FOOTBALL: Spain destroys Saudi Arabia, 4-0, Belgium survives red for 0-0 with Iran, Egypt’s Salah stars in Sunday FIFA World Cup

By

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June 21, 2026

tsx pix 2026-318 fifa world cup 2026 trionda ball (adidas) — The 2026 FIFA World Cup “Trionda” ball by adidas (Photo: adidas).

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

Spain needed to make a statement after its 0-0 match with Cape Verde and it hammered Saudi Arabia. Belgium wanted to do the same against Iran, but had trouble all day, including a red card and had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Egypt took a major step forward against New Zealand. And then there is Cape Verde.

● Group G: Belgium 0, Iran 0 ● Both teams tied in their first matches and so both needed a win at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Belgians had control of possession, but no goals in the first 20 minutes.

Iran appeared to score a shock goal off a free kick in the 24th, when the ball was kicked straight ahead to striker Mehdi Taremi, who turned and whipped the ball into the Belgian goal, but it was wiped away for encroachment on the free kick and offsides. At the hydration break, Belgium had 74% of possession and was 7-2 on shots.

The Belgians just could not break down the Iranian defense and the half ended 0-0, with the Red Devils at 81% possession and 11-2 on shots. But not close to a goal.

Belgium almost scored in the 59th, with Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand holding on to the ball after what looked like a sure goal on a point-blank shot from defender Maxim de Cuyper.

In the 67th, Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy lost the ball near midfield and it was pounced on by Taremi, who headed toward the Belgian goal alone. Ngoy tackled him aggressively and was called for a red card, bringing them down to 10 men for the remainder. The hydro break came a moment later, with Belgium at 78% possession and 17-5 on shots. But that was going to change.

Iran was on offense in the “fourth quarter,” but the Belgians did get a couple of strong looks. In fact, in stoppage time, Belgium had the ball in Iranian territory almost the entire time and it ended 0-0.

Neither team was eliminated with the tie; Belgium finished with 70% possession and a 23-7 shots edge. Iran, playing with 11, was outshot, 6-2 after the Ngoy red card.

● Group G: Egypt 3, New Zealand 1 ● Both teams played to draws in their first games and met in Vancouver looking to break out in the group after the Belgium-Iran tie earlier. Egypt started with on offense but was stunned in the 15th. On a corner, defender Tim Payne sent a perfect ball to the top of the six-yard box, where the 6-3 defender Finn Surman smashed into the net on the fly for the 1-0 lead.

At the hydro break, Egypt had 52% possession, but New Zealand had a 5-3 shots lead. Egypt applied pressure in the remainder of the half and had 57% possession overall, with six shots to seven for the Kiwis. But the 1-0 lead held up.

Egypt started the second half with an offensive push, but no goals, as the game got increasingly physical. But the pressure finally paid off, as a cross from defender Mohamed Hany from the right side found midfielder Mostafa Zico right in front of goal and he scored emphatically in the 58th for the 1-1 tie.

New Zealand’s offense got going, but it also opened opportunities and in the 67th, superstar striker Mo Salah took the ball on the right side, moved into the middle, then laid the ball off to Zico. The pass was returned quickly as Salah set up to shoot and sent a seeing-eye ball into the net for the 2-1 lead. The hydro break showed Egypt with 58% possession and nine shots in a frantic “third period” and 15-9 on shots for the game.

Egypt kept the pressure on and salted the game away in the 81st, with a corner by Salah that forward Trezeguet came up to meet at the near post and head into the net to go to 3-1. There were saves by Egypt’s Mostafa Shoubir and New Zealand’s Max Crocombe in stoppage time, but it ended 3-1, for Egypt’s first-ever World Cup win. They had 56% possession and had 19 shots to 11 for New Zealand.

● Group H: Spain 4, Saudi Arabia 0 ● After its scoreless draw opener against Cape Verde, Spain needed to get well in Atlanta, and did, quickly.

The scoring drought finally ended in the 10th minute, as striker Mikel Oyarzabal sent a line-drive cross from the left side of the field to the far side of the Saudi goal that was met by teen sensation Lamine Yamal for a 1-0 lead.

In complete control of possession, Spain kept coming and off a corner in the 21st, midfielder Dani Olmo sent a cross from the right side to the far side of the Saudi goal, where after a failed Saudi clearance, the ball came down to midfielder Aymeric Laporte. He headed to Oyarzabal, who brought it down, then slammed it into the goal for a 2-0 lead.

The rout was on in the 24th, as defender Pedro Porro’s cross from right to left was received by midfielder Marc Cucurella, volleyed to Olmo, who headed it to the far (right) side of the goal to Oyarzabal, who volleyed it in with the left foot for a spectacular show of skill by the Spanish. 3-0.

When the hydration break was called in the 25th, the stat charts showed Spain with 72% possession and 12-0 on shots. Wow.

The rest of the half showed Spain less sharp and an occasional foray by the Saudis. Possession was at 72% and shots at 17-2.

More for Spain in the 49th, as a corner came to Cucurella at the far side of the Saudi goal and he crushed a shot that was saved by keeper Mohammed Al-Owais, but ricocheted off of defender Hassan Al-Tambakti into the net for an own goal for 4-0. At the hydro break, Spain had 71% of the ball and 21-2 on shots.

A Ferran Torres goal for Spain at 90+2 was called offsides and it ended 4-0 with 67% possession for Spain and 22-3 on shots. A complete rout.

● Group H: Uruguay 2, Cape Verde 2 ● Steamy conditions at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, with 89 F temps and 67% humidity at the start of the game, and it turned into a hot game at the end of the first half.

While Uruguay was on offense for most of the half, a foul created a free kick in the 21st, and midfielder Kevin Pina took advantage. Striking the ball from above the box, he hit a hard, one-bounce shot that flew into the goal for a shocking 1-0 lead for Cape Verde, its first goal in World Cup history.

The hydro break soon after showed Uruguay with 66% possession and 4-1 on shots, but down by a goal. It looked for a long time like that goal would stand up for the half, but Uruguay found the magic late.

A cross from midfielder Miguel Ugarte found midfielder Rodrigo Betancour for a header in the box that was deflected by defender Sidny Lopes Cabral and his the post, but the ball came back onto in front and midfielder Maxi Araujo was in the right place to head it in for the 1-1 tie in the 44th.

The half was coming to a close when Uruguay stunned everyone with another Ugarte cross to the left side of the field and into the 6-yard box, headed by Araujo toward the mouth of the goal and midfielder Agustin Cannobio was there to tap it in: 2-1 at 45+6! The half ended soon after, with Uruguay somehow in the lead, and with 65% possession and an 11-2 shots edge.

The second half had Uruguay in control, but a careless cross by defender Mathias Olivera off a throw-in was intercepted by Cape Verde substitute forward Helio Varela. He gained control with his left leg, dribbled in and then slammed home his first international goal with his right foot, for a 2-2 tie in the 61st.

The hydro break showed Uruguay with 68% possession, but a modest 12-6 shots edge, with just one shot in the “third period.” Uruguay was more aggressive with chance after chance starting in the 84th and past 90 minutes. Cape Verde got going late and pressured in the final three minutes of stoppage time, but it ended 2-2.

Uruguay had 68% possession and was 17-12 on shots, but it felt like another Cape Verde “win.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

Coming up on Monday, still in the second round of the group stage:

● Group J: Argentina vs. Austria in Arlington, Texas (1 p.m. Eastern)
● Group I: France vs. Iraq in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5 p.m. Eastern)
● Group I: Norway vs. Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey (8 p.m. Eastern)
● Group J: Jordan vs. Algeria in Santa Clara, California (11 p.m. Eastern)

¶

With the red card shown to Belgian defender Ngoy, the 2026 tournament is up to eight ejections so far. Only four were issued during the entire 2018 and 2022 tournaments. Nine were issued in 2014, 16 in 2010 and the all-time record of 28 in 2006.

¶

A Los Angeles City staff memorandum noted some details of Federal funding for the World Cup in the Southern California area, with matches being played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, but fan festival events in Los Angeles.

Set for approval on Tuesday (23rd), the details include:

● “The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $57,934,146.00 to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, LLC on March 18, 2026. Funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FIFA World Cup Grant Program (FWCGP) requires no matching funds and has a performance period from July 4, 2025, through August 31, 2026.”

● “From this total, the Host Committee allocated a $3,370,994.09 subgrant to the City under the LAWCSSGP [World Cup Safety and Security Program]. This overall grant program funding covers planning, equipment, training, and personnel costs to secure SoFi Stadium, located in Inglewood, and its surroundings, while enhancing public safety and health capabilities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

● “Given that the local World Cup games are held outside of the City, the City’s subgrant funding allocation primarily supports the security of the FIFA Fan Festival held within the City at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from June 11 through 14, 2026.”

The Los Angeles subgrant money primarily goes to the Los Angeles Police Department ($2,311,238) with smaller amounts to the Fire Department ($749,517), the Department of Transportation ($288,126) and the Emergency Management Department ($22,114).

Although the funding agreement is to be approved in Tuesday, the Coliseum fan festival was over on the 14th. The Los Angeles funding was part of a Federal grant of $625 million to support the security aspects of the 2026 World Cup.

¶

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FOOTBALL: Dutch humble Swedes, 5-1 in FIFA World Cup; Germany wins; Curacao’s Room saves 15 in 0-0 draw! And Levi’s wins!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 20, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

A busy Saturday that started with a Dutch rout of Sweden and then taut games in Germany-Ivory Coast and a stupendous performance by Curacao keeper Eloy Room in a 0-0 match with Ecuador.

● Group E: Germany 2, Ivory Coast 1 ● Both teams were coming off wins in their first game in this match in Toronto, and both had chances in the first part of the game. A spectacular play looked for a moment like a German goal in the 21st, as a Nathaniel Brown cross in front of the Ivory Coast goal resulted in a collision between keeper Yahia Fofana and midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, called a foul on Pavlovic.

At the hydration break, the Germans had 64% possession and a 4-1 shots lead. Then an Ivory Coast rushed resulted in the first score, as forward Yan Diamonde’s cross from left to right found midfielder Amad Diallo for a shot in front of goal that was blocked. But the rebound came right to midfielder Franck Kessie who scored easily for the 1-0 lead in the 30th.

Germany threatened, but could not score and the half ended 1-0, with the Germans at 61% possession and an 8-4 shots advantage.

In the second half, following rush after rush without result, German midfielder Nadiem Amiri sent an arcing pass from the right side of the field right to the middle of the box, and sub striker Deniz Undav ran right onto it and finished for the 1-1 tie in the 68th. Two 60th-minute subs made the difference.

At the hydro break, the German possession was steady at 62%, but shots were up to 12-8 in an active “third quarter.” The Germans continued to probe the Ivory Coast defense, and suddenly, midfielder Felix Nmecha sent a perfect, right-footed strike into the middle of the box for Undav, who turned and ripped the ball into the net for the 2-1 lead at 90+4!

And that was the difference. The Germans ended with 59% of the ball and was 16-9 on shots, and earned their way into the playoff round.

● Group E: Ecuador 0, Curacao 0 ● To no one’s surprise, Ecuador took possession right away in this match in Kansas City, but could not score on six shots (to two) and 78% possession in the first 24 minutes, up to the hydro break.

Curacao showed some offense in the “second period,” but neither team could score in the 0-0 half. Ecuador maintained 75% possession and an 8-5 shots edge as the game became more and more physical. The star was Curacao keeper Eloy Room, with six saves!

Ecuador continued to press in the second half, surviving a Curacao flurry in the 60th to create a shooting gallery at Room, who had 12 saves by the second half hydro break. Ecuador had 74% possession and 21-9 on shots, but still 0-0.

Room continued to stand on his head and keep Ecuador scoreless and the game ended – astonishingly – at 0-0. It’s Curacao’s first-ever point in the World Cup, in its first appearance, with the 37-year-old Room saving 15 shots. That’s the second-most all time to the 16 by American keeper Tim Howard, who had 16 against Belgium in a 2-1 extra-time loss in the 2014 World Cup round-of-16.

Ecuador was not eliminated with the draw; it had 75% possession and a 28-10 shots edge. It was not enough.

● Group F: Netherlands 5, Sweden 1 ● The Orange were all over NRG Stadium in Houston, and they were on fire early, as a cross from the left side from forward Cody Gakpo found an onrushing Brian Brobby down the middle for the left-foot finish in the sixth for the 1-0 lead. Perfect.

It got worse for the Swedes, as defender Denzel Dumfries was on the right side and sent a cross to Brobby, who finished again in the 17th; 2-0. The Swedes were happy to see the hydration break, with the Dutch at 67% possession and a 4-1 shots advantage.

The Swedes were much better after the break and had chances and got a spectacular header off a free kick from defender Gustaf Lagerbielke in the 44th for what looked like a goal, but it was called offsides. The Swedes pressured continuously into stoppage time and at the half, it was 2-0, but the Dutch were down to 60% of the ball and were outshot, 9-5, with Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen the star with four saves!

But just 1:57 into the second half, the Orange struck again, with Dumfries sending a cross right in front of the goal from right to left, got past Swedish keeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt and kicked in by the flying Gakpo for a 3-0 lead. Gakpo got another just seven minutes later, taking a pass from midfielder Crysencio Summerville, dribbling into the box from the left side and scoring with a line drive into the net.

Sweden got onto the scoreboard in the 59th on a solo effort from striker Anthony Elanga, who take a lead pass from forward Alexander Isak above the box, dribbled and sent a left-footed finish over Verbruggen into the net. No defense against speed. 4-1. At the hydro break, Dutch possession was down to 55% and Sweden had a 12-9 shots lead.

But nothing stopped the Orange. It was 5-1 in the 89th after Somerville dribbled down the middle, moved into the box and slammed in a right-footer that went to the left side netting.

● Group F: Japan 4, Tunisia 0 ● Japan needed a win to stay even with the Dutch, and Tunisia was regrouping following the firing its coach after its opening loss and hiring French veteran Herve Renard in advance of this game – the 1,000th World Cup match – in Monterrey, Mexico.

Japan wanted to get ahead early and pressure paid off quickly, as striker Keito Nakamura sent a hot cross from near the left-side endline right in front of the Tunisian goal and it hit the back heel of midfielder Daichi Kamada and popped into the net for a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute!

They nearly got another from defender Takehiro Tomayasu in the 10th, but at the hydro break it remained 1-0, as Japan had 68% possession and a 4-1 shots edge.

Japan had possession in the 31st, with striker Ayase Ueda standing in space at the top right corner of the box, and he let fly with a hard shot that found its way into the goal for a 2-0 lead. Defender Kou Itakura’s underrated pass out of the Japan zone set Ueda up perfectly, breaking the Tunisian midfield defense.

No more scoring in the half, with Japan thoroughly in charge at 65% possession and 5-1 on shots.

Tunisia did not offer much offense in the second half, but also kept Japan off the board until the 69th, then Ueda sent an excellent lead pass from the Japan side of the field to striker Junya Ito. He corralled the ball, ran past a defender, set himself up and sent a right-footed shot into the net for the 3-0 lead. The hydro break followed, with Japan at 63% possession and 9-1 on shots.

Japan kept coming, and got a final goal in the 83rd, on another perfect cross, this time by midfielder Kaishu Sano from close to the right side endline to Ueda at the 6-yard line and headed the ball over two defenders to the right corner of the net for the 4-0 score.

It ended with Japan at 62% of possession and 11-2 on shots. Tunisia was eliminated from advancement.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

A worthwhile story by Front Office Sports about how Kansas City made itself so attractive to FIFA World Cup teams, with Algeria, Argentina, England and The Netherlands all headquartered in the metro area. Moreover, how the area’s Major League Baseball, NFL, MLS and NWSL teams got involved early to spearhead fundraising for World Cup costs.

It’s not all perfect, as the story reported on long transportation times for the first match, between Argentina and Algeria, at Arrowhead Stadium, including long waits at the official fan festival. A KC2026 statement noted, “While decisions regarding stadium entry operations primarily rest with FIFA, based on yesterday’s experience, KC2026 and its partners have provided specific recommendations to improve operations ahead of Saturday’s match.”

¶

FIFA, of course, has required stadiums to cover up their corporate signage in favor of FIFA’s own sponsors. But Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California – home of the NFL’s 49ers – got creative.

The Levi’s name and mark are covered, but with a white tarp which was shaped in the well-known Levi’s “batwing” logo form. Levi’s chief executive Michelle Gass noted on LinkedIn:

“I saw that same wonderful blend of preparation and opportunism this past week from our marketing team, led by Kenneth Mitchell, which took the covered-up logo at Levi’s Stadium and made it a moment, moving quickly and creatively to build social content that resulted in the most-viewed Tik Tok and Instagram posts in the brand’s history, nearly half a billion (and counting) media impressions, and a stream of admiring callouts in media and commentary.

“Our retail and product teams are now following suit, with stores featuring the all-white batwing and Levi’s products with the same imagery coming soon.”

Mitchell noted in his own LinkedIn post, just one regret: “PS – Yes, it definitely would have been denim if it were up to us!”

¶

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PANORAMA: World record 50 m Free for Douglass at Tyr Pro Swim Indianapolis! London Marathon goes to two days (and 100,000) in 2027

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 19, 2026

tsx pix 2025-1020 douglass, kate (mike lewis-w aquatics) — Olympic champ and world-record setter Kate Douglass of the U.S. (Photo: Mike Lewis for World Aquatics).

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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Swimming ● There’s no World Aquatics Championships in 2026, but don’t tell five-time Olympic medalist Kate Douglass of the U.S. that this isn’t an important year.

At Friday’s Tyr Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, she blasted the women’s 50 m Freestyle on Friday, overtaking fellow star Gretchen Walsh to reach the lead late and win in a world-record time of 23.59!

That removed the 2023 world record of 23.61 by Swedish icon Sarah Sjostrom; it’s the first time the U.S. has had this mark since Dara Torres set it in a relay start in a pre-Olympic meet in 1984! It’s the first world long-course record for Douglass.

Walsh was second in 23.78, now no. 5 all-time. Douglass and Walsh had shared the American Record of 23.91 from 2024 (Douglass) and 2025 (Walsh).

It was the second win of the meet for Douglass, the Paris 2024 Olympic 200 m Breaststroke winner, who took that event in 2:21.65, almost two seconds up on Aimee Canny (RSA: 2:23.61).

Distance icon Katie Ledecky had already won the 1,500 m Free on Wednesday and added the 400 m Free Friday in 3:59.51, way ahead of Kennedi Dobson (4:06.11).

Paris Olympic medalist Katharine Berkoff followed up her Thursday morning world-leading prelim swim in the women’s 50 m Backstroke of 27.05 with a Thursday finals win in a speedy 26.98, just 0.01 off of her American Record from 2025. She was a clear winner ahead of Isabelle Stadden, in 27.14.

Stadden, who won the 100 m Back on Wednesday, won the 200 m Back easily on Friday in 2:04.91. Maggie Wanezek was second in 2:06.05 and now stands no. 4 in the world for 2026.

World-record holder Walsh of the U.S. was a decisive winner in the Thursday women’s 100 m Butterfly, in 55.00 – the no. 5 performance ever – winning by almost 2 1/2 seconds. Claire Curzan was second in 57.48.

Also on Thursday, Harvard’s William Mulgrew claimed a win in the men’s 1,500 m Freestyle over two-time Olympic champ Bobby Finke, 15:07.68 to 15:08.43. The meet continues on Saturday.

Van Mathias, who set an American Record Wednesday in the men’s 50 m Breast, won the men’s 50 m Free on Friday in a lifetime best 21.62, ahead of Michael Andrew (21.78).

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Japan’s Kyodo News reported that the decision on the host for the 2036 Olympic Games will be made at the 2029 IOC Session, going back to the “normal” seven-years-ahead timetable:

“This will be [include] a newly introduced ‘strategic dialogue,’ during which bidders submit detailed plans and financial guarantees, and make presentations to the IOC Session. The final phase is set for the fourth quarter of 2028, with the host city expected to be formally elected at a session in mid-2029.”

Limits are also being considered for how many sports can be added at the request of the organizing committee, with a maximum of “four disciplines for the Summer Olympics and two for the Winter Games, with adoption targeted from the 2032 Brisbane Games. The move reflects concerns about ballooning program sizes following a record 36 sports being included at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after five additions.”

● Aquatics ● World Aquatics confirmed its Post-Career Compensation Fund, beginning with a $10 million initial funding. The fund will pay 10% of “qualified earnings” won at World Aquatics competitions such as its artistic swimming, diving and swimming World Championships and World Cup events subject to certain qualifying criteria, and less for water polo events, with less opportunities. The announcement noted:

“The fund is the first of its kind from an International Federation and provides a lump sum payment to athletes upon retirement, based on sustained participation in World Aquatics events throughout their career and contributions tied to prize earnings.

“Each sport will have different qualification criteria, with athletes considered eligible once they have competed in 80% of events organised by World Aquatics over a four-year period. The more athletes participate in World Aquatics events, the more contribution World Aquatics will make to those athletes to assist with their post-career transition.”

For the aquatics World Cup events in 2026, $1.200 million in prize money will be offered in swimming and $1.064 million for diving and less for other disciplines.

It’s a clever concept and logically structured, but it is also clear that (1) for most athletes, there won’t be much money in this since the number of events is limited, and (2) this is a clever way for World Aquatics to further promote its World Cup events in swimming among the top athletes, especially.

● Athletics ● “For one year only, the world-famous TCS London Marathon will expand into a two-day event for its 2027 edition.”

The 2027 races will be run on 24 and 25 April 2027, with a total of about 100,000 runners taking part, which will help the selection odds for the 1.33 million who have registered for the entry lottery. The men’s and women’s elite races will be run one per day.

¶

The famously flat course of the Berlin Marathon will see world-record attempts on 27 September from both Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa.

Sawe set the historic mark of 1:59:30 in winning the London Marathon, and won Berlin in 2025 in 2:02:16. Berlin has been the site of nine prior world-record men’s runs.

Assefa is a two-time Berlin winner and set a 2:11:53 world mark in 2023 and holds the women-only world record at 2:15:41. The target is Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 from 2024 in Chicago. Four women’s world records have been set in Berlin.

● Cycling ● At the USA Cycling National Road Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, reigning champion Kendall Ryan powered to the finish to defend her title over Olivia Cummins and Ella Sabo in 1:13:53 with the top four given the same time. It’s Ryan’s seventh title in this event.

The men’s race was a seven-way sprint to the line, after an initial breakaway group of nine ended up winning, with Luke Elphingstone winning at the line in 1:31:17, over Brody McDonald and Gavin Hlady.

● Flag Football ● The International Federation of American Football announced on Thursday a “strategic partnership” with TMRW Sports to develop “the new professional flag football league with the National Football League (NFL).”

The new pro flag football league is targeted to open prior to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, no doubt in the spring. The NFL has targeted flag as a key project to expand participation in the game with less issues over injury and a way to involve women as football players.

TMRW developed the TGL golf league, among other projects.

¶

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FOOTBALL: U.S. solves Australia in Seattle for 2-0 FIFA World Cup win, wins group as Turkey loses

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 19, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

Four matches on Friday, but U.S. fans were focused on the opener in Seattle and some history for the American team.

● Group D: United States 2, Australia 0 ● Lumen Field in Seattle was loud for the U.S. and got an early reason to cheer with strong American pressure on goal, even without injured midfielder Christian Pulisic.

In the 11th, striker Folarin Balogun drove down the left side of the field and sent a dangerous cross into the box, aiming for an onrushing striker Ricardo Pepi. But defender Cameron Burgess intercepted the ball, which flew off his foot into the net for an own goal and a 1-0 lead!

The Australians were hardly impressed and pushed their own attack forward, but were not able to score by the hydration break. The Americans had 63% possession in the “first quarter” and a 5-2 shots edge.

The U.S. kept pushing against a packed-in Australian defense, and late in the half, defender Sergino Dest sent a lined shot from above the box which was blocked and flew up into the air. It moved toward the Australian goal and defender Alex Freeman headed it in around keeper Patrick Beach for a 2-0 lead in the 43rd. The goal was initially disallowed for offsides, but a video review confirmed the score.

Dest got another shot from the top of the box that Beach stopped at 45+5 as the half ended. The domination was complete: 70% possession and 9-2 on shots.

Australia was looking for goals, but the U.S. remained with most of possession, but neither had exceptional scoring chances. A U.S. turnover turned into a shot for the Socceroos in the 65th for midfielder Connor Metcalfe from the top of the box that was saved by U.S. keeper Matt Freese. American possession was down to 68% possession at the hydro break, but up 10-4 on shots.

The Aussies were all over the U.S. zone in the 82nd for several minutes, got a good shot at goal in the 85th that was blocked and a rebound that was deflected before a goal kick was declared. It got physical in the 88th with pushing and shoving in the midfield – and some yellow cards – in a choppy second half. What looked like a breakaway chance for Balogun at 90+3 was missed on an errant pass by midfielder Malik Tillman. That was followed by referee Felix Zwayer (GER) falling to the turf for a cramp, but he returned quickly.

It ended 2-0 and the U.S. clinched a spot in the playoffs, with 62% possession and a 10-5 shots edge. It’s the first time since 1930 that the U.S. has won two World Cup games in a row. It was also the first U.S. shutout after giving up a goal for the last nine games in a row.

At 2-0, the U.S. has beaten two teams it defeated in friendlies in 2025. The last U.S. group game is against Turkey – which beat the U.S., 2-1, in a friendly in June 2025 – on Thursday, in Inglewood, California.

● Group D: Paraguay 1, Turkey 0 ● A stunning opening in Santa Clara, California, as Paraguay won the ball early, leading to a touch from midfielder Julio Enciso to midfielder Matias Galarza and then a smash from the top of the box at 1:05 that flew into the net for a 1-0 lead! Wow!

Turkey took possession after that and had the ball mostly in the Paraguay zone, but could not get past the packed-in defense. By the hydro break, Turkey had 82% possession in the game and was 5-3 on shots, but trailing.

Turkey’s pressure was unrelenting, but quality shots were hard to come by. In the 35th, however, a free kick by midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu from the right side was headed by defender Mert Muldur from the top of the box right off the crossbar and caromed away from the Paraguay goal.

Paraguay had a couple of charges after 40 minutes, but then the game changed into stoppage time, as forward Miguel Almiron was dismissed – red carded – for covering his mouth while talking to an opponent, a new rule this year. He was simply standing and talking to Muldur while play was stopped for a foul. Now, Paraguay plays with 10.

The half ended with 77% Turkish possession and a 12-4 shots edge. And no goals.

Turkey was on offense to start the second half as Paraguay was in a defensive shell. Shots were saved, blocked, kicked, headed away and sailed wide of the goal. And Paraguay made the occasional counterattack. By the hydro break, it was 80-20% for Turkey in possession and 19-5 on shots. And still nothing.

Paraguay almost scored on an Enciso free kick in the 85th, and actually played a little offense in the Turkish end, an excellent way to consume time. Turkey almost got even in the 89th on a good rush on the right side, and a cross led to a hard shot by midfielder Can Uzun that was saved by Paraguay keeper Orlando Gil and then a rebound that was shot wide by striker Deniz Gul (who was likely offsides anyway). A header by defender Merih Demiral missed wide in the 97th and a final shot went wide and that was it. Turkey ended with 79% possession and 32 shots to 7 and are eliminated from advancing. Incredible.

With the Turkish loss, the U.S. has won the group and will host a round-of-32 game on 1 July in Santa Clara.

● Group C: Morocco 1, Scotland 0 ● At Foxborough, Massachusetts, Morocco was looking for a hot start after its opening draw with Brazil and got it in the second minute (actually 71 seconds in), with a long lead over the top of the Scot defense and striker Ismael Saibari raced down the right side and struck a right-footed rocket from the right of goal that flew in for a 1-0 lead!

Morocco had control of the game into the hydration break, with 64% of possession and two shots to none for Scotland. But the Scots came on with some dangerous passing and a good set-up in the Moroccan zone in the final 10 minutes of the half … but no goals. Morocco went to the break with 62% possession and a 5-2 shots edge, but also nervous.

The second half started with end-to-end challenges in the first five minutes and Scottish keeper Angus Gunn had to make a quick save on a header by Moroccan midfielder Bilal El Khannouss in the 52nd. Scotland started to press after the 60th and midfielder Ryan Christie barely missed a shot from the top of the box in the 63rd. At the hydro break, Morocco had 63% possession abnd a 9-3 shots advantage.

The Scots attacked furiously in the final 10 minutes and in stoppage time, but could not score and it ended 1-0. Morocco ended with 59% possession and a 12-6 shots edge. But it was a very close thing.

● Group C: Brazil 3. Haiti 0 ● What Brazilian team would show up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friday night? Their offense didn’t do much in the 1-1 draw with Morocco, but immediately did better against Haiti as striker Raphinha scored in the 12th minute on a left-footed screamer, but it was called back for offsides.

As expected, Brazil kept coming and striker Vinicius Junior sent a hard strike from the left side with his favored right foot that was fought off by Haiti keeper Johny Placide. But the ball rebounded straight out and a swipe by defender Hannes Delcroix deflected the ball off striker Matheus Cunha and into the net for the 1-0 lead in the 23rd.

At the hydro break in the 27th, Brazil had 63% penetration and 4-0 on shots. Brazil showed what it can do in the 36th, with a breakaway by Vinicius Junior in the midfield, with Cunha moving to the left side, then setting up a left-footed cutback into the right side of the net for 2-0.

It went to 3-0 in the 45+3, as Vinicius got loose on the left side on a ball over the defense by midfielder Lucas Paqueta, was all alone on a breakaway and sent a low liner over the leg of Placide to the right side of the goal. The half ended with Brazil at 62% and 6-0 on shots.

The “third quarter” had Haiti with more offense, but still no goals, although Brazil keeper Alisson had to make a fast save on a header by defender Ricardo Ade in the 63rd. No goals for Brazil, either and at the hydro break, Haiti had closed to 40-60 on possession and 6-4 on shots.

There were no more goals, with Haiti scrapping to score, but Brazil held firm. Brazil finished with 56% possession and shots were 8-8 at the end. Haiti, with two losses, was eliminated from advancement.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone suffered two broken bones in his left leg after a tackle-from-behind during Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar. The injury came on a tackle by midfielder Assim Madibo in the 51st minute, for which he received a red card.

Kone had surgery on Thursday night in Vancouver, with metal plates inserted to aid recovery.

¶

Ticket glitches are to be expected in a once-per-four-years event, but it does not make those who can’t attend any less upset. The Associated Press reported Friday on resale ticket delivery issues on StubHub, VividSeats and SeatGeek.

¶

FIFA reported fan festival attendance of 1,992,302 through the first round (24) of group-stage games. The largest crowds have been in Mexico with “cumulative attendance figures of 527,100, 244,710 and 218,424 in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara respectively.”

That’s 990,234 in total from three sites, or 49.7% of the 16-sites total.

¶

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ATHLETICS: U.S. wins for Tinch and Wiley and world leads for Pichardo, Zapletalova and Velazco at Doha Diamond League

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 19, 2026

tsx pix 2026-619 do doha tinch, cordell (marta gorczynska 4DLAG) — World 110 m hurdles champ Cordell Tinch of the U.S. after his win at the 2026 Doha Diamond League (Photo: Marta Gorczynska for Diamond League AG).

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≡ DOHA DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡

Originally scheduled for 8 May, the annual Doha Diamond League was moved to Friday due to the Middle East conflicts, but had three world-leading performances during an energetic show despite temperatures of more than 90 F during the meet:

● Men/Triple Jump: 17.71 m (58-1 1/4), Pedro Pichardo (POR)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 52.30, Emma Zapaletalova (SVK)
● Women/Triple Jump: 15.13 m (49-7 3/4), Davisleydis Velazco (CUB)

Pichardo, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ, blasted to the world lead with his winning 17.71 m (58-1 1/4) jump in the second round, but that was in response to a new world lead in the first round from Jamaica’s Jordan Scott, at 17.69 m (58-0 1/2)! Pichardo added a 17.56 m (57-7 1/2) in round three just for good measure.

Zapletalova, the 2025 Worlds bronze winner, has been the revelation of the the 400 hurdles so far this season and took over this race by the sixth hurdle and moved away cleanly for a world-leading lifetime best of 52.30. Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, a two-time Worlds bronzer herself, came on in the second half to get second at 53.05, still no. 3 on the 2026 world list.

Cuba’s Davisleydis Velazco, the world leader in the women’s triple jump at 14.85 m (48-8 3/4), had a sensational day, but she needed to. Her world lead evaporated as countrywoman Leyanis Perez jumped 14.97 m (49-1 1/2) in round two to take the lead. Velazco equaled her in round four at 14.97 m and then won with a clutch lifetime best of 15.13 m (49-7 3/4) in round five! She’s now no. 17 on the all-time list.

The U.S. got a couple of wins:

In the men’s 110 m hurdles, rising U.S. star Jamal Britt got out well, but had trouble with the ninth hurdle and World Champion Cordell Tinch came on to get the win in a modest 13.23 (+1.4) over Spain’s Asier Martinez (13.27), who also was hitting hurdles, but came from fourth on the run-in. Britt ended up in eighth at 13.85.

American Addy Wiley, the World Indoor bronze winner, took the lead in the women’s 800 with 300 m to go, moving past 2019 World Champion Halimah Naakayi (UGA). Ethiopia’s 2024 World Indoor champ Tsige Duguma rolled into second into the final turn, but Wiley held on to the finish and won in 1:57.98 to 1:58.08 for Duguma and 1:58.41 for Nakaayi.

Elsewhere:

The men’s 200 m saw South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile motoring into the lead off the turn and winning in a lifetime best 19.74 (+1.8) to move to no. 4 on the 2026 world list. Zimbabwe’s Maka Charamba was a clear second in 19.88, ahead of Alex Ogando (DOM: 19.96). American Kyree King was sixth in 20.38.

The Steeple started at a strong pace with Kenyan Abraham Kibiwott in front at 2,000 m, but Olympic champ Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) lurking in third. El Bakkali took over with 500 m to go with Samuel Firewu (ETH) chasing, but in vain. El Bakkali won convincingly in 8:09.28 – with 90 F temperatures at the finish – with Firewu at 8:10.44 and Daniel Arce (ESP) third in 8:13.35.

The crowd was pretty lively despite the heat and roared for national hero and Tokyo Olympic champ Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) in the men’s high jump, which got serious at 2.24 m (7-4 1/4), where he, 2025 Euro Indoor bronzer Matteo Sioli (ITA) and Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk were the only one to clear. At 2.27 m, Doroshchuk missed, and the others cleared right away; at 2.29 m (7-6), only Sioli could clear and he was the winner, with Barshim second.

In the vault, Greek World silver winner Emmanouil Karalis jumped to the lead at 5.92 m (19-5) on his second try, matched by American Tokyo 2020 silver winner Chris Nilsen on his third try, and Norway’s 2023 Euro Indoor champ Sondre Gottormsen. No one could clear 6.02 m (19-9), so Karalis took the win on misses, with Nilsen second. Fellow American stars Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot went 4-5 at 5.82 m (19-1).

Two-time World Champion Anderson Peters (GRN) took the lead in the men’s javelin in the second round at 86.38 m (283-5), only to see the season’s breakout star, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage take over at 88.68 m (290-11) in round four. American Curtis Thompson, the 2025 Worlds bronzer, was third at 85.99 m (282-11), a seasonal best.

