PANORAMA: U.S. Ski & Snowboard names powerful, 97-member Olympic team; McLaughlin-Levrone pregnant; USA Swimming ups athlete pay!

January 22, 2026

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The Los Angeles City Council approved, by 13-0, the “framework plan” of the Department of Cultural Affairs for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Cultural Affairs plan offered programming at three levels, depending on funding: $15 million from available department funding, an enhanced level of $30 million and a top level of $40 million, if funding is available. That fund-raising effort can start now.

This is not the cultural program to be offered by the LA28 organizing committee, which is yet to be unveiled.

In a not-unrelated announcement, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles was named on Tuesday (20th) as the “Casa Mexico Los Angeles 2026″ for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, although Mexico is unlikely to play any of its matches (maybe one in playoff rounds) in the L.A. area. The venue will offer live broadcasts of Mexican and other games, music, visual arts and cultural performances during the tournament from 11 June to 19 July.

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt has received five applications – with one withdrawn – asking him to stop development of the Olympic Stadium in Victoria Park on Aboriginal heritage grounds.

He rejected one last week, but appointed an independent mediator to work through concerns about heritage issues on the site:

“The purpose of the dedicated facilitator will be to avoid harm to cultural heritage and inform any future decisions relating to the specified areas.

“This decision follows consultation with interested parties and acknowledges the area is of particular significance to the Turrbal and Yagara people in accordance with their traditions.”

Work on the site is expected to begin in the middle of the year.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● U.S. Ski & Snowboard named an enormous, 97-member team for Milan Cortina, including 73 skiers and 24 from Snowboard, expected to contend for medals across multiple disciplines.

The team includes 48 first-time Olympians and 49 veterans, and a bevy of Olympic champions, including alpine skiers Mikaela Shiffrin (fourth Olympic team) and Lindsey Vonn (fifth), cross-country skier Jessie Diggins (fourth), Freestyle Team Aerials champion Chris Lillis (second), Freestyle Slopestyle winner Alex Hall (third), Snowboard Halfpipe star Chloe Kim (third), Slopestyle champ Red Gerard (third) and Mixed SnowCross winner Nick Baumgartner (fifth).

Baumgartner, at 44, is the oldest of the group; the youngest is Freestyle Halfpiper Abby Winterberger at 15! There are 47 men and 50 women on the squad.

USSS noted in its announcement: “At the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, U.S. Ski & Snowboard accounted for more than 40% of Team USA’s delegation and brought home 15 of the 25 total Olympic medals won.”

The full American team is expected to be announced on 26 January.

The Associated Press reported that the International Skating Union’s rules for “neutral” athletes from Russia and Belarus no longer include a ban on these athletes speaking with news media at the Games.

The ISU’s rules for qualifying events – which it controls – prohibited any media contact. The Olympic Winter Games are under the control of the International Olympic Committee.

Jamaica became a sensation in 1988 by qualifying for the Olympic Winter Games bobsleigh competitions and now another country not known for snow will be sliding in Cortina:

Israel.

A reallocation spot was available as Great Britain will field only one men’s sled in the Two Man and Four Man events and Israeli Adam Edelman’s sled ranked 32nd in the Two Man and 31st in Four Man World Cup standings.

The Israelis also earned – without reallocation – one spot in men’s Skeleton, with Jared Firestone ranking 38th in the all-inclusive IBSF rankings.

Who knew?

● Athletics ● Don’t look for 400/400 hurdles star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on a track anytime soon.

She announced her pregnancy on Instagram on Thursday with a photo of her and husband Andre Levrone Jr. and a short text on the side:

“Made a human with my favorite human.

“Oh, how we have prayed for you… and the Lord has answered!! You are our greatest blessing and are already so loved. We are eagerly waiting to meet you!”

McLaughlin-Levrone has been busy, winning the Paris Olympic 400 m hurdles in 2024 and then moving to the 400 meter flat and winning the World Championships gold in 2025.

Interestingly, she posted this three weeks ago as the new year dawned:

“From age 16 to 26 my love for the grind has not diminished by any measure…Thank you to 2025— another season doing what I love with the people I love”

Time for other priorities.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced an increase in its direct-athlete-support spending, with four levels for pool and open-water swimmers:

● $3,750 per month for “Qualified professional athletes who sign Athlete Partnership Agreement”

●$2,250 per month for “Qualified professional athletes who do not sign Athlete Partnership Agreement”

● $1,750 per month for “Qualified NCAA Athletes”

● $1,750 per month for “Qualified pre-enrollment NCAA eligible athletes”

The top 30 men and 30 women swimmers (60 total) and top two men and women (four total) open-water swimmers will receive funding.

The Athlete Partnership Agreement (see the 2025 handbook) lists requirements for competition appearances, agreeing to remain competitive fitness, observe doping regulations, and two personal appearances over a six-month period, plus attendance at the annual Golden Goggles Awards.

The new amounts for the top-level swimmers were reported as a 15% raise from prior levels – from $39,000 annually to $45,000 – which had not been changed since 2010.

The City of Long Beach, California, approved by an 8-0 vote on Tuesday (20th) a plan to build a new Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center, replacing the historic Belmont Plaza Pool site – where the 1968 and 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials were held – that had become unsafe and was demolished in 2014.

A series of designs were proposed and final approvals have been delayed, but the project is now settled, with a 50 m pool with a movable bulkhead, a separate recreational and instructional pool and beach-adjacent activity items such as a climbing wall and zip line. Seating for 544 is included, where the old pool had room for 2,500.

The project is estimated at $105.1 million, to be completed and opened in the spring of 2028.

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

MILAN CORTINA 2026: Organizing committee offers 2-for-1 lowest-category tickets for 6 February Opening Ceremony for those 26 and under!

Rich Perelman

January 22, 2026

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≡ OPENING CEREMONY PROMO ≡

“Milano Cortina 2026 announces the launch of an exclusive promotion dedicated to fans aged 26 and under, offering young spectators a unique opportunity to experience live the greatest event and show in the world: the Olympic Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games.

“Starting today, 22 January, eligible fans will be able to purchase two tickets for the price of one to attend one of the most anticipated moments of the Games. The exclusive offer is valid exclusively for Category D tickets, while availability lasts.”

The opening ceremony of an Olympic or Olympic Winter Games is often one of the earliest events to sell out. But not for Milan Cortina 2026.

The 6 February show, to be held in the famed San Siro Stadium in Milan – which will then be demolished and replaced afterwards – will have the iconic parade of nations, the lighting of the Olympic Flame and performances by American star Mariah Carey, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, famed tenor Andrea Bocelli and more.

But it’s not sold out.

So, now a 2×1 promotion just 15 days before the Games, but only for Category D seats, at the lowest price level – and highest seats – in the 60,000-seat venue. There are four ticket levels posted with none apparently sold out:

● €2,026: Category A (~$2,382 U.S.)
● €1,400: Category B (~$1,646 U.S.)
● €700: Category C (~$823 U.S.)
● €260: Category D (~$306 U.S.)

In case you were wondering about hospitality packages, they cost more:

● €3,250 for a Category B ticket and lounge access, including a buffet meal.
● €8,950 for a Category A ticket and lounge access, including a buffet meal.

The Milan Cortina ceremony will be historically unique in that the San Siro show will integrate live feeds from three mountain locations in which aspects of the ceremony – including an athlete march – will take place. No indication was given about how many San Siro tickets have been sold so far (and how many are left).

The organizing committee statement emphasizes:

“Being there means experiencing the greatest live show in the world, sharing an unforgettable emotion and becoming part of a moment that will remain in collective memory forever.”

Apparently, not enough people are convinced. At least not yet.

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

ICE HOCKEY: IIHF confirms all Russian and Belarusian hockey teams remain ineligible; Russia promises CAS appeal for youth teams

Rich Perelman

January 22, 2026

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≡ RUSSIAN SANCTIONS ≡

The International Ice Hockey Federation reported on its Council meeting of 21 January, explaining:

“Following its latest meeting and based on a detailed risk assessment, the IIHF Council believes it is not yet safe to reintegrate the Russian and Belarusian National and Club Teams to its championships for the 2026-2027 season as the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all.

“However, the IIHF Council has reviewed the IOC recommendations and will consider the reintegration of youth players (U18) from the Russian and Belarusian National and Club Teams to its championships for the 2027-2028 season.

“This consideration will remain contingent upon an ongoing assessment of safety and security conditions. If these risks sufficiently reduce over the coming months, the IIHF will work together with the relevant national associations to support a possible reintegration at the youth level.”

This is the same basis on which the International Olympic Committee recommended that a ban on Russian and Belarusian teams be instituted in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that an appeal to the IIHF’s position will be filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport:

“The Russian Ice Hockey Federation, with the support of the Russian Olympic Committee, is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport the IIHF Council’s decision to bar Russian youth teams from competitions, contrary to the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which in December 2025 explicitly instructed international federations on the inadmissibility of restrictions on youth sports, including team sports.

“The IIHF’s references to so-called security concerns are unfounded. A similar argument was already the subject of a CAS case against the International Luge Federation, and the court found it unfounded. Lawyers for the Russian Olympic Committee presented dozens of examples of Russian athletes participating in international competitions without incident, and an independent Swiss human rights expert confirmed that a blanket ban on participation contradicts all existing humanitarian and legal principles in the field of human rights and is openly discriminatory.

“At the same time, a number of international federations, including the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the International Equestrian Federation, the International Fencing Federation, the International Volleyball Federation, and the World Curling Federation, have already implemented the IOC recommendations. We will consistently defend the right of our young athletes to fair and equal participation in competitions, and the process of Russia’s return to global sport will continue.”

Observed: The interesting element for a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing will be the difference between individual events and team sports, where it is harder to mask the identity of the squad.

The striking element of the Russian response is its insistence that the IOC recommendations be followed as if direct instructions. The IOC, in its Olympic Summit release, was clear that the ultimate arbiter of re-integration into each sport would be its international federation, in this case the IIHF:

“[T]he Summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports. The definition of youth competitions and the application of these recommendations depends for this purpose on the regulations of each International Federation (IF).”

Russia’s position is that the IOC’s recommendation is a directive. Assuming the Russians push the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it will be fascinating to see if the CAS panel takes the bait the Russians are placing before them, effectively turning the IOC’s guideline into a rule.

This would have wide impacts well beyond the specific issue of Russian youth team eligibility.

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

DOPING: Re-testing of Rio 2016 Olympics samples nears the end, with seven new positives, but only one among the medal winners

Rich Perelman

January 22, 2026

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≡ ITA RE-TEST REPORT ≡

The International Testing Agency began its re-examination of samples collected from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in December of 2023 and announced Thursday some new positives, with seven athletes shown to have committed doping violations during the Games:

● Rafael Buzacarini (BRA: judo): placed ninth in the men’s 100 kg class.

● Soslan Daurov (BLR: wrestling): placed 15th in the Greco-Roman 59 kg class.

● Aurimas Dldzballs (LTU: weightlifting): bronze medalist in the men’s 94 kg class. If finally and officially disqualified, fourth-placer Sarat Sumpradit (THA) would be in line to receive the bronze medal.

● Ivan Efrimov (UZB: weightlifting): placed fifth in the men’s +105 kg class.

● Eseaa El-Sayed (EGY: weightlifting): placed seventh in the women’s 63 kg class.

● Ivet Lalova (BUL: athletics): placed eighth in the women’s 200 m.

● Ahmed Saad (EGY: weightlifting): placed fifth in the men’s 62 kg class.

So, four of the seven were in weightlifting, with athletics, judo and wrestling each with one. No country had more than one. Three others had been announced previously – in weightlifting (2) and cycling (1) – for a total of 10 so far from Rio 2016.

The ITA announcement explained that all of these positives were for anabolic steroids:

“The majority of these positive re-analysis results are mainly due to technical advances, including the development of new detection methods and improvements in analytical sensitivity for the detection of new steroid metabolites, which were not available at the time of the initial analysis. The re-analysis of the samples was conducted by the WADA-accredited laboratories of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Cologne, Germany.”

The next step, per the ITA:

“The athletes have been informed of their respective cases. They each have the right to request the analysis of their B-sample. If the B-sample analysis is requested and confirms the result of the A-sample, or if the B-sample analysis is not requested, the cases will proceed as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation.”

The cases will then be referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This is the fourth major re-evaluation of testing results. The re-analysis of London 2012 samples revealed 73 violations which led to the withdrawal of 31 medals and re-allocation of medals in athletics, canoeing, weightlifting and wrestling.

All together, there were 82 doping violations in 2012, the most ever. The total from Rio 2016 was eight, with 10 more announced for a total (so far) of 18. The ITA statement noted that the re-analysis program was “near completion,” in line with the 10-year term of limitations.

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

PANORAMA: USABS unveils Raising Cane’s “Bobsled Plush Puppy”; nine Russians invited for Winter Games so far; IIHF continues Russian ban

Rich Perelman

January 21, 2026

tsx pix 2026-121 bobsled plush puppy — The new Raising Cane’s Bobsled Plush Puppy, now on sale for a limited time only (Photo: Raising Cane’s).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the International Olympic Committee has now extended invitations to nine Russian athletes to compete as “neutrals” in Milan Cortina ‘26.

These include cross country skiers Savely Korostelyov and Daria Nepryayeva, figure skaters Adelia Petrosyan and Pyotr Gumennik, ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov, short track speed skaters Ivan Posashkov and Alyona Krylova and speed skaters Ksenia Korzhova and Anastasia Semyonova.

Nepryayeva and the figure skaters are considered as possible medal winners. Two lugers also have qualifying point totals, but must still be approved by the IOC. Russian and Belarusian athletes have had to apply individually and pass an IOC review of their “neutrality” concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Raising Cane’s restaurants have announced a new entry in its plush puppy program with a co-branded Bobsled Plush Puppy for a limited time, saluting USA Bobsled & Skeleton, for which Raising Cane’s is a premier sponsor.

Introduced in conjunction with USABS “hype man” Flavor Flav, the new plush toy features the Raising Cane’s puppy in a red, white and blue speedsuit – in a USABS sled, of course – and is available in stores or online for $13.99. It’s a limited edition, available only from 14 January to 24 February of this year. USABS-themed drink cups and collectible pins are also available.

As for funding USABS, the fine print notes:

“Net Proceeds (purchase price before tax minus production cost) equals a minimum of $3.00 per Plush Puppy. Ends 2/24/26 or while supplies last. Raising Cane’s Restaurants, LLC has committed to a minimum donation of $200,000 to USA Bobsled & Skeleton.”

● Figure Skating ● The ISU European Championships concluded last week in Sheffield (GBR) and the ISU Four Continents Championships – for everyone else – is on this week in Beijing (CHN).

As yet one more way to gauge American skaters against competitors they will see at the Olympic Winter Games, we can compare winning scores from Sheffield against the U.S. Nationals:

Men:
● Euro: 273.00, Nika Egadze (GEO)
● U.S.: 324.88, Ilia Milanin

Women:
● Euro: 216.14, Niina Petrokina (EST)
● U.S.: 233.55, Amber Glenn

Pairs:
● Euro: 215.76, Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (GEO)
● U.S. 1: 207.71, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov (not Olympic eligible)
● U.S. 2: 197.12, Ellie Kan and Danny O’Shea

Ice Dance:
● Euro: 222.43, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA)
● U.S.: 228.87, Madison Chock and Evan Bates

Please note that the ISU does not recognize scores from national championships, but only for ISU-supervised events. So, the scores are not absolutely comparable. But it’s still fun.

● Football ● Amid chatter that European countries might consider boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a stand against the Trump Administration’s stated desire to acquire Greenland, French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari told RMC Sport television:

“At the stage we’re talking about now, our ministry has no desire to boycott this major competition. But I’ve also heard voices coming from certain political blocs. I want us to separate sport from politics.”

● Ice Hockey ● Hockey insider reporter Chris Johnston posted Wednesday that the International Ice Hockey Federation is continuing its sanctions against Russian and Belarusian team, per a vote at the IIHF Council meeting.

● Ski Jumping ● After winning eight individual medals this season, Austria’s Lisa Eder finally got a World Cup win – her first – on the final day of women’s jumping in Zao (JPN), off the 102 m hill.

Eder led the first round of jumps and came back with a third in the second round to score 227.9 points, just ahead of second-round winner Nika Prevc (SLO: 226.5), with Canada’s Abigail Strate in third (222.3). Annika Belshaw was the top American, in 20th (183.8).

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

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Coventry says no White House meeting scheduled; female category rules coming after Winter Games

Rich Perelman

January 21, 2026

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≡ COVENTRY’S UPDATE ≡

Beyond the immediate attention to the Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) has a lot to do, and spoke with reporters Wednesday by video conference.

Asked about when the IOC’s recommendations on the “protection of the female category” will be ready, the answer was not just yet:

“It won’t be at the IOC Session [in Milan], it will be a little bit later after that, because as I said, the working group is really taking their time, to go through everything, to take into consideration everything … so there’s been no conclusions, they’re still working at it.

“I don’t want to jump the gun and think what things they used or didn’t use; I’d rather answer that truthfully and with all the correct information, so after Milano Cortina is when we would look at something in the coming months … but right now, nothing has been finalized or decided just yet.

“So the work is still ongoing.”

Coventry was asked about the IOC’s reaction and role to today’s rising global tensions and political issues, and she – as a former government minister in Zimbabwe – was clear about the organization’s role:

“As the IOC, we are always aware of all the conversations that are happening and all the geopolitics and all the political conversations that are happening, but I also want to make it clear that is not our remit, right?

“We’re a sport organization. It is not within our remit to comment on sovereignty and political conversations, it’s our goal to ensure that we have all of our National Olympic Committees represented at all of our Games. We will continue to do that in the best way that we can and give support in any of those areas the best way that we can.”

She was also asked about a future meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in view of the coming Los Angeles Games in 2028:

“As it pertains to the United States, we have not had any formal communication yet, with the White House.”

But she added that she is looking forward to seeing the U.S. representatives, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, at the opening ceremonies and that the communications with the LA28 team and Chair Casey Wasserman, are “progressing really well.”

Coventry was asked about the future of the IOC in esports, after the dissolution of the “Olympic Esports Games” initiative with the Saudi Arabia National Olympic Committee:

“It was never an issue of comfort or non-comfort [with the Saudis], it was really about regrouping.

“Right at the beginning of the ‘Pause and Reflect’ process in June, we could already see that there were just multiple views coming from the entire Movement [on this issue]. I think it fits really nicely into the ‘Pause and Reflect’ and analyzing our ‘Fit for the Future’ and are we fit for the future and what needs to change and what do we need to realign, and it really gave us sort of this opportunity within the Movement to be very clear on what we want moving forward.

“And I do need to clarify as well that both parties agreed, so we had really good conversations, we still have a great relationship, and it just has been a time for us really to look at what it is that we want, how we want to proceed, what that looks like, and the Movement wanted clarity on all of that. …

“We all mutually agreed. We had conversations here in Lausanne with Saudi Arabia and the teams. Really, I think we’re on a good track forward, and I think this ‘Pause and Reflect’ time is also giving the Movement time to better understand.

“Some federations are really very proactive, very in the gaming community, but others not as much. So it’s really giving everyone an opportunity to be very clear on what entering into that space would mean, individually, but also collectively. That was the reasoning behind it.”

Coventry was asked about the pace of change in the world continuing to speed up, and she was clear about what needs to be the focus:

“Things change daily, and we’re keeping a pulse on it, I think we have to in order to ensure the relevance of the Games, the meaningfulness of the Games, the importance of the Games remains at its peak. And remains relevant, remains important.

“We will continue to do that. We have to monitor, we have to be aware of it, we have to know throughout all these conversations – ‘Fit for the Future’ – and where we are starting to see our priorities coming out, where we’re starting to see potential ideas in and around strategies.”

She pointed to the protection of the Olympic Games and how “it showcases how we could live” in this troubled world, “all respecting each other, all having some way of understanding each other. …

“That’s the incredible thing about sport. You don’t have to speak the same language in order to understand what each other are trying to achieve, or have an appreciation for each other. For me, especially in today’s world, are values that we need to ensure we are protecting and ensuring that they are being acknowledged as really important values for our communities, our families, for our sons and daughters and for the future of tomorrow.”

