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TSX REPORT: IOC confident in Seine Olympic water quality; 79% like 2034 Winter Games in Utah; ISU limits jumps but not somersaults!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Paris 2024 torch, pictured over the Seine River (Photo: Paris 2024)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Dubi: “very confident we will swim in the Seine”
2. Euro star Lobalu earns place in Paris as refugee
3. Euro 24 and U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials starting up
4. New poll shows 79% of Utahans support 2034 Winter Games
5. ISU limits figure skating jumps, but OKs somersaults!

● International Olympic Committee Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi said the Executive Board was briefed Thursday on the improvements to the drainage in the Seine River and expressed high confidence that the open-water and triathlon events will be held there.

● The IOC extended an invitation to European 10,000 m champ Dominic Lobalu to join the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. Although he ran for Switzerland at the Europeans, he is not yet a Swiss citizen and therefore cannot be part of the Swiss team at the Games. A team from Afghanistan will compete in Paris, with three men and three women, but no official of the Taliban government will be accredited for the Games.

● Two big events are getting started, the UEFA EURO 2024 football championship in Germany, with England and France as the favorites, and the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, in Indianapolis. The U.S. is expected to field a deep and talented team, but will be competing in a temporary pool on the field level of the Lucas Oil Stadium!

● New polling for The Deseret News showed that 79% of Utahans approve of having the 2034 Olympic Winter Games there, a figure which has remained consistent across three years of surveys. Similar strength of support has also been seen in polling in Los Angeles for 2028.

● The International Skating Union’s figure skating branch approved rules changes to reduce the number of jump sequences in Singles and Pairs beginning in the 2026-27 season, and approved somersaults in competition, effective immediately. A comprehensive presentation was made on how the ISU plans to expand its fan base and impact in all of its disciplines.

● Panorama: LA28 (Bell to chair Cultural Olympiad) = World Anti-Doping Agency (Tunisian anti-doping head still detained) = Athletics (3: Bromell out for Trials due to injury; European Athletics awards €50,000 Gold Crowns; Schwarzman pledges $15 million in USATF Foundation grants) = Cycling (stars Valente and Dygert named to U.S. track cycling team for Paris) = Football (filing asks Euro Court of Justice to consider player’s right to rest in calendar war with FIFA) = Swimming (Aussie magic: McKeown swims no. 2 time ever in women’s 200 m Backstroke) ●

1.
Dubi: “very confident we will swim in the Seine”

Confident. In a word, that sums up the International Olympic Committee’s view on the promised water quality in the Seine River for the open-water swimming events and the triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

At Thursday’s news briefing following the second day of the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne, Executive Director for the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi (SUI) said the issue was mentioned during the Paris 2024 briefing:

“Certainly an explanation by Prefect [of the Ile-de-France Marc] Guillaume. He made clear that it was understood that now, with the full infrastructure in place, especially the well of Austerlitz, they will be able to cope with the request for swimming in the Seine.

“So, very reassuring. He mentioned, however, that the rains of these last days – torrential rains over the last weeks, even, more than days – made it more complicated, but they felt very confident hat the whole program they had designed is in place.

“So, no reasons to doubt. We are very confident as well that we will swim in the Seine this summer.”

The renovation of the Paris water treatment system, at a cost of about $1.5 billion U.S., is a signature effort of the City of Paris for the 2024 Games, and both the Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and French President, Emmanuel Macron, have said they plan to swim in the Seine prior to the Games.

Because of the level of pollution levels in the river for more than a century, swimming has been banned since 1923, but Hidalgo has said that she wants to designate three areas for public swimming after the Games.

As Dubi noted, the issue is the weather. The new treatment concept included the construction of two giant reservoirs to capture rainwater that had overflowed the existing treatment system and caused direct discharge of sewage into the river. The new basins, one inaugurated in April and one coming on line later in June, are designed to end this problem.

But if there are heavy rains, there could be problems.

The triathlons come first, on 30-31 July for the men’s and women’s races and on 5 August for the mixed relay. The open-water 10 km swimming races are scheduled late in the Games on 8-9 August. This spaced-out schedule allows the organizers some flexibility to re-schedule the races if the (heavy) rains come.

2.
Euro star Lobalu earns place in Paris as refugee

One of the feel-good stories of the European Athletics Championships in Rome was the performance of Swiss distance runner Dominic Lobalu, a refugee from South Sudan who left at age eight in 2006, went to Kenya and became part of the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team, competing at the 2017 World Championships in London.

In 2019, he competed in the Harmony Geneva Marathon and decided to stay. Five years later, in Rome, he won a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000 m on 8 June and won the 10,000 m on the 12th. And now he is going to Paris, thanks to an IOC Executive Board decision on Thursday:

“Considering that Lobalu has a refugee status in Switzerland, verified by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and has recently achieved the World Athletics standard for participation in the Olympic Games (5,000m), he is fully eligible to be included in the IOC Refugee Olympic Team with immediate effect.

“Although Lobalu was recently allowed by World Athletics to represent Switzerland in World Athletics competitions (despite not having Swiss nationality), the EB confirmed that he is not eligible to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 because he is currently not a Swiss national, in accordance with Rule 41.1 of the Olympic Charter.”

The IOC also achieved one of its long-standing goals, announcing that Afghanistan will participate in Paris with six athletes, including three women:

“The EB confirmed that the IOC-recognised NOC and its leadership (including the NOC President and NOC Secretary General in exile) continue to be the IOC’s only interlocutor for the preparation and participation of the Afghan NOC team in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. No representative of the de facto authorities/Taliban government will be accredited for these Games.”

The three men will compete in athletics, judo and swimming and the women in athletics and cycling.

The IOC is also assisting the National Olympic Committee of Sudan, currently in exile due to the civil war there, with getting athletes to Paris. One athlete is currently qualified in athletics and the IOC expects a team from 3-9 athletes once all of the qualifications are completed.

3.
Euro 24 and U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials starting up

Two big events get going this week, with the European Championship in men’s football in Germany and the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The UEFA EURO 2024 kicks off on Friday in Munich with Germany and Scotland and the 24 teams will continue with group play through 26 June, in six groups:

● A: Germany, Hungary, Scotland, Switzerland
● B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
● C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England
● D: Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France
● E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine
● F: Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic

The two teams from each group and the four highest-ranked third-place teams will continue to the round of 16 starting on 29 June. The quarterfinals will be played on 5-6 July, the semis on 9-10 July and the final on 14 July at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.

Matches will be played in Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.

England, which was runner-up in 2020 to Italy, is the co-favorite in the tournament along with France, followed by Germany, Portugal and Spain. The longest odds are for Georgia and Slovakia.

Prize money of €331 million (about $360 million U.S.) will be offered, with each team receiving €9.25 million plus match bonuses of €1 million for a win and €500,000 for a draw. Advancement to the round of 16 is worth €1.5 million, to the quarter-finals an added €2.5 million, and to the semi-finals another €4 million. The runners-up will receive €5 million more and the winners will get €8 million. (€1 = $1.07 U.S.).

In the U.S., the matches will be on FOX or FS1.

While EURO 2024 will last for a month, the 26 men and 26 women who will represent the U.S. in swimming will be determined from Saturday (15th) through the following Sunday (23rd) at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

This time, the event will be held for the first time in a football stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Temporary pools have been installed for competition, warm-up and training on the field level with seating of up to 30,000!

USA Swimming has a downloadable “Swimming Watch Party Kit” available, with the full schedule and some fun games.

A total of 28 events will be contested – 14 each for men and women – with heats in the morning at 11 a.m. Eastern, shown on USA Network and NBC’s Peacock streaming service. The finals will be held each evening at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

USA Swimming explains the Olympic qualifying process this way, noting the team limits of 26 men and 26 women:

● “The first-place finisher in each event, as well as the top-4 finishers in the 100m and 200m freestyle events (due to relays), are the first priority to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team”

● “If spots remain, second-place finishers in each event are given second priority to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team”

● “If spots remain, the fifth-place finishers in the 100m and 200m freestyle events qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team as relay-only swimmers”

● “If spots remain, the sixth-place finishers in the 100m and 200m freestyle events qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team as relay-only swimmers”

The U.S. leaders going into the Trials on the 2024 world list:

Men:
● 50 m Free: Ryan Held (21.68: 7th on the 2024 world list)
● 100 m Free: Chris Guiliano (47.49: 2nd)
● 200 m Free: Luke Hobson (1:45.26: 8th)
● 400 m Free: David Johnston (3:46.99: 20th)
● 800 m Free: David Johnston (7:48.20: 16th)
● 1,500 m Free: Charlie Clark (14:57.44: 12th)
● 100 m Back: Hunter Armstrong (52.68: 3rd)
● 200 m Back: Jack Aikins (1:56.21: 9th)
● 100 m Breast: Nic Fink (58.57: 3rd)
● 200 m Breast: Matt Fallon (2:08.18: 7th)
● 100 m Fly: Caeleb Dressel (50.84: 5th)
● 200 m Fly: Luca Urlando (1:55.63: 16th)
● 200 m Medley: Carson Foster (1:56.97: 7th)
● 400 m Medley: Carson Foster (4:10.79: 6th)

Women:
● 50 m Free: Kate Douglass (23.91: 2nd)
● 100 m Free: Kate Douglass (52.98: 7th)
● 200 m Free: Katie Ledecky (1:54.97: 6th)
● 400 m Free: Katie Ledecky (3:59.44: 3rd)
● 800 m Free: Katie Ledecky (8:12.95: 2nd)
● 1,500 m Free: Katie Ledecky (15:38.25: 1st)
● 100 m Back: Regan Smith (57.51: 2nd)
● 200 m Back: Regan Smith (2:03.99: 2nd)
● 100 m Breast: Lilly King (1:05.67: 5th)
● 200 m Breast: Kate Douglass (2:19.30: 2nd)
● 100 m Fly: Torri Huske (55.68: 1st)
● 200 m Fly: Regan Smith (2:04.80: 2nd)
● 200 m Medley: Kate Douglass (2:07.05: 2nd)
● 400 m Medley: Katie Grimes (4:32.45: 3rd)

At Tokyo in 2020, Dressel won five golds in all, Bobby Finke won the 800-1,500 m Frees, Ledecky won the 800-1,500 m Frees and Lydia Jacoby won the women’s 100 m Back. In all, the U.S. led the medal count in swimming again, with 30 medals (11-10-9) to 21 for Australia (9-3-9).

The swimming trials are the start of a massive two weeks on NBC, with diving to follow, as well as track & field (21-30 June) and gymnastics (27-30 June).

4.
New poll shows 79% of Utahans support 2034 Winter Games

One of the reasons that the Salt Lake City bid for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games is sailing toward confirmation by the International Olympic Committee in July is the overwhelming, steadfast support for the event within the state.

The Deseret News released a new poll on Tuesday, showing 79% approve or strongly approve of bringing the Games back to Salt Lake City, with only 14% opposed and 7% who said they did not know.

The breakdown noted that 48% “strongly supported” having the Games and another 31% approved. The poll surveyed 889 registered voters in Utah and has a margin-of-error of 3.4%.

This new poll is consistent with Deseret News polling from the last two years, conducted in concert with the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah:

● 2023 (Jan.): 82% approve (55+27), 12% disapprove, 6% don’t know
● 2022 (Jul.): 79% approve (44+35), 16% disapprove, 5% don’t know

Also worth noting is that the 2024 poll was conducted by a different firm from the 2022-23 polls – HarrisX this time – and had 10% more respondents, but retained the same strong support.

The support in Utah is similar to that seen for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. A Los Angeles Times poll released in February 2022 showed 76% approval of the Games and 16% disapproval. A July 2023 national survey taken by the Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics reported that the event “positively impacts the United States” by 78-4% (779-36) with 15% saying no impact and 3% not sure.

A March 2023 Los Angeles Times poll asked about the Games in a different way. Surveying only residents of the City of Los Angeles, 57.2% said the 2028 Olympics would be good for L.A., 20.2% said it would be bad, 16.2% said it won’t matter, and 6.2% undecided or refused to answer the question.

Those results were far better than for the question of whether Los Angeles was a good or excellent place to live: only 47.8% agreed, 33.2% said it’s just fair and 17.6% called it “poor”!

5.
ISU limits figure skating jumps, but OKs somersaults!

Major rules changes in figure skating were approved Thursday at the International Skating Union Congress in Las Vegas, changing the number of jumps allowed, but also removing the ban on somersaults.

After lengthy discussion, multiple groups of proposals were approved, with some rejected. A package of proposals in the Singles and Pair Skating Technical Rules – nos. 234-246 – was passed which will revamp the allowed elements in all programs:

Illegal Elements/Movements (proposal 236 for rule 610):
● Removed “somersault type jumps”
● Reason: “somersault type jumps are very spectacular and nowadays it is not logical anymore to include them as illegal movements”

Singles (proposal 239 for rule 612):
● Six jump elements allowed instead of seven
● Three spins maximum, with one a choreographic spin

Pairs (proposal 245 for rule 621):
● Two lifts allowed instead of three
● One choreographic lift allowed, no choreographic sequences
● No pair spin combinations, but one choreographic pair spin OK

These changes were sold as a move to a more “well-balanced program,” reintroducing more choreographic and expressive elements and lessening the overwhelming scoring impact of jump sequences. One of the outcomes of these changes will be lower scores.

One of the discussion points was the timing of these new elements, since the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy is coming up quickly. So, at the request of the ISU Council, the implementation of the changes on the jumps and other items in the 234-246 package were delayed to the 2026-27 season, after the Milan Cortina Games have concluded (the vote on this was 31-25).

However: three items were approved to be instituted immediately – for the 2024-25 season – including the approval of somersault jumps.

ISU Director General Colin Smith (GBR), who came from years of running the FIFA World Cup and that federation’s other championships, gave the Congress an in-depth look on Monday at new concepts to drive growth in figure, speed, short track and synchronized skating.

The two pillars of the strategic plan were the athletes and the fans, both current and future. Said Smith:

“Delivering events is often referred to as the ‘experience delivery business,’ and we want to make sure that people become absorbed in the sport of skating, and if not already, become engaged fans of our sport.”

He explained over more than 40 minutes a series of initiatives the ISU has started, or wants to start to take the single focus of the competitions and expand them:

● “Athlete showcasing: our skaters are athletes, they are the stars of the show. We need to help them want to help us, so featuring hashtags, helping our athletes delivering in their social media and working with us also to develop and promote the sport.”

● “Stadium dressing, fan zones, sponsor activations, food and drink, merchandise, comfort for our fans when they go to watch our events.”

● “We want to curate the show so it’s not only about watching what’s on the ice, but creating an entertainment, a show while they are there, where the performances on the ice are front and center.”

Central to these improvements will be better television production, with more graphics, more live scoring and more “stuff” as shown in a rocking video: “skaters as heroes, more entertainment, more action, more drama, more behind the scenes, more moments of joy, more analysis, more interviews, more insights … more of what fans and skaters love.”

He also spoke at length about content – digital engagement in all forms and formats, and well beyond the standard platforms – that goes way beyond the on-ice performances as shown on television (for which he also underscored the need for better presentation):

“So how are we going to create this extra content? A lot of it is behind the scenes. A lot of it is off-ice as well, and on-ice we will provide program packaging, with magazine programs and highlight programs. And we work with our partner Infront [Sports & Media] on the distribution.

“So this additional content will add real flavor and flair that we can then further use to promote our sport.”

Delivery also has to expand. The ISU Web site will split into two: one for the existing governance and information side, and another simply for fans, a “front door” for them for all four disciplines of the ISU. Then there’s the ISU app, also to be re-designed to offer continuous engagement opportunities: not just events, highlights and stories, but also games and ways to involve fans at all times.

Smith talked at length about in-arena presentation, modern uses of signage to offer more commercial sales possibilities, and even teased the new look of the now-approved Short Track World Tour, which will have national-team uniforms with team names – such as the Belgian Ice Bears and the French Roosters – and opportunities for new sponsor sales on the uniforms themselves.

And he made a critical point, noting that the ISU needs to create a sense of anticipation each year as its season approaches, so that skating can “own winter:””

“Consistency in the calendar, the predictability of when fans can watch skating is key to helping them join our sport.”

That’s something every sport must agree on, if they are going to grow. Smith’s plans are ambitious, but the Congress was convinced and gave approval for many of the reforms requested.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers announced the appointment of Maria Arena Bell as the Chair of the LA28 Cultural Olympiad:

“Bell is an experienced executive and Founder of Vitameatavegamin Productions as well as an arts advocate with more than three decades of experience. A native Angeleno, she served as Board Chair at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles at a pivotal time; chaired P.S. Arts, providing arts education programs in LA County and the Central Valley; and was appointed to the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission; amongst other notable positions.”

The announcement noted that Bell will be contributing her time “as an unpaid volunteer with the LA28 organizing committee, she will report to LA28 Chairman and President Casey Wasserman.”

Bell, 61, won an Emmy Award for her work on “The Young and the Restless” and served from 2013-17 as a member of the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The situation surrounding the brief suspension of the Anti-Doping Organization of Tunisia and the arrest of its director has not been resolved.

On Thursday, WADA issued a statement asking for the release and reinstatement of ANAD Director General, Mr. Mourad Hambli, who was detained after he and other officials followed the WADA requirements for the then-suspended organization an at international swimming competition in Tunisia:

“WADA has met with and subsequently written to the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Government of Tunisia urging him to do all that is necessary to secure Mr. Hambli’s release. In addition, on 28 May 2024, WADA wrote to the Tunisian Embassy in Switzerland, the Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and specialized institutions in Switzerland to schedule a meeting with the ambassador to discuss this urgent matter. To date, no response has been received. …

“Reports that the ANAD Director General had been arrested for doing so is a matter of grave concern.”

ANAD was suspended on 30 April 2024 and, as expected at the time, was reinstated as of 15 May due to a change in national laws regarding doping in sports. But Hambli is apparently still in custody.

● Athletics ● Trayvon Bromell, the World Indoor 60 m champion in 2016 and a Worlds 100 m bronze winner in 2015 and 2022, is out for the U.S. Olympic Trials after injuring his leg at the Citta di Savona meet on 15 May. He ran 10.14 in his opener in late April, but was last in 10.87 in the Savona final and will miss a try for his third Olympic team.

The European Championships awarded “Gold Crowns” to 10 athletes who were the best in their event groups in terms of their performance on the World Athletics scoring table:

● Men/Sprints-Hurdles: Karsten Warholm (NOR), 400 m hurdles
● Men/Distance: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), 1,500-5,000 m
● Men/Jumps: Mondo Duplantis (SWE), pole vault
● Men/Throws: Leonardo Fabbri (ITA), shot put
● Men/Combo-Road: Johannes Erm (EST), decathlon

● Women/Sprints-Hurdles: Femke Bol (NED), 400 m hurdles
● Women/Distance: Nadia Battocletti (ITA), 5,000-10,000 m
● Women/Jumps: Malaika Mihambo (GER), long jump
● Women/Throws: Sandra Elkasevic (CRO), discus
● Women/Combo-Road: Nafi Thiam (BEL), heptathlon

Each will receive €50,000 (about $53,687 U.S.), the first time that prize money of any kind has been paid at the Europeans.

Good news for USATF athletes, as one of the sport’s biggest donors has pledged yet more money for support:

“In an unprecedented show of support for Team USA athletes ahead of the 2024 Olympics, Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s largest alternative investment firms, has pledged $15 million to the USATF Foundation over the next four years. This brings Mr. Schwarzman’s gifted and pledged support for the Foundation to nearly $30 million since 2013.”

Schwarzman, now 77, will have funded 655 athletes grants after the 2024 grant list is revealed. The new funding will be distributed:

“Every year over the next Olympic cycle, 65 track & field athletes will be awarded $40,000 Stephen A. Schwarzman grants and 35 additional athletes will be awarded $30,000 Stephen A. Schwarzman grants.”

The USATF Foundation Board and other donors have pledged another $10 million in funding to complement Schwartzman’s donations.

● Cycling ● USA Cycling named a strong women’s track cycling team for Paris, led by Tokyo 2020 Omnium champion Jennifer Valente, back for her third Olympic Games.

Valente, 29, has also won Team Pursuit medals at Rio in 2016 (silver) and Tokyo 2020 (bronze) and will be back for more, along with Chloe Dygert, who was on both of those medal-winning teams. They will be joined by Kristen Faulkner and Olivia Cummins.

Valente will also contest the Madison, this time with Lily Williams; Valente and Megan Jastrab were ninth at Tokyo 2020 in the event.

Dygert, 27, will be busy, also qualifying for the road race and the Individual Time Trial.

The only U.S. qualifier in the men’s events is Grant Koontz, in the Omnium.

● Football ● The fight between player unions and FIFA over the ever-more-crowded international match calendar took another step on Thursday, with the English Professional Footballers Association joining the French players union (UNFP) in an action in a Belgian court:

“The claim specifically asks the Brussels Court of Commerce to refer the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The ECJ would be asked to provide a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of EU law as it relates to footballers’ rights under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including the right of players to take an annual period of paid leave. The ECJ would then send the case back to the court in Belgium for a final ruling which could have a significant and far-reaching impact on the way the football calendar is structured.”

At specific issue is FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup for 2025, moving from seven clubs in a 10-day tournament in Saudi Arabia in December 2023 to a 32-team, 29-day tournament in June and July next year, but other club competitions – for example in UEFA – have also expanded.

● Swimming ● Day four of the Australian Olympic trials produced more fireworks in the pool, starting with the no. 2 performance of all-time from Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 200 m Backstroke.

She split 60.58 and 62.72 to win handily in 2:03.30, not far behind her 2023 world-record swim of 2:03.14. She won by more than four seconds.

Lizzy Dekkers, the 2023 Worlds runner-up in the women’s 200 m butterfly, won that event in 2:06.01, behind her April performance at the Australian nationals in 2:05.20 (no. 3 in 2024). Abbey Connor moved to no. 8 worldwide in second at 2:06.82.

World-record setter Ariarne Titmus got her third win of the meet and moved to no. 3 in the world for 2024 in the women’s 800 m Free, timing 8:14.06. Lani Pallister was second in 8:18.46, now no. 6 on the world list.

Rio 2016 men’s 100 m Free champ Kyle Chalmers won his specialty in 47.75, slower than his 47.63 win at the national championships in April, which ranks fourth worldwide.

The meet concludes on Saturday.

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TSX REPORT: Salt Lake 2034 sailing, headwinds for French Alps 2030; four more Valieva 2022 appeals! Big TV audience for NYC Grand Prix!

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! ★

★ Friends: Thank you to our 10 donors, who have covered 17% of our summer goal for technical support expenses. If you can support our coverage, please donate here. Your enthusiasm is the reason this site continues. Really. ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Salt Lake City 2034 bid sails on, not so French Alps 2030
2. Bach: emotional moment at the Eiffel Tower
3. IOC: Int’l Federation role is not to pay prize money
4. Four new appeals in Beijing 2022 skating Team event drama
5. Strong NYC Grand Prix TV audience, good NCAA T&F ratings

● The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board approved the recommendations of its Future Host Commission and forwarded the French Alps 2030 bid and the Salt Lake City 2034 bid to the IOC Session for approval in July. The Salt Lake City bid is complete; the French Alps bid still needs government guarantees.

● IOC President Thomas Bach opened the Executive Board meeting Lausanne by telling his colleagues about Paris 2024: “They are ready. They are set,” and shared an emotional moment of seeing the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower.

● The IOC Executive Board posted a statement, chiding World Athletics for offering prize money for the winners of the Paris 2024 track and field events, including “The NOCs and the IFs have different roles to play to make their support for athletes effective and transparent.”

● Four appeals in the endless wrangling over the Beijing 2022 Winter Games were filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, including three from Russia and one from Canada, all widely anticipated. A hearing on the Russian appeals was held Wednesday; the Canadian appeal hearing is still to come.

● Big viewing audience for the NYC Grand Prix track meet on NBC on Sunday, with 1.371 million, following an 81% year-over-year increase for ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Track & Field Championships! But both were overshadowed by football matches, especially the Brazil vs. Mexico friendly in College Station, Texas!

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: Air France to carry 20% of athletes attending Olympic or Paralympic Games; “MindZone” and Olympic Village nursery to debut in Paris) = Los Angeles 2028 (LA28 asks for Para Climbing to be added to 2028 program) = Milan Cortina 2026 (“very reassuring” construction report given to IOC) = Int’l Testing Agency (IOC adds $10 million grant to ITA budget for 2025-28) = Russia (BRICS Games opens in Kazan) = U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (New Era Cap joins as licensee) = Athletics (3: world leads in three more events as European Champs close in Rome; Katir and Cherono face new suspensions for doping; “official” NCAA attendance figure provided) = Basketball (2: USA Basketball names women’s Olympic team; college, Olympic and NBA legend Jerry West passes at 86) = Football (U.S. men rebound with 1-1 tie with Brazil) = Skating (ISU Congress agrees to re-write constitution, allow markings on costumes) = Swimming (3: Titmus smashes 200 Free world record in Aussie trials; 1,007 qualify for U.S. trials; Court of Arbitration tosses Thomas’ suit to enter U.S. Trials) ●

1.
Salt Lake City 2034 bid sails on, not so French Alps 2030

As expected, the Salt Lake City-Utah bid for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board to be presented for formal election on 24 July at the IOC Session in Paris.

Karl Stoss, the IOC’s Future Host Commission Chair for the Winter Games, told an online news conference that the Salt Lake City situation is near-perfect:

“The Salt Lake City project is a really great project, with a very, very strong engagement from the private side. So that means 100% privately-funded revenues in this project. And it is guaranteed and it is very clear for us that this one will be a very comprehensive and balanced budget.

“So, from our side, nothing is outstanding. It’s going on, and as we told you in Salt Lake City already, I think Salt Lake City would be ready to start the Olympic Winter Games tomorrow.

“But they have still time ‘til 2034 and we are looking forward to see all the friends in Paris for the election.”

At a follow-up online news conference from Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City-Utah chief executive Fraser Bullock said it’s not over yet (but getting close):

“Obviously, we have to prepare a little bit for when there’s going to be the formation of an OCOG or an organizing committee. We don’t spend a lot of time on that; let’s win the bid first, but obviously some ongoing efforts.”

He explained that while any discussions concerning the host-city contract for the 2034 Games with the IOC are confidential, “they are collaborative, they are a wonderful partner, and we’re reviewing all kinds” of items related to the bid.

And what about start-up funding for a 2034 organizing committee, planned to be exceptionally thin, but which will still need money?

“Relative to early funding, no, we haven’t asked for nor will we receive any early funding from the IOC. We are fortunate that we have a very supportive community, and our formula for funding the organizing committee in the early years is spend very little, but raise money from our community that will support the needs we have, both early on and all the way through the Games.

“And so it will be all donations because we don’t have any opportunity to pursue sponsors until L.A. [2028] is concluded.”

Next up is a private online briefing for all IOC members on 26 June of about 30 minutes, followed by questions. The election date in Paris has been fixed as 24 July.

Salt Lake City’s proposed dates for the 2034 Games are 10-26 February for the Olympic Winter Games and 10-19 March for the Winter Paralympic Games.

Things are more unsettled for the French Alps 2030 bid, where the required governmental guarantees for things like finances, security, athlete access and so on have not been completed, and complicated by the snap elections for the French Parliament to be held on 30 June and 7 July.

Stoss explained:

“The French Alps 2030 project has committed to deliver all outstanding guarantees prior to the IOC Session. Due to the current political situation in France, the documents could not be finalized before the [Executive Board] decision.

“Therefore, today’s EB decision on French Alps 2030 is subject to the following being delivered in accordance with IOC requirements. It means prior to the IOC Session, submission of the Games delivery guarantee by the French government and a final confirmation of a public partnership contribution to the Games organization budget from the two regions of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes [AURA] and Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur [PACA] and the French government.”

Stoss also spoke to the situation for 2038, where a “preferred dialogue” has been identified with Switzerland, noting the discussions are ongoing:

“We are waiting for a few answers, and we are in a very good dialogue with them, and I think we will continue this dialogue very fast, after Paris. Maybe in 2025 we start a targeted dialogue with Switzerland.”

The IOC Executive Board did approve the “initial sports program” for 2030, with the same core sports for all Winter Games this century: biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing. The specific disciplines in each will be confirmed in 2025.

2.
Bach: emotional moment at the Eiffel Tower

The IOC made available a video of the opening of the IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, with President Thomas Bach (GER) expressing his enthusiasm for the forthcoming Paris Games:

“Paris is not only on track to deliver the first-ever Olympic Games aligned with our Olympic Agenda reforms, but they are ready. They are set.

“You can feel this in the discussions with everybody, but also in the city . So I had a pretty emotional moment there on Saturday afternoon, it was unbelievable. They had put up, over the night, the [Olympic] Rings at the Eiffel Tower, and then on Saturday, we went there. I wanted to see it first-hand; photos are nice, so we went to the Trocadero – full of people, everybody in awe – looking at the Rings and the Eiffel Tower.

“Then it was about sunset, then the Eiffel Tower turned first into bronze, then into gold, in the background, you had the cupola of the dome of the Invalides, shining in gold, it was really breathtaking.

“Then we were waiting for a couple of minutes, and then the sun set, and the Rings were illuminated. It’s really unbelievable and you can feel this in the city.”

The Executive Board meeting continues through Friday; Bach is expected to hold his media briefing on Friday.

3.
IOC: Int’l Federation role is not to pay prize money

The IOC Executive Board issued a statement Wednesday in its customary, calm tone that emphasized that it is not the role of International Federations to pay prize money to athletes who win medals at the Olympic Games.

In April, World Athletics announced that it would pay $50,000 to each Olympic gold medal winner in Paris (individuals or relay teams), a first among international federations. The move has been celebrated among athletes, but condemned by other federations. The IOC’s view:

“The NOCs and the IFs have different roles to play to make their support for athletes effective and transparent.

“The role of the NOCs is to develop the athletes, give them the best possible training and competition conditions, and support them in education and their daily life with regard to their profession. Finally, it is the prerogative of the NOCs to select the athletes from their country who have qualified on the field of play for the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, the athletes take part as members of the Olympic team of their respective NOCs. A significant majority of NOCs reward their team members for their achievements at the Olympic Games.

“The IFs have a different role. The athletes do not participate as members of their sport, but as members of their national Olympic team. The role of the IFs is to develop their sport universally, to give as many people as possible access to their sport, and finally to undertake to close the gap between athletes from more privileged countries and those from less privileged ones. In this way, they have to create more equal conditions for all the athletes around the world in their respective sports.

“These distinct responsibilities were recently reaffirmed by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF) and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).”

The statement did not indicate that any action would be taken against World Athletics, which will fund the $2.4 million in payments from its share of the IOC’s television rights payment given to the federations after each Olympic Games. It is expected to receive $40 million or more from the IOC following the Paris Games.

4.
Four new appeals in Beijing 2022 skating Team event drama

The endless saga of the doping positive of Russian skater Kamila Valieva and the final results of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games Team figure skating event, is continuing with a Wednesday hearing and four appeals of the final results to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 12 June hearing concerned three of the four appeals:

● Russian Olympic Committee vs. International Skating Union
● Figure Skating Federation of Russia vs. International Skating Union
● Aleksandr Galliamov, Nikita Katsalapov, Mark Kondratiuk, Anastasia Mishina, Victoria Sinitsina and Kamila Valieva v. International Skating Union

These three appeals all seek the same outcome, to place Russia as the winner of the event – that was the result on the ice in Beijing, prior to the disclosure of Valieva’s doping positive – changing the re-ranking of the results by the ISU, which elevated the United States to the gold medal, Japan to the silver, but with a re-scoring concept that left Russia in third place.

The fourth appeal is from Canadian skating and includes team members Madeline Schizas, Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier, Kirsten Moore-Towers, Michael Marinaro, Eric Radford, Vanessa James and Roman Sadovsky, plus Skate Canada, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It names as defendants the Russian team member, the Russian Olympic Committee, the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, the International Skating Union and the International Olympic Committee.

This appeal asks the Court of Arbitration for Sport to rule on the ISU’s re-ranking of the results from 30 January – highly questioned at the time, and since – and to place the U.S. first, Japan second and advance Canada to third, based on the ISU’s competition and anti-doping rules in place at the time of the Beijing Winter Games.

Reports indicate that the Canadian appeal will be heard on 22 July; all four are questioning the same result and all sides said after the ISU’s January holding that they would appeal.

The ISU, in its re-ranking, subtracted the 20 points won by Valieva for first places in the women’s Short Program and Free Skate. That brought down the Russian score from 74 to 54, behind the U.S. (65) and Japan (63). However, the Canadians point to ISU rules which specifically require a re-ranking to elevate the placement (and points won) by athletes impacted by the disqualification of an athlete ranked above them.

By doing this, Canada would earn an additional point in both the women’s Short Program and Free Skate and would have 55 points, to 54 for Russia, and thus the bronze medal.

5.
Strong NYC Grand Prix TV audience, good NCAA T&F ratings

Nielsen television audience data for last weekend is now available, with good numbers for the NCAA Track & Field Championships on ESPN, but much bigger for Sunday’s NYC Grand Prix.

The NCAA meet in Eugene concluded with strong viewing – more than 500,000 – for both the men’s Friday finals and the women’s Saturday finals:

● 5 June (Wed.): 340,000 on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern
● 6 June (Thu.): 257,000 on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern
● 7 June (Fri.): 602,000 on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. Eastern
● 8 June (Sat.): 519,000 on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. Eastern (40)

The four-day total on ESPN and ESPN2 was 1,718,000, way up from the past three years:

● 2023 in Austin: 948,000 combined total (2024: +81.2%)
● 2022 in Eugene: 1,178,000 combined total (2024: +45.8%)
● 2021 in Eugene: 909,000 combined total (2024: + 89.0%)

The 602,000 audience for Friday’s men’s finals was the best since 603,000 in 2022 for the Saturday women’s finals.

However, Sunday’s NYC Grand Prix – featuring Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles on NBC – did much better, with a prime, 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) slot and an average audience of 1.371 million!

That’s the biggest T&F television audience of the year (min. 250,000; all times Eastern):

● 09 Jun.: 1.371 million on NBC for USATF NYC Grand Prix
● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 25 May: 1.166 million on NBC for Prefontaine Classic
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals

● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 07 Jun.: 602,000 on ESPN for NCAA T&F Championships
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships
● 08 Jun.: 519,000 on ESPN for NCAA T&F Championships

● 05 Jun.: 340,000 on ESPN2 for NCAA T&F Championships
● 06 Jun.: 257,000 on ESPN2 for NCAA T&F Championships

The NYC Grand Prix also had a respectable 106,000 audience in the prized 18-34 age demographic; Saturday’s NCAA Champs had 40,000 in the same age group.

National-team football matches also did well, especially with Spanish-language audiences:

● 08 Jun.: 709,000 on Telemundo for USA-Colombia at 5:00 p.m.
● 08 Jun.: 611,000 on TNT for USA-Colombia at 5:30 p.m. Eastern
● 08 Jun.: 203,000 on TNT for USA-Colombia pre-game at 4:30 p.m.

The age 18-34 audiences included 117,000 on TNT and 101,000 for Telemundo.

The Mexico-Brazil friendly, a 3-2 win in stoppage time for the Brazilians before 85,249 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas (8:30 p.m. Eastern), was a much better draw, with 1.589 million on Univision and 249,000 on TUDN for a 1.838 million. The combined 18-34 audience totaled 319,000.

For comparison, the French Open finals on NBC in Paris drew 756,000 for the women’s Swiatek-Paolini championship on Saturday and 1.621 million for Sunday’s Alcaraz-Zverev men’s final.

Saturday’s NBC Sports Olympic Trials special, which included wrestling, drew 644,000 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Air France is going to be busy this summer; it announced Wednesday:

“Based on reservations made at this stage, the company expects to carry 20% of all athletes and para-athletes travelling to Paris and France, i.e., 1 in 5 athletes, mainly from Brazil, the United States, Italy and Japan.

“In terms of the different categories of athlete, the company plans to carry 15% of Olympic athletes and 35% of Paralympic athletes. 13% of the “Olympic family”, comprising mainly members of the National Olympic Committees and the International Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games will also travel on Air France.

“Over the summer of 2024, Air France expects to carry up to 125,000 customers per day, equivalent to the volumes during summer 2019. Athletes, delegations and supporters will be arriving en masse over 24, 25 and 26 July, and departing on 11, 12 and 13 August, with a peak in traffic expected on 12 August. Traffic peaks are also expected during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Supporters for these two competitions flying with Air France will be arriving mainly from the United States, UK, Italy, Germany and Japan.”

The IOC unveiled two new athlete services for 2024, to be housed at the Olympic Village, the Athlete365 Mind Zone and the Olympic Village Nursery.

The Athlete365 Mind Zone is the first space in an Olympic Village looking after the athletes’ mental health, and Olympic Village Nursery will provide a space for playtime and family bonding for athlete parents:

“The Nursery does not provide childcare, but is rather a dedicated and quiet space for Olympians and Paralympians to have quality time with their children. It can be booked for a private or shared timeslot through an online booking system.”

● Paralympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizing committee proposed the additional of Para Climbing to the program of the 2028 Paralympic Games, the first time an organizing committee has asked to add extra sports to the Paralympic program.

The 22 core sports for the 2028 Paralympic Games were approved by the International Paralympic Committee in January 2023: Blind Football (soccer), Boccia, Goalball, Para Archery, Para Athletics, Para Badminton, Para Canoe, Para Cycling, Para Equestrian, Para Judo, Para Powerlifting, Para Rowing, Para Swimming, Para Table Tennis, Para Taekwondo, Para Triathlon, Shooting Para Sport, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis.

Para Climbing, as an added sport, can be formally approved at the IPC Governing Board meeting on 26 June.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi (SUI) said the IOC Executive Board received an upbeat report on the preparation for 2026:

“The crux of the report was really the presence of Simico CEO [Fabio Massimo] Saldini, going into the details of each of the venues that they are in charge of developing in the next few months.

“So, very reassuring, very detailed report on each of them, including the bob and luge track. I will not comment any further than saying that so far the initial steps are according to timeline. But we have also said, and on numerous occasions, that this is an extremely tight timeline.

“The same goes for the ski jumping hills in Val di Fiemme, which have suffered delays in their construction. A new homologation and testing scheme is being put in place with the international federation, the FIS.”

Dubi added that Milan Cortina is also developing a ticketing program that assures strong attendance and sufficient revenue against their budget.

● International Testing Agency ● The IOC Executive Board founded the ITA in 2017 with a $30 million grant and on Wednesday, an additional $10 million donation was authorized for the period of 2025-28. The announcement noted:

“The ITA, pursuing a sustainable financial model that mainly relies on revenues from the over 70 international sports bodies to which it delivers programmes, has been able to reduce its reliance on the IOC’s Olympic Movement financial contribution to only 9 per cent of its annual budget. This figure is lower than anticipated at the inception of the Agency, and demonstrates its increased financial independence.”

● Russia ● The BRICS Games in Kazan were opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (12th), and will continue through the 24th. Initial reports were of 4,751 participants from 60 countries – 90 have been invited – competing in 27 sports and 387 events.

(BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.)

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC announced a new licensing deal with New Era Cap, which “will provide exclusive headwear to U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, beginning with the moment they make the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through their experiences in Paris.”

This is the first U.S. Olympic team product agreement with a “headwear-focused brand” and American athletes “will receive three additional New Era caps – a bucket hat, a beret, and a trucker-style cap – that are exclusive to Olympians and Paralympians.”

The licensing deal also includes the LA28 organizing committee, with specific products to be created for sale.

Team USA hats and caps from New Era are on sale now.

● Athletics ● The 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome came to a close on Wednesday, with strong performances in the final two days that included multiple world-leading performances:

● Men/High Jump: 2.37 m (7-9 1/4), Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA)
● Men/Triple Jump: 18.04 m (59-2 1/4), Pedro Pichardo (POR)
● Men/Triple Jump: 18.18 m (59-7 3/4), Jordan Diaz (ESP)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 52.49, Femke Bol (NED)
● Women/Long Jump: 7.22 m (23-8 1/4), Malaika Mihambo (GER)

Tamberi, the co-Olympic champ in Tokyo, thrilled the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, won the men’s high jump at 2.31 m (7-7), , then cleared 2.34 m (7-8) and 2.37 m (7-9 1/4) on his first tries for his third European title, also in 2016 and 2022. Ukraine’s Vladyslav Lavskyy was second, equaling his lifetime best of 2.29 m (7-6).

The triple jump was sensational, with Portugal’s Olympic champ Pablo Pedro Pichardo taking the world lead in round two at 18.04 m (59-2 1/4), his third-longest jump ever. But Spain’s Diaz – like Pichardo, a former Cuban – exploded in round five to 18.18 m (59-7 3/4), moving him to third all-time!

Dutch star Boll had the lead from the second hurdle on in the women’s 400 m hurdles final and breezed to a 52.49 win, a full 1.6 seconds up on Louise Maraval (FRA), 52.49 to 54.23. Bol defended her 2022 title and from 21-24 has won nine European titles, both indoor and outdoor.

In the women’s long jump, Germany’s Mihambo – also Olympic champ in Tokyo – ended the proceedings early, throwing down a massive 7.22 m (23-8 1/4) winner in round two. It’s her second-best jump ever and best in five years! Italy’s Larissa Iapichino moved to no. 3 on the outdoor world list in second at 6.94 m (22-9 1/4).

Norway’s Olympic 1,500 m champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the lead just 600 m into the men’s 1,500 final and did not relinquish it, winning his sixth Euro outdoor track title (he’s only 23) in 3:31.95, with Belgium’s Jochen Vermeulen getting a lifetime best for second in 3:33.30.

Teammate Karsten Warholm won his third European gold in succession in the 400 m hurdles in 46.98, astonishingly, not among his personal top-10 fastest races! He was well ahead of a national record 47.50 by Italy’s Alessandro Sibilio.

Dominic Lobalu, a refugee from South Sudan now running for Switzerland, followed up his 5,000 m bronze with a final-lap win in the men’s 10,000 m in 28:00.32, ahead of France’s Yann Schrub (28:00.48).

Mondo Duplantis (SWE) took his third European title in the men’s vault, winning at 5.92 m (19-5), then cleared 5.97 m (19-7) and 6.10 m (20-0) before going to a world record 6.25 m (20-6) and missing three times. Greek Emmanouil Karalis boosted himself to no. 3 on the outdoor world list in second at 5.87 m (19-3).

Tokyo Olympic javelin silver winner Jakub Vadleych (CZE) moved up from second in 2022 to European Champion with his final-round 88.65 m (290-10) bomb that also makes him no. 2 on the world list this season. He overtook German Julian Weber, the 2022 winner, who reached 85.94 m (281-11) in the first round, but could not improve.

Estonia’s Johannes Erm moved to no. 2 in the world for 2024 with his 8,764 in the decathlon, a lifetime best, with Norway’s Sander Skotheim second at 8,635. World-record holder Kevin Mayer (FRA) was fifth at 8,476.

Italy capped off a great meet with a 37.82 win in the men’s 4×100 m, with the Netherlands a distant second in 38.46. Only the U.S. (37.40) has run faster among national teams. Belgium, with 400 m champ Alexander Doom on anchor, won the 4×4 in 2:59.84 (which would have placed fourth at the NCAA meet), ahead of Italy in 3:00.81.

Swiss Mujinga Kambundji repeated as European women’s 200 m champ at 22.49 (+0.7), just ahead of Daryll Neita (GBR: 22.50). World 800 m leader Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) didn’t feel well, but led wire-to-wire to win the 800 in 1:58.65, ahead of Gabriela Gajanova (SVK: 1:58.79).

Italy’s Nadia Battocletti completed a 5-10 double with a national record 30:51.32 runaway in the women’s 10,000 m in 30:51.32. Diane van Es (NED) got a lifetime best in second in 30:57.24.

Great Britain, with Neita on anchor, won the 4×100 m in 41.91, no. 2 in 2024, with France (42.15) second. Bol anchored in 50.45 to help the Netherlands win the 4×4 in 3:22.39, also no. 2 among national teams in 2024. Ireland was a close second in 3:22.71 and Belgium was right behind at 3:22.95.

Austria’s world no. 2 Victoria Hudson got her first European medal with a 64.62 m (212-0) win in the javelin.

Italy triumphed on the medal table with 24 in all (11-9-4), followed by France with 16 (4-5-7) and Great Britain with 13 (4-4-5).

The Athletics Integrity Unit has added charges of tampering against already-suspended distance stars Mohamed Katir (ESP: suspended to February 2026) and Lawrence Cherono (KEN).

Katir, the 2022 Worlds 1,500 m bronzer and 2023 Worlds 5,000 m runner-up, was banned for “whereabouts” failures; Cherono, a 2:03;04 marathoner from 2020, has been charged with the use of trimetazidine and provisionally suspended; the tampering charge is additional.

Association of Track & Field Statisticians Treasurer Tom Casacky kindly provided the official attendance figures for the NCAA T&F Championships in Eugene last week:

● 5 June: Day 1 – 8,668
● 6 June: Day 2 – 9,458
● 7 June: Day 3 – 9,997
● 8 June: Day 4 – 9,802

The total is 37,925, a far cry from what was observed in the stands at Hayward Field. But those are the “official” figures.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball formally named its women’s Olympic team on Tuesday, with a goal of an eighth consecutive gold medal in Paris, and selected 12 players who already own a combined 15 Olympic golds.

Diana Taurasi will be trying for a sixth Olympic gold, with Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson all returning from the Tokyo 2020 championship team. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young won at Tokyo as members of the USA 3×3 Women’s National Team.

A six-member Women’s National Team Committee, chaired by Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Jen Rizzotti told The Associated Press why sensational newcomer Caitlin Clark was not selected:

“[W]hen you base your decision on criteria, there were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes. Then sometimes it comes down to position, style of play for [coach] Cheryl [Reeve] and then sometimes a vote. …

“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about [Clark] in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl.”

Clark – or someone else – could still be selected in case of injuries or illness which would sideline one of the already-named players.

One of the greatest players and one of the most gifted executives in the history of basketball, Jerry West, passed away on Wednesday at age 86 in Los Angeles.

The brilliance of his career in basketball is illustrated by his election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times: as a member of the 1960 Olympic champion basketball team, as a 14-time NBA All-Star in 1980 and as a contributor, to be enshrined later this year.

He starred at West Virginia, co-captained the 1960 Olympic team with Oscar Robertson and then was a 10-time All-NBA First Team performer for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 14-year career from 1961-74. He annually elevated his play during the playoffs, earning the nickname, “Mr. Clutch.” His 1972 Lakers won the NBA title and enjoyed a record 33-game winning streak during the season. Across 14 seasons, he averaged 27.0 points per game (with no three-point shot), 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.

West coached the Lakers for three seasons, then became the team’s general manager in 1982 and shepherded the team through the “Showtime” period with five NBA titles. He rebuilt the team in the 1990s with Phil Jackson as coach and Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant as the stars, but left before their championship run began.

He became the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-07, was an executive board member with the Golden State Warriors from 2011-17 and consulted with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2017-24.

● Football ● The U.S. men got another test before its Copa America schedule starts on 23 June, facing powerful Brazil in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, but showed real progress with a hard-fought, 1-1 draw.

The iconic Brazilians, perpetually on offense, had 60% of possession in the first half and scored first with a 19th-minute goal by Rodrygo. A clever pass from Raphinha from right to left reached an open Rodrygo at the left edge of the penalty area and he sent a liner across the U.S. goal and into the net for the 1-0 lead.

The U.S. equalized soon after as midfield star Christian Pulisic sent a hard, right-footed bounding free kick from the top of the box in the 26th. That’s how the half ended, with Brazil taking eight shots to six for the Americans.

Brazil dominated most of the play to start the second half, but could not score on  U.S. keeper Matt Turner. Pulisic had a great chance to give the U.S. the lead in the 68th, shooting all alone with a liner from the left of goal, but Brazil’s star keeper Alisson got his left hand on it and made the save.

In the last 20 minutes of the second half, the game turned into end-to-end rushes. Rodrygo was in on Turner in the 74th, almost face-to-face, and sent a hard shot, but Turner slapped it away with his left hand. Pulisic made a gorgeous pass to sub striker Brenden Aaronson right in front of Alisson in the 83rd and had a point-blank chance, but the Brazilian keeper rejected it. And Pulisic barely missed a diagonal shot from left to right in the 86th aimed at the far edge of the Brazilian goal.

And Turner had to reject a last Brazilian chance on the final play of the match at 90+6 on a Vinicius Junior shot off of a corner to save the draw.

The U.S. entered the game with a 1-18 record all-time against Brazil and got its first draw in the series, a marked improvement from the 5-1 rout by Colombia last Saturday. Brazil finished with 61% possession and a 24-12 advantage on shots, but had to settle for the draw.

● Skating ● At the International Skating Union Congress in Las Vegas, delegates gave President Jae Youl Kim (KOR) his requested endorsement of the federation’s Vision 2030 plan and agreed to move forward with re-drafting of the ISU Constitution to bring it up to date.

Also approved was a new approach to investments of the federation’s considerable reserves to allow for better returns, seen as crucial to keeping or eliminating future operating deficits, currently projected for each year through to 2029.

On the ice, Urgent Proposal 11 was passed, allowing sponsor logos on athlete uniforms; for figure skating:

“[T]hey may display on their person and their clothing not more than six advertising markings, trademarks, logos or other distinguishing signs (hereafter called “markings”), provided they are dignified and with a maximum of 60 cm2 each and do not refer to tobacco or alcohol while being off the ice including in the “kiss and cry” area, the television interview area, during the official warm-up before the competitive performance and during practice sessions.

“One marking of the clothing supplier may also be displayed, not larger than 30 cm2. No markings are permitted on boots or blades, except for the boot manufacturer’s name on the boot heel not larger than 10 cm2 and one engraved identification of the manufacturer not larger than 20 cm2 on each blade and each blade guard.”

So, look for “clothing suppliers” to have their logos on figure skating costumes in the future; given the design of some costumes, this will be interesting.

In Short Track, the ISU Short Track World Cup series is being renamed the Short Track World Tour for greater visibility.

The ISU Congress will continue through Friday.

● Swimming ● Australian Freestyle star Ariarne Titmus barely missed breaking her own women’s 400 m Free world record on the first day of the Australian Olympic Trials on Monday, but smashed the 200 m Free world mark on Wednesday!

She had to to win, with 2023 World Champion Mollie O’Callaghan in hot pursuit, and Titmus touched in 1:52.23, breaking O’Callaghan’s 2023 mark of 1:52.85 from 2023. O’Callaghan was second in 1:52.48, the no. 2 performance ever.

In the women’s 100 m Back, world-record holder Kaylee McKeown won in 57.41, the second-fastest time in history, missing her own mark by 0.08. O’Callaghan was (again) not far behind in 57.88, no. 3 in the world for 2024 and no. 4 on the all-time list!

Cameron McEvoy, the 2023 World Champion in the men’s 50 m Free, won that race in 21.35, a time only he and Britain’s Ben Proud have bettered this year.

The meet continues through Saturday.

SwimSwam.com reported that the final number of swimmers qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis landed at 1,007.

About 950 are expected to actually compete in the meet, which starts Saturday.

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow her to swim at the U.S. Olympic Trials because she had no standing to challenge her status.

The CAS decision, issued on Monday (10th), pointed out:

“The panel concludes that since the Athlete is not entitled to participate in ‘Elite Event’ within the meaning of USA Swimming Policy, let alone to compete in a [World Aquatics] competition, which occurs upon registration with WA prior to a competition or upon setting a performance which leads to a request for registration as WA world record, she is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions.

“The policy and the operational requirements are simply not triggered by her current status.”

She’s not registered.

Thomas has not competed at all since the 2022 NCAA Championships – a short-course meet – and posted no long-course times at all since transitioning during the qualifying period that began on 29 November 2022 and concluded on 9 June.

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TSX REPORT: Salt Lake City projects $4 billion 2034 budget; Int’l Skating sees losses for the rest of the 2020s; why Fred Kerley left ASICS

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ 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. Salt Lake City details $4 billion budget for 2034 bid
2. ISU shows $9.565 million loss for 2023 and more coming
3. Kerley: “more to something than what meets the eyes”
4. Not too many track & field fans in Eugene, or in Rome
5. Sharp increase in early NCAA T&F Champs viewing

● The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games unveiled its detailed budget for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games, with a total income of about $4 billion and an all-private-sector, balanced budget that includes contingency plans for both cost overruns and revenue shortfalls. The net operating budget – in 2034 dollars – is almost exactly the same as the 2002 Winter Games actual costs, inflated to 2034 levels!

● The International Skating Union Congress is on in Las Vegas, with a warning from President Jae Youl Kim: “unless we take bold measures today to improve our content,” the fan base will wither away. The financial statements showed losses in 2022 and 2023 and the projections showed losses continuing to 2029!

● World 100 m champ Fred Kerley walked away from his 100 m race in New York on Sunday and walked away from his ASICS sponsorship, two weeks before the Olympic Trials. On Monday, more details came out about the situation and why Kerley and ASICS decided to “part ways.” His performances over the last two years tell the tale.

● Attendance at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene was poor, barely more than half-full on the best days, but even worse at the European Championships in Rome. Ticket sales for the meet at the famed Stadio Olimpico was termed “a disaster” as the meet opened and other than Saturday night’s men’s 100 m final, has been poor throughout.

● In contrast, the U.S. television audiences for the first two days of the NCAA Track & Field meet were way up from recent years, with a combined 597,000 on ESPN2, up 58% from the 2023 figures, also from ESPN! Wow!

● World Championships: Modern Pentathlon (Korea sweeps men’s and women’s relays) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (new French parliament elections should not hinder Games) = Athletics (4: Moon stars at own vault invitational; Doom impressive in 44.15 400 m win at Euros; Netflix “Sprint” series to debut 2 July; three more Kenyan doping suspensions) = Figure Skating (2: Tennell and Liu back on ice for 2024-25 season; famed coach Carroll passes at 85) = Football (2: three Spanish fans sentenced to jail for racism; Berhalter sees 5-1 loss to Colombia as a wake-up call) = Swimming (world leads for Titmus and McKeown at Australian trials) ●

● Errata: A couple of errors on Monday. Houston’s Louis Hinchliffe won the 100 m with no second “c” in his name, and Elliott Cook’s runner-up time in the 1,500 m was 3:39.57, not 3:39.47. Thanks to Alan Mazursky and Olivier Bourgoin for the corrections! ●

● Schedule: Owing to a prior commitment, no post will appear on Wednesday. Back on Thursday! ●

1.
Salt Lake City details $4 billion budget for 2034 bid

After more than 100 revisions and incorporating data on each employee and hundreds of line items needed for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games found that its actual operating budget was … almost identical to what the 2002 Winter Games cost.

Yes, there’s a lot of math involved and valuations of costs out to 2034 dollars, but during a Monday briefing, the operating cost – that’s different than the total cost – of the 2034 Winter Games was projected at $2.83 billion, vs. $2.84 billion from the 2002 Games, recalculated for inflation to 2034.

The total cost is projected – again, in 2034 dollars, with roughly a 20% inflation factor added in – at $3.998 billion:

Revenues:
● $1.800 billion: domestic sponsorship
● $1.190 billion: tickets and hospitality
● $751 million: IOC contribution
● $200 million: licensing and merchandising
● $307 million: donations, disposal, other
● –$251 million: contingency

Expenses:
● $843 million: sponsorship revenue sharing
● $793 million: sports, services, operations
● $500 million: staff
● $430 million: administration, governance, sustainability
● $407 million: technology
● $374 million: communications, design, marketing
● $309 million: venue preparation
● $133 million: ceremonies and cultural programs
● $210 million: contingency

After netting out the $843 domestic sponsorship joint venture with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and some related expenses, the “core operations” budget is estimated at $2.83 billion.

The budget and the accompanying bid questionnaire responses note that there is no government subsidy at all, even for the Paralympic Games. And there is no venue construction required at all, even though the number of events has expanded from 78 events to 116.

People are a major expense component of the Games, but in order to keep expenses as low as possible, only a tiny staff is envisioned from 2024-28, perhaps only 10 people, to continue planning and maintain communications and discussions with stakeholders. In 2034, a projected 1,700 staff – plus thousands of volunteers – will be needed to operate the Games.

A separate joint sales team with the USOPC analogous to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties group now established for the 2028 Los Angeles Games will be created, but after the 2028 effort is completed and closed.

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board meets this week and is expected to accept a recommendation of its Winter Future Host Commission on Wednesday to submit the Salt Lake City-Utah candidature to the IOC Session in Paris for the formal award of the 2034 Winter Games.

2.
ISU shows $9.565 million loss for 2023 and more coming

“In the recent years, the ISU revenues have been stagnating, … and it is expected to go down unless we take bold measures today to improve our content. I know this because I have been talking to the existing commercial partners about their contracts. They want to pay us less once contracts expire in 2026 and 2027. So we have to act now to make our content more attractive.”

That’s International Skating Union President Jae Youl Kim (KOR) at the ISU Congress ongoing in Las Vegas, Nevada, campaigning for the adoption of a new vision for skating – figure, speed, short track and synchro – to be fully implemented by 2030.

He bemoaned ratings data from the U.S. (NBC) that while 1.6 million Americans watched the World Figure Skating Championships last March, only 2.4% were under age 35. Kim continued:

“Let’s be very open. Our fan base is aging. Unless we attract new, younger-generation fans, who’s going to come to our competitions 20 years from now, 30 years from now, after all of us retire? This thought keeps me up at night.”

The federation’s concerns also extended to the 2023 ISU financial statements, now available. For last year, ISU revenues – in Swiss francs: CHF 1 = $1.12 U.S. – remained steady at CHF 35.860 million vs. CHF 35.523 million in 2022. Operating expenses were up only slightly, to CHF 38.472 million from CHF 37.454 million in 2022.

So, the ISU had relatively modest operating losses both years at CHF 2.611 million for 2023 after CHF 1.930 million in 2022. But the federation took a pounding on the exchange rate between a stronger U.S. dollars that heavily impacted its CHF holdings.

With a loss of CHF 8.573 million on finances, the ISU lost CHF 11.097 million for the year ($12.380 million U.S.), which was down from CHF 19.069 million in 2022 ($21.273 million U.S.).

This was cushioned somewhat by a final television rights payment from the International Olympic Committee from the 2022 Winter Games of CHF 7.500 million, reducing the actual loss for 2023 to CHF 3.597 million ($4.013 million U.S.).

However, the ISU noted that as it receives most of its revenues in U.S. dollars and pays for most of its expanded in dollars, it will switch its functional currency “at the end of the current accounting period.”

Kim’s worrying announcement about future revenues is a call to action, although the ISU is quite financially healthy. Its statement show reserves at the end of 2023 of CHF 276.932 million, or about $308.943 million U.S. Nevertheless, the financial projections shown to delegates on Monday had operating deficits of between CHF 13.7 million and 17.2 million in each year of 2024-25-26-27-28-29! The planned turnaround in investment income would create a bottom-line surplus in 2029.

(A slide in U.S. dollars showed deficits of $15.7 million to $19.6 million over the same six years, with a $1 million net income, thanks to investments, in 2029.)

The ISU Congress will be considering multiple new concepts. One proposal is on lifting the ban on somersaults in figure skating. Possibly spectacular, such stunts could also be dangerous, and will any approvals be conditioned on the use of helmets as well?

3.
Kerley: “more to something than what meets the eyes”

Yes, the NCAA Track & Field Championships were great, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles were stars at the NYC Grand Prix on Sunday. But the buzz is about U.S. sprint star Fred Kerley.

The 2022 World 100 m Champion signed a sponsorship deal with ASICS in early 2023, and despite ASICS being a primary sponsor of the NYC Grand Prix, came to Icahn Stadium wearing Puma spikes.

His blocks slipped on the first start of the men’s 100 m, then he appeared to simply false start, but said the blocks slipped again. Then he walked away, and left the track, annoyed at the situation. He told reporters afterwards he left his ASICS spikes at the airport.

After the meet, Chris Chavez of Citius Magazine reported later a statement from ASICS: “ASICS and Fred Kerley have mutually parted ways and he is no longer an ASICS sponsored athlete. We wish him the best in his career.”

Kerley tweeted Monday, “there is more to something than what meets the eyes” and posted a video of himself running a sprint workout. What is going on here?

Former U.S. and Nigerian sprinter Rae Edwards of @RaesTake TV – a 10.00 man himself from 2010, and a two-time Pan Am Games relay bronze medalist – offered some answers.

● He replied to Chavez that Kerley and ASICS “had parted ways way before New York. Not after what happened today.”

● He explained that Kerley had been adamant that “He has not liked the spikes that ASICS has given him.” That’s at the core of what’s going on.

● And Edwards added this, as Kerley has walked away from what was reportedly a big contract with ASICS: “Fred is the first athlete that I know that has been on that level – the top level – to where, it’s ‘no, I’m going to do what I want to do.’”

Jonathon Gault of LetsRun.com posted Monday:

“FYI I asked Fred Kerley’s agent Ricky Simms yesterday about what kit/shoes he plans on wearing at the Olympic Trials. Here’s what he said:

“’He does not have a new sponsorship agreement. He is free to wear his choice of footwear and apparel for now.’”

Edwards emphasized that Kerley made a remarkable decision to leave his principal sponsor in what is truly an athlete’s-first choice … because the most important meet to him is coming up in two weeks – the Olympic Trials – and he’s not going to make the U.S. team with the spikes he was wearing.

Check out Kerley’s progression (and spikes) since he switched to the 100 m full-time in 2021:

● 2021: 9.84 ~ Olympic 100 m silver (Nike): 11/19 races sub-10
● 2022: 9.76 ~ World 100 m Champion (Nike): 9/10 races sub-10
● 2023: 9.88 ~ Worlds 100 m semifinalist (ASICS) 7/8 races sub-10
● 2024: 10.03 ~ World list no. 32 (ASICS): 0/4 races sub-10

Of his 10 fastest 100 m times, only one was with ASICS spikes – his 9.88 in Yokohama (JPN) in May 2023. The rest were in Nike spikes.

The first round of the men’s 100 m at the Trials will be on Saturday, 22 June, at 6:22 p.m. He has that long to get the right spikes and be ready. What a story!

4.
Not too many track & field fans in Eugene, or in Rome

The NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene were compelling and even spectacular in places, with lots of surprises and star performances from Mississippi’s McKenzie Long, Florida’s Parker Valby and many more … but not so many fans.

No official attendance figures were noted, but the 12,650-seat new Hayward Field – which was pretty much full for the Prefontaine Classic on 25 May, was at best perhaps 35-40% of capacity on the first two days, including the teams sitting in the stands.

For the final days for men and women on Friday and Saturday, it wasn’t much better, perhaps 45-50%? And everyone was crowded into the home straight, with the backstraight full of empty seats. There’s a good reason for that: if you’re sitting in front of the roofline, it’s pretty hot on that side.

Eugene has hosted 10 of the last 15 NCAA Track & Field Championships (2010-24) and will host 2025, 2026 and 2027. In the same period, it has also held the U.S. nationals (USATF) eight times and the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

Add in the Pre Classic, and while Eugene is clearly “TrackTown USA,” it no longer supports the sport as strongly as it used to in terms of attendance. There are too many meets, and in 2024, the local choice has clearly been to go to the one-day Pre meet and then go to the U.S. Olympic Trials from 21-30 June. The NCAA was the odd-meet-out this year.

Whether that changes in the future is anyone’s guess, but what appears clear is that the community’s attachment to the new facility is not nearly as close as to the original, much more modest venue that opened in 1919.

Eugene is not alone, and it may be worse in Rome, as the much-larger Stadio Olimpico appears to have about the same number of fans as Hayward Field … for the European Championships!

Veteran British observer Pat Butcher, in his “Globerunner” blog, noted last week:

“[T]he gulf between spectator and [TV] viewer will be emphasised even more, because there weren’t even 10,000 attendees in the revamped stadium which hosted the 1960 Olympic Games. And given that at least a thousand of those were knots of vocal foreign supporters, it’s worth asking ‘whither stadium athletics in future?’ at least for this event whose proximity to the Olympic Games in Paris has severely affected entries.”

He observed that the meet was (unusually) being shown on two Italian channels and wondered if this “suggests that some sports may be better confined to the box.”

The Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano – The Daily Fact – went further, with Lorenzo Vendemiale explaining in detail last Friday:

“As revealed by Il Fatto in recent days, just a few hours after the inauguration, just 80 thousand tickets were sold over six days of competitions, including those discounted or given away. We are stuck at 30-35% of availability.

“And we are talking about a capacity that has already been reduced from the usual 65,000 at the Olimpico to less than 40,000 seats, due to the needs of athletics (jumping platform, giant screens, technical and photographer area, etc.). The average is around 15 thousand spectators per day, but if we consider that Saturday evening with [Lamont Marcell] Jacobs‘ 100 meters will be almost sold-out, there will be sessions with 4-5 thousand present. It’s true that the numbers of athletics are certainly not those of football, but here you risk making a fool of yourself.”

His report further noted that this edition of the Europeans is being supported with €13 million in public funding (about $14.0 million U.S.), and that European Athletics chief executive Christian Milz (SUI) said in an email message seen by the newspaper that “To be honest with you, this is a disaster.”

After the pre-event sales were low – “either due to the marginal importance of the event itself or due to the lack of promotion” – tickets have been heavily discounted and “now the tickets are practically given away, with the initiative of 1 euro entry for students and teachers on the opening day, in a desperate attempt to fill the stands.”

Observed: This is what is heard increasingly from athletes, who see themselves more as performers, but too often without an audience to perform for. Their on-the-track excellence has not been matched by the promoters.

Butcher’s comments that track & field’s future may be a television sport and not an in-stadium spectator event is worth considering against the backdrop of the noisy crowd at 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium in New York for Sunday’s NYC Grand Prix.

There were stands only on one side, but there were repeated comments from the athletes about how they loved the noise.

5.
Sharp increase in early NCAA T&F Champs viewing

Although Hayward Field was hardly full for the NCAAs, the first two days saw a sharp increase in viewership compared with recent years.

Nielsen data for the men’s first day on Wednesday and women’s first day in Thursday – both on ESPN2 – totaled 597,000, way up from the first two days in 2023 (379,000, up 58%), in 2022 (312,000, up 91%) and 2021 (442,000, up 35%):

● 5 June (Wed.): 340,000 on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern
● 6 June (Thu.): 257,000 on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern
● 7 June (Fri.): not available yet (9 p.m. Eastern)
● 8 June (Sat.): not available yet (5:30 p.m. Eastern)

2023 in Austin: 948,000 combined total
● 7 June (Wed.): 152,000 on ESPN2
● 8 June (Thu.): 227,000 on ESPN2
● 9 June (Fri.): 176,000 on ESPN2
● 10 Jun. (Sat.): 393,000 on ESPN2

2022 in Eugene: 1,178,000 combined total
● 8 June (Wed.): 187,000 on ESPN2
● 9 June (Thu.): 125,000 on ESPN 2 (estimate)
● 10 Jun. (Fri.): 263,000 on ESPN2
● 11 Jun. (Sat.): 603,000 on ESPN

2021 in Eugene: 909,000 combined total
● 9 June (Wed.): 206,000 on ESPN2
● 10 Jun. (Thu.): 236,000 on ESPN2
● 11 Jun. (Fri.): 233,000 on ESPN2
● 12 Jun. (Sat.): 234,000 on ESPNU

Audience data for Friday and Saturday’s shows will be available later in the week.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Modern Pentathlon ● Two relay titles were decided on Monday at the UIPM Worlds in Zhengzhou (CHN), with Korea sweeping both the men’s and women’s Team relay.

Tokyo bronze medalist Woong-tae Jun and Chang-wan Seo teamed up in the men’s relay and dominated, winning in fencing, placing third in riding and second in swimming to pile up a big lead. They finished with the second-fastest Laser Run and won with 1,466 points to 1,442 for Ukraine’s Maksym Aharushev and Oleksandr Tovkai.

It’s Jun’s fourth Worlds relay gold, also in 2016-17-19, and his seventh overall!

Sun-woo Kim and Seung-min Seong were even stronger in the women’s relay, winning by 1,321 to 1,282 over Haydy Morsy and Amira Kandil of Egypt. Kim and Seong were second in fencing and riding, won the swimming and won the Laser Run for Korea’s first women’s relay victory; their best prior finish was third in 2022.

The 2024 Worlds will continue through the 16th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A sharp projected defeat for French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party in European Parliament elections caused him to dissolve the French Parliament on Sunday, with snap elections to be held on 30 June and 7 July, less than three weeks prior to the 26 July opening of the Olympic Games.

Macron’s Renaissance Party is projected to receive less than half of the 32% currently shown for the right-wing National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen. Macron, as President, was separately elected and will serve to 2027, so his role at the Games is assured.

On Monday, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) voiced no concerns: “France is used to holding elections and they will do it once again. There will be a new parliament, a new government, and everybody will support the Olympic Games.”

Paris 2024 organizing committee chief Tony Estanguet, agreed, adding, “There have been a dozen elections since we became candidates to host the Olympics. Regardless of who is in charge, we have always been able to work with the political authorities.”

● Athletics ●/from Jill Jaracz of the Keep The Flame Alive podcast/The first Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic at Olmsted Falls (Ohio) High School was a success for her with about 2,800 people in attendance on Saturday – standing right on the field, next to the runway – and a win for Moon as well.

Moon, the reigning Olympic champion – and world leader at 4.85 m (15-11) – has been slowed by Achilles tendinosis, but came in at 4.53 m (14-10 1/4) and cleared on her second try. She won the event at 4.63 m (15-2 1/4) with a second-try clearance and made 4.73 m (15-6 1/4) on her first. She missed three times at 4.86 m (15-11 1/4).

Emily Grove was second at 4.58 m (15-0 1/4). Said Moon:

“Everything about this is a dream come true. My results never happen without this community and the support, so it’s just so meaningful to be here and to do it in front of them to show them what they helped create.”

Of her injury, Moon said she felt rusty, but more jumps are getting her ready for the Olympic Trials:

“It’s definitely not gone, but it is so much better. Each week it’s getting better and better, and so that, more than anything, I’m just so thrilled with. By the end in my last couple trips down the runway, I really started to feel more like myself in the run, and that’s all you can ask for.”

At the European Championships in Rome, Belgium’s Alexander Doom confirmed himself as a medal contender for Paris with a runaway win in the men’s 400 m.

Doom won the World Indoor 400 m title in March over Norwegian 400 m hurdles superstar Karsten Warholm, and won his first outdoor European title in a sterling 44.15, now no. 4 on the 2024 world list. He was well clear of runner-up Charles Dobson (GBR), in a lifetime best of 44.38.

The men’s 200 m was more pedestrian, with Swiss Timothe Mumenthaler winning in 20.28 (wind: +0.8 m/s), ahead of Italian star Filippo Tortu (20.41). Three-time European Cross Country medalist Alexis Miellet got his first track medal, a win in the men’s Steeple in a lifetime best of 8:14.01, leading teammate Djilali Bedrani (8:14.36) for a 1-2 finish.

The women’s 400 m went to Polish star Natalia Kaczmarek, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, in a season’s best 48.98, now no. 3 in 2024. Last year’s NCAA champ for Texas, Ireland’s Rashidat Adeleke got the silver in 49.07 – a national record – and Lieke Klaver (NED) took third in 50.08.

Swiss Angelica Moser, the 2021 Euro Indoor winner, won the women’s vault and moved to no. 3 on the 2024 world list at 4.78 m (15-8 1/4), turning back Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist Katerina Stefanidi (GRE: 4.73 m/15-6 1/4).

Italy continued its fabulous meet with Sara Fantini’s win in the women’s hammer, reaching 74.18 m (243-4) on her fourth throw to move up from third in 2022. Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk, a four-time European champ, was second at 72.92 m (239-3), a seasonal best.

The Euros continue through Wednesday.

The Netflix series “Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans” will debut on 2 July and the trailer is now available. The series will highlight American stars Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and others, across six episodes.

Three more Kenyan provisional suspensions from the Athletics Integrity Unit: Sophy Jepchirchir for testosterone, and Judith Jerubet and Jackline Jeptanui for triamcinolone acetonide.

Jepchirchir, 30, was second in the women’s division of the Milano Marathon on 7 April in 2:27:12; Jerubet, 35, is a 2:25:54 marathoner from 2023, and Jeptanui, 38, has run 2:38:44 for the marathon in 2022.

● Figure Skating ● They’re back: two-time U.S. women’s champions Bradie Tennell and Alysia Liu are both now scheduled to be in action in the ISU Grand Prix Series this fall.

Tennell is slated to skate at Skate America (18-20 October) and the NHK Trophy in Tokyo (JPN) in November, while Liu is entered in Skate Canada from 25-27 October, and in Tokyo as well.

The other U.S. women’s entries include Isabeau Levito (Skate America and the Finlandia Trophy in November), Ava Marie Ziegler at Skate Canada and the Cup of China in November, Amber Glenn at the Grand Prix de France in November and the Cup of China, and Lindsay Thorngren at the NHK Trophy and Finlandia Trophy.

Tennell, 26, skated in the 2023 World Championships, but broke an ankle in training before the 2023-24 season. Liu, 18, announced her retirement on 9 April 2022, but posted an Instagram video in March saying she was returning to the ice.

Sad news of the passing of legendary U.S. coach Frank Carroll, 85, on Sunday (9th), after a battle with cancer. He mentored multiple Olympic and Worlds medalists including Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, Tim Goebel and many more.

He began coaching in 1960; NBC Sports’ Nick Zaccardi noted, “He coached at least one skater at every Olympics from 1998 through 2018, the year he retired from coaching elite skaters.”

He is a member of both the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

● Football ● Three fans who racially abused Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior (BRA) during a game at Valencia in May 2023 pled guilty and were sentenced to eight months in prison in the first racism-related convictions in Spain.

The Associated Press reported:

“The sentence found the defendants guilty of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.

“The fans, who were sitting behind one of the goals at Mestalla [Stadium], made monkey gestures and sounds toward Vinícius, who immediately called attention of the referee and pointed to the fans in the stands. The Brazil forward had tears in his eyes as fans throughout the stadium continued to jeer him.”

The three fans, who were not identified, are also banned from entering football stadiums for two years and must pay court costs. The plea deal reduced their potential jeopardy from a full year in prison and three years away from stadia, after the defendants showed remorse, and read out an apology in court.

Colombia’s 5-1 rout of the U.S. men’s team last Saturday was a wake-up call for the squad, according to coach Gregg Berhalter. Trailing only 2-1, the U.S. gave up three goals in the final 13 minutes, all on losses of possession in their own end. Said Berhalter:

“From the 75th minute on, it was I think a lack of respect for our opponent [and] the game of soccer, what we were doing. We’re not framing it a lesson learned, we’ll frame it as a wake-up call.”

He praised the U.S. effort to score a goal in the 58th to a cut 2-0 halftime deficit to 2-1, and noted that “we got back into the game, how we were aggressive, how we had them on their heels. They were struggling for a moment when it was 2-1, and we weren’t able to capitalize on it, and then the game went to pieces. There were some positive chunks of the game, but again, what I’m looking at right now, 5-1? It’s not good enough, that’s for sure.”

The U.S. plays Brazil on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, in advance of the opening of the Copa America – being played in the U.S. this time – on 20 June.

● Swimming ● The Australian Olympic Trials have started in Brisbane, with world-record holder Ariarne Titmus putting everyone on notice in the women’s 400 m Free, winning in the second-fastest time ever, 3:55.44. That’s just 0.06 off of her 2023 world record.

Kaylee McKeown, the 100-200 m Olympic Back champion, took the world lead for 2024 in the 200 m Medley, winning in 2:06.63, making her the no. 3 performer of all time.

Sam Williamson won the 100 m Breast in 58.80, now no. 6 in the world for 2024. The Trials continue through Saturday.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Fab T&F weekend for McLaughlin-Levrone, Florida men, Long, Valby; media blows up over Clark non-selection

By
Rich Perelman
-
Three wins (and two world leads) for Mississippi's McKenzie Long at the NCAA Champs! (Photo: Reed Jones, courtesy Ole Miss Sports)

★ 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. McLaughlin-Levrone, Lyles dominate in New York
2. NCAA men: Surprises galore, as Florida three-peats!
3. NCAA women: Long triples, Valby, Smith double, Hogs run wild!
4. Media outraged over Clark being skipped for Paris
5. Now the Milan Cortina 2026 ski jumps aren’t ready

● This was quite a weekend for track & field fans, punctuated Sunday by a spectacular 48.75 400 m performance from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in New York in stiff wind conditions, fastest in 2024. There was also a 19.77 200 m win for Noah Lyles, plus multiple world leads at the European Champs in Rome. And what about Fred Kerley?

● Amid upset after upset at the NCAA men’s championships in Eugene, Florida somehow threaded its way through a crowded field and won its third straight team title, finishing third in the 4×400 m relay to win by a point over Auburn, 41-40.

● The stars were out at the NCAA women’s championships, with Mississippi’s McKenzie Long taking the 100, getting two world leads in the 200 m plus a fab second leg on the 4×100 m for three wins. Distance star Parker Valby of Florida won twice, giving her five NCAA titles in one academic year!

● News media across the nation blew up after news leaked on Friday that WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark would not be named to the U.S. Olympic basketball team by USA Basketball. It was reported her popularity was a problem (why?), but the choices were instead of other, veteran WNBA players.

● More complications for the Milan Cortina organizers of the 2026 Winter Games, as the ski jumps at Val di Fiemme will not be available for the FIS World Cup season – the expected test event for 2026 – due to renovations. Instead, tests will be made in the summer (?) of 2025.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (open-water test event canceled due to rains and sewage overflows in the Seine) = European Olympic Committees (Krakow-Malopolska yielded €3 million operating surplus) = Archery (no. 1 Kaufhold shines in SoCal Showdown) = Badminton (China wins for at Indonesia Open) = Basketball (U.S. men win again in FIBA U-18 AmeriCup) = Beach Volleyball (U.S.’s Cheng and Hughes impressive in Elite 16 win in Ostrava) = Canoe-Kayak (Fox sisters claim three silvers in Slalom World Cup II) = Cycling (3: Roglic takes Criterium du Dauphine; Kopecky takes Women’s Tour of Britain; Bruni and Hoell takes World Cup Downhill) = Football (Colombia trounces U.S. men, 5-1, in friendly) = Gymnastics (Brazil takes four golds at Pan Am Rhytnmics) = Shooting (McIntosh wins World Cup women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions) ●

1.
McLaughlin-Levrone, Lyles dominate in New York

If you’re a track & field fan, this was quite a weekend, with the NCAA Championships in Eugene, the European Championships ongoing in Rome and the USATF NYC Grand Prix on Sunday. All together, 11 world-leading marks (or ties) in eight events were made:

● Men/Long Jump: 8.41 m (27-7 1/4), Simon Ehammer (SUI)
● Men/Long Jump: 8.65 m (28-4 1/2), Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) (twice)
● Men/Decathlon: 8,961, Leo Neugebauer (GER)
● Women/200 m: 21.95, McKenzie Long (USA)
● Women/200 m: 21.83, McKenzie Long (USA)
● Women/400 m: 48.89, Nickisha Pryce (JAM)
● Women/400 m: 48.75, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.31, Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA)
● Women/4×400 m: 3:17.96, Arkansas (GBR-JAM-USA)
● Women/Triple Jump: 14.85 m (48-8 3/4) (tie), Ana Peleteiro-Compaore (ESP)
● Women/Heptathlon: 6,848, Nafi Thiam (BEL)

At the NYC Grand Prix, the Icahn Stadium stands were full, but pesky winds bedeviled the sprinters and jumpers, with headwinds facing everyone on the straightaway.

Everyone except Olympic and World Champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Running only her fifth race of the year and first at 400 m, she started in lane five and had made up the staggers on all three racers ahead of her with 180 m to go and ran unchallenged to the finish – clearly impacted by the headwind on the straight – in a world-leading 48.75!

That’s just 5/100ths behind the American Record of 48.70 by Sanya Richards-Ross from 2006 and 1/100th off her lifetime best of 48.74 from 2023 (no. 10 performer ever). She will now look forward to the U.S. Olympic Trials back in Oregon, beginning on 21 June. Far behind in second was Talitha Diggs in 50.91 and Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams in third in 50.94.

The last race of the day was the men’s 200 m, featuring World Champion Noah Lyles in his season opener at the distance, but technical issues delayed his start. A recall was made due to block slippage in lane five for younger brother Josephus Lyles, and then multiple athletes asked for new blocks, which had been a problem all day.

After an 11-minute delay, everyone who wanted new blocks got them and meet staff members stood on the back of everyone’s blocks for the start. Starting from lane seven, Lyles made up the stagger on Brandon Carnes to his outside just 80 m into the race and stormed into the straight for an impressive 19.77 win into a 1.6 m/s headwind – statistically worth 0.09 – so he could have run 19.68 with zero wind!

Former NCAA champ Joseph Fahnbulleh (LBA) came on with his trademark finish, from fifth to second, in 20.15, with Josephus Lyles third in 20.51.

The wind held down performances, but there was a lot of interesting things going on.

The men’s 100 m was wild, with a recall and a warning to the field, then 2022 World Champion Fred Kerley false-started. He said his blocks slipped, had them re-set, but then walked away from the track. Jamaica’s Sandrey Davison, in lane one, also asked for – and got – a new set of blocks, didn’t like those and was moved to Kerley’s lane five.

About eight minutes later, the race finally started and former Stanford star Udodi Onwuzurike (NGR) got the lead after about 10 m and held on to win in a modest 10.24 (wind -0.7 m/s). Kendal Williams of the U.S. closed for second in 10.25 and Pjai Austin was third in 10.26.

Then things got crazy. Kerley was not disqualified, but was shown as “did not start.” Signed with ASICS – one of the meet sponsors – in 2023, he was wearing Puma spikes! He said afterwards:

● “They was just taking too long. I was requesting for some new blocks, one of my pads was broken. I slipped the first time and I slipped the second time and I’m not going to [have that] happen a third time. … I was not DQ’d.”

● Asked about the switch from ASICS to Puma, he said “I ain’t switch it up. I left my bag at the airport.”

● Chris Chavez of Citius Magazine reported later a statement from ASICS: “ASICS and Fred Kerley have mutually parted ways and he is no longer an ASICS sponsored athlete. We wish him the best in his career.” Wow; not the last you will hear about this story. Added Kerley: “This is a small meet; the bigger meet is in two weeks.”

London 2012 champ Kirani James (GRN) got the early lead in the 400 m, but there were four in contention down the final straight. Chris Bailey of the U.S. came up in lane seven to challenge in the last 10 m, but James broke the tape in a seasonal best of 44.55, then Bailey in 44.73 and Rio 2016 champion Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) in 44.74.

Mexico’s Jesus Tonatiu Lopez – the national record holder – had the lead after the bell over Isaiah Jewitt of the U.S. and could not be passed. He held off a fading Jewett and a charging Wes Ferguson of the U.S. to win in 1:44.96, with Ferguson at 1:45.06, Joey Hoey at 1:45.35 and then Jewett fourth in 1:45.41.

The men’s 1,500 m was an encouraging win for 2022 World Champion Jake Wightman (GBR), who ripped off a 52.59 final lap to win in a seasonal best of 3:34.01, edging Americans Eric Holt (3:34.05 lifetime best), Hobbs Kessler (3:34.41), Vince Ciattei (3:34.62) and a lifetime best for distance star Grant Fisher (3:34.90).

Trey Cunningham, the 2022 Worlds silver medalist, ran away with the 110 m hurdles in 13.21 (-0.8), leading almost from the start. Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell came up late for second in 13.28.

In the field events, Dontavious Hill got a lifetime best in the high jump and was the only one to clear 2.26 (7-5), ahead of Earnie Sears at 2.23 m (7-3 3/4), and Marquis Dendy, the 2016 World Indoor Champion, took the long jump at 8.07 m (26-5 3/4) in the fifth round, just ahead of Carey McLeod (JAM) at 7.97 m (26-1 3/4).

Donald Scott of the U.S. won the triple jump with his second-round try of 16.94 m (55-7), with Jordan Scott (JAM) second at 16.92 m (55-6 1/4). American Donavan Banks won the javelin at 79.20 m (259-10), ahead of Jordan Davis (78.72 m/258-3) and Curtis Thompson (78.63 m/257-11).

The women’s 100 m was run into 2.1 m/s headwind, so the times were slow. On the outside, Rio 2016 relay gold medalist Morolake Akinosun had the lead in mid-race, but in the middle of the track, three-time U.S. champ Aleia Hobbs got to the front at 80 m. But she was out-leaned by Nigeria’s Favour Ofili (11.18), and by Akinosun in second (11.20); Hobbs was third at 11.21.

Two-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica was again having trouble, finishing ninth in 11.48 and having to be carried off the track for treatment with a lower right leg injury. Her prospects for Paris do not look good.

Worlds 200 m silver winner Gabby Thomas was fourth in the 100 m in 10.34, then doubled back and was only third off the turn in the women’s 200 m, but then charged home and ran away from the field to win in an impressive 22.42 into a 3.1 m/s headwind. Tamara Clark and Jenna Prandini were distant in second and third in 22.79 and 22.96.

Sage Hurta-Klecker took over on the final lap to win the women’s 800 m in 2:00.33, just ahead of Olivia Baker (2:00.73) and Sammy Watson (2:00.91).

A fabulous field in the 100 m hurdles, but World Indoor Champion Devynne Charlton (BAH) not only got the best start, but held her form beautifully and won in 12.56 into a headwind (-1.9). American Alaysha Johnson came hard at the end for second in 12.58 and world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR) got third in 12.66.

Vashti Cunningham had no trouble in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.95 m (6-4 3/4) on her first try. Canada’s World Indoor champ Sarah Mitton took the shot at 20.15 m (66-1 1/2), with Tokyo silver medalist Raven Saunders of the U.S. – now back from a whereabouts suspension – second at 19.11 m (62-8 1/2).

World leader and World Indoor Champion Tara Davis-Woodhall was long jumping on the far side of the track and far away from the grandstand, but it didn’t matter. She exploded in round three, reaching 7.14 m (23-5 1/4) into a headwind, a mark no one else has reached this year. Fellow Americans Jasmine Moore and Quanesha Burks were 2-3 in 6.88 m (22-7) and 6.86 m (22-6 1/4).

The women’s javelin was a surprise, with Kara Winger – who retired after her sensational second-place finish at the 2022 Worlds in Eugene – back in action and winning at 63.22 m (207-5), just short of the 64.00 Olympic qualifying standard, but now no. 11 on the world list for 2024. She is qualified to compete at the Olympic Trials. Former American Record holder Maggie Malone Hardin was second at 59.93 m (196-7).

Four events were held on Saturday, with Alex Rose (SAM) winning the men’s discus at 66.18 m (217-1) and Daniel Haugh of the U.S. winning the hammer at 77.76 m (255-1). World leader Yaime Perez (CUB) took the women’s discus with her first throw of 68.31 m (224-1) and Rachel Tanczos of the U.S. won the hammer at 73.55 m (241-3).

Meanwhile, the European Championships are on in Rome, at the Stadio Olimpico, with startling results in the men’s long jump and women’s hurdles!

First, Swiss decathlete (and long jumper) Simon Ehammer got a world lead at 8.41 m (27-7 1/4) in the qualifying round! But that was nothing compared to the final, where Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) went wild: a world-leading 8.42 m (27-7 1/2) in the first round, then 8.49 m (27-10 1/4) in round three and 8.65 m (28-4 1/2) in round five, which he matched in round six!

It moves Tentoglou to equal-13th all-time and was a meet record. Italian star Matteo Furlani’s 8.38 m (27-6) world junior record in second was almost lost in the excitement, with Ehammer third at 8.31 m (27-3 1/4).

The women’s 100 m hurdles was equally special, with France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela improving her lifetime best by 0.21 in Rome, first to 12.43 in the semis, then to a fabulous 12.31 in the final (+0.8), now equal-10th all-time! She beat Swiss Ditaji Kambundji (12.40) and Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska (12.42), both of whom got national records.

In the men’s 100 m, Tokyo Olympic champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA) ran a season’s best of 10.02 to win (+0.7), with teammate Chituru Ali second in 10.05. Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen checked off one of his 2024 goals with a win in the 5,000 m in 13:20.11, taking the lead at the bell and winning over George Mills (GBR: 13:21.38) and Dominic Lobalu (SUI: 13:21.61).

France’s Gabriel Tual made his move with 200 m to go and won the men’s 800 m at 1:44.87, beating Mohamed Attaoui (ESP: 1:45.20) and Catalin Tecuceanu (1:45.40). Italy’s Lorenzo Simonelli got a huge win in the 110 m hurdles in 13.05 (+0.6), moving him to no. 2 this season and easily winning over Enrique Llopis (ESP: 13.16).

Italy went 1-2 in the men’s Half Marathon, with Yemaneberhan Crippa – the 2022 Euro 10,000 m champ – winning in the final 300 m in 1:01:03, with teammate Pietro Riva (1:01:04) surging for silver over German Amanal Petros (1:01:07).

Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri dominated the shot as expected, winning with 22.45 m (7308). And Slovenia’s giant 2022 World Champion, Kristjian Ceh, won the discus at a modest 68.08 m (223-4), handing Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna his first loss of the season (third at 67.458 m/221-5).

Tokyo Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki (POL) won his third straight European title in the hammer with a season’s best of 80.95 m (265-7), moving to no. 3 on the world list. Hungary’s Bence Halasz was second at 80.49 m (264-1).

In the women’s 100 m final, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith won her second European title – and first since 2018 – with a 10.99 win (+0.7) , with Poland’s Ewa Swoboda barely out-leaning Zaynab Dosso (ITA), with both in 11.02.

Irish star Ciara Mageean – silver winner in 2022 – closed hard of the final turn and sprinted to the 1,500 m victory in 4:04.66, ahead of Georgia Bell (GBR: 4:05.33). France’s Alice Finot made a big move on the final lap to win the Steeple in 9:16.22, with two-time Euro champ Gesa Krause (GER) second in 9:18.06, just ahead of Elizabeth Bird (GBR: 9:18.39).

Italy’s Nadia Battoclietti won the 5,000 m in 14:35.29, moving to no. 13 on the world list for 2024. Karoline Grovdal (NOR) had to settle for silver after being out-sprinted, then won the Half Marathon easily in 1:08:09.

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh defended her 2022 European title with a seasonal best of 2.01 m (6-7) on her second attempt, to defeat 2022 bronze winner Angelina Topic (SRB), who made 1.97 m (6-5 1/2). Spain’s Tokyo bronze winner Ana Peleteiro-Compaore equaled the world lead with her fourth-round triple jump of 14.85 m (48-8 3/4) and won over Tugba Danismaz (TUR: 14.57 m/47-9 3/4 national record).

Dutch shot star Jessica Schilder defended her 2022 Euro gold with a win at 18.77 m (61-7), ahead of teammate Jorinde van Klinken (18.67 m/61-3). Croatia’s Sandra Elkasevic (nee Perkovic) won her seventh European title in the discus with a seasonal best of 67.04 m (219-11), with van Klinken second at 65.99 m (216-6).

Belgium’s two-time Olympic heptathlon gold medalist, Nafi Thiam, showed she is ready to defend, winning the heptathlon by more than 200 points with a world-leading 6,848 – her third European title – her third-best score ever!

Ireland won the Mixed 4×400 m over Italy, 3:09.92 to 3:10.69. The Europeans continue through Wednesday.

2.
NCAA men: Surprises galore, as Florida three-peats!

The final day of the men’s NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon hardly followed the script, but an exciting meet came down to the 4×400 m relay to determine the team champion.

The men’s 100 m was a stunner, with Britain’s Louis Hinchliffe in the mix off the start, but came on strong in the last 30 m and got to the line first in a lifetime best of 9.95 (wind: 0.2 m/s), ahead of national co-leader Favour Ashe (NGR-Auburn) in lane two at 9.99. Hinchliffe had never broken 10 seconds with legal wind before, and moved to no. 10 in the world for 2024 and may have run himself onto the British team for Paris 2024!

Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot (UGA) was the favorite in the 200 m off his 19.75 seasonal best, and the race was no contest. But it was Penn State’s Cheickna Traore (CIV) who had the lead by the 50 m mark and stormed into the straight unopposed, winning in 19.95 (-0.1). Behind him, South Florida’s Saminu Abdul-Rasheed (GHA) moved up in the final 25 m for second, but was passed at the line by Florida senior Robert Gregory for second, 20.08 to 20.12, with Orogot fourth (20.14).

The world leader in the 400 m, Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams (Georgia) was the 400 m favorite, but USC star Johnnie Blockberger and Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson held the lead going into the final straight. But Morales Williams was strong, moving up steadily and winning in the final 50 m in 44.47. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi (NGR) also moved late to get second (44.52), ahead of JeVaughn Powell (Florida: 44.54) and Blockberger (44.90).

The men’s 800 m had collegiate leader Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M) as the favorite, but Clemson’s Tarees Rhoden (JAM) had the early lead over 2023 runner-up Yusuf Bizimana (GBR-Texas), were 1-2 at the bell and maintained those spots into the final straight. But when the sprinting started, it was Whitmarsh charging to the lead through the traffic, but on the outside, Virginia’s Shane Cohen was flying in the final 50 m and got to the line first in 1:44.97, with Whitmarsh second in 1:45.10; Rhodes faded to fourth in 1:45.70.

The 1,500 m started slowly at 62.5 for the first 400, then 62.0 for the second 400, and with Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona) barely in front at the bell and holding on through 1,400 m. Oregon’s Elliott Cook took the lead with 50 m left, but Washington’s Joe Waskom – the 2022 NCAA champ – was pushing hard and won at the line in 3:39.48 to 3:39.57; Waskom finished in 52.6, while Sahlman faded to fourth in 3:39.92.

That’s three NCAA 1,500 m titles in a row for Washington, after Nathan Green won last year; that’s the first single-school three-peat in the event since Don Paige and Sydney Maree for Villanova in 1979-80-81.

Virginia’s Nathan Mountain, fourth last year, led the 3,000 m Steeple with two laps to go and at the bell, with three close behind. Georgetown’s Parker Stokes – third in 2022 – moved up on the backstraight and after Mountain took a hard final water jump, surged on the straight and won going away in 8:24.58 for his third top-8 finish in the last four years. Mountain was second in 8:25.71.

The 5,000 m was typically slow, and pack was still all in contact with three laps to go. Then Northern Arizona’s Brodey Hasty got to the front with two laps left, and Harvard’s Graham Blanks – the NCAA Cross Country champ – blew into the lead on the first turn and the running was on. Blanks pulled a pack of five away from the field at the bell, with Nico Young (NAU) closest. Young took the lead with 200 m left, with North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe and defending champ Ky Robinson (AUS-Stanford) chasing him into the straight. Wolfe had the best speed and sprinted away to win in 13:54.43, with Young and Robinson second and third, in 13:54.65 and 13:55.00.

All eyes were on Auburn frosh – and national leader – Ja’Kobe Tharp in the 110 m hurdles, but Nebraska’s Darius Luff was in front over the first hurdle and ran clean to the line at 13.19 (+0.1), moving to no. 8 in the world in 2024. Tharp was behind, but moved hard in the last half, taking second over the ninth hurdle and finishing at 13.20. Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott also came late to get third in 13.27.

Defending champ Chris Robinson of Alabama ran faster than he did to win in 2023, but no one could touch Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean in the 400 m hurdles. Fourth last year, he was well in front on the final turn and sailed home with a lifetime best of 47.23, moving to no. 4 on the world list for 2024! Robinson was good, a clear second in 47.98, 0.15 better than his winning time last season.

On the infield, Jamaican Romaine Beckford (Arkansas) was the only one to clear 2.26 m (7-5) and defended his 2023 title, when he was at South Florida. Salif Mane (USA) of Fairleigh Dickinson, fifth last year, got off a fabulous first triple jump of 17.14 m (56-2 3/4) and no one could catch him! Miami senior (and 2023 runner-up) Russell Robinson got close, reaching 17.13 m (56-2 1/4) in round five, but had to settle for second.

The decisive action in the discus came in round three, as South Africa’s Francois Prinsloo reached 63.61 m (208-4) and was the clear winner over USC frosh Racquil Broderick who got out to 61.77 m (202-8) in round four.

Let’s save the relays for last. In the 4×100 m, Auburn took over with Dario Matau (RSA) and Maka Charamba (ZIM) in the last half of the race, winning in 38.03, the fourth-fastest mark in collegiate history. Only the U.S. and Canada have run faster in the world in 2024! Defending champion LSU came up late to edge Houston for second, 38.21 to 38.25.

The meet came down to the 4×400 m relay, with Auburn at 40, Florida at 35 and USC and Alabama at 32, but the Tigers did not have a 4×4 team. Alabama or USC would have to win to take the team title, but if neither won and Florida got third, it would win. Its 400 m third-placer Powell ran a brilliant 44.34 second leg to break the race open and hand off first, but the lead shrank with Rios Prude (44.91) on the third leg with Texas A&M’s Kimar Farguharson (JAM) splitting 44.38 to pass almost together.

Florida’s Jenoah McKiver looked good on anchor coming into the final straight, but A&M’s Robinson, only eighth in the 400 m, stunned over the final 100 m, passed a stumbling McKiver, and head-bobbed a 43.20 split to win in a collegiate-leading 2:58.37, a meet record! McKiver slowed badly in the final 30 m, running 43.91 and was passed by Arkansas’ James Benson II’s 43.18 (!) split to get second in 2:58.83, to 2:58.98 for Florida in third.

That third-place finish gave the Gators six points and a 41-40 win over Auburn for the national outdoor title from 2012-24, the third in a row for Florida and coach Mike Holloway. It’s his seventh outdoor men’s title and 12th national title including indoor track. And he had his women’s squad ready for an assault on another title on Saturday.

3.
NCAA women: Long triples, Valby, Smith double, Hogs run wild!

Saturday’s brilliant final day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon saw a triple win (with help) from McKenzie Long of Mississippi, a never-before-seen “super-sweep” in the 400 m, multiple collegiate records, and meet doubles from Florida’s Parker Valby and Texas’ Ackelia Smith. This was special.

The first running event, the 4x100m was a showcase for Ole Miss’s Long, charging into the lead on the second leg and then Gabrielle Mathews ran a fabulous curve and Jahniya Bowers finished it in 42.34. LSU and South Carolina went 2-3 in 42.57 and 42.63.

Long came back in the 100 m, but got out behind LSU’s Brianna Lyston (JAM) and Oregon’s Jadyn Mays (Oregon), but came on in mid-race and was in front with 40 m to go and got an impressive win in a wind-aided 10.82 (+2.2 m/s). Lyston held on for second (10.89w), but Mays (10.95w) was passed by Rosemary Chukwuma (NGR-Texas Tech: 10.90w) for third.

Long was the big favorite in the 200 m, improving her world lead to 21.95 in the heats. And she delivered, staying close on the turn, then bursting into the lead over JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) and Mays, and rolling to a sensational win in 21.83 (+1.0), another world lead and tying the great Evelyn Ashford for no. 10 on the all-time U.S. list! Ford, a frosh, got second in 22.08 and Mays was third in 22.19. Next up for Ford: the Olympic Trials.

Arkansas came into the 400 m with the top three performers on the season, with Nickisha Pryce (JAM), Kaylyn Brown and Amber Anning (GBR). Arkansas was lined up in lanes 5-6-7-8 and while Rosey Effiong moved best early, Pryce took over around the final turn and finished strong with a collegiate record and world-leading 48.89! Brown chased her home in 49.13, then Anning (49.59) and Effiong in 49.72, a 1-2-3-4 sweep, reportedly the first time ever in NCAA history!

That scored 29 points for the Razorbacks and gave them the meet lead at 44-43, and the four stars now rank 1-2-4-5 on the 2024 world list! Wow!

LSU’s Michaela Rose came in as the defending champ and had the four fastest times in the nation this season. Rose took over with 300 m to go and led NCAA Indoor champ Juliette Whitaker (Stanford) with 200 left and challenging into the straight. Whittaker had an extra gear, however and pushed away as Rose faded, winning in 1:59.61. Her teammate, Roisin Willis got second (2:00.17) with a final 10 m charge to pass Oklahoma State’s Gabija Galvydyte (LTU: 2:00.23). Rose ended up fourth in 2:01.03.

Defending champion Maia Ramsden (NZL-Harvard) stayed near the front of the 1,500 m on a slow pace, then took off with about 700 m to go and threw down a 61-second lap that gave her a commanding lead at the bell and she cruised home with a second straight title in 4:06.62. She’s the first repeater in this event since 2003-04 when Mississippi State’s Tiffany McWilliams did it.

Behind Ramsden, Kimberley May (NZL-Providence) passed home favorite Klaudia Kazimierska (POL-Oregon) around the final turn for second, 4:08.07 to 4:08.22.

In the Steeple, Alabama frosh Doris Lemngole (KEN) and defending champ Olivia Markezich (Notre Dame) both broke from the pack with three laps left. Lemngole had the lead at the bell and the Kenyan was too fast between the barriers and was well ahead out of the final water jump; she rolled home in a collegiate record of 9:15.24, now no. 7 on the 2024 world list! Markezich ran a lifetime best of 9:17.36 (no. 2 all-time collegiate; no. 9 worldwide in 2024) for second; Janette Schraft (Iowa State) surged on the straight for third in 9:34.82.

The Parker Valby show was on in the 5,000 m – she was the defending champion – and took the lead on the second lap. She and Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi (KEN) – second in the 10,000 m – broke away with 2,400 m to go, then Valby pushed away with 1,600 m left, heading for the win and looking for the Olympic qualifying mark of 14:52.00. She was at 13:42.60 at the bell and needed a near-69 second lap to get the mark, but came up just short with a lifetime best and collegiate record of 14:52.18 (69.59).

It’s her fifth NCAA title in one academic year – reportedly the first time it’s been done – with cross country, the 3,000 and 5,000 m and now the 5-10. And Florida for 10 important team points. Olemomi was second at 15:10.04 and Baily Herstenstein (Colorado) was third in 15:10.98.

Florida needed a big race from Grace Stark in the 100 m hurdles to stay in the team race and they got it, as she took over on the fifth hurdle and stormed to a 12.47 victory (-0.5) , now no. 9 on the 2024 world list. Washington State’s Maribel Caicedo (ECU) was a solid second in 12.56 and UCF’s Rayniah Jones came on late for third in 12.59. Stark moved up from fourth in 2021 and fifth in 2023 to own the podium this time.

Arkansas needed Rachel Glenn’s help in the 400 m hurdles, especially after she failed to score in the high jump, despite being the collegiate co-leader coming in and the NCAA Indoor champ. Defending champ Savannah Sutherland (CAN-Michigan) had other ideas and led the race on the backstraight and the turn over Glenn and looked good over the ninth hurdle. But USC’s Jasmine Jones had the speed on the straight, passed Glenn and then took the lead from Sutherland with about 20 m left and won in 53.15, moving her to no. 3 in the world in 2024!

Sutherland got a lifetime best of 53.26 in second (no. 4 in 2024) and Glenn was third in 54.11, scoring six points and extending Arkansas’ team lead.

Entering the final running event, the 4×400 m, Florida had a 59-53 lead on Arkansas, but how could the Razorbacks lose after super-sweeping the 400 m?

Anning went into the lead right away (50.52) and passed first to Effiong, who rolled to a 10 m lead on Georgia. Effiong ran 49.21 and Pryce blew up the race completely (49.20) and passed to Kaylin Brown on anchor (49.05) for a collegiate record of 3:17.96!

That’s by far the fastest in the world this year, the no. 10 performance in the event all-time, and the fastest ever by a non-national team! And the win clinched the team title for the Hogs, 63-59, over Florida, with Texas third (41).

The high jump lost 2021 champion Glenn of Arkansas at 1.82 m (5-11 1/2) in 13th. Defending champ Charity Hufnagel (Kentucky) was 12th and out at the same height. In the meantime, Rose Yerboah (GHA-Illinois), Elena Kulichenko (CYP-Georgia) and Temitope Adeshina (NGR-Texas Tech) all made 1.97 m (6-5 1/2) – all lifetime bests – and all also reached the Olympic qualifying standard for Paris!

All three missed 2.00 m (6-6 3/4), and Yeboah and Kulichenko decided to share the title, with Adeshina third.

Texas’ Ackelia Smith (JAM) completed the long jump-triple jump double, moving to no. 5 on the world list for 2024 at 14.52 m (47-7 3/4) in the fourth round. Three of her jumps would have won, with Darja Sopova (LAT-Illinois) second at 14.01 m (45-11 3/4).

National leader Veronica Fraley (Vanderbilt) won the discus with her fourth-round throw – a lifetime best – of 63.66 m (208-10), with Jayden Ulrich (Louisville) second at 63.05 m (206-10) from the second round.

Collegiate leader Timara Chapman (Texas A&M) stayed consistent to lead the heptathlon, placing third in the 100 m hurdles and high jump, seventh in the shot, fifth in the 200 m, second in the long jump and fourth in the javelin to enter the 800 m with a 116-point lead. Chapman finished third in her heat of the 800 m, and seventh overall to wrap up the title at 6,339. Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien got a lifetime best in second at 6.234.

Spectacular. Just spectacular.

4.
Media outraged over Clark being skipped for Paris

A meltdown is the only way to describe the reaction to reports of USA Basketball skipping over Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark for its 2024 U.S. team for Paris.

USA Today’s Christine Brennan posted on Saturday:

“Two other sources, both long-time U.S. basketball veterans with decades of experience in the women’s game, told USA TODAY Sports Friday that concern over how Clark’s millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time on a stacked roster was a factor in the decision making. If true, that would be an extraordinary admission of the tension that this multi-million-dollar sensation, who signs autographs for dozens of children before and after every game, has caused for the old guard of women’s basketball. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.”

The Associated Press reported that Diana Taurasi, a five-time gold medal winner, will try for a sixth gold at age 42 and will be joined by Olympic veterans Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson.

Griner, Stewart and Taurasi played on the 2016 and 2020 winners, with Collier, Gray, Loyd and Wilson on the Tokyo 2020 team. Tokyo women’s 3×3 gold medal winners Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, are also to be named.

Three members of the 2022 FIBA World Cup-winning team also made the Paris squad: Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu and Alyssa Thomas.

Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke, almost exploded:

“What this team needs is a reason for the casual fan to watch.

“With the roster as currently constituted, none of that is happening. I can confirm this from experience. I have covered 10 Olympics and rarely did I venture to the women’s tournament because there was little interest and no buzz amid solid veterans playing to a foregone conclusion.

“With Clark, everything changes. With Clark, there will be deafening buzz, overwhelming interest, millions watching.

“With Clark on the team, even if she just plays a few minutes a game, the greatness of the USA women’s game and its newfound popularity will be amplified, accentuated and celebrated.

“And isn’t that the role of the USA women’s basketball committee? To not only win a gold medal, but to make that medal shine by putting the USA dynasty in the best possible light?

“How is a team without Caitlin Clark doing this? What sort of discussions about the future of USA women’s basketball would not include her? What on earth are they thinking?”

USA Basketball has been silent and has not yet announced its Paris team. But it is getting lots of attention.

Clark said Sunday, “I’m excited for the girls that are on the team. I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way: me being on the team or me not being on the team. I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it will be fun to watch them.

“Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; it’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there.”

5.
Now the Milan Cortina 2026 ski jumps aren’t ready

“The facility on which the competitions for the 2026 Olympic Games will take place will not be ready in time for the planned World Cup date.”

That’s from the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS), which announced Friday:

“There has been one change to the ski jumping World Cup calendar for the coming winter, and it concerns the World Cup in Predazzo (ITA). The World Cup in Val di Fiemme, which was also supposed to be a test for the 2026 Olympic Games, has been canceled. …

“Last week, the FIS was informed by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026, that the ski jumping facility in Val di Fiemme will not be completed in time to host the 2025 test event, the Ski Jumping World Cup on 11 and 12 January 2025.

“The reason for the cancellation was communicated by the Province of Trento, which is responsible for the management and handover of the venue.

“There are reports of considerable delays in the construction of the facility. The venue is expected to be handed over at the end of April 2025.”

FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile (ITA) explained that there is no reason for worry:

“The facility should be ready in April or May 2025, we have been given a binding promise. We will therefore organize Grand Prix competitions at the facility in summer 2025 as part of our summer competition series. We will hold individual competitions, men’s super team and mixed team competitions, all as planned. Only in the summer.

“This event will definitely give us the important experience and testing we need before competing at the Olympic Games.”

The delays at Val di Fiemme come on top of the rushed construction schedule for the new sliding track being built in Cortina d’Ampezzo, also designated for test events in March of 2025. That construction effort passed its first test, of a small initial section, with the work continuing on an aggressive schedule.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● One of the issues being watched carefully in the run-up to the Games is the water quality in the Seine River, to be used for open-water swimming and triathlon.

An open-water swimming test event scheduled for this week has been canceled, due to heavy rains which created overflow discharges into the river, making the pollution levels too high. Agence France Presse reported that discharge levels of 349 cubic sq. m per second, vs. the desired level of 100.

One of the new treatment reservoirs built to handle such overflows has not yet begun service, but will later in June. A first reservoir was opened in April, and the cleaning of the river to once again allow swimming has been a signature effort of the City of Paris attached to the Games, at a cost of about $1.5 billion.

● European Olympic Committees ● Noted during the 53rd EOC General Assembly in Bucharest (ROU) were the good results of the III European Games in Poland last year. Said EOC head Spyros Capralos (GRE):

“I am also delighted to reveal that following the financial success of the European Games in Krakow and Malopolska, we will redistribute €3 million [~$3.24 million U.S.] to the NOCs – €500 for each participating athlete. This further underlines the EOC’s commitment to ensuring the NOCs receive the most comprehensive support we have ever been able to offer.”

The General Assembly also formally approved Istanbul as the host for the 2027 European Games.

● Archery ● World no. 1 Casey Kaufhold of the U.S. was a clear winner at the Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown in Chula Vista, California.

Kaufhold, 20, defeated Gabriela Schloesser (NED) by 6-0 in the final, winning her five elimination matches by 6-0, 6-5 over Samantha Ensign, 6-0, 6-2 and 6-0. Mexico’s Aida Roman won the bronze, 6-4, over Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez.

World no. 15 Jack Williams, the second-ranked American, won the men’s Recurve title with a 6-0 shutout of Gabe Anderson in the final, while Alex Gilliam took the bronze, 6-5, over Christian Stoddard.

● Badminton ● China swept to four wins in five events at the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, starting with an all-Chinese final in the Mixed Doubles and Zhen Bang Jiang and Ya Xin Wei sweeping Si Wei Zheng and Ya Qiong Huang (CHN), 21-11, 21-14.

Next came the only loss of the finals, as Koreans Ha Na Baek and So Hee Lee – second-seeded – defeated Qing Chen Chen and Yi Fan Jia (CHN), 21-17, 21-13. But Chinese stars won the last three events.

Worlds bronze medalist Yu Fei Chen (CHN) won a grueling battle with World Champion Se Young An (KOR), 21-14, 14-21, 21-18, then 2018 Worlds silver winner Yu Qi Shi (CHN) won over Worlds bronze medalist Anders Antonsen (DEN) in the men’s Singles final, 21-9, 12-21, 21-14.

The men’s Doubles finale saw second-seeds Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang (CHN) take down Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee (MAS), 19-21, 21-16, 21-12.

● Basketball ● The U.S. men entered the FIBA men’s U-18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires (ARG) as the six-time defending champions and having won 10 of the 12 tournaments contested all-time.

They had to face home favorite Argentina in the final, but it was no contest, as the Americans pulled away in the second quarter and won in a 110-70 rout.

The U.S. led, 24-23 at the quarter mark, then went on a 28-13 second-quarter run for a 52-36 lead at the half. After a 37-14 third quarter, the lead was 89-50, on the way to the 11th U.S. win in 13 editions of this tournament and seventh in a row.

The U.S. shot 52.4% from the field, led by point guard Darius Acuff Jr. with 26 points, guard Jasper Johnson with 19 and forward Nikolas Khamenia and center Daniel Jacobsen with 11 each. Argentina was held to 35.6% shooting; forward Tyler Kropp – a power forward from Powell, Ohio – led with 20 points.

Canada won the bronze, 89-67, for its eighth straight medal in this tournament and second consecutive third-place finish.

● Beach Volleyball ● The fifth of seven Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournament was held in Ostrava (CZE), with the 2023 World Champions – Americans Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes – getting their first win of the season.

Seeded fifth, they swept top-ranked Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa (BRA) in the semis and then out-fought 2019 World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (CAN) in the final by 21-13, 21-23, 15-12 in the final. Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova (LAT) swept aside Ramos and Lisboa in the third-place match, 21-18, 21-19.

The red-hot Swedes, top-ranked David Ahman and Jonaton Hellvig (SWE) won their second Elite 16 of the season in their third final, 21-19, 21-18 over Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot (NED). Americans Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh got an impressive bronze medal with a win over Olympic champs Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR) by 21-15, 21-14.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The famous Australian Fox sisters were all over the Slalom World Cup II in Prague (CZE), but had to settle for three silver medals.

First was Olympic C-1 champ Jessica Fox, with 48 career World Cup wins, who won silver medals in both the C-1 and K-1. Emma Vuitton (FRA) took the K-1 at 94.12 seconds (0 penalties), with Fox faster, but suffering four penalties to finish at 94.29 and Germany’s Tokyo K-1 winner Ricarda Funk at 94.40 (4).

Czech Gabriela Satkova thrilled the home fans with a win in the C-1 final over Fox, 96.35 (2) to 97.94 (4); American Evy Leibfarth was ninth at 162.37, having missed a gate (50). The two silvers for Fox give her a fabulous career total of 77 World Cup medals.

In the Kayak Cross, younger sister Noemie Fox also won silver, second to Angela Hug of France.

European men’s K-1 champion Giovanni de Gennaro (ITA) won the men’s race in 79.07 (0) over Mateusz Polaczyk (POL) 81.28 (0) and Jakub Krejci (CZE) 81.35 (0). In the C-1 final, Czech Jiri Prskavec, the Tokyo Olympic K-1 gold medalist, got his first career World Cup win in C-1 at 86.32 (0), beating 2023 World Champion Benjamin Savsek (SLO: 87.14/0) and 2023 Worlds runner-up Nicolas Gestin (FRA: 88.43/2).

Spain’s Manuel Ochoa won the Kayak cross final ahead of Tillmann Roeller (GER).

● Cycling ● After the massive crash that nullified stage 5 of the 76th Criterium du Dauphine in France, 2022 champion Primoz Roglic (SLO) got serious and rode away with two straight stage wins and won an eight-second victory over American Matteo Jorgenson.

Stage six had a late climb and an uphill finish at the end of 174.1 km and Roglic won by three seconds over Guilio Ciccone (ITA) and took the race lead by 19 seconds over Remco Evenepoel (BEL), also impacted by the crash. On Saturday, the 155.3 km route to Samoens 1600 had two more major climbs and another uphill finish, with Roglic winning at the line over Jorgenson in 4:29:16 as Evenepoel fell back in 13th. So, Roglic had a 1:02 lead going into Sunday’s 160.6 km eighth stage, more of a hilly course but with another uphill finish.

This time, it was Carlos Rodriguez (ESP) out-sprinting Jorgenson to the line in 4:18:02, with Roglic back in sixth, 48 seconds off the pace. That closed things up, but Roglic maintained an eight-second lead at the end, with Jorgenson next and Derek Gee (CAN: +0.36) third, and Evenepoel in seventh.

Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky won the first two stages of the 9th Women’s Tour of Britain and sailed to a 17-second win over Anna Henderson (GBR).

Kopecky won a mass sprint to take the opening stage on Thursday, then out-dueled Henderson to the line to win the 140.1 km second stage and maintain her lead. She was 17th in the mass-sprint finish of the flat third stage, won by Lorena Wiebes (NED), and continued her 17-second advantage on Henderson.

In Sunday’s hilly finale in and around Manchester, a group of 13 pushed for the finish and Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) won the stage in 2:37:51 over 99.2 km, with Kopecky fourth and Henderson 10th, all in the same time. That left the final standings with Kopecky up 17 seconds on Henderson and Christine Majerus (LUX) in third.

At the third Downhill leg of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series in Leogang (AUT), five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA) won for the second time in 3:05.523, a couple of seconds ahead of Canada’s Finn Iles, the 2016 World Junior Champion (3:07.917).

Austria’s Valentina Hoell, the 2022 and 2023 World Champion, also won for the second time this season, timing 3:40.141 to 3:47.243 for American Anna Newkirk, who won her first medal this season.

● Football ● The U.S. men entered Saturday’s friendly against Colombia in Landover, Maryland with an all-time record of 3-13-5 against the South Americans and had not won against Colombia since 2005.

After a 5-1 loss, the gap between the teams seemed even larger. Colombian forward Jhon Arias scored in the sixth minute off a pass that was deflected off a U.S. defender and after a positioning touch, beat U.S. keeper Matt Turner from about six yards out.

Striker Rafael Borre got a second goal for Colombia in the 19th on a bicycle kick from inside the box, following a failed U.S. clearance. That was the halftime score, with Colombia leading on shots, 8-6. Christian Pulisic hit the post for the U.S. with a header in the 32nd.

And the U.S. got back into it in the 58th as forward Tim Weah with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, across to the left corner.

But the visitors turned up the pressure after a series of substitutes, with the U.S. getting punished for repeatedly losing the ball on its half of the field. Sub midfielder Richard Rios scored in the 77th, then sub forward Jorge Carrascal in the 85th and sub forward Luis Sinisterra in the 88th to make the game a runaway. Colombia ended with a 15-10 shots edge, but the U.S. had more possession at 53%.

Colombia extended in unbeaten streak to 22 games. It doesn’t get easier for the U.S., with Brazil next on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

● Gymnastics ● Brazil was the big winner at the Pan American Rhythmic Championships in Guatemala City (GUA), starting with Barbara Sundays taking the All-Around at 130.150 points, just ahead of American Rin Keys (130.000) and Maria Alexandre (BRA: 129.550). Megan Chu of the U.S. was fifth (123.300).

Sundays also won on Hoop (34.300), leading a 1-2 with teammate Geovanna Santos (33.100), ahead of Chu (32.950) and Keys (32.850).

Alexandre won the Ball final, scoring 34.550 over Keys (33.400) and Chu (33.000), and on Ribbon at 33.150, with Sundays second (32.400) and keys and Chu in fourth and fifth. Keys won on Clubs (33.700) over Sundays (33.100) and Alexandre (31.300), with Alexandria Kautzman of the U.S. in fourth (29.400).

● Shooting ● In the final events of the ISSF World Cup in Munich (GER), Britain’s 2018 World 50 m Rifle/Prone gold medalist, Seonaid McIntosh won the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions title in a runaway, scoring 466.7 in the final to 462.6 for China’s Jiayu Han, the 2023 10 m Air Rifle champion.

Norway’s Ole Halvorsen won the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions gold at 464.3, ahead of Istvan Peni (HUN: 464.1), holding a 0.6-point lead with two shots remaining, but seeing the margin go down to 0.2.

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TSX REPORT: Big TV audience for Biles at U.S. Nationals; USA Gymnastics planning training center; Neugebauer scores 8,961 at NCAAs!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Simone Biles at the 2016 Olympic Games (by Agencia Brasil Fotografias via Wikipedia Commons)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Big TV audience for Biles & Co. at U.S. Nationals
2. World leads for Neugebauer and Long at NCAA Champs
3. USA Gymnastics training center hoped to be ready pre-LA28
4. FIFA asked to pressure Saudi Arabia on labor over 2034 World Cup
5. Skating icon Heiden on Stolz: “once-in-a-generation talent”

● A strong viewing audience for the women’s finals at the USA Gymnastics nationals in Ft. Worth last weekend, drawing 2.285 million on NBC – second-most for a sports program on the day – to see Simone Biles claim a record ninth national title.

● At the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, German Leo Neugebauer (Texas) won the decathlon with a fabulous collegiate record 8,961 points, becoming the no. 6 performer in history. In the women’s prelims, McKenzie Long of Ole Miss improved on her world lead in the 200 m to 21.95!

● USA Gymnastics chief executive Li Li Leung told reporters prior to the start of last week’s national championships that the federation has made its way back from the Larry Nassar scandal and is now fixed on creating a new, national training center. Multiple locations are interested, and the hope is that it will open prior to the 2028 Olympic Games!

● Just as with the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, activist human rights organizations are insisting that FIFA use the awards of the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Portugal and Spain, and the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia as a lever to improve working conditions in each country. It’s already pretty shrill.

● In a meeting of speed skating greats, 1980 Olympic legend Eric Heiden presented the US Speedskating athlete of the year award to new star Jordon Stolz. Of the youngster, Heiden said he’s already a big fan, can have success at longer distances and is a “once-in-a-generation talent”

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: football tickets discounted for prelim matches; government asked for more Paralympic funding) = Russia (Minister says country not leaving the Olympic Movement) = Athletics (2: Kipruto’s team asserts innocence; more AIU doping suspensions) = Basketball (U.S. 3×3 women’s team confirmed for Paris) = Cycling (3: Glasgow ‘23 Worlds emissions less than 2022 World Athletics Champs in Eugene; Evenepoel leads Roglic in Criterium du Dauphine after stage 5 crash; Kopecky leads women’s Tour of Britain) = Equestrian (FEI reports CHF 57.4 million in 2023 revenues) = Sailing (World Sailing to split Worlds in 2026 and 2027) = Shooting (Olympic and Worlds medalists star at ISSF World Cup ) ●

1.
Big TV audience for Biles & Co. at U.S. Nationals

Have no doubt: Simone Biles is not only the greatest women’s gymnast in history, but also its biggest TV star.

The USA Gymnastics national championships in Ft. Worth, Texas had a big audience on Sunday night, as Biles, Suni Lee, Skye Blakely, Jade Carey and others performed with an eye toward qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis at the end of the month:

● 2 June: 724,000 on NBC for men’s finals (3:00 p.m. replay)
● 2 June: 2,285,000 on NBC for women’s finals (7:00 p.m. live)

However, it is also true that the magic is on network television and not on the finance-centric CNBC, which had much lower audiences for other sessions:

● 1 June: 126,000 on CNBC for men’s qualifying (12:00 p.m. replay)
● 1 June: 232,000 on CNBC for women’s qualifying (2:30 p.m. replay)
● 1 June: 208,000 on CNBC for men’s finals (8:00 p.m. live)

Note that a replay of the men’s finals on NBC drew 724,000 vs. a live audience of just 208,000 on CNBC.

As for the prized age 18-34 demographic, the women’s nationals had a very respectable 128,000 on Sunday and the men’s replay had 83,000. The CNBC shows averaged between 6,000-10,000 viewers in the 18-34 age group.

The 2.285 million audience for the women’s nationals finals was the no. 2 sports show of the show and the top sports show in its time slot. In its first hour of 7-8 p.m., gymnastics was third behind CBS’ “60 Minutes” (5.016 million) and ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (3.491 million). In the 8-9 p.m. slot, only “60 Minutes” did better (4.176 million).

Actually, the 2024 audience for the national was down a little from 2023, when Biles made her return to the scene, which averaged 2.66 million on NBC.

Nevertheless, this is good news for gymnastics and for NBC, which is looking to build up through the Olympic Trials coverage in swimming, track and gymnastics from 15-30 June and into a huge audience for the Olympic Games from Paris in July and August.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team’s two friendlies against South Korea got some attention on TNT:

● 1 June: 106,000 on TNT for USA-Korean women pre-game (4 p.m.) 
● 1 June: 346,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women (5 p.m.) 

● 4 June: 161,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women II pre-game (7:30 p.m.)
● 4 June: 462,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women II (8:00 p.m.)
● 4 June: 198,000 on TNT for USA-Korea women II post-game (10:00 p.m.)

Pretty interesting to see the 198,000 post-game audience on Tuesday, following up on the dazzling debut by 16-year-old Lily Yohannes.

The 1 June (Saturday) game vs. Korea had 33,000 viewers in the 18-34 demographic.

2.
World leads for Neugebauer and Long at NCAA Champs

Friday was women’s semifinals day at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and Mississippi’s McKenzie Long ran a world-leading 21.95 in the 200 m, but Germany’s Leo Neugebauer was making history in the final day of the decathlon.

Texas’ Neugebauer was ready to crush his 2023 collegiate record of 8,836, and on Wednesday, he won the long jump, shot put and high jump and scored a collegiate-record 4,685 first-day total. On Thursday, he was on fire again, running 14.36 for fifth in the 110 m hurdles, then winning the discus and pole vault. After a fourth in the javelin, he was at 8,309 with the 1,500 m left.

He ran steadily at the back of the pack in the 1,500 m and finished in 4:44.61, ending with another collegiate record, of 8,961, now no. 6 all-time, with the no. 6 score in history. He’s got to be a medal favorite for Paris. Mississippi State’s Peyton Bair was second with 8,131 points.

Long got her world leader in the 200 m semis, but there was another star attraction on the track in the women’s 10,000 m.

That would be four-time NCAA champ Parker Valby of Florida, trying for a 5-10 double and the collegiate record holder. The pace was slow, but Valby ran steadily, breaking away from everyone except Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi (KEN) with four laps to go and then breaking free with 1,200 m left, winning in a meet record of 31:46.09, with a 62.7 last lap. She’ll be back to try to defend her 5,000 m title on Saturday. Olemomoi got a lifetime best of 31:51.89 in second.

There were five field-event finals on Thursday:

● The hammer was held early and Iceland’s Elisabet Rut Runarsdottir (Texas State) moved up from seventh in 2023 to the title, winning at 70.47 m (231-2) over Rice’s Tara Simpson-Sullivan (GBR), at 69.96 m (229-5), who was fifth last year.

● Rutgers junior Chloe Timburg ended up winning the pole vault at 4.65 m (15-3), after Charlotte’s Riley Felts missed once at 4.60 m (15-1), 4.65 m and 4.70 m (15-5). Timburg then went to 4.71 m (15-5 1/2) for her final height, a lifetime best and a meet record; she’s now no. 6 on the 2024 world list. NCAA Indoor champ Hana Moll of Washington was third at 4.50 m (14-9).

● Defending champ Ackelia Smith (JAM-Texas) got control of the long jump in the third round with her first legal jump of 6.79 m (22-3 1/2). Only Florida’s Claire Bryant was close, at 6.74 m (22-1 1/2) in the fifth round, for second.

● Collegiate record holder Jaida Ross of Oregon, throwing on her home ring, won the shot easily, at 19.57 m (64-2 1/2) on her final throw. All six of her throws would have won, with Gabby Morris of Colorado State second at 18.66 m (61-2 3.4).

● Nebraska’s defending champ Rhema Otabor (BAH) bombed the field in the fifth round, reaching 64.19 m (210-7) and setting the collegiate record and moving no. 5 in the world for 2024! Texas A&M junior Lianna Davidson (AUS) got a lifetime best of 60.70 m (199-2) for second.

In the semis, Oregon star Jadyn Mays stormed to an 11.04 win in the first heat of the 100 m (wind: +1.5 m/s), but LSU’s Brianna Lyston zoomed to a 10.99 win (+0.7) in heat two. But Mississippi’s Long dominated heat three with a lifetime best of 10.91 (0.0) and moved up to equal-sixth in the world for 2024 with Lyston.

Mays got a lifetime best in the 200 m first heat and moved to seventh in the world at 22.27 (+1.1), but JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) ran hard on the turn and zipped to a 22.14 win (+1.2), just 0.03 off her seasonal best. Long – the world leader at 22.03 – looked sensational and got a new world lead at 21.95 (+0.3)! Wow.

The women’s 400 m was expected to be all about Arkansas and Amber Anning (GBR) won heat one in 50.67, then Nickisha Pryce (JAM) and Rosey Effiong were 1-2 in heat two in 49.87 and 50.42! In heat three, frosh Kaylyn Brown completed the Hog sweep, running away in 49.82! Those were the top four times of the day; amazing.