Jamaica’s Kemba Nelson got to the front of the women’s 100 m by 40 m and won in a fast but wind-aided 10.88 (+2.5 m/s), taking over from Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, who got second in 11.01w.

Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino (DOM) was in charge of the women’s 400 m almost from the start and forged a solid lead to win in 48.91, moving to no. 2 in the world for 2026. Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka was a distant second in 50.10; American Paris Peoples was sixth in 51.27.

World leader Birke Haylom (ETH) was the only one to go with the pacer in the women’s 1500 m and ran alone to the finish in 3:59.89. Fellow Ethiopians Saron Berhe and Haregeweyni Kalayu were 2-3 but well behind in 4:02.61 to 4:03.56.

The women’s 5,000 m had 18 entrants, of which 14 were from Ethiopia! The race stayed close and by the bell, it was Asayech Ayichew (ETH) in the lead, but then 2024 All-African Games champ Medina Eisa ran to the front, chased by Lemlem Nibret (ETH). Fantaye Belayneh (ETH) was moving up to challenge into the final turn, but crashed and split up the race. Eisa took over again into the straight and won in 14:53.91, ahead of a final dash from countrywomen Likina Amebaw (14:54.37) and Marta Alemayo (14:55.65).

Next on the Diamond League circuit is the Meeting de Paris on 28 June.

¶

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FOOTBALL: Canada roughs up Qatar, 6-0, in Vancouver as Swiss beat Bosnia-Herzegovina. 4-1, sets up Group B showdown; Mexico wins Group A

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 18, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

Thursday marked the start of the second round of games in the group stage, with two absolute routs in Group B.

● Group A: Czech Republic 1, South Africa 1 ● The Czechs got going right away in this game in Atlanta with a terrific cross from the right side of the field in the sixth minute by striker Adam Hlozek that found midfielder Alexandr Sojka at the top of the box. He popped it down to midfielder Michal Sadilek, who fired a hard shot back to the right of the South African goal that got between the defenders for a 1-0 lead.

The half ended that way, with South Africa controlling possession at 63% and both sides with five shots.

South Africa kept pushing in the second half, but the Czechs were better on offense; at the break, possession was down to 61%, but the Czechs had an 11-8 edge on shots.

The South African frustration was palpable, but they finally got a break in the 81st, when midfielder Pavel Sulc was called for a “hand ball” penalty when striker Thapelo Maseko‘s shot hit him in the right arm, inside the box. Midfielder Teboho Mokoena took the penalty and slammed the ball into the left side of the net without issue, to tie the game.

Both sides rushed forward in the final minutes and the seven minutes of stoppage time, but it ended 1-1 and both teams maintain a chance to advance (both now 0-1-1: 1 point). South Africa ended with 62% of possession and its late flurry gave it a 17-14 shots edge.

● Group A: Mexico 1, South Korea 0 ● The match in Guadalajara (MEX) was a tight, technical battle in the first half, with no score and just five total shots, three by Mexico, which had the best chance on a header by forward Julian Quinones that was saved by keeper Seung-gyu Kim in the 20th. The Koreans had 51% possession.

The second half started similarly, but Mexico finally broke through in the 51st on a mistake, as striker Raul Jimenez sent a header in the box that Kim saved, but he dropped it and midfielder Luis Romo sent it into the net on the fly for the 1-0 lead.

The hydro break showed that Mexico had four shots to none for Korea in the “third quarter,” despite 65% Korean possession. Jimenez almost put the game away with a strike in the 74th that was saved by Kim.

The Koreans almost got even in the 87th, with striker Gue-sung Cho shooting a header at point-blank range that was saved by Mexican keeper Raul Rangel, then midfielder Hyun-jan Yang swiped at it and Rangel batted it away, and somehow kept it from charging midfielder Hyeon-gyu Oh, ready to finish on a rebound!

Korea was all in through stoppage time, but it ended 1-0, with eight shots apiece and the Koreans with 58% possession. It sends Mexico (2-0) through as the winners of Group A, the first team into the final 32.

● Group B: Switzerland 4, Bosnia & Herzegovina 1 ● This was a tightly-played match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with the Swiss in control of the ball and the Bosnians looking for counterattack possibilities.

Both defenses held through the first half, 0-0, with the Swiss at 69% possession and a 4-3 edge on shots, with a better Bosnian attack after the hydration break.

A spectacular moment of the second half came in the 55th, as Swiss striker Dan Ndoye blasted a bicycle kick at Bosnian keeper Nikola Vasilj from just a few yards away, but the keeper saved it with a lightning punch. As spectacular as the exchange was, Ndoye was called for offsides.

The offenses were more able in the “third period” with five total shots and a good strike from Bosnian defender Amar Dedic, whose rifled shot from distance required a concentrated save from Swiss keeper Gregor Kobel. The Swiss had an 8-4 edge at the hydro break.

The Swiss pressure built after the break and finally paid off in the 74th, as a cross into the box was blocked, re-sent and headed for a clearance. But it stayed in the middle of the box and substitute midfielder Johan Manzambi – who came in for Ndoye just three minutes earlier – went into the air and crushed a right-foot volley into the upper part of the net for the 1-0 lead!

Bosnia’s problems were increased in the 80th, as Swiss striker Breel Embolo was streaking forward with the ball on a breakaway and was comprehensively tackled just before the box by defender Tarik Muharemovic, earning a red card, and leaving the Bosnians to play with 10.

With the man advantage, the Swiss clinched in the 84th, as Embolo sent a cross just inside the box from right to left and midfielder Ruben Vargas smashed the ball back to the right and into the net for the 2-0 lead. Vargas passed back into the middle of the box and an onrushing Manzambi slammed it in for 3-0 in the 90th.

Off a Bosnian corner, the ball was punched out, but Bosnian sub midfielder Ermin Mahmic ran onto it back near the top of the box and ripped it forward for a goal at 90+3 to cut the lead to 3-1. A foul was called on a late tackle in the box vs. midfielder Djibril Sowat at 90+5 and the penalty was converted by midfiedler Granit Xhaka at 90+5 for the 4-1 final.

The Swiss ended with 62% possession and a 13-5 shots edge. Switzerland is now 1-0-1 in the group (4 points) with Bosnia 0-1-1 and one point.

● Group B: Canada 6, Qatar 0 ● The crowd at B.C. Place in Vancouver was roaring from the start at B.C. Place and they were rewarded early with good Canadian chances and a special goal in the 16th from star scorer Cyle Larin.

A cross from the right side of the field to just beyond the top of the box by defender Alistair Johnston found forward Jonathan David, whose sharp shot was saved by Qatar keeper Mahmoud Abunada. But the rebound popped out and Larin was in the middle of the box to volley it home for the 1-0 lead.

Canada had 69% possession at the break and a 5-2 lead on shots at the hydro break. And then Canada saw more magic in the 29th, as a hard shot from beyond the box by forward Tajon Buchanan was blocked, but it came free, rolling into the middle of the box and was smashed home by striker Jonathan David for a 2-0 lead.

It got worse for Qatar in the 33rd, as Buchanan was rolling toward goal and was pushed down from behind by Qatar defender Homam Ahmed for a red card ejection and a Canadian free kick just behind the 18-yard box.

Canada broke down the Qatar defense again in the 48th, on a cross from Johnston from the right wing to the top of the box to the left of goal, where Larin headed it toward goal and after being saved, the ball came out and David essentially touched it in for the 3-0 lead just before half.

The Canadians had 67% possession and a 14-2 shots edge at the half. In the 51st, as Canadian midfielder Ishmael Kone was injured from behind on a challenge for the ball in the Qatar end by defender Assim Madibo, and was stretchered off, waving to the fans. Madiro received a red card, so Qatar played with nine.

It was 4-0 off a free kick curled around the wall by midfielder Nathan Saliba in the 64th, who then waved Kone’s jersey to the crowd. Canadian possession was up to 74, and 17-2 on shots. There was an own goal against Qatar in the 78th as a drive by sub striker Jacob Shaffelburg was hit by midfielder Mohamed Manai. David got a hat trick at 90+2, , picking up a blocked shot in the box and slamming it in.

Canada finished at 78% possession and 33-2 on shots. The Canadians scored a total of two goals in their six World Cup matches (0-6) prior to 2026 and one in its opener, a draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina. Now, Canada has a World Cup win and they will play the Swiss for the group win on Wednesday (24th).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

It was noted that the red card handed to Qatar defender Homam Ahmed against Canada was the fifth in the World Cup so far, and a sixth was given to Assim Madibo later. Only four were issued during the entire 2018 and 2022 tournaments. Nine were issued in 2014, 16 in 2010 and the all-time record of 28 in 2006.

¶

It was reported that an employee of the Estadio Banorte – Azteca Stadium – in Mexico City was arrested Wednesday after trying to “rent” his World Cup accreditation on social media for the equivalent of about $150 U.S. online.

Authorities were contacted by an organizing committee staff member about the offer and a 24-year-old man was taken into custody when he appeared to “reactiviate” his credential.

¶

The Kraft Sports and Entertainment group, owners and operators of Gillette Stadium where the World Cup matches are being held, has sued the Town of Foxborough, Massachusetts over $953,640 in fees it paid, claiming the Town “repeatedly misusing its state-granted licensing authority unlawfully to extract funds from Plaintiffs.”

Foxborough repeatedly stated it would not grant a license for the World Cup matches without ensuring reimbursement of all of the costs associated with the World Cup and said in a statement:

“The Town, through its licensing authority, has an obligation to ensure that the costs associated with private events are borne by the entities that conduct and benefit from those events, rather than by Foxborough taxpayers.

“As part of the 2026 Entertainment License issued by the Select Board, the Town implemented provisions requiring Kraft Sports + Entertainment to reimburse the Town for vital public safety and other municipal services necessary to support events held at Gillette Stadium. These services are intended to protect public health and safety and ensure that the Town is adequately prepared to manage large-scale events.”

¶

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PANORAMA: “Alpes 2030″ reveals logo; 774,000 viewers for USATF LA Grand Prix; NCAA T&F Champs sold 88.5% of all available tickets?

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 18, 2026

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The famed Paris 2024 electric cauldron will return to the Tuileries Gardens once again for its summer residence, from 21 June – Olympic and Paralympic Day in France – through 14 September.

It will be available to view without reservations from 10 a.m. daily, weather permitting, and open until a variable closing depending on date, from 7:30 to 9:30 in the evenings. Some 2.5 million visitors came to see the “Anniversary Flame” in 2025.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Kazakhstan Ministry of Tourism and Sports said Thursday:

“The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan has adopted a resolution on the payment of cash rewards to Mikhail Shaidorov (figure skating), the winner of the XXV Winter Olympic Games 2026, held in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, and Nadezhda Morozova (speed skating), who was among the top six athletes.

“In accordance with current legislation, the following cash rewards are provided: Mikhail Shaidorov – $250,000, and Nadezhda Morozova – $5,000. Cash bonuses were also paid to the first place, personal coach, and head coach of the medal-winning athletes.”

Morozova finished sixth in the women’s 3,000 m, in her third Olympic Winter Games. Shaidorov said that he also ha a contract with the Ministry which also provides a monthly stipend.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The emblems of the “Alpes 2030” Games were revealed on Thursday, using a stylized peak for the Olympic Winter Games and the same peak in white, formed by rays on both sides for the Winter Paralympic Games.

Albertville 1992 Moguls gold medalist Edgar Grospiron, President of the Alpes 2030 Organising Committee, explained:

“The same mountain will unite the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030.

“That is why our two emblems were conceived as complementary expressions of the same vision. Together, they embody our ambition: to give Olympism and Paralympism the same place, strength and visibility.”

Yes, merchandise with the new marks is already available.

● Anti-Doping ● The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency posted its 2025 annual report, noting 7,441 samples collected from 2,846 athletes, with special emphasis on the Milan Cortina Winter Games, with 1,021 samples collected in the final five months of 2025, from 1,015 athletes across 22 disciplines. The overall total was slightly down from 7,554 in 2024.

Of the total collections, 5,627 were out-of-competition (75.6%); the most tested sports were athletics (1,949), swimming (809) and weightlifting (573). The most tested winter sport was ski & snowboard at 450.

There were 41 sanctions handed out during 2025, including those from prior years. In terms of 2025 violations, 97 initial violations were detected, 27 cases resulted in a sanction, 42 ended with no violations and 28 cases are still pending.

USADA worked with revenues of $24.92 million in 2025 and spent $22.69 million; it had $14.28 million in reserves at the end of the year.

The educational outreach program reached 43,880 athletes and other “stakeholders.” primarily online, but also face-to-face at events.

● Athletics ● U.S. distance icon Jenny Simpson is apparently improving after being rushed to a hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina following a collapse on the track during a mile event. Her pulse was revived and a Wednesday statement from employer Fleet Feet included:

“While Jenny remains under medical care, she has shown encouraging improvement and continues to exhibit the strength and resilience that have long defined her. True to form, she has already asked about her mile time and whether she won.”

¶

NBC reported that the 14 June USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, with about 1,000 fans in attendance at USC’s Loker Stadium in Los Angeles last Sunday, did well on NBC, with a “Total Audience Delivery of 774K across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms.”

This is consistent with the 6 June USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station, Texas, with maybe 1,000 in attendance but a television audience of 757,000 across all NBC platforms.

Interestingly, the Los Angeles Grand Prix came a day after the four-day NCAA Championships in Eugene, which averaged 291,500 viewers a day on ESPN or ESPN2.

¶

If you watched the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene last week, you saw loads of empty seats at Hayward Field and whole sections covered with tarpaulins. Continuing scanning of the stands during the meet as shown on ESPN indicated maybe 4,000 in the house at any one time, on any of the days. But ticket sales figures provided by the University of Oregon told a different story:

● 10 June: Capacity 10,830: 8,871 tickets sold
● 11 June: Capacity 10,830: 8,795 tickets sold
● 12 June: Capacity 10,830: 10,956 tickets sold
● 13 June: Capacity 10,830: 9,699 tickets sold

The total is 38,321 or 88.5% of all tickets available, averaging 9,580 daily.

Remarkable. Unexplainable? Optical illusion? What?

● Swimming ● More hot times at the Tyr Pro Swim Series Indianapolis, with Paris Olympic 100 m Back bronzer Katharine Berkoff ripping the fastest time in the world in 2026 with a 27.05 in the women’s 50 m Back preliminaries.

It’s the no. 6 performance in history and just ahead of 100 m Back winner Isabelle Stadden from Wednesday, who swam 27.18 to move to no. 3 on the 2026 world list.

Thursday night finals can be followed on the live-timing site here.

● Table Tennis ● The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) approved the re-entry of Belarusian athletes without restrictions as of 28 July 2026, in line with the International Olympic Committee recommendations.

No change was made in access for Russian senior-level athletes, still required to compete as “neutrals,” as recommended by the IOC.

¶

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FOOTBALL: Kane stars for England in 4-2 win over Croatia in FIFA World Cup; Portugal’s Ronaldo held scoreless in 1-1 draw with D.R. Congo

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 17, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

A very busy day in the U.S., Canada and Mexico with a special performance by England striker Harry Kane.

● Group K: Portugal 1, Dem. Rep. of Congo 1 ● Highly-favored Portugal got off to a nice start at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, with forward Pedro Neto sent a cross from the left side into the box and there was midfielder Joao Neves, who headed it into the goal for a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute!

Portugal held as much as 80% possession in the half, but the D.R. Congo midfield was aggressive and the Portuguese had just three shots after 35 minutes. And as the D.R. Congo players showed increased confidence, their pressure increased.

All this paid off at 45+5, as defender Arthur Masuaku’s looping ball into the box from the right side went directly to striker Yoane Wissa for a perfect header from the far left of the goal that sailed right under the crossbar, leaving no chance for Portugal keeper Diogo Costa.

The half ended at 1-1, with Portugal at 80% possession, but D.R. Congo – the Leopards – with six shots to two! Neither side could score in the “third quarter” before the hydration break at 67 minutes. Portugal was down to 78% possession and each side was credited with just one shot apiece.

The defenses were good and the offenses were hardly imaginative, but midfield star Bruno Fernandes got loose near the Leopards’ endline and played the ball back to star scorer Cristiano Ronaldo – he’s 41 now and in his sixth World Cup – in front of goal and he just missed wide right in the 74th.

But neither side could score and it ended 1-1. It was the first-ever goal for D.R. Congo – known as Zaire when it participated in 1974 and lost its three group games by 0-14 – and its first-ever point in the World Cup. Portugal controlled 75% possession but the Leopards had eight shots to seven for Portugal.

● Group K: Colombia 3, Uzbekistan 1 ● he nightcap was played in Mexico City, with Uzbekistan making its World Cup debut. It was mostly Colombia on offense and Uzbekistan on defense for the “first quarter” with the South Americans enjoying 63% of possession and the only shot in the game.

The pace increased slightly after, with more probing by the Colombians and nearly a goal in the 32nd as forward Luis Diaz hit the far post from the left side. Later, Diaz had the ball above the box in the 40th and sent a perfect lead pass to the front of goal and onto the right toe of defender Daniel Munoz, who volleyed it off Uzbek keeper Utkir Yusupov and into the net for the 1-0 lead.

By halftime, Colombia was up to 72% possession and 7-1 to shots, accurate reflection of play.

The Colombians continued in control, but the Uzbekistan counterattacks showed promise. In the 60th, a long pass into Colombia territory ended up with sub forward Dostonbek Khamdamov near the endlne. He executed a perfect cross to the other side of the goal to striker Eldor Shomurodov, whose volley popped up off of Colombian keeper Camilo Vargas and midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullaev was there to tap it in with his head. 1-1.

The Colombian response was immediate pressure, then after a turnover, midfielder Gustavo Puerta sent a quick pass to his left to Diaz, who sent a right-footed to right side of goal that bounced in off of Yusupov for the 2-1 lead in the 65th. The hydro break followed with Colombia now at 68% possession and shots at 11-3.

The Uzbeks pressured for the equalizer, with midfielder Akmal Mozgovoy shooting over the far side of the goal in the 90th and another chance at 90+2 missed by Shomurodov. Then as Colombia tried to run out the clock, a stunning cross from sub forward Chuco Hernandez near the right sideline flew to the far side of the Uzbek goal and was blasted in at 90+9 with a header by sub midfielder Jaminton Campaz for the 3-1 final.

Uzbekistan had one last blast at 90+10 from defender Behruzjon Karimov that hit the post, but it ended 3-1 with 61% possession for Colombia and 15 shots to eight.

● Group L: England 4, Croatia 2 ● This was one of the most-anticipated group-stage matches, in the giant AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and after a somewhat confused start, the English got possession and on offense after a couple of minutes.

Pressure on the Croatian goal resulted in a corner and forward Noni Madueke was pulled down in the box by Croatian star Luka Modric, resulting in a penalty in the ninth minute.

Star striker Harry Kane’s penalty was straight on and was saved by keeper Dominik Livakovic, but the keeper was off his line early, and the try was re-taken. This time Kane slammed the ball into the far right side of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 12th.

England had 59% possession and a 5-1 shots edge at the hydration break. Both teams had chances in the ensuing play, but a rush by midfielder Petar Susic led to a pass back to an oncoming midfielder Martin Baturina, who one-timed a rocket that rose as it flew into the far left side of the English net in the 36th for the 1-1 tie.

Now the English had more work to do and on a corner from midfielder Declan Rice, the ball curled to Kane, standing just behind the crowd and headed it in, scoring his 10th career World Cup goal, in the 42nd for the 2-1 lead.

In stoppage time, England fell back too deep and a Croatian pass into the box to striker Ivan Perisic on the left side and his headed cross to fellow striker Petar Musa was turned into an immediate goal with a right-footed smash and a 2-2 tie on the final play of the half at 45+5. Croatia had four shots in the half and scored twice; England had nine. With good control after the break, Croatia ended the half with 48% possession.

Just into the second half, English midfielder star Jude Bellingham got hold of the ball on the right side inside midfield, dribbled in and hit a laser from right to left just inside the box that rippled the net for a 3-2 lead just 90 seconds into the half!

Bellingham had another chance a minute later and then defender Nico O’Reilly send a header just wide in the 49th! England was assaulting Livakovic now, and he made three saves in about seven seconds in the 55th and then two more in the 57th; at this point, England has 18 shots to four. At the break at 69 minutes, it was still 18-4 and 56% possession for England.

The clincher came in the 85th, after both teams had chances, but sub striker Marcus Rashford took a right-to-left side pass from sub forward Bukayo Saka, stopped, cut left right and scored on a right-footed screamer to the right side of the net for the 4-2 lead. That was the final, with England at 52% possession and a final shots edge of 22-10.

● Group L: Ghana 1, Panama 0 ● This game in Toronto had modest temps at 66 F but also light rain from the start. This didn’t worry Panama – the Canaleros – who were on the march consistently, with Ghana only able to counterattack.

By the hydration break, Panama had 66% possession and the only two shots in the game, but they kept pressure on Ghana keeper Lawrence Ati Zigi, who was equal to the task with major saves in the 2nd and 38th minutes, and half was scoreless. Panama stayed at 66% possession and had a 3-1 shots lead.

There was more action in the second half and the Ghana offense came alive, getting its first shot in the 48th, which was saved. By the hydro break in the 68th, Panama had 64% possession but the shots – in an increasingly end-to-end game – were 8-5 for the Canaleros, meaning nine shots in 23 minutes compared to four in the first half!

Both sides had chances, but it looked like a 0-0 tie was the mostly likely outcome. In another rush down most of the field at 90+5, it was forward Brandon Thomas-Asante who dribbled down the left side, nearly reached the endline, but sent a line-drive cross through the Panama defense to an onrushing midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi, who slammed home the goal.

That was the winner – 1-0 – despite Panama making a last-ditch effort that had to be saved by Ghana’s second-half keeper Benjamin Asare. Panama ended 62% possession and with a 12-7 edge on shots. But they came away with nothing.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

Awful Announcing noted Monday that the addition of hydration breaks in each half of World Cup games has been an enormous boost for Fox, which paid a reported $485 million – a bargain – for the 2026 rights on a special extension from FIFA before the 2022 World Cup. The Awful Announcing story included:

“The Wall Street Journal reported Fox was selling 30-second ad spots during these hydration breaks at roughly $200,000 for early-round games, and around $750,000 for games featuring the U.S. Men’s National Team.”

Based on this, the story calculations estimated Fox as able to sell from $249.6 million to $332.8 million across the 104-game tournament. Translation: hydration breaks are here to stay, with the U.S. rights now up for sale for 2030 and beyond.

¶

An anonymous Fox executive expressed irritation in a Front Office Sports story that ESPN was not doing much with the World Cup, but Awful Announcing noted that FIFA’s “news access” restrictions limit highlights (1) to a total of two minutes per show, limited only to sports news programs, and not including talk shows, and (2) highlights cannot be shown until the U.S. rights-holder (Fox) coverage ends for the entire day!

ESPN for its part, has added special World Cup programming from its ESPN FC line-up and short news segments – no highlights – on its talk programs.

¶

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SWIMMING: Another American Record for breaststroke revelation Van Mathias on day one of Tyr Pro Swim Indianapolis!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 17, 2026

tsx pix 2026-617 mathias, van (indiana univ) — American 50 m Breaststroke record-setter Van Mathias pictured in a 2026 Indiana University graphic.

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≡ TYR PRO SWIM INDIANAPOLIS ≡

No fluke whatsoever. Anyone who doubted the rise of former Indiana swimmer Van Mathias – now the IU swimming Director of Operations after his 50 m Breaststroke American Record of 26.39 at the Bergen Swim Festival in April can forget it.

He did it again.

Mathias led the qualifying in the Tyr Pro Swim Series Indianapolis men’s 50 Breast in 26.53, then rolled in the final to a win in another American Record of 26.30, ahead of fellow American Michael Andrew (26.87).

That replaced Andrew’s U.S. Open record of 26.52 from 2022 and moves him to no. 5 on the all-time list. He is the fastest in the world in 2026.

Also at the top of the 2026 world rankings from Wednesday swims were China’s Yu Yuting, the two-time World Championships bronze winner in the 200 m Medley, and American star Kate Douglass, the 2023 and 2024 World Champion in that event.

Swimming at the Chinese nationals in Shenzhen, Yuting, 20, won the 200 Medley in a world-leading 2:06.82, an Asian record and now no. 6 all-time. In Indianapolis, it was Douglass with a dominant win in 2:07.04, now no. 2 in 2026. That was more than two seconds up on sprint star Torri Huske, in 2:09.59.

Elsewhere on the first of four nights of finals, Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky won the women’s 1,500 m Freestyle in 15:34.66, the no. 17 performance all-time. American Katie Grimes, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, was second, but well back 16:04.20.

Rio 2016 double Olympic champion Ryan Murphy, 30, trying to gauge whether to continue and chase a home Olympics in 2028, won the men’s 100 m Backstroke in 52.80, over German Kaii Winkler, in 53.22.

American Isabelle Stadden, the 2021 World Short-Course bronze winner in the 200 m Back, won the women’s 100 Back in 51.80 over Paris 2024 bronzer Katharine Berkoff, in 58.20.

In the 200 m Free finals, Anna Peplowski took the women’s win in a lifetime best of 1:55.67 and Patrick Sammon won the men’s final in 1:46.24.

Owen McDonald of the U.S. won the men’s 200 m Medley in 1:58.35, beating Tokyo 2020 men’s 400 m Free bronze winner Kieran Smith (1:58.49). Estonia’s Eneli Jefimova won the women’s 50 Breast in 30.26

The meet continues through Saturday.

¶

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PANORAMA: NCAA T&F Champs on ESPN averaged 291,500; Jenny Simpson collapses, in hospital; iconic Texas A&M T&F coach Henry retires

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 17, 2026

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2034: Utah ● The Utah 2034 organizing committee announced a series of personnel shifts to prepare for a more active effort.

Abby Osborne was named as Vice President of Impact, Engagement, and Enterprise Operations and will start on 1 August; she has been the Chief of Staff for the Utah House of Representatives since 2019.

Planning lead Darren Hughes, a member of the 2002 Winter Games organizing committee, will now be the Vice President of Games Delivery, directly responsible for the competitions themselves. Two-time Olympic short track skater Julie Letai will by the Athlete Experience Coordinator.

Leaving Utah 2034 by her own choice is four-time Olympic speed skater Catherine Raney Norman, who chaired the bid committee and was a key early player in community outreach and the amazing development efforts within the Utah community to help get the organizing committee up and running.

● Athletics ● The NCAA Track & Field Championships drew what appeared to be about 4,000 fans a day at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, but did better on television.

ESPN reported that its telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2 – covering a meet with one world record and nine collegiate records – averaged 291,500 across the four days, with higher numbers on Wednesday and Thursday (note the FIFA World Cup started on the 11th and NBA Finals game five was played on the 13th):

● 10 June: ESPN: 324,000 (men day 1)
● 10 June: ESPN2: 77,000 (track events after 11 p.m. Eastern)
● 11 June: ESPN2: 332,000 (women day 1)
● 12 June: ESPN2: 258,000 (men day 2)
● 13 June: ESPN2: 252,000 (women day 2)

In comparison to 2025, day one was a little better and the last three days were down a bit:

● 11 June: ESPN: 317,000
● 11 June: ESPN2: 15,000 (track events after 11 p.m. Eastern)
● 12 June: ESPN: 443,000
● 13 June: ESPN2: 268,000
● 14 June: ESPN2: 298,000

The 2024 telecasts – in an Olympic year – were bigger and did 340,000 viewers on day one (ESPN2), 257,000 on day two (ESPN2), 602,000 on day three (ESPN) and 519,000 on day four (ESPN). The 2023 NCAAs, all on ESPN2, drew 152,000-227,000-176,000-393,000.

¶

American middle-distance star Jenny Simpson, 39, the 2011 World 1,500 m champion and two-time silver medalist, collapsed while pacing a run in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday evening.

LetsRun.com reported that “she was without a pulse for a period of time but that hat she was currently alive and at the hospital. CPR apparently was performed, one online report indicated an AED [automated external defibrillator] was used, and her pulse was restored.”

¶

Texas A&M coach Pat Henry announced his retirement Wednesday after 54 years in coaching and 22 at the school, ending a stunning career in which his teams won 10 NCAA titles, following on the 27 he won while at LSU .

Now 74, his A&M teams won 10 NCAA men’s titles (9 outdoor, 1 indoor) and 27 women’s championships (17 outdoor, 10 indoor) at LSU.

● Ice Hockey ● The International Ice Hockey Federation named American defender Caroline Harvey as its women’s Player of the Year.

In the fourth edition of the award, she was the Olympic tournament’s Most Valuable Player in the U.S.’s gold-medal performance in Milan and received 77.3% of the vote, the most ever.

Swiss forward Alina Muller finished second (9.1%), followed by Laila Edwards (USA: 4.5%) and prior winner Marie-Philip Poulin (CAN: 4.5%); Americans Taylor Heise and Megan Keller also received votes.

● Ski & Snowboard ● U.S. Ski & Snowboard unveiled a busy schedule of 13 FIS World Cup events to be held in the U.S. during the 2026-27 winter season:

● Alpine (5): men’s racing at Copper Mountain and Beaver Creek, Colorado; women’s racing in Killington, Vermont and Beaver Creek, plus the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

● Freestyle (3): Aerials in Lake Placid, New York, Moguls and Dual Moguls in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, and Aerials-Moguls-Dual Moguls in Deer Valley, Utah.

● Freeski & Snowboard (3): events in Slopestyle and Halfpipe in Copper Mountain and Aspen, Colorado and a site to be announced.

● Ski Jumping (1): in Lake Placid, New York (128 m hill).

One Paralympic World Cup event will be held and the total of 13 is most ever in a season in the U.S.

¶

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FOOTBALL: Mbappe scores two, Haaland scores two, then Messi gets record-tying three in Tuesday’s magical FIFA World Cup day

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 16, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

With the two 2022 finalists – France and Argentina – opening play, the Tuesday focus was on superstar scorers Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Oh yes, Norway’s Erling Haaland was making his World Cup debut. All three were sensational.

Mbappe was brilliant with two goals to give him 14 for his World Cup career, equaling German Gerd Muller (1970-74) and closing in on all-time leader Miroslav Klose (GER: 16 from 2002-14) and Brazil’s Ronaldo with 15 from 1994-2006.

Then came Messi, who got a hat trick to go even with Klose at 16!

● Group I: France 3, Senegal 1 ● For a half, this looked like another problem for an elite team against a lesser opponent at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. But only for a half.

Senegal was the better offensive team from the start and although France had 56% possession in the half, Senegal led on shots by 5-1 and had real chances, notably in the 25th from forward Nicolas Jackson that hit the goal post, and forward Ismaila Sarr, who slammed a ball over the crossbar at 45+6 that looked like a sure score.

But the French were much better in the second half, and came alive almost immediately. Midfielder Michael Olise’s shot had to be saved by keeper Edouard Mendy over the cross bar in the 52nd, and superstar striker Mbappe’s drive in the 57th was blocked by Mendy. An Mbappe drive toward the net in the 59th was stopped on a tackle by forward Sadio Mane that was reviewed for a penalty, but called legal.

Finally, a through-ball by Olise found Mbappe in the middle of the box and ahead of defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and sent a right-footed shot into the left corner of the net for the 1-0 lead in the 66th.

A Senegal goal in the 68th was disallowed for an obvious offside and at the hydration break, the French had five shots in the period vs. none for Senegal.

France seemed to wrap it upin the 82nd, as midfielder Adrien Rabiot sent a seeing-eye pass to striker Bradley Barcola, who moved to his right, found space and chipped the ball over Mendy and into the goal for a 2-0 edge.

But Senegal kept working and at 90+5 they got a goal on a right-side blast off of French keeper Mike Maignan by 18-year-old forward Ibrahim Mbaye to close to 2-1.

But Mbappe had an answer at 90+6, taking a brilliant pass from Olise, running past a defender and hitting a shot that just cleared Mendy’s outstretched hand for a 3-1 lead. It made Mbappe France’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Senegal almost got a goal at 90+10, but the game ended at 3-1, with the French at 54% possession and an 11-6 shots edge, meaning 10-1 in the second half.

● Group I: Norway 3, Iraq 1 ● This match in Foxborough, Massachusetts was about what Haaland, Norway’s wondrous goal scorer might do.

The first part of the game passed with Norway in control, but only four shots (2-2) in the first 25 minutes. But in the 29th, a brilliant cross from the left side by defender Thomas Moller Wolfe landed at the far side of the Iraq goal and there was the 6-5 Haaland to finish for a 1-0 lead.

It was his (amazing) 56th goal in 51 games with the national team.

But the Iraqis also had a weapon to show in forward Aymen Hussein, who demonstrated a brilliant header in the 39th. A pass from forward Ali Jasmin down the left side was crossed into the box by midfielder Amir Al-Ammari and Hussein was ready with a perfect header over two defenders into the net for the 1-1 tie.

A wild play in the 43rd ended up with another Haaland goal, as a ball played back to Iraq keeper Jalal Hassan was handled casually and Haaland caught up to it, slammed it off of Hassan’s leg and when it bounced out, it hit Haaland’s leg and popped into the goal! 2-1.

Iraq almost got the equalizer in stoppage time as defender Akam Hashim just sailed a shot over the crossbar at 45+6! The Iraqis had a 9-6 lead in shots at the half, while Norway maintained 58% possession.

The second half was more defensive, with Norway probing and Iraq trying to find Hussein for a header almost every time in Norway territory. After the hydration break, substitute forward Leo Ostigard headed in a perfect corner by midfielder Martin Odegaard, rolling forward as Haaland was drawing most of the attention.

At 90+6, a terrific cross by Kristoffer Ajer found Haaland for a header from the left of the Iraq goal to the right side of the goal and appeared to be headed in by midfielder Kristian Thorstvedt, but was awarded as an own-goal by Hussein for the 4-1 final. The Norwegians ended with 61% possession and 13-11 on shots; Iraq had only two shots in the second half. .

● Group J: Argentina 3, Algeria 0 ● All eyes were on superstar Messi at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri and he wasted no time, scoring in the sixth minute, but with the goal called back for offsides. Algeria then shockingly took the lead in the eighth, but also called offsides.

Undaunted, Argentina controlled possession and in the 17th, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul played the ball to Messi, who had space to turn at the top of the box and sent a left-footed laser into the far right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. The half ended that way, and Algeria actually had a 4-3 shots lead.

Argentina remained in control in the second half and an incoming shot by midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was saved by Algerian keeper Luca Zidane, but squirted free and Messi was there to pounce in front of the net for an easy score and a 2-0 lead in the 60th.

Zidane did save against Messi in the 66th, but in the 76th, Messi dribbled into the Algerian zone, passed to sub forward Nico Gonzalez, who sent it back and Messi finished with a strike into the top of the net for a 3-0 lead. And he equaled Klose’s all-time goals record in the World Cup as well, before leaving in the 80th.

Argentina had only 48% possession, and 10 shots to Algeria’s seven, but completely dominated the game.

● Group J: Austria 3, Jordan 1 ● The late-nighter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was 75% controlled from the start by the Austrians, who scored first on a fabulous right-footed rocket by forward Romano Schmid from the top of the box to the right-side netting in the 20th minute.

Jordan, playing its first-ever World Cup match, saw forward Ali Olwan hit the crossbar in the 22nd and had more offense as the half wore on, but no goals. At the half, Austria had 64% possession, but six shots to eight for Jordan.