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

MILAN CORTINA 2026: IOC chief Coventry excited for Winter Games, ExDir Dubi says there is a lot of work to do, but “will be ready”

Rich Perelman

January 21, 2026

tsx pix 2026-121 coventry, kirsty (ioc video) — International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) at her 21 January 2026 media briefing (IOC video screenshot).

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≡ IOC VIEW 16 DAYS OUT ≡

“The Games are going to be incredible. I’m getting really, very excited about being able to get there and see the blend of tradition and innovation … the magnificent venues that are there.

“Really, I think the excitement is slowly building up and now it’s at a really good pace.”

That’s International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), speaking to more than 200 reporters on a video call from Olympic House in Lausanne (SUI) on Wednesday morning.

Already in Italy, Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) explained that the last couple of sites are getting close to completion, but not there yet. Speaking about the new sliding track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, he explained:

“Is there some work to be done? Yes. A lot.

“What I have been told, and I am no construction expert, right, but it’s not complex work, so anything that has to do with any of the systems, especially for the track refrigeration, electricity, timing, scoring: all this is in place. …

“What I saw, while walking, is still a lot of finishing touches, right. Some concrete pavement for additional tents, for hospitality, some ground work to get the venue ready for spectators, where currently it’s a bit patchy when you walk.

“But what I have been told, [the amount to be done] it’s impressive, but it’s not complex and they have a lot of people working. OK, it will be ready. No doubt, it will be ready … but canot deny work has to be done.

He was also asked about the PalaItalia Santa Giulia Arena, the primary ice hockey venue, which is racing to finish enough of the construction to be ready for Games:

“I was there yesterday, with the future co-owner and operator of the venue. First, when you come from outside … it’s going to be a landmark, OK. It’s a beautiful venue, very spectacular, LEDs all around, it will be amazing in terms of animation, including for spectators getting to the venue and waiting to get in the venue. Incredible.

“Now, same assessment as the sliding track. Work remains to be done. Hats off to all those who could pull up such a venue in so little time. You know, it was always a complex project, it started late, but this is where … when we speak of the great objectives of having the best conditions for the Games for the athletes, it means all hands on deck.

“Sixteen hundred workers a day in the venue, to get it ready. So that’s where we’re at. There as well, super confident.”

He was asked specifically what was being worked on now:

“Basically, works on the concourse, and the temporary works, which by nature, comes last minute, as usual. So, all the tents in which you have the locker rooms. I visited it yesterday again; about half of the locker rooms are ready to host the teams, the other ones will be ready in a matter of days. So when we start competitions, it will be ready, no problem with this, but yeah, they are still working, because it’s temporary.”

Coventry was asked about the future of the Games, especially after seeing the spread-out venue plan for Milan Cortina, with venues – well-known and existing world-class sites – spread out across northern Italy. She noted that this is a point of interest for the IOC:

“We’ve got to find a balance between sustainability and making decisions for sustainable reasons and the balance of experience for fans, for [National Olympic Committees], for athletes. If we look at how the model is set up today, I do believe that we took the right decision in having a more dispersed Games, but – and I think we can all say, openly and honestly – it has added additional complexities, right? For media, for transport, for the IOC, for [Olympic Broadcasting Services], for [National Olympic Committees] and so what I think we are already seeing and what we’re going to be able to learn from Milano Cortina, is at the end of the Games, we’ll be able to take these things and look at it and almost, somehow, maybe come up with a ‘cost’ if I can say it.

“You know, it added complexities, which potentially added this much vs. if we just have that [sports] discipline, what would that look like, right? We have to have those conversations; I think Milano Cortina is going to allow for us to have those conversations, those conversations are already being had in the Olympic Programme Working Group, because that is part of their remit is to look at the program, and when we look at the program, we start looking at sustainability, at disbursements of where the venues should be and what that should look like.

“It’s a much greater conversation, but I do think already now, we are seeing that it’s not just the sort of simple answer.”

She explained that the experience of a spread-out Games will be a positive in that it will allow the IOC to see the concept in practice and “allow for us to realign and adjust for the future.” She also pointed to the trust that athletes have in these sites that they are so familiar with from their seasonal World Cup circuits.

Dubi noted that with the opening ceremony spread across four locations, “you never had the skiers able to go to an Olympic opening ceremony. Never; it does not happen. This time around, being in Livigno, being in Cortina, being in Predazzo, the athletes will be able to walk.”

It was noted that more than a million tickets have been sold (about two-thirds of capacity), but that there are still some available.

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

PANORAMA: Dual Milan Cortina cauldrons revealed for Games; African Cup of Nations degenerates into chaos; FIFA PASS visa program opening

Rich Perelman

January 20, 2026

tsx pix 2026-120 milan owg cauldron arco della pace (mico) — Rendering of the Olympic Cauldron at the Arco della Pace in Milan (Image: Milan Cortina 2026).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● A unique aspect of the upcoming Winter Games will be two cauldrons for the Olympic Flame, lit simultaneously in two locations: in Milan at the Arco della Pace and in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Piazza Dibona. Per the announcement:

“They will be lit and extinguished in perfect synchrony, paying tribute to the constant dialogue between the different territories of this widespread edition of the Games.”

The cauldrons are made of aluminum, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Knots”:

“The structure features variable geometry, with a diameter that expands from 3.1 meters when closed to 4.5 meters when open [10.2 to 14.8 feet]. The complex mechanical system integrates 244 pivot points and 1,440 components, mounted on pins and bearings. At its core, the Flame is enclosed in a glass-and-metal container and makes use of sustainable scenic effects: no material fallout, low acoustic impact, minimal smoke emissions and complete safety for environments in contact with the public.”

The Milan cauldron will be featured in a special, 3-5 minute daily show from 7 February, occurring on the hour, every hour, from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., open to the public.

● Paralympic Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Russian athletes had been announced to be ineligible for the Winter Paralympic skiing and snowboarding events based on the position of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS).

However, it was reported Tuesday that the International Paralympic Committee will allow “bilateral invitations” to be issued to specific Russian athletes in alpine and cross-country skiing and snowboard.

These invitations are expected to be made by 13 February and are to be approved by the IPC. No indication was given on the number of invitations to be extended.

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS women’s World Cup stopped in Kronplatz (ITA) on Tuesday for a Giant Slalom, with Austria’s Julia Scheib winning her fourth gold this season, coming from second after the first run to win the second and time 2:19.85. That was just enough to beat Swiss Slalom star Camille Rast (2:20.22) and Sara Hector (SWE: 2:20.31).

American star Mikaela Shiffrin was fourth overall at 2:20.71, showing she is going to be a contender for an Olympic medal in this event. Fellow American Paula Moltzan was eighth (2:21.36) and Elisabeth Bocock was 12th in 2:22.54.

Much attention was focused on the return to the slopes of Italian star Federica Brignone – the 2025 Giant Slalom World Champion – who suffered a bad crash at last April’s Italian championships, but has recovered enough to ski and finished a very creditable sixth overall. She was not sure, however, about competing at the Winter Games.

● Athletics ● Impressive season opener from Olympic women’s high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR), clearing 2.03 m (6-8) at home in Lviv on 17 January.

It equals her sixth-highest jump ever and only 12 other women – including her – have ever jumped higher indoors.

● Football ● Sunday’s African Cup of Nations final in Rabat (MAR) between host Morocco and Senegal descended into chaos when in a 0-0 match that was in stoppage time of the second half, a goal for Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr at 90+2 was disallowed on video review.

This incensed the Senegalese, who were then further infuriated by a penalty called against them at 90+5 on Morocco’s Brahim Diaz. The foul was not initially called by the referee, but the Video Assistant Referee signaled and the play was reviewed and a penalty given.

At that point, Senegal coaches, players and officials protested on the field and some Senegal fans tried to come onto the pitch as well, then being accosted by security staff. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw then ordered his team off the field as a protest, with some following and some staying.

After a 14-minute delay, Diaz finally took the penalty but keeper Edouard Mendy stopped it; Diaz just popped it straight toward the goal, expecting Mendy to jump one way or the other. Play continued, with regulation time finishing 0-0.

Senegal’s Pape Gueye finally scored in the 94th and Senegal held on for the win, 1-0. There were flare-ups between writers in the press section and between Moroccan flag-waving fans and some Senegal substitutes on the field, but the final score stood. Arguments continued in the media center and Senegal coach Thiaw was booed by Moroccan media members at the post-match news conference and left!

The African Confederation issued an unhappy statement on Monday:

“The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night.

“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organizers.

“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”

FIFA announced that the “FIFA PASS” program for ticket buyers for FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in the U.S. is open.

It’s “a voluntary, opt-in process that allows FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States to access prioritised visa interview appointments” according to FIFA, but is not needed for fans from U.S. Visa Waiver Program countries. The announcement noted:

“All current FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders will be notified in the upcoming days by the FIFA ticket office with information on the availability of FIFA PASS, along with instructions on how to opt in to the process. Future ticket purchasers will receive the same opt-in opportunity at time of purchase.”

Midfield star Rose Lavelle has been voted U.S. Soccer’s women’s player of the year for 2025, scoring three goals in her national team matches and helping Gotham FC to the NWSL title.

Lavelle received 29.2% of the weighted vote, ahead of Sam Coffey (23.9%) and Catarina Macario (22.3%).

● Ski Jumping ● In the first of two competitions off the 102 m hill in Zao (JPN), early-season sensation Nozomi Maruyama (JPN) won her sixth FIS women’s World Cup gold, scoring 222.5 points, well ahead of Lisa Eder (AUT: 207.1) and Germany’s Selina Freitag (205.8). Slovenian star Nika Prevc’s six-event win streak ended, as she finished fourth (205.6).

Paige Jones of the U.S. was 16th (172.3).

● Tennis ● Venus Williams, now 45, played and lost in the first round of the Australian Open, losing a three-set match against Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 4-6. Sje had been granted a wild card entry. She is now the oldest to play in a women’s Singles main draw at the tournament in the Open Era.

She is also entered in the women’s Doubles with Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.

● Water Polo ● The U.S. women’s national team defeated 2025 Worlds runner-up Hungary, 13-8, in Budapest on Saturday to complete a sweep of their two exhibition matches.

The Americans had only a 6-5 lead at half, but broke the game open in the third period with a 4-1 advantage. Ryann Neushul was the individual star, with five goals, and four for Jordan Raney.

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

FIGURE SKATING: NBC analysts Lipinski and Weir see not only three possible U.S. golds, but maybe a women’s sweep?

Rich Perelman

January 20, 2026

tsx pix 2025-327 liu, alysia wch shrt pgm (isu) — American star Alysa Liu, the 2025 ISU women’s Singles World Champion (Photo: ISU).

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

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≡ WINTER GAMES PREVIEW ≡

“In terms of Team USA, it should be a great team. High expectations. Might be the deepest, most talented contingent that the U.S. is going to send for an overseas Winter Olympics.”

That was NBC’s Terry Gannon, who will announce the figure skating competitions at the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games, starting off a media briefing last Thursday with his analysts, 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski and two-time U.S. Olympian Johnny Weir.

Lipinski went further on the U.S. squad, especially the women’s trio of World Champion Alysa Liu, three-time U.S. champ Amber Glenn and 2024 Worlds silver medalist Isabeau Levito:

“I truly believe this is the best team that I’ve seen in possibly over 20 years. There hasn’t been a U.S. woman on top of an Olympic podium since 2002, but this women’s team, we’re calling them ‘the big three’ and for good reason. There could be multiple medals, multiple U.S. women on top of that podium and it’s just very exciting to feel the excitement coming back into the sport.

“Obviously I am biased, but figure skating is the premier event at the Winter Olympics. This year it feels extra special. …

“[A]s Terry mentioned, out of the four disciplines, I think that the U.S. could come home with three Olympic gold medals and one of them being for Ilia Malinin. He is man-on-the-moon type material. Once-in-a-generation type skater. The things he does I thought I’d never see in my lifetime. Whatever he does, I know it’s going to be a historic skate. If you sort of look back at what he’s done this season, he’s almost competing in a different competition than everyone else, winning events by 75 points.”

Lipinski then broke down what to expect from the three U.S. women’s stars:

● “We can start with Alysa Liu who is the reigning world champion. If you look back in history and the track record of winning the world champions before an Olympic Games, it really sets her on the right path to not only be the favorite to win this Olympic gold medal but to bring it home and she us having a comeback like I have seen before in this sport. It’s definitely not one of pressure. It’s one of joy and passion and love for her sport and I think that’s what’s connecting her to millions of people at home.

“She’s so relatable and so authentic in the way that she performs and competes and she also has this unique ability, which I think everyone is trying to figure out what it is and then copy it, but she is skating in her own little bubble without pressure because she really feels that she’s doing this for herself and she’s taking full ownership over her skating. And she doesn’t feel the expectations that you would think she would and that gives her the edge to be able to compete under pressure.”

● “Then you have Amber Glenn, which her story of perseverance is just incredible. Johnny and I have both commentated Amber from pretty much the start and seen how she’s grown and really come into the woman that she is. And she is so special and I think important for our sport the way that she’s so open and vulnerable about her mental health issues and struggles and how she overcomes the doubts and the pressure that she faces and over the last two years – she’s in her 20s, which is definitely not old, but in figure skating terms it is older and she’s proven what you can do at any age if you work at it. She has a triple Axel which she’s the only American woman putting that into competition right now from the big three. The way she performs is so special. Because of her vulnerable she connects to the audience that way.”

● “And then Isabeau Levito really is that – I call her that skater in the snow globe. She is that quintessential ballerina that was put on ice. She brings elegance and grace and charm and she is a perfectionist. As beautiful and sparkly are her costumes, underneath it all is desire and will.”

Weir noted that the Team Event will come first:

“The Team Event will be hotly contested but I would say that Team USA are heavy favorites at this point. The team event is going to be a great way to start for U.S. figure skating fans and even for people that only tune in every four years for the Olympics and don’t watch the trials and tribulations of the skating season on a whole every season. I think that it will just be the most magical way to start.”

He also commented on an important rule change:

“[A]fter the last Olympic [Winter] Games, the age minimum for skaters to compete in the Olympics was 16 and since that Olympics they changed it to 17, first of all, in hopes that it would help elongate the careers of many of the top women because for a while, we saw an influx of young talent from Russia specifically that would they had two seasons where they really shone brightly and then they would go away and we would never see them compete in international competitions again because there was another 13, 14, 15-year-old there to take their place.

“I think the International Skating Union did a clever thing in aging that age minimum to 17 for Olympic Games and for senior-level competition.”

The trio will be busy in Milan with the figure skating starting on 6 February – the day of the opening ceremony – and continuing through 19 February with just three days off thrown into the schedule.

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

TEAM USA WINTER MEDAL TRACKER: Armbruster Humphries wins gold and silver, Vonn silver and bronze in nine-medal weekend

Rich Perelman

January 20, 2026

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≡ STAT BLITZ≡

The Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games are really close now, and U.S. athletes continue to shine in winter-sport World Cup events, but with the schedule thinning as the Games approach.

Over the weekend, American athletes won nine more medals (one gold) in international competition:

Alpine Skiing: FIS World Cup in Tarvisio (ITA):
● Women/Downhill ~ Bronze: Lindsey Vonn
● Women/Super-G ~ Silver: Lindsey Vonn

Said Vonn after her Downhill bronze:

“It’s crazy that I’m back here after 15 years. Unfortunately I don’t remember the track from 15 years ago! …

“But I do remember the fans and I do remember the atmosphere. It’s so fun to race when there’s so many excited people and fans. It makes racing World Cup that much more exciting.

“It was actually really tough and I tried not to have too much expectation because I knew these other girls were going to be fast. The snow was really soft, it was really hard to see in the middle and I made a pretty big mistake but I’m happy to be on the podium again.

“For me what’s important is to be consistent and I’m really happy that I could do that despite the conditions.”

After the Super-G bronze, Vonn has seven medals in her eight races this season … at age 41! She added:

“If I can fight for the [FIS Crystal] Globe in Super-G as well, that would be amazing. I obviously feel really confident in Downhill, but Super-G could be a little better, so today was a good step in the right direction and it gives me confidence for Milano Cortina.”

Bobsled & Skeleton: IBSF World Cup in Altenberg (GER):
● Women/Monobob ~ Gold: Kaillie Armbruster Humphries
● Two-Woman ~ Silver: Humphries and Jasmine Jones

After her Monobob win, Armbruster Humphries, 40, said, “I’m really happy with today.

“My drives were good, and we’re still working on getting my pushes faster at the start. I think that’s just coming back post-partum, taking it step-by-step. The goal was always to build each and every race throughout this year up until the Olympics, and I think we’ve been pretty successful at that, so to be able to win at Monobob again is a really good feeling. We still have a lot of work to do, but overall, it continues to be steps in the right direction, which is great. …

“Age is just a number; it does not define us or limit us in anything.”

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup in Waterville Valley. New Hampshire:
● Women/Moguls ~ Silver: Elizabeth Lemley
● Women/Moguls ~ Bronze: Olivia Giaccio

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup in Laax (SUI):
● Women/Slopestyle ~ Silver: Marin Hamill

Snowboard: FIS World Cup in Laax (SUI):
● Women/Slopestyle ~ Silver: Lily Dhawornvej

Snowboard: FIS World Cup in Dongbeiya (CHN):
● Men/SnowCross ~ Bronze: Nathan Pare

Vonn and Armbruster Humphries appear to be peaking at the right time. Many of the winter sport schedules have concluded, with Short Track over for now, one more event for figure skating and speed skating, and bobsled and skeleton are done for the season. Skiing will continue.

The Winter Games will open on 6 February.

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

MILAN CORTINA 2026: Opening ceremony plan to be “human-driven” with “no technological thrills,” but in four locations!

Karen Rosen

January 20, 2026

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≡ BALICH ON OLYMPIC OPENING ≡

The Opening Ceremony for the Milan Cortina Winter Games will emphasize humanity over technology while performing the complicated task of merging athlete parades in four locations throughout Italy.

Creative director Marco Balich (ITA, pictured below from a video screenshot) said that while technology has advanced in the 20 years since he won an Emmy Award for his work on the 2006 Turin Winter Games, his team is striving for a “very essential human-driven” ceremony with “no technological thrills.”

“When we think of the big images, we remember Muhammad Ali shaking [in 1996], the archer [Antonio Rebollo] in Barcelona lighting the cauldron,” said Balich, who has worked on a record 16 Olympic ceremonies. “We do not remember how much LED on the floor there was, or what kind of super powerful flying system was on top. The essence is human-driven and the emotion comes from humanity. This is our secret ingredient.”

The 70,000-seat San Siro Stadium in Milan is the main venue for the 2½-hour show, while simultaneous ceremonies will be held in Cortina, Valtellino and Val di Fiemme. During the athlete parade, the camera will jump from place to place to seamlessly show each country’s participants “marching together.”

“It’s challenging, but at the same time I think it is a great new feature of this Olympics,” Balich said. “We enable all the athletes to participate in the athlete parade … even if they have a competition the next day. That’s a beautiful gift that this Games gives to the athletes so they can represent their country with a big smile.”

Balich introduced the overall theme of “Armonia,” a word with Greek roots that connects man and nature or city and mountains.

“Everything that is harmonious is beautiful and for us Italians, beauty is an essence,” Balich said. “And Armonia is also a universal message of peace, which is very needed now in 2026.”

The Olympic Truce will be a major element in the show.

The set design in San Siro Stadium features a 30-meter [98-foot] central circle representing a place of gathering and communion, while four ramps are conceptual roads connecting Cortina, Anterselva, Val di Fiemme and Livigno.

Balich said the athletes will be placed next to the action while also being next to the protocol stage for the speeches.

Celebrities who will perform include Andrea Bocelli and Laura Pausini, who are Italian icons. The top international star is American Mariah Carey, who will sing a famous Italian song, and Balich said, “You will see the entire stadium singing along. That is my promise.”

The show will also celebrate Italy’s three famous composers: Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi and Gioachino Rossini.

During an online round table with more than 200 journalists, Balich revealed the cauldron, which is “usually a very well-kept secret,” he said.

However, this was necessary because there will be two cauldrons built in public areas – one in the heart of Milan and the other in the main square of Cortina.

The design was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and his geometrical knots. The flame is small, as a nod toward sustainability, and and the cauldrons will expand during evening shows at the top of every hour.

“It’s a contemporary symbol that speaks of design, sunshine, sustainability and beauty,” Balich said. “I really expect that to become a viral social media sensation.”

He said the projected audience for the opening ceremony – without Africa and India – is estimated to be 2.2 billion people.

