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TSX REPORT: Crouser explodes to 77-3 3/4 world record! Encouraging L.A. Grand Prix crowd; Roglic’s time trial win clinches Giro d’Italia title

By
Rich Perelman
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Ryan Crouser celebrates his sensational 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) world record in the shot put on Saturday. (TSX photo)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Crouser smashes WR again: 77-3 3/4 at L.A. Grand Prix
2. Grand Prix confirms L.A. market and Drake Stadium appeal
3. El Bakkali, Kerley, Tsegay star in Rabat Diamond League
4. Roglic’s time trial takes Giro d’Italia from Thomas
5. UIPM appoints panel to review Russia-Belarus re-entry

Ryan Crouser’s fabulous world record of 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) in the men’s shot was the highlight of the USATF L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, but there were seven world-leading marks in all. The meet was notable in proving the stadium as a worthy site for more events in the future, and the attendance showed that Los Angeles remains a good market for the sport … but there were issues. At the Rabat Diamond League meet on Sunday, there were four more world leads, including a rapturous roar for home hero Soufiane El Bakkali, who won the men’s Steeple in a lifetime best of 7:56.68; Fred Kerley of the U.S. shut down a good field in the men’s 100 m in 9.94. At the annual Hypomeeting in Austria, American Anna Hall won the heptathlon with a startling 6,988 points, moving to no. 5 all-time; she scored four lifetime bests among the seven events. Slovenian star Primoz Roglic won the 106th Giro d’Italia with a stirring time trial win on Saturday on an uphill course, taking the maglia rosa jersey away from Britain’s Geraint Thomas. The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne appointed a five-member panel to review Russian and Belarusian application for re-entry, as international federations continue to struggle with deciding what is required to be “neutral.”

● World Championships: Football (U.S. undefeated in FIFA men’s U-20) = Ice Hockey (Canada wins 28th Worlds, over Germany) = Table Tennis (China sweeps 2023 Worlds) ●

● Panorama: Badminton (Prannoy and Yamaguchi take Malaysia singles titles) = Cycling (new Dutch star Kool wins RideLondon Classique from U.S.’s Dygert) = Gymnastics (U.S. dominates Pan Am Artistic Champs) = Judo (Krpalek and Wagner star at Austria Grand Prix) = Shooting (ISSF Trap World Cup in Almaty) = Skateboarding (Cini and Brown win in San Juan) = Swimming (Manzi and Jouisse surprise in Setubal Open Water) = Triathlon (Yee and Taylor-Brown win in Cagliari) ●

1.
Crouser smashes WR again: 77-3 3/4 at L.A. Grand Prix

There hadn’t been a world-class invitational meet in the Los Angeles area since 2008. The last major invitational at UCLA’s Drake Stadium was in 1990, when Randy Barnes set a world record of 23.12 m (75-10 1/4) in the men’s shot put.

On Saturday, Ryan Crouser had the best meet in the history of shot putting, scaring and then surpassing his own world record – and the 77-foot mark – with a staggering fourth throw of 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) at USATF’s L.A. Grand Prix.

This was using his new “step-across” throwing motion – also known as the Crouser Slide – designed to help generate more speed in the ring, and did it ever. Throwing at the north end of the field, in what was originally designed as a practice ring, Crouser nearly hit the concrete retaining wall at the far back of the dirt landing area, way beyond the 22 m marking line.

Crouser was on fire from the start:

● 1: 23.23 m (76-2 3/4), equal-3rd performance all-time
● 2: 23.31 m (76-5 3/4), no. 2 all-time
● 3: 22.94 m (75-3 1/4)
● 4: 23.56 m (77-3 3/4), World Record
● 5: 22.80 m (74-9 3/4)
● 6: 22.86 m (75-0)

He had three of the top six throws in history in the same series, not counting his 23.38 m (76-8 1/2) indoor mark at the Simplot Games on 18 February, which was not ratified as a world record and classified as an “irregular measurement.”

His six-throw average was a staggering 23.12 m (75-10 1/4), a distance which only two others – Americans Joe Kovacs (2022) and Barnes (1990) – have ever reached once! He was the first to reach 76 feet and now the first to 77.

Just sensational; Crouser said afterwards that this was the first time he had been able to get his new technique working in competition, after seeing promising results in training. And he said there is more in the tank.

Former World Champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand was excellent in second at 22.12 m (72-7), but was completely overshadowed.

That was the highlight of an excellent afternoon of track & field, which saw a total of seven world-leading marks:

● Men/1,500 m: 3:31.47, Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN)
● Men/Vault: 5.91 m (19-4 3/4), Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and Sam Kendricks (USA)
● Men/Shot Put: 23.56 m (77-3 3/4), Ryan Crouser (USA) ~ World Record

● Women/400 m: 48.98, Marileidy Paulino (DOM)
● Women/1,500 m: 3:57.84, Diribe Welteji (ETH)
● Women/100 m Hurdles: 12.31, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR)
● Women/Shot Put: 20.45 m (67-1 1/4), Maggie Ewen (USA)

The men’s and women’s 100 m dashes were much anticipated, even more so when the women’s heats produced a runaway 10.90 win (wind: -0.8 m/s) for Sha’Carri Richardson in the first race and then a 10.88-10.95 win (+1.3) for Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV) over American Aleia Hobbs in the second. But none of those three ran in the final, citing injuries or injury concerns, and resurgent Morolake Akinosun won the final in 10.97 (+0.2) over Melissa Jefferson (11.07).

The men’s 100 m was the final race of the day and super-starter Christian Coleman got out well and had the race in hand at 80 m. But Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, to Coleman’s left, closed with a rush and got to the line first in a lifetime best of 9.89, no. 3 in the world for 2023. American Cravont Charleston caught Coleman at the tape and got second, with both in 9.91, a lifetime best for Charleston. Both ranked no. 4 in the world at meet’s end.

The other straightaway race that had the knowledgeable fans waiting was the women’s 100 m hurdles, and Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn did not disappoint with a world-leading 12.31 (-0.2), just 0.05 off her best ever. She took control in mid-race and kept the pressure on to beat a late surge from Keni Harrison (12.35), her fastest since 2017!

There was a lot to like, including two come-from-behind wins in the men’s 800 m and 1,500 m. American Clayton Murphy smoked the straight to win the 800 m in 1:44.75, no. 4 on the year list. Kenyan Cheruiyot, the 2019 World Champion, took off in the final 100 m to pass countryman Raynold Kipkorir, 18, to win in a world-leading 3:31.47 to 3:32.01. American Hobbs Kessler, 20, also flew down the home straight and got third over Cooper Teare, 3:32.61 to 3:32.74, lifetime bests for both.

The women’s 1,500 m was a runaway for Ethiopia’s Welteji in 3:57.84, her third-fastest ever, with Kate Snowden (GBR) getting a lifetime best at 4:00.04, now no. 3 in 2023, and American Josette Andrews at 4:00.77, another lifetime best and no. 5 in 2023.

The women’s 800 m saw a late surge from Ajee Wilson of the U.S. that carried her to victory in 1:59.01, no. 4 on the year list, over 2019 World Champion Halimah Nakaayi (1:59.35).

Dominican star Marileidy Paulino ran away with the women’s 400 m in a national record 48.98, ahead of comebacking Salwa Eid Naser (BRN: 50.27). American Jenna Prandini ran down former USC Trojan TeeTee Terry to win the 200 m, 22.34-22.44 (+0.5).

Jamaica’s Sean Bailey stormed past 2012 Olympic winner Kirani James (GRN) off the final turn to win the men’s 400 m in 44.43 to 44.50. C.J. Allen of the U.S. continued his hot running in the men’s 400 m hurdles, winning in 47.91, now no. 2 in 2023, a lifetime best and his second race this season under 48 seconds.

World Champion Anderson Peters (GRN) put the men’s javelin to bed early with his winning throw of 83.16 m (272-10) in the first round. China’s Xiaomei Sun won the women’s jav with her second-round throw of 55.67 m (182-7).

The women’s shot saw the world-leading performance by Ewen, whose 20.45 m (67-1 1/4) moved her to no. 3 all-time U.S. World Champion Chase Ealey was second at 19.98 m (65-6 3/4).

It was a wonderful meet on the track and on the field (and shot circle), but there was significance well beyond the results.

2.
Grand Prix confirms L.A. market and Drake Stadium appeal

There was, in many track and field circles, as much interest in the attendance, optics and feel of the L.A. Distance Classic on Friday and the L.A. Grand Prix on Saturday as there was in the events themselves.

At least from Saturday’s L.A. Grand Prix, there are some noteworthy conclusions to be drawn:

● UCLA’s Drake Stadium, once one of the premier showcases for the sport in the U.S., shined brightly as an excellent competitive facility, with world-class performances in every event and more than a dozen stadium records. Not a huge surprise for the first high-end invitational there in 33 years, but still great to see.

● The attendance was a critical measure of success for this meet and while the 11,142-seat facility was hardly full, the crowd was good. Announced at 7,246, there were actually about 4,500 there on Saturday as shown by this photo taken after the men’s 800 m (some empty sections at the right side of the image are not shown):

The L.A. Grand Prix crowd on Saturday at UCLA’s Drake Stadium (TSX photo by Alan Mazursky)

But this was the best crowd for a meet in the Los Angeles area since the 2005 adidas Track Classic at the (then) Home Depot Center in Carson. And, given the indifferent promotion of the meet, was a concrete demonstration that Los Angeles is still – after all these years – a very viable market for track & field.

● The meet had a lot of important eyes on it. Underwritten by Southern California-based Internet Brands (WebMD, CarsDirect and many others), there was an evaluation team from World Athletics on site, as well as a member of its Executive Board. New U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee President Gene Sykes, also an LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games Organizing Committee board member, was in attendance.

What they saw was an unevenly staged meet, beginning with the Friday night L.A. Distance Classic, a meet designed to create fast races for qualifying purposes, along with a few field events.

It was cold and dreary and this hurt the potentially-exciting women’s vault, which saw Olympic and World champ Katie Moon no-height, but with Worlds silver medalist Sandi Morris winning at 4.61 m (15-1 1/2), beat Canada’s Alysha Newman on misses.

The men’s and women’s hammer were held in the afternoon, with only modest public address support, so the dramatic, fifth-round, national-record win by Canada’s Cam Rogers at 78.62 m (257-11) over World Champion Brooke Andersen of the U.S. (76.06 m/249-6) was hard to follow. Rogers moved to no. 2 in the world this season and former World Champion DeAnna Price of the U.S. moved to no. 3 in third place at 75.89 m (248-11).

Poland’s Wojciech Nowicki won the men’s hammer in the sixth round with a 77.18 m (253-2) toss to edge American Rudy Winkler (77.17 m/253-2). also essentially unnoticed.

Same in the men’s and women’s discus, where Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman was rarely noted prior to her throws; she set the field down with a first throw of 68.39 m (224-4), beating Cuba’s Yaime Perez (63.63 m/209-9). Jamaica went 1-2 in the men’s disc, with Traves Smikle upending 2019 Worlds silver medalist Fedrick Dacres, 67.06 m (220-0) to 64.51 m (211-7).

The running events concentrated on the distances, of course, and the cool weather made for excellent conditions. Not as good, however, was that the runners were in the dark as soon as the sun went down, because the 1999 renovation of Drake Stadium installed lighting for the soccer field and not on the track.

The 1,200 or so spectators could barely see Ahmed Jaziri of Tunisia win the men’s Steeple at 8:17.64, no. 2 in 2023, with American Isaac Updike just behind at 8:17.96 (no. 3). But the women’s 5,000 m – won by Emily Lipari of the U.S. with a 69.34 last lap in 15:08.87 – was hard to follow and the excellent men’s 5,000 was literally in the dark.

Too bad, because Abdi Nur scored an impressive lifetime best of 13:05.17, beating Edwin Kurgat (KEN: 13:08.46) and Morgan Beadlescomb (USA: 13:08.82); the top 12 all broke 13:20.

Crouser’s world-record performance was held at the north end circle, used by UCLA for practice and now for its low-key home meets. But when the field was re-designed in 1999, shot put circles were installed on the infield, including one just beyond the finish line, which would have been right in front of most of the spectators. But perhaps no one knew about it.

The meet is hoped to be an annual event in Los Angeles, so these issues and others can be addressed in the future. The enthusiasm of Saturday’s attendees sent a message that Los Angeles is a very viable future site for more high-quality meets like this one.

3.
El Bakkali, Kerley, Tsegay star in Rabat Diamond League

The second round of the Wanda Diamond League was the Meeting Mohammed VI in Rabat (MAR) on Sunday, with the home crowd screaming with delight as Olympic and World Champion Soufiane El Bakkali took a shot at the world record in the men’s Steeplechase and ended with a lifetime best and world-leading win. The four world leaders:

● Men/Steeple: 7:56.68, Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR)

● Women/1,500 m: 3:54.03, Gudaf Tsegay (ETH)
● Women/High Jump: 2.01 m (6-7), Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)
● Women/Triple Jump: 14.84 m (48-8 1/4), Leyanis Perez (CUB)

El Bakkali finally shook free of Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale with 500 m to go and strode home with a lifetime best and now, the no. 8 performer of all time. Wale got a personal record of 8:05.15, , ahead of Abraham Kibiwot (KEN: 8:05.51 lifetime best) and American Hillary Bor, who had a seasonal best of 8:11.28 in fourth.

Tsegay dominated the women’s 1,500, taking over at 800 m and streaked to win, with fellow Ethiopians Freweyni Hailu (3:57.65) and Birke Haylom (3:57.66). American Cory McGee was fifth in 4:03.09. It’s Tsegay’s third-fastest race ever and she took over the world lead from Diribe Welteji (ETH)’s win in L.A. on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Mahuchikh won the women’s high jump at 1.95 m (6-4 3/4) over countrywoman Iryna Gerashchenko (1.91 m/6-3 1/4), then cleared 2.01 m (6-7) for the world lead.

Cuba’s Perez got her world-leading triple jump mark of 14.84 m (48-8 1/4) in the second round, well ahead of Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk’s sixth-round jump of 14.65 m (48-0 3/4). Americans Tori Franklin and Keturah Orji were fifth (14.22 m/46-8) and seventh (13.90 m/45-7 1/4).

The men’s 1,500 m featured Olympic champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), taking over at the bell and unchallenged to the tape in 3:32.59, no. 3 on the 2023 world list. Australian Olli Hoare was his main challenger until the final 60 m, when the U.S.’s Yared Nuguse sprinted in for second (lifetime best 3:33.02), with Hoare getting third in 3:33.39.

The men’s 100 m was a marquee event, with World Championships bronze medalist Trayvon Bromell getting out best, but then came Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala and, at 50 m, World Champion Fred Kerley of the U.S. took over. He accelerated to the front, secured the win and looked back to see South Africa’s Akani Simbine come up for second, 9.94 to 9.99 (wind: +0.1 m/s), with Omanyala third (10.05) and Bromell fifth (10.10).

Jamaica’s World 200 m Champion Shericka Jackson was challenged around the turn by American Tamari Davis, but pulled away to win in 21.98 (+0.8), with Anthonique Strachan coming up for second (22.15 lifetime best) and Davis third with a lifetime best of 22.30. American Kayla White was fourth in 22.52.

Bahamian star Steven Gardiner, the world leader at 400 m, ran powerfully down the straight to win in 44.70, with American Vernon Norwood coming on late for second in 45.11.

World Champion Grant Holloway was out like a shot in the men’s 110 m hurdles, but he was reeled in over the final hurdle and the run-in by Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell, 13.08-13.12 (-1.3). Tokyo Olympic winner Hansle Parchment was third (13.24) and Americans Devon Allen (13.25) and Freddie Crittenden (13.43) fourth and fifth.

Kenya took 1-2 in the men’s 800 was Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi passed countryman Wyclife Kinyamal late to win by 1:44.36 to 1:44.73.

Worlds bronze winner Mary Moraa (KEN) ran away with the women’s 800 m on the home straight in 1:58.72, with Catriona Bisset (AUS: 2:00.11) second and American Sage Hurta-Klecker third (2:00.62).

American Shamier Little passed Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton on the home straight to win the 400 m hurdles in 53.95; Clayton was second in 54.15. Rio 2016 Olympic champ Dalilah Muhammad of the U.S. was fifth in a season-best of 55.72.

Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo won the women’s shot at 19.28 m (63-3 1/4) with her second-round toss.

Slovenian’s discus giant, Kristjian Ceh, reached 70.32 m (230-8) in the fifth round to win his specialty; it’s his no. 3 throw of 2023. Sweden’s Tokyo Olympic winner Daniel Stahl got a seasonal best of 69.21 m (227-0) for second.

One of the best – if not the best – multi-event meets in the world is the annual Hypomeeting in Gotzis (AUT), with world-leading performances from Canada’s Pierce LePage and American Anna Hall.

Hall, still just 22 and the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist, was brilliant, posting a stunning score of 6,988, not just the best in 2023, but moving her to no. 5 all-time, with the no. 11 performance in history and now no. 2 in U.S. history to Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Hall went crazy, getting lifetime bests in the 100 m hurdles (12.75), high jump (1.92 m/6-3 1/2), 200 m (22.88) and the 800 m in 2:02.97.

Britain’s Katerina Johnson-Thompson was second (6,556), with her best score since her World Championship gold year if 2019; American Annie Kunz in sixth (6,330).

Canada’s LePage, the Worlds silver medalist in 2022, missed his lifetime best by a single point, winning at 8,700, ahead of countryman Damian Warner (8,619), the Olympic champ from Tokyo.

4.
Roglic’s time trial takes Giro d’Italia from Thomas

He left it late, but Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, the three-time winner of the Vuelta a Espana, captured his fourth Grand Tour title, taking the 106th Giro d’Italia on his third try.

Britain’s Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France winner, held the lead from stages 10-13 and then from stages 16-19, with Roglic pushing from behind. On the four-climb 19th stage on Friday, Roglic chopped three seconds off of Thomas’s lead, closing to 26 seconds back with the Individual Time Trial coming on Saturday.

Saturday’s racing was a particularly misery-inducing course of 18.6 km, finishing with a 9 km climb from 850 to 1,744 m at the top of the Monte Lussari. While the first two time trials had been Roglic and Thomas finish close together, Roglic was ready to charge and won in 44:23, with Thomas second, but 40 seconds back, flipping the leaderboard and leaving Roglic, 33, 14 seconds up and assured of winning after the final, flat stage into Rome.

Thomas was down 16 seconds at the second checkpoint, with 3.3 km left and then 29 seconds on the climb, with 800 m to go. Portugal’s Joao Almeida finished third (+0:42) and cemented a third-place finish in the overall race.

The 126 km finale on Sunday in Rome was for the sprinters, with British specialist Mark Cavendish – who will retire at the end of this season – getting his 17th career Giro stage win, to go along with 34 in the Tour de France and three in La Vuelta. He won in 2:48:26, just ahead of Alex Kirsch (LUX) and Filippo Fiorelli (ITA).

Roglic finished 32nd and Thomas was 63rd, all with the same time. Roglic’s final time overall was 85:29:02, 14 seconds up on Thomas and 1:15 ahead of Almeida. American Sepp Kuss, riding with Roglic’s Jumbo-Visma team, was 14th overall (+13:09).

Roglic will try for his fourth La Vuelta win later this year.

5.
UIPM appoints panel to review Russia-Belarus re-entry

Desperate to regain its place on the Olympic program for 2028, there was no doubt whatsoever that the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) would follow the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations on re-entry for Russian and Belarusian athletes.

But the IOC left the details to the federations and so the UIPM announced a five-person review panel, “chaired by three-time Olympian Aya Medany OLY (Egypt) and comprising Ana Ruth Orellana (Guatemala), Sungjoo Park (Korea), Nishanthe Piyasena (Sri Lanka) and Dr Harald Vervaecke (Belgium).”

The group will review (1) applications made by Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials for re-entry into international competition and (2) the timing of re-entry, which is not specified by the IOC in its 28 March 2023 recommendations.

While the statement assures that “based on criteria to be set by the UIPM Executive Board in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC),” those criteria are anything but clear and different federations have come up with differing interpretations of what “neutral” means in the context of the IOC Executive Board statements.

The International Judo Federation rejected eight of 18 entries submitted by Russia for its recent World Championships. World Sailing rejected any Russian or Belarusian re-entry until the spring of 2024. World Taekwondo is allowing all but two Russian entries for its World Championships. And so on.

What path will the UIPM take, in a decision which could create further confusion and upset within a federation already in the midst of a civil war over the replacement of the riding discipline in favor of obstacle racing as part of its bid for Los Angeles 2028.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● The FIFA men’s U-20 Championships in Argentina completed group play on Sunday, with the U.S. the winner of Group B with a 3-0 mark and a 6-0 goals-against total.

Argentina (Group A) was the only other team with a perfect record; the U.S. moves on to the Round of 16 to face New Zealand (1-1-1 in Group A) on the 30th; Argentina will play Nigeria on 31 May. The quarters are on 3-4 June, semis on 8 June and the medal matches on the 11th.

● Ice Hockey ● A complete stunner in the semifinals of the IIHF men’s World Championship in Finland and Latvia, as the U.S. men, dominant throughout the tournament, lost in the semifinals to Germany, 4-3, in overtime.

The Americans were up, 3-2, after two periods thanks to an Michael Eyssimont goal at 8:47 of the second and had a 19-15 edge on shots. The Germans pulled keeper Mathias Niederberger with 1:39 to play and, with the extra attacker, got the tying goal 16 seconds later from Marcel Noebels.

On to overtime and while the U.S. was the aggressor, Frederik Tiffels scored for the Germans after 7:32 to move on to the final and relegate the Americans to the third-place match.

Canada, meanwhile, came from 2-1 down in the third period with three goals for a 4-2 win and a chance for the gold medal. In the final, in Tampere (FIN), the script was almost the same, as the Canadians scored three times in the third to break a 2-2 tie and win 5-2 for its 28th Worlds title, the most of any country (the USSR won 22). Germany won its third Worlds silver.

Samuel Blais, Tyler Toffoli and Scott Laughton (empty-netter) scored the decisive third-period goals.

The U.S. lost to co-host Latvia in the bronze-medal game, again by 4-3 in overtime. The U.S. was down 1-0 and 2-1 in the first, but two goals from Rocco Grimaldi tied it at two at the period break. The U.S. had a 3-2 lead after an Matt Coronato goal at 6:19 of the third, but Kristians Rubins tied it with 5:39 to play.

In the overtime, it only took 1:22 for Rubins to score again and give Latvia it’s first-ever Worlds medal, in its third appearance in the tournament. The Americans ended up fourth for the second straight year.

Germany’s J.J. Peterka was recognized as the top forward; Canada’s Mackenzie Weegar was named top defenseman and Arturs Silovs (LAT) won the award for top goaltender. Grimaldi won the scoring title with 14 (7+7); Czech Dominik Kubalik had the most goals, with eight.

● Table Tennis ● The 57th ITTF World Championships in Durban (RSA) was another sweep for China, which won all five events and won gold and silver in both the men’s and women’s Singles finals.

Zhendong Fan, 26, took his second consecutive title in the men’s Singles, defeating countryman Chuqin Wang, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 12-10, 11-13, 11-6. China also had both bronze medalists in Jingkun Liang and two-time Olympic gold medalist Long Ma.

Top-seeded Yingsha Sun, the Tokyo Olympic runner-up, defeated Tokyo gold medalist Meng Chen, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 to win her first World title in the women’s final. Japan’s Hina Hayata and China’s Xington Chen shared the bronze.

In the men’s Doubles, Fan and Wang teamed up to defeat South Koreans Woo-jin Jang and Jong-hoon Lim, 13-11, 11-6, 11-5. In the women’s Doubles, Chen and Yidi Wang sailed past Yu-bin Shin and Ji-hee Jeon, 11-8, 11-7 and 12-10 for the gold.

Chuqin Wang won his second gold and third medal of the tournament with Sun in the Mixed Doubles final, sweeping aside Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN), 11-6, 11-2, 11-7. Sun also won three medals: two golds and a women’s Doubles bronze.

It’s the first sweep for China since 2019, but they have won at least four events in 2015-17-19-21-23.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Badminton ● South Korea captured two titles at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur, with unseeded teams taking the men’s and women’s Doubles.

Ha Na Baek and So Hee Lee had a difficult women’s final with home favorites Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah, but won, 22-20, 8-21, 21-17. The men’s gold-medal match was another Korea-Malaysia match-up, with Min Hyuk Kang and Seung Jae Seo winning another marathon, against Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee, 21-15, 22-24, 21-19.

The singles winners were India’s H.S. Prannoy, a 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 winner against China’s Hong Yang Weng, for his first career tournament title on the BWF World Tour. He had won three times on the old BWF Grand Prix circuit.

Top-seeded Akane Yamaguchi of Japan swept past Indonesia’s Gregoria Tunjung, 21-17, 21-7 in the women’s final, while Thai Doubles stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai – seeded second – came from behind to beat China’s Yan Zhe Feng and Dong Ping Huang, 16-21, 21-13, 21-18.

● Cycling ● Another new Dutch star emerged at the UCI Women’s World Tour’s RideLondon Classique stage race that finished Sunday: Charlotte Kool.

The 24-year-old won her first multi-stage title by taking the first and third stages and finishing with a total time of 9:34:41, 11 seconds up on American Chloe Dygert, with Britain’s 2015 World Road Champion Lizzie Deignan third (+0:15).

Kool won the first-stage mass sprint, finished 22nd in the second stage as Dygert and Deignan led a group to the line, then Kool triumphed on Sunday’s final ride in London, finishing just ahead of Dygert in another all-out sprint.

● Gymnastics ● The U.S. performed strongly at the Pan Am Artistic Championships in Medellin (COL), with a 1-2 finish in the men’s All-Around and Tiana Sumanasekera won the women’s All-Around in her international senior-level debut.

Tokyo Olympian Yul Moldauer won the men’s All-Around over fellow Olympian Shane Wiskus, 84.200 to 82.800, and then Moldauer scored a win on Floor (14.500, with Wiskus third), a bronze on Pommel Horse (13.367, while Alex Young won at 14.300), a win on Parallel Bars (14.567, with Wiskus second: 14.100) and was part of a “sweep” on the Horizontal Bar.

Curran Phillips scored 13.833 to win the Bar final, with Moldauer second (13.600) and Wiskus third (13.533), but not allowed to receive the bronze medal with only two per country allowed.

Daniel Villafane (ARG) won on Rings at 14.133, with Moldauer fourth (13.733). Brazil’s Yuri Guimares won on Vault, scoring 14.300.

The U.S. men won the team title on Sunday with 247.499 points to 238.599 for Canada and 234.901 for Brazil.

Sumanasekera scored 53.900 to take the women’s A-A gold, with Natalia Escalera (MEX) second at 53.266; Nola Matthews of the U.S. was fourth (52.267).

The U.S. went 1-2 on the Uneven Bars with Matthews (14.000) and Addison Fatta (13.667), on Beam with Sumanasekera scored 13.767 to 13.267 for Jocelyn Roberson, and on Floor with Roberson getting the win at 14.100 to Sumanasekera’s 13.567.

Mexico’s Alexa Moreno won on Vault, scoring 13.700 with Roberson second at 13.583 and Fatta fifth at 13.100.

The U.S. women were a decisive team winner, scoring 163.700 to 154.698 for Mexico and 150.998 for Canada.

● Judo ● Japan led the IJF World Tour Upper Austria Grand Prix in Linz with three victories, all on the women’s side: Kisumi Omori at 52 kg, Momo Tatsukawa at 63 kg and Ruri Takahashi at +78 kg.

There were some well-known winners, including Czech star Lukas Krpalek, the two-time Olympic champ, winning at +100 kg, and Hungary’s Krisztian Toth, the Tokyo bronze medalist, won at 90 kg.

Anna Wagner (GER) the 2021 World Champion at 78 kg, won a clash with France’s 2019 World Champion Madeleine Malonga in the 78 kg final.

● Shooting ● Italy and Spain took the individual Trap titles at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Almaty (KAZ), with Massimo Fabbrizi, 45, the two-time World Champion winning the men’s final for Italy over Australia’s two-time Olympian James Willett, 46-43.

Spain went 1-2 in the women’s final, as Mar Molne Magrina, 21, won her second career World Cup gold with a 42-37 victory against 2015 World Champion Fatima Galvez.

In the Mixed Team final, Kazakhstan’s Victor Khassyanov and Mariya Dmitriyenko out-pointed Turkey, 142-140.

● Skateboarding ● At the World Skateboarding Tour in San Juan (PUR), Brazil’s Luigi Cini came out on top in the men’s final at 85.74, beating Tom Schaar of the U.S. (84.51), Australia’s Tokyo Olympic champ Keegan Palmer (84.13) and Americans Tate Carew (83.19) and Gavin Bottger (82.21). Cini threw down his 85.74 score on his first run and no one could catch him; Palmer took only his first run and withdrew due to injury.

Britain’s 14-year-old sensation, Sky Brown, won the women’s final, leading after round one at 85.22, then scoring 87.45 in the second round and an unbeatable 90.84 in the final round to win easily. Australian Ruby Trew got second (86.16 in round three) and Brazil’s Raicca Oliveira took the bronze with her third-round run that scored 85.17.

● Swimming ● Italy scored a 1-2 finish in the men’s Open Water World Cup III in Setubal (POR), with Andrea Manzi getting his first career World Cup gold in 1:52.37.1, just ahead of teammate Marcello Guidi (1:52.47.1). Hungarian stars David Betlehem (1:53:12.1) and last week’s winner, Kristof Rasovszky (1:53:18.8) went 3-4, but could not stay with the Italian surge on the fourth lap of five.

The women’s win was claimed by France’s Caroline Jouisse in 2:01:12.1, less than a second up on Italy’s 2017 Worlds bronze medalist Arianna Bridi (2:01:13.0) and Rio 2016 Olympic champ Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED), who tied for second. Rouwendaal led on the final lap, but Jouisse final surge propelled her to the win.

Hungary, with Rasovszky, Betlehem, Bettina Fabian and Mira Szimcsak won the Mixed 4×1,500 m in 1:24:13.1 over Italy (1:25:32.6).

● Triathlon ● Britain swept the World Triathlon Series in Cagliari (ITA), with Olympic silver winner Alex Yee taking the men’s race and Georgia Taylor-Brown, the 2020 World Champion and also Olympic silver medalist in Tokyo.

Yee trailed out of the water and was in contention after the 38 km bike phase, but was superb in the run, with the fastest 10 km of the race at 28:31. That was enough to give him a 1:36:28 to 1:36:33 win over New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, the winner in Yokohama earlier in May. The 2022 World Champion, Leo Bergere, led three straight French in 3-4-5 in 1:37:04, then Dorian Coninx (1:37:15) and Pierre Le Corre (1:37:21).

Taylor-Brown was also behind after the 1,500 m swim, but had the second-fastest bike section to be among the leaders at the transition. She then simply ran away, with the fourth-fastest run in the field (32:45) to win in 1:46:43 to 1:47:06 for France’s Emma Lombardi.

American Taylor Spivey got third (1:47:36), with teammate Summer Rappaport seventh (1:48:12). Former World Champion Katie Zaferes was 12th.

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LANE ONE: An Olympic Games that has nothing to do with “elite athletes”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Los Angeles Deputy City Controller Rick Cole during his remarks to the L.A. Planning History Group on Los Angeles and the Olympic Games (Photo: The Sports Examiner)

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“Most of all, I think, we have to restore a sense of democracy, that the Olympics are not an occupying army, that the Olympics are our chance to welcome the world. Our chance not just to welcome the elite athletes, but to welcome people all over the world that for that brief two weeks who are going to be connected virtually, billions of people, and we are going to be the anchor of that sense of place.”

That’s the view of Rick Cole, the highly-respected Chief Deputy Controller of the City of Los Angeles, who has been an elected City Council member in Pasadena and the Mayor or City Manager of Pasadena, Azusa, Ventura and Santa Monica, and the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles across a 40-year career in government.

He gave an enlightening keynote address, without cards, slides or a teleprompter last Saturday at the L.A. Planning History Group’s seminar “Los Angeles and the Olympic Games: 1932 – 1984 – 2028” at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, that deliberately ignored the entire sporting aspects of all three Games.

Cole’s message was about the civic aspects of a worldwide event, addressed to a collection of current and retired elected officials, planners and government staff members from across Southern California. The Games – as in the competitions – hardly impacted Cole’s remarks. But the Games, as a worldwide, attention-getting spectacle, sure did.

He traced the history of Los Angeles and the city at three stages of its development, all marked by past and future Olympic Games.

● Of 1932:

“During the 1920s, the population of the city doubled from what it had been in 1920. An extraordinary era of boosterism, a sense that we could build a great city. …

“It was a city built around the streetcars, and this was the coming of age, to be able to host the world in 1932.

“This was a time pregnant with possibilities. The Olmstead firm, as many of you know, had done a plan for the future of Los Angeles, sponsored by of all institutions, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. And that plan was, instead of building Los Angeles around freeways, it was to build it around parkways, build it around a green Los Angeles River, build the city in a way that would celebrate the natural climate of one of the world’s few Mediterranean climates.”

Instead, the freeways came to Southern California in the late 1930s, laying the foundation for the future.

● Of 1984:

“Fast forward to the culmination of the auto era in Los Angeles … If 1932 was Los Angeles’s introduction to the world, 1984 was its introduction to being one of the world’s great cities.

“Dorothy Chandler had built the Music Center, the cultural center. [Mayor] Tom Bradley had presided over the building of a new, skyscraper downtown. [County Supervisor] Kenny Hahn and Tom Bradley had spearheaded the adoption of the master plan for mass transit. So we were finally going to be a city that had a subway, a cultural center, a skyline worthy of a great city, and we were indeed the capital of the Pacific Rim, a place where Latin America, Asia, the United States, will all converge and we would be the capital of that of the era, and we would invite the world to see and be part of this great international city. …

“And the result was, an extraordinary success. In every sense of the word, people came away impressed. There was a great fear that Los Angeles would be gridlocked, right, because we were famous for being the city of cars and traffic. People were so scared to drive that it was the smoothest traffic in 20 years.”

Cole stumbled on some of his facts, but he is not an Olympic historian. His focus was on what the 1984 Games did to and for Los Angeles. And he was impressed:

● “The brilliance of, and someone will remember her name – Deborah Sussman [along with Paul Prejza, Jon Jerde, Ed Keen, David Meckel and others] – designed an absolutely brilliant graphics package, and for the cost of printing up banners, created this illusion that all of Los Angeles – greater Los Angeles – was the Olympic Village. By simply lining the streets with these colorful and dramatic banners. Now, banners on street poles are a cliche. At the time, they were a brilliant innovation, and Deborah Sussman deserves a lot of the credit for the sense that every one was a part of this Olympic event, even if you couldn’t afford the tickets, even if it was simply an inconvenience to you, you felt a part of this. And they recruited thousands of volunteers, which also increased this sense.”

● “It was the zenith of local pride, a sense that Los Angeles had finally arrived as a great city, it had gotten its act together, it had put things together. We came out of the Olympics, we’d saved the Olympics, we came out of the Olympics with a huge amount of money that could be invested in youth sports for generations, and which that legacy continues today.”

● “And as I said, the traffic flowed smoothly, all of the fears did not materialize, there was no violence or terrorism, the Olympics were peaceful, they moved on, and they were paired with an international Olympic Arts Festival, which gave an even greater sense that these were not just about sports and corporations, but this was about the cultural richness of Los Angeles. They did a six-hour play of the Mahabharata of India; there was a sense of sophistication about Los Angeles.”

But this era of good feeling ended, suddenly. As Cole explained:

“And then, just eight years later, the Rodney King Riots tore the mask off of Los Angeles’s great pretensions to be the capital of affluence and success, prosperity and opportunity, and caused a wrenching self-reappraisal about what had been ignored with the colorful banners running down Olympic Boulevard and the great thoroughfares of Los Angeles.

“The neighborhoods that had not benefitted from the 74,000 jobs that came and went, that had not been beneficiaries of the billions of dollars that had flowed in, that there were neighborhoods of enormous suffering, discrimination and over-policing that had been celebrated because we had these safe Olympics and did not have any terrorism, but the LAPD had become a kind of an occupying army with sophisticated technology.

“And so we went from a time when everything about Los Angeles seemed to have turned to gold to a time when Los Angeles’s dreams had seemed to turn to ashes.

“That, in many ways, sort of buried the period of the Olympics. We swung, as often happens, in our country, from hubris to a sense that we were a failed state. And literally, within a decade, people were writing off California as a dream that had failed.”

That brought him to 2028:

● “We’re living in a time now where the Olympics are in the future. And for the first time, there is serious opposition to the Olympics. In 1984, there was skepticism about the Olympics, that we were getting into something we couldn’t afford, but this time there is active opposition to the idea that the world’s intelligence services and technology will be deployed to make this a police state. There is suspicion that the people living in tents will be swept up and sent to Lancaster for a couple of weeks. There is a no-Olympics movement.

“But the Olympics are coming … and so the question is not whether we have the Olympics, but what kind of Olympics will we have? And what will be the legacy for Los Angeles when the Olympics are done?”

● “Right now, we are in a feverish effort to prepare the infrastructure, so billions of dollars are being spent between now and 2028 on the airport, on the light rail, on the subway system. A huge amount of construction is already under way, and more to come in the next five years. …

“And so the question is what kind of third Los Angeles will it be? Will it be one that centers on equity, one where the benefits flow not just to the corporations that sponsor the Olympics, not just to major institutions that will be the cornerstones, but what about the people of Los Angeles, the four million people, a third of whom are clinging by their fingernails to housing at a time of extraordinary rent burdens, who are working hard, but hardly doing well.

“And so, can we make sure that this investment actually creates a more livable Los Angeles, creates a more walkable Los Angeles, creates a Los Angeles where we are less privatized in our lives, where we look around at the people who we don’t share the same neighborhood with, or the same religion, or the same language or the same facial color, that we can find in these Olympic Games the original spirit that is supposed to animate them, the sense of internationalism, the sense that people across the planet are brothers and sisters.

“And that means that we’ve got to not just build transportation systems, we’ve got to build the housing that’s so desperately needed, especially for people who can’t afford housing because there’s going to be a lot of people here in 2028 and if that leads to more evictions, more people out on the streets, it’s very hard, I think, for Los Angeles to be able to show its face with pride.”

Cole’s keynote was an amazing insight into the perspective of a decades-long, widely-appreciated civil servant.

As someone who has worked on more than a dozen mega-events on the organizing side, whether a multi-sport extravaganza like an Olympics, Winter Olympics or Special Olympics World Games, or a single-sport project like a FIFA World Cup or World Baseball Classic, Cole’s focus was – at the same time – impressive and depressing:

● There was no mention of the Paralympic Games at all, a noteworthy lesson about the still-too-low profile of this event which will come to Los Angeles for the first time in 2028.

● There was no mention that the LA28 organizers will pay for the Games – including any and all City services and security that it requests – en toto, with a budget of $6.9 billion all raised from the private sector. This was also true in 1932 (surplus of about $196,267 after repaying the State bond which had initially funded the organizing committee) and 1984 ($232.5 million surplus).

● The infrastructure projects that Cole mentioned, including upgrades to Los Angeles International Airport and multiple segments of the Southern California transit system, were not requested by the LA28 organizing committee, nor integral to its bid for the 2024, then 2028 Games back in 2017. Its plan for the Games does not require them at all, and it has said so.

But here they are, with Cole talking about a “feverish effort to prepare the infrastructure.”

Why does it take an Olympic Games to get governments to do things it should be doing all along? The LA28 organizers will not be building housing – the existing student housing at UCLA will be used for the Olympic Village – or subway systems, or reformatting the police department.

That’s what governments do, or permit to be done in the case of building housing. Where have they been?

The “serious opposition” to the Olympic Games is a modest group which also does not mention athletes or sports. It is all about issues of government – housing, jobs, police – and simply tries to use the Games to get attention to issues that have bedeviled Los Angeles and other cities around the world for decades.

Cole closed this way:

“We will be the place in the world – assuming we’re not in a world war at that point, or a world-wide depression – we will be the place where all of the world will be thinking about who we are as a planet. Given the financial crisis, given the international tensions, given the challenges of equity around the world, this is our chance to set the agenda.”

Sorry, no. People will be reveling in how their team – or country – did and the thrills brought by young men and women from around the world who will have brought a lifetime of effort to try and succeed in a single moment in time.

If the City of Los Angeles wishes to set the agenda for a better world, it should not wait for 2028. It should do so now. That is the job of elected officials and appointed staff members and there are many who are trying right now. That includes Cole.

The program included reviews of the 1932 Games effort, notably from Barry Siegel, author of “Dreamers and Schemers,” profiling William May Garland and the bumpy organizing effort that resulted in a brilliant event amidst the Great Depression. Siegel noted that one of the most effective aspects of Garland’s always-optimistic approach was to “ignore the critics and the naysayers.”

The discussion of the 1984 Games included comments from David Simon, the L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee’s Vice President for Government Relations, and Oscar Delgado, Vice President for Programs for the LA84 Foundation, the legacy organization of the LAOOC that uses the surplus for youth sports.

Simon, who led the private-sector Los Angeles Sports Council for many years, emphasized his realization that “what cuts through the clutter in Los Angeles is sports.”

The energetic ending discussion period demonstrated the current and future needs for government officials and staff to be fed information which will counter the urban myths that arise about every major sporting event in any city, especially about tickets, pricing, timetables (even if not finalized), the location of the competition venues, and what events are free to view, like the marathons and cycling road races.

It was also clear that governments, like many industries, are often siloed. Information from outside groups, like Olympic organizing committees, is secondary to whatever the existing lines of communication bring in, regardless of quality. That’s a situation that could be dangerous as 2028 gets closer, but can be remedied.

This colloquium was exceptionally valuable in demonstrating that the Olympic Games is, in some circles, not about sports at all, but about having a national and international spotlight focused on your city, town or village. For those of us who see the Games in terms of running, swimming and shooting a basketball, the alternate reality of government was eye-opening.

Rich Perelman
Editor

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● The FIFA men’s U-20 Championships in Argentina continues with group play with the U.S. (Group B), Argentina (A), Colombia (C), Nigeria (D), England (E) and Gambia (F) all at 2-0.

The U.S. – already qualified for the playoffs – will play once more, against Slovakia (1-1) on Friday, in San Juan.

The final group matches will be on the 28th, with the round of 16 to start on the 30th. The championship match is on 11 June.

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. men continued their undefeated run at the IIHF men’s World Championship in Finland and Latvia with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in their quarterfinal match in Tampere on Thursday.

The Americans got single goals in all three periods, from Matt Coronato (1st), defender Nick Perbix (2nd) and Cutter Gauthier (3rd) and a shutout from Casey Desmith. The U.S. out-shot the Czechs, 34-15.

While the U.S. won Group A with a 7-0 mark, Switzerland took Group B at 6-1, followed by Canada at 5-2. But the Swiss got surprised in the quarters by Germany (4-3) by 3-1 and was eliminated. Canada won its game against defending champs Finland and moved to face Latvia, a 3-1 winner over Sweden.

The U.S. will play Germany for a second time in the semis on Saturday (27th), having won the group-stage match by 3-2. In their group game, Canada crushed Latvia, 6-0. The gold-medal game is on Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Agence France Presse reported on Wednesday:

“The French government plans to move homeless people out of Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in the capital, sparking criticism from some mayors of regional towns and villages which are expected to house them.”

Olivier Klein, the French minister for housing, explained in a hearing earlier in May that the pressure for visitor accommodations expected for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games will cause lower-end hotels to stop making beds available for the homeless and sell at market rates instead.

Klein estimated that 3-4,000 beds will be impacted, and so the government is looking for “emergency accommodation” in provincial areas. Officials from outlying areas expressed worry about how well organized the effort will be and activist organizations and politicians wondered whether this was a bridge to a long-term solution or only a beautification scheme for the Games.

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● A small group of Queensland legislators have asked for a spending cap to be put on the government’s contribution to the 2032 Brisbane Games and that the expensive renovation of the area around the iconic Gabba Stadium (formally the Brisbane Cricket Ground) be eliminated altogether.

The seven legislators, from three different parties, are hardly in the vanguard of the 93-seat Legislative Assembly, dominated by the Labor Party (52 seats) and the Liberal Nationals (34). But the expense of the Gabba project, starting with the stadium and spilling out to the surrounding area – now estimated at A$2.7 billion (about $1.77 billion U.S.) – has been a contentious issue.

The International Olympic Committee noted in its 2017 review of the Brisbane plan that the track & field competitions could be held in the existing Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast, which was used for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and held 40,000 with temporary seating.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030/2034 ● The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games is not waiting around.

Although nothing dramatic is happening with the International Olympic Committee’s decision-making processes on the selection of the host for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games, the SLC-Utah Committee is charging ahead as if it was going to be imminently selected.

At a Thursday Board meeting, chief executive Fraser Bullock explained that the “Preferred Host Submission” document, essentially the formal bid for a Games – including financial and governmental guarantees – is being completed, months ahead of schedule. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee won’t consider it until September, but being done in June allows for more feedback before sending it to the IOC and declaring the area ready to be awarded its preferred 2034 Games, or 2030 if that best fits the IOC’s situation.

Said Bullock, “Our strategy has always been to be prepared, to be ahead of the process. And that’s why technically, some of these things we’re doing wouldn’t be due until a targeted dialogue.”

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association is splitting apart. USA Boxing has left and the IBA suspended five more federations on Monday (22nd) over ties to the new World Boxing group.

On Thursday, the IBA posted a notice condemning the Dutch Boxing Federation for holding an “unsanctioned international event,” the Eindhoven Cup. In response:

“[T]he Dutch Boxing Federation recklessly ignored the regulations and sent an official communication to the National Federations, stating that they will keep going on with the event. The IBA is forced to reiterate its commitment to protecting the integrity of the Boxing Family and its Constitution. All those entities who decide to breach the rules will trigger an automatic mechanism of the Constitution and Regulations implementation.”

The 6th Eindhoven Cup is scheduled for 26-30 May.

● Cycling ● Stage 18 of the 106th Giro d’Italia was another climbing test for race leader Geraint Thomas (GBR), the 2018 Tour de France winner. The 161 km route from Oderzo to Val di Zoldo featured three major climbs, including an uphill finish, and at the end, Thomas was still wearing the maglia rosa, with three stages left.

An early breakaway had five riders way out in front and by the time of the final ascent, it was Italy’s Filippo Zana and French star Thibault Pinot racing for the win, with Zana getting to the line first in 4:25:12. France’s Warren Barguil was third, 50 seconds back.

Thomas stuck like glue to his main challenger, Slovenian star Primoz Roglic, who could not shake him and they came together in seventh and eight (+1:56). However, Portugal’s Joao Almeida was ninth, 2:17 back, and dropped to third behind Roglic, who is now 29 seconds behind Thomas.

Friday brings a final climbing stage, with two category 1 ascents and another uphill finish, ending at 2,307 m. This is Roglic’s best chance to win, with an Individual Time Trial coming Saturday and then the final ride into Rome on Sunday.

● Skiing ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) announced this week that the distances in Cross Country Skiing, which were equalized for men and women in the last World Cup season, will now also apply to the FIS World Championships: 10 km, 20 km and 50 km for men and women, a 10 + 10 km Skiathlon and a 4 x 7.5 km relay.

FIS will now begin the process of changing these distances for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games with the IOC.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Sailing says no Russians or Belarusians until 2024; worldwide “athlete passport”? Why T&F athletes pull out of meets!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. World Sailing says no Russian, Belarusian return until 2024
2. Russia’s Zhurova proposes worldwide “athlete passport”
3. Giant, new FIS Games asking for 2028 hosts
4. Michael Johnson on why T&F athletes pull out of meets
5. Worries over North Korea for weightlifting Grand Prix

World Sailing chimed in with its answer to the Russian and Belarusian return question, pushing their re-entry all the way to the end of the Paris 2024 qualifying cycle, to the “last chance” regatta at the Semaine Olympique Francaise in April next year. In Russia, State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova, the 2006 Winter women’s 500 m winner, said the International Olympic Committee should consider an “athlete passport” that would allow supra-national entry into any country for the purpose of competitions. The IOC might like the idea, but governments around the world will not. The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) is organizing an all-disciplines “FIS Games” in 2028, a year in which there is no Olympic Winter Games or FIS World Championships. Expressions of interest are due in August. Former world 200 m record-holder Michael Johnson explained why track & field athletes pull out of meets so often; to no one’s surprise, it’s about money. In weightlifting, the re-appearance of powerhouse North Korea in international competition for the first time since 2019 has coaches and athletes worried about doping, since no one is allowed to enter the country to test their lifters.

● Panorama: Cycling (Thomas still leads Giro d’Italia as the mountains await) = Diving (Bacon and Loschiavo finish U.S. Nationals with wins) = Shooting (2: Hancock and Smith win U.S. Skeet titles; ISSF Shotgun Grand Prix) = Wrestling (2: Lopez returning for fifth OG gold?; Winchester and Gray advance to Final X) ●

1.
World Sailing says no Russian return until 2024

The latest federation to decide what to do about Russian and Belarusian re-entry into international competitions is World Sailing.

Although Russia and Belarus are minor players in this sport, the World Sailing Board announced Wednesday, in pertinent part:

● “The Board recognises that the Fundamental Principles of Olympism inform the IOC’s recommendation to allow the return of Russian and Belarusian competitors as individual neutral athletes.”

● “Given the timing of the return is a matter for the International Federations, the Board’s decision remains consistent: April 2024 is the targeted opportunity for sailors with a Russian or Belarusian passport to return to international competition as neutrals. With regards to Olympic qualification, the Semaine Olympique Française (SOF), is an event at this time and presents opportunities for sailors with a Russian or Belarusian passport to compete as individual neutrals in qualifying for Paris 2024.”

● “World Sailing remains wholly committed to supporting Ukraine’s sailing community through what continues to be an unimaginably difficult time.”

So, the possibilities to participate in sailing in Paris will be limited to the “Last Chance” regatta at the 18-27 April 2024 Semaine Olympique Francaise, with 39 places out of 312 available (12.5%) for the Games. Russia and Belarus are shut out of the 2023 World Championships, the primary qualification opportunity.

This could set a workable precedent for other federations, as several have “last chance” or “universality” qualifying programs for their final qualifiers for Paris 2024.

The All-Russian Sailing Federation was livid, of course, with President Sergey Dzhienbaev telling the Russian news agency TASS:

“As they write, we have time until April 2024, but it’s also crazy to come without competitive practice and qualify for the Olympic Games. There is also a question of neutral status, we still have a big flag on the sail, unlike other sports, there will be a big question here.

“Naturally, after this decision, Russian athletes will miss the World and European Championships this year, as well as other international competitions. We are not even allowed into amateur mass sports now.”

2.
Russia’s Zhurova proposes worldwide “athlete passport”

The International Olympic Committee’s position on Russian and Belarusian athletes has emphasized that athletes are not responsible for the acts of their governments and are, somehow, international actors above politics.

Now, they have a new ally in Svetlana Zhurova, a deputy in the Russian State Duma after her speed skating career in which she won two World Championships golds and the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic women’s 500 m title.

Asked about a move by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to remove the “European Championships” title from the upcoming European Games in Poland because Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be admitted to the country by the Polish government, she told TASS:

“This should not happen when athletes are not allowed to compete because of politicians.

“I think the IOC needs to think about creating athlete passports. Such a document will allow athletes from any country to participate in competitions. And it doesn’t matter what the current political situation will be, what the politicians will say.”

Observed: This will be fascinating to watch if attempted by the IOC. In essence, governments in every country – except the U.S., at least now – will be asked to fund athletes, for training and competitions, with coaching, facilities and living expenses, and have nothing to say about where they go and what they do. Free ride.

This will be welcomed in some outcast countries like Russia, Iran and North Korea (except they may not admit passport holders to their countries on other grounds), but hardly welcomed elsewhere. But it is certainly in line with the IOC’s view that athletes are a separate and privileged class, not subject to ordinary governance by their own local, regional and national authorities.

3.
Giant, new FIS Games asking for 2028 hosts

Another multi-discipline mega-event is in the offing, with the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) now looking for potential hosts for its first-ever FIS Games, to take place in 2028.

The concept is similar to the Union Cycliste Internationale’s World Cycling Championships that will debut in Glasgow (SCO) and environs from 3-13 August this year, with events in all 13 UCI disciplines and 2,600 athletes vying to win in about 200 different events.

FIS is similarly enormous and the program for the 2028 FIS Games is designed to create a major new, 16-day program in the “off year” that no Olympic Winter Games or FIS World Championships take place. So, the new event will include 10 disciplines:

● Alpine Skiing
● Cross Country Skiing
● Freeride
● Freestyle Skiing
● Nordic Combined
● Para SnowSport
● Ski Jumping
● Snowboard
● Speed Skiing
● Telemark

The project is clearly designed for multiple venues across a region, country or multiple countries. Letters of interest are due to FIS by 1 August, with official applications due in November, an inspection tour during the winter and then final bids by 31 March 2024. The inspection group will recommend a single candidate to the FIS Council, which will have the final say.

The event was originally expected to be held in 2024, but the pandemic scotched that. As a new event, FIS owns all of the rights to it and does not have to share the income with legacy partners (such as ski resorts). Can it create enough interest to become a money-maker and a prestige opportunity for potential future hosts in 2032 and 2036?

4.
Michael Johnson on why T&F athletes pull out of meets

The Atlanta 1996, triple-gold-medalist sprint icon Michael Johnson, a longtime and well-respected commentator on track & field for the BBC, recently posted a note on Twitter on athletes and meets. It’s a must-read:

“Why do track athletes pull out of meets and seldom compete against rivals? I’ll explain. Pro track ([Diamond League], etc) never established itself separate of OLY & WCH. Tracks structure prioritizes [Olympic Games] & [World Championships].

“OLY & WCH = Big money, big recognition, career legacy, end of year ranking.

“Pro Meets = Small money, no recognition, risk to end of year ranking.

“Most athletes’ majority income comes from shoe contracts with 3 components. Base salary, bonuses, & reductions. Big bonuses for good OLY & WCH performance. Big reductions to the base for poor OLY & WCH performance or poor ranking. Rankings heavily weighted to #1: OLY & WCH performance. #2: Record against top competitors.

“The champion athletes making high 6 figures or more can only gain (Bonus or bigger contract) from continued OLY, WCH, and ranking success and actually can lose (Reductions) from pro meet risk. Effectively, for the sports biggest stars, pro meets equal:

“Gain: $
“Risk: $$$$$$$”

Johnson also had an interesting response to a fan reply:

● “Some athletes just aren’t interested in chasing the money. If there were a true professional league, I’m not convinced they’d sign up to it because they would have to commit to a contract of a certain number of races, which would come into conflict with the greater goal of winning.”

● Reply: “If the professional league sucked, yes! And you’re probably assuming it will suck because pro track always has. It has to be reimagined and built for success. And nothing says you need to contract athletes to a bunch of races that’s too many.”

The latest nationally-televised meet in the U.S., the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix last Sunday in Devonshire, saw great – if wind-aided – marks, but a modest television audience.

Nielsen ratings data showed 636,000 watched the meet on NBC, worst of the four meets it has aired so far this year. The three indoor meets, all on Saturdays, drew 866,000 for the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston, 972,000 for the Millrose Games in New York and 954,000 for the USATF Indoor Nationals in Albuquerque.

NBC will have the USATF’s L.A. Grand Prix from UCLA’s Drake Stadium this Saturday and the NYC Grand Prix on 24 June.

5.
Worries over North Korea for weightlifting Grand Prix

“The IWF is aware of comments made by members of the weightlifting community regarding the return to competition of athletes representing the People’s Republic of Korea (PRK). As an International Federation determined to eradicate doping and deliver a fair and clean sport, we fully understand the strength of feeling on this matter and recognise the legitimate concerns of those speaking out.”

That’s from the International Weightlifting Federation on Wednesday, in advance of the start of the its Grand Prix tournament in Havana (CUB) from 8-18 June, a qualification event for the Paris 2024 Games which has attracted a huge field of 422 lifters from 72 nations plus 13 “neutrals” from Belarus.

North Korea has been a weightlifting power, winning nine medals (2-4-3) in its last appearance in the IWF Worlds in 2019, second-most behind China. Since then, it has been absent due to Covid worries, and there is wide concern that its lifters have not been subject to adequate out-of-competition drug testing.

For weightlifting, which is not on the program for Los Angeles 2028 at this time, a rash of doping positives could be ruinous. For lifters competing in Havana, the prospect of competing against a country whose athletes have not been tested, is worrisome.

Said Indian head coach Vijay Sharma, “Ethically, this is wrong. This should not happen. People are protesting. Even we are against it. It is wrong.”

The IWF statement noted that it asked the International Testing Agency – its contracted doping control partner – what was allowed and was told that it had to accept the North Korean entries. However:

“In the immediate term, the IWF will use the opportunity of the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba to meet with PRK officials and inform them of the seriousness of the situation. At the same time, the IWF will ask for the co-operation of PRK authorities to facilitate the access of independent testing teams in their country.”

North Korea’s national anti-doping agency is considered non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency and how any testing is going to be done outside of international competitions is a problem. The IWF did promise this:

“If the IWF considers that the level of co-operation of PRK authorities is preventing the correct assessment and testing of their athletes, the participation of a PRK team at the Games will naturally be re-evaluated by the IWF.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Cycling ● Stage 17 of the 106th Giro d’Italia was a 197 km ride on a gentle descent and then a long, flat finish into Caorle, meaning it was time for the sprinters to charge. The expected rush to the line saw Italy go 1-2 with Alberto Dianese and Jonny Milan racing past Australian Michael Matthews in the final meters, all timed in 4:26:08.

The overall leader, Britain’s Geraint Thomas, maintained his lead against Joao Almeida (POR: +0:18) and Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic (+0:29). The next two stages are for the climbers and will decide the race, starting with a triple climb stage on Thursday that begins at 13 m altitude in Oderzo and finished at 1,514 m in Val di Zoldo!

● Diving ● The final day of the USA Diving National Championships in Morgantown, West Virginia, saw wins for Sarah Bacon and Brandon Loschiavo.

A two-time Worlds 1 m Springboard silver medalist, Bacon won her second event of the meet in the 3 m Springboard, scoring 636.95 points to ease past Hailey Hernandez (602.95) and Krysta Palmer (597.45).

Already the winner in the women’s 3 m Synchro event, Bacon qualified for the World Aquatics Championships in her second event.

Loschiavo won his second national title on the 10 m Platform at 950.90, beating Max Flory (914.55) and Joshua Hedberg (881.40). He also had a prior win in the men’s 10 m Synchro and will be going to the Worlds in two events.

● Shooting ● Three-time Olympic Skeet champ Vincent Hancock secured his place at the 2023 World Championships with a tight win in the USA Shooting National Shotgun Championships at Hillsdale, Michigan.

Hancock scored 246/250 to reach the finals and then won there to secure the championship with 249 total points, winning a shoot-off with runner-up Conner Prince (249). Hayden Stewart won another shoot-off, against Benjamin Keller for the bronze (247).

Austen Smith, still just 21 and a Tokyo Olympian, won the women’s title and scored 245 points overall. The 2017 World Champion Dania Jo Vizzi took the silver (243) and 2022 Worlds bronze medalist Sam Simonton won the bronze at 241.

USA Shooting named Hancock, Dustan Taylor and Christian Elliott to its 2023 Worlds team for men and Smith, Vizzi and Simonton for the women. The competition also served as the first leg of the U.S. Olympic Trials for 2024. The competitions continue this week with Trap.

At the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Almaty (KAZ), the Skeet events have concluded, with wins for three different countries in the three events.

Home favorite Assem Orynbay of Kazakhstan won the women’s Skeet final, 2-1 over Ganemat Sekhon of India in a shoot-out after a 50-50 tie after 60 shots. It’s the second career World Cup win for Orynbay, 29, and the second this year!

Greece’s Efthimos Mitas, 38, won his second career World Cup gold and first since 2012 (!), also with a 2-1 win in a shoot-off against the 2007 World Champion, 42-year-old Georgios Achilleos (CYP), after a 56-56 tie.

The Mixed Team win went to Italy’s Tammaro Cassandro and Chiara Cainero, 41-40, over Kazakhstan in the final.

● Wrestling ● Cuba’s Mijain Lopez, now 40, announced a return to the mat to try for a fifth Olympic gold in Paris in the Greco-Roman 130 kg category. The winner in Beijing and London at 120 kg and Rio and Tokyo at 130 kg, wants to be the only wrestler to win five golds; Japan’s Kaori Icho has also won four: in 2004-08-12 in the women’s 63 kg class and in 2016 at 58 kg.

USA Wrestling’s Senior World Team Trials Challenge in Colorado Springs last weekend produced a worthy set of challengers to try and make the U.S. team for the 2023 World Championships at the Final X matches on 10 June in Newark, New Jersey.

Places in three men’s Freestyle classes, four women’s Freestyle classes and all 10 Greco-Roman classes were up for grabs.

In the men’s Freestyle, Nahshon Garrett defeated 2021 Worlds runner-up Daton Fix at 61 kg, 12-4, to earn his first Final X slot since 2018, and Mason Parris overcame two-time Worlds bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, 6-2, in the 125 kg final to earn a rematch with Tokyo Olympic champ Gable Steveson at Final X.

In the women’s Freestyle events, 2019 World Champion Jacarra Winchester advanced to Final X at 55 kg and six-time World Champion Adeline Gray won at 76 kg to try and go for a seventh Worlds gold. Both won by technical falls: Winchester by 11-0 over Areana Villaescusa, while Gray handled Dymond Guilford, 12-1.

Adam Coon, the 2018 Worlds silver medalist, headlined the Greco-Roman winners, taking the 130 kg final against Donny Longendyke by 9-0 to advance to Final X. Aliaksandr Kikiniou, 43, who won a 2009 Worlds bronze for Belarus, is now an American citizen and won at 77 k with a 10-0 technical over Payton Jacobson.

Two-time Olympian Ildar Hafizov (2008 for Uzbekistan and 2020 for the U.S.) won at 60 kg, beating Randon Miranda, 8-4, and Tokyo Olympian Alejandro Sancho qualified in the 67 kg class with a walk-over in the final.

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Paris 2024 has sold 68% of its Olympic tickets; all Opening Ceremony watchers to be ticketed; “short track” replaces “indoor track”

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Paris 2024 concept for the Opening Ceremony on the Seine (Image: Paris 2024)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Paris 2024 says it has sold 6.8 million tickets so far!
2. All Opening Ceremony spectators will need tickets
3. World Athletics replaces indoors with “short track”
4. Seven arrested for abuse against Vinicius Junior
5. Russians refuse IWF’s anti-war declaration requirement

The Paris 2024 organizers announced that it has now sold 6.8 million of the 10 million tickets available for the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games tickets going on sale in October. The last sale saw 1.89 million tickets sold against a projected total of 1.5 million. Officials detailed some of the arrangements for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, with everyone needing to register for a ticket, even those watching for free, to allow authorities to position people for security and transportation needs. The World Athletics Council approved a new concept of “short track,” removing the indoor designation and replacing it with rules-to-come to allow use of smaller tracks in place where 400 m ovals are not possible or practical. This could have significant impact in future years. Spanish authorities arrested seven men in connection with hate-crime cases, especially involving Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior from Brazil. A candlelight march was held in New Delhi, asking for action against the head of the Indian wrestling federation over abuse issues. In weightlifting, 13 Belarusians signed a “non-support” of the Russian war on Ukraine declaration required by the International Weightlifting Federation, allowing them to compete in the IWF Grand Prix tournament in Havana. But no Russians would sign it, leaving them unable to compete under the IWF’s regulations.

● World Championships ● Football (U.S. men undefeated in FIFA U-20 World Cup) = Ice Hockey (U.S. men finish pool play undefeated at IIHF Worlds) ●

● Panorama: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum (names new chief executive) = Athletics (Spain’s Perez takes 35 km walk world record) = Cycling (Thomas back on top in Giro d’Italia) = Diving (Schnell and Capobianco impress at U.S. Diving nationals) = Judo (six repeat as USA Judo national champs) = Sport Climbing (Grossman wins IFSC World Cup in Salt Lake City) = Swimming (3: triple wins for Sims, Curzan, King and el Kamash at Tyr Pro Swim Mission Viejo; Sjostrom gets two world leads at Mare Nostrum Monaco; Beck and Rasovszky win Open Water World Cups) = Taekwondo (14 Russians and nine Belarusians admitted to Worlds) ●

1.
Paris 2024 says it has sold 6.8 million tickets so far!

“Taking into account the different stages of ticket sales already held (packs of tickets, followed by sales per unit), as well as the sales aimed at the various groups involved in the Games (travel and hospitality packages through the intermediary of On Location; stakeholders; communities; the sports movement; Olympic partners, etc.), Paris 2024 has already sold 6.8 million tickets for the Olympic Games, surpassing initial estimates.”

That’s from a Tuesday announcement by the Paris 2024 organizing committee, which has now sold 68% of all Olympic tickets planned to be available, with 14 months still remaining before the Games.

That’s impressive.

The statement noted that 3.25 million tickets were sold in the first wave of “ticket pack” sales and a further 1.89 million tickets in the second wave – more than the planned 1.5 million – for a retail total of 5.14 million. That means that another 1.66 million reserved for hospitality and travel packages and sponsors – out of about two million – have been reserved or sold.

The criticisms of ticket pricing continue to be heard, but the open market is hardly holding back. To meet the continuing high interest, another ticket sale is on the way:

“Additionally, to keep up with this considerable demand, Paris 2024 plans to open ticket sales again at the start of summer 2023 (on a date yet to be decided), focusing mainly on the competitions held in regions outside Paris, for football (Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, Marseille, Lyon and Saint-Etienne), handball and basketball (Lille). These sales will be open to all in France as well as abroad. For the first time in the Paris 2024 sales process, the draw to purchasing timeslots will be replaced by direct sales.”

Another round of ticket sales for all events is slated for the end of the year and will continue through the Games.

The just-completed second-round of sales saw buyers from 178 countries, but 63.5% of the tickets sold went to buyers in France, with an average age of 40. In terms of cost and selection:

● “Almost 60 per cent of the tickets were priced at EUR 100 or less, with 17 per cent of tickets being sold at EUR 24.”

● “Team sports, for which the venues tend to be among the biggest and with the greatest number of sessions available, were the highest sellers as expected. Football was in first place for tickets sold, followed by basketball, handball, athletics and volleyball respectively.”

● “Tickets in all categories for triathlon, sports climbing, BMX racing, BMX freestyle and breaking sold out on the first day they became available (Thursday 11 May), in less than two hours! And sessions such as that where the famous French judoka Teddy Riner will compete (qualifying rounds in the morning and final phases in the evening), or the basketball 3×3 finals also sold out within two hours. The EUR 90 tickets for the Opening Ceremony were all taken up in less than an hour.”

Tickets for the Paralympic Games will begin on 9 October, with 2.8 million tickets to be made available and half of which will be priced at €25 or less. The most expensive seats are promised at €100 each.

2.
All Opening Ceremony spectators will need tickets

The questions of how the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony on the Seine will be arranged are beginning to be answered. At a Tuesday news conference, it was explained that all spectators – the 100,000 with purchased tickets closer to the water – and those on the upper levels watching for free, will be required to register for tickets.

This will allow the organizers and especially the French and Parisian security officials to place people more evenly throughout the 6 km route, avoid any masses in one area and try to match where people will watch to the available transit to the area.

The Ile-de-France transit authorities have said that the system could manage up to 500,000 people coming to the 26 July ceremony, which would mean 400,000 free spectators, but French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said that he expected 600,000 in total, and explained:

“The high quays will be free and, in connection with the town hall of Paris, we have decided that it was the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior to design, develop, finance and organize a secure pre-registration platform which will allow all the public to register and gain free access to the different areas of the high quays.”

Said Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet at a Tuesday news conference:

“When France organizes the Games — the last time was 100 years ago — it does so with ambition. It’s a challenge to organize a ceremony with these conditions but, again, it’s the biggest audience that France will ever have had, the most beautiful showcase. Our responsibility is to create dreams, to show how incredible this country is.”

Reuters reported that discussions were continuing about how to showcase the Olympic flame on the Eiffel Tower, but not at the top, already filled with various kinds of antennae.

The Opening Ceremony route will go from east to west in 91 boats, with another 25 in reserve for emergencies, with an additional 30 more craft for security. Police deployments are expected to reach 35,000 for the ceremony.

During the Games, there will be 30,000 police securing the Games, rising at a maximum of 45,000 on any single day. Darmanin noted that the security effort will be intense:

“We will be, in terms of security, extremely demanding towards those who will go to the low platforms, the high platforms or who will go to the stadiums, including with the private security management agents. We have increased the screening of the agents security, which sometimes explains the sector’s recruitment difficulties since we have required within the framework of the global security law levels of qualification, a clean criminal record and levels of moralization – let’s put it like that – much more higher than before.”

The threats are well known, from possible drone attacks to continuing protests of the changes in the French pension system. But the show is going on.

3.
World Athletics replaces indoors with “short track”

In a decision designed to significantly change track & field and essentially merge its traditional outdoor and indoor formats, the World Athletics Council gave approval – to be confirmed in August – of a plan to change “indoor” to “short course” track and re-set the possibilities for records in each. Tuesday’s announcement included:

“World Athletics intends to introduce the new term ‘short track’ to replace the current term ‘indoor’ to describe events and performances that are set on a 200m track, traditionally staged indoors.

“The World Athletics Council is supporting the concept of ‘short track’ competition to allow more flexibility in the setting of 200m tracks, which may, in the future, be constructed outdoors or in temporary city locations, rather than in a traditional indoor arena. Performances set on outdoor or temporary 200m tracks could therefore be recognised as official results for the purpose of records and rankings.”

So, it’s the track itself that will count, not whether events are held indoors or not. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) explained:

“This change will allow and actively encourage the possibility for 200m tracks to move to an outdoor environment and will provide a more affordable option to cities, especially where space is in short supply, while stimulating the growth of the sport through investment in new infrastructure.”

The specific rules attached to this change were not released, but a new classification of records was listed, with some interesting changes:

● World records, in an absolute sense, will be available for some new distances, including 50 m and 60 m, and 50 m and 60 m hurdles, held anywhere, short track or long.

● Specific Short Track world records will be maintained for 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1,500 m, mile, 3,000 m, 5,000 m, 3,000 m walk, 5,000 m walk, 4×200 m, 4×400 m, 4×800 m, pentathlon and heptathlon.

● Field event world records can be set anywhere.

There are questions to be answered, of course, such as the definition of “short track” is: 200 m tracks only, or up to 300 m? Or less than 200 m, like the only 160-yard board tracks used in the heyday of American indoor track.

The World Athletics Council also made a critical change in advancement rules for major events in the 1,500 m, Steeple and 5,000 m, scraping the “next fastest times metric in favor of qualification by place only. So instead of the now-familiar “first two in each heat plus the next fastest three times,” qualifying will require a finish in a specified number of places.

This does not impact events below 1,500 m.

A new rule was approved to allow an empty lane to be filled at an event in case of injury or other difficulty that removes a competitor. Also, personal implements in field events will be allowed, as long as they are approved models.

4.
Seven arrested for abuse against Vinicius Junior

Police in Spain reported arrests of four men in Madrid and three in Valencia for hate crimes against Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior, who plays for Real Madrid:

● “A hate crime investigation was opened after an inflatable effigy dressed in the No. 20 jersey of winger Vinicius Jr was hung from a bridge in front of the club’s training grounds. Alongside it was a 16m (17.5-yard) red and white banner – the colours of rival team Atletico Madrid – that read ‘Madrid hates Real’.”

● “Three men were also arrested in Valencia for racist conduct aimed at Vinicius in a match between Valencia and Real Madrid, police said on Twitter.”

Police said that among the four arrested in Madrid were three were part of a “radical group of fans” in the city, who were already know to authorities.

For its part, the famed Spanish LaLiga asked for a change in Spanish law that would allow it to cancel matches and suspend or ban spectators who misbehave, saying in a statement:

“LaLiga is extremely frustrated by the lack of sanctions and convictions by sporting disciplinary bodies, public administrations and courts public administrations and the jurisdictional bodies to which complaints are made.”

There are rules in place for this, but only after an in-game waiting period, which have not been enforced.

Also on Tuesday in New Delhi, perhaps 1,000 people held a candlelight march “demanding the resignation and arrest of the president of the wrestling federation for allegedly sexually harassing young athletes, one of whom was a minor.”

The protests have been going on for about a month, asking for action against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He has denied the allegations and says they are politically motivated. Others have alleged that Singh has urged coaches to exploit female wrestlers being trained by them.

The matter is being investigated by Indian police, but with no results as yet. A report is due at the end of June.

5.
Russians refuse IWF’s anti-war declaration requirement

The International Weightlifting Federation announced Saturday that it had approved 13 Belarusian lifters and six officials to participate in the 2023 IWF Grand Prix in Havana, Cuba, all of whom signed a declaration of “non-support” of the Russian war against Ukraine.

However:

“No signed declarations were received from athletes or support personnel with a Russian passport by the end of the established deadline (May 15, 2023). Therefore, AIN lifters and related staff with Russian passports lost the opportunity to enter the upcoming IWF event in Cuba.

“The IWF gave an equal and fair opportunity to the athletes and support personnel from both concerned countries to participate at the IWF Grand Prix in La Havana (CUB). These recommendations follow the IOC guidelines.”

That’s not how Russian Weightlifting Federation President Maxim Agapitov saw it. He told the Russian news agency TASS:

“Almost two months after the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on May 12, the IWF Executive Committee decided to allow Russians and Belarusians to the tournaments in a neutral status, but only established new, special, unfair eligibility criteria for us, calling them fair.

“For example, one of the many conditions for athletes’ admission to tournaments is a clause on political views.

“The eight hours provided to the athletes and the [federation] for familiarization and signing of the English-language legal document, which has been prepared for months for us, look like a planned action with a visual attempt to allow Russian athletes to international competitions, but in fact obviously impossible.

“The calculation, apparently, was to ensure that no one had the opportunity to delve into the essence of the document and thoughtlessly signed it for the sake of the long-awaited termination of illegal suspension. Moreover, admission to the IWF tournament, which is a qualification competition for the 2024 Olympics and which will be held in Havana from June 8 to 18, is at stake. What’s wrong with cheese in a mousetrap?”

He added:

“Russian weightlifters have fulfilled and are fulfilling all the conditions for participation in international competitions. [The federation] made all applications in a timely manner and fulfilled all the requirements for the participation of our athletes. If the legal participation of our athletes, prescribed in the IWF charter and the Olympic Charter, is still part of the IWF’s plans, then we urge you to stop trying to violate our rights.

“Having read the documents translated into Russian, not a single Russian weightlifter has yet signed a humiliating declaration with discriminatory criteria for admission to IWF competitions that do not comply with the constitution.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● At the FIFA men’s U-20 Championships in Argentina, the U.S. men have won their first two games and will play Slovakia on Friday for the group title.

The Americans defeated Ecuador, 1-0, in the opener on a Jonathan Mendoza goal in stoppage time at 90+3, then had an easier time against Fiji with a 3-0 win on scores by Diego Luna (66th), Cade Cowell in the 88th and another ultra-late goal at 90+9 for Caleb Wiley.

The Round of 16 will begin on 30 May, with the quarters on 3-4 June, semis on 8 June and the championship final on the 11th.

● Ice Hockey ● Pool play has concluded at the IIHF men’s World Championship in Finland and Latvia, with the U.S. sporting the only unbeaten record at 7-0, including an overtime win. That’s good for 20 points atop Group A, ahead of Sweden (6-1, one OT win and one OT loss: 18) and defending champ Finland (5-2, one OT loss: 16).

Switzerland was the surprise Group B winner at 6-1 (one OT loss: 19 points), ahead of Canada, which was 5-2 with one OT win and one OT loss (15 points).

In the playoffs beginning on Thursday, the U.S. will face the Czech Republic (4-3), while the Swiss (6-1) will play Germany (4-3), Sweden (6-1) will take on Latvia (5-2) and Canada (5-2) will play Finland (5-2).

The U.S. is leading the tournament with a glossy 34-8 goals-against mark so far, with Cutter Gauthier (19) leading the team with six scores.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum ● Following a months-long search, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum announced that Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences President Marisa Wigglesworth as its new chief executive, to begin in July.

At the Buffalo Society, she is responsible for strategic and operational leadership of the Buffalo Museum of Science and the 264-acre Tifft Nature Preserve, with a budget of $5.4 million, a staff of 70 and more than 200,000 annual visitors.

Wigglesworth was previously the chief of philanthropy at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, head of external affairs at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and chief of philanthropy for Big Brothers Big Sisters International.

● Athletics ● A world record for the women’s 35 km race walk last Sunday for Spain’s Maria Perez at the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady (CZE).

She crushed a good field and led a Spanish sweep, winning in 2:37:15 to shave 29 seconds off of the 2:37:44 by World Champion Kimberly Garcia of Peru in Dudince (SVK) in March. Raquel Gonzalez followed in 2:45:42 with Cristina Montesinos third in 2:45:58.

● Cycling ● Britain’s Geraint Thomas sailed back into the lead at the 106th Giro d’Italia on Tuesday, finishing just behind Portugal’s Joao Almeida, but 25 seconds ahead of Slovenian rival Primoz Roglic on a brutal uphill finish to Monte Bodone at the end of stage 16.

France’s Bruno Armirail started the day as the leader, but finished the 203 km, triple-climb stage in 19th, 4:24 back of the leaders and in seventh place. He dropped back on the final climb, with Almeida leading a group of six who took control of the race just 8 1/2 km from the end, and then he and Thomas accelerating away with 4 km to go, not to be headed.

Thomas’s lead is 18 seconds on Almeida and 29 seconds on Roglic, with Italian Damiano Caruso the next closest at 2:50 back. There’s plenty of climbing left this week on the road to Rome on Sunday, not to mention a third Individual Time Trial on Saturday

● Diving ● The USA Diving National Championships are roaring to a close in Morgantown, West Virginia, with impressive performances by Olympians Delaney Schnell and Andrew Capobianco.

Schnell, who won a Tokyo Olympic silver with Jessica Parratto in the women’s Synchronized 10 m event, teamed with Parratto to win that event, 575.16 to 528.00 for Nike Agunbiade and Katrina Young. Then Schnell won the women’s 10 m final at 689.05, way ahead of Agunbiade (613.95).

Capobianco, the Tokyo silver winner (with Michael Hixon) in the men’s Syncho 3 m, won the men’s 3 m Springboard final by more than 50 points over Tyler Downs, 887.20 to 835.30.

Downs added to his medal count with a win with Gregory Duncan in the men’s Synchro 3 m final, winning by 116.43 points, and Downs took a silver – with Kassidy Cook – in the Mixed Synchro 3 m final. Nineteen-year-old Jack Ryan and 30-year-old Krysta Palmer (the Tokyo 3 m bronze winner) teamed up for the win, 282.27 to 278.04.

Ryan added a win in the men’s 1 m Springboard, scoring 776.90 to 746.25 for Lyle Yost.

Cook got a win with Sarah Bacon in the women’s Synchro 3 m final at 568.08 to 531.30 for Kyndal Knight and Samantha Pickens. Cook and Bacon had previously won the U.S. title in this event in 2020.

In the Mixed Synchro 10 m, Maxwell Weinrich and Kaylee Bishop won with 247.62 points, over Bayleigh Cranford and Aiden Wang (241.86). Jordan Rzepka and Brandon Loschiavo took the men’s Synchro 10 m (763.35) over Maxwell Flory and Zach Cooper (713.52)

Tokyo Olympian Hailey Hernandez won the women’s 1 m Springboard, 530.10 to 501.60 over Joslyn Oakley.

The meet wraps up on Wednesday with the men’s 10 m Platform and women’s 3 m Springboard finals.

● Judo ● The USA Judo National Championships were on in Spokane, Washington, with a lot of familiar faces on the podium and six wins by defending champions.

Among the men’s highlights were repeat national titles from Ari Berliner at 66 kg, defeating Lenny Sheynfeld in the final; Alex Knauf at 90 kg (for his third career U.S. title) and Avtandili Bogveraze at +100 kg, who is listed this year as competing for Georgia, after being affiliated with the U.S. in 2022.

At 73 kg the 2022 runner-up, Dominic Rodriguez won gold this time, over Isaac Charmichael in the final, and defending 81 kg champ Kell Berliner was defeated in the gold-medal match by Johan Silot Suse.

There were three women defenders: Maria Laborde at 48 kg, beating Giovanna Prado in the final; Nicole Stout at 78 kg (her third national title), over Alyssa Zawack, and at +78 kg for Mackenzie Williams, also her third American national championship.

Jenna Schurr went from bronze last year to gold at 52 kg (over Katherine Wu), and Karlee Carrouth moved from silver to gold at 63 kg, beating Regina Arias. Last year’s winner at 70 kg, Yasmin Alamin, reached the final again, but lose to Melissa Myers.

● Sport Climbing ● The fourth stage of the 2023 IFSC World Cup was in Salt Lake City and included a home win for women’s Bouldering leader Natalia Grossman.

She dazzled in the final, clearing four tops and four zones (4T 4Z 5/5), impressively ahead of France’s Oriane Bertone (2T 2Z 3/6) and fellow Americans Brooke Raboutou (2T 3Z 4/10) and Anastasia Sanders (1T 4Z 6/16). For Grossman, it was her eighth career World Cup win, five of which have been at Salt Lake City.

In the men’s Bouldering event, it was Japan claiming gold and silver with two-time World Champion Tomoa Narasaki and Sorato Anraku quite close: 4T4Z 6/5 for the winner and 4T4Z 12/6 for Anraku. American Sean Bailey was fourth (3T3Z 8/7).

The women’s Speed final saw world-record holder Aleksandra Miroslaw claim another victory, ahead of Desak Made (INA) in the final, 6.43 to 6.82.

Indonesian stars Veddriq Leonardo – the world-record holder – and Kiromal Katibin went 1-3 in the men’s Speed, with China’s Peng Wu taking the silver. Leonardo was sensational in the final at 4.95 to 6.99 for Wu, while Katibin – a former world-record holder himself – clocked 4.98 in the bronze final to defeat Sam Watson of the U.S. (5.98).

● Swimming ● The Tyr Pro Swim Series meet in Mission Viejo, California saw triple wins for Bella Sims, Claire Curzan, Lilly King and Egyptian Olympian Marwan el Kamash, and a busy schedule for Torri Huske.

Sims, 17, scored a lifetime best in the 400 m Free to win in 4:06.41, then won the 200 m Free in 1:58.44 and the 800 m Free in 8:29.25, with 14-year-old Kayla Han second in 8:32.88.

Curzan, 18, won the 100 and 200 m Backstroke events in 59.00 and 2:07.78, then claimed the 50 m Fly title in 25.88, ahead of Huske, and finished in tie for third in the 100 m Free – with Rio Olympic co-champ Simone Manuel – in 54.50.

King was dominant in all three Breaststroke events, winning the 50 in 30.09, the 100 in 1:06.67, and the 200 m in 2:25.34.

Huske was everywhere, winning the 100 m Fly in 56.84, the 200 m Medley in 2:11.88, second in the 100 m Free to Abbey Weitzeil, 53.26 to 54.27 and second to Curzan in the 50 m Fly.

Teen star Han opened the meet with a runner-up finish in the women’s 1,500 m Free to Jillian Cox, was second in the 800 m Free and then got a win in the 400 m Medley in 4:42.96.

El Kamash took the 400-800-1,500 m Free races, the only man to win three events. Breaststroke star Nic Fink won the 50 m (27.50) and 100 m (59.77) races, but fell short at 200 m, losing to Jake Foster, 2:11.58 to 2:11.72.

The Backstroke races were closely fought, with Justin Ress, the 2022 World 50 m Champion, winning in 24.79 ahead of world-record holder Hunter Armstrong (24.91). But Armstrong grabbed the 100 m Back in 52.82, ahead of former Olympic champ Ryan Murphy (53.36), and then Keaton Jones won the 200 m Back, ahead of Murphy by 1:57.04 to 1:57.50.

Ryan Held grabbed sprint title in the 100 m Free (48.74) and 50 m Fly (23.76), tied with Youssef Ramadan (EGY).

Some more hot swimming at the third and final leg of the Mare Nostrum series in Monaco over the weekend, with Swedish star Sarah Sjostrom, now 29, claiming a world-leading time in the fourth round of the women’s 50 m Free in 23.82 (11th-fastest performance ever), just ahead of Australian star Cate Campbell (24.34), now fourth on the year list.

Sjostrom also won the women’s 50 m Fly final in 24.89, another world leader; she owns the top four performances of the year.

Lara van Niekerk (RSA) clocked 29.75 in the fifth round of the women’s 50 m Breast, fastest in 2023. Canada’s Ingrid Wilm moved to no. 2 in the women’s 50 m Back at 27.37.

In the men’s 50 m Free, Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo out-touched American Michael Andrew, 21.72 to 21.74, to move to nos. 2-3 on the 2023 world list. Andrew, however, won the men’s 50 m Fly final in 22.85 to move to no. 2 in the world for 2023, just ahead of Italian star Thomas Ceccon (22.87), now no. 3.

At the World Aquatics Open Water 10 km World Cup races in Golfo Aranci, Italy (Sardinia), Hungary’s Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kristof Rassovszky surged on the final lap to win in 1:47:17.6, just ahead of Italy’s Domenico Acerenza (1:47:20.1) and German Oliver Klemet (1:47:20.5). Joey Tepper was the top American in 10th (1:49:00.4).

Germany’s Leonie Beck, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, won her second straight World Cup in 1:56:17.4, ahead of Italians Ginevra Taddeucci (1:56:18.6) and Giulia Gabbrielleschi (1:56:20.5). Beck worked her way up from 56th after the first lap to the lead on the final lap and won by daylight. Mariah Denigan of the U.S. was sixth in 1:56:31.2.

The weather was rainy and the water itself was a challenge with the temperature at just 62 degrees F (17 C) and everyone was wearing wet suits. Germany, with Beck and Klemet, plus Rob Muffels and and Lea Boy, won the 4×1500 m relay in 1:04.57.7 over Italy (1:04:58.6).

The U.S. squad of Denigan, Tepper, Dylan Gravely and Kensey McMahon finished fourth in 1:06:17.1.

● Taekwondo ● The 2023 World Championships will begin in Azerbaijan on 29 May, with World Taekwondo declaring:

“23 athletes have been provisionally approved to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) following the completion of the three-step verification process established by the World Taekwondo Council on April 3. On arrival in Baku they will have to sign a declaration committing to fully respecting the conditions of participation. Two athletes’ registrations were rejected after the Review Committee determined that they did not meet the eligibility criteria.”

The approved athletes apparently include 14 Russians and nine from Belarus, but the two were not allowed were Tokyo Olympic gold medalists Maksim Khramtsov (80 kg) and Vladislav Larin (+80 kg).

Gennady Zhigulsky, the Executive Director of the Taekwondo Union of Russia told TASS on Tuesday:

“We have just received information that both of these athletes have been suspended from the World Championships. What can I say? Apparently, it is beneficial for someone to eliminate competitors without waiting for the start of the competition.”

A undisclosed source told TASS:

“Larin and Khramtsov were not allowed the first time, there was an additional commission … They asked questions about social networks, why they liked something somewhere, there were some comments or photos somewhere.”

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IOC says G7 statement validates its Russia stance; French gov’t to distribute 401,220 tickets in 2024; IBA suspends five feds!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC grabs hold of G7 mention of sport as validation
2. France unveils “Tous les Jeux” program with 401,220 tickets
3. Racism vs. Vinicius Junior in Spain, anti-Semitism from Iraq
4. IBA suspends five likely breakaway federations
5. WADA says more than 200 Russia doping sanctions so far

A small mention on neutralizing any identification of Russians or Belarusians in international sport was included in the G7 Summit statement on Ukraine and was seized upon by the International Olympic Committee as validation for its policies. Well, not quite. The French Ministry for sports and the Olympic Games announced the distribution plan for 401,220 tickets it is buying for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More ugly racist incidents are plaguing Spanish football, notably against Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid. At the FIE men’s Epee Grand Prix in Istanbul, the Iraqi men’s team withdrew rather than fight against Israel. The International Boxing Association suspended five possibly breakaway national federations for refusing to say they would never join the new World Boxing group, or have U.S. boxers as part of a future tournament. The IBA is also trying to placate the IOC by “allowing” its technical officials to work at the IOC’s Olympic qualifying competition at the upcoming European Games in Poland. The World Anti-Doping Agency said that more than 200 sanctions have been imposed on Russian athletes as a result of WADA’s investigations and receipt of the LIMS database from the infamous Moscow Laboratory, center of the Russian state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15.

● Panorama: Archery (D’Ameida and Kim win Shanghai World Cup) = Athletics (five new world leads, Coleman 9.78w in Bermuda) = Badminton (China wins Sudirman Cup again) = Cycling (3: France’s Armirail surprise Giro leaders; Vollering takes Vuelta a Burgos Femininas; Australia’s Martin wins UCI BMX Freestyle) = Fencing (2: Massialas and Sauer win FIE Grand Prix; FIE approves 17 Russian fencers for competition) = Rugby (New Zealand wraps up men’s Seven Series title) ●

1.
IOC grabs hold of G7 mention of sport as validation

In the G7 Leaders’ Statement on Ukraine, released last Friday (19th), there was a two-sentence mention of sport in the ninth item in the 11-point declaration:

“We are also paying attention to the impact of Russia’s aggression on international sport. While fully respecting the autonomy of sporting organizations, we are focused on fair sporting competition as well as on ensuring that Russian and Belarusian athletes are in no way appearing as representatives of their states.”

On Monday, the International Olympic Committee wasted no time in citing this language as validation of its position:

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) welcomes the reference to sport in the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders’ Statement on Ukraine, which they issued during their summit in Hiroshima, Japan. The statement says that the G7 are “fully respecting the autonomy of sporting organizations” and want to ensure that “Russian and Belarusian athletes are in no way appearing as representatives of their states”. This is fully aligned with the position of the IOC in this respect. …

“Unfortunately, a few countries, in particular European ones, are going beyond these very strict IOC recommendations. They are putting in place obstacles to prevent athletes from their own countries from participating in international competitions, and against organisers of international competitions on their territory.”

Said IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER);

“The IOC warmly welcomes the G7 support for the autonomy of sport and for the IOC’s recommendations on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport, only as individual, neutral athletes. This commitment to the autonomy of sports organisations comes at a crucial time, when it is threatened by a few governments. Therefore, we are very grateful to the G7 Leaders for their unequivocal statement.”

In fact, the G7 did not confirm the IOC’s position in detail, since multiple sports ministers from the G7 countries have publicly questioned the IOC’s so-far-incomplete definition of what constitutes a “neutral” athlete.

Different international federations are already coming to different conclusions, for example fencing (FIE), which has rejected multiple Russian and Belarusian athletes attempting to return to international competitions, where the International Judo Federation waived in all but two proposed athletes for Russia and Belarus for its recent World Championships.

One of the key questions not answered – yet – by the IOC is whether state funding of an athlete disqualifies an athlete from “neutral” status. Lucy Frazer, the British Secretary of State of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has explicitly insisted on this point, but no reply has come either from the IOC or the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), which has said it could/might/should/will play a coordinating role in this, but has not done so so far. Its Council will meet at the end of the month.

This is only getting more complex, not less. The only true statement seems to be that each federation has, in fact, complete leeway to do as it pleases.

2.
France unveils “Tous aux Jeux” program with 401,220 tickets

The French government announced details of its “Tous aux Jeux” program for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 401,220 tickets to be distributed mostly to youth and to volunteers in the sports movement. The recipient groups:

● Most of the tickets are for the Paralympic Games, with 298,600 tickets to be distributed (74.4%), 1,920 tickets for the opening and 100,700 for the Olympic Games (25.1%).

● 258,800 tickets will go to youth through schools across mainland France.

● 100,100 tickets for volunteers in French sport, “including approximately 70,000 tickets distributed directly via sports federations approved by the ministry or affiliated to the committee. French National Sports Olympics (CNOSF).”

● 17,400 tickets to individual with disabilities and their caregivers.

● 24,920 for public officials, for “the State agents of categories B and C directly involved in the preparation or the delivery of the Games.”

As noted by the split of tickets in favor of the Paralympic Games, the program is specifically aimed at using the event as an educational program:

“By massively opening access to the Paralympic Games, organized from August 28 to September 8, 2024, the State is therefore choosing to allow more than 200,000 young people to discover this spectacular sporting event during their school time, which promotes the values of diversity and inclusion, and necessary to accompany the change in society’s view of disability.”

No further update from Paris 2024 after the roaring start of the second phase of ticket sales, with 1.5 million tickets on offer – for all sessions now – and two-thirds sold in the first two days on 11-12 May.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said after the sales storm:

“We expected the criticism, we were warned that the sales periods were a difficult time. But we underestimated the scale.

“With four million registered in the draw for 1.5 million tickets on sale, we knew that some people would be disappointed.”

The FrancsJeux.com site reported Friday that the ongoing sales program, the sessions of track & field are not offered correctly, based on an old schedule. This concerns eight sessions of the sport, with more events in three, and less in five of the sessions. The listings are being corrected.

3.
Racism vs. Vinicius Junior in Spain, anti-Semitism from Iraq

Racism in sports continues to dog athletes and events, in this case in Spain in football and by Iraq in fencing.

“We have a problem of behavior, of education, of racism. And as long as there is one fan or one group of fans making insults based on someone’s sexual orientation or skin color or belief, then we have a serious problem. A serious problem that stains an entire team, an entire fan base and an entire country.”

That’s Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales on Monday, commenting on continued abuse hurled at Real Madrid’s speedy Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior. The latest incidents came during a Sunday match at Valencia, which defeated Madrid, 1-0, with Vinicius Junior compiling a video of offensive actions, such as chants, gestures from “fans”; he was even hung in effigy off a bridge in Madrid.

The video asked, “When will it be enough? Racism is a crime. Not to punish is to be an accomplice.”

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti (ITA) said, “Nothing will happen, because this has already taken place several times in other stadiums and nothing has been done. Nothing. We have to evaluate this situation, because it is very serious.”

F.C. Barcelona coach Xavi (ESP) told The Associated Press, “If there’s an insult, out, we stop playing, it’s over. I think it’s the message to the president of the league and the federation. We have to put an end to this. It’s the right time.”

Vinicius Junior is hardly alone as a target of abuse, but his high profile has elevated the issue. Prosecution of such crimes is a governmental exercise, of course, and moves slowly.

At the FIE men’s Foil World Cup in Istanbul (TUR), the Iraq team withdrew after being drawn to face Israel in their opening-round match on Sunday. The Jerusalem Post cited a statement from the Iraqi Fencing Federation:

“The Iraqi national team withdrew from the individual races in the World Cup fencing championship, which is taking place in Istanbul and qualifies for the Paris Olympics after the lottery pitted it against the team of the ‘occupying Israeli entity.”

“The decision to withdraw came in compliance with the law criminalizing normalization approved by the Iraqi parliament, in rejection of the occupying Israeli entity, and in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.”

The Post noted:

“Last year, the Iraqi parliament passed legislation criminalizing any form of ‘normalization’ with Israel, banning all Iraqi citizens from having any political, economic, cultural, or any other form of communication with Israeli citizens, even through social media. The punishment set for such interactions with Israelis is the death sentence or imprisonment.”

No response from the International Fencing Federation on Monday.

4.
IBA suspends five likely breakaway federations

In its continuing war with national federations who oppose its leadership, the International Boxing Association announced Monday:

“Four National Federations were suspended following violations and charges based on the IBA Constitution and Membership Policy due to their participation in a rogue boxing organization as decided by the IBA Board of Directors.

“The four consisting of the New Zealand Boxing Association, German Boxing Association, Swedish Boxing Federation, and the Dutch Boxing Federation were guilty in breaching the rules and regulations and were suspended as IBA members. All of them were given the right to be heard but none refused categorically their participation in the rogue governing body nor distancing themselves from the organization.”

A set of three conditions were offered for re-admission, including a commitment not to participate in any other boxing federation and condemning “any attempts to establish an alternative international boxing federation.”

The Czech Boxing Federation was also suspended for holding its annual Grand Prix tournament, in which U.S. boxers – now not members of the IBA – competed. Its re-admission requirements also include a guarantee “that only eligible boxers from member National Federations will participate in its events going forward.”

The IBA also suspended the Liberia Boxing Federation and Federation of Boxing of Equatorial Guinea for not providing annual reports under the IBA rules.

Further, the IBA passed new regulations to try and recruit its boxers away from suspended national federations:

“In addition, the IBA established Rules of participation in the Competitions of the Boxers and Officials affiliated to the suspended National Federations. It was decided that the athletes of the suspended NFs will still take part in IBA owned and sanctioned competitions, however, must be registered through the IBA Sport Department directly.”

The new World Boxing federation is still in formation, but USA Boxing and the five now-suspended national federations are obvious early choices to join.

The IBA, still on suspension by the IOC, agreed Saturday:

“to allow all its Boxers, Technical Officials, and Coaches of the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC) to freely participate in the upcoming European Games 2023 which constitutes part of the IOC Olympic Qualification System (OQS) as they pursue their Olympic aspirations.”

This is an about-face for the IBA, which had threatened any officials who had indicated a desire to work on these Olympic qualifying matches. But it is now trying to placate the IOC, knowing that the future of boxing in the 2028 Olympic Games is in serious jeopardy – not currently on the program – and the future of the IBA as a recognized governing body is in even worse shape:

“The IBA will continue to put its athletes and stakeholders first and this goodwill gesture towards the IOC is the first step and the IBA will continue to strive for open and free dialogue with the IOC for the benefit of boxing, its athletes, and the stability and quality of the Olympic Games.

“The IBA reiterates its desire for cooperation as we work to regain our Olympic recognition.”

A decision on boxing and the 2028 Los Angeles Games is expected later this year.

5.
WADA says more than 200 Russia doping sanctions so far

Russia’s state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15 was centered at the now-infamous Moscow Laboratory of the “Russian Anti-Doping Agency,” and the leak of lab data and the later retrieval of the lab records in 2019 have kept anti-doping authorities busy for years in pursuing sanctions.

The work has not stopped, but the World Anti-Doping Agency declared last week that the lab data has now resulted in more than 200 sanctions being levels against Russian athletes involved in doping during that time:

“As of today, a total of 203 Russian athletes have been sanctioned by 17 Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) with an additional 73 charged, as well as another 182 cases that remain under investigation.”

That’s a total of 458 cases in all, with 60.3% either already sanctioned or charged. It’s worthwhile to note that despite delaying and obfuscation efforts by the Russian “anti-doping “ authorities, WADA noted that its effort in “‘Operation LIMS’ was able to forensically recover much of the data that had been manipulated and/or deleted, which led to hundreds of strong cases being built against athletes who had been part of Russia’s doping program.”

It’s also important to note that WADA distributed much of this data to others for action and did not take the lead in most cases. In athletics, the Athletics Integrity Unit continues to hand out suspensions due to abuses during the 2011-15 period, as is the International Testing Agency, which is now responsible for anti-doping programs for multiple international federations.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Archery ● At the World Archery World Cup II in Shanghai (CHN), Brazil’s Marcus D’Almeida, the 2021 Worlds silver winner, won the men’s Recurve final against 41-year-old Korean star Jin-Hyek Oh, the London 2012 winner, by 6-4 in the final.

Korea scored a 1-2-3-4 finish in the women’s Recurve, with 19-year-old Si-hyeon Kim defeating Tokyo Team gold medalist Chae-young Kang, 6-0, in the final, and Olympic gold medalist San An winning the bronze by 6-2 against teammate (and five-time Worlds medal winner) Mi-sun Choi.

The Korean men won the team title, 6-2, over China; the Korean women shut out Chinese Taipei, 6-0, in the women’s team final, and Kang and Woo-seok Lee won the Mixed Team title over China, 6-2.

● Athletics ● A very busy weekend in the U.S. and elsewhere, with world-leading performances in five events:

● Men/Hammer: 80.88 m (265-4), Rudy Winkler (USA)

● Women/10,000 m: 29:59.03, Mizan Alem (ETH)
● Women/Shot Put: 20.06 m (65-9 3/4), Chase Ealey (USA)
● Women/Hammer: 80.17 m (263-0), Brooke Andersen (USA)
● Women/Javelin: 66.50 m (218-2), Sigrid Borge (NOR)

The wins for Ealey and Norge came at the “Halle Thrower Day” in Germany, while Andersen and Winkler won at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, Arizona. For World Champion Andersen, her 263-0 is a lifetime best and the third women to ever reach 80 m, behind only world-record holder Anna Wlodarczyk (POL) and former World Champion DeAnna Price of the U.S.

Ethiopia’s Alem, the 2021 World Junior Champion at 5,000 m, not only won at the Night of 10,000s in London (GBR), but became the 12th women to break through the 30-minute mark, and is now no. 11 all-time. American Weini Kelati was second with a lifetime best of 31:04.16.

U.S. star Paul Chelimo – Rio silver winner and Tokyo bronze medalist at 5,000 m – won the men’s featured 10,000 m in 27:12.73, a lifetime best, moving to no. 8 all-time U.S. in what was apparently his third career race at the distance, and first since 2019!

There was lots of other action overseas, with Fred Kerley continuing his Asian tour with a 9.91 win at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix meet in Yokohama; his 9.88 in the heats moved him to no. 2 in the world for 2023.

At the USATF Grand Prix in Bermuda, a Puma American Track League meet, all the notable marks were wind-aided, but still great. Christian Coleman ran his fastest all-conditions time since 2019 with a 9.78 win in the 100 m over Noah Lyles (9.80), aided by a stiff 4.4 m/s aiding wind. American Jamal Britt won the 110 m hurdles in 12.99w (+4.0) and Will Claye, the 2012 and 2016 Olympic triple jump silver winner, took that event at 17.45 mw (57-3w, his longest all-conditions jump since 2019.

Tamari Davis of the U.S. won the women’ 100 m in a legal (+2.0) 10.91, and Abby Steiner rolled to a windy 200 m win (+3.1) in 22.06. Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn stormed to a 12.17w (+3.5) victory in the women’s 100 m hurdles, the third-fastest time ever run under all conditions. Americans Tara Davis-Woodhall and Quanesha Burks were 1-2 in the long jump with wind-aided bests of 7.11 m (23-4) and 7.04 m (23-1 1/4).

● Badminton ● China repeated as the winner – for the 13th time – of the Sudirman Cup team event, held in Suzhou (CHN).

The heavily-favored Chinese won their three group matches by 5-0, 5-0 and 5-0, the moved into the quarterfinals against Indonesia (3-0) before a tough 3-2 win over Japan in the semis. In the final, it was another shutout, this time over South Korea by 3-0.

● Cycling ● The 106th Giro d’Italia is entering its final week, with a surprise leader in France’s Bruno Armirail on top by 1:08 over 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (GBR) and Velua a Espana winner Primoz Roglic (SLO).

Thomas was the leader by two seconds over co-favorite Roglic going into the weekend, after Friday’s brutal 207 km stage ending at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland was shorted to just 76.4 km due to bad weather and safety concerns. Einer Rubio of Colombia attacked in the final 200 m to win in 2:16:21, ahead of France’s Thibault Pinot (+0:06), while Thomas and Roglic finished 9-10.

Saturday’s stage shook up everything, with a 194 km ride to Cassano Magnago that was made for the sprinters with a long, flat finish. A massive attack at 15 km separated the peloton and Thomas, Roglic and others are way behind the front group that finishes with a sprint by German Nico Denz for his second win of the race in 4:37:30, just ahead of Derek Gee (CAN) and Alberto Bettiol (ITA). The main group finished 21:11 behind and France’s Bruno Armirail held a 1:41 lead on Thomas and 1:43 on Roglic!

On Sunday, a triple-climb route of 195 km that ended in Bergamo was a special day for American Brandon McNulty, who won a final sprint from Ireland’s Ben Healy and Marco Frigo (ITA) in 5:13:39 for his biggest win ever!

Thomas and Roglic picked up a half-minute on Armirail in 32nd and trail by 1:08 and 1:10 entering the final six stages. The stages on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all for climbers and will test Armirail, 29, to the max. His biggest win to date was the French nationals in the Individual Time Trial in 2022.

Dutch stars dominated the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas in Spain, with Lorena Wiebes winning stages one and three and Demi Vollering, already a four-time winner on the UCI Women’s World Tour this season, taking the second and final stages. Vollering finished with a breakaway win on Sunday on the uphill finish to Lagunas de Neila, 1:35 ahead of Erica Magnaldi (ITA) and taking the overall title by 2:07 over countrywoman Shirin van Androoij, in 11:46:12. American Chloe Dygert was fourth, 2:43 behind the leader.

At the UCI BMX Freestyle extravaganza in Montpelier (FRA), Australia’s Tokyo Olympic champ Logan Martin won the men’s Park final, over France’s 2022 Worlds bronze winner Anthony Jeanjean and American Marcus Christopher.

China’s Huimin Zhou took the women’s final ahead of American star (and 2022 World Champion) Hannah Roberts (USA), Laury Perez of France and 2018 World Champion Perris Benegas (USA) in fourth.

● Fencing ● Rio Olympic silver winner Alexander Massialas of the U.S. scored a major win at the men’s Foil Grand Prix in Shanghai (CHN), winning over Francesco Ingargiola, 15-6, for his third career Grand Prix gold and ninth career medal. It was Massialas’ first Grand Prix win since 2017!

German Anne Sauer won the women’s final, 15-14, over Martina Batini (ITA), Sauer’s first career Grand Prix gold. Tokyo Olympic champ Lee Kiefer of the U.S. lost to 2014 Worlds silver winner Batini in her semi, 15-9, and took a bronze.

In the men’s Epee World Cup in Istanbul, where the Iraqis withdrew instead of facing Israel, it was France’s Alexandre Bardenet who won the individual title, 15-12, over Mate Koch of Hungary. It was Bardenet’s second win of the year and third career World Cup gold.

South Korea’s Sera Song won the women’s Epee World Cup in Fujairah (UAE) with a tough, 14-13 decision over Man Wai Vivan Kong of Hong Kong. Song, the 2022 World Champion, won her second career World Cup, while the no. 1-ranked Kong won her ninth career World Cup medal.

The Russian Fencing Federation said that the International Fencing Federation (FIE) approved 17 of its fencers and 12 support staff, but none of the eight medal winners (3-4-1) from the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The approved fencers will be able to compete in FIE events as neutrals.

● Rugby Sevens ● The 11th and final leg of the HSBC men’s Sevens Series was in London, with New Zealand already assured of its 14th overall title (no one else has more than four).

The All Blacks and Samoa ran through their pool matches with 3-0 records, while Argentina and Canada won their pools with 2-1 marks. Argentina won a defense battle, 10-7, against Samoa in its semi while Fiji knocked out New Zealand, 19-17. In the final, Argentina had little trouble and won by 35-14, with Samoa beating New Zealand, 24-19, for third.

It was Argentina’s third win of the season and they finished second to New Zealand in the final standings, 200-179. Fiji claimed third with 156, over France (151). The U.S. men finished 10th with 98 points.

More weekend summaries coming tomorrow.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IJF says Russian Tasoev should have beaten Riner; British Gym chief asks for safeguarding agency; millions to LA28 to add cricket?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Riner vs. Tasoev in the men's +100 kg final of the 2023 World Judo Championships (Photo: IJF)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IJF apologizes for judging error that allowed Riner’s Worlds win!
2. Russian bill would integrate sport in conquered territories
3. Ukraine skaters say no Russian re-entry until invasion ends
4. British Gymnastics head says his fed cannot do safeguarding
5. Cricket says 2028 inclusion could pay off for LA28

The amazing 11th Worlds gold for French judo superstar Teddy Riner last week in Qatar was an error, according to a statement from the International Judo Federation. Its Refereeing Commission stated that a move by Russian “neutral” Inal Tasoev in overtime should have counted as a score and won the match. Wow. A bill moving through the Russian State Duma would incorporate the conquered areas of Ukraine into the sports system of the Russian government, while a letter from the Ukraine Figure Skating Federation Athletes Commission asks the International Skating Union’s Athletes Commission not to allow Russian skaters to return to competition “until after the end of the Russian invasion.” The head of the British gymnastics federation says his body cannot handle the complaints concerning abuse and safeguarding issues and is asking for the government to take over. The International Cricket Council, making a final push to have the sport added to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, reportedly told the LA28 organizers that if included, media rights in India would go from $12 million to perhaps $268 million and LA28 could share in that rise, with the IOC’s agreement.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (U.S. and Canada still undefeated) ●

● Panorama: Russia (2: Russian view of participation coming 25 May; no fencing re-entry so far) = Athletics (World Athletics’ content creator team announced) = Cycling (Denz wins Stage 12 sprint at Giro d’Italia) = Swimming (Haughey gets world leader at Barcelona Mare Nostrum) ●

● Schedule: No TSX post on Monday (22nd), but back at it for Tuesday. ●

1.
IJF apologizes for judging error that allowed Riner’s Worlds win!

The highlight of the 2023 IJF World Championships in Qatar, the 11th Worlds gold for France’s iconic open-weight star Teddy Riner, was wrongly decided.

Russian Inal Tasoev, the 2021 European Champion, competing as “Individual Neutral Athlete,” fought Riner to a standstill in the final of the men’s +100 kg class, and as described in the IJF report:

“Both players tired quickly as the fight entered golden score and in the 4th extra minute, Riner again attacked with harai-goshi [a hip throw], and Tasoev appeared to counter, rolling Riner across his back but replays showed there was no nameable judo technique used or proper landing and so no score was given.

“Riner decided enough was enough and he grabbed Tasoev, circled around him and threw him with what he refers to as his ‘pourri-waza,’ meaning rotten technique, which we know as uki-waza [floating flip-over], a technique that has saved him countless times over the years. A waza-ari was scored for Riner and an unbelievable 11th world title was his.”

A 1-0 win for Riner, adding to his legend. But there was considerable controversy about whether Tasoev’s move against Riner should have been scored, and the IJF posted this statement on Wednesday (17th):

“In the final contest of the +100kg category of the 2023 World Judo Championships, between the athletes Teddy Riner (FRA) and Inal Tasoev (AIN), there was one situation where neither the referee on the mat nor the IJF Refereeing Commission gave any score.