Austria seemed to have control of the second half, but in the 50th, Olwan gained possession, dribbled alone past midfield, headed toward the box and lined up and ripped a right-footed hammer that went right into the far side of the net for a 1-1 tie!

Austria appeared to get a break in the 67th on a corner kick which was punched away by Jordan keeper Yazeed Abulaila, but it didn’t clear, fell to Austrian defender Stefan Posch, deflected off of him and fell to forward Marko Arnautovic, who got control and kicked it in! But Posch was called for a “hand ball” and the goal was wiped out.

But after the hydro break, another Austrian corner was headed by Jordan defender Abdallah Nasib, bounced to midfielder Yazan Al-Arab and then into the net for an own goal and a 2-1 lead for Austria in the 76th!

Austria controlled most of the remainder of the game and a right-side shot that went wide from Arnautovic was ruled a penalty at 90+10 in a hand ball by defender Saleem Obaid. Arnautovic took the penalty and buried it to the left at 90+12 for the 3-1 final.

Austria finished at 63% possession and 11-11 on shots, for their first World Cup win since 1998.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

The Iranian team had planned to stay in Southern California after its World Cup opener in Inglewood on Monday against New Zealand, but coach Amir Ghalenoei said the team was ordered back to Tijuana (MEX) by unspecified officials just hours after the game:

“We don’t know why they are returning us, to be honest.

“I think it’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us. The decision-making for us is being made elsewhere. We were supposed to come two nights before the game, and we were supposed to stay tonight to recover and return tomorrow at lunchtime. We have no idea why. I think our team is perhaps the most oppressed in the World Cup.”

The Iranian team was visited after its match by FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI), who congratulated them on the match and on their road to the World Cup:

“I know what you’re going through, I understand, but you’re stronger than anything You’re sending a message to the whole world. Tonight, you’ve united the entire stadium here behind you, behind Team Melli. You’ve shown it to the world and sent a powerful message. Thank you very much.”

¶

Inside World Football reported that in terms of team sponsorships at the World Cup, adidas has the most with 14 teams, ahead of Nike with 12 and Puma with 11. That’s 37 of the 48

¶

Tunisia named French coach Herve Renard as its coach for the rest of the World Cup, replacing Sabri Lamouchi (FRA), fired after the opening 5-1 loss to Sweden.

Renard has previously coached Morocco and Saudi Arabia; Tunisia’s second match will be on Sunday (21st) against Japan.

¶

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee found no insult or violation in the “OK” hand signal flashed by Australian video review referee Shaun Evans before the 14 June match between Germany and Curacao.

¶

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PANORAMA: USADA rips WADA removal of national agencies from large events; Lyles gets world best for 150 m in Ostrava; Williams sisters at Wimbledon!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 16, 2026

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Politico reported Tuesday on a new golf tournament being staged by the LA28 organizers and the Trump Administration at the Trump National Golf Course Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes.

This would not be connected to the Games, but a pro-am that would have a high profile. The story noted:

“The prospect of holding a marquee Olympics-adjacent event at a golf course owned by the presidential family’s Trump Organization highlights the extent to which organizers believe maintaining a productive relationship with the White House is essential to delivering a successful Games.”

¶

The Oklahoma state budget agreement for 2026-27 was approved last week and amid the many line items was $15 million aimed at support for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The money is intended for infrastructure improvements and transportation programming, notably temporary seating, broadcasting support, warehouse space, shade and heat mitigation measures and fan amenities.

¶

Temporary lighting company Musco Lighting was announced Tuesday as the “Official Sport Presentation and Broadcast Lighting Provider” of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

Founded in 1976, Musco has been the long-time leader in temporary event lighting and signed an Official Supplier deal in April 1983 with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Olympic Games!

● National Olympic Committees ● FrancsJeux.com reported on the merger of the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee (BOIC) and the Belgian Paralympic Committee (BPC) to create the Belgian Olympic & Paralympic Committee (COPB) on 1 January 2027.

This will be the sixth combined Olympic-Paralympic national committee, for now including the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency Executive Committee met online on Tuesday and reviewed the Working Group report on “operational independence” of National Anti-Doping Organizations.

One of the recommendations was for the use of an “independent entity” to test at major events, including regional games and world championships, which means “the [national anti-doping organization] of the host country will not be involved in the test distribution plan, selection of athletes for testing, certain aspects of sample collection, or results management.

“Rather, these functions will be carried out by an independent, non-partisan body, removing the possibility of an actual or perceived conflict of interest or bias. This independent process is already the preferred model for the Olympic Games, with the [working group] recommending that this policy of independence be applied more strictly and for an extended suite of major events.”

This was immediately panned by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart, who said in a statement:

“WADA leaders’ intent to push aside truly independent National Anti-Doping Organizations and hand control back to sport and sport service providers at major events is a dangerous step backwards and risks compromising the fairness of major events and athletes’ right to fair competition.

“Dressing this up as progress is an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of clean athletes, fans, and the public who deserve real independence, real accountability, and a system that protects them – not one that protects sport from scrutiny and the global anti-doping watchdog from accountability. As noted in the recent open letter from the White House ONDCP (Office of National Drug Control Policy) Director Sara Carter, this is of particular importance with the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to the United States in 2028.

“For this to be the response to WADA’s and World Aquatics’ failure to enforce the mandatory rules in the 23 Chinese swimming cases is another slap in the face by WADA leadership to all athletes who commit to competing clean and nations that enforce the rules consistently and fairly.”

The recommendation will require an amendment to the WADA International Standards for testing.

● Athletics ● At the 65th Golden Spike meet in Ostrava (CZE), World 200 m champ Noah Lyles of the U.S. won the 200 m – on a turn – in 14.67, the best ever for a dedicated race at that distance.

He was faster than Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who ran 14.92 in April; the fastest ever record was 14.44 en route by Usain Bolt (JAM) during his 200 m world record in 2009. On Tuesday, South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile was second in 14.78 and teen Gout Gout (AUS: 14.96) was third.

Swiss star Audrey Werro, who scared the women’s 800 m world record at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, ran the eighth-fastest time in history to win in 1:54.45, ahead of an impressive outdoor debut for former 400 m hurdles champion Femke Broeders-Bol, in 1:57.13.

American Nathan Green led a U.S. 1-2 in the men’s mile in 3:49.44, ahead of Vince Ciattei, in 3:49.51.

Australian Peter Bol won the rarely-run 1,000 m in a world-leading 2:15.13 over Samuel Chapple (NED: 2:15.20) and Marino Boudek (CRO: 2:15:40) and American Hobbs Kessler (2:15.44, now the no. 3 performer in U.S. history).

Brazil’s Matheus Lima won the 400 m hurdles in 47.64, Salah Ben Yazide (MAR) took the men’s Steeple in 8:09.88 with American Carson Williams fifth in 8:16.69 and Lurdes Manuel (CZE) delivered a home win in the women’s 400 m in 49.74.

● Basketball ● No worries for the USA Basketball women’s pipeline as its under-18 team won the U.S.’s 12th straight FIBA AmeriCup over Canada, 90-72, in the final on Monday (15th) in Iraputo (MEX).

Guard Kaleena Smith led the Americans with 26 points and forward Jordyn Palmer had 24.

● Cycling ● At the USA Cycling National Pro Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, defending men’s Time Trial champion Artem Shmidt routed the field for a second straight national title. Starting last, he finished the 33.4 km course in 38:21.88, well ahead of veteran Lawrence Warbasse, at 38:32.06.

Defending champ Emily Ehrlich took the lead in women’s race and finished in the lead at 43:22.46, but coming last was cycling and triathlon Olympian Taylor Knibb, who rushed through the course and won in a dominating 42:37.30. Knibb won back the title she first won in 2024.

● Tennis ● The Williams comeback continues as Venus and Serena Williams received a wild-card Doubles invitation for Wimbledon, an event the sisters have won six times together, in 2000-02-08-09-12-16.

No announcement on a wild-card Singles spot for Serena Williams as yet.

¶

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FOOTBALL: Four games, four ties as Cape Verde “defeats” Spain, 0-0, at FIFA World Cup; Iran plays without incident in L.A.

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 15, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

One of the reasons to watch the FIFA World Cup is to see the impossible. That happened on Monday!

● Group H: Spain 0, Cape Verde 0 ● European champion Spain was a huge favorite and favored as a possible tournament champion, and Cape Verde was in its first-ever World Cup game.

The match in Atlanta was played almost entirely in the Cape Verde end, against a packed-in defense. Spain completed 734 passes in the game, had 74% possession and a staggering 27 shots to six for Cape Verde. Spain had 12 shots in the first half and increased the pressure with 15 in the second, but faced not just an 11-man defense, but athletic play which saw passes intercepted, headed away and close defending that made enough of a difference to keep Spain scoreless.

The Cape Verde keeper, Vozinha, made seven saves, including pushing a strike by midfielder Pedri over the crossbar in the 39th, although the play was called for offsides. Then in the 41st, a shot by forward Ferran Torres bounced off the crossbar, came straight back into play and striker Mikel Oyarzabal headed it back toward goal, with Vozinha tipping it over the crossbar to end the threat.

Torres had another chance at 45+2, but Vozinha saved the chance, headed for the left corner of the goal.

Spain was completely frustrated in the second half, and had another real chance in the 88th, but Oyarzabal’s shot from in front of goal was barely deflected by diving defender Pico Lopes and sailed over the crossbar.

In the 90th, Cape Verde mounted a dangerous counterattack, and a Kevin Pina shot from 30 yards was deflected out for Cape Verde’s first corner of the game. The corner ended up on the far side of the Spanish goal and was headed by defender Diney Borges, but caught by Spanish keeper Unai Simon.

Beyond the drama and shock, no one should think Spain is not in position to win the World Cup; it was just four years ago in Qatar that Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina, 2-1, in their opener and the Argentines eventually raised the trophy.

● Group H: Saudi Arabia 1, Uruguay 1 ● The first match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida started hot at 91 F and high humidity

Uruguay had 56% of possession to the hydration break and a 3-1 edge on shots, but did not threaten seriously. But there was a serious chance in the 30th, as midfielder Maxi Araujo header the ball to striker Federico Vinas in the middle of the box and he went fully horizontal to send a hard header at the Saudi goal from right in front and Saudi keeper Mohammed Al-Owais reacted perfectly, punching it away with two hands.

The Saudis had a strong chance in the 38th, with defender Abdulelah Al-Amri bringing a corner down in the middle of the box and sending a right-footed shot that was deflected with one hand by Uruguay keeper Fernando Musiera.

But in the 41st, a Saudi corner sailed right to defender Hassan Al-Tambakti for a terrific header right on goal from the middle of the box that was stopped by Musiera. But it came right out to Al-Amri on the rebound, who right-footed it in under Musiera’s outstretched hands for the 1-0 lead.

That’s how the half ended, with Uruguay holding 59% possession, but the shots were 5-5, and the Saudis had the more dangerous chances.

Uruguay went aggressive from the start of the second half, and in the 46th, an elegant service into the box by defender Guillermo Varela came to Vinas in front of box and Al-Owais had to make a hot save once again. In the 60th, it was close again, with a strong strike from midfielder Manuel Ugarte from just beyond the top of the box. It moved left and Al-Owais barely touched it, but forced it off the far goal post!

In the first 24 minutes of the second half, Uruguay out-shot the Saudis by 9-0 and was up to 64% possession for the game, but no goals. The pressure continued and in the 80th minute, another attack resulted in a header from the middle of the box from Vinas that was saved again by Al-Owais, but the rebound came to his right and midfielder Maxi Araujo left-footed it back and into the net for the 1-1 tie.

Uruguay took the first 15 saves of the second half through 40 minutes, and Al-Owais had to do more to keep Saudi Arabia even, with a one-handed stretch save on a liner aimed at the right goal post in the 93rd by midfielder Federico Valverde.

It ended 1-1, with the Saudis barely hanging on at the end, in a game of two halves. Uruguay finished with 67% possession and 28-7 on shots (including 23-2 in the second half).

● Group G: Belgium 1, Egypt 1 ● Temperatures at Lumen Field in Seattle were in the high 80s for the noon start and the Egyptians – the Pharoahs – who were hot early.

Although Belgium was looking for offense early, Egyptian star striker Mohamed Salah sent a cross from the right side and found midfielder Emam Ashour open at the top of the box and with room. So, from 22 yards out, he sent a curling strike right at Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois that moved left and into the net for a 1-0 lead in the 19th. It was the first shot for Egypt in the game.

The Belgians had 58% possession in the half and a 7-4 edge on shot. but Egypt had the best chances and just missed another score on a corner in stoppage time that sailed behind Courtois, but could not be headed in.

The second half drama really started in the 53rd, with a foul on striker Jeremy Doku, leading to a free kick for star Kevin DeBruyne, whose smash from above the box was on target, then curled left and bounced off the left goal post. Immediately after, Egypt had the ball in good position for a header by Salah in the 53rd, that was saved by Courtois as it curled away from him.

In the 66th, long-time Belgian hero Romelu Lukaku came in, and he paid immediate dividends. A seeing-eye cross from the right side by defender Thomas Meunier found Lukaku rushing between two defenders to the goal and between Lukaku and defender Mohamed Hany, it went into the net for the 1-1 tie. Hany was credited with an own goal, but it was due to 6-3 Lukaku.

Egyptian keeper Mostafa Shoubir made a critical save on a well-placed header by defender Brandon Mechele in the 83rd, with Lukaku lurking behind, but Shoubir pushed it away to his left and away from trouble. Lukaku had another chance on a header in the middle of the box in the 87th, but it went over the goal.

The Belgians ended with 54% possession and a 15-14 shots edge, with much of its offense coming late in the game. Both sides will be happy with the point.

● Group G: Iran 2, New Zealand 2 ● The much-discussed Iranian team, headquartered in Tijuana (MEX) and allowed to be in the U.S. for 24 hours on match days only, finally took the field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California against almost-forgotten New Zealand.

The Iranians were on offense to start, but the Kiwis got organized quickly and in the seventh minute, a long pass was corralled by forward Chris Wood, who passed to midfielder Sarpreet Singh. Singh sent the ball back to Wood, who nudged it forward to striker Elijah Just for a right-footed blast in traffic in the net for a 1-0 lead over the head of Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand.

The pro-Iran crowd – with a huge expatriate community in Los Angeles – roared in the 23rd as striker Mehdi Taremi dribbled straight on to the New Zealand goal, unchallenged and wound up for a blistering shot from the top of the box … and hit the right goal post! Even he couldn’t believe it.

The hydration break came in the 24th, with New Zealand at 51% possession and 6-2 on shots. But as has been seen several times already, the break has changed momentum and the Iranians were on offense quickly. From the top of the box, a searching pass by midfielder Saman Ghoddos into the middle found striker Shahriyar Moghanloo, who was only able to shove the ball forward under a challenge. But that was enough to create a chance for defender Ramin Rezaeian to kick it past keeper Max Crocombe for the 1-1 tie.

An Iranian score at 45+4 was called for offsides and the half ended 1-1, with New Zealand at 51% possession and 9-7 on shots.

And the Kiwis were on the prowl to start the second half and Just found Wood heading into the box in the 55th. Wood had space once he received the pass and sent it right back to Just, who sent a right-footed slam over a diving Beiranvand for the 2-1 lead.

Iran finally got into a better offensive look in the 64th and Rezaeian sent an arcing cross into the box, right over a defender and to the head of midfielder Mohammed Mohebbi, who sent a perfect shot to the far post and beyond the reach of Crocombe for a 2-2 tie. By the hydration break at 67 minutes, the shots were 12-10 for New Zealand, and 3-3 in the half of a back-and-forth game.

There was more action, but no serious chances. New Zealand ended with 52% possession but Iran had 17 shots to 14. There were protesters outside SoFi Stadium, but no incidents that impacted the match – of high drama – inside.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

Following its opening 5-1 loss to Sweden on Sunday, Tunisia fired its coach, Sabri Lamouchi (FRA), who had been hired only in January. Beyond the bad performance in the loss – which led to reported dissension in the locker room after the game – questions had already been raised about the presence of Lamouchi’s son at the team’s training camp, and getting into a fight with a Tunisian fan.

Lamouchi coached five games for Tunisia, whose next game is on Sunday vs. Japan.

¶

The Fare Network, a partner of FIFA as a monitor of racist and discriminatory actions, asked for a FIFA World Cup video review officials to be removed for making an “OK” sign in front of his right leg, on television, prior to the Germany-Curacao match. The sign has been identified, in certain contexts, as a white supremacy signal.

Australian official Shaun Evans was seen making the signal from the FIFA video review control center in Dallas.

¶

FIFA said that Somali referee Omar Artan, not allowed to work at the tournament as he was not admitted to the U.S., will receive a full fee from FIFA, as if he had allowed to work.

¶

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OLYMPIC GAMES: ASOIF Governance report offers intimate perspective on International Federations, where size does not always equal quality

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 15, 2026

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

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≡ INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS ≡

One of the benefits of the governance reviews undertaken by the umbrella group, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, is to illustrate the enormous gap between the largest and richest federations and the smallest and poorest.

And yet, there are smaller federations which are also excellent in the governance area.

In the newly-published sixth Governance review, 14 federations were in the highest, “A1″ tier of 210 to 228 points out of a possible 240; seven were in the “A2″ group of 185-209 points; 13 were in the “B” group of 150-184 and then one each in the “B” category for Associate members (International Federation of American Football) and then the new World Boxing group in category “C” at less than 135.

The top scorer, at 228, was World Athletics.

Now a look at a few key figures, remembering that the five added sports for Los Angeles 2028 (Baseball-Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Squash) are “Associate Members” and are among the smallest of the federations surveyed.

● Revenue:
The 36 federations surveyed reported annual revenues in Swiss francs (CHF) in six bands (CHGF 1 = $1.26 U.S.):

● 8 had more than CHF 50 million (one Associate Member)
● 5 had CHF 20 to 50 million
● 5 had CHF 8 to 20 million
● 10 had CHF 4 to 8 million
● 5 had CHF 2 to 4 million (one Associate Member)
● 3 had less than CHF 2 million (all Associate Members)

So, 18 of 36 – 50% – had revenues of CHF 8 million or less and only 13 of 36 (36.1%) had annual revenues of CHF 20 million or more. In this context, it is worth remembering that the 28 federations involved in Paris 2024 as sports included by the International Olympic Committee each received an “Olympic dividend” of at least about $18 million each as a share of the IOC’s worldwide television rights sales. The four added sports – Breaking, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing – received only token amounts for 2024 but will Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing will receive full shares for 2028.

By this metric, about half of the federations from Paris 2024 basically survive on the IOC’s television shares.

● Staff:
Another reflection of IF ability and sophistication is staff size and there was a wide disparity:

● 5 had 120 staff or more
● 9 had 50 to 119 staff
● 10 had 20 to 49 staff
● 6 had 10 to 19 staff
● 6 had zero to 9 staff

So, of the 36 federations covered by the survey – those for the sports on the Olympic program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games – 22 (61.1%) had less than 50 people and only five (13.8%) had 120 or more.

That’s an astonishing total of, essentially, “have-not” federations. And yet they are all part of the Olympic Games.

● Performance:
Staff size definitely had an impact on the governance scores, with the big federations – not surprisingly – performing best, based on averaged scores:

● 161 average for IFs of 0-9 staff
● 181 average for IFs of 10-19
● 194 average for IFs of 20-49
● 206 average for IFs of 50-119
● 219 average for IFs with 120+

The report noted exceptions to this grouping, as three federations of 20-49 people – and in the 4-8 million CHF class – were in the A1 scoring group; there were also federations with 50-119 staff who ended up in the B classification, scoring under 185.

It’s a fascinating study, demonstrating that even in 2026, there were four federations which did not publish three years of financial statements and further, 15 of 36 had audited financials to international standards. And four of the 36 federations had no term limits for their elected officials, but all of the Associate Members did.

¶

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PANORAMA: LA28 opens Games volunteer registration on 14 July: U.S. drug policy head rips WADA reforms; five who saw Stones ‘76 AND Tharp ‘26!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 15, 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 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers said Monday that the Games-time volunteer sign-up portal will open on 14 July 2026, two years ahead of the Olympic opening..

This is different from the prior volunteer “interest” sign-up; an L.A. spokesperson explained:

“To date, more than 300,000 people globally that have expressed interest in participating in LA28’s volunteer program; none have applied as the application for Games-time roles is not yet available.

“On July 14, those who expressed interest will receive an email prompting them to submit and complete an application to be considered for a Games-time role.”

About 60,000 volunteers are expected to be engaged for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

● Anti-Doping ● The head of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, Sara Carter, issued an open letter on Monday to other anti-doping agencies, warning of actions by the World Anti-Doping Agency to weaken, among others, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

“In this Open Letter I am writing to all WADA Stakeholders to address a report of the Working Group on the Operational Independence of National Anti-Doping Organizations (the ‘WGOI Report’) that I understand will be relied upon as a basis to weaken the role and effectiveness of operationally independent national anti-doping organizations (NADOs), which includes, the U.S. NADO, USADA.

“The United States considers it vital to the wellbeing of clean athletes to respond promptly and firmly to reject any use of the WGOI Report as a spring board to substantially alter the World Anti-Doping Program to diminish the role of operationally independent NADOs, which would thereby render the World Anti-Doping Program less accountable and transparent than it is today.”

The letter pointed out that the unspecified reform proposals came from a critique of WADA’s performance in the 2021 Chinese swimming mass-positives incident:

“Thus, it is predictable but still deeply ironic that WADA Management’s own conclusion arising from its failure to ensure that its own procedures were followed in the Russian and Chinese situations is to reduce the oversight role of NADOs and impose costly burdens upon them. WADA Management’s recommendations are obviously wrong. The overall impact of WADA’s recommendations would diminish transparency, independence, and checks and balances to the detriment of the global anti-doping system and would undermine confidence in that system for Athletes and Governments.”

An extraordinary meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency Executive Committee is to be held on Tuesday to discuss recommendations to transfer some roles to an “independent agency.” The U.S. cannot attend as a result of its withholding WADA dues.

● Athletics ● Statistician Tom Casacky points to a ninth collegiate record at the 2026 NCAA Championships last week, with Washington’s Amanda Moll clearing 4.84 m (15-10 1/2) to win, a centimeter higher than sister Hana’s 4.83 m (15-10) in May.

However, the sisters have three higher clearances indoors: 4.91 m (16-1 1/4) by Amanda in 2025, 4.88 m (16-0) by Amanda in 2025 and Hana’s 4.88 m (16-0) indoors in January. He notes, “[t]he NCAA/USTFCCCA don’t have an ‘absolute’ designation” that includes indoor marks.

¶

TSX reader and on-field television coordinator David Glassman pointed out that at least five people were present in Eugene to see Ja’Kobe Tharp’s 12.75 world record in the 110 m hurdles who were also on hand in 1976 to see the last world mark set in an NCAA Championships: Dwight Stones’ 2.31 m (7-7) for Long Beach State.

Stones, of course, was on hand as ESPN’s play-by-play announcer for the meet, plus Ed Miller, the 1976 decathlon winner for Cal; then-Western Kentucky assistant coach Sam Seemes; Arizona State 400 m runner-up Herman Frazier, and Vince Giarrocco, then in high school and now part of the Flash Results timing crew.

Any more?

● Equestrian ● The race for President in the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) is on with the federation stating Monday there are three candidates: Mark Samuel (CAN), Sabrina Ibáñez (ESP) and Jack Huang (TPE).

Samuel served on the FEI Board for 12 years and is Honorary Vice President; Ibanez has been the Secretary-General since 2014 and Huang has been FEI Vice President since 2019.

President Ingmar De Vos (BEL) is finishing his third and final term; elections will be held at the FEI General Assembly on 5 December 2026 in Jiangyin (CHN).

● Sailing ● The World Sailing Council approved by 22-4 (and five abstentions) new regulations in line with recommendations from the International Olympic Committee, reinstating Belarusian athletes and teams, and “clarifying” “that a crew of two persons does not constitute a team.” This allows entries into all of the current Olympic-program events for “neutral” athletes.

Russia continues on restrictions for its senior-level athletes, but – as the IOC suggested – “youth” athletes from Russia will be allowed in youth competitions.

● Skating ● During the International Skating Union Congress in Spain, Russian three-time Olympian Alexander Kibalko was elected as the ISU Vice President for Speed Skating, but none of the four Russian candidates for technical committees figure skating, short track and synchronized skating were elected.

Moreover, the ISU – which has limited Russian participation sine 2022 – said it will consider Russian participation again some time in the future. It was not discussed at the Congress.

¶

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FOOTBALL: Germany crushes Curacao, 7-1, Ivory Coast and Sweden win and the Dutch and Japan tie, 2-2, in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 14, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

Two routs and two thrillers on a busy Sunday in the U.S. and Mexico!

● Group E: Germany 7, Curacao 1 ● This was expected to be a mismatch in Houston, and it was. But there was some drama.

The Germans scored on midfielder Felix Nmecha’s shot from the top of the box in the sixth minute for a 1-0 lead, but Curacao scored its first-ever World Cup goal in the 21st on defender Livano Comenencia’s blast from 19 yards with the left foot from the top of the box beat keeper Manuel Neuer to equal at 1-1.

The tie lasted beyond the hydration break, then the Germans got cracking. A cross from defender Nathaniel Brown in the 38th found defender Nico Schlotterbeck for a header to the left corner of the net and a 2-1 lead, then forward Kai Havertsz converted a penalty to the left corner of the net at 45+5 for a 3-1 lead at the half. The Germans had 72% possession and a 16-4 lead on shots.

Any ideas of a comeback were dashed in the 47th, as midfielder Joshua Kimmich’s lead pass allowed midfielder Jamal Musiata to score on a right-footed shot to the far (left) corner of the net; 4-1.

The Germans kept coming as Curacao tired. Brown scored on a right-footed volley off forward Deniz Undav’s pass in the 68th (5-1), then Undav got a goal in the 78th off an assist by Kimmich. The final goal came from Havertsz on a left-footer from the center of the box in the 88th, following a pass from Undav.

In the end, Germany had 65% of possession and a 26-8 shots advantage, as expected.

● Group E: Ivory Coast 1, Ecuador 0 ● The second game of the group was in Philadelphia, with a scoreless first half that was still entertaining. Ecuador had the better chances, slamming two shots off the crossbar, first in the 23rd on a left-footed strike by forward John Yeboah and then by forward Alan Minda in the 30th!

Ecuador had 55% possession in the half and the shots were even at six each, in hot and humid (63%) conditions, with temperatures still at 80 F at the start of the second half.

The crossbar helped Ecuador in the second half as Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi chipped a shot trying to get the ball over the keeper, but it glanced off the woodwork. Both teams found chances, but no goals.

In a back-and-forth game where no one could get the ball on the net when needed, the big break came in the 90th, with a cross from defender Wilfried Singo from the right side to just beyond the top of the box in the middle of the field to Amad Diallo, who sent a left-footed volley ripping into the left corner of the net, beyond a diving keeper Hernan Galindez for the 1-0 lead.

Ecuador finished with 52% possession, but the Ivory Coast – the Elephants – had 15 shots to 12, and the one that counted.

● Group F: Netherlands 2, Japan 2 ● The most-anticipated match of the day was this clash in Dallas and it lived up to the billing. The first half was a struggle, with no score and both teams playing stern defense. While the Dutch had 69% of possession – unusual against Japan – they managed just five shots to three for Japan.

Things picked up pretty quickly in the second half as the Orange found the net, on a header by defender Virgil van Dijk in the 51st, thanks to a service from midfielder Ryan Gravenberch into the box, for a 1-0 lead.

But Japan equalized just six minutes later, with Takefusa Kubo passing from the endline, back to Keito Nakamura at the top of the box, who turned and fired and his shot glanced off the foot of Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke and into the goal: 1-1!

But the Dutch came back in the 64th, as forward Crysencio Summerville had space at the right corner of the box, lined up and sent a left-footed laser to the left side of the Japan net and caromed in off the post for the 2-1 lead.

That looked like a possible game winner, but Japan kept coming and in the 89th, off a corner, forward Koki Ogawa headed the ball forward and it went off the head of midfielder Daichi Kamada – standing in front of him – and flew into the net for the tie!

In the end, the Dutch had 60% of possession overall and the shots were 10-10. Neither will be too upset with this result against a difficult opponent.

● Group F: Sweden 5, Tunisia 1 ● The nightcap in Monterrey (MEX) had the Swedes on fire from the kick and taking the lead in the seventh minute. After a partial clearance by Tunisian keeper Mouhib Chamakh, Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres sent a shot near the top of the box that was blocked by defender Montassar Talbi. It ricocheted out to forward Yasin Ayari, who scored with a lightning smash from the top of the box to the far side of the Tunisian net for a 1-09 lead.

Sweden struck again in the 30th with forward Alexander Isak rolling down the left side of the Tunisian half, turning into the middle of the field and sending another strike to the far side of the net to go up 2-0.

But just before the half, Tunisia got back into the game on a cross from midfielder Hannibal Mejbri right in front of the Swedish goal and headed in by defender Omar Rekik in the 43rd to cut the deficit to 2-1.

But after halftime, the Swedes had more answers, as after a turnover in the Tunisian end, Isak fed the ball forward and to his right to Gyokeres, who lifted it by the keeper and into the goal for a 3-1 lead in the 50th.

And the issue was comprehensively decided in the 84th, as substitute Mattias Svanberg took a back-heel tap from Isak in traffic in front of goal and slammed it into the far side of the net for a 4-1 advantage.

At 90+6, a final strike confirmed Sweden’s dominance, with a brilliant long-distance blast following a turnover by Ayari, who had space beyond the top of the box and left no doubt with the 5-1 win final.

Tunisia actually had 51% of possession, but Sweden had a 13-6 shots edge and all of the quality on the night.

¶

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PANORAMA: Interest poll shows 64% for ‘28 Olympics vs. 50% for FIFA World Cup; ISU shows strong finances, but there are worries

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 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 2026: Los Angeles ● A Harris Poll survey of 2,148 U.S. adults in a 7-9 May survey showed that 50% of Americans are projected to watch at least one match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, with 52% saying that having the tournament in the U.S. is a key factor in creating interest.

The breakdown across ages is interesting, with 62% of Millennials (ages 30-45) showing the most attention, followed by Gen Z (14-29) at 57% but only 24% of Baby Boomers (62-80). Interest among American Hispanics is at 63%, but only 37% of Whites.

However, the survey also found that overall interest in the 2028 Olympic Games is at 64% and in response to the question of “which event are you most looking forward to?,” the top response was the 2028 Paralympic Games at 47%, then the 2028 Olympic Games at 35% and the 2026 FIFA World Cup at 20%.

● Athletics ● Two-time World Champion Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) , now 28, has been suspended for four months in an agreement with the Athletics Integrity Unit over the presence of a metabolite of Letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor) in an out-of-competition test on 5 December 2025.

After the positive was noticed, Tsegay “responded a day later explaining that she had been prescribed Letrozole to treat a diagnosed medical condition. She also produced supporting medical documents and evidence.”

In view of this and a subsequent request for a Therapeutic Use Exemption, which was approved, a four-month for a case of “no fault or negligence” was agreed. Her ban runs from 1 June to 30 September, essentially the entire track season.

¶

World Athletics shared that it received the highest score – 228 out of 240 – to lead all federations in the newly-released the governance survey conducted by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

The federation was in the “B” band with 113 points out of 200 possible in the initial survey for 2016-17, and World Athletics added 14 points to its 2024 score.

● Skating ● International Skating Union President Jae-Youl Kim (KOR) ran unopposed and was re-elected by acclimation at the ISU Congress in Tenerife (ESP).

The financial report showed stagnation from 2022 to 2024, but big financial gains from the ISU’s more aggressive strategy, creating a surplus in 2024:

● 2022: CHF 35.5 million revenue; net loss of CHF 19.1 million
● 2023: CHF 35.9 million revenue; net loss of CHF 3.6 million
● 2024: CHF 33.6 million revenue; net gain of CHF 25.1 million due to investment gains

The report for the first six months of 2025 reported figures in U.S. dollars now (CHF 1 = $1.25 U.S.), with $22.9 million in revenue, an operating loss of $5.0 million, but spectacular investment gains yielding a surplus of $26.7 million! The forecast for the future (note 2026 was an Olympic Winter Games year):

● 2026: $74.5 million revenue; net surplus of $34.7 million
● 2027: $33.0 million revenue; net loss of $20.1 million
● 2028: $43.6 million revenue; net loss of $16.7 million

Italian Ice Sports Federation chief Andrea Gios, however, shared considerable concerns:

“It is clear that our organization is surviving because of the capital gains on the money we put in the bank in the past. So more or less, we are like a company that is surviving not because of our selling a good product, but because we have the money put in the bank in the past. …

“The problem is that, in the future, what I see is that we have been speaking about the contribution to the athletes, great. Competition contribution, great. But we have to start thinking about the contribution we give to the organizer of the competition, because one of the biggest problems we are suffering as a federation, is that when we organize an event, we lose money.

“We lose a lot of money. And every year, we lose more money and it’s always more difficult to organize events and this is a problem. Because if we can’t organize an event, we can’t have a product that is shown and is a valid volume to get money. So I think, we have to think something about that, because this situation is critical and our federation don’t have the strength – the economic strength – to lose money every year to organize events.”

Kim explained that the ISU strategy is to use its enormous reserves – CHF 263.1 million at the end of 2024 – to revamp its sports through the 2029-30 season and see surpluses beyond that. He noted that the investments in the sports being made now are aimed to help so that “nobody loses money … in the near future,” especially through the ISU’s projects to create new fans and adding value worldwide.

● Swimming ● Swimswam.com reported on a budget update from the 17 April USA Swimming board meeting, showing an increase in sponsorship revenues with the renewal of Tyr Sports as the title sponsor of the Pro Swim Series.

The projected 2026 operating budget deficit of $5.19 million has been reduced now to $2.66 million.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Archery ● An upset at the World Archery World Cup in Antalya (TUR), as Dhiraj Bommadevara (IND) won the men’s Recurve final over Paris Olympic bronze winner Woo-Seok Lee (KOR), 7-3. The women’s Recurve title went to Jingyi Lee (CHN), in a 7-3 win against Mexico’s Ana Vazquez.

Korea won the men’s title, 5-1 over the U.S. squad of Trenton Cowles, Nicholas D’Amour and Christian Stoddard. China won the women’s Team, 5-3, over Mexico, and India defeated Korea, 5-1, in the Mixed Team final.

Dutch star and 2013 World Champion Mike Schloesser won the men’s Compound title, 149-148 over Mexico’s Sebastian Garcia. Mexican Andrea Becerra, the 2025 World Champion, won the women’s Compound gold in a 146-146 – 10-9 shoot-out – over Colombia’s 2021 World Champion Sara Lopez. China won the men’s Team gold, Turkey won the women’s final and Chinese Taipei took the Mixed Team final.

● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Australian Open in Sydney (AUS), third-seeded Alwi Farhan (INA) took the men’s Singles with a 21-13, 21-13 sweep of Tian Yao Dong (CHN), and top-seeded Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) won a difficult battle with Tanvi Sharma (IND), 22-2, 21-18.

Chinese teams won the men’s, women’s and Mixed Doubles.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Olympic and World Champion Jessica Fox (AUS) registered another win at the ICF Slalom World Cup in Augsburg (GER), taking the women’s C-1 final at 107.93 seconds despite a two-second penalty. Spain’s Nuria Vilarrubla was second (110.27/0); American Olympic C-1 medalist Evy Leibfarth was eighth in 113.54 (0).