He hopes to appeal to Gen Z and the younger generation as well as the traditional Olympic fans.

“This is a true moment when the entire world is watching,” Balich said. “We are a small nation that contributes a lot to the world in terms of beauty, in terms of culture, in terms of sense of brotherhood. We are not a belligerent country. We love peace and we want to state that big and loud.”

The show will also feature a tribute to Giorgio Armani, a symbol of all the great fashion designers from Milan. Balich said they changed the perception of Italy “from pizza, pasta, mozzarella into an elegant, design-driven and beauty-inspired generation of Italians.”

Armani, who died in September 2025, left one of his final marks on the Games.

“For the first time we share that among the last drawings that Giorgio Armani did when he was alive is the the drawing of the outfit of the flagbearer in Milano Cortina,” Balich said. “It’s going to be very emotional for us Italians to see this.”

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics had some controversial moments, but Balich did not expect any from the Milan Cortina presentation.

“It’s a unique platform to convey good messages and not messages that divide,” he said.

While Balich said the opening ceremonies for Paris, Athens 2004 and London 2012 were “guru-driven,” he prefers a model where the creative director coordinates with other talents. His team includes veterans from the worlds of opera and Cirque du Soleil.

“It’s like a football team versus a single tennis player,” Balich said.

He did not want to reveal too much, but said 1,200 volunteers join professionals in the segments, which change every three to four minutes.

One segment will celebrate 102 years of Winter Olympics. “We go through different eras with people changing outfits in front of your eyes,” Balich said.

At 8 p.m. local time on 6 February, the Olympic opening ceremony will be appointment TV around the world.

“People will be awake to see their team, to see who is lighting the cauldron,” Balich said. “It’s always a beautiful celebration of the athletes, the sports and the Games.”

And it’s his job to make sure Italy shines.

Limited tickets are still available for the opening ceremony. Explained Balich:

“One goal of our ceremony is to deliver three or four strong images of the ceremony, among which two or three images that really trigger the sense of pride to the host nation.”

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

PANORAMA: Papadakis’ book loses her NBC announce job; U.S. expands events for athlete visa exemptions; Armbruster Humphries wins again!

Rich Perelman

January 18, 2026

tsx pix 2026-117 humphries wins altenberg (ibsf-viesturs lacis) — A World Cup Monobob win for American star Kaillie Armbrister Humphries! (Photo: IBSF/Viesturs Lacis).

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Beijing Olympic Ice Dance gold medalist Gabriella Papadakis (FRA) had been working with NBC as a figure skating commentator, but in the tumult surrounding her memoir – in specific, criticism of her skating partner Guillaume Cizeron – she has been released by the network.

Papadakis’ new book, “So As Not To Disappear,” came out last week and called Cizeron a “controlling” and “demanding” partner. Cizeron’s attorneys have asked for a cessation of “defamatory statements” about him, and Papadakis told the French all-sports newspaper L’Equipe:

“To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume filing a formal notice, which was made public, they [NBC] considered that the perception of my neutrality was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games.”

Of Cizeron – now skating with ex-Canadian Laurence Fournier Beaudry – Papadakis told L’Equipe:

“As long as I took a backseat role while Guillaume was the leader, everything went well. It’s when I wanted to be an equal in this relationship that things started to become more and more difficult.”

The White House announced Saturday that Vice President J.D. Vance and Usha Vance will lead the American delegation at the opening of the Milan Cortina Games.

Also attending will be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Italian Ambassador Tilman Feritta, and Olympic gold medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando (ice hockey), Apolo Ohno (short track) and Evan Lysacek (figure skating).

● United States ● The U.S. State Department sent a cable last week to its outposts, expanding the list of “major sporting events” for which athletes and officials will be exempt from visa bans otherwise instituted for multiple countries.

The exemption lists “all competitions and qualifying events” for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan-American Games and Para Pan-American Games; events hosted, sanctioned or recognized by a U.S. National Governing Body; all competitions and qualifying events for the Special Olympics; and official events and competitions hosted or endorsed by FIFA or its confederations.

The Associated Press reported that the “exemption also will cover official events and competitions hosted by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as those hosted or endorsed by U.S. professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Little League, the National Hockey League, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, NASCAR, Formula 1, the Professional Golf Association, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, LIV Golf, Major League Rugby, Major League Soccer, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship and All Elite Wrestling.”

There have been multiple incidents of athletes and officials being denied entry into the U.S. for events based on restrictions implemented by the Trump Administration, and worries about some major league players related to the World Baseball Classic in March. A full travel ban is on for Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and people with passports from the Palestinian Authority.

A partial ban is now in place for Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

● Transgender ● “Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ’s) Title IX Special Investigations Team (Title IX SIT) initiated an investigation into the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) amid allegations that its ‘Transgender Participation Policy’ (Policy) violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).”

That was a Thursday announcement, with the statement noting specifically that the Community College Association policy “resulted in discrimination against at least three female athletes on the basis of sex by allowing a male athlete to participate on the women’s volleyball team at a member college and access locker facilities for women during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. It further alleges that 3C2A ignored female students’ complaints about the harms caused to females when male students participate in female sports.”

The Department of Education has also been pursuing high school athletic policies of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), a matter now in the courts.

● Athletics ● Charges in two cases against 2022 World men’s 100 m champion Fred Kerley of the U.S. were dropped in Miami last week. First, the charges against him for domestic violence against then-girlfriend, Olympic hurdler Alaysha Johnson, were dismissed by a Florida judge for “lack of cooperation” from the alleged victim.

His 2 January 2025 altercation with police – when he tried to get to his car in an area where police activity was taking place – and subsequent arrest was resolved as Kerley agreed to take an anger management course.

Kerley, the 2022 World men’s 100 m champ, has signed to run with the doping-friendly Enhanced Games in May.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Another Downhill medal for American star Lindsey Vonn at the FIS women’s World Cup in Tarvisio (ITA) on Saturday, taking the bronze in 1:46.54 as the no. 11 starter. Italian Nicol Delago, 30, who won her first World Cup medal in two years and her first-ever gold at 1:46.28, followed by 2021 Worlds silver winner Kira Weidle-Winkelmann (GER: 1:46.48).

American Breezy Johnson, the 2025 World Champion, was sixth at 1:47.13. In five Downhill events this season, Vonn has five medals and continues as the seasonal leader.

On Sunday, German Emma Aicher got the Super-G win in 1:q4.04, with Vonn winning the silver in 1:14.31, her second medal in three Super-G races! Two-sport star Ester Ledecka (CZE: 1:14.98) was third.

At the FIS men’s World Cup in Wengen (SUI), the three-time World Junior Champs gold medalist Giovanni Franzoni was hot, winning Friday’s Super-G in 1:45.19, his second career World Cup medal and first win. He beat Stefan Babinsky (AUT: 1:45.54) and Downhill World Champion Franjo Von Allmen (SUI: 1:45.56). Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the top American, in sixth at 1:46.02.

Saturday’s Downhill was the seventh win of the season for Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt, in 1:33.14, trailed by Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT: 1:33.93) and Franzoni (1:34.04). Cochran-Siegle was 15th at 1:34.84.

Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath won the Sunday Slalom in 1:45.99, ahead of Brazilian Lucas Braathen (1:46.46) and Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen (1:46.80).

● Archery ● World Archery Indoor World Series in Nimes (FRA), Spain’s Andres Temino won the men’s Recurve gold with a shoot-out win over Chun-Heng Wei (TPE), 6-5 with both shooting 10s, but Temino’s arrow closest to the center.

France’s Victoria Sebastian won the women’s Recurve final, 7-3, over Mexico’s Angela Ruiz.

● Athletics ● At the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, sprint star Noah Lyles of the U.S. opened up with a 32.60 300 m win over training partner Cheickna Traore (CIV: 33.16) and Shomari Pettigrew (USA: 35.55). It’s the first time Lyles had run the distance since his 31.87, a then-world best back in 2017, and he still ranks no. 2 all-time.

● Badminton ● The BWF World Tour India Open in New Delhi was actually held despite significant challenges at the venue. On the court, unseeded Chun-Yi Lin (TPE) took the men’s Singles over Jonatan Christie (INA), 21-10, 21-18, and Olympic champ Se Young An (KOR) won by 21-13. 21-11 over second-seed Zhi Yi Wang (CHN).

China won the men’s and women’s Doubles and Thailand took the Mixed Doubles title.

The Times of India reported on bird waste on the courts, a monkey in the seating area and stray dogs wandering around and trying to catch rats, noting “the problems were neither isolated or minor.”

It was bad enough that Badminton World Federation issued a statement that glossed over most of the issues and noted:

“While some areas of implementation, including general cleanliness and hygiene plus animal control have required attention, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has acted promptly to address these concerns. Players have also noted the positive enhancements to the playing surface and flooring, gymnasium, and medical facilities.

“The move to the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex provides greater space for athletes and officials and meets BWF’s Field of Play requirements for hosting the BWF World Championships. Insights gathered this week will guide further upgrades to deliver a world-class experience in August, where the seasonal issues are not expected being as severe.”

● Biathlon ● The fifth stop in the IBU World Cup tour was in Ruhpolding (GER), with the Swedish Oeberg sisters continuing to star in the women’s races, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hanna – the older – winning the 7.5 km Sprint in 19:10.7 (0 penalties) over French star Lou Jeanmonnot (19:18.2/0) and Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi (19:22.4/0). Elvira Oeberg – who had won the last two World Cup races – was fourth (19:25.3/0).

Fellow Swede Sebastian Samuelsson took the men’s 10 km Sprint in 21:53.8 (8), ahead of Italy’s Tomasso Giacomel (22:11.4/1), who had won the prior three World Cup races. Sean Doherty was the top American, in 40th (23:26.3/1).

The Pursuit races on Sunday saw Norway’s Johannes Dale-Skjevdal log his first win of the season in 30:23.9 (1), over Eric Perrot (FRA: 30:28.8/3). Jeanmonnot won the women’s 10 km Pursuit in 29:26.6 (1) over Hanna Oeberg (29:37.1/3).

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● U.S. star Kaillie Humphries is getting hot at the right time, winning the IBSF World Cup women’s Monobob in Altenberg (GER) in the season finale, in 1:58.97. The 2022 Beijing Olympic champ was 0.13 up on Australia’s Bree Walker (1:59.10) and two-time World Champion Laura Nolte (GER: 1:59.16). Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. was ninth (2:00.06). Nolte won the seasonal title over Walker, 1,446 to 1,429.

The Two-Woman race went to Nolte and Deborah Levi in 1:52.33, with Armbruster Humphries and Jasmine Jones right behind for silver in 1:53.23. Nolte and Armbruster Humphries were 1-2 for the season.

The Two-Man title went to German 2023 World Champion Johannes Lochner, with Georg Fleischhauer, in 1:50.13, ahead of Adam Ammour (+ Benedikt Hertel: 1:50.58) and Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (+ Alexander Schueller: 1:50.64). Frank Del Duca and Boone Niederhofer of the U.S. finished sixth (1:51.32). Lochner, Friedrich and Ammour finished 1-2-3 for the season.

In the Four-Man races, it was another German sweep, with Ammour winning in 1:49.13, then Lochner in 1:49.15 and Friedrich in 1:49.28. Lochner, Friedrich and Ammour were 1-2-3 in the seasonal standings.

The Skeleton season finished in Altenberg, with Britain’s 2025 Worlds runner-up Marcus Wyatt winning his second race of the season, in 1:50.47, ahead of a three-tie for second with two-time World Champion Matt Weston (GBR), Axel Jungk (GER) and 2022 Olympic champ Christopher Grotheer (GER), all in 1:50.65. Austin Florian was the top American, in 14th (1:51.78).

Weston won the seasonal title with 1,545 points, to 1,328 for China’s Zheng Yin.

Germany’s Jacqueline Pfeifer, the 2017 World Champion, won the women’s race in 1:54.42 to 1:54.75 for teammate Susanne Kreher, with Belgian Kim Meylemans third (1:54.76). Kelly Curtis was the best U.S. finisher, in 17th (1:56.59). Meylemans won the seasonal crown with 1,443 points to 1,338 for Pfeifer.

Germany (Kreher-Jungk) won the Mixed Team title in 1:58.21 with Britain second (1:58.56) and the U.S. fourth with Florian and Curtis.

● Cross Country Skiing ● At the FIS World Cup in Oberhof (GER), Norway’s Lars Heggen got his second medal of the season and first gold with a 2:25.83 win in the Freestyle Sprint, beating Italian star Federico Pellegrino (+0.32).

Beijing Olympic women’s Sprint champ Jonna Sundling (SWE) won her second sprint of the season in 2:43.79, just 0.71 up on Coletta Rydzek (GER) and 2.54 on fellow Swede Maja Dahlqvist.

Sunday had the Classical Interval Start 10 km races, with Martin Nyenget (NOR) getting his second World Cup win of the season in 21:09.1 over Finn Iivo Niskanen (21:22.9). The women’s race went Moa Ilar (SWE: 24:37.0), trailed by Teresa Stadlober (AUT: 24:37.7) and Sundling (24:57;8); U.S. star Jessie Diggins was fourth in 25:07.3 and maintained her seasonal lead.

● Cycling ● The UCI Women’s World Tour opened with the Santos Tour Down Under, with Australian home favorite Ally Wollaston winning the first two stages. But the third and final stage saw Swiss Neomi Ruegg win by 0:01 over two others and with Wollaston more than seven minutes back, Ruegg claimed the overall title.

Ruegg finished in 10:27:36 overall, trailed by Spain’s Mavi Garcia (+0:11) and Paula Blasi (+0:14).

● Freestyle Skiing ● Weather caused the FIS World Cup in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire to be reduced to just a single Moguls event for men and women, with two-time World Champion Ikuma Horishima (JPN: 85.56) the clear winner over Filip Gravenfors (SWE: 80.54). Nick Page was the top U.S. finisher, in fifth (78.92).

Olympic champ Jakara Anthony took the women’s event for her third straight World Cup gold (81.17), over Americans Elizabeth Lemley (78.12) and Olivia Giaccio (76.60). Giaccio is the only rider to medal in each of the four Moguls events held so far!

At the FIS World Cup Slopestyle in Laax (SUI), 2021 World Champion Eileen Gu (CHN) took the win at 85.13, well ahead of Marin Hamill of the U.S. (71.38) and Lara Wolf (AUT: 67.85). Hamill, 24, won her second career World Cup medal and first in four years!

Norway’s two-time World Champion Birk Ruud won the men’s contest at 85.08, over Matej Svancer (AUT: 84.08) and Evan McEachran (CAN: 82.70). American Hunter Henderson was fifth (80.50).

● Ice Hockey ● At the 18th IIHF women’s World U-18 Championship, held in Sydney (CAN), the U.S. squad claimed the 10th American title with a 2-0 over Canada in the final.

The U.S. won their quarterfinal by 9-0 over Hungary and 9-1 over Sweden and the Canadians beat Finland (12-0) and Czechia (8-1). The Czechs won the bronze over Sweden, 4-3.

● Luge ● At the FIL World Cup 6 in Oberhof (GER), 2023 World Champion Jonas Mueller (AUT) won his third race of the year in 1:24.59, beating Germany’s six-time World Champion Felix Loch (1:24.640) and two-time World Champion Max Langenhan (1:24.824). The best U.S. finisher was Jonny Gustafson in 19th.

The Doubles went to three-time Olympic winners Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (GER: 1:22.687) over fellow German stars Toni Eggert and Florian Muller (1:22.941).

German Merle Fraebel won her second medal and first gold in the women’s Singles in 1:22.867 over Lisa Schulte (AUT: 1:26.810) and Natalie Maag (SUI: 1:23.148). Ashley Farquharson was ninth for the U.S. in 1:23.458.

Two-time World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal won the women’s Doubles in 1:23.956 over Austria’s two-time World Champions, Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (1:24.137).

● Nordic Combined ● Norway’s Jens Oftebro got his first FIS World Cup gold of the season in Oberhof (GER), taking Saturday’s Compact 100 m jumping and 7.5 km race in 17:51.6, beating Austrian star (and seasonal leader) Johannes Lamparter (17:53.3) in a tight finish.

Sunday’s Gunderson 100 m jumping and 10 km race was 1-2 for the Oftebro brothers, with Jens winning in 27:49.0 and older brother Einar crossing in 28:16.8.

Norwegian women’s star Ida Marie Hagen won her sixth World Cup gold in a row, taking the Compact 100 m and 5 km race in 14:03.3, with German Nathalie Armbruster second (14:11.0). American Alexa Brabec was fourth in 14:25.6.

The women’s Gundersen 100/5 km on Sunday went to Hagen of course, in 15:46.7, ahead of Minja Korhonen (FIN: 16:22.1), with Brabec fourth again in 16:47.6.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS men’s World Cup moved to Asia with competitions in Sapporo (JPN) off the 137 m hill and Slovenian star Domen Prevc coming out on top again, with 285.7 points, moving from second to first in the final round. He edged Japan’s Naoki Nakamura (263.6) and Ren Nikaido (257.6).

On Sunday, Prevc completed a sweep, scoring 277.7 to 274.2 for Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi.

Younger sister Nika Prevc continued her rampage through the women’s World Cup, this time in Zhangjiakou (CHN) on the 140 m hill, with her fifth and sixth straight wins.

She took Friday’s event with 245.6 points to 221.9 for Nozomi Maruyama (JPN) and 215.2 for Selina Freitag (GER). Prevc won on Saturday in the one-round event due to weather with 113.6 points, over Anna Stroem (NOR: 97.5) and Maruyama (94.7).

● Ski Mountaineering ● Two-time World Champion Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP) won the men’s Sprint race at the ISMF World Cup in Courchevel (FRA), timing 2:41.6 to 2:45.3 for French star (and twice Worlds runner-up) Thibault Anselmet.

In the men’s Vertical Race, Swiss star Remi Bonnet – the 2025 World Champion – triumphed at 20:02.2, way ahead of Aurelian Gay (SUI: 21:08.9) and Cardona Coll (21:12.9).

The women’s Sprint went to France’s six-time Worlds medalist Emily Harrop in 3:07.0, with teammate Margot Ravinel second in 3:14.7. The women’s Vertical was another French gold, this time for Axelle Gachet Mollaret in 23:40.5, ahead of Harrop (24:21.7).

● Snowboard ● Oceanian athletes took the podium at the FIS World Cup in Laax (SUI) in the men’s Halfpipe, with four-time World Champion Scotty James (AUS) winning at 98.75, followed by New Zealand’s Campbell Melville Ives (91.00) and then Australian Valentino Guseli (80.25). Chase Josey of the U.S. was fourth at 75.00.

Korea’s Ga-on Choi won the women’s Halfpipe for the third time in five events this season, scoring 92.50 for a clean win over Rise Kudo (JPN: 82.75) and three-time World Champion Xuetong Cai (75.25).

In Slopestyle, France’s Romain Allemand won the men’s event at 86.70, ahead of Yuto Kimura (JPN: 81.95) and Olympic runner-up Yuming Su (CHN: 76.10). The women’s title went to 2025 Worlds runner-up Kokomo Murase (JPN: 77.55) over American Lily Dhawornvej (71.18).

In the men’s World Cup SnowCross in Dongbeiya (CHN), 2023 World Champion Jakob Dusek (AUT) won the Saturday final over Canada’s Olympic silver winner Eliot Grondin in the final.

Australia’s Adam Lambert won Sunday’s final over Olympic champ Alessandro Hammerle (AUT); American Nathan Pare took the bronze.

The first women’s final had Britain’s 2021 World Champion Charlotte Bankes with the win, beating Josie Baff (AUS) to the line for the gold. The second race on Sunday was a French 1-2 for Julia Nirani-Pereira over two-time Olympic medalist Chloe Trespeuch.

Beijing 2022 Olympic champ Benjamin Karl (AUT) won the Parallel Giant Slalom in Bansko (BUL), beating Arnaud Gaudet (CAN) in the championship final. On Sunday, home fans cheered Tervel Zamfirov to the win over Fabian Obmann (AUT).

The first women’s event went to 2018 Olympic bronzer Ramona Hofmeister (GER), against Aleksandra Krol-Walas (POL) in the final. Sunday’s racing saw Italian Elisa Caffont get her second win of the season over Japan’s Tsubaki Miki.

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

SWIMMING: Ledecky sensational at Tyr Pro Swim Austin with three wins, but Marchand, Ndoye Brouard also win three and Regan Smith won four!