“The attack of Teddy Riner in white judogi was blocked and countered by Inal Tasoev in blue judogi. The decision was to continue the contest, without awarding a score for the counterattack.

“After the competition, taking into consideration the current refereeing rules and the opinion of judo experts, we find that a score for Tasoev’s counterattack could be awarded.

“Herewith the IJF Refereeing Commission apologises deeply for its decision and informs that this kind of action shall be scored in the future, following the current judo rules.

“Also, the IJF Refereeing Commission analyses the shido [rule violation] and golden score situations, which we consider to be the result of an over tactical combat between judoka. In preparation for the IJF Congress in Doha, at the beginning of the year the national federations were asked to submit technical proposals but none were received.

“We are constantly working for the improvement of the refereeing system in order to achieve maximum transparency and fair play and after each edition of the Olympic Games, we analyse and we reform all those refereeing aspects which need to adapt to the evolution of sport, those which maximise transparency and fair play.”

The statement was signed by Florin Daniel Lascau (GER), Armen Bagdasarov (UZB) and Ki-Young Jeon (KOR).

Good for the IJF to issue the statement on the match, but the result remains and Riner, 34, who lost to Russian Tamerlan Bashaev in the Tokyo Olympic quarterfinals, but came back to win a bronze medal (as did Bashaev after losing in his semifinal), has had his amazing 11th world title cheapened in advance of his try for a third Olympic gold in 2024.

In view of the IJF’s very liberal application of the International Olympic Committee’s 28 March recommendations on Russian and Belarusian re-entry, there have been no reported reactions from Tasoev.

2.
Russian bill would integrate sport in conquered territories

As a continuing demonstration of the Russian view of its continuing war of aggression against Ukraine, a bill was adopted on its first reading on Wednesday in the State Duma that

“is aimed at the comprehensive integration of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions into the existing system of physical culture and sports in Russia.”

These are all area overrun by the Russians in their war against Ukraine begun in February 2022. The Russian news agency TASS reported:

“According to the document, representatives of the four new regions will be able to join the all-Russian sports federations, as well as create their own regional ones. …

“The new norms also extend social support measures for champions and prize-winners of the Olympic, Paralympic and Deaflympics, World and European Championships, and other international sports competitions to athletes who were members of the national teams of the DPR, LPR and Ukraine. According to the bill, they will receive scholarships, benefits, incentive payments and other social support measures established by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation.”

3.
Ukraine skaters say no Russian re-entry until invasion ends

“Allowing officials and athletes from Russia in any status or form participate in the ISU sanctioned events should be unacceptable until after the end of the Russian invasion. I would like to point out the fact that not a single representative or official has condemned the actions of the Russian military on the Ukrainian territory.

“Russian athletes continue to participate in the events in support of the Russian military. These events are sponsored by the Russian governmental regime. There are records of Russian figure skating coaches publicly stating their desire for Ukraine to cease to exist as an independent and sovereign nation.”

That’s from a 15 May 2023 letter to the International Skating Union’s Athletes Commission from Anna Khnychenkova, head of the Ukraine Figure Skating Federation Athletes Commission.

She adds:

“We are thankful to ISU and everyone involved for continuing support of Ukraine and its athletes in this difficult situation. We are hopeful that the athlete committee will support our initiative of full and entire ban of Russian athletes and officials at all ISU international sanctioned events until the end of the Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”

The International Skating Union banned Russian and Belarusian skaters on 24 April 2022, declaring:

“Until further notice no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International Competitions, including ISU Championships and other ISU Events.”

No change has been made in this stance as yet, but the ISU has not commented on the IOC’s 28 March recommendations to allow Russian and Belarusian re-entry as neutrals, a move primarily made to potentially allow athletes to compete in qualifying events for Paris 2024.

The next meeting of the ISU Council, which would be the first body to consider a change in the federation’s position, will be in June.

4.
British Gymnastics head says his fed cannot do safeguarding

“Even if we had far more resources, I’m not sure we could ever escape from the fact that as a national governing body we sit in the middle, make the rules, and we’re investigator, judge and jury.

“I think that’s a pretty invidious place for any NGB to find themselves.”

That’s British Gymnastics Chair Mike Darcey in an interview with The Guardian, making the case for a government takeover of athlete safeguarding in sports, parallel to the way that UK Anti-Doping administers the country’s anti-doping programs.

“It’s time we bit the bullet. It’s time for the government to accept that it is time for action. We need, as a nation, to show that we care as much about athlete welfare as we do about the medal table.

“Such a body would also have clear economies of scale. Instead of asking 40 different Olympic sports to run their own systems we could have one centralised body as a centre of excellence. We would also take the conflict of interest out of the system, and everybody would rightly have much more confidence in the outcome. …

“Sports can get themselves into a tricky position where they either spend so much money on this that you put the financial wellbeing of the NGB in jeopardy, or you have to cut back on other areas. So it’s a series of unhappy choices, none of which are great.”

Darcey noted that while the situation is improving, the way that abuse cases are handled by British national federations is not uniform, take too long and there is a conflict of interest perceived by the losing side in any outcome.

It’s not clear that the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which has come for considerable criticism, would be a model for Britain. It is funded in significant part by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, but has also been called out for being slow and shallow in its case handling.

For Darcey, the answer is the government.

5.
Cricket says 2028 inclusion could pay off for LA28

Sportico.com reported that the International Cricket Council has sharpened its appeal to be added to the program of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles by suggesting that the LA28 organizing committee could profit substantially from enhanced television rights sales in India.

The ICC reportedly prepared an estimate of the marginal additional television rights for India alone could be $201-268 million U.S. with cricket added to 2028, vs. the reported $12 million paid now to the International Olympic Committee for broadcast of the Games now for the Paris 2024 Games.

And:

“[T]he ICC has pitched the possibility of a separate agreement under which LA28 could share in the economics of additional international IOC media rights, according to multiple people familiar with the pitch. Though an arrangement of that sort isn’t strictly forbidden, it’s not standard procedure, and it’s unclear if the IOC or LA28 would consider it.”

The IOC owns the television rights to the Olympic Games en toto, so it would be up to it whether it would share added revenues with LA28.

The ICC calculations were based on a six-team T20 tournament for men and women, a sped-up format which is better for television, with 20 total matches (10+10). It’s not clear what venue would be used, with LA28 averse to building anything new, and a baseball facility is likely large enough to handle a T20 tournament.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s World Championship in Finland and Latvia continues with pool play through the 23rd, with the U.S. and Canada leading the groups.

The Americans are 4-0, with wins over defending champion Finland (4-1), Hungary (7-1), a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Germany and a 4-1 triumph against Austria. Games remain against undefeated Denmark, France and undefeated Sweden.

Canada is also 4-0, with an overtime win over Slovakia (2-1) and easier games against Latvia (6-0), Slovenia (5-2) and Kazakhstan (5-1).

The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals on 25 May, with the semis on the 27th and medal matches on the 28th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● The Russian Olympic Committee will “prepare recommendations on the participation of athletes in international competitions in a neutral status by May 25,” according to the Russian news agency TASS. The position will be reported by ROC chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov.

Russian officials at both the political and sports levels have railed against any and all restrictions placed against them due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including the IOC’s recommendations of 28 March.

The continuing slow roll-out of approvals by the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE) continues, with the Russian Fencing Federation confirming none of its athletes have been approved to compete in either the Foil Grand Prix or Epee World Cups being contested this weekend.

● Athletics ● Continuing its push for a higher profile, especially in visually-based social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, World Athletics named seven members to its new Content Creator Programme.

The project is initially designed to help promote and lift the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest (HUN) this summer. The new team, chosen “from thousands of creatives from all around the world” includes Brazil’s Joao Barretto, Haber Guo (CHN), Ellie Sunman and Maya Bruney from Great Britain, Dannel Flaveny (TTO) and Americans Charles Brockman III (13.80 110 m hurdles in 2022) and Katelyn Hutchinson (55.97 400 m in 2021).

● Cycling ● A calmer day at the 106th Giro d’Italia, with a first career Giro win for German Nico Denz, and no change in the overall leaderboard.

A big group of 27 broke away after 15 km of the 185 km route to Rivoli that included two important climbs, and a descent into the finish. Five men attacked with 90 km left and by the final climb up the Colle Braida with 28 km remaining, it’s only Denz, Latvia’s Tom Skujins and Australian Sebastian Berwick. Denz got to the line first in 4:18:11, with Skujins getting the same time and Berwick three seconds back. The rest of the field took nearly a minute to catch up.

The overall leaders stay in place, with Geraint Thomas (GBR) leading by two seconds over Primoz Roglic (SLO) and 22 seconds over Joao Almeida (POR). Things get harder now with climbing stages on Friday (to the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland!) and Sunday.

● Swimming ● The second leg of the three-stage Mare Nostrum Tour was in Barcelona (ESP), with Tokyo two-time silver medalist Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong taking a women’s Freestyle triple.

She won the women’s 100 m Free on the first day in a world-leading 52.50, ahead of European champ Marrit Steenbergen (NED: 53.45) and Australian star Cate Campbell, the Tokyo bronze medalist just getting back to competition again, third in 54.07.

Haughey then won the 50 m Free in 24.67 over Steenbergen (24.86) and finally the 200 m Free in 1:55.56, with Steenbergen again second, this time in 1:56.10.

American Lydia Jacoby, the Tokyo 100 m Breast winner and still just 19, won her specialty in 1:05.84 to move to third in the world this season, and then took the 200 m Breast in a lifetime best of 2:24.03, now no. 10 on the year list.

U.S. sprint star Michael Andrew was busy, winning the 50 m Breast in 27.36, then third in the 50 m Free in 22.30, behind France’s 2012 Olympic winner Florent Manoudou (21.88). Andrew also collected a fourth in the 50 m Fly in 23.63.

The third and final leg of the Mare Nostrum series for 2023 comes this weekend in Monaco.

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: FIFA debuts World Cup 2026 logo; French Olympics minister defends 2024 ticket prices; another Kenyan star doping!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. FIFA unveils logo of the 2026 World Cup, in Los Angeles
2. French Olympics minister defends 2024 ticket prices
3. Strong volunteer interest in Santiago 2023 PanAms
4. Now 2020 winner Geoghegan Hart crashes out of Giro
5. AIU provisionally suspends Kenyan star Rhonex Kipruto

The logo of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. was unveiled Wednesday in Los Angeles, as well as the tournament motto of “We Are 26.” In Paris, the French Sports and Olympics Minister defended the event’s ticket prices, but indicated the number of attendees at the Opening Ceremony would be about 500,000, with 80% watching for free. The 2023 Pan American Games organizers in Santiago, Chile, said that some 28,702 applications for volunteer positions had been received, to fill 17,000 spots for the PanAm and Para PanAm Games starting in October. At the Giro d’Italia, 2020 winner and current contender Tao Geoghegan Hart of Great Britain crashed out of the race in another wet stage won in a final sprint by Germany’s Pascal Ackermann. The Athletics Integrity Unit provisionally suspended Kenyan star Rhonex Kipruto, the 10 km road world-record holder, for changes in his Athlete Biological Passport. The current list of ineligible persons in track & field has 64 athletes on it.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (International Olympic Committee chief Bach reiterates call for all countries to participate in Olympic qualifiers) = Olympic Winter Games 2030 (French IOC member Drut says France has an outside shot to get 2030) = Russia (3: furious reaction to IWF regulations for gray uniforms for neutrals; Russian boxing coach looking to Asian Games for Paris qualifying (if available); Int’l Handball Federation confirms Russian men out for Paris 2024) = Boxing (Cuba’s Hernandez defects on return from Worlds) = Weightlifting (2024 World Cup to be held in Thailand) ●

1.
FIFA unveils logo of the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles

An elegant Wednesday evening presentation held outdoors at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles began what will be a high-energy promotional campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

There were the obligatory videos and interviews, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) pronounced the enormous expectations for this tournament:

“We are here to kick off, actually, what will happen in 2026, and what will happen from now to 2026. And what will happen there will be not just the greatest World Cup ever, it will be something else .. it will be beyond imagination, it will turn these three countries upside down and then back again. Forty-eight teams, forty-eight countries participating, 16 host cities, three host countries, 104 games, more than six million people watching live, the matches. Six billion tuning in from home; the world will stand still and watch what is happening here.

“So we have just witnessed the best World Cup ever, great emotions. We will witness here, in three years from now, starting from tonight, the best … but more.”

The 45-minute program was streamed live by FIFA with hosts Alexi Lalas (USA) and Telemundo host Ana Jurka (HON), leading to the unveiling of the tournament logo, a stylized stack of the numbers “2″ and “6″ with the FIFA World Cup trophy in the middle. Simple, but with endless coloration and animation possibilities, and a radical departure from the more involved and culturally-reflective marks of recent, single-nation hosts.

The tournament motto of “We Are 26″ was also introduced, described by FIFA as

“a campaign that empowers people, places and communities to play an integral role in launching the FIFA World Cup 26 Official Brand. The campaign has captured portraits of faces and places that tell their own unique FIFA World Cup stories, featuring individuals and experiences that await fans in 2026 and inviting everyone to be a part of it.”

Retired American women’s superstar Carli Lloyd, a two-time Women’s World Cup winner, told the invited guests:

“For the World Cup to be coming here, it’s going to captivate our country, and it’s going to allow kids to just continue to dream, and it will be the best World Cup for sure.”

Wednesday night’s launch is being followed by individual host-city marks to be unveiled on Thursday by the 16 sites for the tournament, in Canada (2), Mexico (3) and the U.S. (11).

2.
French Olympics minister defends 2024 ticket prices

Amelie Oudea-Castera, the French Minister of Sports and the Olympic Games, said Tuesday during a Finance Committee hearing at the National Assembly, that ticket pricing for the Paris 2024 Games is not excessive:

“We have 10% of the mass of tickets that are over 200 euros. These prices are totally in line with the pricing in previous editions of the Games and therefore, taking into account inflation, the prices are lower than those of previous editions.” (€1 = $1.08 U.S.)

She also noted, as has been widely promoted, that one million tickets – 10% of the total – are priced at €24, although half of these have been reserved for municipalities which intend to distribute them to low-income residents.

Asked about high-end pricing for the Opening Ceremony (€2,700) and track & field (€900), she noted that these price points were for “exceptional moments, with exceptional athletes, who compete for the holy grail.”

Oudea-Castera was also asked about the opening on the Seine, and perhaps previewed a downward revision in the total attendees expected:

“Only on the lower platforms are tickets paid for up to 100,000 people. For everything else, the gauge will be refined, it will be around 400,000, all this will be confirmed in the next few days.”

That 500,000 total would be in line with the advice of the Parisian transport planners, who have insisted that no more than that can be accommodated, down from the 600,000 initially announced as a likely capacity for the sides of the river.

3.
Strong volunteer interest in Santiago 2023 PanAms

The 2023 Pan American Games will be in Santiago, Chile beginning on 20 October, with an excellent report on volunteer enthusiasm for the event.

With 17,000 volunteer positions to be filled for the Pan American and Para Pan American Games, 28,702 have applied, with 26.0% from outside the country and 74% from Chile itself. Also:

● 57% are women and 43% are men
● 68.0% or 19,517 are between 18-30 years old
● 3.2% or 927 are over 60 years old
● 56.3% or 16,169 are volunteers in other programs
● 96.9% of applicants are from the Americas (27,799)
● Also from Africa (570), Asia (186), Europe (144) and Oceania (3)
● Northern neighbor Peru (1,888) had the largest number outside Chile

The total number of applications is considered a record, up by 114 over Lima for 2019 and 5,000 more than for Toronto in 2015.

The event is massive, with 6,916 athletes from the 41 Pan American countries expected, competing in 419 events in 39 sports, with Olympic qualifying implications in 33 of them.

4.
Now 2020 winner Geoghegan Hart crashes out of Giro

Another rainy, wet stage and another contender is washed out of the 2023 Giro d’Italia.

This time it was Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart, the 2020 champion and sitting just five seconds off the race lead at the start, who suffered badly in a crash with about 70 km to go on Wednesday’s 11th stage route of 219 km to Tortona.

The stage featured two major climbs in the first 142 km and a smaller one by km 177, but then descended into the finish, with a mass sprint for the line expected. But after cresting the second big climb – the Colla di Boassi – there was a crash involving the entire Ineos Grenadiers team, including race leader Geraint Thomas (GBR) and Geoghegan Hart, plus pre-race co-favorite Primoz Roglic (SLO).

Thomas and Roglic were able to get going again. Geoghegan Hart was taken away from the scene for medical attention. He tweeted later:

“I’m devastated this is how my giro ended. Thank you all for your messages and support. I was so excited about the remainder of this race and loving every minute of it. Arrivederci @giroditalia”

The stage’s expected sprint finish saw German Pascal Ackermann win in 5:09:02, just ahead of Jonny Milan (ITA), Mark Cavendish (GBR) and Dane Mads Pedersen. The first 124 riders received the same time, with Thomas in 62nd and Roglic in 95th. It’s Ackermann’s third career stage win at the Giro d’Italia, but first since 2019.

Thomas retained his two-second lead on Roglic, with Joao Almeida (POR) now third, 22 seconds behind the leader. Four riders on the Soudal-Quick Step team left the race after testing positive or Covid-19, as did race leader and teammate Remco Evenepoel (BEL).

Thursday’s stage has another major climb, with the 1,006 m Colle Braida in the final quarter of the 179 km route into Rivoli, but other major descent into the finish, amid more weather concerns heading into the weekend stages.

5.
AIU provisionally suspends Kenyan star Rhonex Kipruto

Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto, 23, is the world-record holder in the men’s 10 km road race at 26:24 from 2020, was the 2019 World Championships 10,000 m bronze medalist and now … is on suspension for suspected doping.

Kipruto was placed on the “Provisionally Suspended” list by the Athletics Integrity Unit on 11 May for “Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (Article 2.2)” based on changes to his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).

The Passport program is used to track changes in blood chemistry that could indicate doping activity that would not otherwise be caught during normal testing. According to The Associated Press:

“Kipruto’s management company said the AIU informed Kipruto that the alleged irregularities in his biological passport dated back to late 2018, before he won bronze at the worlds and set the 10K road record. Ikaika Sports said Kipruto denied doping and the case had been ‘under scrutiny for some time now.’”

The AIU lists six current or ex-Kenyans placed on suspension so far in 2023 and has 64 Kenyan athletes on the AIU’s Global List of Ineligible Persons as of 1 May. Tweeted David Monti (USA), the highly-respected founder and editor of Race Results Weekly:

“Every additional Kenyan athlete who tests positive drives down the value of all Kenyan athletes as sponsors and event organizers become less inclined to work with Kenyans in general, and more fans think their performances aren’t legitimate.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● No chance in position, but a re-iteration by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER): he’s all in for Russian and Belarusians to return to Paris 2024 qualifying competitions. At a ceremony in Sofia, Bulgaria to mark the centennial of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, Bach told the attendees:

“The recommendation of the IOC is that athletes of all countries should be allowed to participate in the qualifying competitions that are already taking place. I hope that many federations will accept our recommendations. I am happy that I received support in this regard from the President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. He, like us, wants athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees to be able to participate in the Olympic Games. We are working hard to unite athletes from all over the world so that they can take part in international competitions without restrictions.”

Bach did not mention that the IOC’s 28 March recommendations specifically asked not to allow Russian or Belarusian teams to compete and that participation only be allowed for “neutral” athletes.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030 ● France’s senior International Olympic Committee member Guy Drut told the all-sports newspaper L’Equipe that the country might bid for the so-far unclaimed Olympic Winter Games in 2030.

“If we succeed, we have a small chance, a chance, to get them. If the request is made only by the Southern Alps, it will not work. We need a bid bringing together the Southern Alps and the Northern Alps.”

The northern Alps area includes Chamonix, site of the first Winter Games back in 1924, 1968 site Grenoble, 1992 site Albertville, Annecy – a prior Winter Games bidder – and the Courchevel ski resort. The southern Alps include Gap and the ski resort Briancon.

● Russia ● “We view the addition of such requirements as another manifestation of the anti-Russian course dictated by the pro-Western conjuncture.”

That’s Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, complaining about previously-unpublished regulations from the International Weightlifting Federation, which announced on 12 May that “neutral” Russians and Belarusians would be able to participate, subject to verification of their status. The TASS story, however, added:

“In particular, the rules of neutral status established that Russians will have to perform in the form of a monochrome gray color without national symbols. In addition, athletes from Russia are prohibited from speaking out in support of a special military operation [vs. Ukraine].”

Russian Weightlifting Federation President Maxim Agapitov expressed further concerns:

“It is still completely unclear to me who will be entrusted with verification of the truth of certain information contained in the humiliating and human rights-violating declaration offered to athletes and staff for signing.

“It is alleged that this will be an independent investigative agency. The proposed system of sanctions and fines looks like an attempt at the expense of Russian and Belarusian athletes to improve the financial situation of the IWF and employ orphan international officials. It seems that, in addition to the obvious discrimination, all our athletes were immediately recorded as criminals, on whom some kind of investigation will be constantly carried out.”

And in keeping with the Russian line on the IOC’s re-entry recommendations of 28 March, he railed against any restrictions:

“Any restrictions related to the existence of relations with sports societies that have corporate ties with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or similar state structures have nothing to do with the principle of equality, sports spirit and fair fight.

“This is especially surprising considering that a huge number of athletes from other countries are also employees of the military or other law enforcement agencies, but no one in the IWF comes to mind in any way to question (and even more so limit) their right to participate in major international competitions.

“In these charades, which only by some misunderstanding are now called world championships and continental championships, with obscure pseudo-independent ‘investigative agencies’ and in mouse-gray uniforms, Russian athletes, as far as I know, never planned to compete and do not plan to continue to do so. Those who love sport cannot betray its spirit and principles, which are designed to protect society from such phenomena.”

A TASS story quoted the IWF’s regulations as including (translated from the original Russian):

“Athletes and athlete support personnel must wear neutral uniforms, clothing and vestments. They must be plain, solid gray (no graphics). They must not have any inscriptions, including any abbreviations referring to Russia or Belarus, and/or any national emblems, symbols or logos, as well as any designations or designs that can be perceived as referring to the respective country or national federation, as well as any inscriptions, signs or markings that can be understood as a reference to war and its support.”

Russian and Belarusian lifters who violate the conditions of neutral status at international competitions may be fined up to $5,000 by the IWF’s Ethics and Discipline Commission.

The IOC’s recommendations for Russian and Belarusian re-entry would normally point boxers to the European Games qualifier in Krakow this summer, but the Polish organizers have said no Russians or Belarusians will compete there. On Wednesday, Eduard Kravtsov, chair of the Russian Boxing Federation Coaching Council, told TASS:

“We will keep waiting for the IOC decision regarding the team’s participation in the Olympics and the qualifying procedure. I believe that we will be able to do it by participating in the Asian Games.

“However, this does not mean that we prefer the easy path, because the level of athletes in Asia is much higher when compared to Europe.”

Russia may be able to compete at the Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) in September and October in specific sports, but the details have not been announced. Olympic Council of Asia officials have warned that Russian and Belarusian participation must not interfere with the selection of Asian athletes to the Paris 2024 Games.

The International Handball Federation confirmed that Russia cannot qualify a men’s team for Paris 2024, but there is still a chance for the women’s team:

“About the opportunity to qualify. For the men there is no possibility anymore, [but] the women could qualify if they would be allowed to participate at the upcoming IHF Women`s World Championship and would qualify there.

“We still follow the recommendation from the IOC who decided to recommend only the comeback from individual Russian and Belarusian so far but not for team sports.

“We are in close contact with the IOC and our council will discuss the situation if anything changes.”

● Boxing ● The talent exodus from Cuba continues, as the Cuban boxing federation confirmed that two-time middleweight World Champion Yoenlis Hernandez left the team on the way back from the 2023 IBA men’s World Championships in Uzbekistan.

The plane carrying the team home – where Hernandez won Cuba’s only gold – stopped in Panama and Hernandez would go no further:

“During his return to his homeland, on a stopover in Panama, the double world champion declined to continue his trip to Havana, which implies his break with the national team.”

Now 25, Hernandez won $200,000 for his victory in Tashkent, although it is not known whether the prize money will be paid to him directly, or through his federation, in which case the Cubans might not be forthcoming with a transfer.

● Weightlifting ● The International Weightlifting Federation announced that its 2024 IWF World Cup event, a mandatory competition for lifters who wish to compete at the Paris Olympic Games, will take place in Phuket (THA) from 2-11 April 2024.

It is planned to be the last qualifying event for Paris, with continental championships all scheduled prior to next April.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Gymnastics chief wants Russia back in, but neutrality can’t be validated; Van der Vorst tweets; who’s the top T&F athlete on Insta?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Federation Internationale de Gymnastique President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) (Photo: FIG)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Watanabe for Russia return, but waits for “verification” process
2. Van der Vorst steps out, calls for support of World Boxing
3. Cort wins in the rain, Thomas leads as Giro d’Italia resumes
4. List of top T&F athletes on Instagram has some surprises!
5. USL announces second tier-1 women’s football league

The head of the International Gymnastics Federation, Morinari Watanabe of Japan, has made no secret of his desire to see Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competition. But the federation’s Executive Committee put the brakes on at its latest meeting in the absence of any consensus on what constitutes a “neutral” athlete according to the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee. In boxing, Dutch federation president Boris van der Vorst has been quiet since the formation of World Boxing, but has begin tweeting again and beginning to lobby support for the new federation. At the Giro d’Italia, riding resumed after race leader Remco Evenepoel of Belgium had to withdraw due to a positive Covid-19 test. Dane Magnus Cort won Tuesday’s wet and cold stage, with Britain’s Geraint Thomas holding on to the overall lead. An Indian sports site compiled a list of the most popular track & field athletes on Instagram, with four Americans on the list, but the “world’s sexiest athlete” – from Germany – at no. 2 and an Indian star – of course – at no. 1. The United Soccer League (USL) announced the formation of a second, first-tier women’s pro league in the U.S., to begin in August 2024: the USL Super League.

● Panorama: Athletics (McLaughlin-Levrone out of L.A. Grand Prix) ●

1.
Watanabe for Russia return, but waits for “verification” process

It was something of a surprise that the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) Executive Committee did not vote to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition at its meeting in Antalya (TUR) on 14-15 May.

That’s because second-term FIG President Morinari Watanabe of Japan had repeatedly indicated his desire to have them back. But after it didn’t happen, Watanabe posted an extended statement on the matter on the FIG Web site on Tuesday, which included:

● “The crimes of the war lie with the government and the soldiers. People who are not involved in the war are not blamed for these crimes. This has been demonstrated in past war crimes trials.”

● “[F]ollowing the IOC recommendations of 28 March 2023, I firmly believe that all athletes, regardless of their nationality, have the right to be treated without discrimination. The same also applies to athletes from Russia and Belarus.”

● “I would like to follow the IOC’s recommendations and accept such ‘individual neutral athletes’ who are not involved in or supporting the war at international Gymnastics events.”

OK, he’s being clear enough about his view, which has been quite consistent for months. But then comes the point of departure:

“However, as pointed out by the IOC, the neutrality with regard to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus is a strict and essential requirement for any participation in international competitions. At this stage, I believe that the definition of ‘neutrality’ must be clarified by a dedicated independent body, which should also be responsible for the verification of such neutrality.

“Until the definition of neutrality and the method of verifying the neutrality are clarified, the FIG will maintain the extraordinary measures adopted by the FIG Executive Committee. As always, the FIG is continuously monitoring the overall situation and, in particular, the FIG position on the ‘neutrality’ requirement for athletes will be discussed at the next EC meeting in July.”

On that basis, it’s going to be a while before any Russian or Belarusian gymnasts are competing internationally again, since:

(1) There is no agreed-upon definition of what a “neutral athlete” looks like, and

(2) There is no “dedicated independent body” to adjudicate whether a specific athlete is “neutral” or not.

The last month has shown wide differences in approach between different International Federations. The FIE Congress voted in March to allow “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes – following the IOC’s recommendations – but agreed to permit only 11 of the requested 24 Sabre fencers (men and women) to compete. This so angered the Russian Fencing Federation that it sent none.

By contrast, the International Judo Federation held its World Championships last week and swept in 19 “Individual Neutral Athletes,” including two from Belarus and 17 from Russia, reportedly rejecting just two.

Last weekend’s Athletes for Peace and Freedom International Sports Conference released a three-page statement which allowed for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return, but only for those who sign an anti-war declaration, make a donation to Ukraine, are not publicly funded, and are not part of their nation’s military or national security agencies!

There could be some movement on 30-31 May at the Council meeting and General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), mentioned by the IOC on its 28 March recommendations on re-entry as a possible coordinating body for neutrality regulations or processes.

But for now, it’s chaos.

2.
Van der Vorst steps out, calls for support of World Boxing

Dutch Boxing Federation chief Boris van der Vorst had been largely absent from Twitter or other media in recent weeks, as USA Boxing withdrew from the International Boxing Association, and the IBA men’s World Championships got underway in Uzbekistan.

But van der Vorst, who will retire from his Dutch post at the end of the month at the federation’s general assembly, got back into gear last week on Twitter, noting a report from the German ZDF channel and asserting:

● “Sanctioned international boxing association is desperate to maintain its authoritarian grip on the sport. We’ve witnessed attacks on officials & boxers in recent months. Sports journalists are now feeling the effects of the oppressive regime”

● “I urge fellow boxing leaders, Presidents, & Secretaries General of boxing NFs to stand up to IBA leadership’s illegal & unethical actions with confidence. Let’s work towards a sustainable, democratic, & professional approach to developing boxing. It’s time for WORLD BOXING!”

Van der Vorst ran against IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS), losing in the fourth round of voting in December 2020 and then being suspiciously disqualified prior to a one-on-one rematch in May 2022, then being reinstated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, only to see the IBA Congress vote not to hold the election in September, confirming Kremlev in office.

The International Olympic Committee has repeatedly voiced its concerns over IBA finances, governance and refereeing and judging processes, to which the IBA sent a 400-page reply on 5 May. As of now, the sport is not on the Los Angeles 2028 program and the IBA has been suspended by the IOC since 2019.

The real possibility that boxing could be left off of the program for 2028 led to the formation of World Boxing, announced on 13 April, with van der Vorst as a founding Board member, along with athletes and officials from Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden and the U.S.

So far, only USA Boxing has withdrawn from the IBA.

Van der Vorst also noted a unique boxing tournament held in Ukraine, which did not attend the IBA Worlds in view of its admission of Russian and Belarusian fighters:

● “Allow me to draw your attention to an exceptional boxing event that took place last weekend in Kharkiv – a wonderful city in Ukraine that has been under siege for many months and still suffers from regular missile attacks.”

● “Ukrainian boxers, forced by the IBA to miss the World Championships, stepped into the underground ring & showcased their true fighting spirit. Held in a metro station & streamed live, this was the 1st sports competition held in Kharkiv since the start of the invasion.”

● “The Dutch boxing community stands firmly in solidarity with the Ukrainian Boxing Community & we look forward to welcoming Team Ukraine to the Eindhoven Box Cup soon!”

Expect to hear a lot more from van der Vorst after his term with the Dutch federation is ended later this month.

3.
Cort wins in the rain, Thomas leads as Giro d’Italia resumes

After the shock of losing race leader Remco Evenepoel (BEL) to a positive Covid test – along with Colombian star Rigoberto Uran and 2020-21 World Time Trial Champion Filippo Ganna (ITA), masks were required again for those coming in contact with the athletes as riding in the 106th Giro d’Italia resumed on Tuesday.

The conditions were cold and wet for the 196 km tenth stage from Scandiano to Viareggio, with the imposing 34 km climb up the Passo della Radici – from 398 m to 1,598 m – dominating the first half of the race, and then a fairly flat last half. A mass sprint was expected for the finish, but instead a small group broke away early.

With 75 km to go, only Alessandro di Marchi (ITA), Derek Gee (CAN) and Magnus Cort (DEN) were in contention and they raced to the line with Cort getting the win in the rain in 4:51:15, ahead of Gee (same time), with di Marchi two seconds back. The rest of the field followed some 49 seconds later.

In the overall race, Britain’s Geraint Thomas maintained his two-second lead on Primoz Roglic and five seconds on fellow Brit Tao Geoghegan Hart. Stage 11 on Wednesday features two stiff climbs in the first half, but ends with a long descent into Tortona, which should result in a mass sprint to the line.

The weather is playing a larger role in this year’s Giro, with the organizers fearing snow at the top of the 207 km 13th stage – to 2,469 m at the top of the Great St. Bernard Pass – and then finishing at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana:

“Given the exceptional snowfall, and in the light of the avalanche danger, it is announced that the race will not pass over the Great St. Bernard Pass, but through the tunnel.

“As a result of this change, the stage will have a length of 199 km.”

4.
List of top T&F athletes on Instagram has some surprises!

KhelNow.com, an Indian sports news site headquartered in Singapore, published a list of the top 10 most-followed track & field athletes on Instagram. Most are familiar names, but not all. From no. 10 to no. 1:

● 10. 806,000+ for Trayvon Bromell (USA: 27), the two-time World Championships men’s bronze medalist at 100 m.

● 9. 856,000+ for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM: 36), the two-time Olympic and five-time World Champion in the women’s 100 m.

● 8. 1,000,000+ for Yulimar Rojas (VEN: 27), the Olympic and three-time World Champion, and world-record holder, in the women’s triple jump.

● 7. 1,000,000+ for Fred Kerley (USA: 28), the Olympic silver medalist and 2022 World Champion in the men’s 100 m.

● 6. 1,100,000+ for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA: 23), the Olympic and World Champion, and multi-time world-record setter in the women’s 400 m hurdles.

● 5. 1,100,000+ for Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA: 28), the U.S.-born, but Italian-raised Tokyo Olympic Champion in the men’s 100 m.

● 4. 2,200,000+ for Eliud Kipchoge (KEN: 38), the two-time Olympic Champion in the marathon and the multi-time world-record setter at that distance.

● 3. 2,200,000+ for Sha’Carri Richardson (USA: 23), the 2019 NCAA women’s 100 m champion and 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials winner, who was disqualified for marijuana use.

● 2. 3,700,000+ for Alica Schmidt (GER: 24), a national-class women’s 400 m runner with a lifetime best of 52.21 from 1980. She ran on the sixth-place German 4×400 m team at the 2022 European Championships in Munich but has been described as “the world’s sexiest athlete.”

● 1. 6,700,000+ for Neeraj Chopra (IND: 25), a sensation for his Tokyo Olympic triumph in the men’s javelin, followed up with a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. He was the first Indian track athlete to win a gold and only the second Olympic gold winner in India’s history, after Abhinav Bindra in shooting in 2008.

Had to be an Indian angle to this, right? But it’s nonetheless fascinating to see Chopra’s enormous popularity in a country which is hoping for more sports heroes on the international scene.

Breaking down the top 10 – according to KhelNow.com – four are from the U.S. (and all in the sprints and hurdles), with one each from Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Venezuela and, of course, India.

5.
USL announces second tier-1 women’s football league

The drive to expand women’s football in the U.S. got another boost with the announcement of what may be a second first-tier league: the USL Super League.

The United Soccer League, originally founded in 1986 as a men’s indoor soccer minor league, now operates three men’s leagues in the U.S. and Canada, the USL W women’s amateur league and two youth leagues, and says it will begin a women’s professional league in 2024, with teams in:

● Charlotte, North Carolina
● Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
● Lexington, Kentucky
● Phoenix, Arizona
● Spokane, Washington
● Tampa Bay, Florida
● Tucson, Arizona
● Washington, D.C.

Additional teams, subject to stadium completion, are expected in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; Madison, Wisconsin and Oakland, California.

Play is expected to begin in August 2024, with 10-12 teams, with a fall-to-spring schedule, in contrast with the 12-team National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), which plays from March to October.

The new league seeks Division I status, the same as the NWSL. The U.S. Soccer Federation’s Professional League Standards require a launch with at least eight teams in two different time zones, 75% or more must play in markets of 750,000 or more and stadiums must be of 5,000 seats or more. There are increased requirements for succeeding years.

Each principal owner must have a net worth of $15 million or more and the combined net worth of the ownership group must be $25 million or more.

It’s an interesting concept and another step toward the expansion of women’s professional football in the U.S. … if it succeeds.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will not be running in the women’s 400 m at the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on 21 May, according to a Tuesday announcement:

“Regrettably, I won’t be competing in the LA Grand Prix due to my coach’s decision. I trust his judgment and will be cheering on my fellow athletes. Excited to see my fans! Thanks for your support.”

McLaughlin-Levrone trains at UCLA with legendary coach Bobby Kersee, himself a former UCLA head women’s coach, and one of the organizers of the L.A. Grand Prix meet.

After her world-record win in the women’s 400 m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon last year, McLaughlin-Levrone was asked if she would be turning to the 400 m in the future. Her reply to NBC’s Lewis Johnson was a classic, modern-day one-liner on her relationship with, and trust in, Kersee:

“I just do what Bobby tells me.”

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Paris ‘24 sells million tickets in 48 hours; athletes demand Russian anti-war declarations + donations; L.A. Grand Prix entries!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Report: Paris 2024 sells a million tickets in 48 hours
2. No boycott yet, but EU asks IOC to keep Russia out of Paris ‘24
3. Russian border-state athletes want declarations and donations
4. Giro d’Italia leader Evenepoel out after Covid positive
5. Lots of star power in L.A. Grand Prix entry lists for 26-27 May

The Paris 2024 organizers hoped to sell 1.5 million tickets in its second sales phase, but moved more than a million last Thursday and Friday alone in the first 48 hours of sales Premium packages for the Opening Ceremony on the Seine were also announced, at €9,500-7,500-5,000 per person. European Union sports ministers continued to urge the International Olympic Committee not to allow Russia or Belarus to return to international competitions, or compete at the Paris 2024 Games, while an athlete’s conference in Estonia compiled a five-step list of requirements for readmission, including an anti-war declaration, a donation to Ukraine and no state funding. At the106th Giro d’Italia, co-favorite and race leader Remco Evenepoel of Belgium withdrew after a positive test for Covid after winning the seventh stage. The L.A. Grand Prix track & field meet coming to UCLA on 26-27 May unveiled most of its entries, including a long list of Olympic and Worlds medal winners, headed by 2022 world-record setters Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Mondo Dupantis, Ryan Crouser and Tobi Amusan.

● Panorama: Ancient Olympic Games (many were vegetarians) = Paris 2024 (caregivers, security staff to take up 3,000 dorm rooms) = Anti-Doping (WADA considering extending terms for President, Vice President) = Archery (Ellison and Kaufhold take Gator Cup titles) = Athletics (USC star Willie Deckard passes) = Boxing (IBA asks new sanctions on four national federations) = Cycling (2: UCI placing new tech on frames to prevent cheating; condemns use of helicopters to move some riders at Giro d’Italia) = Football (Unilever takes major sponsorship with FIFA) = Gymnastics (Colombia and Brazil win PanAm Trampoline titles) = Shooting (Australians raising their own money for competitions) = Swimming (big marks at Sydney Open in Australia) ●

1.
Report: Paris 2024 sells a million tickets in 48 hours

The FrancsJeux site noted Monday that the opening hours of the second phase of the Paris 2024 ticket sales effort was a smashing success.

More than 1,000,000 tickets were purchased on Thursday (11th) and Friday (12th) alone, out of a hoped-for total of 1.5 million tickets in this phase.

That’s a strong start and the report cited 20 disciplines or sports which have been marked as sold out:

● Aquatics: Artistic Swimming, Diving, Open Water
● Athletics: Marathon, Race Walking
● Basketball: 3×3
● Breaking
● Cycling: BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Road, Mountain Bike, Track
● Equestrian
● Fencing
● Gymnastics: Rhythmic
● Modern Pentathlon
● Shooting
● Skateboarding
● Sport Climbing
● Triathlon

These are all sports with fairly limited seating, compared with, for example, athletics and football. The most popular sports in terms of sales were football, athletics, beach volleyball, tennis and basketball.

These early “sell-outs” are a big help for the Paris 2024 organizers, who can now re-visit these sites – knowing their popularity – and see if there are ways to augment the seating, and ask for tickets back from International Federations, National Olympic Committees, sponsors and others if they are not going to be used. Because now they know they can sell them.

Premium seating packages for the Opening Ceremony on the River Seine went on sale last week, with multiple options for seeing the parade of nations and the protocol aspects of the event from various locations. Some of the options (€1 = $1.09 U.S. today):

● €9,500 per person (+ tax): Bridge 360 at the Alma Bridge, with a “cocktail-style dinner,” live entertainment and a gift.

● €7,500 per person (+ tax): Riverside Gold Package, with a Category A ticket, buffet dining and live entertainment at the Palais de Tokyo, and a gift.

● €5,000 per person (+ tax): Riverside Silver Package, with a Category B ticket, buffet dining and live entertainment at the La Maison de l’Amerique Latine, and a gift.

All three levels promise dedicated “way-finding” help and charging stations and restroom facilities nearby.

2.
No boycott yet, but EU asks IOC to keep Russia out of Paris ‘24

“I do think that the International Olympic Committee, they really risk a trust issue here if they are not listening, and also making sure that no Russian athletes can represent Russia in any way at the Olympics.”

That’s Swedish sports minister Jakob Forssmed, speaking with The Associated Press on Monday on the sidelines of a meeting of European sports ministers in Brussels (BEL).

He said that a boycott by European nations of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is not in the works, at least not yet. Sweden currently holds the rotating Presidency of the European Union, putting it in a position to advance its own agenda items through July.

The 27 member nations have been quite resolute against a Russian or Belarusian return to participation in international sports, or the Olympic Games next year, with the exception of Hungary.

As for the IOC’s recommendation that athletes returned to competition cannot be part of the armed forces or national security apparatus. Forssmed warned of the difficulties:

“It’s very, very difficult to see this happening because they are so integrated with the administration in Russia.

“[Athletes] are often governmentally employed or they are state sponsored or they were even employed by the army. So, that makes it very, very difficult.”

3.
Russian border-state athletes want declarations and donations

The just-concluded “Athletes for Peace and Freedom International Sports Conference” with athletes from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and dissident athletes from Belarus met in Tallinn (EST) and posted a three-page declaration, including a list of five points as “admission criteria” to international competitions:

“a) Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must publicly sign documents on condemnation of aggressive war or neutrality, including the Anti-War Declaration;

“b) Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must make a donation to help Ukrainian people;

“c) Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes. A special procedure to check the eligibility and to nominate such Individuals independent from the National Olympic Committees or federations of Russia and Belarus must be introduced by international federations;

“d) Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.

“e) Athletes who meet the criteria are prohibited from using public sources of funding from Russia and Belarus.”

In contrast with many calls for Russian and Belarusian exclusion, this declaration again would allow them to compete, but only under such stringent conditions that few, if any, would qualify.

The document goes on, and includes requests:

● “Recognize the right of the Ukrainian side to boycott international sporting events, including the Olympic Games, including a collective boycott, in case the eligibility criteria are not revised to become stricter and more specific. Such action should not be deemed as a derogation from autonomy of sport.”

and

● “Urge the International Olympic Committee to develop universal criteria for ensuring that the Olympic movement conforms to its main mission – to establish and maintain peace and sustainable development with a special respect to the values of human rights, freedom and democracy.”

It’s hard to see this specific declaration getting much traction, but it does state a position from athletes who are closest to this conflicts, in countries which have absorbed million of Ukrainian refugees.

4.
Giro d’Italia leader Evenepoel out after Covid positive

Belgian star Remco Evenepoel, 23, in the midst of a dream season and a day after regaining the lead in the 106th Giro d’Italia, is out of the race. He explained:

“I am really sorry to be leaving the race. As part of the team’s protocol, I took a routine [Covid] test, which unfortunately was positive.

“My experience here has been really special and I was looking forward to competing over the next two weeks. I can’t thank enough the staff and the riders who sacrificed so much in preparation for the Giro. I will be cheering them on over the next two weeks.”

The rest of his Soudal-Quick Step team tested negative and will continue. But Evenepoel, who crashed out of his first Giro in 2021, will not finish in 2023. He won the 2022 Vuelta a Espana and was a co-favorite in the Giro d’Italia with Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, who will move up from third to second as a result of Evenepoel’s departure.

The new race leader will be Britain’s Geraint Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France, then Roglic (+0:02), Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart (+0:05), Portugal’s Joao Almeida (+0:22) and former leader Andreas Leknessund (NOR: +0:22).

Evenepoel won the opening Individual Time Trial and was the race leader for the first three stages. He regained the lead on Sunday with his win in the second Individual Time Trial, by one second over Thomas, but 1:15 up on Leknessund, to re-take the lead.

Roglic and Thomas will now be the favorites to win, with Roglic undefeated in two prior multi-stage events this season, the Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta Ciclista de Catalunya. He’s a three-time winner of the Vuelta a Espana, and was third in the 2019 Giro and fourth in the 2018 Tour de France.

5.
Lots of star power in L.A. Grand Prix entry lists for 26-27 May

The upcoming L.A. Grand Prix posted entry lists and shared a complete schedule for its 27 May meet at 11,142-seat Drake Stadium at UCLA, with lots of star power from both the U.S. and aboard.

The meet schedules were also posted, with the distance meet on Friday from 5:15 p.m. with the hammer to about 9:15 p.m. with the finish of the men’s 5,000 m. The program includes the 800 m, 1,500 m, Steeple and 5,000 m for men and women and the women’s vault, and the men’s and women’s discus and hammer.

Saturday’s Grand Prix runs from 12:30 to 3 p.m., with NBC on from 1-3. It’s mostly sprints: men’s and women’s 100-200-400 m, women’s 100 m hurdles, men’s 400 m hurdles, men’s 800 m and 1,500 m and the men’s vault, women’s shot put and men’s and women’s javelin.

The fields are quite good, assembled by veteran athlete agent, coordinator and meet promoter Mark Wetmore. According to the listings for Saturday, the top matchups:

● Men/100 m: Christian Coleman, the 2019 World Champion, ran 9.76 that year and 9.87 in 2022. He’s not talked about much these days, but maybe he will be after this meet.

● Men/200 m: Olympic silver winner Kenny Bednarek vs. 2022 Worlds bronze medalist Erriyon Knighton, with Josephus Lyles chasing both.

● Men/400 m: World Champion Michael Norman – who has been toying with the 100 m this season – against London 2012 champ Kirani James (GRN), with ex-Florida star (and Worlds fourth-placer) Champion Allison trying to upset both. This could be Allison’s breakthrough race.

● Men/1,500 m: Kenya’s 2019 World Champion, Timothy Cheruiyot, and world leader Reynold Kipkorir (3:32.01) against Americans Cole Hocker, Cooper Teare and Sam Prakel.

● Men/400 m hurdles: Olympic and World silver winner Rai Benjamin, who ran on this track during his time at UCLA, against his top American threats: World bronze winner Trevor Bassitt, improving C.J. Allen (47.93) and Khallifah Rosser (47.59 in 2022).

● Men/Vault: Olympic and World Champion and world-record holder Mondo Duplantis (SWE), France’s former world-record holder and 2012 Olympic champ Renaud Lavillenie, 2017 World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S. and Olympic silver winner Chris Nielsen of the U.S.

● Men/Shot: Olympic and World Champion (and world-record holder) Ryan Crouser vs. two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs. The two best in the world.

● Women/100 m: Americans Sha’Carri Richardson (10.76 world leader) and U.S. indoor 60 m winner Aleia Hobbs, undefeated in nine meets this year (best of 10.86).

● Women/400 m: Olympic 400 m hurdles champ and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone vs. Tokyo Olympic silver winner Marileidy Paulino (DOM).

● Women/100 m hurdles: World Champion and world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR), Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR), and star Americans Keni Harrison (ex-world record holder), 2019 World Champion Nia Ali and 2018 World Junior Champion Tia Jones. This might be the best race of the day.

Britain’s Worlds 1,500 m winner Jake Wightman headlines the men’s 800 m, and Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas will be in the women’s 200 m. World Champion Chase Ealey leads the women’s shot field.

General admission tickets for both days are $44 and for Saturday only at $39. Premium seating is available at $55-80-165.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Ancient Olympic Games ● Fascinating story from GreekReporter.com on the diet of ancient Greeks who competed in the Games:

“Many meals consisted of barley porridge, (as wheat was considered unhealthy and decadent), along with cheese, fresh vegetables, and seasonal fruits of some kind with figs being the most popular fruit in antiquity. …

“Lentils and beans were also an integral part of an athlete’s diet in ancient Greece, but they were controversial, as some claimed they had negative health effects.

“Lastly, seafood and eggs were an additional, significant part of the ancient Greek diet which likely served as good sources of protein for ancient Olympians.”

Meats were not widely consumed in the early years of the Games, but was more in vogue later, with a runner in 480 B.C.E. consuming a diet with a high amount of meat. The story notes that “boxers ate bull meat while wrestlers ate pork and runners consumed goat.”

Now you know.

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Things are getting serious when rooms are reserved for security staff for the Games. The French Sports Ministry said last Friday that 3,200 rooms are being reserved for bus drivers, caregivers, first-aid workers and security forces.

The rooms will be used during the Games period, with students returning in September, after the end of the Olympic Games on 11 August, with a smaller number needed for the Paralympic Games, which end on 8 September. But, for those students who wanted to stay in their places during the Games period, they will be accommodated elsewhere.

An immediate cry went up from a student group, insisting that no one should be moved unless they volunteer.

● Anti-Doping ● The energetic German ARD Sportschau investigative team reported last week that discussions within the World Anti-Doping Agency about matching up the term limits for the President and Vice President with those of Executive Committee and Foundation Board members.

ExCo and Board members have limits of nine years, while the President (Poland’s Witold Banka) and Vice President (China’s Yang Yang) can serve in their positions for a maximum of six years.

A proposal is under discussion, but has not been approved yet.

● Archery ● The Easton Foundation Gator Cup in Newberry, Florida, a USA Archery team qualifying event, concluded over the weekend, with Olympic stars Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold winning both the qualifying and elimination rounds.

Former World Champion Ellison led the men’s qualifying at 679/720, followed by Jackson Mirich (673) and Matthew Requa (668). Ellison stormed through the eliminations, 6-0, 6-0, 7-3, 7-3 over fellow Olympian Jack Williams in the quarters, then 6-0 in his semi and winning a tight, 6-5 shoot-off battle over Mirich for the tournament title.

Kaufhold, still just 19 and the 2021 Worlds silver medalist, led the qualifying at 671/720, well in front of Emma Kim (649) and Erin Mickelberry (643). Kaufhold won her elimination matches by 6-0, 6-0, 6-2, 6-0 and 6-2 in the final over Alexandria Zuleta-Visser.

● Athletics ● Sad news of the death of former USC sprint great Willie Deckard, who passed away on 6 May from pancreatic cancer at age 72, in Inglewood, California.

Deckard set the world on fire at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in 1971, running 9.2 for 100 yards and 20.2 for 220 yards to help upset UCLA in their annual dual meet, 75-70. His 9.2 was equal-best in the world for 1971 and the 20.2 was the top mark in the U.S., making him a favorite for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team. But injuries slowed him and he finished fifth in the 200 m Olympic Trials final in 1972.

He became a well-recognized high school coach in Southern California, at Crenshaw, North Torrance and Redondo Union.

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association is now after other federations beyond USA Boxing over the new World Boxing group, announcing Sunday:

“A complaint against Individuals affiliated to the National Federations has been submitted to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) due to their participation in the governing body of so-called rogue world boxing organization. Moreover, the Board opened formal proceedings against National Federations of Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and the Netherlands due to an alleged serious breach of the IBA Constitution and Regulations related to the participation in said organization.”

Although USA Boxing is the only national federation so far to withdraw from the IBA, can there be much doubt that the above-named national feds will follow?

● Cycling ● Trust, but verify. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced a new “registration procedure” for equipment to be used for the upcoming Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes:

“This procedure strengthens the UCI’s monitoring of equipment for regulatory compliance. …

“While teams are already required to register their equipment at the beginning of each season as part of the annual team registration procedure, as well as whenever they intend to use new equipment during the season, it is very common for their respective sponsors to supply them with new equipment shortly before the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. …

“Regarding frames, the UCI has developed a tamper-proof tag using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. This RFID tag will be placed on frames by UCI staff in the days leading up to the races. The tag will be scanned at random intervals during the races to ensure that the equipment is the same as that registered a few days earlier. Once attached to a bicycle, the tamper-proof RFID tag cannot be removed without being destroyed, thereby making it unreadable by UCI scanners.”

Concerns over cheating are constant in cycling, especially with the use of motors or other devices in frames.

The UCI registered considerable displeasure with the use of helicopters to remove some riders from the finish area after Stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia, atop the Grand Sasso d’Italia:

“This constitutes an advantage that goes against the principles of fair play and the regulatory provisions for ensuring equal treatment for transfer of teams to their hotels. In addition, some riders’ use of a helicopter transport for this purpose goes against the principle of carbon footprint reduction, as stated in the UCI WorldTour organiser specifications.

“The UCI will take necessary measures and sanctions to ensure that such a practice does not occur in the future.”

● Football ● Many sponsorship announcements aren’t especially noteworthy, but FIFA World Cup fans are going to start seeing billboards, commercials and promotions for beauty brands Dove and LUX, Lifebuoy soaps and Rexona deodorant, also sold as Sure, Shield and Degree.

They are part of a Unilever personal-care brands deal with FIFA that will debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer and continue through the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and into 2027.

Expect a high visibility from this deal, as the announcement noted, “Investing at all levels from grassroots to FIFA’s top tournaments, Unilever will have the opportunity to supply a total of 80,000 gift packs containing personal care products direct to fans at various FIFA events over the coming years.”

● Gymnastics ● The Pan American Trampoline & Tumbling Championships were held in Monterrey (MEX) last weekend, with Colombia and Brazil winning in the Olympic Trampoline events.

Angel Hernandez (COL) took the men’s title at 59.120, just ahead of Jeremy Chartier of Canada (58.460) and Ryan de Castro (BRA: 58.010). Americans Aliaksei Shostak and Isaac Rowley were 4-5, scoring 57.340 and 57.150.

Camilla Gomes of Brazil won the women’s division, scoring 55.120 to edge American Jessica Stevens (54.990) and Canada’s Sophiane Methot (54.300). Lima Pan Am Games silver medalist Nicole Ahsinger of the U.S. finished fourth at 53.140.

Ahsinger and Cheyenne Webster teamed up to win the women’s Synchro gold at 48.670, beating Brazil’s Alice and Camilla Gomes (47.340).

● Shooting ● It isn’t only American athletes struggling to get funding for competitions. ABC Australia reported Friday:

“With just over 12 months until the 2024 Paris Olympics, Australia’s elite clay target shooting athletes are in the midst of a funding crisis.

“Seven of the nation’s best contenders for an Olympic medal have been told by the sport’s peak body, Shooting Australia, to raise $6,000 each to attend a major international competition next week in Almaty, Kazakhstan.” (A$6,000 ~ $4,013 U.S.)

Athletes are doing individual fund-raising, starting GoFundMe pages and taking second jobs. Asked about the situation:

“Shooting Australia chief executive Adam Sachs said in a statement to the ABC that the peak body’s ‘resources do not extend far enough to cover all costs for all athletes, and so athletes will always be required to invest in themselves.’”

Its solution was to ask for more government support.

● Swimming ● Beyond the Speedo Atlanta Classic in the U.S. last weekend, there was some hot swimming in Australia at the Sydney Open, with multiple marks way up near the top of the world list for 2023.

In the men’s races, Rio Olympic 100 m Free champ Kyle Chalmers stormed to a 47.69 win to move to no. 3 in 2023. Tokyo Olympic 200 m Breast gold medalist Zac Stubblety-Cook won his specialty in 2:07.62, also no. 3 this season.

Tokyo relay gold winner Meg Harris took the women’s 50 m Free in 24.29, again no. 3 on the season, and triple Olympic backstroke gold medalist Kaylee McKeown moved to no. 2 in the world for 2023 in both the 200 m Medley (2:07.19) and 400 m Medley (4:31.68).

At the Mare Nostrum series opened in Canet (FRA), Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey (HKG) won the women’s 100 m Free in 52.85, moving to no. 3 on the world list.

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Wilson’s 49.13 tops among 11 weekend world leads; weightlifting says yes to Russia, gymnastics says wait; Berlin 2036?

By
Rich Perelman
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Arkansas' Britton Wilson set two collegiate 400 m records and won the SEC 400 m hurdles again! (Photo: University of Arkansas)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Britton Wilson 49.13 at SEC; five world leads in Nairobi
2. Weightlifting re-admits Russia; gymnastics will wait
3. Paralympics says no re-entry until General Assembly vote
4. Berlin 2036 Olympic bid a real possibility
5. Park City allocating $25,000 for “Olympic work” in 2023-24

A sensational weekend of track & field, with world-leading performances in 11 events, including five at the SEC Championships and five at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi. Arkansas star Britton Wilson won another SEC double in the women’s 400/400H and smashed her own 400 m collegiate record twice during the meet, lowering it to 49.13 in the final! Wow! The International Weightlifting Federation, as expected, followed the lead of the International Olympic Committee and will allow “neutral” Russians and Belarusians to compete, but the gymnastics federation (FIG) was a surprise, opting to wait some more. The International Paralympic Committee was told by its independent appeal panel that it did not provide all of the available information when it suspended the Russian and Belarusian national committees, but the competition ban still stands. The IPC will take up the issue at its General Assembly in September. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser came out in favor of a Berlin 2036 bid, despite it being the centennial of the infamous Nazi Games of 1936. Park City is allocating $25,000 for “Olympic” work as a placeholder in its 2023-24, expecting to see more action on a possible bid visit in advance of a possible award of the 2034 Winter Games.

● World Championships: Boxing (Uzbekistan leads men’s Worlds medal table) = Ice Hockey (U.S. opens with two wins in men’s Worlds) = Judo (Riner wins 11th world title) ●

● Panorama: Artistic Swimming (Spain strong in Somabay World Cup) = Athletics (Korir and Saina win U.S. 25 km) = Canoe-Kayak (Carrington wins two in Szeged Sprint World Cup) = Cycling (3: Evenepoel back in front in Giro d’Italia; Reusser’s final-stage win takes Itzulia women’s; Pidcock and Pieterse win in Mountain Bike World Cup) = Fencing (U.S. grabs two team silvers in Sabre World Cups) = Modern Pentathlon (vet Prades and new star Bryson take World Cup wins in Sofia) = Rugby Sevens (New Zealand sweeps Toulouse and season titles) = Shooting (China wins big in ISSF Pistol-Rifle World Cup) = Swimming (Dressel returns, Ledecky and Douglass star in Atlanta) = Triathlon (Wilde and Coldwell win in Yokohama) ●

1.
Britton Wilson 49.13 at SEC; five world leads in Nairobi

It was a hot weekend of running, jumping and throwing starting with an excellent Continental Tour Gold meet in Nairobi (KEN), but then shifting to the conference championship meets in the U.S., including a staggering performance by Arkansas junior Britton Wilson.

She made a name for herself in 2022 by winning the NCAA Championships, finishing second at the U.S. Nationals and then grabbing a fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Eugene. Along the way, she scored a 50.05/53.75 double at the SEC Championships, leading many to ask how fast she could be in the 400 m flat?

Well, she told us. At the 2023 SEC meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she smoked the field in the 400 m prelims, winning in a world-leading 49.40, that is also a collegiate record, crushing her own mark of 49.51 from mid-April. She then won the 400 m hurdles prelims at 53.76, a mark which no one else has approached this season.

On Saturday, Wilson rewrote the record book again, winning the 400 m in another collegiate record of 49.13, moving her to no. 17 all-time and no. 4 all-time U.S. Only Sanya Richards-Ross (48.70 ‘06), Valerie Brisco-Hooks (48.83 ‘84) and Chandra Cheeseborough (49.05 ‘84) have ever run faster in U.S. history.

Of course, she also won the 400 m hurdles a little later in the meet for her second straight double-double, in 53.28, the no. 2 performance of the year in that event (she has the top three).

Will she go for a 400/400H double at the NCAA meet? That would be epic as the semifinals are only 30 minutes apart and the finals are 25 minutes apart, not to mention the 4×400 m relays. But nothing seems beyond Wilson at this point.

Elsewhere at the SEC meet, there were world-leading performances in four men’s events:

● Men/4×100 m: 37.90, LSU (mixed nationalities)
● Men/4×400 m: 2:57.76, Florida (mixed nationalities)
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.87 m (58-7 1/2), Jaydon Hibbert (JAM/Arkansas)
● Men/Decathlon: 8,589, Kyle Garland (USA/Georgia)

The relays and triple jump are collegiate records. LSU and Florida (37.93) both broke Florida’s 37.97 mark from 2019, with the LSU quartet of Brandon Hicklin, Dorian Camel, Da’Marcus Fleming and Godson Oghenebrume (NGR) getting to the line first.

In the 4×400 m, three teams were under three minutes, with Florida winning behind Jevaughn Powell (JAM), Emmanuel Bamidele (NGR), Jacory Patterson and Ryan Willie in a record 2:57.76, followed by Alabama’s Chris Robinson, Khaleb McRae, Tarsis Orogot (UGA) and Corde Long (2:58.01) and Georgia, at 2:59.63 with Elija Godwin, Matthew Boling, Chris Morales Williams (CAN) and Will Sumner. Only six nations have ever run faster than Florida did.

Garland’s 8,589 in the decathlon would also have been a collegiate record, if not for his 8,720 last year!

Not a record, but really fast was the women’s 100 m hurdles, with LSU’s Alia Armstrong winning in 12.40 (+0.4) ahead of Ackera Nugent (JAM/Arkansas: 12.43) and Kentucky’s Masai Russell (12.47). Armstrong won her heat in a blistering 12.31, but with over-the-allowable wind of 2.2 m/s.

At the Big XII Championships in Norman, Oklahoma, the newest women’s long jump prodigy from the University of Texas – Ackelia Smith from Jamaica – claimed the world lead at 7.08 m (23-2 3/4).

Texas teammate Julien Alfred (LCA) won the women’s 100 m in a wind-legal 10.84, now no. 3 in the world for 2023. She had earlier anchored the Longhorns to a 41.89 win in the 4×100 m, smashing their own collegiate record of 42.00 from the Texas Relays in April.

In Nairobi, five events saw world-leading performances at the Kip Keino Classic:

● Men/100 m: 9.84, Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN)
● Men/800 m: 1:43.32, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
● Men/1,500 m: 3:32.01, Raynold Kipkorir (KEN)
● Men/Hammer: 79.78 m (261-9), Wojciech Nowicki (POL)

● Women/High Jump: 2.00 m (6-6 3/4), Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)

The crowd was wild for seven Kenyan winners, especially for Omanyala, who won by daylight over Tokyo Olympic 200 m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek (9.98; wind -0.5). Wanyonyi won the 800 m over a lifetime best in 1:32.32, beating Commonwealth Games champ Wycliffe Kinyamal (1:43.66) and 1,500 m ace Timothy Cheruiyot (1:44.99).

Kipkorir, 18, won the men’s 1,500 in a lifetime best and world lead of 3:32.01, ahead of Abel Kipsang (3:32.70); Amos Kirui won the Steeple in 8:18.45; Mary Moraa won the women’s 800 m in 1:58.83; Beatrice Chebet took the 5,000 m in 15:15.82 and world-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech won the women’s Steeple in 9:13.51.

U.S. women were also impressive, with a wind-aided 10.86 win for TeeTee Terry in the 100 m (+2.5), and Sha’Carri Richardson in the 200 m in 22.07 (+1.7) – her second-fastest ever – beating Kyra Jefferson (22.77). Worlds bronze medalist Janee Kassanavoid won the women’s hammer at 74.25 m (243-7), ahead of fellow American Janeah Stewart (71.43 m/234-4) with Poland’s three-time Olympic champ Anita Wlodarczyk third at 70.27 m (230-6).

In the men’s sprints, Canada’s Aaron Brown won the 200 m in 20.12 ahead of American Kyree King (20.18), and Muzala Samukonga took the 400 m in 44.25, beating American Vernon Norwood (44.68).

2.
Weightlifting re-admits Russia; gymnastics will wait

The International Weightlifting Federation is desperately trying to get back onto the Olympic program for 2028, and so when the International Olympic Committee gives direction, it follows.

On Friday, the IWF announced:

“Following an online meeting of its Executive Board (EB) today, the IWF decided to endorse and apply the IOC’s ‘Recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions.’”

And at the end, added:

“From the beginning of this profound crisis, which deeply affects the conduct of international sport, the IWF has been mindful to observe the recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee.”

Truer words were never spoken.

However, Russian reaction was negative. Said Russian Weightlifting Federation chief Maxim Agapitov:

“This belated statement puts us in the position of journalists who have received an entry visa when the plane has already left for the competition.

“It seems that the IWF has become an instrument of hybrid war against Russia, allowing itself to be used in the Russophobic policy of the West. The IWF’s demonstration of the solidarity imposed by the IOC with one country against another does not correspond to either sports or Olympic principles. The decision on the possible admission of Russians and Belarusians in a neutral status is not a strong-willed decision of the International Weightlifting Federation, it only once again emphasizes its dependence on the ‘recommendations’ of the IOC.

“I call for a unified approach and the creation of equal conditions for athletes from all countries. And now we have witnessed a trend that has been established over the past year, when international federations only pretend to defend equality in sports, but in fact create new obstacles to the realization of the legitimate rights of our athletes in place of the previous barriers.”

One of the reason that Agapitov might have been so irritated was the approach taking by the Federation Internationale d’Escrime (FIE), which voted to allow Russian and Belarusian re-admission as “neutrals,” but then disqualified 13 of 24 fencers submitted by the Russian Fencing Federation, based on the IOC’s re-entry guidelines, especially those athletes who are part of, or supported by, clubs affiliated with the military or national security services.

Meanwhile, there was a surprise from the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), whose President, Morinari Watanabe (JPN) has consistently made references to re-inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Its Saturday announcement included:

“After a new assessment of the situation involving the Russian and Belarusian athletes/officials, the FIG Executive Committee considers that the measures already adopted on 1-2 March 2023 and based on Article 13.3 of the FIG Statutes remain fully in force, without any further changes. The FIG will continuously monitor the overall situation and may reassess those measures depending on the evolution of the circumstances.”

So, Russia and Belarus remain out, at least for now. FIG has time; it’s 2023 Worlds begin on 30 September in Antwerp (BEL).

3.
Paralympics says no re-entry until General Assembly vote

The International Paralympic Committee got a shock on Friday, when its Appeals Tribunal overturned its ban on Russian and Belarusian participation in events it controls. Per its announcement on Friday:

“The IPC Independent Appeals Tribunal did not decide on the merits of the two NPC suspensions, but instead determined that the General Assembly should have considered the same supporting evidence that the IPC put before the Appeals Tribunal, including new information that became available to the IPC after the General Assembly’s decision in November 2022.

“Although this issue was not raised by either party, the Appeals Tribunal did not wish to substitute itself for the IPC Membership which had voted to suspend the NPCs, and it therefore set aside the decision. As such, the full information and evidence available to the Appeals Tribunal will be put before the IPC’s General Assembly in September, for its consideration. …

“The Appeals Tribunal also confirmed that the IPC’s decision not to accept athlete entries from NPC Russia and NPC Belarus in the world and regional championships and sanctioned-level competitions of the six World Para Sports governed by the IPC, remains in force.”

IPC President Andrew Parsons (BRA) said:

“Following the events that we saw unfold just before the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, our members made it clear that the membership status of NPCs Russia and Belarus needed to be considered by the General Assembly.

“We believe that our actions taken to call the [November ] 2022 Extraordinary General Assembly in Berlin and allow every member the chance to present their views on these important matters, fulfilled our obligations under our rules. Our Independent Appeals Tribunal decided differently, which is a decision we certainly respect, but disagree with.

“As we already had committed to do, we will bring these matters back to our General Assembly later this year, follow the Appeal Tribunal’s directions by presenting the additional evidence we have since acquired, and give our members the opportunity to decide these important matters.”

The 2023 General Assembly is scheduled for 27-29 September in Manama, Bahrain, with more than 300 attendees from the IPC’s 209 members expected to attend.

4.
Berlin 2036 Olympic bid a real possibility

It has long been thought that a German bid for the 2036 Olympic Games would be a bad idea, coming on the centennial of the Berlin 1936 Games, one of its truly infamous editions due to its use by the Nazi Party as a propaganda exercise for its racist regime.

Those thoughts are changing, quickly, especially since the International Olympic Committee no longer uses an up-or-down vote of its members to select a host. The discussion-oriented approach now in place allows bids to be made inexpensively and without the humiliation of a public defeat.

So, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who was critical of FIFA’s choice of Qatar as the site of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in view of its human right situation, but ultimately agreed that the pressure of the event to cause changes in conditions for migrant workers had some merit, now thinks Berlin 2036 might be right.

In an interview with the German news site, The Pioneer, she said should could “imagine” a bid for the 2036 Olympic Games:

“I generally think it would be a right step to apply for the Olympic Games again. I am very much in favor of it.”

As for a Games on the centennial of the 1936 Games, she noted that there will be a retrospective on the Nazi Games anyway, so why not do it “at the place where this happened, where exclusion, where this terrible disregard for humanity took place.

“They were terrible Games in 1936. The Nazis organized the games there and wanted to present themselves.

“If we demand these criteria, then I think we must set a good example and allow such a major sporting event to take place in Germany again.”

The German National Olympic Committee (DOSB) is studying the issue and expects to make a recommendation by the end of the year. Berlin tried for the 2000 Olympic Games, but existed in the second round as Sydney was ultimately chosen over Beijing.

5.
Park City allocating $25,000 for “Olympic work” in 2023-24

It’s not a large amount, to be sure. But it’s a nod toward more action on the Salt Lake City bid for the 2034 (or 2030) Olympic Winter Games.

The Park Record reported that a placeholder amount of $25,000 for the Park City budget for 2023-24 is being sought by the city’s events staff for “Olympic Project Management,” described as a just-in-case item. However, if Salt Lake City’s bid advances to the point where an International Olympic Committee inspection team visits Utah, there will be some work involved in accommodating their inspection requirements.

The Park City area is an important one for the Salt Lake City bid, as it hosted bobsled, luge and skeleton and ski jumping and Nordic Combined at the Utah Olympic Park, which continues today as a busy training and competition site. The alpine Giant Slalom and snowboard competitions were held at the Park City Mountain Resort, with the alpine Slalom and Freestyle skiing at Deer Valley Resort.

The 2030 Olympic Winter Games host is expected to be selected next year, and there is a possibility that the 2034 Winter Games could be awarded at the same time.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Boxing ● In the absence of the U.S. and many top European boxing powers, the 2023 IBA men’s World Championships in Tashkent (UZB) turned into a coronation for eastern Europe, with Uzbekistan (5), Kazakhstan (4) and Russia (2) winning 11 of the 13 weight classes.

Four men won the second or third world titles:

● Lightweight: Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) won in 2017 and 2021
● Middleweight: Yoenlis Hernandez (CUB) won in 2021
● Heavyweight: Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) won in 2019
● Super Heavy: Bakhodir Jalalov (UZB) win in 2019

Three more went from Worlds silvers to gold:

● Flyweight: Hasanboy Dusmatov (UZB) won a 2017 silver at Light Fly
● Bantam: Makhmud Sabyrkhan (KAZ) won the 2021 silver
● Feather: Abdumalik Khalokov (UZB) won the 2021 silver

Those were the stars who moved up in 2023; Uzbekistan also got wins from Ruslan Abdullaev at Light Welterweight and Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev at Welterweight for its five golds. They also two silvers and two bronzes for nine total medals, to lead the field.

Kazakhstan’s other wins came from Sanzhar Tashkenbay at Minimumweight, Aslanbek Shymberhenov at Light Middleweight and Nurbek Oralbay at Light Heavyweight.

Russia got a second win at Cruiserweight, from Sharabutdin Ataev; it also won four bronzes for a total of six, equal with Cuba (1-3-2) for second-most behind the hosts.

Prizes were $200,000 to the winners, $100,000 to the runner-ups and $50,000 to each of the bronze-medal winners for a total of $5.2 million. During the event, the IBA announced first-time awards to the 52 quarter-finalists who ended up losing in the bronze-medal matches, or $3,000 each ($156,000), upping the total purse to $5.356 million.

● Ice Hockey ● The 86th IIHF men’s World Championships is underway in Tampere (FIN) and Riga (LAT), with pool play continuing through the 23rd. The U.S. is off to a fast start, defeating defending champion Finland, 4-1, in the opener and then stomping Hungary, 7-1.

Switzerland and Canada have both won their first two games and lead Group B. The top four teams in each group advance to the playoffs, beginning on 25 May and concluding with the medal matches on 28 May.

● Judo ● The 2023 IJF World Championships in Qatar began with controversy with Russian and Belarusian participation as “neutrals,” but will end up being remembered for another superb performance from French superstar Teddy Riner.

Already a 10-time World Champion, the 34-year-old Riner won an unexpected silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games and would like to go out on top in front of home fans in 2024. He’ll be the favorite after an exhausting performance in Doha.

He won his third and fourth-round matches in overtime, but then scored an imposing ippon against no. 1-ranked Temur Rakhimov (TJK) in the semis, moving on to face Russian (that is, “neutral”) Inai Tasoev, the 2021 European Champion. This was another tense match and went scoreless into overtime, when Tasoev rolled Riner across his back, but no score was given. Riner followed with his own throw – an uzi-waza – that placed Tasoev on his back for a half-point (waza-ari) that won the match and gave Riner an 11th World title.

Spectacular, and the reception he will receive in Paris in 2024 will be deafening.

Elsewhere, Japan continues its decades-long reign as the world’s leading judo power with a total of 12 medals, winning six golds (no one else had more than two).

Japan its fourth win in the women’s division from Akira Sone, who won her second Worlds gold (also in 2019) at +78 kg, defeating 2022 bronze medalist Julia Tolofua (FRA) in the final.

The French also took silver in the men’s 78 kg class, with 2011 World Champion Audrey Tcheumeo winning her fourth individual Worlds medal, but losing in the final to first-time individual medal winner Inbar Lanir of Israel.

Russia’s “neutral” Arman Adamian, the 2019 European Games winner, took the men’s 100 kg class, beating two-time Olympic champ Lukas Krpalek (CZE) in the final.

The team event, of course, went to Japan, which defeated France (without Riner).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Artistic Swimming ● The third stop on the Artistic Swimming World Cup tour was in Soma Bay (EGY), and continues through Monday with the women’s Duet Free and Mixed Duet Free.

In the Women’s Solo Technical, it was Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT) winning a tight battle from Spain’s Iris Tio Casas, 263.8959 to 262.9333, and Alexandri then took second in the Women’s Solo Free, 338.2750 to 299.8084 for China’s Shiyi Dai.

Tio Casas got a second win in the women’s Duet Technical, teaming with Alisa Ozhogina to score 261.8625, ahead of Anastasia Bayandina and Eve Planeix (FRA: 250.2334).

China’s Shuncheng Wang swept the men’s events, winning the Solo Technical at 232.5792 and the men Solo Free at 291.9209.

In the Mixed Duet Technical, Fernando Diaz and Emma Garcia (ESP) won at 244.8500, with the Free section coming Monday. Mexico got its first-ever World Cup gold in the Mixed Team Technical, scoring 270.1584 to edge Italy (268.8417). The Italians came back to win the Mixed Team Free at 310.9160.

● Athletics ● Leonard Korir defended his national championship in the USATF 25 km race in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday, striding away from Brian Shrader and Jacob Thomson in the final 1,500 m to win in 1:14:45. Thomson got second, ahead of Shrader, 1:14:49 to 1:14:53.

The women’s race was a first-time national title for Betsy Saina, who changed allegiance from Kenya in 2021. She ran together with former U.S. marathon record holder Keira D’Amato, the 2022 runner-up in this race, breaking away from the field after the 15 km mark. Saina then surged after 22 km and won in 1:24:32, to 1:24:39 for D’Amato. Jessa Hanson was a clear third in 1:25:33.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The ICF Sprint World Cup season got into full swing in Szeged (HUN), with New Zealand star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Carrington winning twice and taking a third medal.

The Tokyo Olympic winner in the K-1 500 m, Carrington led a New Zealand 1-2 with Aimee Fisher in 1:54.250 to 1:54.627, with former World 200 m Champion Emma Jorgensen (DEN) third in 1:55.917. Carrington also took the K-2 500 m race with Alicia Hoskin, 1:42.849 to 1:43.889 for Poland’s Martyna Klatt and Helena Wisniewska. And Carrington won a bronze on the women’s K-4 500 m, with China winning the gold.

Canadian star Katie Vincent was also busy. The six-time World Champion collected wins in the women’s C-1 500 m and the C-1 5,000 m and a bronze in the C-2 500 m race with Sloan MacKenzie.

Romania’s Catalin Chrilia, the 2022 Worlds winner in the men’s C-1 1000 m, won both the C-1 500 m and C-1 1,000 m, in 1:50.725 and 3:55.103, respectively.

Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta, a four-time World Champion, won the men’s K-1 500 m in 1:41.351, a silver in the K-1 1,000 m (3:34.677 behind Varga) and then a third in the Mixed K-2 500 m (1:37.794), behind World Champions Alyssa Bull and Jackson Collins (AUS: 1:36.110).

Hungary won four golds in the men’s races: Balazs Adolf in the C-1 5000 m (23:44.598), David Korisanszky and Adam Fekete in the C-2 500 m (1:40.969), Adam Varga in the K-1 1,000 m (3:33.104) and Bence Nadas and Sandor Totka in the K-2 500 m (1:30.456).

● Cycling ● Sunday’s second Individual Time Trial at the 106th Giro d’Italia was a throwback … to the first stage!

Belgian star Remco Evenepoel took the stage, just as he had in the opening stage, winning on the flat, 35 km course in 41:24, just one second ahead of Britain’s Geraint Thomas and two seconds up on Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR), fourth in the first stage.

This jumbled the overall race standings, with Evenepoel back in the lead after nine of 21 races, in 34:33:42, 45 seconds ahead of Thomas, 47 up on Primoz Roglic (SLO) and 50 seconds in advance of Geoghegan Hart. Prior leader Andreas Leknessund (NOR) dropped to equal-fifth, down 1:09.

Leknessund had led for five stages, including Friday’s breakaway that finally stuck. Usually the big early attacks turn into nothing, as the peloton catches up – sometimes late – and flies by. This time, Italians Davide Bais and Simone Petilli, Henok Mulubrhan (ERI) and Czech Karel Vacek took off just five km into the 218 km ride that ended with a major climb to the Gran Sasso at Campo Imperatore.

Mulubrhan dropped back in mid-race, but the other three were up by more than six minutes heading up the Gran Sasso. Bais won with a final sprint in 6:08:40, with Vacek eight seconds back and Petilli 16 seconds back in third. It was Bais’s first-ever World Tour win.

On Saturday, the hilly finish to the 207 km route to Fossombrone did not deter Ireland’s Ben Healy, who jumped the field with 50 km to go and rode away to a huge win – by 1:49 – in 4:44:24. Derek Gee (CAN), Filippo Zana (ITA) and Warren Barguil (FRA) finished 2-3-4.

Monday is a rest day, followed by three straight hilly stages and then a climber on Friday (19th) up to the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland, with a final, uphill climb of 13.1 km!

It looked like another win for Dutch star Demi Vollering in the three-stage Itzulia Women’s race in Spain, after she won the first stage over fellow Team SD Worx rider Marlin Reusser (SUI) by 47 seconds and the second stage in a sprint finish with Reusser third. But on Sunday, Reusser struck on the hilly, 114.8 km route into Donostia with 13 km left and no one had an answer.

Reusser won by 2:38 over Vollering and four others and took the overall title in 9:57:24, with Vollering second (+1:50) and Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma third (+2:59). It’s Reusser’s first career win in a multi-stage race.

The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup began in Nove Mesto (CZE) with a tight win for Britain’s Thomas Pidcock over Sam Gaze (AUS) by 20:17 to 20:18 in the Cross Country Short race and then Austria’s Laura Stigger beating Swiss Alessandra Keller and Sina Frei, 19:02 to 19:03.

Then came the real test, the Cross Country Olympic final and Pidcock was great again, but fell on the fifth lap while leading. He quickly regained his poise and went on to a 1:22:46 to 1:22:51 victory over Joshua Dubau (FRA: 1:22:51) and Swiss immortal Nino Schurter (1:23:09).

The women’s race saw the continuing emergence of a new star, the 21-year-old Dutch redhead Puck Pieterse. The U-23 World Champion last year in Cyclo-Cross, she was brilliant in a fifth-place finish in the Strade Bianche road race in early March and battled over the final five laps with France’s four-time (and reigning) World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot. Trailing by seven seconds going into the final lap, Pieterse poured on the gas and scored a 12:25 lap that was 12 seconds better than Ferrand-Prevot, meaning a win by five seconds in 1:23:01. France’s Loana Lecompte was third (1:23:12); Halley Batten was the top American, in 11th (1:24:50).

● Fencing ● FIE World Cups in men’s and women’s Sabre were on this week in Madrid (ESP) and Batumi (GEO), with Georgia’s Sandro Bazadze winning the men’s final at the Villa de Madrid over Riccardo Nuccio (ITA), 15-6. It’s the second World Cup win of this season (third career) for Bazadze, the world’s no. 1-ranked men’s Sabre fighter. Nuccio, 36, won his second career World Cup medal and first in 10 years!

Hungary won the team title, 45-42, over the U.S. quartet of Eli Dershwitz, Andrew Doddo, Colin Heathcock and Mitchell Saron.

In Batumi, it was an all-French final as Sara Balzer won the women’s title over Caroline Queroli, 15-10. Balzer, ranked fourth worldwide, won her second World Cup of the year and now has five career World Cup medals (2-1-2). Queroli won her first World Cup silver; at 24, she now has a complete set of medals (1-1-1).

The women’s team saw another U.S. silver, with Ukraine winning the title, 45-42, against Maia Chamberlain, Tatiana Nazlymov, Magda Skarbonkiewicz and Elizabeth Tartakovsky.

● Modern Pentathlon ● France’s Valentin Prades had his best season in 2018, when he earned the Worlds silver and European gold. At age 30, perhaps a move back to the top in advance of Paris 2024?

That’s his plan after winning the fourth UIPM World Cup of the season, in Sofia (BUL), in a tight battle with Japan’s Taoshu Sato, Britain’s reigning Olympic champ Joe Choong and Hungary’s Balazs Szep.

Korea’s Jihun Lee started the Laser Run with a 13-second lead, but the first six starters all went within 30 seconds. Prades started 14 seconds behind and was up to second after the first shooting stage, then took the lead on the final shooting set. But even with Sato and German Marvin Dogue taking over, Prades sprinted back into the lead and crossed with the eighth-fastest run (10:38.30), good enough with Sato ninth (10:42.40) and Dogue seventh (10:37.10). Prades scored his first World Cup win in two years with 1,495 points to 1,492 for Sato and 1,485 for Dogue. Choong was fourth at 1,483 and Szep fifth, also at 1,483.

Lithuania’s Ieva Serapinaite, the 2021 European Champion, had control of the women’s division going into the Laser Run. But she was quickly caught by British newcomer Kerenza Bryson, 24, who got into contention with a fifth-place riding finish. The two were close through two more rounds of shooting, but Bryson took control on the fourth shoot and was now ahead of Korea’s Seung-min Seong, the Asian Championships bronze winner. Bryson sprinted to the line for her first World Cup win, with the third-fastest time on the course (11:33.50) with Seong moving up with the no. 2 time (11:26.90) and Serapinaite settling for third at 12:03.30 (10th).

Bryson’s final total was 1,400 over Seong’s 1,393 and Serapinaite at 1,384.

In the Mixed Relay, Bryson teamed with Charles Brown and the British paid scored a 1,346-1,339 win over Mexico’s Emiliano Hernandez and Mayran Oliver. The American pair of Tyler Evans and Phaelen French finished seventh (1,291), moving up with the second-fastest Laser Run in the field.

● Rugby Sevens ● New Zealand celebrated two World Cup wins in the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series for men and women and the seasonal titles as well, at Toulouse (FRA).

The men’s tournament saw all four pools with undefeated winners: Argentina, Australia, France and the Kiwis all 3-0. The All-Blacks had no trouble with Ireland in their quarterfinal, 35-0, and then edged France, 19-14, in their semi. Argentina got to the semifinals and then stomped Canada, 33-5, to meet New Zealand in the final, a tight, 24-19 final for the champions. France defeated Canada, 28-12, for the bronze medal.

With the win, the New Zealand men now have five tournament victories in their last six events and with one more to go, have 186 points to clinch the season’s title. Argentina is second at 159, with France at 139 and Fiji at 138. The U.S. men are ninth with 95.

It’s the 13th season title for New Zealand in 23 years of the Series, but its first since 2020.

In the women’s tournament, New Zealand and Fiji got through pool play undefeated, but the American defeated Fiji, 22-17, in the quarters and then got by Australia in a defensive, 10-7, semifinal. The New Zealanders, meanwhile, ran past Japan, 29-7, and France, 31-7. In the final, the U.S. was game, but lost, 19-14, a lot closer than the 31-12 pool-play loss. Australia won the bronze, 33-7, over France.

The women’s season is now concluded, with New Zealand standing clear at 138 points and six tournament wins in seven events. Australia was second at 118 and the U.S. women were third at 108 (with six medals in seven tournaments).

That’s seven Series titles in 10 seasons for the Black Ferns, who last won in 2020. It’s the first time for the U.S. women in the top three since 2019.

● Shooting ● China was the big winner at the ISSF Pistol and Rifle World Cup in Baku (AZE) that concluded on Sunday, winning four goals and seven medals overall to lead both categories.

China’s Yuehong Li, the Tokyo bronze medalist, took the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol title from French 2022 Worlds silver winner Clement Bessaguet, 33-32, with German Peter Florian third (27). Sixuan Feng, 20, the 2022 World Junior Champion, won the women’s 25 m Pistol gold, 38-33, over Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan, with Germany’s 2022 Worlds bronze winner, Doreen Vennekamp, third (30).

Jiayu Han, 21, won a tight battle in the women’s 10 m Air Rifle, out-lasting India’s Nancy Nancy, 254-0 to 253.3, for her first career World Cup medal. And China went 1-2 in the 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team final, with Yuting Huang and Lihao Sheng defeating Zhilin Wang and Haoran Yang, 16-14.

No other country won more than one event. Iran’s Sajad Poorhosseini took the men’s 10 m Air Pistol final, 240.2-239.8 against Ukraine’s four-time Olympian, Oleh Omelchuk, and Zalan Pekler (HUN: 23) won the 10 m Air Rifle title, 252.4 to 251.9, against Hriday Hazarika (IND), 21. Emerging Czech star Jiri Privratsky, 22, won the 50 m Rifle/3 Positions gold, 466.1 to 465.5 against Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, the 2022 World Champion.

Greek star (and 2018 World Champion) Anna Korakaki won the women’s 10 m Air Pistol, 241.3 to 240.6 over Ukraine’s Olena Kostevych, the Athens 2004 gold medalist, now 38. Britain’s Seonaid McIntosh, the 2018 50 m Rifle/Prone Worlds gold winner, took the women’s 50 m rifle/3 Positions title by 467.0-463.6 over Jeanette Duestad (NOR), the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist.

India won the 10 m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, 16-14, over Serbia.

● Swimming ● All eyes were on the return of Tokyo superstar Caleb Dressel to the Speedo Atlanta Classic, after 11 months away from competition. The scorecard:

● 100 m Fly: 2nd in 52.41
● 50 m Free: 3rd in 22.57
● 200 m Fly: 12th in prelims in 2:05.18 (no final)
● 100 m Free: 5th in prelims in 50.29 (no final)

He also skipped the 200 m Free and 200 m Medley, although entered before the meet. It’s considered a solid start for Dressel, 26, who left the 2022 World Championships, with an undisclosed medical issue, believed to be fatigue.

There was lots more swimming, including a hot 3:58.84 in the 400 m Free for distance icon Katie Ledecky, the no. 16 performance all-time, no. 2 for 2023 and the earliest Ledecky has gone this fast. She won by 14.99 seconds.

She also logged a 1:55.63 win in the 200 m Free.

Kate Douglass, 21, the Olympic 200 m Medley and Worlds 200 m Breast bronze winner, was really busy, winning the 50 m Free in 24.40, a lifetime best (equal-3rd on the 2023 world list), the 100-200 m Breast events in 1:07.07 and 2:22.75 (no. 6 in 2023), the 100 m Fly in 57.19 (no. 3) and the 200 m Medley in 2:12.04!

Canada’s 16-year-old star Summer McIntosh, breaker of the 400 m Free and 400 m Medley world records in March, won the 100-200 m Back events in 1:00.06 and 2:07.34 (no. 6 in 2023). She also finished behind Douglass in the 200 m Breast and 100 m Fly.

Fellow Canadian Josh Liendo was busy, winning the 100 m Free in 49.19 and the 100 m Fly in 51.79 and second behind Macguire McDuff of the U.S. in the 50 m Free in 22.50, a lifetime best.

● Triathlon ● The ITU World Triathlon Series was in Yokohama (JPN), with a stirring first-time win for Britain’s Sophie Coldwell and a return to the podium for Hayden Wilde (NZL).

Coldwell, 28, braved the rain to literally run away with the victory in the final 10 km run segment, with the fourth-fastest time in the field at 33:53, and fastest among the top six finishers in the race. Her overall time of 1:53:32 was 17 seconds clear of a first-time medal winner, Mexico’s Rosa Tapia, who was sensational on the bike and highly competitive on the run. Americans Taylor Knibb (1:54:02) and Taylor Spivey (1:54:14) finished 3-4, with Kirsten Kasper eighth (1:55:03).

Tokyo Olympic bronze winner Wilde has much more of a battle, with 25 in contention between the bike and run transition. Wilde took the lead and despite challenges, held on to win by daylight in 1:42:13 for his first win and first medal of the season, and his third career World Triathlon Series victory.

Australian Matthew Hauser sprinted hard to the tape to claim his second career Series medal in second place, four seconds behind Wilde (1:42:17) with Vasco Vilaca (POR) third, one second behind. The top U.S. finisher was Seth Rider in 16th (1:43:28).

Coldwell and Vilaca now have the Series leads after two of seven events. Next up: Cagliari (ITA) on 27-28 May.

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Russian fencing stars not eligible to return; new call for Olympic alternative; soccer match-fixing scandal in Brazil!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Pozdnyakov says Russians may refuse return under IOC guidelines
2. Russia’s Viner calls for Olympic alternative
3. NBC to show Paris 2024 live in daytime
4. Major football match-fixing probe on in Brazil
5. Two more Tokyo 2020 bribery convictions announced

A meaningful curveball from the International Fencing Federation, rejecting a half-dozen Russian Olympic and World medal winners from re-entering international competition, ostensibly because of their affiliation with the nation’s military. The head of the Russian fencing federation hinted that this could mean no Russians will participate at all and the head of the Russian National Olympic Committee echoed the sentiment. In a conference in St. Petersburg, the high-profile head of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation called for an “Olympic alternative,” starting with countries that are part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Commonwealth of Independent States and the BRICS group (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa). NBC announced that it would show all Paris 2024 competitions live, meaning that swimming, gymnastics and athletics finals would be televised in the morning and afternoon in the U.S., followed by a prime-time highlights show. In Brazil, the government is now moving in on a match-fixing scandal in football, with the Goias state filing charges against seven players and nine gamblers involved in suspicious Serie A, Serie B and state championship games. Two more suspended sentences were handed out in the continuing Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery scandal, this time for ex-members of the ADK Holdings advertising agency. So far, five of the 15 defendants have received sentences, all of which have been suspended.

● World Championships: Judo (Japan and Georgia win again) ●
● Panorama: Paris 2024 (second phase of ticket sales starts) = World Games 2022 (State of Alabama could complete bailout) = Athletics (3: Simeoni’s Moscow gold stolen; Bou’s unrelenting run in the rain in Cambodia; two more 2012 Russian doping positives) = Cycling (Pedersen finally gets Giro d’Italia stage win) = Weightlifting (world records at Asian Championships) ●

● Errata: Some readers saw a version of Thursday’s post which wrongly stated that under Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status, a property owner does not have to get special permission to change or demolish a protected building. If fact, special permission from the Cultural Heritage Commission is required. A correction has been made, with thanks to sharp-eyed reader Shirley Ito of the LA84 Foundation! ●

1.
Pozdnyakov says Russians may not return under IOC guidelines

The Federation Internationale de Escrime voted in March, in a special Congress, to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition on a neutral basis based on the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, which included not allowing athletes affiliated with the military.

On Thursday, the head of the Russian Fencing Federation, Ilgar Mammedov was told what that meant:

“We have received the list of Sabre-fencing athletes who the FIE has cleared to participate in international tournaments, and it contains no names that are familiar to the world of sports.

“One cannot see the names of [Tokyo Olympic champ Sofia] Pozdnyakova, [2016-2020 Olympic Team gold medalist Sofya] Velikaya, [Rio Olympic champ Yana] Egorian, [Tokyo Olympic Team gold medalist Olga] Nikitina, [World Team Champion Kamil] Ibragimov, [2013 World Champion Veniamin] Reshetnikov, nor the names of many other promising fencers.

“The explanatory note to the letter stated that it was based on recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee, while the FIE is abstaining from making any comments of its own on the issue.

“We are now waiting for the list [of eligible athletes] in the Epee and Foil competitions, as well as for the list of medical, coaching and other specialist staff. Afterwards, we will convene for a general session in order to get an understating of what to do next.

“I’m against splitting the Russian national team into the good ones and the bad ones, into favorable and unfavorable athletes. We are all mature adults and we will exchange opinions and come to common terms.

“The opinion I have voiced is purely of my own and, once I have resigned from the post of [FFR] president and head coach of the national team, I would not want to hear any talk behind my back about how I had somehow ruined somebody’s life and blocked someone’s path to the world of major league sports.”

On the FIE Web site, Egorian, Ibragimov, Nikitina and Velikaya are all listed as an “Armed Forces Athlete.”

Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov – father of Sofia Pozdnyakova – and himself a four-time Olympic gold medalist in fencing (Sabre), wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday that Russia might just skip the whole program:

“If speaking about the sport of fencing in particular, I have repeatedly discussed with the national team’s members the proposed format for their return.

“I can say that none of them have ever considered or are considering now the previously proposed option of participating in international tournaments under the current restrictions.

“Our common stance remains steadfast: our fencers will participate only based on an equal footing with athletes representing other countries, without any contrived and illegitimate parameters and other artificial obstacles.”

That would be fine with Ukraine’s fencers, who will not compete in tournaments with Russian or Belarusian entries. And it leads to the question of whether the IOC’s recommendations will be seen as so strict as to cause Russia to boycott the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov chimed in about the FIE’s decisions as well:

“We consider it to be absolutely wrong in view of attempts to force political guidelines upon athletes in order for them to participate in international competitions and we oppose such recommendations.”

Dmitry Svishchev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports added:

“Such moves on behalf of the international federation [FIE] are a blow to the further development of the sport. It is not important who these athletes represent; what is important is that the decision is discriminatory.”

2.
Russia’s Viner calls for Olympic alternative

The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) has maintained its competition ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, restated in March of this year, and with no new position following the IOC’s 28 March recommendations on possible re-entry of “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes.

For Irina Viner, the President of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics, this is unacceptable. She told a legal forum held in St. Petersburg (RUS) on Thursday:

“Tashkent hosts boxing competitions, hundreds of countries participate in them, but the United States is not among them,” she noted, referring to the ongoing International Boxing Association men’s World Championships in Uzbekistan. The head of the IBA is Russian Umar Kremlev.

She then called for a change:

“Let’s make our own games, let’s hold alternative Olympic Games.

“The [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation], BRICS, the [Commonwealth of Independent States] are strong organizations that must agree that they will let and invite leading athletes here.

“So far they are afraid to do it, because the [gymnastics] federation secretly forbids [you] to participate in our competitions, and we in theirs. They say that security must be respected. This is not true: we have always been well received. No competition, no sport. If there are no competitors, the Olympic Games lose their meaning, and everything is coming to this.”

Russia’s Sports Minister, Oleg Matytsin, has said that Russia would offer to host a “BRICS Games” in 20204 in Russia if the other countries – led by China – were amenable.

Russian Olympic Committee chief Pozdnyakov told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The Russian Olympic family is about to make a difficult choice, which is being pushed by colleagues from Lausanne.

“Olympic solidarity is one of the main principles of Olympism. I am sure that all members of our sports community are fully committed to this principle, but those who interpret it too arbitrarily are highly likely to bear moral responsibility to their comrades, the country and history.”

3.
NBC to show Paris 2024 live in daytime

“Every day, NBC will provide Olympic fans with at least nine hours of daytime coverage of the Summer Games’ most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, track & field, and more. With Paris six hours ahead of the United States’ eastern time zone, the daytime takeover will feature that day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. Paris 2024 will have more programming hours on the NBC broadcast network than any previous Olympics.”

Thursday’s first announcement on NBC’s planned coverage is good news for American Olympic fans for next summer’s Paris 2024 Games, with no waiting to see the major events until the evening. A three-hour prime-time show is still planned for NBC at night.

NBC’s Peacock service will also provide a full view of the Paris Games, according to Thursday’s announcement:

“In a Summer Games first, the service will stream every sport and event, including all 329 medal events, and will feature full-event replays; all NBC programming; curated video clips; virtual channels; exclusive original programming; and more.”

NBCUniversal will also have heavy Spanish-language coverage on its Telemundo network, with a special emphasis on soccer, with added coverage on its Universo cable channel.

There will be more programming on USA Network, E!, CNBC and the GOLF Channel, to be announced later.

Paris 2024 will be crucial Games for NBC, the IOC and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, as U.S. ratings have dropped precipitously, to a reported 15.6 million in prime time for the Tokyo Games in 2021, albeit in a difficult time zone for American viewers. Strong ratings in 2024 would set the stage for a blockbuster 2028 Games in Los Angeles, important for both the USOPC and for the LA28 organizers.

4.
Major football match-fixing probe on in Brazil

A major probe into match-fixing in Brazil broke open on Wednesday, with Justice and Public Security Minister Flavio Dino asking the Federal police to investigate a significant corruption problem that has seen at least 16 players from various teams suspended. He wrote on Twitter:

“Faced with evidence of manipulation of results in sports competitions, with interstate and even international repercussions, I am determining today that an Inquiry be instituted at the Federal Police for the legally applicable investigations.”

The Public Ministry of the central Brazilian state of Goias filed a complaint on Tuesday against 16 people for “competition manipulation” concerning 13 matches, of which eight were in the top-level Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, one in Serie B and four in state-level championships.

Of the 16 defendants, seven are players, from seven different teams, and nine are involved on the gambling end. A tupi.fm report noted (computer translation from Portuguese):

“In the document provided by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the body reports 23 criminal acts that occurred during matches, in which players committed to committing fouls to receive cards and to cause penalties. The complaint brings, in more than 100 pages, read-outs of conversations and transcripts of audio recordings between the denounced that would prove the scheme.”

Additional matches are still being reviewed, and individual clubs have suspended another half-dozen players.

The Associated Press added, “Prosecutors said some of the athletes were paid between 50,000 and 100,000 Brazilian reals ($10,000 to $20,000) to get booked or give penalties to their rivals.”

5.
Two more Tokyo 2020 bribery convictions announced

The parade of guilty pleas and suspended sentences in the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery scandal continued, with two ex-ADK Holdings executives receiving suspended sentences. According to Agence France Presse:

“Shigeharu Hisamatsu, a 64-year-old former executive at advertising firm ADK Holdings, received a sentence of 18 months, suspended for three years, a Tokyo District Court spokesman told AFP.

“His former assistant, 61-year-old Toshiaki Tada, was given a sentence of one year, also suspended for three years.”

Both were involved in a bribery scheme with former Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member Haruyuki Takahashi to obtain organizing committee sponsors as clients, with the firm paying ¥14 million (about $104,068 U.S. today) to Takahashi.

ADK Holdings President Shinichi Ueno admitted the bribes, and is being tried separately. A total of 15 men from five companies have been indicted in the bribery probe so far; a separate prosecution is targeting a bid-rigging scheme for the Tokyo 2020 test events and Games-period venue management contracts.

Guilty pleas and sentences have been completed for five men so far, from business suit retailers Aoki Holdings (3) and now the ADK Holdings ad agency (2). Takahashi has not been tried and maintains his innocence: while he received money, he says it was for legitimate consulting work.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● Japan and Georgia won again at the 2023 IJF World Championships in Doha (QAT), with Niizone Saki winning her first individual world title in the women’s 70 kg class.

Saki had been part of Worlds team golds in 2017-21-22, and won an individual bronze in 2022. But this time she reached the final, impressively defeating two-time defending World Champion Barbara Matic in the semis and then Germany’s first-time finalist Giovanna Scoccimarro in the final.

Georgia’s Luka Maisuradze was the 90 kg Worlds bronze winner in 2022 and had earlier won a Worlds bronze at 81 kg in 2019. But this time he found himself in a finals battle against countryman Lasha Bekauri, the reigning Olympic champ! The battle was tight and the match went into overtime, with Maisuradze scoring a waza-ari to claim his first world title. It’s the second 1-2 for the same country in this year’s Worlds, after Japan’s Hifumi Abe and Joshio Maruyama made to the 66 kg final.

Individual competition continues through Saturday and the team event is on Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paris 2024 ● The Paris 2024 organizers have begun the second phase of ticket sales, with about 1.5 million tickets available in this offer.

Unlike the first sale of ticket “packs,” tickets may be individually ordered for all events, including ceremonies. The sales are being conducted with buyers assigned to a specific, 48-hour time period via lottery; some four million accounts were opened.

Tickets range from €24 – about 10% of the total – to more than €1,000, depending on the event and the seat location. About 10% are priced at €200 or more. (€1 = $1.09 U.S. today)

Buyers can purchase up to 30 tickets in all, but not more than 4-6 for any individual event.

● World Games 2022: Birmingham ● The 2022 World Games in Alabama was aesthetically and athletically successful, but left a $14 million debt to be paid. That may be on the way to completion.

Last fall, the organizers asked and received $5 million from the City of Birmingham, $4 million from Jefferson County and $1 million from the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. That left $4 million or so and Governor Kay Ivey’s Alabama state supplemental appropriations list for the fiscal year ending 30 September from the Education Trust Fund includes $5 million for the World Games.

It’s part of a grant to the state’s Department of Commerce, among a series of programs to share $2.79 billion in spending, most of which is for school projects of various types. The budget request has now gone to the legislature, which must approve it.

● Athletics ● The 1980 gold medal for the women’s high jump, won by Italy’s Sara Simeoni, was stolen from her home in Rivoli Veronese, along with many other awards and trophies.

The thieves, who apparently overcame a home security system to break, did not take either of her Olympic silver medals from Montreal 1976 or Los Angeles 1984. Simeoni, now 70, said in a TV report of the stolen mementos, “It means years of training, sacrifices and renunciations, of choices. It is not easy to win a medal at the Olympics. It is the symbol of many wait, it means everything.”

The crime was reported to the police and an investigation is underway.

Monday’s women’s 5,000 m race in the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh (CAM) was held in a torrential downpour and won by Vietnam’s Thi Oanh Nguyen – who also later won the 1,500 m and Steeplechase – in an understandably slow 17:00.33.

Well behind the top nine were Cambodia’s Romdul Run in 10th at 21:27.08 and finally, running all alone, Cambodia’s Samnang Bou, in 22:54.22 (the video of her final 125 m is here). Her perseverance was loudly acknowledged by the small crowd and she responded and even waved her flag in response, while breaking into tears.

Cambodian Prime Minister Sen Hun said afterwards, “To encourage perseverance, I and my wife donate $10,000 to her.”

For context, the average annual household income in Cambodia in 2021 was $1,592. Wow.

Two more Russian doping positives from 2012 were announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit, based on information from the infamous Moscow Laboratory information system and the inquiry by McLaren Global Sport Solutions into the Russian state-sponsored doping regimen from 2011-15:

● “[T]he AIU has banned Bogdan Pishchalnikov (Russia) for 4 years, from 20 March 2023, for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method. DQ results from 15 July 2012 until 20 March 2023.”

● “Russian Aleksey Tovarnov has been banned for 2 years, from 30 June 2022, for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method. DQ results from 4 July 2012 until 5 March 2015. This is a national decision.”

Pishchalnikov, 40, won seven Russian national titles in the discus and finished sixth at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and seventh at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. His best was 67.23 m (220-7) from 2010, which will stand. He also competed in the London 2012 Olympics, with his last marks recorded in 2015.

Tovarnov, now 38, was the World Junior Champion in the javelin in 2004 and had a career best – before the sanction – of 82.54 m (270-9) in 2013, when he competed in the World Championships; he last competed in 2017.

● Cycling ● After a second and a third in the first week of the 106th Giro d’Italia, Danish sprinter Mads Pedersen finally got a win, screaming to the finish of the 162 km route that began and ended in Naples on Thursday.

There were two significant climbs in the first half of the race, and a breakaway group of five piled up a lead of five minutes after the first 50 km. But only Simon Clarke (AUS) and and Alessandro De Marchi (ITA) were strong enough to stay in front, but were shedding time after the 130 km mark.

Still, they held on and were only passed by the peloton with about 200 m to go, with Pedersen across first in 3:44:45, ahead of Jonny Milan (ITA) and Pascal Ackermann (GER). De Marchi ended up 88th and Clarke was 89th.

With the top 89 receiving the same time, there was no change in the leaderboard, with Andreas Leknessund (NOR) maintaining his 28-second edge on Remco Evenepoel (BEL) and 30 seconds on Aurelien Paret-Peintre of France.

Stage 7 will be a tougher test, on a 218 km ride from Capua to the Gran Sasso d’Italia, with an uphill climb to the finish over the final 45 km!

● Weightlifting ● The Asian Weightlifting Championships are coming to a close in Jinju (KOR), with China leading the medal table as expected. Along the way, the record book has been rewritten in two divisions.

In the men’s 89 kg class, China’s reigning World Champion Dayin Li lifted a combined total of 396 kg to add one kg to the 395 kg lifted by Bulgaria’s Karlos Nasar in Yerevan (ARM) on 20 April of this year.

Li set a Snatch world mark of 180 kg, while teammate Tao Tian took the Clean & Jerk mark from Nasar as well, lifting 222 kg to Nasar’s 221. Tian won the overall silver at 387 kg.

In the women’s 71 kg division, Chinese star Guifang Liao, the 2019 World Junior Champion, swept to the Asian title, lifting a world combined-lifts record of 268 kg, bettering the 2018 mark of 267 kg by fellow Chinese Wangli Zhang.

Liao also took the Snatch at 120 kg, another world record, improving the 119 kg by Romania’s Loredana Toma from the 2022 Worlds last December. Liao also won the Clean & Jerk at 148 kg, short of Zhang’s 2018 mark of 152 kg.

The Asian Champs continue through Saturday.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: WADA says Russia still not compliant; L.A. approves monument status for Johnson home and oak; UEFA in space

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. WADA: Russia is still not compliant
2. L.A. City Council grants Johnson home historic status
3. Argentina’s Scaloni on its FIFA World Cup win
4. UEFA and European Space Agency together on security
5. Paris 2024 and Sodexo show off athlete meal plans

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee, meeting in Montreal, confirmed that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency is still not in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, mostly over integration of the Code into the Russian legal system. Remember the Trump Administration threat to not pay its WADA dues if the U.S. didn’t more representation on the Executive Committee? Well, now it has. The L.A. City Council approved monument status for the Cornelius Johnson home and Olympic Oak, but the property is still for sale … and the price has come down. A new City working group to deal with energy and the 2028 Olympic Games was also approved. Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni explained some of the reasons why his team was able to rebound from an opening 2-1 loss at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and win. UEFA, still smarting from the security disaster at the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris, will work with the European Space Agency on security and other programs. The Paris 2024 organizers and food-service giant Sodexeo showed off some recipe samples and detailed the mammoth culinary program undertaken for the 2024 Olympic Games, including a 3,500-person dining hall in the Olympic Village!

● World Championships: Judo (2: Agbegnenou wins sixth;
Russian fans tossed for pro-war ribbons) ●
● Panorama: Laureus Awards (Messi & Fraser-Pryce honored) = Russia (three more old doping positives in canoeing) = Athletics (4: Kerley vs. Jacobs, Bromell twice now; Slinov suspension extended; Reider gets probation from SafeSport; Amos selling London ‘12 silver medal) = Cycling (new leader in Giro d’Italia) = Figure Skating (Hungary blames Russian invasion, gives back 2024 Euros) = Football (U.S. hires Onyewu as sporting V.P) = Swimming (Germany wins open-water relay) ●

1.
WADA: Russia is still not compliant

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee, its primary policy-making body, concluded its first 2023 meeting, in Montreal (CAN), with an important update on the status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.

Still not compliant:

“The ExCo received an update on the current status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), which remains non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. This is related to the 2020 decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to declare RUSADA non-compliant and implement a number of consequences on Russian sport for a period of two years. RUSADA will remain non-compliant until WADA has been able to verify that it fulfills each of the reinstatement conditions laid out by the CAS.”

The December 2020 decision by the Court of Arbitration included a long list of requirements, even while shortening the sanctions imposed by WADA from four years to two years. The specific issue for WADA appears to be the integration of the World Anti-Doping Code into Russian law, as is required.

RUSADA issued a statement to the Russian news agency TASS, which included:

“RUSADA’s operations are carried out in full compliance with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code.

“According to the results of the RUSADA audit, a remark was received that some provisions of the federal law on sports do not comply with the text of the World Anti-Doping Code. RUSADA does not have the right to legislative initiatives, that is, it cannot submit bills or proposals for the adoption, amendment or repeal of the law for consideration. But we immediately turned to the authorized organizations with a request to work on this issue, and we are very grateful to the members of the committee on physical culture and sports for fruitful and efficient cooperation.

“At the moment, the draft law on amending Articles 26 and 26-1 of the Federal Law ‘On Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation’ is under consideration in the first reading in the State Duma.

“The comment on the legislation does not apply to the operating activities of RUSADA; differences in the text of the Code and federal law do not in any way restrict the agency in implementing the provisions of international standards. The activities of RUSADA are governed by the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules, which, in turn, are fully consistent with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code. In addition, on May 9, 2023, amendments to the federal law came into force, giving RUSADA the right to approve the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules.”

