $127.6 million) = Switzerland 2038 (Swiss Olympic approves advancing with IOC on bid revisions) = Aquatics (ex-FINA Bureau member Gyarfas sentenced to seven years for inciting murder) = Basketball (Lewandowski and Rizzotti named U.S. 3×3 coaches) = Football (“blue card” coming to send off whining players?) = Ice Hockey (Guerin picked as U.S. 2026 general manager) = Shooting (Italy sweeps ISSF World Cup Trap) = Sport Climbing (IFSC starts data collection effort to combat REDs) = Swimming (McIntosh hands Ledecky first 800 m Free final loss since 2010) ●

1.
Paris 2024 medals to contain hexagonal Eiffel Tower fragments

The medals for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games were revealed on Thursday, literally integrating the city’s iconic Eiffel Tower into each one.

Designed by the French jewelry house Chaumet – a part of the LVMH giant which is a Paris 2024 first-tier sponsor – the Olympic and Paralympic medals share a common front presentation, with a hexagonal piece of Eiffel Tower iron held on with “rivet”-style clasps to the front of the medal, with Art Deco-style radiant lines moving from the center to the edge.

It’s very French, almost in a 1920s style, in keeping with many of the design elements of the Paris 2024 approach.

The Eiffel Tower metal is the real thing. During renovations of the tower in the 20th Century, metalwork that was replaced was kept by the Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel for future use. And there is a tie to modern Olympic founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin, according to Societe President Jean-Francois Martins:

“With this unique metal from the Eiffel Tower, this medal has a historic character and is a nod to Pierre de Coubertin who, as a contemporary of Gustave Eiffel, was one of the last people to be able to visit the construction site of the Tower before it was opened.”

The hexagonal shape of the iron refers to France itself, with the shape of the country referred to internally as “l’Hexagone.”

The reverse of the Olympic medal – based on the 2004 Olympic design – shows Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory, emerging from the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, with the Parthenon and the Eiffel Tower at the top of the medal. The Paralympic reverse also pictures the Eiffel Tower, but from the ground, looking upward. The words “Paris” and “2024″ are inscribed in Braille. Further, engraved lines on the edge of the Paralympic medal allow the holder to feel whether they are for first, second or third place.

Both medal styles will be engraved with the specific sport and event on its edge.

A total of 5,084 medals are to be made and they’re pretty big:

● 85 mm in diameter (3.35 inches)
● 9.2 mm thick (0.36 inches)
● 529 g for gold medals (18.7 oz.)
● 525 g for silver medals (18.5 oz.)
● 455 g for bronze medals (16.1 oz.)

As usual, the gold medals are gilded with 6 g of gold, not solid gold. Manufactured at the Hotel de la Monnaie (the French Mint) in Paris, the silver is .925 fine and all of the silver and bronze medal stock is recycled.

Antoine Arnault of LVMH Image & Environment explained his company’s unique role:

“It’s the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that a jeweller has designed the medals. The Maison Chaumet creative team has conceived each medal as a jewel, taking inspiration from the Parisian craftsmanship of its legendary Place Vendôme workshops and illustrating the vocation shared by all the Houses in our group: the ability to make people dream.”

These medals will be dreamed about, that’s for sure.

2.
Infantino calls again for criminal charges on racism

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) once again called for match forfeits and criminal charges for racist behavior during his address at the UEFA Congress in Paris on Thursday:

“I want to mention just one topic, and that one topic is racism. We live, (as) we all know, in a divided world. We say that football unites the world, but our world is divided, our world is aggressive, and in the last few weeks and months, we have witnessed, unfortunately, a lot of racist incidents.

“This is not acceptable anymore.

“We have to stop this and we have to do whatever we can to stop this.

“Racism is a crime. Racism is something terrible. And I can be standing here and saying this to you all and you can be sitting there and nodding at me and saying: ‘Yes, that’s right.’ And we will continue, and still racism goes on.

“We have to eradicate that, and we have some tools in place. The problem is that we have different competition organisers, different competitions, different rules, and what we all do is, obviously, obviously, not enough. So, we have to take responsibility for this.

“The tools that we have are, of course, the three-step process of the referee, who can stop the game, interrupt the game and, ultimately, even abandon the game. The disciplinary consequences will have to be a forfeit against the team who has been responsible for the abandonment of the game if a game has been abandoned.

“We have to start criminal charges against those people who have acted in a racist way. We have to ban them from stadiums worldwide. We have to invest in education because, obviously, racism is also a problem of society. But that’s not enough, that’s not the answer.

“So, what I suggest to you, in addition to all this, is that we work all together in the next three months before the FIFA Congress in May in Bangkok. And at the Congress in May in Bangkok, we come all together with a strong resolution, united, all together, all 211 countries of FIFA, for the fight against racism.

“Let’s stop racism. Let’s stop it now. Let’s do it all together in a united way. And I thank you for your attention and I wish you a great Congress. Thank you very much. All the best.”

Infantino brought up the match-forfeit idea after AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan (FRA) – who is Black – walked off the field, followed by his teammates after insulting “monkey noises” from the crowd during the first half of an Italian Serie A match at Udinese on 20 January.

Udinese was sanctioned with its following home match to be held without spectators, but an appeal reduced the punishment to two matches with one end of the stadium empty.

Five fans were identified from stadium security video and were banned from all Italian sporting events for five years, the maximum penalty under Italian law.

3.
Ceferin wins opening for added UEFA term, then walks away

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (SLO), now serving out a third term as the head of the organization, saw the UEFA Congress pass a revision to its statutes that would have allowed him to run again.

And then he walked away.

The UEFA Congress in Paris passed – with one dissenting vote – a series of revisions to the UEFA Statutes, including a more precise definition of the organization’s term limits. Now, a UEFA President or member of the Executive Committee may serve not more than three full terms, not counting any partial term.

In Ceferin’s case, he became the head of UEFA in 2016 and served out the partial term of elected President Michel Platini (FRA), who resigned over scandals related to FIFA. Ceferin, now 56, was then elected in 2019 and 2023.

So, with the ability to run in 2027, he said he will not, telling reporters afterwards there were two reasons to amend the rules:

“The legal one is that it had to be changed because the text from the 2017 Congress was unclear and later clarified by the administration without the approval of Congress and that is illegal.

“The statutes had to be changed or term limits wouldn’t exist at all and many articles were published about it before anyone asking me any questions.

“The factual one, that’s my decision if I want to run after 2027, honestly speaking, I’m tired of COVID, I’m tired of two wars, nonsense projects of so-called super leagues. I’m also tired of self-proclaimed moral authorities who are moral just until it comes to their personal interests.

“I have decided, let’s say around six months ago, that I am not planning to run in 2027 anymore.

“The reason is that after some time every organization needs fresh blood, but mainly because I was away from my family for seven years now and I will be away from them for another three years to 2027.”

He noted that he did not say ahead of time what he would do:

“I intentionally didn’t want to disclose my thoughts for two reasons, first I wanted to see the real face of some people and I saw it, I saw good and bad.

“And of course, I didn’t want to influence the Congress, I wanted them to decide not knowing what I am telling you today, because that’s an honest decision.”

In the world of sports management, and especially in the Olympic Movement, such actions are unusual to say the least. Shocking would be more like it.

4.
Shiffrin: “ my knee cannot handle the load of racing just yet”

American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin posted a lengthy update on her recovery from 26 January crash in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on her Instagram page:

“Quick update from my end now that I’ve had a good little rehab block since my crash. First of all, thank you all SO much for your support of both @akilde and me…I want you to know how much it means to us. You have all been so wonderful.

“Second of all, I just want to address the number of injuries there have been lately, and send my best to all of those who are currently sidelined (including @iamsofiagoggia, most recently). Yes, this is ski racing, and yes – we choose to take the risk every time we push from the start gate. That said, the amount of injuries (especially among the top athletes) this year has been staggering.

“A lot has been said about it, and I absolutely agree with those who have asked that we take a better look at the demands on top athletes…both from a race calendar perspective as well the schedule with evening programs. It’s pretty hard to put into words what the actual demands are like for athletes who are in the top 15 in multiple disciplines and consistently on the podium. As Aleks recently mentioned, on top of the race calendar in itself, with post-race media and awards going well into the afternoon, then having full evening program (during the only 60-90 minutes of the weekend where we might otherwise be able to eat or get any recovery time) on multiple nights is a lot. It’s really too much. I absolutely believe that fatigue at this point in the season plays a role in the injuries we have seen lately, including my own.

“Lastly, although I’m feeling better each day and progressing well, I will not be skiing in Andorra this weekend. That stings as I have so many special memories in @soldeueltarterworldcup, but my knee cannot handle the load of racing just yet. I just need a bit more time to heal and re-condition.

“As I’ve mentioned, there was no major ligament damage and the structure within the joint of my knee looks good. Basically what we’re managing is an MCL sprain, a sprain of the tibial-fibular ligaments, as well as the bone bruise that I already had from earlier this season in Levi.

“I took a ton of stress to my whole leg when I crashed and stretched a bunch of things that are continuing to cause pain, although that is improving every day! The fact that everything is structurally intact is super positive, but I still need to be patient. There’s a lot at stake this season, but that is also the case with any season – I am in this for the long haul and want to ensure my knee is strong and I am fully capable of powerful skiing when I return to the start gate. Every day, pain gets better, motion gets more solid, smooth, and consistent…we’re managing it well and always moving a little bit forward with each session.”

5.
LA28 pitches Major League Baseball on Olympic participation

Major League Baseball owners received a detailed presentation this week on the 2028 Olympic Games from LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman, looking to include the world’s best players in the Olympic tournament in Los Angeles.

Following the owner’s meetings in Florida, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said that Wasserman made a “thoughtful and polished presentation” on the 2028 Games, but noted in a news conference afterwards the challenges:

“I think the pros are just the potential for association between two great brands … the opportunity to make a splash and attract the kind of attention that would be associated with a team – it would eventually be multiple teams, I suspect – of the best players in Major League Baseball in a short tournament like that.

“You’ve heard me before: Love that combination of nationalism and sport. I’m good on that.

“The cons, it’s the logistics. Everyday games are tough. They’re tough. And if you look at the calendar, I think it’s complicated by the proximity [of the Olympic Games] to what would ordinarily be the All-Star Game.”

Baseball was a demonstration sport at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and filled Dodger Stadium and drew an average of 48,195 for each of the eight days of the tournament. That enthusiasm led directly to the sport’s inclusion in 1992; it was included in 1996-2000-04-08, then removed and included again for the Tokyo 2020 Games at the request of the organizing committee.

LA28 obtained approval to add baseball, softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash for the 2028 Games last October at the IOC Session in India. A small tournament with six teams has been proposed to allow a short but dramatic tournament.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● At the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT), China won its sixth Olympic-program event without a loss by taking the men’s 10 m Synchro gold by more than 48 points.

Junjie Lian and Hao Yang won their third straight World 10 m Synchro title together, scoring 470.76 points, ahead of British stars Tom Daley and Noah Williams (422.57) and Ukraine’s Kirill Boliukh and Oleksiy Sereda (406.47). Yang also won in 2017, with Aisen Chen, and has four career Worlds golds in the event. China won the event for the sixth time in a row at the Worlds and nine of the last 10.

Daley, who won the Tokyo Olympic gold with Matty Lee in this event, has now won eight career Worlds medals (4-2-2). He was a member of the British Team gold squad earlier in the week. Joshua Hedberg and Carson Tyler of the U.S. finished 14th (324.51).

Australia won the open-water Mixed 4×1,500 m relay, barely out-touching Italy by 1:03:28.0 to 1:03:28.2, as Kyle Lee got his hand past Domenico Acerenza with a final push to the finish. Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky anchored his team into third place for the bronze in 1:04:06.8.

The U.S. squad of Mariah Denigan, Katie Grimes, Charlie Clark and Michael Brinegar finished fifth in 1:04:16.1.

In Artistic Swimming, China’s Liuyi Wang and Qianyi Wang completed a sweep in the women’s Duets, taking the Free Routine gold with 250.7729 points in a tight final with Dutch pair Bregje de Brouwer and Noortje de Brouwer (250.4979). Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe (GBR) won the bronze at 247.2626.

In the women’s water polo tournament, the U.S. won all three of its group matches and has moved on to the quarterfinals on the 12th, to play the winner of Australia vs. Great Britain.

The American women, one of the favorites for Paris, defeated the Netherlands, 10-8, then sailed past Brazil (21-5) and Kazakhstan (32-3). Spain, Hungary and Italy all won their groups at 3-0 as well.

● Biathlon ● At the IBU World Championships in Nove Mesto (CZE), France won a decisive opening victory in the Mixed 4×6 km relay, winning by 45 seconds over perennial power Norway.

Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon timed 1:09:24.4 with nine penalties to win, with the Norwegians at 1:10:09.6 (8) and Sweden third at 1:10:26.1 (10). The U.S. finished 11th with Vincent Bonacci, Sean Doherty, Deedra Irwin and Chloe Levins in 1:13:36.3 (6).

The Worlds resume on Friday and continue through the 18th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● During an Italian Senate hearing on Thursday, Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Georgetti was asked what the total cost of the now-approved sliding track in Cortina will be.

Georgetti explained that the total cost is expected to be €118.4 million, with €81.6 million for construction and €2.6 million already spent for the demolition of the old track. The original target cost was €47.7 million to renovate the Eugenio Monti track used for the 1956 Winter Games. (€1 = $1.08)

● Olympic Winter Games 2038 ● Switzerland is all in for 2038 and ready to work with the International Olympic Committee to revamp their proposal as required. According to its announcement:

“At the meeting on February 7, 2024, the Executive Board of Swiss Olympic commissioned the Switzerland 203X association to prepare the entry into the privileged dialogue in consultation with the IOC and to specify the proposal that was submitted to the sports parliament in November 2023. The revised proposal will be presented to the Sports Parliament at an extraordinary meeting on May 23, 2024 so that Swiss Olympic members can confirm the process and decide on the presented budget for privileged dialogue.”

The IOC liked the Swiss concept – proposed as a national project – but said it’s too spread out and needs more focus. The IOC wants to clean up the issues by 2027 and then formally award the 2038 Winter Games to the Swiss.

Switzerland’s appetite is not limited to the Winter Games, either, with Swiss Olympic approving a feasibility study to consider hosting the 2030 or 2034 multi-sport European Championships. The study is to be completed by the fall of this year.

● Aquatics ● Hungarian media entrepreneur Tamas Gyarfas, 74, was sentenced to seven years in prison for “incitement to premeditated murder” in a Budapest court on Wednesday.

In February 1998, rival media star Janos Fenyo was murdered by hired Slovakian Jozef Rohac, using a silenced sub-machine gun on Fenyo’s car in the middle of a Budapest intersection. Gyarfas was convicted of working with a known criminal, Tomas Portik, to arrange the slaying; Portik was also sentenced to a life term over orchestrating the murder.

Gyarfas was deeply involved in aquatic sports for years, serving as the president of the Hungarian Swimming Federation and a longtime member of the FINA Bureau, the governing council of the international sports federation now known as World Aquatics. He was a FINA Vice President from 2013-17.

Rohac was sentenced to life in prison in 2012; Gyarfas was charged in 2018 after the case was re-opened with new evidence in 2017. Gyarfas has maintained his innocence throughout and said he had nothing to do with the killing. In 2019, he wrote to The Sports Examiner and declared, “You have to be sure that I didn’t commit any crime.”

The Budapest court did not agree.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball announced its coaches for the men’s and women’s 3×3 teams for Paris, with Joe Lewandowski to oversee the men and Jennifer Rizzotti to work with the women.

Lewandowski is widely experienced, and was the coach of the 2023 Pan American Games 3×3 gold medalists and the 2023 FIBA World Cup runners-up. Rizzotti coached the women’s gold medalists for the Pan Am Games, the FIBA World Cup and the FIBA AmeriCup.

Rizzotti, the President of the WNBA Connecticut Sun, is also the head of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee, which will select the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team.

● Football ● The newest wrinkle in football officiating could be blue.

Discussions are underway about the introduction of a “blue card” which would sideline a player who complains excessively with referees or for some technical violations for 10 minutes. A second infraction would result in disqualification. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported an imminent announcement of testing of the new sanction, in youth and lower-level league events for men and women, but FIFA said the matter will be discussed further in March.

● Ice Hockey ● USA Hockey appointed Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin as the general manager for the American team at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and the “4 Nations Face-Off” in 2025.

Guerin was a member of the first three NHL-involved Olympic teams in 1998-2002-2006, winning an Olympic team in 2002.

● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Cup in Rabat (MAR), Italy’s Mauro de Filippis, the 2019 Worlds runner-up in Trap, won over 48-year-old Beijing 2008 Olympic champ David Kostelecky (CZE), 46-45, in the Trap final. The women’s title went to Italy’s 2012 Olympic winner Jessica Rossi, 42-39 over Alessandra Perilli of San Marino, the Tokyo Olympic bronze winner.

American Ryann Phillips, 20, the 2023 World Junior Champion, got third at 39. The Skeet events will be held over the weekend.

● Sport Climbing ● “The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has become the first International Federation to introduce comprehensive regulations related to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), with the implementation of a new event policy for athletes ahead of the 2024 season.”

REDs has been identified as an issue in the sport, which the IFSC describes as “a syndrome that affects health and performance and is caused by a mismatch between the calories eaten and burned during exercise.” A push for climbers to eat too little in order to maintain a lower weight for competition has become a worrying issue.

The condition has been identified only by body mass index in the past, but this has proved to be too crude a measurement, so deeper data such as blood pressure and heart rate will be considered now, with testing to take place during the IFSC World Cup season in 2024.

● Swimming ● Canadian teen Summer McIntosh, 17, already a four-time World Champion, won a stunning upset over American star Katie Ledecky in the women’s 800 m Free in the Southern Zone South Section meet in Orlando, Florida.

Ledecky, the three-time Olympic champion in the event and favorite for Paris, was out-dueled, 8:11.39 to 8:17.12. McIntosh shattered her prior personal best of 8:20.19 and is the first one to beat Ledecky in an 800 m Free final since 2010!

McIntosh is now no. 2 all-time at the distance, although Ledecky still owns the top 16 performances all-time. The time further clouds McIntosh’s potential schedule for Paris; the 800 m Free final is in the same session as the 200 m Medley and McIntosh was the 2023 world leader at 2:06.89.

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For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Court of Arbitration rejects Valieva’s “grandfather explanation”; Milan Cortina marks two years to go; call for sports anti-crime agency

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Olympic Rings projected on the Col Druscie ski track in Cortina to mark two years until the Milan Cortina Winter Games (Photo courtesy Manaz Productions)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Valieva decision published: “Grandfather Explanation” rejected
2. Cortina marks two years to go with 100-skier parade
3. Paris police chief warns Olympic “life” will be different
4. USADA’s Tygart calls for sports anti-crime agency
5. ESPN-FOX-WBD tie-up erupts to change U.S. television landscape

● The Court of Arbitration for Sport published the complete, 129-page decision in the Kamila Valieva doping appeal, finding that her use of trimetazidine was “intentional” within the meaning of the World Anti-Doping Code, but was careful not to brand her as a “cheater.” It rejected her primary defense of contamination from a glass or a dessert from her grandfather, and also explained the delay at the Stockholm lab which processed her sample.

● Guest correspondent Brian Pinelli captured the scene in Cortina d’Ampezzo as the two-years-to-go celebrations were made for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games there and in Milan. On Wednesday, the Milan-Cortina organizers also unveiled mascots Tina and Milo for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

● In an interview, the head of the Paris Police confirmed that there will be access restrictions in several areas related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but that accommodations have been made to allow life to go on – with some added protocols – during the event periods. But things will not be normal.

● The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency told a conference in Norway that an “anti-crime” agency for sports needs to be set on a worldwide basis, as was the World Anti-Doping Agency 25 years ago. Issues of abuse and competition manipulation are growing and need to be independently addressed, although how a criminal enforcement project would work is unknown.

● A major shake-up in sports television in the U.S. was announced Tuesday, with 14 channels from ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery to be combined into a single streaming application, possibly costing $40-50 a month. But Olympic sports and events are likely to be little impacted as NBC has most of them; however, the profile of these events may be lowered if the new combo pack takes off.

● World Championships: Aquatics (3: van Rouwendaal completes open-water sweep; China scores twice more in diving; Minisini wins 10th career artistic medal) ●

● Panorama: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (U.S. teams set to stay in Eaubonne for training) = Russia (Former Sochi 2014 head says Russia going its own way now) = Athletics (3: Katir suspended for whereabouts; Saruni arranged for lookalike to take a 2022 doping test; Sauders says she’s done with track after five more meets) = Cycling (Glasgow Worlds has economic impact of more than $250 million) = Football (UEFA distribution formula for $4.7 billion from 2024-27 men’s club events) = Wrestling (NCAA signals approval of women’s wrestling for 2025-26!) ●

1.
Valieva decision published: “Grandfather Explanation” rejected

The Court of Arbitration for Sport published the full, 129-page version of the arbitration decision concerning Russian skater Kamila Valieva and her doping positive from 25 December 2021, in which it upheld an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency and others and imposed a four-year sanction.

There was no doubt about the presence of Trimetazidine, a prohibited substance, in her sample. The question was how she ingested it. In the decision, it was stated that Valieva thought she might have taken a drink from the same glass that her grandfather had used at a lunch they had together on a training day; her grandfather was taking Trimetazidine at the time for a heart condition and had crushed the pills and mixed them in the glass with water. Or, one of the pills might have gotten into a dessert she ate there, or later.

The various appeals submittals from RUSADA, the International Skating Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency all agreed on the doping positive, with RUSADA’s view that the ingestion of the Trimetazidine was likely unintentional. The ISU appeal cast doubt on the grandfather story all together and believed that Valieva was taking the drug intentionally:

“The Athlete was taking Hypoxen and L-carnitine. There is expert evidence to suggest that TMZ has a synergistic relationship with these substances.”

The ISU asked for a four-year sanction, but would also accept a two-year sanction if the CAS panel found her ingestion of the drug to be involuntary.

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s position was that “The Grandfather Explanation ‘has no evidentiary basis whatsoever’ and ‘is more or less entirely unsubstantiated,’” and asked for a four-year sanction. Moreover, its submittal emphasized that:

“TMZ is recommended for use in Russian sport. It has been recommended in the Russian National Guidelines on Sports Medicine and a review of the scientific literature in Russia shows that ‘TMZ is widely recommended in elite sport in particular in support of the heart in connection with heavy training’ – in circumstances where the Athlete was diagnosed with a heart condition at the end of 2020.”

Valieva’s submittals rejected the appeal arguments and insisted that her ingestion of the drug was unintentional.

The arbitrator’s decision was that, beginning with the 2015 version of the World Anti-Doping Code, an intentional doping violation should carry a minimum four-year sanction, even for minors. And a doping charge is essentially presumed to be “intentional” if the actual source of the drug cannot be shown:

“While it is theoretically possible for an Athlete or other Person to establish that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional without showing how the Prohibited Substance entered one’s system, it is highly unlikely that in a doping case under Article 2.1 an Athlete will be successful in proving that the Athlete acted unintentionally without establishing the source of the Prohibited Substance.”

The arbitrators discounted the ISU and WADA notices of the use of Trimetazidine in Russian sports medicine as out of date, but did note that the drug is effective in increasing oxygen in the body, a benefit for harder training, and that due to side effects, is generally not prescribed to minors.

The bottom line:

“In light of the fact that the Athlete has not established, on the balance of probabilities, that she did not commit the ADRV intentionally, it must follow that the period of ineligibility is four years.”

The opinion did indicate that the panel was split, 2-1, on the length of the sanction, between two years and four years, but not on the question of a sanction for doping. It was also explicitly noted that Valieva was not found to be a “cheat,” but that she could not show grounds which would relieve her of a sanction for an “intentional” – as defined – doping finding.

The decision also illuminated the questions surrounding the delay of the Stockholm testing lab to which Valieva’s samples were sent. The lab was closed from 30 December to 10 January 2022, then resumed testing and got a positive result for Trimetazidine on 11 January. It re-tested the sample, but had three straight failures of its quality-assurance tests. It took from 20 January to 3 February to prepare a new protocol – and for some of the Stockholm lab staff to return from Covid-19 infections – which confirmed the testing validity on 7 February. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency was informed of the confirmed positive test on 8 February.

In the meantime, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Team Event in figure skating concluded on 7 February.

Valieva was suspended by RUSADA on 8 February and she immediately appealed to the independent Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee, which made a finding of “no fault” and ended her suspension, allowing her to continue competing at the Winter Games. Her situation was the subject of a review of a hearing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ad hoc division for doping at the Winter Games and allowed to compete pending an after-Games investigation.

2.
Cortina marks two years to go with 100-skier parade

The Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, will open on 6 February and programs were mounted in both locations for the two years-to-go date. Guest correspondent Brian Pinelli reported on the festivities in Cortina:

Excitement is quickly ramping up as celebrations were held in Cortina d’Ampezzo; the date marked exactly two years until the opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milan.

Festivities in Cortina on Tuesday evening kicked off with a torchlight parade of local skiers descending Col Druscie, the women’s 2026 Olympic Slalom trail, followed by the lighting of Olympic Rings on the mountain, all visible from the center of town below.

Cortina d’Ampezzo mayor Gianluca Lorenzi hosted the party in town, while expressing great enthusiasm, and a little bit of nervousness, in welcoming the winter sports athletes in 24 months.

“It will be amazing because in just two years we will be here along with the Olympic athletes and it will all be like a dream,” Lorenzi said. “There is already so much emotion here getting ready for Olympic Games.

“The feeling is amazing, but it is not so easy to comprehend what the Olympics will be like in Cortina, once again after 70 years.”

Cortina d’Ampezzo previously hosted the VII Winter Games in 1956.

“We will have about 1,200 athletes here and I hope after they return home it will be a dream for their whole life,” the Cortina mayor said.

Women’s Alpine skiing on the Olympian delle Tofane and Col Drusciè slopes, curling at the 1956 Olympic Ice Stadium, and bobsleigh, skeleton and luge at the Eugenio Monti Olympic Track – which just received the green light to be reconstructed last Friday (2nd) – are all planned to be held in the venerable Italian Dolomites resort.

Italian three-time Olympic medalist and 2020 overall World Cup champion Federica Brignone is thrilled about her country once again welcoming the world at the XXV Olympic Winter Games.

“I think it will be really important, just amazing, for our nation to have the Olympic Games once again,” Brignone said. “If you participate as an athlete, you will be part of the show.

“Our sport has changed a lot since 1956 and Milano Cortina 2026 is going to be really nice,” said the Italian three-time Olympic medalist. “The Olympic and winter spirit will really shine.”

Men’s Alpine ski races will be contested in Bormio on the Stelvio piste, a regular stop on the FIS World Cup circuit. In Milan, where ice events will be held, the Olympic Rings and Paralympic Agitos were unveiled in Piazza della Scala on Tuesday.

(For more, visit Brian Pinelli on Twitter and Instagram)

The Milan Cortina organizers also officially revealed the Games mascots Tina and Milo, two stoats (ermines), with “Tina” taking her name from Cortina and “Milo” from Milan.

They were unveiled at the Sanremo Music Festival on Wednesday; Tina will represent the Olympic Winter Games and Milo the Winter Paralympic Games.

They were selected from a schools contest which drew 1,600 entries with the winning concept from the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna from the region of Calabria. Tina and Milo are accompanied by six snowdrops, inspired by the other finalist concept submitted by the Istituto Comprensivo Sabin of Segrate in Lombardia.

3.
Paris police chief warns Olympic “life” will be different

“Life won’t be as it was before.”

That’s the key takeaway from Laurent Nunez, the Paris Prefect of Police, in an interview with Agence France Presse on the traffic conditions for locals during the Olympic and Paralympic period this summer.

Nunez previously announced that access to Olympic and Paralympic venue areas in and around Paris would be restricted, with residents required to have a mobile phone and obtain a (free) QR code to allow access. The concept remains in place, but there have been accommodations made:

“The important part is that we have opened up the number of exemptions in order to reflect the reality of people’s personal and professional lives in order not to paralyse their activity, while also upholding our rules on security. ...

“There will be special lanes [for Olympic traffic], detours. But our message is that we are doing everything to ensure essential car journeys are possible.

“The delivery of packages or meals in a vehicle is not allowed, but will be possible on foot.”

He explained that taxi drivers, caregivers and emergency technicians – locksmiths, for example – would be able to enter restricted areas, provided they have registered their status ahead of time.

The exact outlines of the restricted areas are expected to be revealed by the end of February.

4.
USADA’s Tygart calls for sports anti-crime agency

The World Anti-Doping Agency was created in 1999. Now, 25 years later, Travis Tygart, the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, is calling for a similar body to be created to control crimes in sport.

He told the 2024 Play The Game Conference in Trondheim (NOR):

“There is an incredible need for it, particularly because of the sexual abuse cases in sport. It’s horrific stories. Sport has to care about individual lives who are being affected.

“And the manipulation of competitions as well. Just as in the anti-doping space, the public, broadcasters, and sponsors are not going to stand for sport that does not have a legitimate outcome. Fairness is at the heart of why we play sport in life. Sport is so valuable, so I think absolutely there is a need for it.”

The questions of what such an agency would look like, funded and staffed are all to be solved. But Tygart wants to start:

“It is only a matter of time before something happens. And then those who want to see change are going to be in a certain state of panic like the world of sport was back in 1999 and that ultimately led to the World Anti-Doping Agency being established.

“The dark side always exposes itself. In the U.S, we now have an unprecedented piece of legislation that gives 20 million dollars to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an independent organization that tries to tackle these issues. There is a lot of ‘devil in the detail’ of how to make that truly effective, both in the U.S. but also around the world.

“It can’t be a political body where politicians are influencing the decisions. And then I think you need to have the proper authority. That means it cannot become an overly bureaucratic organization that through regulation attempts to control everyone and gets rid of the discretion and trust of those in the field who have to make difficult decisions.”

Ironically, Tygart, who has railed against the failures of the worldwide anti-doping system, still sees some sort of anti-crime agency that could come out of the same concept:

“We see incredible failures of the current anti-doping system. That does not erase all the great work. But a byproduct of all this regulation is that no one takes responsibility and let us be clear: We have a long way to go to win the gold medal for clean athletes.”

His comments came out of a seminar session titled, “Clearing Sport: Towards an agency countering crime and protecting integrity of sport?”

5.
ESPN-FOX-WBD tie-up erupts to change U.S. television landscape

Tuesday’s announcement of a forthcoming, direct-to-consumer mega-streaming package alters the American television market in a substantial way, but leaves the country’s Olympic television partner on the sidelines.

The announcement led with:

“ESPN, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery have reached an understanding on principal terms to form a new Joint Venture (JV) to build an innovative new platform to house a compelling streaming sports service.

“The platform brings together the companies’ portfolios of sports networks, certain direct-to-consumer (DTC) sports services and sports – including content from all the major professional sports leagues and college sports. The formation of the pay service is subject to the negotiation of definitive agreements amongst the parties.

“The offering, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2024, would be made available directly to consumers via a new app. Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product, including with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max.”

What this means is that 14 over-the-air and cable channels will be combined in a single offer:

● Disney (7): ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS
● Fox (4): FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN
● WBD (3): TNT, TBS, truTV

Baseball, college football, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL and a host of soccer fixtures will all be offered, but not the Olympic Games or any of the many sports contracted to NBC – such as the World Athletics meets and the Diamond League – and many U.S. national federation events. CBS, which has its own Paramount+ streaming service – is also not involved.

Pricing is being reported in the $40-50 per month range, so it isn’t going to be cheap, but the opportunity to bundle with other services could make a combined offer interesting for consumers.

Observed: What does this mean for American viewers of the Olympic Games or Olympic sports? In the short term, not much; to the extent such events are contracted to NBC – including the Olympic Games through 2032 and the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials events – they will continue as before.

But what this tie-up does is further erode the visibility of Olympic sport in the U.S. Beyond the Olympic Games, NBC has moved much of its Olympic-sport programming to the Peacock streaming service, which continues as a separate entity, at $6 and up per month. To the extent that the new three-network app absorbs fan interest, eyeballs and money – and its forthcoming impact is unknown – it further relegates Olympic-sport events off people’s schedules. To the extent it diminishes – if at all – Peacock’s share among sports fans, it lowers American Olympic sport’s presence.

Nielsen reported that, in December 2023, over-the-air and cable viewing accounted for 51.5% of all U.S. television viewing, with 35.9% streaming and 12.5% for other uses, such as video games. Streaming advanced from 32.8% in January of 2023, a 9.5% gain in one year.

With the implosion of newspapers continuing nationally, the opportunities for U.S. Olympic sports to obtain awareness and impact are already challenging. As none of the three U.S. entities that are part of this new streaming venture have much at all to do with America and the Olympics, it’s another worry point for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the National Governing Bodies.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● Day six of the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT) featured the two 5 km open-water events, with Rio 2016 Olympic and 2024 Worlds 10 km champ Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) completing her sweep of the Doha women’s events.

Trailing Australia’s Chelsea Gubicka into the final half of the last lap of the non-Olympic 5 km race Wednesday, van Rouwendaal charged in the final 150 m to get the lead and then touched first in 57:33.9, with Gubicka at 57:35.0 and Brazilian star Ana Marcela Cunha third (57:36.8).

American Katie Grimes was fourth (57:38.4) and teammate Mariah Denigan was 12th (57:55.3). Gubicka has now won silvers in the 10 km in 2023 and now in the 5 km; Cunha won her 16th career Worlds open-water medal (7-2-7).

France celebrated a 1-2 finish in the men’s 5 km with 2019 Worlds silver winner Logan Fontaine passing Rio Olympic 10 km bronze medalist Marc-Antoine Olivier in a blanket finish among five swimmers. Fontaine was timed in 51:29.3 to 51:29.5 for Olivier, who also won the 10 km silver in Doha, with Italy’s Domenico Acerenza third (51:30.0) and Hungary’s 10 km winner Kristof Rasovszky fourth (51:30.5).

China is concentrating on the Olympic-program events in diving and swept Wednesday’s men’s 3 m Springboard final and the women 3 m Synchro.

Two-time defending World Champion Zongyuan Wang took his third title in a row at 538.70, followed by Tokyo Olympic champ Siyi Xie (516.10). Osmar Olvera (MEX), the 1 m Springboard winner, got the bronze (498.40). Americans Tyler Downs (342.35) and Grayson Campbell (328.00) were 29th and 37th in the prelims.

China also sailed to gold in the women’s 3 m Synchro with Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen winning their third World title in a row at 323.43, trailed by Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith (AUS: 300.45) and Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen (GBR: 281.70). Americans Alison Gibson and Krysta Palmer just missed the bronze, finishing fourth at 279.30.

For Chang, 22, it’s her fourth Worlds 3 m Synchro gold, as she also won in 2017, but with Tingmao Shi.

China now has five-for-five in the Olympic diving events, with three left and has won seven medals (5-2-0) in seven opportunities.

Italy’s Giorgio Minisini won the men’s Solo Free in the only Artistic Swimming final on Wednesday, scoring 210.1355 to win easily over Dennis Gonzalez (ESP: 196.2750) and Colombia’s Gustavo Sanchez (192.0812). It’s the 10th career Worlds medal for Minisini, including a total of four golds.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Reuters profiled the soon-to-be U.S. training center for the Paris 2024 Games in Eaubonne, France, about 10 miles north of the Olympic city.

Rocky Harris, the USOPC Chief of Sport and Athlete Services explained:

“It really has exceeded all of our needs. We’ve visited over a dozen facilities and this one early on, it became clear that it was our top choice.

“It really replicates a lot of what we have in our training centre back home so our athletes will feel at home here.”

Eaubonne itself is a town of 25,000 and has the Athletica facility, which includes 100 bedrooms, sports training and medical facilities, and a restaurant, with other venues close by. Both the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams will be supported there.

● Russia ● Dmitry Chernyshenko was well known in the Olympic Movement as the President of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games organizing committee. Now, as a Deputy Prime Minister in Russia, he has been harshly critical of the Olympic world since sanctions were imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Wednesday, he told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The Olympic Movement has been infected with the Russophobia virus and it has strayed from its core values as well as the Olympic spirit of competition.

“We can all see full well that the right to host the Olympic Games is granted to those countries that are simply ready to submit their bids and eventually they win this right without any competition.

“We hope that the International Olympic Committee will change its policies and cooperation will resume at some point. But this is a matter of perspective and Russia is now going its own way.”

● Athletics ● Another doping stunner, with Spain’s Mohamed Katir, 25, the 2022 Worlds 1,500 m bronze medalist and 2023 Worlds 5,000 m runner-up, provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for “whereabouts” failures.

This means he missed three tests within 12 months. He refutes the charges and expects to be cleared: “I consider that there is no violation arising from three location failures in the last twelve months. In some of the location failures reported by AIU, I was available at the place, date and times provided by me. …

“This is a simple file derived from the completion of location data on the ADAMS platform that could generate location errors (whereabouts).”

Even stranger is the case of Kenyan 800 m star Michael Saruni (1:43.25 best from 2018), who was suspended for four years – to 30 August 2027 – because he “adamantly, evaded, refused and failed to give a sample or submit to sample collection and by collusion or trickery escaped or left the venue.”

During the Kenyan World Championships Trials in 2022 in Nairobi, Saruni was identified for doping control after finishing ninth in the race. Then things got crazy:

“85. The Panel has held above that the Athlete was well identified and notified. He then changed clothes and in the company of the chaperone went towards the [doping control station] before hurriedly going into the male washroom on the run. Thereafter two people emerged from that washroom who were dressed in a similar manner. One was held who turned out to be Dennis Mwangi, but the Athlete Respondent was nowhere to be found. Dennis Mwangi was dressed exactly in the same or similar manner as had been described by the Chaperone Karen – ‘a blue hoodie jacket and black trousers with white stripes on the side.’

“86. Dennis Mwangi was a friend of the Athlete. He was present at the stadium that day not as an athlete but on errands and by invitation of the Athlete. He was not there to race. That he therefore ends up being detained in place of the Athlete/Respondent without other cogent explanation against the evidence by the four witness, in the panel’s view can only point to an intentional act of evading or avoiding to submit to sample collection. The Athlete, duly notified, consciously chose to walk/run away from the Chaperone and other [Doping Control Officers] instead of cooperating as required by the WADC. That action is commensurate with “evasion” which per [World Anti-Doping Code] comment to Article 3.2 in regard to sample collection ‘contemplates intentional conduct by the Athlete.’”

Wow.

The Olympic women’s shot silver medalist from Tokyo, American Raven Saunders announced she has one more year left in her. She posted on Tuesday:

“Just know I’m only doing 5 meets this year and then I’m retiring from Track and field!!!! I refuse to compete another year to struggle financially in a sport that shows no respect fiscally for my event #HULKOUTTF24″

She’s a two-time Olympian and a member of the 2017 U.S. World Championship team; she will finish an 18-month “whereabouts” failure suspension on 14 February 2024.

● Cycling ● A report on the first-of-its-kind UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland last year concluded that the event generated a total economic impact of £205 million, or about $258.95 million U.S. (£1 = $1.26 today)

Compiled by the professional services firm EY, the report noted:

● “A goal of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships was to promote Scotland as a tourism destination and engage a global audience. 1,000,000 visitors attended the Championships, over a third of whom came from outside Scotland; people travelled from five continents. Spending by visitors, teams and media provided a significant boost to local businesses.”

● “Over the course of their stay, international visitors contributed £115m in direct spending into Scotland, particularly through spend on accommodation and transport, while non-local attendees contributed over £105m to the region.”

● “In total, there was £344m of incremental spend across direct, indirect and induced impacts, which resulted in £205m of additional value added to Scotland-based businesses and supported the equivalent of 5,285 full-time jobs.”

The event was also judged to be a success on social impacts and was operated with a special emphasis on sustainability.

● Football ● The European Football Union (UEFA) Executive Committee met in Paris on Wednesday and approved the distribution formula for the €4.4 billion ($4.74 billion U.S. at €1 = $1.08) from its men’s club competitions from 2024-27:

“Of the projected threshold of €4.4bn: 10% (€440m) is allocated to solidarity with 7% (€308m) to non-participating clubs and 3% (€132m) to qualifying rounds clubs. In addition, €25m are reserved to UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Youth League.

“The net amount (after deduction of costs, solidarity payments and payments to other competitions) is shared between participating clubs (93.5%) and UEFA (6.5%).

“Out of the total amount available for distribution to participating clubs (€ 3.317 bn), €2.467bn (74.38%) will be distributed to clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League (and UEFA Super Cup), €565m (17.02%) will be distributed to clubs competing in the UEFA Europa League and €285m (8.60%) to clubs in the UEFA Conference League. The ratio between the three competitions has been kept on the same level as in the current 2021/24 cycle.”

These amounts are separate from the UEFA European Championships, or any of the women’s competitions.

● Wrestling ● A major win for USA Wrestling with the NCAA announcement that women’s wrestling is expected to hold its first NCAA Championship in the winter of 2026:

“The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics voted at its meeting Wednesday to recommend Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to add a national collegiate women’s wrestling championship.”

The vote on the proposals would come at the NCAA Convention in January 2025. The floor of 40 schools with women’s wrestling programs was passed in 2022-23, with 51 schools involved, and 70 projected for next season.

This would be the NCAA’s 91st championship sport, completing a process which started with the University of Minnesota-Morris adding women’s wrestling back in 1993-94. Already fielding a powerful team, USA Wrestling will quickly benefit from having collegiate programs to aid its development process.

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.

For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: New Balance indoor outdraws U.S. Marathon Trials on TV; Olympic T&F Trials tickets coming; San Diego ramps up World Road Champs

By
Rich Perelman
-
How about those ratings for the New Balance Indoor on NBC? (Photo: Nielsen audience report on SportsMediaWatch.com)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Fabulous! A 24th donor has helped reach 50% of our goal to cover technical and support costs. Can you join in? Please consider a donation to help keep TSX going. Thank you. ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. T&F out-draws Marathon Trials on NBC, 1.197 million to 760,000!
2. French financial prosecutors looking at Estanguet pay
3. Five more world leads at the Copernius Cup in Poland
4. Ticket packages and prices posted for Olympic Track Trials
5. San Diego looking to expand World Road Champs in ‘25

● Television viewing data from Neilsen showed that Sunday’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston significantly outdrew Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and had an excellent 1.2 million average audience to see Noah Lyles and others. The U.S. Figure Skating Nationals also drew significant TV interest, but the difficult time zone hurt the Australian Open.

● The French national financial prosecutor’s office is reported to be investigating Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet’s compensation in yet another inquiry into the organizing committee’s affairs. The Paris 2024 organizers expressed surprise at the reports.

● More hot indoor running and jumping, this time at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, with a sensational women’s 1,500 m won by Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu in 3:55.28, moving her to no. 3 all-time indoors.

● TrackTown USA revealed that all-session ticket packages for June’s U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene will go on sale on 20 February. There will be packages at five different levels, priced from $995 to $395, plus fees.

● A major expansion of the World Athletics Road Running Championships is coming for the second edition in San Diego in 2025. The three core races – mile, 5 km and Half Marathon – will be augmented with a children’s program, Gold Label Race Walking events, concerts and a lot more. Total participation of 50,000 is hoped for over three days with a total economic impact of perhaps $100 million.

● World Championships: Aquatics (2: China sails to another diving gold; Simoneau and China win artistic golds) ●

● Panorama: International Olympic Committee (With two years to go to Milan Cortina 2026, IOC has 227 scholarship recipients in winter sports) = European Games (Istanbul in line for 2027) = Alpine Skiing (French federation panned for not showing women’s World Junior races) = Weightlifting (North Koreans claim three world records at Asian Champs) ●

1.
T&F out-draws Marathon Trials on NBC, 1.197 million to 760,000!

The long-awaited U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials was in a good time slot on NBC on Saturday, with a noon start and at least five spots on the starting line in Paris this summer on the line.

Meh.

On the first Sunday without NFL football since the summer, the first major indoor track meet of 2024 was on in Boston, with stars including triple sprint World Champion Noah Lyles.

Yep, that got some interest.

Nielsen-provided audience numbers for the weekend showed that the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, live on NBC at 4 p.m. Eastern – the late NFL window – did a very respectable audience of 1.197 million, a 38% rise over the 2023 total on essentially the same date.

That was way ahead of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, also shown by NBC, at noon on Saturday, but on a two-hour tape delay, which drew 760,000. The network TV audience totals were hampered by the timing, as the live race was just finishing at noon on the Peacock streaming service.

The New Balance Grand Prix was the seventh-highest-rated sports show on Sunday, well behind the NFL Pro Bowl shows on ABC (3.85 million) and ESPN (1.83 million). The Marathon Trials ranked 18th on Saturday, behind college and NBA basketball, golf, auto racing, ice hockey and soccer.

And a cautionary note for followers of demographics: both the New Balance Grand Prix and Marathon Trials failed badly with younger viewers. In the 18-34 age group, just 69,000 watched the track meet (vs. 604,000 for the Pro Bowl) and 38,000 watched the marathon (vs. 513,000 for Duke-North Carolina men’s basketball).

Just behind Sunday’s track extravaganza was the lead-in, week-old exhibition skate replay from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which did very well at 1.084 million on NBC at 2 p.m., preceded by highlights of the ISU Four Continents Championships at noon, which did 828,000. Those numbers are up considerably from the usual 600-700,000 seen on Sundays against NFL regular-season and playoff games.

The U.S. Nationals in Columbus, despite being against the NFL conference championship games, drew strongly (all times Eastern):

● 25 Jan. (Thu.): 260,000 for the Pairs Short Program (USA: 2 p.m.)
● 25 Jan. (Thu.): 216,000 for the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance (USA: 5 p.m.)
● 26 Jan. (Fri.): 222,000 for the men’s Short Program (USA: 4 p.m.)
● 26 Jan. (Fri.): 2.207 million for the women’s Free Skate (NBC: 8 p.m.)
● 27 Jan. (Sat.): 1.071 million for the Ice Dance Free Dance (NBC: 2:30 p.m.)
● 27 Jan. (Sat.): 455,000 for the Pairs Free Skate (USA: 8 p.m.)
● 28 Jan. (Sun.): 764,000 for the men’s Free Skate (NBC: 3 p.m.)

The USA Swimming Tyr Pro Swim Series highlights from Knoxville that aired on Sunday (28th) at 2 p.m. on NBC drew 499,000.

The Australian Open tennis finals suffered from the time difference to Melbourne. The women’s final on Saturday (27; Australian time) was listed with a 3:30 a.m. Eastern start time by Nielsen and drew 338,000 on ESPN and then 184,000 on ESPN on an 8 a.m. replay. A third showing on the Tennis Channel at 11 a.m. Eastern had 111,000 viewing.

Sunday’s men’s final was also at 3:30 a.m. Eastern and drew 476,000 and then 256,000 for an 8:30 a.m. Eastern replay on ESPN2.

2.
French financial prosecutors looking at Estanguet pay

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, 45, the three-time Olympic canoeing gold medalist who has been a popular figure at the head of the organizing committee’s work since its formation in 2017, is reported to be under investigation by the French financial prosecutors, the Parquet national financier (PNF).

An inquiry was apparently started last week, with Agence France Presse reporting that “Estanguet received annual remuneration of 270,000 euros gross until 2020, according to figures communicated by [Paris 2024] in 2018.” (€270,000 is about $290,417 U.S.)

Stories last year explained that Estanguet does not draw a salary as a Paris 2024 employee, but has his pay channeled through his company, a common procedure. In the context of the FNP, however, it was reported that “The arrangement is to avoid a salary cap imposed on charities with the same status as the organising committee.”

The FNP has been examining Paris 2024 contracts, looking for favoritism or overpayments, but have so far had no impact on the continuing work of the organizing committee. The Paris 2024 compliance director said it had not been contacted on the matter by the FNP.

3.
Five more world leads at the Copernius Cup in Poland

The suddenly-hot indoor track & field season continued on Tuesday with the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun (POL), most of all for Poland’s 2019 World women’s 60 m champ, Ewa Swoboda.

She ran a world-leading 7.01 to edge Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, who scored a national record at 7.02, to highlight five world leads at the meet:

● Men/3,000 m: 7:25.82, Selemon Barega (ETH)
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.61 m (57-9 1/2), Andy Diaz (ITA)
● Women/800 m: 1:57.86, Habitam Alemu (ETH)
● Women/1,500 m: 3:55.28, Freweyni Hailu (ETH)

Barega, the Tokyo Olympic 10,000 m champ in 2021, held off countryman Getnet Wale in the 3,000 m, and moved to no. 5 all-time. Wale was second in 7:26.73, the no. 9 performance ever, but slower than his 7:24.98 best from 2021.

Former Cuban Diaz got a lifetime indoor best in the triple jump on his second try, then retired, winning by almost two feet.

Also impressive, but short of a world lead was Ethiopia’s two-time Worlds Indoor gold medalist Samuel Tefera, who won a fast 1,500 m in 3:34.61. That’s no. 5 on the world indoor list for 2024, but just barely ahead of countryman Biniam Mehary, 17, second in 3:34.83, setting a World Junior Record indoors. Remember that name this summer.

The women’s world leads in the distances also came from Ethiopia, with Tokyo Olympic finalist Habitam Alemu taking the women’s 800 m all alone at the finish in 1:57.86, an indoor best for her. The 1,500 m was tighter, with Freweyni Hailu flying into the lead with just 100 m left to win in 3:55.28 with Diribe Welteji (3:55.47), Hirut Meshesha (3:56.47) and Tigist Girma (3:58.79) completing an 1-2-3-4 Ethiopian sweep.

How fast was this race? Hailu and Welteji moved to nos. 3-4-5 all-time indoors, with the fourth, fifth and seventh-fastest races ever. Girma is now no. 9 all-time indoor with her fourth-place finish.

Coming on Saturday is another World Indoor Tour Gold meet, the Hauts de France in Lievin and then the Millrose Games in New York on Sunday.

4.
Ticket packages and prices posted for Olympic Track Trials

With the Olympic Marathon Trials concluded, the track & field meet is coming next, at Hayward Field in Eugene, from 21-30 June. The TrackTown USA organizers have posted the seating chart and pricing for all-session tickets that will go on sale beginning on 20 February 2024.

Five seating zones have been identified, with pricing:

● Zone 1: $995 for all sessions ~ finish line area
● Zone 2: $855 ~ home straight
● Zone 3: $725 ~ first curve to 1,500 m start
● Zone 4: $495 ~ backstraight
● Zone 5: $395 ~ second turn

No added seating is shown, so the facility capacity should be 12,650, with 12 sections being held out of this first sale. These are expected to be used for athletes, officials, sponsors and media. The map notes that “Order processing fees will be added to the cost of each ticket. Customers are limited to purchasing eight ticket packages.”

Comparisons with the Olympic Trials in 2021 are difficult due to Covid restrictions that impacted pricing then, but the combined cost of individual tickets for Zone 1 each day in 2021 – eight days in all – was $1,130 not including fees. That went down to $1,030 for Zone 2 and finally to $440 for Zone 7. There will be fewer zones for 2022 (nine days) thanks in part to the passing of the pandemic.

5.
San Diego looking to expand World Road Champs in ‘25

What was expected to be a brilliant introduction to the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga (LAT) last October had to be condensed to a single-day event over worries about impacts from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

There are no such concerns today over the second edition, to be held in and around Balboa Park in San Diego, California in 2025, with plans now underway to expand the concept very substantially:

● A three-day event has been approved for 26-28 September 2025, less than one week after the 21 September conclusion of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (JPN).

● The three-event program from Riga will be maintained: men’s and women’s mile, 5 km and Half Marathon, with a projected $321,000 in prize money.

● But mass-participation races are expected to draw 50,000 runners to the starting lines in San Diego, which has a fabled history as the birthplace of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. Goals for the mile are for 7,500-10,000 entrants, another 9-12,500 for the 5 km and 25-35,000 for the Half.

● The road mile will be staged as a series, starting at 10-minute intervals, from age-group up to Masters and finishing with the World Championship races. Same for the 5 km program, but the Half will be run as a single event, with timed waves following the Worlds races, which will start first.

● The Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Series format will be used, with live bands at every mile, cheerleaders at every mile, themed water stations, and a headline-performer concert at the post-race party every day.

Veteran organizer Tracy Sundlun, who co-founded the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, estimates the event budget at about $8.3 million, coming from registration fees for the mass-participation events and from sponsorships.

But the plan moves well beyond the road running components and is expected to include a free-entry children’s program for up to 10,000 kids – coordinated with area schools – and a showcase for the usually-ignored race walkers. The plan is to offer separate races in all three distances for race walking and to offer prize money and travel assistance that will allow these races to be certified as World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold Label events.

This could be a pivot point for race walking in the U.S., especially if these events are continued as a legacy program. San Diego and environs has been a center for walking and has hosted at least one USA Track & Field National Championship for the past 11 years. The total economic impact of the 2025 program could approach $100 million.

Observed: This event has the potential to morph into a major annual U.S. running festival beginning in 2026. If the 2025 World Roads is successful and supported by the San Diego running (and walking) community as well as local business, it is not hard to see this kind of event being held annually, possibly with multiple USA Track & Field national championships in running and walking, or the start of a new tradition, just as marathons in Boston, New York and Chicago got going and became annual attractions on their own.

There’s a long way to go before then, but the potential is there and with Sundlun and others who have developed high-profile programs before, the opportunity is too good to pass up.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● Day five of the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT), and the expected Chinese domination in the Olympic diving events, this time with a 40-plus-point win for their “teen team” in the women’s 10 m Synchro.

The amazing Hongchan Quan – still just 16 – and Yuxi Chen (18) went 1-2 in the women’s 10 m Platform final on Monday and teamed up to win their third straight 10 m Synchro Worlds gold together over the last three years. They scored 362.22 points vs. 320.70 for North Koreans Jin-mi Jo and Mi-rae Kim; Kim won her third career Worlds medal and her first since 2017! Britain’s Andrea Splendolini-Sirieix – the 10 m Platform bronze winner – got a second medal in tandem with Lois Toulson, after finishing second together in 2023.

Americans Jessica Parratto and Delaney Schnell, the Tokyo Olympic silver winner, finished eighth at 271.26.

Canada’s Jacqueline Simoneau took the women’s Solo Free routine gold, after finishing second in the Solo Technical. She scored 264.8207 to 253.2833 for Solo Technical winner Evangelia Platanioti (GRE), with Belarusian “neutral” Vasilina Khandoshka third (245.1042).

China won the Team Technical routine gold at 299.8712, well ahead of Spain (275.8925) and Japan (275.8787). The U.S. ended up fourth at 266.9333.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The IOC noted that with two years to go – the opening will be on 6 February 2026 – its Olympic Solidarity program is now supporting 229 Olympic scholarship holders and 57 National Olympic Committees. What does that mean:

“Scholarship-holders receive a monthly grant to contribute to their qualification efforts, which can help alleviate the financial strain of pursuing their sporting dreams.”

The IOC says that many more scholarships are expected to be awarded in advance of the Milan-Cortina Games.

● European Games 2027 ● Following a meeting of the European Olympic Committees Executive Committee in Madrid (ESP), President Spyros Capralos (GRE) noted the candidature of Istanbul (TUR) for the European Games in 2027:

“It is a sign of the standing of the European Games and the success of last year’s event that a city such as Istanbul are prepared to host the fourth edition in 2027.

“In today’s world, it is very difficult to attract candidates to organise multisport events, but Istanbul have demonstrated that they have the infrastructure required to host the Games and would welcome the benefits that it would bring to the city. We look forward to visiting Istanbul for further discussions.”

The 2023 European Games were successfully held in Krakow-Malopolska (POL) last year, but no successor host has been named.

● Alpine Skiing ● When money is tight, is it better to show some of a competition, or none?

That’s the dilemma that the French skiing federation found itself in for the recent World Junior Championships in alpine skiing. But it didn’t turn out well per the FIS statement:

“After the recently concluded Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in France, several athletes and fans commented on the lack of gender balance in the available livestreams offered as only the men’s slalom and giant slalom were broadcast, while the women’s events from the same disciplines were not aired.

“FIS acknowledges that livestreaming only the men’s slalom and giant slalom at the Alpine Junior World Ski Championships is not in line with the FIS values of equal opportunity and gender equality. FIS should have insisted on the same broadcast exposure for the women’s competitions, and we are taking the feedback we have received to heart. We will focus on promoting all FIS competitions and FIS athletes equally in the future to avoid any kind of similar situation in the future.”

The French federation statement explained that the events were held at different sites and there was insufficient funds to cover broadcasting of all of the events.

Observed: There are questions raised by all this: where was FIS in all of this, since it was their championship? Is it better not to show anything? And, the wisdom of holding events in as few venues as possible – in order to save money – continues to be a winning concept for sporting events of all kinds.

● Weightlifting ● North Korea is dominating the Asian Championships in Tashkent (UZB), winning the first eight classes in a row and setting world records along the way. But without the possibility to go to Paris this summer.

Having re-entered competition too late in the qualifying cycle to reach Olympic qualification, the PRK lifters are re-writing the record books instead. In Tashkent so far, three new women’s world marks for total weight lifted:

● Women/45 kg: 192 kg total, Hyon-sim Won (PRK)
● Women/49 kg: 220 kg total, Song-gum Ri (PRK)
● Women/55 kg: 227 kg total, Hyon-gyong Kang (PRK)

The competition continues through the 10th.

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TSX REPORT: Italy confirms Cortina sliding center build; Valieva decision may not be published; why did NBC keep Kara Goucher quiet?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic Speed Skating gold medalist Erin Jackson of the U.S. (Photo: International Skating Union)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Contract signed to build Cortina sliding track
2. RUSADA to ask for Valieva decision to stay confidential
3. Marathon Trials a success, but why did NBC silence Goucher?
4. New Zealand case authorizes athlete collective bargaining
5. Doping-encouraged event gets billionaire backing

● Against the advice of the International Olympic Committee, the Italian government confirmed the nearly-$88 million contract to build a sliding track in Cortina d’Ampezzo for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The national finance minister suggested putting up a countdown clock to remind everyone of the tight timeline.

● The Russian Anti-Doping Agency announced that it may not allow publication of the actual decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport panel in the Kamila Valieva doping case. That’s their right under the Court of Arbitration rules; however, an appeal may also be made to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

● The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials were a success in Orlando on Saturday, with the area expecting a $12-15 million tourism boost. The races were dramatic, but NBC’s sound engineers did no favors for analyst Kara Goucher, whose voice was drowned out again and again by inflated crowd noise. What’s that about? Men’s third-placer Leonard Korir looks good for eventual Paris qualification, but that won’t be settled until May.

● In New Zealand, an athlete collective of cyclists and rowers formed a “union” under national law and demanded collective bargaining with High Performance Sport New Zealand for better funding and conditions. An Employment Relations Authority judge agreed that collective bargaining should be allowed, but with no requirement that any agreement be made. The ruling may be appealed.

● The doping-encouraged “Enhanced Games” idea has received some funding, and is still in the planning stages for mid-2025 at a U.S. location. It has been called dangerous, but the founder says it’s simply a way to free up science.

● World Championships: Aquatics (2: China 1-2 in women 10 m diving, and sweeps two in artistic) ●

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (Italian star Goggia crashes, has surgery) = Archery (Ellison, Kroppen win World Indoor Series in Vegas) = Athletics (world leaders by McRae, Pinnock, Alfred) = Basketball (USA Basketball named women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament team) = Cricket (men’s ICC U-19 World Cup proceeding without more protest as South Africa reaches semis) = Ice Hockey (Hockey Canada suspends entire 2018 men’s World Junior team over assault allegations against five) = Modern Pentathlon (French federation loses €600,000 in bank cyber-assault) = Ski Mountaineering (France’s Harrop sweeps women’s World Cup races) = Speed Skating (Jackson wins ISU World Cup 500 m title) ●

1.
Contract signed to build Cortina sliding track

The Italian governmental agency responsible for the construction related to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games – the Societa Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 SpA – known as SIMICO, confirmed the contract with Para-based construction Impresa Pizzarotti & C. on Friday (3).

Now the race begins to get the track built in Cortina d’Ampezzo, replacing the dismantled Eugenio Monti track built for the 1956 Winter Games. The Italian news agency ANSA reported (computer translation from the original Italian):

“[A]ccording to the contract, Pizzarotti will have 685 days to complete the work, therefore counting Saturdays and Sundays the construction should be completed by early January 2026, practically one month from the opening ceremony of Milan-Cortina. But in terms of construction times for the casing, however, there is another date with a red circle on the calendar: 15 March 2025. By that day the track must be ready for a first test, the one in which bobsleighs and sleds evaluate the dangerousness of the curves to then put any corrections into practice.”

The contract is for €81.6 million, or about $87.8 million U.S., with work to start on 19 February.

The International Olympic Committee has remained opposed to the project, preferring since the bid phase an existing track; its statement noted:

“The timelines set by the International Federations of these sports to homologate and run test events on any new or renovated track have to be respected.

“With this in mind, the IOC has strong concerns about the delivery of this project by the required deadline of March 2025, which is necessary to validate and homologate the track, as no sliding track has ever been completed in such a short timeframe. This concern is shared by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and the International Luge Federation.

“Therefore, the IOC has asked the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee to prepare a plan B as contingency in case of any delays, to ensure bobsleigh, skeleton and luge competitions can be held during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

“The new project for the sliding track in Cortina does not address these issues as the planned design does not include any viable sustainable use or legacy following the Games and does not deliver a venue that meets all technical requirements, increasing significantly cost and complexity for the organizing committee that will have to make up for the gaps.”

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation is also worried:

“[T]he IBSF raised its serious concerns on the tight construction timeline given the fact that the homologation of the sliding track has to take place in March 2025. As an international federation, the safety of athletes, officials and spectators has the highest priority, followed by a sustainable legacy plan for the use of the sliding center after the Olympic Winter Games. …

“The IBSF fully supports the IOC´s request to the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee to prepare a plan B as a contingency in case of any delays. Therefore, it appreciates the decision of the Board of Directors of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation Board, to give the CEO of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee the mandate to continue the work of negotiating a possible plan B.”

And there is worry in Italy, too, with national Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti joking – he said he was joking – that:

“The Olympics don’t come every two years, they’re coming in 2026 and then they won’t come again, and I’m beginning to regret backing it, because I feel the responsibility.”

He added, more seriously:

“I want to put a nice electronic board at the entrance to Valtellina that indicates how many days are left to realize the sense of urgency needed.

“I read about the bobsled track, little by little things are moving. The date is that it can’t be moved, you have to run more and recover.”

2.
RUSADA to ask for Valieva decision to stay confidential

“RUSADA respects athletes’ rights and in this case we resorted to all possible means to protect confidential information regarding our client.

“We have received the reasoning behind the [Court of Arbitration for Sport] decision and our lawyers are already examining it. It is very likely that we will ask CAS to keep confidential this decision’s reasoning section.”

That statement from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency on Friday signals that the detailed, written decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the Kamila Valieva doping appeal case, decided in favor of the World Anti-Doping Agency, will not be publicly released for some time, if ever.

Following the announcement of the CAS arbitration decision on 29 January, the Court of Arbitration explained the process for release of the written opinion:

“The Arbitral Award issued by the CAS Panel is currently subject to a confidentiality review meaning that the parties might request that the Arbitral Award, or certain information contained in it, remain confidential.

“For this reason, the Arbitral Award was not immediately published on the CAS website.

“The review will take a few days to complete but it is possible that the award, either redacted or in its entirety, might be published by the end of next week.”

One issue in the release of the decision is that Valieva was 15 at the time of the doping incident, on 21 December 2021, and is still a minor, aged 17. The World Anti-Doping Code has protections for minors as to the release of information about doping incidents, but no restrictions on possible penalties, as Valieva was given a four-year ban for the use of Trimetazidine, which showed up in her December 2021 test.

Further, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is not a formal court in the governmental sense, but an arbitration program between the involved parties, all of which can ask for some or all of a decision not to be released. That appears to be the situation now, but the decision could be released at a later time if the objecting party relents.

And there is a possible appeal. French attorney Andrea Pinna said in a statement:

“I confirm that my law firm is representing Kamila Valieva. We are not commenting at this time; the athlete’s legal team is reviewing the decision, which is over 130 pages long, before commenting and deciding on further action, which may indeed include challenging its validity in the Swiss Federal Court.”

3.
Marathon Trials a success, but why did NBC silence Goucher?

The coverage was all about the race and that’s the way it should be for a signature event like Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Florida.

The skies were sunny, the weather was temperate enough not to be an overriding factor and the loop course – a short, 2.2-mile opener and then three loops of eight miles each – made it possible for athletes to gauge the race and for the crowds around the finish to cheer as the race progressed.

There weren’t many spectators outside of the finishing straight on Rosalind Avenue, and the aerial shots of the race on NBC leads to an educated guess of perhaps 25,000 spectators out to see the Trials on Saturday morning.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer predicted a $12-15 million economic impact from not only the runners, but families, fans, news media and officials coming into town for the race, served by 1,500 race volunteers.

This was a success for the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and the Track Shack race directors, and after the tug-of-war on the starting time was settled, for USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee for its lack of drama away from the race itself.

For those watching NBC’s race coverage and wanting more, the second-screen Trials online leaderboard and race statistics presentation was superb: mile-by-mile splits, constant updates and clear, easy-to-read graphics. The only thing missing was a live blog – World Athletics has perfected this – for added comments such as drop-outs during the race, or updated weather. Maybe next time.

The television planning was excellent and there were all of the expected aerial shots – especially on Rosalind Avenue – and the on-course cameras and audio worked most of the time.

There was one major glitch, which seems to have spread like a virus on live sports coverage across all networks. Drowning out the announcers with potted-up crowd noise.

Except for the finish area, there wasn’t that much noise from fans on most of the eight-mile loop. And while play-by-play host Leigh Diffey (AUS) could be heard clearly, analyst – and 2007 Worlds 10,000 m silver medalist – Kara Goucher could not.

Goucher has a soft voice and was consistently muffled by amped-up crowd noise to the point where many of her comments were unintelligible. Maybe they were interesting, maybe they weren’t important, but who could tell? If Goucher’s comments couldn’t be heard, why was she on the broadcast to begin with?

Why can’t NBC give her more respect?

And the same thing happened on Sunday at the New Balance Grand Prix indoor meet, especially with Lewis Johnson trying to do interviews against the very loud public address system at The Track at New Balance. But in one interview, the sound engineer was on it and potted down the background noise to allow Johnson to get a few words out of Ethiopian star Gudaf Tsegay after the women’s 1,500 m. It is possible.

The races were great, and there was good coverage where possible of some of the drop-outs, with Diffey also adding information as he got it. Marathon debutante Paul Chelimo, the twice Olympic medalist at 5,000 m, did not finish; neither did Scott Fauble, expected to contend for the Olympic team, or Abdi Abdirahman, the five-time Olympian and oldest in the field at 47.

On the women’s side, debutante Jenny Simpson did not finish. Neither did defending champ Aliphine Tuliamuk, and contenders Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina. Des Linden, 40, running in her fifth Olympic Trials, finished 11th, after 13th in 2008, then second, second and fourth in 2012-16-20. Sara Hall, also 40, was competing in her eighth Olympic Trials – her third marathon to go with five track Trials – finished a very creditable fifth.

One of the remaining mysteries following the Trials was what will happen to third–placer Leonard Korir, 37, who moved up from fourth in 2020, but is not yet confirmed for Paris. His 2:09:57 time helped his cause and ranks about 68th on the World Athletics Olympic protocol list for Paris qualification, with 80 runners (but not more than three per country) to be finally confirmed in early May.

4.
New Zealand case authorizes athlete collective bargaining

An interesting administrative labor ruling in New Zealand has held that an athlete “union” as defined under New Zealand law, has the right to ask for collective bargaining talks with High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ).

An action was brought in 2022 by an athlete group of New Zealand cyclists and rowers, calling themselves The Athletes Cooperative, Inc. (TAC) and asking for collective bargaining with High Performance Sport NZ, which leads the country’s elite-performance programs for international competition.

HPSNZ refused to enter into collective bargaining with The Athletes Cooperative, noting that such efforts were done with unions on behalf of employees, and the athletes were individual contractors and not employees. The matter was escalated to the Employment Relations Authority, which heard the matter over the past year, with an opinion issued by Authority member Rowan Anderson on 26 January 2024.

It’s important to note that the decision was made strictly based on New Zealand law, and may well be appealed by HPSNZ. Anderson’s review of the situation and application of the Employment Relations Act 2000 showed an expansive view of the law and a willingness to stretch a bit beyond its written outlines.

Essentially, The Athletes Cooperative insisted that as a group of individuals which are involved with the HPSNZ for funding and support, it has the right to come together and under New Zealand law, can ask for collective bargaining, even though none of them are HPSNZ employees. HPSNZ said no.

Anderson noted very specifically that there is a wide chasm between the initiation of collective bargaining talks and an agreement that could be offered to union members for ratification. In fact, he pointed out that even if the “union members” do not want to have the union engage in collective bargaining, the union itself can still enter talks, and anything they come up with can be refuted later in an attempt at ratification.

He also saw no problem with a “union” which had no employees going ahead with talks with a prospective employer. However, he also explained that simply starting collective bargaining talks does not mean there would be any agreement:

“Section 33(1) of the Act, for example, requires the parties to conclude a collective agreement unless there is a genuine reason, based on reasonable grounds, not to. Here, there may well objectively be a genuine reason, based on reasonable grounds, why the parties might not conclude a collective agreement. However, that does not in my view suggest that bargaining cannot be commenced. …

“Here, the issue is squarely in relation to employment rather than independent contracting. TAC is seeking to bargain for a collective agreement. Such bargaining clearly applies to employment, as opposed independent contracting arrangements. That does not in my view preclude a union seeking to initiate bargaining in relation to a collective agreement that, if concluded, would set terms and conditions of employment for potential future employees.”

Anderson’s liberal view of the law is likely to be challenged by HPSNZ, and is grounded specifically in New Zealand law. But the case is a fascinating milestone for those who think that collective bargaining by athletes will somehow settle questions such as where the money for athlete demands is supposed to come from.

5.
Doping-encouraged event gets billionaire backing

The “Enhanced Games” is a doping-friendly concept in which amped-up athletes on whatever drugs they can get compete to break world records in events people are supposed to care about.

Australian attorney Aron D’Souza led the fight by German-born PayPal founder Peter Thiel against Gawker Media in the Hulk Hogan defamation matter, and D’Souza confirmed last week that Thiel and other investors are supporting his “Enhanced Games” concept slated to debut in mid-2025.

In an interview with the European-business-focused Sifted Magazine, D’Souza explained:

“‘The Olympic Games are this ancient model reinvented by a colonialist aristocrat in 1896 for the Victorian world,’ he tells Sifted. ‘We need to design a Games for social media and broadcast television.”

“That means dispensing with the events people ‘aren’t interested in,’ like badminton, curling and long distance running. Team sports, which require more competitors and more ‘complex’ logistics, are also out.

“Instead, the Enhanced Games will focus on a limited number of single-person events in the areas of track and field, swimming, gymnastics, combat and weightlifting.

“‘Our core focus is breaking world records,’ says D’Souza. ‘We only want athletes who have the potential to break world records in sports that actually matter. And so by having a much narrower set [of events], we can deliver much more cost effectively.’”

The event would be held annually in the U.S., with qualifying events in Australia, Britain and India.

Crazy? Dangerous? Probably, but it appears D’Souza may get enough money to be able to try out his vision at least once.

It’s another headache-in-the-making for the Olympic Movement.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● At the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT), Chinese power was on display in the women’s 10 m Platform final with a 1-2 finish as Hongchan Quan and Yuxi Chen both finished more than 50 points ahead of the bronze medalist.

Quan came in as the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist and had won 2022 and 2023 Worlds golds in the 10 m Synchro event. This time, she moved up from individual silvers in 2022 and 2023 and won by improving in each round, finishing at 436.25 to win in the final.

Three-time defending champ Chen, the Tokyo silver winner and 2022-23 Worlds winner, led the prelims (435.20) and semis (421.85) and managed 427.80 points in the final, but had to settle for her first Worlds silver after five golds across the last three Worlds.

Third was Britain’s Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix at 377.10. Katrina Young was the top American, in 20th, and did not advance to the semifinals.

In Artistic Swimming, China won the women’s Duet Technical with 266.084 points to 259.5601 for Great Britain and 258.0333 for Spain, and China’s Shuncheng Yang took the men’s Solo Technical at 246.4766 over veteran duets star Giorgio Minisini (ITA: 245.3166) and Colombian Gustavo Sanchez (231.0000). American Kenneth Gaudet was seventh (215.4333).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Another major star crashes out, as Italy’s Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic Downhill gold medalist, broke two bones in her right leg Monday during a Giant Slalom training run in Ponte di Legno, Italy and was taken to a Milan hospital for immediate surgery.

Goggia had won two FIS World Cup races this season and was leading the Downhill discipline, but is now out for the rest of the season. She had a metal rod attached with seven screws to begin repairing her tibia and malleolus bones. “I’ll come back this time, too,” she said before the operation.

This is only the latest crash for Goggia, who has suffered significant injuries to both legs, knees and a hand and arm since 2010, but has come back each time.

This latest injury follows a series of crashes by skiing stars this season, including American star Mikaela Shiffrin, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), Petra Vlhova (SVK), Alexis Pinturault (FRA) and Swiss Corinne Suter and Wendy Holdener.

● Archery ● Americans made the finals in the Recurve section of the Indoor World Series Final at the Vegas Shoot on Saturday, but Brady Ellison was the one to strike gold. The three-time Olympic medalist defeated Brazil’s 2021 Worlds runner-up, Marcus D’Almeida, 6-2 in the final.

Tokyo Team bronze winner Michelle Kroppen (GER) took the women’s final with a 6-4 win against American Casey Kaufhold, the 2021 Worlds silver winner. The winners received prize money of CHF 5,000, with CHF 2,500 for second.

● Athletics ● A world-leading mark in the men’s 400 m from Alabama senior Khaleb McRae, at 45.02 at the high altitude of Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday. It’s a lifetime best, indoor or out, for the SEC sixth-placer in 2023.

Wayne Pinnock (JAM), the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, claimed the men’s long jump world lead jumping for Arkansas, at 8.34 m (27-4 1/2).

Also at the New Mexico Classic were world-leading sprints for St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred at 7.04 for 60 m (equals world lead) and 22.16 for the 200 m.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball announced its Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament roster for the 8-11 February tournament in Belgium, including seven prior Olympians:

● Ariel Atkins (2020)
● Napheesa Collier (2020)
● Jewell Loyd (2020)
● Kelsey Plum (2020-3×3)
● Breanna Stewart (2016-20)
● Diana Taurasi (2004-08-12-16-20)
● Jackie Young (2020-3×3)

In addition, Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu and Alyssa Thomas from the gold-medalist 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup squad are on the team. Among those not chosen was Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 2016 and 2020.

The Olympic Team roster for Paris, however, has yet to be finalized.

● Cricket ● Protests against the South African team and former captain David Teeger for his pro-Israel comments last October have cooled at the ICC men’s U-19 World Cup being played in South Africa.

Teeger and his RSA team won two of their three group games and moved on to the second “Super 6″ round, defeating Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka to make it to the semis. The only notable protest was in their opener. They will face undefeated India (5-0) in the first semi on Tuesday while Australia (4-0) and Pakistan (5-0) will play Thursday, with the final on Sunday.

Cricket (T20) will be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

● Ice Hockey ● A major scandal over sexual assault charges has erupted in Canada, with all 22 members of the Canadian team at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships suspended by Hockey Canada on Monday:

“Pending the completion of the appeal process, all players from the 2018 National Junior Team remain suspended by Hockey Canada, and are ineligible to play, coach, officiate or volunteer with Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs.”

Five players from that team – Carter Hart, now of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and former NHL player Alex Formenton – were charged with sexual assault over a 19 June 2018 incident alleged to have taken place in London, Ontario.

According to the CBC:

“The initial police investigation began shortly after the June 2018 complaint and ended without charges in 2019. It was reopened in 2022 by [London Police Chief Thai] Truong‘s predecessor, then Chief Steve Williams, in response to public outrage following a lawsuit that Hockey Canada settled for $3.5 million.”

The four current NHL players are on paid leave from their teams. Truong explained that the re-opening of the case came from a review:

“This review involved re-examining initial investigative steps, gathering additional evidence and obtaining new information. As a result, we have found sufficient steps to charge five adult males with sexual assault.”

Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann added:

“Additional witnesses were spoken to and we collected more evidence. Some of this information was not available when the investigation concluded in 2018. This was one investigation, not two.”

The Hockey Canada statement further explained:

“In November 2023, it was announced that a notice of appeal was filed in response to the final adjudicative report by an independent panel that held a hearing with a view to determine whether certain members of the 2018 National Junior Team breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct, and if so, what sanctions should be imposed against those players.”

Hockey Canada President Katherine Henderson offered an apology:

“Hockey Canada recognizes that in the past we have been too slow to act and that in order to deliver the meaningful change that Canadians expect of us, we must work diligently and urgently to ensure that we are putting in place the necessary measures to regain their trust, and provide all participants with a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment on and off the ice.”

● Modern Pentathlon ● Bad news for the French Modern Pentathlon federation, which had €600,000 stolen (~$644,571 U.S.) in a hacking attack in December. Said federation head Joel Bouzou, a 1984 Olympic Team bronze medalist:

“It was about the reserves accumulated and which went up in smoke, it is unacceptable. This poses a huge problem for us.”

He told the French all-sport newspaper L’Equipe:

“We hope to recover money following this investigation and that those responsible will be arrested and tried. …

“And we have a problem with this bank, that’s clear. We are in intense discussion with this bank, which is being pushed a little to recognize that it is not well-protected… An investigation is underway. But this will not be resolved in a polite manner.”

Bouzou indicated that the stolen funds were primarily for future development, not for the preparation athletes for Paris 2024:

“We wanted to use this money to purchase obstacles for the new discipline which will replace the riding event in the pentathlon during the future Olympiad. This rather impacts our long-term development since we no longer have these bottom lines.”

● Ski Mountaineering ● French star Emily Harrop had a weekend to remember at the fourth ISMF World Cup of the season, in Villars-sur-Ollon (SUI), taking both the Sprint and the Individual race wins.

Thought of as a Sprint star until a breakthrough Individual Race win in April 2023, Harrop won Friday’s Sprint in 3:21.3, ahead of Marianne Fatton (SUI: 3:09.8) and French teammate Celia Perillat-Pessey (3:26.6). Then Harrop returned on Sunday for her 14th career World Cup gold and third in an Individual Race in 1:25:23.0, beating Italy’s Alba de Silvestro (1:26:19.9) and reigning World Champion Axelle Gachet-Mollaret (FRA: 1:27:31.5).

Switzerland swept the men’s races, with 21-year-old Robin Bussard winning his first World Cup gold in the Sprint (2:31.3) over France’s 2023 Worlds silver winner Thibault Anselmet (2:34.0), and World Champion Remi Bonnet taking the Individual Race in 1:10:11.8, with Anselmet second again, in 1:12:32.8.

● Speed Skating ● With the close of the sixth and final ISU World Cup on Sunday in Quebec City, the seasonal titles were decided, at 500-1,000-1,500-Distances and Mass Start.

● Men:
The 500 m went to Wataru Morishige (JPN: 483), with four wins in 10 races, over Laurent Debreuil (CAN: 466), with American Jordan Stolz fourth. Zhongyan Ning (CHN: 319) scored points in all seven 1,000 m races to win over Stolz (316 in six races) and in all six races to win the 1,500 m title (292) over Stolz (288 in five races).

The Distance title was a clear win for Davide Ghiotto (ITA: 324) ahead of Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN: 291), and teammate Andrea Giovannini won the tight Mass Start race, 274-269 vs. Korean Jae-won Chung.

The U.S. won two of three races to take the Team Pursuit title (168 points).

● Women:
American Olympic champ Erin Jackson scored in all 10 events and won the 500 m crown at 522 points to 514 for Min-sun Kim (KOR). Teammate Kimi Goetz had a career year and finished fourth (382), despite skipping the last event in Quebec.

At 1,000 m, Japanese star Miho Takagi won four races out of seven and was second twice for 348 points, ahead of Americans Goetz (307) and Brittany Bowe (297). Takagi also won the 1,500 m seasonal title at 300, winning the five races she entered; Bowe finished fifth and Goetz was 10th.

Norway’s Ragne Wiklund won three of the six Distance races and won with 300 points, with Czech star Marina Sabilkova second at 260. Canada’s Valerie Maltais won the Mass Start title at 263, just ahead of teammate Ivanie Blondin (257), with American Mia Manganello fourth (248). Japan won the Team Pursuit title (174), with the U.S. fourth.

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TSX REPORT: Mantz, Young, O’Keeffe star at marathon trials; 2026 FIFA World Cup to start in Mexico, end in Jersey; NHL in for 2026 Winter Games

By
Rich Perelman
-
Ukraine's list of Russians and Belarusians who have supported the war against Ukraine (Screenshot of the computer translation from Ukrainian).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Mantz and Young, O’Keeffe dominate U.S. marathon trials
2. FIFA World Cup 2026 to open in Mexico, finish in New Jersey
3. NHL players will return to Olympic Winter Games in 2026
4. Paris 2024 starts quick ticket releases to finish sales
5. Ukraine posts own list of “non-neutral” Russian athletes

● A compelling U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando went to form in the men’s race, with time leaders Conner Mantz and Clayton Young finish 1-2 and qualifying for Paris 2024. The women’s race was a shocker as first-time marathoner Fiona O’Keeffe ran away with the race in a Trials record of 2:22:10, ahead of time leader Emily Sisson, a clear second and then surprise third-placer Dakotah Lindwurm.

● FIFA announced the match schedule for the massive, expanded 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., to begin at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and finish at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Dallas’s AT&T Stadium will host the most matches with nine and will host one semifinal; Atlanta will have the other semi and Miami will host the third-place match.

● The National Hockey League, NHL Players Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that an agreement was reached for NHL player participation in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Winter Games, with the IIHF underwriting the major costs. NHL players did not play at the 2018 or 2022 Winter Games.

● Paris 2024 announced the first of a series of new ticket releases, this time to start on 8 February, in all sports, with some only offering a few new tickets. The statement noted that about eight of the 10 million Olympic tickets available have been sold so far.

● The Ukrainian government posted a massive list of Russian and Belarusian athletes, coaches and officials which it claims are not “neutrals” by the definition of the International Olympic Committee. Each name comes with a description of offenses; it’s a new element for the IOC’s “neutrality” authenticators to consider in advance of Paris 2024.

● World Championships: Aquatics (3: Doha Worlds begin, as stars van Rouwendaal and Rasovszky take open-water titles) = Sailing (Israel’s Kantor and Italy’s Renna pull IQFoil upsets) ●

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (Yule posts historic worst-to-first win in Chamonix) = Athletics (3: 10 world leads at New Balance Grand Prix; Bol opens at 49.69 in Metz; Saruni hit for doping by ADAK) = Badminton (two for the home team at Thailand Masters) = Bobsled & Skeleton (Germans go four-for-four in Sigulda) = Curling (Shuster and Peterson repeat as U.S. champs) = Cycling (Wollaston wins three, Babic two at Track Nations Cup I) = Figure Skating (Kagiyama and Chiba wins highlight Four Continents in Shanghai) = Freestyle Skiing (3: Ferreira and Fraser win weather-shortened Halfpipes; Kingsbury and Horishima, Giaccio and Anthony takes Moguls wins; Mobaerg and Thompson star in Ski Cross) = Judo (host France shines in Paris Grand Slam with six golds) = Luge (Germany wins Singles in Altenberg World Cup) = Nordic Combined (Norwegian sweeps all at Seefeld as Riiber gets career medals record) = Ski Jumping (Forfang, Seifriedsberger and Opseth surprise in Willingen) = Snowboard (2: Totsuka and Ono win weather-shortened Mammoth Halfpipes; Grondin wins twice in SnowCross) = Speed Skating (U.S.’s Stolz wins four in last World Cup stage) ●

1.
Mantz and Young, O’Keeffe dominate U.S. marathon trials

At long last, the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials was held in Orlando, Florida, under sunny conditions with starting temperatures just under 60 degrees when the men took off at 10:10 a.m.

In the end, the men’s race followed the script with the two favorites – Conner Mantz and Clayton Young – running comfortably to the finish, but women’s winner Fiona O’Keeffe stealing her race in a stunner.

A big men’s pack moved together through the first six miles, with Zach Panning in the lead, then shrank to 14 by the 8-mile mark, with all of the favorites comfortably situated. Panning, in his fourth career marathon with a 2:09:28 best from 2022 and 13th at the 2023 Worlds, was in the lead through the half in 1:04:07, with Teshome Mekonen beside and 10 now in contention.

Ethiopian-born Mekonen took over at 14 miles; he became eligible to run for the U.S. in December 2022 and was in his fifth career marathon, having finished 24th in Berlin last October. Panning took over again at 15 miles, with Mekonen and U.S. qualifying leader Mantz right with him and 10 still running together.

Now the grinding started. Four-time Olympian and Rio 2016 marathon bronze winner Galen Rupp fell off the pace at 17 miles as the lead group shrunk to seven. Mekonen fell off the back at 18 miles and 13-time U.S. national distance champ Leonard Korir was showing signs of struggle to stay with the five in front of him.

Now came the break. Panning led at 19 miles, after miles of 4:44, 4:52 and 4:53, that broke everyone except Mantz and training partner and no. 2 time qualifier Young. Elkanah Kibet and Andrew Colley were five and six seconds back, and if Panning could keep this pace, he would run faster than the Olympic qualifying time of 2:08:10 (which Mantz and Young had already done).

So the racing on the street and against the clock was set. Panning clocked 4:51 to mile 20, on 2:07:38 pace. The three leaders slowed to 4:59 to mile 21, but were now 16 seconds clear of the field. They slowed significantly at 22 miles, at 5:07, with Mantz taking over and then to 5:06 for Panning at 23, which would have him finish beyond the 2:08:10 qualifying mark.

Young and Mantz moved ahead at 24, with a 5:09 mile and Panning dropped to third, now 19 seconds back. He was still third by 24 seconds, but his shot at an Olympic qualifying time was gone.

The two favorites coming in – Mantz and Young – picked up the pace to 5:03 at 25 miles, with Panning third (a 5:28 mile), but losing ground rapidly to Kibet, now three seconds behind him. Young and Mantz cruised past 26 miles at 5:16, with Korir and Kibet now 3-4.

Mantz won at 2:09:05 with Young one second back, and finish-line temps right at 70 degrees (F). Those are the nos. 2-3 performances ever in a men’s Olympic Trials marathon.

Korir out-sprinted Kibet for third in 2:09:57 to 2:10:02, but well short of the Olympic qualifying time, although there are possibilities for later inclusion. Korir’s time is the ninth-fastest in Trials history.

Manta and Young were the clear favorites going in and they showed their class and earned their ticket to Paris.

The women’s race began at 10:20 a.m., and 14 were together through the first six miles, with 40-year-old Sara Hall, the Worlds fifth-placer from 2022, and former American Record holder Keira D’Amato taking turns in the lead. By eight miles, there were 13 in the lead pack and defending Trials champ Aliphine Tuliamuk had dropped to 24 seconds behind the leaders.

Marathon debutante O’Keeffe, the 2022 U.S. 10 Mile champ, took over at 10 miles, with the top 13 still bunched. Then Dakotah Lindwurm – in her 13th career marathon – grabbed the lead at 12 miles, and D’Amato edged to the front at 13. At the half, D’Amato, Lindwurm, O’Keeffe, Hall and Emily Durgin all crossed in 1:11:43 as temperatures were now in the mid-60s.

O’Keeffe popped back into the lead at 14, with the lead pack at 12. She remained there through mile 16, but suddenly D’Amato had dropped back, four seconds behind the lead pack of nine. Betsy Saina, 35, a Kenyan 10,000 m Olympian in 2016, but who transferred to the U.S. in 2021, was right in contention in her 11th career marathon. Lindwurm dropped back by the 17-mile mark, leaving seven in the lead group, on pace for a 2:23:13 finish.

Only five remained in contention by 18 miles, with O’Keeffe, American Record holder Emily Sisson, Hall, Saina and Durgin running together. Then Durgin dropped off the back at 19 as O’Keeffe – hardly a favorite to make the team – threw in a 5:22 mile to take a five-second lead at 19 miles.

And there was no let up. O’Keeffe hammered out a 5:20 mile and Sisson ran 5:25 to reach mile 20 in 1:48:57 and 1:49:07. Saina and Hall were at 1:49:20 and Durgin had caught up to them and now had a chance to make the team.

O’Keeffe kept pushing: 5:27 at mile 21, with now a 16-second lead in Sisson, and chaos behind them. Saina, Hall and Durgan all slowed to 5:47 miles and Caroline Rotich (5:36) and Lindwurm (5:39) moved in places 3-4! At 22 miles, O’Keeffe finished another 5:27 mile and had a 21-second lead on Sisson (5:32), with Lindwurm and 2015 Boston Marathon champ Rotich, 39, together, 35 seconds back and Hall chasing both, another nine seconds behind.

O’Keeffe stayed on the gas, running 5:21 to reach 23 miles with a 31-second lead on Sisson and looking unbeatable. Lindwurm and Rotich – who gained a U.S. affiliation only in October 2023 – were together at 3-4 and Hall was another 15 seconds down; Saina dropped out. O’Keeffe timed 5:23 to 24 miles, with Sisson cruising in second and Lindwurm and Rotich still together. Hall’s hopes had faded, now 28 seconds behind them.

Both O’Keeffe and Sisson punched hard to mile 25, running 5:09 and 5:10 and O’Keeffe maintained a 40-second lead in the race of her life. Lindwurm broke free of Rotich, running a 5:44 mile as Rotich faded to 5:55, and looked to be a solid third.

Sisson pressed, running a 5:15 miles to 5:22 for O’Keeffe to narrow the gap to 14 seconds by 26 miles, but O’Keeffe won going away in 2:22:10, moving her no. 10 all-time U.S. in her first race at the distance. It’s by far the fastest U.S. Olympic trials marathon ever, blasting Shalane Flanagan’s 2:25:38 from 2012.

Sisson was second at 2:22:42, her third-fastest ever, and Lindwurm, at 28, got third at 2:25:31, her third-fastest ever to get a trip to Paris. Jessica McClain passed the fading Rotich and Hall and got fourth (2:25:46), with Hall fifth at 2:26:06 and Rotich sixth at 2:26:10.

The top three times were the three-fastest in U.S. marathon trials history and this race now has seven of the all-time top 10.

There was $600,000 in prize money in this race, with the top 10 places receiving $80,000, $65,000, $55,000, $25,000, $20,000, $15,000, $13,000, $11,000, $9,000 and $7,000.

Much more to unpack from this race, but it was a considerable success for Mantz, Young and the stunning O’Keeffe, and after all the worries about weather, appeared to run smoothly with finish temperatures just about 70 at the end.

2.
FIFA World Cup 2026 to open in Mexico, finish in New Jersey

FIFA announced the playing schedule for the mammoth, 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 on Sunday, distributing the 104 matches between the host countries Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The matches were distributed among the 16 stadia:

Canada (13 matches):
● 6: Toronto (BMO Field): 5 group stage, Round of 32
● 7: Vancouver (BC Place): 5 group stage, R32, R16

Mexico (13 matches):
● 4: Guadalajara (Estadio Akron/Zapopan): 4 group stage
● 5: Mexico City (Estadio Azteca): 3 group stage, R32, R16
● 4: Monterrey (Estadio BBVA/Guadalupe): 3 group stage, R32

U.S. (78 matches):
● 8: Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium): 5 group stage, R32, R16, SF
● 7: Boston (Gillette Stadium/Foxborough): 5 group stage, R32, QF
● 9: Dallas (AT&T Stadium/Arlington): 5 group stage, R32x2, R16, SF
● 7: Houston (NRG Stadium): 5 group stage, R32, R16
● 6: Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium): 4 group stage, R32, QF
● 8: Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium/Inglewood): 5 group stage, R32x2, QF
● 7: Miami (Hard Rock Stadium/Miami Gardens): 4 group stage, R32, QF, 3rd
● 8: New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium/E. Rutherford): 5 group, R32, R16, Final
● 6: Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field): 5 group stage, R16
● 6: San Francisco area (Levi’s Stadium/Santa Clara): 5 group stage, R32
● 6: Seattle (Lumen Field): 4 group stage, R32, R16

The opening match will be played in Mexico City, with the climax of the tournament all in U.S. stadia:

● Quarterfinals: Boston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami
● Semifinals: Atlanta, Dallas
● Third-place: Miami
● Final: New York/New Jersey

Dallas’s AT&T Stadium received the most matches at nine; MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was assigned eight matches, but has a gap of 13 days between a Round of 16 match and the final for preparation.

FIFA noted in its announcement:

“The tournament’s innovative match schedule will serve to minimise travel for teams and fans alike, while the number of rest days between fixtures will be maximised. Having been drawn up in consultation with key stakeholders, including national-team coaches and technical directors, the schedule will also increase the prospect of matches being played in the best possible conditions and ensure that fans have shorter travel times when following their teams.”

As an example, the U.S. team was assigned its group-stage matches in Los Angeles (2) and Seattle (1) to minimize cross-country travel.

Who plays where won’t be known for some time as the qualifying process continues. FIFA noted that the draw is likely to be held towards the end of 2025.

3.
NHL players will return to Olympic Winter Games in 2026

“There is a recognition of how important this is to the players, and in the spirit of cooperation – particularly the work that we did together during COVID – everybody felt on our side that it was the right thing to do.

“This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it.”

That was NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (USA) on Friday, announcing that the league and its Players Association had agreed with the International Ice Hockey Federation in terms to allow participation in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina and for 2030, expected to held in the French Alps. Bettman wanted to make sure everyone understood the deal:

“Let me just add one thing, particularly for the NHL owners that are listening.

“The fact of the matter is, our agreement is we’re not responsible for any of the major costs, the big-ticket items. How the IIHF raises the funds, whether it’s from the IIHF or the organizing committee or the IOC for ’30, that will be their issue, not ours, and I want to be clear about that.”

This includes insurance to protect the NHL’s clubs from the risks of injuries, travel and family support. While the 2030 Winter Games have not been officially awarded yet, the French Alps bid is in “targeted dialogue” with the International Olympic Committee and is expected to be confirmed this summer, with the ice hockey venue in Nice.

In addition, a new, “Four Nations Face-Off” tournament will be held in 2025, featuring national teams from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland, to be held next February at two sites in Canada and the U.S. Said Bettman:

“We know how important international competition is to our players. We know how much they love and want to represent the countries from which they’re from, and we think this is great stage for the best on best in what obviously we all believe is the best sport.”

NHL players first participated in 1998 and then in 2002-06-10-14, but skipped PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022. IIHF chief Luc Tardif (FRA) was overjoyed:

“This decision represents a turning point for ice hockey at the global level and marks the great return of the NHL players to the Olympic Games. The IIHF was able to gather all related stakeholders at the same table to find a long-lasting and sustainable consensus, which is the backbone of what we intend to do as sports organizations.

“As prime hockey fans, the IIHF is obviously thrilled and excited about this unprecedented agreement, we are already looking forward to witnessing the best of ice hockey at these upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milano and in 2030.”

Bettman also commented on the under-construction arena in Milan scheduled to host the 2026 tournament:

“There’s a lot of construction that remains to be done on that building. I think they only recently started. But we’re being told by everybody not to worry. But I like to worry, so we’ll see.”

4.
Paris 2024 starts quick ticket releases to finish sales

“There will be a series of ticket releases at regular intervals over the next few weeks and up to Games time, offering many opportunities to buy tickets for this exceptional event.

“These surprise releases by the Paris 2024 ticket office (which will be announced only a few days in advance) will give you the chance to buy tickets for all the sports of the Games!”

Last week’s announcement began the latest ticket push from the Paris 2024 organizers, with the newest batch of tickets coming to market on Thursday, 8 February at 10 a.m. local time:

● Tickets for all sports will be offered, but some with just a few tickets available
● New tickets for all four Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies will be available.
● 45% of the tickets will be priced at €100 or less (€1 = $1.08)

The statement noted, “Of the 10 million tickets available for the Olympic Games, just under 8 million have already been taken up.”

A quick check of the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 26 July showed only the top category – €2,700 only – offered as available.

Often asked: why are these tickets suddenly available now? The answer is, essentially, timing. As the plans for the Games are finalized – really finalized – for details such as placement of scoring, television and security equipment, ticketed spaces held in reserve can be freed. Same for tickets (and spaces) reserved for sponsors, officials, media, National Olympic Committees, International Federations and other groups; as the quotas for each are finalized, tickets become available for the public.

This process will go on right through the Games. For now, Paris 2024 is making available these freed-up spaces for sale as soon as it can.

5.
Ukraine posts own list of “non-neutral” Russian athletes

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine posted Saturday a massive list of more than 1,000 Russian athletes, coaches and officials which it says are “Russian and Belarusian athletes who support the war in Ukraine.”

The list has 52 categories, with 51 for various sports and one for sports officials. Each category is a separate page, with a list on each of individuals, then with details for each upon clicking the name. Some are current athletes who might qualify for Paris 2024, but many are also former athletes, coaches or officials.

Boxing alone has 161 names listed, including International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev (RUS). His file entry includes:

“Evidence has come to light, exposing Kremlev’s possession of a map of Russia displayed prominently in his office, which includes the illegally annexed region of Crimea as part of Russian territory. This overt display of support for the occupation has sparked condemnation from athletes, boxing enthusiasts, and human rights activists, who vehemently oppose the violation of international law and the sovereignty of Ukraine.”

The entry – under Fencing – for Russian Olympic Committee chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov notes in part:

“Pozdnyakov’s active participation in mass gatherings and public statements endorsing the Russian armed forces, along with his statement suggesting that Russian athletes should be honored to fight in the war in Ukraine following Vladimir Putin’s order for a partial mobilization of troops, has faced significant criticism.

“Many argue that as the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Pozdnyakov has a responsibility to prioritize peace, diplomacy, and fair competition, which are fundamental principles of the Olympic Games. His statements advocating for athletes’ involvement in war are seen as contradictory to the spirit of sportsmanship and global unity that the Olympic movement aims to foster.”

In just the summer Olympic sports in which Russians or Belarusian could participate in Paris – which excludes all team sports – the lists identify 583 individuals as suspect:

● 161: Boxing
● 94: Wrestling (Freestyle)
● 84: Cycling
● 45: Gymnastics (Artistic)
● 37: Judo
● 29: Cycling (Mountain Bike)
● 22: Tennis
● 19: Wrestling (Greco-Roman)
● 12: Diving
● 10: Cycling (BMX)
● 10: Swimming
● 10: Taekwondo
● 9: Weightlifting
● 8: Athletics
● 8: Archery
● 6: Triathlon
● 5: Gymnastics (Rhythmic)
● 4: Fencing
● 2: Modern Pentathlon
● 2: Sport Climbing
● 2: Swimming (Artistic)
● 1: Rowing
● 1: Sailing
● 1: Table Tennis
● 1: Shooting

There are further lists for team sports, winter sports (29 figure skaters, 28 biathletes, 13 Freestyle skiers, 18 ice hockey players and so on). For athletes, this entry is typical:

“Two-time Olympic swimming champion Yevgeny Rylov has publicly expressed support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine and has participated in mass events aimed at justifying Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

“The swimmer attended a concert in honor of the illegal annexation of Crimea and support for the war in Ukraine. During the concert at the Luzhniki Stadium, Rylov wore the letter ‘Z’ on his attire. The letter is associated with the ‘Zhogolev’ movement, a pro-Russian group that advocates for the annexation of Ukrainian territories.”