Rich Perelman

January 17, 2026

tsx pix 2019-728 smith, regan victory stand 750 — World-record holder Regan Smith of the U.S.

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≡ TYR PRO SWIM: AUSTIN ≡

It’s just January, but the stars were out at the first Tyr Pro Swim Series in Austin, Texas and big names were touching first with fast times.

Right at the top was Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky, who won the women’s 1,500 m Freestyle on the first night in 15:23.21, the second-fastest swim in history!

She continued with excellent swims and wins in the 800 m Free in 8:10.16, the no. 17 performance ever and with a winning margin of 25.62 seconds. And she took the 400 m Free at 4:00.84, ahead of improving fellow American Claire Weinstein (4:07.37). Weinstein also won the 200 m Free in 1:56.62.

But what about Regan Smith?

The eight-time Olympic medalist and six-time World Championships gold medalist was everywhere in the pool, dominating the Backstroke sprints with wins in the 50 Back in 27.67 and the 100 Back in 57.98. Now training with the legendary Bob Bowman in Austin, she also took wins in the 100 m Butterfly in 56.18, beating Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh (58.56), and the 200 Fly in 2:05.29, winning by more than four seconds. That’s four wins.

Triple Olympic winner McIntosh – still just 19 – did not leave empty-handed either, winning the women’s 200 m Medley by more than five seconds in 2:08.48, and the 400 m Medley in 4:28.13, winning by almost 11 seconds!

Simone Manuel, the Olympic women’s 100 m Free co-champ at Rio 16 won the women’s 50 m Free in 24.79, but was upset in the 100 m Free by 16-year-old Rylee Erisman, 53.34 to 53.55. Erisman was also busy, taking a bronze in the 200 Free behind Weinstein (1:57.19), another bronze in the 400 Free (4:11.02) and a silver in the 100 Back (behind Smith) in 59.25.

German World 100 m Breast champ Anna Elendt took the 100 m Breast in 1:06.91, but was upset by American Skyler Smith in the 50 Breast in 30.32 to 30.76.

In the men’s events, Paris Olympic icon Leon Marchand was impressive with wins in the 200 m Breast in 2:09.72, coming to the lead with a superb second half to win by more than a second, plus the 200 m Medley in 1:57.65 beating American stars Carson Foster (1:58.96) and Kieran Smith (1:59.86), and the 400 m Medley in 4:13.21 over Freestyle star Bobby Finke (4:18.35).

Fellow Frenchman Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, the two-time World Champs bronzer in 2025, won all three of the Backstroke events: 50 m in 24.94 (to 25.00 for American star Shaine Casas), 53.67 for the 100 Back and 1:56.68 for the 200 Back, beating Marchand (1:57.90) in the process.

France’s Maxime Grousset, the reigning 50-100 m Fly World Champion, impressed with wins in both of those events, taking the 50 in 22.80 (with U.S. star Caeleb Dressel third in 23.29) and the 100 in 50.95, ahead of Dressel (51.62). He also took silver in the 50 m Free (21.84 behind Andrej Barna of Serbia, 21.77) and the 100 m Free (48.36, behind Chris Guiliano’s 48.14).

Ryan Erisman, a Cal frosh who is the older brother of Rylee, won the 200 m Free in an upset over Worlds silver winner Luke Hobson (1:47.31), and took the 400 m Free in 3:46/75.

Triple Olympic gold medalist Finke won the men’s 1,500 m Free in 15:01.70 over Ireland’s Daniel Whiffen (15:04.98), the Paris bronzer, and then Whiffen – the Paris 800 m Free winner – took that event in 7:50.37, with Finke at 7:51.50 and Erisman at 7:51.87.

American Van Mathias won the 50 m Breast in 26.89, after moving to no. 3 all-time U.S. at 26.57 in the heats. He also won the 100 Breast in 59.45.

This is pretty elite swimming for the middle of January, in a year which has no World Aquatics Championships. And further confirmation that the name of “Erisman” is going to be heard a lot in both the men’s and women’s road to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

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

MILAN CORTINA 2026: Italian comedian Boldi removed as Olympic torchbearer after “hot” interview remarks about “sports”

Rich Perelman

January 17, 2026

tsx pix 2025-1206 milan cortina torch relay start — The opening of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Torch Relay (Photo: Milan Cortina 2026).

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≡ A TOO-HOT INTERVIEW ≡

The Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, the organizing committee for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games issued a statement on Saturday that began:

“THE MILANO CORTINA 2026 ORGANISING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES THAT
IT HAS DECIDED TO REMOVE ACTOR MASSIMO BOLDI FROM THE LIST OF TORCHBEARERS FOR THE OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY

“This decision follows an interview published today in a national newspaper, in which opinions were expressed that were deemed incompatible with Olympic values and with the principles guiding the work of the Organising Committee.

“Carrying the Olympic Flame is both a privilege and a responsibility, and requires that selected individuals embody and promote the values of respect, unity and inclusion, which are the foundations of the Olympic Movement and essential conditions for participation in the Torch Relay.”

What happened?

Embed from Getty Images

Boldi, 80, a long-time actor and comedian in Italy, spoke with the Rome daily Il Fatto Quotidiano in an interview published Saturday, which included:

“I have never moved a muscle. I am not an athlete. But the Olympic Committee called me and I accepted. And I didn’t take a euro. They promised me only six hundred meters, if it were more I don’t know how I would manage.

“I’m not a young man anymore… There are actually some disciplines in which I am a champion: the figa and aperitifs.’

Afterwards, he followed up with Il Fatto Quotidiano, which explained:

“The comedian – with his wit – described himself as a ‘great athlete’ of the ‘figa’ (literally, ‘hot’) – a joke, a comedian’s prank, which went down badly with the Foundation’s members. Boldi also stated that he’s not really an athlete, but that he loves Cortina very much.”

The newspaper reported further:

“The artist vented to a friend: ‘It’s all because of the line about the [sex]. I’m so sorry. I wanted to be a torchbearer. I was joking, obviously. They called me a thousand times for that interview. It caused a huge uproar.

“Now we absolutely have to fix it because I really wanted to be a torchbearer.”

That’s not going to happen, and as much as Boldi is embarrassed, it is a significant warning about the sensitivity around the nature of the Olympic Games and the insistence of the International Olympic Committee and the organizing committee on respect for the Olympic Movement.

The true impact of Boldi’s removal may not be so much for Milan Cortina, but for those organizing committees and host cities which come after.

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

ATHLETICS: First meeting of Grand Slam Track creditors held in bankruptcy proceedings; “everyone … wants Grand Slam Track to succeed.”

Rich Perelman

January 17, 2026

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

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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡

LetsRun.com obtained a statement offered at the first meeting of the Grand Slam Track creditors and its bankruptcy reorganization team, in which the circuit acknowledged more than $30 million debt and just $7,300 in cash on hand. A loan from lead investor Winners Alliance is expected to pitch in with almost $3 million in loans to help Grand Slam Track in bankruptcy.

The statement from Mark Fulton of the Momentum-CHP Partnership, the league’s television production partner and the largest creditor at $3.04 million, included:

“Speaking on behalf of all vendors, let me be absolutely clear: everyone here wants Grand Slam Track to succeed. However, that success cannot – and should not – be built on the financial harm of the 2025 vendors. The impact on businesses, athletes and individuals has been severe, and the strain placed on people’s mental wellbeing has been significant and ongoing.

“The vendors have acted in good faith at every stage. Our support for the Grand Slam Track leadership, including founder Michael Johnson and President and COO Steve Gera, has been consistent and unwavering. We are not in this position due to any failure on the part of vendors. To the contrary, vendors repeatedly went above and beyond, a fact Mr. Gera himself acknowledged by routinely thanking us as ‘fantastic partners.’

“Let’s also be clear about this: without its vendors – including world-class athletes and the teams responsible for operations, infrastructure, broadcast, media, logistics and catering and many more – Grand Slam Track simply does not exist.

“Prior to Christmas, vendors were shocked by the treatment they received and by what can only be described as a disregard for the very people who delivered the product. Every element of this event was executed at the highest level. Everyone performed. There is no justification for work delivered in full not being paid for in full, or at the very least dealt with transparently and in good faith.

“In an effort to support the survival of Grand Slam Track, vendors offered meaningful concessions and reductions to the amounts owed. Those offers were not meaningfully engaged with. Since mid-October, nearly all communication has focused on preserving Grand Slam Track, while the vendors – who carried the operational and reputational risk – were largely ignored. The only proposal presented was unclear, incomplete, and when vendors sought clarification and quantification, there was no response. We did not choose to be in this position. But we are here now.”

The statement finished with:

“We are not here to argue. We are here to resolve this properly. That resolution must fairly address what is owed to vendors while allowing Grand Slam Track to move forward on a sustainable and credible footing. A resolution that meets those standards would allow all parties to move forward constructively and with confidence.”

Moving forward is going to be difficult, despite the comments. A recent filing explained that the reorganization effort includes looking for a sale of Grand Slam Track, essentially of its intellectual property assets. But it is also clear that the $7 million outstanding to participating athletes needs to be paid before anyone is going to take a chance on the circuit again.

Nine of the top 10 vendors are suppliers, for broadcasting, design and marketing, publicity and so on; the only athlete in the top 10 is Sydney McLaughlin-Levone, at $356,200. Seven of the top 20 are athletes.

The next hearing, dealing with interim financing, is slated for 2 February 2026.

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

PANORAMA: Too much Italian mountain tourism; FIFA says ticket-cancellation story false; Ledecky swims no. 2 women’s 1,500 m Free in Austin!

Rich Perelman

January 15, 2026

tsx pix 2025-729 swim wch ledecky, katie (waq-aniko kovacs) — The greatest women’s swimmer ever: American Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky (Photo: World Aquatics/Aniko Kovacs).

★ 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 ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Reuters posted a lengthy story titled “No selfies, please: Dolomites push back against overtourism ahead of Winter Olympics,” which noted the flip side of the popularity of the scenic mountains where the Milan Cortina Games will be held next month. Of note:

“[S]ome local officials and environmental groups counter that the global spotlight risks accelerating a troubling trend: overtourism fuelled by Instagram and TikTok, driven both by individual users and promotional campaigns.

“They warn that once-quiet destinations such as the Seceda summit and Lake Sorapis have already been transformed into viral hotspots overwhelmed by visitors. …

“A 2023 Apple advert featuring Seceda’s dramatic ridgeline helped spark a wave of visitors. By summer 2025, images of long queues at the cable car station – with tourists holding smartphones and parasols instead of hiking gear – had gone viral.”

It has gotten to the point now where some guides have their guests sign “non-disclosure” agreements, allowing lots of photographs, but no mention of what they picture and where it is. No such limits for the Games.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● In a New Year’s message for 2026, WADA President Witold Banka (POL) and Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI) noted the priorities for the year. Of special note:

● “Increase Compliance Monitoring Program: We will intensify our compliance monitoring program through increased resources and stronger monitoring tools, including audits, to ensure anti-doping organizations have quality, compliant anti-doping programs, while providing more transparency on compliance data.”

● “Strengthen the position on appeals: To ensure that disciplinary decisions are in line with the Code and fair for athletes, we will allocate additional funding to increase the number of appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Among the other initiatives, WADA wants to build up its “Intelligence and Investigations” program, extending its reach into continental groups.

● World Olympians Association ● After a difficult stretch in its relationship with the International Olympic Committee, the WOA and IOC issued a joint statement this week, reflecting a new agreement between them signed in October 2025.

Their joint announcement noted that “The IOC continues to recognise the WOA, which remains an independent, non-profit association” and that “The IOC commits to complying with the terms of the Agreement and will provide WOA with support including communications and other related tools, information, and annual financial support. The financial support is to be determined on a rolling basis that shall be based on clear deliverables and key performance indicators.”

On the critical issue of management of the “OLY” post-nominal title, which has been a sticking point, the apparent compromise includes “WOA will continue to use and manage the OLY title,” but “The Agreement confirms that the IOC owns all intellectual property related to the Olympic Properties (including ‘OLY’ and the WOA Emblem).”

● Russia ● Russian Minister of Sport Mikhail Degtyarev expects positive movement on the reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee after the Winter Games in Italy, saying in an interview:

“The status of Russia’s participants is currently neutral because the Russian Olympic Committee hasn’t been reinstated. This is a major legal process, and we expect a positive decision from the IOC in the coming months. I think it will happen after the Olympics, which start in early February. All governing bodies usually meet there. We won’t speculate on the outcome yet, because the decision is no longer up to us. We’ve completed all the legal procedures.

“What’s the difference between [ex-President Thomas] Bach and [President] Kirsty Coventry? The former IOC President brushed Russia off; I witnessed several months of his presidency – it was simply disgraceful. But I like Kirsty Coventry’s approach. Firstly, the public rhetoric, and secondly, the actions. Our request was immediately put into action.”

The Russian news agency TASS explained that “[i]n October 2023, the IOC suspended the ROC until further notice due to the incorporation of the Olympic Councils of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions” and Russia still controls those areas as part of its invasion of Ukraine.

A recommendation of the Latvian National Olympic Committee to avoid interactions or picture-taking with Russian “neutrals” at the Milan Cortina Winter Games has inflamed Russian politician Dmitry Svishchev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports. He told TASS:

“The recommendations of the Latvian NOC are not just a blatant case of discrimination; they are a deliberate undermining of the very foundations of the Olympic movement, whose spirit has always been equality, fair competition, and unity beyond politics. Urging athletes to avoid contact, shared photographs, and even communication with their colleagues from Russia and Belarus is not protocol; it is the ideology of sporting apartheid.

“Such actions grossly violate the principles of the Olympic Charter, which prohibit any form of discrimination, and turn athletes into hostages of political hysteria. I do not intend to leave this unanswered; I am preparing an appeal to the [European Court of Human Rights] to protect the interests of Russian athletes whose rights have been grossly violated by these recommendations.

“We will also submit official inquiries to the International Olympic Committee demanding a legal assessment of these scandalous instructions and take action against those who are attempting to turn sports venues into arenas for political provocations.”

He needs to hurry; the Winter Games in Milan Cortina open on 6 February.

● Football ● FIFA told Dallas television station WFAA that reports of fans “cancelling” tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were false. The station reported:

“FIFA said that these claims are not only inaccurate reports with no substance, but doubled down saying that ticket application statistics set to be released Wednesday will further prove the opposite. The Random Selection Draw closed on Tuesday, and FIFA reported 500 million ticket requests were submitted in the 33-day window, marking a 15 million per day average.”

● Ski Jumping ● The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Ethics Committee announced Thursday that three Norwegian team staff members were sanctioned in the 2025 suit-manipulation scandal, with bans for 18 months from 8 January 2026, but with allowance for time already ineligible, from 12 March 2025. So, in essence, head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and service staff member Adrian Livelten are suspended for another nine months.

Each is also required to CHF 5,000 for FIS’s costs in the investigation and proceedings.

The three were investigated “for their roles in the alleged manipulation of the Ski Jumping suits worn by athletes Andre Forfang and Marius Lindvik at the Men’s Large Hill event” at the 2025 World Nordic Championships in Trondheim. Norway. A separate settlement was already made with Forfang and Lindvik.

● Swimming ● The 2026 Tyr Pro Swim Series opened in Austin, Texas on Wednesday with a new format that injects semifinals into the 50 m events and the 200 m Medleys, but which once again started with a brilliant swim by Katie Ledecky.

At 28, she showed once again that she’s hardly slowing down, as she won the women’s 1,500 m in a startling 15:23.21, the second-fastest time in history! Only her 15:20.48 world record from May 2018 is faster. She has the top 12 performances in history and three of the top six have come in 2025 or 2026.

This was not Ledecky’s first January shocker. She set the women’s 800 m world mark of 8:06.68 in Austin on 15 January 2016 when the meet was known as the USA Grand Prix. That is still the seventh-fastest swim in history in that event!

Elsewhere, Olympic champions Leon Marchand (FRA) and Canadian Summer McIntosh won the semifinals in the 200 Medleys and Olympic silver winner Regan Smith of the U.S. won the women’s 100 m Back easily in 57.98.

Olympic men’s 1,500 m champ Bobby Finke of the U.S. won that event in 15:01.70 over a strong field that included 2024 World Champion Daniel Whiffen (IRL: 15:04.98).

The meet continues through Saturday.

SwimSwam.com published a draft of the USA Swimming Board of Directors minutes from 8 December 2025, which showed an initially-expected fiscal-year surplus had turned into a deficit:

“2025 year-to-date operating revenues were $33,325,901 with corresponding operating expenses of ($27,066,149), for a year-to-date excess of $6,259,752. The current projected forecast for fiscal year end is total operating revenues of $37,235,560 and operating expenses of $38,302,520, and we thus anticipate an operating deficit of ($1,066,960) compared to the budgeted operating surplus of $99,532.”

The detail showed “Operating revenues projected less than the original budget (net) by an estimated ($2,514,291) or (6.3%)” primarily from less-than-budgeted sponsorship revenue (by $1.81 million) and membership revenue (by $941,685).

Expenses were also down, “projected less than the original budget (net) by an estimated $1,347,799 or 3.4%” but there was an unanticipated cost of $574,997 due to an “antitrust lawsuit,” no doubt the suit filed by the Enhanced Games, and eventually dismissed by the Federal trial judge.

Retired French swim star Yannick Agnel, the men’s 200 m Freestyle and 4×100 m Freestyle relay gold medalist at London 2012, will be tried for statutory rape and sexual assault with the 13-year-old daughter of his then-coach back in 2016, when Agnel was 24.

A French law passed in 2021 classifies sex with a child under the age of 15 as rape. Agnel, now 33, was arrested in 2021, but has said that the interaction was not coerced. He can appeal the decision to prosecute within 10 days.

● Volleyball ● The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour is going away. The highest-level tour in the sport is being revamped as the “FIVB Beach World Series,” beginning in November 2026.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced that the new circuit will comprise 10 tournaments during its season, with Dubai Sports Council signing an agreement on Thursday that will place the “opening destination” there for the first five years.

This is a slight contraction from the 2025 schedule, with 12 “Elite 16″ stops, the highest-level tournament, also featuring “Challenge” and “Futures” events. Ten “Elite 16″ tournaments, plus a World Tour Finals were held in 2024.

● Water Polo ● The U.S. women’s national team defeated 2025 World Championships runner-up Hungary in Szolnok (HUN) by 12-11 by winning the penalty shootout. The U.S. had a 7-6 lead at the half, but the game was 8-8 after regulation time.

But the U.S. got the win, 4-3, in the shoot-out thanks to a Emily Ausmus score; Ausmus was one of five Americans to get two goals.

A second match against the Hungarians comes on Saturday, this time in Budapest.

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

LOS ANGELES 2028: Organizing committee reports more than 1.5 million registered in the first 24 hours for LA28 Olympic tickets

Rich Perelman

January 15, 2026

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

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≡ TICKET LOTTERY SIGN-UPS ≡

“In the first 24 hours of registration for the LA28 Olympic Ticket Draw, more than 1.5 million fans showed up to share their excitement for the 2028 Games. Don’t miss out on your chance to be there for every epic moment. Register for the draw by March 18, 2026 for a chance to be included in the first drop and LA & OKC Locals Presale.”

That post on X came from the LA28 Olympic organizers just before 2 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday, following the 7 a.m. Wednesday opening of registration for the Olympic ticket lottery system that will actually begin selling tickets in April.

An LA28 statement noted that the total was more “for the LA28 Games in the first day than Tokyo, Paris and Milan combined (based on day one registrations for Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 and Milan 2026).” Registrations were recorded from more than 150 countries.

This is only the beginning, of course. The LA28 system was initially overwhelmed right at the start, with waits to register of more than an hour reported, but which faded away over the next few hours.

The ticket registration program has multiple parts to it:

● Registration continues from 14 January through 18 March 2026, which enters the registrant into a random-draw lottery for a time slot to purchase up to 12 tickets (per person) in April.

● Notifications will be sent by electronic mail of slots assigned (if any) between 31 March and 7 April.

● The first section of actual sales will be held between 9-19 April 2026.

● Special, early access will be offered to “local” residents in Southern California – Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties – and two counties in the Oklahoma City area, with sales from 2-6 April 2026.

LA28 expects to have about 14 million tickets to sell for the Olympic and Paralympic Games – a record – with one million tickets to be available at the lowest price point of $28. The LA28 announcement noted that “a third of tickets priced under $100.”