The WADA report on the Executive Committee meeting also noted the continuing prosecution of Russian athletes from the doping period:

“[T]he WADA Operation LIMS investigation into the data and samples retrieved by WADA Intelligence and Investigations from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory in 2019 continues to be successful. As of today, 195 athletes have been sanctioned with an additional 77 charged and 188 cases that remain under investigation.”

There was another interesting note in the WADA report, remembering the threat by the Trump Administration in mid-2020 to not pay the agreed-on U.S. dues to the organization if the U.S. did not get more representation on the Executive Committee.

WADA’s reply at the time pointed out that there was no U.S. rep on the ExCo because it did not field any candidates for election for one of the then-available positions.

The WADA report from Monday’s meeting noted, three years later:

“Also attending the ExCo meeting for the first time was the new President of the Americas Sports Council (CADE), Dr. Rahul Gupta, who takes his place on the ExCo as the Americas representative. Dr. Gupta, who is Director of the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy, replaces the former CADE President from Colombia on the ExCo.”

2.
L.A. City Council grants Johnson home historic status

After a lengthy build-up, including hearings in front of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission and the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the final vote by the Los Angeles City Council on Historic-Cultural Monument status for the Cornelius Johnson home and Olympic Oak passed without comment.

As item 11 of the City Council’s agenda for Wednesday (10th), the approval was swept up in a single vote with 17 other items that passed by 11-0, with four members absent.

So, the Johnson home – built in 1903 by Cornelius Johnson’s father – and the Olympic Oak, planed behind the house from a seedling brought back by Johnson as the Berlin 1936 Olympic high jump gold medalist, now have a modest amount of legal protection against being torn down or significantly altered.

While Historic-Cultural Monument status is not a prohibition against change, it does require any owner to obtain permission from the Cultural Heritage Commission to proceed, and the Commission can postpone any changes for a limited amount of time.

As it is now, the property was to have been developed for market-rate apartments or condominiums by owner KLD Investment, LLC when purchased for $927,000 in 2019. Now, it is on the market for $1.049 million, a price reduction from $1.09 million in the last week.

The Olympic Oak fell into distress, but the owner allowed the Huntington Gardens to come in and install an irrigation device to help revive it. There has been chatter about a potential non-profit buyer to take over the home, perhaps as a cultural center or museum, but no one has come forward yet.

The Los Angeles City Council also approved, by 12-0, a report from the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to form a “Games Energy Council” to plan the energy program for the Games, focusing on “emerging realities related to climate change and the potential to disrupt energy systems.”

3.
Argentina’s Scaloni on its FIFA World Cup win

After its stunning, shocking, mind-bending, 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in its opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Argentina turned everyone around, going on to win its third title with a penalty-kicks victory over France in the final in Doha, Qatar. How?

Coach Lionel Scaloni returned to Doha to speak at Post-FIFA World Cup 2022 Coaches Forum, explaining the flexibility of the team and their playing systems were key. Highlights:

● “I can say that losing that match was a positive thing because I think it also gave the team a new perspective. It was all to play for, and perhaps that forced us to change our approach. … The team and the squad as a whole showed that they were ready for anything.”

The Argentines won their next three games by a combined 6-1 and moved on to an epic quarterfinal against the Dutch, losing a 2-0 lead in the final minutes, but then winning on penalty kicks.

● “My players know that we can change [our system] at any moment, and that we are not one-dimensional. In the end, it ends up like a game of chess: trying to hurt the opposition and prevent them from hurting you. The tactical side, the strategy, that is an important ingredient, but having players play for each other: that’s crucial.”

Tactically, he explained Argentina’s success was partly due to preventing counterattacks:

“We believe strongly in recovering the ball within the first three, four or five seconds after losing possession. If we can’t win the ball back, we move into midfield and wait. We never suffered many counter-attacks due to our team’s [defensive] work and keeping the opposition wingers in check. So, for us, when we prepare how to attack, we also prepare for how the opposition will look to counter-attack, and we didn’t suffer many of those.”

● And Scaloni planned specifically for how to get the most from superstar scorer Lionel Messi:

“I think is important, to realize what a player like him needs. In the first few months with the national team we tried to play a bit faster, a bit more direct and noticed he wasn’t comfortable and his teammates weren’t comfortable, so I think one of our merits, of all of us, the squad as a whole, was having found those players who could let him play his football.”

Despite giving up eight goals in its seven games – and three in the final to France prior to penalties – Argentina’s offensive firepower showed with 15 goals, of which Messi scored seven, with a goal in six of their seven matches.

4.
UEFA and European Space Agency together on security

The security disaster at the 2022 UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris, between Liverpool and Real Madrid, that saw more than 200 fans injured and significant violence and robbery by local assailants, sent UEFA looking for more help in the future.

Beyond a detailed report and recommendations for the future, UEFA and the European Space Agency announced Monday a working agreement, which will include:

“In collaboration with UEFA, ESA will run an open call for technologies on crowd management solutions. The goal is to allow tech providers in the ESA network to provide UEFA with more accurate data on the crowd movement around stadiums, and to allow UEFA to access the historical crowd data in specific venues.”

Projects will also include a mapping of football sites across Europe to better target community programs, and sustainability development efforts that can be used in football contexts. The agreement will last through the end of 2025; the UEFA statement noted:

“This agreement is signed as part of the UEFA Innovation Hub’s mission to foster cross-industrial collaborations with a wide range of stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem, as a response to ever-changing habits and an increasingly demanding environment for football.”

After the 2022 Champions League final, UEFA is open to any help it can get. This might turn into something quite interesting.

5.
Paris 2024 and Sodexo show off athlete meal plans

France is justly famous for gastronomy and the Paris 2024 organizers and official supporter, food service giant Sodexo, explained their food service program for athletes in a Tuesday news conference.

The athlete feeding program has to take care of about 15,000 people in the Olympic Village, with an expected 40,000 meals of all sizes served daily. The main dining hall is expected to seat up to 3,500 people at a time, with dishes of many types and many styles to meet the nutritional and cultural needs of athletes and team officials, plus six other smaller locations.

One sample on Tuesday was from famed chef Amandine Chaignot: “What I cooked here is poultry, guinea fowl slowly roasted with a nice crayfish jus, very reduced, very intense, with a ‘poulette’ sauce (white sauce), so it’s a kind of creamy, comfort food.”

Other samples included crushed chickpeas with herbs and a smoked fish sauce, a quinoa risotto and a chocolate mousse with raspberries.

Sodexo expects to have more than 500 menu items available to cater to all tastes and needs, with more than 1,000 workers at the Village and 6,000 staff all together, with Sodexo also handling food service at 14 of the Olympic venues and eight Paralympic competition sites.

There are also sustainability goals, with kitchen equipment, reusable plates and utensils to be reused after the Games. Uneaten food will be donated to food banks and food waste will be composted.

Local foods will be featured, with 80% of the products from France and of that total, a quarter will come from within 150 miles of Paris.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● France’s Clarisse Agbegnenou cemented her place as one of the greatest judoka ever with her sixth individual World Championships gold at 63 kg on Wednesday at the 2023 IJF Worlds in Doha (QAT).

After skipping a year for maternity in 2022, Agbegnenou returned with another triumph, winning with steady precision, but also once in the first 20 seconds in he quarterfinal. She ended up exactly where she was two years ago, against Slovenia’s Andreja Leski, in the final. Agbegnenou waited, found an opening and scored a waza-ari (half-point) with 30 seconds to go and a second for a technical ippon and another Worlds golds.

Now 30, Agbegnenou now ranks equal-fourth all-time with six individual World titles; only the iconic Teddy Riner (FRA: 10 at +100 kg), and fellow female competitors Ryoko Tani (JPN: 7 at 48 kg from 1991-07), Tong Wen (CHN: 7 at +78 kg from 2001-11) have more. Agbenenou is tied with Belgian Ingrid Berghmans (72 kg and +72 kg from 1980-89) with six.

Counting all Worlds medals, including team events, Riner and Agbegnenou are tied for the most ever at 13 (8-3-2; Riber has 11-1-1). Amazing.

It has been a good World Championships for repeaters. On Tuesday, Japanese-born, but now Canadian star Christa Deguchi won her second Worlds gold – also in 2019 – in the women’s 57 kg class over Japan’s Haruka Funakubo, who now has silver medals in this class in 2022 and 2023.

In the men’s 81 kg division, Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili defended his 2022 title by beating Belgium’s 2021 World Champion Matthias Casse for the second Worlds in a row. It’s the third time in a row that the two have met for the Worlds gold, with the Georgian taking the last two.

In Tuesday’s men’s 73 kg final, Swiss Nils Stump won his first career Worlds medal – a gold – by beating 2021 Worlds silver medalist Manuel Lombardo (ITA) in the final. Stump’s win was the first ever by a Swiss at the Judo Worlds.

The individual championships continue through the 13th, with the team event on the 14th.

On Tuesday, three spectators at the IJF Worlds were removed from the venue for refusing to remove a Russian military symbol. Inside The Games reported:

“Three people were spotted in the crowd wearing the Ribbon of St George – which is viewed by many Ukrainians as a symbol of Russian aggression and has been banned in several European countries – when watching yesterday’s competition at the Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena in Qatari capital Doha. …

“‘They were spectators and they were asked to remove the items and they didn’t want to,’ a spokesperson from the IJF told insidethegames.

“‘So they were removed from the venue and will not be allowed to re-enter.’”

The International Judo Federation has allowed Russian and Belarusian judoka to compete as neutrals in Doha. Russian Judo Federation President Sergey Soloveitchik told the Russian news agency TASS:

“We learned about this incident only from the media, and, in my opinion, there is a provocative component in it. We cannot comment on the decision of the organizers, especially since we have not seen with our own eyes either people with St. George’s ribbons, or how they were allegedly asked to leave. We are here for something else: we came to perform, to fight for medals. Our athletes have not performed for the last year, training day in and day out.”

A Russian State Duma member, 2006 Olympic Winter 500 m gold medalist Svetlana Zhurova, blamed Ukraine for the incident, pointing to an online post by Tokyo 2020 Greco-Roman 87 kg gold medalist Zhan Beleniuk of Ukraine, also a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, picturing the three fans with the ribbons:

“The organizers themselves would hardly have noticed the St. George ribbons. Ukraine will always monitor such things and provoke similar situations in order to further achieve our isolation. At all the sites where Russian athletes still remain, provocations are arranged only by Ukraine.”

In response to Russian and Belarusian participation, Ukraine is boycotting the 2023 IJF Worlds.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Laureus Awards ● The prestigious Laureus Awards were handed out on Monday in Paris, with Argentine football icon Messi winning for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and his World Cup winners as the Laureus World Team of the Year for 2022.

Five-time World 100 m champ Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, after being nominated five times previously!

Spain’s tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award for his victory at age 19. Danish football star Christian Eriksen recovered from cardiac arrest and losing his club contract to become the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, while China’s triple Winter Games medalist snowboarder Eileen Gu won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award.

● Russia ● More ancient doping positives from the International Testing Agency, which announced Wednesday that three canoeists have been charged with doping violations based on evidence from the infamous Moscow Laboratory at the center of the state-sponsored 2011-15 doping project:

“The cases are based on investigations conducted by WADA’s Intelligence & Investigations Department (WADA I&I) and by Prof Richard McLaren into allegations of systemic doping practices in Russian sport as well as Moscow Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) data retrieved by WADA I&I over time.”

The three athletes – Larisa Arakcheeva, Natalya Lobova and Vitaliy Yurchenko – are all Sprint competitors and have been provisionally suspended pending formal review of the charges. Lobova was the 2011 European gold medalist in the K-1 200 m and won four World Championships medals from 2010-14 in the K-1 4×200 m race.

● Athletics ● Lots of hype in the men’s sprints. On Tuesday, World Athletics ballyhooed the Wanda Diamond League meet in Florence, Italy on 2 June – the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala – with Tokyo Olympic 100 m champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA) confirmed against Olympic runner-up and Eugene Worlds winner Fred Kerley of the U.S.

Jacobs beat Kerley in Tokyo, 9.80 to 9.84, then Kerley won the 2022 Worlds in 9.86, with teammate Trayvon Bromell third in 9.88 (Jacobs was injured). Bromell will also be on the line in Florence.

On Wednesday, it was announced that all three would be running in the Diamond League meet in Rabat, Morocco – the Meeting International Mohamed VI – on 28 May, six days earlier!

There had been lots of chatter about a Jacobs-Kerley match race, and when the Florence announcement was made, former U.S. and Nigerian sprinter Rae Edwards – posting as @RaesTake – wrote on Twitter:

● “Is it nobody’s trying to waste the money or is it the Track World once again blocking the outside from getting in? I PERSONALLY know they both where offered $100k to do a one on one, plus $50k in travel expenses and accommodations to race head up.”

● “I mean I gotta call it the way it went. Marcel [sic] said yes and agreed to even come to America to do it. He also asked about a possible relay of Italy vs USA. I reached out to [Mike] Marsh (USA relay coach about it to). He said he’d ask the athletes and get back to me. Never did. Fred said $100k. When I had the investment group interested and let them know that they would put up a quarter mill. I never heard anything back from Fred’s camp or Marsh. It was never Marcel [sic] if I’m being honest.”

Jacobs has won both his meetings with Kerley, both in 2021. Jacobs also won his only head-to-head race with Bromell, also in 2021.

Beijing 2008 Olympic high jump champ Andrey Silnov of Russia was banned for doping from April of 2021 into April of 2025 for a doping positive in 2013 based on evidence from the Moscow Laboratory as part of the Russian state-sponsored doping program. Now he’s been banned for a further year.

The Athletics Integrity Unit announced that he breached the rules against participation in any athletics event “for attending an athletics competition in Russia on 11 August 2021 and presenting awards to young prize winners (pictured on Instagram the following day).”

According to the Russian news agency TASS, Silnov, now 38, accepted the additional suspension, according to an unnamed source:

“‘Initially, they wanted to assign Andrey an additional four-year suspension until 2028,’ the source said. ‘As a result, with the help of lawyers, he managed to reduce the period to one year. Andrey believes that it is already pointless to challenge the one-year suspension, it’s a waste of time.’”

“Renowned athletics coach Rana Reider has resolved his case with the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Mr. Reider will continue his elite level coaching of sprinters and jumpers.

“Mr. Reider acknowledged his consensual romantic relationship with an adult athlete, which presented a power imbalance during the relationship.

“Mr. Reider was not found in violation of any other sexual misconduct claims. All other claims are now administratively closed. Mr. Reider has credibly and consistently denied all other allegations of sexual misconduct.”

That’s from Reider’s attorney, Ryan Stevens, in a statement on Wednesday, which also included:

“Mr. Reider agreed to one year of probation with the U.S. Center of SafeSport, which will include an online SafeSport Education.”

Reider, based in Florida, coached Tokyo Olympic 200 m winner Andre De Grasse of Canada, two-time Olympic triple jump winner Christian Taylor of the U.S., among others.

Now serving a three-year suspension for doping into 2025, Botswanan 800 m star Nijel Amos said he is selling his London 2012 men’s 800 m Olympic silver medal in order to survive financially.

“At this time, my only investment or pension is the famous 2012 Olympic silver medal. I am in touch with different stakeholders, including financial advisors, on how that can sustain me and my family.

“I met with a team that wants to buy it with a value of 4.5 million Botswana pula [~$336,584 U.S.], but with my documentary coming out on Netflix it could change the value to 7.5 million.

“It is extremely difficult to survive as an athlete in Botswana where we are not given pension or any lump sum insurance payouts.”

Amos, 29, won his country’s first-ever Olympic medal in that famous London race, won by Kenyan Daniel Rudisha in a world-record 1:40.91; the Botswana men’s 4×400 m team won a bronze in Tokyo for its second medal. Amos said he expects to compete again at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

● Cycling ● The 106th Giro d’Italia continued in confusion, as Belgian race favorite Remco Evenepoel crashed early in the stage due to a dog on the course.

The hilly, 171 km route from Atripalta to Salerno was rainy and wet from the start and got crazy at the 19 km mark, when Evenepoel’s Soudal-Quick-Step teammate Davide Ballerini (ITA) skidded into him while trying to avoid a dog caught up in the peloton.

There were other crashes, including co-favorite Primoz Roglic, with 14 km to go, and then Evenepoel again with 2.4 km left, part of a 14-bike pile-up, although Evenepoel got up and finished (and since this crash was in the last 3 km, did not lose any more time).

The dash to the line was won by Australia’s Kaden Groves, ahead of Jonny Milan, with Mads Pedersen (DEN) third. There was another crash at the line just behind them that included Britain’s Mark Cavendish and second-stage runner-up David Dekker (NED).

All of this left Norway’s Andreas Leknessund still in the maglia rosa, with a 28-second lead on Evenepoel and 30 seconds on Aurelien Paret-Peintre (FRA), with Roglic in fifth, 1:12 down.

Leknessund took the lead with his runner-up finish in stage 4, the first climbing route of the 2023 Giro, finishing uphill to Lago Laceno. The Norwegian, Paret-Peintre and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (ERI) broke free with 2.5 km remaining on the final climb, with Paret-Peintre getting the win by two seconds over Leknessund, but with Leknessund taking the race lead over Evenepoel with Paret-Peintre moving up to third overall.

● Figure Skating ● The Russian invasion of Ukraine was blamed for the withdrawal by the Hungarian National Skating Federation as host of the 2024 European Figure Skating Championships.

Scheduled for 22-28 January in Budapest, the federation issued a statement which noted “the prolonged war in our country’s neighborhood, its impact on the economy and the energy prices that are significantly affecting the sport of skating,” and “lack of sufficient funding to organize a high quality competition.”

The International Skating Union sent a circular asking for declarations of interest by 26 May 2023.

● Football ● The U.S. Soccer Federation has engaged former National Team defender Oguchi Onyewu as Vice President of Sporting, assisting new Sporting Director Matt Crocker (WAL).

Onyewu, 40, was the sports director for Orlando City B from 2018-19 and come back to the U.S. from being general secretary of the Belgian club Royal Excelsior Virton. He played for the U.S. in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and made 69 appearances for the National Team.

● Swimming ● Germany was a big winner in the Open Water World Cup mixed relay (4 x 1,500 m) in Somabay, Egypt on Tuesday, winning in 1:02:50.1 to 1:03.48.5 for France.

Second leg Celine Rieder broke the race open, giving Oliver Klement a 40-second lead, followed by star anchor Florian Wellbrock for the easy win. Egypt won the bronze medal.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: “Track is an amateur sport that just so happens to have professionals in it.”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Sprinter Kyra Jefferson, during her interview in the moderneathletes video, "Road to Paris | E4: State of Track"

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

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

Sometimes, waves portend a storm. Sometimes, waves roll in and just roll back out. Having been involved, observed and tried to help the sport of track and field over multiple decades, a new video perfectly captures the moment we are in right now and must be shared.

Mentioned in our Tuesday post was a seven-minute video from moderneathletes, a 2023 start-up from Florida by principals Sharmila Nicolett and Jerome Green, Jr. and founding athletes Kenny Bednarek and Chris Mueller, the fourth in their “Road to Paris” series, titled simply State of Track, posted on Sunday (7th).

It primarily features sprinter Kyra Jefferson, 28, the 2017 NCAA 200 m champ (in 22.02) for Florida, with contributions from Tokyo Olympic 200 m silver medalist Bednarek and John-Edward Heath, a Para Track & Field athlete who also competes in other sports.

The video is excellent, but to really appreciate the commentary, here is a full transcript:

Jefferson: Track is one of those sports, we don’t make a lot of money, So you can’t compare a sponsorship for basketball, you can’t compare us to Nike football.

Q: How would you explain the sport of track & field?

Jefferson: Track is an amateur sport that just so happens to have professionals in it.

Sixteen [years old] and as long as you run a standard, you could come to our Trials.

Q: Are you’re considered a professional at that point?

Jefferson: Well, that’s the thing that we’ve all been trying to figure out: what determines a professional?

Q: So there’s no standard of, like, you’re either a professional track athlete of you’re not?

Jefferson: Well, it depends because some people say you’re a professional because it means you have a sponsorship. Does that mean that someone who just won an Olympic medal who doesn’t have a sponsorship is not professional?

Professional means you make money. OK, well, NIL [name-image-likeness], I’m in college, I make money. I’m professional, or am I still a collegiate athlete?

Q: You’re saying there’s no threshold for track and field?

Jefferson: For our track and field federation, there is no threshold. If you pay the $40 to get a USATF membership, you can compete at any meet that we at. Any meet that a professional’s at, if you get accepted to the meet.

Although I’m in a Nike [training] group, Nike does not pay my bills. They did for a hot five years; it was very fun, loved it. It’s pretty black and white. You either have a medal or you don’t. You have a medal, Nike’s going to pick you up, adidas is going to pick you up, Puma, New Balance.

If you don’t have a medal, you have to depend on outliers, sponsorships like Essentia or On Running is becoming hot.

Q: Did you notice that and you set yourself up differently, or was you were figuring it out?

Jefferson: My agent pulled me aside and told me, “if you don’t beat these two girls, Nike’s not signing you for anything.” It was very straight, to the point.

Q: Is that how the sport is?

Jefferson: Yeah, pretty much. Most sponsors know who they want by the time they get to national championships. You have to perform well at NCs, or you have to perform well at the U.S. Champs. There’s outliers where, you know, you ran fast, and they’re like, “oh no, we, we [saw you],” but it’s also a test of what have you done lately and can you do it again?

I can run 21 seconds [for 200 m]; can I do it again? Can I do it again against this person? Can I do it at Trials? Can I do it at Worlds? Sometimes they push the finish line further back. That’s the situation I’m kind of in right now.

Q: How do you see your situation going? How do you think through this situation now?

Jefferson: A coach at the USATF Annual Meeting gave the best explanation of track that I’ve ever heard in my life: “Whatever you sign for, the only way to get way more than that is medal, world record, American Record … something outlandish, outstanding, indisputable … oh, you’re great.”

I’m in a situation where bonus contracts are going to be mild. I’m OK with that because that’s the sport. The only way I would get a contract is, I have to win USAs. I have to win a medal. Those are my only options.

Bednarek: Once I became a professional, that’s when I had to start thinking deeper about the sport. I’m learning about the sport as I am kind of in this career right now. Before I become a professional, I really didn’t know much about track & field.

I only knew about Justin [Gatlin], [Usain] Bolt, Yohan [Blake], but now I’m trying to learn about, you know, the agents, because the agents for a track & field athlete are one point, you’ve got coaches for track & field athletes are one point. I’m trying to figure out who’s who, what have they done in the past? How did they get in this position?

Q: Is it a sport where everybody understands everybody’s position? Or is it a sport where like, I gotta get my own?

Bednarek: I think it’s more, I gotta get my own.

Jefferson: I’m a part of the AAC, which is the [USATF] Athlete Advisory Council. I’ve tried to be a part of that and we tried to determine at this last meeting, what is considered a professional athlete because we’re asking for these things, but it’s who [do] they apply to, who gets these things? Who are y’all talking about?

Because we have women and men who are literally top five in the world, with no sponsors.

Q: How does the track and field world operate?

Jefferson: Nobody’s really figured out what’s the best way to do something, because somebody’s going to be left out of the equation.

Like some people can say, OK, the people who should get pay are people who have medals. The person who got fourth is not worthy, because they got fourth, when they could have got third, but this year they didn’t have it?

To make our team, for example, the 200 for the men: nine out of 10, you know who will make the team. There’s maybe one other person, like, oh, they could sneak in. For the 100, you know you can’t predict who’s gonna make that team. For the [women’s] 100 hurdles, you definitely can’t predict who’s gonna make that team. Keni Harrison did not make the Olympic team; a week or two later, broke the world record.

So we use the criteria of who has medals, does that mean Keni doesn’t get money?

Q: Who’s setting the standard?

Jefferson: Well, that’s a good question. We were trying to figure that out. We’ve been trying to figure out what meetings we’re missing where they picked; who decides this?

How do you bring more marketing awareness to a sport that a lot of people think we only compete at the Olympics.

Q: You don’t feel like that’s changed?

Jefferson: With certain athletes it has. It’s brought like certain awareness. I was at the airport and they’re like, “oh my God, are you guys going to the Olympics?” Talking to three Olympians, they were like, “are y’all going to the Olympics?”

Heath: Ninety-five percent of society doesn’t know who just won a medal at the Olympics.

Jefferson: Having no clue who, like, [Tokyo women’s 4×100 m silver winners] Javianne [Oliver] was, having no clue who Teahna [Daniels] was. They literally got a medal from the Olympics, and they like, “oh, y’all run track, so you’re going to the Olympics.”

Anybody can say they’re an Olympian, because nobody knows track, they don’t pay attention enough.

All I got to do is say I’m a professional athlete, and the first question out of everybody’s mouth, “oh, so you’re trying to go to the Olympics?” We, individually, have to educate people like, well, you know Worlds is this year. They have no idea that we’re all training for Worlds in Budapest.

Us, as athletes, we like “Worlds pay more than the Olympics.”

I think that we should have like a minimum, like, hey, everybody at least needs to make $30,000 a year. But how do you do that? How do you determine who are the people that need to all make $30,000 a year?

Q: Do athletes study the numbers and see where the money is going?

Jefferson: I think there are some athletes that understand where the money is going. But the bigger scheme of athletes is like, I-gotta-take-care-of-myself mindset.

Bednarek: I’m looking at who’s making more than me, and I’m like, why aren’t I making more than them? Or making at least close to them because I’ve beaten them several times. That’s how simple it is.

Sometimes I think it’s about competition and other times, it’s just who has the best story. If you want to break records, you put the best people on the team.

Q: If all the athletes stand together …

Jefferson: Stop. Why would you stand with me, if you getting paid and I’m not?

Bednarek: You’re the talk of the town or you’re not, either you’re going to be the next guy or you’re not.

Jefferson: This is not no shade to anybody, but let’s be real. If I got a gold medal, I got two kids, I gotta do what’s best for them. I wish you was getting paid too. I do agree that it’s kind of messed up, but I’m getting paid. I got kids, I gotta to take care of my mom.

It sucks that you’re not getting paid. I do think they should do something. Somebody should do something, as long as it don’t make me have less money. (Host: Right). I’m for it. Like, let’s figure it out.

The comments are hardly new, it’s simply a new generation of athletes who are making them. The professional International Track Association came and went in the 1970s and successor concepts have consistently failed, usually for insufficient capitalization.

World Athletics Council member Willie Banks, the former Worlds silver medalist and world-record holder in the triple jump, explained last July that USA Track & Field is working toward “making a … direct investment in our athletes, meaning payments – a living wage to our athletes.”

The elements are fairly familiar: an actual, dependable salary, health insurance, recognition of the costs of travel and accommodations (if required), training support, coaching, child care for those with families and all the other things that employees expect from employers today.

Superstar Carl Lewis, now the coach at the University of Houston, was demanding these things in the 1980s, but they have not happened. Yet. But there appear to be stronger waves today than in recent years, for example April’s breakthrough Citius Magazine interview by Kyle Merber with Worlds 100 m runner-up Marvin Bracy on the business of track & field athlete sponsorships and Olympic icon Michael Johnson’s recipe on Twitter for moving the sport forward.

It may all just be another occasional, stronger wave. Or it could be something more.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: Bach welcomes future China Olympic bid; first Rodchenkov Act conviction; ANOC to remove Beach Games from Bali?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Bach tells China a 2036 Olympic bid will be welcome
2. Beijing 2022 announces surplus; Bach donates back IOC share
3. Lira pleads guilty to Rodchenkov Act violations
4. IBA angry over U.S. boxers competing in Czech Grand Prix
5. Report: ANOC could remove World Beach Games from Bali

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was on a five-day visit to China and was asked about a Chinese bid for the 2036 Olympic Games. Sure, he said, but there about 10 or more others also interested. The Beijing 2022 Winter Games organizing committee announced a $52 million cash surplus from the event and the IOC agreed to give back its $10.4 million share for legacy programs in the country. The first conviction under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 came Monday as Eric Lira pled guilty to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to two Nigerian track stars, both now suspended. The International Boxing Association referred for sanctions the Czech Boxing Association after it allowed U.S. boxers to compete in its annual Grand Prix invitational. The U.S. left the IBA over its governance policies just prior to the tournament. A new report says that the Bali Governor continues to refuse to allow Israeli athletes to compete in the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games, leading to the possibility that this event could also be removed from Indonesia, as was the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup, now to be held in Argentina later this month.

● World Championships: Judo (Abe and Abe win again and again!) ●
● Panorama: Paris 2024 (protest in Marseille over sailing beach closures) = Athletics (4: World Athletics promises $190,000 to aid Ukraine athletes; excellent seven-minute video on the world of “professional” track & field; London Marathon gets more than a half-million applications; UCI’s Len Miller passes at 85) = Cycling (2: Matthews wins Giro stage 3; Willoughby wins national BMX title no. 11) = eSports (Bach sees points of contact for future) = Fencing (another FIE World Cup called off in Germany) = Figure Skating (Gilles treated for ovarian cancer) = Modern Pentathlon (UIPM rolls the dice with co-brand with World Obstacle) = Swimming (Wellbrock and Beck win Open Water World Cup opener in Egypt) ●

1.
Bach tells China a 2036 Olympic bid will be welcome

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (CHN) is on a five-day trip through China and was asked about a bid for a future Olympic Games there.

“Candidatures from China are always the most welcomed,” he told the Xinhua state news agency.

“But right now we have already allocated the hosts until 2032, so China still has some time to think about the next candidature, which will be 2036. But I’m very sure and really looking forward to many major international sports events taking place in China in the coming years.”

Bach added that the interest is already high, adding there are “already a two-digit number of interested National Olympic Committees or regions who want to organize the Olympic Games in 2036.

“There is still some time to go. We will maybe have a better feeling how the world will look like in 2036 than we do at this very moment now.”

Bach has said that the selection of the 2036 Games is for his successor; he will conclude his second term in 2025. Los Angeles will host the Games in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.

As for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games, Bach said that the election “will happen next year.

“By then we will have a clearer picture on the overall impact of climate change and the other challenges winter sports are facing.”

The IOC Executive Board has asked its Future Host Commission for the Winter Games to figure out whether a permanent rotation of host cities makes sense in order to assure wintry conditions and whether this should start with the 2030 award, or 2034, or further into the future.

2.
Beijing 2022 announces surplus; Bach donates back IOC share

Bach met with the Chinese Premier, with the head of the Chinese Olympic Committee and with TOP sponsor Mengniu Dairy, which has partnered with Coca-Cola in the beverage category.

He also announced that the IOC will donate its $10.46 million share of the organizing committee’s surplus from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games back to China for use in legacy activities. According to an IOC announcement:

● “[T]he Beijing 2022 Organising Committee (Beijing 2022) revealed that it had achieved a surplus of USD 52 million (CNY 0.35 billion) from its organisational budget of USD 2.29 billion (revenue) (CNY 15.39 billion) with the successful Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.”

● Per Bach: “[The Games] gave a huge boost to international winter sport by having engaged 346 million Chinese people in winter sport. All of this in spite of a global pandemic. Congratulations to the Organising Committee of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 for this success and for delivering these Games with a financial surplus even under these extremely difficult circumstances.”

A retention of any operating surplus by the organizing committee is a standard clause in the host-city agreements for the Games. For Paris 2024:

“any surplus resulting from the planning, organising, financing and staging of the Games shall be divided as follows:

“a. twenty percent (20%) to the Host NOC;

“b. sixty percent (60%) to the OCOG to be used for the general benefit of sport in the Host Country, as may be determined by the OCOG in consultation with the Host NOC; and

“c. twenty percent (20%) to the IOC.”

However, the IOC will not share in any surplus from the 2028 Los Angeles Games, as the agreement specifies that 20% will go to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the remaining 80% to the organizing committee, which is now obligated to form a successor entity with the City of Los Angeles for its post-Games use.

3.
Lira pleads guilty to Rodchenkov Act violations

The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 (now 21 U.S.C. §402) was passed to try to stem doping activities in sports and Monday saw the first conviction under this statute. The U.S. Justice Department announced:

“Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendant ERIC LIRA pled guilty today for his role in providing banned performance-enhancing drugs (‘PEDs’) to Olympic athletes in advance of the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.”

Lira, 43, a kinesiologist and naturopathic doctor in El Paso, Texas, will be sentenced at a later date; the statute specifies a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but the actual sentence will be up to the judge. According to the statement:

“The charges in this case arise from an investigation of a scheme to provide Olympic athletes with PEDs, including drugs widely banned throughout competitive sports, such as human growth hormone and the ‘blood building’ drug erythropoietin, in advance of and for the purpose of corrupting the 2020 Olympic Games, which convened in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.”

Lira was identified as the supplier of drugs to Nigerian star sprinter and long jumper Blessing Okagbare, who was banned for 11 years in 2022, and Nigerian sprinter Divine Oduduru, who was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit in February, with the agency asking for a six-year ban.

The Rodchenkov Act is aimed at people who are recommending or providing drugs to athletes, but carries no penalties for athletes themselves.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart said:

“This case was, in part, initiated thanks to the courage of a whistleblower who brought USADA information about intentional doping by athletes. [The Act] requires the sharing of information between organizations around the world, as was the case here. That collaboration between anti-doping organizations, law enforcement, and other federal agencies has since led to numerous cases and anti-doping rule violations, including the decision against Sabina Allen and the decision against Blessing Okagbare that prevented her from defrauding the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In these matters, the collaboration with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) was essential to the success of the investigation, and we are thankful for our partnership to protect clean athletes.”

4.
IBA angry over U.S. boxers competing in Czech Grand Prix

The newest twist in the struggle within Olympic boxing was a move last Friday by the International Boxing Association to withdraw from a tournament in the Czech Republic because of U.S. participation.

The IBA sent a letter on 5 May asking national federations to remove themselves from the 53rd International Elite Grand Prix in Usti nad Labem, near Prague, held from 3-8 May, “because of the illegitimate participation of US Technical and Team Officials as well as Boxers. As result, teams from Brazil, France, and Poland immediately left the tournament.”

U.S. boxers were on the second leg of a European tour, having competed in the 41st GeeBeeBoxing tournament in Helsinki (FIN) from 13-16 April, winning nine medals (5-0-4) with golds for Emilio Garcia (63.5 kg), Morelle McCane (66 kg), Omari Jones (71 kg) and Jamar Talley (92 kg). USA Boxing left the IBA on 26 April 2023.

The European Boxing Confederation asked the Czech association to take measures to remove the U.S. from its tournament, but was ignored. Now:

“[T]he IBA has filed an official complaint to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) against the CBA for allowing the participation of USA Boxing … [and the national federations] that ignored the IBA communication urging them to immediately withdraw from the tournament have also had official complaints to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) filed against them by the IBA. …

“The IBA reiterates that it will continue doing its utmost to protect the organization and all its member National Federations from any harm caused by individuals or entities within or outside of the IBA boxing family.”

The Grand Prix had more than 200 boxers compete from 18 nations, with the Americans winning eight medals (2-2-4), with wins by Jahmal Harvey at 57 kg and Jones at 71 kg.

5.
Report: ANOC could remove World Beach Games from Bali

The Sunday Times (London) reported that Indonesian officials are now concerned that the continued aversion of Bali Governor Wayan Koster to allow Israel to compete in the ANOC World Beach Games in August will result in the event’s removal from Indonesia.

Attempts by the Indonesian Sports Ministry and National Olympic Committee to obtain Koster’s cooperation have been unsuccessful – the report said “he will not budge” – and already cost the country the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup, which was removed to Argentina and will begin later this month.

The Times of Israel noted:

“Indonesia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations and support for the Palestinian cause is high in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. But Israeli delegations have been to Indonesia for sporting and diplomatic events before, including four Israelis who competed in the World Cycling Championship in Jakarta in February.”

Indonesia has presidential elections coming in 2024 and the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle has nominated Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, also strongly anti-Israel as its candidate, with Koster’s support.

So far, ANOC has said it expects the event to go off without incident as to participants, including Israel, with qualifications continuing and the actual list of competing countries open until 8 July.

Another refusal to allow Israel to compete could bring the Indonesian Olympic Committee under scrutiny by the International Olympic Committee as well as the Association of National Olympic Committees.

The World Beach Games includes 14 sports for 2023, 43 events and an expected 1,584 athletes from about 100 countries, not so large that it could not be moved if there was another willing host.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● One of the highlights of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games was the same-day golds for brother and sister Hifumi and Uta Abe in judo. It happened for the third straight year on Monday at the IJF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Uta Abe completely dominated the women’s 52 kg class, winning all five matches by ippon, beating Tokyo silver winner Amandine Buchard (FRA) in the quarters and Diyora Keldiyorova of Uzbekistan in the final. It’s her second straight world title and fourth overall. Buchard came back to win one of the bronze medals.

Hifumi, the older brother, won a second straight title as well, meaning the pair won their Olympic golds in 2021, Worlds golds in 2022 and in 2023 on the same day. Hifumi beat countryman Joshiro Matsuyama in the title match for a second straight year and also took his fourth career Worlds gold.

The Worlds continue through the 13th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paris 2024 ● A demonstration is being called for Sunday, 21 May by local groups in Marseille (FRA) unhappy with the reduced use of beaches during Kitefoil class regattas in 2023 and 2024. The announcement of the demonstration included:

“Kitefoil is normally practiced on vast areas of empty beaches because the ‘things’ are very fast and excessively dangerous both on land and at sea. Planning this competition inside the city on public beaches is very risky and implies huge areas of exclusion, in the sand and on the shore, at the expense of all other water-based recreational activities, and for a long period running from spring 2023 to mid-August 2024.

“Summer seasons, often undergoing heat waves, are harshly impacted. This is unbearable for thousands of families who use these beaches, that are already scarce in Marseille in comparison with the number of people using them.

“Besides, authorities plan to completely shut down the south harbor of Marseille, forbidding all water-based recreational activities over a huge territory of 35km² in the middle of summer seasons, two weeks in July 2023 and three weeks in July and August 2024, all this for the sole ‘security’ of a few Olympic regattas!

“We consider that this is an excessive undertaking, completely disconnected from the real security needs that must be applied before the games and not at the expense of the population.”

The Formula Kite class is new for the 2024 Games. The single-sail IQFoil windsurfing class, with competitions for men and women, is new for 2024, replacing the RS:X class held from 2008-20.

● Athletics ● World Athletics announced an extension of the Ukraine Fund created in 2022 with the World Athletics Foundation and the Diamond League Association, with $190,000 assigned to assist 100 or more athletes this year.

The funding will cover accommodations, food and services for athletes with a credible chance to qualify for any World Athletics championship event, and travel and accommodations at qualifying events and the Worlds in Budapest this summer.

Additional funding will be provided for training camps and equipment for use in remaining available facilities, and support staff for the Budapest Worlds. The recent shelling of Bakhmut by Russian forces destroyed an important, year-round training facility there, including a stadium, indoor arena, throwing fields and a medical center.

If you want to understand the mind-bending state of U.S. track & field athletes, take seven minutes out of your day and watch this video by moderneathletes: Road to Paris E4: State of Track.

Sprinters Kyra Jefferson – the 2017 NCAA 200 m champ – and Tokyo Olympic 200 m runner-up Kenny Bednarek give a brilliant explanation of where the sport is now, and their frustrations with it. Very well done.

The London Marathon received a record 578,374 applications to run in the 2024 edition, reportedly the first race with more than a half-million applications. Most of the applicants – 457,105 or 79% – were from Great Britain.

London had received a then-record 457,861 in 2019 to run in the 2020 race that was wiped out by the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2023 London Marathon on 23 April had more than 48,600 finishers.

Sad news of the passing of long-time UC Irvine and Arizona State coach Len Miller, at age 85 on 4 March 2023.

Miller rose to prominence most especially in the 1970s as the coach of mile star Steve Scott, the long-time American record holder at 3:47.69 and the 1983 World Championships 1,500 m silver medalist.

After a long career at the high school and community college level, Miller coached at Irvine from 1973-79 and at Arizona State from 1980-83. While at Irvine, his teams won the NCAA Division II national cross country title in 1975 and 1976, and the outdoor track & field title in 1976.

A celebration of life is being held on 15 May at the Irvine Barclay Theatre at 11 a.m. and all are welcome.

● Cycling ● Stage three of the 106th Giro d’Italia came down to a final sprint as expected, with Australian Michael Matthews getting to the line first ahead of Mads Pedersen (DEN) and Jaden Groves (AUS).

The 213 km route from Vasto to Melfi was rainy, but the final 25 km descended from the Valico la Croce and ended with the expected mass sprint, as the top 57 riders got the same time: 5:01:41.

Mathews earned his third career stage win in the Giro, while Remco Evenepoel (BEL) continued to lead the race, now by 32 seconds over Portugal’s Joao Almeida and 44 seconds ahead of Slovenian star Primoz Roglic, expected to be his main rival.

Stage 4 has two major climbs and an uphill finish to Lago Laceno in the first real test of the race.

Two-time World BMX Champion Alise Willoughby was in excellent form and won her 11th national title in the USA Cycling BMX Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday. She won most recently in 2021 and had won the national title in 11 of the last 13 years!

Payton Ridenour finished second and Lexis Colby third.

None of the men’s favorites got to the line first; instead, it was Anthony Bucardo who emerged as a first-time winner, taking charge around the final turn, ahead of Jeremy Smith and Cameron Wood.

● eSports ● IOC President Bach reiterated the body’s stance on electronic games during his China visit, telling the Xinhua news agency:

“Our approach to e-sports is with a priority to virtual sports, meaning reality sports, where there is physical activity, [like] cycling, rowing, in the meantime, you have even taekwondo in the e-form, and a number of other sports.

“This is where we are closest to because the physical activity of these athletes is on the same level as athletes in traditional sports. Whether you’re doing a leg of the Tour de France on your bicycle at home, or you do the real leg, the physical activity is the same and the challenges.

“When it comes to the e-games, there is a very clear red line, however. Every game which is contradictory to the Olympic Values, like killer games or games which are discriminatory, is an absolute taboo to the Olympic Movement.

“We think we have something to offer to the elite gamers because they are facing, in some respects, the same challenges as athletes in traditional sports.

“They realize more and more that in order to compete at this high level, they need physical fitness. And they realize that they need to do something for their mental health because they are in this industry [that has] some challenges to be addressed.”

● Fencing ● Another FIE World Cup event in Germany has been called off after the federation’s vote to allow “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.

This time, it is the men’s Foil World Cup in Bonn scheduled for 10-12 November 2023, which will not be held as originally scheduled. Gudrun Nettersheim, the President of the Olympic Fencing Club of Bonn, told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that “a World Cup with Russian fencers would simply be unthinkable.

“This is a decision we have taken because there is an inhuman war going on. And we made it for all the athletes in the club.”

The German federation refused to hold a women’s Foil World Cup last weekend in Tauberbischofsheim, and the event was moved to Plovdiv (BUL).

● Figure Skating ● Remarkable announcement from Canada’s two-time Ice Dance Worlds medal winner Piper Gilles, who stated on Instagram that she had been treated for ovarian cancer.

She explained that when she had surgery for the removal of her appendix in January, she was also treated for stage 1 ovarian cancer and her left ovary was also removed.

Gilles, 31, recovered sufficiently to compete with Paul Poirier at the end of the 2022-23 season, winning a bronze medal at the ISU World Championships in Japan in March. She said in her post:

“I know we got bronze but for myself, and I know for Paul, it really feels like we won gold because of everything that we had been through just to even be there and perform it.”

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) has not simply removed riding from its program after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but is now betting its future on a tie-up with obstacle racing.

The federation announced Monday that it is joining with World Obstacle – which not an IOC-recognized federation – to co-brand two 2023 competitions:

● World Obstacle UIPM 2023 Ninja World Cup USA: 27-30 July in Orlando (USA).

● World Obstacle UIPM 2023 OCR World Championships: 14-17 September in Genk (BEL).

The UIPM’s announcement states the obvious: it is trying to (a) piggy-back on the popularity of televised obstacle programs and (b) recruit obstacle racers to pentathlon, where they will also have to fence, swim, run and shoot.:

“This historic change provides a pathway for obstacle athletes around the world to realise their Olympic dream.

“It also transforms Modern Pentathlon, creating the potential to engage an estimated 1bn people who watch global hit television show competitions like Ninja Warrior and SASUKE, and compete worldwide in mass participation events like Spartan.”

Observed: This is an enormous gamble for the UIPM. If it succeeds in being re-admitted to the 2028 Olympic program, its future is now leveraged on its relationship with World Obstacle and a perception that the television audience for commercial obstacle shows will be attracted to pentathlon. That’s very much in question as leagues for swimming and track & field have found out in the past.

If pentathlon is not re-admitted for 2028, then the sport is shattered and will have to be rebuilt – if possible – with no obvious pathway forward for Brisbane in 2032. High stakes indeed for the only sport contributed to the Games by modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin of France.

● Swimming ● The World Aquatics Open Water World Cup opened Monday in Somabay (EGY), with wins at 10 km for Germans Florian Wellbrock and Leonie Beck.

Wellbrock, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and 2019 World Champion in the event, won a four-way fight to the finish, just holding off Marc-Antoine Olivier, France’s two-time Worlds medalist at 10 km, on the final lap, 1:52:53.2 to 1:52:52.3. France’s Logan Fontaine, who had shared the lead at times with Wellbrock, was a close third in 1:52:55.0 and Hungarian star Kristof Rasovszky was fourth (1:52:55.5).

Beck, the 2022 Worlds silver medalist at 10 km, worked her way slowly through the pack, ascending from 18th at 2,000 m to 12th at 4,000 m and sixth at 6,000 m. She had the lead by the 8,000 m mark and fought off Rio Olympic champ and reigning World Champion Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED), 2:04:04.6 to 2:04:07.3. Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha, the Tokyo Olympic winner, finished third at 2:04:11.0, just ahead of Aurelie Muller (FRA: 2:04:12.0).

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TSX REPORT: Richardson and Kerley impress in Doha; IBA gives IOC 400 pages of replies; Bach all in to return Russia & Belarus

By
Rich Perelman
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World 100 m champ Fred Kerley of the U.S. zoomed to victory in the final 40 m of the Doha Diamond League men's 200 m (Photo: Marise Nassour for Diamond League AG)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Richardson’s 10.76 and six more world leads in Doha!
2. IBA sends 400-page reply to IOC’s questions
3. Sports ministers of 36 countries question IOC approach
4. Bach “undertaking all efforts” to return Russia and Belarus
5. Indonesia ban on Israel resurfaces for World Beach Games

The first Wanda Diamond League meet of the season was a good one in Doha, Qatar on Friday, with sizzling sprinting and seven world-leading performances, including a sparkling 10.76 women’s 100 m win for Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S. and a come-from-behind finish by Fred Kerley in the men’s 200 m. The International Boxing Association sent a 400-page file to the International Olympic Committee to answer all of its questions about the federation. Will this actually help? Sports ministers from 36 countries issued their fourth statement on Russia and international sport, asking the IOC to ensure that only truly “neutral” athletes compete, noting state funding as an important question to be answered. IOC chief Thomas Bach, on a visit to China, said the IOC is “undertaking all the efforts” to return Russian and Belarus to competition, “so that we can really unify the whole world.” Meanwhile, the governor of Bali in Indonesia continues to assert that Israel will not be allowed to compete in the ANOC World Beach Games this summer, and the Israel Olympic Committee has taken the matter up with the IOC. The governor has already cost Indonesia the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup by refusing to allow Israel to compete.

● World Championships: Judo (Garrigos and Tsunoda win opening weights) ●
● Panorama: Artistic Swimming (Inui stars in World Cup in France) = Athletics (3: Hot 5,000 at Mt. SAC; Holloway world lead in Atlanta; Davis-Woodhall 23-2 1/2 in Arkansas) = Curling (Champions Cup) = Cycling (2: Giro d’Italia starts; van Vleuten repeats at La Vuelta Femenina) = eSports (ticket sales start for IOC’s Esports Week) = Fencing (2: Kiefer wins Foil World Cup; Epee Grand Prix) = Gymnastics (Griskenas second in Rhythmic World Cup) = Rowing (Swiss and Spain lead World Cup winners) = Sport Climbing (Miroslaw wins Speed World Cup) = Swimming (Chinese nationals produce six world leaders) = Wrestling (U.S. sweeps team titles at Pan Am Champs!) ●

1.
Richardson’s 10.76 and six more world leads in Doha!

The opening Diamond League meet of the season in Doha, Qatar was expected to produce hot marks, and it did not disappoint, with world-leading times and distances in seven events, led by a taut battle in the women’s 100 m.

There was no doubt about Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, the incoming world leader at 10.82 and the 200 m World Champion from 2022. But beside her in the blocks were Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the 2019 200 m Worlds winner and mercurial American Sha’Carri Richardson, now 23, who wasn’t right in 2022, but ran a startling 10.57w in April.

Off the gun, it was Asher-Smith running best, but with Jackson in close attendance and Richardson close. Jackson accelerated in the middle and as Asher-Smith faded slightly, Richardson came on. And kept coming on, taking over in the final 30 m for a world-leading 10.76 win (wind: +0.9 m/s), her fastest in two years and her fourth-fastest ever.

Jackson was close at 10.85, with Asher-Smith at 10.98 and American TeeTee Terry fourth at 11.07. Said the winner, “I’m so blessed and thankful, I feel at peace. All I do is the best I do and I’m excited to do it.”

The world-leading performances:

● Men/3,000 m: 7:26.18, Lamecha Girma (ETH)
● Men/Triple Jump: 17.81 m (58-5 1/4), Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)
● Men/Javelin: 88.67 m (290-11), Neeraj Chopra (IND)

● Women/100 m: 10.76, Sha’Carri Richardson (USA)
● Women/1,500 m: 3:58.57, Faith Kipyegon (KEN)
● Women/Steeple: 9:04.38, Winfred Yavi (BRN)
● Women/Vault: 4.81 m (15-9 1/4), Katie Moon (USA)

The men’s 200 m was also much anticipated, with 100 m World Champion Fred Kerley of the U.S. against countrymen (and Worlds medal winners) Kenny Bednarek and Michael Norman, plus Kyree King, and Canada’s Tokyo 200 m gold winner Andre De Grasse and teammate Aaron Brown.

Bednarek was best on the turn and into the straight and looked like a winner until the final 40 m, when Kerley just jetted to the finish, winning in 19.92 (+0.3) to 20.11, with Brown third in 20.20 and Norman last in 20.65. This was amazing; said Kerley:

“I was comfortable, but I know I still got work to do. The most important thing was to win, and I did. I was happy with the competition, it was a good one, the guys gave me a fight. Next is Japan [21 May in Tokyo], open up my season in the 100.”

Wow. On an 81 F evening at the nearly-full Qatar Sports Club, Ethiopian Steeple star Lamecha Girma may want to consider more flat races, as he took control of the race at the bell and then ran away from countryman Selemon Barega – the 2022 World Indoor Champion – to win in a meet record of 7:26.18, with Barega at 7:17.16 and Berihu Aregawi (ETH) third in 7:27.61.

Olympic and Worlds silver medalist Rai Benjamin looked like an easy winner in the men’s 400 m hurdles, but slowed in the home straight and had to fend off a challenge from fellow American C.J. Allen over the final hurdle to win in 47.78 to 47.93, a lifetime best for Allen, now the 57th man (and 24th American) to break 48.

The men’s field events were intriguing, with JuVaughn Harrison of the U.S. clearing seven straight bars to win the high jump at 2.32 m (7-7 1/4). Home hero Mutaz Essa Barshim was third at 2.24 m (7-4 1/4) and the stadium emptied after he went out.

Olympic and World Champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo of Portugal was sensational, taking the lead at 17.65 m (57-11) in the first round, then riding a barely-illegal wind of 2.1 m/s out to 17.95 m in round two (58-10 3/4). That was enough to win, but Burkina-Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango ended with a legal jump of 17.81 m (58-5 1/4) to grab the world lead.

World Champion Kristjian Ceh won the discus with his first throw of 70.89 m (232-7), moving him to no. 2 in the world for 2023, and Olympic champ Neeraj Chopra (IND) also caught his big throw on the first try at a world-leading 88.67 m (290-11), with Olympic silver winner Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) just short with his second-round toss of 88.63 m (290-9).

Favored Marileidy Paulino (DOM) won the women’s 400 m over Shamier Little of the U.S., 50.51-50.84, and Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn grabbed the 100 m hurdles in 12.48 (+1.1), taking control after the sixth hurdle. Americans Alaysha Johnson and former Worlds winner Nia Ali were 2-3 in 12.66 and 12.69.

The women’s 1,500 m was a master class given by Olympic and World Champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, who led at the bell and then blasted away from the field on the turn for home, winning in a world-lead of 3:58.57, over Diribe Welteji (ETH: 3:59.34) and Freweyni Hailu (ETH: 4:00.29). Same for the 3,000 Steeplechase, with Winfred Yavi (BRN: 9:04.38) running away from Sembo Almayew (ETH: 9:05.83). American Emma Coburn fell early in the race and finished 10th in 9:29.41.

The U.S. was 1-2 in the women’s vault, with Olympic and Worlds gold medalist Katie Moon sailing over 4.81 m (15-9 1/4) for the world lead and the win over Slovenia’s Tina Sutej (4.76 m/15-7 1/4) and Sandi Morris of the U.S. (4.71 m/15-5 1/2).

2.
IBA sends 400-page reply to IOC’s questions

The International Boxing Association promised a thorough response to the International Olympic Committee’s continuing concerns over finances, governance and refereeing and judging, and delivered on Friday.

Said IBA Secretary General George Yerolimpos (GRE):

“The IBA has sent all the requested responses and documents to the IOC totalling over 400 pages.

“We are open to continued dialogue and cooperation for the sake of our core values and duty to protect our athletes, and the sport of boxing itself. We hope this helps to ensure a fair evaluation of the IBA and its progress done and will lead to a full reinstatement of the organization in the Olympic movement and production of the boxing events in the lead-up and during Paris 2024.”

The federation, previously known as AIBA, has been on suspension since June 2019, when it was headed by Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov, who removed himself that year, replaced by Moroccan Mohamed Moustahsane on an interim basis. Russian Umar Kremlev, the Secretary General of the Russian Boxing Federation was elected in December of 2020, and the federation changed its name in December 2021.

The IOC has continued to be unhappy with the IBA’s finances, especially a two-year, $50 million deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom which paid off the IBA’s debts. That deal has not been re-signed. A scheduled election for President in 2022 turned into a farce as opponent Boris van der Vorst (NED) was disqualified just prior to the vote and then, after being reinstated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a vote to not hold an election was passed.

Kremlev also reinstated Russian and Belarusian boxers without restrictions in 2022, ignoring the IOC’s recommendations to the contrary in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

For its part, the IOC has made it clear that it has no issues with boxing or the boxers, but with the federation, which is not involved in the Olympic qualifying process, or the operation of the Olympic tournament in Paris. Further, boxing is not currently on the program for Los Angeles in 2028.

Observed: The IBA’s announcement of the filing with the IOC was odd. Not so much that the documentation was sent as promised, but in how it was delivered.

Kremlev has taken great pride in saying, over and over again, that the IBA is “an open and transparent organization.” Strange, then, that the 400 pages of documentation sent to the IOC was not made available publicly, if not in full, then with some redactions of material which may – for some reason – need to be protected.

An open filing of this type is an old and trusted public relations tool to bolster confidence in the organization being investigated, saying “we have nothing to hide.” Odd that the IBA did not do so.

Have no doubt that the IBA is on a charm offensive, naming a “Communication Committee” of which Kremlev is not a member, to continue the discussions with the IOC. Instead, the heads of the five continental associations, two other Board members and Yerolimpos are the designees to try and win back the IBA’s place as the sport’s governing body for the Olympic Games.

They have an uphill fight ahead of them.

3.
Sports ministers of 36 countries question IOC approach

In their fourth announcement on Russia and sport, ministers from 36 countries, including the U.S., questioned the IOC’s approach – especially the details – on reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into international sport. The four-paragraph statement includes:

“We, as Ministers and equivalent senior representatives for sport of our like-minded countries, have noted the recommended conditions of participation for individual neutral athletes and support personnel with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international sports competitions, and the accompanying press statement, published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 28 March 2023. We maintain that the Russian state, which has broken the Olympic Truce twice, must not be allowed to use sport to legitimise its barbaric and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, nor should the Belarusian state be able to use sport to legitimise its complicity in Russia’s war of aggression.

“On the IOC recommendations, we are clear that while some aspects of the strong concerns we raised in our collective statement of 21 February 2023 have been addressed by the IOC, there are substantial issues remaining, not least around military connections of athletes, state funding, the definition of what constitutes teams, and on enforcement mechanisms.

“We underline again that our position is not one of discrimination against individuals on the basis of their passport, and we respect the rights of all athletes to be treated without any discrimination in accordance with the Olympic Charter. We are focused on fair sporting competition as well as on ensuring that Russian and Belarusian athletes are in no way appearing as representatives of their states, as the IOC is also seeking to ensure through its recommendations.

“While fully respecting the autonomy of sporting organisations, we will closely watch the implementation of the recommendations by the IOC and international sports federations over the coming weeks. If these issues are not addressed, we would expect the IOC to reconsider its approach.”

The second-paragraph notice of “state funding” for athletes was raised earlier by British minister Lucy Frazer and could be a key pivot point on whether governments and the IOC fall in line together, or the relationship becomes icy. Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, was the U.S. signatory.

4.
Bach “undertaking all efforts” to return Russia and Belarus

During a visit to China and meetings with the Chinese Olympic Committee, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) told the Xinhua state news agency:

“Now we are undertaking all the efforts to accomplish the mission … of the Olympic Movement by having athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports back into the international competitions.

“We are in a very close cooperation and exchange with the International Federations who at this moment are responsible for running their competitions, and we hope very much that this mission then can be accomplished under the conditions which have been established that the athletes from these two countries must take part in a neutral status, so that we can really unify the whole world with the [view] to the Olympic Games in Paris.”

As usual, Bach insisted that a Ukrainian boycott would solve nothing and pushed back against government intrusion in sport:

“You know the statements of governments who want to decide the people who can participate in the Olympics, the international sports competition, and who not. We have to be very firm that these decisions have to be taken by the responsible sports organizations.

“I see that the governments, it’s their right to express their position. But that they also realize that any kind of boycott would only punish their own athletes and would deprive their people to be proud of their athletes of their Olympic performances.”

He reiterated that no decision has been made about Russian and Belarusian participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

5.
Indonesia ban on Israel resurfaces for World Beach Games

The Association of National Olympic Committees has insisted that Israel will compete in its World Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia from 5-12 August.

But the governor of Bali, citing the Indonesian government’s pro-Palestinian stance, continues to say Israel is not welcome.

The issue flared up again this week, with Bali governor Wayan Koster reiterating on Friday:

“It has been agreed when I received a visit by the youth affairs and sports minister and Indonesian Olympic Committee Chairman Mr. Raja [Sapta Oktohari] that the ANOC World Beach Games in Bali will be held without Israeli participants.

“The list of participating countries has been released and no Israel on it.”

Koster is quite wrong about the country list, especially since qualifications are still going on. Israel did not attend the Chef de Mission meetings in Indonesia, but that’s quite different from not participating in the event. The ANOC announcement on the meetings included:

“Representatives from nearly 70 National Olympic Committees attended the seminar in person with more than 30 joining the meetings remotely. With qualification for the Games ongoing, the final list of NOCs will be finalised on 8 July, but it is expected more than 100 NOCs from all five Continents will compete at the Games.”

For their part, the Israelis are getting irritated. The Israel Olympic Committee issued a statement last week that included:

“After many conversations with the chairman of the International Olympic Committee in recent months, a letter was sent to the President and CEO of ANOC clarifying that Israeli athletes will participate in ANOC only if given the same conditions as those of other countries.

“It should be noted that the IOC is in constant contact with us on this matter, and we are confident that they will uphold the equality and right of the State of Israel to compete in any competition around the world, as it has done throughout the year.”

This is an issue of importance for the IOC. Koster’s anti-Israeli comments already cost Indonesia the hosting opportunity for the 2023 FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup, which will not be held in Argentina this month. FIFA withdrew the tournament in March, moved it and is now considering sanctions against the Indonesian football federation.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● The 2023 IJF World Championships opened in Doha (QAT) with 19 entries from Russia and Belarus as “neutral” athletes and Ukraine boycotting the event in response.

So much for bringing the world together.

Japan’s Natsumi Tsunoda won her third straight World Championships gold in the women’s 48 kg class and her fourth career Worlds medal overall. She defeated France’s Shirine Boukli in the final, with fellow Japanese Wakana Koga taking a bronze medal. It was Boukli’s first senior-level Worlds medal.

Spain’s Francisco Garrigos was the upset winner of the men’s 60 kg division, beating Uzbek Dilshodbek Baratov in the final, after taking out Tokyo Olympic champ Naohisa Takato (JPN) in the semis. Baratov also made some history, winning his first career Worlds medal, at age 25.

The Worlds continue through the 13th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Artistic Swimming ● The Artistic World Cup moved on to Montpellier (FRA), with reigning World Champion Yukiko Inui (JPN) claiming wins in both the Solo Technical and Solo Free finals.

Inui, now 32, won the Solo Technical convincingly, scoring 282.2583 to 262.1833 for Ukraine’s Marta Fiedina and 254.6542 for Spain’s Iris Tio Casas. She was even more dominant in the Solo Free, scoring 389.3583 to 334.6709 for Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT) and 260.8376 for Slovak Viktoria Reichova.

World Champion sisters Luiyi Wang and Qianyi Wang (CHN) won the Duet Technical at 285.4041 over Japan’s Moe Higa and Mashiro Yasunaga (276.7250) and Austria’s sisters, Anna-Maria Alexandri and Erini-Marina Alexandri (273.3468). Americans Megumi Field and Calista Liu finished fourth (254.5458).

Ukraine’s Maryna Aleksiiva and Vladyslava Aleksiiva won the Duet Free, 370.2791 to 334.0125 over Japan’s Higa and Yashunaga.

Spain’s Fernando Diaz won the men’s Technical (214.4959) and was second to Gabriele Minak (ITA, 16) in the Free final, 224.2291 to 193.2875.

A close Mixed Duet Technical final went to China’s Haoyu Shi and Yiyao Zhang (246.3042) over Tomoka Sato and Yotaro Sato (JPN: 244.5167). Sato and Sato won the Mixed Duet Free at 273.5708 to 267.8917 for Spain’s Diaz and Mirela Hernandez.

China won the Mixed Team Technical and Japan won the Mixed Team Free.

● Athletics ● Distance running was the focus at the Sound Running On Track Fest at Mt. SAC on Saturday evening, with world-leading marks in the men’s Steeple and the expected fireworks in the women’s 5,000 m.

BYU’s Kenneth Rooks won the Steeple in 8:17.62, ahead of George Beamish (NZL; 8:20.62), fellow American Hillary Bor (8:20.67) and Jean-Simon Desgagnes (CAN: 8:20.68), now the top four performers of the year.

The women’s 5,000 m was set for hot times and did not disappoint.

Josette Andrews took over after the pacesetter was done at 3,000 m and then turned out laps of 70.9, 69.9, 71.8, 68.4 and 64.5 to win with a huge lifetime best of 14:43.36, the 2023 world leader and moving her to no. 7 all-time U.S. Only Venezuela’s Joselyn Brea was really close, four-tenths back at the bell and finishing with a national record of 14:47.76, a lifetime best by more than 17 seconds!

Mexico’s Laura Galvan was third in 14:49.34, another national record, and American Emily Infeld was fourth (14:50.90), also with a lifetime best.

In seventh was North Carolina State junior Katelyn Tuohy, 21, who crushed her prior lifetime best of 15:14.61 with a time of 15:03.12, the fastest ever recorded by a collegian outdoors. Colorado’s Jenny Simpson ran 15:07.64 in 2009, but also had a 15:01.70 performance in 2009 indoors. But it’s a collegiate outdoor best for Tuohy, steadily moving up.

In the men’s 5,000 m, American Cooper Teare won in 13:21.73 with a 54.82 last lap, ahead of Morgan Beadlescomb (13:12.95) and Ben Flanagan (CAN: 13:13.97). Places 1-12 are now ranked 2-13 on the year list. South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt ran away with the men’s 10,000 m to win in 27:23.10.

At the Atlanta City Games, a street meet with an elevated track, emphasized the sprints and hurdles, with a world-leading mark from hurdles World Champion Grant Holloway of the U.S.

Running in his second meet of the year, Holloway – already the world leader at 13.03 from mid-April – won his heat in 13.15 and then stormed away in the final to win in 13.01 (wind: 0.0), ahead of Robert Dunning’s lifetime best of 13.09 and Jamal Britt (13.14).

Tia Jones won the women’s hurdles in 12.50 (+0.4), ahead of Keni Harrison (12.53).

The women’s 100 m went to U.S. star Aleia Hobbs in 10.99 (+0.2), her ninth meet without a loss this season (60 m x 5; 100 m x 4), beating Mikiah Brisco (11.02). The men’s 100 m was a tight finish between Oblique Seville (JAM: 9.99; wind -0.2), Akani Simbine (RSA: 10.01) and Zharnel Hughes (GBR: 10.01).

Noah Lyles was the dominant winner of the 150 m sprint in 14.56, beating teen star Erriyon Knighton (14.85) and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (14.89), while Tamari Davis of the U.S. won the women’s race in 16.44.

In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Tara Davis-Woodhall took the world lead in the women’s long jump at the Arkansas Twilight meet with her second-best jump ever, 7.07 m (23-2 1/2). She got out to a windy 6.91 m (+4.3) in the first round, another windy 6.91 m (+3.0) in the second, and after a foul, a legal 6.85 m (22-5 3/4 +1.9) in the fourth. Then she exploded out to 7.07 m with a just-legal +1.9 m/s wins before passing in round six.

● Curling ● The season-ending Grand Slam of Curling Champions Cup in Regina (CAN) came down to all-Canadian finals in both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Turin Olympic champ Brad Gushue’s team won the Beijing 2022 Olympic bronze and the 2023 Worlds silver, but it was Brendan Bottcher’s rink that scored two in the sixth and one in the eighth end to get a 5-3 win. It’s the second Champions Cup win for Bottcher – also in 2019 – and his fifth Grand Slam tournament title.

Defending Champions Cup winner and two-time Worlds medalist Kerri Einarson got off to a 4-0 lead in the women’s final after three ends against 2017 World Champion Rachel Homan, a three-time winner of this tournament. But Homan mounted a charge, scoring once in ends 4-5-6 and twice in the eight to force an extra end at 5-5. And Homan completed the comeback, scoring once to win, 6-5, with scores in five of the final six ends.

For Homan, it’s her 13th Grand Slam win and fourth Champions Cup title.

● Cycling ● The 106th Giro d’Italia got underway Saturday with one of the overall favorites, Remco Evenepoel (BEL) immediately taking charge with a win in the 19.6 km Individual Time Trial.

He dominated the flat course along the Abruzzo Coast to Ortona, winning in 21:18, well ahead of former World Time Trial champ Filippo Ganna of Italy (+0:22) and another of the contenders, Portugal’s Joao Almeida (+0:29).

Sunday’s hilly 202 km stage from Teramo to San Salvo was set for a mass sprint finish, but was hampered by a bad crash with 4 km left. The peloton reformed and the dash for the line was won by Italian Jonny Milan, 22, his biggest win ever. He timed 4:55:11, ahead of 43 more with the same time. Second was David Dekker (NED), ahead of Kaden Groves (AUS), with Evenepoel retaining the pink jersey and a 22-second lead on Ganna.

The ninth women’s La Vuelta Femenina concluded in Lagos de Covadonga in the Asturias region in northwest Spain, with Dutch superstar Annemiek van Vleuten – two-time World Road Champion – taking control after the sixth stage and leading into Sunday’s final ride.

Fellow Dutch master Marianne Vos, 35 – a three-time World Road winner – had the lead from the second stage through the fourth, winning both the third and fourth stages. But Dutch star Demi Vollering, the best rider so far in 2023, won the climbing fifth stage to take over the race lead, with van Vleuten just three seconds back on the day and five seconds back in the overall race.

Italy’s Gaia Realini beat van Vleuten to the line in the final sprint on Saturday, but both were more than a minute ahead of the field and that gave van Vleuten the lead by a hefty 1:11 over Vollering.

Stage 7 was no picnic, a 93.7 route with a major climb in the middle and then an uphill finish going from 65 m to 1,106 m in the final 22 km. Vollering, Realini and van Vleuten were all in contention on their way to the finish, but Vollering broke free and won in 2:43:02, ahead of Realini (+0:11) and van Vleuten (+0:56). That gave van Vleuten the overall title at 19:00:11, just nine seconds ahead of Vollering and Realini (+2:41).

That’s three in a row for van Vleuten in this race, who has also won three editions of the Giro Donne, four total UCI World Championships golds and the Tour de France Femmes in 2022. At 40, she can claim to be the best women’s road rider of all time.

● Diving ● China won all nine events at the World Cup opener in Xian. At the second Diving World Cup in Montreal (CAN), it was the same: nine for nine.

Current World Champion Zongyuan Wang won the men’s 3 m Springboard – as he did in Xian – scoring 556.75, with teammate Shixin Li second at 465.25. Xian winner and two-time Worlds medalist Hao Yang took the 10 m Platform gold in 580.25, followed by Rikuto Tamai (JPN) at 513.45. American Brendan Loschiavo was seventh (439.55)

Wang teamed with Daoyi Long to win the men’s 3 m Synchro title, scoring 492.18 for a decisive win over Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher (GBR: 443.10). Americans Tyler Downs and Greg Duncan finished sixth at 395.64.

In the 10 m Synchro, reigning World Champions Junjie Lian and Yang were not challenged, winning by 456.72 to 412.74 over Ukraine’s Kirill Boliukh and Oleksii Sereda.

The women’s sweep featured 2022 World Champion Yiwen Chen on the 3 m Springboard and Olympic gold medalist Hongchan Quan on the 10 m Platform. Chen won for the second time this season, scoring 404.70 to 365.40 for Canada’s Pamela Ware and 357.85 for American Sarah Bacon. Hailey Hernandez of the U.S. was sixth at 315.25.

Quan, who was second in Xian, won this time with 458.20, ahead of teammate and 2022 World Champion Yuxi Chen (438.90).

In the women’s 3 m Synchro, the 2022 World Champion duo of Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen won, but were pressed – 329.43 to 315.09 – by the U.S.’s Bacon and Kassidy Cook.

The women’s 10 m Synchro team of Yuxi Chen and Quan won easily, 378.60 to 316.68, for Britain’s Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson. Americans Jessica Parratto and Delaney Schnell were seventh at 281.52.

In the mixed team event, China won by 489.25 to 454.90 for Canada, with the U.S. eighth at 343.60.

That’s 18-for-18 for the Chinese; the World Cup Super Final will take place in Berlin (GER) in August.

● eSports ● The IOC announced the opening of ticket sales for the four-day Olympic Esports Week in Singapore from 22-25 June 2023. A sport-shooting game developed by the International Shooting Sport Federation with Fortnite has been added to the program.

Single-day general admission tickets are SGD 10 for 23 June and SGD 15 for 24-25 June, with three-day passes for adults at SGD 30. (SGD 1 = $0.75 U.S.).

● Fencing ● The Epee Grand Prix in Cali (COL) offered contrasting finals of well-knowns and unknowns.

The women’s championship matched pitting world no. 2 Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG) against no. 3 Marie-Florence Candassamy of France, both looking for their first career Grand Prix gold. It was Kong in charge, winning 15-8, now with three career Grand Prix medals (1-1-1). Candassamy won her second career Grand Prix silver (0-2-4).

The men’s final had no. 27 Davide Di Veroli, 21, of Italy facing 114th-ranked Jiri Beran (CZE), now 41! And Beran won it, in a 9-8 defensive struggle to win his first Grand Prix gold and first Grand Prix medal since 2010! Di Veroli won a Grand Prix bronze last year and has now moved up to silver.

The women’s Foil World Cup scheduled for Tauberbischofsheim (GER), but returned by the German federation in protest against the FIE Congress vote to allow Russian and Belarusian fencers to compete as neutrals was held instead in Plovdiv (BUL).

Tokyo Olympic champ Lee Keifer of the U.S. collected her fifth career World Cup gold (and 21st medal) with a 15-11 win in the final over France’s Ysoara Thibus, the 2022 World Champion.

The U.S. team of Lauren Scruggs, Maia Weintraub, Zander Rhodes and Jacqueline Dubrovich finished third, with France defeating Italy, 45-41, for the gold.

Keifer’s husband, Gerek Meinhardt, was competing at the men’s Foil World Cup in Acapulco (MEX) and reached the semifinals against Tokyo Olympic winner Ka Long Cheung (KOR), but fell 15-7 and settled for a bronze medal. Cheung faced Egypt’s 22-year-old Mohamed Hamza – born in Houston, Texas! – in the final, with Hamza winning, 15-10, for his first career World Cup gold.

The U.S. team of Meinhardt, Alexander Massialas, Nick Itkin and Miles Chamley-Watson won gold, defeating Italy in the final.

● Gymnastics ● The FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge Cup series was in Portimao (POR), with 2022 Worlds All-Around silver medalist Darja Varfolomeev taking the All-Around at 125.200 from American Evita Griskenas (121.950) and Aibota Yertaikyzy (KAZ: 118.400).

It was the third career World Challenge Cup medal for Griskenas (0-2-1), and she wasn’t done.

Varfolomeev dominated the apparatus finals, winning with Hoop (33.800) over Griskenas second (30.450); with Clubs (33.150), with Griskenas second again (30.950) and on Ribbon (31.200), with Griskenas fifth (29.850).

Kazak Elzhana Taniyeva won with Ball (32.500) with Varfolomeev third (31.600) and Griskenas fourth (31.450).

● Rowing ● At the opening World Rowing World Cup in Zagreb (CRO), Switzerland picked up three wins in the full-weight classes and Spain won twice.

The star power was in the men’s races, with two-time World Champion Oliver Zeidler (GER) winning the Single Sculls, 6:46.82 to 6:49.40 over 2020 European Champion Sverri Nielsen (DEN).

The Croatian Sinkovic brothers – Martin and Valent – the Double Sculls gold medalists at Rio 2016 and then the Pairs winners at Tokyo 2020, won in Double Sculls in Zagreb, 6:16.74 to 6:20.53 against Spain’s 2022 Worlds runner-ups, Aleix Garcia and Rodrigo Conde. The Czech Republic won the Quadruple Sculls over Ukraine, 5:50.08 to 5:51.39.

In the men’s Pairs, Swiss Roman Roeoesli and Andrin Gulich won by daylight in 6:30.98 against Spain’s 2022 Worlds silver medalists, Jaime Canalejo and Javier Garcia (6:33.21). The Swiss Fours also won in 5:59.70, well in front of South Africa (6:02.12).

Spain got a win in the women’s Single Sculls, as Virginia Diaz eked out a 7:33.93 to 7:33.95 victory against Swiss Aurelia-Maxima Janzen. The Swiss took their third win in the Double Sculls, with Fabienne Schweizer and Lisa Loetscher finishing in 7:04.75, well clear of Katharina and Magdalena Lobnig (AUT: 7:08.32). Ukraine won the Quadruple Sculls, 6:24.43-6:37.48, over the Swiss.

Spain’s second win came in the women’s Pairs, as Aina Cid and Esther Briz Zamorano managed a 7:16.49 to 7:17.22 win over Czechs Radka Novotnikova and Pavlina Flamikova. Chile won the Fours final over Spain, 6:46.34 to 6:50.93.

The second World Cup comes from 16-18 June in Varese, Italy.

● Sport Climbing ● The IFSC Speed World Cup in Jakarta (INA) was much anticipated after the men’s and women’s world records has been shattered the week before in Korea.

Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw claimed four world-record performances in Seoul, and led the qualifying in Jakarta, but had a tough time in the final against home favorite Made Desak, winning by 6.43 to 6.52.

In the men’s final, Indonesian stars Kiromal Katibin (5.03) and Veddriq Leonardo (5.09) led the qualifying, but when the final came, it was the third Indonesian entry, Raharjati Nursamsa who won in 5.11, defeating China’s Xinshang Wang (5.14) with Katibin winning the bronze.

● Swimming ● A very fast Chinese Nationals concluded in Hangzhou, with world-leading marks in six events:

● Men/100 m Free: 47.22, Zhanie Pan (CHN)
● Men/200 m Free: 1:44.65, Pan
● Men/100 m Back: 52.26, Jiayu Xu (CHN)
● Men/100 m Breast: 57.93, Haiyang Qin (CHN)
● Men/200 m Medley: 1:55.55, Shun Wang (CHN)

● Women/100 m Fly: 56.48, Yufei Zhang (CHN)

Pan’s time in the 100 m Free is a national record and moves him to no. 11 all-time, at age 18. His 200 m win was a lifetime best and moves him up to a tie for 13th all-time.

Qin exploded to a national record in the 100 m Breast and his 57.93 makes him no. 3 ever and only the third man to break 58 seconds! His prior best had been 58.66 from the Chinese Spring Nationals in March!

● Wrestling ● The U.S. was expected to dominate the Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires (ARG), and left no doubt, winning all three teams titles and grabbing wins in a total of 20 classes!

The wins started in the Greco-Roman division, with golds for Dalton Duffield (55 kg), Dalton Roberts (60 kg), Justus Scott (72 kg), Kamal Bey (77 kg), Spencer Woods (82 kg) and Joe Rau at 97 kg. Cuba won the other three classes: Luis Orta (67 kg), Daniel Gregorich (87 kg) and three-time Worlds medalist Oscar Pino at 130 kg.

The U.S. piled up 175 points for the team title, ahead of Cuba (114) and Mexico (78).

The American women picked up five golds, with Tokyo bronze winner Sarah Hildebrandt winning at 50 kg; Xochitl Mota-Pettis at 59 kg, two-time Worlds medalist Mallory Velte at 65 kg, Forrest Molinari at 68 kg (her third PanAm gold) and World Champion Amit Elor at 72 kg. Alisha Howk took the silver at 55 kg and Kayla Miracle won bronze at 62 kg.

The U.S. women won the team crown with 178 points to 135 for Canada and 93 for Ecuador.

The men’s Freestyle finals started with seven straight wins for the U.S.: 2021 World Champion Thomas Gilman at 57 kg, Vito Arujau at 61 kg (his second PanAm gold), Yianni Diakomihalis at 65 kg (second PanAm gold), Worlds silver winner Zain Retherford at 70 kg; a sixth Pan American Champs gold for Jordan Burroughs, this time at 79 kg, and Michael Macchiavello at 92 kg.

Kyle Dake won at 74 kg, his third PanAm title; Kyle Snyder won his sixth at 97 kg and Dominique Bradley won at 125 kg to give the U.S. nine wins in 10 weights. At 86 kg, Cuba’s Yurieski Torreblanca won his fourth PanAm title, with Mark Hall of the U.S. third.

The American men won the Freestyle title by 240-136 over Canada, with Puerto Rico third at 123.

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TSX REPORT: Valieva hearing not until August; Russia fine with funding “neutral” athletes; UCI to review transgender rules again

By
Rich Perelman
-
Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin (Photo: FISU)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Valieva doping appeal at CAS not coming until August?
2. Russian minister sees no issues funding “neutral” athletes
3. UCI to consider transgender rules again
4. Diamond League starts in Doha; Giro d’Italia starts Saturday
5. USATF publishes Road Worlds selection procedures

The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed that a hearing on the appeal of the sanctions against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva won’t be held until at least August. The Team event medals from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games continue to hang in the balance. Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin said that government funding of “neutral” Russian athletes is fine as far as he is concerned. Others have cited state funding as a reason to disqualify such athletes from any return to international competitions. The Union Cycliste Internationale will review its transgender rules, deciding to look into the issue again a couple of days after an American transgender, Austin Killips, won the Tour of the Gila stage race in New Mexico. The Wanda Diamond League in athletics and the first of the Grand Tours in cycling, the 106th Giro d’Italia, start on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Neither will be shown live on U.S. television. USA Track & Field published selection procedures for its team for the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Latvia in September, focusing on results from the U.S. nationals in the mile and 5 km and World Athletics world rankings in the half marathon.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (300,000+ volunteer applications received) = Shooting (Italy tops medal table at ISSF Shotgun World Cup) = Swimming (18 swimmers file suit vs. University of California over McKeever abuse) ●

1.
Valieva doping appeal at CAS not coming until August?

The seemingly unending saga of the Kamila Valieva doping positive from December 2021 will continue well into the summer.

The Russian news agency TASS reported a statement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which included:

“The exchange of written submissions is ongoing. All parties have agreed to extend the usual time limits for this phase.”

“The hearing date will be determined at a later stage, once the lists of witnesses and experts will have been filed.

“It is unlikely that the hearing will take place prior to August 2023. Once it has been set, the hearing date will be announced officially on the CAS website.”

The CAS hearing is a consolidated appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Skating Union and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (!) against the independent Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which held that Valieva did, in fact, did return a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine from her test on 25 December 2021. It held that she bore no fault for this positive and gave her a one-day sanction, instead of the four years sought by WADA.

Valieva was suspended by RUSADA in advance of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, but this was overturned by the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee, allowing her to compete. She was a member of the winning Russian squad in the Team event, but as her doping positive was revealed, the results have never been certified and no medals awarded.

2.
Russian minister sees no issues funding “neutral” athletes

One of the questions which has been raised about the International Olympic Committee’s 28 March recommendations for the re-admission of Russian and Belaursian athletes to international competitions is about state funding of such athletes.

British Minister Lucy Frazer has specifically called out athletes funded by the Russian or Belarusian state to be ineligible in the same way that the IOC has specified that athletes involved in the military or national security apparatus of their countries cannot compete.

But Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin told TASS he sees no problems:

“We will do everything necessary to ensure the participation of our athletes in international competitions, for us they were, are and remain our athletes, members of national teams.

“I don’t see any difficulties in terms of financing.”

“But we will look at the conditions that will be determined by the international federations. We are carefully working on these issues from a legal and financial point of view, I think that we will find a way out, because our main task is to ensure the participation of our athletes, subject to respect for our rights.”

Matytsin also noted, however, that re-admission as neutrals may be as much as Russia can hope for at this stage:

“Unfortunately, it is difficult to challenge these decisions legally, because one way or another, international federations are the governing organizations in their sports and determine the rules, which are also supported by decisions of the relevant bodies, the executive committee or congress.

“From a legal point of view, it is difficult to challenge them, although of course, there is a certain red line that neither leaders, nor athletes, nor coaches will cross.

“It’s too early to talk about it, we need to wait for specific requirements. So far we see recommendations and a neutral status, and everywhere the requirements are quite different. In each specific case, our All-Russian federations need to work with international federations, because in many ways the position and regulations depend on how persistent and reasoned the arguments of the Russian side will be.”

TASS quoted the International Golf Federation as allowing Russian and Belarusian players to compete in IGF events (of which there are very few outside of the Olympic Games and continental multi-sport games):

“The Board considered the recently published recommendations of the International Olympic Committee for international federations and organizers of international sporting events on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions and determined a number of conditions for IGF events.

“Athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport shall compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes. Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, as well as all other participating Athletes, must comply with all applicable anti-doping requirements set forth in the IGF Anti-Doping Rules.”

Russian and Belarusian golfers are not significant factors on the PGA or LPGA Tours, or in the Olympic rankings.

3.
UCI to consider transgender rules again

Just a couple of days after American transgender rider Austin Killips won the Category 2.2 Tour of the Gila in New Mexico, the Union Cycliste Internationale Management Committee convened in Cagliari, Sardinia and announced a review of its standards:

“The Management Committee decided to analyse the current situation by reopening consultation with the athletes and National Federations. Members therefore agreed to debate and take an eventual decision at its next meeting, in Glasgow, in August. The UCI’s objective remains the same: to take into consideration, in the context of the evolution of our society, the desire of transgender athletes to practise cycling. The UCI also hears the voices of female athletes and their concerns about an equal playing field for competitors, and will take into account all elements, including the evolution of scientific knowledge.”

Cycling’s current standards were considered fairly stringent, with a maximum serum testosterone level for women of 2.5 nmol/L maintained for two years, but this did not address the question of changing genders after the onset of male puberty. This was identified as an important factor by World Aquatics in its regulations issued in June 2022 and the World Athletics regulations from March of this year.

The UCI finally equalized race distances in track cycling, with the women’s Individual Pursuit increased to 4 km, the 500 m Time Trial increased to 1 km, and the Scratch event changed to 10 km for both. These changes will come into force on 1 January 2025.

The financial report showed an “expected operating loss” of CHF 4.0 million, but there was also an investment loss of CHF 9.1 million. However, reserves remain healthy at CHF 30.3 million, and “The financial plan up to the end of 2024 continues as planned, and the UCI remains in a good position to face the end of the current Olympic cycle.” (CHF 1 = $1.13 U.S.)

4.
Diamond League starts in Doha; Giro d’Italia starts Saturday

The Wanda Diamond League is back, beginning once again in Doha (QAT) on Friday.

There are lots of good match-ups (U.S. athletes unless otherwise indicated):

● Men/200 m: World 100 m champ Fred Kerley, Olympic and Worlds silver winner Kenny Bednarek and World 400 m gold medalist Michael Norman.

● Men/3,000 m: Kenyan 1,500 star Timothy Cheruiyot (3:28.28 1,500 m) will try the 3,000 m, with strong contenders in steeplechase stars Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR: Tokyo gold) and Lamecha Girma (ETH: Tokyo silver) and Getnet Wale (ETH). Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi (7:26.81) and Australian Stewart McSweyn (7:28.02) are the ones with the experience in this race, but look out for Selemon Barega (ETH), the Tokyo 10,000 m winner.

● Men/400 m hurdles: Olympic silver winner Rai Benjamin (47.74 already this year) leads this field, with fellow Americans Trevor Bassitt (2022 Worlds bronze) and C.J. Allen (48.17 best) ready to challenge.

● Men/High Jump: All eyes on home favorite Mutaz Essa Barshim, the Tokyo Olympic and 2022 World champ, who will be challenged by Americans JuVaughn Harrison and Shelby McEwen, and Canada’s Django Lovett.

● Men/Triple Jump: Is two-time Olympic champ Christian Taylor recovered from his injuries? Is Olympic and World champ Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR) in shape? Same questions for Cubans Andy Diaz and Lazaro Martinez and Burundi’s Tokyo bronzer Hugues Fabrice Zango.

● Men/Javelin: World Champion Anderson Peters (GRN), Olympic champ Neeraj Chopra (IND), Olympic runner-up Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) and even 2015 World Champion Julius Yego of Kenya are here.

● Women/100 m: World leader and 200 m World Champion Shericka Jackson (JAM) is pitted against Americans Sha’Carri Richardson, TeeTee Terry, Abby Steiner, Teahna Daniels and Melissa Jefferson. Is 2019 Worlds runner-up Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) in shape yet?

● Women/1,500 m: Olympic and World champ Faith Kipyegon (KEN) is here, but who will challenge her? Ethiopians Hirut Meshesha, Axumawit Embaye, Freweyni Hailu and Diribe Welteji will try. American Cory McGee (4:00.34 best) could break four minutes here.

● Women/100 m hurdles: Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) will face a U.S. contingent of former Worlds winner Nia Ali, Tonea Marshall, and Alaysha Johnson, as well as Jamaican Worlds bronze winner Megan Tapper.

● Women/Steeple: Olympic champ Perth Chemutai (UGA), 2017 Worlds winner Emma Coburn of the U.S., world-record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (KNE) are all in, as is 2022 Worlds bronze winner Mekides Abebe (ETH).

● Women/Vault: Olympic and World champ Katie Moon and 2019/2022 Worlds silver winner Sandi Morris are both in as are Olympic bronzer Holly Bradshaw (GBR) and Worlds bronze winner Nina Kennedy (AUS).

As far as television is concerned, the meet will be streamed live on NBC’s peacock subscription service beginning at noon Eastern time, with delayed cable coverage on Sunday on CNBC, also at noon.

The first of the three Grand Tours in cycling begins on Saturday with the 106th Giro d’Italia, departing with an individual time trial along the Abruzzo coast and finishing with the 21st stage in Rome on 28 May.

The 3,448.6 km (2,142 mile) route includes three Individual Time Trials, three flat stages, four modestly hilly stages, five hilly stages and six mountain stages, including three in the final week!

Among the favorites:

● Remco Evenepoel (BEL) ~ 2022 La Vuelta winner; 2022 World Road champ
● Primoz Roglic (SLO) ~ La Vuelta winner 2019-20-21; Giro 3rd in 2019
● Tao Geoghegan (GBR) ~ 2020 Giro winner; La Vuelta 19th in 2022
● Joao Almeida (POR) ~ Giro 4th in 2020, 6th in 2021; La Vuelta 5th in 2022
● Geraint Thomas (GBR) ~ 2018 Tour de France winner; Giro DNF in 2017-20

Evenepoel, 23, has been on fire this season, winning the seven-stage UAE Tour in February, second in the seven-stage Volta a Catalunya and then winning the historic Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in April. He’s only tried the Giro once, in 2021, and did not finish.

The race will not be shown on U.S. television; it’s being streamed on the subscription-based Global Cycling Network site.

5.
USATF publishes Road Worlds selection procedures

The first World Athletics Road Running Championships this fall in Riga, Latvia, could be the start of something big. USA Track & Field published its six-page team selection procedures last week, starting with team size:

● In the mile and 5 km, teams can bring three, but only two can start, so USATF will select two per event.

● In the half marathon, teams can bring five, but only four can start, so USATF will select four.

The selection of the mile and 5 km entries will come from the USATF National Championships from 6-9 July in Eugene, Oregon, in the “rank order of finish” in the 1,500 m and 5,000 m for men and women.

The half-marathon entries are more complicated and will be based on the World Athletics world rankings for the Half Marathon-10 km grouping as of 1 August 2023. At present, the top four Americans are:

● Men: Conner Mantz, Abbabiya Simbassa, Sam Chelanga, Leonard Korir
● Women: Keira D’Amato, Emily Sisson, Sara Hall, Emily Durgin

Further, there will be some interesting choices to be made, with the U.S. Nationals from 6-9 July, the same 1,500 m and 5,000 m qualifiers going to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest from 19-27 August and then the World Road Champs on 30 September and 1 October, two weeks after the Diamond League Final at the Pre Classic in Eugene and a week after the USATF 10 km Championships and Berlin Marathon!

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paris 2024 ● The French newspaper Le Monde reported that the Paris 2024 organizers have received more than 300,000 applications for volunteer positions at the Games, from which 45,000 are expected to be chosen.

The organizing committee projects 30,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic Games and 15,000 more for the Paralympics. The report noted that 55% of candidates are women, and about a third are under the age of 25.

● Shooting ● At the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Cairo (EGY), Italy led the leader board with five medals (1-3-1), starting with a good showing in the men’s Skeet final.

Rio 2016 Olympic champ Gabriele Rossetti won the event with 39 points to 38 for teammate Elia Sdruccioli, with Tokyo Olympic silver winner Jesper Hansen (DEN: 42 years old!) third (26).

Simona Scocchetti, 37, the 2013 Worlds runner-up almost claimed another win, but ended up second in the women’s Skeet final to China’s 18-year-old Yiting Jiang, 35-33, who claimed her first ISSF World Cup individual medal.

The Mixed Team final was a 6-0 win for India (Mairaj Khan and Ganemat Sekhon) over Mexico.

Tokyo Olympic champ Jiri Liptak (CZE), 41, won the men’s Trap final, 32-28 over Italy’s 42-year-old Massimo Fabbrizi, the London 2012 silver medalist. Portugal’s Maria Coelho de Barrios defeated Chun Lin Yi (TPE: 41 and the 2002 World Champion in Double Trap!) in the women’s final, 30-27.

● Swimming ● The University of California was sued by 18 former members of the Cal women’s swimming team on Monday, alleging abuse by former coach Teri McKeever, dismissed by the university for abusive conduct and violations of school policies.

The plaintiffs include Rio Olympic 4×200 m Freestyle gold medalist Cierra Runge (now Cierra Burnell) and numerous other All-American swimmers for incidents dating back to 1994. McKeever won four NCAA team titles over 30 years at Cal and was the U.S. head women’s coach at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Cycling to allow Russians, Belarusians in June; van de Vorst to focus on World Boxing; sprint star Bowie found dead at 32

By
Rich Perelman
-
Dutch Boxing Federation President Boris van der Vorst (l) and IOC President Thomas Bach of Germany, two men who will influence the future of boxing in the Olympic Games. (Photo: Boris van der Vorst Twitter page)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. UCI authorizes Russian and Belarusian re-entry as of 1 June
2. Van de Vorst to leave Dutch fed, focus on World Boxing
3. U.S. Olympic star sprinter Bowie dies at 32
4. Paris 2024 would-be “un-volunteers” detail possible acts
5. Perurena re-elected as World Games head, 30 sports in ‘25

The Union Cycliste Internationale approved the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to competition as soon as 1 June as neutral athletes, after a check of their public communications, of any type, about the Ukraine invasion since its inception in February 2022. The UCI is also taking heat for its transgender regulations, with American Austin Killips – a transgender woman – winning the women’s Tour of the Gila in New Mexico on Sunday. Dutch boxing federation chief Boris van der Vorst will step down as federation chief at the end of this month in order to concentrate on the development of the new World Boxing group in an attempt to keep boxing on the Olympic program. The International Boxing Association, which says it champions the right of all athletes from any country to compete, was rebuked by the Kosovo Olympic Committee after it said that Uzbek authorities would not issue visas for their fighters to compete in the ongoing men’s World Championships in Tashkent. Sad news of the passing of 2016 triple Olympic medal winner Tori Bowie, found dead in her Florida home, at age 32. The continuing turmoil in France over the increase of the retirement (pension) age from 62 to 64 has created an underground of “un-volunteers” who will seek to damage the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris – if they are selected – as a continuing protest against French President Emmanuel Macron. Spain’s Jose Perurena was elected to a third term as the head of the International World Games Association; also approved were 30 sports for the program of the 2025 World Games in China.

● Panorama: World University Games (remembering the 1923 origins of the concept) = Athletics (Amos suspended for three years) = Fencing (Ukraine files at CAS against FIE allowing Russian return) = Snowboard (U.S.’s Diebold retires at 36) = Volleyball (Brazil’s Wallace suspended five years for inciting violence) = Weightlifting (IWF releases doping control figure for 2022) = Wrestling (Mensah-Stock retires, joining WWE) ●

1.
UCI authorizes Russian and Belarusian re-entry as of 1 June

The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes may be allowed back into international competitions as neutrals as of 1 June 2023. In specific, the UCI decided:

“To authorise, under strict conditions, the participation of athletes of Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality in events on the UCI International Calendar, including UCI World Cup and UCI Nations Cup events and UCI World Championships, as ‘neutral individual athletes’, without them having any involvement or association with the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, their National Federation or National Olympic Committee. Any person wishing to obtain the status of ‘neutral individual athlete’ will have to apply to the UCI within the framework of a procedure which will lead, if the conditions are met, to the issue of this status by the UCI. The possibility of participating in international competitions as a ‘neutral individual athlete’ will become effective from 1st June.”

A supplementary document outlines the neutrality requirements, which include the now-familiar “No link with the Russian or Belarusian military or with any other national security agency” and “No active support for the war in Ukraine,” there was this regarding communications:

“Riders and support personnel must refrain from any activity or communication, either verbal, non-verbal or written, associated with the national flag, anthem, emblem or any other symbol of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, their National Federations or NOCs, or from any support for the war in Ukraine in any official venue or in the media (including interviews, social media, retweets and reposted messages on Twitter, forwarded messages, etc. ) at any time since the beginning of the military aggression in Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.

“Riders and support personnel must not make any public statements or comments or take any action or behave in any way that may prejudice the interests of the competition, its integrity or the participant’s neutrality required as a condition for participation.”

This will requite research on athlete and staff applicants going back to February 2022, when the invasion started. The UCI’s regulations state that it will “confirm if the status of Individual Neutral Athlete can be granted within a deadline of 30 days.”

The UCI’s opening to Russian and Belarusian athletes and support personnel also applies to race officials, who can now also apply to return to working at cycling events.

The UCI’s actions are hardly unexpected, given that it has allowed Russian and Belarusian riders for road cycling teams to continue to participate on a neutral basis, but has outlawed teams organized or sponsored by Russian or Belarusian companies.

The federation included the usual condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and pledged further assistance to Ukraine cycling, including CHF 100,000 to the Ukrainian Cycling Federation, and continuing credits of up to CHF 600,000 for technical support.

The UCI is also under pressure after American transgender racer Austin Killips came from 12th to first by winning last Sunday’s fifth and final stage of the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico.

The Tour of the Gila, held for women beginning in 2000, is an important American stage race, on the fourth level of the UCI calendar (category 2.2). The organizers posted a notice that reads in part:

“This race marks the first time an openly trans athlete (Austin Killips from Amy D Foundation) has won a UCI Women’s Stage Race. Tour of the Gila is a UCI sanctioned and regulated race; as such, Tour of the Gila is required to follow the rules and regulations set forth by UCI. All rules and regulations on racer eligibility and classification are set forth by the UCI and USA Cycling and must be followed by event organizers.

“Tour of the Gila recognizes the passionate debate regarding rider eligibility and classifications of riders set by UCI and USA Cycling and encourages UCI and USA Cycling to host an open discussion on the matter. All comments regarding rider eligibility should be directed to UCI and USA Cycling.”

According to a statement sent to CNN by the UCI:

“The UCI acknowledges that transgender athletes may wish to compete in accordance with their gender identity. The UCI rules are based on the latest scientific knowledge and have been applied in a consistent manner.”

The statement implies that Killips, 27, originally a skier who has been riding as a female since 2019, meets the UCI’s requirements for transgender participation, with serum testosterone levels of 2.5 nmol/L or less for at least 24 months prior to competing.

Her win has been met with substantial criticism, including from Canadian Alison Sydor, a three-time World Champion in Mountain Bike:

“The current UCI rules that allow males to compete in female cycling events are not fair to female athletes. Time for UCI to admit this current rule situation is unsustainable and leaving a black mark on cycling as a fair sport for females.”

Killips plans to continue on.

2.
Van de Vorst to leave Dutch fed, focus on World Boxing

Boris van der Vorst announced that he will conclude 10 years as the President of the Nederlanse Boksbond – the Dutch national boxing federation – on 29 May at the General Assembly. The future of Olympic boxing is the reason. He explained in a posted letter, reading in part:

“So why have I decided to say goodbye? This has to do with the fact that in recent times, I had to increasingly focus on international developments. After the judging scandals at Rio 2016, the international association was under a magnifying glass of its partners and stakeholders, including the IOC. The leadership culture within the [International Boxing Association] caused great concern for the IOC, as well as for many National Federations, particularly in the areas of sports integrity, governance, and financial management. The election of the controversial AIBA President, Gafur Rahimov [UZB], lead to the suspension of AIBA’s recognition by the IOC in 2019.

“Since then, the situation has only deteriorated, and that is why a group of like-minded representatives of National Federations from around the world, have been trying to change the leadership culture within the IBA. Unfortunately, we have not succeeded until now and I am concerned that the Olympic recognition of the IBA is about to be permanently lost. This would be a doomsday scenario, an outright nightmare for our sport. For this reason, World Boxing was presented to the global sports community on April 13, where I am among the Interim Executive Board Members, together with leaders from GB Boxing, USA Boxing, and others.

“World Boxing aims to save the Olympic-style boxing for the future generations by securing its place within the Olympic Family. That requires an immense investment of time and attention. For that reason, I have decided to step down as the President of the Dutch Boxing Federation and allow others to stay focused on driving Dutch boxing forward.”

USA Boxing announced on 26 April that it was leaving the IBA and applying for membership in the new World Boxing group. The IBA has reacted furiously, but continues on suspension by the IOC.

Boxing’s situation within the Olympic Movement remains precarious. The sport is on the Paris 2024 program, but is being managed by the IOC, without input from the IBA, which has told its registered officials not to become involved in the Paris 2024 qualifying events run by the IOC. Further, the sport is not on the program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, with its fate to be decided this year. The IOC has been clear it has no qualms with the sport, but with the IBA.

The next expected actions will be the withdrawal of additional federations from the IBA and affiliation with World Boxing, but there is no established timetable for this.

The IBA is also being embarrassed during its current men’s World Championships in Uzbekistan by the apparent refusal of the Uzbek government to allow fighters from Kosovo to compete.

IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS) told a news conference on Monday, “I don’t have the right to prohibit anything for the athletes. All I have to do is to provide money, if needed, and assistance for athletes to come and participate in tournaments.”

But the Kosovo National Olympic Committee tweeted the same day:

“For the third time in a row, #Kosovo’s boxing team lost the World Boxing Championships, due to politics.

“This time, Uzbekistan did not issue visas for our team.

“We lost: Serbia [men’s World Champs] 2021, India [women’s World Champs] 2023 & Uzbekistan [men’s World Champs] 2023.

“Are you @IBA_Boxing or IBA Politics?”

The Kosovo issue has been watched closely by the International Olympic Committee, which recognized Kosovo in 2014, and could be another problem for the IBA in its continuing struggle to obtain re-integration into the Olympic Movement.

3.
U.S. Olympic star sprinter Bowie dies at 32

Startling sad news that three-time Olympic medal winner Tori Bowie has passed at just 32 years old.

The Associated Press reported that police in Orlando, Florida were called Tuesday afternoon “for a well-being check of a woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from in several days.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office stated that Bowie “was found dead in the home. There were no signs of foul play.”

Bowie, the NCAA indoor and outdoor women’s long jump champion in 2011 for Southern Mississippi, exploded on the international scene in 2013 and led the world 100 m list in 2014 at 10.80 for 100 m.

Originally a basketball player, she won the Worlds 100 m bronze in 2015, the Olympic 100 m silver and 200 m bronze in 2016 and ran on the gold-medal-winning U.S. 4×100 m team, won the 100 m and 4×100 m golds at the 2017 Worlds. She suffered a bad leg injury at the 2018 Pre Classic and was never the same, although she was fourth in the long jump at the 2019 World Championships.

She won three U.S. national titles, in the 100 m in 2015-17 and the 200 m in 2016. Bowie competed in just four meets in 2021, with little success, and one meet in 2022, a 200 m race in Florida in June. She had lifetime bests of 10.78 for the 100 m in 2016 (no. 17 all-time) and 21.77 for the 200 m in 2017 (no. 18).

After her Olympic success in Rio, she was an in-demand fashion model, and was known for her bubbly, positive personality. No cause of death was provided.

4.
Paris 2024 would-be “un-volunteers” detail possible acts

The Associated Press posted an interesting story on Wednesday about the so-far loosely organized, mostly underground group that wants to join the Paris 2024 organizing committee as members of the 45,000-strong volunteer corps, and then sabotage the Games.

Bernard Gauvain, 68, was noted as one member of the anti-Games group; the story included:

“They’re considering an array of possibilities: not turning up to leave organizers short-handed; turning up but working badly and slowly; unfurling banners inside the Olympic perimeter; sabotaging equipment; using the opportunity to lobby other volunteers; or going to a labor court afterward to argue they should have been paid for their help. Gauvain even mentioned that some suggest gluing venue doors shut.”

He has been highly active on Twitter, so he knows he will not be selected as a volunteer, but plans to make trouble any way he can:

“The Olympic Games are Macron’s pride and joy. So it’s a way of stinging him.”

The Paris organizers announced that more than 200,000 applications have been received for the expected 45,000 positions, and an interview process will be part of the selection effort.

Most of the animus about the Games is related to the change in retirement age in France from 62 to 64 pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron on funding concerns, which has caused considerable turmoil in the country.

There are also civil liberties worries concerning the use of advanced surveillance technologies which were approved by the French legislature for the Games, but will also remain in place in 2025.

The Paris 2024 organizers have had budget worries for some time, but the Games project has generally been popular in France. But as a major public spectacle, the Games is also a long-standing target for those airing their favorite political issues.

5.
Perurena re-elected as World Games head, 30 sports in ‘25

Spain’s Jose Perurena was elected unopposed for a third term as the President of the International World Games Association (IWGA) during its Annual General Meeting in Madrid.

Perurena, 78, also served as the head of the International Canoe Federation from 2008-21 and was first elected to lead the IWGA in 2014.

The next World Games will be held in Chengdu (CHN) in 2025 and will include a maximum of 5,000 athletes spread across at least 30 sports, to include:

Air Sports, Archery, Billiards Sports, Boules, Canoe, DanceSport, Finswimming, Fistball, Floorball, Flying Disc, Gymnastics, Beach Handball, Ju-Jitsu, Karate, Kickboxing, Korfball, Lacrosse, Life Saving, Muaythai, Orienteering, Powerlifting, Racquetball, Roller Sports, Sambo, Softball, Sport Climbing, Squash, Tug-of-War, Waterski and Wushu.

The Chengdu organizers could also ask for the inclusion of additional sports, to be chosen from Flag Football, Cheerleading, Dragon Boat, Duathlon, and Freestyle Inline skating.

The 2022 World Games was held in Birmingham, Alabama. The World Games has been an important demonstration platform for sports that would like to be considered for the program of the Olympic Games.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World University Games ● The 100-year anniversary of the event which eventually led to the World University Games came on Wednesday, 3 May, exactly a century after the first “Jeux Mondiaux Universitaires” in Paris.

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) noted the anniversary of the concept championed by French sports leader Jean Petitjean.

The four-day event included only track & field (18 events) and fencing (2), with American Olympic star Charley Paddock winning the 100 m (10.4) and 200 m (21.0). Dutch runner Adriaan Paulen, who later went on to head the IAAF from 1976-81, won the 400 m in 51.2 and was second at 800 m in 1:57.2.

The World University Games as known today and under the governance of FISU – established in 1949 – was first held in 1959 in Turin, Italy.

● Athletics ● Botswana’s Nijel Amos, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist at 800 m and still the equal-third-fastest man in history at 1:41.73, has been banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit for three years.

A three-time Olympian at 800 m, Amos’ sample from a test on 4 June 2022 turned up evidence of GW1516, a prohibited hormone modulator. The test of his “B” sample confirmed the positive and he approved an “Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Acceptance of Consequences Form” on 10 April 2023, which reduced his sanction from four years to three.

Now 29, he was a finalist at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 (8th), and will be eligible again on 11 July 2025.

● Fencing ● The FIE Congress may have approved the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, but the Ukrainian Fencing Federation is not amused and has registered an appeal:

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered the procedure CAS 2023/A/9522 Fencing Federation of Ukraine v. International Fencing Federation (FIE). The arbitration is at an early stage. No further information is available at this time.”

In April, Mykhailo Ilyashev, head of the Ukrainian federation, explained that the FIE Congress decision “was adopted with numerous violations of the FIE Statutes, which raises many questions about its legality.”

● Snowboard ● Sochi 2014 Olympic Snowboard Cross bronze medal winner Alex Diebold announced his retirement from competitive snowboarding at age 36.

He wrote on his Instagram page on Monday:

“After almost 20 years on the @ussnowboardteam I still don’t really know what to say other than thank you. Thank you to my family. Thank you to my teammates, coaches, team managers, trainers, doctors, and physios. Thank you to my competitors. To the people that tore me down and to the people who built me back up – you have taught me things I couldn’t learn anywhere else. And for all of this, I am grateful. I love snowboarding now was much as I did in 1990 when I started, and I can’t wait to see what new riding adventures await. I’m both terrified and excited for whatever is next.”

In addition to his Sochi Olympic bronze, he appeared in five World Championships, with a best finish of 15th in the individual SnowCross event and seventh in the Team event. He won six World Cup medals: three silvers and three bronzes between 2013-20.

● Volleyball ● Wallace de Souza won an Olympic silver as an Opposite on the Brazilian team in London 2012 and a gold in front of adoring home fans at Rio in 2016, plus three Worlds medals in 2014-18-22 (0-2-1). Now he is suspended.

De Souza, 35, was banned for five years by the Brazilian Olympic Committee for inciting violence. In February:

“Wallace posted stories on Instagram that featured guns and shooting clubs. In one of the posts, he asked his followers if he should use one of the guns to shoot [Brazilian] President Lula. The post had huge negative repercussions and generated criticism not only in the world of sport, but also in politics.

“Wallace deleted the post and apologized the next day.”

He supported prior president, Jair Bolsonaro, who was beaten by Lula in the last election.

● Weightlifting ● The International Weightlifting Federation posted a graphic which summarized its anti-doping results from 2022, as provided by the International Testing Agency.

In short, 2,725 tests were collected from 1,333 athletes from 124 countries. Of these, 65 adverse findings were returning, with one doping positive confirmed so far.

Without clarity on the 64 adverse-finding cases, it’s impossible to know how good or bad the doping situation is in the sport, which is trying to recover from decades of drug-use problems. It has been left off the 2028 Los Angeles Games program, but could be returned this year.

● Wrestling ● With nothing left to conquer in the Olympic wrestling world, American star Tamyra Mensah-Stock confirmed that she has retired and signed with the WWE.

Mensah-Stock, 30, won the women’s 68 kg gold in Tokyo in 2021 and also won two World Championships golds, in 2019 and 2022, plus bronzes in 2018 and 2021. ESPN reported:

“The Texas resident will start in WWE’s developmental program. Mensah-Stock reported Monday to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, she told ESPN. Her goal is to make WWE’s main roster within one year.”

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IBA’s choice for a new U.S. federation might not matter; FIFA won’t show Women’s World Cup in Europe without more money!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Stevens Act will control IBA plan to pick new U.S. governing body
2. FIFA asks more for 2023 Women’s World Cup, or won’t show it!
3. Johnson home designation approved by L.A. City committee
4. IJF refuses eight of 18 Russian World Championships entries
5. Russia projecting team of 180 for Paris if allowed to compete

International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev of Russia told a Monday news conference the federation plans to accredit a new member federation in the U.S. in the aftermath of the withdrawal of USA Boxing. He says he has multiple applicants, but may be unaware that by U.S. law, the selection of a sport’s national governing body has much more to do with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee than any international federation. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand may be blacked out in Europe if broadcasters do not pay more for the rights. In Los Angeles, a City Council committee approved a request for Historic-Cultural Monument status for the Cornelius Johnson home and Olympic Oak; the matter goes now to the City Council for final approval, which must be made by 12 May. The International Judo Federation approved Russian and Belarusian athletes for competition as neutrals, but has rejected eight of 18 Russian entries for the upcoming World Championships in Qatar that start this weekend. This could be a precedent. The Russian sports minister projects that if allowed to compete in qualifying events and without any team-sport entries, Russia could send a team of 180 to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. That would be the fewest since the Russian Empire sent 159 to the Stockholm Games in 1912!