For judo, the top entry cites “The Russian national judo team (all are military personnel)”; this is especially interesting since the International Judo Federation has approved as “neutrals” many Russian athletes now competing in IJF World Tour events.

It’s an enormous effort, but one which coincides with the International Olympic Committee’s promise to check the “neutrality” of possible Russian or Belarusian entry for Paris itself, with its own contractor. It underlines the importance to Ukraine of the propaganda value of any Russian or Belarusian participation in Paris this summer.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Aquatics ● The first World Aquatics Championships to be held in an Olympic year opened in Doha (QAT), with some familiar stars at the top of the podium already:

In open-water swimming, the Rio 2016 Olympic champ Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) came from behind to pass Maria de Valdes (ESP) on the final lap of the 10 km final and touched first to win her second Worlds gold in 1:57:26.8 to 1:57:26.9. Portugal’s Angelica Andre was a little further back in third (1:57:28.2), with Mariah Denigan the top American in a tie for fifth (1:57:31.1).

Fellow American Katie Grimes was 15th in 1:57:39.4. It’s the first Worlds medal for both de Vales and Andre.

On Sunday, Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky won his first World title in the men’s 10 km, out-lasting Britain’s Hector Pardoe on the final lap and winning in 1:48:21.2. He had previously won the Worlds 5 km gold in 2019. France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier came hard at the finish to pass Pardoe and win the silver, 1:48:23.6 to 1:48:29.2, Olivier’s second Worlds silver in the event (also in 2019).

Ivan Puskovitch of the U.S. was 14th in 1:48:54.4 and teammate Michael Brinegar was 19th (1:49.18.8).

As China did not send several of its top divers to Doha, the competition was wide open for the first time in recent memory. China did win the Mixed 19 m Platform final, with 13-year-old Jianjie Huang and Jiaqi Zhang (19) scoring a near-50 point win at 353.82 over North Korea and Mexico.

Two Chinese stars who did come to Doha included Olympic men’s 3 m Synchro champs Daoyi Long and Zongyuan Wang, the two-time defending World Champions. They won their third in a row with ease, scoring 442.41 against Lorenzo Marsaglia and Giovanni Tocci (ITA: 384.24) and Adrian Abadia and Nicolas Garcia (ESP: 383.28). The U.S. pair of Andrew Capobianco and Quentin Henninger finished ninth (351.18).

Great Britain won the Mixed Team event at 421.65, ahead of Mexico (412.80) and Australia (385.35) and Mexico’s Osmar Olvera took the men’s 1 m Springboard title at 431.75 over Shixin Li (AUS: 395.70) and Ross Haslam (GBR: 393.10). Lyle Yost was ninth for the U.S. (347.25). Olvera moved up from silver at the Fukuoka Worlds in 2023.

The women’s 1 m Springboard went to Alysha Koloi (AUS: 260.50) for her first Worlds medal, ahead of Grace Reid (GBR: 257.25) and Maha Eissa (EGY: 257.15). It was Reid’s first individual Worlds medal. Americans Hailey Hernandez and Alison Gibson finished 6-7 at 249.60 and 249.35.

In Artistic Swimming, Greece’s Evangelia Platanioti moved up from bronze in 2022 to win the women’s Solo Technical event at 272.9633, trailed by Canada’s Jacqueline Simoneau (269.2767) and China’s Huiyan Xu (262.3700). It was the first Worlds medals for Simoneau and Xu.

In the Mixed Duet Technical final, Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim (KAZ) won at 228.0050, ahead of Wentao Cheng and Haoyu Shi (CHN: 223.3166) and Miranda Barrera and Diago Villalobos (MEX: 217.5192).

China won the Mixed Team Acrobatic Routine, scoring 244.167 to edge Ukraine (243.3167) and the U.S. got third at 242.2300. Bill May, 45, a pioneer men’s artistic performer, won his sixth Worlds medal (1-2-3).

The championships continue through the 18th.

● Sailing ● The IQFoil class will debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but held its 2024 World Championships at Lanzarote (ESP), finishing on Saturday, with upsets in both the men’s and women’s Grand Final.

Britain’s Emma Wilson had dominated the racing, winning 15 of 20 races and advanced directly to the Grand Final. She was joined by two Israelis, Sharon Kantor, who had five in her groups, and Katy Spychakov (four wins). And Wilson, who won a Tokyo Olympic silver in 2021 in the RS:X class (being replaced by IQFoil), took the lead quickly in the final, but was passed by the 20-year-old Kantor for an upset gold. It’s Kantor’s first World title, up from seventh at the 2023 World Sailing Champs in the same event; she was the Paris 2024 test event winner as well. Spychakov finished third for the bronze.

Defending men’s champion Luuc van Opzeeland (NED) – winner of bronze, silver and gold in his last three Worlds – was also the big winner during the tournament, taking 10 of 20 races and advancing to the Grand Final. But World Sailing Champs bronze winner Nicolo Renna (ITA: 4 wins) was waiting and when van Opzeeland and Pawel Tarnowski (POL) pulled ahead and went left, he went right and sailed home the winner, with Tarnowski second and van Opzeeland third. Renna had moved up from 23rd in his first IQFoil Worlds to sixth to third, to gold.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● History in Chamonix (FRA) on Sunday in the only FIS Alpine World Cup race to be held on the weekend due to bad weather, as Swiss Daniel Yule became the first skier to ever go from worst to first in a single race.

He almost skied off the course on his first run and expected to be eliminated, but placed 30th (49.02) as the final qualifier. That means he went first in the final run and blazed to a 47.22 timing that turned out to be so fast that he won the race! His combined time of 1:36.24 was 0.18 faster than first-run leader Clement Noel (FRA: 1:36.42), who dropped to third as fellow Swiss Loic Meillard finished at 1:36.40 to grab the silver. Crazy.

Jett Seymour was the top American in 28th (1:37.26). “Absolutely incredible,” said Yule. “I’ve got to say I got really lucky staying 30th after the first run, but then I managed to ski an amazing second run.” It’s Yule’s seventh career World Cup win, all in Slaloms.

● Athletics ● The first heavyweight indoor meet in the U.S. in 2024 was the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at The Track at New Balance in Boston, and it was hot, with world-leading marks in a fabulous 10 events:

● Men/60 m: 6.44, Noah Lyles (USA)
● Men/1,000 m: 2:14.74, Marco Arop (CAN)
● Men/1,500 m: 3:33.66, Hobbs Kessler (USA)
● Men/3,000 m: 7:29.09, Lamecha Girma (ETH)
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.37 (heats), Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.35, Grant Holloway (USA)

● Women/300 m: 35.75, Gabby Thomas (USA)
● Women/1,500 m: 3:58.11, Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:24.93, Jessica Hull (AUS)
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.72, Tia Jones (USA)
● Women/Long Jump: 6.86 m (22-6 1/4), Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA)

Lots of excitement in the men’s 60 m, with 2022 World 100 m champ Fred Kerley and 2023 winner Noah Lyles in the field. In the final, Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake got out well and Lyles had work to do to catch up, but he got there with a stride left and crossed first in 6.44, the world leader and now equal-10th all-time. Blake was second at 6.45, Ronnie Baker (USA) was an encouraging third (6.54) and Kerley fourth (6.55) in his first indoor 60 m ever.

The men’s 1,000 m almost produced a world record. Canada’s World 800 m champ Marco Arop took off at the gun and had a 40 m lead at the bell, and stormed home in a sensational 2:14.74, the no. 2 performance of all-time. Americans Bryce Hoppel and Sam Ellis were 2-3, but far behind, in 2:16.91 and 2:17.10.

The men’s 1,500 m settled into a 1v1 duel over the final lap between 20-year-old Hobbs Kessler of the U.S., the 2023 World Road Mile gold medalist and 2022 World 1,500 m champ Jake Wightman (GBR). Kessler stayed strong and although Wightman was closing, he ran out of room as Kessler took the world lead at 3:33.66 with Wightman at 3:34.06, his best-ever indoors. Americans Craig Engels and Sam Prakel were 3-4 at 3:37.04 and 3:37.24.

Ethiopian Steeple star Lamecha Girma, the world indoor 3,000 m record man, made a hard run at his own mark, shredding the field with seven laps to go and then pushing hard to finish in 7:29.09, the world leader, but short of his 7:23.81 mark from 2023. Kenyan Edwin Kurgat was a distant second in 7:39.38.

World 60 m hurdles record holder Grant Holloway of the U.S. took the world lead in the 60 m hurdles heats at 7.37 and then blew away an excellent field by the third hurdle if the final and won going away in another world-leading mark of 7.35, the equal-8th performance all-time. Fellow Americans (and Worlds medal winners) Trey Cunningham (7.49), Daniel Roberts (7.49) were 2-3. It’s the fifth time Holloway has run 7.35 and he owns nine of the top 12 times in history.

Home favorite – and former Harvard star – Gabby Thomas felt a bit ill, but had plenty coming off the final turn to win the women’s 300 m in a very fast 35.75, a world leader and no. 8 performance of all time. Nigeria’s Favour Ofili was game, but second in 35.99.

World-record holder Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) headlined the women’s 1,500 m field, and she and countrywoman Birke Haylom, 18, ran away from the field with 3 1/2 laps to go and Tsegay maintained a solid pace and won in a world-leading 3:58.11, the no. 11 performance ever. Haylom was never far behind, but could not get close and clocked 3:58.43, no. 5 ever. American Emily MacKay was a distant third in 4:05.04.

Elle St. Pierre, the Tokyo 1,500 Olympian, returned from maternity in the women’s 3,000 m and broke away with Australian Jessica Hull with five laps left. St. Pierre led until the final turn, when Hull finally managed to get by and raced to the line first in a national indoor record and world-leading mark of 8:24.93, and now no. 6 all-time. St. Pierre ran 8:25.25, moving her to no. 2 all-time U.S.

American Tia Jones got a great start in the women’s 60 m hurdles and got to the line in a world-leading 7.72, beating Nigeria’s outdoor world-record holder Tobi Amusan (7.75) and prior world leader Devynne Charlton (BAH: 7.76). Jones is now equal-fifth all-time and equal-third all-time U.S.

Tara Davis-Woodhall, the 2022 Worlds long jump runner-up, took the world lead on her first try at 6.86 m (22-6 1/4), and backed it up at 6.83 m (22-5) in rounds three and six. Fellow American Quanesha Burks was second at 6.64 m (21-9 1/2).

Although not world-leaders, there are multiple other strong performances.

In the men’s 400 m, 2023 Worlds fourth-placer Vernon Norwood took the lead coming into the first home straight and held strong to win in 45.76, now no. 5 on the world list for 2024. South Africa’s Zak Nene was second in 46.15.

The 2022 World Indoor runner-up Mikiah Brisco of the U.S. got the lead by 20 m in the women’s 60 m and held it to the end, winning in 7.10, to 7.15 for fellow American Celera Barnes.

Kendall Ellis got cut off by Jamaica’s Junelle Bromfield trying to make the lead in the women’s 400 m after a lap, but stayed cool and zoomed past everyone off the final turn to win in 52.77, ahead of Raevyn Rogers (USA: 53.00) and Helena Ponette (BEL: 53.43).

Impressive start to the indoor season for Dutch star Femke Bol, the Worlds 400 m hurdles gold medalist in 2023, winning the 400 m at the Meeting Metz Moselle in Metz (FRA) in a world-leading 49.69. It’s her third-fastest time ever in the event, notably behind her World Indoor Record of 49.26 in 2023. She also won the 200 m in Metz on Saturday in 22.64, a lifetime best and a Dutch indoor record!

Ethiopia’s Hirut Meshesha, the 2023 Worlds Indoor 1,500 bronze winner, won the women’s 3,000 m in a world-leading 8:28.46, a lifetime best, and now no. 13 all-time.

Another notable doping sanction in Kenya, this time of 1:43.25 800 m runner Michael Saruni, 28, banned for four years to 30 August 2027 for “Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection.” He lasted competed in 2022

The ruling came from the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), which has been bolstered by government funding to root out epidemic doping, especially in athletics. It’s their 13th suspension of a Kenya athlete that took effect in 2023 alone.

● Badminton ● The home team got to the finals in four of five events at the Thailand Masters in Bangkok, and came away with two wins, both in Doubles.

In the women’s final, Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard (THA) fought off Yi Jing Li and Xu Min Luo (CHN) in a thriller, 21-13, 17-21, 27-25, while top-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA) took the Mixed Doubles title by 21-12, 21-18 over Tang Jie Chen and Ee Wei Toh (MAS).

The women’s Singles final had three-seed Aya Ohori (JPN) taking down fourth-seed Supanida Katethong (THA) by 18-21, 21017, 21013. And China’s Ji Ting He and Xiang Yu Ren came from behind to win the men’s Doubles, 16-21, 21-14, 21-13, over Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (THA).

A mild upset in the men’s Singles had no. 5 seed Tien Chen Chou (TPE) win over second-seeded Kean Yew Loh (INA), 21-16, 6-21, 21-16.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Germany continued its winning ways at the IBSF World Cup in Sigulda (LAT), but with surprises.

In the Two-Man, a German sled won for the fourth time in five events, but it was the first win of the season for Adam Ammour, previously third twice. He and Benedikt Hertel had the fastest times on both runs and finished at 1:39.33, ahead of Swiss Michael Vogt and Sandro Michel (1:39.45) and twice Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (1:39.48). Frank Del Duca and Hakeen Abdul-Saboor had the fastest American sled in eighth (1:40.34).

The first of two Two-Woman races saw 2023 World Champs Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig (GER) lead a sweep and win their second straight World Cup in 1:41.53, ahead of Olympic champs Laura Nolte and Claudia Schussler (1:41.57) and Lisa Buckwitz and Vanessa Mark (1:41.65). Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Sydney Milani tied for seventh (1:42.49).

The second races, on Sunday, had Nolte and Neele Schuten winning in 1:41.53, with Kalicki and Anabel Galander second (1:41.82) and Swiss Melanie Hauser and Mara Morell (1:42.06) third. Meyers Taylor and Azaria Hill finished fifth (1:42.41).

Buckwitz, the 2018 Olympic Two-Women champ, took the Monobob in 1:47.46, ahead of Andreea Grecu (ROU: 1:47.73) and Nolte and Meyers Taylor tied for third (1:47.87). American Kaysha Love was fifth (1:48.23).

China’s Yin Zheng won his first Skeleton medal of the season at 1:40.82, followed by Britain’s Marcus Wyatt (1:41.00) and 2023 World Champion Matt Weston (1:41.16). American Austin Florian was fifth (1:41.37).

The 2023 Worlds bronze medalist, Mirela Rahneva (CAN) took the women’s Skeleton title – her first gold of the season – in 1:43.10, beating Kim Meylemans (BEL: 1:43.38) and 2022 Olympic winner Hannah Niese (GER: 1:43.41). Veteran Katie Uhlaender was the top American, in 12th (1:44.18).

● Curling ● The evergreen John Shuster led his rink to yet another title at the USA Curling National Championships in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday.

Shuster, now 41, who led his team to the 2018 Olympic gold, lost to Korey Dropkin’s rink by 9-5 in their play-off opener, moving Shuster to a semifinal against Daniel Casper. Shuster’s squad had a 6-2 lead into the ninth end, but Casper closed to 6-5, then a score in the 10th made the final 7-5.

That put Shuster and Dropkin into the final. In a see-saw match, Dropkin took a 3-0 lead in the second, with Shuster tying by the fifth, Dropkin up 4-3 after six ends and then Shuster exploding for five points in the seventh for an 8-5 lead. Dropkin got one back in the eight, but Shuster scored three more in the ninth for the 11-6 final.

Shuster had familiar help from Chris Plys and Matt Hamilton, plus Colin Hufman this time. It’s Shuster’s seventh U.S. title and fourth in the last five tournaments.

Defending women’s champion Tabitha Peterson also defended her title, defeating Sarah Anderson in their play-in game, 7-4. Anderson’s rink eliminated Delaney Strouse’s squad by 11-7 and earned a championship rematch. But six points in the fourth and fifth ends gave Peterson a 7-2 lead and led to the 10-5 final.

Peterson’s squad once again included Cory Thiesse, sister Tara Peterson and Becca Hamilton for the second straight year. It’s Tabitha Peterson’s third national title all-time and all in the last three years.

● Cycling ● The first UCI Track Nations Cup was held in Adelaide (AUS), with interesting results from lesser-known stars to open the season.

Japanese sprinter Kaiya Ota won the men’s Sprint over home favorite Matthew Richardson, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, and followed up with a silver in the Team Sprint (won by Australia) and then a bronze in the Elimination Race, taken by Malaysia’s Mohd Azizul Awang, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Keirin runner-up.

Canada’s Dylan Bibic, 20, the 2022 World Scratch Race champ, beat Italian veteran Elia Viviani in the Omnium and won the Elimination Race as well. New Zealand’s Aaron Gate and Campbell Stewart, last year’s Worlds bronzers, took the Madison race.

New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston, who won a Worlds silver in 2023 in the Team Pursuit, won two individual women’s golds, in the Elimination Race (over American star Jennifer Valente) and in the Omnium, beating Britain’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Archibald and Tokyo Olympic Omnium champ Valente.

Archibald and Elinor Barker teamed up to win the Madison over 2023 Worlds runners-up Georgia Baker and Alexandra Manly (AUS) and Valente and Lily Williams of the U.S.

Wollaston won a third gold in the Team Pursuit for New Zealand, with Archibald and Barker leading Britain to the silver and Baker and Manly helping Australia to the bronze.

In the Sprints, Germany’s eight-time Worlds gold medalist Emma Hinze won the women’s Sprint over Japan’s two-time Worlds Keirin runner-up Mina Sato, but Sato took the Keirin for herself.

Next: round two comes in Hong Kong from 15-17 March.

● Figure Skating ● Japan and Canada won two events each at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Shanghai (CHN).

Beijing 2022 runner-up Yuma Kagiyama took the men’s title with his no. 2 score ever of 307.58, dominating the field, with countryman Shun Sato (274.59) second and Jun-hwan Cha (KOR: 272.95) in third. Andrew Torgashev of the U.S. was eighth (237.20).

Eighteen-year-old Mone Chiba from up from third in this event in 2023 to take the women’s title, scoring 214.98 to 204.68 for Chae-yeon Kim (KOR) and 2:02.17 for Rinka Watanabe (JPN). Ava Marie Ziegler (USA), 17, was fourth at 201.19. Chiba won both the Short Program and the Free Skate.

Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dedek and Maxime Deschamps took the Pairs title, with winning both segments, at 198.80, well ahead of Rika Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (JPN: 190.77) and Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea (187.28). Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps also moved up from the 2023 bronze.

Two-time Worlds bronze winners Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier forged a clear lead in the Rhythm Dance and won the Free Dance to win their first Four Continents gold at 214.36, ahead of teammates Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen (CAN: 207.54, their second straight silver) and American pairs Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (194.14) and Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik (193.07).

The 2024 ISU Worlds come next, from 18-24 March in Montreal (CAN).

● Freestyle Skiing ● Two-time Olympic medal winner Alex Ferreira came to the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix (and FIS World Cup) Halfpipe in Mammoth Mountain, California having won the first two World Cups of the season. He won the third, too, but not in the way he expected.

Heavy weather canceled the finals, so the Tuesday qualification results ended up standing as final. And Ferreira led at 87.00, followed by fellow Americans Hunter Hess (86.50) and three-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper (86.00).

Canadian Amy Fraser got her first World Cup gold at 85.50, followed by Olympic champ Eileen Gu (CHN: 83.50) and Zoe Atkin (GBR: 82.50).

Saturday’s Slopestyle final was held, with a U.S. 1-2 for Beijing Olympic champ Alex Hall (86.66) and 2021 Worlds runner-up Colby Stevenson (84.88) with 2021 World Champion Andri Ragettli (SUI: 83.45) in third.

Swiss star Mathilde Gremaud won the first two Slopestyles of the season and won again at Mammoth at 66.30, beating Americans Eleanor Andrews (61.20) and transgender Jay Riccomini (53.38).

The Moguls skiers were in Deer Valley, Utah, with some familiar outcomes, as Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury won his record 85th career World Cup gold in the Moguls final over 2017 World Champion Ikuma Horishima (JPN), 82.17 to 79.15.

Horishima took the Dual Moguls gold, beating France’s two-time Worlds silver winner Benjamin Cavet in the final, with American Dylan Marcellini winning the bronze race.

There was a shock in the women’s Moguls final, as Australian star Jakara Anthony, who had won all six events so far, was eliminated in the first finals run and Beijing Olympian Olivia Giaccio of the U.S. led a 1-2 with Beijing 2022 runner-up Jaelin Kauf at 75.42 and 70.87. It was Kauf’s fourth silver this season, out of seven events!

Anthony got back on track in the Dual Moguls, defeating Kauf in the final, with Giaccio winning the bronze race. In Dual Moguls this season, Anthony has five wins, Kauf has three straight silvers and Giaccio has three straight thirds. Between the three, they have won 15 of the 18 medals awarded!

In Aerials, Canadian Alexandre Duchaine, 19, scored 102.57 to win his first-ever World Cup medal – a gold – over Connor Curran, 19, of the U.S. (102.22), with two-time Worlds winner Guangpu Qi (CHN: 100.81) third. American Winter Vinecki won her second straight World Cup at 77.90, beating Australia’s three-time Worlds medalist Danielle Scott (77.90) on a tie-breaker and Abbey Willcox (AUS: 76.85).

Two FIS World Cup SkiCross races were held in Allegre (ITA), with two-time Worlds medalist Erik Mobaerg (SWE) winning the first men’s race over 2021 World Champion Alex Fiva (SUI), and Reece Howden (CAN) won his second race of the season over Worlds runner-up Florian Wilmsmann (GER).

The women’s winners were India Sherret (CAN), the 2015 World Junior champ over Saskja Lack (SUI), and 2014 Olympic champ Marielle Thompson (CAN) won the second event, ahead of 2018 Olympic silver winner Brittany Phelan (CAN).

● Judo ● Lots of interest in the IJF World Tour’s Paris Grand Slam, a dress rehearsal for the Olympic tournament to come this summer, with 621 judoka from 107 nations on hand, including superstar (and 11-time World Champion) Teddy Riner.

And the French were on fire in front of their home crowd, winning six golds and 12 medals overall to dominate this tournament. They started by winning four classes on Saturday, with victories for Tokyo bronze winner Luka Mkheidze in the men’s 60 kg class, World silver medalist Shirine Boukli in the women’s 48 kg, Faiza Mokdar at 57 kg and Tokyo Olympic champ Clarisse Agbegnenou at 63 kg.

On Sunday, 2022 World women’s +78 kg champ Romane Dicko won her class and then Riner thrilled the crowd with another victory in the men’s +100 kg class, over Korea’s Min-jong Kim.

Japan also sent a strong team, with wins by Takeshi Takeoka in the men’s 66 kg, Tatsuki Ishihara at 73 kg and Tokyo 2020 gold winner Aaron Wolf in the men’s 100 kg final, beating Spain’s 2021 World Champion Nikoloz Sherazadishvili.

Tokyo Olympic champ Distria Krasniqi (KOS) in the women’s 52 kg division, and the 2021 women’s World Champion at 78 kg, German Anna-Maria Wagner, won her class over 2018 World Junior Champion Alice Bellandi (ITA).

● Luge ● Following the World Championships, the FIL World Cup circuit resumed in Altenberg (GER), where the Worlds took place the week before!

Max Langenhan, the 2024 World Champion, took the men’s Singles in 1:51.162 for his fourth win of the season, edging David Gleirscher (AUT: 1:51.283) and Latvian Kristers Aparjods (1:51.289). Tucker West of the U.S. finished seventh in 1:51.559 as the top American.

Austria’s Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schopf and Beijing 2022 bronzers Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl were 1-2 at the 2024 Worlds men’s Doubles, and were 1-2 here, in 1:24.911 and 1:24.999, with Italy’s Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner third (1:25.116). American Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike had the top American sled and finished sixth 1:25.362.

German Julia Taubitz, the 2021 World Champion, won her second World Cup Singles of the season in the Sunday women’s race, in 1:47.971, beating Latvian home favorite Elina Vitola (1:48.120) and Lisa Schulte (AUT: 1:48.268). Emily Sweeney was the top American in fifth (1:48.322) and Summer Britcher was 10th (1:48.478).

Three-time Worlds women’s Doubles medalist Andrea Votter (ITA) teamed with Marion Oberhofer to win their first World Cup of the season in 1:25.337, ahead of Latvia’s Anda Upite and Kitija Bogdanova (1:25.538). Germany’s 2018 Olympic runner-up, Dajana Eitberger, and Saskia Schirmer finished third (1:25.548), just ahead of Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (1:25.552).

In the Team Relay, Latvia crowned a great World Cup with the victory, with Vitola, Martins Bots and Roberts Plume, Aparjods and Upite and Bogdanova clocking 3:14.445, ahead of the U.S. squad of Sweeney, Kellogg and Ike, West and Forgan and Kirkby (1:15.448). Romania was third (3:16.301).

● Nordic Combined ● The Norwegian steamroller continued through the FIS World Cup stop in Seefeld (AUT) for the 11th Seefeld Triple for the men, and two more wins for Norway in the women’s competitions.

Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber had already won the Seefeld Triple twice and was rolling in with four straight World Cup wins. He won all three events in Seefeld, taking the jumping lead off the 109 m hill and winning the 7.5 km race in 18:40.6, with teammate Joergen Graabak second in 19:18.7 and 2023 World Cup winner Johannes Lamparter (AUT) third (19:29.1). On Saturday, it was a Norwegian sweep over 10.0 km with Riiber winning in 25:19.2, followed by Graabak (25:41.9) and Jens Oftebro (25:42.6). Sunday saw high winds, so the Thursday jumping results were used, with the 12.5 km race, with Riiber winning at 34:39.8, Graabak second at 35:02.9 and Stefan Rettenegger (AUT: 35:17.4) third.

With the three wins, Riiber also claimed the record for the most career World Cup medals with 93 in all.

But Norway’s wins didn’t stop there. Norwegian women had won all eight events coming into Seefeld and 2022 World Cup seasonal runner-up Ida Marie Hagen made it 10 straight with two wins.

She took Friday’s 109 m hill/5 km Gundersen win in 14:42.5, ahead of fellow Norwegian Mari Leinan Lund (15:41.9) and German Nathalie Armbruster (15:55.8), then won on Saturday in 14:35.0, passing teammate Gyda Westvold Hansen (15:37.7) with Armbruster third again (15:41.0). It’s Hagen’s fifth win of the season, in 10 events and she has won a medal in all 10 (5-5-0).

● Ski Jumping ● Some surprises at the FIS World Cup off the 147 m hill in Willingen (GER), starting with Norway’s Johann-Andre Forfang. An Olympic gold and silver winner in 2018 in PyeongChang, he hadn’t won a World Cup event since December of 2018 … until Saturday.

He had the best jump in the second round to vault to the top of the podium with 252.7, beating Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi (221.7), who came from 15th with the no. 2 jump in the final round. Norwegian teammate Kristoffer Sundal got third at 219.9.

On Sunday, a more familiar winner emerged in PyeongChang 2018 winner Andreas Wellinger (GER), who was only seventh after the first jump, but had the best second jump to win with 237.6. Kobayashi was second again, coming from sixth to second in the last round (235.6).

The first women’s event saw Austria’s Jacqueline Seifriedsberger, 33, claim her second career World Cup individual gold and first since February 2013! She scored 161.4 to edge Japan’s four-time World Cup seasonal winner Sara Takanashi (157.3) – who won her first World Cup medal in a year – and Katharina Schmid (GER: 152.8).

Norway’s Silje Opseth, a three-time Worlds team medal winner, scored her first medal of this World Cup season and first win since March 2023 with 229.8 points, besting 18-year-old Nika Prevc (SLO: 221.7), who came from sixth to second in the second round. Japan’s Yuki Ito got her fourth medal of the season in third (215.5).

● Snowboard ● Weather shortened the program at Mammoth Mountain, California at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, cancelling the Slopestyle events, but the Halfpipe competitions on Saturday were held.

Japan’s 2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka got his second medal of the season and his first win, scoring 94.75, ahead of countryman Ruka Hirano (91.75) and Kaishu Hirano (89.25). American two-time Olympian Chase Josey was fourth (82.50).

Mitsuki Ono, the 2023 Worlds bronzer, completed the Japanese sweep in the women’s event, winning at 95.50, with teammate and Beijing 2022 bronze winner Sena Tomita second, scoring 88.50. American Maddie Mastro, a two-time Worlds medalist, was third for the third time in four events this season, at 83.00.

At the SnowCross World Cup in Gudauri (GEO), Canada’s Olympic runner-up Eliot Grondin scored his second and third wins in a row and now four in five events this season, beating Cameron Bolton (AUS) on both Saturday and Sunday. Beijing 2022 gold medalist Alessandro Hammerle (AUT) was third on Saturday and Beijing bronze winner Omar Visintin (ITA) was third on Sunday.

France’s two-time Olympic medalist Chloe Trespeuch won Saturday’s race and maintained her seasonal lead, with Czech star Eva Adamczykova second, then the 2021 women’s World Champion, Charlotte Bankes, got her first medal of the season with a win over Trespeuch (FRA) on Sunday. Australia’s Belle Brockhoff claimed her third medal of the season (0-1-2) in third.

● Speed Skating ● The sixth and final ISU World Cup of the season was in Quebec (CAN), and a showcase for 19-year-old triple World Champion Jordan Stolz of the U.S., who swept the men’s races at 500 m, 1,000 m and 1,500 m:

● Friday: Stolz opened with a win in the 1,000 m in 1:07.96, ahead of Japan’s 2020 World Sprint Champion Tatsuya Shinhama (1:08.34).

● Saturday: Two wins, first in the 1,500 m in 1:44.01, beating China’s Zhongyan Ning (1:44.79) and Canada’s Connor Howe (1:45.73). Then he took the 500 m in 34.51, ahead of Canada’s Olympic 1,000 m silver medalist Laurent Dubreuil (34.59).

● Sunday: Stolz won the 500 m again, this time with a track record of 34.36, ahead of Poles Marek Kania (34.69) and Piotr Michalski (34.72).

Wow. Stolz won the 500-1,000-1,500 m Worlds golds in 2023, and appears to getting better, not older.

Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN), the 2018 Olympic 10,000 m winner, took the 5,000 m from Beijing Olympic 10,000 m bronzer Davide Ghiotto (ITA), 6:13.87 to 6:17.18, and Shomu Sasaki (JPN) won the Mass Start in 7:56.06.

Wins by Dutch stars Femke Kok (second 500 m), Joy Beune (1,500 m) and triple Olympic champ Irene Schouten (3,000 m) highlighted the women’s races. However, Japan’s Beijing Olympic 1,000 m winner Miho Takagi (JPN) won the 1,000 m again over Kok, 1:14.19 to 1:15.07, with American Brittany Bowe fourth (1:16.16).

Korea’s Min-sun Kim defeated Kok in the first 500 m race, 37.69 to 37.70, with Olympic gold winner Erin Jackson of the U.S. fifth in 38.36. Jackson was also third in the second 500 m, behind Kok and Kim. Sandrine Tas (BEL) won the Mass Start in 8:27.59.

Next are the World Single Distances Championships from 15-18 February, in Calgary (CAN).

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TSX BULLETIN: Mantz and Young, O’Keeffe dominate U.S. marathon trials

By
Rich Perelman
-

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At long last, the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials was held in Orlando, Florida, under sunny conditions with starting temperatures just under 60 degrees when the men took off at 10:10 a.m.

In the end, the men’s race followed the script with the two favorites – Conner Mantz and Clayton Young – running comfortably to the finish, but women’s winner Fiona O’Keeffe stealing her race in a stunner.

A big pack moved together through the first six miles, with Zach Panning in the lead, then shrank to 14 by the 8-mile mark, with all of the favorites comfortably situated. Panning, in his fourth career marathon with a 2:09:28 best from 2022 and 13th at the 2023 Worlds, was in the lead through the half in 1:04:07, with Teshome Mekonen beside and 10 now in contention.

Ethiopian-born Mekonen took over at 14 miles; he became eligible to run for the U.S. in December 2022 and was in his fifth career marathon, having finished 24th in Berlin last October. Panning took over again at 15 miles, with Mekonen and U.S. qualifying leader Mantz right with him and 10 still running together.

Now the grinding started. Four-time Olympian and Rio 2016 marathon bronze winner Galen Rupp fell off the pace at 17 miles as the lead group shrunk to seven. Mekonen fell off the back at 18 miles and 13-time U.S. national distance champ Leonard Korir was showing signs of struggle to stay with the five in front of him.

Now came the break. Panning led at 19 miles, after miles of 4:44, 4:52 and 4:53, that broke everyone except Mantz and training partner and no. 2 time qualifier Young. Elkanah Kibet and Andrew Colley were five and six seconds back, and if Panning could keep this pace, he would run faster than the Olympic qualifying time of 2:08:10 (which Mantz and Young had already done).

So the racing on the street and against the clock was set. Panning clocked 4:51 to mile 20, on 2:07:38 pace. The three leaders slowed to 4:59 to mile 21, but were now 16 seconds clear of the field. They slowed significantly at 22 miles, at 5:07, with Mantz taking over and then to 5:06 for Panning at 23, which would have him finish beyond the 2:08:10 qualifying mark.

Young and Mantz moved ahead at 24, with a 5:09 mile and Panning dropped to third, now 19 seconds back. He was still third by 24 seconds, but his shot at an Olympic qualifying time was gone.

The two favorites coming in – Mantz and Young – picked up the pace to 5:03 at 25 miles, with Panning third (a 5:28 mile), but losing ground rapidly to Kibet, now three seconds behind him. Young and Mantz cruised past 26 miles at 5:16, with Korir and Kibet now 3-4.

Mantz won at 2:09:05 with Young one second back, and finish-line temps right at 70 degrees (F). Those are the nos. 2-3 performances ever in a men’s Olympic Trials marathon.

Korir out-sprinted Kibet for third in 2:09:57 to 2:10:02, but well short of the Olympic qualifying time, although there are possibilities for later inclusion. Korir’s time is the ninth-fastest in Trials history.

Manta and Young were the clear favorites going in and they showed their class and earned their ticket to Paris.

The women’s race began at 10:20 a.m., and 14 were together through the first six miles, with 40-year-old Sara Hall, the Worlds fifth-placer from 2022, and former American Record holder Keira D’Amato taking turns in the lead. By eight miles, there were 13 in the lead pack and defending Trials champ Aliphine Tuliamuk had dropped to 24 seconds behind the leaders.

Marathon debutante O’Keeffe, the 2022 U.S. 10 Mile champ, took over at 10 miles, with the top 13 still bunched. Then Dakotah Lindwurm – in her 13th career marathon – grabbed the lead at 12 miles, and D’Amato edged to the front at 13. At the half, D’Amato, Lindwurm, O’Keeffe, Hall and Emily Durgin all crossed in 1:11:43 as temperatures were now in the mid-60s.

O’Keeffe popped back into the lead at 14, with the lead pack at 12. She remained there through mile 16, but suddenly D’Amato had dropped back, four seconds behind the lead pack of nine. Betsy Saina, 35, a Kenyan 10,000 m Olympian in 2016, but who transferred to the U.S. in 2021, was right in contention in her 11th career marathon. Lindwurm dropped back by the 17-mile mark, leaving seven in the lead group, on pace for a 2:23:13 finish,

Only five remained in contention by 18 miles, with O’Keeffe, American Record holder Emily Sisson, Hall, Saina and Durgin running together. Then Durgin dropped off the back at 19 as O’Keeffe – hardly a favorite to make the team – threw in a 5:22 mile to take a five-second lead at 19 miles.

And there was no let up. O’Keeffe hammered out a 5:20 mile and Sisson ran 5:25 to reach mile 20 in 1:48:57 and 1:49:07. Saina and Hall were at 1:49:20 and Durgin had caught up to them and now had a chance to make the team.

O’Keeffe kept pushing: 5:27 at mile 21, with now a 16-second lead in Sisson, and chaos behind them. Saina, Hall and Durgan all slowed to 5:47 miles and Caroline Rotich (5:36) and Lindwurm (5:39) moved in places 3-4! At 22 miles, O’Keeffe finished another 5:27 mile and had a 21-second lead on Sisson (5:32), with Lindwurm and 2015 Boston Marathon champ Rotich, 39, together, 35 seconds back and Hall chasing both, another nine seconds behind.

O’Keeffe stayed on the gas, running 5:21 to reach 23 miles with a 31-second lead on Sission and looking unbeatable. Lindwurm and Rotich – who gained a U.S. affiliation only in October 2023 – were together at 3-4 and Hall was another 15 seconds down. O’Keeffe timed 5:23 to 24 miles, with Sisson cruising in second and Lindwurm and Rotich still together. Hall’s hopes had faded, now 28 seconds behind them.

Both O’Keeffe and Sisson punched hard to mile 25, running 5:09 and 5:10 and O’Keeffe maintained a 40-second lead in the race of her life. Lindwurm broke free of Rotich, running a 5:44 mile as Rotich faded to 5:55 and looked to be a solid third.

Sisson pressed, running a 5:15 mile to 5:22 for O’Keeffe to narrow the gap to 14 seconds by 26 miles, but O’Keeffe won going away in 2:22:10, moving her no. 10 all-time U.S. in her first race at the distance. It’s by far the fastest U.S. Olympic trials marathon ever, blasting Shalane Flanagan’s 2:25:38 from 2012.

Sisson was second at 2:22:42, her third-fastest ever, and Lindwurm, at 28, got third at 2:25:31, her third-fastest ever, to get a trip to Paris. Jessica McClain passed the fading Rotich and Hall and got fourth (2:25:46), with Hall fifth at 2:26:06 and Rotich sixth at 2:26:10.

The top three times were the three-fastest in U.S. marathon trials history and this race now has seven of the all-time top 10.

There was $600,000 in prize money in this race, with 10 places receiving $80,000, $65,000, $55,000, $25,000, $20,000, $15,000, $13,000, $11,000, $9,000 and $7,000.

Much more to unpack from this race, but it was a considerable success for Mantz, Young and the stunning O’Keeffe, and after all the worries about weather, appeared to run smoothly with finish temperatures just about 70 at the end.

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TSX REPORT: Asuncion and Lima bid for 2027 Pan Ams; U.S. marathon trials on Saturday; Beamon’s 1968 gold goes for $441,000!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Asuncion and Lima bid for 2027 Pan American Games
2. U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials comes Saturday
3. Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games conclude in Korea
4. Beamon’s ‘68 long jump brings $441,000 at auction
5. Cricket tops BCW federation social-media rankings

● Two bids were received by Panam Sports for the 2027 Pan American Games, removed from Barranquilla (COL) on 3 January. Asuncion, Paraguay and Lima, Peru (which hosted in 2019) are confirmed candidates with the choice to be made on 3 March.

● The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will be held in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, with reasonable weather expected and the top three women finishers to go to Paris. The U.S. has two men’s spots assured, with a third possible with a fast time.

● The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games concluded in Gangwon, Korea with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach calling the event “a brilliant success.” The U.S. led the medal table with 21 total.

● Bob Beamon’s 1968 Olympic gold in the long jump – at which he set a staggering world record of 29-2 ½ – was auctioned in New York and drew a final price of $441,000.

● The annual social-media rankings by communications giant BCW showed the International Cricket Council a solid no. 1 again in 2023 across a combined total from seven platforms. FIFA was a clear second, but was far ahead of all other federations.

● Panorama: Beijing 2022 (Bach asks for more sanctions on entourage) = Winter Games 2034 (Salt Lake City has contracted 21,000 rooms) = World Games (Moscoso wins Athlete of the Year for 2023) = Russia (Latvia passes law prohibiting matches against Russia or Belarus) = USOPC (Xfinity launches “Making Team USA” promo platform) = Alpine Skiing (Kilde says athlete schedule is too crowded) = Athletics (French distance star Jazy passes at 87) = Swimming (2: Worlds odds posted on open-water races; Trials warm-up pools headed to Caymans) ●

1.
Asuncion and Lima bid for 2027 Pan American Games

As expected, two bids were received to host the 2027 Pan American Games by the deadline of 31 January, from Asuncion (PAR) and Lima (PER).

This follows the 3 January announcement by Panam Sports that it had revoked the hosting rights of Barranquilla (COL), after multiple breaches of contract, including missing a $4 million rights fee payment at the end of 2023.

Whispers about difficulties with Barranquilla had been circulating for some time, with Asuncion rumored to be ready to step in. Paraguay has never hosted the Pan American Games, which had 6,909 athletes from 41 countries competing in 425 events across 39 sports last October in Santiago (CHI).

Lima, on the other hand, hosted the 2019 Pan Am Games (and Parapan American Games) quite successfully in 2019 and has the advantage of existing venues and other infrastructure at its disposal.

Possible bids from Sao Paulo (BRA) and the Nuevo Leon state of Mexico did not materialize. It is possible that Panam Sports could award both the 2027 and 2031 Pan Ams to Asuncion and Lima in some order to take advantage of their interest. However, for now, the process is limited to 2027:

“To determine the next host city, the Panam Sports Executive Committee has organized an Extraordinary General Assembly to be held virtually on March 12.

“During the Assembly, each of the candidate cities must make a 40-minute presentation, and then proceed to the voting of the member countries, and thus choose the next city that will host the most important sporting event on the continent in 2027.”

2.
U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials comes Saturday

After controversies over selection and starting times, the U.S. Olympic Trials for the marathon is finally here and will start just after 10 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday in downtown Orlando, Florida.

The original start time of noon was bitterly fought by the USA Track & Field Athletes Commission and a compromise of 10 a.m. was agreed, with the weather forecast now showing:

● 10:00 a.m.: Sunny, 59 F, wind of 4 miles per hour
● 11:00 a.m.: Sunny, 64 F, wind of 6 miles per hour
● 12:00 p.m.: Sunny, 67 F, winds of 6 miles per hour
● 1:00 p.m.: Sunny, 70 F, winds of 6 miles per hour

So, the start of the race will be accommodating, but the finish will be in warming temperatures, which could be significant. The men’s race will start at 10:10 a.m. and the women’s race at 10:20 a.m., with everyone running an opening 2.2-mile loop and then three loops of eight miles each.

The two races will be quite different, with the top three in the women’s race expected to be selected for Paris as the U.S. has three spots in the 80-athlete Olympic field already confirmed. For the men, however, only two have run under the 2:08:10 Olympic standard and so only two spots in Paris are confirmed; if a third athlete besides Conner Mantz and Clayton Young runs faster than 2:08:10, a third spot would be confirmed. If not, there is a World Athletics World Rankings protocol which might let a third U.S. man into the field, but that will not be finalized on 5 May.

In terms of the top entries, looking at the 2022-23 qualifying years (the qualifying period began in November 2022):

Men:
(215 entries: 206 marathon qualifiers, seven in half-marathon and two Tokyo Olympians)
● 2:07:47, Conner Mantz (2023 Chicago)
● 2:08:00, Clayton Young (2023 Chicago)
● 2:08:48, Galen Rupp (2023 Chicago)
● 2:08:50, Sam Chelanga (2023 Chicago)
● 2:08:52, Scott Fauble (2022 Boston)
● 2:09:07, Elkaneh Kibet (2022 Boston)
● 2:09:28, Zach Panning (2022 Chicago)
● 2:09:31, Leonard Korir (2023 Paris)
● 2:09:40, Futsum Zienasellassie (2023 Rotterdam)
● 2:09:46, Brian Shader (2023 Chicago)

Rupp, of course, was the Olympic 10,000 m silver winner in 2012 and the marathon bronze winner in 2016. He won the 2020 Olympic Trials at Atlanta in 2:09:20 and is fully capable – if healthy – of running the Olympic standard and winning in Orlando. But he hasn’t finished in the top three in his last five races – in 2022-23-24 – and not since the 2021 Chicago Marathon.

Mantz’s sixth-place finish in Chicago last year got the U.S. a qualifying mark and he was second in the USATF 20 km Championship last September. Training partner Young won the USATF road 10 km title and the 20 km title (over Mantz) and was right behind Mantz (2:08:00) at Chicago. Those two are at the head of the form chart.

Great interest will be paid to first-time marathoner Paul Chelimo, the Rio 2016 5,000 m silver winner and who got the 5,000 m bronze at Tokyo 2020. Five-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, now 47, will become the oldest man to run in the Olympic Marathon Trials ever; he made the Tokyo 2020 team with a Trials third.

The rest? The weather may have an impact and the smartest runner may be the one who finished third … but may not make it to the Games.

Women:
(165 entries: 153 marathon qualifiers; 12 in half-marathon)
● 2:18:29, Emily Sisson (2022 Chicago)
● 2:19:12, Keira D’Amato (2022 Houston)
● 2:21:40, Betsy Saina (2023 Tokyo)
● 2:22:10, Sara Hall (2022 Worlds)
● 2:23:07, Molly Seidel (2023 Chicago)
● 2:23:24, Sara Vaughn (2023 Chicago)
● 2:24:35, Gabriella Rooker (2023 Chicago)
● 2:24:37, Aliphine Tuliamuk (2023 Boston)
● 2:24:40, Dakotah Lindwurm (2023 Chicago)
● 2:24:43, Lindsay Flanagan (2022 Gold Coast)

This is an outstanding field, with 21 who have run faster than the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:27:30. Tuliamuk won the Tokyo 2020 Trials, ahead of Molly Seidel and Sally Kipyego; Seidel won the Tokyo Olympic bronze, but withdrew from Orlando due to a knee injury. Emma Bates, who ran 2:22:10 at Boston in 2023, also was unable to achieve the fitness she wanted and won’t run.

Sisson is the American record holder, breaking D’Amato’s mark from earlier in 2022 and was great in 2023, winning national titles at 15 km and 20 km and finishing seventh at the Chicago Marathon. Sara Hall, Bates and D’Amato finished 5-7-8 at the 2022 Worlds, the only country to place three in the top 10.

The women’s field includes 47-year-old Dot McMahon, a five-time Trials qualifier, but there will be a lot of interest in debut marathoner Jenny Simpson, the 2011 World 1,500 m champ and Olympic 1,500 m bronze winner in 2016, who qualified with a 70:35 at the Houston half in 2023. Two-time Olympian Molly Huddle, a 5,000-10,000 m star, is in the field, and Des Linden, already a two-time Olympian, will try to move up one spot from her fourth in 2020; she finished 2-2-4 at the 2012-16-20 Trials.

The races will be shown live on the Peacock subscription service, and then on NBC beginning at noon Eastern. Real-time results should be available here.

3.
Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games conclude in Korea

“You see here a very happy IOC President, and a very happy Chair of the Coordination Commission, because these Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 have been a brilliant success. …

“These Winter Youth Olympic Games have been a great demonstration of Olympic legacy, the hard legacy and the soft legacy of the very successful Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. We saw state-of-the-art facilities, and the athletes enjoying to compete in these state-of-the-art facilities , Olympic facilities, because six years ago, they were glued to their TV screen and saw their then-Olympic idols winning gold medals. …

“But we also saw and this may be, in the long term, even more important, is the soft legacy. I met many volunteers who had been volunteers in 2018. …They really deserve a special mention.”

That was International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER), at a wrap-up news conference prior to the closing of the 2024 Winter YOG in Gangwon.

The event, which finished on Thursday evening, had 1,801 athletes from 78 countries, and a heavy dose of K-pop music throughout. The U.S. was the top medal winner, with 21 in total (5-11-5), nearly double the 11 (2-3-6) won at Lausanne in 2020, and more than the 16 (10-6-0) in 2016 and eight in 2012 (2-3-3). Germany won 20 medals (9-5-6) and Italy had the most golds with 11 and was one of three countries with 18 in all.

Three athletes won four medals: biathlete Antonin Guy (FRA: 3-1-0), speed skater Angel Daleman (NED: 3-0-1) and short track star Xinzhe Zhang (CHN: 2-0-2). In addition to Guy and Daleman, Finn Sonnekalb (GER: speed skating) and Maja Waroschitz (AUT: alpine skiing) also won three golds.

Bach was thrilled with the interest in the Winter YOG, not only in Korea, but also in the U.S., noting there were about a million viewers of NBC’s coverage. Worldwide, the social-media traffic was impressive; said Bach:

“By tomorrow, there will be 250 million engagements on the Olympic social-media handles alone. This is something unprecedented, and in particular, unprecedented for any junior event.

“Here, to have over 250 million engagements is really overwhelming success, which we greatly, greatly appreciate.”

He added that the IOC had contributed $25 million to the organizing committee and spent another $12 million on travel, food, preparation and qualifications for the participating National Olympic Committees.

No host for a 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games has been chosen yet; Bach expects a site to be named later this year or in early 2025.

4.
Beamon’s ‘68 long jump brings $441,000 at auction

The Mexico City 1968 Olympic long jump gold medal won by American Bob Beamon with his historic 8.90 m (29-2 1/2) leap was auctioned on Thursday by Christie’s New York.

Part of the 40-lot The Exceptional Sale, the medal was estimated to sell for $400-600,00 and was sold for $441,000, the third-highest price realized during the sale.

Beamon made history on his first jump of the final and was overwhelmed by his world-record effort; he took one more jump and then skipped his remaining four attempts. Now 77, he decided to sell the medal in order to support his children.

It sold for $350,000, and $441,000 after auction house fees were added on. Said Beamon, “it’s time for me to pass it on.” Christie’s did not identify the buyer.

5.
Cricket tops BCW federation social-media rankings

There’s no doubt about the passion of cricket followers, underscored once again by the BCW International Sports Federation Social Media Rankings for 2023.

The International Cricket Council led all federations by a wide margin, with 106.519 million total followers across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, YouTube and X (ex-Twitter); the top five:

● 106,519,541: Cricket (ICC)
● 56,836,902: Football (FIFA)
● 21,869,824: Basketball (FIBA)
● 15,825,447: Volleyball (FIVB)
● 11,983,040: Athletics (World Athletics)

These top five remained unchanged in their overall ranking from 2022 and were the only federations with more than 10 million combined followers. FIBA, which held its men’s World Cup in 2023, saw a 41% increase in total followers in 2023.

In terms of the Olympic-sport federations, the numbers go down rapidly after World Athletics, with World Rugby fifth (9.709 million) down to World Aquatics in 10th (3.172 million).

The individual platform leaders:

● Facebook: 41.014 million: Cricket (ICC)
● Instagram: 29.905 million: Cricket (ICC)
● LinkedIn: 401,020: Football (FIFA)
● Threads: 1.829 million: Cricket (ICC)
● TikTok: 4.900 million: Basketball (FIBA)
● YouTube: 20.200 million: Football (FIFA)
● X: 27.125 million Football (FIFA)

The study noted that despite 2023 being just a year beyond the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, no winter-sport federation made the top-10 list among any of the platforms.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● IOC President Bach was asked during his Gangwon news conference the IOC’s view of the Kamila Valieva doping decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He made special note of the issues with coaches, physicians and others who surround athletes:

“This case overall is another confirmation of our determination and our request which we have been making repeatedly, that in doping cases, it cannot only be a matter for the athletes concerned, but that the entourage of the athletes have to be inquired more and better and deeper and have also to be sanctioned.

“And this is even more true when it comes to minors, and so I cannot only call on all the organizations responsible there for the fight against doping, and all the agencies to really look into the entourage, and to make sure that also with regard to a member of the entourage, we have deterrent sanctions, and again, even tougher sanctions whenever a minor is involved.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2034 ● The march toward selection for the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Olympic Games continues with an announcement that 21,000 of the 24,000 rooms required by the IOC have been secured:

“The Utah bid has now contracted lodging in 11 Utah counties plus Wyoming. The coverage includes Utah’s Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Juab, Morgan, Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber counties, along with Uintah (Evanston) county in Wyoming.”

The bid file must be submitted later this month, with a site visit likely coming in April.

● World Games ● The International World Games Association announced that Bolivian racquetball star Conrrado Moscoso won the World Games Athlete of the Year award for 2023. He polled 75,389 votes to 55,834 for Italy’s Luisa Rizzo (Air Sports).

German’s Latin Dance duo of Marius-Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska finished third, with 43,560.

● Russia ● Latvian state media reported:

“Latvia’s team sports national teams are prohibited from playing against the national teams of Russia and Belarus, according to the amendments to the Sports Law adopted in the Saeima [legislature] on Thursday, February 1. The ban will also apply if athletes from the aggressor countries participate in the competition in a neutral status. …

“The amendments to the law also provide for a ban on organizing team sports national team competitions in Latvia, where the national teams of Russia or Belarus participate under their flag or in a neutral status. The ban applies to both adult, youth and junior competitions both in Latvia and abroad.

“The main goal of the adopted amendments to the law is to re-emphasize Latvia’s solidarity with Ukraine and to fundamentally block any Russian efforts to legitimize its war crimes through the sports industry, the press service of the Saeima informed. In the Russian foreign policy doctrine, one of the directions of spreading its values is the so-called ‘soft power’ in building relations with foreign countries, and sports is one of the ways of its use.”

Russian response was immediate and shrill, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova telling Sport Express:

“This is a manifestation of racism: hatred on national grounds. Nazism in its purest form.”

Former Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov called for sanctions from the IOC:

“We have many precedents in international sports policy when this is interpreted as government intervention in the affairs of public organizations … any interference and prohibitions of this kind are called government interference in the affairs of public organizations.”

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● “Making Team USA presented by Xfinity aims to tell the untold qualification journey story, inclusive of all sports and athletes, and consisting of live events and competitions, including notable NBCU Trials coverage, athlete-led storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, gamification and other first-of-its-kind digital experiences on the newly launched TeamUSA.com to learn more about each athlete.”

Thursday’s announcement of this new promotional platform from the NBCUniversal family – Xfinity is owned by Comcast Corporation, also the parent of NBCU – creates a new opportunity for fans to track the U.S. team prior to Paris. There is also an Xfinity gift for U.S. Olympians-to-be:

“Xfinity will roll out its Xfinity Athlete Connections program ahead of Paris 2024, which will provide a ‘connections credit’ to each athlete who qualifies for the 2024 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams to help support their access to the Internet at home or on the go via their mobile device.”

● Alpine Skiing ● Injured Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde said on Thursday that a better system for managing athlete time is needed to prevent more injuries.

This has been a tough year for crashes, with stars such as Alexis Pinturault (FRA), Petra Vlhova (SVK), Wendy Holdener (SUI), Marco Schwarz (AUT), Kilde and partner Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – all Olympic medal winners – either out for the season or for a significant portion.

An Associated Press story explained:

“Currently, a top skier’s day can start before sunrise and include inspecting the hill, racing, post-race ceremonies and media work at the course. Later, there is a televised evening event typically in a town square for another trophy presentation, media interviews and presenting start bibs for the next day’s race.”

Said Kilde: “It’s super important that we look at something that’s more sustainable,” referring to the heavy January schedule, where canceled races from November and December were rescheduled, resulting in 13 men’s races across five venues in three countries. The women had 12 races at six venues across four countries. Kilde was injured on his third straight day of racing, in Wengen (SUI) on 13 January, and added:

“We have to sit down with the people involved with this and see what we can do better for the upcoming years. We don’t have any room to lose anybody.”

The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) commented, “It is a balancing act to minimize the athletes’ time obligations while still giving World Cup competitions proper promotion both on site and for television.”

● Athletics ● Sad news that Michel Jazy, France’s middle-distance star of the 1960s, has passed at age 87 on Thursday.

The 1960 Olympic silver medalist in the 1,500 m, he set nine world records and was most famous for his mile mark of 3:53.6 in 1965 and the 2,000 m record of 4:56.2 – that stood for 10 years – in 1966.

● Swimming ● Caesars Sportsbook has posted odds on the open-water races at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT) that opens on Friday:

● Men/5 km: Germany’s defending champion Florian Wellbrock is favored to repeat at 2.62:1, trailed by Italians Gregorio Paltrinieri (4:1, the 2023 silver winner) and Domenico Azcerenza (4.5:1, 2023 bronze).

● Men/10 km: Wellbrock, who won this race last year as well, is 3.75:1 as the favorite, ahead of Azcerenza (4.50:1) and Paltrinieri (8:1).

● Women/5 km: Katie Grimes of the U.S. is the favorite at 3.75:1, ahead of defending champ Leonie Beck (GER: 5.50:1) and 2023 Worlds runner-up Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED: 7:1) and Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha (7:1), the 2023 bronze winner.

● Women/10 km: Beck, the defending champ here too, is favored at 4:1, with Grimes – who won bronze in this race last year – at 6.5:1, along with van Rouwendaal (6.5:1).

Paltrinieri has apparently withdrawn in the 10 km race, so look for new odds soon.

Myrtha Pools announced that the warm-up pools for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials – 50 m and 25 m – have been purchased (ahead of time) by the Cayman Islands’ Ministry of Youth, Sports and Heritage. Both will be re-installed at the new Cayman Islands Aquatic Center.

It’s the first Myrtha pool from a U.S. Olympic Trials to be used afterwards outside the U.S.; the company has been providing temporary pools for the Trials since 2008.

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TSX REPORT: Paris 2024 opening ceremony crowd to be 300,000; Putin says ROC and Sports Ministry will decide if Russians go to Paris

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Paris 2024 concept for the Opening Ceremony on the Seine (Image: Paris 2024)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Paris 2024 opening to host 300,000-plus spectators
2. Paris 2024 details “Marathon Pour Tous” for 40,048 during Games
3. IOC knocks Italian plan for Cortina sliding center
4. Putin says ROC and Sports Ministry will decide on Paris
5. Tokyo 2020 bribery defendant Takahashi begins defense at trial

● The French Interior Minister said that the crowd for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games on the Seine will be about 300,000, down from the once-projected 600,000 for security and transport reasons.

● The Paris 2024 “Marathon Pour Tous” program will welcome more than 40,000 runners on the Olympic marathon course on the same day as the men’s event will be held. Both a full marathon and a 10 km race will be held.

● The International Olympic Committee once again panned the Italian plan to rush ahead with the building of a new sliding track for bob, luge and skeleton in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026. But the issue is now political in Italy; the organizers will keep back-up plans in place.

● Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the decision on what to do about participation at Paris as “neutrals” is up to the Russian Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry. Questions are also being asked about who gave skater Kamila Valieva the Trimetazidine that caused her doping positive; no one knows.

● The man at the center of the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship pay-to-play scandal, Haruyuki Takahashi, appeared in court in Tokyo for the first time on Wednesday. His lawyers insisted that the money he received was for legitimate consulting work. Meanwhile, a dozen others have admitted guilt and have received suspended sentences.

● Panorama: Vox Populi (Sobering essay on conflict and Olympic hopes from Prof. Helmut Digel) = Los Angeles 2028 (L.A. City report says LA28 funding has increased sports participation) = World Anti-Doping Agency (Olympic Council of Asia confirmed compliant) = Athletics (big opener for World Champ Mahuchikh in Cottbus!) = Boxing (USA Boxing confirms Olympians, named Olympic qualifier entries) = Fencing (U.S. wins three bronzes at Qatar Epee Grand Prix) = Shooting (Simonton takes Skeet title at ISSF Grand Prix in Egypt) ●

1.
Paris 2024 opening to host 300,000-plus spectators

Finally, an actual number for the spectators who will be watching the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremonies along the Seine River in Paris: “around 300,000.”

That’s from French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin, from a television interview on Wednesday, ending months of speculation on what the finalized limit will be. The logistical plan remains the same:

● About 100,000 spectators will be seated close to the water, on the lower quays; these tickets are being sold by the Paris 2024 organizers.

● Another 200,000 or so will be able to watch the ceremony from the upper quays; they will be required to obtain tickets, which will be free and distributed by the government.

● There will be no restrictions on watching the event from home for those who live along the route.

The 300,000 figure is half what was originally projected as the capacity for the ceremony, with the same 100,000 close to the water, but as many as 500,000 on the upper banks. But this total was seriously opposed by public transportation officials as far more than it could handle.

Darmanin did not explain when or how the final figure was arrived at, but transport and security concerns have been paramount, and a plan by the Paris police to remove hundreds of the river-side second-hand bookseller boxes has been fiercely opposed by the booksellers and their allies.

Darmanin was optimistic, if also realistic about the risks involved:

“I know that we have the best security forces in the world and that we will succeed in showing not only that we can win medals [at the Games] but that we can play host to the world without any problems.”

Ile-de-France regional President Valerie Pecresse, also in charge of the transport authority, welcomed the lower figure:

“It seems to us to be a much more reasonable level that provides security and safety for spectators as well as for travellers on public transport.”

Darmanin acknowledged that “The terror risk is extremely strong,” and the organizers have said that they have contingency plans in development that will maintain the ceremony on the water, but could modify the show to protect athletes and performers in case of a security alert.

The Paris 2024 organizers said that the exact numbers are still to be worked out:

“As the French government has indicated, the final decision on the size of the stadium will be taken at the end of the consultation process in spring 2024.

“When it comes to security, the Minister of the Interior is in the best position to take the right decisions. As you know, it is the State that is responsible for security and for welcoming the spectators who will attend the opening ceremony free of charge on the upper quays.

“Paris 2024 has been working for many months in close collaboration with the public authorities to calibrate the capacity, for which we are taking many parameters into account. Consultations are still underway, under the authority of the chief of police.”

2.
Paris 2024 details “Marathon Pour Tous” for
40,048 during Games

One of the true innovations of the Paris 2024 organizing plan is to offer an opportunity for non-elite runners to be part of the road-running experience on the same day as the men’s Olympic marathon: the “Marathon Pour Tous.”

On 10 August, the men’s marathon will begin at 8 a.m. with an expected field of 80. But in the evening, more than 40,000 runners will take over all or part of the course:

● 9:00 p.m.: The same marathon course will be open to 20,024 runners – half men, half women – who will run the full distance, beginning at the Hotel de Ville and finishing at the famed Esplanade des Invalides.

● 11:30 p.m.: Another 20,024 runners will run in a 10 km race, also starting and finishing in the same locations as the marathon, but with a much shorter route in between.

Some 35,000 entries were allocated out of the 40,048 total to the public, with the right to run won by varying events across France, and registrations from outside the country. In all, entries will come from 110 countries, with the highest registration numbers from France (of course), the U.S., Belgium, Great Britain and Germany.

The marathon entries range from 20-85 years, with a quarter trying the distance for the first time. The 10 km starters range from 16-95.

This is a first-time concept and could become of the signature legacies of the Paris 2024 Games, especially with the nighttime program and a planned showcase of multiple landmarks lit up as the runners pass them during their run.

3.
IOC knocks Italian plan for Cortina sliding center

“The IOC firmly believes that the existing number of sliding centers, globally, is sufficient for the current number of athletes and competitions in the sports of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.

“[Only] existing and already operating tracks should be considered due to the very tight timeline remaining.”

The Associated Press reported the International Olympic Committee’s statement on Wednesday, continuing to insist that an existing venue should be used for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

The IOC’s statement also noted that it has been “unequivocal that no permanent venue should be built without a clear and viable legacy plan.”

Confidence in the Italian plan to build a sliding venue in about a year is tempered by the reality that the Cesara Pariol venue for the 2006 Turin Winter Games closed in 2012 as it was too expensive to operate and had drawn little tourism interest.

But the building of a site in Cortina to replace the famed Eugenio Monti track used for the 1956 Winter Games – in Cortina – had become a national political issue, as expressed by Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani on Tuesday on X (ex-Twitter):

“Today the Council of Ministers will approve regulations on the 2026 Winter Olympics. It is not acceptable for the bobsled races to take place outside Italy. The choice is forced: either Cortina or Cesana. We will do everything to achieve the goal. I support Italy!”

After attracting no bids at all for the project last summer, one bidder has come forward, the Parma-based Impresa Pizzarotti & C., at €81.6 million ($88.27 million U.S.), and would be contracted by the Italian government’s infrastructure authority, known as SIMICO. The track has to be completed in a year in order to be tested and certified in the season prior to the 2026 Winter Games.

Just in case the track cannot be finished in time, the Milan Cortina organizers are maintaining contacts with four other possible sites for bob, luge and skeleton: Innsbruck (AUT), Koenigssee (GER), St. Moritz (SUI) and Lake Placid in the U.S.

4.
Putin says ROC and Sports Ministry will decide on Paris

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped into the Olympic controversies surrounding Russia, placing the responsibility of deciding whether any Russian athletes will compete in Paris on others. Speaking at a campaign event, he explained:

“I understand everything that is connected with participation or non-participation, discrimination of our high-achieving athletes in international competitions.

“Now, it seems to me, there is no need to talk about this. It is our Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports that must finally decide what to do and what not to do in this regard.”

He added:

“Today’s major international competitions within the framework of the Olympic movement, of course, are becoming flawed. In some sports, without our athletes, competitions become uninteresting. It’s just that our athletes are leaders in many areas.”

And he insisted that “respected individuals in this sphere, athletes, realize what is really going on and regret the current developments.”

Of course, Putin did not say that he would not be discussing the issue with both the Sports Ministry and the Russian Olympic Committee.

As for sports today:

“International sport is a sport of high achievements – it is very commercialized. Everything there, every step, depends on advertisers, on sponsors. Sponsors, in turn – these are large companies – depend on the political elites of their states. So the circle is closed, and so everything, all problems stem from this, around this.”

In the wake of the Court of Arbitration for Sport holding that Russian skater Kamila Valieva was doping based on her positive test on 25 December 2021, calls have come quickly for further inquiries into who provided her with the prohibited substance Trimetazidine.

The question of investigations into her “entourage” was noted by Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) head Veronika Loginova, who said her agency will not pursue it:

“We have investigated the athlete’s entourage within the authority that RUSADA possesses in line with Russian law and the regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“We believe that the authority of anti-doping organizations is not always sufficient to prove the involvement of an athlete’s entourage in doping cases.

“RUSADA has no power of law enforcement bodies to resort to operative investigative measures. We have repeatedly stated this. Unfortunately, in most cases our investigative activities are limited to voluntary participation and subsequent analysis of the gathered information.

“WADA stated that the investigation could be resumed after the agency studied the reasoned text of the CAS verdict. We are ready to provide them with all the necessary assistance within the framework of our authority and powers.”

Loginova said she would like to find the person responsible for Valieva’s doping positive:

“If there is a person who acted as an accomplice or even the initiator of taking a prohibited substance to Kamila, who at that time was only 15 years old, then this ‘criminal’ – there is no other way to call him, must be punished, including criminal liability for inducing a minor athlete to violate anti-doping rules. In Russia, unlike most, even the most advanced in this area of countries, criminal liability for this was introduced in 2016.”

The Times (London) reported that while all three arbitrators in the Valieva case agreed that a sanction was called for, two were in favor of the four-year ban that was imposed and one preferred two years.

5.
Tokyo 2020 bribery defendant Takahashi begins defense at trial

Former Dentsu senior director and Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizing committee board member Haruyuki Takahashi appeared in a Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, with his attorneys claiming that the funds he received from sponsors and ad agencies were for legitimate consulting work.

Takahashi, 79, has been at the center of the pay-to-play sponsorship bribery scandal disclosed after the Games were concluded, with 15 people indicted in all and about 12 already entering guilty pleas and receiving suspended sentences. They admitted that their payments to Takahashi were intended as bribes to assure that they would be selected as Tokyo 2020 sponsors or licensees.

Prosecutors say that he received payments – either directly or through third parties – to help arrange for Olympic sponsor, supplier and licensee designations for various businesses, as well as to recommend ad agencies to work with sponsors. The total payments are alleged at ¥196 million, or about $1.33 million U.S. today.

Takahashi, a Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member, is said to have made arrangements to assist Official Supporters Aoki Holdings (¥51 million payment total) and Kadokawa Corp. (¥76 million), licensee Sun Arrow, Inc. (¥7 million) and ad agencies ADK Holdings (¥47 million) and Daiko Advertising (¥26 million). He was assisted by two consulting firms through which the monies were routed.

Takahashi’s attorneys told the Court that the payments were for legitimate consulting work, and that Takahashi could not have had so much authority over sponsor marketing since the solicitation of sponsors was outsourced to ad giant Dentsu. The prosecution contends that as a former Dentsu senior director, he had a central role in the selection of sponsors and suppliers.

The trial is to be continued on 22 February.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Vox Populi ● A very sobering guest essay on conflicts in today’s world and a possible contribution to the idea of peace by the Olympic Movement by Prof. Helmut Digel, the long-time former World Athletics Council member and head of the German track & field federation.

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● A good report from the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, filed last week, that despite lingering Covid issues, participation was well ahead of the pre-pandemic baseline totals.

The fiscal year 2022-23 plan showed a projected total of 145,991 participants in the myriad of programs funded by LA28 organizing committee monies advanced by the IOC. Instead, the total enrollment was 176,596, a 21% increase. Even better: the budget of $17.53 million was underspent by 23%, at $13.55 million.

The heaviest users by age were children from 5-13, although the program reached down to a few as young as one, and as old as 17. Compared to the baseline participation total at the start of the program – 148,274 from 2018-19 – the project’s participation was up by 19% for 2022-23. Funding by LA28 will continue through the middle of 2028.

Also noteworthy was support for this project provided by other organizations such as the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Los Angeles Clippers Foundation, Angel City FC, Kaiser Permanente, the LA84 Foundation, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Nike.

The PlayLA report was actually completed in September, but not forwarded to the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Olympic and Paralympic Games until now.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● WADA confirmed that the Olympic Council of Asia paid its $500,000 fine for allowing the North Korean flag to be used at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN).

North Korea was deemed compliant in the last week, but was not compliant during the Asian Games; both matters are concluded, at least for now.

● Athletics ● A big seasonal opener for Ukraine’s women’s high jump World Champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh in Cottbus (GER) at the annual Internationales Springer-Meeting, winning with a world-leading 2.04 m (6-8 1/4).

She cleared on her second try, but did not attempt a higher height. It ties her third-best performance ever, and is her second-best mark indoors.

● Boxing ● Following the end of the USA Boxing selection camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Boxing confirmed five Olympians-to-be already qualified and identified seven fighters who will compete at the 29 February-12 March World Qualification Tournament I in Busto Arsizio (ITA).

The five already going to Paris, thanks to their performance at the 2023 Pan American Games, include Jahmal Harvey (57 kg) and Joshua Edwards (+92 kg) in the men’s classes and Jarjaira Gonzalez (60 kg), Morelle McCane (66 kg) and Jennifer Lozano (50 kg) for the women.

Selections for the Worlds qualifier include 2021 World Champion Robby Gonzales (80 kg), 2021 Worlds runner-up Omari Jones (71 kg) and 2022 Americas confederation champions Jamar Talley (92 kg) and Roscoe Hill (51 kg).

Naomi Graham, the 2018 Worlds bronze medalist (75 kg) and national tournament champions Alyssa Mendoza (57 kg) and Shera Mae Patricio (54 kg) will compete for spots in Paris for the women.

● Fencing ● A surprise win for Israel and three bronze medals for the U.S. at the FIE Grand Prix in Epee in Doha (QAT) for men and women.

The men’s final was won by Yuval Freilich of Israel, who had previously taken one World Cup medal in his career, back in 2016. But he overcame 2018 World Champion Yannick Borel (FRA) in the quarters (15-9) and dispatched Federico Vismara of Italy in the final, also by 15-9. Americans Yeisser Ramirez and Sam Imrek took the bronzes.

The women’s title was the second career Grand Prix gold for top-ranked Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG), who outlasted Guilia Rizzi (ITA) in the final by 14-13. Two-time Worlds bronze winner Kong has – at 29 – won 13 career Grand Prix or World Cup medals. Hadley Husisian of the U.S. lost to Kong in the semis, 15-14, and shared the bronze medals with Darja Varfolonyeyeva (UKR).

All three Americans won their first major international medals!

● Shooting ● American Sam Simonton, the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist in women’s Skeet, won the ISSF World Cup in Cairo (EGY) for the only U.S. medal of the competition. She defeated Italy’s Martina Maruzzo, 50-47, for the gold.

Eleven different countries won events across the Olympic event program, with Greece’s 2016 Olympic 25 m Pistol winner Anna Korakaki taking the women’s 10 m Air Pistol gold, and the silver at 25 m, losing to 2023 World Champion Doreen Vennekamp (GER), 39-37, in the final.

Worlds bronze winner Azmy Mehelba (EGY) won for the home team in men’s Skeet, and India led the overall medal count with six.

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TSX REPORT: ISU re-scores Beijing Team Event, but gives Russia the bronze, ignoring its own rules; U.S. skater Chock wants medal ceremony in Paris!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates on their way to an Ice Dance gold at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 2023 (Photo: ISU)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. ISU gives Beijing Team Event medals to U.S., Japan and Russia
2. ISU’s re-scoring appears to have ignored its own rules
3. Chock and Bates thrilled with gold, hope for medals in Paris!
4. Milan Cortina 2026 sliding track to be in Cortina (maybe)
5. French police promised up to €1,900 in Olympic bonuses

● The International Skating Union declared Tuesday that with the disqualification of Russian skater Kamila Valieva for doping, the U.S. is the gold medalist in the figure skating Team Event at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. Japan was moved up to silver, but Russia was curiously given the bronze over Canada.

● A look at the ISU’s own rules on the scoring of disqualifications indicates that the federation ignored its own Rule 353, which states that in the case of disqualifications, the placers behind the disqualified athlete should be moved up. This was not done and Canada is preparing to appeal.

● U.S. skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates spoke with reporters on Tuesday and Chock said her dream would be to receive the Team Event gold medals during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chief exec Sarah Hirshland hinted at something earlier and with the U.S. team alone. Bates spoke of the decision as a victory for clean athletes.

● The board of the Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee approved the building of a new sliding track in Cortina by the Italian government, but will continue to plan for an out-of-country solution if the project is not completed by March of 2025.

● The French Interior Ministry announced bonus payments for police serving extra time during the Olympic period this summer, after protests demanding added pay during the summer, when many would be on vacation.

● Panorama: International Olympic Committee (Bach says Esports Games in 2025 or 2026) = Russia (2: Valieva get almost 50,000 comments in 30 minutes on Monday post; Russian Embassy in D.C. says U.S. using sport as part of war against Russia) = Alpine Skiing (Gut-Behrami wins fifth this season in Kronplatz) = Aquatics (Doha Worlds entries largest ever) = Athletics (world leads for Nader, Klaver, Hailu in Ostrava) = Tennis (Hsieh wins twice in Doubles at Australian Open) ●

1.
ISU gives Beijing Team Event medals to U.S., Japan and Russia

The International Skating Union did not wait for its 7 February Council meeting, but posted a notice on Tuesday that re-scored the Team Event from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and showed the United States as the winner, followed by Japan and the Russian Olympic Committee:

● 1. 65, United States
● 2. 63, Japan
● 3. 54, Russia
● 4. 53, Canada

The change from the original scoring, which had Russia with 74 points as the winner, was simply to remove the 20 points scored by Kamila Valieva – confirmed to have committed a doping violation and now suspended during the time of the 2022 Winter Games by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday – and not to change the scoring of any of the other places in either the women’s Short Program or Free Skate.

This leaves Canada in fourth place and China (50) in fifth, and Valieva was disqualified from her fourth-place finish in the women’s Singles competition.

Further, Valieva’s win at the European Championships in January of 2022 in Estonia was also vaporized, with Russian Anna Shcherbakova advanced to first place, ahead of teammate Alexandra Trusova and Belgian Loena Hendrickx.

The ISU statement also noted:

“The ISU welcomes the decision of CAS and firmly maintains its position that the protection of clean athletes and the fight against doping are of the highest priority and will persist in the ongoing effort to uphold the integrity of fair competition and the well-being of athletes.

“The ISU is in close contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the relevant ISU Member Federations in regard to the implementation of this decision.”

The statement does not reference any need for confirmation of this action by the ISU Council at its 7 February meeting, and the statement in unsigned.

It should be noted that the CAS decision from Monday can be appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal on narrow procedural grounds, and any such appeal is unlikely to overturn the finding against Valieva. But it may delay the ultimate confirmation of the final results of the Team Event, which concluded on 7 February 2022.

2.
ISU’s re-scoring appears to have ignored its own rules

The International Skating Union’s Tuesday announcement of re-stated results for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games Team Event was odd in that it removed only the points scored by Russian star Valieva and did not change any other scores in the women’s Short Program or Free Skate.

The ISU statement referred to Article 10.10 of the ISU Anti-Doping Rules, which speaks directly to disqualifications of competitors in events subsequent to a doping violation, notes that:

“[A]ll other competitive results of the Skater obtained from the date a positive Sample was collected … or other antidoping rule violation occurred, through the commencement of any Provisional Suspension or Ineligibility period, shall, unless fairness requires otherwise, be Disqualified with all of the resulting Consequences including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.”

Under this section, Valieva was quite rightly disqualified and her points removed from the team scoring total (74-20 = 54). However, a deeper look at the rules makes things muddier.

● Rule 11.2.2 of the ISU Anti-Doping Rules is in a section titled “Consequences to Teams” and states:

“An anti-doping rule violation committed by a member of a team, including substitutes, occurring during or in connection with an Event may lead to Disqualification of all of the results obtained by the team in that Event with all Consequences for the team and its members, including forfeiture of all medals, points and prizes, except as provided in Article 11.2.3.”

The key phrase here is “in connection with an Event,” which in the Valieva case would indicate that her doping positive, revealed literally minutes after the Team Event finished on 7 February 2022, would appear to apply here. If so, the entire Russian team should be disqualified.

(The exception in 11.2.3 does not apply, since it lets a team continue without disqualification only if that team was not otherwise affected by the doping violation. Russia was most certainly impacted, since it would have won with a substitute for Valieva.)

● Even more important is Rule 353 of the ISU’s “Special Regulations for Technical Rules for Singles, Pairs and Ice Dance.”

In section 4, titled “Publication of Results,” the text is clear about scoring for disqualified competitors:

“Disqualified Competitors will lose their placements and be officially noted in the intermediate and final results as disqualified (DSQ). Competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than the disqualified Competitor(s) will move up accordingly in their placement(s).”

This rule was in effect at the time of the Beijing Winter Games and clearly indicates that not only should Valieva’s points been deducted, but that other teams were affected:

● In the Short Program, Valieva won (10 points), but now all nine others should be advanced one place and have one point added to their totals.

● Same in the Free Skate, where Valieva won again, but the nine following skaters should all receive one more point.

This would make the final scores:

● 1. 67, United States (up from 65)
● 2. 65, Japan (up from 63)
● 3. 55, Canada (up from 53)
● 4. 54, Russia (down from 74)
● 5. 52, China (up from 50)

Canada should be the bronze-medal winner by reference to the ISU’s figure skating rules for scoring of disqualified athletes.

Have no doubt that a challenge to the ISU’s scoring – unless corrected – will come from Skate Canada on behalf of its team. The federation said so on Tuesday:

“Skate Canada is extremely disappointed with the International Skating Union’s (ISU) position on the long-awaited awarding of medals for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games Figure Skating Team Competition.

“The Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that in addition to a four-year ban from competition, the ban includes ‘the disqualification [of] all competitive results’ achieved by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva since the positive test. The ISU in its recent decision is not applying Rule 353, which states that ‘competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than the disqualified competitor will move up accordingly in their placement.’

“Skate Canada strongly disagrees with the ISU’s position on this matter and will consider all options to appeal this decision.”

And Russia is planning a new appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Russian Olympic Committee declared Tuesday:

“Our lawyers have already begun preparing the necessary documents for filing an appeal.

“We proceed from the fact that, in accordance with the current, applicable ISU rules, the consequences of the decision on sanctions in relation to an individual athlete, in this case Kamila Valieva, cannot be a basis for reviewing the results of a team tournament. Our legal position is based, among other things, on existing precedents in CAS practice.”

Noting Rule 353 cited above, this appears to be fantasy, but appeals can be filed.

The Russian news agency TASS quoted a statement from the International Olympic Committee, which apparently considers the matter over:

“The IOC welcomes the fact that the CAS decision brings clarity to this matter so that the athletes competing in the team figure skating event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics can finally receive the medals they have been waiting for.

“The IOC can now award medals in accordance with the final standings, which shall be established by the International Skating Union. The IOC will contact the relevant National Olympic Committees to organize a dignified medal ceremony.”

3.
Chock and Bates thrilled with gold, hope for medals in Paris!

“Yes, we have thought about it. When all of this initially happened, the first thing that came to everyone’s mind was, wow, we would love to have a true Olympic medal ceremony.

“And so, for us, that would be a medal ceremony at the Paris Games this summer. That would be the dream scenario and be able to stand atop the podium at an Olympic event and be there with our families, and just to celebrate and be surrounded by the Olympic spirit and the Olympic Movement would be our dream scenario.”

That’s U.S. Ice Dance star Madison Chock, now a member of the Olympic gold-medal-winning team from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, from a Tuesday news conference reacting to the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision that disqualified Russia’s Kamila Valieva for doping, and if she had considered what a proper medal ceremony would look like.

Chock, who just won her fifth national Ice Dance title with Evan Bates – despite illness – expressed the whirlwind of the past day:

“It’s just a feeling I’ve always dreamed of and one I almost can’t believe is here. I’m still wrapping my head around the reality of everything. It’s just been a very happy 24 hours of news for us.”

Said Bates:

“It’s been quite a surreal experience. It’s been a long – almost two years now – wait for this decision to come through. We’re pleased and we’re here on behalf of the other seven skaters who we’ve bonded so tightly with through this experience. …

“We really, up until the night before, had no idea how this was going to turn out, and it’s just been an unbelievable 24 hours.”

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chief executive Sarah Hirshland explained that exactly how a medal ceremony will be done is up in the air:

“I don’t think that it is necessarily mandatory that all of the medals be awarded in the same place at the same time. So we are going to consider all the possibilities, both what will be logistically the best option for Team USA to be together with the people who are most important to them in that celebration. It doesn’t have to be a ceremony with all three of the gold-silver-bronze awarded at the same time.

“So, we’ve got a bit of flexibility to think about what’s going to be best for Team USA independent of what may be best for Japan and ultimately ROC or Canada or however that ends up playing out.

“But our goal and our focus is on Team USA and we know we have some flexibility and latitude to focus on this team independently.”

Ignoring the possible appeals that may be out there, Hirshland said it would be better to do a ceremony sooner rather than later:

“The short answer is, regardless, there is no scenario at this point in which Team USA is not the gold-medal winner, and so we’re focused on getting those gold medals awarded to Team USA and even in my conversations with the IOC last night, they are as eager as we are, and the no. 1 priority is to allow the team to really weigh in and ensure that they have the opportunity to help us craft what that celebration should look like.

“But everybody has a sense of urgency, and there’s no reason for any delay.”

Bates took special notice of what the CAS holding meant in terms of penalizing those who are doping:

“We feel very grateful that case has had due process and has reached this conclusion here, or maybe not a conclusion, but this finding, and I think there are so many clean athletes who historically not had their moment, have not had the recognition that they deserve, whether that’s because those doping didn’t get caught or because the case didn’t come to trial or what have you.

“I mean there are countless athletes in history, through the decades, that have not had the moments that we have just now had, so we’re extremely happy, we’re extremely pleased and we’re just really focusing on that, celebrating the achievement. …

“For clean athletes, for the legacy of clean sport, the integrity of the Olympic Movement, I think this is, I think, a landmark case. It’s a monumental thing. This is an unprecedented event, where 20-something clean athletes left the Olympic Games without a medal that they won – cleanly – and yesterday, in large part, the finding by CAS brought some justice to the clean-sport movement, and I think clean athletes around the world will find some joy and some solace in knowing that clean sport matters, and the fight against doping is ongoing.”

4.
Milan Cortina 2026 sliding track to be in Cortina (maybe)

The Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 board agreed Tuesday to go forward – if possible – with the construction of a new track on Cortina, to replace the historic Eugenio Monti track used for the 1956 Olympic Winter Games.

But it will be ready with an alternative in case of difficulties:

● “The Board of Directors of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, which met today, listened to the report of the President Giovanni Malagó and the CEO, Andrea Varnier, and expressed optimism on the issue of the sliding center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, waiting for SIMICO (Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 SpA) to sign the contract with the contracting company.”

● “[T]he Board of Directors itself, given the negative opinions received from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Federations, concerned by the tight deadlines that the work imposes, and also by virtue of SIMICO’s communication of last 01/03/2024 with which it was recommended to keep any alternative solutions open, decided not to interrupt the dialogue with the other existing and functioning plants, giving the CEO a mandate to continue the work of negotiating a possible plan B which, also in this case, will require a extra budget.”

Time and money are at issue. The building of the new track has been plagued with issues, and not one construction bid was received last summer for the project. The program was reduced a little and a bid for the now €81.6 million project (~$88.50 million U.S.) was received from the Parma-based Impresa Pizzarotti & C., a well-respected firm.

But the Tuesday statement by the Milan Cortina board also noted that more money will be needed to complete the project and that “the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation will initiate discussions with the competent institutions.” The Milan Cortina 2026 sponsorship efforts are now on track to reach their budgeted goals, but the sales effort has proved difficult.

The clock will be ticking, with the project facing a set, acknowledged deadline:

“The Organizing Committee of the Milan Cortina 2026 Games is in continuous contact with the IOC and the International Federations and reiterates that the pre-homologation tests cannot for any reason take place beyond the month of March 2025.”

That’s 13 months from now. The tug-of-war over the sliding venue has become a political issue inside Italy, with minister demanding that money not be sent out of the country to support the 2026 Winter Games. Proposals from Austria (Innsbruck), Germany (Koenigssee), Switzerland (St. Moritz) and the U.S. (Lake Placid) were all sent to the 2026 organizers and, apparently, the talks will continue.

5.
French police promised up to €1,900 in Olympic bonuses

After multiple protests by police units over working hours and the expected longer shifts coming during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the French Interior Ministry announced Tuesday that bonuses of up to €1,900 (~$2,060 U.S.) will be available.

Officers taking less than normal leave during the Olympic and Paralympic period in June, July, August and September, will receive a €1,000 bonus ($1,084 U.S.) with as much as €1,600 ($1,735) for those assigned to Olympic areas. Paris-area and airport officers will receive €300 ($325).

Other public-sector unions, in the medical and transit sectors, are also pushing for extra pay to stay on the job during the two Games, periods which are usually taken for vacations.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● International Olympic Committee ● Speaking to reporters at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Korea, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) said the Olympic Esports Games is coming soon:

“I guess we could count on the first edition, offer such an Olympic Esports Games for the year 2025, or the latest 2026.”

● Russia ● Considerable sympathy for 17-year-old Kamila Valieva, who posted a skating video of herself on the ice in a red dress on Monday after being disqualified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for doping in 2021.

The post, on Telegram, received more than 49,900 visits in the first 30 minutes!

Another post on Telegram, in Russian, was from the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.:

“We have paid attention to the atmosphere of gloating in local journalistic and sporting circles about the Russophobic decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to disqualify our figure skater Kamila Valieva for 4 years and deprive her of her awards for allegedly using doping.

“All this fits into the framework of the hybrid war unleashed by the West against the Russian Federation. Local authorities are not a stranger to outright pressure on sports structures in order to prevent the appearance of highly competitive Russian athletes at competitions, especially under the Russian tricolor. In parallel, they are trying to disrupt a number of major events in our country, including the Games of the Future, the BRICS Sports Games and the World Friendship Games.

“America is clearly annoyed that new formats – beyond the control of the Westerners – are attracting growing interest from countries in the Global South, tired of the politicization of high-performance sports.”

● Alpine Skiing ● Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami continued her hot streak with another win in the Giant Slalom, this time in Kronplatz (ITA), taking control on the first run.

The Olympic Super-G champ from 2022 flew to an 0.59 edge on the first run over New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, 1:00.48 to 1:01.07, and then extended her lead on the second run with the third-fastest time, ending with a total of 2:00.64. It’s her 42nd career win on the FIS World Cup circuit.

Robinson was only 10th-fastest on the second run and ended up in a tie for second (2:01.73) with Swede Sara Hector, the Olympic Giant Slalom winner in Beijing.

Gut-Behrami, 32, has won five races this season: three Giant Slaloms and two Super-G and is now within 95 points of the seasonal lead, as Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. recovers from injuries.

● Aquatics ● The registration totals for the World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT) that start on Friday (2nd) show the largest event on record, with 2,603 athletes from 197 countries.

SwimSwam.com noted that, if that many athletes show, it will be the first Worlds with more than 2,500 entries, topping the 2,438 for Rome (ITA) in 2009 and 2,418 at Gwangju (KOR) in 2019. The 197 countries would top the 191 at Fukuoka (JPN) last year.

Olympic qualifying will not be on the line in swimming, but spots will be open in artistic swimming, diving, open-water swimming and water polo.

● Athletics ● Spirited running in Ostrava (CZE) at the Czech Indoor Gala, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet on Tuesday, with a world lead from Isaac Nader of Portugal in the men’s 1,500 m of 3:34.23.

Nader beat Swede Samuel Pihlstrom (3:35.47) for one of three world-leading marks. Dutch 400 m star Lieke Klaver, the 2022 Worlds fourth-placer, won at 50.54, best this season, and 2023 World Road Mile runner-up Freweyni Hailu (ETH) took the lead in the women’s mile by winning in 4:17.36, well ahead of countrywoman Hirut Meshesha (4:19.53), the 2022 World Indoor 1,500 bronze winner.

Hailu moved to no. 6 on the all-time indoor performers (and performances) list and passed 1,500 m in 4:01.03, also the fastest for 2024.

In addition, Olympic men’s long jump champ Miltiadis Tentoglu (GRE) won at 8.09 m (26-6 1/2), and Poland’s Ewa Swoboda, already the women’s world leader at 60 m (7.04), won in 7.07.

● Tennis ● Plenty of coverage of the Australian Open wins for Jannik Sinner (ITA) in the men’s final and Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) for the women, but not much about the Doubles finals.

Mixed-nationality teams won all three divisions, with Rohan Bopanna (IND) and Matthew Ebden (AUS) taking the men’s title over Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, 7–6 (7–0), 7–5, and Su-wei Hsieh (TPE) and Elise Mertens (BEL) winning by 6-1, 7-5 against Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR) and Jelena Ostapenko (LAT).

The Mixed Doubles saw Hsieh collect a second win in Melbourne, this time partnered with Jan Zielinski (POL) and beating Desirae Krawczyk (USA) and Neal Skupski (GBR) 6–7 (5–7), 6–4, [11–9]. Hsieh’s wins gave her eight major titles in Doubles: her two at the Australian, two French Open wins and four at Wimbledon.

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VOX POPULI: Sport has a mission for peace – An appeal on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024

By
Rich Perelman
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/This is an essay by Professor Helmut Digel of Germany, a handball player in his youth, but well known as the President of the DLV, the German track & field federation, from 1993-2001 and was a member of the IAAF (now World Athletics) Council from 1995 to 2015. As a professor of sport sociology, he taught at universities in Frankfurt, Tubingen and Darmstadt between 1978 and 2010. He now edits the online magazine Sport Nach Gedacht, from which he offers this article. His writing offers a sobering perspective, and  his views are, of course, his alone./

As each new year dawns, it has long been customary to indulge in rhetorical debate about the weighty concept of ‘peace’. In the many annual speeches by politicians, the peace metaphor is an imperative to suit their populist interests. On television the issue of peace has its seasonal climax. News and entertainment programmes are shaped by it, musical tunes repeat year after year with peace as their refrain, and feature films are shown again and again in which a peaceful “happy ending” is celebrated.

The system of sport, which is very important for Western societies, is understandably no exception. In their speeches at the turn of the year, sports leaders politicians devote their attention to the issue of peace, fair play and the observance of human rights.

The turn of the year 2023/24 had a heightened significance compared to the change of previous years and presented a very special challenge. For more than two years, Russia’s terrorist war of aggression against Ukraine has had a lasting impact on the world’s cultural, economic and socio-political development. War results in the deaths of countless innocent people every day. In this war alone, 500,000 soldiers have already been killed. Every dead civilian and every injured combatant is one too many, and we all have to mourn the senseless deaths of countless Ukrainian and Russian fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.

A few weeks before the turn of the year, there was also the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas against innocent Jewish citizens, which has triggered an equally barbaric war between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah and resulted in almost endless suffering for many Israeli families. But it is also necessary to think of the many innocent Palestinians whose existence has been repeatedly threatened for several years by an Israeli state that even many self-critical Israeli citizens and internationally recognized Jewish political experts, philosophers and sociologists deny the status of a “democracy.”

“Artists admonish us” (Art posters from the international art park “798″ in Beijing)

If we consider that, in addition to Ukraine, Israel and the Gaza Strip, there are still currently more than 20 other armed conflicts with countless innocent victims. It must probably be stated by all of us that we are currently living in an extremely peaceless time which we could hardly have expected at the dawn of the twenty-first century. At the same time, we must recognise that viable and promising initiatives for a peaceful world and for resolving the many military conflicts around the globe are nowhere to be seen.

The very institutions of our society that tried to outdo each other in their peace during the Christmas season are characterized by a total failure in this regard. This applies to political institutions as well as to ecclesiastical and other religious ones, but also to all other relevant social institutions – including sport. No serious relevant peace efforts can be discerned. In politics, the concept of ‘diplomacy’ and wise diplomatic action seems to have become alien.

In Germany, a party that once defined itself as a “peace party” is locked with other political parties in a competition on the question of how many and with which weapons one should still support the war in Ukraine, even though everyone knows that weapons always result in the death of innocent people, that further arms deliveries will only prolong the duration of the war and that only the arms industry will be the winner – it can look forward to the increase in sales that it owes to its successful war lobbying work. Germany’s foreign policy supports the constant expansion of NATO’s sphere of influence and employs rhetorical threatening gestures that are anything but peacekeeping. And the Federal President and the Federal Government believe that their policies are resolutely countering the dangerously growing anti-Semitism in German society by not allowing a “but” in their support for the State of Israel. But because this support does not distinguish between the State of Israel and its Jewish citizens, who deserve our support, anti-Semitic tendencies in our society are reinforced rather than combated, and equal support for Jews and Muslims in a democratic state of Israel is prevented rather than promoted.

With regard to religions, one must also speak of a total failure. For two years now, the World Council of Churches of the Protestant Church has been waiting in vain for a peace policy initiative that speaks with one voice vis-à-vis international politics. Nor is there any sign of an effort on the part of international business associations to take economic action to end the conflicts. The efforts of the Catholic Church to take a peace measure against the war – together with the Orthodox Churches of the East – have not progressed beyond fruitless initiatives. At best, one can appreciate the open and clear address of Pope Francis, who in his Christmas address clearly expressed the deadly connection between weapons and war. His speech culminated in the statement that peace has never been established with the use of weapons, that guns kill, and that without guns there would be no wars. A “political ban on weapons,” which is now more urgent than ever, has never been more clearly stated.

The various institutional manifestations of Islam that can be found in the world have also failed in every way in relation to the current wars. From all other representatives of the religions of Buddhism, Hinduism and other religious communities, no significant peace initiatives can be observed either. Rather, we must speak of a total failure of the religious leaders. The same applies to the globally active economic institutions and organizations as well as to the world organizations of trade unions.

The IOC is the only international organization that adheres to its self-imposed peace mission and, in cooperation with the United Nations, is at least striving for a ‘temporary peace’ through the staging of its Olympic Games. However, its stakeholders, i.e. the international sports federations and the more than 200 National Olympic Committees, have hardly made any independent peace efforts. In fact, the opposite is often the case.

Particularly consequential is the fact that pacifism and large parts of the Christian canon of values have been overridden by the total failure of all relevant institutions. People who feel they belong to pacifism are discredited. Their peace initiatives are ridiculed in mass communication and misused as cabaret topics. Anyone who invokes the Ten Commandments as a believing Christian in connection with the war in Ukraine or in the armed conflict between Palestine and Israel is contradicted even by his own Christian institutions. In my view, the assumption that the validity of the Ten Commandments may be suspended during a war is unacceptable in every respect. There is certainly no evidence for this in the theological foundations of Christianity.

In view of this situation, it is more important than ever to remember, not least here in Germany, that there have been times when the blue dove of peace has been an almost everyday symbol of our society, that many houses in German and European villages and cities have been draped with peace flags, and that it has been no shame in the most diverse areas of our society’s life when people have been involved in peace initiatives.

This was and is especially true of the system of sport which, with its cultural significance and its concept of values, is committed to the “principle of association” [note 1] in a very special way. For modern sport, “competition” and “cooperation” are constitutional, and both must be held together by the principle of fair play. The imperative of “solidarity” is indispensable for the organisation of sporting competitions. That is why it was long overdue that the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” was supplemented by a “Communiter” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”). However, IOC President Thomas Bach, who pushed through this continuation of modern Olympism on the occasion of the extremely problematic and in many ways endangered Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, did not receive any applause for it. Neither international politics nor large parts of sports policy recognized or heeded the significance of this step.

Initiatives of sport for the sake of peace in our world, as were still widespread in Germany and Europe in the second half of the last century – demonstrations against the torture measures in Argentina on the occasion of the Football World Cup, sporting peace marches, organizational efforts under the motto “Athletes for Peace” – have now receded into the distant past. An effort on my part to launch a sporting peace initiative on the occasion of the terrible war in Ukraine was welcomed by a Protestant regional bishop, who also holds the chairmanship of the World Council of Churches of the Evangelical Church, and he had promised to present this concern to the World Council of Churches as well. However, there has been no response from him to date. Sporting peace marches would be more urgent today than ever, and it would probably be one of the most noble tasks of all responsible sports politicians of the Federal Government and the German Bundestag to make clear demands in favor of diplomatic peace efforts on the occasion of the devastating wars in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza. Unfortunately, the opposite can be observed.

The institutions of German sport are not aware of their autonomous role in relation to the peace mission and have submissively subordinated themselves to Berlin’s wrong political decisions. On the other hand, there is a ridiculous “armband culture” in rainbow colors, led by a Federal Minister of the Interior and Home Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, with whom violations of human rights are hypocritically dealt with. What goes unnoticed is that we are guilty of a division of human rights, which must be indivisible, not only from the point of view of the United Nations, but above all from an ethical, moral and Christian point of view.

When Ukrainian athletes refuse to shake hands with their Russian opponents at award ceremonies, this gesture and deliberate decision is applauded by the German mass media, while when Muslim athletes do the same to their Jewish opponents, these actions are denounced as a violation of the unwritten rules of the principle of fair play in international sport (quite rightly so, in my opinion), and condemned. While the IOC, under the leadership of its IOC President Bach, advocates the participation of innocent Russian athletes as ‘neutral athletes’ under clearly defined conditions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, German state policy, together with other European states, demanded the exclusion of all Russian and Belarusian athletes, without being supported by the vast majority of German sports organizations. including the athletes‘ representatives. However, I am not aware of any comparable demands for the exclusion of athletes from nations who are irresponsibly engaged in armed conflicts with other nations these days and thus continuously violate human rights.

Summer Olympics in 2024 could become a very special appeal for peace and represent a full memorial to peace. However, this would require all sports organisations to reflect on the values of the Olympic Charter, to respect the principle of the indivisibility of human rights, to actively oppose all forms of racism and discrimination, and to demonstrate and draw attention to their interest in a lasting peace with great unity. Peace congresses and peace marches and runs could be just as much a part of this as independent sporting events dedicated to the message of peace. Gestures of peace by individual athletes should also be welcome. Anyone who objects to the principle of solidarity should have to learn that they are thereby excluding themselves from the community of sport. Gestures of fraternization would be just as desirable as a committed accompaniment of all these measures through art, literature, science and music.

France’s Baron de Coubertin had a vision more than 100 years ago. In my opinion, this has by no means become obsolete. The desire for peace can be observed all over the world, and all those who have lost their loved ones in wars know what peace could have meant to them if it had been established at the right time.

All those responsible and involved in national and international sport are hereby called upon to take up the peace mission and the chance for peace before, during and after the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and to help create and preserve the peace desired by many people all over the world.