Paralympic ticket sales will start in 2027.

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

BOBSLED & SKELETON: IBSF Interim Integrity Unit dismisses complaints on Canadian skeleton withdrawals due to a specific rule

Rich Perelman

January 15, 2026

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

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≡ PROTEST DENIED ≡

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation’s Interim Integrity Unit dismissed complaints about the withdrawal of four Canadian skeleton racers from the North American Cup races last week in Lake Placid, New York in view of a specific IBSF rule. From the announcement:

“The late withdrawal of athletes intuitively gives rise to concern that the action may have constituted impermissible manipulation, a matter that is within the competence of the IIU to adjudicate. At the same time, the express language of Section 7 of the IBSF Code of Ethics precludes any finding that conduct ‘expressly permitted’ by the competition rules is ‘improper’ or creates an ‘undue benefit.’ As a consequence, the IIU dismisses the complaints.

“Notwithstanding the above conclusions, the IIU reminds the Canadian coach and the National Federation that, whilst acting within the letter of the IBSF Code of Conduct, it is expected that all parties concerned should also act within the spirit of the Code, whose aim is to promote fair play and ethical conduct at all times.”

Multiple federations, including Denmark, Israel and the U.S. raised questions about why only two Canadians raced after six were entered and five-time U.S. Olympian Katie Uhlaender placed the blame on Canadian coach Joe Cecchini (ITA), saying he removed the entrants because he “wanted to make sure that we could not get full points.” Her long-shot quest to make a sixth team was ended by the lack of points, even though she won all three races at the North American Cup event. She trails teammate (and U.S. no. 2) Mystique Ro, 660 to 694, going into this last weekend of racing, but Ro is in the higher-point World Cup races and Uhlaender did not make the World Cup team.

Under the qualifying rules and standings, two countries (currently Germany and Great Britain) get three Olympic entries and the next four countries (for women) get two places. The U.S., China and Italy are set, but Canada is hanging on for a second spot with no. 2 Jane Channell standing 26th and Austria’s no. 2 Julia Erlacher in 28th. It is close, with one weekend to go.

The IIU decision noted:

● “During the IBSF North American Cup Races in Lake Placid (7-11 January 2026), Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton had registered 6 Women´s Skeleton athletes for the competition (training and race).

“None of the athletes participated in the first training session. On the second and final training day (9 January 2026), only two female Canadian athletes participated in the official training. According to IBSF International Skeleton Rules, an athlete must complete two training heats without accident to be allowed to participate in the race (Art 10.1.5) – as a result, the other four female Canadian athletes were not eligible to participate in the race.”

● “The late withdrawal caused complaints from International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) members and allegations of a potential competition manipulation by BCS, particularly its coach, as it resulted in a reduction of ranking points for all participants to 75% instead of 100%, potentially supporting allegations that Canada was aiming to secure a second quota place at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

“In addition, allegations were raised regarding a possible breach of the Code of Ethics, in particular with respect to the principle of fair play.”

● “Section 8.6(d) of the IBSF International Skeleton Rules states that ‘Entries may be withdrawn at any time. Already paid entry fees are non-refundable.’ The International Skeleton Rules do not provide any additional consequences for late withdrawal of athletes.”

The decision also stated that, looking to the future, the “IBSF will task its Sport Committee to review this incident that occurred at the NAC in Lake Placid during the Sport Committee meeting in spring and possibly suggest adjustments to the Rules.”

Observed: The text and tone of the IIU decision points to a level of distaste for what was done, but the rules are completely clear on the specific issues, including ineligibility for not taking any training runs, a measure significantly designed for safety.

Uhlaender and others have also appealed to the International Olympic Committee, which has not issued any statement. Regardless of anyone’s view of the decision itself, it is to the credit of the IBSF and its integrity unit that a filing from a weekend race issue had a detailed decision announced and published on the following Thursday.

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

PANORAMA: Swiss confirm CHF 200 million for 2038 Winter Games; U.S. did not pay WADA dues in 2024 or ‘25; Phoenix bidding for ‘28 Marathon Trials

Rich Perelman

January 14, 2026

★ 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 ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Following up on the Paris 2024 organizing committee surplus of €26.8 million, the Paris 2024 Endowment Fund agreed to distributions of €3.27 million to promote sports participation in France. (€1 = $1.16 U.S.)

Youth engagement will be the theme of the 10th Olympic and Paralympic Week from 30 March to 4 April in 2026, and the Inclusive Club program will be funded to train sports clubs to support those with disabilities.

● Olympic Winter Games 2038 ● Switzerland is in “preferred dialogue” with the International Olympic Committee to host the 2038 Olympic Winter Games, but must come up with a plan which satisfies the IOC by 2027.

On Wednesday, the Swiss Federal Council said it is ready to help:

“At its meeting on January 14, 2026, it opened for consultation the main points of its support for this major sporting event. The policy and planning decision provides for a maximum federal contribution of CHF 200 million, with no liability in the event of a deficit.” (CHF 1 = $1.25 U.S.)

This is slightly more than the budget developed by the Swiss Olympic Committee, as the announcement noted:

“The association estimates the total cost at approximately 2.2 billion Swiss francs. In its application for support, the association is requesting a financial contribution of 190 million Swiss francs from the Swiss Confederation for planning and implementation costs. This amount is broken down as follows: 60 million Swiss francs will be used to co-finance the Winter Paralympic Games; 50 million Swiss francs will be used to reduce the cost of public transportation for spectators; and the remaining 80 million Swiss francs are intended to co-finance expenses related to making competition venues available throughout Switzerland.”

The CHF 200 million does not include security or other government services:

“This financial contribution does not include security tasks that the Confederation will assume within its usual remit, namely the costs of a potential military intervention or a joint civil defense operation, nor the services provided by the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (FOCB), the Federal Office of Police (fedpol), the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS), and the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP). Primary responsibility for security rests with the cantons.

“The decision in principle and planning further stipulates that the Confederation will not assume any responsibility for any deficits resulting from the implementation of the 2038 Winter Olympics. The association provides for a deficit guarantee financed by private funds up to 200 million francs.”

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● A story by the Russian news agency TASS stated that the U.S. has not paid its dues to WADA for either 2024 or 2025 and that its dues for 2026 have been calculated at $3,957,756, with Canada at $1,978,8789 and Japan at $1,502,800.

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, which is the governmental agency that would pay the dues, has been at odds with WADA over governance and operations issues, notably the January 2021 mass-positives incident involving Chinese swimmers. The story stated, “The American debt to WADA already amounts to almost $7.5 million.”

● Russia ● The annual total of anti-doping violations went up slightly in 2025, as the Russian Anti-Doping Agency announced a total of 109 violations (not sanctions) during the whole of last year.

That’s up by seven from the 102 reported in 2024.

The World Anti-Doping Agency said that Russia owes dues of $1.44 million for 2026, which is also the amount due from France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy. Due to financial transfer sanctions, Russia has been unable to pay its dues for 2024 or 2025, while it continues in war against Ukraine.

● Athletics ● Citius Magazine reported that Phoenix, Arizona is also a bidder for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2028, to be held in late March of that year.

The bid was developed by the Phoenix Sports and Events Commission and Brooksee Race Productions, which produced the first Phoenix Marathon last December.

USA Track & Field has not announced the bidders for the event; St. Louis has already said that it is a bidder.

● Flag Football ● The United States and Mexico men’s national teams, ranked no. 1 and no. 3, will meet in an exhibition at the NFL Super Bowl Experience at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on 5 February at 4 p.m. Admission is included as part of the Super Bowl Experience for that day and the game will also be streamed on the NFL’s YouTube channel.

The two teams were supposed to play in Panama for the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Championship, but the game was washed out and both were declared co-champions. The U.S. and Mexico have not faced off since a 40-36 U.S. win at the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Championship final in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Flag football took a major step forward on Wednesday as the NCAA Division I Cabinet “unanimously approved the addition of women’s flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program, effective immediately. Teams at schools that sponsor the sport this spring will count toward the requirement that 40 schools sponsor the sport and meet minimum contest requirements for it to be considered for an NCAA championship.”

Having flag football introduced at the women’s collegiate level is a significant opportunity for the sport to grow in the U.S. Votes by the councils for NCAA Division II and III will take place on Friday, at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.

● Football ● FIFA reported that requests were made for more than 500 million tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the 33-day during the Random Selection Draw sales phase from 11 December 2025 to 13 January 2026. In terms of popularity:

“Apart from the host countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada – the highest number of applications came from fans residing in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.

“The most coveted match in this sales phase was Colombia v. Portugal on Saturday, 27 June in Miami. The top 5 was completed by Mexico v. Korea Republic in Guadalajara on Thursday, 18 June; the final in New York New Jersey on Sunday, 19 July; the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June; and the round-of-32 match in Toronto on Thursday, 2 July – highlighting the exceptional appeal of both marquee fixtures and knockout-stage encounters across all three host nations.”

Applicants will be notified concerning the outcome not earlier than 5 February 2026. There will be subsequent “last-minute” sales, but these will come later.

Defender Chris Richards, who also scored two goals, and started 11 of 12 national-team games for which he was available in 2025, was voted the U.S. Soccer men’s player of the year:

“In a list of nominees that included defender Max Arfsten, defender Alex Freeman, goalkeeper Matt Freese and midfielder Malik Tillman, Richards won with 48.6 percent of the weighted total, followed by Tillman (21.7%) and Freeman (13%).”

● Freestyle Skiing ● In the FIS World Cup Mixed Team Parallel Slalom event in Bad Gastein (AUT), the second Italian team won the gold over Switzerland with Aaron March and Lucia Dalmasso riding for the winners.

The Italy 3 team won the bronze; two U.S. teams reached the quarters, with Cody Winters and Iris Pflum and Walker Overstake and Alexa Bullis.

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. and Canada ran through their group matches undefeated and barely scored on at the IIHF women’s World U-18 Championship taking place in Membertou and Sydney, Canada.

Defending champions Canada won its Group A games by 9-0, 14-0 and 9-2 for a 32-:2 total. The U.S., in Group B, won by 13-0, 9-1 and 14-0 for an aggregate of 36:1.

In the quarterfinals, Canada will face Finland, the U.S. will face Hungary, Sweden will play Slovakia and the Swiss will face the Czech Republic. The semifinals will be set based on the seeding of the quarterfinal winners and played on 17 January. The medal matches will be on the 18th.

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

LOS ANGELES 2028: L.A. Metro still searching for funding, but has 834 buses committed (48%) for 2028 fleet; World Cup plan also needs funding

Rich Perelman

January 14, 2026

tsx pix 2028-114 metro GETS overview slide — An L.A. Metro Transportation Authority presentation slide on the "Games Enhanced Transit System" presented on 14 January 2026.

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

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≡ METRO BUSY BUT NEEDS MONEY ≡

Transportation planning is continuing uninterrupted for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

At a special Board meeting held Wednesday morning, there was good news and the same problem to report:

● Planning with the LA28 organizing committee has accelerated, with a non-binding “Term Sheet” signed in September and a binding Memorandum of Understanding being finalized, and to be presented in the coming months.

● Procurement of buses for the 2028 “Games Enhanced Transit Service” is continuing, with 834 buses committed for donations or loan to Metro so far, out of a reduced requirement estimated at 1,747 compared to 2,700 buses projected in 2024. The vehicles are coming from 26 different public agencies, most of which are in California.

● Venue and scheduling changes have created the reductions. LA28’s move from Temecula for the equestrian events to Santa Anita Park eliminated the need for 200 buses. The confirmation of compact scheduling for baseball and football events at Dodger Stadium and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena reduced needs by 300 buses. And another 100 were saved by tweaking the scheduling of events with LA28.

● The total projected bus need of 1,747 buses at peak includes a contingency fleet of 350 buses to handle overflow needs. However, of the 834 added buses committed to Metro, only 322 drivers and managers will come with them.

● Metro staff said that the buses being offered for 2028 Games use were primarily fueled by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and none are diesel-fueled, in line with Metro’s desire for clean-air fleets. And most are equipped with disability provisions.

But then there is the continuing question of funding.

Metro has asked repeatedly for Federal funds of as much as $3.2 billion to support the Games transport project and was shut out by the Biden Administration and so far by the Trump Administration. Some funds have been procured for various projects which are not directly related for the 2028 Games, but more help is needed:

● Metro planning staff said that the continuing engineering costs for the Games period have been internalized into the agency’s existing funding. But, funding for construction will be needed by the end of 2026 or very early in 2027 in order to be effective in executing the planned program.

● A request to proceed with a request to the U.S. Department of Transportation for a loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) was approved, asking for $270 million to support “Priority 1″ projects. If granted, the loan would fund “2028 Games Customer Experience Improvements” at downtown L.A. stations and the Games Metro Mobility Hubs.

But it’s not close to being enough.

Planning is advancing at all of the Olympic and Paralympic venues and each site is being reviewed for operating, security and transport continuously, with formal reviews at least once a year. A question specifically about the plans for the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, which is normally open parkland, but will host 3×3 basketball, BMX cycling, modern pentathlon and skateboarding, revealed that Pierce College in nearby Woodland Hills and Valley College in Valley Glen will be used for park-and-ride lots for Games events.

Metro is also acquiring, piece by piece, usage of land parcels on which its bus operations for 2028 can be staged. It was noted that even with the reduced bus numbers, the now-forecast total of 1,747 buses is close to Metro’s existing fleet of about 2,000, which are now serviced at 10 different locations in Southern California. Metro Chief Innovation Officer Seleta Reynolds explained:

“You’ve honed in on the longest-lead item for the GETS [Games Enhanced Transit Service], which is real estate leases and site preparation. This is a massive undertaking for a fleet of this size, and our estimates, that we’ve validated with our partners – public and private partners – is that the lead time for that is two years, because this is a complicated place, and finding the real estate, procuring the real estate, preparing the real estate, it’s a capital program, even though it is temporary in nature.

“That means that is a very important threshold for the GETS, is basically two years out, which is this summer. … That money has to come from the Federal government.”

The GETS program was estimated in the Metro ask at $2.016 billion out of the $3.2 billion total. Reynolds added:

“That is the cost estimate for the GETS, is all-in: it’s the operations, it’s the real estate, it’s the preparations, it’s the construction and so our cash flow anticipates that we would need a chunk of funding available by this summer in order to do that and it can’t come from local sources and there are no eligible grants or an operational program like that.”

And the LA28 organizers will not be paying for it. The “Term Sheet” from September was described by Reynolds as “an articulation of roles and responsibilities between LA28 and Metro” and “it says clearly that, for example, Metro will be operating the GETS, but that is completely dependent on external funding.”

The question of revenue to be received by Metro for not only fares from riders, but advertising on its system and stations was raised, but no estimates were offered in comments from Metro staff.

Another presentation was made on preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with eight matches to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Here, a “mini-GETS” is being planned with a clear concept of being a test run for the 2028 effort, with an estimated 30,000 fans and staff to be supported with service from park-and-ride facilities.

This program is being designed with 330-plus buses from Metro, more than a dozen municipal operators and charter services.

It was noted that official FanFest sites will be announced for the “Los Angeles” hub at the end of January and “unofficial’ event sites by the end of February.

Funding is, of course, an issue, as Metro has asked for $25 million in Federal support and the 11 cities combined have asked for $400 million. A current effort for $78 million for all 11 U.S. World Cup host cities is being worked on in the U.S. Senate for passage by the end of January, which would likely yield just $4.8 million for Metro.

So, funding again. And the time is short. That was a continuing theme throughout the hearing and will be for months to come.

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

MILAN CORTINA 2026: Olympic Broadcast Services accelerates technology for Winter Games, but with less people, power and space

Rich Perelman

January 14, 2026

tsx pix 2026-114 exarchos, yiannis (ioc screen shot) — Olympic Broadcasting Services chief Yiannis Exarchos (IOC 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 TECHNOLOGY GAMES ≡

Technology plays a huge part in the staging of any Olympic Games, and the 2026 Winter Games opening ceremony will be a prime demonstration of what is possible, thanks to the work of the Olympic Broadcasting Services team.

OBS chief Yiannis Exarchos (GRE) spoke to reporters on Wednesday and explained the challenge:

“This opening ceremony, as you probably know, will be distributed geographically. These are Games that have a very wide distribution across northern Italy; it’s difficult to go from one place to the other.

“So it was fundamental that we provide, for the organizers, for the IOC, an opportunity for all Olympic athletes to have a feeling of participation in the opening ceremony. We know important it is for all of them.

“With the help of our underlying technology and especially the core connectivity that OBS is establishing between different places of the Games, this opening ceremony will actually take place at the same time across four different locations, actually across five locations because there will be two in Milano, and this, we feel, is an example where technology comes and helps really create excitement and create a sense of participation.”

Exarchos explained that the parade of athletes in four different locations will be “integrated” – between all four sites where athletes will march – thanks to a coordinated and rehearsed program developed by organizing committee Creative Lead Marco Balich (ITA) and OBS.

And the multi-site ceremonies program is just one of the innovations that will be seen in the OBS production. Even more, the connectivity engineering that has been created for the Games, spread across northern Italy, will remain as a legacy after the Games to improve the communications infrastructure for the mountain region.

Exarchos showcased a series of efforts which will be either new at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, or significant improvements on what was done in recent Games:

● “First Person Drones” flying with athletes as sports such as bobsled, luge and skeleton for the first time, in addition to the well-known flyover shots of skiing events.

● “Real Time 360º Replay” offering multi-camera replay systems and stroboscopic analysis, which can be overlaid with added information; Exarchos showed a skiing example, which would in practice be a video overlaid with tracking data:

● “Olympic GPT.” a new project for the Olympics.com site which will provide not only rules and results, but “will have the capacity to answer questions about the current state of events.”

● “Olympic AI,” which will offer AI-generated answers to user inquiries, but not based on whatever is available online, but drawn from the International Olympic Committee’s own, deeply detailed and continuously revised database.

● For rights-holding broadcasters and the IOC’s own channels, AI is being used for “Automatic Media Description” identification of highlights within a broadcast session, “Automatic Highlights Generation” for the first time at a Winter Games and using real-time reactions on Olympics.com to identify the most compelling moments of the Games.

All of this will take place in a continuously-shrinking International Broadcast Center, which Exarchos explained will be 25% smaller than the IBC at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. But that does not mean there won’t be thousands of broadcasters on the ground:

“Even in Milano, we will have something like 6,000 broadcasters being present. Why? Because they want to the close to their athletes. And this is very legitimate; most of them need to do that.

‘What we don’t want is that they are forced to be bringing people doing something that they could be doing at the other side of the world. … For Milano, 65% of the signals are being transmitted over the cloud.

“When we started the cloud with [IOC sponsor] Alibaba, we thought by Milano, we would have an adoption of 25% and we are at 65%, first because everybody is seeing the benefit, and second, because we had the pandemic that forced people to accelerate how to work differently.”

Exarchos surmised that the International Broadcast Center for Los Angeles 2028 will have half the size of the IBC at Rio 2016 and by the time of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, the IBC will likely be the size of the Milan Cortina Winter Games facility! But it won’t go away entirely.

However, this efficiency has not slowed the expansion of content produced by OBS. That keeps expanding, as Exarchos noted:

“We will be producing more than 6,000 hours of content. Now, the competition in the Winter Games is about 1,000 hours. So all this additional amount is really because we want to produce this extreme type of diversity of content, because consumption of content as you very well know, in today’s world is not done on traditional television.

“It’s still a very, very important factor, but you have so many different platforms that have their own ways of consumption, we have to be enable broadcasters to be able to use all these types of content: short form, behind-the-scenes, virtual reality content and so on, be able to use them across all these different platforms

“And this is how we end up producing so much, which of course would not have been possible unless technology provided us the means to do it.”

Consider this: the communications traffic out of the IBC alone during the Games will be equal to 70% of the entire among of bandwidth used in the city of Milan during a normal, non-Games day.

He said that some coverage will be shot in a vertical format, instead of the traditional horizontal television format, for content to be used on mobile phones.

It’s a big undertaking, but Exarchos emphasized that the advantage of having a permanent organization to handle broadcasting for the Games – the OBS concept essentially started in 2000 – allows for continuos expansion of capabilities and eliminates the learning curve that a new host broadcaster had to deal with.