● Panorama: Athletics (3: AIU April sanctions report led by five Vietnamese, three Russians; Atlanta 1996 400 m hurdles bronze winner Davis passed at 51; first-ever ban for online abuse leveled at British T&F official) = Swimming (Dressel to return to competition on 12 May; ex-Soviet swimmer and Moscow 1980 silver medalist arrested for drug sales in India) ●

1.
Stevens Act will control IBA plan to pick new U.S. governing body

At Monday’s International Boxing Association news conference at its men’s World Championships in Tashkent (UZB), President Umar Kremlev (RUS) was asked about the withdrawal of USA Boxing. According to the Russian news agency TASS:

“The American association has left, but we already have more than five applications from the USA from organizations that are ready to develop boxing in the country. We have created a special commission that will study which of them we accredit. But the decision [to leave] was not made by boxers, but by officials who decided to break the faith of athletes, American boxers write to me, complaining that they are not allowed [to compete].

“Only hyenas or jackals do this, you can’t call them otherwise. They should be pointed to their place, shown that they are outcasts of society and cleanse the sport of such people. The functionary’s task is to ensure the participation of the athlete, and not to tell them where to go.”

Regardless of Kremlev’s view of the U.S. federation, the IBA’s “accreditation” of a U.S. member association is not completely up to him or the IBA. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee also has a substantial say.

That say is codified in the U.S. Code in Title 36, Chapter 2205, also known today as the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act, first passed in 1978 and amended in 1998, 2006, 2018 and 2020.

It’s quite specific on National Governing Bodies, including:

● Sec. 220521, requiring that the USOPC “may not certify more than 1 national governing body.”

● Further, sub-section (c) notes that once a National Governing Body for a sport has been selected, the USOPC “shall recommend and support in any appropriate manner the national governing body to the appropriate international sports federation as the representative of the United States for that sport.”

So, it’s the USOPC which tells the International Federations who their national federation is, not the other way around.

● Sec. 220522 specifies the requirements for an NGB, including, among other items:

“the managerial and financial capability to plan and execute its obligations, including the ability to provide and enforce required athlete protection policies and procedures”

and

“demonstrates that it is a member of no more than one international sports federation that governs a sport included on the program of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, or the Parapan American Games.”

Big problem for the IBA here. It has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee since 2019 and is not the governing body of boxing insofar as it concerns the Olympic Games – controlled by the IOC itself – or the 2023 Pan American Games, which will be a Paris 2024 qualifier, also overseen by the IOC’s “Paris Boxing Unit.”

Without the designation as the federation which “governs a sport included on the program” of the Olympic Games or Pan American Games, the IBA cannot be an “appropriate” International Federation for a U.S. national federation to belong to.

(The 12-page USA Boxing qualifying procedures for selection for the Paris 2024 Games never mentions the IBA, only the IOC and its process.)

The Stevens Act enumerates the purposes for which the USOPC is authorized and a major aspect listed in §220503 is:

“(4) to obtain for the United States, directly or by delegation to the appropriate national governing body, the most competent amateur representation possible in each event of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games.”

Can’t do that if you’re on suspension by the IOC. And the USOPC’s authority in this area is clear, as §220503 (3) includes:

“exclusive jurisdiction, directly or through constituent members of committees, over—

(A) all matters pertaining to United States participation in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games, including representation of the United States in the games” and much more.

Moreover, the road to even challenge USA Boxing as the U.S. national governing body can’t begin until 6 November of 2023. Section 220528, concerning “Applications to replace an incumbent national governing body” states:

“An amateur sports organization may seek to replace an incumbent as the national governing body for a particular sport by filing a written application for certification with the [USOPC] … within one year after the final day of—

“(A) any Olympic Games, for a sport in which competition is held in the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games, or in each of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games; or

“(B) any Pan-American Games or Parapan American Games, for a sport in which competition is held in the Pan-American Games or the Parapan American Games, as applicable, but not in the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games.”

The 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile end on Sunday, 5 November. No application to the USOPC can even be filed until then. If one is filed, the procedure requires a public hearing within six months, with USA Boxing also invited to present. Any new body must show that

“the applicant more adequately meets the criteria of section 220522 of this title [eligibility], is capable of more adequately meeting the criteria of sections 220524 [duties] and 220525 [sanctioning] of this title, and provides or is capable of providing a more effective national program of competition than the national governing body in the sport for which it seeks certification.”

A tall order, for sure.

The crux of the matter will be whether the IBA once again becomes the governing body of Olympic boxing, or some other association – perhaps the new World Boxing group – is so designated.

Right now, the IBA’s choice for a “new” U.S. national federation won’t mean much to the one group that – under U.S. law – counts, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

2.
FIFA asks more for 2023 Women’s World Cup, or won’t show it!

The 32-team 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup begins on 20 July in Australia and New Zealand, but FIFA chief Gianni Infantino (SUI) said in a Monday Instagram post and during a women’s trade conference in Geneva (SUI) that the tournament may be blacked out in England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and elsewhere in Europe! Here it is:

“Today, I have repeated my call for broadcasters to pay a fair price for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023? media rights. We did our part: FIFA has raised the prize money to USD 152 million, treble the amount paid in 2019 and ten times more than in 2015 (before I became FIFA President).

“However, the offers from broadcasters, mainly in the ‘Big 5’ European countries, are still very disappointing and simply not acceptable, especially considering that:

“1) 100% of any rights fees paid would go straight into women’s football, in our move to promote actions towards equal conditions and pay;

“2) public broadcasters in particular have a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport;

“3) the viewing figures of the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 50-60% of the men’s FIFA World Cup (which in turn are the highest of any event), yet the broadcasters’ offers in the ‘Big 5’ European countries for the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 20 to 100(!) times lower than for the men’s FIFA World Cup; and

“4) concretely, whereas broadcasters pay USD 100-200 million for the men’s FIFA World Cup, they offer only USD 1-10 million for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is a slap in the face of all the great FIFA Women’s World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide.

“So, to be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair (towards women and women’s football), we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘Big 5’ European countries.

“I call, therefore, on all players (women and men), fans, football officials, Presidents, Prime Ministers, politicians and journalists all over the world to join us and support this call for a fair remuneration of women’s football.

“Women deserve it! As simple as that!”

Infantino did not disclose the bids from any of the broadcasters from these countries. It is worth noting that schedule shows most of the matches will be held in the late morning in the European time zones – Australia is eight hours and New Zealand in 10 hours ahead of Central European Time – not the most favorable for a large audience.

Infantino, of course, does not agree:

“It doesn’t make any economic sense because the viewing figures are there. Maybe, because it is in Australia and New Zealand, it’s not played on prime-time in Europe, but still, it is played at 9am or 10am, so it is quite a reasonable time.”

There isn’t a lot of time remaining, but a sale even weeks before would allow for broadcasting in the European markets since the feed of the matches is being produced by FIFA. This will be interesting.

3.
Johnson home designation approved by L.A. City committee

The long and winding path of the Cornelius Johnson home and Olympic Oak in Los Angeles moved slightly forward on Tuesday with a committee approval of its designation as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments.

The property, originally built by Johnson’s father in 1903 at 1156 South Hobart Avenue in midtown Los Angeles, includes a very special “Olympic Oak,” grown from a seedling given to Johnson for winning the men’s high jump at the Games of the XI Olympiad in Berlin, Germany in 1936.

This was the Nazi Games and Johnson, who had finished fourth in the 1932 Los Angeles Games, won at 2.03 m (6-8) on the first day of track & field on 2 August. It was Johnson whom German leader Adolf Hitler snubbed, not wanting to congratulate a Black athlete after seeing two Germans and a Finn win the prior events on that day.

As with all of the gold medalists in Berlin, Johnson was given a “Olympic Oak” seedling to take with him and plant at home. He did so and the tree grew spectacularly from 1936 until recent years when it was essentially abandoned.

Today, it is one of six believed to be remaining in the U.S. and one of 25 worldwide still living (out of 130 given).

Johnson passed away in 1946, but his home remained in the family until its sale in 1994. The family who followed the Johnsons maintained the tree in good shape, but it fell into distress since the sale in 2019 to KLD Investment, LLC, which had plans to develop the property, but now wants to sell it.

The property continues to be for sale, listed at $1.09 million; it was purchased by the current owner on 1 May 2019 for $927,000. The prior sale was in 1994 for $175,000. The tree is now being watered through an intervention by the Huntington Gardens.

Community interest in the tree and the Johnson home led to an application to the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission for Historic-Cultural Monument status, which was approved in August 2022.

To obtain the designation, the matter then had to come to the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning & Lane Use Management (PLUM) committee and finally made it on Tuesday (2nd). Only three of the five committee members were present: Marqueece Harris-Dawson (District 8), John Lee (12th) and Heather Hutt (10th, in which the property is located).

Two public speakers commented in favor of the designation and neither owner KLD Investments or the original proposers – Susan Anderson of the California African American Museum, and architect and preservation advocate Christian Kosmas Mayer – spoke during the discussion. The entire matter was concluded in just 3:47 with a unanimous vote for designation. Said Hutt:

“As the Planning Department has noted, this is a historical tree and home. It was certainly the ‘west side’ [of Los Angeles] when the Johnson family built the home, which was an unusual place for Black people to live with the [racial] covenants then on.

“And then for this man to be a two-time Olympian is really important. I feel like we need to protect this space. When the Olympics come here in 2028, that it will be a destination for all the comers to Los Angeles.”

The Historic-Cultural Monument designation now goes to the City Council for final approval, which must be completed by 12 May under the City’s timeline requirements.

There has been talk of a purchase of the property by a non-profit, but no one has come forward yet. While the Historic-Cultural Monument designation could come soon, the future of the property is anything but assured.

But Johnson’s Olympic Oak, now 88 years old, is still hanging in there.

4.
IJF refuses eight of 18 Russian World Championships entries

The International Judo Federation confirmed Saturday that it would allow “athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in IJF events as individual neutral athletes,” as it had done since the middle of 2022.

However, it also qualified the approval with a procedure, based on the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee:

“The Executive Committee has decided to engage an independent, reputable company to perform background checks on all the individuals proposed for participation, including social media content, with specific reference to possible war propaganda. Only those athletes and support personnel who are cleared during this verification process will be eligible and considered for participation in events by the IJF Executive Committee.”

By Monday, the entry list for the 2023 IJF Worlds in Doha, Qatar from 7-13 May showed 20 “Individual Neutral Athletes,” with 18 Russians (nine men, nine women) and two from Belarus (1+1).

On Tuesday, that number was reduced by the IJF:

“The IJF Executive Committee has received the list of proposed participants and has commissioned independent background checks on the athletes and delegates to ensure both their place of employment and any social media interactions regarding pro-war propaganda. …

“Only athletes employed at the Federal Training Sport Center of the representative teams of Russia and athletes for whom no information was identified suggesting support for or views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine have been approved to compete at the World Judo Championships 2023 and in IJF competitions. After conducting thorough background investigations, eight members of the delegation were rejected from participation following the Executive Committee vote. …

“The International Judo Federation will continue to monitor the situation and conduct further investigations to ensure that all athletes are participating ethically and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the sport and the judo values.”

The eight athletes removed were not identified, but the announcement indicates that members of the famed CSKA or Dynamo sports clubs were not permitted to compete. It appears the two Belarusians – Yahor Varapayeu in the men’s 90 kg class and Darya Kantsavaya in the women’s 78 kg class – were approved.

This is a precedent for other federations, none of which have been this fast in bringing Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition.

Ukraine announced on Monday that it would not compete at the 2023 Worlds with Russian or Belarusian athletes present and competing. The IJF Worlds begin on Sunday.

5.
Russia projecting team of 180 for Paris if allowed to compete

“If our athletes successfully pass the qualifying tournaments and the conditions are not significantly changed, then the maximum number of participants from the Russian side in the Olympic Games will be about 180 athletes. …

“In total, international federations in 12 Olympic and 13 non-Olympic sports supported the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions. But nine organizations have not yet given clear criteria for admission to competitions.”

That’s Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin, speaking after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the prospects for Russian participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

That’s way below the athlete totals from prior Games this century:

● 2000: 435
● 2004: 446
● 2008: 455
● 2012: 436
● 2016: 282 (reduced due to doping sanctions)
● 2020: 335 (reduced due to doping sanctions)

In fact, a total of 180 athletes would be the smallest number from a Russian team since 159 competed for the Russian Empire in 1912 in Stockholm. As the USSR, a team did not compete until 1952 (295).

Matytsin said the decision on Russian participation in Paris will not be made before 26 July 2023 and probably much later.

Meanwhile, Putin was reported to have told Matytsin and others:

“You and I are well aware that the main problems of modern high-performance sports are related to the excessive commercialization of sports. Hence both corruption and political dependence. But as the multipolarity of the modern world strengthens, the situation will change in international sports as well. It will change for the better. In any case, I really hope so.”

In this regard, Matytsin said that plans for a new multi-sport competition are emerging, with a 2024 target date:

“The situation today confirms the importance and necessity of further strengthening the sports agenda within the framework of interstate associations, such as the [Commonwealth of Independent States], [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and BRICS, which are not subject to sanctions and restrictions from international sports structures. In 2024, under the Russian chairmanship of the BRICS association, we propose to hold the BRICS Games in our country, we consider this to be especially relevant, given the prospect of expanding the BRICS format in terms of the number of countries.”

(BRICS refers to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.)

Russian access to qualification competitions remains at issue. While at least some Russian entries will be allowed at the upcoming Judo World Championships, the Russian Fencing Federation says it is being stonewalled by the International Fencing Federation (FIE), which approved Russian and Belarusian participation as neutrals back in March. Said Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) President Ilgar Mammadov:

“The FIE office does not respond to our letters, the release on athletes and specialists has not yet been received. Today our colleague from Belarus also called their office, where he was told that they were not authorized to answer these questions. Judging by everything, there is no international law in sports anymore, as there are ethical norms of behavior… If for some reason the FIE office was offended by the FFR, why don’t they respond to the Belarusians as well?”

Mammadov explained this means no Russians will compete at the Epee Grand Prix in Cali (COL) this weekend, or the men’s Foil World Cup in Acapulco (MEX):

“We are definitely missing the next two tournaments. Today we sent a corresponding letter to the Russian Ministry of Sports so that these tournaments were removed from the plan. We do this at the very last moment, but, I hope, the Ministry of Sports understands that we have to wait until it stops in the hope that something will happen after all.

“My foreign colleagues from the United States, who were waiting for us in Acapulco, were very surprised that we would not come, and they cannot understand how the FIE office can simply not respond. It turns out that they can.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit published its sanctions recap for April, with 19 individuals listed:

● 5: Vietnam
● 3: India and Russia
● 1: Germany, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uzbekistan and the U.S.

The American was shot put star Raven Saunders, suspended for 18 months for whereabouts reporting failures.

Sad news of the passing of 1996 Olympic 400 m hurdles bronze medalist Calvin Davis on Sunday, 1 May, at just 51 years of age.

Davis ran 47.91 in his Olympic semi in Atlanta for his all-time best, then no. 7 in American history. He was the 1993 NCAA champion at 400 m for Arkansas (45.04), then won the NCAA Indoor 400 m title in 1994 before switching to the hurdles and making the U.S. Olympic team just two years later.

At the time of his death, he was an assistant track and field coach at Springdale Har-Ber High School in Springdale, Arkansas.

Britain’s Athletics Weekly reported that an athletics official was banned from the sport by UK Athletics for online abuse:

“[Paul] Baxter, a former member of City of York AC, has been given a three-and-a-half year ban from the sport for online bullying and harassment of Katey Ross, a former athlete who acts as an administrator on the popular Facebook group ‘I Was, Or Am A Runner!’

“Baxter was charged by England Athletics with ‘making a number of inappropriate, threatening, bullying or harassing online posts’ toward Ross, who waived her anonymity in the case.”

It’s believed to be the first instance of a ban imposed for online actions. It will not be the last.

● Swimming ● Five-time Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel of the U.S. has been absent from the pool since leaving the 2022 World Championships after a couple of days last June. But he appears ready to re-emerge and is expected to compete in the Atlanta Classic on 12 May.

If fit, the 26-year-old can qualify for the 2023 Worlds at the USA Swimming nationals from 27 June-1 July in Indianapolis.

SwimSwam.com reported that 1980 Olympic 200 m Breaststroke silver medalist Svetlana Varganova was arrested for involvement as part of a drug cartel in Goa, India.

An Indian Narcotics Control Bureau said that Varganova, 58, sold drugs only to foreigners and have been uncooperative. She was arrested along with a former Russian policeman known as Andre and reportedly the head of the drug ring.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IBA to identify new U.S. boxing fed; remembering long jump superstar Ralph Boston; Ukraine aths will not compete with Russians

By
Rich Perelman
-
IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS, at right) and Secretary General George Yerolimpos (GRE, left). (Photo: IBA video screenshot)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Kremlev: IBA looking to select new U.S. national federation
2. Remembering long jump great, analyst and activist Ralph Boston
3. Canoe federation agrees to Russian and Belarusian re-entry
4. Ukrainian fencers and judokas ready to skip events with Russian entries
5. Russia continues to protest all sports sanctions

International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev employed his usual colorful style to declare at a news conference in Uzbekistan that the IBA has no problems, is working to answer all the issues posed by the International Olympic Committee, is unconcerned by the new World Boxing group and has a committee reviewing five applications from possible replacement federations for the now-departed USA Boxing. Even casual track fans know the names Jesse Owens and Bob Beamon, but they set one world record each. Ralph Boston, who passed away on Sunday at age 83 was the one who broke Owens’ mark after 25 years and was credited with six world marks in his career and won three Olympic medals. The International Canoe Federation dropped into line with the International Olympic Committee on Russian and Belarusian re-entry, but noted that national federations running events would be allowed to exclude them if desired. In separate situations, Ukrainian fencers and judoka said they will not compete against Russian or Belarusians, with the Ukrainian Judo Federation announcing a boycott of the upcoming IJF Worlds in Qatar. Russian criticism of any and all restrictions against them due to Russia continuing war on Ukraine now includes a statement by the Athletes Commission of the Russian Olympic Committee, which called the sanctions “a gross violation.”

● Panorama: Athletics (3: Brooks wins GardaStars, Allen returns at Penn; Sawe now no. 5 all-time at 10 km) = Canoe-Kayak (U.S. star Liebfarth wins two in PanAm Slalom Champs) = Cycling (2: Andersen wins Eschborn-Frankfurt; U.S.’s Hoehn takes Tour of the Gila) = Modern Pentathlon (Korea wins World Cup mixed relay) = Rowing (Kohler win highlights U.S. National Selection Regatta) ●

● Errata: Some readers saw a version of Monday’s post which showed Ireland as part of the field for the 2023 FIBA men’s World Cup. Iran, ranked 22nd, will compete; not Ireland. Thanks to Olympic statman Hilary Evans (GBR) for the sharp eyes. ●

1.
Kremlev: IBA looking to select new U.S. national federation

During a nearly-90 minute news conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on the second day of the International Boxing Association men’s World Championships saw federation chief Umar Kremlev maintain his well-rehearsed lines about how well the IBA is doing and rejecting any challenge from the new World Boxing group. But there were some new twists:

● Asked about the withdrawal of USA Boxing from the IBA, Kremlev replied, according to the Russian news agency TASS:

“The American association has left, but we already have more than five applications from the USA from organizations that are ready to develop boxing in the country. We have created a special commission that will study which of them we accredit. But the decision [to leave] was not made by boxers, but by officials who decided to break the faith of athletes, American boxers write to me, complaining that they are not allowed [to compete].

“Only hyenas or jackals do this, you can’t call them otherwise. They should be pointed to their place, shown that they are outcasts of society and cleanse the sport of such people. The functionary’s task is to ensure the participation of the athlete, and not to tell them where to go.”

● Asked about the new World Boxing group, Kremlev said (transcribed from the English-language interpreter online):

“You know, we say that there’s always a black sheep in a family. There are always people who go their own ways. We need to keep our dignity, and as for this situation, yes, I heard about it, but I don’t think it’s worth discussing this matter here. So let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill.

“Someone just decided in their garage to register an international association. Why should we even pay attention to that? Our only concern are critical remarks, that we can handle and that we can improve.

“I am fine with any criticism, it gives motivation for development, but today the IBA is the only international association that manages boxing. Those who want to leave or move on, must understand that all the rules of boxing belong to the IBA, and we have the right to govern boxing. No one else decides [whether] IBA has the right to organize tournaments.”

● About the concerns of the International Olympic Committee and boxing’s future in the 2028 Olympic Games and beyond (transcribed interpretation):

“As of today, there are no problems at IBA. …

“Basically, I don’t see the reason or the point to explain anything. I am sure that they don’t like me. They didn’t like the fact that I’m not licking anyone’s ass – sorry for saying it such a straightforward way – but indeed. Maybe they don’t like us providing and giving prize money, which is even greater than the prize money at the Olympics. This is all their own problem.

“Our organization exists for us to provide all the money to the athletes. We don’t want to pay for five-star hotels, for travels of functionaries or sports officials. No, we would like dedicate all money to athletes. I can’t see any hurdles or difficulties in our communications with the IOC. I do not see any problems or any hurdles.”

Kremlev once again blamed all of the IOC’s issues at his predecessor as federation president, C.K. Wu (TPE), who he pointed out was an IOC Executive Board member: “So all the questions, they should be raised from C.K. Wu.”

The IBA has set up a committee to work on a reply to the IOC’s inquiries; Secretary George Yerolimpos (GRE) explained:

“The fifth of May, or a few days after, the IBA will present to the IOC a package of all the answers, and what we did in all this period, and I feel very proud to be part of this as a member of the IBA. …

“Olympics is a very nice and beautiful tree. We would like to be very close to this tree. But also, IBA must deal with other trees we have around. We want to deal with our forest, the boxers. We love this tree, but we need to take care about also the forest, the boxing.”

Yerolimpos explained that the prize money for the women’s Worlds ($2.4 million) and men’s Worlds ($5.2 million) came from the license fees paid by the host associations (India and Uzbekistan). He also said that additional sponsors would be announced by the IBA during the summer, to help fund the IBA office and its development projects.

Kremlev said that the sponsorship agreement with the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom has run out and has not been renewed, at least not yet. The Gazprom agreement has been a sticking point for the IOC, given its state ownership and the sanctions on the Russian state amidst its continuing invasion of Ukraine.

2.
Remembering long jump great, analyst and activist Ralph Boston

Olympic icon Jesse Owens of the U.S. set the world long jump of 8.13 m (26-8) on his day-of-days in Ann Arbor, Michigan on 25 May 1935. Although today’s fans remember Bob Beamon’s astounding jump of 8.90 m (29-2 1/2) at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, in-between was another all-time great: Ralph Boston.

Boston passed away on Sunday at age 83 at his home in Peachtree City, Georgia.

But he is the man who moved Owens out of the record books and took over the event until Beamon’s Mexico City miracle.

A Tennessee A&I grad, Boston was the 1960 NCAA champion after finishing third in 1959, then won the AAU Nationals and the U.S. Olympic Trials. But it was what he did next that made him famous: a win at a pre-Olympic meet at Mt. San Antonio College on 12 August of 8.21 m (26-11), taking Owens’ record for himself.

He went on to the Olympic gold in Rome, then became the dominant figure in the event for the next six years. He won the AAU Nationals from 1961-66 and set five more world records:

● 8.24 m (27-0 1/4) on 27 May 1961 in Modesto
● 8.28 m (27-1 3/4) on 16 July 1961 in Moscow (URS)
● 8.31 m= (27-3=) on 15 August 1964 in Kingston (JAM)
● 8.34 m (27-4 1/4) on 12 September 1964 in Los Angeles
● 8.35 m (27-4 1/2) on 29 May 19865 in Modesto

So, five outright records and a tie with Soviet Igor Ter-Ovanesyan, who was the first to jump 8.31 m, in 1962, and equaled Boston’s 8.35 m at altitude in the pre-Olympic meet in Mexico City in 1967. Only Boston (6) and Ter-Ovanesyan (2) have set the men’s world record more than once.

(In 2022, World Athletics recognized American Phil Shinnick’s 8.33 m [27-3 3/4] mark from the Modesto Relays in 1963 as a world record, which technically negates Boston’s 8.31 m equaler in 1964.)

Boston finished second to Britain’s Lynn Davies on Tokyo in 1964, 8.07 m to 8.03 m (26-5 3/4 to 26-4 1/4), with Ter-Ovanesyan third.

Beamon came on a strong competitor in 1967, then lost his scholarship at UTEP because he would not compete against BYU in 1968 in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boston reportedly helped Beamon, his direct competitor on an unofficial basis, with both qualifying for the U.S. team for Mexico City.

At the 1968 Games, Beamon made history on his first jump, with Boston the first to explain that 8.90 m was 29-2 1/2 and Beamon falling to the ground in disbelief. The competition went on and East Germany’s Klaus Beer ended up second with Boston third, but with the 16 other finalists all shattered by what Beamon had done.

Boston retired after the ‘68 season, but became even more well known as a member of the CBS broadcast team for U.S. and European meets in 1969-70-71-72, with host Jack Whitaker and analysts Dick Bank (1969-70) and Bill Toomey (1971-72).

His day job was as coordinator of minority affairs and assistant dean of students at the University of Tennessee from 1968-75 and later president and chief executive officer of ServiceMaster Services in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Boston was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985.

He was a fierce competitor, an activist who made his views known more with quiet and dignity than with public outbursts, an excellent lecturer and speaker and a knowledgeable and relatable broadcaster. A special, 50-year celebration of his 1960 world record at Mt. SAC (and others set at that meet) was held there in 2011.

His athletic ability is often underrated; he also had bests of 9.6 for 100 yards, 13.7 for the 120-yard hurdles, 4.16 m (13-8) in the vault, 15.89 m (52-1 1/2) in the triple jump and even 51.51 m (169-0) with the javelin!

Said four-time Olympic long jump champ Carl Lewis on Twitter:

“I’m devastated about Ralph Boston’s passing. As a child I idolized him and he was a major influence in my life. I’ll miss his voice and support. He changed the game as an athlete, advocate and mentor. Jumpers, Know his name!!! Rest with the greats.”

3.
Canoe federation agrees to Russian and Belarusian re-entry

The International Canoe Federation is the latest to bow to the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations on Russian and Belarusian athlete re-entry into international competitions. A statement issued Saturday read in part:

“In view of the current circumstances, the ICF Executive Board fully backs the IOC Executive Board recommendations of 28 March 2023 and has decided to lift the protective measures against Russian and Belarusian athletes and highlighted the following key strict conditions ahead of appointing an independent panel. …

“The ICF will continue to collaborate closely with the IOC, [Association of Summer Olympic International Federations], and the [International Testing Agency] to determine the necessary anti-doping measures and neutral athlete status criteria. Furthermore, the appointment of an independent assessors to the Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Panel will be subject to a consultation process with important stakeholders and service providers before being confirmed by the ICF Executive Committee.”

There was also a list of six points that the ICF stressed, including a unique twist to accommodate individual countries in part:

● “Individual Neutral Athletes and support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be able to participate as an individual neutral athlete.”

● “Only athletes who have not supported the war in public, on social media or on other occasions will be eligible to compete.”

● “In order to protect the implementation of ICF events and the safety of athletes the ICF will respect any position and decision of a National Canoe Federation as host of an ICF event not to include Individual Neutral Athletes. However, the ICF calls on all hosts of ICF competitions to respect the Olympic Charter and to establish conditions that guarantee unhindered access to competitions for all athletes. …

● “Athletes who want to compete as neutral athletes will have to declare in writing that they meet all the criteria set by the ICF before their individual evaluation. Any violation of these conditions will result in the withdrawal of their Individual Neutral Athlete status.”

The statement did not set out any timetable for the decision-making process on Russian or Belarusian athletes. Canoeing has multiple races in Sprint and Slalom disciplines coming in Poland and Germany, which have shown little interest in having Russian or Belarusian entries.

4.
Ukrainian fencers and judokas ready to skip events with Russian entries

“People in my country die every day. Militaries fighting for our freedom. We will not compete against Russians. They should not take part because it is unfair and impossible in a civilized world.”

That’s 20-year-old fencer Svitlana Sopit, speaking with Agence France Presse on the sidelines of a training camp in Paris for the Ukrainian Foil squad, adding “It was a really shocking decision for all fencing family because nothing changed since the war started.

“The athletes who stay in Ukraine live in really hard conditions for training but they never stop. No electricity, no heating but they continue to work.

“We keep working, we never stop because we believe in fair decision. There are things much more important than sports competitions.”

Her twin sister Olga explained:

“We still compete sometimes in Ukraine. We start to fence, hear the alarm, hold for a second, go to the shelter, wait for three hours, then you come out, fence again. At some moment, the lights turn off. You wait another two hours. Competition can last 11 to 12 hours.

“It is quite difficult to be in these conditions and then you realize, this is the life, you can adapt and can live.”

Alina Poloziuk, a FIE Grand Prix bronze medalist from February, has been training in a war zone. She told AFP:

“I come from Mykolaiv in the south of the country. It was bombed today by Russians.”

Ukrainian judoka, who include two-time World Champion and Tokyo Olympic women’s 48 kg bronze winner Daria Bilodid, are also ready to skip the upcoming World Championships in Doha (QAT) from 7-14 May if Russian or Belarusians are included. The Ukrainian Judo Federation statement of 1 May included:

“The Judo Federation of Ukraine informs that it is forced to withdraw the application of the national team of Ukraine to participate in the World Judo Championship in Doha (Qatar), which will be held from May 7 to 14.

“This is due to the fact that on Friday, April 28, the International Judo Federation IJF allowed the teams of Russia and Belarus to participate in the world championship as individual neutral athletes. Subsequently, the application of the ‘Individual Neutral Athletes’ team appeared on the Judobase website.

“The majority of the team are athletes who are active servicemen of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, part of the army that attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and is still waging a brutal full-scale war on our territory, which is shelling Ukrainian cities and civilian homes every day, destroying peaceful citizens, children Instead, more than 250 Ukrainian athletes gave their lives defending the country. There are judo representatives among them.

“We do not see the neutrality, equal conditions and ‘bridge to peace’ mentioned in the IJF Resolution regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams in the World Cup in Doha.

“Moreover, we see here a decision that contradicts the latest recommendations of the International Olympic Committee of March 28, 2023, where the IOC says that the status of neutral athletes can only be granted to those athletes who are not military personnel.”

Said Bilodid in an Instagram post:

“I think that it is unacceptable to allow military personnel of a terrorist country who every day kills Ukrainians to participate in international competitions. This is not at all about sports values.”

5.
Russia continues to protest all sports sanctions

The Russian position on all of the “re-entry” discussions is that they are all politics and no restrictions should be in place, regardless of the war against Ukraine.

For example, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told reporters Friday:

“Our principled position is that this issue must not be politicized and athletes must not be denied participation in sports events on political grounds. Unfortunately, this takes place. We certainly condemn this.”

The Athletes Commission of the Russian Olympic Committee has now joined the chorus, with a statement issued by the Russian Olympic Committee on Friday:

“We believe the proposed reintegration and admission criteria are excessive and discriminatory – by nationality and by passport, by discipline and sport, and by affiliation to certain entities developing sports for decades in most post-Soviet states.

“Similar systems of athlete support are a common thing in many other countries, but in this particular case it is only used as a ground to exclude athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports.

“Depriving athletes of their national identity, of an opportunity to compete in team and group events, as well as sanctioning them just because of a contract with a sports club providing legal labor guarantees: all of this constitutes a gross violation of the principle of equality, which is fundamental not only to the concept of Olympism, but also in humanitarian, universal sense, in the International Law.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is deciding on its next move, according to Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, also commenting on Friday:

“As for the IOC recommendations, they are now being thoroughly analyzed, and we are currently working out our approach regarding this issue.”

Rest assured, the response will not be complimentary.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Another American world leader, this time in the women’s heptathlon at the annual GardaStars meet in Desenzano del Garda (ITA) over the weekend.

Taliyah Brooks, 28, who had to be carted off the field with heat stroke at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, got a lifetime best of 6,330 to win and take the world lead for 2023. She finished with a flourish, getting personal records in the javelin and 800 m to end the competition, her first completed heptathlon since the 2021 Texas Relays! Britain’s Jade O’Dowda was second at 6,178 and American Chari Hawkins was third with 6,036.

The men’s decathlon winner was Karel Tilga (EST) at 8,482, no. 2 on the 2023 world list, followed by Fredrik Samuelsson (SWE: 8,070) and American Devon Williams (7,956).

In his first race back since the NFL season ended, Olympian Devon Allen won the 110 m hurdles at the Penn Relays in 13.46, just out-leaning Rafael Pereira (BRA: 13.46) into a 1.0 m/s headwind.

In a hot Adizero Road to Records 10 km race in Herzogenaurach (GER), Sabastian Sawe led a Kenyan sweep in the nos. 2-3-4 times of the year ahead of 2020 World Half Marathon runner-up Kibiwott Kandie and Tokyo Olympic 5,000 m fourth-placer Nicholas Kipkorir in 26:49, 26:53 and 26:54!

The time moved Sawe, who broke away at the 7 km mark, to no. 5 on the all-time list.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Host Brazil picked up two wins to highlight the Pan American Slalom Championships in Tres Coroas (BRA) over the weekend.

Three-time Olympian Ana Satila of Brazil won the women’s C-1 in 119.20 seconds (no penalties), to win ahead of Canada’s Lois Betteridge (139.61). Brazilian Neta Estancia took the K-1 title in 111.34, beating Florence Maheu (CAN: 119.84).

The men’s winners included Argentina Olympian Sebastian Rossi in C-1 in 108.47, ahead of Alex Baldoni (CAN: 113.26) and American Zachary Lokken (114.44). Olguin Echevarria (CHI) won the K-1 final in 103.23, ahead of Pedro Goncalves (BRA: 106.81).

Tokyo Olympian Evy Leibfarth of the U.S. won the women’s Kayak Cross final and took the women’s U-23 division K-1 gold.

● Cycling ● The 60th edition of the one-day Classic Eschborn-Frankfurt was held on Sunday, with Danish star Soren Kragh Andersen getting his first career one-day-race win in 4:51:27 over the hilly 204.8 km course.

Although there were two significant climbs early in the race, the last section was downhill into Frankfurt and ended with the expected mass sprint, with nine given the same time at the finish. Andersen got to the line first, ahead of Patrick Konrad (AUT) and Alessandro Fedeli (ITA).

In the U.S., the 35th Tour of the Gila concluded in New Mexico on Sunday, with American Alex Hoehn getting the overall win by two seconds over Oscar Sevilla (ESP) at 13:11:20 across five stages.

Hoehn didn’t win any stage, but finished 14-3-3-9-2 to move up to 1:03 behind Dane Torbjorn Roed after the fourth stage. On Sunday, Sevilla beat Hoehn in a duel to the tape some 2:37 ahead of the pack and with Roed seventh and 3:20 behind, Hoehn moved up to get the overall victory.

● Gymnastics ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that Yuri Korolyov, a nine-time Worlds Championships gold medalist, but never an Olympian, passed away at age 60 on Saturday (29th).

Korolyov was dominant from 1981-87, winning the Worlds All-Around in 1981 and 1985, Floor in 1981, Rings in 1985 and 1987, Vault in 1985 and as part of the Team winners in 1981-85-87. He missed the 1984 Los Angeles Games because of the Soviet boycott and then was injured at the time of the Seoul Games in 1988. He is considered perhaps the best-ever gymnast never to have appeared at an Olympic Games.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Mixed Relay that concluded the UIPM’s Budapest World Cup saw Korea’s Changwan Seo and Mexico’s Manuel Padilla coming off the final shooting set even, but as Padilla got tangled and Seo ran away for the win in 12:29.60, fastest in the final.

Seo and Sunwoo Kim finished with 1,382 points to 1,374 for Mariana Arceo and Padilla, with France’s Rebecca Castaudi and Jean-Baptiste Mourcia third (1,368), moving up from seventh during the Laser Run. Seo and Kim started in fifth place, about 14 back of Mexico (which started second), but made up the ground quickly in the final event.

Americans Tristen Bell and Phaelen French finished 12th with 1,255.

● Rowing ● The U.S. Rowing National Selection Regatta in Chula Vista, California saw Olympic and Worlds medal winner Kara Kohler – at age 32 – back into contention for another trip to the World Championships.

A 2011 World Champion for the U.S. in the Fours, Kohler won a London 2012 bronze in the Quadruple Sculls and seven years later took a Worlds bronze in the Single Sculls. Ninth in the Tokyo Olympic Single Sculls, she won another U.S. title in 7:42.25, ahead of Michelle Sechser (7:47.15) and Savannah Prija (7:52.72). The winners all earned the right to compete for the U.S. in the second World Rowing World Cup in Italy, set as a qualifier for the Worlds for American entries.

Tokyo Olympian Kristi Wagner and Lauren O’Connor won the women’s Double Sculls in 6:54.35 against 6:54.80 got Sophia Vitas and Emily Kallfelz. Molly Reckford and Mary Jones Nabel finished third in 7:04.95.

In women’s Pairs, Olympic veterans Meghan Musnicki (a two-time Olympic gold winner in the U.S. Eights) and Alie Rusher barely edged Claire Collins and Mollie Bruggeman, 7:11.62 to 7:12.42. Mary Mazzio-Manson and Emily Froelich were a close third in 7:14.80.

In the men’s Single Sculls final, Jacob Plihal was a decisive winner, 7:06.57 to 7:09.49 over Andrew LeRoux and Eliot Putnam (7:10.59). In Double Sculls, Ben Davison and Sorin Koszyk won in 6:23.56, comfortably ahead of Kevin Cardno and Dominique Williams (6:29.26).

Michael Grady and Liam Corrigan won the men’s Pairs in 6:30.78 over Henry Hollingsworth and Pieter Quinton (6:33.46).

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: U.S. wins Curling Mixed Doubles Worlds, gets tough draw in FIBA World Cup; Utah no. 1 in U.S. volunteerism!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. U.S. swamps Japan, 8-2, for first Curling World Mixed Doubles gold!
2. U.S. gets no favors, faces Greece in Basketball World Cup
3. IJF approves Russia and Belarus as “neutrals” (again)
4. New university study shines positive light on Utah Winter bid
5. IBA taunts Euro Games organizers, IOC with “eligibles” list

Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin won the U.S.’s first-ever World Mixed Doubles gold with a solid, 8-2 win over Japan in the final in Korea. The draw for the 2023 FIBA men’s World Cup to be held in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia was on Saturday, with the Americans in a tough group with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece, plus New Zealand and Jordan. The International Judo Federation surprised no one by approving Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals – they had done so previously in 2022 – but this time with outside verification of “athlete neutrality.” A expanded study from the University of Utah showed new factors in demographics, social capital and carbon control in favor of the Salt Lake City bid for the 2030 or 2034 Olympic Winter Games. The numbers showed Utah to be the no. 1 U.S. state for volunteerism! The International Boxing Association, shut out of the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Games, nonetheless issued a list of “eligible” boxers for the European Games in Poland in June, including Belarusian and Russian athletes, none of whom will be allowed to compete at the event in Krakow and Malopolska.

A sad note as Olympic long jump great Ralph Boston of the U.S. passed away on Sunday, at 83. A full remembrance will feature in Tuesday’s post.

● World Championship: Ice hockey (U.S. wins IIHF men’s U-18s) ●
● Panorama: Athletics (3: Four world leaders in Botswana, Crouser and Ealey win at Drake; big marks for Kovacs, Alekna, Burks) = Badminton (Canada sweeps PanAm Championships) = Beach Volleyball (U.S.’s Nuss & Kloth win in Brazil!) = Cycling (Yates wins Tour de Romandie) = Fencing (Korea’s Oh wins Sabre Grand Prix at home) = Gymnastics (Kovtun on fire in Apparatus World Cup) = Modern Pentathlon (Jun wins, Guzi surprises at World Cup) = Sailing (three wins for France at Semaine Olympique Francaise) = Sport Climbing (six Speed world records in Seoul!) = Wrestling (2: Steveson dominates U.S. Open in return; no 2023 World Cups!) ●

1.
U.S. swamps Japan, 8-2, for first Curling World Mixed Doubles gold!

The United States had appeared in exactly zero finals in the first 14 editions of the WCF World Mixed Doubles Championship that debuted in 2008. That ended with a first-ever gold medal in 2023 as Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin defeated Chiaki Matsumura and Yasumasa Tanida of Japan, 8-2 in the final in Gangneung, South Korea on Saturday.

The U.S. did have some experience on its side, with Thiesse (then Cory Christensen) and John Shuster winning the Worlds bronze in 2019. Dropkin had been in two prior Mixed Doubles Worlds, in 2015 and 2018.

In Gangneung, Thiesse and Dropkin were great, finishing round-robin play in Group B with a 7-2 record, behind only Matsumura and Tanida (8-1). The Japanese won their round-robin match vs. the U.S. by 7-5.

In the playoffs, the U.S. squeezed by defending champ Scotland, 8-6, in the play-in match to the semifinals. As a group winner, Japan was automatically in the semis and got past Norway, 5-4, to reach not just its first-ever gold-medal game, but its first medal match!

Tiesse and Dropkin faced Canada’s two-time Worlds Women’s gold medalist Jennifer Jones and Brent Liang in the semis, and moved on with a 6-2 win powered by four unanswered points in the fifth, sixth and seventh ends.

In the final, the U.S. got on top quickly, with a point in the first end and two in the second for a 3-0 lead. Japan got one back in the third, but the Americans put up another point in the fourth and two in the fifth for a commanding 6-1 lead on the way to the 8-2 final. It was the fifth time in 11 matches that the U.S. scored eight or more points.

Said Thiesse:

“I can’t even believe it, I’m definitely still speechless right now. It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s incredible. I’m just so proud of my partner, we had a great week and it’s just incredible.”

Norway won the bronze, 6-2 over Canada, moving up from fourth in 2022 and claiming their third medal in tournament history (0-1-2).

2.
U.S. gets no favors, faces Greece in Basketball World Cup

A pretty tough draw for the United States in the draw for the FIBA World Cup coming up in August, with arguably the toughest group in the tournament:

● Group A: Angola (41), Dominican Republic (23), Italy (10), Philippines (40)
● Group B: China (27), Puerto Rico (20), Serbia (6), South Sudan (62)
● Group C: Greece (9), Jordan (33), New Zealand (26), United States (2)
● Group D: Egypt (55), Lithuania (8), Mexico (31), Montenegro (18)
● Group E: Australia (3), Finland (24), Germany (11), Japan (36)
● Group F: Cape Verde (64), Georgia (32), Slovenia (7), Venezuela (17)
● Group G: Brazil (13), Cote d’Ivoire (42), Iran (22), Spain (1)
● Group H: Canada (15), France (5), Latvia (29), Lebanon (43)

The U.S. will open with New Zealand in Pasay, the Philippines on 26 August, followed by ninth-ranked Greece – and the Antetokounmpo brothers – on the 28th and Jordan on 30 August, The top two teams in each group will advance to a second pool-play round with the top two in the second-round groups advancing to the quarterfinals.

Group A will play in the Philippines, in Bocaue and Quezon City; Group B only in Quezon City, Group C and Group D in Pasay.

Groups E and F will play in Okinawa City, Japan and Groups G and H will play in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The second-round groups will play in Quezon City and Pasay, Okinawa and Jakarta. All of the elimination playoffs will be at the 15,000-seat Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

This will be the 19th Basketball World Cup, with Spain the defending champ from 2019. The U.S. won the prior World Cups in 2011 and 2015, and has won the tournament five times, ties for the most with Yugoslavia. France won the bronze medals in both 2015 and 2019.

USA Basketball noted that Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) will serve as head coach of the 2023 USA World Cup Team. He will be assisted by Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), Tyronn Lue (Los Angeles Clippers) and Mark Few (Gonzaga University). The 12-man USA roster will be selected by USA basketball National Team Director Grant Hill and announced at a later date.

FIBA announced that the 32-team 2027 FIBA World Cup will be played in Doha, Qatar, another in a steady stream of events to be held there, using existing facilities, with dates to be announced.

The federation awarded the 16-team 2026 Women’s World Cup to Germany, to be played in September in Berlin, at the Arena Berlin and the Max-Schmeling-Halle. The Germans previously hosted the event in 1998,

3.
IJF approves Russia and Belarus as “neutrals” (again)

As it had already allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in June of 2022 – but with both countries staying away – there was no surprise in Saturday’s announcement of the same:

“The IJF Executive Committee has decided to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in IJF events as individual neutral athletes.”

What is different is the follow-on actions based on the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee:

“The Executive Committee has decided to engage an independent, reputable company to perform background checks on all the individuals proposed for participation, including social media content, with specific reference to possible war propaganda. Only those athletes and support personnel who are cleared during this verification process will be eligible and considered for participation in events by the IJF Executive Committee.”

And the IJF’s last line continues the IOC’s push to have athletes treated specially, against all others:

“Sport is the main bridge for dialogue and reconciliation.”

Russia has had success in judo in the recent past, winning four medals each in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Championships, but did not compete in 2022. Russia sent 13 entries to the Tokyo Olympic Games and won three medals, all bronzes (two men’s, one women’s).

4.
New university study shines positive light on Utah Winter bid

An expanded study from the University of Utah’s Gardner Policy Institute paper that projected an economic impact of $3.9 billion and 30,000 job-years of employment in May 2022, shows a 2030 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City to be well positioned for success based on non-pecuniary factors.

The new paper, titled “2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Utah: Demographic, Social, and Environmental Factors,” highlights positives for the bid, now looking more toward 2034 than 2030:

● Demographic Trends: “Utah continues to be a fast-growing, youthful, and rapidly diversifying state that attracts new migrants.”

● Social Factors: “Utah maintains its stature as a volunteer state with significant civic pride, nation-leading social capital, and high levels of well-being as measured by physical health, active lifestyles, healthy behaviors, and access to recreational activities.”

● Environmental Factors: “Utah remains well positioned to host an environmentally positive Games. A future Games will not require any Olympic-specific new construction projects, greatly reducing the environmental footprint. The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games commitment to a ‘climate positive’ Games demonstrates the high priority of environmental outcomes.”

The specifics are interesting, as the research showed Utah population growing at a rate of 18.4% from 2010-20, compared to just 7.4% for the U.S. as a while. Statistics on volunteerism were remarkable, reporting that Utah ranked “first in volunteerism” in the U.S. at 116 hours per person per year vs. 90 hours for the U.S. as a whole, with 51.0% of all Utahns involved in some type of volunteer work (vs. 32.6% of the U.S.).

The volunteerism numbers are important as the report notes:

“In 2002, nearly 70,000 people applied for approximately 21,000 available Olympic Games volunteer positions. Utah’s spirit of volunteerism contributed an estimated 4.6 million hours and between $69 and $92 million in savings to the 2002 Games, playing a significant role in the Games’ economic success and financial surplus.”

The report projected 25,000 volunteers to be engaged for 2030 (or 2034), of which 6-7,000 would be new, meaning an impressive 18-19,000 would be repeat staff from 2002! This is a potentially critical positive for Salt Lake City as a permanent site – in a rotation – for future Winter Games.

The “climate positive” pledge for a 2030 or 2034 Games is significantly based on building no new facilities, whether for competition, training or athlete housing, and the existing and forthcoming environmental initiatives of local and statewide agencies.

Aside from the volunteerism numbers, there were no knock-out revelations in the report update, but the study adds to the “soft power” profile of the Salt Lake City bid in areas where the International Olympic Committee has shown increased concern.

5.
IBA taunts Euro Games organizers, IOC with “eligibles” list

In a continuing effort to annoy and/or embarrass the organizers of the 2023 European Games and the International Olympic Committee, the International Boxing Association released a list of “eligible” boxers for the event.

As this is not a federation competition, but a multi-sport Games, this would normally not be of much interest. But, the IOC has designated the European Games in June as its first qualifier for the Paris 2024 Games, a process that does not include the IBA, and which the IOC is managing on its own, as it did for the Tokyo Games.

The 27-page IBA list includes, in a rather hard-to-read format, boxers who will clearly not be part of the 2023 European Games:

● Belarus: 9 boxers (4 men/5 women)
● Russia: 13 boxers (7 men/6 women)

Ukraine is, of course, listed, in all 13 classes (seven men and six women) and is expected to compete, but not necessarily with the boxers listed.

The IBA explained the announcement as

“a move to ensure its ranked athletes have a fair chance to compete at the European Games, has released the official list of eligible boxers based on the internationally recognized IBA ranking system for the European Games 2023 boxing tournament.

“The IBA stresses the importance of a fair selection criteria for the continental event, where IBA rankings reflect the most up-to-date situation in the sport of boxing with the most important events outcome included.”

The Polish organizing committee, in concert with the Polish government, has stated that no Russian or Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in the 2023 European Games.

In the meantime, the 2023 IBA men’s World Championships opened on Sunday in Tashkent (UZB), that will run through the 14th of May. As of 6 April, 104 countries were reported to have registered, with multiple countries absent – including the U.S. – as a protest against the IBA’s governance, finances and procedures.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The 23rd IIHF men’s U-18 Worlds in Switzerland concluded with a rematch of the 2022 final between defending champion Sweden and the U.S., but with the outcome reversed.

In the semifinals, the U.S. stomped Slovakia, 7-1, while Sweden sailed past Canada, 7-2, leaving the tournament’s two best teams in the final. The Swedes came in 6-0 with a 31-6 goals-against total, while the U.S. was also 6-0 and scored 48 goals to just eight for its opponents. William Smith and Cole Eiserman both had nine goals for the U.S. to lead all scorers coming into the final.

Sweden got on top in Sunday’s gold-medal match, with a first-period goal by Elliot Stahlberg and a second-period, power-play goal from Noel Nordh for a 2-0 lead. But the U.S. got going in the third, with Danny Nelson cutting the deficit to 2-1 at 9:44 of the final period, then getting a power-play equalizer from Carey Terrance at 16:44.

The match went into overtime, and after just 2:20, Ryan Leonard scored to give the Americans a 3-2 win and their 11th World U-18 title. It’s the 19th U.S. medal in 23 editions of the tournament, but the first win since 2017 and first win in their last three finals. Sweden earned its 13th medal in this event, now with two wins, six silvers and five bronzes.

In the third-place match, Canada defeated the Czechs, 4-3, also in overtime.

Smith won the scoring title with 20 points (9+11) and was named the Best Forward in the tournament. Sweden’s Axel Sandin Pellikka was selected as Best Defenseman and Noah Erliden as the top goalkeeper.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Big marks from the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone (BOT), including world-leading outdoor marks in four events:

● Men/200 m: 19.87, Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
● Men/400 m: 43.91, Muzala Samukonga (ZAM)
● Men/4×100 m: 38.26, Kenya
● Women/Long Jump: 6.77 m (22-2 1/2), Ese Brume (NGR) (later surpassed)

Tebogo, still just 19 and the two-time World Junior Champion at 100 m, came in with the fastest outdoor 200 m time in the world at 20.00, but crushed that with ease as he came off the turn fighting for the lead and then strode away from Canada’s Aaron Brown (20.00) and Joseph Fahnbulleh (LBR: 20.14) to win in 19.87 (wind -0.3 m/s).

That’s a lifetime best by 0.09 for Tebogo and moved him to equal-9th all-time in African history.

Tebogo was second in the 100 m behind Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who ran the fastest time in the world in 2023 in 9.76, but with wind just over the allowable limit (+2.3 m/s). American Kenny Bednarek was third in his first 100 m of the season (10.02) and Kyree King fifth (10.06).

Maybe the shock of the day was Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga, 20, winning the 400 m in a world-leading 43.91, holding on in the straight to lower his all-time best from 44.66 in 2022. He finished ahead of 2012 Olympic champ Kirani James (GRN: 44.76) and Botswana’s Leungo Scotch (44.76). Samukonga now ranks no. 17 all-time and no. 3 in African history.

Americans won the women’s sprints, with TeeTee Terry edging Bassant Hemida (EGY) from 11.05 to 11.09 (+0.4), with American Kiara Parker third (11.16). Kayle White won the 200 m from Sha’Carri Richardson, 22.38-22.54 (-0.5), with Hemida third (22.75).

The long jumps were strong, with Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Brume taking the world outdoor lead at 6.77 m, beating Burundi’s Marthe Koala (6.69 m/21-11 1/2). American Marquis Dendy, 30, the 2016 World Indoor Champion, jumped up to no. 2 on the world outdoor list with his winning jump of 8.34 m (27-4 1/2), well in front of Ingar Bratseth-Kiplesung (8.21 m/26-11 1/4).

American Trevor Bassitt, the 2022 Worlds 400 m hurdles bronze medalist, won his specialty in 48.43, with Sokwakhana Zazaini (RSA) second at 48.58.

Kenyan Mary Moraa set a national record with her 50.44 wun in the women’s 400 m and Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu jumped up to no. 5 on the world outdoor list with her 800 m victory in 1:59.35.

Despite cold and rainy conditions at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser of the U.S. won the men’s shot with what was thought to be a world-leading outdoor mark of 22.28 m (73-5 1/4).

That made Crouser a five-time Drake Relays winner and he grabbed the meet record from Christian Cantwell, who reached 22.10 m (72-6 1/4) in 2006. Tripp Piperi was second at 21.49 m (70-6 1/4), for sixth on the outdoor world list. (Both were moved down by Joe Kovacs in Nashville at about the same time; see below).

Fellow American World Champion Chase Ealey moved up to no. 5 on the world outdoor list for 2023 with a win at 19.12 m (62-8 3/4), well ahead of Maggie Ewen (18.76 m/61-6 3/4).

On the track, American Tia Jones won the women’s 100 m hurdles in a swift 12.44, the no. 2 mark in the world for 2023 (wind: -1.1 m/s), over Tonea Marshall (12.61), former World Champion Nia Ali (12.67) and world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR: 12.69).

The men’s 400 m hurdles went to C.J. Allen (48.78), with Anna Cockrell winning the women’s race in 55.52.

Nikki Hiltz completed a women’s road mile-track 1,500 m double, winning in 4:09.02.

That wasn’t all. At the Cal-Stanford dual in Berkeley, Cal star Worlds discus silver medalist Mykolas Alekna (LTU) won his event with a lifetime best and world-leading 71.00 m (232-11), moving to no. 18 all-time. He’s also now no. 6 this century, but doesn’t have the family record yet. That still belongs to is father, Virgilijus, still no. 2 ever at 73.88 m (242-5) from 2000!

Two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs took the world lead in the men’s shot at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, winning at 22.69 m (74-5 1/2) on his third throw. He backed that up with 22.03 m (72-3 1/2) in the fifth and round and 22.22 m (72-10 3/4) in the sixth.

In Baton Rouge, Worlds fourth-placer Quanesha Burks won the women’s long jump at 6.95 m (22-9 3/4) – the outdoor world leader for 2023 – but was second to Tara Davis-Woodhall, who won with a wind-aided leap of 7.05 mw (23-1 3/4w) with a stout breeze of 5.9 m/s at her back. Davis-Woodhall had a best legal jump of 6.86 m (22-6 1/4).

At the Fresno State Invite, 2019 Worlds 4×1 relay gold winner Morolake Akinosun, 28, won the women’s 100 m in 10.95 (+1.1) – equaling her lifetime best from 2016! – ahead of hurdles star Keni Harrison (11.09). Same for Texas’ Julian Alfred at the Texas Invitational in Austin, 10.95 with an aiding wind of +1.8 m/s and both are now no. 5 this season.

Also at Texas was Gabby Thomas, the Tokyo Olympic 200 m bronze medalist, won the women’s 400 m in a sensational 49.68, ahead of Lynna Irby-Jackson (50.40). For Thomas, it was her first 400 m since 2019 and moved her to no. 2 in the world for 2023. She’s also now no. 18 all-time U.S. in what was apparently only her second-ever outdoor 400 m!

Olympic champ Valarie Allman, already the world leader, took the women’s discus at 68.20 m (223-9).

Sondre Guttormsen (NOR), the NCAA champ for Princeton, took the outdoor world lead in the men’s vault at 5.90 m (19-2 1/4).

At the University of North Florida East Coast Relays in Jacksonville, Olympic women’s 100 m hurdles champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn screamed a 12.29 win, but with over-the-allowable wind of 3.2 m/s.

● Badminton ● Canada swept all five finals of the Pan American Championships in Kingston (JAM), including two wins in all-Canada matches!

Defending champion Michelle Li won the women’s Singles final from 2021 champ Beiwin Zhang of the U.S., 21-19, 21-9, and Brian Yang, the 2021 winner, earned a second victory by defeating Uriel Francisco Canjura of El Salvador, 21-10, 21-5.

The men’s Doubles was all-Canada, with Dong Adam and Nyl Yakura outlasting Kevin Lee and Ty Alexander Lindeman, 21-10, 16-21, 22-20. The Mixed Doubles final saw Joshua Hurlburt-Yu and Rachel Honderich win a tight match with Lindeman and Josephine Wu, 22-20, 18-21, 21-17.

The men’s Doubles final had Catherine Choi and Wu sweep aside Americans Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee, 21-14, 21-18.

● Beach Volleyball ● The third Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournament was in Uberlandia (BRA), with major upsets in both divisions.

In the women’s final, unheralded Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth (USA) came from behind to stun Australia’s Tokyo silver medalists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, 16-21, 24-22, 15-13.

Nuss, 25, and Kloth, 26, made a minor splash in March with a win in the La Paz Challenge tournament, but were underdogs against the Australian stars. This is their fourth win in FIVB tournaments, but by far their biggest win.

In the third-place match, Ana Patricia and Duda Lisboa (BRA) defeated Americans Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng, 21-16, 21-13.

The men’s final saw Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner (CZE), the 2022 European silver medalists defeat Norway’s Olympic and World champs, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, 21-19, 15-21, 15-11. The Czechs won their first Beach Pro Tour medal of the season and first FIVB event title since 2021 and their third ever; Mol and Sorum have now reached the final in all three Elite 16 tournaments in 2023, but have won only one and lost two.

Poland’s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl won the bronze-medal match from Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers (NED), 21-19, 21-23, 15-9.

● Cycling ● The 76th Tour de Romandie in western Switzerland saw the first five stages conclude with a different winner each time and the winner taking the race lead.

Czech Josef Cerny won the Prologue, a 6.82 km Individual Time Trial, but lost the leads the next day to Britain’s Ethan Vernon, who won the hilly “Stage 1″ in a mass-sprint finish.

The hilly second stage was a win for British star Ethan Hayter in another sprint finish and he ended the day with a six-second lead over Tobias Foss (NOR) and Remi Cavagna (FRA). Stage 3 was another Individual Time Trial, won by Juan Ayuso (ESP), who then had an 18-second lead on American Matteo Jorgenson.

The mountainous fourth stage was the third British win, this time for Adam Yates, who attacked with 4.3 km left and won by seven seconds over Thibault Pinot (FRA). That flipped the script again and now Yates had a 19-second lead on Jorgenson, going into the final day, a hilly 170.8 km route that ended in Geneva.

The long, slightly downhill descent to the finish was tailor-made for a mass sprint, but Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria got the jump on the field and got to the line for a clear win in 3:58:01. Niklas Arndt (GER) was second, followed by Hayter. Yates came safely home in 25th – with the same time, of course – and won the overall title, 19 seconds up on Jorgenson and 27 seconds ahead of Damiano Caruso (ITA).

This was the best finish ever for 23-year-old Jorgenson in a UCI World Tour race in what is starting out as an excellent year for the American. He was eighth at Paris-Nice and ninth in the Tour of Flanders. He’s aiming for the Tour de France in July, where he was 20th as a rookie in 2022.

● Fencing ● Korea’s 2019 World Champion Sang-uk Oh gave the home crowd a thrill at the FIE Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul with a gold-medal victory over Sandro Bazadze (GEO), 15-14, earning his fifth career Grand Prix title, but first since 2019!

The women’s title went to Greece’s Theodora Gkountoura, winning the final by 15-11 over Sara Balzer (FRA). The 2019 worlds bronze winner, Gkountoura won her first Grand Prix gold, in her second final in three years. It’s Balzer’s first career Grand Prix medal.

● Gymnastics ● The final FIG Apparatus World Cup for Artistic Gymnastics was held in Cairo (EGY), and Ukraine’s Ilia Kovtun was everywhere.

Still just 19, Kovtun was the 2021 Worlds All-Around bronze medalist, and had already won the first two Parallel Bars World Cups. In Cairo, he added the Floor Exercise, scoring 14.433 to best Aurel Benovic (CRO: 14.166).

Chih-kai Lee (TPE) won the Pommel Horse at 15.033 over Gagik Khachikyan (ARM: 14.733), with Kovtun in a tie for third (14.566).

Kovtun then took the Parallel Bars at 14.833 and Horizontal Bar (14.100) on Sunday to give him three wins and four medals over two days. Mohamed Afify (EGY) scored 14.066 on the Parallel Bars for second, and Nicolo Mozzato was third (14.033). Maxime Gentges (13.766) was runner-up on the Horizontal Bar, with Casimir Schmidt (NED: 13.533) third.

Nikita Simonov (AZE: 14.966) won on Rings, followed by Salvatore Maresca (ITA: 14.700) and Artur Avetisyan (ARM: 14.666). World Champion Artur Davtyan (ARM) won on Vault, scoring 15.166, well clear of Nazar Chepurnyi (UKR: 14.799).

American Joscelyn Roberson, 17, continued her ascent with a win in the Vault, 13.983 to 13.600 over Asia D’Amato (ITA), with Panama’s Hillary Heron third (13.599). D’Amato returned to get the gold in the Uneven Bars, 14.633 to 14.200 over Giorgia Villa (ITA), for her second win on Bars this season.

On Sunday, Villa scored a win on Beam (13.600) with Roberson second (13.233) and then the American finished with some spectacular tumbling to score 13.700 and win on Floor. D’Amato was second at 13.500.

● Modern Pentathlon ● Korea’s Woong-tae Jun was in control of the UIPM World Cup in Budapest almost from the start and won his ninth World Cup gold on Saturday.

Jun won the fencing round, was fourth in swimming and a modest 11th in riding, good enough for a five-second lead into the Laser Run. He had the eighth-fastest time and cross with the victory in 10:14.20 and 1,534 points. Just behind was Mohanad Shaban (EGY), a little faster on the course at 10:13.60 and 1,530 points. The fastest man on the course was Czech Vlach Martin in 9:44.80, which earned him the bronze medal with 1,525 points.

The women’s final was chaos, as world no. 1 Michelle Gulyas of Hungary started the Laser Run in the lead, but was quickly challenged by Egypt’s Salma Abdelmaksoud. But behind them, fellow Hungarian Blanka Guzi was racing toward the front, having started 26 seconds behind the leader.

Guzi’s final sprint brought her the first World Cup gold of her career, with the third-fastest time in the field of 11:06.50. Gulyas’s time of 11:34.90 was only 10th-best and she had to hold on to fend off Abdelmaksoud (11:36.10) with the final scores being 1,424-1,422-1,419.

Gulyas was fourth in fencing, second in swimming and won the riding, compared to Guzi’s ninth, fifth and 12th, but the Laser Run changed everything.

● Sailing ● With a year to go until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the 2023 Semaine Olympique Francaise off Hyeres was an important stepping stone and attracted an excellent field in the Olympic classes.

The home team did well, leading all nations with three wins, including both in the Formula Kite classes. Axel Mazella won the men’s medal race over Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder, with Britain’s Connor Bainbridge third. Lauriane Nolot won the women’s, taking the medal race from American Daniela Moroz – the 2018 World Champion – and fellow French Jessie Kampman.

France’s Fabien Pianazza took the men’s IQ Foil gold, winning the medal race over Onur Cavit Biriz (TUR) and Mateus Isaac (BRA). The women’s IQ Foil final saw Czech Barbora Svikova defeat Rina Niijima for the gold, with Laerke Buhl-Hansen (DEN) third.

There were tight finishes in the ILCA classes. Eliot Hanson (GBR) and countryman Michael Beckett raced to the finish in the Laser class, with Hanson ending with 36 net points to 37 for Beckett, on the strength of a win in the medal race, where Beckett was fourth.

Canada’s Sarah Douglas just edged Tokyo Olympic champ Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) in the women’s Laser Radial division, 74-75, with three top-three finishes to one.

Britain got a second win in the Nacra 17 mixed-crew races, with Tokyo Olympic silver medalists John Gimson and Anna Burnet finishing with just 32 points, to 70 for Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco (ARG).

Dutch stars Odile van Aanholt (two-time World Champion) and three-time World Champion Annette Duetz dominated the women’s 49erFX sailing, winning with just 50 net points (and eight top-three finishes) to 102 for Jana Germani and Giorgia Bertuzzi (ITA).

The men’s 49er class was a close win for Spain’s Diego Botin and Florian Trittel, ending with 78 net points after taking four races, against Jim Colley and Shaun Connor of Australia (87) and Poland’s Mikolai Staniul and Jakub Sztorch (90).

In the Mixed 470 class, Tokyo 2020 bronze winner Jordi Xammar and new partner Nora Brugman (ESP) won their first two races and got three more top-three finishes to end with 53 points to 61 for Lara Vadlau and Lukas Mahr (AUT).

● Sport Climbing ● Astonishing performances in the Speed section of the IFSC World Cup in Seoul (KOR), with six new world marks: four from Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw and two more from Indonesian star Veddriq Leonardo.

Leonardo crushed the mark in the qualifying, getting to the top of the 15 m wall in a startling 4.98 seconds, taking down the 5.01 by countryman Kiromal Katibin last July. He then won his quarterfinal in 5.19, screamed a world-record 4.90 (!) in the quarters, a 4.93 in the semis and won the final in 5.01 over China’s Jinbao Long (5.12).

Miroslaw had set the three prior records of 6.84, 6.64 and 6.53 in 2022, but got right to work in the qualifying, setting marks of 6.46 and 6.37! She won her round-of-16 climb in 6.56, then 6.38 in the quarterfinals, a third world mark of 6.35 in her semi and an outrageous world record of 6.25 in the final! Fellow Pole Natalia Kalucka was second in 6.67, but wasn’t close.

In the Bouldering events, heavy rains caused the semi-final results to become the final results, with France’s Mejdi Schalck winning (2t3z ~ 2/7) ahead of Japan’s two-time World Champion Tomoa Narasaki (2t3z ~ 6/10) and Korea’s 2018 Worlds silver winner Jong-won Chon (2t2z~ 2/2).

Japan’s 2016 Worlds silver medalist Miho Nonaka won the women’s title (2t3z ~ 20/22) over Oriane Bertone (FRA: 2t2z ~ 4/3) and American Brooke Raboutou (2t2z ~ 10/7).

● Wrestling ● Tokyo Olympic Freestyle 125 kg superstar Gable Steveson made a triumphant return to Olympic wrestling with a victory in the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

Steveson, who had been training with the WWE, was completely dominant, winning the final by a 10-0 technical fall over two-time Worlds medal winner Nick Gwiazdowski.

Rio Olympic 86 kg bronze medalist and two-time 92 kg World Champion J’den Cox has moved up to 97 kg and defeated Isaac Trumble, 12-3, in his final.

The U.S. Open winners will compete for the right to go to the 2023 UWW World Championships against the seven U.S. medal winners from the 2022 Worlds. In the other three men’s classes where the U.S. did not medal, the U.S. Open winners will face the winner of a challenge tournament coming in May.

In the other men’s Freestyle finals, Zane Richards won at 57 kg; Vitali Arujau at 61 kg; Nick Lee at 65 kg; Tyler Berger at 70; Jason Nolf at 74; Chance Marsteller at 79 kg; Aaron Brooks at 86; and Michael Macchiavello at 92 kg.

In the men’s Greco-Roman division, seven wrestler who had won at least one prior national title triumphed again, including Dalton Richards (61 kg), Hayden Tuma (63 kg), Kamal Bey (fifth title at 77 kg), Spencer Woods (82 kg), Alan Vera (87 kg), Josef Rau (97 kg) and defending champion Cohlton Schultz at 130 kg.

First-time national winners were Brady Koontz at 55 kg; Robert Perez at 67 kg and Justus Scott at 72 kg.

The women’s Freestyle finals on Sunday saw a stunning upset as six-time World Champion Adeline Gray returned from a year away from the mat, but lost to rising star Kennedy Blades in the 76 kg final by 12-2. Blades, 20, a 2019 U20 World Champion and 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up, earned her first U.S. Open title and will wrestle in the Final X series for a berth at the UWW World Championships.

Two-time Worlds medal winner Alyssa Lampe also suffered a loss in her final at 50 kg, with Audrey Jimenez winning on criteria after a 10-10 tie. Jimenez, the 2022 World U-20 silver medalist, was down 8-0 in the second period before starting her comeback. Wow!

Forrest Molinari, the 2021 Worlds 65 kg bronze medalist, did win her final against Alexandria Glaude with a pinfall in 4:21.

Katie Gomez, a 2022 World U-20 bronze winner, won at 53 kg over Samara Chavez, 12-2, and 2022 World U-23 bronze winner Alisha Howk defeated top-seeded Lauren Mason, 8-3, at 55 kg. Last year’s World U-20 bronze winner at 62 kg, Adaugo Nwachukwu, won her final, 10-8, over no. 1 seed Jennifer Page.

Xochitl Mota-Pettis took a 10-0 win in the final over Alexandria Hedrick at 57 kg; Michaela Beck won at 59 kg, and top-seeded Macey Kilty won the 65 kg class over no. 2 Emma Bruntil, 5-1. Joye Levendusky won the 72 kg final over Rose Cassioppi, by a 10-0 technical fall in the second period.

United World Wrestling announced on Friday that both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman World Cups for 2023 have been canceled.

The Greco event was slated for 24-25 November in Tehran (IRI) and the men’s and women’s Freestyle discipline in Coralville, Iowa in the U.S. on 10 December. According to the UWW:

“The decision to cancel the World Cups was made after careful consideration and analysis of the challenges and complexities involved in organizing such high-profile events during a pre-Olympic year. With many countries focusing on preparing their wrestlers for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the potential lack of participation in the World Cups in 2023 was a major concern for UWW. Additionally, the World Championships in Belgrade, scheduled for September 2023, would have added further pressure on countries.

“The lack of local support to host the events during November and December was also a contributing factor in the decision by the Bureau to cancel the World Cups. Finding local organizing committees to host the team competition has proven to be a significant challenge.”

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Poland pushing to keep Russia, Belarus out; athlete “declaration” will be required; IBA threatens officials again

By
Rich Perelman
-
The new National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, to be the site of the 2023 World Athletics Championships (Photo: World Athletics)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Poland coordinating diplomatic push vs. Russian return
2. Ricci Bitti says ASOIF guidance will include a declaration
3. Pozdnyakov “surprised” by low motivation of Russian athletes
4. IBA notes USA Boxing withdrawal; threatens officials again
5. Sightseeing tour of Paris included in 2024 triathlon route

Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk said he is working to coordinate a European government response to the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations on Russian and Belarusian re-entry into international sports. He’ll have support from members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who sternly criticized the IOC’s idea to allow “neutral” Russians and Belarusians to compete again, while the war against Ukraine continues. The head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) said that Russian and Belarusian athletes who want to return will have to sign a declaration of some kind, attesting to their “neutrality.” The complexities are substantial and the effort is a work in progress. The President of the Russian Olympic Committee said he does not understand why some Russian athletes are having trouble with motivation during this period of exile from international competition. The International Boxing Association noted USA Boxing’s withdrawal, blaming it on a referral for sanctions against its officials for helping to found the new World Boxing federation. That’s not what USA Boxing’s letter said, however. The IBA also issued a letter “reminding” its referees and judges not to participate in the IOC’s Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying events without IBA permission; that drew a strong rebuke from Dutch Boxing Federation chief Boris van de Vorst, who said the IBA “is attempting to treat them like property.” The triathlon course for Paris 2024 was announced, starting in the River Seine and including multiple landmarks in the city on the bike and run routes.

● Panorama: Athletics (2: 2023 Worlds track in Budapest unveiled; Guardian Life sponsors Michigan wheelchair-sports program) = Basketball (Griner speaks of captivity at news conference) ●

1.
Poland coordinating diplomatic push vs. Russian return

Polish Minister of Sport and Tourism Kamil Bortniczuk told RMF Radio on Thursday that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not compete at the European Games in Krakow and Malopolska in June and that he is working on further political pressure on the International Olympic Committee:

“We are in the process of formulating the next position of the coalition of 36 countries. On May 15, we have the EU Council for Sport, where we also plan to adopt a declaration that will clearly oppose the return of Russians and Belarusians to the international arenas.”

He also noted that while Poland has protested the IOC’s 28 March recommendations opening a pathway for “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes to re-enter international competitions, the Russians and Belarusians are also angry because so many of their athletes have ties with their military or national security agencies:

“There are competitions where almost one hundred percent of Russian personnel are formally soldiers of the Russian army.”

He also offered a small surprise, that in discussions with Ukrainian colleagues, there could be some Russian athletes who could be accepted back into competition:

“They indicated probably five Russian sportsmen who opposed the war so clearly that the Ukrainians would see the possibility of competing with them.”

Bortniczuk’s comments followed Tuesday’s hearing in Strasbourg (FRA) by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media on “Excluding the athletes and officials of the Russian Federation and Belarus from participating in the international Olympic Movement.”

In addition to a strident, eight-and-a-half minute video from British lawmaker Lucy Frazer outlining her concerns over the IOC’s recommendations, there were passionate comments from the floor in the same direction.

Britain’s George (Lord) Foulkes was especially pointed in his criticism of “special status” for athletes:

“With due respect to our [IOC] guests, I find the special pleading for sportsmen quite sickening. There are two arguments that you are putting forward. One is that there are other conflicts around the world. That’s no explanation at all.

“What we’re fighting here, as an organization that upholds democracy, we are fighting – we are supporting – Ukraine because they are fighting, they are dying on our behalf, fighting for democracy against totalitarianism.

“And how is this war going to end? It’s only going to end in one way, and that is Putin deciding to give up. And how can we make him give up? There is only one way, that the people of Russia need to put pressure on him. And just as the sanctions on businessmen, on oligarchs, is to make sure that they – to protect their fortunes – put pressure on Putin, we need the athletes to put pressure on Putin.

“And the only way to do that is to stop them participating in any way whatsoever in these international events. And we need to be firm on this. As an organization destined, designed to protect human rights and democracy, if we don’t do that, then we are failing in our duty.”

Denmark’s Mogen Jensen, twice a national minister, took aim at the Olympic Charter:

“Imposing a war on another country with all that mass destruction, lost lives, violence, has to have a clear consequence. And for me, it overrules the statues of the Olympic Movement.

“We have imposed sanctions on a lot of people in Russia. When you impose sanctions on companies which cannot trade, you impose sanctions on, you could say, innocent workers in Russia, who has nothing to do with this conflict.

“Why should this be different when it comes to people who exercise sports? Is there is special discrimination on sports people to impose sanctions and to exclude other, ordinary Russian citizens? I don’t think so.

“Sport has also to take their responsibility when it comes to countries that impose wars on other countries, so I think there’s only one clear signal, one clear message to send here from the Assembly and that is to exclude officials and athletes from Russia and Belarus for the Olympic Games and I think that the Olympic Movement should take down that message.”

2.
Ricci Bitti says ASOIF guidance will include a declaration

Russian and Belarusian athletes who want to come back into international competition will need to have a pen with them.

In an interview with the French all-sport newspaper L’Equipe, Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA), the former head of the International Tennis Federation and now head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), explained that the current thinking about the specific process of certifying athlete “neutrality” will require the execution of a declaration concerning the Russian war against Ukraine:

“The athletes will have a declaration to sign.

“But they will not be asked to say that they are against the war because that becomes a criminal matter in Russia. We are in the process of developing, with legal assistance, a model declaration. Formula 1 drivers already do that. Federations like swimming are already ahead and we will try to harmonize all that, but it is not easy.

“There is another delicate subject, it is the control [of the conformity of the athletes to the reinstatement criteria]. We are studying the possibility of entrusting this task to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But it’s not official yet.”

In its detailed recommendations brief, the IOC noted that “Only those Individual Neutral Athletes and support personnel who have not acted against the peace mission of the Olympic Movement by actively supporting the war in Ukraine may be invited to participate in international sports competitions” and added some further specifics, including:

“In order to ensure a harmonised interpretation of these criteria, the IFs should consider creating a single independent panel under the umbrella of the IF associations (ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF) to take the decisions.”

That’s where Ricci Bitti’s ASOIF comes in, endorsing its role in a statement on 30 March:

“ASOIF is ready to support and assist the concerned International Federations in their forthcoming discussions with the IOC given the complexity of the implementation and the serious implications on the qualification system for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

But, as Ricci Bitti said, “it’s not official yet.”

3.
Pozdnyakov “surprised” by low motivation of Russian athletes

“The sport of the highest achievements is a matter of special pride for both Belarusians and Russians. Our history is rich in sporting events, and continuity will be preserved. The sports of the highest achievements will live in our countries, today the conditions are difficult, but any athlete, if he is of a high level, can look for motivation in any particular fight.

“To be honest, I’m always surprised when they say that athletes lose motivation. How can you lose motivation if one of the main Olympic principles is the desire for improvement? To be the first always and everywhere, in all competitions. This is what the vast majority of our athletes strive for, and in this we will help them in every possible way.”

That’s Russian Olympic Committee chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov, a four-time Olympic fencing champion and 10-time World Championships gold medalist, from Wednesday in a rare joint appearance with Viktor Lukashenko, the head of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus and son of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, at the National Athletes Forum in Minsk.

Lukashenko added, “This has always been our top priority, and we have made great progress in this direction. We have created clusters, ranging from children’s to youth and adult competitions. CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] Games, which will be held in August, should clearly demonstrate that the sport has not stopped in place. We have a number of ideas, we are constantly looking for serious competitions, we do not have any kind of stagnation.”

Both criticized both the 2022 IOC sanctions recommendations and the IOC’s 28 March initiative to explore a pathway for “neutral” individual Russian or Belarusian athletes to return to international competition. Lukashenko said:

“The question is not only about symbolism, there are a number of conditions. We all heard the statement of the International Olympic Committee, where there have been some kind of warming, movement, from our point of view, in the right direction. But the decisions were submitted to the judgment of international sports federations.

“As for the Olympics, there is no talk of qualifying yet, only about international competitions. There should be some definite red line that we cannot cross. Only with respect for our country, our athletes, we will be able to take part in these competitions. We don’t rush headlong into the pool . . . if only ours were allowed in. There are certain moments in which we will never step over ourselves.”

Pozdnyakov maintained his steady line against any sanctions:

“A month ago, the IOC put forward rather complicated and, I would say, too strict conditions. I called this situation a farce. The IOC went forward, heard criticism from the U.N., the Human Rights Council. Discrimination on the basis of nationality has been supplemented by discrimination based on the type of activity, membership in sports organizations by sports.

“Today, those unfair and legally insignificant conditions that are not spelled out in any of the sections of the Olympic Charter are arbitrariness on the part of the IOC. And we will seek to change these conditions.”

He said the Russian Olympic Committee was in the process of formulating re-entry recommendations of its own for its national sports federations.

4.
IBA notes USA Boxing withdrawal; threatens officials again

The International Boxing Association posted a statement with its own take on the withdrawal of USA Boxing:

“The International Boxing Association (IBA) acknowledges the resignation of the National Federation of the United States of America, USA Boxing, on 26 April 2023 that came as an immediate reaction to the filing of the official compliant to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) for their involvement in the creation of a rogue boxing organization

“With this decision, the National Federation and all its members, including officials, coaches, and boxers, are prohibited from having any relationship with IBA and from participating in any of its, or any affiliated member competitions as enshrined in the IBA Constitution and IBA Technical and Competition Rules. The above-mentioned is an automatic mechanism triggered by the resignation email of USA Boxing received by the IBA yesterday.

“Not only did the USA Boxing’s decision hurt all their affiliates who will now not be able to take part in IBA’s or affiliated member competitions, but it also deprives the boxing community as a whole from competing together and increasing the level of the talent within the boxing family.”

This interpretation is, of course, quite different from the reasons listed by USA Boxing chief executive Mike McAtee in his five-page letter made available on Wednesday, which focused on the IOC’s continuing issues with the IBA on finance, governance and refereeing and judging.

Also on Thursday, Dutch Boxing Federation President Boris van der Vorst referenced a letter sent by IBA Development Director Chris Roberts (GBR) to all IBA technical officials which noted a rule which prohibits participating “in an International Tournament which is not approved in advance by IBA.”

This is a specific warning against participation as an official with the IOC’s Paris Boxing Unit, which is overseeing the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. There was more:

“It is within our duty to remind all recipients of this instruction, that all Technical Officials who have responded to any communication presented by the [Paris Boxing Unit], should inform the IBA Development Department at [email protected] as to their proposed intention regarding Paris 2024 and participation in the event holistically. This would include selection for any events that are known to be in a qualifying capacity, or a selection procedure moving towards the end-state of the tournament.

“The process in terms of communication to IBA is clear, all qualifications/certifications met by each respective official are owned and directed by IBA. The pathway and education are appropriately managed by IBA, with extensive investment to support everyone through that process of both events and continuous professional development.”

The obvious intent is to try and keep existing IBA officials from working at the IOC’s Paris 2024 qualifiers, who will first include 2023-24 continental multi-sport events such as the African Games, Asian Games, European Games and Pan American Games. A final Paris qualifier will be held in 2024.

Van de Vorst tweeted:

“An IF, suspended from the Olympic Movement, in big part for failing to establish & implement effective management and development systems for their competition officials, is attempting to treat them like property. Not acceptable. Time for change.”

and

“To boxing competition officials around the world: an International Federation is not in a position to restrict your professional affiliation choices! Don’t fall for continued threats. Time to leave the corrupting & authoritarian regime behind!”

Van der Vorst’s Dutch federation is expected to join the new World Boxing federation, following the U.S. lead.

5.
Sightseeing tour of Paris included in 2024 triathlon route

The Paris 2024 organizers announced Thursday the route of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic triathlon courses, beginning in the River Seine and continuing on bicycle and foot through multiple Parisian landmarks.

The Olympic triathlon comprises a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike phase and 10 km run. Swimming will be held in the River Seine, now undergoing a major cleaning effort to once again allow swimming, with a two-loop course of 910 m and 590 m, followed by a climb of 32 steps to the Pont Alexandre III bridge for the first transition zone.

The bike segment will be over seven laps of a 5.715 km route on the Avenue Winston Churchill, the Champs Elysees, Avenue Montaigne, the Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Rue de Bac, and include some cobbled sections.

The run phase will be four loops of 2.5 km, finishing on the Pont Alexandre III bridge.

The Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Quai d’Orsay and Quai Anatole France are all along the route. The men’s race will be held on 30 July 2024 at 8 a.m. and the women’s race at the same time on the following day. Each race will have 55 entrants.

The Mixed Relay will also be held on the 31st, with a 300 m swim, 5.8 km ride and 1.8 km run for two men and two women.

The Paralympic courses will include most of the same elements, but in a course of 750 m for swimming, 20 km of cycling and a 5 km run on 1-2 September.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● The new National Athletics Centre stadium in Budapest, Hungary was opened for inspection on Wednesday, just less than four months ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships from 19-27 August.

The facility was built to host the championships, but will be reconfigured for long-term use. Situated right on the iconic Danube River, it will seat 35,000-plus for the Worlds, but then reduced to a more suitable 14,000 for long-term use, allowing for the construction of a running path and a 26-acre sports park. About 160,000 tickets – perhaps 40% – have been sold so far.

As built for the 2023 Worlds, the facility includes press seating for 500, a news conference room for 110 and a workroom for 400.

The Mondo track has nine lanes and there is a six-lane indoor running track. And a change in the awards protocol:

“In contrast to previous world championships, the medal ceremonies will be held outside the stadium, in the adjacent Medal Plaza, before the evening sessions, instead of between the events, so that spectators arriving at the venue will be able to get up close to the world’s best athletes.”

An interesting sponsorship announcement came on Tuesday, with the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America stepping up in a new role in Paralympic sport with:

“a multi-year grant to the University of Michigan Adaptive Sports and Fitness (ASF) program for the creation of the Adaptive Student Athlete Program (ASAP). This national program significantly expands access to competitive opportunities in Para track and field, wheelchair tennis, and wheelchair basketball for collegiate student athletes with disabilities, paving the way for them to increase their participation and receive equitable recognition alongside their able-bodied peers.”

The project will immediately be showcased at this weekend’s Drake Relays, where the first National Collegiate Wheelchair Championships will be held in the 100 m.

Guardian is a leading disability insurer and financial services provider, and part of its funding will take care of the costs of the wheelchair races and athlete travel, lodging, and other costs.

Is this the start of more corporate sponsorship of Para programs at the collegiate level? In addition to the Drake Relays racing, the Wheelchair Tennis National Championships in Florida in May and a Michigan wheelchair basketball tournament in September.

● Basketball ● Two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner appeared at a Thursday news conference in Phoenix, describing in public for the first time some of her feelings during her wrongful detainment in Russia that ended with a prisoner swap last December.

“I’m no stranger to hard times,” Griner, 32, said, explaining that pictures of her family were of special comfort to her while imprisoned.

“Just digging deep. You’re going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it.”

She has resumed training, readying to play for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season:

“I feel like I’ve hit the corner and just loving it now, but at first there was a point where it was like, wow, dang, I really want to do this this fast right now? But no, it was so worth it. So worth it.”

After being detained while going to play with her Russian club team, she also noted, “I’m never playing overseas again. The only time I would want to would be to represent the USA.”

She also thanked the news media for their coverage:

“Thank y’all for covering me and all the exposure you gave me, my family to help get me home. That coverage was much needed.

“I was aware of the efforts and everything that was going on. I know people were fighting for me and bringing awareness. That made me more comfortable there, and meant I had hope, which is a hard, dangerous thing to have because when it doesn’t work, it’s so crushing.

“No one should be in any of the conditions that I went through or they’re going through.”

Griner announced a new effort with the WNBA’s Mercury and the Bring Our Families Home campaign (BOFH) to raise awareness and support those impacted by wrongful detainment in other nations.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: USA Boxing terminates IBA membership; Crouser and Ealey win at Drake; Russian return to fencing at standstill

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser, winner of the Drake Relays indoor shot put on Wednesday (Photo by Luke Lu, courtesy Drake University)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. USA Boxing leaves IBA, so IBA asks for sanctions
2. Crouser and Healy take Drake Relays indoor shot events
3. Frazer’s three concerns over Russian and Belarusian re-entry
4. Russian return to fencing not going as hoped
5. Hirono stops H.R. 734 transgenders-in-sports ban in Senate

USA Boxing resigned from the International Boxing Association and announced its intention to join the new World Boxing federation now in formation. The IBA, in response, referred the federation for sanctions, but what can the IBA do now that USA Boxing has left? At the Drake Relays indoor shot put, American stars Ryan Crouser and Chase Ealey won easily, Crouser with a mighty throw of 73-6 3/4 in the first round. More of the remarks of British sports minister Lucy Frazer from Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, including the three specific issues she wants the International Olympic Committee to take up immediately concerning the re-entry situation for Russian and Belarusian athletes. Meanwhile, Russian officials reacted angrily to the PACE committee hearing. And there are more complications. Even thought the International Fencing Federation (FIE) approved the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, none will compete in this week’s Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul, as the federation has not yet certified any athletes as neutrals, to the frustration of the Russian Fencing Federation. In the U.S. Senate, a motion to quickly pass the House-approved bill prohibiting transgender women from competing on women’s teams was stopped by Democratic Senator Maizie Hirono of Hawaii, a strong indicator it will get nowhere due to Democratic control of the chamber.

● World Championships: Curling (World Mixed Doubles) = Ice Hockey
(men’s U-18 Worlds) ●
● Panorama: Paris 2024 (“fake” volunteers may try for disruption) = Athletics (2: Albanian officials suspended over fake wind reading; USTFCCA names 14 to Hall of Fame) = Football (UEFA Champions League final may come to U.S.) = Weightlifting (U.S. to skip PanAm U-15/U-17 Champs in view of Venezuelan unrest) = Wrestling (nine Russian dopers from 2012 suspended) ●

1.
USA Boxing leaves IBA, so IBA asks for sanctions

“Later this morning, April 26, 2023, and after this communication is sent to you, USA Boxing will send a letter of termination to IBA’s Secretary General exercising USA Boxing’s right under Section 12 CESSATION (Termination) OF MEMBERSHIP. This means USA Boxing will no longer be a member of IBA effective immediately.

“USA Boxing will commit full support to World Boxing’s efforts to seek provisional recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and as an International Federation (IF) for the sport of Olympic-style boxing, Paralympic Boxing (Adaptive) and Esport Boxing.

“On March 22, 2023, USA Boxing Board of Directors met in Executive Session and USA Boxing’s Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution approving these actions.”

That’s how a five-page letter from USA Boxing chief executive Mike McAtee began on Wednesday, formally severing U.S. national federation ties with the International Boxing Association and moving toward the new World Boxing federation.

McAtee’s letter included a 20-paragraph explanation of the reasons for leaving the IBA (formerly known as AIBA), repeating the well-known concerns voiced by the International Olympic Committee over IBA’s financing, governance and refereeing and judging, under current President Umar Kremlev (RUS). This included:

● “IBA has failed to follow its stated Mission, ‘…to promote, support and govern the sport of boxing worldwide in accordance with the requirements and spirit of the Olympic Charter…’; has disregarded its own Constitution, policies, and published processes; has openly defied the ruling of the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS); and has continuously failed to prioritize the needs of boxers;”

● “USA Boxing remains committed to the Olympic movement by following the principles of proper governance, promoting neutral third-party oversight of the field of play, condemning false and misleading information from IBA leadership, demanding transparent financial management, and following the IOC requirements that prohibit athletes whose National governments are under current IOC sanctions from competing under their national symbols, flags, anthems, and colors;”

● “USA Boxing is committed to work tirelessly with World Boxing, like-minded National Federations and worldwide Olympic-style boxing community to earn the privilege to be part of the Olympic Movement now and in the years to come.”

The new World Boxing federation has begun accepting membership applications; its interim board includes representatives from Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden and the U.S.

By removing itself from the IBA, U.S. boxers will suffer no penalty as regards qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as the International Olympic Committee has taken over the process, as it did for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The first major qualifier for the Americas will be at the Pan American Games in Santiago (CHI) in October.

The IBA, of course, is not amused and, as expected, asked for sanctions against a federation which has left:

“The International Boxing Association (IBA) has filed an official complaint to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) against individuals and entities involved in creation of a rogue boxing organization. The case was registered by the BIIU and will be reviewed as soon as possible.

“The IBA strongly condemns the efforts of individuals to damage the significant strides taken by the IBA over the last few years to secure boxers’ the best future possible. The International Boxing Association (IBA) reiterates that it will continue doing its utmost to protect the organization and all its member National Federations from any harm caused by individuals or entities within or outside of the IBA boxing family.”

Hard to see what recourse the IBA will have against an organization which is no longer involved with it.

2.
Crouser and Healy take Drake Relays indoor shot events

Billed as an attempt by Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser to try and better his own world indoor record of 22.82 m (74-10 1/2) from 2021 at the Drake University Fieldhouse, he won easily at 22.42 m (73-6 3/4) on his first throw at the Drake Relays, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Not a record, but the no. 3 indoor performance of 2023, behind his world-leading 22.58 m (74-1) and 22.50 m (73-10) at the Millrose Games, setting aside his 23.38 m (76-8 1/2) unratified world record at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho.

Crouser went 2.30 m (73-2) on his second throw, then a foul, 22.02 m (72-3) in round four and fouls in five and six. He was an easy winner over Tripp Piperi (21.45 m/70-4 1/2) and Nigeria’s Chuk Enekwechi, at 20.81 m (68-3 1/4).

The women’s shot saw American Maggie Ewen take the early lead at 19.45 m (63-9 3/4), just behind her indoor best, but passed in the fourth round by World Champion Chase Ealey of the U.S. at 19.54 m (64-1 1/4). That turned out to be the winner, but well behind her world-leading 20.03 m (65-8 3/4) from the Millrose Games.

Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd got out to a national indoor record of 19.52 m (63-0 1/2) in the final round to move up to second, with Ewen third.

The unique team event, which paired up a male and female putter and scored for combined distance, was won by Ewen and Piperi at 40.90 m (134-2), ahead of Jessica Woodard and Crouser (40.52 m/132-11) and Ealey and Enekwechi, who combined for 40.35 m (132-4).

There will be a second shot competition outdoors, on Saturday, with Crouser and Ealey featured once again.

3.
Frazer’s three concerns over Russian and Belarusian re-entry

During her impassioned, pre-recorded address of eight and a half minutes during Tuesday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media on “Excluding the athletes and officials of the Russian Federation and Belarus from participating in the international Olympic Movement,” British Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer went in-depth on the International Olympic Committee’s 28 March recommendations for the re-entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

It’s worth reviewing, and somewhat surprising as she was in favor of Russian and Belarusian athlete re-entry, but only for true neutrals:

“The UK government has, from March 2022, been clear in our guidance to our own domestic sports bodies, that individual Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete as neutrals on UK soil. As long as they are really neutral, and not representing their states in any way.

“And we have been equally clear on what that neutrality looks like. These athletes must not, under any circumstances, express support for the war or the Russian and Belarusian regimes. This extends to athlete funding, to athletes funded by their states to compete in events, or who are in receipt of funding or sponsorship directly aligned with their states, such as from state-controlled companies like Gazprom, cannot be considered to be neutral. Athletes directly funded by their states to compete in sports competitions who would not be present at those events without that support are de facto representatives of those states. They are only there by virtue of being funded by, trained by, selected by, supported by, the Russian state.

“And in that sense, from the UK perspective, both ourselves and the International Olympic Committee … are both seeking the same outcome, ensuring that Russian and Belarusian states cannot be represented in international sport.

“We have seen the IOC start to address some of the concerns our brief of 35 nations raised in February, and that is to be welcomed. For the IOC’s recommendations do not go far enough for us, and they leave far too many unanswered questions.

“Our deep reservations extend across three areas.

“Firstly, there is no reference anywhere in the recommendations to state funding, which, I have said, is a breach of neutrality. That issue is simply too fundamental to be ignored and it strikes at the very heart of what neutrality is.

“Second, the provisions set out on military and national security agency links are currently minimal, especially when we know that the links between state, military and sport in Russia and Belarus are root and branch. And if you think that sounds like an exaggeration, consider the fact that the two leading Russian sport societies – the Central Sports Club of the Army [CSKA] and the Dynamo Sports Society – were founded by the Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Internal Affairs, respectively.

“Athletes trained by those two societies consistently bring home by far the largest share of Russian Olympic medals. Many Russian athletes have been active in their support of Putin’s invasion.

“The limited focus of the IOC’s recommendations around people being currently contracted to the military, or national security agencies, really does not account for the intrinsic relationship between the military and security apparatus. Our concern also covers the potential for loopholes, with people being un-contracted before events and then re-contracted afterwards, to allow them to compete.

“In Belarus, the Lukashenko regime maintains close control of Belarusian sport, with the Belarus Olympic Committee and Presidential Sports Club – which provides direct financial support to Belarusian and other athletes – led by Lukashenko’s sons.

“The scenes at [the] pre-war rally at the Luzhniki Stadium [in Moscow] last year, where Putin used Olympic athletes to promote his aggression only served to underline this issue.

“Thirdly, we have ongoing, serious concerns about how these provisions will be implemented effectively, robustly and consistently. For example, there are issues around the definition of teams, and whether pairs of athletes could be allowed. This issue is one which needs further clarification.

“Let’s be clear on why this matters. You can’t compete in a team event in the Olympics other than by virtue of being the same nationality and representing your country. There are no options to pair up across country borders, so there can be no place for any teams of any numbers. We are already seeing a great deal of confusion across sport, as international federations take different approaches on the issue of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition.

“And our fear is this will only escalate over the coming weeks, exacerbated by the current lack of clarity on future participation at Paris 2024 for those Russians and Belarusians, who may have qualified at events this summer.”

Numerous other speakers were not as generous and asked for a total ban.

In response to the PACE hearing, Russian officials reacted furiously, including:

● Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said Wednesday:

“We consider this to be a gross violation of the Olympic Charter and demand that the IOC react promptly to statements such as those made by certain Western governments.

“We are faced with blatant interference in the autonomous status of sports, which must be safeguarded by the International Olympic Committee. We hope to hear the toughest possible reaction on behalf of the IOC regarding this issue.”

● Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko added:

“We are moving away from the hegemony of the West, where countries, at the behest of United States, can simply rewrite laws for themselves [and their own selfish interests], justifying any aggression. This is exactly the same thing that we see happening now in the world of sports.”

“Unfortunately, global sports organizations are not adhering anymore to the fundamental principles of sports, which had been all about staying outside of politics and providing athletes with an equal playing field to let them demonstrate their personal best.

“But what do we see today? The International Olympic Committee issued a humiliating ultimatum to our athletes, as well as to the Belarusian Olympic team, stating that in order to participate in the Games we must actually betray our own Motherland, condemn it and reject it, and only then would we be allowed to participate, but only under a neutral flag and without national anthems being played.”

“We do not want this kind of Olympics.”

And there is pressure elsewhere in the government, with Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko telling Deputy Sports Minister Andrei Fedorov:

“Colleagues, somehow I want you to be more toothy, or something. They acted like fighters. It is impossible to give our athletes to be torn to pieces; it is generally a complete lawlessness that is happening in sports.”

4.
Russian return to fencing not going as hoped

In early March, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) agreed, at an extraordinary, online Congress to allow the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals in a decision which has still not been publicly posted by the federation.

It was widely anticipated that the first appearance of Russian and Belarusian fencers could be in Seoul (KOR) for this weekend’s FIE Grand Prix in Sabre, the last Grand Prix this season in that discipline. But it hasn’t worked out that way.

Russian Fencing Federation Ilgar Mammadov expressed his frustration to the Russian news agency TASS thus:

“We will not be participating in the Grand Prix in Seoul due to some bureaucratic snafus and foot-dragging on the part of the International Fencing Federation.

“We are sending a letter today requesting that all qualifying points of this tournament be cancelled since we are unable to take part in it.

“We did everything in due time, as they had instructed us previously. We repeatedly warned them, however, that it would be impossible for us to participate if they continued to drag the process out.

“We were assured, however, that everything was all right, that we should not worry and that we would be eligible by the deadline. However, we are now seeing the exact opposite result.”

Beyond Seoul is the 5-7 May Grand Prix in Epee, scheduled for Cali, Colombia; no word yet on whether Russian or Belarusian fencers will be able to compete there.

5.
Hirono stops H.R. 734 transgenders-in-sports ban in Senate

After the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023” passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week on a 219-203 party-line vote, the measure was sent to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday and came to the floor on Wednesday.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), who coached girls’ basketball early in his career before moving on to college football, asked for unanimous consent on the Senate floor to pass the bill without a roll-call vote. He noted:

“A few weeks ago, on Good Friday of all days, Joe Biden’s Department of Education issued a new rule completely reinterpreting Title IX. Biden’s rule says schools cannot ban boys from participating in women’s sports or else they’ll lose their funding.

“That means teachers and coaches will have to begin opening their girls’ and women’s teams, fields and locker rooms to biological males. It’s unfair, it’s unsafe and it’s downright wrong. To be honest, it’s moronic.“

An objection was raised by second-term Senator Maizie Hirono (D-Hawaii), meaning the bill was pulled from the floor and will now have to go through the regular Senate process. Hirono said:

“We shouldn’t be banning anyone from playing sports, we should be fighting the discrimination that all women and girls – trans, cis or otherwise – continue to face athletics, in the classroom and in the workplace. For these reasons, I object.”

Fox News reported, “That objection is a sign Senate Democrats will never consider the bill and will not schedule it at all for debate in the upper chamber.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Curling ● The 15th WCF World Mixed Doubles Championship is ongoing in Gangneung (KOR), still in round-robin play in both Groups A and B.

Each group has 10 teams and with 1-2 games left for most teams, Estonia and Canada are leading Group A at 7-1 and defending champions Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat at 6-2.

In Group B, Japan is 7-0 with the U.S. pair of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin at 6-1, and Norway and the Swiss at 5-2. The top three teams in each group will advance to the playoffs, starting on Friday (28th). The championship match is on Saturday (29th).

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s World U-18 Championship finished pool play on Tuesday in Switzerland, with the U.S. men undefeated and top-seeded in the playoffs that begin on Thursday.

Defending champion Sweden won Group A at 4-0, with Canada at 3-1; the Swedes compiled a glossy goals-against mark of 18-3. The American men, runner-ups in 2022, won their four games in Group B, outscoring their opponents by 37-6 (7-1, 12-1, 8-4, 10-0). Finland was second at 3-1.

In the quarterfinals, Sweden will face Latvia and Canada will play Switzerland in the top half of the bracket. The U.S. will play the Czech Republic and Finland and Slovakia are matched in the bottom half.

The semifinals come on Saturday and the medal matches on Sunday (30th).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Reuters reported on an in-development plan to have protesters accepted as Paris 2024 volunteers and then try and disrupt the Games.

The concept, called Saccage 2024 or “Destruction 2024,” has been promoted on social media, but is only a concept so far as the Paris organizing committee has not yet selected its volunteer staff members yet. About 45,000 are expected to be utilized in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Political unrest in France has risen since the Macron government pushed through a change in the French retirement age from 62 to 64 on 15 April in view of declining funds to pay retirement benefits.

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit imposed multi-year sanctions on President Gjergj Ruli and General Secretary Nikolin Dionisi of the Albanian Athletics Federation for falsifying a result that helped one of its athletes to be selected for the Tokyo Games.

Long jumper Izmir Smajlaj, the 2017 European Indoor Champion, was credited with a lifetime best and national record of 8.16 m (26-9 1/4 with +1.7 m/s wind) in Tirana (ALB) on 8 May 2021. This performance, which ranked 23rd on the world outdoor list for 20-21, helped him be selected for a “universality place” in Tokyo, where he finished 18th in qualifying. Per the AIU:

“The AIU had alleged that Ruli, Dionisi and Smajlaj conspired together and submitted falsified wind measurement readings relating to the Competition to World Athletics, and when requested for proof of wind measurement equipment being used at the competition, also submitted a falsified photograph to the AIU. The falsified photo showed Smajlaj standing at the long jump track in front of wind measuring equipment but Ruli, Dionisi and Smajlaj all ultimately admitted there was in fact no wind measuring equipment at the relevant Competition and that this photo was taken on a different day.”

Ruli was banned five years and Dionisi for four, but Smajlaj was apparently not involved in the conspiracy and his provisional suspension has been lifted. Now 30, he has not competed since March of 2022.

The U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its Collegiate Hall of Fame inductees for 2023, with 14 athletes who won a total of 70 national collegiate championships, set 39 world records as collegians and claimed a career total of 14 Olympic medals:

● Dyrol Burleson (Oregon, 1959-1962)
● Michael Carter (SMU, 1980-1984)
● Joetta Clark (Tennessee, 1981-1984)
● Michael Conley (Arkansas, 1982-1985)
● Sheila Hudson (California, 1986-1990)
● Holli Hyche (Indiana State, 1991-1994)
● Edwin Moses (Morehouse, 1974-1977)
● Renaldo Nehemiah (Maryland, 1978-1979)
● Sonia O’Sullivan (Villanova, 1988-1991)
● Julie Shea (Northy Carolina State, 1978-1981)
● Seilala Sua (UCLA, 1997-2000)
● John Thomas (Boston University, 1959-1962)
● Wyomia Tyus (Tennessee State, 1964-1967)
● Dave Wottle (Bowling Green, 1969-1973)

The Olympic medal winners include Carter (1984 shot put silver), Conley (1984 triple jump silver, 1992 gold), Moses (1976-84 400 m hurdles golds, 1988 bronze), O’Sullivan (2000 5,000 m silver for Ireland), Thomas (1960 high jump bronze, 1964 silver), Tyus (1964-68 100 m golds, 1964 4×100 silver, 1968 4×100 gold), and Wottle (1972 800 m gold).

The Collegiate Track & Field Hall of Fame was established in 2022. The 2023 class will be inducted on 14 September at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Oregon.

● Football ● UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (SLO) said on Tuesday’s “Men in Blazers” podcast that a Champions League final in the U.S. might be coming:

“It’s possible. We started to discuss about that but then one year it was the World Cup, ‘24 is Euro, this year is Istanbul, ’24 is London and ’25 is Munich and after that, let’s see.

“Football is extremely popular in [the] United States these days. Americans are willing to pay for best and nothing for the less. So they will follow European football as basketball lovers in Europe follow NBA.

“It’s a very important promising market for the future. The thing is that we are selling rights very well. Sponsorship is so-so for now from the U.S., but [in the US] commercialization is completely different than in Europe. They [Americans] are much more talented for that than us [Europeans].”

● Weightlifting ● USA Weightlifting issued a depressing notice last week (19th) concerning its decision not to send teams to the Pan American U-15 and U-17 Championships:

“After careful consideration USA Weightlifting announced today it will not send a delegation to the 2023 U17/U15 Pan American Youth Championships scheduled for August 12-17 because of safety concerns in the host city of Caracas, Venezuela.

“USA Weightlifting regularly monitors the safety and security of its destinations as part of its high-performance operations, and the current situation in Venezuela raises significant concerns.

“The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Warning for Venezuela due to the high risk of violent and serious crimes, terrorism, kidnapping, and wrongful detention of U.S. nationals.

“Furthermore, the U.S. government warns of shortages of food, electricity, water, and medicines in Venezuela.”

USA Weightlifting chief executive Matt Sicchio added, “We are committed to the safety and security of our athletes and the team that supports them.

“This isn’t a decision we take lightly. While we are disappointed, nothing is more important than the safety of our athletes, coaches, and staff.”

● Wrestling ● The International Testing Agency posted sanctions for long-ago doping abuses by nine Russian wrestlers from samples taken in 2012! Eight had their results annulled from 20 November 2012 to 20 November 2014, and one from 6 April 2012 to 2 March 2022:

● Dariya Leksina: ineligible to 1 March 2023
● Elena Vostrikova: ineligible to 1 March 2023
● Margarita Fatkulina: ineligible to 18 November 2023
● Elena Getta: ineligible to 18 November 2023
● Anzhela Kataeva: ineligible to 18 November 2023
● Elena Kulikova: ineligible to 18 November 2023
● Alevtina Lisitsina: ineligible to 18 November 2023
● Anastasiya Shchavlinskaya: ineligible to 18 November 2023
● Aleksey Shchekov: ineligible to 1 March 2024

All but Shchekov admitted doping and received reduced bans; Shchekov’s ban included nullification of his results to 2 March 2022. The ITA explained:

“The cases are based on investigations conducted by WADA’s Intelligence & Investigations Department (WADA I&I) and by Professor Richard McLaren into allegations of systemic doping practices in Russian sport as well as Moscow Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) data retrieved by WADA I&I over time. The evidence was provided by WADA I&I to the ITA in 2021 and 2022 for further assessment. In particular, these investigations uncovered LIMS data indicative of the presence of banned substances in samples provided by the athletes in 2012.”

None of these wrestlers were Olympic medal winners in 2012 or World Championships or European Championships medalists in 2011-12-13-14-15.

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TSX REPORT: Britain’s Frazer shares U.K. view of “neutrality”; shooting fed follow IOC lead; Davis-Woodhall loses U.S. LJ title to marijuana

By
Rich Perelman
-
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe President Tiny Kox (NED) at Tuesday's meeting concerning Russian and Belarusian participation in international sport. (Photo: PACE video screen shot)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. British Minister Frazer defines “neutrality” at PACE hearing
2. Shooting federation follows IOC lead on Russian re-entry
3. Paris 2024 and Atos worry about cyberthreats to Games
4. Airbnb offers 1,000 athlete travel grants
5. Tara Davis-Woodhall loses U.S. indoor LJ title for marijuana

During a two-hour committee hearing of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, British minister Lucy Frazer defined her country’s view of Russian and Belarusian neutrality, excluding not only security-service affiliates, but all athletes receiving funding from state sources or state-controlled companies. She called on the International Olympic Committee to share this view. The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) announced it will follow the IOC’s recommendations on Russian and Belarusian re-entry, and waiting for guidance on what “neutrality” means. At the inauguration of a new data center, the Paris 2024 head of technology and the head of the Atos team for the Paris 2024 Games detailed their shared concerns over cyber attacks against the event, expected to increase dramatically from those seen for the Tokyo Games in 2021. IOC partner Airbnb announced a new round of travel grants – 1,000 of $2,000 each – to be made available on application from Olympic and Paralympic-candidate athletes with a deadline of 25 May. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced a one-month suspension of long-jump star Tara Davis-Woodhall for the use of marijuana, which wipes out her win at the U.S. Indoor Nationals in Albuquerque earlier this year.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (more than 200,000 volunteer apps so far) = Los Angeles 2028 (Games Energy Council motion advanced) = On Screen (reasonable cable TV audience for early-morning Boston Marathon) = Aquatics (World Aquatics scholarship program opens) = Athletics (2: Herb Douglas, ‘48 LJ bronze winner, passes at 101; Prakel and Hiltz win USATF Road Mile titles) = Football (2: Crocker new USSF Sporting Director; FOX schedule for Women’s World Cup) = Swimming (new world leaders in eight events) ●

1.
British Minister Frazer defines “neutrality” at PACE hearing

The Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held a high-profile, two-hour hearing in Strasbourg (FRA) on Tuesday on the topic of “Excluding the athletes and officials of the Russian Federation and Belarus from participating in the international Olympic Movement.”

Remarks were made on tape, by video and in person, with British Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer directly addressing not only the issue, but the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations of 28 March to allow re-entry of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. In pertinent part:

● “Any change in our position on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes representing their states in international sport would be incompatible with that commitment and incompatible with our values as a country. …

“Russia has shown nothing but contempt for the values of the Olympics Movement and its flouting of the rules has extended beyond the current-front conflict as we saw with its involvement in doping programs.”

● “Our common goal is for sporting bodies to minimize the ability of Russia and Belarus to use sport for political gain. We recognize and want to maintain the autonomy of sport and we support those national and international sports bodies who’ve shown moral clarity and exceptional leadership in this area.”

● “This is not about punishing individual Russian or Belarusian athletes. These individuals have dedicated their lives to sport. What we stand against is athletes competing to represent the state of Russia and Belarus. There is a fundamental difference.”