Penn State’s Hayley Kitching (AUS) was a surprise winner in the first heat of the 800 m in 2:01.47, then defending champ and collegiate leader Michaela Rose of LSU ran away with heat two in 1:59.90. Stanford’s Juliette Whitaker held on to take heat three in 2:00.09, barely ahead of Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte (Oklahoma State: 2:00.11).

Providence’s Shannon Flockhart (GBR) sprinted down the straight to win the first women’s 1,500 m heat in 4:05.99, a lifetime best and now no. 4 in collegiate history! Defending champ Maia Ramsden (NZL-Harvard) separated on the final straight to win heat two in just 1/100th slower, in 4:06.00.

Alabama frosh Doris Lemngole (KEN) ran away with the first heat of the Steeple, winning by almost 10 seconds in 9:38.69. The second heat was a three-way dash to the line, won by Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich, 9:50.08 to 9:50.11 over Lithuania’s Greta Karinauskaite (Cal Baptist).

World no. 6 Maribel Caicedo (ECU-Washington State) was a clear winner in the 100 m hurdles first heat in 12.53 (+0.8), then the wind came up for Florida’s Grace Stark in heat two, a big winner at 12.52 with a 3.4 m/s wind-aid. Michigan’s Aasia Laurencin came on in the final half of the race winning heat three in 12.77 (+1.1).

Arkansas’ Rachel Glenn dominated heat one of the 400 m hurdles, winning by more than two seconds in 53.80, fastest in the nation this season and no. 5 on the 2024 world list! The prior collegiate leader, USC’s Jasmine Jones won heat two easily, in 54.20. Defending champ Savannah Sutherland (CAN-Michigan) had the best finish in heat three and won in a lifetime best of 54.04, now no. 7 in the world for 2024.

Ole Miss won the first heat in the 4×100 m with the fastest time in the nation this year in 42.22; only the U.S. has run faster this season worldwide! Arkansas was clear winner in heat at 42.45 thanks to Kaylyn Brown’s fab third leg, and LSU won the third heat in 42.63.

South Carolina’s Ford anchored the Gamecocks with a 49.72 leg to win the first 4×400 m semi in 3:27.10, then Houston’s Michaela Mouton (50.74) flew down the final straight to win semi two in 3:27.55. Collegiate-record-holding Arkansas dominated the third heat as expected, winning by more than two seconds in 3:25.51.

The men’s finals (and the heptathlon) come on Friday.

3.
USA Gymnastics training center hoped to be ready pre-LA28

The long and twisting road for USA Gymnastics on the road back from the Larry Nassar abuse scandal has reached a good point, according to USA Gymnastics chief executive Li Li Leung, who delivered detailed “state of the sport” remarks just before the start of the artistic national championships in Ft. Worth last week:

● “This year we also have a record -breaking five coaches who are being recognized by the Positive Coaching Alliance as Coach of the Year national winners. So we’ve transformed the culture of the sport, we’ve rebranded the organization, unveiled a mascot, instituted a therapy dog program, expanded mental health and sports medicine programs, brought on seven new partners in less than two years and have also welcomed full arenas of energetic and newly engaged fans.”

● “In fact, we’ve grown so much that we’ve also entered into a new phase of partnerships. With so many new partners coming on board over the last couple years, the most recent being Nike, Core Hydration, Samsonite, Skippy, and of course Comcast. We’re actually pulling back a bit from recruiting new partners and are now going to focus on execution of those partnerships.”

● “When you look at the level of competition we’ve had and at the level of excitement for fans and partner engagement on the concourse and in social media and at retail, this thing as it is, it’s really been a renaissance period for us and the days of partnerships just being about signage and badging exercises are long gone.

“Here in Fort Worth we’re going to see, and at [Olympic] Trials, we’re going to see a lot of activations and a lot of meaningful engagement between brands, fans and athletes. So we are so grateful to our corporate partners, including our endemic partners, for caring about the sport, for caring about the athletes, for caring about our fans, and for recognizing that together we can do more.“

Leung also spoke at length about a major project to create a national training center for the federation:

“The first initiative is something that I initially spoke about last year, and that is our proposed training wellness center. And I should note that wellness is specifically part of the project name because that is an important and integral aspect of the center.

“So last year began a process of soliciting and gaining interest in community in terms of cities for our center. And the vision is that this facility will be the heart and hub of gymnastics in America. The training will in the center be a place where not only the athletes train, but also a place for gymnasts of all levels. and the entirety of our community will be welcomed and celebrated.

“So all seven disciplines of our sport will be served at this center. It will be a place for training, for competition, for education, for camps, and so much more. When we did the initial survey of interest, responses from over a dozen metro areas were received. And we have since brought an expert in real estate development and site selection who’s going to help us guide through the next phases of that project.

“So an RFI – Request For Information – has gone out and responses are currently coming in for that. Our goals narrow things down to about five finalist cities by the summer time and then select our site by the end of this year or early in the new year.

“Selection is going to be based on a number of different factors which will have a weighted system. And some of the main criteria are core-facility specifications, proximity to medical resources, and proximity to a major airport, overall quality of life, cost of living, and there’s a whole host of many other considerations. So this training wellness center is a massive undertaking, and the fact that we’re in a place where we can envision that kind of growth really just shows how far we’ve come over the last several years.”

She was not ready to give a grand-opening date, explaining, “it completely depends on what the proposals are that come in, I mean, ideally we’d like it up and running before LA 2028. You know, I envision that we’ll get proposals that would put a shovel in the ground, or retrofit existing facilities.

“If it’s retrofitting existing facilities, that will be a lot easier as opposed to shovel-in-the-ground. Again, ideally, it’s before L.A., but it will depend on what the proposals are coming in.”

Leung also noted that a significant promotional element for the federation is its new mascot, a stylized cat named “Flip,” which has been well received:

“So two weeks ago, for those of you who were there, you would have seen Flip come to life at the Core Hydration Classic. And in gymnastics, mascot aren’t as common as major league sports team so I actually wasn’t really quite sure how the debut would take place but I could not believe the reaction to Flip.

“And frankly even Flip couldn’t believe the reaction to him. So, kids went crazy for Flip and whenever there was a roar from the crowd if gymnastics wasn’t going on it was because of what Flip was doing, and the people who actually bring Flip to life are former professional mascots. And they actually said to me afterwards that they have never had as positive a reaction to a debut of a mascot as they had with Flip.”

Leung was asked about whether members of the gymnastics teams will participate in the Paris opening on the Seine River and beyond the security questions, she noted that for those participating, “you will literally be on your feet for close to nine hours that day in the heat.” But it will be up to each athlete to decide for themselves.

4.
FIFA asked to pressure Saudi Arabia on labor over 2034 World Cup

Paralleling the build-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, international labor organizations are lining up to accuse Saudi Arabia of worker mistreatment and demand that FIFA use its award of 2034 World Cup to change labor practices there. On Wednesday:

“[T]he Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) is filing two formal complaints with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) against Saudi Arabia for severe human rights abuses and wage theft involving at least 21,000 construction workers by various but mainly two now-bankrupt Saudi construction companies alone.

“The complaint emphasises the exploitative living and working conditions among the country’s vast migrant workforce: conditions that BWI notes are akin to forced labour. As Saudi Arabia positions itself to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, this complaint demands immediate attention from FIFA and the international community. FIFA is expected to receive the single bid for the 2034 World Cup host in July.”

The BWI statement further highlighted FIFA’s own regulations on respecting human rights:

“Article 7 of FIFA’s Human Rights Policy states that ‘FIFA will constructively engage with relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort to uphold its international human rights responsibilities.’

“FIFA must ensure that Saudi Arabia addresses grave labour rights abuses and aligns its labour laws and practices with international standards before any further consideration of its World Cup bid.”

FIFA made significant efforts with the Qatar government to reform the legal structure of its “kafala” sponsorship system, but concerns remain about whether the changes have been significant.

Amnesty International, which followed the build-up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup closely, issued a report on Saudi Arabia and the 2034 World Cup, with its head of Labor Rights and Sports, Steve Cockburn (GBR) saying:

“With only a single bid to host each tournament [for 2030 and 2034], and major human rights concerns surrounding both, there are huge questions about FIFA’s willingness to stand by the pledges and reforms it has made in recent years, including exercising its right to reject any bid which does not meet its stated human rights requirements.

“The human rights issues associated with the joint 2030 World Cup bid are significant and must be addressed but the risks associated with the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid by Saudi Arabia – including those faced by workers, fans and journalists – are of an entirely different magnitude and severity.”

The Amnesty report called out both bids:

● “The 2030 joint bid from Morocco, Portugal and Spain – with three matches being played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – carries human rights risks primarily related to labour rights, discrimination, freedom of expression and assembly, policing, privacy and housing.”

● “Saudi Arabia has an appalling human rights record and its bid carries a broad range of very serious risks. The Kingdom has spent billions in recent years on an image rehabilitation campaign, heavily reliant on investment in sports including football to distract from its abysmal track record of abuses. A draft penal code looks set to further entrench many human rights violations in law.”

FIFA is expected to formally award the 2030 and 2034 World Cups in the fall.

5.
Skating icon Heiden on Stolz: “once-in-a-generation talent”

American skating star Jordan Stolz, now 20, has won back-to-back World Championships golds in the 500-1,000–1,500 m distances and the World Allround Championship earlier this year. Who better to ask about him than the immortal Eric Heiden, whose stunning performance at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid still seems surreal, sweeping all five golds in the 500-1,000-1,500-5,000-10,000 m speed skating events.

Heiden, now 65 and a long-time orthopedic surgeon, presented Stolz with the Eric Heiden Award as the 2023 US Speedskating athlete of the year, at a federation awards ceremony last month in Utah. And he had a lot of nice things to say:

● “For speed skating he’s sort of a once-in-a-generation talent and I don’t think he yet really knows what his limits are. He’s certainly done well in the shorter distances and the middle distances but last year he started spending a little bit more time in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m and I think he was pleasantly surprised with his results. He’s got a lot of potential there also.”

● “He’s very technically sound as a skater and has a good feel for the ice. He also has mental fortitude and the ability to really push himself when he’s out there skating, sometimes beyond what he’s comfortable with.”

● “He is the world’s best speed skater right now and he’s had felt that pressure now for two years so when it comes to the Olympics it may be ramped up a little bit, that pressure, but he is already accustomed to dealing with it.

“I’m not so concerned about that. I think he’s going to do just fine. He’s been to the Olympics once before [2022] so that experience is important just to be in the Olympic Village and around a bunch of different athletes and now when he goes back, he’s going to be very focused on what he has to do and he’s not going to get distracted by the Olympic experience.”

Perhaps the ultimate compliment from Heiden was this:

“I do stay in touch with his coach [Bob Corby] a little bit just to find out what he’s doing because I love watching the guy skate. He’s sort of rejuvenated my interest in speed skating to see a guy do things that I used to be able to do.

“Our accomplishments are pretty similar at this age [Heiden was 21 in 1980]. The thing I am always amazed with newer athletes or athletes in this era is their ability to focus on their sport despite all the social media. He is very focused on what he’s doing, he’s got a great family around him, and he’s got a good coach that keeps his feet on the ground and allows him to focus on what he needs to do to get better.”

Heiden also competed in two Winter Games, finishing seventh and 19th in the 1,500 m and 5,000 m in Innsbruck (AUT) in 1976 before his record-shattering performance in Lake Placid. Stolz appears ready to make quite a splash in his second Games, in 2026.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● FrancsJeux.com reported on the latest Paris 2024 “Ticketing Thursdays” sales packages, with a major push towards selling tickets to the preliminary football matches, always one of the hardest sells at any Olympic Games.

With “around a million tickets to sell,” an offer of four tickets at €15 each is now available for most matches for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, but not the semifinals or finals. About 30,000 other tickets have been made available in other sports, including canoeing, equestrian, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby sevens, swimming and water polo.

The Paris 2024 organizing committee has asked the French government for an additional €30 million (about $32.68 million U.S.) in financial support for the Paralympic Games.

According to the satirical weekly Le Canard chaine (“The Chained Duck”), ticket sales for the Paralympic Games have been lagging – about a third of the total available – so the request is being made now. The national government agreed to €100 million in the original budget and added €70 million in December 2022.

● Russia ● Continuing a consistent theme, the new Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev told the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday:

“We are not leaving the Olympic Movement, we are still there.

“On the one hand everybody wants us pack it in, but we are not going to do that. This issue is subject to external influence and our athletes suffer from discrimination.

“We are rooting for our athletes everywhere. Our athletes are preparing for the BRICS Games [in June in Kazan]. I am sure that they will find success to our great cheers.”

● Athletics ● Kenyan distance star Rhonex Kipruto is unmoved by the decision of a disciplinary tribunal that imposed a six-year sanction on him for abnormal readings in his Athlete Biological Passport and will continue to challenge the finding.

In a news release, his Prague (CZE)-based management team challenged his uneven ABP readings by pointing to the impact of travel, timing, use of alcohol and other factors, and insist that “Rhonex’s honest and vast efforts (and of his legal and scientific teams) collide with what seems to be an impenetrable wall created by current anti-doping rules and regulations.”

His agent, Davor Savija (SRB), commented:

“My advice to Rhonex has been consistent throughout this process – follow the lead of legal and scientific teams. In relation to potential appeal at [the Court of Arbitration for Sport], my advice to Rhonex is to wait for pending genetic testing to come in and to have legal and scientific teams evaluate the case further, in light of these new testing results and said Decision. …

“My wish is that this press release reaches various scientists and legal minds, with hope Rhonex gets additional support as he searches for the truth in relation to how his body functions and how this functioning is captured by the ABP.”

The drumbeat of sanctions from the Athletics Integrity Unit continued on Thursday with two more provisional suspensions.

French distance runner Mehdi Frere, a 2:05:43 men’s marathoner from 2023, was suspended for whereabouts failures, and Sultan Haydar (TUR) “for Evading, Refusing or Failing to submit to Sample Collection.” Haydar has run 2:21:47 in the women’s marathon in 2023, the Turkish national record.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball confirmed its women’s 3×3 Olympic team for Paris with Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith selected.

Brink (WNBA: L.A. Sparks), Burdick and Van Lith (TCU) were members of the winning squad for the 2023 FIBA 3×3 women’s World Cup (also with Linnae Harper), with Brink named Most Valuable Player. Burdick was a member of the U.S. 5×5 gold-medal team at the 2023 Pan American Games. Howard (WNBA: Atlanta Dream) was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2022.

● Cycling ● The Glasgow organizers of the UCI’s first mega-championships in 2023 published a sustainability report, highlighting various initiatives aimed at social and environmental goals.

There is no scorecard available showing if the results are good or bad, but a comparison can be made to the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, for which data was compiled by Nielsen for World Athletics:

World Athletics Championships 2022
(Eugene, Oregon, USA):
● Held 15-24 July 2022
● 1,705 athletes from 179 countries
● CO2 emissions estimated at 97,095 tons
● 77.8% from air travel to the event

UCI World Championships 2023
(Glasgow, Scotland, GBR):
● Held 3-13 August 2023
● About 2,600 athletes + 8,000 mass event riders
● CO2 emissions estimated at 61,051 tons
● 99.3% from air travel to the event

Based on these measures, the cycling event was more efficient with diversion of waste and reduction of energy use, but the overwhelming amount of emissions from travel demonstrates that true “net-zero” events are far away as long as athletes, support staff and spectators come from far and wide to attend an event in person.

The 76th Criterium du Dauphine stage race in France is on this week and will finish on Sunday; it’s often seen as a tune-up for the Tour de France.

Belgian star Remco Evenepoel, the 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner and the 2023 World Time Trial winner, took the race lead after winning the stage four time trial on Wednesday, moving from 33rd to first, with a 33-second edge on Slovenian star Primoz Roglic, the 2022 winner of this race.

Thursday’s stage five had to be stopped after a major crash about 20 km from the finish on a wet, downhill section of the 167 km course to Saint-Priest, and it was decided that the stage would not count in the standings. Both Evenepoel and Roglic were involved, with the Belgian apparently in good shape, but Roglic landed on a shoulder and was not sure if would continue.

American Matteo Jorgenson stands third, 1:04 back, with three stages left, all of which have significant climbs and uphill finishes.

The four-stage women’s Tour of Britain opened on Thursday with a win by Belgian star Lotte Kopecky, her fourth Women’s World Tour victory in 2024, following a sprint of nine riders to the line at the end of the hilly, 142.4 km route to Llandudno.

The other stages are fairly flat, with sprints expected at the end of each. Two-time winner Lizzie Deignan (GBR) sits fourth (+0:12) after the first stage.

● Equestrian ● The Federation Equestre Internationale Board met in Lausanne on 4-5 June and approved the “Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan” and allocated CHF 1.0 million (about $1.2 million U.S.) for implementation, focused on the health of horses.

The FEI reported good financial results for 2023, with revenues of CHF 57.382 million and expenses of CHF 54.963 million. The surplus of CHF 1.07 million leaves the FEI’s reserves at more than CHF 24 million (CHF 1 = $1.22).

● Sailing ● World Sailing announced that it will split its world championship events, with Valencia (ESP) hosting the single-crewed events in 2026 (Formula Kite, IQfoil, Laser, Laser Radial) and Gdynia (POL) will be the site for the two-person crew events in 2027 (470, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17), both as qualifiers for Los Angeles 2028.

World Sailing chief executive David Graham (GBR) explained:

“A split championship format reflects the direction from our wider stakeholder group; the benefits of which are being seen already in that the level of interest was much higher as it reduces the financial and logistical resources required from the hosts.”

Six editions of World Championships for all of the Olympic classes have been held from 2003-23, with The Hague (NED) hosting last August,

● Shooting ● The stars were out at the pistol range at the ISSF World Cup in Munich (GER), with the 2010 World Champion, Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic, 37, taking the women’s 10 m Air Pistol final, scoring 244.4 to 240.1 for China’s Tokyo bronze winner, Ranxin Jiang.

In the women’s 25 m Pistol, France’s Camile Jedrzejewski, 22, won a tight final from Germany’s 2023 World Champion Doreen Vennekamp. They tied at 40 and went to a shoot-off, with Jedrzejewski hitting 10s on all five shots to three for Vennekamp.

India’s Sarabjol Singh piled up a good lead in the men’s 10 m Air Pistol final, then held on to edge China’s 17-year-old Shuaihang Bu, 242.7 to 242.5. And two-time Olympic bronze winner Yuehong Li took the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol title, 32-28, over Rio 2016 Olympic champ Christian Reitz (GER).

Competition concludes Friday with the 50 m Rifle/3 Positions finals.

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TSX REPORT: LA28 hires ex-Lt. Gen. Hoover as CEO; Kenya suspends 33 (!) for doping; Kremlin says Microsoft disinfo report “slander”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Former U.S. Army Lt. General and new LA28 organizing committee chief executive Reynold Hoover (Image: U.S. Department of Defense video screenshot)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. LA28 names retired Lt. Gen Reynold Hoover as CEO
2. Report: Kenya suspends 33 for doping; Kipruto gets 6 years
3. Samuel wins crazy 10,000 m finish at NCAA T&F Champs
4. Teen Yohannes stars as U.S. women beat Korea, 3-0
5. Kremlin calls Microsoft disinformation report “slander”

● The LA28 organizing committee named former U.S. Army Lt. General Reynold Hoover as its new chief executive. A West Point graduate, he served in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan, but was also a lawyer in private practice and an advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush on security issues. He will start next week, taking over a small team of 180 that will eventually grow to about 4,000.

● News reports in Kenya said that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) suspended 33 athletes, with 26 in track & field and small numbers in basketball, rugby and handball. In addition, the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Kenya’s 10,000 m star Rhonex Kipruto – the world 10 km road world-record holder – for six years for doping.

● The men’s semifinals and a few finals were held at Wednesday’s NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, with New Mexico frosh Habtom Samuel from Eritrea winning the 10,000 m after being in a crash on the track in the final 1,000 m. USC’s JC Stevenson was the surprise long jump winner at 8.22 m (26-11 3/4) in the final round.

● The U.S. women won their second straight friendly over South Korea on Tuesday, 3-0, but it was tougher than the first game. Substitutes Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman brought instant offense in the 62nd minute and Lily Yohannes, 16, dazzled with her poise, passing and scored a goal as well!

● The Kremlin denounced the Microsoft report on Russian disinformation efforts against the Olympic Games in Paris as “slander,” but the U.S. State Department acknowledged the report and indicated the U.S. had its own intel on what the Russians were doing.

● Panorama: Los Angeles 2028 (LA28 and City of L.A. in intel property agreement) = Milan Cortina 2026 (first inspection of sliding venue construction) = Winter Games 2030 (French government bid guarantees not complete) = Archery (Ellison defends U.S. field title) = Athletics (Boston Marathon raises record $71.9 million for charity) = Skiing (U.S.’s Paine elected to Council, no FIS Games ‘28 award yet) = Swimming (3: P&G joins USA Swimming as 2024 sponsor; Trials pool complete at Lucas Oil Stadium; McMahon banned for four years for doping) = Triathlon (USA Tri names Paris team) ●

1.
LA28 names retired Lt. Gen Reynold Hoover as CEO

“Today, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announce Reynold Hoover as Chief Executive Officer, leading the Organizing Committee’s staff through the planning and execution of the Games. Hoover comes to LA28 following leadership positions in the U.S. Military, along with senior civilian roles in the federal government, and brings significant experience in planning, operations and logistics to help deliver the world’s largest peacetime gathering – the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Hoover, 63, is a retired U.S. Army Lt. General, beginning his career as a 1983 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and serving through December 2018, retiring as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Northern Command. He served in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and served in Afghanistan in 2009-10 as the Commanding General of the Joint Sustainment Command.

His career, however, has also included significant civilian assignments, including as a Special Agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, as Chief of Staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and as a Special Assistant for U.S. President George W. Bush for Homeland Security matters.

In addition, he’s a lawyer, graduating from The Catholic University of America in 1997 and has been an attorney in private practice and chief counsel at CSX Intermodal.

His appointment was confirmed on Wednesday (5th) and he will begin his tenure on 10 June 2024 at the LA28 offices in Los Angeles. Said LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman:

“Reynold is one of the few people in the nation who possesses the operational and logistics expertise that the Olympic and Paralympic Games require.

“He’s been tasked with some of our nation’s most complex challenges, and we are fortunate to have him on our team as we prepare to welcome the world in 2028.”

Observed: Hoover will inherit a series of contradictions when he starts at LA28 next week. The LA28 Games has the advantages of a no-build plan, requiring no new venues to host the Games, a huge advantage over most prior organizers.

Moreover, Wasserman and former chief executive Kathy Carter have repeatedly insisted that already-contracted revenues from the International Olympic Committee, sponsors, licensing and hospitality are sufficient to hold the Games now, and that more commercial agreements are on the way. Hiring Hoover and noting his logistical expertise underscores the confidence in the finances.

But: LA28 is a small group so far, with about 180 staff now and 10 jobs currently listed for hire. That team will expand to about 4,000 by the middle of 2028 and then shrink to almost nothing by the end of that year. It’s a big undertaking to find the right mix of people and programming to get everyone moving together toward a common goal.

Those who have engaged with the LA28 staff have found them dedicated and personable, but there are concerns that the planning effort is not as advanced as it could be at this stage. The management turnover has quite a bit to do with this, and it’s now up to Hoover to create and sustain momentum toward ultimate success in 2028.

2.
Report: Kenya suspends 33 for doping; Kipruto gets 6 years

The Kenyan newspaper Nation reported Tuesday that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has suspended 33 athletes for doping, with 26 in track & field and seven others in basketball (3), rugby (3) and handball.

This kind of mass suspension has been forecast in November 2023, when ADAK chief executive Sarah Shubutse said that 50 athletes would be suspended by the end of that month. Instead, the mass suspension announcement came seven months later.

The leading athlete reported to be on the list – which was not posted on the ADAK Web site as of Wednesday – is Joshua Belet, 26, who won the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon in a lifetime best of 2:04:18, no. 12 on the world list last year. He also represented Kenya at the World Athletics Championships in the marathon, but did not finish.

This kind of mass sanction had been expected since the Kenyan government, after liaison with the Athletics Integrity Unit, promised added funding of $5 million per year for five years beginning in 2023 to try and reverse the alarming doping trend in the country, which was on the verge of suspension.

The Nation story quoted ADAK legal officer Bildad Rogoncho as crediting the increased funding to allow the agency “to visit camps countrywide to conduct more out-of-competition testing, especially on second and third-tier competition athletes.”

He added that ADAK is cooperating with another national anti-doping agencies to maintain testing protocols on athletes, such as in Peru.

The 2022 World U-20 5,000 m champion David Kiprotich Bett was also suspended; sanctions among the 33 varied, with the maximum of four years.

In addition to the mass suspensions reported to be imposed by ADAK, the Athletics Integrity Unit slammed 24-year-old Kenyan 10,000 m star Rhonex Kipruto with a six-year ban “after a Disciplinary Tribunal ruled irregularities in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) resulted from doping.”

He was provisionally suspended on 11 May 2023, and a hearing on his case centered on readings from his Athlete Biological Passport. The disciplinary panel concluded that the “cause for the abnormalities in the ABP is more likely to be due to blood manipulation,” with the likely cause to be via use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO), as “no other plausible explanation” was available for the abnormal values. Kipruto denied any and all doping, but the panel noted that he could not explain the test results in his Athlete Biological Passport.

Moreover, abnormal scores were shown close to major events, such as the 2020 Valencia road 10 km where he set the current world record of 26:24, and his 2019 World 10,000 m bronze medal in Doha (QAT). He is now banned until 10 May 2029.

Kipruto can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The AIU also provisionally suspended Rueben Kiprop Kipyego, 27, who ran 2:03:55 in 2021 for second at the Milano Marathon for whereabouts failures; he has not raced since 14 May 2023.

Also provisionally suspended was Ethiopian Ebsite Tilahun, 22, a 2:27:47 women’s marathoner from 2022, for use of the prohibited synthetic corticosteroid Triamcinolone acetonide.

According to the AIU’s current Global List of Ineligible Persons, Kenya now has 84 listed, second to India (89), and ahead of Russia (81). Ethiopia has 14 on the list and the U.S. has 12.

3.
Samuel wins crazy 10,000 m finish at NCAA T&F Champs

The men’s qualifying and a few finals of the NCAA Track & Field Championships were featured on Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, with a wild finish in the only track final.

The men’s 10,000 m had a dozen in contention with three laps to go, but coming into the home straight, Alabama’s Patrick Kiprop (KEN) tripped and a major crash ensued, with about six runners impacted. But national no. 2 Habtom Samuel (ERI-New Mexico) got up quickly, kept his composure and worked himself back into the top four at the bell.

With 200 to go, Samuel – who had competed for Eritrea at Hayward Field at the 2022 World Championships – hit the jets and ran away with the race with a 58.16 last 400 m and a 28:07.82 final. Kiprop got up for second on the final straight in 28:08.59. Kenyan Denis Kipngetich (Oklahoma State) got third in 28:10.25. The field events were also entertaining, although slightly less dramatic:

● There were five field-event finals, starting with the hammer and California’s Rowan Hamilton (CAN) winning with his third-round throw of 77.18 m (253-2), just ahead of defending champ Kenneth Ikeji (GBR: 77.12 m/253-0).

● In the vault, Kentucky senior Keaton Daniel was the first to clear 5.62 m (18-5 1/4) and then 5.72 m (18-7 1/4) to win. Only Kansas’ Clayton Simms could also clear 5.62 m and finished second. In his four years at Kentucky, Daniel finished second, third, eighth and first as a four-time scorer at the NCAA.

● USC sophomore JC Stevenson was standing seventh through five rounds in the long jump, then exploded to a lifetime best of 8.22 m (26-11 3/4) in the sixth round, the collegiate leader and moving to equal-eighth in the world for 2024! Florida State senior Jeremiah Davis had been the leader since the second round at 8.07 m (26-5 3.4), but had to settle for second.

● In the shot, Mississippi’s Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan had the lead from round one at 20.42 m (67-0) and no one could match that. With the title secured, he scored a lifetime best of 20.88 m (68-6). Wisconsin’s Jason Swarens got second at 20.38 m (66-10 1/2).

● The javelin belonged to 2022 champion Mark Minichello, who was then at Penn and now at Georgia. His second-round throw of 80.70 m (264-9) wasn’t challenged and he won his second title easily. Washington’s Chandler Ault moved up to second in round five at 79.31 m (260-2).

In the track qualifying, Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe (Houston) and Nigerian Kanyinsola Ajayi (Auburn) won their heats in the 100 m in 10.09 (wind for both: +0.3 m/s) and Ghana’s Saminu Abdul-Rasheed (South Florida) took heat three in 10.14 (-0.3). Penn State senior Cheickna Traore (CIV) stormed down the straight to take the first 200 m heat in 20.02 (+0.7), Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot (UGA) took heat two in 20.09 (+0.5), and Abdul-Rasheed came on late to win the third heat in 20.15 (0.0).

World 400 m leader Christopher Morales Williams (CAN-Georgia) had to work hard in the final 50 m to win heat one in 44.96, Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi (Alabama) won heat two in the final 10 m (45.14), and USC’s Johnnie Blockburger took heat three in 45.13.

Virginia’s Shane Cohen was eighth with 100 m to go in the first heat of the 800 m, but first at the line in 1:46.94. National leader Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M) took the lead on the final turn in heat two and won in 1:46.01 and Indiana’s Camden Marshall charged down the straight to win heat three in 1:48.17.

Elliot Cook (Oregon: 3:37.25) and Liam Murphy (Villanova: 3:39.68) won the two 1,500 m heats, with Abdelhakim Abouzouhir (MAR-Eastern Kentucky: 8:32.58) and James Corrigan (BYU: 8:28.84) taking the Steeplechase prelims.

World no. 7 Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) was an impressive winner in the first heat of the 110 m hurdles, equaling his lifetime best of 13.18 (+0.2). Darius Luff (Nebraska) won heat two in 13.31 (+1.0) and 2023 runner-up Da’Vion Wilson (Houston) took heat three in 13.34 (-0.4).

Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel (NGR) took the first heat of the 400 m hurdles in 48.93, then Caleb Dean (Texas Tech) went wild in heat two, equaling his lifetime best of 48.05 and no. 6 in the world this season. France’s Clement Ducos (Tennessee) came off the turn even with defending champ Chris Robinson (Alabama) in heat three and they finished 1-2 in 48.64 and 48.79.

As usual, the relays were sensational, with Auburn (38.38), Houston (38.48) and Florida (38.45) winning the three semifinals; all three are among the top 17 in the world for 2024. In the 4×400 m, Florida won heat one in 3:01.78 over LSU (3:02.95), then Texas A&M ran down Arkansas, 3:01.17 to 3:01.56 in heat two and Alabama held off USC, 3:01.88 to 3:02.29 in heat three.

The decathlon was all about defending champion and collegiate record-holder Leo Neugebauer (GER-Texas), who won the long jump, shot put and high jump to compile a collegiate-record 4,685 first-day total. He scored 4,591 on the way to a collegiate record 8,836 last year. Wow!

Thursday has the women’s semifinals, some field finals and the last half of the decathlon.

4.
Teen Yohannes stars as U.S. women beat Korea, 3-0

Unlike the 4-0 drubbing that the U.S. women’s national football team gave to South Korea last Saturday in Colorado, Tuesday’s rematch was proving to be much more difficult.

Yes, the rainy conditions at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota had a lot to do with it – and the U.S. changed nine starters – but after midfielder Crystal Dunn scored off a cross from Jenna Nighswonger that looped behind the Korean defense in the 13th minute, the Americans had trouble solving the entrenched Korean midfield defense. The half ended 1-0, with the U.S. holding only a 6-4 edge on shots.

More of the same to start the second half, until the 62nd minute, when Saturday’s offensive stars – Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, plus midfielder Sam Coffey – came in.

The game changed immediately, with Smith feeding Jaedyn Shaw, who barely missed to the right of the Korean goal in the 65th. Then Rodman sent a pass across the Korean defense to Smith past the left post, which she controlled and then sent a seeing-eye shot from a bad angle into the goal for a 2-0 lead in the 69th.

The U.S. was now in control of the game and creating more chances and coach Emma Hayes (GBR) sent in 16-year-old Lily Yohannes for her first international appearance in the 72nd. In the 76th, she fed Rodman for a hard shot that was saved by Korean keeper Jung-mi Kim. Swanson almost got a third goal for the U.S. in the 80th, but Kim saved it, but Yohannes scored in the 82nd off a Rodman pass that found her open about 10 yards in front of goal for the 3-0 final.

Casey Murphy was sharp in goal for the U.S., with two strong saves in the second half.

Impressive would be an understatement on Yohannes, who became the third-youngest American woman to ever score an international goal, and was the youngest player to play for the national team since Amy Steadman and Kristen Weiss debuted against Italy in March 2001.

The U.S. finished with 68% of possession and a 14-7 edge on shots, with two more  pre-Olympic friendlies scheduled on 13 and 16 July against Mexico and Costa Rica. And Hayes now has to think about whether Yohannes’ debut was so good that she has to be on the plane for Paris.

5.
Kremlin calls Microsoft disinformation report “slander”

The Kremlin took notice of Sunday’s report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, which noted:

● “[W]ith less than 80 days until the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed a network of Russia-affiliated actors pursuing a range of malign influence campaigns against France, French President Emmanuel Macron, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Paris Games. These campaigns may forewarn coming online threats to this summer’s international competition.”

● “Modern Russia, as well as its predecessor the Soviet Union, has a longstanding tradition of seeking to undermine the Olympic Games. If they cannot participate in or win the Games, then they seek to undercut, defame, and degrade the international competition in the minds of participants, spectators, and global audiences.”

● “Starting in June 2023, prolific Russian influence actors—which Microsoft tracks as Storm-1679 and Storm-1099—pivoted their operations to take aim at the 2024 Olympic Games and French President Emmanuel Macron. These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the IOC on the world stage; and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.”

On Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters in Moscow that the report is “sweeping criticism that has no basis in argument, nothing.

“Unfortunately, we are increasingly faced with such [criticism], but it has nothing to do with reality, it is absolute slander and nothing more.”

On Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked about the Microsoft report:

“[Y]eah, I would say first of all it’s not surprising to see that the Kremlin is seeking to disrupt the Games with disinformation. We’ve seen them sow disinformation across any number of fronts. And it’s especially not surprising that they’re doing it with respect to the Olympics, where their athletes are banned from competing under the Russian flag because of the Kremlin’s long history of abusing fair competition in the Olympics.

“When it comes to a message for people that want to attend the Olympics, I think they should look at the information that law enforcement puts out, look at the information that the French Government puts out. We have been working with the French Government for some time to ensure a safe, secure Olympics, and we’ll continue to do so.”

Queried whether the U.S. government had its own information on Russian disinformation actions and the Paris Games, Miller added:

“We do have information as it relates to that, in fact, yeah. … There is information that we have engaged with our allies and partners with respect to that report, and I think I’ll leave it at that.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The City of Los Angeles and the LA28 organizers have prepared an agreement to share intellectual property, specifically a set of LA28 Olympic and Paralympic “host city” logos that the city can use for its own promotions moving forward.

LA28 for its part, will get to use the City’s logo; interestingly, the City flag has not yet been included in the agreement, but can be added later.

There are no financial elements to the agreement, and it can be expected to sail through the City’s committee structure and get eventual approval by the City Council and Mayor Karen Bass.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Positive results from the first test of the construction effort on the sliding venue in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA) for the 2026 Winter Games. The first 15 m of the sliding track was inspected on 29 May by the government commissioner.

Following “was an inspection by the representatives and experts of the various stakeholders of the track construction site and in the late afternoon, the spritz beton procedure, which is concrete sprayed through an air-compressed nozzle onto the iron framework, was carried out.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2030 ● The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board will meet next week and is expected to recommend to its membership the election of the French Alps to host the 2030 Winter Games and Salt Lake City to host 2034.

The French all-sports daily, L’Equipe, reported, however, that the national guarantees are not yet signed by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The delay is reported to be on the budget, with the government not in agreement with the bid committee on the amounts to be raised commercially from sponsorships, tickets and merchandising.

The bid is reported to see the budget at €1.8 billion, with €420 million to be raised by the organizing committee (€1 = $1.09 U.S.), but the government thinks the needs will be higher. This needs to get resolved.

● Archery ● Two-time World Field Champion Brady Ellison defended his USA Archery Field Nationals title in a weather-shortened event that finished Tuesday in Noblesville, Indiana.

Ellison, also on his way to a fifth Olympic Games in Paris, outscored Matthew Nofel and Alex Gilliam in the final round, 68-54-54, to take top honors. Ellison’s wife Toja, was the silver winner in the women’s Compound division.

Savannah Vanderwier won the women’s Recurve title with 53 points, to 52 for Molly Nugent and 50 for Heather Jane Koehl.

● Athletics ● The Boston Athletic Association announced that the 128th Boston Marathon set a new fundraising record of $71.9 million for charity:

“Combining funds raised through the 168 non-profit organizations in the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program – $45.7 million – with other donations and fundraising from race participants, the 2024 total surpasses the previous record of $40.2 million set last year. This brings the total charitable fundraising since the program began in 1989 to over $550 million.”

● Skiing ● The 55th International Ski & Snowboard Federation Congress met in Reykjavik, Iceland and elected a new FIS Council, with American Dexter Paine elected and re-joining the Council, on which he served from 2014-22.

The existing FIS Council, meeting a day earlier, awarded the 2029 World Alpine Championships to Narvik (NOR) – the first time ever for the standalone Worlds in Norway! – and Val Gardena (ITA) for 2031. The Freestyle and Snowboard Worlds in 2029 will be in Zhangjiakou (CHN), but the Lahti (FIN) bid for the 2029 Nordic Worlds “did not meet some of the requirements to be formally appointed and will now have 30 days to submit its case to the FIS Council.”

The massive, new FIS Games for 2028 was not awarded, with FIS stating, “In agreement with Swiss-Ski and candidate Engadine/St. Moritz, the FIS Council has decided to postpone the process of awarding the hosting of the FIS Games 2028.”

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced a short-term sponsorship with Proctor & Gamble for its Gillette Venus brand – the “Official Razor of Team USA” – as a trusted blade for competition prep at the highest level:

“As part of the sponsorship, Venus will be featured on a 50’ tall digital board greeting the athletes as they walk to the starting blocks at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, presented by Lilly. A celebration party for the American swimmers at the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Paris will be supported by P&G. The company will also show its support via a donation to the USA Swimming Foundation which demonstrates P&G’s passion in the long-term growth and development of the sport for young and old.”

Construction of the competition and three auxiliary pools inside Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials has been completed, after a 12 May start. The Myrtha-built facilities took just about three weeks to finish.

The main pool was placed into a built-up platform about 10 feet above the football field, with pool depth at about eight feet.

Freestyle swim star Kensey McMahon of the U.S. has been suspended for four years in a decision from an independent arbitrator:

“[T]he arbitrator determined that McMahon will receive a four-year sanction after testing positive for vadadustat during an in-competition drug test at the Phillips 66 National Championships on July 1, 2023. … Vadadustat is a non-specified substance in the category of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics and is prohibited at all times.”

McMahon won a Worlds Short Course bronze medal in the women’s 1,500 m Freestyle and was third at the 2022 U.S. Nationals in the 400-800-1,500 Frees. In 2023, she won the NCAA title in the 500 yards and 1,650 yards for Alabama.

● Triathlon ● USA Triathlon confirmed its Paris 2024 Olympic team, with the already-qualified Morgan Pearson and Taylor Knibb to be joined by Seth Rider, and Kristen Kasper and Taylor Spivey.

Knibb was a Tokyo silver medalist in the Mixed Relay, and is also qualified to compete in road cycling in the women’s Time Trial, while Kasper and Spivey are first-time Olympians. Spivey, Knibb and Kasper were the three highest-ranking American women in the ITU Olympic ranks in 4-7-15.

Pearson was also a member of the Tokyo Mixed Relay silver team, while Rider is going to his first Games.

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LANE ONE: Is track & field on the brink of a breakthrough, or on the verge of another disappointment?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Start of a women’s 100 m race at the 2024 USATF L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium (TSX photo)

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

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In many ways, track and field has never been better. Brilliant athletes like Noah Lyles, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Mondo Duplantis, Ryan Crouser, Sha’Carri Richardson, Femke Bol, Faith Kipyegon, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Tara Davis-Woodhall and many more are tearing it up on the track and on the infield.

But then there was McLaughlin-Levrone, speaking at the end of May to Anderson Emerole of The Final Leg in a short video shared on X (ex-Twitter):

“I feel like we don’t do a good job marketing ourselves, especially in the U.S. market. We need more TV deals, we need people to actually be able to see our sport and not have to pay all the time to watch subscriptions online.

“That’s just my opinion.

“I think the Netflix documentary [six 45-minute shows coming in June] is going to be huge. I think that’s going to be very, very helpful.

“And I feel like, yeah, there’s not enough money in our sport to really push it the way that we really want to, so we need to bring people in who are going to invest in us to market ourselves better, like a tennis, like an NFL, NBA, and I think things are in the works that are going to make that happen.”

She was asked about the much-publicized track league for 2025 being promoted by U.S. Olympic icon Michael Johnson – with more details to come this month – and the all-women 776 Invitational coming in September from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian:

“I think those are great opportunities; I mean, let’s see what happens with them. I’m happy to be a part of whatever it ends up being, to grow our sport.”

And that’s the question: will these grow the sport to where the sport’s athletes and fans think it should be, in the daily conversation along with the big ball sports, golf and tennis?

Maybe, but only if they listen to McLaughlin-Levrone and learn from what has made the ball sports, golf and tennis successful:

(1) It’s about the sport, not about the Olympics.

There is a continuing delusion that because a sport is popular at the Olympic Games, it’s sure to be popular on its own. This is – let’s say it clearly – NOT TRUE.

If so, the International Swimming League, a creation of Ukrainian energy billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin in 2019 would have been a big success. It had a lively team format, many of the world’s top swimmers and ran for three seasons, losing a reported $20 million-plus per season, before it stopped due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Three sports – track, swimming and gymnastics – are in the highest tier of popularity and impact at the Olympic Games, and their International Federations receive the largest shares of the International Olympic Committee’s television rights fees provided to the International Federations. This amount should be $40 million-plus each from Paris in 2024.

But none of these three federations shows huge income outside of the Olympic Games. Including their Olympic payments, these three leading federations had average annual revenues – per their own statements – across the four years from 2019-22 (including the Covid year of 2020):

● $58.4 million/year for World Athletics
● $44.5 million/year for World Aquatics
● $25.7 million/year for Federation Internationale de Gymnastique

In comparison, the U.S. Soccer Federation alone had 2022-23 fiscal year revenues – for one year – of $148.0 million.

The Olympics are what’s popular, not so much the sports in it. It is not by accident that the three most-watched sports at the Olympic Games date back to the dawn of the modern Olympic era, and for track & field, back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.

Track & field has to make it on its own.

(2) McLaughlin-Levrone is right: it’s about television.

For all the subscriber losses that over-the-air and cable television have had in the U.S., it still accounts for more than half of all television viewing. Using Nielsen’s reporting of U.S. viewing and removing non-program viewing (such as video games, personal DVD use, music channels and so on), television usage is still well ahead of streaming, although it is getting closer:

● 2022/Jan.: 68.5% Broadcast-Cable, 31.5% Streaming
● 2022/Jul.: 61.7% Broadcast-Cable, 38.3% Streaming

● 2023/Jan.: 62.8% Broadcast-Cable, 37.2% Streaming
● 2023/Jul.: 56.2% Broadcast-Cable, 43.8% Streaming

● 2024/Jan.: 59.1% Broadcast-Cable, 40.9% Streaming

A lot of the reason for the continuing interest in television is live sports, and in April 2024, broadcast and cable use was 51.3% of all viewing, streaming was 38.4% and other uses were 10.4% (excluding the other uses, television had a 57.2% share and streaming had 42.8%).

Track & field does well on network television and poorly on cable. Last week, TSX reported on U.S. viewing of the seven televised meets on NBC so far in 2024:

● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 25 May: 1.166 million on NBC for Prefontaine Classic
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals
● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships

Cable audience have often been less than 200,000, and the all-streaming Atlanta City Games, with a slight overlap against the USATF L.A. Grand Prix on 18 May, had 170,777 views on two YouTube channels.

McLaughlin-Levrone is right: track needs to be on television, and on live, network television. Put the highlights online.

(3) It’s about what the fans want.

McLaughlin said, “we need people to actually be able to see our sport” and that not only means being on television, but to know what channel it’s on and when it is on. This is a huge problem for track.

To start, there is no clear schedule of events for American track fans (or those in other countries for that matter). At present, there is a continuous hodge-podge of meets of all types and sizes on any given day in dozens of countries that no one can follow. World Athletics has created a recognition program for hundreds of meets under the “World Athletics Continental Tour” label, with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Challenger levels, essentially collecting low-major meets down to minor ones, with no appreciable rhyme or reason. Anyone who meets the requirements can sign up.

For the top-tier Diamond League circuit – started in 2010 – there are now 15 meets under the overall sponsorship of Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group since 2019. These are the showcase invitational meets in the sport, but are also organized on an inconsistent, irrhythmic basis. In 2024, the 15 meets (16 days) are scheduled:

● 3 on Thursday (Oslo, Lausanne, Zurich)
● 4 on Friday (Doha, Monaco, Rome, Brussels)
● 5 on Saturday (Xiamen, Shanghai, Eugene, London, Brussels)
● 4 on Sunday (Marrakech, Stockholm, Paris, Silesia)

Who can keep up with this? Who wants to? You don’t have this problem with the major team sports which draw serious media rights fees, all of which have dependable timing:

● College Football (12 games): played weekly, September-November
● Major League Baseball (162): played daily, April-October
● NBA Basketball (82): played daily, October-April
● NHL Hockey (82): played daily, October-April
● NFL Football (17): played weekly, September-January
● Premier League soccer (38), played Saturday-Sunday, August-May

Golf and tennis are similar, starting during in the week but deciding who wins and loses on weekends, almost all year round, with four or five traditional, high-profile tournaments in each sport.

It’s not hard to become a fan of these sports, because they are overwhelmingly simple in schedule and easy to follow. Track & field is closest to college and NFL football and soccer leagues in that meets are best attended on weekends and the outdoor season takes place in large venues (vs. indoor arenas). 

Moreover, although the number of media partners for these professional sports is expanding and including some streaming outlets, most leagues have 2-3 primary national TV outlets, which are well known. And those outlets heavily promote their telecasts (and each other’s games!).

Track gets none of this, and has always been a loose collection of independently-staged events that have little relation to each other. And there is no consistency in track meet scheduling, timing or format. That has hurt the sport in a time when other leagues are better organized, formatted and promoted (in part due to their media partners).

This is why there is so much hope for Johnson’s new – but so far unknown – league that he says has $30 million in capital behind it.

But there is also Ohanian’s 776 Invitational one-off in September and a Duael Track single-race extravaganza in Jamaica from software entrepreneur Barry Kahn, also planned for September. How do they fit in?

And growing something special will take patience. The USATF L.A. Grand Prix attracted about 4,500 spectators for its first edition at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in 2023 and had perhaps 5,500 or a few more in 2024. But the number of tickets actually sold went down. This is hard work.

That there is strong interest in track is good. How this turns out is anyone’s guess. The flop of the well funded-to-start International Swimming League should be a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks the answer is just money.

It’s not.

Athletes are important. Fans are really important. And you need the right people, partners and perseverance to amplify the idea. So far, World Athletics appears ready to embrace anyone who has a good idea, money and is ready to play by its competition and doping rules. That’s also good.

It is not lost on long-time observers of American sport that the creation and growth of the powerful professional sports leagues has been done from by investors and promoters, not by governing bodies. The way is open for track to take its place, if it can solve the financial, scheduling and exposure issues that have held it back for decades.

Because the athletes are great, maybe the best ever. But it won’t be easy.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: World Athletics reveals 2026 $10M all-star meet; Microsoft: Russia trying to disrupt Paris 2024; Watanabe v. Gayibov in FIG rematch

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! ★

★ Friends: This site is free, but we have expenses, especially for technical support. If you can support our coverage, please donate here. Your enthusiasm is the reason this site continues. Thank you. ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. World Athletics unveils “Ultimate Championship” for 2026
2. European Athletics readies €50,000 “Gold Crowns” for Rome
3. Microsoft: Russia trying to disparage Paris 2024 Games
4. Watanabe and Gayibov in FIG Presidency rematch
5. Boxing Federation of India joins World Boxing

● World Athletics finally disclosed its season-ending new event for 2026, the “Ultimate Championship,” essentially a three-day all-star meet with a record $10 million in prizes, including appearance money for all qualifiers. It will be held in 2026 and every even year, completing the odd-year World Championships.

● European Athletics is also offering athlete prizes for the first time at its 90-year-old European Championships starting Friday in Rome. €50,000 will be provided to each of 10 winners of the “Gold Crown,” the highest-scoring performance in five event groups each for men and women.

● A Microsoft report detailed extensive Russian propaganda activity online, designed to spread disinformation about the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, primarily using video but also with automated bots on social media channels. The French are well aware of the threat.

● A re-match of the 2021 election for President of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) will take place in October, with Japanese incumbent Morinari Watanabe again facing European Gymnastics chief Farid Gayibov of Azerbaijan. Watanabe is running for a third term, but has not been able to jump-start FIG’s revenues above past levels.

● The Boxing Federation of India will join World Boxing and work to bring over more Asian members in a bid to build up this new federation so that boxing can be confirmed on the program for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

● Panorama: Commonwealth Games (no word on 2026 host yet) = Athletics (2: Kenyan Olympic Trials to be in Nairobi; 14 stars inducted to Collegiate Hall of Fame) = Fencing (2025 Hall of Fame class announced) = Gymnastics (rosters for U.S. Trials announced) = Shooting (Sheng gets 10 m Air Rifle record in Munich World Cup) = Table Tennis (Fan and Sun win WTT Champions Chongqing) = Wrestling (nine inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame) ●

● Errata: Some readers of Monday’s post saw references to the Chechen region of Russia as Chenchen; thanks to reader Dan Bell for telling us first!) ●

1.
World Athletics unveils “Ultimate Championship” for 2026

Announcing its long-promised “off-year” event, World Athletics announced its new “Ultimate Championship” for 2026, a three-day event to be held in September in Budapest, Hungary:

“Highlighting this revolutionary competition is a record-setting prize pot of US$10 million, the largest ever offered in the history of track & field athletics – with gold medallists set to receive US$150,000. This innovative event, debuting 11-13 September 2026 and set to be held every two years, will first be hosted in Hungary’s capital city of Budapest, promising a spectacular conclusion to the summer athletics season.”

This will be a national-team event, with athletes in their national uniforms, and the highest prize money yet offered by the federation, with $150,000 for the winners. About 400 athletes are expected to compete, from about 70 countries in a short-format event, with finals-only in field events and semifinals (at most) and finals in running events.

This will place 8-16 athletes in each event, with a clear focus on the top stars. Said World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon (GBR):

“There will be a strong focus on television audiences, with an aim to reach the biggest global audience possible. We also want to enhance the viewing experience, both at home and in the stadium, so we are looking at what new competition innovations can be introduced, all of which will be thoroughly tested in advance. We truly believe this will be a game changer for our entire sport.”

The game-changer could be that the event is planned to be held every two years, including in Olympic years, creating a new seasonal dynamic:

● 2026: Diamond League final, Ultimate Championship
● 2027: Diamond League final, World Championships
● 2028: Olympic Games, Diamond League final, Ultimate Championship
● 2029: Diamond League Final, World Championships
● 2030: Diamond League Final, Ultimate Championship

The event format and specifics are not finalized, as the announcement noted, “consultation with stakeholders – including athletes and their representatives, coaches, shoe companies, broadcast organisations, Member Federations and many others – will continue throughout the summer before a full event launch this coming Autumn.”

Qualifying for the event is primarily to be through the World Athletics World Rankings, with direct invitations for the Diamond League winners and prior-year World or Olympic champs.

The promised $10 million prize purse is larger than the $8.498 million paid for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, which had prizes from $70,000 for the winner to $5,000 for eighth place in individual events and from $80,000 to $4,000 for relays. There was a $100,000 bonus for world records.

Importantly, Monday’s announcement added that “All athletes competing at the championship will be financially rewarded,” which is certainly not true at the World Championships.

Observed: The choice of Budapest for this first Ultimate Championship makes sense, given excellent government support for events of this type, the success of the 2023 Worlds there and that Marton Gyulai, the Executive Director of Sport for the 2023 Worlds was named last September as the Director of Competition and Events for World Athletics.

The creation of what is essentially an “all-star game” format for a year-end program is logical and can bring a clear sense of closure to the 2026 season. How it will mesh with the Diamond League final will be fascinating; in 2025, the Diamond League final will be in Zurich (SUI) from 27-28 August, so an Ultimate Championship two weeks later in Europe works logistically and can create a rhythmic final month of (almost) weekly meets of high quality.

However, the high-profile European Championships are already scheduled for 10-16 August 2026 in Birmingham (GBR) and for 21-27 August in 2028 in Chorzow (POL).

The bet on the part of World Athletics is that television interest in the event will be high, as the National Athletics Centre which sat 36,000 for the 2023 Worlds has permanent seating for 15,000 in the lower bowl. If desired, more seats can be added, but at what cost for a weekend event?

The “all-star” format at the worldwide level is not new; in response to the impact of the now-on-hiatus International Swimming League, FINA – now World Aquatics – organized a “Champions Series” more or less on the same concept in 2019 (three meets) and 2020 (two meets) before discontinuing it. Each edition paid $1.69 million in total prizes, a lot of money in swimming, but far less than the $10 million to be offered by World Athletics in 2026.

It’s too early to speculate how the Ultimate will work with the proposed new league led by 1996 U.S. Olympic sprint icon Michael Johnson, or other events which have been promised or suggested. But with the dates settled and the 2025 Diamond League calendar to go by, the format of the late-summer meet schedule is out there early. That’s good for everyone.

2.
European Athletics readies €500,000 “Gold Crowns” for Rome

The European Championships in track & field have been contested since 1934, but have never paid prize money, until now. With the 90th-anniversary 2024 edition starting in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Friday (7th), European Athletics is not exactly paying prizes to each winners, but it’s taking a first step with its “Gold Crowns.”

The men’s and women’s events have been grouped in fours and fives and the “best performance” among the winners in each of these groups will receive €50,000 (about $54,523 U.S.) as a “Gold Crown” winner. The groups (same for men and women):

● Sprints & Hurdles (5): 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 100 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles

● Middle & Long Distance (5): 800 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m, 10,000 m, Steeplechase)

● Throws (4): Shot Put, Discus, Hammer, Javelin

● Jumps (4): High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump

● Road/Combined Events/Relays (5): Half Marathon, 20 km Race Walk, Decathlon or Heptathlon, 4×100 m, 4×400 m

That’s €500,000 in total, with the determination of who gets what based on the World Athletics outdoor scoring tables. And yes, an actual “Gold Crown” is planned to be given to each winner.

The concept was agreed in October 2023. According to European Athletics, “The Gold Crown initiative comes on the back of the publication of the new European Athletics Strategic Roadmap 2024-2027 in which competition and athletes are a priority and it includes an objective to ‘strengthen the European Championships, attracting the best athletes and creating the best possible event for fans, sponsors and broadcasters alike.’”

It’s another move toward the professionalization of the sport and the reality that athlete highly value their earning opportunities in what are often short careers due to injuries, competition or other factors. To continue to attract the top European stars, a move toward prize money was obviously needed. Look for more money in future editions in Birmingham (GBR) in 2026 and Chorzow (POL) in 2028.

3.
Microsoft: Russia trying to disparage Paris 2024 Games

“[W]ith less than 80 days until the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed a network of Russia-affiliated actors pursuing a range of malign influence campaigns against France, French President Emmanuel Macron, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Paris Games. These campaigns may forewarn coming online threats to this summer’s international competition.”

Sunday’s report from Microsoft notes that this is nothing new:

“Modern Russia, as well as its predecessor the Soviet Union, has a longstanding tradition of seeking to undermine the Olympic Games. If they cannot participate in or win the Games, then they seek to undercut, defame, and degrade the international competition in the minds of participants, spectators, and global audiences.”

For 2024, the effort apparently started last year:

● “Starting in June 2023, prolific Russian influence actors—which Microsoft tracks as Storm-1679 and Storm-1099—pivoted their operations to take aim at the 2024 Olympic Games and French President Emmanuel Macron. These ongoing Russian influence operations have two central objectives: to denigrate the reputation of the IOC on the world stage; and to create the expectation of violence breaking out in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.”

● “The ‘Olympics Has Fallen’ website and video became the first in many videos MTAC encountered from Storm-1679. The video, which falsely purported to be a Netflix documentary narrated by the familiar voice of American actor Tom Cruise, clearly signaled the content’s creators committed considerable time to the project and … analysis confirmed the fake documentary used AI-generated audio resembling Cruise’s voice to imply his participation, spoofed Netflix’s iconic intro scene and corporate branding, and promoted bogus five-star reviews from reputable media outlets.”

The report further describes efforts “to foment public fear to deter spectators from attending the Games” and most recently, “a notable increase in Storm-1679’s French-language content as the Olympics campaign gained steam, possibly signaling an effort to target the French public more directly or set the scene for alleged unrest in the lead-up to the Games.”

Looking toward the Games period, the report sees the Russian “[a]ctors are likely to use a mix of propaganda facilitated by generative AI across social media platforms to continue their campaigns against France, the IOC, and the Olympic Games” and to use automated bots as much or more than video.

Microsoft itself pledged that it “remains committed to protecting the conduct and integrity of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. MTAC will monitor and report on any campaigns stemming from Kremlin-backed actors in the lead up and opening of the Paris Games.”

The French are well aware of these efforts and President Macron and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin have both warned against such actions and have stated a significant monitoring effort has been organized in its security services.

4.
Watanabe and Gayibov in FIG Presidency rematch

The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) certified its candidates for elections at the upcoming FIG Congress on 25 October 2024 in Doha (QAT). The same two candidates for President from 2021 are running again: incumbent Morinari Watanabe from Japan and European Gymnastics President Farid Gayibov, who is also the Azerbaijan Minister for Youth and Sports.

On 6 November 2021, Watanabe was elected to a second term – he began as President in 2017 – by winning the vote, 81-47, over Gayibov.

During his tenure, Watanabe has maintained the high standing of gymnastics within the Olympic Movement, which is as a first-tier sport in terms of popularity and prestige, along with World Aquatics and World Athletics. Those three federations are slated to receive $40 million or more for its share of International Olympic Committee television rights sales from the 2024 Paris Games.

However, he had not cracked the code on revenue, as FIG – despite being one of the most popular Olympic sports – has floundered with the same rise and fall in income and assets during and after Olympic years (from FIG financial statements; CHF 1 = $1.12 U.S. on 3 June 2024):

Income:
● 2017: CHF 22.271 million
● 2018: CHF 20.324 million
● 2019: CHF 21.634 million
● 2020: CHF 19.035 million (pandemic)
● 2021: CHF 34.074 million (Olympic year)
● 2022: CHF 20.988 million
● 2023: CHF 17.783 million

Assets:
● 2017: CHF 60.293 million
● 2018: CHF 52.013 million
● 2019: CHF 47.654 million
● 2020: CHF 44.485 million (pandemic)
● 2021: CHF 72.905 million (Olympic year)
● 2022: CHF 56.817 million
● 2023: CHF 48.046 million

Reserves peaked at CHF 35.6 million in 2021 (Olympic year), but are expected to recede to CHF 25.7 million by the end of 2024.

FIG’s major money makers are its Artistic and Rhythmic World Championships, held in all non-Olympic years, although it also holds Worlds in Trampoline, Aerobic, Acrobatic and Parkour. At the FIG Council meeting, it was noted that no bids were received for 2028 World Championships in Acrobatic, Aerobic, Parkour or the 2029 World Gym For Life Challenge.

FIG’s World Cup and World Challenge Cup series meets – Artistic and Rhythmic – are consistent money losers and in Artistic, are only occasionally attended by World Championships medal winners. Under Watanabe, this structure has not significantly changed.

Elections will also be held for Council and committee positions. USA Gymnastics chief Li Li Leung is a member of the FIG Executive Council and is running for another term.

5.
Boxing Federation of India joins World Boxing

The boxing federation of the world’s most populous country is in process to join World Boxing, with the Friday announcement welcoming the Boxing Federation of India:

“The membership application has been approved by the BFI’s General Assembly and will be ratified by World Boxing’s Executive Board. The BFI President, Mr Ajay Singh, recently met with World Boxing’s President and Secretary General to discuss ways in which India can support the International Federation in growing its membership base in Asia, where the BFI is one of the largest National Federations.

“As part of its commitment to the future development of World Boxing, the BFI aims to play a leading role in establishing an Asian Confederation and drive the recruitment of other National Federations in the region.”

India is a significant player in Asian boxing, winning five medals – tied for third-highest – at the last Asian Games, held in 2023. Six Indian boxers have qualified for the Paris 2024 Games.

Said BFI chief Singh:

“It is absolutely vital to the sustainability of boxing that it retains its Olympics status, so we are delighted to join World Boxing and look forward to working closely with the Executive Board and our fellow members to shape the future development of the sport and deliver a brighter future for boxers across the world.

“The BFI shares the same values and goals as World Boxing and are keen to play a leading role in its development. We also wish to be at the forefront of the formation and hosting of a new Asian confederation to ensure boxing continues to expand and grow its membership on the continent.”

India is believed to be the 28th member federation of World Boxing, which will need many more to become a satisfactory governing body in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Commonwealth Games 2026 ● The month of May came and went and no announcement was made – as had been projected – on a 2026 host for the Commonwealth Games, following the withdrawal of Victoria, Australia in 2023.

The London-based Commonwealth Games Federation told GamesBids.com that “further time” is required before a 2026 host can be announced.

● Athletics ● Athletics Kenya announced that its 14-15 June Olympic Trials will take place at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, which is a World Athletics-certified facility, alleviating fears that marks made at the Trials might not be accepted for Paris qualification.

A spectacular class of 14 stars was inducted by the U.S. Collegiate Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association into the Collegiate Track & Field Hall of Fame during Sunday ceremonies at the University of Oregon:

● Rosalyn Bryant (Cal State L.A.): 1976 Olympic 4×400 m silver medalist
● Regina Cavanaugh (Rice): six-time NCAA women’s shot put champion
● Hollis Conway (Louisiana): 1988 Olympic men’s high jump silver medalist
● Bill Dellinger (Oregon): 1964 Olympic men’s 5,000 m bronze medalist
● Benita Fitzgerald (Tennessee): 1984 Olympic 100 m hurdles champion
● Glenn Hardin (LSU): 1932 Olympic silver, 1936 Olympic 400 m hurdles gold
● Balazs Kiss (USC): four-time NCAA men’s hammer champion
● Marty Liquori (Villanova): 1968 Olympian, five-time NCAA champion
● Larry Myricks (Mississippi College): 1988 Olympic long jump bronze
● Louise Ritter (TWU): 1988 Olympic women’s high jump champion
● Karl Salb (Kansas): six-time NCAA shot champion
● Amy Skieresz (Arizona): six-time NCAA women’s 5,000-10,000 m champion
● Trecia-Kaye Smith (Pitt): seven-time NCAA women’s long jump-triple jump champ
● Angela Williams (USC): NCAA women’s 100 m champ 1999-2000-01-02

This class accounted for an astounding 67 national collegiate titles, 25 collegiate records, five Olympic or World Championships medals, and four world records set during their collegiate careers. The Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame was established in 2022, honoring the greatest stars in cross country and track & field.

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2025, including three U.S. fencing stars: 1984 Sabre Olympian Phil Reilly, 1996 Olympic Epee fencer Jim Carpenter, and 1991 Pan American Team Foil gold medalist Jane Hall Carter.

Dan Magay, who won an Olympic Sabre Team gold with Hungary at the 1956 Melbourne Games, was elected as a “Legacy” candidate; he defected to the U.S. to escape Soviet repression in Hungary and won American national titles in 1957, 1958 and 1961.

Pat Bedrosian was elected in the Veterans category, coaches Amgad Khazbak, Semyon Pinkhasov and Kornel Udvarhelyi were honored, and Jeff Bukantz will be inducted as a contributor, having served as a referee in two Olympic Games and the U.S. team captain for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic squads.

They will be inducted during the Summer Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the summer of 2025.

● Gymnastics ● USA Gymnastics announced the rosters for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Artistic Gymnastics, coming up on 27-30 June in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The field will include 16 women and 20 men, vying to be selected to the team for Paris.

The women will be led, of course, by nine-time national champ Simone Biles; three-time national champion Brody Malone is the leading men’s entrant.

● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Cup in Munich (GER), China’s 19-year-old Lihao Sheng – the Tokyo Olympic runner-up – broke his own world record in the men’s 10 m Air Rifle, scoring 254.5 points to increase his own mark of 253.3 from the Asian Games last year. Slovakia’s Patrik Jany, the 2021 European Champion, was second at 251.3.

In the all-teen final of the women’s 10 m Air Rifle, China’s Huang Yiting, 17, overcame 16-year-old Hyojin Ban (KOR), 252.7 to 252.6, with 21.1 points to 20.5 in the 10th frame. Sheng and Yiting combined to easily win the Mixed Team title in the 10 m Air Rifle, 16-4, over Norway.

● Table Tennis ● In the second WTT Champions tournament of the season, this time in Chongqing (CHN), China swept both titles again, with Zhendong Fan and Yingsha Sun earning the titles.

Fan, the two-time World Champion in men’s Singles and Tokyo Olympic runner-up, won a wild 4-3 battle over Chuqin Wang in a repeat of the 2023 Worlds final: 11-9, 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-4. It’s Fan’s second career win in a WTT Champions event.

Sun has now won both WTT Champions events this season and has won four of the seven ever contested! She defeated 2021 World Champion Manyu Wang in another 4-3, see-saw thriller, 11-13, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9.

Two more WTT Champions events are scheduled for 2024, in Montpelier (FRA) and Frankfurt (GER).

● Wrestling ● The National Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted nine members in ceremonies held last Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The inducted athletes included 2012 Olympic Freestyle 60 kg bronze medalist Coleman Scott, 2016 World Freestyle 61 kg Champion Logan Stieber and 2004 Olympic women’s 72 kg Freestyler Tocarra Montgomery, also the 2003 Pan American Games champion.

Coach Tadaaki Hatta, himself a two-time All-American at Oklahoma State, was inducted for his coaching career; Darryl Miller received the Order of Merit for his role as an athletic trainer; Steve Banach received the Outstanding American award recognizing wrestlers for their contributions to society outside of the sport and J.R. Johnson was honored with the Meritorious Official award. Jonathan Koch was honored with the Medal of Courage as a former wrestler who overcame the loss of all or part of all four limbs and now helps others as a coach and motivational speaker.

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TSX REPORT: Biles supreme for ninth U.S. All-Around title; Seville upsets Lyles in 100 m in Jamaica; French police arrest teen terror threat

By
Rich Perelman
-
The incomparable Simone Biles (Photo courtesy USA Gymnastics/John Cheng)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Biles sweeps all four events for record ninth U.S. national All-Around title
2. Seville beats Lyles in Kingston, McLaughlin-Levrone 52.70 in Atlanta
3. French police arrest teen in suspected “Islamist attack” plot
4. World Athletics unleashes its “Pioneering Change” plan
5. Another Russian federation doubtful about LA28

● The sensational Simone Biles won a record ninth USA Gymnastics national All-Around title in Ft. Worth and also took the two-stage totals on all four apparatus, winning by almost six points. Returning from a bad knee injury, Brody Malone won his third men’s U.S. All-Around title in four years.

● A busy weekend on the track, with world leads for Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who beat Noah Lyles in the men’s 100 m, 9.82 to 9.85, in Kingston, for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Atlanta in the women’s 400 m hurdles (52.70) and in three events at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, plus more world-record attempts from Mondo Duplantis!

● The French Interior Ministry announced that police arrested an 18-year-old from the Chechen area of Russia who was apparently plotting a suicide attack on an Olympic football match in St. Etienne.

● World Athletics posted its strategic plan for 2023-27, emphasizing a higher profile for the sport, more exciting meets, placing the World Championships at the end of each season and trying out new concepts like the long jump “take-off zone” as well as the one-mile Steeplechase and a mixed 4×100 m relay.

● The head of the Russian fencing federation also believes it is unlikely that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

● Spotlight: La Liga and English Premier League worried that FIFA will require them to cut from 20 to 18 clubs to make room for FIFA’s own events. ●

● Panorama: Tokyo 2020 (Ledecky on the Chinese doping scandal: confidence in anti-doping system “is at an all-time low”) = Olympic Games 2036 (Chile announces interest) = World University Games (FISU celebrates 75th anniversary) = Artistic Swimming (four medals for Canada’s Simoneau at Markham World Cup) = Badminton (five wins for China in Singapore Open) = Boxing (Olympic qualifier concludes; Australia tops all nations with 12 entries in 13 classes) = Canoe-Kayak (Aussie star Fox gets 48th career World Cup win in Augsburg) = Football (U.S. women trounce Korea, 4-0, in Hayes’ debut as coach) = Gymnastics (Kovtun stars in World Challenge Cup in Koper) = Rugby Sevens (France and Australia take seasonal titles in Madrid) = Surfing (Ferreira and Fierro win WSL Tahiti Pro tournament in Teahupo’o) = Swimming (Haughey and Gorbenko sweep Mare Nostrum series) = Weightlifting (three doping positives for Turkey) = Wrestling (Steveson signs with NFL’s Bills as defensive line prospect) ●

1.
Biles sweeps all four events for record ninth U.S. national title

There was little doubt that the iconic Simone Biles would win another All-Around title at the USA Gymnastics National Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas on Sunday night, but in a field that included Tokyo Olympic All-Around winner Suni Lee and Floor gold medalist Jade Carey, could she really sweep all four events?

She did.

Biles, 27, dominated the field and piled up 119.750 points in the two rounds of All-Around competition to win over a star-studded field by almost six full points. More than that, she won each of the four events, based on the two-stage totals. The top scorers by apparatus:

● Vault: Simone Biles 30.800, Skye Blakely 29.400, Jade Carey 29.100
● Bars: Biles 29.050, Jordan Chiles 29.000, Blakely 28.850
● Beam: Biles 29.600, Suni Lee 29.100, Blakely 28.650
● Floor: Biles 30.300, Kayla DiCello 27.800, Tiana Sumanasekera 27.500

In terms of the final overall scores, Biles was simply in another dimension:

● 1. Biles, 119.750
● 2. Blakely, 113.850
● 3. DiCello, 110.800
● 4. Lee, 110.650
● 5. Chiles, 110.400

Carey finished seventh at 109.300; two-time Worlds Team gold winner Leanne Wong was eighth (108.650) and 2023 Worlds Team gold winner Joscelyn Roberson was 10th (108.200).

Moreover, consider that Biles’ score in 2024 was her best at the Nationals since 2018 (!) and that her first-day 60.450 total was her best at the Nationals since 2016! It was her record ninth U.S. All-Around win; the scores:

● 2013: 60.500 (one All-Around only)
● 2014: 122.550 (61.800 + 60.750)
● 2015: 124.100 (61.100 + 63.000)
● 2016: 125.000 (62.900 + 62.100)
● 2018: 119.850 (60.100 + 59.750)
● 2019: 118.500 (58.650 + 59.850)
● 2021: 119.650 (59.550 + 60.100)
● 2023: 118.450 (59.300 + 59.150)
● 2024: 119.750 (60.450 + 59.300)

In terms of national apparatus championships, she now has a staggering 23 of those:

● Vault: 7
● Bars: 2 (2018 and 2024)
● Beam: 7
● Floor: 7

This is beyond astonishing, but there is more coming, at the Olympic Trials at the end of the month and, barring some catastrophic mishap, on to Paris for her third Olympic Games.

Six-time Worlds medal winner – and a member of the 2022 and 2023 Worlds Team golds – Shilese Jones withdrew prior to the start of the meet; her statement:

“Unfortunately, I won’t be participating in the Xfinity Championships this year. With Paris as my ultimate focus, it’s best for me to prioritize recovery and resting my shoulder this weekend. Both the medical team and I are confident this is the right decision to ensure I’m at full strength for Trials. I’m excited to support my fellow athletes and teammates this weekend. I am submitting a petition to USAG for Olympic Trials and hope to have the opportunity to compete in Minneapolis!”

The USA Gymnastics Athlete Selection Committee approved petitions from Jones and Kaliya Lincoln to go to the Trials in Minneapolis from 27-30 June.

Another familiar star was back on top of the men’s podium, as Brody Malone returned from a devastating right knee injury off the horizontal bar in 2023, surgery and rehab to take his third national All-Around title in four years.

A Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Malone won both rounds of the All-Around, scoring 85.950 on Thursday and 86.350 on Saturday, for a 172.300 total. That placed him ahead of Worlds All-Around bronze winner Fred Richard (170.250) and Stanford’s Khoi Young (16.550).

Malone, the 2022 World Champion on the Horizontal Bar, won that event at 29.500 (both rounds combined), was second on Rings (29.250), fourth on the Pommel Horse (28.100), fifth on the Parallel Bars (29.450), sixth on Vault (28.400) and 12th on Floor (27.600).

Richard won on Floor (29.500), 2021 World Champion Stephen Nedoroscik took the Pommel Horse gold at 30.00, Alex Diab won on Rings (29.450), World silver winner Young took the Vault (29.650), Yul Moldauer won on Parallel Bars 30.800).

Including the A-A title and the Horizontal Bar win, Malone now has seven career national titles.

2.
Seville beats Lyles in Kingston, McLaughlin-Levrone 52.70 in Atlanta

This was a busy weekend on the track, with meets all over, but the headliners were in Kingston and Atlanta.

At the annual Racers Grand Prix sprintfest in Jamaica, home favorite Oblique Seville – the fourth-placer at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships 100 m – got the start of his life and held to win in a lifetime best and world-leading 9.82 (wind: +0.9 m/s).

That was just good enough to beat World Champion Noah Lyles of the U.S., who moved up hard in the final 15 m, but was just short in second at 9.85, with Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN: 10.02) third and Kendal Williams of the U.S. in fourth (10.06).

Seville improved by 0.04 and Lyles equaled his second-fastest time ever, but the different in the start reaction times – 0.163 for Seville to 0.189 for Lyles – told most of the story.

Just as impressive was the women’s 100 m win for World 60 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA), who won the women’s 100 m in 10.78 (+1.3), just 0.01 off of the world lead by the injured Jacious Sears of the U.S. Despite having the next-to-last reaction to the gun, she set yet another national record and is definitely in the medal discussions for Paris.

Another world-leading performance came from fellow Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert – the NCAA champ last year for Arkansas – with boomed out to 17.75 m (58-3) in the fourth round to win by more than a meter. Wow!

Trey Cunningham of the U.S. won the 110 m hurdles in a season’s best of 13.12 (+0.8) over Rasheed Broadbell (JAM: 13.26) and Michael Dickson of the U.S. (13.26).

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone returned to the women’s 400 m hurdles for the first time in two years at the HBCU Pro Classic: Edwin Moses Legends meet on Friday at Morehouse College in Atlanta, an American Track League event.

She was an easy winner in a world-leading 52.70, but there were other strong marks as well.

Olympic silver winner Keni Harrison won the women’s 100 m hurdles in 12.60 (wind: +0.2 m/s), and fellow American Tamara Clark took the women’s 100 m in 11.04 (+0.8), while Canada’s Audrey Leduc upset Tamari Davis of the U.S. in the 200 m, 22.36 – a national record – to 22.39 (+1.1).

American Pjai Austin won the men’s 100 m in 10.03 (-0.9) and Terrance Laird was an easy winner in the 200 m in 20.30 (+0.6). Christopher Bailey, third at the U.S. Indoor Nationals this year, got a lifetime best of 44.42 to win the 400 m and move to no. 9 in the world for 2024.

The Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm (SWE) saw three world-leading marks, but also another set of world-record tries by vault king Mondo Duplantis:

● Men/800 m: 1:43.23, Djamel Sedjati (ALG)
● Men/3,000 m: 7:33.59, Narve Nordas (NOR)
● Men/3,000 m Steeple: 8:01.63, Lamecha Girma (ETH)

The fans came to see national hero Duplantis in the men’s vault and it took only three jumps for him to clear the field except for two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S., as both cleared 5.90 m (19-4 1/4) on their first tries. The bar went to 6.00 m (19-8 1/4), and Duplantis cleared on his opening try, while Kendricks missed three times and finished second. American recordman KC Lightfoot was third with his clearance at 5.80 m (19-0 1/4).

Duplantis, having made his only four jumps of the meet, immediately asked for the bar to go to 6.25 m (20-6) for his third try at a ninth world record. But he missed three times – the first and third were really close – and is now 0-9 in his jumps at that height.

Now the world leaders:

● World leader Djamel Sedjati, the 2022 Worlds silver medalist, got the hot pace he wanted in the men’s 800 m, but didn’t challenge the leaders until 200 m to go. But he passed Ben Pattison (GBR) and American Bryce Hoppel on the turn and ran away on the home straight to improve on his own world-leading time to 1:43.23. Hoppel was second with a strong finish in 1:44.29, with Tshepiso Masalela (BOT) coming up for third in a photo-finish with Pattison, with both in 1:44.44.

● In the 3,000 m, Swiss Dominic Lobalu had the lead for most of the race, but Norway’s Narve Nordas – the 2023 Worlds 1,500 m bronze winner – moved up with 250 m to go and then blasted the final straight to win in a world-leading 7:33.49, trailed by Lobalu (7:33.68) and Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva (7:33.96).

● In the Steeple, world-record holder Lamecha Girma (ETH) opened his season and had the lead ahead of the pacesetter by 1,200 m, and had countryman Samuel Firewu – the world leader coming in – somewhat close He was well clear of the field with two laps left, was all alone at the bell and romped home in a world-leading 8:01.63, his sixth-fastest time ever.

Firewu was all alone in second for most of the last three laps, with a personal best of 8:05.78, with Mohamed Jhinaoui (TUN) coming up on the last lap to get third in a national record of 8:10.41. Tokyo fourth-placer Getnet Wale (ETH) was fourth at 8:10.73; American Hillary Bor finished seventh in 8:15.53.

Much attention was paid to two superstars looking to jump-start their outdoor seasons:

● The questions concerning two-time World 200 m champ Shericka Jackson (JAM) continued. She won the 200 m convincingly, but had to battle a 2.0 m/s headwind and posted a modest time of 22.68. Sweden’s Julia Henriksson was a surprise second in 22.89. Anavia Battle of the U.S. was fourth in 22.98 and Jenna Prandini was seventh in 23.31.

● Dutch World women’s 400 m hurdles champ Femke Bol made her seasonal debut in the event and exploded in the home straight to overtake Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton after hurdle eight and win going away in 53.07. Clayton was a clear second in 53.78 and countrywoman Andrenette Knight got third in 54.62.

And there was a lot more:

Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme won the men’s 100 m from a charging Kyree King of the U.S. in 10.16 to 10.18, into a 1.0 m/s headwind. The non-Diamond League men’s 400 m looked like a win for Zakithi Nene (RSA), as he led into the final straight, only to be passed by American Vernon Norwood and then both were passed by Quincy Hall of the U.S. in the final 50 m and the win in 44.68, to 44.80 and 45.29 for Nene.

German Robert Farken won the men’s non-Diamond League 1,500 m, taking control at the bell and winning in 3:33.53, beating Luke McCann (IRL: 3:33.66) and Federico Riva (ITA: 3:33.87).

Brazil’s 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos, coming off of his big win over world-record holder Karsten Warholm at the Bislett Games, had the lead almost immediately in the 400 m hurdles and won easily in 47.01. Commonwealth Games champ Kyron McMaster edged CJ Allen of the U.S. for second, 48.05 to 48.12, seasonal bests for both.

Discus world-record setter Mykolas Alekna (LTU) won his sixth straight meet this season with his third-round throw of 68.84 m (225-10), followed by three fouls. Commonwealth Games champion Matthew Denny (AUS: 66.75 m/219-0) was second and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl (SWE) finished third at 66.10 m (216-10).

In the women’s 100 m, African Games champ Gina Bass (GAM) got out best, but had to hold off a charge from American Brittany Brown and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) to win in 11.15 (wind: -0.8 m/s), with Ta Lou-Smith given second in 11.16 and Brown with a seasonal best of 11.18 in third.

The non-Diamond League women’s 400 m was a win for Alexis Smith of the U.S. in 51.18, well ahead of Zeney Geldenhuys (RSA: 52.18). The non-D.L. 800 m was a comfortable win for Britain’s Jemma Reekie, taking over after the bell and finishing in 1:57.79, beating Vivian Kiprotich (KEN: 1:58.64).

World no. 2 Birke Haylom (ETH) took control of the 1,500 m by the 1,000 m mark and was running strongly in the lead onto the final backstraight. But she could not match a charge by Britain’s Olympic silver winner Laura Muir, who had the lead into the final straight and won in 3:57.99, trailed by Kenyan Ednah Jebitok with a lifetime best of 3:58.88, Australian Georgia Griffith (3:59.17) and then Haylom (3:59.84). Danielle Jones of the U.S. got fifth in a lifetime best of 4:00.64.

The women’s shot was a tight battle between World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. and World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton of Canada. Jackson got out to 20.00 m (65-7 1/2) in round two and that turned out to be the winner, as Mitton managed 19.98 m (65-6 3/4) in the second round, but could not improve. Maggie Ewen of the U.S. was eighth at 18.27 m (59-11 1/4).

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 2023 World Champion, made her outdoor debut and popped over 2.00 m (6-6 3/4) on her second try to win over Imke Onnen (GER) and fellow Ukrainian Iryna Gerashchenko, both at 1.94 m (6-4 1/4). Cuban Leyanis Perez, the World Indoor silver medalist, grabbed the lead in the women’s triple jump at 14.67 m (48-1 3/4) in the second round, and no one could match her. Two-time Worlds silver winner Shanieka Ricketts (JAM) was second with 14.40 m (47-3) and two-time Olympian Keturah Orji of the U.S. was sixth at 13.75 m (45-1 1/2).

The Diamond League is on hiatus now until the Meeting de Paris on 7 July, to be held in the Stade Charlety and NOT in the Stade de France, which will be used for the Olympic Games.

3.
French police arrest teen in suspected “Islamist attack” plot

The French Interior Ministry posted this statement on Friday (computer translation):

“On May 22, 2024, the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) arrested an 18-year-old Chechen national suspected of wanting to commit an Islamist-inspired attack on national soil in Saint-Etienne (Loire). 

“The preliminary evidence suggests that he was actively preparing an attack against the Geoffroy Guichard stadium (Saint-Etienne), during the football events which will take place there as part of the Olympic Games that our country will host next summer. He would have liked to attack spectators, but also the police and die a martyr.

“Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, congratulates the intelligence services which once again demonstrate their full mobilization and effectiveness in the fight against terrorism and the protection of our country. This is the first foiled attack against the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 50th attack foiled by our intelligence services since 2017.”

Preliminary terrorism charges were filed on Friday. Darmanin has said previously that the country’s security services are on high alert, especially for possible attacks by Islamic groups, environmental activists, far-right organizations, Russian cyberattacks from Russia and others.

The suspect moved to France with his family in 2023 and had no police record prior to this incident. French media reported that police found him “exchanging encrypted messages with known Islamists. Photographs and videos of the stadium were allegedly found on his phone and computer.” The Chechen Republic is in southern Russia, near the Caspian Sea, is mostly rural and strongly Islamic.

The Stade Geoffrey Guichard is scheduled to his six group–stage football matches, three each for men and women.

4.
World Athletics unleashes its “Pioneering Change” plan

“With this new strategy, the next four years must be a game changer for the sport of athletics.

“We are the number 1 Olympic Sport by audience and reach and our World Championships also see many millions of people around the world watching our athletes. We will build on these big moments by ensuring we have a major athletics global event taking place EVERY year. An event that ends the classic outdoor season with flair, entertainment and purpose that attracts large global audiences.”

That’s from the introduction to the new World Athletics Strategic Plan for 2023-27, called “Pioneering Change.” The 36-page document is the successor to the 2020 “Strategy for Growth” plan and follows the goals set in the 2021 “World Plan for Athletics 2022-30.”

The plan lists four primary pathways forward: more and better events, more innovation in events and access to athletes, “more ways in which our athletes can be stars” and more ways to get involved as an athlete, coach or official. But it also notes that “Almost three quarters of 13-37 years olds say that they do not need to watch sports live, preferring to watch highlights and clips and over half of the 12-27 year olds (Gen Z) do not like traditional sport or formats.”

So, the report identifies specific themes and projects to expand the touch of athletics at all levels and for all age groups. Action items called include, but are not limited to:

● Increasing fan appeal and understanding of the sport: “End each season with a global championship event that will engage millions of fans around the world.”

● “Launch a new global championship event to take place in 2026 that is made for television and will appeal to millions of people around the world.”

● Funding new funders and organizations outside of World Athletics to put on more meets and pay more prize money to athletes.

● “Recruit, retain, reward and educate people in our sport and create more ways for them to be part of global athletics regardless of region, age or level,” a under-appreciated but crucial goal to provide enough qualified coaches to help athletes and officials for meets.

Not mentioned directly in the report, but in the accompanying announcement were new developments to be tested and considered, some of which have been previously made public:

● “A mixed 4x100m relay and a steeplechase mile
● “A take-off zone for horizontal jumps
● “Improved efficiency of measurements
● “New ways to decide tie-breakers in jumps using new technology
● “Reviewing the weights of women’s shot put and javelin”

The report states, based on research commissioned from Nielsen Sports, that “Athletics is ranked fourth in terms of sports interest globally,” and that World Athletics is currently working on an annualized budget of $55 million (U.S.) per year once extraordinary income – the quadrennial, $40 million-plus Olympic television dividend from the International Olympic Committee – is averaged out.

Observed: This four-year plan covers the last four years that iconic British double Olympic champion Sebastian Coe (GBR) will be the head of World Athletics. It sets clear goals and some detail on how they will be achieved.

Importantly, the language of the plan conveys the underlying unease among many athletes, agents, coaches and fans that the sport – as great as it is and in a period of stunning achievement on the track and infield – that athletics is not where it should be in terms of popularity, funding and attention.

There are good motives and a clear direction of what needs to be achieved to move this sport forward. Doing so will be extraordinarily difficult in a time when the biggest sports and leagues – FIFA, the NFL, the NBA and others – are pressing even harder to expand their already-strong market share and crowd others out whenever possible.

5.
Another Russian federation doubtful about LA28

Ilgar Mamedov, the head of the Russian Fencing Federation, was the latest to cast doubt on whether Russian athletes will be able to compete in Los Angeles at the 2028 Olympic Games. He told the Russian news agency TASS (DeepL translation):

“If the 2028 Olympics were not in Los Angeles [USA], there would have been more positives and illusions about us coming back.

“Judging by what’s happening now, frankly, there’s not much optimism. But you realize that everything can change at any moment. As soon as everything is over where this situation [the invasion of Ukraine] is happening, I think everything will normalize.

“We have to wait and in no way betray [Russia], because those who betray now, to put it mildly, will feel uncomfortable when everything is over. It won’t work to pretend that everything is fine, that it was just the way things had to be done. Everyone now faces a choice: to do right or wrong.”

The Paris 2024 Games will see the smallest Russian Empire/Soviet/Russian presence in the Olympic Games in 116 years, competing only as “Individual Neutral Athletes” with no Russian identification. The International Olympic Committee has its own team of reviewers to determine whether the athletes deemed qualified for Paris by the International Federations meet its standards for admission.

Multiple Russian federation heads have opined that Russian athletes will be similarly limited for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games and a few have shared Mamedov’s view that LA28 may not be much better.

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Football ● Amid threats of boycotts of the new, expanded FIFA Club World Cup for 2025 from Spain’s La Liga and the English Premier League over the expansion of FIFA-organized tournaments into periods when clubs have been able to do their own programming comes a new worry reported in the British paper The Sun: forcing leagues to cut teams.

By doing so, the number of matches that clubs play would be reduced and create the requested rest for players … to compete in FIFA-sponsored events instead of domestic league matches. An unnamed source in Friday’s story said:

“We all think that this is the ultimate aim from FIFA, to find a way of making us drop to 18.

“What you can put your money on is the [FIFA] working group [on player welfare] saying there is too much domestic football, that we should all go down from 20 clubs to 18 and that the least impact on players comes from international matches.

“We wouldn’t be shocked if they have already written their conclusions.”

The Premier League, La Liga and Serie A in Italy have 20 clubs each, with 18 in the French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga. La Liga chief executive Javier Tebas told The Sun:

“If we don’t take action the industry is in danger, right now. FIFA’s solution is just to create new competitions. But for that to happen and for us to be able to fit these competitions in, we would have to lose two clubs from La Liga.

“That would mean we’d have to make 70 players unemployed at those clubs and it would lose thousands of jobs related to those clubs. We need to fix the current problems before creating new competitions that will destroy the industry, clubs, jobs, the dreams of fans – and football.”

FIFA, for its part, said that no such changes are contemplated and that national leagues retain autonomy over their own competitions. But the continued war of words from England and Spain are a demonstration of the tension over FIFA’s enthusiasm for new programs which it will organize and operate.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2020: Tokyo ● “It’s hard going into Paris knowing that we’re going to be racing some of these athletes. And I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low.”

That’s seven-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky of the U.S., from a Sunday interview on the “CBS News Sunday Morning” program, commenting on the Chinese swimmer positives for trimetazidine in 2021 that were determined to be “accidental contamination” by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency, with no penalties, conclusions that were not challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“It doesn’t seem like everything was followed to a ‘’T’ regarding the handling of the case.

“I’d like to see some accountability here. I’d like to see some answers as to why this happened the way it did. And I’d really like to see that steps are taken for the future so that we can regain some confidence in the global system.”

Of the 23 Chinese swimmers who registered positive tests, four athletes won five event medals at Tokyo 2020 and multiple swimmers on the list are expected to compete in Paris.

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced Saturday that his country will look to bid for the Games of the XXXVI Olympiad in 2036 (computer translation from the original Spanish):

“[W]e have shown that Chile has the organizational conditions, the management capacity and the international leadership to organize world-class sporting events.

“That is why I announce that we will begin the path so that Chile is, for the first time in its history, a candidate to host the 2036 Olympic Games. And, to this end, I have instructed the Minister of Sports, Jaime Pizarro, to formalize the procedures through a letter of intent that has already been sent to the Chilean Olympic Committee, to begin the application process for our headquarters with a view to 2036.”

This means that Chile will enter into a “continuous dialogue” with the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission for the summer Games, joining multiple other countries with interest, such as India, Indonesia, Poland, Qatar, Turkey and others.

Chile successfully hosted the 2023 Pan American Games, with 6,909 athletes from 41 delegations, competing in 39 sports.

● World University Games ● Saturday (1st) was the 75th anniversary of the founding Congress of the Federation Internationale de Sport Universitaire (FISU) in Zurich (SUI) in 1949, with six original members: Italy, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

The stated purpose of the new federation:

“To promote the cultural aspect of the student body from all countries, to exchange the experiences of university sport, to organise international university meetings, and to spread the moral values of sport.”

A “Summer International University Sports Week” was held in 1949 in Merano (ITA) with nine participating countries, but the World University Games as known today was first held in 1959 in Turin (ITA), with 985 competitors from 45 countries.

● Artistic Swimming ● The third stop on the World Aquatics World Cup tour in Markham (CAN) was a showcase for home favorite Jacqueline Simoneau, the two-time Worlds medal winner in the Solo division. But the Montreal native won four medals in Markham, starting with the Solo Technical final, scoring 256.7950 over China’s 18-year-old Huiyan Xu (244.2050).

Hu won the Solo Free at 231.98354, with Simoneau second at 230.5750. The Canadian star then teamed with Audrey Lamothe for silver medals in the Duet Tech and Duet Free. Worlds medal-winning sisters Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini-Marina Alexandri (AUT) won the Duet Technical in a tight final, 248.3567 to 248.3350, and Japan’s Moe Higa and Tomoka Sato took the Duet Free by 253.7730 to 246.5501.

Kazakhstan’s Eduard Kim won the men’s Solo Technical at 204.3900 and teammate Viktor Druzin took the men’s Solo Free, scoring 193.7938.

In the Mixed Technical final, Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez and Mireia Hernandez won at 228.1233, and then Gonzalez and Emma Garcia won the Mixed Free final at 200.3854.

● Badminton ● China placed finalists in all five events and won four at the Singapore Open, although there was no suspense in the all-China final in the men’s Singles, with Yu Qi Shi taking down Shi Feng Li, 17-21, 21-19, 21-19.

Unseeded Ji Ting He and Xiang Yu Ren (CHN) swept aside Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA) in the men’s Doubles, 21-19, 21-14 and top-seeded Qing Chen Chen and Yi Fan Jia (CHN) defeated Ami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (JPN), 21-15, 21-12.

In the Mixed Doubles, top-seeds Si Wei Zhang and Ya Qiong Huang (CHN) swept Po-Hsuan Yang and Ling Fang Hu (TPE), 21-11, 21-19.

Top women’s seed Se Young An (KOR) was the only non-Chinese winner, taking down no. 2 seed Yu Fei Chen (CHN) by 21-19, 16-21, 21-12.

● Boxing ● The final Olympic Qualifying Tournament was held in Bangkok (THA), with quota slots finalized in all 13 classes, with 578 boxers from 132 countries vying for 28 men’s and 23 women’s spots.

The U.S. won two more spots in Paris, with Roscoe Hill winning his quota bout by 5-0 at 51 kg, over Gan-Erdene Gankhuyagiin of Mongolia. Alyssa Mendoza earned her place in Paris in the women’s 57 kg class, also with a 5-0 win, over Maud van der Toorn (NED).

With the entries for the 13 classes to be contested in Paris essentially complete (some re-allocations will be needed), the leading nation by number of qualifiers was Australia with 12, followed by Uzbekistan with 11 and Brazil, Ireland and Kazakhstan with 10. China, France, Italy, Thailand, Turkey and the U.S. all have eight.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The first Canoe-Slalom World Cup was in Augsburg (GER), with one of the all-time greats scoring yet another World Cup victory.

That would be Australia’s Jessica Fox, who stormed to a clear win in the women’s C-1 final, finishing at 11.68 seconds (2 penalties), ahead of Spain’s Nuria Vilarrubla (118.83/2), with American Evy Leibfarth seventh in 126.67 (4).

It was the 31st World Cup win for Fox in the C-1 and now 48 total World Cup wins all three disciplines, to go along with her four Olympic medals and 14 Worlds golds!

France’s Camille Prigent, a 2018 K-1 Team gold medalist, won the women’s K-1 in 106.41 (0), beating two-time World Champion Ricarda Funk (GER: 106.45/2). Worlds bronze medalist Eva Tercelj (SLO) won the Kayak Cross, ahead of Worlds silver winner Prigent and Leibfarth.

The men’s K-1 winner was Felix Oschmautz (AUT) in 101.66 (2), beating Finn Butcher (NZL: 102.66/2), and Slovenia’a Ziga Lin Hocevar won the C-1 in 101.57 (0), ahead of Marko Mirgorodsky (SVK: 101.84/0).

France’s Mathurin Madore won the men’s Kayak Cross final, with Swiss Dmitri Marx second, and Butcher getting his second medal in third.

● Football ● In their first game with Emma Hayes (GBR) as coach, the U.S. women cruised to a 4-0 victory over Korea in Commerce City, Colorado on Saturday.

The game was scoreless until late in the first half, when the U.S. got untracked with star striker Mallory Swanson slammed home a pass into the center of the box from Sophia Smith for a 1-0. Then, defender Tierna Davidson headed home the second goal off a cross by Caterina Macario in the 38th for the 2-0 lead that held through halftime, where the U.S. out-shot the Koreans by 8-2.

It only took three minutes of the second half for Davidson to get a second goal, with another header, this time from the right edge of the six-yard box off a Swanson cross. And Swanson got a second goal as well, from the right side of goal in the 74th for the 4-0 final.

The U.S. women held 67% of possession and ended with 15-4 shots advantage against an overmatched opponent. Jane Campbell got the shutout in goal for the U.S., her first start since a 2021 shutout of … South Korea!

Worth noting: Hayes sent a startling line-up that averaged just 25 1/2 years old, reported to be the youngest since April 2022.

The U.S. and Korea will face off again on Tuesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

● Gymnastics ● Ukraine’s 20-year-old Worlds All-Around runner-up Illia Kovtun was the stare of the FIG Apparatus World Challenge Cup in Koper (SLO), winning three events and taking a silver in another.

He started on fire, winning the Floor at 14.600, beating Olympic and World Champion Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) by 14.600 to 14.450. Kovtun then won on Pommel Horse at 14.900 with Kazakhstan’s Diyas Toishybek a distant second at 14.150. And he finished the first day with a silver on Rings, with teammate Igor Radivilov winning at 13.700 and Kovtun at 13.350.

On Sunday, Spain’s Pau Jimenez won the Vault (14.400), the Kovtun got his third win of the meet on Parallel Bars with a big score of 15.350, followed by Yuan-Hsi Hung (TPE: 14.900). The 2018 Asian Games winner on Horizontal Bar, Chia-Hung Tang (TPE) put up a big score to defeat 2017 World Champion Tin Srbic (CRO), at 14.950.

The women’s winners included Alexa Moreno (MEX: 14.600) on Vault, Lucija Hribar (SLO: 13.300) on the Uneven Bars, Veronica Mandriota (ITA: 13.050) on Beam and Lena Bickel (SUI: 13.300) on Floor.

● Rugby Sevens ● The 2023-24 HSBC Sevens finale was in Madrid (ESP), with the top eight teams in the men’s and women’s standings in a championship series play-off for the seasonal title.

In men’s pool play, Argentina and Fiji both went 3-0, but France won over Fiji in one semifinal, 21-14, and Argentina cruised into the final with a 21-14 win over New Zealand. But the French took the title – its second of the season – with a 19-5 finals win, with Fiji defeating New Zealand by 17-10 for third.

France thus won its first-ever Sevens series title, a good sign for its Olympic chances, and Argentina ended up second for the second season in a row. Fiji won the seasonal bronze for the third time in a row!

In the women’s pool play, Australia was undefeated at 3-0, but Canada tool Pool A at 2-1 over New Zealand (2-1). But the French overcame the Canadians in their semi, 19-17, while Australia managed 21-19 victory over the Kiwis.

In the final, Australia was a clear winner over France by 26-7, while New Zealand sailed past Canada, 26-14.

This was the 11th season of the women’s Sevens and either Australia (4) or New Zealand (7) have won every time. The French were runners-up for the second time in three seasons, while the U.S. women finished fifth.

● Surfing ● The World Surf League’s Tahiti Pro tournament, also a dress rehearsal for the Paris 2024 competition at Teahupo’o, finished with wins for Brazil’s Italo Ferreira and France’s Vahine Fierro.

Ferreira, the 2019 World Champion, won the men’s final against John John Florence (Hawaii), 17.70 to 17.16. Fierro, the 2017 World Junior Champion, got her first career World Surf League tour win over Brisa Hennessey (CRC) in the final by 15.17 to 12.00.

● Swimming ● Strong swimming in the final two events of the annual Mare Nostrum series, in Barcelona (29-30 May), and Monaco (1-2 June), with exceptional marks from Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey and Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko.

Haughey, the Tokyo runner-up in the women’s 100 and 200 m Freestyles, swept both events in this year’s Mare Nostrum series, and is now third in the world in 2024 from her 52.55 win at the first stop in Canet-et-Roussillon (FRA).

Gorbenko has been slashing national records all season and swept the women’s 200 m Medley, moving to seventh in the world for 2024 with her Barcelona winning time of 2:08.55, then moved to fifth in 2024 in the 400 m Medley in Monaco in 4:34.87.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, the four-time World Champion in the 50 m Free, confirmed her favorite status for Paris, winning the Skins race in Monaco in 23.84. That’s faster than anyone else has swum this year, but just behind her own 23.69 win at the World Championships in February.

David Popovici (ROU), the 2022 men’s Worlds winner in the 100-200 m Frees, won the 200 m Free in Barcelona in 1:44.74, moving to no. 3 in 2024. Korean Woo-min Kim, the 400 m Free World Champion, moved up to no. 4 in 2024 in his specialty, winning in Monaco in 3:42.42.

Hungary’s Kristof Milak, who dazzled as the 100-200 m Fly Worlds winner in 2022, got back into the mix for Paris with wins in Monaco in both events. His 100 m Fly victory in 50.75 moves to fourth on the year list and his 1:53.94 for 200 m is now second for 2024.

● Weightlifting ● The International Testing Agency announced three doping positives among Turkish lifters from tests in April 2023, for Hakan Sukru Kurnaz, Pelinsu Bayav and Dogan Donen.

Kurnaz was the 2022 World Junior Champion in the men’s 81 kg class and Bayav competed in the women’s 49 kg class; both tested positive for methasterone. Donen won the 2019 World Junior bronze in the men’s 61 kg division, and failed to provide his “whereabouts” three times within a 12-month period.

The triple sanction triggers a review by the International Weightlifting Federation’s Independent Member Federation Sanctioning Panel, and could result in Turkey losing its right to compete in Paris this summer; Turkey has qualified one lifter, European men’s 73 kg champion Muhammad Ozbek.

● Wrestling ● Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, the miracle winner of the 125 kg Freestyle final at the Tokyo 2020 Games, signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on Friday, projected as a defensive lineman.

Steveson – at 6-1, 275 lbs. – is not a football player; he wrestled at Minnesota and was a two-time NCAA Champion at 285 lbs. in 2021 and 2022. He signed with the WWE but that did not pan out and now he will try to use his skills in football.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Ingebrigtsen, dos Santos, Gebrhiwet star in Oslo; any idea who Pierre de Coubertin is? FIFA Club World Cup boycott?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Brazil’s Alison dos Santos won this race in Doha, then conquered Olympic champ Karsten Warholm in Oslo! (Photo: Marise Nassour for Diamond League AG)

★ 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. Oslo: Dos Santos beats Warholm, Inge 3:29.74! Gebrhiwet 12:36.73!
2. Pierre de Coubertin: the unknown Olympic visionary?
3. Paris 2024 Champions Park to host seven medal re-allocations
4. Premier League, La Liga to boycott FIFA Club World Cup?
5. Pogacar still thinking Tour de France and World Champs

● A fabulous Bislett Games in Oslo saw Brazil’s Alison dos Santos beat Karsten Warholm on his home track in the 400 m hurdles among world-leading marks in five events. Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet ran the second-fastest 5,000 m of all-time and Olympic 1,500 m champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen had to dive at the line to win his race and thrill the home crowd.

● An online roundtable discussion on Thursday explored the impact of the founder of the modern Olympic Games, France’s Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Amazingly, he is little known – if at all – outside of the Olympic Movement today, despite being responsible for restarting one of the world’s best-known events. A descendant and a historian explained his concept behind the re-start of the tradition from ancient Greece.

● The International Olympic Committee announced that medal re-allocations from the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games – seven events and for 10 athletes – will take place at the Champions Park at Paris 2024 on 9 August, at the Trocadero Gardens. Two Americans will receive their London 2012 golds.

● After protests prior to the FIFA Congress in Thailand, new warnings against the much-expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup – to be held in the U.S. in June and July – were voiced by the heads of the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, saying their teams will simply not participate unless the event is re-scheduled to allow more player rest.

● Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogacar confirmed that he is targeting the Tour de France and the UCI World Road Championships in 2024 and not the Vuelta a Espana, although he wants to win that race too … someday.

● Panorama: London 2012 (Russia’s Albegov has his weightlifting medal reassigned) = Basketball (study shows positive impact of national team play on club performance) = Boxing (IBA issues furious reply to IOC’s instructions to national federations) = Figure Skating (U.S. Pairs coach Sappenfield permanently barred by U.S. SafeSport) = Gymnastics (U.S. nationals this weekend paves way to Paris Trials) = Hockey (a zero-carbon field for Paris!) = Weightlifting (2: IWF exploring new ways to showcase the sport; only 0.06% doping positives in 2023) ●

1.
Oslo: Dos Santos beats Warholm, Inge 3:29.74! Gebrhiwet 12:36.73!

Another memorable Bislett Games in Oslo (NOR), with the home fans disappointed at a loss by hurdles star Karsten Warholm, but thrilled by a sensational 1,500 m win for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, among five world-leading marks:

● Men/1,500 m: 3:29.74, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
● Men/5,000 m: 12:36.73, Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH)
● Men/400 m hurdles: 46.63, Alison dos Santos (BRA)
● Women/400 m: 49.30, Marileidy Paulino (DOM)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:24.20, Georgia Griffith (AUS)

Everyone was expecting fireworks in the men’s 400 m hurdles, with Olympic champ and world-record holder Warholm in his favored lane seven, and Brazil’s 2022 World Champion dos Santos in lane five. And that’s what they got in a see-saw race that had Warholm out fast, but dos Santos staying right with him through seven hurdles. Warholm was first into the straight, but the Brazilian gave away nothing, closed on the run-in and after Warholm hit the tenth hurdle, steamed to the line to win in a world-leading 46.63, 1/100th better than U.S. star Rai Benjamin’s runaway 46.64 at the L.A. Grand Prix, and the ninth-fastest race ever. Wow!

Warholm was second in 46.70, now no. 3 in 2024 (in his season opener), followed by Kyron McMaster (IVB: 48.39). American CJ Allen was sixth in 49.42.

The final event was the men’s 1,500 m, with Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic champ, coming off a tight loss in the Prefontaine Classic mile last week. He was in a familiar tussle with 2019 World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN), with the two running together behind the pacesetters through 800 m, then Ingebrigtsen taking over, with Britain’s Elliot Giles in third. At the bell, Ingebrigtsen was just ahead of Cheruiyot and finally got a little separation into the straight.

But Cheruiyot kept coming and surged in the final 35 m, so Ingebrigtsen dove at the line to win in 3:29.74 to 3:29.77, the fifth straight time Ingebrigtsen has won this match-up, to the delight of the Bislett Stadium throng. France’s Azzedine Habz, coming on strong this season at age 30, sprinted into third on the final straight in 3:30.80, ahead of Isaac Nader (POR: 3:30.84) and Giles (3:31.06).

The 2023 Bislett Games saw a hot 5,000 m with Ethiopia’s two-time World Indoor 3,000 m champ Yomif Kejelcha beating Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo with both timed in 12.41.73 to move to no. 6 all-time. The 2024 edition was even hotter, with Kejelcha taking over at 3,600 m and holding the lead with Ethiopia’s Gebrhiwet close by and the two moving away from the field. Off of a 59.62 lap between 4,200 and 4,600 m, Gebrhiwet shot into the lead at the bell and stormed home in 54.99 to win in 12:36.73, the world leader for 2024 and the second-fastest time in history! Yowsah!

Kejelcha wasn’t far behind at 12:38.95 (no. 4 performer and performance ever), then Kiplimo (12:40.96, the no. 9 performance all-time). Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo ran 12:48.10 and was a distant fourth and pacesetter Addisu Yihune (ETH) held on for fifth in 12:49.65! The top 13 all broke 13:00!

In the women’s 400 m, 2023 World Champion Paulino won her fourth 400 m race without a loss this season in 49.30, pulling away over the turn from Poland’s 2023 Worlds runner-up, Natalia Kaczmarek, in 49.80, with American Alexis Holmes third in 50.40.

The women’s 3,000 m had Tokyo Olympian Jessica Hull (AUS) taking the lead with a lap to go over Karoline Grovdal (NOR) and Kenyan Caroline Nyaga, but fellow Aussie (and Tokyo Olympian) Georgia Griffith moved up on the backstraight, sitting third with 200 m to go. She charged into the straight with the lead and won in a lifetime best and world-leading 8:24.20, with Likina Amebaw (ETH: 8:24.29) closing hard for second and Hull settling for third in 8:25.82.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine continued his consistent form in the men’s 100 m, taking over in mid-race and winning in 9.94 (+0.4) from Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (JPN: 9.99) and Emmanuel Eseme (CMR: 10.01). Tokyo Olympic champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA) was fourth (10.03) and American Brandon Hicklin was fifth in 10.05.

The men’s 400 m saw Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith take the lead early and hold off London 2012 gold medalist Kirani James for a 44.07 win, a lifetime best and breaking his own European Record of 44.26 from 2023! He’s now no. 2 on the 2024 world list. James faded to 44.58 for second and a late charge from Vernon Norwood of the U.S. gave him third in a season’s best of 44.68. American Quincy Hall was fifth in 45.02.

American record-holder KC Lightfoot won the men’s vault as the only one to clear 5.82 m (19-1), ahead of five others who made 5.72 m (18-9 1/4), led by Emmanouil Karalis (GRE) and E.J. Obiena (PHI). American Sam Kendricks was fourth.

The men’s triple jump was dominated by 2023 World Champion Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR), who took the lead at 16.98 m (55-8 1/2) in the first round and improved to 17.27 m (56-8) in round four. He got a scare from Algeria’s Yasser Triki, who bounced out at 17.25 m (56-7 1/4) on his final try, but had to settle for second. American Christian Taylor was seventh at 16.14 m (52-11 1/2).

Discus world-record-setter Mykolas Alekna (LTU) got control of the event in the second round, reaching 70.91 m (232-7) and no one else got close. Australia’s Matthew Denny, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champ, spun the platter out to 67.71 m (222-1) in round three and got second; Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE) was third at 66.80 m (219-2).

The U.S. got a big win when 2019 Worlds silver medalist Brittany Brown emerged on the straight in lane eight and won the women’s 200 m in 22.32 (wind: -0.2 m/s) passing Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV: 22.36) and Britain’s Daryll Neita (22.50) in the final 35 m, with American Anavia Battle (22.84) fourth. In the mix off the turn, but not in the final 50 m was World Champion Shericka Jackson (JAM: 22.97 in fifth), in her second 200 m of the season after a 22.82 win at the Marrakech Diamond League on 19 May.

The women’s 800 m had Marrakech winner Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA) taking charge with 200 m to go, but with Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin moving into second on the straight and being chased by Australian Catrona Bisset. Sekgodiso got her second Diamond League win of the season in 1:58.67, and Goule-Toppin got a seasonal best of 1:59.10. Bisset was third in 1:59.29.

Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, the world leader in the women’s 400 m hurdles, took the lead from countrywoman Andrenette Knight after the fifth hurdles and built a lead on the straight, winning by 54.02 to 54.63. Fellow Jamaican Janieve Russell made it a sweep in 55.07.

China’s 2022 World Champion, Bin Feng had only two fair throws in the women’s discus, but got out to a season’s best 67.89 m (222-9) in the second round, good enough for the win over Sandra Elkasevic (CRO: 66.48 m/218-1).

Next up: the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm (SWE) on Sunday.

2.
Pierre de Coubertin: the unknown Olympic visionary?

“You don’t find that many misconceptions at all, because most people don’t know who Pierre de Coubertin is. And that’s maybe the most surprising thing of all, since everybody in the world knows about the Olympic Games. But very few people know about the founder.”

That was the surprising opening to an International Olympic Committee online roundtable discussion Thursday about Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Frenchman who was the driving force behind the revival of the Olympic Games in the 1890s.

George Hirthler – an American sports historian and writer who has researched and reported on de Coubertin for years and wrote The Idealist, a 2016 work of historical fiction which dramatized de Coubertin’s life – explained that outside of the Olympic Movement, which is well familiar with de Coubertin, he’s simply been lost.

“I think it has to do with the fact that he fell into obscurity in the 1930s, and the timing of his death in 1937 was unfortunate, and then World War II came along and really buried all public memory of the man.”

Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin (FRA), President of the Pierre de Coubertin Family Association and a fourth-generation descendant of Pierre de Coubertin, has researched his full works, of which much concerned the expansion of education in France, for both boys and girls. She emphasized the original concept of the goal behind the revival of the Olympic Games:

“When you do read all his books, there is one theme which is really kind of overarching: the idea is peace.

“The Olympics, all of this is a means, if you will, of establishing a sort of peace, and the thread throughout his history that one feels when one reads his books. … He believes that men fight because they do not understand one another. … so if you will, the Olympic Games are a means of attaining peace. …

“What he wanted to do was to create a humanity that had core values for all, and to understand that this would be of common interest and that we would all constitute a human ‘team.’”

She also noted that the process of creating the worldwide giant that is the modern Olympic Games started small:

“He said, ‘the first step is always the most difficult.’ I think the man was fundamentally pragmatic. Intention is set in motion, now it’s going to be a long road, but it’s about progress. … That’s how he started with Athens [1896], but the [Paris] Games of 1900, just after, were not great. In fact, it was a fiasco.

“The 1904 [Games], right after, St. Louis, not great. It took like four Games to really put in place enough to create mass attention, and a platform, a structure, with the opening ceremonies [in 1908], with all those rituals. So his philosophy was very pragmatic, it was all about progress and one step at a time, but in a very humble, practical way.”

Hirthler added that de Coubertin was concerned about the nationalism which quickly became associated with the Olympic Games:

“He was absolutely against fervent nationalism which is a narrow-minded view set, intolerant of other nations. But you have to remember that in 1894, when he founded the Olympic Games, that November he founded the French Olympic Committee. And he encouraged all of his colleagues in the IOC – he appointed 13 people originally to the IOC – to immediately form National Olympic Committees.

“There has never been anyone participating in the Olympic Games, I would say until the [2016] Refugee Team that did not come as a representative of their nation. So Coubertin was in favor, his whole purpose in creating the Olympic Games, was to bring all of the nations of the world together in friendship and peace through sport.

“And so it’s very clear that he wanted national teams, but if you read his memoirs and if you read particularly the chapter on London 1908 – the London 1908 Games – there was an incredible competition that developed beyond the field of play between the Americans and the Brits, because the Brits were officiating the Games and there were some calls that were made that the Americans took offense to, and he said that the wave of energy that filled the stadium darkened it, because it became a nationalist [situation] … and he was against that.

“He wanted people to be able to come together to celebrate, to win honor for their country, for the glory of sport and the honor of their country. He wanted [them] to win honor for their country by winning at the Olympic Games, but he didn’t want them to get carried away and fall into that patriotic fervor that we all sort of detest today.”

Modern critics, notably in France, have derided de Coubertin as against women and a racist, more as a way to rail against the Games as a waste than to consider de Coubertin’s lifelong work in education. IOC member Guy Drut (FRA), the 1976 Olympic champion in the men’s 110 m hurdles, slapped back at the modern “judges”:

“In France, a lot of people are simply being knocked off their pedestals, because of a number of people who believe, or who judge, the past with the eyes of the present.

“For us, this is unacceptable and I can say that for the whole of the French Olympic Committee. The status of Pierre de Coubertin is an honor that we wear.”

De Navacelle pointed to the introduction and expansion of women in the Games under de Coubertin’s time as IOC President:

“He wasn’t against the participation of women, because under his presidency [post-Games 1896-25], there were always women athletes, starting in 1900 and the number of women athletes went up six times [from 22 to 135]. … You need to look at things a bit pragmatically, and put things in context and put them in their era.”

Hirthler offered an amazing de Coubertin comment, framing his concerns about women and sports in the context of the intentions of the spectators:

“If there are women who want to play football or box, they should be free to, provided that it happens without spectators, because the [male] spectators who are grouping around such competitions do not come to see sports.”

On the question of racism, Hirthler pointed to de Coubertin’s scathing report to the French government on the unrepentant American South in 1889, and his comments when told of the “Anthropology Days” attached to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which also incorporated the Olympic Games. De Coubertin railed against what he called “an outrageous charade,” and poignantly predicted: “It will of course lose its appeal when black men, red men and yellow men learn to run, jump and throw and leave the white men behind them.”

Asked about the enormous expansion of the Games to 329 events for Paris 2024, Hirthler thought de Coubertin would heartily approve, but remembered his view that “no funds should be spent on unnecessary stadiums.”

And what can be done to remind people about the founder of the modern Olympic Movement? Said Hirthler, “The opportunity to do it is very clearly at the Olympic Games, during the ceremonies, and that’s probably where it should happen.”

3.
Paris 2024 Champions Park to host seven medal re-allocations

The “new” medal winners of the women’s 400 m hurdles from London 2012 will not be the only ones to receive their awards during Paris 2024 at the Champions Park at the Trocadero Gardens in the heart of Paris.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday that medal re-allocation ceremonies from seven events – one from Sydney 2000, one from Beijing 2008 and five from London 2012 – will be held on the afternoon of Friday, 9 August, heading into the final weekend of the Games:

● Sydney 2000: Athletics/women’s 200 m Bronze: Beverly McDonald (JAM)

● Beijing 2008: Athletics/women’s long jump Bronze: Chelsea Hammond-Ross (JAM)

● London 2012: Athletics/men’s high jump Gold: Erik Kynard (USA)
● London 2012: Athletics/men’s high jump Silver: Derek Drouin (CAN)

● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 1,500 m Bronze: Abeda Aregawi (ETH)

● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 400 m hurdles Gold: Lashinda Demus (USA)
● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 400 m hurdles Silver: Zuzana Hejnova (CZE)
● London 2012: Athletics/women’s 400 m hurdles Bronze: Kaliese Spencer (JAM)

● London 2012: Weightlifting/men’s 85 kg Bronze: Tarek Yehia (EGY)

● London 2012: Weightlifting/men’s +105 kg Bronze: Sang-guen Jeon (KOR)

Of the seven events, five of the re-allocations were due to Russian doping sanctions imposed after the Games, and one each for sanctions against a U.S. athlete and two Turkish athletes.

The Champions Park option was identified as an exception to the normal IOC protocol options for a medal re-allocation ceremony, but if the Champions Park concept – like the Medals Plaza at the Olympic Winter Games – is continued, it could be a welcome addition.

4.
Premier League, La Liga to boycott FIFA Club World Cup?

“Football is killing its own product. Those who run the game need to listen.

“If they don’t, then as unions we have a responsibility to the players to take action – and the legal route is the next step. The governing bodies have had every chance to meaningfully engage with us on this, but they have failed to do so.

“Current player workloads are unsustainable. People are realising the amount of games being pushed into the fixture calendar just don’t fit.”

That’s Professional Footballers Association chief executive Maheta Molango (SUI), speaking to The Sun about a potential action against the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, slated for next summer in the U.S.

Complaints and threats against the now 32-team Club World Cup have been filed by the FIFPRO player union and the World Leagues Association, and now the Professional Footballers Association and the head of the English Premier League, Richard Masters (GBR), and the chief executive of Spain’s La Liga, Javier Tebas (ESP), are also considering simply not having their members play. Two clubs each from La Liga and the Premier League have qualified.

The Club World Cup originated in 2000 as a short tournament matching the winning clubs from various leagues, with eight teams in the first program, then six or seven from 2005 to 2023. Now, the project is being expanded to 32 teams (and 64 matches) for 2025, with matches in the U.S. from 15 June to 13 July.

The clubs and player’s associations have demanded that the tournament be re-scheduled or postponed due to the impact on players and the number of matches to be played next year, both for club sides or national teams.

FIFA said in a 10 May statement that it is willing to discuss the issue, but sees no reason not to press on with the tournament as planned.

5.
Pogacar still thinking Tour de France and World Champs

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar’s brilliant win in his first Giro d’Italia, by the biggest margin – 9:56 – since 1965, has cycling fans salivating at the possibility of a Giro-Tour de France double … and perhaps even a shot at what no one has done before: win all three Grand Tours in a single year?

The answer is still no, says the 25-year-old Pogacar. In an featured interview with the UCI, he explained:

“Obviously the Tour and the UCI Worlds are two massive goals for me. Not just this year but each year. I don’t feel too much pressure, I’m still pretty young but I have a big hunger to win them some day.”

Asked specifically about the Giro-Tour-Vuelta triple:

“For sure I can say it is not on the cards this year. To win each Grand Tour is a major goal of mine some day, but to do it all in the same year… Maybe that’s too crazy.”

The story noted that the same-year Giro-Tour de France-UCI World Road Championship has only been done by the legendary Eddy Merckx (BEL) in 1974 and Stephen Roche (IRL) in 1987.

Asked to reflect on spectacular Giro d’Italia performance, Pogacar said:

“It’s been an amazing journey. When we arrived in Torino nobody could have told me it would be like this. Of course we hoped and dreamed of winning but to take six stages and wear the [leader’s] Maglia Rosa [jersey] for 20 stages all over Italy has just been such an unbelievable experience. Something I will never forget.

“Aside from the battle on the road I suppose the greatest challenge is everything that surrounds the Maglia Rosa and the responsibilities that go along with that. All the extra interviews and protocols take a lot of energy day after day but it’s something you get used to also. It’s also part of the job and something I understand.”

He added that his magical performance was also fun:

“Looking back I had some really nice moments and was able to enjoy myself a lot on the bike. I was fortunate to arrive at this Giro with close to perfect preparation and so was able to perform how I wanted and be attacking and aggressive and go for victories. My teammates played a huge hand in this as without them none of this would have been possible.”

Pogacar already owns two Tour de France wins, in 2020 and 2021 and was second in 2022 and 2023. And in terms of history, only seven riders have won the Giro and the Tour in the same year, the last being more than a quarter-century ago: Italian Marco Pantani in 1998.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2012: London ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the IOC has re-allocated the +105 kg Olympic bronze initially won by Ruslan Albegov (RUS) for doping, is now to be awarded to South Korea’s Sang-guen Jeon.

Albegov lifted a combined total of 448 kg to 436 for Jeon, but was disqualified in March, with the medals now re-allocated. Albegov, now 36, was first suspended for doping by the International Weightlifting Federation in 2019 for a two-year term.

● Basketball ● A research project at Klaipeda University in Lithuania explored the impact of playing on national teams in terms of improving or hurting subsequent club performances at the NBA level for 29 star players at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Led by student researcher Alper Can Konak, working under the supervision of Lithuania Basketball Federation Secretary General Mindaugas Balciunas, the bottom line:

“It is fair to state that competing in the Basketball World Cup helped players to improve all their type of shooting percentages, which supports the evolving trends of modern basketball, assist skills, court vision, and decision-making processes regardless of the level of club competition they normally play and a reduction in personal fouls that shows players are acting smarter with the experience they gain.”

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards endorsed the experience of playing with the U.S., explaining, “I think that changed my perspective about everything, being able to play with your team, playing within the game and not just try to play isolation ball all day, playing within a system. And Finchy [Minnesota coach Chris Finch] does a great job of making sure I stay within the system.”

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association shrieked in anger in reply to the International Olympic Committee’s statement on Wednesday, issuing a Thursday statement which started:

“Further to the unprecedented announcement by the IBA regarding its allocation of prize money for our Paris 2024 Olympic champions, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has immediately responded by giving an ultimatum to all National Federations and their boxers. Essentially the heavy-handed message is clear, if you fail to leave the IBA by the turn of the next Olympic cycle, then your athletes will not be able to compete at the Games. This is an absolute travesty and disgrace from allegedly one of the leading sports organizations in the world.”

This was followed by the IBA’s familiar litany of how it has reformed itself and cannot understand why it was expelled from the Olympic Movement in 2023. Then it went back to:

“Finally, after one of the most monumental and positive prize fund announcements made by the IBA in support of our athletes who will be participating in the Olympics in Paris 2024, the IOC responds by effectively punishing our boxers, the people who remain at the very heart of everything that IBA believes in and supports. A double standard and biased declaration, that once again shows the true colours of the International Olympic Committee.

“The admission by the IOC that they are unable to manage the qualification events, and indeed the finals of the boxing competition remains true. Many National Federations have commented on their negative experience with this journey for Paris 2024, and have witnessed the very low level, almost what seems like half-heartedly executed events.”

In the end, the IOC owns the Olympic Games and while boxing is welcome, the IBA is not. That’s the reality.

● Figure Skating ● Dalilah Sappenfield, a decorated Pairs coach whose teams include four senior-level national champions, was declared “permanently ineligible” on Wednesday by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

The listing, on the Centralized Disciplinary Database, noted “Physical & Emotional Misconduct; Retaliation; Proactive Policy Violation; Abuse of Process; Failure to Report” and was noted to be subject to appeal.

Sappenfield, based in Colorado, was accused of verbal abuse in a 2021 USA Today story reporting allegations by skater Tarah Payne, and multiple skaters were reported to have filed complaints.

● Gymnastics ● The last step before the Olympic Trials – the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas – started with men’s qualifying on Thursday and continues through Sunday, with the results to form the field for the Trials that will follow at the end of June.

The headliner, of course, is superstar Simone Biles, who will be trying for a record ninth individual All-Around title; she already has more – 8 – than anyone else. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic All-Around champ, Suni Lee, is also in the field, as is Olympic Floor gold medalist Jade Carey and members of the Worlds Team gold squad from 2023, including Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong. Tokyo Olympic Team silver winner and Worlds 2022 Team gold medalist Jordan Chiles will certainly be a factor as well.

The leading men’s stars include 2023 national A-A champion Asher Hong, the 2021 and 2022 A-A winner Brody Malone, and 2023 Worlds A-A bronze medalist Fred Richard.

In terms of broadcast availability:

● Sat., 1 June: 12:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern on CNBC for men’s Day 1 (Thursday delayed)
● Sat., 1 June: 2:30-5:00 p.m. Eastern on CNBC for women’s Day 1 (Friday delayed)
● Sat., 1 June: 8:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern on CNBC for men’s Day 2 (live)

● Sun., 2 June: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC for men’s Day 2 (Saturday delayed)
● Sun., 2 June: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC for women’s Day 2 (live)

The Olympic Trials will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 27-30 June.

● Hockey ● The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced a unique achievement for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games: a “carbon-zero hockey turf.”

Developed by Sport Group and made by Polytan, the “Poligras Paris GT zero is made from 80% sugarcane and manufactured using green electricity.” It also uses far less water than the familiar synthetic fields, adding to its sustainability advantages.

● Weightlifting ● Now returned to the Olympic program for 2028, the International Weightlifting Federation is carefully trying to chart its future, trying to make the sport more appealing and less costly to stage.

Following the 13-day, 700-entry IWF Worlds in Saudi Arabia, IWF Technical Committee Chair Sam Coffa (AUS) – also the head of the federation’s Innovation Committee – said changes are needed.

“We want it to be all over in six or seven days,” he said, with possibilities being studied for the use of dual platforms, instead of a single space, and/or reducing the number of athletes. The IWF has already decided to go from 20 weight classes to 16 (eight each for men and women), which will help. A proposal from the Technical Committee is hoped for by the end of 2024.

No detail is being overlooked, for example, less formal uniforms for officials are also being trialed, for example at the recently-completed World Youth Championships in Lima (PER).

The International Weightlifting Federation, in concert with the International Testing Agency, announced its anti-doping statistics for 2023, with 3,192 total samples collected and 18 rule violations so far (0.06%), with some of the test results still to be processed.

In-competition testing was responsible for 55.3% of all samples collected, with the rest from out-of-competition testing. The total number of completed tests was 2,522 from 1,039 athletes in 109 countries, with 52% of the testing on men and 48% on women.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IBA to pay $3.1 million in Paris Olympic prizes; good TV audience for Pre Classic; Torch Relay proceeds “without major incident”

By
Rich Perelman
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Signing of the 2027 Pan Am Games hosting agreement in Lima. In the middle (l-r): Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, Peru President Dina Boluarte and Panam Sports head Neven Ilic (Photo: Panam Sports).