Germany’s Ricarda Funk, the two-time World Champion, took the women’s K-1 title at 98.68 (0 penalties), beating Camille Prigent (FRA: 99.83/0) and 2025 Worlds winner Klaudia Zwolinska (POL: 101.34/0). Leibfarth was fourth (101.57/0).

Czech Tereza Kneblova won the women’s Kayak Cross with Leibfarth second and Swiss Alena Marx in third. At 22, it’s Leibfarth’s 12th career World Cup medal.

Czech Worlds silver medalist Jacob Krejci won his second straight World Cup men’s K-1 gold in 88.81 (0), ahead of Italy’s 2022 Worlds runner-up Giovanni de Gennaro (90.77/0). Italian Raffaello Ivaldi took the men’s C-1 in 97.51 (0), edging Adam Burgess (GBR: 97.58/0).

Olympic silver winner Joseph Clarke (GBR) took the men’s Kayak Cross over 2025 World Champion David Llorente (ESP).

● Cycling ● The 78th edition of the UCI World Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes race in France saw stage one winner Alex Baudin (FRA) in front through he first five stages, but with Luke Tuckwell (AUS) taking over after finishing third in stage six. He was 11th in Saturday’s seventh stage, and entered Sunday’s final stage with a 42-second lead on American Matteo Jorgenson.

The 120.1 km finale into Brison was brutal, with three major climbs and then an uphill finish and Mexico’s Isaac del Toro broke away with 8 km to go and won the stage in 3:35:07. Tuckwell was eighth at +1:43, so Del Toro won the race in 29:35:05, with Tuckwell second (+0:54), Spain’s Juan Ayuso third (+1:17) and Jorgenson in fourth (+1:36).

Del Toro, 22, has wins this season in the UAE Tour, Tirreno Adriatico and now in France. He is on the rise.

¶

The second edition of the UCI World Tour Copenhagen Sprint in Denmark saw Dutch defending champion Lorena Wiebes come out with another title in a mass sprint at the end of the 156 km, flat route, in 3:41.46. She was just ahead of a pack of nine others with the same time, and countrywoman Charlotte Kool in second.

The 228.2 km Sunday men’s race saw a major crash 18 km from the finish, and then the breakaway group was caught only 500 m from the finish. In the final dash, Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen managed to win over Tobias Andresen (DEN) and Sam Welsford (AUS), all in 4:48:21.

¶

Race three of the UCI BMX World Cup season was in Papendal (NED) with Loris Aeberhard (SUI) taking his first win in 33.948 over Jaymio Brink (NED: 34.164) and American Cameron Wood (34.471). Race four of the series, on Sunday, was a repeat, with Aeberhard timing 34.132 for the win, ahead of Brink (34.428); Wood was fifth.

Dutch star Laura Smulders, the 2018 World Champion, won the women’s Saturday race in 34.427, beating 2025 seasonal bronzer Molly Simpson (CAN: 34.515) and Britain’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Bethany Shriever (34.741).

Shriever won Sunday’s race in 33.839, with 2025 World Champion Saya Sakakibara (AUS) second in 34.388 and Simpson third (34.551).

¶

France enjoyed a men’s 1-2 in the Cross Country Olympic race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Leogang (AUT), with 2021 World Junior Champion Adrien Boichis winning easily in 1:21:09, ahead of Luca Martin (1:21:27) and American Bjorn Riley (1:21:54).

Denmark’s Simon Andreassen won the men’s Short Track race in 22:35 with Swiss Filippo Colombo second in 22:41.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver winner Sina Frei (SUI) took the women’s Short Track in 19:15, beating Rio 2016 Olympic winner Jenny Rissveds (SWE: 19:19). Rissveds came back and won the XCO race in 1:25:29 ahead of Dutch star Puck Pieterse (1:26:25); Sevilla Blunck of the U.S. was fifth (1:27:32).

The Downhill was won by 2024 Worlds bronzer Finn Iles (CAN) in 3:15.647, ahead of two-time Worlds medalist Amaury Pierson (FRA: 3:15.823) in the men’s race and four-time World Champion Valentina Hoell (AUT) dominated the women’s race in 3:44.033, ahead of Marine Cabirou (FRA: 3:47.868) and anna Newkirk of the U.S. (3:48.449).

● Modern Pentathlon ● Two-time Worlds silver medalist Blanka Guzi (HUN) made the home crowd happy at the UIPM World Cup in Budapest (HUN), winning the women’s title with a world-record score of 1,495 in the new format with the Obstacle Run. Consistency was Guzi’s strength, finishing eighth in fencing, sixth in Obstacle, second in swimming and fourth in the Laser Run.

Britain’s Poppy Clark had the second-fastest Laser Run to get into second (1,490) with Laura Heredia (ESP: 1,479) third. International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) was on hand to see the event.

German Marvin Dogue won the men’s final, scoring 1,588 with the second-fastest Laser Run, enough to best Ugo Fleurot (FRA: 1,583).

● Rowing ● The U.S. dominated the World Rowing Cup II in Plovdiv (BUL), winning five Olympic-program events and scoring 11 medals!

In the men’s Singles, American Sam Melvin won in 6:39.83, ahead of teammate Jacob Plihal (6:40.10), and Teal Cohen and Kaitlin Knifton won the women’s Pair in 6:50.82. The U.S. won the women’s Quadruple Sculls (6:08.83), and Fours (6:15.75) and the Eights (6:05.13)!

The men’s Double Sculls went to Croatia’s 2016 Olympic gold winners Martin Sinkovic and Valent Sinkovic in 6:00.97; the U.S. was fifth with James Wright and Cedar Cunningham (6:11.61). Italy won the Quadruple Sculls (5:41.00).

New Zealand’s 2025 World Champions Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor won the men’s Pairs in 6:09.04, ahead of Americans Augustine Rodriguez and Peter Chatain (6:11.77). China won the Fours in 5:48.64 and Italy won the men’s Eights in 5:22.85 with the U.S. second in 5:27.87.

Serbia’s 2024 European champ Jovana Arsic won the women’s Single Sculls in 7:20.69 with Grace Joyce of the U.S. second in 7:22.21. Italy’s Clara Guerra and Alice Gnatta won the Double Sculls in 6:45.36, with Kristina Wagner and Lauren O’Connor of the U.S. next in 6:47.72.

● Shooting ● At the USA Shooting Rifle nationals in Talladega, Alabama, Peter Fiori won the men’s 10 m Air Rifle title with 252.1 points, over Griffin Lake (251.7), while Isabella Baldwin won the women’s gold at 250.3 with Katlyn Sullivan at 250.0.

In the 50 m Rifle/3 Positions, Lake won the men’s tournament with 356.3 points to 353.9 for Braden Peiser. Cecelia Ossi took the women’s gold, scoring 356.1 to 354.4 for Katie Zaun.

The U.S. national pistol champs in Hillsdale, Michigan last week saw two-time Olympian Nick Mowrer win the men’s 10 m Air Pistol with 1,389.8 points, over Marcus Klemp (1,386.9) and Ryan Adams (1,356.0). The 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol title went to four-time Olympian Keith Sanderson over Evan Lagerak, 1,164 to 1,127.

The women’s 10 m Air Pistol winner was Suman Sanghera at 1,401.7 over Ada Korkhin (1,390.0), and Sanghera was second in the 25 m Pistol as well, behind Lisa Emmert Traciak, 1,192 to 1,184. Olympian Alexis Lagan was third at 1,174.

● Skateboard ● At the World Skateboarding Tour stop in Rome (ITA), the men’s Park final saw Japan’s Issei Sakurai with the gold, scoring 94.00 on his third of four runs to edge 2025 Worlds bronzer Tom Schaar of the U.S. (93.15 on his first run). Spain’s Egoitz Bijueska, the 2025 World Champion, was third (93.00).

Japan won the women’s division too, with 2025 Worlds runner-up Mizuho Hasegawa scoring a final-run 96.33 to take the victory, over British star – and two-time World Champion – Sky Brown, the leader through the first three rounds (93.38).

¶

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ATHLETICS: Davis-Woodhall stars at USATF L.A. Grand Prix with fab 23-7 1/2 world lead and a 12.47 100H PR; Britt 12.99, Bednarek 9.72w!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 14, 2026

Fierce: Olympic women’s long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall of the U.S. (Photo: Christel Saneh for World Athletics).

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≡ USATF L.A. GRAND PRIX ≡

After two editions of the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in 2023 and 2024, the meet moved downtown to USC’s Loker Stadium, with 1,000 or so fans in attendance on a sunny, 80-degree Sunday to see a star-studded field and especially a new double threat:

Olympic women’s long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall.

She started the day with her continuing return to the 100 m hurdles, facing Olympic champion and American-record holder Masai Russell and a field of Olympic finalists. No problem.

Russell dominated the race and won easily in 12.26 (+1.5 m/s), but Davis-Woodhall – who hadn’t run the event since 2021, but returned in May to run 12.99. This time, she crossed in second with a lifetime best of 12.47 – now equal-5th on the 2026 world list – ahead of Olympic fifth-placer Grace Stark at 12.48. Davis-Woodhall’s old best was 12.75 from 2021.

She moved over to the long jump and launched on her first jump out to 7.20 m (23-7 1/2), the world leader in 2026, a lifetime best and now equal-18th on the all-time list. She’s the no. 4 American: only Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Marion Jones and Brittney Reese have jumped further!

Davis-Woodhall wasn’t finished; she sailed out to a wind-aided 7.09 m (23-3 1/4) in round two, then improved again to a windy 7.25 m (23-9 1/2) in round three! In round four, she jumped 7.14 mw (23-5 1/4w), then passed in round five and finished at 6.85 mw (22-5 3/4w). Wow.

Monae Nichols, the 2024 World Indoor runner-up, got out to 6.81 mw (22-4 1/4w) in round four for second.

The men’s 100 was set up as a showdown between Olympic 200 m stars Letsile Tebogo (BOT) and silver medalist Kenny Bednarek of the U.S., but it was 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman who had (usual) best start. But Bednarek moved up and got the lead by mid-race and won in a wind-aided 9.72 (+2.4 m/s). Coleman was a clear second in 9.84w and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (9.88w) was third. Tebogo was fifth in 9.95w.

Greece’s George Franks – he changed allegiance from the U.S. in 2025 – had the lead off the turn in the men’s 400 m, but it was Chris Bailey who came hard on the straight and won going away in 44.57. Franks remained second (45.21) with Bryce Deadmon third in 45.34 and 2012 Olympic champ Kirani James (GRN: 45.35) in fourth (he’s 33 now).

Britain’s 2023 World 1,500 champ Josh Kerr took the lead in the men’s 800 m at the bell and had 2 m on the field with 200 m left, but it was Paris Olympian Brandon Miller who rolled into the lead onto the straight and won easily in 1:43.94! Handal Roban (VIN) and former World Champion Donavan Brazier of the U.S. passed Kerr for second, 1:45.32 and 1:45.41 to 1:45.46.

The 3,000 m had Britain’s David Mullarkey taking off with Tshepo Tshite (RSA) with 1,400 m to go and about 10 m up with two laps to go. They were 1-2 at the bell and up by 25 m, then Tshite took over with 300 m left. He opened 5 m on Mullarkey into the straight, then World 5,000 m champ Cole Hocker started a full sprint around the turn. He got close, but Tshite won in 7:37.57 and Hocker in 7:37.77 (56.04 last 400). Mullarkey ended up fourth in 7:38.58, a lifetime best.

Worlds silver winner in 2022, Trey Cunningham got the best start in the 110 m hurdles and looked strong through nine hurdles. But Jamal Britt moved up right next to him in the second half of the race and broke free on the run-in and got a lifetime best of 12.99 (-0.1 m/s)! Cunningham was second in 13.03 and World Champion Cordell Tinch was third in 13.15. Britt is the 32nd man to run under 13 seconds and 20th American.

In the shot, Olympic bronze winner Rajindra Campbell (JAM) took the lead in round one at 21.67 (71-1 1/4) and then extended in round three to 21.81 m (71-6 3/4). He finished with a sixth-round 21.94 m (71-11 3/4) for the win. Jordan Geist of the U.S., the 2026 World Indoor runner-up, moved into second in the second round and reached 21.76 m (71-4 3/4) in round three. Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs also hot 21.76 m, but ended up third on secondary mark.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the 2023 World Champion, was the center of attention in the women’s 100 m, opening her U.S. season by taking charge in the final third of the race to win in 10.99 (-0.2 m/s), over Kayla White (11.08) and Tamari Davis (11.11).

Paris Olympian Favour Ofili (NGR) was strong off the start and got to the lead and did not give it up and won decisively in 22.45, with Gemima Joseph (FRA: 22.88) in second.

American Aaliyah Butler, the 2025 NCAA champ, went to the front on the backstraight of the women’s 400 m and held off a challenge from Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo, to win in 49.90 to 50.25. Alexis Holmes, the 2025 World Indoor runner-up, came up for third in 51.08.

The women’s 1,500 m had World Indoor 3,000 m silver winner Emily Mackay taking over from the pacer and took the bell with a small lead, which she maintained into the final straight. And Mackay had the most left and moved smartly to the line in 3:59.26. Britain’s Katie Snowden was second in 4:00.97.

Emma Coburn, the 2017 World Champion and now returned to the Steeple, was in the field, but Gabi Jennings took the lead after the pacer retired, over 2025 U.S. champ Lexy Halladay. No one could catch her and Jennings won convincingly in 9:11.72. Halladay was second in 9:22.89 and Coburn finished fourth in 9:29.38. Jennings remains no. 9 on the world list for 2026.

Two former USC stars, Rio 2016 Olympic 400 m hurdles champion Dalilah Muhammad and Paris 2024 runner-up Anna Cockrell headlined the final race, and Cockrell had the lead almost from the start. She led over the 10th hurdle, with Muhammad coming up to challenge, but Cockrell won it in 53.43, with Muhammad at 53.65. And Muhammad said 2026 will be her last year.

Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson got out to 20.53 m (67-4 1/4) in the first round of the women’s shot, with two-time World Indoor champ Sarah Mitton (CAN) at 20.15 m (66-1 1/2) in second most of the way, but with her best in the sixth round.

Olympic and World Champion Valarie Sion of the U.S. grabbed hold of the women’s discus with a 68.46 m (224-7) first-round throw and was unchallenged. Even so, she improved to 69.15 m (226-10) in round five for the winning mark. Worlds silver medalist Jorinde van Klinken (NED) hit 64.95 m (213-1) in the first round, but could not improve and got passed for second in the final round by American Erika Beistle at 65.02 m (213-4).

¶

In the Saturday distance races, the top marks were in the hammer, where 2022 women’s World Champion Brooke Anderson moved to no. 3 in the world for 2026, winning at 79.09 (259-5) ahead of 2019 World Champion DeAnna Price (77.71 m/254-11). Olympic champ Cam Rogers was fourth at 76.50 m (251-0).

France’s Yves Chaussinand took the men’s world lead with a national record of 82.44 m (270-6, ahead of Olympic bronzer Mykhaylo Kokhan (UKR: 82.38 m/270-3) and Rudy Winkler of the U.S. (80.453 m/263-10).

On the track, Yusuf Biziman (GBR) had the fastest men’s 800 m at 1:45.88 and U.S. 1,500 m star Nikki Hiltz won the fastest women’s 800 m in 1:59.14.

Ethan Strand, the 2025 NCAA runner-up, was third at the bell, second with 200 m to go then rushed on the straight to win the men’s 1,500 m in 3:33.71 over Abel Teffra (3:34.08). Yasin Sado won the men’s Steeple with a lifetime best of 8:15.78 and Abdi Nur won the 5,000 at 13:07.46 from Thomas Radcliffe (13:08.50 lifetime best).

Taryn Parks took the fastest women’s 1,500 m section in 4:09.02 and Paris Olympian Parker Valby continued her return tour with a win in the 5,000 m at 14:39.88, a lifetime best and winning by almost 22 seconds! Valby moves up to no. 8 all-time U.S., taking almost 10 seconds off her then-best 14:49.41 race in May.

¶

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FOOTBALL: FIFA World Cup shocker as Australia slays Turkey, plus 1-1 ties for Swiss and Qatar, and Brazil and Morocco!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 13, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

Day three of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered a full schedule of four matches, starting at noon Eastern time and not finishing until after 2 a.m. on Sunday!

● Group B: Switzerland 1, Qatar 1 ● The Swiss were on offense right away in Santa Clara, California with two scoring chances for forward Dan Ndoye in the 6th (saved) and the 10th, shooting over the goal.

In the 14th, however, Swiss forward Breel Embolo headed down a pass for midfielder Remo Frueler, who was fouled by Qatar keeper Mahmoud Abunada with a fist in the box. After a video review, it was Embolo taking the penalty and scoring with a shot to the bottom left corner for the 1-0 lead.

The Swiss had a couple more serious opportunities in the half, but it stayed 1-0. Qatar’s chances were few and in the second half, the Swiss missed five shots – one on goal – in the first 25 minutes of the half. Embolo shot just wide in the 76th and midfielder Johan Manzambi went wide in the 81st.

Qatar had not done much at all, but kept working and at 90+4, a stunner as forward Ahmed Al-Ganehi sent a perfect cross toward defender Boualem Khoukhi, who headed it in, later re-classified as an own goal off of Swiss defender Miro Muheim. It ended, unbelievably, at 1-1.

The Swiss had 68% possession in the game and piled up 26 shots to six for Qatar, but only one goal for each. It’s Qatar’s first-ever World Cup point.

● Group C: Brazil 1, Morocco 1 ● The Moroccans, darlings of the 2022 tournament where they reached the semis and finished fourth, were on fire from the start at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, controlling play completely.

And they took a 1-0 lead in the 21st off a through-ball by midfielder Brahim Diaz that found Ismael Saibari between two defenders. With Brazilian keeper Alisson coming off his line to channel, Saibari simply popped it over his head and into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

Morocco continued in control, but following the hydration break, Brazil came to life with more possession and then a pass from midfielder Bruno Guimaraes found the ever-dangerous striker Vinicius Jr. on the left side of the goal. He dribbled to his right, created space and sent a sensational liner into the net for the 1-1 tie in the 32nd!

Brazil had 54% of the possession in the half, but Morocco had 12 shots to six.

The Brazilians had the better of most of the second half, but no goals. The Moroccans put some pressure on Alisson at the very end of stoppage time, but he saved a shot by midfielder Neil El Aynaoui shot at 90+9 and a second chance from forward Ayoube Amaimouni to maintain the tie.

Brazil ended with 51% possession and closed up on shots with 13 to Morocco’s 14 (meaning 7-2 in the second half for Brazil).

● Group C: Scotland 1, Haiti 0 ● Scotland was back in the first World Cup for the first time in 28 years and Haiti returned after a 52-year wait, playing in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Scots had the best of the early going with midfielder Scott McTominay smashing a shot off the goal post in the 17th. Just after the hydration break, midfielder Ben Gannon-Doak took the ball down the right-hand side in the Haiti half and hit a low pass that was attempted to be cleared by keeper Johny Placide, but bounced in front and was knocked in – sort of – by midfielder John McGinn in the 28th for a 1-0 lead.

Haiti nearly got an equalizer in the 34th with a shot by forward Ruben Providence that was stopped by Scot keeper Angus Gunn. The rebound came to Haiti forward Frantzdy Pierrot, but his attempt was foiled by defender Grant Hanley. The half ended 1-0, with Scotland in 55% of possession and with an 8-7 shots lead.

The second half saw relentlessly increasing Haitian pressure. Shots were missed to the right, to the left, over the crossbar, but they kept coming. A header in the 85th by Pierrot went wide with a sure scoring chance, and somehow Scotland held on.

The final statistics demonstrated Haiti’s ownership of the half – except on the scoreboard – ending with a 54-46% edge on possession for the game and a stunning 15-9 advantage on shots. The increasingly physical game saw 44 total fouls – 23 by Haiti, and four yellow cards, with three by the Scots.

● Group D: Australia 2, Turkey 0 ● The Turks had most of the possession early in Vancouver (CAN), but following a save by surprise Aussie keeper Patrick Beach in the 27th – Turkey’s fifth shot in the game – a long pass from the Australia half by midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler found forward Nestory Irankunda on the left side of the field.

Irankunda split two defenders and slammed a left-footed shot that rifled into the net for a 1-0 lead. But the Turks continued in possession for the rest of the half and ended with 69% of possession and a 10-4 edge on shots. But Irankunda’s strike was the difference.

Turkey dominated the second half and put up 13 shots to just four for Australia in the first half-hour of the second half, controlling the ball and setting up a continuing shooting gallery. But no goals.

Then in the 75th, however, Australian midfielder Connor Metcalfe got possession above the box and ripped a left-footed laser that flew from the center of the field into the right side of the net for a 2-0 lead!

Beach caught forward Kerem Akturkoglu’s header in the box in the 77th that looked promising as the Turks resumed camping in the Australian half. Beach saved a dangerous free kick from defender Abdulkerem Bardakci in the 86th, slapping it away to the left of goal.

Australia’s packed-in defense blocked shots, frustrated crosses and headers and smothered Turkey, despite the Turks having 72% possession in the game and a 30-9 (yes, really) edge on shots. Beach had eight saves.

Australia will play the U.S. in Seattle on Friday.

¶

Thursday’s opening day in Mexico City was marred outside the stadium by protesters who took on a police presence before and during the game. Some actually breached the barricades and fought with officers, others smashed car windows and fled on foot.

Agence France Presse reported, “Mexico’s government has faced weeks of protests, mainly by teachers demanding better working conditions.”

¶

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ATHLETICS: Walker beats Hodge in women’s 100, then collegiate records for Hodge (200), Oakley (400), Jallow (800) at NCAA Champs!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 13, 2026

tsx pix 2026-611 hodge, adajeah (georgia) — Collegiate record-setter in the women’s 100 and 200 m: Georgia’s (and British Virgin Islands’) Adaejah Hodge (Image: University of Georgia).

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≡ NCAA T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

The final day of the 2026 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon was devoted to women’s finals, with 15 events and 90 F temperatures at the 5 p.m. start.

Collegiate-record setter Adaejah Hodge (IVB-Georgia) was back after her amazing 10.63 in the qualifying, but it was Jamaica’s Shenese Walker (Florida State) who had the lead by 20 m. Walker, who won the NCAA 60 m Indoor title, kept her form and maintained her lead and Hodge could not catch her, 10.88 to 10.93 (wind; 0.0 m/s)!

LSU’s Shawnti Jackson got third in 11.01. This was just the fourth meet in which Walker ran the 100 m in 2026, including the ACC title, first in the East Regional and now NCAA champion. She’s no. 2 in the world in 2026, behind only Hodge.

Hodge was on a mission in the 200 m and rolled around the straight and held off Jackson in another collegiate record of 21.68 (-0.4 m/s)! That’s a world leader and crushes the 2022 collegiate mark of 21.90 by Kentucky’s Abby Steiner. Jackson was second in 22.12 and Camryn Dickson (Texas A&M) was third in 22.18.

World leader Dejenea Oakley (JAM-Georgia) headlined the 400 m, and she was out well and had the lead with 200 m to go. USC’s Madison Whyte roared into contention with 120 m to go and passed Oakley! They dueled down the straight and Oakley had more left, edging ahead in the final 30 m to win in a collegiate record of 48.79, improving on her world lead. Whyte was second in 48.97, the no. 3 performance in collegiate history and no. 2 in 2026.

Arkansas’ Sanu Jallow (GAM) ran to the front in the 800 m and had a meter lead at the bell and 5 m with 200 m to go. She ran unchallenged to the line and she finished in a sensational 1:56.85 for a collegiate record and no. 3 in the world for 2026! She destroyed the former record of 1:57.73 by Athing Mu (Texas A&M) in 2021.

Penn State’s Hayley Kitching pushed hard on the final straight to get second in a lifetime best of 1:57.65, also under the old record! The top five got lifetime bests and the top six were all under 1:59!

¶

There were other events in which the collegiate record was not broken!

USC was the defending champion in the 4×100 m and Whyte took the lead on the third leg and made a smooth pass to Brianna Selby on anchor and she crossed in a world-leading 41.58 – all four are Americans – to edge LSU (41.74) and 41.89 for Georgia. It’s the second-fastest 4×100 in collegiate history.

Washington State’s national leader Rosemary Longisa (KEN) took the bell in the 1,500 m and led with 200 m to go and no one could keep up; she won with a 59.08 last lap in 4:12.10. Behind her, Wilma Nielsen (SWE-Oregon) was passed on the final straight by Morocco’s Salma Elbadra (South Carolina: 4:12.89) and Oregon teammate Juliet Cherubet (KEN: 4:12.99), with Nielsen fourth (4:13.40).

In the Steeple, Notre Dame’s Sophie Novak and BYU junior Taylor Lovell were 1-2 at the bell and Lovell moved away to win convincingly in a lifetime best 9:21.03, with Novak at 9:26.53. Lovell moved from ninth to first from 2025 to 2026.

NCAA Indoor 5,000 m winner Jane Hedengren (BYU) went to the lead in the 5,000 m with five laps to go, ahead of 10,000 m runner-up Pamela Kosgei (KEN-New Mexico) and 2025 Steeple star Doris Lemngole (KEN-Alabama). Lemngole and Kosgei ran up to 1-2 with 2 1/2 laps left and Lemngole started pushing and took the bell. She took off and had a 10 m lead with 300 m to go and won all alone in 15:11.71. New Mexico soph Marion Jepngetich (KEN) was second in 15:13.01 and 10,000 winner Mercyline Kirwa (KEN-Iowa State) got third in 15:13.72. Kosgei faded to sixth and Hedengren was 10th.

It was Lemngole’s sixth NCAA title across all disciplines, but she was disqualified later for two or more steps on or inside the curb. Alabama protested, but did not prevail and the disqualification held.

Defending champion Aaliyah McCormick (Oregon) was even with Kentucky’s Emmi Scales over five hurdles, but McCormick got to the lead and won in a speedy 12.47 (+1.2). Scales caught her trail leg on the final hurdle and stumbled onto the ground, rolling across the line in 12.69 and still getting second! UCLA’s Celeste Polzonetti (ITA) – with Scales crashing into her lane – still got third at 12.79!

South Carolina’s Akala Garrett got to the lead by the halfway mark of the 400 m hurdles and held off a strong challenge by Amelliah Birdow (Texas), 53.32 to 53.60. Garrett moved up from second in 2025 and is now no. 4 in the world for 2026. Birdow is seventh.

Four cleared 1.90 m (6-2 3/4) in the high jump, but two-time NCAA Indoor winner Temitope Adeshina (NGR-Texas Tech) took the lead at 1.96 m (6-5), finally joined by Rose Yeboah (GHS-Illinois) on her third try. The next height was 1.99 m (6-6 1/4) to equal the collegiate record and the 2026 world lead, but neither could clear and Adeshina had the win.

Jamaica’s blue-haired Shantae Foreman (Clemson) rode a 2.6 m/s wind in round two of the triple jump to get the lead at 14.14 m (46-4 3/4). Oregon soph Sharifa Davronova (UZB) reached 14.13 m (46-4 1/4) and stood second. In the final round, Davronova got to the lead with a wind-aided 14.15 m (46-5 1/4w), but Foreman responded with the winner: 14.24 m (46-8 3/4) with legal wind, to take the title.

Florida’s Alina van Daalen (NED) moved up from second last year and won the discus title at 65.98 m (216-6) in round three and any of her last five throws would have won. Alabama junior Joyce Oguama (GER) was second at 59.98 m (196-9).

After winning the long jump and a second in the javelin, Washington’s Sofia Cosculluela (ESP) had the heptathlon lead going into the 800 m at 5,333 and a 129-point lead on Illinois frosh JaiCleonna Gero-Holt. Cosculluela ran 11th in the 800 m and won with 6,182 points, with Cincinnati’s Juliette Laracuente-Huebner moving up for second at 6,084. Gero-Holt was third with 6,010.

The team title came down to the 4×400 m, with Georgia leading Florida, 42-38. Arkansas dominated the race, with Kaylyn Brown breaking the race open on the third leg (49.29) and then Jallow on anchor in 49.02 in the no. 2 collegiate performance all-time in a world-fastest 3:18.88 (not a world leader as mixed nationalities).

Georgia was second with Oakley on anchor in a speedy 48.79 and 3:20.96, ahead of Tennessee in 3:23.75. So Georgia won the team trophy with 50 points to win for the second year in a row, ahead of Florida (41) and Arkansas at 38.

¶

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FOOTBALL: U.S. opens big with 4-1 rout of Paraguay, after Canadian magic earns 1-1 tie with Bosnia & Herzegovina on World Cup day 2

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 12, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

Among all the hoopla for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. had confidence facing Paraguay, a team it beat by 2-1 in a friendly in November 2025. That confidence turned out to be justified.

The first half in front of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California was a dream come true as the U.S. got on top in the seventh minute on a Paraguay own goal charged to midfielder Damian Bobadilla, after a Weston McKennie shot deflected off his foot on a clearance try and into the Paraguay net. McKennie was set up by midfield star Christian Pulisic, who split two defenders on the left side and fed McKennie for a left-footed shot that caromed in.

Striker Folarin Balogun got what looked like a goal in the 28th, but was waved off for offsides. But he was back in the 31st, taking a pass from the left wing by Pulisic in the center of the box and sending a shot to the right side of the Paraguay net for a 2-0 edge.

As the half neared its end, midfielder Malik Tillman sent a perfect lead pass from midfield that found Balogun between two defenders, who then rolled forward and sent a hard, left-footed shot to the roof of the far side of the goal at 45+5 for a dominant 3-0 lead at the half! The Americans had 72% possession and a 7-2 advantage on shots.

The second half had Paraguay more aggressive, of course, but the U.S. controlled the action until the hydration break at the 67th minute. Right after, however, Paraguay got on the board on a pretty goal by sub midfielder Mauricio, who took a pass from the right side by midfielder Julio Encisco and delivered a liner for Paraguay’s first goal, in the 73rd.

At 3-1, Paraguay had thoughts of getting closer, but the U.S. regained control and played most of the remainder in the Paraguay end. Finally, at 90+8, the U.S. was looking around, but sub midfielder Gio Reyna had room at the top of the box and sent a right-footed laser into the far side of the net for a 4-1 win and mobbed by his teammates.

The U.S. dominated with 65% possession and a 16-9 edge on shots, blocking five Paraguayan shots. It’s the most goals the U.S. has ever scored in a World Cup game! Next up for the U.S. is Australia on the 19th in Seattle, Washington.

¶

Canada opened the World Cup Group D with an entertaining match against Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto, but with the first goal coming on a brilliant header by Jovo Lukic in the 21st for his first international goal, off a perfect cross from defender Sead Kolasinac. That goal held up for the 1-0 halftime lead.

In the 54th, Canada surely was going to tie, with midfielder Stephen Eustaquio feeding defender Richie Laryea, whose shot got past keeper Nikola Vasilj. But defender Sead Kolasinac was behind the play, on the goalline, and slammed his foot at the ball and managed the clear it … by hitting the crossbar, and ricocheting it back onto the field!

Canada kept the pressure coming and it finally paid off in the 78th as substitute striker Cyle Larin – only in the game for a couple of minutes – got hold of a flick-on into the lower box from forward Promise David, somehow turned in traffic and sent a right-footed rocket into the B&H net for the 1-1 tie.

Both sides looked for the winner and Larin had another quality chance at 90+6, but his shot was blocked by defender Tarik Muharemovic.

Canada ended with 61% possession and a 13-8 edge on shots, but was satisfied to come away with a point in a difficult match.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Wow! Tharp wins 110 hurdles in 12.90, Ajayi fab 9.72w in 100, Reid 19.63 in 200 and Ogazi startling 43.37 in 400 at NCAA men’s final day!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 12, 2026

tsx pix 2026-612 ogazi, samuel (alabama) — Nigeria’s 400 m star Samuel Ogazi, the two-time NCAA 400 m champion (Photo: University of Alabama).

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≡ NCAA T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

What would Ja’Kobe Tharp do?

After his world-record 12.75 on Wednesday in the qualifying, the Auburn junior faced Texas junior star Kendrick Smallwood on Friday to defend his NCAA Championships title from 2025.

Tharp was in lane five and Smallwood in six and Smallwood had the best start. But Tharp got going and was in the lead by the second hurdle. Smallwood kept the pressure up and was chasing, but Tharp was calm and in form and held on through the line. Smallwood pressed on the run-in, but Tharp got it at 12.90 (wind: -0.2 m/s) with Smallwood at 12.95, a lifetime best. Ohio State junior Braxton Brann got a lifetime best at 13.07 for third.

Tharp’s winning mark is the equal-8th performance in U.S. history and Smallwood is now no. 2 in the world for 2026.

The 100 m was the next race and Auburn teammate Kayinsola Ajayi (NGR) was in front by 15 m and kept up the pressure right to the line and won in a wind-aided 9.72 (+2.2 m/s). LSU’s Jaiden Reid held off Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins for second, 9.82w to 9.87w.

Only six other men in history have run as fast – under any conditions – as Ajayi: Usain Bolt (JAM: 9.58), Tyson Gay (USA: 9.69), Yohan Blake (JAM: 9.69) and Asafa Powell (JAM: 9.72) with legal wins and wind-aided marks for Obadele Thompson (BAR: 9.69w) and Canada’s Andre De Grasse (9.69w).

A third world leader, Alabama’s defending champion Samuel Ogazi (NGR), was in lane six in the 400 m final, and was slightly behind Florida’s Justin Braun around the final turn. But Ogazi was much stronger on the home straight and ran away to win in a sensational 43.38, a collegiate record, shattering the 43.61 by USC’s Michael Norman in 2018.

He’s now no. 4 in history (and the no. 4 performance): only Wayde van Niekerk (RSA: 43.03 in 2016), Michael Johnson (USA: 43.18 in 1999) and Butch Reynolds (USA: 43.29 in 1988) have ever run faster!

Reid came back in the 200 m and ran the curve hard and was in the lead into the straight and rolled to a brilliant, world-leading 19.63 (+1.5)! That’s a world-leader and a collegiate record, erasing Walter Dix (Florida State: 19.69 in 2007)!

Auburn’s Israel Okon (NGR) pulled up with about 12 m left, but still limped in and finished second in 19.99, with Indiana’s Trelee Banks third in 20.02. Reid, a junior, is now equal-12th on the all-time list and equal-8th all-time U.S.!

¶

Friday’s meet started with a shock on the track in the 4×100 m relay, as SEC champ Arkansas failed to connect on the first pass because of an injury and collegiate-record holder – and two-time defending champ – Auburn failed on the final pass. But the race was still an SEC affair, with Tennessee’s Elijah Clark anchoring the win in 37.98, ahead of LSU at 38.05.

The 800 m had a 50.57 first lap from Penn State’s Allon Clay, then Arkansas’ Rivaldo Marshall (JAM) and Tyrice Taylor (JAM) took over and Northern Arizona star Colin Sahlman running down the straight after both … and stole it at the line in a lifetime best of 1:44.22. Sahlman ran 52.94 on the last lap and came from fifth into the straight and ran in lane three for a clear lane to the line. Taylor (lifetime best 1:44.30) was second and Marshall third at 1:44.93. Clay was fourth in 1:44.98.