[Note 1: “Association” refers to the result of a process in which two or more cognitive elements (in this case two ideas) are brought into a constitutive connection with each other.]

Comments are welcome here and or direct to Prof. Digel here.

[≡The Sports Examiner encourages expressions of opinion – we really do – but preferably based on facts. Send comments to [email protected]. We do not guarantee publication of any comment, but all comments submitted will be considered and your submission implies your agreement to publication (and light editing if needed to meet our grammatical and punctuation standards) at our sole discretion. Please include your name and hometown on any comment submitted for publication.≡]

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TSX BULLETIN: ISU re-scoring of the Beijing 2022 Team Event appears to contradict its own rules!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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The International Skating Union’s Tuesday announcement of re-stated results for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games Team Event was odd in that it removed only the points scored by Russian star Kamila Valieva and did not change any other scores in the women’s Short Program or Free Skate.

The ISU statement referred to Article 10.10 of the ISU Anti-Doping Rules, which speaks directly to disqualifications of competitors in events subsequent to a doping violation, notes that:

“[A]ll other competitive results of the Skater obtained from the date a positive Sample was collected … or other antidoping rule violation occurred, through the commencement of any Provisional Suspension or Ineligibility period, shall, unless fairness requires otherwise, be Disqualified with all of the resulting Consequences including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.”

Under this section, Valieva was quite rightly disqualified and her points removed from the team scoring total (74-20 = 54). However, a deeper look at the rules makes things muddier.

● Rule 11.2.2 of the ISU Anti-Doping Rules is in a section titled “Consequences to Teams” and states:

“An anti-doping rule violation committed by a member of a team, including substitutes, occurring during or in connection with an Event may lead to Disqualification of all of the results obtained by the team in that Event with all Consequences for the team and its members, including forfeiture of all medals, points and prizes, except as provided in Article 11.2.3.”

The key phrase here is “in connection with an Event,” which in the Valieva case would indicate that her doping positive, revealed literally minutes after the Team Event finished on 7 February 2022, would appear to apply here. If so, the entire Russian team should be disqualified.

(The exception in 11.2.3 does not apply, since it lets a team continue without disqualification only if that team was not otherwise affected by the doping violation. Russia was most certainly impacted, since it would have won with a substitute for Valieva.)

● Even more important is Rule 353 of the ISU’s Special Regulations for Technical Rules for Singles, Pairs and Ice Dance.

In section 4, titled “Publication of Results,” the text is clear about scoring for disqualified competitors:

“Disqualified Competitors will lose their placements and be officially noted in the intermediate and final results as disqualified (DSQ). Competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than the disqualified Competitor(s) will move up accordingly in their placement(s).”

This rule was in effect at the time of the Beijing Winter Games and clearly indicates that not only should Valieva’s points been deducted, but that other teams were affected:

● In the Short Program, Valieva won (10 points), but now all nine others should be advanced one place and have one point added to their totals.

● Same in the Free Skate, where Valieva won again, but the nine following skaters should all receive one more point.

This would make the final scores:

● 1. 67, United States (up from 65)
● 2. 65, Japan (up from 63)
● 3. 55, Canada (up from 53)
● 4. 54, Russia (down from 74)
● 5. 52, China (up from 50)

Canada should be the bronze-medal winner by reference to the ISU’s figure skating rules for scoring of disqualified athletes.

Have no doubt that a challenge to the ISU’s scoring – unless corrected – will come from Skate Canada on behalf of its team. The federation said so on Tuesday:

“Skate Canada is extremely disappointed with the International Skating Union’s (ISU) position on the long-awaited awarding of medals for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games Figure Skating Team Competition.

“The Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that in addition to a four-year ban from competition, the ban includes ‘the disqualification [of] all competitive results’ achieved by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva since the positive test. The ISU in its recent decision is not applying Rule 353, which states that ‘competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than the disqualified competitor will move up accordingly in their placement.’

“Skate Canada strongly disagrees with the ISU’s position on this matter and will consider all options to appeal this decision.”

And Russia is planning a new appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Russian Olympic Committee declared Tuesday:

“Our lawyers have already begun preparing the necessary documents for filing an appeal.

“We proceed from the fact that, in accordance with the current, applicable ISU rules, the consequences of the decision on sanctions in relation to an individual athlete, in this case Kamila Valieva, cannot be a basis for reviewing the results of a team tournament. Our legal position is based, among other things, on existing precedents in CAS practice.”

Noting Rule 353 cited above, this appears to be fantasy, but appeals can be filed.

The Russian news agency TASS quoted a statement from the International Olympic Committee that “the CAS decision brings clarity to this matter and the athletes competing in the team figure skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics can finally receive the medals they have been waiting for.”

Nope. Not yet.

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TSX REPORT: Valieva held to be doping at 2022 OWG; USOPC and WADA happy, Russia furious; ISU to meet on 7 February on finalizing results

By
Rich Perelman
-
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, in the middle of the final event to be decided at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games! (Photo: Ttckcv21 via Wikipedia)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Court of Arbitration says Valieva doped, banned for four years
2. Reax: USOPC, WADA cheer Valieva decision on behalf of skaters
3. Reax: “war has been declared on Russian sports”
4. Estanguet realistic on security challenges for Paris 2024
5. Paris 2024’s Jolly on managing the unmanageable Olympic opening

● The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced the decision in the Kamila Valieva doping case from the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, finding that the Russian skater did register a doping positive and suspending her for four years – as requested by the World Anti-Doping Agency – from 25 December 2021. This opens the way for the International Skating Union to finalize the results of the Team Event from 2022, with the U.S. in line to receive the gold medals after Valieva’s results are removed.

● Reaction from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency was all positive, with WADA stating “doping of children is unforgivable” and suggesting criminal penalties in the future.

● Reaction from Russia was predictably angry, with the Kremlin calling the decision “politicized” and the Russian Olympic Committee stating “war has been declared on Russian sports, and, as we see, all means are good.”

● Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet told Reuters that security continues to be a concern, but is optimistic that the Games have “tendency to pacify relations and leave a space for dialogue.” He is fine with the International Olympic Committee deciding who can compete, instead of the organizing committee or the host country.

● Thomas Jolly, the ceremonies director for Paris 2024 explained to AFP that the opening on the Seine cannot be rehearsed all in one piece and will come together only very late in the process. But it is being assembled now, in pieces.

● Panorama: Athletics (indoor world leads in France, hot 5000s in Boston) = Figure Skating (U.S. announces men’s and Pairs teams for Worlds) = Football (3: FIFA to visit 2027 Women’s World Cup candidates in the next month; quality of play was up at FIFA Women’s World Cup in ‘23; Greece implementing mobile-phone security system for matches) = Ice Hockey (Israel sweeps IIHF men’s U-20 Worlds/Division III-A in Sofia) = Modern Pentathlon (12 Belarusians approved as “neutrals”) = Swimming (Portugal’s Silva re-elected as Euro Aquatics President) ●

1.
Court of Arbitration says Valieva doped, banned for four years

At 3 p.m. Lausanne time on Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued its long-awaited decision in the doping case of Russian skater Kamila Valieva, with a clear decision in favor of the World Anti-Doping Agency:

“● The decision taken by the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency No. 9/2023 on 24 January 2023 in relation to Ms Kamila Valieva is set aside.

“● Ms Valieva is found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Clause 4.1 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules of 24 June 2021 (the Russian ADR).

“● A period of four (4) years ineligibility is imposed on Ms Valieva, starting on 25 December 2021.

“● All competitive results of Ms Valieva from 25 December 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences (including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, profits, prizes, and appearance money).”

The impact will be to disqualify Russia from its gold-medal performance in the Figure Skating Team Event at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN), where Valieva won both the Short Program and the Free Skate.

The beneficiaries should be the U.S. team, which should be advanced to the gold medal, as well as Japan (bronze to silver) and Canada, which finished fourth and would now get the bronze medals.

The CAS statement added:

“According to Clause 4.1 of the Russian [Anti-Doping Rules], athletes are responsible for any Prohibited Substance found to be present in their samples and the presence of any prohibited substance amounts to an [adverse finding]. In this matter, a prohibited substance, Trimetazidine (TMZ), was found to be present in the sample collected from Ms Valieva on 25 December 2021 during the Russian National Championships in St Petersburg, Ms Valieva did not contest liability in that she accepted that, by reason of the presence of a TMZ in her sample, she had committed an ADRV under Clause 4.1 of the Russian ADR.”

Based on this, the three-arbitrator panel reviewed whether Valieva could establish, based on the written submittals and two sessions of oral argument, that she ingested the Trimetazidine unintentionally:

“Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it, the CAS Panel concluded that Ms Valieva was not able to establish, on the balance of probabilities and on the basis of the evidence before the Panel, that she had not committed the ADRV intentionally (within the meaning of the Russian ADR).”

Valieva, then 15 and now 17, was sanctioned with four years of ineligibility from the date – 25 December 2021 – that she gave the sample that turned up positive.

This is the decision sought by the World Anti-Doping Agency (four years), with the International Skating Union and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency also part of the appeal; both would have accepted lesser penalties.

The decision is appealable to the Swiss Federal Tribunal on procedural grounds, and it can be expected that an appeal will be filed within the required 30 days, which will further delay any action on the finalization of the Beijing Team Event.

And the statement noted that the Court of Arbitration was not asked to deal with the question of the results, which will now be up to the International Skating Union and finally, the International Olympic Committee. The ISU Executive Board is next scheduled for an online meeting on 7 February.

The full decision was not published and since the arbitration rules allow for one party to maintain confidentiality if it desires, may never be. But that is in the future. For now, Valieva was found to have committed a doping violation and was ineligible to compete at Beijing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

2.
Reax: USOPC, WADA cheer Valieva decision on behalf of skaters

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive Sarah Hirshland was more than thrilled by the CAS decision on Monday:

“Today is a day we have been eagerly awaiting for two years, as it is a significant win not only for Team USA athletes but also for athletes worldwide who practice fair play and advocate for clean sport.

“The incredible athletes of Team USA, including Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim [and] Vincent Zhou, have displayed remarkable fortitude. Their outstanding performances in Beijing will forever symbolize their commitment to clean competition.

“We take immense pride in the United States Figure Skating Team and their historic performance. Not only did they achieve their best-ever finish, score the highest number of points ever, and achieve firsts in three different disciplines, but they also embody the spirit and principles of the Olympic Movement.

“We now anticipate the day when we can wholeheartedly celebrate these athletes, along with their peers from around the world. Their moment is approaching, and when it arrives, it will serve as a testament to the justice and recognition they truly deserve.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency was similarly pleased:

“WADA welcomes the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold its appeal and impose a four-year period of ineligibility on the Russian Olympic Committee figure skater, Kamila Valieva, as well as disqualify her results from the date of the sample collection on 25 December 2021, including all her results during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. WADA took this appeal to CAS in the interests of fairness for athletes and clean sport and we believe that has been delivered through this decision.

“The doping of children is unforgivable. Doctors, coaches or other support personnel who are found to have provided performance-enhancing substances to minors should face the full force of the World Anti-Doping Code. Indeed, WADA encourages governments to consider passing legislation – as some have done already – making the doping of minors a criminal offence.”

3.
Reax: “war has been declared on Russian sports”

The Russian Olympic Committee was furious over the decision, posting a message which included (computer translation from the original Russian):

“Unfortunately, the CAS decision is negative, but we can no longer count on the objectivity and impartiality of this international structure, and we know this from the example of those cases where the [Russian Olympic Committee] itself is involved as a party, including in the case of our suspension based on the decision of the Executive Board of the [International Olympic Committee].

“Of course, one can believe in a coincidence of circumstances when the test result was made public, immediately after the end of Russia’s victorious team figure skating tournament. As well as in pure coincidence, the ISU will make a decision on approving the medals of the Olympic tournament on February 7, the day of the 10th anniversary of the Games in Sochi. In fact, war has been declared on Russian sports, and, as we see, all means are good.

“With regard to the gold medals of our figure skaters, the Russian Olympic Committee has repeatedly emphasized that, in accordance with the applicable rules, the results of team competitions at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games do not depend on the outcome of the consideration of the individual case of Kamila Valieva, and the awards won by our team in Beijing are not legally subject to review.

“CAS did not consider the issue of team results in this process. This is the prerogative of the ISU and the IOC. The ROC will closely monitor further steps and decisions of international sports organizations and, if necessary, take appropriate measures to legally protect Russian interests.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the decision should be appealed:

“From my point of view, of course, it’s politicized.

“If there are any appeal mechanisms and so on, then, of course, they should be involved. We must protect the interests of our athletes to the end.”

The Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, Dmitry Svishchev, told the Russian news agency TASS:

“This decision was, unfortunately, expected for us. But at the same time, it is completely politicized. Valieva and her lawyers need to use all opportunities. We support Kamila, who has experienced so much pressure on herself in recent years.

“Many cases of CAS, which is largely affiliated with the International Olympic Committee, have been going on like a carbon copy lately. I think that we shouldn’t expect anything good in the case between the Russian Olympic Committee and the IOC.”

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin told TASS (computer translation here and following):

“We emphasize that not a single athlete should suffer from a biased attitude for the sake of someone’s political interests, international authorities must prioritize the protection of athletes, which, as we see today, is no longer a priority for some of them.

“The details of the CAS decision must be carefully studied from a legal point of view. The fate of the gold medal in the team event of the 2022 Olympic Games will be decided by the International Skating Union: we urge it to be independent and unbiased.”

The Russian figure skating team physician, Dr. Phillip Shevetsky told TASS:

“I was hoping for an objective and personal assessment of this whole situation, especially at a high legal level. One might assume that this is an absurd accident, but now we see a deliberately planned attack, because, despite the facts in Kamila’s favor, a decision of unprecedented cruelty has been made.

“The work to discredit Russian sports has been going on since 2006, and now they are trying to weaken us more than ever, to destroy us by all means.

“Kamila became a victim of unsportsmanlike wrestling, a bureaucratic sports machine. A unique athlete, there has never been and never will be, but this machine has done everything to destroy the most beautiful thing in sports. They erase all the best and ingenious, created by nature and great labor. And all this in order to take away the Olympic team gold from the Russians. They intend to do this in any way. If they need victory at such a price, then what kind of sport is this anyway?”

Legendary skating coach Tatyana Tarasova said:

“What can I say, there is no justice. It’s a shame that such an honest, wonderful, talented person like Kamila faced such cruel injustice in her youth. Hatred of our country spread to her.”

Beyond the decision announced Monday, more questions are raised for the ISU Council ahead of its 7 February meeting on how to deal with the disqualification of Valieva:

● Via her disqualification, the entire Russian team could be disqualified.

● Valieva’s 20 points (out of 74) could be removed, leaving Russia with the bronze medal with 54 points to 53 for Canada.

● Valieva’s 20 points could be removed and the scores for other skaters in the women’s Short Program and Free Skate could be re-allocated. This would change the final scores to 67 for the United States (gold), then 65 for Japan (silver), 55 for Canada (bronze) and 54 for Russia, in fourth place.

The ISU has promised a statement on Tuesday (30th).

4.
Estanguet realistic on security challenges for Paris 2024

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet (FRA) told Reuters that security is always on the mind of the organizing committee:

“It’s hard to know six months down the line whether things are going to get worse or calmer.

“You have to stay in your place, not think that the Games are a magic wand that will solve all the problems and armed conflicts in our world, but with the deep conviction that they have a tendency to pacify relations and leave a space for dialogue and positive expression, and that each delegation, each qualified athlete must be respected.”

He has supported the IOC’s approach to the Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as “neutrals,” subject to the IOC’s own checks, in addition to those of the relevant International Federation:

“I find it reassuring to see that, on such a complex subject, it’s not the organizing country that decides which countries can take part in an event.

“In 2014 in Russia (Sochi) and in 2022 in China (Beijing), at no time were these nations able to influence which countries could take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and I think that’s healthy.”

He also acknowledged concerns over the safety of delegations such as Israel, now deeply involved against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after its deadly attack on 7 October last year, and which was victimized by a terrorist plot at the 1972 Games:

“We are taking a very strict approach to all the delegations, with the Prefecture of Police and the State working with the intelligence services.

“I’ve been to the Games (four times as an athlete), and we know that this is a delegation that, given what happened at the Munich Games in particular, is extremely closely watched and accompanied to guarantee its security at the time of the Games.

“The threat level is regularly updated so that the police and security services can guarantee that every participant in the Games and every spectator who comes to experience the magic of the Games will be in complete safety.”

As for protests during the Games period:

“Security remains a priority at the Olympics, and we expect that there will be demonstrations and demands. We are a free country where people can put forward their ideas, but we want them to be peaceful and respectful of all those who want to enjoy the festivities.

“We will manage the situation as it arises, and we need to be able to react immediately as best we can, respecting the integrity of everyone involved, not overreacting, and guaranteeing the continuity of the Games’ operations. We want to welcome the athletes in the best possible conditions.”

5.
Paris 2024’s Jolly on managing the unmanageable Olympic opening

The Paris 2024 opening ceremony will be a first in many ways: first ever outside a stadium, first on a river, first to have more than 150,000 spectators and probably the largest ever in terms of assigned security personnel.

The show itself is being led by Thomas Jolly, 42, a renowned French theatrical director, who is literally assembling the show on the fly:

“What’s unique about this show is that you can’t rehearse it on location. Actually you can’t rehearse it even once in advance.”

He explained in an interview with Agence France Presse last week that the staged elements are being developed and perfected inside enormous hangars, while the on-the-river elements are being worked out at a sailing center.

And then there is the Seine itself:

“There’s the issue of the Seine which is not the same depth in one place as another. The bridges don’t have the same strength, nor do the banks of the river.

“The wind doesn’t blow in the same way depending on where you are. There are places where fish spawn too, because we are trying not to disturb the natural environment.”

Jolly said that the show, expected to consume about three hours in all, including the on-the-water parade of 200-plus boats over a 6 km course, will integrate the entertainment elements, parade of nations and the protocol aspects, rather than staging them in discrete segments.

He was appointed as the artistic director in September of 2022 for the opening and closing of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, responsible for four shows on 26 July, 11 August, 28 August and 8 September.

But most of the public focus now is on the Olympic opening in July. The plan was developed by last July and then presented for review to all the groups that would be involved:

“All of these reviews were done to see if we could turn our dream into reality.

“They all agreed pretty unanimously on around 90 percent, so I have around 10 percent left of the project that I need to re-adapt.“

Any clues? He gave a hint:

“Around ten paintings will be spread out from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadéro. They will be crossed by delegations and hosted by artists from all disciplines: circus, dance, music, performance, plastic arts … The story that we have written tells a story of what France is and what will be the France. I want each spectator to feel represented.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● The indoor season is heating up, with multiple noteworthy world-leading marks, including Spain’s Mohamed Katir with a 3:51.91 men’s mile win at Val-de-Reuil (FRA), plus Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR) triple-jumping 17.15 m (56-3 1/4). Britain’s Molly Caudery won the women’s vault at 4.83 m (15-10), the best so far this year.

The top men’s vault moved up to 6.01 m (19-8 1/2) for American star Chris Nilsen in a meet in South Dakota; he missed three times at 6.10 m (20-0).

At the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University, the 5,000 m races were hot, with Kenyan Edwin Kurgat winning the first section in 12:57.52, with American 1,500 m star Yared Nuguse getting a lifetime best – indoors or out – of 13:02.09 in third, moving to no. 6 all-time U.S. indoors.

In section two, South African Adrian Wildschutt won in a tight finish over Northern Arizona junior Nico Young, 12:56.76 (world leader) to 12:57.14, a collegiate record. That makes Young no. 4 all-time U.S. indoors (and moves Nuguse down to no. 7).

Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew won the women’s 5,000 m in 14:42.94, now no. 8 all-time world indoors, ahead of countrywoman Fantaye Belayneh (14:43.25). Americans Josette Andrews and Courtney Wayment finished 5-6 in 14:46.51 and 14:49.78, moving to no. 2 all-time U.S. indoor and no. 6, respectively.

● Figure Skating ● U.S. Figure Skating announced its men’s and Pairs teams for the ISU World Championships in March in Montreal (CAN), with the top three in each event moving on.

Men’s champ Ilia Malinin, runner-up Jason Brown and bronze winner Camden Pulkinen will compete, as will Pairs winners Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, bronze medalists Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez and Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, who led after the Short Program, but withdrew due to injuries. They filed a petition with the federation to be named for the team, which was accepted.

Pairs runner-ups Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov are not eligible for the Worlds this season since Efimova competed for Germany at the 2023 Worlds.

● Football ● FIFA announced its schedule for visiting the bidding countries for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands on for 30 January to 2 February; Brazil from 20-23 February and the U.S. and Mexico from 26-29 February.

The vote will be taken on 17 May at the FIFA Congress in Thailand.

FIFA released some new statistics on the 2023 Women’s World Cup, noting the increased level of play. Although the field increased from 24 to 32 and eight nations fielded teams in the Women’s World Cup for the first time, defenses were tighter than ever, across the board.

Goals-per-game were down to 2.56 per match for the entire tournament, down 9% from the 2.81 for 2015 and 2019. Amazingly, in the group stage, scoring was even tighter, down 12% from 2015 to just 2.65 a game in 2023 vs. 3.00 just eight years prior.

If you’re a Greek football fan, you better have a mobile phone. You will need one to get into a stadium.

After repeated failures to corral violence at matches, the Greek Sports Minister Yiannis Vroutsis explained to a parliamentary committee on Monday that a new system, to be implemented by 9 April, will require Greek fans to use a government-provided application to access stadiums:

“So far, we have not been able to do something that’s obvious: To identify people who are entering a stadium.

“With the help of a mobile phone, a person’s ID can be automatically cross-checked with a ticket. Anyone without a cellphone won’t get into the stadium.”

Greek stadia have been without fans since an attack on riot police on 7 December 2023 following a volleyball match that included the death of an officer after being hit by a flare. Stadia were closed to 12 February, but will reopen on 13 February.

Surveillance cameras will also be installed by 6 March, and Vroutsis said:

“From now on, when a supporter watches a soccer game, we will know his or her name, phone number, home address and assigned seat.”

The Associated Press reported additional measures will “include spot bans of supporters at stadiums following violent incidents, a national registry of members of soccer supporters’ clubs, and new rules banning stadium entry to minors under the age of 15 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.”

● Ice Hockey ● Remember the IIHF men’s World U-20 Championship in Division III-A that Israel was not supposed too attend because it was too dangerous?

The event was held in Sofia (BUL) and concluded on Sunday, with the Israelis winning the tournament with a 5-0 record, outscoring their opponents by 41-14. Mike Levin (ISR) was the top scorer in the tournament with nine goals and 17 total points. By winning, Israel is now promoted to the IIHF Division II-Group B for 2025.

Attendance at the event totaled 1,775 across 15 games, for an average of 118 each.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) announced the approval of 12 Belarusian pentathletes, plus four coaches and a therapist to participate as “neutrals” in the UIPM World Cup in Cairo (EGY) in March. None were named.

No Russians were approved and the statement did not indicate that any applied.

● Swimming ● European Aquatics re-elected Portugal’s Antonio Silva as its president with all 46 federations present in favor, at its Saturday Congress in Athens.

Silva was a controversial candidate due to allegations made against him in Portugal over ethics issues, including registering intellectual property apparently belonging to the national federation in his own name. He has suspended himself from his Portuguese Swimming Federation role, and the federation has been instructed to dismiss him by the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth.

European Aquatics was informed of the allegations in Portugal against Silva, but allowed him to stand for election again as the issues were limited to Portugal only.

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TSX BULLETIN: Court of Arbitration confirms Valieva doping, imposes four-year sanction

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Court of Arbitration for Sport

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At 3 p.m. Lausanne time on Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued its long-awaited decision in the Kamila Valieva doping case, with a clear decision in favor of the World Anti-Doping Agency:

“● The decision taken by the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency No. 9/2023 on 24 January 2023 in relation to Ms Kamila Valieva is set aside.

“● Ms Valieva is found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Clause 4.1 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules of 24 June 2021 (the Russian ADR).

“● A period of four (4) years ineligibility is imposed on Ms Valieva, starting on 25 December 2021.

“● All competitive results of Ms Valieva from 25 December 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences (including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, profits, prizes, and appearance money).”

The impact will be to disqualify Russia from its gold-medal performance in the Figure Skating Team Event at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN), where Valieva won both the Short Program and the Free Skate.

The beneficiaries should be the U.S. team, which should be advanced to the gold medal, as well as Japan (bronze to silver) and Canada, which finished fourth and would now get the bronze medals.

The CAS statement added:

“According to Clause 4.1 of the Russian [Anti-Doping Rules], athletes are responsible for any Prohibited Substance found to be present in their samples and the presence of any prohibited substance amounts to an [adverse finding]. In this matter, a prohibited substance, Trimetazidine (TMZ), was found to be present in the sample collected from Ms Valieva on 25 December 2021 during the Russian National Championships in St Petersburg, Ms Valieva did not contest liability in that she accepted that, by reason of the presence of a TMZ in her sample, she had committed an ADRV under Clause 4.1 of the Russian ADR.”

Based on this, the three-arbitrator panel reviewed whether Valieva could establish, based on the written submittals and two sessions of oral argument, that she ingested the Trimetazidine unintentionally:

“Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it, the CAS Panel concluded that Ms Valieva was not able to establish, on the balance of probabilities and on the basis of the evidence before the Panel, that she had not committed the ADRV intentionally (within the meaning of the Russian ADR).”

Valieva, then 15 and now 17, was sanctioned with four years of ineligibility from the date – 25 December 2021 – that she gave the sample that turned up positive.

This is the decision sought by the World Anti-Doping Agency (four years), with the International Skating Union and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency also part of the appeal; both would have accepted lesser penalties.

The decision is appealable to the Swiss Federal Tribunal on procedural grounds, and it can be expected that an appeal will be filed within the required 30 days, which will further delay any action on the finalization of the Beijing Team Event.

And the statement noted that the Court of Arbitration was not asked to deal with the question of the results, which will now be up to the International Skating Union and finally, the International Olympic Committee.

The full decision was not published and since the arbitration rules allow for one party to maintain confidentiality if it desires, may never be. But that is in the future. For now, Valieva was found to have committed a doping violation and was ineligible to compete at Beijing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

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TSX REPORT: Malinin, Chock and Bates star at U.S. Figure Skating Nationals; Shiffrin injured in Cortina crash; no Russians at LA28?

By
Rich Perelman
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American teen star Ilia Malinin won his second U.S. title on Sunday. (Photo: ISU)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Malinin, Chock & Bates post big wins at U.S. Nationals
2. American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin injured in Cortina
3. Lia Thomas files against World Aquatics trans rules
4. Russian diving head sees no participation in 2028 Games either
5. U.S. biathlete Reid harassed for years by wax tech

● Ilia Malinin and the Ice Dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates starred at the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships in Ohio, with Malinin winning his second straight men’s Singles title by almost 30 points. Chock and Bates won their fifth national title, with a medal for a 12th straight year! Amber Glenn won the women’s title and Ellie Kim and Danny O’Shea won in Pairs.

● American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin crashed during Friday’s Downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, site of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games and had to be airlifted off the mountain. Her injuries do not appear serious, so far, but she will be out of action for a while. Meanwhile, American Jacqueline Wiles surprised with her first World Cup medal – a silver – in six years in Saturday’s Downhill.

● Transgender swimmer and NCAA women’s champion Lia Thomas filed suit against the World Aquatics’ eligibility regulations at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, asking them to be taken down as unfair and disproportionate.

● The head of the Russian Diving Federation said that he did not see the country competing not just at the 2024 Olympic Games at Paris, but at the 2028 Los Angeles Games!

● The Associated Press reported on abuse against U.S. biathlete Joanne Reid by a wax technician working for the American ski federation. The U.S. Center for SafeSport suspended him, but he rejected the charges.

● World Championships: Luge (Austria stuns with four wins to Germany’s three!) = Ski Flying (Austria’s Kraft consistent enough to win gold) ●

● Panorama: Beijing 2022 (Valieva decision coming Monday) = Winter Youth Olympic Games (Four have three golds so far) = World Anti-Doping Agency (North Korea reinstated as compliant) = Alpine Skiing (Odermatt gets ninth win this season in Garmisch) = Athletics (3: Tefera and Welteji star in Astana; Bastien and Nesbitt win USATF Indoor multi-event titles; $600,000 prize pool for marathon trials) = Badminton (China wins three at Indonesia Masters) = Bobsled & Skeleton (Love wins at IBSF World Cup, while Germans win five) = Cross Country Skiing (Diggins wins, Klaebo wins two at Goms World Cup) = Cycling (Reijnhout and Pithie win World Tour races in Australia) = Football (FIFA confirms Rubiales’ three-year suspension) = Freestyle Skiing (2: Olympic champs win Ski Cross; Anthony continues sweep of Moguls World Cup) = Judo (Russian “neutrals” win four at Portugal Grand Prix) = Nordic Combined (Norwegian sweep continues in Schoach: 4 for 4) = Rugby Sevens (Ireland and Argentina win in Perth) = Snowboard (2: Grondin and Adamczykova take SnowCross wins; Bagozza’s dream PGS season continues in Simonhohe) = Ski Jumping (Pinkelnig and Prevc dominate Ljubno) = Ski Mountaineering (France sweeps World Cup Sprints) = Speed Skating (World and American records for Stolz, U.S. Team Pursuit) ●

1.
Malinin, Chock & Bates post big wins at U.S. Nationals

What would Ilia Malinin do? That was one of the big questions coming into the U.S. Figure Skating Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, and the 19-year-old delivered a spectacular victory by almost 30 points.

The defending champion in the men’s Singles, Malinin led the Short Program with a brilliant 108.57 total, way ahead of Maxim Naumov (89.72) and 2015 National Champion (and seven-time medalist) Jason Brown (89.02).

In the much-anticipated Free Skate, Malinin planned to open with a triple Axel, but completed his patented quadruple Axel, followed by three more quads. Even with a fall, he won the Free Skate with a score of 185.78 and took the overall title at 294.35.

Well back were 2015 champion Jason Brown (264.50, third in the Short and second in the Free Skate) and Camden Pulkinen (262.33, third in the Free Skate). For Brown, 29, it’s his second straight Nationals silver behind Malinin and his eighth career top-three finish (1-4-3). Pulkinen won his first Nationals medal.

Equally impressive in another way was the third straight national title for Ice Dance World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates. They steamed to the lead in the Rhythm Dance at 92.17, comfortably ahead of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (83.19) and Caroline Green and Michael Parsons (80.91). Then, despite both falling ill, they completed the Free Dance in second place (123.75) to win with an overall total of 215.92. Carreira and Ponomarenko won the Free Dance at 126.85 and had a 210.04 total to move up from third in 2023 and win their second Nationals medal.

Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville finished third in the Free Dance (118.80) and took the bronze at 196.94, while Green and Parsons – second in 2023 – fell to fourth (193.83 total).

Chock and Bates won their fifth career U.S. title, with the first coming way back in 2015! They have also won a Nationals medal for a remarkable 12 straight years (5-6-1), starting back in 2013. Chock also won another bronze in 2011, with Greg Zuerlein, for 13 career U.S. podiums.

The women’s competition got confusing. Defending champ Isabeau Levito got off to a strong start, winning the Short Program at 75.38, trailed by Amber Glenn (74.98) and Clare Seo (67.41). But in the Free Skate, Levito was charged with four falls and scored only 125.30 even with seven triple jumps in the program, good for fourth.

Taking advantage was Glenn, who had six triple jumps, but missed on two others, but still scored 135.48 for second in the Free Skate and a 210.46 total that was good enough to win her first U.S. championship. It’s her third career U.S. medal (1-1-1), at age 24.

Levito’s total was 200.68, and she ended up third after 15-year-old Josephine Lee powered up from fifth in the Short Program to win the Free Skate (138.85) and take the silver at 204.13. She’ll be 16 on Saturday.

In Pairs, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea became the third different winner in the last three years, finishing second in both segments for a 187.76 total. They moved up from bronze in 2023 and it’s the first national title for both. Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were fifth after the Short Program, but won the Free Skate (126.43) to take the silver at 186.91 for their first Nationals medal together (Mitrofanov won bronze with Audrey Lu in 2022). Valentin Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez took the bronze with two fourth-place finishes, at 181.03.

On Sunday, Glenn and Levito were named to the U.S. team for the World Championships, as were Ice Dance winners Chock and Bates, Carreira and Ponomarenko and Bratti and Somerville.

2.
American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin injured in Cortina

A day after praising the ski courses at Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, where the 2026 Olympic Alpine events will be held, American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin fell and had to be hospitalized during Friday’s Downhill.

But Shiffrin had noted that the speed courses – Downhill and Super-G – are more treacherous for her than her favored technical events of Giant Slalom and Slalom:

“It’s been a place where I’ve had a really good feeling on my skis, and I feel comfortable on the track. That’s really helpful because it takes a little bit less mental energy to memorize all the bits and pieces of the course.

“For me, the hardest thing with downhill and super-G – just with speed in general – is the factor of memorizing all of the terrain pieces.”

On Friday, she was the eighth skier to start and according to the FIS account:

“[T]he overall World Cup leader suffered a fall near the top of the course approaching the Tofane Schuss. Shiffrin was unable to land a small jump in a patch of soft snow and slid into the safety netting. She was attended to by medics for about 10 minutes and then stood up, but limped off gingerly using her poles, unable to exert pressure on her left leg.

“The five-time overall World Cup champion was airlifted off the mountain by helicopter and according to the U.S. Ski Team taken by ambulance to a Cortina clinic for further evaluation.”

The Beijing 2022 Olympic gold winner Corinne Suter (SUI) also failed to finish, injuring her left knee and had to stop; she was airlifted off the course and suffered a season-ending ACL tear in her left knee. Italy’s Federica Brignone, a 24-time World Cup winner, crashed as well, but appeared to be undamaged.

In all, 12 of the 52 starters failed to finish, with the race won by Austria’s Stephanie Venier in 1:33.06, her second career World Cup gold after a 2019 win in Garmisch (GER)! Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami got her eighth World Cup medal of the season in second (1:33.45) and a rare three-way tie for third among Sofia Goggia (ITA), Valerie Grenier (CAN) and Christina Ager (SUI), all in 1:33.77.

Shiffrin posted on Instagram a few hours after the crash:

“Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes. At this point I’m just taking it day by day, and I’ll share more information or updates as I know more. Very thankful it’s not worse, but I’m pretty sore at the moment.

“I won’t be skiing the rest of this weekend, and I won’t be skiing in Kronplatz. Beyond that, it’s quite hard to say right now. Need a little time to process with my team and see how everything is feeling in the coming days! Thank you all!”

U.S. team coach Paul Kristofic said that Shiffrin was in reasonably good shape: “She doesn’t fall often. But it can happen. It just goes to show you how on the limit athletes push and how the courses push them. And they have to if they want to be competitive.”

The U.S. Ski Team posted on X (ex-Twitter): “@MikaelaShiffrin was taken by ambulance to the clinic in Cortina and is being evaluated for a left leg injury. Initial analysis shows the ACL and PCL seem intact. Further details to come.”

Alpine skiing has had a rough season for injuries, with Olympic women’s Slalom champ Petra Vlhova (SVK) and two-time Worlds silver winner Wendy Holdener (SUI) both out for the season due to crashes, as well as three-time World Champion Alexis Pinturault (FRA) and Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Shiffrin’s partner.

There were more surprised in Saturday’s Downhill, with Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel winning her fourth career World Cup gold and first ever in a Downhill at 1:33.50. She took the lead from Italian home favorite (and 2018 Olympic champ) Sofia Goggia, who timed 1:33.94. But completely unexpected was the silver winner coming from the third starting group, with American Jacqueline Wiles finishing in 1:33.85 for her third career World Cup medal, her first silver and the first since a bronze in the Cortina Downhill in 2018!

The Sunday Super-G had a more familiar ending, with Beijing Olympic champ Lara Gut-Behrami winning her fourth race of the season and 41st World Cup race of her career in 1:20.75, ahead of Venier (1:20.96) and France’s Romane Miradoli (1:21.16), with Mowinckel fourth (1:21.28). Lauren Macuga was the top American at 1:22.65 for 15th.

3.
Lia Thomas files against World Aquatics trans rules

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Friday that an action by American transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was filed in September was now registered and has commenced.

Thomas, who swam as Will Thomas at the University of Pennsylvania during the 2018-19 season, transitioned to female during the Covid-19 pandemic and went on to win the NCAA women’s 500-yard title in March of 2022, dusting U.S. Olympians Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde in the process.

She said afterwards that she wanted to swim at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials and try to make the American Olympic team for Paris.

World Aquatics adopted its “Policy on Eligibility for the Men’s and Women’s Competition Categories” at its June 2022 Congress, with tight restrictions for male-to-female transgenders that include:

“They are androgen sensitive but had male puberty suppressed beginning at Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later, and they have since continuously maintained their testosterone levels in serum (or plasma) below 2.5 nmol/L.”

This essentially shuts out all male swimmers who want to make a transition to the female category after age 12. The Court announcement noted:

“Ms Thomas submits that the Challenged Provisions are invalid and unlawful as they discriminate against her contrary to the Olympic Charter, the World Aquatics Constitution, and Swiss law including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and that such discrimination cannot be justified as necessary, reasonable, or proportionate to achieve a legitimate sporting objective.

“In bringing the matter before CAS, Ms Thomas seeks an order from the CAS declaring that the Challenged Provisions are unlawful, invalid, and of no force and effect.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has been in this area previously, most sensationally in 2019 when it decided Semenya vs. IAAF (now World Athletics) and that federation’s restrictions for the female category. The IAAF regulations at the time barred Semenya and others with hydroandrogenism (“differences in sex development”) – testosterone levels far in excess of female norms – from competing in events from 400 m to the mile given research which showed a competitive advantage to such athletes. The Court decision upheld those regulations:

“The Panel’s task is to determine whether the DSD Regulations, which are discriminatory, are necessary, reasonable and proportionate. …

“[T]he majority of the Panel finds that the DSD Regulations are discriminatory but that on the evidence currently before the Panel such discrimination is a necessary, reason and proportionate means of achieving the aim of what is described as the integrity of female athletics and the upholding of the “protected class” of female athletes in certain events.”

The World Aquatics regulations are stronger and based on the belief – not considered in the Semenya case – that any male-to-female transgender transition after male puberty provides physical advantages to that athlete which cannot be allowed.

Thomas’s chance to compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in swimming are almost nil, as the event begins on 15 June and the case should take a lot longer than that. But it’s important, as other federations – in athletics, cycling, rowing and tennis, for example – have joined in, more or less at the same level as aquatics.

No hearing date has been set, and the Court statement did not indicate that any of the three arbitrators who will hear the case have been selected.

4.
Russian diving head sees no participation in 2028 Games either

On Thursday, Russian Diving Federation President Stanislav Druzhinin told the Russian news agency TASS that his athletes will not participate at the Paris Olympic Games as the top Russians will be barred by their connections to military and law-enforcement-affiliated sports clubs. And even if qualified:

“The question is how they will be treated there, will Do they feel like outcasts there, sitting separately from everyone and not communicating with anyone? In my understanding, this is how it will be. International competitions have turned into politics, unfriendly countries are trying to prove something, infringing on the rights of our athletes who simply want to compete equal to others.”

On Friday, he went a step further, telling TASS:

“My personal opinion is that we are unlikely to go to the Olympics in Los Angeles.

“We’ll see, but under the current conditions there can’t even be a conversation about a trip. They violate the sporting principle and are a manifestation of discrimination. There is absolutely no point in going.”

5.
U.S. biathlete Reid harassed for years by wax tech

The Associated Press reported in depth on a U.S. Center for SafeSport investigation into harassment of now-retired U.S. biathlon international Joanne Reid that began as early as 2016.

Reid, now 31, was a two-time Olympian in biathlon in 2018 and 2022, was abused and reported it at least as early as 2019, but an investigation only got going when teammate Deedra Irwin, a member of the Army National Guard in Vermont, told her superiors, who insisted on an investigation by SafeSport, in April of 2021.

According to the AP:

“Its 18-month investigation found that Petr ‘Gara’ Garabik had engaged in repeated sexual harassment and unwanted sexual contact with Reid. The Czech citizen was suspended for six months and put on probation until December 2024.”

The report noted that Garabik “engaged in a pattern of sexualized behavior” with Reid, “including sexualized commentary and inappropriate sexualized touching, over the course of six years.” Reid told the AP that U.S. biathlon officials had not taken his actions seriously.

Garabik told the news agency that the allegations were “complete nonsense from the start.” He was not allowed to work with the U.S. teams in 2021.

Reid also told the AP that the SafeSport interview and investigation process was traumatic, having to relive the incidents. But she also got significant support after putting some of the details on her Facebook and Instagram pages. She last raced internationally in the 2022-23 season.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Luge ● Austria led the medal parade at the FIL World Championships in Altenberg (GER), displacing usual leader Germany, which won eight of the nine events at the 2023 Worlds.

Instead, Austria won both the women’s Singles and Doubles, with the unheralded Lisa Schulte – who hadn’t won a World Cup medal this season – taking the Singles title at 1:43.901, surprising German star Julia Taubitz, the 2021 World Champion (1:44.005) and Austrian teammate (and European champ) Madeleine Egle (1:44.076). Summer Britcher was the top American, in ninth at 1:44.581.

In Doubles, it was two-time World Cup winners Selina Egle and Lara Kipp who got the win in 1:24.761, with surprises for second and third. Latvia’s Anda Upite and Zane Kaluma finished second – also with no World Cup medals this season – in Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby got the bronze for the U.S. in 1:24.897. Forgan and Kirkby had won a Worlds bronze in 2022, in a special Worlds held only for that event, which was not on the Winter Olympic program.

In the Sprint events, Taubitz took the individual title – her second – in 37.702, ahead of Natalie Maag (SUI: 37.774) and Latvian Elina Vitola (37.813). American Ashley Farquharson finished fourth in 37.833 and Britcher was eighth in 37.923.

The Doubles Sprint belonged to Italy’s Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer (28.421), with Latvia 2-3 with Upite and Kaluma (28.438) and Marta Robezneice and Kitija Bogdanova (28.467). The U.S. was fourth again, with Maya Chen and Reannyn Weiler (28.482) and also sixth with Forgan and Kirkby (28.595).

The men’s seasonal leader, Max Langenhan (GER), last year’s runner-up, left no doubt, winning decisively at 1:47.813 to 1:48.574 for Nico Gleirscher (AUT) and 1:48.630 for Felix Loch (GER), who won his 21st career Worlds medal (14-5-2). American Tucker West finished an impressive fourth (1:48.695) and Jonny Gustafson was ninth (1:49.080).

The men’s Sprint went to Gleirscher (33.011), beating Langenhan (33.071) and Latvia’s Kristers Aparjods (33.124). West was ninth at 33.397.

Austria’s Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schoepf (1:22.924) up better-known teammates Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl (AUT: 1:22.970) to win the men’s Doubles, ahead of favored Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, the three-time Olympic winners (1:23.279). Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike were ninth for the U.S. at 1:24.020.

Bots and Plume won the Doubles Sprint in 27.863 over Steu and Kindl (27.895), with Gatt and Schoepf third (27.973). Zach Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander finished 13th for the U.S. in 28.295.

In the Team event, the Germans won for the second straight time, in 3:10.869, but the U.S. got its third medal in the last six Worlds in second in 3:11.227, with Britcher, Kellogg and Ike, West and Forgan and Kirkby. Latvia was third (3:11.275).

Overall, the Austrians scored nine medals (4-3-2), with the Germans (3-2-2) and Latvians (1-2-4) both at seven. The U.S. got two medals, its best performance since 2017, when it won three!

● Ski Jumping ● Austria’s Stefan Kraft added to his sparkling career resume with his first victory at the World Ski Flying Championships, off the majestic 235 m hill at Bad Mittendorf (AUT).

Kraft had already won three World Championship golds on a Normal Hill (2017) and the Large Hill (2017, 2021), but after Ski Flying bronzes in 2016 and 2022, he got his first championship.

He did it without winning any of the three rounds, placing 2-4-2 to pile up 647.4 points, just ahead of his season-long pursuer, Andreas Wellinger (GER: 645.2).

Slovenian Timi Zajc, the 2022 silver winner in this event, looked like the winner after taking the first two rounds. But his third-round jump placed him only ninth and allowed Kraft and Wellinger to pass; Zajc ended at 642.7 points. Tate Franz was the top U.S. finisher at no. 20 (549.6).

Zajc did get a gold, however, in the Team Jumping, with Lovro Kos and brothers Peter Prevc and Domen Prevc, winning at 1,615.4, to 1,588.9 for Austria (with Kraft) and 1,549.9 for Germany (with Wellinger). It’s the second straight team win for the Slovenians and for Zajc and the Prevc brothers.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Winter Olympic Games 2022: Beijing ● USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will deliver a decision on the Kamila Valieva doping case on Monday (29th). Stay tuned!

● Winter Youth Olympic Games ● The WYOG competition continues in the Gangwon Province in Korea, with four athletes with three golds so far: Antonin Guy (FRA: biathlon), Angel Daleman (NED: speed skating), Finn Sonnekalb (GER: speed skating) and Maja Waroschitz (AUT: alpine skiing).

Through Sunday, China had the total medals lead with 16 (5-8-3), ahead of Italy (10-2-3) and Austria (4-6-5) with 15 each. The U.S. has 13 (4-7-2), with the event continuing to 1 February.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that the national anti-doping organization of North Korea was reinstated as compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. It has been non-compliant since 2021.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency, the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation continue to be non-compliant.

● Alpine Skiing ● A surprise at Saturday’s men’s FIS World Cup Super-G in Garmisch (GER), with France’s Nils Allegre, 30, winning his first World Cup medal, with a victory in 1:11.92, over Guglielmo Bosca (ITA, 30), who got his first career medal in second (1:12.10). Swiss veteran Loic Meillard was third (1:12.17), with seasonal leader Marco Odermatt (SUI: 1:12.20) in fourth.

Odermatt moved up in Sunday’s Super-G, getting his ninth win of the season in 1:10.13, ahead of Raphael Haaser (AUT: 1:10.43) and Franjo von Allmen (SUI: 1:10.74). It’s the first career World Cup medal for the 22-year-old von Allmen. River Radamus was the top American, in eighth (1:11.09).

After 23 of 39 races, Odermatt has a big lead on Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA) in the seasonal standings: 1,406 to 684.

● Athletics ● Two world-leading distance races highlighted the first World Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2024 in Astana (KAZ), both by Ethiopian stars.

Two-time World Indoor 1,500 m champ Sam Tefera won the men’s 3,000 m in 7:33.80, beating countryman (and Steeple star) Getnet Wale (7:34.36). Diribe Welteji, the women’s World Road Mile champ from 2023, took the women’s mile in 4:23.76, a lifetime best, beating countrywoman Gela Hambese (4:24.44).

Elsewhere, Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis won the men’s vault at 5.80 m (19-0 1/4), with American Cole Walsh fourth (5.60 m/18-4 1/2), and 100 m hurdles world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR) won a hot 60 m hurdles duel from Nia Ali of the U.S., 7.77 to 7.89. American Demek Kemp won the men’s 60 m in 6.55.

At the USATF Indoor Combined Championships held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Tokyo Olympian Steven Bastien defended his 2023 U.S. title, scoring 5,886 to win over Jack Flood (5,665) and Jakob Tordsen (5,494).

The women’s title went to Grand Valley State’s Cheyenne Nesbitt, scoring 4,475 to win over 2020 winner Annie Kunz (4.418), with Hope Bender third (4,392).

Prize money for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, coming on 3 February, was announced, with $80,000 each for the men’s and women’s winners.

A total prize pool of $600,000 will be offered, with $80,000-65,000-55,000-25,000-20,000-15,000-13,000-11,000-9,000-7,000 awarded to the top 10 placers for men and women.

● Badminton ● China took three wins at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta, with eighth-seed Zhi Yi Wang coming through with a 21-14, 21-13 win over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the women’s Singles, Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan taking the women’s Doubles over fellow Chinese Shu Xian Zhang and Yu Zheng in three sets (10-21, 21-19, 22-20) and top-seeded Si Wei Zheng and Ya Qiong Huang taking the Mixed Doubles, 21-15, 21-16 against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.

Denmark’s Anders Antonsen won the men’s Singles by 18-21, 21-13, 21-18 over Canada’s Brian Yang, and the home crowd cheered on Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin to a 21-12, 20-22, 21-11 win in men’s Doubles vs. Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Brakeman-turned-driver Kaysha Love of the U.S. returned to the winner’s circle at the IBSF World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR), posting her second win of the season in the women’s Monobob race.

The 2023 Worlds two-woman bronze winner with American star Kaille Humphries, Love – a former UNLV sprinter – became a driver this season and won the opening World Cup race in La Plagne (FRA) in December. She won a silver in December and in Lillehammer, won in 1:48.52, ahead of Australia’s Breeana Walker (1:48.94) and 2018 Olympic two-woman winner Lisa Buckwitz of Germany (1:48.95). American star Elana Meyers Taylor finished 10th in 1:49.55.

In the Two-Woman racing, World Champions Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig won their first World Cup of the season in 1:43.62, ahead of teammates and Olympic champs Laura Nolte and Neele Schuten (1:43.81). Love and Azaria Hill took the bronze – their first medal this season – in 1:43.85. Taylor and Emily Renna took sixth in 1:44.36.

The Two-Man was a German sweep, led by World Champions Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer, who won their fourth race out of five on the season, in 1:40.63. Twice Olympic champs Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schueller were second (1:41.01) and teammates Adam Ammour and Benedikt Hertel got third (1:41.08). Americans Frank Del Duca and Manteo Mitchell were fifth in 1:41.77.

Friedrich, also a double Olympic winner in the Four-Man, took that race in 1:39.50, with Lochner’s sled at 1:39.72 for second and Britain’s Brad Hall (1:40.15) third.

Germany also swept the Skeleton titles, with Beijing Olympic winner Christopher Grotheer (1:42.85) leading Beijing runner-up Axel Jungk (1:42.93) and Felix Seibel (1:42.95).

Women’s Olympic champ Hannah Niese won the women’s Skeleton in 1:45.94, just ahead of American Mystique Ro (1:45.99), who got her second silver of the season. Beijing Olympic bronze winner Kimberley Bos (NED) took third in 1:46.00.

● Cross Country Skiing ● The amazing Jessie Diggins (USA), the seasonal leader, scored another FIS World Cup win with a Sunday victory in the women’s 20 km Freestyle Mass Start in Goms (SUI).

It’s her fourth win of the season, finishing at the line with just 0.6 seconds to spare on Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, 45:26.3 to 45:26.9 and Swiss Nadine Faehndrich in third in 45:28.3. American teammates Sophia Laukli (45:35.8) and Rosie Brennan (45:42.2) finished fifth (even with an early fall) and seventh!

With her 19th career World Cup win, Diggins now has a 1,771-1,488 seasonal lead on Swede Linn Svahn, who won the Saturday Freestyle sprint.

In fact, the Swedes swept the Sprint and have won six of seven Sprints during this season. Svahn won for the fifth time – all Sprints – in 3:00.67, with teammates Maja Dahlqvist (3:02.83) and Jonna Sundling (3:02.89) close behind.

In the men’s division, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo – the two-time defending seasonal champ – had been sidelined by the flu, but came back in a big way with two wins. He took the Sprint in 2:36.42, just ahead of Lucas Chanavat (FRA: 2:36.50) and Haacard Taugnoel (NOR: 2:37.15).

Sunday’s 20 km Freestyle Mass Start was a tight race to the line between Klaebo and teammate Simen Hegstad Krueger, 39:25.2 to 39:25.9, with France’s Jules Lapierre third in 39:37.2. Gus Schumacher was the best American, in 14th (39:49.4).

● Cycling ● The UCI World Tour are now underway, with racing in Geelong, Australia for women on Saturday and men on Sunday.

The Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race of 140.8 km came down to three riders in the end, with Rosita Reijnhout taking the win in 3:53:31, beating Dominika Wlodarczyk (POL) and Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) to the line, with all three given the same time.

American Ruth Edwards was fourth, five seconds back of the leaders.

The men’s 174.3 km ride in and around Geelong for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race came down to a final sprint, with New Zealand’s Laurence Pithie winning his first UCI World Tour race in 4:17:40 over Natnel Tesfatsion (ERI) and German Georg Zimmermann, with the top 13 riders given the same time.

It’s the first win ever for a New Zealand rider in this race!

● Football ● A day after a Spanish court allowed criminal proceedings to continue against former Royal Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales, FIFA’s Appeal Committee confirmed his three-year ban from all football-related activities:

“After analysing the submissions presented to it and conducting a hearing, the Appeal Committee decided to dismiss the appeal, and to confirm the sanction imposed upon Mr Rubiales.

“Amongst other considerations, the Appeal Committee was comfortably satisfied that Mr Rubiales behaved in a manner contrary to the principles enshrined under article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during and after the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

Rubiales can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His criminal case continues in Spain.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The 2023 World Champion, Italy’s Simon Deromedis, got his first medal of the FIS World Cup season in the St. Moritz (SUI) Ski Cross final on Sunday, finishing ahead of the Beijing 2022 runner-up, Swiss Alex Fiva.

Canada’s 2014 Olympic winner, Marielle Thompson, won her first World Cup race of the season, with two-time Olympic medal winner Fanny Smith (SUI) second and seasonal leader Hannah Schmidt (CAN) taking third in the women’s final.

The FIS World Cup for Moguls and Dual Moguls was Waterville, New Hampshire, with the unstoppable Jakara Anthony – the Beijing 2022 Olympic Moguls winner – continued her romp through the schedule.

She won the women’s Moguls on Friday, scoring 81.22 to best Olympic runner-up Jaelin Kauf of the U.S. (71.71) and teammate Hannah Soar (67.93).

On Saturday, Anthony won the Dual Moguls competition over Kauf, while Olivia Giaccio won the bronze in the all-American bronze final. For Anthony, she has won 10 of 11 Moguls and Dual Moguls World Cups this season: 6/6 in Moguls and 4/5 in Dual Moguls, with only Kauf getting a win against her. Amazing.

The men’s Moguls was a third win this season for Japan’s Ikuma Horishima, the Beijing Olympic bronze winner, defeating Cooper Woods (AUS), 85.84 to 81.04. Canada’s superstar Mikael Kingsbury got third at 80.07.

Kingsbury came back to take the Dual Moguls final from Horishima; it’s Kingsbury’s 84th World Cup gold, the most ever. The all-Swedish bronze final saw Olympic champ Walter Wallberg win over Filip Gravenfors.

● Judo ● A big field of 624 judoka from 90 countries were on hand at the Portugal Grand Prix in Odivelas, with Japan taking top honors with nine medals and two wins.

Yoshito Ojo won for Japan in the men’s 81 kg class and Hikari Yoshikoka won in the women’s 48 kg division. Two other countries had two winners; Uzbekistan took golds with Dilshodbek Baratov in the men’s 60 kg class and Diyora Keldiyorova in the women’s 52kg, and Turkey grabbed wins at 90 kg for men with Mihael Zgank and in the women’s +78 kg division with Hilal Ozturk.

Absent from the medal table were four “neutral” winners – all Russian – including Yago Abuladze (66 kg), Danil Levrentev (73 kg), Matvey Kanikovskiy (100 kg) and co-World Champion Inal Tasoev (+100 kg).

A much stronger field is anticipated next week for the Paris Grand Slam, essentially a rehearsal for the 2024 Olympic Games.

● Nordic Combined ● Another sweep for Norway at the FIS World Cup in Schonach (GER), for both men and women. Eight-time Worlds gold medalist Jarl Magnus Riiber won both men’s races, giving him eight wins in 11 races this season. He took Saturday’s opener off the 100 m hill and 10 km race in 22:41.7, well ahead of Stefan Rettenegger (23:55.5) and Norway’s two-time Olympic champ Joergen Graabak (23:56.7).

On Sunday, Riiber won the 100 m/10 km race in 23:42.5, beating Graabak (24:15.7) and Rettenegger (24:36.0) for his fifth straight World Cup victory.

Norway went 1-2 in Saturday’s women’s 100 m hill/4 km race with 2021 Worlds runner-up Mari Leinan Lund winning in 10:44.6 over Ida Marie Hagen (10:57.6), with Nathalie Armbruster (GER) third (11:10.0). Annika Malachinski finished 11th for the U.S. in 12:33.0.

On Sunday, it was Hagen to the line first for her third win this season, in 22:47.2, with Leinan Lund second (23:25.0) and two-time World Champion Gyda Westvold Hansen third (23:50.3). Alexa Brabec was the top U.S. finisher, in 15th (27:12.1).

Riiber continues to lead the men’s seasonal standings with 1,070 points to 795 for Rettenegger, and Hansen and Hagen both have 560 points in the women’s competition.

● Rugby Sevens ● In Perth (AUS), Ireland scored its first podium finish of the season in the third leg of the HSBC women’s Rugby Sevens and won its first tournament with a 19-14 win over Australia in the final. Britain beat the U.S. in the women’s bronze-medal game, 24-10.

Argentina dominated the men’s final, winning 31-5 over Australia, with Ireland taking the bronze by 2-4-7 against Fiji.

The Argentines lead the men’s standings with 58 points after three stops, to 44 for Fiji and Australia. The women’s leader is Australia (also 58), with New Zealand at 46 and France at 44.

● Snowboard ● Canada’s Eliot Grondin, the Beijing 2022 Olympic runner-up, won his second SnowCross race of the season in the FIS World Cup in St. Moritz (SUI), beating Swiss home favorite Kalle Koblet and Beijing bronze medalist Omar Visintin (ITA) third.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic champ, Czech Eva Adamczykova, won her first race of the season, getting to the line ahead of Sophie Hediger (SUI) and Beijing runner-up Chloe Trespeuch (FRA).

At Simonhohe (AUT), Italy’s Daniele Bagozza came into this season with three career World Cup medals (2-1-0). He won his fourth medal of this season (!) and defeated Beijing 2022 Parallel Giant Slalom winner Benjamin Karl (AUT) in the final, and his third win! Austria’s Fabian Obmann took the bronze.

Austria’s Sabine Schoeffmann, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, finally got her first win of the season after medals in five prior races. She triumphed in the final over Zuzana Maderova (CZE) and Elisa Caffont (ITA).

● Ski Jumping ● The women’s FIS World Cup was in Ljubno (SLO), on the 94 m hill, with familiar faces on the podium. First came Austria’s 2023 Worlds runner-up Eva Pinkelnig on Saturday, winning for the third time this season, scoring 269.3 to 262.5 for Slovenia’s 18-year-old star, Nika Prevc. Canada’s Alexandria Loutitt got the bronze (258.9).

On Sunday, it was Prevc with her sixth win of this season at 276.8, ahead of Pinkelnig (271.7) and Slovenian teammate – and Beijing 2022 bronze winner – Nika Kriznar third (268.9).

With 13 of 26 events completed, Prevc has a 853-679 lead on Japan’s Yuki Ito this season, with Pinkelnig third (651).

● Ski Mountaineering ● The ISMF World Cup circuit was in Boi Taull (ESP) for a Sprint and Mixed Relay, with French stars Thibault Anselmet and Emily Harrop taking the individual titles.

Anselmet, a six-time World Championships medal winner, took the men’s Sprint decisively in 2:42.13, beating Swiss Arno Lietha (2:46.26) and Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP: 2:48.04). Harrop, a seven-time Worlds medalist, won the women’s title in 3:13.04 in a tight finish with Marianna Jagercikova (SVK: 3: 3.17) and Celia Perillat-Pessey (FRA: 3:22.82).

The Mixed Relay was a clear win for Alba de Silvesto and Michele Boscacci of Italy in 33:52.08, with Spain (33:58.10) and France (Harrop and Baptiste Ellmenreich: 33:59.15) following.

● Speed Skating ● Lots of fireworks at the ISU World Cup at the ultra-fast, altitude-aided track at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, with American star Jordan Stolz – the three-time World Champion from 2023 – grabbing the world record in the men’s 1,000 m, an American Record in the 1,500 m, and watching his teammates in the Team Pursuit regain the world mark for the U.S.

Stolz stole the show on Friday, skating to a sensational 1:05.37 world record in the seventh pair out of 10, breaking Russian Pavel Kulizhnikov’s mark of 1:05.69 from 2020, also set at the Olympic Oval. China’s Zhongyan Ning was a distant second at 1:06.97.

On Saturday, Stolz was back at it and won the 1,500 m in 1:40.87, breaking Shani Davis’s American mark and winning over Ning again (1:41.78). A couple of hours later, Stolz got his third win, in the 500 m as the only one to break 34 seconds, at 33.96, a lifetime best. Worlds silver medalist Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) took silver at 34.05.

Shortly afterwards, the U.S. trio of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran won the men’s Team Pursuit in a world record 3:33.66, re-taking the mark from Norway, which had skated 3:34.66 earlier in the season (taking the mark from the U.S., which had held it for three years).

Spectacular.

Stolz came back on Sunday to win the second 1,000 m race in 1:06.32, ahead of Tim Prins (NED: 1:06.40) for his fourth win of the weekend.

In the distances, World Champion Patrick Roest won the 5,000 m in 6:02.98, a lifetime best, ahead of World 10,000 m gold winner Davide Ghiotto (ITA: 6:04.23). Stolz competed in the 5,000 m too, finishing 15th in 6:25.58. In the Mass start, Beijing Olympic silver medalist Jae-won Chung (KOR: 7:42.35) beat Olympic winner Bart Swings (BEL: 7:42.40).

The women were busy too, with Olympic champ Erin Jackson winning again in the 500 m in 36.90, with fellow U.S. star Kimi Goetz getting second (37.08) ahead of Mi-sun Kim (KOR: 37.22).

Olympic 1,000 m champ Miho Takagi (JPN) doubled in the 1,000 m (1:12.77) and 1,500 m (1:51.60), with Goetz taking the 1,000 m silver (1:12.85), and three-time World Champion Brittany Bowe fourth in 1:14.01. World 1,500 m champ Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong was the 1,500 m runner-up in 1:52.04, with Goetz seventh and Bowe ninth.

Goetz returned for a win in the second 1,000 m in 1:13.08, beating reigning World Champion Jutta Leerdam (NED: 1:13.17), with Bowe fourth again (1:13.32).

The Dutch were 1-2 in the 3,000 m with Joy Beune (3:56.86) and Olympic champ Irene Schouten (3:58.20), and Olympic silver medalist Ivanie Blondin (CAN) winning over Schouten, 8:14.70 to 8:14.81.

In the women’s Team Pursuit, Canada won in 2:54.07, with the U.S. squad of Bowe, Mia Manganello and Giorgia Birkeland third in 2:57.66.

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TSX REPORT: Russian diving chief says his athletes would be “outcasts” in Paris; City of L.A. asked for 2028 arts funding; Rubiales headed to trial!

By
Rich Perelman
-
City of L.A.'s Department of Cultural Affairs ready to plan for 2028!

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Russian diving chief: we’ll be “outcasts” in Paris
2. City of Los Angeles asked for Olympic arts funding
3. Future Commonwealth Games to be studied in New Zealand
4. Spanish judge recommends trial of ex-RFEF chief Rubiales
5. IBU to ban and fine ex-chief Besseberg

● The head of the Russian Diving Federation said that 99% of the top divers in Russia can’t compete at Paris because they are affiliated with the military-related sports clubs, and believes that Russian athletes at the Games would be treated as outcasts.

● The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs asked for $237,808 in annual funding for two staff members and support costs to begin planning the City’s own cultural programs for the 2028 Olympic Games.

● There are still no bidders for the 2026 or 2030 Commonwealth Games, but New Zealand is interested in exploring a possible 2034 bid. But will there even be a Commonwealth Games by then? The event may have to be disassembled until then.

● A Spanish judge approved moving ahead with the criminal case against former Royal Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales over the unwanted kiss to gave to midfielder Jenni Hermoso at the medal ceremony of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. Charges against three others can also be explored.

● The International Biathlon Union plans to sanction former President Anders Besseberg with a life ban and a hefty fine. This came out during testimony in Besseberg’s criminal trial in Norway for corruption, which is continuing.

● Panorama: Deaflympics (four nations, including U.S., to skip 2024 Winter Deaflympics) = Figure Skating (ISU to propose less-demanding skating?) = Football (UEFA’s head of football resigns over Ceferin bid for a fourth term) = Snowboard (Olympic champ Miki takes first World Cup win of the season at Rogla) ●

1.
Russian diving chief: we’ll be “outcasts” in Paris

The stream of reasons why Russian athletes will not – or should not – go to Paris for this summer’s Olympic Games continues, with the latest explanation from Russian Diving Federation chief Stanislav Druzhinen.

He told the Russian news agency TASS (edited computer translation from the original Russian):

“The athletes who took first place at the Russian Championship last year were selected for the World Aquatics Championships. At the same time, the eligibility criteria proposed by the International Olympic Committee and the International Federation say that only athletes who are not members of the Dynamo and CSKA societies and other organizations affiliated with security agencies can go to the competition.

“We have 99% of the athletes who could go to the World Championships in a neutral status who are members of those societies. And it makes no sense to send there people who took fifth or sixth place, because in this way we would violate the sports principle, and such a decision will not be understand by the guys who [should be] selected by right.”

Druzhinen also expressed concern over the way Russian athletes would be treated if they did quality and go to Paris, notably since the Russian Diving Federation would not be there to support them:

“In addition, we do not fully know the conditions of admission, because athletes have to go there individually. Will they need to sign any papers, how to send doctors, masseurs with them?

“The question is how they will be treated there: will they feel like outcasts, sitting apart from everyone and not communicating with anyone? In my understanding, they will.

“International competitions have turned into politics, unfriendly countries are trying to prove something, infringing on the rights of our athletes, who just want to perform on equal terms with others.”

A very small number of Russian athletes have qualified for Paris through various world championships, but even these will be re-checked for “neutrality” credentials by the International Olympic Committee. It is also possible that the Russian government will simply ban all Russian athletes from attending the Games; as the Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended for its takeover of Ukrainian sports organizations in the area invaded since February 2022, invitations would come from the International Federations directly to the athlete.

2.
City of Los Angeles asked for Olympic arts funding

“DCA is committed to executing a program which builds upon the City’s Olympic and Paralympic Games planning to support creative-sector jobs, free community programs, and youth arts and education opportunities that advance equity, inclusion, and readiness through the development of local artists, cultural producers, and vendors.”

That’s from a six-page memorandum filed by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), asking for annual funding of $237,808 to begin the planning and execution of the City’s participation in the cultural program of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

This is not a request by the LA28 organizing committee, which has the responsibility to mount a cultural program during the Olympic Games, but from the City’s Cultural Affairs Department to begin organizing the City’s own programs:

● “DCA’s efforts for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games are an opportunity to support the arts and cultural sector during three time periods: during the four year time period leading up to the Games from the torch handoff; during the Games; and the development of a long-standing legacy for the sector subsequent to the completion of the Games.”

● “As the City looks ahead over the next four years, leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there will be many options and models to consider with regard to the provision of the Cultural Olympiad.

“A thematic Cultural Olympiad or Olympic Arts Festival is a community expectation, and DCA looks forward to exploring options of festivals and planning under a selected theme with the possibility of 28, 56, or 84 signature-activities which will meet popular enthusiasm to showcase LA as a highly talented, innovative, and multi-cultural arts community.

“Additionally, this will be an opportunity to explore numerous initiatives spanning the four years, including partnerships with City Departments and government agencies, opportunities for artists with disabilities, increased youth arts education, and collaboration with other local municipalities.”

The request noted that the DCA’s efforts on the cultural aspects of the 2028 Games have been in motion since 2020, in talks with past Olympic cities on their cultural programs, a visit to Paris to see the preparations for 2024 and 10 round-table discussions with local artists and organizations about 2028 programming. The goal:

“We all look to the Cultural Olympiad and related arts festivals and activities as opportunities to uplift the diversity of the region, build greater cultural equity and inclusion, stimulate cultural exchange, grow opportunities for youth arts education, and support capacity and legacy building in the arts that will last post-Olympic Games.”

And direct cooperation with the City of Paris is already underway:

“DCA is currently partnering with Paris on several arts projects, including the design and installation of a joint mural, a poetry relay, an Olympic poster contest between Los Angeles and Paris graphic design students, and participation in one of Paris’ largest festivals: Nuit Blanche.”

The memo further contends that the City is essentially obligated to cultural programming related to the Games:

“A thematic Cultural Olympiad or Olympic Arts Festival is a community expectation, and DCA looks forward to exploring options of festivals and planning under a selected theme with the possibility of 28, 56, or 84 signature-activities which will meet popular enthusiasm to showcase LA as a highly talented, innovative, and multi-cultural arts community.”

The LA28 organizing committee will be invited to attend the development sessions “to provide an overview of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

To get going, the DCA is requesting the hiring of two staff managers directly related to the City’s own 2028 programming ($137,808) and support funding of another $100,000.

The first step will be an as-yet unscheduled discussion with the City’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

3.
Future Commonwealth Games to be studied in New Zealand

With the withdrawal of Australia’s Victoria state from the hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games last July, no new host has come forward, leaving the event in limbo. No bidders have come up for 2030, either, which would be the centennial of the event that began as the British Empire Games in 1930.

New Zealand looked like a possibility this week, with the 50th anniversary of the highly-successful Christchurch Games in 1974 being remembered, and current Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger asking for a review as to whether a 2030 bid might be worthwhile:

“I’m just floating it out there … what I’m asking for is a report from our guys to say ‘Phil, you’re dreaming’ or ‘no, you’re not’.”

At a meeting of the Christchurch City Council on Wednesday, Mauger underlined that he was interested in a study of the concept, not a bid:

“This could be a great opportunity for our city, so we need independent advice to consider it properly. That advice might say it’s a fizzer, but at least we’ve looked at it, and have the information in front of us. If we don’t ask, we don’t know.”

The motion passed by 10-7, but for a “future Games,” and not necessarily for 2030. There was a heavy debate on the idea, including heckling from the audience, with about 20 protestors objecting to the possible costs, environmental impact and the need for attention to other issues.

New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Nicki Nicols said it had “entered a formal dialogue with the Commonwealth Games Federation regarding a 2034 nationwide bid.

“This timeframe provides sufficient runway to engage government and other relevant agencies to develop an innovative and bold proposal for a potential 2034 bid, including undertaking a formal feasibility study.”

But that doesn’t help the Commonwealth Games for 2026 or 2030, and in December, The Times (London) reported that the Games could be disassembled into single-sport championships until a bidder for a comprehensive, multi-sport Games could be found, or the 2026 edition could be delayed until 2027 if a bidder is available.

In Christchurch, the City Council staff will undertake the feasibility study and report back.

Observed: The Commonwealth Games is in deep trouble, and it is worthwhile to ask if a bid for 2034 might be irrelevant if the event is not held in 2026 or 2030. Like so many regional events, the question is why is it important and/or relevant? That’s an increasingly difficult question to answer, especially if public funding is required, as it seems to be for almost everything outside of the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup.

4.
Spanish judge recommends trial of ex-RFEF chief Rubiales

The fallout from former Royal Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales and his forcible kiss of midfield star Jenni Hermoso during the medal presentations following last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup reached a critical stage on Thursday.

A lengthy statement from the Audencia Nacional (National Court) included (computer translation from the original Spanish):

“The judge of the National Court Francisco de Jorge has proposed judging the former president of the Spanish Football Federation Luis [Rubiales] for the non-consensual kiss of the Spanish national team player Jennifer [Hermoso] after the final of the last World Cup, held on August 20 in Sydney (Australia).

“The magistrate also proposes trying the sports director of the men’s team, Albert [Luque], the former coach of the women’s team Jorge [Vilda] and the former marketing manager of the Federation Rubén [Rivera] for the subsequent pressure to which the player was subjected to to agree to hold a public demonstration stating that the kiss had been consensual.”

The facts of the incident are by now well known. Rubiales forcibly kissed Hermoso on the lips during the awards presentation, then apologized in a video, then said he did nothing wrong. Hermoso said she was pressured to support Rubiales, but did not, and under growing pressure from Spain’s national women’s team, other women’s football players and administrators worldwide, player’s unions and significant public comment, finally resigned. The situation has been in the hands of the Spanish prosecutors, who are now in a position to proceed.

The statement added considerable detail to the impact of the ruling:

● “In the order to move to an abbreviated procedure, in which the investigation is concluded considering that all the pertinent procedures have been carried out, the judge concludes that the kiss on the player ‘was not consensual and was a unilateral and surprising initiative’ of the investigated.

● “The magistrate adds that the erotic purpose or not, or the state of euphoria and agitation experienced as a consequence of the extraordinary sporting triumph are elements whose consequence and legal consequences must be assessed in the oral trial before the body in charge of the prosecution.”

● “The judge explains that at this procedural moment his function is limited to appreciating that there is sufficient evidence of the commission of the events narrated in his record and that these events are criminally relevant, making an accusation perfectly sustainable.”

The efforts by Vilda, Luque and Rivera to get Hermoso to exonerate Rubiales in a video “could constitute a criminal offense.”

The next step:

“The resolution agrees to notify the Prosecutor’s Office and the accused persons so that they may request, within a period of ten days, the opening of an oral trial, formulating a document of accusation or, where appropriate, the dismissal of the case.”

CNN reported that “Defense lawyers for Rubiales and the other three men under investigation now have three days to try to halt an eventual trial by appealing to a different section of the court.”

If the criminal trial proceeds, Rubiales could be liable for a fine, or could be imprisoned for as many as four years.

5.
IBU to ban and fine ex-chief Besseberg

The Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang reported Wednesday that the International Biathlon Union will seek to ban former President Anders Besseberg (NOR) for life and fine him NOK 1.1 million (about $108,415 U.S. today).

Biathlon Integrity Unit head Greg McKenna (GBR) stated in court testimony Wednesday:

“We have concluded that he should be banned for life from office and activities and receive a fine of up to 100,000 euros. We have also filed a motion for reprimand.”

Besseberg, now 77 and the President of the IBU from 1992 to 2018, resigned under pressure, with accusations of favoritism toward Russia and acceptance of favors, including gifts, travel and prostitutes. He is now on trial, facing Norwegian state charges of gross corruption.

An early witness was the now-Secretary General of the IBU, American Max Cobb. According to the Verdens Gang story, he was asked if he saw prostitutes at IBU events, and replied:

“It is very difficult to say whether those you see are prostitutes or not, since we never saw them in action, but I can say as much as that over several decades there were rumors about the behavior of Besseberg at the international competitions. This included prostitutes who he is said to have been offered by various event committees. This is information that persisted and came from many sources. …

“This was in the early 2000s. I was not a leader in the USA and I was not on the IBU board either. The entire biathlon community was familiar with the rumors surrounding hunting trips and prostitutes. So it wasn’t something that needed to be brought up.”

Asked about Besseberg’s leadership, Cobb explained, “He ruled in a strong way. It was almost dictatorial.”

Earlier in the trial, a police wiretap of a phone call by then-IBU Secretary-General Nicole Resch (GER) included her comments:

“He’s so crazy pro-Russia that I’m a little scared now. He no longer communicates neutrally at all. … Really a shame. He doesn’t want sanctions against Russia, he doesn’t want to do anything in principle.”

Besseberg said he did not agree with Resch’s characterization. The trial is continuing.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Deaflympics ● The 20th Winter Deaflympics is coming in March (2-12) in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum, with about 1,000 athletes from 40 countries expected to participate. However, it was reported Thursday that the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland will not come, citing security concerns in the region.

Erzurum Governor Mustafa Ciftci said Wednesday that the USA Deaf Sports Federation referred to security issues – notably the Israel-Hamas war – but believes the decision is political. That’s unlikely, given that the USADSF is not affiliated with the U.S. government.

In fact, the USADSF stated back in November that it would not attend, noting in part:

“The persistent lack of timely and reliable information in accordance with the Deaflympics Regulations have created significant financial, logistical, and security challenges that could no longer be tolerated. These factors have led USADSF and our National Sport Organizations to make difficult decisions about how much risk we are willing to carry and how much security – financial and otherwise – we are willing to compromise. Thus, based on the information available to us, the USADSF has determined that the United States will not participate in the 20th Winter Deaflympics.”

● Figure Skating ● A Thursday post by the Russian news agency TASS has the figure skating community talking (computer translation from the original Russian):

“The Technical Committee of the International Skating Union (ISU) is discussing proposals to simplify the rules in single and pair skating for the next congress of the organization, a source told TASS.

“In particular, there were proposals to reduce the number of mandatory jumps in the free skating program from seven to six, to allow the repetition of one jump three times – previously it was possible no more than twice, the number of cascades and combinations is proposed to be reduced from three to two, one rotation is replaced by a choreographic rotation. In pairs, it is proposed to reduce the number of supports with levels from three to two, and remove the solo jump.”

The matter is to be discussed at the 59th ISU Congress from 10-14 June in Las Vegas (USA).

This provoked a heated reaction from famed Russian coach Tatyana Tarasova:

“I’m surprised, of course, because in any kind of activity now the bar is only rising, and suddenly in a sport like figure skating it is lowered; utter stupidity.

“With such proposals, the ISU is trying to preserve the appearance, give the weak an opportunity to participate and win. They don’t care what it turns into, and what to do next, they will think later.

“More or less capable skaters will compete with those who can do everything. But perfection cannot be undone, no matter how much they love us. I think it’s a temporary measure of the stupidity they’re doing. Stupidity and unprofessionalism.”

And Tarasova, now 76, whose athletes have won 41 European and World Championships golds, said Russian skaters will continue to pursue the highest standards, alone if necessary:

“We will still learn something new, we will not stop. But within the limits of these rules. But we can host competitions according to our own [ideas]; this is our business, our question.”

No formal agenda for the June Congress has been posted as yet.

● Football ● More politics within the European Football Union (UEFA), as the organization’s Chief of Football, Zvonmir Boban (CRO) departed “by mutual agreement.”

Boban, 55, resigned in protest against a procedural move supported by UEFA’s Slovenian President, Aleksander Ceferin, which would allow Ceferin to run for a fourth term in 2027, after elections in 2016-19-23, holding that Ceferin’s first election, to a partial term, does not count against the term limits he introduced in 2017!

In an open letter, Boban wrote: “After expressing my deepest concern and complete disagreement with the proposal itself, the president answered that he sees no legal or moral-ethical problem in it – and that he will, without any doubt, proceed with this idea that I find fatal.”

The proposal to allow Ceferin to run again will be considered by the UEFA Congress in February.

● Snowboard ● Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom World Champion Tsubaki Miki of Japan was in a slump, heading into Thursday’s one-day competition in Rogla (SLO). She’d won medals in four of the seven races held so far this season … all bronzes.

But she rebounded on Thursday and won the second World Cup gold of her career, taking down Dutch rider Michelle Dekker in the final by just 0.03, as Dekker won her fifth career World cup medal. Austria’s Sabine Schoeffmann won the bronze – her fifth medal of the season – over seasonal leader Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) by 0.05.

The men’s PGS winner was seasonal leader – and Beijing 2022 gold medalist – Benjamin Karl (AUT), who won by just 0.02 against Italy’s 2023 Worlds Mixed Team champ Aaron March, with countryman Mirko Felicetti taking the bronze. It’s Karl’s third win of the season in eight races, heading home for Saturday’s Parallel Giant Slalom in Simonhohe (AUT).

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TSX REPORT: Cloud computing, A.I., changing Olympic broadcasts; WADA worries over doping in minors; 41 stars on U.S. men’s basketball list!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic Broadcasting Services chief Yiannis Exarchos at Wednesday's news briefing from Korea (Photo: Screenshot of IOC video feed).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Cloud computing, artificial intel changing Olympic broadcasting
2. WADA concerned over youth doping and reactions
3. USA Basketball announces 41 in men’s Olympic player pool
4. ROC chief: path back for Russia is through Asia
5. Sailing allows Russian, Belarus for Last Chance Qualifier

● Olympic Broadcasting Services chief Yiannis Exarchos explained the changes coming to broadcasting at the Paris Games, some of which are being tried at the ongoing Winter Youth Olympic Games in Korea. Technologies already in use are cutting the number of people required and could offer federations spectacular new options to show their own events.

● The World Anti-Doping Agency published a report on doping and youth, noting that while the number of positives is not large, the impact on youngsters of a positive test can be very hurtful. From 2012-23, there were 1,518 positive tests from 1,416 athletes, with the largest number of positives in athletes from Russia, India and China.

● A spectacular roster of 41 star NBA players was named by USA Basketball as candidates for the 2024 men’s Olympic Team. The list include 13 Olympians, all 12 members of the U.S. World Cup team from 2023 and 25 NBA All-Stars. Only 12 will make the team. Wow.

● The head of the Russian Olympic Committee praised a youth competition in eastern Russia, and said the future of Russia’s re-entry into international competitions will go through Asia, and via youth events to begin with.

● World Sailing, following the directions of the IOC, agreed to allow Russian and Belarusian entries – subject to as-yet unpublished “neutrality” criteria – at the final Olympic qualifier, and if qualified, at the Paris Games. But nowhere else.

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (Strasser wins second straight World Cup Slalom) = Athletics (3: Lasitskene can’t believe she’s out of Paris; USATF Foundation to pay $100,000 to hammer throwers; Mexico’s Gonzalez gets another four-year doping ban) = Cricket (no protest for second South Africa match at U-19 World Cup) = Figure Skating (Russian team doctor wins defamation suit in Moscow vs. Germany’s ARD) = Football (2: four more Udinese fans sanctioned for racist chants; match in Cyprus called off for fans throwing flares on the field) = Sailing (World Sailing to allow Russians, Belarusians in last-chance qualifier) = Surfing (8x World Champion Stephanie Gilmore takes a year off) ●

1.
Cloud computing, artificial intel changing Olympic broadcasting

A fascinating – and somewhat scary – look into the future of Olympic broadcasting was shared at an online round-table session with Olympic Broadcasting Services chief Yiannis Exarchos (GRE) from the Winter Youth Olympic Games in the Gangwon Province of Korea on Wednesday.

Exarchos, the head of OBS since 2012, explained that a revolution in television production is underway, with more and more broadcasters adopting the “Olympic Cloud” technology used in Tokyo in 2021 (via Olympic sponsor Alibaba) to allow them to create their Olympic broadcasts at home instead of having to bring hundreds of staff to the site of the Games. They are being employed now:

“Many traditional fundamentals that we would have in the host city like the master control of the Games, distribution to broadcasters, creating graphics, creating and editing stories and so on, all these are not done in Gangwon. They are done back in the headquarters of OBS, in Madrid, where we have our technical facilities.

“This obviously leads into very significant savings, and also very significant help for the local organizers. We have less people on the ground, they need less support, less logistics, less transport, less accommodation, and this is the way to the future.”

Exarchos said 44.5% of the OBS production effort is remote in Gangwon, and that requests for remote distribution for Paris from right-holding broadcasters is up 279% from Tokyo in 2021. Moreover, the use of cloud technology for Games broadcasting is allowing a smaller footprint in the venues, replacing the familiar production van with servers and distribution links through cloud computing.

Already, systems of this type are proving themselves in Gangwon for curling and ice hockey. The same concept will be used in Paris for judo, shooting, tennis and wrestling. Exarchos: “It’s far more efficient and far more sustainable.”

The OBS chief also explained at length the impact of artificial intelligence (A.I.) on the broadcast process, already a major part of the OBS plan for Paris. He pointed to the 11,000 hours of content that OBS will produce in Paris:

“It’s a huge amount of content, and obviously to manage and create highlights out of it, customized highlights for different countries, different athletes, different sports, for different platforms, for social media for vertical videos and so on, this does require a huge capacity.

“And A.I. has started very credibly producing this capacity for us. So this scaling is giving us and our rights-holding broadcasters a lot of capacity and a lot of capabilities. …

“We will be using automated highlights for 14 different sports in Paris. … The difficulty for us is to create credible systems for many sports that are not, let’s say, so popular.”

A.I.-generated highlights will be created in Paris for athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, football, artistic gymnastics, handball, skateboarding, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball and wrestling.

He also discussed a fascinating project, to use A.I. for live production, using a multi-lens concept:

“This technology is not yet mature for the complexity that we have in the Olympic Games but I think that in a very short period of time, it will be quite mature for lower-level coverage, for simpler coverage, and will be extremely cost effective, and also very, very sustainable.

“So we will keep on testing these systems and see how we can actually use them at some point in the Games.”

This is an exciting concept, especially for smaller sports federations, to be able to better offer streaming coverage of their own events, on their own sites and others.

But Exarchos was also concerned about the danger side of A.I.:

“Risks around the protection of private identity and the privacy, risks around the protection of minors, risks around the protection of [intellectual property], risks around the protection of what is real and what is fake. I belong to the ones who believe that very, very fast the world should start reacting and putting a structure of regulation around several elements of A.I. and for us, all these things are a consideration.”

The IOC’s head of digital, Leandro Larrosa (ARG), noted that these technologies are allowing the IOC to feed its social-media channels – 40 of them, in nine languages – faster than ever. The organization’s total social audience grew from 90 million in 2022 to 115 million in 2023, despite not having an Olympic Games in that year.

Observed: Although Exarchos noted it, the impact of the cloud-computing elements on Olympic television production will have an enormous impact on the future staging of the Olympic Games. The substantially-reduced need for space, people, hotel rooms, food, transportation and everything else will reduce organizing committee costs significantly and make available resources for officials, media, sponsors and, yes, even fans, more abundant and at lower cost.

And as he signaled, while there are dangers, these technologies will only accelerate in the future.

2.
WADA concerned over youth doping and reactions

The World Anti-Doping Agency circulated a 29-page report showing concern over the impacts of a positive doping test on younger athletes, especially minors.

Prompted in 2021 by increasing reports of doping among minors, the WADA Intelligence & Investigations Department began a survey of the issue to find possible patterns and remedies. What they found was that while doping was hardly widespread, it could be devastating, especially in seven key areas:

● Trauma: “One of the major themes to emerge from the interviews was the deep trauma felt by Minors following a Positive Test and sanction. The Minors described the trauma they or a loved one felt when being removed from their sport and rejected by friends or family members, and how this rejection led to a significant psychological impact.”

● Isolation: “Another theme to emerge was a sense of isolation, which is not surprising given many had been part of a sports community for the better part of their childhood. The separation from their sporting community took such a toll that many exhibited signs of depression (e.g., difficulty getting out of bed, conducting normal activities, attending school).”

● Impact: “The interview of family members provided a unique perspective and highlighted the frustration and trauma felt by those within the Minor’s closest support network. Parents and siblings expressed a feeling of being victimized by rumors and innuendo regarding their alleged complicity in the violation. Some had been accused by other parents of being implicated in their child’s Positive Test, and this led to a sense of betrayal and further isolation. In one instance the impact was so significant that a parent considered removing their youngest child from the sport for fear that they would be stigmatized for being the sibling of a Minor who had tested positive.”

● Pressure to Succeed: “All Minors that were interviewed spoke about the immense pressure of competition and how this pressure impacted them before, during, and after their sanction. The pressure to continuously achieve better results also directly and indirectly influenced the decision of some to use banned substances or methods.”

● Pressure from Coaches: “One disturbing account came from a female Minor who recalled the extreme pressure she and other female athletes felt from the male coaches to keep their weight down. This pressure included an impossible expectation to slow down the effects of puberty because puberty would supposedly negatively impact their ability to compete.”

● Ignorance: “The lack of anti-doping knowledge and education was another theme present in the interviews. One Minor described being unaware that a recovery method they had been prescribed was a Prohibited Method. Consequently, when the Minor was notified of their doping violation, the shock triggered a mental health condition which left them scrambling and unable to mount a proper defense to the violation.”

● Abandonment: “A telling aspect from the interviews was the sense of abandonment felt by Minors following the Positive Test and eventual sanction. Some felt forgotten and were disappointed by the lack of communication and support they claimed to have received from their [anti-doping organizations].”

The study – “Operation Refuge” – collected data over 10 years and found that in-competition testing accounted for 60% of all tests, and the most tests being taken in China, Russia, France, South Korea, Germany, and Kazakhstan. The youngest subject was eight years old.

From 2012-23, there were 1,518 positive tests from 1,416 athletes. No data on the total number tested was given, but the study noted that “Minors produce a slightly less percentage of Positive Tests than the general population of other athletes.” For comparison, WADA’s 2020 doping violations report showed by sports group:

● Summer Olympic: 114,840 samples, 592 positives (0.005%), 418 violations
● Winter Olympic: 13,817 tests, 31 positives (0.002%), 19 violations

So, while the numbers are low, the individual impact can be quite high.

The most common prohibited drugs found in the tests were Furosemide (a diuretic), the stimulant Methylphenidate, and an anabolic steroid, Metandienone. The sports most impacted were weightlifting, athletics and aquatics, and the countries with the largest number of positives were Russia, India and China (no statistics provided).

The report notes that the best immediate solution is more education, but called for a “better, more unified coordination is required within the anti-doping community to improve the experience and protection of Minors within the anti-doping process.”

3.
USA Basketball announces 41 in men’s Olympic player pool

An enormous list of 41 players was announced by USA Basketball as candidates for the American Olympic Team this summer in Paris, which will include just 12 men.

USAB Men’s National Team Managing Director Grant Hill headed the selection process for the long list of star players, which includes 25 NBA All-Stars, 22 FIBA World Cup participants and 13 Olympians:

● Bam Adebayo (2020)
● Devin Booker (2020)
● Jimmy Butler (2016)
● Anthony Davis (2012)
● Kevin Durant (2012-16-20)
● Paul George (2016)
● James Harden (2012)
● Jrue Holiday (2016)
● Kyrie Irving (2016)
● LeBron James (2004-08-12)
● Damian Lillard (2020)
● Chris Paul (2008-12)
● Jayson Tatum (2020)

The player pool also includes standouts such as Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and others who have not been on a U.S. Olympic Team yet. All 12 members of the 2023 FIBA World Cup team, which placed fourth, are on the list.

In a complete understatement, Hill noted:

“Assuming everyone stays healthy and everyone’s interest level continues as it is, we have a chance to have a very special group, a team that has a lot of star power, but also a team that just has a lot of balance, a lot of versatility and will give us an opportunity of winning a gold medal in Paris.”

One player not on the roster is two-time Olympic gold winner Draymond Green, who has been suspended for violence twice already during the NBA season. Hill told The Associated Press:

“We all understand and certainly have great respect and sensitivity to this particular period in his career and he’s working through some things both on and off the court.

“We at USA Basketball, we want to support him on his journey. We just didn’t feel that playing over the summer gives him the best opportunity to do what he needs to do.”

The team will be coached by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga), Ty Lue (Clippers) and and Erik Spoelstra (Heat). Three exhibition games are on the schedule prior to Paris, on 10 July vs. Canada (in Las Vegas); 20 July vs. South Sudan (London) and vs. 2023 World Cup champs Germany on 22 July, also in London.

The American men will be trying for their fifth Olympic gold in a row and have an all-time Olympic record of 143-6.

4.
ROC chief: path back for Russia is through Asia

The Primosky Territory is at the far eastern end of Russia, opposite the northern Japanese islands, and according to Russian Olympic Committee chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov, will be the entry point for the return of Russian athletes to international competition:

“The projects that the Primorsky Territory is implementing are iconic, significant sporting events. The Children of Asia Games were a great success, they became the standard for holding this kind of international sporting events. Today we are at the finish line of the Children of Primorye project which will connect the closest countries in the Far East. The path for the return of Russian sports to the international arena lies through these countries, through Asia.

“The return of Russian sports will take place through children’s and youth sports. And this project fully corresponds to these tasks. This is the basis of the future Olympic Movement.”

Pozdnyakov spoke Wednesday at a presentation on the Children of Primorye program. The inaugural “Children of Primorye” winter-sports event will be held from 18-23 February, with athletes from Russia, Belarus, North Korea, China and some others.

Pozdnyakov also criticized the International Olympic Committee for its promise to independently check the “neutrality” credentials of athletes who could compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, saying “This shows the level of mistrust in the international sports federations, which allowed our athletes in a neutral status.”

No kidding.

5.
Sailing allows Russian, Belarus for Last Chance Qualifier

World Sailing announced Wednesday that “Those who meet the necessary eligibility criteria will be permitted to participate as AINs in competition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, starting with the Last Chance Regatta qualifying event, to be held as part of the Semaine Olympique Francaise, 20-27 April, and finishing with the Olympic regatta in Marseille.”

No participation in any other events will be allowed, and Russian and Belarusian sailors who wish to compete must apply to World Sailing for approval, with the specific process still to be provided.

The announced policy follows the IOC’s recommendations, and the continuing ban on all other competitions for Russians and Belarusians will be re-examined at quarterly intervals, with the next review by the World Sailing Council on 22 February.

If any Russian or Belarusian sailors do manage to qualify for Paris, they will be subject to the IOC’s own review for “neutrality.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● From 2014 to 2022, German Slalom specialist Linus Strasser won three World Cup races. He’s now won two in four days after his gold-medal performance at the FIS World Cup Slalom at Schladming (AUT)!

It was a rainy Wednesday on the slopes and 19 of the 73 starters failed to both the two-race set, but Strasser was in front after the first run at 50.46, trailed by Timon Haugen (NOR: 50.56). On the second run, France’s Clement Noel took the overall lead from the third-to-last position, with a combined total of 1:46.22.

But Haugen was faster yet at 1:45.48 and then Strasser capped his best week ever with a seventh-place second run that sealed a 1:45.20 win. It was Haugen’s third career individual World Cup medal, all of which have been silvers!

Now second in the seasonal World Cup Slalom standings, Strasser said afterwards, “I keep the momentum up and try to continue, but first of all, I’m going to celebrate tonight.”

● Athletics ● Tokyo Olympic champ and three-time World Champion in the women’s high jump, Russian Mariya Lasitskene has been clear about the emotional impact of the war sanctions that have kept her sidelined since Tokyo:

“It’s impossible to come to terms with this, I still can’t understand my condition regarding the Olympic Games.

“I’m a sober person and I understand the impossibility of my trip to Paris this year. But I didn’t let go of this situation, no matter how stupid it looks. I have disbelief that this could happen, although we already went through this [ban on competing] in 2016 at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.”

She won a meet in Moscow on Tuesday at a modest 1.90 m (6-2 3/4), telling reporters afterwards that domestic meets like this cannot compare with international competitions:

“But competitive practice is not the same now, no matter how hard the girls and I try to compete, it doesn’t give me those goosebumps, those experiences. And again, technically, physically, it’s not yet This is my level, I don’t need to bury myself even stronger and deeper now with worries that I only jumped 1.90 today.”

“You have to be grateful for this result, be grateful that I competed, that I finally pulled myself together on the second attempt at 1.83 meters [6-0]. I could have already started to get angry and nervous, but I still pulled myself together. It’s funny for me to say about the height of 1.87 [6-1 1/2], when there is a height of another level of 2 meters [6-6 3/4]. But now it is necessary to accept that now I am fighting with myself and with the bar at a height of 1.87-1.90, no matter how offensive and unpleasant it may be for me; this is a fact.”

The USA Track & Field Foundation announced a new grant of $100,000 to “Operation Hammer Sweep” to fund the top U.S. throwers in advance of the 2024 season:

“The initiative is designed to provide immediate additional support to the top 3 finishers at the ’23 USATF Outdoor Championships in the men and women’s events as well as those who placed in the 4-6 positions – a move aimed at deepening the field of contenders. The funds will be advanced to the athletes immediately to support their training toward Paris ’24.

“Brooke Anderson [sic], DeAnna Price, Janee’ Kassanavoid, Rudy Winkler, Daniel Haugh, and Alex Young will each receive immediate grants of $10,000. Brock Eager, Jordan Geist, Justin Stafford, Jillian Shippee, Annette Echikunwoke and Erin Reese will each receive immediate grants of $5,000.

“Under the OHSP24 framework, additional grants of $5,000 will be awarded to the top 3 finishers at the 2024 Olympic Trials.”

Kassanavoid and Price won the 2023 Worlds silver and bronze medals and Andersen and Kassanavoid went 1-3 in 2022. However, the U.S. has never won a women’s Olympic hammer medal and hasn’t won a men’s Olympic hammer medal since Lance Deal’s silver in 1996.

The Athletics Integrity Unit confirmed a doping ban for Rio 2016 women’s 20 km Walk silver winner Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez (MEX) for “tampering.” Now 35, she had been suspended from 2018-22 for use of a prohibited steroid, and admitted in 2020 that she lied when she claimed that she had consumed contaminated meat as the source of the positive test in October 2018, the last year in which she competed.

Gonzalez appealed the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but lost, and imposed a ban from 16 November 2022 to 15 November 2026. Moreover, it imposed costs on her of CHF 1,000 for the court and CHF 6,000 to World Athletics “toward its legal fees and expenses incurred.” (CHF 1 = $1.16 U.S.)

● Cricket ● No protests at the second match for South Africa at the ICC men’s U-19 World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa on Tuesday; however, a rain-and-lightning-delayed match saw England (2-0) win by 34 runs over host South Africa (1-1).

The first South African match had been protested by a contingent of pro-Palestinian supporters, against South African player David Teeger, who had been demoted as captain by Cricket South Africa over fears of a wider incident. Cricket will be a medal sport at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 

● Figure Skating ● A lawsuit filed in Russia by the team physician for the Russian figure skating squad at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games alleging defamation was decided in his favor against a German broadcaster.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that Dr. Phillip Shvetsky filed the action against ARD investigative reporter Hajo Seppelt (GER) in July, with a decision from a Moscow District Court issued in his favor on Wednesday.

The suit alleged that Seppelt, in a television program, defamed Shvetsky by suggesting his possible involvement in the December 2021 doping positive by Kamila Valieva, a case which is due to be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the coming weeks. Said Shvetsky:

“It was enough for us to refute five conjectures both in the video material published on the TV channel and in printed information that spread not only in Germany but throughout the world, accusing me of doping, presenting me as a representative of the doping system, a doping repeat offender and guilty of Kamila Valieva’s doping case at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

“The court ordered Mr. Hajo Seppelt to refute his facts in the same manner, which he spoke about on television and in the press, and to collect one ruble from him. After I receive an extract of the court decision and translate it into German, and how he will receive it, he will have a month to appeal.”

● Football ● Four additional Udinese fans were identified and sanctioned on Wednesday for racial abuse hurled at AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan (FRA) at their Serie A match in Udine on Saturday (20th).

All four – three men and a woman – were banned from attending any sporting event in Italy for five years, which is the maximum sentence available under Italian law. The Associated Press reported that “Ranging in age from 32 to 45, they were identified from the stadium’s security camera footage.”

Udinese will also be required to play its next home match – on 3 February against Monza – with an empty stadium.

The “fan” identified on Monday was banned for life by the Udinese club, which promised to do the same to others upon a review.

In Limassol, Cyprus, a match between Apollon and AEL was cancelled on Wednesday as some “fans” ran onto the field and threw flares at each other. Riot police were called in to help and the referee closed the match before it could start as safety could not be guaranteed.

● Surfing ● First, Olympic champ and five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (USA) said she would take some time off from competitive surfing. Now, Australian surfing star Stephanie Gilmore wrote on her Instagram page on Tuesday:

“I am planning to take this tour season off as a refresh for myself physically, mentally, and to enjoy following swells and free surfing in new places.

“I have some projects and trips I want to do, which haven’t been possible while traveling for the tour season. I am still passionate and dedicated to competing, and I have goals and dreams that I am still chasing – I’m excited for something fresh this year and I look forward to returning to competition in 2025.”

Now 35, Gilmore – a Tokyo Olympian – is considered the greatest women’s surfer ever with eight world titles in 2007-08-09-10-12-14-18-22 and racked up 34 victories on the World Surfing League Championship Tour. And, following her off-year, she may be back for more.