★ 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. IBA to award boxing prize money for Paris; IOC unimpressed
2. Strong: 1.17 million viewers for Pre Classic T&F on NBC
3. Demus to receive 2012 hurdles gold on 9 August in Paris
4. Two world leads at Ostrava Golden Spike, plus 6 m for Mondo!
5. Paris 2024 torch relay proceeding “without major incident”

● The International Boxing Association, no longer a part of the Olympic Movement, says it will pay $3.1 million in prize money to top-five finishers in Paris Games. The IOC was not amused, and essentially ordered national federations to disassociate themselves from the IBA.

● Good audience for the Nike Prefontaine Classic last Saturday, with an average of 1.166 million viewers on NBC, the second-biggest audience for a track telecast this year.

● American Lashinda Demus, who was advanced to the gold medal for the London 2012 women’s 400 m hurdles after the Russian winner was disqualified for doping, announced that she and the other medalists will have their presentation in Paris at the Champions Park on 9 August.

● Two world-leading marks in the men’s 800 and women’s vault at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet this week, but also excitement from vault world-record holder Mondo Duplantis, who nearly set another world mark, despite cold, wet and windy conditions.

● The French Interior Ministry reported that the Olympic Torch Relay, which began in France on 8 May has progressed “without incident,” but also with 78 arrests so far and 30 destroyed drones.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (3: first invitations for free opening tickets; “Ticketing Thursdays” program introduced for more ticket sales; protest to foul the Seine River called for 23 June) = Olympic Games 2036 (Spanish site says, without sources, Games going to Qatar) = Milan Cortina 2026 (no back-up plan for sliding track, but other sites still in contact) = Lima 2027 (Pan Am Games host contract signed) = Russia (consular heads warns Russia of unfriendly reception in Paris) = Archery (passing of Olympic gold medalist Butch Johnson) = Athletics (2: vault star Braz suspended for doping, to miss Paris; another Kenyan sanction) = Cycling (Colombian rider Lopez sanction for four years on doping) = Fencing (USA Fencing readying try-it-yourself demos in 12 cities during Games) = Gymnastics (Douglas withdraws from U.S. nationals, looks ahead fo 2028) = Swimming (Chinese star Yang Sun, twice sanctioned for doping, wants to swim again) = Weightlifting (three doping sanctions against Ukrainian lifters, could endanger Olympic participation) = Wrestling (UWW appeal review found no refereeing bias in Chamizo-Byramov match) ●

1.
IBA to award boxing prize money for Paris; IOC unimpressed

Although the International Boxing Association was excommunicated from the Olympic Movement in 2023, it does not want to divorce itself from the Olympic Games.

On Wednesday, IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS) announced that the federation will pay prize money for Paris 2024 Olympic medalists, despite having nothing to do with the tournament:

“We support all our athletes participating in the 2024 Olympics, and on behalf of the entire international boxing community, I am extremely proud to announce that all Paris gold medallists in the boxing tournament will receive a substantial financial reward of $100,000.

“Out of this amount, the athlete will receive $50,000, their National Federation will receive $25,000, and their coach will receive $25,000. For a silver medal, $50,000 prize money will be awarded, with the athlete receiving $25,000, and the remaining $25,000 being distributed evenly between the coach and the National Federation. For a bronze medal, we will provide $25,000, of which $12,500 will go to the athlete, and $12,500 will again be distributed evenly.

“Additionally, athletes who lost in the quarterfinals and finished 5th, will each receive $10,000 from IBA, making the total prize money fund commitment equalling more than $3.1 million USD distributed to over 100 boxers.”

This follows the 10 April announcement by World Athletics – which is the Olympic governing body for track & field – that it would pay $50,000 to each Paris gold-medal winner, the first time an International Federation has made prize money available at an Olympic Games (this has been done routinely by National Olympic Committees however).

The IBA added that a “special awards ceremony to honor the Paris Olympic medallists will be announced shortly.” The IBA will also allow Olympic winners to fight at its “IBA champions’ Night” events, which carry additional prize money.

The International Olympic Committee was not amused, posting a reply on X (ex-Twitter) that included:

“As always with the IBA, it is unclear where the money is coming from. This total lack of financial transparency was exactly one of the reasons why the IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA. The IBA was not prepared to transparently explain the sources of its financing or to explain its full financial dependency, at the time, on a single state-owned company, Gazprom.

“Due to the suspension and the subsequent withdrawal of recognition by the IOC in 2023, the IBA had no involvement in either the qualification for or the organisation of the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and is not involved for Paris 2024, either. …

“For all these reasons, boxing is currently not on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28. The IOC has made it very clear that it cannot again organise such Olympic boxing competitions.

“In order to remedy this, Olympic boxing needs to be organised by a credible, well-governed International Federation. It is therefore already clear that any boxer whose National Federation adheres to the IBA will not be able to participate in the Olympic Games LA28. The respective NOC will have to exclude such a National Boxing Federation from its membership.”

The recently-organized World Boxing group is trying to be that new International Federation, and has 27 members so far. Its message on Wednesday noted, “the IOC has sent a clear and unambiguous message to all NFs and NOCs that if they want their boxers to have the opportunity to compete at an Olympic Games after Paris 2024 they need to take immediate steps to join World Boxing.”

Observed: The IOC has taken a further step to remove the IBA from involvement with the Olympic Movement by requiring that any National Olympic Committee which has a national boxing federation that is an IBA member “will have to exclude such a National Boxing Federation from its membership.”

The IOC statement, however, did not say that boxers cannot accept such gifts from the IBA, and doing so would be incongruous with its athlete-centric focus.

As far as the IBA and money, it continues to list the Russian energy giant Gazprom as its sole sponsor and “general partner” (it also has an equipment supplier, who is not a sponsor). That’s where the money is.

2.
Strong: 1.17 million viewers for Pre Classic T&F on NBC

A meet with history and cache, good fields and a good time slot on NBC added up to a very good 1.166 million average audience for the Nike Prefontaine Classic last Saturday, the second best audience of the year for track & field on U.S. television this year.

The seven meets shown on NBC in 2024:

● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 25 May: 1.166 million on NBC for Prefontaine Classic
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals
● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships

The Pre meet, shown from 4-6 p.m. Eastern, was the second-highest-rated sports program in its time slot, behind the 1.656 million for the PGA Tour’s Colonial at Ft. Worth, Texas on CBS. Both out-drew the in-progress telecasts of the Tennessee-Alabama NCAA softball Super Regionals (1.078 million) and the UFL’s Birmingham at San Antonio game (1.069 million).

In terms of the key age 18-34 audience, the Pre meet drew 73,000, while the golf on CBS had 82,000. The leader on the day was the Boston at Indiana NBA Eastern Conference playoff on ABC, which drew 6.482 million total and 973,000 in the 18-34 demo.

Thursday’s Bislett Games Diamond League meet from Oslo (NOR) will be shown on Peacock live, with a replay on Saturday at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sunday’s Bauhaus Galan meet in Stockholm (SWE) will be shown live on Peacock at 10 a.m. Eastern, and replayed same-day at 2 p.m. on CNBC.

3.
Demus to receive 2012 hurdles gold on 9 August in Paris

Following the disqualification of Russia’s Natalya Antyukh for doping in the women’s 400 m hurdles at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the details are now set for the re-awarding of the medals to American Lashinda Demus, Zuzana Hejnova (CZE) and Jamaican Kaliese Spencer this summer in Paris.

Antyukh won the race on the track, 52.70 to 52.77, then was disqualified in October 2022 from evidence gathered from the infamous Moscow laboratory that was the headquarters for the Russian state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15. That result was confirmed in 2023 and the IOC agreed to re-allocate the medals, with Demus moving up to the top of the podium.

Demus said of the original result, “This broke my heart as I knew I was the best runner in the race. Once I get to Paris, for the Olympic Medal Ceremony, my broken heart will finally be healed.”

She, Hejnova and Spencer will make more history, as the re-allocation is reported to be the first such ceremony to be held during an Olympic Games. Demus had wanted to have the ceremony during the track & field competition in Paris at the Stade de France, but owing to the schedule, it was agreed to have the presentation in Paris’s unique Champions Park ay the Trocadero Gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower. The park is a first-time concept to showcase Olympic medal winners outside of the stadiums, similar to what is done at the Winter Games medal plaza.

Demus had dreams of the IOC presenting the medal to her in Paris’ Olympic Stadium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Due to Olympic Stadium scheduling and IOC regulations, the IOC and Demus collaborated together on the idea of holding the medal reallocation ceremony in the Champions Park on Friday, 9 August. Said Demus, now 40:

“I’m thrilled the IOC will also recognize the deserving silver and bronze medalists, Zuzana Henjnova of the Czech Republic and Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica, respectively, as well. I also want to thank the [U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee] for their continued support.”

Demus expects to receive the honors with her family – husband Jamel Mayrant and sons Dontay and Duaine (both 16), Syre (5), and Sincere (4).

They have established a GoFundMe page for help with travel costs, explaining:

“[T]he IOC and the USOPC are only able to partially fund this trip of a lifetime for my family and I. This is where you come in. I’m hoping you can donate to help my family partake in this once in a lifetime moment. No gift is too small. We will use the money for airfare, meals, hotel, and Olympic tickets when we travel to Paris in August. We appreciate your donation and we can’t wait to get to Paris to get that GOLD MEDAL! Finally.”

4.
Two world leads at Ostrava Golden Spike, plus 6 m for Mondo!

The 59th Ostrava Golden Spike meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet, offered cold , wet and windy conditions, yet the quality was high, including two world-leading marks:

● Men/800 m: 1:43.51, Djamel Sedjati (ALG)
● Women/Vault: 4.84 m (15-10 1/2), Molly Caudery (GBR)

Sedjati, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, ran away from the field, taking off with 300 m to go and no one could challenge him, in just his second race of the season and first at 800 m. It’s his third fastest time ever and more than two seconds up on second-place Gabriel Tual (FRA: 1:45.79).

Caudery, the World Indoor Champion in 2024, started this season with a best of 4.66 m (15-3 1/2), but cleared 4.86 m indoors (15-11 1/2) and now a world-leading 4.84 m outdoors, despite the conditions.

Men’s world-record holder Mondo Duplantis (SWE) also won, clearing 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) on his third try and then trying for a world record of 6.25 m (20-6) and was actually encouraged despite three misses:

“The cold and windy conditions today made it a challenging competition for all of us. Pole vaulting is particularly sensitive to such weather. Despite this, I’m pleased with my performance, especially the close call on my third attempt at 6.25.

“It almost felt like the best jump of my life, and it’s boosted my confidence for future competitions. Sometimes, the first couple of attempts are about safety and conserving energy, but on the last one, I felt good enough to really go for it, and I was surprisingly close. It’s about mastering these conditions, and today was a solid step forward.”

Also in the field, Italian star Leonardo Fabbri won the shot at 22.40 m (73-6), but American Jordan Geist broke through the 22 m barrier for the first time at 22.09 m (72-5 3/4) and moved to no. 4 in the world for 2024.

On the track, Tokyo 200 m gold winner Andre De Grasse (CAN) took the 100 m in 10.10 (wind 0.0) and the 200 m in 20.09 (+0.4). The most exciting finish on the track might have been the final straight in the men’s 400 m, with Olympic champ Steven Gardiner (BAH) solidly in the lead, but with 2024 World Indoor Champion Alexander Doom (BEL) closing hard. Gardiner, coming back to full fitness after injuries last season, won in 44.39 to move to no. 6 in 2024. Doom finished in 44.44.

Italy’s Federico Riva barely won the men’s 1,500 m from Raphael Pallitsch (AUT), with both getting lifetime bests of 3:33.53 and 3:33.59 (national record). Germany’s Julian Weber, the 2022 European champ, won the javelin at 87.26 m (286-3), quite good for the conditions.

Poland’s Ewa Swoboda won the women’s 100 m (11.05 +0.7) and Natalia Kaczmarek took the 400 m in 50.09.

Another world lead, this time in Sochi (RUS) for Belarus’ 10-time national champion Viyaleta Skvartsova at the Russian national team championships on 22 May, at 14.85 m (48-8 3/4), a massive improvement over her prior best of 14.59 m (47-10 1/2) from 2023.

5.
Paris 2024 torch relay proceeding “without major incident”

Three weeks into the Olympic Torch Relay in advance of the 26 July opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the French Interior Ministry cited “an unprecedented level of protection which allows this beautiful popular festival to take place without major incident.”

The short “interim assessment of the security system” issued Wednesday noted that 1,000-1,500 police are engaged daily to secure the relay and that 610,000 spectators have so far participated in the evening welcoming ceremonies at each stop. As for protests (computer translation from the original French):

“Thanks to the anticipation system and the commitment of law enforcement and intelligence services, nearly 110 protest actions were obstructed. 78 individuals wishing to disrupt the relay were arrested. In addition, 30 suspicious drones were intercepted.

“To date, 393,000 administrative security investigations have been carried out, including 16,000 on the torchbearers and 17,000 on the personnel responsible for organizing the ‘cauldron ceremonies.’ These made it possible to exclude 1,550 people, including 33 torchbearers and 31 staff responsible for organizing the ‘cauldron ceremonies.’ More broadly, 41 individuals on S and FSPRT files were excluded from the organization of the Olympic Games and the torch relay.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The City of Paris announced that the process of distributing the 222,000 free spaces to watch the Olympic opening on 26 July has begun.

The first set of invitations were sent by electronic mail on Monday (27th) to about 55,000 addressees, with a follow-up message to be sent in 13 days, allowing invitees to claim up to four tickets. Responses will be required within four days.

Access codes will initially be sent to those accepting places on 10 June. A second set of codes will be sent once the first wave responses have been confirmed and duplicates eliminated. A final set of codes will sent in July.

The upper quays will be divided into 15 spectator zones, with concessions and shade area, will open at 3:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, with entries closed by 6:30 p.m.

Officials at a news conference on Tuesday noted that by keeping the bookstalls in place, the free seating for spectators was reduced by about 80,000 places.

Paris 2024 announced that it will be featuring new ticket offers for the Games on “Ticketing Thursdays”:

“Every Thursday from 10am CEST, Paris 2024 will be selling new tickets for the Olympic Games. These tickets will come either from places that had been allocated on a quota basis, pending the finalisation of the capacity of the various competition venues, or from places that had been reserved for various stakeholders involved in the Games. …

“To kick off this operation, over 40,000 tickets will be released on Thursday, 30 May, from 10 am CEST, including 30,000 in sports or category seats that are currently sold out.

“Tickets will be on sale across artistic gymnastics, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, basketball, skateboarding, BMX racing, 3X3 basketball, handball, athletics, water polo, boxing, wrestling, and many more!”

The statement also noted that 1,000 tickets for the Olympic opening would also be available.

A social-media-promoted “protest” tagged “#JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin” is calling for people to defecate in the Seine River on 23 June – the same day that Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would swim in the river after the city’s enormous overflow reservoir to reduce pollutants was opened earlier this year.

French President Emmanuel Macron also said he would swim in the river prior to the Olympic Games, but has not said when or where.

● Olympic Games 2036 ● The Spanish site Relevo posted a story on Tuesday stating that a deal is being worked out between the IOC and Qatar for the hosting of the 2036 Olympic Games, claiming:

“As Relevo has learned, members with weight in the International Olympic Committee confirm that the Qatari candidacy will be the one chosen to the detriment of the other cities that have shown interest in organizing the event.”

The story identified and quoted no sources, and is quite incredible, since – like the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the event would need to take place near the end of the year due to the hot climate in the Gulf region. That is a non-starter for U.S. broadcasters and most European broadcasters, who are both deeply involved in football (both kinds), basketball and hockey at that time.

Oh yes, NBC’s contract for the U.S. Olympic television rights ends after the 2032 Games in Brisbane. The IOC itself has said that no procedures toward naming a 2036 host would come until 2026 or 2027.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Milan Cortina 2026 organizers are not working on a back-up plan – they say – as the construction of the controversial new sliding track continues in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The project, begun in February, must be essentially completed in time for pre-Olympic testing in March 2025, and while the work continues, there are grave doubts. The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, however, reported Tuesday that:

“A first step of control over the timetable, also wanted by the IOC, is scheduled for the end of June. Yet, no later than a month ago, the managers of the existing tracks in Lake Placid (USA), Saint Moritz (Switzerland) and Innsbruck (Austria) were contacted again.”

● Pan American Games 2027: Lima ● The hosting contract for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima was finalized and signed in the Peruvian capital city by Panam Sports chief Neven Ilic (CRC) and Peru’s President, Dina Boluarte.

The city of Lima and the Peruvian Olympic Committee were also signatories to the agreement. Said Boluarte:

“They are the most important sports games on the continent, through which discipline, fraternity, cultural exchange and solidarity are promoted between participating nations. They are also a platform for disseminating the image of Lima and Peru internationally and a driver of the national economy.

“These Games will provide sporting growth for more than 9,000 athletes and for athletes, and in the face of this challenge, their realization requires the support and joint work of all the competent authorities. The contract signed today is palpable proof of the commitment we have with Lima 2027 and the guarantee that this event will be a total success.”

Peru won over Asuncion (PAR) for the re-award of the Games in March in part because it successfully hosted the 2019 Pan American Games and has limited construction needs for a second Pan Ams in eight years.

● Russia ● Alexey Klimov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department is warning any Russians planning to travel to the Olympic Games in Paris to beware:

“As for the possibility of provocations against Russian citizens, unfortunately, it should be taken into account when deciding to travel to France. The current French authorities are pursuing a generally unfriendly course towards our country, and the French media are deeply affected by aggressive Russophobia, which cannot but have a negative impact on the general atmosphere in France towards Russia and its citizens..

“As for the Olympic Games, I would like to remind you that French representatives have repeatedly declared a ban on the demonstration of Russian symbols at the Games.

“So far it is still hard to say how meticulously this ban will be implemented, for example, not in the stadiums, but on city streets, however, we cannot exclude the worst.”

● Archery ● Sad news of the death of Richard “Butch” Johnson, a member of the U.S. men’s miracle gold-medal team at Atlanta 1996.

A five-time Olympian in 1992-96-2000-04-08, he passed at age 68, and had a major impact on the sport in the U.S. He was also part of the Sydney 2000 men’s Team bronze for the U.S. and was a member of the Team gold winners at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro BRA).

He was remembered fondly by his Atlanta teammate, the 1996 individual gold medalist, Justin Huish:

“Butch was a fierce competitor, never wanted to share any of his trade secrets, and could care less if he embarrassed you on the field. He just wanted to beat you and win!!!

“However, there was this other side of Butch that shined brighter than any of his archery achievements did. He was one of the funniest [guys] you’ve ever been around. I never laughed so hard when he got rolling. He was also really caring, kind, supportive, and all things like that. The list would be way too long for this post.

“Truly one of a kind. I feel blessed to have returned back to archery at the exact time I did. His last tournament was my first tournament back at Nationals 2019. We shot the same score the first day and were paired up on the same target the last day. I got to shoot with him again which I am grateful for. Especially being his last time scoring at a tournament.”

Johnson stayed with the sport his entire life, managing the Hall’s Arrow Indoor Range and shop in Connecticut and still competing locally. He is survived by his wife Teresa.

● Athletics ● Another doping sanction against a champion athlete, this time of Brazilian vaulter Thiago Braz, the Rio 2016 upset men’s champion and a home-country highlight of that Games.

The Athletics Integrity Unit announced Tuesday that he has been suspended “for 16 months for the presence of ostarine glucuronide which the athlete said he consumed through sports supplements containing the banned substance.”

Braz, now 30 and the bronze medalist from Tokyo in 2021, tested positive on 2 July 2023 at the Bauhaus Galan meet in Stockholm (SWE), and was provisionally suspended on 28 July. He is now banned through 27 November 2024. The AIU wanted a four-year ban, but the hearing panel felt Braz was not completely reckless in his use of the supplements, having used them under medical supervision. The AIU could appeal the ruling.

Braz has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as the sanction would remove him from the Paris Olympic Games.

The AIU also announced sanctions against Kenyan distance runner Josephine Chepkoech – also known as Jepkoech – “for 7 years from 7 May 2024, for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Testosterone). DQ results from 18 February, 2024.”

She has a marathon best of 2:22:38 for a runner-up finish at the Sevilla Marathon in February, at which she tested positive. She had previously served a suspension from March 2015 to 2017 for use of Norandrosterone, extending her ban as a two-time offender.

Spanish steeplechaser Abderrahim Ougra – also reported to have run for Morocco – was provisionally suspended for “Evading, Refusing or Failing to submit to Sample Collection.” He’s run 8:24.76 in 2023.

● Cycling ● Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez, 30, who has won stages at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, was suspended for four years by the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal.

He was found to be using the banned peptide hormone Menotropin during the 2022 Giro d’Italia and has not ridden in a UCI World Tour event since 2022 and not at all in 2024. The ban’s effective date as 23 July 2023. The International Testing Agency noted:

“The disciplinary proceeding was initiated following an investigation conducted by the ITA based on evidence obtained from the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organisation (CELAD) in the so-called Operation ‘Ilex’ concerning Dr Marcos Maynar.”

The decision is appealable to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

● Fencing ● USA Fencing will be happy if you watch some or all of the action on the pistes from Paris. But it also wants you to try out an Epee, Foil or Sabre yourself.

The federation announced its “Fencing Across America” initiative for 25 July to 4 August this summer at 16 marquee locations across the U.S. in 12 metro areas, including New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The venues include Grand Central Terminal in New York, the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Union Station in D.C. and so on.

You’ll be able to pick up a weapon and understand what it feels like:

“Each site will be staffed by local club owners, with fencers from these clubs ready to demonstrate fencing techniques, answer questions and guide newcomers. In some cities, these ‘coaches’ may even include Olympians and Olympic coaches who are not competing or coaching in Paris.”

● Gymnastics ● London 2012 Olympic All-Around champion Gabby Douglas withdrew from this week’s USA Gymnastics National Championships, due to an ankle injury suffered in training this week.

The withdrawal ends her pursuit of an Olympic berth for Paris, already a long shot after a difficult result – with two falls – on the Uneven Bars at the Core Hydration Classic. Now 28, she said she plans to continue competing with her eyes now on Los Angeles 2028.

● Swimming ● Three-time Olympic champion and twice banned for doping, China’s Yang Sun told the Chinese site The Paper on Tuesday that he wants to return to competition.

He won’t be in Paris as he missed the Chinese trials due to his four-year ban that ended this month and Chinese regulations do not allow those with sanctions of a year or more to be on national teams. But at 32, he wants to get back into the water:

“I hope to be able to select a competition soon enough and stand on the starting block, getting back to the pool I was familiar with, getting back to the feeling that I was familiar with.

“I’m proud enough of all the results and honours I’ve achieved throughout my career. At the moment I just hope I can bravely stand on the starting block.”

● Weightlifting ● Bad news for Ukraine, as the International Testing Agency announced confirmed doping sanctions against three lifters: Ruslan Kozhakin, Bohdan Taranenko and Alina Marushchak.

Kozhakin (seventh at the 2021 Worlds at 89 kg) and Taranenko (+109 kg class) tested positive on 27 October 2022 for trimetazidine, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the results on 24 May 2024 and imposed a ban of four years from 2 December 2022, reduced by six months for cooperation.

Marushchak, the 2021 World Champion at 91 kg, tested positive on 10 March 2023 for the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide and under a plea agreement, was banned for two years from 13 April 2023.

Under the rules of the International Weightlifting Federation, a country is subject to fine, suspension and removal of qualified athletes for three or more positives in a 12-month period. Ukraine has qualified one lifter, Kamila Konotop, the 2023 Worlds women’s 59 kg silver medalist, for Paris; the matter has been turned over to the IWF’s Independent Member Federation Sanctioning Panel for review.

● Wrestling ● United World Wrestling’s Appeal Committee reported back on the claims of bias in the Olympic qualifier tournament 74 kg semifinal match between Italian star Frank Chamizo and Turan Byramov (AZE):

“After carefully considering the statements from the refereeing officials involved (Mr. Alexei Bazulin, Mr. Roman Pavlov, Mr. Ibrahim Cicioglu, Mr. Kamel Bouaziz, and Mr. Casey Goessl), the reports of the two review panels, and the opinions of impartial refereeing experts, the Appeal Committee concluded that there was no indication of bias in the officiating of the match. The issues identified were determined to be related to refereeing errors and technical aspects of officiating.”

Chamizo apparently scored a final takedown that would have given him the match (then at 8-8), but an appeal from the Azerbaijan coaches was upheld and the match ended with Byramov winning on criteria, and qualifying for Paris 2024.

The UWW Disciplinary Chamber, in response, reduced all of the sanctions imposed on the five officials involved.

Two-time World Champion Chamizo said he was offered $300,000 to lose this match, but did not take the bribe. No word on any further developments concerning his accusation. Chamizo did not end up qualifying for Paris 2024.

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TSX REPORT: Big talk at Pre from Bednarek, Kovacs, Ingebrigtsen; more athlete emotion in Paris TV coverage; FIFA-UEFA lose Super League round

By
Rich Perelman
-
Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs sees the shot world record going beyond 24 m after Pre win! (Photo: Logan Hannigan-Downs for Diamond League AG)

★ 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. Bednarek: “first, that’s what matters”; Kovacs eyes world record
2. Ingebrigtsen second at Pre, sees two Paris golds!
3. Exarchos: Look for more post-race, on-screen chats in Paris
4. Madrid Court rules against FIFA, UEFA ban of Super League
5. Rowing raves on Florijn streak; World Tri on Olympic rankings

● Lots of talk after the Pre Classic, with men’s 200 m winner Kenny Bednarek looking for gold, regardless of who else is in the race and Joe Kovacs talking about a 79-foot shot put!

● Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen liked his seasonal opener at 3:45.60 for the mile (!), and sees two golds in Paris; hurdler Grant Holloway wants to sharpen up, but is also promoting his new sponsors!

● Olympic Broadcasting Services chief Yiannis Exarchos explained that the Paris 2024 plan will include Tokyo innovations such as the post-finish video links with family and friends. Rights-holding broadcasters continue to ask to “have greater access to athletes. Be closer to them, capture their emotions.”

● A Spanish court said that the actions of FIFA and UEFA to shut down the proposed European Super League by possible expulsion was anti-competitive and cannot be repeated. However, the decision did not ensure the Super League concept; it’s likely to be appealed anyway.

● Nice work by the international federations for rowing and triathlon, highlighting a world champion with a 29-race win streak, and how the World Championship Triathlon Series race in Italy affected the final Olympic Rankings … and who gets how many places in Paris!

● Panorama: Winter Games (French Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 to meet winter feds online) = Athletics (2: Asinga banned for four years for GW1516; Kenyans threaten boycott at Olympic trials over stadium choice) = Canoe-Kayak (Pimenta wins three at Sprint World Cup II) = Judo (Berliner, Myers and Stout win fourth straight national titles!) = Swimming (Grevers, 39, qualifies for seventh Olympic Trials!) ●

● Errata and schedule: Monday’s post stated that women’s 10,000 m world-record setter Beatrice Chebet of Kenya was the Worlds 5,000 m champ. Nope, she won the Worlds Road 5 km gold, with thanks to ace statistician Tom Feuer for the correction. Appreciation to Olivier Bourgoin for reporting four typos as well. Owing to some scheduled medical exams, TSX will not appear on Wednesday, but will be back on Thursday! ●

1.
Bednarek: “first, that’s what matters”; Kovacs eyes world record

Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic was fun and memorable, but most of the stars saw it as a stepping stone to bigger meets coming up.

One of the most energetic was Tokyo Olympic 200 m silver medalist “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek, who won in 19.89, saying afterwards:

“My goal is just to come out and compete and win. And that’s what I did. I’m happy about this performance because the weather is pretty cold. So I wasn’t really worried about the times.

“I ended up stumbling in the beginning of the race and that was kind of like, ‘oh crap’ moment. So I just collected myself and got the job done. Just making sure just stay focused, get back in the zone and stay and relaxed and then everything else will come forward, not trying to put too much pressure on me and just relaxing.

“Trust my training, trust my coach, I’ve been here before so no reason to put too much pressure on myself. I just treat it like any other meet: go in there and, and execute it and I can win the thing.”

About the future, he explained:

“We’re all about elevating every single year and I don’t want to go backwards. So this year I’m going for the gold and you know, I’m a vet now, so I know how to get the job done.

“I have a strictly just gluten-free diet. Instead of having dairy. like almond milk and all that stuff, I just drink raw goat’s milk and all that stuff. So I was just trying to stay more organic and raw and farm-to-fridge lifestyle. So that’s been helping me out a lot. If your body’s already dealing with stuff, you’re going to run a little bit slower because your body can only work on so many things at a time.

“The times will come. Could be 20.0 that wins the race, 19.1. I don’t care. But as long as I’m going through the finish line first, that’s what matters.”

Bednarek owns the world lead in the 200 m at 19.67, but will have to deal with World Champion Noah Lyles at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Another big winner who is looking for a lot more is shot star Joe Kovacs, the two-time World Champion who won with two throws over 23 m, finally at 23.13 m (75-10 3/4), the no. 9 throw in history:

“I think every event has something that mark you want to get over. Sometimes it feels like it’s a wall. I think there’s a lot more in the tank, but we were really preparing for the Olympic Trials. I’m trying to make sure my minimum level is super high.

“I’m kind of maybe a little bit more conservative in the technique right now because I want to make sure that no matter what, I’m in the ring, I’m throwing far. I can punch a ticket on that team because once you do that, you can have a little fun. Get wild. That’s where the real far throws come.”

Kovacs gave all the credit to his wife and coach, Ashley:

“It’s all Ashley. You know, she’s the boss at home as my wife and of course, when we get to the track. Because for me, I end up going down some rabbit holes I don’t need to and she zaps them before they happen. The effort that we are putting together as a team, I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t be enjoying this without her. When we go to the Trials, we’re getting the job done because of course, you want to win that meet.

And he predicted a huge extension of the world record, now 23.56 m (77-3 3/4):

“I think Ryan [Crouser] will throw farther this year. I think I’ll throw farther and I think it’s not out of the question to throw another meter farther than we did today.

“But that’s going to come with the stress off and the excitement, and when we can just roll the dice, because when you do that, that’s when the real whips and the launches come and that’s when the excitement comes after.

“If I can throw a PR, I’ll be proud of that day. I know there’s guys behind us trying to take myself, Ryan and whoever’s next after that spot. So you got to just keep rising the level and keep running away from it. And I hope that I’ll be doing that right now.”

No need to run for a conversion table; 24.13 m is a fantastic 79-2!

2.
Ingebrigtsen second at Pre, sees two Paris golds!

While World 1,500 m champ Josh Kerr (GBR) powered to a brilliant 3:45.34 mile win at Prefontaine – moving to no. 6 all-time – runner-up Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) reacted with plenty of confidence following his season opener of 3:45.60:

“It’s a very good start, definitely better than I was fearing. I’ve been injured and lost a lot of training. So you never know 100% how it’s going. But if one thing is for sure, it’s that if you’re not able to do the work, then you’re losing in fitness. But at the same time, I know that every day from here I’m gonna be better.

“I think I’m going to win both [the 1,500 and 5,000 m] in Paris. But if that is to happen, I really need to have a flawless next two months. Which I believe that I’m able to do. With this race, I think, I can definitely reach the same fitness that I had last year, if not better.”

Kerr really wanted this victory, and he got it by being bold:

“I wanted to win and I knew it would take something along those lines [3:45] to go out and win. I wasn’t focused on the time, and trying to find comfort in that first 800. I was able to find that and then press through the field and 600 to go, I thought, you know, what, why not, why not take it on and press and scare myself a little bit.

“You need to take the lead at some point in the race to go out and win it. So why not take it out when, you know, it’s early in the season and everyone’s kind of not trusting their instincts quite yet. If anyone’s going to do it, I’m going to do it. These guys I’m racing against are going to get better and better each month, and I need to do the same to try and stay ahead. I’ve got into this position because of hard work and determination and the right staff around me and I’m going to stick to doing that for the rest of the season.”

And Paris?

“I want to get that title and then I’m going to have some real fun with lots of different records and distances and stuff, but that’s the last one to check off of childhood dreams. And then I can go out and try to entertain the people as much as I can.”

The biggest showman at Pre might have been hurdles winner Grant Holloway, with a world-leading 13.03, taking time off from thinking about his to promote his sponsors, including Viva Seltzer – started in 2020 by three former college athletes – and his new jewelry partner:

“Viva is worldwide. I just wanna be able just to go out there. Obviously the fans knew I had put a tweet out, so I just want to continue just doing that [chugging down a can of Viva after the race]. I guess that’s a new tradition. …

“Jewelry is one of my new sponsors, David Yurman Jewelry. It’s been great, obviously came out for a little bit of bling today in the Diamond League, but it’s been great. I’m excited about it.”

As far as the hurdling:

“It’s definitely a building block but I think I could be better. Going forward, I just want to continue just to build off of that. … It’s still end of May, but, going forward, we just continue to build off of that. Staying consistent.

“I mean, throughout the years, I’ve been running high 12.9s, low 13.0s, and I think that’s what it takes. Obviously on any given day, it could be faster, it could be slower, but I just want to continue to go out there with an attitude of winning and we’ll see whatever that falls into.”

3.
Exarchos: Look for more post-race, on-screen chats in Paris

Madrid-based Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is responsible for the television coverage of the Olympic Games. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the International Olympic Committee, some of the issues presented by the Covid-19 pandemic in Tokyo in 2021 are no longer present, but the innovations are going to stay.

For example, OBS chief Yiannis Exarchos (GRE) told the French-language FrancsJeux.com site that the post-event, online athlete-to-family and friends contact experience from Tokyo will be contined (computer translation):

“Setting up such a device for the Tokyo 2020 Games was very complex, especially in just three months. But the reactions were so positive, from the athletes but also from the broadcasters, that we decided to repeat the operation this year in Paris, where the stands will nevertheless be full. We will even amplify it.

“The system will concern a greater number of sports. And we will connect athletes not only to their families and loved ones, if they were unable to travel, but also to their club, their village, their community. Athletes are very demanding. And it will add even more emotional content to our coverage of the Olympics.”

Exarchos explained that as OBS has been asked to do more and more, his primary clients – the rights-holding broadcasters – have asked to “have greater access to athletes. Be closer to them, capture their emotions.”

OBS, however, also supports the IOC’s own online and social-media programming, and feeds the needs of the rights-holding broadcasters with clips and short-form materials they can also use. Thus, although the Paris 2024 Games will comprise about 3,500 hours of competitions, OBS will produce 11,000 hours of contents for broadcaster and IOC use.

4.
Madrid Court rules against FIFA, UEFA ban of Super League

Judge Sofia Gil Garcia, head judge of Spain’s Madrid Commercial Court, issued a 71-page decision which confirms an earlier opinion by the European Court of Justice last December that FIFA and UEFA are not allowed to block projects such as the proposed European Super League from 2021.

The appeal was brought by the European Super League Company SL, which proposed a 12-club league with mid-week matches, featuring the best-known clubs from the English Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

The opinion declared that “UEFA and FIFA have abused their dominant position … by arrogating to itself the discretion to prohibit participation in alternative competitions.” The ruling further noted:

“Even though the Super League project as initially presented in the lawsuit has been abandoned and rejected by its creators, any requests related to it must also be dismissed. There should not be a blanket ban on future projects or changes to the existing one. To do otherwise would be to restrict any football competition project brought forward by the plaintiffs, which is not fair.

“It will be the responsibility of the parties involved to make adjustments and modifications as needed. This ruling does not mean that the approval of any competition is the focus of the case, but rather sets the groundwork for a fair competition system in organizing football events.”

ESLC sued, arguing that FIFA and UEFA were exercising monopolistic control of the European football market. UEFA issued a statement, acknowledging the holding, but also pointing to:

“In particular, UEFA is pleased to note that the judge confirmed the validity of a pre-authorisation system being in place for third party competitions to be approved under UEFA’s authorisation rules and recognised the undoubted benefits of such rules for the football sporting system. The court also confirmed that the current version of UEFA’s authorisation rules (as adopted in June 2022) is not affected by today’s ruling.

“Further, the court has not given the green light to, nor has it approved, projects like the Super League. In fact, the judge has asserted that the Super League project has long been abandoned and that she cannot be expected to rule on any abstract projects. In short, the judgment does not give third parties the right to develop competitions without authorisation and does not concern any future project or indeed any modified version of an existing project.”

A22 Sports Management, which was driving the Super League project, cheered the decision, saying “the era of the monopoly is now definitely over.” However, FIFA and UEFA can appeal the decision to the Provincial Court of Madrid, and this is widely expected to be filed.

5.
Rowing raves on Florijn streak; World Tri on Olympic rankings

Trying to cover 40 sports on the program of the Olympic Games and Winter Games means there isn’t always the opportunity to research great performances in every one. So it’s a treat when some of the International Federations realize that they have good stories they can promote, like these:

● Following the close of the second World Rowing World Cup in Switzerland, the federation’s “Monday Debrief” included this:

“Another dominant boat since Tokyo is Karolien Florijn. Florijn won silver in the Dutch women’s four in Tokyo, but has been in the single sculls ever since and has so far picked up two European Champion titles, two World Champion titles and five World Cup wins. That’s an impressive 29 international races winning streak.”

Dutch star Florijn is the reigning World Champion in the event and won a high-profile race in Lucerne in a possible Paris preview, winning by daylight in 7:25.76, ahead of 2023 Worlds bronze winner Tara Rigney (AUS: 7:27.33) and New Zealand’s Tokyo Olympic champ Emma Twigg (7:28.25).

● World Triathlon strongly promoted its final World Triathlon Championship Series race prior to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Cagliari (ITA). Beyond its usual, detailed, day-of recap, it followed up with “The key moves in the Olympic triathlon rankings after WTCS Cagliari.”

The story was clear about which countries had won which spots for Paris, in the men’s and women’s races, and the Mixed Relay, starting with the 11th-place finish of Spain’s Alberto Gonzalez Garcia:

“He finished 11th in his best ever WTCS performance to rise from 31st to 30th in the rankings. What it lacked in places gained, Gonzalez’s rise more than made up for in terms of significance. Indeed, his jump of one place might have been among the most impactful moves of the qualification period.

“With Gonzalez the last man and third Spanish athlete inside the top-30, Spain have earned the right to send three men to Paris this summer.”

Yep, 30th place meant three Paris qualifiers for Spain. A pretty important impact for finishing 11th. And the story explained how Hungary lost a third men’s qualifier, as Mark Devay finished 23rd, and coupled with other results, finished 31st in the Olympic rankings and a non-qualifier.

Although not dealt with specifically in the story, the women’s Olympic triathlon rankings showed the U.S. with four in the top 19 and seven inside the top 40. Because only Taylor Knibb has qualified for sure for Paris, Cagliari was the last chance to impress the USA Triathlon Olympic Games Athlete Selection Panel. The U.S. rankings:

● 4. Taylor Spivey
● 7. Taylor Knibb (already selected)
● 15. Kirsten Kasper
● 19. Summer Rappaport
● 38. Erika Ackerlund
● 39. Katie Zaferes
● 40. Gwen Jorgensen

In Tokyo in 2021, Zaferes won the bronze medal, with Rappaport in 14th and Knibb in 16th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games ● Online informational presentations will be made by the bid teams for the French Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 to the Olympic winter-sport federations on Tuesday.

Both groups will make 25-minute presentations covering the basic structures of their bids, followed by 35 minutes for questions. Both bids are expected to be confirmed ready for election at the 12-14 June meeting of the IOC Executive Board.

● Athletics ● Issam Asinga, born in Atlanta, but running for Suriname since mid-2022, set the track world alight with his world U-20 record of 9.89 in the men’s 100 m from the South American Championships in Sao Paulo (BRA) in 2023 at age 18.

On Tuesday, the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Asinga for four years for the use of GW1516, a hormone and metabolic modulator:

“GW1516 modifies how the body metabolises fat. It was originally synthesised and evaluated for the treatment of obesity, diabetes and other disorders caused by metabolic problems but is now not approved for human use.”

He tested positive on 18 July 2023, prior to the South American Championships and so his performances there, the 9.89 win in the 100 m and 20.19 in the 200 m, are annulled.

Asinga claimed contamination, but failed to convince the appeals panel:

● “Asinga claimed he took the Gatorade Recovery Gummies the week before the positive test and that subsequent testing of two unsealed containers of Gatorade Recovery Gummies, provided by the athlete, revealed the presence of GW1516 and GW1516 sulfoxide. However, the Disciplinary Tribunal found that Asinga did not satisfy his burden of proof to establish that the Gatorade Recovery Gummies were the source of the GW1516 metabolites detected in his Sample.”

● “In making its decision, among other matters, the Disciplinary Tribunal took into account the fact that the Gatorade Recovery Gummies provided in unsealed containers by the athlete for testing contained significantly more GW1516 on the outside than on the inside, which practically excludes any contamination by raw ingredients during the manufacturing process; that the Gatorade Recovery Gummies were batch-tested by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and were credited with the NSF Certified for Sport certificate; and that a sealed jar of Gatorade Recovery Gummies, from the exact same batch taken by Asinga, tested negative by the Lausanne anti-doping laboratory.”

Asinga has not competed since the SoAm Champs last year; he can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

From Kenyan site Pulse Sports: “Kenyan athletes have threatened to boycott the upcoming Olympics trials if the event is not held at a World Athletics-certified venue.

“Athletics Kenya (AK) is faced with a challenge of where to host the Olympics trials, slated from June 14-15, since Nyayo and Kasarani stadiums, the only two World Athletics-accredited venues in the country, are currently closed for renovation.”

The concern is that any marks made at the trials would not be allowed by World Athletics if made at a non-certified venue.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Five-time World Champion Fernando Pimenta of Portugal won three events to headline the second ICF Sprint World Cup, in Poznan (POL).

Pimenta won an Olympic bronze in the K-1 1,000 m in Tokyo, and tied for the win in the K-1 500 m with Poland’s Slawomir Witczak (1:45.29), took the K-1 1,000 m at 3:36.28 and the K-1 5,000 m in 20:58.14.

Another huge star, New Zealand’s five-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Carrington was busy, teaming with Alicia Hoskin to win the K-2 500 m, finishing second by 0.04 to teammate Aimee Fisher in the K-1 500 m and second by 0.18 in the K-4 500 m to China, 1:32.78 to 1:32.90.

The German men scored three wins, by Conrad-Robin Scheibner in the C-1 500 m (1:55.57), then a 1-2 finish in the K-2 500 m for Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke (1:33.36) and Max Rendschmidt and Tom Leibscher-Lucz (1:34.41), and then those four together – the reigning World Champions – in the K-4 500 m (1:20.32).

In the Olympic C-1 1,000 m final, Poland’s Wiktor Glazunow won in 4:06.61 and was second with Arsen Sliwinski in the C-2 500 m final to China’s Worlds silver winners Hao Liu and Bowen Ji, 1:40.50 to 1:41.84.

China scored four wins in the women’s paddling, with Olympic champs Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun taking the C-2 500 m in 1:55.92 and also going 1-2 in the C-1 500, with Sun winning in 2:13.92 and Xu in 2:14.10. Mengdie Yin and Nan Wang were 1-2 in the K-1 200 m in 41.50 and 42.24, and China won the women’s K-4 500 over New Zealand.

Ukraine got wins from Valeriia Tereta in the C-1 1,000 m in 4:43.74 and the C-1 5,000 m in 28:29.49; she was also third in the C-1 500 m behind the two Chinese stars. In the C-1 200 m, Liudmyla Luzan was the winner at 47.67.

Sweden got two wins from Melina Andersson, the 2023 K-1 5,000 m Worlds bronzer, in the K-1 1,000 m in 4:02.94 and in the 5,000 m at 23:45.98. Germany’s Worlds bronze medalists Lisa Jahn and Hedi Kliemke won the women’s C-2 200 m in 45.50.

● Judo ● Despite the overlap of the World Judo Championships in the UAE, some of the top American judoka were able to make it back to compete at the USA Judo National Championships in Ontario, California.

Ari Berliner raced back and took his fourth consecutive national title in the men’s 66 kg class with four straight wins. Melissa Myers took her third women’s 70 kg division national championship – and second straight – in overtime after returning from the Worlds, with a waza-ari against Chloe Williams.

Nicole Stout did not compete at the Worlds, but won a fourth straight national title in Ontario in the women’s 78 kg class, throwing Madeline Solis for ippon.

Three-time national champ Alexander Knauf was looking for a fourth straight title, but was defeated in the final by two-time nationals bronze winner Issei Barefoot in the men’s 90 kg final. In the women’s +78 kg class, Anna Atkinson also broke through from 2023 silver to 2024 gold, taking all four matches by ippon.

Eight winners in the Olympic weight classes were juniors due to the Worlds team being away; in fact, Malia Manibog (15: women’s 48 kg) and Daniel Liubimovski (16: men’s 100 kg) both won national championships while still eligible to compete in the U-17 Cadet division!

Liubimovski had perhaps the most intriguing match of the tournament, facing 47-year-old Tokuzo Takahashi, an eight-time winner in the men’s Openweight class. Neither could score in regulation, but Liubimovski threw Takahashi for ippon in overtime for the win.

Dominic Rodriguez, 19, won the U.S. 73 kg national title last year, but moved up to 81 kg for 2024 and won in overtime on penalties against Johan Silot Suse.

● Swimming ● Four-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers, who won the 100 m Backstroke at the London 2012 Olympic Games – now 39 – qualified for his seventh U.S. Olympic Trials.

Grevers qualified in the 50 m Freestyle with a 22.50 time trial at the Southwest Classic in Tucson, Arizona, inside the 22.79 cut-off for the Trials. An Olympian in 2008-12, he also competed in the Trials in 2000-04-16-20, so this will be no. 7. He wrote on Instagram:

“This side hustle has been nothing but fun for me but I need to give a huge thanks to my wife, Annie, for picking up my slack with the family and allowing me the time to train. …

“Getting to pull one of my greatest mentors and coaches of all time, Rick DeMont, out of retirement and collaborating with him on the pool deck has been an unexpected thrill. …

“Can’t wait to swim in a football stadium. See you in INDY!”

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, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Toyota’s end to its IOC sponsorship could impact LA28; Richardson among the Pre Classic stars; historic Giro win for Pogacar

By
Rich Perelman
-
Britain's Josh Kerr wins the Bowerman Mile showdown with Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the Pre Classic (Photo by Matthew Quine for Diamond League AG)

★ 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. Kyodo: Toyota will end IOC sponsorship post-Paris
2. U.S. Senators demand WADA answers on China swim incident
3. Chebet gets WR, Hodgkinson, Kerr, Richardson star at Pre
4. Pogacar finishes biggest Giro d’Italia win in 59 years!
5. New Teahupo’o tower in use for WSL Tahiti Pro tournament

● Kyodo News reported that Toyota will not renew its TOP sponsorship with the International Olympic Committee, ending a project begun in 2015. Toyota’s exit had been expected, but opens important sponsorship and budgeting questions for upcoming Olympic Games in Milan Cortina in 2026 and Los Angeles in 2028.

● Three U.S. Senators wrote to the World Anti-Doping Agency, accusing it of “selling access” to a Chinese firm that is supplying it with apparel at its events. The letter asks questions about WADA’s commercial partnerships, the anti-doping rules and asks for an independent audit of the Chinese swimming incident.

● Terrific action at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, with eight world-leading marks and a world women’s 10,000 m record from Kenyan Beatrice Chebet, breaking the 29:00 barrier. Later came impressive wins from American Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100 m, and British stars Keely Hodgkinson (women’s 800 m) and Josh Kerr in the Bowerman Mile.

● Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar finished a brilliant win in the 107th Giro d’Italia with a margin of almost 10 minutes, the most since 1965! Next up, he’ll try for a third Tour de France title.

● The replacement judging tower that was the subject of so much controversy in Tahiti for the Olympic surfing competition is working well for the World Surf League competition underway there.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (miracle home title for Czechs in men’s Worlds!) = Judo (Japan wins Mixed Team final, as always ) ●

● Panorama: Switzerland 2038 (Swiss formally accept “privileged dialogue” with IOC) = Archery (Korea dominated in Yecheon World Cup) = Athletics (hot sprinting at NCAA regionals) = Badminton (Denmark wins two at Malaysia Masters) = Beach Volleyball (Nuss and Kloth win Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Portugal) = Cycling (2: Wiebes sweeps RideLondon Classique; Pidcock and Ferrand-Prevot take Mountain Bike World Cups) = Gymnastics (France, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria win two at World Challenge Cup) = Modern Pentathlon (Bohm and Venckauskaite take World Cup Final) = Rowing (five wins for Dutch and British at World Cup II) = Swimming (2: another American Record for Regan Smith; Olivier and Cunha take Open Water World Cup) = Triathlon (Yee and Beaugrand win important WTCS in Cagliari) ●

1.
Kyodo: Toyota will end IOC sponsorship post-Paris

According to Japan’s Kyodo News Service, Toyota Motor Corporation will end its agreement with the International Olympic Committee as a “TOP” sponsor after the 2024 Olympic Games:

“The world’s biggest automaker will not extend the contract it signed in 2015 but does plan to continue supporting athletes and promoting sports in its own way, the sources said.”

The Kyodo story noted that sources had said that the company’s total spending on Olympic-related programming had likely exceeded ¥100 million (about $636.7 million U.S.) across 10 years. Further:

“Some people at Toyota have been dissatisfied with how sponsorship money is handled as they believe it is not used effectively to support athletes and promote sports, according to sources close to their thinking.”

Toyota became the first automobile manufacturer to become a TOP sponsor when it joined up, and received what appeared to be a windfall when Tokyo was later awarded the 2020 Olympic Games. But with the pandemic and the move of the Games to 2021, Toyota essentially collapsed its Olympic promotional projects and was mostly silent during the Games.

Kyodo reported that Toyota would like to continue as a sponsor of the International Paralympic Committee, but may be prohibited from doing so by the IOC-IPC support agreement.

Toyota will support the Paris 2024 Games with more than 3,000 vehicles in a demonstration of its technology innovations and sustainable approach to the future.

Observed: This is not a surprise, as Toyota’s unhappiness with its return-on-investment on its IOC sponsorship has been whispered for more than a year. Since its Olympic tie-in, the company has invested widely in various sports programs with Olympic federations in multiple countries, and is a sponsor of both USA Swimming and USA Track & Field. Those programs could continue, with the question now being asked: since its IOC sponsorship failed, what can (or should) it get out of these lower-level tie-ins?

A decision by Toyota not to renew their IOC sponsorship will have multiple additional ripple effects that will require quick answers:

● Will the IOC try to replace it at the TOP (worldwide) level?

● If so, how long will it bar National Olympic Committees – like the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee – from signing their own potentially lucrative auto (or “mobility”) sponsor or sponsors, so that it can sign another auto maker?

● If the IOC is not successful in getting a replacement sponsor, when will it release the category, and will there be enough time for sales efforts by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties unit prior to 2028?

Moreover, Toyota’s decision not to re-new could have an impact on the revenue expected by the LA28 organizing committee. The Host City Contract for 2028 states:

“for indicative purposes only, based on the experience of the IOC from previous editions of the Games of the Olympiad and without taking into account potential evolutions in the International Programme that may occur after the execution of the HCC (including, without limitation, potential renegotiations or renewals of current agreements covering key product categories which are forecasted to generate an estimated increase of USD 200.000.000 (two hundred million United States dollars) in the amount indicated below), the amount of the OCOG’s share of the net revenues (including cash and value-in-kind) from the International Programme foreseen under §8.1(e), is currently estimated at USD 437.000.000 (four hundred thirty seven million United States dollars).” (Emphasis added)

The LA28 revenue projection of $6.88 billion includes both the $437 million estimated in the Host City agreement and the expected additional $200 million from increased renewals. Toyota will not be contributing to that added $200 million on the revenue side as a continuing IOC sponsor.

In addition, without Toyota as a worldwide sponsor, future organizers for Milan Cortina 2026, LA28, Brisbane 2032 and the expected hosts for the 2030 Winter Games (French Alps) and 2034 Winter Games (Salt Lake City) will now have to find vehicles to replace those donated by Toyota, potentially another significant hit the expense side of their budgets.

There will be significant pressure on the IOC to make a decision on this category quickly, but that may not be in line with its longer-range thinking.

2.
U.S. Senators demand WADA answers on China swim incident

Three U.S. Senators sent a three-page letter on Thursday to the World Anti-Doping Agency, accusing it of “selling access” to China via a sponsorship deal in 2023.

The letter was generated as a further inquiry into the continuing tumult over the clearance by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency of 23 star Chinese swimmers of positive tests for Trimetazidine from January 2021 due to “accidental contamination” of a hotel kitchen which was preparing meals for the swimmers.

The letter went further than criticizing WADA for not filing an appeal or launching its own inquiry, but accused the agency of complicity:

“It is not just this one incident that causes concern for many athletes, anti-doping agencies, and fans across the world, but it is the fact that WADA has long shown questionable ethical behavior. For over a decade, WADA has taken commercial sponsorships from organizations with questionable ties. For example, WADA has a sponsorship deal with Chinese company ANTA Sports, which also sponsors the PRC’s national swimming team implicated in this scandal.

“This partnership amounts to WADA selling access to the regulators of the preeminent international anti-doping agency, gives the impression of impropriety and a conflict of interest, and raises questions about WADA’s relationship with other state sponsors of doping.”

ANTA Sports was reported to enter a three-year agreement in 2023 to provide WADA with WADA-branded apparel for use for its staff at events.

The letter asks for an independent auditor and for answers to five questions about anti-doping rules and three about sponsorships. The questions about doping included asking why an appeal was pursued against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva in 2021, and

“Did the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, or the proximity of the Tokyo Olympics, play a
role in the decision to decline to follow your own rules with respect to the positive tests from 23 Chinese swimmers?”

The sponsorship questions included about WADA’s commercial partnerships, and “In your view, does accepting sponsorship from countries that you regulate create a conflict of interest or the appearance of impropriety?”

The letter was signed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee); no specific reply date was included.

Observed: This was not an especially insightful letter, but is another log on the fire building under WADA for its lightweight treatment of the January 2021 Chinese doping incident.

WADA’s ability to investigate anything inside China in early 2021, with the Covid-19 pandemic still locking down parts of the country was essentially nil. Thus, it had to wait for the CHINADA report, which came months later, such that any follow-up investigation by WADA would have been worthless. Worse, the German ARD channel’s “The China Files” documentary in April, stated that the CHINADA report was developed from information collected by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

As WADA has stated, its ability to get anywhere with an appeal was zero, so it did not file. That was not the situation in the Valieva case, where the testing was done by a Swedish laboratory (with records available to WADA) and the Russian reinstatement of Valieva followed a defined internal appeals process within the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (with records available).

Moreover, having U.S. Senators criticizing WADA for having commercial sponsors is fairly laughable, especially accusing a Chinese company of having “access” by making WADA-branded shirts and jackets in its own factories.

The letter, however, touches on the real issue at hand, “trust and accountability” and that “When WADA loses the international community’s trust, it can no longer effectively do its job.” This pressure point will continue to be pressed by multiple sides, and needs to be addressed.

3.
Chebet gets WR, Hodgkinson, Kerr, Richardson star at Pre

Another hot Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene featured a sensational final mile and the return of Sha’Carri Richardson, but the history was made before noon, while the meet as a whole produced world leads in eight events:

● Men/Mile: 3:45.34, Josh Kerr (GBR)
● Men/10,000 m: 26:50.81, Daniel Mateiko (KEN)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.03, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/Shot Put: 23.13 m (75-10 3/4), Joe Kovacs (USA)

● Women/800 m: 1:55.78, Keely Hodgkinson (GBR)
● Women/Steeple: 8:55.09, Peruth Chemutai (UGA)
● Women/5,000 m: 14:18.76, Tsige Gebreselama (ETH)
● Women/10,000 m: 28:54.14, Beatrice Chebet (KEN) ~ World Record

The women’s 10,000 was not only the Kenyan Olympic Trials, but was set up as a world-record attempt for Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning World Champion.

And she was game, setting a hard pace, passing 5,000 m right on schedule at 14:31.08 in excellent, 55-degree (F) morning weather. She was towing the field, but not breaking them, and Chebet finally got the lead in the final three laps. Chebet, the 2023 women’s World Road Champion at 5 km, powered through the final km in 2:46.10 and broke Tsegay on the way to a 28:54.14 victory: the first woman ever to break 29 minutes! She crushed Letsenbet Gidey (ETH) and her 29:01.03 mark from 2021.

Tsegay was second in 29:05.92, the no. 3 performance ever, and Kenyans Lilian Rengeruk and Margaret Kipkemboi were 3-4 in 29:26.89 (no. 6 performance all-time) and 29:27.59 (no. 7). Spectacular!

The men’s 10,000 – also the Kenyan Olympic Trials – went off just after noon, and saw another world lead as Daniel Mateiko, a 27:03.94 man from 2021, won in a four-way, all-Kenyan sprint to the finish in 26:50.81 from Nicholas Kipkorir (26:50.94), Benard Kibet (26:51.09) and Edwin Kurgat (26:51.54). Benson Kiplangat and Kibiwott Kandie ran lifetime bests of 26:55.09 and 26:58.97 … and weren’t in it. Wow.

The distance races just kept delivering, with Ethiopians taking the top six places in the women’s 5,000 m and Tsigie Gebreselama taking the lead over Worlds 10,000 m bronze winner Ejgayehu Taye on the final straight to win, 14:18.76 to 14:18.92, with World Indoor 1,500 m champ Freweyni Hailu third (14:20.61) and the top five the fastest in the world this season. Gebreselama moved to no. 14 all-time.

Three races later, Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji took control of the women’s 1,500 m with 600 m left and just ran away from Australia’s Jessica Hull and World Indoor 3,000 m champ Elle St. Pierre (USA), winning easily in 3:53.75, now no. 11 all-time! Hull got a lifetime best and national record of 3:55.97 in second and St. Pierre was third in 3:56.00, the second-fastest time in American history! Olympic silver winner Laura Muir (GBR) was fourth (3:56.35).

Next was the women’s Steeple and world-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) led for most of the way, and at the bell, but her shadow, Olympic gold medalist Peruth Chemutai (UGA) made her move over the water jump to get even and then sprinted home off the final barrier to win in another world leader of 8:55.09 to 8:56.51, the nos. 9 and 15 performances ever. Faith Cherotich (KEN) was third in 9:04.45. Val Constein was the top American at 9:14.29, now no. 7 in U.S. history!

Perhaps the most impressive performance aside from Chebet was British 800 m star Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic silver winner and twice Worlds silver medalist. She tracked down World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) with 200 m to go and then exploded into the final straight and won a dominant victory in a world-leading 1:55.78, her third-fastest time ever. Moraa was second in 1:56.71, a seasonal best, with Britain’s Jemma Reekie third in 1:57.45, and Nia Akins of the U.S. fourth in 1:57.98.

Finally, the Bowerman Mile included a superstar line-up, but all eyes were on Olympic champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, facing Worlds 1,500 champ Josh Kerr (GBR) and American record holder Yared Nuguse. Last year in Budapest, Kerr out-kicked Ingebrigtsen on the final straight, but on Saturday, Kerr took the lead with 600 m to go and had Ingebrigtsen right behind him at the bell, with Nuguse trailing. Kerr and Ingebrigtsen dueled into the straight, but Kerr had more in the final 50 m to win in 3:45.34, the ninth-fastest time in history and moving Kerr to no. 6 all-time. Ingebrigtsen ran 3:45.60 for second and Nuguse was third in 3:46.22, as nine men broke 3:50!

On the infield, world-record holder Ryan Crouser did not throw as expected, but two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs continued his sensational season with a brilliant 23.03 m (75-6 3/4) in round two for a world-leading mark, then extended to 23.13 m (75-10 3/4) – the no. 9 throw of all-time – in the final round. Fellow American Payton Otterdahl got out to 22.16 m (72-8 1/2) in the fourth round for a clear second.

The sprints were also a story, starting with the men’s 110 m hurdles. Three-time World Champion Grant Holloway got out fast and dominated his race, with a world-leading 13.03 (wind: -0.1 m/s). Worlds bronze winner Daniel Roberts made up some ground on the run-in, but was second in 13.13, with Freddie Crittenden of the U.S. third (13.16) and Olympic champ Hansle Parchment (JAM: 13.28) fourth.

The women’s 100 m hurdles saw world no. 2 Tonea Marshall of the U.S. out early, but France’s improving Cyrena Samba-Mayela came on in lane seven and had the lead by mid-way and leaned hard to win in 12.52 (-0.9), equaling her national record. Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) closed for second on the run-in (12.54), with Marshall third in 12.55.

The men’s 100 m was a start-to-finish win for 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman, winning in 9.95 (+1.2), with barely ahead of a fast-closing Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN: 9.98), with Brandon Hicklin (USA: 10.08) in third.

The much-anticipated women’s 100 m had the crowd in a frenzy and World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson delivered. She got a quality start and overtook World 60 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA) by 40 m and kept building her lead to the tape in 10.83 (+1.5), no. 2 in the world in 2024 to the injured Jacious Sears (USA). Alfred ran a season’s best of 10.93 in second, with Dina Asher-Smith (GBR: 10.98) third. Ninth was two-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM: 11.30), who was making her seasonal debut.

Olympic silver winner “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek continued winning 200 m races against excellent fields, defeating training partner Courtney Lindsey, 19.89 to 20.09 (+1.8), with Kyree King of the U.S. third (20.15). The men’s 400 m hurdles went to Costa Rica’s Gerald Drummond in 48.56; world leader Rai Benjamin had been entered, but did not race.

American Emily Grove got a seasonal best of 4.63 m (15-2 1/4) on her third try to win over Olympic champ Katie Moon (USA: 4.53 m/14-10 1/4) in the women’s vault, and Cuban Leyanis Perez won the women’s triple jump over World Indoor winner Thea LaFond (DMA), 14.73 m (48-4) to 14.62 m (47-11 3/4).

Olympic champ Valarie Allman of the U.S. won her sixth meet without a loss in 2024 in the women’s discus, leading into the final round and then extending to 67.36 m (221-0), just enough to hold off Cuba’s world leader Yaime Perez’s final throw of 67.25 m (220-7). World Champion Cam Rogers (CAN) got a season’s best in the women’s hammer at 77.76 m (255-1), enough to hold off American Worlds winners DeAnna Price (76.74 m/251-9) and Brooke Andersen (76.34 m/250-5).

4.
Pogacar finishes biggest Giro d’Italia win in 59 years!

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar didn’t just win the 107th Giro d’Italia, he mauled a good field and won by the biggest margin since 1965 and the fourth-biggest since World War II!

The two-time Tour de France winner was the big favorite coming in, and had a 7:42 lead on Colombia’s Daniel Martinez going into Friday’s 19th stage. This was a nasty, 157 km route to Sappada, with three big climbs in the last half of the race. Italian Andrea Vendrame, 29, who had won a Giro stage back in 2021, attacked with 28 km to go and raced away to the win in 3:51:05, with Spain’s Pelayo Sanchez way back in second (+0:54); Pogacar was 21st (+15:56) and Martinez 23rd.

Saturday’s stage included two misery-inducing climbs to the 1,671 m Monte Grappa in the final half of the 184 km route to Bassano del Grappa, finishing on a giant descent. Pogacar took off near the crest – on the second run – and raced away over the final 34 km to record his sixth win in the race in 4:58:23, a sensational 2:07 up on seven chasers, led by Valentin Paret-Peintre and Martinez.

Pogacar’s lead was increased to a staggering 9:56 over Martinez and 10:24 over 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (GBR). His six stage wins equal the most in the post-World War II era, by the legendary Eddy Merckx (BEL) in 1973.

On Sunday, the flat, 125 km ride into Rome finished with the expected mass sprint and Belgium’s Tim Merlier getting his third stage win of this year’s Giro over Italian Jonathan Milan, who won three stages, was second four times and took the Points title. Pogacar was 74th and the first 101 riders received the same time.

Pogacar’s winning margin ranked as the best since 1965 – 59 years ago – and the fourth-best since World War II:

● 1. 24:16 for Carlo Clerici (SUI) in 1954
● 2. 23:47 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1949
● 3. 11:26 for Vittorio Adorni (ITA) in 1965
● 4. 9:56 for Tadej Pogacar (SLO) in 2024
● 5. 9:18 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1952
● 5. 9:18 for Ivan Basso (ITA) in 2006

Pogacar will contest the Tour de France, trying for a third title (also in 2020 and 2021), after finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) the past two years. No one has ever won all three Grand Tours in a single year – ever – and Pogacar says he won’t try, looking to the World Road Championships in Zurich (SUI). But if he wins the Tour?

5.
New Teahupo’o tower in use for WSL Tahiti Pro tournament

“We did things well: the tower was baptised in the traditional way, in the presence of a Tahitian sage and a priest. The situation here has calmed down now.”

That’s Max Wasna, the president of the Tahitian surfing federation and a native of Teahupo’o in Tahiti, speaking ahead of last week’s opening of the World Surf League’s Shiseido Tahiti Pro tournament that will continue through the 31st.

The event is using the new, aluminum replacement tower that was installed to replace the old wooden judging platform that was considered unsafe. After a huge controversy about the size and complexity of the facility – originally much larger – the construction of what was essentially an aluminum replacement was approved, constructed and installed.

The tournament is also functioning as essentially a rehearsal for the Paris 2024 Olympic competition and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet was on hand to see the event and the tower. He told Agence France Presse:

“Eveything is progressing well. Teahupo’o is a small corner of paradise, we are delighted to do it honour.

“We listened to the concerns expressed and we modified the tower a little so that it could integrate into this exceptional environment and respect this magical place.”

Annick Paofai, president of the Defence of Fenua ‘aihere group, which had been among the skeptics about the tower, even in its reduced format, and damage to the coral, was enthusiastic:

“We are happy, the tower is beautiful, I even have the impression that it weds itself to nature.

“It is excellent the associations protested because otherwise they (the construction workers) would have done just anything. One has to be honest and say there was not much damage.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s World Championship in Prague (CZE) had a surprise ending as the big favorites – undefeated group winners Canada and Sweden – both going down in the semifinals!

Instead, it was the home Czech Republic facing Switzerland in the final, with the Swiss returning for the first time since 2018 and the Czechs for the first time since 2010, and the Czechs hoisting the trophy for the first time in 14 years in front of a delirious crowd of 17,413 at the O2 Arena in Prague.

The final was tightly played through two periods with no score, only four total penalties and the Czechs having an edge on shots by 23-17. But at 9:13 of the third, David Pastrnak took a pass off of a Czech face-off win and smashed a one-timer from the left side for the first goal of the game, and keeper Lukas Dostal made it stand up.

The Swiss pounded the Czech zone and had 14 shots in the third to nine for the hosts, but ended up losing by 2-0 after an empty-net goal with 19 seconds left in the game from David Kampf.

The Czechs had won a bronze in 2022, but won for the seventh time in this tournament, previously in 1996-99-2000-01-05-10; Czechoslovakia won six times between 1947 and 1985.

In the semis, the Czechs smashed Sweden by 7-3, breaking open a 2-2 game with three goals in the second for a 5-3 lead and adding two more in the third. A blitz of three goals in 2:58 of the second – between 6:05 and 9:03 – changed the game, with Ondrej Kase, Martin Necas and Dominik Kubalik (his second) scoring. Two more came from Lukas Sedlak in the third, despite Sweden having a 40-23 edge on shots!

Then it was Canada’s turn to go down, despite coming back from two Swiss power-play goals in the first period, with single tallies in the second and third. The Canadians finally got even at 17:53 of the third on their own power-play with a John Tavares goal. But neither side could score in the period, or in overtime, so on to the penalty shoot-out, also tied, 1-1, after three rounds. But defender Owen Power missed to the right for Canada and Swiss forward Sven Andrighetto scored and the Swiss had a 2-1 victory!

In the third-place game, Sweden came back from 2-1 down in the third to score three times and win, 4-2. Defender Erik Karlsson evened the game at 9:35, then Carl Grundstrom got his second goal of the game for a 3-2 lead at 13:42 and the Swedes held on, getting an empty-netter from Marcus Johansson with five seconds to play for the 4-2 final. It’s Sweden’s first medal in this tournament since 2018!

The tournament was a big success with fans as well, with record attendance for the IIHF men’s Worlds of 797,727 or 12,464 across the 64 matches played from 10-26 May.

Looking to the future. IIHF President Luc Tardif (FRA) is looking to expand the quality of its tournaments:

“We have reached an agreement to bring NHL players for not just one but the next two Olympic Games [in 2026 and 2030].

“We’re going to sit down with the NHL to see if it’s possible to organize a World Cup on the level they’re doing in football.”

● Judo ● The IJF World Championships concluded in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with Japan winning the Mixed Team title over France, 4-1, to finish atop the medal table as usual.

This was the seventh time that the Mixed Team event has been held and Japan has won all seven. Moreover, France has won the silver in six straight Worlds! Georgia and Italy won the bronze medals, the second time in a row for the Georgians.

As for the final medal standings, Japan collected 10 total medals (4-2-4) to six for France (1-2-3), despite many of the sport’s top stars staying home to prepare for the Paris Olympic Games. Georgia (2-1-2) and South Korea (2-0-3) each won five medals.

Japan’s four golds were double the total for Georgia, South Korea and Azerbaijan, which won two each.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2038: Switzerland ● Although considered a formality, the Swiss agreed last week to continue seeking the 2038 Olympic Winter Games:

“At an extraordinary meeting of the Sports Parliament, the Olympic member associations of Swiss Olympic unanimously gave the green light to enter into the so-called privileged dialogue with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and reaffirmed their full support. During this dialogue phase, Switzerland will have exclusive time until the end of 2027 to deepen its candidacy dossier for the 2038 Winter Games.”

The Swiss Olympic Committee will contribute €6.7 million (about $7.3 million U.S.) and the federations about €200,000 for a total of €6.9 million in funding to support the bid effort.

● Archery ● The second World Archery World Cup was in Yecheon (KOR), with all-Korean finals in both the men’s and women’s Recurve gold-medal matches.

The men’s final went to 2023 World Team gold medalist Woo-seok Lee, who overcame three-time World Champion Woo-jin Kim in the final, 6-5, after a 10-9 shoot-off win. Abdullah Yildirmis (TUR) won the bronze.

The Korean men – Lee, Kim and Je-deok Kim – took the team title with a 5-1 win over Germany, with Canada third.

Si-hyeon Lim, who won the 2023 Worlds Mixed Team gold with Kim, took the women’s Recurve title, also by 6-5 on a 10-9 shoot-off with Hun-young Jeon. Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, won the bronze.

China’s Jiaman Li, Zhiyun Xu and Qixuan An upset the Korean women in the Recurve Team final by 5-4, while Germany won the bronze.

Mexico’s Valencia teamed with Matias Grande to take the Mixed Team gold over Ruka Uehara and Junya Nakanishi of Japan, 6-2

● Athletics ● While the Pre meet had much of the track & field world’s attention, the NCAA T&F Regionals in Fayetteville (West) and Lexington (East) had plenty of quality marks, especially in the sprints and hurdles (athletes are from the U.S. unless noted):

● Men/100 m: Louie Hincliffe (GBR-Houston) topped the Fayetteville quarterfinals in a swift, but windy 9.84 (+2.5), with Shaun Maswanganyi (RSA-Houston) second in 9.89, and California’s David Foster third in 9.91. In Lexington, Auburn’s Favour Ashe (NGR) was the fastest at 9.94 in quarterfinal two.

● Men/200 m: Lance Lang from Arkansas had the fastest mark in Fayetteville at 19.99w (+2.1) in quarterfinal one, but Maswanganyi scored a legal 20.08 (+0.4) to win quarterfinal three. Two fast quarterfinals in the East, with Penn State’s Cheickna Traore (CIV) winning quarter one in 19.93 (-0.1), ahead of Makanakaishe Charamba (ZUM-Auburn: 19.95). Jamarion Stubbs (Alabama State) followed with a win in 19.95 (+1.4) in quarter two and Wanya McCoy (BAH-Florida) chimed in to win quarter three in 19.95 (+0.5).

● Men/400 m: The action was in the East, with Alabama frosh Samuel Ogazi (NGR) winning quarter three in 44.53, no. 13 in 2024, over teammate Khaleb McRae (44.78). Just before, Virginia Tech’s Judson Lincoln took quarter two at 44.55.

● Men/110 m hurdles: In Lexington, Auburn freshman JaKobe Tharp won his quarterfinal in 13.24 (0.0) and in Fayetteville, Houston’s De’Vion Wilson won quarterfinal one, also in 13.24 (+1.8). Darius Luff of Nebraska won West quarter two in 13.27w (+2.4) and Ja’Qualon Scott (Texas A&M) won quarter three in 13.25w (+2.7).

● Men/400 m hurdles: Texas Tech junior Caleb Dean moved to no. 5 in the world by winning West quarter three in 48.05, with Oskar Edlund (SWE-Texas Tech) second in 48.70. The fastest East mark was Alabama’s Chris Robinson, winning quarter one in 48.77.

● Men/Long Jump: USC’s Johnnie Brackins moved to no. 12 on the world list with his West win at 8.15 m (26-9).

● Women/100 m: At the West Regional, Rosemary Chukwuma (NGR-Texas Tech) got things started with a 10.86w (+3.1) win in the first round, followed by a 10.87 win in the next race by Oregon’s Jadyn Mays in 10.87w (+4.7). In the quarters, Mays won the first race in 10.83w (+2.3), but Chukwuma got a legal wind and moved to no. 3 in the world at 10.88 (+1.2).

In the East, the wind cooperated and Georgia’s Kaila Jackson sped to 10.95 (+0.8) in the first round, then Brianna Lyston (JAM-LSU) opened the quarters at 10.99 (+0.8), followed by Dajaz Defrand of Florida State at 10.94 (+0.1) in the second race and McKenzie Long of Mississippi in quarter three at 10.92 (+0.5), no. 7 on the year list. Jackson ran 11.03 for second behind Defrand.

● Women/200 m: More of the same, with Mays running 22.13w in Fayetteville (+2.7), but legal winds in Lexington. Jackson had the fastest first-round some at 22.28 (+0.1), but Long – already the world leader at 22.03 – won the second quarterfinal at 22.10 (+0.5), with DeFrand at 22.34. JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) won the first quarter at 22.28 (-0.1) and Jackson took the third at 22.43 (-0.1).

● Women/400 m: World leader Nickisha Price (JAM-Arkansas) had the fastest West mark at 49.93, followed by teammate Kaylyn Brown (49.98).

● Women/100 m hurdles: Washington State’s Maribel Caicedo (ECU) flew to a 12.49 (+1.3) win in heat five in the West and then a windy 12.38 (+3.1) in her quarterfinal! USC’s Jasmine Jones won quarter three in a windy 12.58 (+3.1). In Lexington, Florida’s Grace Stark had the best mark at 12.55 (+1.4).

● Women/400 m hurdles: Rachel Glenn (Arkansas) sped to no. 4 on the world list with her 53.94 win on her home track in Fayetteville; Canada’s Savannah Sutherland (Michigan) ran 54.61 in the first round to stand seventh on the year list.

● Women/Jumps: Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith (Texas) won the West long jump at 6.86 mw (22-6 1/4w) and the triple jump at 14.31 mw (46-11 1/2w).

● Women/Shot: A collegiate record for Oregon’s Jaida Ross, who reached 20.01 m (65-7 3/4) in Fayetteville to stand no. 3 on the 2024 world list.

The NCAA Championships in Eugene come from 5-8 June.

● Badminton ● Denmark was the big winner at the BWF World Tour Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur (MAS), taking two titles, with top-seeded Viktor Axelsen (DEN) winning the men’s Singles over Zii Jia Lee (MAS), 21-6, 20-22, 21-13, and second-seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen winning the men’s Doubles against Korea’s Yong Jin and Sung Seung Na, 21-18-21-14.

China’s Zhi Yi Wang, the no. 2 seed, won the women’s Singles over India’s V. Sindhu Pursarla, 16-21, 21-5, 21-16. Japan’s top-seeded Rin Iwanaga and Kie Naknaishi (JPN) got the win in women’s Doubles by 17-21, 21-19, 21-18 over Yu Lim Lee and Seung Chan Shin (KOR).

Malaysia’s Mixed Doubles team of Soon Huat Goh and Shevon Jemie Lai (MAS) defeated Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari (INA) in their final, 21-18, 21-19.

● Beach Volleyball ● The world’s second-ranked women’s team of Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth scored their first win of the season in the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Espinho (POR).

The Worlds bronze medalists last season, Nuss and Kloth finished second in the prior Elite 16 tournament, in Brazil, but defeated Tanja Huberli and Nina Brunner (SUI) in a difficult final, 17-21, 28-26, 15-10. They had already gotten by top-ranked Ana Patricia and Duda Lisboa (BRA) in their quarterfinal match in Espinho.

The third-place match went to Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon (NED) over Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno (ESP), 21-18, 21-12.

The 2023 Worlds silver medalists, David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (SWE), got their second tournament win of the season with a 21-16, 21-13 victory against Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler (GER). In four Elite 16 tournaments this season, Ahman and Hellvig have won two and finished second one.

Brazil’s George Wanderley and Andre Loyola Stein took the third-place match against Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers (NED), 21-15, 30-28, for their third medal of the season (1-0-2).

● Cycling ● No doubt whatsoever about the winner of the UCI women’s World Tour’s RideLondon Classique, as Dutch star Lorena Wiebes won all three stages!

She took the first stage of 159.2 km in a final sprint over Letizia Paternoster (ITA) in 4:06:27, then out-sprinted countrywoman (and defending champ) Charlotte Kool for the stage 2 win over 142.6 km in 3:33:26.

Wiebes had just a 20-second lead over Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky going into Sunday’s 91.2 km in and around London, but out-dueled Kool and Kopecky to sweep the stages in 2:08:47 and finish with a 25-second win over Kool and 26 seconds over Kopecky in third and Paternoster in fourth.

It’s Wiebes’ third championship in this race, also in 2019 and 2022 … and she’s still just 25.

The third leg in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season was in Nove Mesto (CZE), with familiar faces in the winner’s circle.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock, the Tokyo Olympic champ and 2023 World Champion, took charge on the fourth of seven laps and stormed to a decisive win in 1:21:41, 32 seconds up on 10-time World Champion Nino Schurter (SUI: 1:22:13) and teammate Marcel Guerrini (1:22:25). It’s Pidcock’s first medal of the season.

France’s Victor Koretzky won his second straight men’s World Cup Short Track race in a blanket finish with American Chris Blevins and Thomas Litscher (SUI), all timed in 19:34.

The women’s XCO winner was French star Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, the four-time World Champion, who was even more dominating, winning by 1:02 over 2022 Worlds bronze medalist Haley Batten of the U.S., 1:24:44 to 1:25:46. Swiss Alessandra Keller was third in 1:26:15.

Keller, the 2022 Worlds Short Track silver winner, won the Short Track event by just one second – 19:06 to 19:07 – over Ferrand-Prevot and Batten.

● Gymnastics ● France, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria had multiple winners at the third FIG Apparatus World Challenge Cup in Varna (BUL), with France scoring victories on the men’s Parallel Bars with Cameron-Lie Bernard (14.333) and on the women’s Beam, as Lucie Henna won at 13.066.

Kazakhstan’s men got first-day wins on the Floor Exercise with Dmitriy Patanin scoring 14.033 to win over France’s Nicolas Diez (13.66), then Nariman Kurbanov won on Pommel Horse (15.433). Bulgaria’s Yordan Aleksandrov took the men’s Horizontal Bar title at 13.700, and 2024 European runner-up Valentina Georgieva (14.083) was the best in the women’s Vault.

The other men’s winners included Armenia’s Artur Avetisyan on Rings (14.500) and Ukraine’s 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Nazar Chepurnyi on Vault (14.383). Germany’s Elisabeth Seitz, the 2018 Worlds bronze winner on the Uneven Bars, won that event at 14.400, and Britain’s Ruby Evans took the Floor gold at 13.300.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The UIPM World Cup Final in Ankara (TUR) saw a first-time victory for Hungary’s Csaba Bohm, overcoming France’s three-time Worlds Team gold medalist Valentin Prades.

Bohm was third at the 2022 World Cup Final and took the lead in the swimming phase, taking a two-second lead into the Laser Run. And with a strong performance, second overall, he finished with 1,535 points, a new world record by a single point held by Woongtae Jun of Korea, Giorgio Malan of Italy and Emiliano Hernandez of Mexico.

Prades finished at 1,525 and Egypt’s Ahmed Elgendy was third at 1,524, after posting the fastest Laser Run in the field.

The women’s World Cup final was a runaway for Gintare Venckauskaite of Lithuania, a Worlds Team silver winner from 2023. Things looked best for France, as Marie Oteiza and Rio 2016 silver medalist Elodie Clouvel were 1-2 going into the Laser Run. But Venckauskaite, a Laser Run specialist, zoomed to the front from sixth place and 18 seconds back, with the second-fastest time in the field – while Oteiza and Clouvel were 16th and 13th – and won with ease, scoring 1,422 points.

Belarus’ Mariya Gnedtchik (a “neutral”), 20, a World Cup winner in Budapest this season, started 11th in the Laser Run but was third-fastest in the field and got second (1,405), with Turkey’s Ilke Ozyuksel coming up for third (1,400).

Hungary won the Mixed Relay with Balazs Szep and Michelle Gulyas finishing second in fencing and riding, winning the swimming and with a third in the Laser Run, scored 1,381 points to win over Egypt’s Ahmed Hamed and Salma Abdelmaksoud (1,372).

● Rowing ● As the prep for Paris is getting serious, Dutch and British crews won five golds in Olympic events at the second World Rowing World Cup in Lucerne (SUI), and the U.S. won in two events.

In the men’s Single Sculls, Worlds silver winner Simon Van Dorp (NED) turned the tables on World Champion Oliver Zeidler (GER), coming from behind to win, 6:48.29 to 6:49.33. World Double Sculls champions Melvin Twellaar and Stefan Broenink were convincing winners, 6:11.46 to 6:14.28 for Italy. And the Dutch – with their 2023 World Champions line-up – won the Quadruple Sculls by 5:44.98 to 5:46.50 for Poland.

The British won the Pairs with Worlds silver winners Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George in 6:32.56, ahead of Spain (6:35.19), and the Eights – where they are World Champions – in 5:25.75, ahead of the U.S. (5:25.95) and the Dutch (5:27.88).

In the Lightweight Double Sculls, Italy’s Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Stefano Oppo and Gabriel Soares won in 6:17.08, beating Switzerland (6:18.13).

In the women’s Single Sculls, World Champion Karolien Florijn (NED) won a high-profile race in 7:25.76, beating Worlds bronze winner Tara Rigney (AUS: 7:27.33) and New Zealand’s Olympic champ Emma Twigg (7:28.25).

Her Dutch teammates, World Champions Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester won the Pairs in 7:07.37, ahead of Australia (7:11.10), with Azja Czajkowski and Jessica Thoennes (USA) in sixth in 7:21.22.

World Champions Britain won the women’s Quadruple Sculls, and also took the Fours title (over the Dutch and the U.S.), as well as the Lightweight Double Sculls with World Champions Emily Craig and Imogen Grant (6:54.83), ahead of New Zealand (6:57.68) and the U.S. in third with Michelle Sechser and Molly Reckford (7:01.37).

The U.S. duo of Worlds bronze medalists Sophia Vitas and Kristina Wagner took the Double Sculls in 6:53.15, beating Amanda Bateman and Harriet Hudson (7:21.22). Canada won the eights in 6:04.47, with Britain second (6:05.57) and the U.S. third (6:08.77).

The final World Cup is from 16-18 June at Poznan (POL).

● Swimming ● An American Record for 2022 World Champion Regan Smith in the 100 m Backstroke, winning in 57.51 at the Nova Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine, California on Sunday.

She broke her own mark of 57.57 – at the time a world record – from the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Korea. She remains the no. 2 performer in history, now with the no. 4 performance ever, and no. 7. The rest of the top 10 remains with Olympic champ Kaylee McKeown (AUS).

Smith was on fire in Irvine, also getting lifetime bests in the 100 m Fly (56.26, no. 4 in 2024) and the 200 m Freestyle (1:57.23).

French star Leon Marchand won the men’s 200 m Medley in 1:55.74, moving to no. 2 in the world in the event this season.

Great news for France at the second World Aquatics 10 km Open Water World Cup in Golfo Aranci (ITA), as Rio 2016 bronze medalist and 2023 Worlds runner-up Marc-Antoine Olivier and Logan Fontaine went 1-2 in the men’s race as four men raced to the touch.

Late in the race, it looked like Hungary’s World 10 km Champion Kristof Rasovszky and teammate David Betlehem might be on the way to a gold-silver finish, but Olivier took charge with 300 m left and touched first in 1:50:03.0 to 1:50:04.4 for Fontaine. Rasovszky had to settle for third in 1:50:04.5 and Betlehem was fourth (1:50:04.8). Fontaine and Olivier went 1-2 in the World 5 km Championships in Doha in February, but the result was reversed here.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s 10 km gold medalist, Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha, showed that she is back from shoulder surgery at the end of 2022, winning the women’s race with a charge in the final 700 m to go 1-2 with teammate Viviane Jungblut, 2:02:00.7 and 2:02:02.0. Germany’s Leonie Beck, the 2023 World Champion, got third (2:02:02.2), out-touching lap 6 leader and 2016 Olympic champ and two-time World Champion Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED).

Italy won the 4×1,500 m relay by a second over Germany, 1:06:58.8 to 1:06:59.8, thanks to a strong anchor from 2022 World 10 km gold medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri. Hungary was third in 1:07:00.1.

● Triathlon ● Tokyo Olympic silver winner Alex Yee got a statement win at the World Triathlon Championships Series in Cagliari (ITA) on Saturday, our-running Hayden Wilde (NZL) to the finish by two seconds for his third straight win in this race.

The two were locked in against each other by the end of the bike phase and distanced themselves from the pack on the run, with Yee sprinting best to the finish to win, 1:39:44 to 1:39:46. It’s Yee’s sixth career World Championship Triathlon Series win. Wilde, the 2023 World Sprint Champion, finished second at Cagliari for the second straight year.

A mass of 24 women came out of the second transition and began the run together, but it was France’s Cassandre Beaugrand got her fifth career World Triathlon Championships Series win. She used the second-fastest 10 km run in the field, beating Lisa Tertsch (GER: fastest in the field by a second), 1:47:25 to 1:47:28, with 2023 World Champion Beth Potter (GBR: 1:47:31) edging Emma Lombardi (FRA: 1:47:32) for third.

The U.S. women’s Olympic selections will be heavily influence by this race and Taylor Knibb (already selected) finished 11th in 1:48:26, followed closely by 2019 World Champion Katie Zaferes (12th: 1:48:33). Taylor Spivey was 15th in 1:48:44.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Police arrest possible Olympic Torch attacker; could Pogacar win all three Grand Tours in one year? Star-driven Pre Classic comes Saturday!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar on his way into Paris to win the 2020 Tour de France (Photo: Chabe1 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! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. French police make arrest over possible Torch Relay attack
2. Could Giro leader Pogacar do the unthinkable?
3. Superb men’s mile, shot, women’s 100 m headline Pre Classic
4. Hold on: McLaughlin-Levrone is qualified!
5. Injury ends Chusovitina’s try for a ninth Olympic Games

● French police arrested a man after seeing online chatter about a possible attack on the Olympic Torch Relay as it moved through Bordeaux on Thursday. There was not a specific threat to the relay, but no chances were taken. Meanwhile, recent rains canceled another opening ceremony rehearsal in the Seine River.

● Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar is cruising to a win in his first Giro d’Italia, which will finish on Sunday. He’s entered in the Tour de France, in which he is a two-time champion. If he should win, would he think about trying to win the Vuelta a Espana as well, a feat never accomplished in a single year? One cycling icon says he should think about it.

● The lone Diamond League meet in the U.S., the Prefontaine Classic, comes Saturday, with a power-packed line-up and live coverage on NBC. The men’s mile with Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, American Ryan Crouser in the shot and the women’s 100 m with Worlds winner Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaica’s two-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah are the expected headliners.

● Correction! It turns out that women’s 400 m hurdles Olympic champ Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, despite not having run the event since 2022. A rule passed by USA Track & Field in December 2008 allows Olympic and Worlds medal winners automatic entry to the following U.S. selection meets in the event(s) they took a medal!

● Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusotivitina, 48, had to withdraw from the Asian Gymnastics Championships due to injury and is unable to chase a spot in a ninth Olympic Games. The Vault specialist would have had to win the All-Around to get to Paris, but likely finishes with more Olympic appearances than any gymnast in history.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (Canada and Sweden on to men’s Worlds semis, U.S. out) = Judo (Japan finishes with most individual medals, again) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (Olympic and Paralympic podiums unveiled) = Athletics (Warholm runs 33.28, no. 2 ever, in the 300 m hurdles) = Boxing (20-event World Boxing calendar published) = Football (FIFA celebrates 120th anniversary in Paris) = Sailing (World Sailing passes new transgender policy) ●

1.
French police make arrest over possible Torch Relay attack

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Thursday that police arrested a man over suspicions he might attack the Olympic Torch Relay in Bordeaux. According to the German news agency DPA:

“Investigators confiscated a weapon that could fire rubber bullets.

“The prosecutors said the suspect had shown interest in the violent and misogynistic ‘incel’ movement, which is characterized by heterosexual men who blame women for their failings in life, romantic or otherwise.

“The relatives of the man in his mid-20s stated that he was mentally unstable.”

Online surveillance noticed a post from “Alex G” that referenced a murder of six people 10 years ago in Isla Vista, California related to blaming women. Prosecutors opened an investigation into possible charged for glorification of a criminal offence and criminal association.

The Paris 2024 Torch Relay opened in Marseille on 8 May and has been moving around the country, as well as to French departments overseas. Rioting over a voting reform measure in New Caledonia – completely unrelated to the Games – has canceled the Torch Relay leg there, scheduled for 11 June.

Another rehearsal of the opening ceremony program on the Seine River was canceled on Wednesday due to high water levels amid continuing rain in Paris. An 8 April rehearsal on the river was canceled and on Wednesday, a 27 May rehearsal was postponed.

Paris 2024 told Agence France Presse that rehearsals will continue “when the weather conditions allow for it.”

Beyond the ceremony, there has been concern about the use of the Seine for open-water swimming and the triathlon events due to high bacteria levels from too much water in the river. A massive new treatment reservoir has been completed to ensure that untreated water is not released into the river, but could be overloaded – causing unsafe bacteria levels – if there are heavy rains, as in 2023.

2.
Could Giro leader Pogacar do the unthinkable?

“If he wins the Giro and the Tour de France, and I’m him, then 100 per cent I try and win the Vuelta.

“If in 2015 I had my Giro victory, and [if] I then won the Tour de France, then I would have gone to the Vuelta. I didn’t win the Tour and I didn’t go to the Vuelta but Tadej has a good opportunity in history to do because it’s really hard to win. But he’s young and maybe in three years another rider arrives who is very strong and he can’t do it.”

That’s Spain’s legendary Alberto Contador, now 41, speaking to GCN before stage 16 of the 107th Giro d’Italia, with Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar the runaway leader and almost-sure winner come Sunday’s final stage in Rome.

Contador won the Giro in 2008 and 2015, the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009 and the Vuelta a Espana in 2008-12-14, so he knows what he’s talking about. And no one has ever won all three Grand Tours in the same year.

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard is the two-time defending Tour de France champion, having edged Pogacar in each of the last two years, after Pogacar won in 2020 and 2021. Vingegaard would normally be the favorite in 2024 again, but suffered a bad crash in April during the Itzulia Basque Country race, with a fractured collarbone and ribs and a punctured lung, and his status is uncertain.

Pogacar plans to ride in the 2024 Tour de France and if he wins, would he try for the first-ever triple crown? Only seven riders in history have ever won the career Triple Crown – Contador being one – but no one has won them all in a single year.

But Pogacar’s interest – for now – are elsewhere. Told of Contador’s comments, he told GCN:

“I think Vuelta for sure not. I have other plans after the Tour. But let’s focus first on the flat stages also, because you never know, we’re getting tired, all the peloton, and it can be some accidents or whatever, let’s hope not. So let’s go day by day to Rome.

“Then the big goal of the season is the Tour and World Championships so let’s take it easy.”

The Tour de France comes quickly from 29 June to 21 July, and the Vuelta a Espana is scheduled from 17 August to 8 September.

The UCI World Road Championships will be in Zurich (SUI) from 21-29 September. He finished third at the Worlds Roads Champs race in 2023, his first Worlds medal. But if he wins the Giro and the Tour, he could reconsider, right?

At the mostly-downhill 18th state of the 107th Giro d’Italia, the expected mass sprint finale saw Belgium’s Tim Merlier get his second victory – also in Stage 3 – in 3:45:44 over three-stage winner Jonathan Milan (ITA), with Kaden Groves (AUS) third, for his third medal of this Giro.

It’s Merlier’s third career Giro stage win.

The 178 km ride into Padova saw Pogacar cruise home in 30th with the same time as the first 89 riders. He maintains a 7:42 lead on Daniel Martinez (COL) and 8:04 on Britain’s Geraint Thomas with two climbing stages coming on Friday and Saturday before the ride to Rome on Sunday.

3.
Superb men’s mile, shot, women’s 100m headline Pre Classic

Another excellent edition of the Prefontaine Classic, the only Diamond League meet held in the U.S., is on tap for Saturday at the new Hayward Field in Eugene, with the usual plethora of Olympic and Worlds medal winners.

Perhaps the most anticipated event is the men’s mile, with 15 entries, including Olympic 1,500 m champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) making his seasonal debut, Diamond League Final runner-up (and World Indoor 3,000 m silver) Yared Nuguse of the U.S., Britain’s 2022 Worlds 1,500 m champ Jake Wightman and 2023 World 1,500 champ Josh Kerr, Rio 2016 Olympic champ Matthew Centrowitz of the U.S., Worlds Road Mile champ Hobbs Kessler (USA) and a lot more. Ingebrigtsen is the favorite in any race he runs; how ready is he?

The women’s 100 m is billed as a showdown between 2023 World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S. and two-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM), but don’t overlook Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith (CIV), at 35, currently no. 3 on the world list at 10.91, or World Indoor 60 m champ Julien Alfred (LCA).

Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser leads the field in the men’s shot, along with two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs of the U.S. and 2017 World Champion Tom Walsh (NZL). Any time Crouser is in the field, it’s special and the world-record holder will be making his outdoor debut for 2024.

The rest of the meet is terrific:

● Men/100 m: Final entries were not posted, but 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, the 2024 World Indoor 60 m bronze winner, are the expected stars.

● Men/200 m: “Kung Ku Kenny” Bednarek, the Tokyo Olympic silver winner, and the world leader at 19.67, is slated to again face Courtney Lindsey (19.71) of the U.S. and 2023 Worlds silver winner Erriyon Knighton – now 20 – making his seasonal debut.

● Men/110 m hurdles: Three-time World Champion Grant Holloway, 2022 Worlds runner-up Trey Cunningham, Tokyo Olympic champ Hansle Parchment (JAM) and 2023 Worlds bronze winner Daniel Roberts, among others!

● Men/400 m hurdles: World leader Rai Benjamin ran 46.64 at UCLA last week and won the Diamond League final last September in Eugene in 46.39! He’ll be chased by 2022 Worlds bronzer Trevor Bassitt of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke (48.11 this year).

● Women/800 m: World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) will face runner-up Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) and 2019 World Champion Halimah Nakaayi (UGA).

● Women/1,500 m: A too-big field of 15, starring World Road Mile champ Diribe Welteji (ETH) and teammates 2024 World Indoor 1,500 m gold winner Freweyni Hailu and Hirut Meshesha (3:54.87), plus Tokyo silver winner Laura Muir (GBR) and World Indoor 3,000 m champ Elle St. Pierre of the U.S.

● Women/Steeple: Look for world-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN), Olympic champ Peruth Chemutai (UGA), 2023 World Champion Winfred Yavi (BRN) and 2024 world no. 2 Faith Cherotich (KEN).

● Women/5,000 m: A huge field of 21, with all eyes on Olympic champ Sifan Hasaan (NED), running her third race of the year, challenged by Ethiopians Ejgayehu Taye, the 2023 Worlds 10,000 m bronze winner, possibly Hailu and Meshesha as well.

● Women/100 m hurdles: World Indoor Champion Devynne Charlton, two-time World Champions Danielle Williams (JAM) and Nia Ali of the U.S., Olympic silver winner Keni Harrison and Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR). And this isn’t even a Diamond League event!

● Women/Vault: Olympic and World Champion Katie Moon of the U.S. and two-time World Indoor Champion Sandi Morris (USA) are the expected stars.

● Women/Triple Jump: World list top three in Shanieka Ricketts (JAM), Thea LaFond (DMA) and Jasmine Moore of the U.S., plus American Record setters Keturah Orji and Tori Franklin, 2023 Worlds bronze winner Leyanis Perez (CUB) and two-time Worlds silver winner Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR).

● Women/Discus: A showdown between Olympic champion Valarie Allman of the U.S., 2023 World Champion Lagi Tausaga (USA) and world leader Yaime Perez (CUB).

● Women/Hammer: The World Champions from 2019 (DeAnna Price/USA), 2022 (Brooke Andersen/USA) and 2023 (Cam Rogers/CAN), with Andersen, Price and Rogers 1-2-3 on the world list for 2024!

The meet will be shown on NBC on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. Eastern, as well as on the Peacock streaming service.

As part of the Pre Classic, Kenya will hold its Olympic Trials races in the 10,000 m, with the women at 10:50 a.m. and the men at 12:05 p.m.

American sprint star Noah Lyles, for one, was confused, posting on X (ex-Twitter):

“Why in the world are we hosting another countries Olympic qualifier. We should know how much of an issue this is after worlds 22. Also their country won’t be able so see their athletes make the team in person.”

His reference was to the visa issues for Kenyan and other athletes to get into the U.S. for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, also in Eugene. It has been reported that Daniel Ebenyo, the 2023 Worlds 10,000 m silver winner, was denied a visa to enter the U.S.; however, he is on the entry list.

The 2023 women’s Worlds 5,000 m champ, Beatrice Chebet, is entered, as is 2023 Worlds 10,000 m bronze winner Margaret Kipkemboi and World Roads 5 km runner-up Lilian Rengeruk. The race favorite, however, will be Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning World Champion.

The men’s entries also include Kibiwott Kandie, the 2020 Worlds Half silver medalist, and Nicholas Kipkorir, the 2023 World Roads 5 km bronze winner.

The use of facilities in other countries for trials races has been common for Kenya and Ethiopia in recent years, especially for qualification for events which will be held near sea level. Running trials at higher altitudes in their home countries has been considered a disadvantage in selecting athletes who would perform best in Paris, which 115 feet above sea level. Nairobi is 5,889 feet above sea level.

4.
Hold on: McLaughlin-Levrone is qualified!

Thursday’s story noting that Tokyo Olympic women’s 400 m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone correctly stated she hadn’t run a 400 m hurdles race since 2022.

But to say that she’s not qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in the event was quite wrong (yes, very sorry about this).

Statisticians extraordinaire Kevin Saylors and Glen McMiken were both up early to point to USATF Rule 8 on “Automatic Qualification”:

“Any athlete who attains any of the following shall be afforded automatic qualification into a USA Indoor, Outdoor, Race Walking or Marathon Championship or USA Olympic Team Selection in the same event in which the performance was attained:

“1. Track and Field –
“(a) During the current or four previous calendar years, earned an individual medal in track and field in an Olympic Games or in a World Athletics World Indoor or Outdoor Championship.
“(b) Is the reigning USA Indoor or Outdoor champion.
“(c) Has a World or Olympic ‘A’ Standard that would apply to the current championship team selection.
“(d) Finish as one of the top three at the preceding year’s corresponding national championship (Indoor qualifies for Indoor, Outdoor qualifies for Outdoor).”

As reigning Olympic champ, McLaughlin-Levrone has a clear path into the field under item (a) and need not post a qualifying mark to be admitted to the Trials in Eugene from 21-30 June.

She will need a qualifying mark (a modest 54.85; she hasn’t run that slowly since 2018) to get into the Olympic Games, as she has not raced the event during the qualifying period beginning 1 July 2023, and must have a mark by 30 June 2024.

The USATF Rule 8 which allows medal winners to enter trials events without qualifying marks is fairly new. McMiken notes that it was included in the rule amendments approved at the 2008 USATF Convention in Reno, which took place after the Beijing Games were concluded earlier in the year, and has been in effect for London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and now Paris.

5.
Injury ends Chusovitina’s try for a ninth Olympic Games

Oksana Chusovitina, 48, trying for a long-shot qualification for Paris and a ninth Olympic Games at the Asian Championships in Tashkent (UZB), had to withdraw due to injury on Thursday. She wrote in an Instagram post (computer translation):

“Yesterday, while training on the podium of the Asian Championships, which is taking place in Tashkent and is a qualifying event for the Olympic Games in Paris, I was injured during the floor exercise. I will not be able to take part and I am very upset as I have been preparing for this competition for a long time. I started doing all-around and I wanted to perform in our country, in front of our fans. But, unfortunately, tomorrow you will not see me among the participants. I would like to express my gratitude to all of you, but you can come and support our girls. That’s what I’m going to do tomorrow!”

In order to qualify for Paris, Chusovitina would have had to win the All-Around in Tashkent, a tall order for a Vault specialist. But she will not compete and this ends a string of eight straight Olympic appearances for three different teams, and two medals:

● 1992: Unified Team (Team gold)
● 1996: Uzbekistan (10th in all-around)
● 2000: Uzbekistan (45th All-Around, 25th Vault)
● 2004: Uzbekistan (23rd Vault)
● 2008: Germany (9th All-Around, Vault silver)
● 2012: Germany (5th Vault)
● 2016: Uzbekistan (7th Vault)
● 2020: Uzbekistan (14th Vault)

She is one of just 18 athletes who have appeared in eight or more Olympic Games – including summer and winter – and the only one in gymnastics. Beyond her Olympic exploits, she also owns 11 World Championships medals, including three golds from 1991 (Team and Floor for the USSR) and a 2003 Vault win for Uzbekistan.

And she has a further legacy, with three named skills, two on the Uneven Bars and one on Floor. Amazing.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Group winners Canada and Sweden marched into the semifinals at the IIHF men’s World Championship, while the U.S. was eliminated by the host country, the Czech Republic.

Canada (now 8-0) won a convincing 6-3 victory over Slovakia (4-4) in Prague, taking a 2-1 lead after the first period on Jared McCann and Pierre-Luc Dubois goals, extending to 3-1 after two and scoring three more in the third. Nick Paul scored two goals for Canada, which had a 43-21 shots edge.

They will gave Switzerland (7-1) in Prague, which defeated Germany (5-3) by 3-1 in Ostrava, taking a 2-0 lead in the first, giving back a goal in the second and scoring the only third-period goal. Forward Christoph Bertschy was the scoring star, with goals in the first (7:22) and third periods (19:02).

Sweden is also undefeated at 8-0, pulling out a 2-1 win over eternal rival Finland (3-5) in overtime in Ostrava. The Swedes out-shot Finland, 35-20, but neither side could score in the first two periods. Finally, Rasmus Dahlin got a goal at 15:02 of the third that looked like a game winner, but the Finns got even at 19:02 from Hannes Bjorninen’s score and onto overtime. But a Finnish penalty for hooking led to a power-play goal from Joel Eriksson at 5:54 of the OT.

The home Czechs (6-2) thrilled a crowd of 17,413 in Prague with a 1-0 win over the U.S. (5-3), getting the only score of the game in the second period, just 16 seconds into a power play as Pavel Zacha scored. The U.S., which had a tournament-high 37 goals coming in, could not solve keeper Lukas Dostal, despite a 36-28 shots edge.

The semis are on Saturday and the medal matches on Sunday.

● Judo ● Individual weight classes were concluded at the IJF World Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with Japan – as always – leading the medal table with nine total and three golds.

On Thursday, Wakaba Tomita won the women’s +78 kg class for the first time, after a silver in 2021 and bronze in 2022. She defeated Turkey’s Kayra Ozdemir in the final, who won her third career Worlds medal (0-1-2).

The men’s 100 kg division went to Zelym Kotsoiev (AZE), the bronze medalist in 2022 and 2023, who got to the top of the podium by beating Canada’s Shady Elnahas, the 2023 Pan American Games winner, who got his first career Worlds medal.

In the men’s +100 kg class, Korea’s Min-jong Kim also got a break through after bronzes in this division in 2019 and 2022. He beat Georgia’s 2018 World Champion, Guram Tushishvili, who won his fourth career Worlds medal (1-1-2).

The Mixed Team event will be held on Friday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The International Olympic Committee, the Paris 2024 organizers and sponsor Proctor & Gamble (P&G) unveiled the victory podiums for this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The designs are spare, with details that reference iconic French engineer Gustav Eiffel’s arch designs, with muted colors: gray for the surfaces and off-white for the sides. The Paralympic podiums include wheelchair ramps as a standard element.

Following a project from Tokyo 2020, the podiums themselves were made from recycled plastic, and sustainably-sourced French poplar wood. All were constructed in France.

● Athletics ● First it was Brazil’s 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos with a sensational 46.86 season-opening win at the Doha Diamond League meet on 10 May. Then Rai Benjamin, the Olympic silver winner in Tokyo, with a fabulous 46.64 at the L.A. Grand Prix last Saturday at UCLA.

Now, Olympic and World Champion Karsten Warholm (NOR) showed he is also in form with a 33.28 win – by more than two seconds – for the 300 m hurdles at the Trond Mohn Games in Bergen (NOR) on Wednesday. That’s just 0.02 off of his own world best from 2021, with his 400 m hurdles debut coming at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 30 May.

● Boxing ● World Boxing announced a schedule of 21 member tournaments for the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 in eight countries, for men and women from U15 up to the elite level.

This provides a set of opportunities for boxers from its 27 federations to compete in, with the organization trying to attract other national federations to join to try and get boxing onto the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The only U.S. tournament listed now is the USA Boxing women’s championships from 13-20 August 2024.

● Football ● FIFA celebrated its 120th anniversary on Tuesday the 21st, the same date on which six national federations – Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as Real Madrid CF (for Spain) – which created the Federation Internationale de Football Association, in 1904.

The inaugural meeting took place in Paris at 229 rue Saint Honoré in Paris’ 1st arrondissement. Tuesday’s event was held at the Palais de l’Elysee, with representatives of the initial seven members, FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) and other guests were welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

● Sailing ● The World Sailing Council adopted a new Transgender Participation Policy, effective on 1 January 2025, that brings the federation in line with others such as World Athletics and the Union Cycliste Internationale in protecting the women’s category. From the announcement:

“[T]ransgender female athletes will only be permitted to participate in the female category of an event, or as a female athlete in the mixed category of an event, if:

“● they have not undergone male puberty;

“● they are also able to demonstrate that the concentration of testosterone in their blood has been less than 2.5 nanamoles per litre (nmol/L) continuously for a period of at least 12 months prior to the first event in which they wish to compete.

“In addition, transgender female athletes must maintain testosterone in their blood below 2.5 nmol/L at all times.

“Transgender male athletes will be permitted to compete in the male category of an event, or as a male in the mixed category of an event, if they provide a written and signed declaration that their gender identity is male.”

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, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Now the U.S. House is interested in Chinese swimmers; McLaughlin-Levrone needs a qualifier; inside a $14M NGB budget!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

★ 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. U.S. House committee wants action on Chinese swimming case
2. Could Pogacar approach a 60-year win margin at Giro d’Italia?
3. McLaughlin-Levrone still needs Trials 400H qualifier!
4. Wanda Diamond League adds new Chinese partner: Zeekr
5. USA Fencing reports $14.4 million budget for 2024-25

● Now the U.S. government is into the 2021 Chinese swimming doping incident, with the House Select Committee on the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party sending a letter to the International Olympic Committee, but also to the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, asking about action under the feared Rodchenkov Act.

● Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar is not just rolling toward victory in his first Giro d’Italia, but has compiled such a big lead that he might win by the biggest margin in almost 60 years! Wow!

● Olympic women’s 400 m hurdles champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was superb at UCLA last weekend in winning the 200 m. But: she doesn’t have a qualifying mark yet in the 400 m hurdles for the U.S. Olympic Trials and the entry deadline is coming up quick! (Wrong: see below)

● The Wanda Diamond League is seeing increasing visibility by Chinese companies, with new electric-car maker Zeekr coming on board as the “mobility” sponsor with specific activations coming up at four famed European meets.

● A detailed look into a U.S. National Governing Body budget, this time the projected $14.4 million for 2024-25 for USA Fencing. Where the money come from, and where does it go? Most of it comes from the fencers themselves!

● World Championships: Judo (Japan wins second, France and Germany win first in UAE Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Paris (Naudet brothers to produce Olympic film and documentary) = Special Olympics (World Games headed to Chile in 2027) = Athletics (GoFundMe page collecting for distance legend Gerry Lindgren) = Swimming (what if McIntosh won five golds in Paris?) ●

1.
U.S. House Committee wants action on Chinese swimming case

Now the U.S. government is in the act on the Chinese swimming doping incident, in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine in January 2021, but were not sanctioned due to “accidental contamination” in the kitchen in which their meals were prepared.

On Wednesday:

“Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the International Olympic Committee to launch a formal inquiry, seeking immediate action and transparency following the World’s Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) decision to allow Chinese swimmers to participate in the 2021 Olympics after testing positive for illegal substances.”

The letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray began with:

“We write today to request that the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation use its exterritorial jurisdiction to investigate individuals involved in doping schemes at international sports competitions that involve U.S. athletes as outlined in the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 (RADA).

“We specifically request that you investigate troubling reports that ‘[t]wenty-three top Chinese swimmers tested positive for the same powerful banned substance seven months before the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021′ and ‘continue[d] to compete after top Chinese officials secretly cleared them of doping and the global authority charged with policing drugs in sports chose not to intervene.’”

The Rodchenkov Act gives the Department of Justice authority to pursue individuals anywhere in the world who themselves assist or help others to carry out doping offenses related to major international sports competitions (it does not apply to athletes). It carries a 10-year statute of limitations and penalties of up to $250,000 in fines and up to 10 years imprisonment.

It has not been widely used, but did find a ring helping athletes including star Nigerian sprinter and long jumper Blessing Okagbare, who was banned for 10 years in 2022. El Paso kinesiologist Eric Lira was arrested, charged and pled guilty to supplying doping materials to Okagbare and others in 2023 and was sentenced earlier this year to three months in prison.

The letter to the International Olympic Committee begins:

“We write today to express our unwavering support for United States Olympic athletes and our profound concern regarding the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s mishandling of the recent scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.”

The IOC is requested to undertake an independent investigation – beyond that already being done by WADA – into the decision not to challenge the finding of no sanctions:

“How the IOC responds to this scandal will directly affect this summer’s Olympic games and their promise of fair play that unites athletes from around the globe. …

“The IOC must act decisively to uphold the spirit of fair play and accountability that unites athletes from every corner of the globe.”

Observed: Have no doubt that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which has relentlessly ripped WADA on this case since a 20 April documentary from the German ARD channel was aired, contributed to the interest of the House Select Committee.

How the FBI and the Justice Department react will be more interesting, since WADA was clear that it believed there was no way to counter the finding of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency of accidental contamination. Is there more to be uncovered?

If the FBI or Justice could find more, regardless of whether it would rise to the level of a prosecutable offense under the Rodchenkov Act, it could cause serious damage to WADA, which chose not to pursue the case under the difficult circumstances it was presented with as to access and time passage after the incident.

2.
Could Pogacar approach a 60-year win margin at Giro d’Italia?

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar, still only 25 and a two-time Tour de France winner, continued adding to his lead on Wednesday, finishing second in the 17th stage of the 107th Giro d’Italia.

The brutal, 159 km ride from Val Gardena – a ski resort – followed an up-and-down course across five climbs and ended with yet another uphill finish to Passo Brocon. Germany’s Georg Steinhauser, 22, attacked with 34 km left and could not be caught, finishing in 4:28:51.

Behind him, the overall second-placer, Colombian Daniel Martinez, tried to secure second, but Pogacar was having none of it and passed everyone else on the final uphill to the finish, taking second 1:24 behind Steinhauser, but 18 seconds up on Antonio Tiberi (ITA), Martinez and 2018 Tour de France champ Geraint Thomas (GBR).

With the time bonus for finishing second, Pogacar extended his lead again, now to 7:42 on Martinez and 8:04 on Thomas. With two more climbing stages remaining on Friday and Saturday, Pogacar seems able to name his margin of victory, already one of the biggest in Giro history.

Consider that in the post-World War II era, Pogacar currently has a 7:42 lead, already tied for no. 6 in margin of victory:

● 1. 24:16 for Carlo Clerici (SUI) in 1954
● 2. 23:47 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1949
● 3. 11:26 for Vittorio Adorni (ITA) in 1965
● 4. 9:18 for Fausto Coppi (ITA) in 1952
● 4. 9:18 for Ivan Basso (ITA) in 2006
● 6. 7:42 for Eddy Merckx (BEL) in 1973

Could he approach 9:18 margin for Coppi in 1952 and Basso in 2006 and possibly ride to the biggest win in 59 years? Very little seems out of Pogacar’s reach … if he wants to go for it.

3.
McLaughlin-Levrone still needs Trials 400H qualifier!

/Updated/The last time Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran the 400 m hurdles, she won at the Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary on 8 August 2022, winning in 51.68, after setting the world record of 50.68 at the 2022 World Championships 17 days earlier.

She’s clearly ready for defense of her Tokyo Olympic 400 m hurdles gold after a lifetime best of 22.07 in the women’s 200 m at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA last Saturday. Just one small problem.

McLaughlin-Levrone is not qualified to compete in the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

The USA Track & Field entry regulations explain the qualifying window as:

● Opened: 1 July 2023
● Closes: 9 June 2024

McLaughlin-Levrone has no 400 m hurdles races in that period, so she has entered the women’s 400 m hurdles at the Edwin Moses Legends Meet at Morehouse College in Atlanta on 31 May, a meet named for the men’s 400 m hurdles icon who redefined the event (and was a two-time Olympic champion). 

(McLaughlin-Levrone, as Olympic champion in the 400 m hurdles from Tokyo, is granted automatic qualification into the U.S. Olympic Trials under USATF Rule 8, exempting medal winners from qualifying marks for Worlds or Olympic Trials. Sorry about that.)

It’s a Puma American Track League meet as well as a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet, and includes races from 100 to 1,500 m, plus the long jump for men and women and the high jump for women.

McLaughlin-Levrone has a modest seven-race win streak across 2023 and 2024, with four races at 400 m, two at 200 m and one in the 100 m hurdles.

4.
Wanda Diamond League adds new Chinese partner: Zeekr

China has increased its presence significantly in the track & field Diamond League, first with the naming of Wanda – the finance, real estate and sports conglomerate – as the title sponsor in a 10-year agreement than began in 2020.

As part of that deal, Diamond League meets were added in China and now clear of the Covid-19 pandemic, were held at the start of the 2024 season in Xiamen and Shanghai on 20 and 27 April.

Now comes a new Chinese sponsor: Zeekr.

The Tuesday announcement included:

“The Wanda Diamond League today announces electric vehicle manufacturer Zeekr as its new official mobility partner, in a move which brings athletics’ premier global series to the cutting edge of mobility and sustainability innovation.

“From 2024, Zeekr will partner with both the Wanda Diamond League and four individual series meetings to provide transport and mobility solutions for athletes, officials and VIPs in Oslo, Stockholm, Monaco and Paris.

“Since it burst onto the scene three years ago, Zeekr has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in electric mobility, driven by the conviction that great things happen when you seek more.”

Zeekr is not sold in the U.S., but is planning a $368 million initial public offering (IPO) for the U.S. market. Founded in 2021, it offers electric models in China with high technology applications and a focus on sustainability. Expansions are planned elsewhere in Asia and Europe.

It’s an interesting move, and in contrast to World Athletics – a part owner of Diamond League AG – which has five first-line commercial partners, all from Japan: ASICS, NTN, Seiko, Sony and TDK.

5.
USA Fencing reports $14.4 million budget for 2024-25

What does it take to run a national federation which has produced six medals in the last two Olympic Games, has 39,500 members and a staff of 19? Less than $15 million.

At its 18 May meeting, the USA Fencing Board approved the 2024-25 budget of $14,390,941, a reduction of 3.1% from 2023-24. What goes into all this?

● 46%: $6.59 million for national and regional events.
● 27%: $3.87 million for team training camps and competition travel.
● 14%: $1.97 million for administration and international events.
● 8%: $1.19 million for membership processing and support.
● 5%: $0.69 million for marketing and diversity-equity-inclusion.

And the revenue?

● 62%: $8.96 million from national events.
● 21%: $3.08 million from membership.
● 9%: $1.33 million from sport performance.
● 6%: $0.87 million from marketing and communications.
● 2%: $0.24 million from international events.
● 0%: $0.04 million from other items.

Total revenue is projected at $14.51 million for a small surplus for the year.

Grants from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee are forecast at $896,250 for the year, or 6.2% of the entire budget. Marketing revenue, including sponsorships, are projected at $845,006, or 5.8% of the total revenue.

Fencing, for the most part, is a sport paid for by the fencers, primarily through membership and tournament registration fees.

The financial statements were also part of the Board package and are showing growth, USA Fencing had $11.44 million in revenue in 2021-22 and $12.30 million in 2022-23; the projection is for $14.51 for 2024-25.

Assets were $4.69 million at 31 July 2023, with $1.12 million in reserves, but also $2.31 million in deferred income sitting in the bank, but not yet realized. There is $3.21 million in cash and investments.

This is not a wealthy National Governing Body, but its financials paint a picture of an efficient, reasonably healthy one for now, looking for new sources of revenue.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● Japan scored its second win at the IJF World Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE), as Goki Tajima, 26, won at 90 kg for his first senior individual medal! He defeated Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov, the 2017 World Champion at this weight, who also won a bronze at the 2019 Worlds, giving him a career medal of each color.

France won three medals on the day, with an all-French final in the women’s 70 kg class, and a win for Margaux Pinot over Marie Eve Gahie. Pinot, 30, won her first individual Worlds medal since 2019 and her first gold, overcoming Gahie, the 2019 World Champion.

Germany’s Anna-Maria Wagner became a two-time World Champion, winning at 78 kg over Alice Bellandi (ITA), a 2023 bronze medalist. France’s Madeleine Malonga, the Tokyo 2020 runner-up, took one of the bronzes.

Competition continues through Friday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Paris 2024 and the International Olympic Committee announced that brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet have been selected to produce the Official Film of Paris 2024.

The twist is that beyond the usual, 90-minute Official Film of the Games, a documentary series of five, 52-minute episodes will further showcase the “behind-the-scenes” effort for an athlete to get to the Games and the organization of the Games from within Paris 2024.

The series will be shown in France on France TV, ahead of the Olympic Games and after the Paralympics. The Naudet brothers will be working with French documentary company ELEPHANT.

● Special Olympics ● The Special Olympics World Games is headed to South America for the first time, as Santiago, Chile, will host the 2027 edition.

Following the 2023 Pan American Games and Parapan American Games held in Santiago in 2023, the 2027 Special Olympic World Games are projected for 19-31 October, with 170 national delegations competing in 20 sports.

Since holding the SOWG outside the U.S. for the first time, in 2003, the event has gone to Ireland, China, Greece, back to the U.S. (Los Angeles in 2015), to the UAE and Berlin, Germany in 2023, with 6,500 athletes participating.

● Athletics ● Gerry Lindgren, one of the greatest high school distance runners of all time and a 1964 U.S. Olympian, is now 77 and trying to retire, but is well short of enough money to do so.

A long-time fan and former high school runner in California, Kevin Young, has organized a GoFundMe page for Lindgren, with a goal of $150,000, and which has raised $8,994 so far from 91 donors. Wrote Young:

“Gerry Lindgren gave his all, training harder than any American runner ever had, winning many titles and races in high school, college and beyond. He represented the USA in the 1964 Olympics at age 18 in the 10,000m.

“Now it’s possible for us fans and supporters to show our appreciation for his hard work and sacrifice. Your donations will help him pay for recent medical bills (strokes in December 2023), will help him retire from his job at age 77 as a janitor at the University of Hawaii, and will help him pay off his mortgage.”

Lindgren won 11 NCAA titles at Washington State, including the 1969 Cross Country title over Steve Prefontaine among others. He is now running one more race, this time for retirement and against homelessness. All donations to the GoFundMe page go directly to Lindgren.

● Swimming ● Further to our note yesterday that Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh could challenge – in Paris – for the most individual-event Olympic golds in a single Games by a women’s swimmer: four by East German Kristin Otto in 1988.

Olympic stats star Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) chimed in, adding:

“And if McIntosh should go really wild, only three persons have ever won 5 individual gold medals at a single Olympics – Eric Heiden, Vitaly Shcherbo, and Michael Phelps.”

Heiden (USA) won five in speed skating at Lake Placid in 1980; Scherbo won five in men’s gymnastics as a member of the post-Soviet “Unified Team” in 1992 and Phelps, of course, won five in Beijing in 2008.

Phelps’ program in 2008 was strikingly similar to McIntosh’s events for Paris! He won the 200 m Free, 100-200 m Butterflys and the 200-400 m Medleys. McIntosh will also contest the 200 m Free, 200 m Fly and both medleys, but will swim the 400 m Free, not the 100 m Fly.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: L.A. Grand Prix did 846,000 on NBC; five events for Canadian swim star McIntosh; police search Milan Cortina 2026 offices

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic 200 m medalist Gabby Thomas: a true professional (Photo: Tim Healy for TrackTown 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. L.A. Grand Prix track meet gets 846,000 viewers on NBC
2. Gabby Thomas shows what a true professional is
3. Five Paris events for Canada’s teen sensation Summer McIntosh
4. Italian investigators search Milan Cortina offices in probe
5. U.S. Anti-Doping blasts WADA once again

● USATF’s L.A. Grand Prix drew a respectable 846,000 viewers on NBC on Saturday, still short of the million-plus viewers for three indoor meets aired in February. The USA Gymnastics Core Hydration Classic drew 296,000 live on CNBC, but 805,000 for a next-day highlights show on NBC.

● U.S. sprint star Gabby Thomas did not run well in Los Angeles, but explained on X (ex-Twitter) that she was in the middle of a heavy training period, but had (1) committed to the meet and (2) did not want to disappoint her fans. That’s called professionalism.

● Canadian teen superstar Summer McIntosh, 17, qualified for Paris in five events and ranks in the top three in the world in each so far in 2024. Could she be the first woman to win five individual swimming golds in a single Games?

● The Italian financial prosecutors office searched the headquarters of the Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee, looking for irregularities regarding contracts for digital development services. The prosecutors said no current employees were targets of the probe.

● The U.S. Anti-Doping roared back at the World Anti-Doping Agency, refuting caustic comments concerning U.S. doping programs, and asking for the full file on the 2021 Chinese swimming doping incident to be publicly released.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (Canada and Sweden win men’s Worlds groups) = Judo (Georgia gets second win at IJF Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Cycling (Pogacar wins bad-weather Giro stage 16) = Rowing (U.S. picks up four spots at final qualifying regatta) = Swimming (Phelps says he is retired for sure) ●

1.
L.A. Grand Prix track meet gets 846,000 viewers on NBC

Reasonably good viewing audience for Saturday’s L.A. Grand Prix from Drake Stadium at UCLA, as an average of 846,000 U.S. viewers tuned in from 3-5 p.m. Eastern to see wins by Sydney McLauglin-Levrone, Rai Benjamin and others.

That was third in the time slot, behind the PGA Championship on CBS (3.517 million) and a WNBA game on ABC (1.343 million).

Viewership on U.S. television was good during the indoor season, with more than a million for three straight week in February, but then dropped for the World Indoor Championships and since then:

● 04 Feb.: 1.197 million on NBC for New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
● 11 Feb.: 1.087 million on NBC for Millrose Games
● 17 Feb.: 1.051 million on NBC for USATF Indoor Nationals
● 03 Mar.: 539,000 on NBC for World Indoor Championships
● 28 Apr.: 790,000 on NBC for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix
● 18 May: 846,000 on NBC for USATF L.A. Grand Prix

In terms of demographics, NBC had 58,000 viewers from 18-34 for the L.A. Grand Prix, vs. 149,000 for the Sparks at Aces WNBA game and 320,000 for the PGA Championship on CBS.

Cable viewership has been poor, with none of the Diamond League shows (live or replays) reaching the 100,000 level, but:

● 18 Apr.: 158,000 on ESPN2 for Boston Marathon
● 05 May: 107,000 on CNBC for World Relays

Sunday’s Diamond League meet from Marrakech did not reach the 100,000 viewership level for Nielsen’s reports. The NBC and CNBC shows are also presented on the Peacock streaming service, for which viewer information is not available.

However, the online-only Atlanta City Games, shown on the adidas YouTube channel and Noah Lyles’ channel, had 170,077 total views as of Monday, with 57,078 views on adidas and 112,999 on Lyles’ channel. It was on from 4:45-7:45 Eastern time, beginning 15 minutes before the end of the L.A. Grand Prix broadcast on NBC.

The USA Gymnastics’ Core Hydration Classic was also a televised highlight of the week and once again showed the impact of network television vs. cable.

On Saturday, the meet – featuring superstar Simone Biles – drew an average of 296,000 for live coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern on CNBC. Not bad, but the highlights show on Sunday on NBC at 2 p.m. Eastern did 805,000 viewers, with 53,000 in the 18-34 demographic.

Being on the network matters, still.

2.
Gabby Thomas shows what a true professional is

One of the unexpected results at the L.A. Grand Prix on Saturday were the modest performances for U.S. sprint star Gabby Thomas, the 2021 Olympic 200 m bronze winner and 2023 Worlds 200 m silver medalist.

At UCLA, she ran an early section of the women’s 100 m, finishing fourth in 11.42 and then, in the featured 200 m, was never in the race and ran 22.68 for sixth. Those are way off her 10.88 wind-aided 100 win and 22.08 200 victory at the Texas Relays at the end of March.

She owned up to the situation on X (ex-Twitter) afterwards:

“Obviously didn’t look like myself today, it happens every season when I compete in the middle of this training block, but I committed to the meet long ago, and I just can’t pull out when fans look forward to seeing us compete. I’m okay, everything is going according to plan.”

Observed: The main takeaway is not that Thomas’ ran poorly; she noted the reason in her post. But her attitude of (1) “I promised I would come” and (2) “fans expect to see me” is a key element not only in respect for her professionalism, but for a sport which too often has seen no-shows for no stated reason, disappointing fans who paid good money for tickets.

Good for her!

3.
Five Paris events for Canada’s teen sensation Summer McIntosh

When you’re planning your Paris viewing, don’t forget Summer McIntosh.

The 17-year-old Canadian swimming star concluded the Canadian swimming trials in Toronto last week with impressive wins that demonstrate she will be in the mix for gold in five events.

Her Trials events and times, and standings in 2024 so far:

● 200 m Free: 1:53.69, no. 2 in 2024
● 400 m Free: 3:59.06, no. 1 in 2024
● 200 m Fly: 2:04.33, no. 1 in 2024
● 200 m Medley: 2:07.06, no. 3 in 2024
● 400 m Medley: 4:24.38, no. 1 in 2024 ~ World Record

Interestingly, only her 400 m Medley record is a lifetime best! But she is already a Worlds medalist in four of her five events for Paris:

● 200 m Free: 2023 Worlds bronze
● 400 m Free: 2022 Worlds silver
● 200 m Fly: 2022 and 2023 World Champion
● 200 m Medley: no Worlds medals
● 400 m Medley: 2022 and 2023 World Champion

McIntosh will be one of the star attractions in the pool for Paris – not just for Canada – and it would not be a surprise to see her as the winner in what could be the race of the Games: the women’s 400 m Free – in which she is a former world-record holder – against world-record holder (and Tokyo winner) Ariarne Titmus of Australia and Rio 2016 champ Katie Ledecky of the U.S.