Collegiate-record holder Simeon Birnbaum of Oregon, seventh last year, was the overwhelming favorite in the 1,500 m and he ran like it. Second at the bell, he blew away the field with a 52.08 last lap and the last 800 m in 1:51.62 to win in a safe and sane 3:36.05. Michigan junior Trent McFarland got second in 3:37.19, with Gary Martin (Virginia) third in 3:37.21.

National leader and 2025 runner-up Geoffrey Kirwa (KEN-Louisville) was in front for most of the Steeple, but was challenged at the end by Silas Kiptanui (KEN-Tulane), with Kirwa hanging on to win, 8:17.46 to 8:18.20.

Five men were in the lead pack at the bell in the 5,000 m, with Villanova’s Marco Langon in front. But 10,000 m winner Habtom Samuel (ERI-New Mexico) moved to the lead on the back straight with Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen in hot pursuit and they were 1-2 to the finish. Samuel finished the 5-10 double in 13:38.93, with Hansen in 13:39.91.

Florida sophomore Vance Nilsson was out in lane nine in the 400 hurdles and had the lead on the final turn and into the straight., He was being chased by Texas’ Kody Blackwood and the lead was shrinking, but Blackwood fell on the 10th hurdle and Nilsson rolled to the line in 48.06, the fastest time in the nation in 2026 and ninth in the world this year. Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott was second – for the second straight year – in 48.82. Blackwood did get up and finish in 53.32 for ninth.

Only four could clear 2.25 m (7-4 1/2) in the high jump, then Georgia junior Kimani Jack (GBR) popped over 2.28 m (7-5 3/4) to take the lead and that was good enough to win. Arkansas’ Scottie Vines finished second, then Tennessee’s Grant Campbell and Jordan Wenger (Oral Roberts).

Kansas State’s Selva Prabhu (IND) jumped 16.92 m (55-6 1/4) in round two of the triple jump and led throughout the remainder of the event as a sophomore. Kenyan Kevin Kemboi (Oklahoma State) got out to 16.84 m (55-3) in round two for second.

The discus was a repeat win for Jamaican Ralford Mullings (Oklahoma), who reached 65.81 m (215-10) in the fourth round to take the lead back from Texas Tanner (Air Force), who threw 63.75 m (209-2) in the second round. USC senior Vincent Ugwoke (NGR) moved ahead of Tanner in round four and teammate Racquil Broderick (JAM) moved into second in the final round at 64.15 m (210-5). Tanner ended up fourth.

The team race came down to the 4×400 m relay, with Arkansas leading Tennessee, 50-44 and Oregon at 40, but without a team in the relay. So the Razorbacks could clinch the title with a fourth-place finish or better. National leader LSU was in the lead after the second pass and Malachi Austin had a big lead on anchor. But Georgia’s Jonathan Simms stormed into contention and ran Austin down at the line in 2:57.93 to 2:57.96! Simms’ split on anchor was a stunning 42.99!

Arkansas finished third in 2:59.87 and claimed their first men’s NCAA championship since 2023, scoring 56 points to 49 for Georgia and Tennessee at 46. Wow.

Saturday will be the final day, devoted to the women’s finals.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Hodge stuns with 10.63 women’s 100 m for Georgia in NCAA qualifying; Amanda Moll clears collegiate vault record!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 11, 2026

tsx pix 2026-611 moll, amanda (washington) — Washington vault star Amanda Moll, collegiate record-setter at the 2026 NCAA Championships (Photo: University of Washington).

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≡ NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

Day two of the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, was devoted to women’s events, but it was a qualifying race that took the first headline!

Adajeah Hodge (IVB-Georgia), the NCAA Indoor 200 m champion, started well in the first heat of the 100 m, then accelerated away from the field and crossed in a stunning 10.63 (wind: +1.9), the world leader in 2026, a national record and now the fifth-fastest in history!

Hodge crushed the collegiate record of 10.75 by Sha’Carri Richardson in 2019; LSU soph Shawnti Jackson was second in a lifetime best of 10.88, then USC’s Brianna Selby (10.94). Now a Georgia frosh, Hodge tested positive for a metabolic modulator at the 2024 World Athletics U-20 Championships, but it was ruled unintentional and the usual two-year suspension was reduced by seven months for her assistance in doping investigations. She became eligible at Georgia in late January.

Florida senior Gabrielle Mathews won heat two in 11.02 (+0.6) and Florida State’s Shenese Walker (JAM) took heat three in 10.94 (+0.3).

In the 200 m, defending champion Jameesia Ford (South Carolina) pulled up after 100 m in the first heat of the 200 m heats, grabbing the back of her left leg, and did not advance. Howard’s Yahnari Lyons won in 22.36, Camryn Dickson (Texas A&M: 22.22) took heat two, and then Hodge came on over the straight and eased home in heat three in 21.96 (+1.7).

In the scoring finals, the women’s 10,000 m was another showdown between BYU super-frosh Jane Hedengren, the NCAA Indoor 3,000 and 5,000 m champ and world leader, and defending champion Pamela Kosgei (KEN-Mexico). They were 1-2 with 10 laps to go, and were 1-2 at the bell. Kosgei sprinted to the lead with 200 m to go, then was Iowa State’s Mercyline Kirwa (KEN) shot into the lead on the turn and won easily in a stunner in 31:54.88! Kosgei was second in 31:56.49 and Hedengren was third in 31:57.94.

In the vault, the key height was 4.64 m (15-2 3/4), with defending champion Hana Moll (Washington) and twin sister Amanda Moll – the 2025 NCAA Indoor winner – clearing on their first tries. South Dakota soph Anna Willis cleared on her first to get a lifetime best and Ashley Callahan (Louisville) cleared on her second. Both Willis and Callahan missed at 4.69 m (15-4 1.2) while the Molls passed. At 4.74 m (15-6) both Molls cleared, with Amanda over on her first and Hana on her second. The bar went to a collegiate record of 4.84 m (15-10 1/2) and Amanda cleared on her third try to take the record from her sister (4.83 m/15-10 in May).

Hana missed her three tries and took second; Amanda tried twice at 4.92 m (16-1 3/4) and then retired, now no. 2 in the world for 2026.

¶

World leader Alyssa Jones (Stanford) took control of the long jump in the first round, reaching 7.06 m (23-2) and taking the meet record! She backed that up with a 7.02 m (23-0 1/2) in round five to underline her dominance. Clemson senior Shantae Foreman was second from the second round at 6.69 m (21-11 1/2) and stayed there.

National leader Axelina Johansson (SWE-Nebraska) took the lead in the shot in round one at 19.92 m (65-4 1/4), a meet record. Well behind in second was USC soph Ashley Erasmus at 18.14 m (59-6 1/4).

The 2024 hammer champion, Texas State junior Elisabet Rut Runarsdottir (ISL) returned for a second trophy, taking the lead in the third round at 73.19 m (240-1) to edge national leader Annie Nabwe (LBR-Minnesota), who reached 73.15 m (240-0) on her final toss.

Kenyan Irene Jepkemboi (TCU) was third in the javelin in 2025, but took charge in 2026 with her second throw of 59.91 m (196-6). That led through five rounds, but in the sixth, Rice’s McKyla van der Westhuizen (RSA) reached 60.87 m (199-8) and that ended up being the winner. National leader Evelyn Bliss (Bucknell) moved up to second at 60.28 m (197-9). Jepkemboi imrpoved to 60.16 m (197-4), but had to settle for third.

There was one men’s final, the final day of the decathlon, with Louisville soph Kenneth Byrd leading after nine events at 7,491, finishing second in the high jump and winning the vault. He was 50 points up on BYU’s Ben Barton with the 1,500 m to go, and Barton surged in the final straight to finish in 4:32.61 for 8,169 points. Byrd finished in 4:41.73 and had to settle for second at 8,160.

¶

In the qualifying races, USC ran a sizzling 41.96 in the 4×100 m relay with Dajaz Defrand, Mia Brahe-Pedersen, Madison Whyte and Brianna Selby, the no. 4 performance in collegiate history and now the no. 2 school behind Texas. Georgia was second in the same heat two in 42.00, the equal-fifth performance and now the no. 3 school. LSU won heat one in 42.38, the next fastest.

National leader Dejanea Oakley (JAM-Georgia) won the 400 m first heat in 49.93, then USC star Whyte took the second heat in 50.73 and Sydney Segala (Boston College) came on late to win heat three in 50.31. In the 800 m, national leader Sanu Jallow (GAM-Arkansas) broke away from the pack in the final 200 m to win heat three in 1:58.89, the fastest qualifier. Hayley Kitching (AUS-Penn State) won heat one in 1:59.46) and Kansas’ Emmaculate Jemutai (KEN) came from well back to win heat two in 1:59.62.

The women’s 1,500 m heats were won by Rosemary Langisa (KEN-Washington State) in 4:06.41 and Hayley Bruns (Northern Arizona: 4:09.48). The Steeple qualifying was led by Virginia Tech frosh Jule Lindner (GER) in 9:44.43 in heat one, and Cynthia Jemutai (KEN-Alabama) in 9:38.49.

The 100 m hurdles qualifying saw Kentucky’s Emmi Scales (12.72) win heat one, then defending champ Aaliyah McCormick (Oregon: 12.58) in heat two and Southern junior Tashina Alase in heat three in 12.90. The 2025 runner-up, South Carolina’s Akala Garrett dominated heat two and won in 54.59, fastest of the day. Heat one was won by Amelliah Birdow (Texas) in 55.63 and heat three went to Arkansas’ Saira Prince with a lifetime best of 55.13.

The 4×400 m heats saw Duke won heat one in 3:25.14, then Georgia take heat two in 3:24.29 and Arkansas took heat three with Jallow on anchor, in 3:21.90, the third-fastest time in collegiate history!

The meet continues Friday with the men’s finals.

¶

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PANORAMA: Tharp “apologizes” for 110 hurdles world record; ski mountaineering proposal for French Alps 2030; good TV audience for Lone Star Grand Prix

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 11, 2026

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Winter Games are over, but the torches remain.

There were some 10,500 torchbearers for the Games, for which 3,000 torches were produced. Now, those who carried the torch can ask to purchase one for €1,500 (about $1,737 U.S.), plus shipping and taxes. But there is only the existing production, and no more!

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The 2030 organizing committee is proposing to continue ski mountaineering – a sport in which the French are dominant – for 2030 and to add to the Individual race to the Sprint and Mixed Relay.

The addition is to be considered by the IOC Session, meeting in a couple of weeks.

● International Federations ● The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) released its sixth Governance Review report, updating the prior edition in 2024. The summer federations were graded according to transparency, integrity, democracy, development and sustainability and control mechanisms.

A perfect score would have been 240 and the target minimum score for continuing federations was 150. The distribution of the scores ranged from 150 to 228 for 31 full members, with five associate members (*) varying widely:

● A1 (14 federations: 210-228): aquatics, athletics, badminton, baseball-softball*, basketball, cycling, equestrian, football, rowing, rugby, table tennis, tennis, triathlon, volleyball.

● A2 (7:185-209): fencing, gymnastics, hockey, sailing, sport climbing, taekwondo, wrestling.

● B (13: 150-184): archery, canoeing, cricket*, golf, handball, judo, lacrosse*, modern pentathlon, shooting, skateboarding, squash*, surfing, weightlifting.

● C (1: 135-149): American football*.

● D (1: sub-135): boxing*.

The mean scores for all federations rose slightly to 192.7 from 189.4 in 2024.

● Athletics ● Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp “apologized” for his 12.75 world record in the heats of the men’s 110 m hurdles on Wednesday at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon:

“I’m speechless. I didn’t mean to.

“I knew going into this meet I would be in really good shape because we started deloading to hit my peak into this meet. It was about executing and doing it. I’m always only focused on me. I knew what I was capable of. I knew I had something faster than 13.0 in my legs.”

The world record was reported as the first at the NCAA Championships since Dwight Stones set one in the high jump in Philadelphia in 1976, competing for Long Beach State (and, of course, Stones was calling the meet for ESPN!). Tharp will be in the 110 m hurdles finals on Friday, trying to defend his 2025 title.

¶

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in South Africa was announced Wednesday as the eighth World Marathon Majors race and first in Africa.

Cape Town joins Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York, and will formally enter the series on 23 May 2027. The 2026 race had a reported 16,351 finishers with Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa winning the men’s race in 2:04.55 and Dera Dida taking the women’s race 2:23:18.

World Marathon Majors status is expected to increase the economic impact of the race to possibly more than $48 million U.S. per year!

A ninth World Marathon Major is in the works – the Shanghai Marathon in China – which will be reviewed after its 6 December 2026 race.

¶

There were only maybe 1,000 fans at Saturday’s USA Track & Field Lone Star Grand Prix meet in College Station, Texas, but the meet did well on television.

NBC confirmed “a Total Audience Delivery of 757,000 viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital properties.” Track & field on NBC has consistently done well, with up to a million or so viewers, vs. other meets which draw around 300,000 on cable and smaller networks.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation elected long-time federation Secretary General Heike Groesswang (GER), 56, as its new President at its Salzburg Congress.

She received 27 votes out of 45, to win over Ander Mirambell (ESP: 10), Dr. Nelson Christian Stokes (JAM: 5) and Martins Dambegs (LAT: 3). Groesswang has been the IBSF Secretary General since 2012 and replaced Italian Ivo Ferriani (2010-26).

Six IBSF Vice Presidents were elected, which included American Tuffield Latour as Vice President of Sport.

● Tennis ● Serena Williams’ comeback Doubles adventure at the Queen’s Club Championships in London (GBR) are over as partner Victoria Mboko (CAN) suffered a right knee injury in her Singles match and has had to withdraw.

Williams will play next he will also be competing in the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany that starts on the 15th, again in Doubles, this time with Czech Karolina Muchova.

¶

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FOOTBALL: FIFA’s Infantino dismisses ticket pricing anger and visa issues; Mexico wins the opening match vs. South Africa, 2-0

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 11, 2026

tsx pix 2025-1109 infantino am bus forum miami — FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) speaks at the American Business Forum in Miami on 7 November 2025 (Image: DRM News screen shot).

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) waved off criticisms over the federation’s predatory pricing strategies for the 2026 World Cup at a news conference on Wednesday:

● “Our average price which is below $500, is again the lowest of the American sports on average [on the resale market]. If we take the playoffs, I think we can at least compare the playoffs of an American sport with the World Cup.

“If you look at the final of the NBA, the Knicks against San Antonio, I don’t know how many people are watching that on TV, 10 million maybe, I don’t know. The World Cup will be watched by six billion people. So, in terms of importance, the World Cup is much, much more important.

“The fact that when we put these tickets on sale, they go on the secondary market which is absolutely legal here and they are sold for a much higher price. This certainly shows that the prices were accurate in terms of the way they have been determined.”

● “The market is here what it is, that if you sell it at a lower price point – and again this has been part of intense and extensive analysis – in this particular market.. It would have gone, which is perfectly legal in this country, in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices.

“And where would the money go then? Well, to those who organize secondary market or black market activities and not to football. So every dollar that comes in goes back into the development of football. We have one competition every four years that generates revenues. The 47 other months out of the 48 of four years we are investing this revenue in the growth of the game. Nobody else is doing that. Nobody. Nobody.

“This allows us to maintain as well free TV. I said we could put everything on pay. We would generate $30 billion in revenues probably. But then you have billions of people in the world who would not be able to watch the World Cup. So the soul and the heart is the fans in the stadiums. It’s the fans in the fan zones. It’s the fans at home. It’s every football fan. We want to bring the World Cup to every football fan.”

● “When it comes to these legal investigations or complaints that were made in some states in the U.S., we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell six-and-a-half or seven million tickets we check what we do with the best lawyers, with the best experts. If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong, as well.

“We welcome every investigation. We are happy to present everything, and we are happy to make our case.”

Infantino also offered little argument about the denial of entry into the U.S. of Somali referee Omar Artan:

“We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we will speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax.

“We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you don’t want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.

“Our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything and you need to respect the decisions which are taken. We are working behind the scenes.”

Artan, barred from the World Cup, will referee the 2026 UEFA Super Cup between Paris St.-Germain and Aston Villa FC.

¶

The opening match in Mexico City were as expected, with Mexico winning over South Africa before 80,824 in a Group A game marred by three red cards, two for South Africa in the 49th minute (midfielder Sphepheto Sithole) and 84th (midfielder Themba Zwane).

Mexico went up 1-0 on a strike from the left of goal from forward Julian Quinones in the ninth minute, following a bad South African clearance and a feed from midfielder Eric Lira. Although the pressure was constantly on the South African goal, keeper Ronwen Williams was solid. Mexico finished the half with 57% possession and a 10-2 shots edge.

It got a lot worse in the second half as Sithole’s red card left South Africa with 10 players and forward Raul Jimenez scored on a header off a pass from forward Roberto Alvarado in the 67th for the 2-0 edge.

Mexico kept pressing, but did not score again, despite South Africa playing with nine after the 84th following a second red card for a harsh tackle by Zwane. But a rough slap by defender Cesar Montes at 90+2 left the home team playing with 10 as the game ended. The Mexicans ended with 60% possession and a 16-3 shots advantage.

¶

South Korea faced the Czech Republic in the other Group A game on Thursday, in Guadalajara (MEX) at night, with no score in the first half.

In the 59th, Czech defender Ladislav Krejci came on unmarked from behind the defense as defender Vladimir Coufal was perfectly executing a long throw-in that found Krejci’s head for a brilliant goal and a 1-0 lead.

But the Koreans were game and finally converted a chance in the 67th. A perfect lead pass from Kang-in Lee found midfielder In-Beom Hwang in the box; he controlled the ball, deked two defenders and the keeper out of position and bounced into the net and the 1-1 tie before the hydration break.

The match was decided in the 80th, as a long lead pass found Hwang on the right side and his clever cross was right in the path of a charging sub forward Hyeon-Gyu Oh, who sent a liner into the Czech net for what proved to be the 2-1 winner!

Korean keeper Sung-Gyu Kim’s save at 90+4 ensured the win, as the Koreans had 62% of possession and and a 15-7 shots edge as the aggressor in the game.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Olympic 800 m champ Wanyonyi asks “can you believe” he’s trying to chase 17-year old American sensation Lutkenhaus?

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 11, 2026

tsx pix 2026-610 dl oslo lutkenhaus v wanyonyi (thomas windestam 4DLAG) — Olympic 800 m champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) and American Cooper Lutkenhaus racing to the 2026 Bislett Games finish (Photo: Thomas Windestam for Diamond League AG).

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≡ MORE OSLO DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡

“It was a very tough race and I had to dive for the line to be sure of the win. I knew he was on my shoulder and I was willing the line to come towards me.

“To beat the Olympic champion is awesome and it means a lot. I have not seen the grazes yet from my dive but I think they will hurt in the shower later.”

That’s 17-year-old American wunderkind Cooper Lutkenhaus, who won his second Diamond League 800 m in four days in Oslo’s Bislett Stadium on Wednesday, barely holding on against Olympic and World Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) in the final meters and then diving across the line to win in a world-leading 1:42.08 to 1:42.09.

Wanyonyi, himself just 21, said afterwards:

“This boy is in a good shape. Can you believe that as an Olympic champion, you are trying to knock down a 17-year-old boy? I started the race in front and after 600 meters to go, I tried to see who is coming to push me.

“Then I saw him passing me so then I tried to respond. But my target today was to run my season best, to improve. The season is still early. Actually, I feel so happy to run; my daughter [Noela] is watching me.”

As for Lutkenhaus:

“Pre is next for me and I am very excited for that. I could take a few days off after this but I will probably be running tomorrow. I have managed to have a look at Oslo while I have been here and it is a lovely city; I hope to explore some more this evening and tomorrow.”

That wasn’t the only spectacular finish, as Kenya’s 2019 World 1,500 m champ Timothy Cheruiyot won the men’s “Dream Mile” in a world-leading 3:48.21, with the same time given to American Yared Nuguse. Nuguse said later:

“It was certainly a tight finish and I thought I had been given the win but then it changed to second place on one-hundredth of a second. There were some big names in there tonight so I was very pleased with my performance and how I pushed right to the tape. It was a great race to be part of.”

There was a lot of interest in the men’s 200 m and the Diamond League debut of Australian teen Gout Gout (18), the world leader at 1967 in April. But he was not a factor as Paris 200 m champion Letsile Tebogo (BOT) had his best race of the season, winning in 19.84. Gout was sixth in 20.60 and Tebogo said afterwards he was worried about him:

“After the race, I wanted to talk to Gout Gout but he is so busy with all the media. First and foremost, he should not get comfortable racing with the seniors. He still has a long way to go.

“He should by all means play with his age mates where he is a bit more comfortable because the more he runs, the more he pushes and the more injuries he is going to get. I hope his management, the coaches and everybody around him will advise that because that is what worked for me. I have seen a lot of people my age racing with seniors and then it did not go well for them.”

One of the happiest winners in Oslo was American women’s shot star Chase Jackson, who launched a seasonal best of 20.74 m (68-0 1/2) in the first round and won easily:

“I was chuffed [pleased] to be able to take Valerie Adams’ [NZL] name off [the meet record] as she is the person we all look up to in the sport, so it is kind of surreal. It was not so much that Jessica [Schilder/NED] won in Stockholm but it is about the numbers. I really wanted to get over 21 [m] as I know I have that from training.

“I have been searching for the number as she did it first [this season]. I opened big today which was great and just as my coach told me to do but then I slightly lost the plot. I probably got too excited after that first throw. I need to focus on my technique and I know I can do it.

“The Europeans here have the advantage of their time zone; this is the first time I have had sleep since I have been here so I think back in the States, I will crack it. The nationals and Pre on home soil is where the big numbers will come.”

Jackson is the American record holder at 20.95 m (68-8 3/4) from 2025.

¶

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SKIING: Liechtenstein’s Ospelt edges incumbent Eliasch in FIS Presidential election, 65-64, at Belgrade Congress

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 11, 2026

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≡ OSPELT ELECTED ≡

After an agonizing 48-minute wait for the votes in the FIS Presidential election to be counted, at the 57th International Ski Congress in Belgrade (SRB), the results showed:

● 65: Alexander Ospelt (LIE)
● 64: Johan Eliasch (GEOI) ~ incumbent

So ends a tumultuous four years with Eliasch as President, in which the FIS media rights were centralized, new programs were developed, but where the star federations in Europe and North American turned against his leadership.

Eliasch offered brief remarks of congratulations after the vote was announced, which included a slap at the International Olympic Committee:

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s been a great privilege to serve you. I always said this would be a win-win outcome for me, because either I get my life back, or I win the election. So, either way I am very happy.

“Let me say this, we have achieved a lot together over these years and it will be a great shame to let that go to waste. And it is really important that everybody comes together, works together and aim higher.

“One point that I want to make and this is very important: we are an independent organization, and I did hear from many that the outside organizations, and I’ll be straight to the point – the IOC – tried to influence the outcome of today’s vote. And against this, we must stay firm, because we are an independent organization.”

Eliasch is a member of the IOC, and with his membership tied to his position as FIS President, his membership will end when Ospelt formally takes over on Friday.

Ospelt, the final, single opponent against Eliasch after three others withdrew, told reporters fter the session closed:

“There’s been some great dialogue in the build-up to this Congress and it’s been very interesting to talk to representatives from all different countries, but the result shows we’re still divided.

“I see this division as a chance, rather than a problem. My first task will be bringing unity and a common ambition to drive FIS forward together.

“There’s a lot of work to do, but I want every NSA [National Ski Association] to feel like now is a new start, that I will take all their concerns seriously and that every NSA must be treated with the same importance as any other.”

“I’ve requested that the bigger states show solidarity with the smaller states – it’s not in anybody’s best interest to just have athletes from the leading nations competing in the World Cup – and the bigger states are committed to that.”

Ospelt has been a FIS Council member since 2024 and was President of the Liechtenstein Ski Association between 2015 and 2023. He noted that one of the first challenges will be to keep Nordic Combined and the Snowboard Parallel races on the Olympic program for French Alps 2030. And then:

“We’re already looking at ways to gain additional stakeholders, investment and sponsors, in order to distribute more income to the NSAs and meet athletes’ requests for increased prize money.

“For me, it makes most sense to strengthen the disciplines where each of their audiences are. Taking China as an example, it makes most sense to take Freestyle and Snowboard Alpine events there, as the great athletes they have [in those disciplines] can enable us to put on showpiece events – showpieces we can use to broaden the interest across the whole of Asia. …

“With Alpine, there are lots of discussions going on about how to make it more attractive. We need to find the right TV format and I think we need to make the athletes more visible, work on promoting them more and turning them into stars – which is what audiences want to see.”

Eliasch was seen as authoritarian in a federation which has traditionally been more of a collection of independent interests than a centrally-controlled operation. Ospelt now has to calm the situation down and find collaborative paths with national federations, resort operators, athletes, media and others to help expand the snow-sport giant.

American Dexter Paine, at one time a Presidential candidate, was re-elected to a spot on the FIS Council.

¶

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PANORAMA: LA28 second ticket drop in August; USA Badminton will not be U.S. NGB for ‘28; big money and new combo event for all skating events!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 10, 2026

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers said that the second ticket sales period will run from 10-20 August, with tickets to be sold for all 36 sports.

More than four million tickets were sold in the first sales period.

● Badminton ● There has been considerable confusion over the status of USA Badminton as the governing body for the sport in the U.S., exacerbated by an announcement on 11 May that the USA Badminton board approved a “Reset Proposal” by 7-3 from the Badminton World Federation.

However, the approval does not change the status of USA Badminton with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. A USOPC statement to The Sports Examiner on Wednesday explained:

“We’ve let BWF and USAB know that we will not open an application process for a new NGB until after LA28. This will allow USAB to work with BWF on the reset to adopt and implement necessary governance and operational reforms.”

Thus, the USOPC will continue to be responsible for elite-level badminton programs in the U.S. through the LA28 Games.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton announced an extension of its existing partnership with Cowbells.com to produced official USABS cowbells through 2034, the year of the Olympic Winter Games in Utah.

The production agreement began in 2020 and will now continue; how can you have sliding sports without official cowbells?

● Judo ● A long-time split in American judo has apparently ended with a Wednesday announcement that USA Judo and the United States Judo Federation have a “formal partnership”:

“USJF joins USA Judo and the American Traditional Jujutsu Association (ATJA) in this agreement. One of the key components of the partnership is a reciprocal membership for judo events, allowing members to compete in events of either organization.”

USJF President Mitchell Palacio explained:

“The United States Judo Federation extends its sincere appreciation to Dr. Ron Tripp, USA Judo CEO Corinne Shigemoto and USJF Executive Director Robert Fukuda for their collaboration in establishing this reciprocal membership agreement. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to strengthening judo in the United States by expanding opportunities, reducing barriers to participation, and fostering greater unity within our judo community. Together, we are creating a stronger foundation for the growth and success of current and future generations of judokas.”

USA Judo is the recognized National Governing Body for the sport by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

● Skating ● The International Skating Union, at its 60th Ordinary Congress in Tenerife (ESP), approved a major increase in price money for all of its disciplines:

“The approved measures will see prize money across all skating disciplines more than double over the next two seasons, alongside a significant increase in Member travel contributions, reflecting the ISU’s commitment to reinvesting the benefits of its strong financial performance directly back into the sport and its people.

“Under the approved budget, ISU prize money will increase from USD 5.4 million in the 2025/26 season to USD 11.1 million in 2026/27, before reaching USD 12 million in 2027/28, underscoring the organization’s ambition to ensure that the success of skating benefits those at the heart of the sport.”

¶

The ISU also announced a first-time combined world championships for its figure skating, speed skating, short track and synchronized skating in Beijing (CHN) in 2028.

Dates were not announced, but the event will be held at three venues: the National Indoor Stadium, the Capital Indoor Stadium and the National Speed Skating Oval.

The ISU follows the Union Cycliste Internationale, which combined nearly all of its disciplines in a massive single World Championships for the first time in 2023 in Glasgow (SCO). The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) is considering the same concept for its disciplines for 2028 and has asked for bidders.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Lutkenhaus beats Wanyonyi in 1:42.08 in Oslo Diamond League thriller, and Cheruiyot edges Nuguse in Bislett “Dream Mile”

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 10, 2026

Kenyan star Emmanuel Wanyonyi greets American teen 800 m phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus at their 2026 Bislett Games duel (Photo: Marta Gorczynska for Diamond League AG).

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≡ OSLO DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡

The sixth stop on the 2026 Diamond League circuit was the 61st annual Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, a brilliant meet with world leads in four events:

● Men/800 m: 1:42.08, Cooper Lutkenhaus (USA)
● Men/Mile: 3:48.21, Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) and Yared Nuguse (USA)
● Men/5,000 m: 12:47.62, Addisu Yihune (ETH)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:24.22, Freweyni Hailu (ETH)

Lutkenhaus beat 2023 World Champion Marco Arop (CAN) in Stockholm last Sunday and now faced Olympic and World Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN). And Wanyonyi took the lead from the pacer at the bell, as he often does. But Lutkenhaus, 17, was right with him and took the lead with 200 m left, had 4/10ths into the straight, but Wanyonyi closed hard with Lutkenhaus getting the win with a final dive in a sensational 1:42.08, moving him to no. 14 all-time and no. 3 all-time U.S. Wanyonyi was an inch back in second (1:42.09), with Arop a distant third in 1:43.33.

The “Dream Mile” saw World 1,500 m champ Isaac Nader (POR) with the lead into the final turn and onto the straight, but he was passed by Kenya’s Cheriuyot on the inside and Nuguse on the outside and those two dueled to the finish, with Cheruiyot getting the nod with a lean at the line. Australia’s Cam Myers came up for third in 3:48.35 and American Hobbs Kessler got fourth in 3:49.13, as Nader faded to 12th.

The 5,000 m was another last-lap decider, as multiple contenders faded and Yihune ran away from Bahrain’s two-time Asian Games winner Birhanu Balew, 12:47.62 to 12:47.73 in the final 40 m. Coming hard behind them was Sweden’s Andreas Almgren in 12:48.61, then Americans Parker Wolfe (12:49.45 lifetime best), Grant Fisher (12:49.61) and Graham Blanks (12:49.99).

Hailu led an Ethiopian sweep in the women’s 3, winning over Likina Amebaw, 8:24.22 to 8:25.15 on the final straight, with Senayet Getachew third (8:25.85).

The U.S. got an impressive win from World Indoor women’s shot champ Chase Jackson, who really wanted a big throw and got it in the first round at 20.74 m (68-0 1/2), the no. 6 throw in U.S. history. That was enough to take down world leader Jessica Schilder (NED), who reached 20.11 m (65-11 3/4).

There was great anticipation in the men’s 200 m with the Diamond League debut of Australian teen – and world leader – Gout Gout, but he was no match for Paris Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo (BOT), in his race of the season so far in 19.84 (wind: +0.2). South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile was second in 20.12 with Gout sixth in 20.60.

The Norwegian crowd was ready to explode for home hero Karsten Warholm in the men’s 400 m hurdles, but as he was even with 2022 World Champion Alison dos Santos (BRA) over the eighth hurdles, dos Santos ran away and won, 46.89 to 47.40. American Caleb Dean was third (48.22).

Australia’s Kurtis Marschall won his second straight Diamond League meet in the men’s vault, clearing 5.82 m (19-1). Americans Sam Kendricks and Zach Bradford went 3-4, both at 5.72 m (18-9 1/4). World Indoor silver winner Jordan Scott (JAM) won the triple jump at 17.66 mw (57-11 1/4w: +2.6), ahead of World Indoor Champion Andy Diaz (ITA: 17.59 m/57-8 1/2).

Olympic women’s 100 champ Julien Alfred (LCA) ran away with her race in the last half, crossing in a wind-aided 10.76 (+3.2) head of Britain’s Amy Hunt (10.97).

Norway got a win in the women’s 400 m from Henriette Jaeger, who extended her lead down the final straight in a seasonal best of 49.52. World 400 m hurdles leader Emma Zapletalova (SVK) won her third straight Diamond League meet in 53.13 over Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton (53.50) and Jasmine Jones of the U.S. (54.09).

Cuba’s Davisleidis Velazco won the women’s triple jump at 14.85 m wind-aided (48-8 3/4 +2.3 m/s), but also would have won with her second-best – legal – jump of 14.76 m (48-5 1/4).

Next up is the rescheduled Diamond League in Doha (QAT), moved due to the Middle East conflicts, now slated for 19 June (so far).

¶

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ATHLETICS: Tharp stuns with 12.75 world hurdles record; Samuel wins second career 10,000 m title at NCAA Champs

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 10, 2026

tsx pix 2025-803 usatf ch tharp, jkobe (usatf) — U.S. hurdles star and new world-record holder Ja’Kobe Tharp (Photo: USA Track & Field).

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≡ NCAA T&F: MEN ≡

No one saw this coming. After Texas junior Kendrick Smallwood took the collegiate lead in the first heat of the men’s 110 m hurdles at Wednesday’s opening day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships at 13.02 (wind: 0.0 m/s), what would defending champion Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) do in heat two.

He was strong off the gun, maintained perfect hurdling form and ran away from the rest of the field to cross in a stunning, sensational, unbelievable 12.75 (+1.0) to break fellow American Aries Merritt’s 2012 world mark of 12.80!

Tharp’s best coming in was 13.01 in Eugene in 2025, so this was amazing. But at 20, he is now the leader of the new generation of American hurdlers, with World Champion Cordell Tinch and Smallwood, to go along with ex-world leader Trey Cunningham.

Baylor soph DeMario Prince was second in the race at 13.15 and North Carolina A&T’s Jason Holmes got a lifetime best of 13.17 to win heat three. Even with the world record, Tharp only qualified for the final, which will be Friday. Wow.

¶

The only track final at Wednesday’s first day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon was the men’s 10,000 m, with New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel (ERI) back to try for a second title after winning in 2024 and finishing second in 2025.

He ran with the pack for most of the race, but the field was down to a handful with five laps to go, then to Samuel and Elsingi Kipruto (KEN-Louisville) on the final lap and Samuel ran away in the final straight to win going away at 27:51.31 to 27:54.04 for Kipruto and Arkansas junior Ernest Cheruiyot (KEN) at 27:58.62. Samuel now doubled in 2026, winning the NCAA Indoor 5,000 m as well.

On the infield, Wednesday’s stunner was in the vault, with Nebraska soph Dylan Wicker, who came in with a best of 5.72 m (18-9 1/4) outdoors, but cleared 5.75 m (18-10 1/4) on his first try, and then 5.85 m (19-2 1/4) on the first to win the NCAA title and move to equal-11th all-time on the collegiate list. He’s just 20. Utah State senior Logan Hammer cleared 5.75 m – a lifetime best – for second. Elsewhere in the field finals:

● Tafadzwa Chikomba (ZIM-Kansas State) came in no. 7 in the world in the long jump, but moved up to fourth with his first jump lifetime best of 8.37 m (27-5 1/2). No one else was close, with Arkansas’ Juriad Hughes getting a lifetime best in second in 8.25 m (27-0 3/4).

● In the shot, home favorite Ben Smith, the Oregon frosh who was also the national leader, got out to 21.04 m (69-09 1/2) in the third round to extend the collegiate lead and win easily over JL van Rensburg (RSA-Tennessee), at 20.33 m (66-8 1/2), also a lifetime best.