● “The UK government has, from March 2022, been clear in our guidance to our own domestic sports bodies, that individual Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete as neutrals on UK soil. As long as they are really neutral, and not representing their states in any way.

“And we have been equally clear on what that neutrality looks like. These athletes must not, under any circumstances, express support for the war or the Russian and Belarusian regimes. This extends to athlete funding, to athletes funded by their states to compete in events, or who are in receipt of funding or sponsorship directly aligned with their states, such as from state-controlled companies like Gazprom, cannot be considered to be neutral. Athletes directly funded by their states to compete in sports competitions who would not be present at those events without that support are de facto representatives of those states. They are only there by virtue of being funded by, trained by, selected by, supported by, the Russian state.”

● “And in that sense, from the UK perspective, both ourselves and the International Olympic Committee … are both seeking the same outcome, ensuring that Russian and Belarusian states cannot be represented in international sport.”

She concluded that “[T]he IOC’s recommendations do not go far enough for us, and they leave far too many unanswered questions.”

The opening remarks by Tiny Kox (NED), the President of PACE, framed the issue this way:

“The Assembly noted that the International Olympic Committee and the sports movement at large currently seems to change the position it held since the 24th of February last year and to favor the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions while other stakeholders strongly objected to this. …

“However, taking a decision to allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Paris Games in the context of the ongoing, large-scale war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine, is considered by many as such that it would not only go strongly against the mission of Olympism to promote peace, but instead widen divisions and serve the propaganda purposes of the aggressor.

“For many, the participation of Russian athletes, a considerable number of whom are members of the Russian military of security services, is totally unthinkable and unacceptable, given the tragic loss of thousands of Ukrainian lives, serious war crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine and the pain and the suffering which this aggression continues to cause today.”

The IOC and the international federations were strongly represented, by Armenian wrestler (and 2012 Olympic 74 kg silver medalist in Greco-Roman) Arsen Julfalakyan, Chair of the United World Wrestling Athletes Commission, and Namibian shooter Gaby Ahrens, Chair of the Association of National Olympic Committees Athletes Commission. In addition, Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA), Chair of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and European Olympic Committees Athletes Commission Chair (and 2008 Olympic discus champ) Gerd Kanter (EST) also appeared.

All supported the IOC’s recommendations, using much of the same language from the 28 March news conference (and subsequent news release) announcing the Executive Board action.

2.
Shooting federation follows IOC lead on Russian re-entry

The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) is the latest to fall in line with the IOC’s position on the re-entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition. Tuesday’s announcement followed a 24 April meeting of the ISSF Executive Committee:

“First, and foremost the ExCo members reiterated their unlimited solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian Shooting community, whose pain and suffering are beyond imagination. The ExCo members therefore, fully support all measures and sanctions imposed by the IOC against athletes and Officials from Russia and Belarus.

“At the same time, the ExCo supports the arguments mentioned by the IOC with respect to the proposed return of athletes, who are to no extend involved in the war.

“The ExCo agreed to create an Ad Hoc Commission to explore the timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility.

“The ISSF will work in close collaboration with the IOC and ASOIF on drafting respective eligibility rules, defining the independent review process necessary to also ensure that only neutral athletes, who are not contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies may be considered.”

The ISSF position was not completely unexpected, given its heavy reliance on IOC funding from Olympic television rights sales. Further, it has joined several other federations in lining up behind whatever “rules” the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) umbrella group comes up with. ASOIF head Ricci Bitti said at the European Parliament hearing on Tuesday, “This has nothing to do with the Olympic Games. This is a sort of trial on the field of international competitions.”

3.
Paris 2024 and Atos worry about cyberthreats to Games

French sprinter Bruno Marie-Rose, now 57, understands speed. He won an Olympic men’s 4×100 m bronze in Seoul in 1988, a European Championships 4×100 m gold in 1990 and a World Championships 4×100 m silver in 1991.

Now, as Chief Information and Technology Officer for the Paris 2024 Olympic organizing committee, he is trying to slow down the millions of hacking attacks made against its systems:

“My counterpart at the Winter Games in PyeongChang [in 2018] saw systems turn off a few hours before the start of the opening ceremony. I especially wouldn’t want that to happen in Paris.

“The Olympics are a target for geopolitical propaganda. The war in Ukraine is accompanied by a cyberwar. We particularly fear state attacks. The worst would be attacks that cause competitions to be interrupted or disrupted.”

The organizers are working with IOC partner Atos, whose Chief Information Officer Christophe Thivet (FRA) said:

“At the Tokyo Games, we had 450 million attacks and 4.4 billion threats, or 800 per second. But there was no impact on the Games. In the event of threats, we were able to block all flows before impact. …

“Some hackers officiate for fame, others for money, but what Paris 2024 fears the most are cyberattacks given on the orders of a state. If, for example, Russian and Belarusian athletes were not reinstated.”

He added that their preparations for 2024 are already underway and include simulations of attacks to test the resiliency and redundancy of the systems. A test center in Madrid (ESP) has already been opened for this purpose.

4.
Airbnb offers 1,000 athlete travel grants

The IOC’s partner Airbnb announced a doubling of its $2,000 travel grants introduced in 2021:

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have once again partnered with Airbnb to renew the Airbnb Athlete Travel Grants programme, providing athletes with the opportunity to apply for a USD 2,000 grant to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. This year, there are 1,000 grants available – double the number offered in previous years.”

This is $2 million worth of accommodations, with applications made through the IOC’s Athlete365 portal from 25 April to 25 May 2023. According to the announcement, “Airbnb has committed USD 8 million in funding to the programme, which will run for nine years.”

Both Olympic and Paralympic athletes can apply. The 2022 program offered 500 grants of $2,000 each, with 3,226 applications made from athletes in 196 countries.

This isn’t the direct athlete prize money that the IOC’s critics continuously call for, but it is pretty close in the accommodations area for training and competition travel, which is a significant burden.

5.
Tara Davis-Woodhall loses U.S. indoor LJ title for marijuana

“USADA announced today that Tara Davis-Woodhall, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, an athlete in the sport of track and field, has accepted a one-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation.

“Davis-Woodhall, 23, tested positive for 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), a urinary metabolite of ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, marijuana, and hashish, above the urinary Decision Limit of 180 ng/mL, as the result of a sample collected in-competition at the 2023 USATF Indoor Championships on February 17, 2023. …

“Davis-Woodhall’s period of ineligibility was reduced to one month because her use of cannabis occurred out-of-competition and was unrelated to sport performance, and because she successfully completed a substance of abuse treatment program regarding her use of cannabis.”

Davis-Woodhall, 23, won the U.S. Nationals with an indoor lifetime best of 6.99 m (22-11 1/4) in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ranked third in the world indoors in 2023, but her results from 17 February through 21 April have been nullified under the sanction.

Her disqualification from the U.S. Nationals elevates Rhesa Foster to national champ, with a jump of 6.63 m (21-9, a lifetime best), followed by Tiffany Flynn (6.67 m/21-6 3/4) and Quanesha Burks (6.46 m/21-2 1/2). Davis-Woodhall’s indoor best reverts to her 6.93 m (22-9) best from 2021.

A marijuana positive at the U.S. Olympic Trials, of course, disqualified Sha’Carri Richardson from the U.S. Olympic Team in the women’s 100 m for Tokyo in 2021. The World Anti-Doping Agency continues to study the status of marijuana as a prohibited substance, but for now, it is still a cause for suspension.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Paris 2024 organizers announced that more than 200,000 applications for volunteer positions have been received since the 22 March opening of the staffing portal.

The application period continues through 3 May. The volunteer target is 45,000; applicants will be informed of their status in the fourth quarter of 2023.

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● A motion to form a “Games Energy Council” was passed, 3-0, with two absences, by the Los Angeles City Council Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including:

“An important facet of the Games Agreement is the development of the Games Energy Council, which will bring together the City, LA28, and all other parties responsible for the delivery of power infrastructure and service to Games-related projects, venues, and events to facilitate decision-making and cooperation necessary to optimize and meet required levels of services, and develop plans to support the relevant elements of the Sustainability Plan, through the completion of the Games.”

The motion now goes to the City Council for approval.

● On Screen ● The ESPN national telecast of the Boston Marathon reached an average audience of 369,000 for its early-morning start. That’s a fairly good showing for a cable telecast, especially given the early hour in all time zones.

The USA-Mexico men’s football draw (1-1) in the first Allstate Continental Clasico last Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern time drew 437,000 on TBS.

● Aquatics ● World Aquatics announced its 2023-24 scholarship program designed to support 150 athletes for a year.

Launched in 2014, the new program includes 100 swimmers, 20 open-water swimmers, 20 divers and 10 from artistic swimming:

“Successful candidates will be placed at one of the five World Aquatics Training Centres for one or two years. In exceptional cases, an athlete may be offered a World Aquatics scholarship with an individual training option.”

Applications are due by 25 May 2023.

● Athletics ● Herb Douglas, reportedly the oldest living U.S. Olympic medalist, passed away at 101 years of age on Saturday, 22 April.

Douglas won an Olympic bronze in the London 1948 men’s long jump at 7.54 m (24-9) after reaching a lifetime best of 7.69 m (25-2 3/4) for second at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Born in 1922, Douglas was a University of Pittsburgh grad, he was the 1947 NCAA long jump runner-up and won three U.S. nationals titles: outdoors in 1945 and indoors in 1947 and 1948. He played football at Pitt and after earning a masters in education, joined the Pabst Brewing Company in sales, then moved in 1963 to join wine and spirits giant Scheiffelin & Co. (now Moet Hennessy USA) and rose to become a Vice President over the course of 30 years with the company.

He maintained a lifelong dedication to Pitt and became an important member of its Board of Trustees. During a 100th birthday celebration, the university announced that a new indoor track & field facility will be named for him.

At the USA Track & Field Road Mile Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, double U.S. indoor champion Sam Prakel (1,500 m and 3,000 m) sprinted to victory in the men’s division in 4:02, trailed closely by Casey Comber (4:03) and defending champion Vincent Ciattei (4:03).

U.S. indoor 1,500 m champ Nikki Hiltz won the women’s mile at the tape from the 2022 U.S. national 1,500 m winner, Sinclaire Johnson, with both timed in 4:28. Addison Wiley was third in 4:31.

● Football ● U.S. Soccer announced Welshman Matt Crocker as its new Sporting Director, responsible for all of the American national teams from youth through the elite level.

Crocker is 48 and will begin at the USSF on 2 August, while the FIFA Women’s World Cup is ongoing in Australia and New Zealand. He will immediately be tasked with hiring a head coach for the men’s National Team.

He has long experience in the game and comes from his second time with the English Premier League club Southampton and previously with the England Football Association, in charge of development from 2013-20. He has extended experience in player development as academy director for multiple clubs.

Fox Sports announced its television schedule for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, starting on 20 July in Australia and New Zealand, with 29 matches on the over-the-air FOX network and the remaining 35 on cable channel FS1.

There will be pre-game, post-game, between-games and end-of-day programming as was done with the FIFA World Cup from Qatar in 2022.

● Swimming ● Strong swimming in Germany, Hungary and Russia over the last 10 days, with world-leading times in six men’s events and two for women:

● Men/800 m Free: 7:42.14, Lukas Martens (GER)
● Men/1,500 m Free: 14:34.89, Florian Wellbrock (GER)
● Men/100 m Back: 52.54, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS)
● Men/200 m Back: 1:55.50, Evgeny Rylov (RUS)
● Men/200 m Breast: 2:07.47, Kiril Prigoda (RUS)
● Men/200 m Fly: 1:52.58, Kristof Milak (HUN)

Martens and Wellbrock swam at the Berlin Open and Wellbrock’s 1,500 m win was a German national record and moved him to no. 4 on the all-time list.

The three Russian marks all came at the national championships in Kazan, while Milak’s mark came at the Hungarian nationals., and is the no. 15 performance all-time.

In addition to her world record of 2:17.55 in the women’s 200 m Breast, Russian Evgeniia Chikunova also took the world lead in the 100 m Breast, winning in 1:04.92, moving her to no. 7 all-time.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: U.S. & Mexico among four bidders for FIFA Women’s World Cup ‘27; Mondo, Crouser, Allman at L.A. Grand Prix in May

By
Rich Perelman
-
Sweden's Olympic and World Champion Mondo Duplantis coming back to Los Angeles for the first time since 2017 for the USATF L.A. Grand Prix.

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Four candidates to bid for 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup
2. Jackson 10.82, Andersen 261-10 among weekend world leads
3. L.A. Grand Prix tickets now on sale for 26-27 May
4. Beijing will bid for the 2027 World Athletics Championships
5. Sports Minister assures Israel OK for World Beach Games

FIFA announced that the Women’s World Cup for 2027 received four bids, including a joint effort by Mexico and the U.S. A lengthy process of review will commence, with three to be shortlisted for a final vote in 2024. There were world-leading performances in six track & field events over the weekend, with Jamaican Shericka Jackson taking the women’s 100 m lead at 10.82 and women’s hammer world champ Brooke Andersen of the U.S. moving to no. 3 all-time at 79.80 m (261-10). The first announcement of entries and ticket sales for the L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium surfaced on Monday, with stars such as Mondo Duplantis, Ryan Crouser and Valarie Allman scheduled to compete. Tickets are available in discounted packages for the Friday Distance Classic, Saturday Grand Prix and the Saturday evening music show. Beijing signaled it is a candidate for the 2027 World Athletics Championships, an event it hosted in 2015. There has been interest in placing the event in Africa, but the Chinese bid will be a formidable one, slated for the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium. The Indonesian minister for Youth and Sports said there will be no more “polemic” statements against Israel’s participation in this summer’s ANOC World Beach Games in Bali and the ANOC Secretary General assessed the statements as “noise.”

● Panorama: Beijing 2022 (Valieva appeals cases joined into one) = Paris 2024 (116 boats already reserved for opening ceremony) = Russia (2: rower, two swimmers seeking new national affiliations; archery fed ready to compete now!) = Anti-Doping (new, upper-arm blood collection device at Boston Marathon) = Athletics (London Marathon organizers may help cash-strapped UK Athletics) = Wrestling (Sydney gold star Gardner, 51, returns for U.S. Open!) ●

1.
Four candidates to bid for 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup

FIFA announced that it had received for letter of intent to bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including:

● Belgium-Germany-Netherlands
● Brazil
● Mexico and the United States
● South Africa

Per the announcement:

“FIFA will now send the Bidding Agreement – a document necessary to ensure that the key principles of the bidding process are observed – to the interested MAs, which will have until 19 May 2023 to return it and confirm their involvement. …

“The appointment of the host(s) is due to be made by the FIFA Congress via public voting on 17 May 2024.”

U.S. Soccer further explained:

“FIFA will establish a Bid Evaluation Task Force to evaluate all bids submitted for the tournament. The composition of the Bid Evaluation Task Force will be approved by the FIFA Council following confirmation of the bidding member associations. The FIFA Council will select up to three bids with the FIFA Congress then appointing the host(s) through an open vote.”

The requirements for the bid require at least 10 stadiums to be offered, but without specific minimums for seating.

Just two of the bidding countries have hosted the Women’s World Cup previously: the U.S. in 1999 and 2003, and Germany in 2011. Brazil, of course, has hosted the men’s World Cup as recently as 2014 and South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010, the first time it was held in Africa.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August.

2.
Jackson 10.82, Andersen 261-10 among weekend world leads

There was a lot of action over the weekend on the track and in the streets with world-leading outdoor marks in six events:

● In Cape Town (RSA), Ryan Mphahlele won the men’s 1,500 m in 3:32.90, a lifetime best and the best in the world outdoors this year.

● Argentina’s Federico Bruno won the men’s 5,000 m at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford in 13:11.57, a national record and the outdoor world leader for 2023.

● Jamaican star Shericka Jackson, the World 100 m runner-up in 2022, took the world lead at the Velocity Fest 13 in Kingston, Jamaica at 10.82 (wind -0.1 m/s). She took over from American Aleia Hobbs, who ran 10.86 (+1.9) earlier in the day, ahead of Tamari Davis (10.91).

● Venezuela’s Joselyn Brea won the women’s 5,000 m at the Payton Jordan meet in 15:05.56, also an outdoor world leader.

● At the South Carolina Open in Columbia, two-time U.S. Olympian Keturah Orji took the outdoor world lead at 14.36 m (47-1 1/2).

● At the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, 2022 World Champion Brooke Andersen reached 79.80 m (261-10), moving to no. 3 all-time and no. 2 all-time in U.S. history. She threw a world-leading 78.90 m (258-10) on her second throw before unloading the big one in the fifth round. She then threw 79.72 m (261-6) in the final round, the no. 4 throw all-time U.S.

Back on 16 April, former American Alex Rose (now throwing for Samoa) hit a world-leading discus throw that has been variously reported as 70.39 m (230-11) or 70.42 m (231-0) in what was apparently a wind tunnel in Ramona, Oklahoma. Wow.

On the roads, there was some hot race walking at the Japanese Championships in Wajima on 16 April, with Tomohiro Noda, ninth at the 2022 Worlds, winning the men’s 35 km in 2:23:13, moving him to no. 3 all-time.

China’s five-time World 20 km Champion, Hong Liu, won the women’s 35 km in 2:38:42 competing as a guest, the no. 2 performance of all time.

In addition to the fabulous 2:01:25 London win by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, there was excellent marathoning in Hamburg (GER) by Kenyan Bernard Koech, winning in 2:04:09, ahead of countryman Joshua Belet (2:04:33). In Vienna (AUT), Kenyan Samwel Nyamae won in 2:05:08, beating fellow Kenyan Bethwei Yegon (2:06:57).

Dorcas Tuitoek won the women’s race n Hamburg in 2:20:09, just ahead of Tiruye Mesfin (ETH: 2:20:18).

3.
L.A. Grand Prix tickets now on sale for 26-27 May

The first athlete announcements are out for the L.A. Grand Prix meet being staged by USA Track & Field at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on 26-27 May, with tickets now on sale. The athletes advertised to compete include (U.S. unless otherwise indicated):

● Men/Sprints: Former World 100 m champ Christian Coleman, World 400 m champ Michael Norman, Olympic 200 m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek

● Men/1,500 m: World Champion Jake Wightman

● Men/Hurdles: Olympic 400 m hurdles silver medalist Rai Benjamin, World 400 m hurdles bronze medalist Trevor Bassitt

● Men/Pole Vault: Olympic and World Champion Mondo Duplantis (SWE)

● Men/Shot Put: Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser, former World Champion Joe Kovacs

● Women/Sprints: Olympic 200 m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas, World 400 m silver medalist Marileidy Paulino (DOM), two-time U.S. national champion Aleia Hobbs

● Women/100 m hurdles: Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR), World champ and world-record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR), former world-record holder Keni Harrison

● Women/Pole Vault: Olympic champ Katie Moon, 3-time World silver winner Sandi Morris

● Women/Discus: Olympic champ Valarie Allman

The specific events and time schedule has not been released, and, of course, the small type says “athlete roster subject to change.”

There are actually two meets, with the “USATF Distance Classic” slated for Friday, 26 May at 2 p.m. and the “USATF Grand Prix” on Saturday at noon. There is a “Legends Jam” concert at the adjacent L.A. Tennis Center at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets are now on sale at varying price levels, currently at discounted prices:

● $40: General Admission Bundle for all three events
● $110: Family (4) General Admission Bundle for all three events
● $33: General Admission for the USATF Grand Prix only

Regular prices are $20 for the Distance Classic, $36 for the Grand Prix and $25 for the concert.

● $165: Platinum Bundle for all three events (trackside seats)
● $80: Gold bundle for all three events (excellent seats)
● $55: Silver bundle for all three events (good seats)

The Platinum and Gold packages include an athlete meet-and-greet and a souvenir program. Regular prices are $35-30-25 for the Distance Classic (Premium-Gold-Silver) and $200-90-50 for the Grand Prix.

A major meet of this type has not been held at UCLA since 1990, the final year of the Jack in the Box Invitational, originally known as the Pepsi Invitational, promoted by the late Al Franken. Entertainment giant AEG held two world-class, nationally-televised invitationals at the then-new Home Depot Center (now Dignity Health Sports Park) in nearby Carson in 2003 and 2004, with the meet sold to adidas in advance of the 2005 edition, which operated it for two more years, in 2006 and 2007.

4.
Beijing will bid for the 2027 World Athletics Championships

The Chinese Athletic Association announced that Beijing will apply to be the host of the 2027 World Athletics Championships.

This would be the second time for the Worlds in Beijing if successful; it was held there in 2015, using the Bird’s Nest Stadium built for the 2008 Olympic Games. Only Helsinki (FIN) has hosted twice so far, in 1983 and 2005, with Tokyo (JPN) set to be the second, in 1991 and 2025. Budapest (HUN) will host the 2023 Worlds.

Tokyo was selected over Singapore and Nairobi (KEN) in view of the new National Stadium that was built in advance of the 2020 Olympic Games, finally held in 2021. There has been considerable talk about having a World Athletics Championships in Africa, but the federation was clear that stadium upgrades will be needed to hold the meet in Nairobi as suggested.

Beyond the 2008 Olympic Games and 2015 Worlds, Beijing has not been a frequent site for major international meets and no Diamond League meets have ever been held there. The Diamond League schedule for 2023 had Shanghai and Shenzhen listed, with Shanghai now dropped.

5.
Sports Minister assures Israel OK for World Beach Games

“That’s all right, one thousand percent enthusiasm, no polemic.”

So said the Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister on Saturday, as reported by Tempo.co, which explained:

“The Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora) Dito Ariotedjo ensured that there would be no more polemics regarding Israel’s participation in the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games (AWBG) in Bali. He guaranteed the safety of the Israeli contingent after meeting Bali Governor Wayan Koster and Chair of the Indonesian Olympic Committee Raha Sapta Oktohari.”

Koster has repeatedly said that he will not allow Israel to compete and his refusal to allow the Israeli men’s U-20 football team to compete in Bali forced FIFA to remove next month’s FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup to Argentina!

Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC) Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg of Sweden also dismissed concerns, telling reporters at the Oceania National Olympic Committees meeting in Brisbane (AUS):

“They have a new Sports Minister and he has gone out saying that everybody who has qualified is welcome and so has the President of the country.

“This Governor made noise in the media but so far we have not been approached at all so we continue to prepare as if nothing is happening and hopefully nothing is happening.”

The ANOC World Beach Games in Bali is scheduled to be held from 5-12 August 2023.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● As expected, the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed to the Russian news agency TASS that the appeals of the World Anti-Doping Agency, International Skating Union and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency against the decision of the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee of RUSADA will be considered as a single action.

No timeline has been given, and the matter is not listed on the latest calendar of CAS hearings.

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A total of 160 boats are expected to be used for the unique opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games over 6 km of the Seine River through the middle of the city. With about 15 months to go, the organizing committee announced that 116 boats had already been reserved.

Commitments have come from 42 companies that have boats working on the river, and additional help will come from regional tour operator Batorama, which works outside of the Paris area.

● Russia ● A small number of Russian athletes are now claiming citizenship in other countries in view of the continuing restrictions in many sports.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that rower Hanna Prakatsen, 30, announced her transfer to Uzbekistan. Originally from Belarus, she changed allegiance to Russia in 2016 and won the 2020 Olympic silver in women’s Single Sculls in Tokyo.

Said Alexei Scirin, President of the Russian Rowing Federation:

“[Hanna Prakatsen] intends to play for the national team of Uzbekistan. Of course, her departure for our team is a serious loss, but every athlete is free to choose his own destiny. Now our top athletes are having a difficult time, it is very difficult to find motivation in the conditions of suspension.”

Last week, distance freestyler Anastasia Kirpichnikova announced her intention to transfer to France, and backstroker Mark Nikolaev to Australia. Said All-Russian Swimming Federation chief Vladimir Salnikov:

“Their decision was not a big surprise. Kirpichnikova has been living in France for a long time, and Nikolaev in Australia. They expressed their desire to change sports citizenship, the All-Russian Swimming Federation does not see any problems with this. We have no claims against athletes, we do not consider this a betrayal.”

Kirpichnikova won the 400-800-1,500 m European short-course titles in 2021 and a World Short-Course silver in the 800 m Free in 2021. Backstroker Nikolaev, who competed for Grand Canyon University in the U.S., has been a medal winner in the Russian championships and competed in the International Swimming League.

Although World Archery announced only that it would “explore a timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility,” the Russian Archery Federation is ready to go.

RAF president Vladimir Yesheev told TASS:

“We expected this decision and are now waiting for an official letter from the international federation asking us to send them the lists of the national team: who works where, who studies, who is a soldier.

“The nearest event at which our team can have time to perform will be the World Cup in Shanghai, which starts on May 18. We are starting work on preparing documents and obtaining visas.”

Really? That might be a little quick.

● Anti-Doping ● Fascinating advance in blood collection announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which used a new device to more easily obtain samples at the Boston Marathon:

“The Tasso Button sticks to the skin with a light adhesive. When the button is pressed, a vacuum forms and a lancet pricks the surface of the skin. The vacuum draws blood out of the capillaries and into a compatible container attached to the bottom of the Tasso Button. …

“Some people refer to Tasso Devices as a needle-free system since it does not use a hollow venipuncture needle to enter a vein.”

The U.S.-made devices collect blood from the upper arm. The USADA announcement noted it was well received:

“The needle-free device collects approximately 500 microliters of blood, which is six times less than a standard blood draw. Participation in the trial was voluntary during pre-competition testing and was widely welcomed by athletes, leading to an 80 percent voluntary participation rate and the successful collection of the target number [90+] of required samples.”

● Athletics ● The operator of the highly-successful London Marathon has said it will assist the financially-struggling UK Athletics national federation with its events. Race Director Hugh Brasher said:

“We have a responsibility to the sport and absolutely we are talking to UK Athletics about how we can help.

“I’m not going to go into what it might be or what it might not be. It is a very early stage of conversations. This isn’t just us. There are other ones looking at it.”

One concern is for the scheduled Diamond League meet in London on 23 July, considered exceptionally costly to stage.

● Wrestling ● Comebacks are one thing, but this?

Sydney 2000 star Rulon Gardner, who shocked everyone with a stunning, gold-medal upset of Russia’s three-time Olympic champ Alexander Karelin to win the 130 kg Greco-Roman gold, has entered the 2023 U.S. Open, coming up this week in Las Vegas.

Now 51, Gardner also won the 2001 World Championship gold in that class and came back from a fearful snowmobile accident to win a bronze in the Greco 120 kg class in 2004. He toyed with a comeback in 2012, but did not wrestle at the Olympic Trials.

Also back on the mats will be Tokyo Freestyle 125 kg gold medalist Gable Steveson, now a member of WWE, but returning to chase a chance to defend his title in Paris in 2024. He has received the top seed for the U.S. Open in his class.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Strong poll for Sweden as 2030 Winter host; not so much for Brisbane 2032; suspended sentences in Tokyo 2020 bribery case

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Brooke Raboutou won her first career IFSC World Cup Bouldering title in Japan! (Photo: IFSC via Twitter)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Poll: strong Swedish support for low-cost, no-build 2030 Games
2. New poll shows drop in enthusiasm for Brisbane 2032 Games
3. Suspended sentences in first Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery cases
4. Russian teen swim star Chikunova crushes 200 m Breast world record
5. Rare Grenoble ‘68 torch brings $200,000 at auction

The possible Swedish bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games is looking a lot better after a comprehensive poll showing 74% for a project with no new venue construction and no use of public money. A poll in Queensland, Australia is showing a drop in enthusiasm for the 2032 Brisbane Games, with 59% “not that excited” at this point, likely due in part to reports of major cost increases in the government’s signature renovation of the Gabba stadium and the surrounding district. Russian teenager Evgeniia Chikunova destroyed the world record in the women’s 200 m Breaststroke on the final night of the Russian national championships, lowering the mark from 2:18.95 (in 2021) to a stunning 2:17.55. Wow. A large auction of Olympic memorabilia saw a torch from the 1968 Grenoble Olympic Winter Games – one of only 33 made – sell for $200,000!

● Panorama: Munich 1972 (Germany forms commission to revisit Munich Massacre) = Paris 2024 (four million applicants for second-round ticket sale) = Alpine Skiing (1994 U.S. Olympian Nobis dies in Utah jail) = Archery (2: U.S. wins Mixed Team title at World Cup; World Archery to allow Russian re-entry after study) = Athletics (2: Kiptum 2:01:25, Hassan 2:18:33 win London Marathon; Black groups complain of being blocked off at Boston Marathon cheer zone) = Cycling (3: Evenepoel and Vollering win Liege-Bastogne-Liege; Pan American road champs; Richardson and Archibald star at third track Nations Cup) = Football (FIFA U-20 World Cup draw) = Golf (Vu wins first major at Chevron) = Gymnastics (Nikolova takes Rhythmic All-Around in Baku) = Sport Climbing (U.S.’s Raboutou wins World Cup opener) = Swimming (Grimes doubles in U.S. Open-Water Champs) = Table Tennis (Wang and Wang earn WTT Champions wins) = Water Polo (Dutch top U.S. women in World Cup Div. I) = Weightlifting (World records for Nasar at Euro Champs) ●

1.
Poll: strong Swedish support for low-cost, no-build 2030 Games

Sweden has won 166 Olympic Winter Games medals, but never hosted a Winter Games, losing a bid for the 2026 Winter Games to Milan-Cortina in 2019. But it may now be the favorite for 2030.

A new poll by Kantar Public, released by the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) showed new enthusiasm for a Winter Games in Sweden … if it is held without public funding and using only existing venues.

The survey was of good size, with “roughly 3,300 interviews” between 4-12 April. It found:

● 66% said Sweden should bid for 2030, with 21% against and 11% undecided.

● 74% said they were in favor of a Games with no new venues; 18% were against, 8% undecided.

● 74% said they favored a Games with no public spending; 16% were against; 9% undecided.

● 80% had a high opinion of Sweden as an organizer of major championship events; 10% said no and 10% were undecided.

● 89% thought Sweden could organize a good Winter Games, regardless of their view towards the Olympics and Paralympics themselves. 6% thought not, 4% were undecided.

It’s a very good survey for a Swedish bid, far better than the 55% positive responses that the IOC saw from its poll in front of the bid for the 2026 Winter Games, won by Milan Cortina.

Next?

“Further status updates regarding the preliminary study will be provided in connection with [Swedish Paralympic Committee] annual meeting on 13 May and around the National Sports Meeting 26-28 May. The feasibility study must be completed by July 1 at the latest.”

Fraser Bullock, the chief executive of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games bid, told the Deseret News that the poll was good news for its bid as well:

“We are hoping there is a strong, viable host for 2030, which would allow us to focus exclusively on our bid for 2034, our preferred choice. Sweden, or perhaps another bidder, could be a great 2030 host.”

There is talk of a Swiss bid for 2030 and the other, announced 2030 bids are all floundering, in Vancouver (CAN) and Sapporo (JPN). The Japanese may move their bid to 2034 in view of the continuing news of Tokyo 2020 scandals and Vancouver has not been able to secure government funding support, necessary for their project.

The IOC has indicated it will select a 2030 host in 2024 and might be open to a selection for 2034 at the same time as well.

2.
New poll shows drop in enthusiasm for Brisbane 2032 Games

The 2032 Brisbane Games are still nine years off, but the bloom is at least a little off the rose according to a new poll of Queensland residents.

SkyNews Australia reported Sunday on a YouGov poll that showed 59% of respondents “not that excited” about the 2032 Games, vs. 34% who were somewhat or very excited and 7% who were not sure.

A big part of that response might be from cost concerns. Asked about their confidence that the event will be held on time and on budget, 25% were fairly or very confident, 17% did not know and 58% were not confident about cost containment.

Observed: This should not be a total surprise, since all the noise in recent months has been about how expensive the remodel of the Gabba Stadium and the surrounding district will be, moving up from a loosely-projected A$1 billion to A$1.7 billion or more. (A$1 = $0.67 U.S.)

Queensland’s brilliant bid effort took advantage of the International Olympic Committee’s new “dialogue” approach and offered a detailed, tailored bid using mostly existing facilities that was so good it was an easy selection. The opportunities that the Games can bring are nowhere in the headlines and for now, the in-formation Olympic organizing committee has been quiet.

This is similar to the approach of the Los Angeles 2028 organizers, who have funded – with monies advanced by the IOC – a $160 million youth-sports program through 2028, but have been otherwise reserved. Whether this approach will work for Brisbane is yet to be seen, especially in a country where high enthusiasm is often the norm.

3.
Suspended sentences in first Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery cases

A Tokyo court handed down the first sentences in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic sponsorship bribery scandal, handing out jail terms of more than a year to all three defendants, but suspending the sentences. Three men from Aoki Holdings, a large business-suit retailer with hundreds of stores throughout Japan, were sentenced:

● Former Chair Hironori Aoki, 84, sentenced to 2 1/2 years, with the sentence suspended for four years.

● Former Vice Chair Takahisa Aoki, 77, sentenced to 18 months; sentence suspended three years.

● Former Executive Director Katsuhisa Ueda, 41, sentenced to one year; sentence suspended three years.

The ruling found that Aoki Holdings paid Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member Haruyuki Takahashi, 79, a bribe of ¥28 million (about $209,000 U.S.) to help obtain a lower-level sponsorship with the organizing committee, allow them to sell suits with the Olympic logo on them. Per Kyodo News:

“The ruling was the first in a series of bribery cases involving Takahashi, who has been charged with accepting bribes from Aoki and others in return for helping companies to be selected as Olympic sponsors or marketing agents. …

“According to the ruling, the former officials approached Takahashi to ensure that their company was selected as an Olympic sponsor and quickly got a contract that included the rights for providing the uniforms for the Japanese team’s athletes.”

Takahashi has been arrested four times on bribery charges with the total well over $1 million in all. He was actually paid ¥51 million in bribes by Aoki (~$380,129 U.S.) beginning in 2019 but was only charged with ¥28 million due to statute of limitations issues. He is yet to come to trial; he has said that he received payments, but that they were compensation for legitimate consulting work.

4.
Russian teen swim star Chikunova crushes 200 m Breast world record

South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker became the first to break the 2:19 barrier in the women’s 200 m Breaststroke with her Tokyo Olympic triumph in 2:18:95. Her mark was shattered at the Russian National Championships in Kazan on Friday, where teen Evgeniia Chikunova blistered the final 100 m to finish in 2:17.55!

Chikunova, 18, improved her lifetime best from 2:20.41 from 2022 and became the first to break 2:18. She had been on fire during the meet already, winning in the 50 Breast in a lifetime best of 30.54 and then taking the 100 m Breast in another lifetime best of 1:04.92, moving to no. 7 all-time.

Her prior claim to fame was a silver in the 200 m Breast in the 2021 Short-Course Worlds.

Although Russian and Belarusian athletes are not allowed by World Aquatics to compete internationally, they are eligible to set world records, provided the rules are followed, including post-event drug testing.

This is starting out as a pretty hot season in the pool, as Chikunova’s mark is the fourth long-course world record in 2023, after Canadian Summer McIntosh’s sensational 400 m Free (3:56.08) and 400 m Medley (4:25.87) swims and Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in the 200 m Back (2:03.14).

5.
Rare Grenoble ‘68 torch brings $200,000 at auction

The star attraction of the Ingrid O’Neil Olympic Memorabilia auction 94 that closed Saturday was an ultra-rare, 1968 Olympic Winter Games torch used in Grenoble, France.

The exceptional rarity of this item is that only 33 were made and that’s all there were to support some 5,000 torchbearers who carried it through France and into the opening ceremony on 6 February 1968. The opening price was set at $200,000 and was met. Wow!

There were seven other items that went for $10,000 or more:

● $35,000: 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter torch
● $28,000: 1972 Sapporo Olympic Winter torch
● $20,000: 1956 Cortina Olympic Winter torch
● $18,000: 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter bronze medal
● $15,000: 1928 St. Moritz Olympic Winter silver medal
● $15,000: 1968 Grenoble Olympic Winter gold medal
● $12,000: 1964 Innsbruck Olympic Winter gold medal

Also of note was a Lake Placid 1932 Olympic Winter Games participation medal sold for $6,000. A magnificent bust of Nike from the 1896 Athens Games, presented to foreign gold medalists, and only the second known of its type, was up for $95,000, but did not sell.

Maybe the most unusual item was a pair of ashtrays with a raised center in the form of a sombrero, made as a promotional item (by someone) for the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles! The pair went for $90.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 1972: Munich ● German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced an eight-member commission to inquire into the circumstances and aftermath of the massacre of 11 Israeli team members during the 1972 Olympic Games:

“We can never undo the immeasurable suffering which the family members of the victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack have experienced. The attack has left deep wounds. It is shameful that agonising questions were left unresolved for far too long. For too many years, there was a lack of understanding or reappraisal of the events, transparency about them or acceptance of responsibility for them.

“We as the current Federal Government are keenly aware of this, and it has informed our actions, especially when it comes to supporting the family members and finally conducting a thorough reappraisal of what happened. To this end, today I appointed a commission of eight superb and internationally renowned researchers.

“The commission will also rigorously examine the period before and after the attacks. It is particularly important to me for their work to also thoroughly address the treatment of the family members after the attack as well as issues related to the culture of remembrance. Because we want to learn from this history, and we must learn from it. We must treat people whose lives have been dramatically altered by attacks with greater empathy and support.”

Reuters reported that “The project is part of a larger government approach to seek reconciliation with the families affected, including a compensation offer of 28 million euros ($30.67 million).”

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Paris 2024 organizers announced Friday that four million applicants filed for a time slot to purchase tickets in the second round of sales beginning 11 May.

The first round of sales “packs” saw 3.25 million tickets told, with 1.3 million tickets hoped to be sold in the next round.

● Alpine Skiing ● Jeremy Nobis, 52, a 1994 U.S. Olympian in the Giant Slalom (ninth) and Slalom (did not finish), died on Wednesday (19th) in his Iron County Jail cell in Cedar City, Utah.

He was arrested in 2019 for a rollover crash and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.42, but was released from jail three days later. He failed to appear in an online hearing in 2021 and was jailed on 11 February 2023 and was awaiting sentencing after a guilty plea to drunk driving in March. A statement from officials said that foul play was not suspected, but is being investigated.

● Archery ● The first leg of the Hyundai Archery World Cup was held in Antalya (TUR), with two first-time Recurve winners in Moldova’s Dan Olaru and Britain’s Penny Healey.

Olaru, a two-time Olympian in 2012 and 2020, faced France’s Rio 2016 silver medalist Jean-Charles Valladont in the men final, the first time a Moldovan archer had reached a World Cup championship match. Olaru won the first and third ends, Valladont the second and they tied, 29-29 in the fourth and 28-28 in the fifth for a 6-4 win for Olaru.

Dhiraj Bommadevara (IND) defeated Ilfat Abdullin (KAZ), 7-3, for the bronze medal.

Healey, just 18, sailed through her final with a 6-0 win over German Elena Idensen, while China’s Qixuan An took the bronze by 7-3 over Laura van der Winkel (NED). Said the winner, “I will be honest, I was so nervous. My legs were shaking and so were my arms but having [coach] Nicky Hunt in the box singing and dancing with me helped a lot.”

China won the men’s team title, 5-4, over India, and Mexico breezed to a 6-0 over China in the women’s team event.

The U.S. pair of Olympic medalist and former World Champion Brady Ellison and 2021 Worlds runner-up Casey Kaufhold won the Mixed Team title, 5-3, over Yi-Ching Chiu and Chih-Chun Tang of Chinese Taipei.

World Archery announced Friday that its executive board took the first steps towards re-entry by Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition:

“The board expressed its support and agreed to explore a timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility, permitting only the reintegration of individuals able to prove neutrality through an independent review process. Further information on this procedure will be provided to delegates at the next World Archery Congress. …

“A working group, which will include independent representation, will be established to develop and implement the timeline for this procedure.”

No timeline was given for the review process, or when Russian and Belarusian athletes might be able to compete again.

● Athletics ● Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum and Dutch star Sifan Hassan won Sunday’s London Marathon in dramatic fashion, but in very different circumstances.

Kiptum, 23, is now a star to be reckoned with, having won his marathon debut in Valencia (ESP) last December in a sensational 2:01:53, making him the no. 3 performer of all time. He did better in his second try.

He led a group of eight at the halfway mark in a speedy 1:01:40, trailed by two-time New York Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN), 2019 Worlds bronze medalist Amos Kipruto (KEN), 2022 World Champion Tamirat Tola (ETH) and more.

But Kiptum ran away after 30 km and had an enormous, 28-second lead by the 35 km mark and won by almost three minutes (!) in a sensational 2:01:25, the no. 2 performance of all time, behind only fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge’s world mark of 2:01:09 from 2022 in Berlin.

Kiptum ran the second half of the race in a startling 59:45! Kamworor was second in a lifetime best – by a full minute – of 2:04:23 and wasn’t close. Tola was third (2:04:59), his sixth-fastest marathon ever. British star Mo Farah, running what he says is his last London Marathon, finished ninth in 2:10:28, with Frank Lara the top American in 11th at 2:13:29.

Hassan, 30, the Tokyo Olympic 5,000 m and 10,000 m winner, was running her first marathon and had a crazy race, thinking she would stop after about 20 km due to a hip problem that left her 12 seconds behind the leaders. She was 10 seconds back at the half, then fell back again, trailing by 28 seconds at 25 km. But she was just three seconds down by 30 km after a 16:03 5 km split, then was 14 seconds back at 35 km (16:33), but was in the lead group at 40 km after a 17:02 split.

If Hassan is close near the end, she will run you down and that’s what happened in the final meters, as she sprinted away to win in 2:18:33, ahead of Alemu Megertu (ETH: 2:18:37) and Tokyo Olympic champ Peres Jepchirchir (KEN: 2:18:38). Susanna Sullivan was the top American at 2:24:27 for 10th. Hassan’s time places her no. 4 on the 2023 world list.

During Monday’s Boston Marathon, police in Newton, Massachusetts were called to a location in the 21st mile after the race organizers “alerted them to spectators crossing the rope barrier and ‘impeding’ runners on the course.”

The officers formed a line with bicycles between the spectators and the runners on the course, blocking the view from a cheer zone of predominantly Black spectators, including from the Pioneers Run Crew and TrailblazHers Run Co.

Boston Athletic Association chief executive Jack Fleming said in a statement that he met with both groups on Wednesday and

“They expressed to us their deep concerns that they were not given the chance to enjoy the day and celebrate their friends, families and all participants as they approached Heartbreak Hill – that is on us.

“It is our job, and we need to do better to create an environment that is welcoming and supportive of the BIPOC communities at the marathon.”

More meetings are to be scheduled with the Pioneers and TrailblazHers and city officials, including the police.

● Cycling ● Last year, Dutch star Remco Evenepoel won the famed Liege-Bastogne-Liege – which dates back to 1892 – with a 14 km solo to the finish, leaving the field 48 seconds back.

On Sunday, he defended his title in the 109th edition of Liege Bastogne-Liege with an even more powerful attack, storming away with 30 km left and riding all alone at the finish of the hilly, 258.1 km course in 6:15:49.

More than a minute later came Tom Pidcock (GBR) and Santiago Buitrago (COL), both 1:06 back, then Ben Healy (IRL: +1:08).

Still just 23, Evenepoel won the seven-stage UAE Tour in February, was second at the seven-stage Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in March and now a second Liege-Bastogne-Liege title. Next up will be the Giro d’Italia.

Slovenian star (and race favorite) Tadej Pogacar, the two-time Tour de France winner and the 2021 Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner, suffered a crash at the 85 km mark, fell heavily and suffered a broken left wrist, which will require surgery.

In the women’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege over 148.2 km, it was Dutch star Demi Vollering facing off against Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini in a final sprint, both finishing in 3:50:47 and Vollering winning her third straight race and fifth on the season. In her six Women’s World Tour events in 2023, she has won four, been second once and 17th once. It’s her second Liege-Bastogne-Liege title, after winning in 2021.

The two broke free of the rest of the field with 13.3 km remaining; Marlen Reusser (SUI) captured third, 22 seconds back, outsprinting three others.

At the Pan American Championships in Panama City (PAN), American Skylar Schneider led a mass sprint to the finish line in the women’s road race, winning the flat, 102.4 km ride in 2:48:08. The first 25 riders received the same time; Canadian Alison Jackson was second, with Catalina Soto (CHI) third.

It was the first win for the U.S. since Tina Mayolo-Pic in 2007!

The men’s race of 204.8 km was won by Canada’s Pier-Andre Cote in 4:47:53, out-sprinting German Tivani (ARG), Charles-Etienne Chretien (CAN), Eric Fagundez (URU) and Ecuador’s Byron Guama.

At the Track Nations Cup III in Milton (CAN), Australian star Matthew Richardson and Britain’s Kate Archibald won two golds and three medals each to lead the field.

Richardson, the 2022 Commonwealth Games Sprint gold medalist, won the men’s Team Sprint and the Keirin, then finished third in the Sprint, won by Trinidad & Tobago’s Nicolas Paul. Paul also won a bronze in the Keirin.

France’s Donavan Grondin won the Scratch Race, Matthijs Buchli (NED) took the Elimination Race and the Madison went to Ivo Alves Oliveira and Iuri Leitao of Portugal.

Archibald, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist in the women’s Madison with Laura Kenny, teamed with Neah Evans for a Madison silver this time, but won the women’s Team Pursuit and took the women’s Omnium. Italian star Elisa Balsamo finished second in the Omnium, ahead of American Jennifer Valente, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist.

Balsamo won a bronze with Martina Fidanza in the Madison, while Valente won a silver in the Elimination Race, behind Norway’s Anita Stenberg.

Canada’s Olympic Sprint champ Kelsey Mitchell won her specialty, while Alessa-Catriona Propster took the women’s Keirin, with Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda second in both. Belgians Shari Bossuyt and Lotte Kopecky won the women’s Madison.

● Football ● With the tournament now relocated from Indonesia to Argentina, the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup draw was held on Friday in Zurich (SUI), with the U.S. team slotted into Group B. The six groups:

● A: Argentina (host), Guatemala, New Zealand, Uzbekistan
● B: Ecuador, Fiji, Slovakia, United States
● C: Colombia, Israel, Japan, Senegal
● D: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Italy, Nigeria
● E: England, Iraq, Tunisia, Uruguay
● F: France, Gambia, Honduras, South Korea

The American men will open play on 20 May vs. Ecuador in San Juan, then play Fiji on the 23rd and Slovakia on the 26th. The top two teams in each group, plus the four best-ranked third-place teams will advance to the round of 16 playoffs.

● Golf ● At The Chevron Championship at The Woodlands, Texas, the first LPGA major of 2023, saw an all-American playoff with Lilia Vu winning with a birdie on the first extra hole over Angel Yin.

Both finished at 278 for four rounds (-10), with Vu shooting a four-under 68 to move up from 11th to first on Sunday and forcing the extra hole. Yin and Allisen Corpuz had the three-round lead at 206 (-10), but Corpuz shot 74 to finish in a tie for fourth while Yin shot 72 and tied for the lead with Vu.

Vu, 25, was a star at UCLA and joined the pro tour in 2019. She scored her first win in January at the LPGA Thailand and now her first major.

There was a three-way tie for third between Amy Yang (KOR), Swiss Albane Valenzuela and Megan Khang of the U.S. at -9 (207).

● Gymnastics ● The annual Rhythmic World Cup in Baku (AZE) for the AGF Trophy saw the second win of the season for Bulgarian star Stiliana Nikolova, 17, the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist.

She led the All-Around competition in Hoop, Clubs and Ribbon (and an eighth in Ball) to total 133.800 points to 129.700 for current World Champion Sofia Raffaelli of Italy. Bulgarian teammate Eva Brezalieva was third (126.300) for her first A-A medal of this season. American Eva Griskenas was 21st with 115.200 points.

Nikolova went on to take three of the four apparatus finals, winning Clubs (34.150), Hoop (34.650, with Rafaelli second at 34.400) and Ribbon (31.300, with Brezalieva second at 31.100). Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev won on Ball (33.150), ahead of Brezalieva (32.950).

● Sport Climbing ● Breakthrough win for American Brooke Raboutou, 22, at the season-opening IFSC World Cup in Hachioji (JPN), taking the Bouldering title for her first World Cup gold.

Raboutou had won three World Cup silvers, but hadn’t scored an international win since the 2018 World Youth Championships in Moscow (RUS). She finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympic combined climbing event, and dominated the final, reaching three tops and four zones.

German Hannah Meul managed one top and three zones for second, with Matsufuji Anon (JPN: 0 tops, 3 zones). Said Raboutou:

“It hasn’t really sunk in. I knew I had one when I topped the last boulder, but even then, I was like ‘are you sure?’. Most of all I just feel thankful and really happy with my climbing today.”

France’s Mejdi Schalck won his second career World Cup gold in the men’s Bouldering final, claiming two tops and three zones to one top and three zones for Belgium’s Hannes van Duysen, who won his country’s first-ever World Cup medal!

● Swimming ● Teen star Katie Grimes defended her 10 km title in the USA Swimming National Open Water Championships in Sarasota, Florida and will compete in the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (JPN) in July.

Friday’s 10 km race, held on a 2 km rectangular course, saw Grimes claim a 15-second win over 19-year-old Mariah Denigan, 1:58:08 to 1:58:23, with 16-year-old Claire Weinstein third in 1:58:24 and 2017 Worlds 5 km open-water gold medalist Ashley Twichell fourth (1:58:25).

Grimes and Denigan both competed in the 2022 Worlds 10 km open-water, with Grimes fifth and Denigan 15th.

Spain’s Carlos Garach, 18, the men’s 10 km race, just edging Brennan Gravley, 1:51:05.68 to 1:51:05.78. Brother Dylan Gravley was third in 1:51:07.77, comfortably ahead of Joey Tepper (1:51:11.02). Brennan Gravley qualifies for the Fukuoka Worlds as the top U.S. finisher; a second selection will be made later.

In Sunday’s 5 km races, contested over a 1.66 km rectangular course, Gravley defended his 2022 men’s title in 55:10.65 to 55:12.21 for Taishini Minamide of Japan, with Ivan Puskovitch third, just 1/100th behind. Garach finished fourth (55:12.96).

Grimes won again for a 5k/10k sweep, this time just a couple of seconds ahead of Angela Martinez of Spain, 58:37.95 to 58:39.99, with Denigan third in 58:42.49.

● Table Tennis ● The WTT Champions Macao in China, the second in the 2023 series, saw all-Chinese finals in both the men’s and women’s singles events. And youth was served.

In the men’s final, defending Macao champion Chuqin Wang, 22, shut down two-time Olympic gold medalist Long Ma – now 34 – in four straight sets, 12-10, 11-1, 11-8, 11-7.

The women’s final saw 2021 World Champion Manyu Wang, 24, come from behind to edge 2019 Worlds silver winner Meng Chen, 29, 4-2, winning the final three sets: 11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8.

● Water Polo ● In the second round of the World Aquatics Women’s World Cup Division I in Athens (GRE), the U.S. women – reigning Olympic and World Champions – finished second to the Netherlands and will be seeded second at the World Cup Super Final in Long Beach, California (USA) in June.

The Dutch won their group (A) in the first round with a 3-0 record, while the U.S. won Group B with a 2-1 mark, losing to Spain on a penalty shoot-out. In Athens, the U.S. beat Hungary (10-8) and Italy (10-6) while the Dutch sailed past Italy (16-10) and edged Hungary, 12-11.

In their final game, the Dutch got out to a 3-2 lead at the quarter and 7-4 at the half, with the U.S. closing to 9-7 after three and 9-8 in the fourth, but couldn’t score again. Maddie Musselman had three scores for the U.S. and Bente Rogge led the Netherlands with three.

In Group 2 in Athens, Spain (3-0) and Greece (1-2) advanced to the Super Final as the top two finishers.

● Weightlifting ● Armenia was the big winner at the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan (ARM), with four wins, but the big news was a world record in the men’s 89 kg class.

Bulgarian teen sensation Karlos Nasar – 18 – the 2021 World Champion at 81 kg, claimed his first combined-weight world mark, lifting 174 kg in the Snatch (a World Junior Record) and then a world-record 221 kg in the Clean & Jerk for a combined 395 kg, breaking the 2022 total of 392 kg by Italy’s Antonino Pizzolato, also at the European Championships.

Armenia’s Andranik Karapetyan was a distant second with a combined total of 374 kg.

Georgian superstar Lasha Talakhadze won the +109 kg class for his seventh straight European super-heavy title, lifting a combined 474 kg.

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: BWF continues Russian ban, but UIPM allows re-entry; Israel to be banned from World Beach Games? Is Jacobs vs. Kerley a thing?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Russian star Kliment Kolesnikov: "If I wasn't a swimmer, I wouldn't watch swimming."

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Badminton says no, pentathlon says yes to Russians
2. Bali governor still wants to ban Israel at ANOC Beach Games
3. Chatter intensifies on Jacobs vs. Kerley 100 m showdown
4. Russian star Kolesinkov says swimming is boring
5. U.S. House passes transgender ban in sports bill, 219-203

The continuing drama over Russian and Belarusian re-entry into international competitions accelerated Thursday, with the Badminton World Federation continuing its ban on participation, but the modern pentathlon federation (UIPM) following the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations as stated. The governor of Bali, whose refusal to allow Israel to compete in the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup cost Indonesia the event, now refuses to allow Israeli athletes to compete in August’s ANOC World Beach Games. No word yet from the Association of National Olympic Committees on what it will do about it. Online chatter about a rich match race between Tokyo Olympic 100 m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy and 2022 World Champion Fred Kerley of the U.S. continues to percolate, but with no confirmation yet. Would anyone put up more than $200,000 to do this? Russian swim star Kliment Kolesnikov, a two-time Olympic medal winner in Tokyo, said “if I wasn’t a swimmer, I wouldn’t watch swimming.” And there was a lot more. The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a short bill that bans transgender females from participating in women’s sports, but it is not expected to be considered by the Democrat-controlled Senate. But it is a growing political issue as 20-plus states have already passed such laws.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (Marathon Pour Tous to be a night event) = World University Games (2025 Rhine-Ruhr WUG to have five host cities) = U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (first Collegiate Wheelchair champs to be held at Drake Relays) = Fencing (USA Fencing announces made-to-measure suit deal!) = Figure Skating (ISU to consider same-sex teams for at least Ice Dance next year) = Sport Climbing (Iran’s Elnaz Rebaki not entered in World Cup season opener) = Swimming (O’Callaghan upsets Titmus in women’s 200 m Free at Australia nationals) ●

1.
Badminton says no, pentathlon says yes to Russians

Two more Olympic-program International Federations have announced their stances on Russian and Belarusian re-entry into international sports, with the Badminton World Federation maintaining a ban and the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne in favor of admission.

The BWF statement Thursday noted, in pertinent parts:

“The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has maintained its suspension of Russian and Belarussian athletes and officials from participating at any BWF sanctioned international tournaments.

“The decision was made following a BWF Council Meeting on Tuesday.

“This position reflects BWF’s core intention to preserve the integrity of badminton competitions and ensure the safety of all athletes. …

“[I]n sight of risks to players and events that could arise by re-opening participation, plus steps to seek more clarity on IOC’s complex criteria for allowing participation, and any such repercussions this may have, including conditions related to Olympic qualification and potential participation in Paris 2024, BWF is not convinced there is satisfactory justification to lift the suspensions on Russian and Belarussian players and officials at this time.”

The Pentathlon statement included:

“The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) today announces its full support for a structured return to UIPM Sports competitions for individual athletes with Russia and Belarus passports, based on the recommendations for International Federations published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on March 28, 2023.”

The UIPM Executive Board decision on the 19th also referenced an upcoming review process to determine whether specific Russian and Belarusian athletes as sufficiently neutral:

“UIPM will set up an independent panel to review athlete eligibility based on criteria to be established by the EB in collaboration with the IOC, as well as timings for the opening of the pathway in respect of the UIPM Sports competition calendar, and any other relevant aspects.”

A consultation with the promised working group effort from the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) was also mentioned.

Observed: The BWF decision is interesting as Russian and Belarusian players are not contenders for major honors in the sport (and neither are Ukrainians). But it does recognize that tournaments are coming up in places where Russian and Belarusian entries may not be embraced, including Europe and North America, as well as some countries in Asia.

No less than Russian national coach Claudia Mayorova agreed:

“To be honest, we didn’t even hope that they would let us in. The fact is that European athletes do not want to play with us now. This situation is very uncomfortable for world badminton, so the international federation is determined not to make a decision on the return of the Russians to the their competitions, especially since there are a lot of representatives of Europe in the leadership of the BWF itself.”

The UIPM decision was widely expected, as the federation is working desperately to be returned to the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and would surely follow the IOC’s lead.

2.
Bali governor still wants to ban Israel at ANOC Beach Games

Indonesia was awarded the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup, only to have it promptly removed by FIFA after Bali governor Wayan Koster announced that he did not want to host Israel as a participating team.

Two weeks ago, he said the same thing about the ANOC World Beach Games, scheduled for 5-12 August: “I still reject the appearance of Israel in Bali, including in the upcoming ANOC World Beach Games,” citing Indonesia’s lack of diplomatic relations with Israel and the country’s support for Palestinian interests.

It appeared that things might be changing. Last Friday, Koster met with Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo and Raja Sapta Oktohari, Chair of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, and told reporters:

“We discussed how to make the World Beach Games run well in accordance with the constitution and good governance, and also continue to run smoothly, because there was an agreement in Bali to be the host.”

Ariotedjo said after the meeting, “Thank God there has been a meeting and also an agreement that the Bali Provincial Government and Governor support 1,000 percent of the holding of the second World Beach Games.”

However, a day later (15th), Koster said in a statement:

“My attitude remains consistent in rejecting the presence of Team Israel at the World Beach Games in Bali in 2023″ and that the event “will run smoothly and successfully as long as they are held without the presence of the Israeli team.”

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) has said nothing about the issue so far, but the Indonesian Olympic Committee is expecting to hear about the issue soon. The first World Beach Games was originally awarded to San Diego, but was withdrawn and held in Doha (QAT) instead in 2019.

A meeting of national delegation team leaders for the World Beach Games is set for 28 April-1 May, with 69 countries scheduled to attend, but not Israel.

The Israelis sent three athletes to the first Beach Games, held in Doha (QAT) in 2019, and have qualified for 2023 in 3×3 basketball and open-water swimming.

3.
Chatter intensifies on Jacobs vs. Kerley 100 m showdown

One-on-one match races are pretty rare in track & field, but the online chatter is increasing about a possible – maybe – match-up – perhaps – between Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy and American Fred Kerley.

Their Olympic match-up was a thriller, with Jacobs (who was born in the U.S.) winning in a lifetime best of 9.80 to 9.84 for Kerley, but Jacobs has been sidelined by injuries since then, while Kerley went on to lead an American sweep at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

They’ve only met twice at 100 m, with Jacobs finishing third in the 2021 Diamond League race in Monaco (9.99) to sixth for Kerley (10.15) about a month before the Tokyo Games.

Now Rae Edwards, 41, a retired sprinter (10.00, 9.98w in 2009) who made the 2009 U.S. World Championships team, then transferred allegiance to Nigeria in 2014 and effectively retired in 2016, has been stoking the rivalry and trying to set up a match race via his Twitter feed under the handle @RaesTake:

● 17 April: “@fkerley99 and @crazylongjumper

“F all the back and forth. What’s the ticket cost for y’all to race each other head up? How much y’all want? F all the tweets and retweets…

“How much is it going to cost for y’all to race each other head up?”

● 19 April: “I’ve spoken with @fkerley99 and been in contact with @crazylongjumper [Jacobs] and his camp this morning.

“Both parties have given a soft yes as long as their demands are met!

“Now lets see what company is willing to role out the check to sponsor their asking prices!”

● 19 April: Asked what the asking prices were, “That’s information I’m not allowed to put out publicly as there is no agreement in place but I can tell you’ll they not racing for less than 6 figures each.”

The response has been all over the lot, with one observer suggesting:

“Wb this type of setup

“SP: Crouser v Kovacs
“200mH: Holloway v Benjamin v Warlhom [sic]
“4×1: USA v Jamaica v GB
“40y d time trials: CC [Christian Coleman], Bromell, Norman, Knighton & Bracy
“800m: Hodgkinson v Mu
“100m: Kerley v Jacobs

“I saved some other good matchups for a different time”

Retired U.S. sprint star Bianca Knight (11.07 ‘08, London 2012 Olympic 4×100 m gold) tweeted:

“No offense but… why would anyone risk putting up any type of money for someone known for pulling out of races?” and “What’s stopping him from asking for guaranteed bread to commit, then pull out bc of some unknown reason… or come and lay an egg? It’s a cute lil back & forth but [yawn emoji]”

What about Kerley and Jacobs?

● Kerley, who is famous for his abbreviated tweets, posted on 17 April: “Talk to the agent if you don’t got 6 figures plus we ain’t talk”

● Jacobs put up a photo of the Tokyo 100 m final on Instagram, with an added caption: “Whenever you want and wherever you want, but remember that when it mattered more it ended like this.”

Track fans with longer memories have seen this before, when Atlanta 1996 Olympic winners Donovan Bailey (CAN: 100 m) and Michael Johnson (USA: 200 m) met in a 150 m indoor face-off around a turn at the Skydome in Toronto in June 1997. There were 48,000 people there and the race was televised to 50 countries, with Bailey getting a great start and winning in 14.99 as Johnson pulled up with a strained left quad as he entered the straightaway.

The money was good: $500,000 appearance fee for both and an additional $1 million to Bailey for the win. The hype was great, but it translated into nothing for the sport, given the anti-climatic finish.

Talk is cheap enough, but fun. Let’s see if anyone wants to pay for something like this. Good for Edwards for stoking the fire.

4.
Russian star Kolesinkov says swimming is boring

Twenty-two-year-old Russian swim star Kliment Kolesnikov won two medals in Tokyo in the 100 m Free (bronze) and 100 m Back (silver) and four golds at the 2021 World Short-Course Championships. But he’s hardly a promoter of his own sport.

In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, Kolesnikov explained:

“I’ll tell you straight out: if I wasn’t a swimmer, I wouldn’t watch swimming; for me it’s not as spectacular as any team sport. Whatever you do, a team sport will be more interesting, because there is an element of improvisation there, it’s interesting to watch. There is improvisation in such individual sports as tennis or even chess, while ours is a monotonous, cyclical kind, and even more monotonous than skiing or cycling, where overtaking and contact [or even] wrestling are possible. We don’t have that. Therefore, the issue of attracting an audience is difficult. There are well-established sports, such as football, hockey and basketball, which are interesting to people, but I think it is still possible to increase interest in swimming. …

[W]e need a good promotion that would do all this, because you can’t lure people with posters alone. …

‘Take the same bare-knuckle [MMA] fights. They have been working on this for a long time, and as a result, they are already gaining popularity in America. All this takes money and time, there are a lot of nuances. The main thing is that people who suddenly want to do this, understand that the effect will not be achieved immediately.”

Kolesnikov was also asked about the current situation, in which Russian athletes are banned from international competitions. He said he doesn’t follow it too closely, getting his information from coaches or other athletes. He has his own ideas:

“Unfortunately, everything rests on a situation that does not take into account the opinion of athletes. We have one goal – just to swim, but others are trying to get something out of it. Unfortunately, nothing depends on us.

“If [an athletes meeting] had taken place, it would have been much easier – everything would have been decided directly through the popular vote of athletes. This was the case at the International Swimming League, where round tables with the participation of athletes were held, various pressing issues were discussed there. It’s cool when athletes themselves can raise topics of concern to them and discuss them.”

He does not see an alternative to the Olympic Games:

“I think it’s almost impossible to come up with an alternative to them, I can’t imagine how it can be organized. I came to this conclusion after having been there once, having seen and felt what it was like. I don’t even know how to replace such global competitions. Another thing is that the current situation thickens the colors over the Olympic Games. But for me they still remain the number one for the realization of a sports career.”

5.
U.S. House passes transgender ban in sports bill, 219-203

A short bill that would prohibit males to compete against females in sports was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday by 219-203 in a party-line vote.

The measure, H.R. 734, was introduced by Republican Congressman Greg Steube on 1 February and is only three paragraphs long, amending Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972:

“(1) It shall be a violation of subsection (a) for a recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.

“(2) For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

“(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a recipient from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity.”

The issue of transgender participation in sports has been a hot-button issue in the U.S. as well as in other countries. The bill is not expected to be taken up in the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Biden Administration said earlier this month it wants to create administrative rules that would not allow categorical bans on transgender participation, but could recognize restrictions based on competitive advantage.

Also on Thursday, North Carolina’s Senate passed a similar bill, prohibiting transgender females from playing on girl’s or women’s teams. A slightly different version passed the North Carolina House and the measure is expected to become law. If so, North Carolina would be at least the 21st state to pass such regulations concerning transgender participation.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paris 2024 ● One of the signatures of the Paris Games will be the first mass-participation events included within an Olympic Games, the “Marathon Pour Tous.”

The organizing committee announced that the mass-marathon will be held on the evening of Saturday, 10 August 2024, using the same route as run by the men in the morning and just hours prior to the women’s race on 11 August. The mass-marathon will start at 9 p.m. local time for ages 20 and over, with a 10 km race held for those 16 and over, beginning at 11:30 p.m.

Entries are obtained only by completing a series of online contests and challenges over months; the number of entries to be allowed has not yet been confirmed.

● World University Games 2025: Rhine-Ruhr ● The latest event to undertake the regional approach to hosting is the 2025 WUG in the Rhine-Ruhr area of Germany, which announced its host cities on Thursday: Bochum (2 sports), Duisburg (3), Düsseldorf (8), Essen (6) and Muelheim an der Ruhr (1).

Up to 10,000 athletes from as many as 170 nations are expected to compete in 18 sports, with primary funding from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Another small step in the integration of Paralympic sport comes on 29 April with the first National Collegiate Wheelchair Championships to be held inside the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.

Two races will be held, both at 100 m with seven qualifiers from two regionals, from the University of Illinois (3), Arizona (3) and Michigan (1). The men’s 100 m final includes eight entries, with five from Arizona and three from Illinois.

Said Drake Relays Director Blake Boldon, “Crowning the first-ever collegiate national champions in wheelchair track and field is an exciting next chapter in the history of our event, and we’re all proud of the partnerships that have brought it to life.”

● Fencing ● Given the nature of their sport and that the implements of competitions are weapons – swords – fencers are covered from head to toe with protective gear, almost always completely in white.

Now, USA Fencing is helping its athletes look better off the piste with the announcement of a partnership with Dallas-based licensed, made-to-measure clothier Reveal Suits. As “Official Suit Partner” of the federation, it will “provide tailored outfitting (suit and shirt) to USA Fencing’s most active officials who work at the national or international level.”

Reveal Suits will also have the rights to a special lining with the USA Fencing logo, with a discount for USA Fencing members that includes a donation to the USA Fencing Federation. Gives a whole new meaning to being “sharp” in this sport, right?

● Figure Skating ● Slate.com was the latest to report on discussions in the figure skating world about the possibility of having Pairs and Ice Dance couples be of the same gender, instead of the currently-required one man and one woman.

Writer Talia Barrington explained that the issue has been discussed among athletes and with the International Skating Union’s Ice Dance Technical Committee:

“ISU technical committee chair Shawn Rettstatt [USA] responded that yes, there were plans forming to propose a wider rule change in favor of same-sex pairs in competition. If the issue passes an internal review and becomes an official proposal, it’ll likely be voted on next year at the ISU’s International Congress in Las Vegas, a sprawling biennial event billed as an opportunity to make ‘major decisions about the future and direction of the ISU.’

“It’ll need a two-thirds majority of votes to win. In an interview later, Rettstatt seemed cautiously upbeat about its chances.”

He was clear that how the proposal would be treated is unknown: a loosening of the current rules, a new competition category or something else. And Rettstatt was clear that he was speaking about Ice Dance and not Pairs, a different event with a different ISU technical committee.

● Sport Climbing ● Great concern was expressed late last year for Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, whose loose wearing of her headscarf at the Asian Championships in Korea in October exposed her to possible criminal penalties under Iranian law. In December, it was reported that the International Federation for Sport Climbing was in touch with her and that she was selected for a coaching advancement program supported by Olympic Solidarity.

It is not clear whether Rekabi, 33, is retired from competition, but she is absent from the entries for this week’s IFSC World Cup opener in Boulder in Hachioji (JPN). Two Iranian men are listed, but no women. Rekabi’s last competition was at the Asian Championships in Seoul in October 2022, where she placed eighth in Boulder and ninth in Lead.

Where is she?

● Swimming ● World Championships 100 m Free gold medalist Mollie O’Callaghan, 19, pulled off a stunning win in the 200 m Free on the final night of the Australian nationals in Gold Coast.

She went out hard in the final to get away from the fearsome kick of Tokyo Olympic 200 m Free champion Ariarne Titmus and made it work, touching first in 1:55.15 to move to no. 3 in the world in 2023, trailed by Titmus (1:55.28, no. 4 in 2023) and sprinter Shayna Jack, who scored a lifetime best of 1:55.37 (no. 5).

O’Callaghan scored a triple at the nationals, winning the 50-100-200 m Frees, along with an unexpected silver in the 100 m Back!

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TSX REPORT: Basketball confirms Russians out for Paris; surfing shows the way for others to deal with them; U.S. draws Mexico, 1-1

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Russians out of Paris ‘24 in basketball (expected) and surfing (wow)
2. USA Fencing approves Russian and Belarusian entries, with conditions
3. Milan Cortina 2026 settles on Fiera site for speed skating
4. Pogacar, Vollering rocket to La Fleche Wallonne victories
5. Ferreira’s late goal gives U.S. 1-1 draw with Mexico

The question of Russian and Belarusian participation in international sports and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games continues to dominate the headlines. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), as expected, barred Russia and Belarus from qualifying events for Paris, in line with the International Olympic Committee’s suggestion. But the International Surfing Association told the Russian news agency TASS that it would also bar Russia and Belarus under the same concept, offering an insightful twist into the “team” concept, even for what appears to be an individual sport. USA Fencing’s Board also allowed Russian and Belarusian participation in its events, but with conditions that essentially limit entry to Russian and Belarusian passport holders living in the U.S., who renounce any support for the Russian invasion. The question over the speed skating venue for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina – and another fight on costs – was resolved with the events to be held in two halls of the Fiera Milano exhibition center, the simplest and most cost-effective solution. In the high-profile La Fleche Wallonne races in Belgium, Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar won his third straight race on the UCI World Tour with a final surge to the uphill finish, while Demi Vollering of the Netherlands attacked with 200 m to go and no one could follow. Coming up Sunday is the fourth “Monument” race of the season, Liege-Bastogne-Liege. In Arizona, the U.S. men fell behind Mexico, 1-0, in the first Allstate Continental Clasico, but a goal by Jesus Ferreira in the 81st minute was the key to a 1-1 final.

● Panorama: Beijing 2022 (no date set yet for Valieva doping hearing) = Paris 2024 (2: French labor chief says no 2024 interference; Olympic law appealed by leftist political parties) = Russia (2: 19th EPO suspension imposed; Duma passes law to bring RUSADA into compliance) = Los Angeles (two Olympians indicted into L.A. City high school Hall of Fame) = Athletics (Kipchoge apologizes for poor Boston Marathon showing) = Football (U.S. and Mexico announce 2027 Women’s World Cup bid) = Modern Pentathlon (Turkey wins World Cup Mixed Relay for home fans) = Shooting (China dominates ISSF Rifle & Pistol World Cup) = Swimming (2: USA Swimming to debut new online television network; Short claims world-leading 400 m Free in Australian Champs) ●

● Errata: Yesterday’s Lane One comment on the 2022 World Athletics Championships was corrected to show 65% of those surveyed liked the “food and beverage” quality instead of “foot and beverage” quality. Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Mike Navarro for the correction.

1.
Russians out of Paris ‘24 in basketball (expected) and surfing (wow)

The International Basketball Federation announced on Tuesday that its program for Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying will not include Russian or Belarusian teams:

“The FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments field will be comprised of the 28 countries that participated in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers and did not qualify for the 32-team World Cup to be staged this summer in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. …

“Following the IOC recommendations on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions published on 28 March, the FIBA Executive Committee has decided to not allow the registration of the Russian men’s national team in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments 2023. Bulgaria, as the next-best-ranked European team, will be the final team to participate to the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments.”

This was no surprise, as FIBA noted the IOC’s suggestion against any Russian or Belarusian teams.

With the IOC’s team ban likely to be enforced by all of the International Federations, Dmitry Svishchev, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports says the lawyers should get involved:

“Representatives of federations in team sports should think about the possibility of a class action lawsuit. Any adequate court will take their side in a dispute over suspension due to IOC recommendations. What is the difference between an athlete in a team sport and an individual? and by decisions to suspend our teams, the international federations are simply violating human rights.

“Therefore, I would not rule out the possibility that our federations in team sports will go to court.”

The only proper venue for such a suit would be the Court of Arbitration for Sport, although filings could be made with jurisdictional questions to the European Court of Justice – where Russia’s prospect would be questionable at best – or a similar venue with at least some jurisdictional claim over France and the Paris 2024 organizing committee.

A similar reply came from the World Baseball-Softball Confederation, whose sports are not on the program for Paris 2024, but could be for Los Angeles in 2028:

“The latest recommendations of the IOC executive committee dated March 28, 2023 do not apply to baseball and softball, since they provide that teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered for participation in international sports competitions.”

Same from the International Hockey Federation, which told the Russian news agency TASS:

“So far, we continue to monitor the situation and, if necessary, we will make appropriate decisions in accordance with these recommendations.”

The International Surfing Association, responding to a TASS inquiry, gave a highly technical and brilliantly subtle declaration:

“The ISA noted the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Executive Board recommendation on 28 March 2023 to enable International Sports Federations to implement their own policies regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian competitors as neutral athletes in events under specific conditions.

“This IOC recommendation on neutral athletes does not apply to team sports nor team events. ISA events are competitions with qualified teams who are entered by their National Surfing Federations.

“There is no provision in the ISA Rule Book for the participation of individuals outside their national teams, including for World Surfing Games and other events that play a part in athlete qualification for the Olympic Games via their National Olympic Committees.”

Observed: This is a staggeringly brilliant reply by the ISA, whose Executive Director, Bob Fasulo (USA) is a 30-year veteran of Olympic sport. On a purely technical level, all of the International Federations work with “teams” at the regional and world championship level, as the ISA notes, since entries are made by national federations; for the Olympic Games, entries can come only from National Olympic Committees, except for the Olympic Refugee Team.

By seizing on this procedural fact, the ISA makes the case that although its Olympic competitions are contested by individuals, those athletes are part of formalized teams through the entry process, at both the International Federation and IOC level.

The same is true for sports seen as essentially for individuals such as athletics, judo, swimming and so on, and could be applied more broadly to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes out altogether from both single-sport world championships, regional events such as the European Games or Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games.

Interesting and impressive, it will be fascinating to see if this concept is applied more broadly.

2
USA Fencing approves Russian and Belarusian entries, with conditions

The USA Fencing Board of Directors issued a new policy concerning the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in USA Fencing events, with some interesting twists. The announcement noted:

“[T]he Board amended the policy on Russian and Belorussian participation in USA Fencing competitions, now allowing them to participate if they meet certain criteria, including No. 1 and either No. 2 or No. 3 below:

“1. They display no physical manifestation of Russian or Belorussian affiliation within the venue, including but not limited to uniforms, warm-ups, equipment bags, or accessories.

“2. For the previous three years, they have not held an FIE license indicating Russian or Belorussian sport nationality, unless they have officially been approved for a change of sport nationality from the FIE.

“3. For the previous one year they have not competed in USA Fencing competitions or functions and have renounced their support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine by executing a declaration to that effect.”

Why?

“The rationale behind this decision is to include at USA Fencing events those individuals who may be Russian or Belorussian and reside in the United States and contribute in positive ways to the USA Fencing community. As long as they have denounced the actions of Russia and Belarus, these individuals will be permitted to return.”

Again, quite clever, and it includes a written statement that renounces any support for the Russian invasion.

3.
Milan Cortina 2026 settles on Fiera site for speed skating

One more uncertainty in the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games has been removed.

The speed skating events, originally slated to be held in a renovated outdoor rink in Baselga di Pine, will be held in a temporary facility at the Fiera Milano Rho Exhibition Centre instead.

A roof was planned to be added to the Baselga di Pine site, but proved to be much more expensive than projected – more than $80 million vs. the original estimate of $54 million – requiring a different solution. One option was to take speed skating to Turin, site of the 2006 Winter Games, but this was also a costly solution as new refrigeration equipment would be needed, as well as accommodations and other support.

By using a portion of the massive Fiera Milano Rho Exhibition Centre, the sport stays within the existing Games footprint. Moreover, the projected €20 million cost ($21.9 million) will not require government funding; the technical details include:

“The project involves the unification of pavilions 13 and 15 in a single space for a total of over 35,000 square meters (~377,000 sq. ft.) of covered area capable of hosting the 400-metre speed track, a grandstand with around 6,500 seats, as well as a training rink, changing rooms and further structures necessary for the organization: an air conditioning and humidity control system capable of guaranteeing the most suitable conditions for maintaining the frozen surfaces according to the requirements of the International Skating Federation (30-40% humidity and 15 degrees [C] at ice level).”

The site for the athlete village for the Cortina – mountain – area for 2026 has been located, in Fiames, a tiny hamlet within the city area of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi said the facility will be temporary, with 1,200-1,300 beds and the necessary support facilities. Lorenzi said the organizers will need to plan not only for the athletes, but for the “security sector, police, finance guards and Carabinieri: we have to understand how to involve them in the situation because they are fundamental in the execution of the Olympics.”

The project is expected to cost €36 million, or about $39.4 million U.S.

This is in contrast to the under-construction athlete housing in Milan, where a former rail yard is being converted into housing that will eventually be used for university students, with 1,027 rental units across six main buildings of eight stories each.

4.
Pogacar, Vollering rocket to La Fleche Wallonne victories

If you follow the Tour de France at all – and it’s the only cycling event most people know about – you are familiar with Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar, the winner in 2020 and 2021 and runner-up in 2022.

Still just 24, he has started the 2023 season on fire, winning the famed, eight-stage Paris-Nice race, then posting two top-four finishes in major one-race races in Italy and Germany before posting three straight wins in major one-day classics: the iconic Tour of Flanders on 2 April, Amstel Gold Race on 16 April and now, Wednesday’s 87th La Fleche Wallonne (“The Flemish Arrow”).

He ran away with the win in Flanders by 16 seconds, then 38 seconds in the Amstel Gold Race, but he had to race to the line on Wednesday at the end of the 194.3 km ride from Herve to the Mur du Huy, a final uphill climb of 120 m in the final 1.3 km of the race.

Pogacar was with perhaps a dozen riders on the final climb, then simply exploded with about 200 m to go and raced away, clear to the finish, although Mattias Skjelmose (DEN) and Mikel Landa (ESP) were given the same time. Eight others finished three seconds back.

Dutch star Demi Vollering is having almost as good a season as Pogacar in the UCI Women’s World Tour, winning three of her five World Tour races, with a second in the Tour of Flanders and a win in the Amstel Gold Race.

She did it again in the 26th La Fleche for women, attacking with 200 m to go on the final Mur de Huy climb of 115 m in the final km. No one could follow and she won the race for the first time after being third in 2020 and 2022, finishing the 127.3 km course in 3:29:25.

Liane Lippert (GER) finished five seconds back and Gaia Realini (ITA) was seven seconds off the pace in second and third. Veronica Ewers was the top American, finishing 14 (+0:27).

Next up: the fourth “Monument” race of the season: Liege-Bastogne-Liege, on Sunday,

5.
Ferreira’s late goal gives U.S. 1-1 draw with Mexico

The first “Allstate Continental Clasico” was held in front of a good house at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with the U.S. and Mexico meeting for the 75th time in a rivalry that now spans 89 years.

The match was offensively challenged, but the U.S. came back from a 1-0 deficit to equalize in the 81st minute and take away a 1-1 draw.

The first half was an end-to-end affair, with both sides getting chances to score, but missing the net. A charge through the middle by U.S. striker Jordan Morris in the fifth minute resulted in a deflected shot that went wide; Mexico’s Luis Chavez had powerful strokes go wide in the 19th and 28th minutes. Mexico had the better offensive play, but the American defense was well organized. The Mexicans had 57% of possession, and the only two shots-on-goal in the half.

The second half started the same way, but in the 55th, midfielder Uriel Antuna created a turnover at midfield and sprinted down the right side on a breakaway. U.S. keeper Sean Johnson came out to cut down the angle, but Antuna slid it past him and just inside the right post for a 1-0 lead from 10 yards out. It was Mexico’s first goal against the U.S. in four games.

The game settled down into a defensive slog, with Mexico showing some offense, with the U.S. doing almost nothing. Striker Carlos Rodriguez smashed the U.S. crossbar from outside the penalty area in the 81st, but suddenly the American offense came alive.

A pass out of the U.S. zone by defender Sergino Dest found midfielder Alan Sonora at midfield and he left-footed a cross to Morris on the left side, with help coming down the middle. Morris advanced, took his time and then made a perfect left-to-right pass to the charging Jesus Ferreira past a defender and he re-directed the ball past Mexican keeper Carlos Acevedo and into the net for a 1-1 tie in the 81st minute.

With the clock winding down, both sides upped the pressure and there was a late challenge against U.S. defender Kellyn Acosta that brought the sides together briefly, but it ended 1-1. Mexico had 53% of possession and a final edge of 9-4 on shots.

The tie extends the U.S. unbeaten streak against Mexico to 3-0-2 over 2021-22-23. In the all-time series, Mexico leads 22-36-17, with the U.S. 17-9-8 in the 21st Century. The two sides will meet again on 15 June in Las Vegas in the semis of the CONCACAF Nations League.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the hearing date in the Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency of the Kamila Valieva doping sanction has not been set yet.

The long-running dispute over Valieva has held up the confirmation of the results of the Team Figure Skating Event at the Beijing Games, where the results on the ice had Russia first, the U.S. second and Japan third.

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The FrancsJeux.com site reports that the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (known as the CFDT) is unlikely to call for any labor actions that would affect the Paris 2024 Olympic Games related to the continuing national turmoil over the French government’s pension reforms.

CFDT Secretary General Laurent Berger said in an interview Monday:

“The Olympics must be a party, it must be a magical moment for those who love sport and therefore, it is out of the question to make neither this type of threat nor this type of action during the Olympics.

“Trade unionism has an image that was restored during this [recent] period, it assumed its share of responsibility, we said things frankly, sometimes a little roundly, we never crossed the yellow line. We emerge rather grown from this period, I am not for us to bother the proper functioning of the Olympics.”

Protests are continuing over the “Olympic law” recently passed that allows for specific kinds of surveillance prior, during and after the Olympic period in 2024. Two leftist political groups, La France Insoumise (socialist) and the Europe Écologie-Les Verts (EELV, ecological socialists) have filed with the French Constitutional Council to void the law, complaining specifically of:

“The legalization of algorithmic video surveillance, the possibility of carrying out the examination of genetic characteristics without the consent of the person, the creation of new offenses related to entry into sports venues or the additional mandatory penalty of stadium ban.“

The Paris Paralympic Games will end on 8 September, but the surveillance permitted by the law continues to 31 March 2025. The appeals are considered a long shot to succeed. 

● Russia ● TASS reported that triathlete Svetlana Kamarasheva has been suspended for eight years – through 16 June 2029 – for the use of erythropoietin (EPO) to increase red blood cell mass.

The story further noted that there are now 19 Russian athletes on suspension for EPO, including Kamarasheva:

“For the use of EPO, athletes Oleg Ilyin, Sofya Grabrova, Ksenia Savina, Anastasia Bazdyreva, Maxim Alexandrov, Maxim Krasnov, Vadim Ulizhov, Alexei Dorofeev, Valentin Smirnov and Andrey Grigorov, rower Oleg Zhestkov, cyclists Evgeny Kudryavtsev, Sergey Nikolaev and Alexander Budaragin, triathletes Igor Polyansky, Vladimir Turbaevsky, Andrey Alypov and Alexander Bryukhankov.”

In addition, the story added:

“Over the years, Olympic champions in cross-country skiing Larisa Lazutina, Olga Danilova, Yulia Chepalova, Evgeny Dementiev, biathletes Albina Akhatova, Ekaterina Yuryeva, Dmitry Yaroshenko, Irina Starykh, Alexander Loginov were caught on EPO or its modifications.”

Oy.

The Russian State Duma adopted a bill which allows the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) authority over anti-doping rules in the country, rather than the government’s sports ministry.

This is an important development in the Russian quest to have RUSADA declared to be in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Because of this legal-authority issue and other items, WADA still does not consider RUSADA compliant, despite the two-year sanctions against the agency having expired last year.

● Los Angeles ● The seventh class of the Los Angeles City Section Hall of Fame was inducted last Sunday, honoring 23 athletes, coaches and contributors for their achievements as high school greats.

Included were two athletes and a coach who went on to the Olympic Games. Fremont High student Anne Vrana-O’Brien competed for the U.S. in Amsterdam in 1928 in the women’s 100 m, and then made the U.S. team again for the 1936 Berlin Games in the 80 m hurdles. Monroe High grad Charles Lakes was the first Black American to compete for the U.S. in artistic gymnastics, in Seoul in 1988, finishing 19th in the All-Around.

Don Gambril graduated from Wilson High in 1951 and became one of the best-known swimming coaches in the country. Head coach at Long Beach State, Harvard and then for 17 years at Alabama, Gambril was an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s teams in 1968-72-76-80 and the head coach in 1984 in Los Angeles. He retired from Alabama in 1990 and is a 1983 inductee into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

● Athletics ● Following a disappointing sixth-place finish in Monday’s Boston Marathon, Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge appeared briefly at the Tuesday news conference, noting that he suffered an upper left leg injury at the 20-mile mark and fell off the lead:

“I tried to do what was necessary but it wasn’t working. So I put my mind just trying to cope with the pace and just to finish. A lot of thought was going on in my mind but I said, ‘Hey, I can’t quit.’ I’ve been in this sport for a long (time). They say it’s important to win, but it’s great to participate and finish.

“I don’t think it’s the weather. Maybe there was an underlying problem, but it’s just a problem of the leg. What can I say? I’m not a doctor.”

He apologized to those who expected more from him, explaining, “I promised that I would run a fruitful race. So I am sorry. Most of you were expecting me to win.”

Now 38, he did not say when his next race would be; he has stated his desire win all six of the World Marathon Majors races, with Boston and New York the two remaining. “The outcome for yesterday actually destabilized everything, and I need to go back, rearrange again, and come back with a solid program.” But he added that he plans to return:

“Absolutely yes, and to win the Boston Marathon.”

● Football ● U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation announced a joint bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a year after the 2026 men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

No details were provided, but are expected in mid-May when a plan is due to FIFA.

● Modern Pentathlon ● In the Mixed Relay at the UIPM World Cup in Ankara (TUR) last Sunday, the home favorites scored a victory, with Bugra Unal and Ilke Ozyuksel forging a solid lead to start the Laser Run with a six-second edge over the field.

Although only sixth-fastest in the relay, they crossed first, ahead of Mexico’s Mariana Arceo and Manuel Padilla, who had the fastest Laser Run in the field (12:42.0). But that was not enough to offset the strong Turkish performance in fencing (1st), swimming (8th) and riding (6th); Arceo worked her way up to second on her three laps and Padilla was able to maintain that position.

Turkey finished with 1,347 points to 1,341 for Mexico; Great Britain, with Jessica Varley and a fast-charging Myles Pillage, got up for third (1,317).

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup for Rifle and Pistol in Lima (PER) concluded on Wednesday, with China the big winner with 10 medals (4-3-3), with Hungary (2-2-0) and the Czech Republic (1-1-2) next-best at four.

China triumphed in the women’s 10 m Air Rifle, with Zhilin Wang, 19, winning, 17-9, over 20-year-old Eszter Meszaros (HUN) and went 1-2 in the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions, with Siya Xia, 20, beating Tokyo Olympic ninth-placer Mengyao Shi, 16-10.

Tokyo bronze medalist Ranxin Jiang won gold in the women’s 10 m Pistol, 16-12, over Poland’s Klaudia Bres, and the 25 m Pistol final with World Junior Champion Sixuan Fang, 20, out-lasting Ukraine’s Anastasiia Nimets, 28-26.

Serbia’s Damir Mikec, 39, the Tokyo silver medalist, won the men’s 10 m Air Pistol, 16-10, over China’s Bowen Zhang, and Mikec and Zorana Arunovic teamed to win the Mixed Team 10 m Air Pistol final from Jiang and Zhang, 17-13.

Zalan Pekler won for Hungary in the men’s 10 m air Rifle, defeating Naoya Okada (JPN) in the final, 16-10, and in the Mixed Team event, with Pekler and Eszter Denes taking the final, 16-8, from France.

The lone gold for the Czechs came in the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions for 22-year-old Jiri Privratsky, who won over Hungary’s Tokyo Olympic 10th placer, Istvan Peni, 16-10. It’s Privratsky’s second career World Cup gold.

France’s Clement Bessaguet, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, won the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol over Czech Matej Rampula, 32-30, hitting his final eight shots.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced a new program, its USA Swimming Network, moving beyond streaming on its own Web site to a free video-on-demand program on “Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox and select Smart TVs utilizing the Google Play store. In the coming months, the Network will also be available on PlayStation, Apple TV, the remainder of Smart TVs and on all mobile phones and tablets.”

There will also be a significant source of historical footage as well:

“By 2024, the Network will add the Michael McCaffery Swimming Archive channel to its suite of content channels. The archive will feature decades of archived race footage from USA Swimming competitions. Users will be able to browse 50 years of race footage, or search by athlete and keyword to view a personalized selection of race clips.”

That could be epic. The success of this new, ambitious project will depend in part on how easy it will be to find a specific video among a rapidly-expanding collection.

At the Australian National Championships in Gold Coast, 19-year-old distance star Sam Short won his third event with the no. 2 time in the world this season in the men’s 800 m Free in 7:42.96.

Short had already won the 400 m Free in a world-leading 3:42.46 and the 1,500 m Free in 14:58.90.

The other top marks came in the women’s events, with sprinter Shayna Jack taking the 50 m Free in 24.45, just behind her seasonal best of 24.26. She finished ahead of Meg Harris (24.45), who moved to no. 6 in the world in 2023.

Tokyo Olympic 400 m champ Ariarne Titmus won the 400 m Free in a seasonal best of 4:00.49, making her no. 3 for 2023, behind new world-record holder Summer McIntosh (CAN) and Katie Ledecky of the U.S.

Kaylee McKeown, the Tokyo 100-200 m Back winner, won the 100 m Back in 57.90, behind her 57.84 world leader earlier in the season, but the equal-second performance of 2023 with Regan Smith of the U.S. Freestyle sprinter Mollie O’Callaghan, the 2022 World Champion in the 100 m Free and already the 50-100 m Free winner, was second in 58.42, a lifetime best and no. 3 in 2023!

Lizzie Deckers, 18, won the 200 m Fly in 2:06.55, now no. 2 in 2023 and Jenna Forrester moved to no. 3 in the world with her 4:35.05 win in the 200 m Medley.

The meet concludes on Thursday.

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LANE ONE: Oregon22 report shows 2:1 return in media exposure for Oregon’s $40 million cash investment

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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The fascinating Nielsen Sports post-event report on the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, demonstrated a direct and induced economic impact of $153.4 million, but included a wealth of other information to answer the question: was it worth it?

Possibly yes, with plenty of surprises shown in the data. For example, that the event was most strongly viewed on television in Africa and the Middle East! Yes, really.

Nielsen cited a Publicis survey that stated some 1.117 billion hours of the Oregon22 meet were seen on television worldwide, but with a surprising distribution (figures do not add due to rounding):

● 39% or 429.8 million hours: Africa and Middle East
● 33% or 368.1 million hours: Asia Pacific region
● 20% or 219.3 million hours: Europe
● 9% or 95.5 million hours: Americas

Among individual countries, the U.S. was only fifth:

1. 254.1 million hours: Japan
2. 102.5 million hours: China
3. 47.3 million hours: Great Britain
4. 35.5 million hours: Nigeria
5. 35.4 million hours: United States

NBC reported last year that its total viewership comprised an estimated 18.7 million viewers across its network and cable broadcasts of Oregon22. Also in the top 10 countries by hours viewed were France (24.2 million hours), Poland (23.4 million hours), Sweden (21.3 million hours) and Finland (21.3 million hours).

This is good intermediate-term news for World Athletics, which is headed to Tokyo for the 2025 Worlds, but also makes the case for placing a future World Athletics Championships in Africa, which showed so much interest in the 2022 meet. Kenya bid Nairobi for 2025, but the facilities and supporting infrastructure were not in Tokyo’s class, given the new Olympic Stadium delivered for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

But now there is an even better reason to go there.

The report noted that the total television exposure across all broadcasters was 3,913.5 hours and, based on regional ad rates, generated $188.1 million in broad exposure (TV time) for “affiliated brands” such as World Athletics sponsors TDK, Qatar National Bank, Seiko and so on. The biggest winner in terms of exposure during the meet was the State of Oregon, which provided $40 million in cash and grants to the organizing committee, about 53% of its total budget of $75 million.

Oregon’s return on television exposure alone was $59.3 million, followed by TDK’s $43.8 million for being the primary name on athlete identification bibs.

The report also claimed a online media value of $50.1 million, with 79,100 mentions tracked. The State of Oregon received exposure value equivalent to $19.3 million in advertising. Print media (newspapers) generated another $5.5 million in value, with the State of Oregon getting another $3.45 million.

Social media tracking showed 37.2 million “engagements,” and a $7.24 million total value. “Sentiment” was found to be mostly neutral (61%), but 34% positive against only 5% negative.

So, for its $40 million investment, the State of Oregon received – according to the report – at least $82.05 million in equivalent ad exposure, or a 2:05 to 1 return. Look for those figures to be cited frequently in the future.

There was also the in-person exposure to the 150,000 attendees, of whom 84% were from the U.S. Of the 16% who came from outside the U.S., 35% were making their first visit to the United States. But the meet was highly localized: 49% of all spectators came from Oregon, with 32% from the Eugene area!

Of the visitors who needed accommodations, only 3% did not stay in the Eugene area and the largest group, 43%, used Airbnb and Vrbo to find housing. Only 32% stayed in hotels. Combining all 34.577 attendees, including athletes and accredited personnel, the 2022 Worlds generated an estimated 222,583 room nights and $45 million in direct, local spending. That’s where the money was.

The attitudes of spectators towards the event was generally positive:

● 97% liked the look and feel of the new Hayward Field.
● 88% liked the security situation in the stadium.
● 80% thought the WiFi and mobile phone coverage was good.
● 65% thought the food and beverage quality was good.
● 54% thought the variety of merchandise was good.

There were negatives, however:

● “The ticket prices were ridiculous”
● “The stadium needs to be covered; it was too hot”
● “Hard to hear in-stadium announcements”

Transportation was also interesting: 41% got to the meet in a personal car, but 26% walked! Only 14% took public transit.

The Oregon22 organizers made a big effort on sustainability, but barely made a dent in the estimated emissions caused by air travel of athletes and spectators to Eugene: 75,537 tons of carbon dioxide.

This was reduced somewhat by low-emission power generation on-site and 5,200 pounds of leftover food that was donated to a local foodbank system. But, in all, the event generated 97,095 tons of CO², with the environmental initiatives reducing the total by 2%. Using the cost-conversion formulas for carbon credits, the Oregon22 carbon footprint had a net cost of $7.4 million.

There’s no doubt that the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene was an enormous success on the track, with spectacular performances. Except for those folks who sat in the lower rows and were exposed to the sun, Hayward Field was well received, as were most services.

The 1,585 volunteers, who contributed 152,160 hours of service, were highly appreciated and respected.

Travel Oregon and the state government can point to more than $82 million in media exposure (ad equivalencies), more than double their $40 million investment and there was additional government tax revenue not calculated in the report from accommodations, food sales and merchandise.

That’s more than a 2:1 return in media exposure for the cash invested, which has traditionally been a winner for Oregon, drawing tourism attention to an area of the U.S. not that well known to foreign visitors. Whether future U.S. cities or state will be willing to put up that much cash to bring an event like the World Athletics Championships back – especially to a larger, already-well-visited metropolitan area – is an open question.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Kenya’s Chebet and Obiri sweep Boston Marathon; ex-IBU chief indicted in Norway; IIHF says Russia returns when war ends

By
Rich Perelman
-
Kenya's Evans Chebet winning his second straight Boston Marathon on Monday (Photo courtesy BAA; by Errol Anderson)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Chebet and Obiri win third straight Kenyan Boston Marathon sweep
2. Former biathlon president Besseberg indicted for corruption
3. Ukraine sanctions 80 more Russian athletes and officials
4. IIHF’s Tardif says Russia and Belarus come back when war is over
5. Argentina confirmed as FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup host

At the 127th Boston Marathon, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge was the center of attention, but it was defending champ Evans Chebet of Kenya who won again. The women’s race was won by Kenya’s track superstar Hellen Obiri, her first marathon win in her second try. Former International Biathlon Union President Anders Besseberg was indicted for corruption in his native Norway, related to favors he did for Russia over a 10-year period. The Ukrainian government imposed a new round of sanctions on 80 Russian athletes and officials, including at least 11 Olympic medal winners, past and present. The International Ice Hockey Federation President said he would welcome back Russian and Belarusian teams … as soon as the war was over, and praised the improving level of women’s hockey. Argentina was formally awarded the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup, beginning in May, replacing Indonesia, which did not want to allow Israel to play.

● Panorama: Russia (3: European Games refuses Russian and Belarusian entries; Norway withdraws from fencing events; 2029 World Aquatics Champs in Kazan?) = Anti-Doping (testing reports from aquatics and volleyball) = Artistic Swimming (2: U.S. nationals; new U.S. gender equity policy) = Athletics (more world leaders in California and India) = Gymnastics (U.S. team members Chiles, McCallum, Carey and Wong medal at NCAA Champs) = Swimming (new world leaders in Sweden and Australia) ●

1.
Chebet and Obiri win third straight Kenyan Boston Marathon sweep

All of the hype surround the 127th Boston Marathon on Monday was focused on Kenya’s two-time Olympic champ Eliud Kipchoge, but it was 2022 victor Evans Chebet cross the line first once again, and track star Hellen Obiri winning her first marathon in the women’s race.

The conditions were part of the story, with an overcast, rainy and windy morning, with temperatures in the high 40s (F). A large group of 11 men formed the lead pack and moved through the halfway mark in 1:02:19, which closed to seven by 30 km.

Now the attacks started, including Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay, whose charge to the front dropped Kipchoge by 20 miles (32 km) and he was not a factor again. By the 35 km mark, it was 2021 champion Benson Kipruto (KEN), Chebet and Geay breaking away from all others and they would race for the medals.

They ran together through 35 km, but Kipruto could not keep up by the 38 km mark and dropped a few seconds back. Geay kept challenging Chebet, who stayed steady and smooth, unmoved by the damp conditions. But Kipruto charged to join them at 40 km and then it was Geay who dropped back a bit.

With a mile to go, Chebet had the lead and broke away with just more than a half-mile to go, running alone to the finish in 2:05:54, the sixth-fastest time in Boston Marathon history. He’s the first men’s repeater since Robert Cheruiyot won his second, third and fourth Boston wins in 2006-07-08. Although he placed high in his first eight marathons from 2013-17, Chebet, 34, has won six of his last seven from 2019-23, including Boston twice, Valencia in 2020 and New York in 2022.

Geay regained second place on the run-in in 2:06:04, with Kipruto at 2:06:06, and Kipchoge in seventh at 2:09:23. In his 18th career marathon, it’s his second-worst finish; he was eighth in London in 2018, also on a rainy, cold day.

Scott Fauble was the top American finisher, in seventh for the second year in a row and third time in his Boston career, in 2:09:44. Matthew Mcdonald was 10th (2:10:17) and Conner Mantz was 11th (2:10:25).

The women’s lead pack also had 11 runners together at the halfway point, in 1:11:29 and stayed together through 35 km! By 37 km, though, only six were with the lead group and the final five contenders – Obiri, Lonah Salpeter (ISR), Ethiopians Amane Beriso and Ababel Yeshaneh and American Emma Bates, the 2021 Chicago Marathon runner-up – were set by the 39 km mark.

Bates was dropped by 40 km and Salpeter fell back shortly after that. That left Obiri and the two Ethiopians, who took turns leading, with Yeshaneh falling back first and then Obiri – the 2017 and 2019 World Champion at 5,000 m – taking off for good with about 800 m remaining and ran to the line alone in 2:21:38, the no. 10 time in Boston Marathon history.

Beriso stayed second (2:21:50), Salpeter came on to pass Yeshaneh for third (2:21:57 to 2:22:00) and Bates was fifth in a lifetime best of 2:22:10 as the top American. Aliphine Tuliamuk, the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials winner, was the next American, in 11th (2:24:37), with Nell Rojas in 14th (2:24:51).

Chebet’s win was the fourth in a row for the Kenyan men and Obiri scored the third straight for the Kenyan women. Her victory was especially gratifying after her debut in New York last November ended with a sixth-place finish; she was simply stronger than everyone else in the final mile.

Said Kipchoge afterwards, “Today was a tough day for me. I pushed myself as hard as I could, but sometimes, we must accept that today wasn’t the day to push the barrier to a greater height.”

Obiri noted, “After New York, we learned some things we did not know. I learned to be patient.” Chebet revealed that he and Kipruto worked together: “It was a mutual agreement that we would keep pace together. And this is what worked out well.”

2.
Former biathlon president Besseberg indicted for corruption

Norwegian Anders Besseberg, 77, the President of the International Biathlon Union from 1993 to 2018, was indicted Monday for corruption related to favors he received during his lengthy term in office. The announcement included:

“The Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim) has indicted a Norwegian man who was president of the IBU for trial on charges of aggravated corruption. The offences took place during the period 2009 to 2018.

“The charges include accepting bribes in the form of watches, hunting trips and trophies, prostitutes and a leased car which he enjoyed the use of from 2011 to 2018 in Norway.

“Økokrim believes there is sufficient evidence to prove that he accepted bribes continuously over a ten-year period. The seriousness of the matter is emphasised by the breach of trust his actions represent in light of his position as president of the IBU, says the prosecutor in charge of the case, Senior Public Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland.”

Okokrim has been involved with the Besseberg case since early in 2020, when it was asked to take over the corruption aspects of an investigation by Austrian authorities dealing with doping in sport and fraud.

Okokrim acknowledged additional assistance from authorities in Canada, the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein. Besseberg was forced out of office in 2018 based on reports of corruption and possible doping cover-up assistance for Russian athletes.

The International Biathlon Union’s statement noted that in 2018:

“Following an exhaustive investigation, the [IBU External Review Committee] concluded that Mr Besseberg had a case to answer for breach of the IBU’s rules, based on their apparent protection of Russian interests, particularly in the anti-doping context, without good justification.”

3.
Ukraine sanctions 80 more Russian athletes and officials

On Saturday, Ukraine issued another round of sanctions against more than 80 Russian athletes and officials, which a ban on the issuance of a Ukrainian visa and a ban on entry into Ukrainian territory for 50 years.

The sanctions list includes, among others, Olympic gymnastics medalists Svetlana Khorkina (1996-2004), Maria Paseka (2012-16), Victoria Listunova (2020) and Artur Dalaloyan (2020); swimmer Anton Chupkov (2016); wrestler Varteres Samurgashev (2000-04); biathlon medalists Dmitry Vasiliev (1984-88), Svetlana Ishmuratova (2002-06); figure skater Nikita Katsalapov (2022); hockey player Andrei Kovalenko (1992-98), and Nikolai Gulyaev, head of the Russian Skating Union and 1988 Olympic speed skating gold medalist.

Russian Gymnastics Federation coach Valentina Rodionenko told TASS:

“The decision of the leadership of Ukraine to impose sanctions on our gymnasts can be called complete insanity. People no longer know how else to hurt us.

“I was not going to go to Ukraine, and these sanctions cannot in any way prevent our participation in foreign competitions if the international federation decides in early May on the return of Russians and Belarusians.”

In December 2022, the Ukrainian government sanctioned 55 athletes and officials over their support for the Russian invasion, including teen figure skater Kamila Valieva, still at the center of a doping inquiry from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

A BBC commentary last Saturday noted:

“[W]hy is the Russian state so keen to keep winning in the sporting arena?

“Popular newspaper Vedomosti argued that the Russian government wants to use athletic achievements to keep Russians happy and united when things are not going well elsewhere.

“‘We need victories as a way of doping patriotism,’ it said. ‘Victories are part of state policy.’ …

“According to Vyacheslav Fetisov, formerly a famous ice hockey player, two-time Olympic champion and now member of parliament for the ruling United Russia party: ‘We are the most disgraced country in the history of international sport.’”

4.
IIHF’s Tardif says Russia and Belarus come back when war is over

The International Ice Hockey Federation President, Frenchman Luc Tardif, was asked about Russian and Belarusian re-entry into competition at a news conference before the final match of the 2023 Women’s World Championship. He was clear:

“First, I hope Russia and Belarus return to the IIHF very soon because that would mean that the war is over.

“But we will make a final decision about those countries for Milano in March 2024 because soon after we will begin Olympic qualifications, and Belarus would need to be a part of that.”

Tardif also praised the organization of the tournament, held in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and the continuing improvement in women’s hockey:

“There has been great improvement in the women’s game, and there is a simple reason. The top 20 federations now have dedicated women’s programs. These are important for developing players and growing the game. You see here the number of close games. Maybe teams aren’t ready to beat Canada and the U.S. yet, but it’s getting there. It won’t happen over night. It takes some time. But it’s getting better and better.”

The tournament, won by the U.S., 6-3, in the final over Canada, was notable on multiple levels. The American women continued a remarkable streak of appearing in the final of all 22 women’s Worlds, and winning 10. The win broke a two-championships win streak for the Canadians and the amazing Ann-Renee Desbiens, the star Canadian keeper who suffered a loss for the first time in Worlds and Olympic play. She had been 16-0 in the World Championships (2015-21-22-23) and 6-0 in Olympic play (2018-22).

Canadian forward Sarah Fillier was named Most Valuable Player, with Fillier recognized as the best forward, American Caroline Harvey as the best defender and Desbiens as the top keeper.

Harvey led all scorers in the tournament with 14 points (4+10) in seven games, while American Hilary Knight led all goal-scorers with eight (Fillier had seven).

Knight won her ninth Worlds gold, tying the record held by Canadian forward Danielle Goyette, who won her nine between 1992-2007.

5.
Argentina confirmed as FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup host

“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has confirmed Argentina as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023.

“The decision follows the removal of the original tournament host, Indonesia, as well as a subsequent bid submitted by the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) and an on-site inspection by a FIFA delegation to the South American country last week.”

Monday’s announcement was hardly a surprise, after the Argentine federation made an immediate bid after FIFA took the event away from Indonesia following government requests to not allow Israel – with which Indonesia has no diplomatic relations – to play in the tournament.

The anti-Semitic rhetoric from Indonesia will likely result in sanctions, which have not yet been announced. One result of the transfer is that the Indonesian team, which would have played in the tournament as the host nation, will not compete and Argentina will play instead.

The draw will now be held on Friday (21st) and the tournament starts on 20 May.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● A spokesman for the organizers of the 2023 European Games in Krakow, Poland, said they would rather lose the hosting rights to the event – to begin on 21 June – than to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete there.

Dawid Glen told Germany’s Deutsche Welle that some sports could be removed from the event as Olympic qualifiers because of this stance:

“Yes, we are concerned that there is such a risk. We see what kind of decisions are made internationally. This does not change our position.

“We hope that this is not going to happen, but we would sooner resign from organizing competitions in a given discipline than allow Russians and Belarusians to stand on the starting line. …

“A year ago, Poland spearheaded the decision to expel the Russians from the sport. At present, we see no reason to change our position on this issue. The bloody war continues.”

Clearly at issue will be fencing, in which the International Federation (FIE), and taekwondo, where World Taekwondo has also allowed Russian and Belarusians to return as neutrals. The International Boxing Association, which has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee, has also pushed for removal of the boxing events, but the European Games was selected by the IOC as a qualifier for Paris 2024.

On Friday, the Norwegian Fencing Federation announced that it would not be competing in FIE events in which Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to take part:

“After the decision on the admission of Russians and Belarusians was made at the congress of the International Fencing Federation, the board of directors of the Norwegian Fencing Federation decided not to send their athletes to competitions with their participation. In addition, the World Cup stages will not be held in Norway. Instead of the World Cup, we must organize competitions in cooperation with Finland and Sweden, which have taken appropriate measures.”

The head of the Russian Swimming Federation, four-time Olympic gold medalist Vladimir Salnikov, told the Russian news agency TASS that the federation is preparing to host the World Aquatics Championships in 2029.

The event was awarded to Kazan for 2025, but removed by World Aquatics in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But, say the Russians, the award was postponed, not canceled. Said Salnikov:

“I don’t see any reason why it won’t take place that year. I think that the tournament will take place within those terms.”

● Anti-Doping ● The World Aquatics Integrity Unit announced its testing figures for 2022, with 5,835 samples collected from 1,428 athletes across 101 national federations. This includes swimming (and open water), diving, artistic swimming and water polo. In terms of distribution:

● “Europe accounted for 56.6% of tests followed by America (21.6%), Asia (10.9%), Oceania (7.7%) and Africa (3.17%).”

● “With regard to testing across World Aquatics sport disciplines, swimming accounted for 66% of all tests, followed by water polo (14%), open water (9%), artistic swimming (5%) and diving and high diving (4%).”

The AQIU also noted that testing in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine was not significantly disrupted in 2021.

Overall, about 35% of the tests used blood samples, with the remainder using urine collection.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) released its 10-year testing statistics from 2013-22, with 4,269 samples collected for beach and indoor volleyball and less than 1% in positives. The federation has now delegated its anti-doping program to the International Testing Agency.

● Artistic Swimming ● The 2023 U.S. nationals concluded in Oro Valley, Arizona over the weekend, with Janneke Dirven winning the women’s Solo Technical final (183.4083) and Maya Schweikert taking the Solo Free title (235.1458).