And if McIntosh should go wild? Only one woman has ever won four individual events in swimming in a single Games: East German Kristin Otto, in Seoul in 1988 (six total with the relays).

4.
Italian investigators search Milan Cortina offices in probe

The Italian financial prosecutor’s office – the Guardia de Finanza – searched the offices of the 2026 Winter Games organizing committee on Tuesday. Prosecutors explained in a statement:

“The checks underway are aimed at procedures used for the selection of technological providers and sponsors as well as the hiring of employees by the foundation.

“No current manager or employee of the foundation is under investigation.”

The Italian news agency ANSA reported “Former Fondazione Milano-Cortina 2026 CEO Vincenzo Novari is among three people under investigation in a probe into alleged bribery and perverting the free market.”

Searches were also made at Quibyt (formerly Vetrya), a company which was providing digital services for the organizing committee, and an office of the professional services firm Deloitte (an IOC sponsor), which took over the contract.

The Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano added that investigators were also asking about a possible attempt to interfere with the choice of the Milan Cortina 2026 logo, chosen by a public online vote.

This is yet another organizing committee which has been investigated for possible financial crimes, as was Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Criminal prosecutions were made in Rio and Tokyo.

5.
U.S. Anti-Doping blasts WADA once again

Expanding on its frustration and anger with the World Anti-Doping Agency over the handling – in 2021 – of doping positives by 23 Chinese swimmers for Trimetazidine that were dismissed for environmental contamination, and what it sees as further mishandling of the case, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency unleashed yet another broadside on Monday. It included:

● “There is nothing more classic in a cover-up than diversion and smoke and mirrors, which seems to be all we are getting from WADA leadership ever since whistleblowers revealed blatant rule violations stemming from positive tests for the banned pharmaceutical drug, trimetazidine (TMZ). The second most classic response to a cover-up is to attack the messenger, which is the current situation as [WADA President Witold] Banka [POL] and surrogates plumb the depths of misinformation and half-truths to make personal attacks, even stooping so low as to attempt a hit-job on all U.S. athletes.”

● “Clean athletes, especially as we approach the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, deserve to know how a prescription drug, only available in pill form, found its way into a restaurant kitchen. Raising even more questions, is the suggestion that the drug managed to remain in that kitchen for months, at a time when strict COVID protocols required the most extensive cleaning regimens of public-facing facilities we have ever experienced. And, of course, even if this ‘immaculate contamination’ did happen, why did WADA allow China to escape its failure to follow the rules in not finding a first violation, no disqualification, or public announcement?”

The statement than went after five separate comments from WADA President Banka concerning U.S. athlete testing, and replied to each. The statement’s conclusion:

“Banka’s statement to WADA Foundation Board members attacked U.S. athletes and manipulated data to create a false narrative that is harmful to all athletes and the entire global anti-doping system. WADA must be a firm and fair arbiter of the rules, not the school yard bully instilling fear and abusing its power.

“Again, WADA can put all the world’s questions to rest by simply being transparent as the rules require and publishing the entire China file. We would hope this is a better outcome for the global anti-doping system than calling athlete’s integrity into question.”

This was USADA’s sixth public statement from 20 April on the Chinese swimming case, when the German ARD channel aired “The China Files” concerning this case.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Group play concluded at the IIHF men’s World Championship, being played in Prague and Ostrava (CZE), with Canada and Sweden winning their pools and moving on to the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Canadians won Group A at 7-0 (32-18 goals-against), followed by the Swiss (6-1), the host Czechs (5-2) and Finland (3-4). Sweden was also 7-0 and had an outstanding 35-9 goals-against total in Group B. The U.S. was second, winning four straight after a 1-2 start (37-16), followed by Germany (5-2) and Slovakia (4-3). The quarterfinals:

● Canada vs. Slovakia
● Sweden vs. Finland
● Switzerland vs. Germany
● U.S. vs. Czech Republic

The semifinalists will be re-seeded; the medal matches are on Sunday.

● Judo ● Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili won his third consecutive Worlds gold in the men’s 81 kg class at the 2024 IJF World Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on Tuesday.

He defeated Russian “neutral” Timur Arbuzov, 20, who won his first career Worlds medal. Joon-hwan Lee (KOR) won his second straight Worlds bronze and Somon Makhmadbekov (TJK) took the other bronze medal. Georgia become the first country to score a second gold this year.

The women’s 63 kg winner was Joanne van Lieshout, who moved up from bronze in 2023 by defeating first-time medal winner Angelika Szymanska. Olympic champ Clarisse Agbegnenou won her ninth career Worlds medal (6-2-1) with a bronze, and Kosovo’s two-time European medalist Laura Fazliu got her first Worlds medal.

The tournament continues through Friday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Cycling ● Despite rain and snow that chopped up the route, Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar poured it on again, winning a weather-shortened 16th stage of the 107th Giro d’Italia.

Bad weather and a risk of avalanches caused the riders to refuse to ride a shortened route and forced the organizers to change the race to a 118.7 km ride from Laas to the uphill finish at Santa Cristina Valgardena.

Four riders were in front with 5 km left, with Ewen Costiou (FRA) on the attack, but passed by Giulio Pellizzari (ITA), only to be passed by Pogacar, who had moved up and made the decisive move with only 600 m left.

Pogacar won his fifth stage of the 2024 Giro in 2:49:37, 16 seconds up on Pellizzari and Daniel Martinez (COL). His lead is now an enormous 7:18 on Martinez and 7:40 on Geraint Thomas (GBR) with the race finishing in Rome on Sunday.

● Rowing ● At the World Rowing final Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne (SUI), the U.S. picked up four more spots for Paris:

● Men/Single Sculls: Jacob Plihal (second)
● Men/Double Sculls: Sorin Koszyk and Ben Davison (first)
● Men/Eights: (first)
● Women/Quadruple Sculls: Joyce-Delleman-Cohen-O’Connor (first)

This gives the U.S. entries in 12 of the 14 total events in rowing, equal with Romania for the most events qualified, ahead of Great Britain and the Netherlands (10).

● Swimming ● Michael Phelps is retired and that’s the way he wants it.

Interviewed for a “Meet the Press” segment on NBC, Phelps was asked how long it would take to get back to an Olympic level again:

“I know at my old age – I say ‘old age;’ I’ll be 39 this year – it’ll take five years for me to really get back. You know, I think the whole process of physically and mentally preparing for an Olympic Games is challenging. So, for me to be able to give myself the best chance to be able to perform how I would want to, it would take five years.”

But he also noted, “looking back, throughout my career there’s nothing else to do. And there’s no passion inside here that’s burning to get me out of bed to do it one more time.”

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, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: USATF L.A. Grand Prix improved in 2024; FIFA prepared for Palestinian sanction ask at Congress; three world leads in Atlanta

By
Rich Perelman
-
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) at the 72nd FIFA Congress (Photo: FIFA video sctreenshot)

★ 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. Promising improvements at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA
2. FIFA sidelines Palestinian proposal vs. Israel before it starts
3. World leads by Simbine, Holloway, Davis-Woodhall at Atlanta City Games
4. Foundation Board supports WADA on China swimming case
5. IPC chief Parsons says “you will be dazzled” in Paris

● The Los Angeles market is a tough one for sports, but there was noticeable improvement in the operation of the USATF L.A. Grand Prix last Saturday and the Distance Classic on Friday night. Attendance in 2023 was about 4,500, but between 5,500-6,000 showed up on Saturday this year.

● The FIFA Council, led by President Gianni Infantino, removed the question of a vote on the Palestinian proposals to suspend the Israel Football Association from the FIFA Congress two days prior to the Congress itself – in the FIFA Council meeting – removing the possibility of a vote even before the Palestinian representative asked for a floor vote.

● The Atlanta City Games saw three world outdoor leaders from Akani Simbine (RSA: 100 m), Grant Holloway (USA: 110 m hurdles) and Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA). Noah Lyles won the men’s 150 m, equaling Tyson’s Gay’s American Record. More than 170,000 views of the event were made on two YouTube channels.

● The WADA Foundation Board supported the organization’s handling of the 2021 doping positives of 23 Chinese swimmers, but the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency continued its criticism.

● International Paralympic Committee head Andrew Parsons said the Paralympic Games are shaping up well, and that ticket sales are in line with the great success of London in 2012.

● World Championships: Judo (six nations win first six weights at 2024 Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: Russian volunteers for Paris continue to be stonewalled by the French Interior Ministry; Russian news media must also refrain from wearing any national symbols) = USOPC (FIGS to outfit medical staff) = Athletics (2: Vetter gets world lead in Gotzis heptathlon; Kwemoi sanctioned for six years by the AIU) = Boxing (India’s Hooda hit with sanctions, out of Paris) = Fencing (USA Fencing partners with 2-4-1 Care to introduce fencing to kids) ●

LANE ONE:
Promising improvements at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA

There was a time when a major track & field meet at UCLA’s Drake Stadium drew more than 10,000 spectators, but not recently. But the improved presentation and operation of USA Track & Field’s L.A. Grand Prix was a sign that such things might be possible again in the future.

Los Angeles natives nod to each other about the power of stars to attract attention and there was no doubt that the expected presence of Olympic women’s 400 m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – promised last year, but injured and did not run – was a significant factor in the success of the 2024 meet.

She received – by far – the loudest cheers on Saturday and the crowd was hushed for the unusual start right in front of them, as the prevailing wind indicates the 200 m should be run onto the backstraight. Once out of the blocks and into the lead on the straight, the crowd roared its approval as she beat an excellent field in a lifetime best of 22.07 (into a 0.3 m/s headwind!).

Where the first edition of this meet in 2023 had multiple operational gaffes, Saturday’s meet was better, much better:

● For those who purchased premium seating – hardly identified in 2023 – the two sections were clearly marked.

● A long-suggested VIP-type program at trackside – along the start – was implemented with a tent, catering and also access to the premium seating in the stands if desired. The price was $175 early and $250 late, but the area was busy and lively, and the Drake Stadium layout lends itself to expanding this concept.

● Interest in the premium seating, in two sections near the finish line, was modest. Tickets were $75 early vs. $135 late, but this seating area was only about 40% full.

● Sales in the general admission area – $30 early and $40 late – were good and most of the better sections, near the finish line, were fairly full.

● The single concession stand at Drake Stadium was initially overwhelmed – as always – but was easier to access later and beer and wine was available in a separate area and a Jersey Mike’s sub station – $15 turkey subs – was also available.

USATF did not get any help from local media, as the Los Angeles Times did not cover the meet. But even with tickets going on sale just 12 days prior, people figured it out anyway and where last year the announced Saturday attendance was 7,249 and about 4,500 people actually showed up, there were legitimately between 5,500 and 6,000 on Saturday, a significant improvement.

The post-meet concert program from 2023 was happily ditched, although DJ Trey Money was busy on both Friday night and Saturday with non-stop selections that covered 70 years. The coordination between what he was doing in one rim-of-the-stadium booth and the public address – in another booth – was not always in line, but much better on Saturday than Friday night.

And Friday night in 2024 was a lot better than Friday night in 2023.

First off, the Drake Stadium lighting is only concentrated on the football (soccer) field, added in the 1999 renovation of the facility, and the post-sundown events in 2023 were run in the dark. On Friday, a half-dozen temporary light banks were up and the runners could see where they were going, and the spectators could see them.

Very few spectators came early on Friday to see the women’s hammer and the good idea of having two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks interview the women’s vaulters ended up confused and uninformative, with no coordination of the stadium public address, DJ Trey Money and Kendricks.

But those who did come knew what they wanted to see: the men’s and women’s 5,000s in the evening and the attendance swelled to about 1,500 when those races went off, with considerable excitement to see a 12:51.60 win by Tokyo 10,000 m champ Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, and an impressive 14:34.12 lifetime best from World Indoor 3,000 m champ Elle St. Pierre of the U.S.

The L.A. market is a difficult one, but stars matter and there continues to be – as it has been for a century – strong interest in track & field in Los Angeles, a good sign for the LA28 organizers looking at four years down the road.

2.
FIFA sidelines Palestinian proposal vs. Israel before it starts

Almost 55 minutes during the middle of Friday’s 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok (THA) was spent with presentations and discussion on the Palestinian Football Authority’s proposals to suspend the Israel Football Association.

But the decision had already been taken.

It’s a lesson from FIFA and its President, Gianni Infantino (SUI) into defusing a red-hot issue, brought by the PFA in the midst of Israel’s response to the murderous 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas.

First up was Palestinian Football Association head Jibril Rajoub, who spoke in English for nine minutes. He catalogued a series of wrongs it attributes to the Israel Football Association, only obliquely referred to the brutal Hamas attack on Israel and concentrated on the suffering in Gaza.

He said:

“Regarding the proposal under discussion, [we] request a vote in today’s Congress which without any further delay as follows: to temporarily suspend the IFA as a member of FIFA with immediate effect, with the consequences that its membership rights under the FIFA statutes cannot be [continued] until the until the statutory objectives are respected.

“And to ban the IFA and its direct and indirect from any football-related activities falling under the competence of FIFA with immediate effect until when the statutory objectives of FIFA are respected.

“Three, to respect the territorial integrity of the PFA and to stop with immediate effect any footballing activity of the IFA and its direct and indirect members which is carried out in violation of article 71, paragraph 2 of the FIFA statutes, in the territory of the PFA, and to refer the overall matter to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for adjudication and for imposing appropriate sanctions on the IFA, and its direct or indirect members.”

Next up was Israel Football Association head Shino Moshe Zuares, who also spoke for about nine minutes, but began with the atrocities of 7 October, when “Instead of celebrating a holiday, we find ourselves fighting for our lives, against inhuman terrorists who raped, abused and murdered more than 1,400 civilians and took over 300 hostages.

“Instead of enjoying 500 football matches in our different leagues in that weekend, we find ourselves sitting in shelters, worried about the fate of our brothers and sisters.”

Zuares spoke directly to the PFA proposals:

“Once again, we are facing a cynical, political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football. Make no mistake, the IFA never violated rules set by FIFA or UEFA, and we will never do so in the future.

“We are not ones who allow using sports infrastructures for military and hostile action. The proposal submitted by Palestinian FA has absolutely nothing to do with the IFA’s activities.

“Unfortunately, I am standing here today on behalf of the IFA, answering once again the hostile and blatant proposal brought before you by Mr. Rajoub, a proposal that is based on motives and ambitions that have nothing to do with the spirit of sports, of the FIFA value of separating sports and politics.

“I am holding myself back and will not speak about the true motives, out of respect for this institution. I am doing it out of full confidence … that things can be better, for the game, for those who play it, in Israel, in the Palestinian authority, all over the world.”

Two other speakers demanded an immediate vote, but they were wasting their time.

Infantino, an excellent public speaker in multiple languages, has plenty of detractors as well as supporters. But he was completely prepared and explained, calmly, the issues presented to FIFA by the PFA proposals:

“The first one is that whilst the United Nations struggles in decades with the question of whether Palestine is a country or not a country, when it comes to FIFA, Palestine is a full member of FIFA like any of the other 210 members of FIFA, with exactly the same rights, and exactly the same obligations, like any other country.

“Now, like everyone else, I was extremely shocked by what happened on the 7th of October in Israel. And like anyone else, I was extremely, extremely shocked , and am extremely shocked, by what is happening now in Gaza. I pray. I pray for the mother who list their children. I pray for the children who lost their parents. I pray for all those people who suffer the unimaginable. I pray for all of them.

“And I want like all of you, just one thing – just one thing – peace. Peace. (Applause)

“What can we do? We are a football organization, and football is here to unite, not to divide. Sometimes it’s easier to divide , as I said before, but we are here to unite and I do not want to divide. I do not want to divide this Congress. I do not want to divide FIFA. I do not want to divide our 211 member countries and I have a responsibility, as President of FIFA. I have to apply the statutes of FIFA and its regulations.

“Whatever my personal conviction on this and other terrible matters around the world.

“So, first of all, during the Council meeting of the 15th of May 2024 – two days ago – all the Council members unanimously agreed to condemn the acts of violence that have taken, and are currently taken place, and decided to send a strong message of solidarity for the victims that are suffering.

“The FIFA Council also reiterated that football should not, and should never, become hostage of politics and always remain a factor for peace, a source of hope, a force of good, uniting people rather than divide them.

“Secondly, it is important to underline that the three requests that came from the proposal of the Palestine Football Association to this 74th FIFA Congress – all three of these proposals – they fall under the competence of the FIFA Council, and need therefore, to be treated by this body.

“Now due to the obvious sensitivity of these matters, FIFA will mandate as of now, independent legal expertise to analyze and assess the three requests made by the Palestinian Football Association and ensure – and ensure – that the statutes and regulations of FIFA are applied in the correct way.

“In order to ensure a fair and due process, of course, this legal assessment will have to allow for input, and claims, of both member associations. The results of this analysis and the recommendations which will follow from this analysis will subsequently be forwarded to the FIFA Council.

“But, due to the urgency of the situation, because we all know, all understand how urgent it is, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and take place before the 20th of July of this year. So in the next two months, to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.

“I trust that you, the Congress, can support to proceed in this way. Thank you very much. (Applause)

“In conclusion, let’s send to the world from this stage and this Congress a call, a strong call, for peace. Thank you very much.”

Observed: FIFA and Infantino took the PFA proposal and its impacts seriously and were thoroughly prepared. The PFA’s Rajoub acknowledged that he had brought similar proposals against Israel for the past 10 years, and this was more of the same.

With the constant references by Rajoub to FIFA’s rules and international law in support of his proposals, Infantino deflated the entire issue by saying that the FIFA’s rules required that the Council deal with this and not the Congress.

No doubt that the Palestinians already had significant Asian and African associations lined up for a vote, but there was no possibility of a decision already two days prior to the Congress. The Council has 37 members vs. 211 associations in the Congress and is geographically diverse, with Europe having the most members with nine, plus Infantino.

The reports will be written and the Council will decide what to do in July, but Infantino and the FIFA management retained firm control of the situation that could have been ugly.

3.
World leads by Simbine, Holloway, Davis-Woodhall at Atlanta City Games

Among all the great meets on last weekend, the lowest profile was the Atlanta City Games street meet in Piedmont Park, concentrating on sprinting with three world-leading outdoor marks:

● Men/100 m: 9.90, Akani Simbine (RSA)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.07, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Women/Long Jump: 7.17 m (23-6 1/4), Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA)

The men’s 100 m field was of high quality, but Simbine, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champ, stormed to victory in 9.90 into a small headwind of 0.4 m/s, ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.00) and prior co-world leader Kendal Williams of the U.S. (10.05).

Holloway, the three-time Worlds winner in the 110 hurdles, had only run the race in one meet this season, but blasted out of the blocks as usual and ran away, winning in 13.07 (-0.7), ahead of Robert Dunning of the U.S. (13.40). He’s ready for anything.

The headliner coming into the meet was triple World Champion Noah Lyles, running the odd 150 m, and winning convincingly in 14.41 to 14.66 for Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, the Worlds 100 m bronze medalist (wind +0.3). Lyles was not far behind the all-time best of 14.35 by Jamaican icon Usain Bolt from 2009 and his time equaled Tyson Gay for the best time by an American in 2010 during a 200 m race. Both are now no. 2 all-time.

In the 200 m straightaway race, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville had to hold off a late charge from Jereem Richards (TTO) to win in 19.96 (to 20.04, wind -1.1).

Italy’s Mattia Furlani came over from the continent to win the long jump at 8.06 m (26-5 1/2), but the bigger news was the women’s LJ, as World Indoor Champion Tara Davis-Woodhall, who got her fourth 7 m-plus meet this season at 7.17 m (23-6 1/4) in the fifth round, the best in the world outdoors in 2024. Fellow American Quanera Hayes was second with a season’s best 6.89 m (22-7 1/4), but no one except Davis-Woodhall has jumped 7 m in 2024.

Aleia Hobbs, the 2022 Worlds sixth-placer, equaled her season’s best in the 100 m at 10.88 (+0.5), and stayed no. 2 in the world for 2024. She was clear of Tamara Clark (10.98) and Mikiah Brisco (11.00).

Candace Hill barely beat Favour Ofili (NGR) in the women’s 150, with both timed in 16.30, with Hill equaling the American best in the event by Tori Bowie back in 2017. Lynna Irby-Jackson won the 200 m on the straight in 22.67 into a 2.2 m/s headwind!

Tokyo Olympic silver winner Keni Harrison made her seasonal debut in the 100 m hurdles, winning in 12.67 into a 2.2 m/s headwind over world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR: 12.73).

Observed: This is a fun meet and with adidas as sponsor, brings in many of the adidas-contracted athletes world wide. But on a weekend with a Diamond League meet in Morocco and Continental Tour Gold meets at UCLA and in Tokyo, this edition of the Atlanta City Games was much less visible because it was only shown on YouTube.

A Monday look at sites for the video showed 57,078 views on adidas’ YouTube channel and 112,999 on Lyles’ channel for a quite-respectable total of 170,077. The viewership for NBC’s L.A. Grand Prix show will be available in a couple of days.

4.
Foundation Board supports WADA on China swimming case

On Friday, the 42-member World Anti-Doping Agency Foundation Board was briefed on the Chinese swimming matter, during which 23 athletes were found to test positive for Trimetazidine, but were not sanctioned. WADA’s statement on the meeting included:

“At all stages, WADA has maintained that according to all the available evidence, this was not a case of doping but of no-fault contamination, and that WADA acted according to applicable processes and rules making no attempt to cover up the case in any way. As a response to calls, WADA has now referred the matter to an independent prosecutor, Mr. Eric Cottier [SUI], who will conduct a review with the intention of issuing a report by the end of June.”

WADA provided additional information, not seen publicly before, about the testing of these high-profile Chinese swimmers:

“As it relates to testing of the 23 Chinese athletes at the center of this story, Board members were informed that the athletes had undergone significant testing in the past few years. In fact, WADA is able to confirm that the 23 athletes provided approximately 1,700 doping control samples between 2018 and 2022, with certain athletes having been tested dozens of times per year, whether by swimming’s International Federation (now known as World Aquatics) or the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency. Indeed, in the almost four months from 1 April 2021 until the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games in July 2021, close to 300 samples were collected from the 23 athletes, which equates on average to several samples per month, per athlete.”

The Cottier inquiry is continuing and the Foundation Board was supportive. Questions remained unanswered as to why the inquiry took months, and if (and why) the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency report was in fact developed by the China’s Ministry of Public Security, as alleged in the German ARD documentary, “The China Files.”

However, WADA’s Founding President Dick Pound (CAN) was clear that he disapproves of the continuing, shrill protests of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

“I am deeply disappointed and disgusted by the deliberate lies and distortions coming from the United States Anti-Doping Agency, including that WADA has swept doping cases in China under the rug. That accusation, bereft of any truth, has but a single purpose: to deliberately damage the reputation of WADA and to lessen the worldwide trust that has been built up since WADA was created a quarter of a century ago to head up the international fight against doping in sport. What is missing in USADA’s conduct is a willingness to work for solutions; [it’s] just endless and biased criticism.”

Unimpressed, USADA head Travis Tygart shot back:

“As predicted, WADA is much better at circling the wagons than they are at actually being transparent. The fact is that WADA leaders violated their own rules by, at a minimum, not finding any violations or publicizing the cases. This is self-evident, no matter how many times or how angrily WADA denies it and replays its scripted efforts to convince the world everything is okay.”

5.
IPC chief Parsons says “you will be dazzled” in Paris

“Things you will not imagine possible – these athletes, they make it possible. You will be surprised, you will be excited, you will be dazzled. At the same time, you know that all the exciting events help change the world. It has a higher purpose. This combination is the future of sports.

“By watching the Paralympic Games, you will be electrified by the performances of the athletes, but also, something will change in you for the better. Whether you like it or not, whenever you’re exposed to Paralympic sport for the very first time, something changes in your heart.”

That’s International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons (BRA), looking forward to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Asked about the legacy, he underscored the place of the Paralympics beyond the field of play:

“This is an important question because the Paralympic Games are the only event with a global impact that puts persons with disabilities on centre stage. We have a big opportunity here – we have an incredible platform to advance the social agenda, the human rights agenda of persons with disabilities. ….

“We believe that compared to other marginalised groups or other minority groups, persons with disabilities are being left behind. On the global level, you see many people talking about gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and so on, but not about disability to the same level.

“So, right before this incredible event that will shape the way governments see the future of mankind, it is important to have this platform of the Paralympic Games to say, ‘We are here, and we are important.’ It’s not about representing the 4,400 athletes on the field of play, but providing a platform for the 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.

“This is what I want Paris 2024 to be: an incredible and exciting sports event that people will want to watch. At the same time, it will make the Paralympic Movement relevant to the point that people understand that we are a Movement that helps change the world.”

Parsons noted that ticket sales are also moving ahead:

“There is a lot of excitement in Paris and in France. I think the ticket sales reflect that – we are very, very close to where we were in London 2012.

“We know that many tickets will be bought in the final weeks and months. I think we have a very good foundation of awareness and interest, and now is the moment to focus on ticket sales. We have some good numbers, and we have some sports – wheelchair fencing, Para triathlon and shooting Para sport – that have already sold out.”

The 2024 Paralympics run from 28 August to 8 September.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● The 2024 World Judo Championships are underway in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with the first six weights going to winners from six different nations.

In the men’s lighter weights, Georgia’s Giorgi Sardalashvili moved up from bronze in the men’s 60 kg in 2023, defeating Yung Wei Yang (TPE) in the final, while Japan scored gold and silver at 66 kg by Ryoma Tanaka and Takeshi Takeoka. Two-time Worlds bronze winner Hedayat Heydarov (AZE) finally moved up to gold at 73 kg, defeating Tatsuki Ishihara in the final.

Mongolia’s Baasankhuu Bavuudorj won her first Worlds medal with a gold at 48 kg, beating Assunta Scutto in the final. Two-time Olympic medalist Odette Giuffrida (ITA) won her first Worlds gold at 52 kg, with a win over Diyora Keldiyorova in the championship match, and Korea’s Mimi Huh – 21 – won the 57 kg class for her first Worlds medal by defeating defending champ Christa Deguchi (CAN)!

Competition continues through the 23rd.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Russian volunteers for the Paris 2024 Games continue to get the cold shoulder from the French Interior Ministry, which will not even consider issuance of visas for the purposes of assisting at the Olympic and/or Paralympic Games.

The Russian news agency TASS quoted an unnamed Paris 2024 volunteer from Russia, who had received an assignment from the organizing committee:

“In early May, we wrote a collective letter to French Interior Minister [Gerald Darmanin], which was delivered to the ministry by Russian volunteers living in this country.

“More than two weeks have passed and there has been no response. But we continue to hope that the ban on Russian volunteers will be lifted and we will be able to join like-minded people from other countries for the Paris Olympics. We’ve worked with these people more than one Games and have become a friendly family.”

They received a explanation on 29 April from the French government that “volunteers with Russian citizenship received the letters with the refusal of accreditation and participation in the volunteer program for security reasons.”

Russian media will also be prohibited from displaying any national symbols at Paris 2024. TASS asked the International Olympic Committee about regulations on media, noting that via the IOC’s rules for athletes and teams, they “will be prohibited from displaying national symbols, including the national flag colors, the state emblem and the anthem.”

The IOC replied that “The same applies for media personnel, as for all spectators as specified in the document.”

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The medical apparel brand FIGS will outfit the 250-plus members of the USOPC medical support team for not only the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The announcement specified support of the USOPC medical staff, but not LA28 medical staff or volunteers.

● Athletics ● A world-leading heptathlon performance of 6,642 for Tokyo Olympic runner-up Anouk Vetter (NED) headlines the annual Hypo Meeting in Gotzis (AUT), perhaps the premier multi-events meet in the world.

Vetter won the shot and the javelin and finished third in the long jump and finished more than 100 points in front of Annik Kaelin (SUI: 6,506) and American Michelle Atherley, who got a lifetime best of 6,465. Annie Kunz of the U.S. was seventh (6,209).

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Damian Warner of Canada dominated the decathlon, scoring 8,678 to move to no. 3 on the 2024 world list. He won the 100 m and 110 m hurdles, was second in the discus and third in the long jump.

Sven Roosen (NED) got a lifetime best of 8,517 in second and Estonia’s Johannes Erm scored 8,462 in fourth.

The Athletics Integrity Unit sanctioned Kenyan Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games 10,000 m bronze medalist Rodgers Kwemoi for six years – beginning 8 August 2023 – for abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport. Further, his results from 18 July 2016 to 8 August 2023 are wiped out, removing his Commonwealth Games medal.

The expert panel found that “the profile bears several features of blood manipulation during the preparation for competition.” Kwemoi had bests of 26:55.36 from 2019 in the 10,000 m and 58:30 in the Half Marathon from 2022.

● Boxing ● Indian boxer Parveen Hooda, the 2022 Asian Games women’s 57 kg bronze medalist, was suspended for 22 months – ending 16 July 2025 – by the International Testing Agency for whereabouts failures.

She therefore loses her place at the Paris Olympic Games, to be filled by the International Olympic Committee under its qualifying process for the Olympic tournament.

● Fencing ● Addressing a major issue in the sport, USA Fencing is getting creative on how to attract new fencers:

“It doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars to get a young person interested in fencing. All you need is an empty space, a bag of modified pool noodles, and a group of kids who want to have fun and try something new.”

The federation announced last week that it has partnered with 2-4-1 Fencing, a project of the 2-4-1 CARE nonprofit. It debuted at the Project Play Summit 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland and is designed to offer an introduction to the sport “at roughly 2% of the traditional cost.”

How does it work?

● “The program uses modified pool noodles with a removable plastic handle, optional safety goggles, and simplified rules in games and activities that are tons of fun. But these activities deliver fun while also teaching skills in ways that will directly translate to Olympic-style fencing once the young person is ready to level up.”

● “Through a series of fencing games like Bodyguard, Swords vs. Spears and Time Tag, students have a blast while developing a lifelong love of fencing. Once they’re ready, students use the noodles like a foil, where the end of the noodle is used to score, and only touches on the torso count.”

Clever and interesting, it’s a creative initiative for a sport where the cost barrier to entry is quite high.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: FIFA gives ‘27 Women’s World Cup to Brazil; Palestine ask for Israel suspension to be studied; Biles sensational at Classic!

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.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. FIFA votes on Women’s World Cup … and racism
2. Palestine asks for Israeli exclusion; report coming
3. Biles shines for seventh win at Core Hydration Classic
4. First Olympic Qualifier Series draws 45,000 in Shanghai
5. Sekgodisa gets world 800 m lead at Marrakech Diamond League

● At the 74th FIFA Congress in Thailand, Brazil was awarded the 2027 Women’s World Cup by 119-78 over the Belgium-Netherlands-Germany bid. FIFA’s new anti-racism program was unanimously adopted.

● As it has done many times in the past, the Palestine Football Association demanded that FIFA suspend Israel from the federation on an immediate vote. Instead, FIFA will obtain a legal review and put the matter to the FIFA Council in late July.

● The great Simone Biles dominated the Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, winning two events and second in two others to win by almost two points over Shilese Jones. London 2012 All-Around gold medalist Gabby Douglas fell twice on her Uneven Bars routine and did not continue in the event.

● The International Olympic Committee’s first-ever Olympic Qualifier Series drew 45,000 spectators over four days in Shanghai, China, to see competition in BMX Freestyle, Breaking, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing. The U.S. got three wins!

● South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodisa took the world lead in the women’s 800 m at the Diamond League meet in Marrakech, Morocco in 1:57.26, but just as impressive were wins by Mykolas Alekna in the men’s discus and Moroccan national hero Soufiane El Bakkali in the men’s Steeple.

● World Championships: Cycling (Willoughby wins another BMX gold in Rock Hill!) = Ice Hockey (Canada and Sweden lead IIHF men’s groups) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: riots in New Caledonia cause Torch Relay to be canceled; Macron’s “Olympic Truce” ask rejected by both sides) = Badminton (two wins for hosts in Thailand Open) = Cycling (4: Pogacar dominant and on the way to victory at Giro d’Italia; Vollering puts the hammer down to win final stage and Vuelta Burgos a Femenina in Spain; Quinn and Faulkner take U.S. road titles; Dunne and Cabriou take Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup wins) = Fencing (husband-and-wife Foil stars Meinhardt (silver) and Kiefer (bronze) both medal in Grand Prix) = Gymnastics (three U.S. wins at Pan American Trampoline Champs in Peru) = Swimming (more wins for Ledecky and Dressel in Atlanta Classic) = Table Tennis (Jha on to Paris at Pan Am Olympic Qualifier) ●

1.
FIFA votes on Women’s World Cup … and racism

FIFA, the worldwide governing body for football, moved forward on two issues of import during its 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok (THA), but sidestepped – for now – a Palestinian request to oust Israel from the federation.

At the top of the agenda was the vote for the host for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Brazil – which had the highest score in the evaluation report – winning by 119-78 (and seven abstentions) over the joint bid from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Brazilian federation chief Ednaldo Rodrigues told the Congress:

“This is a win for women’s football in South America, and for women’s football everywhere which FIFA works every day to improve and strengthen.

“You can be certain that, without wanting to be vain, we will try to stage the biggest and best FIFA Women’s World Cup of all. I hope you can all come to Brazil and enjoy the hospitality of our country.”

It’s the first time the Women’s World Cup will be held in South America and follows the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, for which multiple new stadia were built or refurbished. Those facilities will be used again and no new venues will be built.

The award also gives Brazil and South America a major football event after the odd awarding of the FIFA World Cup for 2030 to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with single, centennial-celebration games in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay that eliminated a South American bid for 2034. Saudi Arabia was left as the only bidder for 2034 and will be confirmed as host later in 2024.

The FIFA Congress also unanimously passed the federation’s anti-racism program presented on Friday. FIFA’s summary of the program included (re-formatted for clarity):

“There are five action areas:

● “Racism is to be made a specific offence with mandatory inclusion in the individual Disciplinary Codes of all 211 FIFA Member Associations, and given specific and severe sanctions, such as match forfeits;

● “The introduction of a global standard gesture for players to communicate racist incidents and for referees to signal the implementation of the three-step procedure to halt, suspend and ultimately abandon matches;

● “A push for racism to be recognised as a criminal offence in every country in the world and for appropriate punishments; the promotion of educational initiatives together with schools and governments;

● “And the establishment of a new Players’ Anti-Racism Panel composed of former players, who will monitor and advise on the implementation of these actions around the world.”

Said FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI):

“Racism is something terrible. It is a scourge that exists in our society. And is one also that is infiltrated in football. For too long we were not capable of dealing with it in an appropriate way. We need to stand up and fight racism and defeat racism all together.

“We cannot accept any more what is happening in the stadiums, what is happening on the pitch, and those who still believe in the world – anywhere in the world – that they can still behave in a racist way when they are dealing with football, when they are attending a football game, when they are playing a game.

“Those who believe that, they must know that we don’t want them – we don’t want them. They have to go out, they have to be out, they don’t have to be part of our community, they don’t have to be part of football. …

“Racism is darkness, and somebody much more wise and intelligent than me once said: ‘If you are in a dark room, don’t be afraid, just light a candle.’ Today, we don’t light a candle: we light a big fire that will shine all over the world.”

2.
Palestine asks for Israeli exclusion; report coming

But racism continued on the agenda at the FIFA Congress.

The Palestine Football Association asked for FIFA to exclude Israel from the federation, with its head, Jibril Rajoub, asking for FIFA “to temporarily suspend the IFA as a member of FIFA with immediate effect.”

He was seconded by the Jordanian federation, with Secretary General Samar Nassar saying “We are not here to deliberate on the human tragedy. We are here to take a vote, the world is witnessing what FIFA will do today.”

No vote was forthcoming, and Israel Football Association President Shino Moshe Zuares told the Congress:

“Today, maybe more than ever, I believe that football must be a key element in healing the fractures and wounds, helping us and everyone to recover. Yet once again, we are facing a cynical, political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian Association to harm Israeli football.

“Make no mistake, the IFA never violated rules set by FIFA and UEFA and will never do so in the future.

“Seven months after the terrible day, when football matches cannot be played in large parts of Israel, north and south, and over 130 Israelis are still being held in Gaza, it is injustice that even in these circumstances we find ourselves fighting for our basic right to be part of the game.”

The Associated Press reported that the Palestinian federation has asked for similar sanctions against Israel “at least five times since 2014” and had gotten nowhere.

FIFA’s Infantino explained the next steps to be taken:

“Now, due to the obvious sensitivity of these matters, FIFA will mandate as of now independent legal expertise to analyze and assess the three requests made by the Palestinian Football Association and ensure that the statutes and regulations of FIFA are applied in the correct way in order to ensure a fair and due process.

“This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results and the recommendations … will be forwarded to the FIFA Council.

“Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and will take place before July 20 to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.”

He concluded with:

“Palestine is a full member of FIFA, like any of the other 210 members of FIFA, with exactly the same rights and exactly the same obligations, like any other country.

“Now, like everyone else, I was extremely, extremely shocked by what happened on 7 October in Israel. And like anyone else, I was extremely, extremely shocked and am extremely shocked by what is happening now in Gaza. I pray.”

“I pray for the mothers who lost their children. I pray for the children who lost their parents. I pray for all those people who suffer. And, I want, like all of you, just one thing – just one thing: peace. Peace.”

3.
Biles shines for seventh win at Core Hydration Classic

There was no doubt about the winner, as the incomparable Simone Biles won two events and was second on the other two on the way to her seventh career win in the All-Around at the Core Hydration Classic (formerly U.S. Classic) in Hartford, Connecticut.

Biles was supreme on Vault, winning with a sensational 15.600 score, with two-time Worlds Team gold medalist Shilese Jones a distant second at 14.350. Biles was also a runaway winner on Floor at 14.800, with Jones tying with Kaliya Lincoln at 14.000 for second.

On the Uneven Bars, Biles’ least-efficient event, she placed a very creditable second at 14.550 to Jones’ excellent 15.250 total. Biles also scored 14.550 on Beam, good enough for second.

The total was 59.500 for Biles’ seventh win in this event, in 2014-15-18-19-21-23-24. Jones was her primary challenger, totaling 57.650, with the win on Bars, second on vault (14.350), tying for second on Floor with Lincoln at 14.000 and fourth on Beam (14.050).

Tokyo Olympian Jordan Chiles, a member of the 2022 Worlds Team winners, was a clear third at 55.450, tying for third on Bars (14.300) and fourth on Vault (14.100). Jade Carey, the Tokyo Olympic Floor Exercise gold medalist, was fourth overall at 54.400, with a third in Vault (14.300), but only fifth on Floor (13.800). Skye Blakely, also a two-time Worlds Team gold winner, was fifth overall, scoring 54.350.

Suni Lee, the Tokyo All-Around gold medalist, skipped the Uneven Bars, but won on Beam (14.600). She also scored 13.150 on Vault for 22nd and tied for 17th on Floor at 13.000.

London 2012 Olympic All-Around champion Gabby Douglas was trying to qualify for the All-Around at the U.S. Nationals, but fell twice and scored only 10.100 on the Uneven Bars (43rd) and withdrew. She’s qualified in three events for the national championships, but not for the All-Around.

Next up is the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas from 30 May to 2 June, and finally the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 27-30 June.

4.
First Olympic Qualifier Series draws 45,000 in Shanghai

The International Olympic Committee’s foray into combined events in multiple sports as a showcase for the Olympic qualifying process received strong attention in Shanghai (CHN) for the first Olympic Qualifying Series program, which concluded on Sunday.

An announced 45,000 people attended the four-day event at the Shanghai Huangpu Riverside, in a temporary facility, built up with the competition sites for four sports, plus music and performance stages, food areas and more. There were more than 460 athletes from 55 National Olympic Committees and 120 national federations.

The U.S. came away with a win from Brooke Raboutou in climbing and two golds in Skateboarding, from Jagger Eaton and Tate Carew:

● BMX Freestyle Park:

France’s Anthony Jeanjean, the 2022 Worlds bronze winner, took the OQS win with a first-round 93.54 total, outlasting Tokyo Olympic champ Logan Martin (AUS), whose second-round score of 92.65 was just short. Darren Reilly (GBR: 89.28) was third.

China swept the women’s Park competition, with 2023 Worlds silver medalist Sibei Sun scoring 95.86 on her final routine to defeat Jiaqi Sun (93.68) and Yawen Deng (91.50). Five-time World Champion Hannah Roberts of the U.S. was fourth at 91.24.

● Breaking:

Twelfth-ranked Lee (Lee-Lou Diouf Demierre/NED) won the men’s division with a two-rounds-to-one decision in the final over China’s Lithe-ing (Xiangyu Qi), 7-2, 2-7, 5-4 for a 14-13 total.

The women’s all-Japan final went to Ayumi (Ayumi Fukushima), who won all three rounds against Ami (Ami Yuasa), by 6-3, 6-3, 7-2 for a 19-8 total.

● Climbing:

American Brooke Raboutou, the 2023 Worlds Boulder bronze medalist, scored an important win in the combined Boulder & Lead final, scoring 140.9 to out-score 2021 World Lead Champion Chae-hyun Seo (KOR: 134.3) and Britain’s Erin McNeice (127.8).

Korea’s Doh-yun Lee, the 2023 Worlds Boulder bronze winner, won the men’s division at 134.5, comfortably ahead of Alberto Gines Lopez (ESP: 124.5) and three-time Lead Worlds winner, Czech Adam Ondra (124.1).

In Speed, former world-record holder Veddriq Leonardo (INA) flew to an Asian Record of 4.83 to win the men’s division over Peng Wu (CHN: 4.88). China’s Yafei Zhou took the women’s Speed victory in 6.54 over Indonesia’s Rajiah Sallsabillah (6.75).

● Skateboarding:

The 2021 World Street champ, American Jagger Eaton, was consistently strong, posting two of the four routine scores over 90.00 and the second-best individual score at 92.55, then scored 93.13 and 92.60 on two of his tricks to win at 278.28, ahead of Japan’s Ginwoo Onodera (277.34) and Chris Joslin (275.34), who flew up the standings with his last two tricks scoring 92.86 and 94.61, best of the day.

The women’s Street title went to Brazilian star Rayssa Leal, the Tokyo silver medalist at 13, and now 16, who won a tight duel with Japan’s Liz Akama, 274.89 to 274. 35. Leal had one of only routine that scored over 90 at 92.23 on her second run, and added tricks worth 91.81 and 90.85, while Akama scored 92.55 and 91.69 on her last two tricks to nearly close the gap.

The U.S. scored again in the men’s Park, with Tate Carew getting a big score of 93.33 in the second round and that was enough for the win, ahead of Keegan Palmer (AUS: 92.30 in the final round) and Eaton, getting a second medal at 91.61 with his second-round routine.

Australian Arisa Trew, 14, scored 91.16 on her second run to win the women’s Park title, just ahead of Japan’s 2023 World Champion Kokona Hiraki (90.18) and 2018 World Champion Sakura Yozozumi (87.02), with all three scoring runs coming in the second round.

The second and final round of the Olympic Qualifier Series will be from 20-23 June in Budapest (HUN).

5.
Sekgodisa gets world 800 m lead at Marrakech Diamond League

Stop no. four on the Wanda Diamond League circuit was in Marrakech (MAR), with a small crowd at the Grande Stade, with a world lead in one event, in the women’s 800 m at 1:57.26 for South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodisa.

The race looked to belong to two-time Ethiopian Olympian Habitam Alemu, who had the lead at the bell, breaking away from the pack with Sekgodisa, the 2022 African Championships bronze winner.

Sekgodisa tried to take the lead on the inside on the backstraight, but Alemu shut her down, and continued leading into the straight. Sekgodisa tried to pass on the inside again, but couldn’t get through, but as Alemu drifted a little in the lead, Sekgodisa got by with about 40 m to go and won in a lifetime best and world-leading 1:57.26! Alemu was second in 1:57.70, now no. 4 in the world for 2024, and Noelle Yarigo (BEN) got third in 1:59.96.

The men’s Steeple, featuring national hero and Olympic and World Champion Soufiane El Bakkali was the concluding event, and included world leader Samuel Firewu of Ethiopia. And as usual in the Diamond League meets in Morocco, it was El Bakkali moving into the lead at the bell, with Ethiopia’s Olympic fourth-placer Getnet Wale giving chase.

Wale closed up with El Bakkali with 200 m to go and Firewu was closing as well, but El Bakkali sprinted into the water jump and re-established himself and sprinted hard on the straight to win in 8:09.40 in his seasonal debut, no. 3 on the world list. Wale was at 8:09.78 and Kenyan Amos Serem moved up to pass Firewu for third, 8:10.82 to 8:11.73. American Hillary Bor was sixth in 8:13.30.

The most-anticipated showdown was in the men’s discus, with new world-record man Mykolas Alekna (LTU), Olympic champ Daniel Stahl (SWE), 2022 World Champion Kristjian Ceh (SLO) and 2022 Commonwealth Games winner Matthew Denny (AUS).

Alekna showed his class right away, taking the lead at 69.94 m (229-5) in the second round, and no one else was close. Denny reached 67.74 m (222-3) in round one, but Alekna spun out to 70.70 m (231-11) in the fourth. That was the winner; Stahl got third with his second-round 67.49 m (221-5).

All eyes were on Jamaica’s two-time World 200 m Champion Shericka Jackson in the women’s 200 m and she took the lead into the straight over Swiss Mujinga Kambundji. But Jackson did not thrash this field and held off Maboundou Kone (CIV) in the final 15 m to win in a modest 22.82 (-1.0), with Kone at 22.96. American Caisja Chandler was fifth at 23.06. Much less than had been hoped for from Jackson in her season opener.

Canada’s Tokyo Olympic 200 m champ Andre De Grasse was the headliner in the men’s 100 m, but Emmanuel Eseme (CAM) came on in the final 50 m and emerged as the winner in 10.11 (wind: -0.8 m/s). De Grasse was second in 10.19; Brandon Hicklin was the top American in fourth in 10.26.

The men’s 400 m had recent world leader Bayapo Ndori (BOT: 44.10) leading coming into the home straight, but World Indoor winner Alexander Doom (BEL) was gaining in lane three, with Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga coming on in lane two. Ndori ran out of gas about 5 m short and Doom out-leaned Samukonga at the line, with a lifetime best of 44.51. Samukonga ran 44.54 and Ndori stumbled in third at 44.59. American Quincy Hall was sixth in 45.52.

Kenyan world leader Emmanuel Wanyonyi ramped up the speed with 200 m to go in the men’s 800 m and was able to hold off countryman Wyclife Kinyamal, 1:43.84 to 1:43.98. The two were already 1-3 on the world list and France’s Yanis Mexiane had to make a hard charge in the last 70 m to get third in 1:44.13. But he could not challenge the Kenyans.

France’s Azeddine Habz took the lead at the bell as the pacesetter exited and just could not be caught. A sub-3:30 man, he kept extending his lead and then sprinted away from the field entering the home straight and won surprisingly easily in 3:32.86. Ethiopia’s Steeple world-record holder Lamecha Girma made a late push, but ended up fourth in 3:33.54, as George Mills (GBR) just edged countryman Elliot Giles for second, 3:33.47 to 3:33.50.

Cuba’s 2022 World Indoor Champion Lazaro Martinez got out to 17.10 m (56-1 1/4) in round three and Olympic champ Pedro Pablo Pichardo of Portugal just could not get right. He reached 16.92 m (55-6 1/4) in round four and had to settle for second, with Almir dos Santos (BRA: 16.90 m/55-5 1/2) a close third.

The women’s 5,000 was a four-woman breakaway, finally settled after the bell. Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay did most of the leading, but lurking closest was teammate Medina Eisa, the 2022 World Junior Champion. Tesfay led down the backstraight and through the turn, but Eisa would not be shaken, and found an extra gear in the final 15 m to get the win in 14:34.16, with Tesfay getting a lifetime best of 14:34.21 in second. Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok moved from fourth to third on the last lap in 14:35.64, also a lifetime best.

Jamaica’s world-leading Rushell Clayton got out quickly in the women’s 400 m hurdles and had a huge lead coming off the final turn. Clayton was cruising, with teammate Shiann Salon moving up to challenge a bit over the final hurdle and on the run-in. Clayton won in 53.98, with Salmon getting a seasonal best of 54.27 in second.

Teen Angelina Topic (SRB), the 2022 European bronze winner, got a lifetime best and a national record of 1.98 m (6-6) to win the women’s high jump. The 18-year-old was the only to clear 1.95 m (6-4 3/4), then went on to 1.98; Christina Honsel (GER) got second and Lia Apostolovski (SLO) were 2-3, also at 1.95. Topic moves to no. 2 on the world outdoor list for 2024.

In the women’s vault, 2021 European Indoor winner Angelica Moser (SUI) and Roberta Bruni (ITA) both cleared 4.65 m (15-3). Moser got over 4.73 m (15-6 1/4) on her third try and Bruni could not match, ending up second.

Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. took hold of the women’s shot with a 20.00 m (65-7 1/2) effort in round two and everyone had to chase her (pun intended). German Yemisi Ogunleye got closest at 19.40 m (63-7 3/4) in round two and was second; World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton (CAN) managed 19.36 m (63-6 1/4) in the third round and finished third.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● American star Alise Willoughby won her third UCI BMX World Championships gold on home soil at Rock Hill, South Carolina, her first in five years!

Now 33, she won as Alise Post back in 2017 at Rock Hill, then as Alise Willoughby in 2019 and now at Rock Hill again. She won a tight final in 32.513, just ahead of Swiss Zoe Classens (32.886) with Fellow American Delaney Vaughn third in 33.522.

The U.S. had four of the eight finalists, with Felicia Stancil fourth (34.283) and Carly Kane in sixth (35.255). Classens won her second career Worlds silver – also in 2022 – and Vaughn got her first Worlds medal. Said the winner of her second Rock Hill Worlds gold:

“Honestly, I always say this place has a special place in my heart and I wanted to deliver here. U.S. fans, U.S. based everything – I put in the work, [husband and two-time World Champion Sam Willoughby] at my side the whole way and here we are again.

“It is such an honor to deliver on the day. When you dream of it, when you hope for it, but doing it is a whole other thing. This feeling is so special. My family, my friends, fans, husband, coaches, staff, that have been here for this very long ride that continues. I’m just so proud to say that I’m still rising to potential.”

With medal finishes, both Willougby and Vaughn secured their Olympic team positions for Paris, with Willoughby making her third team, winning a silver in Rio in 2016, but crashing in Tokyo.

The men’s Worlds gold went to France’s Joris Daudet for his third career Worlds gold, first in 2011, then in 2016 and now 2024. He finished just ahead of two-time World Champion Niek Kimmann (NED: 33.300) and then French teammate, and 2018 World Champion Sylvain Andre (33.864).

For Daudet, 33, it’s his eighth Worlds medal (3-2-3), stretching from 2010 to 2024. Kimmann now has six Worlds medals (3-3-0) and Andre has four (1-1-2).

● Ice Hockey ● With group play set to conclude on Tuesday, Canada and Sweden are the lone unbeatens left at the IIHF men’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava (CZE).

The Canadians are 6-0, with two matches remaining and have out-scored their opponents, 28-15. Host Czech Republic is 5-1 (23-10) and the Swiss are 5-1 (26-11).

Sweden is 5-0 with a 26-7 goals edge, giving up the fewest goals so far. The U.S., which lost two of its first three games, is now 4-2 with a 31-13 goals-against total, getting six goals so far from forward Brady Tkachuk and five from Matt Boldy. Germany (4-2) is third in the group and Slovakia (4-2) is fourth; the top four advance to the quarterfinals, which begin on Thursday (23rd).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Rioting over a voting reform proposal in the French department of New Caledonia has left six people dead and French police and military on station on the streets of the capital city of Noumea.

In view of this, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera confirmed that the Olympic Torch Relay appearance, scheduled for 11 June, is being canceled.

“Priority must be given to a return to calm … I think that everyone understands, given the context, that the priority really is to consolidate the return to public order.”

French President Emmanuel Macron’s plea for an Olympic Truce during the Olympic and Paralympic Games has been rejected.

It was discarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the idea was noble, but not while Russian athletes are being refused entry into the Games. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Macron and shared with Agence France Presse:

“Let’s be honest… Emmanuel, I don’t believe it”.

“Who can guarantee that Russia will not use this time to bring its forces to our territory? First of all, we don’t trust Putin. We are against any truce that plays into the hands of the enemy.

“If it’s a truce, an Olympic truce for the duration of the Olympics, a land truce, they will have an advantage … [because of] a risk that they will bring heavy equipment to our territory and no one will be able to stop them.”

● Badminton ● The hosts got two wins to highlight the BWF World Tour Thailand Open in Bangkok, with Supanida Katethong winning the women’s Singles title over top-seeded Yue Han (CHN), 21-16, 25-23, and Jongkolphan Kitithrakul and Rawinda Prajongjai taking the women’s Doubles from Febriana Kusuma and Amallia Pratiwi (INA), 21-14, 21-14.

The Mixed Doubles had another Thai finalist with top-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, but they fell to China’s fifth-seeded Xin Wa Guo and Fang Hui Chen, 12-21, 21-12, 21-18.

Malaysia’s Zii Jia Lee took the men’s Singles over Ka Long Angus Ng (HKG), 21-11, 21-10, and India’s top-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the men’s Doubles from Bo Yang Chen and Yi Liu (CHN), 21-15, 21-15.

● Cycling ● After two sprint-stage wins for Italian stars Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar put the hammer down that essentially ended the Giro d’Italia with a brilliant victory in Sunday’s mountain stage.

On Friday, Milan won his third stage in Stage 13, getting to the line first in 4:02:03 in the 179 km route into Cento, just ahead of Poland’s Stanislaw Aniolkowski and German Phil Bauhaus. On Saturday, the second Individual Time Trial was on a flat, 31.2 km course to Desenzano del Garda and Ganna, a two-time World Time Trial Champion, timed 35:02 to win, with Pogacar second, 29 seconds back. That increased his overall lead from 2:40 to 3:41, now over 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (GBR).

Then came Sunday’s 222 km, four-climb mountain stage, with an uphill finish to Livigno and the 2,387 m Mottolino. Pogacar attacked on the final climb, with about 15 km to go and in third place overall. He passed Georg Steinhauser (GER), then set his sights on Colombian star Nairo Quintana, the 2014 Giro d’Italia winner.

With 1.9 km to go, Pogacar unleashed a final attack, passed Quintana and rode alone to the finish in 6:11:43, 29 seconds up on Quintana and 2:32 ahead of Steinhauser. Thomas was sixth, 2:50 behind and now trails Pogacar by 6:41 going into Monday’s rest day. Colombian Daniel Martinez is now third, at +6:56.

This is Pogacar’s sixth Grand Tour and he’s finished 3-1-1-2-2, with the last four in the Tour de France. Looks like he’ll win his third Grand Tour – and his first Giro – next Sunday in Rome.

Dutch star Demi Vollering won her third multi-stage race in a row with a 1:56 win in the Vuelta a Burgos Femenina in Spain.

After Finn Lotta Henttala won the opening stage in a mass sprint finish, Vollering won the hilly second stage to take the overall lead, played along in another sprint finish in stage 3, then won the final, 122 km stage on Sunday – with a major climb near the end – in 3:17:44. That was 41 seconds ahead of Dutch countrywoman Lucinda Brand and gave Vollering the overall title.

She finished 1:28 up on France’s Evita Music and 1:59 ahead of Karlijn Swinkels (NED). It’s Vollering’s second win in a row in this race and she is the defending champ in the upcoming tour de France Femmes. Can anyone stop her?

Sean Quinn won his first USA Cycling national road title at the USA Cycling National Road Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, winning a final sprint to the line over Brandon McNulty and Neilson Powless with all three timed in 5:15:52.

The hilly 212 km, 10-lap race saw the trio break free of the peloton on the third lap and they raced together on the final lap, with Quinn just ahead of McNulty.

The women’s race was six laps and 126 km and saw Kristen Faulkner, the Time Trial runner-up, win her first road national title in 3:29:38, 55 seconds up on Ruth Edwards. The two were together through five laps, but Faulkner stormed away on the final lap and won easily. Coryn Labecki was third in 3:35:17.

Ronan Dunne of Ireland barely out-fought five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA) in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill in Bielsko (POL), winning in 2:55:766 to 2:55.830 after maintaining the lead for most of the race. France’s Loris Vergier finished third (2:56.963).

France’s Marine Cabirou, the 2021 Worlds silver medalist, got the women’s title more comfortably, winning by more than a second over 2020 World Champion Camille Balanche (SUI), 3:26.643 to 3:27.831. German Nina Hoffmann was third in 3:28.323.

● Fencing ● At the FIE Grand Prix in Foil in Shanghai (CHN), world no. 2 and Tokyo Olympic champ Ka Long Cheung (HKG) took the men’s win over American Gerek Meinhardt, 15-7. It’s Meinhardt’s ninth career Grand Prix medal (4-3-2).

Italy’s no. 2-ranked Martina Favaretto took the women’s gold, 15-9, over Julia Walczyk-Klimaszyk of Poland, for her first career Grand Prix win. American Lee Keifer, the Tokyo Olympic champ – and wife of Meinhardt – picked up the bronze.

The FIE men’s Epee World Cup in Saint-Maur (FRA) saw Hungary’s 2019 World Champion, Gergely Siklosi, score a 15-9 final victory over Masaru Yamada (JPN). At the men’s Sabre World Cup in Madrid (ESP), Sebastien Patrice (FRA) won a tight duel with Hansol Ha (KOR) by 15-13, for his first career World Cup gold. William Morrill of the U.S. took one of the bronze medals.

At the FIE women’s Epee World Cup in Fujairah (UAE), no. 1-ranked Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG) won by 15-13 against Swiss Pauline Brunner. It’s Kong’s fourth career World Cup win. In Plovdiv (BUL), France’s Olympic Team silver winner Sara Balzer took down Ukraine’s four-time World Champion Olha Kharlan in the women’s Sabre World Cup final, 15-8. It’s Balzer’s sixth career World Cup win, while Kharlan earned her 33rd career World Cup medal.

● Gymnastics ● Ana DeHanes of the U.S. won the women’s division at the Pan American Trampoline Championships in Lima (PER), scoring 51.990 to edge Maria Oliveira of Brazil (51.460) and Rielle Bonne (CAN: 51.190).

The U.S. women – DeHanes, Logan McCoy and Leah Edelman – won the team title (51.520), while the men’s team gold went to Mexico (53.090).

Argentina’s Santiago Ferrari took the men’s title at 56.890, ahead of Americans Elijah Vogel (56.060) and Cody Gesuelli (55.740). The U.S. pair of Gesuelli and Paul Bretscher took the Synchro gold (49.190) over Brazil (47.550), while DeHanes and Edelman finished second in the women’s Synchro final (44.900) to Mexico 47.640).

● Swimming ● Freestyle super star Katie Ledecky continued winning at the Speedo Atlanta Classic, adding the women’s 200 m Free title on Friday in 1:55.71, about three-quarters of a second off of her seasonal best. It was her third win of the meet after the 400 m and 1,500 m Frees.

Star sprinter Caeleb Dressel was also busy, taking fourth in his first men’s 200 m Free final since 2022, timing 1:47.38 – an Olympic Trials qualifying time – behind winner Kieran Smith (1:47.10). Later that night, Dressel came from more than a second behind on the final lap of the men’s 100 m Fly and won in 51.38. Not his fastest this season, but the second half (26.15) was impressive.

Tokyo Olympic distance Freestyle double gold medalist Bobby Finke won the men’s 400 m Medley by more than eight seconds in an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 4:14.44.

● Table Tennis ● American Kanak Jha qualified for Paris 2024 by winning one of the knock-out draws at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Lima (PER). Jha qualified for his third Olympics by taking down Horacio Cifuentes (ARG), four games to one in the third knock-out tournament. Fellow American Nikhil Kumar reached the final of one of the knock-outs, but fell to Santiago Lorenzo (ARG), 4-1. The U.S. had no women’s entries, having already qualified.

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TSX BULLETIN: McLaughlin-Levone stars, Benjamin and Nakaayi get world leads at L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA

By
Rich Perelman
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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone readies for a 22.07 win in the women's 200 m at the L.A. Grand Prix (TSX photo by Alan Mazursky)

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After a sterling distance program on Friday night, the main program of the second Los Angeles Grand Prix started at UCLA’s Drake Stadium under overcast, but friendly skies and only light winds and a knowledgeable crowd. They were rewarded with two world-leading marks on Saturday:

● Men/400 m hurdles: 46.64, Rai Benjamin (USA)
● Women/800 m: 1:57.56, Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) and Tsige Duguna (ETH)

But neither was the star.

The main actors got going before noon with Worlds 200 m runner-up Gabby Thomas in the B section of the women’s 100 m, but it was Destiny Smith-Barnett (LBA) who was out best, then overhauled in lane 8 by Rio 2016 relay gold medalist English Gardner, 11.22 to 11.27 (wind 0). Abby Steiner came on in the final 50 for third (11.32) and Thomas was fourth (11.42).

Ninety-three minutes later, Thomas and Steiner were back for the 200 m, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. It was over by 80 m, as McLaughlin-Levrone surged into the lead and ran onto the Drake Stadium backstraight clear, winning in a lifetime best of 22.07, moving to no. 2 on the world list for 2024. There no no doubt. Steiner moved well in the final 60 m for second (22.32), with Brittany Brown third (22.35); Thomas was sixth in 22.68.

McLaughlin-Levrone is apparently going to defend her Olympic 400 m hurdles title and after this, how fast can she go?

Former UCLA star Benjamin made his season’s 400 m hurdles debut at his former home track, and left no doubt about his status as a gold-medal contender for Paris. He took over by the four hurdle and was clear of the field into the turn and ran all alone to the finish in a world-leading 46.64! That’s the no. 9 performance all-time, of which he owns four. Roshawn Clarke (JAM) was the next-best finish on the straight in 48.11, with Kyron McMaster (IVB) third in 48.51.

The women’s 800 m turned out to be a two-man race between world leader Tsige Duguma (ETH) and 2019 World Champion Nakaayi of Uganda. The two separated from the field after the 400 mark and 55.36 and kept moving away. They came off the final turn looking only at each other with 70 m to gop, then 50 ,, 30 m and finally Nakaayi edged ahead in the final 5 m, only to have to withstand a final charge from Dugima at the line. Both were timed in a world-leading 1:57.59. American Sage Hurta-Klecker came on in the final straight to get third (1:58.98).

In the men’s 100 m, all eyes were on Botswana’s 20-year-old star Letsile Tebogo, already with marks of 19.71 and 44.29 this season, Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake false-started out, and on the re-start, Kyree King of the U.S. exploded in the middle of the race and took over, clearly the winner until Tebogo’s finally caught fire in the final 15. But King won in 10.11 (+0.6), with Tebogo in 10.13 and Aaron Brown (CAN) third in 10.23.

London Olympic champ Kirani James (GRN), 2022 World Champion Michael Norman of the U.S. and U.S. champ Bryce Deadmon faced off in the men’s 400 m, with Norman coming to the front on the turn and exploding after 300 m to get a clear lead that he carried to the line in 44.53. James fought off multiple challenges to get second (44.85), with Vernon Norwood of the U.S. (44.86) getting third over Deadmon (44.92).

The men’s 800 m was another showcase for American 2024 World Indoor champ Bryce Hoppel. Brandon Miller had the lead on the final backstraight, but Kenya’s Noah Kibet came on with 200 m to go. Then it looked like Miller was back in front onto the straight, but Hoppel was coming fastest with 75 m left and passed everyone, winning cleanly in 1:43.68, no. 4 on the world list in 2024. Isaiah Jewitt of the U.S. also moved up late, as did Jake Wightman to go 2-3 in 1:44.02 and 1:44.10, with Miller getting a lifetime best of 1:44.24 in fourth.

The men’s 1,500 m had world leader Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot as the lead actor and he followed the pacer and took the lead with a lap to go, just ahead of Australia’s Ollie Hoare. On the final turn, it was Cameron Myers (AUS), making a hard move, but Cheruiyot was still in front. Finally, Hoare emerged with 70 m to go and had all the speed to catch and pass Cheruiyot to win in 3:34.73 to 3:34.3:34.83. An encouraging third with a strong finish out of traffic was Rio 2016 gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz with a seasonal best on 3:35.16, ahead of Henry Wynne (3:35.24).

E.J. Obiena (PHI) was the only one to clear 5.80 m (19-0 1/4) in the men’s vault, winning over Simen Guttormsen (NOR) and KC Lightfoot of the U.S. at 5.70 m (18-8 1/4).

Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs of the U.S. owned the men’s shot, taking the lead right away and recording a brilliant series of 22.29 m (73-1 3/4), 22.66 m (74-4 1/4), 22.93 m (75-2 3/4), 22.73 m (74-7), 22.03 m (72-2 1/2) and 21.97 m (72-1). The 22.93 m is the second-best throw in the world this year. Roger Steen of the U.S. moved up to second in round five at 21.78 m (71-5 1/2).

TeeTee Terry got the best start in the women’s 100 m and was in front by halfway, but Morolake Akinosun looked like the possible winner, but was passed by World Relays 4×100 m star Melissa Jefferson, 11.27 to 11.28, running into a headwind of 2.4 m/s. Terry faded to fifth (11.37).

Marileidy Paulino, the 2023 World Champion, was the big favorite in the women’s 400 m and looked like it, coming hard on the turn to take the lead and broke away to win in 50.27. Kenyan 800 m World Champion Mary Moraa came up quickly on the outside on the final straight to get second (50.56), with Alexis Holmes of the U.S. third in 50.73.

The women’s 1,500 m included last year’s winner, Diribe Welteji (ETH) found herself trailing countrywoman Freweyni Hailu with 600 m to go, and Hailu led at the bell, with Welteji close behind. The two separated from the field with 1,200 m to go and they dueled into the straight, where Welteji pushed to the lead and won in 3:55.25, with Hailu at 3:55.48 Kenya’s Susan Ejore won the race for third in 3:58.63.

The women’s 100 m hurdles lost some luster when Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) false started, then ran under protest. On the re-start, it was world no. 2 Tonea Marshall of the U.S. who was strongest in mid-race and pulled away to win in 12.55 (-1.0). Alaysha Johnson came on hard in the final 30 m in lane eight and timed a seasonal best of 12.57 in second. Camacho-Quinn had her protest upheld and she got fourth in 12.66.

Anna Cockrell came on over the final half of the women’s 400 m hurdles to out-duel Andrenette Knight (JAM), 53.75 to 54.69. Cockrell, already no. 2 on the world list in 2024, improved her seasonal best by 0.01.

The women’s triple jump was won by Thea LaFond of Doninica with her 14.37 m (47-1 3/4) in the fifth round, just ahead of Shanieka Ricketts (JAM: 14.36 m/47-1 1/2). Tori Franklin of the U.S. was third (13.87 m/45-6 1/4).

Right at noon, nine former stars were introduced, many of whom had a UCLA connection, such as Olympic gold medalists Steve Lewis and Danny Everett and coaches Bob Larsen and John Smith. But the biggest cheer was for 1996 Olympic sprint icon Michael Johnson, heading what the crowd clearly hoped will be a sport-changing league in 2025. A knowledgeable crowd, indeed.

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TSX BULLETIN: Barega and St. Pierre win star 5,000s at USATF Distance Classic at UCLA

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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All the hype coming into the USATF Distance Classic at UCLA on Friday night was on the 5,000 m races, with world-record holder Joshua Cheptegei (UGA), Tokyo 10,000 m champ Selemon Barega (ETH), American Record holder Grant Fisher and a lot more in the men’s race. It lived up to the billing.

The on-track wavelights were set at 12:54 and at 3,000 m, it was Sam Atkin (GBR) at 7:47.05, followed by American star Cooper Teare and Fisher. Teare took over with three laps left, with 12 still in contact!

Aregawi took over with 2 1/2 laps left, with Cheptegei close, but the pack still compact. The pressure increased with 600 m left and 2023 World Cross runner-up Berihu Aregawi (ETH) took the lead, but with a precarious lead over Barega, Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo, the Olympic 10,000 m bronze medalist.

At the bell, Barega was in full flight, but this only energized Aregawi, Biniam Mehari (ETH) and Cheptegei. No one could catch Barega and only Aregawi was in contention, with Cheptegei coming hard on the straight. Barega finished in 54.15 and slew an impressive field in a world-leading 12:51.60, with Aregawi at 12:52.09, Cheptegei at 12:52.38 and Kiplimo at 12:52.91. Fisher was fifth at 12:53.30.

The B race was a showcase for U.S. national champ Abdi Nur, who ran away from the field by the bell and steamed home with a lifetime best of 13:04.40, ahead of 13:08.47 lifetime best for Drew Hunter in second.

American 3,000 m World Indoor champ Elle St. Pierre was towing the women’s 5,000 m field, passing 3,000 m in 8:54.50, ahead of Joselyn Brea (VEN). St. Pierre and Brea were clear of the field with three laps left, and stayed together until the bell. St. Pierre put the hammer down with 300 m left and was unchallenged to the line in a huge personal best of 14:34.12, no. 4 on the world list in 2024 and no. 5 all-time U.S.

Brea got a national record of 14:36.59 in second and Britain’s Hannah Nuttall was a distant third (14:57.91).

The women’s Steeple featured 2022 World champ Norah Jeruto (KAZ), who led most of the race, but was in a pack of four with a half-lap to go, with Canada’s Ceili McCabe, American Madison Boreman and German Lea Meyer. It was McCabe who had all the speed down the straight and won handily in a national record of 9:20.58, now no. 8 on the 2024 world list. Boreman got a lifetime best of 9:21.98 in second and Jeruto was third in 9:22.45.

The men’s Steeple was another burner in the final straight, as Jean-Simon Desgagnes (CAN) out-sprinted Matthew Wilkinson of the U.S., 8:16.49 to 8:16.59, a lifetime best for Wilkinson.

The highlight of the early races was the B section of the men’s 800 m, with Mexico’s Jesus Lopez leading off the final turn, but with World Road Mile champ Hobbs Kessler coming hard on the straight. Kessler passed Kenya’s Festus Lagat with 50 m left and set his sights on Lopez and passed on the inside, squeezing by with a shoulder shove about 10 m from the finish. Kessler got a lifetime best (and Olympic Trials qualifier) of 1:45.07 for the win, with Lopez at 1:45.23 and Kagat at 1:45.28.

The men’s B race in the 1,500 m featured strong finishes from Matt Beadlescomb, who won with a lifetime best of 3:35.84, followed by Matt Wisner (3:36.45 PR) and John Gregorek (3:36.55).

The men’s hammer started at 5 p.m. in front of a 100 or so spectators, but proved to be historic, with a Dutch national record of 79.09 m (259-9) in the first round – also a Drake Stadium record – but passed by Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan, who got stadium marks of 79.33 m (260-3) in round two and 80.33 m (263-6) in round three!

They finished in that order, with Daniel Haugh of the U.S. third at 76.86 m (252-2).

The women’s hammer, held concurretly with interleaving rounds, had the top four on the world list for 2024, and world leader (and 2022 World Champion) Brooke Andersen of the U.S. had the best mark through five rounds when the field was cut to three for the final throw, at 77.32 m (253-8). The 2019 World Champion DeAnna Price improved to 75.22 m (253-2) for second, with reigning World Champion Cam Rogers (CAN) settling for third (75.56 m/247-11). .

The women’s vault was preceded by an on-field chat (not really an interview) between former U.S. World Champions Sam Kendricks and Sandi Morris, who previewed a closing song she wrote for tomorrow’s meet. Morris won at 4.53 m (15-0 1/4), clearing on her second try. She went to 4.70 m (15-5, equal-third outdoors in 2024) for a first-time clearance, then went to 4.80 m (15-9), but missed three times. It’s a new Drake Stadium record.

The women’s discus had Olympic champ Valarie Allman of the U.S., World Champion Lagi Tausaga of the U.S. and 2019 World champ Yaime Perez (CUB). Allman wasted no time taking the lead at 65.59 m (215-5). Perez was second at 64.28 m (210-11). But Allman strengthened her grip, extending to 67.79 m (222-5) in the second round and 67.93 m (222-10) in the third.

She didn’t improve, but neither did anyone else, although Perez matched her mark the sixth round. Van Klinken remainhed in third.

Jamaica’s Roje Stone was the clear leader after three rounds in the men’s disc at 66.90 m (219-6).

The meet continues tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific time and on NBC for the final two hours.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: ITA starts accelerated pre-Paris testing program; 11 gymnastics stars at Core Classic; FIFA pitches new anti-racism protocol

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. ITA acknowledges Chinese swimmer controversy in Paris plan
2. All-stars out in force for USA Gymnastics’ Core Hydration Classic
3. FIFA proposes new, anti-racism protocol at Congress
4. Volleyball World announces betting sponsorship tie-in
5. Coaches, retired fencers want better Sabre cheating inquiry

● The International Testing Agency announced the start of its pre-Games testing protocol for Paris, noting the controversy over the 2021 Chinese swimming positives and promising comprehensive testing for all “at-risk” countries and events.

● A spectacular line-up of women’s stars, including the last three Olympic All-Around gold medalists – Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Suni Lee – will line up for the USA Gymnastics’ Core Hydration Classic on Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut.

● FIFA sent a letter to its 211 national federations, proposing a more detail, five-part protocol to combat racism across football, including asking federations to lobby for criminal penalties in their own countries, but not changing the rules on forfeiture of matches.

● Volleyball World, the FIVB-CVC Partners joint venture, announced a five-year sponsorship agreement with Cyprus-based 1xBet, looking to take advantage of new revenue possibilities in the gambling field. This project will be closely watched by other federations and the International Olympic Committee, worried about sport integrity.

● A group of mostly U.S. coaches and retired Olympians posted an open letter to the USA Fencing board, demanding a better, deeper and more thorough investigation of match-fixing in Sabre, stating “Athletes are aware that evidence exists that discloses money being offered to fix matches.”

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Canada, Swiss, Sweden still unbeaten in IIHF men’s Worlds) ●

● Panorama: European Games (EOC signs memo with Istanbul to host 2027) = Canada (health tech entrepreneur donates C$1.4 million for athlete prizes for 2024-26) = Aquatics (World Aquatics takes over Tunisian federation) = Archery (Ellison and Kaufhold lead U.S. team for Paris) = Cricket (from-scratch 34,000-seat T20 World Cup stadium ready in New York) = Cycling (Alaphilppe gets first career Giro stage win!) = Figure Skating (Kerry will appeal SafeSport ban) = Swimming (2: McIntosh gets another 400 m Medley world record at Canadian Trials; Dressel and Ledecky keep improving in Atlanta) ●

1.
ITA acknowledges Chinese swimmer controversy in Paris plan

“ITA is taking due consideration to the current situation regarding Chinese swimmers.

“While neither the ITA nor its partner World Aquatics have come across any evidence that would suggest that a cover-up or a manipulation of the anti-doping process took place as some media reports suggest, the ITA has nonetheless taken the recent concerns over the matter into account.

“To ensure the credibility of the Games and reinforce the trust that the athlete community places in the global anti-doping system, the ITA decided, with the full support of World Aquatics, to adapt its testing plans to further reinforce independent and intelligence-led testing activities on all high-risk swimmers worldwide in this sensitive period ahead of the Games.

“This further reinforcement follows work carried out by the ITA on behalf of World Aquatics to increase these independent and intelligence-led testing activities on high-risk swimmers over the past three years.”

That’s from a Thursday post by the International Testing Agency, detailing some of its procedures as it “ramps up to focus on high-risk sports & athletes and supports global anti-doping efforts ahead of the Olympic Games.”

The ITA – not the World Anti-Doping Agency – has the testing responsibility for more than 80% of the summer Olympic federations, and has begun implementation of its testing efforts for identified “high risk” National Olympic Committees and sports:

“This risk is determined by several variables, of which the combination of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to which they belong and their discipline is one of the determining factors. …

“[A] minimum of three targeted doping controls [are to] be performed on high-risk athletes from the beginning of the year until the Games begin: over 50% of these high-risk athletes have already been tested at least once. 7% have been tested three times and a further 7% have been tested more than three times. As the majority of the tests will take place in the next 70 days, this can be seen as a positive trend in this area. More than two-thirds of these doping tests on high-risk athletes were carried out by NADOs, and around one-third by IFs.”

And special attention is being paid to “neutral” athletes:

“The ITA also continues to implement doping controls on Russian and Belarusian athletes potentially participating in the Games as individual neutral athletes (AIN) for the sports it is responsible for using independent doping control officers outside of the country.”

Observed: The ITA is under a lot of pressure for Paris and knows it. It has a good reputation, but the doping program in Paris will be very carefully scrutinized, and it will be fascinating to see whether the ITA or WADA provide detailed as-we-go reports on doping tests and positives or negatives, as we saw for Covid from the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 organizing committees.

2.
All-stars out in force for USA Gymnastics’ Core Hydration Classic

One of the finest fields in the history of women’s gymnastics was announced for the USA Gymnastics’ Core Hydration Classic on Friday and Saturday at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

This is a U.S.-only, women-only event, with youth and junior competitions on Friday, and senior competitions on Saturday. The second session, at 7 p.m. Eastern, includes the last three Olympic women’s All-Around champions, reportedly for the first time ever:

● 2012: Gabby Douglas: 3 Olympic golds; 2011-15 Worlds Team golds
● 2016: Simone Biles: 4 Olympic golds, 23 Worlds golds
● 2020: Suni Lee: 3 Olympic medals, 2019 Worlds Team gold

Add to that:

● Skye Blakely: 2022-23 Worlds Team golds
● Jade Carey: Tokyo Olympic Floor gold; 7 Worlds medals
● Jordan Chiles: 2022 Worlds Team gold, Vault and Floor silvers
● Kayla DiCello: 2023 Worlds Team gold; 2021 Worlds A-A bronze
● Shilese Jones: 2022-22 Worlds Team golds; 6 Worlds medals
● Joscelyn Roberson: 2023 Worlds Team gold
● Leanne Wong: 2022-23 Worlds Team golds; 4 Worlds medals
● Lexi Zeiss: 2022 Worlds Team gold

USA Gymnastics reported that these athletes have combined for 15 Olympic and 62 career World Championships medals. Hard to beat that.

The Saturday evening session will be shown on CNBC and the Peacock streaming network.

This is the start of a month-long program that will culminate in the naming of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team. Saturday’s meet will be followed by the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas from 30 May to 2 June, and finally the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 27-30 June.

3.
FIFA proposes new, anti-racism protocol at Congress

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom (SWE) sent a letter on Thursday describing an initiative that will be presented on Friday to the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok (THA) on curbing racism in football.

A major issue in the sport for decades, racist behavior in La Liga matches in Spain against Brazilian star Vinicius Junior – a striker for Real Madrid – has raised sensitivity and prompted FIFA to implement a new approach across the entire football world.

The Associated Press shared the two-page letter, which included:

● “We, together united as global football, will make racism a specific offence with mandatory inclusion in the individual Disciplinary Codes of all 211 FIFA Member Associations, differentiating racism from other incidents, giving acts of racism their own specific and severe sanctions, including match forfeits.”

● “We, together united as global football, will pause, suspend and abandon games in cases of racism, introducing a global standard gesture for players to communicate racist incidents and referees to signal the implementation of the three-step procedure which will be made mandatory in all 211 FIFA Member Associations.”

● “We, together united as global football, will push for the recognition of racism as a criminal offence in every country in the world, and where already an offence, will push for prosecution with the severity it deserves.”

The “global standard gesture” is suggested as crossed hands at the wrists in a “V” shape to alert the referee to a racist incident. Then:

● The referee will pause the match and activate a public address announcement, demanding an end to the offending behavior;

● Suspend of the match until the incident ends, and

● If needed, end the match.

This protocol has been in use already, but match suspensions and especially match-ending penalties have not been widely seen so far. In some cases, teams which have been victimized by racist chants from spectators, or in support of players who have been targeted, have walked off the field, but this action was not mentioned in the letter.

The crossed-hands signal is well known to Olympic observers, first being used by Rio 2016 men’s marathon runner-up Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia as he crossed the finish and used a crossed-hands gesture over his head as a message of support for a group of Omoro people who were facing relocation from areas around the capital of Addis Ababa by the government, which wanted to use the land for development projects. Tensions between the Ethiopian government and the Omoro continue to this day.

The proposal will be discussed at the FIFA Congress on Friday. The host of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will also be chosen.

The FIFA Council authorized a working group to study possible changes in the “FIFA Regulations Governing International Matches,” specifically to create recommendations concerning the playing of domestic league matches in outside countries.

FIFA has been sued by promoters trying to stage European league matches in the U.S. and other countries, currently not allowed by the FIFA regulations. The instructions or considerations given to the working group center on access by fans of a team in the domestic league country to matches scheduled in other countries, the impact on competition balance as a home-and-home protocol would be disrupted by matches held elsewhere, the impact on the country in which the matches would be played and so on.

The next steps:

“The working group will consist of 10-15 members from a variety of different football stakeholders, including representatives from member associations, confederations, clubs, leagues, players, supporter organisations, and also private entities engaged in organising international matches or competitions. The FIFA Council anticipates that the working group will make its recommendations in the following months.”

4.
Volleyball World announces betting sponsorship tie-in

Betting and international volleyball have come together as Volleyball World, the joint venture between the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and private equity firm CVC Partners, announced a multi-year sponsorship with 1xBet:

“The partnership will see 1xBet fully leverage Volleyball World’s digital platforms as well as branding featured throughout live events. It encompasses major volleyball tournaments such as the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), Volleyball World Championships and Club World Championships, as well as marquee beach volleyball events like the Beach Pro Tour (BPT) and the Beach Volleyball World Championships.

“1xBet is set to benefit from the sport’s global appeal, enhancing its international exposure and brand visibility thanks to the worldwide popularity of volleyball.”

Founded in 2007, 1xBet is headquartered in Cyprus. A check of the company’s primary Web site showed a message, “Access to this website is prohibited in the USA.”

Observed: This sponsorship, announced as a five-year deal, will be watched closely by other Olympic federations. Match-fixing is a major worry for Olympic sports, and most federations do not have enough money to maintain a dedicated team against such risks. The International Olympic Committee is already involved in programs to guard against manipulation.

There’s a lot of money in betting. The worry for federations has been to find reliable, safe partners and then guard against unscrupulous actions of outsiders to fix events for profit.

5.
Coaches, retired fencers want better Sabre cheating inquiry

A group of 54 coaches and retired Olympic fencers posted an open letter to the board of USA Fencing, calling for added attention to match manipulation in the Sabre discipline. In part:

“We, as the collective group of US Saber Fencing Coaches and Retired Saber Olympians, would like to address the urgent issue of saber fencing bout manipulations at the US and international levels which have egregiously impacted US Olympic selection and demoralized our saber fencers.

“We are extremely concerned with the process that US Fencing has put in place to investigate allegations of bout manipulation. The athletes we have heard from have no confidence in the current investigation for several reasons.”

Specific concerns were described, including “a one-way investigation relying on people who fear retribution to come forward and provide evidence. To our knowledge, the investigation has not followed up on leads and pertinent evidence that have exposed the manipulation,” a requirement to speak “on the record” vs. whistleblower status and no re-allocation of points earned in matches officiated by the two judges who have been suspended. In addition:

● “The interim investigation suspension of Mr. Jacobo Morales and Mr. Brandon Romo has left the impression that US Fencing is lenient on match-fixing. The suspension of only 9 months for both of these referees, who were found guilty of violating the USA Fencing Referee Code of Ethics, the FIE Technical Rules, and the FIE Ethical Code (International Fencing Federation) for the San Jose NAC on January 6, 2024, is ineffective as both referees continue to direct international FIE bouts and some domestic ones.”

● “Athletes are aware that evidence exists that discloses money being offered to fix matches, yet they have been told there is not enough proof. Additionally, the undersigned coaches who have testified to the investigation have informed the investigators that cheating has occurred, yet their expert input has been disregarded.”

On 24 April, USA Fencing announced suspensions of Morales and Romo, and said that the independent investigation it had commissioned was still incomplete. However, the work so far indicated that no athletes were involved in manipulating their own bouts and called the incident at the San Jose North American Cup in January “an isolated incident.”

It’s clear that there is a difference of opinion; the investigative report is scheduled to be published once completed, which is also the request of the coaches and retired fencers. The next public step appears to be the release of the investigation, being conducted by three firms.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● A little more than halfway through the group stage of the IIHF men’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava (CZE), Canada, Switzerland and Sweden continue undefeated.

In Group A, Canada is now 4-0 after a 4-1 win over Norway and the Swiss also improved to 4-0 by shutting down Great Britain, 3-0. The home Czechs (3-1) are currently third and Finland (2-2) owns fourth and the final playoff spot.

Sweden continues undefeated in Group B, now 4-0 with a 19-5 goals-against total after a 3-1 win against Kazakhstan. Slovakia (3-1) shut out Poland, 4-0, and the U.S. (2-2) moved up third in the group with a 5-0 whitewash of France. Latvia holds fourth, with the round-robin to continue through the 21st.

Finn Oliver Kapanen has taken the goal-scoring lead in the tournament with six, one more than Canadian star Connor Bedard.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● European Games ● The European Olympic Committees (EOC) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Turkish Olympic Committee in Rome (ITA), setting the stage for the formal award of the 2027 European Games to Istanbul. Said EOC President Spyros Capralos (GRE):

“The city is already set up to host Europe’s best athletes. The infrastructure is in place and there will be no new permanent venues built, which will make this a cost-efficient and sustainable Games, building on the model which worked in Poland last year.”

● Canada ● A Canadian patient-safety software entrepreneur, Sanjay Malaviya, pledged C$1.4 million ($1.03 million U.S.) to the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada for added rewards for medal winners at Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina in 2026. The upshot:

“The Team Canada Podium Awards will give Paris 2024 and Milano-Cortina 2026 medallists a $5,000 grant per medal earned. Additionally, $100,000 will go to Olympic and Paralympic Next Generation Initiatives, helping to fund the highest priority needs of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada.”

Malaviya, through his Malaviya Foundation, gave C$1.2 million to retroactively support Canadian medalists for Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The donations will allow awards beyond the existing Canadian Olympic and Paralympic awards of C$20,000-15,000-10,000 for medal winners in Paris.

● Aquatics ● With the turmoil in Tunisia, with the country’s Youth and Sports Ministry dissolving the national swimming federation board and the head of the federation arrested for following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s sanctions for non-compliance, World Aquatics announced Thursday that it has created a Stabilization Committee:

“The Stabilization Committee will run all day-to-day operations of the Tunisian Swimming Federation, conduct the proper and necessary amendments to the national federation’s Constitution, and organise and conduct a new election within six months.”

The action is effective immediately.

● Archery ● Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold confirmed their places as the top archers in the U.S. and are headed off to another Olympic Games in Paris.

The U.S. Olympic Trials in archery finally concluded with a sixth, weather-delayed stage in Newberry, Florida on Monday and Tuesday, with Ellison – the 2019 World Champion and a three-time Olympic medal winner – dominating the men’s division with 144.5 points, compiling the highest score in stage 6.

Kaufhold, still just 20 and a Tokyo Olympian in 2021, also scored 144.5 points and was the overwhelming winner in the women’s division.

In the final Trials program, Kaufhold won the first round-robin, had the highest score in the simulated team round and won the second round-robin. Catalina GNoriega finished second at 105.0 and Tokyo Olympian Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez was third (103.0); no one else scored higher than 88.0.

All three will go to Paris, as the U.S. women qualified as a team. Not so the men, so while Ellison is confirmed as an individual entrant, the U.S. will try to qualify for two more spots as a team in the World Archery final qualifier in Turkey in June.

Ellison, 35, qualified for his fifth Olympic Games, and won both round-robins on arrow average and the simulated team round to finish at 144.5. Texas A&M’s Trenton Cowles was a clear second at 115.0 and Jack Williams, also a Tokyo Olympian, was third at 95.0.

● Cricket ● The International Cricket Council’s Men’s T20 World Cup is coming to the U.S. and the West Indies from 1-29 June, with 20 teams playing a total of 55 matches.

This is the same format (T20) that will be used for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and a demonstration of what can be done in temporary facilities is being showcased in Nassau County, New York, where an open field has been turned into a 34,000-seat stadium that will host eight matches.

The facility uses portable bleachers and boxes normally used for hospitality suites at golf tournaments to create a first-class facility that will host its first event on 3 June, with Sri Lanka facing South Africa. The 9 June India-Pakistan game is expected to be a complete sell-out.

Construction took only three months. After the tournament ends, the stands will be removed and Eisenhower Park will be left with a permanent cricket competition field and practice facilities.

● Cycling ● French star Julian Alaphilippe owns two World Road Championship golds and has won six stages at the Tour de France, but never at the Giro d’Italia, until Thursday.

He attacked with 11.5 km left in the hilly, 193 km ride to Fano in stage 12, and no one could catch him. Alaphilippe – in his first Giro – finished in 4:07:44, with a 31-second edge on Ecuador’s Jhonaton Narvaez, the winner of stage 1. Quinten Hermans (BEL) finished third, 32 seconds behind.

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, the race leader, was 13th at the front of a large pack of the main contenders and maintains a 2:40 edge on Daniel Martinez (COL) and 2:56 on Geraint Thomas (GBR).

Stage 13 on Friday is flat and for the sprinters, with the second Individual Time Trial on Saturday – expect Pogacar to be aggressive, with a four-climb mountain stage with a long, uphill finish on Sunday to Livigno to finish the second week. If Pogacar is on, the final week could be largely ceremonial.

● Figure Skating ● Retired Australian skater Brendan Kerry, sanctioned for sexual misconduct with a minor and a lifetime ban from the sport in the U.S. by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, has said he will appeal:

“After hearing nothing from the US Center for SafeSport for almost three years … I received their decision with no advance warning whatsoever, sanctioning me for alleged violations that I did not commit.

“That decision is not final and I intend to challenge this suspension and request arbitration before a neutral arbitrator as is my right.”

The misconduct which led to the sanction took place during the 2016-17 period when Kerry was a registered coach with U.S. Figure Skating.

A three-time Olympian for Australia in the men’s Singles, he retired after the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

● Swimming ● Another world record for 17-year-old Summer McIntosh, this time in the 400 m Medley at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto, crushing her year-old mark of 4:25.87 from 2023 with a win in 4:24.38, winning by than 14 seconds.

She’s the two-time World Champion in the event and has now qualified for Paris in the 200 and 400 m Freestyle and the 400 m Medley. It’s her third world mark, after her 3:56.08 in the 400 Free (since surpassed) and two in the Medley.

She is entered in three more events, the 100 m Free, 200 m Butterfly, and 200 m Medley.

At the Speedo Atlanta Classic, Tokyo superstar Caeleb Dressel continued his methodical comeback, winning the men’s 100 m Free in 48.30, his best time since returning to competition. That’s only 32nd on the 2024 world list, and only fifth-best among Americans with a month to do before the Olympic Trials. But he is coming on, slowly.

U.S. distance icon Katie Ledecky also showed her continuing surge in fitness, joining the sub-4 club in the women’s 400 m Free, winning by more than nine seconds in 3:59.44. That’s equal-third on the world list for 2024, and just 0.38 behind McIntosh’s world-leading 3:56.06 at the Canadian Trials on Monday (13th).

The meet continues through Saturday.

● Weightlifting ● The President of the International Weightlifting Federation, Iraqi Mohammed Jalood, visited Baku in Azerbaijan for talks with the country’s Prime Minister, Minister of Sports and the National Olympic Committee and national federation on further development of weightlifting in the country.

But, as weightlifting barely made it onto the Los Angeles 2028 program in view of a history of widespread doping, that issue is still pertinent. The IWF report on the meetings noted Jalood’s comments:

“[T]hey want to elevate the level of weightlifting in Azerbaijan. The performances of the younger athletes in the country are already quite encouraging, but the sport and political officials are determined to develop a new weightlifting culture in the country, namely in the fundamental area of anti-doping.”

Continued attention to anti-doping is the only way weightlifting will continue as an Olympic sport.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Semenya appeals in Euro Court of Human Rights; 2014 Boston Marathon winner Deba gifted $75,000 prize! New low for Russia?

By
Rich Perelman
-
On to Paris: National Time trial champs Taylor Knibb and Brandon McNulty! (Photo: USA Cycling)

★ 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. Semenya case reappears at Euro Court of Human Rights
2. Deba gifted $75,000 ten years after 2014 Boston Marathon win!
3. Another new low? Russia called IOC’s Bach “criminal”
4. WADA confirms Tunisia now compliant
5. FIFA Council OKs Women’s Club World Cup 2026

● The Caster Semenya case was heard once again, this time before a 17-member Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, France. After losses against the World Athletics rules for women with “differences in sex development” at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Tribunal, she got a 4-3 decision from the ECHR for a deeper review, which was appealed by the Swiss to the larger panel. A decision is not expected for several months.

● After the winner of the women’s division of the 2014 Boston Marathon was disqualified for doping, winner Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia never received her $75,000 winner’s prize money, or the $25,000 course-record bonus. After a story in the Wall Street Journal, a Philadelphia businessman sent Deba the $75,000 prize and will pay the rest of the race does not!

● The Russian Foreign Ministry is on the warpath with the International Olympic Committee once again, calling the IOC’s plan to look over athlete social-media posts to check on their neutrality vis-a-vis the Ukraine invasion as “criminal.” Perhaps a new low?

● The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that Tunisia has been deemed compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, following the country’s inclusion of the Code in its legal system. No word from Tunisia about a release of the head of the national anti-doping agency, arrested after following WADA sanctions. A statement was posted from the WADA Athlete Council about the Chinese doping positives in January 2021, which raises as many questions as it gives answers.

● The FIFA Council announced a new women’s Club World Cup for 2026 and smaller tournaments in other years, and confirmed Swede Mattias Grafstrom as the FIFA Secretary General.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (garbage collector’s strike averted for Games) = Athletics (world leaders for Fabbi and Furlani in Savona) = Boxing (World Boxing gets Nike-linked sponsorship) = Cycling (2: Knibb qualifies for Paris in cycling in addition to triathlon; Milan wins second Giro stage) = Figure Skating (Australia’s Kerry banned by U.S. SafeSport) = Swimming (Ledecky and Finke take 1,500s at Atlanta Classic) = Table Tennis (China’s Wang and Chen dominate at Saudi Smash) ●

1.
Semenya case reappears at Euro Court of Human Rights

The latest chapter in the case of South African double women’s Olympic 800 m winner Caster Semenya came on Wednesday, as she appeared as part of a hearing before a Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

The specific case in front of the ECHR Grand Chamber of 17 judges does not directly concern the World Athletics regulations for athletes with “Differences in Sex Development,” in Semenya’s case, an extraordinarily high, natural testosterone level in comparison to other women.

At issue now is the procedure in her case. In 2019, the Court of Arbitration for Sport held that the World Athletics regulations were discriminatory, but “reasonable and proportionate” and allowed them to stand in order to protect the women’s competition category.

Semenya, now 33, appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which has very limited grounds to review CAS cases, and the case was dismissed in 2020. She then took her case to the European Court of Human Rights, demanding that she receive a more thorough review from the Swiss Federal Tribunal and protesting its limited right of review. In effect, she was asking for the Swiss Federal Tribunal to act as a full appellate court for the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In July 2023, the ECHR panel voted by 4-3, to uphold part of her complaint, especially “that the applicant had not been afforded sufficient institutional and procedural safeguards in Switzerland.”

This was appealed by the Swiss – who do not want to see their court workload expanded with a long line of Court of Arbitration for Sport cases – and asked for a hearing before a much larger Grand Chamber. This was granted in November.

Multiple outside groups have been allowed to file briefs in the current case, including World Athletics, the British government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a hearing was held Wednesday.

If successful, no regulations would be changed in Semenya’s case, but her case would be sent back to the Swiss Federal Tribunal for a more thorough re-examination. It would have the authority to change or modify the holding at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and could send it back for s re-hearing. If the holding is for Switzerland, Semenya’s legal channels would appear to be closed.

Semenya said after the hearing:

“The outcome of this case is very important. You need to pave out a way for young women so they cannot face the injustice, the scrutiny of being judged, being dehumanized and being discriminated.

“I don’t think this is about my career. It is about me being an advocate for what is right, to voice out for those who cannot fight for themselves.”

No decision is expected for several months.

2.
Deba gifted $75,000 ten years after 2014 Boston Marathon win!

Kenyan marathon star Rita Jeptoo won the 2014 Boston Marathon in a course-record 2:18:57, with New York-based Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba finishing second in 2:19:59, also under the old course mark.

Jeptoo was later disqualified for doping, which elevated Deba as the winner and she holds the course record to today.

What she did not get was the $75,000 first prize that was given to Jeptoo, nor the $25,000 bonus for the course record. The Boston Athletic Association, which owns and operates the race, has never been able to get the money back from Jeptoo.

Deba last competed in a major marathon in 2020 and still lives in New York, and her situation was detailed in a 12 April story by Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal. And then, everything changed.

Seeing that story was Doug Guyer, the co-founder of Brandshare US, one of the first e-commerce media networks – founded in 1984 and sold to private equity investors in 2015 – and a 1983 Boston College graduate.

He decided to do something about Deba’s plight, and a Monday (13th) follow-up WSJ story reported that Guyer sent Deba the $75,000 winner’s prize personally, and will consider paying the remaining $25,000 himself if the B.A.A. does not.

WBZ-TV Boston asked the B.A.A. for comment and it replied, in pertinent part:

“The B.A.A is still pursuing Ms. Jeptoo to recover the prize money for Ms. Deba, which the B.A.A. believes would be a just and fair result for her and all runners who follow the rules.”

Deba, now 36, said she would use the money for her family and could return to competition:

“For us, it’s a miracle. It’s life-changing, big money. We were waiting so long.”

The 2024 Boston Marathon had an open-division prize purse – for men and women – of $806,000, and a $50,000 race-record bonus.

Jeptoo, 43, was banned for four years from October 2014 to October 2018, and was apparently out of competition until 2022, when she ran in three marathons. She has competed sparingly in 2023 and 2024 and finished third in the Semi-Marathon du Grand Nancy in France on 17 March. Maybe she won some prize money there she could send to Deba?

3.
Another new low? Russia called IOC’s Bach “criminal”

In March, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova ripped into the IOC’s conditions for Paris participation by Russian “neutrals” and its criticism of September’s World Friendship Games, telling reporters:

“Absolutely unacceptable, not just politicized, but indeed standing on a par with decisions supported by racial discrimination, is the statement of the International Olympic Committee, which directly called on athletes and states to refuse to participate in the international competition World Friendship Games.

“These decisions demonstrate how far the International Olympic Committee has departed from its stated principles in favor of political expediency and slipped into racism and neo-Nazism.”

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams (GBR) replied:

“We’ve seen some very aggressive statements coming out of Russia today, but there is one comment even which is going beyond that and we’ve even seen amongst one of two ones that link the president, his nationality and the Holocaust, and this is completely unacceptable and reaches a new low.”

Maybe there’s a new, new low.

On Wednesday, Zakharova was at it again, responding to last week’s Instagram post from the anti-government, activist Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation that it and a group of Ukrainian athletes would be scouring social media sites and providing information to the IOC’s “Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel” announced in March:

“This joint project focuses on the verification of Belarusian and Russian athletes planning to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games.

“The aim is to ensure these athletes do not have ties to military or paramilitary structures, aligning with the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations on athlete neutrality.

“Through the collection and analysis of information from open sources, both pre and post-Olympics, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and neutrality in sports.”

IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) is not a member of the Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel, but that did not stop Zakharova from another furious tirade on Wednesday, about the use of social-media comments made by Russian athletes as a reason not to allow them to compete in Paris as “neutrals”:

“We would have previously labeled this as the height of dishonesty, but in actuality it is a criminal statement.

“This reasoning goes not just against, but in direct opposition to all documents that regulate the work of Thomas Bach.

“We are convinced that by resorting to such unscrupulous, illegal, unlawful and immoral steps the IOC leadership is discrediting itself, undermining the Olympic Charter and creating chaos in the world of global sports.”

A new low? Could be.

4.
WADA confirms Tunisia now compliant

As had been expected, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced that the 2 May 2024 changes to Tunisian law appropriately incorporated the World Anti-Doping Code and confirmed that the country is compliant.

The Tunisian Ministry of Youth and Sports had projected this outcome after the legislation had passed, but when the Tunisian flag was covered – as required by WADA’s sanctions at the time – at last week’s 20-nation, Tunisian Open Masters swimming meet, it created a crisis in which the Tunisian President Kais Saied came to the pool in Rades and had the flag raised.

He then set in motion the arrest of the head of the Tunisian swimming federation, the head of the Tunisian anti-doping agency and seven other officials, with charges including including “attack on the flag of Tunisia,” “formation of an organised group to commit attacks and cause disorder,” and a “plot against the internal security.” Two have been detained with the other seven freed ahead of a trial.

On Tuesday, WADA issued its own comment:

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has expressed its deep concern following the arrest of the Director General of the National Anti-Doping Organization of Tunisia (ANAD) and dismissal from his role for simply trying to abide by the consequences of ANAD’s non-compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).”

No announcement has been made about the situation of the Tunisian officials who were arrested.

The WADA Athlete Council issued a statement on the 2021 Chinese swimming doping positives,

“We acknowledge that the athlete community may feel frustrated by what they are reading and hearing, which could lead to uncertainty about the case and the entire anti-doping framework. As members of the AC, we understand these sentiments, especially for those who have personally experienced the impact of cheating in their sports.

“At the same time, we are concerned by the fact that athletes’ personal information, including their names and photos, have been leaked to the media. This is a serious breach of athletes’ rights, including of minors, which simply cannot be tolerated. As such, we have asked WADA to investigate what led to this information being leaked to the media and whether any adjustments to rules, processes or procedures should be made to limit this risk in the future, while maintaining protection of whistleblowers. …

“We firmly believe that athletes who dope, which has not been asserted here, must be appropriately sanctioned and that the global anti-doping system must be robust. We equally believe that the presumption of innocence and the right to fair and due process, regardless of an athlete’s sport or country, must be at the core of the antidoping system.”

Observed: This is a troubling statement, especially the phrase “athletes who dope, which has not been asserted here …” In fact, there were 28 positive tests across 23 athletes for the banned substance trimetazidine. Under normal procedures, this would have resulted in immediate suspensions. None were imposed.

Further, the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency waived off the positives, saying that the source of the drug was a hotel kitchen where meals were prepared for the athletes. WADA took CHINADA’s word for it and did not do its own investigation; admittedly, this would have been nearly impossible in China, an authoritarian state.

However, the German ARD report “The China Files” stated that the CHINADA report was in fact compiled by China’s Ministry of Public Security, not the anti-doping agency itself. This raises serious questions about the report and its timing, released months later.

These questions need to be answered, and then WADA’s reaction can be judged. The WADA Athlete Council only injures its own credibility in stating that doping in this case “has not been asserted here” in the face of 28 acknowledged doping positives.

5.
FIFA Council OKs Women’s Club World Cup 2026

In advance of the FIFA Congress which will elect the host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for 2027, the FIFA Council on Wednesday approved the promised creation of a FIFA Women’s Club World Cup for January and February 2026, with 16 teams.

The event will be held every four years, with an additional tournament in the other three years beginning in 2027. No format was announced.

The Council also confirmed Mattias Grafstrom (SWE) as the FIFA Secretary General.

Friday’s 2027 Women’s World Cup vote was confirmed between Brazil and the joint Belgium-Netherlands-Germany bid, and the “global stand against racism in football” declaration was also approved for presentation to the Congress.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A threatened garbage-collector’s strike during the Games has been averted as the Paris City Hall announced a deal on Wednesday. The Associated Press reported a city statement that “An increase in the allowance system has been approved: 50 euros ($54) gross per month from July 2024, then 30 euros ($32.5) gross per month from January 2025.”

In addition, bonus payments for workers engaged during the Games period “remains between 600 euros ($650) and 1,900 euros ($2,060), depending on the degree of intensification of the workload during the preparation, organization and/or participation in the staging.”

● Athletics ● More world-leading action, this time in Savona (ITA) at the 13th Citta Di Savona meet on Wednesday, with Italian shot putter Leonardo Fabbri getting a national record and world lead at 22.95 m (75-3 1/2).

Fabbri, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, surpassed the 1987 national mark of 22.91 m (75-2) by Alessandro Andrei, the last of three world records he achieved on 12 August 1987 in Viareggio. Fabbri moved up to no. 5 on the all-time list and no. 2 in European history.

Equaling the world lead in the men’s long jump was Italian Mattia Furlani, 19, the 2024 World Indoor runner-up, who won at 8.36 m (27-5 1/4) to match Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece. It’s also a World U-20 (World Junior) record for Furlani, eclipsing the 8.35 m (27-4 3/4) by Sergey Morgunov (RUS) from 2012.

● Boxing ● The World Boxing group trying to become the International Federation for Olympic boxing announced its second commercial sponsorship, with Nike licensee Athlete Performance Solutions, to supply Nike Boxing sporting apparel and footwear for officials and “co-branded apparel and products for sale to consumers.”

It’s the second sponsorship for World Boxing, as Sting joined in 2023 to provide “gloves, protective clothing, handwraps and training equipment.”

● Cycling ● Taylor Knibb was already on the plane for Paris in the women’s triathlon when she lined up for Wednesday’s USA Cycling national Time Trial championship in Charleston, West Virginia.

Less than 42 minutes later, she is now going to be competing in cycling as well as triathlon as she won the 33.7 km Time Trial in 41:54.69, ahead of Kristen Faulkner (42:05.88) and two-time World Champion Amber Neben – now 49 – in 42:44.53. Said Knibb, 26:

“I’m in shock. I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m just in shock. Last year was hard for the TT [Nationals]. And there are so many incredible riders out here, it was such an incredible day riding with them.”

Looking ahead to the Paris schedule, the women’s Time Trial is on 27 July, the first full day of competition, and the women’s triathlon will be on 31 July.

Brandon McNulty won the men’s race and is off to Paris, winning in 37:42.08, ahead of Tyler Stites (38.40.22) and Neilson Powless (38:44.17). McNulty heads to his second Olympics, after finishing sixth in the Road Race in Tokyo in 2021.

No change at the 107th Giro d’Italia, with a sprinter’s stage on Wednesday that went to home favorite Jonathan Milan, for his second stage win this year.

Stage 11’s 207 km ride to Francalla al Mare was flat for the last half and Milan won the mass sprint to the line over Kaden Groves (AUS) and Giovanni Lonardi (ITA), for his third career Giro stage victory.

Race leader Tadej Pogacar (SLO) was 27th, as the first 89 riders all received the same time. He continues with a 2:40 advantage on Daniel Martinez (COL), with a hilly but not dramatic stage on Thursday, a flat sprint stage on Friday and the second Individual Time Trial on Saturday.

● Figure Skating ● The U.S. Center for SafeSport listed three-time Australian Olympian Brendan Kerry as permanently ineligible as of Tuesday for “Sexual Misconduct – involving a minor.” The holding was shown as subject to appeal.

Now 29, Kerry competed at the 2014-18-22 Winter Olympic Games in the men’s Singles and stopped competing after the 2022 season.

He was the subject of reports for misconduct by American skating star Gracie Gold in 2016, and by an unnamed, minor skater. Reuters reported that Kerry was a registered coach with U.S. Figure Skating during the 2016-17 season.

Ice Skating Australia said in a statement, “We are in the process gathering and considering all information available in relation to the determination by the US Centre for SafeSport.”

● Swimming ● We’re getting closer to the U.S. Olympic Trials – presented by Eli Lilly & Co. – in Indianapolis in a month and Olympic champs Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke are showing their fitness at the Speedo Atlanta Classic.

On Wednesday, they won the women’s and men’s 1,500 m Freestyles, with Ledecky taking charge from the start and finishing with a world-leading 15:38.25, improving on her 15:38.81 in January in Knoxville. It’s the no. 17 performance in history and she has the top 18 and 24 of the top 26. Open-water ace Ashley Twichell was second in 16:22.69.

Finke won the men’s 1,500 m in 14:58.08, moving to no. 14 on the world list, from no. 24, also from January in Knoxville. He won by almost 44 seconds and reportedly has never swum this fast this early in the year, a good sign.

The meet continues through Saturday.

● Table Tennis ● The $2 million Saudi Smash tournament in Jeddah concluded with a Chinese sweep of all five titles, with the 2023 Worlds individual silver medalists playing roles in all five wins!

No. 1-ranked Chuqin Wang, 24, won his biggest tournament title so far in the men’s final, edging German Patrick Franziska, four sets to two: 11-2, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 10-12, 11-6, moving up from his second-place finish at the 2023 World Championships.

Meng Chen, ranked fourth coming in, won the all-China final from top-ranked Yingsha Sun, also by four to two: 6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8. Chen had been second, third and second in the last three Worlds; this time, she ended on top of the podium.

Wang got a second win with two-time Olympic champ Long Ma in the men’s Doubles, defeating Japan’s Hiroto Shinozuka and Shinsuke Togami, 11-6, 11-5 and 11-9, and then got a third gold in the Mixed Doubles! He teamed with Sun to cruise past Hong Kong’s Chun Ting Wong and Hoi Kem Doo, 11-6, 11-6 and 11-6.

Chen got a second gold in the women’s Doubles, as she and Manyu Wang swept second-seeded Jihee Jeon and Yubin Shin (KOR), 11-6, 11-6, 12-10.

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, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Study says Paris ‘24 injects €6.7-11.2 billion impact; IOC excited about new Olympic Qualifier Series; WADA angry over Tunisian arrests

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. New study puts Paris 2024 impact at €6.7 to €11.2 billion
2. Inaugural Olympic Qualifying Series starts in Shanghai
3. Olympic Qualifying Series set for future expansion
4. WADA protests arrest of Tunisian anti-doping chief
5. U.S. ski star Johnson hit with 14-month whereabouts sanction

● A new study of the long-term economic impact of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games shows potential impacts over 17 years – 2018 to 2034 – of between €6.7 billion and €11.2 billion. That’s comparable to the estimates way back in 2016, during the bid phase. Even so, it’s only a small contributor to the massive economic engine of the Ile-de-France region.

● The International Olympic Committee’s first “Olympic Qualifier Series” starts on Thursday in Shanghai, with competitions in Breaking, Sport Climbing. Skateboarding and BMX Freestyle cycling. Combined with June’s second stop in Budapest, it will determine the Paris qualifiers in these sport, giving them a higher profile than otherwise possible. Capacity crowds of 15,000 are expected each day.

● IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell explained that the Olympic Qualifier Series will be continued, but not as a simple stand-alone, but as part of a concerted push – especially on digital media – to highlight the qualifying path not only to the Olympic Games, but to the Winter Games in 2026 as well.

● The World Anti-Doping Agency expressed “deep concern” over the arrest of the head of the Tunisian Anti-Doping Agency, who was carrying out WADA instructions over non-compliance of Tunisia with the World Anti-Doping Code. WADA will also hold a meeting of its Foundation Board on Friday to discuss the 2021 incident in which 23 Chinese swimmers were found to be doping, but were not sanctioned after the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency said they consumed contaminated food.

● American ski star Breezy Johnson was sanctioned with a 14-month suspension for recording three “whereabouts” failures over a 12-month period. The sanction is fairly mild and runs from October 2023 when she missed her third report. That means she could be back – if recovered from her 2022 injuries – for this December’s World Cup Downhill in Colorado.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Four unbeatens left in men’s Worlds, as U.S. hangs on for playoff spot) ●

● Panorama: Russia (Degtyarev takes over as sports minister) = Athletics (2: Kerley promises 100 m world record!; no interest on delayed Doha Diamond League show) = Cycling (Paret-Peintre takes Giro stage 10) = Swimming (2: Lilly takes presenting role for U.S. swim trials; McIntosh takes world lead in 400 m Free at Canadian Trials) ●

1.
New study puts Paris 2024 impact at €6.7 to €11.2 billion

The Limoges Center for Sports Law and Economics (CDES) announced in a new study released on Tuesday that the long-term economic impact of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is estimated in a range from €6.707 billion to €11.145 billion from 2018 through 2034! (€1 = $1.08 U.S.)

The lengthy period takes into account the preparation and staging of the Games, and a 10-year legacy period, and is limited to the Ile-de-France region which includes Paris. Most of the impact comes from the 2018-24 timeframe:

● Lowest: 92% for Games period, 8% for legacy
● Middle: 84% for Games period, 16% for legacy
● Highest: 83% for Games period, 17% for legacy

And the drivers are well familiar to mega-events:

● Lowest: 21% tourism, 31% construction, 48% organizing
● Middle: 30% tourism, 28% construction, 42% organizing
● Highest: 32% tourism, 27% construction, 41% organizing

The study includes all economic centers of the 2024 effort, not only the Paris 2024 organizing committee, but also the government’s SOLIDEO construction agency and related works. It also included a warning about the overall impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on the economy of the region. Even at the maximum impact of €11.145 billion over 17 years, it’s essentially a trivial amount compared to even a single year of the Ile-de-France Gross Domestic Product, estimated in 2021 at €765 billion!

The methodology as described is fairly standard, with gross, unduplicated spending with a multiplier taking into account future indirect and induced spending in the Ile-de-France region, with a reduction for displacement of “normal” economic activity – in tourism for example – that was pushed out due to the Games being held. The multipliers for the low-middle-high values were conservative at 1.05, 1.25 and 1.50, yielding the overall impact spread.

An analysis of the Paris 2024 organizing committee’s expenses showed an impressive 75% spent inside the Paris region (Ile-de-France) and 25% outside.

Estimates of visitors to the Games, in part relying on ticket sales, news media and athletes (and families) who will come to Paris showed:

● 2.3 to 3.1 million unique visitors coming to the Games
● 36% foreign spectators for the Olympic Games
● 17% foreign spectators for the Paralympic Games
● 90,000+ athletes, officials, media and volunteers

Careful calculations were made about the number of visitors who actually were accommodated in Paris during the Games and “day-trippers,” who came in to see events, but then went back home. Interestingly, a comparison of the economic impact of news media to volunteers showed:

● News media: 25,045 out of region, spending €119 million
● Volunteers: 27,900 out of region, spending €133 million

The displacement impact – subtracting out normal tourism activities if the Games had not been held – was significant in Paris, at 22%.

An appendix compared the 2016 economic impact projections for 2018-34, reducing the 2024 report numbers for inflation. It’s a mixed result:

● Lowest: €5.3 billion in 2016 vs. €5.69 billion now
● Middle: €8.1 billion in 2016 vs. €7.64 billion now
● Highest: €10.7 billion in 2016 vs. €9.47 billion now

Observed: The takeaway from all the numbers is that the Paris 2024 effort has been fairly successful in maintaining its cost structure and that the total overall economic impact is substantial.

However, it is only a modest contributor to a much, much larger economic engine that is the Ile-de-France region. Having the Games is a net plus for the French, Ile-de-France and Paris economies, but hardly a major driver. That, in itself, is crucially important to remember.

2.
Inaugural Olympic Qualifying Series starts in Shanghai

“This is the uniqueness of this event: it’s about sport, it’s about culture, it’s about art, it’s about music, it’s about fashion. And you can really see in that festival area, you have the sponsor showrooms – these are really expanses of fans trying sports – you have the big stage of concerts, you have food trucks, so we have a fantastic set-up for this first edition of the Olympic Qualifier Series.”

That’s Pierre Fratter-Bardy (FRA), the International Olympic Committee’s Associate Director for Olympic Games Strategy & Development, speaking during a Tuesday news conference about the two-stage Olympic Qualifier Series that begins in Shanghai (CHN) on Thursday and will finish in Budapest (HUN) next month.

Olympic qualifying competitions will be held in Breaking, Sport Climbing, Skateboarding and BMX Freestyle.

The Olympic Qualifying Series was developed out of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 recommendation to raise the profile of the qualifying process for Paris 2024. IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) noted that more than 400 events have been shown on the IOC’s Olympic Channel and highlighted on the IOC’s digital channels.

In Shanghai and Budapest, McConnell explained that more than 450 athletes will participate in total, from 120 national federations across 55 National Olympic Committees, with about 80 Olympians from prior Games and 18 prior Olympic medal winners in the four sports. He explained how the sports were selected:

“The four sports really fit together well in terms of the field of play … and they all fit together culturally as well, with the community atmosphere, the individual expression, the music, the culture that comes along with these four sports and disciplines.”

Moreover, for Sport Climbing and Skateboarding in their second Olympic Games and Breaking in its first Games, these sports did not have long-established, traditional qualifying processes. The same is also true for BMX Freestyle, first contest at Tokyo 2020.

Asked what constitutes “success” for this first-time effort, Fratter-Bardy observed:

“It all starts with the athletes and this is about getting their feedback and ensuring that this new Olympic experience, it brings something to them. What we heard from them, speaking to them here on the ground, is that it can’t get closer to the Games. … For most of them, it is the first time they are competing in an event with the Olympic Rings and this triggers a lot of excitement. It’s also a multi-sport event and we are offering them the opportunity to go and watch the other sports competitions, which is very unique as well.

“So I said, it starts with the athletes, obviously then, we have the fans and we expect the park to be full. We expect huge crowds … We have four days of competition: you have Thursday, Friday [for] prelims, Saturday, Sunday for finals, and every day we have a big show. On Thursday we start with the dance show, on Friday we have a fashion show, on Saturday, it’s about Chinese culture, and on Sunday, we’ll end up with a big concert.

“So we will look at success from the athlete’s and from the fan’s perspective, and then, obviously, it’s an event that has been designed with a digital mindset in mind, and we have plenty of activations that have been planned especially for digital platforms.”

Fratter-Bardy, speaking from Shanghai, said, “It’s an exceptional setup. The park is truly phenomenal.” One ticket will allow access to all competitions and festival programs on each day, with the park capacity at 15,000.

The Olympic Qualifier Series is another Olympic Agenda 2020+5 activation for the IOC, and tributes were paid to the Youth Olympic Games programs in Nanjing (CHN) in 2014 and Buenos Aires (ARG) in 2018 that showcased some of these new sports very successfully. Moreover, the mammoth success of the annual International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE), which draws more than 100,000 a day each year.

Fratter-Bardy emphasized the IOC’s actualization of its mission: “In Shanghai, in a couple of days, we will see a continuation of this real focus on innovation, and urban sport in the Olympic program.”

3.
Olympic Qualifying Series set for future expansion

IOC Sports Director McConnell was asked about the future of the Olympic Qualifying Series, and he focused on the wider promotion of the Olympic qualifying process rather than on actual events that the IOC would arrange:

● “In terms of the wider promotion of the Olympic Qualifiers, we really do see this continuing and probably expanding in the future. And for the Olympic Winter Games, we’re already discussing with the winter Olympic federations how we could build on what we’ve done, learned all of the successes on the pathway to Paris for the winter pathway towards Milano Cortina over the next couple of winters.”

● “Yes, we see a continuation of promoting the qualifiers more generally, always in partnership with the federations and not limiting what they do around their own events, and then specifically around the Olympic Qualifier Series, we’ll take this back and have a look . We’re really sure it’s going to be hugely successful over the two stops on the series and then we’ll see how we can look at that as we move forward to Los Angeles.”

● “What we try and do with the Qualifiers promotion is find ways of allowing the federations to have their commercial partners, their partners across their different events and different hosts, and promote those, including a lot around the digital promotion to ensure that people know those qualification events, to amplify and add value to the federations, to the hosts, to the athletes, to the [National Olympic Committees] and everyone.”

● “In terms of the Olympic Winter side, I think, again, just to be clear, we’re not looking necessarily at the Olympic Qualifier Series being implemented for Milano Cortina, but what we are looking to do is really promote the pathway towards Milano Cortina, the qualification … to really celebrate that there are a huge number of events across all of the winter disciplines over the next two winter seasons, and in the case of the indoor sports, over the course of the summers as well that count towards Milano Cortina and the pathway there.”

An Olympic Qualifying Series for Los Angeles in 2028 will look different, as Breaking is not on the program, while BMX Freestyle, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing has been confirmed. A federation which will be on the Olympic program for 2028 for the first time will be World Squash, which would be a candidate for a Qualifying Series inclusion.

4.
WADA protests arrest of Tunisian anti-doping chief

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has expressed its deep concern following the arrest of the Director General of the National Anti-Doping Organization of Tunisia (ANAD) and dismissal from his role for simply trying to abide by the consequences of ANAD’s non-compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).”

Monday night’s statement came in the aftermath of furious response by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who heard about the covering of the Tunisian flag in accordance with Tunisia’s non-compliant status at the 20-nation Tunisian Open Masters championship in Rades, appeared unannounced at the facility and had the flag raised and national anthem sung.

On Monday, the state prosecutor’s office confirmed that the head of the Tunisian swimming federation, the head of the national anti-doping office and seven others have been arrested, with charges under seven sections of the penal code including “attack on the flag of Tunisia,” “formation of an organised group to commit attacks and cause disorder,” and a “plot against the internal security.” Two have been detained with the other seven freed ahead of a trial.

The WADA statement also included:

“WADA supports the efforts of ANAD and International Federations to uphold the decision by the WADA Executive Committee to assert non-compliance in this case. Reports that the ANAD Director General has been arrested for doing so is a matter of grave concern. WADA calls for his immediate and unconditional release from custody, as well as the dropping of any charges made against him pertaining to this.

“Since the non-conformity in Tunisia was established, WADA has been working closely with the authorities to ensure the matter could be dealt with as quickly as possible. Indeed, excellent progress has been made in that regard, making this latest development all the more unfortunate and untimely. WADA remains confident that the matter will be resolved in the very near future.”

A spokesman for the Tunisian Youth and Sports Ministry said last week – prior to the meet – that changes to Tunisian law had been made to accommodate the World Anti-Doping Code and that the non-compliant label – as WADA alluded to in its statement – would be lifted within a couple of weeks.

An extraordinary online meeting of the WADA Foundation Board will be held Friday to further discuss the 2021 case concerning the doping positives of 23 Chinese swimmers for trimetazidine during a January national-level competition.

WADA accepted a report from the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency that excused the positives due to contamination of a kitchen in which meals were prepared for the swimmers, but a documentary from the German ARD channel has raised significant questions about the tests, the report and that WADA did not appeal the excused positives to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The WADA Executive Committee has already had extended discussion on this matter on 25 April, and an independent counsel has been engaged to determine if WADA’s actions in the case were proper.

5.
U.S. ski star Johnson hit with 14-month whereabouts sanction

American women’s downhiller Breezy Johnson agreed to a 14-month suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for three “whereabouts” failures in a 12-month period:

“At the time of the Whereabouts Failures, Johnson, 28, was included in the USADA Registered Testing Pool (RTP), which consists of a select group of elite athletes subject to certain Whereabouts requirements in order to be located for out-of-competition testing. Within a 12-month period, Johnson accrued three Whereabouts Failures: the first on October 29, 2022, the second on June 13, 2023, and the third on October 10, 2023.”

The penalty for a first failure of this type is 12-24 months and her relatively low ban is “because Johnson’s degree of fault was relatively low given the circumstances of the case.” Her ban was effective as of 10 October 2023.

Johnson owns seven FIS Alpine World Cup medals, from 2021 and 2022, and had a very promising 2022 season cut short by injury during training in January 2022, three weeks prior to the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, where she was a medal contender.

Because of this late announcement and the 2023 start date for her ban, she will be eligible again in December of this year and could rejoin the World Cup tour in time for the season’s first Downhill, at Beaver Creek, Colorado on 14 December.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Pool play continues at the 2024 IIHF men’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava (CZE), with Canada and Switzerland still unbeaten in Group A and Sweden and Latvia undefeated in Group B.

Through three rounds of seven matches in both groups, Canada is 3-0 with 16 total goals, led by Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks) leading the tournament with five goals so far. The Swiss are also 3-0 and the two sides will meet on the 19th.

Sweden has also scored 16 total goals and is 3-0, beating the U.S., 5-2, then Poland (5-1) and Germany (6-1). Latvia is 3-0 with two overtime wins, followed by Slovakia (2-1) and the U.S., which has a win over Germany (6-1), the loss to Sweden and an overtime loss to Slovakia, 5-4, on Monday. Nevertheless, the top four in each group make it to the playoffs, and the U.S. schedule is favorable.

The quarterfinals are on the 23rd and the medal matches on the 26th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● Mikhail Degtyarev has been appointed the new Minister of Sport for Russia, with Russian President Vladimir Putin signing the decree on Tuesday (14th). He replaces Oleg Matytsin, the former head of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), who became minister in 2020.

Degtyarev, 42, is a State Duma member and has been the governor of the eastern Russian territory of Khabarovsk Krai since 2021. He has been sanctioned by multiple countries, including the U.S., for his role in supporting Russian invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022.

He said he plans no changes in policy regarding Russian athletes and their decisions whether to compete as neutrals – if permitted – at Paris 2024, and he expects to continue with contacts in the Olympic Movement despite the continued suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee.

● Athletics ● American Fred Kerley, the 2022 World men’s 100 m champion, with a lifetime best of 9.76 from that year, posted on X (ex-Twitter) on Tuesday:

“World record next time I touch the 100m”

Jamaican Usain Bolt’s 9.58 world mark has been untouched since his brilliant performance at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin (GER). Kerley’s last 100 m was on 27 April at the Suzhou Diamond League, finishing third in 10.11.

Whoever watched the Diamond League meet in Doha (QAT) last Friday watched it live on Peacock, as the Nielsen report for Saturday’s shows did not include the “encore presentation” of the meet on CNBC, which meant it drew less than an average of 100,000 viewers.

● Cycling ● No change in the overall standings at the 107th Giro d’Italia on Tuesday, as Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar continues with a 2:40 lead on the field.

The 10th stage, a 142 km ride from Pompeii to Bocca della Selva with a nasty uphill finish, saw Jan Tratnik (SLO) lead onto the 18 km final climb, but was passed with 2.7 km left by France’s Valentin Paret-Peintre, who won in 3:43:50. Countryman  Romain Bardet also passed Tratnik for second, 29 seconds behind, with Tratnik third (+1:01).

● Swimming ● On Monday, Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh won the Canadian Olympic Trials in the women’s 400 m Freestyle with the fastest time in the world this year: 3:59.06. She’s one of three to break four minutes in 2024, with American Katie Ledecky fourth on the year list at 4:01.41.

But McIntosh, 17, the 200 m Fly and 400 m Medley Worlds gold medalist in 2022 and 2023 and runner-up in the 400 m Free in 2023, said afterward, “To be honest, I’m not happy with that.”

She won again on Tuesday night in the 200 m Free at 1:53.69, a seasonal best and improving her grip on the no. 2 spot on the world list.

McIntosh will be in the pool many more times this week as the Canadian trials continue through the 19th.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced an expanded sponsorship agreement with existing partner Eli Lilly & Co., becoming the Presenting Sponsor of the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials in swimming at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Lilly is headquartered in Indianapolis and has long been a significant civic supporter of events in the city. As part of its new deal with the USOPC, it will also be an official partner of Making Team USA presented by Xfinity, a new platform illustrating the stories of U.S. athletes.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Tunisia arrests swim, anti-doping heads on WADA sanction; Poistogova appeals 2012 doping penalty, 73% of Olympians are one-timers

By
Rich Perelman
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The Paris 2024 Olympic torch relay in Arles on Sunday: full of joy, but also under threat (Photo: Paris 2024, by Clement Manhoudeau-Sipa Press)

★ 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. Tunisia arrests swim and anti-doping heads over flag cover
2. Ex-Russian Poistogova appeals London 2012 medal DQ
3. Bednarek a happy road warrior after Doha world lead
4. More T&F world leads and a new, teen 800 m star
5. Mallon: 73.3% of all Olympians appear in one Games only

● The head of the Tunisian swimming federation and the country’s national anti-doping agency were arrested, along with seven others for following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s sanctions against Tunisia at a meet last week. The youth and sports ministry dissolved the swimming federation’s board and appointed an interim body. This is a problem.