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TSX REPORT: French President Macron wants a top-5 medal finish for France in Paris; new stats show that’s quite possible!

By
Rich Perelman
-
If history holds, France will have a lot to cheer about this summer! (Image: Paris 2024)

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● Panorama: Paris 2024 (security “bubble” planned for Olympic Torch Relay) = Los Angeles 2028 (Equestrian Eventing inclusion depends on venue choice) = French Alps 2030 (Dubi: venue decisions must have local backing) = Television (NFL’s online playoff game viewing shows age split on streaming) = Russia (three more LIMS weightlifting suspensions) = Alpine Skiing (2: Odermatt comes from 11th to 1st in Schladming; good audience for NBC highlights show) = Football (2: Udinese penalized a game without fans for racist fan chants; modest audience for USA-SLO friendly) ●

≡ LANE ONE ≡

“Our Olympic top five target is more achievable than ever according to the latest forecasts, which show that France could have its best Games since 1900.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure, but it’s sound, healthy pressure.”

That’s French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, speaking to French judoka at the national training center in Paris, and looking forward to a possible top-five finish.

They might get it.

In fact, if history is a good guide, the French will set a record for its most medals in an Olympic Games since it hosted the second Games of the Olympiad way back in 1900.

An exclusive compilation by The Sports Examiner shows that, on average, host nations over the last nine Olympic Games have increased their medal totals from the prior Games by an average of 12.8 medals!

We have to start with the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul (KOR), since it was the first since 1972 not to have significant boycotts, although there were a handful of countries which did not attend. Starting with Seoul, host-nation medals have increased in every Games except one:

● 1988: +14 for host Korea (+6 more golds)
● 1992: +18 for host Spain (+12 golds)
● 1996: –7 for host U.S. (+7 golds)
● 2000: +17 for host Australia (+7 golds)
● 2004: +3 for host Greece (+2 golds)
● 2008: +37 for host China (+10 golds)
● 2012: +14 for host Great Britain (+10 golds)
● 2016: +2 for host Brazil (+4 golds)
● 2020: +17 for host Japan (+15 golds)

The average increase in total medals across the nine Games was 12.8 and the average increase in gold medals was 8.1. Six of the nine hosts increased their medal count by 10 or more.

What does this mean for France?

First off, the French will benefit from the sanctions against Russia, as its athlete total will be very small and its medal total will likely be the worst ever in any Olympic Games it has attended.

Second, French performance at the Games has improved since 1988, moving from just 16 in Seoul to 29 in Barcelona and 37 in Atlanta in 1996. The French enjoyed their all-time high in medals – excepting the 1900 Games in which France dominated in participation and won 102 medals – in 2008 in Beijing with 43, followed in Rio in 2016 with 42.

That total ebbed to 33 in Tokyo in 2021, but if the historical averages hold, the French can look forward – as hosts – to 46 medals in Paris this summer (33 + 13), and 18 golds, which would be – by far – its best ever since the 1900 Games.

At 46 medals, the French will be in the hunt for fifth place in total medals; discounting Russia, Australia was fifth with 46 medals in Tokyo, and France and Germany had 42 in Rio in 2016 (again, ignoring Russia). Looking at the last Games held in Europe – in London in 2012 – fifth place, with Russia included, was 44 medals for Germany (France had 35).

In terms of golds, France’s historical projection of 18 golds would have ranked fifth in Tokyo if Russia is excluded, fifth at Rio 2016 even with Russia and would have tied the Russians for fourth at London 2012.

And with the Russians to be mostly absent, look for the French – with swim star Leon Marchand a possible triple gold medal winner – to possibly exceed the averages and get close to 50 medals, likely good enough for fourth behind the U.S., China and Great Britain.

One more note, however. The French may be great in Paris in 2024, but expect a letdown in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032. Over the last nine Games, host-country medal counts recede by 5.3 medals on average in the next Games, and by 9.7 medals in the following Games.

But for now, all looks good.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A security “bubble” of as many as 100 security personnel will surround the Olympic Torch on its procession through France and its overseas departments from 8 May to 26 July. Moreover, 18 plainclothes agents will be assigned to security oversight of the relay and anti-drone technology will be employed to keep the route safe.

French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin noted that 13 initially-assigned torchbearers had been removed from the relay: 10 for having “significant criminal records” and three for concerns over ties to radical Islamist groups and the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● A further report, from the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), indicated that the push for changes for Eventing in 2028 came from the International Olympic Committee and its owned-subsidiary, Olympic Broadcasting Services:

“The objective was to make Eventing more attractive to fans and new audiences, and increase the media value by capitalising on the Cross Country phase which was a unique draw for the discipline. President [Ingmar] De Vos [BEL] clarified that Eventing’s place on the programme for LA28 was subject to having a single venue for all the equestrian disciplines, something he was very confident about, but that the focus on cost and venue optimisation by the IOC, along with proposed changes to the format were essential for the FEI and the future of Eventing at the Olympic Games.”

The Saturday seminar had participants from 36 member federations. The starting point for further discussions was specified:

“A proposal by OBS, which is favoured by the FEI Eventing Committee as in line with Olympic principles, sees the team competition run on the short format (Dressage, Jumping, Cross Country) with team medals awarded after the Cross Country while the Individual competition remains on the long format, as per previous Olympic Games, with the Jumping round held the day after the Cross Country to award the Individual medals. This would entail two medal days, with Team Medals awarded on Day Three after the Cross Country followed by Individual Medals on Day Four after the Final Individual Jumping Round.”

A plan is due back to the IOC by 1 March.

Olympic stat star Hilary Evans (GBR) adds to yesterday’s story that “cross-country is always the second phase and the competition always culminates with show jumping.” This is preserved in the current proposal by OBS.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● Responding to a FrancsJeux.com question about whether the famed ski resort Val d’Isere will be reinstated to the venue list for the 2030 Winter Games plan, the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi (SUI) explained:

“Our wish to see the French file reduce the number of sites was motivated by operational, budgetary reasons and linked to the experience of the athletes, who demand a real mix of sports at the Games.

“I understand the problem of the French Alps, it is the same as Switzerland for the Games in 2038. We have developed a principle, according to which fewer sites simplify the organization and reduce costs. But it is not up to the IOC to decide. The answer must be local. And it is clear that it is not possible to organize the Olympic Games despite local elected officials.”

● Television ● Fascinating data from the NFL’s Wild Card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs on 13 January, which was shown only on NBC’s Peacock subscription channel.

The game drew an audience of 22.86 million viewers, including home-city over-the-air showings in Miami and Kansas City. The Peacock-only audience was 21.5 million, an increase over the 2023 Wild Card game in the same time slot on NBC, but with 12% less households watching; that indicates fans went to out-of-home locations (bars, restaurants) to watch.

But for those who did watch online, the analysis from SportsMediaWatch.com was enormously informative:

“Notably, the Peacock game averaged 892,000 viewers in the demographic of kids and teens 12-17 — up more than three-fourths from last year (502K) and behind only Packers-Cowboys on FOX Sunday (1.03M) as the highest of any Wild Card Game the past two years, per a source. While the demographic accounted for just 3.9% of the audience, that is still considerably higher than last year (2.4%).

“The flip side of the growth in younger viewers is that the older audience dropped off by double-digits. The Peacock game averaged 10.47 million among adults 50+, down 14% from last year (12.21M). The 50+ demo, which accounted for a solid 60% of the audience last year, made up 46% this year.”

This is a lesson for all sports, demonstrating the strong interest in online viewing for younger folks is paired with much less viewing by those 50+. But while there were segment gains in the 12-17, 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 age groups, the total audience decreased because of the large base of older viewers in the U.S.

At least for now, on-the-air and cable still needs to be available if possible, as streaming is not yet the stand-alone answer.

● Russia ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that three more former Russia weightlifters were banned by the International Testing Agency based on data recovered from the RUSADA Moscow Laboratory in 2019.

They include 2010 European Championship 69 kg silver medalist Mikhail Gobeev, 2012 European Youth 69 kg Championship winner Armen Alekyan and 2013 Russian Cup 60 kg winner Dmitry Chaly, all banned for four years.

● Alpine Skiing ● Swiss Marco Odermatt, the two-time defending World Cup overall champion, looked dead after finishing 11th after the first run of Tuesday’s FIS World Cup Giant Slalom in Schladming (AUT).

Austrian home favorite Manuel Feller, a five-time World Cup winner in the Slalom, led the field at 1:05.01, almost a second (0.98) up on Odermatt, with Swiss Loic Meillard second (1:05.11).

But Odermatt was not deterred and flew down the Planai course and beat the rest of the field by almost half-a-second on the second run and barely out-lasted Feller with a 2:10.03 to 2:10.08 win for his eighth World Cup Giant Slalom win in a row (over two seasons)!

According to FIS, Odermatt has won 17 of his last 22 Giant Slaloms and has been in the top three in every one. There is a reason why he is the reigning Olympic and World Champion in the event.

Feller got second, his first Giant Slalom medal since December of 2022 and the sixth of his career. Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec, the 2022 Olympic runner-up, took the bronze at 2:10.32. River Radamus was the top American, in 23rd (2:12.89).

The Schladming World Cup will close with a Slalom on Wednesday.

Encouraging viewing audience for NBC’s delayed coverage of the FIS Alpine World Cup men’s Downhill from Kitzbuehel (AUT) on Saturday (20th) at 5 p.m. Eastern – up against NFL playoff football – of 550,000!

Most of the coverage was on the Peacock subscription channel.

● Football ● Reverberations continue from the racist chants aimed by Udinese supporters at AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan (FRA) on Saturday (20th). Maignan, who is Black, posted on X (ex-Twitter; computer translation from the original French):

“It was not the player who was attacked. It’s the man. He’s the father of the family. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. And I’m not the first this has happened to.

“We issued press releases, advertising campaigns, protocols and nothing has changed.

“Today, an entire system must take responsibility:
“– The perpetrators of these acts, because it is easy to act in a group, in the anonymity of a platform.
“– The spectators who were in the stand, who saw everything, who heard everything but who chose to remain silent, you are complicit.
“– The Udinese club, which only spoke of an interruption of the match, as if nothing had happened, you are complicit.
“– The authorities and the prosecutor, with everything that is happening, if you do nothing, YOU WILL ALSO BE COMPLICIT.

“I have already told you and if it bears repeating: I am not a VICTIM. And I want to say thank you to my club AC Milan, to my teammates, to the referee, to the Udinese players and to everyone who sent me messages, who called me, who supported privately and publicly. I can’t answer everyone but I see you and we are TOGETHER.

“It is a difficult fight, which will take time and courage. But it’s a fight we will win.”

Maignan and his teammates walked off the field briefly after the insults continued in the first half, but returned and won the game, 3-2.

The Udinese club has been ordered to play its next Serie A match without spectators, by a league judge, who noted that the club found one of the fans involved and banned him for life. The Associated Press reported:

“League judge Gerardo Mastrandrea noted that despite two announcements inside the stadium asking fans to stop the abuse, there were no reports of other supporters disassociating themselves from the racist chants. However, since Udinese cooperated with authorities and acted quickly to find the fans responsible for the abuse, the least severe sanction was applied.”

The sanction will be carried out for the 3 February match against Monza.

Modest television audience for the U.S. men’s National Team’s 1-0 loss to Slovenia in a friendly last Saturday (20th), with 291,000 watching on TNT at 3 p.m. Eastern, going up against the NFL pre-game shows and then the Baltimore vs. Houston divisional playoff that drew a combined 32.3 million on ABC and ESPN.

The Spanish-language broadcast of the match drew 240,000 for a combined audience of 531,000.

The TNT pre-game show 2:30 p.m. Eastern drew 191,000.

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TSX REPORT: Beamon’s ‘68 long jump gold on auction; equestrian federation asked for 2028 Eventing revamp; Australia opts for A/C in Paris

By
Rich Perelman
-
Bob Beamon's 1968 Olympic long jump gold medal (Photo: Christie's)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Beamon’s 1968 Olympic gold up for auction on 1 February
2. FEI told to revamp Cross Country for LA28 Games by 1 March
3. Australia to install optional air conditioners in Paris Village
4. USA Basketball names 11 Olympians to women’s training camp
5. World Aquatics approves eight “neutral” swimmers for Worlds

● World-record long jump star Bob Beamon is auctioning off his historic 1968 Olympic gold medal in February during a live auction at Christie’s New York. Will it approach the prices paid for Jesse Owens’ Berlin 1936 golds?

● The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has been instructed by the International Olympic Committee to re-format its Eventing discipline by 1 March, to reduce its costs and complex for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

● Although the Paris 2024 Olympic Village was designed without air conditioning for environmental reasons, the Australian Olympic Committee is ready to pay A$100,000 to add it for their athletes to ensure maximal performance.

● USA Basketball named 18 star players to a training camp, from which 12 will be selected to play in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February (even though the Americans have already qualified for Paris 2024). On the roster are 11 Olympians and four more who played on the 2022 FIBA World Cup championship team. Wow!

● The World Aquatics Integrity Unit has approved nine “neutral” swimmers – eight from Belarus – to compete at the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in Qatar, plus one Belarusian artistic swimmer, but that does not mean they will compete there.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (IOC releases athlete “expression” guidelines) = IOC (Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad conviction confirmed by Swiss court) = Russia (3: Friendship Games to have five sports in Belarus; WADA sets 2024 Russian dues; national flag deemed crucial for ROC chief) = Athletics (2: two more Kenyan doping positives; Christie and Melville win USATF Marathon Walk Relay) = Canoe-Kayak (ICF celebrates 100-year anniversary) = Lacrosse (ITA reports three doping positives from 2023 Worlds) = Rowing (Serbian federation suspended over debts) = Table Tennis (Ly and Takahashi take Pan Am Cup titles) ●

1.
Bob Beamon’s 1968 Olympic long jump gold up for auction
on 1 February

Bob Beamon’s astonishing world-record long jump of 8.90 m (29-2 1/2) at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games is one of the world’s iconic individual performances in sport.

A medal favorite, Beamon qualified second to fellow American Ralph Boston, the 1960 Olympic Champion, who set an Olympic Record of 8.27 m (27-1 3/4), with Beamon at 8.19 m (26-10 1/2).

In the final – 18 October 1968 – Beamon was fourth in the order and after the first three jumpers all fouled, Beamon unleashed a mammoth jump that was so far, the optical measuring device installed for the Games could not be used. The jump was manually measured and was posted at 8.90 m, which Beamon did not immediately understand. When told by Boston that he had jumped 29-2 1/2, Beamon collapsed in astonishment.

At the start of the day, the world record had been 8.35 m (27–4 3/4) by Boston (1965) and Soviet Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, in Mexico City in 1967. Beamon crushed that mark and the competition was over. He did jump in the second round, reaching 8.04 m (26-4 1/2) and then retired.

It took 23 years for his mark to be surpassed, with Mike Powell of the U.S. winning an epic duel with Carl Lewis at the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Tokyo, reaching 8.95 m (29-4 1/2) to win.

Beamon, now 77, worked with youth in sports for many years in Miami and in art and music and is now selling that 1968 Olympic gold in a 1 February auction by Christie’s in New York City.

Called The Exceptional Sale, the 40-item program includes iconic furniture, tapestries and works of art, plus Beamon’s gold medal, an Elvis Presley guitar and a gold vest owned by Janis Joplin.

The Christie’s estimate is that the medal could bring from $400-600,000, which would be one of the highest prices ever paid for an Olympic medal.

Olympic writer and board member of the multi-national Olympin Collectors Club Karen Rosen (USA) notes that the highest prices known to have been paid for Olympic medals are both for Berlin 1936 gold medals won by American sprint icon Jesse Owens.

An Owens gold sold for an all-time record of $1,466,574 on 8 December 2013, and a second Owens gold went for $615,000 on 7 December 2019.

The Beamon ‘68 gold will be sold in a live auction by Christie’s on 1 February, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time. It’s lot no. 11.

2.
FEI told to revamp Cross Country for LA28 Games by 1 March

The respected British equestrian magazine Horse & Hound reported that the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) has been asked to reconfigure its competition program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

At issue is what to do about the high-profile Eventing discipline, which often has the Cross Country segment held apart from the arena-style setting for Dressage and Jumping. Per the report:

● “The [Eventing] discipline is not yet confirmed for the 2028 Games, although leading figures have ‘confidence’ it will be.”

● “In a pre-recorded video message, FEI president Ingmar de Vos [BEL] told the 2024 FEI online eventing seminar today (20 January) that eventing being included in the 2028 programme is subject to finding a venue that accommodates all equestrian disciplines on one site, including the cross-country phase.”

The IOC’s instructions to the FEI apparently came in the last half of December, with a proposal due by 1 March. The Eventing format – formerly known as the “Three-Day Event” – usually features Dressage first, then Jumping and finishes with the Cross Country test on the third day, with the final phase over a lengthy course. For Tokyo 2020, the Cross Country segment was planned for a 5,700 m course (~3.54 miles).

The course length often places the Cross Country aspect at a separate venue, which increases costs significantly and requires the horses to be transported. For 2028, the proposed equestrian venue is a temporary facility in the “Valley Sports Park” at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Dressage and Jumping events were held in a specially-arranged arena at Santa Anita Park, but the Cross Country program was accommodated 115 miles south at Fairbank Ranch near San Diego, to ensure cooler weather for the horses.

The story noted that both the IOC and its Olympic Broadcasting Services subsidiary would prefer to have the Cross Country element as the final event in the Eventing program, with the medals awarded after the finish of that competition.

Observed: This is a normal part of the Olympic planning process and venues are always moved around for cost and convenience reasons. For 2028, the LA28 Web site still shows the bid plan from 2017, but the rowing and flatwater canoeing events are already known to be moved from Lake Perris in Riverside County (east of Los Angeles) to the Long Beach Marine Stadium, site of the 1932 rowing events.

Further moves – beyond equestrian – are expected, and venues have yet to be announced for Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing, as well as the five newly-added sports of baseball-Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Squash.

3.
Australia to install optional air conditioners in Paris Village

“We understand and support the idea of not having air conditioning because of the carbon footprint.

“But there is no question of sacrificing performance. At the [Australian Olympic Committee], we requested the services of a heat specialist to find out at what temperature sleep is best. As we explained to [the organizing committee], athletes must sleep during the day, as their events often take place in the evening. The daytime will be the hottest time.

“This is why we decided to install temporary air conditioners and fans in the athletes’ rooms. It’s an expense, but we can afford it.”

That’s Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll in an interview with The Telegraph (Australia), explaining why the AOC is following through on its decision from last November to add air conditioning to its athlete rooms at the Paris 2024 Olympic Village.

The cost is expected to be about A$100,000 or so (about $65,700 U.S.). The Paris Olympic Village was designed with flow-through cooling architecture so that air conditioning would not be added to each unit for environmental reasons, but the Paris organizers have said that temporary air-conditioning units could be added – at additional cost – for delegations that wished to have them.

It will be fascinating to see how many delegations decide to add air conditioning now that Australia has committed to it.

4.
USA Basketball names 11 Olympians to women’s training camp

The most dominant team in Olympic sport today has to be the U.S. women’s basketball team, which is on a 55-game Olympic win streak and has won seven Olympic golds in a row.

A lot of familiar faces are lining up to be on the 2024 U.S. women’s Olympic team, as USA Basketball announced an 18-woman training camp squad, with 12 to be selected for the 8-11 February FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp (BEL).

The U.S. women are already qualified for Paris, but are in the Qualifying Tournament to get ready for Paris. The squad that head coach Cheryl Reeve will have to choose from is an embarrassment of riches. USA Basketball noted the 11 Olympians in its announcement:

● 5 Golds (1): Diana Taurasi (2004-08-12-16-20)

● 2 Golds (2): Brittney Griner (2016-20), Breanna Stewart (2016-20)

● 1 Gold (8): Ariel Atkins (2020), Napheesa Collier (2020), Chelsea Gray (2020), Jewell Loyd (2020), and A’ja Wilson (2020), plus 3×3 Olympic champs Allisha Gray (2020), Kelsey Plum (2020) and Jackie Young (2020).

Further, four more players – Kahleah Cooper, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Alyssa Thomas – were on the gold-medal-winning 2022 FIBA World Cup team (8-0), along with Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Plum, Stewart and Wilson.

The U.S. women will play Belgium, Nigeria and Senegal in their qualifier; there are also qualifying tournaments in X’ian (CHN), Belem (BRA) and Sopron (HUN).

The qualifying tournament team is not the team that will compete in Paris this summer. That process is a continuing evaluation and will undoubtedly add some other players to the mix such as collegiate stars like Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Angel Reese (LSU), Paige Bueckers (Connecticut) and others.

5.
World Aquatics approves eight “neutral” swimmers for Worlds

The 2024 World Aquatics Championships are coming to Doha (QAT) beginning on 2 February and the World Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU) has approved eight swimmers and one artistic swimmer to compete under its “neutrality” rules.

Seven of the eight swimmers are from Belarus, including Ilya Shymanovich, the world short-course (25 m) record holder in the 100 m Breaststroke and gold medalist at the 2021 World Short-Course Championships. He was eighth in the Tokyo Olympic final in the 100 m Breast, but ranked no. 3 worldwide in the event in 2023 (58.41).

Tokyo Olympians Anastasiya Shkurdai (Fly) and Alina Zmushka (Breast) were also on the “neutrals” list. The one Russian swimmer was Ivan Girev, a Tokyo gold medalist in the 4×200 m Free relay.

World Aquatics told SwimSwam.com that four swimmers and one artistic swimmer have registered for Doha, all from Belarus. Vasilina Khandoshka is the artistic swimmer, the 2021 European Championships bronze winner in the Solo Technical.

As far as qualification for Paris is concerned, even if athletes are certified by an International Federation, the IOC will also verify their “neutrality” as regards supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The International Olympic Committee released its “Guidelines on Athlete Expression” for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the same core requirements as for the Tokyo Games in 2021:

“Expressions are not permitted in the following instances:

“o During official ceremonies (including Olympic medal ceremonies, opening and closing ceremonies)

“o During competition on the field of play

“o In the Olympic Village”

The exception for near-the-field gestures introduced in Tokyo was continued for Paris, allowing for an “expression” or “gesture” when leaving the call room or being introduced, that is considered non-threatening, targeted at a specific group or disruptive. Specifically prohibited are the unfurling of a flag or banner, interfering with another athlete’s introduction and any physical harm to people or to property.

● International Olympic Committee ● Suspended IOC member Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, now the former Kuwaiti Defense Minister, had his Swiss forgery conviction confirmed in a December opinion that was published Monday.

The former Olympic Council of Asia chief was convicted in a Swiss court of forgery in September 2021 and given a suspended sentence of 30 months. On appeal in Geneva, his conviction and those of those associates was affirmed, but his sentence was revised from 14 months in prison and 15 months suspended, to a suspended sentence of two years and three years probation. Sheikh Ahmad, as he is known, has promised to appeal the finding to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

He was suspended for three years last July by the IOC for election interference at the Olympic Council of Asia, trying to get his brother elected as president. Although his brother did win, the election was nullified.

● Russia ● Long rumored, but not explicit until now: five sports at the World Friendship Games this September will take place in Belarus.

Most of the sports will be contested in Moscow and Yekaterinburg in Russia, but First Deputy Minister of Sports and Tourism of Belarus, Alexander Dorokhovich, said in a television interview:

“From September 15 to 29, the Friendship Games will be held in 25 sports in which we plan to take part. The Russian Federation has also contacted us so that five sports will take place in Belarus. These are rowing, kayaking and canoeing, modern pentathlon, track cycling and trampoline.

“We are considering the proposal, and are ready to participate and cheer for the outstanding performances of our athletes.”

The IOC has warned against participation in the BRICS Games and the World Friendship Games in September, calling the events “clearly politically motivated sports events in Russia.”

Russia has not paid its 2022 dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency of $1.27 million and there is a WADA working groups studying both the difficulty for financial transactions due to sanctions on Russia and the country’s disagreement with the amount.

But the dues for 2023 have been established by WADA at $1,335,860. If Russia does not pay, it could be another grounds to continue WADA sanctions.

Perspective: the comments of Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov – a four-time Olympic gold medalist in fencing – to the Russian news agency TASS about the importance of national symbols (flag, anthem, uniform) for Russian athletes:

“The most important factor that unites all athletes is the unification around the flag.

“Every athlete dreams of achieving outstanding results representing their country. Athletes are the most patriotic part of our compatriots; they train and prepare all their lives to perform under the national flag of his country and, in case of victory, hear its anthem.

“I am sure that this is and will be the case in the future, because it is impossible to imagine that an athlete performs individually at some competitions, then he will perform as a single person, he will not feel behind them is the support of their country. And those who perform with the flag and anthem feel it and will pass it on to their children.

“This is love for one’s country and patriotism. Patriotism is love for one’s country, we demonstrate that Russia is not just the place where we were born, but a country that we want to make better, richer and pass all this on to future generations. Perhaps I am saying this from the perspective of a 50-year-old man, but nevertheless, the main line runs from the very beginning, when a person begins to play sports and dream of victories on the international stage.”

● Athletics ● The hits just keep on coming. Two more Kenyan doping suspensions announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit: Hosea Kisorio, a 2:17:01 marathoner in 2023, for erythropoietin (EPO) with a three-year suspension, and Ayub Kiptum, a 60:34 half-marathoner, banned for three years for Testosterone.

U.S. walk stars Miranda Melville and Nick Christie combined to win the USATF Marathon Walk Mixed Relay in cold, rainy conditions on Sunday in Santee, California.

This race is now contested by World Athletics at its Race Walking Team Championships to be held in Antalya (TUR) on 21 April, and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The format has the male walker taking the first 12.195 km, then the woman taking the next 10 km, and then the male and female finishing with 10 km each for the 42.195 km total.

Melville, a six-time national champion and Rio Olympian, and Christie, a Tokyo Olympian and 16-time nationals winner, were easy victors in 3:13:27. Emmanuel Corvera and Celine Lepe finished second overall in 3:26:41 and Jordan Crawford and Jessica Heiser-Whatley were third (3:17:17).

The race essentially functioned as the U.S. Olympic Trials, with the actual qualification for Paris significantly depending on finishes at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships.

The top individual finishers were Christie (1:33:13), Crawford (1:41.54) and Corvera (1:42.46) for the men, with Robyn Stevens getting the fastest women’s time at 1:39:27, followed by Melville (1:40:15) and Lepe (1:43:43).

● Canoe-Kayak ● Happy Birthday to the International Canoe Federation (ICF), founded on 19 January 1924 in Copenhagen (DEN), with representatives from Denmark, Germany, Austria and Sweden.

Flatwater canoeing – now known as Canoe Sprint – was a demonstration sport at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA) and became a medal sport in 1936.

From the four federations that founded it, the original “Internationale Repräsentantenschaft für Kanusport” (IRK) has grown to 171 national members.

● Lacrosse ● The International Testing Agency published sanctions against three players on Monday, including two from the Haudenosaunee Nationals.

Austin Staats (CAN) was suspended for three months for “an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for the prohibited substances carboxy-THC, cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine.” The substances were consumed out-of-competition and not used for competitive advantage, hence the reduced sanction period.

Oakley Thomas (CAN) was sanctioned for the same substances and for the same period. Both tested positive during the 2023 World Championship in San Diego, California on 1 July.

Peruvian player James Alexander Burleson-Porras was sanctioned for three months for a positive test for cocaine from 26 June 2023.

Lacrosse was added to the 2028 Olympic Games program for Los Angeles last October.

● Rowing ● World Rowing has suspended the Serbian Rowing Federation for debt:

● “This decision comes over significant financial debts being owed to World Rowing and various event suppliers by the Serbian Rowing Federation and relevant Serbian authorities serving as guarantors of the 2022 World Rowing Cup I and 2023 World Rowing Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.”

● “Legal proceedings against the Serbian Rowing Federation and official guarantors are also being launched.”

The suspension means, among other things, that Serbian entries for the 2024 Olympic Games and World Rowing Championships are not allowed. Ouch. For reference, Serbian rowers did not win a medal at the 2022 or 2023 World Rowing Championships.

● Table Tennis ● At the Pan American Cup in Corpus Christi (USA), Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, the 2023 Pan American Games runner-up, defeated the top two American women in the semis and finals to win her first Pan Am Cup gold.

Takahashi had won the 2018 bronze in this competition, but came from two sets down to get by Lily Zhang of the U.S. by 4-3 in the semis (11-8, 10-12, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8) and then won a see-saw battle with Amy Wang by 4-3 (11-5, 11-1, 9-11, 4-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9) in the final.

Canada’s Edward Ly, 20, won the men’s title by 4-0 (11-2, 12-10, 12-10, 11-8) against Chile’s Nicolas Burgos and took 16 of the 17 games he played in the tournament!

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.

For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX BULLETIN: FEI told to revamp Cross Country for LA28 Games by 1 March

By
Rich Perelman
-
Questions for equestrian for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

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≡ LOS ANGELES 2028 ≡

The respected British equestrian magazine Horse & Hound reported that the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) has been asked to reconfigure its competition program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

At issue is what to do about the high-profile Eventing discipline, which often has the Cross Country segment held apart from the arena-style setting for Dressage and Jumping. Per the report:

● “The [Eventing] discipline is not yet confirmed for the 2028 Games, although leading figures have ‘confidence’ it will be.”

● “In a pre-recorded video message, FEI president Ingmar de Vos [BEL] told the 2024 FEI online eventing seminar today (20 January) that eventing being included in the 2028 programme is subject to finding a venue that accommodates all equestrian disciplines on one site, including the cross-country phase.”

The IOC’s instructions to the FEI apparently came in the last half of December, with a proposal due by 1 March. The Eventing format – formerly known as the “Three-Day Event” – usually features Dressage first, then Jumping and finishes with the Cross Country test on the third day, with the final phase over a lengthy course. For Tokyo 2020, the Cross Country segment was planned for a 5,700 m course (~3.54 miles).

The course length often places the Cross Country aspect at a separate venue, which increases costs significantly and requires the horses to be transported. For 2028, the proposed equestrian venue is a temporary facility in the “Valley Sports Park” at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Dressage and Jumping events were held in a specially-arranged arena at Santa Anita Park, but the Cross Country program was accommodated 115 miles south at Fairbank Ranch near San Diego, to ensure cooler weather for the horses.

The story noted that both the IOC and its Olympic Broadcasting Services subsidiary would prefer to have the Cross Country element as the final event in the Eventing program, with the medals awarded after the finish of that competition.

Observed: This is a normal part of the Olympic planning process and venues are always moved around for cost and convenience reasons. For 2028, the LA28 Web site still shows the bid plan from 2017, but the rowing and flatwater canoeing events are already known to be moved from Lake Perris in Riverside County (east of Los Angeles) to the Long Beach Marine Stadium, site of the 1932 rowing events.

Further moves – beyond equestrian – are expected, and venues have yet to be announced for Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing, as well as the five newly-added sports of Baseball-Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Squash.

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TSX BULLETIN: Bob Beamon’s 1968 Olympic long jump gold up for auction on 1 February

By
Rich Perelman
-
Bob Beamon's 1968 Olympic long jump gold medal will be auctioned on 1 February at Christie's New York. (Photo: Christie's)

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≡ MEMORABILIA ≡

Bob Beamon’s astonishing world-record long jump of 8.90 m (29-2 1/2) at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games is one of the world’s iconic individual performances in sport.

A medal favorite, Beamon qualified second to fellow American Ralph Boston, the 1960 Olympic Champion, who set an Olympic Record of 8.27 m (27-1 3/4), with Beamon at 8.19 m (26-10 1/2).

In the final – 18 October 1968 – Beamon was fourth in the order and after the first three jumpers all fouled, Beamon unleashed a mammoth jump that was so far, the optical measuring device installed for the Games could not be used. The jump was manually measured and was posted at 8.90 m, which Beamon did not immediately understand. When told by Boston that he had jumped 29-2 1/2, Beamon collapsed in astonishment.

At the start of the day, the world record had been 8.35 m (27–4 3/4) by Boston (1965) and Soviet Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, in Mexico City in 1967. Beamon crushed that mark and the competition was over. He did jump in the second round, reaching 8.04 m (26-4 1/2) and then retired.

It took 23 years for his mark to be surpassed, with Mike Powell of the U.S. winning an epic duel with Carl Lewis at the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Tokyo, reaching 8.95 m (29-4 1/2) to win.

Beamon, now 77, worked with youth in sports for many years in Miami and in art and music and is now selling that 1968 Olympic gold in a 1 February auction by Christie’s in New York City.

Called The Exceptional Sale, the 40-lot program includes iconic furniture, tapestries and works of art, plus Beamon’s gold medal, an Elvis Presley guitar and a gold vest owned by Janis Joplin.

The Christie’s estimate is that the medal could bring from $400-600,000, which would be one of the highest prices ever paid for an Olympic medal.

Olympic writer and board member of the multi-national Olympin Collectors Club Karen Rosen (USA) notes that the two highest prices known to have been paid for Olympic medals are both for Berlin 1936 gold medals won by American sprint icon Jesse Owens.

An Owens gold sold for an all-time record of $1,466,574 on 8 December 2013, and a second Owens gold went for $615,000 on 7 December 2019.

The Beamon ‘68 gold will be sold in a live auction by Christie’s on 1 February, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time. It’s lot no. 11.

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TSX REPORT: Athens 1896 winner’s medal sells for $111,960; Infantino asks for match forfeits for racism; 95th World Cup win for Shiffrin!

By
Rich Perelman
-
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino (SUI): racism requires match forfeits!

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Auction: $111,960 for Athens 1896 medal, $1,282,911 total!
2. Paris booksellers appealing Olympic removals
3. Warm temps for Orlando Marathon Trials on 3 February
4. Russia: Paralympic participation issues, 5,000 aths at BRICS?
5. LA28 progress on community initiatives confirmed

● The RR Auction of Olympic memorabilia closed with $1.28 million in sales, led by a $111,960 sale of a winner’s medal (in silver) from the 1896 Athens Olympic Games.

● The continuing tussle between the Paris Police and the second-hand booksellers along the Seine continues, with the police lowering the number to be removed for the Olympic opening and the booksellers headed to court.

● Early forecasts for the 3 February U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando show daily highs in the 70s, but morning temperatures in the 60s, reasonable for running. But wind could be a factor and more detail is needed.

● The Russian Paralympic Committee continues to fend off challenges in qualifying, now saying that it will not accept cycling requirements to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, about 5,000 athletes from 60 countries are expected for the BRICS Games in June, Russia’s WADA dues have not been paid and a weightlifter is now a three-time doping loser.

● A City of Los Angeles report states that the LA28 organizers have kept to their schedule of working group consultations on hiring, procurement and sustainability, with final recommendations due in early 2025.

● Spotlight: Football (Infantino asking for match forfeits for racist fan behavior) ●

● Panorama: Winter Youth Olympic Games (Pietschmann wins first gold) = Pan American Games (Lima bids for 2019) = Alpine Skiing (3: Sarrazin wins two more Downhills; Vlhova injured at Jasna as Shiffrin wins 95th; Mayer arrested at Kitzburhel) = Archery (Dror surprises Wijler in Nimes) = Athletics (2: Kelati and Teare win USATF Cross Country; 6 m for KC Lightfoot) = Badminton (Shi and Tai star with wins at India Open) = Biathlon (Norway sweeps men’s event, another French women’s 1-2 in Italy) = Cricket (modest protest at South Africa U-19 World Cup) = Cross Country Skiing (Valnes, Svahn and Karlsson win in Oberhof) = Curling (Mouat and Homan grab Canadian Open titles) = Cycling (Williams takes Santos Tour Down Under) = Football (2: U.S. men lose to Slovenia, 1-0; Sam Mewis retires) = Freestyle Skiing (3: Canada’s Schmidt sweeps Ski Cross at Nakiska; Wallberg, Kingsbury and Anthony sweep Moguls; Gremaud beats Gu again in Slopestyle) = Hockey (2: Belgium and Germany win men’s and women’s Olympic qualifiers) = Ski Jumping (2: Kraft wins in PolSKI finale; teen Prevc takes Zao gold) = Ski Mountaineering (Bonnet wins twice in Arinsal World Cup) = Snowboard (2: James and Ono win Halfpipe openers; Ledecka sweeps Parallel Slaloms) = Speed Skating (Canada, Japan and U.S. dominate Four Continents) = Surfing (Olympic champ Moore retires, for now) = Swimming (Australian star Horton retires) ●

1.
Auction: $111,960 for Athens 1896 medal, $1,282,911 total!

A winner’s medal from the Athens 1896 Olympic Games – the first of the modern era – sold for $111,960 at the 437-lot RR Auction that finished on Thursday.

The 1896 medal, in excellent condition, was made of silver, as gold medals were not introduced until the 1900 Games in Paris and for all events in 1904 in St. Louis. It had been expected to sell for $100,000, but exceeded that with the buyer’s premium (the amount paid to the auction house).

But that was not the only significant sale in a program that drew a total of $1,282,911, as 14 more items sold for $25,000 or more (with the buyer’s premium):

● $83,188: London 2012 gold medal in boxing
● $67,759: Tokyo 1964 gold medal in football
● $56,250: Lake Placid 1980 Winter torch
● $55,000: Athens 1896 bronze medal, in original box
● $46,926: Oslo 1952 Winter silver medal
● $46,279: Paris 1924 gold medal in original case
● $43,161: Berlin 1936 gold medal in swimming
● $37,500: Lillehammer 1994 Winter torch
● $34,534: London 1948 gold medal in original case
● $29,198: Tokyo 1964 Torch Relay safety lantern

● $26,575: Atlanta 1996 gold medal in baseball
● $25,944: Los Angeles 1932 gold medal
● $25,005: Innsbruck 1964 Winter gold medal in ice hockey
● $25,000: Mexico City 1968 medal set in presentation box

The London gold that went for $83,188 was for the gold win by Cuban star Roniel Iglesias, who won at Light Welterweight in London and again in Tokyo in 2021 at Welterweight. The Tokyo ‘64 gold – and the competitor’s badge – was from Hungarian defender Kalman Ihasz.

Another unusual sale was for the exceptionally rare participation medal from the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games, its original box, in copper, that sold for $24,065. In contrast, a similar medal from Paris 2024 went for $4,520.

There were some unusual collectibles on sale as well, with a group of 13 stuffed-toy mascots – including six of “Misha” from Moscow 1980 – going for $405, and special medals presented by the City of New York to returning U.S. Olympians from 1912 and 1920, that sold for $309 and $1,059, respectively.

2.
Paris booksellers appealing Olympic removals

The tug-of-war over the removal – or not – of some of the open-air, second-hand book stalls along the Seine River in Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games continues with a compromise offered last week by the Paris Police and a decision by the booksellers to challenge the action in court.

Last week, the Paris Police agreed to remove 428 stalls instead of 604 planned as an accommodation, although it will reduce the areas available to watch the Olympic opening on the Seine. There are 932 boxes in all, with those targeted to be taken for a short period that “does not exceed a few days for removal and a few days for the rest,” with the City of Paris responsible for the actual operations.

On Friday, the Cultural Association of Booksellers of Paris voted to challenge the plan in court, as noted on a post on X (ex-Twitter):

“#AG decision taken unanimously #JO2024 : booksellers challenge the dismantling of their boxes in court”

The head of the booksellers group, Jerome Callais, indicated a willingness to accept the compromise, which was rejected by his association. The removal would take place from 14-17 July and replacement beginning 29 July, three days after the Games opening. There were open questions on compensation and damages

Callais believes the police will, in its court response, revert back to its preferred plan of removing 604 stalls along the original dates, which would not see the boxes returned until 5 August.

3.
Warm temps for Orlando Marathon Trials on 3 February

The long-range weather forecasts for Orlando, Florida and the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday, 3 February are coming in, with reasonable conditions expected, but warming toward the finish.

Great concern was voiced about the original noon start time, but a compromise start at 10 a.m. was reached, with hopes for moderate conditions. The current forecasts:

● Accuweather.com: Low of 55 (F), high of 72, under cloudy skies, with a 25% chance of rain and light winds at 4 miles per hour.

● Weather.com: A little more severe, with a morning low of 59 F with clouds, rising to 75 F during the day, with 68% humidity and a 24% chance of rain. Winds are predicted at 10-15 miles per hour, which would impact the race. The evening low is projected at 60 F, with less wind and a 58% chance of rain.

Sunrise will be at 7:12 a.m.

The cooler the better, but these are far from oppressive conditions, especially with cloudy skies projected. While the U.S. has three qualifying positions clinched for the women’s race, allowing the top three finishers to be selected as the 2024 Olympic Team, U.S. men have two positions confirmed and better conditions would help to potentially get a third American under the automatic qualifying standard of 2:08:10. A third U.S. man could qualify on the basis of the World Athletics world rankings in the event, and rule changes by USA Track & Field allow it to select someone who does not finish in the top three in the Trials race if they are otherwise qualified to run in Paris.

4.
Russia: Paralympic participation issues, 5,000 aths at BRICS?

Pavel Rozkhov, the head of the Russian Paralympic Committee, said that some federations have added demands for “neutrality” status beyond those of the International Paralympic Committee:

“The demands that the IPC places on us regarding the non-sporting part of participation in competitions are quite correct, but some federations allow certain excesses, in particular the International Cycling Federation.

“The conditions that they put forward regarding the condemnation of [Russia’s invasion of Ukraine] are unacceptable for us, and until the criteria are changed, we will not participate in qualifying competitions. In sports such as wheelchair tennis and table tennis, the requirements are acceptable, but it is important where the tournaments will be held, because difficulties may arise in European countries.”

He added that the uniform style for Russian participants as “neutrals” is being negotiated:

“We were given demands that there should be a neutral uniform. Before the New Year, we sent sketches of the uniform. In swimming, shooting, powerlifting and athletics, we have already received approval, the rest are reacting more slowly.

“We will have a turquoise uniform, but this is only for now for the qualifying tournaments.”

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said Friday that about 5,000 athletes from 60 countries are expected to participate in the BRICS Games in Kazan from 12-23 June, in 29 sports:

“[W]e provide equal opportunities for athletes from all countries to freely participate in the tournament without sanctions and restrictions under flag of their country and with the singing of the anthem of the winning country.”

(“BRICS” countries include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.)

The IOC has warned against the BRICS Games and the World Friendship Games in September as “clearly politically motivated sports events in Russia.” Matytsin expects that none of the athletes competing in Paris would be present for the BRICS Games.

The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that the Russian contribution of $1.267 million for 2023 has not been received. Money transfer issues out of Russia have been blamed, but the Russians have contested the amount of their dues, as the amount was calculated from their membership in the Council of Europe, which it left in March 2022, after it began its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia, already held non-compliant because of differences in its legal system vis-a-vis the World Anti-Doping Code, can also be considered non-compliant because of its failure to pay dues. WADA formed a working group to consider this issue last November.

Weightlifter Egor Ivanov became a three-time loser with another suspension from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency. He won a silver medal in the +105 kg class at the 2014 European Weightlifting Championships, then was disqualified for eight months in 2013. He then refused to take a doping test and was sanctioned for eight years in 2015 and now was hit again for three years and four months.

Now 29, the new sanction was from information recovered from the infamous Moscow Laboratory data recovered by the World Anti-Doping Agency in January 2019.

5.
LA28 progress on community initiatives confirmed

The LA28 organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games made an extensive set of promises in its Games Agreement with the City of Los Angeles, notably in the formation of working groups on sustainability and local hiring.

In a Friday report, the City’s Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst confirmed that the organizing committee had met its obligations and is continuing its development of hiring and working plans.

There are three specific groups which LA28 is now working with:

● Community Business and Procurement Working Group (14 members)
● Local Hire Working Group (16 members)
● Sustainability Working Group (13 members)

The goals are to establish specific goals for hiring and procurement and adopt a “Sustainability Plan” for the 2028 Games.

Beyond the formal meetings of the working groups, LA28 noted that it has been working directly with labor unions, specifying that it has:

“Hosted regular meetings throughout the year with the LA County Federation of Labor and its affiliates including, SEIU Local 721; LA/OC Counties Building and Construction Trades Council; IBEW Local 11; and Teamsters Local 396.”

The target date for the groups to complete their recommendations is 31 March 2025. The City report that three more working groups are also engaged:

“[T]he City and LA28 are currently collaborating to further advance and develop the following planning groups: the 2028 Games Mobility Executives, Public Safety Cooperative, and Games Energy Council.”

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Football ● Another set of racist incidents has the FIFA President asking for match forfeits:

“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield Wednesday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination, either in football or in society. The players affected by Saturday’s events have my full support.

“In addition to the three-step process [match stopped, match stopped again and match abandoned], we need to enforce automatic defeat for the team whose fans committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists.”

FIFA’s Gianni Infantino (SUI) made the remarks on Saturday, after AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan (FRA) – who is Black – left the field after racist yells from fans in Udine during the first half of Milan’s 3-2 win in Serie A on Saturday. He talked to the referee, then walked off the field, followed by his teammates, for a few moments, then returned. Maignan said later:

“They made monkey noises and it’s not the first time it’s happened to me. They must hand out very strong sanctions, because talking no longer does anything.

“We have to say that what they are doing is wrong. It is not the whole crowd, most fans want to cheer on their team and jeer you, that’s normal, but not this.”

Also on Saturday, Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer (JAM) said he was verbally abused by fans in Sheffield during a 2-1 win in an EPL Championship league match. He wrote later on X (ex-Twitter): “Couple fans doing monkey chants don’t define a fan base — I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Winter Youth Olympic Games ● The Winter YOG in the Gangwon Province in Korea opened on Friday evening, with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) telling the athletes:

“Dear young athletes: this is your moment.

“You are following in the footsteps of sporting icons who made Olympic history right here at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

“Now it is your turn.

“Give it your best at your first Olympic competition. Make new friends. Live the Olympic values. Respect yourself. Respect your competitors. Respect the rules. Enjoy your Olympic experience!

“This is your time – to grow together – and to shine forever!”

The ceremony had 4,500 fans in attendance at the Gangneung Oval – plus teams and officials to fill the 8,000-seat facility – and 4,300 at the PyeongChang Dome. Freestyle skier Jeong-min Lee lit the Youth Olympic cauldron, while another cauldron was “digitally” lit by IOC’s sponsor Alibaba in the Gangneung Olympic Park.

The IOC noted the fourth Winter YOG in numbers:

“The Winter YOG are set to welcome 1,802 athletes from 78 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), taking part in 15 disciplines across 7 sports, as well as 1,734 team officials. … In total there will be 20,000 accredited people attending Gangwon 2024, including 627 media and 289 broadcast personnel, showing the strong interest in the event locally and globally.”

German Antonia Pietschmann won the first gold medal of the event, taking the women’s Singles in Luge over Alexandra Oberstolz of Italy. The Games will conclude on 1 February.

● Pan American Games ● Peruvian President Dina Boluarte confirmed Friday that she has sent a letter to Panam Sports, endorsing Lima’s bid for the 2027 Pan American Games, removed from Colombia on 3 January.

Boluarte said during a celebration in Lima, that the government is ready to “guarantee the financing of all costs related to the Pan American Games project.”

Asuncion (PAR) has already signaled its interest, and Lima successfully hosted the 2019 Pan Ams and can re-use those facilities. Letters of intent to Panam Sports on the 2027 event are due by the end of the month.

● Alpine Skiing ● France’s Cyprien Sarrazin continued his dream season at the FIS World Cup at Kitzbuehel (AUT), steaming to his third and fourth wins of the year in the Downhills on Friday and Saturday.

He had won one World Cup race before this season, but won no. 3 on Friday in 1:55.75, beating Florian Schieder (ITA: 1:55.80) and reigning World Cup champ and seasonal leader Marco Odermatt (SUI: 1:56.09). American Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished fourth in 1:56.01, 0.01 from the bronze medal.

Sarrazin kept up the pressure on Saturday, winning in 1:52.96, beating Odermatt (1:53.87) and Italy’s 22-time World Cup winner Dominik Paris (1:54.40). Cochran-Siegle was 16th.

Sunday’s Slalom saw Germany’s Linus Strasser get his first World Cup win in two years, coming from fourth on the second run to post a total of 1:40.36, enough to edge Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE: 1:40.50) and Swiss Daniel Yule (1:40.56). It’s Strasser’s fourth career World Cup gold.

Tragedy at the women’s skiing in Jasna (SVK) as home hero Petra Vlhova, the Olympic Slalom champ from 2022, suffered a crash and a torn right knee ligament, ending her season after skiing out on her first run during Saturday’s Giant Slalom.

Vlhova was second overall in the seasonal World Cup standings, but will now be concentrating on her comeback at the end of the year.

The race was won by Sweden’s Olympic champ Sara Hector, who had the fastest times on both runs for a total time of 2:17.80. American star Mikaela Shiffrin, the overall World Cup leader, was second on both for silver (2:19.32), with the bronze going to Alice Robinson (NZL: 2:20.51). American A.J. Hurt finished seventh (2:22.40).

Sunday’s Slalom was another showcase for Shiffrin, who took her record 95th career World Cup win by taking an 0.52-second lead after the first run and finishing at 1:48.21 to best Croatia’s 19-year-old Zrinka Ljutic (1:48.35), who won her second career World Cup medal. Swede Anna Swenn Larsson was third (1:49.02); Paula Moltzan finished 18th in 1:51.60.

Retired Austrian star Matthias Mayer, 33, was arrested in Kitzbuehel on Thursday after “inappropriate behavior,” and was later released by Austrian authorities. The Austrian ski federation said in a statement, “Today we regret to note that Matthias Mayer has not yet overcome the health problems he has been struggling with for a long time.”

Mayer won the 2014 Olympic Downhill in Sochi and the Super-G in 2018 and 2022, plus a 2022 bronze in the Downhill; he retied in December 2022.

● Archery ● More than 1,100 archers stepped to the line for the Indoor World Series in Nimes (FRA), with surprises coming in the finals.

In the men’s Recurve gold-medal match, 18-year-old Roy Dror (ISR) surprised Tokyo Olympic Mixed Team silver winner Steve Wijler (NED), 6-4. Dror moved up after winning the U-21 title in Nimes in 2023.

Two-time Worlds medal winner Marcus D’Almeida (BRA) took the bronze, 7-3, over Britain’s Patrick Huston.

The women’s title went to Spain’s Elia Canales, the 2023 European Games runner-up, who won a shoot-off with German Charline Schwarz, 6-5, after a 10-9 win in the extra arrow. Michelle Kroppen, an Olympic Team bronze winner, took the bronze in Nimes with a 7-3 win over Victoria Sebastian (FRA).

● Athletics ● On a cold day, Weini Kelati followed up her American Record half marathon last week in Houston with a 32:58.6 win at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Mechanicsville, Virginia on Saturday.

It was her first national cross-country title and fourth career USATF national title, moving to the lead decisively after 4 km of the 10 km course and winning going away, with Emma Grace Hurley second in 33:35.9, Katie Camarena third in 33:40.3 and Allie Ostrander coming back to prominence in fourth in 33:52.5.

The top six men and women qualified for the U.S. team for the World Cross Country Championships on 30 March in Belgrade (SRB).

The men’s race was decided late, with nine in contention after 7 km, but triathlete Morgan Pearson – already qualified for Paris – and 1,500-5,000 m star Cooper Teare ahead of the field by the 8 km mark. Teare took over for the final kilometer and sailed to the win in 29:06.2, with Pearson dropping to fourth (29:15.5). Anthony Rotich came up for second (29:11.3) and Ahmed Muhamad got third (29:12.3). Defending champ Emmanuel Bor was firth in 29:26.5.

American Record man KC Lightfoot scored the first 6.00 m vault of the season (19-8 1/4) with a win at the indoor Alsup Open in Maryville, Missouri (USA). He made his first three heights on his first attempt, then 5.91 m (19-4 3/4) on his third try and 6.00 m also on his third.

● Badminton ● China placed four finalists in five divisions at the India Open in New Delhi, but no nation won more than once.

China got its lone win of the tournament in men’s Singles, as 2018 Worlds runner-up Yu Qi Shi (CHN) swept past Cheuk Yiu Lee (HKG), 23-21, 21-17. The Tokyo Olympic runner-up, Tzu Ying Tai (TPE), won the women’s title, defeating second-seeded Yu Fei Chen (CHN), 21-16, 21-12.

Koreans Min Hyuk Kang and Seung Jae Seo won the men’s Doubles over home favorites Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (IND), 15-21, 21-11, 21-18, and Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara swept Shu Xian Zhang and Yu Zheng (CHN), 21-12, 21-13.

Sixth-seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA) won the Mixed Doubles over fifth-seeded Zhen Bang Jiang and Ya Xin Wei (CHN), 21-16, 21-16.

● Biathlon ● Norway continued its domination of the FIS men’s World Cup with the fourth win of the season for seasonal leader Johannes Thingnes Boe in Saturday’s 15 km Short Individual race in Antholz-Anterselva (ITA).

Boe dominated, beating older brother Tarjei Boe, 37:28.0 (0 penalties) to 39:04.1 (2), with German Johannes Kuehn (GER: 39:12.0/2) in third.

Sunday’s 15 km Mass Start was a Norwegian sweep, this time with Vetle Christiansen winning in 35:51.4 (1), ahead of Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (36:01.1/2) and Vebjoern Soerum (36:05.4/1). It’s Christiansen’s second win of the season and the ninth for Norway in 15 men’s races so far.

The women’s 12.5 km Short race was the first career World Cup win for Swiss Lena Hacki-Gross, finishing in 36:49.0 (0) to best French stars Julia Simon (37:09.2/2) and Lou Jeanmonnot (37:20.4/1).

France won its eighth race win of the season – out of 14 so far – with a second win for Simon in 34:2.5 (1), just ahead of teammate Jeanmonnot (34:51.4/0). It’s the third French 1-2 this season. Hacki-Gross got the bronze in 35:03.2 (1).

In the mixed relays, Germany won the Single Mixed Relay (6 km + 7.5 km) over Norway and Austria, and Norway took the mixed 4×6 km race over Italy and Sweden.

● Cricket ● The controversial ICC men’s U-19 World Cup opened Friday in South Africa without significant incident, but with a protest at the site of the South Africa vs. West Indies match at Potchefstroom.

The South African team opened with a 285-254 win over West Indies, led by Dewan Marais with 65 runs, Juan James with 47 and David Teeger with 44. Teeger – who is Jewish – had been the team captain, but was demoted by Cricket South Africa because he supports Israel’s response to the Hamas invasion of 7 October 2023, and the federation feared protests at South Africa’s matches. The match attendance was not large, but Teegar was applauded when he came up to bat.

There was a protest at Friday’s match of a few pro-Palestinian supporters carrying anti-Zionist signs, that swelled to more than a hundred for a prayer meeting at the site. The situation was peaceful and the match was not reported to be disturbed, with law and traffic enforcement on site.

South Africa will play England in its second match on Tuesday.

● Cross Country Skiing ● Norway’s Erik Valnes had a week to remember in Oberhof (GER), winning both the Sprint and the 20 km Mass Start, leading a Norwegian sweep in both events!

Valnes won his third event of the season in the Classical Sprint on Friday in 2:42.75, ahead of teammates Ansgar Evenson (2:43.15) and Even Northug (2:46.06), with American Ben Ogden in sixth (2:50.97).

In the 20 km Classical Mass Start, Valnes barely got to the line ahead of Martin Nyenget, 46:03.0 to 46:03.9, with Paal Golberg – the Worlds 50 km Classical winner in 2023 – third in 46:04.6. Valnes now has five career World Cup victories.

Sweden dominated the women’s racing, with a sweep of the Classical Sprint, led by Linn Svahn (3:04.05), followed by Frida Karlsson (3:04.38) and Jonna Sundling (3:06.11). It was Svahn’s fourth win of the season, three of which have come in the Sprint.

Karlsson, a 10-time World Championships medal winner, won her first World Cup race of the season in the 20 km Classical Mass Start in 51:33.6, just ahead of Katharina Hennig (GER: 51:35.9) and Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen (51:37.4). American Jessie Diggins, the seasonal leader, finished sixth in 51:43.1 and has a 1,579 to 1,300 lead on Svahn after 19 of 34 races.

In the relays, Norway won the men’s 4×7.5 km over Italy, while Sweden – with Svahn and Karlsson on the first two legs, took the women’s 4×7.5 km ahead of Germany and Finland.

● Curling ● The fourth stage of six in the Grand Slam of Curling was the Canadian Open in Red Deer, Alberta, with Scotland’s Bruce Mouat taking the men’s title with a 6-5 final win over Canadian Brendan Bottcher’s rink.

The 2022 Beijing Olympic silver winners, Mouat’s rink won their sixth Grand Slam of Curling title and ran out to a 4-2 lead after four ends and 6-3 after six and cruised home. It’s Mouat’s sixth career Grand Slam victory and first in the Canadian Open.

The women’s final matched Worlds winners in Canada’s Rachel Homan, the 2017 World Champion against Swiss Silvana Tirinzoni, skip of the four-time defending Worlds gold medalists.

This was a closely-matched battle, with Homan getting a single point in the second end and the Swiss tying it in the third. Homan edged ahead again in the fifth, 2-1, but Tirinzoni scored two in the sixth to grab a 3-2 lead. The Swiss added another score in the seventh (4-2), but Homan came back with a pair in the eighth to tie it at 4-4 and head to extras.

And Homan got the score in the ninth to win it, 5-4, and grab her 15th career Grand Slam victory and a third career Canadian Open title.

● Cycling ● The UCI World Tour season began with the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia, with a tight finish that went to the final stage on Saturday.

Australia’s Sam Welsford had the lead after the first of the six stages, winning the hilly opening race, but Italy’s Isaac del Toro grabbed the lead with a win in stage two and held it through stage four despite Welsford winning again in stages 3 and 4.

Britain’s Stephen Williams moved into a tie for the lead with countryman Oscar Onley after stage five – with Del Toro falling to fourth – so it came down to the final, 128.2 km ride from Unley to Mount Lofty, east of Adelaide.

The modest uphill finish was decided in a final sprint of four riders, with Williams taking the stage and the race title over Jhonaton Narvaez (ECU), Del Toro and Bart Lemmen (NED) in 3:05:26. Williams took the overall title by just 0:09 over Narvaez, 11 over Del Toro and 20 seconds ahead of Onley. It’s the first win for Williams, 27, in a World Tour multi-stage race.

● Football ● The U.S. men’s National Team lost to Slovenia in a Saturday friendly, 1-0, in San Antonio, Texas. Both teams used a lot of new players: 11 for the U.S. (seven starters) and 13 for Slovenia, and the only goal was from debutante striker Nejc Gradisar, who scored in the 26th minute from the left side of the box for the only score.

After a turnover by U.S. midfielder Bernard Kamungo, forward Danijel Sturm passed the ball ahead to Gradisar, who sent a shot past the charging U.S. keeper Patrick Schulte for the goal. The U.S. had chances, with 68% of possession and 15 shots to nine for the visitors, but could not beat keeper Igor Vekic.

U.S. midfield star Sam Mewis has retired. In a statement published by U.S. Soccer, she explained:

“Unfortunately, my knee can no longer tolerate the impact that elite soccer requires.

“Though this isn’t what I wanted, this is the only path forward for me. I want to thank everyone who has been on my team throughout this journey. Soccer has put so many wonderful things in my life, but the most wonderful thing has been the people. To all my family, friends, teammates, and fans, I truly feel that we did this together and I’m extremely grateful.”

Now 31, Mewis was a member of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners and scored twice during the tournament, and won an Olympic bronze with the U.S. in Tokyo in 2021. She was an NCAA champion with UCLA in 2013 and during her national team career, scored 24 goals in 83 appearances.

She will join the Men in Blazers Media Network as the editor of its new project, “The Women’s Game.’

● Freestyle Skiing ● The fourth stop on the FIS World Cup Ski Cross tour was in Nakiska (CAN) for racing on Saturday and Sunday, and the home team scoring wins right away.

In the men’s Saturday final, Canadian Olympian Reece Howden won his first race and second medal of the year, beating France’s Terence Tchiknavorian and 2021 World Champion Alex Fiva (SUI).

On Sunday, Swiss Jonas Lenherr got his sixth career World Cup win, crossing ahead of 2023 Worlds runner-up Florian Wilmsmann (GER) and Youri Duplessis Kergomard (FRA).

The first women’s race was another Canadian win for Hannah Schmidt, her second of the season, leading a 1-2 finish with 2014 Olympic champ Marielle Thompson, with two-time Olympic bronze winner Fanny Smith (SUI) in third.

Schmidt doubled her pleasure on Sunday, winning her third gold this season, over France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel – her fifth medal this season – with fellow Canadian Brittany Phelan third.

The Moguls and Dual Moguls skiers were also in Canada, at Val St. Come, with Olympic men’s champs Walter Wallberg and Mikael Kingsbury taking home the men’s trophies.

Wallberg, who won the Beijing 2022 Moguls title, won Friday’s Moguls contest, scoring 84.92 points to 82.37 for Canada’s Elliot Vaillancourt and 77.70 for Filip Gravenfors (SWE). It’s Wallberg’s first Moguls win of the season.

The Dual Moguls went to the 2018 Olympic Moguls gold medalist Kingsbury, the greatest World Cup winner in the discipline, who took his 83rd career gold by beating Gravenfors in the final. Australia’s PyeongChang runner-up Matt Graham took the bronze over two-time Worlds silver winner Benjamin Cavet (FRA).

The question in the women’s races was whether anyone could stop Australia’s Jakara Anthony, the Beijing 2022 winner and winner of all four Moguls races this season (and two of three Dual Moguls events)?

Nope.

Anthony won Friday’s Moguls by beating Beijing 2022 runner-up Jaelin Kauf of the U.S., 82.01 to 74.87, with Hinako Tomitaka (JPN) third with 74.19 points. Alli Macuga, Hannah Soar, Olivia Giaccio and Tess Johnson finished 4-5-6-7 for the U.S.

Anthony then beat Kauf in the Dual Moguls final to give her eight wins in nine events this season. Giaccio won the bronze over Rino Yanagimoto (JPN). Anthony, 25, now owns 16 career World Cup wins.

The second of five Slopestyle legs in the 2023-24 FIS World Cup was in Laax (SUI), with 2023 World Champion Birk Ruud (NOR) taking the win at 87.01 in the second round after leading everyone in round one at 85.76. American Mac Forehand got second for the second straight event, scoring 86.28 on his second-round effort. Canadian Max Moffatt (85.91) was third and Beijing Olympic champ Alex Hall of the U.S. was fourth (84.30).

The women’s competition was epic, with Beijing 2022 Slopestyle winner Mathilde Gremaud hitting an 86.00 on her first run and that was enough to hold off Beijing Big Air and Halfpipe winner (and Slopestyle runner-up) Eileen Gu (CHN: 78.13), with 19-year-old American transgender Jay Riccomini third at 60.46.

Gremaud has now won both events this season.

● Hockey ● The FIH Olympic qualifying tournaments for men concluded in Oman and Spain, with Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and Spain qualifying for Paris.

In Muscat (OMA), Germany edged Great Britain in the final by 1-0 on a Martin Zwicker goal in the 56th minute. New Zealand won the crucial third-place game to also qualify for Paris with a 3-2 win over Pakistan.

In Valencia (ESP), Belgium and Spain were 1-1 until the final moments, with each scored a goal in the 58th and then Nelson Onana (BEL) scored off a penalty corner for the 3-2 winner. Ireland won the bronze with a 4-3 victory over South Korea.

The women’s qualifiers were held in Ranchi (IND) and Valencia, with Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Spain and the United States moving on to Paris.

The Ranchi final saw Germany score the first goals on the U.S. in the tournament and won, 2-0, on scores by Jette Fleschutz in the third minute and Sonja Zimmermann in the 20th. Japan beat India, 1-0, to get the bronze and also advance.

In Valencia, Belgium trailed Spain by 1-0 late in the match, but got goals from Louise Versavel and Charlotte Engelbert in the 56th minute to win, 2-1. Great Britain took a 2-0 lead on Ireland and won, 2-1, to qualify for Paris.

● Ski Jumping ● The final stop of the men’s POLSki Tour was in Zakopane, jumping off the 140 m hill on Sunday, with Austria’s three-time Worlds winner Stefan Kraft getting his seventh individual win of the season.

Kraft scored 332.3 to edge Andreas Wellinger (GER: 327.8) and Anze Lanisek (SLO: 327.3). Kraft now has a seasonal lead of 1,089 to 837 over Wellinger.

Saturday’s team competition was won by Austria, anchored by seasonal leader Kraft (1,146.6), over Slovenia (1,095.5) and Germany (1,062.8).

The final of two stops in Japan for the women’s World Cup tour was in Zao, jumping off the 102 m hill. Seasonal leader Nika Prevc (SLO) – still just 18 – won her fifth event of the year on Friday, scoring 235.2 to 223.1 for home favorite Yuki Ito (JPN). Canada’s Alexandria Toutitt was third (216.7) for her fourth medal of the season.

Sunday’s competition was canceled due to heavy weather. Slovenia won the team event on Saturday at 722.7, over Canada (709.7) and Austria (697.0).

● Ski Mountaineering ● Reigning World Champion Remi Bonnet (SUI) swept to victory at the ISMF World Cup at Arinsal (AND), taking both the Individual and the Vertical races.

Bonnet, 28, and a four-time career Worlds gold medalist, took the Individual on Saturday in 1:30:15.17, comfortably ahead of four-time Worlds medal winner Thibault Anselmet (FRA: 1:30:40.86) and teammate Xavier Gachet (FRA: 1:31:49.95).

Bonnet doubled on Sunday in the Vertical Race, winning in 26:07.47, trailed by 2019 World Champion Werner Marti (SUI: 26:57.80) and Anselmet (27:08.10). American Cameron Smith was seventh in 27:28.01.

France’s Emily Harrop won her 11th career World Cup gold in the women’s Individual race at 1:33:15.33, more than a minute-and-a-half ahead of Alba de Silvestro (ITA: 1:34:35.72) and more than three minutes up on Ceila Perillat-Pessey (FRA: 1:36:41.86).

De Silvestro came back to win the Vertical Race in 32:23.03, almost 10 seconds up on Harrop (32:32.60), followed by Marta Garcia (ESP: 32:49.83). It’s de Silvestro’s fourth career World Cup victory.

● Snowboard ● Three-time World Champion Scotty James (AUS) took his second win in three events in the FIS World Cup Halfpipe event in Laax (SUI) with his first-round effort at 94.00, head of teammate Valentino Guseli (92.25 in round two) and Ruka Hirano (JPN: 90.00). American Chase Blackwell got fourth at 88.00 in the second round.

Japan’s Mitsuki Ono, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, got her first win of the season, outscoring 16-year-old American newcomer Bea Kim, 81.75-77.50, as Kim won her first career World Cup medal. Japanese teammate Ruki Tomita got the bronze at 60.50, with American Chloe Kim, the Olympic gold medalist, a surprise fourth at 23.50. It was Kim’s first World Cup appearance in two seasons, and she had trouble on both runs.

Also at Laax were the opening Slopestyle events of the FIS World Cup season, starting with the first-ever World Cup win for Canada’s Liam Brearley, scoring 89.93 to beat Japan’s Ryoma Kimata (85.31) and Canadian teammate Cameron Spalding (83.90), who got his second career World Cup medal.

The women’s Slopestyle title went to American Julia Marino, 26, who took her fourth straight World Cup dating back to last season at 83.08 in her second run. Annika Morgan (GER: 80.75) claimed second and Austrian star Anna Gasser, the two-time Olympic Big Air gold winner, got third at 75.93.

Marino now owns nine World Cup goals all-time, with six in Slopestyle and three in Big Air.

The Parallel skiing crowd was in a new venue, Pamporovo (BUL), for Slalom racing on Saturday and Sunday. The all-Italian men’s final on Saturday saw Daniele Bagozza edge Edwin Coratti in the final by 0.62, while home favorite Radoslav Yankov took the bronze over Sang-ho Lee (KOR), the 2018 Olympic Parallel Giant Slalom runner-up. It was Bagozza’s second win this season.

Lee won Sunday’s race, besting Austria’s reigning World Champion Andreas Prommegger by just 0.08! Fellow Austrian Fabian Obmann won the bronze over American Cody Winters, who did not finish.

The women’s Saturday winner was Czech star Ester Ledecka, the two-time Olympic Parallel Giant Slalom gold medalist. It was the first event of the year for Ledecka, 28, beating two-time Worlds Slalom medalist Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER), who did not finish. Japan’s Tsubaki Miki took the bronze.

Ledecka doubled up on Sunday, this time crossing first ahead of 2023 Worlds bronze winner Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT), while Miki took the bronze again, this time over Cheyenne Loch (GER). It’s Ledecka’s 23rd career World Cup win.

● Speed Skating ● The ISU Four Continents Championships were held at the ultra-fast Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah (USA), with Canada, Japan and the U.S. dominating the action as expected.

Japan’s Olympic women’s 1,000 m gold medalist Miho Takagi was the only two-event winner, taking the women’s 1,500 m in 1:52.37, ahead of Mia Manganello (USA: 1:55.11) and fellow American Greta Myers (1:55.86). Takagi took the 1,000 m in 1:12.35, this time beating American Kimi Goetz (1:12.65) with four-time World Champion Brittany Bowe of the U.S. fourth in 1:14.26.

Takagi also helped Japan to the Team Sprint title – for her third win – in 1:24.32, just ahead of the American trio of Sarah Warren, Olympic 500 m champ Erin Jackson and Bowe, second in 1:25.00.

Jackson won the women’s 500 m in 36.82, with Goetz second in 36.93. Canada’s Valerie Maltais defended her Four Continents title in the 3,000 m (4:01.71), ahead of teammate Isabelle Weidemann (4:02.67) and American Manganello (4:02.85). Olympic Mass Start runner-up Ivanie Blondin (CAN) won her specialty by daylight in 8:42.56, beating Giorgia Birkeland of the U.S. (8:44.65).

Maltais also led the Canadians to the Team Pursuit title in 2:54.02, easily ahead of Japan (2:57.54) and the U.S. (3:04.32).

Canada got multiple men’s wins, starting with 2021 World Champion Laurent Dubreuil in the 500 m in 34.19, defending his Four Continents title from 2023. Japan grabbed the other medals with Olympic bronze winner Wataru Morishige in second (34.23) and Tatsuya Shinhama third (34.28). Connor Howe a two-time Worlds Team Pursuit silver winner, took the men’s 1,500 m in 1:43.19, ahead of Emery Lehman of the U.S. (1:44.03). Canada also won the Team Sprint.

But the U.S. was also busy, with triple World Champion Jordan Stolz winning the 1,000 m in a lifetime best of 1:06.27 (now no. 4 all-time), ahead of Taiyo Nonomura (JPN: 1:06.88) and Shinhama (1:07.04). Casey Dawson won the 5,000 m in 6:14.14, beating Canada’s Graeme Fish (6:14.16) and 2018 Olympic 10,000 m gold winner Ted-Jan Bloemen (6:14.22). Olympic silver winner Jae-won Chung (KOR) won the Mass Start – the only one to break up the Canada-Japan-USA wins – in 8:16.33, with Shomu Sasaki (JPN: 8:16.43) second.

The U.S. squad of Ethan Cepuran, Lehman and Dawson won the Team Pursuit (3:36.80) by a whisker over the Canadians (3:36.84).

● Surfing ● Five-time World Champion and the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore (USA) will step back from competition, and might retire. A Friday post on Instagram read:

“Surfing is a part of who I am, and it always will be. This is by no means the end. I’d like to think of this instead as an evolution, the start of the next chapter, a new beginning. – Riss”

Her agent told NBC Sports that she will compete in the World Surf League event in Hawaii at the Banzai Pipeline at the end of January and at the Olympic Games in Tahiti this summer, trying to defend her Tokyo Olympic gold from 2021.

Moore, 31, was born in Hawaii and spoke about starting a family, but possibly coming back to try for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She’s a five-time World Champion from 2011-13-15-19-21 and considered one of the best surfers ever.

● Swimming ● “I dearly wanted to swim in Paris but the hunger wasn’t there.

“I always want to give my all and I am not someone who just wants to make up the numbers, so this is the right time to step away.”

That’s Australian star Mack Horton, 27, announcing his retirement on Sunday, ending a career that included the 2016 Olympic gold in the men’s 400 m Freestyle and six medals at the World Championships, including a 4×200 m Free relay gold in 2019 and 400 m Free silvers in 2017 and 2019.

Horton refused to stand on the podium with Chinese winner Yang Sun at the 2019 Worlds, after Sun had been suspended from doping in 2014 and Horton believed him to be doping.

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TSX REPORT: Milan Cortina gets bidder to build sliding track; Queensland reviewing A$2.7 billion Gabba project; Kilde crashed out at 75 mph!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Milan Cortina ‘26 gets a bidder to build sliding track!
2. IOC confirms Russian and Belarusian double check for Paris
3. Review of the Brisbane Gabba project underway
4. Cricket South Africa rejects anti-Semitism charge
5. Kilde’s crash at 75 mph requires second surgery

● A bidder to construct a new sliding track for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy was apparently found by Thursday’s noon deadline. The International Olympic Committee will still need to approve the timetable and an evaluation process will be used to determine if the project is actually feasible. But there is a bidder now, after no one stepped forward last summer.

● The IOC confirmed that it is running its own checks on the “neutrality” of any athletes from Russia or Belarus who will qualify to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. On Friday, the IV Winter Youth Olympic Games will open in Gangwon Province, Korea, with more than 1,800 athletes expected to compete.

● The Queensland government has begun a 60-day review of the controversial Gabba project for the 2023 Olympic Games in Brisbane, as the costs have ballooned to A$2.7 billion. A proposed arena, expected to cost A$2.5 billion, will also be evaluated for cost, efficiency and legacy.

● Cricket South Africa, which demoted David Teeger from the captaincy of the national men’s U-19 World Cup team because he is Jewish and supports Israel in its battle with Hamas, rejected any claims that it is anti-Semitic. The ICC men’s U-19 World Cup opens Friday in South Africa, with a Palestinian group expected to protest South Africa’s opening match over Teeger’s continuing place on the team.

● Norwegian ski star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde’s crash in Wengen requires another surgery on his shoulder and he shared an update on what happened in a post on X. The experience of multiple skiers there has caused the FIS Race Director to consider future scheduling more carefully.

● Panorama: France 2030 (Val d’Isere wants back into Winter Games program) = Athletics (European Championships prize purse revealed) = Esports (IESF Worlds qualifying includes 130 countries) = Football (2: Pulisic chosen U.S. men’s player of the year; FIFA 2026 World Cup match schedule coming on 4 February) = Hockey (Olympic qualifiers nearing conclusion) = Water Polo (USA Water Polo to train at Mt. SAC) ●

1.
Milan Cortina ‘26 gets a bidder to build sliding track!

After getting no interest from construction companies last summer, at least one bidder came forward by Thursday’s noon deadline to build a bobsled, luge and skeleton track in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA) for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that “the Pizzarotti group from Parma, one of the construction giants in Italy” submitted a bid for the €81.6 million project (about $88.65 million U.S.), which would have to be built, tested and certified by mid-October 2025, and require special permission from the International Olympic Committee. The next step:

“Societa Infrastrutture Milano Cortina (Simico), which is the [governmental] contracting authority, has not issued any statement, not even to confirm the arrival of an offer, thus respecting the silence imposed by the procedure which now provides for the appointment of a commission to evaluate the requirements of the company, as well as the technical and economic offers.”

An evaluation of the bid(s) will be made and an award expected to be offered within 15 days, and the board of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation is due to meet on 30 January. The story quotes Milano Cortina 2026 board Chair Giovanni Malago (ITA) that “the conclusion of the matter will be between January 30th and February 6th.”

As for the IOC, its Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) told reporters during a Thursday news conference that the IOC Executive Board received a presentation about the progress of the Winter Games, which included a briefing on the issues related to the sliding venue. Dubi noted:

“This presentation allowed us to reiterate our position, which is unequivocal. First, we from the very beginning felt that this venue was extremely complex in terms of cost, in terms of legacy, in terms of timing, and we have promoted the use of an existing track. We know with certainty that a decision will be made soon, by the 31st of January.”

Stay tuned. Dubi also noted that the domestic sponsorship program for the 2026 Winter Games is progressing and that agreements will be signed on 26 January with the operators of existing World Cup events to manage the Winter Games competitions in Alpine Skiing (in Bormio and Cortina d’Ampezzo), in Cross Country Skiing (at Val di Fiemme) and Antholz-Anterselva (Biathlon).

2.
IOC confirms Russian and Belarusian double check for Paris

During the International Olympic Committee’s Thursday news conference from Gangwon (KOR), site of the ready-to-open Winter Youth Olympic Games, spokesman Mark Adams (GBR) confirmed that Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will have their eligibility re-checked.

The initial screening, through the qualification process, is being done now by the relevant International Federations, but questions have been raised about the “neutrality” of specific qualifiers and potential qualifiers in judo, taekwondo and wrestling. Adams explained:

“When we’re responsible for our own competitions as we will be [in Paris], run by the IFs but under our auspices in Paris, then we have to be doubly sure because we have the full responsibility. So that’s why we will be taking these extra measures on top, which I think will make everyone feel confident and much more comfortable with the situation.

“In terms of the process, I can only talk broadly because I don’t have the detail, but we are in the process of identifying and appointing independent analysts with a reputation for good work, with good governance and so on, who will go through each of those athletes to make sure they don’t breach our guidelines, and I think you can have some confidence that those people who have qualified have already been through one process and then will be going through a second process, run by the IOC but using an independent organization.” (Emphasis added)

No timetable has been given on the IOC’s verification process.

Adams was asked about any activity in terms of proposed changes to the Olympic Charter that would allow current IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) to be able to run for a third term. He said that no proposed changes in the text had been submitted so far, but that there was time to do so prior to the next IOC Session in Paris this summer.

The IV Winter Youth Olympic Games will open in Gangwon Province (KOR) on Friday, with Dubi expressing great satisfaction with the preparations and that young athletes will be able to experience the competitions in many of the venues used for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

“For many, it’s actually a stepping stone into the future,” said Dubi, noting that 341 athletes from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games had competed in a prior Winter YOG, winning 53 medals in Beijing.

Some 1,812 athletes from 79 countries will compete in the Gangwon Province, with four host cities, in 81 events across seven sports. Teams from Algeria, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates will make their first appearance in a Winter YOG.

Tickets are free to all events outside of the Opening Ceremonies, and 350,000 tickets have been distributed so far, with some sessions expected to be full. Dubi noted, “in terms of public engagement, it’s already a success.”

The Games will close on 1 February.

3.
Review of the Brisbane Gabba project underway

The controversial renovation plan for the famed Brisbane Cricket Ground, known as the Gabba, has been the center of attention in the Brisbane 2032 development plan and, on Thursday, a 60-day review period for the concept began.

Originally developed in 1895, it seats 36,000 today and a demolition and rebuild for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane was included in the Queensland bid. Seating would be expanded to 50,000 and be used for athletics and ceremonies, and surrounding facilities would be added, but the cost has skyrocketed from an estimate of A$1 billion to perhaps A$2.7 billion (about $1.77 billion U.S.).

The plan was strongly backed by then-Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who retired on 15 December 2023 and was succeeded by prior deputy Steven Miles. The tumult over the rise in cost and the turbulence around the stadium – such as with a school that would have to be closed – led Miles to appoint former Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk to lead a 60-day review team, with a report due back to the Queensland government on 18 March.

Moreover, the plan for a temporary site for the tenant cricket and Australian Rules Football teams went into disarray when the City of Brisbane refused to pay a significant share of a temporary facility for their use during the four-year project.

Said Miles in an interview with ABC Australia:

“I have always taken independent advice whenever I have asked for it, that’s precisely what I’ll do here. [Quirk] will go in to determine to recommend to me the best possible solution for Queensland and I commit to take his recommendation.”

The review will also include the plan for a new, A$2.5 billion arena in the same area. Explained Miles:

“I want to also make sure [the projects] unite Queenslanders. I’m really concerned that this issue has been becoming more political and divisive than it ever should have.

“I hope this independent review can give all Queenslanders certainty that we have the right plan for Queensland, the right plan to deliver the best Games ever.

“But more importantly … the right plan to deliver what our state needs and I think really that comes down to transport connectivity. That was the promise of the Games and I want to make sure that delivers.”

The International Olympic Committee suggested during the bid stage that a re-build of the Gabba was not necessary and that using the existing facility that hosted athletics and ceremonies for the successful 2018 Commonwealth Games – Carrara Stadium in the suburbs of Gold Coast – would be satisfactory. Its capacity was increased to 40,000 with temporary stands.

It did not object to the Gabba plan so long as it is part of a long-range upgrade for the area and not specifically related to the 2032 Games.

4.
Cricket South Africa rejects anti-Semitism charge

The questions over the removal of David Teeger as captain of the South African U-19 team because he is Jewish continue as the ICC men’s U-19 World Cup begins Friday in South Africa.

The national federation, Cricket South Africa, rejected a charge of anti-Semitism by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies earlier in the week, telling CNN:

“Cricket South Africa finds the accusations of antisemitism levelled against it by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies as without any basis and rejects them with the contempt they deserve.”

However, Dr. Ali Bacher, 81, a former South African national team captain and who helped to unify the separate all-white and black cricket associations into the Unified Cricket Board and then helped organize the iconic 2003 ICC World Cup, is asking for more information.

Bacher, who is Jewish and related to Teeger through his wife, issued a statement that asked Cricket South Africa for “a comprehensive explanation of the decision-making process” to remove him as captain, notably since Teeger is still on the South African team.

ESPNCricInfo reported that the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance has been granted a permit to protest on Friday outside the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom where South Africa’s opening match will take place against West Indies. Bacher emphasized “it is the responsibility of CSA and South African law enforcement entities to ensure safety at all sporting events. The alternative is that the threat of using violence dictates policy.”

The federation agreed, and stated its agreement with the right to protest, but noted “that these cannot interfere with the matches or compromise the safety of players and fans. To this end, we are collaborating closely with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure that the tournament proceeds smoothly and without any disruptions.”

Meanwhile, the Italian apparel and footwear firm Diadora told The Times of Israel that a supposed director of the company’s South African operations has no ties to it, with a spokesman saying “Mr. Azhar Salojee [sic] has no role whatsoever in Diadora’s organization” and that his comments do not reflect Diadora’s views.

Azhar Saloojee was identified as a Diadora “director” in a Cricket South Africa legal review that cleared Teeger of any wrongdoing in comments supporting Israel during an awards ceremony in October.

5.
Kilde’s crash at 75 mph requires second surgery

Alpine skiing is not for the faint of heart as Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde demonstrated last Saturday, when he crashed during the second Downhill in Wengen (SUI) that required a helicopter to remove him from the course, to a hospital in nearby Bern.

Now 31, he has 21 wins and 48 World Cup medals in his 12-year career on the FIS World Cup circuit, two Olympic medals and two 2023 Worlds silvers in the Downhill and Super-G. He knows what he’s doing, but skied out near the finish in Wengen, with cuts to his face and leg and substantial shoulder injuries. His season is over.

But his medical issues are not. He shared a message on X (ex-Twitter) on Thursday that included:

“Thank you to everyone for your support … just a quick update from my end. I am now back in Innsbruck [AUT] with my mom and dad, and will be undergoing surgery again this afternoon for two torn ligaments in my shoulder.

“Considering the impact of the crash and the fact that I went into the net at 120 km/hr [~75 mph], I am doing surprisingly well. Of course, I am thankful there’s no fracture – but I did sustain multiple injuries, including a pretty severe laceration in my calf with some nerve damage that required urgent surgery, and a shoulder dislocation. I’ll spare you guys the graphic photos of the laceration here, because not sure many could stomach them. …

“This is just a bump in the road … it might be one of the bigger bumps I’ve encountered, but right now it’s just about taking one step at a time, day by day. It’s tough, but these opportunities show us what we’re made of. I’m looking forward to tackling this challenge and will try to enjoy the process as much as I can.”

Kilde was also visited by partner Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) and her family in the hospital and following the surgery will begin the healing and rehab process. But it’s not all fun on the slopes, even for the top professionals like Kilde.

He crashed during a third straight day of speed racing in Wengen, following a make-up Downhill on Thursday from an earlier canceled race, a Super-G on Friday and then the second – originally-scheduled – Downhill on Saturday, followed by a Slalom on Sunday. The Saturday Downhill saw 12 of the 57 starters fail to finish, and FIS Race Director Markus Waldner (ITA) told Swiss Radio, “it should absolutely be avoided to hold three speed events in a row at the same location. Because that’s really too heavy for the majority of the starting field.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: France ● The storied Val d’Isere site for alpine skiing had been axed from the French Alps bid for 2030 by the IOC, asking for a more concentrated groups of sites.

Now in “Targeted Dialogue” with the IOC with the goal of completing an agreement to allow selection at this summer’s IOC Session in Paris, the bid group is being asked by Val d’Isere to reconsider.

A new proposal was provided to the French Alps bid coordinators, offering a re-use of the Albertville 1992 site for both the men’s and women’s Slalom and Giant Slalom, and close-by accommodations. Skiing legend and Albertville 1992 Co-President Jean-Claude Killy has openly endorsed the return of Val d’Isere to the venue program, but the ultimate decision is yet to be made.

● Athletics ● Details of the first-time prize money program for the European Athletics Championships in Rome (ITA) were posted Thursday, with €50,000 (~$54,383) prizes given to the top performing winner in each of five event groupings for men and women!

The groups are Sprints & Hurdles, Middle & Long Distance, Throws, Jumps and Road-Combined Events-Relays, for men and women, with the award to be determined by reference to the point value on the World Athletics Scoring Table.

So, 10 athletes will win €50,000 each and the rest will get nothing. Wow.

● Esports ● The International Esports Federation announced that qualification-event entries for its 2024 World Championships in Riyadh (KSA) continue to grow and will comprise 609 teams from a record 130 countries, out of a total of 139 in the federation.

● Football ● U.S. Soccer named dynamic midfielder Christian Pulisic as its male Player of the Year for 2023, giving him a fourth career selection for the award, tying Landon Donovan for the most ever.

Pulisic won 53% of the vote, ahead of Yunus Musah (21.5%) and Ricardo Pepi (12.9%). Pulisic was named Best Player of the 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League as the U.S. won its second-straight title and has been an important contributor for AC Milan in Serie A in Italy. He scored six goals for the national team and had three assists, the leading goal contributor on the team.

The match schedule and locations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will be announced in a special program on Sunday, 4 February 2024 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. The show will be carried on Fox Sports and Telemundo in the U.S.

● Hockey ● Olympic qualification tournaments are reaching their conclusions this weekend, in Oman and Spain for the men and India and Spain for the women.

In Muscat (OMA), Great Britain (3-0) and Pakistan (1-1-1) advanced from Pool A and Germany (2-0-1) and New Zealand (2-0-1) moved on from Pool B. The British will play New Zealand on Saturday and the Germans will face Pakistan in the semis, with the final and third-place games on Sunday. The top three teams qualify for Paris.

The second men’s tournament, at Valencia (ESP) has Pool A winner Belgium (3-0) faced Pool B runner-up South Korea (1-0-2) and Pool B winner Spain (2-0-1) taking on Ireland (2-1) in the semis on Friday. The medal matches will be on Sunday.

The women’s tournament in Ranchi (IND) has Germany and Japan – both 2-0-1 – advancing to the semis, along with the U.S. (3-0) and India (2-1) from Pool B. In Thursday’s semifinals, Germany edged India, 4-3, in the penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 tied and the U.S. got by Japan by 2-1. It was the first goal conceded by the U.S. in its four matches. Germany and the U.S. will play for the tournament title, with India and Japan playing for third and a spot in Paris.

In Valencia, Belgium and Ireland (both 2-0-1) moved on from Pool A and Spain won Pool B at 3-0, with Britain at 2-1. The Belgians got a 3-2 win over the British to move on to the final in the first semifinal, then Spain moved on after a 0-0 tie, but a 3-0 shoot-out win over the Irish. Britain and Ireland will play in the third-place game.

● Water Polo ● USA Water Polo announced an agreement with Mt. San Antonio College for use of its new aquatics complex for training and competitions.

The facility, located about 70 minutes east of Los Angeles, includes two pools, has spectator seating and is an impressive addition to the college, which recently also renovated its famed Hilmer Lodge Stadium for track & field and football. With a practice football field, baseball and softball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer fields, gymnasium and beach volleyball courts, it’s going to be a coveted training site for some National Olympic Committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

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TSX REPORT: IIHF rescinds Israeli exclusion; South Africa’s ANC calls Teeger “genocide supporter”; Mexico drops ‘36 bid, wants YOG

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IIHF removes restrictions, Israel in for U-20s in Sofia
2. Teeger’s removal as South Africa U-19 captain fully politicized
3. French military presence for Paris ‘24 to approach 20,000
4. Mexico ends 2036 Olympic bid, targets YOG
5. USA Badminton Chair and CEO suspended by SafeSport

● The International Ice Hockey Federation removed its restriction on Israel’s entry for the upcoming men’s World U-20 Championship in Bulgaria, citing security assures from Bulgarian authorities. But the IIHF will review future tournaments one-by-one.

● A provincial office of South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, congratulated Cricket South Africa for removing teen David Teeger as the captain of the country’s men’s U-19 World Cup team and calling him a “genocide supporter.” This is fully political, as South Africa has sued Israel for “genocide” in the International Court of Justice. Cricket was recently admitted as a sport on the 2028 Olympic program for Los Angeles.

● French officials said that about 20,000 soldiers would be involved in security efforts for the Paris 2024 Games, especially for the Torch Relay and for the opening on the Seine. A report on construction for the Games indicates everything will be delivered on time, with just three venues reported behind schedule.

● Mexico will end its bid efforts for the 2036 Olympic Games and concentrate instead on getting a future edition of the Youth Olympic Games, possibly in 2030 or 2034.

● The U.S. Center for SafeSport has suspended both the former Chair and the chief executive of USA Badminton for retaliation against a staff member who reported abuse in 2021. It’s reported to be the first time that SafeSport has suspended a national federation head.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (French team uniforms unveiled) = Milan Cortina 2026 (Thursday deadline for sliding track bids) = Russia (no Paris entries for diving or open-water swimming) = Boxing (World Boxing stages first tournament) = Figure Skating (ISU awards finalists named) = Volleyball (Taiwan says Asian U-20 men’s champs removed under Chinese pressure) ●

1.
IIHF removes restrictions, Israel in for U-20s in Sofia

“Following recent exchanges and extensive discussions with all involved stakeholders, the IIHF has received from the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Bulgaria and the related Organizing Committee the required confirmation for the safety and security support needed to allow the Israeli National Team to take part in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III, Group A (WM20IIIA), which will take place in Sofia in the period of 22-29 January 2024.

“Namely, the IIHF has received confirmation and details from the relevant authorities regarding all security measures that will be implemented to address the identified risks associated with allowing the Israeli national team to participate in this Championship.”

Wednesday’s announcement from the International Ice Hockey Federation came just a week after the federation’s removal of the Israeli team from the tournament for what it called “concerns over the safety and security of all participants in the Championships,” declaring that “Israel will not participate in IIHF Competitions for the time being.”

A firestorm of protests from Israel, an inquiry by the National Hockey League and others led to a second statement last Friday, in which the IIHF clarified that only the 2024 men’s World U-20 Championship in Division III, Group A would be affected. The action ended an emergency appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the Israeli Ice Hockey Association eight hours before a hearing was to be convened.

However, the IIHF made clear in its Wednesday update that only the men’s U-20 Worlds (Division III-A) has been settled:

“A one-week tournament with the participation of the Israeli National Team without any guarantee about safety and security of all people involved is irresponsible. Therefore, the IIHF will keep monitoring the situation and reviewing its upcoming Championships on a case-by-case basis. In close collaboration with our stakeholders and local authorities, we will strive to find the necessary conditions and support to allow the Israeli teams to participate. Further decisions will be taken and notified in February 2024.”

Still at issue, then, is the Israeli participation in the men’s Division II Worlds (Group A) in Belgrade (SRB) from 21-27 April. and the Division III women’s Worlds (Group B) from 24-29 March in Kohtia-Jarve, Estonia.

But for now, Israel is back in. Olympic Committee of Israel Chair Yael Arad, also a new member of the International Olympic Committee, told the Jerusalem Post:

“We are very excited by the international association’s announcement that it retracts its decision and invites the Israeli national team to participate in the tournament in Bulgaria. …

“This is not only a victory for Israeli sports but also for the people of Israel.”

2.
Teeger’s removal as South Africa U-19 captain fully politicized

On Monday, Neville Delport, the African National Congress Western Cape Provincial Secretary, issued a lengthy statement that fully politicized the ongoing controversy over the removal of 19-year-old David Teeger – because he is Jewish – as captain of the South African men’s U-19 cricket team for the upcoming International Cricket Council World U-19 Championship, which will be hosted in South Africa. It was headlined:

“ANC congratulates new Proteas U19 captain Juan James and Primrose Cricket Club and condemns DA’s defence of Israeli genocide supporter, David Teeger”

Western Cape is a South African province located in the southwest section of the country, and the statement was issued from there. Beyond congratulating James, it ended with:

“The ANC also condemns the Democratic Alliance (DA) for coming to the defence of the fired captain, David Teeger. Teeger was removed as the captain after having expressed his public support for the genocidal Israeli Defense Force.

“By threatening to take the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission if Teeger is not reinstated as captain, the DA have yet again proven to the public that they are on the wrong side of history as far as the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people is concerned.”

In South Africa, the African National Congress holds control of the 400-seat Parliament with 230 seats to 84 for the Democratic Alliance and 86 seats scattered among other parties. However, in the Western Cape, the DA has 24 seats out of 42, to 12 for the ANC. So, the issue is fully political now and tied to the South African government’s criticism of Israel and its filing at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide in its response to the murderous 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza.

Zev Krengel, the Vice President of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, said that at a meeting with Cricket South Africa – which removed Teeger as captain – the excuses melted away:

“They started the meeting by saying it was a report from the State Security Agency. When we challenged them on who wrote it they stepped down from saying it was a report to saying it was a briefing. When asked who gave the briefing they refused to tell us. They admit there’s no security report. So there’s only two options, anti-Semitism at CSA or massive political interference from the ANC.

“The last point I tried to make [at the meeting] is, can we agree that this is a sad day for Cricket South Africa, that the only way they felt they could run the tournament is to strip a Jew of his captaincy? None of them could agree. I feel it’s a sad day for CSA, a sad day for South Africa, and if the ICC does nothing about it it will be a black mark on the ICC’s name.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will not intervene, telling The Guardian (GBR): “Team selection including captaincy is an issue for members and not the ICC. An international federation is not constituted to intervene in team selections.”

The Times of Israel reported that during an inquiry into Teeger’s comments supporting Israel during an awards ceremony last October, attorney Wim Trengrove – who found Teeger had done nothing wrong – also found:

“In his ruling, Trengove noted that a director of Diadora South Africa, whom Trengove identified as Azhar Saloojee, had said that the firm ‘will not tolerate Mr. Teeger playing in any competition sponsored by Diadora.’ Diadora is a sponsor of the Jozi Cup, a community-based winter cricket club in South Africa.”

The newspaper’s inquiry about this to Diadora, an Italian apparel firm, went unanswered.

The U-19 World Cup begins on Friday (19th) and continues to 11 February, in five South African cities, with 16 teams and South Africa playing the West Indies in Potchefstroom. Teeger remains on the squad, but is no longer the captain.

Cricket (T20) was added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games program last October.

3.
French military presence for Paris ‘24 to approach 20,000

The French Army will provide about 20,000 soldiers to support the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to Gen. Pierre Schill, the Chief of the General Staff of the French Ground Forces.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, he explained:

“The Olympic Games will be an extremely important event for our country. The armed forces will be there at this important moment, and we will deploy almost 20,000 men and women from the armed forces and ground forces.”

Military support will accompany the Olympic Torch Relay that begins in France on 8 May, and during the Games period, “a part will be mobilized for the protection, in the broad sense, of the Olympic Games, in support of the internal security forces.”

There will also be a significant assignment of forces to secure the Olympic Opening Ceremony on the Seine River.

Nicolas Ferrand, the head of Solideo, the French government agency responsible for the construction of Olympic sites for the 2024 Games, told a French Senate commission on Wednesday:

“There are three sites out of 70 that are being monitored, without the schedule being at risk.

“Overall, the works are totally on time and they are within the budget given to us, and with the levels of ambition that were set.”

He noted that the sites concerned were a section of the Olympic Village, the renovation of the Grand Palais monument in Paris (site of fencing) and a training site for swimming in Colombes, now set to be finished in June.

Agence France Presse reported that the total attendance limit for the 26 July opening of the Olympic Games on the Seine is likely to be limited to 500,000 vs. the 600,000 limit suggested earlier.

4.
Mexico ends 2036 Olympic bid, targets YOG

“We had a talk with the International Olympic Committee and we saw that the competition is very tough.

“We are turning around to see if we can have the bid for the Youth Olympic Games, which is where we would have a great chance.”

“It would be before the 2036 Games … We are in talks with the IOC.”

That’s from Comite Olimpico Mexicano President Maria Jose Alcala, speaking at a Tuesday reception for sponsors, explaining that the country’s target of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games is, at present, judged to be unrealistic.

So the Youth Olympic Games, held so far in Singapore (2010), Nanjing (CHN: 2014), Buenos Aires (ARG: 2018) and coming to Dakar (SEN) in 2026, are now the target. The scale is far smaller, with about 4,000 athletes in 35 sports vs. 10,500 or more for an Olympic Games. No host has been named for the 2030 or 2034 Youth Olympic Games.

Mexico hosted the Pan American Games as recently as 2011 in Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco. Alcala said Tuesday that there is interest from the state of Nuevo Leon, in the northeastern part of the country to explore bidding to replace Barranquilla (COL) as host of the 2027 Pan American Games:

“There is an approach from Nuevo Leon, they are the only ones who have approached us. That is still under discussion.”

Mexico announced an intention to explore an Olympic bid for 2036 last October.

5.
USA Badminton Chair and CEO suspended by SafeSport

The entries on the U.S. Center for SafeSport disciplinary database is typically cryptic, but clear:

● Kenneth ‘Ken’ Wong of USA Badminton was suspended as of 5 January for “retaliation” with probation and education required.

● Linda French of USA badminton was suspended as of 5 January for “Failure to report,” “Abuse of Process” and “retaliation” with probation and education required.

Wong is the former Chair of the USAB Board of Directors (2019-23), and has continued as an Independent Director; French – a two-time Olympian in the sport – was named USAB chief executive in April 2021. The suspensions were noted as “Subject to appeal/not yet final.”

USA Badminton issued a statement on 11 January, including:

“The USCSS Notices of Decision stipulate that Linda French and Ken Wong are prohibited from ‘… participating, in any capacity, in any event, program, activity, or competition authorized by, organized by, or under the auspices of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the National Governing Bodies recognized by the USOPC, a Local Affiliated Organization as defined by the Code, or at a facility under the jurisdiction of the same.’ The USAB board requested written clarification from the USCSS and received it on January 11, 2024.

“Effective January 11, 2024, Linda French, CEO of USA Badminton, is suspended without pay, and Ken Wong is suspended from the USAB board. Both Linda French and Ken Wong are suspended from USA Badminton.”

An Orange County Register story from investigative reporter Scott Reid noted that Wong’s sanction was for two years and French’s for five years, based on an incident with USAB chief of staff Alistair Casey, who wanted to report to SafeSport an abuse case in 2021. He did and was fired, later obtaining a $1 million wrongful-termination settlement from USAB. The retaliation counts against Wong and French were for the firing of Casey.

Reid wrote that the suspension of French was believed to be the first of a National Governing Body by SafeSport since its formation in 2018.