Exarchos is looking forward to the opening of the Milan Cortina Games, not only for the show, but also “these Games can really help us all recalibrate a little bit how we feel about the world and how we feel about the relations between people, and get immersed in this unique power that the Olympics have to bring people together.”

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

PANORAMA: LA28 opens ticket lottery registration Wednesday; Chloe Kim OK to compete at Milan Cortina; U.S. Supreme Court hears transgender cases

Rich Perelman

January 13, 2026

tsx pix 2026-113 kim, chloe instagram — U.S. snowboard superstar Chloe Kim in her Instagram video, saying she can compete in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

★ 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 ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizing committee will open its public ticket sign-up program on Wednesday.

This is not to buy tickets, but to register for the “LA28 Ticket Draw” system, which will open at 7 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday (14th). Once signed up, registrants will receive an e-mail message (eventually), assigning them to a randomly-drawn online purchasing window.

There will be about 14 million tickets to be sold for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, more than for any other Games. The organizers have promised tickets as low as $28, with “early access” for those with credit-card billing address ZIP Codes in the Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino or Riverside countries, or in Canadian or Cleveland counties in Oklahoma for the events in Oklahoma City.

Those “local residents” registered by 18 March are expected to be able to purchase tickets during the 2-6 April early window, with an initial limit of 12 tickets per account. Sales for everyone else will follow, initially from 9-19 April 2026.

The initial ticketing program is subject to 19 pages of regulations, which do not mention the early-access window for Southern California or Oklahoma City residents.

The City of Los Angeles’s City Council committee on Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) approved by 3-1 the recommendation of the City Planning Commission to modify several City ordinances to allow works related to the 2028 Games to skip planning and zoning reviews. This applies primarily to temporary construction and signage related to the Games, but also allows for items installed for the Games to be converted for permanent use if desired by the City.

The proposal next moves to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Olympic and Paralympic Games and if approved, to the full City Council.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● U.S. Snowboard star Chloe Kim posted a video to Instagram explaining her situation after last week’s training crash on what appeared to be her left shoulder:

“I have good news and bad news. We’ll start with the bad. The bad news is I tore my labrum. I’m not surprised by that, but it’s official.

“The good news is that I just tore my labrum and I guess there are two different ways to do it and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that.

“Obviously I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard. I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK.

“You know, it’s funny. I’ve been doing this for so long and every season I am met with a different set of challenges, so I guess this is going to be the one this year. But again, I’m so grateful that I will be good to go for the Olympics.

“I get to wear this really sexy shoulder brace, which I should be wearing right now. It’s really uncomfortable.”

The Japanese federation for bobsled, luge and skeleton said Tuesday it misinterpreted the qualifying regulations for the Two-Man Bobsled for the 2026 Winter Games and did not contest Four-Man events which would count toward Two-Man qualification as well.

“Our competition committee misinterpreted the condition. We deeply apologize to the athletes who have taken part in our trip plans that did not meet the preconditions, after pouring their hearts and souls into the challenges so far.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The French National Assembly advanced a bill to allow French Anti-Doping Agency specialists to “conduct a visual inspection of baggage and, with the owner’s consent, conduct a thorough search” of sports delegation luggage in an effort to curtail doping.

This is considered new, as prior searches required judicial approval in France and even visual inspections were not allowed. The bill passed only the first reading.

● International Olympic Committee ● Responding to an inquiry from the Russian news agency TASS concerning the recent U.S. action in Venezuela, which included the capture and removal of national leader Nicolas Maduro, the IOC replied:

“In a world shaken by conflict and division, the International Olympic Committee firmly believes that sport must remain a beacon of hope, a force that unites the world. This lies at the heart of the Olympic Movement and flows from the founding principles of Olympism.

“This was reiterated by the IOC Executive Board in September 2025. As a global organization, the IOC must navigate this complex reality.

“At every Olympic Games, the IOC must take into account the current political context and recent global events. We have always done this successfully. The ability to unite athletes, regardless of their background, is fundamental to a future based on the values of truly global sport, capable of inspiring hope in the world. For this reason, the IOC cannot directly intervene in political issues or conflicts between countries, as this is beyond our remit; it is the realm of politics. Our role is to ensure that athletes, regardless of their background, can participate in the Olympic Games.”

● Transgender ● The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday concerning state regulations in Idaho and West Virginia that ban transgender women from participating in the women’s division in sports competitions. Politico reported:

“The Supreme Court seems poised to uphold state laws banning transgender women from women’s sports teams even though some justices signaled a reluctance Tuesday to issue a sweeping ruling that could reverberate beyond athletics or threaten states that require schools to accommodate transgender athletes. …

“The court appeared to lean toward putting sports in a separate category, in part because Congress did that in a 1974 amendment to Title IX that explicitly allowed sex-segregated sports, while insisting on equal athletic opportunities for men and women. The measure initially covered only intercollegiate sports but was later expanded by regulation.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted, “We have to decide for the whole country — constitutionalize this — given that half the states are allowing transgender girls and women to participate, about half are not.” The cases are Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.

● Alpine Skiing ● U.S. superstar Mikaela Shiffrin returned to the top of the FIS World Cup podium with her sixth win of the season in the women’s Slalom in Flachau (AUT), leading a U.S. 1-2 in a rare night event.

Shiffrin and teammate Paula Moltzan were 1-2 after the first run in 56.22 and 56.41 and held on to those positions, despite being seventh and ninth on the second run. Shiffrin timed 1:50.52 to win and Moltzan finished at 1:50.93 over Katharina Truppe (AUT: 1:51.17). Fellow American Nina O’Brien was 13th at 1:53.62.

Shiffrin continues as the overall World Cup leader with 923 points to 753 for Swiss 2025 World Slalom Champion Camille Rast, after 19 of 37 events. Moltzan has now won three World Cup medals on the season, her best total ever.

● Athletics ● Dutch star Femke Bol told national broadcaster NOS that her 400 m hurdles days – in which she is the reigning World Champion – are likely behind her:

“There’s a good chance I’ll never run the 400 m hurdles again. I think it’s always an option, but the plan is really to be able to run a really good 800 m.

“The unknown is something very exciting, but also something very fun. The 400-meter hurdles was so challenging. But with everything I’ve achieved, I’ve also gained the confidence to dare to take such a step.”

“I’m not afraid of failing on the track. I’m not living in a fairy tale. It’s an illusion that I can immediately compete with the best in the 800 and win. That will take time; I just have to see if I get there.”

● Figure Skating ● French Ice Dance star Guillaume Cizeron, who won an Olympic gold and silver and five World Championships, was accused in a forthcoming book by former partner Gabriella Papadakis – “So Not to Disappear” – as being controlling and demanding and “being under his grip.”

Cizeron now performs with ex-Canadian Laurence Fournier Beaudry and is a medal contender again for Milan Cortina 2026. He said he is being unfairly treated:

“In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with the labels being attributed to me.

“These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time… thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign. I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information, attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.”

● Snowboard ● In the seventh event of the FIS World Cup in Parallel events, Italy continued its domination on the men’s side, winning its sixth race out of seven with Maurizio Bormolini getting his second win of the season in a Slalom, at Bad Gastein (AUT).

He defeated Alexander Krashniak (BUL) in the final, with American Cody Winters getting third, the first U.S. medal of the season.

Italy completed a sweep with Lucia Dalmasso winning the women’s Slalom over Michelle Dekker (NED); it’s Dalmasso’s fourth career World Cup individual gold.

Swiss rider Ueli Kestenholz, the 1998 Olympic Giant Slalom bronze winner, died on Sunday (11th) in an avalanche in the Valais Alps. He was 50.

Police explained that the avalanche pulled him from the mountain about 7,900 feet up, while a friend he was with managed to escape the torrent.

● Swimming ● A case filed in December 2018 over a refusal to sanction a meet in Italy by the international federation governing swimming – then known as FINA, now World Aquatics – finally came to trial in San Francisco, California on Tuesday (13th).

The International Swimming League, which held competitions in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and then stopped after the Russian invasion of Ukraine crippled the finances of billionaire founder Konstantin Grigorishin (UKR), sued FINA on anti-trust grounds based on its actions over a single meet in December 2018.

World Aquatics’ attorney explained that Grigorishin had offered FINA $50 million for ten years of exclusive rights to develop professional meets, but an agreement was never concluded. Further, even after it held three seasons of meets – without interference by FINA – Grigorishin’s league was unable to establish a going concern and lost millions each year, leading defense counsel to conclude, “Mr. Grigorishin is looking for someone to blame for his failure.”

The trial is continuing in the U.S. Federal Court for the Northern District of California.

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

FOOTBALL: A FIFA World Cup ticket boycott? Jordanian site claims 16,800 “cancellations” to protest U.S. policies; see what’s really at stake

Rich Perelman

January 13, 2026

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

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

≡ PROTEST CANCELLATIONS? ≡

According to a Wednesday report on the Jordanian site Roya News, a modest “boycott” of the FIFA World Cup coming to Canada, Mexico and the U.S. in June has sprung up:

“around 16,800 ticketholders cancelled their World Cup tickets overnight. The cancellations stem from boycotts shared across social media; fans overseas said they are backing out over safety concerns and discomfort with the U.S.’ political climate.”

FIFA does not allow sold tickets to be “cancelled,” so if sold, the tickets could be in the resale market or, according to TicketNews, could be an exit from registration for the next (third) ticket sales phase.

Social media campaigning to boycott the U.S. has popped up, from posters from multiple countries, concerning Trump Administration activities on varying issues, including Greenland.

The story stated that FIFA is holding an “emergency” meeting this week to consider “strategies to address fan anxiety, declining ticket commitments, and broader criticism of the World Cup’s hosting environment. Some observers expect the meeting to consider adjustments to fan engagement, communications, or even security measures to reassure supporters.”

FIFA announced on 29 December that “over 150 million ticket requests have been submitted to date by fans from over 200 countries” for the 6-7 million tickets that will be available and that:

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

The TicketNews analysis of the “cancellations” noted:

“According to data from Ticket Club [resale market], it doesn’t appear that demand has cracked – or at least for now, if it has, that’s not showing up in a meaningful way in asking prices. Overall, the resale marketplace reports that the average asking price across all 104 World Cup matches has edged down only slightly since late December — from $3,697 (12/30) to $3,631 (1/12), a dip of 1.8%. In other words: the market has stabilized, but it hasn’t ‘broken.’”

Its data shows average asking prices on the resale market are still stratospheric, even if down slightly:

● $2,652 for group-stage matches (down)
● $4,347 for the round-of-32 matches (down)
● $7,348 for the round-of-16 (up)
● $4,331 for quarterfinals (down)
● $6,204 for semifinals (down)
● $21,680 for the final (down)

The analysis continued that “even a modest reduction in inbound demand could leave sellers fighting over a smaller pool of high-end buyers, especially for premium-host-city inventory that’s currently priced as if global demand will be limitless.”

Observed: This is the latest resistance-to-Trump activity online by individuals and groups determined to do whatever they can, anywhere, against the administration. It will be fascinating to see what FIFA’s reaction is, especially considering the close relationship of President Gianni Infantino (SUI) with the American President.

The real issue here is not whether FIFA will be able to sell its World Cup tickets: it certainly will. But the entire marketing effort that brought Canadian, Mexican and U.S. cities to spend millions in preparations is based on the anticipated influx of visitors – and their spending on accommodations, meals, merchandise and transportation – to the host cities.

If that fails to materialize – for whatever reason – there will be a furious reaction by cities and their budget, tourism and good governance officers against FIFA and many other sporting events over broken promises, possibly even lawsuits for fraud.

The future of mega-event sports marketing, in the U.S. especially, will depend on visitor spending in World Cup cities from 11 June to 19 July, much more so than on any results on the field.

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

TEAM USA WINTER MEDAL TRACKER: Big U.S. medal weekend, with 23 medals in Winter events, including Vonn’s 84th World Cup gold

Rich Perelman

January 13, 2026

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

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

≡ STAT BLITZ ≡

This was one of the busiest winter-sport weekends of the year, with events in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and American athletes were everywhere, earning 23 medals in all.

Alpine Skiing: FIS World Cup at Zauchensee (AUT):
● Women/Downhill ~ Gold: Lindsey Vonn
● Women/Downhill ~ Bronze: Jacqueline Wiles

Vonn won her fourth medal in four Downhill starts this season, amazing even herself:

“I honestly thought with my start number I had no chance, because there’s so much snow and there wasn’t really a track at no. 6. I thought I had no chance so I just swung really hard.

“I felt within myself, I didn’t feel like I was doing anything crazy, but definitely it was a much different line than everyone else was taking, and that’s why I was able to ski a little bit faster than the rest.

“I’m a pretty stubborn and driven person. I have an intense amount of competitiveness in me, it’s just how I’m wired, so I’m thankful I have that ability.”

Wiles won her fourth career World Cup medal and first in almost two years, taking advice from Vonn on the line to follow.

Bobsled & Skeleton: IBSF World Cup in St. Moritz (SUI):
● Two-Woman ~ Gold: Kaillie Armbruster Humphries and Jasmine Jones
● Women/Skeleton ~ Silver: Kelly Curtis

Armbruster Humphries won her third Two-Woman medal in six races and a second win, this time with Jones instead of Emily Renna. After two golds with Canada in this event, she appears primed for another medal shot in Italy.

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup at Aspen, Colorado:
● Men/Halfpipe ~ Silver: Hunter Hess
● Men/Halfpipe ~ Bronze: Matthew Labaugh
● Men/Slopestyle ~ Gold: Mac Forehand

Forehand, 24, said afterwards:

“This one means a lot. We have a big Olympic spot that we’re all battling for now, and the win definitely helps for me. I don’t even know what that means, if I qualified or not, but I was so stressed out.

“The Olympics is always in everyone’s head and all I’ve been thinking about these past couple of months and I haven’t had the results that I’ve wanted to do and today it just all clicked and I am so happy.”

He had been fourth and 28th in the two Big Air events in December, so the win was a big relief.

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup at Lac-Beauport (CAN):
● Men/Aerials I ~ Bronze: Quinn Dehlinger
● Women/Aerials I ~ Gold: Winter Vinecki
● Women/Aerials II ~ Silver: Vinecki

Vinecki said after her win, “It’s an amazing feeling being back on top of the podium, especially after coming off an injury last season. I took a pretty hard crash in Ruka at the first comp, and it didn’t go my way the second time [at Secret Garden].”

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup at Lake Placid, New York:
● Women/Aerials I ~ Bronze: Kalia Kuhn
● Women/Aerials II ~ Gold: Kuhn

Kuhn got her first World Cup gold after winning the 2025 Worlds Aerials gold and was ecstatic:

“Winning the World Championships gave me the confidence it took to go out and do this jump today. It’s indescribable. I’m so happy, especially going into the Olympics, this is the cherry on top of the World Cup season.”

Freestyle Skiing: FIS World Cup at Val St. Come (CAN):
● Men/Moguls ~ Bronze: Nick Page
● Women/Moguls ~ Silver: Tess Johnson
● Women/Moguls ~ Bronze: Olivia Giaccio
● Women/Dual Moguls ~ Gold: Jaelin Kauf
● Women/Dual Moguls ~ Silver: Elizabeth Lemley
● Women/Dual Moguls ~ Bronze: Johnson

In the men’s Moguls event, Canadian star Mikael Kingsbury got his 100th career World Cup win, far ahead of everyone else and another career first for the 2018 Olympic champ and nine-time World Champion.

Kauf, 29, who always seems to be in the thick of things when the biggest events come up – she won the Moguls silver at Beijing 2022 – “I love Duals. I just came out to have fun, ski as hard as I could, and I did just that.”

Nordic Combined: FIS World Cup at Otepaa (EST):
● Women/Compact 97 m-5 km ~ Bronze: Alexa Brabec

This was Brabec’s fourth World Cup medal of the season, but women’s Nordic Combined is not yet in the Games.

Snowboard: FIS World Cup at Aspen, Colorado:
● Men/Halfpipe ~ Bronze: Alessandro Barbieri
● Men/Slopestyle ~ Gold: Jake Canter
● Women/Halfpipe ~ Silver: Madeline Schaffrick

Canter got his first World Cup win and had no doubts, saying “Pressure is a privilege. Have as much fun as possible while you’ve got it. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

Schaffrick is an amazing story. Now 31, she got out of the sport at age 20 due to injuries, went into coaching in 2022 and then returned to competition in the 2024-25 season, winning a World Cup medal in December 2024. Her silver in Aspen is her best finish ever.

Even with one of the busiest weekends of the year, 23 medals is a lot, as is seven golds, with many of the top American stars either done with World Cup events prior to the Olympic Winter Games, or in domestic events, such as the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships that nominated a strong team.

The coming weekend is not as heavy, but has more events in alpine, biathlon, bobsled, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing, luge, nordic combined, skeleton, ski jumping, ski mountaineering and snowboard.

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

PANORAMA: NHL, NHLPA OK with Milan ice arena; Swiss plan for ‘38 Winter Games unveiled; St. Louis a bidder for U.S. Marathon Trials

Rich Perelman

January 12, 2026

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association issued a joint statement signaling satisfaction with the weekend’s trial tournament at the new PalaItalia Santagiulia arena in Milan to be used for the Winter Games. Also:

“While challenges are inherent with new ice and a still-under-construction venue, we expect that the work necessary to address all remaining issues will continue around the clock.

“The NHL and NHLPA will continue to monitor the situation, standing ready to consult and advise on the work being done to ensure that the local organizing committee, the IOC, and the IIHF deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world’s best players.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2038: Switzerland ● The “preferred” Swiss bid for the 2038 Winter Games took a step forward with the release of a plan which spreads the Games across the entire country, with events in 10 of the 26 cantons (states). Per the announcement:

“This decentralization has the positive effect of ensuring that the whole of Switzerland benefits from the Games, thus promoting national cohesion. Switzerland is one of the leading winter sports nations, and this expertise will be leveraged for the 2038 Games.

“The plan relies on existing, world-class sports venues that have demonstrated, and will continue to demonstrate, their excellence annually at World Cups, World Championships, and European Championships. In close collaboration with the national winter sports federations and experienced local organizing committees, Switzerland is ensuring that costs and environmental impacts are minimized.”

The ceremonies would be in Lausanne (opening) and Bern (closing) with athletes housed in three of the clusters and two smaller locations. As for costs:

● “The total budget for the next 10 years, from the awarding of the contract to the Games themselves, amounts to 2.2 billion Swiss francs [$2.76 billion U.S.]. 82 percent of this is to be financed by private investors, and 18 percent by the public sector.”

● “The federal government’s requested contribution amounts to 130 million francs for the Olympic Games and 60 million francs for the Paralympic Games, supplemented by contributions from cantons and municipalities.”

● “Public deficit guarantees are explicitly not part of the concept. Instead, the budget includes reserves of 10 percent of the total budget as well as a privately funded deficit guarantee of 200 million Swiss francs.”

The International Olympic Committee will review the plan after the Milan Cortina Winter Games, also quite spread out, and could decide to award the 2038 Games in 2027, or go back out to bid.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● WADA has listed the anti-doping agency of Cote d’Ivoire as “non-compliant” with a 21-day clock for appeal or compliance. If compliance is not achieved by 3 February, Cote d’Ivoire will be listed as “non-complaint.”

No restrictions on athletes are included at this stage, but further sanctions are possible after 12 months of non-compliance.

● Athletics ● At the USA Track & Field Marathon Race Walk Championships in Santee, California, Swedish star Perseus Karlstrom, the 2023 World 20 km silver medalist, won at 3:04.50 for the new distance, with an impressive margin of six minutes.

American Nick Christie took the U.S. title – his 22nd national championship – by a wide margin in second in 3:11.12, with Jordan Crawford third overall at 3:31:30.

The women’s winner was veteran star Maria Michta-Coffey at 3:50:38 – her 24th national title – followed by Katie Burnett at 3:59:07 and Lydia McGranahan at 4:07:15

At the Chevron Houston Marathon, Zouhair Talbi, who gained his American citizenship in 2025 after changing his affiliation from Morocco, won the men’s division with a lifetime best of 2:05:45, making him the third-fastest American in history, with the no. 3 performance.

He won’t be able to represent the U.S. until 2027; his prior best was 2:06:39 to win in Houston in 2024.