● Former Russian Ekaterina Poistogova won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympic women’s 800 m, was raised to silver after the Russian winner was disqualified for doping, and then she was disqualified for doping in April. She has decided to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, delaying any re-allocation of the medals to Kenya’s Pam Jelimo and American Alysia Montano.

● U.S. 200 m star Kenny Bednarek was a happy guy after taking the world lead with a lifetime best of 19.67 at the Doha Diamond League meet. But he said that time doesn’t matter at this stage. Slovenian giant Kristian Ceh won the discus at 231-3, but said he wasn’t in shape!

● More track & field world leads to report, in the women’s shot and javelin, and in the men’s 4×400 m, where an all-American quartet from Arkansas had to win 2:59.03 to beat Alabama (2:59.06!) to win the Southeastern Conference men’s title! And remember this name: Phoebe Gill, Britain’s new teen 800 m star!

● Olympic stat star Dr. Bill Mallon posted a fascinating list of Olympians – summer only – by number of Games they participate in. Just more than 73% of them have appeared in one Games only, and one has appeared in 10.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (23 reported attempts to disrupt Olympic torch in first week) = Asian Games 2026 (no village, but a cruise ship in Nagoya!) = Modern Pentathlon (Egypt takes Mixed Relay to end Sofia World Cup) ●

1.
Tunisia arrests swim and anti-doping heads over flag cover

On 30 April, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced that the national anti-doping agency of Tunisia – “ANAD” – was non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code as “the result of its failure to fully implement the 2021 version of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) within its legal system.”

This means, among other sanctions, “Tunisia’s flag will not be flown at regional, continental or world championships, as well as other events organized by Major Event Organizations (including the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) until the ANAD is reinstated.”

On Friday, 10 May, the Tunisian flag was covered by the national swimming federation during the Tunisian Open Masters championship in Rades attended by swimmers from 20 countries – sending the country’s president, Kais Saied, into a fury. A video from Saied’s office showed him at the pool on the same day, raising the flag and singing the national anthem.

Further, Saied said in a cabinet meeting that covering the flag was an “act of aggression” and that “Tunisia comes before the Olympic Committee and before any other committees,” and demanded “immediate measures… against those responsible for the incident of hiding the national flag.”

On Monday, the state prosecutor’s office confirmed that the head of the Tunisian swimming federation, the head of the national anti-doping office and seven others have been arrested, with charges under seven sections of the penal code including “attack on the flag of Tunisia,” “formation of an organised group to commit attacks and cause disorder,” and a “plot against the internal security.” Two have been detained with the other seven freed ahead of a trial.

Further, the Tunisian youth and sports ministry dissolved the board of the swimming federation and appointed an interim board instead.

A ministry spokesman said prior to the meet that WADA’s requested changes to Tunisian law ha been made by 2 May and that the national anti-doping agency would be compliant again and that WADA’s sanctions would be lifted within 15 days.

Observed: This is a bad situation all around, especially in a country where, the Associated Press reported, Saied “has amassed ever-greater powers and moved to stifle opposition voices,” notably in a 2022 referendum.

Reports last week indicated that the Tunisian legislature has made provisions to normalize its law with the World Anti-Doping Code, but WADA has made no public comment about this as yet.

The dissolution of the national swimming federation’s board of directors now raises questions of government interference with the autonomy of sport for the Aquatics Integrity Unit, World Aquatics and possibly for the International Olympic Committee.

Saied’s prosecution of nine individuals so far puts them in substantial jeopardy for following the WADA edict from two weeks ago, another challenge to WADA’s authority and to the rules-based administration of international sport led by the International Olympic Committee.

As of now, the Tunisian flag would not be flown at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris; the country sent 63 athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Games and won two medals (1-1-0).

The other currently non-compliant National Olympic Committees are Angola and Russia.

2.
Ex-Russian Poistogova appeals London 2012 medal DQ

Former Russian 800 m runner Ekaterina Poistogova (now Guliyev), who won an Olympic bronze in London in 2012 and later upgraded to silver before she was disqualified for doping, has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Russian Maria Savinova won the women’s 800 m race on the track in London, but was disqualified in 2017 for doping, moving Poistogova up to silver from bronze and giving the gold medal to South Africa’s Caster Semenya. The appeal is from a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision upholding an allegation from the Athletics Integrity Unit, which noted:

“This [appeal] follows the decision of CAS, at first instance, to uphold the AIU’s charges against Guliyev and impose an effective ban of 2 years, from 28 March 2024, for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 17 July 2012 until 20 October 2014.”

That decision gave the silver medal to Kenyan Pam Jelimo (originally fourth) and the bronze to American Alysia Montano (originally fifth), with Semenya still the winner.

Poistogova, now Guliyev after marrying Turkey’s 2017 World men’s 200 m champ Ramil Guliyev in 2019, is still active and competes now for Turkey, finishing third in the national indoor 800 m in February.

The appeal means that any re-allocation of medals by the International Olympic Committee will have to wait. Montano, however, says she has time. She wrote on her Instagram page in April:

“We need policy reform we need to institute an athlete mental health protection policy plan and a institute a framework that pays athletes for their loss. Here’s my ask at the very least: I want my medal at LA2028 in front of my entire family and friends on my home turf. I waited this long, 4 more years to do it right. I also want financial losses recouped. The emotions are so very mixed, but I believe this is the least that can be done. Who’s with me?”

3.
Bednarek a happy road warrior after Doha world lead

One of the highlighted events at last Friday’s Doha Diamond League meet in Qatar was the men’s 200 m, where world leader Courtney Lindsey of the U.S. faced countryman – and Olympic silver medalist – “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek.

Bednarek left no doubt from the start, taking control on the turn and finishing in a world-leading and lifetime best 19.67 (+1.7 m/s), with Lindsey second at 20.01. Bednarek moved to no. 9 on the all-time U.S. list and was a happy winner afterwards:

“I knew what I was gonna run, I won with the world lead, I was just hoping that the weather would work with us and that is what it did. So, when I crossed the finish line I saw the time I didn’t know if it was the [world] lead; when they wanted to hand me the World Lead sign, I knew I did it.

“I knew I was in a good shape because my teammates would push me on practice. We are happy for each other, I am happy for them, they are happy for me, that is all that matters. It is just love.

“The best I can do this year is gold-medal in the Olympics, I did it in Tokyo [silver medal], I know I have the talent and good training. Running this fast this early is really good, it means I will be fast by the time we start the Olympics.

“Time doesn’t matter, my main focus is not the time, but competing and making sure we get the job done. The next race may be in Los Angeles [on Saturday, 19 May], I am not sure, I have been running lot of back-to-back races.

“’Fear No One’ is the message on today´s headband I’m wearing. I have a special headband with me for every single track event, I give it to the other competitors, we try to have a great time.”

The wind was a major factor at the meet, and even so, there were world-leading performances in six events, including the men’s discus. Slovenia’s 2022 World Champion Kristjian Ceh – who stands in at 6-9! – took advantage and won at 70.48 m (231-3), now no. 3 in the world for 2024. But:

“My performance was fine. I am still not in a good shape. I was really surprised that I threw a very long shot over 70 meters, but still I´m not in a very good shape yet.

“I want to be in a really good shape to participate in the European Championships [in Rome in June], there will be four events for me until then. The following competition is next week, the Marrakesh Diamond League.”

He also appreciated a strong crowd at the Qatar Sports Club:

“It is always good to be here. The crowd is very loud, and the weather is really good.”

And in the future? “I think the world record will be broken again”

Ceh, Tokyo Olympic winner Daniel Stahl (SWE) and new world-record holder Mykolas Alekna (LTU) are scheduled to face off on Sunday at the Marrakech Diamond League meet.

The other truly brilliant performer was Brazil’s 2022 World men’s 400 m hurdles champ Alison dos Santos, who opened his season with a scary 46.86, the no. 15 performance in history and the fastest time ever run before June:

“I am really excited, it is a very good way to start things! It is still very early in the season, we know that we have much work to do, so this result gives us a good, good vibe for the rest of the season!

“It is going to be very tough this year, so to start in such a fashion is so positive. It was just like come here, see how work and preparation is going and it proved to be a very good day!

“The crowd was amazing, too… I have three places in my heart, these are Zurich, Bellinzona and Doha. It always feels so special to be here and compete before these fans. Looking forward to seeing them again in the future.”

4.
More T&F world leads and a new, teen 800 m star

Even with the Doha Diamond League, the Jamaica Athletics Invitational and all of the U.S. conference championships, even more world-leading performances continue to come at a rapid pace. Now on top of the world lists:

● Men/4×400 m: 2:59.03, United States (Arkansas)
● Women/Shot Put: 20.68 m (67-10 1/4), Sarah Mitton (CAN)
● Women/Javelin: 66.70 m (218-10), Flor Dennis Ruiz (COL)

With the World Athletics Relays just a couple of weeks ago, it’s astonishing that a collegiate team could take the world lead in the men’s 4×400 m, but that’s what the Arkansas all-American quartet of TJ Tomlyanovich (45.5), Lance Lang (44.3), Steven McElroy (44.77), and James Benson (44.18) did.

And they had to, because the SEC men’s title depended on it and their 2:59.03 was just 0.03 better than Alabama, which ran 2:59.06! By winning, the Arkansas men took the team title by 110-104 over the Crimson Tide.

Alabama’s team included Chris Robinson (USA), Samuel Ogazi (NGR), Corde Long (USA: 45.6) and Khaleb McRae (USA: 43.73!) Florida was third at 2:59.48, with anchor Jenoah McKiver (USA) turning a 43.96 split!

Mitton, the 2024 World Indoor gold medalist, won the shot at the Throws U meet in Leesport, Pennsylvania, and Dennis Ruiz, the 2023 Worlds runner-up, won the Ibero-American Championships in Cuiaba (BRA) with a lifetime best and a South American record.

And there is a new name to remember in the women’s 800 m.

Just off the world lead – by 0.13 – was the 1:57.86 win by 17-year-old British newcomer Phoebe Gill at the Belfast Irish Milers Meeting on Saturday (she just turned 17 on 27 April!). She crushed her prior lifetime best of 2:01.50 and set European U-18 and U-20 records. She won by almost 2 1/2 seconds, taking the pace out under 57 seconds.

A new face to watch for Paris perhaps?

5.
Mallon: 73.3% of all Olympians appear in one Games only

Fascinating statistics from super-statistician Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) in a Monday post on X (ex-Twitter), noting that there have been 122,382 participants in the Games of the Olympiad – summer Games – from Athens 1896 through Tokyo 2020.

Of those, the overwhelming majority appeared in just one Games and taking those who appeared twice, the total is 112,869 or 92.2%! The breakdown:

● 1 Games: 89,664 athletes or 73.3% of the total
● 2 Games: 23,205 or 19.0%
● 3 Games: 6,952 or 5.7%
● 4 Games: 1,913 or 1.6%
● 5 Games: 485 or 0.4%

● 6 Games: 114 or 0.1%
● 7 Games: 34 or 0.0%
● 8 Games: 11 or 0.0%
● 9 Games: 3 or 0.0%
● 10 Games: 1 or 0.0%

The single athlete who has competed in 10 Olympic Games is Canadian equestrian Ian Millar, who participated in every Games from 1972 to 2012 except for the 1980 Moscow Games, boycotted by Canada and others (he rode on eight different horses!).

A show-jumping specialist, he was 25 years old in Munich and 65 in London in 2012 and won a 2008 Olympic Team Jumping silver, at 61! His best individual finish came in his last Games, in London, where he was ninth.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said in a Sunday post on X (computer translation from the original French):

“Thanks to the preparation and great vigilance of agents of the Ministry of @Interieur_Gouv, 23 actions aimed at disrupting the smooth running of the Olympic festivities linked to the torch relay have been hampered since the start of the week.”

A story on CNews noted that four of the incidents involved anti-Olympic protests and seven related to Palestinian protestors. The relay has a special detail of 115 police officers on the route to ensure security.

● Asian Games 2026: Aichi-Nagoya ● While no specific Games village is being built for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, there will be a central village “facility”: a cruise ship.

The Aichi-Nagoya organizers told the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Bangkok (THA) that a ship in the Port of Nagoya, with accommodations for 3,000 people, would be the central “village.” The accommodations plan is to use 50 hotels or other accommodations in all, with 10 in Nagoya, 30 more across the Aichi prefecture and 10 in other prefectures, close to the competition sites.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Egyptian combo of Haydy Morsy and Mohanad Shaban started the Laser Run second, but got to the line first in the Mixed Relay at the end of the fourth UIPM World Cup of the season, in Sofia (BUL). They barely edged China’s Yewen Gu and Bailiang Chen and Catherine Oliver and Duilio Carrillo (MEX), 1,352-1,351-1,350 as all three almost crossed together.

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For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Bednarek, dos Santos star in Doha; four big T&F meets on six channels this week; FIFA unmoved by FIFPRO complaints

By
Rich Perelman
-
World-leading 19.67 for Kenny Bednarek over Courtney Lindsey at the Doha Diamond League (Photo: Marise Nassour for Diamond League AG)

★ 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. Bednarek, dos Santos star at Doha Diamond League
2. Big week for track & field, with no one in charge
3. FIFA brushes off FIFPRO, WLA issues with Club World Cup
4. Did Pogacar just win the Giro d’Italia in the first week?
5. Olympic Trials pool construction starts in Indianapolis

● Brazil’s Alison dos Santos showed he’s fully recovered from last season’s injuries with a spectacular 46.86 win in the men’s 400 m hurdles at the Doha Diamond League and American 200 m star Kenny Bednarek claimed the world lead over former world leader Courtney Lindsey as well, among world leads in six events.

● This is a big week for top-class track & field meets, with the USATF Distance Classic on Friday, the L.A. Grand Prix and Atlanta City Games on Saturday and Diamond League Marrakech on Sunday. The four meets will be shown on TV and online on six different channels, with no coordination between them. Why?

● FIFA replied with a firm “no” to the demands for changes to the Intercontinental Cup and Club World Cup competitions from the worldwide player union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association, but said it would be happy to have further talks.

● Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar was the big favorite heading into the 107th Giro d’Italia race, but did he already win it in just the first week? Maybe.

● Construction has started on the temporary pools to be used for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the biggest facility ever to house such pools.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (IIHF men’s Worlds underway in Czechia) = Sailing (Italy’s Tita and Banti win fourth Nacra 17 Worlds gold) ●

● Panorama: Archery (Nodal and Munico-Fernandez surprise with Gator Cup wins) = Athletics (4: Williams equals world 100 m lead; fabulous SEC Champs with three world leads; Amusan, Clayton, Hibbert get world leads at Jamaica Athletics Invite; Estrada and Saina set U.S. records at 25 km champs) = Canoe-Kayak (Queiroz and Kopasz bag two each at Sprint World Cup) = Cycling (2: Vollering wins final stage to win Itzulia women; Jeanjean wins BMX Freestyle Park World Cup again) = Football (Guinea wins final men’s Olympic qualifier, will play in U.S.’s group) = Gymnastics (Varfolomeev dominates again at World Challenge Cup) = Judo (Japan and Russia win two each at Almaty Grand Slam) = Modern Pentathlon (Dejardin and Guzi use Laser Runs to win World Cup golds) = Shooting (Kim and Liu get world records to close ISSF World Cup in Baku) = Triathlon (Pearson’s fab run earns first U.S. World Tri Series win in 15 years!) = Wrestling (U.S.’s Lee and Retherford earn men’s Freestyle spots in Paris) ●

1.
Bednarek, dos Santos star at Doha Diamond League

The third stop on the 2024 Diamond League schedule was at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha, with sensational performances from American Kenny Bednarek and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, and – despite a difficult crosswind at times – world-leading outdoor performances in six events:

● Men/200 m: 19.67, Kenny Bednarek (USA)
● Men/Steeple: 8:07.25, Samuel Firewu (ETH)
● Men/400 m hurdles: 46.86, Alison dos Santos (BRA)
● Men/Long Jump: 8.36 m (27-5 1/4), Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE)
● Women/5,000 m: 14:26.98, Beatrice Chebet (KEN)
● Women/Vault: 4.73 m (15-6 1/4), Nina Kennedy (AUS) and Molly Caudery (GBR)

The men’s 200 m was a showdown between Tokyo Olympic silver winner Bednarek and co-world leader Courtney Lindsey of the U.S., already at 19.71 this season. But Bednarek was hot from the start, had the lead off the turn and steamed home the winner in 19.67, with a +1.7 m/s wind, to Lindsey’s 20.01, and fellow American Kyree King third in 2021.

Dos Santos, the 2022 World Champion who came back from injuries to get fifth at the 2023 Worlds, was ready in Doha and took the lead entering the final turn, overtaking American CJ Allen. The Brazilian was easily the best on the final straight and extended his lead, winning in 46.86, the no. 15 performance of all time … in his season opener! Moreover, no one has ever run so fast before 15 June!

The final race on the track was the men’s Steeple, with Olympic fourth-placer Getnet Wale (ETH) in charge with a lap and a half to go, with Amos Serem (KEN) and Ryuji Miura (JPN) following. But fellow Ethiopian Samuel Firewu moved up third at the bell, then took the lead into the final turn and won in 8:07.25, a lifetime best and the world leader. Kenya’s 2023 Worlds bronze winner Abraham Kibiwott passed Wale on the straight for second, 8:07.38 to 8:09.69.

Olympic long champ Tentoglou had the early lead, but then Jamaican Carey McLeod unloaded a big jump in the fourth round at 8.52 mw (27-11 1/2, +5.2 m/s) to grab the lead and dare anyone to match him. No one could, but Tentoglou tried, reaching 8.26 mw (27-1 1/4w), 8.34 mw (27-4 1/2w) and finally 8.36 m (27-5 1/4, +1/9) in rounds 4-5-6, his last jump taking the world lead. Swiss Simon Ehammer got out to a windy 8.30 m (27-2 3/4w) for third.

The women’s 5,000 m saw Chebet, the 2023 World Champion, take over at 2,000 m, then Ejgayehu Taye (ETH: 2023 Worlds 10,000 bronze) took over had forged a significant lead, only to have Chebet and Medina Eisa (ETH) close in by the bell. Chebet took over for good with 200 m to go and won in 14:26.98, followed by Taye (14:29.26) and Eisa (14:34.11).

In the vault, both World Indoor champ Caudery and 2023 Worlds co-champ Kennedy cleared 4.73 m (15-6 1/4) on their first tries, but Caudery won on the countback. Tina Sutej (SLO; 4.63 m/15-2 1/4) was third, ahead of Bridget Williams, the best American, in fourth.

Elsewhere. Ethiopia’s World Indoor 1,500 m winner Freweyni Hailu broke away after 800 m and won the women’s 1,500 m easily, 4:00.42, over late-closing Jessica Hull (AUS: 4:00.84) and Nelly Chepchirchir (KEN: 4:01.19). Swiss Ditaji Kambundji was the surprise winner of the women’s 100 m hurdles in 12.49 (+1.7) on the run-in over early leader Tonea Marshall of the U.S. (12.51).

Britain’s Daryll Neita similarly came on late to win the women’s 100 m in 10.98 (+2.0), taking over from Americans Tamari Davis (10.99) and Celera Barnes (11.02). Despite trouble with the wind, 2023 World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) was decisive winner in the 800 m, ahead of Britain’s Jemma Reekie, 1:57.91 to 1:58.42, moving to nos. 2 and 7 on the 2024 world list.

Olympic men’s 400 m gold medalist Steven Gardiner (BAH) was a clear winner in the 400 m, taking control from the backstraight – despite the wind – and winning in 44.76, with Muzala Samukonga (ZAM: 45.07) a distant second. Americans Vernon Norwood (45.49) and Quincy Hall (45.98) were fourth and seventh.

Brian Komen of Kenya, the African Games winner earlier this year, came hard in the final 200 m to win the men’s 1,500 m in 3:32.43, edging teammates Tim Cheruiyot, the 2019 World Champion, and world leader Reynold Kipkorir (3:32.96).

With the wind, the possibilities in the discus were intriguing and 2022 World Champion Kristjian Ceh (SLO) got off a big fourth throw to win at 70.48 m (231-3), now no. 2 on the world list. Australia’s Matt Denny was second at 69.02 m (226-5). Same for the javelin, with Tokyo Olympic silver winner Jakub Vadlejch (88.38 m/289-11) outlasting India’s Olympic champ Neeraj Chopra (88.36 m/289-11).

The Diamond League circuit moves on to Marrakech (MAR) for next Sunday’s meet on the 19th.

2.
Big week for track & field, with no one in charge

There will be lots of big-time U.S. track & field this coming weekend on 17-18-19 May, if you know where to look and have your computer(s) and your TV ready!

● On Friday (17), the USATF Distance Classic will be held at Drake Stadium at UCLA, from 5-8 p.m. Pacific time (8-11 p.m. Eastern), with stars like World Indoor champ Bryce Hoppel of the U.S., 2022 World 1,500 m champ Jake Wightman (GBR) in the men’s 800 m, World Indoor 1,500 m runner-up Cole Hocker of the U.S. in the men’s 5,000 m, American Steeple record holder Evan Jager, World Indoor 3,000 m gold winner Elle St. Pierre in the women’s 5,000 m and a lot more.

It’s on the USATF.tv subscription channel.

● On Saturday (18), from 3-5 p.m. Eastern (12-2 p.m. Pacific) is the L.A. Grand Prix from UCLA, promoting match-ups including Bednarek and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo in the men’s 100 m, Olympic champ Kirani James (GRN) and Michael Norman of the U.S. in the men’s 400, past World Champions Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh (NZL) in the men’s shot, an all-star women’s 200 m with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Abby Steiner and Jenna Prandini, and plenty more.

It’s on NBC and the Peacock subscription service.

● Also on Saturday (18) – with an overlap – from 4:45-7:45 p.m. Eastern – is the Atlanta City Games, a street meet to feature World Champions Noah Lyles (men’s 150 m), Grant Holloway (men’s 110 m hurdles), Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) and Steven Gardiner (BAH) in the men’s 400 m, world-record holders Tobi Amusan (NGR) and Keni Harrison of the U.S. in the women’s 100 m hurdles and others.

It’s on (for free) on adidas’ YouTube channel and Noah Lyles’ YouTube Channel.

● On Sunday (19), is the Diamond League meet from Marrakech, Morocco from 2-4 p.m. Eastern. A discus showdown with 2022 Worlds winner Kristjian Ceh, Olympic gold winner Daniel Stahl and new world-record setter Mykolas Alekna (LTU), women’s World shot champ Chase Jackson of the U.S. and others.

It’s on CNBC and the Peacock subscription service.

That’s four should-be-terrific meets in three days … on six different channels.

This is good?

It’s not the fault of the broadcasters, but a demonstration of the lack of coordination among governing bodies, agents, sponsors and others who all have their own interests.

Michael Johnson: will your new “track league” for 2025 fix this?

Johnson, by the way, is serious about his effort to help the sport. Asked on X (ex-Twitter) about how little McLaughlin-Levrone races, he replied:

“I would love to see her race more but she is not the problem. The current structure is. It’s not her job to fix it. But it is now my job and I’m on it. Stay tuned.”

3.
FIFA brushes off FIFPRO, WLA issues with Club World Cup

Ahead of this week’s FIFA Congress in Thailand, FIFA brushed aside concerns from the world players union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association about the impact of its forthcoming Intercontinental Cup in December and its radically-expanded Club World Cup next June.

In a reply to the letter sent last week by FIFPRO and the World League Association about the burden of these new and expanded competitions on players and their clubs, FIFA said it is “fully within our rights to set the parameters of our competitions whilst respecting the regulatory framework in place.”

Moreover, while it is will to further discuss the matter, FIFA noted that its competitions “are responsible for a fractional amount of the total elite club games around the world.

“While we disagree with the tenor and content of your letter, we have nonetheless taken note of your concerns and are more than happy to invite you to discuss the matter further at a time convenient to you.”

The Intercontinental Cup is a new event (with an old name) to be held at the end of 2024 among six clubs who are the best in each of the six confederations of FIFA. The Club World Cup is being expanded from six or seven teams to 32 in a month-long tournament in the U.S. in June and July next year.

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom (SWE) wrote in FIFA’s reply that both FIFPRO and the WLA had been substantially consulted on the setting of the International Match Calendar, to which both objected in their letter:

“From the outset we reject any suggestion or inference that FIFA somehow ‘imposes’ the International Match Calendar (IMC) on the football community without adequate consultation or to suit its own ‘business strategy.’”

FIFPRO and the WLA said that legal action against FIFA regarding the staging of the Intercontinental Cup and the expanded Club World Cup was possible. Grafstrom retorted:

“It would be useful for us to understand if the motivations expressed in your letter have resulted in similar written representations and references to legal action to your members or other competition organisers.”

4.
Did Pogacar just win the Giro d’Italia in the first week?

Although the Tour de France is by far the most famous cycling race in the world, the other Grand Tours – the three-week extravaganzas in Italy – the Giro d’Italia – and Spain – the Vuelta a Espana – are also widely known and celebrated.

Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar, the 2020 and 2021 winner of the Tour de France, is making a shambles of the 107th Giro in just the first week.

It’s his first time in the Giro, the last Grand Tour for him to try, after the 2019 Vuelta a Espana (third) and four straight top-two finishes in Le Tour: 1-1-2-2. Sure, he was the big favorite to win, but after nine stages, he is dominating the race in stunning fashion:

● Three stage wins in the first eight stages
● Individual Time Trial win by 17 seconds
● Now 2:40 up on the first after nine stages

In a demonstration of superiority, he has won all three stages with climbing finishes – 2, 7 and 8 – by 27 seconds, 17 seconds and in a three-way sprint, with most of the field more than two minutes behind!

Pogacar, 25, entered Friday’s Individual Time Trial with a 46-second lead on Britain’s Geraint Thomas, the 2019 Tour de France champion, and 47 seconds up on Daniel Martinez (COL). He crushed the field, winning the 40.6 km race from Foligno to Perugia with a significant uphill finish in 51:45, 17 seconds up on Italy’s two-time World Time Trial champ Filippo Ganna and 2:00 up on Thomas!

On Saturday, now up by 2:36 in Martinez and 2:46 on Thomas, Pogacar faced a 152.6 km course from Spoleto to Prati di Tivo with six climbs and another steep uphill finish. He won again, in 4:02:16, beating Martinez and Ben O’Connor (AUS) to the line, along with four others who were two seconds back (including Thomas). So with the time bonuses for the medalists, Pogacar led by 2:40 over Martinez and 2:58 on Thomas. O’Connor moved up to third, 3:39 back.

For some perspective, consider that the last nine Giro d’Italia finishes were all within 2:00 from first to second. Back in 2014, famed climber Nairo Quintana (COL) won the Giro by 2:58 and Italian star Vincenzo Nibali won his second Giro by 4:43: the only two to win by more than 2:00 in the last 17 Giros.

On Sunday, the 214 km ninth stage to Naples was downhill, then flat and for the sprinters, to be followed by the first rest day on Monday. Olav Kooij (NED) won the sprint to the line over stage 4 winner Jonathan Milan (ITA) and Sebastian Molano (COL), with no change among the overall leaders.

Next Tuesday is another major uphill-finishing stage, and a second Individual Time Trial – on a flat course – comes next Saturday.

Will it all be over by then? There are three mountain stages to follow in four days, all with uphill finishes, and Pogacar could be hindered by injuries or mechanical failures. Or he could be on the way to history.

5.
Olympic Trials pool construction starts in Indy

Installation of the competition and warm-up pools at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is starting in advance of the 15-23 June U.S. Olympic Trials in swimming, potentially in front of 30,000 people a night.

Italian-based Myrtha Pools, with its U.S. headquarters in Sarasota, Florida, is once again providing the pools for the Olympic Trials, with WRTV in Indianapolis reporting on the project.

Myrtha Pools USA Director of Technical Services John Ireland told WRTV’s Taj Simmons:

“This is the biggest venue that a pool has ever been inside of. There are some very unique challenges associated with that and a lot more moving parts than we’re used to. …

“It is intimidating. We’re doing something that typically takes six to nine months in just a few weeks.”

Myrtha (and Ireland) are highly experienced with these kinds of temporary installations, but a unique challenge is covering a football field. The facility requires two sheets of plywood and then a tarp, for protection. The venue will take advantage of the Trials and will be replacing its turf as soon as the swimming is done and the temporary pools are removed.

Once the event is completed, Myrtha then gets to break everything down and reassemble the pools in their permanent location, a new facility being arranged by the Fort Wayne Swim and Wellness Alliance, which has purchased the pools. Said Fort Wayne Swim Team director Ben Sutton:

“Indianapolis has sixteen 50-meter pools, we have just one in Fort Wayne. We desperately need some more water space and lane space. We’re lane locked with our swim team.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s World Championship has started with group play in Prague and Ostrava (CZE), continuing through 21 May. In Group B, Sweden flew past the U.S. in their opener, 5-2, then the Americans rebounded with a 6-1 win over Germany.

The Czech Republic won its first two games in Group A, and Canada pummeled Great Britain, 4-2, in its opener and Denmark, 5-1, in its second game.

● Sailing ● Olympic champions Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti of Italy continued their dominance of the Nacra 17 class World Championship off La Grande Motte (FRA), taking their third straight Worlds gold and fourth total.

They won five races and were second six times on the way to a net total of 67.0 points. That was comfortably ahead of Britain’s two-time champs John Gimson and Anna Burnet, who finished second for the second consecutive years, with 79.0 points.

Two-time Worlds runner-ups Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei grabbed third with 100.0 net points and six top-three finishes.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Archery ● Surprises at the U.S. team qualifier at the Easton Foundations Gator Cup in Newberry, Florida, with 2021 Worlds Team silver winner Matthew Nofel – the sixth seed – winning the men’s final; by 6-5 over 13-seeded Christian Stoddard. Top-seed Trenton Cowles finished third, winning the bronze-medal match, 6-2, against Jacob Robinson.

The women’s top-seed, Casey Kaufhold, took third with a 6-0 win over Emma Kim, while second-seeded Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez the women’s Recurve title over Catalina GNoriega, 6-4.

The sixth and final stage of Olympic Team Qualification and Trials takes place on Monday and Tuesday. Kaufhold leads the women’s rankings and 2019 World Champion Brady Ellison leads the men’s list.

● Athletics ● Lots of hot sprinting at the Pure Athletics Sprint Elite meet in Clermont, Florida, with 2014 World Junior Champion Kendal Williams of the U.S. riding a +2.0 m/s wind to a world-leading-equaling win at 9.93, a lifetime best, in the men’s 100 m. Josephus Lyles won the 200 m in a wind-aided 20.05 (+2.6).

Tamara Clark, the 2022 Worlds 200 m sixth-placer, won the women’s 100 m in 10.98 (+1.9) and the 200 m in 22.32 (+1.3).

Even more action at the SEC Championships in Gainesville, Florida, where Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot (UGA) won the men’s 200 m in 19.75 (+1.0) to move to no. 4 on the 2024 world list, and Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams (Georgia) moved to no. 1 in the world in the 400 m, winning in 44.05, a national record. Samuel Ogazi (NGR/Alabama) and Khaleb McRae (USA/Alabama) moved to 11-13 on the world list at 44.58 and 44.60 in second and third.

In the women’s 100 m, world leader Jacious Sears (USA/Tennessee) was the qualifying co-leader at 11.09, but pulled up in the final, holding her left leg, and finished last. Brianne Lyston of LSU won in 10.91 (+0.3), ahead of Kaila Jackson (Georgia: 10.95), now no. 3 and 6 on the 2024 world list.

McKenzie Long of the U.S. and Ole Miss won the women’s 200 m in a world-leading 22.03, ahead of South Carolina frosh JaMeesia Ford (22.11) and Thelma Davies (LSU: 22.17), now nos. 1-3-4 on the year.

And the women’s 400 was sensational, with the top four times of the year: 49.32 for Nickisha Pryce (JAM/Arkansas), 49.47 for Kaylyn Brown (USA/Arkansas), 49.51 for Amber Anning (GBR/Arkansas) and 49.79 for Aaliyah Butler (USA/Georgia). Rachel Glenn (USA/Arkansas) ran a world-leading 54.02 in the 400 m hurdles in the prelims, then fell in the final while all alone in the lead.

A world-leading 12.40 in the women’s 100 m hurdles for Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan highlighted the Jamaica Athletics Invitational in Kingston on Saturday. She came on late to pass two-time World Champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica (12.46, wind +0.9 m/s) for the victory.

Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton took over the world lead in the women’s 400 m hurdles, winning in 53.72, ahead of Anna Cockrell of the U.S. (53.76, no. 2).

Jaydon Hibbert (JAM) dominated the men’s triple jump and claimed the world lead, winning at 17.57 m (57-7 3/4) into a 1.3 m/s headwind!

Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith won the women’s 100 m in 10.91 (+1.1) and 2019 World Champion Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) took the women’s 200 m in 22.51.

Jamaican Ackeem Blake won the men’s 100 m in 10.02, Zharnel Hughes (GBR) won the 200 m over Fred Kerley of the U.S., 19.96 to 20.17 (+1.1), and Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith took the men’s 400 m in 44.69, ahead of Matthew Boling of the U.S., who got a lifetime best of 44.98.

American records were set at the USATF 25 km Championships – held in conjunction with the Amway River Bank Run – in Grand Rapids, Michigan for Betsy Saina and Diego Estrada.

Saina, the defending women’s U.S. 25 km champ, broke away with Annie Frisbie by the 5 km mark and then broke from Frisbie at 20 km and ran away, finishing in 1:22:32 to 1:22:37 for Frisbie. Dakotah Lundwurm finished third in 1:23:08.

Saina’s mark shaved four seconds off Shalane Flanagan’s 2014 American Record time in Berlin (GER).

Estrada, the 2015 U.S. Half Marathon champion, was part of a pack of four at 15 km, but then surged after 20 km and won easily in 1:13:10, far in front of Nico Montanez (1:13:30) and Biya Simbassa (1:13:45). That’s better than Parker Stinson’s U.S. mark of 1:13:38 – also in Grand Rapids – from 2019.

● Canoe-Kayak ● World Champions Isaquias Queiroz and Balint Kopasz each won two events to highlight the ICF Sprint World Cup I in Szeged (HUN), along with a win and a loss for New Zealand superstar Lisa Carrington.

Queiroz, the Tokyo men’s C-1 1,000 m gold medalist and a seven-time World Champion, is still going strong at 30 and won the C-1 500 m by more than a second in 1:45.88, and took the C-1 1,000 m in 3:45.84, ahead of France’s Adrien Bart (3:47.23).

Kopasz, the Tokyo K-1 1,000 m men’s champ and a four-time World Champion, won the K-1 500 m in 1:36.06 over Poland’s Slawomir Witczak (1:36.59) and the K-1 1,000 m in 3:24.91, leading a Hungarian 1-2 with 2023 Worlds runner-up Adam Varga (3:25.40) and 2023 World Champion Fernando Pimenta (POR: 3:25.48) in third.

In the other men’s Olympic-program events, Russians Alexey Korovashkov and Ivan Shtyl won the C-2 500 m in 1:37.03; Australians Jean van der Westhuyzen and Thomas Green took the K-2 500 m in 1:26.59 and World Champions Germany won the K-4 500 m in 1:18.50 to 1:18.76 for Australia.

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Carrington, also a 15-time World Champion, won the K-2 500 m race with Alicia Hoskin, 1:38.61 to 1:39.92 over Denmark’s current World Champions, Emma Jorgensen and Frederikke Matthiesen. Fellow New Zealander Aimee Fisher, the 2021 K-1 500 m Worlds winner, won that race over Carrington, 1:46.19 to 1:46.52. The Kiwis got a third win in the non-Olympic K-1 1,000 m from Alyce Wood (3:55.96).

Nine-time World Champion Katie Vincent (CAN) was the clear winner in the C-1 200 m final, beating teammate Sophia Jensen (46.16), with Tokyo Olympic winner Nevin Harrison of the U.S. in ninth (47.13).

Hungary went 1-2 in the women’s C-1 500 m, with Agnes Kiss (2:03.17) and Bianca Nagy (2:05.19), and Germany won the women’s K-4 500 m.

China’s World Champions Mengya Sun and Shixiao Li won the (non-Olympic) women’s C-2 500 m, over Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie, 1:51.49 to 1:53.12 and Sun doubled back with Hao Liu to win the Mixed C-2 500 m final as well (1:45.35).

● Cycling ● The third UCI Women’s World Tour Itzulia stage race for women in Spain started on Friday with a win for Dutch rider Mischa Bredewold, in a sprint over Cuba’s Arlenis Sierra and 2022 winner Demi Vollering (NED).

On Saturday, Bredewold won another sprint, by one second over Mavi Garcia (ESP) and Juliette Labous (FRA). But in Sunday’s final stage, Vollering blew away the field and won by 44 seconds over Thalita de Jong (NED) and Bredewold and won the overall title at 9:03:42, 34 seconds up on Bredewold. Labous was third at +0:52.

At the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup in Montpelier (FRA), three-time European Champion Anthony Jeanjean of France won his second straight Park World Cup this season, scoring 92.50 to edge 2019 World Champion Brandon Loupos (AUS: 91.32) and Britain’s Declan Brooks (89.87).

The women’s title went to 20-year-old Laury Perez (FRA), scoring 94.00 to finish just ahead of 14-year-old Miharu Ozawa (JPN: 93.00) and Britain’s Sasha Pardoe (18: 90.12).

In the Flatland finals on Sunday, Japan’s teens swept the women’s finals with Nina Suzuki (15: 85.67) winning over Ayuna Miyashima (15: 79.00) and 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Kirara Nakagawa (18: 67.67).

Japan’s World Champion Yu Shoji (22) won the men’s title, scoring 92.33 to edge 35-year-old Worlds bronze medalist Matthias Dandois (FRA: 90.00) and 19-year-old (and 2023 Worlds silver winner) Kio Hayakawa (JPN: 86.33).

● Football ● The field for the men’s Olympic football tournament was completed with a playoff win by Guinea over Indonesia, 1-0, in the CAF-AFC playoff in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France. This places Guinea in Group A for Paris, playing New Zealand, France and the U.S. on 24-27-30 June.

It’s the first Olympic appearance for Guinea.

● Gymnastics ● German star Darja Varfolomeev, the five-time gold medalist at the 2023 Worlds, continued her winning ways, this time at the FIG Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Portimao (POR).

She won the All-Around over Belarus’ Alina Harnasko (as a “neutral”), the 2020 Olympic A-A bronze medalist, and Harnasko won on Ball (33.550).

Varfolomeev won on Hoop (34.500), on Clubs (34.110 to 33.650) for Harnasko) and on Ribbon (31.900). Two Americans made the apparatus finals: Lili Mizuno was eighth with Clubs (28.750) and Evita Griskenas scored 28,850 for six on Ribbon.

In the five World and Challenge Cup events so far, Varfolomeev has won three A-A titles and eight apparatus titles.

● Judo ● Japan and Russia each won twice at the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam in Almaty (KAZ), highlighted by Tokyo Olympic Aaron Wolf taking the men’s 100 kg class, and Tatsuru Saito winning at +100 kg, for his second career Grand Slam gold.

Russian winners, competing as “neutrals,” include Abdulaev Ramazan in the men’s 60 kg and Murad Chopanov in the 66 kg division. Belarusian “neutral” Yahor Varapayeu won at 90 kg.

France’s Romane Dicko, the 2022 World Champion, won the women’s +78 kg class; two-time World Champion Christa Deguchi (CAN) defeated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Rafaela Silva (BRA) to win the 57 kg class, and two-time Worlds silver winner Manuel Lombardo (ITA) took the men’s 73 kg division.

● Modern Pentathlon ● France’s Pierre Dejardin had never won a UIPM World Cup and heading into the final event of the UIPM World Cup IV in Sofia (BUL), he stood second, but 18 seconds behind Egypt’s Mohanad Shaban.

No problem, as Dejardin was 20.5 seconds faster and won with 1,502 points to 1,500 for Shaban, with teammate Mohamed Elgendy third (1,498). Dejardin was second in fencing and riding, but slipped to 14th in swimming, while Shaban had won the fencing and the riding and was fourth in the pool to set up the Laser Run showdown.

Hungary’s Blanka Guzi was also a Laser Run star and had a World Cup gold in her collection from 2023. But after a 12th in fencing, ninth in riding and third in swimming, she started seventh in the Laser Run, 1:10 behind leader Elodie Clouvel of France, the Rio 2016 silver medalist.

But Guzi was not to be denied, posting the fastest time in the Laser Run in the entire field, while Clouvel was 16th. Guzi won with 1,400 points, to 1,396 for Jessica Varley (GBR: 5th in Laser Run) and 1,379 for Egypt’s Malak Ismail (eighth in Laser Run).

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup in Baku (AZE) concluded with an odd second round of competitions in the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol, women’s 25 m Pistol and the men’s and women’s 50 m Rifle/3 positions to provide the same number of competitions this season as those in other events to earn Olympic Qualification ranking points.

So, Korea’s Ye-ji Kim won the second women’s 25 m Pistol final, defeating first-final winner Ji-in Yang (KOR) by 42-38, improving on Yang’s world record of 41 from January at the Asian Championships in Jakarta (INA). German Josefin Eder was third, as she was in the first final (31).

China’s Yukin Liu won the first men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions final with a world record score of 467.3, then improved it with another win and world mark of 468.3 in the second final. Austria’s 2023 World Champion, Alexander Schmirl, was second at 463.2 and 23-year-old Jiri Privratsky (CZE) got third (452.4).

China got another win from 2023 World Champion Yuehong Li in the second men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol final, taking the second final with 34/40, ahead of two-time Worlds runner-up Clement Bessauguet (FRA: 31) and Korea’s Jong-ho Song (27).

Britain’s Seonaid McIntosh, the 2018 World Champion in the 50 m Rifle/Prone event, won the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions second final at 466.3, just beating Siyu Xia (CHN) at 464.6. German Anna Janssen, who won the first final, finished third (454.1).

In the Skeet Mixed Team final, Chile’s Hector Flores and Francisca Crovetto edged the U.S. pair of Dustan Taylor and Dania Jo Vizzi, 45-42.

● Triathlon ● A major win for American Morgan Pearson at the much-anticipated World Triathlon Championship Series in Yokohama (JPN), running the fastest 10 km in the field by 17 seconds to win his first Series gold.

Pearson was 17th out of the water and trailing leader Mark Devay (HUN) by 13 seconds, then lost more time on the bike, but a series of crashes closed things up. Pearson lost more time in the transition, but was running fast and moving toward the lead quickly on the run.

He got to the lead on the fourth lap and won in 1:42:05, seven seconds ahead of Australia’s Matthew Hauser (1:42:12), who passed teammate Luke Willian (1:42:20) on the final lap as well. World Triathlon reported it’s the first win for an American man in a WTCS race since Jarrod Shoemaker in 2009. Fellow American Matthew McElroy finished 13th (1:43:13).

The women’s race also saw a first WTCS victory for France’s Leonie Periault, who was only 21st out of the water, but had the fastest bike phase in the field to get close to French teammate Emma Lombardi and American star Taylor Knibb, a two-time WTCS winner.

But like Pearson, there was no way to counter Periault on the run. She was third-fastest overall, in 33:02 – Knibb was fourth, in 33:31 – and Periault won by 1:52:28 to 1:53.04, with Lombardi third (1:53.08).

Knibb, already confirmed for Paris, led three Americans in the top five, with Taylor Spivey fourth in 1:53:25 and Kirsten Kasper fifth (1:53:34). Comebacking Rio 2016 winner Gwen Jorgensen had the second-fastest run in the field and finished 15th overall in 1:54:42 and had made it up to sixth among U.S. women in the World Triathlon Olympic rankings.

● Wrestling ● The U.S. qualified two more men’s Freestyle wrestlers for Paris 2024 at the World Olympic Qualifier in Ankara (TUR), with Spencer Lee crushing four opponents in a row and Zain Retherford doing it the hard way.

Lee, competing at 57 kg, had won the U.S. Trials and had to win four matches to get to Paris. He sailed by with wins by 10-0, then 10-9 against no. 1 seed Wanhao Zou of China, then 12-2 and 10-0 to win his bracket and a spot at the Olympic Games.

Retherford won his first two matches at 65 kg by fall and 11-0, then lost to Tulga Tumur Ochir of Mongolia, 7-2, who went on to win an Olympic quota by winning his next two matches. That sent Retherford into the repechage round, needing to win four straight matches to earn an Olympic berth.

He won over Alibeg Alibegov (BRN) by pinfall, then handled Abdulmazhid Kudiev (TJK), 5-2, won a tight, 2-2 battle with India’s Sujeet Sujeet on criteria, then shut down Niurgin Skriabin of Belarus, 7-0 to punch his ticket for Paris.

The U.S. has now qualified in all six men’s Freestyle categories and in all six women’s Freestyle classes. American wrestlers are in for three Greco-Roman classes, but all three at the World Qualifier – Dalton Roberts (60 kg), Ellis Coleman (67 kg) and Kamal Bey (77 kg) – were unsuccessful.

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TSX REPORT: FIFPRO, leagues ask FIFA to reschedule Club World Cup; Japan’s Uno retires; 2024-25 alpine schedule has finals in Sun Valley!

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! ★

★ It’s here! Our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport: Click here!

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. FIFPRO, WLA threaten FIFA over 2025 Club World Cup
2. Ex-RFEF chief Rubiales to be tried for sexual assault
3. Japan’s skating star Shoma Uno says he is retiring
4. FIS Alpine calendar ‘24-25 has finals in Sun Valley
5. NFL Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson passes at 86

● The worldwide football players union FIFPRO and the World League Association sent a strongly-worded letter to FIFA, demanding it reconsider the staging and timing of its new Intercontinental Cup at the end of this year and the greatly-expanded Club World Cup for June 2025, calling them “inherently abusive” to both player health and to their club teams and leagues.

● A Spanish court confirmed trials for former Royal Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales and three other current or former RFEF staff for their roles in the Jenni Hermoso kissing scandal and attempted cover-up after the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in 2023. No date was set, but all four face possible imprisonment.

● Japan’s two-time men’s World Champion Shoma Uno announced his retirement from competitive skating, after three Olympic medals and back-to-back Worlds golds in 2022 and 2023.

● The FIS Alpine World Cup calendar was “provisionally” revealed, with the seasonal finals at Sun Valley, Idaho, which has not hosted World Cup races since 1977! Otherwise, two other women’s stops will be in the U.S. and more one men’s stop among 20 stages for each.

● Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson, an NCAA high hurdles champion at UCLA and younger brother of Rafer Johnson, passes at 86.

● Panorama: USOPC (coaches of the year named) = Cycling (Sanchez takes Giro stage 6, but Pogacar still leads) = Football (some Estadio Azteca suite owners not giving up boxes to FIFA for 2026) = Shooting (Smith wins Skeet at ISSF World Cup) ●

1.
FIFPRO, WLA threaten FIFA over 2025 Club World Cup

“Players are being pushed beyond their limits, with significant injury risks and impacts on their welfare and fundamental rights.”

That’s from a letter sent by the worldwide football players union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association to FIFA, concerning the expanded 2025 Club World Cup and the 2024 Intercontinental Cup to be played in December.

The Associated Press reported that it has seen the letter, which calls the added tournaments “inherently abusive” and that FIFA is making “unilateral decisions that benefit its own competitions and commercial interests.” The letter demands:

● FIFA “review its decision” on holding a new Intercontinental Cup competition this December, in which the champion clubs in each of the six confederations would play; the same teams are also scheduled to play in the 2025 Club World Cup.

● FIFA to reschedule the 32-team Club World Cup – expanded from seven in 2023 – slated to be held in the U.S. from 15 June to 13 July.

● The FIFA match calendar, which sets aside periods dedicated to league play and to national-team play, must be reopened and revised: “Leagues and players cannot simply be expected to ‘adapt’ to FIFA’s decisions, which are driven by FIFA’s business strategy. We have reached the point where this situation must immediately be addressed both from a procedural and substantive perspective.”

The letter adds:

“FIFA has ignored repeated attempts by leagues and unions to engage on this issue.

“Should FIFA refuse to formally commit to resolving the issues, as set out above, at its upcoming council, we shall be compelled to advise our members on the options available to them, both individually and collectively, to proactively safeguard their interests.

“These options include legal action against FIFA on which we have now commissioned external expert advice.”

The pressure on top-level players is greater than ever, with club teams expanding their schedules with exhibition games all over the world, now new FIFA events such as the Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup, as well as the FIFA World Cup expansion to 48 teams and 104 matches vs. 32 teams and 64 matches in Qatar in 2022.

The FIFPRO and WLA demands are deliberately timed to raise questions at next week’s FIFA Congress in Bangkok (THA).

2.
Ex-RFEF chief Rubiales to be tried for sexual assault

Spanish judge Francisco de Jorge confirmed on Wednesday that former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales is to be tried for sexual assault for his forced kiss of Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso during the victory ceremony of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

Rubiales will face a sexual assault charge related to the ceremony, and then coercion allegations that he and three other officials pressured Hermoso into withdrawing her criticism of Rubiales’ actions.

The sexual assault charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison. The coercion charge could carry an 18-month sentence; Rubiales and Jorge Vilda, former coach of the women’s national team; Albert Luque, the Spanish national team’s current sporting director, and Ruben Rivera, the RFEF marketing head, will also face the coercion charge.

The trial date has not been set, but is scheduled to be held at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid.

Rubiales, 46, has maintained his innocence, saying the kiss was consensual, and despite the international uproar after the 20 August 2023 final, he said he would remain as RFEF President. He finally resigned on 10 September 2023, and was subsequently banned by FIFA from football activities for three years.

3.
Japan’s skating star Shoma Uno says he is retiring

“I have taken the decision to retire.

“I want to thank everyone who has supported me and cheered for me as a competitor until now. I discovered skating when I was five years old and am very grateful to have continued for 21 years and have had a wonderful competitive career.”

Japanese figure skating star Shoma Uno, 26, posted his retirement message on Instagram on Thursday and said he would hold a news conference next Tuesday to add to it.

Overshadowed to some degree by 2014 and 2018 Olympic men’s figure skating gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu, Uno was World Champion in 2022 and 2023 and owns Olympic silvers from 2018 (men) and 2022 (team), as well as a bronze from the Beijing 2022 men’s final.

Standing just 5-2, he combined grace and power and is credited as the first to land the quadruple flip in competition and the second to do the quad loop in international competition.

He finished fourth at the 2024 Worlds in March, and Kyodo News noted Uno’s comments: “Maybe it’s my age, or Nathan [Chen’s] and [Yuzuru Hanyu’s] influence, but I wasn’t able to feel strongly like I wanted to win.”

4.
FIS Alpine calendar ‘24-25 has finals in Sun Valley

The first look at the “provisional” FIS Alpine World Cup schedule for the 2024-25 season was posted on X (ex-Twitter) on Thursday, with the all-events final scheduled – but “to be confirmed” – for Sun Valley, Idaho for 22-27 March 2025.

It will be a historic return to Sun Valley, which hosted World Cup races previously only in 1975 and 1977.

There will be only one prior stop in the U.S. during the season for men, at Beaver Creek, Colorado, on 6-7-8 December for a Downhill, Slalom and Super-G. No men’s races are shown at all for Canadian sites.

Two U.S. stops are planned for women’s racing, first for 30 November and 1 December in Killington, Vermont for a Giant Slalom and Slalom, then on 14-15 December for a women’s Downhill and Super-G. In between, two Giant Slaloms are scheduled for Tremblant (CAN) on 7-8 December.

The 20 stops on the women’s tour include:

● 5 in Austria
● 4 in Italy
● 3 in the U.S.
● 1 in Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland

The men’s stops will be in:

● 4 in Austria and Italy
● 3 in Switzerland and the U.S.
● 2 in Norway
● 1 in Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Slovenia

The World Alpine Championships will be in Saalbach (AUT) from 4-16 February. The calendar remains subject to approval by the FIS Council.

5.
NFL Hall of Famer, NCAA hurdles champ Jimmy Johnson
passes at 86

Jimmy Johnson, a Hall of Fame defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, an NCAA hurdles champion for UCLA and the younger brother of Olympic icon Rafer Johnson, passed away on Wednesday (8th) after a lengthy illness.

Born in 1938, four years younger than Rafer, he moved with his family to Kingsburg, California, graduated from Kingsburg High School and followed Rafer’s path to UCLA.

There, he was a wingback and defensive back and ran track for coach Ducky Drake, winning the 1960 NCAA 120-yard hurdles championship at Berkeley (14.0) as a junior, as well as long jumping. He missed the 1961 NCAA meet due to injuries.

He was drafted by San Francisco and was a star at cornerback from 1961 to 1976, honored as a first-team All-Pro from 1969-72 and a second-team All-Pro from 1964-66 and 1968. He finished with 47 career interceptions and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, after being selected as UCLA Hall of Famer in 1992.

At his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, he shared the honor with his brother (who passed in 2020), who had introduced him:

“Rafer Johnson is in fact my hero and that is an amazing thing in itself. Most young men growing up usually have a hero in another town, another city, another country, and they will write to this individual, receive an autographed photo and then tack that photo up on the wall and worship that photo, play for that photo and get inspiration from that photo. No such problem for me.

“I had a brother living with me on a day-to-day basis that I was able to talk to, ask the pertinent questions, get the pertinent feedback and get corrected in my direction, if needed. I must say I must give brother Rafer credit for everything that I have accomplished in the field of athletics. And I just wish that we could split this trophy, this bust of myself, right down the middle because he surely deserves half of it.”

That says a lot about both of them.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC named its coaches of the year for 2023, honoring eight coaches and staff members who have made a difference across five sports:

● Olympic Coach of the Year: Jenni Meno-Sand (figure skating)
● Paralympic Coach of the Year: Ellen Minzner (rowing)

● Coach-Educator of the Year: Richard Guy Krueger (archery)
● College Coach of the Year: Todd DeSorbo (swimming)
● Developmental Coach of the Year: Dr. Robert Park (archery)
● Doc Counsilman Science & Technology Award: Garrett Lucash (figure skating)
● Service Provider of the Year: Dr. Caroline Silby (figure skating)
● Volunteer Coach of the Year: Patrick Wentland (speed skating)

Desorbo, the head coach at the University of Virginia – his women’s teams have four NCAA team titles in a row – won’t have much time to enjoy his award, as he is training swimmers for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials and will serve as the head women’s coach for the U.S. team in Paris.

● Cycling ● Spain’s Pelayo Sanchez won a final sprint among three riders to take the sixth stage of the 107th Giro d’Italia, riding Thursday on a hilly, 180 km course from Viareggio to Rapolano Terme.

Luke Plapp (AUS), two-time World Road Champion Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) and Sanchez broke free with about 40 km left in the race and were never headed. Plapp led late, but was passed first by Alaphilppe and then by Sanchez in the final 100 m for the win in 4:01:08; Plapp was given 4:01:09. It’s Sanchez’s first career UCI World Tour victory!

Race leader Tadej Pogacar (SLO) retained his 46-second lead over Geraint Thomas (GBR), both finishing in a huge group that was 29 seconds back of the leaders. Pogacar will look to increase his lead on the uphill-finishing 40.6 km individual time trial on Friday and more difficult, 152 km course on Saturday with six climbs and another uphill finish.

● Football ● In another of the innumerable issues that will come up prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., a lifetime box holder at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium has said FIFA cannot use his suite for the World Cup.

The AP spoke with Roberto Ruano, whose father purchased a box – with a 99-year term – when the stadium was originally built:

“We’ve already paid for the right to be there when we purchased the title and there can be no restrictions for us. We have a title to support us. It’s not up for debate.”

He is the spokesman for 134 box owners with similar rights at the Azteca, which began construction in 1961 and opened in 1966. One report notes that stadium now has 856 “executive suites.”

Discussions are continuing with the stadium ownership, with Ruano pointing out that box owners were allowed use during both the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cups.

● Shooting ● American Worlds Mixed Team gold medalist Austen Smith won the women’s Skeet final at the ISSF World Cup in Baku (AZE), scoring her last 10 shots to defeat Martina Maruzzo (ITA: 50) and London 2012 bronze winner Danka Bartekova (SVK: 43).

China’s Jianlin Lyu won the men’s Skeet with 56 hits to 50 for two-time Olympian Federico Gil (ARG), and China went 1-2 in the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions with Yukun Liu, who set a world record of 467.3 in the final to edge five-time World Junior gold winner Linshu Du (21: 466.1).

Germany’s World Team gold medalist Anna Janssen won the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions at 467.2, ahead of Swiss Tokyo Olympic champ Nina Christen (465.3).

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, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Flavor Flav to sponsor U.S. water polo women; FIFA report likes Brazil for Women’s World Cup ‘27; LA84 success turned on 8 May

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! ★

★ Updated! Get our 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport: click here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Flavor Flav to Steffens: “imma sponsor the whole team”
2. IOC launching AI-driven social media protection service
3. FIFA rates Brazil best of bids for 2027 Women’s World Cup
4. Olympic flame arrives in France, Manaudou starts relay
5. Forty years since the turning point for the 1984 Games

● U.S. women’s water polo captain Maggie Steffens – a three-time Olympic gold medalist – urged her Instagram readers to support the team for Paris, recognizing that some team members also hold down multiple jobs while trying to play. She got a quick reply from Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav, who wrote back, “imma sponsor the whole team.”

● The International Olympic Committee announced an artificial-intelligence-powered program to provide social-media “protection” for the Paris 2024 Games, both shielding athletes from abuse and reporting abusive posts to the relevant platforms. The concept has been tested and follows successful efforts in this area from FIFA and World Athletics.

● FIFA’s evaluation report rated Brazil’s bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup as slightly better than the Belgium-Netherlands-Germany bid, mostly due to concerns over contract matters which do not meet FIFA’s preferences. A closer look at the text reveals concerns for reservations from both bidders.

● The Olympic Torch Relay for the Paris 2024 Games is now in France, with the flame delivered to a big crowd in the harbor of Marseille, and French swimming gold medalist Florent Manaudou taking the first leg. The relay will continue right up to the opening on 26 July.

● Wednesday marked the 40-year anniversary of the start of the 1984 Olympic Torch Relay, the longest in history at the time, and the announcement by the USSR that it would not attend the Los Angeles Games. Both the relay and the Games were huge successes, and the Soviet boycott effort was a failure, as a then-record 140 countries came to the transformative 1984 Games.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (official music and composer introduced) = On Screen (tiny audience for World Athletics Relays) = Russia (5: Politician says Russia may not be at LA28 either; re-allocated Rio medalist won’t get any medals from the IOC until Russia turns over 15 medals it owes; canoer Pavlov disqualified for “liking” Putin inauguration; 60+ countries expected for BRICS Games; RUSADA having trouble setting up a new lab) = Ukraine (weightlifting champ Pielieshenko first Olympian to die fighting Russia) = Athletics (2: Lewis says “ not in the culture to work that hard” in track or anything else; another Kenyan doping positive) = Badminton (SafeSport confirms arbitration upholds sanction for ex-USAB chief executive) = Boxing (World Boxing meets with IOC for first time) = Cycling (Pogacar still on top of Giro d’Italia as Milan, Thomas win sprint stages) = Flag Football (USOPC advertising for an NGB) = Shooting (Korea’s Yang equal own world record in 25 m Pistol at ISSF World Cup) = Swimming (Tokyo 400 Free champ Hafnaoui opts out for Paris) = Wrestling (Taylor named to replace Smith at Oklahoma State) ●

● Errata: Tuesday’s post mentioned 1996 Olympic icon Michael Johnson as a triple gold medalist; he won two (now corrected, thanks to reader David Greifinger). Also, John Smith was identified on Monday as the coach of 400 m star Michael Norman; in fact, he is back with USC head coach Quincy Watts. ●

1.
Flavor Flav to Steffens: “imma sponsor the whole team”

Three-time Olympic gold medal winner Maggie Steffens, one of the greatest water polo players in history and the U.S. captain, asked for support in an enthusiastic Instagram post on Saturday (4th); in part:

“There is no greater honor then representing Team USA on the Olympic stage side by side with strong, talented, & driven women who empower you every day. Who dedicate their whole lives to a common goal that forces you to face uncertainty and adversity when you least expect it. And who are willing to commit their entire selves to the process for true love of the sport, teamwork, and the Olympic dream. These selfless women are my WHY. My motivation to keep going no matter what & to never stop, for them.

“Water polo, women’s water polo specifically, may not be the most popular sport or on everyone’s radar, but with women’s sports even more on the rise – I encourage everyone to give these women a try! To join our family & friends and watch them strive to defy odds & chase history. To see what committed training day in and day out for over a year can create! To see what women can do in the water And if it’s not water polo, learn a new sport and watch it! Support it! Join the team behind the team.

“This support means everything to us & impacts our sport more than most. You all are truly the team behind the team and we feel it and we need it! Many of my teammates aren’t just badass champions, but also teachers, business owners, coaches, physicians assistants, and more. Some may not know this, but most Olympians need a 2nd (or 3rd) job to support chasing the dream (myself included!) and most teams rely on sponsors for travel, accommodations, nutritional support, rent/lodging, and simply affording to live in this day and age. Especially female sports and female athletes. We’ve had companies & amazing individuals support our sport alongside donors, USAWP & USOPC, but we always need more help … So leading into this Olympics, let’s continue to increase exposure of female teams & female athletes so they can continue to pursue their dreams & show the world what they do best. We are ONE TEAM!”

Steffens, 30, got a quick reply from Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav (born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., 65):

“AYYY YOOO,,, as a girl dad and supporter of all women’s sports – imma personally sponsor you my girl, whatever you need. And imma sponsor the whole team. …

“That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise.”

And he added on X (ex-Twitter):

“The US Women’s Waterpolo team has won the GOLD MEDAL THREE OLYMPICS IN A ROW,,, these women should not have to be working 2-3 side jobs to be able to compete.

“FLAVOR FLAV promises to sponsor/support captain Maggie Steffens the US Women’s Waterpolo team”

Exactly what that support is going to look like is not yet clear, but it’s a great sign for the women’s team, trying for a fourth consecutive Olympic gold in Paris. On Monday, the women played a friendly match in the Olympic venue in Paris, stomping France, 12-6, with Jenna Flynn scoring four times and Steffens among four other U.S. stars who scored twice.

2.
IOC launching AI-driven social media protection service

Following its announced push into using artificial intelligence and building on efforts by several International Federations, the International Olympic Committee outlined an AI-powered monitoring service to help protect athletes from online abuse at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:

“The AI-powered system will monitor thousands of accounts on all major social media platforms and in 35+ languages in real time. Any identified threats will be flagged, so that abusive messages can be dealt with effectively by the relevant social media platforms – in many cases before the athlete has even had the chance to see the abuse.”

This is a joint project of the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission and the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, and the system is being prepared to handle about 15,000 athletes and 2,000 officials at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

Importantly, the concept has already been trialed, with good results:

“The AI-powered tool was successfully piloted during Olympic Esports Week, where it monitored targeted, abusive content posted on the social media accounts of players participating in the event. This included identifying slurs, offensive images and emojis or other phrases that could indicate abuse.

“It subsequently analysed more than 17,000 public posts, flagging 199 potentially abusive messages from 48 authors targeting accounts from a study set of 122 players and two official IOC accounts. A total of 49 posts were then verified as abusive by a team of experts against an agreed definition of discriminatory abuse and flagged for action via the relevant social media platforms.”

This new program will be complemented by IOC Safeguarding Officers in the Olympic Village, as well as a dedicated mental-health helpline and other services.

The social-media-monitoring concept has been implemented by federations such as FIFA and World Athletics:

● At the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand:

“5.1 million posts and comments were analysed for abusive content, in 35 different languages, protecting 697 players and coaches actively using 2,111 accounts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube. 239 active accounts held by 29 match officials and the 32 participating teams were also covered by this service.”

● For the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the project – also using AI – analyzed more than 20 million online comments concerning a total of 1,070 players and officials, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.

Out of this total, some 433,696 posts were identified for review and 19,636 flagged as abusive and reported to the platforms. There were 286,895 comments which were hidden and not shown at all.

The threat to athletes is significant. Kenyan marathon star and two-time Olympic champ Eliud Kipchoge told the BBC that he received significant abuse following the death of fellow Kenyan star Kelvin Kiptum on 11 February in an auto accident:

“I was shocked that people [on] social media platforms are saying ‘Eliud is involved in the death of this boy.’ That was my worst news ever in my life.

“I received a lot of bad things; that they will burn the [training] camp, they will burn my investments in town, they will burn my house, they will burn my family. It did not happen but that is how the world is.”

3.
FIFA rates Brazil best of bids for 2027 Women’s World Cup

The 182-page evaluation report for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 released Wednesday stated that both the Belgium-Netherlands-Germany and the Brazilian bids were strong, but:

“Based on the results of the technical evaluation, the Brazil bid received the highest overall average score of 4.0 out of 5, followed by the BNG bid with 3.7.”

The overview of both bids was summarized thus:

● Belgium-Netherlands-Germany:

“The BNG 2027 bid proposes a compact tournament footprint with very good general infrastructure, including excellent connectivity and short distances between the proposed venues – all of which would be viewed in a positive light by the tournament stakeholders.

“Together with a solid commercial position and suitable football-specific sporting infrastructure, the bid presents a sound all-round bid. The stadiums proposed have relatively smaller capacities, which would mean that they would need to be at high occupancy if they were to eclipse the attendance records set for the 2023 edition of the tournament, though the bid is confident in achieving this with the ambitious plan it has put in place.

“It is important to highlight that while the bidder, their respective governments and other stakeholders have all shown clear and demonstrable support for the bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a number of material changes were made to the hosting documentation, which would result in a more complex legal framework as the point of departure for planning the tournament if the bid were successful.”

● Brazil:

“The Brazil 2027 bid offers good stadiums that are purpose-built and generally configured for the largest international football tournaments, having hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

“It also presents a strong commercial position, with a combination of competitive revenue potential and clear cost efficiencies. The Brazilian Football Association and the Brazilian government have shown support for the bid and a commitment to hosting the event, which is particularly important given that certain investments in infrastructure and services would be required to ensure the success of the tournament.

“Lastly, with respect to hosting opportunities, it is worth noting that, if the bid were successful, South America would be hosting the competition for the first time, which could have a tremendous impact on women’s football in the region.”

Both bids projected the tournament to be held in June and July, with the BNG program encompassing 13 stadia across the three countries and 10 in Brazil (all from the 2014 FIFA World Cup). The stoplight-style grading system highlighted that both bids were generally sound, but gave a red-light rating to the BNG “Legal contractual framework.”

And as to scoring, the two key elements both favored Brazil:

● 35%: Infrastructure: Brazil 3.7 vs. BNG 3.3
● 30%: Commercial: Brazil 4.5 vs. BNG 4.0

The costs to FIFA of running the tournament – it no longer uses local organizing committees – were considered higher in Europe than for Brazil, but the commercial opportunities are better than for Brazil given the economic strength of the host countries.

However, FIFA’s issues with enforcement it wants for its own needs are significant with the BNG bid. Highlighted were issues with “taxes, immigration procedures, labour law, and safety and security” in Belgium, “taxes, immigration, safety and security, and commercial rights” in the Netherlands and “taxes, as well as visas and work permit procedures” in Germany.

Moreover, the report criticized – the comments regarding Germany are used as illustration – “amendments made to the stadium and host city agreements will likely result in increased cost obligations, a significant dilution of rights (including a limit on the stadium authorities’ liability) and a loss of operational control under these agreements (including in relation to FIFA’s right to determine the tournament’s hosting requirements and tournament budget).”

FIFA’s costs in Brazil are considered to be low and the weather – in the Brazilian winter – is expected to be generally good. The report described the legal situation in much the same way it did for the BNG bid, but had a different outlook:

“The content of the submitted government support documents generally complies with the FIFA templates, although FIFA has identified some material deviations, including in relation to taxes and the general enforceability of the guarantees provided. In addition, the government legal statement flagged possible challenges regarding the potential implementation of tax exemptions.”

But the evaluation team was satisfied with the “clarification process” with the Brazilian federation.

In terms of tickets and money, the report noted 1.7 million spectators and $63 million from a BNG hosting, and 2.1 million spectators, but $59 million from Brazil.

The U.S. and Mexico pulled out of a joint bid for 2027, now aiming at 2031, allowing for evaluation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.). The selection of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup host will be made at the FIFA Congress on 17 May.

4.
Olympic flame arrives in France, Manaudou starts relay

The Olympic Torch Relay has begun in France, with the arrival of the French tri-masted ship Belem at 11 a.m. in the Marseille harbor and London 2012 Olympic 50 m Freestyle gold medalist Florent Manaudou taking the first turn with the torch on French soil.

The Belem was accompanied by 1,024 local vessels and a flyover by the Patrouille de France. Manaudou, as the first of 10,000 torchbearers, handed the flame to French Para sprinter Nantenin Keïta, then local rapper Jul took it, before lighting the Olympic Torch Relay cauldron.

The Associated Press reported that security was tight, with about 8,000 police on station for the ceremony and “Thousands of firefighters and bomb disposal squads have been positioned around the city along with maritime police and anti-drone teams patrolling the city’s waters and its airspace.”

The Torch Relay program will formally begin on Thursday, to start a 69-day relay which will visit more than 450 locations – including overseas extensions in French Guiana, Reunion Island and French Polynesia (Tahiti) among others – before concluding at the Olympic opening on the Seine on 26 July.

A security team will accompany the relay throughout its journey. A spokeswoman for the French Interior Ministry told the AP, “We’re employing various measures, notably the elite National Gendarmerie Intervention Group unit, which will be present in the torch relay from beginning to end.”

5.
Forty years since the turning point for the 1984 Games

For those who worked on the development and staging of the revolutionary Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1984, Tuesday, 8 May is a day that will never be forgotten.

It was initially marked as the start of the longest Olympic Torch Relay in history: 15,000 km (9,320 miles) on a zig-zag course across the United States, finishing in Los Angeles 82 days later for the opening of the Games on 28 July. A total of 3,636 runners carried the torch.

The relay was created as a way to raise money for charity, with the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, Special Olympics and eventually others as recipients of $3,000 “Youth Legacy Kilometers” that collected $10.95 million in donations ($32.92 million today). The cost of the relay itself was paid by sponsor AT&T and by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.

The start of the relay was at United Nations Plaza in New York, with LAOOC President Peter Ueberroth present on a cold, rainy morning. A short program was led by LAOOC Board member and 1960 Olympic decathlon champ Rafer Johnson and the first kilometer was run by Gina Hemphill, the granddaughter of 1936 Olympic legend Jesse Owens, and Bill Thorpe, Jr., grandson of 1912 Stockholm immortal Jim Thorpe.

The second kilometer was run by 91-year-old Abel Kiviat, a gold (3,000 m Team) and silver medalist (1,500 m) at Stockholm and Thorpe’s roommate at the 1912 Games.

About two hours after the relay started came the dreaded announcement that the Soviets declined the invitation to participate in the 1984 Games, claiming insufficient security for its delegation and supposed violations of the Olympic Charter and stating “in these conditions, the National Olympic Committee of the USSR is compelled to declare that participation of Soviet sportsmen in the Games is impossible.”

The boycott announcement was later reported to be a decision of the Soviet Politburo as revenge for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games.

But the outcomes were quite different.

The Moscow Games included 80 countries, but there were 66 that did not attend, with at least 63 boycotting the Games, including the U.S. The Soviets expected their refusal to attend to create a counter-boycott to cripple the Los Angeles Games. But the opposite happened.

At the LAOOC, an afternoon all-staff meeting at the vast Culver City headquarters – a former Hughes helicopter design facility – was led by Executive Vice President and General Manager Harry Usher. The messages were simple: (1) this changes nothing, the Games will happen and (2) let’s get busy with changing the narrative.

One notable advantage was the presence within the LAOOC of dozens of foreign nationals and naturalized U.S. citizens from other countries. Many had ties with national sports federations or National Olympic Committees in those countries and all were enlisted to “call home now” and not just ask the NOCs to come to the 1984 Games, but to declare their acceptance of the invitations ASAP in order to counteract the impact of the Soviet boycott.

Delegations were sent to Warsaw Pact countries to extend personal invitations to come, some turning away the LAOOC in tears because they had been looking forward to the Games. Ueberroth made a high-profile trip to Havana to ask Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to come, especially since baseball – the national sport – was going to be played as a demonstration and the Cubans were likely winners.

That failed, but it made an impression. The deadline for acceptance of the LAOOC invitation to the Games was 2 June, but on 12 May, China accepted the invitation to send athletes, despite being a Communist country. The U.S. State Department was also working feverishly to encourage acceptances.

The International Olympic Committee, then headed by Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch – a former ambassador to the USSR, with supreme diplomatic and sports contacts – was also all-out to get formal acceptances to the invitation to the Games and coordinated strategy with the LAOOC.

The hard push yielded results, and on 24 May – 16 days later – the LAOOC announced the receipt of 123 acceptances for the 1984 Games, eclipsing the prior record of 122 for the 1972 Games in Munich. That did not include Romania, which had signaled that it would come despite its Warsaw Pact membership, but had not sent in its formal agreement.

Said Ueberroth, “Two weeks ago the world’s most powerful propaganda machine waged a campaign of lies against the Olympics. We asked the nations of the world for their help … and did they help!”

By the deadline of 2 June, there were 141 acceptances, a new record and Angola came in two days later, citing communications issues. Eventually, Angola did not send a team (it never said why) and Libya withdrew on the eve of the Games, leaving the final total at 140.

On the Soviet side, 14 countries boycotted and five others (including Angola and Libya) did not send teams.

At the opening of the 1984 Games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on 28 July, Hemphill ran the torch into the stadium and handed it to Johnson, who memorably lit a set of Olympic rings that set the cauldron at the top of the peristyle end alight.

That was 82 days after a memorable 8 May, the day which started the final march to success for one of the most pivotal Olympic Games in history.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The “Official Musical Theme” of the Paris 2024 Games, written by French composer Victor le Masne, debuted in Marseille during ceremonies welcoming the Olympic Torch to France. Per Paris 2024:

“The Official Musical Theme of the Paris 2024 Games, entitled ‘Parade,’ will be performed on 8 May at 7.30pm, when the Olympic Flame arrives in Marseille. It will be played live, exceptionally, by the Marseille orchestra from the Palais du Pharo, marking the start of the Games celebrations in France. This musical theme, which will be played throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games, was recorded with the Orchestre National de France and the Chœur et Maitrise de Radio France.”

Le Masne has also been appointed as the Musical Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He has worked previously with Ceremonies Director Thomas Jolly (FRA). 

● On Screen ● The U.S. had a fantastic World Athletics Relays, winning four of the five events, but little interest from television viewers on CNBC.

The final-day session from Nassau (BAH) at 7 p.m. on Sunday drew a paltry 107,000 viewers per the Nielsen report, with just 10,000 viewers on average in the age 18-34 demographic.

That’s way below the usual 700-900,000 or more for track broadcasts on NBC; the meet was shown on both Saturday and Sunday on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.

Earlier that day on NBC, the Laureus Awards program on delay at 3 p.m. Eastern drew an average of 324,000 viewers (28,000 in 18-34 demo).

Sunday’s NCAA Beach Volleyball final between USC and UCLA at 11 a.m. on ESPN had 306,000 viewers (37,000 in 18-34).

● Russia ● Doubts are now being raised about Russian entries for Los Angeles in 2028. Evgeniy Revenko, the deputy head of the dominant United Russia party, which holds 325 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, said at a Wednesday committee hearing:

“We are faced with an important strategic task, the prospects for participation in the Olympics are now at zero, 2028 is in question. Next year is 2032. The next Olympics, when we can expect to take full part, is in eight years. Now we are faced with the task of full, very serious and very deep preparation for these Games.”

A disqualification for doping in the Rio 2016 Olympic men’s canoeing final in the C-1 1,000 m event gave the bronze medal to Russian Ilia Shtokalov, with the IOC confirming the re-allocation in 2018.

But Shtokalov has not received his medal. An inquiry by the Russian news agency TASS received a reply from the IOC:

“Medal reallocations must be and have always been handled by the respective National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned. When the Russian Olympic Committee was not suspended, it had failed to return the medals to the IOC after 15 Russian athletes or teams were disqualified from the Games as per usual procedures. This means that the IOC, regardless of the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, is currently not in a position to reallocate medals to Russian athletes.”

Russian sprint canoeist Mikhail Pavlov, a four-time Worlds gold medalist, was disqualified from participation by the International Canoe Federation, apparently for “liking” a video on social media concerning the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pavlov, 37, was set to try and qualify in the men’s C-2 500 m, with Zakhar Petrov, but were replaced by Alexey Korovashkov and Ivan Shtyl, who won the European Qualifying event on Wednesday in Szeged (HUN) and, subject to review of their “neutrality,” will go to Paris.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that “more than 60 countries” are expected to be represented at the 11-23, 20-sport June BRICS Games in Kazan (RUS).

Tickets have gone on sale for the event, according to TASS, “ticket prices range between 100 and 300 rubles (between $1 and $3).”

The creation of a new, anti-doping laboratory in Russia is at a standstill, according to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency Director General, Veronika Loginova:

“My opinion is that we are not ready yet, the issue has not been worked out, so that we move away from the system that exists and move on to a new, independent one.

“We have a concept, it has been worked out. But there are questions about the materials that are used in analysis. For most analyses, reagents and other consumables are available, but some materials are purchased from abroad, and we do not receive them.”

She said that Russian doping samples are tested aboard, with 36% going to Ankara (TUR), 33% to Seibersdorf (AUT), 30% to Ghent (BEL) and 1% to Cologne (GER).

Loginova also noted that requests by RUSADA for testing of samples at foreign labs for the BRICS Games and September’s Friendship Games are meeting with resistance, due to the requests by the IOC not to support these events.

● Ukraine ● Sad news of the first Ukrainian Olympian to die in service fighting the Russian invasion of his country: weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, on Sunday (5th) at age 30.

Pielieshenko was the European champion at 85 kg in 2016 and 2017 and placed fourth at the Rio 2016 Games at 85 kg. He joined the Ukrainian infantry shortly after the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

● Athletics ● In an interview during the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Carl Lewis said that there is a good reason why interest in his best event – the long jump – is low right now.

“Why is the long jump not popular? Because no one’s jumping far..

“It’s not rocket science. When you have a generation that got used to people that were jumping 8.60 m [28-2 3/4] and competition was there, people were excited … With the long jump at one point, you really felt like ‘I want to be there because I’m going to see something special’.”

Lewis, the head coach at the University of Houston, cited the difficulty of the event, combining speed and technique and then went further:

“I just don’t think our culture is raising kids to do that anymore. It’s just not in the culture to work that hard, to not be distracted. It’s just not there.

“And in our culture, I’m not talking about just athletes but I’m talking about kids. What I had to go through, a kid now? ‘Oh no, got to stop, mental health’. Seriously, I’m just being honest.”

Wow.

Another Kenyan doping positive, this time for marathoner Josephine Chepkoech, 35, for testosterone, with a charge issued by the Athletics Integrity Unit on 7 May. Chepkoech won the women’s division in the Santiago (ESP) Marathon on 28 April in 2:30:16, and was second at the Sevilla Marathon in February in 2:22:38.

She was previously sanctioned for doping for two years from March 2015 to March 2017 for a positive test for steroids on 31 December 2014. If confirmed this time, she will be in for a long sanction.

● Badminton ● The Associated Press reported that the U.S. Center for SafeSport informed the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and USA Badminton that an arbitrator had upheld a five-year sanction against former USA Badminton chief executive Linda French for interference in the reporting of an abuse allegation by a staff member.

● Boxing ● World Boxing met for the first time with the International Olympic Committee, specifically Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL), on Monday in Lausanne:

“During the meeting the IOC clearly indicated that the new International Federation had to be supported by a global body of National Federations and the new International Federation had to show evidence of proper governance and leadership for the sport for the IOC to consider to put boxing back on the Olympic programme of LA28.

“Currently World Boxing is the only suitable International Federation to fulfil this mandate and is grateful to the IOC for starting a formal dialogue and outlining a future pathway to keep the sport in the Olympic Games.”

The IOC has said the clock is ticking and could make the decision on boxing and 2028 by early 2025.

● Cycling ● At the 107th Giro d’Italia, Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar continues as the unchallenged leader, with a 46-second edge on Geraint Thomas (GBR) after the fifth stage.

Wednesday’s rise, a 179 km route from Genoa to Lucca with one significant climb early, saw a breakaway by four riders at the 100 km mark: Enzo Paleni (FRA), Michael Valgren (DEN), Andrea Pietrobon (ITA) and Benjamin Thomas (FRA). Pietrobon attacked with less than 2 km left, but was caught by Valgren, who then saw Thomas whiz by to win the stage in 3:59:59, with Valgren and Pietrobon given the same time and Paleni three seconds back. It’s Thomas’s first win in a Grand Tour.

Stage four on Tuesday also had a major early climb, but the last 60 km were mostly flat. That means a mass finish for the sprinters, with Italy’s Jonathan Milan powering to victory in 4:16:03 for the 190 km ride to Andora. Kaden Groves (AUS) and Phil Bauhaus (GER) finished 2-3.

● Flag Football ● With Flag Football now on the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is obligated to support a National Governing Body for the sport. So, on Tuesday came the announcement:

“This serves as public notice that the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is seeking applications for certification as the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of Flag Football in the United States.”

Indianapolis-based USA Football, founded in 2002, is the American member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and will not doubt be confirmed. But it has to apply, with the deadline set for 7 June 2024.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup in Baku (AZE) continues, with Korea taking wins in the women’s 25 m Pistol and 10 m Air Rifle.

Twenty-year-old Jiin Yang (KOR) equaled her own world record of 41/50 in the 25 m Pistol final, previously at the Asian Championships in January, to defeat Nan Zhao (CHN: 37). In the 10 m Air Rifle final. Korea’s Ji-hyeon Keum edged China’s Zifei Wang, 253.4 to 252.3. American Mary Tucker was fifth (186.0).

The men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol title went to two-time Olympian, Dr. Martin Podhrasky (CZE: 40), who won a shoot-off (5-2) with China’s Xinjie Wang after both scored 32 in the final. Tokyo Olympic silver winner Lihao Sheng led a Chinese 1-2 in the men’s 10 m Air Rifle, out-scoring Linshu Du by 251.8 to 251.4. American Rylan Kissell finished seventh (143.0).

Competition continues through the 12th.

● Swimming ● A surprise as Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, the Tokyo Olympic men’s 400 m Freestyle gold medalist, said he would not compete in Paris.

He did not give specific reasons, but his form has been off in 2024, ranking 31st in the world in his specialty, and 23rd in the 800 m Free. Hafnaoui had been training in the U.S., but left the Indiana University team after two meets this season.

● Wrestling ● Tokyo Olympic 86 kg Freestyle gold medalist David Taylor of the U.S. did not make the U.S. Team for Paris, but will take over a legendary collegiate program as he was named as the head coach for Oklahoma State on Monday.

Taylor, 33, who also own three World titles at 86 kg (2018-22-23), takes over for another U.S. wrestling legend in John Smith, the 1988 and 1992 Olympic 62 kg Freestyle winner, who oversaw the Cowboys’ program for 33 years and won five NCAA team titles and had 33 individual NCAA national championship wins.

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, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX SPECIAL: It’s here! Our updated, 547-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 547-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 12-page listing in chronological order and a 13-page listing by sport (and in date order within each sport).

It’s free! Get your download right here!

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

TSX REPORT: Belarus and Ukraine athletes to check Russian “neutrals”; Johnson critical of World Relays’ fan approach; $65,000 Oslo torch!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Too much fan attention and too little security at the World Athletics Relays for U.S. star Noah Lyles? (Photo: Francesca Grana 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. Belarus and Ukraine activist athletes checking “neutral” entries
2. Israeli wrestlers forced to skip Olympic qualifier in Turkey
3. Michael Johnson on World Relays: example of a problem
4. Enhanced Games founder claims 50-100 Olympians to compete
5. Oslo ‘52 torch goes for $65,000 to highlight Ingrid O’Neil 96

● A coalition of Belarusian athlete activists against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Ukrainian athletes have joined together to offer (unsolicited) advice to the International Olympic Committee’s own “neutrality” review panel on Russian and Belarusian athletes submitted by the International Federations as Paris participants.

● Five Israeli wrestlers who planned to compete for a spot at the Olympic Games in Paris are not being allowed to go to the final Olympic qualifier in Turkey over concerns for their safety after Turkey’s government cut off trade with Israeli last week over its response to the 7 October 2023 massacre and hostage-taking by Hamas. They are no longer shown on the entry lists.

● Atlanta 1996 sprint icon Michael Johnson’s new track league for 2025 will make him a meet promoter and meet director, and he shared his concerns about last weekend’s World Athletics Relays as for the athletes, but not fans. However, Noah Lyles posted that too much fan interaction – and not enough time to concentrate on his warm-up – tired him out!

● The head of the doping-encouraged Enhanced Games said in an interview that he hopes for 50-10 Paris Olympians to compete in his event in 2025. He says swimmers and lifters have shown interest, but not so much for track athletes.

● The Ingrid O’Neil Auction 96 ended with two rarities bringing big prices: a torch from the first Winter Games relay at Oslo in 1952 ($65,000) and a gold medal from the special 1956 Olympic equestrian events held in Stockholm due to quarantine restrictions in Australia ($32,500).

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: China’s Xi says he favors Olympic Truce during Games; Australia announces Paris athlete bonuses) = Anti-Doping (Cambodia now considered compliant by WADA) = Athletics (4: Bannister broke the 4:00 mile barrier 70 years ago; Price past injuries, reaches 252-9; USATF to send team to World Juniors; L.A. Grand Prix tickets on sale) = Boxing (IBA sets championships) = Cycling (Merlier sprints to Giro stage 3 win) = Fencing (2: El-Sissy and Navarro win Seoul Sabre Grand Prix; worries over Sabre match-fixing) = Gymnastics (FIG hands 2025 Worlds to Jakarta, but will Israel to able to compete?) ●

1.
Belarus and Ukraine activist athletes checking “neutral” entries

The International Olympic Committee has already said it expects its program of only “neutral” athletes to limit the number of Russian entries at this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games to be in the dozens, not the hundreds.

Part of that qualification process includes a “Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel,” announced by the IOC in March, including IOC members Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU), Pau Gasol (ESP) and Seung-min Ryu (KOR), which will check on the neutrality of the athletes submitted as qualified for Olympic participation by the International Federations.

Now, they are getting some more advice.

The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation – an activist, anti-government athlete group – and Ukrainian athletes are joining together to scrutinize the credentials of Belarusian and Russian qualifiers. From their Instagram post last Friday:

“Belarusian athletes led by the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation and Ukrainian Athletes led by Vladyslav Heraskevych with the support of the Open Society Foundation (USA) to launch an important initiative ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“This joint project focuses on the verification of Belarusian and Russian athletes planning to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games.

“The aim is to ensure these athletes do not have ties to military or paramilitary structures, aligning with the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations on athlete neutrality.

“Through the collection and analysis of information from open sources, both pre and post-Olympics, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and neutrality in sports.”

Various Ukrainian groups have been posting notices, photographs and social-media posts of athletes they claim are not “neutral,” but this new collaboration can significantly extend that work to Belarusian athletes as well.

The numbers are not big, but that’s not the point, as Ukraine has protested the appearance of even a single Russian or Belarusian athlete as an insult in view of Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine. The IOC’s statement in March noted:

“The experts currently project that, under the most likely scenario, 36 AINs with a Russian passport and 22 AINs with a Belarusian passport will qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The maximum number, which is unlikely to be reached, would be 54 and 28 respectively.”

The last time Russia had less than 200 athletes at the Olympic Games was in Stockholm in 1912, when 159 competed for the Russian Empire. Prior to that, there were five at Paris 1900 and six at London in 1908. So the number of Russians in Paris will be the lowest in 116 years.

As for Belarus, it competed as an independent country first in 1996, with 157 athletes; it sent a low of 101 to Tokyo in 2020, and Paris 2024 will be a new low.

2.
Israeli wrestlers forced to skip Olympic qualifier in Turkey

The massacre and hostage-taking by Hamas – the elected leadership of Gaza – of Israelis on 7 October 2023, and the fierce response of Israel since then has roiled multiple countries around the world, including protests and counter-protests in the U.S.

Now, it is keeping Israeli athletes from trying to qualify to compete in Paris.

United World Wrestling is holding its final world Olympic qualifier in Istanbul (TUR) from 9-12 May, with five Israeli wrestlers set to compete, but who will now not be allowed to compete as the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) has barred the athletes from going to Turkey.

The Turkish government, which has been supportive of Hamas, said it was halting trade with Israeli last Thursday. In March, Israel’s National Security Council warned against travel to Turkey: “The potential for terrorist threats against Israelis and Jews more than five months after the start of the war is very high.”

A Monday check of the list of participants for the Olympic Qualifier showed no Israeli entries.

Said Ilana Kratysh, the 2015 European 69 kg silver medalist and who wrestled in the women’s 69 kg class at the Rio 2016 Games – Israel’s first female Olympic wrestler – said:

“I’m disappointed, but I knew that this was going to be the decision.

“I hope that the Israeli [wrestling] association and the Olympic committee will demand from the world association [UWW] to consider us and give us a free ticket to the Games; the athletes should not be harmed by the situation.”

3.
Michael Johnson on World Relays: example of a problem

Already a high-profile commentator on track & field for the BBC after his iconic performance as a double gold medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, when Michael Johnson talks, people listen. Even more now that he has announced a new track “league” for 2025, with $30 million raised in capital.

Over the weekend, he was in action on X (ex-Twitter) about the World Athletics Relays going on in Nassau (BAH) as an Olympic qualifier in five events:

● “World Relays is an example of a constant problem with track. Amazing event! But feels like the primary focus is providing an opportunity for athletes and federations, and fans are an after thought. Broadcast was poor and stands were half full for an event I believe the casual fan would find incredibly entertaining. But requires a fan focused strategy. Too much of track is structured as ‘this is our event for us.’ Kind of like opening a restaurant set up to serve just your family and wondering why you have no customers.”

● “Watching the build up to one of my favorite sporting events. @KentuckyDerby Not a single mention of times or how fast the horses have run. Just 1) The stories of how they got here, and 2) their chances of winning or where they may place in the race. Track needs this!”

U.S. television audience information for the Sunday session shown on cable (CNBC) will not be available for another day or so. The international feed was shown, with the English and Dutch announcers, not the NBC announce crew.

As Johnson will now be a meet promoter and meet director in 2025, it was also notable that he re-posted this comment from superstar Noah Lyles, who anchored the winning U.S. men’s 4×100 m:

“I would love to thank Bahamas for hosting a very successful meet. The atmosphere was so energetic and welcoming. I’m just sorry I could not meet that atmosphere with the same energy because I was emotionally and mentally drained.

“This track meet was difficult. Not because of the race but the lack of boundaries at the warm up track. There were so many people who would try to interact with me during my race preparations and while practicing. Management, athletes, and even coaches I could not find time to dial in to the competition.

“The saddest part about this is it left me so drained that I had no energy after my race to approach fans with a smile and give them the energy I normally give. I might be the first to speak on how this affects athletes but I know I’m not the only athlete that had this happen to them. I hope to see you all at the next track [meet] well rested and with tons of new energy.”

4.
Enhanced Games founder claims 50-100 Olympians to compete

Australian lawyer Aron D’Souza, founder and promoter of The Enhanced Games, which will be free of doping controls, said in an interview that he expects dozens of Paris 2024 Olympians to compete in his event in 2025:

“We have a great many who are in the sign-up process at the moment, who are competing at Paris.

“I would hope 50-100 is [the number] of Paris Olympic alumni who would be competing at the first Games. You will see at the Paris Olympics, some athletes are going to be very open about the Enhanced Games concept. We have quite a plan for the Paris Olympics.”

His Enhanced Games are designed as doping-allowed world-record-attempt events, with a focus on track & field, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting and combat sports. He said that 1,500 athletes had applied in some form to take part, without providing more details; formal entries are to be opened in late 2024.

He plans to pay participants a specified amount, with major bonuses for beating established records. D’Souza said that interest among swimmers and lifters had been good, but less so in track & field:

“Our perfect candidate is not the 19-year-old who is going to their Olympics for the first time.

“It’s the 28-year-old who has gone to the Olympics twice and won a silver medal and they’re like, ‘I don’t want to become a personal trainer’.

“They feel like they have got a little bit more in them before their ‘retirement’ and put out to pasture at age 30 in elite sports.”

The event has been condemned as dangerous by the World Anti-Doping Agency and multiple International Federations have come out against it, some promising significant bans for those who participate.

5.
Oslo ‘52 torch goes for $65,000 to highlight Ingrid O’Neil 96

The first torch relay at an Olympic Winter Games was in Oslo, Norway in 1952 and one of the 95 torches made for that program was the highlight of the Ingrid O’Neil Auction 96 that concluded on Saturday.

It was by far the highest-priced item that sold, with 12 items that sold for $9,500 or more:

● $65,000: Oslo 1952 Winter Games torch
● $32,500: Stockholm 1956 gold medal (equestrian)
● $16,000: Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 Winter gold medal
● $14,000: Los Angeles 1932 gold medal
● $12,000: St. Louis 1904 participation medal
● $12,000: Antwerp 1920 gold medal (swimming)
● $12,000: London 1948 gold medal
● $12,000: Tokyo 1964 gold medal (fencing)
● $12,000: Sydney 2000 gold medal (taekwondo)
● $11,000: Rome 1960 gold medal (wrestling)
● $11,000: Seoul 1988 gold medal (fencing)
● $9,500: Stockholm 1912 gold medal (track & field)

The Stockholm 1956 gold is another rarity; the 1956 Olympic Games was held in November in Melbourne, Australia, but due to quarantine regulations there, the six equestrian events were held in Sweden in June.

The $12,000 for the St. Louis 1904 participation medal confirmed its status and high esteem among collectors of what are usually modestly-priced collectibles.

There were some other interesting items of lower prices that were noteworthy:

● An “official stopwatch” marked for the 1928 St. Moritz Olympic Winter Games sold for $1,000.

● A fuel pack container – no fuel – for use with a Melbourne 1956 Olympic torch sold for $1,200.

● A silver and amber ring presented by the Ministry of Sport to German winners at the 1936 Berlin Games, replete with the Nazi swastika, sold for $2,000.

● A 1976 Montreal ceremonial Sword of Honor – 44 1/2 inches long and made by Wilkinson in England – and bearing the Montreal city crest, sold for $800.

And a 12-inch miniature version of the Munich 1972 torch, made as a lighter (!), sold for $140.

Many other medals and torches did not sell and will no doubt be seen again, but there was good interest in many other documentation and souvenir-style items of lower cost.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Chinese Premier Xi Jinping said he supports an Olympic Truce this summer, saying through an interpreter during a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron:

“The world today is far from being calm. As member of the United Nations Security Council and as a responsible country, China urges with France for a truce in the world during the Paris Olympic Games.”

Macron added, “We wanted to explain the impact of this conflict on Europe’s security and our determination to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.”

The Australian Olympic Committee announced its prize money structure – the Medal Incentive Fund – for the Paris Games, with A$20,000 to be given to gold medalists, A$15,000 for silver and A$10,000 for bronze (A$1 = $0.66 U.S.).

(This amount is also awarded in non-Olympic years for events such as world championships, Commonwealth Games or similar events.)

Two new funds are being set up in Australia, which can receive tax-deductible contributions through the Australian Sports Foundation: the existing Medal Incentive Fund, and the Aspiring Australian Olympic Athlete Fund, allowing direct donations to individual athletes rather than rewards for Olympic or Worlds performances.

A new “Indigenous Athlete Support Grant” program has also been started to provide grants of A$5,000 to assist “Indigenous athletes selected in the Australian Olympic Team.” Moreover, the project will continue through the new “Australian Olympic Indigenous Athlete Fund.”

At its Annual General Meeting, AOC delegates were told that the Committee’s four-year sponsorship target of A$74 million had been met and that the cost of sending the Australian team to Paris will cost about A$25 million.

● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that Cambodian law has properly come into conformity with the World Anti-Doping Code that its national anti-doping agency is now considered compliant with the Code.

This removes any penalties, such the loss of flag and anthem status at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

● Athletics ● Worth remembering that Monday (6th) was the 70th anniversary of the first sub-4:00 mile, achieved by Britain’s Roger Bannister at the Iffley Road track in Oxford in a dual meet between Oxford University and the British Amateur Athletic Association.

Bannister, 25 at the time, meticulously planned and trained for the race, paced by his British Olympic teammates from 1952, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway. He passed the 1,320 mark in 3:00.7 and finished in 58.7 for the 3:59.4 record-breaker.

While Bannister broke a nine-year-old mark from 1945, his status as world-record holder lasted only 46 days, as John Landy (AUS) ran 3:58.0 on 21 June in Turku (FIN).

Almost (but not quite) lost in the wild weekend of track & field was the impressive 77.05 m (252-9) win by 2019 World women’s hammer champ DeAnna Price of the U.S. at the Fighting Illini Tune-Up meet in Champaign on Saturday.

Price has been bothered by injuries over the past couple of years, but moved to no. 2 on the world list for 2024 and also had another in-series throw of 77.02 m (252-8).

Good news for U.S. juniors, as USA Track & Field reversed its stance on refusing to send a team to the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Lima, Peru:

“USA Track & Field has received reassurance of sufficient safety measures that will be in place at the event and has made the decision to field a team to represent Team USA at the Championships taking place August 26-31, 2024, in Lima, Peru.

“The safety and well-being of USATF athletes, coaches, managers, and staff remain our top priority, and we will continue to communicate closely with all relevant stakeholders. USATF is committed to providing our athletes with the highest level of competitive opportunities on their journey to gold.”

Tickets are now on sale for the 18 May USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix to be held at UCLA’s Drake Stadium from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring – among others – a return appearance from Ryan Crouser, who set a world shot record of 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) in 2023. Currently-discounted ticket options include:

● $175 (vs. $250): An upgraded VIP package from 2023, that includes track-side, tented seating near the finish line (with catering) and premium seating in the stands. Plus free admission to the Friday night distance and field events.

● $75 (vs. $135): Premium seating in the stands, and “premium access” to the field events, and free access to the Friday night events.

● $30 (vs. $40): General Admission single tickets (or $80 for a family of four), also with free access to the distance events on Friday.

The Grand Prix will be preceded on Friday by the USATF Distance Classic from 5-9 p.m., starting with the women’s hammer throw and also including the women’s vault and discus.

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association, now excommunicated from the Olympic Movement and more of a professional boxing organization concerned with prize money, announced world championships for men in 2025 and 2027 and for women in 2024 and 2026. Prize purses were announced as a quite-unequal $10.4 million for men and $4.8 million for women.

● Cycling ● Monday’s stage three of the 107th Giro d’Italia finished with the expected mass sprint at the end of the 166.3 km course from Novara to Fassano, with German Tim Merlier winning in 3:54:35, as the top 91 riders received the same time.

Merlier beat Italy’s Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmey (ERI) to the line for his second career Giro stage win, previously in 2021. Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar added a second to his lead, now 46 seconds over Geraint Thomas (GBR).

● Fencing ● Worlds bronze medalist Ziad El-Sissy of Egypt won the FIE men’s Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul (KOR) that ended Monday, defeating 2023 Worlds silver winner Sandro Bazadze (GEO) by 15-13 in the final. Both bronze medals went to Americans, with Colin Heathcock and Filip Dolegiewicz losing in the semifinals; it’s Heathcock’s third medal of the season and the first international medal for Dolegiewicz.

Spain’s Araceli Navarro, the 2022 Worlds bronze winner, took the women’s victory with a 15-13 decision against Sarah Noutcha of France, 24, who won her second career international medal and first since 2018!

The self-described left-leaning Splinter site highlighted the 24 April announcement of sanctions on two Sabre referees by USA Fencing over actions at a North American Cup match in January, and that preliminary findings from a wider inquiry showed (so far) that individual fencers were not involved in match-fixing and that the NAC actions by the two officials involved was an isolated incident.

Splinter’s report concentrated on a YouTube video posted by “ponce de leon,” identified only as a retired Sabre fencer:

“The video analyzes tournament footage and statistics to convey ponce de león’s suspicions about a small cadre of powerful referees and coaches – each invested in the success of specific athletes or national fencing programs – and suggests that they have bent or broken rules to give their preferred athletes a leg up in competition.”

USA Fencing stated in its post that its inquiry is continuing.

● Gymnastics ● The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) announced that Jakarta, Indonesia has been chosen as the site for the 2025 World Artistic Championships, from 19-25 October.

This will be a first for Indonesia, with FIG President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) stating, “I am delighted that our discussions last year led to the national federation submitting a bid for our flagship event, the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, which has now been approved by the FIG Executive Committee. I am convinced that the event will be organized to a high standard.”

No mention was made about potential Israeli entries, such as current Olympic men’s Floor gold medalist and 2023 World Floor Champion Artem Dolgopyat. Indonesia canceled the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games so as to not allow Israeli athletes to participate (the organizers said the government canceled the funding at the last minute) and FIFA removed its 2023 men’s U-20 World Cup, where Israel was entered (and won a bronze medal in the relocated tournament in Argentina).

Indonesia has been strongly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel in its foreign policy, extending directly into sports in 2023.

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TSX REPORT: U.S. wins four in 35 minutes at World Relays; Bach tells World Athletics how to spend IOC’s money; Ledecky could swim at LA28!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Paris-bound: the U.S. men's 4x100 m relay, winners of the World Athletics Relays (Photo: Francesca Grana 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. U.S. wins four, qualifies five at World Athletics Relays
2. Ukraine tells athletes “refrain from direct contacts” with Russians
3. Bach tells World Athletics where to spend, Coe has other ideas
4. IOC suspends former power broker Sheikh Ahmad for 15 years
5. Ledecky excited, almost promises continuing to 2028

★ A special thanks to the International Sports Journalists Association (AIPS), which honored The Sports Examiner with a worldwide fifth place in its 2023 AIPS Sports Media Awards for “Writing – Best Column” for “With the best of intentions, the IOC has lost its way.” ★

● The U.S. dominated the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, overcoming a Saturday disqualification in the men’s 4×400 m to qualify for Paris on Sunday and the other four finals in just 35 minutes, taking the Mixed 4×400, the women’s 4×100, the men’s 4×100 and the women’s 4×400, all by big margins. Gabby Thomas won on both the women’s 4×1 and 4×4.

● The Ukrainian National Olympic Committee and Ministry of Youth and Sport issued “recommendations” to its Paris Olympians to essentially stay away from Russian and Belarusian neutrals, as any interactions could be used for propaganda purposes.

● International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach told reporters last week that the role of the International Federations was to develop their sport, but hand out prize money at the Olympic Games as World Athletics is doing. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said before the World Relays in Nassau that development is important, but so is rewarding athletes.

● The IOC Ethics Commission suspended Kuwaiti former powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad for 15 years after his Swiss conviction for fraud was confirmed by the appeals court, and he refused to turn over the full decision to the Ethics Commission. The suspension almost certainly ends Sheikh Ahmad’s controversial time as an IOC member.

● Katie Ledecky said in an interview that she intends to continue swimming after Paris, and is thinking about carrying on to Los Angeles in 2028, when she will be 31. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday, along with 18 others, including a posthumous award to the legendary Stockholm 1912 star Jim Thorpe.

● World Championships: Badminton (China sweeps Thomas & Uber Cups) = Ice Hockey (Canada comes from behind to win men’s U-18s from U.S.) ●

● Panorama: Aquatics (World Aquatics forms doping review committee) = Artistic Swimming (Alexandri sisters star in Paris World Cup) = Athletics (6: McLaughlin-Levrone wins two, Norman 44.21 at Oxy Invite; Anderson gets women’s hammer lead in Tucson; Davis-Woodhall takes women’s LJ lead in Fayetteville; World Athletics to trial mixed 4×100 m; Coburn breaks ankle, out for Trials; Bekele and Assefa lead Ethiopian marathoners for Paris) = Beach Volleyball (Patricia and Lisboa take down Nuss and Kloth in Brasilia) = Cycling (3: Pogacar surges to big Giro lead after stage 2; Vollering dominates Vuelta Femenina; Bruni and Hoell win Mountain Bike Downhill opener) = Fencing (2: Weintraub scores first Foil World Cup gold; Kano upsets Koch in Cali Grand Prix final) = Judo (Riner stars in Dushanbe Grand Slam) = Rugby (New Zealand sweeps Singapore Sevens) = Shooting (Willett and Bassil win Baku World Cup Trap titles) = Sport Climbing (Watson and Hunt sweep Speed titles for U.S., Grossman wins again in Salt Lake City World Cup) = Swimming (Grimes and Gravely win U.S. 10 km open-water titles) ●

1.
U.S. wins four, qualifies five at World Relays

Unlike the first five editions, the sixth World Athletics Relays – back in Nassau (BAH) – wasn’t about fun, but the business of qualifying teams for the Paris Olympic Games in the 4×100 m, 4×400 m and Mixed 4×400 m.

On that score, the U.S. job got done, advancing both 4x100s, the women’s 4×400 and Mixed 4×400 on the first day, but had to go to the second qualifying round on Sunday for the men’s 4×400 m.

That’s because third-leg Champion Allison moved Japan’s Fuga Sato from the inside line while lining up for the second exchange with Christopher Bailey (who ran 44.66). Technical Rule 24.20 states that the runners “shall, under the direction of a designated official, place themselves in their waiting position in the same order (inside to out) as the order of their respective team members as they enter the last bend.” The U.S. won the heat in 3:00.42, but was disqualified as Japan (3:00.98) was elevated.

Well, Allison was moved to the second leg – taking the stick in his lane this time – and Bailey went third, with Jacory Patterson again first up and national champion Bryce Deadmon on anchor. Patterson ran well again (45.54 vs. 45.55 on Saturday), passing essentially tied with Qatar, and then Allison stormed away down the back straight to give the Americans a 7 m lead at the exchange (44.79). Bailey saw the pack close in after 170 m of his leg, then turned on the jets and ran away down the straight with a great 44.26 leg and Deadmon had a 20 m lead as the others handed off and he cruised home the easy winner in 45.36 and 2:59.95. Done.

On to the finals:

● Mixed 4×400 m: The question was how would the U.S. deal with Dutch superstar Femke Bol on the anchor? Matthew Boling started off brilliantly in 45.11 and had a solid lead, handing to Lynna Irby-Jackson, who maintained a big lead over everyone and at 50.10, gave ex-UCLA star Willington Wright a 2 m lead over Ireland, but with the Dutch well back. The pack closed on Wright until he ran away on the straight (45.18) and have anchor Kendall Ellis a 7 m edge. Bol and Sharlene Mawdsley for Ireland nearly closed the gap with 100 m left, but Ellis strode away to a 50.34 final leg and a 3:10.73 win. Bol’s 49.63 brought the Dutch in second (3:11.45), with Ireland in a national record 3:11.53. Second leg Rhasidat Adeleke – last year’s NCAA champ for Texas – ran a 48.45 split for the Irish.

● Women’s 4×100 m: Tamari Davis of the U.S. was gaining from the gun and the pass to Gabby Thomas was clunky, but she was flying! Clearly in the lead, Thomas passed cleanly to Celera Barnes, who extended the lead and made an efficient pass to Melissa Jefferson who ran away from the field to win easily in 41.85. That’s the world leader in 2024 and a meet record.

France was second – from lane one – in 42.75 and Britain third in 42.80.

● Men’s 4×100 m: The quartet of Courtney Lindsay, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Noah Lyles led the qualifying in a world-leading 37.49 and the same four came out on Sunday. Same result: Lindsey ran up on Italy to his outside and a good pass to Bednarek sent him flying into a clear lead. The pass to King was efficient and he routed the field around the turn and sent Lyles home with a big lead on the way to a world-leading 37.40 win. “Who’s going to stop us?” shouted Lyles as he collected the U.S. flags for the celebration. No one … if the passes are there. This time, no problem.

Canada was second with Andre De Grasse on anchor in 37.89 and France was third (38.44) as Italy was disqualified.

● Women’s 4×400 m: The Americans were second in qualifying at 3:24.76 with Quanera Hayes, Bailey Lear, Na’Asha Robinson and Alexis Holmes, but Thomas doubled back from the 4×1 to take the second leg from Lear, who was moved to third leg, replacing Robinson.

Hayes slowly moved up (51.16) and made the pass first to Thomas, who took over. She had a 4 m lead with 200 to go and ran away from everyone with a 49.58 leg and gave Lear (51.33) a 20 m lead on the third leg. It was 25 m into the turn and Holmes took the stick up 35 m and cruised home in 49.63 in a world-leading 3:21.70.

No baton problems, and the U.S. won four titles in a row in 35 minutes. Yowsah!

● Men’s 4×400 m: No U.S. team after Saturday’s disqualification, but Botswana and South Africa both ran sub-3:00. All eyes were on star Letsile Tebogo for Botswana on second leg and he powered into the lead down the straight and had a 5 m lead at the handoff, finishing a sensational 43.72 leg.

Leungo Scotch extended the lead (45.27) and gave world 400 m leader Bayapo Ndori a 7 m lead on the anchor. Ndori was up 10 m into the straight and he ran away with a 44.13 leg and a world-leading 2:59.11 win. South Africa won the fight for second at 3:00.75 from Belgium (3:01.16).

Worth noting was the second qualifying round in the mixed 4×400 m, as the home Bahamas quartet of Olympic 400 m men’s champ Steven Gardiner (45.08), 16-year-old Shania Adderley (53.12), Alonzo Russell (45.07) and Olympic 400 m women’s champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo (49.54) won in style at 3:12.81, and are headed to Paris to the delight of the crowd.

The top eight teams in each event earned prize money (per team) of $40,000-20,000-10,000-8,000-6,000-4,000-3,000-2,000. Teams that didn’t make it still can qualify via the world list, to fill two spots in each race for Paris.

2.
Ukraine tells athletes “refrain from direct contacts” with Russians

There is little doubt now that some Russian and Belarusian athletes will be present as “neutrals” (“AIN” athletes) at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, despite the protests of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee and the country’s Ministry of Youth and Sports.

So, the two entities posted a two-page letter last week offering “RECOMMENDATIONS regarding contact with individual neutral athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.”

In short: stay away. In specific:

● “Refrain from direct contacts with representatives of the aggressor countries, which may cause provocative actions on their part both in the Olympic Village and outside it.”

● “[I]nform the higher-ranking person and the leadership of the official delegation about any attempts at provocative actions by the representatives of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.”

● “[N]ot to participate in any communication in social networks and discussions with [“neutral” Russians and Belarusians], not to share and not respond to the content of AIN [athletes], not to publish joint photos and video materials both in relation to the competition and outside the competition period.” …

● “[D]uring and outside award ceremonies and flower ceremonies, as far as possible, keep a distance and distance yourself from any contact with AIN [personnel], as well as refrain from joint photos or videos, if such a need is not related to compliance with obligations language requirements in the competition rules.”

● “[R]efrain from participating in press conferences, live broadcasts (which have no inseparable connection with the proper conduct of the competition), interviews and other advertising events before and after the competition together with the AIN of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.”

The letter is explicit that it is not limited to only Russians and Belarusians who are in Paris, but also to “contacts with representatives of aggressor countries, as well as other persons who support the policies of these countries and may be used for propaganda purposes.”

The obvious situation most likely to turn up would be an awards ceremony in which both a Ukrainian and Russian or Belarusian win a medal, or some sort of an introduction to a match – possibly in judo or taekwondo – where competitors from the two sides could be standing together.

This is not going to be pleasant, but it will be heavily watched on all sides.

3.
Bach tells World Athletics where to spend, Coe has other ideas

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) told reporters in a news conference last week that he felt World Athletics should not be using its Olympic television dividend to pay athletes, but to use it for development.

“This is not a discussion about prize money because prize money exists for decades.

“My teammates and I in 1976 [fencing team gold medalists in Foil], we received prize money for our gold medal through the foundation supported by the [German] National Olympic Committee. In the meantime this is more or less common practice among NOCs.”

He explained:

“This question in principle is a question of how to support the athletes best. …

“The NOCs and [International Federations] are major recipients of this money, of this share of the commercial success of the Games.

“The role of the IFs … is they have to make every effort to try to close the gap between the athletes coming from privileged countries and those coming from less privileged countries.

“This is where this discussion is coming from.”

Noting that federations have never before offered prize money for Olympic performance, Bach added that prize money should not be “the role of an international sports federation,” but instead should be up to “sponsors, governments or private institutions.”

Speaking directly to the controversy prior to the World Athletics Relays in The Bahamas, World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR) pointed to the whole picture, not to the past:

“I’ve always unashamedly said I will always do whatever I can to make our sport financially viable for athletes. This misnomer that every Olympic champion is going off into the Elysian Fields of commerciality is just naive and wrong. It isn’t.

“And so, it’s a balance, and we put a lot of money into development and integrity – much more actually than we earmark for our prize money, and that’s the way it should be. But listen: if athletics emerges as the number one sport, as it consistently does at an Olympic Games, I have to reflect that there’s a reason for that.

“And it’s the quality of our athletes that are bringing those broadcast numbers in, that give us access to our share of the broadcast revenue – and there are arguments [from other federations] about the equity of that – and I just can’t keep standing up and saying we’re growing the sport and bringing in new sponsors on board, the athletes have to see some connection between growing the sport and their own well-being and welfare. And that’s really [it]; there’s nothing more to it than it.

“It’s really not that complicated. I want the athletes to have a career ahead of them that gives them just a little bit more financial security, and, believe me, we will do more in this space; that’s not the end of it.”

World Athletics, World Aquatics and the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique are the three first-tier federations in terms of Olympic television revenue and each will receive a still-to-be fixed sum from $35-40 million from the IOC from its Paris television revenues.

Observed: This is a clear friction point between Coe and just about every other International Federation, the IOC and many National Olympic Committees. There is no chance whatsoever that World Athletics will back down from its Paris payments.

However, as Coe’s third and final term as World Athletics President will end in 2027 – a year short of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles – it will be fascinating to see how the issue plays into the election of the next World Athletics chief and whether the winner will maintain Coe’s pledge to pay not just the winner, but all medalists at Los Angeles 2028, potentially at $4 million or more, vs. $2.4 million in 2024.

4.
IOC suspends former power broker Sheikh Ahmad for 15 years

One of the most controversial figures in international sport, Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah was suspended by the International Olympic Committee’s Ethics Commission for 15 years in a 12 April decision that was made public late last week.

At various times, Sheikh Ahmad was the President of the Olympic Council of Asia (1991-2021), the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (2012-2018), a member of the International Olympic Committee (since 1992) and was also a member of the FIFA Council from 2015-17, until he resigned related to a bribery investigation.

He was known as a confidant of IOC President Bach and, given his ability to support candidates in various area with Kuwait’s vast oil wealth – he has been, at various times, the Kuwaiti Minister of Oil and Minister of Defense – was known as a key influencer, match-maker and operative in international sport.

Sheikh Ahmad and others were criminally charged in Switzerland in 2018 related to fraud concerning evidence faked to implicate others in a coup in Kuwait. He was found guilty in September 2021, confirmed in December 2023 with a 24-month suspended sentence. He has appealed the finding to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

The IOC Ethics Commission asked for a full copy of the decision of the appeals court, but did not receive it. Sheikh Ahmad had already been suspended for three years for defying a specific directive of the IOC Ethics Commission not to campaign for his brother (Sheikh Talal) at the Olympic Council of Asia elections in 2023, where Talal won, but the election was nullified.

Now, the Ethics Commission noted that Sheikh Ahmad has not resigned, challenged his IOC suspension in 2023 and could be expelled. But:

“However, since Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah agreed to suspend himself from the beginning of the criminal procedure in 2018 until 2023, the IOC Ethics Commission proposes to continue the sanction of full suspension for a further second suspension period.

“The Commission considers that, respecting the principle of proportionality, full suspension of all the rights, prerogatives and functions of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah for fifteen (15) years is proportionate and appropriate to protect the IOC’s reputation and credibility. As this is the continuation of the previous decision taken by the IOC Executive Board, this sanction period will start from 27 July 2023.

“The IOC Ethics Commission notes that during this period of suspension, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah will not fulfil the necessary ethical criteria to be proposed for re-election at the end of his current term.”

The last sentence is important. Now 60, Sheikh Ahmad could serve to age 80 under normal circumstances, since he was elected prior to 11 December 1999, meaning he could potentially return to the IOC in 2039, at age 75. But the IOC Ethics Commission decision closes the door on his return, indicating his career (and his use of Kuwaiti wealth to advance interests) in the Olympic Movement is effectively over.

5.
Ledecky excited, almost promises continuing to 2028

“I take things year by year, but right now, I definitely could see myself competing in 2028, with it being a home Olympics. It’s something that’s very unique. It’s something that not every Olympic athlete gets. And so I definitely know I’m not retiring after this summer and 2028 is very appealing.

“So I think, at this point, I want to be there, I want to compete in at least one event, maybe more. But again, plans can change. It’s a long ways away, my focus is solely on this summer in Paris at this moment.”

That’s as close as American distance superstar Katie Ledecky will come to flat-out confirming she will try to swim at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, in an interview with Juana Summers on the NPR “All Things Considered” program.

Interviewed in advance of Friday’s ceremony in which she was one of 19 to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Joe Biden, Ledecky told Summers that her preparations for the U.S. trials are on track:

“I’m ready. We have our Olympic Trials in about a month now. So that’s what I’m gearing up for, I have one more meet before then. So everything is tracking well, my training is going well. And I’m really excited for hopefully the opportunity to represent the U.S. at a fourth Olympics. I can’t believe that I get this opportunity and it’s gonna be a great summer and I’m excited.”

Ledecky, 27, already owns seven Olympic golds, 10 Olympic medals and 21 World Championship golds and will be the favorite in Paris in the women’s 800 m and 1,500 m Freestyles, and a medal contender in the 400 m Free and the 4×200 m Free relay (she won Tokyo 2020 silvers in both of those events).

She could become the most decorated women’s Olympic swimmer ever in Paris; Americans Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin all won 12. With four medals in Paris – as in Tokyo – she would be four behind Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina (18 from 1956-64) for the most medals by a women in Olympic history, going in 2028.

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony, in which Stockholm 1912 Olympic pentathlon and decathlon gold medalist Jim Thorpe was posthumously honored, and recipients included Malaysian film star Michelle Yeoh (also an IOC member), assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers, television host Phil Donahue and a host of current and former political figures.

Asked about her post-swimming future, Ledecky said she’s really not thinking about that yet:

“When I think of swimming, and I think of this career that I’ve had, I think of all the joy that I’ve had in the sport, and everything that I’ve been able to learn through the sport, all the people that I’ve gotten to meet through the sport, all the places that I’ve gotten to go through competitive swimming. And I think because of all that joy that I’ve experienced in the sport, it’s something that I’m never going to stop doing.

“Of course, some day my competitive career will come to an end and I’m not going to be looking at the clock or having a coach get my times every set. But I think I’ll always find myself going back to the pool and swimming some laps or splashing around. And it’s a place that I find so much joy.

“As we get into the summer months, I hope that a lot of other people can find that joy and learn how to swim. It’s such an important life skill. And, in my view, the greatest sport on earth, and something that you can do for the rest of your life. I hope that I’ll be swimming into my 90s – I have a 98-year-old grandma, so I’m lucky to have some good genes there, and I hope that I’ll be able to stay healthy and happy, and happy in the pool and happy in the water. It’s definitely my happy place.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Badminton ● The Thomas & Uber Cup – the men’s and women’s team world championships – concluded in Chengdu (CHN) on Sunday, with China winning its 11th Thomas Cup title and its 16th Uber Cup championship.

In the Thomas Cup, China swept through group play with a 3-0 record, then defeated India, Malaysia and Indonesia in the playoffs, all by 3-1 margins.

In the Uber Cup, China was even more dominant, sweeping all three of its group-stage matches (15 matches to 0) and then continuing with 3-0 wins in the playoffs against Denmark, Japan and Indonesia.

● Ice Hockey ● The defending champion U.S. and four-time winner Canada were on a collision course at the IIHF men’s World U-18 Championship from the first day and clashed in the final on Sunday in Espoo (FIN), with a massive U.S. penalty opening the door for Canada to win the final, 6-4.

Christian Humphreys opened the scoring for the U.S. With just 52 seconds left in the first period, then four goals were scored in the second, with Ryder Ritchie tying it for Canada at 5:31. The U.S. scored consecutive goals from Cole Eiserman (8:31) and Cole Hutson (13:04), but Gavin McKenna got Canada to 3-2 at 15:40 of the period.

The game changed at 9:25 of the third, when U.S. forward Trevor Connelly was called for an illegal check to the neck or head – a five-minute penalty – and got a 20-minute game misconduct penalty on top of it. Canada took advantage with three quick goals for a 5-3 lead, by McKenna (10:25), Cole Beaudoin (13:40) and Tij Iginla (14:19).

The U.S. cut the lead to 5-4 on a Brodie Ziemer goal at 15:36, but McKenna sealed Canada’s win with an empty-netter with 1:18 to go for the 6-4 final. It’s Canada’s fifth win in this tournament and its first since 2021.

In the semis, the U.S. skated past Slovakia, 7-2, taking a 2-1 lead in the first on goals by Teddy Stiga and Eisenman, then breaking it open with three second-period goals by Max Plante, Hutson and Will Skahan; Plante got a second goal in the third. The Canadians edged Sweden, 5-4, taking a 4-0 lead in the first, then holding on with a 5-2 lead after two periods but with Sweden closing to 5-4 with 5:41 to play. Carter George made 31 saves for Canada.

Sweden was a clear winner in the third-place match, winning by 4-0, with all four scores in the final period.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Aquatics ● From a letter sent by World Aquatics to its national federations on Friday:

“[P]lease be advised that by decision of the World Aquatics Bureau, an anti-doping audit review committee has been appointed to review the process and procedure of World Aquatics (and the prior FINA) in examining doping-related procedures.

“The goal is to enhance our understanding of the anti-doping review and decision-making process within our federation as it concerned this particular case and take away any learnings from this experience to make World Aquatics more equipped for the future. Your confidence, and the confidence of all athletes, in our system is vital to our future together.”

The committee is headed by Aquatics Integrity Unit Supervisory Council members Miguel Cardenal (ESP) and Ken Lalo (USA), and includes Paralympic swimmer Annabelle Williams (AUS), French 2012 Olympic 50 m Free winner Florent Manaudou, and Brazilian coach Fernando Possenti.

Although FINA (now World Aquatics) was not directly involved in the Chinese doping issues raised by January 2021 positives for trimetazidine, the federation wants to future-proof its processes, in coordination with its contracted doping-control partner, the International Testing Agency. The audit committee report is due by the end of June.

● Artistic Swimming ● The second leg of the Artistic World Cup series was a dress rehearsal for the summer Olympics, in Paris (FRA), with Austria’s 26-year-old Alexandri sisters all coming up golden.

The 2023 Worlds Solo Technical and Solo Free silver medalist, Vasiliki Alexandri won both in Paris, scoring 253.7933 to take the Technical and 257.3939 to win the Free segment decisively.

Sisters Anna-Maria and Eirini-Marina Alexandri teamed to win the Duet Free at 265.964, and Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe won the Duet Technical event (260.0517). 

Gustavo Sanchez (COL) won the men’s Solo Technical at 209.811, and the Solo Free at 204.0210. American Kenneth Gaudet was the Technical runner-up at 197.4216 and third in the Free (161.6187).

In the Mixed Duet Technical, Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim (KAZ: 216.3250) were the winners, with Spain’s Jordi Caceras and Judith Calvo taking the Free title, scoring 189.2749.

● Athletics ● Things were heating up far away from Nassau, notably at the Oxy Invitational at Occidental College in Southern California. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued her work-up to the Olympic Trials, with two decisive wins, in the 100 m hurdles in 12.71 (wind: -0.4 m/s) and a windy 200 m victory in 22.38 (+2.9).

For context, that’s her second-fastest 100 m hurdles ever, behind her 2021 best of 12.65.

Then there was the men’s 400 m, with a sensational 44.21 by 2022 World Champion Michael Norman of the U.S., his fastest in two years, his ninth-fastest ever and now no. 2 on the 2024 world list.  

The men’s 1,500 m was a Northern Arizona 1-2, with junior Nico Young winning in 3:34.56, ahead of junior Colin Sahlman (3:34.64), with Rio 2016 Olympic champ Matthew Centrowitz third (3:35.39) and Abdi Nur fourth (3:35.63). Young moves to no. 15 on the year list for 2024 and Centrowitz to no. 18. It’s Centro’s fastest time since 2021!

Young doubled back in the 5,000 m in 13:36.58!

Brooke Andersen, the 2022 women’s World Champion in the hammer, got a world-leading win at 79.92 m (262-2) at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, Arizona. She took the world lead with her second throw of 78.16 m (256-5), then posted her big throw in the final round. It’s the no. 4 throw in American history!

Fellow American Daniel Haugh, ranked sixth worldwide this season already, nearly matched his seasonal best, winning at 79.01 m (259-2), with Tokyo Olympian Rudy Winkler of the U.S. moving up to 12th at 76.89 m (252-3) in third.

Payton Otterdahl continued his hot run in the men’s shot winning at 22.41 m (73-6 1/4), ahead of Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell (21.69 m/71-2).

Tara Davis-Woodhall, the 2024 World Indoor Champion, took the world outdoor lead at the Arkansas Twilight meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas, winning at 7.16 m (23-6), her second-longest jump ever behind only her indoor Worlds gold-medal performance of 7.18 m (23-6 3/4).

World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon (GBR) said the federation will explore the viability of a mixed 4×100 m relay. Speaking on the federation’s “Inside Track” podcast (4 May):

“The whole mixed relay thing is actually a really interesting concept, and, in many ways, we think that mixed athletics could be the future.

“For example, we are this year looking into testing a concept of a mixed 4×100 m relay. We’re not saying it’s going to work; we’re not saying that it will be an event, but it is one of the things that we are going to be testing. We are starting with an open mind and we’re starting with all various variations.”

While the mixed 4×400 m relay has proved workable, questions in a 4×100 m will involve the differences in speed between men and women, which could prove difficult to coordinate efficiently.

Emma Coburn, the dominant force in the U.S. in the women’s Steeplechase and the 2017 Worlds gold medalist, suffered a broken ankle during the Wanda Diamond League race in Suzhou (CHN) on 27 April and is out for several months, if not the season. She wrote on Instagram on Thursday:

“I don’t really know what to say… i broke my ankle on the water jump in Shanghai. At first I thought I just sprained it, even though the pain was pretty intense. When I got home, images showed torn ligaments, damaged cartilage, and a fracture in my medial malleolus. I had surgery yesterday and got a screw in my ankle for the fracture and got the cartilage cleaned up. If all goes well, I can start jogging again in 6 weeks.

“That means I’m out for the Olympic Trials. The dream of Paris is over. There has been a *lot* of heartbreak in the last couple years for me, but damn, I love this sport and nothing heals a broken heart like working hard and getting back. See ya out there later this year.”

Coburn was the Olympic Steeple bronze at Rio 2016 and was the Worlds silver winner in 2019. Now 33, she has suffered from injury problems since the pandemic, although she made the U.S. team for Tokyo in 2021 and the Worlds teams in 2022 and 2023.

Ethiopia named a superstar marathon team for Paris, led by 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele, the third-fastest man in history at 2:01:41 from 2019, who already owns Olympic golds in the 5,000 m (2008) and 10,000 m (2004-08). He was second at the London Marathon this year at 2:04:15.

He will be joined by Sisay Lemma, the fourth-fastest marathoner ever at 2:01:48 from the 2023 Valencia Marathon and the 2024 Boston Marathon winner, and Tamirat Tola, the 2022 World Champion and 2023 New York City Marathon winner (2:03:39 from 2021).