A suit for defamation was filed in Indiana last September by the USA Badminton general counsel, and is continuing.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The uniforms for the French team for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris were revealed on Tuesday, with vibrant looks from designer Stephane Ashpool (FRA) that will be provided by Le Coq Sportif.

The uniforms package, highlighted by the French flag colors of blue, white and red, will include competition uniforms, training apparel, ceremonies and casual wear, with an estimate of 162,000 total pieces. Four French federations – athletics, basketball, football and handball – will retain their current suppliers for the Paris Games, at a cost of €400,000 (about $435,356 U.S.) that will be paid to the CNOSF, the French National Olympic Committee.

Le Coq Sportif will also outfit Olympic competition officials and some Paris 2024 organizing committee staff.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano noted Wednesday that the deadline for construction companies to submit a bid for the construction of a sliding track in Cortina for the 2026 Winter Games was due by Thursday (18th) at noon.

Last summer, no bids were received to build a new Cortina track, leading to questions about using the now-abandoned Cesana Pariol (Turin 2006) track or holding the events on an existing track in Austria, Germany, Switzerland or Lake Placid in the U.S. According to the story (computer translation from the original Italian):

“The cost of the contract remained at 81 million and 610 thousand euros, of which 76.7 million were for works and 4.9 million for safety costs. The overall cost is however 118.4 million euros, because another 36.8 million expenses must be added. The main items are: administrative expenses 3.9 million, planning 8.9 million, VAT 12 million, laboratory tests 1.2 million.” (€1 = $1.09 U.S.)

The timetable is tight: construction to start in February, certification tests beginning by 15 March 2025, test events beginning 1 October 2025 and completion by 15 October. The 2026 Winter Games will begin on 6 February 2026.

The Milan Cortina organizing committee has said it will have a solution to the venue issue by the end of this month.

● Russia ● No Russian entries were received for February’s World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT), meaning that there will be no Russians in open-water swimming or diving at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The Doha Worlds were the last opportunity for qualification in those disciplines. World Aquatics told the Russian news agency TASS:

“After consultation with the Aquatics Integrity Unit, we can confirm that there are currently no Russian athletes registered to participate in the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.”

● Boxing ● The first tournament organized under the auspices of World Boxing since its November Congress began in Sheffield (GBR) on Wednesday, the World Boxing Cup: GB Open – Sheffield 2024.

Ninety fighters from 16 countries were registered; the federation has 14 members, but boxers from Antigua and Barbuda and Gambia were allowed to enter with permission of the World Boxing Executive Board.

● Figure Skating ● The finalists for the International Skating Union’s Skating Awards on 11 February were announced on Wednesday. Six categories will be awarded.

The nominees for “Most Valuable Skater,” defined as “the Single Skater or Pair or Ice Dance Couple who promoted Figure Skating – due to a successful competition season, creating (social) media attention and engagement in 2023,” included:

● Ilia Malinin (USA) ~ men’s 2023 Worlds bronze medalist
● Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) ~ women’s 2023 World Champion
● Shoma Uno (JPN) ~ men’s 2023 World Champion

Awards will also be made for Best Newcomer, Most Entertaining Program, Best Costume, Best Choreographer and Best Coach. The winners will be decided by a six-person jury of former champions, including American Brian Boitano.

● Volleyball ● More politics in sports, as Kyodo News reported a statement on Wednesday that Taipei City (TPE) was being replaced as the site of the 20-27 July men’s Asian U-20 Volleyball Championship at the request of China.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Taipei City was still shown as the event host, but the Taiwan volleyball federation said that the event was being moved to Indonesia. The Asian Volleyball Confederation was reported to have agreed on Monday to change the site at China’s request, with the Chinese federation saying it could not send a team to Taiwan due to “complexities in cross-Taiwan Strait political relations.”

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TSX REPORT: Russian trampoline head: we’re not going to Olympics; Barranquilla stays out for 2027 Pan Ams; Shiffrin golden again!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Closing Thursday: An Athens 1896 Olympic Champion medal and Steve Genter‘s Munich ‘72 medals trio highlight a 437-item, eye-opening show by RR Auction ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Russian trampoline chief: not going to Olympics
2. No movement from Panam Sports on Colombia request
3. Shiffrin golden in Flachau despite Kilde concerns
4. Two-time Olympic medalist swimmer Hali Flickinger retires
5. Lake Placid 1980 torch at $33,809 so far at RR Auction

● The head of the Russian Trampoline Federation said his athletes won’t go to Paris – if qualified – under the current regulations of the International Olympic Committee. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister said the emphasis now is on developing events in Russia for its athletes, a project which the IOC and others have already criticized.

● Despite a request from the Colombian President, Panam Sports shows no interest in revisiting its removal of the 2027 Pan American Games from Baranquilla. Bids are due by the end of the month, with Asuncion in Paraguay and Lima, Peru, apparently at the top of the list.

● Despite rushing to a Swiss hospital to be with her injured partner, Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, American skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin won her 94th World Cup gold in the night Slalom in Flachau, Austria on Tuesday.

● There was no formal announcement, just an Instagram post that mentioned in passing that two-time Olympic medal winner Hali Flickinger of the U.S. has retired and is selling real estate in the Phoenix, Arizona area!

● A major auction of 437 Olympic memorabilia items by Boston-based RR Auction will conclude on Thursday, with a rare torch from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games attracting the most attention so far at more than $33,000.

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (FIS rips Lehmann for World Cup schedule critique) = Athletics (Birmingham’s Euro 2026 funding increased) = Snowboard (Bormolini and Hofmeister best in Bad Gastein Parallel Slalom) ●

1.
Russian trampoline chief: not going to Olympics

While the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced that 14 Belarusian athletes were approved as “neutrals” for international competitions (plus 16 officials) in the Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline disciplines, Nikolai Makarov, President of the Russian Trampoline Federation told the Russian news agency TASS:

“None of our athletes are going to go to the Olympic Games under the conditions that the IOC put forward to us.

“As for our athletes receiving neutral status, we are considering this possibility, but have not yet decided on this issue. Therefore, athletes from Russia are not yet among the participants in the qualifying stages of the World Cup, although we are conducting certain negotiations.”

In the last Trampoline World Championships in which the Russian Gymnastics Federation was allowed to compete – in 2019 – Russian led the total medal count with nine, winning five events. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Russian entries finished fifth and sixth in the men’s Trampoline final and seventh in the women’s.

Olympic qualification in Trampoline is possible through the FIG World Cup series in 2024, with events scheduled in Baku (AZE) from 23-25 February, at Alkmaar (NED) on 13-14 March, and in Cottbus (GER), from 22-24 March.

In the meantime, Russia continues planning for its own events. Asked about the possibility of a future Olympic Games in Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko telling reporters on Tuesday:

“Russia has always supported the Olympic Movement, now, unfortunately, it is very sick. We hope it will recover, and we will return to this issue. For now, on the instructions of the [Russian] President, we are developing new formats that do not depend on the desires of international sports officials.”

Russia has scheduled a BRICS Games in Kazan for 12-23 June 2024, and a World Friendship Games in Yekaterinburg and Moscow for 15-29 September. (“BRICS” = Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)

The International Olympic Committee has already railed against these events, and last December’s Olympic Summit specifically pushed back:

“[T]he Russian government, following a decree from the President of the Russian Federation, intends to organise clearly politically motivated sports events in Russia. …

“Furthermore, the Summit was informed that athletes would be very concerned about being forced into participation in such politically motivated sports events, thereby becoming part of a political propaganda campaign.

“The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF) reaffirmed their recommendations to IFs not to be involved in any way in such politically motivated sports events. They confirmed that every IF should refuse to consider the inclusion of such events in its international sports calendar and should not acknowledge the results achieved by athletes at these events.

“The President of [Association of National Olympic Committees] and representatives of Continental Associations of NOCs declared that their organisations would in no way support the participation of athletes in such events.”

2.
No movement from Panam Sports on Colombia request

On 3 January, Panam Sports announced that the 2027 Pan American Games had been removed from Barranquilla, Colombia due to “countless breaches of current contracts,” including a failure to pay a $4 million installment of the Pan American Games hosting fee by the end of 2023.

Added emergency meetings of the Panam Sports Executive Committee were held over the next week, with a letter sent to the 41 member National Olympic Committees on 5 January, calling for letters of interest (with government support) by the end of the month to take over the 2027 Pan American Games.

Despite the request of Colombian President Gustavo Petro to meet with Panam Sports head Neven Ilic (CHI) and a statement that the $8 million owed by the Colombian government – the $4 million at the end of the year and $4 million due on 31 January 2024 – can be paid quickly, whispers from the latest meetings indicate that no change is forthcoming and Barranquilla is out.

In fact, Ilic, who is also an International Olympic Committee member, is expected to attend the IOC’s Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon (KOR), beginning Friday and continuing to 1 February. Nine countries from the Panam Sports region are sending 239 athletes to compete.

A strong bid for the 2027 Pan American Games is expected from Asuncion (PAR), as well as from Lima (PER), which successfully hosted the 2019 Pan Ams and Parapan Ams. There are also possible bids from Sao Paulo in Brazil – which hosted the event in 1963 and has shown interest in the 2031 Pan Ams – and from Guadalajara in Mexico, the 2011 host.

3.
Shiffrin golden in Flachau despite Kilde concerns

It hasn’t been an easy week for U.S. skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, but she did not let it get in the way of a significant win in Tuesday night’s FIS Alpine World Cup Slalom in Flachau (AUT).

Shiffrin’s schedule was scrambled with the injury to Norwegian star and partner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, a calf injury and cuts on his face during a crash in Wengen (SUI) last Saturday and had to be airlifted to a Bern hospital. Shiffrin was at the hospital, then headed back to the Women’s World Cup tour in Austria.

Shiffrin herself had been ill and skipped the prior week’s speed races in Zauchensee (AUT).

On Tuesday, Shiffrin completed the first run in second place, trailing Beijing 2022 Olympic champ Petra Vlhova (SVK), 53.01-53.08. But the American star took the lead on the second run, posting a 56.27 time, meaning that Vlhova had to finish in 56.34 to tie, or faster to win. But the Slovakian star posted a 56.61 second run, seventh-best in the field, and Shiffrin had a 1:49:35 to 1:49.62 win. Swede Sara Hector was third (1:50.46) for her first career World Cup Slalom medal.

The amazing Shiffrin, 28, sets records every time she wins, and now has 94 career World Cup golds, the most in history, with 57 in the Slalom, also the most of any skier ever. It’s also her fifth win in Flachau.

She also has 148 career World Cup medals, closing in on the most ever, now just seven behind the record of 155 by Swede Ingemar Stenmark, who competed from 1973-89. Said Shiffrin after the win:

“I’m really proud of this evening and very thankful for my whole team. These last days have been very challenging. They’ve been so supportive and helped me go see Aleks.

“This is really emotional now. The last three days I feel like I lived a lifetime.”

4.
Two-time Olympic medalist swimmer Hali Flickinger retires

There was no announcement and no news conference. But SwimSwam.com reported on an Instagram post by two-time Olympic medal winner Hali Flickinger of the U.S. that included:

“I moved out here [to Phoenix] in 2019 and ended up never leaving!! Let me explain…

“The reason we moved was to continue my athletic career thinking I would only be here for a few years until heading back to the east coast where I am originally from. Well that didn’t happen!

“We came out in August and I fell in LOVE with Arizona. I belong wherever the sun is shining and the temperatures are warm!!

“In 3 weeks I bought a house, have since completed my athletic career, and now living here full time with no plans of leaving!!

“Never in a million years did I think we would decide to stay in AZ and continue to built our lives in a state we moved to knowing NOTHING about.

“We moved here with no family so thought for sure it was just a short pit stop but we have no plans on leaving! In fact our families love it so much that they most likely will eventually move be out here too!

“Life is strange sometimes and opens doors you don’t recognize till you are in them! Moving to Arizona was a magical change for us and we can’t imagine our lives any other way!! AZ is home.”

Originally from Pennsylvania, Flickinger, 29, ranked ninth in the world in 2023 in the 200 m Butterfly (2:06.80) and was a two-time Olympian in 2016 and 2020, winning bronze medals in Tokyo in the 200 m Fly and 400 m Medley. She was clearly a candidate for a third U.S. team in 2024, and moved to Arizona to work with legendary coach Bob Bowman at Arizona State. But life apparently got in the way.

She won four World Championships medals, including two 4×200 m Freestyle golds in 2017 and 2022 and silvers in the 200 m Fly in 2019 and 2022.

A finance major at Georgia, where she was on three NCAA champion teams, she married fellow Bulldogs swimmer Martin Grodzki (GER) in 2019. As she noted in her post, she is now selling real estate in the Phoenix area and onto the next chapter in her life. She finishes with bests of 2:05.65 in the 200 m Fly (no. 3 all-time U.S.) and 4:33.96 in the Medley, no. 8 in U.S. history.

5.
Lake Placid 1980 torch at $33,809 so far at RR Auction

A marvelous, 437-item auction of Olympic memorabilia is heading towards the close, with Olympic torches and medals the items of interest so far for Boston-based RR Auction.

Its opening auction of 2024 will close on Thursday (18th), with opening bids due on items by 6 p.m. Eastern time. Granted that auctions always get heated just before closing, the top bids in the auction as of 6 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday included:

● $33,809: 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic torch
● $23,582: 1896 Athens winner’s medal (silver)
● $19,489: 1936 Berlin gold medal
● $17,270: 1964 Tokyo gold medal and athlete badge
● $12,559: 1896 Athens second-place medal (bronze)

To have two excellent editions of 1896 Athens medals is impressive; silver medals were awarded to the winners and bronze to the runner-ups. The 1896 Athens bronze includes the original case in amazingly good condition; the custom of gold, silver and bronze medals did not appear until the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

The Lake Placid 1980 Winter torch is especially rare as only 140 were produced, and only 52 torchbearers participated in the relay.

For those looking to acquire a set of medals – gold, silver and bronze – from a Games, American swimmer Steve Genter’s trio of medals from Munich 1972 is available and had a modest high bid of $8,985 as of Tuesday evening. Genter won gold in the men’s 4×200 m Free relay, a silver behind Mark Spitz in the 200 m Free and the bronze in the controversial 400 m Free.

With the 2024 Paris Games coming this summer, 16 items from the 1924 Paris Games are available, starting with a gold medal, with a high bid so far of $7,321. A silver medal has drawn a top bid of $2,148.

In the memorabilia area, two items have done especially well so far: a 1908 London “Comite D’Honeur” badge now at $5,790 and a 1964 Tokyo badge for IOC President Avery Brundage (USA), at $5,087 so far. All will be finalized on Thursday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● After major crashes by stars Alexis Pinturault (FRA) and Kilde at the four days of racing at Wengen last week, Swiss-Ski chief Urs Lehmann criticized the heavy men’s Alpine World Cup calendar.

This was significantly due to the weather cancellations of six of the first seven races of the year, in Solden (AUT), the Zermatt-to-Cervinia Downhill and all three races at Beaver Creek, Colorado. One of the Wengen Downhills was a Beaver Creek make-up.

However, FIS was irritated with Lehmann’s comments and posted a message on Tuesday that condemned his actions, especially as a FIS Council member:

“The comments have harmed the reputation of the FIS Council, and are disrespectful to our Race Directors and to the whole FIS team who are working hard at the races to offer the best possible conditions for the athletes and their teams.

“The strength of the ski and snowboard family is that together we are greater than the sum of our parts. Together we can make sure that our sport develops. When that spirit of togetherness is regularly undermined by one-upmanship or power games, we all suffer. Our sport suffers.

“That is why FIS will always defend itself against such accusations.”

Lehmann lost to Swede Johan Eliasch for the FIS Presidency in 2022 in a four-way contest.

● Athletics ● Doubts about the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham (GBR) over finances have likely been resolved, with a grant of £600,000 from the West Midlands Combined Authority to the Birmingham City Council and, ultimately, to the organizing committee. (£1 = $1.26 U.S. today)

The WMCA contributed £13.7 million in March 2030 to support the event and now another £600,000. Further, the British government will add support of up to £680,000 to close the funding gap and ensure the event is held as planned.

● Snowboard ● Germany’s Ramona Theresia Hofmeister got back on the winning track after a rare loss with a victory in Tuesday’s Parallel Slalom World Cup in Bad Gastein (AUT).

The two-time Worlds Parallel Slalom medalist took the final by 0.18 seconds from Austrian home favorite – and Worlds bronze medalist – Sabine Schoeffmann in the final for her fourth win in the five races held so far this season, Italy’s Jasmine Coratti won her second medal of the season with the bronze as Julie Zogg (SUI) fell in the third-place final.

The men’s race went to Italian Maurizio Bormolini, who won his second World Cup gold of the season and defended his 2023 win here, this time over Austrian Arvid Auner. Fellow Austrian Fabian Obmann won his first medal of the season with the bronze over countryman and three-time Worlds Parallel Slalom gold medalist Benjamin Karl, who fell.

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TSX REPORT: The story behind the IOC’s “Olympic Tickets”; FIG OKs 30 Belarusians as neutrals; a reprieve for Israel after all?

By
Rich Perelman
-
A shared Olympic Ticket for Paris 2024 for sport climbers Colin Duffy (USA), Jakob Schubert (AUT) and Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) in men's boulder and lead. (Photo: @Olympics on Instagram)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Closing Thursday: An Athens 1896 Olympic Champion medal and Steve Genter‘s Munich ‘72 medals trio highlight a 437-item, eye-opening show by RR Auction ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Where did the “Olympic tickets” idea come from?
2. FIG approves 30 Belarusians as gymnastics “neutrals”
3. IIHF chief says Israel still might play in Sofia
4. Targeted 2030 and 2034 Winter Games bid teams meet in Park City
5. Messi, Bonmati honored as FIFA’s “The Best”

● The now-ubiquitous “Olympic Tickets” for athletes qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games actually started in 2020, with a promotion for the African boxing qualifier organized by the International Olympic Committee. Pretty clever.

● The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced the approval of 14 Belarusian gymnasts – including multiple Olympic and World medalists – and 16 coaches and officials as “neutrals” for the purpose of competing in FIG events in 2024. However, with the European federation shutting Russia and Belarus out of its 2024 events, how will they qualify for Paris?

● The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation said that it might still be possible for Israel’s team to compete in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U-20 World Championship Division III Group B in Sofia, with the help of Bulgarian officials.

● The President of one of the two French Alps regions that are targeted to host the 2030 Olympic Winter Games visited Park City, Utah last week to begin a cooperation project with the Salt Lake City organizers, targeted to host the 2034 Winter Games.

● FIFA announced its “The Best” winners for 2023, with Argentine icon Lionel Messi winning his eighth trophy for the men, and Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati winning for the women. Brazilian women’s star Marta was honored with a special award and the anti-racism actions of the Brazilian men’s team was saluted with the Fair Play Award.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (80% of torchbearers have been selected) = Athletics (Nilsen and Morris get world-leading vault wins in Reno) = Football (Saudis announce cliffside stadium for 2034 World Cup) = Swimming (743 U.S. Trials qualifiers so far) = Tennis (Bulgarian umpire gets 16-year ban for corruption!) ●

1.
Where did the “Olympic tickets” idea come from?

One of the really clever promotions developed in advance of the Tokyo Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee was the creation of an “Olympic ticket” given to athletes who secure qualification to the Games.

Now it’s everywhere, handed out at single-sport events like the Breaking World Championships in Belgium, the FIG Rhythmic World Championships in Spain, the ISA World Surfing Championships in El Salvador and so on. And also at team events like the FIBA men’s World Cup held last year in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan and the men’s and women’s FIVB Olympic qualifiers in Brazil and China, respectively.

And of course at major multi-sport events with qualifying events like the European Games in Poland and the Pan American Games in Chile.

But it all started prior to the Tokyo Olympic Games at the African Olympic Qualifying Tournament from 20-29 February 2020 in Diamniadio, Senegal. Of course, what better way to symbolize qualifying for the Olympic Games in boxing than to “punch” your ticket to the Games!

The idea came from the IOC’s @Olympics global social-media team as a prop to use for the IOC’s social-media coverage of the boxing qualifiers for Tokyo, remembering that the IOC took over the management of the boxing qualification process in place of the now-derecognized International Boxing Association (formerly AIBA).

Now, as the IOC has adopted an aggressive promotion of the Olympic qualifying process via Recommendation 6 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5: “Enhance and promote the Road to the Olympic Games,” which specifically notes:

“Depending on the definition, there are hundreds or even thousands of events which act as Olympic qualifiers. However, today, there are very few opportunities to connect these events with the Olympic Games through branding and other initiatives. The Olympic and OCOG brands effectively have no visibility and therefore the Road to the Olympic Games is not as visible as it should be.”

It doesn’t work for every sport, since individual qualification for the Games is often not determined by a finish in a specific event, but where an athlete might stand in world rankings, or in a national event in which a quota place is obtained in a domestic tournament, such as at a U.S. Olympic Trials. Maybe, in coordination with the relevant International Federations, these will be included in the future.

The “tickets” come in varying sizes, with smaller ones for individuals and larger ones for group photos and team events. It’s a fun idea and a worthwhile promotional tool that’s a great way to actually reward an athlete with a memento of the moment when they clinched their spot as an Olympian-to-be.

2.
FIG approves 30 Belarusians as gymnastics “neutrals”

The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique announced the approval of 30 Belarusian athletes, coaches and officials as “Authorized Neutral Athletes” who can come in FIG events in 2024.

The list included 14 athletes: seven in Trampoline, three in Rhythmic Gymnastics and three in Artistic, plus 10 coaches, four judges and two medical staff. Among the approved athletes were multiple international medal winners:

Rhythmic:
● Alina Harnasko: Tokyo 2020 All-Around bronze medalist, six-time Worlds medal winner (1-2-3)
● Anastasiia Salos: Three-time Worlds medal winner (0-0-3)

Trampoline:
● Andrei Builou, 2021 Worlds double gold medalist
● Ivan Litvinovich, Tokyo 2020 gold medalist
● Aleh Rabtsau, 2021 Worlds three-medal winner (2-0-1)

Harnasko and Litvinovich are clear medal possibilities for Paris, but although they have been approved by the FIG, they will not be allowed to compete at the European Championships, the clearest pathway, due to the continuing ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors by the European Gymnastics Union.

Harnasko’s options in Rhythmic are extremely limited if she is not able to participate in the Europeans, perhaps only as an invited athlete usually held out for smaller countries.

In Trampoline, there is a qualifying path through the 2024 Trampoline World Cup Series for both men and women and the three Belarus stars might be able to qualify that way.

No mention of any Russian applications was made by the FIG in its announcement of the approved Belarusians.

3.
IIHF chief says Israel still might play in Sofia

The International Ice Hockey Federation’s ban on Israel’s participation in the upcoming Division III-Group B U-20 World Championship on Sofia (BUL), might still be possible.

The IIHF issued a detailed explanation of its decision last Friday, including more specifics:

“This decision currently affects the Israeli National Team’s participation in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U-20 World Championship Division III Group B scheduled to start on 22 January 2024. This event has been originally planned to be held in Israel, but due to already existing safety and security concerns being moved to Bulgaria.”

However, IIHF President Luc Tardif (FRA) reportedly told Radio-Canada in a statement:

“We have already made good progress with the Bulgarian authorities on Friday. If all goes well and they confirm certain security guarantees on Monday [15th], we should be able to integrate the Israel team for the Under-20 World Championship.”

That would be good news, but no confirmation on Monday.

The IIHF has been bitterly criticized for the Israeli ban, with an inquiry also coming from the National Hockey League, and, of course, Israeli officials. The Olympic Committee of Israel is working on an appeal of the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

4.
Targeted 2030 and 2034 Winter Games bid teams
meet in Park City

All smiles during the Park City, Utah visit of one of the leaders of the French Alps bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games last week, Renaud Muselier, the President of the Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) region, one of the two regions working together.

The visit was part of a larger tour of Utah organized through the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. Asked if the French bid team had enough time to prepare the necessary documentation and government guarantees, he told reporters:

“All the things cannot be perfect because we go very fast. But we will be ready.

“We have snow, we have ski resorts, we have skiers. We know how to do (it), in fact. We know how to organize international competitions in the south of France.

“Everybody knows the Riviera. Everybody knows that. But not everybody knows that we are an Alps region.”

He also noted that the relationship between his bid team and the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games was in sync:

“[Salt Lake City] will be ready in 2030 … but they are so close to Los Angeles [2028], it’s not good for the USA. To the USA, the French, we are saying, ‘That’s OK. Go team.’”

Fraser Bullock, the head of the Salt Lake City bid and the Chief Operating Officer of the 2002 Winter Games held in Salt Lake City, said that the visit was “a first, where we have two preferred hosts for future Winter Games collaborating together in partnership. … We can learn from each other. We can support each other. And we started this great friendship today.”

Both bids are in “targeted dialogue” with the International Olympic Committee, essentially a collaboration to finalize the selection of each bid with vote of the IOC Session in Paris in July.

5.
Messi, Bonmati honored as FIFA’s “The Best”

The annual FIFA awards for “The Best” in 2023 were announced Monday, with Argentine icon Lionel Messi for the second consecutive year for the men and Spain’s Bonmati talking the women’s honors.

Messi captained the Argentine team in its dramatic FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar in late 2022, won the Ligue 1 title in France with Paris-St. Germain and then turned the U.S. football world upside down with his transfer to Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, becoming a national sensation.

He and Norwegian (and Manchester City) star Erling Haaland actually tied with 48 points under the scoring system that included votes from coaches, national-team captains, news media and fans, but Messi won the tie-breaking captains scoring and took his ninth The Best award.

He previously won in 2009-10-11-12-15-19-22. France’s Kylian Mbappe finished third, with 35 points.

Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati won for “The Best” women’s player, as a star for the FIFA Women’s World Cup winner, Spain. She rolled up 52 points to be a clear winner over Colombia’s 18-year-old scoring ace Linda Caicedo (40) and Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso (36).

Brazil’s Ederson won for The Best men’s goalkeeper, notably for his play for Manchester City, with 23 points, ahead of Belgian (and Real Madrid) star Thibault Courtois (20) and Morocco and Al-Hilal’s Yassine Bounou (16). England (and Manchester United)’s Mary Earps won for The Best women’s keeper for the second straight year, with 28 points to 14 for Cata Coll (ESP) and Australian Mackenzie Arnold (12).

A special award for lifetime achievement was presented to Brazilian women’s star Marta, who won The Best women’s player award six times.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola (ESP) won for the top men’s coach and England coach Sarina Wiegman (ENG) took the honors as the top women’s coach for the fourth time.

Brazil won the Fair Play Award for its statement against racism – especially against national team (and Real Madrid) striker Vinicius Junior in La Liga – by wearing all-black uniforms for the first time during the first half in a friendly against Guinea in June in Barcelona, Spain.

The FIFA-FIFPRO Women’s World 11 included American striker Alex Morgan, the only U.S. player to make either the men’s or women’s all-star team.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Paris 2024 organizers gave an update on the preparations for the Torch Relay, to begin in Marseille in May:

“Of the 11,000 Torchbearers (10,000 for the Olympic Torch Relay and 1,000 for the Paralympic Torch Relay), 80% have today received confirmation that they will be carrying the Torch on one of the two. The final identities will be revealed between now and April. Some will be kept secret until the last moment to maintain the surprise, notably of athletes and personalities.”

The selectees were chosen from more than 100,000 nominations developed from sponsor outreach projects. The actual torchbearers were designated with a quota of 50% men and women and representing all of the departments of France.

● Athletics ● The indoor track & field season is getting underway, with quality, world-leading marks in the vault at the annual Pole Vault Summit in Reno. Olympic silver winner Chris Nilsen won the men’s event at 5.90 m (19-4 1/4), over Zach Bradford and Thibault Collet (FRA), both at 5.92 m (19-1).

Two-time World Indoor Champion and Olympic and Worlds silver winner Sandi Morris took the women’s title at 4.82 m (15-9 3/4). Olympic champ Katie Moon of the U.S. and Anicka Newall (CAN) tied for second at 4.53 m (14-10 1/4).

● Football ● The Associated Press reported on just one of the new stadiums planned by Saudi Arabia for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, for which it is the only bidder.

This one is a 45,000-seat facility designed with a retractable roof to allow year-round use, but built on a 650-foot-high cliff in the new Qiddiya City project about 30 miles outside of the national capital of Riyadh. A lake is slated to be installed beneath it to help provide cooling to the air-conditioning system.

The Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal teams are expected to play their home matches there, with a giant LED wall for entertainment and promotion. That’s one of the 14 required stadia that will be used in 2034.

● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com reported on its tally of swimmers qualified so far for the mammoth U.S. Olympic Trials in June, to be held inside of the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

So far, some 743 swimmers have qualified for Indianapolis, with the field to be closed after 30 May 2024. The qualifiers so far include 408 men and 335 women:

● Bella Sims has qualified in the most events – 11 of the 14 to be contested – with Regan Smith and Katie Grimes at eight.

● Among the men, Kieran Smith and Carson Foster have qualified in eight each, with Shaine Casas at seven.

● The top men’s events by number qualified start with the 200 m Medley at 83, then the 200 m Medley (80), 100 m Free (67), 100 m Fly (65) and 100 m Back (63).

● The top women’s events by total qualifiers start with the 50 m Free (64), then the 100 m Breast (62), 100 m Back (56), 100 m Free (55) and 200 m Free (54).

The 2021 Trials in Omaha had a total of 1,543 qualifiers, with 892 in “Wave I,” which was a qualifier for the actual Olympic selection event known as “Wave II.” There were 651 swimmers who qualified directly for Wave II, with the numbers inflated somewhat by an extra year of swimming due to the postponement of the Tokyo Games.

● Tennis ● How about a 16-year suspension for corruption? That’s the penalty announced Monday by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for Bulgarian official Stefan Milanov “following 17 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).”

Milanov did not contest the charges and was also fined $75,000. The statement noted that the penalties concerned five matches he umpired in 2021:

“The charges included five breaches of Section D.1.b of the 2021 TACP – directly or indirectly facilitating any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of an event; five breaches of Section D.1.m of the 2021 TACP – delaying or manipulating entry of scoring data from any Event for any reason; five breaches of Section D.1.n of the 2021 TACP – directly or indirectly attempting, agreeing or conspiring to commit any Corruption Offense; and two breaches of Section F.2.b of the 2023 TACP – failing to co-operate fully with investigations conducted by the ITIA.”

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For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IIHF explains Israel “restriction”; South Africa demotes Jewish cricket captain; IOC-USOPC-LA28 welcomes InBev sponsorship

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ On now: An Athens 1896 Olympic Champion medal and Steve Genter‘s Munich ‘72 medals trio highlight a 437-item, eye-opening show by RR Auction ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IIHF says Israel not suspended, NHL voices concern
2. South Africa demotes Jewish captain of Cricket U19s
3. AB InBev signs sponsorship with IOC, USOPC and LA28
4. Russian Olympic chief expects loss in IOC appeal
5. Another organizing committee in turmoil, in Taranto

● The International Ice Hockey Federation posted an explanation of its removal of Israel from the men’s Division III Word U-20 Championships on Friday, limiting the action to just the one tournament and promising to review its stance again. The National Hockey League had asked about the issue and former Czech star Bobby Holik, now an American citizen, said “This is just people finding ways to show their antisemitism.”

● Cricket South Africa demoted its men’s U-18 World Cup team member David Teeger – who is Jewish – as captain of the squad in fear of possible violence at the event, which it is hosting in five cities throughout the country. The South African government has filed a petition with the International Court of Justice alleging genocidal actions by Israel in response to the deadly invasion by Hamas on 7 October. Germany has interceded, as politics and sport are again intertwined.

● The International Olympic Committee announced a major sponsorship by AB Inbev for its Corona Cero beer through 2028 and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and LA28 announced a deal with Anheuser-Busch for Michelob ULTRA as their official beer, also through 2028.

● The head of the Russian Olympic Committee expects to lose its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the IOC’s suspension after its absorption of four sports organizations in Ukrainian territory.

● The organization of the 2026 Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy is in turmoil as organizing committee executives were thrown out, but now claim they personally own all of the plans made so far. It’s another regional games in trouble.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. women sweep to IIHF U-18 Worlds win) = Sailing (Rindom wins, U.S.’s Rose surprises in ILCA 6 Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (2: Odermatt wins two, Sarrazin one in Wengen; Huetter, Goggia and Gut-Behrami win in Zauchensee) = Athletics (3: Ngetich crushes world 10 km mark in Spain; American Record for Kelati at Aramco Half; U.S. Marathon Trials worth $12-15 million to Orlando) = Badminton (two wins for China at Malaysia Open) = Biathlon (Norwegian gold rush in Ruhpolding) = Bobsled & Skeleton (German domination continues in St. Moritz) = Cycling (Gigante takes women’s Santos Tour Down Under) = Fencing (2: Italy sweeps men’s Foil medals in Paris; Heathcock surprises in Sabre for U.S.) = Figure Skating (Italy wins two, history for Henrickx at Europeans) = Football (Sofi Stadium apparently confirmed to host 2026 World Cup games) = Handball (world-record attendance to open Euro Champs) = Luge (Four golds for Austria at Innsbruck) = Nordic Combined (Norway sweeps four races at Obertsdorf) = Ski Jumping (2: Kobayashi wins gold in Wisla; Ito wins for home fans in Sapporo) = Snowboard (Karl and Dalmasso take PGS wins at Scuol) = Swimming (Douglass clips 12-year-old American Record at Tyr Pro Swim) ●

1.
IIHF says Israel not suspended, NHL voices concern

In the face of severe blowback, the International Ice Hockey Federation posted on Friday a lengthy explanation of its Wednesday decision to remove the Israeli team from the men’s Division III World U-20 Championship in Sofia (BUL) from 22-28 January. The post included:

“The IIHF Council decided to restrict the Israeli National Team from participating in IIHF Championships on a temporary basis due to safety and security concerns it had for all Championship participants, specifically including the players and team staff from all participating teams. This decision currently affects the Israeli National Team’s participation in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U-20 World Championship Division III Group B scheduled to start on 22 January 2024. This event has been originally planned to be held in Israel, but due to already existing safety and security concerns being moved to Bulgaria.

“The decision is not a sanction against the Israeli Federation and does not affect the Israeli Federation’s status as a full member in good standing with the IIHF.

“IIHF Council will meet in February to assess the safety situation associated with the March and April Championships in which Israel is scheduled to participate and will meet in March to assess the safety situation associated with the April Championship in which Israel is scheduled to participate. This will allow the IIHF Council the ability to deal with each Championship on a case-by-case-basis taking into consideration the facts unique to each location where a respective Championship is scheduled to take place.”

The Israeli women’s team is slated – but was prohibited under the IIHF’s blanket edict of 10 January – to play in the IIHF Women’s Division III-B World Championship in Kohtla-Jarve (EST) from 24-29 March 2024.

The new IIHF explanation included further details of its decision and was important in that:

● It narrowed the decision to the men’s U-20 Division III-B Worlds.

● The IIHF claimed that the nature of the multi-purpose site in Sofia does not allow for closure from the public and is in “a student area with a high population from the affected regions.”

The IIHF notice added:

“The IIHF stands behind the Israeli Federation and wants to secure the safety of all players participating in its championship including players from Israel. …

“The IIHF completely understands that this is a difficult decision and is being made to prioritize security and safety of all involved parties first.”

The detailed notice tried to calm the situation after shrill condemnations from Israeli officials and others, including the National Hockey League. It posted a statement on Saturday which included:

“The NHL has significant concerns with the announcement from the IIHF on Wednesday regarding the Israeli National Team’s eligibility for, and participation in, upcoming IIHF events. We expressed those concerns to the IIHF and have attempted to get a better understanding of both the scope and underlying rationale for the decision that was made. …

“We urge the IIHF to take whatever steps necessary to address its concerns as expeditiously as possible so that Israeli National Teams are not unfairly excluded from future events for which they are eligible and have qualified.”

Bobby Holik, a two-time NHL All-star center and a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams with the New Jersey Devils of the NHL, was a Czech star who married an American women and began a U.S. citizen in 1996. He has coached and run hockey camps in Israel and told the New York Post the IIHF has bowed to anti-Semitism:

“This hockey situation presents a great opportunity for the [NHL] to make a stand and somehow confront the IIHF. To me, this is an extension of the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS). It’s like, ‘Hey, we don’t want to be uncomfortable, we’ll just keep the Jews out of it.’

“This is just people finding ways to show their antisemitism. Nobody stands up. Nobody says anything. So they keep doing it. I could ask NHL and people in hockey to make a stand for Israel, but nobody wants to go that way. The NHL works closely, I believe, with the IIHF on Olympic Games and other things. I think they should somehow put a little heat on the IIHF.”

His comments came a day before the NHL statement was released on Saturday. Holik, 53, who lives in Wyoming, added relative to the IIHF’s ban:

“It is a security matter. Just work a little harder. Spend more money. There is no better thing to do than to invite Israeli teams where you have 16 or 17 year-old Israelis playing against others on the world stage to see that they are not genocidal people. They are people. I think that is the best way.

“Let’s give them the opportunity to mix with others in a safe environment. Trust me, if they are invited, the state of Israel would do everything possible to provide security so that the players are safe. I’ve been there. I cannot go into details, but our teams were always surrounded by security.”

2.
South Africa demotes Jewish captain of Cricket U19s

A stunning statement was posted by Cricket South Africa on Friday, a week in advance of the start of the men’s 2024 U-19 Cricket World Cup:

“As is the case with all such events, CSA has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the World Cup. We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament.

“We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under-19 (SA U19) captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors.

“CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators.

“In all the circumstances, CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament. This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself.

“David will remain an important and active member of the squad and we wish him and the team every success in the tournament. The newly appointed captain will be announced in due course.”

The British newspaper The Telegraph explained it this way:

“Cricket South Africa has stood down its captain, who is Jewish, for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup because of comments he made in support of Israeli soldiers in the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Palestine.”

Teeger praised Israeli soldiers responding to the 7 October invasion by Hamas at a Jewish Achiever Awards ceremony on 22 October. His comments were followed by an immediate complaint by the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance to the South African Sports Confederation and the South African Olympic Committee; a hearing found Teeger had done nothing wrong. Teeger said:

“It was therefore hurtful to read that my personal reflection on 22 October, 2023, of Israel’s response to the Hamas attack has been equated to supporting genocide or condoning hatred based on race, ethnicity or religion.

“Judging the conduct of the different sides during this war is a highly contested and complex matter with strongly held views on both sides. My personal and honestly held view is that Israel and its soldiers have not committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. In addition, this view is held by many people and democratic governments around the world, like the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia and many countries in the European Union.

“Thus, my statements were not in support of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity because in my view Israel is innocent of all these allegations. On the other hand, I accept, that many people and governments, including the South African government, hold an opposing view. Disagreeing in a respectful manner on a contested and emotionally charged matter is a fundamental pillar of our democracy and Constitution. I respect the right of others to disagree with my view on Israel.”

The decision to remove Teeger as captain was met with immediate rebuke, starting with Karen Milner, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies National Chair:

“There is no basis for this decision, other than the fact that Teeger is Jewish.

“This is not the first time that Jews have been excluded from sporting bodies in our history. The SAJBD will do everything in its power to fight against this vicious prejudice.”

The removal of Teeger’s captaincy is all the more amazing given that the tournament – which begins on 19 January in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom – is being played in South Africa, in five cities, having taken over for Sri Lanka in November after a suspension by the International Cricket Council. Cricket was added to the program of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee last October.

However, it also comes during an expanding political firestorm over the Hamas invasion of Israel and Israel’s continuing response. South Africa filed a petition with the International Court of Justice in the Hague (NED) alleging genocide on the part of Israel, prompting not only a furious defense, but also an intervention by Germany as a third party.

German spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a Friday statement:

“In view of Germany’s history and the crime against humanity of the Shoah, the Federal Government sees itself as particularly committed to the Convention against Genocide. This convention is a central instrument of international law to implement ‘never again.’

“The German government decisively and expressly rejects the accusation of genocide brought against Israel before the International Court of Justice. The accusation has no basis in fact.”

By intervening as a third party which has not been involved in the conflict, the Germans will be able to present their own case to the court.

Let it never again be said that sport and politics are not intertwined.

3.
AB InBev signs sponsorship with IOC, USOPC and LA28

A massive three-way sponsorship agreement was announced Friday in the beer category for Belgium-based AB Inbev, the parent of brands such as Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Michelob and more than a dozen others, and the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the LA28 organizing committee:

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer, will become a Worldwide Olympic Partner (TOP Partner) through to 2028. Corona Cero zero-alcohol beer will be the global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games, highlighting the IOC and AB InBev’s commitment to responsible consumption and building a better world.”

This is the first time that a brewer has joined the TOP sponsor group, first established as a worldwide sponsorship opportunity in 1995. Anheuser Busch was a key sponsor of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the new deal significantly includes the LA28 Games.

The announcements of the IOC and USOPC-LA28 sponsorships also noted key brand decisions:

● “AB InBev is committed to accelerating continued progress towards responsible alcohol consumption and moderation worldwide and will work to further that effort by featuring Corona Cero, its fast-growing zero-alcohol beer brand, as the leading global Worldwide Olympic Partner brand.”

● “AB InBev Chief Marketing Officer Marcel Marcondes said: ‘… we expect Corona Cero to accelerate no-alcohol beer growth and moderation for fans all over the world. In the United States, we will support the Olympics through the Olympic and Paralympic Games LA 2028 with Michelob ULTRA, a superior light beer that celebrates an active lifestyle.’”

The USOPC statement highlighted the Anheuser-Busch connection:

“Anheuser-Busch, America’s leading brewer, today announced that Michelob ULTRA has become the exclusive beer sponsor of Team USA for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Milan Cortina 2026, and Los Angeles 2028, and will be the Official Beer Sponsor of the LA28 Games.”

For those not familiar, Michelob ULTRA – a light beer – debuted in 2002 and is ranked as “the No. 2 beer in the industry by volume.”

The sponsorship is welcome news for LA28, which announced three commercial partnerships in 2023 – Eli Lilly & Co., Oakley Eyewear and Ralph Lauren as an “official outfitter” – but none since late July. Eli Lilly is designated as a “Sponsor,” along with “Founding Partners” Comcast, Delta and Salesforce, so the addition of Anheuser Busch brings the Partner and Sponsor total to five.

Observed: That the IOC has agreed for a worldwide sponsor in the beer category – but only for a zero-alcohol brew, Corona Cero – it’s worthwhile to ask if other elements of the alcoholic-beverage category might open. That does not seem immediately likely and the promotion of Corona Cero as the IOC’s official beer surely signals that spirits will not be tolerated in the TOP sponsorship group.

4.
Russian Olympic chief expects loss in IOC appeal

The head of the Russian Olympic Committee said he expects to lose in their appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against its suspension by the International Olympic Committee:

“I have skeptical expectations. The basis of any arbitration tribunal is trust, but there is none.

“I assume that the decision will be made quickly, and this indicates bias. At the heart of the problems that exist today between the ROC and the IOC, there is a geopolitical orientation, pressure.”

Stanislav Pozdnyakov told the Russian news agency TASS that the appeal will be handled by a Swiss attorney and not by any Russian officials, furthermore, than the hearing – from the Russian side, anyway – will be handled by videoconference and no Russian officials will be going to Lausanne to appear in person.

The appeal is scheduled to be heard on 26 January. The IOC suspended the ROC on 12 October, after the absorption of the Ukraine sports organizations in a portion of eastern Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson – invaded by Russia in February of 2022.

5.
Another organizing committee in turmoil, in Taranto

The 2026 Mediterranean Games are scheduled for Taranto (ITA) and according to the Rome daily, Il Fatto Quotidiano, are in trouble. Scheduled for June, the event will be the 20th edition of an event first held in 1951 and which had 3,298 athletes from 26 countries competing in 24 sports in 2022 in Oran (ALG).

Saturday’s story started with (computer translation from the original Italian):

“The former general director, banned from holding public office due to corruption charges, who wants to take away the projects. The old organizing committee practically suing the new one. The Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games were already a full-blown disaster, with monstrous delays and controversies. The usual big event that turned into the classic Italian fool. Now they risk becoming a farce.”

The event had been granted €275 million for new venues (~$301.55 million U.S.) which will apparently not be ready and the original organizing committee was disbanded by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) last summer. But the former chief organizer Elio Sannicarlo, in concert with 12 other former organizing committee staff, have apparently claimed that they – and not the new organizers – own the planning done to date and that its use must be purchased from them.

Reporter Lorenzo Vendemiale noted, “It seems like an absurd claim and will probably be dismissed that way,” but the matter could end up in court and cause more delays. In the meantime, the calendar continues to shrink.

Observed: This is just the latest regional games in chaos, after the 2026 Commonwealth Games, abandoned by the Australian state of Victoria last summer and the 2027 Pan American Games, removed by Panam Sports on 3 January from Barranquilla (COL) after multiple missed contract deadlines.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. won its ninth gold at the IIHF Women’s U-18 World Championship in Zug (SUI), defeating the Czech Republic, 5-1.

After finishing group play with a 3-0 mark, the U.S. sailed past Germany, 4-0, in the quarters, then Finland by 4-2 in the semis and then won the final decisively on Sunday. Margaret Scannell (10:23) and Haley Box (11:37) scored in the first period, but Adela Sapovalivova got one back on a power play at 18:43 of the second period to tighten the game to 2-1.

But Kassidy Charmichael scored just 4:15 into the third for a 3-1 lead and Charmichael iced it with a power play goal at 13:05. Ava Thomas added an empty-netter for the Americans with 1:49 to play for the 5-1 final. The U.S. out-shot the Czechs, 39-20, with Layla Hemp stopping 19 shots in goal for the winners.

In all, the U.S. out-scored its opponents by 32-5. It was the sixth American win in the last nine editions of the tournament. The IIHF Directorate selected Sapovalivova (CZE) as the top forward, Chloe Primerano of Canada as the top defender and Czech Aneta Senkova as the top goalie.

Canada, which lost in the semifinals to the Czechs by 4-2, routed Finland for the bronze by 8-1.

● Sailing ● No doubt about the winner of the women’s ILCA6 (Laser Radial) World Championship in Buenos Aires (ARG), that finished last week: Tokyo Olympic champ Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark.

She won four of the 11 races outright and was in the top 10 in four others to finish with a net of 58 points for her third Worlds gold – also in 2015 and 2022 – and her sixth career Worlds medal (3-0-3).

American Charlotte Rose, the 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist, won her first Worlds medal and catapulted herself into Olympic contention with a second-place finish, scoring 75 net points with eight top-ten finishes and two wins! Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert, the 2018 and 2021 World Champion in this class, finished third with 78 net points and eight races in the top 10. But she could not match Rose’s two wins and fell back to third.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Swiss star Marco Odermatt, the reigning World Cup overall champion and France’s sudden-star Cyprien Sarrazin, dominated the speed skiing in front of big crowds of as many as 30,000 at Wengen (SUI).

Odermatt beat Sarrazin in Thursday’s Downhill, then Sarrazin – who came into this season with a career total of two World Cup medals, at age 29 – won the Friday Super-G, 1:47.75 to 1:48.33, over Odermatt, with Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde third at 1:48.75.

The race was marred by a bad crash near the finish by two-time Combined World Champion Alexis Pinturault, who had to be airlifted from the site, delaying the race for about 25 minutes. He was reportedly to have ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

On Saturday, it was Odermatt beating Sarrazin for the second time in the second Downhill, 2:25.64 to 2:26.23, with Italy’s speed star Dominik Paris getting third (2:27.56). For Sarrazin, it was his fourth medal this season (2-2-0) after two medals all-time before. For Odermatt, it extended his World Cup lead and was his 31st career World Cup gold.

Kilde suffered a bad crash and injured his right leg near the finish of the Saturday Downhill and was also airlifted to a hospital.

Sunday was a Slalom, with Austria’s Manuel Feller – the 2017 Worlds runner-up – taking his third World Cup win in the fourth Slalom run this season! He had the third-fastest first run and second-fastest second run and that added up to a win in 1:50.28, just ahead of Norway’s Atle McGrath (1:50.38), the first-run leader. Fellow Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen took third in 1:50.49; Benjamin Ritchie was the top American, in 20th (1:52.49).

The women’s World Cup was in Zauchensee (AUT), with Austria’s Cornelia Huetter getting her fifth career World Cup gold in Friday’s Super-G in 1:13.17, barely edging Kajsa Vickoff Lie (NOR: 1:13.26) and Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami (1:13.38). It’s Huetter’s third medal of the season (1-1-1).

Italy’s 2018 Olympic Downhill winner Sofia Goggia took Saturday’s Downhill in 1:46.47, ahead of home favorite Stephanie Venier (1:46.57) and fellow Austrian Mirjam Puchner, who tied for third with Nicol Delago (ITA: 1:46.81). It’s the second win of the season for Goggia, and her 24th career World Cup victory.

Sunday brought another Super-G, with Beijing Olympic champ Gut-Behrami (SUI) taking her third win of the season in 1:14.25, beating Huetter (1:15.20) and Puchner (1:15.21). Lauren Macuga was the top U.S. finisher, in 10th (1:15.53).

● Athletics ● Another road world record, as Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich destroyed the women’s 10 km road race mark with a startling 28:46 win at the Valencia Ibercaja 10K in Spain on Sunday.

Ngetich had won 29:26, then the third-fastest time in history at Lille (FRA) on 18 November last year, but hot pacemaking gave Ngetich and fellow Kenyans Emmaculate Anyango and Lilian Rengeruk a shot at the record. Ngetich passed 5 km in 14:13, equal to the world mark set by Kenyan Beatrice Chebet on 31 December in Barcelona, with Anyango just a second behind (24:14: third performance all-time) and Rengeruk at 14:25, the no. 7 performance in history.

Ngetich, 22, broke away from Anyango after 7 km and ran alone to the finish in 28:46, the first time a woman has run faster than 29:00 on road or track. She mauled the only record of 29:14 by Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) from 2022 and Anyango, in second, finished in 28:57 to move to no. 2 all-time. Rengeruk finished third in 29:32, now the no. 4 performer ever.

The men’s 10 km was also hot, with Uganda’s Jakob Kiplimo, the 2020 World Half Marathon champ, winning easily in 26:48 to move to no. 6 on the all-time list. Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew was second in 26:57, now no. 14 all-time, just ahead of Peter Njeru (KEN: 26:59).

At the Chevron Houston Marathon, Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi broke away after 35 km to win in a race record of 2:06:39, a lifetime best and an Olympic qualifying mark. He worked his way up through the pack and won by 21 seconds over Ayana Tsedat (ETH: 2:07:00). Adam Vadeboncoeur was the top American, in 2:18:04.

Ethiopian Jamal Yimer, twice fourth at the World Half Marathon Championship, won the Aramco Half in 60:42, edging Wesley Kiptoo (KEN: 60:43) and Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) and Abbabiya Simbassa of the both, both timed in 60:45.

Ethiopia’s Rahma Tusa broke away after 30 km in the women’s marathon and rolled to a 22-second win in the women’s marathon in 2:19:33, no. 4 in the world for 2023. Vicoty Chepngeno (KEN) was second in 2:19:55; the top American was Andrea Pomaranski in 14th (2:36:41).

The women’s Half was a treat, with Kenyan star Hellen Obiri setting a hot pace, but was unable to maintain it past 15 km, when Sutume Asefa flew by and stormed to the finish in 64:37, fastest in the world so far in 2024 and now no. 8 all-time. Obiri hung in for second in 66:07, trailed by Ethiopian Buze Diriba (66:24) and American Weini Kelati, making her debut at the distance.

Kelati’s fourth-place time was 66:25, an American Record, taking 14 seconds off the 66:39 mark by Keira D’Amato from 1 July 2023 at Gold Coast in Australia. Kelati won the USATF 10 km nationals in 2023 and was 21st in the Cross Country Worlds (10 km) in Bathurst last February. She was fourth on the track last year in the USATF 10,000 m, but may have found a home in the longer event.

Jason Siegel, the head of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, told reporters on Friday that the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials coming 3 February could be worth from $12-15 million in economic impact for the area.

The City of Orlando is encouraging spectators to watch the race from four downtown areas; the runners will run a 2.2-mile loop in downtown and then run four laps of an 8 km course that will finish on Rosalind Avenue.

● Badminton ● China scored two wins at the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur (MAS), both in Doubles, as top-seeded Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang won the men’s final over India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, 9-21, 21-18, 21-17, and in the all-China women’s Doubles final, Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan swept aside Shu Xian Zhang and Yu Zheng by 21-18, 21-18.

Denmark’s Anders Antonsen took the men’s Singles title from seventh-seed Yu Qi Shi (CHN), 21-14, 21-14, and top-seed Se Young An (KOR) gave up the first set to Tokyo Olympic runner-up Tzu Ying Tai (TPE), but won by 10-21, 21-10, 21-18.

Japan’s second-seeded Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino won the Mixed Doubles in a 21-18, 21-15 sweep over Won Ho Kim (KOR) and Na Eun Jeong (KOR).

● Biathlon ● The French grip on the women’s IBU World Cup was finally slowed in Ruhpolding (GER), with Norwegian veteran Ingrid Tandrevold winning Saturday’s 7.5 km Sprint in 19:25.4 (0 penalties), ahead of Mona Brorsson (SWE: 19:43.6/0) and Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi (19.44.4/0). French stars had won five races in a row and Lou Jeanmonnot finished fourth in 19:50.2 (0). For Tandrevold, a four-time Worlds gold medalist on relays, it was her second win of the season and fifth medal.

Sunday’s women’s 10 km Pursuit went to Vittozzi, who won the season-opening event and got her second gold in 30:30.7 (1), ahead of Tandrevold (30:31.4/1) and fellow Norwegian Juni Arnekliev (30:39.8/0). Jeanmonnot was fourth again (31:01.8/2).

The men’s 10 km Sprint on Saturday was also a Norwegian victory for veteran Vetle Christiansen (22:27.2/0), beating Tommaso Giacomel (ITA: 22:44.1/1) and Norwegian star Tarjei Boe (22:47.3/0). American Campbell Wright had his best finish of the season in 12th (23:17.3/1).

Norway swept medals in Sunday’s 12.5 km Pursuit, with Johannes Dale-Skjevdal winning a tight finish over Christiansen, 30:38.0 (2) to 30:39.7 (3). Seasonal leader Johannes Thingnes Boe got his sixth medal in 12 races in third (30:40.2/2).

Norway won its fourth straight men’s 4×7.5 km World Cup relay this season in 1:09:49.6 (8), well ahead of Germany (1:10:34.6/7) and Italy (1:10.48.3/10). The French women took the 4×6 km relay in 1:08:44.5 (4), edging Sweden (1:08:53.2/3) and Germany (1:09:31.2 (3)

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The first IBSF World Cup of 2024 was in St. Moritz (SUI), with a continuation of the German domination from the end of 2023.

Johannes Lochner, the 2023 Worlds gold medalist, teamed with Georg Fleishhauer to take the Two-Man race in 2:10.74, just 0.25 up on Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schueller (2:10.99). Swiss Michael Vogt and Sandro Michel got the bronze in 2:11.29. The top American sled was in 13th, with Frank Del Duca and Adrian Adams (2:12.73).

Sunday’s Four-Man was the third win in five races this season for Lochner, winning both runs and totaling 2:08.89 to defeat twice Olympic champ Friedrich (GER: 2:08.99) and Latvia’s Emils Cipulis (2:09.29). The top American sled was with Del Duca, in 14th (2:10.72).

The women’s Monobob was another win for 2018 Olympic champ Lisa Buckwitz (GER), her third in four races this season, in 2:22.78, leading teammate Laura Nolte (2:22.91) and Australia’s Breeana Walker (2:22.93). American star Elana Meyers Taylor was fourth (2:23.25) and Kaysha Love – the only one other than Buckwitz to win this season – was ninth (2:24.01).

The Two-Woman title was won by Germans Nolte and Neele Schuten, who took over on the second run and won at 2:16.59, just ahead of first-run leader Buckwitz and Lauryn Siebert (2:16.67). Swiss Melanie Hauser and Mara Morell grabbed third in 2:16.97; Americans Love and Azaria Hill finished sixth (2:17.85) and Meyers Taylor and Emily Renna timed 2:18.04 for eighth.

In Skeleton, Italy’s Amedeo Bagnis, the 2023 Worlds runner-up, won the men’s division in 2:14.07, easing past Beijing Olympic champ Christopher Grotheer (GER: 2:14.59) and Worlds bronze medalist Seung-gi Jung (KOR: 2:13.96). Bagnis is the fourth different winner in four races this season.

Kimberley Bos (NED) took the women’s Skeleton in 2:18.61 for her second straight win, again edging Valentina Margaglio (ITA: 2:19.34), with America’s five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender getting the second U.S. medal of the season in third (2:19.45). American Mystique Ro was eighth (2:19.97). It was Uhlaender’s first World Cup medal since February 2013!

● Cycling ● The 2024 season of the UCI Women’s World Tour began in Australia with the Santos Tour Down Under, decided on the final day with a win for Australian Sarah Gigante.

The first two stages, on Friday and Saturday, were mass-finish sprints, so while Denmark’s Cecile Uttrup Ludwig led going into Sunday’s final stage, it was the final climb to the finish at Willunga Hill that would decide everything.

There were 25 riders who started within 10 seconds of the lead, but Gigante broke free with 2.2 km left of the 93.4 km ride from Adelaide and won the stage by 16 seconds over Nienke Vinke (NED) in 2:30:38. That gave the 23-year-old Gigante her first major win on the Women’s World Tour in 7:57:33, 20 seconds ahead of Vinke, 33 seconds up on Australian Neve Bradbury and 37 seconds clear of fourth-placer Amanda Spratt (AUS).

Ruth Edwards was the top American, in 16th (+1:21).

● Fencing ● The FIE World Cup schedule resumed in Paris with men’s and women’s Foil, with China’s Qingyuan Chen winning the women’s final over Elena Tangherlini, by 15-13. Chen, the 2023 Asian champ, won her first FIE World Cup gold. Tangherlini, 25, earned her first major international medal.

Italy swept all four medals in the men’s Foil, with 2023 World Champion Tommaso Marini winning a 15-12 decision against 2018 World Champion Alessio Foconi. Teammates Guillaume Bianchi and Filippo Macchi won the bronze.

The U.S. team of Miles Chamley-Watson, Chase Emmer, Nick Itkin and Alex Massialas took the men’s team title, defeating Italy in the semis, 45-44 and Japan in the final, 45-39. Italy took the women’s gold with a 45-41 win over France, with Japan and Poland receiving the bronzes.

A Sabre Grand Prix was on in Tunis (TUN), and American Colin Heathcock, 18, won his first major international medal with a surprise gold via a 15-9 final win over home favorite Fares Ferjani (TUN). To get to the final, Heathcock defeated three-time Olympic Champion Aron Szilagyi of Hungary, 15-13!

Spain’s Lucia Martin-Portugues (ESP) scored her first Grand Prix gold at 33 with a 15-5 rout of Nisanur Erbil (TUR) in the women’s final.

● Figure Skating ● At the European Championships in Kaunas (LTU), the 2023 champions repeated in the Men’s Singles and Ice Dance, with Italy taking two titles.

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa defended his 2023 gold with a clear, 276.17 to 256.99 win over Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko, with last year’s silver winner – Matteo Rizzo (ITA) – in third at 250.87. Siao Him Fa won both the Short Program and the Free Skate.

Italy’s defending Ice Dance champs, Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri won their second title in a row and their fourth career European medals (2-0-2) with wins in Rhythm Dance and Free Dance on the way to a 214.38 total. Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were second in both segments and scored 210.82, with Alison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) third at 203.37. In the last five Europeans, Guignard and Fabbri have finished 3-4-3-1-1.

In Pairs, a close competition saw Free Skate winners Lucrezia Beccari and Matteo Guarise take the title at 199.19, moving up from third after the Short Program. Georgia’s defending champs, Annastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, led after the Short Program, but finished fifth in the Free Skate to earn silver (196.14) and 2023 runner-ups Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini took a second medal for Italy at 195.68 for bronze.

Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx, the Worlds 2022 silver winner and 2023 bronze medalist, won her first European title and Belgium’s first title since 1947, when Micheline Lannoy and Pierre Baugniet took the Pairs gold! Hendrickx won both the Short Program and Free Skate on the way to a 213.25 total to dethrone defending champ Anastasiia Gubanova (GEO), who scored 206.52. Belgium got a second medal from Nina Pinzarrone (202.29) in third.

● Football ● There will apparently be 2026 FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium after all. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters on Friday during a news conference on other matters:

“We have actually just secured the World Cup in our region.

“For a few months we weren’t exactly sure if we were going to get it but we are. And that’s going to come up very soon.”

It had been previously reported that no agreement had been reached on using SoFi Stadium, owing to cost issues, including widening of the field to meet FIFA requirements for a full-sized pitch of 105 x 68 m (345 x 223 feet).

● Handball ● The men’s European Handball Championship kicked off last week, with what was reported as a world indoor record attendance mark of 53,586 at the Merkur-Spiel Arena in Dusseldorf (GER) to see France beat North Macedonia, 39-29 and Germany pound Switzerland, 27-14.

Those are the only games to be played in Dusseldorf; the remainder of the tournament will be held at more conventional arenas, with the final matches at the 19,750-seat Lanxess Arena in Cologne.

● Luge ● The FIL World Cup circuit hit Innsbruck (AUT), which doubled as the European Championships, and another strong showing for home team Austria!

Reigning men’s World Champion Jonas Mueller took the men’s Singles, with the fastest times in each race, totaling 1:38.655, ahead of teammate Nico Gleirscher (1:38.981). German Max Langenhan, the 2023 Worlds runner-up, won the bronze in 1:39.083; Jonny Gustafson was the top American, in ninth (1:39.807). It was Mueller’s first win of the season.

Austria’s Beijing 2022 bronze medalists Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl took the European title and their first win of the 2023-24 World Cup – after three silvers – in 1:18.690, edging Latvia’s Martins Bots and Roberts Plume (1:18.862). Germany’s three-time Olympic winners, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, finished third (1:18.986), with Americans Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike in eighth (1:19.389).

Austria’s Madeleine Egle won her third World Cup race of the season in the women’s Singles, finishing in 1:19.200 over two races, ahead of 2021 World Champion Julia Taubitz (GER: 1:19.224) and Germany’s reigning World Champion Anna Berreiter (1:19.439). Americans Ashley Farquharson, Emily Sweeney and Summer Britcher finished 4-6-7 in 1:19.477, 1:19.602 and 1:19.678.

Two-time World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER) won the women’s Doubles for the third straight time, in 1:20.178, ahead of Italy’s Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer (1:20.192) and American Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (1:20.384), who won their second medal of the season.

Fellow Americans Maya Chan and Reannyn Weiler were sixth in 1:20.553.

Austria took the team relay for their fourth win in five events, in 2:52.190 (M. Egle, Steu/Kindl, Mueller, Selina Egle/Lara Kipp), edging Germany (2:52.376), Italy (2:52.651) and the U.S. (Farquharson, Kellogg/Ike, Gustafson, Forgan/Kirkby), fourth in 2:52.838.

● Nordic Combined ● Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber won the first five events of the FIS World Cup season, and resumed winning in the 2024 opener in Obertsdorf (GER). He moved from second after jumping on the 106 m hill by winning the 10 km race in 25:21.0. Austria’s Johannes Lamparter, the reigning World Cup champ, moved from fourth second in 25:22.0, just a second behind. Stefan Rettenegger (AUT) got third in 25:24.3.

Riiber completed a weekend sweep by winning the 7.5 km Compact race on Sunday, leading after the jump phase and crossing first in 18:43.9, ahead of Rettenegger (18:46.1) and Germany’s Manuel Faist (18:55.7). That gives Riiber seven wins in the nine events held this season.

Norway continued undefeated in the women’s World Cup on Saturday, with Mari Leinan Lund getting her first win of the season, finishing the 5 km race in 14:36.0, comfortably ahead of teammates Ida Marie Hagen (14:59.5) and World Champion Gyda Westvold Hansen (15:52.1).

Sunday’s 5 km Compact race saw the same three medalists, with Hagen winning in 14:33.9, followed by Westvold Hansen (14:56.7) and Leinan Lund (15:14.8). So, six races this season, and six Norwegian wins.

● Ski Jumping ● The first of three stages of the inaugural PolSKI tour opened in Wisla (POL) off the 134 m hill, with Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi getting his first win of the season.

Kobayashi won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament by finishing second in all four events, but stepped up on Sunday to move up from fifth after the first round to first overall, scoring 144.1 for a two-jump total of 269.4. That beat first-round leader – and seasonal leader – Stefan Kraft (AUT: 264.3) and Germany’s Andreas Wellinger (262.4). Kraft now has 10 medals in 13 events held this season.

The PolSKI Tour continues in Szczyrk on Tuesday and Wednesday and finishes in Zakopane next weekend.

The FIS Women’s World Cup tour was in Sapporo (JPN), for two competitions off the 134 m hill, with the first going to four-time Worlds silver medalist Eva Pinkelnig winning her second meet of the season, scoring 195.7 points. She finished second on both jumps to beat Jenny Rautionaho (FIN: 193.3) and Eirin Kvandal (NOR: 192.5). Raitionaho, 27, won her first-ever World Cup medal; her prior best was a fifth at Engelberg and Garmisch in December.

The home fans got a chance to cheer on Sunday, as five-time Worlds medal winner Yuki Ito got her second win of the season, winning both jumps and scoring 230.1. Germany’s two-time Olympic silver winner Katharina Schmid was second (224.0) and Slovenia’s Beijing 2022 team gold medalist Nika Kriznar third (218.2).

● Snowboard ● Beijing Olympic Parallel Giant Slalom champ Benjamin Karl of Austria got his second win of the season in the World Cup Parallel Slalom in Scuol (SUI), racing to the line ahead of Beijing runner-up Tim Mastnak (SLO) in the final. Three-time World Champion Andreas Prommegger (AUT) won the bronze over Italy’s Roland Fischnaller.

Lucia Dalmasso won the all-Italian final over Jasmin Coratti, grabbing her first career World Cup victory, at age 26. Japan’s Tsubaki Miki took the bronze, in front of Claudia Riegler (AUT).

● Swimming ● Kate Douglass, the women’s 200 m Medley Worlds gold medalist highlighted the final two days of the Tyr Pro Swim Knoxville with an American Record in the 200 m breaststroke.

Douglass crushed a good field that included 2022 World Champion Lilly King in 2:19.30, breaking triple Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni’s 2012 U.S. mark and zoomed up to no. 4 all-time, with the no. 5 performance! King was second at 2:24.34.

Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky, who had already won the 1,500 m and 400 m Frees, took the 800 m Free by more than 12 seconds in 8:14.97, with Paige Madden second in 8:27.64. Austrian Freestyler Felix Auboeck also won three events, taking the 200-400-800 m triple; he won the 200 m Free in 1:46.70 on Friday and the 800 m Free on Saturday in 7:51.96. Olympic champ Bobby Finke finished third in 7:55.85.

Two-time Worlds 200 m Medley runner-up Carson Foster won both Medleys, taking the 400 m race over Finke in 4:13.04 to 4:18.61, and the 200 m final against Trenton Julian, 1:58.83 to 1:58.89. Shaine Casas, the 2022 Worlds 200 m Back bronze winner, doubled in the 100 m Butterfly (51.40 vs. 51.72 for Worlds 100 m Fly bronzer Dare Rose) and the 100 m Back in 54.53, beating 50 m Back World Champion Hunter Armstrong (53.97). Sprint star Michael Andrew took the men’s 50 m Free final in 21.87.

Canada’s four-time Worlds gold winner Summer McIntosh, 17, won the 200 m Free in 1:55.41 and the 200 m Medley in 2:07.16, just beating American Alex Walsh, the 2022 World Champion (2:07.63).

Worlds bronze medalist Katharine Berkoff won the 100 m Back in 59.06 over Claire Curzan (59.11), but Tokyo Olympic relay silver winner Curzan came from behind to win the 200 m Back in 2:07.38, ahead of Isabelle Stadden (2:08.42).

Canada’s Tess Ciepulcha won the women’s 400 m Medley over Ledecky, 4:41.54 to 4:44.82. Poland’s Kasia Wasick took the 50 m Free in 24.21, beating Americans Abbey Weitzeil (24.57), Douglass (24.67) and Rio 2016 100 m Free co-gold medalist Simone Manuel (24.82).

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For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Colombian President all-out to bring 2027 Pan Ams back; Israel banned by IIHF for its own “safety”; Biles dishes to Vanity Fair!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Colombian President Gustavo Petro (l) and Sports Minister Astrid Rodriguez at a news conference asking to the 2027 Pan American Games to be given back to Barranquilla (Photo: Presidencia de Colombia)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Colombian President in full-court press to bring Pan Am Games back
2. Israel furious at ban by IIHF for “safety and well-being”
3. IOC offers slight loosening of athlete social videos for Paris
4. U.S. anti-doping detection “thousand-fold” better
5. Biles calls return to competition “exciting” but she was “petrified”

● Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, said the country will pay the $8 million it owes to Panam Sports right away and wants the 2027 Pan American Games to be held in Barranquilla. He plans to visit with Panam Sports chief Neven Ilic in the next few days, after the Pan Ams were revoked on 3 January.

● The International Ice Hockey Federation has banned Israel from playing in IIHF events for its “safety and well-being.” Israel Olympic Committee chief Yael Arad replied, “we are witnessing a precedent-setting and dangerous decision that stinks of antisemitism under the guise of safety for the athletes.” Is Russia behind this?

● The International Olympic Committee issued new social-media guidelines for Paris 2024, allowing athletes to post short videos now, but not any of the competitions or ceremonies. Very limited “thank you” messages will be allowed to non-Olympic sponsors during the Games period.

● The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency medical director said the ability to detect doping has increased a “thousand-fold” with the use of new technologies, as well as the development of the Athlete Biological Passport.

● A splashy Vanity Fair feature on gymnastics icon Simone Biles reviews her return to competition, her daily routine, her marriage to Packers safety Jonathan Owens and, of course, includes some spectacular photography.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Canada and U.S. breeze into women’s World U-18 Champs semis in Zug) ●

● Panorama: Doping (Spain’s CELAD says it has done nothing wrong) = Russia (World Taekwondo confirms Russian and Belarusian “neutral” participation) = NCAA (major new proposals on name-image-likeness, a huge fan database and coaching assistants) = Alpine Skiing (another win for Odermatt, this time in Wengen) = Athletics (Kenyan Chepchirchir hit for doping again) = Football (Girma named top U.S. women’s player in 2023) = Shooting (2: ISSF names Bessaguet and Vennekamp top shooters of 2023; USA Shooting confirms first five 2024 Olympians) = Swimming (Ledecky, King, Douglass star at Tyr Pro Swim Knoxville) ●

1.
Colombian President in full-court press
to bring Pan Am Games back

In a Tuesday news conference, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he will push for the restoration of the 2027 Pan American Games to Barranquilla, now a national priority (computer translation from the original Spanish):

● “We want to notify you that the 8 million dollars that, for the granting of rights to the Pan American Games, are ready. They could be turned at any time if the party to the agreement so considers it.”

● “The national government, unlike some articles that have appeared, has always been supporting the Pan American Games.”

● “Procedures, some of which we were not aware of – that is the truth – [and] non-compliance that could already been seen from the last government and fears of some officials who had who had to do with the transfer of resources at the end of the year has resulted in this bad news, let’s say, a decision by an official of the Pan American Games in America and that has led to this problem.”

● “The chancellor, Alvaro Leyva, has express authorization to communicate with Presidents of the Republic, with Chancellors, if necessary and fundamentally with the Presidents of the Olympic committees of each country throughout America, in order to prepare a majority, both in the Executive Committee of Panam Sports and the possible holding of an extraordinary assembly.”

Petro, who took office on 7 August 2022, added that he will make a side trip to Chile during a planned voyage to Antarctica and visit with Panam Sports President Neven Ilic (CHI) and to the Chilean Olympic Committee.

To this end, another emergency meeting of the Panam Sports Executive Committee was held on Thursday to discuss the issue further. A letter to the other 40 National Olympic Committees asking for interest in replacing Barranquilla as the site for the 2027 Pan Ams was circulated on 5 January, with a request for replies by 30 January.

The agreement to host the 2027 Pan American Games in Barranquilla includes a $2 million payment already made and payments of $4 million from the Colombian government at the end of 2023 and by 31 January 2024. Panam Sports announced the removal of the 2027 Games on 3 January, citing “countless breaches of current contracts.”

2.
Israel furious at ban by IIHF for “safety and well-being”

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced Wednesday that it has banned Israel from its events:

“After careful consideration, the IIHF Council has decided that, due to concerns over the safety and security of all participants in the Championships, Israel will not participate in IIHF Competitions for the time being.

“In accordance with IIHF’s duty of care to protect all participants at IIHF Competitions and its obligation to create corresponding health and safety policies, the IIHF Council, within its power found in IIHF Statute has decided to restrict the Israeli National Team from participating in IIHF Championships until the safety and well-being of all participants (including Israeli participants) can be assured.

“The IIHF Council took this decision after careful consideration and based on a risk assessment, discussions with the participating countries and discussions with the Hosts.”

Israel, an IIHF member since 1991, plays in the IIHF Division II-A in men’s events and Division III-B for women and was to play in the men’s Division II Worlds in Serbia in April and the Division III women’s Worlds in March in Estonia.

An appeal against the ban is forthcoming to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the Israel Ice Hockey Association and the Israel Olympic Committee. The Israel Olympic Committee chair, Yael Arad – a new member of the International Olympic Committee – responded furiously in a statement:

“Unfortunately, we are witnessing a precedent-setting and dangerous decision that stinks of antisemitism under the guise of safety for the athletes.

“In personal conversations I had with the chairman of the International Federation, I witnessed a disappointing lack of transparency and opacity driven by a hidden agenda that has no place in world sports.

“The International Olympic Committee is aware of and supports our positions, and we will not allow this to happen.”

The Times of Israel reported the reply of the Israeli Ice Hockey Association, which noted that “sources within the International Ice Hockey Federation suggest that the underlying cause of the decision appears to be the alleged capitulation of the Federation’s chairman, Luc Tardif [FRA], to political pressures, including influences from Russia.”

Tardif told the Russian news agency TASS that the exclusion of Israel from the men’s Division II Worlds is not related to the presence of the UAE in the tournament; the two countries re-established relations under the Abraham Accords in 2020:

“The IIHF does not compare both political situations, we do not consider these situations from a political point of view. The only question is whether we, the IIHF and the organizers, can guarantee the safety of our competitions: players, staff, judges, fans, including Israeli players and officials.

“The decision on Israel is not related to the participation of the UAE team in the World Championship. We will regularly analyze the situation with the tournament.”

Observed: Since the Israeli response to the Hamas attack against it on 7 October 2023, Russian sports officials have consistently campaigned against sanctions placed on it vs. none being placed on Israel.

It matters not to the Russians, of course, that they have been the invaders of Ukraine since February 2022 and the Israelis went into Gaza to end the continuing, deadly attacks against it, especially those of 7 October.

Those with a geopolitical view of the actions taken by Russia, and by South Africa, which has filed a case for genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice, see the development of the anti-Israel actions as part of a larger anti-U.S. campaign by Russia to try and bring together the BRICS countries (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) on the political and sports front. This is worth watching in the future.

And any involvement of Russia with the IIHF brings back memories of former, long-time IIHF President Rene Fasel, now 73, who was the IIHF President from 1994-2021. Born in Switzerland, he is an unabashed lover of Russia and obtained Russian citizenship in 2023. Although no longer directly involved in IIHF matters, he still wields influence.

3.
IOC offers slight loosening of athlete social videos for Paris

The International Olympic Committee announced a new version of its “IOC Social and Digital Media Guidelines” for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which allows video sharing on social-media sites during the Games:

● “From competition venues up to 1 hour before the start of your competition and after you have left the mixed zone/doping control station

● “from training venues and practice areas

● “from the Olympic Village

● “at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and/or

● “at the Champions Park.”

Video of the sports competitions and the awards ceremonies is prohibited, however, as are commercial posts (for money or as advertising), of the medical and doping-control areas and “using artificial intelligence (AI) or any AI generated content or outputs.”

Messages supporting non-Olympic commercial sponsors continue to be limited:

“During the Games Period, you may provide one simple “thank-you” message to each of your Non-Olympic Partner personal sponsors.

“A single thank-you message to each personal Non-Olympic Partner during the Games Period can be posted to multiple platforms (posting a single identical message to multiple platforms must take place at the same time). Some NOCs may permit athletes to post additional “thank-you” messages: please check with your NOC for further details.”

New rules for “other accredited persons” have also been included, with no video allowed of any ceremonies, the competition fields of play, the Olympic Village or training or practice areas. Videos must be of two minutes or less.

No photography or video of athlete or coach areas at the venues or in the Olympic Village are allowed.

4.
U.S. anti-doping detection “thousand-fold” better

In an interview with Triathlon Magazine Canada, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Medical Director Dr. Matthew Fedoruk expressed confidence in the continuing ability to find doping cheats, thanks to better and better tools.

He cited the Athlete Biological Passport, which tracks athlete chemistry over time, as well as better testing technology:

“A good example, in addition to the Passport, of how the science is keeping up is the increase of sensitivity of the testing over the last 10 years.

“We’ve seen roughly a thousand-fold increase in the ability to actually detect these prohibited substances in samples. With the advent of new instrumentation methodology we’re down to a trillionth of a gram of substance in a millilitre of urine. To put that in perspective, that’s like a few grains of sugar in an Olympic size swimming pool.”

Fedoruk noted, however, that the advances in technology have to be balanced against human biology:

“The thing that keeps me up at night is the detection of some of these complex substances that our bodies produce naturally that as anti-doping authorities we need to be able to differentiate what is supposed to be there, what our bodies produce, and what might be synthetic in nature.

“In many instances the molecules are virtually identical in nature, so you have to have tests in place to be able to differentiate those two in addition to using the biological passport to alert you when the markers might be abnormal.”

He also pointed out that the re-testing of older samples with advanced technology as much as 10 years later is a further deterrent. The International Testing Agency has added dozens of sanctions based on this kind of testing for the London 2012 Olympic Games and is now working on samples from Rio 2016.

USADA testing is also being expanded to younger athletes, but with new methods that can be used for wider testing use:

“Urine testing is the gold standard, but the question is do we need that level of testing at the age group level?

“Maybe we have the flexibility to implement things like dried blood spot testing or other types of testing that would analyze for a smaller subset of substances. I think as the science advances, the ability to use these innovative tools that maybe bring the cost down and allow us to apply tests to a wider range of athletes are coming through the pipeline.”

5.
Biles calls return to competition “exciting” but she was “petrified”

In a lengthy Vanity Fair cover feature posted on Wednesday (10th), gymnastics icon Simone Biles discussed her time off from gymnastics after her adventures at the Tokyo Olympic Games, her return to stardom at the 2023 Worlds, and her life now with husband (and Green Bay Packers safety) Jonathan Owens.

Of her difficulties in Tokyo, where she lost her spatial awareness during routines – “the twisties” – she faced a variety of attacks from those who felt she let the U.S. team down and others who acclaimed her as a mental-health advocate. Of the latter, she said:

“I was not okay with that. If I can be a lending hand and help people, then I’ll be open, honest, and vulnerable, but you cannot stick me in front of a crowd and say, ‘Do everything she’s doing.'”

Then came time off, which felt a lot different than the break she took after her four-gold, one bronze performance in 2016 at Rio:

“I wish I could sit here and tell you it was glorious.

“When I took a break after 2016, I had the time of my life. I was doing anything and everything. But after 2020, it was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help. I felt like a failure. Even though I was empowering so many people and speaking out about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo – because it obviously didn’t go the way that I had planned – it stung a little bit. But all in all, it was the best decision.”

She came back near the end of 2022 and told writer Leah Faye Cooper that she got back to her routine reasonable quickly. Copper summarized:

“By January 2023, she was back to the training schedule she currently maintains four days a week: Up at 6:20 a.m. and out the door by 6:45 for 7 a.m. practice. Home at 10:30, then lunch. She tends to her three bulldogs – Lilo, Rambo, and Zeus – then naps for an hour to an hour and a half. Then back at the gym from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays are half days, Sunday is off.”

And she returned with her customary flair to the world stage against in October in Antwerp at the FIG Artistic Worlds, winning four golds – Team, All-Around, Beam and Floor – and a Vault silver:

“I felt like I was back in my element and it was exciting, but I was truly petrified. I had the training to back it up because we worked really hard, [but] I wasn’t as confident or as comfortable as I wanted to be.”

But she appreciated the success:

“It was kind of surprising. Just taking [the] risk of allowing myself to be vulnerable in front of a crowd competing again was a win for me.”

Much more in the story, including a series of ultra-stylish images by photographer Adrienne Raquel of Biles in spectacular designer couture.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. and Canada continued undefeated at the IIHF women’s World U-18 Championship ongoing in Zug (SUI), both winning their quarterfinal matches handily.

Canada (4-0) shut down Switzerland by 6-0, getting two goals in the first, one in the second and three more in the third period, including two goals from forward Sienna D’Alessandro, including the opening score. The Canadians out-shot the Swiss by 54-3.

The American women, also undefeated at 4-0, blanked Germany (0-4), 4-0, with two first-period goals from forward Josie St. Martin and a 58-7 edge in shots. Forwards Haley Box and Margaret Scannell got single goals in the second and third periods.

In the semis, Canada will now face the Czech Republic (3-1), which defeated Sweden by 4-2 in its quarterfinal and the U.S. will play Finland (3-1), a 2-0 winner over Slovakia. Those matches will take place on Saturday, with the medal matches on Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Doping ● The Spanish national anti-doping agency – known as CELAD – said Wednesday that the accusations against it for possible doping cover-ups and inconsistent procedures were wrong:

“All these news items are untrue and are merely interested and biased conjectures as a result of sensationalist interpretations that are far removed from the regulations in force and from the right of every athlete.”

The statement also noted that it was not aware of any inquiry from the World Anti-Doping Agency, despite WADA issuing a statement on 5 January that included:

“WADA can also confirm that for several months, as part of its compliance monitoring program, it has been aware of ongoing problems related to CELAD, including several issues to do with testing and results management.”

● Russia ● An extraordinary meeting of the World Taekwondo Council confirmed that Russian and Belarusian “neutrals” will be allowed to compete in the federation’s events:

“The Council unanimously approved the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in World Taekwondo recognised competitions with immediate effect, as long as the athletes have already been declared eligible at World Taekwondo promoted competitions in line with IOC recommendations.

“World Taekwondo had previously not allowed AIN athletes to compete in World Taekwondo recognised competitions due to the complexity of the eligibility verification process which requires a very strict process and funding. However, the Council agreed that AIN who had already fulfilled the eligibility criteria to compete in promoted competitions should therefore be eligible to compete in recognised competitions as well.”

The existing approvals of Russian “neutrals” have been criticized, with a 27 December 2023 letter from 193 Ukrainian athletes accusing, among others, Tokyo Olympic +87 kg gold medalist Vladislav Larin of supporting the Russian war against Ukraine. The letter also included:

“Additionally, several other Russian athletes close to obtaining Olympic licenses have also openly supported the war against Ukraine. Among them are taekwondo athletes Maxim Khramtsov, Polina Khan, Kristina Adebayo, Georgy Gurtsev, Tatiana Minina …”

The International Olympic Committee has stated in its regulations for Russian and Belarusian “neutral” athletes for Paris 2024 that it will conduct its own verification of “neutral” status.

The World Taekwondo Council report also included, ironically:

“The Council approved the World Taekwondo Risk Management Policy and creation of a Global Integrity Unit tasked with conducting the risk assessment as well as building out an integrity framework across World Taekwondo’s Continental Unions for awareness building and monitoring and enforcement of integrity practices aligned with the IOC’s approach to integrity in sport.”

● NCAA ● Details of the NCAA Division I Council proposals for name-image-likeness programs are out, with four areas identified for revision: voluntary national registration for NIL service providers, disclosure to schools of all deals of $600 or more for research purposes, standardized agreements and comprehensive NIL education. In addition, there was some attempt to reduce direct recruiting inducements:

“The proposals would also clearly define an NIL entity for purposes of NCAA rules and expressly prohibit contact between NIL entities and prospects until the prospect signs a letter of intent, participates in summer activities or practices with the team, or enrolls at the school and attends classes.”

The new proposals also better define the nature of school support for its players:

● “Schools would not be permitted to directly compensate student-athletes for the use of their NIL but could identify potential NIL opportunities for student-athletes and even facilitate deals between student-athletes and third parties.”

● “However, student-athletes should be able to retain their own representation if they choose and must ultimately retain independent authority over any resulting terms in the NIL agreement.”

● “Further, any entity that is associated with or closely aligned with a school would be subject to the same rules as the school itself when it comes to NIL and may not directly compensate a student-athlete.”

The proposals, offered during the ongoing NCAA Convention in Phoenix, could be ratified as early as April. NCAA President Charlie Baker said in his address to the delegates that he would continue to seek legislation on NIL:

“To maximize these opportunities, it will be important for Congress to provide special status to student-athletes. That way, schools and conferences can engage in NIL and enhanced educational support without turning the student-athletes into something they are definitely not, which is employees.”

Baker also explained a new initiative with sports technology firm KAGR to help identify as many as 10 million college sports fans in the next year and increase their engagement:

“With their help, we’re going to build one of the largest college sports fans databases in the country – and possibly the largest women’s sports fan database in the world.

“We should be able to provide timely, useful, actionable information to college sports fans about the teams, conferences, championships and sports they’re interested in on a personalized basis.”

Additionally, the Division I Council proposed a measure to eliminate marijuana from testing at the NCAA Championships, and will treat it like alcoholic beverages, with a “harm-reduction strategy.”

A potentially important change in coaching support was proposed, to “Permit noncoaching, sport-specific staff members in sports other than football and men’s and women’s basketball to assist in drills and other limited activities during practices.”

These items will be voted on in June.

● Alpine Skiing ● Swiss star Marco Odermatt, the reigning World Cup overall champion, won the Downhill in front of home fans on Thursday in Wengen (SUI) for his sixth World Cup win of the season.

He finished in 1:43.32, beating France’s Cyprien Sarrazin (1:43.90) and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR: 1:44.13), with American Ryan Cochran-Siegle finishing seventh (1:44.55). Sarrazin had won the prior Downhill race at the end of 2023.

With a Super-G, another Downhill and a Slalom still to go in Wengen, Odermatt now leads the seasonal standings overall and is in front in the discipline standings for the Downhill, Super-G and Giant Slalom! He’s now won nine medals this season in 13 World Cup races.

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit announced a provisional suspension of Kenyan marathoner Sarah Chepchirchir for testosterone. The winner of the 2017 Tokyo Marathon in a still-lifetime best of 2:19:47, she already served a four-year ban from February 2019 to February 2023 for doping. Now 39, if she is suspended again, her sanction could be for eight years.

● Football ● U.S. Soccer named defender Naomi Girma as its Female Player of the Year on Thursday, the first pure defender to win the award in its 39 years.

Still just 23, she won the award in her third season with the National Team. The announcement noted that she “started all 16 games she played, helping lead the U.S. defense to its lowest ever goals against average (0.17 goals allowed per game) in a calendar year (minimum 10 games played).”

● Shooting ● The International Shooting Sport Federation named Clement Bessaguet (FRA) and Doreen Vennekamp (GER) as its men’s and women’s shooters of the year.

Bessaguet, 32, won second straight silver in the 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol at the 2023 World Championships, won at the European Games, and took medals in four of the six ISSF World Cup events.

Vennekamp, 28, won the 25 m Pistol gold at the 2023 World Championships and equaled the world record with 40/40, in Baku (AZE). She also won the ISSF World Cup Final silver medal in the same event.

USA Shooting confirmed on Thursday that five athletes have – subject to acceptance by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee – won places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Ivan Roe was named for the men’s 10 m Air Rifle; Mary Tucker and Sagen Maddalena were named for the women’s Air Rifle and Lexi Lagan and Katelyn Abeln will compete in the women’s 10 m Air Pistol event. Tucker, Maddalena and Lagan will all be competing in their second Olympic Games.

● Swimming ● Veteran stars shined on the second day of the USA Swimming Tyr Pro Swim Series in Knoxville.

Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky won her second event of the meet in the women’s 400 m Freestyle in 4:03.46, a time only seven others bettered in all of 2023, and ahead of Paige Madden, whose time of 4:05.66 was her fastest since 2021.

Breaststroke star Lilly King, the Rio 100 m winner, won that race in 1:05.67, a time only six others swam better than last year (including her). She beat Ireland’s Mona McSharry (1:06.23), the world no. 7 last season, Tokyo Olympic champ Lydia Jacoby (1:06.62) and Kate Douglass (1:06.67).

Douglass, the World 200 m Medley gold winner in 2023, took the women’s 100 m Free title in 53.12, comfortably ahead of fellow Americans Gretchen Walsh (53.64), Rio 2016 champ Simone Manuel (53.73), Torri Huske (53.82) and 2023 national runner-up Abbey Weitzeil (54.00).

Canadian star Summer McIntosh, still just 17, won the 200 m Butterfly easily in 2:05.73, an event in which she is the reigning World Champion.

The men’s 100 m Freestyle was another showcase for Worlds silver winner Jack Alexy, who had the fastest qualifying time (48,28) and won the final in 48.24, besting Brooks Curry (48.68) and Matt King (48.91).

Worlds silver winner Nic Fink won the men’s 100 m Breaststroke over sprint star Michael Andrew, 1:00.36 to 1:00.41 and Austrian Martin Espernberger took the 200 m Fly in 1:56.58 to 1:56.97 for American Trenton Julian. Fellow Austrian Felix Auboeck took the men’s 400 m Free in 3:46.78, with 1,500 m winner Bobby Finke of the U.S. fourth (3:52.06).

The meet continues through Saturday. A late scratch was Olympic star Caeleb Dressel, who noted on his Instagram account that the due date for his first child is too close and that he is remaining with wife Meghan.

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.

For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Paris 2024 names first torchbearers; Hidalgo to swim in the Seine; 2027 Pan Am Games hosting fee reportedly $20 million

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Paris 2024 concept for the Opening Ceremony on the Seine (Image: Paris 2024)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Paris 2024 names torch-bearing teams and runners
2. Gomis resigns from Paris 2024 amid anti-Israel post
3. Hidalgo promises to swim in the Seine!
4. Paris-area hoteliers worried, public-sector staff wants bonuses
5. Story states Pan Am Games hosting fee was $20 million

● The themes, teams and captains for the Olympic Torch Relay in Paris were revealed, with 69 teams of 24 scheduled to run during the procession across France and its overseas departments from 8 May to 26 July, the day of the opening ceremony. A separate relay will be held for the Paralympic Games from 25-28 August.

● Emelie Gomis, the French women’s basketball Olympic silver medalist from 2012, resigned from the Paris 2024 board and as a paid ambassador for the Terre des Jeux program in view of her anti-Israel post on Instagram on 9 October, two days after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.

● Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo promised to swim in the Seine River prior to the Paris 2024 opening as a demonstration of the completion of the long-promised cleaning of the river, closed by law to swimmers since 1923! Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet said there is no back-up plan for the opening, only the Seine.

● The Ile-de-France regional association of hotels and restaurants asked public officials – including Hidalgo – to stop being so publicly negative about the preparations for the Games. At the same time, public-sector employees are asking governments for Games-period bonuses to keep from striking.

● A story from a Colombian journalist stated that the host fee for the 2027 Pan American Games was $20 million and that the Colombian government’s failure to pay an agreed-to $4 million segment of the fee due by the end of 2023 was a key factor in the Games being taken away from Barranquilla.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Canada and U.S. undefeated in women’s World U-18 Champs pool play) ●

● Panorama: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (101-member Winter Youth Olympic Games team named) = U.S. Center for SafeSport (quadrennial athlete survey now underway) = NCAA (Division I Council passes new NIL policies) = Curling (Russian and Belarusian ban extebded) = Fencing (Ex-Russians Bida and Lokhanov asking for U.S. citizenship) = Football (Argentina and Brazil both fined over World Cup qualifier melee) = Swimming (Ledecky and Finke win 1,500s at Tyr Pro Swim Series Knoxville) ●

1.
Paris 2024 names torch-bearing teams and runners

The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay will be uniquely organized, with teams of 24 individuals running in 69 segments and the captains of each team the designated torchbearer. Those teams and their captains were announced on Wednesday, with 69 teams named, with captains and the dates on which they will carry the flame.

The first team will represent “Disability Sport” on 10 May, captained by Antoine Avati, a Paralympic athlete, to underline the importance of the hosting of the first Paralympic Games to take place in France. France previously hosted the 1992 Winter Paralympic Games in Tignes-Albertville.

Teams representing all of the Olympic sports will be included in the Olympic Torch Relay, with another relay to be organized prior to the opening of the Paralympic Games. There will be 1-2 teams running each of the route, over eight-minute legs. Each is designed to be a showcase for the featured federation, for example with 24 skateboarders participating in their relay legs.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay will have 10,000 total torchbearers – mostly individuals – from 8 May to 26 July, the day of the opening on the Seine River.

The relay captains include athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers, some of whom are well known and some not. World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland will lead the rowing-themed relay segment on 21 July. Beijing 2008 BMX cycling winner Anne-Caroline Chausson, now 46, will lead the cycling segment on 19 June; five-time World Champion swimmer Camille Lacourt will carry on 19 July, and Rio 2016  women’s RS:X sailing gold medalist Charlene Picon will captain the sailing-themed team on 4 June.

The Paralympic Torch Relay will have 1,000 total torchbearers and run from 25-28 August.

2.
Gomis resigns from Paris 2024 amid anti-Israel post

The French newspaper La Provence reported Wednesday that London 2012 women’s basketball silver medalist Emilie Gomis (FRA) has resigned from her position as a member of the Paris 2024 board of directors and from her paid post as an ambassador of the Terre des Jeux program for the organizing committee.

Gomis posted an Instagram message two days after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October showing a map of France in 1947, 1967 and 2023 being covered by the Israeli flag and asking “What would you do in this situation?” This was prior to the Israeli response and was noted as clearly anti-Israel.

The Paris 2024 ethics committee reviewed the case and the organizing committee board noted Wednesday that it “considered that this publication contravened its duty of neutrality and no longer allowed it to be able to calmly carry out its missions with Paris-2024.

“Emilie Gomis, in a shared concern for appeasement and responsibility, wished to present her resignation from her mandate as member of the Board of Directors and ambassador of the Terre de Jeux 2024 label to Paris 2024 which takes note of this.”

An organizing committee statement cited by La Provence also added:

“The members of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly were thus able to note that Emilie Gomis condemned the attacks of October 7 in Israel, all forms of anti-Semitism or discrimination, contrary to her values. Emilie Gomis also shared his regrets regarding its publication and apologized.”

Gomis, 40, had already been dismissed from the Athletes Commission of the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) over the same incident.

3.
Hidalgo promises to swim in the Seine!

Then-Paris mayor Jacques Chirac promised in 1990 that the Seine River, in which swimming had been banned since 1923, would be cleaned by 1993. But he did not keep that promise, even after becoming French President from 1996-2007.

Current Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has made the renovation of the Seine a signature priority ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, made the same promise on Wednesday, with the river-cleaning project nearing completion.

“We will swim in the Seine,” she said at the Paris City Hall, stating that prior to the opening of the Games on 26 July, “a big collective swim in the Seine” will be arranged.

“Everyone said it was impossible; we did it,” said Hidalgo, who has presided over a €1.6 billion project to clean up the Seine and its main tributary, the Marne, open for public swimming, at least at specific sites. Three sites for public use are envisioned to be opened after the Games period. (€1 = $1.10 U.S.)

During the Games, the Seine will host the open-water swimming competitions and the triathlons.

As for the opening ceremony, to be held on the Seine on 26 July, Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet said in a radio interview:

“Today, with the artistic director for the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, we are working on an opening ceremony on the Seine. Our teams are not working on any other location.”

French President Emmanuel Macron had said in an interview that the ceremony could be moved in case of a security emergency.

4.
Paris-area hoteliers worried, public-sector staff wants bonuses

The worrying season prior to the Olympic Games has descended on Paris. The Ile-de-France Hotel and Restaurant Group (GHR) sent an open letter to all levels of governments – national, regional and local – asking to tone down their negative commentaries – “anxious communications” – about the Games.

Wrote GHR President Pascal Mousset:

“Why order Ile-de-France residents to remain teleworking during the Olympics? On the one hand, our workers cannot do it (as well as many others), and on the other hand, we do not wish to relive a situation which would be similar to that of confinements.

“Why acknowledge that transport will be a problem during the Olympics? A defeatist speech will not win us. Don’t we still have time to imagine alternatives and concrete solutions?

“In general, we would very much like all the authorities that you represent to hold, jointly and severally, a positive and responsible discourse. We cannot be helpless victims of dissonant and negative discourse.”

Mousset refers to multiple comments from government officials, including Paris Mayor Hidalgo and Prefect of Police Laurent Nunez, about conditions in Paris this summer, all expressing concern over security and transport, as well as Macron’s worries over the opening on the Seine.

At the same time, Agence France Presse reported that public-sector unions are pushing for extra pay during the Games:

“Tense negotiations between the government and police trade unions over Olympics bonuses are underway, with one union holding a first protest on Wednesday to demand a one-off payment of 1,500 euros per officer.

“Health workers, railway staff and other public sector staff from street cleaners to metro drivers are all formulating bonus pay demands, with Macron’s centrist government desperate to avoid strikes or disruption during the global showpiece.”

Observed: As veterans of Olympic and other major-event organizing committees know, nothing is easy. But the hoteliers and restauranteurs are also right: these things need to get worked out and the show must go on.

5.
Story states Pan Am Games hosting fee was $20 million

According to a story by Colombian journalist Jairo Giraldo Jimenez that appeared on the AIPS Web site Wednesday, the hosting fee for the 2027 Pan American Games agreed to by Colombia – with the event to take place in Barranquilla – was $20 million U.S.:

“Once the Atlantico capital was designated as the host of the grand event in 2021 and received the flag in 2023 in Santiago, Chile, the commitment of the national government was to pay a total of eight million dollars to Panam Sports, divided into two instalments of four million each.

“The agreed terms were as follows:

“● $2 million (already paid) from the Pumarejo [Barranquilla] City Hall.
“● $4 million by December 31, 2023, from the Ministry of Sports.
“● $4 million by January 31, 2024, from the Ministry of Sports.
“● $4 million for the year 2025.
“● $4 million for the year 2026.
“● $2 million for the year 2027.”

The $4 million payment due by 31 December 2023 was not paid and triggered the removal of the Games from Barranquilla. As noted in Wednesday’s post, a letter from Panam Sports has asked for National Olympic Committees with interest in the event to signal their interest by 30 January 2024.

Inquiries are being made by the Colombian Congress about the failure to make the payments, with the current Sports Minister, Astrid Rodriguez, being questioned; she took over the post in March of 2023. Another complication was the concern of Colombian President Gustavo Petro about the costs of the event, and a suggestion that the 2027 Pan Ams could be spread to venues also in the Caribbean.

The story noted interest from Paraguay, Brazil and Mexico for the 2027 Pan Ams, but also noted “that Chile and the United States are also expressing interest.” The U.S. reference is odd (and likely incorrect) with the 2028 Olympic Games coming to Los Angeles, but there are certainly American cities for which the Pan Ams would make sense at a future time. The U.S. has not hosted a Pan Ams since Indianapolis in 1987.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Two-time defending champ Canada and the U.S. – eight-time champions – finished undefeated in pool play at the IIHF women’s World U-18 Championship ongoing in Zug (SUI).