In the Houston Half, Habtom Samuel (ERI) won in 59:01, with American Alex Meier fourth in 59:23, moving him to no. 2 all-time U.S., behind only Conner Mantz’s 59:17 in Houston last year. Fantaye Belaneh (ETH) won the women’s Half in a lifetime best of 1:04:49, with American Taylor Roe fourth in 1:06:20, also no. 2 all-time U.S., behind Weini Kelati’s 1:06:09 from 2025, also in Houston.

Veteran Kenyan marathoner Albert Korir, 31, the 2021 New York City Marathon winner, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for CERA (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator), used for stimulating red blood cell production.

The listing was as of 8 January; he was third in the 2025 NYC Marathon on 2 November, his last race. He has a best of 2:06:45 from 2023 in New York.

Following up on the success of the U.S. Figure Skating Nationals at the Enterprise Center, St. Louis Sports Commission President Marc Schreiber said that the city has also bid for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

It was reported that USA Track & Field has received multiple bids for the event, but has not named any of the cities interested.

Having been banned for 45 months for doping and tampering, American sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams – the 2022 Worlds men’s 100 m runner-up – was announced as one of six new additions to the Enhanced Games.

Britain’s Reece Prescod, South African Clarence Munyai and German Mike Bryan joined the men’s field and American Taylor Anderson and Shockoria Wallace (JAM) were added to the women’s roster.

● Football ● FIFA announced a multi-year agreement with Britain-based Stats Perform with “exclusive rights to distribute official betting data and live streams for selected FIFA properties.”

In addition to data for sportsbooks, “Stats Perform will also serve as an official distributor of live FIFA match streams to customers of licensed sports betting operators in selected territories,” which were not listed.

● Freestyle Skiing ● Monday was the second and final day of the Aerials event at Lake Placid, New York, with China’s 20-year-old Xinpeng Li winning his first career World Cup gold, scoring 137.19 ahead of Sunday’s winner, Xindi Wang (112.00).

The women’s results were flipped from Sunday, with then-third-placer Kalia Kuhn of the U.S. winning her first World Cup gold at 105.60, followed by again-second-placer (and Olympic champ) Mengtao Xu (CHN: 105.17) and then Sunday’s winner, Danielle Scott (AUS: 85.65) this time in third!

● Gymnastics ● Jim Hartung, a member of the 1984 men’s Olympic team champions, passed away at age 65 on Saturday, 10 January. A two-time NCAA All-Around champion at Nebraska, he was a 22-time All-American and a member of the U.S. national team eight times.

He was a member of the 1980 U.S. team that did not go to Moscow, but won gold in Los Angeles in 1984 and was a finalist on Vault. He was a 19-year assistant coach at Nebraska and inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame with his ‘84 teammates in 2006.

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

SKELETON: U.S. and three other countries complain over Canada’s removal of four entries that lowered NorAmCup points for possible Olympic racers

Rich Perelman

January 12, 2026

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

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

≡ COMPLAINTS ABOUT CANADA ≡

A move by Canada to withdraw four of its six athletes from the North American Cup women’s Skeleton races on Sunday has caused a furious reaction from others in that race, including five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender of the U.S.

Uhlaender, 41, explained to the German DW.com site that with the removals, only 19 athletes raced, resulting in fewer points awarded due to the size of the field being less than 21. Uhlaender said Canada’s coach, Joe Cecchini (ITA) did this intentionally in order to protect the point total of the better Canadian entries for Olympic qualification. Said Uhlaender, who was trying to make a sixth Olympic team, but cannot score enough points now:

“I cried when I found out he went through with this plan. I didn’t know if it hurt more that my friend of 20 years just nailed my coffin – my Olympic dream is over – or that my best friend of 20 years is doing something so horrible that hurts so many people.”

An e-mail sent by Cecchini to the Canadian team, provided to DW.com by someone else, “explains that the decision to withdraw athletes was made to ‘ensure that we have a complete and accurate understanding of the points landscape, qualification implications and confirmed start numbers,’ adding that participation would be determined in the ‘best interests of the national team.’”

Said Uhlaender, “He did not have to do that. He did it because he could. And it wasn’t to protect his athletes; it was to manipulate the system. He waited until after everyone was registered and gave the illusion that the Canadians were going to be competing. He wanted to make sure that we could not get full points.”

She called on the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation to inquire and the federation has directed its integrity unit to investigate.

Athletes from Denmark, Israel and Malta were apparently also impacted, and the Danish federation also asked for an IBSF investigation; its statement from federation Chair Carsten Wulf noted:

“To protect the integrity of skeleton sport, we initially contacted our Canadian colleagues, but when they rejected our appeal, we have gone a step further and as a federation have filed a formal complaint with the IBSF.

“As a small Winter Olympic country, we cannot and will not simply stand as a model for the manipulative behavior of large nations.”

The Times (London) reported that the U.S., Denmark, Israel and Malta all reported the incident to the International Olympic Committee through its Athlete365 portal.

In a statement to Reuters, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton explained:

“The Lake Placid event presented unique circumstances, as it consisted of three races in a single week rather than the standard two. Four of our athletes entered in the event are young and relatively new to the sport. All experienced a particularly challenging week on the track.

“It was determined that continuing to race these athletes was not in their best interests. As a result, they were withdrawn from further competition at that venue this weekend. Our two most experienced athletes continued to compete. …

“[I]t is well understood within the sport that development circuits do not carry fixed points. The National Skeleton Program has always treated the development circuit as exactly that – a developmental environment – not a pathway for Olympic qualification. BCS remains confident that its actions were appropriate, transparent, and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport.”

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

LOS ANGELES: Strong Olympic theme for the return of the Jan. 28 Los Angeles Sports Awards, with fan award voting now open!

Rich Perelman

January 12, 2026

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

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

≡ LOS ANGELES SPORTS AWARDS ≡

After a year’s absence due to the devastating Southern California wildfires, the 20th edition of the Los Angeles Sports Council’s L.A. Sports Awards are back on 28 January, with a distinctly Olympic theme among the four Lifetime Achievement Award winners:

● Cheryl Miller, one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time as the three-time Naismith Player of the Year in 1984-85-86 at the University of Southern California and gold medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as well as the 1986 Goodwill Games and the FIBA Women’s World Championship in 1986.

● John Naber, the individual star of the 1976 Olympic swimming competition in Montreal, winning golds in the 100-200 m Backstrokes, the 4×100 m Medley relay and the 4×200 m Freestyle relay, plus a silver in the 200 m Free. Also a USC star, his teams won NCAA titles in all four of his seasons there. He was so widely respected that at age 28, he was a member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Games.

● Alan Rothenberg, one of two remaining original Board members of the Los Angeles Sports Council from 1988, was perhaps THE key player in the rise of soccer in the U.S., first as Commissioner of Football for the wildly successful 1984 Olympic tournament – men only in those days – and then as the Chair of the stunning 1994 FIFA World Cup, which set attendance records that will only be challenged 32 years later when the event returns to the U.S.

His memoir, The Big Bounce: The Surge That Shaped The Future of U.S. Soccer, will be published on 10 February.

● Andres Cantor, the Argentine-born sportscaster and eight-time Emmy winner whose famous “goooooal” call helped promote soccer in the U.S., and who has worked multiple Olympic Games for NBC and Telemundo, even including English-language calls beginning at the 2000 Sydney Games.

The 20th L.A. Sports Awards will be held – appropriately for Miller and Naber – at the Town & Gown Ballroom at USC at 6:30 p.m., and fans can vote through 26 January for the Sportsman, Sportswoman and Coach of the Year and the no. 1 sports moment of 2025 from 10 nominees from baseball, basketball, football and soccer.

The Sports Awards is a fund-raiser for the Sports Council and for its “Ready, Set, Gold!” education program that features Olympic athletes working with students in Southern California area schools to promote better attendance, attention and goal-setting. Ready Set, Gold! is one of the only legacy programs that sprang from a losing bid for the Olympic Games, created as a project of the Los Angeles effort to land the 2016 Olympic Games that eventually went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Want to attend? The Sports Awards is primarily a corporate event, sold in tables of eight. If you’re interested in a table or a sponsorship, please contact Sports Council chief executive Matt Cacciato here.

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

LOS ANGELES 2028: Metro bus estimate for 2028 slashed by 35.3%, $143 million in grants received; $270 million Fed loan request coming Wednesday

Rich Perelman

January 12, 2026

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

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

≡ METRO BOARD ON 2026/2028 ≡

A special Board meeting of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Agency has been called for Wednesday, 14 January, with significant updates on the agency’s planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The agenda and accompanying materials reveal striking changes in the plan Metro has been talking about for several years:

● The plan to use 2,700 buses to support the 2028 Games has been slashed to 1,747 – down 35.3% – thanks to the announcement of the comprehensive sports schedule and the relocation of some venues closer to existing transit.

Moreover, the presentation notes, “Over half of the required buses have been secured.”

● A publicly unannounced “term sheet” was signed in September with the LA28 organizing committee, and Metro staff met with International Olympic Committee representatives last year to review the plan for the “Games Enhanced Transit System” (“GETS”) for spectators and volunteers at the Games.

However, funding for the GETS system, estimated last year at $2.015.7 billion, has not been secured as yet and efforts will continue for assistance from the Federal government.

● The Metro Board will consider a proposed application for a loan – not a grant – from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a list developed last September of “Priority 1″ projects dealing with (1) specific line upgrades, (2) upgrade program at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and at the 7th Street Metro Center station and a (3) fare modernization program to allow easier payment of fares.

The loan request will be made for funds from the Federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), for $270 million. If granted, the loan would fund “2028 Games Customer Experience Improvements” at downtown L.A. stations and the Games Metro Mobility Hubs.

The Metro Mobility Hubs project was estimated at $80 million in November 2024, but the tab is now shown at $90.7 million, of which $45.86 million has been obtained already.

● Funding has been committed from the Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Migration and Air Quality (CMAQ) improvement program and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program, and the California Transportation Commission, totaling $143 million, that also funds first mile-last mile projects such as walking and bike lanes and signage to the venues.

Smaller programs costing almost $25 million are planned for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with seven matches to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, most of which is for expanded shuttle services.

Observed: The reduction by more than a third of the bus fleet for 2028 is welcome news, but as the presentation notes, there is still much funding to be sought. The original estimate of $2.015.7 billion is perhaps $330 million lighter, but still expensive and needs support.

But the report also indicates that other local and regional transit agencies will help and that Caltrans is involved to help with the “Games Route Network” to ensure spectators, as well as athletes, media and officials, can get to the venues on time.

There is a long way to go, but there is a better grip on what Metro actually needs to do in 2028. Hopefully, more details will be shared on Wednesday.

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

PANORAMA: New Milan arena passes ice test; sale of Grand Slam track contemplated; Vonn storms to another Downhill win in big U.S. weekend!

Rich Perelman

January 11, 2026

tsx pix 2025-1203 santa giulia arena (itinera) — Rendering of the Santa Giulia arena in Milan, by Itinera S.p.A.

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The PalaItalia Santagiulia Arena in Milan was finally put to the test on Friday with final-four Italian Cup matches, but with the first game briefly delayed during the first period due to a hole in the ice near one of the goals.

It was patched and the games went on, with NHL staff on hand to monitor the ice. One of the players, Kaltern-Caldaro center Florian Wieser posted on X:

“It was a small hole that was fixed in five minutes. Ice was really good, I was surprised how good it was and it will only get better.”

International Olympic Committee Sports Director Pierre Ducrey (SUI) said he was fully confident in the progress of the arena, explaining, “We knew exactly where the venue would be at this stage, and we are pleased with the progress. A lot more progress will be done so that we are absolutely ready for Games time.”

International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif (FRA) said last week that the facility will seat 11,800 rather than 14,000 as expected, but that the conditions for the players will be fine. He added Sunday:

“We know how it’s difficult to have a high level of quality of ice for the third game of the third period. Yesterday that was a good test because that was fantastic, the puck was sliding, it was not bumping. So we’ll go back in Zurich happy and confident.

“We’re going to make a report, but yesterday that was a test, so there is no reason that NHL will not come. … We want to make sure about the quality of ice, the security for the players, doesn’t matter where they come from. So now I can say we’re ready for the competition.”

Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli was announced Sunday as a performer at the Milan Cortina 2026 opening in Milan, joining U.S. pop star Mariah Carey in the program on 6 February.

Tragedy in Cortina last Thursday as a security guard near a construction site near an Olympic site died during an overnight shift, apparently due to a heart attack.

It was exceptionally cold – 10.4 F – and the 55-year-old guard was on duty at a location near the Cortina ice arena. Organizing committee chief executive Andrea Varnier told reporters, “At the moment, the information we have from the emergency services is it was a death caused by natural causes … while he was on site.”

● Athletics ● Grand Slam Track filed a motion on Friday for the appointment – by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware – of Irvine, California-based Force Ten Partners to assist in the Chapter 11 reorganization efforts.

The filing noted:

“[T]he Debtor intends to propose a chapter 11 plan of reorganization in this Chapter 11 Case, and concurrently, market its assets for a potential sale. …

“Force 10 and the CRO will assist the Debtor in connection with the marketing and sale of the Debtor’s assets concurrently with assisting the Debtor to prepare and confirm a chapter 11 plan. Force 10 and Mr. Rubin have extensive experience assisting chapter 11 debtors in connection with the marketing and sale of assets and conducting a bidding, auction, and sale process in chapter 11 cases, and the Debtor believes that Force 10 and Mr. Rubin present the most efficient, expeditious, and effective option for the Debtor to conduct a marketing and sale process.”

Prior filings showed $31.4 million in debt to more than 200 creditors, with lead investor Winners Alliance loaning another $3 million to assist in the bankruptcy process.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● The U.S. women sent a message at the FIS World Cup Downhill in Zauchensee (AUT), with the amazing Lindsey Vonn scoring the win – her second of the year – in 1:06.24, taking the lead from Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR: 1:06.61).

Coming 16th in the order was fellow American Jacqueline Wiles, who roared to the bronze in 1:06.72, and 2025 World Champion Breezy Johnson showed well in seventh (1:06.94). Wiles, 33, won her fourth career World Cup medal and her first in two years; please note that two of those four World Cup podiums were at the Olympic site of Cortina d’Ampezzo, in 2018 and 2024. Johnson has been in the top seven in three of her five Downhills this season.

Vonn logged career World Cup win no. 84. Sunday’s Super-G had to be canceled due to heavy snow overnight and strong winds on Sunday.

The men’s World Cup action was in Adelboden (SUI), with Swiss star – and four-time World Cup overall champion – Marco Odermatt (SUI) winning his sixth race of the season in the Giant Slalom, in 2:31.23, just ahead of Brazil’s Lucas Braathen (2:31.72) and Leo Anguenot (FRA: 2:31.91). River Radamus was the top American, at 2:32.90 in seventh.

The Sunday Slalom was the second win of the season for France’s Paco Rassat, who hadn’t won a medal until this season, at age 27! Fourth after the first run, he won the second run and timed 1:51.22 to beat Atlie McGrath (NOR: 1:51.40) and Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR: 1:51.42).

● Athletics ● Sweden’s Andreas Almgren moved to no. 7 on the all-time list with an emphatic, European record 26:45 victory in the 10K Valencia in Spain on Sunday.

He passed 5 km in 13:29, then pulled away from Khairi Bejiga (ETH) with about 1,000 m left and won decisively. Bejiga was second in 26:51 and Victor Kipruto (KEN: 27:16) was third. Almgren’s time is the ninth-fastest race ever.

Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir took the lead early and maintained a steady lead on Likina Amebaw (ETH) and held it to the finish, winning by 29:25 to 29:30, moving to no. 4 and no. 6 on the all-time list (performances nos. 6 and 9 all-time). Claire Ndiwa (KEN) was third in 29:49, now no. 16 all-time.

● Badminton ● A surprise ending at the BWF World Tour Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur, as men’s top seed Yu Qi Shi (CHN) – the 2025 World Champion – had to retire due to an injury in the second set, after losing the first set, 23-21 to Paris 2024 runner-up Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA), and trailing by 6-1 in set no. two.

Olympic champ Se Young An (KOR) continued her dominance with a 21-15, 24-22 win over second-seeded Zhi Yi Wang (CHN) in the women’s final.

In the men’s Doubles, top seed Korea won in three sets over Malaysia, top-seeded China swept Korea in the women’s Doubles and top-seed China won the Mixed Doubles.

● Biathlon ● Italy’s Tomasso Giacomel, the 2025 20 km Worlds runner-up, made a statement at the IBU World Cup in Oberhof (GER), winning the men’s 10 km Sprint and 12.5 km Pursuit to make it three wins in a row and four on the season.

He took the Sprint in 25:01.7 (1 penalty) over Philipp Nawrath (GER: 25:14.9/1) and Johannes Dale-Skjavdal (NOR: 25:26.9/1); Campbell Wright of the U.S. was 10th (25:2.5/2). Giacomel then won the Pursuit in a tight finish with Norway’s Martin Uldal, 37:15.4 (6) to 37:19.9 (4); Wright was the top American again, in 21st (38:57.2/3).

Norway won the men’s 4×7.5 km relay over France, 1:20:29.1 (7) to 1:20:31.7 (9); the U.S. was seventh in 1:22:18.2 (10).

The women’s Sprint was the first win of the season for Swede Elvira Oberg, the Beijing Olympic Sprint runner-up, finishing in 22:00.6 (0) over Finn Suvi Minkkinen (22:21.7/0), with Luci Anderson of the U.S. in 21st (23:25.7/1).

Sunday’s 10 km Pursuit saw Oberg make it two in a row, winning again over Minkkinen, 31:38.5 (1) to 31:55.1 (1), with sister Hanna Oberg in third in 32:43.0 (2).

France won the women’s 4×6 km by 53.7 seconds over Norway in 1:18:21.9 (8); the U.S. was sixth in 1:21:18.8 (9), its best performance since 2022.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The U.S. posted its second win in the Two-Woman IBSF World Cup this season in St. Moritz (SUI), with two-time Olympic winner Kaillie Armbruster Humphries teaming with Jasmine Jones to time 2:18.40 over Melanie Hasler and Nadja Pasternack (SUI: 2:18.41) and Germany’s 2022 Olympic champs Laura Nolte and new partner Leonie Kluwig (2:18.43). Americans Kaysha Love and Emily Renna were eighth in 2:19.17 and Elana Meyers Taylor and Jadin O’Brien finished 10th (2:19.37).

Australia’s Bree Walker continued her success in the women’s Monobob, winning her third World Cup of the season in 2:23.27, just ahead of Hasler (2:23.80). Armbruster Humphries, the 2022 Olympic champ, was fourth in 2:23.99 and Meyers Taylor was ninth (2:24.46).

German sleds went 1-2 in the men’s Two and Four, with Johannes Lochner winning the Two-Man with Georg Fleischhauser in 2:12.24 for their fifth win in six events this season. Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich, with Alexander Schuller, finished second (2:13.02). Frank Del Duca and Josh Williamson had the top U.S. finish, in seventh at 2:13.81.

The Four-Man went to Adam Ammour for the first time this season, after three prior medals, in 2:09.51, over Lochner (2:09.58). Del Duca’s sled was 16th (2:10.81). The U.S. squad with Kris Horn driving was disqualified on the first run as the other three members of the team were unable to get into the sled in time and fell off on the first turn. No serious injuries were reported.

In the added Skeleton racing after prior cancellations, Britain’s two-time World Champion Matt Weston won on Friday (9th) for his fifth gold in six races this season in 2:16.58, with Italian Amedeo Bagnis again second, in 2:17.49. Austin Florian was the top American, in 10th in 2:18.43.

The women’s victory went to Belgium’s Kim Meylemans for the third time this season in 2:21.01, ahead of first-time seasonal medalist Kelly Curtis of the U.S. (2:22.12). Teammate Mystique Ro was 11th (2:22.77). China won the Mixed Team race in 2:26.16 over Germany (2:26.25), with Ro and Florian fifth (2:26.66) and Curtis and Nicholas Tucker eighth in 2:27.33.

● Cross Country Skiing ● The U.S. national champs were in Lake Placid, New York, with big performances by Zanden McMullen and Samantha Smith.

McMullen won the men’s Free Sprint over Owen Young by 2:41.42 to 2:42.56, then won the 20 km Freestyle Mass Start in 47:37.0, with Mons Melbye second in 47:37.7. Hunter Wonders took the Classical 10 km in 25:28.8 over Luke Jager (25:30.2) and John Schwinghamer won the Classical Sprint in 2:52.91, with Pierre Grall-Johnson second in 2:53.37.