● Greece’s Angelos Mantzouranis (Minnesota), second in the hammer last year, won the title in 2026, reaching 75.78 m (248-7) in the fifth round to edge Air Force senior Texas Tanner (75.45 m/247-6).

● Chinecherem Nnamdi (NGR-Texas A&M), the national leader, won the javelin with his first-round toss of 82.26 m (269-10), ahead of Nebraska junior Keyshawn Strachan (80.65 m/264-7).

¶

The heats of the other running races were hot, with Auburn’s quartet of Azeem Fahmi, Kayinsola Ajayi, Austin Kresley, and Tyler Davis running 37.75 for a collegiate record, breaking the 37.90 mark by LSU in 2023. Only 10 national teams have ever run faster!

World leader Ajayi (NGR) led the 100 m qualifying at 9.94 (-1.1) in heat three, just ahead of LSU junior Jaiden Reid (9.95) in the same race. Reid came back to lead the 200 m qualifiers at 20.05 (-0.1). National 400 m leader Samuel Ogazi (NGR-Alabama) led all qualifiers at 44.73.

The other qualifying leaders were Rivaldo Marshall (JAM-Arkansas) at 1:45.05 in the 800 m; Princeton’s Connor McCormick in the 1,500 m (3:35.81); Collins Kipngok (KEN-Kentucky) in the Steeple (8:24.39) and Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott in the 400 m hurdles (48.59).

The meet continues with the women’s first day on Thursday.

¶

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INT’L OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Executive Board moves toward “discipline”-based Olympic program; Coventry confident on access to U.S. in ‘28

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 10, 2026

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≡ EXEC BOARD MEETING ≡

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board approved Wednesday a series of proposals to the Olympic Charter to change the way the Olympic program of sports and events is structured, selected and organized.

President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) explained, with the help of Olympic Program Commission chair Karl Stoss (AUT), a rather painstaking process of placing “disciplines” – a related group of one or more events using a common venue, such as swimming, diving and water polo as part of aquatics – as the building blocks of the Olympic program and not “sports” with the disciplines to be included to be determined later. In specific:

● Seven years out from an Olympic Games, the list of disciplines would be agreed by the IOC Session.

● Five years out, any added sports from the organizing committee would be considered and then approved by the Session.

● Three years out, the list of events and the athletes quotas would be considered and approved by the Session.

Further, a new process of selecting disciplines would be introduced:

● Disciplines included in the Host City Contract would start as “Incumbent Disciplines” and others would be “Candidate Disciplines.”

● All disciplines will be reviewed, graded and considered independently.

● The disciplines to be selected will be – ostensibly – those with the highest grades and within the capacity of the organizing committee to handle. Those not selected would become “Candidate Disciplines” for the next Games.

Coventry stressed that this process is needed by the International Federations in order to understand how they might move into the Games and try to return if excluded from a specific Games. Coventry stated again that there are 36 sports for Los Angeles 2028 and there will not be as many for Brisbane 2032.

These changes will be presented to the Extraordinary IOC Session on 24 June for approval, allowing the process of finalizing the Brisbane 2032 program to be confirmed in a step-by-step manner.

¶

Coventry was asked about the furor over her comments opposing prize money at the Olympic Games and acknowledging the tempest, was clear that her view has been and remains, “at the Olympic Games, I feel that we have a broader responsibility to try and find ways to directly support every Olympic athlete that comes to the Games.”

That would speak well to an honorarium, which has been increasingly discussed. Coventry also noted that she fully supports prize money in events staged by International Federations, regional confederations and so on. But not at the Olympic Games.

She was also asked about the current, strained situation at the FIFA World Cup amid the refusal of entry into the U.S. for Somali referee Omar Artan, Iranian officials, media and fans. She noted that there were discussions on this with the LA28 organizers and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee at last week’s Coordination Commission meeting, adding:

“Of course, we are following everything that is happening daily. I am confident that in two years, we will be able to overcome a number of the challenges that the World Cup are facing right now. But I also think that takes collaboration and learning.”

It was underscored that LA28 already has a dedicated team working on access to the U.S., with an office already established in Washington, D.C.

Coventry said she does plan to attend some of the matches, but with no defined plans right now.

¶

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PANORAMA: FIFA accepts that U.S.-blocked Somali referee will not be at World Cup; Serena Williams returns with Doubles win

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 9, 2026

tsx pix 2026-609 delnegro, claire FIL honors (FIL) — Claire DelNegro of the U.S. (center) honored for 28 years of service to the International Luge Federation at the 74th FIL Congress (Photo: FIL).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Multiple news services have confirmed projections that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass will be challenged by City Council member Nithya Raman in the November General Election.

As of Monday, Bass had 34.3% of the primary vote, to 28.6% for Raman and 25.8% for insurgent Spencer Pratt. No one else polled above 3.6%. Both Bass and Raman are Democrats with Raman supported in her 2020 Council campaign by the Democratic Socialists of America (which did not endorse her for Mayor).

The 2028 Olympic Games has not been a significant issue up this point in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Bass has been generally supportive of the event and the LA28 organizers; Raman has not been directly critical, but has been wary of City financial commitments which could interfere with resident services and support for the homeless.

Measure TT, an increase in the Los Angeles hotel tax from 14% to 16% through 2028 to help pay for City services – and dated to include the 2028 Games period – continued losing, 53.0-47.0% in the latest vote totals.

● Football ● FIFA issued a statement concerning Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry into the U.S. by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service:

“Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.

“FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.

“In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”

¶

FIFA has come up with another way to make money on the 2026 World Cup, charging $79 for fans to have their names shown on stadium scoreboards during pre-match warm-ups for the 72 group-stage matches.

The FIFA “Super Shout-Out” is available for up to four “slots” per order at $316 plus applicable taxes.

¶

The Unite Here 11 labor union said Tuesday that a tentative agreement had been reached with Legends Hospitality to allow about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium to work as planned at the FIFA World Cup matches starting Friday. The union said its workers will vote on the agreement this week and noted on X:

“Workers have the contractual right to walk off the job if the Union determines in good faith that federal immigration enforcement threatens worker safety during a World Cup match.”

Union members said they have been working without a contract for more than a year.

¶

The U.S. women’s national team faced Brazil in the second of its friendlies, in front of a huge crowd of 55,744 in Fortaleza, in advance of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

American coach Emma Hayes (GBR) made six changes to her line-up from Saturday’s 2-1 loss, including Claudia Dickey in goal. This was a physical game from the start, with the loud crowd roaring every time Brazil advanced the ball into the U.S. half. There were five yellow cards and no scoring.

The U.S. had the best chances at 45+4 with forward Emma Sears dribbling into the box and sending a liner that was saved by Brazilian keeper Lorena. The ball rebounded to U.S. striker Sophia Wilson, who launched a left-footed shot that Lorena also saved! The U.S. had 54% possession and a 5-2 shots edge, and the only real scoring chance.

The second half started equally brutal, with another Brazilian yellow card in the 48th, but the U.S. was better and faster. A brilliant through-pass from Wilson to Rose Lavelle in the 55th resulted in a right-footed shot which barely missed the far post. In the 63rd, Wilson burst away from two defenders on the left side of the pitch, dribbled free and sent a right-footed smash that deflected quickly off of the right knee of defender Isabela Chagas and Lorena had no chance as the ball flew into the net for a 1-0 lead. It was later classified as an own goal by Brazil.

U.S. forward Olivia Moultrie had another chance in the 66th, taking a break-through pass from Lavelle in the middle of the box and left-footing a shot to the far side of the net that hit the goal post. Sub forward Tiffany Rodman sent another shot in the 71st that Lorena saved that looked like a score. Lorena prevented another goal-in-the-making for forward Emma Sears in the 77th, corralling a clear, right-side opportunity. Wilson kicked a left-footed try wide in the 84th for another missed chance.

The Brazilian coach, Arthur Elias, was shown as red card in the 78th for his antics on the sidelines, including kicking the ball away from the officials. As many as three assistant coaches were red-carded later. Then striker Bia Zaneratto was sent off with a second yellow card at 90+4 for a shove of U.S. defender Emily Sonnett.

Brazilian midfielder Tarciane got a red card at 90+9 for an intentional slap at Wilson’s face, so Brazil was down to nine. As the game ended at 90+14, another red card was shown to midfielder Karolin. Yes, security forces came out to guard the officials; the statistics showed Brazil with 10 total yellow cards and eight reds (including coaches), and five yellows for the Americans.

But the U.S. won, 1-0, controlled 55% of possession and ended with a 13-6 edge on shots. Brazil was charged with 20 total fouls to eight for the Americans. An experience expected to pay dividends next year.

● Luge ● The International Luge Federation re-elected by acclimation Latvian Einar Fogelis as President at its 74th Congress in Berchtesgaden (GER) for a third term, after his initial election in 2020.

Dwight Bell of the U.S. was also confirmed for a third time as Secretary General and fellow American Ashley Walden was elected as a member of the FIL Executive Board.

American Claire DelNegro retired as the FIL Vice President for artificial track competitions and was recognized for her 28 years of service to the federation as an Honorary Member and presented with the FIL Diamond Medal of Honor.

DelNegro’s remarkable career in the Olympic Movement began as the Assistant Director of Housing for the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Games organizing committee, and she was the Director of Sliding Sports for the 2002 Salt Lake City organizing committee and served as head of USA Bobsled & Skeleton from 2003-05 and acting chief executive for the U.S. Luge Association in 2013.

She competed in Luge at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo for Great Britain.

A federation decision on the admission of Russian sliders was postponed to September.

● Speed Skating ● US Speedskating announced Keith Bryant as its new chief executive as of 1 August, replacing Ted Morris, who held the position for 13 years.

Bryant worked with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee from 2005 to 2013 primarily in athlete services positions, and was the chief executive of USA Judo from August 2016 to May of 2025.

● Tennis ● American icon Serena Williams returned to competitive tennis for the first time since 2022, pairing with Victoria Mboko (CAN) to win their opening women’s Doubles match at the Queen’s Club Championships in London (GBR).

They defeated third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Erin Routliffe (NZL), 7-6 (2), 6-2. Williams and Mboko advanced to the quarterfinals vs. Leylah Fernandez (CAN) and Laura Siegemund (GER) on Thursday.

Williams said she will play at the Berlin Open next week, again in Doubles.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Former U.S. star sprinter Allison and Jamaican hurdler Thomas follow Steiner in suing Puma for injuries

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 9, 2026

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≡ PUMA SUED AGAIN ≡

“This is a product liability action seeking recovery for substantial personal injuries and damages suffered by Plaintiff after Plaintiff was seriously injured by products designed, engineered, tested, developed, manufactured, advertised, marketed, promoted, imported, sold and distributed by Defendants.”

Following up on an April complaint filed by U.S. sprint star Abby Steiner against Puma and its design collaborator Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd., two more suits using identical language were filed Tuesday by the same counsel, in Massachusetts Superior Court in Middlesex County, on behalf of Champ Allison and Damion Thomas Jr.

● Allison (USA) was a star at Florida, finishing second at the NCAA Championships, second at the USA Track & Field Nationals in a lifetime best 43.70 and then fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in 44.77. He won a gold medal on the men’s 4×400 m relay.

Since that stellar 2022 season, his yearly bests have receded, to 46.39 in 2023, 45.49 in 2024 and 46.15 in 2025. He has not raced in 2026.

● Thomas (JAM) was a high hurdler at LSU and won the 2021 NCAA Indoor 60 m title, after winning the World Athletics U-20 Championships gold for Jamaica in 2018. In that 2021 season, he ran a lifetime best of 13.11, was the runner-up at the Jamaican nationals and was on the Tokyo Olympic team, reaching the semifinals.

He ran just 13.30 in 2022, 13.40 in 2023 and 13.64 in 2024, the last year he raced.

Both complaints made identical allegations against the defendants:

● “Relying upon representations and warranties made by the PUMA DEFENDANTS and MERCEDES-BENZ GRAND PRIX LTD., including those set forth herein and others, Plaintiff decided to wear the PUMA SHOES for training and in competitions with the reasonable expectation that they were properly designed, developed, tested, manufactured, marketed, promoted, advertised, sold and distributed free from defects of any kind, and that they were safe for their intended, foreseeable use during training and competitions.

● “Despite this and in disregard of their obligations, the PUMA DEFENDANTS and MERCEDES-BENZ GRAND PRIX LTD. were aware that the PUMA SHOES had defects that made them unsafe, unreasonably dangerous, defective and capable of causing injury and harm to consumers during ordinary, anticipated and foreseeable uses.

● “As a direct and proximate cause of his use of the PUMA SHOES for training and in competitions, Plaintiff developed severe and permanent injuries resulting in impairment, surgery, rehabilitation and recovery.”

In Allison’s case, the succeeding paragraph read:

“As a direct and proximate cause of the severe and permanent injuries the PUMA SHOES caused Plaintiff, he is unable to run or compete at or even near the same level he was prior to sustaining the injuries.”

For Thomas:

“As a direct and proximate cause of the severe and permanent injuries the PUMA SHOES caused Plaintiff, he is unable to run competitively, including at the professional and Olympic level.”

The complaints allege negligent design, negligent manufacture, failure to warn users, general negligence, breach of warranty, and asks for a jury trial and damages to be proven at trial.

In the Steiner suit, Puma told Front Office Sports, “Puma is aware that a case has been filed. Unfortunately, we cannot comment on active litigation. However, we strongly deny any allegation that our performance products cause injuries” and pointed to other athletes who have succeeded with their footwear, such as world-record holders Mondo Duplantis (SWE: vault) and Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR: high jump).

The Steiner case was filed on 24 April and an answer from the defendants is due by 24 August. The Allison case (2681CV01528) has a reply due on 7 October and Thomas’ case (2681CV01525) has its answer due on the same date.

¶

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LOS ANGELES 2028: LA28 Olympic cycling road events to end at iconic Griffith Park, including the famed Observatory

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 9, 2026

tsx pix 2026-609 griffith park observatory (la city) — The iconic Art Deco Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park (Photo: City of Los Angeles).

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≡ LA28 IN GRIFFITH PARK ≡

One of the icons of Los Angeles is Griffith Park, a giant 3,015-acre gift of mining magnate Griffith J. Griffith and his wife in 1896.

Now it will be a featured venue of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the LA28 organizers announced Tuesday that the cycling road races will all finish there:

● Olympic road races: Start at Venice Beach and finish at the Griffith Park Observatory

● Olympic Time Trials: Start at the Los Angeles Zoo – inside Griffith Park – and finish at the Observatory.

● Paralympic road races (road races, time trials, mixed relay): Start and finish at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Larger than both New York’s Central Park and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, much of Griffith Park has remained undeveloped. But it includes a number of L.A.-area icons:

● Griffith Observatory: Griffith himself had the idea for this facility and helped to fund it before his death in 1919. It was opened in 1935 and has been a magnet for attention ever since thanks to its scientific standing and its historic Art Deco design.

● Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens: The third zoo in the park’s history, replacing the Griffith Park Zoo (opened 1912) in 1966, on land originally used for the Griffith Park Aerodrome!

Within the park’s perimeter are also the L.A.-area icon ”Hollywood” sign erected in 1923 on Mt. Lee as an advertisement for a land development, the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, the Greek Theater, Travel Town Museum, golf courses and many hiking trails and other features.

While Griffith Park itself will be a fascinating venue for the cyclists, it will be a dream-come-true for Olympic broadcasters, with unlimited picturesque sites to choose from. The actual race routes are still to be announced.

¶

LA28 also announced the finish for the Paralympic Games marathon course, with the start previously confirmed for Venice Beach, also to be used for the Olympic marathons. For 2028, the Paralympic marathon route will finish in front of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The route is also to be announced later.

The Olympic marathons are to start at Venice Beach, but the finish area has not be announced (or the route). Traditionally, the marathons have finished in the track & field stadium, but this has not been the case since the 2008 Beijing Games. Since then, the marathons have finished at The Mall in central London in 2012; the Sambodromo in Rio (2016) and at Les Invalides in Paris in 2024. Trying to avoid the heat, the Tokyo 2020 marathons were moved to Sapporo.

For 2028, the track and field competitions will be held during the first week of the Olympic Games and finish on 24; the marathons will be run on 29-30 July.

Still to be confirmed are the route for the half marathon race walks, to be held on 27 July.

¶

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SKI & SNOWBOARD: Britain’s Gosling pulls out of FIS Presidential election, so incumbent Eliasch faces Liechtenstein’s Ospelt at FIS Congress on Thursday

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 9, 2026

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≡ FIS ELECTIONS ≡

The International Ski & Snowboard Federation will held 57th Congress in Belgrade (SRB) on Thursday, with elections for President and the FIS Council, and plenty of drama.

The incumbent is billionaire Johan Eliasch, born in Sweden, a British citizen who ran to be the President of the International Olympic Committee in 2025. He is running for a second full term and where he had support from most of the major skiing nations in 2021, many are opposed to him now:

● On 5 May, a joint letter from Austria, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. urged the other 134 national federations NOT to vote for Eliasch, citing access to information, a lack of engagement with the FIS leadership, and money:

“FIS is in a very serious financial situation which has deteriorated significantly over the past five years. Cash reserves have declined substantially, annual operating costs have increased significantly, and revenues have not developed as anticipated. Despite recent presentations and appeasements.”

● There were four candidates who filed to run against Eliasch: FIS Council members Alex Ospelt (LIE), Anna Harboe Falkenberg (DEN) and Dexter Paine (USA), and GB Snowsport chief executive Victoria Gosling (GBR).

● On 26 May, Falkenberg and Paine withdrew, leaving Gosling and Ospelt to contest Eliasch.

● On Friday (5th), FIS announced that its chief executive, Urs Lehmann (SUI), who finished second to Eliasch in the 2021 election and had joined the FIS headquarters with a view to better ties with the federation in August 2025, has left.

A report in Swiss media noted Lehmann’s concerns over FIS’ finances and a deteriorating working situation within the FIS office.

● On Monday, Gosling withdrew from the Presidential race and will stand only for the FIS Council, stating in a letter to other federations seen by The Sports Examiner:

“What has become increasingly clear, however, is that FIS stands at a point where unity matters above all else. Our athletes, National Ski Associations, partners and fans expect a federation that is confident, cohesive and focused on the future. At a time when our collective strength will determine our success, I believe the most valuable contribution I can make is one that helps bring people together and reinforces our shared purpose.”

Said an insider on Gosling’s withdrawal, speaking on the condition of anonymity: “This was anticipated. Previously, Dexter and Anna strategically departed. This leaves Alex Ospelt from Liechtenstein to go up against Johan. Alex will have strong support from most major nations, with the possible exceptions of France, Italy, and Australia.”

So now Ospelt, 58, faces off against Eliasch, 64, who was nominated by the Georgian federation after the Swedish and British federations preferred someone else.

Ospelt’s campaign document aims squarely at the issues that have come to the fore over Eliasch:

“I am standing as a candidate for the presidency of FIS to build bridges: with small and large associations, with athletes, with the industry, sponsors, media and fans. The FIS, as I envision it, is open and transparent, fostering connections and balancing the many stakeholder interests across our wonderful sports.

“I come from a small skiing nation and act independently of the agendas of the larger federations or alliances formed to advance particular interests. My lifelong passion for winter sports and my extensive experience in international relations and in dialogue between differing interests will enable me to unite FIS and lead it towards greater prosperity. Only a united FIS can remain a credible representative of our sports’ interests, both within and beyond the organisation.”

A lawyer by trade, Ospelt was head of the Liechtenstein ski federation from 2016-23 and a FIS Council member since 2024. His brochure notes his ideas for the future also include expansions where possible:

“To secure the growth of snow sports, FIS must continuously create new offerings to remain relevant to emerging target audiences and to inspire and retain its fans. Openness to new sports and disciplines is just as important as the ongoing development of what already exists, in order to provide competition formats that are attractive to athletes, fans, and the media.”

He also took aim at the concerns of those federations who have worried about a perceived concentration of authority in the FIS office:

“Our statutes do not provide for a centrally controlled organisation or central governing body. The FIS I envision connects snow sports across the globe, listens to its stakeholders, and aligns its actions with their needs.”

Eliasch has centralized media rights within the control of the FIS office, and a 2028 “FIS Games” with all of the disciplines included, as a massive celebration of snow sports. He stated the case for his re-election in a lavishly-illustrated, 42-page brochure, stating:

“The transformation we began in 2021 is real. It is working. It is gaining momentum. But it is only the beginning.

“The foundations are strong, the direction is clear, and the opportunity ahead is even greater. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together. Because every step forward has been a collective effort. And yet, I am running again for a simple reason: we are not finished.”

On Thursday, it will be up to the voters.

¶

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PANORAMA: Lehmann exits as FIS CEO as elections come Thursday; activist org Global Athlete asks $25,000 Olympic athlete payment

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 8, 2026

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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Skiing ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) confirmed that Urs Lehmann (SUI) has left as chief executive, less than a year after moving to FIS in August 2015, from his role as the head of the Swiss skiing federation.

This comes in advance of Thursday’s FIS Congress elections in Belgrade (SRB), where incumbent President Johan Eliasch, declared as a candidate from Georgia, is being challenged by GB Snowsport chief executive Victoria Gosling and FIS Council member Alexander Ospelt (LIE).

FIS Council members Dexter Paine of the U.S. and Anna Harboe Falkenburg (DEN) withdrew as Presidential candidates on 26 May. A 5 May 2026 joint letter from the federations of Austria, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. urged delegates to vote for anyone but Eliasch.

Lehmann ran against Eliasch, then a British candidate, in the 2021 FIS elections and received the second-highest vote total of 29, with Eliasch at 65. It was reported that Lehmann decided to leave FIS over the organization’s finances and the direction that Eliasch prefers.

It had been hoped that Lehmann’s appointment as chief executive would create a calmer attitude within FIS between the large federations which have opposed Eliasch and the FIS leadership, but this appears to have ended with impactful timing so close to the FIS Congress.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games ● The athlete activist organization Global Athlete published a proposal on Sunday to pay athletes participating in the Olympic Games an honorarium of $25,000 and asks to eliminate regulations related to athlete communications in Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter.

The proposal is an interesting move away from the drumbeat of stars for prize money for the Games to a broad-based approach. This is only an interim approach for Global Athlete, which has demanded “a collective bargaining agreement that includes fair revenue sharing and athlete representation.”

Observed: The Sports Examiner has suggested this approach starting back in July 2025, and expanded on it last week. However, Global Athlete does not mention the root of the problem for many financially-challenged athletes: their sports are commercially irrelevant and the only event they are involved in that makes serious money is the once-in-four-years Olympic Games.

● Football ● A FIFA World Cup 2026 referee from Somalia has been denied entry into the U.S., with U.S. Customs and Border Protection stating Monday:

“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility.

“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”

The Associated Press identified the traveler as Omar Artan, the only Somali official involved in the tournament.

¶

Former French soccer star Michel Platini, the former elected head of UEFA from 2007-16, filed a complaint in France against current FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI), his former Secretary General at UEFA.

The filing is against a total of six Swiss football and legal officials over claims of false accusations that kept him from being elected FIFA President. A suit against FIFA is also expected.

Platini resigned amid accusations of fraud regarding payments from FIFA during the time Sepp Blatter (SUI) was President, and was twice acquitted in Swiss courts.

● Ice Hockey ● The International Ice Hockey Federation announced the preliminary-round groups for the 16-team 2027 men’s World Championship in Germany, with 2026 finalists Finland and Switzerland in Group A and the U.S. and Canada in Group B.

Not listed is Russia, which the IIHF is now determining eligibility on an “event-by-event” basis after its Disciplinary Tribunal threw out the federation’s blanket ban on Russian participation.

● Swimming ● World-leading performances at the Australian Trials for the Commonwealth Games and Pan-Pacific Championships, with distance ace Sam Short winning the men’s 400 m Freestyle in 3:40.67, a lifetime best by 0.01 and the 10th performance all-time. He remains the no. 5 performer in history.

Double-double Olympic Backstroke champ Kaylee McKeown lowered her own world-leading time in the women’s 50 m Back at 27.13, ahead of teammate Mollie O’Callaghan (27.19, world no. 2).

¶

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FOOTBALL: April poll shows 33% of Americans will follow FIFA World Cup; ticket data shows 54 of 104 matches all sold or very close

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 8, 2026

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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 ≡

An April poll released last week showed 33% of Americans are interested in the FIFA World Cup and plan to watch highlights or full games, read about the tournament or attend matches in person.

The Sharkey Institute of the Seton Hall Stillman School of Business sports poll of 1,601 adults from 2-9 April reported further than 40% do not intend to follow the tournament and 27% did not know or had no opinion. The results are an increase from the same question posted before the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where 27% of Americans said they were interested. The good news was that 50% of those polled in the ages 18-34 said they would be following the 2026 event.

Interestingly, the poll showed a drop in interest in the U.S. over time, with 38% excited to follow it in April 2025, but down to 31% in October 2025 and 27% now. Seton Hall Associate Marketing Professor Daniel Ladik, who oversees the poll, said:

“The closer this FIFA World Cup gets, the worse it looks to American fans. Even the most avid World Cup fan is separating their support for their favorite national team from the unusually high costs and difficult logistics related to getting to some of the venues.

“It is clear that FIFA views the three-nation North American World Cup as a rare opportunity to maximize revenue generation for its programs. One wonders whether their strategy in implementing the process matches any of the 48 contestant teams’ preparation for the World Cup itself.”

The polling showed 59% of Americans said they were sports fans, with 30% of Americans saying they have interest in soccer.

A parallel poll in March concerning the World Baseball Classic showed 35% of Americans interested and the tournament had its best ratings in the U.S. ever. A February poll showed 64% of Americans were interested in the Olympic Winter Games in Italy, which also drew enormous ratings for NBC, averaging at least 23.5 million viewers across its afternoon and primetime windows daily.

¶

After a significant removal of unsold tickets from FIFA’s official sales site(s) on or about 30 May – which has led to reports of a movement of thousands of tickets on unofficial resale sites – TicketData.com tracking on Monday showed perhaps 18,000 tickets remaining for sale by FIFA itself.

A total of 34 matches showed little or no ticket availability on the FIFA sale and resales sites, and 22 more with less than 100 available.

Of the remaining 50 matches, the highest “get-in” prices were for:

● $2,383: 14 July semifinal in Arlington, Texas
● $1,300: 05 July round-of-16 match in East Rutherford, New jersey
● $928: 06 July for round-of-16 match in Seattle, Washington
● $927: 07 July for round-of-16 in match in Atlanta, Georgia
● $910: 06 July for round-of-16 match in Arlington, Texas

The least-expensive match was the 24 June in Seattle for Qatar vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina at $216. Nine other group-stage matches had tickets listed for under $300, most with a few hundred tickets left.

¶

FIFA posted a list of official “FIFA Fan Festival” sites in 13 of the 16 host cities, including the three Mexican host cities, the two Canadian hosts and eight of the 11 U.S. hosts, excluding official events in New York-New Jersey, Santa Clara and Seattle, which will have smaller events.

The fan festival concept goes back to public viewing sites during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and FIFA formalized the program at 12 sites for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The size and duration of the 2026 fan events varies by city, with some open during the entire tournament and many in the U.S. for shorter periods.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Lutkenhaus thrilled with first Diamond League win in Stockholm; Duplantis sorry to lose, but is “lucky in love” instead

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 8, 2026

tsx pix 2026-607 dl stockholm bednarek, kenny (DLAG) — American sprint star Kenny Bednarek on the way to his 2026 Diamond League 200 m win in Stockholm (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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≡ SAID IN STOCKHOLM ≡

“I feel great.”

That’s from 17-year-old American star Cooper Lutkenhaus, who won the Stockholm Diamond League men’s 800 m in a fast 1:42.70, beating Canada’s 2023 World Champion Marco Arop. The teen said afterwards:

“It was my first 800 m race of the season, so to come away with the victory with athletes like that in the race I am really happy. The race went exactly to plan, I put myself in a good position with 200 m to go, having slowly moved up in the field.

“I focused on myself throughout the race and did not worry too much about anyone else. Time wise, I am pleased but mostly I just wanted the win today and now I need to recover quickly for Oslo on Wednesday.”

Arop was impressed, saying, “It was my first race against Cooper; I was excited about it, and he showed how strong he is today. He is going to be a special talent.”

Kenny Bednarek won his second straight Diamond League 200 in 19.87, but the run was not without some drama:

“I came for the win and took the win, so I am happy with that but maybe some parts of the race I can definitely work on. The false start was a bit disconcerting, but I can deal with this and we prepare for these things, so it is fine.

“I have plenty to work on now as I go back to the U.S. for a month now before more Diamond Leagues and the Ultimate Champs. Overall, a good day at the office, but plenty more to do.”

Paris Olympic 1,500 m bronze winner Yared Nuguse was similar happy with his 3:30.11 in the final meters:

“I wanted first place today and I wanted to run fast but the wind unfortunately was too bad on the back straight. I waited and bided my time, and trusted I had another gear in the final meters.

“After running well in Rabat, it’s great to put in another good performance, it shows I’ve recovered well. I’m enjoying it this so-called free year with no major champs, as it’s exciting to really go for the faster times now.

“Oslo is next and I’m looking forward to running the mile. 2026 is all about me getting my reputation back and showing everyone and proving to myself that I’m still a threat.”

Not everyone was happy. American record holder Chase Jackson was second in the women’s shot at 19.91 m (65-4) and explained:

“I’m pretty upset and really disappointed to be honest, I’ve been throwing much further in training all year really but it’s just not clicking right for me at the moment for one reason or another. The body isn’t responding well at all to the different time zones, it’s killing me right now.

“I threw a season’s best in Turku [FIN] the other day [20.66 m/67-9 1/2] and now, I’ll re-focus on Oslo next week. I really hope I can hit it right over there, I need to.”

¶

For the Stockholm fans, the meet had a major disappointment with hometown world-record vaulter Mondo Duplantis losing for the first time after 40 wins in a row over three years. But he was philosophical:

“I felt a bit unfocused today and I really did not want to lose here in front of my family and fans. I have not lost in what, three years? But hats off to Kurtis today who beat me fair and square, and I have no excuses.

“I am not angry and I will continue enjoying my time here in Stockholm with my family. I am also getting married soon, so unlucky in sports, lucky in love, if that’s a saying?”

Duplantis legally wed Desire Inglander on 7 March but the formal ceremonies will be in Cannes (FRA). Australia’s Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.90 m (19-4 1/4) to 5.80 m (19-0 1/4) for Duplantis for the epic victory. He was more than gracious in victory:

“I did not mean to spoil the show but I am so delighted with the win. It has taken a long while to get my first Diamond League victory and I really thought it would never come with Mondo here.

“This stadium is fantastic and the crowd were amazing despite their support for Mondo. We know he will be back as he won´t like being beaten but he told me he was chuffed [pleased] it was me!

“I will build on this. I wanted to go higher today but the wind was tough at times. At 5.90, I think I got lucky with the wind out there. I shall go to Oslo now but the conditions there do not look promising just now so we will see. Track and field would not be where it is without Mondo so we are so lucky to have him in our sport.”

The Diamond League moves on to the Bislett Games in Oslo on Wednesday (10th).

¶

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PANORAMA: FIFA reported dumping slow-selling World Cup tix on outside sale sites; Simone Biles almost died? U.S. women win 3×3 World Cup!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 7, 2026

tsx pix 2024-730 biles, simone (panam sports) II' — The amazing, incomparable Simone Biles (Photo: Panam Sports)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Athletics ● The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Friday that Marvin Bracy-Williams, 32, the 2022 Worlds men’s 100 m silver medalist, has been banned for 12 years for a third doping violation, in this case three “whereabouts” failures over a 12-month period.

The last failure was on 1 April 2026 and on 5 June, “Bracy-Williams notified USADA of his intent to retire.” He was already serving a 45-month suspension from 5 February 2024 for a positive test and tampering with the process.

This is likely the end of Bracy-Williams’ career in World Athletics competitions; he has a best of 9.85 from 2021. He competed in the Enhanced Games in May, running 10.39 in the 100 m.

¶

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association induction ceremony for 12 stars to the Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Hall of Fame was at a Sunday ceremony at the University of Oregon. The inductees are one of the most impressive groups ever:

“The Class of 2026 includes Arkansas State’s Earl Bell, San Jose State’s John Carlos, UCLA’s Gail Devers, Virginia’s Paul Ereng, UCLA’s John Godina, Houston’s Carol Lewis, Southern California’s Earl McCollouch, Villanova’s Dave Patrick, Florida’s Candice Scott, LSU’s Dawn Sowell, Tennessee’s Delisa Walton, and Oregon’s Leann Warren.”

These stars won 44 national collegiate titles, set 37 collegiate records, won five Olympic and/or World Championships medals, and set seven world records while in college, and Carlos, especially has become an icon of the sport.

● Cycling ● The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale amended its regulations concerning Belarusian and Russian athletes in line with the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations. Restrictions on Belarusians were lifted altogether.

Russian junior riders are not required to apply to be “neutral” athletes, but must still meet neutrality standards and compete without national symbols, flag or anthem. Russian teams are now allowed to compete as “neutrals.”

● Football ● Newsweek reported that as many as 14,000 tickets to unattractive FIFA World Cup 2026 matches were dumped onto resale sites not affiliated with the federation:

“Reports emerged that there had been an increase in tickets at lower prices across resale platforms like SeatGeek and StubHub, with some speculating that this was a deliberate strategy by the organization to clear unsold inventory for lower-demand games, and to avoid compensation claims from fans who had previously bought tickets from FIFA at face value.

“According to analysis by a source familiar with the figures who spoke to Newsweek, the number of tickets which disappeared in late May closely matches the volume that has since appeared on resale marketplaces, indicating that they were transferred in bulk from FIFA’s official ticketing system.

“The transfer does not confirm that this was an official strategy by FIFA to influence demand or pricing.”

¶

FIFA amended its policy on water bottles on Friday after changing its rules on Wednesday to not allow “empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles” of one-liter capacity to be brought into World Cup stadiums. Now:

“All fans will be permitted to bring in one, soft, plastic, 20 ounces (590ml), factory sealed disposable water bottle into any FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the USA and Canada.

“As FIFA World Cup 2026 Chief Operating Officer, Heimo Schirgi [AUT], explains, fans will not be permitted to bring in hard sided, reusable water bottles due to safety and security reasons.”

FIFA has not confirmed that water refill stations will be available at the stadiums.

¶

It was reported that the U.S. Department of State has refused visas to some members of the Iranian football squad coaching staff and that the Iranian team must enter the U.S. for its matches on the date of the match only and depart within 24 hours. A total of 12 officials were said to have been refused visas.

Iran will play two group-stage matches in Inglewood, California and one in Seattle, Washington; its training base is in Tijuana, Mexico.

¶

The Unite Here 11 labor union voted to strike against SoFi Stadium concessionaire Legends Global, demanding higher wages and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff will not be involved at the matches.

Discussions are expected to continue on Monday.

● Gymnastics ● American icon Simone Biles wrote on her Instagram page on Saturday (6th):

“I’m not one to normally share things like this because I value privacy in today’s age.

“[B]ut almost dying wasn’t on my bingo card earlier this week.”

She did not specify the nature of the danger but called it “one of, if not the scariest experience of my life,” but said she is resting now.