Both teams were 3-0, with the Canadians outscoring their opponents by 29-1 and the Americans by 19-2. In the quarterfinals, Canada will play the Swiss (0-3) and the U.S. will face Germany (0-3). Third-seed Sweden (2-1) will play the Czech Republic (1-2), and fourth-seed Finland (2-1) will match up with Slovakia (1-2).

The semifinals will be re-seeded and be played on Saturday (13th) with the medal matches on Sunday (14th). The U.S. and Canada have faced off against each other in the final of this tournament 13 times previously.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC unveiled a 101-athlete team for the upcoming Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon (KOR) beginning on 19 January:

“USA’s delegation will include 101 total athletes representing ten National Governing Bodies and ranging in age from 13 to 18. Team USA will compete in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, freeski, freestyle dual moguls, snowboard, ski jumping, nordic combined, ice hockey, biathlon, bobsled, skeleton, curling, luge and speedskating over 13 total days of competition.”

This is the largest-ever U.S. delegation to the Winter YOG, having sent 95 in 2020, 62 in 2016 and 63 at the inaugural edition in 2012.

● U.S. Center for SafeSport ● The 2024 edition of the SafeSport Athlete Culture and Climate Survey is underway, with participants asked to relate abusive experiences or other misconduct.

The survey is being operated through 9 February by a third party, Pacific Research and Evaluation, to ensure complete anonymity for respondents, with the results due in May or June. The first survey of this type was done in 2020 and attracted almost 4,000 responses.

● NCAA ● The Associated Press reported that the NCAA Division I Council approved new policies concerning name-image-likeness programs:

“The policy calls for creation of a database of deals that could be accessed by athletes and schools, a registry of companies that want to work with athletes and recommendations for standardized components of a NIL contract.”

Further details are forthcoming; the action took place during the ongoing NCAA Convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

● Curling ● The World Curling Federation board extended the suspension of Russia and Belarus, through the end of the 2023-24 season:

“Both Member Associations had previously been excluded from participating in World Curling events until 31 December 2023. This has now been extended following ongoing concerns that their involvement would damage the integrity of the events due to the conflict in Ukraine.”

● Fencing ● USA Today reported that former Russian fencers Sergey and Violetta Bida – husband and wife – and Konstantin Lokhanov are pursuing U.S. citizenship, with a view to possible qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The story said that USA Fencing and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee are supporting the request for fast-tracked citizenship. Sergey Bida, 30, was a Tokyo Olympian for Russia and won a Team silver medal in Epee and was the 2019 Worlds silver medalist in Epee. His wife, Violetta, also left Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and came to the U.S.; she is now pregnant.

Lokhanov, 25, stands 6-7 and was 24th in Tokyo in the men’s Sabre and was a member of the seventh-place Russian team entry.

Neither is guaranteed a place on the U.S. team if they do get citizenship. Both of the Bidas have had criminal charges filed against them in Russia for leaving the country as they were members of military reserve units.

● Football ● The 22 November violence at Brazil’s Maracana Stadium in Rio in the FIFA World Cup qualifier with Argentina has resulted in fines for both national federations. FIFA fined Brazil CHF 50,000 (CHF 1 = $1.18 U.S. today) and Argentina was fined CHF 20,000, both for “Order and security at matches.”

Those were the only fines those federations received. Argentina was also fined CHF 100,000 for team misconduct (delayed kick-off), discriminatory behavior by supporters and an invasion of the field of play for matches against Ecuador on 7 September and Uruguay on 16 November. Half of the fine must go to “a plan against discrimination” with the other half suspended for six months and one home match will be held with 50% of available seats.

Brazil was also fined CHF 5,000 for team misconduct (delayed kick-off) and security issues for an 8 September 2023 match against Bolivia, and CHF 15,000 for team misconduct in a game against Uruguay on 17 October 2023.

● Swimming ● The USA Swimming Tyr Pro Swim Series opened in Knoxville on Wednesday night, with the 1,500 m races. Superstar Katie Ledecky won the women’s race by more than 52 seconds in 15:38.81, the no. 17 performance all-time … of which she has all 17! Ashley Wall was second overall in 16:31.13 as the winner of the third section.

Tokyo Olympic champ Bobby Finke took the men’s 1,500 in 15:04.43, more than 10 seconds up on Austria’s Felix Auboeck (15:14.70), the 2021 World Short-Course 400 m Free gold medalist.

The meet has loads of big names, including Tokyo superstars Caeleb Dressel and Ledecky, using the meet as a check on their training progress heading toward the Olympic Trials in June, with competition continuing through Saturday.

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.

For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Panam Sports asks for new 2027 Pan Am Games hosts; 193 Ukrainian athletes sign petition to keep Russian war promoters out!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Colorful closing of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Andres Pina/Santiago 2023 vía Photosport).

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ On now: An Athens 1896 Olympic Champion medal and Steve Genter‘s Munich ‘72 medals trio highlight a 437-item, eye-opening show by RR Auction ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Panam Sports asks for Pan Am Games hosts for 2027 by 31 January
2. 193 Ukrainian athletes ask for exclusion of Russian war supporters
3. Russian Olympic Committee appeal vs. IOC coming on 26 January
4. USATF clarifies marathon Olympic selection rules
5. France Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 already talking

● Panam Sports wasted no time asking for new hosts for the 2027 Pan American Games after removing the event from Colombia last week, asking the other National Olympic Committees in the hemisphere to signal their interest by 30 January. Paraguay appears to be a sure bidder, with possible interest from Brazil and Mexico.

● A letter signed by 193 Ukrainian athletes asks the governments of France and Paris, along with the Paris 2024 organizers, not to allow specific Russian athletes who have supported Russia’s war against Ukraine to participate in this summer’s Olympic Games. Photographs of three athletes at pro-war events were included.

● The Russian Olympic Committee appeal against its suspension by the International Olympic Committee will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 26 January. The suspension was directly linked to activities connected with the Russian invasion of eastern and southern Ukraine.

● USA Track & Field issued a more detailed selection procedure for the men’s and women’s marathon, with the Trials coming up on 3 February in Orlando. In the new document, issued on 27 December, the federation is freed from having to pick the top three finishers or one or more are not “qualified” on time or ranking.

● The French Alps and Salt Lake City bids were selected for “Targeted Dialogue” with the IOC in late November, an important step in becoming Olympic Winter Games hosts. Just six weeks later, a delegation from one of the French regions involved is visiting the Utah Olympic Park to exchange ideas and possible cooperation.

● Panorama: World Anti-Doping Agency (Gabon now complaint with World Anti-Doping Code) = Curling (World Curling now managing governance of Floor Curling) = Football (Brazilian judge restores elected CBF officials) = Swimming (USA Swimming memberships down in 2023, returning in 2024) = Triathlon (29 won $100,000+ in prize money in 2023) ●

1.
Panam Sports asks for Pan Am Games hosts for 2027
by 31 January

Moving on from removing the 2027 Pan American Games from Barranquilla, Colombia last week, Panam Sports President Neven Ilic (CRC) sent a letter last Friday to the other 40 National Olympic Committees in the Americas, asking for expressions of interest to host the 2027 Pan Ams:

“Panam Sports would like to know if your country is interested in hosting the XX Pan American Games in 2027. If you country wishes to host them, you must notify us in writing before January 31, 2024.”

The required documentation to be formally considered includes:

● Letter of intent from the National Olympic Committee.
● Letter of intent from the applying city.
● Letter of intent from the regional government (state or province).

In each case, a promise to respect the Panam Sports rules and an eventual host contract is required. Then there is the most important guarantee:

“A Letter signed by the highest governmental authority of the country in which the Applicant City is located in which the Government guarantees the financing of all costs related to the project of the XX Pan American Games 2027, together with respecting the Panam Sports Constitution, the Regulations of the Pan American Games and any agreements entered into by Panam Sports with the Applicant City and/or the Organizing Committee including, without limitation, the Host City Contract.”

A guarantee of access for athletes, officials and media to the country for purposes of attending the Pan Ams is also required.

While the Colombian government wants to get the Games back, a bid is expected from Paraguay, likely for the national capital of Asuncion. Mexico is also a possible destination, possibly for Guadalajara, which hosted the Pan Ams in 2011. A bid for Brazil for Sao Paulo to be the 2031 host could be moved up to 2027.

2.
193 Ukrainian athletes ask for exclusion of Russian war supporters

A letter was sent Tuesday by a group of 193 Ukrainian athletes to French President Emmanuel Macron, Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and to Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, asking that specific Russian athletes not be allowed to compete at this summer’s Olympic Games because of war-supporting activities.

This is a new strategy, focusing on the International Olympic Committee’s regulations that Russian or Belarusian athletes who have supported Russian’s ongoing war against Ukraine not be allowed to compete in Paris. The letter specifically calls out three athletes with photographs at rallies:

● Vladislav Larin (taekwondo), Tokyo Olympic men’s +80 kg gold medalist
● Zaurbek Sidakov (wrestling), Tokyo Olympic men’s 74 kg Freestyle gold medalist
● Zair Uguev (wrestling), Tokyo Olympic men’s 57 kg Freestyle gold medalist

It also accuses nine others who “are close to obtaining Olympic licenses,” including Tokyo Taekwondo men’s 80 kg champ Maksim Khramtsov and Freestyle Wrestling men’s 97 kg winner Abdulrashid Sadulaev of complicity with the Russian war effort against Ukraine:

“We insist on not allowing these athletes and cancelling the licenses in these sports. An athlete who promotes war, an athlete who supports the actions of an aggressor country, should not have the right to compete for licenses at the Olympic Games.

“With this letter, we appeal to you to continue your support and advocate for the prohibition of participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in competitions for licenses at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Such a ban can only strengthen and promote the worthy goals of peace and equality embodied by the Olympic movement and sport in general, and prevent the XXXIII Olympic Games from becoming a propaganda event of the Russian regime. …

“As long as Russian forces bombard Ukraine, targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and as long as Russian soldiers remain on Ukrainian soil, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not participate in sporting competitions.”

The message is signed by 193 Ukrainian athletes, including Olympic medalists such as Oleg Verniaiev (gymnastics) and Zhan Beleniuk (wrestling), and 2023 World Athletics women’s high jump winner Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

Observed: This is a clever new direction, alleging war support among athletes either qualified for Paris 2024 and close to it, in judo, taekwondo and wrestling. The IOC has said that it will conduct its own review of athletes from Russian and Belarus who are qualified by their respective International Federation before allowing their participation in Paris.

Having lost the battle with the IOC to exclude all Russians, the Ukrainian signatories are asking the French to keep them out, although Macron and Estanguet have emphasized that the question of participation is up to the IOC.

3.
Russian Olympic Committee appeal vs. IOC coming on 26 January

The appeal by the Russian Olympic Committee against its suspension by the International Olympic Committee will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 26 January.

The suspension, on 12 October 2023, was in response to the Russian takeover of sports organizations that had been part of the Ukraine sports governance system prior to the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. Per the IOC’s announcement:

“The unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on 5 October 2023 to include, as its members, the regional sports organisations which are under the authority of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine (namely Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia) constitutes a breach of the Olympic Charter because it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter.”

Being on suspension means that the Russian Olympic Committee receives no IOC funding and will be bypassed in any and all communications with Russian athletes who might be qualified to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The ROC filed the appeal n 6 November.

4.
USATF clarifies marathon Olympic selection rules

A 27 December 2023 revision of the USA Track & Field selection procedures for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team has clarified who can make the team based on the outcome of the 3 February Olympic Marathon Trials.

The key to all of this is the qualifying approach of World Athletics. It has required qualification via difficult entry standards of 2:08:10 for men and 2:26:50 for women since November 2022, or via its “Road to Paris” quota place system, with the top 65 individuals (limited to three per country) considered qualified as of their standing on 30 January 2024. Further, an “unqualified” athlete may replace a “qualified” athlete if the replacement athlete has run 2:11:30 (men) or 2:29:30 (women) in the qualifying window.

Got all that?

With 20 days to go to 30 January, the U.S. has three women’s qualifying spots already reserved on time, with 13 women bettering the 2:26:50 standard. Moreover, 19 American women ran faster than 2:29:30 (so far), allowing them to allow be eligible to compete in Paris.

The men’s situation is tighter, as only two have met the 2:08:10 qualifying standard – Conner Mantz at 2:07.47 and Clayton Young at 2:08:00 – both at the Chicago Marathon. There are 14 more who have run 2:11:30 or better in 2023, and it is possible that a third quota spot would be granted to the U.S. based on the World Athletics World Rankings. Of course, a third spot could come from a U.S. man running 2:08:10 or faster at the Trials race or before.

The prior selection procedure document stated:

“The top three (3) place finishers for both the men and the women at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s and Women’s Marathon, February 3, 2024 (the ‘Selection Event’) will select themselves via head-to-head competition for positions on the 2024 Olympic Games Team for the 2024 Olympic Games, provided they are each a Qualified Athlete at the conclusion of the Selection Event.”

Now, the procedure reads differently (strikeouts and emphasis added):

“The top three (3) place finishers for both the men and the women at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s and Women’s Marathon, February 3, 2024 (the ‘Selection Event’) will select themselves via head-to-head competition for each of the available U.S. quota positions on the 2024 Olympic Games Team for the 2024 Olympic Games, provided they athletes are each a Qualified Athlete (as defined above) or have achieved at least 2:29:30 (women)/2:11:30 (men) performance during the qualification period, as of at the conclusion of the Selection Event.”

Essentially, this frees USATF from the problem of committing to the top three placers at the Marathon Trials if one or more are not qualified, meaning they have not run 2:11:30 (men) or 2:29:30 (women).

This is specifically noted in a following section, which previously stated:

“[I]f an athlete declines to participate on the Team or is not a Qualified Athlete at the conclusion of the Selection Event, USATF will offer that position to the next highest placing Qualified Athlete finishing in the Selection Event.”

With some technical changes, that process remains in place. A new section was added that restated what will happen in case the Trials can’t be held or is ended before its conclusion, now stating:

“USATF will select athletes who are either Qualified Athletes or have achieved at least 2:29:30 (women)/2:11:30 (men) performance during the Qualification Period.”

The new regulations further offer an opportunity for selection beyond the 30 January “Road to Paris” quota place system, now allowing “Any athlete ranked higher than the 81st athlete on the filtered Quota Place Road to Paris rank list on May 5, 2024 will be considered qualified.”

These changes are good in that they provide added clarity to the selection rules well in advance of the 3 February trials race in Orlando, Florida.

5.
France Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 already talking

The French Alps bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games and the Salt Lake City-Utah bid for the 2034 Winter Games were selected for “targeted dialogue” by the International Olympic Committee in late November, with a view to confirming their selections as hosts this summer.

About six weeks later, Salt Lake City will welcome a delegation from one of the two regions in the French bid – Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) – for a tour of the Utah Olympic Park on Thursday.

A legacy of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the park hosted bobsled, luge and skeleton and the ski jumping competitions (including in the Nordic Combined). An announcement of the tour explained:

“The visit – part of a larger tour of Utah organized through the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity – is aimed to exchange ideas and dialogue on ongoing Olympic and Paralympic legacy efforts, future Games hosting visions, and overall partnership opportunities between Utah and the French region.”

The French bid also includes the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (AURA) region.

Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur Region President Renaud Muselier will lead the visitors and will meet with – among others – Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games Fraser Bullock, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation President Colin Hilton and Park City Mayor Nann Worel.

It’s a good start on how the two probable organizing committees can help each other; the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 organizing committees have also held mutual-aid discussions.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● Gabon completed the integration of the World Anti-Doping Code into its national legal framework and has been reclassified as compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

This means that the only non-compliant signatories to the Code as North Korea, Russia, the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. Nigeria and Venezuela are contesting WADA claims of non-compliance at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

● Curling ● Interesting and potentially impactful cooperation between World Curling and Rock Solid Productions, a Toronto, Canada company which has created surfaces and equipment to create curling competitions without ice.

“Floor Curling” and “Street Curling” are both captivating possibilities for a much more widespread interest in the sport and Rock Solid is now officially tied in with World Curling as a development partner.

World Curling has standardized rules for Floor Curling and will manage the governance of the discipline. World Curling Federation President Beau Welling (USA) explained:

“We’ve seen substantial membership growth over the last number of years but many of our younger members don’t have access to ice to practice. Floor curling has a track record of successfully introducing curling to the masses and this new partnership will allow us to take it one step further by introducing tournaments to the off-ice discipline.”

● Football ● A 4 January ruling by a Brazilian Supreme Court justice restored Ednaldo Rodrigues as the head of the Brazilian football confederation (CBF), ending (for now) a possible clash with FIFA over government interference.

A lower court had ruled in December that a CBF election in 2022 was improperly held and removed Rodrigues and other electees, triggering concerns over governmental interference into sport, which has now been averted. The Brazilian Supreme Court will consider the ruling in full soon.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming reported a 3.9% decline in membership in 2022-23, but appears to be rebounding already in 2023-24.

SwimSwam.com reported that after the pandemic caused membership to drop considerably in 2020-21, total memberships rocketed back up (the federation’s membership years runs from 1 September to 31 August):

● 2019-20: 363,075
● 2020-21: 328,312
● 2021-22: 392,813
● 2022-23: 377,585

USA Swimming said that memberships for 2023-24 have already reached 297,000, on pace to easily surpass last year’s total.

● Triathlon ● Trirating.com provided a detailed examination of prize money won in the sport in 2023, with most of it coming from Ironman and Pro Triathlon Organization (PTO) races, but also from the World Triathlon Championship Series. The top earners:

1. $335,788: Anne Haug (GER)
2. $325,775: Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
3. $323,821: Ashleigh Gentile (AUS)
4. $281,700: Taylor Knibb (USA)
5. $246,760: Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR)

A total of 29 athletes earned $100,000 or more in 2023, vs. 33 in 2022. In total, 818 athletes won prize money in 2023, vs. 762 in 2022.

Total prize money rebounded in 2022 after Covid-impacted years in 2020 and 2021, to $15.011 million, but was significantly down to $12.493 million in 2023. About a third came from Ironman and 70.3-branded races and 30% from PTO events. World Triathlon Championship Series races accounted for 14.7%.

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TSX REPORT: French poll shows confidence, some concerns on Paris 2024; IOC demands more women involved; Retton still recovering

By
Rich Perelman
-
A great graphic by Paris 2024 of its Olympic Phryge mascot taking a coffee break in Paris.

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ On now: An Athens 1896 Olympic Champion medal and Steve Genter’s Munich ‘72 medals trio highlight a 437-item, eye-opening show by RR Auction ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. French confident on Paris 2024, but worried on security, transport
2. IOC pushing for more women at Paris 2024
3. World Athletics chief Coe says doping will never be wiped out
4. Parsons underscores Paralympics’ role for change
5. Retton says she has a long road to recovery ahead

● The latest polling on French attitudes on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games shows some confidence that the event will be a success, including the opening on the Seine, but with significant concerns on security and transport.

● The International Olympic Committee has told the National Olympic Committees that it expects every delegation to send both men and women to the Paris Games and that both male and female flagbearers for the opening are expected.

● World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) said that doping will never be completely eradicated because of the possibilities of financial gain: “it’s human nature.”

● International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons (BRA) said that the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be spectacular, but most importantly will advance the IPC’s accessibility and inclusion agenda. That’s what is really important.

● Gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton, 55, said that her recovery from a near-death bout of pneumonia will take time, but that she was deeply touched by the public support of her recovery and has a lot to live for.

● Panorama: Los Angeles 2028 (Kolesinkov says 50 m Backstroke will be added to LA28 program!) = Athletics (2: Bates out of U.S. marathon trials; Lyles wants world records, more meets in big cities in 2024) = Bobsled & Skeleton (U.S. federation opens athlete commercial marketplace with Opendorse) = Field Hockey (FIH celebrates 100th anniversary!) = Football (German great Beckenbauer passes at 78) = Shooting (Lagan, Tucker, Roe lead five Paris qualifiers at U.S. trials) = Taekwondo (upsets at USA Taekwondo national team qualifier) ●

1.
French confident on Paris 2024, but worried on security, transport

Confident but concerned is probably the best way to characterize the newest poll from the Odoxa public-opinion firm in France, releasing a new poll on the public’s view of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer, with 200 days to go.

The survey of 992 adults aged 18 and over on 3-4 January notably showed:

● 61% are confident in the success of the Games vs. 37% who are worried; the confidence factor is down seven points from the prior poll in October 2023.

● 59% are confident in the success of the opening ceremony on the Seine River vs. 39% worried; the confidence is down 12 points from the prior poll.

● Only 39% believe the “work” will be completed on time, down five points from the previous poll, vs. 59% who believe it will not.

● Only 33% are confident in the security measures, down by four points, vs. 65% who are worried.

● Only 24% believe the transportation programs will work as designed, down nine points, vs. 74% who are worried.

This poll reflects the police plan to require Paris residents to essentially obtain a free pass (a QR code) to access specific areas of Paris during the Games which have Olympic events taking place, although the specific areas to be regulated have not been disclosed.

In terms of public interest in the events, 55% said they intended to follow the Games and 42% said they would follow the Paralympics; 58% said they would follow both. That’s a much higher rate than for the other major 2024 events, such as the Euro 2024 football tournament (42%), the Six Nations Rugby tournament (42%), the 2024 Tour de France (39%) or the 2024 French Open tennis tournament (32%).

Observed: These results track with the situation in past Games where pessimism creeps in at the start of the Olympic year, but rises quickly later in the process, especially when the Olympic Torch Relay begins. The lack of confidence in security and transportation also reflects the current situation in France, which suffered a terrorist incident in early December where a German tourist was stabbed to death near the Eiffel Tower by a French national who said he was angered by “so many Muslims dying in Afghanistan and in Palestine,” and comments from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo that the transit system upgrades planned to be completed prior to the Games will not finish in time.

Against the public concerns are sales of more than 7.6 million tickets and more than 200,000 applications for volunteer work against 45,000 identified positions.

2.
IOC pushing for more women at Paris 2024

Japan’s Kyodo News reported on a communication to the National Olympic Committees, asking firmly for more representation for women at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Under current president Thomas Bach (GER), the IOC has made gender equality a main focus of its reform efforts, and has trumpeted Paris for the first-ever gender-equal participation in the Games, with 5,250 men and 5,250 women (10,500 total).

But it is not stopping there, asking the NOCs to ensure that at least one female is included in all teams and that the flagbearers include a man and a woman (two are now allowed). The story noted that while 91% of the NOCs had male and female flagbearers, not all did, and that:

“[T]he delegations from Brunei, Suriname, the United Arab Emirates, and Vanuatu did not include a single female in the Tokyo Olympics due to the pandemic that forced the event to be postponed for one year until 2021.”

The IOC message also asked for more women on staff, citing statistics of only 13% of women as coaches and 19% as team leaders, and less than 30% overall.

3.
World Athletics chief Coe says doping will never be wiped out

Speaking on the “Up Front with Simon Jordan” podcast, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) said that despite extensive efforts, it’s impossible to completely end doping in sports. But it’s much better now than it was:

“I feel like we’re now in much safer territory when it comes to doping.

“Will we ever get to the utopia of a sport that is drug-free? No, of course not, it’s human nature, risk versus reward.

“If you’re a street kid, in some countries the risk versus reward is huge and if you get caught and are returned to the street then that’s nothing ventured nothing gained, so it is a challenge.

“I think we’re in much better territory with doping, we have the systems in place now. Ideally, we wouldn’t be having to spend £8 million a year on an integrity unit, but I would rather have the short-term embarrassment of a high-profile positive test, than have the gentle decline into the morality of a knacker’s yard. (£1 = $1.28 U.S. today)

“For me, weeding out the cheats doesn’t make me feel good for exposing them, it’s more about protecting the clean athletes.”

The Athletics Integrity Unit, founded in 2017 and funded by World Athletics, has been an energetic force against doping in the sport and the concept has been copied by an expanding number of International Federations, including aquatics, biathlon and tennis.

But it has its hands full trying to contain doping issues in Russia (90 ineligibles), and more recently in Kenya, with 71 people listed on the “ineligible” list at present.

4.
Parsons underscores Paralympics’ role for change

The main role of the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic movement worldwide is to increase accessibility and inclusion. That was emphasized by International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons (BRA) in a Kyodo interview published Sunday:

“It’s a fundamental piece of our DNA. The Paralympic movement was created by Sir Ludwig Guttmann [GBR] 70-something years ago to include persons with disability through sport. That’s what we try to achieve.”

“We try to present the Games as an example that if you give opportunities to persons with disabilities, they can excel – and not only in sport. We believe that sport is a very visible phenomenon so people in a 10-second athletic race, people get it, because it’s sport, because it’s so powerful.

“So, we play our part in trying to make people understand that difference is a strength, that you need to respect difference, that the world is a more interesting and better place if we are able to respect each other’s differences. We know that sport cannot solve or cure all the problems in the world, but we believe it’s a very powerful way to change mentality.

“We saw it in Japan, for example, with the [2021] Games. We saw a big change in mentality, and how Japan perceives persons with disability, and now they are being more present in society.”

He was highly enthusiastic about the Paris Paralympic Games, noting:

“There are many projects in Paris and in France…to change perceptions. And of course, the games will be a catalyst for the acceleration. So, I think the combination of the two will provide a huge improvement in the quality of life of the 30 million French people with disabilities.

“In general, I believe these will be the most spectacular Games in history, due to the combination of the sport, the crowds and the venues and Paris. The high level of Paralympic sport is more evident than ever before.”

5.
Retton says she has a long road to recovery ahead

Olympic gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton appeared in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show and said she is making a slow recovery from the pneumonia that nearly killed her in October.

“I’m not great yet. I know it’s going to be a really long road.”

She explained that she had rarely opened up about her medical conditions and explained that she had gone through more than 30 “orthopedic-type” operations over the years. Now 55, the astonishing $459,324 raised from 8,319 donors has allowed her medical insurance and give her the support needed to pursue her recovery.

But it was close:

“This is serious, and this is life. I am so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support.

“When you face death in the eyes, I have so much to look forward to. I’m a fighter and I’m not going to give it up.”

She was also struck by the outpouring of support she received:

“I just thought I was a washed up, old athlete; but the love, it touched me. Now that I’m alive and I made it through, there’s so many more positives than negatives.”

Retton was just 16 when she famously won the Olympic All-Around gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and became the first female athlete to be pictured on the front of a Wheaties box. She was found at home alone, and ill, by a neighbor, who took her to a hospital; she was released, but back in another hospital a day later when her situation turned grave, but ultimately rebounded.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Will World Aquatics be allowed to add the long-sought 50 m distances in backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly in 2028? Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, the world-record holder in the 50 Back (23.55), thinks so. He told the Russian news agency TASS:

“I heard that to Los Angeles, they will add the ‘fifty,’ so that’s it: I’m going to perform at 50 meters on the back.

“It turns out that I will continue my career for another five years, although, of course, now I say this not without a share of irony. But to go to the Olympic Games in the 50-meter backstroke would really be fun.

“Basically, with each year gradually the thoughts and approach to swimming will change, the goals will also change. It may be that by 2028 I will be done with swimming altogether, but to go for a fifty, as I said, would be cool.”

Kolesnikov, 23, won the 2020 Olympic silver in the 100 m Back and bronze in the 100 m Free. No decision will be announced on the actual program of events for 2028 until after the Paris Games are concluded, possibly in December of this year or early in 2025. World Aquatics has been asking to add the 50 m distances beyond Freestyle for some time, but has run into questions about its overall athlete total and what reductions it would make in other events to keep its athlete number the same (or less) at the Olympic Games..

● Athletics ● U.S. marathoner Emma Bates, the 2021 Chicago Marathon runner-up and seventh at the 2022 Worlds (2:23:18: no. 10 all-time U.S.) said in an Instagram video that she will not be running at the U.S. Olympic Trials in February as she has not had enough time to prepare after suffering a foot injury at the Chicago Marathon in October and another injury in December.

She ran 2:22:10 for fifth at Boston in 2023 and was a clear contender for the U.S. team. Now 31, she explained, “we just know that there’s not enough time to be where I need to be” and added in her post:

“I don’t really know what to say. I don’t really know how to feel. … This one hurts a lot. But I’ll be ok. I’ll be ok.”

U.S. sprint superstar Noah Lyles told World Athletics in a look-ahead to 2024 that he’s looking for “three gold medals at the Olympics and a world record,” and says he’s looking to run “9.4″ for the 100 m and 19.10 for the 200 m, both of which would be world records.

And he is looking to making the sport more interesting and more attractive as well:

“I’d definitely like to see more walk-ins; now that people have seen them, I feel that we can actually organize it a lot better and find the track meets that want to partner up with it. And let’s get some track meets in some major cities in the U.S.: that’s truly what I want to see.”

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● If it works for college athletes, why not for bobsledders and skeleton racers?

USA Bobsled & Skeleton announced the opening of “a dedicated bobsled and skeleton marketplace to help athletes increase and simplify their personal brand promotional efforts.”

The program is operated through Opendorse, one of the leading name-image-likeness marketers in the collegiate athletics space, with USABS athletes available for personal sponsorships, appearances, social media posts and other opportunities.

Fourteen athletes are currently listed in the marketplace, including Beijing 2022 Olympic Monobob gold medalist Kaillie Humphries. She is offering individuals opportunities for a personal video salute, appearance and social media post, starting as low as $125!

Also in the marketplace is former sprint star Manteo Mitchell, a member of the U.S. Olympic track & field team in 2012 and who completed with a broken leg (!) in the heats of the men’s 4×400 m relay, winning a silver medal as the U.S. was second in the final. He now competes in Bobsled, trying to complete a rare summer-winter medal double.

● Field Hockey ● The Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) marked its 100th anniversary on Sunday, having been founded in 1924, in Paris (FRA) in a meeting hosted by the French federation.

The initial members were Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland. A separate International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations was formed in 1927 and the two organizations finally merged in 1982. Hockey was included first at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, and in 1980 for women.

The FIH now has 140 member nations and has continued to introduce new formats, including the national-team Hockey Pro League in 2019 and the Hockey 5s World Cup that will debut later this month in Muscat (OMA).

● Football ● One of the greats of the game, German defender, coach and World Cup organizer Franz Beckenbauer, passed away at 78 on Sunday (7th) at Salzburg (AUT).

He was a superb player, nominally a defender, but always an offensive presence as well, who scored 14 goals for West Germany in his national-team career from 1965-77. He played on the 1966 FIFA World Cup runner-ups, the bronze-medal-winning 1970 team and captained the 1974 World Cup winners, playing in front of a home crowd.

Although best known as a star for Bayern Munich, he played four seasons in the North American Soccer League for the powerhouse New York Cosmos from 1977-80.

He coached the West German team from 1984-90, finishing second in 1986 and became one of only three men in history to win the FIFA World Cup as both a player and a manager, as his team defeated Argentina, 1-0, in the 1990 final. Only Brazil’s Mario Zagallo – who passed away at 92 on 5 January – and France’s Didier Deschamps have also won the World Cup as a player and manager.

“Der Kaiser” as he was known, was the head of the successful German bid group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was the Chair of the organizing committee of the highly successful tournament. He faced accusations of bribery and fraud connected with the event, but was never charged by Swiss prosecutors and was fined by the FIFA Ethics Committee with regard to a 2014 inquiry.

● Shooting ● The third phase of the USA Shooting Olympic Trials for Air Pistol and Air Rifle concluded in Anniston, Alabama on Sunday, with five athletes in line to be officially named as 2024 Olympians.

USA Shooting announced that athletes would be named for five quota spots already earned, in the women’s Air Pistol (2) and Air Rifle (2) and the men’s Air Rifle (1).

The women’s 10 m Air Pistol final in Anniston went to Suman Sanghera, who scored 238.3 to best Tokyo Olympian Lexi Lagan (232.2), but Lagan won the three-phase Trials with a total of 575.6 points, ahead of Katelyn Abeln (571.2), who won a tie-breaker with Sanghera (also 571.2).

The women’s 10 m Air Rifle final saw Tokyo 2020 Mixed Team silver winner Mary Tucker score 252.5 for the win over Katie Zaun (250.1) and take the overall title at 633.9. Sagen Maddalena, the 2023 Pan American Games gold winner and a Tokyo Olympian, was fifth in the final, but second overall at 632.9 to beat out Tokyo Olympian Alison Weisz (632.3) and Zaun (630.2).

The men’s 10 m Air Rifle final was won by Tokyo Mixed Team silver medalist Lucas Kozeniesky at 251.3, ahead of Peter Fiori (249.1) and Ivan Roe (228.1), but Roe earned his first Olympic berth with an overall score of 631.9. Rylan Kissell stands second overall (630.3) and Kozeniesky third (629.4), with a second Olympian to be named (eventually) in this event.

In the men’s 10 m Air Pistol final in Anniston, Jay Shi won at 233.9 against Tokyo Olympian James Hall (231.7) and Nick Mowrer (213.2), but Mowrer – also a Tokyo Olympian – topped the three-stage combine at 579.4, with Shi second at 577.6 and Sam Gens third (572.2). The U.S. has two quota spots for Paris in this event, but no team members were to be announced after this phase.

● Taekwondo ● At the USA Taekwondo U.S. Team Trials in Charlotte, North Carolina, Pan American Games gold medalist Khalfani Harris swept to victory, but there were multiple surprises of other medal winners, including a 2022 World Champion!

In the men’s 54 kg class, top-seeded Matthew Alfonso defeated no. 3 Joseph Carillo in the final, while William Cunningham won the men’s 58 kg class, defeating third-seed Melvy Alvarez.

Fourth-seeded Emilio Cendejas took out no. 1 seed Jason Lewis in the elimination round and then defeated No. 3 Luis Orozco to win at 63 kg. At 68 kg, Pan American Games champ Harris swept past no. 6 Victor Rodrigues in the final to win the division. Top seed Aiden Bevel won the 74 kg class over Daniel Alexander and no. 1 Jonathan Healy, the Pan Am Games silver winner at +80 kg, took out third-seed Zeph Putnam for the +87 kg win.

Top-seeded Ashley Choi won the women’s 46 kg final over third-seed Hazel Della, and fifth-seed Montana Miller won in a surprise at 49 kg over top-seeded Maya Mata in the semis and then no. 2 Melina Daniel – the Pan Am Games bronze medalist – in the final.

No. 1 Sophia Oceguera won the women’s 53 kg class by beating Kayla Shanahan and Logan Weber won the 57 kg final over Jessica Gniedziejko. Fourth-seed Danica Deacon won the 62 kg final over no. 2 Chloe Chua, after Chua had beaten 2022 Worlds 53 kg champ Makayla Greenwood in her semifinal!

At 67 kg, 18-year-old Kristine Teachout, the 2023 Pan Am Games bronze medalist, won her division over no. 2 Makaela Usserman, while Brianne Usserman won the 73 kg gold over Sarah Grabot. At +73 kg, Naomi Alade upset no. 1-ranked Hannah Keck.

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MEMORABILIA: An Athens 1896 Olympic Champion silver and Steve Genter’s Munich ‘72 medals trio in an eye-opening show by RR Auction

By
Rich Perelman
-
A magnificent 1896 Athens Olympic winner's medal - in silver in those days - on offer now by RR Auction (Photo courtesy RR Auction)

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

A sponsored post by RR Auction.

Olympic fans everywhere know who Mark Spitz was. Many fewer remember Steve Genter.

They were American teammates in the pool at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany and would compete together in the 200 m Freestyle and the 4×200 m Free relay. Spitz went on to win seven golds, in four individual events and three relays, all in world-record time. Genter almost beat him, after almost not being able to swim in the Games.

He suffered a collapsed lung about a week before the Games, but U.S. doctors allowed him to compete after a re-inflation procedure that required bed rest until the day before his first swim. He made the 200 m Free final easily, then led Spitz in the final at 100 m and 150 m before the procedure caught up to him and he faded to silver on the last lap.

Two days later, he swam third on the winning U.S. team in the 4×200 m Free relay and swam the next day in the 400 m Free. He finished third, with teammate Rick DeMont winning, but then disqualified for an asthma medication he had declared, but which had not been formally cleared by the International Olympic Committee. Genter stood to be promoted to silver, but in solidarity with DeMont, refused the silver medal and retained the bronze.

Now, at age 72, Genter is offering his set of Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals in a new offer from RR Auction as part of a sensational 437-item auction now open and continuing through 18 January.

This auction includes a mighty assembly of Olympic torches from 19 different Games: 1936-48-56-60-64-68-72-76-80-84-88-92-96-2000-04-08-12-16-20, and from 13 Winter Games, from 1956-72-80-84-88-94-98-2002-06-10-14-18-22.

But the prize of the auction might be an 1896 Athens winner’s medal – made of silver – in truly excellent condition that is projected to bring a $100,000 sales price!

Also up is the London 2012 boxing gold – his first of two – won by Cuban star Roniel Iglesias in the 64 kg Light Welterweight category, expected to sell for $50,000! And there are 36 more items valued at $10,000 or more:

● $45,000: Lake Placid 1980 Winter torch
● $40,000: Tokyo 1964 gold medal
● $40,000: Lillehammer 1994 Winter torch
● $35,000: Los Angeles 1932 gold medal
● $30,000: Berlin 1936 gold medal
● $25,000: Stockholm 1956 equestrian silver medal
● $25,000: Stockholm 1956 equestrian bronze medal
● $25,000: Tokyo 1964 badge for IOC President Avery Brundage
● $25,000: Turin 2006 Winter silver medal
● $22,000: Oslo 1952 Winter silver medal

● $20,000: London 1908 Comite d’Honneur badge
● $20,000: Paris 1924 gold medal
● $20,000: Innsbruck 1964 Winter gold medal
● $20,000: Mexico City 1968 gold-silver-bronze set
● $20,000: Calgary 1988 Winter torch
● $20,000: Calgary 1988 Winter silver medal
● $18,000: St. Louis 1904 participation medal
● $18.000: Tokyo 1964 torch
● $18,000: Calgary 1988 Winter gold medal
● $18,000: Lillehammer 1994 Winter silver medal

● $15,000: 1889 Zappas Olympics winner’s diploma
● $15,000: Melbourne 1956 torch
● $15,000: Cortina 1956 Winter torch
● $15,000: Montreal 1976 silver medal
● $15,000: Seoul 1988 gold medal
● $12,500: Munich 1972 gold medal
● $12,000: Melbourne 1956 silver medal
● $12,000: Atlanta 1996 gold medal
● $12,000: Beijing 2008 silver medal
● $10,000: Lillehammer 1994 Pinewood Winter torch

● $10,000: Tokyo 1964 Olympic flame safety lantern
● $10,000: Tokyo 1964 Olympic flame “sacred vessel”
● $10,000: Helsinki 1952 gold medal
● $10,000: Los Angeles 1984 gold medal
● $10,000: Seoul 1988 gold medal
● $10,000: Sydney 2000 silver medal

The rare 1908 London “Comite du Honneur” badge is in excellent condition and rarely seen, and one of the wildest items in the listing is a winner’s diploma from the 1889 “Zappas Olympics” in Athens, Greece that was a forerunner to the eventual revival of the Olympic Games.

Note that the projected prices for many Winter Games items surpass those for the summer Games. Bobby Eaton, the RR Auction Chief Operating Officer, explained:

“In the world of Olympic memorabilia collecting, Winter Games hold a distinctive allure, often commanding higher prices for both torches and winner’s medals, primarily due to one pivotal factor: scarcity. While the summer Olympics boast an impressive turnout of athletes, now more than 10,000 competitors, their Winter counterpart features a more exclusive group, with a range of 2,500 to 3,000 participants.

“The rarity factor becomes even more pronounced when considering Olympic torches. In the case of the Winter Games, collectors contend with a limited supply, spanning anywhere from 20 to 150 torches for various years, whereas the Summer Games can flood the market with approximately 10,000 torches in some instances.

“Beyond scarcity, the mindset of collectors also plays a crucial role in driving up prices. Collectors often aspire to complete sets of torches or winner’s medals, intensifying the demand and competition for these coveted pieces, ultimately contributing to their elevated value.”

There are Olympic medals on offer from 1896-1900-20-24-32-36-48-52-56-64-68-72-76-80-84-88-92-96-2000-08 and Winter Games medals from 1924-28-48-52-64-84-88-94-2006.

And for Los Angeles 2028 fans, lots of items from the 1932 Olympic Games in L.A. are available, including a souvenir bronzed miniature of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with bidding starting at $150!

It’s an impressive roster from Boston-based RR Auction, which sponsors twice-a-year auctions of Olympic memorabilia, along with other shows on autographs, artifacts, music and other items. This auction will end on 18 January, so check out the lists now!

A sponsored post by RR Auction.

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TSX REPORT: Another event with money trouble (in Britain); some progress on NHL players in 2026 Winter Games; ex-biathlon chief on trial!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Cross Country Skiing star Jessica Diggins: a second FIS World Cup seasonal title!

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Money to derail ‘26 European Athletics Champs in Birmingham?
2. IIHF: NHL might be at Milan-Cortina; Russia decision in February
3. Trial of former IBU chief Besseberg to start this week
4. WADA confirms continuing inquiry in Spain’s anti-doping agency
5. L.A. Rec & Parks asks to accelerate LA28 funding

● Another big event – the 2026 European Athletics Championships – is in jeopardy over money in Birmingham, England. The event needs more money than originally granted by the regional authority and the city is essentially bankrupt over a huge equal-pay fine from a worker lawsuit. This follows on money-related implosions of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria last year and the 2027 Pan Am Games, taken from Colombia last week. But the Colombians want the event back and are pursuing Panam Sports about it.

● International Ice Hockey Federation chief Luc Tardif of France is optimistic about NHL participation in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy as all sides are now ready to talk again about the conditions. The question of Russian and Belarusian participation in events will be discussed again next month.

● In Norway, the trial of former long-time International Biathlon Union chief Anders Besseberg for bribery and unfair advantage will begin next week, with Norwegian government wiretaps a crucial piece of evidence.

● The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that it is pursuing an inquiry with the Spanish national anti-doping agency (CELAD) over allegations of doping cover-ups and mismanagement, and said it has been doing so for some time.

● The LA28 Youth Sports Partnership with the City of Los Angeles got off to a slow start due to Covid-19 and difficulties in hiring staff, but a new request for 2024-25 shows the project accelerating with a $27.72 million request.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. wins sixth men’s World Juniors title) ●

● Panorama: Olympic Games 2026 (Poland not ready to bid for ‘36) = Alpine Skiing (2: Vlhova wins Slalom in Kranjska Gora; Odermatt takes Giant Slalom in Adelboden) = Athletics (2: Ketema scores 2:16:07 debut win in Dubai; Ethiopia sweeps Xiamen Marathon) = Biathlon (France sweeps Oberhof women’s races) = Cross Country Skiing (2: Diggins finishes Tour de Ski as Laukli get first World Cup gold; six different winners at U.S. Nationals) = Luge (Austria and Germany split World Cup wins in Winterberg) = Modern Pentathlon (Bell and Gonzalez win USA Pent qualifier) = Ski Jumping (Kobayashi’s seconds take Four Hills title) = Table Tennis (China sweeps WTT men’s finals) ●

1.
Money to derail ‘26 European Athletics Champs in Birmingham?

Another large-scale event could be removed from its announced venue due to money: the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham (GBR).

The city very successfully hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, stepping in for Durban (RSA), which was removed over inadequate funding. Now, Birmingham is in financial trouble, facing a £760 million liability (about $967.1 million U.S. today) over an equal-pay case and declaring “effective bankruptcy” last September.

The event, which hosts about 1,500 athletes from 48 countries and territories, has been held since 1934, but never in Great Britain, which ranks second all-time in terms of total medals won.

The Europeans was supposed to be held with a £13.7 million grant from the West Midlands Combined Authority last March, but is apparently £2.2 million short (£1 = $1.27 U.S.). The BBC reported that £3 million from a grassroots development program could be diverted to the championships, cutting deeply into the youth sports plan. The matter will be considered as a 12 January WMCA meeting, which could also ask the national government for replacement funds for the youth development effort.

Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, renovated for the Commonwealth Games, is the site and will be expanded again from its permanent 18,000 seats to about 32,000 as it had in 2022.

The drama over the 2026 European Championships funding continues the strain on high-profile events over costs, with the 2026 Commonwealth Games abandoned last year by the Australian state of Victoria over cost worries, and the Panam Sports continental association removing the 2027 Pan American Games from Barranquilla (COL) last week over contract issues, reportedly also over money.

This is now – officially – a trend, and one of considerable worry.

Ciro Solano, the head of the Colombian Olympic Committee, told Agence France Presse that the country will try and regain hosting rights for the 2027 Pan American Games:

“We are going to take action, we want to do everything amicably, we still have hope of recovering the Games.”

Solano admitted that the $4 million rights payment due to Panam Sports at the end of 2023 was not made, but feels that Colombia should be able to make things right and continue as host for 2027. He stated that the Panam Sports decision to revoke Barranquilla’s hosting is not final until voted on by the Panam Sports membership in February.

He also expressed concern that Paraguay had been lobbying to take the event from Colombia since August.

2.
IIHF: NHL might be at Milan-Cortina; Russia decision in February

International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif (FRA) told reporters at the men’s World Junior Championship in Sweden that he is optimistic about the possibility of having NHL players participating at Milan Cortina 2026:

“You can see I’m smiling.

“For the first time we are now meeting with all interested parties – the NHL, the NHLPA, the IIHF, the IOC. And I think all the planets are aligned. I will meet with IOC president Thomas Bach [GER] in mid-January. I believe we’ll have an announcement before the end of February. And since we are hopeful for the next Olympics, we will try to arrange a commitment for the next two Olympics. There is a common goal to participate.”

NHL players last participated in the Winter Games in 2014 in Sochi (RUS), but skipped the 2018 PyeongChang Games and, due to Covid-19, the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

On the question of the re-entry of Russian and Belarusian teams, Tardif said it is up for discussion again:

“Every February and March we reconsider the situation about the geopolitics situation. That’s not a politics decision. It’s always for the security of our competitions and the security of our players, including Belarus and Russia.

“So that will be the question to our board on February 12 and 13. Is it possible to bring Russia and Belarus to the world championships in Denmark and Sweden, next world championship [in 2025]? And at the same time, we will talk about the participation of Belarus and Russia for the Olympic Games in 2026. The decision will be taken on February 12 and 13 considering that.”

The IOC’s recommended ban on Russian and Belarusian teams from February 2022 is still in force; Russia and Belarus last participated in the 2021 men’s Worlds.

Tardif emphasized Russian and Belarusian participation in IIHF events will depend “on the safety of the athletes and organizers and the IIHF’s ability to run a safe tournament.”

3.
Trial of former IBU chief Besseberg to start this week

The Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime – known as Okokrim – will present its case against former International Biathlon Union chief Anders Besseberg next week in a Buskerud County courtroom in Norway, seeking to prove that he received extra benefits, illegal under Norwegian law.

Besseberg was the elected President of the IBU from 1992 – when it split with the modern pentathlon federation – until 2018, when he resigned under allegations of corruption. He was charged with aggravated corruption in April 2023, including “accepting bribes in the form of watches, hunting trips and trophies, prostitutes and a leased car which he enjoyed the use of from 2011 to 2018 in Norway.”

An IBU investigation led by British lawyer Jonathan Taylor concluded in 2021, and he spoke with the Norwegian paper Verdens Gang about what the inquiry found out. Some of the information came from government wiretaps of Besseberg’s phone calls:

● “On the phone, they had their guard down and spoke freely about what was going on and what their motivation was. We believe there is clear evidence of what was going on. Both were frustrated because the World Anti-Doping Agency went hard to expose Russian doping in biathlon. They almost tried to help the Russians fight back.”

● “Did the leadership in the IBU do everything they could to get rid of doping? The answer is ‘No, they didn’t.’ For example, syringes with EPO were found. It was Besseberg who was in charge, he chose not to do anything. And there were several such examples. They were ‘soft’ in the anti-doping work. When Russian athletes were taken, they were usually athletes at a lower level.”

● “We found no evidence of concrete corruption, but we know that prostitutes were made available to him. And we know that expensive hunting trips were given. But can we say that it led to something else? No, we can’t. We can only present the facts. We know that he favored Russian interests beyond what is expected of a sports leader who believes that Russia was an important nation for the sport. He went much further than that. Why? That is for others to decide.”

Taylor also spoke of the situation within the IBU, a paralysis which is likely not unknown in multiple organizations:

“When some people get positions in international sports, they stay in nice hotels and are driven around in limousines. They feel important and like it. Then they don’t think that it is their job to look after the sport and make sure that nothing wrong happens. And when new people join the board, it’s incredibly difficult to put your foot down and say, ‘Stop, this is wrong.’”

And as for Russian doping in the sport, Taylor said the evidence “is completely overwhelming.”

Besseberg has denied the charges and his attorney says a different portrait of him will be painted at the trial.

For Taylor, however, the bottom line as regards the sport Besseberg was responsible to:

“Besseberg was not interested in the integrity of international biathlon. He didn’t want to anger Russia. Rather, he sacrificed the integrity of the sport.”

4.
WADA confirms continuing inquiry in Spain’s anti-doping agency

“WADA has been looking into this matter for some time now. We are well aware of deep-seated issues within Spanish anti-doping. I am disappointed with the level of cooperation we have received from CELAD as we seek to improve the system for Spanish athletes. The fact that there are positive cases that have not been handled in a timely fashion, despite regular follow up by WADA, is unacceptable.”

That’s World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka (POL), reacting to a story on the Spanish site Relevo that cited not just irregularities in testing, but cover-up efforts for certain athletes to allow them to continue competing from within the Spanish national anti-doping agency, known as CELAD.

WADA issued a statement on Friday that included:

“[WADA] confirms that all cases have been repeatedly followed up through the results management process and some are still pending.

“Indeed, in addition to pursuing CELAD on apparently delayed pending cases, WADA took the highly unusual action in 2023, of taking away three Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) cases from it and handing them over to the relevant International Federations to deal with instead. In another two such ABP cases, WADA imposed strict deadlines on CELAD for the rendering of a decision.

“WADA can also confirm that for several months, as part of its compliance monitoring program, it has been aware of ongoing problems related to CELAD, including several issues to do with testing and results management. Related to that, WADA provided to CELAD a corrective action report that needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency, including with respect to a number of delayed cases. This matter is ongoing.”

The statement also noted WADA’s dissatisfaction with the implementation of a Spanish law that was supposed to create a compliant structure with the World Anti-Doping Code, deepening the crisis and opening Spain to sanctions, which could include a loss of flag and anthem privileges at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

In Spain, the CELAD scandal has roused the interest of prosecutors, with the Spanish High Council of Sports (CSD) passing on a complaint which noted “irregularities in the use of public funds and in the control and sanctioning of doping.”

The CSD asked CELAD director Jose Luis Terreros to resign, and if not, said it will work with the Interior Ministry to have him removed.

5.
L.A. Rec & Parks asks to accelerate LA28 funding

The unique and highly-publicized Youth Sports Partnership program between the LA28 organizing committee and the City of Los Angeles’ Recreation and Parks Department, using $160 million in funds advanced by the International Olympic Committee, got off to a slow start.

That appears to be changing.

The agreement, signed in September 2020, offers funding designed to be used “to subsidize and offset funding for youth sports and fitness classes or programs at designated recreation centers and or through signature programs or other non-profit or specialized sport and fitness partners, as well as for marketing and for the implementation of a safe sport program.” LA28 agreed to funding on a consistent schedule of $6.4 million in 2020 and then $19.2 annually from 2020-21 through 2017-28. However, City Recreation and Parks hasn’t been able to use that much; its actual requests have totaled just $29.66 million through the 2022-23 fiscal year and $48.46 million through the 2023-24 fiscal year:

● 2020: $4.48 million ($4.48 million received)
● 2021-22: $7.65 million ($7.65 million received)
● 2022-23: $17.53 million ($13.22 million received)
● 2023-24: $18.80 million (none shown so far)

That’s against an LA28 commitment of $83.2 million for that period! And spending by the Recreation and Parks Department were short of the funding received in 2020 and in 2021-22. Now, however, the City appears ready to catch up.

In a 223-page submittal confirmed last week, it is asking for $14.82 million to balance its actual spending and requests through 2022-23. And then there is the funding request for 2024-25, for $27.72 million, which would bring the 5 1/2-year total to $67.89 million.

That would leave $92.11 million remaining in the LA28 funding commitment through the final three years of the deal (an average of $30.70 million annually!).

The new funding request for $27.72 million includes:

● $18.24 million for recreation leagues and classes at 88 sites;
● $1.61 million for swimming classes;
● $6.69 million for Signature programs in aquatics, fitness and adaptive sports;
● $1.17 million for SafeSport training, marketing and promotion.

The baseline participation level from the 2018-19 fiscal year was 148,274 individuals, with the 2024-25 goal at $211,859, a projected 43% increase.

The Youth Support Program got off to a slow start due to strict Covid-19 remedial measures in Los Angeles County, and a lack of instructors once restrictions were eased. But the City now appears poised to fully implement the program originally envisioned as LA28’s legacy, in place ahead of the Games.

The next stop for the plan is the L.A. City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S, men finished undefeated and won their sixth IIHF men’s World Junior Championship title in Gothenburg (SWE), in front of 11,512 spectators with a 6-2 victory homestanding Sweden.

The Swedes (5-2) piled up a 17-5 goals-against total in the group stage, with all five against in the 5-4 shoot-out loss to Finland. It gave up only two goals each in its quarterfinal and semifinal wins, but against the U.S., – which had outscored its opponents by 39-13 – it gave up three goals in the first 35 minutes.

Forward Gabe Perreault opened the scoring at 16:56 of the first period for the U.S. on a deflected shot in front of goal, with Sweden’s Otto Stenberg tying it just 2:13 into the second. The Americans then went up 3-1 with back-to-back goals from Isaac Howard at 9:24 (on a breakaway) and 14:19 of the second on a shot from the goal line, but the Sweden’s Jonathan Lekkerimaki got close at 3-2 on a power-play goal at 19:55 of the second.

Swedish hopes dimmed, however, as Zeev Buium scored for the U.S. just 1:19 into the final period and Ryan Leonard pushed the lead to 5-2 at 16:12 of the period on a steal-and-shot. A final goal – for the 6-2 final – came on an empty-netter from Rutger McGroarty at 16:50.

There was a late-game mix-up with eight penalties against five players for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct with 31 seconds to play, but no serious damage done.

In a wild third-place game, the Czech Republic defeated Finland, 8-5, with five goals in the final period to overcome a 3-5 deficit at the start of the third!

The Americans finished 7-0 and won its sixth title in this tournament, previously in 2004-10-13-17-21. Sweden, which won in 1981 and 2012, took the silver for the 12th time. Sweden’s Hugo Havelid was named Best Goaltender and teammate Axel Sandin Pellikka as Best Defender. The U.S.’s Cutter Gauthier won for Best Forward.

Gauthier and Jiri Kulich (CZE) tied with 12 points as the top scorer; Lekkerimaki led with seven goals, ahead of Kulich and American Gavin Brindley, with six each.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Polish Minister of Sport Slawomir Nitras said in a Friday radio interview that the country is not ready to pursue a bid for the 2036 Olympic Games:

“It would be necessary to make a bid and participate in a competition with other countries. Poland is not ready for that today.”

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS women’s World Cup resumed in Kranjska Gora (SLO) with a Giant Slalom and Slalom, and a Saturday win for Canadian Valerie Grenier.

Competing at the site where she scored her only prior World Cup gold, Grenier ranked fourth after the first run, trailing Beijing 2022 Olympic Slalom champ Petra Vlhova (SVK) by 0.35. But Grenier won the second run with a spectacular 53.61 clocking, 0.22 faster than everyone else and good enough for a 1:50.51 total that was a clear 0.37 seconds better than 2021 World Champion Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) and Italy’s 2022 Olympic runner-up Federica Brignone (1:51.02). Vlhova ended up fourth (1:1.12) and U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin was ninth (1:52.39). American teammate A.J. Hurt was 18th.

On Sunday, it was Vlhova who mastered difficult weather conditions and led the Slalom after the first run by 0.26 and held steady on the second run to win in 1:47.62, ahead of German Lena Duerr (1:48.34 and Hurt (1:48.49), who had the fastest second run in the field to jump up from 16th!

This was a breakthrough for Hurt, 23, who had previously finished in the top 10 in a World Cup race just once, in December in the Giant Slalom at Tremblant (CAN). Shiffrin did not finish the first run after straddling a gate. It was Vlhova’s 31st career World Cup win.

Swiss star Marco Odermatt, the reigning World Cup champ, scored his fourth win and fifth medal in the last six World Cup races in Saturday’s men’s Giant Slalom in front of home fans in Adelboden (SUI).

Really, no one was close as Odermatt led after the first run by 1.04 and with the second-fastest time on the second run, he won at 1:54.06, some 1.24 ahead of Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (1:55.32). Filip Zubcic (SLO) grabbed the bronze at 1:55.83, with River Radamus of the U.S. in fourth (1:55.95), with the quickest second run in the field. It was Odermatt’s 29th career World Cup gold.

Sunday saw the second win of the season for Austria’s 2017 Worlds Slalom runner-up Manuel Feller, who was fifth-fastest in the first run and sixth in the second run, but that was good enough to win in 1:52.62 over Atle Lie McGrath (NOR: 1:52.64) and Austrian teammate Dominik Raschner (1:52.85).

Radamus was again the top American, finishing 19th in 1:54.77.

● Athletics ● The famously flat Dubai Marathon produced another sensational time as Ethiopian Tigist Ketema debuted with a win in the women’s race in 2:16:07, making her the no. 8 performer in history!

Ketema, 25, has run 4:00.91 for 1,500 m in 2021, but blew past a good field with 5 km left and sailed home with the victory by more than two minutes on countrywomen Ruti Aga (2:18:09) and Dera Dida (2:19:29). Aga equaled her lifetime best, set last year.

Ethiopia also swept the men’s race, with Addisu Gobena winning in 2:05:01, beating Lemi Dumecha (2:05:20) and Dejane Megersa (2:05:42).

At the Xiamen Marathon in China, Ethiopia’s Asefa Kebebe outran Kenya’s Felix Kirwa over the last seven kilometers to win in 2:06:46 to 2:06:52. In the women’s race, Ethiopian Bekelech Gudeta won easily in a lifetime best of 2:22:54, with Morocco’s Fatima Gardadi second at 2:24:12.

● Biathlon ● France has taken possession of the IBU women’s World Cup, with wins in both individual races in Oberhof (GER). On Friday, it was the third straight World Cup gold for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet in the 7.5 km Sprint in 22:32.0 (2 penalties), clear of runner-up Franziska Preuss (GER: 22:47.4/0) and France’s Sophie Chauveau (22:47.6/1).

In Saturday’s 10 km Pursuit, Braisasz-Bouchet had to settle for second, but behind French teammate Julia Simon – the reigning World Champion in the event – who won by 18.9 seconds in 31:45.2 (2). Braisaz-Bouchet won a medal in her fifth straight race (and six of the last seven) in 32:04.1 (3), ahead of Ingrid Tandrevold (NOR: 32:29.6/2).

Simon’s win gave France its seventh win in the 10 races this season, with four for Braisasz-Bouchet, one for Simon and two for Lou Jeanmonnot.

Germany got its third win in the men’s World Cup with a 10 km Sprint victory for Benedikt Doll, the 2017 World Champion, in 24:12.2 (1), just beating five-time Worlds gold medalist Sturla Holm Laegreid (NOR: 24:14.0/1) and fellow Norwegian Endre Stroemsheim (24:17.6/1).

Stroemsheim, 26, got his first career World Cup win on Saturday in the 12.5 km Pursuit, in 33:04.2 (2), leading a Norwegian sweep with Laegreid second again (33:22.0/2) and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal third (33:40.6/1).

Norway won Sunday’s 4×7.5 km men’s relay in 1:17:34.2 (7), more than two minutes ahead of Germany (1:19:36.1/15) and Italy (1:20:24.7/16). The French (of course) took the women’s 4×6 km in 1:12:42.5 (12), ahead of Norway (1:12:51.8/10) and Sweden (1:13:16.0/8).

● Cross Country Skiing ● The 18th Tour de Ski concluded at Val di Fiemme (ITA), with Sweden making a run at leader Jessie Diggins of the U.S. in Saturday’s 15 km Classical Mass start.

Linn Svahn won her third Tour de Ski race in 53:49.7, just ahead of teammate Frida Karlsson (53:50.1) and German Katharina Henning (53:51.3). Diggins was eighth, but only 5.7 seconds back of the winner and entered Sunday’s 10 km Freestyle Mass Start some 43 seconds up on Jonna Sundling (SWE) and 44 seconds ahead of teammate Frida Karlsson.

But Sunday came up gold for Diggins and the U.S., with a sensational surprise: the first career World Cup win for 23-year-old American Sophia Laukli! She charged past Norway’s two-time World Cup champion Heidi Weng in the final 800 m and won in 38:16.5, to 38:33.6 for Weng and 38:54.2 for Delphine Claudel (FRA).

“I don’t know if I fully believe it,” she said afterwards. “I was really excited for today and after being third last year I was like ‘there’s not a lot of room for improvement but it would be super, super cool to win,’ so I didn’t want to have too high expectations but I really could not be happier for this.”

Diggins was sixth in 39:05.0 and celebrated her second Tour de Ski victory – also in 2021 – with a total time of 4:13:19.0, finishing 31.6 seconds up on Weng and 39.7 seconds ahead of Finn Kerttu Niskanen. U.S. teammate Rosie Brennan finished 12th in the final standings.

Norway’s Erik Valnes, who won the season’s first race for the men, took his third career World Cup gold in Saturday’s 15 km Classical, timing 50:50.6, ahead of Sweden’s William Poromaa (50:51.5) and 1.1 seconds up on Swiss Cyril Faehndrich (50:51.7). Tour de Ski leader Harald Amundsen was sixth, but cruised into Sunday’s race with a huge, 1:34 lead over Valnes.

In the 10 km Free finale, France’s Jules Lapierre, who like Laukli had won one World Cup medal in his career before Sunday, won in the 10 km Freestyle Mass Start in 33:00.7, just edging Friedrich Moch (GER: 33:03.1), who won his second career individual World Cup medal. France’s Hugo Lapalus took third (33:16.7), also his first-ever World Cup medal.

Amundsen was a clear winner in the men’s Tour de Ski, finishing at 3:41:21.9, with Moch coming up to second (+1:19.2) and Lapalus getting third (1:32.8). Valnes fell back to sixth (+2:17.7).

The U.S. National Championships were held at Soldier Hollow in Utah, six different winners in the six senior events.

Norway’s Andreas Kirkeng took the men’s 10 km race in 23:50.8, trailed by Joe Davies (USA) in 23:53.1. American John Street Hagenbuch won the men’s 20 km in 46:35.8, with Tom Mancini (FRA: 47:15.8) second. Luke Jager of the U.S. won the Sprint in 3:45.60, with Mancini second in 3:49.91.

Swede Tilde Baangman took the women’s 10 km in 27:13.3, ahead of Sydney Palmer-Leger (USA: 27:32.5), and Americans Haley Brewster (54:37.2) and Kendall Kramer (54:43.5) were 1-2 in the women’s 20 km. The women’s Sprint went to Karianne Dengerud (NOR: 4:37.14), ahead of Alayna Sonnesyn (USA: 4:37.64).

● Luge ● The fourth of nine stages in the 2023-24 FIL World Cup was in Winterberg (GER), with Austria and Germany splitting wins in the four events.

It was a familiar winner in the women’s Singles, as Austria’s two-time Olympic relay medalist Madeleine Egle won her second race of the season in 1:51.392, taking the first heat and logging the no. 2 time in the second run. That was just 0.029 better than Germany’s 2021 World Champion, Julia Taubitz (1:51.421), who won the second run. Another Austrian, Hannah Prock, took the bronze in 1:51.697; the top American was Ashley Farquharson in sixth (1:51.936), and Emily Sweeney was ninth (1:52.154).

The Austrian men’s Doubles team was Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schoepf scored an upset win in the men’s Doubles, finishing second in both runs to win in 1:26,145, ahead of triple Olympic champs Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (GER: 1:26.211). The Germans were only seventh after the first run, but had the fastest time in the second round to jump to silver.

Germans Hannes Orlamuender and Paul Gubitz took third (1:26.236), with Americans Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander eighth in 1:26.657, and Dana Kellogg and Frank Ike in 10th (1:26.807).

In the women’s Doubles, Germany’s two-time defending World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal won their second straight World Cup race in 1:27.131, ahead of Italy’s Worlds bronze winners Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer (1:27.155). Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Kipp took third (1:27.175), with Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby in fifth (1:27.474) and teammates Maya Chen and Reannyn Weller in sixth (1:27.534).

On Sunday, Germany’s Max Lagenhan won his third men’s Singles title in three tries, scoring the fastest runs in both rounds for a 1:43.695 total, ahead of Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller (1:43.871) and Kristers Aparjods (LAT: 1:43.877). Jonny Gustafson was the top American, in 10th, at 1:44.579.

The Germans won the Team Relay with Anna Berreiter, Wendl and Arlt, Lagenhan and Degenhardt and Rosenthal, in 3:11.425. Austria finished second, 0.043 back and the U.S. was third with Farquharson, Di Gregorio and Hollander, Gustafson and Forgan and Kirky, in 3:12.676.

● Modern Pentathlon ● At the USA Pentathlon Olympic and World Cup qualifier in San Antonio, Texas, Tristen Bell and Madison Gonzalez won the men’s and women’s division in a four-discipline competition which included fencing, swimming and the Laser Run, but skipped riding (although riding will be included at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games).

Bell, second at the 2023 U.S. Nationals, won the fencing and was second in swimming, then dominated the Laser Run in 11:16 to win with 1,201 points. Sam Ruddock (1,068) was second, with Caleb Allen third (1,061) and 20-year-old Kian O’Boyle fourth (1,053).

Gonzalez was the 2023 Nationals bronze winner, was third in fencing segment, but won the swimming comfortably and was a clear winner – by 38 seconds – in the Laser Run (13:18) to compile a 1,034 point total. Corinne Thompson, the Nationals fourth-placer last year, was second with 959 points; Jordan Towns finished third with 847.

● Ski Jumping ● This was amazing. The finish of the 72nd Four Hills Tournament was in Bischofshofen (AUT), off the 142 m hill, with Austria’s three-time World champion, Stefan Kraft, grabbing his sixth win of the season.

Kraft was second after the first jump, but passed Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi in the second round and scored 288.9 points to 287.6 for the Japanese star. Anze Lanisek (SLO), the 2021 World Champion, got the bronze at 281.8.

Kobayashi was the leader of the Four Hills coming in, and had won the event in 2019 (winning all four phases) and in 2022 (winning the first three). This time, be won none, but was second in all four events! That gave him 1,145.2 points, ahead of Germany’s Andreas Wellinger (1,120.7) and Kraft (1,112.7).

With his third Four Hills title, Kobayashi is one of only six men to do so. The record belongs to Finland’s Janne Ahonen with five, from 1999-2008; Kobayashi now joins three others with three each. At 27, he could yet move up!

● Table Tennis ● At the WTT Finals for men in Doha (QAT), China swept both titles, with second-seed Chuqin Wang defeating no. 1 Zhendong Fan in the final in straight sets: 11-8, 11-9, 14-12, 11-7. That reversed the results of the 2023 World Championships, where Fan had beaten Wang in the final and was Wang’s fourth win in 13 career tries against Fan.

It was another all-China final in the Doubles, but with an upset in the final. World no. 23 Licen Yuan and Peng Xiang swept aside fifth-ranked Gaoyuan Lin and Shidong Lin, by 11-8, 11-2 and 11-8.

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TSX REPORT: Winter Youth Olympic Games “metaverse” could be the future; ESPN and NCAA to ink eight-year, $920 million rights deal

By
Rich Perelman
-
Scenes from the Gangwon 2024 metaverse app for the Youth Olympic Winter Games starting 19 January (Photo: Gangwon 2024).

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Click here to get our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar
for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Is the Winter Youth Olympic Games “metaverse” the future?
2. Olympic sports nowhere in top U.S. TV audiences of 2023
3. NCAA and ESPN agree on 8-year, $920 million championships deal
4. MetLife Stadium converting seats for 2026 FIFA World Cup
5. Paralympic star Pistorius paroled from prison

● The Winter Youth Olympic Games starts in Gangwon, Korea on 19 January and will be showcased in a metaverse project from the province and the national Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology. It could foreshadow major changes in the future of the Olympic Games.

● Football dominated the U.S. sports television scene in 2023, with the top 50 telecasts in audience size all from NFL games. No Olympic-sport events (including team events in international competition) made the top 50 of events outside of the NFL.

● The NCAA and ESPN agreed on an eight-year extension of U.S. rights to national championship events in sports outside of Football Bowl Subdivision and NCAA Division I men’s tournament games, but including women’s basketball, for $920 million, a huge increase over the prior deal.

● New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is re-working its sideline seating plans to offer FIFA a full-sized field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and seeking to host the championship match. It is believed that MetLife and AT&T Stadium in Dallas are the favorites for the final.

● Paralympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius of South Africa was released on Friday on parole and will be on probation – with close supervision – into 2029, almost 11 years after shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He has maintained that he mistook her for an intruder.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. and Sweden advance to men’s World Juniors final) ●

● Panorama: Cross Country Skiing (Diggins and Amundsen lead in Tour de Ski heading into final weekend) = Ski Jumping (Teen star Prevc completes sweep in Villach) ●

1.
Is the Winter Youth Olympic Games “metaverse” the future?

During the International Olympic Committee presidency of Thomas Bach (GER), the Youth Olympic Games has been transformed into a living laboratory. At the 2018 YOG in Buenos Aires (ARG), the concept of an out-of-stadium opening ceremony was demonstrated at the famed Obelisco; six years later, the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games will be on the Seine River in Paris.

Also in Buenos Aires, break dancing debuted and made such an impression, the Paris 2024 organizers added it to the Olympic program.

So when an new concept debuts at a YOG, it’s worth paying attention to. On Thursday, the IOC shared a new project for the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon (KOR), opening on 19 January:

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee (YOGOC) and the Gangwon-do Province, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (MSIT), announce the launch of a metaverse focused on the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 as an extension of the Gangwon-do Province’s Metaverse.”

What is this? The announcement described it as

“From virtual tours of the venues to games and challenges where fans can compete against other users in online mini games of ski jumping, bobsleigh and curling, the Gangwon 2024 Metaverse enables fans to engage with the YOG in new and exciting ways. Users based in the Republic of Korea will also be able to enjoy streaming of sporting events. The metaverse also provides an opportunity to meet and interact with other fans around the world as well as inspiring visitors to try new winter sports and learn about the Olympic values.”

The application runs in six languages and allows users to create their own avatar, which can do a hip-hop dance and a “YOG dance,” whatever that is. Visits are enabled to nine venues, the Youth Olympic Villages and four tourist attractions of the region.

Observed: Those looking to the future can see the possible applications of such a program for the IOC and every International Federation. A multi-lingual platform to which personal subscriptions can be sold, allowing direct viewing of events (live or on-demand), and gaming with personal avatars against current or historical stars, not to mention merchandise sales, trading of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), betting, ticket sales and so on.

Could a future metaverse project eliminate the need for rights-holding broadcasters altogether, with the IOC selling directly to consumers around the world? Eventually, yes!

That’s why this introductory program is interesting on multiple levels, and bears watching, especially of engagement levels among the younger demographic.

2.
Olympic sports nowhere in top U.S. TV audiences of 2023

Nielsen’s U.S. television audience rankings for the calendar year 2023 are out, with American football completely dominating the lists.

As far as the top 50 sports broadcasts of the year, they were all National Football League games, topped by February’s Super Bowl between Kansas City and Philadelphia, with 112.17 million viewers. The no. 50 broadcast was of the January “wild card” playoff match between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville, at 20.61 million.

Not including NFL games, the top 50 audiences included 18 college football games, 13 NBA games, 10 college basketball games (all in the NCAA Tournament, including the women’s title game), six Major League Baseball games (all in the playoffs), and one event each in auto racing, golf and horse racing. No. 50 on that list was the third game of the baseball World Series between Texas and Houston, which drew 8.13 million viewers.

The top Olympic-sport event was the U.S. vs. Netherlands group-stage match on 26 July on FOX and Telemundo, which drew 7.59 million combined.

This was a year without an Olympic Games; beyond the women’s World Cup and other football matches, the USA Gymnastics Championships featuring the return of Simone Biles drew 2.664 million on NBC on 27 August. The top audience for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest was 1.32 million on NBC, also on 27 August.

3.
NCAA and ESPN agree on 8-year, $920 million
championships deal

ESPN and the NCAA announced an eight-year agreement worth a total of $920 million for an extension of its rights to national championship events beginning in the fall of 2024, with 40 NCAA championship events to be included:

Men (20):
● Baseball
● Basketball (Divisions II-Division III)
● Basketball (men’s Division I international rights)
● Basketball (men’s National Invitation Tournament)
● Cross Country
● Fencing
● Football (FCS-Division II-Division III)
● Gymnastics
● Ice Hockey
● Lacrosse
● Soccer
● Swimming & Diving
● Tennis
● Track & field (indoor and outdoor)
● Volleyball
● Water Polo
● Wrestling

Women (20):
● Basketball (Divisions I-II-III)
● Basketball (women’s National Invitation Tournament)
● Beach Volleyball
● Bowling
● Cross Country
● Fencing
● Field Hockey
● Gymnastics
● Ice Hockey
● Lacrosse
● Soccer
● Softball
● Swimming & Diving
● Tennis
● Track & field (indoor and outdoor)
● Volleyball (Divisions I-II-III)
● Water Polo

The deal was reported at $115 million per year (vs. $40 million now), with a value of $65 million a year placed on the women’s basketball tournament by the NCAA. Multiple events will again air on ABC.

4.
MetLife Stadium converting seats to land
2026 FIFA World Cup final

The Associated Press reported that MetLife Stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is re-working its field-level seating to create more space for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in its continuing effort to land premium matches, including the championship game.

A total of 1,740 seats are in discussion to be moved to create a full-sized field. The stadium, opened in 2010, seats 82,500.

FIFA requires a 105 m by 68 m field for World Cup play, and the current MetLife dimensions offer 105 m in length, but 64 m in width. Stadium spokesperson Helen Strus indicated that changes to the corners and along the sidelines were needed and  will be replaced after the World Cup with removable seating sections.

MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium in Dallas are mentioned as the most likely sites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

5.
Paralympic star Pistorius paroled from prison

South African Paralympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius is due to be released from prison on Friday (5th), just short of 11 years after he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home.

Now 37, Pistorius won six Paralympic Games golds in the 100-200-400 m in 2004-08-12, but then shot Steenkamp on 14 February 2013, claiming he believed she was an intruder. He was convicted in September and sentenced in October of 2014 to five years imprisonment. He was briefly released in 2015, then re-sentenced to six years and then 13 years on appeals.

He was granted parole in November 2023 and will be released Friday. He will not be allowed to speak to news media; the South African corrections department released a statement which included:

“Just like other parolees, Pistorius is restricted from conducting media interviews. An elevated public profile linked to Pistorius does not make him different from other inmates nor warrant inconsistent treatment.”

He will be under supervision by the state correctional authorities until his full sentence period runs out in December 2029.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The United States and host Sweden will play in the final of the IIHF men’s World Junior Championship in Gothenburg on Saturday.

The home Swedes (5-1) won the first semifinal at the Scandinavium before 11,512 fans with a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic (3-3), breaking open a 2-2 tie with three third-period goals. Forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored on a power play at 5:14 of the period to re-take the lead, then forward Noah Ostlund got an even-strength goal at12:00 and Lekkerimaki got his second of the game at 13:02 for the 5-2 final. Sweden had a 15-8 shots edge in the third to thrill the home crowd.

The U.S. (6-0) had to come from behind against Finland (3-3), trailing 2-0 at the end of the first period, after goals by Oiva Keskinen just 1:51 into the game and then Rasmus Kumpulainen at 12:45.

But in the second period, a Finnish penalty led to a power-play goal from forward Jimmy Snuggerud at 12:10 and forward Will Smith tied it at 2-2 with a score at 16:16. The two sides played another 20 minutes without scoring, but with just 3:13 left in the third, forward Cutter Gauthier scored on a power play for a 3-2 lead. But 40 seconds later, the U.S. suffered a hooking penalty on Gabe Perreault and had to sweat out the power play to secure the 3-2 victory and advance to the final.

The top two goal scorers in the tournament will feature in the final as Gavin Brindley of the U.S. and Finland’s Lekkerimaki both have six goals. The overall scoring leader is Gauthier of the U.S., with 12 points (2+10).

The U.S. has won this title five times, in 2004-10-13-17-21 and has been second twice; the Swedes won in 1981 and 2012, but has lost in the final 11 times, most recently in 2018. The two sides met in the 2013 final in Ufa (RUS) with the Americans taking a 3-1 win.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Cross Country Skiing ● Through five of seven stages of the 2024 Tour de Ski women’s tournament, American Jessie Diggins has a 44-second lead and has won medals in four of the five events held so far.

She collected another bronze on Thursday in the 20 km Classical Pursuit in Davos (SUI), finishing behind Finland’s four-time Olympic medal winner Kerttu Niskanen (1:12:00.7) and U.S. teammate Rosie Brennan (1:12:01.5), just 0.8 behind. Diggins was third in 1:12:09.4, claiming her eighth medal in the 14 World Cup races held so far.

Diggins won the 2021 Tour de Ski, the only American ever to do so, and she leads Niskanen – who has won two of this season’s Tour de Ski races – by 44 seconds, Jonna Sundling (SWE) by 52 seconds and Heidi Weng (NOR) by 57 seconds. The remaining races are in Val di Fiemme in Italy, with a 15 km Classical Mass Start on Saturday and a 10 km Freestyle Mass Start on Sunday.

The men’s leader is overall World Cup seasonal leader Harald Amundsen of Norway, who won his third race of the 2023-24 campaign in the 20 km Classical Pursuit in 57:57.7, trailed by teammates Henrik Doennestad (57:58.2) and Martin Nyenget (58:32.3) for a medals sweep.

Amundsen now has a 1:39 lead on Doennestad and Nyenget heading to Val di Fiemme. He also has a 929-734 lead on two-time defending World Cup champ Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), which had to skip the Tour de Ski due to illness.

● Ski Jumping ● The unstoppable Nika Prevc, still just 18, continued her supremacy on the FIS women’s World Cup tour, winning her fourth event in the last five with a sweep of the jumping off the 98 m hill in Villach (AUT) on Thursday.

Prevc (SLO) dominated, earning the top scores in both rounds and finishing at 275.6 points, well ahead of Austria’s Worlds Normal Hill silver winner Eva Pinkelnig, 35, who had the second-best jumps in both rounds and scored 255.3. Slovenian Nika Kriznar, the Beijing Olympic Normal Hill bronze winner, took the bronze Thursday at 251.8.

Pinkelnig, the 2022-23 World Cup seasonal winner, has also been on a tear, with a win and consecutive silvers in her last three starts.

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TSX REPORT: Panam Sports drops Barranquilla as 2027 host; Oudea-Castera, Estanguet say IOC owns Russia-Belarus issue; Snoop Dogg joins NBC

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Click here to get our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar
for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Panam Sports removes ‘27 Pan Am Games from Barranquilla
2. Ukrainian appeal to CAS asks to bar Russia and Belarus
3. Estanguet, Oudea-Castera say IOC owns the Russia-Belarus issue
4. Gomis to be removed from CNOSF Athletes Commission
5. Snoop Dogg joins NBC Olympic Primetime shows

● Panam Sports revoked the hosting of the 2027 Pan American Games from Barranquilla in Colombia for “countless breaches of current contracts.” No new host, or a process to find one, was announced.

● A Ukrainian lawyer filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to prevent the International Olympic Committee from allowing Russian or Belarusian competitors at the 2024 Paris Games. He also asks to have Russian and Belarusian athletes and fans banned for life!

● In separate interviews, the French Sports Minister and the head of Paris 2024 said that the IOC is in charge of who is invited to compete at this summer’s Olympic Games.

● French Olympic basketball silver medalist Emilie Gomis will reportedly be dismissed from the Athletes Commission of the French National Olympic Committee for an anti-Israeli social-media post a couple of days after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October. An inquiry will also be made by Paris 2024, for whom she is an ambassador for the Terre de Jeux program and is on the Board of Directors.

● Rapper and cultural icon Snoop Dogg will join NBC’s Olympic telecasts as a roving commentator as the network tries to boost sagging primetime ratings for the Games.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. into semis, Canada out at men’s World Juniors) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (French court allows student housing use for first responders) = Winter Games (Catalonia bid efforts over for now) = Cross Country Skiing (Chanavat and Svahn win Tour de Ski sprints in Davos) = Equestrian (Saudis double Jumping World Cup prize money) = Football (U.S. Justice Dept. appeals Lopez and Full Play Group acquittals) = Ski Jumping (2: Hoerl wins third Four Hills stage; Prevc wins third women’s gold in last four) ●

1.
Panam Sports removes ‘27 Pan Am Games from Barranquilla

There had been whispers of issues with the 2027 Pan American Games in Barranquilla, Colombia and on Wednesday, the whisperers were proved right:

“Panam Sports informs the public that its Executive Committee has unanimously decided to withdraw the venue of the XX Pan American Games to the city of Barranquilla, Colombia.

“The resolution has been taken after countless breaches of current contracts.

“It should be noted that on October 19, at a meeting in Santiago de Chile and after receiving an official letter from the Colombian authorities dated October 25, Barranquilla requested an extension of the deadlines to be able to fulfill the contract. The proposal was accepted by Panam Sports, with a new date of December 30, 2023 and January 30, 2024.

“However, given the lack of response once the new deadline has passed, the Executive Committee of Panam Sports, on January 3, 2024, has made the unwavering determination to withdraw the right to be the host city of the continental event in 2027.”

This follows a pattern of difficulties with continental games. The 2023 African Games in Accra (GHA) has to be postponed to 2024 over a lack of organization and funding. The 2026 Commonwealth Games was handed back by the Australian state of Victoria in 2023 over the projected costs. Now there is no host for the 2027 Pan American Games.

In fact, of the 41 members of Panam Sports, only 12 have organized the Pan Ams:

● 3: Canada, Mexico
● 2: Argentina, Brazil, United States
● 1: Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela

The U.S. is in no position to help with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and 2034 Winter Games likely in Salt Lake City. Canada has the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming and Mexico also has the 2026 FIFA World Cup and possibly the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in conjunction with the U.S.

South America has hosted two in a row – Lima (PER) in 2019 and Santiago (CHI) in 2023 – and would have had a third in Barranquilla. Among the 12 South American nations, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname and Uruguay have not hosted Pan American Games and Paraguay has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

It’s no small undertaking, as the 2023 edition had 6,909 athletes from the 41 Panam Sports members, competing in 425 events in 39 sports, plus the Parapan American Games that followed, with another 1,943 athletes (31 countries) competing in 17 sports.

The globalization of sports, with athletes competing all over the world in their own disciplines, has lessened the impact of regional sports championships and events like the Pan American Games have tried to use Olympic qualifying as a major attraction for athletes in some sports, with mixed results.

2.
Ukrainian appeal to CAS asks to bar Russia and Belarus

The Ukrainian sports site Champion.com posted a story describing an appeal by Ukrainian sports lawyer Yuriy Yurchenko to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the International Olympic Committee’s 8 December decision to allow individual “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The appeal asks the Court to confirm that the right to peace and autonomy from foreign invasion has greater value than the anti-doping decisions which have kept Russian athletes sidelined in the past under CAS sanctions.

Apparently filed on 29 December 2023, the appeal asks for much more than simply keeping Russian and Belarusian athletes out of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including:

● “[T]he International Olimpic [sic] Committee is prohibited from allowing athletes and coaches of the Russian Federation and athletes and coaches from the Republic of Belarus to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in any status.”

● “[A]thletes and coaches of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus are prohibited from taking part in any international competitions under the flag of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, for life.”

● “[C]itizens of the Russian Federation and citizens of the Republic of Belarus are prohibited from attending any international competitions, including the Olympic Games, for life.”

The request of the appeal is for a single arbitrator.

The appeal has no chance of success as written, as no athletes are going to be banned for life, much less all Russian and Belarusian citizens. But it is a novel way to keep the Ukrainian push against Russia and Belarus front and center in the sports world.

The appeal itself was not available, so it is not known if Yurchenko was filing an appeal for anyone beyond himself.

Yurchenko was able to raise the CHF 1,000 required to file the appeal within a couple of days via an online fundraising appeal. No word from the Court of Arbitration for Sport yet on the process to be followed.

The head of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee said that it refused IOC funding in the aftermath of allowing “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games. NOC chief Vadym Gutzeit said on Tribuna.com said that IOC funds were used when Russians and Belarusians were not allowed in competition, but:

“When they were admitted to international competitions, I suggested to the executive committee that if they were allowed, then we could not take funds to the IOC. And everyone supported me.

“Thanks to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance, athletes are fully provided for next year, for the purchase of equipment and training camps. So it doesn’t make sense, because it’s not necessary.”

3.
Estanguet, Oudea-Castera say IOC owns the Russia-Belarus issue

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera told RMC Radio on Wednesday that the IOC is the responsible party to decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes compete this summer at the Games. Asked about the claims of “ethnic discrimination” coming from Russian President Vladimir Putin, she replied:

“We don’t care what he thinks.

“There are rules set by the IOC, it is the IOC which has the authority to decide who participates, who does not participate.

“We must establish this framework and ensure that it is respected to the end, and do everything so that the Russian power does not exploit sport for its own glory. These are provocative messages. We also heard him talk about ‘ethnic discrimination,’ all of which is nonsense.”

Similarly, Paris 2024 chief executive Tony Estanguet, a three-time Olympic champ in canoe slalom, said in an interview last week:

“Personally, I understand the decisions that were taken, I respect them, I rather support them.

“Sanctioning athletes who have no responsibility in international conflicts, I find it inappropriate. And I think it’s pretty good to allow athletes who have no contact with these authorities to be able to participate. …

“These will be very small delegations. We are talking about a few dozen athletes compared to several hundred usually. Somehow, I find it good to give the possibility to certain athletes who are in no way responsible for what is happening to be able to realize their dream by participating in the Games.”

4.
Gomis to be removed from CNOSF Athletes Commission

Former French women’s basketball star Emilie Gomis, a member of the silver-medal-winning London 2012 Olympic team, will reportedly be removed from the Athletes Commission of the French National Olympic Committee for a anti-Semitic social media post.

On 9 October 2023, two days after the Hamas attack on Israel, Gomis posted a message showing a map of France dated 1947, then 1967 and 2023, with the country being covered by an Israeli flag, implying an Israeli takeover of Gaza and border territories, but without any mention of the wars waged against Israel that caused its military actions.

Gomis, now 40, apparently apologized, but an ethics case was brought against her by the CNOSF. Also a member of the Paris 2024 Board and a paid ambassador for the “Terre des Jeux” program, she may be removed from both of those posts after a hearing of the Paris 2024 ethics body later this month.

5.
Snoop Dogg joins NBC Olympic Primetime shows

“I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness.

“We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”

That’s Snoop Dogg, announced on New Year’s Eve as a new member of the NBC Olympic Primetime crew for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President, NBC Olympics Production explained his role:

“Snoop is already an Olympic gold medal commentator, generating tens of millions of views for his highlights commentary on Peacock of the dressage competition during the Tokyo Olympics.

“That performance alone has earned Snoop a job as our Special Correspondent in Paris. We don’t know what the heck is going to happen every day, but we know he will add his unique perspective to our re-imagined Olympic primetime show.”

The key words are “re-imagined Olympic primetime show,” which fell to its lowest rating ever for the Tokyo Games in 2021, averaging 15.1 million viewers, compared to 27.5 million for Rio 2016 and 31.1 million for London in 2012.

An acclaimed rapper from his debut album, Doggystyle, in 1993, Snoop Dogg – born Calvin Broadus, Jr. in Long Beach, California in 1971 – has become a ubiquitous part of American culture through music, films, concerts and television commercials.

The year-end announcement was in the works for some time. Snoop shot a promotional video in Los Angeles in November for NBC with American stars Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes (beach volleyball), Suni Lee (gymnastics), Jagger Eaton (skateboard) and A’ja Wilson (basketball) that appeared on 31 December.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 IIHF men’s World Junior Championship in Gothenburg (SWE), while two-time defending champion Canada was eliminated.

The American men, 4-0 in group play, slammed Latvia in its quarterfinal, winning by 7-2 off of three scores in both the first and second periods. Defender Drew Fortescue scored just 1:31 into the game, then forward Gabe Perreault got a goal at 11:42 for a 2-0 lead; after a Latvian goal by forward Dans Locmelis at 13:50, Danny Nelson scored 13 seconds later for the 3-1 edge at the break.

Rutger McGroarty scored on a second-period power play to increase the lead to 4-1 and then Will Smith and Perreault got goals for a 6-1 lead at the end of the period. Oliver Moore got the seventh U.S. goal and Lochmelis scored a second on a power play for the final goal of the game.

The U.S. will face Finland (3-2), which eliminated Slovakia, 4-3, in overtime, on Thursday.

Canada was eliminated by the Czech Republic (3-2) in a tight, 3-2 game, with forward Jakub Stancl scoring the winner at 19:49 of the final period, his second goal of the game! This will be the first time since the 2019 tournament that the Canadians will not reach the semifinals; they are 20-time winners of this championship.

The Czechs will play host Sweden in their semi, , who managed a 3-2 overtime against Switzerland, as defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka got the winner on a power play at the 15:22 mark of the extra period.

The medal matches will take place on Friday (5th).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A French administrative court determined that the Regional Centres of University and Academic Services (CROUS) can have students move from their usual accommodations during the Olympic period to other accommodations, with a small honorarium (€100) and some Olympic tickets.

The 3,000 rooms requested by the Sports Ministry will be used for security and medical staff. A student group had sued to allow the students to stay where they were during the Games.

● Olympic Winter Games: Future ● Minister of the Presidency of the Catalonia region in Spain, Laura Vilagra, said Tuesday that the Catalan government has dropped – for now – any effort to bid for the Olympic Winter Games.

A possible Spanish bid for the 2030 Winter Games had been discussed, but imploded over in-fighting over where events would be staged. Now, with 2030 targeted for the French Alps, 2034 for Salt Lake City and Switzerland preferred for 2038, Climate Department Secretary Anna Barnadas said in a radio interview that future hosting would be difficult to be “celebrated at latitudes like Catalonia’s.”

● Cross Country Skiing ● The 18th Tour de Ski moved along in Davos (SUI), with France’s Lucas Chanavat and Swede Linn Svahn grabbing victories in Wednesday’s Freestyle Sprint.

Chanavat had already won the first Sprint of the Tour, in Tolbach (ITA) and just edged Swede Edvin Anger, 2:15.07 to 2:15.32. Italy’s two-time Olympic Sprint silver winner Federico Pellegrino got the bronze in 2:15.51, with American Gus Schumacher an encouraging fourth (2:17.13). It’s Anger’s first career individual World Cup medal!

Svahn also won the Tolbach Sprint and got to the line this time in 2:32.35, with a narrow victory over Kristine Skistad (NOR: 2:33.65) and American Jessie Diggins (2:34.08). Diggins remains in the overall seasonal lead and in the Tour de Ski, with a 20 km Classical Pursuit on Thursday and two stages at Vai di Fiemme (ITA) over the weekend remaining.

● Equestrian ● Saudi Arabia continued its sports outreach efforts by adding to the prize purse for the 2024 FEI World Cup Finals in Dressage and Jumping.

Both will be held in Riyadh from 16-20 April, with the Dressage prize money rising from €300,000 to €400,000, and the Jumping prizes doubling from €1.3 million to €2.6 million! (€1 = $1.09 U.S.)

Noted the FEI:

“This significant increase in prize money – the highest amount ever seen at an FEI World Cup Final – is likely to be a one-time opportunity, making the 2024 World Cup Finals in Riyadh an exceptional and unprecedented event. It also highlights the Organisers’ dedication in welcoming the global equestrian community to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and for the first time as hosts of the FEI World Cup Finals.”

● Football ● The U.S. Department of Justice appealed a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Pamela Chen that acquitted former Fox International Channels head Hernan Lopez and Argentina-based Full Play Group SA after their March 2023 convictions for money laundering and wire fraud related to acquiring media rights for a Copa Libertadores tournament, and Full Play’s actions in trying to acquire rights to the Copa America and other matches.

The filing with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals asks to reinstate the convictions or order a new trial, noting that “The court’s analysis ignored trial proof of those counts, which would survive even under the court’s new, post-verdict erroneous legal rule.”

● Ski Jumping ● The third stage of the 72nd Four Hills Tournament was in Innsbruck (AUT), off the 128 m hill and saw the third different winner so far, as Austria’s Jan Hoerl – a Beijing 2022 Winter Games Team gold medalist – took his second career individual World Cup win.

Hoerl scored 267.5 points, ahead of Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi (258.7), who was second for the third straight time, and Michael Hayboeck (AUT: 254.0). Kobayashi now leads the Four Hills, 857.6 to 852.8 over Andreas Wellinger (GER) with one more event on Saturday off the 142 m hill in Bischofshofen (AUT). The Japanese star is gunning for his third Four Hills title, having won in 2019 and 2022.

There’s no stopping Slovenia’s Nika Prevc, who won again on Wednesday off the 98 m hill in Villach (AUT), beating Austria’s Eva Pinkelnig and Canada’s Abigail Strate by 262.7-236.7-233.6.

Prevc had the highest-scoring jumps in both rounds, and now has won three of the last four World Cups. Strate also has medals in three straight events, going bronze-silver-bronze after having won one career World Cup medal before this season!

Jumping continues at Villach on Thursday, before the women head to Sapporo (JPN) to resume on the 12th.

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.

For our new, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

SPECIAL: It’s here! Our updated, 920-event International Sports Calendar for 2024 and more now posted!

By
Rich Perelman
-

The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris is almost here, but there are lots of events coming before, so it’s time for an update to our TSX calendar – an exclusive 920-event listing – for 2024, with a few of the larger events beyond to 2028.

Our updated International Sports Calendar focuses on sports and events on the Olympic and Winter Games program for 2024 and 2026, 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 Olympic 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 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.

TSX REPORT: The top stories of 2024? The end of the 2022 Winter Games, spotlights on LA28 and Thomas Bach, and, finally, Paris 2024!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, in the middle of the final event to be decided at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games! (Photo: Ttckcv21 via Wikipedia)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024 from The Sports Examiner! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

What will be the big stories of 2024? Certainly the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, but there are loads of legal, political and business stories that will command attention before and after. The biggest stories of 2024 (we think):

5. The conclusion of the Valieva case and the 2022 Winter Games
4. A year, and new challenges for LA28
3. Will Thomas Bach stay, or will he go?
2. What about Russia?
1. At long last, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

● Panorama: Athletics (two arrested in death of Uganda’s Kiplagat) = Badminton (Shu gets second U.S. title) = Cross Country Skiing (Diggins takes Pursuit in Tour de Ski stage 3) = Ski Jumping (2: Lanisek wins in Garmisch; Pinkelnig wins in Obertsdorf) ●

● Schedule: Nearing the end of our technical migration and upgrades, so look for the next edition of TSX on Thursday (4th). ●

LANE ONE:
Projecting the top stories of 2024, from no. 5 to no. 1

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will be the highlight of the year, no doubt, but there are other stories that will be talked about in the run-up and well afterwards. Today, let’s look at our projected top-five stories in international sport in 2024.

5.
The conclusion of the Valieva case and the 2022 Winter Games

Way back on 25 December 2021, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva won the Russian women’s championship and tested positive for trimetazidine, a prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Code.

However, it took a long time for the Stockholm lab to process her sample and in the interim, she won the European Championship and was the favorite for the Olympic title at the Beijing Winter Games.

She competed in the Team Event, winning the Short Program and the Free Skate, and Russia won the gold medal over the U.S., 74-65, with Japan third (63) and Canada fourth (53), on 7 February 2022. But the report of her positive test came in the same day and the awards ceremony was never held.

Valieva was initially suspended by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, then had her sanction reversed by the appeals committee and after a challenge – in Beijing – to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was allowed to compete in the women’s Singles event, eventually finishing fourth.

That is essentially where we are now, almost two years later. After a long inquiry by RUSADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency got tired of waiting and intervened with a filing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, joined by the International Skating Union and, also, RUSADA itself.

Two hearings were held in 2023, in September and November, and a decision by the arbitrators is due by the end of January or perhaps into early February.

Unbelievable. But the last event to have medals awarded for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will finally be closed this year, possibly with a ceremony during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris!

4.
A year, and new challenges for LA28

Los Angeles was awarded its third Olympic Games back in 2017, an unprecedented 11 years ahead of a 2028 Games. In August, the sporting world’s attention will fully turn to Los Angeles at the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

And the LA28 organizers are in transition.

The organizing committee has remained small and mostly quiet, developing its plan for using all existing venues for the 2028 Games, and funding – with the help of advanced funds from the International Olympic Committee – a $160 million youth sports partnership with the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.

But in 2023, a lot happened. In October, its request for five additional sports – baseball and softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash – was approved and with the add-back of modern pentathlon and weightlifting, there will be a record 35 sports at the 2028 Olympic Games, with a 36th – boxing – likely to be added back as well.

The number of athletes who will compete will swell beyond the recommended 10,500 to at least 11,242.

In December, LA28 announced that chief executive Kathy Carter would transition to a Senior Advisor role and that Chief Business Officer Brian Lafemina, who had operating responsibilities that covered most of the Games preparations, had left the organization.

The organization will have to expand, the planning effort will have to be accelerated, and sponsorship sales will continue. LA28’s revenues have been modest this far, but far more is expected now:

● 2020: $2.63 million in revenue
● 2021: $21.97 million
● 2022: $121.6 million projected
● 2023: $181.7 million projected

A financial report covering 2022 is not due until the second quarter of 2024.

In addition to new leadership, LA28 could also reveal an engaging venue plan that could nationalize the 2028 Games. Although not officially announced, the flatwater canoeing and rowing events have been moved from Lake Perris in Riverside County – east of Los Angeles – to the Long Beach Marine Stadium used for the 1932 Olympic Games. But it was noted at October’s IOC Session when the added sports were approved that some of them could well be held outside of Los Angeles.

Baseball at Yankee Stadium? Perhaps the Canoe Slalom events and Softball in Oklahoma City, which has perhaps the best venues in the U.S. for both events? How about Lacrosse at an eastern venue, where the sport has high visibility? And what about the plans for Cricket and Flag Football, both of which have massive potential as Olympic sports?

Look for the LA28 organizers to come out of their shell in 2024. In the Hollywood tradition, it should be entertaining!

3.
Will Thomas Bach stay, or will he go?

Spontaneity is not usually part of an IOC Session, as the all-member meetings of the International Olympic Committee are known. But in Mumbai (IND) last October, Algerian member Mustapha Berraf, also the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) addressed IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) with prepared remarks from the floor which included (as interpreted at the time):

“There have been a number of changes and crises that you have had to deal with, which you have dealt with very well, thanks to the support of us all. The changes that you have to face, we have to face in the IOC, takes place at a time of great divisions in the world, and I think it is necessary, really, that we have this exceptional leadership which you have shown.

“Therefore, on behalf of the African National Olympic Committees, and the African members of the IOC, suggest that we make the necessary arrangements so that President Thomas Bach should be allowed to carry out an additional term of office, which would allow the IOC to go through this period of torment with a President who has proved his mettle, and which will allow the IOC to prepare a transition in a very much more serene manner.”

This was a stunner, as Bach has made no such request and has spoken openly of decisions which will be taken by his successor. And he has promoted potential future IOC leaders with appointment and assignments, notably of Olympic swimming champ and Zimbabwean member Kirsty Coventry, Aruban member and 2028 Coordination Commission Chair Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU) and 2024 Coordination Commission chief Pierre-Olivier Beckers (BEL).