The Duet winners were Kennah Burdette and Luz Portilla-Vollota (175.9500) in the Technical final, and Hannah Lin and Karen Wang (225.6250) in Duet Free. The Mixed Duet Free winners were Sarah Farmer and Chris Leahy (102.8250), and Leahy won the men’s Solo Free (116.1750, only entrant).

U.S. Artistic Swimming announced a new gender inclusion policy with no restrictions at all:

“Athletes of all gender identities have the choice to participate in all USAAS sanctioned and owned events in the category which they feel most closely aligns with their gender identity. Participants do not need to and will not be asked to provide evidence of hormone treatment or surgical intervention.

“Solo Categories: Girl/Woman Solo (athlete who identifies as a girl/woman), Boy/Man Solo (athlete who identifies as boy/man), Gender Inclusive Solo (open to athletes who do not identify as girl/woman or boy/man)

“Duet Categories: Girls/Women Duet (both athletes identify as a girl/woman), Boys/Men Duet (both athletes identify as a boy/man), Mixed Duet (one athlete identifies as boy/man, one girl/woman), Gender Inclusive Duet (one or more athlete(s) who do not identify as girl/woman or boy/man)

“All other categories (i.e. Team events) are open (no gender restriction).”

Implementation will begin this summer. The policy is in conflict with the strict World Aquatics gender policies, which will determine allowable entries into the World Aquatics Championships.

● Athletics ● A few more world leaders from the torrent of competitions over the weekend, including two more at the Brian Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. Cooper Teare won the men’s 1,500 m a 2023 world outdoor best of 3:34.96, while Brian Fay (IRL-Washington) won the 5,000 m in 13:21.99 for the world outdoor lead.

At the nearby Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Harrison Williams of the U.S. won the decathlon with a world-leading 8,492 points, a lifetime best.

At the Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru (IND), Prakasha Manu grabbed the world lead in the men’s javelin at 84.33 m (276-7) and Shalili Singh won the women’s long jump with a world-leading 6.76 m (22-2 1/4).

● Gymnastics ● Members of the U.S. Olympic and World Championships team were familiar faces on the podium of the 2023 NCAA women’s championships held in Ft. Worth, Texas, that concluded on Saturday.

Jordan Chiles of UCLA, a Tokyo Olympic Team silver medalist, 2022 Worlds Team gold medalist, and Worlds Vault and Floor silver winner, won the NCAA title on the Uneven Bars (10.0000) and on Floor (9.9875). She finished second in the All-Around (39.7125) to Utah’s Maile O’Keefe (39.7625), who also won on Beam (10.0000).

Grace McCallum (Utah), a member of the Tokyo 2020 silver-medal team, was part of a five-way for second on the Uneven Bars; Tokyo 2020 Floor gold medalist Jade Carey (Oregon State) was in a second-place tie on Beam, and 2021 Worlds All-Around runner-up Leanne Wong (Florida) was in a two-way tie for second on Floor.

● Swimming ● Four more world-leading marks over the weekend, but this time at the Swedish Open in Stockholm. Twenty-one-year old Daniel Wiffen of Ireland won the men’s 800 m Free in a national record 7:44.45, and then the 1,500 m in another record effort of 14:34.91.

Swedish star Sarah Sjostrom won the women’s 50 m Free in a world-leading 23.92 and the 100 m Free in 52.99, also the best so far this season.

The Australian Championships began in Gold Coast on Monday, with two world leads on the first day. Sam Short won the men’s 400 m Free in a lifetime best of 3:42.46, tops on the seasonal list, and 2022 Worlds sprint star (and 100 m Free World Champion) Mollie O’Callaghan won the women’s 100 m Free in a tight finish with Shayna Jack, 52.63-52.64, the top two marks so far in 2023.

Tokyo Olympic triple gold medalist Kaylee McKeown won the women’s 200 m Medley in 2:08.16, moving to no. 2 in the world for 2023. The meet continues through Thursday.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Oregon22 Worlds delivered $153.4 million impact; Australia cuts down Paris ‘24 swimmer partying; Kipchoge runs in Boston!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Oregon22 Worlds created $153.4 million economic impact
2. Australia wants to tone down Paris ‘24 athlete partying!
3. Kipchoge headlines Monday’s Boston Marathon
4. How shot stars Crouser and Ealey make their annual schedules
5. Irvine will build new aquatics center, but not in time for LA28

A post-event report on the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon showed a $96.8 million direct impact and $153.4 total economic impact, but the attendees were overwhelmingly American and mostly from Oregon. The event cost $75 million to produce and generated $89.3 million in media exposure. The Australian Olympic Committee will require its athletes to leave the Paris 2024 Olympic Village two days after their competition ends in order to keep things quiet for the remaining athletes, an unpopular stance with many swimmers who spend the second week of the Games having a good time! Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest marathoner in history, runs at his first Boston Marathon on Monday, starting at 9:37 a.m. Eastern televised live on ESPN. Putting together a seasonal schedule isn’t easy in track & field; U.S. shot put stars Ryan Crouser and Chase Ealey – the 2022 World Champions – explained their approaches prior to their appearance in two competitions at the Drake Relays. The City of Irvine, California will build its promised aquatics center, to be used in part by USA Water Polo, but not until after the 2028 Olympic Games has come and gone.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Knight’s hat trick keys U.S. win at women’s Worlds) ●
● Panorama: Los Angeles 1984 (Photographer Paul Slaughter passes) = Archery (Mirich and Kaufhold win Arizona Cup) = Athletics (5: three world leads at Mt. SAC Relays; seven at Tom Jones Memorial; Abdi wins Rotterdam Marathon; McPherson gets drug suspension; Crumpacker passes at 67) = Curling (Koe and Wrana take Players Championship) = Cycling (Pogacar, Vollering win Amstel Gold Races) = Diving (China sweeps World Cup) = Figure Skating (U.S. wins ISU Team Trophy) = Football (men’s CONCACAF Gold Cup draw) = Gymnastics (Rafaelli sweeps Rhythmic World Cup) = Modern Pentathlon (Shaban leads Egypt 1-3 in men’s World Cup) = Sailing (World Sailing to study Russia readmission) = Ski Mountaineering (World Cup season finishes in Norway) = Swimming (Smith and Marchand win four each at Tyr Pro Swim) = Table Tennis (China sweeps WTT Champions) = Water Polo (U.S., Dutch win women’s World Cup qualifier) = Weightlifting (Azerbaijan flag burned at Euro Champs ceremony) ●

1.
Oregon22 Worlds created $153.4 million economic impact

A post-event analysis of the Oregon22 World Athletics Championships held at the University of Oregon in Eugene showed a total economic impact of $153.4 million and a total impact – including media exposure – of $237.4 million.

The study was received in January, prepared by Nielsen Sports for Travel Oregon, but had not been publicly released. It showed five drivers of direct spending impact on the Eugene-Springfield community:

● $45.0 million: Accommodations
● $29.8 million: Net organizing committee spend
● $10.0 million: Food & Beverage
● $7.4 million: Retail and Leisure spending
● $4.3 million: Local transportation

That’s $96.8 million, and with a multiplier of 1.59 for the counties impacted for induced economic impact, for an added $56.9 million, and a total of $153.4 million.

The report stated that the Oregon22 organizing committee budget was for $75.0 million on the event; the largest budgeted expenses were for:

● $14.0 million: Athlete experience
● $14.0 million: Broadcasting
● $9.9 million: Administration and staff
● $7.7 million: Event management
● $4.9 million: Event services
● $7.0 million: Contingency

Of the $75.0 million total, an estimated $47.6 million (73%) was spent in the local, Oregon economy. Nielsen removed $17.8 million in ticket sales, leaving a net local organizing spend of $29.8 million. Please remember that the State of Oregon subsidized or obtained $40 million in funds for the event.

Worldwide media exposure, a major reason for Oregon’s spend, came in with a total of $89.3 million in value:

● $59.3 million: television exposure
● $19.3 million: online exposure
● $7.2 million: social media exposure
● $3.5 million: print media exposure

Nielsen calculated that the state of Oregon received $19.3 million worth of direct exposure from its many commercials on broadcasts in various countries.

The report noted athlete and team officials approval of the event at 70%, lower than the 78% for the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade (SRB) earlier in 2022. Only 30% were able to visit local tourist attractions during the meet; they were busy at the track.

There were 150,000 ticketed spectators, of which 84% came from the U.S.; 49% of all spectators were from Oregon and 17% from the rest of the U.S. Of the 16% from outside the U.S., the majority were from Canada, but there were visitors from 37 nations.

The event had 1,585 volunteers, who provided an estimated 152,160 hours of services, worth about $2.1 million.

There’s a lot more to unpack from the report; stay tuned for more.

2.
Australia wants to tone down Paris ‘24 athlete partying!

“The learnings from Tokyo were absolutely positive that for the athletes who are competing in the second week, reducing the load on the village by athletes who have finished was positive for both their preparation and their health.

“We want all of the athletes to be able to perform at their best, whether they have a medal chance or not, so it doesn’t matter what sport you’re in. … This is about performance. It’s not for the wowsers, we’re actually doing it for the athletes who are still competing.”

That’s Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll, explaining new regulations for the Paris 2024 Games that Australian athletes must leave the Olympic Village after their events conclude, essentially the same rules in place due to Covid-19 restrictions in place in Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

There was plenty of criticism, for example from swimmer James Magnussen, the 2011 and 2013 World 100 m Freestyle Champion and the London 2012 100 m Free silver medalist:

“The moment we’re finished, rather than letting our hair down and relaxing and celebrating and feeling like we’re part of the greater Australian Olympic team, you get kicked out of the village and on your bike.

“What they’re really doing is making the Olympics feel like just another competition rather than the special once-in-a-lifetime experience that generations of Australian athletes have had before.

“That’s missing out on a big part of the mystique of the Olympics and being able to support your teammates and meet athletes from other countries.”

Ken Wallace, a three-time Olympic medalist in canoeing, is the deputy chair of the AOC Athletes’ Commission and said that “the athlete voice was heard,” but was in favor:

“I agree that being in the Olympic Village is a part of the whole Olympic Games experience but I don’t agree that it should outweigh performance. We all love a good larrikin, but we also want to be a respectful team.”

One group that won’t complain will be the track & field athletes, who will be competing in the final week of the Paris Games and won’t have to deal with the sounds of the swimmers.

3.
Kipchoge headlines Monday’s Boston Marathon

The greatest marathoner in history, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge will compete in his first Boston Marathon on Monday, which also marks the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist bombing which caused three deaths and 281 injuries, which included 14 amputations.

Memorial events were held on Saturday. Monday’s race, the 127th Boston Marathon, features outstanding elite fields, including a dozen men with lifetime bests under 2:06:

● 2:01:09 (2022), Kipchoge ~ 2016 and 2020 Olympic gold
● 2:03:00 (2020), Evans Chebet (KEN) ~ Boston winner 2022
● 2:03:00 (2022), Gabriel Geay (TAN)
● 2:03:40 (2019), Herpasa Negasa (ETH)
● 2:04:24 (2022), Benson Kipruto (KEN) ~ Boston winner 2021
● 2:04:45 (2013), Lelisa Desisa (ETH) ~ Boston winner 2013-15
● 2:04:49 (2018), Shura Tola Kitata (ETH)
● 2:05:01 (2022), John Korir (KEN)
● 2:05:13 (2017), Norbert Kigen (KEN)
● 2:05:34 (2022), Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ETH) ~ 2015 World Champion
● 2:05:45 (2022), Andualem Belay (ETH)
● 2:05:49 (2015), Mark Korir (KEN)

The women’s field includes nine with bests under 2:20:

● 2:14:58 (2022), Amane Beriso (ETH)
● 2:17:29 (2022), Sheila Chepkirui Kiprotich (KEN)
● 2:17:43 (2021), Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN)
● 2:17:45 (2020), Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR)
● 2:17:57 (2021), Angela Tanui (KEN)
● 2:18:11 (2022), Gotytom Gebreselassie (ETH) ~ 2022 World Champion
● 2:18:11 (2022), Fancy Chemutai (KEN)
● 2:19:10 (2022), Hiwot Gebrekidan Gebremaryam (ETH)
● 2:19:50 (2012), Edna Kiplagat (KEN) ~ Boston winner 2021

Kipchoge is continuing his tour of the six World Marathon Majors, having run Berlin and London five times each, Chicago once (2014) and Tokyo once (2022). After Boston, he still has New York to go.

He’s run 17 career marathons, winning 15, with one second and one eighth; he’s won four in a row, and owns two Olympic golds, but has never contested the World Championships.

The race record is the famed 2:03:02 “wind-aided” race from 2011, when Kenyans Geoffrey Mutai and Moses Mosop (2:03:06) went 1-2; the next best time from any other race is 2:05:52 by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (KEN) from 2010. Kipchoge’s top-10 marathon times – on flat courses, to be sure – average 2:03:08!

The race will be shown live in the U.S. on ESPN, with the men’s field designated to start at 9:37 a.m. Eastern time and the women at 9:47.

4.
How shot stars Crouser and Ealey make their annual schedules

“Track & field, being a relatively fragmented sport, we don’t have a league, so to say, like the NBA or NFL that sets our schedule, so if I do 10 meets throughout the year, that’s 10 essentially independent contract negotiations. And 10 independent decisions on figuring out whether I do those meets.”

That’s Olympic and World Champion shot putter Ryan Crouser of the U.S., explaining in an online interview at the end of March how he determines which meets to compete in. It’s pretty complex:

“[I]t comes down to a number of factors. The most important, for me, even above money, is the scheduling in terms of training. So pretty much, the way I approach it, I look at the major championship for the year, because that’s the thing that matters the most to me in terms of performing at my best at World Championships.

“And so, I backtrack from there and get an idea of which meet will have the least impact on (a) my base training, of laying that foundation in the weight room, really taking a lot of throws volume, because that all knocks the performances down. So I need to get in my base training and my volume and (b), what will impact my taper.

“So I need about 3-4 quality weeks to taper down, to start doing more dynamic movements in the weight room, really get in focus, adding a lot of double throwing sessions, and competing during that time really throws a wrench into the taper. And so, number one thing for me is performing really well at the major championship and limiting hindrances to that preparation.”

What about money?

“Money is a part of it for sure, but a lot of the time the highest-paying meets are the ones that know they are at an unfortunate time and so there’s always a temptation to kind of chase the money, and that is one thing that I’ve really tried to limit and I think that my performances at majors has really reflected that.

“So at the expense of not earning quite as much, I feel like I’ve performed well in the majors. And, yeah, traveling is also a big part of it. It’s unrealistic to do a high-paying meet in Tokyo and expect to compete in Europe the following week. And so if I can string together a number of meets in a European trip, that’s what I am trying to do right now. But once again, they are independent negotiations, so you like have three meets planned and – shoot, this just happened earlier in the week – I’m not going to name the meets, but had a three-meet tour planned out and one meet didn’t come through like we thought and we have to juggle and re-arrange, and see if that trip is even worth it now that instead of doing three, is it worth it to go over for two because, still, going overseas, you miss a couple days of training, you compete for two meets, it usually takes about a week, but that’s 10 days of training that, if I had just stayed home, that’s a lot of swing in terms of what I am giving up.

“So, there are really a lot of factors. The biggest thing is planning and sticking to that plan, but also remaining flexible in terms of working around the meets. I could also do a one-hour TED Talk, so to say, on how to put together a professional schedule because I feel like that’s a really, really important part of being a professional and performing well, but there’s a lot of factors that come into it at the end of the day.

“My agent gets a little bit frustrated with me at times because he comes through with some good deals that I just can’t sometimes work into my training schedule and my proper preparation for World Champs or Olympics.”

Women’s World Champion Chase Ealey was asked the same question, in advance of both she and Crouser competing in an indoor and an outdoor competition at the forthcoming Drake Relays from 26-29 April:

“That’s really funny that you asked this, I was talking to my coach and my agent today, because official schedules [are now] coming out, of what the meets are and what events are in each meet. And so I really hammered down on what I think my schedule is going to be. I think I’m scheduled right now for 13 meets, I think, including championships and USAs.

“It’s a bit more difficult, kind of gauging where I want to go, now that I am over here [she lives now in England for training purposes], because there are meets I want to do at home, but like you said, it’s a lot of travel, so I have to be careful. So I think my agent and my coach really helped me with that a lot. We try and do things and grab things that might keep me in the same place for a while, so like when I’m going to the U.S., for instance, I kind of want to see if there’s more meets than one within like a week’s span.

“And I try and do that, and it’s kind of about like balancing my energies. So, obviously, there’s going to be a tier system. So Diamond Leagues are going to be at the top of my attention, and then Gold-level meets, and Silver and so on. I think I’d try and go first to where I’m absolutely going to go, which is usually going to be Diamond Leagues, then I try and base it off of the levels, and the timing.”

Obviously, coming back to the U.S. was an attraction for her:

“Drake was one of the meets where there’s multiple meets going on, and one of the big, deciding factors is that my family is from Illinois as well and so they are about five hours away from Des Moines, and so when I talked to my agent – with me living over here – I don’t get to see my people a lot.

“So it was pretty easy to kind of lean more towards going to Drake to start the season so I can see my family. So there’s a lot of different factors that play into it as well now, so most of my U.S. campaign, you’re going to see me do multiple meets, but also kind of, stick around so I can see my family.

“So if I’m going to have to travel that far, when they said there was two meets, I kind of like, that’s even better, because if I can get like all that under my belt, because I like to throw and compete and really feel myself out throughout the season. So, to be able to get two and be in the U.S. for longer, that’s always going to be a plus for me.”

Like most things, it isn’t easy. Crouser was remarkably candid about the timing of training vs. traveling vs. competing, but when you’re obsessed with the major championship of each year, that’s what it takes.

5.
Irvine will build new aquatics center, but not in time for LA28

A new training facility for USA Water Polo has been on the drawing board for years for the Great Park in Irvine, California as part of a larger aquatics center, one of a host of projects that have been delayed for some years.

In March, it appeared that the aquatics center would be built first, but the Irvine City Council, in a 3-2 re-vote, decided to prioritize the “Heart of the Park” programs, which include a “Great Meadow,” an amphitheater, lakes, a botanical garden and other items. A special tax fund was set up for Great Park projects and while the aquatics center will be built, it is now expected to be completed between 2029-32.

The aquatics facility is priced at $80 million, with USA Water Polo contributing $12 million to cover the portion of the project that will used for its training programs.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship ended in Brampton (CAN) the same way as 20 of the 21 prior tournaments: with a Canada vs. U.S. gold-medal final.

Canada came in having won 12 of the 20 and was the two-time defending champions after the American women had reeled off five straight between 2013-19. In the semis, the U.S. clubbed the Czech Republic, 9-1, with Amanda Kessel getting two goals, Hilary Knight scoring twice within 1:35 of each other in the second period and Tessa Janecke scoring twice just 4:21 apart in the third.

Canada out-shot Switzerland by 14-2 in the first period of the second semi, but the game remained scoreless. Sarah Fillier finally put Canada up, 1-0, at 11:06 of the second, and then got a second goal almost six minutes later (37:06) for a 2-0 lead at the second intermission. After a Jamie Lee Rattray goal early in the third period, Fillier got a hat trick with 4:56 to play and a 4-0 lead and it ended at 5-1. The Canadians finished with 59 shots to nine for the Swiss.

Sunday’s championship match was hardly a repeat of the taut, endless shoot-out in the group stage after a 3-3 tie. Canada had a 3-2 lead after two periods, with Brianne Jenner scoring twice in the second period, at 5:03 and 9:39, around a Knight goal for the U.S. The Canadians had a 19-14 edge on shots through two periods.

But the U.S. dominated the third period, with Caroline Harvey tying the game at the 5:40 mark, and Canadian penalties created a 5-on-3 situation with 3:52 remaining in the game. Knight got her second goal at 3:10 to play and then, with a 5-on-4 edge, she scored her third goal of the game with 2:43 left.

That put the U.S. up by 5-3 and Canada removed star keeper Ann-Renee Desbiens for an extra attacker and the Americans took advantage with an empty-net goal by Cayla Barnes with 1:58 left for the 6-3 final. Both teams had eight shots in the period, but the U.S. scored four goals to none for the defending World Champions.

For Knight, the three goals were the 99th, 100th and 101st World Championship points in her career, and as the U.S. won its 10th Worlds gold; she has medals from nine of them!

In the third-place match, the Czech Republic had a 2-1 edge at the end of the first period, but the Swiss tied it in the second period, 2-2, before Denisa Krizova got her second goal of the game at 17:16 of the second period for the 3-2 win and the bronze medal. It’s the second straight year for a bronze for the Czechs.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 1984: Los Angeles ● Sad news that Paul Slaughter, who served as the staff photographer of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Games, has passed away at his home in New Mexico.

He passed away on 6 April after a long illness, according to a message from his wife, Inee, from Santa Fe. Slaughter joined the LAOOC in 1983 and was an accomplished photographer, known especially in the jazz world. His work was heavily included in the LAOOC’s Official Report of the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad, published in 1985.

● Archery ● A huge field of more than 800 archers gathered for the AAE Arizona Cup, which also doubles as the first stage (of three) in the USA Archery selection process for the 2023 World Archery Championships.

The Worlds selection process concerned only the 72-arrow qualification round at 70 m, led by triple Olympic medalist and 2019 World Champion Brady Ellison at 690 points, followed by Jackson Mirich (668) and Tokyo Olympian Jack Williams (660).

Fellow Tokyo Olympian Casey Kaufhold, the 2021 Worlds silver medalist, led the women’s round at 657 points, with Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez (639) and Catalina GNoriega (639).

In the elimination rounds on Sunday, London 2012 Olympian Jacob Wukie of the U.S., now 36, upset Ellison in the semis, 6-5, but was defeated in the final by rising star Mirich, 22, 6-2. Ellison took the bronze, 6-0, over Gabe Anderson.

Kaufhold stormed through the elimination rounds, winning 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, 7-1, 6-0 in her semi and then 7-3 in the final over Gabrielle Sasai. Mucino-Fernandez won the bronze, 7-3, over Eunice Choi.

● Athletics ● At the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, Tokyo Olympic runner-up Rai Benjamin of the U.S. grabbed the world lead in the 400 m hurdles, winning in 47.74, the fifth straight year in which he has run under 48 seconds.

Italy’s Emmanuel Ihemeje won the triple jump at 17.47 mw (57-3 3/4w: +2.8 m/s), but also grabbed the world lead at 17.29 m (56-8 3/4 legal).

American Will Williams won the men’s long jump at 8.23 m (27-0), moving to no. 2 on the world outdoor list for 2023, with Kemonie Briggs (USA) just behind at 8.22 m (26-11 3/4). Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna, the Worlds silver winner in 2022 and a soph at Cal, won the men’s discus at 68.35 m (224-3), second only to his world leader of 68.39 m (224-4) earlier this year.

American Vashti Cunningham, the 2016 World Indoor Champion, won the women’s high jump at 1.98 m (6-6) to equal the world outdoor lead, and Canada’s Camryn Rogers, the 2022 Worlds silver winner, improved her world-leading mark to 77.84 m (255-4).

In a widely-anticipated men’s 100 m, Cravont Charleston of the U.S. won in a wind-aided 9.87 m (+3.0 m/s), over Kyree King (9.98) and 400 m World Champion Michael Norman (10.02).

At the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, Arkansas’ reigning NCAA champ Britton Wilson grabbed the world lead in the women’s 400 m hurdles in 53.23 on Friday, then won the women’s 400 m Saturday in a collegiate record of 49.51. That’s 0.06 faster than Olympic 800 m champ Athing Mu (USA) ran for Texas A&M in 2021. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke (Texas) was second in a national record of 49.90. Wilson is no. 7 all-time U.S., but has already run 49.48 indoors in 2023!

In the men’s 110 m hurdles, World Champion Grant Holloway of the U.S. won in 13.03, the best in the world so far in 2023.

Texas star Julien Alfred (LCA) took the world lead in the women’s 200 m at 21.91, a national record (wind: +1.8 m/s), while men’s 100 m winner Terrence Jones (BAH-Texas Tech) took the men’s 100 m world lead. Alfred also won the women’s 100 m in a sensational 10.72, but with an aiding wind of +2.4 m/s, just over the allowable limit of 2.0.

World 200 m champ Noah Lyles of the U.S. won his race in 20.16 (-1.2), but Uganda’s Tarsis Orogot – competing for Alabama – won his section in 19.60, which was also wind-aided at +2.9 m/s. Lyles also won his section of the 100 m in 9.95 (+1.6), the earliest he has ever run that fast!

Claire Bryant of Florida was third in the women’s long jump, but took the outdoor world lead with a legal mark of 6.75 m (22-1 3/4), while Thea LaFond (DMA) won the women’s triple jump with an outdoor world leader of 14.13 m (46-4 1/4).

Belgium’s Bashir Abdi won Sunday’s Rotterdam Marathon in a swift 2:03:47 to take the world lead in the event for 2023. It was his second win in the event, and only slightly slower than his European Record of 2:03:36 from 2021. He had to run that fast to beat Timothy Kiplagat (KEN) by three seconds (2:03:50). Tokyo Olympic runner-up Abdi Nageeye (NED) was third in 2:05:32.

Eunice Chumba (BRN) won the women’s race in 2:20:51.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced a 16-month suspension of American high jump star Inika McPherson, after an arbitration hearing. Per the USADA:

“McPherson, 36, tested positive for furosemide as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample collection on June 3, 2022. Furosemide is a Specified Substance in the class of Diuretics and Other Masking Agents and is prohibited at all times …

“McPherson’s violation resulted from her use of another person’s [grandmother’s] prescription furosemide medication under the mistaken belief that it was a permitted anti-inflammatory medication. The independent arbitrator found that McPherson’s reduced degree of fault warranted a reduced sanction of 16 months from the default two-year period of ineligibility.”

Her suspension began on 22 July 2022; she will be eligible once again on 23 November 2023, meaning she could compete in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials for the Paris Games. McPherson was a 2016 Olympian (10th) and made four U.S. Worlds teams, in 2011-13-17-19; she has a best of 1.96 m (6-5) from 2014 and 2017. This is her second doping positive; she was previously suspended for 21 months from July 2014 to April 2016.

Another passing, this time of talented sportswriter John Crumpacker, who enthusiastically covered football and track & field, most memorably for the San Francisco Examiner. He died last week at his home in Bullhead City, Arizona, at age 67, according to a story by his long-time friend Jeff Faraudo on SI.com.

Originally from Southern California, Crumpacker was a Cal alum (‘77) and became a fixture for years at the U.S. nationals, Olympic Trials, the Olympic Games and many more meets. He founded – really – the Miruts Yifter Fan Club in the 1970s and proudly wore the T-shirts he produced for the club members.

He loved track and tried to get to as many meets as possible, sending back reports to the Examiner even when he was not on assignment. The sport needs more reporters like him today.

● Curling ● The Grand Slam of Curling Players Championship in Toronto (CAN) had plenty of drama and upsets in both the men’s and women’s finals.

The men’s tournament saw Swiss Yannick Schwaller’s rink, fresh off its Worlds bronze medal in Ottawa, advance to the final with a 4-1 win over Italian Joel Retornaz’s squad in a repeat of the Worlds bronze-medal match. Canadian Kevin Koe, a two-time World Champion, somehow found three points in the eighth end to pull out a 7-6 semifinal victory over 2023 Worlds silver winner Brad Gushue (CAN).

Schwaller had the best record in the Worlds round-robin, but was tripped up in his semi. In Toronto, he had a 3-1 lead after four ends, but Koe came back with one in the fifth to close to 3-2, then Schwaller scored in the sixth to lead by 4-2. But Koe’s last end magic came through again, with another three points in the eighth for a 6-5 win, his first Grand Slam victory since the 2018 Players Championship!

The superstar Swiss women’s team, skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni and four-time defending World Champions, got to the final by beating Korea’s Eun-ji Gim, 4-2, while Sweden’s Isabella Wrana’s squad took a 7-0 lead and cruised in with a 10-3 victory over Canada’s Kerri Einarson.

In the final, Wrana – skip on the 2017 World Junior Champions – scored three times in the fourth end for a 4-1 lead and twice more in the sixth to go up, 6-2. The Swiss closed to 6-4 in the seventh, and got a point in the eighth, but it ended with a 6-5 upset for the Swedes. It’s the first Grand Slam victory for Wrana’s rink, which had reached the semis twice prior in Grand Slam tournaments this season.

● Cycling ● Sunday saw the 57th Amstel Gold Race for men and another win – his third on the UCI World Tour already this season – for two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia.

The men’s route covered a hilly, 253.6 km from Maastricht to Berg en Terblijt. After a group of 11 riders broke away with 90 km remaining, then Pogacar attacked again and whittled the lead group down to five and finally broke away for good with 28 km to go. He won in 6:02:02, 38 seconds up on Ben Healy (IRL) and 2:14 ahead of Tom Pidcock (GBR), Andreas Kron (DEN) and Andrey Lutsenko (KAZ).

Pogacar won Paris-Nice, was fourth at Milan-Sanremo, third at the E3 Saxo Classic and now has won the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold; he’ll next try two more Classics this week: La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He’s amazing.

The ninth women’s edition was 155.8 km from Maastricht to Valkenburg, but was not decided until close to the end. The field was still bunched with home favorite Demi Vollering attacked and held on from about 1.8 km out, winning in 4:06:54. Another 14 riders were within 10 seconds, led by Lotte Kopecky (BEL), Shirin van Anrooij (NED) and Pole Kasia Niewiadoma, all eight seconds behind.

Vollering is also having a big year with two wins (also Dwars Door Vlaanderen) and a second (Tour of Flanders) in her four World Tour races this season.

● Diving ● China underscored its dominance of the sport at the opening World Aquatics World Cup for 2023, in Xi’an (CHN), winning all nine events, usually by wide margins.

Reigning World Champion Zongyuan Wong won the men’s 3 m Springboard final by more than 100 points, 553.15 to 442.95 for Britain’s two-time Olympic medalist, Jack Laugher, and 438.70 for Germany’s Moritz Wesemann. Two-time Worlds medal winner Hao Yang took the 10 m Platform by 574.40 to 518.30 for Ukraine’s Oleksii Sereda, with Japan’s Rikuto Tamai third (433.80).

In the Syncho events, Wang and Daoyi Long (CHN) won the men’s Springboard final with 484.74 points to 414.75 for Laugher and Anthony Harding (GBR); Wesemann and Lars Rudiger (GER) finished third at 389.34. The 2022 World Champions, China’s Junjie Lian and Yang, won the 10 m Platform final, scoring 457.23, with 2022 Worlds runner-ups Matthew Lee and Noah Williams (GBR) second at 418.98.

China went 1-2 in the women’s 3 m Springboard final, with World Champion Yiwen Chen (392.70) an easy winner, ahead of teammate (and Worlds bronze winner) Yani Chang (336.55), with Sayaka Mikami (JPN: 302.30) third. Olympic and World Champion Yuxi Chen won a tight battle with teammate Hongchan Quan in the 10 m Platform, 431.20 to 423.50, with Andrea Spendolini Sirieix (360.30) third.

World Champions Yiwen Chen and Chang overpowered the field in the Springboard Synchro gold at 329.52, with Scarlett Mew Jensen and Yasmin Harper (GBR) second at 281.43. In the Synchro Platform final, it was China’s World Champions, Yuxi Chen and Quan. scoring 373.70 to 310.44 for Britain’s Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson.

China won the Mixed Team event, scoring 469.35 to 425.35 for Germany and 420.15 for Great Britain.

● Figure Skating ● The United States won its fifth ISU World Team Trophy title in Tokyo on Saturday, piling up 120 points to easily skate past Korea (95) and Japan (94).

The eighth edition, in 2023, saw the U.S. get overall wins in Pairs (Worlds runner-ups Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier: 230.12) and Ice Dance (World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates: 232.32). Ilia Milanin (279.54) and Jason Brown (279.04) went 2-4 in the men’s Singles and Isabeau Levito (213.87) and Amber Glenn (195.01) finished 3-6 in the women’s Singles.

Korea swept the Singles titles with World Championships runner-up Jun-hwan Cha taking the men’s gold at 289.15, and Worlds silver winner Hae-in Lee winning the women’s division at 215.47 over World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN: 218.44).

Chock and Bates were on fire, receiving world-best scores on the Rhythm Dance of 92.91 (old best, 93.73, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron [FRA] in 2022) and then 138.41 in the Free Dance, eclipsing the 137.09 by Papadakis and Cizeron last year. The total of 232.32 was more than two points up on the 229.82 for Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2022 Worlds.

The U.S. (5-2-1) and Japan (2-1-5) are the only nations to win a medal in all eight editions of the event.

● Football ● The draw for the 16-team 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup was completed, with the defending champion U.S. to compete with Jamaica, Nicaragua and the winner of a qualifying competition in Group A beginning on 24 June (schedules to come later). The groups:

● A: Jamaica, Nicaragua, United States, qualifying winner 9
● B: Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Qatar
● C: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, qualifying winner 8
● D: Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, qualifying winner 7

Mexico has won the Gold Cup eight times, and the U.S. has won seven. Matches will be held at 13 U.S. venues and in Toronto.

● Gymnastics ● All-Around World Champion Sofia Raffaeli returned to the top of the podium in the All-Around at the Rhythmic World Cup in Tashkent (UZB).

Uzbekistan’s home favorite, Takhmina Ikromova was second, with Germany’s Margaret Kolosov getting her first medal of the season.

Raffaeli went on to sweep the apparatus finals in Hoop, Ball, Clubs and Ribbon, with Kolosov second in Hoop and Ball and third in Ribbon. German teammate Darja Varfolomeev won silvers with Clubs and Ribbon.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The second UIPM World Cup was in Ankara (TUR), with the 2019 World Junior Champion, Egypt’s Mohanad Shaban winning his second career World Cup with 1,527 points, defeating the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist, Korea’s Woong-tae Jun (1,510), and Egyptian teammate Ahmed Elgendy (1,500).

Shaban’s consistency got him through: he won the fencing, was sixth in swimming, third in riding and started with a 12-second lead over Jun in the Laser Run, Even with the no. 7 time, it was good enough to win. Jun was sturdy – third in fencing, fifth in swimming, fourth in riding, but was only 12th overall in the Laser Run, 4.7 seconds slower than Shaban.

Lithuania’s Ieva Serapinaite won a very narrow women’s contest, 1,386-1,384, over German Rebecca Langrehr. Serapinaite was seventh in fencing, seventh in swimming and won riding, meaning that her 10th-place finish in the Laser Run (12:04.0) was enough to win. Langrehr was fifth in the Laser Run (11:44.90) and won the silver ahead of Mexico’s Mariana Arceo (1,380), who was third in the Laser Run (11:39.50).

● Sailing ● World Sailing made a statement on Friday that following the new IOC recommendations, it is taking up the issue of Russian and Belarusian re-entry:

“Given the broad diversity of sailing and given the strong views held by World Sailing’s Member National Authorities, the Board’s position is that the wider decision on the return to international sailing events will be made in consultation with the World Sailing Council at the Mid-Year Meeting, to be held on 18 May 2023. Following the Council meeting, the Board intend to make a decision, subject to World Sailing’s policies and regulations.”

● Ski Mountaineering ● The final race of the season-ending ISMF World Cup in Tromso (NOR) was the Sprint, with Swiss Arno Lietha winning the men’s division in 2:05.40, ahead of Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain (2:05.67) and Swiss Matteo Favre (2:10.76). It was Lietha’s fifth Sprint win of the season!

The women’s gold went to fellow Swiss and 2023 Worlds silver medalist Marianne Fatton in 2:35.03, beating Emily Harrop (FRA: 2:38.66) and Deborah Chiarello-Marti (SUI: 2:40.21). It was Fatton’s first win of the season and seventh in her career. Harrop’s silver followed her wins in the Vertical and Individual races in Tromso

● Swimming ● American Regan Smith and French star Leon Marchand won four events each to highlight the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Illinois that concluded on Saturday.

In fact, the meet had 11 swimmers who were responsible for winning 27 of the 34 events (all from the U.S. unless noted):

Men (6):
● Hunter Armstrong: 100 m Free, 50-100 m Back
● Shaine Casas: 50-100 m Fly
● Nic Fink: 50-100 m Breast
● Bobby Finke: 800-1,500 m Free
● Leon Marchand (FRA): 200 m Breast, 200 m Fly, 200-400 m Medley
● Kieran Smith: 200-400 m Free

Women (5):
● Leah Hayes: 200-400 m Medley
● Lydia Jacoby: 50-100 m Breast
● Leah Smith: 400-800 m Free
● Regan Smith: 100-200 m Back, 100-200 m Fly
● Abbey Weitzeil: 50-100 m Free

Marchand, who trains at Arizona State with legendary coach Bob Bowman, won the NCAA 200-yard Breast and the 200-400 yard Medleys in March and won the 200 m Breaststroke, both medleys and the 200 m Butterfly in Westmont. He claimed world-leading marks in the 200 m Medley at 1:55.68 and at 4:07.90 in the 400 m Medley.

The other men’s world leaders were Armstrong of the U.S. in the 100 m Back (52.59), beating training partner (and Rio 2016 Olympic champ) Ryan Murphy. Hungarian Hubert Kos, who also swims at Arizona State, took the world lead in the 200 m Back at 1:55.95.

No world leaders for the women, but Smith was sensational in the backstrokes, taking the 100 in 57.90, no. 2 in the world for 2023 and the equal-12th performance all-time. She won the 200 m in 2:04.76, the equal-10th fastest performance ever and also no. 2 on the 2023 world list.

U.S. sprint star Weitzeil’s 100 m Free win in 53.36 brought to no. 3 on the 2023 list.

● Table Tennis ● China swept to both the men’s and women’s titles at the WTT Champions tournament in Xinxiang (CHN), with Zhendong Fan and Yingsha Sun coming out in top.

The Tokyo silver medalist, Fan is ranked no. 1 and defeated Korea’s Jong-hoon Lim in a 4-3 thriller in the semis and then steamed past Chinese teammate Jingkun Liang in the final, 4-1. Sun, also ranked no. 1, defended her WTT Champions win from 2022 with a 4-1 win over Chinese teammate Yidi Wang. American entry Lily (Beiwen) Zhang was eliminated in the first round.

● Water Polo ● The U.S. and the Netherlands won their groups in the World Aquatics Women’s World Cup Division I in Rotterdam (NED) and advanced to the World Cup Super Final to be held in June.

The American women, the Tokyo Olympic and 2022 World Champions, suffered a rare loss in their opener against Spain, losing 17-15 in a penalty shoot-out, after a 12-12 tie in regulation. However, Spain then lost to Italy, 13-9, while the U.S. beat China, 12-5, and then got by the Italians, 14-13 in their final match to end at 3-1 and seven points. Italy ended 2-1, with six points, and the Spanish placed their at 2-1, but with a penalty win, for five total points.

The Dutch women had less trouble, winning all three of their games, including the group decider against Hungary (2-1), 12-11. Greece (1-2) finished third.

● Weightlifting ● Another clash between politics and sport came on Saturday at the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan (ARM), as the Azerbaijani delegation withdrew following an incident during the opening ceremony. Per The Associated Press:

“[A] man ran onto the stage at the competition’s opening ceremony, seized an Azerbaijan flag and set it on fire.

“Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports said the incident Friday night in Yerevan showed that ‘when such an atmosphere of hatred reigns in Armenia, security is not ensured, the normal participation of Azerbaijani athletes in competitions is impossible due to psychological pressure.’”

The flag-stealer was apparently an Armenian public television staff member; he was released by police after questioning. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been arguing over “ethnically Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan” and the main access road to it, increasing tensions between the two countries.

The European Weightlifting Federation posted a statement that included:

“The European Weightlifting Federation strongly condemns the incident that happened during the Opening Ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan on April 14, 2023, in which a person set fire to the flag of Azerbaijan …

“We regret the fact that the delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan had to leave the competition, but at the same time respects it. We were directly involved in ensuring all security conditions for the delegation until it left Armenia.”

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TSX REPORT: Civil wars have started or continue in boxing, pentathlon and tennis; WTA caves to China on Peng Shuai

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Civil War I: New World Boxing federation breaks away from IBA
2. Civil War II: Modern pentathletes and UIPM continue tug-of-words
3. Civil War III: Ukrainian tennis players slam WTA’s Simon
4. WTA folds, will hold tournaments in China again
5. French Olympics minister says Paris 2024 budget steady

Internal dissension struck boxing on Thursday as a new International Federation – World Boxing – was formed to challenge the International Boxing Association for control of the sport within the Olympic Movement. The IBA announced a sanctions process to expel the breakaway federations, which includes USA Boxing. In modern pentathlon, UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER) cited improved harmony within the federation, but a Pentathlon United poll continues to show wide dissatisfaction. And the re-admission of boxing, pentathlon and weightlifting to the LA28 program may also depend on what added sports the Los Angeles organizers are interested in. The Ukrainian players in the Women’s Tennis Association sent an angry message to the WTA leadership, demanding that any Russian or Belarusian athletes playing on the tour renounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the WTA announced it would resume staging tournaments in China as its protests of the treatment of former Chinese doubles star Peng Shuai got nowhere. In Paris, the French Sports and Olympics minister said in a radio interview that the Paris 2024 organizing committee and public construction budgets are on track.

● World Championship: Ice hockey (Canada and U.S. win in women’s quarters) ●
● Panorama: Russia (3: Triathlon OKs Russian re-entry; Int’l Paralympic Committee will make up its own mind; elected FIE chief Usmanov sanctioned by U.S. and Britain) = Ski Mountaineering (Bonnet and Harrop win in World Cup finale) = Swimming (Armstrong and Marchand get world leads at Tyr Pro Swim) ●

1.
Civil War I: New World Boxing federation breaks away from IBA

It’s on now. As described by GB Boxing, the national federation for the sport in Great Britain:

“GB Boxing has welcomed the creation of a new international federation, World Boxing, which aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

“It has been created in response to the persistent issues surrounding Olympic-style boxing’s existing international governing body, whose failure to address the IOC’s longstanding concerns over sporting integrity, governance, transparency and financial management has placed boxing’s future as an Olympic sport in doubt.

“World Boxing will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme.”

The new federation includes representatives from the same countries which have been at odds with the International Boxing Association and its Russian President, Umar Kremlev. The next steps:

“World Boxing will hold its inaugural Congress in November 2023. In the period between the launch of World Boxing and the inaugural Congress it will be led by an interim Executive Board made-up of representatives from boxing organisations in Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden and the USA. It will be overseen on a day-to-day basis by Interim Secretary General, Simon Toulson [GBR], who has extensive experience in international sport having previously led the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).”

The new federation is based in Switzerland and unveiled a Web site heavy with governance documents and procedures and is inviting member federations to apply, with the first members to be announced in May.

This success or failure of this effort to displace the International Boxing Association as the international governing body of boxing with regard to the Olympic Games will, inevitably be up to the International Olympic Committee.

Withdrawal of recognition of an existing International Federation can only be done by the IOC Session, which will meet in October in Mumbai (IND).

The IBA, of course, issued a furious statement later in the day, which included the expected sanctions procedures:

“As there is no other reason of establishing a rogue organization, other than to attempt to destroy the integrity of the International Boxing Association[, the] IBA strongly condemns the efforts of individuals to damage the significant strides taken by the IBA over last years to secure boxers’ the best future possible. Ambitions of individuals will never serve as a solid foundation for a successful organisation nor the destructive motives that have led to the creation of this rogue organization.

“Consequences for the following breaches of the IBA Constitution, IBA Membership Policy, IBA Disciplinary and Ethics Code, and Technical and Competition Rules can be found below:

● “Participation in another international boxing association will lead to the exclusion of the National Federation concerned from the IBA membership.

● “Officials of the National Federation joining another international boxing association will be declared non-eligible by the IBA.

● “Officials, Confederations, or National Federations who join another international boxing association will be sanctioned by the [Boxing Independent Integrity Unit] Tribunal.

● “National Federations, their teams, individual Boxers or the Competition Officials participating in the competitions of another international boxing association will be sanctioned by the BIIU Tribunal.”

Just a few hours earlier, the IBA slapped the IOC in the face, posting a statement which demanded that the IOC revoke Paris 2024 qualifying status from the upcoming European Games in Poland in view of the refusal to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate.

The IOC chose this competition as the first European qualifier, while the IBA has adopted rules that allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete without any restrictions at all, far apart from the IOC’s new recommendations requiring neutrality.

The IOC may also announce at its Executive Board meeting in June whether boxing will be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program, along with weightlifting and modern pentathlon.

2.
Civil War II: Modern pentathletes and UIPM continue tug-of-words

In an interview with Reuters, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne President Klaus Schormann (GER) proclaimed that the removal of riding and replacement with obstacle-course racing will assure the sport’s future on the Olympic program for 2028:

“Thanks to the global popularity of shows like SASUKE and Ninja Warrior, we’re giving this consumer group a new reason to engage with the Games while providing networks with a broadcast-friendly format that works well for commercial partners.”

He also said that the divisions within the sport were healing nicely:

“We’re constantly in touch with the athlete community, with the UIPM Athletes Committee involved in all meetings and we talk to athletes on the ground in every competition.

“I can’t summarise the view of every athlete but I feel strongly there’s more harmony now … and that’s because our union has done so much in the past year to answer the concerns of anybody who had doubts about the path we must take.”

Maybe not.

In response, the athlete activist group Pentathlon United conducted a poll from 5-12 April, asking whether they thought the sport would be included at LA28 and whether the current UIPM leadership “are the right people to safeguard the sport for the future.”

There were 198 replies from 18 nations, self-identified as athletes (58.1%), coaches or officials (14.1%) and parents or fans (27.8%). Of the athlete and coach respondents, 70.3% felt it was unlikely that the sport would be re-admitted for 2028 (74.2% overall), and 87.4% had little or no confidence in the current UIPM leadership (89.4% overall).

That’s not a big sample size, but it’s worth remembering that the 115 or so athletes who replied is more than the total quota for an Olympic competition of 72!

Former British pentathlete Olympic Kate Allenby, the Sydney 2000 bronze medalist, explained in an online interview that the Pentathlon United group was formed to give those athletes who were not being listened to a voice:

“Pentathlon United was born out of a lack of representation of the athletes by official athlete bodies. But we don’t have a seat at the table, and we are a vehicle to give a voice to the athletes that feel they can’t speak. …

“The athletes within pentathlon, we know, have been shut down, and so they are not allowed to use their voice. They’re sanctioned, or there’s the threat of sanction, so Pentathlon United is a really important voice because we can speak on their behalf. We have athletes contacting us all the time [about this].”

She further explained that the athlete resistance to removing riding wasn’t simply a reaction to the infamous horse-punching incident at the Tokyo Games, where the horse Saint Boy refused to jump with German pentathlete Annika Schleu aboard and was hit by Schleu’s coach. It had a much longer build-up:

“I think, if you listened to what the athletes wanted, they felt that there was – over the last 20 years – the riding event has been dumbed down and dumbed down and dumbed down, until you have the disaster that was in Tokyo. They feel that the riding hasn’t been addressed, there hasn’t been an attempt at addressing the issues that come through the riding phase – the horse welfare, the athlete safety – and they wanted an effort put in on that side.

“And the reforms that Pentathlon United pushed out are the reforms that the athletes want.”

And as for the UIPM’s insistence that horses cannot be found for the sport, she observed, “They’re not embedded in the [equestrian] community, so they can’t find the horses. … The equine welfare standards in our sport, compared to the FEI, are two different galaxies apart.”

The IOC Executive Board will likely announce in June its recommendation for whether the sport will be included in Los Angeles in 2028. Allenby considered the impact of both options:

“If pentathlon gets in, what does ‘getting in’ mean? Is it secure for LA28, is it secure for Brisbane? What is the security the IOC gives it in the first instance? So that’s a question I’m going to bat straight back.

“If it’s in, then it needs to have ticked all the IOC criteria, to show reduction in cost and complexity, to show accessibility, universality, and those numbers need to be demonstrated by UIPM, and if they’ve done that, then brilliant. … It will be a different sport, it will be different athletes coming into the sport.”

And if modern pentathlon is out of the 2028 Games?

“If the sport’s out, then the big question is – you throw the question back out there – why did you get rid of riding? And what’s happening to the sport now, what’s happening to the leadership, because that will be unsustainable to stay in that position and to have led the sport down this pathway, to a disaster.

“So the question has to be asked, what is modern pentathlon now? And who’s going to run it?”

Observed: The questions surrounding modern pentathlon and the 2028 Los Angeles Games have dimensions outside of whatever reforms the UIPM has made. The forthcoming IOC Executive Board decisions on 2028 will be made in concert with the LA28 organizers, not only on boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting, but also on whatever additional sports that LA28 would like to include.

Recognizing the 10,500 athlete limit now in force, by not including modern pentathlon, LA28 would get 72 places back to use – perhaps – for baseball and softball or other sports. Not re-admitting boxing would provide 248 more places. Weightlifting for Paris in 2024 was allocated 120; the three together total 440 athlete quota slots.

IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) has been clear that the Pentathlon United voice has been heard and that the lack of unity in modern pentathlon community will be taken into account in the IOC Executive Board’s deliberation on a recommendation for the remainder of the 2028 program. Lamented Allenby:

“We tried and tried to meet with Schormann last year and it just was a sham. And it was so disappointing, because the IOC came out and said, you’ve got to involve these athletes, and they didn’t.”

A third way might be to look to the future beyond 2028. The IOC could fund the UIPM as if it were held in Los Angeles – the amount was $12.98 million for Tokyo, a rounding error for the IOC – and insist that the federation come together and unify for a 2032 slot in Brisbane with new leadership (Schormann has said he will not run for another term, having been the head of the UIPM since 1993). That’s essentially what wrestling did when it was thrown off the program, and weightlifting is undergoing a similar transformation now. It might work for pentathlon, too.

3.
Civil War III: Ukrainian tennis players slam WTA’s Simon

The promised call between the Women’s Tennis Association leadership and Ukrainian players over Russian and Belarusian participation took place last week, with considerable consternation on the part of the players on comments made by chief executive Steve Simon (USA).

The men’s and women’s tennis tours have had the position since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022 that Russian and Belarusian players would be allowed to compete, but as neutral athletes. This has caused well-publicized issues on the women’s tour and the Ukrainian players posted a two-slide statement about last week’s meeting on Twitter on Wednesday, which included:

● “You [WTA] must clearly and unequivocally determine whether his words – ‘players from Russia and Belarus have a right to support the war. It’s their own opinion and they shouldn’t be punished for it” is it WTA policy or is it his personal view and not in line with company policy.”

● “We need a clear and understandable public position of each player from Russia and Belarus regarding the invasion of Ukraine by the armies of Russia and Belarus, regarding the genocide of the Ukrainian people by Russia and Belarus.”

● “Every player from Russia and Belarus who supports the invasion of our country or shares the views of the leadership of his country regarding Ukraine should be suspended from all tournaments in which Ukrainians participate.”

● “Every player from Russia and Belarus who condemns the invasion of Ukraine, the actions of the Russian and Belarusian armies on the territory of Ukraine, and the policy of the state leadership in relation to Ukraine, can continue to compete in all tournaments without exception.”

● “Every player from Russia and Belarus, who for some reason cannot publicly express his attitude to the events in Ukraine or the policies of the leadership of his country, receives a protected ranking and returns to the tour only after the war is completely over.”

● “Your option.”

The statement asks for a reply in five days, which would be next Monday. A later tweet noted a report of a meeting between former Russian tennis star Shamil Tarpischev – an IOC member – and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Tarpischev said:

“Regarding the ATP and WTA tournaments, we do not see any problems.”

4.
WTA folds, will hold tournaments in China again

On Thursday, the WTA issued a statement, capitulating to China on its demands for a direct meeting with China’s former doubles star Peng Shuai and an investigation of her allegations of sexual harassment by a former Vice Premier:

“In 2021, when Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai bravely came forward, the WTA took a stance and suspended its operation of events in China out of concern for her safety and the safety of our players and staff. When we moved forward with this decision, we were not sure if others would join us. We received much praise for our principled stand and believe we sent a powerful message to the world. But praise alone is insufficient to bring about change.

“After 16 months of suspended tennis competition in China and sustained efforts at achieving our original requests, the situation has shown no sign of changing. We have concluded we will never fully secure those goals, and it will be our players and tournaments who ultimately will be paying an extraordinary price for their sacrifices.

“For these reasons, the WTA is lifting its suspension of the operation of tournaments in the People’s Republic of China (‘PRC’) and will resume tournaments in China this September.”

The statement further explained:

“We have not been able to achieve everything we set out for, but we have been in touch with people close to Peng and are assured she is living safely with her family in Beijing. We also have received assurances that WTA players and staff operating in China will be safe and protected while in the country. The WTA takes this commitment seriously and will hold all parties responsible.”

Simon told The Associated Press:

“We’ve got players from over 80 countries, so there’s no shortage of different views of the world and positions on issues and topics we have.

“Through reach-out to us, as well as our reaching out to athletes to find out their positions, the great majority of the athletes were supportive and wanted to see a return back to the region and felt it was time to go back. … There’s certainly some that didn’t agree but the great majority did.”

Simon’s last sentence says a lot.

5.
French Olympics minister says Paris 2024 budget steady

Amelie Oudea-Castera, France’s Minister of Sports and the Olympic Games, appeared on FranceInfo radio on Wednesday and explained that the cost of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is on track.

“There is no slippage,” she said, noting the “Organizing Committee’s budget is 4.4 billion euros, 96% financed exclusively by private funds” and “the budget of [Olympic construction authority] Solideo is 3.8 billion euros.” That’s $4.87 billion and $4.20 billion U.S., or $9.07 billion together.

She added that the original forecasts were changed by a “cost increase of 10% on the budget of the Organizing Committee, including 5% for inflation.”

As for the question of Russian and Belarusian athletes, she re-stated her position, that “Russian athletes who have directly or indirectly supported the war, who are more or less affiliated with the Russian army, will not have their place in the 2024 Games.” She also repeated that while the International Olympic Committee has the last word in the matter, but that French President Emmanuel Macron will inject his own view “in good time, in the last part of the year.”

She explained that in the continuing planning for the Opening Ceremonies on the Seine River, the question of the total number of spectators is not yet set:

“Work is continuing with the police headquarters, the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, to properly fix what we are going to do on the part of the high quays, but there will in any case be several hundred thousand people who will be able to benefit from this parade of athletes along the six kilometers of the Seine.”

Oudea-Castera also touched on the complaints about the pricing of Olympic tickets, noting “The Olympic Games are every four years and ours are the standard prices. We don’t ask ourselves these questions when we pay to go see a Madonna show.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The favorites advanced through Thursday’s quarterfinals of the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship, being played in Brampton (CAN).

Top-seed Canada had a tough time with Sweden, only winning a 3-2 decision in overtime, with forward Sarah Nurse getting her second goal of the game after 4:26 of extra play, despite out-shooting the Swedes by 54-14!

The U.S. shut out Germany, 3-0, on goals by Amanda Kessel (first period), Hannah Bilka (second) and Abbey Murphy (third). Aerin Frankel got the shutout for the Americans, who piled up a 52-18 edge on shots.

The Czech Republic skated past previously undefeated Finland, 2-1, with Katerina Mrazova getting the game-winner in the second period. The Czechs scored twice in 49 seconds and won despite being out-shot, 42-22. The Swiss hammered Japan, 5-1, in the last quarterfinal, with Rahel Enzler getting two goals.

On Saturday, the U.S. will meet the Czechs in one semifinal, with Canada and Switzerland in the other. The medal matches will be on Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● No end to the news on Russian and Belarusian eligibility, with World Triathlon announcing Thursday that its Executive Board “approved its support, in principle, for the IOC’s recommendation” on a return for neutral individual athletes from those countries.

As with most of the other federations, it has no procedures in place for this, so:

“World Triathlon will in consultation with the IOC and ASOIF work towards developing the necessary independent review processes to allow and plan for the return of these individuals to our competitions and events.”

Andrew Parsons (BRA), the President of the International Paralympic Committee told Japan’s Kyodo News:

“Our position on Russia and Belarus hasn’t changed. The IOC issued a recommendation to the international sports organizations, but it doesn’t apply to the Paralympic movement.

“We always like to be aligned and have strong unity in the world of sports, but this is not something that will be more important. More important is that every single sports organization makes the right decision according to its governance structure and engaging in dialogue with its membership.”

The IPC suspended both the Russian and Belarusian national Paralympic committees and any change will require a vote of the IPC General Assembly, later this year.

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, the long-time elected head of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) “stepped away” from that office to try to clear himself from sanctions imposed by the European Union. On Thursday, additional sanctions were added by both Great Britain and the United States.

The British Foreign Office announced sanctions on two Cypriot executives who had been helping Usmanov and others hide assets in complex corporations and trusts, and some holding companies in which Usmanov is believed to have interests.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions against 25 individuals and 29 companies across 20 countries for their roles in financial networks that support Usmanov and his interests. The nations involved include Armenia, China, Malta, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

● Ski Mountaineering ● The final ISMF World Cup of the season is ongoing in Tromso (NOR), with Swiss star Remi Bonnet and France’s Emily Harrop winning the Vertical races.

Bonnet, the 2023 World Champion in both the Vertical and Individual races, won in Tromso in 21:24.4 over Belgium’s 2023 Worlds silver medalist Maximilien Drion du Chapois (22:31.6) and Paul Verbnjak (AUT: 22:52.4).

Harrop, a two-time Worlds relay gold medalist, won the women’s division in 27:20.3 from Sarah Dreier (AUT: 27:42.9) and Italian Giulia Murada (27:55.6). It was Harrop’s fifth World Cup win this season; Dreier was second just as at the World Championships in this race.

The Individual and Sprint races are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

● Swimming ● Two world-leading marks highlighted the second day of the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Illinois.

World-record holder Hunter Armstrong of the U.S. was the convincing winner in the men’s 50 m Backstroke in 24.30, best in the world for 2023. France’s Leon Marchand, who dominated the NCAA Championships, won the men’s 400 m Medley in 4:07.80, also fastest in the world this year.

Tokyo Olympic 100 m Breast gold medalist Lydia Jacoby won a tight race with Rio 2016 Olympic champ Lilly King, 1:06.09 to 1:06.39, with Jacoby moving to no. four on the 2023 world list. Four-time Worlds Backstroke gold medalist Regan Smith took the women’s 100 m Back in 56.92, and Leah Hayes won the women’s 400 m Medley in 4:39.58.

Nic Fink, the 2022 Worlds 50 m Breast winner, took the men’s 100 m Breast (59.95) and Shaine Casas, the reigning U.S. champion, won the men’s 100 m Fly in 51.05.

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TSX REPORT: Russian anger, confusion and reprisals boil over; Asian Games costs now out-of-control in Japan; U.S.’s Ealey chasing records at Drake

By
Rich Perelman
-
The 2022 and 2023 World Athletics women's shot put champion, Chase Ealey of the U.S. (Photo: Diamond League AG)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Confusion, anger, insults and reprisals from Russia
2. Ukraine’s Gutzeit: “We have not lost yet”
3. Cost causes cancellation of Asian Games Village in Nagoya
4. U.S. women defeat Ireland, 1-0, on Cook’s first international goal
5. Ealey chasing American Indoor Record at Drake Relays

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations to allow – under strict conditions – “neutral” individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally again is creating mounting confusion and anger in Russia. No specifics have been issued and Russian fencers may miss the Sabre Grand Prix in Korea at the end of the month. There’s continuing anger at the IOC, at German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser over possible visa refusals and a ban on 42 retired Canadian Olympians who are demanding the IOC’s February 2022 ban be reinstated. Ukrainian Youth and Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit says his country will continue to pressure the IOC on keeping Russian and Belarusian athletes out of competitions. In Japan, the cost of hosting the 2026 Asian Games in the Aichi prefecture and Nagoya has skyrocketed by 65%, causing the planned construction of a temporary athlete village to be canceled. The U.S. women footballers defeated Ireland, 1-0, on Tuesday to sweep the two-friendly series, but it was a much more tightly contested match than last Saturday’s 2-0 win for the Americans. The 2022 World Champion in the women’s shot, American Chase Ealey is looking forward to a possible American Record at the end of the month in the mixed-gender competition to be held indoors as part of the Drake Relays. And she’s thinking perhaps about the longest throw in the 21st Century!

● World Championship: Ice Hockey (Canada and U.S. on to playoffs) ●
● Panorama: Anti-Doping (Gabon suspended) = Athletics (3,900 hotel room nights for NVAA Indoor in Albuquerque) = Figure Skating (657,000 watch two-week-old rerun of Worlds!) = Football (Britain & Ireland, Turkey and Italy vie for Euro 24/28) = Swimming (Open water 25 km event out of Worlds for good) ●

1.
Confusion, anger, insults and reprisals from Russia

The International Olympic Committee recommendations to allow individual Russian and Belarusian competitors to re-enter international competition as neutrals under strict conditions has been poorly received in Russia.

Despite a partial lifting of the IOC’s requested ban on Russian and Belarusian participation, the mechanics and impact of the new policies are complex and time-consuming.

It appeared that the first Russian and Belarusian entries under the FIE decision to allow them to compete as neutrals might be the Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul (KOR) from 27-29 April. But maybe not, according to Russian Fencing Federation President Ilgar Mammadov:

“The lists have been sent, they are now being forwarded by the FIE [eligibility] commission to lawyers and cybersecurity specialists, but we have fewer and fewer chances to get to the Grand Prix stage in Seoul, there are practically no more of them, since the competitions start on April 27.

“Apart from that, we don’t even know what conditions will be put forward to us. So in words we were allowed to compete, but according to the documents we are not going anywhere yet. And I talked about this two months ago: not a single specific document, everything is just in words.”

In the meantime, angry statements are being made about everyone who is denying Russia’s free entry, without conditions, back into international sport.

Following German Interior Minister Nancy Faesar’s statement on Monday that “host nations are now powerless” in the question of Russian and Belarusian participation – especially in relation to granting entry visas into their countries – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marina Zakharova fired back on Wednesday:

“This is yet another encroachment on the independence of sports, on the inadmissibility of political involvement in this sphere, against the backdrop of already total sanctions imposed on the Russian sports sector solely for political reasons. Such statements and actions of Western functionaries contradict the fundamental principles of the Olympic Movement.”

Russian Wrestling Federation head Mikhail Mamiashvili told TASS on Wednesday:

“I am inclined to believe that the IOC is trying to take steps to get Russia and Belarus back to international events, but how that all works out is a different issue. We have repeatedly stated our position on this issue: we cannot give in to demands that force our athletes to sacrifice their dignity.

“However, now we must stop and take a look at where we stand and what we stand for, to outline our priorities.”

And the head of the Russian Cross Country Ski Federation, two-time Olympic relay gold medalist (nine-time World Championships winner) Elena Vyalbe, unloaded on Wednesday. Asked if she is concerned that she may not be accredited by the International Ski & Snowboard Federation to attend competitions, even if Russians are allowed, she snapped back:

“I’m not going to adapt to the international federation and even to the International Olympic Committee.”

As for the IOC and President Thomas Bach (GER):

“Bach has already done so much bad for world sports that it is unlikely that any of the subsequent leaders will be able to surpass him. This sports official is completely dependent on sponsors, and therefore on the United States, which was evident from his very first steps as head of the IOC. I have doubts that he has ever even cracked open the Olympic Charter to read what it says, never mind being guided by this document in his work.”

And of the IOC’s demand for a neutral status for Russian and Belarusian athletes?

“And the guys who are now sitting in the trenches and fighting for us, will not be offended by the fact that we give up and go to the competition with a white rag? It really infuriates me when the same questions are constantly exaggerated. I think I’ve said enough about this. I am against a neutral status and I will convince my athletes that we should not be traitors to the motherland. In this difficult situation, they should not be people who split our country into those who will continue to love it and who will hate it. …

“At the moment, we all need to be patriots of our country more than ever. Like never before. During this competitive season, we very often hear the Russian anthem, which is played at our competitions in honor of the winner. For some reason, I had never listened to it with such enthusiasm before. A year ago, when the anthem was played at the national championship, tears did not well up in my eyes. And now they are. I am sure that all my athletes are well aware of the complexity of the situation. They are also not small children and were not born yesterday.”

In the reprisals department, the Russian Foreign Ministry banned 42 mostly-retired Canadian athletes who signed a petition supporting a ban of Russian athletes from the 2024 Olympic Games. TASS reported that among them are three-time Olympic Ice Dance gold medalist Tessa Virtue, two-time World Pairs Champion Megan Duhamel, four-time Olympic women’s ice hockey gold medalists Haley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, Canadian (and American) triple Olympic bobsled gold medalist Kaillie Humphries and numerous other medal winners. According to TASS:

“On March 9, Canadian Olympic athletes signed a joint letter urging the national Olympic organization (the Canadian Olympic Committee) to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes barred from all international tournaments, despite recent recommendations on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”

The Canadian athlete letter included:

“Refusing their participation in international sport is not simply a matter of denying athletes a choice to compete because of their passport, it is a rejection of an unlawful and inhumane war and a recognition of the role international sports plays in geopolitics.”

World Skate announced that it will follow the IOC’s recommendations on the re-entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. Of course, it has no procedure in place to do this, and also noted:

“Understanding the need to find a consistent approach across all World Skate disciplines, World Skate is now working to develop the necessary independent review processes to allow and plan a return of these athletes, in consultation with the IOC and [Association of Summer Olympic International Federations] ASOIF.”

2.
Ukraine’s Gutzeit: “We have not lost yet”

“We will have to bring together our federations and our athletes to decide which position to adopt. The decision will be difficult. The [Olympic] Games are the most important moment for every athlete. But the most important thing for us today is our victory in the war. Even if we don’t participate [in 2024], it’s just a competition.”

Vadym Gutzeit, a 1992 Olympic Team fencing gold-medal winner in Sabre, is now the Ukrainian Youth and Sports Minister, who continues to press the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes out of international competitions, now and as long as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

He told Agence France Presse on Tuesday:

“It is necessary to continue to put pressure. And maybe the IOC will understand that, while there is a war in Ukraine, it is not the time for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return.

“We hope that the big and strong federations will show solidarity with the Ukrainians, and that they will not allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in international competitions. We have to defend our cause.

“[IOC] President Thomas Bach was in Ukraine, and assured President Volodymyr Zelensky that he will be helping in the future. What has changed?

“Nothing has changed, it has only gotten worse. So many cities have been destroyed, so many people – women, children – have been killed.”

He noted, however, that no decision on specific future actions have been taken: “We are not talking about a boycott now.”

The IOC has recommended that individual Russian and Belarusian athletes – no teams– could return to international competitions with a neutral status, and federations are considering their options. Ukraine and many other European countries have remained strongly against this; the IOC has stated that it has made no decision as yet on whether Russian or Belarusian athletes can participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, saying only that it will decide later.

3.
Cost causes cancellation of Asian Games Village in Nagoya

The heavy cost of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games continues to bedevil major international events in Japan, as the projected expense for the 2026 Asian Games has jumped by 65.3% and caused the cancellation of a proposed Games Village in Nagoya.

The Aichi Prefecture was awarded the Games, to be held primarily in the regional capital of Nagoya, in 2016. The Asahi Shimbun reported in February that the original cost estimate for the event of ¥85 billion (about $638.6 million U.S. today) had ballooned to ¥140.5 billion or about $1.06 billion U.S. now. In the original financial plan, the Aichi and Nagoya governments were to shoulder a cost of ¥60 billion (~$450.4 million), but now it could be much more.

In response, the Japanese organizers are asking the Olympic Council of Asia to reduce the number of sports from the planned 41 down to 32, the same number to be held at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but has met resistance.

The planned to-be-constructed, temporary Athlete’s Village in Nagoya was reported to be downsized from a capacity of 10,000 athletes and officials to 2,000, with most of the entrants to be moved to hotels. Nikkei.com noted last week:

“The athletes’ village was to have been built on the former site of the Nagoya race track to accommodate about 10,000 people, or two-thirds of the athletic delegations. The athletes’ housing facilities would have been temporary, and were set to be disassembled after the games. At a meeting of the Organizing Committee’s directors on Monday, Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, who chairs the committee, said that construction would be canceled.”

The Olympic Council of Asia will have a say in all of this, of course, but the cost increase is another headache not only for the Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, but also for the Sapporo 2030 Olympic Winter Games project, already increasingly disfavored by the local population. Polls concerning the event have repeatedly noted public disbelief that the event can be staged for the projected cost.

4.
U.S. women defeat Ireland, 1-0, on Cook’s first international goal

In a much tighter contest than last Saturday’s 2-0 victory, the U.S. got a surprise goal in the 43rd minute from defender Alana Cook and held on to beat Ireland for the second straight friendly, 1-0, on Tuesday evening in St. Louis.

The American women started well, with defender Becky Sauerbrunn hitting the crossbar with a header off of a corner, but could not get the ball into the back of the net. Finally, in the 43rd, and off a corner kick, Cook was just inside the midfield line and lofted a seeing-eye cross from 40 yards that sailed over the head of Irish keeper Courtney Brosnan and into the goal for a 1-0 lead. Brosnan got a hand on it, but was unable to swat it away.

Ireland played much more forcefully and kept pressure on the U.S., ending with 48% of possession and had nine shots against American keeper Casey Murphy, vs. 10 for the U.S. Murphy got her 10th career shutout for the U.S., but was busy during six minutes of stoppage time after 90 minutes as the Irish swarmed the U.S. goal.

The U.S. did get good news with the return from injuries of two experienced defenders: Kelley O’Hara, who had not played since mid-2022, and Tierna Davidson, who last appeared for the national team in February 2022. Midfielder Julie Ertz returned in the first Irish friendly and played the entire second half on Tuesday.

U.S. striker Mallory Swanson, 24, had surgery on her left leg on Tuesday to repair her patella tendon injured in the first Ireland friendly last Saturday. She has been the U.S.’s top scorer with seven goals in 2023, but had to be carried off the field near the end of the first half on Saturday.

The first U.S.-Ireland game last Saturday (8th) drew an average audience of 346,000 on TNT at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time.

5.
Ealey chasing American Indoor Record at Drake Relays

The mixed-gender, indoor shot put competition coming up on 26 April at the Drake Fieldhouse will feature both the men’s and women’s 2022 World Champions, Americans Ryan Crouser and Chase Ealey.

Crouser already owns the world shot records – indoor and outdoor – but his massive 23.38 m (76-8 1/2) toss in February in Pocatello, Idaho is not going to be ratified by World Athletics. So he has his motivation to surpass his existing (ratified) indoor mark of 22.82 m (74-10 1/2) indoors from 2021.

Ealey told reporters in an online news conference in late March that she’s looking forward to coming back to the U.S., as she now trains in England. But she also has records on her mind.

Asked about the American Indoor Record she shares with Rio 2016 Olympic champ Michelle Carter at 20.21 m (66-3 3/4) from 2016 (Carter) and 2021 (Ealey), she said she’s after it:

“I think it’s possible. I just threw, like I said, for the first time yesterday since outdoors and it felt really good. So I feel like I am in really good shape. I’m really healthy, the body’s feeling right and I really think I have some long throws in me and I’ve always kind of been an indoor kind of shot putter as well. …

“I think it’s definitely something that could happen. It wasn’t in the plan but it’s definitely a possibility . I said I was going to do it [at February’s World Indoor Tour Gold meet] in Madrid, and I didn’t, so it’s almost like I get that second chance as well.

“So that’s kind of lit a fire under me for sure.”

The Drake Relays program has the mixed-gender indoor event on the 26th and then Ealey will go outdoors to Drake Stadium for the women’s shot competition on the weekend. She’s not just thinking about Carter’s American Record of 20.63 m (67-8 1/4) from 2016, she got her sights set on the 21.24 m best (69-8 1/4) of New Zealand’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Valerie Adams:

“I have said that before: that is one of the stepping stones I would like to achieve is get the ‘clean world record’ first. So, like this season, I think it’s not out of my range. I’ve seen some things in training and stuff that show me I have some far throws in there. But, yeah, that’s definitely one of the stepping stones that I want. And Val knows that I’m coming for her as well.”

Ealey reached 20.51 m (67-3 1/2) in 2022, the no. 2 throw in U.S. history, and she has nine of the top 11 throws all-time by an American. Of course, that’s only no. 49 on the all-time outdoor list, with Russian, East German and other Eastern Europeans ahead of her from 1976-90, who were not subject to today’s drug-testing protocols.

Asked about passing Adams and perhaps claiming the 21st Century best, now 21.46 m (70-5) by Russian Larisa Peleshenko in 2000, she was hardly scared:

“Yeah, that’s really interesting. I like that. I hadn’t even thought about that being a number, but I do like that. …

“I just started rotating in 2019 and I’ve got a lot of technical changes that need to be made and can be made, and I’ve got a lot of upside to make and I’m pretty excited about it. So, I reckon there’s some far throws in my future.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The playoff round in the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship will start on Thursday, with Canada and the U.S. looking forward to a possible re-match in the gold-medal final.

The two teams dominated round-robin play in Group A, with the Canadians out-scoring their opponents – except the U.S.– by 14-1 and the U.S. scoring 22 goals to four against Japan, Switzerland and Czechia.

The undefeateds met in their final group game on Monday (10th), with Canada up 2-1 going into the third period. Canada went up 3-1 on an Laura Stacey score at 17:33 of the period, but the Americans stormed back with two extra-attacker goals in the final minute from Hilary Knight (49 seconds left) and Amanda Kessel with four seconds remaining!

The game finally went to a shoot-out that ran on and on for nine rounds, with Briane Jenner and Knight scoring on the first two shots and then 15 straight misses against Canada’s Anne-Renee Desbiens and American keeper Aerin Frankel. Forward Jamie-Lee Rattray scored on the 18th penalty try for the 4-3 Canadian win. Wow.

In the quarterfinals, Canada (4-0) will face Sweden (Group B: 2-2); the U.S. (3-1) will face Germany (B: 3-1); Czechia (1-2 + 1 overtime win) will play Finland (B: 4-0) and Japan (0-3 + 1 overtime loss) and Switzerland (1-3) will face off. The winners will be re-seeded for the semis on Saturday, with the medal matches on Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that the national anti-doping organization in Gabon has been declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code:

“The non-compliance is the result of its failure to implement the 2021 version of the Code fully within its legal system.”

The consequences include:

(1) “Gabon will not be awarded the right to host regional, continental and World Championships, as well as other events organized by Major Event Organizations; until reinstatement.”

(2) “The country’s flag will not be flown at regional, continental and World Championships, and other events organized by Major Event Organizations (including the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) until reinstatement.”

● Athletics ● A report by the Visit Albuquerque tourism bureau stated that the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships took up 3,900 hotel room nights and created direct spending of $2.3 million.

That’s quite a big higher than the expected 2,700 room nights and $1.6 million in direct spending; no information was offered on the impact of the Mountain West Indoor meet or the USATF Indoor Championships.

● Figure Skating ● Two weeks after the ISU World Figure Skating Championships concluded in Japan, NBC showed a re-run of its highlights program on Sunday (9th) at 3 p.m. Eastern – directly against the final round of The Masters golf tournament – and drew a respectable 657,000 audience.

NBC’s Saturday, 25 March telecast at 8 p.m. Eastern drew an average audience of 1.317 million, meaning the re-run had just about 50% as many viewers. Not bad for two weeks later!

● Football ● The 2028 and 2032 editions of the enormously popular UEFA men’s championship – Euro 2028 and Euro 2032 – have drawn two bidders each.

UEFA announced that a combined bid by Great Britain and Ireland has been submitted for 2024, as well as a bid by Turkey. For 2028, Turkey bid again (it is will to stage either edition), as did Italy.

The next steps are for a staff evaluation of the bid concepts, a report and then a vote by the UEFA Executive Committee in October 2023. England hosted in 1966 and Italy has hosted in 1968 and 1980; Germany will host in 2024.

● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com reported that World Aquatics has permanently dropped the men’s and women’s 25 km event in open-water swimming from its World Aquatics Championship program.

The event, by far the longest on the program, was originally held at the 1991 Worlds and had always been relatively lightly contested, with 13-22 women entered between 2005-22 and from 20-35 men. By comparison, the women’s 10 km open-water – an Olympic event – drew 61 entries in 2022 and the men’s 10 km had 62.

This leaves the 5 km and 10 km distances, but ends the Worlds win streak of Brazil’s amazing Ana Marcela Cunha at four (and five total).

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LANE ONE: New biography of coach John Chaplin shows him a stickler for rules, a coaching savant, and a one-man personal-support army

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

“One of the coaches that read an early version of this book said you need to explain how you handled us at a meet when we came screaming to you with a protest or a question on procedure, etc.

“So here goes.

“When a coach, the athlete’s manager, or anyone else the athlete has sent, came in to protest, I would first give them my speech: ‘Coach let’s understand the ground rules. I am a cynical, sarcastic, S.O.B. Now that we both know what I am, you don’t have to waste my mine and your time by you telling me that. Then I would say, what is your problem and let’s see if we can fix it.

“Then if things were got to the place where the coach is feeling sorry for him or herself and start talking about fairness, etc., I’d say, Coach ‘if you want love, get a puppy. The puppy will love you when you wife or husband or whoever may not.’ Then I would say, ‘I am here to make sure that the rules are followed, and my decision will be based on the facts, not on emotions.’ If this individual does get or does not like the answer or ruling, I’d suggest the coach or agent or whoever ‘go out and tell your wife or husband or your assistant coaches that I am a S.O.B., but do it quietly so as to not get on YouTube.’”

That’s former Washington State cross country and track & field coach John Chaplin, now 85, exactly as so many people know him. Direct, opinionated and relentlessly expert. In Man of the Oval, a new, 296-page hardcover biography, also available as an e-Book, author Bruce Blizard – himself a former track coach and teacher in eastern Washington – offers a dramatic look at Chaplin’s brilliant career as a coach, educator and track & field administrator.

All the controversies, all the abruptness and the heartwarming stories of how Chaplin supported his – and other – athletes are included. And best of all, mostly in Chaplin’s own words:

“‘If you don’t understand me, the rest is irrelevant,’ Chaplin said. ‘I am not complicated. If I say I will do something, I will do it. If I say I won’t, I won’t. But I’m not closed to reevaluating anything. If you say you can’t do something, I will listen, but if you say I won’t do something, it’s game over. I am a lot of things, but insecure is not one of them.’”

Chaplin’s story is hardly a straight line to success. Stocky, with a powerful, clipped cadence and known for coaching distance runners like Kenyan Henry Rono to greatness, Chaplin was a sprinter. He grew up in Los Angeles and attended Wilson High School, then Pasadena City College and graduated from Washington State with bests of 9.5 for 100 yards, 10.2 for 100 meters, 20.8 for 220 yards and 46.8 for 440 yards. Pretty good for 1963!

He had worked for a time at the now-defunct Los Angeles Examiner newspaper, but eventually ended up back in eastern Washington as the track coach and World Problems teacher at Wapato High School. After three successful years there – 50-4-1 in dual meets – he was thinking seriously of going to law school, but was hired instead as an assistant coach at Oregon State. For those who know him, can you imagine Chaplin as a career litigator in a courtroom? Generations of judges are grateful he stayed with sports.

His old Washington State coach, John Mooberry, hired Chaplin to be the head cross country coach in 1968 and Chaplin took over after Mooberry’s retirement, coaching the Cougars’ track & field team from 1974-94. He had a dual-meet record of 202-15, won the 1977 NCAA men’s Indoor team title and finished second four times at the NCAA Championships, in 1984-85-86-91. His WSU cross country teams were NCAA runner-ups in 1971 and 1975.

Chaplin reached star status thanks to the exploits of his athletes, most notably Rono, who set four world records in 81 days in the spring and summer of 1978, in the 5,000 m, Steeplechase, 10,000 m and 3,000 m. But his Kenyan connection didn’t start there:

“‘In the summer of 1971, I am sitting in my office playing with my paper airplanes with nothing to do,’ Chaplin explained, ‘when two Black gentlemen come into the office. One is a graduate student, and the other is a professor in political science at a small university in the Seattle area. Both gentlemen were from Kenya, and one was Dr. Jonathon Ngeno, who later became the Speaker of the House in Kenya and an advisor to the Kenyan president, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi.’

“Dr. Ngeno told Chaplin he had a younger brother, also named John Ngeno, and his younger brother had a friend, also named John Ngeno. At first, Chaplin was confused, but he became intrigued when Dr. Ngeno told him a little more about the two young Kenyans. John Ngeno no. 1 [later known as Kip] was a 14.2 high hurdler, and John Ngeno no. 2 was a 13:45 5,000-meter runner. And both John Ngenos were looking for a place to go to school in the US. …

“Chaplin discovered later that Dr. Ngeno had also contacted coaches at the University of Illinois, Cal, Washington, ‘and several others,’ he said, ‘but none of them followed up, so I get to look good for a great recruiting job when in truth I did not do much.’”

The distance-running John Ngeno became a star, winning 13 individual NCAA cross country and track titles from 1972-76. That established WSU as a destination for Kenyans; 1968 and 1972 Olympic icon Kip Keino suggested future two-time NCAA 5,000 m champ Joshua Kimeto. Munich ‘72 Olympic Steeple silver medalist Ben Jipcho introduced future 10,000 m world-record holder Samson Kimombwa. Kimeto and Ngeno called Chaplin from the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and turned Chaplin on to Rono, a steepler, who didn’t get to run due to the African boycott of the Games.

When Chaplin saw what Rono could do in workouts against stars Kimeto and Kimombwa:

“I brought Henry into my office and said, ‘Henry, I think that you could be the first man in history to hold the world record in all three Olympic distance races.’”

Rono wasn’t sure, but agreed to try. Chaplin continued, “But I told him first, we would have to look at the schedule … and then work out a program where he’d run a race in preparation, and in the next race, we correct any problems. And then, ‘You run for the record.'”

And that’s what happened. But there were controversies along the way, such as in mid-April of 1978:

“The story goes that Chaplin had Rono back off in the final 600 meters of the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a dual meet against the University of Oregon at venerable Hayward Field in Eugene. Chaplin has since been accused of wanting to deny the knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans in Eugene the satisfaction of seeing the world record set in their stadium. But the truth is either more complicated or more interesting, depending on your point of view. With a lap and a half left in the race, Rono was running close to the steeplechase world record of 8:08.02, held at the time by Anders Garderud of Sweden, but Chaplin believed the water jump pit at Hayward Field was too shallow.

“‘I didn’t want Rono to set the record there and then have it disallowed later,’ he explained, ‘so, I yelled at Henry to slow down.’ Rono did as he was instructed. He still finished in 8:14.75, a new collegiate record, and the fastest time ever on American soil at the time.”

But then Rono was unleashed, setting world marks of 13:08.4 for 5,000 m in a dual meet at California on 8 April, then 8:05.4 for the Steeple at the Northwest Relays in Seattle on 13 May, 27:22.5 for 10,000 m in Vienna, Austria, on 11 June and 7:32.1 for 3,000 m at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, on 27 June.

Chaplin also noted the cultural differences in dealing with athletes from other countries, including this oft-retold classic:

“’An example comes to mind with John Ngeno,’ he said. ‘It was the second time that Ngeno competed in Modesto at three miles. John wins, and they give him another TV set. That night at the motel, I keep getting calls from the front desk. So finally, at 4:00 a.m., I go down to the office, and I pass a calf tied to a palm tree. The manager says, ‘One of your athletes brought this calf over to the motel and tied it to the palm tree. What are you going to do about it?’ So, a little later, as we are getting ready to go to the airport, I ask, ‘Do any of you know about that calf tied to the tree?’ John says, ‘Yes, Coach, I traded my second TV – one only needs one TV – to a farmer for the calf, and I want to take it back to Pullman.’

“I explain that United Airlines does not have the ability to carry the calf back to Pullman, nor did we have any other method to so do. So, I call Tom Moore, the meet director, and say, ‘Can you pick up this calf that Ngeno traded to a farmer for the TV you gave him for winning the three mile and send it to WSU?’ Tom laughs and says, ‘Yes.’ After talking to Ngeno, I realize that he figured if he could get the calf to Pullman and find a farmer to buy it, he can then take the money back to Kenya and buy himself a few cows with the cash. Rational behavior in a society in which cows are wealth. And just another day in the life of Cougar Track & Field.”

Chaplin finally left coaching in 1994, taking a position with the WSU Provost’s Office. “I stayed with the Provost’s Office and taught classes off and on from the summer of 1994 to the spring of 2002, when I turned 65 and retired from WSU. …

“‘If I had one regret about how the program was treated during my tenure of twenty-seven years at WSU,’ Chaplin said, ‘it was that in all that time, not one athletic director ever came into the track office and asked, ‘How can WSU and I help your program?’ In fact, I don’t remember more than a few times that a WSU AD was ever at a dual meet at Mooberry [Track & Field Complex].’”

But Chaplin did not leave the sport by a long shot. He was deeply involved in the U.S. National Governing Body for track & field, today known as USA Track & Field. He was the head referee for the 1996 Olympic track & field competition in Atlanta and the U.S. head men’s coach for the 2000 Sydney Games. He was the Chair of the USATF International Competition Committee for 24 years and the head of the Men’s Track & Field Committee. He is still sought out for his advice on technical issues and is a fixture at the U.S. nationals.

All of this masks the significant effort Chaplin made to ensure his athletes graduated as well as competed. Many less-famous athletes whose track & field careers were immeasurably helped by Chaplin, also testified in the book on his emphasis on academics, getting a degree and getting a good job.

Long jumper Gerald Edwards’s comments were typical: “He said, ‘Gerald, If I wasn’t on your ass all the time, that means I don’t give a damn. I’m on your ass because I do give a damn.'”

High hurdler Dominique Arnold, the 1996 NCAA champion, came from Compton, California and later set the American Record at 12.90. He said of Chaplin:

“’I came from gang-infested territory,’ Arnold said. ‘And seeing this white guy caring for me was different. We didn’t grow up with white figures caring for you. But he showed me something different. I’d do anything for Chappy. He was everything I wanted in a father that I didn’t have growing up.’”

There’s a lot more in the book, including excellent detail on Chaplin’s coaching and racing methods, his use of surges to break opponents, changing an athlete’s belief system in himself and the balance between aerobic and anaerobic workouts. And all the statistics you could want on the WSU program in a lengthy appendix.

Blizard includes heartwarming testimonials to Chaplin’s support for women’s track & field and the advancement of women in coaching and administration in the sport.

For anyone who saw Chaplin’s amazing teams – who earned 218 NCAA All-American certificates in cross country, indoor and outdoor track – and molding cohesive squads out of Americans, Kenyans, Australians, Chinese, Ivory Coasters, New Zealanders and others, Man of the Oval combines Chaplin’s play-by-play, a coaching classroom and a love letter from his athletes, who helped create an unforgettable character who has, and continues, to shape American track & field.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: Sapporo may opt for 2034 Winter Games; Germany may refuse visas to Russians; Crouser says 24 m (79-2) shot put is possible!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Twice Olympic Shot Champion and World Champion: Ryan Crouser of the U.S. (Photo: Adam Eberhardt for Tracktown USA)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Sapporo Winter Games bid may be pushed to 2034
2. Salnikov rips IOC restrictions again; Russian divers to try Asia
3. Germany’s Faeser: host nations “are not powerless”
4. Swimming: new world leads in 11 events this past week
5. Crouser thinks a 24 m (78-9) shot put is possible!

Although the pro-2030 Winter Games Mayor of Sapporo wad re-elected on Sunday, the Japanese Olympic Committee will discuss moving its bid focus to 2034 in view of continuing low support in polls about a 2030 Games bid. Russian Swimming Federation head Vladimir Salnikov again slammed the International Olympic Committee’s restrictions on Russian participation, calling it a “crisis of tje Olympic Movement” and predicting his swimmers will not compete internationally this year. Other Russian sports leaders were also dubious on the prospects for 2022. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said it would look at refusing visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes re-admitted under the IOC’s new regulations, to events being held in Germany. A statement against the IOC’s scheme was posted by European fencers, which said that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition “makes the previously noble sport of fencing morally inferior.” In swimming, a torrent of national championships over the past week has created world-leading performances in 11 events, four by Japanese swimmers and three by British athletes. Several star U.S. swimmers are slated to compete this week in the Tyr Pro Swim Series meet in Westmont, Illinois that starts on Wednesday. American shot put superstar Ryan Crouser will compete twice in Des Moines, Iowa at the end of the month, including in a specially-staged, mixed-gender indoor event aimed at another world record at the 113th Drake Relays. Asked how far the shot record might go, he thought that 24 m (79-2) was possible!

● Panorama: USOPC (Team USA Community Champions announced) ●
● Errata ● Some readers saw an errant headline in yesterday’s post on FIFA’s suspension of financial support to the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI). The headline indicated that FIFA had stopped financial support to itself! Nope. Thanks to reader Paul Roberts for the sharp eyes! ●

1.
Sapporo Winter Games bid may be pushed to 2034

The International Olympic Committee’s hosting options for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games are getting more complicated by the day. On Sunday, voters in Sapporo, Japan, re-elected Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto for a third term.

Akimoto, 67, has been in favor of the Winter Games returning to Sapporo, which hosted in 1972. He received 56% of the vote and told the Asahi Shimbun:

“We will once again present citizens our plan to host a clean Games in Sapporo and will continue the discussion. Eventually, we would like to proceed [with our plan] after confirming the opinions of citizens.”

That sounds like a referendum on the Games might be coming, but the city’s assembly rejected a vote in June of 2022. Since then, interest in the Games has fallen, thanks to continuing revelations of sponsorship and bid-rigging scandals related to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and in December, Akimoto said:

“In the future we will conduct a survey of the pros and cons, not only in Hokkaido but also nationwide. We will respect the will of the people.”

An election exit poll in Sapporo by the Jiji Press showed 53% opposed the Winter Games bid, with just 27% in favor and 20% unsure or refused to answer. Even among those who voted for Akimoto, only 41% were in favor, with 31% opposed.

Also re-elected was Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki, also in favor of a second Sapporo Winter Games.

On Monday, however Japan Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita – the heavyweight judo gold medalist at Los Angeles in 1984 – said that a delay might be best, with a bid for 2034 perhaps a better target. Kyodo News reported that Yamashita was concerned about the election, which “made it clear that many local residents are concerned and anxious. It’s hard to go ahead with the original bid plan without gaining people’s understanding.

“We have to do things carefully. Otherwise, we can’t move forward.”

Yamashita said that discussions with Sapporo will begin soon.

If Sapporo punts on 2030, it leaves the IOC with no committed candidates for 2030, with Salt Lake City preferring 2034, Sapporo not sure, Vancouver without provincial support and possible candidatures from Sweden and Switzerland, both in the study stage. The decision on the 2030 host is now expected in 2024.

2.
Salnikov rips IOC restrictions again; Russian divers to try Asia

The drumbeat of anger against any restrictions on Russia – regardless of what is happening in Ukraine – continues, once again from Russian Swimming Federation (and four-time Olympic gold medalist) Vladimir Salnikov. He said on Monday:

“We are witnessing a crisis of the Olympic Movement, we can’t go any further. Everything is written in the Olympic Charter, it speaks about uniting everyone in the name of peace, about the unacceptability of any discrimination. What we see now is a perversion of all the fundamental principles: everyone is equal, but we are ‘more equal.’

“Political decisions are at the forefront, now there is blackmail by the leaders of countries and governments. It makes sense to gather the international sports community and ask whether sport remains a factor of unification, or it will just disappear and everyone will do something in their own corners.”

As for Russian swimmers, he added:

“The decision rests with the World Aquatics Bureau, in July. It will be based either on the decision of the International Olympic Committee – which postponed the very fact of the possibility of participation in the Olympics for a longer period – or on the report of the [World Aquatics] commission. So until the end of the year, I think, through World Aquatics, we won’t participate anywhere.”

Also concerned was Russian wrestling chief Mikhail Mamiashvili, waiting for details from the review committee set up by United World Wrestling:

“The commission, represented by the members of the governing body of UWW, is determined to simplify the issue of admission of our athletes as much as possible. However, in its decisions, I think it will be guided by the main position of the IOC. But if this is a position in which athletes will have to sacrifice their civic honor, it will be unacceptable for us.”

“If we talk about our youth under 15 and 17 years old, who were allowed to participate in tournaments, then we are still in coordination of their performances with the UWW; we need to understand the details in order to build the preparation of the team.”

The situation is also grim for 2023 in diving, according to Russian Diving Federation President Stanislav Druzhinin:

“[W]e understood that it was unlikely that we would get to the World Championships in Japan, because even if we were allowed, we would have faced problems getting visas.

“This year, we have one more qualifying competition, the European Games in Poland, and we’re going to miss that as well. But we have a chance to qualify for the Olympics next year if we make it to the World Championships in Qatar in February. We really expect to compete in that tournament.”

Of course, there is also the possibility of competing in the Asian Games in China in September:

“We are negotiating with the Asian side, in particular with China, we will look for an opportunity to participate in their competitions. I personally plan to go to China in May, I will talk about the participation of their athletes in our competitions and our athletes in their competitions.”

3.
Germany’s Faeser: host nations “are not powerless”

The German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said Monday that Russian and Belarusian athletes may be prevented from competing in events in Germany, regardless of what the International Olympic Committee says.

She told the Funke media group:

“Countries in which major sporting events take place are not powerless. We can influence through the visa departments whether Russians actually participate.

“If we organize international competitions in Germany, then we can act accordingly. We will always act with a clear stance here.

“Offering the warmonger Putin a propaganda stage would betray all values of the sport. It is completely unacceptable for Ukrainian athletes to face athletes competing for a country that is killing so many civilians in Ukraine.”

She also noted that she was not in favor of a boycott at Paris 2024, explaining, “[W]e will harm our own athletes, who have been preparing for this goal for a long time.”

Also protesting the IOC’s new policy to allow individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals were athletes of the European Fencing Confederation, which posted a statement on the Eurofencing.info site that included:

“We, as elite fencers, part of the European Fencing Confederation would like to share our disappointment by the recent decision of the International Olympic Committee to recommend the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals to international fencing competitions.

“Ideally, sports should be free from politics and conflict. However, given the well known function of elite sports as a tool of domestic propaganda in Russia, it makes absolutely no difference whether a Russian or Belarusian fencer participates under the term ‘neutral athlete’. Especially in fencing, as everyone knows, it is impossible to separate a fencer from their country of representation on the international level. …

“[A]s an indirect consequence of IOC’s decision several nationalities will not be able to participate in the World Cup competitions due to their state-mandated boycotts. Especially at the beginning of the Olympic qualifier year, this could very well mean the end of a fencer’s career. Allowing such makes the previously noble sport of fencing morally inferior, with long-lasting negative impact to the image of our dear sport.”

This follows a 28 March petition signed by 323 fencers, asking the IOC and the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to continue barring Russian and Belarusian fencers, insisting that the new policies “would be a catastrophic error.”

4.
Swimming: new world leads in 11 events this past week

A heavy schedule of national championships and selection meets has rewritten the world lists in swimming, with new world leaders in 11 events across the past week. At the top now:

Men (8):
● 50 m Free: 21.71, Ben Proud (GBR)
● 100 m Free: 47.61, David Popovici (ROU)
● 200 m Free: 1:44.83, Matthew Richards (GBR) ~ no. 18 all-time
● 800 m Free: 7:47,81, Daniel Jervis (GBR)
● 100 m Breast: 58.41, Ilya Shymanovich (BLR)
● 200 m Fly: 1:53.34, Tomoru Honda (JPN)
● 200 m Medley: 1:56.62, Daiya Seto (JPN)
● 400 m Medley: 4:07.91, Seto

Women (3):
● 100 m Free: 53.10, Marrit Steenbergen (NED)
● 100 m Breast: 1:05.89, Reona Aoki (JPN)
● 200 m Breast: 2:22.21, Tes Schouten (NED)

This does not include the sensational Canadian National Championships at the end of March, highlighted by Summer McIntosh’s world records in the 400 m Free (3:56.08) and 400 m Medley (4:25.87).

Some of the top U.S. swimmers will be back in the pool this week for the Tyr Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont, Illinois. Olympic stars Bobby Finke, Lilly King, Katie Ledecky and Ryan Murphy are all entered, with Wednesday’s finals streamed on the USA Swimming site, Thursday and Friday on Peacock and Saturday’s finals shown delayed on CNBC.

5.
Crouser thinks a 24 m (78-9) shot put is possible!

U.S. shot put superstar Ryan Crouser already owns the world record at 23.37 m (76-8 1/4) outdoors and 22.82 m (74-10 1/2) indoors, both from 2021. But he will be trying to extend those marks at a special, free competition on 26 April in Des Monies, Iowa, attached to the 113th Drake Relays.

Crouser will be part of a mixed-team, best-combined-distances event at the Drake Fieldhouse in advance of looking for his fifth straight Drake Relays title on the weekend. NBC Sports reported Monday that his 23.38 m (76-8 1/2) record mark in Pocatello, Idaho on 18 February of this year will not be ratified because the facility was not certified to be rules-compliant and a survey done afterwards showed unspecified issues. But Crouser thinks there are even further throws to come.

During an online news conference to promote the events, Crouser explained the development of his new technique, which he calls the “step-across,” but has been dubbed the “Crouser Slide”:

“I’m still working on it. I saw a really, really good spread the past two weeks in training, so it has me excited for it because I think to throw a truly huge throw, I can throw farther with the step-across – or the Slide – than I can from the static. So that has me really, really excited that if I can find that 60-75 cm spread that I’ve been seeing in training – from a static to the Slide – then if I can add 75 cm onto 23.38 that would be absolutely mind-blowing.”

That would be 24.13 m or 79-2! Asked whether a 25 m throw (82-0) is possible, he said:

“It’s really hard to put a cap on it. I think that 25 is just an absolutely insane number. Even 24 is an absolutely insane number. It’s tough to really say, simply because I have an idea of where I’m at, and the thing that makes it so difficult is, unlike the vertical jumps – the pole vault, high jump – where you kind of choose where you’re at, you’re constantly seeking that one, massive outlier.

“And I kind of look at the distances that I can hopefully be consistent at, and then every once in a while, you’ll throw a throw that’s 50-60 cm farther, kind of you’ll have a big outlier. So, you’re always chasing that one monster throw, that one massive outlier. So it’s hard to really put a top on it because if I can bump that consistency up and be consistent at my PR, then hope to chase that giant monster throw that’s kind of always lurking in the shadows, is that kind of keeps you going down the rabbit hole. …

“I do believe 24 meters is possible. I don’t know if 25 is. When you start adding a meter on to at that distance, it just becomes kind of an astronomical, the odds of it happening just get so much slimmer and slimmer. But down the road, you’re going to have somebody who’s bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic than I am. That’s just how the numbers go. I don’t know if it’s meant for me to do it, but I don’t want to say it’s impossible because, shoot, the athletes nowadays there are so many people that eventually somebody is going to come along that’s bigger, faster, stronger, better technically than I am, than the world has ever seen.

“If anybody throws 25 meters, I’d love to be there to see it.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC announced four winners of its Team USA Community Champions for 2022, with each to receive $12,500 grants, with another $12,500 to go to a charity of their choice. Presented in association with Comcast, the winners were chosen from among 22 finalists, chosen from nearly 100 applicants:

● Mary Cain, one of the greatest high school distance runners ever and now moving into triathlon. She founded Atalanta NYC, “a New York City-based nonprofit that employs and supports professional female runners so they can achieve their highest athletic goals while building their career skills.”

● Kelsey Dickinson of the Women Ski Coaches Association, working to advance women in ski coaching. Dickinson is a biathlete and is a Gender Equity Ambassador for the International Biathlon Union.

● Tyler Merren of the U.S. Goalball National Team, volunteers with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, with more than 20 years of service.

● Billy Mills is one of America’s most memorable Olympians, winning the men’s 10,000 m at the 1964 Tokyo Games in a huge upset that is well remembered to this day. He “co-founded Running Strong for American Indian Youth to meet the critical needs of Native communities, foster cultural identity development and support Native youth in pursuit of their dreams.”

This is the second edition of the awards, originated in 2021 as the Team USA Service & Hope Award. Applications for the 2023 Awards are being accepted through 17 April.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IOC says it will support Ukrainian athletes vs. Russians; new Olympic walk event; $200,000 torch highlights new auction

By
Rich Perelman
-
Amazing 1896 bust of Nike presented to non-American winners at the first modern Olympic Games. Now on auction, this one was won by American Ellery Clark (Photo: Ingrid O'Neil Auctions)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC pledges aid for Ukrainian athletes kept from competing
2. World Athletics announced new Olympic walk event
3. Indonesia loses FIFA Forward funding as U-20 World Cup removed
4. UCI’s 2022 economic impact: $43 million for road and track
5. Massive, 516-lot memorabilia auction includes $200,000 torch!

With the Ukrainian government forbidding its athletes to compete against Russians and Belarusians, the International Olympic Committee announced that it would support Ukrainian athletes who do want to compete, setting up a potential showdown that could have long-term implications. World Athletics revealed its format for the promised mixed-team walking event in Paris, a 42.2 km “marathon” relay with one man and one woman contesting two, non-consecutive legs each. After trying to remove Israel from the FIFA U-20 men’s World Cup, Indonesia saw the event removed by FIFA and now has lost its FIFA Forward development funding, for an undetermined period. The Union Cycliste Internationale published an independent report that showed an economic impact of about $43 million for its World road and track-cycling championships in 2022. This is an important marker ahead of the first UCI World Championships in Glasgow this year, with 13 disciplines and an expected $83.2 million economic impact. A new Olympic memorabilia auction includes one of only 33 Olympic torches used for the 1968 Grenoble Winter Games, with an opening bid of $200,000!

● World Championships: Curling (Scotland wins men’s Worlds) = Ice Hockey (Canada & U.S. unbeaten in women’s Worlds) ●
● Panorama: Athletics (4: Richardson 10.57w!; Hobbs 10.87 world leader; Jeruto suspended for doping; switching bibs gets six-month ban) = Badminton (USA’s Zhang reached Orleans Masters final) = Cycling (2: van der Poel, Julian win Paris-Roubaix; Vingegaard wins in Spain) = Equestrian (Bredow-Werndl, von Eckermann take World Cup Finals) = Football (U.S. women shut down Ireland, 2-0) = Golf (Rahm wins Masters) = Rugby (Kiwis win again in men’s Sevens) = Sailing (familiar winners at Trofeo Princesa Sofia) ●

1.
IOC pledges aid for Ukrainian athletes kept from competing

The Ukrainian government’s stated position that its athletes should not compete against Russians or Belarusians in view of the new International Olympic Committee recommendations in favor of “neutral” athletes could lead to the IOC funding Ukrainian competitors.

The IOC dealt with this issue in its latest update to its “Q&A regarding the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions,” which was revised last week to include:

● “If implemented, such a decision would … hurt only the Ukrainian athlete community and the National Sports Federations, and in no way impact the war that the world wants to stop, and that the IOC has so vehemently condemned. The IOC has always maintained that it is not up to governments to decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions.”

● “Therefore, if this was implemented, the athletes who want to compete and would lose the support of their National Sports Federation and their National Olympic Committee because of government interference, could count on the direct support of the Olympic Movement’s Solidarity Fund for the Olympic community of Ukraine and the athletes’ support programmes of the IOC.”

Observed: This places the IOC in the astonishing position of potentially paying Ukrainian athletes to compete against Russians and Belarusians in international competitions where international federations allow them to enter as neutrals, against the wishes of the Ukrainian government.

As has now been set in stone by President Thomas Bach (GER):

“The IOC has always maintained that it is not up to governments to decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions.”

Although there is no immediate threat of changes, this position will inevitably come to the attention of governments who fund athletes, coaches, national federations and National Olympic Committees that since they have no say in what their athletes do – according to the IOC – perhaps the IOC should fund them.

There is only one National Olympic Committee in the world – the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee – which does not receive direct government support, if not for its own operations, for the funding of elite athlete development, competitions, coaching, travel and so on. If the Russian invasion of Ukraine becomes a catalyst for governments to dedicate funding only to grass-roots and community sport and leave elite competition to the IOC, it could radically change the nature of international sport just as much as the IOC fears over government interference in who competes where and when.

It’s not happening yet. Yet.

In the meantime, the head of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, Irina Viner, told Russian Channel One that their participation at Paris in 2024 is unlikely:

“The fact is that I don’t believe that [our athletes] will compete in these sports at the Olympic Games in Paris. I know that fencing was given permission, but immediately Germany canceled [their World Cup] competition. There was a complete rift in boxing, too.

“I think that the IOC strives to ensure that there are no restrictions, that gymnasts and other athletes speak for themselves. But I think such conditions will be set that they will not be able to perform.”

She is, however, in favor of having Russians compete as neutrals:

“We have already performed under a neutral flag. I think we need to perform anyway. The theory is dry, my friend, and the tree of life is luxuriantly green. Athletes should perform in any case, we will still work, everything is fine with us.”

2.
World Athletics announced new Olympic walk event

The race walking community has been in turmoil with massive changes to the discipline’s events, with the 50 km walk reduced to 35 km for both men and women and the men’s 50 km walk removed from the Olympic program after being first contested in 1932 (but not held in 1976).

The International Olympic Committee and World Athletics agreed to remove the 35/50 km walks altogether from the Paris 2024 program in favor of a new, mixed-team event that the IOC favors. The details were announced on Saturday:

“The Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay will feature 25 teams, each comprising one male and one female athlete, who will complete the marathon distance (42.195km) in four legs of approximately equal distance.

“Each athlete will complete two legs of just over 10km each, alternating male, female, male, female.

“The marathon distance was selected because of its existing popularity in athletics and link to the traditions of the Olympic Games.”

This is an unusual format for track & field – with athletes coming back into a relay after already competing on once leg – but is well known in winter sports. The Single Mixed Relay in biathlon uses the same format, alternating one man and one woman across four legs.

The Paris 2024 schedule has the men’s and women’s 20 km walks on 1 August and the mixed relay on 7 August in order to allow adequate rest.

3.
Indonesia loses FIFA Forward funding as U-20 World Cup removed

The demand by Indonesia regional political leaders that Israel not compete in the FIFA U-20 World Cup cost the country the hosting rights to the event last week, and was a direct breach of the agreement with the federation to place the event in Indonesia.

FIFA announced late last week that the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) was also “provisionally recommended a restriction on the use of FIFA Forward funds until further notice.”

Indonesia was already recovering from the 1 October 2022 riot and resulting crowd crush at Kanjuruhan Stadium following a club match that ended up with 135 dead and 583 injured, the worst fan disaster in the history of Asian football.

PSSI President Erick Thohir presented FIFA with a strategic plan for Indonesian football, and a commitment of the government to further fund more football fields in the country. The plan will be reviewed before the development-funding sanctions are lifted.

The Argentine Football Federation has proposed to host the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup instead, and on the same dates, beginning in May.

4.
UCI’s 2022 economic impact: $43 million for road and track

While the Union Cycliste Internationale staged 93 events in 22 countries last year, it chose to have Ernst & Young compile economic impact studies on only the two largest: its Road championships in Australia and its Track Worlds in France. The UCI Events Economic Impact Report for 2022 demonstrated the popularity of both.

The week-long UCI Road Worlds in Wollongong attracted unique 96,000 spectators, but most importantly, an estimated 40,500 from outside the area, who stayed an average of five nights and spent an average of €140, or €28.350 million (about $31.170 million U.S.).

The event had a total attendance of 236,000 — from those 96,000 uniques – with 58% of the attendance coming from the local community, 37% from elsewhere in Australia and 5% from visitors from other countries. That’s 95% from the host nation. Visitor spending was mostly concentrated on accommodations, food and drink and transportation

The event, in total, created a Gross Value Added of €35.60 million, or about $39.14 million U.S. Some 82% of this was directly due to visitor spending.

The UCI Track Cycling Worlds, at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome was a much smaller event, over five days, with 10,600 unique spectators and 17,000 total. Of these, 4,000 or 39% were from outside the local area and spent €3.7 million (about $4.1 million U.S.) About 9% of spectators were from outside France.

The Gross Value Added was €3.5 million (about $3.9 million U.S.).

The total is then €39.1 million (about $43.0 million U.S.) for these two events alone. It will be fascinating to compare this impact with the massive, new UCI World Championships in Glasgow (SCO), an 11-day event from 3-13 August. It will include road, track, BMX, freestyle, mountain biking, trials, gran fondo and para-cycling across 13 specific World Championships!

Some 8,000 cyclists are expected to enter, with an economic impact estimated at £67 million, or about $83.2 million U.S. If successful, it’s expected to be repeated in 2027.

5.
Massive, 516-lot memorabilia auction includes $200,000 torch!

A rare Olympic Torch from the 1968 Grenoble Winter Games, one of just 33 produced, highlights the Ingrid O’Neil auction no. 94, open now through 22 April.

Some 5,000 torchbearers were part of the Grenoble 1968 torch relay, sharing the 33 torches, and now one is available, with an opening bid of $200,000! Yowsah!

The auction includes plenty of medals (43) and torches (35), but also a remarkable victory statue from the 1896 Athens Games. That’s right: a victory statue!

It’s a 9 1/2-inch bust of the Greek goddess of victory – Nike – of which 21 were made by sculptor Georgios Vroutos to be given to non-Greek winners. Only one other is known to exist and is in the National Museum in Athens. The statue up for auction was given to American Ellery Clark, who won both the high jump and long jump and was inscribed to “E.H. Clarc.” The opening bid is set at $95,000.

There are 22 more items with starting bids of $10,000 or more:

● $65,000: 1992 Albertville Winter torch
● $50,000: 1956 Melbourne IOC President’s badge
● $35,000: 1994 Lillehammer torch
● $28,000: 1964 Tokyo torch
● $20,000: 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Winter gold medal
● $20,000: 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter torch
● $20,000: 2016 Rio gold medal
● $19,000: 2016 Rio silver medal
● $18,000: 1932 Lake Placid Winter bronze medal
● $18,000: 2002 Salt Lake City Winter bronze medal
● $18,000: 2016 Rio bronze medal
● $15,000: 1928 St. Moritz Winter silver medal
● $15,000: 1964 Tokyo torch
● $15,000: 1968 Grenoble Winter gold medal
● $15,000: 1994 Lillehammer Winter silver medal
● $14,000: 1976 Innsbruck Winter gold medal
● $14,000: 1988 Calgary Winter silver medal
● $12,000: 1924 Chamonix Winter bronze medal
● $12,000: 1952 Oslo Winter bronze medal
● $12,000: 1960 Squaw Valley Winter bronze medal
● $12,000: 1964 Innsbruck Winter gold medal
● $12,000: 1984 Los Angeles gold medal

The 1956 Melbourne Games badge for the International Olympic Committee President – American Avery Brundage at the time – is noted as “Of utmost rarity, the only IOC badge from Melbourne available to collectors.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Curling ● The WCF men’s World Championship in Ottawa (CAN) was historic, with Scotland winning its first men’s gold since 2009 and skip Bruce Mouat his first in four tries.