● Swimming ● Australian sprint ace Bronte Campbell, the 2015 World Champion in the women’s 50 m and 100 m Freestyle, announced her retirement at 32. She competed in four Olympic Games in 2012-16-20-24, winning three golds in the women’s 4×100 m Free and a bronze in the Tokyo 2020 4×100 m Medley relay, usually teaming with older sister Cate Campbell, the 2013 World women’s 100 m Free gold medalist and a four-time Olympic relay gold winner, who retired in 2024.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Archery ● The annual USA Archery Field National Championships were held in Yankton, South Dakota, with Olympic star Brady Ellison winning the men’s Recurve title and ready to defend his 2024 World Archery Field gold – his third – in September. He scored 748 points to win over Matthew Nofel (648).

Olympic medalist Casey Kaufhold won the women’s title at 674 points, ahead of Alexandria Zuleta-Visser (636). In the Compound division, James Lutz won the men’s event (805) and Paige Pearce was the women’s champion (808).

In the World Championships Team Trials round, Ellison won over Nofel by 59-58 and Kaufhold out-shot Nicole Rasor, 62-55. The men’s Compound final was a 69-all tie between Eli Hughes and Gaius Carter, and Pearce won the women’s Trials, 70-68, over Cassidy Cox.

● Athletics ● Ahmed Muhumed won his third national road title at the USA Track & Field 4-Mile Championships in Peoria, Illinois, breaking away from a pack of 10 after three miles and scored a 17:57 to 18:00 win over Reid Buchanan. Graydon Morris was third in 18:05.

The women’s title went to first-time national champion Kasandra Parker, who broke away in the second mile, had a 16-second lead on Allie Ostrander after three miles and won by 20:16 to 20:23 over Rachel Rudel. Ostrander was third in 20:24.

● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Indonesia Open in Jakarta, rising Canadian star Victor Lai, 21, got his first World Tour title, defeating home favorite Jonatan Christie (INA), 21-19, 21-8.

Olympic champion Se Young An (KOR) won her 38th career World Tour gold over three-time World Champion Akane Yamaguchi (JPN), 23-21, 21-12.

Malaysia won the men’s Doubles; Japan won in women’s Doubles and Denmark won in Mixed Doubles.

● Basketball ● The U.S. women won their fourth FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Warsaw (POL), with the team of Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Mikaylah Williams and Sahara Williams finished 7-0 and edged Australia, 21-20, in the final on a Mikaylah Williams two-pointer as time expired!

The American women had won previously in 2012, 2014 and 2023. Netherlands won the bronze over Azerbaijan, 21-14.

The men’s tournament went to Latvia, a 20-15 winner over Germany. The Latvians lost to the U.S. in group play, but got past New Zealand, Lithuania and Serbia to get to the final. The Serbians won the bronze, 20-19, against France. The U.S. – Henry Caruso, Mitch Hahn, James Parrott, Dylan Travis – was ousted by the French in the quarterfinals, 14-11. It was the first title for the Latvians.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Triple Olympic gold medalist Jessica Fox (AUS) returned to the winner’s circle in a big way at the ICF Slalom World Cup in Prague (CZE). Completing her comeback from kidney tumor surgery in 2025, she won the K-1 women’s final in 108.84 seconds (0 penalties) over Poland’s 2025 World K-1 Champion Klaudia Zwolinska (111.30/0), then took the C-1 gold in 121.01 (4) in front of Martina Satkova (CZE: 121.28/0) and Paris 2024 K-1 bronzer Kimberley Woods (GBR: 123.02/6).

The two victories give Fox a career total – at 31 – 57 career ICF World Cup wins. France’s Worlds silver winner Camille Prigent took the women’s Kayak Cross win, over Zwolinska, with American two-time World Junior champ Evy Leibfarth fourth.

The men’s races saw Czech home favorite – and 2025 Worlds runner-up – Jakub Krejci win the K-1 at 98.10 (0), ahead of Britain’s 2016 Olympic champ Joseph Clarke (99.87/2). World Champion Nicolas Gestin (FRA) took the C-1 final in 107.84 (4) with Marko Mirgorodsky (SVK: 108.64/2) in second. Krejci came back on Sunday to win the men’s Kayak Cross in a 1-2 Czech finish with Vit Prindis, the 2022 World K-1 champ.

● Cycling ● At the 37th women’s Giro d’Italia, Italian sprinter Elisa Balsamo won the first three stages, but Dutch veteran Anna van der Breggen– a four-time winner of this race – won the fourth-stage Individual Time Trial and took the race lead. Dutch star Demi Vollering won the fifth and eighth stages and Balsamo took the sixth. But van der Breggen stayed close – second in stage 5 and fourth in the eighth – and entered the final day with a 49-second lead on Vollering.

Sunday’s 145 km route in and around Saluzzo had a major early climb but finished downhill. Vollering and van der Breggen were caught two minutes down after the climb, but Vollering worked her way back to the three leaders and was fourth, just three seconds back of stage winner – and two-time defending champ – Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA: 3:45:09).

Van der Breggen was sixth, but 2:23 behind the leader, so Vollering won the overall title at 29:54:19 with German Antonia Niedermaier passing van der Breggen for second, +0:30 to +1:37. Longo Borghini moved up to fourth (+2:44).

¶

The UCI BMX World Cup series opened in Sarrians (FRA), with Dutch rider Jaymio Brink winning the first men’s race in 31.707, just ahead of five-time Pan Am champ Diego Arboleda (COL: 31.745), Sylvain Andre (FRA: 32.111) and American Cameron Wood, the 2022 seasonal runner-up. Arboleda won on Sunday in 31.310, beating Eddy Clerte (FRA: 31.563) and Wood (31.671).

Canada’s 2023 Pan Am silver medalist Molly Simpson took the first women’s race in 34.363 over Malene Kejlstrup (DEN: 34.471) and Paris Olympic champ Saya Sakakibara (AUS: 34.677). Sakakibara came back to win on Sunday, 33.770 to 34.607 for Simpson.

● Gymnastics ● At the Pan American Rhythmic Championships in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), home favorite Barbara Domingos, the 2023 All-Around winner, took home a second title, scoring 111.700 points to top Americans Megan Chu (110.350) and Natalie de la Rosa (109.900).

On Hoop, Geovanna Santos (BRA: 28.950) won over Domingos (28.600) with Cho and de la Rosa 3-4. Chu won the Ball final, scoring 27.500; Domingos won on Clubs (29.000) with Chu third, and Santos and Chu were 1-2 on Ribbon, 28.400 to 28.350.

Brazil won a close team title battle over the U.S., 220.400 to 220.250.

● Rugby Sevens ● The third and final stage of the HSBC Sevens Series World Championships was in Bordeaux (FRA), with the U.S., New Zealand and Australia all perfect in pool play at 3-0.

On Sunday, Australia got past the Americans, 21-7, in their semi and the Aussies won the final, 26-19 over New Zealand, The U.S. lost to Canada, 21-19, in the bronze-medal match. Australia edged New Zealand for the overall seasonal title, 58-54, with Canada third (44) and the U.S. in fourth (also 44).

The men’s pools had Fiji, the U.S. and New Zealand as the 3-0 pool winners. But in the final were France and the Kiwis, with the French winning a defensive battle, 14-5. Spain romped past South Africa, 40-14, for the bronze. The Americans ended up fifth, beating Fiji.

All together, South Africa won the seasonal title across the three-stage finals, with 52 total points to 44 for New Zealand and 42 for Spain. The U.S. was eighth with 17.

● Sport Climbing ● Japanese World Champion Sorato Anrako continued his dominance at the World Climbing Series in Prague (CZE), scoring his fourth win in a row in the men’s Boulder final at 55.0, just ahead of two-time Worlds boulder medalist Do-hyun Lee (KOR: 54.8) and France’s two-time Worlds silver winner Mejdi Schalck (54.7).

Indonesia’s Putra Tri Ramadani won the Lead final, 43-39, over Neo Suzuki (JPN) with Austria’s four-time World Champion Jakob Schubert third (37).

The women’s Boulder final saw American Annie Sanders with the gold, scoring 84.3 to edge Britain’s Erin McNeice (84.1). It’s the fifth career World Cup title for Sanders.

In Lead, Sanders won again, scoring 37 in the final against 35 for 2021 World Champion Chae-hyun Seo (KOR) and 31+ for Zelia Avezou (FRA).

● Taekwondo ● Brazil and Russia scored two wins each at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Rome (ITA), which celebrated a popular victory by home favorite – and Tokyo 2020 men’s 58 kg gold medalist – Vito Dell’Aquila.

Brazilian wins came from 2025 World Champion Henrique Marques Fernandes in the men’s 80 kg final and from World Champion Maria Pacheco in the women’s 57 kg class. Russia’s Rafail Aiukaev won the men’s +80 kg class and Alisa Angelova won the women’s 49 kg final.

Turkey’s Berkay Erer won the men’s 68 kg final and 2024 Olympic champ Viviana Marton (HUN) was supreme in the women’s 58 kg category. Worlds silver medalist Kimi Ossin (CIV) took the win in the women’s +67 kg final.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Stunning 800 m wins for Lutkenhaus (1:42.70) and Werro (1:53.98) at Stockholm Diamond League, as Duplantis’ win-streak ends!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 7, 2026

tsx pix 2026-607 dl stockholm lutkenhaus, cooper (DLAG) — American Cooper Lutkenhaus with a win at the 2026 Stockholm Diamond League 800 m (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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≡ STOCKHOLM DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡

The meet now known as the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm (SWE) started in 1967, but the anticipation was never greater than when hometown hero Mondo Duplantis is on the vault runaway, possibly looking for another world record on a cool and cloudy afternoon.

He set a world record here in 2025 (6.28 m/20-7 1/4), but he actually missed his opening jump at 5.60 m (18-4 1/2), then cleared on his second try. He jumped into the lead at 5.80 m (19-0 1/4), with four others also clearing, and the bar moved to 5.90 m (19-4 1/4). Duplantis passed and only Australia’s two-time Worlds bronzer Kurtis Marschall could clear – on his third try – and moved into the lead.

At 6.00 (19-8 1/4), Duplantis missed twice, to the dismay of the crowd and then passed to 6.05 m (19-10 1/4). There, he missed and had to settle for second, ending a streak of 40 straight wins, dating back to 2023! Marschall was the unexpected winner, after missing twice at 6.05 and then retiring to celebrate his miracle victory.

U.S. indoor champion Zach Bradford was fifth at 5.80 m; two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S. cleared 5.60 m and finished eighth.

Beyond the vault, the meet featured two sensational, world-leading runs in the 800 m:

● Men/800 m: 1:42.70, Cooper Lutkenhaus (USA)
● Women/800 m: 1:53.98, Audrey Werro (SUI)

U.S. wunderkind Lutkenhaus – the World Indoor champ at 17 – was in a star-studded 800 m and was third beyond Canada’s 2023 World Champion Marco Arop at the bell and then moved up to second with 300 m left. Arop stayed in the lead and was in front into the straight, but Lutkenhaus had more in reserve and flew by to win in 1:42.70, fastest in the world outdoors this season, to 1:43.11 for Arop. It’s Lutkenhaus’ second-fastest 800 ever and the no. 6 performance all-time among juniors. Algeria’s Slimane Moula got third (1:43.41) and American Bryce Hoppel was eighth in 1:44.66.

The women’s 800 m had Olympic champ Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) and Rabat Diamond League winner – and world leader – Werro (SUI) facing off and they both knew who to focus on. They settled in behind the pacer, and then Werro took over with 300 m to go. Hodgkinson grabbed the lead into the turn and had the edge coming into the straight, but Werro shot past and won in a sensational 1:53.98, the fastest time since 1983!

It’s the no. 3 performance all-time and Hodgkinson was second in 1:54.33, the no. 6 performer and sixth-fastest performance in history! American Roisin Willis got a lifetime best with a charge down the straight to grab third in 1:57.56, ahead of Anais Bourgoin (FRA: 1:57.68). Fellow Americans Raevyn Rogers (1:57.94) and Sage Hurta-Klecker (1:58.26) finished 7-8.

The U.S. enjoyed four more wins on Sunday:

● Two false starts delayed the men’s 200 m, but it didn’t bother two-time Olympic silver winner Kenny Bednarek of the U.S. He and countryman Courtney Lindsey were out best, with Bednarek slightly in the lead in lane seven off the turn. He was best on the straight and won in 19.87 (wind: +1.0 m/s), to follow up on his 19.69 win in Rabat. Lindsey was passed in the final 30 m by Senisipho Dambile (RSA), 20.10 to 20.24.

● The men’s 1,500 m turned into a showdown between world leader Cam Myers (AUS) and Paris Olympic bronzer Yared Nuguse of the U.S., the Rabat winner. Myers had the lead at 1,000 m and into the final straight, but Nuguse charged past in the final meters and got to the line first in 3:30.11, to 3:30.32 for Myers and 3:30.67 for 2019 World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN). American Vince Ciattei charged down the straight to get fourth in 3:31.63; Hobbs Kessler fell back to sixth (3:31.76).

It’s Nuguse’s sixth-fastest 1,500 m ever.

● World women’s 100 m champ Melissa Jefferson-Wooden was second to Julien Alfred (LCA) in Rome at 200 m, but was fast out of the blocks in the women’s 100 m and stormed to a stirring win in 10.84 (+0.8 m/s) in her first 100 of the season. Britain’s Amy Hunt got a lifetime best of 10.97 in second and Patrizia van der Weken (LUX) was at 11.05 for third. Jefferson-Wooden moves to no. 4 on the 2026 world list.

● It did not take long for Olympic and World Champion Valarie Sion of the U.S. to grab hold of the women’s discus, reaching 68.37 m (224-3) on her opening toss, then 68.60 m (2251) on her second throw. That proved to be the winner, ahead of Worlds silver winner Jorinde van Klinken (NED: 66.57 m/218-5) and 2023 World Champion Lagi Tausaga of the U.S. (65.89 m (216-2).

And there was a lot more:

South Africa’s two-time Olympian Zakithi Nene surprised from lane nine, taking the lead in the men’s 400 m by halfway and holding off a late charge from U.S. champ Jacory Patterson to win, 44.48 to 44.69. Jereem Richards (TTO: 44.87) got third and American Khaleb McRae of the was fourth in 44.94.

World and Olympic champ Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) and world-record holder Lamecha Girma (ETH) were in the men’s Steeple, but Kenyan Tokyo Olympian Leonard Bett and American Matthew Wilkinson were in front at 2,000 m. El Bakkali, who had moved up slowly through the pack, took over with 600 m to go, took the bell and ran away from the field to win in 8:10.40.

Kenya’s Worlds bronzer Edmund Serem passed countryman Abraham Kibiwott, the Paris Olympic bronze winner, for second, 8:12.27 to 8:12.75 and World Champion Geordie Beamish (NZL: 8:13.11) came up for fifth. Wilkinson was eighth in 8:14.27; Carson Williams was 15th (8:25.55) and Paris silver medalist Kenneth Rooks finished 18th (8:29.00).

World leader Alison dos Santos (BRA) led from the second hurdle on and cruised to a 47.12 win in the men’s 400 m hurdles, ahead of fast-closing countryman Matheus Lima’s lifetime best of 47.37, now equal-third in 2026! German Emil Agyekum got a lifetime best of 47.72 in third.

Sweden’s Olympic and World Champion Daniel Stahl thrilled the crowd with a big second throw of 69.60 m (228-4) in the men’s discus, ahead of Australia’s Paris Olympic bronze medalist Matt Denny (69.02 m/226-5). It was Stahl’s only fair throw of the day, but enough to win! Denny stayed second and 2022 World Champion Kristjan Ceh (SLO: 67.67 m/222-0) was third. American recordman Sam Mattis was fifth at 66.03 m (216-7).

Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom – the world leader – was in front by 800 m and won the non-Diamond League women’s 1,500 m in 4:00.68, just ahead of Canadian Lucia Stafford (4:01.93); American Margot Appleton was fifth at 4:04.92.

Marwa Bouzayani (TUN), the 2025 Worlds fourth-placer, got out to a big lead in the women’s Steeple and simply ran away from the field to win in 8:59.28, just off her 8:58.09 best at the Shaoxing Diamond League, where she was fourth. It’s her third race of the season and third under nine minutes! Elise Thorner (GBR) moved into second with 600 m to go and stayed there, in 9:11.01, followed by Gabi Jennings of the U.S. (9:12.02). Americans Lexy Halladay and Grace Hyde went 8-9 in 9:19.02 and 9:24.19.

World Indoor runner-up Larissa Iapichino (ITA) reached a wind-aided 6.84 m (22-5 1/4) to take the lead in the women’s long jump, but was passed by Worlds fourth-placer Hilary Kpatcha (FRA) in round three with a windy 6.85 m (22-5 3/4). And that’s how it ended! Jamaican Nia Robinson for third at 6.80 m (22-3 3/4) and Monae Nichols of the U.S. was fourth at 6.74 m (22-1 1/2).

American Claire Bryant, the 2025 World Indoor champ, was seventh at 6,69 m (21-11 1/2); world no. 2 Lex Brown finished ninth at 6.62 m (21-8 3/4).

World leader Jessica Schilder (NED) led the women’s shot with her first-round throw of 20.33 m (66-8 1/2) and was never headed. No one else could reach 20 m, but Schilder got out even further on her final try to 20.89 m (68-6 1/2), a distance no one else has reached this season. World Indoor champ Chase Jackson of the U.S. was a clear second with her 19.91 m (65-4) toss in the second round. Americans Abria Smith (18.50 m/60-8 1/2), Maggie Ewen (17.93 m/58-10) and Jaida Ross (17.80 m/58-4 3/4) finished 7–8-9.

Next up on the Diamond League schedule is the famed Bislett Games in Oslo (NOR) on Wednesday, 10 June.

¶

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FOOTBALL: U.S. men lose final World Cup warm-up to Germany, 2-1; U.S. women lose Brazil friendly in Sao Paulo, also 2-1

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 6, 2026

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≡ U.S. DOUBLEHEADER ≡

The U.S. men’s national team finished their World Cup warm-up matches against no. 10 Germany in Chicago, Illinois, in front of a raucous crowd on a warm and humid day at Soldier Field. And the Germans took charge immediately off of a free kick in the second minute by defender Joshua Kimmich that found striker Kai Havertz streaking forward for a header that beat American keeper Matt Freese in front of the net.

The U.S. was undeterred and shared possession and chances with the Germans. Then, off a corner that curved into the box and was headed out by German defender Jonathan Tah, American defender Antonee Robinson came up to hit a fabulous left-footed rocket from just beyond the box to just under the top of the net in the 37th to tie the game, 1-1.

U.S. forward Sergino Dest dribbled in for another chance in the 42nd, but his shot went wide as the American pressure continued. The half ended 1-1 and while Germany had 52% of possession, the U.S. had an 11-4 shots edge and owned most of the last 15 minutes.

The second half saw the U.S. on offense, but the Germans took the lead on a Leroy Sane goal in the 57th, taking a pass from Havertsz and moving in the center of the box for a left-footed shot to the far corner past Freese for a 2-1 edge. Both teams started substituting after the hour mark and the U.S. had a couple of good chances from Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah, but could not score.

Before a good crowd of 63,636, the U.S. ended with 52% of possession and a 16-12 shots edge, but lost its final match before Friday’s World Cup opener in Inglewood, California. It was the ninth straight loss for the U.S. against a European (UEFA) team.

¶

In Sao Paulo (BRA), the U.S. women played the first of two matches against the Brazilians as warm-ups for the 2027 Women’s World Cup to be held there, and took the lead in the second minute when Sophia Wilson found open space at the top of the Brazilian box, dribbled left and sent a left-footed laser into the far left corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead.

But the home team, with plenty of crowd support, got even in the 11th on a cross-field pass from near the sideline from defender Isabela Chagas to forward Taina Maranhao, who pounded a shot to her left that found the U.S. net easily for the 1-1 tie.

Just three minutes later, a shot in the U.S. box by striker Dudinha was deflected and came to forward Bia Zaneratto, who slammed a right-foot shot into the left corner of the American goal and past keeper Mandy McGlynn for the 2-1 lead.

That’s how the half ended, with the U.S. with 52% possession, but Brazil piling up eight shots to three for the Americans.

The U.S. applied relentless pressure in the second half as the match became more and more physical, but could not score. McGlynn saved a possible third Brazilian goal on a breakaway shot by substitute forward Giovana by tipping it and catching it at 90+1 to keep the final at 2-1. The U.S. ended with 56% of possession and both sides had 11 shots.

A second friendly comes Tuesday in Fortaleza.

¶

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ATHLETICS: World-leading 21.70 for Gabby Thomas at USATF Lone Star Grand Prix and a prep 200 m record for Tate Taylor at 19.97!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 6, 2026

tsx pix 2025-803 usatf ch thomas, gabby (usatf) — Triple Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas of the U.S. (Photo: USATF).

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≡ LONE STAR GRAND PRIX ≡

USA Track & Field staged its first meet at Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas on Saturday with the 20-event USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in hot, 88 F conditions and 68% humidity. That meant good conditions for sprinters and one was really ready.

The women’s 200 m had Paris Olympic champ Gabby Thomas in seven, and after fellow American Cambria Sturgis started well, Thomas flew down the backstraight and won by more than 2 m in a world-leading 21.70 (wind: +0.7 m/s). U.S. nationals runner-up Kayla White moved up for second in 22.07 and Favour Ofili (NGR: 22.15) and Sturgis fourth in 22.16. It’s Thomas’ third win in the 200 m this year after two victories in Africa in April and her third-fastest ever!

The men’s 200 saw San Antonio Harlan high school star Tate Taylor run hard on the turn and take the lead into the straight, then was passed by Zimbabwe’s Maka Charamba, who won in a lifetime best of 19.88 (+0.1), equal-sixth in the world this season. Taylor stayed close in second in a lifetime best of 19.97, the first U.S. prep to break 20 seconds! Canadian veteran Aaron Brown got third (20.11); 2022 400 m World Champion Michael Norman was sixth in 20.40.

Taylor lowered his own 200 m high school record from 20.05 from April at the Tom Jones Invitational and is now equal-sixth on the all-time World Junior list.

World men’s 100 m champ Oblique Seville (JAM) was running his second dash of the year, but two-time Worlds bronze medalist Trayvon Bromell of the U.S. got to the lead by 10 m and stayed there, winning in a wind-aided 9.85 (+3.8 m/s)! Canadian star Andre De Grasse emerged for second in 9.91, with Seville also in 9.91.

Paris Olympic 400 m champ Quincy Hall of the U.S. was in lane six, but not yet fully recovered from injury and finished seventh in 45.51. Bryce Deadmon, the 2023 U.S. champ, moved well in the first 200 m, but 2025 World Indoor winner Chris Bailey rolled into the straight and broke away in the final 50 m to win in 44.35, no. 13 in the world this year. Deadmon was second in 44.74, then Elija Godwin of the U.S. in 45.00.

Jamaica’s 2023 Pan Am Games medalist Navasky Anderson took the lead in the men’s 800 m at the bell and extended his lead off the final turn and won in 1:46.33. Mexico’s Abraham Alvarado ran into second in the final 40 m at 1:46.75, ahead of American Sean Dolan (1:46.90).

A new U.S. star in the 110 m hurdles? Houston All-American Jamar Marshall ran away from the field in the final four hurdles and stormed to a big lifetime best of 13.04 (+0.5), equal-second on the 2026 world list. Fellow American De’Vion Wilson was second in 13.24 and Connor Schulman got a lifetime best of 13.29 in third.

The men’s 400 m hurdles was a brawl between 2022 Worlds bronzer Trevor Bassitt and ex-NCAA champs Caleb Dean of the U.S. and Ezekiel Nathaniel (NGR), with Nathaniel coming hard to the line to win in 47.37. Bassitt also pushed hard on the run-in for second in the same time – actually, 2/1,000ths shower – and a lifetime best, and Dean was third in 47.42. They’re now 3-4-5 on the 2026 world list. Bassitt is now also no. 10 all-time U.S.

Two-time NCAA champ Romaine Beckford (JAM) was the survivor in the men’s high jump, clearing 2.25 m (7-4 1/2) to outdistance Vernon Turner of the U.S. (2.22 m/7-3 1/4).

Seven men cleared 5.60 m (18-4 1/2) in the men’s vault, and at 5.70 m (18-8 1/4), with Tokyo 2021 silver medalist Chris Nilsen and Olen Tray Oates, fifth at the 2026 U.S. Indoors, clearing on their first attempts. Cole Walsh and Clayton Sims also cleared, so the bar went to 5.80 m (19-0 1/4) and Nilsen was over on his second attempt and no one else could clear. Oates ended up second on misses and Walsh third.

Worlds bronze winner Curtis Thompson continued his hot javelin throwing, getting out to 84.88 m (278-6) in the first round and was unchallenged. He didn’t improve, but it was his sixth best throw ever! Sindri Gudmundsson (ISL) was a decisive second at 78.31 m (256-11).

Jamaican teen Sabrina Dockery pulled away from the field late in the women’s 100 m, winning in 10.92 (+1.6) for a lifetime best. At 19, she lowered her best from 11.08 in 2025 to 10.92, now equal-8th in 2026! Canada’s Audrey Leduc moved up for second in 10.97 and Jodean Williams (JAM: 10.97 lifetime best) in third.

The girls high school 100 was fast, as Atascocita High star Mia Maxwell (Humble, Texas) ran away from the field and won easily in 11.01w (+2.6), way ahead of Sanyah Keeton (Duncanville HS: 11.39).

Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo took charge of the women’s 400 m into the final curve and ran away from Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams, 49.47 to 49.80, for a personal best and now no. 2 on the 2026 world list. American Alexis Holmes got a seasonal best of 50.42 in third.

Shafiqua Maloney (VIN) led at the bell in the women’s 800 m and was 2 m up coming into the home straight and ran alone to the line in 1:57.34, no. 5 on the 2026 world list! Jamaica’s Kelly-Ann Beckford was second in 1:58.46 (lifetime best) and Victoria Bossong (USA: 1:58.52 lifetime best).

The women’s 100 m hurdles was tight over five hurdles, then Jamaican Demisha Roswell emerged in lane two and got to the line in 12.53 (+1.3 m/s), ahead of 2025 World Indoor bronzer Ackera Nugent (12.61) and Rayniah Jones of the U.S. (12.62).

Kemi Adekoya (BRN) built a lead in the middle of the women’s 400 m hurdles and held on over the run-in to win in 53.71. Two-time World silver winner Shamier Little of the U.S. challenged on the straight, but was passed on the run-in by Ashley Miller (ZIM), 54.08 to 54.15.

Olympic women’s hammer champ – and world leader – Cam Rogers (CAN) won her specialty with a third-round toss of 79.36 m (260-4), barely ahead of world no. 2, American Rachel Richeson, who got a lifetime best of 79.33 m (260-3) in the fourth. Richeson remains no. 6 on the all-time list. China’s ‘25 Worlds silver medalist Jie Zhao was third at 76.25 m (250-2).

The amazing stadium on the Texas A&M campus opened in 2019 and seats 2,200; the stands were less than half full, so maybe 1,000 or so attended, under threatening skies.

The meet offered $210,000 in prize money with 10 “core events” paying $15,000 each: $5,000-3,000-2,000-1,400-1,200-1,000-800-600. The remaining six “added events” paid $10,000 each: $3,500-2,000-1,400-1,000-800-600-400-300. No prizes were allocated for the high school 100 m races or the Paralympic 100 m races.

¶

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LOS ANGELES 2028: IOC Coordination Commission lavishes praise on LA28; Wasserman says Federal gov’t will give “funding we need” for City services

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 4, 2026

tsx pix 2026-604 ioc news conf-LA28 — Left to right, LA28 chief executive Reynold Hoover, LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman, IOC Coordination Commission Chair Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU) and IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) at a 4 June 2026 news conference in Los Angeles (IOC video screenshot).

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≡ IOC COORD. COMMISSION ≡

The seventh visit of the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the 2028 Olympic Games was completed Thursday with a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, and things could not be better. Said Chair Nicole Hoevertsz, a 1984 Olympian herself from Aruba in synchronized swimming – as then known – told reporters:

● “We look at what has been achieved and we use that progress to shape what still lies ahead. And the progress that we have seen so far gives us – and I want to emphasize this – every confidence that the next two years will put us on course for another memorable edition of the Olympic Games.”

● “Every time we meet with LA28, we are reminded of the quality, the commitment and the professionalism of the people working behind the scenes to bring these Games to life. With each visit, more progress is visible, more detail is in place. And more of the project is moving from concept and planning into concrete operational delivery.”

● “This was the best CoComm ever. The team the two gentlemen on my right have assembled is a fabulous team. A team of very young, dynamic, very passionate, very knowledgeable, very trained people who know what they’re doing. So this Coordination Commission gives us great confidence; the team is ready, the Games are on track and the Games are in safe hands of a very qualified and very capable team.”

IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI), acknowledging the unique, 11-year ramp-up time, said the state of preparation now is “better than ever before. … At two years out, where we are today, we’ve not seen that before.”

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman, who said he has no plans to resign over years-ago contacts with the infamous Jeffrey Epstein and associates, said in prepared remarks that “The full picture of our preparation is strong and impressive.” Asked about worries from Los Angeles City Council members about ensuring that any added costs to the City related to the 2028 Games will be covered – especially for security – he replied firmly:

“We have been very clear since day one that we are operating a break-even budget, as our goal, with significant contingency built in. Those numbers have not changed. …

“We have a lot more clarity and fidelity on our revenue, which should give everybody the confidence that we will deliver against that. And the Federal government, at every step of the way, has provided us the funding we need to reimburse local security operations, transportation, all the deliverables that rely on the Federal government and so of the concerns that they may have, I don’t think those are not founded in the reality that we’ve delivered against in relation with the Federal government and the needs we have.”

LA28 chief executive Reynold Hoover explained further, “Our relationship with the City is really great and we meet with them on a weekly basis … I’m not concerned about the state of our relationship with the City and they know they are a partner with us.”

He was asked about the “Enhanced City Resources Master Agreement” outlining what LA28 will pay for related to City costs. While the existing Games Agreement signed in 2021 specified this document to be completed by October 2025, Hoover was unconcerned:

“I wouldn’t characterize it as delayed. I wouldn’t characterize it as late. We are in really good conversations with the City about the ECRMA. We will reach agreement, I am very confident on that.

“I think we’re really close and I don’t think it’s anything that we’re holding up and I don’t think it’s anything the City is holding up. You know, the City’s got a lot of things going on as well beyond just the Olympics that are coming in 2028 and so we respect that. And we’re having a healthy dialogue with members of the City Council as well as our City family on it and I think you’ll see something moving pretty soon.”

Hoover also brushed aside questions about 24% fees included in the price of Olympic Games as part of contractual obligations with LA28’s suppliers and “I think our ticket fee is consistent with industry standards. We’re not hiding anything; when you check out, you see all of the fees that are applied to the particular ticket.”

For Wasserman, enjoying the IOC’s full-throated endorsement, he sees more to come, noting:

“Our metrics have been far in excess of what we expected and the interest in every line item of our business continues to be incredible and I have no doubt that’s going to continue.”

Observed: The only public aspect of the Coordination Commission meetings is the final news conference, so it’s easy to think the Games are ready to be staged now from the IOC’s glowing comments.

Not quite. Hoevertsz offered some clarity, explaining that the progress they see is in the maturation of the organizing committee:

“The discussions are no longer about ambition, about direction or broad concepts. They are now about delivery models, operational choices, priorities and timelines. They are about turning plans into solutions that are realistic, integrated and deliverable. In simple terms, it is about bringing planning to a level where it can be tested properly, so that teams are ready when the time comes in 2028.”

So, there is a long way to go. But at present, the IOC is (publicly) happy. So, LA28 is happy (publicly) too.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Cunningham goes sub-13, Lyles wins in 9.88 at Rome Diamond League, with fab 303-10 javelin from Pathirage!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 4, 2026

tsx pix 2026-604 dl rome pathirage suresh (DLAG) — Sri Lanka’s javelin star, Rumesh Pathirage (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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≡ ROME DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡

The annual Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome was on for Thursday, with

● Men/110 m hurdles: 12.98, Trey Cunningham (USA)
● Men/Javelin: 92.62 m (303-10), Rumesh Pathirage (SRI)
● Women/5,000 m: 14:18.41, Likina Amebaw (ETH)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 52.58, Emma Zapletalova (SVK)

The meet exploded with the first event, as Pathirage led after the first round at 84.49 m (277-2), then reached a sensational 92.62 m (303-10) for the world lead and a national record! He didn’t throw again, he’s no. 8 all time!

Grenada’s two-time World Champion Anderson Peters (GRN) was second at 83.91 m (275-3) and then Worlds bronzer Curtis Thompson (USA: 83.89 m/275-2) a tight third. Wow.

A little later, the men’s 110 hurdles saw 2022 Worlds runner-up Cunningham got out best and he and countryman Jamal Britt dueled, with Cunningham hot all the way through. Britt, a two-time Diamond League winner this season, essentially caught up by the seventh hurdle, but in pushing for the lead after the eighth, caught the ninth hurdles and fell.

Cunningham, in his season opener, never wavered and flew across the finish in a world-leading, lifetime best of 12.98 (+0.5), the 29th man to go sub-13. He’s now no. 16 all-time U.S. Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett ended up second in 13.31; Britt did finish, in 26.75.

The women’s 5,000 m had Olympic Steeple champ Winfred Yavi (BAH) in front early, but came down to a three-way battle between Ethiopians Aleshign Baweke, Amebaw and Freweyni Hailu on the final lap and down the final straight, Baweke looked like the winner, but Amebaw came from third in the final 40 m to win at the line in a lifetime best, 14:18.41 to 14:18.54 to 14:18.94! Amebaw is now no. 15 on the all-time list.

Zapletalova beat American Olympic silver winner Anna Cockrell in Rabat and went even faster this time, taking over into the home straight and finishing in another national record of 52.58, with Cockrell second in 52.77. Rio 2016 Olympic champ Dalilah Muhammad – clearly unretired – was fourth in 53.39 and Jasmine Jones was sixth in 53.92.

The advertised highlight of the meet was the men’s 100, with Paris Olympic champ Noah Lyles of the U.S., Tokyo Olympic winner Lamont Jacobs (ITA) and U.S. 60 m World Indoor winner Jordan Anthony. Plus Botswana’s Paris 200 winner Letsile Tebogo (BOT), Kenyan star Ferdinand Omanyala and South Africa’s Akani Simbine! Woah.

And the race did not disappoint. Anthony got out best and had the lead by 50 m, but Lyles got going and moved smoothly to the front and took the win in 9.88 (+0.4). Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme moved strongly in lane one and was second in the final 10 m in 9.94 (a national record). Anthony fell back a little and Tebogo passed him for third in 9.95 to 9.96. Jacobs ran 9.99 for fifth, fastest in two years.

The men’s 800 m was a tactical affair, with France’s Gabriel Tual taking over with 200 m to go and getting to the line first in 1:43.66, with Ireland’s Mark English rocketing from sixth to second in the final 100 m for second in 1:43.80. Americans Bryce Hoppel (1:44.45) and Donavan Brazier (1:44.45) were seventh and eighth.

Rising Mexican star Erick Portillo had the lead in the men’s high jump at 2.24 m (7-4 1/4), but was passed by Italy’s Matteo Sioli, who cleared 2.26 m (7-5) on his second try to take the lead. Portillo could not match and finished second, but Sioli continued to 2.28 m (7-5 3/4) on his second try. Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford cleared 2.23 m (7-3 3/4) for third; American JuVaughn Harrison was ninth at 2.16 m (7-1).