Bach was asked repeatedly about Berraf’s comments and responded:

● “Well, the situation was as follows: I had heard some rumors before that some members who wanted and want me to continue my mandate, but I did clearly not expect that this would come to the Session, that it would be brought up in the Session. Now, after yesterday, I had a number of conversations with a number of IOC colleagues and from this I can conclude that there were mainly two motivations for them, which are coming together.

“There are a number of these colleagues that think and feel that an election campaign, so early before the election would, or is, disrupting the preparations for the Olympic Games Paris, which are so important for the entire Olympic Movement and this is why they would like to avoid this, and then they all wanted to express their recognition for the work having been accomplished by the IOC in the last 10 years and they wanted to show their strong support for this.”

● “From what I have heard from these members is they are concerned about an early campaign at this moment, which would disrupt the preparations for the Games in Paris, and for the rest, you may understand that such an answer you don’t give out [to] offend and you don’t give out over the media.

“But this has to be discussed with the people concerned and then the media will be informed.”

No more has been heard and the questions surrounding Paris 2024, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere have been at the top of the agenda. In order to allow Bach to serve beyond 2025, changes would have to be made to the Olympic Charter, which Bach helped to revise.

If not resolved by the end of the Paris Olympic Games, it will become the outstanding question in the Olympic Movement beginning on 12 August 2024.

2.
What about Russia?

At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver (CAN), Russia won a modest – for them – 15 medals, with three golds, five silvers and seven bronzes.

That was unacceptably low production, ranking sixth in terms of total medals. So something had to be done.

What was done was a state-sponsored doping system that boosted Russia to the top of the medal table – with 33 totals medals – at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games! But the details came out, starting with a 2014 documentary on the German ARD television channel and a damaging inquiry by Canadian IOC member Dick Pound in November 2015. Three medals were eventually removed and reassigned.

Russia has been in conflict with the Olympic Movement ever since, with reduced teams in Rio in 2016, PyeongChang in 2018, Tokyo in 2021 and Beijing in 2022. Then came the invasion of Ukraine a few days after the end of the 2022 Winter Games, followed by an IOC recommendation not to allow Russian or Belarusian competitors in international competitions, followed by most of the International Federations.

But in 2023, the IOC changed course and asked the IFs to allow “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes to be able to compete under strict conditions. Most have followed the IOC’s lead. And in December, the IOC issued its own guidelines for allowing individual Russian and Belarusian “neutrals” to compete in Paris in 2024.

This has infuriated both the Russians and multiple European governments who support Ukraine, with both calling out the IOC for making the wrong decision!

In response, the bellicose rhetoric out of Russia was followed by the announcement of Russian-hosted, Olympic-style competitions in 2024, including the BRICS Games in June (BRICS = Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and a World Friendship Games to be held in September.

The IOC led a chorus against this move at the Olympic Summit in December, with the meeting summary specifically noting:

“[T]he Russian government, following a decree from the President of the Russian Federation, intends to organise clearly politically motivated sports events in Russia.

“WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] expressed strong opposition to such events from an anti-doping perspective. The WADA President emphasised that it would be contrary to the spirit of the World Anti-Doping Code to have such an event in a country that is non-compliant. One of the consequences that WADA is seeking in the latest compliance case against RUSADA that was referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) recently is that Russia cannot be awarded any major events. Additionally, such events would be organised by the very same Russian government, a government that was implicated in a systemic doping-programme at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, and later also the manipulation of anti-doping data. Under these circumstances, athletes could have no confidence in a safe and fair competition. …

“The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF) reaffirmed their recommendations to IFs not to be involved in any way in such politically motivated sports events. They confirmed that every IF should refuse to consider the inclusion of such events in its international sports calendar and should not acknowledge the results achieved by athletes at these events.

“The President of ANOC and representatives of Continental Associations of NOCs declared that their organisations would in no way support the participation of athletes in such events.”

Moreover, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee for taking over Ukrainian sports organizations in areas of eastern Ukraine currently controlled by the Russians.

So 2024 sets up as another year of conflict between Russia, the IOC, WADA and others. Bach and the IOC are determined to have some Russian and Belarusian athletes in Paris as a show of “unity” under the Olympic flag. But it is also quite possible that Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin will decide – on behalf of his nation’s athletes – that none will go to Paris.

And as long as Russia remains in Ukraine, there is no prospect of reconciliation.

1.
At long last, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

The long-awaited return of the Olympic Games to Europe will come with the return of the Games to Paris exactly 100 years after the 1924 Games, with an opening ceremony on 6 km of the Seine River through the heart of the city!

That opening promises to be the signature of the 2024 Games, which will feature 32 sports and 329 events, including the Olympic debut of break dancing. And there will be another signature innovation, the introduction of mass-participation races to accompany the marathons, allowing a limited number of runners to experience the Olympic course.

There have been the usual doubts about the organization of the Games: traffic and transportation readiness, security amid terrorist incidents in France, the impact of the Hamas attack on Israel and the Israeli response on the large Islamic population in the country and so on. But the Paris 2024 organizers, led by former Olympic canoeing gold medalist Tony Estanguet, will reach their sponsorship revenue targets, have sold a sensational 7.6 million tickets so far and have seen the French government’s Olympic construction agency nearly finish the required venues, on time and within the budgeted guidelines.

The setting should be spectacular and there are hopes for not only brilliant competitions on the fields of play, but heightened interest from television viewers, especially in the U.S.

Crucial to the IOC’s financial future beyond 2032 is a rebound of American viewing interest in the Games. The three consecutive Games in Asia in 2018-2021-2022 have crushed NBC’s ratings; where the last Games in Europe – in London in 2012 – drew 217 million total U.S. viewers, that number went down to 198 million for Rio in 2016 and then cratered at 150 million for Tokyo in 2021. The average primetime audience in Tokyo of 15.1 million fell to 11.4 million for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

But the competition should be spectacular, with brilliant performers in every sport, the likely return of American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles in gymnastics, the Australia-U.S. duel in the pool, Noah Lyles trying for perhaps four track & field golds and French stars looking for home-Games glory like star judoka – and two-time Olympic champ – Teddy Riner, and swimmer Leon Marchand.

It should be great. Let’s hope it is. It needs to be.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Two men have been arrested in Kenya in the stabbing death of Ugandan Olympian Benjamin Kiplagat on Sunday.

Police said robbery was the apparent motive for the assailants, as his mobile phone and money were taken. He was found in his brother’s car outside of the running mecca of Eldoret. Kiplagat, 34, was a steeplechase Olympian in 2008-12-16. He made the Olympic final in 2008 and had a best of 8:03.81 from 2010.

● Badminton ● The USA Badminton National Championships in Morrisville, North Carolina produced all-new champions, although one former champion reclaimed the top spot.

That would be top-seeded Howard Shu, who took his second men’s Singles title – he also won in 2014 – with a 21-14, 14-21, 21-18 victory over second-seed Enrico Keoni Asuncion.

Unseeded Ella Lin won her first U.S. title by defeating the top-seeded – and former national champ – Esther Shi by 12-21, 21-16, 21-18.

The men’s Doubles final was cut short, after Arthur Heng Lee and Samuel Li took the first set, 21-13, with Sattawat Pongnairat and Shu retiring. Defending women’s Doubles champs Annie and Kerry Wu reached the final, but lost to Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee, 21-16, 21-18.

The Mixed Doubles winners were Jeffrey Chang and Chloe Ho, by 18-21, 21-19, 21-17, over Kai Chong and Stella Pan.

● Cross Country Skiing ● The third of seven races in the 2024 Tour de Ski, the 20 km Freestyle Pursuit in Tolbach (ITA) was another win for the irrepressible Jessie Diggins of the United States, increasing her overall lead in the seasonal World Cup standings.

Diggins, the first American to ever win the Tour de Ski – in 2021 – was in front from the start and finished with a 46.5-second win in 58:18.7, beating Victoria Carl (GER: 59:05.2) and Linn Svahn (SWE: 59:06.9). American teammate Rosie Brennan was 15th in 60:22.5.

With her 17th individual World Cup victory, Diggins now has 943 points on the season, after 12 of 34 events, ahead of Emma Ribom (SWE: 828) and Brennan (787).

The men’s 20 km Pursuit winner was also the seasonal leader, Norway’s Harald Amundsen, in 52:38.0, followed by teammates Erik Valnes (53:10.9) and Jan Jenssen (53:42.6). American Gus Schumacher finished 10th in 53:47.2.

The Tour de Ski moves on to Davos (SUI) for races on Wednesday (Sprint) and Thursday (Classical Pursuit).

● Ski Jumping ● Stage two of the Four Hills Tournament was in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER), off the 142 m hill and the sixth career World Cup individual gold for Anze Lanisek (SLO).

Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi, the 2022 Beijing Olympic Normal Hill champion, led after the first round, but Lanisek had the best second jump in the field and won at 295.8 points, to overtake Kobayashi (292.6). Andreas Wellinger (GER), the winner in Obertsdorf, finished third with 291.4 points.

Next up is Innsbruck (AUT) for stage 3 on Wednesday, with the final stage on Saturday in Bischofshofen (AUT).

The women’s jumping in Obertsdorf (GER) – off the 137 m hill – was a victory for Austrian star Eva Pinkelnig, who got her 10th career World Cup win by coming from fifth to first on her second jump and finished at 272.1 points to edge Canada’s Abigail Strate (269.4). Eirin Kvandal (NOR) and Jacqueline Seifriedsberger (AUT) tied for third at 261.6.

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For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: The top stories of 2024? Here they are, from no. 10 to no. 6, starting with a world-record watch in April!

By
Rich Perelman
-
A world record 2:00:35 for Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in October! (Photo: Bank of America Chicago Marathon-Kevin Morris)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

★ Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024 from The Sports Examiner! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

What will be the top stories in international sport in 2024? Some of the same from 2023, but also new drama in multiple sports, plus the forthcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The first half of our top 10 stories to watch:

10. Kiptum after the 2:00 marathon barrier in Rotterdam
9. Winter Games drama in Milan, Cortina, France and Salt Lake City
8. World’s biggest-ever swim meet on tap at U.S. Trials?
7. Is the Commonwealth Games at an end?
6. FIFA will confirm its future path in 2024

● Panorama: Olympic Games (Olympedia.org site updates ended) = Paris 2024 (Ukraine participation decision still to come) = Olympic Esports Games (Japan reported to be site of inaugural event) = France (law to offer tax-free status to IFs held unconstitutional) = Alpine Skiing (2: Shiffrin wins 93rd in Lienz; Odermatt takes Bormio Super-G) = Athletics (Chebet gets 5 km world record in Barcelona) = Boxing (new USA Boxing transgender policy takes effect) = Cross Country Skiing (Ogden and Diggins get bronzes for U.S.) = Ice Hockey (U.S. undefeated in men’s World Juniors) = Ski Jumping (2: Wellinger takes Four Hills opener; Prevc wins second straight) = Swimming (McKeever suspended by SafeSport) ●

● Errata: Some readers of Friday’s post saw Ethiopian star Tigist Assefa’s world women’s marathon record shown as 2:37:44; it’s 2:11:53. Sorry about that; quickly corrected! ●

LANE ONE:
Projecting the top stories of 2024, from no. 10 to no. 6

A lot of the stories that dominated 2023 are going strong into 2024, notably the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. But there are other stories which will be important, so let’s count down the TSX top-10 projected stories of the new year, starting with nos. 10 to 6:

10.
Kiptum after the 2:00 marathon barrier in Rotterdam

Kenya’s two-time Olympic champ Eliud Kipchoge showed that a sub-2:00 marathon is real with his 1:59:40.2 time trial in Vienna (AUT) in 2019, but his best in a competitive marathon was his world-record 2:01:09 in Berlin (GER) in 2022.

Then came countryman Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, who smashed the world record with a brilliant 2:00:35 world-record win in Chicago in October. This was no fluke, following up his 2:01:25 win in London (GBR) in April, and his 2:01:53 debut in Valencia (ESP) in December of 2022.

And now he is taking direct aim at the first sub-2:00 marathon in competition, at the NN Marathon Rotterdam in the Netherlands on 12 April, as he told the all-sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport (ITA). Asked about his plans, he was clear:

“It’s already known, the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14. I would like to grow further, and so, inevitably, break the barrier.”

The Rotterdam course is notoriously fast and flat, and Kiptum’s agent, Marc Corstjens (BEL), is the elite-athlete coordinator for the race, as Kiptum explained why he is targeting a non-World Marathon Majors race:

“The organization is linked to my management. In 2022 I was supposed to run it, to make my debut but a slight injury stopped me. This will be the right time. …

“I’ll go there to run fast, the course is ideal and the crowds in the streets push you to give your best. I would love to be a part of the rich history of this marathon.

“If the preparation goes in the right direction, with peaks of 270 kilometres [168 miles] per week, and the weather conditions permit, I will go for it.”

Although Kiptum, 24, is looking for a world record in Rotterdam, he also is looking to compete in the Paris Olympic marathon, where he could race head-to-head with Kipchoge, 39. Both are on the Kenyan list of 10 potential selectees for Paris:

“As a team we will collaborate, but then everyone looks out for themselves. I could also aim for the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, I saw the race in Budapest which fascinated me.”

9.
Winter Games drama in Milan, Cortina, France and Salt Lake City

True, Paris 2024 is next up, but the International Olympic Committee has been busy with the Olympic Winter Games, both with the 2026 edition in Milan and Cortina in Italy, and with the next three host selections.

The chaos over the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton in Cortina d’Ampezzo has reached a fever pitch. A request for proposal from construction firms in Italy to build a replacement track for the historic Eugenio Monti track from the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina drew no bidders last summer. The head of the 2026 organizing committee, Italian IOC member Giovanni Malago, told the IOC Session in October that a facility outside the country would be found by the end of the year.

But Italian politicians, notably Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, have insisted that an Italian venue be used, whether the now-abandoned Turin 2006 track or a scaled-down, quick-build version of some kind of track in Cortina. In the meantime, proposals from existing, operating facilities in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Lake Placid in the U.S. are on the table.

The decision is supposed to be made by the end of January, with the IOC clearly favoring an out-of-Italy solution and Italian politicians digging themselves into a hole by demanding an “Italian solution” to the problem. How long can this go on? (In case you were wondering, the next national election in Italy need not be called until 2027, although it could be held earlier.)

Meanwhile, the race for the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games hosting sites are scheduled to end just prior to the opening of the Paris 2024 Games in July, with the French Alps bid targeted for 2030 and the essentially-complete Salt Lake City bid ready to receive the 2034 Games.

There is a small chance that something could go wrong with the French bid, which was developed quickly after Japan’s bid for Sapporo collapsed from public distrust and the Salt Lake City effort was focused on 2034. But the IOC really does not have another choice, and wants to use some of the Paris 2024 team to continue on to the 2030 Winter Games, as well as continue the engagement of some of the 2024 sponsors.

Switzerland was chosen for “preferred dialogue” for the 2038 Winter Games, but the target to revamp its bid into a smaller number of clustered venue groups is no later than 2027.

8.
World’s biggest-ever swim meet on tap at U.S. Trials?

USA Swimming held its Olympic Trials at the CHI Health Center Omaha, bringing in temporary pools and selecting its team in front of capacity crowds of 14,000 or more in 2008, 2012, 2016 and less due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

But the opportunity to create a mega-meet opened up for 2024 and in 2022, the federation announced that the 2024 Olympic Swimming Trials would be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, home of the NFL’s Colts.

That plan, using essentially one end of the stadium and temporary pools for competition and warm-up, could seat as many as 35,000 people for each session from 15-23 June.

A wide range of ticket options are available, from $55.99 (including fees) and up, including deckside seating at $393.40 (including fees). There are still lots of tickets available, naturally leading to worries that the event will not live up to its billing.

More likely is that sales will come later rather than sooner as the 2024 Games gets closer and the awareness spreads. According to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, the largest-ever crowd for an indoor swimming competition was 25,000 in Berlin (GER) in 1936, a mark which could be overtaken by the 2023 Trials.

And the swimming extravaganza in Indianapolis will part of the usual “Trials Week” program which highlights swimming, track and field and gymnastics as a major promotion for NBC of its upcoming Olympic coverage:

● 15-23 June: U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, in Indianapolis
● 21-30 June: U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field, in Eugene
● 27-30 June: U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics, in Minneapolis

All three will be widely showcased, as NBC and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee work to promote viewing of the Paris 2024 Games, after three straight Olympics in Asia (2018-21-22) have cratered U.S. interest to its lowest level ever.

7.
Is the Commonwealth Games at an end?

The first British Empire Games was held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1930 and save for a hiatus due to World War II, has been a popular event, with some of the most memorable performances in sports history.

But after a calamitous 2023, the future of this event is very much in doubt. The 2022 edition was highly successful in Birmingham (ENG), which stepped in for original host Durban (RSA), which abandoned the event due to cost concerns in 2017.

Birmingham had planned to host the 2026 Games, but when it moved up, the Commonwealth Games Federation needed to find a new host. Finally, the Australian state of Victoria stepped up and agreed to stage the 2026 Games and signed a host agreement in April 2022. But 16 months later, Victoria pulled out, again over cost concerns and paid A$380 million (about $259 million U.S. today) to break its contract.

So now the CGF is again trying to find a host. Many Commonwealth countries think that since Australia was going to host in 2026, it should find a new host somewhere else in the country. But a proposal from Gold Coast – which hosted in 2018 – went nowhere, as the state government of Queensland is much more interested in working on the 2032 Olympic Games to be held in Brisbane.

No one else has come forward, and the Games could slide to 2027 if a host can be found. Moreover, there are no bidders lining up for the centennial Games in 2030, and a bid from Hamilton to stage the Games again fell through, again over costs.

The CGF issued a strategy document in October 2021, creating a flexible approach, with only athletics and swimming as required sports and suggesting a limit of 15 sports total. But no one seems interested.

Will anyone step forward? Is the Commonwealth Games – after almost a century – dead?

The coming year might well tell the tale, not only for the Commonwealth Games, but raising continuing questions about other regional, multi-sport continental games, all of which appear to be less and less appealing in the age of Olympics or bust.

6.
FIFA will confirm its future path in 2024

Following on from the enormous success of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the world’s richest International Federation will try to cement its long-term legacy with a series of event awards in 2024.

First will be the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with bids from Brazil – whose member federation may be suspended for governmental interference – as well as a three-nation European bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands and a joint U.S.-Mexico bid.

That decision is expected at the FIFA Congress in May 2024. The U.S. and Germany have hosted this event previously, but it would be a first for Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico.

It’s worthwhile to remember that FIFA has targeted what seemed like an outrageous target of $11 billion U.S. in revenue for its 2023-26 quadrennial, and President Gianni Infantino (SUI) publicly announced a goal of making football (soccer) the no. 1 sport in the U.S. (or maybe no. 2 to American Football, at least in the near term).

How FIFA will achieve these aspirations is becoming clear: hold as many of its major trophy events in the U.S. as possible, and depend on U.S. fans and sponsors to push the federation to new financial heights. With a seemingly endless number of stadiums available thanks to the National Football League and college football, not to mention a sports-hungry population, the U.S. capacity for handling expanded tournaments that can generate new, unimagined levels of revenue for FIFA:

● The smallish Club World Cup, first held in 2000, and in 2023 in Saudi Arabia with seven teams, will expand to a startling 32 teams for 2025 and be held in the U.S.

● The 2026 FIFA World Cup will return to the U.S. for the first time since the record-setting 1994 tournament, with some games in Canada and Mexico, and the event will not just expand, but explode to 48 teams and 104 matches, from 32 teams and 64 games in 2022! The windfall will be FIFA’s.

And for Infantino to complete a three-year program to skyrocket U.S. support of soccer, look for the 2027 Women’s World Cup to also be given to the U.S. and Mexico, which can easily handle a 32-team, 64-match event.

Keep in mind that for the first time, there is no national organizing committee for the FIFA World Cup. FIFA is doing it itself, with offices in Coral Gables, Florida. And that organizing office can easily keep going for 2027 and handle the Women’s World Cup as well (and will likely lead the effort for the 2025 Club World Cup, with all three tournaments using several of the same venues).

And FIFA could decide to expand the 2027 tournament even after the selection, as the U.S. has the capacity and FIFA’s own organizing team will have just completed a 48-team event in 2026.

That’s a roadmap to meet FIFA’s goals for the U.S. and for its 2023-26 revenue goals. Next up will be the confirmation of the 2030 FIFA World Cup for Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with opening matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and the 2034 World Cup, for which Saudi Arabia is the only bidder.

Coming so quickly – 12 years – after the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, FIFA is being criticized for its pursuit of Gulf State hosts, run by monarchies with controversial human-rights records. Infantino is unmoved; remember his victory lap during a news conference in Doha near the end of the 2022 World Cup over the event’s impacts on Qatari law and customs:

“Without the pressure of the World Cup, I believe, that the changes that would have happened in Qatar maybe not have happened, or not at least at that speed.”

Coming up Tuesday, a look at the projected top five stories ahead for 2024 in international sport, including – at last – an official end to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games ● A sad announcement on X (ex-Twitter) from super-statistician and Olympic historian Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) on the authoritative Olympedia.org site:

“For about 20 years now, my group, which we call the OlyMADMen (now 28 strong), has created and updated a website, Olympedia, with complete information about the results of the Olympic Games – Summer, Winter, Youth, Intercalated, Ancient, and more. 1/n

“Olympedia contains almost anything you need on the Olympics, including complete results of all events in all sports, and bios of every Olympian, and much more. In 2016 Olympedia was purchased by the IOC but we have had a contract with them to update it since that time. 2/n

“As of 1 Jan 2024 our contract with the IOC is not being renewed. The OlyMADMen will no longer update Olympedia after today, 29 Dec. We do not know if the IOC will continue to keep Olympedia online, but we do not expect them to update it. 3/n

“It’s been a fun run, but all good things come to an end. Thank you for your support of Olympedia over the years. 4/n”

Mallon wrote in an e-mail that he does expect the site to continue to operate in the near future, but has no idea beyond that.

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Ukraine’s decision on participation at the 2024 Paris Games is still up in the air, according to acting Youth and Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi. He told the BBC last week:

“First of all, we do not use the word boycott as such. We say that this is our position: we will not participate in the competition if athletes who support Russian aggression, who support this bloody regime, are allowed to participate. This is a matter of principle for us.

“We will analyze what will happen, how the IOC will react to the arguments we are now presenting, to our appeals, petitions, speeches, etc.

“But again, we understand that [a boycott] will be, in principle, a blow to our athletes. We are also aware that we are taking a risk.”

“The Olympic Charter provides for sanctions for such actions and it is possible that we will be offered to participate in the next Olympic Games [2028] as neutrals. So this is quite a radical step.”

● Olympic Esports Games ● Kyodo News reported that Japan is the preferred site for the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2026.

The International Olympic Committee wants to hold an Olympic Esports Games to further engage with youth, but on its own terms and rejecting electronic games which promote violence. For Japan, the event is a way to stay close to the IOC while its issues with the imploded Sapporo Winter Games bid are resolved and the legal proceedings involving the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are concluded.

● France ● A French government initiative to provide a major tax break for international federations and their employees who relocate to France was removed from a finance bill last week by the French Constitutional Council. The proposal was:

“These provisions amend the general tax code in order to provide, on the one hand, that international sports federations recognized by the International Olympic Committee are exempt from business property taxes, value added contributions and corporate taxes. for certain activities and, on the other hand, that the employees of these federations, tax domiciled in France, are exempt from income tax on the salaries and wages paid to them in respect of these same activities for five years from the time they take office.”

The article was held as unconstitutional as the tax exemptions – designed to attract federations to the country – were held “as violating the principle of equality before public offices.”

● Alpine Skiing ● American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin closed out a historic 2023, in which she became the biggest winner ever on the FIS World Cup circuit, with her 93rd career win in Friday’s Slalom in Lienz (AUT).

She roared to a big lead in the first run in 52.81, with U.S. teammate Paula Moltzan second at 53.95. Moltzan hit a groove in the snow and did not finish the second run, but Shiffrin was just as good, winning the second run at 55.94 for a 1:48.75 total. German Lena Duerr was fifth-fastest on both runs, good enough for second (1:51.09), with Michelle Gisin (SUI: 1:51.20) in third.

In 2023, Shiffrin recorded 13 wins and now has record totals for World Cup wins (93) and Slalom wins (56). She ends the year with a 900-637 lead in the overall World Cup standings over Italy’s Federica Brignone.

Friday’s men’s Super-G in Bormio (ITA) was the fourth win of the season – in just 10 races – for reigning World Cup champ Marco Odermatt (SUI), who won by almost a second in 1:27.72, beating Austria’s Raphael Haaser (1:28.70) and Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (1:29.03).

Odermatt now leads the overall World Cup standings with 636 points to 464 for the now-injured Marco Schwarz (AUT) and 240 for Kilde, after 10 of 41 races.

● Athletics ● A world record in the women’s 5 km for Kenyan star Beatrice Chebet at the Cursa dels Nassos race in Barcelona (ESP) on Sunday.

The race was set up to be fast and Chebet, the 2023 World Road champ, finally ran away from Ethiopia’s Ejegayehu Taye in the final 500 m to win in 14:13, breaking the 14:19 best by Taye from this race in 2021. Taye finished second in 14:21, equaling the no. 3 performance ever, with Lilian Rengeruk (KEN) third in 14:26, moving her to no. 3 on the all-time performers list.

Said the winner: “I came to Barcelona determined to better the world record as I felt capable of that. This world record means a lot for me, I can’t believe it.”

● Boxing ● “Since boxing’s IF has not determined transgender eligibility and boxing is considered a combat sport, USA Boxing’s overriding objective is the safety of all boxers and fair competition between all boxers.”

That’s from the USA Boxing transgender policy which took effect on Monday and interestingly has elements not usually seen in such protocols.

For most sports, the opportunity for at-birth females to compete in the men’s division is open, without qualifications. In view of the nature of boxing, that’s not good enough for the federation, which requires:

“● The athlete has declared that his gender identity is male and has had gender reassignment surgery.

“● The athlete for a minimum of four years after surgery has had quarterly hormone testing and presents USA Boxing documentation of hormone levels.

“● The athlete must demonstrate that his total testosterone level in serum has been above 10 nmol/L for at least 48 months prior to his first competition (with the requirement for any longer period to be based on a confidential case-by-case evaluation, considering whether or not 48 months is a sufficient length of time to minimize any advantage in men’s competition).”

Continued testing is also called for. As far as the more controversial male-to-female eligibility standards:

“● The athlete has declared that her gender identity is female and has completed gender reassignment surgery.

“● The athlete for a minimum of four years after surgery has had quarterly hormone testing and presents USA Boxing documentation of hormone levels.

“●The athlete must demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been below 5 nmol/L for at least 48 months prior to her first competition …

“● The athlete’s total testosterone level in serum must remain below 5 nmol/L throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category.”

All boxers under age 18 must compete in the birth gender. Although there are sports with lower testosterone requirements than the 5 nmol/L level required by USA Boxing, the requirements for gender reassignment surgery and four-year waiting period are uniquely strict.

● Cross Country Skiing ● The FIS World Cup tour was in Tolbach (ITA) for the beginning of the 18th Tour de Ski, a highly-prized, seven-stage in-season tournament with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) and Frida Karlsson (SWE) the defending champions.

Neither figured in the medal ceremonies, as France’s Lucas Chanavat got his first World Cup victory since January of 2020, winning the Freestyle Sprint in 2:35.75, ahead of teammate Jules Chappaz (2:35.97) and American Ben Ogden (2:36.24).

The American Ogden, 23, finally broke into medal contention earlier this season, with a Sprint fourth on 9 December and now has his first World Cup medal.

In the men’s 10 km Classical Interval Start, Finn Perttu Hyvarinen got the win in 23:08.6, trailed by Norway’s Erik Valnes (23:24.8) and Harald Amundsen (23:25.8). Ogden finished ninth in 23:54.8. For the 32-year-old Hyvarinen, it was his first career individual World Cup medal!

The women’s Freestyle Sprint was a 1-2 for Sweden, with Linn Svahn (3:01.22) and Jonna Sundling (3:01.29), and Kristine Skistad (NOR: 3:01.51) in third. It’s the 10th career World Cup gold for Svahn, all but two in Sprint races.

The 10 km Classical Interval Start gold was won by Kerttu Niskanen (FIN: 25:48.0) – the Beijing 2022 Olympic 10 km runner-up – comfortably in front of Victoria Carl (GER: 25:54.7) and American Jessie Diggins (25:58.7), the overall World Cup leader.

Diggins has five medals this season (2-2-1) in 11 races and ends the year with 893 points, ahead of Emma Ribom (SWE: 800) and U.S. teammate Rosie Brennan (771) in the World Cup standings.

The Tolbach racing concluded with a 20 km Freestyle Pursuit on Monday.

● Ice Hockey ● At the men’s World Junior Championships in Gothenburg (SWE), the U.S. concluded pool play with a 4-0 record, outscoring its opponents by 29-9.

Sweden defeated two-time defending champs Canada, 2-0, in their pool game, but lost to Finland in a shoot-out to finish at 3-1 and win Group A. The Canadians were also 3-1, but finished with nine points, in second place.

The quarterfinals will begin on Tuesday with the U.S. facing Latvia and Sweden taking on Switzerland.

● Ski Jumping ● The 72nd Four Hills Tournament has started, with the first stop at the 137 m hill in Obertsdorf (GER). German Andreas Wellinger, the 2018 Olympic Normal Hill champ, took the opener with the biggest first jump in the field and scoring 309.3 points to 306.3 for Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi and 298.9 for seasonal leader Stefan Kraft (AUT).

Stage two is in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Tuesday.

The women were in action in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) on Saturday, with Nika Prevc (SLO) taking her second straight win this season, scoring 267.4 to 254.5 for Eirin Kvandal (NOR) and 247.4 for Abigail Strate (CAN). It’s the third medal of the season for Kvandal and second career medal for Strate.

● Swimming ● Former U.S. Olympic women’s coach and long-time University of California women’s coach Teri McKeever was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport last Thursday, for “emotional misconduct.”

According to Swimming World Magazine:

“As part of the SafeSport notice, McKeever admitted fault in emotionally and physically abusing swimmers, including pressuring them to train or compete while injured. She also admitted to using racist and demeaning language.”

Her suspension is for three months, and probation for another 12 months, and not allowed to contact any of the athletes who made allegations against her. She said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times:

“I acknowledge that my expectations were exceedingly high, and that at times, my frustration with swimmers who weren’t coachable or did not believe in themselves or the team was not productive for the team.”

McKeever’s teams at Cal won four NCAA team titles during her term as head coach from 1992 to 2022, when she was dismissed after an investigation into her conduct. She was the head coach of the U.S. women’s team at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Russian Evgeny Rylov, the Tokyo Olympic 100-200 m Backstroke gold medalist, told the Russian news agency TASS he is more interested in supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s re-election campaign than in the Paris Olympic Games:

“First of all, this is a new experience for me, communication with many new people, new information, it helps me develop. I have never denied that I support the president and his work, so I am very glad that I was invited. I believe that the president pays great attention to sports, and it pays off, since every year more and more people go in for sports. If you take my area, then with the number of children who now go swimming, the pool is only freed up on New Year’s Eve, and before that everything is packed.

“If we talk about the Olympic Games in Paris, then at the moment the support of the president is more important for me, but I also cannot deny the importance of sport, because sport helped me reach certain heights and position in society. I am not going to participate in the next Olympics, but We will have our own competitions next year, and I really want to perform well there.”

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For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: The biggest stories of 2023, no. 5 to no. 1, with canceled events, Russia and Paris 2024 at the top of the agenda

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

● HAPPY NEW YEAR! ●

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

In a difficult, troubled year, a lot of turmoil marked the top stories in Olympic sport during 2023; our top five:

5. Crouser, Lyles and Kipyegon lead a great year in T&F
4. French Alps, Salt Lake and Swiss (?) get Winter Games
3. LA28 expands to largest Games ever with 36 sports
2. Victoria’s Commonwealth Games withdrawal a true shocker
1. Russia, security and Tahiti dominate Paris 2024 build-up

● Panorama: International Olympic Committee (New Year’s message from President Bach) = Russia (Law passed to allow payment of foreign athletes to compete in Russia) = Spain (Prosecutors inquiring into possible testing issues by Spain’s anti-doping unit) = Alpine Skiing (2: Shiffrin takes 92nd win at Lienz; Sarrazin surprises in Bormio downhill) = Athletics (USATF membership totals up for 2023) ●

LANE ONE:
The top stories of 2023, from no. 5 to no. 1

It would be nice if the top stories of 2023 were about athlete achievement on the field of play. Instead, it was a year of war, politics, anger, broken promises and more, with some sparkling sporting events thrown in (you can see nos. 10 to 6 here):

No. 5:
Crouser, Lyles and Kipyegon lead a great year in T&F

There were lots of bad things that happened in the world and in sport in 2023, but the year in track and field was mostly great, including a long list of world records (and world bests):

Men:
● 2,000 m: 4:43.13, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
● Two Mile: 7:54.10, Ingebrigtsen
● Steeple: 7:52.11, Lamecha Girma (ETH)
● Marathon: 2:00:35, Kelvin Kiptum (KEN)
● Vault: 6.22 mi (20-4 3/4i), Mondo Duplantis (SWE)
● Vault: 6.23 m (20-5 1/4), Duplantis
● Shot: 23.38 mi (76-8 1/2i), Ryan Crouser (USA)
● Shot: 23.56 m (77-3 3/4), Crouser

Women:
● 1,500 m: 3:49.11, Faith Kipyegon (KEN)
● Mile: 4:07.64, Kipyegon
● 5,000 m: 14:05.20, Kipyegon
● 5,000 m: 14:00.21, Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
● Marathon: 2:11:53, Tigist Assefa (ETH)
● 35 km Walk: 2:37:44, Kimberly Garcia (PER)
● 35 km Walk: 2:37:15, Maria Perez (ESP)

● Mixed 4×400 m: 3:08.80, United States

World Athletics also recognized, for the first time, world marks in the road mile, with American Hobbs Kessler taking the men’s record at 3:56.13 and Nikki Hiltz of the U.S. getting the first women’s mark at 4:27.97, which was broken by Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji (ETH) at 4:20.98 at the inaugural World Road Running Championships – another good innovation – in Latvia in October.

Crouser’s 23.38 m indoor mark (76-8 1/2i) was not ratified due to the slope of the landing area, a decision he objected to, but then made moot by exploding at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in May with a brilliant 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) performance that wasn’t ratified until November, after a survey was done of the facility!

The World Athletics Championships was held in new facility in Budapest (HUN), with near-capacity crowds of 30,000+ for most sessions and spectacular competition on the field. American sprint star Noah Lyles surprised with a win in the 100 m, then defended his 200 m title and anchored the winning U.S. 4×100 m relay for three golds and lots more attention for 2024. Crouser scared his May world record with a win at 23.51 m (77-1 3/4) and Duplantis won his third straight Worlds vault gold.

American Sha’Carri Richardson realized her enormous potential with a shock win in the women’s 100 m (10.65) over favored Jamaican Shericka Jackson, but Jackson came back to defend her 200 m title (with Richardson third). And Richardson got a third medal with an anchor leg on the 4×100 m relay.

Kipyegon won both the women’s 1,500 m and 5,000 m, and the women’s vault ended with a tie between Australia’s Nina Kennedy and Olympic champ Katie Moon of the U.S. And with world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone not competing, Dutch hurdler Femke Bol won the 400 m hurdles in 51.70, the no. 8 performance in history.

This was one of the best seasons in history and set up an even better 2024 and beyond. Look for a sub-14 minute 5,000 m this coming year, and after Kipyegon’s performance in the mile, are we that far away from a woman running under four minutes?

No. 4:
French Alps, Salt Lake and Swiss (?) get Winter Games

The International Olympic Committee had been dragging its feet on figuring out what to do about hosts for the 2030 Winter Games, but solved its issues – apparently – at the end of November with the decision to “target” the French Alps bid for 2030 and to essentially award the 2034 event to Salt Lake City, Utah.

The assignments for 2030-34 won’t be final until a vote in the middle of 2024, but the expectation is that both will be approved. The bid process for 2030 was dragged out by IOC concerns over whether natural-snow conditions could be found for future sites, the strong preference of the ready-to-go Salt Lake City bid for 2034 and the collapse of the Sapporo (JPN) bid due to rising costs and the emergence of multiple scandals in the organization of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

With the IOC’s encouragement, bids from 2030 were developed in Sweden, Switzerland and for the French Alps, with a partnership of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (AURA) and Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) regions. The French came in late, but were rewarded for having most of their facilities already set, but with some holes, and a ready organizing committee-in-waiting in the existing Paris 2024 staff.

The Salt Lake City is truly solid, with no added venues needed and the sites from the successful 2002 Winter Games still in active use. The wait for 2034 will aid its domestic sponsorship efforts, separated from the Los Angeles sales efforts for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Amid talk of a rotation or even a disassembly of the Winter Games, with events in multiple nations, the IOC surprised with a designation of the Swiss bid for “preferred dialogue” – a new category – for 2038. Most of the venues needed for a Winter Games are available in the Swiss plan, but it is too de-centralized for the IOC’s taste at the moment. The designation essentially gives the IOC and the Swiss until 2027 to work out a plan and go ahead with an award for 2038.

The IOC has stability and time to consider what to do about the Winter Games amid its climate concerns. The only loser was Sweden, which once again failed – for the ninth time – to host a Winter Games.

No. 3:
LA28 expands to largest Games ever with 36 sports

Tremendous anticipation and chatter around whether the Los Angeles 2028 organizers would include cricket as an added sport, with the potential of a television-rights windfall in India which could bring LA28 some added cash in a shared deal with the IOC.

But the reality was even stranger, with LA28 asking for five sports to be approved at the IOC Session in Mumbai, India in October: baseball and softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash!

The IOC approved them all and with the add-back – by the IOC – of a better-behaved weightlifting federation and a revised modern pentathlon, the total number of sports for 2028 will set an Olympic record of 35. At present, there is no federation for boxing, with the International Boxing Association dismissed in June and the new World Boxing group still in formation, but it is more than likely that boxing will be brought in also, to raise the total to 36.

And these new sports will add at least 742 more athletes to the program, blowing past the 10,500 limit suggested in the Olympic Charter. There was also a tantalizing mention that some or all of these added sports could be held outside of the Los Angeles area. Baseball at Yankee Stadium in New York? Softball at its national center in Oklahoma City? Lacrosse at an eastern venue, where it is more popular?

It’s a huge expansion of the Games program, contrary to the reductions brought on during the Thomas Bach presidency at the IOC, but in a sports-loving host country with endless facilities, the possibilities are enticing.

What about flag football, strongly supported by the National Football League, with significant sponsorship implications? With football (soccer) continuing to grow in popularity – significantly among women – flag is a crucial initiative for the NFL to super-charge its growth among women as players, not just as spectators of tackle football.

The LA28 organizers have been quiet about their plans, but have a clear concept that these added sports can expand interest in the Games, now only in 2028 but for the future as well. But make no mistake, the long-term impact of cricket could be enormous.

No. 2:
Victoria’s Commonwealth Games withdrawal a true shocker

Contracts mean nothing. That was one of the major lessons of 2023, with 18 July a key date which be remembered as a pivot point in sports history.

That’s when then-Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews called a news conference to say that after signing an agreement with the Commonwealth Games Federation to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in April 2022, the state was withdrawing in 2023.

Why? Money. Andrews said that the government’s estimates of the actual cost of hosting the Games on a regional basis – and not primarily in Melbourne – could be A$6-7 billion, instead of the A$2.6 billion projected (A$1 = $0.68 U.S. today). That, he said, could not be justified.

Victoria had to pay A$380 million as a settlement for the withdrawal, a lot less than the amount Andrews feared if the state had to go through with the hosting. As of now, the 2026 Commonwealth Games has no home, with the state of Queensland rejecting another Gold Coast hosting (it hosted in 2018) and no other offer to stage the event, in Australia or elsewhere.

After a long and happy history beginning in 1930, the future of the Commonwealth Games is very much in doubt.

But that was not the only event which was turned upside down in 2023. A much smaller event, the ANOC World Beach Games, expected to be held in August in Bali (INA), was canceled when Bali governor Wayan Koster – playing to pro-Palestinian political feelings in Indonesia – announced and maintained under pressure that Israeli qualifiers would not be allowed to compete at the event (this was more than three months before the Hamas invasion of Israel).

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), which owns the event, protested, but Koster persisted and the event was canceled on 5 July – two weeks before Victoria pulled out of the Commonwealth Games – on the excuse that the Indonesian government had not released funds needed for the event. No one believed that lie; it was anti-Semitism, pure and simple. And ANOC would not stand for it, with 1,500 athletes losing out; ANOC later reimbursed all of the participating National Olympic Committees for their travel costs.

Indonesia had already had another event removed for its anti-Israel policy, as the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup – scheduled for May – was rescinded by FIFA on 29 March because of its refusal to host the Israeli team, also scheduled to play in Bali. The tournament was moved to Argentina and held as scheduled, with the Israelis winning the bronze medal.

FIFA was apparently not that upset with Indonesia, however, as it awarded it the FIFA men’s U-17 World Cup, played in November, after Peru pulled out as host.

Of course, the ANOC and FIFA agreements had non-discrimination clauses in them, but that didn’t matter to Indonesia. In 2023, in fact, contracts did not matter.

No. 1:
Russia, security and Tahiti dominate Paris 2024 build-up

There were grave concerns coming into 2023 about the ability of the Paris 2024 organizers to maintain a balanced budget and for the government’s Solideo construction agency to complete the Olympic housing and sports venues projects in time and on budget.

Both of those worries have dissipated, as Paris 2024 has just about reached its sponsorship targets and has sold 7.6 million Olympic tickets, with another million to be placed on sale in 2024. Solideo reported that it will turn over the sites it is responsible for on time.

Instead, new issues dominated the headlines, starting with Russian and Belarusian participation. Essentially banned due to an IOC edict since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February of 2022, IOC chief Bach engineered – citing the symbolic impact of “universal participation” in the Olympic Games – a protocol in March to have international federations allow participation in their events of individual Russian and Belausian “neutrals” who have “not supported” the war against Ukraine.

Most of the federations bought in, albeit at inconsistent levels of enthusiasm, with some only allowing participation in 2024, such as in aquatics and gymnastics. World Athletics and the International Surfing Association said no, and the Federation Equestre Internationale said it would allow participation in 2024, but not in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, since the qualifying period has ended.

Multiple European governments protested, but the Paris 2024 organizers and French President Emmanuel Macron said the decision is up to the IOC. Ukraine has threatened a boycott, but no firm decision has been made as yet. The Russians, for their part, have savagely criticized Bach and the IOC as tools of the West and specifically of the U.S., but without any significant impact.

The IOC’s own protocol for Russian and Belarusian participation in Paris was released in early December. Bach is intransigent on this point: there will be Russians and Belarusians in Paris, but not many.

There were other issues for Paris 2024, including worries about security, especially of holding the Games opening as a parade on the Seine River in the middle of Paris, witnessed by 100,000 ticket holders on the river-side level and several hundred thousand more on the upper levels. No confirmation is exactly how many people will be able to attend has been made, with concerns over the capacity of the area, capacity of the transport system and the available of enough private and public security, police and military to handle the crowds and potential troublemakers.

The 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and the response has heightened fears of terrorism, especially at the opening.

A test event in open-water swimming had to be canceled due to poor water quality in the Seine following heavy rains, but a triathlon test event was held under better weather and was satisfactory.

Police officials have been in the spotlight, with questions about staffing, training and a plan – for security reasons – to remove some of the famous book stalls that line the Seine for the opening. A plan to restrict transit and require passes (a QR code) for residents to access areas around some of the venues in Paris has been criticized on civil liberties grounds. And politicians of opposing parties have been criticizing each other over failures to complete promised transit works or resolve homelessness issues in the French capital.

So what else is new?

The year ended with a compromise on the building of a new judging tower in French Polynesia (Tahiti) for the surfing events. A planned new tower of 46 feet in height raised an emotional backlash about damage to the local coral at the famed Teahupo’o site, with petitions circulated to remove the event from Tahiti altogether. But discussions produced a solution, essentially to rebuild the old and unsafe wooden judging tower with a new, aluminum structure that will keep impact to the environment to a minimum.

The Paris 2024 organizers achieved a lot in 2023 and are poised for a considerable success in 2024. But as dependable as the sunrise is the steady stream of angst, complaints and back-biting that will continue through the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games next September.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● International Olympic Committee ● President Thomas Bach (GER) offered his New Year’s message on Thursday, extolling the virtues of the Olympic Games as a symbol of hope:

“Deep in our hearts, we are all longing for something unifying. Something that brings us together, despite the differences we have. Something that gives us hope. Something that inspires us to address problems in a peaceful way. Something that brings out the best in us. We are longing for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to unite the entire world in peaceful competition.”

And he sounded again the watchwords of his term and his vision of the Olympic Games, now and in the future:

“With the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 only months away, the athletes, the fans, the entire Olympic community – all of us – are looking forward to a new era of Olympic Games: younger, more inclusive, more urban, more sustainable.”

● Russia ● How will the Russian Sports Ministry attract foreign athletes to compete in its BRICS Games next June and the World Friendship Games next September?

Pay them.

The Russian news agency TASS reported on Monday:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that, among other things, gives the Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees (ROC and RPC) the authority to finance the participation of foreign athletes in competitions in the Russian Federation. …

“In particular, the ROC, RPC, the Russian Deaflympic Committee and the Special Olympics of Russia are given the right ‘to provide financial support for the participation of foreign citizens and stateless persons as athletes and (or) teams of foreign citizens in official sporting events on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad.’”

Just for information, the current exchange rate for the Russian ruble to the U.S. dollar is 88.75:1.

● Spain ● A story on the Spanish sports site Relevo reported that the Spanish anti-doping agency (CELAD) carried out sample collection with a single company and did not use a second collection officer from a different company as apparently required, from 2017-22. This procedure could allow for cover-ups of doping-positive samples, or for nullification of tests since the multi-agent process for collection was not used.

The matter is now under investigation by Spanish government authorities, as CELAD is at least partially publicly funded.

● Alpine Skiing ● She did it again! U.S. superstar Mikaela Shiffrin won her 92nd career World Cup race on Thursday, taking the women’s Giant Slalom in Lienz (AUT) with a dominating first run.

Shiffrin, the overall World Cup leader, flew down the course as the no. 3 starter and took the lead at 1:01.82, with Swede Sara Hector well back at 1:02.45 in second place.

Italy’s 2022 Olympic runner-up Federica Brignone moved from fifth into the lead on the second run in 1:02.91, to give her a total of 2:06.36. Although Shiffrin’s second run of 1:04.16 ranked only 17th, it was still enough for a comfortable total of 2:05.98, and a win by 0.38 over Brignone.

Hector finished third with a two-race total at 2:06.43, with Americans A.J. Hurt in 11th at 2:07l81 and Paula Moltzan in 16th at 2:08.21.

The win was Shiffrin’s fourth of the season, and her eighth medal out of 13 World Cup races held so far. Brignone now has six medals this season (3-1-2). The women will be back on the slopes on Friday for a Slalom in Lienz before the New Year’s break.

Good news and bad news on the famed Stelvio downhill course in Bormio (ITA) on Thursday, with France’s Cyprien Sarrazin, now 29, winning his first World Cup race since December of 2016!

Sarrazin hadn’t won a World Cup medal since December of 2019, but his winning run came from fourth in the order, and held up against reigning World Cup champ Marco Odermatt (SUI) in the no. 6 slot, 1:50.73 to 1:50.82. Canada’s Cameron Alexander, starting fifth, ended up with the bronze (1:51.96), his second career World Cup medal.

The bad news came from the 17th starter, overall World Cup leader Marco Schwarz (AUT), skied over a bump in the course halfway down and suffered a season-ending right knee injury. He had to be flown off the course in a helicopter and received treatment in Innsbruck (AUT), about 130 miles away.

Odermatt resumed the seasonal lead and won his fourth medal in nine World Cup races held so far. A Super-G will be held on Friday.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field reported improved membership numbers at its annual meeting in December, with 115,444 total members in 2023, ahead of the 2022 total of 104,958, but still short of the pre-pandemic total of 123,833 from 2019.

Adult members grew considerably from 39,621 to 73,004, well ahead of the 2019 total of 45,989, but youth memberships were way down. That total was 77,840 in 2019, 65,337 in 2022 and just 42,440 in 2023.

For comparison, USA Swimming’s last report was for 2021, with 331,228 members; USA Gymnastics has approximately 200,000 members.

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.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: The biggest stories of 2023, no. 10 to no. 6, included Simone Biles’ triumphant return to the mats, and “the kiss”

By
Rich Perelman
-
The incomparable Simone Biles (Photo courtesy USA Gymnastics/John Cheng)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

Happy Holidays!

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

Time for the top stories in Olympic sport during 2023, starting from no. 10 to no. 6:

10. Kuss stuns with La Vuelta a Espana victory
9. Russia x Ukraine: the Olha Kharlan incident
8. Chaos, Italian style: the sliding sports at Milan Cortina
7. Spain wins FIFA Women’s World Cup, and then, the kiss
6. Biles brilliant in return to Worlds with four golds

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (Bach does not foresee Ukrainian boycott) = Russia (4: Fencers who defected to U.S. in June now wanted on criminal charges; RUSADA working on legislation to comply with WADA; government pays Olympians for missed competitions; look for athlete parades in 2024) = Aquatics (World Aquatics sponsored 122 athletes in 2023) = Figure Skating (U.S. judge Williams warned on “national bias” in judging) = Football (FIFA warns Brazil on government interference on elections) = Gymnastics (Dolgopyat to auction Worlds gold in January for war relief) = Wrestling (Indian federation suspended over new chaos after elections) ●

LANE ONE:
The top stories of 2023, from no. 10 to no. 6

It was a wild year in international sport, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued and brought sport and politics together and in conflict. Then the Hamas attack on Israel in October intensified feelings everywhere and athletes, officials, federations and fans all had to deal with it, and still are.

Our list of the top international sport stories this year starts today with no. 10 through no. 6:

No. 10:
Kuss stuns with La Vuelta a Espana victory

A talented climber, American cyclist Sepp Kuss had been a key player for his Dutch-based Jumbo-Visma team in 2023, helping teammate Primoz Roglic (SLO) win the Giro d’Italia (while finishing 14th overall) and teammate Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) repeat as Tour de France champion (while finishing 12th).

But during the Vuelta a Espana, the third Grand Tour of the year, Kuss, 26, broke through with a dominating, 26-second win in the 183.1 km sixth stage, with a misery-inducing uphill finish to the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre.

That moved him from 12th to second overall and opened the possibility for greater glory. He took the race lead a couple of stages later, finishing two seconds back of Roglic in stage eight and had a 43-second lead on the field.

Not many expected him to stay there, and as Kuss had played a supporting role for Roglic and Vingegaard earlier in the year, would he again?

Kuss stayed in the lead and would not be deterred. On the mountain stages, he was at his best, finishing second, eighth, third and 10th on the mountain stages nos. 13-14-17-18. He clearly had a chance to win, with Vingegaard and Roglic his primary opponents. He had a 1:37 lead over Roglic and 1:44 over Vingegaard after stage 14, but that was down to eight seconds after the penultimate climbing stage (17).

Would Vingegaard pass his teammate? Nope; Kuss padded his lead on the 18th stage, the last climbing route, and held on, with Vingegaard and Roglic finally supporting him in the final stages and Kuss won by 17 seconds overall after the 21st and final stage on 17 September.

It was the first win for an American in a Grand Tour since Chris Horner in 2013, and he was the first rider since 1957 to compete in all three Grand Tours in a single season and win one. In a word, historic.

No. 9:
Russia x Ukraine: the Olha Kharlan incident

It had to happen, and it did. Despite all the assurances to the contrary, a Russian and a Ukrainian met in competition and it turned out badly.

After the International Olympic Committee issued recommendations that “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes be re-admitted to international competition in March, Ukraine initially boycotted any events with Russian “neutral’ entries. But eventually, the desire to qualify for the 2024 Paris Games won out and the Ukrainian government relented and allowed its athletes to compete without restrictions, even if it meant meeting a Russian or Belarusian “neutral” opponent.

Then came the World Fencing Championships in Milan (ITA) in July and four-time World Sabre Champion Olha Kharlan of Ukraine was matched against a lesser Russian, Anna Smirnova. Kharlan dispatched her quickly in the round-of-64 by 15-7. At the end of the bout, Kharlan moved to tap swords with Smirnova, as had been the custom during the pandemic. But Smirnova wanted a handshake – which was in the FIE rules – and when Kharlan would not oblige, sat on or next to the piste for 45 minute or more in a likely pre-planned protest.

The FIE – not the match referee – disqualified Kharlan, not only eliminating her from the individual Sabre tournament, but also the team event and seriously impacted her chances of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games. Moreover, Kharlan had asked FIE interim President Emmanuel Katsiadakis (GRE) prior to the bout if tapping swords would be permissible instead of a handshake and he said it would be. But she was out.

A day later, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) – a fencer in his competitive days – wrote to Kharlan and guaranteed her a place at Paris 2024 if she did not otherwise qualify. Then the FIE – under IOC pressure – reversed its sanction and allowed Kharlan to compete in the Team event, where Ukraine finished fourth.

What a mess. The incident showed the FIE as incompetent, and that incidents between Ukraine and Russia could – and did – happen. There were no other incidents of this magnitude during the rest of 2023, but one was enough.

One concrete legacy of the situation was a change in the FIE rules adopted later in the year, allowing a salute of the opponent and dropping the handshake requirement. Call that the “Kharlan rule.”

No. 8:
Chaos, Italian style: the sliding sports at Milan Cortina

The winning Milan Cortina bid for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games included a plan to demolish the historic Eugenio Monti track for bobsled, luge and skeleton in Cortina d’Ampezzo and replace it with a new track that would be part of a larger amusement park.

The IOC was against the idea, especially since there was no firm plan on how to promote it, and as the Cesana Pariol track for the Turin 2006 Winter Games had to be abandoned six years later due to lack of use.

After delays brought the building concept into question, the Cortina concept completely fell apart in 2023. A summer request for proposal from the Italian government’s Olympic infrastructure agency – known as Simico – to build the facility for about €85 million, with a total, finished project cost of €124 million (€1 = $1.11 U.S. today), drew no bidders. None.

Re-use of the Cesana Pariol facility was also proposed, but it would also need to be refurbished , at an initial cost for 2025 of perhaps €20 million, then millions more to convert it from an ammonia-based system, consider environmentally unfriendly.

By the time of the IOC Session in Mumbai (IND) in October, organizing committee chair Giovanni Malago told his fellow IOC members that a track outside of Italy would be chosen soon. But the issue became entangled in Italian politics, with government ministers insisting the track had to be in Italy, and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini insisting on a somewhat scaled-down plan that would still build a new facility in Cortina!

The IOC tried to shut this down in early November and requests for proposals were sent out, asking for interested facilities to bid to host the 2026 sliding events. Four responses came in from existing tracks, from Austria (for Innsbruck), from Switzerland (St. Moritz), from Germany (Koenigssee) and even from the U.S. (for Lake Placid)! They are still waiting for an answer.

The IOC is demanding a resolution and a decision is now supposed to be made by the end of January, with Salvini insisting that a new track in Cortina is the best solution. Ah, politics.

No. 7:
Spain wins FIFA Women’s World Cup, and then, the kiss

By all accounts, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was a smashing success. The tournament was expanded from 24 to 32 teams, and drew a sensational 1.978 million or 30,911 spectators per match in Australia and New Zealand.

The matches were taut, with an average of just 2.64 goals each, and the two-time defending champion U.S. team was eliminated – on penalty kicks – by Sweden in the round-of-16 playoffs. Australia’s Matildas became the darlings of the tournament, winning their group and then advancing with close wins over Denmark and France (on penalties) to reach the semifinals against England. That match drew an average viewing audience of 7.13 million, reportedly the largest in Australian history, peaking at 11.15 million!

England and Spain advanced to the final and in another tense encounter, Olga Carmona’s 29th-minute goal stood up for a 1-0 Spanish victory.

Then came the victory ceremony. Among other crude gestures, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed star defender Jenni Hermoso, creating a huge scandal.

Rubiales tried to claim that the kiss was consensual, then released an apology video, then – under pressure to resign – insisted on staying in office and fighting any effort to remove him. Those efforts were quickly undertaken by multiple governmental, sports and football groups. A petition signed by 81 Spanish players said they would not play for the national team if Rubiales remained in office.

He was suspended for 90 days by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, six days after the tournament ended, a Spanish government inquiry was opened and Hermoso filed suit against Rubiales on 6 September. He finally resigned on 10 September.

He was banned by FIFA for three years on 30 October, but the legal aspects of the case have yet to be concluded.

A great, historic tournament was tarnished at the end. But it was historic.

No. 6:
Biles brilliant in return to Worlds with four golds

No one would have blamed U.S. gymnastics superstar Simone Biles if she had walked away from the sport after her adventures at the Tokyo Olympic Games, withdrawing prior to the Team final due to spatial awareness difficulties (the “twisties”) and then returning to win a Beam medal.

But at 26, she was back, taking her eighth U.S. national All-Around title and moving on to the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp (BEL) … as good as ever!

Biles dominated the meet, leading the U.S. to a seventh straight women’s team title, then winning the All-Around, Beam and Floor titles, taking a silver in the Vault and fifth on her least favorite event, the Uneven Bars.

The five-medal performance confirmed Biles as the most decorated World Championships gymnast of all time, with 23 Worlds golds, four silvers and three bronzes for a total of 30 medals, from 2013 to 2023. The next closest is USSR/BLR star Vitaly Scherbo, who won 23 (12-7-4) in the men’s competitions from 1991-96.

And Biles is on track for a third Olympic Games, where she has won seven medals (4-1-2), including a Team silver and Beam bronze in Tokyo. With another five-medal output – or better, who knows? – she could move up to no. 2 all-time with 12 total medals, second only to Soviet Larisa Latynina, who won 18 (9-5-4) from 1956-64.

Surely, this will be the last Olympic appearance for Biles, who is now married and looking to the future … or is it? Could be consider one more appearance, in front of adoring home fans in Los Angeles in 2028?

Coming on Friday, from no. 5 to no. 1!

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● International Olympic Committee President Bach said in an interview that he expects Ukraine to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games. He told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag:

“Why should Ukraine penalize its own athletes for the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army and deprive them of their dream of the Olympics?

“You are not a supporter of war just because you don’t fulfil Ukraine’s every demand, especially as we have supported the Ukrainian athletes with unprecedented solidarity since the start of the war.”

He said that the restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes and the elimination of national symbols would underscore the sanctions imposed; he noted the bitter criticism of the IOC’s position from both Russia and Ukraine as “That means we have obviously struck a good balance.”

● Russia ● “The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has put the fencers Sergei and Violetta Bida on the wanted list for criminal charges, who took part in the US Championship without the consent of the Russian side.”

That’s from a story from the Russian news agency TASS on Monday, concerning the two Epee fencers, who now live in California and were entered in the USA Fencing National Championships last summer. The announcement from the Ministry noted “Sergei Olegovich Bida is wanted under an article of the Criminal Code,” and was apparently an active member of the Russian Guard; his wife was also, apparently, also listed as a member of the Russian military.

Sergei Bida competed as a neutral at the USA Fencing Championships, finishing 17th in the Division I men’s Epee tournament, but Violetta Bida did not compete.

Sergei Bida’s former coach, Alexander Glazunov – who was fired after the Bidas left the country – told TASS he does not expect to see them back anytime soon:

“Sergey got in touch, wished him a happy birthday, then we got in touch again. He’s doing well, what else can I say? He’s in California, fencing and coaching at a club in San Jose, competing in neutral status at the U.S. Championships.

“The man accepted such a life, such a decision, I don’t think he will be given citizenship so quickly, so I’m not sure about his performance at the Olympics, both the upcoming one and the next one in Los Angeles. He fences, trains children, advertises for his club. …

“An apology? Who am I to him? Yes, I was a personal trainer, but everyone chooses their own destiny. He wanted to completely change his life. As far as I know, he didn’t sign any declarations, at least that’s what he told me.”

Sergei Bida was a Tokyo Olympic Epee Team silver medalist and the 2019 Worlds Epee silver medalist, and came with his wife to the U.S. in June of 2023. She is also an Epee fencer and was a 2019 Worlds Team silver medalist. They are now affiliated with the Academy of Fencing Masters in San Jose, California.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency is formulating legislative proposals which will meet the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency in order to lift Russia out of its non-compliant status. According to RUSADA Director General Veronika Loginova:

“[W]e do not have legislative initiative, but the development and approval of anti-doping rules is within our competence. RUSADA is ready to work towards amending the federal law, in developing formulations in order to our legislation has been improved. We conveyed our position on what points need to be changed in the law, this will help in our work and help make it even more effective. We asked once again to make changes to a number of points so that the legislation is harmonious and meets the requirements.

“There was a national anti-doping plan, there was a point of harmonizing legislation according to world standards. Now we are looking for compromises, as should be correctly spelled out in our law. The draft federal law that we discussed earlier will be withdrawn, there were comments [on it]. A new project will be prepared, which we will see in January.”

The Russian Olympic Committee distributed payments to 120 athletes in 15 sports who have missed international competitions in 2023 due to international sanctions.

The funds went to Olympians who are still competing, with RUB 500,000 for gold medalists (about $5,457 U.S. today), RUB 250,000 for silver medalists, RUB 150,000 for bronze winners and RUB 150,000 for Olympians who did not medal.

Look for athlete parades in Moscow in 2024, per Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin:

“Parades have always been held for some significant events for our country, initially they were dedicated to something. There was [an athlete’s] parade on August 12, 1945, all these parades demonstrated the power and restoration of our country, the diversity of the system of physical culture and departmental sports. When will we offer concept for approval by the president, we must keep in mind the current realities of life in Russia. This should be a parade not for the sake of a parade, but as a symbol of the importance of sports for our country.”

The new emphasis on parades is at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin, from a suggestion by International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev (RUS).

Look for the IOC and those international federations who care to take a close look at any parades – one could come as soon as March – in vetting Russian entries for Paris 2024.

● Aquatics ● An interesting paragraph in the new-year message from World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam (KUW) on the federation’s outreach activities direct to athletes:

“2023 was also the 10th year of our pioneering World Aquatics Scholarship Programme. Across the year, 122 athletes participated in the programme in swimming, open water swimming and diving, at 69 training centres globally. A further 20 of our athletes benefitted from Artistic Swimming Grants through the programme. Additionally, new World Aquatics Training Centres were established in two locations; CN Antibes (Antibes, France); Bond University at Robina, a suburb in the city of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. I am looking forward to seeing this programme continue to thrive in the coming year.”

Looking ahead to the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane with the Robina training center at Gold Coast is a great way to impress swimming-crazed Australia.

● Figure Skating ● American figure skating judge Doug Williams was given a warning by the International Skating Union for “national bias” in judging U.S. skaters at the 2023 ISU World Championships in March in Saitama (JPN).

The complaint was filed by the ISU Singles and Pairs Technical Committee, specific to his scoring for the women’s Free Skate; he was also a judge for the Short Program. In the Free Skate, he was considered to have inflated the scores of Americans Isabeau Levito, Amber Glenn and Bradie Tennell. As to Levito’s marks:

“While his marks were in the corridor, they were overall higher for her than for her close competitors”. Regarding components, “with a fall by this US skater, a mark of 9.50 given by Mr Williams was impossible and not near a 10.00. Conclusion: National Bias.”

The accusations, in a nutshell, were:

“The Complainants ([Technical Committee] and Vice President) analysed the marks of the Alleged Offender and concluded that he had acted with serious national bias. Mr Williams is accused that not only did he give higher marks to the three USA skaters than most other Judges, but that he also gave lower marks than the majority of all other Judges to those Skater’s strongest Competitors.”

Williams protested that he did nothing wrong and noted that he had never been warned or sanctioned for any of his scoring across many years. The ISU Disciplinary Committee determined that the request for a suspension was too much:

“That sanction would be overly punitive in the present circumstances. In cases of national bias, the [Disciplinary Committee] will only consider a suspension without any prior letter of warning/comparable intervention in exceptional circumstances, where the misconduct is significantly higher. That standard is not reached in the present case.

“Therefore, a warning is the appropriate sanction from the DC in this case.”

The decision is appealable to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

● Football ● FIFA has warned the Brazilian football federation (known as the CBF) that it could be suspended after a Brazilian court removed CBF head Ednaldo Rodrigues and his appointees and installed a temporary president and called for swift elections.

Rodrigues was removed on 7 December by a Rio de Janeiro court due to issues with his election and the decision was affirmed by an appellate court last week. Elections were required to be held within 30 days.

The FIFA letter included:

“FIFA member associations must manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from any type of third party. …

“FIFA and CONMEBOL will send a joint mission to Brazil during the week of January 8, 2024 to meet with respective stakeholders to examine the current situation and work together to find a solution to the current situation, in due respect for the applicable regulatory framework of the CBF and its autonomy.

“FIFA and CONMEBOL would like to strongly emphasize that, until such mission takes place, no decision affecting CBF, including any elections or call for elections, shall be taken. Should this not be respected, FIFA will have no other option but to submit the matter to its relevant decision-making body for consideration and decision, which might also include a suspension.”

Brazil’s men’s team is currently in the midst of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and Brazil is bidding for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

● Gymnastics ● Artem Dolgopyat won Israel’s first-ever Artistic World Championships gold with his October triumph in the 2023 Worlds men’s Floor Exercise. Now he is auctioning the medal to raise money:

“What is a world champion worth if my country is hurting? For me, the State of Israel is in first place,” he told The Times of Israel. Bidding starts at $100,000, with the proceeds earmarked to aid towns close to the Gaza border that were attacked on 7 October.

The auction will be held on Sunday, 7 January at 9 p.m. Israel time.

● Wrestling ● More turmoil in India, where the Wrestling Federation of India was suspended by the India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Sunday after new President Sanjay Singh announced that national junior championships would be held this week!

The wrestling federation has been in chaos since multiple wrestlers demanded the removal of the prior president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual assault. He left, but the election of close aide Sanjay Singh on 23 December triggered new concerns, with the ministry stating that the federation “appears to be (in) complete control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code,” as evidence by the snap championships announcement, of U-15 and U-20 nationals “without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers” for preparations.

Further, the Indian Olympic Association – the National Olympic Committee in India – issued a letter which included:

“The Indian Olympic Association has recently become aware that the recently appointed President and officials of the WFI have made arbitrary decisions in violation of their own constitutional provisions and against the principles of good governance espoused by the IOC and further without following due process overturned the rulings of the IOA appointed ad hoc committee.”

A three-member temporary committee has been formed to run the federation for now.

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.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: USA Track & Field financial statements raise question of “a going concern”?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

Happy Holidays!

● Schedule: System upgrades are continuing, so the next post will appear on Thursday (28th). ●

There’s no doubt that USA Track & Field’s $9.58 million contribution to the Oregon 22 organizing committee for the 2022 World Athletics Championships put a strain on its finances.

On Friday, USATF posted its 2022 audited financial statements, dated 30 November 2023, in which the auditors, Indianapolis-based RSN US LLC included a warning in its report:

“[M]anagement is required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about USATF’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that these financial statements are issued or are available to be issued.”

That’s not good.

However, there is no reason to think that USATF is going under anytime soon. Why?

Nike.

The apparel and shoe giant accounted for 58% of USATF revenues in 2022, paying $19.98 million in 2022, of which $725,838 was deducted for commissions, being paid over the length of the contract to former Nike executives Adam Helfant and Chris Bevilaqua, who helped broker the deal. So, USATF is receiving about $19.26 million a year from Nike in an agreement which will continue to 2040.

As for the impact of its $9,584,986 contribution to Oregon 22, a special note on this item included:

“USATF expects its investment in the World Outdoor Championships to generate revenues and other benefits in future years by way of increased broadcast and intellectual property revenue, rights fees, memberships and event registrations.”

However, USATF’s revenues have stalled since the Nike deal was signed in 2014; the reported revenues show a deep reliance now on Nike and grants from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (2013 shown for comparison):

● 2013: $19.6 million ~ 63% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2014: $35.1 million ~ 80% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2015: $32.4 million ~ 73% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2016: $37.3 million ~ 65% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2017: $35.1 million ~ 68% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2018: $34.5 million ~ 72% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2019: $34.3 million ~ 71% from 1 sponsor and USOC
● 2020: $37.5 million ~ 74% from 1 sponsor and USOPC
● 2021: $34.6 million ~ 66% from 1 sponsor and USOPC
● 2022: $36.5 million ~ 69% from 1 sponsor and USOPC

In the meantime, expenses over the last five years have shown an increasing trend:

● 2018: $33.7 million
● 2019: $37.2 million (World Champs year)
● 2020: $23.3 million (pandemic)
● 2021: $35.5 million (Olympic year)
● 2022: $45.6 million due to Oregon 22 contribution
(2022 expenses were $36.0 million without the Worlds expense)

USATF’s net assets at the end of 2022 were shown as $548,002, which triggered the “going concern” warning from the auditors. However, there was $12.7 million in cash and investments, down from $26.0 million at the end of 2021, plus a line of credit of $3.1 million still available.

And there is $19.26 million a year from Nike, through 2040.

USATF’s board of directors has made no comment on the organization’s finances, perhaps in part because such thin reserves are not a new problem. At the end of 2019, after a big spending year of $37.2 million, reserves were down to $473,704. But the pandemic saved USATF in 2020, as revenues remained steady thanks to the Nike deal and USOPC grants and expenses went down to just $23.3 million, rebuilding the reserve to $9.3 million.

No such luck in 2023, however, and the audit firm was clearly worried.

The financials are also noted that USATF chief executive Max Siegel had $2.5 million in deferred compensation posted on the federation’s tax return for 2021, essentially related to the Nike deal. In 2022, Siegel obtained an interest-bearing loan from USATF in 2022 of $952,730 to pay the taxes on money he had not received yet, with the loan expected to be repaid as of 15 January 2023. The outstanding balance at the end of 2022 was $405,347.

The statements showed $7.14 million in “Grants and Support Payments,” which appears to be for athlete and/or program payments during 2022, but includes Elite Athletes ($4.0 million), World Championships ($157,500), Sports Performance ($2.4 million), Grass Roots Programs ($341,111) and Member-Based Programs ($251,573).

The 2014 Nike deal was a game-changer for USATF and continues to be its financial lifeline. But the federation has not broken through with other superstar sponsors or events that have raised its revenue level above where it was in the years immediately after the deal was signed.

It will be fascinating to see how USATF weathered its 2023 finances, but we likely won’t know for another year, until the next set of financials is released. The USATF Board has been mum on its financial situation and the U.S. team performed brilliantly at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest last summer.

Will USATF stay lucky in 2024? If not, its finances may become an issue long before its 2023 reports become public.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Climate has IOC considering Winter Games disassembly; social media abuse higher at T&F World Champs; Lee resigns USA Fencing

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

Happy Holidays!

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC ready to disassemble Winter Games due to climate
2. World Athletics Champs social-media abuse up in 2023
3. USA Fencing’s Lee resigns as Board Chair amid allegations
4. ANOC refunded World Beach travel costs
5. ISU loses appeal on old eligibility rules at European Court of Justice

● A news story on Olympics.com explains how the International Olympic Committee is considering breaking apart mid-century Olympic Winter Games due to climate concerns. It’s radical.

● Social-media abuse remains at modest levels overall, but the number of incidents rose at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Some 47 athletes received abuse, of which 44% were Americans.

● Ivan Lee, a U.S. fencing Olympian in Sabre and a Hall of Famer, resigned as the head of the USA Fencing Board of Directors on Friday on an allegation of possible misconduct.

● The Association of National Olympic Committee saw its ANOC World Beach Games implode due to anti-Israel restrictions by host Indonesia, but did right by its partners and refunded the travel costs of the National Olympic Committees.

● The International Skating Union lost an appeal at the European Court of Justice over its old participation restrictions (since revised), which reinforced the idea that federations cannot maintain monopolistic control over athletes for the benefit of their own events.

● Panorama: Russia (2: Russians not allowed at 2024 Euro Track Cycling Champs in Apeldoorn; FIG relaxes Rhythmic uniform regulations for Russians as neutrals) = Alpine Skiing (Schwarz stars on second run to win at Madonna) = Football (FIFA Forward reports details $2.8 billion in worldwide grants) = Freestyle Skiing (2: surprise winners in Innichen Ski Cross; Anthony continues Moguls sweep) = Snowboard (Hofmeister remains undefeated in Parallel at Davos) = Swimming (2: Caesars to offer betting on February Worlds; Chinese star Sun appears out for Paris) ●

● Errata: Several readers noted an error in Friday’s post concerning Nick Ponzio, now suspended for doping for 18 months, in that he is not the Italian record holder in the men’s shot. He was the national indoor recordman in 2022, but was later passed by Zane Weir. Sorry about that. ●

1.
IOC ready to disassemble Winter Games due to climate

The International Olympic Committee has loudly worried about where mid-century editions of the Olympic Winter Games will be held.

Continuing climate issues have clouded the future adequacy of potential hosts for the snow events to the point where the event may be rotated among safe sites, or completely disassembled.

In a lengthy post for the Olympics.com site, former longtime Associated Press Olympic correspondent Steve Wilson (GBR) explored the current thinking about what to do about Winter Games as early as 2050.

Said Christophe Dubi, the IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director:

“I don’t think there is a Doomsday scenario where we say, ‘OK, by 2050 no more Olympic Winter Games.’ But the Games will have had to have adapted themselves to the conditions at that point in time.

“Sometimes the period you are in requires longer-time thinking and sometimes it’s immediate actions that are needed. I think for the Winter Olympics we are at a point where both are needed. We need to find some really compelling evolutions for the immediate future.”

The short-term answer came on 29 November as the IOC Executive Board selected the French Alps bid for “targeted dialogue” with a view to selection as host for 2030, Salt Lake City for 2034 and a “preferred” dialogue with Switzerland to modify its bid in order to be selected for 2038. That will give the IOC some time to figure what to do in the 2040s.

The story also specified requirements in finer detail:

“The [Executive Board] recommended that the IOC targets future potential hosts that use, if possible, only existing or temporary venues and offer snow sports venues that would be climate-reliable until at least 2050, with projected average temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius [32 F] during the Games period.”

The IOC’s own study indicated that suitable Winter Games hosts – by weather – are currently available in 15 countries, in which at least 80% of the sites required for the Games are extant. That number could drop to 10-12 by 2050 and possibly less by 2100.

A rotation system for the Winter Games is possible, but also has issues, such as if a country or community sours on the idea.

But there is also now consideration of disassembling the organization of the Winter Games, described with much more detail by Wilson:

● “The idea is to introduce a decentralised system in which the cost of organising the Olympic competitions would be based on the costs associated with world championships in each sport. [IOC Future Host Commission/Winter Chair Karl Stoss (AUT)] noted that the cost of certain Olympic events was four times higher than at world championships.

“‘There is no reason for such a difference in costs,’ he said. ‘There is a difference between ‘nice to have’ and ‘need to have’.”

● “Organisation of certain Olympic sports competitions would be outsourced to the experienced international and national event organisers who run World Cup and World Championship events on a regular basis. This would of course be contextual and depend on the experience in each market. …

● “Procurement would be left to separate organising committees at each of the venues. Hosts would sign up local sponsors earlier to lock in revenue for their Games budgets. Major budget items would be front-loaded to ease financial strains.”

This is a completely new concept for an Olympic Games of any kind. It foresees no requirement for an Olympic Village, and creates a hub for the Games wherever the ice events are – curling, ice hockey and the skating disciplines – and leaves the snow events to be distributed widely. That includes alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled-luge-skeleton, the Nordic skiing disciplines, freestyle and snowboard and so on.

It’s not a traditional Winter Games, but more a collection of world championship-class events tied together by a common schedule, environmental graphics and worldwide television.

It may or may not be better, but it is a sustainable future concept, in which the Olympic program could be completely exploded to create a 24-hours-a-day “Winter Games” in which events are held in multiple countries on multiple continents across a two-week period.

Observed: Dubi has been clear in news briefings that this kind of thinking should also take the Olympic Games into account as well. The future of events, from the IOC’s point of view, is dependent on the weather and how it will be controlled to allow athletes to compete at their best and allow spectators to watch them in reasonable conditions.

This is a much better way to approach the Olympic Games from a cost standpoint than currently used, but the true discipline – not specially mentioned by Dubi, but obvious – is to rein in the wishes of the International Federations, who insist on Olympic perfection at any cost, since they aren’t paying for it, even if they expect less from their world championship hosts.

That may be more challenging than finding acceptable winter weather.

2.
World Athletics Champs social-media abuse up in 2023

As part of its safeguarding efforts, World Athletics has undertaken a measurement of social media abuse at its major events over the past three years, with the 2023 study by ThreatMatrix showing an increase in abusive posts on Instagram and X (ex-Twitter) compared to the Oregon 22 Worlds. The numbers for Tokyo 2020, Oregon 22 and Budapest 2023:

Tokyo 2020:
● 240,707 tweets analyzed
● 161 tracked athletes
● 132 discriminatory posts from 119 authors (0.05%)
● 23 athletes received abuse: 70% women, 30% men

Oregon 2022:
● 427,624 posts on Instagram and Twitter analyzed
● 461 tracked athletes
● 59 discriminatory posts from 57 authors (0.01%)
● 27 athletes received abuse: 70% women, 30% men

Budapest 2023:
● 449,209 posts on Instagram and X analyzed
● 1,344 tracked athletes (77.5% on Instagram)
● 258 discriminatory posts from 237 authors (0.06%)
● 47 athletes received abuse: 51% men, 49% women
● Abuse was 90% on Twitter, 10% on Instagram

The kinds of abuse were fairly consistent:

● Tokyo: 29% sexist, 26% racist, 25% doping
● Oregon: 29% sexist, 20% slurs, 19% racist
● Budapest: 35% racist, 16% sexual, 15% general abuse

Each event had its own characteristics, with 63% of abuse in Tokyo targeted at just two athletes (both American women); two athletes received almost 40% of the Oregon 22 abuse (one man, one woman), and in Budapest, two athletes received 44% of all abuse and U.S. athletes were targeted for 44% of abuse. None of the athletes targeted were identified in the reports.

Observed: Happily, the numbers are fairly small in terms of percentages, and the percentage of athletes targeted has gone down considerably, from 14.3% of the Tokyo 2020 sample, down to 5.8% of the Oregon 22 sample and 3.5% (47/1,344) for Budapest. The Budapest figures also show the importance of Instagram as a primary social-media follow site for track & field athletes, far more than Twitter, which was also much more the focal point of abuse.

3.
USA Fencing’s Lee resigns as Board Chair amid allegations

A stunning Friday message sent to USA Fencing members included:

“Recently, USA Fencing received information alleging conduct by our Board Chair, Mr. Ivan Lee, that would constitute a violation of the SafeSport Code. In line with our unwavering commitment to the safety of our athletes and the fencing community, we immediately reported the information to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and have taken immediate action to suspend Mr. Lee, member No. 100004642, from USA Fencing, effective Dec. 22, 2023.

“Upon being informed of his suspension, Mr. Lee voluntarily resigned from his positions as Chair and At-Large Member of the USA Fencing Board of Directors.

“In light of Mr. Lee’s resignation, the Board of Directors held an emergency session and voted to name Mr. David Arias as the new Chair of the Board. The emergency session was led by Arias, USA Fencing’s most recent Chair.”

Lee, 42, was a three-time Worlds medal winner in the men’s Sabre division in 1998-2000-01, a 2004 Olympian, was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2004 and after retiring from the New York Police Department, became the coach of the Long Island University women’s fencing team. He resigned as the LIU coach in mid-December.

He was elected as an At-Large Board member of USA Fencing in June 2023 and was elected as the Board Chair in September. A Board meeting was held on 16 December, but an emergency meeting was held on Friday (22nd) to consider the situation concerning Lee.

With the report of the allegation of misconduct to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, that organization will have jurisdiction over the investigation and consideration of possible sanctions against Lee, which can be appealed.

USA Fencing has been hit with several SafeSport-related issues over the past few years, and Arias is taking a second turn as temporary Chair, after he stepped following a Board revolt removed elected federation President Peter Burchard in October 2021. Arias wrote in a Reddit post on Friday:

“On Friday, I was asked to be chair again but remember that the current Chair position can be changed again at anytime. I can do the job well for now but don’t expect to be Chair past this Season. …

“Lastly, I consider a big part of my job is to find my replacement, and encourage others to get involved as Committee or Board members.”

4.
ANOC refunded World Beach travel costs

It seems like a long time ago, when Indonesia’s ban on Israel’s participation in the ANOC World Beach Games forced its cancellation on 4 July on the excuse that the government’s funding was not available.

But the Association of National Olympic Committees did not walk away from its constituents, as noted by ANOC chief Robin Mitchell (FIJ) in his year-end message:

“For ANOC, we cannot reflect on this year without acknowledging the great disappointment of the cancellation of the ANOC World Beach Games Bali 2023. We at ANOC worked hard to minimise the impact of the cancellation with the full reimbursement of NOCs’ travel expenses processed in less than three months.

“However, we recognise that this does not make up for the athletes who missed out on the chance to fulfil their dream. We have a responsibility to them to learn lessons from this most regrettable situation and turn it into an opportunity to build for a stronger future.

“With that in mind, the ANOC Executive Council, at its recent meeting, approved the creation of a Working Group to analyse the Games concept and ensure that it is delivering maximum value to NOCs and their athletes, IFs and other stakeholders.”

Observed: It will be fascinating to see how ANOC deals with the Indonesian refusal to allow Israel to participate in planning any future editions of the World Beach Games, especially now that Israel and Ukraine are both now fighting off invasions, by Hamas in Gaza and Russia in eastern Ukraine.

The IOC, interestingly, by changing from a pure voting process to select Olympic hosts, which ended up in the selection of Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games and Sochi for the 2014 Winter Games and Beijing again for 2022, has now selected Paris, Milan-Cortina, Los Angeles, the French Alps, Brisbane and Salt Lake City for 2024-26-28-30-32, assuming the “targeted dialogue” protocol for 2030 and 2034 results in final selection as hosts in 2024.

What path will ANOC follow, and what guarantees will it requires vis-a-vis Israel in the future?

5.
ISU loses appeal on old eligibility rules at
European Court of Justice

A long-running legal battle over then-current regulations of the International Skating Union about competing in non-ISU events appeared to be settled on Thursday as the European Court of Justice decided against the ISU’s appeal of a 2020 General Court of the European Court holding that the ISU’s then-rules were illegal. The ECJ summary:

“Following the European Commission and the General Court, the Court of Justice confirms that the rules of the International Skating Union, which empower it to subject international skating competitions to its approval and to impose severe penalties on athletes who take part in unauthorised competitions, are unlawful because they are not subject to any guarantee ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate. They give the ISU a clear advantage over its competitors and have unfavourable effects for athletes as well as consumers and broadcast audiences.”

In other words, an international sports federation may not enforce an absolute monopoly on participation limited to its own events.

The case was brought in June 2014 by Dutch speed skaters Mark Tuitert – the 2010 Olympic gold medalist in the men’s 1,500 m – and Niels Kerstholt, who wanted to compete in an “Ice Derby” event in Dubai (UAE), an event with which the ISU had concerns over ties to gambling interests. While this reason was seen as legitimate, the ISU’s rules at the time were considered so severe – potential lifetime bans for any athlete competing an event not previously authorized by the ISU – that they had to be overturned.

(The event, which was supposed to pay prize money of $2 million, never took place.)

The ISU changed its rules in 2018, so the holding in the case does not impact their current regulations, which now include, Rule 102 (1)(c):

“Participation of Skaters and Officials in national competitions and in non-competitive events, e.g. appearances, endorsements, exhibitions, shows and other events with a recreational or show type character are subject to respective rules and conditions of their ISU Members only.

“Such rules and conditions are not part of the ISU eligibility rules under this Rule 102. However, ISU Members may not unduly restrict their Skaters to participate in non-competitive events. They may share payments received by their Skaters for participation in such noncompetitive events in consideration of past and present support of such Skaters, but with no more than 10%.”

Based on these changes, the ISU shrugged off the loss, with a statement that noted in part:

“The ISU takes note of the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union issued today. The ISU procedure considered in the judgment was amended in 2018 following discussions with the European Commission with a view to implementing its decision of 8 December 2017. The Court of Justice judgment has thus no impact on the ISU’ s current procedure for approving third party skating events.”

The European Court of Justice did award costs to the athletes in accordance with the sections of the prior holding of the General Court in which they were held to be correct.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● The Union Cycliste Internationale has allowed Russian and Belarusian cyclists who are “neutral” to compete in its events, but its approval is no guarantee of acceptance.

With the European Track Cycling Championship coming up from 1-14 January in Apeldoorn (NED), the Dutch government is not allowing Russian or Belarusian entries. The Russian news agency TASS reported comments from the coach of the Russian track cycling team, Alexander Kuznetsov:

“The Dutch authorities opposed the participation of our athletes in the European Track Cycling Championships. A letter with this content was received today. The European Cycling Union has nothing to do with this ban.”

In gymnastics, TASS reported that the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) has relaxed its rules slightly for rhythmic gymnastics uniforms:

“[T]he International Gymnastics Federation decided to lift the color restrictions, requiring athletes to obtain prior approval from the FIG for competition clothing and apparatus for rhythmic gymnastics. Any use of clothing other than that which has been approved by the International Federation shall result in the athlete’s refusal to participate in the competition or disqualification. The ban on the use of national symbols, as well as symbols of national federations and Olympic committees of countries, has been maintained.”

The original restrictions had required rhythmic gymnasts to wear only white.

● Alpine Skiing ● Austria’s Marco Schwarz picked up his sixth career World Cup gold with a victory at Madonna di Campiglio (ITA) in the men’s Slalom on Friday.

He was only sixth after the first run, with France’s 2022 Olympic slalom Champion Clement Noel the leader. But Schwarz’s second run put him in the lead, with the top five finishing between 16th and 22nd-fastest on the second run, or failing to finish. Schwarz had the third-best second run and won at 1:40.51, ahead of Noel (1:40.76) and Britain’s Dave Ryding, who moved up from 18th with the second-fastest second run in the field (1:40.90).

Next up are a Downhill and Super-G in Bormio (ITA) on 28-29 December.

● Football ● FIFA released its FIFA Forward report for 2016-22, showing distribution of $2.792.2 billion to its 211 member association and the regional confederations.

The confederation spending of $546.0 million was firstly aimed toward competitions ($157.3 million or 28.8%), then development ($87.2 million), zonal associations ($78.0 million), governance ($72.2 million) and women’s football ($62.1 million).

The much-larger distribution of $2.246.2 billion was to the member federations and significantly funded federation operations, infrastructure and national teams:

● $459.1 million for administration and governance
● $421.4 million for infrastructure support
● $360.8 million for national teams
● $198.0 million for competitions
● $182.1 million for equipment
● $116.2 million for women’s football

The infrastructure funding created 577 new and renovated fields, 208 competitions that involved 19.517 clubs or teams, national team support for 175 training camps and 234 tournaments and learning and training programs for 190,622 coaches, administrators, referees and others.

In terms of the geographic distribution:

● $518.7 million: Africa
● $494.3 million: UEFA
● $406.7 million: Asia
● $328.0 million: CONCACAF
● $110.6 million: Oceania
● $89.6 million: CONMEBOL

And the U.S.? The U.S. Soccer Federation received $8.7 million in grants, with the largest portion going to women’s football ($2.8 million), with development activities getting $2.0 million and $1.5 million for competitions.

● Freestyle Skiing ● Friday’s second of two competitions in Ski Cross at Innichen (ITA) went to France’s Terence Tchiknavorian, who took his first World Cup medal in a year and got the third win of his career. He got to the line ahead of Germans Tim Hronek and 2023 Worlds silver medalist Florian Wilmsman.

The women’s race went to Sixtine Cousin (SUI), 24, who won her first-ever World Cup medal, ahead of France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel and Olympic champ Sandra Naeslund (SWE). It’s the fourth seasonal medal in five races for Berger Sabbatel and third for Naeslund, the seasonal leader.

In the Moguls events in Bakuriani (GEO), Australia’s 2022 Olympic champion, Jakara Anthony, is on a roll.

She won her fourth straight Moguls event in four tries on Friday, scoring 79.08 to beat Rino Yanagimoto (JPN: 77.10) and Hannah Soar of the U.S. (71.18), then came back and won her second straight Dual Moguls title on Saturday. She defeated Maia Schwinghammer (CAN) in the final; Anthony now has won six of the seven Moguls-Dual Moguls events held this season, and took the bronze in the other.

In the all-American bronze-medal race, Olympic Moguls silver winner Jaelin Kauf won over Alli Macuga.

The men’s race had familiar faces on the podium, with Japan’s 2017 World Champion Ikuma Horishima winning the Moguls gold, 77.11 to 75.85 over Sweden’s Filip Gravenfors, with all-time great Mikael Kingsbury (CAN: 75.21) third and American Nick Page fourth (73.42).

In the Dual Moguls, Kingsbury won his 84th World Cup gold – extending his own record – by defeating Horishima in the final; Page won the bronze over Gravenfors. It’s Page’s fifth career World Cup medal.

● Snowboard ● Saturday’s Parallel Slalom at Davos (SUI) was a surprise win for Italy’s Daniele Bagozza in the men’s race, crossing the line ahead of Arvid Auner (AUT) for his first World Cup medal – and first win – since January of 2020! Fellow Italian Edwin Coratti got his second medal of the season in third and took the seasonal points lead after three of 14 races.

The women’s final was another win – her third in a row – for German Ramona Theresia Hofmeister, the 2018 Olympic Parallel Giant Slalom bronzer. She sailed past Italian Lucia Dalmasso, who won her second consecutive silver, with Austria’s Worlds bronze medalist Sabine Schoeffmann taking her second straight bronze.

● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com reported that Caesars Sportsbook will offer odds and wagering on the swimming sector of the 2024 World Aquatics Championships to be held on Doha (QAT) next February.

Adam Pullen, Assistant Director of Trading, explained:

“I think swimming is one of the best, one of the more interesting sports to watch and wager on … We’ve seen a lot of interest – a lot of things can happen. You’re deciding races by hundredths of seconds, and it definitely gets the blood flowing when you got a little action on it, too.”

He said that the experience generated by the Doha Worlds will help in setting odds for the Paris Olympic Games next July.

The wait to see if Chinese distance star Yang Sun – the six-time Olympic medalist in the 200-400-1,500 m Freestyles – who was banned for refusing to cooperate with a test in September 2018 and eventually had a ban imposed of four years and three months, would be selected for the 2024 Olympic Games appears to be over.

Sun’s suspension is due to be completed in May, but the Chinese swimming federation announced criteria which emphasize the 2022 and 2023 World Championships – in which he did not compete – and the April 2024 Chinese national championships.

The regulations specifically note that swimmers who have been sanctioned for doping for more than a year are not eligible. That’s lets the 32-year-old Sun out for sure.

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TSX REPORT: LA28 reports $1.6 billion in sponsor sales; Paris 2024 judging tower to be built in Tahiti; European Super League wins a round in court

By
Rich Perelman
-
The LA28 emblem designed by Olympic gold medalist swimmer Simone Manuel (USA)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Wasserman: LA28 now has 63.5% of sponsorships committed
2. Surfing judging tower construction going ahead in Tahiti
3. Baltic states asking for IOC “clarifications” on Russia
4. USA Boxing slams IBA’s new “U.S. federation”
5. European “Super League” given new life by Court of Justice

● LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman said that $1.6 billion in sponsorship commitments have been contracted so far, nearly two-thirds of the budget target, with five years to go. It was reported that the top two executives of the organizing committee have moved on.

● Although the International Surfing Association suggested a remote judging and production scheme that would not require the building of a new judging tower in Tahiti for the Paris 2024 Olympic competition, the Paris ‘24 organizers said a new tower will be built.

● The Baltic States issued a letter to the International Olympic Committee, asking for Russian and Belarusian entries not to be allowed to participate at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The International Equestrian Federation specified the rules under which Russian and Belarusian entries may participate in 2024 competitions, but noted that since qualifying has been completed, neither will be in Paris. And Russian swim stars Kolesnikov and Rylov said they will not participate as neutrals.

● A very direct letter from USA Boxing blasted the International Boxing Association and its new “member federation” in the U.S., founded by Olympic silver medalist and pro boxing star Roy Jones Jr. and emphasized that it is the only federation that governs Olympic boxing in the U.S.

● A European Court of Justice decision breathed new life into the proposed European Super League for football. The holding did not settle the case brought by the Super League promoter, but clarified a legal question about federation rules; the proceedings will now return to a Madrid court room for further litigation.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (3: Estanguet says sponsorship, ticket sales on track; SOLIDEO says 89% of construction will be done by year-end; Macron says security issues could cause OpCer changes) = Milan Cortina 2026 (still no resolution to the sliding track issue, now wholly political) = Winter Games (Sapporo suspends bid activity for a while) = Alpine Skiing (Vlhova beats Shiffrin in Courchevel Slalom) = Athletics (three more doping positives reported) = Freestyle Skiing (Schmidt and Naeslund take Innichen Ski Cross opener) = Gymnastics (2: USA Gymnastics names athletes of the year, and new Hall of Fame class) = Shooting (ISSF dismisses SecGen Grill!) = Taekwondo (China wins World Cup Team Championships in Wuxi) = Water Polo (USAWP chief Ramsey to retire after Pairs) ●

1.
Wasserman: LA28 now has 63.5% of sponsorships committed

In the wake of Monday’s Los Angeles Times story that chief executive Kathy Carter is transitioning to a senior advisor role, two more important revelations in The Times in a follow-up story:

● “On Wednesday, LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman announced that sponsorships have now exceeded 65%, or about $1.6 billion, and promised additional deals will be announced in the new year.”

● “LA28 saw its chief executive Kathy Carter and chief business officer Brian Lafemina step down in recent days. The committee characterized both moves as part of a planned transition into a new phase of preparations.”

On sponsorship, the LA28 budget forecast $2.517.7 billion in domestic partnership programs, sold primarily through a joint venture with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee called U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties (USOPP). Carter headed that organization from 15 October 2018 and then became LA28 chief executive on 14 September 2021.

As Carter transitions to an advisory role, the senior executive at the USOPP is Chris Pepe, its Chief Commercial Officer, on board since February 2019.

Lafemina had a crucial role as the Chief Business Officer, essentially in command of all operations. A Senior Vice President of the National Football League from 2010-18, he spent a year with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) as the President of Business Operations, then came to LA28 in April 2019.

In an LA28 presentation to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Lafemina was shown as the head of the Games Planning and Delivery division, which includes Revenue and Commercial operations, Venue Infrastructure, Venue Management and 14 departments overseen by long-time LA28 Chief Operating Officer John Harper, who has been with the LA28 project since the bid stage.

Carter and Lafemina were the two highest-paid executives at LA28, with Carter receiving compensation for both her LA28 and USOPP roles of $2.02 million in 2021, and Lafemina receiving $1.48 million from LA28. They were the only staff reported to receive more than $1 million in 2021, the last year for which tax returns have been posted.

In terms of the LA28 revenue target of $6.884 billion, Wasserman’s comment tracks with Carter’s testimony to the Los Angeles City Council ad hoc committee on the Olympic Games in June, where she said that 64-65% of revenues had been “contracted.”

LA28’s budget shows $1.535 billion coming from the International Olympic Committee through the Host City Contract signed in 2017. With $1.6 billion already committed in sponsorships according to Wasserman, that’s more than $3.1 billion total, with significant guarantees on hospitality sales and merchandise that could drive the total to the $4.4 billion amount that would be 64% of the total revenue target. That’s with five years to go on the sponsorship side and without the sales of any tickets yet.

At the 19 December meeting of the Long Beach City Council, a contract proposal was approved to assist with the preparations and opportunities for the 2028 Olympic Games. Per the Council agenda:

“Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFQ CM23-261 and award a contract to KPMG LLP, of Los Angeles, CA, to establish a strategic plan and provide preparation tools and resources necessary to guide the City of Long Beach with the planning and implementation of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in an amount of $497,600 with a fifteen percent contingency of $74,640, for a total amount not to exceed $572,240 for a period of two years with the option to renew for three additional one-year periods.”

The project includes four primary responsibilities, starting with the formulation of a strategic plan, development of a communications plan, cost estimates and ongoing reporting and project oversight.

At the Council meeting, Assistant to the City Manager Jorge Godinez explained, “While the city has a rich history with the Olympics, we acknowledge that the landscape has evolved significantly since the last Olympics here in 1984. Our current staff does not have first-hand experience from that era.”

2.
Surfing judging tower construction going ahead in Tahiti

It appeared that the controversy over the construction of a new judging tower at the 2024 Olympic surfing site at Teahupo’o in Tahiti had been solved with an agreement to build essentially a replacement of the current wooden structure.

But on Tuesday, the International Surfing Association revealed that it had offered its own proposal that would eliminate the building of a new tower:

“On December 9th, the ISA sent a proposal to the French Polynesian Government and Paris 2024 organizers to run the Olympic Surfing competition in Teahupoo, without building a new aluminum tower on the reef.

“The ISA proposal included judging the competition remotely, with live images shot from land, water and drones.”

The judges would be located in a land-based tower, with access to all of the camera angles provided by the Olympic Broadcasting Services production team.

But on Thursday, Paris 2024 chief executive Tony Estanguet said the tower construction project is going ahead:

“We respect the almost unanimous decision taken locally to continue with the launch of the construction work.”

Moetai Brotherson, the French Polynesia President, said that the scaled-down project had been approved and should be completed in 13 May 2024, in time for a World Surf League competition that could serve as an Olympic rehearsal as well. Added Estanguet on the ISA proposal:

“This is an option that had been looked into but it had been discarded because it would mean the events being judged from a 900-meter distance.

“We can’t broadcast like this in good conditions and in terms of sporting fairness, it would be a problem. Events have always been judged from a tower.

“Tahiti asked to host the surfing events and we will continue to work with all stakeholders to make it happen.”

3.
Baltic states asking for IOC “clarifications” on Russia

“The Baltic Olympic Committees have sent a letter to the IOC. It emphasizes that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympic Games is an unacceptable step, and demands immediate explanations to the Olympic Committees and the wider public about the aspects mentioned in the decision. We believe that such a decision is unacceptable while hostilities are going on in Ukraine and the civilian population is suffering from Russian war crimes, but they are supported by Belarus,’ said the letter prepared by LOK.”

That’s from the Latvian Olympic Committee last Friday, speaking for itself and the National Olympic Committees of Estonia and Lithuania, and its announcement further noted:

“Eight countries (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway) coordinate their views and maintain close communication on this issue. LOK believes that the opinion of Ukraine and their further actions are particularly important. …

“In supporting Ukraine, the main goals are the participation of the Ukrainian team in the Paris Olympic Games with the full support currently available to it, as well as to ensure that athletes with neither Russian nor Belarusian passports do not participate in the Paris Olympic Games.”

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) announced familiar, specific criteria for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, including “the absence of active support for the war in Ukraine, no contract with the Russian or Belarusian military or with any other national security agency, and compliance with all FEI Rules and Regulations.”

However, the announcement also clarified their status for Paris 2024:

“According to the Olympic Qualification Systems for Equestrian, individual qualification is secured through the FEI Olympic Rankings for Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing, which cover the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. Since Russian and Belarusian athletes have not competed in FEI Events since 2 March 2022, no representatives of these nations will take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

Russian swim star Kliment Kolesnikov, 23, told the Russian news agency TASS that he does not see himself competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as a “neutral” athlete:

“The conditions haven’t changed. What’s the point of participating then? We were just given an official document. I realized for myself that I wouldn’t go to the Olympics under such conditions.