Switzerland, with Yannick Schwaller as skip, was tops in round-robin play, compiling an 11-1 record, followed by Beijing 2022 Olympic runner-up Scotland and Norway (Magnus Ramsfjell) at 10-2. The U.S., with 2018 Olympic gold medalist John Shuster as skip, finished 5-7 and did not advance to the playoffs.

In the qualification matches to the semifinals, 2006 Olympic winner Brad Gushue and Canada ushered Sweden and six-time World Champion Niklas Edin out of the tournament with a 9-1 victory. Italy, with 2022 Worlds bronze medalist Joel Retornaz as skip, defeated Norway, 8-4.

On Sunday, Gushue’s rink broke a 3-3 tie with two points in the seventh end and then had to score in the 10th to eliminate the Swiss, 7-5. Mouat and Scotland overcame an early 4-2 deficit, scoring two points in the fifth, seventh and ninth ends to lead 8-6, only to be tied by Retornaz and Italy in the 10th. It took a point in the 11th for the Scots to advance to the championship match, 9-8.

The final was no contest, as Mouat’s Scots took leads of 4-0 and 6-1 in the way to a 9-3 win and Scotland’s fifth title and first since 2009. Mouat skipped his team to a Worlds bronze in 2018, a silver in 2021, the Olympic silver in 2022 and now the 2023 Worlds gold. Grant Hardie (third), Bobby Lammie (second) and Hammy McMillan Jr. (lead) were with Mouat for all four of these medal performances.

Gushue was in his fourth Worlds championship final and now 1-3, winning in 2017, but losing to Sweden’s Edin twice and now Mouat.

The Swiss scored in four straight ends to roll up a 8-0 lead on Italy and won the bronze medal, 11-3. It’s the fifth bronze for Switzerland since 2014.

● Ice Hockey ● The 25th IIHF women’s World Championship continues in Brampton (CAN) with pool play that will conclude on Tuesday and Canada and the U.S. rolling toward a showdown on Monday.

Two-time defending champion Canada sailed to its third win by defeating Japan on Saturday, 5-0, as forward Sarah Fillier got two goals. The Canadians have outscored their first three foes by 14-1.

The American women fell behind the Czech Republic, 2-1, in the first period, then got a goal from Hayley Scamurra to tie it with 3:49 left in the period. Then came more goals, with Lacey Eden and Tessa Janecke scoring for a 4-2 lead at the end of the second period, and Hilary Knight and Abby Roque both scoring in the first eight minutes of the third for a 6-2 lead and that’s how it ended. The U.S. has outscored its three foes, 22-4, and will play Canada for the top spot in the group on Monday.

Playoffs will begin on the 13th with quarterfinals, followed by semis on the 15th and the finals on the 16th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● It was windy, but it was really fast, as Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100 m at the Miramar Invitational in Florida on Saturday in 10.57 (!!!) with an aiding wind of 4.1 m/s.

Adjusting for wind, the 10.57w is worth +0.21 over a 0.0 reading (so, 10.78 at 0.0) or +0.10 over a 2.0 m/s reading, so 10.67! It’s the third-fastest time (all-conditions)  in history, behind the wind-legal marks by Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49 ‘88) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54 ‘21).

Richardson ran away from TeeTee Terry (10.83w), and Natasha Morrison (11.05w) in race two; Cambrea Sturgis won race one in 10.98w (+3.2).

Richardson won heat three in 10.75w (+2.8), with Terry winning heat one in 10.89w (+4.5). Wow.

U.S. women’s 200 m champ Abby Steiner claimed the world lead in 2023, winning in 22.23 (+1.8), beating Tamari Davis (22.31), a lifetime best. Shamier Little impressed in the 400 m, with the no. 2 mark in 2023 so far, winning in 50.73. Ajee Wilson won the 800 m in 2:02.95 and Tonea Marshall took the 100 m hurdles in a windy 12.62 (+2.2).

Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake went 1-2 in the men’s 100 m in 9.91w and 9.93w (+2.2) in race two. Seville had a legal (+1.8) win in heat one in 9.95. American sprint star Christian Coleman won the 200 m at the line from Letsile Tebogo (BOT), with both in 20.00 (+1.9) and now sharing the world lead.

American Will Williams won the men’s long jump with a wind-aided 8.25 m (27-0 3/4).

More hot times, including a world-leading 10.87 in the women’s 100 m from American star Aleia Hobbs, with a legal 2.0 m/s wind at the Lloyd Wills Invitational on her home track at LSU.

In Los Angeles, at the Allice Trojan Invitational at USC, Tokyo 400 m hurdles silver medalist Rai Benjamin got a lifetime best in the flat 400 m, winning in 44.21, moving to no. 2 in the world for 2023. Former Trojan 800 m star Isaiah Jewett was second in 45.90, also a lifetime best.

For Benjamin, it was his first 400 m best since 2019 (44.31). In comparison to his prime hurdles rivals, Norway’s Karsten Warholm has a 400 m best of 44.87 from 2017 and Alison Dos Santos (BRA) has run 44.54 from 2022.

At the always-wind-friendly Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California, Tokyo Olympic champ Valarie Allman jumped her world lead from 67.80 m (222-5) at the Texas Relays to 70.25 m (230-5), her third-best throw ever. She owns all six throws ever made by an American over 70 m.

In Berkeley, California, two world throws leaders at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, as World Champs silver medalist (and Cal soph) Mykolas Alekna (LTU) got the men’s discus out to 68.39 m (224-4) and former Golden Bear and Worlds runner-up Camryn Rogers (CAN) reached 77.30 m (253-7) with the hammer.

Norah Jeruto, the former Kenyan and now Kazakhstan distance star who won the 2022 World Athletics Championship in the women’s Steeple, was charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit on 5 April for “Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method” based on a review of her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). No more details were posted.

Jeruto won the Worlds Steeple last July, but then only competed in the Kazakhstan 10 km national road championship in September (second) and in the Asian Indoor Championships 3,000 m in February (seventh).

The AIU imposed a six-month sanction on marathoners Camilo Santiago of Spain and Ivan Zarco Alvarez of Honduras for swapping race bibs at the Itelligence Citylauf Invitational Marathon in Dresden, Germany on 21 March 2021. The AIU noted:

“Mr Zarco’s and Mr Santiago’s accounts of events were directly inconsistent with other evidence and did not demonstrate an honest attempt to correct the Marathon results, particularly in circumstances where Mr Zarco must have known that the result in question would have been a Honduran national record …The fact that Mr Zarco and Mr Santiago swapped bibs at all and were caught out in a public forum demonstrates that their conduct was unreasonable and it brought the sport into disrepute …The bib swap was an intentional arrangement for the purpose of altering Mr Zarco’s Marathon results.”

Both admitted the swap and are suspended through 8 August 2023.

● Badminton ● At the Orleans Masters in France, there was a rare appearance by an American star in a BWF World Tour final: Beiwen Zhang.

Now 32, Zhang had appeared in three prior finals, all in 2018, and she was matched against Rio 2016 winner and top seed Carolina Marin of Spain. The first set was a marathon, with Marin winning, 25-23, only to have Zhang came back with a dominant, 21-9, win in the second set. But Marin had more left in the tank and took the third set, 21-10.

A three-time World Champion, Marin now has a career record of 6-2 against Zhang.

Priyanshu Rajawat (IND) took the men’s Singles final, 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 over Magnus Johannesen (DEN). Bo Yang Chen and Yi Liu (CHN) won the men’s Doubles over Muhammad Fikri and Bagas Maulana (INA), 21-19, 21-17 and Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakamoto (JPN) edged Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan (CHN), 21-19, 16-21, 21-12 in the women’s Doubles final.

In the Mixed Doubles, Tang Jie Chen and Ee Wei Toh (MAS) swept, Hong Wei Yi and Chia Hsin Lee (TPE), 21-19, 21-17.

● Cycling ● The iconic Paris-Roubaix race – the 120th – was the third “Monument” race of 2023, over 256.6 km with 29 cobblestone sections that make this race so unpredictable.

It was no surprise that rivals Mathieu van der Poel (NED) and Wout van Aert (BEL) looked to be dueling for the victory, with van der Poel throwing in attack after attack in the final 60 km. The break finally came only in the final 15 km, as another cobbled section ended up causing Germany’s Jon Degenkolb to crash as Belgian Jasper Philipsen came though with van der Poel and van Aert going clear.

But a flat tire hampered van Aert and van der Poel’s breakaway saw him win in 5:28:41, with Philipsen and van Aert second and third, 46 seconds back and Mads Pedersen (DEN), Stefan Kung (SUI) and Filippo Ganna (ITA) following, all 50 seconds behind the winner.

Van der Poel won his second Monument in 2023 – also Milan-Sanremo – and owns four career Monument wins, having won Flanders in 2020 and 2022 (and second in 2023).

The third Paris-Roubaix for women was held on Saturday, over a flat, 145.4 km course – with lots of cobbled sections – that saw nine riders sprint for the line in the final kilometer. The winner was a shock: Canadian Alison Jackson, 34, in 3:42:56 for her first overall race victory on the UCI Women’s World Tour! She led a group of six at the line, just ahead of Katie Ragusa (ITA), Marthe Truyen (BEL) and Eugenie Duval (FRA).

A major crash with 37 km left eliminated many of the big names from contention, including defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), Tour of Flanders winner Lotte Kopecky (BEL) and Ronde van Drenthe winner Lorena Wibes (NED).

The 62nd Itzulia Basque Country race in Spain finished on Saturday, with Danish star Jonas Vingegaard – the reigning Tour de France champion – winning three of the six stages on the way to the overall title.

Vingegaard won the third stage and took the overall lead and held it to the end. He won the hilly stage four and then the one true climbing stage on Saturday, in and around Eibar. His winning time overall was 24:45:24, some 1:12 ahead of Spain’s Mikel Landa and 1:29 up on 2019 winner, Ion Izagirre (ESP). American Brandon McNulty was seventh overall, 1:38 behind the winner.

Vingegaard moved up from second in 2021. Izagirre won his sixth medal in this race over the past eight editions (1-1-4).

● Equestrian ● The FEI World Cup Finals were in Omaha, Nebraska this year, with Germany dominating the medal standings.

In the Dressage Freestyle Final, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl defended her 2022 championship, scoring 90.482% (on TSF Dalera BB) to edge Nanna Skodborg Merrald (DEN: 87.164%, on Blue Hors Zepter) and the amazing Isabell Werth (GER: 85.671%, on Qyuantaz). American Steffen Peters, 58, the 2009 champion, finished fourth (83.921% on Suppenkasper). Anna Buffini of the U.S. was sixth (77.843% on Davinla La Douce), and Alice Tarjan was ninth (75.207% on Serenade).

Bredow-Werndl won her fifth career medal since 2015, with two wins and three bronzes. Werth, 53, won her 14th World Cup medal, including five titles, five silvers and now four bronzes; he’s won medals now in five straight World Cup Finals.

In the Jumping, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann (with King Edward), 41, got his first FEI World Cup victory to go along with his 2022 World Championships gold, totaling only five penalties across three rounds and none in the final competition. He had previously won two World Cup bronzes.

Harrie Smolders (NED, with Monaco N.O.P.) found himself in a familiar place – second – after compiling nine penalties for his third World Cup Final silver and second in a row. American Hunter Holloway (on Pepita Con Spita), 25, took the bronze with 11 penalties, her first World Cup medal.

Including the Dressage, Jumping and (non-Olympic) Vaulting competitions, Germany topped the standings with nine medals (5-2-2), followed by Austria, the Netherlands and the Swiss with two each.

● Football ● The U.S. Women’s National Team returned to play with a friendly against Ireland in Austin, Texas, with both teams getting ready to play in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The U.S. dominated play, with the Irish having a tough time getting the ball out of their own end for any meaningful possession time. But even with 8-9 players back, defender Emily Fox found room just beyond the top of the box, running to the right and then sending a right-footed laser toward the left corner and past Irish keeper Courtney Brosnan for 1-0 lead in the 37th minute. It was Fox’s first international goal in her 28th appearance, and that’s the way the half ended.

There was considerable concern with U.S. scoring star Mallory Swanson carried off the field after a left knee injury in the 41st minute; she did not return. She was diagnosed with a torn patella tendon and will receive further tests.

The Americans kept pressing, but could not score in the second half, despite multiple chances. Midfielder Julie Ertz returned to the field for the first time since August 2021 in the 67th and she sent a ball into the box in the 79th minute toward midfielder Lindsey Horan, who was dragged down by Irish defender Diane Caldwell for a penalty.

Horan pounded a right-footed shot from right to left and although Brosnan hit it, the ball popped behind her for U.S. and a 2-0 lead. Ireland got a couple of late chances in stoppage time, but U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher was solid and the game ended at 2-0. The U.S. finished with 70% of possession despite 13 Irish fouls; The Americans ended with 25 shots to six for Ireland.

The U.S. improved to 14-0-0 all-time against Ireland, in their first meeting since 2019. The two sides will play again on Tuesday (11th).

● Golf ● Bad weather imploded The Masters on Saturday, with American Brooks Koepka leading Spanish star Jon Rahm by four strokes when play was called off. Better weather on Sunday allowed round three to finish with Koepka two up on Rahm, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland one shot further back.

The final round saw Rahm take the lead by two at the turn with birdies at three and eight and a bogey on nine, while Koepka suffered bogies on 4-6-9. The big charge was made by 52-year-old Phil Mickelson (USA), who birdied five of the last seven holes to card a 65 for the day and finish the tournament at -8 (280).

Rahm stayed strong and birdied two more holes on the final nine and finished with a four-stroke win at -12 (276). It’s his fifth finish in the top 10; had been fourth in 2018.

Koepka had three bogeys and three birdies on the last nine and ended up at -8, tied with Mickelson for second; he was also tied for second in 2019. Rahm and Hovland (tie-7th) were the only non-American players in the top nine; Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Russell Henley tied for fourth (-7). Cameron Young tied Hovland for seventh (-6) and Sahith Theegala was ninth (-5).

● Rugby Sevens ● The Rugby Sevens Series for men was in Singapore, with seasonal leader New Zealand whipping through pool play with a 3-0 record, as did Samoa and Argentina; France won Pool C at 2-0-1.

The playoff rounds were tightly contested, but New Zealand sailed past Great Britain (22-10) and Fiji (19-10) to reach the final. Samoa and Argentina met in the semis, with the Argentines managing a 24-19 win to advance. A taut final saw the Kiwis pull out a 19-17 victory and take their fourth win in the last five tournaments. Fiji won the bronze-medal match, 24-19, against Samoa.

After nine of 11 stops, the seasonal standings show New Zealand still in front with 164 points, to 140 for Argentina, 130 for Fiji and 122 for France. The U.S. sits eighth at 94.

● Sailing ● The 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta drew 1,300 sailors from 67 nations for Olympic Class competitions off Palma de Majorca, with some familiar stars atop the podium once again.

Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, Olympic winners in Rio and Tokyo, won the 49erFX class with 61 net points (three wins), over two-time World Champion Odile van Aanholt and three-time World Champion Annette Duetz (both NED: 76); Americans Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea finished fifth (89).

Dutch star Marit Bouwmeester – four-time World Champion – won the Laser Radial class with 60 points and two wins, well ahead of Zoe Thomson (AUS: 87) and Maxime Jonker (NED: 90).

In the new mixed 470 class, Japan’s 2018 women’s Worlds winner Miho Yoshioka (JPN) teamed with Keiju Okada to win a tight battle, 56-63-66 against Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenreith (GER) and Spain’s Tokyo Olympic men’s bronze medalist Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman Cabot. Americans Stuart McNay and Lara Dallman-Weiss finished eighth (100).

Two-time World Champions John Gimson and Anna Burnet won the mixed Nacra 17 class, with three wins and 43 points, just ahead of Italy’s Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari Diotallevi (47) and Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei (ITA: 61). The third Italian entry, Tokyo Olympic champs Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, finished fourth (76).

Britain’s Michael Bennett scored an impressive win in the Laser Class, with seven top-three finishes and just 44 net points, over George Gautrey (NZL: 72) and Croatia’s two-time Olympic silver medalist Tonci Stipanovic (73). Two-time World Champion Pavlo Kontides (CYP) also finished with 73 points, but was placed fourth due to being behind Stipanovic in the medal race.

New Zealand went 1-3 in the men’s 49er class, with Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn winning with 67 points, beating out 2016 Rio gold medalist Tom Burton, now sailing with Max Paul (AUS: 76), and Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie (NZL: 79).

Singapore’s 16-year-old Maximilian Maeder was the winner of the men’s Formula Kite event with just 19 points, over Connor Bainbridge (GBR: 33) and Axel Mazella (FRA: 38); France’s former World Champion, Max Nocher, also scored 38, but was placed fourth. Lauriane Nolot (FRA) won the women’s Kite (24), with Ellie Aldridge (GBR: 33) second; American Daniela Moroz, the 2018 World Champion, was fourth (37).

Sam Sills (GBR) won the men’s IQ Foil races with 32 points, beating Sebastian Koerdel (GER: 37) and Israel’s Tom Reuveny (70). Britain’s Emma Wilson took the women’s IQ Foil (54), well ahead of Lucie Belbeoch (FRA: 91).

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: New poll shows only 38% favor Sapporo Winter bid; Salnikov doubts Russian entry in swimming Worlds; 29 Paris 2024 “test” events

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. New Sapporo poll shows 38% in favor of Winter Games
2. Salnikov says Russians will not compete at aquatics Worlds
3. Fencing federation has asked for Russian club affiliations
4. UEFA continues to allow Belarus to compete
5. Paris test-event program revealed for 24 of 32 sports

The Asahi Shimbun’s poll of Sapporo residents from 1-2 April showed only 38% in favor of a bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games and 47% opposed. Sunday’s mayoral election could decide whether the bids moves forward at all. Russian Swimming Federation chief Vladimir Salnikov said that even if World Aquatics re-admits its swimmers as neutrals in July, it will be too late for them to compete at the World Championships beginning on 14 July in Fukuoka, Japan. The head of the Russian Fencing Federation said the International Fencing Federation has asked for the club affiliations of its athletes in advance of determining whether they are “neutral” with regard to their military and national-security agency status. A key advisor to Russian President Putin said no Russian athlete will compete if a “receipt” must be signed. UEFA said it would review again later its current stance, allowing the Belarusian men’s team to compete in the qualifiers for the 2024 European Championship; Russia is banned, but Belarus is now 0-2 in Group I, losing to the Swiss and Romania so far. The Paris 2024 organizers announced a complex, tri-level “testing” program of 12 months and 29 events, some of which will be staged by the organizing committee, some done by others with some Paris 2024 elements included and others which will be limited, closed-door programs to evaluate specific operational concepts.

● World Championship: Ice Hockey ●
● Panorama: Paris 2024 (national government buying 400,000 tickets) = Transgender (U.S. Education Dept. proposing Title IX modification to prevent blanket ban) = Boxing (104 nations enter IBA men’s Worlds) = Gymnastics (FIG head Watanabe visits Ukraine, wants Russian re-entry) = Swimming (Court of Arbitration upholds World Aquatics power on Stabilization Committee for Mexico). ●

1.
New Sapporo poll shows 38% in favor of Winter Games

A new poll by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in Sapporo showed that only 38% of respondents are in favor of having the 2030 Olympic Winter Games there, with 47% opposed and 15% in neither camp.

The poll comes just days before a municipal election with incumbent mayor – and heavy bid supporter – Katsuhiro Akimoto – trying for a third term, and facing two candidates – Kauro Takano and Hideo Kibata – who would like to see the Sapporo Winter Games bid ended.

The survey, made during 1-2 April, included 784 respondents selected by computer who answered a landline call. Some 56% of the respondents said that the Winter Olympics bid issue would factor into their decision on the mayoral campaign; 33% said it would not.

Perhaps most impressive was that 79% were in favor of a referendum on the issue of whether Sapporo should pursue a second Olympic Winter Games. It hosted in 1972.

The 2030 Winter Games situation has become exceedingly fluid in recent months. Sapporo appeared to be the front-runner, but continuing reports of scandals on sponsorship selection and the rigging of bids for test events and venue management contracts for the Tokyo Olympic Games have soured public opinion.

Salt Lake City’s bid has been uniformly praised and is highly popular in Utah, but the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee would prefer 2034 to give it more breathing space following the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Vancouver’s bid has been stilled by the lack of support from the Province of British Columbia, which also means that federation support will not be available.

Into this mess have come inquiries to the International Olympic Committee from Sweden (apparently for Stockholm) and Switzerland. The outcome of Sunday’s election could end Sapporo’s bid altogether, or give it new life.

2.
Salnikov says Russians will not compete at aquatics Worlds

The head of the Russian Swimming Federation, four-time Olympic gold medalist and former world-record holder Vladimir Salnikov, said that even if World Aquatics were to decide to re-admit Russians as “neutral athletes,” they will not compete at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan in July.

In the first place, he objects to the recommended conditions set out by the International Olympic Committee:

“I consider the conditions set unacceptable. There are certain expectations that the situation may change, so we will monitor the situation. Our plans include organizing our own competitions, so that athletes will not be left without starts. We will do our best to ensure that they are bright and interesting.”

As for the World Championships:

“The International Federation has extended the restrictions imposed last year on the participation of our athletes in its events.

“The issue of the possibility of returning our athletes to the international arena will be considered by a special commission, which will provide its proposals closer to July, which makes it unrealistic for us to participate in the upcoming World Championships even if a positive decision is made on the issue of admission.”

Russia competed in the 2019 Worlds in South Korea, and won 30 medals – third overall – with 16 in swimming (3-7-6), four in diving (0-3-1), nine in artistic swimming (9-0-0) and one in open water (0-1-0). It was barred from the 2022 Worlds due to the invasion of Ukraine.

3.
Fencing federation has asked for Russian club affiliations

On 10 March, the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE) voted to re-admit Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations. One of those was:

“Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.”

This has raised questions within Russian sport about athletes competing for the famed CSKA or Dynamo sports clubs, which have long associations with military or law enforcement. On Thursday, Russian Fencing Federation President Ilgar Mammadov told the TASS news agency:

“We received a response from the International Fencing Federation to a letter dated April 3. The FIE committee advised that we must send an updated list of 110-120 of our athletes, coaches and referees with club and agency affiliations in order to comply with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee.

“We will write as it is – CSKA, Dynamo – then the [review] committee of the International Fencing Federation will pass the information on to the executive committee of the organization. We hope that everything will go quickly, since the Grand Prix in saber fencing in Seoul is ahead of us, in two weeks.”

A first test of how the CSKA and Dynamo affiliations will be judged, although each of the International Federations can decide how they want to handle this issue on their own.

There are some Russian officials who are projecting that the IOC’s recommendations as written will keep its team out of competitions. Igor Levitin, the former President of the European Table Tennis Union and a long-time advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin told TASS:

“We definitely won’t go if they demand receipts from our athletes. This is a violation of human rights and is not written in any document. They did not take the signatures of the athletes of those countries that bombed Iran, Iraq.”

“Which international federations are the most problematic for us? I think it’s athletics. Because, in fact, it’s, let’s say, half a team. On the other hand, there are no team competitions in athletics. We hope that individual athletes will be selected.”

Asked when Russian athletes might be re-admitted to competitions, World Athletics Sebastian Coe (GBR) said when they “get out of Ukraine.”

4.
UEFA continues to allow Belarus to compete

The European Football Union (UEFA) has an unusual policy in that it has banned Russian participation, but allows Belarus to compete, but with no home games – all held at neutral sites – and without spectators.

On Wednesday, newly re-elected UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin (SLO) was asked about the status of Belarus in view of calls to treat it the same way that Russia is:

“I said the matter would be discussed and I also said that only the executive committee could make a decision and nobody else.

“We had a discussion, we have taken away the organisation of the Women’s Under-19 European Championship [in 2025].

“For the rest we will study the situation and we will see what we decide at the next executive committee meeting on June 28.”

Belarus is competing, so far, in the qualifying process for the 2024 European Championships. Assigned to Group I, it lost to Switzerland (5-0) on 25 March (in Serbia), and at Romania (2-1) on 28 March. Its next matches are scheduled for 16 June vs. Israel at a neutral site, and 19 June vs. Kosovo, also at a neutral site.

5.
Paris test-event program revealed for 24 of 32 sports

The Paris 2024 organizers unveiled a complex, three-tier “testing program” of events in 2023 and 2024. The announced purposes:

“While not intended to be an exact replica of the Games competitions, the tests are designed to ensure that Paris 2024 and all stakeholders involved in organising the Games are ready by summer 2024, when the eyes of the world will be fixed on France. They will enable the organisers to identify and carry out any modifications that may be necessary to make sure the Games run as smoothly as possible.”

Instead of organizing new events for each sport as a full-on rehearsal, three different types of events will be used:

● Competitions developed and staged by the Paris 2024 organizing committee.

● Events staged by others, such as local promoters, national federations or the International Federations, at which Paris 2024 can execute specific functions.

● Operational tests, without spectators and a small number of participants, to test specific elements of a venue or a system to be used.

The preliminary listing shows events planned in 24 of the 32 sports on the program:

In 2023:

● By Paris 2024 (3 sports): cycling (mountain bike), sailing, triathlon

● By others (6): aquatics (open water), archery, canoeing (slalom and sprint), golf, rowing, surfing

● Operating tests (10+): basketball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, handball, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling and the Place de la Concorde (site for basketball/3×3, breaking, cycling/BMX and skateboarding)

In 2024:

● By Paris 2024 (1): hockey.

● By others (2): aquatics (artistic swimming, diving, water polo).

● Operating tests (6): aquatics (swimming, water polo), athletics, cycling (BMX), gymnastics (rhythmic), modern pentathlon.

This is 29 events in all, across a roughly 12-month period. It does not include – yet – test events for badminton, football, rugby, shooing, volleyball or weightlifting, and none for artistic or trampoline gymnastics. It’s not clear whether the 2023 Place de la Concorde “venue test” will do for breaking and skateboarding, either.

There’s no doubt that having the organizing committee actually stage only four events will be a substantial money-saver, a key consideration for Paris 2024 and the IOC given the continuing pressure on European economies. But it simply transfers the burden of preparation to the Paris 2024 training program and the sport and functional-department managers who will have to get their projects ready without a full dress rehearsal.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Ice Hockey ● The 2023 IIHF women’s World Championship is underway in Brampton, Canada, with two-time defending champion Canada opening with a 4-0 shutout of Switzerland and the U.S. spanking Japan, 7-1, in Group A.

Round-robin play will continue through the 11th, moving to playoffs on the 13th and the championship match on the 16th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French newspaper Le Monde reported that the French government is finalizing a plan to distribute up to 100,000 Olympic and 300,000 Paralympic tickets to young people (60,000 Olympic, 200,000 Paralympic) and sports volunteers in the country (100,000).

The national government expects to spend €11 million on the tickets (about $12.01 million U.S. today).

Most of the sports volunteer tickets will be distributed through national sports federations. Another 17,400 tickets will be provided to individuals with disabilities and their attendants; about 24,000 will go to nurses, police and administrators, “to reward all those who contribute to the organization and success of this event.”

Another 600,000 tickets for both the Olympics and Paralympic combined are expected to be purchased or received by local governments. The story noted figures for the City of Paris (50,000 tickets), the Sainte-Saint-Denis region (40,000: cost €1 million), the Ile-de-France region (50,000): cost €3.5 million and the Plaine Commune region (55,000).

● Transgender ● The U.S. Department of Education announced that it is proposing modifications to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that would allow regulation, but not prohibition of transgender participation on sports teams:

“The proposed rule would establish that policies violate Title IX when they categorically ban transgender students from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity just because of who they are. The proposed rule also recognizes that in some instances, particularly in competitive high school and college athletic environments, some schools may adopt policies that limit transgender students’ participation. The proposed rule would provide schools with a framework for developing eligibility criteria that protects students from being denied equal athletic opportunity, while giving schools the flexibility to develop their own participation policies.”

The commentary also noted:

“[T]he Department expects that, under its proposed regulation, elementary school students would generally be able to participate on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity where considerations may be different for competitive high school and college teams.”

Multiple U.S. states have passed legislation banning transgender athletes from participation in divisions other than of their sex as birth. If adopted, this new rule is sure to be tested in courts at multiple levels.

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association announced that 640 boxers from 104 countries have entered its men’s World Championships in Tashkent (UZB) from 30 April-14 May.

Multiple federations, including the U.S., are not competing in protest against the IBA’s policies and practices concerning Russian and Belarusian participation, finance and governance. The IBA lists 204 member federations; 65 federations entered the just-completed women’s Worlds in India.

● Gymnastics ● Federation International de Gymnastique (FIG) President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) left no doubt of his position on Russian and Belarusian re-entry – to be considered by the federation on 12-13 May – during a trip to Ukraine for the funeral of friend and rhythmic gymnastics coach Albina Deriugina. He also met with Ukrainian political and sports officials and stated:

“I understand and support Ukraine’s position on the political side. But sport is independent of politics. Sport must seek peace even when governments and soldiers are at war. That is the mission given to sports.

“President Zelensky protects the Ukrainian people like family. I am protecting all gymnasts in the world like family. That’s why I support Ukrainian gymnasts and why I defend the right of Russian and Belarusian gymnasts who are not involved in the war to participate in competitions.”

● Swimming ● World Aquatics posted a statement saying that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had upheld its authority to create a Stabilization Committee to try to cure governance issues at the Mexican Swimming Federation. World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki said:

“This is an extremely important judgement by CAS, as it clearly confirms the ability of the World Aquatics Bureau to install a Stabilization Committee when such action is required. In the case of the Mexican Swimming Federation, the CAS rightly confirmed that the action taken by the World Aquatics Bureau to protect Mexican athletes, clubs, and officials was justified given the repeated and blatant failures of the federation and its leadership.”

In view of the decision, World Aquatics suspended the former Mexican federation president, Kiril Todorov and the Aquatics Integrity Unit has opened a “disciplinary procedure.”

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TSX REPORT: Third fencing World Cup canceled over Russian re-entry; aquatics to study Russia question; a Kenyan criminal doping ring?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Third fencing World Cup canceled, as Poland exits
2. World Aquatics to study Russian & Belarusian re-entry
3. IOC’s Bach says “sport has the power to foster peace”
4. AIU concerned over criminal doping ring in Kenya
5. Paris 2024 “Team USA House” to be available to fans

The Polish Fencing Federation became the third national federation to cancel an International Fencing Federation World Cup over the re-entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, criticizing the “poorly controlled manner” in which such athletes will be able to enter. World Aquatics announced that a review committee will be formed to study possible Russian and Belarusian re-entry, with a decision not before July, when the World Aquatics Championships will be held in Japan. It is possible that some Russian and Belarusian swimmers could take part in the 2023 Worlds. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach released a short video in advance of Thursday’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, saying that sport is a low-cost, effective way to promote understanding apart from politics. The Athletics Integrity Unit sounded the alarm that a controlled, criminal program of doping is in play in Kenya and that a task force will be formed to root it out. A panel which imposed an eight-year sanctions on distance runner Eglay Nafuna Nalyanya noticed the similarities of method, people and place to another sanctions case from January. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced that the “Team USA House” in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games will be at the ornate, neoclassical Palais Brongniat in the city center area and will be able to be accessed by fans – for the first time – who are part of official hospitality and travel packages.

● World Championship: Curling ●
● Panorama: Olympic Games 2024 (NBC says ‘24 ad sales going well) = Olympic Games 2036 (some Berlin politicians want 2036 Games) = Athletics (3: Lima cannot host 2024 World Juniors; Crouser irritated by measurement controversy; Bol’s lawyer wants doping inquiry dropped) = Equestrian (Russian and Belarusian ban maintained) = Football (2: Cerefin wins UEFA re-election; Ukraine still in Portugal-Spain-Morocco bid for 2030 World Cup) = Swimming (Swim England “Open” division may be confusing) ●

1.
Third fencing World Cup canceled, as Poland exits

The Federation Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) decided on 10 March via an online Congress to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition as neutral athletes beginning on 16 April, in line with whatever the International Olympic Committee came up with at its Executive Board meeting at the end of March.

Amazingly, no public announcement of the Congress, or the votes taken there has been made. But everybody knows.

The response so far has been three canceled World Cup events. The first was by the German Fencing Federation, which “returned” the 5-7 May women’s Foil event to be held in Tauberbischofsheim.

Next, the French Fencing Federation canceled the 19-21 May men’s Epee World Cup in St. Maur.

On Wednesday, the Polish Fencing Federation (“PZS”) joined in:

“The Polish Federation informs that due to the change by the Board of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) of the rules of qualifying for the [21-23 April] Women’s Foil World Cup in Poznan, for competitors and support staff holding Russian and Belarusian passports, the Board of PZS is forced to cancel this competition. …

“Introduced by the FIE on 4 April 2023, the procedure means that Ukrainian fencers will not participate in the competitions qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and on the other hand, there is a risk that a large number of competitors with Russian and Belarusian passports will be admitted in a poorly controlled manner.

“The Polish Fencing Association supports the Ukrainian Fencing Federation in its efforts to remove from the competitions and the world fencing environment people who support the brutal war in Ukraine and support the regime of Vladimir Putin, which is why, as the organizer of the World Cup in Poznan, we could not accept such a situation.”

The 2022-23 FIE World Cup season is heading toward the close, with post-15 April tournaments that could include Russian and Belarusian entries scheduled for Korea, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Georgia, China and UAE.

2.
World Aquatics to study Russian & Belarusian re-entry

“The World Aquatics Bureau supports the statement made by the IOC Executive Board on 28 March 2023 and has approved a task force to explore a potential pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be invited to compete at future international aquatics events.”

Wednesday’s announcement also included:

“The task force, made up of athletes and representatives from across the aquatics community and chaired by Maureen Croes, the President of PanAm Aquatics, will begin work immediately on developing a recommendation to the World Aquatics Bureau.

“The World Aquatics Bureau notes that the task force will need to take time to come to its conclusions, and will report back at the next Bureau meeting in July 2023.”

The timing is crucial, since the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in swimming, open water, diving, artistic swimming, water polo and high diving, will be held in Fukuoka (JPN) from 14-30 July. With the swimming racing not starting until 22 July, a World Aquatics decision to allow Russian and Belarusian entries prior to the start of the Fukuoka meet could allow these countries to send swimmers to compete there.

Or the decision could be to allow Russian and Belarusian entries after the Worlds, when less attention will be paid to them. The three-meet Swimming World Cup will be held in October, in Germany, Greece and Hungary.

Observed: The politics of this decision will be fascinating, especially since World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam of Kuwait is also the Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia.

The OCA is the group which first offered to admit Russian and Belarusian participation, during last December’s Olympic Summit in Lausanne. That action has been a catalyst for the IOC to get to its current position of allowing Russian and Belarusian participation as neutrals, and Al-Musallam has been noted as a proponent of Russian and Belarusian re-entry under a neutral status.

3.
IOC’s Bach says “sport has the power to foster peace”

In a short video marking Thursday as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach doubled down on his message of the importance of sport:

“Sport brings people together in peaceful competition. Like few other things, sport has the power to foster peace and understanding with our fellow human beings.

“At the Olympic Games, the athletes set aside all the differences that divide the world. They compete fiercely against each other, while living peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. This makes the Olympic Games such a powerful symbol of peace. …

“This is where sport can make a positive impact. Sport is the low-cost, high-impact tool to support all countries – big or small, rich or poor – to build together a more peaceful, healthier, more equal and more sustainable world for everyone – 365 days a year. …

“This is the contribution to peace that sport can offer: opening a pathway to foster understanding between people and nations. Sport can open the door to peace in ways that exclusion and division do not.”

Interestingly, Bach’s comments on video and on the accompanying transcript included:

“With wars, division, confrontation and human suffering on the rise around the world, we need the unifying power of sport as a force for good more urgently than ever.”

But in the IOC news release, a different quote – not in the video – was used that doubled down on the IOC’s position that Ukrainians should not mind that Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete against them at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:

“Due to the fact that there are unfortunately far too many wars, armed conflicts and crises in this world, we have seen in almost all editions of the Games athletes compete with each other – as a symbol of peace – despite the fact that their nations are at war or in conflict.”

Whose idea was that?

4.
AIU concerned over criminal doping ring in Kenya

“It seems that elite Kenyan athletes are being assisted by a person or persons, including someone with considerable medical knowledge, to commit what amounts to criminal conduct involving frauds on the AIU, and that this is not limited to a single case but evidences a pattern of behaviour. We regard this conduct as a matter of the greatest possible concern and urge the AIU to take all possible steps to establish how this is occurring.”

Announced in a 4 April 2023 news release, the Athletics Integrity Unit is sounding the alarm after a disciplinary tribunal saw parallels in two recent doping cases. A new, eight-year sanction was handed down against distance runner Eglay Nafuna Nalyanya (4:05.68 at 1,500 m) for steroid use in 2022 and tampering with the doping-control system and runner Betty Lempus, who was sanctioned for doping in January:

“Nalyanya and Lempus told the AIU they received intramuscular injections while being treated at the same Kenyan hospital and produced falsified medical documents to support their respective claims. In both instances, AIU investigations – in collaboration with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) – discovered the documents were false; that the doctors listed were fictitious; and that neither athlete had received the respective injection though both women had attended the hospital on the respective days in question. In Nalyanya’s case, a hospital official testified the hospital has never stocked the medication (sustanon) which Nalyanya said she received.

“The Disciplinary Tribunal pointed out that comparisons of the falsified documents in the two cases showed distinctive likenesses.”

AIU Chair David Howman (NZL) said immediate steps are being taken:

“It is clear doping in Kenya is increasingly well organised and these cases underline the reality that medically-experienced personnel are involved. This is a serious threat to our sport. The AIU has been asked to work with the Kenyan Government, Athletics Kenya and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya to attack this crisis. We have set up a Steering Committee to lead this special project and determine how best to use this funding, and the AIU’s expert advice will be utilised across various strategic areas, including testing, investigations and intelligence, and education outreach.”

Organized doping efforts are hardly new, but Kenya’s situation is especially grave, with 67 people listed on the AIU’s 1 April “Global List of Ineligible Persons.”

5.
Paris 2024 “Team USA House” to be available to fans

Introduced at Olympic Games in the later part of the 20th Century, most of the larger National Olympic Committee have a “team house,” which has been a gathering place for athletes, officials, sponsors, news media and guests. Mostly wiped out by the Covid pandemic, the concept is returning in a big way for Paris in 2024, with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announces its location for 2024 on Wednesday.

The ornate, neoclassical Palais Brongniat, in the middle of Paris, originally completed in 1826 and then expanded in 1905 was, for many years, the Paris Bourse, or main stock exchange building. Today it’s a convention and meetings space and will house the “Team USA House” for Paris.

Up until now, the “USA House” – like most NOC facilities – was only accessible by invitation, but the USOPC is opening it to the public for 2024 … for a price. It’s included in a variety of travel packages offered by the official hospitality provider, On Location:

● 3-night Short Stays, from €4,140 to €7,145 per person, depending on the dates and events selected (about $4,515 to $7,791 U.S. today).

● 4-night Long Stays, from €11,660 to €15,230 per person, depending on dates and events (about $12,715 to $16,608 U.S.).

● 5- or 6-night Long Stays, from €15,650 to €19,445 per person, depending on dates and events (about $17,066 to $21,204 today).

Single-day packages are also available, tied in with tickets to specific events.

Typical programs include current and Olympic alumni athlete appearances, sponsor programs, food and drink and spaces to watch the Games on multiple, large screens.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Curling ● The WCF men’s World Championship is ongoing in Ottawa (CAN) with about two-thirds of the round-robin completed among the 13 teams. The top six will advance to the playoffs, to begin on Saturday.

So far, the top teams have been Switzerland (7-1; skipped by Yannick Schwaller), Norway (7-1; Magnus Ramsfjell) and Sweden (6-1), with six-time World Champion Niklas Edin back to try to win a fifth straight Worlds.

Canada (2017 World Champion Brad Gushue) and Scotland (Beijing 2022 silver winner Bruce Mouat) are at 5-2, with Italy (2022 Worlds bronze medalist Joel Retornaz) and Japan (Riku Yanagisawa) both at 5-3. The U.S., with 2018 Olympic champ John Shuster’s rink, is 3-5 so far, sitting eighth.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● NBC reported that its advertising sales for the 2024 Paris Games are going well and ahead of the pace of sales for the 2020 Tokyo Games.

It also noted Brand Asset Valuator research that showed advertisers for the Games received a 117% increase in fan association of attributes such as “authentic,” “daring,” “distinct,” “fun,” “high-performing,” “prestigious” and “social.”

Brands, on average, also saw substantial “equity” increases among viewers, such as purchase consideration (+6%), preference (+7%), pricing power (+40%) and loyalty (+40%).

● Olympic Games 2036 ● The unthinkable idea of a 2036 Olympic Games in Berlin on the centennial of the Nazi-themed Games of 1936 is being discussed by the Senate of the Federal State of Berlin in Germany.

The German Bild newspaper reported interest from some Berlin politicians; a statement from one party noted, “We consider this a great opportunity for Berlin, we want to take advantage of it. After the Games, renovated and modernized sports facilities would be available for different sports in Berlin.”

The German National Olympic Committee (DOSB) is studying the possibilities for Olympic or Winter Games in Germany, but has committed to nothing yet.

● Athletics ● Two days after Peru was removed as host of the 2023 FIFA men’s U-17 World Cup, World Athletics announced that Lima (PER) would not be hosting the 2024 World U-20 Championships, slated for 26-31 August 2024:

“The Peruvian Athletics Federation has informed World Athletics that recent political instability and social unrest, as well as natural disasters in Peru, have left the federation and the local organising committee unable to stage the event next year.”

World Athletics noted that it is “in discussion” with another host for 2024.

Shot put world-record holder Ryan Crouser of the U.S. indicated some frustration with reports that his 23.38 m (76-8 1/2) world-record throw in Pocatello, Idaho on 18 February may not be ratified.

French coach P.J. Vazel tweeted last Saturday: “No @WorldAthletics for @RCrouserThrows as his 23.38 in Pocatello won’t be ratified, from the videos it appears that the ring was probably above the sector exceeding the rule allowance.”

Crouser wrote on his Instagram page:

● “I’m confused by this ruling. The ring was a 3/4″ plywood on turf with rubber matting around but not under it. The rule is 1:1000 for a level field, meaning 1m drop at 1,000 m or less is legal. 3/4 inch = 1.9 cm = 0.019m elevation of the ring following the 1:1000 rule gives 19m. So a throw under 19m would not count but 23m > 19m so there is less than 1:1000 elevation change, so legal under the [World Athletics] rules.”

● “This isn’t a new issue, it’s the reason we have to put mats down to throw off a double plywood ring because then it is a 1.5 [inch] elevated ring and breaks the 1:1000 rule. So I really don’t understand were this ruling is coming from.”

Officially, World Athletics has said nothing.

Commonwealth Games runner-up Peter Bol of Australia (1:44.00 best in 2022) tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) in January, but the test of his second sample came up negative. His attorney, Paul Greene, had samples tested at two independent labs, both with negative results, and has slammed Sport Integrity Australia in a television interview:

“They had no idea what they were doing. And the worst part of it now is, one, it was announced first of all which never should have been, I begged them not to announce it.

‘Two, now they just … obviously are wrong, they are refusing to drop this sham investigation. … They just need to say ‘we have no evidence, we have no evidence, we messed this up, this was a mistake’.”

Bol’s January suspension was lifted with the clean result of the second test, but the inquiry has not been concluded.

● Equestrian ● The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) confirmed a continued ban on Russian and Belarusian participation in a 4 April teleconference of the FEI Board.

Per FEI President Ingmar De Vos (BEL):

“While the IOC has not taken any decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarussian [sic] Athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it is the view of the FEI Board that at this stage neutrality cannot be defined and evaluated in a sufficiently satisfactory way.

“The Board agreed that the FEI does not have the necessary tools to evaluate in a fair and objective manner the conditions of participation for individual neutral athletes and support personnel as stipulated in the recommendations put forward by the IOC.”

It will be instructive to see which, if any, other federations agree with this viewpoint.

● Football ● Aleksander Ceferin (SLO) ran unopposed and was re-elected as President of the European football association UEFA, telling the delegates to the UEFA Congress in Lisbon (POR) to watch out for further encroachments on national club leagues, from FIFA and others:

“We’re faced with galloping globalisation and everything that implies. Benefits and risks as well. We shouldn’t forget that. There have been temptations, and even attempts, to create new models, but they conflict with the European model that we cherish so dearly.

“Our model is based on sporting merit. Where we come from, merit has no price. Merit can’t be claimed, and merit can’t be acquired. It can only be earned. Season by season. On and off the pitch. There’s no room for cartels on this continent.

“Domestic leagues must remain the foundation of football. They are the bedrock of our model.”

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa told the UEFA Congress that the joint bid for the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Morocco continues to include Ukraine: “We have ambitions, together with Spain, Morocco and Ukraine, to organize the 2030 World Cup in a unique bid that will link the two shores of the Mediterranean.”

● Swimming ● Further to our Tuesday note that Swim England has adopted an “Open” category for all competitors except those born as females, Olympic super-statistician Dr. Bill Mallon notes that this could lead to some confusion among other sports.

He explained that the authoritative Olympedia.org site – he’s a co-founder – and the IOC both recognize four competition categories now: men, women, mixed and open:

“Mixed is where men and women compete together – by mandate – pairs figure skating, mixed relays, mixed shooting team events, etc. Open is where men and women may compete together but it is not mandated. The only events at the Olympics that have this anymore are the equestrian events, although shooting and sailing used to be Open Class.

“So Swim England calling it an Open Class could cause some problems with semantics – perhaps they’ll need to change it.”

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: Bach and the IOC will not budge on Russia now, but that does not mean they will be in Paris in 2024

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

The International Olympic Committee and its President, former German gold-medal-winning fencer Thomas Bach, have decided – after some debate – to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete once again in international competitions, as “neutral athletes.”

Actually, the IOC can only recommend a policy stance to the International Federations, who it acknowledges have the “sole authority” to decide who competes and who does not. On Tuesday, United World Wrestling announced that it “unanimously favored the return of wrestlers to competition from Russia and Belarus under the conditions of participation set forth by the IOC.” Russian and Belarusian wrestlers in U-15 and U-17 competitions can return (as neutrals) immediately; in the senior division, an “independent panel” will be formed to figure out if the proposed wrestlers are sufficiently separated from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to be allowed to compete.

World Taekwondo adopted the same terms on Monday, joining the FIE, which voted to allow fencers to return after 15 April. The federations for cycling, judo and tennis already allowed Russians and Belarusians as neutrals. More will follow, as most Olympic-sport federations depend on the IOC for financial survival, so its recommendation is more like an instruction.

The IOC has been roundly criticized for its revised stance, not least by the athletes, federations, National Olympic Committee and government of Ukraine, continuing to fight against a Russian conquest of their country. But do not expect any change – whatsoever – in the position of the IOC, or Bach. Yet.

As he told reporters during a news conference on 4 March of 2020, after being asked repeatedly about the possible cancellation or postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games due to the spread of Covid-19, he said neither had been discussed, and

“I can assure you I will not get tired and to repeat the statement I made: the IOC is fully committed and we are not participating in any kind of speculation.”

Of course, the Tokyo Games was postponed, 20 days later.

That’s instructive when considering the ultimate decision on whether Russian or Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at the Paris 2024 Games. Bach specifically said that no decision on Paris has been made and will not be made until closer to the time of the Games, likely in 2024 itself.

To validate its stance, the IOC – and Bach – have relied heavily on references to exceedingly weak “authorities”: two volunteer Special Rapporteurs selected by the undistinguished United Nations Human Rights Council and now on a declaration that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has to be seen in context:

“The 70 other ongoing armed conflicts and wars around the world (source: Crisis Group, CrisisWatch Database) were also considered, including the situations in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and the southern Caucasus. It was noted that NOCs in the regions impacted by these armed conflicts and wars are following the principles of the Olympic Charter. They are not requesting the exclusion of athletes from the other party in the armed conflict or war, and they are allowing their athletes to compete in international sporting competitions without restrictions.”

Both underscore the IOC’s position as not just weak, but depressingly empty.

The position of the Special Rapporteurs was disassembled by German law professor Patricia Wiater, Chair for Public Law, Public International Law and Human Rights at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Engaged by the German National Olympic Committee to evaluate the Rapporteur reports, she filed a 24-page response, summarized in English in a blog post for the European Journal of International Law.

She noted, in direct contravention to the U.N. Special Rapporteur letter on which the IOC places all its weight:

● “[T]he right not to be treated differently on the basis of nationality is not absolute. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is the competent UN body to decide on matters of racial discrimination, stated in General recommendation XXX as well as in General recommendation No. 32 that there can be an ‘objective and reasonable justification’ for a differential treatment based on nationality.”

● “[D]uring an ongoing war of aggression, an important legitimate aim is to protect the human rights of the most vulnerable group of athletes, that is, the human rights of Ukrainian athletes. This concerns their human right to mental health, the protection of their dignity, as well as their own right to undisturbed participation in sports as an expression of cultural life, and their right to work in international competitions with Russian and Belarussian participation.

“The president of the Russian National Olympic Committee, Stanislav Posdnyakov, was quoted saying that it would be an honour for every Russian athlete if he or she could contribute to the success of the war. This shows a close connection between sports and war propaganda. To uphold the Olympic postulate of peace that guides international sports (Fundamental Principle 2 of Olympism), the second legitimate aim is to prevent international sporting events from being (ab-)used for the purpose of Russian war propaganda.”

● “The IOC’s approach does not address the problematic issue of war propaganda. How can the IOC and IFs prevent that the victories of neutral athletes of Russian nationality are abused for propaganda and contribute to the escalation of the war? How do Ukrainian athletes feel about the proposed concept of neutrality? How did they feel in sports events in which Russian athletes have already participated? Does the confrontation with Russian athletes have a “chilling effect” on the exercise of their own human rights?

“There are many more open questions about the practicability of the IOC’s concept of neutrality. As long as the IOC and IFs cannot provide satisfactory answers to these pressing questions, everything argues for upholding the exclusion.”

As to the CrisisWatch listing of “ongoing armed conflicts and wars,” an actual review of the February 2023 Global Review cited by the IOC shows nothing of the sort. Not even close.

The February CrisisWatch post has 72 entries; here’s a complete list by continent with condensed versions of what it actually reports:

● Africa (24 entries re 24 countries):
Benin (jihadist insurgency), Burkina Faso (jihadist insurgency), Burundi (rights report published), Cameroon (jihadist and separatist insurgencies), Central African Republic (insurgent attacks), Chad (rebel trials began), Cote d’Ivoire (jihadist insurgency), Dem. Rep. of the Congo (jihadist and rebel insurgencies), Eritrea (no interference in Ethiopia), Ethiopia (Tigray peace talks continue), Guinea (opposition protests), Kenya (terrorist threats along borders), Mali (U.N. mission chief expelled; insurgent attacks), Mozambique (insurgent attacks), Niger (coup plotters sentenced; jihadist attacks), Nigeria (vigilante and insurgent attacks), Rwanda (border incident with Congo), Somalia (jihadist insurgency), Somaliland (insurgent attacks), South Sudan (insurgent attacks), Sudan (insurgent peace negotiations stalled), Togo (jihadist attacks), Uganda (corruption allegations), Zimbabwe (political violence).

● Americas (7 entries re 7 nations):
Colombia (peace talks with insurgents), El Salvador (gang violence, human rights issues), Haiti (gang violence, insurgencies), Honduras (Supreme Court judges elected), Mexico (criminal violence high), Nicaragua (political prisoners expelled), Venezuela (elections scheduled).

● Asia (15 entries re 13 countries):
Afghanistan (Taliban vs. Islamic State violence), Bangladesh (political clashes, refugee camp violence), China (Japan meetings), India 1 (China talks on borders, insurgent attacks), India 2 (Kashmir attacks “at low ebb”), Indonesia (rebels captured New Zealand pilot), North Korea (fires warning missiles), Myanmar (martial law, insurgent violence), Nepal (coalition government collapsed), Pakistan (Taliban and Baloch insurgent attacks), Philippines 1 (insurgent attacks), Philippines 2 (U.S. and Japan assistance, tension with China), Sri Lanka (political protests), Taiwan (China military presence), Thailand (separatist violence).

● Europe & Central Asia (14 entries re 13 countries):
Armenia (peace talks with Azerbaijan), Azerbaijan (peace talks with Armenia), Belarus (warns Ukraine, dissent repression), Cyprus (new president elected), Georgia (talks postponed on pro-Russian breakaway regions), Kosovo (improving talks with Serbia), Kyrgyzstan (activists detained), Moldova (new government formed, Russian threats on Transnistria), Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (Azerbaijan and Armenia debating blocked corridor), Russia (more sanctions from West), Tajikistan (Islamic State recruiter sentenced), Turkey (insurgent ceasefire, fighting in Iraq and Syria), Ukraine (continuing Russian invasion), Uzbekistan (trials of insurgents).

● Middle East and North Africa (12 entries re 13 countries):
Algeria (insurgency activist now in France), Egypt (fragile economy, jihadist activity in Sinai low), Iran (nuclear standoff continued), Iraq (Turks striking Kurds in north; also anti-jihadist operations), Israel and Palestine (West Bank raids by Israel), Lebanon (economic crisis), Libya (political deadlock), Saudi Arabia (regional cooperation meetings held), Syria (continued insurgent and jihadist violence amid earthquake damage), Tunisia (riots, violence vs. migrants), Western Sahara (Algeria and Morocco still in dispute over area), Yemen (Houthi-Saudi negotiations continue, with sporadic government-Houthi clashes).

Among these 72 entries are only 36 situations of actual violence (50%), of which all but six are insurgent or jihadist attacks over internal control (30 of 36 or 83%). The other six include a modest cross-border incident between Rwanda and Congo and four Middle East conflicts noted in specific areas: (1) Turkish fighting with the Kurds in northern Iraq, (2) the continuing Israel-Palestine violence, (3) fighting over internal control of Syria with government, rebel, Iranian, Israeli and U.S. involvement, and (4) the civil war in Yemen. No wonder there have been no National Olympic Committee complaints. 

There is only one conflict in which a sovereign nation has invaded another with the intention of destroying it: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This war is totally unlike any of the other conflicts listed – one out of 72 – and its unique nature is confirmed by the formalistic “annexation” by Russia of the Crimea in 2014 and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine in 2022.

That’s why the IOC is just wrong with its reference to the CrisisWatch list, and this is confirmed by reference to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations Global Conflict Tracker, which shows one “war”: in Ukraine.

Bach said in an October 2020 news conference, “The unifying power of the Games can only unfold if everyone shows respect for and solidarity to one another.”

That’s not what Russia (aided by Belarus) is doing in Ukraine and with its threats to other neighboring countries. In the “Fundamental Principles of Olympism” listed in the Olympic Charter, let us again note that the second entry reads:

“The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”

Russia and Belarus have, are now and continue to violate this principle in their illegal territorial aggression against Ukraine, the only conflict of its kind in the world today. And on that basis, their National Olympic Committees are in violation of Rule 27.1 of the Charter:

“The mission of the NOCs is to develop, promote and protect the Olympic Movement in their respective countries, in accordance with the Olympic Charter.” (Emphasis added)

And that means that the National Olympic Committees of Russia and Belarus are open to suspension (under Rule 59) by the IOC Executive Board and, potentially, expulsion, by the IOC Session.

Bach knows this all too well. And the IOC has been here before. Canadian IOC member Dick Pound – now an Honorary Member – wrote in his 1994 book, Five Rings Over Korea, about the impact of the IOC’s expulsion of South Africa in 1970:

“It brought home, to every South African, in a direct way that could not be explained away by politicians, the total disapproval of the world of the fact of apartheid as a political system.”

A refusal to allow Russian or Belarus to compete in Paris in 2024 can make the same point.

And even as the IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete now in those federations that want to please the IOC, Bach has expressly reserved the IOC’s right to slam it shut next year.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: Swiss tiptoe into Winter Games talks; Taekwondo readmits Russians; Swim England creates “Open” class for all but women

By
Rich Perelman
-
The FIFA men's U-17 World Cup trophy

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Swiss cautiously enter Winter Games discussion with IOC
2. World Taekwondo readmits Russians; IOC’s proposal called “provocation”
3. Swim England creates Open category, UK Athletics bans trans
4. AIU lauds Kenya’s $25 million commitment vs. doping
5. Now FIFA removes men’s U-17 World Cup from Peru

The Swiss Olympic Committee announced its entry – maybe – into the Olympic Winter Games hosting derby, but has not even identified a specific Games yet. World Taekwondo voted to readmit Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals for its World Championships in May. The head of the Russian fencing federation said the whole IOC concept for Russian re-entry is a “provocation.” Swim England issued a new transgender policy, maintaining the female category for those declared female at birth and everyone else into an “open” category, including men and transgenders. A Canadian Powerlifting Union regulation allowing anyone to register as female was used by a man – with a full beard and a men’s uniform – to set an Alberta provincial record. Brett Clothier, the chief executive of the Athletics Integrity Unit, welcomed the Kenyan government’s commitment of $25 million over five years to combat doping, and asked athletes, coaches and officials for their help. FIFA removed another tournament from its host on Monday, taking the 2023 FIFA men’s U-17 World Cup from Peru; a new host will be named as the tournament is scheduled for November.

● Panorama: Paralympic Games (ABC Australia reports classification scandal) = Athletics (Tyra Gittens disqualified for six months for doping) = Cycling (Women’s Tour in Britain canceled) = Diving (Louganis medals from 1976-84-88 still on sale) = Gymnastics (Suni Lee’s kidney ailment ends Auburn career) = Modern Pentathlon (LA28 fate to be voted on in October) = Taekwondo (China wins four golds at Grand Slam Champions Series) ●

1.
Swiss cautiously enter Winter Games discussion with IOC

Last week’s announcement could not have been more tentative:

“Swiss Olympic is examining the general conditions for the Winter Games in Switzerland”

With the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee reiterating its preference for the 2034 Winter Games in order to allow some breathing room after the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee is looking for bidders for 2030. Sweden is doing a feasibility study, likely with Stockholm as the key site, and now the Swiss might be in. Maybe:

“[T]he Executive Council of Swiss Olympic decided to apply to the IOC as part of the ‘Future Host Process’ to move from ‘informal dialogue’ to ‘continuous dialogue.’ This makes Swiss Olympic the sole and sole point of contact for the IOC regarding a Swiss candidature and can thus bundle different projects and the forces behind them. This ongoing dialogue does not relate to a specific year. …

“For Swiss Olympic it is clear that a new Swiss application can only be considered after careful examination. An application concept only has a chance if it is sustainable and the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games leaves a legacy that goes beyond sport – to society, the economy and Switzerland as a location for innovation.”

There is good reason to go slow, as Switzerland has failed to land another Olympic Winter Games after hosting in St. Moritz in 1948. Swiss bids failed for the 1960, 1976, 2002 and 2006 Winter Games and possible bids for 2010 (Berne) and 2026 (Sion) were derailed by regional referenda. The Olympic capital of Lausanne did host a fiscally responsible 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, with a budget of about $40 million U.S.

The situation for Salt Lake City appears very positive for 2034, but the IOC’s Future Hosts Commission for the Winter Games needs to report back to the IOC Executive Board on questions of a possible rotation of permanent host cities for the Winter Games. It is possible that the 2034 Games could be the first in a rotation plan, with a third Salt Lake City Winter Games coming again, perhaps, in 2046?

2.
World Taekwondo readmits Russians; IOC’s proposal called “provocation”

World Taekwondo announced Monday it would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, at least at the World Taekwondo Championships:

“[T]he Council decided to allow the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes and Support Personnel with Russian and Belarusian passport holders at the World Taekwondo-promoted Championships, starting from the Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships at the end of May.

“A decision on the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes and Support Personnel with Russian and Belarusian passports in other events not promoted by World Taekwondo will be made after the Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships.

“The Council also approved the establishment of a Review Committee and verification process to ensure strict neutrality of the participating Individual Neutral Athletes and Support Personnel.”

No problem for the Russians, with the national coach Vadim Ivanov telling the TASS news agency that his athletes meet the IOC’s criteria for not being associated with the military:

“I don’t know how this will be interpreted and by whom, but we are talking about the fact that we do not have contract soldiers. Our athletes have an agreement that they are athletes – instructors of CSKA.

“That is, among the Olympians who won medals, no one has a contract with the armed forces. Yes, we have several athletes – European champions and [European medalists] who have such contracts.”

Maybe, maybe not. The CSKA Sports Club has long been affiliated with the Russian military. World Taekwondo said its “review” would include a declaration by the national federation – already offered above – then a review by the European continental association and finally by a World Taekwondo committee.

Russia won four Olympic medals in the sport in Tokyo: two golds, a silver and a bronze.

Poland announced last week, in something of a surprise, that it would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the women’s Foil World Cup in Poznan from 21-23 April if they sign a declaration that they “do not support military actions and stand against war crimes.”

Russian Fencing Federation head Ilgar Mammadov was not impressed:

“In Europe, they are trumpeting about human rights and freedom of speech, but where is it here? Speaking against your country is freedom of speech? All this is pure provocation, because they don’t want to see us, that’s why they come up with such provocative conditions.

“Five days ago we sent a letter about our admission to the International Fencing Federation [FIE], the decision is up to it. Articles and comments from the International Olympic Committee – all this is clear – but it is FIE that gives admission to the events.”

Russian State Duma member Vladimir Drachev, a four-time World Champion in biathlon between 1996-2000, ripped the IOC’s recommendations for Russian participation and told TASS:

“I think this is a provocation. They play on the athlete’s ambitions – they seem to give him the opportunity to perform and show results, but only in exchange for betraying the country, the people, and the parents.

“Definitely, in the current situation it will be a vile betrayal, then he no longer needs to return to the country. You can go to perform, but you will only have a one-way ticket.

“By offering such criteria, Western experts either show their stupidity, or simply disguise themselves. We have almost all athletes connected with law enforcement agencies, how will they isolate them from this list? It’s not serious. It is clear that all this is a game in which they pose as providing an opportunity to perform at international competitions. But a normal, sane person in response to such conditions will laugh and spit in the face of these comrades. Apparently, they believe there that they can just [have athletes] betray the country.”

3.
Swim England creates Open category, UK Athletics bans trans

“All of Swim England’s disciplines – swimming, artistic swimming, diving and water polo – will see a new ‘open’ category introduced, which will be for athletes with a birth sex of male, trans or non-binary competitors.

“Only athletes who have declared a birth sex of female will compete in the ‘female’ category.

“This will apply for all licensed events, where times are submitted to official rankings or talent pathway competitions.”

Monday’s announcement by Swim England is the federation’s first update to its gender classification policy since 2015 and eliminates male-to-female trans athletes from competing in the women’s division.

The new rules will begin on 1 September. Mike Hawkes, the Swim England diversity and inclusion officer noted, “fair competition is considered the backbone of our aquatic sports and therefore must be prioritised.”

World Aquatics has introduced strict transgender regulations that prohibit males who have gone through puberty to compete in the female division and has begun examining the creation of an “open” category. The Swim England approach is simply to quality the women’s classification and have everyone else in the “open division.”

On Friday, UK Athletics published its statement on transgender eligibility, lining up behind the World Athletics position, which does not allow males who have gone through puberty to compete in the women’s division. It does allow transgenders competing under the 2021 UK Athletics policy to “remain eligible to compete in that event but may not accept any prize and their results will not count towards any record, qualifying time or mark, or team scoring.”

The new guidelines specifically noted that this change should not expose UK Athletics to legal liability, as “it has also received the required assurances from relevant bodies that the sporting exemption in the Equality Act 2010 applies to the Gender Recognition Act 2004.”

The federation also endorsed the World Athletics position on female athletes with Differences in Sex Development, setting a serum testosterone limit of 2.5 nmol/L for 24 months, across all events.

In situations where no regulations have been introduced, someone was eventually going to make a mockery of the transgender opportunity, and it happened in a powerlifting competition in Canada.

The New York Post (and many others) reported a 25 March incident at the Heroes Classic tournament in Lethbridge, Alberta, where bearded Avi Silverberg – the head coach of the Canadian Powerlifting team, and in a men’s competition singlet – registered to compete in the women’s division and

“He then casually bench-pressed nearly 370 pounds – beating the current Alberta women’s record by almost 100 pounds.”

The lift was recorded by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), which stated:

“[W]hat Avi so obviously points out is that policies allowing men access to women’s sports completely remove any integrity in women’s competitions.

“It doesn’t matter how Avi expresses himself or perceives himself. He clearly does not belong in women’s sport, and neither does any other male regardless of their motivation for wanting to participate.”

The Canadian Powerlifting Union regulations require only that an athlete “should be able to participate in the gender with which they identify.”

4.
AIU lauds Kenya’s $25 million commitment vs. doping

Kenya’s Anti-Doping Steering Committee, tasked with cleaning up the torrent of doping positives among track & field athletes, gave its first report to the national government in Nairobi, joined by Athletics Integrity Unit chief executive Brett Clothier (AUS). In short:

“[T]he Committee has indicated it will draw upon the extensive expertise of a multiagency team to investigate and prosecute doping matters. It will also increase testing among Kenyan athletes as well as enhance educational and integrity programmes for athletes and athlete personnel.”

Clothier noted that if the process is successful, it will likely create a short-term increase in doping positives as the cheaters are rooted out.

Noting the Kenyan government’s commitment of $5 million per year for five years dedicated to anti-doping effort, he told groups in Kapsabet and Iten – that totaled more than 300 athletes, coaches and officials – that they must be involved:

“It’s good to uncover the doping cases but we also need to educate athletes on the do’s and don’ts as one way of making sure the sport is clean.

“If you see something suspicious, you just need to talk to law enforcement or the federation [Athletics Kenya] as one way of protecting the sport. We are asking for your help.

“As a regulatory body, we are advocating for clean sports and Kenya has shown support by bringing in the ministry of sports, the poisons and pharmacy board, law enforcement, the anti-doping agency, among other stakeholders and we are glad that this will help in reducing the numbers [of doping cases] witnessed in the past. It’s a long road. It’s not going to be easy, but we have got the right platform.”

5.
Now FIFA removes men’s U-17 World Cup from Peru

Just days after the 2023 FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup was removed from Indonesia due to its unwillingness to host the already-qualified Israeli team, now FIFA has removed its 2023 men’s U-17 World Cup from Peru.

The tournament is scheduled for 10 November to 2 December 2023, but:

“The move was made given the inability of the host country to fulfil its commitments to completing the infrastructure required to stage the tournament. Despite a very positive working relationship between FIFA and the [Peru Football Federation], it has been determined that there is now not sufficient time to secure the required investment and complete the necessary work with the Peruvian government ahead of the tournament start date.”

FIFA awarded the tournament to Peru in 2019, with 24 teams from the six confederations scheduled to compete. Six stadia were expected to be used.

A new host for the tournament is expected to be announced in time for the event to take place as scheduled.

Anybody else?

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paralympic Games ● The ABC Australia “Four Corners” news program called the Paralympic Games “in crisis,” reporting:

“Paralympic athletes are deliberately exaggerating their impairments in a bid to win medals, a Four Corners investigation has found.

“Speaking publicly for the first time about the scandal, the former head of the world governing body for Paralympic sport said it threatened the credibility of the Games.

“‘I cannot say that this doesn’t exist. It exists,’ said Xavier Gonzalez [ESP], who [was the chief executive of] the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) from 2004 to 2019.”

The classification of competitors into specific groups according to their disability is a complex, sometimes difficult-to-decipher program which is currently undergoing review by the International Paralympic Committee. Cheating on classification is an issue being discussed, with changes to the current not expected until after the Paris 2024 Games. But:

“Paralympians and senior classifiers from around the globe have told a current International Paralympic Committee (IPC) review how easy it is to exploit flaws in the current system and expressed their despair at the movement’s apparent impotence in the face of the cheating.”

As the Paralympic Games rises in popularity – and it is rising – there is grave concern that this problem will worsen, with calls now for an independent organization to be created to monitor classification in the same way that external groups for doping (World Anti-Doping Agency) and testing (International Testing Agency) have been formed.

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit announced a six-month suspension of Tyra Gittens (TTO) – the 2021 NCAA heptathlon champ for Texas A&M – for the stimulant Methylphenidate, in a prescribed medication.

Gittens had a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the drug, but it had not been renewed when she failed a test on 26 June 2022. She admitted the fault and was assessed a six-month penalty from 26 September 2022 to 25 March 2023. Her results were nullified going back to 26 June 2022, including her results in the World Championships (19th in qualifying) and Commonwealth Games (11th). She returned to competition at the Texas Relays on 1 April, finishing fifth at 6.38 m (20-11 1/4).

● Cycling ● The ninth edition of the five-stage Women’s Tour, scheduled for 7-11 June and finishing in Birmingham (GBR) has been cancelled. The UCI Women’s World Tour event had been having financial difficulties and was short by £500,000 (~$620,373).

The organizer, England-based Sweetspot Group, noted:

“The Women’s Tour, the award-winning and trailblazing cycle race, will take a one-year hiatus in 2023. Owing to a combination of increased running costs (approximately 20% higher in comparison to the 2022 race), a reduced level of commercial support, and challenges in finding a vehicle partner to replace ŠKODA to help create a safe racing environment for riders and spectators alike, it has proved impossible to deliver the event that was proposed for June.”

● Diving ● Diving legend Greg Louganis ended up not selling the three medals he had up for auction and now has them for sale on his site, Still in the auction section, his 1976 Montreal 10 m Platform silver is available for bid at $750,000; his 1984 Los Angeles 3 m Springboard gold is offered at $1.5 million, as is his 1988 Seoul 10 m Platform gold.

● Gymnastics ● Tokyo Olympic All-Around gold medalist Suni Lee announced that she is ending her collegiate gymnastics career at Auburn early. She wrote on Twitter:

“I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health related issue involving my kidneys. For my safety, the medical team did not clear me to train or compete over the last few weeks. … My focus at this time is my health and recovery.

“It’s been challenging to end my Auburn career early, but I am thankful for all the love & support. I will not stop pursuing my dreams for a bid to Paris in 2024. In fact, this experience has sharpened my vision for the future.”

Lee won the Tokyo All-Around, a team silver and a bronze on the Uneven Bars. At Auburn, she won the 2022 NCAA title on Beam and a silver in the All-Around.

● Modern Pentathlon ● In a commentary on the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne Web site, Secretary General Shiny Fang (CHN) wrote in pertinent part:

“Looking to the next stage of evolution that will determine our future, the International Olympic Committee finally announced the precise timeline of its decision-making around the Los Angeles 2028 sports programme.

“The decision will be made by the IOC session in October 2023 in Mumbai (IND). This means we have six more months to solidly and continuously demonstrate our improvement at multiple dimensions.”

Given that the Session will vote on items proposed by the IOC Executive Board, it has been expected that a recommendation on the Los Angeles 2028 program, including the future of boxing, modern pentathlon, weightlifting and any sports that the LA28 organizing committee wishes to add, will be made during the 20-22 June 2023 Executive Board meeting.

The UIPM probably has that long to influence its place in 2028.

● Taekwondo ● China dominated the World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series in Wuxi (CHN) that concluded on Monday, winning eight medals (4-2-2), including all four golds in the women’s division.

World Championships runner-up Zuo Ju (CHN) won by 2-0 over Adriana Cerezo Iglesias (ESP) in the women’s 49 kg class; 2022 World Champion Zongshi Luo defeated Lijun Zhou, 2-0, in the all-China final at 57 kg; Jie Song won at 67 kg against Cecilia Castro Burgos (ESP), 2-0; and in another all-China final at +67 kg, Shunan Zhao scored a 2-0 win over Wenzhe Mu.

Uzbekistan won two of the four men’s classes, with Tokyo Olympic champ Ulugbek Rashitov taking a 2-1 decision against Iran’s Danial Bozorgishoob at 68 kg, and Jasurbek Jaysunov won at 80 kg over Mehran Barkhordari (IRI), 2-0.

Tokyo Olympic 80 kg winner Woo-hyeok Jung (KOR) defeated Tunisia’s Mohamed Jendoubi, 2-0, and Iran’s Arian Salimi defeated Turkey’s Emre Atesli, at +80 kg, 2-0.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Ukraine to boycott Paris qualifiers if Russians there; Covid hurts LA28-funded youth programs; McIntosh gets 400 Medley world record!

By
Rich Perelman
-
A supportive salute to Ukraine from the Federation Internationale de Luge

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Ukraine to boycott Paris qualifiers with Russians entered
2. Russia slams all restrictions, challenges IOC leadership
3. Argentina submits bid for FIFA U-20 World Cup
4. Covid hurts participation in LA28-funded L.A. City youth programs
5. Crouser’s 76-8 1/2 world record may not be ratified

In the aftermath of the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations that Russian and Belarusian athletes could return to international competition as neutrals, the Ukrainian government said that its athletes would not compete in events which include Russian or Belarusian athletes. The IOC was upset by this, but the French Sports Minister said that while the IOC has the authority to decide who participates in the Paris 2024 Games, the French government will be heard on the issue … loudly. In Russia, reaction to the IOC’s recommendations continued with condemnations of the recommendations and the IOC, as any restrictions are deemed inappropriate or worse. With FIFA removing its men’s U-20 World Cup from Indonesia in view of its desire not to have Israel compete in the country, Argentina has stepped up with a detailed bid for the event, still scheduled to open on 20 May. A report submitted to the Los Angeles City Council’s committee on the 2028 Olympic Games showed that participation in the PlayLA sports programs for the 2021-22 fiscal year, partially subsidized by the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizers, fell short of their 2018-19 levels by more than 23,500 enrollees, in part due to Covid-19 restrictions in Los Angeles County and vaccination requirements for staff. Happily, the amount spent was also down by 45% against the budgeted amount. Ratification by World Athletics of the sensational 23.38 m (76-8 1/2) shot put by Ryan Crouser in February may not happen. The federation has appended a notice of “irregular measurement” to the mark, possibly due to a technical issue with the way the shot put ring was installed at the fieldhouse in Pocatello, Idaho, where the performance took place.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (140-170 boats for opening ceremony) = Athletics (3: World outdoor leads in 13 events at Texas Relays; Van Niekerk 44.17 at South African champs; Bor and Hill win USATF 10M) = Badminton (China wins two at Madrid Masters) = Basketball (six Olympians and a team among 2023 inductees) = Cycling (Roglic and Kopecky tops at Tour of Flanders) = Gymnastics (Nikolova dominates Sofia Rhythmic World Cup) = Judo (France wins four at Antalya Grand Slam) = Rugby (New Zealand sweeps Sevens Series in Hong Kong) = Shooting (U.S. earns silver in Mixed Trap) = Ski Jumping (Granerud wins seasonal World Cup) = Swimming (McIntosh sets 400 m Medley record) = Weightlifting (U.S. tops PanAm Champs with 15 medals) ●

1.
Ukraine to boycott Paris qualifiers with Russians entered

“Today at the government meeting a protocol decision was made based on the proposal of my colleague [Ukrainian Sports Minister and National Olympic Committee President Vadym] Gutzeit, that we participate only in the qualifying competitions where there are no Russians.”

That was Oleh Nemchinov, Ukraine’s Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, in a television interview last Thursday, adding:

“Yesterday, I attended another funeral of a good acquaintance of mine, who gave more than 20 years to athletics and died in the Kharkiv area. He left behind three children. He volunteered for his second war. And he wasn’t a canteen cook, let’s put it that way. That is, he was serving in combat units.

“So, I want to tell our fellow athletes who are worried that because of the IOC’s decisions and the admission of Russians or Belarusians to the competitions, respectively, that Ukrainians will not be able to participate, that their careers will be ruined or something to that effect. But actually, you and your children’s lives will be saved.”

The International Olympic Committee, which announced on Tuesday that it recommends allowing individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally as neutrals, but with considerable additional work to be done on the details, issued a very unhappy reply on Friday:

“If implemented, such a decision would only hurt the Ukrainian athlete community, and in no way impact the war that the world wants to stop, and that the IOC has so vehemently condemned. The IOC has always maintained that it is not up to governments to decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions.”

It also noted that Ukrainian tennis players are competing against “neutral” Russians and Belarusians on the ATP and WTA tours, although this has created a tense situation in at least the women’s tour.

The French Sports Minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, said, “It’s the IOC that has the final say, it’s the IOC that determines the conditions under which athletes participate.

“On the other hand, it’s clear that the head of state of the host nation [French President Emmanuel Macron] will have a voice that will be heard in the IOC’s deliberations.”

There were further reactions to the IOC’s announcement last Tuesday, with the French Fencing Federation canceling an FIE men’s Epee World Cup set to be held from 19-21 May in St. Maur. The FIE had already voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return after the middle of April, subject to the IOC’s guidelines. This is the second FIE World Cup to be canceled over the Russian and Belarusian issue; the women’s Foil World Cup scheduled for 5-7 May in Tauberbischofsheim (GER) was also “returned” to the FIE.

Other international federations began posting announcements or giving statements on their intentions. The UCI (cycling) and ITTF (table tennis) said they would discuss what to do later and the FIG (gymnastics) and FIVB (volleyball) also said more study is needed. The ITF (tennis) reiterated their stand, allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in tour events, but not in ITF national-entry events, for which those federations are suspended (which apparently includes the Olympic Games in Paris). .

Federations which will apparently not be impacted are those in team sports, which the IOC suggested retain the ban: basketball, football, handball, hockey and rugby sevens.

Dependable IOC allies in the five continental associations of National Olympic Committees posted a statement of support for the IOC’s position on Friday. The Association of National Olympic Committees did the same.

The International Paralympic Committee, which suspended the Russian and Belarusian national committees last November, does not plan to review their status until their 2023 General Assembly in the third quarter of 2023.

The All-England Club announced Friday that it would allow Russian and Belarusian entries at Wimbledon in 2023:

“Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as ‘neutral’ athletes and complying with appropriate conditions. These will prohibit expressions of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in various forms and prohibit entry by players receiving funding from the Russian and/or Belarusian states (including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states) in relation to their participation in The Championships.”

Said Ian Hewitt, the All-England Club Chair:

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.”

Wimbledon did not have Russian or Belarusian players in 2022 due to a government ban on their entry; the 2023 position was coordinated with the British government.

2.
Russia slams all restrictions, challenges IOC leadership

The reaction in Russia to the IOC’s recommendations was to continue its all-out rejection of any and all restrictions.

Despite being able to return, apparently, after 15 April to individual competitions according to the vote of the FIE online Congress last month, Russian Fencing Federation chief Ilgar Mammadov was livid:

“With such conditions, there is no chance. You have to sell your soul to the devil to go to Paris or remain a normal person. …

“In this matter, the IOC has shown that international federations are simply nobody and nothing. What is an international federation? There is a charter, there is a supreme governing body: this is the congress. Congress decides on admission. The IOC again gives some recommendations of its own. Why is it possible to perform in tennis, but fencers are not allowed when [the FIE] Congress has voted? The IOC simply restricts our rights as athletes, as people.”

He noted especially the restriction on athletes affiliated with the military:

“We have all the leading athletes from CSKA or Dynamo [sports clubs]; we have such a system, like the Italians, Hungarians, Germans, Chinese, Poles, Ukrainians, that is, we are all in this system to participate in the Military World Games. So it’s very simple, [the IOC] knew it perfectly well and knew where to hit. They made such a false attack, as if they want to return us.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday:

“We are convinced that the recommendations on the admission of Russian athletes to competitions in a neutral status without a flag and an anthem are dictated primarily by the desire to once again implement the strange, wild logic imposed by the West, to exclude us from world sports, attempts to exert pressure, as they say, ‘implement a policy of containment’ against our country.

“They are unacceptable when they disguise themselves as an imaginary protection of human rights, and at the same time the principles of Olympism are distorted beyond recognition.”

A Telegram post by the head of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Viktor Bondarev included:

“The IOC has imposed a categorical taboo on the participation in competitions of Russian and Belarusian athletes who took part in rallies and concerts in support of the [invasion of Ukraine] and demonstrated the ‘Z’ symbol, as well as those who are on contract service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and law enforcement agencies, knowing full well that many of our athletes serve under contract in the Army, National Guard and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“This means the automatic non-admission of entire clubs like CSKA and Dynamo to participate in international competitions. They want to force our athletes to make a choice between their homeland and a career in big-time sports, but from all this it is possible to benefit: in the development and formation of new, international sports competitions independent of the West.”

Dmitry Vasiliev, a two-time relay gold medalist in biathlon in 1984 and 1988, was outraged and told the Russian news agency TASS:

“We see calls, in particular, from Norwegian biathletes, not to allow our athletes, even those who have nothing to do with the [Ukraine invasion]. For this, thanks should be said to [IOC President] Thomas Bach, who destroyed everything. Athletes should compete, not speak out on political issues. It was he who involved them in this process, which destroyed the fundamental Olympic thesis that sport should be outside of politics.

“Tennis and overseas [NHL] hockey are exclusively commercial sports, the main thing there is money. They exist outside the framework of the Olympic Movement, which no longer exists: Mr. Thomas Bach destroyed it.”

3.
Argentina submits bid for FIFA U-20 World Cup

Just a day after Indonesia was removed as host for the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup that will begin on 20 May, Argentina submitted a detailed bid.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said during a news conference during a visit to Paraguay:

“There have been other countries that have expressed an interest, but in terms of a formal proposal and all the government assurances that come with that, Argentina is in pole position.

“The decision will be made, I think, over the next two or three days – and as soon as possible because the [U-20] World Cup kicks off on 20 May, which is right around the corner. We all know about football in Argentina, it’s a country that I’m sure would be able to host a tournament of this magnitude.

“AFA’s proposal will be sent over to the FIFA Bureau [of the Council], which will ultimately make the decision as to who will host the U-20 World Cup. I would like to give my thanks, of course, to [AFA] President [Claudio] Tapia and to all of Argentina, as well as the government, for organising their proposal in such a quick fashion. It really makes our life a little bit easier.”

Indonesia was removed as host due to the Governor of Bali’s declaration that Israel – which qualified for the event for the first time – would not be welcome to play there, where it had been assigned. This is an obvious breach not only of FIFA’s rules, but of the covenants undertaken by Indonesia when it was awarded the tournament; Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

4.
Covid hurts participation in LA28-funded L.A. City youth programs

Los Angeles County maintained some of the strictest masking rules in the nation well into March of 2022, a significant factor in the lowered level of participation in the City of Los Angeles Recreation & Parks Department’s Youth Sports Program funded by the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee.

LA28 pledged funding of $160 million into 2028 for allow participation costs to be reduced to $10 per person and get more young people playing sports. But the PlayLA annual report for the 2021-22 fiscal year show that the overall program has not reached the pre-pandemic levels from 2018-19 (ages 1-17):

● 65,708 enrolled in Rec Center programs: 126% of plan
● 24,424 enrolled in Signature programs: 40% of plan
● 90,132 enrolled total: 79% of plan (113,634)

The Signature programs include individual-sport programs in aquatics, golf, judo, tennis, track & field and adaptive sports.

Happily, spending on these program also was short of projections, leaving more money for the future:

● $5.281 million planned for Rec Center programs: 73% spent
● $3.104 million planned for Signature programs: 26% spent
● $1.250 million for SafeSport and marketing: 52% spent
● $9.635 million planned total: 55% spent ($5.317 million)

The Recreation & Parks Department report noted significant problems with hiring as one reason for the enrollment shortfall in Signature programs:

“There was difficulty securing specialized instructors in all Signature programs to cover classes at the recreation centers. Eight hiring fairs were conducted by PlayLA staff to address the issue. The vaccination requirement hindered potential instructors from applying for positions.”

Funding for these program was not solely provided by LA28 and included donations from Nike, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the LA84 Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, L.A. Council District 14 (Kevin de Leon), Dick’s Sporting Goods, Angel City FC and Lids.

5.
Crouser’s 76-8 1/2 world record may not be ratified

American Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser extended his own world record in the men’s shot put on 18 February at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho, sending the 16-pound ball out fo 23.38 or 76-8 1/2.

That was one centimeter better than his 2021 mark of 23.37 (76-8 1/4) at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. That mark was ratified by World Athletics, but doubt has crept in on the Pocatello mark.

Track & Field News surmised that Crouser’s 23.38 might not get approved because he used an indoor shot – with a rubber exterior coating – instead of the solid-metal shots used for outdoor competitions.

Now, French coach P.J. Vazel noticed a new issue and tweeted:

“No @WorldAthletics for @RCrouserThrows as his 23.38 in Pocatello won’t be ratified, from the videos it appears that the ring [height] was probably above the sector exceeding the rule allowance”

On the World Athletics Web site, Crouser’s 2023 results list the 23.38 m win in Pocatello, but also has the notation “IRM” for “irregular measurement.”

There has been no World Athletics announcement about Crouser’s mark, but Vazel’s observation that there are issues with it do not bode well for its ratification. Crouser met with reporters on Friday in advance of his appearance at the Drake Relays at the end of April, where he will compete indoors in a mixed-team event, as well as outdoors during the main meet.

And Crouser has no doubts that he can throw further. How much further? He wouldn’t say exactly, but he sounded confident when talking about a potential “outlier” at 24 meters (78-9)!

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A detail of the unique Opening Ceremony on the Seine River was noted during a meeting of the Ile-de-France regional council. It was explained that 140-170 boats will be needed to transport the athletes on the Seine during the ceremony.

● Athletics ● Sensational marks at the Texas Relays, with world outdoor leaders in 13 events (including a tie):

● Men/200 m: 20.05, Terrence Jones (BAH/Texas Tech)
● Men/800 m: 1:45.31, Oussama El Bouchayby (MAR/Angelo State)
● Men/4×100 m: 38.08, United States
● Men/4×400 m: 2:58.82, USA/Georgia
● Men/High Jump: 2.33 m (7-7 3/4), JuVaughn Harrison (=)
● Men/Pole Vault: 5.86 m (19-2 1/4), Branson Ellis (USA/S.F. Austin) and Zach Bradford (USA/Texas Tech)
● Men/Javelin: 84.27 m (276-5), Keyshawn Strachan (BAH/Auburn)
● Men/Decathlon: 8,478, Leo Neugebauer (Germany/Texas)

● Women/200 m: 22.46, Gabby Thomas (USA)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.36, Masai Russell (USA/Kentucky)
● Women/4×100 m: 41.75, United States
● Women/4×400 m: 3:24.82, United States
● Women/Discus: 67.90 m (222-9), Valarie Allman (USA)

The speedy USA Red men’s 4×100 m team featured Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Marvin Bracy. The deepest men’s collegiate 4×400 m  ever saw the Georgia quartet of Matthew Boling, Caleb Cavanaugh, Will Sumner and Elija Godwin run the second-fastest 4×400 in collegiate history (2:58.82), followed by the no. 6 time by Alabama (2:59.15 by Chris Robinson, Demetrius Jackson, Tarsis Orogot/UGA and Khaleb McRae) and no. 8 by UCLA in 2:59.25 (Antonie Nortje/RSA, Myles Misener-Daley/CAN, Willington Wright [44.31] and Ismail Turner [44.49]). Wow!

In the men’s 800 m, El Bouchayby beat Bryce Hoppel of the U.S., 1:45.31-1:45.59, the top two outdoor marks in the world this year.

The women’s marks were highlighted by a collegiate record of 12.36 by American Masai Russell of Kentucky, slicing 0.03 off of Brianna McNeal’s 12.39 run for Clemson in 2013. Russell is no. 8 in U.S. history. Alia Armstrong, the 2022 Worlds fourth-placer, was second to Russell in 12.57.

Thomas, the 200 m Tokyo bronze medalist, won both of the women’s sprints in 11.09 (+1.5 m/s) and her outdoor world leader of 22.46 (+1.2).

The USA Gold 4×100 m winners (41.75) included Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini and Aleia Hobbs, just ahead of the USA Stars team (42.10) of Javianne Oliver, TeeTee Terry, Teahna Daniels and Sha’Carri Richardson.

The winning 4×400 m in 3:24.82 was “Hurdle Mechanics”: Dalilah Muhammad, Alexis Holmes, Brittany Brown and Anna Cockrell, ahead of the USA Red team (3:25.65): Kyra Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini and Raevyn Rogers.

The best team, however, had to be the Texas women, led by Julian Alfred (LCA), which ran wild:

● 4×100 m: 42.00 (collegiate record; old, 42.05, LSU, 2018), Alfred, Ezinne Abba, Lanae Thomas, Kevona Davis (JAM).

● 4×200 m: 1:28.05 (collegiate record; old, 1:28.78, Oregon 2017), Rhasidat Adeleke (IRL), Alfred, Davis, Thomas.

● Sprint Medley: 3:36.10 (collegiate record; old, 3:38.93, Texas A&M, 2022), Alfred, Davis, Kennedy Simon, Adeleke.

And Texas, with Adeleke, Simon, Alfred and Rachel Helbling, ran a world-leading 3:23.27 in the 4×400 m, but with a mixed team, so the U.S. “Hurdle Mechanics” team will get credit.

At the South African national championships in Potchefstroom, men’s 400 m world-record holder Wayde van Niekerk won in a world-leading 44.17, his fastest since 2017. Akani Simbine won the men’s 100 m in 10.14, but ran a world-leading 9.92 in his semifinal (wind: +0.6).

And Zeney Van Der Walt, 22, won the women’s 400 m hurdles in a world-leading 54.82.

Hillary Bor and Sara Hall won the U.S. 10 Mile Championships, held in cold conditions, in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in Washington, D.C.

Defending champion Bor was in or near the lead the entire way and separated himself from Abbabiya Simbassa by the 6-mile mark and cruised home in an American Record of 46:11, two seconds faster than Greg Meyer’s venerable 46:13 mark from 1983!

Simbassa was second in 47:09, trailed by Jacob Thomson third in 47:30.

The women’s race saw seven in the lead pack at six miles, with Hall, Nell Rojas, Emma Hurley and Molly Grabill together with two miles left. Rojas attacked with a mile left, but dropped no one and the race came down to a final sprint of about 200 yards. Hall’s dash beat Rojas to the line, 52:37 to 52:38, for her fourth national 10-mile title. Hurley was third in 52:41 and Grabill had to settle for fourth at 52:42.

● Badminton ● Two wins for China highlighted the Madrid Spain Masters that concluded on Sunday. Both came in Doubles, as Ji Ting He and Hao Dong Zhou (CHN) defeated Fang Chih Lee and Fang-Jen Lee (TPE), 21-5, 21-12, and in the all-China women’s Doubles, it was Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan over Fang Hui Chan and Yue Du, 21-8, 16-21, 21-18.

Japan’s top-seeded Kenta Nishimoto won the all-Japan men’s Singles final over Kanta Tsuneyama, 15-21, 21-18, 21-19, while Gregoria Tunjung (INA) pulled a mild upset over India’s V. Sindhu Pusarla, 21-8, 21-8.

In the Mixed Doubles, Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje (DEN) were winners against Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti (INA), 22-20, 21-18.

● Basketball ● The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2023 inductees, including six Olympians and an Olympic team among the 12 members-to-be.

The Olympians include Americans Gregg Popovich (assistant coach, 2004 U.S. Olympic team; coach, 2020 U.S. Olympic team), Dwayne Wade (2004 Olympic bronze, 2008 Olympic gold) and Becky Hammon (controversially played for Russia in 2008, winning a bronze).

Also named were Spain’s Pau Gasol (2008-12 Olympic silvers, 2016 Olympic bronze), Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki (2008 Olympic tournament) and France’s Tony Parker (2012-16 Olympic tournaments).

The U.S. women’s Olympic team from 1976 was also named. The silver medalists were coached by Billie Moore and included Pat Summit, Nancy Lieberman and Ann Meyers in the first Olympic basketball tournament for women.

Induction ceremonies will be in August.

● Cycling ● The second of the five annual “Monument” races, Ronde van Vlaanderen – first held in 1913 – was another testimonial to Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar.

The winner of the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, he won his third Monument – previously Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia – with a breakaway over the Oude Kwaremont on the hilly, 273.4 km route from Brugge to Oudenaarde. A big crash slowed down the peloton after 100 km, but a six-minute lead for the leaders was whittled down to a minute with 40 km left.

Pogacar’s attack with 17 km left was never matched and he finished in 6:12:07, followed by Mathieu van der Poel (NED: +0:16) and then a group of six led by Mads Pedersen (DEN: +1:12). Americans Neilson Powless (fifth) and Matteo Jorgenson (ninth: +1:19) both finished in the top 10.

The third Monument comes on 9 April with the running of Paris-Roubaix.

The women’s Tour of Flanders – the 20th – was a win for the home team as Lotte Kopecky defended her 2022 title over the 156.6 km route that began and ended in Oudenaarde. Lopecky attacked with 18 km left and dropped everyone, winning by 36 seconds over a six-member chase pack.

Dutch star Demi Vollering finished second, ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini and Silvia Persico from Italy. Megan Jastrab was the top American, in 46th (+5:00).

● Gymnastics ● A dominant performance for home favorite Stiliana Nikolova at the Rhythmic World Cup in Sofia (BUL)!

Nikolova, 17, won the All-Around, scoring 131.300, ahead of Italy’s 2022 World Champion, Sofia Raffaeli (128.750) and Uzbek Takhmina Ikromova (124.550). The top American finishers were Jaelyn Chin (112.000) and Alexandria Kautzman (109.150), in 24th and 25th.

Nikolova, the 2022 Worlds All-Around bronze medal winner, then won the individual finals in Hoop (33.800) over Adi Katz (ISR: 33.600) and Rafaelli (32.600); in Ball (35.000), ahead of Rafaelli (33.150) and Ikromova (31.750); and in Clubs (34.000), beating teammate Evy Brezalieva (32.700) and Rafaelli (32.150).

Ikromova won on Ribbon (30.900) on a tie-breaker with Elzhana Taniyeva (KAZ: 30.900), with Barbara Domingos (BRA) third at 30.650.

● Judo ● An outstanding showing by France, with five wins at the Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey.

French fighters won four classes on Saturday, with Luka Mkheidze in the men’s 60 kg class, Maxime Gobert in the men’s 66 kg, Blandine Pont in the women’s 48 kg division and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Amandine Buchard in the women’s 52 kg class.

On Sunday, Rio 2016 silver medalist Audrey Tcheumeo won a t 78 kg, beating Tokyo Olympic champ Shori Hamada of Japan, for her ninth career win in a Grand Slam tournament.

Brazil won two women’s classes, with Tokyo Olympic champ Rafaela Silva taking the 57 kg class and Ketleyn Quadros at 63 kg. The Netherlands also collected two golds, first from 2019 World Champion Noel Van’t End in the men’s 90 class and then Jelle Snippe in the all-Dutch +100 kg final against 2021 Worlds bronze medalist Roy Meyer.

Manuel Lombardo (ITA), the 66 kg 2021 Worlds runner-up, won at 73 kg, and Belgium’s 2021 World Champion Matthais Casse won at 81 kg. Japan’s Saki Niizoe, the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist, defeated 2022 World Champion Barbara Matic (CRO) in the women’s 70 kg final.

The home team got a win in the women’s +78 kg class, with two-time Worlds bronze medalist Kayra Sayit defeating Milica Zabic (SRB).

● Rugby ● New Zealand swept the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series tournaments in Hong Kong and has the lead in both the men’s and women’s seasonal standings.

The New Zealand women – the Black Ferns – were 3-0 in their group, as were Australia and France. In the playoffs, the Ferns swamped Canada, 45-14, stomped Fiji, 31-5 and then outfought Australia, 26-17 to win their fifth straight tournament of the season.

After six of seven stages, New Zealand leads the standings with 118 points to 102 for Australia, 90 for the U.S. and 78 for France. All four of those teams are now qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic tournament.

In the eighth men’s tournament out of 11, New Zealand – the All Blacks – won for the third time in the last four. New Zealand, Fiji and France were all 3-0 in pool play, with the U.S. at 2-1 and winners of their group. In the quarters, the Kiwis, Fiji and France advanced, while the U.S. was beaten by Great Britain. The All Blacks beat France, 12-7, in one semis while Fiji overcame Great Britain, 19-14. It was a tight final, but New Zealand beat Fiji, 24-17, while France edged the British, 19-17.

With three legs remaining, New Zealand has a 142-121 lead on Argentina, with Fiji at 113 and France at 112. The U.S. is ninth at 91.

● Shooting ● The Trap events in the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Larnaca (CYP) saw Croatian Anton Glasnovic, 42, the 2013 Worlds silver medalist, win his third career individual World Cup title with a shoot-off win against Andreas Makri (CYP) after a 32-32 tie.

Britain’s Lucy Hall, 19, got her first World Cup win with a 29-27 victory over China’s Cuicui Wu.

In the Mixed Team final, Portugal’s Joao Azevedo and Maria Coelho de Barros scored a 7-3 gold-medal victory over the American duo of Walton Eller and Alicia Gough, the only U.S. medal of the tournament.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS men’s World Cup for 2022-23 concluded with the annual ski-flying events – off a 240 m hill! – in Planica (SLO), with Norway’s Halvor Egner Granerud winning the seasonal title.

On Saturday, Austria’s three-time World Champion, Stefan Kraft, got his 26th career World Cup victory with 240.5 points in the one-round event, ahead of home favorite Anze Lanisek (234.7) and Poland’s Piotr Zyla (233.3). Granerud was fourth (228.4); American Decker Dean was 39th (162.3).

Sunday was a celebration for the home team, as Timi Zajc – who won the 2023 World Large Hill title in Planica earlier this year – used a huge second jump to move from fifth to first and score his third career World Cup win over Lanisek, 455.1 to 455.0, with Kraft third at 445.1.

Granerud finished with 2,128 points, ahead of Kraft (1,790) and Lanisek (1,679). It’s the second seasonal title for Granerud, who also won in 2021.

● Swimming ● Teen sensation Summer McIntosh continued her record-breaking Canadian Trials performances in Toronto, setting a world record in the 400 m Medley of 4:25.87 on Saturday, breaking Hungarian Katinka Hosszu’s 2016 mark of 4:26.36.

McIntosh, 16, had earlier set the world 400 m Free record at 3:56.08 – breaking Australian Ariarne Titmus’ mark of 3:56.40, and set world junior marks – and 2023 world leads – in the 200 m Medley (2:06.89) and 200 m Butterfly (2:04.70, no. 8 all-time).

She now owns three of the fastest six times in history in the 400 m Medley.

McIntosh finished up on Sunday with another Canadian national record, World Junior Record and world-leading time in the 200 m Freestyle, in 1:53.91, moving her to no. 5 all-time.

Tokyo Olympic champ Maggie MacNeil was overshadowed, but grabbed the world lead in the women’s 100 m Fly at 56.54, and came back to win the 50 m Free in 24.79, and the 100 m Free in 54.58.

If not for McIntosh, Josh Liendo would have been the story of the meet, with world-leading marks in the 100 m Fly (50.36, no. 5 all-time), then 21.80 in the 50 m Free and 47.86 in the 100m Free! He also set a Canadian Record in the 50 m Fly in 23.27.

● Weightlifting ● The U.S. performed impressively at the Pan American Championships in Bariloche (ARG), leading the medal table with 15 total and eight golds.

The U.S. got wins from Hampton Morris in the men’s 61 kg class (281 kg), Nathan Damron at 96 kg (340 kg), Ryan Sester at 102 kg (372 kg), Wesley Kitts at 109 kg (365 kg) and a gold-silver combo at +109 kg from Alejandro Medina (385 kg) and Caine Wilkes (384 kg).

Three American women won their classes: Jourdan Delacruz at 49 kg (lifting a total of 198 kg, with Hayley Reichardt second at 197 kg); Meredith Alwine at 76 kg (238 kg) and Mary Thiesen-Lappen at +87 kg (272 kg, with former World Champion Sarah Robles second at 271 kg).

Other U.S. silver medalists included Ryan Grimsland in the men’s 73 kg class (323 kg); Danielle Gunnin in the women’s 59 kg division (220 kg), and Katie Nye at 71 kg (248 kg, with Olivia Reeves third at 247 kg).

Venezuela won four classes, with Julio Mayora in the men’s 73 kg event (332 kg), Darvin Castro at 81 kg (324 kg), Kaydomar Vallenilla at 89 kg (379 kg), and Rosielis Quintana in the women’s 45 kg class (160 kg).

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IOC now looking to solve abuse issues in sport; Bach rips government critics of IOC’s Russian position, but holds a weak hand

By
Rich Perelman
-
IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) at Thursday's news conference (Photo: IOC video screen shot)

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC convenes conference to look for local safeguarding ideas
2. Bach calls government critics of IOC’s Russia stance “deplorable”
3. Observed: IOC anger trying to mask its 2024 vulnerabilities
4. Ukraine, Czech, German and Polish officials lambast IOC position
5. Russian star Dalaloyan says no one will leave their clubs

The International Olympic Committee helped create the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Testing Agency and now wants to find a system to help alleviate athlete abuse on the local and national level. An online conference will be held Friday to kick off the effort, to which the IOC has pledged $10 million as a start. IOC President Thomas Bach called government criticisms of the announced recommendations on Russian and Belarusian re-entry to international sport “deplorable” and accused the critics of double standards. Opinion: Bach’s protestations do not mask what is actually a very weak position for the IOC, which could get much worse. But nothing is going to be settled for many months yet. Those government criticisms came from multiple nations: Ukraine of course, but also the Czech Republic, Poland and especially from German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. Russian gymnastics star Artur Dalaloyan told Russian television that he will not change his club affiliation – closely tied in with law enforcement – in order to compete internationally.

● Panorama: Olympic Winter Games 2026 (Milan Cortina budget confirmed at €1.5 billion) = Athletics (IOC recognizes Demus and Qieyang Shijie as 2012 gold medalists) = Fencing (Polish sports minister will allow Russian who sign morality oath) = Shooting (Bartekova and Pittini win Skeet World Cup finals) = Swimming (McIntosh and Liendo win again) ●

1.
IOC convenes conference to look for local safeguarding ideas

The horrific Larry Nassar tragedy within American gymnastics that exploded in 2016 has led to the exposure of many other abuse issues in multiple sports and multiple countries. Now the International Olympic Committee is getting into the fight.

The IOC was the instigator of the creation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 1984, the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999 and the International Testing Agency in 1999. On Thursday, IOC President Thomas Bach explained a new effort to explore solutions to abuse issues:

“A number of International Federations and National Olympic Committees to coordinate the approach with regard to safeguarding, given the successful work of the IOC has already done in these two areas and given the growing number of requests coming to the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees.

“For this reason, we have organized tomorrow [31 March] a conference with the Olympic International Federations, who all have responded to this invitation. This conference will have the task, how to identify the best approach to establish independent systems to strengthen safeguarding at the local and national level, in collaboration with all Olympic Movement stakeholders.

“And I would like to emphasize here, the local, and the national level, because these incidents , these tragedies, they’re all happening on a local level, in most cases, in a pretty close circle.

“And in order to get to the root of this danger, for sport and for society, we have to address these issues on this local level, on the roots, and directly. We cannot wait and trust that the concerned athletes or other people – the victims – that they have to go way up through different levels, then up to an international level or to the IOC, to present their case and to have justice being done.

“And in order to establish this independent system on the local and national level, the IOC is dedicating a budget of 10 million U.S. dollars for the next Olympiad.

“To coordinate this work, we have today established a working group, which will be chaired by IOC Executive Board member Prince Feisal [Al Hussein JOR], who has been working on safeguarding issues with great success for many, many years and tomorrow, we will invite the International Federations and then also the National Olympic Committees to take part in such a working group.”

It’s a start, and while the issue would appear to be one well beyond the IOC’s reach as a worldwide organization, no one thought much of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, WADA or ITA initiatives either. A potentially important initiative.

2.
Bach calls government critics of IOC’s Russia stance “deplorable”

IOC President Bach has called today’s fragmented geopolitics “aggressively divisive” and now he has enthusiastically joined in.

Eschewing his usual diplomatic tone, Bach ripped into critics – sampled below – of the IOC Executive Board’s recommendations for Russian and Belarusian re-entry into international competition during Thursday’s news conference from Lausanne:

“We have taken note of some negative reactions, by some European governments in particular. I can only reaffirm what the Olympic Movement and all the stakeholders have already made very clear before: that it is deplorable to see that some governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic Movement, and of all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport, which they are praising and requesting from other countries, in countless speeches, U.N. resolutions, European Union declarations and at every other opportunity.

“It is deplorable that these governments do not address the question of double standards, with which we have been confronted in our consultations. We have not seen a single comment from them about their attitude towards the participation of athletes whose countries are involved in the other 70 wars and armed conflicts in the world.

“It is even more deplorable that they grossly neglect the very clear statement of the two Special Rapporteurs from the U.N. Human Rights Council, while in other issues, they are always highlighting their firm requests for the respect of human rights.

“Discussions and reactions from the Olympic Movement are making it very clear that these government interventions have even strengthened the unity of the Olympic Movement. All stakeholders make it very clear again: it cannot be up to the governments to decide which athlete can participate in which competition. This would be the end of world sport as we know it today.

“And the Olympic Movement stakeholders are very concerned about this politicalization of sport. They are very concerned about the attitudes of these governments wanting to take over the participation, and the decision of participation in sports events in their country or even in other countries.”

Bach then noted messages of support from the continental associations of National Olympic Committees and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), and the furious reaction from Russian officials, who complained bitterly about all of the restrictions. So:

“That both sides in this confrontation are not satisfied – to say it diplomatically – might indicate on the other hand, that we found some middle ground, on which we all can move forward to make a contribution to understanding and peace through sport.”

Asked why the IOC is treating the Russian invasion of Ukraine differently than the 70 other conflicts he mentioned, he replied: “Because this was a blatant violation of the Olympic Truce” and said that “solidarity efforts” were also being made in view of conflicts in Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria and elsewhere, and said that governments “were not dealing with the issues in the same way [as with the Russian invasion].”

He further defended the IOC’s approach, referring to the CrisisWatch list of 70 current armed conflicts:

“If you would say a country at war would not participate, we would not be alone in Paris, but there would be very few. … If you would exclude all of them, then what would be the meaning of such Games? And it would not be a universal, international competition any more.”

Bach later also noted, however, that “we will not interfere into the sovereignty of a government or a state.” He emphasized that the International Federations will have “sole authority” to decide their eligibility standards, although he has called on the summer-sport and winter-sport federations to come up “harmonized” standards.

With the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials involved in the military, the IOC Executive Board referred to the IOC Ethics Commission the question of what to do about the IOC members in Russia: Shamil Tarpischev and Yelena Isinbayeva.

3.
Observed: IOC anger trying to mask its 2024 vulnerabilities

IOC chief Bach’s well-prepared statement of outrage read at Thursday’s news conference was a time-honored response from someone in the IOC’s position, holding a weak hand.

In fact, if the French government enforces the position held by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (Socialist Party), there will be no Russian or Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games because the French government would simply not allow them to enter the country.

That’s real power, backed up by law enforcement and an army.

It would also be in complete contravention of the covenants made by the French in the Host City Agreement signed in 2017 and put the French in the position of breaking its promises, but leaving the IOC in an impossible position.

Bach indicated that the IOC’s decision on whether to have Russian and/or Belarusian athletes at Paris 2024 will be made at a later date, and based on his comments on Thursday, probably not until sometime in 2024 itself. At that stage, there is no way to find any kind of “emergency” host for 2024 or even 2025; even permanently-ready Los Angeles would not be an option as venues would have already arranged for events for the coming year. This is why Olympic Games are attributed so far ahead of time.

The experience of the International Paralympic Committee in Beijing in 2022 is instructive. By the time that event was ready to open, Russia had invaded Ukraine, but the IPC agreed on 2 March 2022 – two days prior to the Opening Ceremony – to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. A day later, IPC President Andrew Parsons (BRA) announced:

“In the last 12 hours an overwhelming number of members have been in touch with us and been very open, for which I am grateful. They have told us that if we do not reconsider our decision, it is now likely to have grave consequences for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Multiple NPCs, some of which have been contacted by their governments, teams and athletes, are threatening not to compete. …

“With this in mind, and in order to preserve the integrity of these Games and the safety of all participants, we have decided to refuse the athlete entries from RPC and NPC Belarus.”

Russia had a team of 26 athletes in Beijing already. Said IPC spokesman Craig Spence (GBR), also on 3 March 2022:

“What we’ve seen in the 14 hours since is a move from letters of ‘We think you should ban’ to ‘Now we’re thinking of going home. We’re not playing.’ That threatens the viability of this event. So that’s a huge change. If we don’t act on that, then we’re crazy. So we have and we’ve acted and we’ve made again a decision based on the fact that the position of our NPCs has gone from one of, a recommendation or suggestion to one of a threat, almost. We’ve acted on that.

“The tensions are building in the Village. It’s better to act now than wait until something happens.”

Unlike the IOC, the IPC suspended the Russian and Belarusian national committees and is yet to determine what to do about them for Paris in 2024.

The IOC has plenty of time to change its approach. Olympic super-historian Bill Mallon, one of the founders of the Olympedia statistical site, explained on Twitter last year:

“At the 1971 IOC Session, the IOC ruled that Rhodesian athletes could compete, but only using British uniforms, the Union Jack as the flag, and with the British anthem. …

“Rhodesia, later Zimbabwe, practiced apartheid, however, including in sport. Shortly before the 1972 München Olympics, all the African nations threatened a mass boycott if Rhodesia was allowed to compete. …

“Two days before the Opening Ceremony, the IOC voted (36-31 with three abstentions) to withdraw the invitation to Rhodesia for the 1972 Olympic Games. Virtually the same situation just occurred at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics.”

One more note on Bach and the IOC’s unfailing allegiance to the United Nations. Russia will assume the Presidency of the U.N. Security Council this Saturday, 1 April 2023, for 30 days as per the rotation protocol. Not a joke. Really. The head of the country that will preside over the U.N. Security Council next month is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, but will head the group that is responsible for international security. And to which the IOC has pledged its adherence.