Cuban Jorge Hodelin got out to 8.18 m (26-10) in round three and had the lead in the men’s long jump, ahead of Bozhidar Saraboyukov (BUL: 8.13 m/26-8 1/4) and Olympic champ Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE: 8.11 m/26-7 1/4). But Tentoglou had more to give and sailed out to 8.20 m (26-11) in round five, then extended to 8.24 m (27-0 1/2) in the sixth. But on the final jump of the day, Saraboyukov launched out to 8.26 m (27-1 1/4) to steal the victory!

It took until the fifth round, but Italy’s two-time World Indoor winner Andy Diaz got a home win in the triple jump at 17.59 m (57-8 1/2), overtaking Jamaica’s Jordan Scott, who then responded with a final round jump of 17.33 m (56-10 1/4). American Russell Robinson was sixth at 16.40 m (53-9 3/4).

Italian fans wanted the men’s shot to be a showcase for countryman Leonardo Fabbri, and he delivered a bomb in round three at 22.14 m (72-7 3/4) to take over. Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs of the U.S., the world leader, reached 21.87 m (71-9) for second, ahead of World and Olympic champ Ryan Crouser, at 21.50 m (70-6 1/2) from round two. American Jordan Geist was fifth at 21.30 m (69-10 3/4).

The women’s 200 m had 2024 Olympic silver winner Julien Alfred (LCA) in lane eight, with World Champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden a lane inside in her season opener. American star Jefferson-Wooden was off well, but on the straight, Alfred was too strong and won eased up in 21.93 (+1.3). Jefferson-Wooden was a clear second in 22.17, then Tokyo Olympian Anavia Battle of the U.S. (22.39).

American Aaliyah Butler led the women’s 400 m coming into the home straight, but it was Norwegian star Henriette Jaeger pushed hardest and won in 49.60. Czech Lurdes Manuel was close for second in 49.77 and Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce got third (49.80). Butler was fourth in 49.83; Britain’s 800 m hero, Kelly Hodgkinson, tried one lap and was seventh in a lifetime best o 51.14.

World Indoor champ Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) headlined the women’s 1,500 m, but it was U.S. champ Nikki Hiltz and 2024 World Indoor runner-up Jemma Reekie (GBR) at the bell. Hunter Bell moved up on bell with 300 m to go and was in the lead off the turn. She was in front right to the line in 3:58.63, with Pole Klaudia Kazimierska edging Hiltz – in her season opener – for second at the line, 3:59.24 to 3:59.26. Heather MacLean of the U.S. was 12th in 4:06.74.

In the women’s 100 m hurdles, Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds led early and held off American Keni Harrison, the former world-record holder, 12.50 to 12.54 (+0.8). Fellow American Tonea Marshall was seventh (12.76).

The women’s vault was a win for British World Indoor champ Molly Caudery, winning on misses over Australia’s Olympic champ Nina Kennedy at 4.80 m (15-9). American Sandi Morris, herself a World Indoor gold medalist, was fifth at 4.60 m (15-1).

The Diamond League heads to Stockholm (SWE) for the Bauhaus Galan on Sunday.

¶

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PANORAMA: L.A. Mayor Bass headed to November run-off; ‘28 “Swiss House” in Santa Monica; St. Louis selected for 2028 U.S. marathon trials

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 4, 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 2028: Los Angeles ● Primary nominating elections were held on Tuesday, but the slow vote counting in Los Angeles means that the outcomes are not confirmed as of Thursday. Turnout in Los Angeles County was estimated at 34%.

In the mayoral race, with a bit more than half of the votes counted, incumbent Karen Bass was leading with 34.97% of the vote, ahead of insurgent, reality-TV star Spencer Pratt (29.91%) and Council member Nithya Raman (22.81%). Without an absolute majority, Bass will face a November run-off against the second-place finisher, unusual for an incumbent mayor in Los Angeles.

Related to the 2028 Olympic Games, Measure TT, which would increase the Transient Occupancy (hotel) Tax from 14% to 16% through the end of 2028 to help fund City services was losing by 55.38% to 44.62%. If the measure does not pass, this will further increase the pressure on the City’s finances and, therefore, pressure on the LA28 organizers and the U.S. Federal government for help.

¶

The City of Santa Monica approved applications for 2028 Games-related programs, including a rental of the famed “Camera Obscura” building on Ocean Avenue, closed since 2020, for $300,000 for the duration of the Games period to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for a “House of Switzerland.” from 14 June to 21 September 2028.

The contract is planned to allow the City to refurbish the facility and allow public use once again; some of the interior decor provided by the Swiss may be retained after the Games. If an added area of adjacent Palisades Park is used, an additional fee of $200,000 would be due.

Santa Monica also approved the use of the Annenberg Beach House to the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) for $1.55 million for its “Club France” from 30 June to 4 August 2028.

● Russia ● Plans are continuing with the expectation in Russia that it will send a full team to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev speaking at a sport forum in St. Petersburg:

“This year, 2.6 billion rubles have been allocated for a specific training program for Los Angeles. The amount each federation will receive will be announced soon. These are individual plans: the money can be spent on equipment, travel, rent, and other things. Improving the infrastructure of the bases is a state task. We’ve already renovated the base in Ruza, where weightlifters will train for the Olympic Games, using state funds.”

The RUB 2.6 billion is worth about $35.42 million U.S. at current rates. Degtyarev also had advice for Russian companies:

“The Olympic Committee has already finalized the mascot, the media sponsor [MAER], and the equipment [Bosco]. There are still some remaining options: a bank, communications, and an airline. Of course, I’m amazed at some sponsors: don’t they understand that today it will cost one ruble, and tomorrow, ten? Welcome. We’ll negotiate.”

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee selected St. Louis, Missouri as the site of the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, over Phoenix, Arizona.

The race will be on 25 March 2028, organized by the St. Louis Sports Commission and GO! St. Louis, and shown live on NBC beginning at 11 a.m. local time. St. Louis previously hosted the 2004 U.S. women’s Olympic marathon trials.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton is looking for pilots and pushers and has recruited iHeartMedia to help with recruiting in a new sponsorship deal:

“As part of the partnership, iHeartMedia will contribute significant on-air and digital marketing support to help promote USA Bobsled and Skeleton recruitment events to a broader audience nationwide and will become the title sponsor for the 2026 Recruitment Series.”

The Recruitment Series puts attendees through a series of skills test for speed, agility and power with the top performers invited to a federation training camp in Lake Placid, New York.

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced a sponsorship agreement with the connectivity firm Cloudflare, with the idea to use its performance tools to expand the Boutcaster platform and allow fans to follow every match on every piste at USA Fencing events, regardless of the number of simultaneous steams.

The project was tested again at the April 2026 North American Cup in Richmond, Virginia. The announcement noted, “The platform was created by David Baraff, a national-level fencing referee and technology expert who worked directly with [USA Fencing chief exec Phil] Andrews and USA Fencing’s IT lead Zemi Lawrence.”

The expansion of live or on-demand streams from a single event will open significant possibilities for many sports. The next question will be how to sell sponsorships for each stream!

● Football ● A week before play begins at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA changed its policy on fans being able to bring refillable water bottles to matches on Wednesday, banning the items, according to an updated “code of conduct”:

“For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”

Agence France Presse reported a FIFA statement which worried about safety:

“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff. FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.

“Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums.”

At the same time, there are concerns over high temperatures at open-air stadiums; FIFA’s statement insisted that misting stations, fans, hydration stations and cooling tents would be available at or near the venues.

¶

FIFA announced a program with Bank of America and the Veteran Tickets Foundation to distribute “4,547 tickets in various categories, including the semi-final and final, to U.S. military veterans, current military personnel, first responders and their families.” The tickets, valued at $2.25 million, will be for games at U.S. venues.

As part of the offer, “250 tickets [are] being set aside for U.S. Men’s National Team matches during the tournament in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.”

¶

It was reported that an estimate of the “carbon footprint” of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be about 7.8 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), about 2.1 times the amount for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Air travel is, as it always is, the primary generator, with spectator travel responsible for a projected 87.8% of the projected total and team travel at 0.2% for an 88.0% total. Accommodations is a distant second at 4.7%.

The methodology shown for the calculations did not appear to factor in what the differential is between a non-World Cup year and the World Cup year of 2026. Without subtracting the existing flights to the 11 U.S. venues, it’s impossible to understand what the World Cup itself adds – if anything – to the in-place travel carbon load. If not included – there was no indication of this – it’s a weakness of the study and the calculations of the “World Cup impact.”

● Skiing ● U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced its fourth annual U.S. Ski Team awards, presented by Stifel, including the athlete of the year for men and women in

● Alpine: Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Lindsey Vonn
● Cross Country: Jessie Diggins and Ben Ogden
● Freeski: Mac Forehand and Grace Henderson
● Freestyle/Aerials: Chris Lillis
● Freestyle/Moguls: Olivia Giaccio
● Nordic Combined: Alexa Brabec and Niclas Malacinski
● Ski Jumping: Annika Belshaw and Kevin Bickner
● Para Alpine: Patrick Halgren

Awards in each discipline were also made for the Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, Best Comeback and Coach.

● Tennis ● While Wimbledon will command the tennis headlines starting on 29 June, the All England Club will be promoting the tournament and the sport in New York’s Central Park from 26-29 June, with a “pop-up” grass court on the Wollman Ice Rink.

A Doubles exhibition match will be held on the 26th, fans can play on the grass court on 27-28 June via a public drawing for time slots and the opening day of Wimbledon will be shown on giant screens on the 29th. There will be lots of side activities, such as free clinics, merchandise and even the tournament’s famed strawberries and cream.

¶

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PANORAMA: Provincial head calls loss of Nice 2030 venues “a colossal waste”; FIFA fines for homophobic Mexican fan chant of $177,842 upheld

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 2, 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 Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● A devastated Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (PACA) region, pointed the finger directly at Nice Mayor Eric Ciotti for the removal of all ice events, likely to Lyon, for the 2030 Winter Games.

In a letter sent to Ciotti dated 30 May, Muselier pointed out that the refusal to use the Allianz Riviera stadium for ice hockey – which would impact the schedule of the Nice football club – means that the athlete village facility that would have created student housing for 400 and a new Olympic Omnisports Complex for ice events will not be built.

He noted an estimate of a total economic impact loss of €800 million to €1.1 billion for Nice and for the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region. (€1=$1.16 U.S.)

In a Monday news conference, Muselier added, “History will remember that while we spent five years building this bid, Mr. Ciotti destroyed it in two months. …

“No one abandoned Nice out of convenience or as a punishment. No one. Since the election of the new mayor, the technical teams have tried everything, absolutely everything. … Despite what some may have suggested, you can’t redraw the Olympic map against the rules of the [International Olympic Committee] and the International Federations. You can’t crave the spotlight of the Games and then be surprised by the rules that make them possible. What has just happened is a colossal waste.”

The PACA region will still host events in Briancon in Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard. A technical study is underway to validate the move of all ice events to Lyon.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Seven coaches and four staff members were honored by the USOPC for 2025, including Alex Hoedlmoser (U.S. Ski & Snowboard) as Olympic Coach of the Year and Kris Mack (USA Track & Field) as Paralympic Coach of the Year.

Georgia track & field head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert was named the College Coach of the Year, USA Track & Field’s Nic Petersen as the Doc Counsilman Science & Technology Award recipient, and Rick Delia (USA Baseball) as Volunteer Coach of the Year.

U.S. Speedskating’s Li Geng was honored as Development Coach of the Year and U.S. Figure Skating’s Heidi Thibert as Coach Educator of the Year.

Staff awards recognized dieticians Carrie Aprik of the USOPC and Nuwanee Tamaki (USA Wrestling). Regan Dewhirst of U.S. Ski & Snowboard was selected as the sports medicine honoree and USOPC staff member Brandon Siakel won the strength and conditioning award.

● Athletics ● UK Athletics was fined £350,000 (about $471,440 U.S.) for the “tragic, untimely and wholly avoidable” death of UAE Paralympic shot putter Abdullah Hayayei in 2017 during a training session accident where a safety cage collapsed on him.

The sentence, at the Central London Criminal Court on Tuesday, also included a requirement for Keith Davies, now 79, then the head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, to perform 175 hours of unpaid work for his role in the tragedy.

● Cycling ● The 37th women’s Giro d’Italia is almost at halfway, with Italian star Elisa Balsamo, the 2021 World Road Champion, winning the first three stages. The first two were fairly flat sprinter’s wins and the hillier third stage saw Balsamo edge American Lily Williams at the line at the end of 156 km to Buja in another mass finish.

Tuesday’s fourth stage was an Individual Time Trial of 12.7 km, with a rise to the finish from about the halfway mark. Dutch star Anna van der Breggen, a four-time winner of this race, won in 31:38.91 and took the race lead by 1:04 over Swiss Marlen Reusser and 1:10 over fellow Dutch star Demi Vollering as Balsamo faded to 56th.

The climbing stage is on Saturday (7th) and the race finishes on Sunday (8th).

● Fencing ● To the surprise of no one, the Federation Internationale d’Escrime, whose elected president is Russian Alisher Usmanov, removed all restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes for individual and team events.

The vote by the FIE Executive Committee makes fencing the sixth Olympic sports federation to re-admit Russian athletes fully.

¶

USA Fencing announced its Hall of Fame class for 2027, headlined by Ibtihaj Muhammad, who won an Olympic women’s Sabre team bronze in 2016 and five Worlds Team medals, including a 2014 Worlds gold and four bronzes from 2011-15.

Two “Legacy” members, both Olympians, will be honored: Sally Pechinsky (1968 women’s Team Foil) and Steve Kaplan (1976 men’s Sabre). Gary Copeland, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Coach of the Year in 1999 and a national-team coach more than 20 times, will be honored as a coach.

● Football ● The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Tuesday a ruling on two appeals by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) against FIFA about a recurring homophobic chant by Mexican fans.

The FMF was fined CHF 60,000 for incidents at three summer 2024 matches where the chant was heard, and another CHF 80,000 fine was imposed for the chant at the October 2024 match against the U.S., and “a 15% partial closure of the stadium for their next FIFA match.” (CHF 1 = $1.27 U.S.; about $177,842 U.S.)

Per the summary of the decision, “The Panel recognises the unique nature of the FMF’s situation, who demonstrated that significant financial resources and efforts have been deployed to eradicate the offending conduct. However, they found that the prohibited conduct persists, and the preventative measures do not carry sufficient legal weight to exempt the FMF from liability.”

The fines were upheld, but the 15% fan reduction was removed. By the way, the FIFA World Cup will open in Mexico City on 11 June.

● Luge ● Two-time World Champion Jonas Mueller (AUT) has retired at age 28, ending a career which included 2026 Olympic silvers in the men’s Singles and the Team Relay, and five World Championships medals.

He won five European Championships golds and World titles in the men’s Sprint in 2019 and the men’s Singles in 2023. He finally got to the Olympic Winter Games in 2026 and “that was my driving force and my greatest goal.” He added:

“I had a wonderful time with great successes and I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me along the way. Above all, my parents, the coaching and support team, the entire squad and the federation.

“The effort required to compete at the very top is enormous. A season lasts fourteen weeks, and the preparation extends over eight months. I would need to be back in full training by now to be in a position to compete for the top results. The hunger for success has faded – it is the right time to open a new chapter away from elite sport.”

¶

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LANE ONE: Where does the IOC spend its money, and is there enough to pay Olympians? Yes, for now

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 2, 2026

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≡ IOC AND ATHLETE PAY ≡

Given that she was a five-time swimming Olympian from 2000 to 2016 and Chair of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission from 2018 to 2021, IOC President Kirsty Coventry’s biggest fans should be other Olympic athletes.

But her comments to SportNationNZ commentator Alex Chapman in a 22 May post have created a firestorm, particularly:

“I don’t believe in paying athletes and I come from a small country. I came from a sport that doesn’t necessarily pay athletes very well and I still don’t believe we should be paying athletes at the Olympic Games.

“Now I do think we should find more ways to directly impact athletes and find ways to directly help them on their journey to become Olympians, while they’re Olympians and as they’re finding ways into their new career transition.”

Coventry posted a follow-up on the IOC Athlete365 Instagram page on 28 May, explaining:

“I have always said that I don’t believe in paying athletes prize money at the Olympic Games, as this would benefit only a very small number of athletes.

“I do believe our role as the IOC is to find ways to directly support a large number of athletes on their journey to becoming Olympians, at the Olympics and as they transition into life after sport.”

Multiple Olympic stars, including star swimmers Cam McEvoy (AUS) and South Africa’s Roland Schoeman both panned Coventry’s stance and demanded that Olympians be paid, including prize money.

Chapman pressed Coventry on Olympians not being paid and Coventry replied, “They get beautiful venues, they get beautiful villages, they get a beautiful experience and all of that comes from the money that we raise.”

What she’s saying in her own way, is that the IOC, with billions in revenue from television rights sales and sponsorships, spends most of its money to put on the Olympic Games, Olympic Winter Games and the Youth Olympic Games.

A check of the IOC’s financial statements will show that’s true.

¶

To its credit, the IOC releases detailed annual financial statements, which offer a clear indication of where it spends the money it takes in. Because the one-year postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games skews the numbers, let’s look at the eight-year period from 2017 to 2024.

● 2017: $661 million IOC revenue
● 2017: $449 million (67.9%) spent on Games support-Int’l Federations-National Olympic Committees-Olympic Solidarity (athletes, coaching, NOC support)

● 2018: $2.206 billion revenue ~ Winter Games
● 2018: $1.577 billion (71.5%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 2019: $695 million revenue
● 2019: $405 million (58.3%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 2020: $624 million revenue
● 2020: $425 million (68.1%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 2021: $4.162 billion revenue ~ Olympic Games
● 2021: $2.895 billion (69.6%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 2022: $2.363 billion revenue ~ Winter Games
● 2022: $1.702 billion (72.0%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 2023: $902 million revenue
● 2023: $490 million (54.3%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 2024: $4.415 billion revenue ~ Olympic Games
● 2024: $2.976 billion (67.4%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

● 8-year totals: $11.842 billion revenue
● 8-year totals: $8.063 billion (68.1%) spent on Games-IF-NOC-Solidarity

So, to expand Coventry’s comment on venues and experiences, the IOC spent 68 cents of every dollars it took in to put on its Olympic Games, sending the money to organizing committees, International Federations (a majority of whom are deeply reliant for survival on the IOC’s payments), National Olympic Committees and on Olympic Solidarity, which paid $17.6 million to athletes via Olympic Scholarships in 2024 alone (see, the IOC does pay athletes!).

The remaining 31.9% of the IOC’s revenue go to smaller areas, such as promotion of the Olympic Movement (mostly the Olympic Channel and digital programming), special projects, grants, administration (averaging 9.1% of revenues over the eight years) and to reserves ($4.880 billion total at the end of 2024).

So, could Coventry take the IOC along the path she cleared, and pay – let’s call it an honorarium – a set fee to all Olympians, starting in 2028? Let’s run the numbers:

● About 10,500 athletes in the Olympic Games
● About 3,000 athletes in the Winter Games

● $10,000 x 13,500 athletes for Olympic appearance = $135 million
● $10,000 x 13,500 athletes for Olympics + 1 more year = $270 million
● $10,000 x 13,500 athletes for Olympics + 3 more years = $540 million

Can the IOC pay $135 million a year every year as honoraria to Olympians to (1) help with expenses and (2) help with a transition for retired athletes to go to the next step?

Such payments will pressure the IOC on its expenses in the non-Olympic years, but with NBC committed to $3 billion in broadcast rights fees for the 2034 Winter and 2036 Olympic Games, this is doable.

And it is the right time to do it. As our column back in July 2025 noted, the IOC can afford it and this expanded look at its finances shows that while 2/3rds of its revenue has to go to put on the Games, there is room to provide funding for those who make it to the Games, even for the year of the Games and for three years beyond.

In some countries, $10,000 is a lot of money. In others, not as much, but it still helps. And Coventry is the right one to do it, at least during her term in office. Beyond 2036, who knows, and as Coventry has noted, the IOC’s future health will be determined by how it navigates the brave new world of broadcasting and streaming.

¶

In my opinion, prize money is not the answer for the IOC. What today’s athletes forget is the history of the Games, going back to ancient Greece, where the city-states sent their champions to the Games and rewarded them, just as National Olympic Committees do today.

Athletes competing in Olympic Games do so once every four years. Why aren’t they earning big money from their world championships in the years in between? Much more attention should be paid to that than to the lack of prize money in the Olympics.

¶

Coventry has noted, quite correctly, the importance of staying relevant in today’s world. That means that people who do great things needs to be rewarded and an honorarium for Olympians will help maintain credibility for the Games and for the IOC. It’s just the way it is.

However, those who rail about how the big U.S. leagues – Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA and NHL – pay around half of their revenue to the athletes forget that compared to those operations, the IOC is a pauper.

A Wikipedia list of annual league revenues in 2025 showed the NFL at $19.88 billion – for one year – followed by MLB at $11.32 billion, then the NBA at $10.61 billion and the NHL at $5.88 billion. The IOC doesn’t touch any of those numbers.

So Coventry needs to be careful, but it is time to offer some money to those who get to the Olympic and Winter Games. That will mean, by the way, cutting some more sports, disciplines and events, for which future organizing committees will thank the IOC.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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PANORAMA: L.A. mayoral primary too close to call; trans jumper wins California State titles again; Ukraine gymnasts react to Russian anthem at Euros

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 1, 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 2028: Los Angeles ● Los Angeles voters will go to the polls on Tuesday in an important primary election day that could have significant impact on the path to the 2028 Olympic Games.

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, under heavy pressure since the January 2025 Palisades fire and with continuing concern over affordability, homelessness and a crumbling city infrastructure, has been leading a tight mayoral race, which will go to a run-off in November if no candidate gets 50% or more of the vote.

A 19-24 May poll showed Bass at 26%, Council member Nithya Raman at 25% and insurgent Spencer Pratt, best known as a reality-TV star, at 22% with a 3% margin of error. The top two will advance to a November run-off. Some 63% of poll respondents said the city is on the “wrong track” vs. 24% who were positive.

The 2028 Games has not been an issue on the mayoral campaign; there is a ballot initiative to increase the city’s hotel tax by 2% through 2028 to raise funds for the City’s role in the Games.

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● Earthworks began in Victoria Park in Brisbane on Monday on the area to be used to build the new, 63,000-seat Olympic Stadium for the 2032 Games.

Protesters of the project were removed from the site last week, including five arrests (one later released without charge), and site fencing was installed. A small number of remaining protesters were moved outside of the fenceline on Monday.

Applications to the Australian national government to protect a significant Aboriginal site were being reviewed. Federal environment minister Murray Watt told Australian Associated Press “that cultural heritage declarations were not designed to stop the project, but instead to set out what must be done ‘to preserve or protect an area from being injured in some way or desecrated in some way.’”

● Athletics ● While a Federal lawsuit continues over transgender women competing in California high school athletics, trans jumper AB Hernandez won two more State titles in Clovis over the weekend.

Competing for Jurupa Valley High School as a senior, Hernandez won the high jump at 1.77 m (5-10), finished third in the long jump at 6.15 mw (20-2 1/4 wind-aided) and won the triple jump at 13.02 m (42-8 3/4). Hernandez repeated as winner in the high jump and triple jump.

Per a California Interscholastic Federation rule adopted in 2025, Hernandez did not displace any other athlete, so her first and third-place finishes were shared by the biological female placers who followed. Her time as a California high school athlete is done, but the case continues.

¶

Jamaican long jump star Carey McLeod, the 2024 World Indoor bronze medalist and a two-time Olympian, was banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit “for 2 years from 28 May 2026 for Whereabouts Failures. DQ results from 1 May 2026.”

He missed a test on 30 June 2025, a filing failure on 9 August 2025, a missed test and a filing failure on 1 May 2026. He finished ninth at the World Indoors on 22 March in last meet.

¶

UK Athletics, the governing body of track & field in Great Britain, “pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter” for a training center accident in 2017 in which UAE Paralympian shot putter Abdullah Hayayei, 36, was struck as the throwing cage around him collapsed and he eventually died.

The fine attached to the charge ranges from £180,000 up to £20 million and Richard Davies, now 79, then head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, admitted to a safety failure and will also be sentenced.

● Gymnastics ● World Gymnastics published its 2025 annual report, including a financial summary which showed that operating revenues were lower than expected at CHF 8.77 million, but operating expenses were also lower at CHF 9.96 million for an operating loss of CHF 1.20 million.

This was offset by Gymnastics Ethics Foundation funding and investment gains, for a year-end surplus of CHF 3.22 million. World Gymnastics showed a healthy CHF 65.51 million in assets, including CHF 30.87 million in reserves. (CHF 1 = $1.27 U.S.)

A positive note came from the anti-doping report, which showed a total of 716 athletes tested from 69 nations, with only one doping violation reported.

The federation’s astonishing failure to prevent or sanction Indonesia’s banning Israeli participation in the World Artistic Championships in Jakarta was noted only briefly in the opening statement by federation chief Morinari Watanabe (JPN):

“Artistic Gymnastics held its World Championships in south-east Asia for the first time, in Indonesia. This milestone event, once again marked by unprecedented participation, significantly strengthened the growth of gymnastics in the region. It was regrettable that not all national federations were able to attend. We must continue to uphold the independence of our sport from political influence, and our organisation, together with the global gymnastics family, remains committed to supporting all athletes worldwide.”

¶

At last week’s European Rhythmic Championships in Varna (BUL), Russian Iana Zaikina won the Junior Ribbon final, with Ukraine’s Sofiia Krainska in second.

In the Junior Ball final, Kira Babkevich of Belarus won and Ukraine’s Varvara Chubarova won the bronze.

During the medal ceremonies, both Ukrainians wore headphones in their ears and covered their eyes as the Russian and Belarusian anthems were played. Commented Ukrainian skeleton racer Vyacheslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified at the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games for not being able to wear his “memory helmet” in competition:

“It is so painful to see Ukrainian female athletes in such a terrible situation, where they have to watch Russian symbols and listen to the Russian anthem, while at the same time their friends and relatives are dying at the hands of the army that fights under those very same Russian symbols.

“It is a shame that for the leadership of the International Gymnastics Federation, particularly for its president Watanabe, personal interest is more important than basic humanity.”

● Swimming ● World Aquatics introduced a rule change for its 1-6 December World Short-Course Championships in Beijing (CHN) in order to promote athlete participation in its short-course World Cup events in Asia – the “Silk Road Tour” – in October:

“A new system of wild cards will also be trialled at the Silk Road Tour, ensuring additional qualification opportunities for the 2026 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m).

“Swimmers will be able to earn a wild card for themselves by attending the Silk Road Tour stops and achieving an A standard time in their event. Up to three additional wild card swimmers could represent each World Aquatics Member Federation.”

At the 2024 World Short-Course Championships, each member federation was limited to 26 men and 26 women as entries.

The announcement also noted the use of 10 lanes in the pool – instead of eight – for semifinals and finals of events at the World Short-Course meet in events at 50, 100, 200 and 400 m. Relays and longer races will remain with eight in the pool.

● Tennis ● Superstar Serena Williams, who stopped her competitive career in 2022 and is now 44, returned to the registered doping pool for the sport in February and is returning to the WTA Tour with a wild-card invitation for Doubles at the Queen’s Club tournament in London (GBR) from 8-14 June.

Williams won 73 career titles and 23 career Grand Slam titles; her partner for the Queen’s Club tournament has not been announced. Williams won Olympic Doubles titles in 2000-08-12 and the Olympic Singles gold medal in 2012.

¶

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OLYMPIC GAMES: IOC chief Coventry slammed by fellow athletes for “no prize money” stance on Olympic Games

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 1, 2026

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

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≡ ANGRY ATHLETE REACTIONS ≡

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) said in a statement posted last Thursday on the IOC’s Athlete365 Instagram page to more fully explain her comments to SportNation NZ about not paying athletes at the Olympic Games:

“I have always said that I don’t believe in paying athletes prize money at the Olympic Games, as this would benefit only a very small number of athletes.

“I do believe our role as the IOC is to find ways to directly support a large number of athletes on their journey to becoming Olympians, at the Olympics and as they transition into life after sport.”

She had told reporter Alex Chapman, “I don’t believe in paying athletes” at the Games.

Either way, the Athlete365 post was greeted with a wall of unhappiness, notably from two star swimmers.

Australia’s Cam McEvoy, the Paris Olympic men’s 50 m Freestyle gold medalist and now world-record holder, replied:

“If every athlete who competes at the Olympics is paid $10k as an appearance fee, and every gold/silver/bronze earns 100k/60k/25k (including individuals on teams) then that would be around $180m – which is only 1.5% of the quadrennial revenue ($12 billion) the IOC generates.

“For reference the NBA has a 50% revenue share with the players. You can have prize money and pay all athletes to help those who aren’t are the absolute top and still be extremely comfortable with your boatloads of revenue.”

South African swim star Roland Schoeman, now 45, who won three World Championships golds in the 50 m Free (1) and 50 m Butterfly (2) and three Olympic medals (1-1-1) between 2001-07, ripped back with a long screed:

“@officialkirstycoventry this is exactly why so many athletes feel abandoned by the Olympic movement.

“You say prize money only benefits a small number of athletes.

“Olympic medals benefit a small number of athletes.

“World records benefit a small number of athletes.

“Scholarships benefit a small number of athletes.

“Athlete365 opportunities benefit a small number of athletes.

“So what exactly is the point you’re trying to make?

“The IOC generates billions.

“Broadcasters generate billions.

“Sponsors receive billions in value.

“Host cities spend billions.

“Everyone around the Olympic movement seems to benefit financially except the athletes themselves.

“And now we’re being told athletes should be grateful because there are “other ways” they are supported?

“Great.

“Show us.

“Show us the Athlete365 numbers.

“How many athletes applied?

“How many got accepted?

“How many got rejected?

“How much money actually reached athletes?

“How much was spent on administration?

“I’ve applied for Athlete365 programmes for years. Business. Marketing. Media. Career transition.

“Not once did I receive an opportunity.

“Maybe I wasn’t selected.

“Fine.

“Then show us the criteria.

“Show us the outcomes.

“Show us the transparency.

“What makes this so disappointing is that this isn’t coming from a lifelong bureaucrat.

“It’s coming from a former swimmer.

“Someone who received opportunities.

“Someone who received support.

“Someone who knows exactly what athletes sacrifice.

“Yet somehow today’s athletes are still being told that “the experience” should be enough.

“The Olympic movement was built by athletes.

“Today it feels like athletes are the only people not allowed to share in the value they create.

“And the most alarming part?

“The IOC has become so detached that it now says this part out loud.”

He added in a later post, “We all call for the resignation of @officialkirstycoventry and the board members of the @iocofficial @athlete365″

British sprint star C.J. Ujah, the 2017 Diamond League men’s 100 m winner, chimed in with “This response feels dishonest and out of touch. Athletes deserve transparency, fair support, and leadership that truly understands their sacrifices — and many people are starting to question whether you’re the right person for the role”

American triple jump star Will Claye, a two-time World Indoor champ added, “You call the Olympic journey a ‘career’… in what career do you not receive any compensation for your work??”

Observed: Coventry did not rule out an honorarium or other program that would pay athletes as Olympic participants. The Sports Examiner made the case for this policy in a July 2025 column.

Coventry said in her SportNationNZ interview, “I was an Olympic Solidarity scholarship holder; without that money, I’m not sure I would have been as successful. And I’m so grateful for that.”

And as Coventry noted, the IOC does pay athletes – a total of 2,150 scholarship holders in 2024 at a cost of $17.6 million – through its Olympic Solidarity program, which distributes money to support athletes and the National Olympic Committees which help send them to the Games.

The next step may be to expand that to everyone who makes it to the Games. Her recent comments have certainly raised the clamor for it.

¶

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ATHLETICS: Happy times in Rabat for the six U.S. winners at the Diamond League, with Kovacs getting a 16th Diamond League win!

By

Rich Perelman

-

June 1, 2026

tsx pix 2025-705 eugene dl kovacs, joe (DLAG) — Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs at the 2025 Pre Classic, where he got his 13th Diamond League win! (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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

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≡ U.S. WINNERS SPEAK ≡

The Diamond League meeting in Rabat (MAR) was a good one for American athletes, with six wins on the day. Maybe the happiest was two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs, who had his best day of 2026 with a win and his longest throw in two years, a world-leading 22.58 m (74-1):

“I would love to know how many Diamond Leagues wins I have, but no, I do not know. My wife and I just built a training facility and I would love to put banners on the walls with all the special results. So maybe I should start counting them because I am pretty grateful for every one of them.

“My first Diamond League was in 2012 so it is good to start the year with a win and a healthy body. You can not just copy the things you did in the past, so this result says that I am able to adapt, that I trust my wife in training and that I do this as a proud dad.

“I think this is one of my best openers ever, it is crazy for me. It shows me that there is always more in the tank and that keeps me going for more. I was not expecting any result; I had no marks in training indicating how far I was going to throw.”

He added, “I love coming to this meet because the weather is always great and somehow the people in the corner love the shot put.”

Kovacs’ first win at a Diamond League meet was in Oslo (NOR) in 2014 and TSX research shows that Rabat was his 16th career Diamond League win! After his breakthrough in 2014, he had three in 2015, 2016 and 2022, then one each in 2023 and 2024, three in 2025 and now a first one in 2026.

Men’s 200 m winner Kenny Bednarek, a two-time Olympic silver winner, was sensational with a 19.69 time in his first race at the distance this season:

“I didn´t expect to run that fast but I knew I had a good sub 20 in me. Being in China running those 100 meters felt easy to me; I was doing a few mistakes here and there, but I learned. I just came out here to my baby and executed the race.

“I will be focusing on both distances this year … Being able to go against the best, I mean I am one of the best, but I like competing so I can´t wait for another year.”

Men’s 400 m winner Jacory Patterson explained that “my main focus is the Ultimate Championship in September, and I am looking forward to do a great performance there,” telling viewers on the FloTrack Athlete’s Lounge telecast that he wants to win the Ultimate Championship so that he has an automatic entry into the 2027 World Championships!

Paris Olympic 1,500 m bronze winner Yared Nuguse won the men’s 1,500 m in 3:30.35 and was overjoyed:

“This result says that I am back. I am back where I was right before. I really wanted to show up this outdoor season and win races, do really good.”

Sprinter Cambria Sturgis powered down the straight to win the women’s 200 m in 22.21 and said after:

“I would give the performance of today a B, I came out of the curve hard and fast, and although I feel I could have been even stronger coming out of it, I stayed composed and pushed through all the way to the finish line. Overall, I am happy with the result.”

Olympic and World Champion Valarie Sion won the discus at 68.75 m (225-6), improving through the rounds and setting a meet record:

“I had to really work to find my groove. Each round I threw a little better, with a meeting record here in Rabat, it´s just amazing. When I came in 2019, it was my first competition on the professional circuit and [Yaime] Perez broke the meeting record. It was the coolest thing, and now it just feels like a full circle moment.

“The women´s discus is quite competitive now. There are many women I feel that are getting momentum. Seventy meters [229-8] is always that mark I am trying to enforce, I can tell I am coming into better competition shape.

“It has been really fun to come to Africa and experience that energetic culture, so I am going to enjoy every moment of it.”

Next up is the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome (ITA), on Thursday, 4 June, followed by the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm on Sunday, 7 June.

¶

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