Smith won the Freestyle Sprint in 3:06.96 from Alayna Sonnesyn (3:08.75) and then the Classical Sprint in 3:14.95 with Katherine Weaver the closest in 3:21.58 for second. Hailey Swibul won the women’s Classical 10 km in 28:42.5 over Erica Laven (29:14.4) and Novie McCabe took the Freestyle 20 km Mass Start in 54:31.6.

● Curling ● At the World Curling Mixed Doubles Qualification Event in Dumfries (SCO), four teams advanced to the 2026 Worlds in Switzerland in April: China, France, Hungary and the Netherlands.

At the Grand Slam of Curling Players Championship in Steinbach (CAN) – the final event of the 2025-26 season – Scotland’s Ross Whyte faced off in the final against fellow Scot Kyle Waddell and managed a 6-3 win for their second-ever Grand Slam gold, thanks to two-point ends in the third and sixth. Waddell’s rink got the silver in their second-ever Grand Slam final.

The women’s final was a battle between Switzerland’s four-time world champion team skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni and Canada’s Kerri Einarson, a two-time Worlds bronze winner. Tirinzoni jumped ahead 2-0 in the first end and added one in the second, two in the fourth and one more in the sixth of a 6-4 win. It’s the third straight Players Championship win for Tirinzoni’s rink.

● Fencing ● The U.S. had a big weekend!

The FIE World Cup circuit fired up in Fujariah (UAE) in Epee for men and women with a first-time men’s gold for 28-year-old Dane Conrad Kongstad, who defeated Matteo Galassi (ITA) by 15-13 in the final. France’s Marie-Florence Candassamy took the women’s crown, 15-10, against Alberta Santuccio (ITA). The 2023 World Champion, it’s the first World Cup gold for Candassamy.

The U.S. women took the team gold, with Kyle Fallon, Hadley Husisian, Catherine Nixon and Leehi Machulsky recording a 45-40 win over South Korea. The men’s Team gold went to Switzerland, with a 45-24 win over Italy.

American Olympic Foil champ Lee Kiefer won the women’s World Cup in Hong Kong, taking the final in a 15-12 duel with Francesca Palumbo (ITA). Kiefer, 31 now, claimed her sixth career World Cup gold and 25 medal! The U.S. team of Kiefer, Jaelyn Liu, Carolina Stutchbury and Lauren Scruggs won the Team bronze, with Italy defeating France, 45-22, for the title.

American men’s Olympic star Alexander Massialas, silver winner in 2016, won his 10th career World Cup gold in the men’s Foil in Paris (FRA), defeating Hong Kong’s Ryan Choi by 15-10 in the final. It’s Massialas’ third World Cup gold in Paris. Massialas led the U.S. team – with Nick Itkin, Gerek Meinhardt and Marcello Olivares – to a silver, losing to Hong Kong, 45-38, in the final.

At the Grand Prix in Sabre in Tunis (TUN), Sebastien Patrice of France took the men’s final for his first Grand Prix gold from Krisztian Rabb (HUN) by 15-11; American Colin Heathcock was fifth. Russian “neutral” Alina Mikhailova won the women’s final over two-time World Champion Misaki Emura (JPN), 15-10.

● Figure Skating ● U.S. Figure Skating nominated its Olympic team in a televised special on Sunday, with a strong squad for Milan:

● Men (3): Ilia Malinin, Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov ~ finished 1-2-3 at the Nationals.

● Women (3): Amber Glenn, Alysia Liu, Isabeau Levito ~ finished 1-2-3 at the Nationals.

● Pairs (2): Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, Emily Chan and Spencer Howe ~ finished 2-4 at the Nationals.

● Ice Dance (3): Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko ~ finished 1-2-3 at the Nationals.

With three current World Champions on the roster – Malinin, Liu and Chock and Bates – the U.S. will be favored in the Team Event as well.

Pairs national champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov could not be named to the U.S. team since Efimova is not yet a U.S. citizen; the same circumstance befell third-placers Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, as Parkman is not a citizen.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The U.S. opened the men’s Slopestyle FIS World Cup in Aspen, Colorado with a win, as 2025 Worlds silver medalist Mac Forehand took the season opener, 77.38 to 75.90 over Estonia’s 19-year-old Henry Sildaru, who got his first World Cup medal.

Saturday’s Halfpipe was a second win this season for 2025 World Champion Finley Melville Ives (NZL) at 95.00, ahead of Americans Hunter Hess (90.75) and 2025 Worlds runner-up Nick Goepper (90.25), with fellow American Matthew Labaugh fourth (88.00).

The women’s Slopestyle opener went to Kirsty Muir (GBR: 80.62) over Megan Oldham (CAN: 73.02), the 2023 Worlds silver winner. The Saturday Halfpipe was won by China’s 2025 Worlds runner-up Fanghui Li (93.00) in a tight battle with Britain’s 2025 World Champion Zoe Atkin (92.75) and Kexin Zhang (CHN: 88.75).

At the third World Cup event in Moguls this season, in Val St. Come (CAN), Canadian superstar Mikael Kingsbury won his first medal of the season at 85.83, his 100th career World Cup victory, easily the most ever.

He beat 2018 Olympic silver winner Matt Graham (AUS: 83.50) and Nick Page of the U.S. (80.96).

The women’s Moguls final had to be canceled due to heavy fog, so the qualifying results were used, with 2022 Olympic champion Jakara Anthony (AUS: 79.83) the winner ahead of Americans Tess Johnson (75.85) and Olivia Giaccio (75.78).

Kingsbury skipped Saturday’s Dual Moguls, but Canada won again, this time with Julien Viel, who won his first World Cup gold, over Japan’s three-time World Champion Ikuma Horishima.

The women’s Dual Moguls was a U.S. sweep, with 2025 World Champion Jaelin Kauf taking the final from teammate Elizabeth Lemley, with Johnson defeating Giaccio for the bronze!

The FIS World Cup in Aerials in Lake Placid, New York was a Sunday-Monday affair, with China claiming its third men’s win in five events, all by different skiers. This time is was Xindi Wang, scoring 103.50 to edge Ukraine’s Yan Havriuk (94.12) and countryman and 2022 Olympic champ Guangpu Qi (94.12).

The women’s Sunday winner was four-time Worlds medalist Danielle Scott (AUS: 95.88) ahead of China’s Beijing Olympic champ Mengtao Xu (94.01) and American Kalia Kuhn (92.29).

Monday will be the seasonal finale.

● Luge ● The fifth FIL World Cup was in Winterberg (GER) for the second time this season, with 2023 World Champion Jonas Mueller (AUT) getting his second win of the season in 1:42.899, winning the first run. That was good enough to edge two-time Olympic champ Felix Loch (GER: 1:43.004), who won the second run. Jonny Gustafson of the U.S. was ninth in 1:43.640.

Triple Olympic champs Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (GER) won the men’s Doubles in 1:25.599, just ahead of Olympic bronzers Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl (AUT: 1:25.653). Americans Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa finished 10th in 1:26.176 and Zachary DiGregorio and Sean Hollander were 12th (1:26.290).

Austria’s two-time Olympian Hannah Prock took her first medal – and first win – of the season in the women’s Singles, winning both runs and timing 1:51.885. Just behind was Germany’s reigning World Champion Julia Taubitz (1:51.972) and Verena Hofer (ITA: 1:52.250). Seasonal leader Summer Britcher of the U.S. was fifth (1:52.527).

The women’s Doubles title went to two-time World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER: 1:26.710) over reigning World Champions Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (AUT: 1:26.810) and 2025 bronzers Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina (GER: 1:27.079). American pair Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby was fifth (1:27.315) and Maya Chan and Sophia Gordon were sixth (1:27.419).

● Nordic Combined ● The FIS World Cup finally resumed in Otepaa (EST), with 2023 Worlds silver medalist Julian Schmid (GER) getting the win on Friday in the men’s 10 km race and 97 m jumping with 114.0 points, just ahead of seasonal leader Johannes Lamparter (AUT: 113.4). Norway’s Einar Oftebro was third at 109.9.

Oftebro took over on Saturday, winning the Gundersen with a 10 km finish in 26:47.6, beating German 2018 Olympic champ Johannes Rydzek (26:48.1). The Sunday Compact event with a 7.5 km race featured Lamparter with the win in 19:55.2, well ahead of Rydzek (20:15.7) and 2022 Olympic gold winner Vinzenz Geiger (GER: 20:16.0).

Norway’s Ida Marie Hagen came in having won three of the first four events this season and she kept it going, taking Friday’s 97 m jumping and 5 km race with 101.0 points over Minja Korhonen (FIN: 99.8). American Alexa Brabec was fourth at 93.1.

Hagen won again on Saturday in the Gundersen at 19:46.1 for the 5 km race, way ahead of Yuna Kasai (JPN: 21:08.0), with Brabec fourth again in 21:11.0. The Norwegian star completed her sweep on Sunday in the Compact 5.0 km race, in 11:19.5, with Korhonen second (11:45.6) and Brabec with her third medal of the season in 12:03.4.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS women’s World Cup was in Ljubno (SLO) on the 94 m hill, a home event for World Champion Nika Prevc, and of course she thrilled the crowd with a Saturday win at 278.1, dominating the event, as Lisa Eder (AUT) took second at 254.1 (second for the third straight event!). Paige Jones was 14th, scoring 206.7.

On Sunday, Prevc won another battle with Eder, 271.1 to 270.1, after Eder won the first round. German star Katharina Schmid was third at 252.9. American Annika Belshaw was seventh, her best individual finish ever and first time in the top 10!

The men’s World Cup in Zakopane (POL) was off the 140 m hill on Sunday, with five-time Worlds medalist Anze Lanisek (SLO) moving from second to first in the final round, at 278.1 to 264.8 for six-time Worlds medalist Jan Hoerl (AUT), with Manuel Fettner (AUT: 262.7) third. American Kevin Bickner was 10th at 230.9.

● Snowboard ● The FIS World Cup Slopestyle opener was in Aspen, Colorado, with American Jake Canter getting the win at 85.16, his first career World Cup gold, at 22. Beijing 2022 runner-up Yuming Su (CHN: 84.18) was second and New Zealand’s Dane Menzies (83.68) third.

The Halfpipe went to Japan’s 2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka at 90.50, just ahead of teammate Shuichiro Shigeno (90.00) and Alessandro Barbieri of the U.S. (89.25). It’s Totsuka’s third medal of the season, in four events.

The women’s Slopestyle opener went to Laurie Blouin, the 2017 World Champion, scoring 81.21, with Mari Fukada (JPN: 77.26) and 2025 Worlds silver winner Kokomo Murase (75.36) going 2-3. In Halfpipe, Japan’s two-time Worlds medalist Mitsuki Ono got the win at 91.00, ahead of 31-year-old American Madeline Schaffrick (82.75) and Sena Tomita (JPN: 80.75).

Schaffrick won her second career World Cup medal and first silver, after taking a competition break from 2015-24!

Italian immortal – well, he’s 45 – Roland Fischnaller, the 2025 World Champion, won the men’s Parallel Giant Slalom in Scuol (AUT) on Saturday, beating countryman Mirko Felicetti to the line in the final.

The women’s victory went to German two-time Worlds medalist Ramona Hofmeister, who crossed first ahead of Elisa Caffont (ITA).

● Table Tennis ● Surprises at the WTT Champions in Doha (QAT), with Tokyo Olympic fourth-placer Yun-ju Lin (TPE) taking the men’s final by 4-3 (12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5) over Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, a three-time Worlds medal winner.

The women’s final belonged to 2017 Worlds runner-up Yuling Zhu, who represents Macau, winning 4-2 against China’s two-time Worlds medalist Xingtong Chen, 4-2: 5-11, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 13-11.

It’s the first WTT Champions title for Lin and Zhu.

● Water Polo ● The U.S. women were on the road in Ede against The Netherlands on Thursday to begin a two-game set, winning 12-6 and followed up with a 16-9 victory in Rotterdam on Friday (9th).

Rachel Fattal, Ryann Neushul, and Jewel Roemer each scored three to lead the Americans in the first game and Paige Hauschild and Ava Stryker each had five on Friday. The U.S. moves on to play three matches in Hungary against the 2025 Worlds silver medalists on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The U.S. men played a two-game home series with Australia in Walnut, California on Saturday and Sunday, winning the first match by 17-9, with Ryder Dodd scoring five goals to lead the Americans, who had a 10-3 halftime lead.

Sunday’s match saw a six-goal explosion by Australia in the second quarter for an 8-4 halftime lead, and hold on for a 13-10 victory. Matthew Byrnes had four goals for the winners and Dodd led the U.S. with three.

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

FIGURE SKATING: Malinin brings out the dragons, Chock & Bates and Glenn star at U.S. Nationals, as American Olympic squad to be nominated Sunday

Rich Perelman

January 10, 2026

performs in the men's short program at the 2024 World Figure Ska — World Champion Ilia Malinin of the U.S., in 2024 (Photo: Wikipedia via Flowering Dagwood).

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≡ U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating National Championships concluded in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, with all three U.S. World Champions performing strongly, but only two actually winning.

The men’s favorite, Ilia Malinin, was looking for a fourth straight U.S. championship and completely overwhelmed the field in the Short Program on Thursday, scoring a sensational 115.10 points, to 89.26 for 2020 bronzer Tomoki Hiwatashi and 88.49 for 2015 national champ Jason Brown. It’s the second-highest U.S. Champs score ever, behind Nathan Chen’s 115.39 in 2022.

Malinin’s program started with a quadruple flip and included a perfectly-executed quad Lutz and triple Toe Loop combination that earned extra credit, plus a backflip and his “Raspberry Twist.” He dressed as the character “Toothless” from “How to Train Your Dragon” and in a pre-planned stunt, fans threw stuffed “Toothless” dolls – provided by U.S. Figure Skating and NBC – onto the ice, reminiscent of the “Winnie the Pooh” plush toys that followed performances by Japanese Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu.

Malinin, 21, said afterwards that he didn’t know about the stunt.

For Saturday’s Free Skate, 11th-place Jimmy Ma brought the house down, incorporating the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A” into his routine, and he moved into the lead at 225.71 with 10 skaters left. He was quickly passed, but not forgotten.

Contender Andrew Torgashev, second last year, was fifth in the Short Program, but sparkled with a spirited program that roused the crowd and scored 182.63 to total 267.62 and take the lead. Next was Maxim Naumov, fourth in 2025, who lost his parents in the tragic crash of AA 5342 last January. He skated with tremendous emotion, but had technical imperfections and scored 163.44 for a total of 249.16 for second place.

Fan favorite Brown, 31, trying for a third Olympic Games, entered in third place. He fell on his first triple Axel, and fell again late in the program and his artistry was dramatic; the score was only 139.03 and a total of 227.52, in sixth.

Hiwatashi had a clear shot at the Milan team and gave a spirited performance that drained him emotionally and had the crowd cheering, but that also had small errors and scored 157.98 and 247.24 in total, leaving him fourth. Naumov was assured of a top-three finish for the first time.

Then came Milanin, needing only 152.53 points to win the title. He included “only” three quad jumps, but offered artistry beyond his amazing athletic feats – including another backflip – and the stuffed animals rained down again (no dragons, though).

He won the Free Skate at 209.78 for a winning total of 324.88 and his fourth title in a row. He remains the strong favorite for an Olympic gold next month. It’s his fifth-highest score ever.

Torgashev and Naumov finished 2-3 and look like possible Olympians, with the decision due on Sunday.

The Ice Dance final was another showcase, for World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, well in front after the Rhythm Dance, 91.70 to 85.98 for Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik – twice fourth in the prior three years – with two-time runner-ups Caroline Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko third at 83.29.

In the Free Dance final session on Saturday, 2023 runners-up Caroline Green and Michael Parsons performed elegantly to score 121.50 and take the lead at 202.05, their fourth-best score ever. Carreira and Ponomarkenko topped that with a sensuous performance, scoring 123.66 and a 206.95 total for the lead, their career no. 3 score.

Zingas, who transitioned from Singles to Ice Dance only in 2022, and Kolesnik offered a highly athletic and expressive routine that drew the stuffed animals to the ice and scored 127.67 and a total of 213.65 – by far their best ever – to take the lead. Chock and Bates performed an intricate Flamenco-themed program that had the crowd on their feet and more toys on the ice. The Free Dance score was 137.12 and the total was 228.87, the 13th time they have surpassed 220 points.

Chock and Bates won their fifth U.S. title in a row and seventh all-time, going back to 2015. They are the sixth to win five straight American championships; the last were Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won a record six straight from 2009-14. But only Chock and Bates have won seven.

Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time U.S. champions and the 2018 Olympic bronze winners, came back this season and finished in ninth place overall at 173.17.

The women’s championship on Friday had two-time defending champion Amber Glenn leading 2025 World Champion Alysia Liu by 83.05 to 81.11 going into the Free Skate, and Glenn performed beautifully under pressure as the final skater, scoring 150.50 to win the event, ahead of 2023 national champion Isabeau Levito (148.73) and Liu (147.80), with two-time U.S. winner Bradie Tennell fourth (141.95).

All three had six triples in their program, but Glenn had the top Technical Element and Program Composition (artistic) scores and won the title with 233.55 points to 228.91 for Liu and 224.45 for Levito. Tennell was well back in fourth at 211.48. The top three are expected to be named to the U.S. and will be a formidable entry in both the individual and team events.

For Glenn, her third title in a row was the first time since Michelle Kwan’s eight straight from 1998-2005, and she is the 15th U.S. woman to win at least three straight.

In Pairs, defending champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were decisive winners, winning both the Short Program and Free Skate and piling up 207.71 points, their best score ever. Their path to the Olympic Winter Games, however, is clouded by Efimova’s status as not yet receiving a U.S. passport, required as proof of citizenship in order to be on the American team. Born in Finland in 1999, she skated for Russia from 2015-20, then for Germany from 2021-23, before coming to the U.S. She married Mitrofanov in 2024.

Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were clear in second, moving up from third after the Short Program and scoring a total of 197.12. They have placed 3-1-3-2 in the last four nationals. Third-place Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman were fifth in the Short Program and fourth in the Free Skate, but that moved them up to third overall at 187.45. Parkman, born in Russia and partnered with McBeath since 2023 also does not have U.S. citizenship.

So, fourth-placers Emily Chan and Spencer Howe (186.52), second in 2023, may be in line for selection, or possibly fifth-place Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy, just behind in fifth at 185.10, as the U.S. has two spots in this event in Milan.

The U.S. Figure Skating Association will announce its Olympic nominees on Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern, televised by NBC.

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 10, 2026

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

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≡ WORLD CROSS CHAMPS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He ended with:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She’s 25.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

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

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

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≡ ALL EYES ON TALLAHASSEE ≡

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

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

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

A look ahead:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

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

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

≡ U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 8, 2026

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

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≡ TEMP USE ORDINANCE ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 7, 2026

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

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≡ NBC ANNOUNCE CREWS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commenting from Stamford are another seven sport teams:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 7, 2026

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Said USA Fencing chief Phil Andrews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 6, 2026

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

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

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

The announcement added:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A second round of Aerials will be held on Wednesday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 6, 2026

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

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

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

≡ STAT BLITZ ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 5, 2026

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

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

COX Architecture Board Chair Richard Coulson commented:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 5, 2026

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

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≡ BUSINESS vs. LABOR ≡

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

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

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

At the same time, however:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 5, 2026

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

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≡ THE AIU SANCTIONS REPORT ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 4, 2026

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

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

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≡ LOCHTE SALES BRING $466,720 ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 4, 2026

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

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

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

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

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

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

Asked how future bidding will be handled, she explained:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

● Athletics ● Per industry news site Road Race Management:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wow.

≡ RESULTS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The final will be on Monday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 3, 2026

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

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

≡ TSX CALENDAR ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman

January 1, 2026

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

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

≡ TOP STORIES OF 2026: 5 to 1 ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good advice to start the year.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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

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

Rich Perelman

December 31, 2025

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

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

≡ TOP STORIES of 2026: 10 to 6 ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman
Editor

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

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

Rich Perelman

December 30, 2025

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

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

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

≡ TOP STORIES of 2025: 5 to 1 ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up next: the projected top stories of 2026!

Rich Perelman
Editor

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

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

Rich Perelman

December 29, 2025

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

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

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

≡ TOP STORIES OF 2025: 10 to 6 ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rich Perelman
Editor

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

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

Rich Perelman

December 29, 2025

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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