Women’s world-record holder Tigist Assefa, who ran an astounding 2:11:53 in 2023 in Berlin, headlines the women’s squad, along with Amane Beriso, the no. 5 marathoner ever (2:14:58 in 2022) and the 2023 Boston runner-up, and Gotytom Gebresilase, the 2022 World Champion and runner-up in 2023 (2:18:11 from 2022).

● Beach Volleyball ● At the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Brasilia (BRA), the 2022 World Champions and home favorites, Ana Patricia and Duda Lisboa (BRA) swept aside the 2023 Beach Pro Tour Finals winners, Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth (USA), 21-17, 21-14, for their first win of the season.

It’s the 12th career World Tour (past and present) win for Patricia and Lisboa, ranked no. 1 in the world. Nuss and Kloth continue at no. 2.

In the third-place match, Swiss Esmee Bobner and Zoe Verge-Depre won over Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon (NED), 21-19, 17-21, 15-12.

The men’s final saw Evandro Oliveira Jr. and Arthur Lanci (BRA) completing the Brazilian sweep by coming from behind to take a 17-21, 23-21, 15-9 win against Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers (NED). It’s the second tournament win of the season for Evandro and Arthur.

Brazil’s 2022 Worlds bronze medalists George Wanderley and Andre Loyola Stein won the third-place match, 21-17, 17-21, 15-12 against Nils Ehler and Clemens Wickler (GER).

● Cycling ● The 107th Giro d’Italia got underway, with a first-stage win for Jhonatan Narvaez of Ecuador winning a sprint to the line in Turin from German veteran Maximilian Schachmann and race favorite Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia. All three covered the hilly, 140 km route in 3:14:23, with Navarez getting his second career Giro stage win, also in 2020.

Sunday’s second stage was marked by a nasty uphill finish to the Santuario di Oropa at the end of 161 km, with Pogacar making sure that everyone knows he is the favorite, with a dominating, 27-second win off a final attack with 4.3 km to go. He finished in 3:54:20, ahead of Daniel Martinez (COL), Geraint Thomas (GBR), Lorenzo Fortunato (ITA) and Florian Lipowitz (GER). After two of 21 stages, Pogacar has a 45-second edge already over Thomas and Martinez.

After taking control of the 10th Vuelta Espana Femenina in Spain with her stage 5 win on Thursday, Dutch star Demi Vollering – the 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner – concluded with the overall title on Sunday, winning by 1:49 over countrywoman Riejanne Markus.

Vollering had a 31-second lead after stage 5, then was second in the 132.1 km, uphill-finishing stage 6 in a sprint finish with France’s Evita Muzic and then fourth in the seventh stage in another group finish behind Dutch veteran Marianne Vos (3:27:56 for 138.6 km), Kristen Faulkner of the U.S. and Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini, for a 52-second lead heading into Sunday.

And Vollering finished in style, winning stage 8 with a 6 km solo and timing 2:43:06 for the 89.5 km route that included two difficult climbs, 29 seconds up on Muzic. Markus finished second overall (+1:49), followed by Longo Borghini (+2:00). Faulkner was the top U.S. finisher, in 12th (+7:14).

Vollering moved up from third in 2022 to second last year and now, the gold in the Vuelta Femenina.

At the season opener for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill in Ft. William (GBR), five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA) took the lead from the start and won the men’s race in 4:04.264, ahead of three-time Worlds medal winner Troy Brosnan (AUS: 4:06.104) and Finn Iles (CAN: 4:06.253). Americans Dakotah Norton (4:07.353) and Luca Shaw (4:07.943) finished 4-5.

Two-time defending Worlds women’s gold medalist Valentina Hoell (AUT) won the women’s race in 4:41.424, just ahead of 2022 Worlds runner-up Nina Hoffmann (GER: 4:41.985) and Britain’s two-time Worlds silver winner Tahnee Seagrave (4:43.255).

● Fencing ● An upset in the men’s final at the FIE Epee Grand Prix in Cali (COL), with Japan’s Koki Kano, who had never won a Grand Prix medal before, defeating 2019 World Champion and Tokyo Olympic silver winner Gergely Sikosi (HUN) by 15-8. Kano had beaten Hungarian – and reigning World Champion – Mate Tamas Koch in his semi by the same 15-8 score.

In the women’s final, 16th-ranked Auriane Mallo-Breton (FRA) managed a 15-14 win over no. 12 Giulia Rizzi of Italy. Mallo-Breton earned her first career Grand Prix gold, after winning a bronze in 2018 and a silver in 2022. It’s Rizzi’s second Grand Prix silver of the year.

At the FIE Foil World Cup in Hong Kong, American Maia Weintraub – named to the U.S. team for Paris – won over Elena Tangherlini (ITA), 15-11, for her first career World Cup medal. Jackie Dubrovich of the U.S. – also headed to Paris – took one of the bronze medals.

Italy’s Guillaume Biachi defeated Takahiro Shikine (JPN) in the men’s final, 15-10, for his first career World Cup gold.

● Judo ● The IJF Dushanbe Grand Slam in Tajikistan was headlined by 11-time heavyweight World Champion Teddy Riner of France, expected to be one of the star attractions of the 2024 Olympic Games, who won the +100 kg class over home favorite (and Asian Champs bronze winner) Temur Rakhimov. For Riner, now 35, it’s his 11th career Grand Slam title.

Swiss World Champion Nils Stump won at 73 kg, and 2021 women’s 57 kg World Champion Jessica Klimkait (CAN) won her class. Austria’s Tokyo Olympic 70 kg silver medalist Michaela Polleres won as did Tokyo Olympic bronze winner Anna-Maria Wagner (GER), at 78 kg.

● Rugby ● The penultimate Rugby Sevens tournament of the season was in Singapore, with the race for the seasonal titles now sure to continue to the final stop in Madrid.

The men’s tournament was the second-straight win for New Zealand, which dispatched Ireland in the final in a tight, 17-14 battle. Argentina, South Africa and the U.S. topped the pools, but Ireland dumped the Argentines, 21-5, in the quarters, as New Zealand skipped by the U.S., 19-14 and Australia eliminated South Africa, 29-24. Ireland beat Great Britain, 15-12, in the semis, and New Zealand won by 28-12 over Australia. Britain defeated Australia, 26-7, for third.

Argentina has a slim 106-104 lead in the seasonal standings, with New Zealand at 93 and Australia at 83. The U.S. is 10th (52).

The Black Ferns took the women’s title, their fourth in a row to assume the seasonal women’s lead at 126 points to 124 for Australia and 104 for France, with the U.S. fourth (85).

New Zealand, France and Australia were all 3-0 in pool play, and sailed into the semis along with Fiji. The Kiwis out-scored Fiji, 33-22, and Australia topped France, 19-12 to make it to the final. Once there, New Zealand took a 31-21 decision against Australia, and France defeated Fiji, 29-7, for third.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup in Baku (AZE) has begun, with China’s World 50 m Pistol World Champion Yu Xie taking the 10 m Air Pistol won over Germany’s 2023 10 m World Cup Final winner Robin Walter, 243-1 to 238.7 in the final. France’s Camille Jedrzejewski – the 2022 World Cup Final winner – took the women’s 10 m, 243.0 to 241.0 against Yeji Kim (KOR).

The men’s Trap win went to Tokyo Olympian James Willett (AUS), defeating Filip Marinov (SVK), 46-42, while three-time Olympian Ray Bassil (LBN) won the women’s title, 44-40, against Tokyo Olympic sixth-placer Penny Smith (AUS).

● Sport Climbing ● The U.S. swept the Speed events at the IFSC World Cup in Boulder and Speed in Salt Lake City, Utah, with world-record holder Sam Watson winning the men’s event and Emma Hunt the women’s final.

Watson scared his own world mark of 4.79 from earlier in 2024 with a 4.89 final victory over countryman Noah Bratschi (6.71), after winning his semifinal in 4.81 and his quarterfinal in 4.88!

Hunt got her first career World Cup gold at 6.55 in the final, as Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka fell.

In Boulder, Japan went 1-2 in the men’s final, with Sorato Anraku getting his fifth career World Cup win with 3T4Z ~ 11/11 against countryman Meichi Narasaki (1T4Z ~ 1/13). In the women’s final,

American Natalia Grossman, the 2021 World Champion, loves to perform in Salt Lake City and won her sixth straight Boulder competition there with a 3T4Z ~ 3/10 performance. She was just a little more efficient than France’s Oriane Bertone (3T4Z ~ 6/6) and Naile Meignan (3T4Z ~ 6/13). Fellow American Brooke Raboutou finished fifth (2T3Z ~ 2/7).

● Swimming ● Katie Grimes did it again at the USA Swimming National Open Water Championships in Sarasota, Florida, winning the women’s 10 km title for the third consecutive time, in a tight finish with Claire Weinstein.

Grimes, still just 18, finally took control on the penultimate lap and won in 1:58:18 to 1:58:22 for Weinstein, with Mariah Denigan third at 1:58:38. Grimes already qualified for Paris with her Worlds bronze medal in the 10 km in 2023.

Axel Reymond of France won the men’s 10 km race in a photo finish with Ivan Puskovitch in second and Dylan Gravely in third, 1:53:20-1:53:21-1:53:21. It’s Puskovitch’s best-ever nationals finals and Gravely finished third for the second year in a row.

Gravely returned on Sunday to win the men’s 5 km race in 54:40, over Chip Wheelie Shoyat (54:54) and Trey Dickey (54:57). Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto took the women’s 5 km in 59:05.

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

TSX REPORT: AIPS honors for The Sports Examiner; how AI will score gymnastics in the future; World Relays this weekend!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The AIPS Sports Media Awards for worldwide "Writing - Best Column" for 2023: Look who's no. 5!

★ 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. FIG chief Watanabe showcases AI future for gymnastics
2. Olympic-qualifier World Relays on in Nassau
3. IOC names third Refugee Olympic Team for Paris
4. Mammoth Seine River overflow reservoir opens in Paris
5. Belarus athletes on their own for Paris participation

★ A special thanks to the International Sports Journalists Association (AIPS), which honored The Sports Examiner with a worldwide fifth place in its 2023 AIPS Sports Media Awards for “Best Column.” ★

● International Gymnastics Federation chief Morinari Watanabe explained at the AIPS Congress how artificial intelligence will revolutionize scoring and training in gymnastics, a process which the federation has been working toward since 2017.

● The World Athletics Relays, one of the most fun events in the sport, is serious this time as Olympic qualifying is on the line. The U.S. has a strong squad in Nassau for the meet, with the emphasis on qualifying more than winning.

● The International Olympic Committee named its largest Refugee Olympic Team of 36 for the Paris 2024 Games, with a quarter of the squad returning from Tokyo 2020. The selected athletes come from 11 countries and will compete in 12 sports. Sadly, 14 of the 36 refugee Olympians were originally from Iran.

● The gigantic reservoir built to house rainwater and prevent wastewater flowing back into the Seine River – eventually allowing swimming once again – was opened on Thursday in Paris, one of the city’s signature initiatives related to the 2024 Olympic Games.

● The President of Belarus said that the decision on whether to compete in Paris as a qualified “neutral” would be up to each Belarusian athlete, mirroring the Russian approach.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. and Canada sweep on to semifinals at men’s U-18 Worlds) ●

● Panorama: World Games (Karlsruhe confirmed for 2029) = Anti-Doping (USADA rips WADA Q&A document on 2021 Chinese swimming positives) = Memorabilia (Ingrid O’Neil auction 96 ends Saturday) = Athletics (2: Kenya names marathon teams, led by Kipchoge; Merber to help Johnson on new track league) = Cycling (2: Vollering takes over in Vuelta Espana Femenina; Pogacar a huge favorite in 107th Giro d’Italia) = Football (star U.S. defender O’Hara retires) ●

≡ THANK YOU! ≡

In a considerable surprise, my 24 February 2023 column, “With the best of intentions, the IOC has lost its way,” was awarded a worldwide fifth place in the AIPS Sports Media Awards for ‘Writing – Best Column” of 2023. The announcement was posted on Thursday.

In fact, the column, about the incomprehensible position of the International Olympic Committee to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine continuing without end, was actually ranked as the best of the year related to the Olympic world, as the four stories ahead of it were all about football.

I started The Sports Examiner in 2016 to create a site where the focus was on the competitive, economic and political aspects of Olympic sport, an area vastly undercovered by American media with the failure, implosion or merger of so many once-great U.S. newspapers.

This is, for the most part, a one-man operation of collecting, sifting, questioning and researching news and information about the Olympic Movement and Olympic sports. It is not easy and it is sometimes tedious, but it is always interesting and the stories are compelling.

All of the top four stories were by experienced journalists at major newspapers in Argentina, Spain and Egypt. The Sports Examiner was the sole online-only publication to be honored in this category for 2023, for which I am very grateful (and still surprised).

My thanks to the AIPS and its Sports Media Awards project, which includes eight professional categories in audio, photography, video and writing, plus three more for Young Reporters.

As our regular readers know, The Sports Examiner is a free site, but donations are welcome, and so grateful to have our first patron, the LA84 Foundation, supporting the site in 2023. If you would like to join in, don’t hesitate to let me know, so even better work will be ahead!

Rich Perelman
Editor

1.
FIG chief Watanabe showcases AI future for gymnastics

An important presentation by Federation Internationale de Gymnastique President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) showcased the place for artificial intelligence (AI) projects in his sport.

Speaking during the centennial AIPS Congress in Santa Susanna, Spain, Watanabe explained the three primary applications he sees for AI in gymnastics, already in development since 2017 with FIG supplier Fujitsu:

“1. Eliminating misjudging and harmonising judging standards

“In the history of gymnastics, there have been issues caused by misjudging. Such issues must never be repeated. The elimination of misjudging will be achieved through parallel use of human judging support by ‘shadow’ judging by AI.

“Currently, there is a gap between the scores that athletes get at national competitions and the scores that athletes get at the Olympic Games. The AI judging of gymnastics will be like the use of false start and photo-finish technology in athletics. It means that gymnasts will be scored by the same standard in all competitions.

“2. Helping to develop gymnastics as entertainment

“Spectators are wowed by gymnastics, but it is difficult for them to understand the differences between scores. Visualisation of the live score with the help of AI will help spectators and TV viewers to understand the scoring.

“Using AI in this way also helps to reduce the competition time, meaning that finals that currently take three hours could potentially be reduced to less than two hours, making them more appealing to TV broadcasters.

“3. Future development as an AI coaching system

“The time will come when AI will be able to point out athletes’ weak points and advise appropriate training methods to coaches. No matter where you live, on a small island or in a mountain jungle, no matter how poor you are, if you have a smartphone, you will be able to receive coaching from the world’s best.”

The “Judging Support System” is now available for all 10 apparatus – the six for men and four for women – as of the 2023 World Artistic Championships in 2023. The system uses three-dimensional sensors and converts the movements of the gymnasts into data, with the AI application tracking all movements and comparing them to the scoring database and rules to come up with an automated score.

Acknowledging that the project is at the beginning and will take time to be fully accepted, Watanabe followed up with the point that “I want to depart from the era in which only the wealthy in the wealthiest countries have access to training, and I want to ensure that children all over the world have equal opportunities to develop their gymnastics abilities.”

2.
Olympic-qualifier World Relays on in Nassau

What has been one of the freshest and most entertaining events in track & field is suddenly quite serious as the sixth World Athletics Relays returns to the site of the first three: the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau (BAH).

At stake are Olympic qualifying berths in all five track relays:

● 4×100 m for men and women
● 4×400 m for men and women
● 4×400 m mixed relay

Per World Athletics:

● “The top 14 teams in each event at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 will automatically qualify for places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The remaining two places in each discipline will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (31 December 2022 to 30 June 2024).”

● “Olympic places are up for grabs on both days of action in The Bahamas. On the first day, the top two teams in each heat will advance to the final on day two, while also securing their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

● “In the finals on day two, teams will compete for prize money and obtain Olympic lane seeding positions.”

● “All other teams will compete on day two in the additional round where the top two teams in each heat will also qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

So for the U.S. – and everyone else – the key is to get the stick around and not to be disqualified or fail to finish. USA Track & Field announced a strong squad of 28 to compete in Nassau, including Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King, Kendal Williams, Courtney Lindsey and Pjai Austin in the 4×100 m.

The men’s 4×4 options include reigning U.S. 400 m champ Bryce Deadmon, plus Jacory Patterson, Champion Allison and Christopher Bailey.

The women’s 4×100 m group is interesting, with 200 m star Gabby Thomas the headliner along with Tamari Davis, who was with Thomas on the winning Worlds 4×1 last year in Budapest. Tamara Clark and Melissa Jefferson, who ran in Budapest in the heats, are also on the Nassau squad, along with Mikiah Brisco and Celera Barnes.

The women’s 4×400 team includes Alexis Holmes, the hero of the 2023 Worlds Mixed 4×4, when she passed a falling Femke Bol (NED) just before the line, plus veterans Quanera Hayes, Kendall Ellis, Jessica Wright, Paris Peoples and Na’Asha Robinson.

Matthew Boling, Brian Faust and Ryan Willie are in the Mixed 4×400 m pool, with Bailey Lear and Lynna Irby-Jackson for the women.

There is prize money for the top eight teams in each event, of $40,000-20,000-10,000-8,000-6,000-4,000-3,000-2,000.

In the U.S., Saturday’s heats will be shown at 7 p.m. Eastern on NBC’s Peacock streaming service; Sunday coverage of finals will be on Peacock and CNBC.

3.
IOC names third Refugee Olympic Team for Paris

The International Olympic Committee named its Paris 2024 Olympic Refugee Team on Thursday, with 36 athletes from 11 countries to compete in 12 sports “represent the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.”

This is the third Olympic Refugee Team, introduced at Rio 2016:

● 2016: 10 athletes from 4 countries in 6 sports
● 2020: 29 athletes from 11 countries in 12 sports
● 2024: 36 athletes from 11 countries in 12 sports

The breakdown by (original) country includes Afghanistan (5), Cameroon (1), Congo (1), Cuba (2), Eritrea (2), Ethiopia (2), Iran (14), South Sudan (1), Sudan (2), Syria (5) and Venezuela (1).

The breakdown by sport: Athletics (7) Badminton (1), Breaking (1), Boxing (2), Canoe (4), Cycling (2), Judo (6), Shooting (2), Swimming (2), Taekwondo (5), Weightlifting (2), and Wrestling (2).

Fully a quarter of the team are repeaters from Tokyo 2020:

● Aala Maso (originally SYR) in swimming
● Dorian Keletela (originally CGO) in athletics
● Jamal Mohamed (originally SUD) in athletics
● Tachlowini Gabriysos (originally ERI) in athletics
● Saeid Fazloula (originally IRI) in canoeing
● Muna Dahouk (originally SYR) in judo
● Nigara Shaheen (originally AFG) in judo
● Luna Solomon (originally ERI) in shooting
● Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (originally IRI) in taekwondo

Said IOC President Thomas Bach (GER): “You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community, and to our societies. With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.”

No refugee athlete has won an Olympic medal; as yet.

4.
Mammoth Seine River overflow reservoir opens in Paris

One of the signature efforts of the City of Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games is to make the Seine River swimmable again, at least in specific areas. One of the key elements of this project, now costing €1.4 billion (about $1.5 billion U.S.) in all, opened on Thursday, the huge water-storage tank next to the Austerlitz train station.

With a capacity of 46,000 cubic meters of water (about 12.2 trillion gallons), the underground stormwater storage tank will remove rainwater and help to prevent overflows that would require discharging wastewater from the Paris sewage system back into the river.

This has been the key program to allow not only public swimming in the Seine – banned since 1923 – but to allow the use of the river for open-water swimming at the Games and for the swimming phase of the triathlon.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who was present for the ceremony on Thursday, and French President Emmanuel Macron have both pledged to swim in the river prior to the Games – possibly in June – as a symbol of the project’s success.

Hidalgo told reporters, “For more than ten years already, we’ve seen a very significant improvement of the Seine water quality and our river’s fishes and wildlife are back,” noting that about 35 species now populate the river vs. just three in the 1970s. The opening of the tank follows up on a new water-treatment plant east of Paris, which was opened in April.

The plan for the Games is for daily testing of the water quality at 3 a.m. to certify World Aquatics or World Triathlon quality levels that would allow competitions to be held. If the water is too dirty, the events can be postponed.

5.
Belarus athletes on their own for Paris participation

“This is the business of the athletes. Of course, I would like to have an anthem, a flag, etc. But I understand the athletes: this is their life. Understanding this, I do not insist on any of the options.”

That’s Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in a Tuesday interview, explaining that he will not interfere in the decision of individual Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as neutrals.

“But if you have already qualified and are going there in a neutral status, punch them in the face, show them that you are a real Belarusian. We will still understand that you are a Belarusian, and when you emerge victorious, this is a good topic for us to We also punched them in the face politically.

“Tomorrow we will return to this European, global family. And we will show them what we can. And let the athlete decide for himself: if he wants to go, let him go and perform, but only perform with dignity, so that we are proud of him. I won’t put pressure on anyone and I won’t insist.”

Lukashenko has adopted the same stance as Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has also left any decisions on whether to compete in Paris as a “neutral” up to the individual athlete.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The top seeds at the IIHF men’s U-18 Worlds in Finland, the U.S. and Canada, breezed into the semifinals with decisive wins in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The defending champion U.S. took care of Switzerland, 4-0, breaking open a scoreless game with three second-period scores from James Hagens (7:11), Christian Humphreys (15:22) and Brodie Ziemer at 18:03. Hagens scored again at 10:27 of the final period and Nick Kempf handled 17 Swiss shots for the shutout. The U.S. finished with a 35-17 edge on shots.

Canada shut down Latvia, 4-0, with Maxim Masse scoring just 5:08 into the game and Ryder Ritchie adding a second at 12:12 for a 2-0 lead. After a Porter Martone goal for a 3-0 lead at 12:47 of the third, the issue was decided and Jett Luchanko got an empty-net finale at the 19:00 mark. Carter George got the shutout in goal for Canada, stopping 23 shots (to Canada’s 38).

Sweden surprised Finland, 2-1, in their quarter and Slovakia prevailed over the Czech Republic by 3-2, setting up Saturday’s semis:

● U.S. (5-0) vs. Slovakia (2-3)
● Canada (5-0) vs. Sweden (3-2)

Both are re-matches from group play, where the U.S. beat Slovakia by 9-0 in the opener, and Canada skated past Sweden, 6-3. The medal matches are on Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World Games ● As expected, Karlsruhe (GER) was named as the site for the 2029 World Games at the International World Games Association Annual General Meeting on Wednesday (1st).

Karlsruhe previously hosted the World Games back in 1989; for the 13th edition in 2029, about 4,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will contest 35 or more sports.

The IWGA also announced that full membership has been granted to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), which was an added sport at Birmingham 2022 and will be on the program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and to the International Cheer Union (ICU).

Both will be included in the 2025 World Games in Chengdu (CHN). The additions bring the IWGA federation total to 40.

● Anti-Doping ● The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency posted a scathing, 16-page review of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s question-and-answer document on the 2021 doping positives by 23 Chinese swimmers, who were not sanctioned due to contamination of their food. In short, the USADA’s view:

“WADA’s doubling down on half-truths and self-serving rationalizations for failing to enforce its own rules is deeply concerning, and those who value fair play remain completely unsatisfied by the answers being provided by WADA regarding its sweeping of 23 positive tests under the carpet. How much longer must we watch WADA dance around the truth, avoiding all accountability and responsibility?

“We echo athletes’ demands to create a truly independent investigation and let impartial experts and stakeholders participate in the process. We must get real answers, ensure accountability for any failures, and secure true reform at WADA to fulfill the promise we all have to clean athletes and the fairness of sport.”

The review also speculates that the case file received from the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) was not provided to WADA’s own Intelligence and Investigations team:

“In its statement, WADA appears to acknowledge that it did not provide the case file to its investigators. How would its investigators know they have ‘no impetus to investigate’ as they told USADA in 2023, if WADA never provided them the case file?”

● Memorabilia ● Auction 96 from Ingrid O’Neil will end on Saturday (4th) at 8 p.m. Pacific time, with 478 lots on offer and an excellent selection of medals, torches and badges from the first modern Games in Athens in 1896 to the present.

A torch for the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo (NOR) – the first Winter Games torch relay – has already received a bid for $65,000 as the highest price recorded so far.

● Athletics ● Kenya named its marathon teams for the Paris Games, led by two-time Olympic gold medalist and former world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge and defending Olympic women’s champion, Peres Jepchirchir.

Kipchoge, now 39, won in Rio and Tokyo and will try to become the first to win three Olympic marathons. He will be joined by world leader Benson Kipruto (2:02;16), the winner of the Tokyo Marathon in March, and Alexander Mutiso, who just won the London Marathon in April (2:04:01).

Timothy Kiplagat, second in Tokyo and no. 2 on the 2024 world list at 2:02:55, was named as the alternate.

Jepchirchir proved her fitness with her 2:16:16 win at the London Marathon on 21 April and has won six of her last seven marathons, including victories in New York in 2021 and Boston in 2022.

She will be challenged by Hellen Obiri, new to marathoning, but already the Boston and New York winner in 2023 and Boston again in 2024 in 2:22:37. Obiri, 34, owns Olympic silvers from 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in the 5,000 m and will be a prime contender. Brigid Kosgei, the former world-record holder (2:14:04 in 2019) and Tokyo Olympic runner-up, is the third women’s team member.

The 2022 New York winner, Sharon Lokedi, who was second to Obiri in Boston this year (2:22:45), is the women’s alternate.

Latest sign of serious intent at the Michael Johnson venture to create a 2025 track “league”: hiring of Kyle Merber, 33, the 2015 Pan Am Games 1,500 m finalist with a best of 3:34.54, who has been a popular commentator, especially on his newsletter, “The Lap Count” – inaugurated in March of 2021 – and with Citius Magazine. He posted on X on Wednesday:

“I am excited to share that I will be the Director of Athletes and Racing working alongside @MJGold to help revolutionize track and bring it into the mainstream of sports.”

He won’t be doing The Lap Count any more, of course, but will be working on what hopes to be a game-changer for track & field in the U.S.

● Cycling ● Dutch star Demi Vollering, who won 13 Women’s World Tour races in 2023, won Thursday’s fifth stage of the X Vuelta Espana Femenina, sprinting away with 700 m to go to finish the 113.9 km route to Jaca in 3:09:52 and took the overall race lead.

She won by 28 seconds over countrywoman Yara Kastelijn and Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini, with prior leader Marianne Vos (NED) well back in 26th. With the race ending Sunday, Vollering – third in this race in 2022 and second last year – is up by 31 seconds over Longo Borghini. American Kristin Faulkner is fourth (+1:10) and Vos is ninth (+2:07).

One of the three annual Grand Tours, the 107th Giro d’Italia, begins its three-week trek across Italy on Saturday with a 136 km stage from Venara Reale to Turin and will finish in Rome on 26 May.

The overwhelming favorite in this year’s Giro is Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar, winner of the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021 and second the last two years. He also contested the Vuelta a Espana in 2019, finishing third, so he has medaled in all five of his career Grand Tours.

In limited racing in 2024, he won three of his four events: Strade Bianche and the Volta Ciclista de Catalunya in March and Liege-Bastogne-Liege on 21 April. He was third at Milan-Sanremo in March. He’s ready.

Geraint Thomas (GBR), the 2023 Giro runner-up and the 2018 Tour de France winner, also returns and may be Pogacar’s biggest rival.

The route of 3,400.8 km across 21 stages includes:

● 6 flat stages
● 8 hilly stages
● 5 mountain stages
● 2 individual time trials

The three mountain stages 15, 16 and 17 – held over four days – may decide the race, all three with uphill finishes, with a final challenge in stage 19, with four climbs finally ending at 1,235 m at Sappada.

● Football ● Star U.S. defender Kelley O’Hara announced her retirement on Thursday, finishing her career at age 35 as a two-time Women’s World Cup winner and as an Olympic gold and bronze medalist. She told U.S. Soccer:

“It has been one of the greatest joys to represent my country and to wear the U.S. Soccer crest.

“As I close this chapter of my life, I am filled with gratitude. Looking back on my career I am so thankful for all the things I was able to accomplish but most importantly the people I was able to accomplish them with.”

O’Hara was a fearless ballhawk and played in 160 national-team matches, with three goals and 25 assists. She appeared for the U.S. in the 2011-15-19-23 World Cups with two wins and a silver medal in 2011, and won Olympic gold with the American team at London 2012 and a bronze at Tokyo 2020. She played professionally in the short-lived Women’s Professional Soccer league and for four clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League.

She will officially retire following the end of the current NWSL season.

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TSX SPECIAL: AICO and AFCOS save Olympic pin-trading tradition with a venue for Paris

By
Karen Rosen
-
The Parc de la Villette site in Paris that will be the home of the Olympic Collectors Area this summer (Photo: AICO).

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

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The collecting and trading of Olympic pins goes back more than a century, with identification badges being fabricated for the first revival Games in Athens in 1896. A pin depicting a national flag dates from at least 1906 and the trading of pins, at least among athletes, may have started at the Paris Games of 1924.

It was another 60 years before the mania really began.

The first major Olympic pin trading center was in Los Angeles for the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in 1984. Anheuser-Busch donated a 50-foot high, inflated six-pack of Budweiser to attract collectors – away from any official Olympic site, of course – and Commerce, California-based official pin manufacturer Ooh La La Inc., organized the space. The company produced an estimated 30 million pins related to the 1984 Games and created a frenzy.

The Coca-Cola Company – an Olympic supporter since 1928 – knew a good thing when it saw it and sponsored its first official pin-trading center at the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988 and continued the tradition for the next 30 years. During the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, the beverage giant hosted a branded pin trading “activation” in Gangneung Olympic Park which included a trading space and featured an exhibition of Coca-Cola Olympic pins – some highly prized – from previous Games.

But no major companies stepped up to sponsor an Olympic pin-trading center in Paris, and collectors worried they would have no place to gather at the Games. They were relieved to hear in April that the International Association of Olympic Collectors (AICO) and the Association Francaise des Collectionneurs Olympiques et Sportifs (AFCOS) announced the first-ever “Official Olympic Collectors Area.” The space will be located at the Parc de la Villette, which will be near Club France and other NOC houses.

The Folie des Merveilles de Villette Makerz will host the pin trading center, the exhibition “24 Heritages Olympiques” – “24 Olympic Legacies” – and other events catering to collectors. “In this unique venue, fans and enthusiasts of the Games will share all that is Olympic in them,” according to the AICO announcement.

The “24 Olympic Legacies” exhibit will showcase the vision and passion of 24 collectors through a presentation of their collections, in philately, numismatics, pins and memorabilia.

The ground-floor space, which is approximately 150 square meters (about 1,615 sq. ft.), will be open to all visitors free of charge from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the duration of the Games from 26 July to 11 August. Volunteers will guide collectors to their trading tables, manage the rotation of collectors occupying the tables and explain how pin trading works to the uninitiated.

It will be a welcome return for one of the most endearing of Olympic hobbies, especially since there were no official or sponsored pin trading centers due to the Covid-19 pandemic for the Tokyo Games in 2021 or the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

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TSX REPORT: World Cup 2026 Vancouver cost could be C$581 million; Infantino visits U.S. House and State Dept.; 840,318 apply for ‘25 London Marathon!

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ 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. Cost of Vancouver World Cup matches now at C$483-581 million
2. FIFA’s Infantino visits U.S. House & State Department
3. Tunisia joins Angola as WADA non-compliants
4. Ticket prices announced for World Athletics Champs 2025
5. Staggering 840,318 apply to run London Marathon in 2025!

● A new cost estimate of the costs related to the staging of seven FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at Vancouver’s BC Place is now estimated from $483 to C$581 million, up from an estimate of C$240-260 million in 2022. The Province of British Columbia and City of Vancouver believe federal subsidies, sponsorships and tax revenue will be more than that.

● FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. State Department on Wednesday to discuss issues such as visa control, security and transportation for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

● The World Anti-Doping Agency has classified Tunisia as non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, meaning – unless something changes – that it will not be able to use its flag for any of the Olympic ceremonies in Paris this summer. Angola is in the same situation.

● Pricing for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, much anticipated since the spectator-less Olympic Games in 2021, were announced. Some 700,000 tickets are expected to be available, with pricing from $16 to $317, depending on the session and seat location.

● Registrations for a spot in the 2025 London Marathon reached an all-time record high of 840,318, even though only about 2% will be drawn to run. Of these entries, 80% came from Britain and the rest from outside the country.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (NBC adds comedy highlights program to Peacock Games programming) = Athletics (4: good TV audience for Bermuda Grand Prix; Fabbri joins 75-foot club in Modena; prep 400 m star Quincy Wilson signs with WME; AIU says some athletes must get three OOC tests pre-Paris) = Cycling (2: Van Gils sprints to Eschborn-Frankfurt win; Vos leads Vuelta Espana Femenina halfway) = Fencing (anonymous fencers complain about referee penalties) = Rowing (US Rowing strips late star Nash of honors in abuse finding) = Swimming (McIntosh’s program for Canadian Trials revealed?) ●

1.
Cost of Vancouver World Cup matches now at C$483-581 million

“After taking into account estimated revenues and recoveries, the Province estimates the net core cost of seven FIFA World Cup 26 matches to be $100 million to $145 million. This does not take into account potential additional provincial tax revenues as identified in the Province’s updated estimates of economic impact benefits, which are projected to be $224 million.”

That’s from a Tuesday announcement by the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and the BC Pavilion Corporation, stating that the estimates for the cost of staging seven matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are now estimated at C$483 to $581 million, compared with C$240 to C$260 million in 2022. (C$1 = $0.73 U.S.)

Part of the cost increase is attributable to Vancouver now staging seven matches instead of the five it expected in 2022. Tuesday’s announcement explained in detail. Costs (in C$):

● $246 to $276 million for the City of Vancouver, for security, decor, legal support, traffic and other municipal services.

● $149 to $196 million for BC Place Vancouver for stadium upgrades and staging the matches.

● $88 to $109 million for the Province of British Columbia and other public entities for security, transport, medical and emergency management.

The total is C$483 to C$581 million, which is to be partly offset by a combination of government and event revenues (C$)::

● $116 million from the Canadian national government.

● $230 million from a 2.5% increase in hotel taxes in Vancouver from 2023-30.

● $16 to $46 million from the City of Vancouver, Host City sponsorships, venue rentals.

● $21 to $44 million for transport and other venue rentals.

These revenues total C$383 to C$436 million, leaving a core “cost” of staging the matches of C$100 to C$145 million.

Against that amount are models showing that for the period of 2026 to 2031, the World Cup impact will include 350,000 visitors during the tournament and:

● “$1 billion added to provincial GDP
● “Over one million additional out-of-province visitors [2026-31]
● “Over $1 billion in additional visitor spending
● “Potentially up to $224 million in direct, indirect and other related provincial tax revenues”

That’s C$224 million in direct and indirect tax revenue is seen as offsetting the cash costs of C$100-145 million. It’s a risk, but one which Vancouver – as one of two cities in Canada hosting World Cup matches – thinks is worth taking. At present, BC Place seats 54,500.

Said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim: “Hosting FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver will boost Vancouver’s hospitality and entertainment industries, transform our city and make us a world-class destination for tourism and major event hosting for decades to come.”

Toronto, which will host six matches, estimated its costs at C$380 million in February.

Observed: It’s worthwhile to note that Qatar registered huge increases in tourism during its 2022 World Cup months of November and December, totaling 1.18 million international visitors to attend the event, but with all eight stadia close together. Considerably more people are forecast to attend the three-nation World Cup in 2026 as the Canadian, Mexican and U.S. stadiums are mostly larger than those in Qatar.

For Vancouver and other areas which are spending richly to host the event, the question is how many attendees will come from out of town, which is the driver for hotel, restaurant, transport and merchandise tax revenues for local and regional governmental entities.

2.
FIFA’s Infantino visits U.S. House & State Department

With FIFA expecting billions of dollars in revenue from the expanded, 32-team 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 48-team FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. in 2026, FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) made the rounds on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

Infantino posted on his Instagram page, in part:

“A big thank you to all the wonderful lawmakers of the United States federal government who I had the opportunity to meet in Washington DC. It was great to meet many dignitaries and to discuss how we can make sure, together, that the new FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup in 2026 will be fantastic successes, because overall there will be over five million people coming to follow these two global events. We need to be ready, and we need to be prepared! …

“Thanks also to the House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for giving me their time to discuss these important points as we prepare for these global events in the United States.”

In terms of issues discussed:

“The exchanges addressed a wide range of topics related to the planning of both tournaments, especially given their global scale and the need to maintain a constant collaboration on issues related to transportation, safety and security, visas and immigration, as well as other operational and commercial matters to ensure the smooth delivery of the event for all fans, teams and officials – both for those in the United States and for those travelling to the country from abroad.”

Infantino and his team were busy:

“The FIFA delegation met with United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other DHS officials, before attending a meeting at the [Department of State] with the United States Department of State Deputy Secretary for Management & Resources Richard Verma, and other DOS officials.”

Again, the discussions included visas, security, transportation and other operating items.

It will not be Infantino’s last visit to D.C. before 2026.

3.
Tunisia joins Angola as WADA non-compliants

The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that Tunisia has not brought its national “legal framework in line” with the World Antti-Doping Code and announced that its “alleged non-compliance is deemed admitted and the consequences and reinstatement conditions deemed accepted.”

What that means is that Tunisia and Angola are non-compliant nations within the meaning of the World Anti-Doping Code; this has implications for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, with neither national flag to be “flown at regional, continental or world championships, as well as other Events organized by Major Event Organizations (including the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) until reinstatement.”

The WADA guidance further notes:

“This consequence shall be limited to official display of flags by the event organizer in the venue/arena/stadium where e.g. a regional, continental or world championships is taking place, whether those displays are for the duration of the event or for a specific part of the event such as medal, opening or closing ceremonies or other protocol elements.”

In other words, it does not ban flags in the stands waved by spectators. WADA explained that besides Angola and Tunisia, the two other federations on suspension are the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. Neither of those will be in Paris this summer as there will be no Russian team, but only specific individuals competing as neutrals, and bodybuilding is not on the Olympic program.

4.
Ticket prices announced for World Athletics Champs 2025

Tokyo will host the World Athletics Championships for the second time in 2025, after a very successful 1991 IAAF Championships, still remembered for the greatest long jump competition in history, where Mike Powell defeated Carl Lewis with a world-record of 8.95 m (29-4 1/2) at the old National Stadium.

The 2025 meet is especially meaningful for Japan, which had to host the 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 without spectators due to the Covid pandemic. The Japan National Stadium seats 68,000 for track & field and ticket pricing was announced Wednesday for the 2025 Worlds:

● ¥2,500 to ¥15,000 ($16 to $95 U.S.): Morning sessions

● ¥4,000 to ¥30,000 ($25 to $190 U.S.): Evening weekday sessions

● ¥5,000 to ¥50,000 ($32 to $317 U.S.): Evening weekend sessions

About 700,000 total tickets will be offered, with the organizers stating that “[a]round 70% of tickets will be available for less than 10,000 JPY [$64].”

A special program will offer tickets at ¥2,025 ($13) each, with 2,025 tickets issued for each session, for families and groups, including children, elderly or those with a disability.

The organizing committee is asking for those interested to register to get a “fan ID” for ticket information and early access to tickets.

5.
Staggering 840,318 apply to run London Marathon in 2025!

“An astonishing and world record-breaking 840,318 people from the UK and across the globe applied in the public ballot for an entry to next year’s TCS London Marathon which takes place on Sunday 27 April 2025.

“This total shattered the previous world record total of 578,304, which was set last year in the ballot for the 2024 TCS London Marathon.”

Tuesday’s announcement was remarkable in the increase of 45.3% overall and by 49% among women:

● British applications for 2025 were 672,631, with 338,549 from men (50.3%), 329,793 from women (49.0%) and 4,288 (0.64%) from non-binary.

● Applications from outside Britain were 167,687 (20.0%)

Race director Hugh Brasher (GBR) noted:

“The 2024 TCS London Marathon on 21 April was the biggest in our history with more than 53,700 finishers and has already raised a world record-breaking £67 million [$83.93 million U.S.] for charities. More than 12,900 children took part in the mass TCS Mini London Marathon the day before and hundreds of thousands of children across the UK are now doing their Mini Marathon in their schools.”

These are the biggest numbers anywhere, and amazing testament to distance running as a widespread, popular activity. However, only about 17,000 will win a “public ballot” spot, or about 2% of the applicants. Most of the entries are for runners who will be raising money for charity – hence the world-record charitable funding – and there are 6,000 entries for “Good For Age” runners who have excellent qualifying times.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● NBC announced a “comedic commentary series” as a part of its Paris 2024 coverage, with an eight-part series called “Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson.”

The eight shows of 30 minutes each will be shown on Peacock, with 2-3 new episodes per week, starting with the opening on 26 July.

● Athletics ● A good start for the USA Track & Field Grand Prix series with the first meet, the Bermuda Grand Prix on NBC on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern, drawing an average of 790,000 viewers.

That was fourth in its time slot, behind the NBA’s Clippers-Mavericks game on ABC (5.56 million), the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic on CBS (1.85 million) and the NASCAR Cup Series from Dover Raceway on FS1 (2.40 million).

A big shot effort by Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri, who won at Modena (ITA) on Wednesday with a fifth-round, world-leading toss of 22.88 m (75-0 3/4), a lifetime best and moving him to no. 6 on the all-time list.

He’s now no. 2 in Italian history and is the seventh man to reach the 75-foot level. According to the Italian federation FIDAL, Fabbri said afterwards:

“And to think that I had a fever of 38 [100 F] for two days and I felt a bit weak. Having thrown 22.88 m without still being 100% is confirmation of my potential.”

Know this name: Quincy Wilson. Already on the radar as an emerging 400 m star from the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, the 16-year-old has run 45.19 in the open men’s 400 this season, but went crazy at the Penn Relays.

In the heats of the prep 4×400 m, he brought Bullis from way back – due to a dropped baton on the first leg – in the anchor with a 44.37 split to win in 3:14.84. That’s the fastest high school split in the history of the Penn Relays!

In the final, Bullis suffered another dropped stick on the second exchange and Wilson, on anchor, ran 44.69 to bring his team home in third place in 3:13.10.

Now, he’s retained William Morris Endeavor as his management agency; he already has a name-image-likeness deal with New Balance, and has qualified (by 0.01) for the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 400 m in June.

A Kenyan report noted that the Athletics Integrity Unit is requiring that any athlete who wants to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games must complete three-out-of-competition tests by 4 July 2024, with the first test by 3 May 2024.

This applies to the eight Category A federations, which includes Bahrain, Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine.

● Cycling ● The 61st Eschborn-Frankfurt race, with two major rises and two small ones, ended with a 35 km descent and flat run into Frankfurt that ended with a mass sprint of 35 riders, with Belgian Maxim van Gils getting his first UCI World Tour victory in 4:46:48.

He got to the line ahead of Alex Aranburu (ESP) and American Riley Sheehan, with the top 35 all receiving the same time. Sheehan’s bronze is noteworthy: it’s the first-ever U.S. medal in this race, inaugurated in 1962.

The eight-stage Vuelta Espana Femenina in Spain has reached halfway, with Dutch star – and three-time World Road Champion – Marianne Vos continuing to lead, by five seconds over Hungary’s 22-year-old Blanka Vas, with Kristen Faulkner of the U.S. in third place (+0:09).

After the first-stage Team Time Trial, Canada’s Alison Jackson won the hilly second stage, then Vos won stage three, both winning final mass sprints to the line. Faulkner attacked with 6 km left in stage four and won in 3:02:37 on Wednesday, vaulting Vos into the lead, who finished third (+0:10).

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced last Friday (24th) that “Mr. Jacobo Morales and Mr. Brandon Romo have been sanctioned for violation of the USA Fencing Referee Code of Ethics, the FIE Technical Rules, and the FIE Ethical Code.”

The issue was match manipulation during a January North American Cup match in Sabre:

“The Panel finds that Morales violated Rules t.100 and t.109, as well as the above-referenced sections of the FIE Ethical Code, by providing input to Romo during the [Kira] Erickson – [Tatiana] Navlymov bout. The Panel similarly finds that Romo violated the same Rules and sections of the Ethical Code by asking for input from Morales.”

Morales was suspended as a referee for nine months and Romo was suspended from national-level matches for nine months.

A letter was posted on Tuesday by “Select members of the USA Fencing Team” complaining the decision “undermines the ethics of the sport and every athlete who strives for success on the grounds of fair play. …

“These officials, who are not competing for medals, are expected to uphold the rules of the sport with integrity. Yet, they have undermined the very fiber of sport – a level playing field – and are facing inconsequential repercussions. If USA Fencing is committed to protecting the rules and integrity of their sport, these officials must receive multi-year suspensions.

“Furthermore, based on this decision and with a pending second investigation yet to be complete, USA fencing has set a precedent that leniency is afforded to officials who break the rules. How can athletes have confidence that the sport will abide by its own rules that were established to protect athletes and fair play when decisions, as per this case, indirectly endorse match manipulation?”

● Rowing ● US Rowing announced Tuesday that it was revoking all honors from the late Ted Nash in view of an investigation that found “compelling evidence” of abuse 51 years ago:

“In late 2022, Jennifer Fox contacted us claiming she had been sexually abused as a child by the late Ted Nash in 1973. Upon learning of these allegations against Mr. Nash – an athlete and coach in the rowing community for decades and recipient of several USRowing accolades – we engaged the law firm of Shearman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman), who graciously agreed to conduct a pro-bono investigation. …

“Having reviewed the investigation’s findings, USRowing believes there is compelling evidence supporting Ms. Fox’s allegations of child sex abuse by Mr. Nash. Regardless of Mr. Nash’s contributions to the sport of rowing, our commitment to the safety and well-being of our participants – especially youth athletes – is of the utmost importance and compels us to act in accordance with our values.”

Nash won an Olympic gold for the U.S. in the men’s Four at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and a bronze in that event in Tokyo in 1964 and was directly involved in Games through 2008.

Fox was 13 and Nash 40 when she said he abused her at a summer camp in 1973, making a film – without identifying him – in 2018. Nash died at age 88 in 2021. US Rowing said it has revoked his “Man of the Year” award from 2005 and the 2013 US Rowing Medal of Honor.

● Swimming ● A big question in the sport is what events will Canadian teen superstar Summer McIntosh swim at the Canadian Trials and be extension, in Paris this summer.

Now, one of her sponsors, Ninepoint Partners may have revealed her program, listing:

“2024 Olympic & Paralympic Trials, May 13-19 (Toronto, On):

“400-meter Freestyle, 100-meter Back Stroke, 400-meter IM, 200-meter Butterfly, 200-meter IM”

She’s a former world-record holder in the 400 m Free and is the world-record holder in the 400 m Medley, and is the two-time World Champion in the 200 m Fly and 400 m Medley. She was the world leader in 2023 for the 200 m Medley, but was not a medal contender in the 100 m Back.

She could opt for the 800 m Free – where she is the world leader in 2024 – instead of the 200 m Medley, but the listing indicates she prefers the medley.

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TSX REPORT: WADA on offense with Q&A on Chinese doping; France rejects Russian volunteers for Paris; Montreal wants Torch Relay spot!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Tourisme Montreal’s cheeky demand for a part of the Olympic Torch Relay!

★ 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. WADA issues Q&A on 2021 Chinese doping positives
2. France refuses visas to Russian volunteers for Paris 2024
3. FEI forum: changes must come to equestrian championships
4. ISU Congress proposal reduces figure skating jumps
5. Montreal’s newest publicity stunt: demanding the Olympic Flame

● The World Anti-Doping Agency is back on offense on the 2021 Chinese doping matter, issuing a detailed “question-and-answer” document on Tuesday. It’s comprehensive, but still leaves questions unanswered.

● A story by the Russian news agency TASS says that 20-plus Russian citizens who volunteered to help at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been refused entry by the French authorities.

● At the annual FEI Forum in Lausanne, concern was raised over the future of FEI championship events, especially as to costs for people, horses and broadcasting. A change from asking for formal bids to informally soliciting interest – a la the IOC for the Olympic Games – could be coming.

● Proposals submitted for June’s International Skating Union Congress in Las Vegas include a reduction in the number of jumping elements in figure skating from seven to six in the Free Skate for Singles and from three lifts to two in Pairs. Why? Less athletics, more artistry.

● The agenda and proposals list for June’s International Skating Union Congress include a reduction in the number of “jumping elements” from seven to six for Singles and from three lifts in Pairs to two, to try and add some more choreography to the Free Skate programs.

● In a cheeky, but well-played publicity stunt, Tourisme Montreal demanded that – given its huge French-speaking population – it should have part of the Paris 2024 Torch Relay. Nice try!

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. and Canada undefeated in IIHF men’s U18s) ●

● Panorama: Athletics (Echevarria to return for Cuba in long jump; refugee team’s Lohalith suspended for doping) = Basketball (women’s superstar Parker retires) = Football (FIFA collaborating with Miami Dade College) ●

1.
WADA issues Q&A on 2021 Chinese doping positives

The World Anti-Doping Agency is on the offensive, issuing a detailed “question-and-answer” document dealing with the heavy criticism it is receiving over its perceived lack of follow-up to 28 doping positives from the heart medication trimetazidine at a January 2021 swim meet in China.

The key facts, per WADA:

● “There were 28 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) for the prohibited substance,
trimetazidine (TMZ), involving 23 different swimmers, which means that a small number of them tested positive more than once.

● “In early April 2021, CHINADA informed WADA that it had initiated an investigation, involving the public health authorities, into the source of TMZ found in the samples. There were strong indicators that these cases could be a case of group contamination considering the following factors:

“– There were 23 swimmers, and 28 positive samples. All tested positive at the same time for TMZ at consistently very low levels (pg or low ng/mL range).

“– The swimmers were from different regions of China, with different coaches and from different swimming clubs.

“– The swimmers were in the same place at the same time when the positive samples arose.

“– A number of these swimmers were tested on multiple occasions during the swim meet. Some of them were tested on two or even three occasions on consecutive days. For several swimmers, the results varied from negative to positive within a few hours, which is not compatible with a doping scenario of deliberate ingestion nor with micro-dosing. …

● “On 15 June 2021, WADA was notified of the decision by CHINADA to accept that 23 swimmers had tested positive in early 2021 for TMZ, after inadvertently being exposed to the substance through food/environment contamination as a result of TMZ detected in the kitchen (including spice containers, the extraction fan above the hob and the drains); and that, they would not move forward with Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) cases. This decision was also provided to World Aquatics (formerly FINA) at the same time as WADA, as required under the rules.”

WADA reviewed the case file, World Aquatics reviewed the case file and WADA sent the materials to outside counsel for review. All three decided there was no appealable case and allowed CHINADA’s contamination theory to stand, with no sanctions for the swimmers.

In view of the furor which has ensued, WADA has engaged former Canton of Vaud Attorney General Eric Cottier to review the matter. That’s where we are.

Observed: WADA believes it is in the right here and is strongly defending its position, which is its right, of course.

The unresolved issues – which were not addressed in the Q&A – come from the German ARD documentary “The China Files,” which stated that the CHINADA report that cleared the swimmers was created by the Ministry of Public Security, not the anti-doping agency. Moreover:

“The report states that more than two months later, investigators inspected the [hotel] kitchen and found traces of trimetazidine in the extractor hood, on spice containers and in the drain.”

So, the inspection which cleared the swimmers took place months after the incident, and WADA did not investigate the situation on its own, but agreed to take the CHINADA report at face value.

Perhaps an investigation 2-3 months after the fact would have been worthless, but having a report that was ostensibly from a national anti-doping agency that was – if it was – in fact written by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, is troubling.

WADA may not have been able to successfully prosecute the 23 swimmers involved in the January 2021 doping incident. But what appears to be a too-trusting attitude, dealing with an admittedly difficult security apparatus in China, has caused substantial doubts that still need to be either dispelled or further explained.

2.
France refuses visas to Russian volunteers for Paris 2024

“Yesterday, I received an official letter saying that France’s authorities turned down my application for being a volunteer at the Olympic Games.

“I contacted more than 20 Russians whom I worked at several Olympics with and who also filed volunteer applications. All of these people, who have vast expertise, have been denied as well.”

That’s from an unnamed individual who contacted the Russian news agency TASS, explaining that she and others she contacted have been refused entry into France by the French government for volunteer positions for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. According to the TASS story, the unidentified prospective volunteer added:

“The Organizing Committee wrote to me that it is unaware of the reasons why the French authorities have turned down my application. Under France’s domestic security code, the Organizing Committee referred my data to the relevant administrative body for a check. I could have been accredited only after its approval, but, regrettably, my application was declined.

“I am very upset to receive the refusal. Bearing in mind the fact that many volunteers from Russia took part in Olympics before, I think that all applicants with Russian passports have been denied accreditation.”

The Paris 2024 organizers had said in 2023 that the volunteer process, with 45,000 to be selected, was open to all nationalities. But, of course, the French government has the last word on entry into the country.

3.
FEI forum: changes must come to equestrian championships

A fascinating session of an “FEI Championships Review” was held on Tuesday during the annual, two-day FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, exploring the issues surrounding major equestrian events in the wake of the implosion of the World Equestrian Games, last held as a single event in 2018 in Tryon, North Carolina.

The presentation noted the federation’s “major” championships as the FEI World Championships, the FEI European Championships and the FEI World Cup Finals in dressage and jumping. Minor championships include other continental championships, youth championships and young horses championship events.

As for the World Equestrian Games, split into two parts for 2022, Italian federation Secretary General Simone Perillo said that “while the WEG concept is fantastic, with all the disciplines together, it is economically unsustainable, but it’s critical to keep the value of team sport alive” and he proposed “a complete reversal of the economic model to avoid equestrian becoming an individual sport.”

A review of the current attractiveness of the FEI’s events showed a “relatively low number of bids for major FEI Championships indicates that there are some issues with the current FEI Championships model that might need to be addressed.”

This means a change could be made along the lines of what the International Olympic Committee has done, moving away from asking for bids by a specific deadline to more of a “direct dialogue” model to encourage national federation and possible hosts to consider hosting events.

The current model for the “World Equestrian Games” asks possible hosts to submit proposals for one or more disciplines instead of requiring one site to host everything. The big cost items continue to be accommodations and meals – for people and horses – as well as broadcasting, although new technologies are bringing the broadcasting costs down.

The outcome:

● “To close the session, delegates requested a long-term plan for major FEI Championships as the number one tool to show equestrian sport to the world. A transfer of knowledge between former and future hosts would allow bidders to work together to develop more comprehensive and cost-effective bids.”

● “[FEI Deputy Legal Director] Aine Power [IRL] explained that the next steps would be to report back to the FEI Board at the June in person meeting with a strategy to be developed for presentation to the FEI Board at its November 2024 Board Meeting during the FEI General Assembly.”

Observed: These discussions are important and are happening everywhere. Since scale is always an issue and shared expenses are repeatedly seen as desirable, it will be fascinating to see if International Federations look to each other to seek out potential partners to work together.

In Germany, a collection of multiple national championships into a single, co-produced, four-day, multi-sport entity called “Die Finals” has been popular. In 2023 – the fourth edition – 18 sports were massed into the program, with 210,000 total spectators and 25 hours of national television coverage on national channels ARD and ZDF.

That could be the basis for discussions between International Federations seeing limited interest in their championship events, perhaps coordinated at the start by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). Interestingly, the newly elected head of ASOIF is FEI chief Ingmar De Vos of Belgium!

4.
ISU Congress proposal reduces figure skating jumps

A potentially significant rule change has been listed in the proposals for rule changes by the International Skating Union at its upcoming Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada from 8-14 June, reducing the maximum number of jumps in figure skating competitions.

For the men’s and women’s Singles Free Skate, proposal 239, from the Singles & Pair Skating Technical Committee would require a “well-balanced Free Skating program” to include:

● “maximum of six jump elements (one of which must be an Axel type jump);

● “maximum of three spins, one of which must be a spin combination, one a flying spin and one choreographic spin;

● “maximum of one step sequence;

● “maximum of one choreographic sequence.”

This would reduce the number of jumps from seven to six, and introduces the “choreographic” spin, which must be related to the music.

Proposal 240 on jump combinations and jump sequences further reduces the maximum number of jump combinations from three to two in the Free Skate.

In Pairs skating, a similar new rule proposal (245) would reduce the number of lifts from three to two and add a “choreographic lift” and eliminate the “pair spin combination” in favor of a “choreographic pair spin.”

Why? According to the reason posted for proposal 245: “to encourage the creativity and to have more entertaining programs.”

This is a clear move by the ISU Technical Committee to try and reduce the overwhelming role of athleticism in Free Skate program and try to introduce some more artistic elements. Many competitors and commentators have noted that the Free Skate programs are essentially jumping exercises and little else. These rules, if agreed to, will temper that balance, at least somewhat.

The issue of age and skating came up again. Following the Kamila Valieva doping incident at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games – she was 15 at the time – the ISU passed a rule which mandated a gradual increase to a minimum of 17 years of age.

Proposals 45 and 46 from the ISU Council clarify the new standard for both figure skating and speed skating, requiring:

“In International Senior Competitions, ISU Senior Championships and the Olympic Winter Games, only Skaters may compete who have reached at least the age of seventeen before July 1 preceding the Events.”

However, U.S. Figure Skating proposed a lower limit of age 16 for Pairs for 2024/25 onwards and 17 for Singles and Ice Dance. This drew a negative response from the ISU Council, which noted, “The Council is not in favor as the age increases were overwhelmingly accepted after extensive discussion at the 2022 Congress. It is also a matter of the reputation and image of the ISU in the sporting and wider world.”

A Dutch proposal (37) asks for sponsor markings to be allowed on the outside of the skates, so as to receive some attention from the live and television audiences:

“At this moment, there are no possibilities for sponsor markings and exposure during the competitive performance in figure skating. This is only possible during the Kiss & Cry moments and a few other moments beside the competitive performance. However, the media coverage is mostly focused on the competitive performance. To stimulate the financial situation in smaller figure skating countries, and the level playing field, it would help enormously to create sponsor exposure and visibility also during the competitive performance.

“Sponsor exposure will lead to a better financial situation and more professionalism in the sports. We are aware that a marking on the dress or suit won’t fit, but a marking on the boot seems to be possible.”

There are other concerns, notably in Short Track, where proposal 35 states:

“The World Cup Short Track Speed Skating is suffering from lack of finances. In order to provide for better access to Sponsors, a World Tour like in other International Sports Federations shall be introduced.”

The proposal calls for a “World Tour” for Short track vs. the current “World Cup” title, with a new format to be specified before each season.

However, the Korean federation is asking for a new event, a Short Track World Team Championships, with $326,000 in prize money. The ISU Council was not impressed, commenting:

“The Council is not in favor. Referring to its own proposal for amendment of Rule 100, the Council feels that the urgent priority for Short Track Speed Skating is to increase the interest and reputation of the existing ISU Events, including team competition elements, rather than establishing new ISU Championships. Furthermore, the indicated budget for implementation, without evidence of potential related TV rights and advertising incomes, would require a significant addition to the overall ISU budget.”

5.
Montreal’s newest publicity stunt: demanding the Olympic Flame

A clever publicity effort by the City of Montreal’s tourism arm is now up on its Web site with the title: “Pass the flame to Montreal.”

The front-page takeover further states:

“Montreal has more French men and women than almost half of the cities crossed by the flame. It goes without saying that we were surprised not to be considered in the relay route”

The Olympic Torch Relay will hit French soil on 8 May, when it arrives on the tall ship Belem in Marseille, with a huge crowd expected to meet it there. During its trip throughout France and to overseas French departments – including French Guiana, Reunion Island and French Polynesia (Tahiti) – the Olympic Flame will crisscross the world … but it not planned to land in other countries.

French-speaking Montreal is Canada’s second-largest city at 1.76 million, with a metro population of 4.29 million, both second only to Toronto. In fact, it is larger than every city in France except Paris.

Tourisme Montreal has a video, promoting the city’s tourism attractions (of course) and reminding viewers of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, with many of the facilities still present and in use.

“This request is symbolic,” the site notes, but asks visitors to share a tourism promotion video of the city anyway.

Cute, and well played.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s U-18 Worlds are getting serious in Espoo and Vantaa, Finland, with the U.S. and Canada the pool winners.

The defending champion Americans went 4-0 and won their games by a combined total of 33-7. Canada was also 4-0 in Group B, with a similar, 31-7 scoring margin. They will lead the playoff seedings for the quarterfinals on Thursday:

● U.S. (4-0) vs. Switzerland (1-3)
● Finland (3-1) vs. Sweden (2-2)

● Canada (4-0) vs. Latvia (1-3)
● Czech Republic (2-2) vs. Slovakia (1-3)

The semifinals will be on Saturday (4th) and the medal matches on Sunday the 5th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Interesting story from Pan Am Sports, that superstar Cuban long jump Juan Echevarria is returning to competition for Cuba, to be coached by Cuban legend Ivan Pedroso, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion.

Echavarria, still just 25, last competed in 2021, when he was the Olympic silver medalist in Tokyo, after winning the World Indoor Championships gold in 2018 and the 2019 Pan American Games. With his best of 8.68 m (28-5 3/4) from 2018, he still ranks 11th all-time and has a scary windy best of 8.92 m (29-3 1/4 but +3.3 m/s) from 2019. He has been living in Portugal and was widely expected to change allegiance, but he wrote on Instagram:

“I have fulfilled my dream of joining the great Ivan Pedroso’s team. This would not be possible without all the work done by my previous coaches to whom I owe being here. Thank you for the journey together. And from today we will work for more dreams, the first to achieve the mark required for the #Paris2024 Olympic Games, with the desire to compete and continue giving triumphs to #Cuba.”

Another provisional suspension for doping, this time of Athlete Refugee Team member Anjelina Nadai Lohalith from South Sudan, now living in Kenya, for the use of trimetazidine, the same substance as used by now-banned Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.

The allegation was issued on Tuesday; Lohalith participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team in the 1,500 m, running in the first round.

● Basketball ● Two-time Olympic gold medalist Candace Parker (USA) announced in an Instagram post on Sunday that she has completed her basketball playing career:

“I’m retiring.

“I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it. The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time. My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.”

She explained that, at 38, her health was becoming a significant issue:

“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating. It’s no fun playing in pain (10 surgeries in my career) it’s no fun knowing what you could do, if only…it’s no fun hearing “she isn’t the same” when I know why, it’s no fun accepting the fact you need surgery AGAIN.”

And she is hardly done with the game:

“In the mean time, know IM A BUSINESS, man, not a businessman. This is the beginning…I’m attacking business, private equity, ownership (I will own both a NBA & WNBA team), broadcasting, production, boardrooms, beach volleyball, dominoes (sorry babe it’s going to get more real) with the same intensity & focus I did basketball.”

She finishes as one of the greatest players ever in women’s basketball, playing primarily as a forward for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA from 2008-20 and later for the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. She was on three WNBA champion teams, a seven-time All-WNBA First Team selection, a two-time Most Valuable Player and Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. in 2008 and 2012.

● Football ● FIFA announced a collaboration agreement with Miami Dade College, a unit of the Florida College System, with eight campuses and more than 47,000 enrollees, which will “give students chance to intern at FIFA’s Miami office” and have the “FIFA Museum to loan exhibits to Miami Dade College to bring beautiful game closer to local community.”

FIFA’s headquarters for the organization of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is in Coral Gables, Florida, in the Miami-Dade area. Miami Dade College offers Bachelor’s Associate of Arts and technical degrees at the campuses and more than 20 outreach centers.

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TSX SPECIAL: Prague named to host 2025 World Olympic Collectors’ Fair

By
Karen Rosen
-
The 1925 commemorative medal for the VIII IOC Congress in Prague (Photo: RR Auction)

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

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Olympic collectors have another 100th anniversary celebration on their schedule following the 2024 Paris Games, held 100 years after the memorable Paris Games of 1924.

The Czech Republic capital of Prague will host the XXVIII World Olympic Collectors’ Fair in 2025 with the dates of 29 May through 1 June, chosen to coincide with those of the VIII Olympic Congress held in Prague – then in Czechoslovakia – in 1925.

The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage awarded the fair to Prague, which emphasized the anniversary in its proposal. The event will be organized by the International Association of Olympic Collectors (AICO) and OLYMPSPORT, the Czech Olympic and sports collectors society, and will be held at the aptly named Hotel Olympik. According to the Prague Daily Monitor, the hotel was built in preparation for a Prague bid for the 1980 Olympic Games, which was awarded to Moscow.

The previous Fair was held in Paris in 2023 and the United States has applied to host the 2026 event in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The application was made jointly by the Olympin Collectors Club and Sports Philatelists International, which are member associations of AICO in the U.S.

There are typically 50-100 tables at these international fairs, with memorabilia ranging from Olympic winners’ medals and torches worth thousands of dollars to pins and stamps … worth a lot less.

No doubt collectibles from the 1925 Olympic Congress, the last under legendary International Olympic Committee President Pierre de Coubertin of France, will make an appearance, including the Congress badge and stamps that were overprinted for the event and cancelled with a special postmark.

The Czech Olympic Committee and other city and sports organizations are planning special events to celebrate the centennial. Fair attendees will be invited to visit locations of importance to the 1925 Congress, a seminar will be sponsored by the Czech Olympic Academy and there will be an exhibition by the National Museum and Museum of Czech Post.

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

TSX REPORT: U.S., Mexico exit 2027 Women’s World Cup bidding; Bach says Olympics future never brighter; FIS approves key rights centralization initiative

By
Rich Perelman
-
The FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy (Photo: FIFA)

★ 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. U.S. and Mexico withdraw FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 bid
2. Bach: future of the Olympic Games is very secure
3. Lyles runs 9.96 at windy Bermuda Grand Prix
4. FIS approves centralization of media rights
5. Big April in the pool: 15 world leads in Olympic events

● U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF) announced they are ending their bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and concentrating instead on 2031. Their proposal had promised a sensational $3 billion in revenue last December, but there was very little follow-up.

● International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER) said in an interview that the future of the Olympic Games has never been better, with awards in place through 2032 and a plethora of interested bidders for 2036 and beyond. He does not see, however, e-sports events in the Games.

● World men’s 100 m champ Noah Lyles won the 100 at the wind-blown USATF Bermuda Grand Prix on Sunday in 9.96, with all of the races wind-aided, or hindered by the wind if beyond 200 m.

● The Council of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) approved the centralization of all media rights for all of skiing to be concentrated within the FIS and marketed by the Infront Sports & Media agency. The centralization initiative is the key effort by FIS chief Johan Eliasch to jump the money involved in the sport.

● A big April for swimming, with plenty of national championships and new, world-leading marks in 15 of the 28 individual events on the Olympic program, despite having a World Championships in February of 2024!

● Panorama: Russia (FIBA and BWF extend Russian federation suspensions) = Canoe-Kayak (2: Brazil best in Pan Am Sprint qualifiers; Eichfeld and Leibfarth advance in Slalom trials) = Flag Football (NFL Academy opening in Australia) = Judo (Jayne overcomes doubts to earn Pan Am silver at 90 kg) = Sailing (France, Germany and Britain all qualify full teams for Paris) = Water Polo (U.S. women finish 6-0 vs. Australia, China) ●

1.
U.S. and Mexico withdraw FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 bid

FIFA announced Monday that the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be awarded on 17 May. A few hours later, the joint U.S.-Mexico bid for the tournament was withdrawn:

“U.S. Soccer and Mexican Football Federation have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and will instead focus on bidding to host the tournament in 2031.

“In a historic first, the bid will call for equal investment as the Men’s tournament, eliminating investment disparities to fully maximize the commercial potential of the women’s tournament. 

“The revised bid will allow U.S. Soccer to build on the learnings and success of the 2026 World Cup, better support our host cities, expand our partnerships and media deals, and further engage with our fans so we can host a record-breaking tournament in 2031.”

The U.S.-Mexico bid proposal made headlines last December, projecting a staggering $3 billion in total revenue:

“$3 billion is on the table in this U.S. and Mexico-hosted Competition, with the opportunity to make this the largest, most commercially successful women’s sporting event the world has ever known. We have the ability to dramatically raise the stakes for women’s football and benefit Member Associations and the sport not just in North America but around the globe for years to come.”

But the follow-up was characterized as “half-hearted,” with a preference to see the outcome of the 2026 World Cup (in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.) before charging ahead. 

The remaining proposals are from Brazil, and a joint European proposal for Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, which forecast revenues of $885 million or more, compared to the $570 million generated by the highly successful 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The nine prior Women’s World Cups have been in Europe three times, North America three times (U.S. 2, Canada 1), China twice and in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. With a reputation for solid organization, and with Germany hosting the 2024 UEFA European Championship, the combined European bid looks strongest on the way to 17 May.

However, between now and then, a FIFA Evaluation Report will be released, which will be a significant step in the Congress vote.

2.
Bach: future of the Olympic Games is very secure

“We have never been in such a favorable position. We have never seen such a high interest in hosting the Olympic Games.”

That’s International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER), commenting to Agence France Presse last week, on the sunny outlook for the future of the Olympic Games.

Since becoming the IOC President in 2013, Bach has navigated a sea change in the way that the IOC handles the selection of Olympic hosts. He got rid of the formalized process of direct elections, which required bidding cities to spend millions chasing IOC members and possible influencers around the globe, with only the winner getting any return at all. He had the rules changed to encourage the use of existing and temporary facilities and allowed events to be spread across multiple cities, regions and even countries, saving billions in new construction and (mostly) eliminating useless facilities that would end up being abandoned in the future.

After a series of collapsed bids due to public pressure on costs for the 2024 Games, Bach led the IOC into awarding two Games at the same time – something it hadn’t done in a century – to Paris for 2024 and Los Angeles for 2028.

Now, with the costs reduced for both bidding and staging, countries have lined up for informal discussions with the IOC about future Games in 2036 and beyond. Inquiries from countries such as Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey and others have all started. Asked about the status, Bach demurred:

“We are now 12 years away from these Games, so it is way too early to comment on any of these interests.”

Bach has also led the IOC into a determined dialogue with the e-sports community and announced in 2023 a move to create – in 2025 or 2026 – an “Olympic Esports Games,” focusing mostly on digital versions of existing physical sports. And e-sports events in the Olympics?

“I don’t think that you will see e-sports events at the Olympic Games, but you may see very soon its own Olympic e-sports Games.”

As for the Winter Games, awards to the French Alps for 2030 and Salt Lake City for 2034 appear set for this summer, and a preferred location for 2038 – Switzerland – has already been announced. Interest is being shown in potential 2042 candidatures.

Bach also told AFP that he is happy with the security measures being undertaken by the French authorities for the opening ceremony on the Seine River:

“The very meticulous, very professional approach gives us all the confidence that we can have this opening ceremony on the river Seine and that this opening ceremony will be iconic, will be unforgettable for the athletes, and everybody will be safe and secure.”

3.
Lyles runs 9.96 at windy Bermuda Grand Prix

The wind was the winner at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix on Sunday, with strong marks in the sprints all over the 2.0 m/s limit, starting with a 9.96 win in the men’s 100 m for World Champion Noah Lyles.

He won easily, with an over-the-allowable wind of 3.0 m/s, well ahead of Canada’s Aaron Brown (10.09) and fellow American Pjai Austin (10.10). Trinidad & Tobago star Jereem Richards, the 2022 World Indoor 400 m champ, won the 200 m in 20.39w (+4.9). Matthew Boling of the U.S. was second at 20.42.

How rough was the wind? Grenada’s Kirani James, the 2012 Olympic champ, who ran 44.30 last year, won the 400 m in 46.00, ahead of Alonzo Russell (BAH: 47.05). Britain’s Joshua Zeller won the 110 m hurdles at 13.38w (+3.5 m/s), beating Louis Rollins (USA: 13.45w).

Jamaican star Jaydon Hibbert, the 2023 NCAA champ for Arkansas, won the triple jump with a big, wind-aided jump of 17.33 m (56-10 1/4 at +4.3 m/s). Bermuda’s Jah-nhai Perinchief was second at 17.13 mw (56-2 1/2 at +4.5 m/s).

The women’s races were similar, with Worlds 100 m finalist Tamari Davis of the U.S. winning in 11.04w (+2.2 m/s), ahead of Kortnei Johnson (USA: 11.27), and 2022 NCAA 200 m champ Abby Steiner winning in 22.71 (+3.0 m/s) in the 200 m.

Jamaican Stacey-Ann Williams ran away with the 400 m in 51.71 (she won by almost 1.3 seconds), and Amber Hughes took the 100 m hurdles in 12.57w (+3.4 m/s), well ahead of Ebony Morrison (LIB: 12.80w). Shiann Salmon (JAM) won the 400 m hurdles in 56.59, with 2015 Worlds bronze winner Cassandra Tate of the U.S. second in 57.04, again slowed by the wind.

The only women’s field event was the long jump, with Monae Nichols of the U.S. winning at 6.91 mw (22-8: +4.0), and Chanice Porter of Jamaica second at 6.62 mw (21-8 3.4: +3.9).

Someone else to consider in the men’s 100 m? Brandon Hicklin, whose prior best was 10.06, won the invitational section of Saturday’s LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge in 9.94 (+1.7), to move to equal-second on the 2024 world list.

Also, at the Corky-Crofoot Shootout in Lubbock, Texas, Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu won the men’s 200 m in a lifetime best (and national record) of 19.93 (+1.6), now no. 4 on the world list.

At the East Coast Relays in Jacksonville, Florida, the Tokyo Olympic 200 m winner Andre De Grasse (CAN) won the 100 m from Tokyo Olympic 100 m champ Lamont Jacobs (ITA), with both timed at 10.11 (+0.9) and American star Trayvon Bromell third in 10.14.

In the middle distances, Cooper Teare of the U.S. moved to no. 2 on the outdoor world list with a 3:32.16 win at the Virginia Hi-Performance meet on Sunday, and 2024 World Indoor 3,000 m silver winner Yared Nuguse had the best finish to win a fast Penn Relays mile in 3:51.06, fastest in the world outdoor this season. He beat Olli Hoare (AUS: 3:51.28) and Eric Holt of the U.S. (3:51.46).

More on the indoor shot at the Drake Relays, won by Payton Otterdahl of the U.S. at 22.59 m (74-1 1/2) at the Drake Fieldhouse last Wednesday, moving him to no. 5 all-time U.S. (indoors and out) and no. 3 all-time indoors, behind only fellow Americans Ryan Crouser and Randy Barnes. In fact, it’s the longest throw by an American who is not Crouser or Joe Kovacs since Kevin Toth in 2003!

4.
FIS approves centralization of media rights

A central focus of Johan Eliasch, the Swedish President of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation, has been the centralization of all of the disparate media rights to the federation’s various events and races within the FIS itself, so that they can be sold only by the FIS.

He believes that’s the best way to unlock more value from the competitions in Alpine, Nordic, Freestyle and Snowboard, but that has required agreements – especially in Alpine – with the national federations and other operators who have controlled those rights in the past.

But after a July 2023 agreement with Infront Sports & Media which has been doing most of the federation sales, the way was open for FIS to agree to adopt the centralized sales program. That was accomplished on Friday:

“[T]he FIS Council voted in favour of the centralisation of media and broadcast rights and paved the way for FIS to sign an exclusive agency agreement with Infront.

“The agreement includes the distribution of the international media rights to FIS World Cup events for all platforms until and including 2033/34.This decision by the FIS Council follows months of intensive exchange with all FIS World Cup federations, in which FIS addressed open questions.

“The vote by the FIS Council enables FIS to move forward with the centralisation for the benefit of the sport and the athletes and to secure the future of snow sports.”

Said Eliasch, the agreement “offers the opportunity to elevate our sport to new heights, to showcase the incredible talent and dedication of our athletes on a global stage and to establish a long-term calendar that provides stability for our World Cup hosts.”

The Infront deal was huge, including terms to start with the 2026-27 season (€1 = $1.07 U.S.):

● “Minimum compensation more than €100 million above current terms

● “Commission-based agency agreement with a minimum sales guarantee of more than €600 million

● “FIS in full control over the sales process

● “Infront to provide exclusive marketing implementation and international media operations services”

The deal also provides FIS with full access and rights to highlights and streaming for markets for which rights are not sold.

Reaction to the Council action was hardly popular among some ski associations, but the deal is moving forward. Time will tell if Eliasch is right.

5.
Big April in the pool: 15 world leads in Olympic events

April was a big month for swimming with national championships in China, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, South Africa and Switzerland (and Russia), and the Australian Open Championships ahead of its Olympic Trials in June.

What happened? Although there was a World Aquatics Championships in Doha (QAT) in February, the world-leading marks in 15 of the 28 individual pool-swimming events on the Paris 2024 schedule were made in April, ahead of more major meets in June, especially the U.S. Olympic Trials, on the road to Paris in July.

The new world-leading swims as of the end of April:

● Men/200 m Free: 1:44.14, Lukas Martens (GER)
● Men/400 m Free: 3:40.43, Martens (GER)
● Men/100 m Back: 52.34, Miron Lifincev (RUS)
● Men/100 m Breast: 57.94, Adam Peaty (GBR)
● Men/100 m Fly: 50.16, Noe Ponti (SUI)
● Men/200 m Medley: 1:55.35, Shun Wang (CHN)
● Men/400 m Medley: 4:09.14, Max Litchfield (GBR)

● Women/200 m Free: 1:53.57, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS)
● Women/400 m Free: 3:59.13, Ariarne Titmus (AUS)
● Women/200 m Back: 2:03.84, Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
● Women/100 m Breast: 1:04.39, Qianting Tang (CHN)
● Women/200 m Breast: 2:19.01, Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA)
● Women/100 m Fly: 55.68, Torri Huske (USA)
● Women/200 m Medley: 2:06.99, McKeown (AUS)
● Women/400 m Medley: 4:28.22, McKeown (AUS)

That’s seven for the men and eighth for the women, with five women’s leads for Australia, three of those from Tokyo 100-200 m Back gold medalist McKeown. China, Germany and Great Britain each had two, and the U.S. had one – for Torri Huske – despite everyone pointing to the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis that begin on 15 June.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) extended its suspensions of Russia and Belarus, with the report of last Friday’s meeting noting:

“The Central Board has extended the current status of the two National Federations of Russia and Belarus until the next Central Board meeting in December 2024.”

The Badminton World Federation has also continued its suspension of the Russian federation at its annual general meeting in Chengdu (CHN) by 151-78, “until further notice.” The BWF has agreed to allow Russian and Belarusian athlete to compete as “neutrals” under specific conditions.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Paris 2024 places in eight events were up for grabs at the Pan American Olympic Sprint Qualifier in Sarasota, Florida, with Brazil capturing three wins and six overall quota spots.

Brazil won the men’s C-2 500 m with Jacky Godmann and Filipe Vieiera (1:46.458), the women’s C-1 200 m by Valdenice do Nascimento (47.739) and the women’s C-2 500 m via Barbara Jara and Karen Roco (2:07.282).

The U.S. obtained one spot in the men’s K-2 500 m from Jonas Ecker and Aaron Small (1:31.750), while four other nations claimed one each.

Cuba’s Jose Pelier won the men’s C-1 1,000 m in 3:51.033; Matias Otero (URU) took the men’s K-1 1,000 m in 3:31.203; Brenda Rojas of Argentina won the women’s K-1 500 m, and Mexico’s Karina Alanis and Beatriz Briones triumphed in the women’s K-2 500 m in 1:48.620.

In the U.S. Olympic Trials for Canoe-Slalom in Oklahoma City that was cut short by rainy conditions on the Riversport OKC course, Casey Eichfeld and Evy Leibfarth will return to represent the U.S. once again.

Eichfeld, 34, made his fourth Olympic team – previously in 2008-12-16 – in the Canoe Slalom, winning all four of his races over two days, each time ahead of Zachary Lokken, a Tokyo Olympian for the U.S.

Leibfarth, 20, returns for her second straight Games, in the Canoe Slalom, Kayak Slalom and likely in the new Kayak Cross. In the Canoe Slalom heats, she finished 2-1-3-1, then won all four heats in the Kayak Slalom heats.

She also won the Kayak Cross Time Trial in 65.14, over Ria Sribar (68.21).

● Flag Football ● The National Football League, and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), are done celebrating the inclusion of flag in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and are already thinking about how to get into the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane and Queensland in Australia:

● “The National Football League has announced it will open an NFL Academy in Australia in September 2024 to service the Asia-Pacific region, as the league continues to invest in long-term global football development efforts and pathways for international talent.”

● “The NFL and A.B. Paterson College, supported by the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland State Government, will also fund and build an elite high-performance NFL Academy facility on existing college grounds, to be completed in 2026, that will also be available for community use.”

● “The program will also be central to continuing to grow flag football in the region for men, women and young people following the sport’s successful inclusion at the LA28 Olympic Games. In partnership with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the league is investing in the development and growth of flag football at both grassroots and elite levels across Australia, New Zealand and around the world. Fast, highly accessible and inclusive, the non-contact format of the game is spearheading extraordinary growth in participation globally. Played by over 20 million people across 100 countries, women and girls are driving some of the fastest growth.”

This will be the second NFL Academy, after the initial site in Great Britain that opened in 2019.

● Judo ● Inspiring story by American judoka John Jayne in the men’s 90 kg class, who won the silver medal at last weekend’s Pan American Championships in Brazil, where he faced a major challenge in world no. 12 Rafael Macedo (BRA) in the semifinals:

“I didn’t think I could win and I went out there thinking ‘all right, we’re just going to go do some judo.’ Last year, I went out there trying to really give it to him, really fight. This year, I was like ‘That didn’t work last time. So this time we’re going to go out, try and do some judo, keep it calm.'”

He won by ippon and advanced to the final, where he was thrown by 2021 Pan Am champ Robert Florentino of the Dominican Republic, but it was still a considerable achievement:

“Beating the Brazilian today in the semifinal was probably the best win of my career so far. I waited, he made mistakes. I capitalized on those mistakes and I beat someone I didn’t think I could ever beat. I’m very happy with that. It gave me a pretty big confidence boost.

“Getting the silver, getting the 490 points is pretty big for me going towards the Olympics. I also feel a big confidence boost now, beating the Brazilian, having a good match in the final with the Dominican. I feel like, coming into those next competitions, I can really pull out some top eights if I fight like I fought today.”

● Sailing ● With the conclusion of the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres (FRA) at the Semaine Olympique Francaise, World Sailing announced that three nations – France, Germany and Great Britain – have qualified entries in all 10 classes for Paris 2024.

Close behind with nine spots: China, Italy, Spain and the United States.

● Water Polo ● The U.S. women’s national team, three-time defending Olympic gold medal winners, completed a 6-0 run in recent exhibitions, defeating China – an Olympic qualifier – by 11-7 in Torrance, California, led by three goals from Maggie Steffens.

The American women completed a three-match sweep, having beaten China 17-7 in Long Beach on the 20th and 21-11 in Long Beach on the 22nd. Prior to that, the U.S. won three matches from Australia – fifth at Tokyo in 2021 – 10-4 on 7 April in Santa Barbara, 14-8 on 9 April in Long Beach and 14-6 on 13 April in Irvine.

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TSX REPORT: Saving NCAA “non-rev” sports can be done; WADA invites inquiry on China swimming; confidence in French Alps 2030 plan

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: Can NCAA “non-revenue” sports survive? YES, it’s possible
2. WADA engages independent prosecutor on China
3. IOC shows high confidence at French Alps 2030 visit
4. ANOC, Bach continue pressure on World Athletics’s Paris pay plan
5. Paris details limited Seine access during the Games

● As college football threatens to implode all of college sports, a look at dollars and sense shows that an NFL-style under-23-type league could be formed and throw off enough money to fund the existing NCAA sports program for the 68 big schools that are part of the four major conference as of this fall.

● The World Anti-Doping Agency has engaged a former Swiss prosecutor to examine its handling of 23 Chinese swimming positives in 2021. Its critics are not impressed.

● The International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission finished its visit to the French Alps, examining its 2030 Winter Games bid and showing “high confidence” that it will be confirmed this summer.

● The Association of National Olympic Committees and IOC President Thomas Bach both came out against the World Athletics plan to pay its Olympic winners $50,000 each for Paris. This will have no impact on World Athletics at all, but could discourage others.

● The City of Paris released significant new details on its closures related to the 26 July Olympic opening to the public and they will be significant. Parts of the planning relates to measures taken after a major terrorist incident in 2015.

● World Championship: Curling (Swedish brother-sister combo take Mixed Doubles Worlds gold) ●

● Panorama: Winter Games 2034 (Park City sets aside money for Olympic hosting activities in 2024-25) = Archery (Spain’s Temino and Korea’s Kim take World Cup singles titles in Shanghai) = Athletics (5: Wanyonyi gets world road mile record; four U.S. wins at wild Suzhou Diamond League; Kovacs, then Otterdahl get world outdoor shot leads; Brooks equals best in Multistars win; Ohanian says no field events in 776 Invite this year) = Cycling (2: unheralded Rodriguez wins Tour de Romandie; Kimmann and Sakakibara sweep Tulsa BMX races) = Football (3: worries already over U.S. visas for 2026 World Cup; FIFA and UEFA worried over Spanish government takeover of RFEF; FIFA inks sponsorship deal with Saudi’s Aramco) = Gymnastics (2: Carey wins, Lee impresses, Douglas returns at American Classic; Varfolomeev and Okromova face off at Tashkent Rhythmic World Cup) = Judo (Brazil dominates Pan Am Champs in Rio) = Modern Pentathlon (Elgendy and Gnedtchik win World Cup III) = Sailing (10 nations win the 10 events at Last Chance Regatta) = Shooting (Svensson and Crovetto take qualifying Skeet wins in Doha) ●

1.
LANE ONE:
Can NCAA “non-revenue” sports survive? YES, it’s possible.

We are seeing the death of American collegiate athletics as it was conceived, with college football the no. 2 sport in the U.S. and players pushing to be paid as employees of the universities they represent, instead of students getting an education and receiving free tuition, accommodations and board in return.

If some sort of payment for football players is coming, that sport may end up morphing into something like a professional under-23 league in a structure like the National Football League, with geographically-based divisions, collective bargaining and all the rest (and why have them go to class?). Casey Wasserman, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee chair, said in a March interview that the NFL could take the lead on this:

“I actually think the NFL can say, look, we can help solve the problem, not take control of college football, but sort of create the pathway, and use that as a means to save all these Olympic sports that are good for this country and by the way, think about the Paris Olympics this summer: there’ll be 100 athletes competing in Paris for countries not for the United States, who went to college for free and got their athletic training at American universities.

“We train our competitors. Talk about power and soft power … that’s a powerful thing. All those things are going to go away if we don’t fix this problem.

“To push the institutions to do what’s right to maintain the sanctity of non-football sports, I think the NFL has a real opportunity to be a leader in that movement.”

The question is how will a chunk of money – and how much – from a fully-professionalized “college football” league be transferred back to universities which license their name, logo, practice facilities and stadiums to a new “college football” league?

One of the first questions is what do these non-football programs cost now? In fact, the real question is how much do all sports cost – outside of football and men’s and women’s basketball – at the 68 universities which will be part of the four major conferences as of this fall, which will be the core of any NFL-style future football league.

(This includes the Atlantic Coast Conference (18 schools); Big 10 Conference (18), Big XII Conference (16) and Southeastern Conference (16).)

There are some answers, if you know where to look. TSX asked George Perry of Texas-based NALathletics to take a look at the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics database, a public presentation of revenues and expenses at U.S. university athletic programs. It’s not the best data available on college sports spending, but it is the best that is publicly available.

The numbers are fascinating. For the 2023-23 academic year, the 68 schools in the four major conferences to be:

● $8,566,114,905 ($8.57 billion) in total athletics spending.

● $4,764,306,894 ($4.76 billion) in spending outside of football and basketball (men and women).

● $392,858,132 ($393 million) in spending for individual sports outside of football and basketball.

There’s a big difference between the $393 million for individual-sport spending and $4.76 billion for all-other athletic department expenses. What makes up that $4.371 billion?

Perry noted that while the accounting divisions between schools in their reports is not completely consistent, elements which are important include general administration, shared services (finance, rent, technology support, sports medicine to provided to all teams, academic support) plus coaching salaries, recruiting expenses, and so on.

So the ask from the 68 ACC-B1G-XII-SEC would not be $393 million to cover the other, non-revenue sports, but somewhere between $393 million and $4.76 billion.

If we assume that 60% of the $4.371 billion went to support football and basketball, that leaves $1.748 billion in other costs and added to the sport-operations total, would create a non-revenue-sports cost of $2.141.4 billion.

A lot of money, right? You bet it is. But (and there is always a but): do those “non-revenue” sports bring in any money? Perry was asked and with his magical spreadsheet touch, came up with more amazing numbers:

● $3,389,879,617 ($3.390 billion) in non-revenue-sport “revenue.”

● $2,285,868,096 ($2.286 billion) “Not Allocated by Gender/Sport Revenue.”

● $1,104,011521 ($1.104 billion) in non-revenue sports, by-sport revenue.

Now what does this mean? The “Not Allocated” total – 67.4% – is likely athletic department donations which are not broken out on a per-sport basis. And which are also likely to be primarily focused on football and basketball, although not exclusively.

But what the numbers show is that “non-revenue” sports brought in more than $1.1 billion at these 68 schools in 2022-23! The leaders:

● $45.91 million: Stanford
● $41.69 million: West Virginia
● $38.92 million: Notre Dame
● $35.15 million: Arizona State
● $34.38 million: Virginia

Some additional calculus will be needed to figure out how to integrate basketball into these calculations, assuming it stays within the NCAA framework and is not spun off as an NBA/WNBA U-23 league. But it says that:

● $1.104 billion a year is realized in “non-revenue” sport revenue
● $2.141 billion a year estimated in “non-revenue” sport costs
● $1.037 billion a year “gap” between “non-rev” revenue and costs

Translation: an NFL-style, 68-team, U-23 professional football league should pay the 68 universities which would host their teams at least $1.037 billion a year to make them whole for the revenue lost from football (there is a better number to be had, but not from the Equity in Athletics database).

Is this possible. Well, Kristi Dosh’s BusinessofCollegeSports.com site reviewed the available college football television contracts in March. For the 2024 college football season:

● ACC: $240 million per year expiring 2026-27
● Big 10: $1.05 billion per year expiring 2029-30
● Big XII: $220 per year deal expiring 2024-25; $380 million per year starting 2025-26
● SEC: $740 million per year starting 2024-25
● Playoffs: $470 million per year expiring 2025-26; $1.3 billion per year starting 2026-27

● All: $2.72 billion per year through 2024 football season
● All: $2.88 billion per year for the 2025 football season
● All: $3.71 billion per year for the 2026 football season

Is a $1.04 billion transfer to the 68 schools possible (about $153 million each) for stadium and practice field rent, team facility spaces, on-campus medical support and the rest? Sure looks like it.

Moreover, some of the money which is now going to donations for football at these schools (not mention name-image-likeness money) will come back to school athletic departments as the football programs become professionalized and separate entities.

Bottom line: It is possible to allow collegiate sport to continue across a broad base of sports and avoid a catastrophic contraction because football players want to be paid in money instead of education. But it’s a business deal and Wasserman’s contention that the NFL is well poised to lead this transition is absolutely right.

Commissioner Goodell, the NFL Draft is over. Ready to start a new “NFL-U” league?

Rich Perelman
Editor

(Special thanks again to George Perry for his wizardry with the Equity in Athletics database.)

2.
WADA engages independent prosecutor on China

“In light of the damaging and baseless allegations that are being leveled at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding the China Anti-Doping Agency’s (CHINADA’s) no-fault contamination case involving 23 swimmers from China in 2021, WADA has responded to calls and invited an independent prosecutor, Mr. Eric Cottier, to conduct a thorough review of WADA’s handling of the matter.”

Friday’s statement will calm, for now, the continuing criticism of WADA’s 2021 handling of the report of 23 Chinese swimmers who posted positive tests for trimetazidine, but still allowed them to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The announcement identified Cottier:

“Eric Cottier is a prosecutor of 39 years’ experience, who was the Attorney General of the Canton de Vaud, Switzerland, from September 2005 until his retirement in December 2022. Prior to that, he had been a public prosecutor from 1984 to 1991, President of the 2nd District Court in Vevey and Lavaux from 1991 to 1998, and a cantonal court judge from 1999 until 2005.”

As for his inquiry, the statement specified: “[H]e will be asked to present his opinion related to the two main questions at hand:

● “Is there any indication of bias towards China, undue interference or other impropriety in WADA’s assessment of the decision by CHINADA not to bring forward anti-doping rule violations against the 23 Chinese swimmers?”

● “Based on a review of the case file related to the decision by CHINADA not to bring forward anti-doping rule violations against the 23 Chinese swimmers, as well as any other elements that WADA had at its disposal, was the decision by WADA not to challenge on appeal the contamination scenario put forward by CHINADA a reasonable one?”

He is expected to make his findings available within two months, essentially by the end of June.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which has been harshly critical of WADA’s handling of these positives in 2021, issued a sour statement on Friday in reply:

“By calling this an ‘independent’ investigation, WADA leadership is trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Instead of WADA’s hand-picked lawyer with a limited and self-serving scope of review, the world’s athletes deserve a truly independent review commission with a wide scope of review that is constituted with an independent athlete representative and impartial respected jurists with anti-doping experience appointed by government consensus.

“A truly independent investigation also requires investigation of facts on the ground in China related to this case to include interviews of hotel staff, athletes, coaches, etc. (not just a compliance audit of CHINADA, which should have been done in 2021), immunity for whistleblowers to include WADA and CHINADA employees, full access to all internal emails from WADA and CHINADA, and raw data from the laboratory in China. All findings, and the documents upon which those findings are based, must also be published.”

Observed: WADA’s action is on the right track, but the USADA reply makes an important point that a detailed review of the details of the case in China is at the heart of the issue. The CHINADA report which was discussed in the ARD documentary “The China Files” specifically noted that the doping positives were investigated and reported “under the supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security” instead of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency.

The positives were reported through the worldwide Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS) in normal course by CHINADA, so why didn’t it follow up, instead of a national security organization in China?

Cottier needs to answer these questions, but if he focuses only on what WADA did, his inquiry will be incomplete.

3.
IOC shows high confidence at French Alps 2030 visit

“There will be a rule: there will be no white elephants. Absolutely none, and I am saying that, when you look at our roadmap, it will be quite unique. We are not going to be constructing all kinds of crazy things. We are not going to be building any old place. We are not going to make huge infrastructures that do not correspond to the needs of our regions.”

That statement, from Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (AURA) region in France typified the vibe from a Friday news conference in Nice (FRA) wrapping up a week of inspections by the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission, of the French Alps 2030 bid.

Wauquiez was almost in a rhapsody, talking about the 2030 Winter Games and how it will fit into the future plans of his region (English from the simultaneous interpreter on the video link):

● “The second thing that I want to bring forward was the vision that we want to convey. … it’s not the mountains adapting to the Games, the Games are adapting to the mountains, and this is an amazing vision that we’re being given.”

● “We want to give a special vision, we want to give a vision of the French Alps 2030, which will invent the Olympic Games of the future, which will be frugal, which will respect the environment, and we want to build the mountains of the future, dedicated to sport, to being dynamic, where people want to love and where nature is respected.”

● “There are no major constructions, let’s not get things out of proportion. We ask others who are talking about the throwaway society; we want to be proud that the things we build will be used in the next three decades. This is a very strong message and it corresponds to all of the different requirements.”

David Lappartient, the head of the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF; he’s also the head of the Union Cycliste Internationale), noted that opinion polling for the French Alps candidature was good, with 62% in favor in a national survey, but 81% in the AURA region and 73% in the PACA region.

The budget for the organizing committee was confirmed at €1.975 billion (€1 = $1.07 U.S.), which does not include any infrastructure improvements which would be funded by national or local governments. No figure for the infrastructure spending was given, although an estimate of €1-2 billion was offered, with more details to come by the “end of the summer.”

Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) region, was almost as excited as Wauquiez, but had a different approach:

“I grew up with something prickly in my pocket, like sea urchins in my pocket, so I don’t like to dig deep to pay for things. So, we needed help with the payment, so we need to have the cheapest-ever Winter Olympic Games and you’ve already pronounced the figures. I think we’re on the right track there. …

“What we are manufacturing for 2030 is to develop our Alps, our regions, the quality of life, respect of our inhabitants and that’s committing us for the coming 30 years. So the Games are accelerating improvements to our living environment: it’s absolutely outstanding.”

And:

“We are ready. We are committed. We are organized. We started the [bid] work before you gave us the get-go, the green light. We know we can do it, we know we will do it, if you can confirm this to us.”

IOC Future Host Commission Chair Karl Stoss (AUT) was calmer, but also enthusiastic about the process and the French Alps bid:

“For the IOC, it is now a totally different way, to go into a dialogue, with the candidates, with the targeted dialogue. And it was, and it is, successful. And it saved a lot of money for all of us, and a lot of time.

“You showed us a really strong legacy of the previous Games, in many of the venues, we saw in our tour. We have a high confidence about your ability to deliver the Games, because the venues are excellently maintained. You use [them] daily, for the society, for the youth, for the children, for the elite athletes as well.”

Stoss also noted the strong community support that the inspection team felt during the visit: “Passion, enthusiasm, commitment, professionalism: we could see and feel it all the time.”

He said the Commission report will be drafted and presented to the winter-sport International Federations at a meeting in late May, then to the IOC Executive Board for review at its 12-14 June meeting. If approved, then the French Alps 2030 bid will be presented to the IOC membership in an online meeting at the end of June before the actual election on 24 July in Paris.

With the Paris 2024 opening on the Seine coming this summer, questions were raised about the ceremonies plans for 2030. A concept for the closing in Nice could be on the Promenade des Anglais; for the opening, Wauquiez said, “We want to get dreaming with the mountains,” in multiple locations.

On the question of the speed skating venue, either a temporary site will be created – the first preference, as is being done for Milan Cortina in 2026 – or to place the sport in another country. The bid team has already identified possibilities in Italy or the Netherlands and an announcement is expected within about six weeks.

There’s work to be done, but the tone was all good and no hiccups are expected on the road to election of the French Alps 2030 bid in July.

4.
ANOC, Bach continue pressure on World Athletics’s Paris pay plan

The Association of National Olympic Committees unsurprisingly sided with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations in condemning the World Athletics plan to pay each of its 48 gold-medal winners – individuals or teams – $50,000 prizes for the Paris 2024 Games.

Moreover, the statement following Saturday’s ANOC Executive Board meeting demands that no international federation should pay Olympic medal winners; in pertinent part:

“While the Executive Council fully supports athletes being recognised for their performances, it was agreed that the decision by World Athletics to award prize money for the highest achieving athletes at the Games threatens to undermine the principles of Olympic solidarity that sit at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

“ANOC recognises that the IOC redistributes over 90% of its revenue to the Olympic Movement, including to the NOCs and IFs, appreciates that this contributes to reducing the sporting gap between richer and poorer countries, and also significantly contributes to the costs relating to the organisation of the Olympic Games and the participation of athletes from the 206 NOCs.

“The Olympic Games cannot be compared to any other event and the unique values of Olympism, embodied by athletes from all nations, must be protected and preserved.

“The Executive Council emphasised that the decision whether to award prize money to athletes should remain at a national level and is best coordinated by NOCs and governments for the purposes of celebrating national achievements across all sports.”

Also on Saturday, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) distanced himself from the World Athletics action, telling Agence France Presse:

“The international federations have to treat all their member federations and their athletes on an equal basis and to try to balance this gap between the privileged and the less or under-privileged.

“Each pillar of the Olympic movement has its role to play. It’s very clear what the responsibility of an international federation is and what the responsibility of a national Olympic committee is.”

Observed: These statements will certainly do nothing to rein in World Athletics, which has charted an independent path under President Sebastian Coe (GBR), continuing to keep Russia out of its competitions – including Paris 2024 – now over the Ukraine invasion, and now paying 2024 winners and promising to pay all medalists in Los Angeles in 2028.

What it does do is challenge all of the other International Federation not to pay athletes. Most can’t because they can’t afford to. ANOC is trying to ensure that others which could – FIFA, World Aquatics and the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique – don’t.

This isn’t really over. In fact, it’s just starting.

5.
Paris details limited Seine access during the Games

A City of Paris newsletter sent Friday details the access and closures close to the Seine River for the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 26 July, with an already-in-place anti-terrorism program as the base layer of the control plan. According to the Paris Info Jeux post (computer translation from the original French):

● “mid-June (June 17): start of assembly on the lower platforms;

● “end of June (June 26): start of assembly on the high platforms (partially impacted area open to traffic with occasional cyclist or pedestrian bypasses);

● “July 8: start of assembly on the bridges with the Debilly pedestrian bridge (assembly of the first bridge usually open to motorized traffic begins on July 8);

● “after July 14: closure of the high quays and low quays to the general public with maintenance of local access and maintenance of access to ERPs (establishments open to the public);

● “July 27-August 2: release of part of the spaces in order to leave the banks of the Seine without work during the Olympic Games and so that everyone can reclaim the quays and their activities;

● “July 29: partial reopening to traffic of the high platforms (partially impacted area open to traffic with occasional cyclist or pedestrian bypasses);

● “August 4: end of dismantling on the high platforms.”

The area will be fully-reopened between 12-25 August, in advance of the Paralympic Games, which open on 28 August.

Of the 18 bridges across the river, access will narrow to only six on the day of the ceremony, and will be blocked for many by the 22nd.

The security plan close to the river was also discussed quite frankly, referencing the series of Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015:

“Since the attacks of 2015, perimeters called ‘SILT’ [‘Strengthening Internal Security and the Fight Against Terrorism’] are regularly implemented during major events. They result in the neutralization of numerous accesses.

“This SILT perimeter is activated continuously (unlike the SILT perimeters established around competition sites which are activated discontinuously depending on the sports sessions).

“Anti-terrorist in nature, its main objective is to secure the immediate surroundings of the Seine, which becomes an Olympic site for the opening ceremony. Access to the riverside is therefore limited to what is strictly necessary and is closely controlled, in order to ensure the safety of the place.

“To access this area, you will need a pass which may take several days to be issued. To obtain it, all residents and professionals in the area will have to register on the Police Prefecture platform which will be open on May 10. Access to the perimeter will also be subject to control and pat-down measures and searches of bags and luggage, as well as the opening of trunks for vehicles.”

While pedestrian and bicycle access to the security perimeter will be allowed, vehicles will – for the most part – not be allowed.

French tourism sites are now carrying this information, three months ahead of the Games.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Curling ● Sweden won its second World Mixed Doubles Championship before home fans in Oestersund, as siblings Isabella and Rasmus Wrana, ranked 47th coming in, sailed through the group stage and then won their two playoff games by 14-7.

The Wranas were 8-1 in group play, losing only to Scotland and qualified directly to the semifinals. There, they went from down 2-1 after four ends to a 6-3 win with three scoring ends in the final four. They faced no. 2-ranked Estonia in the final, with Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill, who finished third in Group A (6-3) and edged Canada (6-5) and Norway (8-6) in their playoff wins.

In the final, the Swedes scored twice in the second end, once in the third and twice in the fifth for a 5-2 lead and after Estonia cut it to 5-4, closed out with two points in the seventh and one in the eighth for an 8-4 victory and Sweden’s second title (also in 2019). It’s Estonia’s first-ever medal in this championship.

Norway, with Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, won the bronze, 6-5, over the Swiss. The U.S. team of Becca and Matt Hamilton finished fifth in their group and 10th overall.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2034 ● Park City, Utah has begun the process of setting aside some money for 2034 Winter Games – just in case – by allocating $75,000 for its fiscal 2025 budget, from mid-2024 to mid-2025.

City Manager Matt Dias said, “If the mayor and council require to host a delegation or to make travel to be part of these Olympic delegations – trying to identify a funding source for that, that doesn’t currently exist. That’s something we weren’t doing last year, the last two, the last five years.”

● Archery ● At the World Cup opener in Shanghai (CHN), Spain’s Andres Temino surprised Korea’s two-time Olympic team winner, Je-deok Kim, 6-2, in the final, with fellow Korean (and three-time World Champion) Woo-jin Kim in third.

Si-heon Kim, Korea’s triple gold winner at the Asian Games last year, won the women’s Recurve final by 6-0 over India’s Deepika Kumari, with China’s Jiaman Li taking the bronze.

India won a surprise gold in the men’s team final, defeating Korea, 5-1, and China defeated the Korean women, 6-2, in their final. In the Mixed Team final, Lim and Kim teamed to beat Spain (Temino and Elia Canales) by 5-4 after a 19-18 shoot-off.

● Athletics ● Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the 2023 Worlds 800 m runner-up, won Saturday’s adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach (GER) in 3:54.56 for a new World Road Mile record.

He bettered the 3:56.13 mark by American Hobbs Kessler in winning the World Athletics Road Mile Championship last October. Kessler came up to challenge Wanyonyi at the 1,200 m mark, but the Kenyan pulled away; Kessler was second in 3:56.18, with Ryan Mphahlele (RSA) third in 3:56.45.

The program included road events at 800 m, mile, 5 km and 10 km. Canada’s World 800 m champ Marco Arop won the men’s 800 m race in 1:44.30, Ethiopian star Yomif Kejelcha took the 5 km win in 13:00 and Nicolas Kipkorir (KEN) won a tight 10 km in 27:05, ahead of countryman Sabastian Sawe (27:06).

Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir took the women’s mile in 4:30.93, ahead of American Addy Wiley (4:31.97). Ethiopia went 1-2-3 in the women’s 5 km, with Medina Eisa winning in 14:38 and Melknat Wudu second in 14:40, and Kenya went 1-2-3 in the women’s 10 km, with Agnes Ngetich scaring the women’s-only world mark with her winning time of 30:03 – two seconds off – and Margaret Kipkemboi second in 30:39.

The second Diamond League meet of the season was in Suzhou (CHN), with lots of action and plenty of surprises, with world-leading marks in both 5,000s:

● Men/5,000 m: 12:55.68, Selemon Barega (ETH)
● Women/5,000 m: 14:36.70, Mekedes Alemeshete (ETH)

Barega fought off a challenge from 17-year-old countryman Biniam Mehary on the final turn and into the straight and won by 12:55.68 to Mehary’s lifetime best of 12:56.37, with Kenyan Benson Kiplangat third (12:58.78 lifetime best). In the non-Diamond League women’s 5,000, Alemeshete – 18 – led a 1-2-3-4 Ethiopian finish in a lifetime best of 14:36.70, with Ayal Dagnachew also with a personal best of 14:36.86 in second and 2022 10,000 m World Champion Letsenbet Gidey getting third in her season opener at 14:37.13.

There was furious sprinting and lot of surprises, starting with a win for Tokyo Olympic fourth-placer Akani Simbine (RSA) over 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman of the U.S. in the men’s 100 m in 10.01, to 10.04 (wind: -0.1 m/s), with 2022 World Champion Fred Kerley of the U.S. third in 10.04.

The 200 m for women was also wild, with Britain’s Daryll Neita, the 2022 European 100 m bronze medalist, getting an excellent start and giving back nothing on the way to a 22.62 win (+0.2), ahead of Americans Anavia Battle (22.99), World 100 m champ Sha’Carri Richardson (23.11) and Tamara Clark (23.13).

Nigeria’s world-record holder in the 100 m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, was caught for a false start in her race, but protested and was allowed to run under protest. Indoor record-setter Devynne Charlton (BAH) got the best start, but Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) and Amusan closed hard after the final hurdle. Amusan got to the line first, but her disqualification held and Camacho-Quinn was awarded the victory in 12.63, with Charlton second in 12.64.

A similarly-tight finish in the men’s 110 m hurdles saw 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Daniel Roberts of the U.S. out-lean Japan’s improving Shunsuke Izumiya, 13.12 to 13.23 (+0.8). Olympic champ Hansle Parchment (JAM) was third (13.26) over Cordell Tinch of the U.S. (also 13.26).

Roberts’ win was one of four for the U.S. Marquis Dendy, the 2016 World Indoor champ, got out in front in the second round at 8.05 m (26-5) and China’s Jianan Wang, the 2022 World Champion, could not catch him, finishing second at 8.04 m (26-4 1/2), also in the second round.

Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. got out to 20.03 m (65-8 3/4) in the second round and that held up for the women’s shot win against World Indoors winner Sarah Mitton (CAN: 19.86 m/65-2). And Tokyo Olympic winner Valarie Allman of the U.S. had the five best throws in the women’s disc and won with her fifth-round strike of 69.86 m (229-2). Lagi Tausaga of the U.S., the 2023 World Champion, had three fouls.

In the men’s 800 m, Algeria’s 2022 African champ Slimane Moula held off Kenyan Wycliffe Kinyamal, 1:44.55 to 1:44.88, with American Clayton Murphy in third (1:45.18). The 2024 World Indoor Champion, Hamish Kerr (NZL) scored a nice win over co-Olympic champ Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT), 2.31 m (7-7) to 2.29 m (7-6). American Vernon Turner was third at 2.27 m (7-5 1/4).

In the vault, world-record setter Mondo Duplantis (SWE) won at 6.00 m (19-8 1/4), ahead of Ben Broeders (BEL) and Sam Kendricks of the U.S., both at 5.82 m (19-1). Duplantis did try another world record, at 6.25 m (20-6), but missed three times.

Dominican Marileidy Paulino, the 2023 World 400 m winner, won her specialty easily at 50.89, with American Talitha Diggs second in 51.77. World-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) won the women’s Steeple in 9:07.36, way ahead of Olympic champ Peruth Chemutai (UGA: 9:15.46).

Marthe Koala (BUR) won the long jump at 6.68 m (21-11), ahead of American Quanisha Burks (6.59 m/21-7 1/2).

Good shot put action, with outdoor world-leading marks from two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs at the Ashland Alumni Open in Ohio on Friday, reaching 22.01 m (72-2 1/2), but that was surpassed by Tokyo Olympian Payton Otterdahl at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, who won at 22.14 m (72-7 3/4). He beat fellow American Roger Steen at 21.69 m (71-2) and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell at 21.56 m (70-9).

At the annual Multistars in Brescia (ITA), American Taliyah Brooks defended her 2023 victory with an identical score of 6,330. She won the 100 m hurdles and the 200 m and then the long jump on the second day and set a lifetime best in the 800 m at 2:13.81. Kate O’Connor of Ireland was second overall at 6,104.

Belgium’s Jente Hauttekeete won the decathlon at 8,020, setting a lifetime best in the javelin, finishing ahead of Risto Lillemets (EST: 7,971) and Teo Bastien (FRA: 7,963).

The new 776 Invitational coming in September, sponsored by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, will have no field events. None.

In response to his announcement of the meet, 2024 World Athletics Indoor long jump champ Tara Davis-Woodhall asked on X (ex-Twitter):

“can i be apart of the field events meet :)” (sic)

Ohanian:

“don’t be mad… we’re not doing field events for this…. it’ll just be track, but I have ideas and definitely wanna get you involved”

Oy.

● Cycling ● At the six-day Tour de Romandie in Switzerland, Spain’s Carlos Rodriguez moved into contention with a seventh-place finish in the Individual Time Trial in the third stage, then took the lead off a third-place finish in stage four and won the race in 15:44:46.

Russian Aleksandr Vlasov (the 2022 winner), competing as a “neutral,” finished seven seconds back and German Florian Lipowitz was third (+0:09).

The third and final stop on the UCI BMX World Cup tour – for races 5 and 6 – was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Tokyo Olympic champ Niek Kimmann (NED) taking Saturday’s race in 34.614 seconds, ahead of Izaac Kennedy (AUS: 34.936) and Cedric Butti (SUI: 35.260); all three won their second medals of the season.

The women’s Saturday race was won Australian star Saya Sakakibara in 37.874, for her third win of the season and fifth medal in five races. She was a clear winner over Manan Veenstra (NED: 38.111, her third medal of the season) and American Alise Willoughby, a two-time World Champion) in 38.293.

Sakakibara completed a sweep on Sunday, winning again in in 38.945, with Willoughby second (39.553) and Sienna Pal (AUS: 40.432) getting third. In the six races, Sakakibara won four and was second twice and was the seasonal winner with 2,860 points, to 1,996 for Veenstra and 1,880 for Willoughby.

Kimmann then completed his sweep in the men’s Sunday final, in 35.686, ahead of Kennedy (35.762) and American Kamren Larsen (36.676). However, Kennedy won the seasonal title with 1,787 points to 1,764 for Butti, with Kimmann (1,456) third after missing two of the six races.

● Football ● A story at The Athletic, by Adam Crafton warned:

“FIFA & US tourism sector have raised concerns to US govt, inc meetings at White House, due to fears extreme visa wait times may deter fans from attending ‘26 WC. US visa interview for Mexicans 800 days & Colombians currently 685 – WC is 777 days away!”

“The Spanish government has taken this decision in order to correct the serious situation that the RFEF is going through and to allow the organisation to begin a period of regeneration.

“This Commission for Supervision, Normalisation and Representation will be headed by independent persons of recognised prestige.”

That’s from Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) on Thursday, taking control of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in the aftermath of the exit of former President Luis Rubiales after the victory-ceremony fiasco following Spain’s win at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia. Questions have further been raised about RFEF actions under interim chief Pedro Rocha as well; he has resigned in order to run for the REF presidency himself.

Government takeovers of national federations are met with considerable alarm at the International Federation level, and FIFA and the European confederation UEFA offered a joint statement that included:

“FIFA and UEFA will seek additional information to assess the extent to which the CSD’s appointment of the so-called ‘Supervision, Normalisation and Representation Commission’ may affect the RFEF’s obligation to manage its affairs independently and without undue government interference.”

FIFA announced a four-year sponsorship agreement with the Saudi energy giant Aramco, which will run through the end of 2027. The deal specifically includes visibility at the FIFA World Cup 2026 – in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. – and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027, for which the U.S. and Mexico are also in a combined bid (along with others). The statement included:

“Through the partnership Aramco and FIFA intend to leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.”

● Gymnastics ● Tokyo Olympic Floor Exercise gold medalist Jade Carey won the senior All-Around at the USA Gymnastics American Classic meet in Katy, Texas, scoring 55.000 and winning on Vault (14.200) and Floor (13.750). She was also second on Beam (13.650).

Defending A-A champ Myli Lew was second (53.900) and won in the Uneven Bars (13.950). Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic All-Around gold medalist, returned to competition and finished 10th at 50.650, scoring a second place in the Vault (14.000).

Suni Lee, the Tokyo 2020 A-A winner, contested only two events, but won on Beam (14.300) and was 11th on Vault (13.250).

The A-A minimum to advance to the U.S. nationals was 51.00, so Douglas was a little short, but could try again at the U.S. Classic in May.

The fourth FIG Rhythmic World Cup was in Tashkent (UZB), but Germany’s five-time 2023 World Champion Darja Varfolomeev was on top again, taking the All-Around on Saturday over home favorite Takhmina Ikromova, the 2023 Asian Games All-Around winner, and four-time Worlds medalist Boryana Kaleyn (BUL) in third.

The individual events were a showdown between Varfolomeev and Ikromova. The Uzbek star won the Hoop, 35.50 to 35.30 and on Ball, 34.90 to 34.70. But Varfolomeev took the Clubs win: 35.75 to 34.55 and Ribbon, 33.45 to 32.95.

● Judo ● Host Brazil dominated at the Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, taking six wins and three silvers in the individual events, including Michel Augusto in the men’s 60 kg class, 2019 World Junior Champion Willian Lima (66 kg), 2023 Pan Am Games winners Guilherme Schmidt (81 kg) and Larissa Pimenta (women’s 52 kg), 2016 Olympic champ Rafaela Silva (women’s 57 kg) and 2022 Worlds runner-up Beatriz Souza (women’s +78 kg).

The U.S. won silvers from David Terao in the men’s 60 kg class, John Jayne (90 kg) and Angelica Delgado in the women’s 52 kg division.

● Modern Pentathlon ● At the UIPM World Cup III in Budapest (HUN), the youngsters led the medal parade, as 21-year-old Mohamed Elgendy of Egypt and 20-year-old Mariya Gnedtchik of Belarus won the men’s and women’s finals.

Elgendy, who had finished 35th and 16th in the first two World Cups, was only eighth in fencing, 11th in riding and eighth in swimming and entered the Laser Run in eighth place, 43 seconds behind the leader. Hungary’s Bence Demeter, a five-time Worlds Team medal winner, from moved second to first fairly quickly, but missed a couple of shots and Elgendy and fellow Hungarian Balazs Szep were moving quickly. On the final lap, Szep moved into position to win, but was passed by Elgendy, who crossed first with the second-fastest time on the Laser Run, finishing with 1,511 points to 1,509 for Szep, who had the fastest Laser Run in the field. Egypt’s Mohanad Shaban finished third (1,503) as Demeter faded to fifth (1,500).

Korea’s Seung-min Seong had won medals in both of the prior World Cups this season and got off to a hot start, winning the fencing, placing 10th in riding but then third in swimming. She had a seven-second lead on the field for the Laser Run, but it was Gnedtchik (a “neutral”) who roared him from eighth on the Laser Run start list. She had the fastest time in the field by more than nine seconds and won with 1,435 points, with Seong only eighth-fastest and settling for second (1,427). Two-time World Champion Elena Micheli (ITA) got the bronze with 1,417 points.

Manuel Padilla and Mayan Oliver won the Mixed Relay for Mexico, winning the fencing and riding and finishing second in the Laser Run, and scoring 1,408 points to 1,374 for Brice Loubet and Louison Cazaly (FRA).

● Sailing ● The “Last Chance Regatta” to make it to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was the Semaine Olympique Francaise off Hyeres (FRA), which concluded on Sunday,

In the Formula Kite boardsurfing class, Britain’s Connor Bainbridge – the Paris 2024 test event runner-up – was the clear winner with 18 net points and nine wins, over Poland’s Maksymilian Zakowski (34) and Jan Marciniak (38). The women’s title went to Swiss Elena Lengwiler, with just 12 net points and 11 wins, ahead of Poles Julia Damasiewicz (21) and Izabela Satrjan (35).

The windsurfer (IQ Foil) winners – decided by the medal race – were Makoto Tomizawa (JPN) over American Noah Lyons in the men’s race, with both qualified for Paris, and Czechs Katerina Svikova and Barbora Svikova, both also qualified now.

In the women’s dinghy (Laser Radial), Romania’s Ebru Bolat won a tight men’s competition with Marilena Makri (CYP), 36 net points to 37, despite Makri winning the medal race and Bolat finishing fourth. In the men’s (Laser) racing, Jee-min Ha of South Korea won with 49 net points to 55 for Karl-Martin Rammo (EST), thanks to Ha’s third-place finish in the medal race vs. sixth for Rammo.

The men’s skiff (49er) class was won by Germans Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger, again in a medal-race finale against Yannick Lefevre and Jan Heuninck of Belgium, 88 to 91, with Meggendorfer and Spranger winning the medal race to clinch their victory. The women’s (49erFX) racing ended with a Polish 1-2 for Aleksandra Melzacka and Sandra Jankowiak (59) over Gabriela Czapska and Hanna Rajchert (75).

In the mixed-crew dinghy (470), Italy had the 1-2 finish, with Giacomo Ferrari and Alessandra Dubbini (23) and Elena Berta and Bruno Festo (43). The multi-hull (Nacra 17) class went to Denmark’s Natacha Saouma-Pedersen and Mathias Bruun Borreskov in a rout, scoring 37 points and winning by 26 over Turkey’s Alican Kaynar and Beste Kaynakci.

● Shooting ● The last ISSF Olympic Qualifier concluded in Doha (QAT) with the Skeet finals, with Rio silver medalist Marcus Svensson (SWE) winning the men’s final over Peeter Juerisson (EST), 55-53. The women’s final went to Chile’s Francisca Crovetto over Maheshwari Chauhan (IND), in a shoot-off (4-3) after a 54-54 tie after 60 shots.

Juerisson and Chauhan both earned places in Paris.

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TSX REPORT: Alekna’s world record was with a new discus; Hirscher to return to ski racing! Johnson reported to raise $30 million for new track league!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Mykolas Alekna’s world-record discus: the Denfly Skymaster! (Photo: VS 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. Alekna had the right setting, wind, and a special discus
2. Skiing great Hirscher to return to Alpine World Cup!
3. Report: $30 million raised for Michael Johnson track league
4. Clark becomes first-ever two-time Sullivan Award winner
5. New transgender study shows mixed results on non-elite cohort

● In addition to perfect wind conditions in Ramona, Oklahoma, Lithuanian record-setter Mykolas Alekna also had an interesting partner in his world record throw: a special, new discus! The story behind the Denfly Skymaster.

● The eight-time FIS Alpine World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher, now 35, wants to return to the slopes, but not for his native Austria, but for Netherlands – his mother’s homeland – beginning with the 2024-25 season.

● A new report says that 1996 Olympic star Michael Johnson has raised $30 million for his proposed, 2025 track “league,” with more details to come in June.

● Another honor and more history for ex-Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark, who became the first ever to win the AAU Sullivan Award twice, winning in 2023 and 2024, with the announcement made Tuesday in New York.

● A study conducted in England, sponsored by the International Olympic Committee, on transgender and from-birth “athletes” in their mid-30s was designed to show that blanket bans should not be imposed and sport-by-sport studies are needed. But the cohort studied has no relation to Olympic-level athletes and is hard to take seriously.

● World Championship: Curling (Norway and Sweden lead in Mixed Doubles Worlds in Sweden) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (16-year-old arrested for planning Olympic bombing) = Russia (3: Putin aide says athletes will decide for themselves about Paris; RUSADA says 150 doping positives in 2023; new rhythmic gymnastics league presented) = Athletics (Semenya appeal to be re-heard on 15 May) = Shooting (final Olympic Trap qualifier in Doha) = Swimming (U.S. Trials festival program to feature 66-foot-high “Eiffel Tower”) ●

● Errata: Wednesday’s post included an item identifying the start of the Olympic Torch Relay in France as “8 March.” It’s actually 8 May; thanks to reader Paul Roberts for the correction. ●

● Schedule: Due to a scheduling conflict, there will be no post for Friday; we’ll be back on Monday! ●

1.
Alekna had the right setting, wind, and a special discus

The greatest series in discus history came from 21-year-old Lithuanian star Mykolas Alekna on 14 April at the Ramona Throws Festival in Oklahoma, where he parlayed a perfect, quartering wind into a spectacular series of throws, capped by a world record 74.35 m (243-11) in the fifth round.

It was a stunning performance for the University of California’s two-time NCAA scorer, erasing a 38-year old record of 74.08 m (243-0) by Jurgen Schult, competing for a country – East Germany – that doesn’t exist any more.

Alekna was ready, the wind was helpful … and he had a special, added edge: a new discus.

Alekna was throwing the Denfly Skymaster Discus, developed by long-time Danish discus maker Palle Densam, whose models had been sold in the U.S. for decades by Torrance, California-based Springco Athletics, now called VS Athletics.

Densam and Springco had worked together on manufacturing the models sold in the U.S., with the platter itself produced in Denmark and the rims produced in California. Eventually, production moved back to Denmark, but the VS Athletics folks still wanted to sell Densam’s implements and moved to find their own, more accessible source.

Contracting with a foreign manufacturer and perfecting the fabrication process over two years, VS Athletics was finally able to obtain a consistent supply. In the meantime, Densam had designed a new model, the Skymaster, which had a unique, ultra-thin rim. In tests, the VS Athletics team found that the Skymaster – due to its radical rim design – was faster to stabilize in flight, meaning longer throws … in the right hand, of course.

The VS Athletics catalog entry notes that the Skymaster offers “5-8% longer throws than with conventional-rim-weight discus” and a high spin rate of 9-16 revolutions per second on release. It is stated to meet all World Athletics, NCAA and National Federation of High Schools rules.

Alekna proved the idea worked, not just on his record throw, but for the greatest series of all time: 72.21 m (236-11), 70.32 m (230-8), 72.89 m (239-1), 70.51 m (231-4), his world-record 74.35 m (243-11) and 70.50 m (231-3) in round six.

Actually, Alekna had brought three implements with him, with the Denfly Skymaster as a backup, but the other two were not approved during on-site inspection, so he had only one option, but it turned out to be a historic one.

The Denfly Skymaster is available commercially via VS Athletics – it’s one of five Denfly models on sale – in the men’s 2 kg size ($199.95), the high school 1.6 kg size ($189.95) and the women’s 1 kg size ($179.95).

The next time you’re watching the discus, check for the rims!

2.
Skiing great Hirscher to return to Alpine World Cup!

Marcel Hirscher is one of the greatest Alpine skiers of all time. A technical specialist, he won the FIS men’s Alpine World Cup title eight years in a row from 2012-19 and won 67 World Cup races and 138 World Cup medals across 12 seasons for his native Austria.

Now 35, he retired in 2019, but on Wednesday announced he wants to return to the World Cup circuit next season, but skiing for the Netherlands, in honor of his Dutch mother. He said on Instagram:

“For people asking, why are you doing this, for me it’s clear – because the joy of skiing never left, it’s just so much fun for me.”

A change of nationality requires approval by the FIS, but this has been made much easier by the agreement of the Austrian Ski Federation (OSV). In a statement, OSV General Secretary Christian Scherer explained:

“In the last few days there have been discussions with various people involved in which we were informed that Marcel Hirscher could imagine returning to the international ski circuit.

“As the Austrian Ski Association, we have of course tried very hard to offer Marcel the best possible and individual conditions in the event of a return to alpine racing and were able to explain these to him in a personal exchange.

“Of course, we very much regret his decision to request a change of nation to the Dutch Ski Association (Nederlandse Ski Vereniging/NSV), but in the end we supported it. Marcel has done enormous things for skiing and for the ÖSV. In appreciation of this and in the spirit of the internationality of skiing, the ÖSV Presidential Conference unanimously approved his request for a change of association today.”

Hirscher was born in Austria to Austrian father Ferdinand and Dutch mother Sylvia in 1989. He has represented Austria with distinction, winning three Olympic medals (2-1-0) and 11 Worlds medals (7-4-0), primarily in the Slalom and Giant Slalom.

In retirement, he also came out with his own brand of skis, Van Deer, developed in cooperation with his sponsor, Red Bull. He had a conflict over the use of those skis in Austria, as they are not approved equipment for the OSV, but should have no issues with the Dutch federation.

Look for Hirscher to work his way back to the World Cup circuit by competing in lower-level races in New Zealand, but still has to complete the necessary documentation for the transfer to the Dutch federation.

3.
Report: $30 million raised for Michael Johnson track league

Good news for 1996 Atlanta Olympic icon Michael Johnson and his concept for a 2025 track “league,” as the Sports Business Journal reported that his program, coordinated with the Winners Alliance arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association, has raised $30 million in capital.

The story indicated that the league format and other details will be announced in June. Agencies for graphical design, sports marketing and public relations have been hired. Winners Alliance will be the “operational partner.”

The meets are to be held during the spring and summer, but the number, type and format has not been disclosed.

4.
Clark becomes first-ever two-time Sullivan Award winner

Ex-Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark made more history Tuesday evening as the first to win the AAU Sullivan Award twice, selected for a second consecutive year as the nation’s best collegiate or Olympic athlete.

The 94th Sullivan Award winner was announced at the New York Athletic Club, with Clark’s high school coach, Kristin Meyer accepting. Clark appeared by video conference:

“The AAU Sullivan Award is an incredible honor. I have been inspired by so many athletes that came before me and I hope I can be that same inspiration for the next generation to follow their dreams.”

Clark won over five other finalists: Olympic wrestling gold medalist David Taylor, Olympic speed skater Emery Lehman, World Artistic Gymnastics Championships medalist Fred Richard, Texas women’s volleyball star Madisen Skinner, and U.S. Paralympic swimmer Noah Jaffe.

Voting was done by multiple groups, including the public, the AAU Sullivan Award Committee, AAU Board of Directors, sports media, and past winners.