“I have studied the proposed conditions well, and I can say that I was one hundred percent right in my previous assessments. These conditions are a joke, ridiculous, because even if you look at them, putting aside personal assessments, it turns out that they give an advantage over us to guys from other countries during the Olympics. We will perform in unequal conditions, and I think it is wrong to go to perform in unequal conditions.”

Kolesnikov won the Tokyo Olympic silver in the 100 m Backstroke and the bronze in the 100 m Freestyle.

Teammate Evgeny Rylov, the Tokyo Olympic 100-200 m Backstroke gold medalist, said he would not compete as a neutral. Vladimir Salnikov, the head of the Russian Swimming Federation and himself a four-time Olympic gold winner, told TASS:

“This is natural, because the conditions that are offered to people who stood at the highest level at the Olympic Games are unacceptable in their content. I regard them as humiliation. If they want to see us, then we must go without any restrictions and discrimination. If neutral status in the world is considered a certain necessity, then we will invite everyone to act in a neutral status.

“In the current conditions, I don’t consider the refusal of the Olympics a step back, we should feel a sense of self-worth, so his statements did not surprise me.

“If you want to see someone, you open doors, and when the restrictions are through the eye of a needle, it means that there is no such desire. And trying to impose yourself and crawl in on your knees, it’s not about sport.”

4.
USA Boxing slams IBA’s new “U.S. federation”

“At the IBA Ordinary Congress held earlier this month in Dubai, the IBA Congress voted to accept membership from ‘U.S. Boxing Federation,’ a new organization led by Roy Jones Jr., a Russian citizen since 2015 and paid ambassador of IBA. … the statement that anyone has ‘replaced’ USA Boxing in a governing role of the federation is not true. Whatever entity Roy Jones, Jr. is associated with is not recognized as a representative of the United States of America in international sports competition under American law.

“USA Boxing has not decided to ‘return’ to IBA, and the presidency of the National Federation for Olympic-style boxing in the United States of America has not in fact been ‘replaced.’ The United States of America does not recognize Roy Jones, Jr. as having authority to represent the United States of America in any function related to Olympic-style boxing, and he is not involved whatsoever with the governance of amateur or Olympic boxing in the United States of America.

“USA Boxing membership deserves to know the truth behind what appears to be [a] fraudulent organization.” (Underlines in original)

That’s from a tense, four-page letter distributed to the U.S. boxing community by USA Boxing Executive Director Mike McAtee on 18 December, blasting the International Boxing Association announcement of a “new” U.S. boxing organization as a member federation. McAtee continued:

“U.S. Boxing Federation is not recognized or certified by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the National Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), or any State Boxing Commission. USA Boxing is the only National Governing Body (NGB) relating to Olympic-style boxing that is certified/recognized and supported by the USOPC, ABC, and every State Boxing Commission.”

McAtee also noted the unprecedented withdrawal of recognition of the IBA by the IOC in June and the importance of the newly-formed World Boxing group:

“Given the landslide vote at the June 22 Extraordinary IOC Session to withdraw IBA’s recognition, World Boxing’s journey towards IOC recognition is the only legitimate pathway to preserving boxing’s place in the Olympic Movement.“

USA Boxing also announced a significant partnership with professional boxer and promoter Jake Paul to assist and promote U.S. boxers on the road to Paris 2024.

Part mentor and part promoter, Paul’s project with USA Boxing was described:

“Accompanying the team on their journey to gold, Paul will work side-by-side with Team USA boxers while they train at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training facility in early 2024 with famed coach Billy Walsh, before joining the team at their matches in Paris. Throughout this time, Paul will provide fans a rare inside look into what it’s like for athletes to train and compete for their countries at the Olympics.”

Said McAtee:

“We want to make sure our athletes are recognized for this rare and outstanding accomplishment and are able to carry some of that well-deserved brand value with them to the next phases of their personal journeys. There is no one more suited to partner with USA Boxing in this capacity than Jake Paul, the awareness he brings to the sport for the youth is unparalleled and we could not be more thrilled to welcome him and his audience to Team USA.”

5.
European “Super League” given new life by Court of Justice

The European Court of Justice ruled Thursday, in a narrow decision, that FIFA and the European Football Union (UEFA) hold a dominant position in regard to the organization of football matches and as such, abused their position via their rules on the approval, control and sanctions vs. potentially competing competitions, such as the European Super League proposal of 2021.

The Court’s announcement was very careful to state what it had actually decided and what it actually meant:

● “The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful. There is no framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.”

● “Similarly, the rules giving FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the rights related to those competitions are such as to restrict competition, given their importance for the media, consumers and television viewers in the European Union.”

● “[T]he Court holds that, where an undertaking in a dominant position has the power to determine the conditions in which potentially competing undertakings may access the market, that power must, given the risk of conflict of interest to which it gives rise, be subject to criteria which are suitable for ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non discriminatory and proportionate. However, the powers of FIFA and UEFA are not subject to any such criteria. FIFA and UEFA are, therefore, abusing a dominant position.”

● “That does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved. The Court, having been asked generally about the FIFA and UEFA rules, does not rule on that specific project in its judgment.”

The case was a referral from the Commercial Court in Madrid (ESP) concerning the question of a FIFA and UEFA monopoly under European law, and the case will now revert back to the Madrid court.

However, the A22 Sports Management firm, which backed the Super League proposal in 2021, hailed the ruling and immediately proposed a much larger project that the original Super League concept. It now suggests a 64-club, three-tier men’s concept and a two-tier, 32-club women’s competition to try and replace the existing UEFA Champions League and Women’s Champions League. A22 Sports also promised free television viewing of all matches.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the only clubs still supporting the Super League proposal, endorsed the Court’s holding, but almost every other organization – FIFA, UEFA, the European Club Association, the FIFPro players association and others – came out against the new league concepts.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (SLO) told reporters, “We will not try to stop them. They can create whatever they want. I hope they start their fantastic competition as soon as possible, with two clubs.” Leagues across Europe came out against the Super League proposal. In Britain, legislation could be proposed to keep clubs there from participating in a Super League.

Which means that this story is hardly ending, but perhaps is just beginning.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● At his year-end news conference in Paris, organizing committee chief Tony Estanguet was enthusiastic about the progress made and cited some powerful indicators of success next summer.

The domestic sponsorship program expanded by 36 companies in 2023 and stands at 58 overall and at €1.2 billion (€1 = $1.10 U.S.), or 97% of the budgeted goal. Some 7.6 million tickets have been sold so far, with another 1.0 million still to be offered. The number of tickets reserved for hospitality sales by OnLocation was given as 750,000.

The organizing committee has 2,100 staff members and will reach 4,200 or so prior to the Games. The volunteer program, which was set at 45,000 total, received 313,000 applications from 150 countries. So far, so good.

Nicolas Ferrand, the head of the French government agency responsible for Olympic construction projects, known as SOLIDEO, said that the program is on schedule, with 84% completion as of 19 December and a year-end target of 89% completion.

“In 12 days, we will finish the work [for the year], and on March 1, we will hand over the works to Paris 2024. When SOLIDEO was created in January 2018, general opinion said that we would not succeed, that France would finish the works in pain in the last days. But we are on schedule.”

Ferrand noted that the SOLIDEO budget of €1.721 billion was also on track, although half of the contingency had been eaten by inflation.

On Wednesday’s edition of the France 5 television talk show “C a vous,” French President Emmanuel Macron noted that if circumstances demand it, there could be options for changes to the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony that will take place on the Seine River:

“You’re 15 days from the Olympic Games. You have a series of terrorist attacks. What do you do? Well you don’t organize on the Seine.

“As we are professionals, there are obviously plans B, plans C, etc. It’s the difference between organizing, planning and immediately, perhaps in a catastrophe, no longer having any ambition and saying we’re repatriating. No, we organize ourselves.

“If we consider that there is a level of risk, imbalances, a level of insecurity, of potential threats, [then it] would be likely to revise the initial plan. This is what we do every time for these events. You organize them consciously, but you have to plan everything.”

Paris 2024 head Estanguet has said that the Seine project is the only being focused on.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The latest meeting of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games organizing committee on Tuesday brought no closure to the question of the sliding track. Instead, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said afterwards:

“We need a few more days for technical investigations. I believe that in the next few days there will be a way to arrive at a technical determination and allow the Foundation to decide by the end of the year, at the first few days of 2024 at the latest, with the confirmed priority of choosing an Italian option.”

In the background of the political battle over the sliding sports venue is that no company bid for the project when it was offered during the summer. Despite viable proposals to use existing tracks in Austria, Germany, Switzerland or the U.S., the focus of the politicians is for an “Italian solution.”

● Olympic Winter Games: Future ● After a Tuesday meeting with the Japanese Olympic Committee, Sapporo (JPN) Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said that his city’s bid efforts are being suspended.

“We have decided to suspend, rather than withdraw or scrap, in order to maintain our opportunities for future bids.”

Sapporo was considered a front-runner for 2030, but the high cost of the Tokyo Olympic Games, rising cost projections for a second Sapporo Winter Games and the Tokyo organizing committee scandals all took a toll. The International Olympic Committee has targeted the French Alps proposal for 2030, Salt Lake City for 2034 and possibly the Swiss bid for 2038, making 2042 the next Winter Games likely to be available.

● Alpine Skiing ● At the FIS Alpine World Cup women’s Slalom at Courchevel (FRA), the event’s stars – American Mikaela Shiffrin and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova – went head to head again, with Vlhova taking this showdown.

Shiffrin had the fastest first run at 55.24, with Vlhova right behind at 55.41. But Vlhova, the Olympic gold winner in 2022, was sensational on the second run, posting the fastest time of 52.73, with Shiffrin second in the field, but in 53.14 and that was enough to give Vlhova a 1:48.14 to 1:48.38 victory. It’s her 30th career World Cup victory.

Austria’s Katharina Truppe moved from fifth to third on the second run (1:50.20) for the bronze; American Paula Moltzan was fifth in 1:50.78.

● Athletics ● More doping announcements from the Athletics Integrity Unit, with marathoner Thomas Kibet (KEN) suspended for three years from 3 November 2023 for the use of the steroid Norandsterone. Kibet has a best of 2:10:59 from December of 2022.

Fellow Kenyan Maurine Chepkemoi, 25, was also banned for three years, for Erythropoietin (EPO), from 4 December 2023. He has a marathon best of 2:20:18 from 2021.

/Updated/Italian shot put star Nick Ponzio, who threw collegiately at USC, was suspended for 18 months by the Italian anti-doping agency for “whereabouts” violations. His ban will end on 27 August 2024, after the Paris Olympic Games. Ponzio, who began throwing for Italy in 2021, held the national indoor record at 21.61 m (70-10 3/4) for a while in 2022 (since surpassed).

● Freestyle Skiing ● Canada’s Jared Schmidt won his third straight FIS World Cup Ski Cross title, this time in Innichen (ITA), beating France’s Nicolas Raffort and Youri Duplessis Kergomard to the line.

These are the first three World Cup wins of Schmidt’s career; he had previously won two World Cup bronzes in 2021.

In the women’s final, Sweden’s Olympic champ Sandra Naeslund took her second win of the season and 39th of her career, ahead of 2013 World Champion Fanny Smith (SUI) and Hannah Schmidt (CAN).

A second competition at Innichen is slated for Friday.

● Gymnastics ● USA Gymnastics announced its annual award winners on Thursday in all of its disciplines:

● Artistic/Men: Fred Richard, the three-time NCAA winner for Michigan and the Worlds All-Around bronze medalist.

● Artistic/Women: Joscelyn Roberson, a Worlds Team gold winner, U.S. Nationals Vault winner and 10-time international medalist.

● Rhythmic: Evita Griskenas, four-time World Cup medal winner and a Paris Olympic qualifier after winning five Pan American Games medals.

● Trampoline & Tumbling: Three-way tie with Ruben Padilla, Kaden Brown and Jessica Stevens, all members of the U.S. gold-medal team performance at the World Championships.

● Acrobatic: Men’s pair Angel Felix and Braiden McDougall, national champions and World Cup Series winners.

USA Gymnastics also revealed its Class of 2023 Hall of Fame selections, including:

● Sasha Artemev, a member of the 2008 Olympic Team bronze winners and a Worlds Pommel Horse bronze medalist in 2006

● Jana Bieger, who won three 2006 Worlds silvers in Team, All-Around and Floor, and was a national team member from 2003-09.

● Ivana Hong, a Worlds Team gold medalist in 200 and took the Worlds Beam bronze in 2009.

● Savannah Vinsant, a two-time U.S. champ in Trampoline and the first American to reach an Olympic Trampoline final when she finished sixth at London 2012.

Off-the-mat selections included Youri Vorobyev, who has helped multiple Worlds medalists and was honored an Acrobatic Gymnastics coach, and Dr. Rich Sands, an Artistic Gymnastics coach who also served as the federation’s Director of Research and Development from 1987-95, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

● Shooting ● A fairly ominous Wednesday announcement from the International Shooting Sport Federation:

“On 19 December 2023, the ISSF Executive Committee in an extraordinary meeting has decided to dismiss Mr Willi Grill [GER] as ISSF Secretary General with immediate effect and to terminate his employment contract effective on 31 March 2024.

“Until 31 March 2024 Mr Grill is released from all his duties.

“This decision was made after careful consideration of results of an independent internal investigation.”

Grill came in on 1 December 2022 with the election of Italian President Luciano Rossi, who will take on his duties in additional to his own until a new Secretary General is hired in the first quarter of 2023. The statement noted that the federation’s Executive Committee will meet in February “to discuss candidates to fill the vacant ISSF Secretary General position and improvements for the office structure within the ISSF Headquarters in Munich to ensure the highest professional standards.”

● Taekwondo ● China won the 2023 World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships on home soil in Wuxi on Tuesday, taking down Uzbekistan in the three-round final by 36:30.

It was the only close for the six-member, mixed-gender team, which defeated India in the quarterfinals by 90:21, then downed Brazil by 88:43 to advance to the final. Uzbekistan advanced by beating Morocco (78:58) and the Daejon Metro City team from Korea, 48:32.

China, Uzbekistan, and third-place Brazil all qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

● Water Polo ● Chris Ramsey, the 17-year chief executive of USA Water Polo, will retire following the 2024 Paris Games, and the organization is beginning a search for his replacement.

The high-profile national teams did well, especially the women, who won three Olympic golds and five World Championship titles, with the men winning a 2008 Olympic silver. During Ramsey’s tenure, the organization’s budget increased from $4 million to $16 million annually, membership has doubled over the past decade and the USAWP development program – which began with 300 players in 2009 – is now over 6,000.

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.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

SPOTLIGHT: Making The World Better For Kids By Advancing Play Equity

By
LA84 Foundation
-

★ The Sports Examiner is delighted to present this important contribution from our patron, the LA84 Foundation, a national leader in the role of sports in positive youth development. Opinions expressed are those of the LA84 Foundation. ★

The LA84 Foundation is a legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and its work is a shining example of play equity. Founded on the principles of fair play, education and access to sport for all, as the LA84 Foundation’s 40th anniversary nears it has left an indelible impact on the landscape of youth sports and social development.

Committed to helping kids from all backgrounds become “Life Ready Through Sports,” the LA84 Foundation has supported 4 million youth, provided funding to 2,500 nonprofit organizations, built or refurbished 400 fields of play, courts and pools, and trained over 200,000 coaches.

The organization continues to be a catalyst for change for kids across Southern California, and the LA84 Foundation’s impact has expanded significantly since establishing its charitable partner, the Play Equity Fund. This 501(c)3 public charity addresses systemic issues, removes barriers, and unlocks new public and private resources for its nonprofit partners so all kids can receive the lifelong benefits of sports, play and movement.

“Leveling the playing field for all kids is fundamental to our work and who we are,” said Renata Simril, President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation, and President of the Play Equity Fund. “We believe all young people can succeed with opportunity, which demands access.”

The efforts of the two organizations and their work for play equity matter more today than ever before. A growing mental health crisis among young people following the isolation and hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic only give this critical work more urgency – as does the steady rise in the gap between the children who have access to play and those who do not.

Research shows 80% of youth do not meet federal guidelines for physical activity, and children from households with incomes below $25,000 are five times less likely to participate in sports programs than their peers from more affluent homes. Many schools have defunded enrichment programs, including sports, and physical education is an unfunded mandate offered one or two days weekly.

In the spirit of the holidays, your support of the Play Equity Fund can make a difference in young lives. By investing in youth sports scholarships that empower the next generation by providing equipment, uniforms and transportation. Or sponsorship of a student leadership series to inspire the transformative impact of sports and play on positive youth development.

Your support will help the Play Equity Fund get more girls involved in sports through a community-based initiative with 13 nonprofit organizations, coaches and parents that expands access in east and south Los Angeles. Through its advocacy efforts, the Play Equity Fund is stressing to elected officials and policymakers how important sport, play and movement is to student success.

The LA84 Foundation and the Play Equity Fund are committed to one mission – ensuring all kids have access to the transformative power of sport and play by raising awareness, expanding resources, changing policies and making real investments. By creating opportunities through removing barriers to access, you can help the Play Equity Fund build bridges toward a more promising tomorrow for kids.

The LA84 Foundation and the Play Equity Fund established “Play Day,” the annual National Day of Play, and on June 29 it will be one of many events in 2024 celebrating LA84’s 40 years of impact. Play Day annually uplifts the essential role that healthy activity has on supporting childhood development and community well-being, and it shows how sports have the power to connect us with each other.

In 2023, the Play Equity Fund shipped Play-Day-In-A-Box kits packed with balls, cones, jump ropes and other gear to 150 organizations from California to Massachusetts. These kits supported over 5,000 kids nationally. A resolution establishing “Play Day’ in the State of California was unanimously passed by the California State Senate in partnership with the LA84 Foundation and the Play Equity Fund, encouraging all children to get out and play.

In 2022-23, the Play Equity Fund and LA84 Foundation have served approximately 250,000 youth, and awarded nearly $12 million in grants. With your help, the organizations aim to do much more to continue to make play accessible and equitable for all kids.

The Play Equity Fund and the LA84 Foundation believe in the power of sport to build pathways to success and well-being for young people – and with this work being so crucial for kids today and for future generations – look forward to 2024.

Learn More & Join the Play Equity Movement: https://playequityfund.org/

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

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.

For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Coe says again, no Russians in track in Paris; LA28’s Carter steps back; two U.S. coaches indicted for aiding doping

By
Rich Perelman
-
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) (Photo by Hannah Peters/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 Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Coe reiterates: no Russians in track & field in Paris
2. LA28’s Carter steps away from CEO role
3. U.S. Justice charges two more for Rodchenkov Act doping
4. Media chaos as satiric story leads to Paris 2024 “lockdown” talk
5. Backstage: USOPC behind “Best Practices” symposium

● World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told reporters on Monday that unless something changes in the war with Ukraine, there will be no Russians competing in track & field at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

● The LA28 organizing committee’s chief executive, Kathy Carter, will transition to a senior advisor role and a new CEO will be hired, according to a story that appeared late Monday afternoon in the Los Angeles Times.

● The U.S. Department of Justice indicted two U.S. coaches for violations of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019, for obtaining and dispensing performance-enhancing drugs to a Nigerian athlete (likely Blessing Okagbare), a Swiss athlete and a British athlete.

● A story in a satirical French newspaper was taken seriously by other French news media, reporting that a “lockdown” of Parisians during the 2024 Olympic Games was being discussed by the government. Corrections were posted, but the confusion isn’t helpful.

● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, in coordination with Olympic Solidarity and Panam Sports, hosted the fifth Symposium for the Best Practices of the Americas in Miami, a little-known, but important – and appreciated – outreach effort by the world’s richest National Olympic Committee.

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (Odermatt doubles up at Alta Badia) = Athletics (2: Four more doping suspensions from the Athletics Integrity Unit; World Athletics Continental Tour schedule announced, including Gold meets in Los Angeles and New York) = Boxing (World Boxing announces new tournament in January in England) = Swimming (2: USA Swimming offering 20% off Olympic Trials tickets through Saturday; Russian star Chikunova comes to pool deck in a fur coat!) = Wrestling (U.S. Senior Nationals qualifies wrestlers for Olympic Trials) ●

● Schedule: Some needed hardware, software and site updates have been put off for too long, so look for our next post on Friday, 22 December (unless in case of breaking news). ●

1.
Coe reiterates: no Russians in track & field in Paris

“Our stance is clear. There’s no chance that we’re going to revisit that between now and Paris unless circumstances dramatically alter between Russia and Ukraine.”

That’s World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR), speaking to reporters on Monday in a series of year-end roundtables, and speaking to the situation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Russia.

Coe’s federation has been one of the toughest in dealing with the Russians on varying issues, especially on doping, but also on the war against Ukraine. He also explained how he interprets the outcome of the Olympic Summit of 5 December – which he attended – from which the International Olympic Committee issued regulations three days later on how Russian and Belarusian “neutral” athletes might be able to participate in Paris:

“The most important thing is that the autonomy and independence of international federations to make these judgements is really important. We made a judgement which we believe was in the best interest of our sport.

“The IOC has probably done what they were always destined to do. I hope those other international member federations that don’t necessarily see the world the way I do respect the decision we’ve made in the same way I respect the decision they’ve made.

“Do I see anything changing in the foreseeable future? I don’t know. The world changes every five minutes, the situation could change. We do have a working group that is monitoring the situation within the sport and it will advise and guide [the World Athletics] Council on what circumstances might need to exist for any exclusion to be lifted.”

World Athletics under Coe has been consistently tough on Russia in view of the doping scandals and cover-ups during that involved Lamine Diack (SEN) when he was the head of the then-IAAF. For the 2016 Rio Games, just after the state-sponsored doping scandal broke, only one Russian athlete was allowed to compete. At Tokyo 2020, the Russian Olympic Committee team in track & field consisted of 10 athletes, who won two medals (1-1-0).

Now, for 2024, it appears that none will be allowed to compete.

Coe praised the performances in the sport in 2023, noting “I think Budapest was the best world championships we’ve ever had and there were seven world records in an outstanding season.”

He also underlined the future direction for track & field:

“I want people to look back on 2024 and 2025 in the same way they look back on 2016, which was a root and branch review of the sport. And that we did things that made a significant difference… and that the sport looked different and will never look the same again.

“This doesn’t mean jettisoning 150 years of history and heritage but it is saying that too much of what we do is through rote and because ‘we’ve always done it’ – and it isn’t good enough. We have to do things differently and make sure the things we want to preserve and cherish are done in a way that they can be preserved and cherished in front of new audiences.

“I want to see more young people watching our sport and greater spectator activation. I want to improve the product on television, as I don’t think it’s that good in many places.

“I’m absolutely focused on what the product looks like. How we can use it to grow the sport? How we can bring more people, more technical officials, more coaches and volunteers into it and, critically, how we can future-proof the sport? The Netflix documentary next year will help do that – and there are other things being worked upon.”

Discussions are also underway to consider better ways to stage meets in the future and mentioned the long jump and triple jump as events that could benefit from improved presentation.

Coe also spoke to the federation’s continuing scrutiny of women’s participation and the situation for transgender women and those with “differences in sex development” that have exceptionally high testosterone levels, and promised to “protect” the women’s category.

2.
Kathy Carter steps away from LA28 chief executive role

The chief executive of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee, Kathy Carter, is stepping back from that role and will become a senior advisor, according to a story posted late Monday afternoon by the Los Angeles Times.

“As anticipated, because LA28 is moving from a commercial and planning phase to an operational and delivery phase, now is the right time for me to pass the torch,” said Carter in a statement. LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman added:

“I am deeply grateful for Kathy’s leadership and many contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movement. She will always be a defining part of our success at LA28 and I will continue to rely upon her advice during this transition and beyond.”

Carter, whose background was in football as the highly-successful head of Soccer United Marketing, bringing sponsors to the U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer in their growth phases after the 1994 World Cup – the first held in the U.S. – joined the LA28 effort in October 2018 as the head of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties group, the marketing joint venture between the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and LA28.

She was promoted to be LA28’s chief executive in September 2021, with a continued focus on sponsorship marketing, coordination with the City of Los Angeles and the finalization of the sports program, with LA28 becoming the biggest Olympic Games in history with the addition of five sports – baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash – for a total of 35 or 36, depending on the eventual fate of boxing (which will be up to the International Olympic Committee).

The LA28 organizing committee has remained fairly compact and quiet, working through the myriad contracts and processes necessary to meet its obligations to the City and make more detailed arrangements with the competition venues and support sites which will host the competitions, athletes, officials and media in 2028. It will be much more visible after the Paris 2024 Games are concluded.

3.
U.S. Justice charges two more for Rodchenkov Act doping

An indictment filed by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019, which allows prosecutors to chase down doping enablers and providers, has charged coaches Dewayne Barrett and O’Neil Wright with provide performance-enhancing drugs to three athletes. Per Monday’s announcement:

“The charges in this Indictment arise from an investigation of a scheme to provide Olympic athletes with PEDs, including drugs widely banned throughout competitive sports such as human growth hormone, clenbuterol, and the “blood building” drug erythropoietin, in advance of and for the purpose of corrupting the 2020 Olympic Games that convened in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

“BARRETT and WRIGHT purported to coach athletes, including Olympic-level athletes competing on behalf of Nigeria (“Athlete-1”), Switzerland (“Athlete-2”), and the United Kingdom (“Athlete-3”), but instead, in order to obtain an unfair and unlawful advantage, BARRETT and WRIGHT provided those athletes with prohibited, performance-enhancing drugs that were obtained and administered without valid prescriptions.

“BARRETT was a track and field coach and personal trainer based in the New York City area who operated a fitness facility located in Manhattan. WRIGHT, a former Olympic-level sprinter, was a track and field coach based in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither BARRETT nor WRIGHT are doctors. CC-1, an individual who held himself out as a naturopathic doctor, but was not a licensed doctor, supplied banned drugs to athletes at BARRETT and WRIGHT’s behest.”

The reference to “CC-1″ is obviously to Eric Lira, previously charged in January 2022 for providing similar drugs to Nigerian sprinters Blessing Okagbare (banned for 11 years) and Divine Oduduru, who was banned for six years in October.

No identification has been made of the three athletes cited in the indictment, but Athlete-1 appears to be Okagbare; the others were apparently sprinters in the 100-200-400 m events, with Barrett and Wright obtaining drugs from Lira during the first half of 2021, in advance of the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Athletics Integrity Unit is now investigating the allegations as to doping by the athletes.

Lira pled guilty in May to violating the Rodchenkov Act, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. He is yet to be sentenced.

4.
Media chaos as satiric story leads to Paris 2024 “lockdown” talk

Oh boy. Satire is always dangerous if the reader doesn’t get the joke and that’s what happened last week with a story that appeared in the French weekly Le Canard enchaine – “The Chained Duck” – which is a satirical look at the news.

A 6 December story was headlined “JO: le prefet annonce l’enfer dans les transports” – or “Olympic Games: Prefect announces hell on the transports” in English – and added in a sub-head (in French), “In a letter to minister Clement Beaune, he ‘informs him of “worrying tensions.’” A cartoon showed a Metro train running into a banner that read (in French), “Closed due to chaos.”

The story jokingly asked whether this would be the start of an “Olympic lockdown”?

The “Prefect” mentioned in the story was the Prefect of Ile-de-France and Paris, Marc Guillaume. His letter came after Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo warned of transport issues because all of the planned infrastructure for the new rail lines will not be completed by the time of the Games and Prefect of Police Laurent Nunez proposed limited access – with residents needing QR codes – for some areas of Paris which are involved in the Games.

A post on X (ex-Twitter) by Le Canard enchaine proclaimed (computer translation):

“Disruption in the metro! The prefect of the Ile-de-France region denies the Minister of Transport who swore on November 23 that ‘we will be ready’ for #JO2024. The senior official wrote to him to announce an avalanche of ‘saturations’…”

Instead of taking this as the intended joke, other French media picked up the story as serious. La Libre ran a story that started (computer translation):

“‘Olympic Containment’: in August, Parisians will be at a standstill to serve the Games.

“The Minister Delegate for Transport has made a promise: the 800,000 visitors to the Olympic Games will be able to get to the venues by public transport. But this promise will be kept at the expense of the mobility of the people of Ile-de-France.

“For a while now, we have known that traffic in Paris promises to be ‘hard-core,’ as Clement Beaune, Minister Delegate for Transport, had warned. But what will this consist of, exactly? The Minister was clearer last Thursday. He asks Ile-de-France residents to ‘organize differently.’ Concretely, he calls on residents of Paris and its region to do ‘more teleworking’ and to ‘take time off’ during the Games period. In other words, Ile-de-France residents are asked to stay at home or leave space so as not to congest the public transport network, then intended for the 800,000 spectators of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Once the mistake became obvious, the corrections came. The very serious national daily Le Monde had to offer a retraction on X:

“Correction: withdrawal of the expression ‘Olympic confinement,’ which we wrongly attributed to the prefect of the Île-de-France region.”

Naturally, the story had already spread like wildfire on French social sites, and Guillaume denied even mentioning a lockdown in his letter to Beaune.

The incident illustrates the enormous attention being paid to the Games in the host city, a lesson for all future organizers, and news media, to learn from. Wow.

5.
Backstage: USOPC behind “Best Practices” symposium

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is the largest and richest National Olympic Committee in the Western Hemisphere and probably the largest anywhere. With that comes jealousy from others, but the USOPC has made some unique efforts to share information and strategies, especially with its Panam Sports neighbors.

Starting in 2012, the then-USOC created the Symposium for the Best Practices of the Americas as a sharing and relationship-building effort in Miami, Florida. That very first session was favorably described:

“[T]he real worth of the two-day symposium was the frank discussions and the candidness of the participating Olympic committee leaders.

“Canada, Brazil Argentina, Chile, USA, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica were all unrestricted in revealing their plans, structures and methodology. Topics on the agenda included governance, marketing, athlete and coach development and their high performance plans and systems. …

“The Americas best practices symposium signalled that the Americas Olympic movement is prepared to address the issues and obstacles. The willingness of the likes of Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and USA to be their brother and sister’s keeper is one small step in the right direction.”

Fast forward to 2023 and the fifth Symposium concluded on 10 December, again in Miami, with attendance not only from 40 National Olympic Committees, but also staff from the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity team, the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games organizing committee and Panam Sports. The cost of the program was shared by the USOPC, Olympic Solidarity and Panam Sports.

There were eight formal sessions over the two days:

● Planning: Future of Present Decisions
● Good Financial Governance
● Performance Innovation
● Demonstrations of Sport Analytics Tools and Resources
● Enhancing and Evidencing the Social Impact of NOCs
● Athlete Safeguarding and Mental Health
● Legacy of the Pan American Games
● Social Media and Digital Marketing

Delise O’Meally, the USOPC Vice President for International Relations explained:

“Our goal is to advance sporting excellence in our region by providing a forum for the NOCs to engage in high-level discussions regarding leadership, management and sport performance principles that are essential to the success of NOCs.”

Just as critical for some of the attendees will be new relationships with other NOC leaders, including USOPC President Gene Sykes and chief executive Sarah Hirshland, as well as O’Meally and others from the USOPC International Relations team.

The Panam Sports Awards, honoring the top athletes from the recent Pan American Games, was integrated into the program on Saturday evening, bringing athletes into the program as well.

Observed: Most people don’t have any idea that such a program takes place. But for the USOPC, it’s bad business to be disconnected from the rest of the world and especially from the other National Olympic Committees in the Americas, and the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity staff. These kinds of seminar events and the face-to-face discussions are good business, in both the short and long term.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Switzerland’s reigning World Cup champ Marco Odermatt showed that he is going to be tough to dislodge this season as he completed a sweep of the two Giant Slalom races at Alta Badia (ITA) on Monday.

He was once again the leader after the first run in 1:14.39 and just as in the first race, had the second-fastest second run to finish in 2:28.14, a full 1.05 ahead of Austria’s Marco Schwarz, the 2021-23 Worlds Giant Slalom bronze winner (2:29.19).

Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec finished third. River Radamus was the top American, in 14th.

Odermatt has won all three Giant Slaloms this season and has bronze medals in a Downhill and a Super-G for five podiums in the seven races held so far. The victory was his 27th career World Cup gold.

Next up: a Friday Slalom at Madonna di Campiglio (ITA).

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit continues to announce sanctions at a rapid pace, with three Kenyans hit with bans of 18 months to eight years:

● Joyce Chepkemoi, 28, a 30:33 10 km road runner and 65:50 half-marathoner, was suspended for 18 months for the use of triamcinolone acetonide, a synthetic corticosteroid.

● Rebecca Jepchirchir Korir, 31, a 2:28:14 marathoner was banned for two years for methylprednisolone, a corticosteroid.

● James Mwangi Wangari, 29, a 27:23.04 10,000 m man from 2016, was hit for eight years for a second doping offense, this time for norandrosterone, a steroid. He had previously served a four-year doping ban from 2017-21.

Sitora Khamidova of Uzbekistan, 34, the 2023 Asian Half Marathon Championships runner-up, was provisionally suspended for steroid use.

World Athletics unveiled the first full list of Continental Tour events, with 190 events listed and 12 at the top-tier Gold level.

This includes two in the U.S.: the second Los Angeles Grand Prix on 18 May at UCLA’s Drake Stadium and the New York City Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium in New York on 9 June. Two U.S. meets have Silver-level status: the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa on 26-27 April and the NACAC New Life Invitational in Miramar, Florida on 25 May.

● Boxing ● The new, 27-member World Boxing federation announced a first tournament under its brand for 17-20 January in Sheffield (ENG) under the title “World Boxing Cup: GB Open Sheffield 2024.”

The event will be staged by England Boxing in association with World Boxing and GB Boxing and supported by the National Lottery, UK Sport and Sheffield City Council. It’s the first in a series of tournaments using the Olympic weight classes, with fighters accruing points towards a series final at the end of 2024.

● Swimming ● One of the showcase events of the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2024 will be the swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana from 15-23 June, potentially creating the largest-ever audience for a swim meet with more than 30,000 seats available.

USA Swimming is offering a 20% discount on tickets purchased this week – through Saturday, 23 December – for each corresponding date in June. Thus, the discount will be available on Tuesday for June 19, on December 20 for June 20 and so on through the 23rd. The prior day discounts have already passed.

Taking swimming’s Olympic selection meet to an NFL football stadium is new; the swimming trials sold out at the CHI Health Center Omaha (as now named) in 2008-12-16-21, but had been previously held in Indianapolis in 1984-92-96-2000.

Tickets are offered for 2024 across six levels of the stadium, now from $216.42 for the 100 level to $45.64 on the 600 level.

The seats on sale in this promotion apply to both the morning qualifying and evening finals on each day.

Russian Evgeniia Chikunova, 19, the world-record-setter in the women’s 200 m Breaststroke (50 m pool) earlier this year, made quite the fashion statement at last weekend’s short-course (25 m) Vladimir Salnikov Cup, coming onto the deck for her race in a three-quarter-length fur coat and a giant fur hat! She told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The idea came right before the Salnikov Cup. When I was trying on different outfits at home, I saw a fur coat in my mother’s closet. That’s when I realized that something could be done about it. Only then we found something like a voluminous hat; I’m glad that we managed to assemble such an image,

“I even bought a wig, although I was almost unprepared; I didn’t comb it. But overall it was spectacular.”

This meet has a history of swimmers coming to the pool in unique costumes; Chikunova ditched the coat and hat and won her race in 2:16.89.

● Wrestling ● Olympic qualifying is serious business and American wrestlers are pointing for the Olympic Trials next April in State College, Pennsylvania. To get there, USA Wrestling offered the Senior National Championships over the weekend in Ft. Worth, Texas, with the top five finishers all qualifying for the Trials.

Competition was limited to the six Olympic weights in each discipline. The men’s Freestyle winners included four top seeds: Spencer Lee (57 kg), Quincy Monday (74 kg), Kollin Moore (97 kg) and Dom Bradley at 125 kg. At 65 kg, no. 3 seed Andrew Alirez, the 2023 NCAA champ, won his second Nationals crown (also in 2020). At 86 kg, 2019 Nationals winner Alex Dieringer defeated top-seeded and two-time Nationals winner Mark Hall.

Lee, Moore and Monday each won their second national titles.

The Greco-Roman winners also qualified for the Pan American Olympic qualifier in Acapulco (MEX) in February. Pan American Games gold medalists Ildar Hafizov (60 kg) and Kamal Bey (77 kg) and runner-up Cohlton Schultz (130 kg) were advanced to the finals in Ft. Worth, and all won decisively. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Alejandro Sancho won at 67 kg, Spencer Woods won by technical fall at 87 kg and Alan Vera defeated Joe Rau, 12-5, at 97 kg.

In the women’s Freestyle finals, Sage Mortimer overcame an early deficit to win over Samara Chavez, 12-10, at 50 kg, and Vayle-Rae Baker won her first U.S. title with a win over top seed Katie Gomez at 53 kg. The 2019 World 55 kg Champion, Jacarra Winchester, highlighted the women’s Freestyle finals, pinning Ashlynn Ortega in the higher-weight 62 kg championship match.

Second-seed Amanda Martinez won at 57 kg, defeating top-seed Alex Hedrick, 4-1. Two-time Worlds bronze winner Mallory Velte won the 68 kg title with a walkover in the final over the injured Cheyenne Bowman. At 76 kg, two-time Nationals winner Precious Wieser won a third with a pin against Marlynne Deede.

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For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar (no. 4) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Russia says it will not fund any “neutral” athletes; Italian minister insists on Cortina sliding track; Armstrong’s “rocket fuel”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (Photo: EuroFencing)

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. ROC chief rips IOC again, says no funding of “neutrals”
2. Minister Salvini: 2026 sliding track “must be in Cortina”
3. L.A.’s Metrolink shuts down for Olympic & World Cup upgrades
4. Lyles follows up on World Athlete of the Year disappointment
5. Armstrong: EPO is the “rocket fuel” that changed sport

● Russia’s war of words against the International Olympic Committee continued, with the head of the Russian Olympic Committee saying that any Russian athlete who competes as a neutral will not receive funding. He also said the IOC would nullify the results of any Paris medal winner who participates in the post-Paris World Friendship Games. And he added in some other insults.

● The Italian minister for infrastructure declared that the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games must be in Cortina, even though no company bid on the project during the summer and time is running out. A decision on the venue is expected in January.

● The massive Metrolink system in Southern California will be shut down for four days at the end of December for maintenance and upgrades, some aimed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Really, Metrolink said so.

● Sprint superstar Noah Lyles posted his opinion of the World Athletics World Athlete of the Year going to six winners and not two. He said he felt his three Worlds victories were not good enough to merit a solo award, although he knows that was not the federation’s intent.

● Disgraced U.S. cycling star Lance Armstrong explained once again his doping methods during his career and named the one substance he called “rocket fuel.”

● World Championships: Handball (France wins third women’s title in re-match with Norway) = Skateboarding (Japan sweeps Street Worlds titles in Rome) ●

● Panorama: Alpine Skiing (2: Paris, Kriechmayr and Odermatt star in Italy as Bennett medals again; Flury and Brignone win at Val d’Isere) = Badminton (Axelsen and Tai win World Tour Finals Singles golds) = Biathlon (Boe and Braisaz-Bochet sweep Lenzerheide) = Bobsled & Skeleton (German sleds sweep bob races at Innsbruck) = Break Dancing (Japan’s Issin and Riko sweep BfG World Series in Hong Kong) = Cross Country Skiing (Klaebo sweeps Trondheim, more medals for Diggins, Brennan) = Curling (Homan overcomes Swiss stars at Grand Slam Masters) = Freestyle Skiing (3: U.S.’s Ferreira and Forehand take men’s Copper Mountain titles; Kingsbury and Anthony star in Moguls; Werner and Vinecki take Aerials golds) = Ice Hockey (U.S. women beat Canada in Rivalry Series Thursday, lose on shoot-out Saturday) = Luge (Germans sweep four at Whistler) = Nordic Combined (Lamparter stops Riiber, Hagan stops Hansen in Ramsau) = Short Track (Canada’s Dandjinou wins in Seoul, three more U.S. medals!) = Ski Jumping (Paschke and Kraft, Pagnier and Prevc win at Engelberg) = Snowboard (4: Kunitake and Murase win Big Airs at Copper Mountain; Hirano and Choi take Halfpipe; Hofmeister sweeps PGS openers; Hammerle and Sigenthaler win Ski Cross) = Table Tennis (China sweeps both events at WTT Women’s Finals) = Taekwondo (Russian fighters win three in Grand Slam Champions) ●

1.
ROC chief rips IOC again, says no funding of “neutrals”

At a meeting of the Russian Olympic Committee in Moscow on Friday, President Stanislav Pozdnyakov expanded on the usual line of criticism of the International Olympic Committee with direct threats against any athletes who choose to participate as “neutrals” at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:

“This is a painful topic for all of us, I’m sure you have repeatedly discussed with each other the potential participation of athletes in the Games in a neutral status, polar opinions are expressed.

“As the head of the ROC, I voice a clear position: we perfectly understand athletes who want to compete at international competitions, strive to represent Russia and defend the honor of the country and the team, their sporting honor. We live in a free state, where everyone, as the president rightly noted, has the right to make his own choice.

“But we must remember that by agreeing to “neutralization,” athletes become hostages of other people’s interests. And we strongly recommend that you thoroughly understand the nuances of the proposed conditions in order to clearly understand the extent and consequences of the personal responsibility assumed. …

“Athletes that will receive payments won’t include athletes who have accepted neutralization. The ROC will not support athletes with neutral status.”

Pozdnyakov continued to blast the IOC’s sanctions and call it a captive of its sponsors:

“We call on our colleagues in Lausanne to disavow their recommendations and reinstate the ROC as a full member of the Olympic Movement and return to the principles outlined by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympic movement.

“Today, I assessed the actions of our colleagues in Lausanne, whose unconstructive and contradictory position towards our organization continues to sow divisions inside the big Olympic family, threatening its credibility, which we strongly oppose. Unfortunately, senior IOC officials have been unable [to make the right decision] due to the pressure the committee is facing from its Western sponsors. This pressure now supersedes common sense, but sooner or later it will once again prevail at the IOC. …

“This is definitely not Olympism. This is something else that ultimately brings destruction to world sports, and the perpetrators of all this disgrace will have to be held accountable to history.

“Sanctions and restrictions are aimed at completely destroying the system of physical and moral education in our country, and for years and years to come. There should be no illusions in this sense: this is a global challenge, based on the West’s geopolitical claims to exclusivity and the struggle to determine the world order. Suspending athletes, preventing them from financing, interfering in issues of changing citizenship are dirty methods of such struggle.”

And Pozdnyakov went further, accusing the IOC of belittling Russia with its regulations for admitting Russians and Belarusians for competition in Paris:

“A week ago in Lausanne they announced their readiness to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Paris Olympics, and then immediately mockingly announced how many of them had been admitted. This number in itself is an eloquent assessment of their efforts. Representatives of the IOC are not ashamed to pronounce this figure, but we have no desire to even comment; everything is clear without words.”

The IOC stated that, so far, six Russians and five Belarusians had qualified for Paris. The IOC told the Russian news agency TASS that the qualifiers cannot be confirmed until later:

“As stated in the principles relating to the participation of individual neutral athletes and their support personnel with Russian or Belarusian passports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: International Federations will be required to provide a list of qualified and eligible neutral athletes to the IOC upon completion of qualification in the relevant event sport/discipline, and then the IOC will review these lists to make a final decision on the application for the sport. This means that the IOC will only be able to confirm the names at a later stage in the process.”

Pozdnyakov also said that he believed the IOC will also interfere with athlete participation in the BRICS Games to be held in Kazan next June and the World Friendship Games in Russia in September:

“We know very well that the Friendship Games and the BRICS Games and other formats are being prepared. From my point of view, if an athlete takes part in the Olympic Games, then he absolutely will not be able to take part in the Friendship Games. And if he takes part, his result at the Olympic Games will be cancelled.”

Despite the IOC’s detailed announcement and accompanying regulations, Russia Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said he is waiting for more information:

“The President [Vladimir Putin] said quite clearly yesterday: everyone’s right is to choose to participate in a neutral status. The conditions that exist today assume only a neutral status, no specific regulations on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes have yet been announced.

“As soon as decisions are made in detail, we will build our actions together with the Russian Olympic Committee and our federations. That is, so far we have not heard anything new from the International Olympic Committee.”

2.
Minister Salvini: 2026 sliding track “must be in Cortina”

What has become a multi-episode soap opera concerning a venue for the bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina 2026, continued on Friday with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini telling reporters:

“The bobsleigh track, respecting costs and times, must be in Cortina.

“As promised in recent days we have worked on the issue of the bobsleigh track. We are listening to the territories, from Monday [18th] we will also informally begin to involve everyone.”

According to the Rome daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, a Tuesday meeting of the Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation – the governing body of the organizing committee – is scheduled to review the progress of the search.

Despite continuing indications to the contrary, Salvini insisted that time is not an issue:

“Is there time? Absolutely yes, because the engineers tell me this.”

The governmental body tasked with construction of 2026 Winter Olympic sites, known as Simico, received no offers from contractors over the summer to build the planned track in Cortina, to replace the now-demolished Eugenio Monti track from the 1956 Winter Games. Completion is needed by the next winter season – in early 2025 – for testing, but no one seems interested. A suggestion to use the Cesana Pariol track built for the Turin 2006 Winter Games, but abandoned in 2012, would also require significant upgrades, with no legacy use in sight.

Proposals for the use of tracks in Austria (Innsbruck), Germany (Koenigssee), Switzerland (St. Moritz) and the U.S. (Lake Placid) have all been received, but now the issue has become political, as all will require some funding to be ready for the 2026 Games.

Andrea Abodi, the Italian Minister for Sport and Youth, also chimed in on Friday, suggesting that worries about the sliding venue are overblown:

“Do we need a miracle for the bobsleigh track? Miracles are not created by men or women, we must try to find a solution, it will be an Italian solution.

“I understand that there is a concentration on the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge track, but there are many other fundamental things about the Olympics and Paralympics that are going very well and I would like to see them talked about. We are collecting financial resources, promotion is also increasing in schools. I am convinced that the track will be in Italy, Simico is studying the solutions. It is clear that there is an expectation of a solution which will be available by January.”

The International Olympic Committee has been clear that only an existing, working track will be satisfactory and expects a decision by the end of January.

3.
L.A.’s Metrolink shuts down for Olympic & World Cup upgrades

The Southern California Metrolink train system will shut down for four days from 26-29 December for maintenance and upgrades, in part to get ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.

That’s not a guess, it’s what the Southern California Regional Rail Authority says:

“Metrolink and Arrow trains will be out of service for four days starting on Tuesday, December 26 through Friday, December 29. We will resume with our regularly scheduled train service on Saturday, December 30. While the trains rest, we work. We’re making the most of the closure to clean, repair and upgrade our rail network, including a new signal system that will provide better operational throughput and reliability in and out of Union Station for our trains.

“Our commitment to you goes beyond just daily rides. This short break allows us to:

“● Implement the SCORE L.A. Union Station Modernization Project, a 3-year project to update all track and signal systems where trains enter and exit at LAUS.

“● We are getting ready for the global stage! By modernizing our rail network, we are preparing our system for the World Cup, Olympics, and Paralympics.”

Union Station will not close, and the Metrolink and Arrow systems, which span across most of the Los Angeles area, including Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties, are not related to the L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus and subway service in Los Angeles County.

But it is a demonstration of the impact that these mega-events have in driving government efforts to upgrade their systems, using the events essentially as excuses for work that should be undertaken as a part of normal service progress.

4.
Lyles follows up on World Athlete of the Year disappointment

American sprint superstar Noah Lyles was clearly upset about the unannounced expansion of the World Athletics’ World Athlete of the Year award from one man and one woman to three in each gender on 11 December. He said he wanted to take some time to think about what to say, and did so on X (ex-Twitter) on Friday:

“I believe I found the right words for what happened at the AOY awards. When they decided to split the award without telling any of us, including the fans that voted. It made me feel that none of our achievements were good enough to be AOY.

“I’m guessing that was not WA’s goal but that is how it made me feel. I do believe that there should be more awards included in the event but not with exclusion of the AOY award.

“I wish they would have waited until next year to change the format of the awards or not change it in the middle of the process. I also wish @WorldAthletics would have had a conversations with the athletes so we could come up with a more structured plan.”

Atlanta 1996 Olympic icon Michael Johnson, a two-time winner of the award in 1996 and 1999, added:

“I’m sure that was not their intent, but it is a consistent flawed approach by WA that more is always better. It devalues the AOY to have more than one AOY. And the reactive and surprise decision disregards the will of the fans and lacks respect for the athletes.”

5.
Armstrong: EPO is the “rocket fuel” that changed sport

Lance Armstrong’s story is well known: a cancer survivor who became the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, from 1999-2005, then confessed to doping in 2013 and had his wins nullified.

Now 52, Armstrong has spoken in detail about his doping regimen in recent years and explained it again in an appearance on commentator Bill Maher‘s Club Random podcast.

Asked whether it is possible for a doper to mask their drug use, Armstrong explained:

“Yes, you can. … In a sense, you would foil the system, but what I always said – and I’m not trying to justify what I ever said as something I would want to repeat again – but one of the lines was, ‘I’ve been tested 500 times and I’ve never failed a drug test.’

“That’s not a lie. That is the truth. There was no way around the test. … Now, the reality and the truth of all of this is, some of these substances, primarily the one that is the most beneficial, has a four-hour half-life. So certain substances, whether it be cannabis or anabolics, or whatever, have much longer half-lives.”

That substance was oxygen-enabler erythropoietin (EPO), and Armstrong underlined:

“With EPO – which was the rocket fuel that changed not just our sport but every endurance sport – you have a four-hour half-life, so it leaves the body very quickly. With a four-hour half-life, you can just do the math.”

Most cycling stages take four hours or less, and Armstrong was well aware of the testing protocol, and how long after a race he would be tested. As for side effects:

“The truth is, you had a drug that was undetectable, that was wildly beneficial to performance and recovery. Both are important, but primarily to performance. … And, as we were led to believe, which I don’t disagree with, if taken under the care of a doctor was safe.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Handball ● The 26th IHF Women’s World Championship came down to a re-match of the 2021 final, with undefeated France facing once-beaten Norway, and reversing the outcome, as the French managed a 31-28 victory and their third Worlds gold.

The two sides had met in a second-pool group match on 10 December, with France eking out a 24-23 win, and Estelle Nze Minko scoring six goals for the winners. The French steamed into the final after a 37-28 semifinal win over Sweden, taking a 19-11 halftime lead and cruising home, behind Tamara Horacek’s nine goals.

The Norwegians had more trouble with host Denmark, urged on by the biggest crowd of the tournament – 12,136 in Herning – and the Danes had a 14-9 lead at half. But the reigning champs reversed the score in the second half and after a 23-23 tie, it was on to overtime. There, Norway won, 6-5, for the 29-28 final thanks to a sensational 15 goals from Henny Reistad!

So for the fourth time in the past seven Worlds, France and Norway played for the title. Norway won in 2011 and 2021, the French in 2017. This time, the French had control of the match at half by 20-17 and held on for a 31-28 win, paced by five goals each from Horacek and Lena Grandveau. The Norse got eight scores from Nora Mork, but it was not enough.

This was Norway’s ninth final, with four wins; the French celebrated third world championship in seven finals. Reistad was named the Most Valuable Player and Czech star Marketa Jerabkova won the scoring title with 63, ahead of Reistad (52).

Denmark thrilled another big crowd of 11,877 with a win in the bronze-medal game over Sweden by 28-27. The final, also in Herning, drew 12,031.

● Skateboard ● The 13th edition of the World Skate Street World Championships was held in Rome (ITA), but was primarily a showcase for Japan’s skaters, who took five of the medals available.

Japan swept the men’s final, with Sora Shirai, 22, the 2020 Worlds bronze winner, scoring 276.81 in the final to ace teammates Kairi Netsuke (273.60) and Yuto Horigome (273.28). Netsuke had the best score on his full run of 86.97 on his second attempt, with Shirai scoring 86.00 on his first run, but Shirai scored 95.66 and 95.00 on two of his tricks to win the title. Horigome, 24, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, won his third career Worlds medal (1-1-1).

Alex Midler was the top American, in fifth (262.93) while six-time World Champion Nyjah Huston finished seventh at 251.38.

Seventeen-year-old Yumeka Oda (JPN) took the women’s title at 265.75, with the highest-scoring run of the final (84.22) and earned the highest score on any trick at 94.80. That was just good enough to edge defending champ Rayssa Leal (BRA: 15), who finished at 261.90.

Momiji Nishiya of Japan, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic winner – now 16 – won the bronze for the second straight Worlds, scoring 245.76, just ahead of 13-year-old Chloe Covell of Australia – the 2022 silver medalist – who scored 245.11.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● More history at the second men’s Downhill at Val Gardena (ITA) on Saturday, after American Bryce Bennett stunned with his Thursday win. This time it was Italian star Dominik Paris claiming the win, his 23rd career World Cup gold and 19th in the Downhill.

Starting from the 12th position, Paris was the only one to finish under two minutes, at 1:59.84, beating out Norway’s Alexander Aamodt Kilde (2:00.28), with Bennett third in 2:00.44.

It was Paris’s first win in 22 months and ties him for no. 2 all-time for most World Cup Downhill golds. Bennett won his second World Cup medal in three days after having won one in his career coming in!

On Friday, the Super-G was the 17th career win for Austria’s 2021 World Champion Vincent Kriechmayr (1:28.39), just ahead of countryman Daniel Hemetberger (1:28.41) and reigning World Cup champ Marco Odermatt (SUI: 1:28.42). Jared Goldberg of the U.S. tied for 10th (1:28.78) and Bennett was 14th (1:28.80).

The men’s tour moved on to two Giant Slaloms at Alta Badia (ITA), with Sunday’s race another showcase for Odermatt, who led after the first run and was second-fastest on the second to win in 2:29.23, 0.19 seconds up on Croatian Filip Zubcic (2:29.42), followed by Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec (2:31.49). Tommy Ford was the top American, in ninth (2:32.75).

A second Giant Slalom will be held on Monday.

The women were in Val d’Isere (FRA) for a Downhill and Super-G, with a Swiss 1-2 on Saturday with Jasmine Flury winning in 1:43.47, ahead of Joana Haehlen (1:43.69) and Cornelia Huetter (AUT: 1:43.71). It was the second career win and third career World Cup medal for Flury, 30, who won the World Championship gold earlier this year in the Downhill.

Haehlen won her fifth career World Cup medal and Huetter won her 22nd.

Sunday’s Super-G was another triumph for Italian star Federica Brignone, who won her third race this season (and 24th all-time), in 1:21.58, a healthy 0.44 up on Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (1:22.02), with Italian teammate Sofia Goggia getting third (1:22.17).

This was an exceptionally difficult course and the FIS report noted 26 of the 58 starters did not finish, including American star Mikaela Shiffrin. According to FIS, “That non-finish rate of 44.8 per cent is the highest for a women’s super-G World Cup race since at least as far back as the 1999/2000 season.”

● Badminton ● Superpower China put finalists in four events in the HSBC BWF World Tour Final in Hangzhou (CHN), with a $2.5 million prize purse, but came away with two titles as three no. 1-ranked entries won their classes.

World no. 1 Viktor Axelsen (DEN) took the men’s Singles with a 21-11, 21-12 sweep of no. 7 Yu Qi Shi (CHN), preceded by wins for China’s top-ranked women’s Doubles team of Qing Chen Chen and Yi Fan Jia over Ha-na Baek and So-hee Lee (KOR) by 21-16, 21-16, and the no. 1 Mixed Doubles pair of Si Wei Zheng and Ya Qiong Huang, who rushed past Yan Zhe Feng and Dong Ping Huang (CHN), 21-11, 21-18.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic runner-up Tzu Ying Tai (TPE) won the women’s Singles crown with a 12-21, 21-14, 21-18 win over Rio 2016 Olympic champ and reigning World Champion Carolina Marin (ESP), and sixth-ranked Koreans Min-hyuk Kang and Seung Jae Seo upset no. 1 Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang (CHN), 21-17, 22-20.

● Biathlon ● The third stage of the IBU World Cup was in Lenzerheide (SUI) and reigning World Cup overall champ Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) has taken over.

He got his third World Cup medal of the season in Friday’s 10 km Sprint, finishing second to German Benedikt Doll, the 2017 World Champion, who finished in 23:15.8 (0 penalties) to 23:21.2 for Boe (1 penalty), with Philipp Nawrath (GER: 23:52.6/1) getting third.

Then Boe got his second win of the season in the 12.5 km Pursuit, winning by 24.7 seconds in 32:30.0 (3), over Norwegian teammates Endre Stroemsheim (32:54.7/2) and Sturla Holm Laegreid (32:59.1/1) for their second sweep of the season.

The 15 km Mass Start on Sunday was another Boe win, this time by 14.6 seconds in 35:00.1 (2), leading a Norwegian sweep with Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (35:14.7/1) and older brother Tarjei Boe (35:29.1/1). In fact, the Norwegians took five of the top six places.

The women’s races were a renaissance performance for France’s Justine Braisaz-Bochet, the Beijing Olympic Mass Start winner, back from maternity and ready to go. She won the 7.5 km Sprint in 22:13.0 (0) over Ingrid Tandrevold (NOR: 22:25.2/0) and Lisa Vittozzi (ITA: 22:30.2/2) on Thursday and then skied away with the 10 km Pursuit, in 27:31.0 (3), beating teammate Julia Simon (27:56.2/2) and Marit Skogan (NOR: 28:44.6/2).

She completed the weekend sweep with Sunday’s 12.5 Mass Start, winning her eighth career World Cup gold by more than five seconds over Swedish sisters Elvira Oeberg, 36:04.6 (0) to 36:10.1 (2) and reigning Mass start World Champion Hanna Oeberg (36:15.2/2). French biathletes have now won five of the season’s eight races!

American Deedra Irwin finished a very creditable eighth in the Sprint, 21st in the Pursuit and 13th in the Mass start.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Stage three of eight in the IBSF World Cup was in Innsbruck (AUT), with American Kaysha Love competing in two rounds of the women’s Monobob after winning the opener last week.

Both races were won by German Lisa Buckwitz, a 2018 Olympic winner in the two-woman sled. She won Friday’s race in 1:51.17 over Beijing Olympic fifth-placer Breeana Walker (AUS: 1:51.42) and German teammate Laura Nolte (1:51.47), the Beijing two-woman gold winner. Love was fourth (1:51.70) and fellow American Elana Meyers Taylor was fifth (1:52.07).

Buckwitz also won on Saturday, with the fastest first run and second-fastest second run in 1:49.42, followed by Love at 1:49.53 and the fastest second run in the field. Walker grabbed third in 1:49.55 and Meyers Taylor was sixth in 1:49.90.

Through three of eight races, Love has a slim 627-618 lead over Buckwitz in her first year as a driver.

Sunday’s two-woman racing was a sweep for Buckwitz and the Germans. Buckwitz and Vanessa Mark had the best of both runs and won in 1:45.20, ahead of 2023 World Champion Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig (1:45.29) and Nolte and Neele Schuten (1:45.64). Meyers Taylor and Jasmine Jones were sixth (1:45.82) and Love and Jestana Mattson finished eighth in 1:46.44.

The two-man World Champions, Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer (GER) won their second race of the season in 1:41.94, leading a German sweep with Olympic champs Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schueller at 1:42.02, and Adam and Issam Ammour third in 1:42.68. Americans Frank Del Duca and Joshua Williamson finished fourth in 1:42.75.

Sunday’s four-man was the second straight win for Friedrich, the double Olympic gold medalist, in 1:40.89, with Lochner just behind at 1:41.03 and Latvia’s Emils Cipulis taking the bronze (1:41.35). Del Duca’s U.S. sled was 15th at 1:42.37.

The men’s Skeleton was another quality win for Britain’s 2023 World Champion Matt Weston in 1:44.84, beating Worlds bronze winner Seung-ji Jung (KOR: 1:44.99) and Felix Keisinger (GER: 1:45.16). Dutch star Kimberley Bos, the Worlds silver medalist this year, took the women’s race in 1:47.91, ahead of Valentina Margaglio (1:48.08) and Britain’s Tabitha Stoecker (1:48.11).

● Break Dancing ● A sweep for Japan at the BfG World Series in Hong Kong, with 17-year-old Isshin Hishikawa (Issin) defeating Asian Champion Heon-woo Kim (Wing) of Korea in the men’s final, 6:3, 5:4, 1:8 (2-1). Hiroto Ono (JPN: Hiro10) won the bronze medal over Chen Sun (TPE: Quake), also by 2-1.

The Japanese women also went 1-3, with 16-year-old Riko Tsuhako (Riko) winning by 7:2, 0:9 and 7:2 (2-1) in the final against Ukraine’s European silver medalist Stefani (Anna Ponomarenko), and Ayane Nakarai (Ayane) took the bronze over Antilai Sandrini (Anti) of Italy, also by 2-1.

● Cross Country Skiing ● Norway extended its perfect record in the men’s FIS World Cup, this time in front of home fans in Trondheim (NOR).

Six different Norwegians had won the first six men’s races, but four-time World Cup overall champ Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo took over, winning Friday’s Sprint, Saturday’s 20 km Skiathlon and Sunday’s 10 km Classical.

He took the Freestyle Sprint in 2:39.28, a scant 0.81 seconds ahead of Lucas Chanavat (FRA: 2:40.09) – the 2023 World Cup Sprint discipline runner-up – and 1.69 seconds up on Norwegian teammate Harald Amundsen. The Skiathlon was even closer, with Klaebo winning by just 0.7 seconds over Britain’s Andrew Musgrave, 43:50.7 to 43:51.4 – Musgrave’s third career World Cup medal – and 0.8 up on Norway’s Didrik Toenseth (43:51.5). Ben Ogden of the U.S. was 17th, in 45:21.6.

On Sunday, Klaebo skied away to a big win by 17 seconds, leading a Norwegian sweep, ahead of Paal Golberg, 24:32.1 to 25:00.8, with Henrik Doennestad third (25:04.2). Ogden was the top American again, in eighth in 25:27.3.

The women’s racing was a continuation of the season-long fight between Sweden, Norway and Americans Jessie Diggins, the seasonal leader, and Rosie Brennan. In the Freestyle Sprint, Kristine Skistad (NOR: 3:04.71) got to the line first for her third medal of the season, trailed by Linn Svahn (SWE: 3:04.86) and Emma Ribom (3:04.87), with Diggins fourth (3:08.74).

Saturday’s Skiathlon was the seventh career win – and second of the season – for Swede Ebba Andersson, the 2023 World Champion, in 49:23.4, ahead of Diggins (49:38.6) and Heidi Weng (NOR: 49:40.1). Brennan was eighth (50:15.9); it was Diggins’ fourth medal in the last six races!

Sunday’s 10 km Classical Interval Start saw German Victoria Carl get her first career World Cup gold and second career individual medal in 28:13.6. Brennan got second in 28:33.2 for her third medal of the season, with Andersson third (28:35.2) and Diggins fourth (28:41.9).

Diggins still leads the seasonal standings, 809-737-726, over Ribom and Brennan after nine of 34 events.

● Curling ● A major showdown in the women’s final at the Grand Slam of Curling Masters, in Saskatoon (CAN), as Canada’s Rachel Homan, a three-time Worlds medalist and 2017 World Champion faced four-time defending World Champion Silvana Tirinzoni (SUI).

The Swiss had to play catch-up thanks to a four-point outburst for Homan’s rink in the third end for a 4-1 lead. It was 5-2 after five ends and then the Swiss grabbed two points to close to 5-4. But in the seventh, Homan scored three and closed out an 8-4 win for her 14th career Grand Slam title.

The men’s final saw a repeat win for Italy’s Joel Retornaz, the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist, who scored twice in the fourth against Ross Whyte (SCO), then saw the game tied, but got the winning point in the eighth for a 3-2 win and Retornaz’s second straight Grand Slam victory.

● Freestyle Skiing ● Two-time Olympic Halfpipe medalist Alex Ferreira swept to a second straight World Cup win on Saturday at Copper Mountain, Colorado, leading an American sweep in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix.

Ferreira salted away the event on his first run, scoring an impressive 97.0 and waiting to see if he would be challenged. Fellow American Hunter Hess got close, at 95.0 on his second run, but could do no better. Birk Irving of the U.S., the 2021 Worlds bronze medalist, moved up to third in the final round at 92.50, passing comebacking teammate (and three-time Olympic slopestyle medal winner) Nicholas Goepper (90.75) and two-time Olympic gold medalist David Wise (89.00) in fifth.

Beijing Olympian Mac Forehand of the U.S. took the men’s Big Air title, coming from fifth after the first round to record scores of 93.00 and 94.00 for a 187.00 total. Italy’s Miro Tabanelli grabbed second (at 185.00 (95.00/90.00/46.00) on his first two jumps, followed by Norway’s Olympic Big Air winner Birk Ruud (184.00).

Big Air and Halfpipe Olympic champ Eileen Gu (CHN) won Friday’s Halfpipe event over 2023 World Champion Hanna Faulhaber of the U.S. for the second time this season. Gu was superb, scoring 94.75, 95.75 and 93.00 on her three runs, while Faulhaber’s best came on her second run (92.00). Britain’s Zoe Atkin, the 2023 Worlds runner-up, scored 91.00 on her first run and took the bronze.

Saturday’s Big Air final was another win for France’s reigning World Champion, Tess Ledeux at 189.00 for two runs, ahead of Beijing Olympic bronzer Mathilde Gremaud (SUI: 185.50), who had won the first two World Cup events this season. Britain’s Kirsty Muir grabbed third at 173.75.

The Moguls skiers were at Alpe d’Huez (FRA), with Canadian star Mikael Kingsbury continuing to set records, winning the Friday Moguls men’s event with 86.55 points, leading a Canadian 1-2 ahead of Elliot Vaillancourt (77.44), with Japan’s 2017 World Champion Ikuma Horishima third (77.23). It was Kingsbury’s 82nd World Cup, extending his own mark, but the first career medal for Vaillancourt, at age 24.

In Saturday’s Dual Moguls, it was a Swedish 1-2, with Walter Wallberg – the 2023 Worlds runner-up in this event – taking the win over teammate Rasmus Stegfeldt, who was also second in the season opener. Kingsbury won the race for bronze.

The women’s Moguls winner was Beijing 2022 Olympic champ Jakara Anthony, who has now won all three events this season, scoring 79.98 to top Americans Jaelin Kauf (75.64) – the Beijing Olympic runner-up – and Olivia Giaccio (74.82).

Anthony then won the Dual Moguls on Saturday, giving her four wins in five events this season, beating Giaccio in the final, with fellow American Alli Macuga getting third over countrywoman Tess Johnson. Anthony has won a medal in every event this season (4-0-1).

The second of six stages in the Aerials World Cup was in Changchun (CHN), with 2021 Worlds Mixed Team silver winner Pirmin Werner (SUI) taking the gold at 122.62, with American Chris Lillis, an Olympic gold Mixed Team winner in Beijing, second with 122.17 points and China’s Tianma Li third (121.68). Quinn Dehlinger of the U.S. finished seventh (118.10).

The U.S. got a win on the women’s side, with aptly-named Winter Vinecki (94.25) taking getting her second career win and fourth individual World Cup medal, ahead of 2023 World Champion Fanyu Kong (CHN: 81.42) and two-time Worlds gold medalist Laura Peel (AUS: 80.96).

● Ice Hockey ● The 2023-24 Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canadian women moved to Kitchener, Ontario on Thursday, but the Americans pulled out an overtime win to go 3-0 on the series.

The U.S. was the aggressor in the first period, with 12-8 shots edge, but Canada’s Danielle Serdachny scored at 7:44 of the period for a 1-0 lead. Kirsten Simms tied it at 16:10 of the period on a solo goal and then Abbey Murphy took the lead  for the U.S. with a hard shot from the middle of the Canadian zone just 1:03 later.

Canada tied in the second period at 6:58 from Emily Clark on a rebound in front of the American net and neither side could score in the third period, leading to overtime. And just 28 seconds into the overtime, star forward Hilary Knight scored for the 3-2 win. Canada had 34 shots to 22 for the U.S., but the Americans killed all six penalties on the evening.

Game four of the series came on Saturday in Sarnia, Ontario was tight again, with the U.S. getting a second-period, shorthanded goal from a Megan Keller tipin off a Kelly Pannek pass at 8:19 and then an Alex Carpenter tipin of a Cayla Barnes pass for a goal at 4:46 of the third to go up, 2-0.

But Serdachny scored at 10:06 of the period and Ella Shelton tied it at 12:39. Neither side could score in the third, or in overtime, so in the penalty shoot-out, Marie-Philip Poulin scored against U.S. keeper Nicole Hensley, the only successful shot of the nine taken for a 3-2 win.

Three more games will be played, on 7-9-11 February in 2024.

● Luge ● Germany swept aside all opposition at the FIL World Cup in Whistler (CAN), winning the men’s and women’s Singles and Doubles.

Worlds silver medalist Max Langenhan (GER) won his third race of the season in the men’s Singles, in 1:40.093, just clear of Austria’s World Champion Jonas Mueller (1:40.348) and Latvia’s Kristers Aparjods (1:40.572). Three-time Olympic champs Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt managed their first win of the season, 1:17.300 to 1:17.348 over Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl (AUT), with Germans Hannes Orlamuender and Paul Constantin Gubitz third (1:17.405).

Tucker West (8th) and Jonny Gustafson (9th) were the top American Singles finishers and Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander finished 13th in the Doubles.

Julia Taubitz, the 2021 World Champion, led a German sweep in the women’s Singles, finishing in 1:18.066, beating teammates Anna Berreiter (1:18.177) and Merle Fraebel (1:18.179). American Emily Sweeney was fourth in 1:18.221 and Ashley Farquharson was seventh in 1:18.238.

The women’s Doubles was a German 1-2 with Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal winning in 1:18.371, slightly ahead of Dajana Eitberger and Saskia Schirmer (1:18.451), with Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer (ITA: 1:18.466) third. The top American sled was fourth, with Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (1:18.514). Americans Maya Chan and Reannyn Weiler finished seventh in 1:18.768.

Germany won the team relay opener as well, in 2:48.665, followed by Austria (2:49.215) and the U.S. squad of Sweeney, Di Gregorio and Hollander, West and Forgan and Kirkby was third in 2:49.11.

● Nordic Combined ● Would Norway’s unbeaten streaks continue at Ramsau (AUT)?

The Norwegian men had won all five events this season, with four-time World Cup overall champion Jarl Magnus Riiber winning the last four. But On Friday, it was reigning World Cup winner Johannes Lamparter who took the Mass Start 10 km and then jumping off the 98 m hill, with 139.2 points. Riiber was second at 135.4 and German Manuel Faisst (131.3) third.

Lamparter doubled up on Saturday in the Compact 98 m jumping and 7.5 km race, winning in 17:09.6 to 17:11.2 for Riiber, who has been first or second in all seven races this season. Austria’s Stefan Rettenegger got third (17:11.5).

There was another streak on the line, this one for Norway’s dominant Gyda Westvold Hansen, who had won the first two races of the season and 13 World Cup races in a row over three seasons. She added a 14th on Friday in the Gundersen 98 m jumping and 5.0 km race, timing 14:41.2 to win easily over teammate Ida Marie Hagen (15:23.2) and Finn Minja Korhonen (16:22.4).

And Norway’s streak of women’s stayed intact on Saturday, but it was Hagen who got to the line first to end Hansen’s win streak, in the Compact 98 m jumping and 5.0 km race in 13:11.8 to 13:15.2 for Hansen. Lisa Hirner was third for Austria (14:00.8); American Annika Malacinski was eighth in 14:29.3.

● Short Track ● The fourth leg of six in the 2023-24 ISU World Cup was in Seoul (KOR), with the hosts taking three wins, but the U.S. women continuing to produce medals in multiple events.

In the entire, six-meet World Cup season of 2022-23, the U.S. women won eight medals: three silvers and five bronzes. Coming into Seoul, Kristen Santos-Griswold had three wins herself, plus one silver and two bronzes, with Corinne Stoddard scoring a silver and a bronze.

In the first-day women’s 1,000 m, Belgium’s Olympic bronze winner Hanne Desmet won in 1:29.303, with Santos-Griswold second in 1:29.313 and Dutch six-time Worlds gold medalist Xandra Velzeboer in third (1:29.696).

In the 1,500 m, Korea’s Gil-li Kim won her third straight World Cup in 2:35.785, with Stoddard taking silver in 2:35.865, and then Kim won again on Sunday in 2:23.746, with Santos-Griswold taking silver in 2:23.968, with Desmet third (2:24.283) and Stoddard fourth (2:24.441).

That’s 11 individual medals for Santos-Griswold and Stoddard so far (3-5-3), not counting a couple of relay medals, with two events remaining. A great sign for 2026, in view of the U.S. being shut out in 2022 in Beijing.

Velzeboer won the women’s 500 m, edging teammate Selma Poutsma at the line, with both timed in 43.128. The Dutch also won the women’s 3,000 m relay.

The men’s events featured a new star, with 22-year-old William Dandjinou of Canada winning Sunday’s second 1,500 m race in 2:18.661, reversing the result of Saturday’s race, won by 2023 World Champion Ji-Won Park (KOR: 2:16.323) with Dandjinou second (2:16.482). American Brandon Kim was fourth in Saturday’s first race in 2:16.849.

Dandjinou now has five medals (2-1-2) this season, his first career World Cup individual podium. Teammate Steven Dubois, the triple Olympic medal winner from 2022, won the men’s 1,000 m in 1:27.099, ahead of Beijing 1,500 m winner Dae-heon Hwang (KOR: 1:27.113).

Beijing 500 m gold winner Shaoang Liu (CHN) won his specialty in a late rush in 41.196, just ahead of Korea’s Yi Ra Seo (41.205). The Chinese also won the 5,000 m relay.

In the Mixed Relay, the Dutch won in 2:41.701; the U.S. team of Andrew Heo, Kim, Santos-Griswold and Stoddard received a penalty, but were awarded a bronze, along with Korea (also penalized).

● Ski Jumping ● At the FIS World Cup off the 140 m hill in Engelberg (GER), it was a third straight for the home team with 33-year-old Pius Paschke getting his first career World Cup win (and second medal, also this season!) at 316.8 points, coming from sixth after the first jump and winning the second round.

Norway’s Marius Lindvik was second (315.1) for his first medal of the season, with seasonal leader Stefan Kraft (AUT: 313.3) third. Kraft, a three-time World Champion, has medaled in six of seven events this season.

Sunday saw Kraft take his fifth win of the season – everyone else combined has three – with 327.9 points, coming from fifth after the first round with the highest-scoring jump of the day in round two. Teammate Jan Hoerl was second (323.9) and Paschke got another medal in third (320.1).

The women’s jumping at Engelberg started with a second straight win for France’s Josephine Pagnier (293.0), ahead of 2023 World Champion Alexandria Loutitt (CAN: 290.2) and 2021 World Champion Ema Klinec (SLO: 289.4). Pagnier, 21, won her third medal of the season (2-1-0), after coming in with one career medal.

Slovenia took over on Saturday, with 18-year-old Nika Prevc (305.3) winning and Klinec a close second at 302.7. Norway’s Eirin Maria Kvandal got third (297.0). Pagnier continues to lead the seasonal standings, ahead of Loutitt.

● Snowboard ● At the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colorado, the FIS Big Air World Cup concluded (!) with its fourth stage, and a dominating win for Japan’s Hiroaki Kunitake, scoring 181.25 to 169.50 for Sam Vermaat (NED) and 169.25 for 2018 Olympic Slopestyle winner Red Gerard of the U.S. The seasonal totals showed Japan’s Kira Kimura as the winner, with 196 points, to 180 for China’s Yuming Su. Gerard was seventh as the top U.S. finisher (120).

Japan’s Kokomo Murase, the Beijing Olympic bronzer, won the women’s Big Air opener back in October and won again on Friday at 197.00, well ahead of teammate Mari Fukada (174.00) and Britain’s 2023 Worlds winner in Slopestyle, Mia Brookes (155.75). Hailey Langland of the U.S. was fourth (139.25). Brookes finished 3-4-2-3 in the four events and took the seasonal title with 250 points to 215 for Fukada (5-6-4-2).

In the Halfpipe, Japan scored again with Beijing Olympic champ Ayumu Hirano getting his sixth career World Cup win at 91.00, to beat Chaeun Lee (KOR: 80.00) and 2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka (JPN: 78.00).

This was the second of five World Cups, with 15-year-old Gaon Choi (KOR) winning the women’s competition at 92.75 for her first World Cup medal (and first win), ahead of 19-year-old Mitsuki Ono, the Worlds bronze medalist (JPN: 90.00) and two-time Worlds medalist Maddie Mastro of the U.S. (88.25).

The Parallel Giant Slalom season got started at Carezza and Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA) on Thursday and Saturday, with a 1-2 finish for the home team, with Maurizio Bormolini winning the first men’s race for his third career World Cup win, bearing teammate Edwin Coratti in the final. Austria’s Olympic gold winner Benjamin Karl won the bronze.

In Cortina, Karl took the final over teammate (and three-time World Champion) Andreas Prommegger, with Italy’s amazing six-time Worlds medalist Roland Fischnaller – now 43 – third.

The women’s Carezza winner was Germany’s 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Ramona Theresia Hofmeister, over Austria’s Beijing Olympic runner-up Daniela Ulbing in the final. The 2023 World Champion, Tsubaki Miki (JPN), won the bronze.

Hofmeister doubled up with another win in Cortina for her 17th career individual World Cup win, this time over Italy’s Lucia Dalmasso, with Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT) third.

At Cervinia (ITA), Olympic champ Alessandro Hammerle (AUT) took the men’s Ski Cross final, beating Australia’s Adam Lambert and Beijing Olympic runner-up Eliot Grondin (CAN), who won the season opener.

Swiss Sina Sigenthaler got her first World Cup medal and first World Cup win in the women’s final, over Australian stars Belle Brockhoff and 2023 Worlds runner-up Josie Baff, with American Stacy Gaskill fourth.

Italy won the SnowCross Team event over France, with the Swiss third.

● Table Tennis ● China swept both divisions of the WTT Women’s Finals in Nagoya (JPN), with Tokyo Olympic silver winner – and no. 1 ranked – Yingsha Sun defeating teammate Yidi Wang, the 2021 Worlds bronze medalist in the Singles final by 4-2 (12-10, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7).

Sun and five-time Worlds gold medalist Manyu Wang teamed up in the Doubles final and won over Japan’s Miyu Nagasaki and Miyuu Kihara by 3-1 (12-10, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10).

● Taekwondo ● The World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions event in Wuxi (CHN) was dominated by Russian athletes competing as “neutrals,” who won three of the eight classes.

Tokyo Olympic men’s +80 kg gold medalist Vladislav Larin won his class by two rounds to one (2:1) in an all-Russian “neutral” final against Rafail Aiukaev, Olympic silver medalist Tatiana Minina won the women’s 57 kg division by 2:0 over China’s Zongshi Luo, and 2023 Worlds +73 kg bronze medalist Polina Khan took the +67 kg title over China’s Shunan Xiao, 2:1.

China claimed two wins, from Yushuai Lang in the men’s 68 kg division, beating Worlds 74 kg winner Marko Golubic (CRO) by 2:1, and in the women’s 67 kg class, as Jie Song won over countrywoman Mergyu Zhang in a walkover.

The men’s 58 kg class was an upset win for Gashim Magomedov (AZE), who defeated reigning World Champion Jun-seo Bae (KOR) by 2:0; Iran’s Mehran Barkhordari took the 80 kg title over Jasurbek Jaysunov (UZB) by 2:1.

In the women’s 49 kg, Turkey’s Elif side Akgul swept Mi-Reu Kang (KOR), 2:0.

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TSX REPORT: IOC leads $45 million refugee pledge, but what about its own athletes? Putin calls for Paris rules analysis; Bennett’s Downhill shocker!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ To get The Sports Examiner by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. LANE ONE: IOC leads $45 million refugee aid pledge; what about Olympic athletes?
2. Putin says IOC’s Olympic restrictions must be analyzed
3. Takahashi pleads not guilty to Tokyo 2020 bribery charges
4. U.S.’s Bennett surprises with Val Gardena Downhill win!
5. Hibbert and Alfred win Bowerman Awards for 2023

● The International Olympic Committee announced a $45 million “Joint Sport Pledge” at the Global Refugee Forum in Switzerland, leading an investment in sport for refugees. But as the IOC reaches out to the grass roots, what about an investment in its most high-profile ambassadors: its Olympic athletes? Is it time for Olympic athletes to get some money for making it to the ultimate showcase?

● Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his year-end news conference that the IOC’s regulations for the participation of Russian athletes must be analyzed carefully, and that if the top Russian athletes cannot compete, then the Russian Olympic Committee and sports ministry “need to assess the situation and make a balanced decision.”

● Former Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member Haruyuki Takahashi pled not guilty to charges of receiving bribes from companies seeking to be Olympic sponsors or seeking work from sponsors.

● American Bryce Bennett raced to a stunning, upset victory in the Downhill in the FIS Alpine World Cup at Val Gardena in Italy. It’s Bennett’s second career World Cup medal; the other was another win at Val Gardena two years ago.

● At the annual Bowerman Awards, Arkansas freshman jumper Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica and Texas sprint star Julien Alfred of St. Lucia were recognized as the top collegiate track & field athletes of the year.

● Panorama: Russia (WADA skeptical of Russian anti-doping program) = Athletics (four more doping bans announced) = Basketball (Williams named USA Basketball 3×3 women’s athlete of the year) = Cycling (no mechanical fraud in World Tour and Women’s World Tour tests) = Fencing (USA Fencing stalwart Cheris passes at 78) = Football (2: women allowed again in Tehran stadium; FIFA announces player of the year finalists) = Swimming (Grimes heads U.S. open-water team for Doha) = Weightlifting (Theisen Lappen wins at Grand Prix II) ● 9

● Update: Yesterday’s story on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment Awards did not clarify that the awards luncheon was held on Wednesday (13th). Bruce Baumgartner (Gen. Douglas MacArthur Exemplary Service Award) and Dale Neuburger (George Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award) attended, but Mary Lou Retton (William E. Simon Award) had a family member present to receive her award as she is still recovering from her illness. The post has been updated. ●

1.
LANE ONE:
IOC leads $45 million refugee aid pledge;
what about Olympic athletes?

The International Olympic Committee made a grand, but also curious, gesture at the Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva (SUI) on Wednesday, offering a $45 million “Joint Sport Pledge’ to aid as many as 500,000 displaced persons.

According to the IOC’s statement, President Thomas Bach (GER) “presented the Joint Sport Pledge on behalf of more than 100 organisations, including over 40 National Olympic Committees and International Federations, as well as governments, refugee-led organisations, UN agencies, civil society organisations, private sector representatives and beyond.”

The statement also noted that the IOC is pledging $15 million to support refugee athletes and the third IOC Refugee Team that will appear in Paris next summer, promote refugee support through media outreach attached to the Olympic Games, use sport to promote mental health of child refugees and create helpful coalitions.

The $45 million commitment is not all in cash: “The commitments made as part of the pledge are as diverse as the pledging entities, and include financial, technical and material support, as well as policy commitments and those that create opportunities for resettlement and complementary pathways.”

But this is quite remarkable. The IOC’s Refugee Athlete Scholarship currently supports 62 athletes from 11 countries, who now live in 19 other countries as refugees. The IOC’s Olympic Solidarity program sponsored 1,146 Olympic Scholarships for Athletes – Paris 2024 in 2022, across 145 National Olympic Committees.

But the Joint Sport Pledge goes well beyond the support of elite and near-elite athletes to grass roots programs, which have mostly been the province of the National Olympic Committees and the International Federations, not so much the IOC. The Olympic Solidarity budget for the Paris 2024 cycle is now $590 million.

But with all of this support for those in need, what about the IOC’s biggest allies and leaders of its future: its Olympic athletes?

Yes, there are plenty of known superstars who will be in Paris and attract vast attention, from U.S. basketball players to Indian javelin throwers to French judoka and Australian swimmers. But as those involved in the Olympic Movement are well aware, most athletes struggle to get by and many are in sports with little commercial profile, such as canoeing, modern pentathlon, sailing and so on.

With the IOC taking in $7.6 billion in the 2017-20/21 cycle, and sitting on $3.62 billion in reserves at the end of 2022, the IOC is well positioned to make an investment in its future through the athletes who compete in the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games.

Why not pay Olympic athletes?

The cries for prize money make little sense for the IOC and are in conflict with the history of the Olympic Games, which, in ancient times, saw the city-states which sent athletes to the Games also reward them for success. This is still true today, with National Olympic Committees paying medal bonuses to athletes who reach the Olympic podium.

It was modern Olympic Movement founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France who referred a banquet audience during the 1908 London Games to a sermon he had heard days before in a church service:

“The Bishop of Pennsylvania recalled this in apt terms: ‘In these Olympiads, the important thing is not winning, but taking part.’ Gentlemen, let us remember this strong statement. It applies to every endeavor, and can even be taken as the basis of a serene and healthy philosophy. What counts in life is not the victory, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to conquer, but to fight well. To spread these precepts is to help create a more valiant, stronger humanity, one that is also more scrupulous and more generous.”

De Coubertin’s comment was formalized for the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and shown on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum scoreboard as:

“The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning, but taking part – The essential thing is not conquering but fighting well. ~ De Coubertin”

It has become one of the iconic mottos in sports.

Adapted to today’s situation, an investment by the IOC in its athletes – all of its athletes, not just those who win medals – would be for an honorarium to all Olympians.

What would this cost? A lot, but actually manageable given the IOC’s revenues, for the roughly 14,000 athletes who compete in the Olympic (11,000) and Winter (3,000) Games:

● 14,000 x $1,000 = $14 million (U.S.)
● 14,000 x $2,000 = $28 million (U.S.)
● 14,000 x $3,000 = $42 million (U.S.)
● 14,000 x $4,000 = $56 million (U.S.)
● 14,000 x $5,000 = $70 million (U.S.)

● 14,000 x $7,500 = $105 million (U.S.)
● 14,000 x $10,000 = $140 million (U.S.)

For star North American and European athletes, this may not seem like a lot, but it could be life-changing for athletes in low-revenue sports and for those in countries with low wage standards. How much change could such gifts bring to those in developing countries?

If the IOC can spend money, time and resources on these exceptionally worthwhile refugee projects, does it not have the energy to distribute some of its wealth to those athletes who achieve the title of Olympian?

The IOC’s commendable work on the Joint Sport Pledge should be exceeded by its willingness to invest in the people it says it values most: its Olympic athletes.

Rich Perelman
Editor

2.
Putin says IOC’s Olympic restrictions must be analyzed

At his year-end news conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave no direct indication whether “neutral” Russian athletes will be able to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but introduced some doubt into the process:

“I’ve always said that athletes are training for years, and we must provide them with an opportunity to participate in grand tournaments, including the Olympic Games.

“Everyone knows that this is our flag flying, everyone knows that this is our athlete participating, it is obvious. That’s why I kept supporting the participation of our athletes in such competitions, but at the moment we need to thoroughly analyze conditions on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.

“If these artificial conditions seek to prevent our leaders, the athletes who are capable of winning gold, silver and bronze medals [from participating], exhaust our team and make it seem that Russian sports is dying instead of developing, then the Ministry of Sports and the Russian Olympic Committee need to assess the situation and make a balanced decision.”

He also reiterated his criticism of the IOC as having become a tool of its sponsors:

“Everything that international officials impose in regard to the Russian sports movement contradicts and perverts the original idea of Pierre de Coubertin … The Olympic Movement was established to unite people, not divide them.

“International officials have become too deeply involved in the business side of the sports movement today and they rely heavily on their donors. If things go on like this, they will bury the Olympic Movement.”

State Duma member and Turin 2006 Olympic speed skating gold medalist Svetlana Zhurova said the IOC’s tactics may be aimed at forcing Russians not to go to Paris:

“If now we ban athletes from participating, and after some time the IOC returns our athletes with the flag and anthem, what then? You need to be balanced, and conditions can change in different directions.

“There is still time before the Olympics, and the president does not want to be the politician who prohibits athletes from going to the Olympics. But the West is just waiting for this.”

Putin’s comments were also expanded on by four-time biathlon Olympic relay gold medalist Alexander Tikhonov, who suggested that only those athletes who are potential medal winners should go to Paris:

“Everything needs to be weighed and left to the professionals. The discussion should involve the heads of federations, the athletes themselves and representatives of the government or the president. We have time to make a decision.

“Many of our athletes have already lost their chances of qualifying for the Olympics, we will no longer be able to form a full delegation, and if we now send those who have no claims to medals, they will laugh at us. They will say that it was right that they did not allow us in, because we were of no use. But I wouldn’t go even if I was competing for a medal.”

3.
Takahashi pleads not guilty to Tokyo 2020 bribery charges

The man at the center of the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship selection scandal, former Dentsu senior director Haruyuki Takahashi, was in court on Thursday and unlike all of the other defendants in the case, did not plead guilty.

“I assert my innocence on all the charges. It was strictly business and it was not a bribe.”

Takahashi, 79, who was a member of the Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee and played a lead role in the procurement of a record-setting $3.3 billion in domestic sponsorship revenue, is accused of receiving payments totaling about ¥198 million (~$1.39 million U.S.) in payments from various companies trying to get sponsorship status or other work from Tokyo 2020.

Prosecutors say he received money from multiple companies between 2017-22, including:

● Aoki Holdings, a business suit retailer
● Kadokawa Corpation, publishers
● Sun Arrow, a maker of plush toys
● ADK Holdings, an advertising agency
● Daiko Advertising

Two other companies, Amuse Consulting and Common 2, may have been fronts through which Takahashi also received payments. In the case of Aoki Holdings and Kadokawa Corporation, the allegation is that the companies became sponsors at a discounted rate thanks to Takahashi; Sun Arrow received a license to make toys with Tokyo 2020 marks and of the mascots; the advertising agencies wanted help to be named as agents for other companies who were sponsors or suppliers.

Ten people have pled guilty to providing bribes, all of whom have received suspended sentences. The trial will extend into January.

This is a separate inquiry from the big-rigging scandal concerning test events and then venue management contracts, with criminal charges being pursued against several companies, including Dentsu. That trial is ongoing and will continue in 2024.

4.
U.S.’s Bennett surprises with Val Gardena Downhill win!

This wasn’t supposed to happen. The way that FIS Alpine World Cup races are structured, the medal winners almost always come from the first group of skiers, numbers 1-15. After they race, there is a break and then skiers 16-22 go, then 23-30 and, finally, nos. 31 to the end.

After the first three Downhill races of the men’s World Cup season were canceled due to bad weather, Thursday’s race at Val Gardena (ITA) turned out to be a shocker. After the top 15, Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, a 12-time World Cup downhill winner and the 2023 Worlds runner-up, was a happy 0.02 seconds up on reigning World Cup champion Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, 1:23.83 to 1:23.85.

France’s Nils Allegre, starting 25th, scared the leaders with a 1:23.93 finish and was in third place, in position to win his first World Cup medal.

Then came American Bryce Bennett, starting 34th, who had won one career World Cup medal, a gold in the Downhill at Val Gardena in December 2021. And lightning struck again.

Bennett, 31, zipped down this hill that he knew well, accelerated where it would do the most good and crossed in a stunning 1:23.80, to take his second career win and second career World Cup medal.

“I did not expect the green light! I wanted to put down a run that I was going to be proud of and I left everything on the hill. I knew I had to take risk in two spots, but there is the chance to lose speed. And if you lose speed here, you’ll never get it back.

“I’m super excited to start the season like this – first downhill of the season!”

Beyond his two wins in Val Gardena, Bennett has four other top-five finishes, all in Downhills and four of his six top-fives have been at this race. There is a Super-G on Friday and then another Downhill on Saturday, with the chance for another shocker.

Bennett’s victory was the first for a U.S. man on the World Cup circuit since his 2021 win, and beyond that, since December 2020 when Ryan Cochran-Siegle won a Super-G at Bormio (ITA).

5.
Hibbert and Alfred win Bowerman Awards for 2023

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the winners of the annual Bowerman Awards on Thursday, given to the top collegiate track & field stars of the season.

The ceremony, held during the USTFCCCA Convention at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora, Colorado, started on a fun note as 2019 winner – and World 110 m hurdles champ – Grant Holloway welcomed, with considerable charm, the past winners on hand before turning the show over to ESPN’s John Anderson, helming the show for the 10th time. Holloway came back for some more hosting duties later in the program and clearly has a future in this area.

The men’s winner was double NCAA triple jump champion Jaydon Hibbert (JAM) of Arkansas, who – as a freshman – won the NCAA Indoors at 17.54 m (57-6 1/2) and the outdoor title at 17.56 m (57-7 1/2). He also owns the collegiate records, with his NCAA Indoor mark and his world-leading 17.87 m (58-7 1/2) outdoor winner at the SEC Championships. Both are also world U-20 records.

All of this at age 18, making Hibbert the youngest ever to win the Bowerman. He beat out NCAA Indoor heptathlon champ Kyle Garland (USA/Georgia) and NCAA outdoor winner (and collegiate record setter) Leo Neugebauer (GER) of Texas.

The women’s trophy was presented to Texas star Julien Alfred (LCA), who dominated the sprints, winning the NCAA Indoor 60 m and 200 m (collegiate records in both) and then took the 100 m (10.72w) and 200 m (21.73w) outdoors, and helped the Longhorns to a 41.60 win in the 4×100 m.

Also nominated were Britton Wilson and Jasmine Moore. Arkansas’ Wilson won the NCAA Indoor 400 m and was second in the NCAA Outdoor 400 m and seventh in the 400 m hurdles, after winning both at the SEC Championships and setting two collegiate records in the flat 400. Florida’s Moore was the NCAA Indoor long and triple jump champion and NCAA outdoor triple jump winner and third-placer in the long jump.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● “WADA remains skeptical and wary of Russia. We must remain vigilant and ensure that all inspection results are communicated to the Olympic organizers. We call on anti-doping organizations to introduce biological passports for all athletes from Russia who could potentially compete at the Olympics in a neutral status.

“Athletes from all over the world want to know that all their opponents, no matter where they are from, face the same anti-doping conditions. To achieve this goal, anti-doping organizations must use all available tools.”

That’s from the World Anti-Doping Agency to the Russian news agency TASS, requesting an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) be established for possible Paris 2024 participants. The ABP measures a series of personal, biological variables, against which future data can be matched for review and possible doping violations.

As of 14 December, it was reported that six Russians and five Belarusians have qualified as possible Paris 2024 participants.

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit announced more doping bans, including Colombian distance runner John Tello Zuniga, 37, for three years beginning on 25 August 2023 for the use of the steroid Clenbuterol. He has a best of 2:14:21 in the marathon from 2021.

Italian Ahmed Abdelwahed was banned for four years, from 7 September 2023 for the use of Meldonium. He was the 2022 European silver medalist in the men’s Steeplechase – that result has been nullified – and has a best of 8:10.29 from 2022.

Marathoner Samir Jouaher (MAR) was also banned, for six years, for use of Erythropoietin (EPO) and CERA, or Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator. Jouaher ran 2:08:42 to win the Riyadh Marathon in Saudi Arabia on 11 February, but that result is now wiped out.

Vidal Basco (BOL), a 62:50 man in the Half Marathon and 28:34.37 for the 10,000 m (from 2019) was banned for four years for Clenbuterol.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball named LSU guard Mikaylah Williams as its 3×3 Female Athlete of the Year. She is a three-time FIBA 3×3 U-18 World Cup Most Valuable Player and led the U.S. to a fifth-straight World Cup gold.

Still just 18, Williams was named the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year for her prep career at Parkway (Bossier City, La.) High School, and in her frosh season at LSU, scored 42 points on 14 November against Kent State.

● Cycling ● Good news on the cheating front. At the annual UCI World Tour and Women’s World Tour seminar in Lausanne, a report noted:

“When it comes to technological fraud, it was revealed that a total of 4,980 controls were carried out at 89% of UCI WorldTour events and 81% of UCI Women’s WorldTour events in 2023. No cases of technological fraud were discovered.”

● Fencing ● Sad news that Sam Cheris, 78, passed away, leaving a brilliant legacy of developing the sport in the U.S. during his tenure as President of the USA Fencing Board from 1988-90 and three terms as Treasurer. Inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame earlier this year, he was saluted by Donald Alperstein, also a USA Fencing President:

“Youth fencing: Sam did that. Team athlete funding: Sam did that. Pulling USA Fencing out of insolvency and placing it on a firm financial footing: Sam did that. Creating a commission that allows referees to choose their own leadership: Sam did that. Requiring that the business of the FIE be conducted in English and Spanish, as well as French: Sam did that. Taking a random list of rules and codifying them as the FIE statutes: Sam did that.”

In addition to his role in the U.S., Cheris was a significant presence internationally, serving as a member of the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE) Executive Committee from 1996-2004, as well as the Publicity Commission (1989-92) and during four decades on the Legal Commission (1996-2023). He was inducted into the FIE Hall of Fame in 2014.

Outside of fencing, Cheris was a Denver-based attorney specializing in business affairs.

● Football ● A limited number of women were allowed to attend a men’s club football match in Tehran (IRI) on Thursday, a small but important step in a continuing campaign by activists against discrimination against women in Iran.

The group OpenStadiums posted an image of three women in the Azadi Stadium for the match between Persepolis and Esteghlal. Some 3,000 tickets for women were reported to be made available.

The post on X (ex-Twitter) included, “Historical day for women’s rights activists and the fight for equal access to public spaces will continue.”

FIFA has been involved in lobbying the Iranian government to relax such restrictions.

FIFA announced the finalists for its best player categories on Wednesday, with the awards to be presented on 15 January 2024 in London:

● Men: Erling Haaland (NOR/Manchester City), Kylian Mbappe (FRA/Paris Saint-Germain) and Lionel Messi (ARG/Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami)

● Women: Aitana Bonmati (ESP/FC Barcelona), Linda Caicedo (COL/Deportivo Cali and Read Madrid CF) and Jennifer Hermoso (ESP/CF Pachuca).

Messi won the award for 2022, when he led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup title.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced five swimmers to compete in the World Aquatics Championships open-water events in Doha in February 2024.

Katie Grimes, the 2023 national champion at 5 km and 10 km, will swim in both events, with Mariah Denigan, the 10 km runner-up and 5 km third-placer. Grimes won the bronze medal at the 2022 Worlds 10 km, with Denigan eighth.

The men’s squad will include Michael Brinegar (10 km), Josh Brown (5 km) and Ivan Puskovitch (5 km-10 km). Puskovitch finished fifth at 10 km and third at 5 km in the nationals races in 2023, with Brinegar 11th at 10 km. Brinegar has Worlds experience, finishing 12th at the 2019 Worlds 10 km event in Gwangju (KOR).

● Weightlifting ● The International Weightlifting Federation’s Grand Prix II in Doha (QAT) concluded on Thursday, with North Korea the strongest team with four wins in the men’s classes and five in the women’s. China scored three women’s wins and Armenia had one men’s and one women’s winner.

The U.S. got an impressive win from Mary Theisen Lappen in the women’s +87 kg class, lifting a combined total of 283 kg and decisively winning the Clean & Jerk at 163 kg. Second at the IWF World Championships, her total in Doha was the best of the year and 6 km up on her Worlds total.

Sarah Robles, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World Champion, won the Snatch title at 124 kg, but retired from the Clean & Jerk. Both will compete at the European Championships next February to continue their Olympic qualifying effort; only one will be able to represent the U.S. in Paris.

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