5.
New transgender study shows mixed results on non-elite cohort

A new study comparing “transgender athletes to cisgender athletes,” funded by the International Olympic Committee, concluded – in line with the IOC’s own guidelines – that:

“While longitudinal transitioning studies of transgender athletes are urgently needed, these results should caution against precautionary bans and sport eligibility exclusions that are not based on sport-specific (or sport-relevant) research.”

Posted on 10 April 2024 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study compared small numbers of transgender males against from-birth males and transgender women against from-birth women:

Male cohort:
● 12 transgender males and 19 from-birth males
● Testosterone: 20.5 nmol/L and 24.8 nmol/L
● Handgrip: 38.8 kg and 45.7 kg
● VO2 max: 3635 ml/min and 4467 mL/min

Female cohort:
● 23 transgender females and 21 from-birth females
● Testosterone: 0.7 nmol/L and 0.9 nmol/L
● Handgrip: 40.7 kg and 34.2 kg
● VO2 max: 3682 ml/min and 3226 ml/min

The study participants were recruited via social media – Facebook, Instagram and X – and were tested during a single examination at the University of Brighton in England. All were required to participate in competitive sports or undergo physical training at least three times per week, and transgender participants must have been on testosterone suppression for at least a year.

It’s worth noting that even in this study of non-elite athletes that transgender women had significant advantages in handgrip strength and absolute oxygen capacity (VO2 max).

Observed: While the study opines that the presumed advantages of a transgender woman vis-a-vis a from-birth woman should not be trusted and that more research is needed, it is very difficult for any careful reader to take this study seriously.

Let’s remember that the issue at hand is Olympic- and World Championship-level athletes and the possible advantages of from-birth male athletes who become transgender women vs. from-birth women, such as Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, an undistinguished men’s competitor, who became an NCAA champion in 2022 as a female swimmer.

The study says:

● “No cisgender or transgender athletes were competing at the national or international level.”

● “The results may not apply to all levels or ages of athletes, specifically as this research did not include any adolescent athletes competing at the national or international level.”

Moreover, the age of the male and female “athletes” who were part of this very small testing group confirms that this study has very little to do with athletes at the Olympic or World Championship level:

● Transgender men (12): average age of 34
● From-birth men (19): average age of 37

● Transgender women (23): average age of 34
● From-birth women (21): average age of 30

Remember that these “athletes” were required to work out at least three times a week.

For comparison, a 2016 study of 3,548 high-performing Olympic athletes competing at London in 2012 showed average ages of 27.0 years for men and 26.2 for women. Moreover, 72% of all athletes in that study were between 20-30 years of age.

Across 40 disciplines, men’s averages in 37 out of 40 were at 29.5 years or less and for women, 39 of 40 were under 30 years of age. These folks work out 6-7 days a week and sometimes more than once per day.

The IOC paid for a study whose conclusion reinforces its policy that blanket bans are not acceptable and that only sport-specific studies can establish prudent policies. But the study’s clear miss on testing a meaningful set of subjects – and enough of them – makes it essentially worthless.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Curling ● The World Curling Mixed Doubles Championship in Oestersund (SWE) is nearing the end of round-robin play, with the group leaders Norway (Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten: 6-2) and Sweden (Isabella Wrana and brother Rasmus Wrana: 7-0) already qualified for the playoffs. 

Pool play finishes Thursday. The top three teams in each pool will move on to the playoffs, currently Switzerland and Estonia on Group A and Canada and South Korea in Group B. The U.S. team of Becca and Matt Hamilton are fourth in Group B (4-3) and still have matches against Canada and the Netherlands ahead of them.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French newspaper Le Parisien reported an arrest of a 16-year-old in Marginier, Haute-Savoie, “suspected of preparing jihadist action during the Olympic Games.

“He was taken into custody by police officers from the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) as part of an investigation taken over by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) and opened for ‘criminal terrorist association.’”

His activity on the Telegram social-media site alerted officials, with the posts stating a desire to create an explosive device and target the La Defense district during the Games, knowing that he would also be killed.

● Russia ● An influential advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Russian athletes who do qualify as neutrals for the Paris 2024 Games can decide for themselves if they will go. Igor Levitin told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The Olympics is a place where athletes represent themselves, not their countries. It is the right of each of them, and if an athlete wants to attend the Olympics, he does so under a neutral flag. But it is very important for him not to sign any documents that denounce the work that our compatriots are doing on the frontline [against Ukraine].”

The number of doping violations by Russian athletes rose to 150 in 2023 vs. 135 in 2022, according to the head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, Veronika Loginova. She explained:

“[W]e launched anti-doping inspections of athletes, who either come from a lower echelon or participate only in the country’s regional competitions. In my opinion, this is the main cause behind the increase in reported violations.”

By contrast, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency lists 44 sanctions – not exactly the same as a gross total of doping violations – for the calendar year 2023.

Continuing the Russian concept of creating their own competitions outside of the International Federations, the head of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, Irina Viner, said in a presentation in Dubai (UAE) that an “International League of Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs” is being set up to allow competitions outside of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

● Athletics ● The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights will re-examine the appeal of South Africa’s double Olympic women’s 800 m champion Caster Semenya on 15 May.

A smaller panel of three ECHR judges had ordered the Swiss Federal Tribunal to make a more detailed review of its dismissal of Semenya’s appeal from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which held that the World Athletics’ regulations discriminated against her, but that it was allowable in order to protect the women’s category of competition.

The Swiss appealed and asked for the Grand Chamber panel, whose ruling will be binding. If Semenya wins, then the case will return to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

● Shooting ● The final Olympic qualifying tournament for the Shotgun events is taking place in Doha (QAT), with Spain’s 2021 World Junior Trap Champion Andres Garcia winning the final and getting a place at the Paris Olympic Games.

He edged Italy’s already-qualified Mauro de Filippis, 46-45, in the final, with Turkey’s Oguzhan Tuzun third, also getting a Paris qualifier.

In the women’s Trap final, Tokyo champion (and already qualified) Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova (SVK) was a 46-42 winner over Laetisha Scanlan (AUS); the qualifiers for Paris were sixth-place Melanie Couzy (FRA) and Mariya Dmitriyenko (KAZ), who was seventh in the qualifying.

The Skeet competitions come next.

● Ski Jumping ● Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi flew an astonishing and all-time best 291 m (954-9) in a specially-arranged event in Hlidarfjall, Iceland, but it won’t count as a world record:

“A ski flying competition must be based on a FIS-certified distance measuring system and take place on a ski flying hill homologated by FIS in order to stand up to comparison with other flights and be eligible for an official ski flying record.

“At the same time, there are regulations for the material that is used and that must be tested by a FIS certified equipment controller; for example, the length of the ski and the mass of the suit.”

The project was a promotional program by Red Bull, but the record remains 253.5 m by Austria’s Stefan Kraft from 2017 at Vikersund, Norway.

● Swimming ● The Indiana Sports Corporation, the host of the U.S. Olympic Trials that will take place at the Lucas Oil Stadium beginning on 15 June, announced its festival program for the Trials, including a 66-foot-high replica of the Eiffel Tower and a concert series for all nine nights of the Trials.

The programming for USA Swimming LIVE will start a day before the Trials, on 14 June, from 5-9:30 p.m. and then from 2-7 p.m. on the nine days of swimming. A “Swim Up Bar,” five new artworks made specially for the Trials, the “Shining A Light” salute to veterans, food and beverage vendors and more will be featured.

The locally-made replica Eiffel Tower, which will weigh 19,000 pounds, will be installed on 10 June.

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TSX REPORT: Justice Dept. to pay $138.7M to Nassar victims; another high-pay track meet (for women); USADA screams for WADA overhaul!

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. Justice Dept. agrees on $138.7M for bungled Nassar inquiries
2. IOC Future Host Commission inspecting French Alps 2030 bid
3. Another new track meet: the all-women 776 Invitational
4. Canada’s Brown asks for all Olympic finalists to get money
5. USADA triples down, asks for WADA overhaul

● The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement with 139 claimants regarding the botched inquiries by two field offices of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the Larry Nassar abuse matter.

● The International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission for the Winter Games is in France, inspecting venues for the French Alps bid for the 2030 Winter Games, which is expected to be confirmed at the IOC Session this summer in Paris.

● During a sports conference in New York, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced that his venture-capital firm would sponsor an all-women’s “776 Invitational” track & field meet in September that will pay $60,000-25,000-10,000 for the top three places. Great to have more high-paying meets, but this is not the answer.

● Canadian sprint star Aaron Brown wants World Athletics not just to pay the Olympic winners in Paris, but all of the finalists, as is done at the World Athletics Championships. He says the federation need to change “the strategy of how the sport is marketed and presented to its audience.”

● The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued a stinging post, asking for a special prosecutor to look into the 23 Chinese swimming positives in early 2021 that were declared excused by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency, and for an overhaul of the World Anti-Doping Agency itself.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: lagging interest in ultra-lux Olympic-period rentals; another strike threat against the Torch Relay) = NCAA (no restrictions on transfers between schools) = On Screen (modest interest in wrestling trials on USA) = Athletics (2: Ciattei and McArthur win USATF Road Mile titles; record finishers and charity fundraising at London Marathon) = Figure Skating (U.S. Nations in Wichita in 2025) = Wrestling (UWW disciplines officials who worked error-filled Chamizo-Bayramov in Euro qualifiers) ●

1.
Justice Dept. agrees on $138.7M for bungled Nassar inquiries

“The Justice Department announced today that it has settled 139 administrative claims arising from allegations of sexual abuse committed by former physician and USA Gymnastics official Lawrence Gerard Nassar. …

“The settlement agreements, which have been approved by the Department, resolve 139 claims for a total of $138.7 million to be distributed to claimants.”

That’s from a Tuesday news release from the U.S. Justice Department, closing out a sad chapter at the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, in which two field offices knew about Nassar’s abuses, but failed to act properly.

The announcement also included:

“Over the course of nearly two decades and ending in 2016 when he was arrested by the State of Michigan, Nassar sexually abused hundreds of victims under the guise of performing medical treatments.

“These settlements will resolve administrative claims against the United States alleging that the FBI failed to conduct an adequate investigation of Nassar’s conduct. In July 2021, the Department’s Office of the Inspector General issued a report critical of certain aspects of the FBI’s response to, and investigation of, allegations against Nassar.”

That’s an understatement. In his 2021 appearance before the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, U.S. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in his report:

“Larry Nassar’s abuses very well could and should have been stopped sooner, if appropriate action had been taken by the FBI in response to the courageous actions of these athletes. Not only did that not occur, but after the FBI agents’ inadequate and incompetent response came to light, FBI records were created that falsely summarized the testimony of an athlete who had spent hours detailing the abuses she endured, and inaccurately described the FBI’s handling of the matter. Further, when called to account for their actions, two of the agents lied to our OIG investigators.”

Horowitz noted that the Indianapolis Field Office learned of the Nassar issue in July 2015 and the Los Angeles Field Office was informed in May 2016. But:

● “The OIG found that, despite the extraordinarily serious nature of the allegations and the possibility that Nassar’s conduct could be continuing, senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies. The Indianapolis Field Office did not undertake any investigative activity until September 2—5 weeks after the meeting with USA Gymnastics—when they telephonically interviewed one of the three athletes. Further, FBI Indianapolis never interviewed the other two gymnasts who they were told were available to meet with FBI investigators.”

● “The OIG also found that, while the FBI Los Angeles Field Office appreciated the utmost seriousness of the Nassar allegations and took numerous investigative steps upon learning of them in May 2016, the office also did not expeditiously notify local law enforcement or the FBI Lansing Resident Agency of the information that it had learned or take other action to mitigate the ongoing danger that Nassar posed. Indeed, precisely because of its investigative activity, the Los Angeles Field Office was aware from interviewing multiple witnesses that Nassar’s abuse was potentially widespread and that there were specific allegations of sexual assault against him for his actions while at the Karolyi Training Camp (also known as the Karolyi Ranch) in Huntsville, Texas. Yet, the Los Angeles Field Office did not contact the Sheriff’s Office in Walker County, Texas, to provide it with the information that it had developed until after the MSUPD had taken action against Nassar in September 2016. Nor did it have any contact with the FBI Lansing Resident Agency until after the Lansing Resident Agency first learned about the Nassar allegations from the MSUPD and public news reporting. Given the continuing threat posed by Nassar, the uncertainty over whether the Los Angeles Field Office had venue over the allegations, and the doubt that there was even federal jurisdiction to charge the sexual tourism crime that the Los Angeles Field Office was seeking to pursue, we found that prudence and sound judgment dictated that the Los Angeles Field Office should have notified local authorities upon developing the serious evidence of sexual assault against Nassar that its investigative actions were uncovering.”

The Justice Department agreement is separate and apart from the $339.5 million pool of insurance funds for the survivors approved in 2021, in actions principally against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

2.
IOC Future Host Commission inspecting French Alps 2030 bid

The International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission for the Winter Games is in the French Alps this week, looking into the proposal to stage the 2030 Olympic Winter Games there, in advance of an expected formal award at the IOC Session in Paris in July.

The Future Host Commission, led by Karl Stoss (AUT) began its tour program on Monday in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region (AURA) and saw the Le Grand-Bornard site for cross-country skiing and biathlon and will move on to the Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) venues later, ending in Nice on Thursday and Friday.

The French Alps concept concentrates on using existing facilities mostly already in use for World Cup events in four “zones”:

● Haute-Savoie: Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing

● Savoire: Alpine Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Bobsled, Luge, Skeleton

● Briancon: Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard

● Nice: Curling, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Short Track

At the opening session, Commission Chair Stoss said that the selection of the French Alps should not be considered as a foregone conclusion:

“The finish line has not yet been crossed.

“We have to ask questions to the presidents, to the Olympic committee, to the community, this is a very important step. We still have a little work to do with the study of the sites, the Olympic villages, the transport networks and interviews with the mayors and the athletes concerned.”

Significant issues remain with the plan for speed skating, which could be held in a temporary facility as in Milan for 2026 – a convention center – or at an existing facility in The Netherlands or Italy.

The current tour is not the end of the discussions, as presentations will be made by French Alps and Salt Lake City to the winter-sport International Federations and IOC members in May or early June, followed by the Future Host Commission’s final report on both bids and recommendations for election at the IOC Session in Paris.

3.
Another new track meet: the all-women 776 Invitational

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced another women’s sport promotion at the Business of Women’s Sports Conference in New York on Tuesday, during a conversation with Tokyo Olympic women’s 200 m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas, the 776 Invitational.

Sportico.com reported that the event, which will feature only women’s events and take place in September, will be sponsored by Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six venture-capital organization and award prize money of $60,000-$25,000-$10,000 for the top three places.

The venue, timing and events were not disclosed.

This is the latest in a series of track & field ventures which have popped up over the last few months. Atlanta Olympic icon Michael Johnson is teaming with Winners Alliance, an arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association, to create a series of meets in 2025; Johnson has pointed to the “majors” concept in golf and tennis as possible ways to promote the sport across an entire year.

Software entrepreneur and former Cornell distance runner Barry Kahn has proposed a multi-day, head-to-head show featuring 10 men and 10 women that would concentrate on a single event – the 100 meters to start – and create a tournament-style progression to a big-money final. A $1 million prize purse is envisioned, with the first “Duæl 100″ in September in Jamaica.

Another project which has been teased on social media, but not formally announced, is another one-on-one concept that would include track events, but is not necessarily limited to one sport.

Observed: The increase in interest in track & field is great and welcome, but none of these ideas solve the problem. Triple World Champion Noah Lyles identified this in a 2023 interview after his brilliant Budapest triple:

● “Everybody only gets paid for the big moments, and that’s really what they see as what our sport is doing. But the problem is because we only get paid for those big moments, we only show up for those big moments.”

● “If you look at basketball, football, tennis, soccer, golf, they have their regular season and of course, they can all go to the Olympics, but that’s an afterthought because their sport supplies them with the ability to stay here, play, compete and still keep a normal job, a steady income.”

Lyles was speaking about the Olympic Games and the World Championships; while World Athletics will break ground with $50,000 winner’s prizes for Paris 2024, the World Athletics Championships pays prizes of $70,000-35,000-22,000-16,000-11,000-7,000-6,000-5,000 for the top eight places.

Johnson has talked about the need for a league-style program, with teams and rivalries. There are plenty of good ideas on this, and it is doable from an athlete’s perspective. At last week’s USOPC Media Summit in New York, Tokyo men’s 200 m silver winner Kenny Bednarek said that in a league format, he could run every week if he had to, but certainly every other week, and would welcome a U.S. “league” held in the spring, ending before the U.S. national championships and leaving the summer open for championship events and the Diamond League.

Continuity is the issue and one-off meets are fun, but do not create a sustainable “employment” situation for track athletes, something which has been talked about since the 1980s, but has never happened. Yet. Maybe one of these events will energize their backers enough to create a league that can grow over time, as Major League Soccer and the Women’s NBA have done.

That’s the answer.

4.
Canada’s Brown asks for all Olympic finalists to get money

Amid the catcalls from other federations over the decision of World Athletics to pay the Paris Olympic gold medalists $50,000 and extend that to all medal winners at Los Angeles 2028 comes Canadian sprint star Aaron Brown, the two-time Olympic relay medalist, who wants all Olympic finalists to be paid. He told the CBC:

“I’d like to see all finalists in the Olympics make money to make it adjacent to the world championships. I’d like to see more compensation for the athletes who perform well.”

Now 31, he was appreciative that his federation was channeling more money to its athletes:

“It signals [World Athletics] is putting an effort toward 2028 to finally revitalize the support structure for the athletes. I wasn’t sure it would [happen] while I was still active as an athlete.”

But he was also critical of the situation that track & field athletes find themselves in, not only as regards the Olympic Games, but during the entire season:

“I watch other sports [that] operate more professionally increase the revenue for their athletes year over year because the overall business of the sport is growing.

“World Athletics needs to do more to drastically increase this by changing the strategy of how the sport is marketed and presented to its audience.”

He also suggested the heretical idea – to some – of having appearance fees be announced so that athletes could understand who is actually getting what:

“Perhaps putting more into the prize money pot as opposed to the appearances would make athletes want to compete more often.

“More transparency would allow us to know where [money] is being spent, what athletes are willing to show up and compete and establish a true market akin to other sports.”

5.
USADA triples down, asks for WADA overhaul

On Tuesday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued a “Call for Independent Prosecutor and Overhaul of WADA” in a lengthy unsigned, defiant post, specifically focused on the revelations concerning the 23 doping positives for Chinese swimmers in early 2021:

“Unfortunately, none of the outstanding questions about the failure of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency or the World Anti-Doping Agency to uniformly enforce the anti-doping rules were satisfactorily answered for clean athletes and the public in WADA’s press conference yesterday.

“The selective and self-serving application of the rules we heard about yesterday destroys public trust in the authenticity and value of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Learning that different rules can be applied to different countries sours the commitment of those who are vital to its ongoing viability, including the world’s best athletes, fans, sponsors, and the next generation of athletes.”

Further, the post continued to focus on these test results, which were – according to the ARD documentary “The China Files” which aired on Sunday – were investigated and reported “under the supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security” instead of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency. The USADA post continued:

“The statute of limitations has not run out in these cases and the pathway for application of the rules and due process may still exist. The effort to achieve whatever justice possible at this time must happen before the 2024 Paris Games, as it is unfair for all athletes competing in these Games to possibly compete against those who tested positive and whose results were kept secret until now.

“WADA’s willingness to blindfold and handcuff itself as we learned yesterday, and to maintain that it would do the same thing all over again, is yet another stab in the back to clean athletes. How can a global regulator possibly be satisfied when it allows 23 positive tests to be swept under the carpet, and no athlete or organization is held accountable?”

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and especially its chief executive, Travis Tygart, have been critics of WADA for a long time. But the USADA post went into considerable  additional detail on its problems with the WADA response to the presence of the prohibited drug Trimetazidine (TMZ), including:

● “WADA did not do any factual investigation into the circumstances of the hotel.”

● “China did not determine the source of the TMZ, and WADA apparently did not raise the obvious questions: How did a controlled drug, TMZ, arrive in the kitchen? Did any kitchen staff have a prescription or use TMZ? Did an employee crush TMZ pills while in the kitchen? Was CCTV reviewed to determine who had access to the kitchen? Certainly, the Chinese Security Service could have interviewed the hotel staff to attempt to learn who might have been using TMZ.”

● “WADA also appears unconcerned by the fact that TMZ was discovered at a hotel in China by the Chinese State Security over three and a half months after the athletes who tested positive were in the hotel. Does WADA believe that the hotel was not cleaned despite these three months spanning the height of the Covid epidemic when restaurants and public places were almost certainly required to perform extensive daily and nightly cleaning?”

The post raised 28 specific issues with the handling of this case, and noted that “WADA’s own rules require that a violation be found in contamination cases, that in-competition results be disqualified, that a provisional suspension be imposed at the outset, and that the violation be publicly announced.”

What happens now? There is no doubt that Tygart will continue to agitate on this issue, something for which he has a gift. Of special interest, however, will be the response of the International Testing Agency, which has the lead for the testing before and during Paris 2024, and the ITA provided at least one tip to WADA about doping in Chinese swimming.

So far, the ITA has issued no public comment about this situation. The question is whether it is already in motion about this case, and the swimmers involved. Coincidentally, the Chinese national swimming championships are ongoing and continue through Saturday, with – so far – one world-leading performance, in the women’s 100 m Breaststroke, by Qianting Tang.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● “The supply is there, but we don’t have as much demand as we thought. Unfortunately, right now it’s not up to par with what I was hoping for.”

That’s from Omar Meniri (FRA), in charge of Paris rentals at the Engel and Völkers firm, explaining that demand has been soft for super-lux rentals of apartments for the Olympic period. Pricing at two or three times the going rate has disinterested prospective customers.

But it’s also true that for many wealthy Parisians who are usually on vacation in August when the Games will take place, if they don’t rent their place, they won’t care.

Another strike threat, this time from a French police union, which said it might disrupt the Olympic Torch Relay if the Olympic-period bonuses – up to €1,900 – are not confirmed. A first protest could come on Thursday, with the Olympic Torch coming to Marseille on 8 May.

● NCAA ● The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved new rules on Monday regarding transfers:

“Division I student-athletes who meet certain academic eligibility requirements will be immediately eligible at their next school, regardless of whether they transferred previously.

“Specifically, to be immediately eligible after a transfer, undergraduate student-athletes must have left their previous school while academically eligible and in good standing (not subject to disciplinary suspension or dismissal) and meet progress-toward-degree requirements at their new school before competing.

“For graduate transfer student-athletes to be eligible, they must earn a degree from their previous school, leave while academically eligible and be enrolled as a full-time postgraduate student while satisfying minimum academic standards.”

In other words, everyone is a free agent all the time. More flexibility was also added to the rules for name-image-likeness:

“Schools can identify NIL opportunities and facilitate deals between student-athletes and third parties. Student-athletes are not obligated to accept assistance from the school and must maintain authority over the terms in their NIL agreements. Beginning Aug. 1, member schools will be permitted to increase NIL-related support only for student-athletes who disclose their NIL arrangements.”

● On Screen ● Modest interest in the U.S. Olympic Trials in wrestling, with 142,000 watching on USA Network on Friday and 162,000 on Saturday.

The NCAA women’s gymnastics final did very well on ABC on Sunday, drawing an impressive average of 856,000 viewers, at 4 p.m. Eastern time.

● Athletics ● Favored Vincent Ciattei won his second Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday that was also the USATF National Road Mile Championship for 2024. Ciattei, who won this race in 2022 and was fourth last year, charged through the tape in 3:57, clearly ahead of John Reniewicki (3:59) and Alec Basten (also 3:59).

The women’s Grand Blue Mile (and U.S. title) was won by first-time road miler Rachel McArthur, the 2022 NCAA Indoor fourth-placer for Colorado, who won in 4:33, just ahead of Anna Camp Bennett, the 2021 NCAA 1,500 m champ for BYU, who was given the same time.

At the indoor vault, held at the Jordan Creek Town Center, American record man KC Lightfoot won at men’s competition at 5.90 m (19-4 1/4), with Bridget Williams of the U.S. taking the women’s event at 4.68 m (15-4 1/4).

Spectacular success for the London Marathon, which set records for its most finishers ever and a record haul for charity.

Although the count is not final, more than 53,000 finished the race on Sunday out of 54,281 starters and more than £67 million was raised for charity (£1 = $1.24 U.S.), bettering the old high of £66.4 million from 2019.

● Figure Skating ● U.S. Figure Skating that its 2025 national championships will be held – for the first time – in Wichita, Kansas, from 20-26 January at the 15,750-seat INTRUST Bank Arena.

Skate America will again be held in Allen, Texas, from 18-20 October 2024.

● Wrestling ● Two-time Freestyle World Champion Frank Chamizo of Italy lost to Turan Bayramov of Azerbaijan in the semifinals of the European Olympic 74 kg Qualifier in Baku (AZE) on a controversial call that removed a winning, two-point move at the end of the match and gave Bayramov the win, 8-8, on criteria.

The Italians alleged multiple refereeing errors and Chamizo sensationally said that a bribe was offered for him to lose the match. On Tuesday, United World Wrestling said Chamizo had good grounds to be upset:

“During the Chamizo-Bayramov bout, Roman PAVLOV [UKR] was the referee on the mat, Ali M. SAIWAN [IRQ] was the judge and Aleksei BAZULIN [RUS] was the mat chairman. The referee delegation comprised Kamel BOUAZIZ [TUN], Ibrahim CICIOGLU [TUR] and Casey GOESSL [USA].

“The Disciplinary Chamber has decided to suspend both Pavlov and Cicioglu from all their duties until December 31, 2024. Saiwan is suspended from all his duties until September 30, 2024. Mat chairman for the bout Bazulin is suspended from all his duties until June 30, 2024, and the remaining two members of the referee delegation Bouaziz and Goessl have been handed suspensions from all their duties until June 30, 2024.”

The UWW formed two panels to look at the match officiating:

“Both panels agreed that some actions during the bout were not scored correctly, including not spotting the passivity of the wrestler(s). It also agreed that the refereeing consultations were not efficient, a timing error was made and the challenge consultation suffered major shortcomings in its functioning.

“In addition, the panels reported a gross lack of discernment in the assignment of the refereeing body, and in the distribution of the roles during the challenge for this specific match.”

The result of the match did not change, nothing has been said about Chamizo’s allegation of a bribe, and as far as Chamizo’s opportunity for Olympic qualification, “The Disciplinary Chamber, however, asked UWW to place Chamizo as a top seed in the brackets of the next qualifying event, the World OG Qualifier from April 9 in Istanbul.”

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TSX REPORT: WADA says China swim doping case closed; FIG chief not interested in medal payments; high schooler sets 100 m record at 9.93!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Artist’s rendering of the entrance to the Team USA House at the Palais Brongniart in Paris (Image: USOPC-OnLocation).

★ 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. WADA stands firm: no reason to doubt CHINADA
2. Gymnastics: no interest in paying Paris medal winners
3. USA House opens to public for Paris 2024
4. IOC opens Artificial Intelligence project in London
5. Beijing Half top four disqualified over race antics

● The World Anti-Doping Agency issued a statement and held an online news conference in response to the German ARD documentary concerning positive doping tests for 23 Chinese swimmers prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021. It reiterated that it agreed with the Chinese anti-doping agency’s analysis and no penalties, but questions remain.

● The head of the International Gymnastics Federation said he had no interest in paying prize money to winners of the 18 gymnastics events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as World Athletics has said it will. However, the federation could certainly afford it!

● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is, for the first time, opening the Team USA House to the public for Paris 2024, at €325 (+ taxes) per day during the Olympic Games and €150 per day (+ taxes) for the Paralympics. The site will be the elegant Palais Brongniart, formerly the Paris stock exchange, dating from the time of Napoleon!

● The International Olympic Committee launched a major project to study the use of Artificial Intelligence as related to sport and to the Olympic Games. AI is already in use in technology applications such as timing and scoring and broadcasting, but a working group will look at its use for athlete identification, training and safeguarding uses, among others.

● The pathetic finish of the Beijing Half Marathon from earlier this month, where the three leading runners – from Kenya and Ethiopia – let the top Chinese runner go by and win, has been revised with those four top finishers all disqualified.

● Panorama: Olympic Games 2040 (South African study group to observe in Paris) = Athletics (4: 22 countries qualify for Olympic Marathon Mixed Relay at Team Walk Champs; Miller screams to 9.93 high school 100 m record in Florida; Olga Fikotova Connolly passes at 91; two more doping positives for African distance runners) = Equestrian (jumping horse Chromatic BF dies after World Cup Dressage performance in Riyadh) = Swimming (Colts, Pacers and Fever join USA Swimming to promote Trials) = Wrestling (U.S. Freestyle star Cox retires) ●

1.
WADA stands firm: no reason to doubt CHINADA

The German ARD investigative documentary “Die Akte China” – “The China Files” – aired on Sunday, raising questions about an early 2021 incident prior to the Tokyo Olympic Games in which 23 star Chinese swimmers tested positive for the prescription heart medication Trimetazidine, the same drug for which Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for in December of that same year and was eventually banned for four years.

The program cited a 31-page investigative report from the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), which clears the swimmers, saying that the low levels of the drug found in the swimmers was the result of traces in the kitchen where food was prepared for the group. The document raises questions:

● Although the report is from CHINADA, the ARD program says the investigation was carried out by the Ministry of Public Security, not the anti-doping agency.

● “The report states that more than two months later, investigators inspected the [hotel] kitchen and found traces of trimetazidine in the extractor hood, on spice containers and in the drain.”

● “WADA did not address the question of whether the scenario in the hotel kitchen was realistic or not. It was clear from the statement that WADA did not conduct an independent investigation in China and only decided not to investigate based on the CHINADA report.”

● “The positive cases were correctly entered into WADA’s official ADAMS reporting system in March 2021 after a two-month delay attributed to a local Covid outbreak. However, instead of reporting an official anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), the internal Chinese investigation took place. In this way, the usual steps of publicly announcing the case and imposing an interim ban were avoided.”

● WADA decided not to challenge the outcome from CHINADA and did not undertake its own investigation.

In a statement and accompanying news conference on Monday, WADA acknowledged the ARD program and stood behind its findings:

“Following WADA’s review of the documentary, the Agency still stands firmly by the results of its scientific investigation and legal decision concerning the case. We are equally confident that WADA’s independent Intelligence and Investigations Department followed up on all allegations received, which were not corroborated by any evidence; and thus, did not meet WADA I&I’s threshold to open an investigation.

“Based on all available scientific evidence and intelligence, which was gathered, assessed and tested by experts in the pharmacology of trimetazidine (TMZ); and, by anti-doping experts, the Agency had no basis under the World Anti-Doping Code to challenge the China Anti-Doping Agency’s (CHINADA’s) findings of environmental contamination – a position that was also accepted by World Aquatics.

“To be clear, if any new evidence had come to light at any point, WADA would have reviewed this information as it would today.”

As far as WADA is concerned, the case is closed. However, there are lingering questions, especially how a prescription drug like trimetazidine – offered in very small 20 mg and 35 mg pills – gets into a hotel kitchen at all?

ARD asked forensic toxicologist Fritz Soergel (GER) about the contamination theory; he replied, “The concentrations that were allegedly found by the laboratory in China could actually only have arisen because the doping agent was administered weeks before.”

During Monday’s news conference, WADA General Counsel Ross Wenzel (GBR) said, “In the absence of any evidence of any sort of misconduct … I’m very confident we would have had close to a 0% chance in establishing” a case. He added:

“With respect to the concentration in the Kamila Valieva case, and I believe it’s public, it’s in the decision, it was 2.1 nanograms per ml; the vast majority of the concentrations in this case were significantly lower than that, but the fundamental point is not that one.

“The fundamental point is that in the Valieva case there was nothing to exclude that that was the end of an excretion, that the pharmacological dose of trimetazidine hadn’t been taken several days before. In this case, the fluctuating negative and positive values of those athletes that were tested on multiple occasions effectively excluded that pharmacological dose scenario, so that’s a significant difference with the Valieva case.”

Observed: WADA’s explanations fall flat because the normal procedures which are expected to be employed in such cases were not followed. The positives were reported in the WADA system, but no provisional suspensions were imposed by CHINADA and according to the CHINADA report, the entire matter was left to the Chinese authorities, not to the country’s anti-doping agency, as would normally have been expected.

The German athletes organization, Athleten Deutschland, asked:

“What conclusions can be drawn from the revelations about the effectiveness of WADA and the global fight against doping, especially in closed, authoritarian regimes?”

More precisely, what conclusions can be drawn from a Chinese government authority running the inquiry into the matter in place of CHINADA, which is supposed to have jurisdiction in these matters?

Moreover, Chinese athletes have had doping issues in the past, of course including six-time Olympic medalist Yang Sun, who tested positive for trimetazidine in 2014 and received only a three-month suspension as the drug was only recently added to the banned list. He was later banned for four years after a 2018 incident with a drug-testing team that he said were not properly credentialed.

These questions will not go away quickly and the Chinese team – and the International Testing Agency – will be highly scrutinized in Paris, and the ITA will be asked about how often (and where) Chinese swimmers were out-of-competition prior to showing up in Paris.

2.
Gymnastics: no interest in paying Paris medal winners

The head of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), Morinari Watanabe of Japan told Kyodo News that his federation will not be paying its Olympic medal winners in Paris, as will World Athletics:

“The FIG uses this revenue to support the development of gymnastics around the world, and in developing countries in particular.

“Many developing countries do not have enough gymnastics apparatus, or are using out-of-date apparatus. Beautiful flowers need good soil to bloom. I believe that IF’s job is to invest in the soil in which my beautiful flowers can grow.”

Watanabe is an elected member of the ASOIF Council, the executive committee of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, which denounced the World Athletics’ payment plan in unusually strong language in a statement last Friday.

The FIG position is in solidarity with ASOIF, which insisted that “Paying prize money in a multi-sport environment goes against the principle of solidarity, reinforces a different set of values across the sports and opens up many questions.”

But the FIG position is also interesting from other perspectives:

● It pays very little prize money for its Artistic World Championships: for 2023, about $15,500-9,300-6,200 for teams 1-3 and $3,000 each for teams 4-6 in men and women, and CHF 5,000-3,000-1,000 for the All-Around medal winners and CHF 3,000-2,000-1,000 for the apparatus medal winners.

That’s about $80,000 for the teams, $19,800 for the All-Arounds and $66,000 for the 10 apparatus finals, or about $165,800 in total. For the Rhythmic Worlds, the total is CHF 93,000 or about $102,300, and for the Tumbling and Trampoline Worlds, about $75,600 with payouts in Swiss francs and U.S. dollars. All together: about $343,700 for all three.

In contrast, the World Athletics Championships paid $8.498 million in prize money for 2023 and the World Aquatics Championships offered $5.670 million in 2023 and 2024.

The FIG payout amounts are quite astonishing. Consider that the International Judo Federation offers €1,000,000 for its World Championships, to the medal winners at €26,000-15,000-8,000 for its 14 individual events and €90,000-60,000-25,000 for its team event! (€1 = $1.07 U.S.)

● FIG only has 18 events in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: 14 in artistic gymnastics and two each in Rhythmic and Trampoline. Paying $50,000 as World Athletics will do for its winner would cost the FIG only $900,000 vs. $2.4 million for athletics!

● FIG can afford it: its 2022 financials showed CHF 56.8 million in assets and CHF 33.1 million in reserves. However, its revenue in non-Olympic years is only a little over CHF 12 million a year, and needs its Olympic television dividend to maintain healthy finances. It’s a terribly under-revenued sport, despite its Olympic popularity. (CHF 1 = $1.10 U.S.)

World Athletics, by contrast, had $54.9 million in 2022 revenues and $61.7 million in reserves. Both federations, as well as World Aquatics, will receive more than $35 million in IOC television revenue for the Paris 2024 Games.

3.
USA House opens to public for Paris 2024

“Until today, Team USA House access was only sold through Paris 2024 hospitality packages, developed by On Location, which also include tickets to a sporting event of the attendees choosing. Beginning today, fans can purchase Team USA House access without a sporting event ticket for €325 (plus tax) for the Olympic Games and €150 (plus tax) for the Paralympic Games. These passes include all-day access, food and beverage options, entertainment, athlete appearances and more.”

The Team USA House concept began at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and has been an invitation-only program for U.S. Olympians, team staff, sponsors and lots of guests, including prior American Olympians.

For Paris 2024, the USOPC has expanded the program considerably at the massive Palais Brongniart, opened in 1825 as the home of the Paris Stock Exchange, until 1987, and now a conference and events center. The first floor will be open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket, at €325 per day, plus 20% value-added tax (or about $415 U.S.) for the Olympics and about $192 U.S. for the Paralympic, including the VAT.

What will happen there? According to the announcement:

“Team USA House will host a main stage for medal celebrations, panels, and athlete appearances, all-day dining options including American favorites and a rotating selection of international cuisines, two bars, a dozen large monitors to watch Team USA go for gold, and interactive activities throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“There will also be an official Team USA Shop, operated by Fanatics, which will be open at Team USA House during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Team USA pop-up shop will have exclusive Team USA and LA28 merchandise from Nike, Ralph Lauren, Oakley, New Era, Mitchell and Ness, and Fanatics, and will include custom Team USA and Paris 2024 pins, a fan tradition at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“There will also be exclusive programming including special guest athlete appearances; medal celebrations with Team USA athletes fresh off the podium from their wins; daily trivia games; theme nights, and more.”

The Team USA House hours are noon to midnight from 26 July to 11 August, and then again for the Paralympic Games, which runs from 28 August to 8 September.

There is a second, “VIP Floor,” with enhanced food and beverages and some private parties, not accessible to the public. Passes will be issued to athletes and guests, U.S. Olympic alumni, National Governing Bodies and USOPC staff. Donors to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation can also obtain access through specific hospitality packages; individual tickets to the VIP Floor for those who qualify are €525 plus 20% VAT or about $672 U.S., per person, per day.

Observed: This is a nice amenity for those who want to mix with current and former athletes and others from the U.S. Olympic Family during the Games in Paris. It isn’t cheap, but it isn’t designed to be: it’s a fundraiser, after all.

Navigating to the actual sales site for Team USA House tickets is difficult (hence no link); perhaps it will become easier to find as the Games get closer.

4.
IOC opens Artificial Intelligence project in London

Launched with considerable fanfare, the International Olympic Committee introduced its new project – the “Olympic AI Agenda” – to explore the possibilities and problems of AI last Friday in London, outlining multiple areas of study:

● Talent Identification
● Athlete Training
● Sports Equipment
● Judging and Refereeing
● Safeguarding in Sport
● Organizing the Games
● Broadcasting the Olympics
● Enriching Historical Images

IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) made the point that the central focus of the Games will remain:

“At the centre of the Olympic AI Agenda are human beings. This means: the athletes. Because the athletes are the heart of the Olympic Movement. Unlike other sectors of society, we in sport are not confronted with the existential question of whether AI will replace human beings. In sport, the performances will always have to be delivered by the athletes. The 100 metres will always have to be run by an athlete – a human being. Therefore, we can concentrate on the potential of AI to support the athletes.

“AI can help to identify athletes and talent in every corner of the world. AI can provide more athletes with access to personalised training methods, superior sports equipment and more individualised programmes to stay fit and healthy. Beyond sporting performance, AI can revolutionise judging and refereeing, thereby strengthening fairness in sport. AI can improve safeguarding in sport. AI will make organising sporting events extremely efficient, transform sports broadcasting and make the spectator experience much more individualised and immersive.”

Already in play are ways to make existing technology applications better:

● From Swiss Timing chief executive Alain Zobrist (SUI): “AI technology is already being integrated into OMEGA’s timekeeping systems at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and allows us to analyse and understand athletic performances much deeper than ever before. We’re excited about where the innovation can go next in terms of data storytelling and judging support.”

● From NBC Olympics & Paralympics Production Executive Producer Molly Solomon (USA): “AI can enrich our presentation through data analysis, with graphics and enhanced video, personalisation and predictive analysis. It can also help navigate the plethora of content the Olympic Games provide, connecting fans with the events and athletes they love, which will result in deeper engagement and spending more time on our platforms.”

A 90-minute discussion covered eight areas of possible AI intervention and support and an 18-member working group has already been formed to explore more concepts. No date was noted for a follow-up report or findings.

5.
Beijing Half top four disqualified over race antics

The ridiculous finish of the Beijing Half Marathon on 14 April, in which the three leading runners – two Kenyans and an Ethiopian – allowed China’s Jie He to pass by and win the race in the final 200 m was addressed on Friday as all four were disqualified.

The race organizers said in a statement that the video of the finish showed Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat and Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu Bikila “actively slowed down in the last 2 kilometers and as a result He Jie won the men’s championship.”

He won in 1:03:44, with the other three finishing one second behind. Now, all four have had their results nullified and their placements and prizes forfeited.

The Xtep sports apparel company sponsored both the race and He as one of its athletes, and apparently hired the three Africans as pacemakers, but did not tell the race directors, who gave them elite-runner status instead of labeling them as pacers. Indeed, they would have gone 1-2-3 except for slowing down and letting He pass.

The race directorate said that the race management company, Zhong’ao Lupao Beijing Sports Management, had been removed as operator of the Beijing Half going forward and that Xtep has been banned from sponsoring any further races this season.

Xtep said in a statement, “We bear a great responsibility for this, fully accept the punishment decision made by the organizing committee.” It promised to “reflect seriously and conduct a deep review” to “ensure such incidents do not happen again in the future.”

The committee disqualified the operator from hosting the Beijing Half Marathon and banned Xtep from sponsoring any more races this season.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2040 ● A private-sector research team called “CapeTown2040″ has announced an observation mission to the Paris 2024 Games to inspect how Paris has adapted itself to host the event. It’s a think-tank effort so far, currently focused on determining how the South African city might fit as an Olympic host.

No African city has ever hosted the Olympic Games; South Africa broke ground in 2010 by hosting the FIFA World Cup.

● Athletics ● At the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya (TUR) on Sunday, 22 teams qualified for the Olympic Marathon Mixed Relay, with five nations earning a second team.

Francesco Fortunato and Valentina Trapletti of Italy were the winners, in 2:56:45, well ahead of Koki Ikeda and Kumiko Okada (JPN: 2:57:04) and Alvaro Martin and Laura Garcia-Caro (ESP: 2:57:47). The U.S. team of Nick Christie and Robyn Stevens finished 41st (3:25:53) and did not qualify.

In the senior-level 20 km races, Sweden’s four-time Worlds medal winner Perseus Karlstrom taking the 20 km in 1:18:49, ahead of Spanish walkers Paul McGrath (1:19:14) and Diego Garcia Carrera (1:19:51). Two-time Worlds gold medalist Kimberly Garcia of Peru won the women’s 20 km in 1:27:12, followed by Zhenxia Ma (CHN: 1:27:55) and Erica Sena (BRA: 1:29:22).

More on the sensational world-leading 9.93 100 meters from new U.S. star Christian Miller from the Pure Athletics Invitational Saturday in Clermont, Florida.

Miller, still 17, rode a legal, +1.6 meters-per-second win to the victory, erasing his previous best of 10.06 from 2023 and setting a new American Junior Record, taking down the 9.97 from Baylor’s Trayvon Bromell from 2014. Miller is now no. 3 all-time on the World Junior all-time list.

A senior at Creekside High School in St. John’s Florida, he also lowered the U.S. high school mark and became the first wind-legal sub-10 man in prep history. He smashed the prior best of 10.00 by Trentavis Friday (Cherryville High, North Carolina), also from 2014.

Miller has committed to attend the University of Georgia. Wrote triple World Champion Noah Lyles on X (ex-Twitter): “If you are a HS runner and you want to run 9 second you just come on down to clermont.”

Sad news of the death of Olga Fikotova Connolly at 91 on 12 April, one of the unforgettable Olympians whose love affair and finally marriage to American Hal Connolly was a Cold War sensation in 1956.

As Czech Olga Fikotova, she won the Olympic gold in the discus at Melbourne in 1956 and met and fell for Connolly, the Olympic hammer gold medalist from the U.S. The romance between a U.S. strongman and a Warsaw Pact discus star was international headlines at the time, and they married in Prague in 1957.

She came to the U.S. and she and Hal raised four children, with both continuing their athletic careers. Hal made the U.S. hammer team in 1960-64-68 and Olga competed for the U.S. in four more Games, in 1960-64-68-72. Neither won another Olympic medal.

They divorced in 1975, but Olga continued with her career in education, physical fitness and sports. Hal passed in 2010, and Olga is survived by her four children, Mark, Jim, Merja and Nina and grandchildren Van Freund, Denali and Cianni Connolly.

More doping sanctions from the Athletics Integrity Unit, including Ethiopian women’s steeplechaser Zerfe Wondemagegn – fourth at the 2023 World Championships – banned for five years from 20 October 2023 for the use of erythropoietin (EPO) and testosterone.

Kenyan Celestine Chepchirchir, a 2:20:10 women’s marathoner from 2022, was sanctioned for three years from 26 March 2024 for using testosterone.

● Equestrian ● Sad news last Friday from the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) from the FEI World Cup Final in Riyadh (KSA):

“It is with great sadness that we announce that the US [showjumping] horse Chromatic BF, ridden by Jill Humphrey, has passed away during the FEI World Cup Final.

“Chromatic BF had returned to the stables after competition on the evening of 18 April and unexpectedly collapsed. He was immediately attended to by the US Equestrian veterinary staff and FEI veterinarians but was unable to be resuscitated.

“In line with the FEI Veterinary Regulations, samples have already been taken from the horse, and a full postmortem in line with FEI protocols will be conducted.”

Humphrey and the 13-year-old Chromatic finished third in the Jumping World Cup Final II on the 18th, remarkable for a horse who entered competition only in the fall of 2023. Owner Katharine Branscomb wrote on Facebook:

“I am writing this to try to clarify what has already begun to travel as rumours surrounding events that happened here in Riyadh involving Chromatic after tonight’s spectacular performance. After hacking normally after the class, Chromatic returned to the barn happy and calm attended by his lifetime caretaker Pepe Rodriguez and Jill. After resting and refreshment, he was given a routine recovery shot of electrolytes by the USET team veterinarian. Upon returning to his stable to be wrapped, blanketed, and put away for the evening, with me present the horse began seizured and collapsed in the stall. He was immediately treated and examined by both the USET and FEI veterinarians and was pronounced dead shortly after.

“As owner and breeder, I want it clearly stated that no one was at fault. The horse did not suffer and there is no evidence that his passing was in any way related to his strenuous and spectacular performance with Jill well over an hour earlier or the routine injection by the veterinarian. A full autopsy report will be provided to me at some point. But what I HOPE people will take away from this freak accident and great tragedy is that it was a night of tears – tears of joy and tears of loss. If I would ask anything of those of you that knew or celebrated him, let’s remember him for how he lived and not for how he died.”

● Swimming ● With a couple of months to go before the U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, USA Swimming announced “Centennial Partners” agreements with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL and Pacers Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Indiana Pacers of the NBA and Indiana Fever of the WNBA, which just drafted Iowa star Caitlin Clark.

The deals come with tickets and branding, but will no doubt have both organizations reaching out to their ticket buyers and fan bases to support the Trials, which begin on 15 June. That’s a win for USA Swimming as it tries to fill a 30,000-seat facility, the largest ever for the Olympic Trials in swimming.

● Wrestling ● Five-time Worlds medal winner and Tokyo men’s 86 kg Freestyle bronze medalist J’den Cox retired after his loss in the men’s 97 kg Freestyle Challenge semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Trials last week. Following a 2-2 loss to Kollin Moore on criteria, Cox, 29, left his boots in the center of the mat.

Cox was a three-time NCAA Champion for Missouri at 197 lbs. (~ 89 kg), and was World Champion at 92 kg in 2018 and 2019, third in 2021 and runner-up in 2022. He had previously won a Worlds bronze at 86 kg in 2017.

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TSX REPORT: ASOIF angry over World Athletics pay plan; Chinese doping allegations for Tokyo explode; vault and marathon world records!

By
Rich Perelman
-
A happy Mondo Duplantis chats after his eighth world vault record! (Photo: World Athletics video screenshot)

★ 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. ASOIF rips World Athletics over $50,000 Paris pay plan
2. Claim of China doping in Tokyo swimming explodes!
3. World record 20-5 1/2 for Duplantis in Xiamen!
4. Women-only world record 2:16:16 for Jepchirchir in London
5. Four U.S. Olympic wrestling medalists now Paris bound

● The usually calm Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) issued a cross statement, criticizing the World Athletics’ plan to pay $50,000 to the winners of its 48 events in Paris. Most of the other federations can’t afford that and ASOIF expressed annoyance and shock at not being informed and at the lack of “solidarity.” Are we at a pivot point?

● A furious weekend of charges and counter-charges, with someone from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency telling American swimmers that Chinese doping in Tokyo will result in a re-allocation of their silver medal in the women’s 4×200 m Free Relay to gold. This was denied by the World Anti-Doping Agency, with name-calling back and forth with USADA chief Travis Tygart. There is a lot at stake here and it’s a considerable mess.

● Sensational track & field weekend, with world-leaders in 13 events at Xiamen Diamond League and Continental Tour Gold Keino Classic in Nairobi, with Mondo Duplantis getting his eighth world vault record at 6.24 m (20-5 1/2). And there were eight more world-leading performances elsewhere!

● The expected women’s-only marathon world record came through in London, as Olympic champ Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya fought off absolute world-record holder Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia, 2:16:16 to 2:16:23.

● Surprises at the U.S. Olympic Trials for wrestling at Penn State, with three of the four U.S. medal winners from Tokyo being defeated, but four prior Olympic medal winners are on a powerful American teams for Paris, with other still having to qualify next month.

● Panorama: Beach Volleyball (second-ranked Ahman and Hellvig win Elite 16 in Mexico) = Cycling (3: Pogacar dominates Liege-Bastogne-Liege; Niewiadoma wins final sprint in women’s La Fleche Wallonne; U.S.’s Batten sweeps Mountain Bike races in Brazil) = Diving (China wins eight of nine events at World Cup Super Final) = Fencing (Volpi beats Errigo as Italy sweeps Foil World Cup in Georgia) = Gymnastics (2: Davtyan brothers both win at Doha Apparatus World Cup; Varfolomeev dominates Rhythmic World Cup in Baku) = Modern Pentathlon (Seo gets first World Cup win) = Shooting (U.S. scores another qualifier in Rifle-Pistol finale in Brazil) ●

1.
ASOIF rips World Athletics over $50,000 Paris pay plan

“ASOIF was neither informed nor consulted in advance of the announcement, which was made one day after the ASOIF General Assembly and during SportAccord. As a matter of principle, ASOIF respects and defends the autonomy of each and every member federation. However, when a decision of one IF has a direct impact on the collective interests of the Summer Olympic IFs, it is important and fair to discuss the matter at stake with the other federations in advance. This is precisely why ASOIF was created more than 40 years ago, with the mission to unite, promote and support its members, while advocating for their common interests and goals.”

That’s from an unusually blunt statement issued Friday by the Association of Summer International Sports Federations concerning the World Athletics plan to pay $50,000 to the winners of its 48 events in Paris: a total of $2.4 million. The statement ran on for 13 paragraphs, including:

● “During the last days, ASOIF’s membership has expressed several concerns about World Athletics’ announcement.

“First, for many, this move undermines the values of Olympism and the uniqueness of the Games. One cannot and should not put a price on an Olympic gold medal and, in many cases, Olympic medallists indirectly benefit from commercial endorsements. This disregards the less privileged athletes lower down the final standings.”

● “Second, not all sports could or should replicate this move, even if they wanted to. Paying prize money in a multi-sport environment goes against the principle of solidarity, reinforces a different set of values across the sports and opens up many questions.”

● “If the Olympic Games are considered as the pinnacle of each sport, then the prize money should be comparable to, and commensurate with, the prizes given in the respective top competitions of each sport. This is technically and financially unfeasible.”

Then came the key portion of the statement:

“While some National Olympic Committees and governments have put in place schemes to reward athletes for outstanding performances at the Olympic Games, these are for purposes of national pride and are applied consistently across all the sports at the Olympic Games.

“Finally, there has been consensus that Olympic revenues should, at least for the more commercially successful and financially independent IFs, be invested as a priority into development and integrity matters. Development and integrity are the principal areas where IFs can distinguish themselves from commercial operators and promoters.”

The statement concluded with ASOIF saying that it “will raise these concerns with World Athletics” and with the International Olympic Committee.

Observed: This is an unusually strong statement in the Olympic world, which always couches its communications in terms of unity and shared purpose. Which is to say that the World Athletics has struck a nerve with its fellow International Federations.

The ASOIF statement makes it clear that while World Athletics believes it can afford to pay $2.4 million in Olympic prize money for Paris and possibly double that in Los Angeles in 2028, very few other federations can. FIFA, for sure. World Aquatics, yes, and some others. But for the 20 federations in the third, fourth and fifth tiers of IOC television payments, almost certainly not.

World Athletics received $39.48 million from the IOC for the Tokyo 2020 Games, the most of any federation. Those in the third tier received $17.31 million, the fourth tier got $15.14 million and the fifth tier, $12.98 million. Those federations have to make that money stretch across four years until the next Olympic distribution comes, as their own revenue is often insufficient to cover its program and salary costs. That’s the reality.

World Rowing, for example, had annual revenue – outside of IOC television money – in 2021 of CHF 2.61 million and in 2022 of CHF 3.45 million (CHF 1 = $1.10 U.S.). It spreads its $17.31 million in IOC money over all four years to stay solvent and run its programs; outside of its IOC funding, it showed CHF 3.63 million in reserves. That’s not much. Many other federations are similar.

And if they were to offer Olympic prize money, the amount would be a fraction of the World Athletics payout, for first place or otherwise. So now, the International Federations are even further classified into successes and failures by what they would pay in Olympic prize money.

Long term, this could put future pressure on the IOC to drop some of these commercially-uninteresting sports, who would ask the IOC itself to pay prize money. For its part, the IOC has said only that federations are on their own to decide how to spend the money they get from the TV rights sales, and harking back to its Greek origins, would be much more likely to make a grant to all Olympians than to those who won medals, as the ancient city-states were the ones who sent and rewarded their champions who returned in glory.

This is a new and unexpected division point within the Olympic Movement, and will be a headache that will face the next IOC President, whoever that ends up being.

2.
Claim of China doping in Tokyo swimming explodes!

In a confused series of statements, clarifications and name-calling, a claim that China’s gold-medal-winning and world-record-setting women’s 4×200 m Freestyle team from Tokyo 2020 was disqualified for doping was refuted by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

In a 21-tweet thread by ARD investigative reporter Nick Butler (GBR), the key facts:

● “ARD Doping Editorial Team world exclusive after two-year investigation: Mass doping suspicion in China – WADA fails to act: 23 top Chinese swimmers tested positive in 2021 but were secretly cleared in time to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. With @hajoseppelt 1/”

● “The 23, which included Tokyo 2020 gold medallists – Zhang Yufei and Wang Shun, plus current World Aquatics Swimmer of the Year, Qin Haiyang, all tested positive in January 2021 for trimetazidine, the same substance taken by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva 2/”

● “After months of silence, the athletes were all cleared of doping following an internal Chinese investigation, which supposedly found traces of the substance in the kitchen of the hotel where the athletes had stayed during their competition 3/”

A further post, noting shared reporting with the New York Times, listed the 23 athletes involved, which included Tokyo 2020 medal winners Zhang (women’s 200 m Fly gold, 4×200 Free relay gold), Junxuan Yang (women’s 4×200 m Free relay gold), Wang (men’s 200 m Medley gold), and Zibei Yan (mixed 4×100 m Medley silver).

Another story reported that a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency representative had told U.S. swimmers on Friday that their Tokyo women’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay silver would be upgraded to gold due to the doping of at least one Chinese swimmer on their world-record-setting team.

But that was countermanded on Saturday, with World Aquatics telling SwimSwam.com that it “not currently aware of any Anti-Doping Rule Violation that might lead to a disqualification of results obtained in competition, and resulting consequences, for the Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay at Tokyo 2020.” Moreover, the USADA said it did not tell anyone that China was doping in Tokyo.

More fireworks came quickly from Travis Tygart, the head of the USADA, who released a Saturday statement:

“It’s crushing to see that 23 Chinese swimmers had positive tests for a potent performance-enhancing drug on the eve of the 2021 Olympic Games, as reported by the New York Times and ARD. It’s even more devastating to learn the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly, until now, swept these positives under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.

“Our hearts ache for the athletes from the countries who were impacted by this potential cover-up and who may have lost podium moments, financial opportunities, and memories with family that can never be replaced. They have been deeply and painfully betrayed by the system. All of those with dirty hands in burying positive tests and suppressing the voices of courageous whistleblowers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the rules and law.”

WADA released its own Saturday statement, which included:

“Following some misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage this week, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wishes to provide more information in relation to a group of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in 2021.

“WADA was notified in June 2021 of the decision by the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) to accept that the swimmers had tested positive in early 2021 for TMZ after inadvertently being exposed to the substance through contamination. As it always does, WADA carefully reviewed the decision and, in this instance, requested the full case file. As part of its review, WADA collected additional, unpublished scientific information on TMZ and consulted with independent scientific experts to test the contamination theory and also whether low doses of TMZ could have benefited the athletes during a swimming competition event. During this review process, which spanned several weeks, scientists and external legal counsel thoroughly put the contamination theory presented by CHINADA to the test. It was not possible for WADA scientists or investigators to conduct their enquiries on the ground in China given the extreme restrictions in place due to a COVID-related lockdown. WADA ultimately concluded that it was not in a position to disprove the possibility that contamination was the source of TMZ and it was compatible with the analytical data in the file. WADA also concluded that, given the specific circumstances of the asserted contamination, the athletes would be held to have no fault or negligence. As such, and based on the advice of external counsel, WADA considered that an appeal was not warranted.”

Tygart fired back in another Saturday release, including:

“It is disappointing to see WADA stoop to threats and scare tactics when confronted with a blatant violation of the rules governing anti-doping. When you blow away their rhetoric, the facts remain as have been reported: WADA failed to provisionally suspend the athletes, disqualify results, and publicly disclose the positives. These are egregious failures, even if you buy their story that this was contamination and a potent drug ‘magically appeared’ in a kitchen and led to 23 positive tests of elite Chinese swimmers.”

WADA then issued another statement, including:

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is astonished by the outrageous, completely false and defamatory remarks made by the CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Travis Tygart, who has made very serious accusations against WADA in connection with the case of 23 swimmers from China that was reported upon by the media earlier today.

“Mr. Tygart’s allegations are politically motivated and delivered with the intention of undermining WADA’s work to protect clean sport around the world. WADA notes that the damaging comments have been delivered without any supporting evidence whatsoever.

“The truth of this matter is that according to all available scientific evidence and intelligence, thoroughly gathered, assessed and tested by leading anti-doping experts, WADA had no basis to challenge the explanation of environmental contamination. At all times, WADA acted in good faith, according to due process and following advice from external counsel when it decided not to appeal this case. In the absence of any other evidence WADA, still today, stands by the results of its rigorous scientific investigation as well as the approach of its Intelligence and Investigations Department.”

That’s where we are as of now.

Observed: This is a mess. At stake is the credibility of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has been good and steadily improving. And its defense against Tygart’s charges is weakened by this key sentence:

“It was not possible for WADA scientists or investigators to conduct their enquiries on the ground in China given the extreme restrictions in place due to a COVID-related lockdown.”

WADA was not on the ground and accepted CHINADA’s explanation, yet it did not do so when a positive test came back against Russian figure skater Valieva in the run-up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

It is also not clear what the view of the International Testing Agency is, which was responsible for the testing of athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Some of the athletes on the positives list published by ARD are stars in position for glory in Paris, including breaststroker Haiyang Qin, who won the men’s 50-100-200 m Breast events at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and will be favored in Paris. Will they receive extra scrutiny now from the ITA?

All of this creates more questions than answers and the matter is certainty not over.

3.
World record 20-5 1/2 for Duplantis in Xiamen!

A sensational Saturday in track & field, with the Diamond League opening in Xiamen (CHN) and the Continental Tour Gold Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi (KEN), with a world record and 13 world-leaders between them:

Xiamen (8):
● Men/800 m: 1:43.61, Marco Arop (CAN)
● Men/Steeple: 8:20.54, Abraham Kibiwot (KEN)
● Men/5,000 m: 12:58.96, Lamecha Girma (ETH)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.11, Daniel Roberts (USA)
● Men/Vault: 6.24 m (20-5 1/2), Mondo Duplantis (SWE) ~ World Record
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.51 m (57-5 1/2), Pedro Pichardo (POR)

● Women/1,500 m: 3:50.50, Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
● Women/Steeple: 8:55.40, Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN)

Nairobi (5):
● Men/200 m: 19.71, Courtney Lindsey (USA) and Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
● Men/400 m: 44.10, Bayapo Ndori (BOT)
● Men/800 m: 1:43.57, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
● Men/1,500 m: 3:31.96, Reynold Kipkorir (KEN)
● Men/Hammer: 84.38 m (276-10), Ethan Katzberg (CAN)

Duplantis stole the spotlight with his eighth world record, taking only four jumps! He made first-time clearances at 5.62 m (18-5 1/4), 5.82 m (19-1), 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) and then the world record of 6.24 m (20-5 1/2). American Sam Kendricks was second at 5.82 m (19-1). Said the Swedish star afterwards:

“This result is more than what I wanted it to be, so I was very excited about it. You know this my first time to jump in China. You always get a bit nervous when you jump in front of a new crowd, because it’s people that haven’t seen you do what you can do. So I really want to show the people here. …

“I know that every competition I go to, there’s gonna be very high expectations and everybody’s gonna be expecting. I think that myself too. I expect a lot of things out of myself. I want to have high all the time and I want to keep jumping high. My expectations on myself always outweigh everything else.”

What a way to start the season! And there was more.

In Xiamen, 2022 World Champion Fred Kerley got out ahead of usual-super starter Christian Coleman – the 2019 World Champion – but Coleman took over in mid-race and won, 10.13 to 10.17 (wind: -0.6 m/s).

In the men’s 800 m, Canada’s 2023 World Champion Marco Arop took over after the bell and held on to get a world-leading win in 1:43.61 over Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal (1:43.66). Same for Ethiopia’s Steeplechase world-record holder, Lamecha Girma, took the lead with 300 m left in the men’s 5,000 m and charged to the finish in 12:58.96, ahead of Nicholas Kipkorir (KEN: 12:59.78) and Birhanu Balew (BRN: 13:00.47).

Americans Daniel Roberts and Cordell Tinch were 1-2 in the men’s hurdles in 13.11 and 13.16, with Japan’s Shunsuke Izumiya third in 13.17 (wind: -0.3), and fellow American Shelby McEwen defeated three-time World Champion Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) in the high jump, both at 2.27 m (7-5 1/4).

A shocker came in the women’s 200 m, as American star Sha’Carri Richardson stormed into the lead in the final 30 m over countrywoman Anavia Battle, but it was Australian Torrie Lewis (19) who jumped everyone at the line out of lane 9 in 22.96! Richardson was second in 22.99 (-0.4), with fellow Americans Tamara Clark (23.01) and Battle (23.02) going 3-4.

Dominican World Champion Marileidy Paulino was the clear and expected winner in the 400 m at 50.08, with American Britton Wilson third (51.26). One of the most dominant performances came in the women’s 1,500 m, with 2022 World Indoor Champion Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) taking over after 800 m and running away with a brilliant, 3:50.30, moving her to no. 3 all-time, with the no. 3 performance! She led a 1-2-3-4-5 Ethiopian finish, with 18-year-old Birke Haylom second in 3:53.22, now the no. 10 performer ever! Worknesh Mesele got a lifetime best of 3:57.61 in third.

Kenya’s world Steeple record holder Beatrice Chepkoech ran away from the field in the Steeple in 8:55.40, the no. 11 performance of all time, of which she owns four. Countrywoman Faith Cherotich was second in 9:05.49, no. 2 this season. Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) won the women’s 100 m hurdles in a speedy 12.45, no. 3 in 2024 (wind -0.2), defeating indoor world-record-setter Devynne Charlton (BAH: 12.49), with outdoor world-record-holder Tobi Amusan (NGR: 12.58) in fifth.

The home crowd enjoyed seeing Olympic champ Lijiao Gong win the women’s shot at 19.72 m (64-8 1/2), with 2023 World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. in third (19.62 m/64-4 1/2). Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman (USA) dominated the discus field, winning at 69.80 m (229-0) in the fifth round, to defeat Cuba’s world-leading Yaime Perez (68.83 m/225-10).

In Nairobi, “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek came from the USOPC Media Summit in New York to win the 100 m in a wind-aided 9.91 (+2.2), ahead of Emmanuel Matadi (LBR: 9.99w). But the best action was in the 200 m, as American Courtney Lindsey, the 2023 NCAA 100 m winner for Texas Tech, led into the final meters with 2023 Worlds 200 m bronze medalist Letsile Tebogo (BOT) coming hard … but started too late and Lindsey was in front at the line, with both timed in a world-leading 19.71 into a 1.5 m/s headwind!

Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori also emerged as a star to watch, winning the 400 m in a world-leading 44.10, now no. 30 all-time! He as clear of 2023 U.S. champ Bryce Deadmon (44.41). Kenya dominated the distance races, with 2023 Worlds silver winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi getting a world-lead in the 800 m in 1:43.57, ahead of Aaron Kemei’s lifetime best of 1:44.10 in second. Raynold Kipkorir, a 2023 Worlds 1,500 m finalist, won his race in a world-leading 3:31.96, lead a Kenyan sweep of the top four places, with Brian Komen (3:32.29) second.

In the Steeple, 2023 Worlds bronze winner Abraham Kibiwot led a Kenyan 1-2-3-4-5 finish, in a world-leading 8:20.54, ahead of Amos Serem (8:21.40).

The highlight of the women’s racing was Kenyan World Champion Mary Moraa’s 1:57.96 win in the 800 m, moving to no. 2 this season. American Janee Kassanavoid won the women’s hammer at 75.99 m (249-3) to move to no. 3 on the 2024 world list.

And there were more world-leading outdoor performances all over the place as the outdoor season got into full swing:

● Men/100 m: 9.93, Christian Miller (USA)
● Men/High Jump: 2.34 m (7-8), JuVaughn Harrison (USA)
● Men/Shot Put: 21.80 m (71-6 1/4), Josh Awotunde (USA)
● Men/Decathlon: 8,732, Ayden Owens-Delerme (PUR)

● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.42, Tonea Marshall (USA)
● Women/4×100 m: 42.03, Team International (mixed)
● Women/Hammer: 76.91 m (252-4), Brooke Andersen (USA)
● Women/Heptathlon: 6,372, Michelle Atherley (USA)

Tokyo Olympic men’s 400 m hurdles silver winner Rai Benjamin opened his season with a win at the Mt. SAC Relays in the men’s 400 m flat in 44.42.

There was also a world record in the rarely-run Distance Medley Relay (1200-400-800-1600 m), with the all-U.S. “Brooks Beasts” team of Brannon Kidder, Brandon Miller, Isaiah Harris and Henry Wynne winning at the Oregon Relays in Eugene at 9:14.58.

Kidder started off at 2:49.60, with Miller at 46.60, followed by Harris in 1:45.75 and Wynne finishing in 3:52.64. Their time broke the record of 9:15.50 by the U.S. at the 2015 World Athletics Relays.

4.
Women-only world record 2:16:16 for Jepchirchir in London

The women’s-only race at Sunday’s London Marathon was expected to be fast, and it was, with Olympic champ Peres Jepchirchir finally running away with a 2:16:16 victory, the fastest ever in a women’s-only race.

There were nine in the lead pack by the 10 km mark, with absolute world-record holder Tigist Assefa (ETH) in the lead, and seven were together at the half, with Assefa still leading at 1:07:04. Only five were left in the lead pack by 30 km and by 35 km, it was a four-women race, with Jepchirchir finally in the lead, followed closely by 2023 London runner-up Megertu Alemu (ETH), Assefa and 2021 London winner Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN).

Alemu was the first to fall back and then Jepchirchir threw in a burst of speed and pulled away for the win and the women’s-only record, winning by seven seconds over Assefa, 2:16:16 to 2:16:23, with Jepkosgei just behind in third in 2:16:24. Alemu finished fourth in 2:16:34.

It’s the no. 14 performance all-time, but well ahead of Kenyan Mary Keitany’s 2:17:01 women’s-only winner from the 2017 London race, which had been the record. It was a lifetime best for Jepchirchir by a full minute from her 2020 Valencia victory and moves her to no. 11 on the all-time women’s marathon list.

The top four are now nos. 4-5-6-7 on the 2024 year list.

The men’s race wasn’t a record-breaker, but came down to a duel between Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao, the 2023 Valencia runner-up and the legendary Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia’s 41-year-old, three-time Olympic champ on the track and the third-fastest marathoner in history.

Ten were in the lead pack at the half in 1:01:29, but only six by 30 km, with Ethiopia’s 2022 World Champion Tamirat Tola in the lead. But he faded as Bekele and Munyao surged and were 1-2 by 35 km, with Munyao continuing to press and Bekele unable to stay close.

Munyao had a six-second lead by 40 km and cruised home in 2:04:01, good for no. 5 on the world list for 2024. Bekele – at 41 – finished in 2:04:15, his third-fastest marathoner ever, in second, with Emile Cairess (GBR) – in his second marathon – coming up from eighth at the 35 km mark to get third in 2:06:46. Brian Shrader was the top American, in 10th at 2:10:50.

5.
Four U.S. Olympic wrestling medalists now Paris bound

The all-or-nothing U.S. Olympic Trials in wrestling was held at State College, Pennsylvania over the weekend, with only the winners making it either to Paris – 13 – or moving on to a final qualifying opportunity next month (5). There are four U.S. Olympic medal winners who are now headed to the Games once again, but with some stunning upsets that will leave former Olympic stars home.

In the men’s Freestyle finals, three of the four U.S. medalists in Tokyo will not return. Heavyweight Gable Steveson decided not to compete, 86 kg winner David Taylor and 57 kg bronze medalist Thomas Gilman both were beaten.

At 74 kg, however, Tokyo bronze medalist and two-time World Champion Kyle Dake will return, beating Jason Nolf, 4-1 and 3-1. At 86 kg, Aaron Brooks, the 2023 U.S. champ and World U-23 Champion, stunned Tokyo gold medalist Taylor, 4-1 and 3-1 and is on the plane to Paris. No doubt about the 97 kg class, as Rio 2016 gold medalist Kyle Snyder made the U.S. Olympic or Worlds team for the 10th straight time, wearing down Isaac Trumble, 5-0 and 4-0. Mason Parris, the 2023 Worlds bronze medalist, was the clear winner at 125 kg, taking two 7-0 victories against Hayden Zillmer.

The U.S. men’s Freestylers have not yet qualified in two categories for Paris, and have one more shot at the World Qualification Tournament in Istanbul (TUR) from 9-12 May. At 57 kg, two-time national champ and former three-time NCAA champ at Iowa, Spencer Lee, defeated Gilman by 6-3 and a pinfall. At 65 kg, 2023 World 70 kg Champion Zain Retherford swept Nick Lee, 2-1 and 5-0.

In the women’s Freestyle finals, the U.S. had already qualified in all six classes, so the Olympic Trials winners are on the plane. Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt had no trouble winning against Audrey Jimenez, taking 10-0 technical falls in both matches. The 2022 World Champion at 53 kg, Dominique Parrish, is off to her first Olympic Games, after sweeping 2012 Olympian Haley Arguello, 2-1 and 5-2.

Helen Maroulis, the memorable Rio 2016 Olympic 53 kg champion, made history as the U.S.’s first three-time women’s Olympian in wrestling, defeating 2020 Olympian Jacarra Winchester by pinfall and then 6-0, at 57 kg. Maroulis won the Tokyo bronze in this weight class.

At 62 kg, two-time Worlds silver medalist Kayla Miracle heads to her second Olympic Games after sweeping Macey Kilty, 8-5 and 4-1.

Then came the continuing saga of phenom Amit Elor, the 20-year-old who has won eight (!) Worlds golds over the last three years – Cadet in 2021, Junior in 2021-22-23, U-23 in 2022-23 and Senior in 2022-23 – and is on to Paris after 6-0 and 2-1 wins over 2021 Worlds 65 kg bronze winner Forrest Molinari. In her eight Worlds appearance, Elor is 29-0 and has outscored her opponents by 251-9. And in Paris?

Finally, a stunner at 76 kg for 20-year-old Kennedy Blades, the 2020 Trials runner-up at 68 kg, who moved up and defeated six-time World Champion Adeline Gray, 11-6 and 8-3 to make it to her first Olympic Games. Wow.

In Greco-Roman, the U.S. has qualified in three of six classes, with Payton Jacobsen coming from the seventh seed at 87 kg to win the Trials over Spencer Woods (2-1) to make the team, Joe Rau winning the 97 kg class over Alan Vera (2-1) to make the Olympic team on his third try, and 2018 Worlds runner-up Adam Coon taking the 130 kg title, coming from a match down to defeat Cohlton Schultz, two matches to one.

Three others will have to try to qualify in Turkey next month, with Dalton Roberts defeating Ildar Hafizov at 60 kg, in their 17th meeting by two matches to one, and his 10th win in the series. Ellis Coleman was a 20-year-old Olympian in 2012 and has a chance to go back at 32, winning at 67 kg over Alejandro Sancho, also by 2-1. Pan American Games winner Kamel Bey took the 77 kg title with 9-1 and 6-0 wins against Aliaksandr Kikinou.

This is a powerful U.S. team, with Snyder and Maroulis already well known, but Elor a potential break-out star.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Beach Volleyball ● At the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Tepic (MEX), world no. 2 and 2023 Worlds silver winners David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (SWE) scored their first win of the season with a 21-17, 19-21, 15-10 victory against fifth-ranked George Wanderley and Andre Loyola Stein (BRA). It’s the fourth Elite 16 tournament win for Ahman and Hellvig and they defended their 2023 title.

Cuba’s Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo won the third-place match against Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wicker (GER), 21-18, 21-17.

Two-time European champions Tanja Huberli and Nina Brunner (SUI) won the women’s final, defeating two-time European medalists Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon (NED), 21-14, 19-21, 19-17. It’s the second career win for the Swiss on the FIVB World Tour, but first in an Elite 16-level tournament.

In the third-place match, Brazil’s Carol Solgado and Barbara Seixas won by 22-20, 21-23 and 25-23 over Valentina Gottardi and Marta Menegatti (ITA).

● Cycling ● The ancient Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in cycling-mad Belgium, first contested in 1892, was a showcase for Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar, the two-time winner of the Tour de France, who escaped with 34.4 km to go on the 254.5 km circuit and won with ease in 6:13:48, some 1:39 up on the field, with French stalwart Romain Bardet second and Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel in third (+2:02).

Van der Poel was hampered as part of a crash at the 160 km mark and had to chase hard to get back into contention for the podium. But when Pogacar attacked on the Col de La Redoute, no one could respond.

For Pogacar, still just 25, it’s his second win in this race – one of the five “Monument” races in the sport – after 2021, and his sixth career Monument, also including Il Lombardia (3x) and the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 2023. Bardet won his second medal in this race, after a bronze in 2018.

The women’s race, 152.9 km from Bastogne to Liege, came down to a six-rider sprint, with Australia’s Grace Brown overtaking Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) in the final meters to cross first in 4:29:00, with defending champ Demi Vollering (NED) third and Swiss Elise Chabbey fourth, all with the same time. It’s Brown’s first win in this race after being runner-up in 2020 and 2022, and the second straight runner-up finish for Longo Borghini.

At the La Fleche Wallonne races on Wednesday, it was Britain’s Stephen Williams who got the sprint finish to win the 88th edition of the men’s race, in 4:40:24 for the 198.6 km ride from Charleroi to Huy in Belgium. Williams was just better than Kevin Vauquelin (FRA) and Maxim van Gils (BEL) and is the first British rider to win the race! Vauquelin and van Gils were also first-time medal winners.

Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma got her fifth career UCI Women’s World Cup win in the women’s race of 146.0 km in and around Huy. She won a final sprint from defending champion Vollering (+0:02) and Longo Borghini (+0:04) in 3:55:29. Niewiadoma had been second in 2021 and third in 2017, but now owns a gold.

At the second leg of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, in Araxa (BRA), former World Junior Champion Simon Andreassen (SUI) won a tight battle to the finish with Victor Koretzky (FRA) and 2018 U-23 World Champion Alan Hatherly (RSA) by a second: 1:20:00 to 1:20:01 over the nine-lap course.

Koretzky had already won the Short Course race, 19:26 to 19:29 over American Christopher Blevins, with Hatherly third (19:30).

American Haley Batten, the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist, won the women’s race in a runaway, finishing in 1:23:04 for the eight laps, 17 seconds up on Rio 2016 Olympic champ Jenny Rissveds (1:23:21) and 40 seconds up on fellow American Savilia Blunk (1:23:44). Former World Champion Kate Courtney of the U.S. was ninth (1:25:48).

Batten and Blunk also finished 1-3 in the Short Course race in 22:01 and 22:07, with Swiss Linda Indergand in second (22:05).

● Diving ● China won eight of nine events at the World Aquatics World Cup Super Final in Xian (CHN), with 2024 World Champions Zongyuan Wang (3 m Springboard) and Hao Yang (10 m Platform) winning by 49.45 and 26.05 points, respectively.

The women’s individual winners were 2024 Worlds silver medalists Yiwen Chen (3 m Springboard) and Yuxi Chen (10 m Platform) won by 74.10 and 32.50 points, with China 1-2 in the 10 m with Hongchan Chan.

The men’s Springboard Synchro winners were World Champions Wang and Daoyi Long (+53.94) and on Platform, World Champions Junjie Lian and Yang, by 32.55 points over Britain’s Worlds silver winners, Tom Daley and Noah Williams.

World women’s Platform Synchro winners Yuxi Chen and Quan were 68.76-point winners, but in the women’s 3 m Springboard Synchro, Australia’s Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith won with 284.67 points, ahead of Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of the U.S. (284.10), as the Chinese did not enter.

China won the Mixed Team event by 500.75 to 456.75 over Great Britain, with the U.S. fifth (377.60).

● Equestrian ● The FEI World Cup Finals for Dressage and Jumping were held in Riyadh (KSA), with a repeat victory for Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann (and King Edward) in Jumping.

Von Eckermann, 42, the 2022 Jumping World Champion and 2023 Grand Prix Final winner, led with 70 points after the second final and no penalties, and then had a clean third round to finish perfect (0)! France’s Julien Epaillard suffered a fault in the second round and none in the third to take silver (4), with Swede Peder Fredricson third with 6 fault points. American Kent Farrington (10) was fourth.

In the Dressage Grand Prix, Britain’s 2022 World Champion, Charlotte Fry (and Everdale), won at 75.388%, ahead of Patrik Kittel (SWE: 73.292%) and Nanna Skodborg Merrald (DEN: 72.904%). The ageless Isabell Werth (GER: 54) – a five-time winner in this event – was fourth at 72.236%.

The Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle was a win for Kittel, 47, and Touchdown, scoring 81.661%, ahead of Skodborg Merrald (81.429%) – runner-up for the second straight year – and the amazing Werth (81.404%).

● Fencing ● At the FIE women’s Foil World Cup in Tbilisi (GEO), Italy swept the top four places, led by two-time World Champion Alice Volpi, who won a match of Worlds gold medalists, 15-9, over Arianna Errigo, the 2013 and 2014 World Champion. For Volpi, it’s her ninth career World Cup win and 18th World Cup medal.

Martina Favaretto and Anna Cristino both won bronze medals.

Naturally, the Italian team was a winner as well, taking the final from France, 45-36, with the U.S. (Jacqueline Dubrovich, Zander Rhodes, Lauren Scruggs and Maia Weintraub) and Japan taking bronze medals.

● Gymnastics ● The final FIG Apparatus World Cup was in Doha (QAT), with the Armenian Davtyan brothers each scoring wins.

Artur Davtyan, the 2022 World Champion on Vault, won his third World Cup out of four in his specialty, scoring 15.166 to best 2021 World Champion Carlos Yulo (PHI: 15.066), while older brother (and three-time European Champs medalist) Vahagn Davtyan, 35, won on Rings at 14.833, over Nikita Simonov (AZE: 14.800).

Yulo got his own gold in the Parallel Bars, where he is a two-time Worlds medal winner, scoring 15.200 to 14.966 for Yuan-hsi Hung of Chinese Taipei. Hung’s teammate, Chia-hung Tang won his third World Cup on the Horizontal Bar, 15.133 to 14.700 for Lithuania’s Robert Tvorogal.

Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al-Soud won his second World Cup on the Pommel Horse, barely out-scoring Chih-kai Lee (TPE), 15.500 to 15.400, with two-time World Champion Rhys McClenaghan (IRL: 15.233) third. Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, the 2023 Worlds Floor Ex bronzer, won that event at 14.766, ahead of Luke Whitehouse (14.566).

In the women’s competition, Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, the 2023 Worlds runner-up on the Uneven Bars, won that event (15.366) and got a second gold on Floor, scoring 13.700 to beat Ruby Evans (GBR: 13.300).

Karta Navas of Panama took the Vault at 13.850, and Ukraine’s Anna Lashchevska won on Beam at 13.533, with Nemour second (13.400).

The third FIG Rhythmic World Cup was in Baku (AZE), with a big meet for five-event 2023 World Champion Darja Varfolomeev, 17, of Germany. She won the All-Around at 71.200, ahead of Elvira Krasnobaeva (BUL: 69.750) and Italian star Sofia Raffaeli (68.300).

Varfolomeev then took wins in Hoop (35.550), Ball (34.200) and Ribbon (33.400). Raffaelli, who won five golds at the 2022 Worlds, won on Clubs (34.500) – with Varfolomeev third – and was second on Hoop and fourth on Ball.

● Modern Pentathlon ● At the UIPM World Cup in Ankara (TUR), Korea’s Chang-wan Seo finally got his first World Cup gold after three finishes in the top four in 2023. He scored 1,497 points to edge Egyptians Mohamed Moutaz (1,490) and Ahmed Elgendy (1,483). Seo was second in the fencing, 10th in riding and sixth in the swimming to start the Laser Run with a 23-second lead on Moutaz and although eighth overall, broke the tape with eight seconds to spare.

Britain’s Kerenza Bryson got her second career World Cup win in the women’s division, at 1,427 points to 1,401 for Seung-min Seong (KOR) and Malak Ismail (EGY: 1,396). Bryson won the fencing and was second in riding and after a 16th in swimming, entered the Laser Run with a 16-second margin. Seong was sitting seventh – 25 seconds back – at the start but moved up nicely, finishing seventh in the Laser Run to move up to second overall. Bryson, after some early shooting issues, won by 26 seconds!

In the Mixed Relay, Pavel Ilyashenko and Elena Potapenko (KAZ) won with 1,327 points over Moutaz and Amir Kandil of Egypt (1,318).

● Shooting ● Norway was the only country to win more than once at the ISSF Olympic Qualification tournament for Rifle and Pistol in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), taking the women’s 50 m Rifle gold, and the Mixed 10 m Air Rifle team event, over France, 16-14. The winners:

● Men/10 m Air Pistol: Federico Maldini (236.8)
● Men/25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol: Martin Podhrasky (CZE: 28)
● Men/10 m Air Rifle: Lazar Kovacevic (SRB: 249.0)
● Men/50 m Rifle/3 Positions: Aleksi Leppa (FIN: 461.9)

● Women/10 m Air Pistol: Elmira Karapetyan (ARM: 240.7)
● Women/25 m Sport Pistol: Josefin Eder (GER: 35)
● Women/10 m Air Rifle: Oceanne Muller (FRA: 250.4)
● Women/50 m Rifle/3 Positions: Jeannette Duestad (NOR: 462.9)

The U.S. earned a second qualifier in the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol from the already-qualified Keith Sanderson, who finished fifth. The already-qualified Ivan Roe finished fourth in the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions.

Turkey won the Mixed 10 m Air Pistol final over Ukraine, 17-13.

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

TSX REPORT: Crouser happy with $50,000 Olympic bonuses; Hill explains USA Basketball picks for Paris; U.S. to pay Nassar survivors $100M?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic and World shot champ Ryan Crouser at the USOPC Media Summit (Photo: USOPC video screen shot)

★ 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. Crouser wants more recognition for track and field
2. More criticism of World Athletics’ Olympic pay plan
3. Hill and Reeve stress player versatility for U.S. hoops teams
4. Fascinating data: Olympics ranks third in U.S. fan interest
5. FBI’s Nassar-case failures could lead to $100 million payout

● At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Media Summit in New York, shot world-record holder Ryan Crouser said he can’t understand why there is criticism of the World Athletics plan to award prize money to the Paris 2024 winners. He also talked about how to create greater interest in the sport.

● Three international federations, in cycling, rowing and tennis, are not following the World Athletics example regarding Olympic prize money, and the head of the British Olympic Association and the entire Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa all panned the concept.

● Also at the USOPC Media Summit, how the U.S. men’s basketball team roster was put together was discussed by USA Basketball men’s national team Managing Director Grant Hill, and the women’s approach by Paris 2024 head coach Cheryl Reeve.

● Included with a Variety story about NBC’s plans for Olympic coverage was a chart which showed the relative standing of the Olympic Games among fans vis-a-vis other sports. In most, it’s football and the Olympic Games that dominate. Not in the U.S.

● Reports are circulating that the U.S. government could agree to award 100 abuse survivors of former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar a combined total of $100 million. But the deal is not done yet.

1.
Crouser wants more recognition for track and field

“I think that the key thing that we lack in track & field is conveying the level of sport that we have.”

That’s shot put superstar Ryan Crouser, speaking Wednesday at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Media Summit in New York, asked about how to raise the profile of his sport. He had plenty to say:

“It is the pinnacle of human performance. Like it or not, we’ve run faster, jumped higher and thrown farther than any other sport. And we do a poor job of conveying that to the public.

“When you have the eight fastest people on a track next to each other; eighth place – ‘oh, he’s slow’ – but he’s actually the eighth-fastest man in the world. And so if you can take a way to convey that, I mean, who was it – Bill Murray – famously said, ‘put an average person in every event.’ I think you don’t necessarily have to go that far, but taking the event out of the stadium … if you watch the shot put from 100 meters away, you’ve got eight guys, they’re all over 300 pounds, they all mostly can bench 500, squat 600 pounds, so the level of strength and athleticism is lost over that 100 m distance. But we do street shots, you put them in a public square – wherever it might be – and let people stand right there, pick up a shot and have them try and throw it; 20 feet is really good for the average person.

“And then when they see that 20 feet is good, they realize how far 75 feet is. So, I think the same thing in the long jump, pole vault, all of those things bringing it to the people, getting them to stand right there they can try it if they want, is what really makes the sport shine.

“And then also for the throwing events, I think we are so set on six attempts and farthest throw wins, we miss that feedback. I can tell the average person on the street, I throw the shot put 20 feet and they would say that’s really good. But in pole vault, especially, high jump, you see a bar clearance, you that was a successful attempt. I think we could implement that into the shot and have an increasing line that you throw over, get two or three attempts at each line – 60 feet, 65 feet, 70 feet – something along that , so that the average spectator can understand right away, ‘oh, that’s over the line, it’s good,’ or ‘it’s under the line, they came up short.’

“So I think there’s really a few small changes that we could do within our sport that could really elevate the level, just to the broader public, in terms of understanding and engagement.”

Crouser was also asked for his view on the World Athletics’ announcement that it will pay $50,000 to each Paris 2024 gold medalist – and he is the favorite – the first International Federation to do so:

“I’ve gotten this question a lot, and it’s a bit surprising to me, I’ve read that [there’s] been any opposition to it at all.

“I think there’s a big misconception amongst Olympic athletes – in regards to the public – I think they think you make the Olympics, and if you win a medal, that you’re a millionaire. I know that it doesn’t really work that way.

“You win the Olympics and you get a lot of recognition, but in terms of financial gain, the day you win the Olympics, you have zero dollars added to your bank account, in that aspect. So, any way we can help out athletes, I think, is great. I will never be against athletes being paid more money.

“The state of track & field is in a difficult time right now. I know athletes that have won medals at World Championships are still working multiple part-time jobs to make rent, and so I will always support athletes getting paid in that instance.

“Yeah, I think the biggest issue with that is the public not realizing that a lot of these athletes are winning Olympic medals and financially struggling.”

In terms of his forthcoming schedule, he’s planning to return to the spot where he set the current world mark of 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) last year:

“I’m planning on opening my outdoor season at UCLA [at the L.A. Grand Prix on 18 May]. World record would be nice, but I’m planning on going and then a pretty quick turnaround, L.A. to Eugene for the Prefontaine Diamond League and then a little bit of break before Trials.

“It is a slightly limited outdoor season for me, before the Olympics. That’s the main goal and at this point in my career, I have to limit myself. I can’t compete the same number of times when I was 21, so I’m a little limited; I like to say that on the day, I can still have as much as ever, but I can’t tap that well quite as often as I could when I was younger. So, I have to train smarter now [at 31].”

2.
More criticism of World Athletics’ Olympic pay plan

The critics of the World Athletics plan to pay each of its Paris gold medalists $50,000 continue to surface. The head of some of the other International Federations – who are not giving prizes – are making their disagreement known:

● Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) President David Lappartient (FRA), said that World Athletics made the announcement without any discussions with other International Federations:

“If we concentrate money on top athletes, a lot of opportunities will disappear for athletes all over the world. We really believe that this is not the Olympic spirit. The proposal was not discussed. …

“The Olympic spirit is to share revenues and have more athletes compete worldwide. Not only put all the money on the top athletes but spread the money.”

● World Rowing chief Jean-Christophe Rolland (FRA) added: “Obviously, we need the athletes. But we also need to ensure that we will have athletes tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

● Agence France Presse reported, “[t]he International Tennis Federation said it had no plans to follow suit and pay prize money and any change in the future ‘would be made in consultation with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and the International Olympic Committee’.”

And the World Athletics plan from President Sebastian Coe (GBR) was criticized by the head of the National Olympic Committee of his home country, Andy Anson, the chief executive of the British Olympic Committee (BOA). In an interview with Sky Sports, he explained:

“I think what was wrong with last week’s announcement was is that a sport does something on its own, without including others, the IOC or the National Olympic Committees. This creates a real problem, because now other sports will be observed, and we can expect pressure from athletes who will say: how can this sport do it and not us?

“This is a debate we can have, but we must have it at the right time, in the right place and together. With this announcement, there is today the risk of a two-speed sport, even if the number of athletes concerned [winners of the 48 athletics events] is ultimately quite small. Nobody wants this to happen.”

The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) issued a statement from its President, Algeria’s Mustapha Berraf:

“This goes against the principles of solidarity advocated by the Olympic Movement and related substantial programmes, he said.

“Solidarity must be the order of the day within countries and sports organisations in order to bridge the gulf between athletes from the most affluent countries and those from the developing world, and not the other way round.

“The proposal by World Athletics goes against the fundamental principles of the Olympic Movement and is aimed simply at bolstering the bank accounts of athletes who are not in need, rather than helping the most needy.

“Suffice it to note that athletics is an incomparable social asset and has enabled entire populations on the African continent to distinguish themselves and participate in the socio-economic development of their countries and nations.

“It is for this very reason that ANOCA believes it would be more useful to make the most of this income to meet the needs of young African talents, who only aspire to have the necessary infrastructural and material resources for their development.”

3.
Hill and Reeve stress player versatility for U.S. hoops teams

A leaked story that appeared on Tuesday named 11 of the 12 members of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers was reported on Wednesday as the 12th and final member of the team.

Later that day at the Media Summit, USA Basketball’s Grant Hill, a member of the 1996 Olympic gold-medal team and now the Men’s National Team Managing Director, explained how the 2024 Paris team was assembled:

“First of all, I want to clarify – I know things were reported [this week] and things of that nature – but the roster was finalized three weeks ago and [Leonard] was included in that. As things got out, they didn’t know who that last person was. …

“We’re excited, we’re honored to have him on board. He wasn’t the last guy at all; he was one of the top guys in terms of priority. So we’re grateful to have him and we’re grateful to have everyone. I mean, everyone is on this team for a reason, because they provide something that’s needed on the FIBA stage, or provide multiple things that are needed.

“We like the versatility of our team. You’re going to get a lot of different styles, playing styles that you’re going to go against. We feel like we’ve checked the boxes for everything we’ll see as we go on this journey, so we’re feeling good.”

He underlined that the U.S. men are hardly a shoo-in to win in Paris:

“We know we have a collection of incredible talent for this summer and a lot of guys are experienced . We have seven guys who have won Olympic gold medals for USA Basketball, and they know. They know very well just how difficult this is.

“We can’t just show up. We have to come, we have to play, we have to compete. We have to have a great deal of respect for our opponents and for the FIBA game. And because of the experience, I think 10 guys have participated in FIBA basketball, I think we’ll have that appropriate fear, that respect and we’ll come out and compete.”

Asked for more depth on how the team was assembled, Hill explained:

“It’s not always the best player per se, but maybe the best fit, and whose game really translates and resonates on the FIBA stage, and there’s a difference, a difference between the two games, the FIBA game and the NBA game.

“A lot of thought went into that … to be able to defend, to be able to maintain our identity offensively, the size and strength of some of the teams we will face. There’s certain things that you’re looking for. …

“It’s not just in terms of talent, too, but personalities. You’re blending personalities together. It’s like a puzzle, you know, and you’re trying to put the puzzle together. It’s an interesting, and certainly – at times – exhausting exercise but a very fulfilling one nonetheless.”

Women’s U.S. Olympic coach Cheryl Reeve, head coach of four WNBA championship teams with the Minnesota Lynx, is working on her roster selections now, which are not yet finalized:

“We’re working long and hard on roster formulation and making sure that, like Grant mentioned, we’re checking boxes and I think the identity of this team, you can look at the WNBA and say ‘what are the strengths of the league,’ making sure that we’re understanding how to position the players; [Breanna Stewart] Stewie’s multi-positional when she plays, gives us a lot of flexibility, along with some of the other players.”

Reeve was not asked directly about star guard Caitlin Clark, but about building on the culture of women’s basketball, so much in the headlines now:

“Now we’re in a movement, and I think it’s a direct correlation to the WNBA being existence for 28 years and so what you have is … all the kids know now is having the WNBA. So that has increased the overall talent, the natural evolution of the athlete – bigger, faster, stronger – we’ve seen all that and by the way, it’s exactly the same path for men’s basketball with the NBA. It’s not a surprise to us that this would be the trajectory of the WNBA.”

She also noted that “Media has played a role in that. Media’s played a big role in finding games and the time: you know it’s going to be on, what network it’s going to be on.”

Stewart, a two-time Olympic gold winner already, said that despite her success, her game keeps changing to keep up with the times:

“You’re going from positions to position-less, and having people being able to do multiple things. Your biggest player on the floor is shooting threes… As a player, I feel like how can I continue to get better, and that’s how can I continue to evolve, and that means, what else can I do?”

4.
Fascinating data: Olympics ranks third in U.S. fan interest

A very interesting table was inserted into a long story in Variety about how NBC is going to try and engage its Olympic audiences with a steady stream of celebrities during its Paris 2024 telecasts: the “fan popularity” of the Olympic Games vis-a-vis other sports in multiple countries. Check out these numbers:

● United States:
1. 85%: NFL
2. 72%: Major League Baseball
3. 66%: Olympic Games
4. 63%: Olympic Winter Games
5. 50%: NBA and NHL

● Mexico:
1. 86%: Liga MX football
2. 86%: FIFA World Cup
3. 80%: UEFA Champions League
4. 78%: Olympic Games
5. 74%: UEFA Europa League

● Great Britain:
1. 88%: FIFA World Cup
2. 87%: English Premier League
3. 74%: UEFA Champions League
4. 71%: Olympic Games
5. 62%: UEFA Europa League

● France:
1. 84%: FIFA World Cup
1. 84%: Olympic Games
3. 77%: UEFA Champions League
4. 75%: Ligue 1
5. 74%: Rugby World Cup

● China:
1. 88%: Olympic Games
2. 82%: FIFA World Cup
3. 80%: NBA
4. 78%: Olympic Winter Games
5. 77%: English Premier League

Outside of the U.S., it’s football and the Olympics, with a few others thrown in here and there. Also included were charts for Spain, Germany and Italy. The numbers were derived from polling in a Cawi Consumer Survey, with 2,500 total respondents.

As for the NBC shows from Paris, the story summarized the NBC approach this way:

“Making events available live, as they hap-pen in France, means that NBC will need to have different Olympics programming during prime- time — a curated show that will combine event highlights with entertainment and stars commenting on the Games in the hopes of luring sports fans and channel surfers. In short, NBC’s primetime Olympics coverage may at times feel more like a variety show filmed in Paris.”

Look for Jimmy Fallon, Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, podcast star Alex Cooper and Snoop Dogg – among others – to feature different aspects of the Games, along with the actual competitions.

5.
FBI’s Nassar-case failures could lead to $100 million payout

It was widely reported Thursday that the U.S. government is nearing a deal with about 100 plaintiffs who were sexually abused by infamous former sports doctor Larry Nassar, with the total payout at about $100 million.

The potential payouts concern the botched work of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices in Indianapolis and Los Angeles, both of whom separately knew of Nassar’s activities, but failed to follow up properly.

In a 2021 appearance before the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, U.S. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in his statement:

“Larry Nassar’s abuses very well could and should have been stopped sooner, if appropriate action had been taken by the FBI in response to the courageous actions of these athletes. Not only did that not occur, but after the FBI agents’ inadequate and incompetent response came to light, FBI records were created that falsely summarized the testimony of an athlete who had spent hours detailing the abuses she endured, and inaccurately described the FBI’s handling of the matter. Further, when called to account for their actions, two of the agents lied to our OIG investigators.”

Horowitz noted that the Indianapolis Field Office learned of the Nassar issue in July 2015 and the Los Angeles Field Office was informed in May 2016. But:

● “The OIG found that, despite the extraordinarily serious nature of the allegations and the possibility that Nassar’s conduct could be continuing, senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies. The Indianapolis Field Office did not undertake any investigative activity until September 2—5 weeks after the meeting with USA Gymnastics—when they telephonically interviewed one of the three athletes. Further, FBI Indianapolis never interviewed the other two gymnasts who they were told were available to meet with FBI investigators.”

● “The OIG also found that, while the FBI Los Angeles Field Office appreciated the utmost seriousness of the Nassar allegations and took numerous investigative steps upon learning of them in May 2016, the office also did not expeditiously notify local law enforcement or the FBI Lansing Resident Agency of the information that it had learned or take other action to mitigate the ongoing danger that Nassar posed. Indeed, precisely because of its investigative activity, the Los Angeles Field Office was aware from interviewing multiple witnesses that Nassar’s abuse was potentially widespread and that there were specific allegations of sexual assault against him for his actions while at the Karolyi Training Camp (also known as the Karolyi Ranch) in Huntsville, Texas. Yet, the Los Angeles Field Office did not contact the Sheriff’s Office in Walker County, Texas, to provide it with the information that it had developed until after the MSUPD had taken action against Nassar in September 2016. Nor did it have any contact with the FBI Lansing Resident Agency until after the Lansing Resident Agency first learned about the Nassar allegations from the MSUPD and public news reporting. Given the continuing threat posed by Nassar, the uncertainty over whether the Los Angeles Field Office had venue over the allegations, and the doubt that there was even federal jurisdiction to charge the sexual tourism crime that the Los Angeles Field Office was seeking to pursue, we found that prudence and sound judgment dictated that the Los Angeles Field Office should have notified local authorities upon developing the serious evidence of sexual assault against Nassar that its investigative actions were uncovering.”

An agreement between the government and the complaintants has not been finalized, but if completed, would be separate and apart from the $339.5 million pool of insurance funds for the survivors approved in 2021, in actions principally against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

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TSX REPORT: T&F stars love World Athletics’ $50,000 pay for Paris gold; Olympic Torch Relay on in Greece; last major ticket drop for Paris 2024

By
Rich Perelman
-
Lighting of the Olympic Flame at Olympia (Photo: IOC/Greg Martin)

★ 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. T&F stars fully in support of $50,000 first prize for Paris
2. Olympic Flame lit at Olympia and torch relay starts
3. U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team roster leaked
4. Last major Paris 2024 ticket sale: 250,000 available Wednesday
5. Was something rotten at the Beijing Half Marathon?

● At the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Media Summit in New York, track & field athletes in two different panels were unanimous in their support of the new, $50,000 prize money to be paid to the winners in Paris this summer. So was Sanya Richards-Ross, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and long-time NBC track & field analyst.

● The Olympic Flame was lit by the sun during a Monday rehearsal and fired the Olympic Torch on an overcast Tuesday at Olympia, with the relay to continue for 11 days in Greece, then moving to France for a massive relay that will end at the Olympic opening in Paris on 26 July.

● A report listing eleven of the 12 members of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team was leaked on Tuesday, to be led by NBA – and Olympic – stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James, but also this time with Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and more. It’s a powerful team, but no shoo-in for another Olympic gold.

● The last big ticket sale for Paris 2024 opened on Wednesday, with 250,000 new tickets now available for the Games, including new tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, basketball and so on. Paris 2024 has already sold more than 8.8 million of its projected 10 million tickets available for the Olympic Games.

● Inquiries are being made about the recent Beijing Half Marathon, where star Chinese marathoner Jie He was waved on to the win by one of the three African runners ahead of him less than 600 m from the finish. World Athletics is aware and is interested to know if there was some collusion on the results.

● Panorama: Los Angeles 2028 (sponsor Salesforce leaves, but Guild signs on) = Artistic Swimming (Hu and Martinez win U.S. Nationals Solo titles) = Badminton (U.S. wins four of five titles at Pan Am Champs) = Ice Hockey (Edwards named Women’s World MVP) ●

● Schedule: TSX will not appear on Thursday due to a scheduling conflict, and Friday’s post will be late. Apologies in advance. ●

1.
T&F stars fully in support of $50,000 first prize for Paris

At the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Media Summit in New York, U.S. track & field stars were unanimously in favor of the newly-announced and first-ever $50,000 first-place prizes for the Paris Olympic Games to be paid by World Athletics.

Gabby Thomas, the Tokyo Olympic women’s 200 m bronze medalist, was the first to ring the bell:

“I do love it … I do love that track & field is pioneering this. So for this Olympic Games, the winner will be getting prize money – $50,000 – and then in the L.A. Olympics, all the medalists will be receiving a prize for their accomplishment.

“And I think this is amazing. We’ve been talking about paying athletes for their hard work, for being in the Olympic Games, for so long now, and the times are changing a little bit, and I like to see that athletes are really, really being appreciated for the hard work that they put into it.

“But it also just kind of levels the playing field a little bit, too. I mean Oksana [Masters, a Paralympic star] was just talking about how much the support is so helpful, and means so much to so many people.

“We don’t know every athlete’s story, we don’t know what it takes to get there, we don’t how many resources they need or what they don’t have access to, or need access to, to achieve their dreams. So anytime you can have any type of support for athletes – we’re not receiving a lot – this is really just done off of hopes and dreams and effort and a lot of people don’t have the same opportunities.

“So to see track & field make a difference in that way is remarkable and I can’t wait to see the other sports follow suit.”

A following all-track panel was also unanimous with praise.

“Cha-ching. It’s more money in my bank account,” said 2024 World Indoor long jump champ Tara Davis-Woodhall, a serious contender to win one of those prizes.

“That’s good. It’s evolving. We were talking about this earlier; World Athletics, it’s not their area, so to give money up like that, in an area they’re not even sponsoring and they’re just giving money to their athletes, that’s pretty cool.”

Everyone was on the same page:

● Fiona O’Keefe, the surprise winner of the women’s Olympic Marathon Trials race:

“I think it’s great that they’re doing it across all event groups, too, because I’m lucky that there’s a little bit more opportunity in distance running, but – for example – I have a friend who’s a hammer thrower. He’s one of the best in the world at his event and he has to work another job. And he shouldn’t have to, because he’s every bit as elite as I am, so I think it’s great that there’s some effort to equalize things.”

● Kenny Bednarek, the Tokyo Olympic men’s 200 m silver winner:

“I’m happy to see it, it’s a step forward for sport, and honestly, it’s about time, because you have athletes who work their butt off – blood, sweat and tears – every single day, every single year and some compensation is needed for them.

“There’s some cases where you might have somebody who’s at that level, but they’re not sponsored, so that would help them in the long run, for the next couple of months or the next couple of years. So I’m just happy to see improvement on that point.”

● Keira D’Amato, the former U.S. women’s marathon record holder, who will try to make the Paris team in the 10,000 m:

“And I think it ensures that the athletes who are the top in the world have the funds to continue this and continue their passion and be able to compete at this levcl for longer time. I think that it’s awesome that they are doing it, and they contnue to move forward in that way.”

NBC track & field analyst Sanya Richards-Ross, the four–time Olympic gold winner in the women’s 400 m and relays, was the host of the panel and agreed emphatically:

“It’s nice to see World Athletics lead the way on something that I think is long overdue. I do believe that Olympic athletes deserve to be paid, deserve to have prize monies. Most of the athletes that compete in the Olympics nowadays are not amateur; the majority of athletes you see compete are professional.

“And just like any other profession, they should be rewarded for their efforts, so I’m really, really, really proud that World Athletics is doing something this huge and I hope that other sports will follow suit, including Paralympic organizations because every one of these athletes is the absolute best, the most elite. It takes so much to get to this level and it’s really almost impossible to think that athletes are doing this while having other jobs or having to do other things. So, I’m really, really proud of World Athletics and hope that they will do more in the future, and I hope other organizations will do the same.”

“We’re still rocking with it: Kung Fu Kenny.”

Bednarek also described how he acquired his nickname, not simply about the colorful headbands he wears during competitions:

“In 2021, I was pretty new to the scene, I came out pro in 2019, and the whole Covid thing happened, so actually being able to go overseas, then just compete on the regular [circuit], I wanted to stand out as an athlete because every time you watch a race you have Nike, adidas, whoever, all of us look the same with the same uniform.

“I said for women, it’s a little bit easier to differentiate them, because they can change the hair color, the nails and all that stuff. Guys can do it too, but it’s not the same, so I was like, ‘what can I do that would make me ‘me,’ like that wouldn’t make me go out of my comfort zone, so ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ – I like Kendrick Lamar, so he says ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ in some of his songs, and I also like anime.

“So I chose ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ because it has a set of values which pertain to me, which is humbleness, dedication, discipline and respect, so I just wanted to live those on and off the track daily and then, also, you know, we have the headband, so I do the little bow every single time before the race.

“That’s how ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ became a thing.”

2.
Olympic Flame lit at Olympia and torch relay starts

It was cloudy at the Temple of Hera at ancient Olympia, so the Olympic Flame for Paris 2024 was lit by a standby flame, kindled by the sun on Monday. But with the ceremony, the formal movement of the torch towards Paris has begun.

A new High Priestess – Greek actress Mary Mina – led the ceremonial elements, followed by remarks, including from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER), which included:

“This power of sport will make the Olympic Games Paris 2024 a great symbol of human excellence and unity of all humankind in all our diversity. These expectations are shared by billions of people around the world.

“In these difficult times we are living through, with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news they are facing day in and day out. In their hearts – in all our hearts – we are longing for something which brings us together. We are longing for something that is unifying. We are longing for something that gives us hope.”

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo attended the ceremony.

The first torchbearer was Greek Stefanos Ntouslos, the 20024 Olympic rowing gold medalist in Single Sculls. He passed to the first French torchbearer, swimmer Laure Manaudou, the Athens 2004 winner in the women’s 400 m Freestyle.

From this point, the Olympic Torch will move through Greece on a 5,000 km route that will reach 43 cities and towns and then be transferred to the Paris organizers at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

It will sail on the French tall ship Belem, which will carry the torch to Marseille, where it will be welcomed on 8 May by a crowd projected at 150,000.

The Paris 2024 relay will comprise 69 days, about 10,000 torchbearers and 400 cities and towns, including to six overseas territories: Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, French Polynesia, Réunion and New Caledonia, before finally arriving for the Olympic opening on 26 July in Paris.

Observed: The importance of the Olympic Torch has especially been felt in the host country, not only as a reminder that the Games are coming, but has often been a turning point in local support for the event. Whether truly inspiring or simply sentimental, the Torch makes an impact and heightens the awareness that the event really is coming, and soon.

3.
U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team roster leaked

A powerful and experienced U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team will arrive in Paris as overwhelming favorites, led by three-time gold medalist Kevin Durant and two-time winner LeBron James.

They are among 11 players leaked on Tuesday, of the 12 who will be selected by USA Basketball, with 1996 Olympic gold medalist Grant Hill leading the selection process. The 11 players said to be selected:

● C Bam Adebayo ~ 2020 gold
● G Devin Booker ~ 2020 gold
● SG Stephen Curry ~ first Olympic Games
● C Anthony Davis ~ 2012 gold
● PF Kevin Durant ~ 2012-2016-2020 gold
● SG Anthony Edwards ~ first Olympic Games
● C Joel Embiid ~ first Olympic Games
● PG Tyrese Haliburton ~ first Olympic Games
● G Jrue Holiday ~ 2020 gold
● PF LeBron James ~ 2008-2012 gold, 2004 bronze
● SF Jayson Tatum ~ 2020 gold

The U.S. will have a training camp in June and exhibition games against Canada on 10 July (in Las Vegas), and in London against South Sudan on 20 July and 2023 FIBA World Cup champs Germany on 22 July. The U.S. will open Olympic play on 28 July in Lille against Serbia and then play South Sudan on the 31st.

The American men are 143-6 all-time in Olympic play and have won four golds in a row, following a bronze in 2004. And although Durant willed the U.S. to another gold in Tokyo, it came after a pool-play loss to France, and the final was a tight, 87-72 rematch win against the French.

4.
Last major Paris 2024 ticket sale: 250,000 available Wednesday

“More than 250,000 tickets for the Olympic Games will go on sale on this occasion, for all the sports on the Programme and all the sessions! This will be the last ticket sale before the Games for all the Olympic sports (31 sports out of the 32 on the Paris 2024 programme, as surfing is not ticketed) …

“More than half of the 250,000 new tickets will be offered for sale at €100 or less, which includes almost 20,000 tickets priced at €24, while sports previously advertised as sold out will one again be available.”

These are tickets which had been held for possible construction issues, possible television camera positions and other contingencies, but can now be sold as the planning is completed. Among the new releases:

● 35,000 for beach volleyball from €24 to €420 (€1 = $1.06 U.S.);
● 15,000 for swimming from €24 to €980;
● 12,000 for tennis from €24 to €420;
● 12,000 for table tennis €24 to €280.
● 9,000 for the equestrian in the gardens of the Château de Versailles, from €24 to €420.

Also new tickets for the Ceremonies will be sold, with Opening Ceremony at €90 and Closing Ceremony at €250. Tickets for athletics at the Stade de France are also available, from €24 to €980.

Paris 2024 has said more than 8.8 million out of 10 million Olympic tickets have already been sold, with 63% of buyers from France. The Associated Press reported the “top 10-selling sports in order: soccer, track and field, basketball, rugby sevens, volleyball, handball, beach volleyball, field hockey, tennis and water polo.”

5.
Was something rotten at the Beijing Half Marathon?

Inquiries are being made about last Sunday’s Beijing Half Marathon, won by 2023 Asian Games Marathon winner Jie He of China, who crossed first in 1:03:44 after being waved on by three African runners who were in position to win.

A statement by the race organizers to the Chinese digital site, The Paper, included: “The situation is still being confirmed and verified by multiple parties. Further information will be communicated as soon as possible.”

He is no slouch, having set a national record of 2:05:49 for the marathon on 24 March, finishing fourth at the Wuxi Marathon. He is sponsored by the Chinese sports apparel company Xstep, which is also a sponsor of the Beijing Half. The Paper reported (computer translation from the original Chinese):

“[T]he broadcast footage showed that in the last few hundred meters, He Jie was originally lagging behind. Some of the three foreign athletes looked back and waved their hands. Later, He Jie completed the overtake and finally won the championship with a one-second advantage.”

In fact, the video shows Kenyan Willy Mnangat gesturing to the other two runners at the front of the race to slow down in the final straightaway and let He go by and win the race. Mnangat told the BBC, “I was not there to compete. My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record.”

Kenyan Robert Keter and Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila were the other two runners at the front, with He trying for the national Half mark of 1:02:33, but well behind.

A statement from World Athletics to BBC Sport said: “We are aware of the footage circulating online from the Beijing half marathon this weekend and understand an investigation is currently being conducted by the relevant local authorities.

“The integrity of our sport is the highest priority at World Athletics, while this investigation is ongoing we are unable to provide further comment.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers have “decided to amicably parted ways” with Salesforce, one of its three top-tier sponsors, announced in a Los Angeles Times story on Tuesday. It retains deals with Comcast and Delta Airlines at its high sponsorship level – “Founding Partners” – those agreements were announced in 2020 and 2021.

LA28 and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced a new deal with Guild, which provides “curated education and learning programs designed for the success of working adults.” According to the statement:

“Guild will serve as an Official Education, Skilling & Career Mobility Provider of Team USA and LA28, providing a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Team USA athletes to receive education and career development opportunities with personalized one-on-one coaching to support athletes in building competitive careers alongside their athletic achievements.”

● Artistic Swimming ● At the USA Artistic Swimming national championships in Houston, Texas, Angel Hu won the women’s Solo Technical final and Ana Martinez took the Solo Free, while Olivia Perez and Haley Chu won the Duet Technical final and Sophie Schroeder and Mona Schweikert won the women’s Duet Free Final. Chris Leahy won the men’s Solo Final.

● Badminton ● The U.S. claimed four titles in five divisions at the XXVII Pan American Championships, held in Guatemala City (GUA), that finished last Saturday.

Top-seeded Beiwin Zhang won the women’s Singles over Canada’s Michelle Li by 21-18, 18-21, 21-17, for her second career Pan Am title, also in 2021.

Allison Lee won two golds, first in the women’s Doubles with Presley Smith in the all-American Mixed Doubles final over Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gal: 15-21, 21-15, 21-14. Lee than won the women’s Doubles with Francesca Corbett, against Annie Xu and Karen Xu of the U.S., 21-1, 21-15.

In the men’s Doubles, Zhi Yi Chen and Smith won in straight sets against Canada’s Dong Adam and Nuyl Yakura, 21-14, 21-11.

Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon took the men’s Singles with a 21-16, 21-15 triumph against El Salvador’s Uriel Francisco Canjura.

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. lost to Canada in the final of the IIHF Women’s World Championship held in Utica, New York, but did pick up an honor for scoring star Laila Edwards, named Most Valuable Player in the tournament.

Edwards had six goals, tied for the lead with teammate Alex Carpenter, and Carpenter and teammates Hilary Knight and Caroline Harvey tied for the points lead with 10.

The Tournament Directorate Awards included Carpenter as Best Forward, Canada’s Renata Fast as Best Defender and Germany’s Sandra Abstreiter as the best goalie.

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

TSX REPORT: USOPC chief sees Paris “re-introducing” the Games to the U.S.; Paris opening could still move, world discus record for Alekna

By
Rich Perelman
-
USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland and sports and athlete chief Rocky Harris at Monday’s opening of the USOPC Media Summit.

★ 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. Hirshland: time to “re-introduce the country” to the Games
2. Macron: Paris opening could move if security worries warrant
3. Alekna shatters discus world record with greatest-ever series
4. Lemma runs away, Obiri repeats at Boston Marathon
5. Russia and Olympic doping: the worst ever

● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Media Summit kicked off in New York on Monday, with chief executive Sarah Hirshland confident in the preparations, but also excited about “re-introducing” the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the country, free from the shadow of the pandemic in Tokyo and Beijing. And Sports and Athlete Services head Rocky Harris talked about a competitive advantage the U.S. can provide for its athletes.

● French President Emmanuel Macron said the Paris 2024 opening could be re-arranged or even moved if security concerns merited such a severe change. But it could happen.

● Astonishing world record by 21-ywear-old Mykolas Alekna in Ramona, Oklahoma on Sunday, using ultra-favorable wind conditions to author the greatest series in history, including a sensational 74.35 m (243-11) in round five. In a single series, he made the nos. 1-5-8 throws in history!

● Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma ran away with the men’s Boston Marathon title, winning in 2:06:17, th 10th-fastest Boston race ever. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri defended her 2023 win, but had to break away from fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi in the final 800 m, to win, 2:22:37, to 2:22:45.

● A check of the all-time doing disqualifications in Olympic history by stats star Dr. Bill Mallon shows Russia way out in front, with more than 22% of all cases. Wow.

● Panorama: Winter Games 2030 (Speed skating could be in The Netherlands or Italy) = World Games (Karlsruhe set to be named for 2029) = Russia (Vyalbe doesn’t see Russian skiers back until 2028) = Athletics (2: Sahlman’s PR 3:33.96 now no. 3 in 2024; more Kenyan and ex-Kenya doping) = Curling (Gushue and Tirinzoni win at Players’ Champs) = Cycling (2: Archibald and Lavreysen finish with three wins each at Nations Cup; Blevins and Rissveds win in Mountain Bike World Cup opener) = Gymnastics (three wins for Bulgaria in home Rhythmic World Cup) = Rowing (British and Dutch dominate World Cup opener in Varese) = Sport Climbing (U.S.’s Watson sets two world records at Speed World Cup in China) ●

1.
Hirshland: time to “re-introduce the country” to the Games

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is its 21st pre-Games Media Summit – started in 1984 – in New York this week, kicked off with a leadership panel of USOPC staff members led by chief executive Sarah Hirshland, who talked about the unique opportunity that this post-pandemic event offers:

“You can feel the energy and the excitement building, certainly inside the walls inside of our organization, but also around the country. …

“I think I’m most excited we get to – in some ways – re-introduce the country to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It’s been a minute, so it’s time. And we’re excited to bring the whole country along with us on this journey. …

“It brings us together like almost nothing else can.”

Rocky Harris, the Chief of Sports and Athlete Services, noted that this is the time when the team is actually being selected:

“This is really the season when everything happens. We’ve only had 89 Olympians qualify by name and 44 Paralympians, so it’s only about 15% of the overall team has been named. …

“We always want to win the medal count, but it’s really about making sure every Team USA athlete has their personal best and that’s our focus. Yes, we do focus on medals, but if every athlete reaches their personal best, then we’ve all done our job.”

And the USOPC is trying to ensure that directly:

“One competitive advantage for us is we create a high-performance center in each city of the Olympics and Paralympics. In Paris, we have a high-performance center at a world-class facility called Athletica, where we essentially transport our Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to Paris. It has everything from nutrition, training facilities, they built a brand-new kitchen, a brand-new dorm, a brand-new track for us. So it’s really for us – and I saw this in Tokyo – a huge competitive advantage. Sixty percent of our medalists worked out at the high-performance center.

“It’s about 15-20 minutes from the Village, and we have transport going back and forth throughout the day, so for us it’s a major point of differentiation for us and a competitive advantage.”

The USOPC’s head of security, Nicole Deal, said their area is a challenge:

“As a security officer, what keeps me up at night? The distractions. I don’t want security to be a distraction for Team USA athletes and the delegation. I want them to come to Paris, knowing that we got them, we got their back and that we put all the processes, procedures and resources in place to keep them safe when they’re in Paris.”

Deal explained that the coordination with the Paris 2024 organizers, the French government and the U.S. State Department and other agencies has been excellent, deeply coordinated with the U.S. Embassy, with agents working directly with the U.S. teams at the Games.

Hirshland was confident: “The things we can control, I feel great about.”

2.
Macron: Paris opening could move if security worries warrant

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a Monday television interview that if the security situation requires it, the Olympic opening planned for the Seine River could be modified or even moved to the Stade de France.

“This opening ceremony… is a world first. We can do it and we are going to do it. There are plan Bs and plan Cs. We are preparing them in parallel, we will analyse this in real time.”

He said the ceremony could be limited to the Trocadero area, where the protocol elements of the ceremony will be held, or the planned 6 km route on the Seine could be shortened, or it could be possible to “repatriate the ceremony to the Stade de France,” the 80,000-seat athletics and football stadium that will host the Olympic closing.

Asked by a viewer about security concerns for the opening, Macron said “If there’s one place where your son will be safe, it’s here.

“There are always risks in life. And we see it every day, unfortunately. But we’ve given ourselves the means to do it.”

He added that the security plans include “drone systems, coding, cyber protection” and that the perimeters would be in place days or weeks before.

The Paris opening has been scaled down already due to logistics and security worries, from a projected 600,000 spectators to a more reasonable 326,000, with 104,000 ticketed fans on the lower quays, and 222,000 on the upper quays who will come for free, but will have to get tickets from the government.

Macron also talked about the Olympic Truce concept, adopted by the United Nations, and which dates from ancient times:

“We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think it is an occasion for me to engage with a lot of our partners. The Chinese president [Xi Jinping] is coming to Paris in a few weeks, and I’m going to ask him to help me.

“This is a diplomatic moment of peace.”

3.
Alekna shatters discus world record with greatest-ever series

Mykolas Alekna, 21, was always precocious, but this is ridiculous. The son of Lithuania’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Virgilijus Alekna, Mykolas went to Cal and earned two NCAA All-American finishes in 2022 and 2023 and won his first World Championships medal in 2022 (silver) and bronze in 2023.

Now he’s the world-record holder, after authoring the greatest series in history at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona, Oklahoma on Sunday:

● Round 1: 72.21 m (236-11) ~ no 6 throw all-time
● Round 2: 70.32 m (230-8)
● Round 3: 72.89 m (239-1) ~ no. 4 throw all-time
● Round 4: 70.51 m (231-4)
● Round 5: 74.35 m (243-11) ~ World Record
● Round 6: 70.50 m (231-3)

The average was 71.80 m (235-6!), a distance that only seven others have ever reached! Alekna smashed one of the oldest records in the book, the 74.08 m (243-0) throw by East Germany’s Jurgen Schult, way back in 1986, and the 1988 Olympic gold medalist.

Even more astonishing: the Alekna family now stands 1-3, with Virgilijius throwing 73.88 m (242-5) back in 2000. Mykolas’s series produced the nos. 1-5-8 throws in history.

How did this happen? And why in Ramona? For decades, the discus – especially – has been thrown extra far in unusual locations which have specific wind characteristics which carry the platter extra far. Wind-tunnel rings in places like La Jolla, California and Wailuku, Hawaii are well known; in fact, the meet in Waikulu is known as the “Wailuku Big Wind”!

And competing with Alekna in Ramona, five of the next seven placers got lifetime bests. Jamaica’s Roje Stona, who came in with a lifetime best of 68.64 m (225-2) in 2023 got out to 69.05 m (226-6) for second in Ramona.

The women’s throwing on Saturday also produced sensational marks, with Cuba’s Yaime Perez – the 2019 World Champion – moving to no. 10 all-time at 73.09 m (239-9) and American Veronica Fraley (67.17 m/220-4) moving to no. 7 on the all-time U.S. list.

4.
Lemma runs away, Obiri repeats at Boston Marathon

Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma came into Monday’s Boston Marathon as the no. 4 performer of all time (2:01:48) and the 2021 London Marathon champion. He now owns two World Marathon Majors golds, taking charge almost from the start in Boston and winning in 2:06:17, the no. 10 performance in Boston history.

He was in the lead at 5 km, led a group of nine at 10 km, then ran away and had a 1:21 lead at 15 km, and was never headed. He passed the half in 1:00.19, with a 1:49 lead on Kenyan Albert Korir.

The lead was 2:14 by 35 km, and down to 1:22 by 40 km, but he cruised home in 2:06:17. The 2023 Tokyo Marathon runner-up, Mohamed Esa (ETH). mounted a charge in the final mile to move from fourth to second, in 2:06:58, ahead of two-time defending champ Evans Chebet (KEN: 2:07:22). C.J. Albertson was the top American man, finishing 2:09:53 in seventh.

The women’s race was the complete opposite, as defending champion Hellen Obiri (KEN) was in a fight to the finish. There were 19 in the lead pack at the half, with Americans Emma Bates and Sara Hall running 1-2 at 1:12:33.

Sixteen runners was still together at 30 km, with Bates still leading, then Obiri took over by 35 km, but still with 12 in tow. Finally, the pack thinned and Obiri led a group of three at the 24-mile mark (38 km), including fellow Kenyans Sharon Lokedi – the 2022 New York City winner – and two-time World Champion and two-time Boston winner Edna Kiplagat (44!) – who had been at the back of the lead pack and would not go away.

At 40 km, it was down to Obiri and Lokedi, with Kiplagat 18 seconds behind and secure in third. They were still together with a mile to go, and Obiri finally pulled ahead in the last 800 m to win in 2:22:37, to 2:22:45 for Lokedi. Kiplagat finished in 2:23:21, ahead of Buze Diriba (ETH: 2:24:04). It’s Kiplagat’s 12th top-three finish in a World Marathon Majors race.

Bates was the top American in 12th in 2:27:14, with Hall 15th in 2:27:58 and 2018 Boston winner Des Linden next in 2:28:27.

This was Obiri’s fourth career marathon and she’s won three in a row: Boston and New York in 2023 and now Boston again. She’s the first Boston women’s repeat winner since Catherine Ndereba (KEN) in 2004 and 2005, and the eighth to be a repeat women’s winner.

Now 34, Obiri owns two world 5,000 titles, a World Cross Country gold and now three World Marathon Majors in a row. How many event for Paris?

5.
Russia and Olympic doping: the worst ever

Olympic super-statistician Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) got busy on X (ex-Twitter) in light of the most recent doping sanctions that came out of the London 2012 Games:

● “With CAS releasing decisions on PED penalties for Yekaterina Poistogova and Nikolay Chavkin (both 2012 London in athletics), time for an update on overall Olympic doping penalties/sanctions:

● “Here are the 5 NOCs with the most doping penalties/sanctions (inclusive since 1968):

“Russia 115
“Ukraine 39
“Belarus 35
“USA 22
“Turkey 20″

● “Note that Russia now has more penalties/sanctions than the next highest nations – combined. There have 510 such cases at the Olympic Games, which means that Russia now has 22.5% of all such cases.”

● “Here the 5 sports affected the most by doping penalties/sanctions at the Olympic Games:

“Athletics (T&F) 207
“Weightlifting 119
“Cross-Country Skiing 38″
“Wrestling 22
“Biathlon 14″

● “This means that over 60% of the doping cases at the Olympics have been in track & field athletics and weightlifting.

“Although athletics looks like the worst sport, remember that athletics has about 8 times more competitors (because of more events) than weightlifting.

“So relatively speaking, weightlifting is by far the worst sport in terms of doping penalties at the Olympics.”

The numbers speak for themselves. No wonder why athletes continue to ask questions about Russian athletes competing in Paris or elsewhere.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030 ● The International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission is readying for its 26-30 April inspection of the French Alps candidature for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games, needing to know what the solutions are to some remaining venue issues.

On Monday, International Olympic Committee Executive Director for the Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi (SUI), told reporters in an online news conference that speed skating could be held in the Netherlands or Italy.

A temporary solution, such as what Milan Cortina 2026 is doing at a massive Milan convention center, would be fine, as “we now know that it is doable with all the guarantees needed for ice quality.”

● World Games ● “The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has nominated the city of Karlsruhe as a candidate for hosting The World Games 2029. The DOSB announced this in a letter to the IWGA on Friday. Earlier this year, two cities from Germany, Karlsruhe and Hanover, had expressed their interest in hosting the 13th edition of the multi-sport event in 2029. Karlsruhe is the first city to apply for a second edition of the Games: the city organised the third edition of The World Games in 1989.”

Monday’s announcement from the International World Games Federation should sew up the World Games sites through the end of this decade, with the event moving to Chengdu (CHN) in 2025. On timing:

“The decision on the host for The World Games 2029 will be taken by the Executive Committee of the IWGA and ratified by the Annual General Meeting at the beginning of May.”

● Russia ● Following the very limited presence of Russia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the head of the Cross Country Ski Federation of Russia, three-time Olympic relay gold medalist Elena Vyalbe said Monday it will be years before Russia fully returns to international competition:

“We are always ready to come back but you are all aware of the current circumstances. I don’t believe that it [the return] will be possible next year or even in the next two or three years.

“Our return will be very complicated. I know that all our athletes are just as frustrated by this as I am, but there is no need to grovel in front of anyone. When a country or a World Cup bid is at stake no one should have any doubt about what to choose.

“We have to be very strong. Of course, we missed the World Cup [season]. I don’t think that we will be able to come back before the year 2028. It will be possible only if the world changes.”

That means she expects similar treatment for the Milan Cortina 2025 Winter Games as for Paris.

● Athletics ● Not to be lost in the blizzard of great marks last weekend was the Brian Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, was the stunning men’s 1.500 m win for Northern Arizona sophomore Colin Sahlman – age 20 – in 3:33.96, a four-second lifetime best and now no. 3 in the world for 2024.

Sahlman’s old best was 3:38.30 from 2023, but he outran 2023 NCAA champ Nathan Green (USA/Washington: 3:34.29) and veteran star Craig Engels (3:35,46). Sahlman and Green are now third and sixth on the 2024 world list.

More doping suspensions from the Athletics Integrity Unit, including Kenyan half-marathoner Agnes Mutua “for 5 years from 29 January 2024 for Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Testosterone and Trimetazidine).”

Former Kenyan and now Bahraini marathoner Marius Kimutai (2:05:06) was banned “for 3 years from 28 March 2024 for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (EPO).”

● Curling ● Veteran stars dominated The Players’ Championship of the Grand Slam of Curling in Toronto, with Canada’s Brad Gushue and Swiss Silvana Tirinzoni leading their teams to wins.

Gushue won his 15th Grand Slam title, winning the final over Joel Retornaz (ITA) by 7-6 on a clutch final shot in the eighth end. Tirinzoni, skip of the four-time World Champions – who settled for second this year – also had a tight match, but scored twice in the second, fourth and seventh ends to hold on for a 6-5 win as well over Isabella Wrana (SWE).

● Cycling ● Olympic track cycling star Kate Archibald (GBR) – a two-time gold winner – concluded a three-gold performance at the UCI Track Nations Cup III in Milton (CAN) on Sunday, winning the Omnium to go with her earlier wins in the Team Pursuit and the Madison. American Jennifer Valente, who won the Elimination Race, was third in the Omnium.

Men’s Sprint star Harrie Lavreysen (NED) also got his third gold, winning the men’s Sprint, to add to his Team Sprint and Keirin wins. New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, second in the Sprint, won the Keirin, in which she is the reigning World Champion.

American Chris Blevins, the 2021 Worlds Short Track gold winner took the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup opener in Mairipora (BRA), winning the Cross Country Olympic race by a whisker in 1:30:00 over French Worlds relay gold medalist Victor Koretzky (1:30:02) and Swiss Filippo Columbo (1:30:03). Australia’s Sam Gaze, the two-time Short Course World Champion, won the Short Course race.

Rio 2016 Olympic champ Jenny Rissveds (SWE) took the women’s Cross Country race in a rout, finishing in 1:17:18 to 1:17:45 for American Sevilia Blunck and 1:18:03 for teammate Haley Batten. Britain’s Evie Richards took the women’s Short Course race.

● Gymnastics ● Lots of smiles for home fans in Sofia (BUL) for the FIG Rhythmic World Cup that concluded Sunday, with Boryana Kaleyn and Stiliana Nikolova on the victory stand a lot.

Kaleyn, a Team gold medalist from the 2023 Worlds, took the All-Around at 137.300, with Nikolova, a six-time Worlds medalist at age 21, second at 135.100. Israel’s Darya Atamanov finished third (132.600).

Nikolova won two apparatus finals, on Ball (36.950) and Ribbon (33.650), with Atamanov taking bronze and silver, respectively. Atamonov won on Hoop (35.550), ahead of Nikolova (34.950) and Italy’s 2022 World Champion Sofia Raffaeli (34.150). Raffaeli won on Clubs, scoring 34.250, beating Kaleyn (33.900).

● Rowing ● Britain and the Netherlands dominated the first World Rowing World Cup, held in Varese (ITA), although the home team also scored three wins.

The Dutch took the men’s Double Sculls with World Champions Melvin Twellar and Stefan Broenink (6:07.09) beating Luca Rambaldi and Matteo Sartoni (ITA: 6:08.45), and the Quadruple Sculls (5:38.32) over Britain (5:40.05), but the Brits won in Pairs with Worlds runners-up Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George (6:18.62) taking down Worlds winners Roman Roeoesli and Andrin Gulich (NED: 6:19.24), and took the Eights in 5:27.67 to 5:29.83 for the Dutch.

The Italian duo of Worlds bronze medalists Stefano Oppo and Gabriel Soares took the Lightweight Double Sculls at 6:10.46.

World Champion Oliver Zeidler won the Single Sculls over Worlds silver medalist Simon Van Dorp (NED), 6:44.15 to 6:47.03.

The women’s World Champion in Single Sculls, Karolien Florijn (NED) was a decisive winner in 7:19.31 to 7:25.94 for Alexandra Foester (GER). Dutch Double Scullers Lisa Scheenaard and Martine Veldhuis won in 6:49.75, with Thea Helseth and Jenny Marie Rorvik (NOR) in 6:50.60. And the Dutch Pair of World Champions Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester won in 6:56.53 against Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh (IRL: 6:57.57).

Two British teams took gold and silver in the Quadruple Sculls, 6:18.88 to 6:22.74, and Italy won the women’s Eights in 6:02.34 to 6:03.10 for Britain. Ukraine took the Quadruple Sculls in 6:11.32, with the Dutch second (6:13.16).

Britain also won the women’s Lightweight Double Sculls with World Champions Emily Craig and Imogen Grant in 6:45.86.

● Sport Climbing ● Big news from the IFSC World Cup in Lead and Speed in Wujiang (CHN) over the weekend, with world records in Speed from American Sam Watson.

He scaled the 15 m wall on the first qualifying run in 4.85, busting the 2023 mark of Indonesia’s Veddiq Leonardo, then raced to a 4.79 record in his second run!

Watson didn’t win, however, finishing second in the final to China’s defending champ, Peng Wu, 4.91 to 5.11.

Two-time World Champion Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL) win her 12th IFSC World Cup in the women’s division in an all-Polish final with Natalia Kalucka, equaling her own world record at 6.24, with Kalucka at 6.75.

No doubt about the women’s Lead winner, as star Janja Garnbret (SLO), as she was the only one to get to the top, with home favorite Zhilu Luo finishing second (44+).

Toby Roberts (GBR) won his second career World Cup at 36+, getting the victory on the countback against Taisei Homma (JPN).

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

TSX REPORT: Ex-IBU chief Besseberg guilty, gets 37-months; Glasgow proposes cheap Commonwealth Games; all smiles for Salt Lake City!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Sensational: American Torri Huske scared the world women’s 100 m Butterfly record at the Tyr Pro Swim San Antonio! (Photo courtesy USA Swimming)

★ 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. Ex-IBU chief Besseberg found guilty and sentenced to 37 months
2. Glasgow proposing ultra-low-cost 2026 Commonwealth Games
3. All positive vibes from IOC visit to Salt Lake City
4. Venezuela’s TJ star Rojas out for Paris 2024
5. UWW sets up two investigations into Chamizo bribe allegations

● Former International Biathlon Union chief Anders Besseberg, now 78, of Norway was convicted of “aggravated corruption” in a Norwegian court on Friday, from gifts he received to help cover up Russian doping. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison, but filed an immediate notice of appeal.

● Glasgow, the site of the successful 2014 Commonwealth Games, has proposed to hold the 2026 Commonwealth Games on a low budget of £130-150 million, using existing facilities and a reduced program of 10-13 sports. Thanks to a subsidy of £100 million from the Commonwealth Games Federation, Glasgow’s effort can be financed with little to no public funding.

● The International Olympic Committee’ Future Host Commission was delighted with what it saw during its visit to Salt Lake City in advance of a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board to formally select Salt Lake City as the site for the 2034 Winter Games.

● Venezuelan triple jump superstar Yulimar Rojas suffered a left achilles tendon injury that has required surgery and she will be unable to defend her Tokyo Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

● Following the allegation of bribery to throw his semifinal match at the European Olympic Qualifying tournament in Azerbaijan by two-time World Champion Frank Chamizo of Italy, United World Wrestling has commission two investigations into the matter.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Canada trips U.S. women in overtime in gold-medal final) ●

● Panorama: Archery (U.S. women’s team qualifies for Paris) = Athletics (3: Jacious Sears screams 10.77 (!) in women’s 100 at Tom Jones Memorial; Negeeye and Ashete win Rotterdam Marathon; another 2012 Russian doping positive) = Cycling (2: Valente strikes gold at Track Nations Cup III; Vos and Pidcock win Amstel Golds) = Fencing (U.S. stars Kiefer and Meinhardt putting off medical school for Paris 2024) = Swimming (Huske scares women’s world 100 Fly record at Tyr Pro Swam San Antonio) = Taekwondo (U.S. gets three qualifiers at Pan Am qualifier) ●

1.
Ex-IBU chief Besseberg found guilty and sentenced to 37 months

The former long-time head of the International Biathlon Union was convicted by a Norwegian court of “aggravated corruption” and sentenced to three years and one month in prison on Friday.

Anders Besseberg (NOR), now 78, said he was surprised by the verdict and would appeal. The prosecutors – the Norwegian OKOKRIM agency – issued a detailed statement:

“In 2023, The Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim) indicted a Norwegian man who was president of the IBU from 1993 to 2018, for aggravated corruption. The offences took place during the period 2009 to 2018.

“The charges included 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.

“The man is now sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in prison.”

The Senior Public Prosecutor, Marianne Djupesland, commented:

“The verdict is an important signal that corruption is uncovered and prosecuted, also in the international sports federations.

“International top-level sports generate large revenues and handle large assets. The federations are managing large assets and make important decisions that affect both athletes and businesses. We therefore do hope that this verdict will have preventive effects.”

The former IBU chief was convicted on two of three counts by a three-judge panel, which was unanimous in finding that he accepted Russian gifts, and that he acted in favor of Russian interests in both word and deed. The judges determined that he will not have to pay a fine as requested by prosecutors, but the gifts he received, including NOK 1.4 million will be confiscated (about $128,437 U.S.). Said the court:

“The defendant breached the trust that accompanied his position in the IBU by accepting the benefits. … In light of the time series of documents that have been referred to, as well as witness statements, the court has no doubt that he has acted in favor of Russia, by both word and deed.”

Besseberg, in return for the favors, worked to cover up doping violations by Russian athletes and the removal of IBU competitions from Russia.

The Associated Press reported Judge Vidar Toftoy-Lohne saying during the reading of the verdict, “The defendant clearly lacks understanding of the position he held and self-awareness, as the court sees it.”

The Besseberg matter drew attention at least eight years ago, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which “welcomed” the verdict:

“WADA initiated an investigation into this matter in November 2016 through its independent Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) Department. Information collected at that stage gave the criminal investigation its initial impetus and WADA investigators were in close communication with law enforcement authorities in Austria and Norway, as well as INTERPOL. …

“Today’s verdict should be seen as a warning to other administrators who threaten the integrity of sport. WADA commends the diligence of the Austrian and Norwegian law enforcement, as well as the prosecutors who brought the case to court, in using WADA’s information and taking it further for the protection of clean sport.”

The IBU, for its part, issued a short statement:

“The IBU has taken note of the verdict in the case against Anders Besseberg. The IBU welcomes the conclusion of the trial which brings to a close a deeply troubling period in the federation’s history. The IBU is looking forward and committed to continuing to build on the significant reforms that have positioned the IBU at the forefront of good governance and ensured it delivers the very best sport for its athletes and fans.”

Biathlon Integrity Unit head Greg McKenna (GBR) stated in court testimony in January that the federation also plans action against Besseberg: “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.”

2.
Glasgow proposing ultra-low-cost 2026 Commonwealth Games

“Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) can confirm the development of an innovative concept that could provide a solution for the 2026 Commonwealth Games without the need for significant public investment.”

That’s from a Friday announcement, with significant detail (£1 = $1.25 U.S.):

● “The Games concept that has been developed can be delivered within two years and for a budget of £130-150 million, with no significant ask of public funds.

● “The Games would be funded by £100million from the Commonwealth Games Federation as part of the Victoria financial settlement towards the cost of the Games. The remaining £30-50million would be funded predominantly by commercial income (ticketing, sponsorship, broadcasting etc).

● “The Games would be expected to deliver a Gross Value Added of £100-200 million, with additional spending from outside the UK of at least £100million.

● “We are planning for an 11-day sporting competition in July/August 2026.

● “The concept has been developed on a core offering of approximately 10 sports.”

Importantly, the statement gave a reason to have the Commonwealth Games:

“The Commonwealth Games is crucial to the health of Scottish sport; the four-yearly event is the pinnacle for several sports and represents the only chance for many athletes to compete for Scotland on a global stage.”

The proposal is all the more interesting because Glasgow was the site for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and has a wealth of existing sites. No new sites would be built and athletes would be accommodated in a range of options, but not in a custom-built “Commonwealth Village.”

The 2014 Games had 17 sports, 261 events and 4,947 athletes; the BBC reported that “the budget for 2014 was £543m, with £425m from the Scottish government and from Glasgow City Council.”

However, the Commonwealth Games was as small as 10 sports as recently as 1994 in Victoria (CAN) and then jumped to 15 in Kuala Lumpur (MAS) in 1998. Moreover, Scotland just experienced the 2023 UCI World Championships, a first-time, 13-discipline, 10-venue, 11-day program with 2,600 competitors and about one million total spectators. The calculated Gross Value Added to the Scotland economy was £205 million, of which £129 million was in the Glasgow area alone.

The Commonwealth Games Scotland statement noted:

“We are satisfied that the concept developed could see a refreshed format for the Games, that would see it be delivered on time and on budget, providing significant benefit to the Scottish economy and a potential blueprint for a sustainable Games model of the future.”

Observed: This gives the Commonwealth Games Federation choices, with Ghana also interested in the 2026 Games. The Glasgow concept is another move is the politically-popular format of putting on a Games with essentially private-sector financing, introduced 40 years ago for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The Scotland statement said that there could be as many as 13 sports and a Commonwealth Games strategy document from 2019 indicated that only athletics and swimming are required, with a suggested (but flexible) maximum of 15.

The Commonwealth Games Federation said it would have news on the 2026 situation in May.

3.
All positive vibes from IOC visit to Salt Lake City

All good signs from the visit of the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games to Salt Lake City that concluded on Friday. Said a beaming Fraser Bullock, chief executive of the Utah-Salt Lake City Committee for the Games, and the chief operating officer of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City:

“We could see how much they love Utah and how much they love the relationships that we’ve put together. We feel like we’re in a great spot.”

The IOC visit was thorough, taking in venues such as Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, the Delta Center arena, Deer Valley, Utah Olympic Park, Park City Mountain, Soldier Hollow, Snowbasin Mountain, the Olympic Oval in Kearns and more.

Said Karl Stoss (AUT), the head of the Future Host Commission:

“We could feel the enthusiasm and the spirit of Utah. The spirit from the Games from 2002 is still here.”

He was especially enthusiastic about the no-build bid that Salt Lake City is offering, using the same venues as in 2002, with no added sites to be built for the Games:

“This is one of the most important thing for the IOC. Could you offer all the venues still with no new buildings? Start with souvenirs. Starting with the venues from the previous Olympic Games, and this is a fantastic concept.

“It is incredible how you maintained all these venues since 2002. This is one of our success stories I think in the IOC. We would like to build our legacy on the venues you had before.”

Christophe Dubi (SUI), the IOC’s Executive Director for the Olympic Games, added:

“You have not only the venues, but you have the people. Because in the end, this is what matters. Organizing the games is about having competent people, the expertise, the knowledge. And this is right here, right now.”

At the opening presentation, Dubi was also impressed by the Salt Lake City he was seeing now:

“When you leave a gap of 20 years … it’s not the same at all anymore. I remember coming to Salt Lake some Sundays, and you would feel quite alone around because of the little residents that there was. … This is really night and day.”

Bullock summed up the visit this way:

“They love the venues and they are turnkey ready. I think the other thing: they see the passion of the people that are there. Every venue we go to we have the people that were there in ’02 and the future people going forward and we also have young athletes.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, who has been significantly involved in supporting the effort, added: “The reception has been enormously positive. Everything that we’re hearing from the IOC, everything that we’re hearing from people adjacent to the IOC? This has been a wildly successful trip out here.”

In terms of process, the Future Host Commission will make a report to the IOC Executive Board, no doubt to recommend the election of Salt Lake City for the 2034 Games. If approved, the final approval must be given by the IOC Session meeting in Paris in July – possibly 24 July – for the formal award.

The IOC Future Host Commission will stay busy, moving next to view the plan for the French Alps 2030 plan – also in “Targeted Dialogue” – from 26-30 April.

4.
Venezuela’s TJ star Rojas out for Paris 2024

The defending Olympic women’s triple jump champion and four-time World Champion and world-record holder Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela will not defend her title at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She wrote on Instagram on Friday (computer translation from the original Spanish):

“To my Venezuela, to the family of the Olympic and Sports Movement, especially to my followers; I want to inform you that I will not be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“With a lot of pain and sadness I want to tell you that while training when I fell in the descent of a jump I had an intense pain that was diagnosed to an injury to the left achilles tendon. My heart is broken and I feel so much sadness that I want to apologize for not being able to represent you at Paris 2024.

“These have been very complex hours, in which I have questioned and analyzed why this has happened, however I understand that, in God’s designs, we are only instruments of His will. Today I feel very emotionally affected by not being able to represent them, the desire to defend my Olympic title excited me enormously but today I have to stop, understand this, recover and come back with a lot of strength to continue flying together.

“I want to thank my family, friends and my entire work team, who at the moment have not separated from me trying to make me understand the very complex situation I am going through. To all my sponsors and sports institutions in my country for all the support provided.

“I wish a lot of success to our Venezuelan delegation in Paris 2024, since I am already very proud of you, and to my track teammates, may you give the maximum to also achieve glory.

“See you soon, with the same dreams and desires.”

She said in a post on X that she had surgery on 11 April in Madrid (ESP). She has dominated the women’s triple jump since winning the Rio Olympic silver medal and then taking the Tokyo Olympic gold and World titles in 2017-19-22-23 and World Indoor titles in 2016-18-22.

5.
UWW sets up two investigations into Chamizo bribe allegations

Bribery, gambling and match-fixing are bad words in sports and the International Olympic Committee is pushing harder to head off future issues in competition integrity.

In view of the explosive allegations made last week by two-time Freestyle World Champion Frank Chamizo (ITA) about his bout with Azerbaijan’s Turan Byramov in the semifinals of the 74 kg class of the European Olympic Qualifier in Baku (AZE), United World Wrestling has responded with two investigations:

“United World Wrestling has set up two different panels to independently and separately analyze the refereeing decisions, including the challenge decisions, of the match between Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) and Turan BYRAMOV (AZE) at the European OG Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“Each panel will be composed of three members, respectively the chairman of the Refereeing Commission plus two experts, and three Bureau members with expertise in refereeing and International Wrestling Rules.

“In addition, the Chairman of the UWW Disciplinary Chamber will appoint a panel of three members to review the outcomes of the ongoing investigation concerning the allegations of attempted corruption and alleged violation of the integrity of our sport. This panel will decide on the disciplinary actions to be taken in this matter.

“UWW is resolutely committed to thoroughly investigating and clarifying all aspects of the 74kg semifinal bout between Chamizo and Bayramov, ensuring transparency and upholding the integrity of wrestling.”

Byramov won on criteria after an 8-8 tie in regulation, after Chamizo’s apparent, winning two-point score near the end of the match was reversed on an appeal from the Azerbaijan corner. According to an interview with the La Repubblica daily, Chamizo said:

“I knew I had to give double, triple in Azerbaijan, because I was fighting at their house and they had bought everything. The same referee was with the Azerbaijanis throughout the tournament. I made it, but then something happened that reminds me of boxing from many years ago. And so yes, I mean it, they came to me offering me money, $300,000 to lose.

“But Chamizo (not kindly) returned the offer to the sender: ‘I don’t want to say who did it, but it happened on the morning of the weigh-in. I sent them to … because I represent not only myself, but also Italy, my federation FIJLKAM, and the Army. I’m so disgusted that I don’t feel like talking about sports.”

By winning the match Byramov qualified for the Paris 2024 Games; Chamizo will have one more chance at the World qualifier from 9-12 May in Istanbul (TUR).

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. had participated in all 22 finals of the IIHF Women’s World Championship coming into the 2024 edition, held in Utica, New York. That streak continued for a 23rd straight final with a 5-0 semifinal rout of Finland on Saturday at the Adirondack Ice Center, while Canada reached the final for the 22nd time (out of 23) by defeating the Czech Republic, 4-0.

The U.S. was on offense from the drop against the Finns, out-shooting them 22-4 in the first period, but only scoring once on a Hannah Bilka goal at 12:01. Finland suffered two penalties in the first 13 minutes of the second period and the Americans got a power-play goal at 13:14 from Laila Edwards for a 2-0 lead at the end of two periods. The issue was decided just 2:34 into the final period as Edwards scored an equal-strength goal and she got a hat trick at 6:24 of the period to extend the lead to 4-0. Defender Savannah Harman added a final score at 16:10 for the 5-0 final, with the U.S. enjoying a 55-15 shots advantage. Aerin Frankel got her fourth shutout of the tournament in goal for the U.S.

Canada, which lost only to the U.S. so far, got its first score just 4:32 into the game, from Blayre Turnbull, and closed out the period with another goal at 18:15 from defender Jocelyne Larocque. Shots were 13-1 for Canada.

Emily Clark scored another fast goal in the second, at 1:39 for a 3-0 lead, and Sarah Fillier made it 4-0 at 4:40 of the third and that’s how it ended. Canada finished with a 47-9 edge on shots and Ann-Marie Desbiens got the shutout in goal.

Going into Sunday’s final, the Canada had won 12 of the 21 gold-medal meetings with the U.S., but the American women had taken six of the last eight, including a 6-3 decision in 2023. This was another classic.

Both teams scored in the first, with Erin Ambrose opening for Canada at 6:32 and Edwards tying it for the U.S. at 8:12. Each side scored twice in the second, with the U.S. taking a 3-2 lead on an Alex Carpenter goal at 16:32, but Marie-Philip Poulin evening it at 18:58 for Canada.

On to the third, with Hilary Knight putting the U.S. back on top at 8:56, but Clark tying at 10:46. Then Canada got the lead again at 5-4 on Poulin’s second goal at 12:19, but once again, the U.S. got even with Caroline Harvey scoring at 14:58. All tied at the end of 60, with Canada having the edge on shots, 29-23.

The pool-play game between these two was also an overtime, won by the U.S., 1-0. This time, there were goals galore in regulation, but again one overtime goal. This time it went to Canada’s Danielle Serdachny, who beat U.S. keeper Frankel at 5:16 of the period for Canada’s 13th women’s world title.

In the third place game, Finland and the Czech Republic went to a shoot-out, with the Finns winning, 2-1, for a 3-2 victory. Finland now has 14 bronze medals in this tournament, but its first since 2021.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Archery ● The U.S. women’s team booked their places in Paris at the Pan American qualifier in Medellin (COL), making it to the final against already-qualified Mexico with a 6-2 win over home favorite Colombia, thanks to a final 10 by no. 1-ranked Casey Kaufhold, finishing up for Catalina GNoriega and Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez.

The all-Canadian women’s individual final saw Kristine Esebua defeat Virginie Chenier, 6-4, with Puerto Rico’s Alondra Rivera winning the bronze on a shoot-out against teammate Nilka Cotto, 6-5. Esebua, formerly of Georgia, qualified for Paris, as did Rivera, since only one per country was allowed to qualify at this event.

Colombia’s Santiago Arcila punched his ticket for Paris by winning the men’s individual title, 6-2, over Nicholas D’Amour (ISV). Both finalists qualified for Paris.

In the men’s Recurve team qualifying final, Arcila and Colombia defeated Canada in a shoot-off, 28-25, to qualify for Paris. The U.S. was eliminated in the semis by Colombia.

In the individual Pan Am Championships, Mexico’s Matias Grande won the gold over American Jackson Mirich, 6-4. Jack Williams of the U.S. won the bronze over Cuba’s Hugo Franco, 6-5. Kaufhold took the women’s title, 6-5 in a shoot-off with Alejandra Valencia (MEX).

A final qualifying event for individuals and teams will be held on 15-16 June in Antalya (TUR).

● Athletics ● Ever heard of Jacious Sears? You have now.

The Tennessee senior exploded at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday, winning the women’s 100 m final in 10.77 with 1.6 m/s wind, easily the fastest in the world this year.

The NCAA Indoor fourth-placer in the 60 m in 2024, she lowered her lifetime best from 10.96 and is now equal-15th on the all-time list and no. 7 all-time U.S. Only Sha’Carri Richardson and English Gardner have ever run faster among still-active American women! Georgia’s Kaila Jackson was a distant second at 11.10.

There were lots more world leaders:

● Men/200 m: 19.90, Tarsis Orogot (UGA)
● Men/200 m: 19.88, Courtney Lindsey (USA)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.21, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/400 m hurdles: 47.95, Chris Robinson (USA)

● Women/400 m: 49.95, Kaylyn Brown (USA)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.44, Nia Ali (USA)
● Women/4×100 m: 41.94, USA Red (Brisco, Steiner, Prandini, Hobbs)
● Women/4×400 m: 3:23.83, Empire Athletics (mixed nationalities)
● Women/Long Jump: 6.71 m (22-0 1/4), Quanesha Burks (USA)

A new star, Arkansas frosh Kaylyn Brown, won the women’s 400 m in 49.95, the first under 50 seconds this season, ahead of Georgia’s Aliyah Butler (50.05). In the women’s 100 m hurdles, Ali won the final in 12.44 (-0.8 m/s), just ahead of Tonea Marshall (12.45).

Two U.S. women’s relay teams ran the nos. 1-2 times in the world this season, with Mikiah Brisco, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini and Aleia Hobbs winning a tight race in 41.94, ahead of Tamari Davis, Anavia Battle, Kiara Parker and Melissa Jefferson (41.99).

All of this overshadowed the men’s 100 m, with Noah Lyles winning at the line over Kenny Bednarek, with both timed in 10.01 (+1.7 m/s), and Kyree King third in 10.02. The women’s 100 m final was just as tight, with Tamari Davis edging Jefferson, with both at 10.94 (+1.2 m/s).

Goodness gracious, Jacious Sears!

The Rotterdam Marathon, at which the late Kenyan star Kelvin Kiptum was going to try for a sub-2:00 world record, was won by Dutch star Abdi Nageeye, the Tokyo Olympic silver winner, in a national record of 2:04:45, ahead of Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn (2:04:56), with two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese (ETH) third in 2:05:16.

Four were in contention at 35 km, but Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) was dropped and then Legese let go past 40 km, and Nageeye sprinted home for the win. Leonard Korir was the top American, in 19th at 2:12:47.

Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekere, the 2019 Berlin Marathon champ, ran away from the women’s field after 30 km and won easily in 2:19:30, with Viola Kibiwot (KEN: 2:20:57) and Sally Chepyego (KEN: 2:22:46) finishing 2-3. The top U.S. finisher was Layne Hammer, in 30th at 2:48:19.

Another Russian doping positive from 2012, against Nikolay Chavkin, now 39, for two samples that were initially shown as negative as part of the state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15, but finally shown to be positive after retrieval of data from the Moscow Laboratory of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.

Chavkin was an Olympic steeplechaser at London 2012, but did not make it out of the heats. He tested positive for the steroid methyltestosterone and was banned for 30 months, with his results from 4 July 2012 to 3 January 2015 nullified.

● Cycling ● The third and final Track Nations Cup was in Milton (CAN), with another win for American star Jennifer Valente.

The Tokyo Olympic Omnium champion, she won the women’s Elimination Race, beating Letizia Paternoster of Italy and could be in line for another win in the Omnium.

British star Kate Archibald scored two wins, first in the Team Pursuit – where she won a Rio 2016 gold – and then in the Madison – where she won in Tokyo in 2021 – this time with Neah Evans. Fellow Brit Ethan Hayter, the two-time Omnium World Champion, collected golds in the Omnium (of course) and in the men’s Team Pursuit.

Dutch stars Harrie Lavreysen (Tokyo Sprint champ) and Jeffrey Hoogland were busy, going 1-2 in the men’s Keirin, with Lavreysen winning and the two together with Roy van den Berg in the Team Sprint.

Canada’s 20-year-old star, Dylan Bibic, the 2022 World Scratch Race gold medalist, won the men’s Elimination Race. France’s Mathilde Gros, the 2022 women’s Sprint winner, won over the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, Ellesse Andrews (NZL).

At the Amstel Gold Race, the women started first and a crazy race ensued, with the peloton stopped with 45 km to go on the planned 158 km course from Maastricht to Berg en Terblijt due to an accident further ahead. After an hour’s delay, the route was shortened to comprise only 101.4 km and of course, resulted in a mass sprint to the finish.

There were 23 in the group heading to the line and Dutch star Lorena Wiebes, already with two Women’s World Tour wins this season, found a path and looked like the winner, throwing her arms up in celebration. But just at that moment, countrywoman (and three-time World Road Champion) Marianne Vos threw her bike ahead and won at the line in 2:35:02, her second win in this race and a shocking finish to a wild ride. Norway’s Ingvild Gaskjenn finished third.

The 68th men’s Amstel Gold Race was re-routed (but still 253.6 km) to avoid the women’s finish and found a group of four in front with 11 km remaining: Marc Hirschi (SUI), Tokyo Olympic Mountain Bike gold medalist Tom Pidcock (GBR), Tiesj Benoot (BEL) and Mauri Vansevenant (BEL). With 2 km to go, those four had a 30-second lead on the peloton, and Benoot attacked with 1,000 m left. He could not get away and Vansevenant sprinted with 300 m to go, but Pidcock had the most left in the tank and led Hirschi across the line in 5:58:17. Benoot and Vansevenant finished 3-4.

Pidcock is hardly unknown in road racing, winning a stage in the 2022 Tour de France and the Strade Bianche in 2023. But this is a signal win for him, perhaps a sign of more road work to come? He also made some history as the first British winner of this race; he was second in 2021.

● Fencing ● The U.S. husband-and-wife fencing duo of Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt – both Olympic medalists – are plotting their return to medical school once the Olympic season is completed.

Kiefer won the Tokyo gold in the women’s Foil and Meinhardt won a Team bronze there (also in Rio in 2016) and said in an interview:

“I was trying to figure out what direction my life was going after Tokyo. I really wanted to keep fencing because I still love it and enjoy doing it. I felt like I could keep growing my skills, my routine.

“However, the biggest obstacle was the [University of Kentucky] College of Medicine. I was not sure they would let me continue, which would have been totally understandable.”

Kiefer and Meinhardt are both studying medicine at Kentucky:

“My husband also felt the same way. We thought through the timeline and decided to keep fencing and came up with a logical proposal. We talked to the dean and here we are (still competing).

“Your last two years are in the hospital, so I will come back and restart my third year. We plan to rematriculate in June of 2025 when the semester starts after we have had some time to re-study. We know it won’t be easy, but that’s what we plan to do.”

They also have a good chance of landing on the podium in Paris, as Kiefer is ranked no.1 in the world in women’s Foil and Meinhardt is no. 9, with two Americans – Nick Itkin (1) and Alex Massialas (5) – ahead of him and forming a powerful entry in the Team Foil competition.

● Swimming ● Torri Huske was the story at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, Texas, especially in the women’s 100 m Butterfly, where she scared the world record and won in the no. 3 time in American history, in 55.68.

Huske, 21, was the 2022 World Champion in the 100 Fly and won three more relay golds, then took the bronze at the 2023 Worlds. Now she is back to top form and her 55.68 is now only the world leader for 2024, but the equal-9th performance in history and she owns three of those 10 fastest swims. Runner-up Gretchen Walsh touched in 56.14, now no. 5 in the world for 2024, but also no. 3 in U.S. history!

Huske wasn’t done and also won the 200 m Medley in 2:08.47, moving to no. 4 on the 2024 world list, beating 2022 World Champion Alex Walsh (2:08.60).

The comeback of Tokyo superstar Caeleb Dressel continued, tying for the win in the men’s 100 m Fly with Hungary’s Hubert Kos, both at 50.84, with Dressel storming up from fifth at the turn. It’s the fastest Dressel has swum in this event since his comeback and the time places he and Kos at no. 3 in the world for 2024. Kos also won the 100 m Back from Justin Ress of the U.S., 53.08 to 54.36.

Dressel was third in the men’s 50 m Free at 21.85, behind Mexico’s Gabe Castano (21.70) and fellow American Ryan Held (21.79).

Five-time Worlds gold winner Regan Smith was busy, winning three events: the women’s 200 m Fly on Thursday (2:05.97), the 200 m Back on Friday (2:05.46) and the 100 m Back on Saturday (57.74)

Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky took the women’s 400 m Free on Thursday (4:01.41), then won the 800 m Free on Saturday in 8:12.95 – the second-fastest time this season – and was second in the 200 m Free in 1:54.97, moving to fourth on the world list for 2024.

The winner was Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey, who finished in 1:54.52, now no. 2 for 2024, after Thursday’s win in the 100 m Free (52.74).

An upset in the men’s 200 m Breast had 2023 Worlds bronze winner Matt Fallon beating French star Leon Marchand, 2:08.18 (world no. 5 in 2024) to 2:08.40, after Marchand had won their 200-yard duel at the NCAA Championships. Marchand announced at the meet that would skip his remaining eligibility at Arizona State and was turning professional.

Another upset had Venezuela’s Alfonso Mestre winning the men’s 800 m over Tokyo Olympic champ Bobby Finke of the U.S., 7:52.22 to 7:54.48; Finke had won the 1,500 m Free on Wednesday.

In a fast women’s 50 m Free, Poland’s Kasia Wasick got to the touch in 24.20, ahead of American Abbey Weitzeil (24.27, equal-4th in 2024) and Gretchen Walsh (24.29, no. 6).

This was the last major U.S. tune-up meet ahead of the Olympic Trials that begin on 15 June at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

● Taekwondo ● At the Pan American Olympic qualifier in Santo Domingo (DOM), nine countries won places for Paris 2024, including Jonathan Healy, Faith Dillon and Kristina Teachout of the U.S.

All three reached the finals of their weight classes (there was no final), with Healy qualifying in the men’s +80 kg class, Dillion in the women’s 57 kg group and Teachout in the women’s 67 kg division.

Along with no. 2-ranked C.J. Nickolas at 80 kg, the U.S. has qualified a full complement of athletes for Paris. Brazil also qualified three for Paris in Santo Domingo, including 2022 Worlds 74 kg silver medalist Edival Pontes and 2023 Worlds bronze winner Maria Pacheco at -57 kg.

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VOX POPULI: World Athletics ~ a threat to modern Olympism?

By
Helmut Digel
-

/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 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. His writing offers a sobering perspective, and his views are, of course, his alone./

Once again, it is “showmaster” and “rhetoric artist” Sebastian Coe – who is also of the English House of Lords – who, as President of World Athletics, speaks out with a spectacular message to secure the attention of the sporting world public with a populist action, in which he can be sure of the applause of some star athletes and their representatives.

In a press release in the second week of April 2024, World Athletics and its President Coe announced that the World Olympic Athletics Federation will introduce prize money as early as the 2024 Paris Olympics and that the winners of an Olympic gold medal will be rewarded with $50,000. At the same time, a commitment is made that the prize money will be extended on a staggered level to the winners of the Olympic silver and bronze medals at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. In Paris, a gold medal will be awarded in 48 athletics events, bringing the total prize money to $2.4 million. The money is provided from the funds that World Athletics receives from the IOC every four years. For Coe, this underscores World Athletics’ commitment to “empowering athletes and recognizing the critical role they have in the success of the Olympic Games.”

As was hardly to be expected, Coe initiated his latest media coup without consulting the IOC and, quite obviously, without any solidarity with the other summer Olympic federations. “Solidarity” once again seems to be a foreign word for him. Rather, he is following the tradition of his predecessors in office and inflicting great damage on modern Olympism and endangering the further development of the Olympic Games with his solo effort. Was it the delusional IAAF presidents Primo Nebiolo (ITA) and Lamine Diack (SEN), who repeatedly cultivated a special affront to all other Olympic federations during their term of office and announced every four years that the Olympic Games actually only begin with the first competition of athletics, the Queen of the Olympic Games, and have never been willing to streamline the athletics program at the Games, to reduce the number of gold medals to be awarded and to give other and new Olympic disciplines more space to present their sports, the current World President of Athletics is following this unique selling point strategy by calling for even more athletics disciplines to be included in the Olympic programme and, like his predecessors, by withdrawing from any solidarity within the Olympic Movement. This also includes the hypocrisy of World Athletics towards the participation of neutral athletes in the Olympic Games and the unilateral action in the fight against doping, although athletics is the sport that has the most doping cases in the world.

The IOC has so far only reacted to the introduction of prize money at the Olympic Games by World Athletics with a very brief statement. It said that it distributes 90% of its income to the National Olympic Committees and to the International Sports Federations and that it is up to them to decide how the federations use the money. The IOC would distribute $4.2 million (€3.9 million) a day to support athletes and sports organizations around the world.

It now remains to be seen what further reactions the IOC will have. However, it can already be argued that the IOC has made a big mistake for a long time by transferring millions of dollars from the proceeds of the very successful sale of marketing and television licensing rights to the IOC’s stakeholders every four years, without tying the allocation of these funds to certain verifiable criteria of use.

It will also be interesting to see the reactions of the umbrella organisations of the international sports federations and the other international summer Olympic federations, which will now be confronted with the problem at the Paris Games that Olympic champions in athletics will receive 50,000 US $ in prize money for winning a gold medal. All other Olympic champions, on the other hand, have to be content with the honor of winning an Olympic gold medal.

For someone who knows the character of the president of World Athletics and his personality, his populist action is hardly surprising. In many respects, however, this action is completely unacceptable and must be seen as a threat to the future of the modern Olympic Games, because in this way Coe radically calls into question the unique selling point that has distinguished the more than 100-year history of the modern Olympic Games. He does this with the support of a council dominated by “yes-men” and “yes-women”, with the support of a secretary-general who exercises his office at Coe’s mercy, and with the support of ethics and compliance committees, whose members can be sure of the president’s friendship.

If Coe were to abide by the Olympic Charter to which he and World Athletics have committed himself, going it alone would be out of the question in every respect. For more than 100 years, the Olympic Games were for good reason “ad-free games” and, from a commercial point of view, deliberately limited games. During the Games themselves, in the Olympic sports arenas, commercial advertising, e.g. by means of advertising boards, is not allowed and advertising is only permitted to an extremely limited extent on the athletes’ clothing. The participation of athletes is subject to clear ethical guidelines and the payment of prize money is not provided for in the Olympic Charter. The Olympic Games are by no means a mere series of world championships of different sports. Their mandate is clearly defined in the Olympic Charter and since the IOC session in Beijing in 2022, all IOC members have spoken out in favor of a “communiter” and thus an extension of the Olympic motto in the Olympic Charter. The principle of solidarity thus applies to all participants in the Olympic Games.

The appropriate way to introduce prize money at the Olympic Games would therefore have been for World Athletics to submit its concerns to the IOC Executive at an early stage and, above all, to consult all other international federations. However, this path was not disputed by Coe for obvious reasons, as it was contrary to his own interests and he could not be sure of IOC support and the support of his IF colleagues. Rather, Coe seeks the applause of successful athletes such as Colin Jackson (GBR) or Robert Hartung (GER), who have already earned a lot of money with their sporting successes and only represent their own selfish interests with their support. Track and field athletes who will win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics can now count on $50,000 in prize money, although many of them do not need this additional income because of their other income. Most track and field athletes who win a gold medal have been so-called “sports millionaires” for a long time, who have sufficient advertising revenues, sponsorship contracts, entry fees and prize money at athletics meetings and world championships. Coe’s altruistic reasoning is therefore inaccurate in every respect, because it is above all those athletes who do not reach the finals of the Olympic competitions who are most likely to need financial support. With Coe’s initiative, rich athletes will become even richer and poor athletes even poorer, and the already far too wide gap between rich and poor Olympic sports will be widened. Because the promotion of the rich is at the expense of the promotion of all those who urgently need it.

The economic principle also applies to the revenues generated by the IOC that each euro can only be spent once. If all Olympic sports federations were to follow the example of Word Athletics and use the financial resources made available by the IOC to finance bonuses for their medal winners in the competitions of their sport, the question would arise as to which tasks can no longer be carried out by the international federations in the future. One thing is already certain. The unilateral action of World Athletics will lead to a new financial desire from athletes in all Olympic sports. After all, one question is legitimate and obvious: is it fair if the Olympic champions in one Olympic sport receive $50,000 for their gold medals, but the Olympic champions in all other Olympic sports are left empty-handed?

The objection of Coe’s compatriot, Britain’s five-time rowing gold medalist Steve Redgrave, to his grip on the Olympics is therefore particularly noteworthy. He points out that this attack goes against the “ethos of the Games” and that the Olympics are characterized by the fact that all athletes are at the same level of a platform and there is no “top” and “bottom.” Thus, a very special ideal of equality comes into play in the games.

Coe sees himself as a member of a generation that still walked to the honour of their own country for a 75 pence meal voucher and a second-class train ticket. He emphasizes this fact in order to demonstrate his competence for the changes that have been observed in modern high-performance sport in recent decades.

We agree with him that we live on a completely different planet today than we did when he competed. However, the conclusions he draws from it are in contrast to all the necessities and challenges that we face on our planet these days. In the face of an impending climate catastrophe, in the face of dangerous military conflicts and in the face of a global economic crisis, modesty and renunciation rather than the propagation of growth ideological maxims are the order of the day. A radical reduction of the CO2 emissions caused by world sport is demanded and an expansion of the existing competition operations is out of the question. Rather, a reduction in the number of international competition structures must be demanded. Coe’s announcement to extend or increase the competition season and the number of competitions is just too fatal. The gap between rich and poor must be reduced in the long term for the benefit of the disadvantaged of this world and must not be increased by the promotion of an insatiable greed for money.

With World Athletics’ decision to use remuneration from the IOC’s revenues to fund prize money, Coe has dangerously opened the door to new forms of commercialization of the Olympic Games. The demand for the release of “advertising on men” or “advertising on women” and advertising in the Olympic arenas could pose an even more serious threat. For those who still consider modern Olympism to be important and who emphatically express an interest in Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin‘s idea of peace even these days – despite all the dangers – the hope remains that the IOC will find ways to credibly oppose a creeping commercialization of the Games. The hope must also be combined with the wish that the international Olympic federations will be aware of their commitment to solidarity with the Olympic Charter and will also be prepared to resist self-destructive commercialization.

Comments are welcome 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 REPORT: Staggering doping levels in Russian 2012 medalist; worry over Olympic prizes fracturing the Games; UIPM to pick new chief

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ 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. CAS: Poistogova’s 2012 testosterone was 4.7x normal levels!
2. World Athletics’ Olympic prizes creating a two-tier Games?
3. World Boxing drawing more interest from national feds
4. Nike unveils Paris 2024 uniforms in multiple sports
5. Schormann to end UIPM Presidency at 31 years

● The written decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the case of the ex-London 2012 women’s 800 m medalist Ekaterina Poistogova (now Guliyev) underscored the enormity of the Russian doping program as a test a month prior to the Olympics produced a testosterone score nearly five times higher than her personal norm!

● Some pushback on the announcement that World Athletics will award Paris 2024 gold medalists $50,000 prizes from British rowing icon Steve Redgrave, saying his federation can’t afford to match that and that the Olympic Games could be severely fractured.

● World Boxing reported that it is seeing much more interest from national federations in view of the International Olympic Committee’s warning that if a new international federation for the sport is not available by “early 2025,” boxing will not be included on the Los Angeles 2028 program.

● In Paris, Nike held a gala unveiling of uniforms and footwear it is providing to the teams it is equipping for Paris 2024, with new technology in the shoes, but some unhappy comments on the dramatic cut of the women’s track & field singlet!

● Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne President Klaus Schormann announced that he will not stand for re-election at the federation’s Congress late this year, and will conclude his 31-year term, in favor of new leadership.

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (U.S. and Canada easily into semis of women’s Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Commonwealth Games (Glasgow considering 2026 hosting) = Athletics (O.J. Simpson passes at age 76) = Football (2: FIFA study shows many women players also have second jobs; good TV audience for USA-Canada SheBelieves final) = Ski Mountaineering (France sweeps Cortina World Cup Sprint and Relay) = Swimming (Dressel, Ledecky, Jacoby and Smith win at Tyr Pro Swim) = Weightlifting (Armenia’s Lalayan concluded IWF World Cup with win) ●

1.
CAS: Poistogova’s 2012 testosterone was 4.7x normal levels!

While the report of the disqualification of Russian 800 m runner Ekaterina Poistagova (now Guliyev) at the London 2012 Olympic Games came from the All-Russian Athletics Federation, the Athletics Integrity Unit released Thursday the full decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The AIU explained on X (ex-Twitter):

● “The AIU has banned Ekaterina Guliyev (born Zavyalovya; divorced Poistogova) (Russia/Turkey) for 2 years from 28 March [2024] for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (McLaren and LIMS evidence). DQ results from 17 July 2012 until 20 October 2014.”

● “NOTE: Guliyev has 45 days (until 13 May 2024) to appeal. If that deadline elapses without an appeal, this decision becomes binding and the AIU will proceed with the next steps regarding Guliyev’s results at the London 2012 Olympic Games to send a sanction memo to World Athletics’ Competition Department to disqualify the athlete’s results and thereafter to notify the IOC that World Athletics has modified the relevant results and rankings on their website.”

● “The IOC will determine any reallocation of Olympic medals and any update of its database.”

So the process is underway. The 35-page written decision explained that Poistogova’s samples from 17 July 2012 and 25 July 2012 were reported as clean to the World Anti-Doping Agency, but investigation of the Russian state-sponsored doping program from 2011 to 2015 showed those tests on a “washout schedule” in the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s Moscow Laboratory database. The tests apparently showed three prohibited substances: dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione and boldenone, but the documentation (chromatograms) was rather obviously doctored to show a negative result.

The decision also noted that Poistogova’s testosterone levels were sky-high in the 17 July and 25 July tests at 108 ng//ml and 58 ng/ml, respectively, compared with “five other samples from the athlete, which feature normal testosterone concentrations between 8 ng/ml and 23 ng/ml.”

The arbitrator had plenty of grounds to hold Poistogova to be doping, and she was sanctioned for four years from 28 March 2024 – the date of the judgement – with two years removed for time she previously served for a prior doping sanction in 2014!

Her results had been nullified from 20 October 2014, but now reach back to 17 July 2012, and wipe out her London 2012 Olympic bronze from 11 August. Her bronze medal was upgraded to silver after the disqualification of the winner, Russian Maria Savinova, for doping, leaving South Africa’s Caster Semenya as the gold medalist.

Now her silver should be removed by the International Olympic Committee, moving Kenyan Pam Jelimo to silver and American Alysia Montano to the bronze. Montano, in an Instagram post, pointed to bronze medals she “won” at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, both times being advanced from fourth after Savinova disqualifications. Now, two Russian disqualifications will move her to third for the London 2012 Games.

Observed: One important fact reported in the arbitrator’s decision was the testosterone level recorded for Poistogova: 108 ng/ml from the 17 July test, compared to her “normal” level of 8-23 ng/ml! That’s 4.7 times what her high-end “norm” was!

That’s what you can call “juiced,” and is a demonstration of how deeply into doping the Russians were during the 2011-15 time period and why so many athletes today are wary of trusting Russian athletes in any return to competition.

2.
World Athletics’ Olympic prizes creating a two-tier Games?

There was plenty of cheering after the World Athletics announcement that it would award $50,000 to the winners of each event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, a total of $2.4 million.

But not everyone was happy. For example, British rowing icon Steve Redgrave, now 62, and a five-time Olympic gold medalist in 1984 in the Coxed Four and in 1988-92-96-2000 in the Pairs. He told the Daily Mail (GBR):

“I was very surprised. If you win an Olympic gold medal in any athletics event, you are able to earn substantial financial gains from those results.

“It smacks a bit hard for the sports that can’t afford to do this. Rowing is in that situation. We struggle bringing sponsorship and finance into it.

“This separates the elite sports to the others like rowing, canoeing and most combat sports. They just don’t have the same funding that there is in World Athletics.

“I would prefer that the money they’re putting in to be helping more of the grassroots of their own sports – or helping other Olympic sports to be able to be at the same level on the same footprint.’

“Most of the other sports won’t be able to follow this. You’re making this into a two-tier process. This is to me the wrong direction.”

World Athletics said that it would fund the prize money – and expand it for LA28 to the top three places – from its tier-1 share of the IOC television rights fees, which was $39.48 million from the Tokyo 2020 Games. Rowing, a tier-3 sport, received $17.31 million, which it uses to fund its operations over the four years between Olympic Games.

The new offer also caught the attention of Jamaican sprinting icon Usain Bolt, who won nine golds in the 100-200-4×100 m relay in 2008-12-16, but lost one of the relay golds to a doping positive of a teammate. His reply on X:

“Any retroactive payment (wink emoji)”

Bolt’s achievements would have been worth $325,000!

3.
World Boxing drawing more interest from national feds

With the clock ticking on boxing’s place at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it appears that significantly more interest is being turned toward the new World Boxing group which aims to form an international federation that can be recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The Associated Press reported comments from Secretary General Simon Toulson (GBR):

“We’re in excess of 25, 30 countries asking us quickly if they can apply. And I think there’s another 25, 30 countries behind them that are starting to assess the implications and how they can join.”

World Boxing had just 27 national federation members at its formative Congress last November, but is the only obvious option for boxing to be included for the 2028 Games. Following the 3 April dismissal of the International Boxing Association’s appeal of the IOC’s withdrawal of recognition in 2023 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the IOC issued a stern statement which included:

“[F]or governance reasons, the IOC is not in a position to organise another Olympic boxing tournament. To keep boxing on the Olympic programme, the IOC needs a recognised and reliable International Federation as a partner, as with all the other Olympic sports.

“The establishment of such a federation, which respects the IOC conditions for recognition, is now in the hands of the National Boxing Federations and their National Olympic Committees (NOCs). These conditions include good governance, the integrity of competitions, transparency of finances and accounts, and autonomy. Every National Boxing Federation and every NOC that wants its boxers to make their Olympic dreams a reality and win medals will now have to take the necessary decisions. The NOCs and National Boxing Federations thus hold the future of Olympic boxing in their own hands, and the required actions cannot be clearer.

“At the moment, boxing is not on the sports programme for the Olympic Games LA28. In order to remedy this, the IOC needs to have a partner International Federation for boxing by early 2025.”

What the IOC has not said is how many countries constitute a “partner International Federation.” If World Boxing can get to 100, it will certainly get a serious look from the IOC, which has repeatedly said it likes boxers and boxing, but not the International Boxing Association.

National boxing federations have an incentive to join as well, since most of them are funded by their governments, which will hardly be interested in supporting a federation which has no association with, or path to, the Olympic Games.

4.
Nike unveils Paris 2024 uniforms in multiple sports

Worldwide apparel giant Nike showed off the uniforms it has created for multiple sports and multiple countries on Thursday, with considerable controversy over its women’s track & field singlet.

Reuters reported that: “As well as outfitting U.S. athletes across all sports, Nike will provide kit for the athletics teams of Canada, China, Kenya, Germany, and Uganda at the Olympics, basketball for China, France, Japan, and Spain, and athletes in breaking – a new breakdancing event at the Paris Games – for Korea.”

The announcement was made in Paris, including stars such as Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) and Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon. It also featured details on new shoes, using new materials to be lighter and faster. Nike running footwear manager Elliott Heath told CBS Sports:

“For our sprinters and our track athletes, they need something that is stable and that they can control, but they want all that energy back on the track.

“This comes to life in a dual-chamber pod system that helps create stability as well as capture that force and return it to the athlete … that’s what makes Air Zoom different than the other types of Air from Nike is that you’re able to put high pressures and really shape that [Air] bag to design around it and deliver the performance that athletes need.”

The uniform which drew the most attention was the women’s singlet – Nike is the apparel supplier to USA Track & Field – which has an exceptionally high cut that drew derision in online comments from current and former athletes. Lauren Fleshman, a three-time U.S. World Athletics Championships team member, a former Nike athlete and later a Nike critic, posted on Instagram:

“I’m sorry, but show me one WNBA or NWSL team who would enthusiastically support this kit. This is for Olympic Track and Field. Professional athletes should be able to compete without dedicating brain space to constant pube vigilance or the mental gymnastics of having every vulnerable piece of your body on display. …

“This is not an elite athletic kit for track and field. … I don’t expect or enjoy seeing female athletes or male athletes put in a position to battle self-consciousness at their place of work. That is not part of the job description.”

Only a few images of the Paris uniform packages have surfaced, and Nike’s USATF uniform program has offered multiple options for athletes to choose from; details on the 2023 uniform program was exclusively covered by TSX last October. USATF International Teams Manager Brad Birling explained that, for example, the 2023 World Athletics Championships, athletes got to pick out four uniforms to use in Budapest last summer.

For Paris, Nike said it will offer U.S. track athletes a specially-designed uniform to wear for finals; it created a special uniform for the American relay teams for Budapest in 2023.

5.
Schormann to end UIPM Presidency at 31 years

“Dr Klaus Schormann announces today that he will not seek re-election as President of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne at the 73rd UIPM Congress in November 2024.

“Dr Schormann, 77, intends to bring his Presidential tenure to a close at the end of this year having served at the helm of the global Modern Pentathlon movement since July 1993.”

The UIPM announcement follows up on a promise Schormann (GER) had already telegraphed during the difficult post-Tokyo period when the sport teetered on the brink of elimination from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program.

A incident during the riding competition in Tokyo in which German coach Kim Raisner hit the horse Saint Boy that would not jump for German star Annika Schleu caused the IOC to pressure the UIPM to change its program and eliminate riding. Schormann oversaw this process, which ended with obstacle racing being included – after considerable controversy – and the sport confirmed by the IOC for Los Angeles in 2028.

Schormann became the head of pentathlon in 1993, when the federation included both pentathlon and biathlon (UIPMB). The two sports were finally split for good in 1998, and Schormann has been the President of the single-sport Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne ever since.

He has been given credit for maintaining pentathlon’s place in the Games by maintaining close relationships with the IOC, despite his sport’s continuous ranking as the least popular in the Games.

The format of the sport has changed radically, from being held over consecutive days at five different sites, to a single venue and with the finals condensed for television to a 90-minute program in a specially-arranged arena. Beyond adding obstacle for 2028, the UIPM has absorbed the obstacle-racing federation (FISO).

A new president will be selected at the UIPM Congress in Riyadh (KSA) on 16-17 November of this year.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The quarterfinals of the IIHF Women’s World Championship, being held in Utica, New York, advanced Finland, the Czech Republic, Canada and the U.S. to the semifinal round.

Finland, the 2019 silver winners, stormed past Switzerland, 3-1, in the first game, scoring single goals in the second and third periods to break a 1-1 tie, and out-shooting the Swiss by 37:17. The tense second match had the Czech Republic defeating Germany, 1-0, on a third-period goal by defender Daniela Pejsova, with 7:06 to play.

Canada had little trouble with Sweden, winning 5-1 as Renata Fast scored twice and the Canadians had a 44-18 edge on shots.

The U.S., undefeated so far, got off to a 3-0 lead vs. Japan in the first period off scores from Lacey Eden at the 3:59 mark, then Hilary Knight at 8:35 and Alex Carpenter at 11:51. That ballooned to 9-0 in the second, with Abbey Murphy scoring twice. Carpenter got a second 5:25 into the third for 10-0 and that’s how it ended, with the U.S. out-shooting Japan, 48-14.

The semifinals – U.S. vs. Finland and Canada vs. the Czechs – will be held on Saturday, with the medal matches on Sunday. Twenty-one of the 22 finals in this tournament have featured Canada and the U.S., with Canada taking 12 titles all-time and the U.S., 10.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Commonwealth Games 2026 ● Sport Business reported that Glasgow (SCO), host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is discussing the possibility of hosting again in 2026. The Games have been looking for a home since the Australian state of Victoria pulled out from hosting responsibilities in mid-2023.

Ghana, which just hosted the African Games in Accra, has also shown interest. The Commonwealth Games Federation said it would have an announcement on the 2026 situation in May.

● Athletics ● The famed football star and accused murderer O.J. Simpson passed away on Wednesday (10th) from prostate cancer at age 76, according to his family.

He was a football superstar, winning the Heisman Trophy at USC in 1968 and going on to the NFL, where he became the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season (2,003) in 1973. He went on to fame as a broadcaster, actor and advertising spokesman, but was tried for the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994. He was acquitted of criminal charges, but found civilly liable. He later went to prison from 2008-17 for an armed robbery incident in 2007.

Simpson was fast and was a member of the USC world-record 440-yard relay team that ran 38.6 to win the NCAA championship at Provo, Utah in 1967, with Earl McCullouch, Fred Kuller, Simpson and Jamaica’s two-time Olympic 100 m medalist Lennox Miller. Simpson on his own was a 9.4 100-yard man and won All-American honors for his sixth-place finish in the NCAA 100 yards in that 1967 NCAA meet (9.53 auto time).

● Football ● Interesting study from FIFA, surveying 736 female players from 12 countries – amateurs, semi-pros and professionals – and asking them whether they have second jobs, whether they made more on football than they spent, caregiving responsibilities and more. On the job question:

● Australia (45 players): 78% had another job
● Botswana (52): 44% had another job
● Brazil (171): 5% had another job
● Chile (35): 40% had another job
● England (27): 33% had another job
● Fiji (31): 55% had another job
● Korea (86): 3.5% had another job
● Mexico (75): 19% had another job
● New Zealand (34): 40% had another job
● Nigeria (62): 13% had another job
● Sweden (70): 40% had another job
● U.S. (27): 30% had another job

Overall, the survey showed that 67% of all of these players “earn a substantial portion of their total annual income from playing football.”

The U.S. Women’s National Team penalty-shot win over Canada in Tuesday’s final of the SheBelieves Cup drew a quite respectable 621,000 audience on TBS, no. 3 in its time slot and the no. 7 sports show on the day. Even the post-game show did well, with 441,000 watching the trophy presentation; the pre-match program did 213,000.

● Ski Mountaineering ● At the final ISMF World Cup of the 2023-24 season, in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA), France swept the men’s and women’s Sprints.

The 2023 Worlds women’s bronze winner in Sprint, Emily Harrop won by nearly seven seconds in 3:18.63, trailed by Worlds runner-up Marianne Fatton (SUI: 3:25.43) and Celia Perillat-Pessey (FRA: 3:27.34).

The men’s Worlds silver medalist, Thibault Anselmet took a tighter men’s Sprint in 2:49.52, ahead of Swiss Arno Lietha (2:52.99) and Loic Dubois (2:57.82).

And, of course, Harrop and Anselmet teamed up to win the Mixed Relay in 33:43.45, from Johanna Hiemer and Paul Verbnjak (AUT: 33:51.50).

● Swimming ● The stars were out at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, with good, but not great times, and continued improvement from sprint star Caeleb Dressel.

The winner of five golds in Tokyo, Dressel has been slowly returning from time away from the pool since the middle of the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. He barely made it to the final of the men’s 100 m Free – he was the eighth qualifier – and was only fifth at the turn, but roared home and won in his fastest time since 2022 in 48.40. Fellow Americans Ryan Held (48.48) and Matt King (48.62) went 2-3.

That was the only men’s race won by an American on the night, as Brazil’s 2022 Worlds bronze winner Guilherme Costa took the 400 m Free in 3:46.61, ahead of Alfonso Mestre (VEN: 3:47.14) and Carson Foster (3:47.64). Denis Petrashov (KGZ) won the 100 m Breast ahead of 2024 World Champion Nic Fink, 59.83 to 1:00.03 and French star Leon Marchand won the 200 m Butterfly in 1:54.97, moving him to no. 7 on the world list. American Luca Urlando was second at 1:55.63.

Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky posted her fastest time of the year in the women’s 400 m Free in 4:01.41, no. 2 in the world so far, ahead of 1,500 m Free winner Paige Madden (4:04.86). Hong Kong sprint star Siobhan Haughey won the 100 m Free in 52.74, beating Americans Katie Douglass (52.98, no. 5 in 2024) and Torri Huske (53.08: 7th in 2024). Rio 2016 co-champ Simone Manuel was fifth in 53.25.

Tokyo Olympic winner Lydia Jacoby won the women’s 100 m Breast in 1:05.74 to move to no. 3 in the world for 2024, ahead of Emma Weber (1:06.50) and Rio 2016 winner Lilly King (1:06.71). World leader Regan Smith, the Tokyo women’s 200 m Butterfly runner-up, took that event in 2:05.97, well ahead of Dakota Luther (2:09.51).

The meet continues through Saturday.

● Weightlifting ● The 12-day IWF Grand Prix in Phuket (THA) – the final Olympic qualifier – closed with the men’s +109 kg class and a win for 2023 World Championships silver medalist Varazdat Lalayan from Armenia.

Lalayan won the Snatch at 210 kg and barely edged Tokyo Olympic runner-up Ali Davoudi (IRI) in the Clean & Jerk by 253 to 252 kg. The Armenian’s total of 463 kg was a clear winner, with Davoudi at 454 kg. Fellow Iranian Ayat Sharifikelarijani finished third at 447 kg.

Americans Caine Wilkes and Alejandro Medina were 11th and 13th, respectively, finishing with totals of 384 kg and 380 kg.

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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: World Athletics to pay Paris winners $50,000! Montano asks for 2012 bronze at LA28; Dillard’s London ‘48 100 m gold on auction!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Harrison Dillard’s London 1948 Olympic 100 m gold medal is now on auction! (Image: Ingrid O’Neil Auctions)

★ 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. World Athletics to pay $50,000 to Paris Olympic winners
2. ASOIF: New Olympic-program sports want IOC TV money earlier
3. Montano: “How can clean athletes be supported better?”
4. FloTrack to take over U.S. Diamond League rights in 2025
5. New auction features Dillard’s London ‘48 100 m gold!

● World Athletics became the first International Federation to award prize money for the Olympic Games, promising $50,000 to the 2024 Olympic champions in that sport in Paris. Moreover, the federation will pat the top three medal winners in 2028 in Los Angeles!

● At the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations meeting on Tuesday, the ASOIF Council and the head of the sport climbing federation asked the International Olympic Committee to help the new sports on the LA28 program with advanced TV rights sales money between 2025-28, instead of waiting until after the 2028 Games are over.

● Former U.S. 800 m star Alysia Montano is happy that she appears to be set to receive the London 2012 women’s 800 m bronze medal, but wants her ceremony in Los Angeles during the 2028 Olympic Games!

● FloTrack announced that it will have exclusive rights to the Diamond League track & field rights for all meets outside of the U.S., beginning in 2025, as NBC has decided not to continue showing the series, even with the 2028 Olympic Games coming to Los Angeles.

● A huge new auction of Olympic memorabilia has some memorable lots, including an Athens 1896 winner’s medal (in silver in those days), but especially Harrison Dillard’s 1948 Olympic 100 m gold, with the opening bid set at $120,000!

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (logo designer accuses organizing committee of fraud) = Olympic Winter Games 2034 (IOC Future Host Commission visits Salt Lake City) = Cycling (UCI hires ex-Homeland Security investigator on technological fraud) = Sport Climbing (Narasaki wins men’s Boulder World Cup) = Swimming (Finke and Madden take Tyr Pro Swim 1,500s) = Weightlifting (China’s Li returns with big win in IWF World Cup) = Wrestling (Italian star Chamizo alleges bribe attempt at European Olympic qualifiers) ●

● Errata: Wednesday’s post had a typographical error in the list of under-18 athletes at the Olympic Games in 2012-16-21; the London 2012 entry was shown as “London 2023″ and has been corrected. Thanks to Jill Jaracz of the “Keep The Flame Alive” podcast for the first notice.

1.
World Athletics to pay $50,000 to Paris Olympic winners

“In a landmark decision, World Athletics has today (10 April) announced it will become the first international federation to award prize money at an Olympic Games, financially rewarding athletes for achieving the pinnacle of sporting success, starting at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

“A total prize pot of US$2.4 million has been ring fenced from the International Olympic Committee’s revenue share allocation, which is received by World Athletics every four years. This will be used to reward athletes who win a gold medal in each of the 48 athletics events in Paris with US$50,000.”

Wednesday’s announcement was truly a first, and the federation promised to do more in four years:

“This initiative by World Athletics also includes a firm commitment to extend the prize money at a tiered level, to Olympic silver and bronze medal winners at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.”

While it is true that no International Federation has been paying Olympic prize money, Olympic medal winners routinely receive cash awards from their National Olympic Committees. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s “Operation Gold” will pay Paris 2024 Olympic medal winners $37,500-25,000-15,000 to gold-silver-bronze medal winners and many other countries provide awards to medal winners.

While the $50,000 Olympic winner’s bonus from World Athletics is a breakthrough, it is less than the federation pays for its own World Championships, where the top eight receive prize money. At the 2023 Worlds in Budapest (HUN), the prize pool was $8.498 million, with individual awards of $70,000-35,000-22,000-16,000-11,000-7,000-6,000-5,000 and relay awards of $80,000-40,000-20,000-16,000-12,000-8,000-6,000-4,000.

Said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR):

“While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is.”

Observed: This is a leadership moment for World Athletics and Coe, a two-time Olympic champion himself, from 1980 and 1984.

There has been commentary that such a move would infuriate the International Olympic Committee, but this hardly seems likely as so many National Olympic Committees already award prizes for their athletes who win medals. Moreover, this was the tradition at the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, with the city-states who sent their athletes to the Games rewarded them for success at the Games.

As for the International Federations, they didn’t exist in ancient times, and the Olympic federations each receive millions from the IOC as a share of the television rights sales from the Games. For Tokyo in 2020, World Athletics received $39.48 million and expects to receive more after Paris 2024.

2.
ASOIF: New Olympic-program sports want IOC TV money earlier

Only a 10-minute discussion out of a day-long series of presentations at the General Assembly of the Association of Olympic International Sports Federations (ASOIF), but one to keep an eye on came at the end of the International Olympic Committee presentation by Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL).

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA) followed with some issues raised by the ASOIF Council for the IOC to hear – not necessarily for McConnell to respond to – but to take back to Olympic House in Lausanne.

Ricci Bitti, the former head of the International Tennis Federation, again asked for a raise to $596.5 million in the IOC’s payments to the International Federations, as requested in 2023; the IOC paid out $540.0 million for both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Of note in this regard is that the new contract with NBC – $7.65 billion for the 2022-24-26-28-30-32 Games – is now in effect.

He also asked for a review on how the federations are “rated” for the purposes of how that money is distributed:

“The third point, we believe that, not in the short term, but perhaps in the longer term, means the next cycle – I don’t want to commit my successor, but I have to represent what the [ASOIF] Council feel – we need to review or to study – that doesn’t mean that you have to take measures [on the grouping] – but at least we have to review, to update, the study of the criteria of our federations because, basically, at the end, our aim is to evaluate data which is the level of contribution of each sport.

“And the sports are very different. Some sports are one discipline, some sports have many disciplines, so we have to see from a little bit different perspective what we did 10 years – 20 years ago, sorry – so we start to review, I think for many reasons and I hope you will always be available … to help us.”

Ricci Bitti then asked for the IOC to look at the situation for the federations for sport climbing (IFSC), skateboarding (World Skate) and surfing (ISA), which have now been included in three straight Games – Tokyo, Paris and Los Angeles – and their need for some advanced payments from what they will finally get following LA28 as a full, Olympic-program sport:

“We raise also the point that in the case of the new statute, that means that the new sports become full sports of the scheme in the third cycle, perhaps considering in the third cycle because these sports normally needs more money to have an advance payment, not to pay only after the Games some money they have cash-flow problems.

“I think this would be very useful to the small sports, and to the new sports.”

(At present, federations receive IOC TV money only after a Games has taken place. )

This was followed by International Federation of Sport Climbing President Marco Scolaris (ITA), to address “the topic of the transition from additional sport, now OCOG sport to program sport.

“The transition today affects us, climbing, surfing and skateboarding, our athletes and our governing bodies. It is not a caprice, it is a real issue. Please, you international federations, our colleagues, our friends, put yourselves in our shoes, and imagine to deliver in Paris the event of your dreams, and then you start living in the uncertainty, not having the resources to move from Paris to Los Angeles.

“The issue now on the table, some of you expressed their solidarity to us already and I wish that you could help us to find a solution together with the IOC. Thank you.”

Ricci Bitti added, “We are working on that as you know, to clarify what the IOC could do, and we are very sensitive to your needs.”

McConnell commented briefly on all of the requests, including on the money:

“We have continuing discussions with ASOIF on the revenue distributions, and we won’t go into that now, but I think being on the program for L.A. opens us a different discussion as we go forward to L.A.

“We fully understand the point you’ve raised regarding the timings of those payments, particularly for you, and you’re not building on the back of payments from Paris to get you through the cycle to Los Angeles, but in that regard I think we can also say we’ve had a lot of dialogue and provided a lot of support both through the Tokyo cycle and the Paris cycle, not only directly, but also through all of the other ways that the sports on the program benefit, through Olympic Solidarity, through CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport], WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency], ITA [International Testing Agency], other investments, including the investments we’ve made for some of you around the Olympic Qualifier Series as well.”

This is not going to go away, especially as all three of these federations are veterans of a brutal process to get into the Games and then to stay in.

3.
Montano: “How can clean athletes be supported better?”

This has been a whirlwind week for former U.S. women’s 800 m star Alysia Montano, who is in position to be advanced to the bronze medal in the London 2012 Olympic women’s 800 m after the All-Russian Athletics Federation retroactively disqualified Ekaterina Poistogova (now Guliyev) for doping based on evidence from the Moscow Laboratory which supervised the Russian state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15.

Poistogova was originally third, then moved up to silver after Russian winner Marina Savinova was disqualified. Now, she stands to be disqualified by World Athletics and for the International Olympic Committee to move Montano up to third, behind Caster Semenya (RSA: gold) and Pam Jelimo (KEN: silver).

Montano expressed her mixed emotions about the news and what she wants to see happen in the future in an Instagram post on Tuesday:

“Time. It waits for no one. We’ve all heard that. It’s true, and it’s what we have that makes life’s moments so precious. Olympic Bronze medalist 12 years later … I think about loss, but I try not to … who was here that isn’t, mainly my grandma, Mama, our biggest supporter and inspiration. What could have been that isn’t … the struggle that didn’t have to be (my stomach in knots doing so). A mixed bag of emotions, truth prevailing, heartbreak and relief, joy and pain. A constant dull ache over the last 48 hours, one that I’d learned to suppress over the years, but there. It’s not a good feeling to live with for so many years. How can clean athletes be supported better?

“2012 – 12 years ago. A lot of loss. 3 podium moments that should have happened in real time that didn’t?!

“There is also a lot I moved forward with by knowing deep down. I couldn’t let dopers win. I moved forward with my family knowing this Olympic medal was mine. I laid it out there every time. I have no regrets, only that I wish I was supported in real time – I ran with integrity I represented myself, my family, my country, my friends, my supporters and my community with honor. I respected and respect my competitors and their pursuit. That’s what the Olympic spirit is suppose to embody. Respect, bravery, courage. I fought well and true and I always will. I put my foot forward to leave the sport better than I found it and I fight for the future and I’ll continue to fight. It’s time to fight for me in the present, but also her in the past … we fight for justice.

“We need policy reform we need to institute an athlete mental health protection policy plan and a institute a framework that pays athletes for their loss. Here’s my ask at the very least: I want my medal at LA2028 in front of my entire family and friends on my home turf. I waited this long, 4 more years to do it right. I also want financial losses recouped. The emotions are so very mixed, but I believe this is the least that can be done. Who’s with me?”

Montano’s story is excruciating. As she mentioned, the 2012 Olympic bronze would be her third medal awarded as a result of doping positives. At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu (KOR), she finished fourth in a race won by Savinova, later disqualified for doping as one of eight such Russian women medal winners.

In 2013 in Moscow (RUS), she was fourth again, with Savinova second and later disqualified for doping, and again moved up to third.

The only international medal she was awarded at the site of the race was her 2010 World Indoor bronze, in a race won by the Russian Savinova. Now 37, Montano says she wants her London 2012 bronze – still to be re-allocated by the IOC – in Los Angeles in 2028.

4.
FloTrack to take over U.S. Diamond League rights in 2025

“In a major announcement on April 10, FloTrack revealed it will add to its five-star live content schedule by streaming the Wanda Diamond League for U.S. audiences and territories beginning in 2025.

“FloSports, the global sports media company and operator of FloTrack, signed a multi-year media rights agreement with the Wanda Diamond League to distribute the world’s very best track and field meets, including events held in London, Monaco, Stockholm and Rome, among others.”

Wednesday’s statement signaled the end of NBC’s coverage of the Diamond League, except for Diamond League meets held in the U.S. (i.e., the Prefontaine Classic). NBC Sports Communications Vice President Dan Masonson confirmed that “this is our final season presenting Diamond League.”

The World Athletics Championships will remain on NBC’s channels through 2029, as will some other meets, but the top-tier invitational circuit will now only be on streaming. Much of NBC’s coverage had been heading to its Peacock streaming service anyway, but many of the Diamond League meets were shown – live or delayed – on CNBC or USA Network.

Peacock reached 31 million subscribers as of the end of 2023, well behind Disney+ (150.2 million) and Paramount+ (67.5 million), also with linear television networks. Peacock is available at $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year; Flotrack charges $29.99 per month or an annual rate of $150 per year.

Founded in 2006, FloSports provides streaming coverage of about two dozen sports, and has expanded its track & field footprint by absorbing the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS, for NCAA statistics) and MileSplit.com, a national high school reporting site.

Observed: Whether FloTrack will be a good home for the Diamond League is yet to be determined. But what is clear is that, with the Olympic Games coming to Los Angeles in 2028, NBC was getting so little interest in the Diamond League that it simply jettisoned it.

That’s not good.

5.
New auction features Dillard’s London ‘48 100 m gold!

A new, 478-lot auction of Olympic memorabilia from Ingrid O’Neil is on now featuring an enormous inventory of medals and some rare torches, including one of Harrison Dillard’s famous golds from the 1948 London Olympic Games.

Dillard was the heavy 1948 favorite in the 110 m hurdles, but failed to make the U.S. team, but did make it in the 100 m. In the final, he upset teammate Barney Ewell as both were timed in an Olympic Record of 10.3; this 100 m gold is on auction – with its leather presentation case – with a starting bid of $120,000. Dillard won the 110 m hurdles four years later in Helsinki, was on winning 4×100 m relays in both Games and passed away at age 96 in 2019.

There are 37 items with starting bids of $10,000 or more:

● $240,000: 1972 Sapporo Winter cased set of Olympic badges (48)
● $120,000: 1948 London gold medal won by Harrison Dillard
● $80,000: 1896 Athens first-place medal
● $65,000: 1952 Oslo Winter torch
● $65,000: 1992 Albertville Winter torch
● $30,000: 2012 London silver medal for men’s gymnastics
● $30,000: 1964 Tokyo Imperial Family badge
● $28,000: 1972 Sapporo Winter torch
● $24,000: 1956 Stockholm gold medal for equestrian
● $24,000: 1964 Tokyo gold medal for canoeing

● $22,000: 1956 Cortina Winter torch
● $22,000: 1988 Calgary Winter torch
● $20,000: 1908 London gold medal for football
● $20,000: 2016 Rio silver medal
● $20,000: 2016 Rio bronze medal (2 offered)
● $18,000: 1924 Sevres Porcelain Award vase for Johnny Weissmuller
● $16,000: 1936 Garmisch Winter gold medal
● $15,000: 1904 St. Louis silver medal for football
● $15,000: 1932 Lake Placid Winter bronze medal
● $15,000: 1968 Grenoble Winter gold medal for ice hockey

● $12,000: 1920 Antwerp gold medal for swimming
● $12,000: 1924 Chamonix Winter bronze medal (2 offered)
● $12,000: 1976 Innsbruck Winter gold medal for speedskating
● $12,000: 1988 Calgary Winter silver medal
● $12,000: 1994 Lillehammer Winter bronze medal for luge
● $12,000: 2000 Sydney gold medal for taekwondo
● $12,000: 1904 St. Louis Participation Medal
● $11,000: 1960 Rome gold medal for wrestling
● $11,000: 1964 Tokyo gold medal for fencing
● $11,000: 1988 Seoul gold medal for women’s fencing

● $10,000: 1948 London gold medal
● $10,000: 1964 Innsbruck Winter gold medal for speedskating
● $10,000: 1972 Munich gold medal for canoeing
● $10,000: 1984 Los Angeles gold medal for women’s gymnastics
● $10,000: 2008 Beijing silver medal for baseball

The 1896 winner’s medal from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens is silver, as the use of gold medals for winners did not start until Paris in 1900. The 1920 Antwerp gold is from the 4×200 m Freestyle relay, given to second-leg swimmer Pua Kela Keoloha of the U.S. team.

The 1924 vase presented to star American swimmer Weissmuller was authenticated by his wife in 1993 and was offered at a post-Paris ceremony by the French President, the head of the French Olympic Committee and IOC chief Baron Pierre de Coubertin!

There are many items from the 1906 Athens anniversary Olympic Games and the 1912 Stockholm Games, and a couple of badges from the 1919 Inter-Allied Games held after World War I. A large selection of items from the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is available, including a child’s kimono ($150 starting price) and a gear-shift knob ($120)!

Lot 1 is a mystery package of “Winners Medals of the Olympic Summer and Winter Games” but without further details. The auction continues to 4 May 2024.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The FrancsJeux.com site reports allegations by the designer of the Paris 2024 logos, Sylvain Boyer, that his work has been insufficiently promoted and was “fraudulently sidelined” in 2020 by the hiring of another marketing agency. The French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) is looking into the matter.

● Olympic Winter Games 2034 ● The IOC’s evaluation team for the 2034 Winter Games is in Salt Lake City, Utah, seeing the planned venues and program details in person this week. While the IOC team, led by Winter Future Host Commission Chair Karl Stoss (AUT) is not promising the Games are a sure thing – an evaluation report will be followed by votes by the IOC Executive Board and the IOC Session – he said, “We have a very good feeling” at the introductory presentation.

● Cycling ● The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has hired a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigator to head its efforts against technological fraud.

Nicholas Raudenski served with Homeland Security before moving on to FIFA and then UEFA in football, dealing with match-fixing and other corruption issues. He comes to the UCI from the International Testing Agency, where he headed investigations since 2021. His mission:

“[L]ead a detailed global strategy for the fight against technological fraud in cycling, building on the work already carried out by the UCI in this domain. He will strengthen the UCI’s programme, optimise the use of existing resources, monitor and assess current technological advancements and supervise the development of new methods to detect technological fraud. He will also analyse and investigate – swiftly and robustly – all allegations and reports of possible technological fraud.”

● Sport Climbing ● Heavy weather canceled the qualifying and 19 climbers went directly to the final of the men’s IFSC Boulder World Cup in Keqiao (CHN) on Wednesday, but it didn’t bother Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki.

The two-time Bouldering World Champion led a Japanese 1-2, winning with two tops and four zones (2T4Z ~ 2/4), ahead of teen star Sorato Anraku (17), who managed 2T4Z ~ 4/8. Hannes van Duysen (BEL) was third at 2T3Z ~ 4/4.

● Swimming ● The Tyr Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, Texas started on Wednesday, with Olympic champ Bobby Finke scoring a decisive win in the men’s 1,500 m Freestyle.

Finke won in 15:05.96, just behind his best for the year (15:04.43), which ranks 20th on the world list. He beat Austria’s Felix Auboeck, the 2021 World Short-Course 400 m Free winner (15:13.62) and American William Mulgrew (15:19.25). Paige Madden of the U.S. won the women’s 1,500 m in 16:19.77, well ahead of Densz Ertan (TUR: 16:33.20) and Paige Downey (USA: 16:35.01).

The meet continues through Saturday.

● Weightlifting ● At the IWF World Cup in Phuket (THA) – the final Olympic qualifier – Tokyo Olympic champ and world-record holder Wenwen Li of China returned from injury and destroyed a good field in the women’s +87 kg class by lifting 145/180/325 kg to win the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and the overall total. South Korean Hye-jeong Park – the 2023 World Champion – was second at 130/166/296 kg and teammate Young-hee Son was third (283 kg total).

American Mary Theisen-Lappen, the 2023 Worlds runner-up, finished fifth, lifting a combined total of 274 kg.

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Akbar Djuraev (UZB) was an easy winner of the men’s 109 kg class, winning all three segments at 189/227/416 kg, way ahead of Dadash Dadashbayli (AZE: 177/211/388 kg). The competition ends on Thursday.

● Wrestling ● Shocking allegation of bribery reported in the Italian press involving Frank Chamizo, the two-time Freestyle World Champion at 65 kg (2015) and 70 kg (2017), who lost at the European Olympic Qualifier in Baku (AZE) last week in the semifinals of the 74 kg class to Azerbaijan’s 2021 European runner-up Turan Bayramov on criteria after an 8-8 tie in regulation.

Chamizo was awarded what appeared to be a two-point score late that would have won the match, but the decision was reversed on an appeal from the Azerbaijan corner. Chamizo, originally from Cuba, wrote on his Instagram page (computer translation from the original Spanish):

“sorry to whoever is watching this my sport is beautiful. This is just a group of bribed and corrupt people that sadness the heart cries to me … my sport is beautiful my sport is beautiful I’m sorry I’m sorry.”

By winning the semi, Bayramov qualified for the Paris Games.

According to an interview with the La Repubblica daily, Chamizo said:

“I knew I had to give double, triple in Azerbaijan, because I was fighting at their house and they had bought everything. The same referee was with the Azerbaijanis throughout the tournament. I made it, but then something happened that reminds me of boxing from many years ago. And so yes, I mean it, they came to me offering me money, $300,000 to lose.

“But Chamizo (not kindly) returned the offer to the sender: ‘I don’t want to say who did it, but it happened on the morning of the weigh-in. I sent them to … because I represent not only myself, but also Italy, my federation FIJLKAM, and the Army. I’m so disgusted that I don’t feel like talking about sports.”

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TSX REPORT: IOC formulating young-athlete guidelines, big LA28 venue reveal coming, can Ghana save the Commonwealth Games?

By
Rich Perelman
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LA28 Senior Director of Sports Nicco Campriani at the ASOIF General Assembly, explaining the sports schedule timeline (ASOIF video screenshot)

★ 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. ASOIF: IOC to introduce “youth athlete” guidelines
2. Paris readies 500,000 new tickets, LA28 to announce venues
3. ASOIF: Four new members, IBA excluded per statute
4. Ghana a possible 2026 Commonwealth Games host
5. Naeher saves U.S., beats Canada in SheBelieves Cup final

● At the General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), International Olympic Committee Sports Director Kit McConnell explained that the IOC is undertaking a framework on support for under-18 (minor) athletes, with a “consensus statement” coming in May and a more detailed guideline in 2025. The ASOIF also elected a new president, the FEI chief Ingmar De Vos.

● Also at ASOIF, a report from Paris 2024 said a new sale of 500,000 tickets will start on 17 April, the last large offering of tickets for the Games. An LA28 report indicated that announcements on venue locations will come later this year. Athlete quotas per sport for 2028 will likely be very close to or the same as for 2024, bad news for those sports which got cuts for Paris.

● The ASOIF General Assembly adopted new rules on how federations which are admitted for a single Olympic Games can become part of the organization for the purpose of receiving a share of the IOC television revenue for that Games. Also, the International Boxing Association was dismissed from ASOIF as it is no longer recognized by the IOC.

● Ghana has emerged as a possible host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the national sports minister saying that the success of March’s African Games shows they can handle the event. The Commonwealth Games have never been held in Africa.

● The U.S. women won a thriller from Canada on penalty kicks (5-4) after a 2-2 tie during regulation time in the final of the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio. American keeper Alyssa Naeher starred in the shoot-out, making three saves and scoring once herself!

● World Championships: Ice Hockey (quarters set in Women’s World Champs) ●

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (2: NBCU sees record ad sales for Paris; all holidays for Paris police canceled for Games period) = Athletics (China to fund $36 million in repairs to Robinson National Stadium in The Bahamas) = Football (2: FIFA settles Relevent Sports lawsuit, opening the door for national leagues matches to be held in a foreign country; Greece bans paper tickets, will require digital tickets for security) = Modern Pentathlon (UIPM approves 13 “neutrals” for World Cup entries, but won’t name them!) = Sport Climbing (Garnbret wins World Cup Boulder opener) = Swimming (796 qualified so far for U.S. Trials) = Taekwondo (World Taekwondo study shows 60% of elite-level athletes in mental-health distress) = Weightlifting (Dajomes returns from injury to win at IWF World Cup) ●

1.
ASOIF: IOC to introduce “youth athlete” guidelines

The appearance of very young athletes at the Olympic Games, notably 12-year-old Skateboarding Park silver medalist Kokona Hiraki of Japan and bronze winner Sky Brown of Great Britain and 13-year-olds Momiji Nishiya (JPN: gold) and Rayssa Leal (BRA: silver) in Street at Tokyo 2021, raised the issue of minors and their special needs.

The International Olympic Committee is now in the process of creating a framework on this issue, with IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) explaining the concept and the timeline during Tuesday’s General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF):

● 2024: Jan.-Feb.: Elite athlete survey
● 2024: Mar.-May: Federation, country consultations
● 2024: Mar.-May: Athlete consultations in 7 nations
● 2024: May: Consensus Statement on Elite Youth Athletes
● 2024: Oct.-Dec.: Stakeholder review
● 2025: (date tbd): Launch of the IOC Framework

McConnell also shared statistical data on under-18 athletes at recent Games, which has actually gone down considerably.

● 230 at London 2012 (2.15% of the athlete total)
● 190 at Rio 2016 (1.67%)
● 158 at Tokyo 2020 (1.39%)

He also noted that just 11 athletes in Tokyo were from 12-14 years old, 23 were 15, 43 were 16 and 81 were 17. By contrast, there were 180 athletes over 40 in Tokyo against 158 under 18.

As for the federations, McConnell explained that 29 of the 48 sports disciplines for Paris have minimum age limits and 19 do not.

The forthcoming “Consensus Statement” in May continues a series of IOC initiatives on international sport questions, and while not providing definitive rules – the IOC wants to leave the federations to work out what is best for them – makes its view known.

There was considerable activity at the ASOIF General Assembly, with the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) President Ingmar De Vos (BEL) elected by 29-0 as the next President of the organization. He was the only candidate and will take over on 1 January 2025.

There was no announcement about future distribution amounts or tiers of the IOC’s Olympic television rights money to the federations, with current President Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA) explaining that the IOC has been well informed about the expectation of the federations that more money will be distributed for Paris 2024 than for Rio and Tokyo (both $540 million).

However, Ricci Bitti told the delegates that new, internal discussions were needed on the criteria for distribution, as the classification into five tiers – agreed in 2013 – needs to be updated, taking into account the rise of social media The IOC provides significant data on Olympic television viewing, but Ricci Bitti indicated that ASOIF has additional data which can be taken into account when determining who gets how much.

2.
Paris readies 500,000 new tickets, LA28 to announce venues

A big chunk of the ASOIF meeting was reports from future organizing committees, starting with the Paris 2024 team, led by President Tony Estanguet. The popularity of the Games was highlighted, with 7.9 million Olympic tickets sold so far, with 37% sold outside of France, and the U.S. and Great Britain the leading out-of-country buyers.

A major new sale is coming on 17 April, with 500,000-plus tickets to be made available, covering all sports and most sessions. These are tickets which had been held for contingencies and possible camera positions, but can now be sold.

With just more than 100 days to go, it was noted that the Paris organizers will still bring on some 2,500 paid staff for the Games. In the Sports Department alone, staffing between now and 26 July will rise from 326 to 514, and 10,932 volunteers will be assigned to the department.

LA28 Senior Director of Sports Nicco Campriani – the three-time Olympic gold medalist in Shooting from Italy – led the report from the 2028 organizing committee, accompanied by Senior Advisor for Sport Planning Katy Dunnet (CAN), representing the five-person LA28 Sports Department, addressed the assembly:

“We continue to be quite lean, not only as a Sports Department, but as an organizing committee. Just for your information, we’re approximately 180 in terms of head count. We are searching for our new CEO and we hope to make an announcement of the appointment before Paris.”

He indicated that staffing would rise quickly after Paris, and expressed appreciation for the arduous process of agreeing with the federations on the disciplines for 2028, confirmed by the IOC last year:

“We learned a lot in terms of cost and complexity within the Olympic context, as well as looking at optimization. And so, in the end, I think we were very creative in finding new venues shares, new field-of-play shares and we are here today, not having to cut disciplines, but looking at a more efficient way to deliver the Games, is thanks to our collaboration.”

He also thanked the federations for keeping quiet about the venue plans:

“I think we have engaged with each one of you and we have asked each one of you not to share your location, in particular if your location has changed since the time of the bid with anybody, because we are getting ready for a number of announcements throughout 2024. …

“We also have a number of venue changes; they’re exciting ones and we do stress the confidentiality, so we can all make a big splash when it comes to that announcement, all together. The reason is that we didn’t have venues for skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing in 2017 at the time of the bid. Of course, we have the new sports. …

“The announcements are coming, but the concept of the sport parks has not changed.”

LA28 has not announced venues for the five new sports, but changes are already known for flatwater canoeing and rowing, from Lake Perris in Riverside County, to the Long Beach Marine Stadium, and basketball from the Crypto.com Arena to the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman said in March that UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion will not be used for competitions, so judo and wrestling will go elsewhere – possibly to the Los Angeles Convention Center and/or Crypto.com Arena, and there are questions about sites for equestrian and modern pentathlon, both originally located at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area.

The most tantalizing rumors are for the canoe slalom to be held at the world-class Riverpark OKC in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and hushed whispers about relocating swimming from the proposed Dedeaux Field at the University of Southern California – in a temporary pool – to the 70,240-seat SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the site of the opening ceremony.

(To do that, the scheduling for the Games from 1972 on, with swimming during the first week, would have to be shifted at least somewhat, to bring the temporary pools in. Wouldn’t that be something!)

Of high interest to the federations was the determination of the final event program for 2028. Federations submitted their wish lists in March, with post-Paris evaluation data to be collated by November of this year. Discussions – negotiations – will take place in December and January of 2025, with a proposal for approval by the IOC’s Olympic Program Commission and then the IOC Executive Board during the first quarter of 2025.

Once the events are formalized, the sports schedule by session – already under development – is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2025.

With 35 sports already in the 2028 Games – the most ever – the number of athletes reserved for each sport is under extreme pressure. The IOC’s McConnell reminded the federations of the event framework adopted last November, including:

● “Avoid any increase to the respective sport specific quota allocation compared to the Paris 2024 Programme.”

● “Demonstrate a positive and sustainable impact on the Games and host, focusing on ensuring compelling and high-value sessions while reducing cost and complexity of operations, e.g., number of competition and training days.”

● “Use only existing venues and fields of play with no major adaptations, as per the discipline definition abovementioned unless otherwise agreed with the IOC and LA28.”

The agreed-on athlete quota of 10,500 for the 2024 Games in Paris is expected to be pushed to 11,242 for LA28 with the five added sports; for now, the cuts made to sports for 2024 will be maintained to 2028.

3.
ASOIF: Four new members, IBA excluded per statute

The ASOIF General Assembly welcomed in four new members, based on the new sports being added for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, for cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash. The votes were overwhelming, but not unanimous:

● International Cricket Council: 26 yes, 1 against, 1 abstained
● Int’l Federation of American Football: 26-2-0
● World Lacrosse: 25-1-2
● World Squash: 28-0-1

ASOIF also approved a rules change, necessitated by the now-common movement of sports on and off of the Olympic program. International Federations may now apply to be members – and therefore receive a distribution of International Olympic Committee television rights fee money – once their sport has been approved for inclusion in a specific Olympic Games. But:

“Associate Membership will only become effective for the Olympiad (meaning beginning on 1 January and ending on 31 December of the fourth year) relating to their inclusion.”

In this way, the IOC payout to a sport on the Olympic program for a single Games will receive money only related to that Games.

“The least we can say is that this process is not very stable,” said ASOIF chief Ricci Bitti at the post-General Assembly news conference.

“Originally, for the Tokyo Games, additional sports were intended to help the organizing country enrich the program with disciplines popular among its public. The Japanese did this. Paris 2024 also more or less respected this principle. But for Los Angeles, the process was totally distorted.

With the Americans’ choice [of five added sports], we will have 35 or 36 sports. We had 26 at the London Games in 2012.”

This impacts, of course, the amounts that all of the federations receive and although the choice of sports is up to the IOC and the organizing committees, Ricci Bitti noted, “But then we suffer the consequences.”

ASOIF also voted, by 28-0-1, to exclude the International Boxing Association, which was de-recognized by the IOC at the 2023 IOC Session in India. The ASOIF rules require that member federations are in “good standing” with the IOC and IBA is not.

So the vote was taken, with Ricci Bitti saying, “It is very regretful, but we have to do it this way.”

The IBA posted a statement that included:

“While this outcome is profoundly disappointing, we wish to stress our unwavering commitment to the sport of boxing and our remarkable athletes and coaches across the globe as the IBA starts its recognition journey.”

4.
Ghana a possible 2026 Commonwealth Games host

In an interview with Ghana’s GHONE TV, Mustapha Ussif, Ghana’s Youth and Sports Minister, said that the success of the recent African Games in Accra shows that the country could be the host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games:

“We have the existing facilities to host the Commonwealth Games, plus it won’t cost us much to host the games as compared to how much it cost us to host the African games if we decide to”.

“The Commonwealth Games secretariat even gives the host nation money unlike the African Games where the host solely funds every expenditure for the games, so Ghana can host it if we decide to do it.”

And the Commonwealth Games Federation – which announced this week that it would have a 2026 host by next month after losing the Australian state of Victoria as 2026 host in 2023 – has already been in Ghana to discuss it. Said Ussif:

“In fact, [Chris Jenkins/WAL] the President of the Commonwealth Games was in Ghana recently, and we held several meetings with him. He visited our facilities for the African Games and was impressed. They want an African nation to host the Games.”

The 22 prior Commonwealth Games have never been held in Africa, but seven times in England-Scotland-Wales, five times in Australia, four times in Canada, three times in New Zealand, and once in Jamaica, Malaysia and India.

The African Games in Accra were plagued by delays, but came off reasonably well. Held from 8-23 March, the program include 2,644 athletes from 53 nations, contesting 335 in 22 sports and seven more demonstration sports.

By contrast, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG) had 5,054 athletes from 72 Commonwealth federations, competing in 280 events in 20 sports.

The Commonwealth Games Federation is offering a subsidy of £100 million (about $127 million U.S.), from the abandonment fee paid by the Australian state of Victoria when it gave up on the Games last year.

5.
Naeher saves U.S., beats Canada in SheBelieves Cup final

A tightly-contested contest ended in penalty kicks at the SheBelieves Cup final in Columbus, Ohio, with U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher once again the star at the end of the night, saving three penalties and scoring one herself, for a 5-4 final after a 2-2 tie.

Both sides were ready to go from the kickoff and the game was played at a hot pace for the first 20 minutes, but neither side could score. U.S. striker Jaedyn Shaw had a big chance in the 29th, taking control of the ball in the box and sending a point-blank shot at Canadian keeper Kailen Sheridan, who came out and smothered it.

In the 40th, Canada struck for the first goal, starting with a long pass down the right side of the pitch that resulted in a footrace between midfielder Ashley Lawrence and American defender Tierna Davidson trying to gain possession and Naeher coming out to clear. Lawrence and Naeher collided and the ball squirted toward the middle of the field, just above the box to defender Deanne Rose, who sent a pass to her left to striker Adriana Leon, who pounded a right-footed shot through the legs of defender Abby Dahlkemper and into the empty net for the 1-0 lead.

The U.S. had more chances, with an Alex Morgan shot inside the box blocked in the 42nd and Shaw sending a promising shot over the top of the net in the 44th. The Americans controlled possession with 63%, but Canada had a 5-4 shot edge and the lead.

The second half saw the U.S. on the attack and after Canada could not clear a few minutes in, the ball ended up on the right side of the field, with Shaw making a pass to forward Sophia Smith just beyond the box. Smith took a look and saw a path to the goal and sent a left-footed laser diagonally across to the far side of the goal and beyond Sheridan’s dive for a 1-1 tie in the 50th.

The defenses were stiff and the action was end-to-end, but Shaw once again broke the game open. She took a pass in the midfield from midfielder Lindsey Horan, then pushed the ball forward to sub striker Trinity Rodman between defenders and Rodman sprinted forward and fed Smith to her right. Running in stride, Smith ripped a right-footer across the goal and again beat Sheridan to the far side of the goal for a 2-1 lead in the 68th.

Canada poured on the pressure, but the U.S. was equal, then defender Crystal Dunn was called for a push in the back of Leon in the box in the 84th. Leon took the penalty and sent a rocket to the right of Naeher for the 2-2 tie in the 86th.

Defender Kadeisha Buchanan almost won the game for Canada in the 90th, as her header off a Leon corner hit the crossbar, then the ball was cleared. But it ended 2-2, with the U.S. at 60% possession and a 12-9 edge on shots thanks to an aggressive second half. But on to penalty kicks, the third straight game to finish for Canada this way.

Jessie Fleming and Leon hit their penalties for a 2-0 lead, then Smith scored (2-1) and Naeher took over. She saved Jade Rose’s try, then scored herself for a 2-2 tie and saved Cloe Lacasse’s shot. Horan gave the U.S. a 3-2 lead, but Julie Grosso tied it at 3-3. When midfielder Emily Sonnett sent her shot over the top, it was on to sudden death.

Lawrence started and scored easily, as did Dahlkemper, but Naeher stopped Evelyne Viens’ try, giving defender Emily Fox the chance to win it, and she did with a smooth right-footed strike to the left of Sheridan, for the 5-4 tally on penalties.

It’s another U.S. victory in the SheBelieves Cup, now seven of the nine held. Canada had its best-ever finish, having only medaled once, third in 2021.

There was nice interest in the SheBelieves semi between the U.S. and Japan last Saturday, with 393,000 tuning in on TNT at 12:28 p.m. and another 289,000 on Spanish-language Telemundo, for a 682,000 total that ranked fourth in its time slot.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● Pool play concluded at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Utica, New York and the quarterfinals are now set.

The U.S. won Group A with a 4-0 mark, ahead of 3-1 Canada, and Germany finished with a 4-0 mark in Group B, ahead of Sweden (3-1).

The quarters will be held on Thursday, with a re-seeding for the semifinals:

● U.S. (4-0) vs. Japan (1-3)
● Canada (3-1) vs. Sweden (3-1)
● Germany (4-0) vs. Czech Republic (2-2)
● Finland (1-3) vs. Switzerland (0-4)

The semis will be on Saturday and the final on Sunday, at the Adirondack Sports Center. The U.S. and Canada have met in 21 of the 22 prior Worlds finals.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● NBC announced commitments for $1.2 billion in ad sales for the 2024 Games, with 107 days prior to the opening on 26 July. It expects to break the Tokyo 2020 high of just over $1.2 billion, with sales running 18% ahead of sales for the 2021 event.

Dan Lovinger, NBCU’s President of Olympic and Paralympic Sales, said in a conference call with reporters that $350 million in sales is from new broadcast sponsors: “Very few properties can help (brands) build reach and know exactly where their advertising is running. That is why the Olympics continues to garner support from major advertisers.”

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in an interview, “I have canceled 100% of holidays and thank the police and gendarmes for their unprecedented efforts,” for the upcoming Olympic Games. He also noted that airspace over Paris will be closed.

He said that about 200,000 of the planned million security checks had been carried out so far.

● Athletics ● Repair to the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau (BAH) are being fully underwritten by the government of China and are expected to be finished ahead of the upcoming World Athletics Relays in May.

The gift of $36 million to renovate the stadium makes some sense given that the stadium, which opened in 2011, was also built by China with a $30 million gift. An athlete camp, including accommodations, is being built nearby as part of the project.

● Football ● A lengthy lawsuit by U.S. promoter Relevent Sports against FIFA to allow European league matches to be played in the U.S. was settled with a Tuesday filing at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York:

“Relevent and FIFA stipulate and agree to the dismissal without prejudice of all claims asserted by Relevent against FIFA in the above-captioned action, with each side bearing its own attorneys’ fees and costs.”

Relevent chief executive Danny Sillman said, “FIFA and Relevent Sports have agreed to resolve this matter specific to FIFA while FIFA considers changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory. Relevent Sports looks forward to supporting FIFA as both sides work to grow the game.”

A FIFA statement noted, “As it concerns FIFA, pending FIFA’s consideration of changes to existing FIFA policies with respect to playing official season games outside of a league’s home territory. FIFA has not admitted any liability and continues to deny the legal claims alleged in Relevent’s complaint.”

But this is a major step to clear the way for Relevent to promote matches of foreign leagues in the U.S., a move which FIFA’s rules does not currently allow and that the U.S. Soccer Federation has blocked. The court filing added that “The Stipulation has no bearing on Relevent’s claims against Defendant United States Soccer Federation, Inc. (‘USSF’).”

The suit was filed in 2019, dismissed in 2021, but overturned on appeal and revived in 2023.

Violence at Greek soccer matches resulted in the death of a police officer who was hit by a flare in Athens in December, and led to the closure of stadiums to fans for two months.

Now, the Greek government is eliminating physical tickets for league matches, except for children and seniors, and will require all other ticket holders to switch to a system of QR codes to be shown at entrances. This will allow security forces to know who is actually on site, as a government application will be required to verify online ticket purchases.

The physical ticket elimination will take place over about a month’s time.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne announced that 13 athletes – 12 Belarusians and one Russian – have been approved as “neutral athletes” for the two World Cup events coming up in May, but did not name them. Only four men and four women can compete in the Sofia World Cup from 8-13 May.

Observed: Why aren’t these athletes named? Will they be identified only by number at the Sofia World Cup? If they are truly “independent athletes,” isn’t this a show of disrespect to these “neutrals”?

● Sport Climbing ● Slovenian star Janja Garnbret, three-time World Boulder Champion and Olympic combo champ from Tokyo 2020, showed why she is the favorite for Paris with a decisive win in the IFSC World Cup opener in Keqiao (CHN).

In the women Boulder final, she cleared four tops and four zones in just five tries (4T4Z ~ 5/5) to win over Italy’s Camilla Moroni (2T3Z ~ 10/13) and Zhilu Luo (CHN: 2T2Z ~ 2/2).

● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com reported that “the total number of eligible swimmers to 796, 354 women and 442 men” for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in swimming that begin on 15 June in Indianapolis.

The last high-profile meet prior to the Trials is this week’s San Antonio stop of the Tyr Pro Swim Series, running from Wednesday through Saturday, but qualifying marks can be achieved up to 30 May. The swimmers with the most events so far:

● Men: Carson Foster and Kieran Smith (8 each), Shaine Casas (7), seven with six each.

● Women: Bella Sims (11), Katie Grimes and Regan Smith (9), Leah Smith and Rylee Erisman (8).

The most popular event among the men is the 400 m Medley, with 87 qualifiers, with the top women’s event the 50 m Free, at 68.

● Taekwondo ● World Taekwondo released a survey entitled, “Mental Health in Elite Level Taekwondo Athletes,” showing significant levels of strain among international-class competitors:

“Among athletes involved in the study, 60% surpassed the threshold for psychological distress, with 20% exceeding the threshold for anxiety and 23% for depression. Notably, 6% of the cohort indicated severe anxiety, while an equal proportion exhibited moderately severe depression. Additionally, 4% presented with severe depression. Alarmingly, 9% of athletes admitted to considering the use of harmful substances for weight loss.”

The survey covered 515 athletes from five continents, including three age groups: 21-25, 26-30 and 31+:

“Athletes aged 26 to 31 reported the highest levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression, while those aged 31 and above reported the lowest ones. Significantly, Africa exhibited lower anxiety scores, while Asia demonstrated higher disordered eating scores. Europe, on the other hand, displayed lower disordered eating scores, while Pan America revealed higher depression scores.”

● Weightlifting ● At the IWF World Cup in Phuket (THA), Tokyo Olympic 76 kg champ Neisi Dajomes (ECU) scored an impressive win in the women’s 81 kg class, coming back from a knee injury in 2023.

She won the Snatch title at 123 kg, then finished second in the Clean & Jerk for a winning total of 269 kg, just ahead of China’s 2023 Worlds runner-up, Zhouyu Wang (267 kg). American Katie Vibert had a big performance, setting an American Record of 145 kg in the Clean & Jerk and tied the American Record for the total with 258 kg.

That placed Vibert fourth overall and moved her into sixth on the IWF Olympic rankings. But she likely won’t be going to Paris as three Americans are ahead of her in the Olympic rankings in other weight classes and each country is limited to three total lifters in each gender. According to USA Weightlifting:

“As it stands, Olivia Reeves ( 71 kg, 2nd), Jourdan Delacruz (49 kg, 4th), and Mary Theisen-Lappen (+81 kg, 5th) lead the U.S. women’s rankings heading into the final day of competition in Thailand where Theisen-Lappen will defend her position.”

At 87 kg – a non-Olympic class – Norway’s 2022 World Champion, Solfrid Koanda, was the clear winner, taking all three sectors at 123/152/275 kg.

Competition continues through the 11th.

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

TSX REPORT: Commonwealth Games 2026 to be saved after all? Ukraine preps for Russians in Paris; USATF skips another World U-20 champs

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. Commonwealth Games Federation says 2026 host coming
2. Ukrainian protocol for meeting Russians in Paris on the way
3. Russian IOC member rips Pozdnyakov on tennis name-calling
4. USATF to skip World U-20 Champs for second time in four years
5. NAIA bans transgender athletes from women’s category

● The Commonwealth Games Federation announced that it will reveal a host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games – in some format – next month, after losing the Australian state of Victoria as its host last year and getting turned down by Malaysia and Singapore. It also endorsed a study of the 2022 Commonwealth Games that reported a £1.2 billion economic impact!

● Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee is working on a protocol for its athletes to follow in Paris, telling them not to be seen with Russian or Belarusian athletes, don’t take pictures with them … and don’t shake hands!

● The senior Russian member of the International Olympic Committee – and head of the Russian Tennis Federation – classified comments about Russian tennis players as “foreign agents” to be “stupidity,” as senior officials continued to criticize each other.

● USA Track & Field announced it will not send a team to the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Lima, Peru in August, citing unrest in the country, the late date vis-a-vis the U.S. school calendar and the lack of warm-up meets over the summer. It also announced its 2024 Journey to Gold schedule, with the same seven meets as in 2023.

● The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) passed a new transgender participation policy on Monday, requiring that only females by birth can compete in women’s competitions. It passed by 20-0.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. women take down Canada, 1-0, in overtime to win Group A) ●

● Panorama: London 2012 (Russian Poistogova suspended for doping, losing 2012 women’s 800 m silver) = Paris 2024 (French Mint says medal production on schedule, despite protests) = Los Angeles 2028 (Kosovo government allocates €4 million to train athletes for LA28) = Athletics (3: Sensational 234-2 discus opener for Alekna in Berkeley; Kenyan marathoner Cheboror suspended for whereabouts; Butch Reynolds documentary premiere in Cleveland) = Hockey (USA Hockey explains why Carolina star Matson cannot try out for Olympic team) = Modern Pentathlon (new format for LA28 tipped from OBS meetings: more handicap racing) = Ski Mountaineering (Bonnet and Gachet Mollaret sweep first two races in Cortina World Cup) = Weightlifting (more world records at IWF World Cup) ●

1.
Commonwealth Games Federation says 2026 host coming

“Following the April meeting of its Executive Board, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is pleased to confirm that it is considering multiple proposals to Host the 2026 Games.

“Significant progress has been made and we are excited by the early concepts, which aim to reset and reframe the Games. We are now working collaboratively with the relevant Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) to undertake further detailed assessments, and aim to announce the 2026 Commonwealth Games Host in May. Our CGAs have asked, and we have agreed, to keep their proposals confidential while this process is on-going.”

So, a promise of more information to come on a 2026 Commonwealth Games next month. The 2026 situation and the future of the Commonwealth Games – first held in 1930 – has been in free fall since last year when the Australian state of Victoria abandoned the hosting duties it had signed onto in 2022. No other Australian hosts could be found with the requisite governmental support, and in the past month, both Malaysia and Singapore have turned down the opportunity to host in 2026, even with a subsidy of £100 million (~$127 million U.S., i.e., £1 = $1.27).

Not coincidentally, the CGF on Monday also promoted a year-after report by KPMG on the highly-successful 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG), highlighting a significant economic impact:

● “The evaluation analysis estimates that the Games contributed approximately £1.2 billion [Gross Value Added] and approximately 22,380 FTE years of employment in the UK economy between FY 2017/18 and FY 2023/24.

“Of this total net GVA contribution at least £217.3 million of GVA is estimated to have been generated in Birmingham; and £516.3 million of GVA381 is estimated to have been generated in the West Midlands (including Birmingham).”

● “The Games were delivered under budget. Financial data provided during the course of this evaluation shows that between FY 2017/18 and FY 2023/24 approximately £810.9 million (£858.7 million in 2023 prices) of Games-related spending was incurred to deliver the Games, including:

— £638.3 million (£670.8 million in 2023 prices) of operating spending to deliver the Games, of which £120.5 million (£124.5 million in 2023 prices) was funded through commercial income, resulting in a net operating cost of the Games of £517.8 million (£546.3 million in 2023 prices); and

— £172.7 million (£187.9 million in 2023 prices) of capital spending on sporting and other infrastructure needed to host the Games, providing assets for future use, of which approximately £25.0 million (£27.2 million in 2023 prices) would have been invested by SMBC in a new alternative leisure centre had the Games not taken place in the West Midlands and is therefore not considered an additional cost of the Games.

“This equates to a net Games-related public sector cost of £665.5 million (£707.0 million in 2023 prices).”

The report indicated that only 2% of ticket buyers for the 2022 Commonwealth Games came from outside Great Britain, a very minor percentage compared to other mega-events of this size. However, almost 835 million around the world saw the 2022 Games on television.

The new host announcement could be of a traditional host, or the disassembly of the Games into parts, held at different locations throughout the Commonwealth.

2.
Ukrainian protocol for meeting Russians in Paris on the way

“Don’t congratulate each other, don’t stand next to each other in photos, don’t give joint interviews, of course, and don’t shake hands.”

That’s the core of the code of conduct being worked on now by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, in preparation for at least some Russian and Belarusian “neutrals” being present at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

NOC chief Vadym Guttsait said during a television appearance that the complete requirements are being finalized: “That is, we are in the middle. Now we will resolve the last issues, and it [the protocol] will be approved.”

After the issues at last year’s world championships of the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE), where Sabre star Olha Kharlan was disqualified for not shaking hands with Russian Anna Smirnova after their elimination bout, Guttsait said the details are being discussed in advance with the relevant federations.

Ukrainian star high jumper – and World Champion – Yaroslava Makuchikh said on the World Athletics “Inside Track” podcast that she thinks of the situation at home all the time:

“I’m competing for my country, for my people, for our soldiers. I’m thankful to all of them that I have the opportunity to train outside of Ukraine and to represent my country. I like the fact that people have been inspired by me to start track and field. Doing sport is really important for your physical and mental health. Perhaps in 10 years’ time we’ll have a new generation of athletes in Ukraine.

“Sport has helped me to take on the challenge with this war. Being an inspiration for my country helped me to focus at the [2022] World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and win the gold medal.”

3.
Russian IOC member rips Pozdnyakov on tennis name-calling

Shamil Tarpischev has been a Russian member of the International Olympic Committee since 1994 and continues as the President of the Russian Tennis Federation. He did not take kindly to comments from Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov – a gold-medal-winning Olympic fencer – calling out Russian tennis players like Daniil Medvedev as “foreign agents” for their willingness to play at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

On Monday, Tarpischev told the Russian news agency TASS:

“Calling [tennis players] foreign agents is stupidity. An athlete does a job to which he devoted his whole life and never betrayed the country. This is utter stupidity.

“And that a tennis player plays more than 30 competitions abroad is the specifics of the sport. They performed before the pandemic, now, and will do so later. At the same time, when possible, many come home to prepare. Both [Veronika] Kudermetova and [Karen] Khachanov came to train here. Blame them for not spending much time at home.

“This is ignorance of the specifics of sports by those people who begin to speak out on this subject. There are no tournaments in Russia where tennis players could win points in order to be in the rankings.

“The sporting unity of Russia must be preserved, and not destroyed by statements. And I am grateful to the tennis players and other athletes that they are true patriots of our homeland.”

Russian and Belarusian wrestlers did very well at the final European Wrestling Qualifier for Paris 2024, with eight Russian and five Belarusians reaching the finals and securing an Olympic quota spot.

However, that does not mean that the Russians will go. Russian Wrestling Federation chief Mikhail Mamiashvili said Saturday:

“The Russian Wrestling Federation fully supports the policy of the President of Russia, and Russian wrestlers will consider the possibility of participating in the Olympic Games to prove that, despite all the difficulties, restrictions and sanctions, the medals of the main world sports forums will still go to the strongest power: Russia.

“But in order to make a decision on participation in the Olympic Games, you must first win the right to participate there on a sporting basis, which is what Russian wrestlers are doing today at a qualifying tournament. I want to emphasize that at the moment we are not talking about participation in the Olympics, but about winning the right to participate there.

“And Russian wrestlers, according to the sporting principle, are allowed to qualify, and according to the sporting principle, they compete for the right to be among the participants in the main sporting event of the four years, and after that we will decide whether to participate in the Games based on the criteria that will be proposed by the International Olympic Committee.”

4.
USATF to skip World U-20 Champs for second time in four years

USA Track & Field issued a statement on Monday, pulling out of another World Athletics junior championship:

“After careful consideration concerning both the domestic & international athletics calendar, consultation amongst the internal team, advice of security consultants and relevant government authorities, it has been decided that USA Track & Field will not be sending a Team to the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Peru. …

“We understand that this decision may be disappointing for those who were looking forward to participating, but we have the responsibility to prioritize the safety and security of all involved.”

The U.S. government issued a travel advisory on 23 November 2023 concerning Peru of “Exercise increased caution.” Further USATF cited the timing and lack of competition in the U.S. after June:

“The August 26-31 date of the event is at the end of the summer period and will be problematic for many high school and college athletes as many will have already returned to school/campuses for the 2024-2025 academic year.”

(The World Athletics calendar shows two Continental Tour Silver meets in the U.S. July, with the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis from 11-13 July and the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville on 19 July; none are shown in August.)

This is the second time in three World U-20 Champs that the U.S. will skip. USATF decided not to send a team to the 2021 World U-20s in Nairobi, Kenya, issuing a statement that noted:

“Due to a number of factors including timing, logistics, and most importantly the health and well-being of our athletes and team staffs, USATF will not send athletes to the following 2021 events,” which included the World U-20s, the Pan American U-20s in Chile and the NACAC U-23s in Costa Rica.

Lima was selected for the meet in 2021. It will be fascinating to watch the attitude of other U.S. federations toward Peru, as the 2019 Pan American Games was successfully held in Lima and will be held in Lima again in 2027.

USATF announced its “Journey to Gold” schedule for 2024, with the same seven meets as in 2023 (although on slightly different dates):

● 28 Apr.: Bermuda Grand Prix (Devonshire, BER)
● 04 May: Throws Festival (Tucson)
● 17 May: Distance Classic (Los Angeles)
● 18 May: L.A. Grand Prix (Los Angeles)
● 25 May: Prefontaine Classic (Eugene)
● 09 Jun.: NYC Grand Prix (New York)
● 21-30 Jun.: U.S. Olympic Trials (Eugene)

The Prefontaine Classic is a Diamond League meet and the L.A. and NYC Grand Prix meets are World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meets. The Bermuda Grand Prix and Throws Festival Continental Tour Silver meets.

5.
NAIA bans transgender athletes from women’s category

On a 20-0 vote from its Council of Presidents on Monday, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) adopted a new transgender participation policy which includes:

● “A. Participation by students in sports designated as male by the NAIA:
“All eligible NAIA student-athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports.

● “B. Participation by students in sports designated as female by the NAIA:
”Only NAIA student-athletes whose biological sex* is female may participate in NAIA-sponsored female sports.”

● “*For the sake of this policy, biological sex is defined by distinguishing characteristics and can be supported by birth certificate or signed affidavit. While rare, there have been cases where the sex assigned at birth does not match the biological sex, which led to the use of biological sex in this document.”

The policy does not apply to Competitive Cheer and Competitive Dance, which are open sports, not segregated by sex. Further, women who have begun “masculinizing hormone therapy” may practice, but not compete in a “countable contest.”

The NAIA is an association of 241 smaller colleges and universities, covering about 83,000 students who compete in athletics. The new policy will take effect on 1 August 2024.

The prohibition on transgender athletes in women’s sports is in contrast to the much-larger NCAA, which has allowed transgender athletes in women’s competitions, subject to lowered levels of testosterone. However, the NCAA policy on testosterone levels is separate and is not yet connected to those of any International Federation, leading to criticism – and a lawsuit – from some female athletes.

NAIA President Jim Carr told The Associated Press:

“We know there are a lot of opinions, and a lot of people have a very emotional reaction to this, and we want to be respectful of all that. But we feel like our primary responsibility is fairness in competition, so we are following that path. And we’ve tried as best we could to allow for some participation by all.”

The AP further noted that “At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from competing in certain women’s or girls sports competitions.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. got a taut, 1-0 overtime victory over Canada in their final pool-play match at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Utica, New York.

The two sides, which have met in 21 of the 22 prior women’s Worlds finals, put up 49 shots between them in regulation time, but neither American Aerin Frankel (26 saves) nor Canadian star Ann-Renee Desbiens (23 saves) could be beaten.

The Canadians had been on the offensive in the second and third periods, but the U.S. came out shooting in the overtime, piling up seven shots in the first 3:38, with Kirsten Simms finally getting the winner off a 3-on-1 break and a crisp pass by defender Caroline Harvey for Simms’ quick-release shot. Canada did not get a shot off in the overtime.

The two teams are in a path to meet again, with the U.S. winning Group A at 4-0 and Canada at 3-1. Group B play will finish on Tuesday, with Germany at 3-0 and Sweden at 3-1 so far. The playoffs will start on the 11th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2012: London ● Another historical doping positive, with more medals to be re-allocated, this time in the women’s 800 m.

Russia’s Marina Savinova won the race on the track in 1:56.19, but was disqualified for doping, along with sixth-placer Elena Arzhakova (1:59.21). That moved South Africa’s Caster Semenya (1:57.23) up to gold-medal status, followed by Russian Ekaterina Poistogova (1:57.53 for silver), then Pamela Jelimo (KEN: 1:57.59) for the bronze and American Alysia Johnson-Montano (1:57.93) in fourth.

In 2017, the World Anti-Doping Agency found Poistogova to be doping and suggested a lifetime ban, which was shortened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on appeal to two years, annulling her results only since 24 August 2015.

Now, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, working off of data from the infamous Moscow Laboratory that oversaw the state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15, has imposed new penalties. According to the All-Russian Athletics Federation:

“The period of ineligibility for the athlete is from 28 March 2024 to 27 March 2026, taking into account the period of ineligibility served by the athlete in accordance with the decision in the case of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). All results achieved from July 17, 2012 to October 20, 2014 are canceled.”

That would take away her London (now) silver, which would go to Jelimo, with Johnson-Montano getting the bronze. This would have to be confirmed by the International Olympic Committee.

Poistogova, 33, now competes for Turkey, as the wife of 2017 World 200 m Champion Ramil Guliyev (TUR) in 2021.

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French Mint said Monday that production of the medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is on target, refuting claims that the work had been interrupted by workers protesting for higher wages and an “Olympic bonus.”

A statement explained, “Production of the medals is not blocked. All of the medals have been minted and we are at the finishing stage. We will deliver on schedule and on time.”

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The government of Kosovo has created a €4 million (about $4.34 million U.S.) program called “Super Athletes” to develop new stars specifically for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

According to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrullah Ceku, “‘Super Athletes’ aims to provide sustainable support for the country’s athletes, focusing on athletes with high potential to achieve success in the international sports events.”

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been dogged by political refusals to compete in certain countries which do not recognize it. Nevertheless, it has had success, especially in judo, where its athletes have won three total golds, in Rio in 2016 (1) and at Tokyo 2020 (2).

● Athletics ● A massive lifetime best and world-leading mark in the men’s discus at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Cal’s Edwards Stadium on Saturday for two-time Worlds medalist Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania at 71.39 m (234-2), moving him to no. 10 on the all-time list.

His big throw came in the third round, but it was no fluke, as his second-rounder went 69.82 m (229-1) and his fifth try reached 69.96 m (229-6).

At the same meet, World Champion Cam Rogers (CAN) scored a world leader in the women’s hammer at 76.87 m (252-2), on her fifth throw.

At the Miramar Invitational in Florida, Tokyo Olympic 200 m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek of the U.S. won the men’s 200 m over 2019 World 100 m gold medalist Christian Coleman, 20.35 to 20.43, into a 2.8 m/s headwind.

Another Kenyan doping suspension, this time of Kennedy Cheboror, 33, a 2:06:59 marathoner from 2019 who has not run since May of 2022. He was suspended for two years for “whereabouts” failures, and will be eligible again on 3 March 2026.

An ESPN documentary on the saga of 400 m star Butch Reynolds – the 400 m world-record holder for 11 years – is coming, focusing on his efforts to finally get a doping sanction removed.

Called “False Positive” and scheduled to air later this year, it premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival last Saturday, telling Reynolds’ story as a track star, setting the world mark of 43.29 in 1988 and winning a relay gold and 400 m silver at the Seoul Olympic Games.

But the core of the film involved the years-long effort to overturn a 1990 doping positive, which Reynolds – now 59 – insists was not valid. Suspended for two years by the IAAF (now World Athletics), Reynolds fought the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ordered that he be able to compete at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 m. He finished fifth and qualified for the U.S. relay pool, but was not allowed to compete in Barcelona by the IAAF.

After the suspension, Reynolds continued his career, winning World Championships silvers in the 400 m and relay golds in 1993 and 1995. He made the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team, but suffered an injury and didn’t quality for the 400 m final and could not run on the 4×400 m relay.

● Hockey ● USA Field Hockey issued a statement on Friday explaining why star player Erin Matson – who played for the U.S. at the Indoor Pan-Am Cup in March – was not eligible to be considered for Olympic selection in 2024:

“Erin Matson did not meet the qualification requirements and requested a special exception to the published Olympic Selection Process policies. This came after the team qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and in the final stage of preparing the team for Olympic level competition.

“Erin was invited by USA Field Hockey to tryout in early 2023, but turned down the opportunity, which established the main pool of candidates for potential selection. Subsequently, Erin has not played in national or international competitions necessary to be evaluated on an ongoing basis since the original selection of the centralized athlete pool in early 2023. It was not possible for the selection committee to fairly evaluate the inclusion of Erin. As a result, Erin did not qualify under the mandatory terms of the selection criteria that all athletes had to follow for possible inclusion on the team.”

Matson was a mega-star for North Carolina, winning four NCAA titles as a player in 2018-19-20-22, then becoming the Tar Heel coach at age 22, winning another title in 2023. She has extensive USA Field Hockey experience, including a bronze medal with the U.S. Pan American Games team from 2019, scoring six goals.

In a November interview, Matson noted the situation was difficult: “The door (to playing for Team USA) is not closed, but it’s not open.”

● Modern Pentathlon ● Although no official announcement has been made, the possible format for the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games may have been previewed in a Web post by Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne Secretary Shiny Fang (CHN):

“The new TV product took further shape during a constructive meeting with a comprehensive [Olympic Broadcasting Services] programming team and senior leadership in their Madrid headquarters on March 12.

“One of their many intelligent suggestions related to the order of the event, to start in LA with Obstacle, marking the dawn of a new era and introducing Pentathlon with a series of short and thrilling head-to-head races to grab the attention of new audiences.

“Next comes the new Fencing with single-elimination format that our [national federations] are currently testing, followed by an innovative change to the operation of the Swimming event that is designed to appeal to viewers but is also sensitive to athletes. The idea is that athletes start Swimming with an overall time handicap from points gained in Obstacle and Fencing – something that had already been discussed at times within our community.

“The detail has to be worked out by our internal team and committees, and there are various options and ways to do this, but a Swimming handicap means more relevant races, which means viewers continue to follow the overall storyline without switching off. And then we finish with our dramatic Laser Run as per the status quo.”

This format has yet to be approved, and if a swimming handicap is included, it will make three of the five disciplines subject to a “handicap” system, as that is already in place for the Laser Run.

Observed: As modern pentathlon barely made it back onto the program for 2028, and its future will be judged by its popularity against all other Olympic sports in Los Angeles, there can be little doubt that the UIPM will do whatever OBS prefers in order to try to maximize its chances of audience success in 2028.

● Ski Mountaineering ● The final ISMF World Cup of the season is ongoing at Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA), with superstars Remi Bonnet (SUI) and Axelle Gachet Mollaret (FRA) sweeping the first two events in the men’s and women’s divisions.

Bonnet, the reigning World Champion in the Vertical Race and Individual Race, won both, taking the Vertical in 24:05.93, ahead of fellow Swiss Marti Werner (24:39.51) and Aurelian Gay (24:42.06). Bonnet then won the 6,500 m Individual in 1:26:24.85, beating Italy’s Davide Magnini (1:27:51.18) and William Bon Mardion (FRA: 1:28:41.45).

Gachet Mollaret is also the current World Champion in the Vertical and Individual women’s races and won both in Cortina. She was a runaway victor in the Vertical in 27:35.51, ahead of Sarah Dreier (AUT: 28:59.87) and Tove Alexandersson (SWE: 29:11.90). In the Individual, she led a French 1-2 in 1:40:44.51, with relay World Champion Emily Harrop second (1:42:29.45) and Italian Worlds runner-up Alba de Silvestro third (1:45:31.01).

The Sprint races and relays will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

● Weightlifting ● More world records at the IWF World Cup in Phuket (THA), the final Olympic qualifier, with China’s 2023 World Champion Huanhua Liu winning the men’s 102 kg class and writing his name in the record books twice.

He was only fifth in the Snatch at 181 kg, but lifted a record 232 kg in the Clean & Jerk and the combined total of 413 kg was also a new world mark. Well back in second was Armenia’s Garik Karapetyan, the 2023 Worlds fifth-placer, at 401 kg total.

South Korea’s Jong-beom Won, the 2023 Worlds silver medalist, won the men’s 96 kg class, sweeping all three segments, lifting 170/219/389 kg. Egypt’s Karim Abokahla, last year’s World Champion, finished second at 165/205/370 kg.

North Korea won its fifth women’s gold, with Chun Hui Jong taking the 76 kg division, lifting 114 kg in the Snatch (second) and winning the Clean & Jerk at 145 kg for a 259 kg total. France’s Marie Fegue was second at 245 kg combined; American Estelle Rohr was eighth overall (223 kg).

Competition continues through the 11th.

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!

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