4.
Ukraine, Czech, German and Polish officials lambast IOC position

There was no shortage of governmental reactions to the IOC’s Tuesday announcement of recommendations to allow individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competitions.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, over a video of Russian athletes in military parades and events:

“Sports, state propaganda, and the army are indivisible in Russia. And now Putin has already introduced not only politics, but also war crimes into sports. There is no way for Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete in the Paris Olympics or any other major sporting event.”

The head of the Czech national sports agency, Ondrej Sebek, said in an interview:

“I was very surprised by the IOC decision. Our position on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes has been the same since the beginning of the war: as long as the war lasts, no athletes from the countries that provoked it should be allowed to participate in international sporting events, let alone the Olympic Games.

“Major international sports associations in football, hockey, basketball, athletics and biathlon continue to exclude Russian athletes because of the war. The IOC is going in the exact opposite direction and is actually encouraging sports federations to allow Russian athletes to compete. We find this unacceptable and will seek to change the IOC’s position.”

Poland’s Bureau of International Policy head Marcin Pszydach told Polish Television:

“I think that what the IOC is proposing at the moment is very disappointing for many of us, diplomatically speaking, we all understand that Russian aggression is connected with it. …

“Such a decision [on a boycott of Paris 2024] should be worked out in a broader coalition of states, and only then, if such a broad front could be taken, one can talk about hard decisions and hard recommendations.”

The most stinging rebuke came from Nancy Faeser, the head of the German Interior Ministry, in a multi-part Twitter thread:

“The IOC’s decision is a slap in the face for Ukrainian athletes. They deserve the solidarity of international sport. The least that Ukraine can expect is a clear stance. International sport must unequivocally condemn the brutal Russian war of aggression.

“This is only possible with a complete exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The fact that the IOC does not want to allow members of the Russian military or teams is only the absolute minimum and is not enough.

“There is no reason whatsoever for Russia to return to world sport. Putin is continuing his criminal war with appalling brutality against Ukrainian civilians.

“The Russian military kills countless Ukrainians every day, including numerous athletes. Olympic Games do not take place in a vacuum.

“Anyone who lets the warmonger Russia use international competitions for its propaganda harms the Olympic ideal of peace and international understanding.”

Bach was asked about the criticisms and noted, “We will not punish the athletes or an NOC for the behavior of their government. What counts for us is the decision of the National Olympic Committees.”

Marcin Nowak, the head of the organizing committee for June’s European Games in Poland, told RFM Radio, “Under no pretext and in any way, the athletes representing Russia and Belarus will not take part in our events.” In case an International Federation removes Olympic qualifying status from an event to this stance – the European Games is set to as as a qualifier in 18 sports – those events “simply will not take place.”

5.
Russian star Dalaloyan says no one will leave their clubs

With the IOC’s ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes who are “contracted” to the military or national security services of their countries, a lot of questions remain unanswered. Near the top will be whether “national security” also means local police units and affiliated organizations such as Russia’s famed Dynamo Sports Club.

If so, the cynical assumption, of course, is that athletes will simply switch clubs.

Russia’s Match TV asked gymnastics star Artur Dalaloyan, a Tokyo 2020 Team gold medalist and a World Champion in All-Around and Floor, if he would change clubs in order to be able to compete again:

“In fact, I believe that no one will succumb to these recommendations. We all have values. Yes, my club Dynamo represents the [governmental] power structure. The whole team around me is something valuable and important to me. It’s been built over the years. I appreciate the fact that I represent Dynamo and the power structure. I’m grateful that they helped me to train further. And because of some recommendations I will not go to leave the club I love, which I have represented all my life.

“I hope that most athletes will not be like these recommendations. I am sure that our Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports will challenge these recommendations and will do some work to change this framework somehow. …

“Every man in our country is obliged to serve in the army, one way or another everyone is connected to the law enforcement agencies! However, athletes also have contracts with the government. There are sports teams within these law enforcement agencies that help athletes at the most responsible and important time in their lives. This allows athletes to continue to do their thing while serving in the military. So that athletes are comfortable to reach the heights, the goals they set. That’s important. So these recommendations are nothing more than attempts to disrupt, to crack our system that has been developed over the years. I don’t know how to put it mildly.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Milan Cortina organizing committee confirmed its “lifetime budget” of “around” 1.5 billion Euro (about $1.636 billion U.S.) – as stated in its bid – will remain in place.

Four new domestic sponsorship partners have been announced, with more coming, and the demolition of the Eugenio Monti bob and luge track from the 1956 Winter Games has begun, opening the way for construction of the new facility as dictated by the area’s development plan.

● Athletics ● The IOC Executive Board approved changes in results due to years-after doping disqualifications from the London 2012 Games, re-awarding medals in the women’s 400 m hurdles and 20 km walk.

In the hurdles, Russian Natalya Antyukh won in 52.70, but was disqualified. American Lashinda Demus is the new gold medalist (52.77), followed by Zuzana Hejnova (CZE: 53.38) and Jamaican Kaliese Spencer (53.66).

In the walk, Russian Elena Lashmanova won in 1:25:02 and Olga Kaniskina was second (1:25:09), but both have been disqualified for doping. That means China’s Qieyang Shijie becomes the winner (1:25:16), followed by teammates Hong Liu (1:26:00) and Xiuzhi Lu (1:27:10).

● Fencing ● An FIE women’s Foil World Cup is scheduled for 21-23 April in Poznan (POL), with the country’s sports minister, Kamil Bortniczuk saying the country will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals – as the FIE will require as of 16 April – if they sign a declaration that they “do not support military actions and stand against war crimes.

“If a Russian athlete signs this declaration, it will serve as a certificate of morality, and then he or she will be able to participate in competitions. We will be demanding that this declaration be signed at all sports tournaments held on Polish territory.”

● Shooting ● At the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Larnaca (CYP), London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Danka Bartekova (SVK) showed she is still going strong at 38.

She won the women’s Skeet final, 35-30, over China’s Jinmei Gao, hitting 22 of her final 24 targets, for her sixth career World Cup victory.

Italy’s Erik Pittini won the men’s Skeet, 38-35, against Finland’s Tokyo fourth-placer Eetu Kallioinen, for his first career individual World Cup gold. Germany defeated Cyprus, 6-4, in the Mixed Team Skeet final.

● Swimming ● New women’s 400 m Free world-record holder Summer McIntosh, 16, was back in the water at the Canadian Trials meet in Toronto on Thursday, winning the 200 m Medley in 2:06.89, fastest in the world in 2023 and a World Junior Record. She moves to no. 4 all-time, with the sixth-fastest time in history. She has more events to come.

Canadian sprint star Josh Liendo set the Canadian record twice in the men’s 100 m Fly, winning the final in 50.36, moving him to no. 5 all-time. He won the men’s 50 m Free final on Thursday in 21.80, fastest in the world in 2023.

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TSX REPORT: IOC still discussing strategy for future Winter Games; McIntosh sets 400 Free world record; Indonesia loses FIFA U-20 World Cup over Israel

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC reports “new interest” in 2030 Winter Games
2. IOC to prepare report on IBA activities for further action
3. Teen McIntosh shatters Titmus’ 400 m Free world record
4. FIFA removes Indonesia as men’s U-20 World Cup over Israel
5. HELEN | BELIEVE documentary on Rio star Maroulis in theaters

At the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board meeting on Wednesday, no decision was reached on a timetable to elect the host of the 2030 Winter Games, as the IOC’s Future Hosts Commission works on the organization’s future strategy. But the number of parties showing new interest in 2030 has expanded and is increasing. The Executive Board also rejected criticisms by the International Boxing Association about “poaching its officials” for Olympic qualifying events and commission a thorough staff review of the IBA in advance of future actions with or to the federation. In Toronto, Canadian teen phenom Summer McIntosh smashed the world record in the women’s 400 m Freestyle at the Canadian World Championships trials, removing Australia’s Ariane Titmus from the list. Because of the stated unwillingness of the pro-Palestinian Governor of Bali to have Israel play in the FIFA World U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, FIFA took back the tournament and will play it elsewhere. Sanctions against the Indonesian federation were not announced, but will be coming later. On Thursday (30th), some 700 theaters nationwide will screen “HELEN | BELIEVE,” a documentary about the return of U.S. wrestling star and 2016 Olympic winner Helen Maroulis to the mat after suffering through a concussion and other injuries that looked like they would end her career before the Tokyo Games in 2021.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (“Olympic law” passed by National Assembly) = American Football (IFAF recommended for IOC recognition) = Athletics (Mboma to take hormones to reduce testosterone levels) = Cycling (Laporte and Vollering win Dwars door Vlaanderen) = Fencing (323 fencers from 28 countries protest Russia-Belarus re-entry) = Figure Skating (ISU Worlds draw solid audience on NBC) = Football (big audience for Mexico-Suriname!) ●

● Errata: Apologies for an error in early versions in Wednesday’s post, mis-spelling the name of International Olympic Committee member and Paris 2024 Coordination Commission head Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant of Belgium. This has been corrected on the TSX site. ●

1.
IOC reports “new interest” in 2030 Winter Games

Wednesday’s meeting of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board featured a report from the Future Hosts Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, asked last December to provide recommendations on the future of the Winter Games with regard to climate and winter sports, on the advisability of a rotation among hosts and whether a double award should be made for 2030 and 2034.

The IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) told reporters that while the studies are ongoing, there is new enthusiasm among potential hosts for 2030 or later:

“These decisions from the [Executive Board] have created a true momentum and we have new interest – which are confidential at this stage – but we have a number of parties which have come to the table since those decisions, which is excellent news.”

Dubi did not disclose exactly who or how many inquiries have come in, but did acknowledge the ready-made bid from 2002 host Salt Lake City:

“We have to respect the willingness of Salt Lake City. I think they have clearly indicated that 2034 is their preference. They also said, time and again, that they stand ready – in case – for 2030.

“However, with the decision from the Executive Board, we have – as I said before – a true renewed interest and it is incredibly reassuring. We have a number of parties and I am sorry if I cannot reveal who at this stage, but we have to respect this confidentiality.”

So what now? Said Dubi:

“The question on the timing is interesting. First and foremost, the Future Host Commission has to respond to these three strategic questions that were posed to the Future Host. EB wants to know if rotation is a good idea, whether 2030 and 2034 makes sense, but also to look – and that’s slightly more complicated – the development of winter sports.

“This work is ongoing. I would anticipate that, first, a report would be made to the Executive Board, then to the Session in Mumbai [in October] … which leads us to a calendar after Mumbai for the election.

“Now if you look at to those parties that come to the table at this point in time, these are very mature, winter markets. So, I’m definitely not worried with the timing, knowing that we’re going to go to – as we have with Milano and Cortina – a region or a country that have the infrastructure and are used to organizing high-level events, being World Cups or World Championships. So, we’re not pressed by time for the election.”

Pressed for details, Dubi said that the number of “interested parties” has increased beyond Salt Lake City, Sapporo, Vancouver and Sweden and continues to expand to six and more. Asked why interest has picked up, Dubi cited (1) the new, heavy emphasis on the use of existing facilities which can be located in another region or even another country, and (2) the informal nature and low cost of the “continuous dialogue” process:

● “With Milano and Cortina, we demonstrate that we walk the talk. When we said we would use existing venues and existing capabilities, it truly works. … All those parties that come at the table, they do offer similar capacities. They are generally hosts of many World Cups and World Championships across the winter sports.”

● Explaining that in the confidential, continuous dialogue, with the IOC doing a significant amount of work, “in the end, if it doesn’t work, we don’t move to targeted dialogue, no damage done. This is OK. We have all invested in a project: it flies, it doesn’t fly. At least the parties can look across the table, in the eyes, and still remain good friends. So, no more losers as we painfully had at the time.”

But Dubi also noted, “I think that the notion of rotation is, indeed, very appealing. … With the climatic conditions, the way they are evolving, there will be a limit to who can host in the future. If you project yourself in 2050, you probably see a picture that is different than today.”

He confirmed that Vancouver remains in the discussions and that the Canadian Olympic Committee is readying another push for funding support from the Province of British Columbia and from the Canadian national government.

For Salt Lake City, more waiting, but still firmly positioned as the best bid currently on the table.

2.
IOC to prepare report on IBA activities for further action

The continuing war of words between the International Boxing Association and the IOC took an interesting off-ramp on Wednesday, with the IOC Executive Board taking no direct action, but setting the stage for the future.

No decisions were made, and the Executive Board sent a letter to the IBA leadership that “generally refuted” the accusations made by the IBA on 27 March over contacting referees and judges regarding working at Olympic qualifying events later this year.

Further, the IOC Director General, Christophe de Kepper (BEL) and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Paquerette Girard Zappelli (FRA) were asked:

“1. [T]o analyse all the elements available, in particular the Expert Reports, and determine whether there are still major concerns regarding IBA’s practice and activities;

“2. [I]n the event that there are still major concerns regarding IBA’s practice and activities, pursuant to the Olympic Charter, to take the following actions:

“a. notify IBA of the points of potential non-compliance and IBA’s right to be heard in writing;

“b. prepare a comprehensive report regarding IBA’s practice and activities on the basis of all available elements (including without limitation the Expert Reports and IBA’s response) to be presented at a next IOC Executive Board meeting.”

IOC spokesman Mark Adams (GBR) told reporters at Wednesday’s news conference:

“To make it absolutely clear, the IOC does not have any problem with the sport of boxing itself, nor with the boxers – clearly not with the boxers – but there are problems with this suspended federation. …

“It’s very clear to us that if the IBA pushes ahead with these proposals [for an investigation of the contact with officials], it will have quite some consequences.”

The IBA specifically asked that Zappelli not be involved further, but lost out on that. They did ask for de Kepper, who will now be involved. Adams indicated that there had been a good response to the IOC’s inquiries about officials’ interest in participating in the qualifiers.

Observed: The IOC Executive Board decided to take a light touch with the IBA for now, but it clearly setting up – as it has before – a process by which the IBA can be sanctioned, or even excluded in favor of a different group.

The process and timing are important. The request for a report, including IBA replies, will take several months, but could be completed by the time of the next IOC Executive Board meeting from 20-22 June, allowing a vote to be taken, if needed, on actions against the IBA at the IOC Session in Mumbai (IND) in October. There is also an Executive Board meeting right before the Session as well.

Only a vote of the Session could remove boxing from the Paris 2024 program.

National boxing federations which are in opposition to the IBA and its leadership were waiting for a signal from the IOC at this meeting about the projected future for Olympic boxing, but got little firm direction as the Executive Board essentially kicked the can down the road. Adams, however, did say that the IOC has no issues with boxing as a sport, a good sign for its future on the Olympic program.

A peaceful protest was held outside of Olympic House and then in front of the Olympic Museum on Wednesday by several hundred supporters of the IBA, but it is not clear that it had any impact.

3.
Teen McIntosh shatters Titmus’ 400 m Free world record

Everybody in the sport knew this was coming. But maybe not this quickly. Canada’s 16-year-old phenom Summer McIntosh is now a world-record holder.

Competing at the Canadian World Championships Trials in Toronto, McIntosh won the women’s 400 m Freestyle in a sensational 3:56.08, slashing 0.32 off of Ariarne Titmus’ 3:56.40 from the 2022 Australian national championships.

She won by more than 12 seconds over Ella Jansen (4:08.81).

This is no coming-out party, as McIntosh won Worlds golds in 2022 in Budapest in the women’s 200 m Butterfly and 400 m Medley, and was second to American star Katie Ledecky in the 400 Free (3:59.39). She was fourth in Tokyo in the 400 Free at age 14 in 4:02.42.

McIntosh flew through the first 200 m in 1:55.91 – no. 7 on the 2023 world list for that distance! – then slowed to 2:00.17 on the way home, enough to get the record. Ledecky now sits third on the all-time list at 3:56.46 from 2016.

Now training in Sarasota, Florida, McIntosh has entered the 200 m Medley (where she ranks equal-18th all-time), 200 m Fly (12th), 400 m Medley (3rd), and 200 m Free (8th) in the meet which concludes on Sunday.

4.
FIFA removes Indonesia as men’s U-20 World Cup over Israel

Indonesia’s implacable stance against Israel has caused it to be removed as the host of the FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup, set to start in May. Wednesday’s brief announcement gave few details, but included:

“Following today’s meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Erick Thohir, FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023. A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged. Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.”

Thohir explained in a PSSI Web site post:

“Indonesia is a member of FIFA, so for international football matters, we must follow the rules that have been set. Even though I have conveyed everything to Gianni earlier, what was entrusted by the President, football lovers, the children of the U-20 national team, and also loyal football fans, but because we are members and FIFA considers that the current situation cannot be continued, we must submit.”

Indonesia had guaranteed to FIFA that it would host all qualified teams when it was awarded the tournament. Sanctions against the Indonesian federation are sure to follow.

Israel qualified for its first appearance in the U-20 World Cup by finishing second in the 2022 UEFA U-19 Championship Group B, eventually finishing second overall. But Wayan Koster, the Governor of Bali, wrote to the national sports ministry, stating “We, the Bali Province administration, reject Israel’s participation in Bali.” He told reporters last Friday, “We refuse because Israel is disrupting or occupying Palestine.”

Israel had been specifically placed in Bali as it is a Hindu-majority province, as opposed to the other five venues, all in Muslim-majority provinces. The head of the Bali Legislative Council commission overseeing tourism, Kresna Budi, said Tuesday he was in favor of hosting Israel:

“In our opinion, as representatives of the people, as hosts, we will respect any guests who come to Bali. It’s not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. Moreover, as hosts, we will respect any guests who come. That is the character of Balinese culture.

“After all, Bali belongs to everyone. We cannot be on one side.”

The tournament is set to open on 20 May, with whispers of possible hosting by Argentina, Qatar or others.

5.
HELEN | BELIEVE documentary on Rio star Maroulis in theaters

The remarkable story of American Freestyle wrestler Helen Maroulis debuts on the big screen on Thursday only (30 March) in HELEN | BELIEVE, the story of her comeback from a concussion to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

Maroulis was one of the American sensations of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, becoming the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, defeating heavy favorite Saori Yoshida of Japan, the three-time Olympic champ and 13-time World Champion, at 53 kg

Maroulis won the 57 kg Worlds gold in 2017, outscoring her five opponents, 52-0. But she suffered a bad concussion in a match in India in January 2018, which limited her training and led to a stunning defeat at the 2018 Worlds, losing by pinfall to Azerbaijan’s Alyona Kolesnik in her opening bout, in which she also sustained a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.

She was really out of the sport until 2021 and made it back not just to competition, but to the Tokyo Games, where she won a bronze medal at 57 kg.

The story is documented by producer Chris Pratt, a wrestler himself in younger days, and written and directed by Dylan Mulick. The film runs 1:38 and the site to find a theater on Thursday is here.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French National Assembly passed the “Olympic law” by 400-93, allowing specific kinds of monitoring and surveillance measures to be used on a temporary basis through the end of 2024.

The language has to be coordinated with a similar bill that passed the Senate for the measure to become law. The text includes anti-doping measures, administrative investigations, emergency measures and a polyclinic in the Athlete Village.

● American Football ● Flag Football took an important step forward in its effort to eventually become part of the Olympic program with the IOC’s announcement that the Executive Board recommended it for full status as a recognized International Federation:

“IFAF, which was granted provisional recognition by the IOC EB in 2013, has demonstrated that it has fulfilled all the necessary criteria in order to obtain full IOC recognition. …

“At present, IFAF can count on 74 affiliated National Federations on five continents, with an estimated number of almost 4.8 million registered athletes.” The sport was a popular feature of the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama last summer.

Full recognition requires a vote by the IOC Session in India in October.

● Athletics ● The coach of Namibian sprint star Christine Mboma indicated that the Tokyo Olympic 200 m silver medalist would begin hormone therapy to lower her serum testosterone level while the Namibian federation lobbies for a change in the new World Athletics rules for women with Differences in Sex Development (DSD). Mboma coach Henk Botha (NAM) said in a radio interview:

“I’m very optimistic that Christine will be 100% competitive on the track. Christine feels the same way. We know her situation, and we know that Christine has a tremendous amount of speed and that is not from testosterone levels.

“We’ve had disappointments and some obstacles in the past. There’s not a lot that we can do as Namibians, we’ll have to take this one on the chin and do our best to get Christine back on the track.”

Mboma ran 49.22 for 400 m as a 17-year-old in 2021 and moved to the 200 m when the World Athletics DSD rules did not allow women with high testosterone levels to run in events from 400 m to the mile. The new regulations, requiring levels of 2.5 nmol/L, come into effect this weekend and apply to all events. She owns the African women’s record at 200 m of 21.78 from 2021.

● Cycling ● France’s Christophe Laporte won his second straight on the busy UCI World Tour Classics circuit in Belgium on Wednesday, becoming the first Frenchman to win the Dwars door Vlaanderen in 15 years.

Laporte won the 77th Gent-Wevelgem race on Sunday right at the line from Jumbo-Visma teammate Wout van Aert (BEL), but was all alone after the hilly, 183.7 km route from Roeselare to Waregem. His final attack with 4 km to go broke away from the peloton and gave him a 15-second victory in 4:06:20 over the chase pack, led by runner-up Oier Lazkano (ESP) and American Neilson Powless, his second-best finish ever in a World Tour race.

Dutch riders had won the prior three editions of this race, but Laporte’s win was the first by a Frenchman since Sylvain Chavanel in 2008.

The women’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, a Women’s Elite Pro race (a level below the World Tour), was won by Dutch star Demi Vollering, who raced away with 10 km left and scored a 38-second win over Chiara Consonni (ITA) and Marianne Vos (NED), among others, in 2:53:08 over 114.9 km.

● Fencing ● The International Fencing Federation has still not published an official notice of its online Congress from 10 March at which it authorized Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete once again, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee.

However, some 323 fencers – 315 of whom signed their name – protested the outcome in an open letter posted on Monday. Addressed to IOC President Thomas Bach and Interim FIE chief Emmanuel Katsiadakis, it included:

● “In your roles as presidents of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Fencing Federation (FIE), we turn to you regarding your efforts to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete again in international sporting competitions. With complete disregard for athletes’ voices, you have permitted both Russia and Belarus back into FIE competitions, as well as a suspected tournament hosted on Russian soil.”

● “As long as Russia’s war of aggression, aided by Belarus, wages on, both states’ athletes and officials must remain excluded from world sport. Given the recent escalation of attacks against Ukrainian civilians, there should be no reason at this time to allow Russia and Belarus to be reintegrated into world sport. Integration would lay a precedent in which a nation can violate the values and rules of sport and international peace without fear of consequences.”

● “The international community is acutely aware that for Russian and Belarusian athletes, there is no distinction between the athlete and the state. Not only have these athletes been encouraged to fight in the war by the Russian Olympic Committee, with a large majority of them holding military and law enforcement positions, but they are also beneficiaries of state funding – drawing their pay from Putin’s war chest and thus making any separation between the state and the athlete implausible. Athletes were and will be instrumentalized for Putin’s propaganda. Competing under a neutral flag has not proven to be a suitable sanctioning instrument in the past and is not suitable now.”

● “Any suspension must reject the notion of neutrality and include the banning of all Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sport, including hosting events, qualifying for, and competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games until Russia withdraws completely from Ukrainian territory. We also expect an unequivocal commitment to support and protect peaceful anti-war protests and expressions of solidarity with Ukraine by athletes at international competitions.”

● “The FIE is not fulfilling its duty of care for athletes, especially for Ukrainians. Your insufficient leadership in completely banning Russia and Belarus is being called out by athletes and civil society across the globe. You have chosen Russian and Belarusian interests over the rights of athletes, notably Ukrainian athletes, and by doing so, you are failing to support the very people your organizations are meant to support. This egregious, unprovoked war and its breach of the Olympic Truce cannot be ignored or rewarded. Returning to business as usual would be a catastrophic error and thus we again urge you to uphold the suspensions of Russia and Belarus.”

The signees include U.S. Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Lee Keifer (women’s Foil) and U.S. men’s Foil Team bronze medal winners Alexander Massialas and Gerek Meinhardt. Fencers from 28 countries signed, including Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States.

● Figure Skating ● The ISU World Championships got a mixed reception on U.S. television last week.

The NBC highlights show on NBC last Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern time drew a nice audience of 1.317 million viewers, well ahead of the usual 1.0 million audience for prior events this season.

On cable on USA Network – all starting at 6 or 6:30 a.m. Eastern – the men’s Short Program drew 133,000; the men’s Free Skate had 160,000 viewers; the women’s Short Program had 157,000 viewers and the women’s Free Skate had 110,000.

● Football ● Some interest in the U.S. men’s National Team match with Grenada in the CONCACAF Nations League last Friday, drawing 260,000 viewers on TNT.

On the other hand, the Nations League match with Mexico beating Suriname, 2-0, last Thursday drew 1.133 million on Univision! Wow!

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IOC says Russians, Belarusian can return as neutrals; Russia fumes at restrictions, Bach leadership

By
Rich Perelman
-
IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) at Tuesday's news conference (Photo: IOC video screen shot)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC recommends individual Russian, Belarusian entries
2. Reaction: Russia fumes at restrictions, continued team ban
3. Observed: Slicing the sausage as thinly as possible
4. Ex-Huntington coach Johnson indicted for sexual battery
5. IBA Coaching Chair calls for demonstration at Olympic House

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board announced a lengthy set of recommendations to allow individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international sport, but reserved any decision on Russian or Belarusian participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games or 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games until later. The Russian reaction was furious, as was expected in case of any restrictions; the IOC specifically recommended a continuing ban on all teams from either country. Opinion: the IOC’s efforts are a classic Thomas Bach production: diligent, thorough and sometimes contradictory, but taking a very carefully thought-out, narrow option that he believes will be best in the long term. Nick Johnson, the former Huntington University (Indiana) track and cross country coach who was fired after sexual abuse allegations and a civil lawsuit, was indicted by a grand jury and will face felony and misdemeanor charger. An ally of International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev called for a peaceful rally in front of the IOC headquarters for Wednesday to support boxing’s inclusion in the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games and for the IBA to once again run the sport. The federation faces possible expulsion by the IOC for a variety of issues related to finance, governance and refereeing and judging.

● Panorama: Swimming (2023 World Cup schedule) ●

1.
IOC recommends individual Russian, Belarusian entries

Following its carefully-prepared, carefully-staged pathway from December’s Olympic Summit, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board announced recommendations to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to be able to complete on an individual, neutral basis, in international sports competitions.

IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) began an hour-long news conference by reading the 1,748-word news release in its entirety, which began with a declaration:

“The [Executive Board] reiterates that the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was not considered either in the consultations or in its deliberations today. The IOC expressly reserves the right to decide about their participation at the appropriate time, even if they would be considered to have qualified according to the qualification criteria set by their respective International Federations (IFs).”

This was followed by comments about how the IOC “feels deeply for the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian Olympic community, whose pain and suffering are beyond imagination” and yet another statement of the IOC’s limits:

“It was also emphasised that the Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world. This is the realm of politics. But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another.”

The statement then noted that the views of the “Ukrainian sports community” were considered and then dismissed them, explaining:

“The 70 other ongoing armed conflicts and wars around the world (source: Crisis Group, CrisisWatch Database) were also considered, including the situations in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and the southern Caucasus. It was noted that NOCs in the regions impacted by these armed conflicts and wars are following the principles of the Olympic Charter. They are not requesting the exclusion of athletes from the other party in the armed conflict or war, and they are allowing their athletes to compete in international sporting competitions without restrictions.”

The IOC then, again, pledged allegiance to the United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs – on whom “the IOC has to rely” – who have urged the IOC to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to be able to compete, even to the point of soldiers who have not been directly implicated in war crimes.

The business end of the statement started with the IOC painting itself as simply responding to the requests of the sports federations and others:

“During the consultations with the Olympic Movement stakeholders, the vast majority of the stakeholders were clear that they want a pathway to be opened for the competitions under their sole authority. They requested from the IOC recommendations in order to harmonise their approach, in the event that they decide to admit athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport to their competitions. The IOC strongly recommends taking such a decision only with the provision that it can be revoked at the discretion of the IF concerned.”

The recommendations listed by the IOC primarily are:

“1. Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.

“2. Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.

“3. Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.

“4. Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.

“5. Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all the other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.”

An accompanying, five-page document with additional detail was also issued, including:

● “The definition of team sports or team events shall follow the IF regulations.”

● “With regard to other active supporting measures, all relevant circumstances, in particular public statements, including those made on social media; participation in pro-war demonstrations or events; and the displaying of any symbol supporting the war in Ukraine, for example, the ‘Z’ symbol, have to be taken into consideration.”

● “In order to ensure a harmonised interpretation of these criteria, the IFs should consider creating a single independent panel under the umbrella of the IF associations (ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF) to take the decisions.”

● “Athletes must participate in competitions as ‘Individual Neutral Athletes’ in English and ‘Athletes Individuels Neutres’ in French, and use ‘AIN’ as the acronym.”

● “IFs and international sports event organisers must ensure that spectators are prohibited from bringing flags of, and other items that nay be associated with, the Russian Federation or Republic of Belarus (current and historical) into the venue.”

Russian and Belarusian athletes are supposed to register themselves and not be registered by their national federations, and their uniforms and associated clothing “must be completely white or unicolor,” unless a sport’s rules require otherwise.

The regulations also apply to technical officials from Russia or Belarus, who are also now eligible to be part of competitions again as well.

Tuesday’s meetings were solely devoted to the Russian and Belarusian re-entry issue; the Executive Board will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to review other matters, including what to do about boxing and other sports issues dealing with Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.

2.
Reaction: Russia fumes at restrictions, continued team ban

“The parameters announced are absolutely unacceptable. The neutral status is a violation of human rights, which a U.N. expert has pointed out. We consider the proposed conditions unreasonable, legally unsound and excessive. We strongly disagree with additional anti-doping procedures for the Russian athletes.”

That’s Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov reacting to the IOC’s announcement on Tuesday, further noting:

“As for team sports, we are dealing with a clear passport-based discrimination. This prohibits almost 30% of athletes from competing. Such approach contradicts the Olympic Charter, to any norms.

“The current parameters will not facilitate the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the competition. The decision is a farce, the basic principles of the Olympic Charter are violated.

“The position announced today on the non-admission to international competitions of Russian athletes who are registered in the military and law enforcement agencies or have contractual relations with them is no longer just another chapter in the list of gross discriminatory sanctions. We believe that this criterion lays the foundation for the internal conflict in the Russian sports, has the direct goal of splitting the community of Russian athletes, dividing them into acceptable and the rest.”

Reactions from Russian sports officials were uniformly negative, as expected in the case of any restrictions:

● Dmitry Svishchev, Chair of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports:

“Completely illegal recommendations. The IOC decided that it had made a mistake by announcing the possibility of admitting our athletes, and now it is going to correct it in this way. Bach declared that athletes are not to blame and it is necessary to defend their interests, but he does something completely different. It is a normal practice all over the world when leading athletes belong to clubs, that they are related to the [national federation]. Then apply this to all countries.”

● Vyacheslav Fetisov, a two-time ice hockey gold medalist in Sarajevo and Calgary who played in the National Hockey League from 1989-98, and now a State Duma Deputy (DeepL.com translation):

“It is clear that the lawlessness continues. The military can travel around the world, but they can’t perform, so what is this? In Germany, there are athletes who belong to the Ministry of the Interior, and sports there are under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior, and Thomas Bach knows about it like no one else.

“Such recommendations trample on sports principles, some pretexts that have nothing to do with sports were sucked out of their fingers. People’s dream was taken away from them, it’s a travesty of rights and of all human principles. The laws of the countries where athletes train should be respected.”

● Maxim Agapitov, President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation:

“It was impossible to expect anything else from the IOC today. This is all part of the strategy that the West organized against us. Bach is an absolutely dependent figure who perfectly understands that the best way out of the situation is a categorical acceptance of the position of one side or the other, but is not capable of taking this decisive step. And if you are guided by common sense in choosing, then the head of the IOC should have made completely different decisions, and not those that sounded today.

“Bach is forced to make some promises to both, and then refuse them and rush from one side to the other. Today we saw another act of the performance, the ending of which has long been clear to everyone. The sane have long drawn conclusions and do not expect anything. at least from the next Olympics.”

● Valentina Rodionenko, the national gymnastics coach:

“The conditions under which our athletes are offered to compete are absolutely unacceptable. I agree with the statement of the President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, who said that the IOC recommendations violate human rights. Bach again spoke a lot, but what is he leading to? Everyone has known for a long time.”

Dmitry Vasiliev, a biathlon relay gold medalist in 1984 and 1988, was even more negative:

“It is not necessary to agree to such conditions, because they discriminate against our athletes. Moreover, on political grounds, although the IOC should be a sports organization and not be related to politics. But now the law enforcement officers themselves are violating it.

“But even if these conditions weren’t there, then you still don’t need to go to this Olympics, because no one can ensure security at it. Paris is now on fire, what will be there in a year, no one knows, maybe even more so; they will not miss the opportunity to arrange a provocation. Yes, and in subjective sports, the same story can turn out as in Tokyo with the Averina sisters in rhythmic gymnastics. … Why go there then?”

On Monday, a joint statement from the Foreign Ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called for the continued full ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes, which included a specific answer to the U.N. Special Rapporteurs:

“We wish to stress that it is not athletes’ nationality that determines their role, but the fact that they are sponsored/supported by their governments or businesses backing up the Kremlin regime, which continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, or even they are affiliated with the Russian military directly.

“We deem it necessary to remind that, day by day, the Russian military keeps attacking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure including sports facilities and killing Ukrainians including Ukrainian athletes. Millions of Ukrainian citizens including athletes and their families were forced to leave their homes in the face of Russia’s occupation.

“Many athletes from Ukraine are still prevented from participating in sport events because of Russia’s attack on their country. There exists not a single reason to move away from the exclusion regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes set by the IOC more than a year ago, immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine. …

“We remind that Russia and Belarus have at their disposal a way forward for their athletes to return to the international sports community, namely ending the war of aggression launched by Russia with complicity of Belarus and restoring respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders.”

The IOC news conference announcing the Executive Board recommendations began at 4 p.m. Swiss time and there was very little reaction from the International Federations. No instant announcements, no “welcome back” messages for Russian and Belarusian athletes.

As Bach noted, Russian and Belarusian athletes are already engaged, on a neutral basis that will be updated by Monday’s regulations, in cycling, ice hockey and tennis. The International Fencing Federation (FIE) approved allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete after 15 April 2023, but no doubt will allow only individuals now.

Individual federations with individual events are now obliged to take a position one way or the other, in the coming days.

3.
Observed: Slicing the sausage as thinly as possible

“We will not be able to come up with a solution which pleases everyone. With this we may have to live.”

That’s IOC chief Bach from a Reuters story on the opening of Tuesday’s Executive Board meeting, projecting the impact of the IOC Executive Board’s recommendations on Russian and Belarusian re-entry into international competitions, but without any promises about the Paris 2024 Olympic or Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

Bach said at his news conference that the Executive Board was “unanimous” in its agreement to the recommendations and regulations released on Tuesday. Of course it was.

The entire Russia-return program is the latest in a long series of Bach productions. He has completely reformed and re-formatted the IOC and the Olympic Movement in his 10 years as its chief, U-turning the way bidding, building and running an Olympic Games – and the rest of the Olympic Movement – is done.

For this, he has received considerable praise, often grudgingly, from long-time IOC critics.

He is diligent, precise, unflappable, conciliatory but also immovable once he finds the answer he is looking for. He is never off-message and always fully alert. There are no missteps.

And while there are contradictions in plain sight, he is willing to live with them once the pathway is determined. The new Russian-Belarusian “re-entry” recommendations showcase this:

● Remember the discussion before Tokyo 2020 about Olympic Charter Rule 50 and the freedom of athletes to demonstrate on the victory stand, or in ceremonies? There was a lengthy consultation period through the IOC Athletes’ Commission, polling which showed support for no demonstrations during awards or ceremonies, but no problem with opinions expressed in interviews or social media.

Tuesday’s recommendations tossed “support” for Russia’s war on Ukraine by Russians or Belarusians during interviews or on social media out the window.

● Bach has hammered the point that sports organizations need to be autonomous from governments. But then he slavishly insists that the IOC must follow the instructions of the U.N. Human Rights Council’s volunteer “Special Rapporteurs,” who praised the IOC’s re-entry idea for Russian and Belarusian athletes.

So, Bach then gives up autonomy to these “experts” – whose conclusions are NOT universally shared, and except for the IOC’s insistence on them would not even be recognized – except that when one Rapporteur said that any Russian solider not actually implicated in a war crime should be able to compete, the IOC ignored her.

● Bach said at the start of the Executive Board meeting on Tuesday that the inclusion of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes in sports such as road cycling, ice hockey – especially in the NHL – and tennis “works.”

Maybe he has missed the tumult in women’s tennis, where Ukrainian players are asking for more meetings with the Women’s Tennis Association board concerning Russian and Belarusian participation. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek (POL) said during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California earlier this month:

“I feel more should be done to help Ukrainian players because everything we discuss in tennis is about Belarusian and Russian players, if they should be allowed, what’s going on with them.

“I don’t think that’s right, because we should focus more on helping Ukrainian players and providing them everything they need because they basically have to take care of all their families, and there’s a lot of baggage on their shoulders.”

The IOC’s very thorough preparation for Tuesday’s meetings and announcement shows a very sophisticated navigational effort through a cafeteria-style, confusing and conflicted stance, slicing the sausage as thinly as possible, completely confident that most – but not all – of the International Federations will do as they are told, since half or more are dependent on the IOC’s Olympic television rights shares for their continued existence.

What Tuesday’s announcement and the ultimate decision on Russian and Belarusian participation in 2024 and 2026 will also do is reset the dynamics of the IOC’s elections in 2025 for Bach’s successor.

Close observers have little doubt that Bach would like to see a female IOC member succeed him, perhaps Zimbabwe youth, arts and sports minister Kirsty Coventry (a seven-time Olympic medal winner in swimming) or Aruban lawyer Nicole Hoevertsz, head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for Los Angeles 2028. But the Russian war on Ukraine and its tightening attachment with China will create new fissures in the IOC, possibly opening the door for experienced hands in sport and politics like World Athletics President (and double Olympic champ) Sebastian Coe, or someone with a heavier background in billion-dollar businesses such as Belgian Pierre-Olivier Beckers, former head of the Delhaize Group.

There are plenty of others who imagine themselves as the IOC President. But the IOC they strive to lead in 2025 may be very different than today, thanks to Bach’s intuition that his view of “Olympic values” is the right one against the backdrop of Russia’s continuing aggression.

4.
Ex-Huntington coach Johnson indicted for sexual battery

The Huntington University track & field coach accused of sexual assault and instituting a doping program, Nick Johnson, was inducted by a Huntington County (Indiana) grand jury on Monday.

He was charged with felony sexual battery and misdemeanor battery. If convicted, he could be imprisoned from six to 30 months and fined up to $10,000.

David Woods, who broke the original story for the Indianapolis Star, wrote for DyeStat.com that Johnson has already faced legal issues with an unrelated incident:

“Johnson was charged in December 2020 with felony accounts of child seduction, kidnapping and identity deception. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of identity deception. In exchange, the prosecutor dropped other charges. He served 30 days in jail, followed by 150 days of electronic monitoring.”

There is a civil suit also underway, filed last September in Federal court by former Huntington University runners Hannah Stoffel, Emma Wilson and Erin Manchess. Johnson was fired in December 2020, with his wife, Lauren Johnson, named as his replacement. She was placed on leave in October 2022 and has left the program.

5.
IBA Coaching Chair calls for demonstration at Olympic House

Gabriele Martelli, an ally of International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev (RUS), Chair of the IBA Coaches Committee and Secretary General of the Malta Boxing Federation, circulated a call for a “Peaceful demonstration by boxing community” outside of the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The announcement included:

“Join us on March 29 to raise the voice of the boxing community and demonstrate our strength and unity in what can surely be described as the biggest and most decisive fight – the fight to protect boxing and make sure it stays at the Olympics.

“Respect is what we have been taught by boxing, respect is what we call for when it comes to fair and transparent evaluation and monitoring of the boxing activities within the International Boxing Association (IBA).

“We are all witnesses of the profound transformation undergone by the IBA during the past 2 years on the road to compliance with the best international practices. It is high time this progress is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is high time that the decisions on the future of boxing are made based on close
cooperation and open discussions with the IBA and boxing community.”

The IOC has made its displeasure with the IBA and Kremlev’s management of the federation clear and will discuss on Wednesday what to do about the IBA and boxing status at the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

This is not the first time for such a demonstration, as Roy Jones, Jr. – a dual Russian and American citizen – led a protest at Olympic House on the same issue on 5 December 2022. The protesters were welcomed in by the IOC, but the federation was again slapped down and faces possible expulsion.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Swimming ● World Aquatics announced a three-stage, long-course Swimming World Cup program over three weeks in October 2023:

● 1. Berlin (GER): 6-8 October
● 2. Athens (GRE): 13-15 October
● 3. Budapest (HUN): 20-22 October

Prize money has not been announced; the three-meet series in 2022 had $1.2 million in prizes. The series is placed more-or-less midway between the 2022 World Championships (14-30 July in Japan) and the 2023 Worlds (2-18 February) in Qatar.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

MILLER TIME: On the Knife’s Edge

By
David Miller
-

/It’s a pleasure to present this guest column by one of the most knowledgeable observers of the Olympic Movement, Britain’s David Miller. For more than 50 years, the former English footballer has covered the Olympic Games and the sports within it, including 15 years as the Chief Sports Correspondent of The Times of London, with stints at the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph. Author of books on athletics, football and the Olympics, he was Official Historian of the International Olympic Committee from 1997-2018. His opinions are, of course, his own alone./

Yesterday’s stalling by the IOC Executive Board on eligibility of Russia/Belarus for participation at Paris ’24 leaves everyone on the precipice of emotional and administrative uncertainty: the host organisers, spectators, International Federations, National Olympic Committees, hostile Ukrainian and Russian rivals incensed either way. A constitutional answer is needed. Pronto.

On its own admission, the social IOC cannot legislate on war and peace, whatever its moral principle, any more than it can determine whether a husband and wife love each other; it can only administer Pierre de Coubertin‘s foundation within its Olympic Charter. This needs rapid adjustment, and eminently possible at the annual Session in Mumbai, India this autumn. Still searching for a ‘loop-hole’ for acceptable Russia/Belarus competitor qualification, wars are not an office-hours chess board for ad-hoc off-the-cuff ruling, but require statutory Charter implementation, shielding the executive.

Namely: that any nation invading another sovereign territory a) for longer than (say) three months forfeits Olympic participation for so long as that invasion might continue; b) its citizens should retain the right and freedom, upon attaining qualification, to be an individual entry, independent of NOC, but only on signature of a formal declaration that they have no personal involvement in the said invasion; c) in mutual war aggression beyond three months, both nations to forfeit participation.

Thus, individual athletes would not have been required to express opposition to governmental political action. Revelation of any subsequent such approval would cause instant retroactive deletion from Olympic competition records and/or medals – moral sense to any truthful non-Orthodox Church or Putin fanatic.

Competitor apparel would be an IOC-design uniform bearing the insignia Independent Olympian. Team sports would be excluded; the Olympic ensign flown for medal-winners; the Olympic anthem for champions.

Not only would this procedure protect the passport-free entry of individuals, but – perhaps prophetically valuable – reduce the ever-increasing nationalistic character of the medals table. Constitutionally, an Independent Olympian could still have been funded, long term, by his/her NOC, thereby granting indirect credit.

A Charter adjustment at Mumbai could be the ‘loop-hole’ resort by which the athletes, the host city and the IOC’s own future could be protected, with warring nations temporarily excluded from peaceful integration by a majority. As a would-be Olympian amateur eons ago, we must yearn for preservation of global sincerity and integration.

Comments are welcome here and or direct to David Miller here.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

BULLETIN: IOC recommends allowing individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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Following its well-prepared path that began last December, the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board issued a detailed set of recommendations to the International Federations to allow certain Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition.

After a lengthy recitation of how deeply it supports Ukrainian athletes, the IOC statement included:

“1. Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.

“2. Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.

“3. Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.

“4. Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.

“5. Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all the other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.”

The IOC emphasized that nothing decided today applies to the Paris 2024 or Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, for which a decision will be made at a later date.

In the news conference that followed, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) was asked why the situation was different now than in February 2022, when it issued a recommendation for a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. He responded that the two main drivers were that Russian and Belarusian athletes were already competing – successfully, in the IOC’s view – in sports such as cycling, ice hockey and tennis, and that the volunteer U.N. Special Rapporteurs told the IOC that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be able to compete.

The IOC issued a long statement and accompanying regulations; more to come on this developing story.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IBA attacks IOC “integrity” prior to Exec Board meeting; Australia’s Carroll asks $2 billion government sport funding increase

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IBA launches attack on IOC ahead of Executive Board meeting
2. Australia’s Carroll warns of A$2 billion sport funding shortfall
3. Panam Sports asks specific Russian/Belarusian inclusion details
4. Indonesia refusal to host Israel causes FIFA U20 World Cup draw delay
5. WTA agrees to Ukrainian players meeting over war strife

The International Boxing Association posted a letter ripping the International Olympic Committee for contacting IBA referees and judges without permission, asking for volunteers for the Olympic boxing qualifiers later this year. The fate of the IBA and boxing at Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 will be discussed by the IOC Executive Board this week. Australian Olympic Committee chief Matt Carroll said Australian sport needs another A$2 billion in funding to 2032 to realize the potential for health benefits, tourism and national pride from the performances of elite athletes at the 2026 Commonwealth Games (Victoria) and 2032 Olympic Games (Brisbane). A short statement – in Spanish only – by Panam Sports supported the IOC’s exploration of possible avenues to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international sports, but asked for specifics. A refusal by the governor of Bali, Indonesia to accept Israel as a team in the FIFA U20 World Cup has led to the postponement of the draw for the event and could cost Indonesia the tournament; reports say Argentina could be a possible replacement host for the event, slated to begin 20 May. Ukrainian players are asking for a meeting with the board of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) over the presence of Russian and Belarusian players as “neutrals.” A WTA spokesperson said a meeting would be arranged, as tensions on the tour are increasing over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

● Panorama: Athletics (Robertson explains doping that cost him eight years) = Baseball (World Baseball Classic profitable in 2023) = Biathlon (2: Reed sweeps U.S. women’s Nationals; Gierhart named US Biathlon chief) = Cycling (Reusser wins women’s Gent-Wevelgem over new U.S. star Jastrab) = Football (2: U.S. men; Belgium, Germany and Netherlands in for 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid) ●

1.
IBA launches attack on IOC ahead of Executive Board meeting

The International Boxing Association accused the International Olympic Committee of a “lack of transparency and cooperation” in an open letter published on Monday.

The notice accuses the IOC of using contact information for IBA referees and judges to ask for volunteers for the upcoming Paris 2024 boxing qualifiers without the IBA’s permission, alleging a breach of a November 2019 agreement for use of data only with regard to the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament. The notice includes:

● “[T]he IBA Head Office received numerous complaints from our Competition Officials about this unsolicited communication from the IOC.

“Above all, the IBA is truly concerned about the source from which the IOC has obtained these contact details and regarding this, namely integrity, transparency, lack of continuous professional development, skill fade, and [European General Data Protection Regulation laws] as the starting point.”

● “The IBA who remains active in its governance reforms has asked that the relevant bodies of IOC, such as the IOC Ethics Commission, take the relevant measures to initiate an internal investigation against those individuals who breached the Agreement and leaked the contact details of our Competition Officials.”

The letter also complains of action or inaction of IOC officials such as Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL), Ethics and Compliance Officer Paquerette Girard Zappelli (FRA), the boxing monitoring team from the PwC professional services firm and others.

Observed: The IBA is doing everything it can to slap the IOC in the face prior to the IOC Executive Board discussions concerning the IBA and boxing’s place on the program for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

There is a belief among some commentators that boxing is too popular to be kept off the program for 2024 or 2028, but this is hardly the case. Boxing has its own fan base, but the attraction of the Olympic Games is that it’s the Olympic Games.

Certainly, the IOC will not miss the IBA and could choose a variety of actions, including calling for a new international federation to be formed that it would recognize in place of the IBA. The obvious starting point would be the members of the Common Cause Alliance, with perhaps 18 federations already aligned.

The IBA’s just-completed Women’s World Championships in New Delhi (IND) raise multiple questions, such as why only 65 member federations competed, where the IBA reports having 204 national federations. Further, there were astonishing incidents at the Women’s Worlds, where IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS) told the Russian news agency TASS:

“According to the results of DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to deceive their colleagues and pretended to be women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from the competition.”

No further details were provided. Russian coach Albert Mutalibov told TASS:

“The procedure that the IBA has established is great, it allows you to catch unscrupulous athletes. But I want such tests to be carried out at the beginning of the tournament, and not during the competition. The representative of Algeria [welterweight Imane Khelif] has knocked out several athletes from the tournament before reaching the semi-finals. I’m watching the final now, our Azalea is stronger than both participants.”

Reuters reported that two-time World Champion Yu-ting Lin (TPE) was disqualified and lost a bronze medal at Featherweight “after she also failed to meet the IBA eligibility criteria.”

How can gender confirmation – or testosterone monitoring – not be done prior to the tournament? Mutalibov complained:

“I’m watching the final now, our Azalea [Amineva] is stronger than both participants.

“The Algerian had difficulties with our athlete, Azalea even scored a heavy knockdown. The Algerian had both physical strength and other speed qualities. In fact, she was an athlete with the qualities of a young man.”

Khelif defeated Amineva, 4:1, in the round of 16. Khelif won the 2022 IBA Women’s Worlds silver medal at Light Welterweight and was the 2022 African and Mediterranean Games gold medalist last year in that class.

A check of the IBA medical and eligibility rules found no regulations on the testosterone levels required for boxing in the women’s division, only a check to ensure that a female fighter was not pregnant. So on what basis were Khelif, Lin and others disqualified?

2.
Australia’s Carroll warns of A$2 billion sport funding shortfall

“Our analysis, undertaken in conjunction with our Member Sports, shows that based on the Federal Government’s forward estimates, there is a $2 billion shortfall in direct investment in Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports in the ten years leading to Brisbane 2032.” (A$2 billion = $1.330 billion U.S. today)

That warning bell was sounded by Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll, in a Monday speed to the Australian National Press Club, explaining:

“Without investment, what governments in Australia want sport to achieve for the community is not going to happen and, in all honesty, and openness, unless this situation is rectified, Australia will be staring failure in the face at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games because our home Teams will have been undermined by inaction.”

Australia, like every National Olympic Committee in the world except for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, has its activities partially supported by its national government; many are completely subsidized. Carroll noted that his call for investment is not so much for the AOC, but for athlete development, athlete training and sport’s role in the country:

● “As an industry sector, we are fiscal contributors to the nation’s wellbeing through the critical role Sport plays in our collective health, addressing the nation’s obesity crisis, chronic diseases, mental health, and personal development. All issues called out almost daily by government, media and industry as critical to the productivity of Australia’s economy. Sport can deliver.

“In addition, sport delivers economy building major events, tourism, hospitality, infrastructure, research, and something that is most important, sporting excellence, building national pride and international status.”

● “Investment in Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games Sports provides government with a highly structured national network of experienced and committed people, largely staffed by volunteers, that reaches all corners of the country. We have more than 13 million participants, more than 50% of the nation’s population.

“Such an investment will be far more productive and provide a bigger bang for the government buck than any bespoke specialised program or anti-obesity advertising campaign.”

He emphasized the need for a sports curriculum in schools, promotion of sport-for-life programs to increase health and “the ability of sport to harness a sense of national pride can unify the country.” As for money:

“This shortfall consists of half a billion dollars for participation and $1.5B for pathways and performance.

“Therefore, the investment required from the Federal Government, based on the work and analysis we have undertaken with our Member Sports, through to FY2032 is $2.7B in partnership with the $3.2B investment the Sports will be making directly from their own means.

“On an annualised basis, this is $200M per year, over 10 years to 2032.”

He also called for the various elements of the sports industry in Australia to be formed into a single government agency:

“For an industry that brings a return of positive economic contributions to the country, with a total economic value to the national economy of approximately $83 billion annually and a return to Australian communities of at least $7 for every $1 invested in sport, it is difficult to fathom why we don’t have a Department of Sport already. It is clearly an opportunity gone missing – thus far.”

The 7-to-1 claim was taken from a 2018 KPMG study on the value of community sport infrastructure in the country. A federal spokesperson noted that the next budget is due in May:

“It is premature to be making claims about a funding shortfall when this comprehensive process to model future investment is proceeding.

“National sport outcomes will be measured beyond medals while ambitious performance goals will be balanced with a culture that prioritises physical, mental, emotional, and cultural wellbeing.”

3.
Panam Sports asks specific Russian/Belarusian inclusion details

In advance of the IOC Executive Board meeting discussing possible Russian and Belarusian participation in international sport, Panam Sports issued a two-paragraph statement only in Spanish on Sunday (DeepL.com translation):

“The Executive Committee of Panam Sports expresses its full support to the athletes of Ukraine, who have been affected by the tragic invasion of their country. We believe in the principles of Olympism, in which sport is at the service of promoting a peaceful and harmonious society and we recognize the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter which establish the inclusiveness, non-discrimination and political neutrality of sport.

“Guided by these principles, the Executive Committee of Panam Sports expects that there will be clear and specific criteria on the possible inclusion of neutral athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports in international sport.”

Observed: That’s about as neutral a position as can be constructed, giving support to the IOC’s current position while not slapping Ukrainian athletes with direct support – yet – for Russian and Belarusian re-inclusion.

Even so, it rings hollow to believe that the re-admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of whom are “employed” by their governments in various capacities can, in any way, be taken as “promoting a peaceful and harmonious society.”

But that’s up to the IOC Executive Board on Tuesday.

4.
Indonesia refusal to host Israel causes
FIFA U20 World Cup draw delay

“The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) is calculating the negative impact that could occur on Indonesian football after the cancellation of the FIFA U20 World Cup Drawing in Denpasar, Bali. Initially, the drawing or division of the group of countries participating in the FIFA U20 World Cup will be held on March 31, 2023.”

This Sunday announcement by the PSSI concerns the first-time presence of Israel in the tournament, as noted in the statement:

“Previously, the Governor of Bali Wayan Koster refused the presence of the Israeli National Team at the FIFA U20 World Cup event. For PSSI, this can be a reason for FIFA to cancel the FIFA U20 World Cup Drawing. Because, for FIFA, the Governor’s refusal is the same as canceling the implementation guarantee that has been issued by the Provincial Government of Bali. …

“PSSI Executive Committee (Exco) member Arya Sinulingga revealed that PSSI would anticipate the worst possible outcome of FIFA’s decision. ‘We from PSSI are thinking about saving Indonesian football. Because FIFA sanctions can isolate Indonesian football from the world,’ he said.”

Beyond the draw, the event is scheduled for 20 May to 11 June in six different cities. Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and the country’s politicians have consistently supported Palestinian positions.

There are reports that Argentina could be willing to step in to host the tournament on short notice, and would have its team included in place of Indonesia, which would lose its place as host. FIFA has made no announcement as of Monday evening.

The event is only modestly popular and therefore not impossible to stage on short notice. Average attendance at the 2019 U20 World Cup was 7,257 per match in Poland, and 7,900 in South Korea in 2017.

5.
WTA agrees to Ukrainian players meeting over war strife

The men’s Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutrals in their tournaments, to the despair of Ukrainian players and their supporters.

The tension within the women’s tour has risen this year, with Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka winning the Australian Open in January and multiple reports of bitterness between players over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, ranked 38th and an Australian Open Doubles semifinalist in 2023, told reporters after a loss to Russian Anastasia Potapova at the Miami Open last Thursday:

“We wanted to have the meeting with the [WTA] board and we didn’t get one. No reply, nothing, just silence.”

A WTA spokesperson said that a meeting would be held and that prior meetings had been held. In the meantime, top-ranked Iga Swiatek (POL) said during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California earlier this month:

“I feel more should be done to help Ukrainian players because everything we discuss in tennis is about Belarusian and Russian players, if they should be allowed, what’s going on with them.

“I don’t think that’s right, because we should focus more on helping Ukrainian players and providing them everything they need because they basically have to take care of all their families, and there’s a lot of baggage on their shoulders.”

Russia’s Potapova wore a Spartak Moscow football club shirt prior to her third-round BNP Paribas match – interpreted as support for the war – and received a warning.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Fascinating interview with New Zealand distance star Zane Robertson, the 2014 Commonwealth Games 5,000 bronze medalist, now serving an eight-year doping suspension. He explained on the “Runner’s Only” podcast:

“It’s been a pretty depressing and devastating day for me.

“There’s many reasons and it’s just not one particular reason. I hate it so much that it’s just a one-off hit and I got caught. It’s been building on me for a few years. Frustration and anger at the sport itself and any elite sports, I just believe it’s not a level playing field like they say.

“I started to ask myself this question: why do people like myself always have to be the ones to lose or suffer. In the end, lose our contracts, lose our income, lose our race winnings, and eventually give up not having the ability to have a family … that was one reason.”

Robertson, 33, said he also faced financial difficulties during the pandemic and was going through a difficult divorce.

“Some things led to another and a lot of stress was placed on me. I made some bad decisions in a really dark time.”

● Baseball ● More on the success of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, with the JohnWallStreet site reporting that revenue for this year’s edition was between $90-100 million, making the event profitable.

Contributing to that was the first-ever rights fee for U.S. television, from FOX Sports, which had excellent ratings, especially for the semifinals and finals in Miami. Prior editions had been seen primarily on the MLB Network and used as a way to help grow that channel.

● Biathlon ● The 2023 US Biathlon National Championships were held in Casper, Wyoming over the weekend, with Joanne Reid sweeping the women’s Sprint and Pursuit.

Reid, who had two top-30 finishes in the IBU World Cup, dominated both events, winning the 7.5 km Sprint by 22:36.1 (1 penalty) to 25:11.8 (3) for Anna French and then taking the 10 km Pursuit by 33:24.6 (6 penalties) to 35:26.3 (4) for Arana Woods.

Vincent Bonacci moved up from second in the national junior race in 2022 to the top of the 10 km Sprint podium in 2023, winning in 29:10.0 (0), ahead of Scott Lacy (30:21.1/1). They were reversed in the 12.5 km Pursuit, with Lacy winning in 39:10.0 (6) to 39:35.1 (8) for Bonacci.

With long-time US Biathlon chief Max Cobb now the Secretary General of the International Biathlon Union, the federation named Jack Gierhart as its new chief executive. He had been the interim head of the federation since September 2022.

He’s no stranger to the U.S. Olympic Movement, having served as the head of U.S. Sailing from 2010-20 and also a one-year term as interim chief executive of USA Fencing in 2021-22.

● Cycling ● Tokyo Olympic Time Trial silver medalist Marlen Reusser became the first Swiss rider to take the famed Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields for women, breaking away with 40 km to go on the mostly-flat 162.5 km course from Ypres to Wevelgem.

She won in 4:16:47, with 21-year-old American Megan Jastrab leading the pack for second, 2:42 back, in her best performance on the UCI Women’s World Tour so far.

● Football ● The U.S. men’s National Team faced El Salvador in Orlando with a spot in the CONCACAF Nations League final four at stake, and came away with a hard-earned, 1-0 win that moved them on to the semifinals in Las Vegas in June.

The U.S. men had the better of play in the first half, with good chances from Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna near the 30-minute mark, and a Weston McKennie header that missed in stoppage time at 45+4. But it ended 0-0, with the Americans holding 57% possession and a 6-1 edge in shots.

The home team came out on fire in the second half, with Reyna hitting the post in the first minute of play and then continuing to harass Salvadorian keeper Mario Gonzalez. Then the U.S. broke through on a brilliant lead pass from the American end by McKennie that found substitute striker Ricardo Pepi sprinting through the box and right-footing the ball into the net in the 62nd minute for a 1-0 lead.

Pepi had another chance in the 85th that was saved by Gonzalez as the U.S. kept the pressure on, and just would not let El Salvador get enough time with the ball to make a serious threat. The Americans ended with 58% of possession and a 17-4 advantage on shots.

The U.S. finished with a 3-0-1 record in the three-team Group A4 (10 points), ahead of El Salvador (1-2-1: 5) and Grenada (0-3-1: 1). On to the Nations League semis to defend their 2022 title; the U.S. now has a 20-1-7 record all-time vs. El Salvador and has a 22-match unbeaten streak since 1993.

The first public announcement of a bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 has come from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands as a joint venture. FIFA opened the bidding last week and parties have until 21 April to express their interest.

Germany hosted in 2011, followed by Canada in 2015, France in 2019 and Australia and New Zealand this year.

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For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Uno, Sakamoto, Chock & Bates take figure-skating golds; Russia’s Tutberidze wants a Bach apology; Mexico wants 2036 or 2040 Games

By
Rich Perelman
-
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates on their way to an Ice Dance gold at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in 2023 (Photo: ISU)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Uno and Sakamoto repeat; Chock & Bates win at Figure Skating Worlds
2. Medvedev: Russian exclusion is “politically motivated”
3. Mexico enters discussions on 2036 or 2040 Olympic Games
4. L.A. City asked to approve $18.5 million in LA28 youth funding
5. No need to worry about Paris 2024; the French can handle it!

Japan dominated the World Figure Skating Championships in front of a home crowd in Saitama, with Shoma Uno and Kaori Sakamoto repeating their wins from 2022 and Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara winning in Pairs. Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates finally won a gold in Ice Dance, in their 10th appearance, their fourth career Worlds medal. Ahead of Tuesday’s International Olympic Committee Executive Board meeting, former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Russia’s exclusion from international competitions was “politically motivated” and said moving to Asian competitions for Olympic qualifying was fine with him. Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard presented a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach last Friday, declaring Mexico’s interest in hosting the 2036 or 2040 Olympic Games. In Los Angeles, the City Council will be asked to approve $18.5 million in spending for the 2023-24 fiscal for the City’s Recreation and Parks Youth Sports Program, funded by the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizers, with funds advanced by the IOC. A wild video from Paris shows diners at an outdoor café essentially ignoring an explosion and expanding street fire right next to them; is this proof that no doubts should remain that the Paris 2024 organizers will be cool under fire?

● World Championships: Boxing (India and China dominate women’s Worlds) = Curling (Swiss win fourth straight women’s World title) ●
● Panorama: Athletics (women’s 35 km walk record) = Badminton (Japan wins two at Swiss Open) = Beach Volleyball (Hughes & Cheng win again on Beach Pro Tour) = Cross Country Skiing (Klaebo and Weng win season World Cup titles) = Cycling (2: Roglic wins Volta in Spain; Classics wins for Philipsen, van Aert and Laporte in Belgium) = Fencing (3: Bardenet, Kun and Szilagyi World Cup winners) = Football (U.S. men pound Grenada, 7-1) = Freestyle Skiing (Ruud and Killi sweep Slopestyle seasonal titles) = Judo (Georgia tops Tbilisi Grand Slam with three golds) = Nordic Combined (more Riiber wins, but Lampartner seasonal champ) = Shooting (China win eight at Bhopal World Cup) = Ski Jumping (Pinkelnig wins seasonal title) = Snowboard (2: wins for Banks and Noerl in SnowCross, U.S.’s Marino & Henricksen in Slopestyle) = Volleyball (eight to go to USA Volleyball Hall of Fame) ●

1.
Uno and Sakamoto repeat; Chock & Bates win
at Figure Skating Worlds

The home crowd in Saitama (JPN) was ecstatic with wins at the 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships for men’s and women’s favorites Shoma Uno and Kaori Sakamoto, both of whom made history with repeat victories.

Uno came into the Free Skate with a 104.63-100.38 lead over American teen Ilia Malinin and did not let up, posting the top score of 196.51, just ahead of Korea’s Jun-hwan Cha (196.39), with Malinin third at 188.06. Uno’s program included five quad jumps and although not perfect, gave him a strong score that held up for a 301.14 to 296.03 victory over Cha, who became the first Korean man to win a Worlds medal!

Malinin had six quads in his program, but under-rotated on three and ended up with the bronze medal, his first at the senior Worlds, at age 18. He said afterwards, “I’m just very grateful for the performance I was able to put out. I put so much effort and work into the last couple of weeks and I’m glad I was able to pull it off.”

It’s the fifth Worlds in a row for a U.S. men’s medal, and Uno became the first Japanese skater to win back-to-back titles. Yuzuru Hanyu also won two Worlds golds, but not consecutively. Jason Brown of the U.S. finished fifth (280.04) and Andrew Torgashev was 21st (210.59). In Brown’s four Worlds appearance, he has been seventh (2017), ninth (2019), seventh (2021) and now fifth, at age 28.

Sakamoto successfully defended her women’s title, the first Japanese skater to win back-to-back women’s golds. After leading the Short Program by more than 5 1/2 points, she finished second in the Free Skate to Hae-in Lee, 147.32-145.37, but finished on top with 224.61 points to 220.94 for Lee.

American Isabeau Levito stood third after the Short Program, but suffered a fall and finished fifth in the Free Skate and ended up fourth overall – in her first Worlds – at 207.65. She was passed by Belgium’s 2022 runner-up, Leona Hendrickx, who also fell, but was fourth in the Free Skate and won the bronze at 207.65.

American Amber Glenn finished 12th (188.33) and Bradie Tennell was 15th (184.14).

In Ice Dance, Madison Chock and Evan Bates were poised to win, after medals in 2015-16-22, and took control in the Rhythm Dance, leading with 91.94 points, comfortably ahead of Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (88.21). Even with a fall in the Free Dance, Chock and Bates won again at 134.07, with Guignard and Fabbri second again (131.64).

That gave the Americans their fourth career Worlds medal, but first gold, scoring 226.01 to 219.85 for the Italians, with Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) third with their second career Worlds bronze at 217.88. Said Chock:

“This has been the goal of us for such a long time, and it was such an experience here in Saitama with the crowd supporting us, cheering for us. It was incredible. This season has certainly unfolded in many unexpected ways, but all paths have led to this moment. We learned lot about ourselves and what we want to achieve.

“We had to dig very, very deep many times, but I know we would not be sitting here without all this experience.”

The U.S. pair of Caroline Green and Michael Parsons finished sixth (201.44) and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were 10th (190.10). Chock and Bates extended the streak of U.S. Worlds medals in this event to eight straight.

Japan’s three wins in four events was last done in 2021 by the Russians.

2.
Medvedev: Russian exclusion is “politically motivated”

“Obviously, the fact that [Russian athletes] do not participate in competitions is the result of politically motivated decisions of sports organizations. It’s a shame for them. For everyone, including, of course, the [International] Olympic Committee and its leadership.

“It’s a colossal test for athletes. It’s very difficult, because you get ready, get ready, and then for political reasons they cut you off. Therefore, I don’t judge anyone here strictly.”

That’s former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking to reporters on Friday, in advance of the IOC Executive Board meeting that will discuss possible re-entry conditions for Russian and Belarusian athletes on Tuesday.

Asked about Russian teams competing in Asian competitions, where they could be welcomed – on specific conditions – he was positive:

“Regarding the transition to Asian federations. If it is beneficial for athletes, why not? Somewhere it gives pluses, somewhere it gives minuses. But where the level of the Asian federation is high, we must move. If anything, we will return later or stay there.

“[Even China alone is] a worthy opponent in general in all sports. They still play hockey so-so, but I’m sure they will soon play very, very well.”

One Russian official who has not warmed to comments about re-inclusion from IOC President Thomas Bach is legendary figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze. Bach commented on the treatment of teen skater Kamila Valieva after her free skate program at a Beijing 2022 news conference on 18 February 2022:

“When I afterwards saw how she was received by her closest entourage, with such, what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, it was chilling to see this. Rather than giving her comfort, rather than to try to help her, you could feel this chilling atmosphere, this distance.”

Tutberidze told the French all-sports newspaper L’Equipe:

“At that time, Kamila kept a short distance. You can’t hug someone who doesn’t want to, and the problem is not that she failed. On the other hand, we have no right to give up. I just asked her why she stopped competing after second element. She simply refused to fight to the end.

“In addition, the Olympic Games are a celebration, many athletes dream of being in her place. I can’t stand the tantrums of athletes. After that, we sat together in the locker room for a long time. This accusation of Thomas Bach is unfair, I expect an apology from him.”

As for Valieva’s failed doping test in December 2021, Tutberidze told L’Equipe: “My skaters have always been clean athletes, these accusations are offensive.”

Valieva’s case is now in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

3.
Mexico enters discussions on 2036 or 2040 Olympic Games

“I had the honor of presenting Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, with Mexico’s Letter of Intent to organize the Olympic Games in 2036-40. Mary José Alcalá, President of the Mexican Olympic Committee and 4-time athlete in the Olympic Games, was present.

“First visit by a Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations to the International Olympic Committee in the last 55 years.”

Mexico Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard tweeted Friday about his visit, with Mexican Olympic Committee chief (and four-time Olympic diver) Alcala and others, to Olympic House in Lausanne and the presentation of a letter from the Mexican government that included:

“The purpose of this visit is to formally express to you and the IOC, Mexico’s interest in hosting the next Olympic Games in 2036-40.

“This initiative is motivated by the historical moment that Mexico is living, in which the best values and traditions of our people have been revalued and our society has become the most participatory since many decades ago, thanks to a process of regeneration of public life, known as the Fourth Transformation.”

The letter further notes Mexico’s excellent sports, economic and tourism infrastructure, to put on a Games “that are successful, austere and universal, and that promote the values of peace and fairness.”

It’s already a crowded field for 2036 and beyond, with possible bids already signaled from Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Qatar, South Korea and others. Mexico hosted the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

4.
L.A. City asked to approve $18.5 million in LA28 youth funding

The Los Angeles City Council is being asked to approve an $18.465 million youth sports program for the 2023-24 fiscal year for the Department of Recreation and Parks, funded by the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee.

This is a continuing program begun in 2020 and funded by funds advanced by the International Olympic Committee to the LA28 organizers, who in turn executed an agreement to fund Rec and Parks programs through the middle of 2028. In specific:

“The YSP supports youth participation in sport by providing financial subsidies to limit the cost of participation to not more than $10 per participant in YSP activities for all youth at prequalified City recreation centers and for all eligible youth at non-prequalified City recreation centers.”

For 2023-24, funding was increased by $0.9 million; the specifics:

“Compared to the 2022-23 Project Plan, the proposed 2023-24 Project Plan:

“● Increases funding for Recreational Leagues and Classes ($152,430);

“● Provides $561,194 in funding for new pilot sports including Archery, Karate, Climbing, Triathlon, and Fencing, for a net increase in 2023-24 ($189,794);

“● Increases funding for Signature Sports including Adaptive Sports, USA Swim Team, and Kayaking offset by a decrease in Aquatics and deletion of Tae Kwon Do ($887,529);

“o Within the Signature Sports program, increases funding for Adaptive Sports and adds two new sports including Adaptive Archery and Wheelchair Tennis($363,775); and

“● Decreases funding for Other Costs including marketing, branding, outreach, and professional services from the United States Center for Safe Sports [sic] ($297,392).”

Swimming is by far the largest sport in terms of spending with $1.83 million earmarked for aquatics programs and another $1.08 million for “USA Swim Team” programs Adaptive Sport programs in archery, athletics, aquatics, basketball, equestrian, skateboarding, soccer, surfing, tennis and volleyball are slated for $841,012 in spending. Judo and surfing programs are marked for increases to $432,600 and $428,792, respectively.

The recommendations will first go to the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games for review and once approved, to the City Council.

5.
No need to worry about Paris 2024; the French can handle it!

OK, this isn’t a prediction about the 2024 Olympic Games, really, but after seeing the nonchalant reaction to a street trash fire going on a few feet away from a café in Paris, is there any doubt the French can handle it?

Check on this 45-second video re-posted by AD.nl columnist Ben Coates on Twitter. Wow.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Boxing ● Host India and China dominated the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi (IND), winning four and three weight classes, respectively.

Nitu Ghanghas, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, won the Minimumweight class, 2022 Flyweight world champ Nikhat Zareen won the Light Fly gold, Lovlina Borgohain took the Middleweight title and 2022 Asian champ Saweety Boora won at Light Heavyweight.

That equals India’s all-time best at the women’s Worlds, with four wins in the 2006 Championships, also held in New Delhi!

The Chinese won three classes, and seven medals in all, the most of any country. Yu Wu won the Flyweight class, Chengyu Yang took the Light Welterweight gold and Liu Yang won at Welterweight, moving to the top of the podium after a 2019 Worlds silver.

Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-wen Huang won her second World title at Bantamweight, also in 2019, as did Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil at Lightweight (also 2019). Two fighters moved up from silver in 2022 to gold in 2023: Irma Testa (ITA) in the Featherweight division and Morocco’s Khadija El-Mardi at Heavyweight.

Russian and Belarusian fighters competed in New Delhi, but did less than expected. Belarus won one bronze and the Russians, who won six medals (3-1-2) when last entered in 2019, won just three (1-1-1) with Anastasiia Demurchian taking the Light Middleweight class.

Winners received $100,000 each, with $50,000 for the silver medalists and $25,000 for both bronze winners for a total purse of $2.4 million. Some 19 national federations boycotted the event – including the U.S. and Ireland, which together won three of the 12 classes in 2022 – and Kosovo withdrew after the Indian government required that its fighter, 2022 Lightweight bronze winner Donjeta Sadiku, compete without national colors since India does not have diplomatic relations with Kosovo.

There was a minor incident during the awards ceremony for Demurchian, as the first few notes of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto were played, then stopped and the Russian anthem played. The Tchaikovsky piece had been used at the Tokyo Olympic and Beijing Winter Games in place of the prohibited Russian anthem, but somehow snuck into the Boxing Worlds.

The organizing committee apologized; said Russian coach Albert Mutalibov:

“The incident spoiled the mood, because I wanted the awards ceremony to go like everyone else, so that there would be no such mistakes. I don’t know how it happened, I think that they got it out of habit. just a misunderstanding. Now they played [the anthem] and awarded the athlete again. We got our bearings, and it’s good.”

IBA President Umar Kemlev (RUS) told the Russian news agency TASS:

“According to the results of DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to deceive their colleagues and pretended to be women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from the competition.”

No further details were provided. Russian coach Mutalibov noted:

“The procedure that the IBA has established is great, it allows you to catch unscrupulous athletes. But I want such tests to be carried out at the beginning of the tournament, and not during the competition. The representative of Algeria [welterweight Imane Khelif] has knocked out several athletes from the tournament before reaching the semi-finals.”

Reuters reported that two-time World Champion Yu-ting Lin (TPE) was disqualified and lost a bronze medal at Featherweight “after she also failed to meet the IBA eligibility criteria.”

● Curling ● Switzerland was looking for a fourth win in a row at the WCF Women’s World Championship in Sandviken (SWE), and not only got it, but completed a perfect Worlds with a 14-0 record.

Skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni, the Swiss showed exquisite precision in the final, scoring single points in the second, fourth, seventh and ninth ends to take a 4-2 lead into the 10th, then scored twice to cap off a 6-3 victory.

Throughout the four-year win streak, Tirinzoni and Alina Paetz – a former Worlds-winning skip for the Swiss in 2015 – have been the key performers. Second Carole Howald won her sixth Worlds gold (!), including 2021-22-23 with Tirinzoni, the 2015 Worlds win with Paetz as skip and 2014-16 with Binia Feltscher as skip.

The Norwegians, skipped by Kristin Skaslien, won their first women’s Worlds medal since a bronze in 2005! They finished 10-4.

The Swiss ripped through round-robin play with a perfect 12-0 record – including a 6-1 win over Norway – and finished four games up on the second-place Norwegians (8-4), trailed by Canada, Italy, Sweden and Japan, all at 7-5. The U.S., skipped by Tabitha Peterson, finished 6-6 and did not advance to the playoffs.

Sweden had to beat Italy, 4-3, to advance to the semis, but were stopped by the Swiss, 8-4. Canada got past Japan, 6-4, to meet Norway in the semis, but the Norwegians advanced with an 8-5 victory, with three points in the ninth end to break a 5-5 tie.

In the bronze-medal game, Canada – skipped by Kerri Einarson – got out to a 3-0 lead after two ends and scored in three more ends to get an 8-5 win over Sweden and 2018 Olympic gold-medal skip Anna Hasselborg. It’s the second straight Worlds bronze for Einarson.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Peru’s Kimberley Garcia Leon, the 20 km and 35 km World Champion from 2022, won the Dudinska 50 race on Saturday in Dudince (SVK), setting a world record of 2:37:44.

That was two seconds better than the 2022 mark of 2:37:46 by Russian Margarita Nikiforova and more than a minute-and-a-half quicker than her 2:39:16 winning in Eugene last year. Garcia Leon now owns two of the top six performances of all time.

She broke away early and won by more than two minutes over four-time World 20 km Champion Hong Liu (CHN: 2:40:06), now no. 7 on the all-time list. Ecuador’s Magaly Bonilla was third in 2:46:32.

Mexico’s Jose Doctor won the men’s 35 km in 2:26:37, moving to fourth on the 2023 world list. Brazilian Caio Bonfim was second in 2:27:30, no. in 2023.

● Badminton ● All Asian winners at the Yonex Swiss Open in Basel, with Japan getting two.

Unseeded Koki Watanabe (JPN) scored an upset in the men’s Singles final over third-seed Tien Chen Chou (KOR), 22-20, 18-21, 21-12, and Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto got a walkover in their all-Japan women’s Doubles match vs. Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Horita.

Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA) defeated Mia Blichfeldt (DEN) in the women’s Singles final, 21-16, 21-18. Second-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (IND) defeated Xiang Yu Ren and Qiang Tan (CHN) in the men’s Doubles final, 21-19, 24-22.

China did get a win in the Mixed Doubles, as Zhen Bang Jiang and Ya Xin Wei won a tense battle with Soon Huat Goh and Shevon Jemie Lai (MAS), 21-17, 19-21, 21-17.

● Beach Volleyball ● The second Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournament of 2023 was in Tepic (MEX), with the reunited American pair of Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng teaming for their fourth win in the last five months!

The women’s final was a re-run of the Beach Pro Tour Finals from January, with Hughes and Cheng facing 2022 World Champions Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa (BRA). Hughes and Cheng, who teamed up for two NCAA beach titles when at USC, won in straight sets in January, but this time took the first set by 21-14, then lost the second, 21-15. They rallied for a 15-10 win in the third and another Beach Pro Tour title.

In the bronze-medal match, Tokyo silver medalists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy (AUS) edged Valentina Gottardi and Marta Menegatti (ITA), 16-21, 21-17, 19-17.

The men’s final was yet another appearance by Norway’s 2020 Olympic and 2022 World Champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, this time against Sweden’s three-time Beach Pro Tour tournament winners David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig. 

But the Swedes were better, with an upset win in straight sets, 21-16 and 21-15.

Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler (GER) won the bronze-medal match, 24-22, 21-16 over Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot (NED).

● Cross Country Skiing ● Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Tiril Udnes Weng finished the FIS Cross Country World Cup as the seasonal champions after the final stop in Lahti (FIN) over the weekend.

Klaebo finished with a bang, winning the Classical Sprint on Saturday for his fifth win in a row in 2:48.58, ahead of Calle Halfvarsson (SWE: 2:49.33) and Norway’s Erik Valnes (2:49.51); Norway had five of six places in the final. Klaebo won the Sprint seasonal title with 1,261 points to 907 for Lucas Chanavat (FRA).

Klaebo then finished with another win – his 19th of the season – in the Sunday’s 20 km Classical Mass Start, in 44:13.0, trailed by Paal Golberg (NOR: 44:18.4) and Swede William Poromaa (44:19.0). Klaebo finished with 2,715 points to 2,243 for Golberg and 1,635 for Federico Pellegrino (ITA). American Ben Ogden was eight at 1,118.

The women’s Classical Sprint was the fourth win in a row for the sudden new star in tour, Norway’s 24-year-old Kristine Skistad (3:08.63), who edged Swede Jonna Sundling (3:08.76), with Weng third (3:15.18). Swede Maya Dahlqvist was fourth and wrapped up the seasonal Sprint title with 944 points.

Norway’s Anne Kalva got her fourth medal of the season – and first career win – in Sunday’s 20 km Mass Start in 51:04.3, ahead of Sundling (51:05.2) and Katharina Hennig (GER: 51:05.4). Americans Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan finished 22nd and 23rd in 52:19.5 and 52:30.2.

Weng won the seasonal title with 2,027 points, ahead of Diggins (1,867), Kerttu Niskanen (FIN: 1,840) and Brennan (1,546).

● Cycling ● The spring Classics season is fully underway in Belgium, with three races this week, won by home favorites Jasper Philipsen and Wout van Aert, and van Aert’s French teammate, Christophe Laporte.

Philipsen took the 47th Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday, a flat 211 km route that came down to a three-way sprint with the Belgian getting to the line ahead of Olav Kooij (NED) and countryman Yves Lampaert, all in 4:38:52. Belgium’s Fredrik Frison was one second back for a 1-3-4 finish for the home team.

Friday’s 65th E3 Saxo Classic in and around Harelbeke (BEL) over a hilly, 204 km course, came down to another sprint between three stars: defending champion van Aert (BEL), 17-time World Tour winner Mathieu van der Poel (NED) and Slovenia’s two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar. It was van Aert getting the win and defending his 2022 victory in 4:44:59, with van der Poel second and Pogacar third. American Matteo Jorgenson was fourth, 33 seconds back.

On Sunday, the famed 85th Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields was a 261 km ride from Ypres to Wevelgem, with van Aert looking for a second career win. He and Jumbo-Visma teammate Laporte broke from the field for good with 53 kg to go and forged an enormous lead, with Laporte getting the win in 5:49:39 and van Aert in the same time. Fellow Belgian Sep Vanmarcke was third, leading a pack of four in a final sprint to cross 1:56 behind.

The 102nd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya had Slovenian star Primoz Roglic – three-time winner of the Vuelta a Espana – in charge from the first stage.

Roglic won the hilly first stage, then finished second on the hilly stages 2-3 and won again on the uphill-finishing stage 5 to maintain a 10-second lead going into Sunday’s final ride in Barcelona. Only Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel – who won stage 3 in the Alps – was close at 10 seconds behind, with the rest of the field more than a minute in arrears.

Italian Guilio Ciccone won the uphill-finishing second stage from Roglic and Evenepoel, and Australia’s Kaden Groves won the sprint finishes in stages four and six.

Evenepoel tried to win it on Sunday, but Roglic stuck close and they finished 1-2 – both in 2:59:24 – giving Roglic a six-second win overall in 28:19:10. Portugal’s Joao Almeida was next best, some 2:11 back of Roglic (who is also a Jumbo-Visma rider!).

Roglic has now won three Vuelta a Espanas, two editions of the Itzulia Basque Country race and now the Volta, completing a Spanish multi-stage trifecta.

● Fencing ● A busy weekend of FIE World Cup action, with American Stephan Ewart winning a bronze in the men’s Epee World Cup in Buenos Aires (ARG), the first U.S. World Cup medal in men’s Epee since 2019.

Ewart made it to the semis, losing to China’s Minghao Lan (15-7), who then lost by 15-13 in the final to France’s Alexandre Bardenet, who beat countryman Romain Cannone, 15-12, in his semi. Bardenet won his first World Cup gold since 2019, and second of his career.

Hungary beat Venezuela, 32-26, in the team final.

The women’s Epee World Cup in Nanjing (CHN) was a win for Hungary’s Anna Kun, defeating Alexandra Louis Marie (FRA) in the final, 15-10. Kun, 27, earned her first career World Cup gold and third career World Cup medal.

Louis Marie did get a win, however, in the team event as the French defeated Korea, 45-35, in the final.

Hungary got a second win on the weekend with three-time Olympic champ Aron Szilagyi winning the men’s Sabre World Cup in Budapest (HUN), winning over 2022 European Champion Sandro Bazadze (GEO), 15-14, in the final.

Korea edged Germany, 45-44, in the men’s team final.

● Football ● The U.S. men, playing their first match since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, had no trouble with Grenada in CONCACAF Nations League play, taking a 7-1 victory on Friday in St. George’s.

The Americans had 68% of possession and a 19-7 edge in shots, taking the lead in the fourth minute on a Ricardo Pepi goal, followed up by scores from Brendan Aaronsen (20th) and Weston McKennie in the 31st.

Grenada got a goal in the 32nd minute on a Myles Hippolyte shot to cut the deficit to 3-1, but McKennie scored again two minutes later for a 4-1 halftime lead. The U.S. got three more goals in the second half, from Christian Pulisic (49th), Pepi again in the 53rd and Alejandro Zendejas in the 72nd for the 7-1 final.

The U.S. ended a nine-game winless streak in road games and set a U.S. record for most goals in an away match with seven.

The U.S. men will next face El Salvador on Monday in Orlando, Florida (7:30 p.m. Eastern) on TNT, Universo and Peacock, with a place in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals on the line. The U.S. had a 7-5 lead on points and needs a win or a draw to advance to the June finals in Las Vegas (USA)

● Freestyle Skiing ● The Slopestyle competition in Silvaplana (SUI) wrapped up the FIS Freestyle World Cup for 2022-23, with Norway’s Birk Ruud and Johanne Killi taking the seasonal titles.

Ruud, the Beijing 2022 Big Air winner and 2023 World Champion in Slopestyle, finished third in the season finale, scoring 92.50 behind Sweden’s 2022 Olympic bronze winner Jesper Tjader (94.25) and Canada’s Evan McEachran (93.00). American Alex Hall (91.75) and Konnor Ralph (91.50) finished fifth and sixth.

Ruud finished with 360 points to 300 for Swiss Andri Ragettli and ended the season with Crystal Globes for Slopestyle and Big Air.

Beijing Olympic Big Air silver medalist Tess Ledeux (FRA) won the women’s Slopestyle at 93.25, beating Sarah Hoefflin (SUI: 90.25) and Killi (89.25); Grace Henderson was the top American in eighth (72.75).

Killi medaled in all five World Cups (3-1-1) and won the seasonal title at 380 points, to 250 for Hoefflin and 205 for Ledeux.

● Judo ● A big field of 419 judoka from 61 nations contested the Tbilisi Grand Slam in Georgia, with the hosts getting three impressive second-day wins to lead the medal table.

Tokyo Olympic champ Lasha Bekauri defeated fellow Georgian, Luka Laisuradze, in the men’s 90 kg final, followed by a win for 2021 World Junior Champion Ilia Sulamanidze in the 100 kg class and Gela Zaalishvili, who won for the third straight time in the Tbilisi Grand Slam +100 kg final!

Serbia scored wins in the women’s 48 kg class with Milica Nikolic beating Andrea Stojadinov in an all-Serb final, and at 57 kg with Milica Perisic. Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Anna-Maria Wagner (GER) won the women’s 78 kg class. Tokyo 48 kg gold medalist Distria Krasniqi (KOS) got to the final of the women’s 52 kg division, but lost to Uzbek Diyora Keldiyorova.

● Nordic Combined ● The final FIS World Cup stop in Lahti (FIN) started with another win for the unstoppable Jarl Magnus Riiber (NOR), who won his third straight World Cup race after taking both individual events at the 2023 World Championships!

Riiber finished the 130 m jumping and 10 km race in 23:58.0, trailed by Kristjian Ilves (EST: 23:59.7) and Jens Oftebro (NOR: 24:53.0).

Sunday’s events saw the same podium, but in a slightly different order. Riiber won again – six in a row including the World Champs – in 24:16.8, with Oftebro second (24:18.6) and Ilves in third this time (24:22.0).

Austrian Johannes Lamparter won his first seasonal title with 1,367 points, ahead of Oftebro (1,313), German Julian Schmid (1,217) and Riiber (1,123), whose injuries prevented a fifth straight seasonal title.

● Shooting ● China dominated the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol in Bhopal (IND), winning eight of the 10 events and scoring 12 medals overall (8-2-2).

Xue Li, 23, the 2022 Worlds fourth-placer won the 10 m Air Pistol final over German Doreen Vennekamp, 17-5, and Yuting Huang, 16, won her first World Cup gold with a 16-4 win over American Mary Tucker in the final of the 10 m Air Rifle.

China also won the 10 m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, 17-11, over India, and Huang got a second gold – with Lihao Sheng – in the 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team final, 16-2, over Hungary.

Sheng, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, also won a second gold in the individual 10 m Air Rifle final for men, 17-13, in an all-China final against Linshu Du. But Du, 19, also got a gold in the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions, defeating Hungary’s Istvan Peni, a three-time World Cup winner, 16-10.

China swept the 50 m Rifle/3 Positions events with a win by Qiongyue Zhang, 16-8 in the final over Aneta Brabcova (CZE).

Vennekamp, a two-time Worlds bronze medalist, got a gold as well, winning the women’s 25 m Pistol final, 30-29, over 15-year-old Ziyue Du (CHN), who won her first World Cup medal.

The men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol final was another win for China, as Jueming Zhang won his first World Cup event, 35-34, over France’s 2022 World Champs runner-up, Clement Bessaguet. Rio 2016 Olympic winner Christian Reitz (GER) was third (21).

India finished second on the medal table with seven (1-1-5).

● Ski Jumping ● The women’s 2022-23 FIS World Cup concluded in Lahti (FIN) with the second win of the season for Japan’s Yuki Ito, but with Austrian Eva Pinkelnig taking the seasonal title.

Ito scored 238.8 points for the win, with Anna Stroem (NOR) second at 237.6 and Germany’s 2023 World Champion Katharina Althaus third (236.9). It was Ito’s seventh career World Cup win, in her best season since 2017.

Overall, Pinkelnig finished with 1,662 points to 1,497 for Althaus, 1,281 for Ema Klinec (SLO) with Stroem fourth at 1,278.

The men will finish in Planica (SLO) next week, but on Sunday, Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi got his third win of the season, scoring 145.9, ahead of Stefan Kraft (AUT: 141.8) and German Karl Geiger (137.0). The competition had to be shortened to one round, but Kobayashi was able to get his 30th career win, moving to no. 7 all-time!

● Snowboard ● The SnowCross finale at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec (CAN) started with another showcase win for Great Britain’s 2021 World Champion, Charlotte Bankes, her sixth World Cup gold in a row!

She beat Beijing silver medalist Chloe Trespeuch (FRA) and Beijing Olympic champ Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) to the line on Saturday, but had her streak stopped on Sunday. There, the win belonged to Australia’s Worlds silver medalist Josie Baff – who also won the season opener – crossing the line ahead of Pia Zerkhold (AUT) and Trespeuch.

Bankes took the seasonal title, however, 723-650-493 over Trespeuch and Baff.

Canada’s Eliot Grondin, the Beijing 2022 runner-up, took his first World Cup medal of the season in the men’s Saturday race, beating 2023 World Champion Jacob Dusek (AUT) and Spain’s 2021 World Champion, Lucas Eguibar. On Sunday, Germany’s Worlds silver winner Martin Noerl posted his third win of the season, ahead of American Jake Vedder (his second medal of the season) and Grondin.

That gave Noerl the seasonal Crystal Globe with 510 points, ahead of Eguibar (436) and Grondin (399).

In the Slopestyle finale in Silvaplana (SUI), American Julia Marino – the Beijing 2022 silver medalist – took her third straight World Cup gold to win the seasonal title by 313 to 153 over Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka, the 2015 World Champion.

Marino scored 87.25 on Saturday to edge Beijing bronze medalist Tess Coady (AUS: 85.00) and Olympic Big Air champ Anna Gasser (AUT: 82.25)

On Sunday, Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa, 17, got his second career World Cup medal … and second World Cup win, but first in Slopestyle, scoring 92.00 to edge Canada’s Liam Brearly (89.00, his first World Cup medal in two years) and Swede Sven Thorgren (85.00).

American Dusty Henricksen, who won a gold and two silvers in the first three events of the season, won the seasonal title at 296, followed by Hasegawa (186).

● Volleyball ● USA Volleyball announced eight new members of the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame, who will be inducted on 24 May in Dallas, Texas, just prior to the 2023 USA Volleyball Open National Championship. The class includes:

● Men/Indoor: Ryan Millar and Clay Stanley
● Women/Indoor: Liane Sato and Logan Tom

● Men/Beach: Todd Rogers
● Women/Beach: Elaine Youngs

● Men/Sitting: Edgar Laforest
● Women/Sitting: Kari Ortiz

Millar and Stanley were both three-time Olympians, and were members of the gold-medal-winning 2008 team. Sato was a setter on the 1992 Barcelona bronze-medal team while Tom was a four-time Olympian as an outside hitter and won silver medals in 2008-12.

Rogers won an Olympic Beach gold with Phil Dalhausser in 2008, the FIVB World Beach title in 2007 and also competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in London; he played well into his 40s. Youngs won a Worlds bronze with Liz Masakayan in 1999 and an Olympic bronze in Athens in 2004 with Holly McPeak.

The late Laforest was an outside hitter on the U.S. team at the 2016 Paralympic Games and a three-time Parapan American Games medal winner. Ortiz was a three-time Paralympian as a libero, winning silvers in 2008-12 and the 2016 Paralympic gold.

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TSX REPORT: World Athletics reinstates Russia (sort of), tightens DSD and transgender rules; big WBC TV audiences for championship game

By
Rich Perelman
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Americans Alexa Knierim (in air) and Brandon Frazier during their winning Free Skate, on the way to a Pairs silver medal at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Japan (Photo courtesy ISU)

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

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★ A revised edition of our exclusive calendar of 651 international and U.S. events for 2023 and beyond, is now available! Click here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. World Athletics reinstates Russia, with lots of conditions
2. World Athletics tightens DSD and transgender regulations
3. Strong World Baseball Classic final-round ratings
4. Matytsin lobbies for Russian re-admission by IOC
5. Miura & Kihara win Worlds Pairs, with Knierim/Frazier second

World Athletics ended its sanctions first imposed in November 2015 against the All-Russian Athletics Federation for “egregious” doping offenses and reinstated the federation, subject to a list of 35 conditions! However, this applied only to doping issues and Russian athletes are still barred in view of the country’s continuing invasion of Ukraine. World Athletics also adopted stricter rules for transgenders, eliminating any males who have undergone puberty before transitioning, and reducing the allowable testosterone level for women with Differences in Sex Development to 2.5 nmol/L, now applied to all events and not just from 400 m to the mile. The World Baseball Classic final set a new U.S. telecast record with more than 5.2 million watching Japan edge the U.S., while 42.4% of all Japanese households had the final on, beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning! Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin says he wants the IOC Executive Board to allow Russian athletes to compete at Paris 2024 with full national colors and flags, at its meeting next Tuesday. At the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, Japan’s Rika Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the country’s first-ever gold in Pairs, with defending champs Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. winning silver.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (video surveillance bill debated in National Assembly) = Athletics (3: Coe to run for third term as President; Shanghai dropped from Diamond League; N.Z.’s Robertson hit with eight-year suspension!) = Football (2: FIFA starts 2027 Women’s World Cup bid process; U.S. defender Krieger to retire) ●

1.
World Athletics reinstates Russia, with lots of conditions

At the World Athletics Council meeting on Thursday, the nearly eight-year suspension of the All-Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) over its “egregious institutional doping violations” was ended, subject to nearly three dozen conditions imposed for the next three years

The Russia Task Force, chaired by Rune Andersen (NOR), reported that its recommendations were solely concerned with doping issues in Russia and not the status of Russian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine. That’s a separate matter.

The reinstatement was approved, subject to multiple conditions – to be enforced for a minimum of three years – mostly aimed at trying to maintain a suitable anti-doping program going in Russia and being able to monitor developments in case more doping is detected:

● Russia is classified in “Category A” for anti-doping monitoring, meaning the Athletics Integrity Unit will conduct special oversight of testing of its athletes and where the samples are processed.

● A list of 35 “Special Conditions” were adopted, including heavy monitoring of RusAF governance; visits by experts every six months; sharing of internal documents and decisions made concerning elections; monthly reporting of anti-doping tests, education, coaching training and qualifications; ethics training; whistleblower programs; funding of the RusAF anti-doping programs, and public reporting of suspensions, doping positives and appeals.

● “If there is a minor breach of [World Athletics anti-doping rules] 15.4 and/or 15.5 and/or of the Special Conditions, the AIU shall decide what corrective action is required.”

● “If there is a material breach of WA ADR 15.4 and/or 15.5 and/or of the Special Conditions (whether a breach as to payment of costs owed or otherwise), the AIU shall report the breach to Council, who will decide upon the appropriate measures (which may include, if the circumstances so warrant, a proposal being put to Congress that RusAF be expelled permanently from membership of World Athletics), with the AIU making any recommendations it may see fit as to those measures.”

With the reinstatement, the need for an Authorized Neutral Athlete process for Russian athletes is over and the Doping Review Board is disbanded.

But that doesn’t mean any Russian athletes can compete, yet. The announcement also noted that sanctions remain in place by World Athletics regarding the invasion of Ukraine, including:

● “Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel, Member Federation Officials and Officials who are Citizens of Russia and Belarus are excluded from World Athletics Series Events for the foreseeable future.”

● “The Council recommends to the meeting organisers of the Diamond League, Continental Tour, Label Races and the various other Tours that they take the same approach and exclude Athletes and Officials from RusAF and the Belarus Athletic Federation.”

A working group will be created to recommend what conditions would be necessary for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition. Said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR):

“The integrity of our major international competitions has already been substantially damaged by the actions of the Russian and Belarusian governments, through the hardship inflicted on Ukrainian athletes and the destruction of Ukraine’s sports systems. Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of whom have military affiliations, should not be beneficiaries of these actions.”

2.
World Athletics tightens DSD and transgender regulations

As expected, the World Athletics Council also adopted a tighter set of regulations concerning athletes wishing to compete as women as transgenders, or with Differences in Sex Development.

For athletes with Differences in Sex Development, the rules were tightened on serum testosterone levels and the number of events expanded, as of 31 March 2023:

“[T]he new regulations will require any relevant athletes to reduce their testosterone levels below a limit of 2.5 nmol/L for a minimum of 24 months to compete internationally in the female category in any event, not just the events that were restricted (400m to one mile) under the previous regulations.

“The principle of restricted events has been removed from the regulations.”

This is a significant change from the 5 nmol/L levels previously required for the 400 m-to-mile event group. An interim regulation was adopted for athletes in events not previously regulated (100-200-110 hurdles, events over a mile and field events):

“[A] requirement to suppress their testosterone levels below 2.5nmol/L for a minimum of six months, before they are eligible to compete again.”

For transgenders from male to female, the federation’s consultations with stakeholders changed the ultimate decision. The announcement noted:

“It became apparent that there was little support within the sport for the option that was first presented to stakeholders, which required transgender athletes to maintain their testosterone levels below 2.5nmol/L for 24 months to be eligible to compete internationally in the female category.”

So:

“[T]he Council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition from 31 March 2023. …

“However the Council agreed to set up a Working Group for 12 months to further consider the issue of transgender inclusion.”

This new regulation slams the door on post-pubescent transgenders in the same way that World Aquatics has done with its athletes. The reduction for DSD athletes to a serum testosterone level of 2.5 nmol/L adopts the tighter standard now in force in aquatics, cycling and rowing.

The announcement also reported “there are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics and consequently no athletics-specific evidence of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female competition in athletics.”

3.
Strong World Baseball Classic final-round ratings

The World Baseball Classic was an overwhelming success at the gate and now the television ratings are coming in for the semifinals and finals in Miami, setting new viewership records for the tournament in the U.S.

Fox reported total viewers on FS1, Fox Deportes and streaming:

● 2.25 million viewers (TV) for the USA-CUB semi
● 2.55 million viewers (TV) for the MEX-JPN semi
● 5.2+ million viewers (all) for the JPN-USA final

The U.S.-Japan final on Tuesday evening drew a peak audience on FS1 and Fox Deportes of 6.5 million viewers and the average of 4.5 million on FS1 made it the most-watched show on U.S. cable television that night.

The final (on cable) beat all but six games of the NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS and was larger than any game shown on TBS, TNT or TruTV. And the broadcast audience of 4.97 million was 63% higher than the old record of 3.05 million for the 2017 final between the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It was also higher than every regular-season game broadcast since 2011 excepting the “Field of Dreams” game from 2021.

In Japan, the numbers were astronomical. The country has about 55.7 million households as of 2020 and the impact of the Classic was enormous. The share of all households in the country watching the Classic on television for Japan’s games:

● 41.9% for pool-play vs. China
● 44.4% for pool play vs. South Korea
● 43.1% for pool play vs. Czechia
● 43.2% for pool play vs. Australia
● 48.0% vs. Italy (quarterfinal)
● 42.5% vs. Mexico (semifinal)
● 42.4% vs. U.S. (final)

The first five games were in Tokyo at 7 p.m., but the semi and final in Miami started at 8 a.m. in Japan on Monday and Tuesday. By contrast, about 38% of all U.S. households watched the Super Bowl in February. Wow.

4.
Matytsin lobbies for Russian re-admission by IOC

The Russian Sports Minister, Oleg Matytsin, decried lobbying by national governments against Russian participation in international sports in an interview on Thursday, then lobbied the International Olympic Committee:

“The Olympic Games are the main competitions for many athletes, and they continue to be. We hope that at the upcoming meeting of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee, a decision will be made to recommend that international federations allow Russians to participate in all competitions under their auspices, for selection and participation of our athletes in the Olympic Games.

“We are actively working to develop elite sports together with the Russian Olympic Committee, we maintain a dialogue with international federations through the government. Today, one of our main tasks is to ensure the competitive activity of all our athletes. This is also indicated in the Strategy-2030, which was developed and was adopted long before the mass and unlawful removal of Russians.

“We consistently stand for the preservation of the principles of the international Olympic movement and the neutral position of the IOC. Because we see how the governments of some countries are trying to put pressure on the IOC and international federations. Lobbying threatens the principles of the development of the world sports. I note that we have always had, have and will have the Russian flag, we have no other. We will do our best to ensure that the Russians compete under their own flag at the Games.”

Meanwhile, another Paris 2024 qualifying opportunity will apparently be missed, this time by Russian and Belarusian weightlifters. Russian and Belarusians were not allowed to enter the European Weightlifting Championships in Armenia from 15-23 April. The Russian news agency TASS noted:

“If the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) allows Russian athletes to participate in Asian tournaments, then domestic weightlifters will have a theoretical opportunity to compete in the Asian Championship, which will be held in South Korea from May 3 to May 13 and is also a qualification for the 2024 Games.”

Everything will depend on the IOC Executive Board’s view of Russian and Belarusian participation, to be discussed next Tuesday (28th).

5.
Miura & Kihara win Worlds Pairs, with Knierim/Frazier second

At the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, the home favorites thrilled the crowd as Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara became the first Pairs gold medalists ever from Japan.

Already the leaders after the Short Program, Miura and Kihara were outscored in the Free Skate by defending champs Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S., 142.84-141.44, but held on to win with final scores of 222.16 to 217.48.

It’s the second Worlds medal for the Americans, after last year’s victory, and a move up from silver for the Japanese from 2022. Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macci won the bronze (208.08), with Americans Emily Chan and Spencer Howe fifth (194.73) and Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea 12th at 175.59.

Said Knierim, speaking especially of coach Todd Sand, who suffered a heart attack on 2 March:

“This whole week, this whole time, this program, it was all for our coach, and that’s where our hearts are. …

“I was very proud of us. We never dreamed that we would have two World medals and for us this is an achievement and the color is beautiful.”

In the men’s Short Program, Japan’s defending champion, Shoma Uno, led the field at 104.63, with 18-year-old American star Ilia Malinin – the 2022 World Junior Champion – right behind with a lifetime best score of 100.38 and Korea’s Jun-hwan Cha third at 99.64.

Both Uno and Malinin executed two quads during their skates. American Jason Brown qualified sixth at 94.17 and Andrew Torgashev made it to the final in 22nd at 71.41. The Free Skate will be on Saturday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French National Assembly continued debate on new laws which will allow specific types of surveillance to be used on a temporary basis during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin explained, “It’s about having a decision-making tool for law enforcement, it is not a question of recognizing people, but situations.” Opponents, including Greens Party member Sandra Regol, counterclaimed: “You hide behind the argument that facial recognition will be banned to hide the fact that facial data will be processed by algorithms and archived. This law proposes to transform into guinea pigs the entire population on French territory.”

The law, with expiration set as of the end of 2024, passed the French Senate on its first reading. The debate is continuing in the Assembly.

● Athletics ● World Athletics President Coe told reporters after the World Athletics Council meeting that he would be running for a third term as head of the federation. He is most likely to be unopposed.

The 2023 Diamond League schedule was changed again, with the 29 July meet in Shanghai (CHN) canceled and the 3 August meet in Shenzhen (CHN) moved to 2 September.

New Zealand distance runner Zane Robertson, 33, the 5,000 m bronze medalist from the 2014 Commonwealth Games, was given an eight-year suspension for a positive test for erythropoietin (EPO) in 2022 and then giving a false statement about the circumstances.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand imposed the penalty after Robertson – who trains in Kenya – claimed that he had mistakenly been given the drug when trying to get a Covid-19 vaccination. But, according to the decision of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand:

“[Anti-Doping Kenya]’s statement included an attached letter from the Vice President of the medical facility Mr Robertson claimed to have attended which stated that Mr Robertson was not administered EPO at the facility, that he had not attended the facility on the alleged date, that of the two doctors he claimed had treated him, one was a laboratory technician and the other was not employed at the facility, that the medical notes were not generated at the facility and the patient number on the notes was not Mr Robertson’s.”

His ineligibility runs to 20 September 2030, with the decision noting that in view of the evidence presented, he “no longer seeks to contest the sanction.”

● Football ● FIFA announced the opening of the bid process for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be decided by the FIFA Congress in May of 2024.

The final vote will be between up to three candidates, to be selected by the FIFA Council. National federations have until 21 April to signal their interest; the U.S. Soccer Federation is more likely to bid for 2031 than 2027 given the 2026 FIFA World Cup already being organized.

The event will include 32 teams and bidders are required to identify a minimum of 10 stadiums and 70 Team Base Camp training sites, two locations for Fan Festivals in each proposed stadium city and a raft of government guarantees.

Standout U.S. defender Ali Krieger, 38, said Thursday that she will retire at the end of the current NWSL season.

She finishes with 108 national team appearances and was on FIFA Women’s World Cup-winning teams in 2015 and 2019.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Poll shows more in L.A. like Olympics than their city; sensational WBC explodes attendance record; Ukraine pressures IOC

By
Rich Perelman
-
A July poll said Americans like the 2028 Olympics being in Los Angeles by 78-4%!

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. New L.A. poll shows 57% like Olympics, more than like the city!
2. World Baseball Classic ‘23 shatters all records
3. Ukraine NOC letter makes legal case to keep IOC bans in place
4. Ukrainian fencers will not face Russians, join in protest
5. IIHF continues Russian ban; gym team misses Paris ‘24 qualifier

A new poll for the Los Angeles Times showed that 57% of City of Los Angeles residents think the 2028 Olympic Games will be good for the area, vs. 20% who don’t and 22% who think it won’t matter or don’t care. That’s actually better than city of L.A. residents think of Los Angeles generally, with 48% saying the city is a good or excellent place to live, 33% saying it’s just fair and 18% calling it “poor.” The 2023 World Baseball Classic rewrote the records for attendance and embarrassed the 2022 per-game average turnouts for Major League games at the home parks of the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. National-team baseball is a hit, but will it expand? The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine sent a 10-page letter to the other NOCs and sports federations, making their case for Russian and Belarus to continue to be excluded from international competition and savaging the opinion of two volunteer U.N. Human Rights Council “Special Rapporteurs” for supporting their re-inclusion, pointing out significant gaps in their analyses. The Ukrainian fencers declared they will not compete against Russians or Belarusians and called on the International Fencing Federation (FIE) members to reverse their recent vote to allow them in, subject to IOC edicts. They also protested at a conference in Germany at which IOC President Thomas Bach was the featured speaker. The International Ice Hockey Federation maintained a ban on Russian and Belarusian teams through the 2023-24 season, while the Russian artistic gymnastics teams are shut out of the European Championships, a necessary qualifying platform for qualifying for Paris 2024. Russia’s coach now hopes for admission to the Asian Championships in June to be able to qualify for the 2023 FIG Worlds (and then qualify for Paris 2024).

● Panorama: Anti-Doping (Steven Ungerleider passes at 73) = Aquatics (World Aquatics completes rules review) = Figure Skating (Sakamoto leads women’s Worlds Short Program) = Gymnastics (U.S. wins men’s & women’s team titles in Germany) = Modern Pentathlon (new brochure aims to recruit obstacle racers) ●

1.
New L.A. poll shows 57% like Olympics, more than like the city!

A new poll for the Los Angeles Times, coordinated by Suffolk University, published Wednesday, showed that 57% believe the 2028 Olympic Games “will be good” for Los Angeles, while 20% do not and 23% say it won’t matter.

The story on the poll offers only some of the data on the survey, with the Suffolk University Political Research Center site offering much more. This poll, taken by telephone of 500 respondents between 20-23 March 2023, was only for residents of the City of Los Angeles (3.85 million population in 2021), and not the much larger Los Angeles County area, which includes 88 cities (9.83 million) or the L.A, metro area (12.49 million).

The last two questions – out of 39 – were asked about the Olympic Games:

“38. The 2028 Summer Olympic Games will be hosted in Los Angeles. It’s estimated that the games will cost nearly 7 billion dollars in private funds and bring thousands of people to the city for a month of events. Do you think that hosting the Olympics will be good or bad for Los Angeles, or will it not matter?”

● 57.4%: Good
● 20.2%: Bad
● 16.2%: Will not matter
● 6.2%: undecided or won’t answer

So those who don’t know, don’t care or think it won’t matter much are ahead of those against the Games by 22.4% to 20.2%.

“39. How excited are you for the city to host the 2028 Olympics?”

● 56.8%: Very or somewhat excited
● 15.4%: Not very excited
● 25.2%: Not excited
● 2.6%: Undecided or won’t answer

About the same response as question 38.

These figures are down from a February 2022 poll by The Times and SurveyMonkey, but spanning a much larger area – 743 respondents from the Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties and the Inland Empire sections of Riverside and San Bernardino counties – that saw 76% in favor of hosting the Games and 16% opposed, and 8% who didn’t care or wouldn’t answer.

Interestingly, the figures for the 2028 Los Angeles Games are much better than Angelenos – City of Los Angeles residents – think about the City itself. Asked to rate Los Angeles “as a place to live”:

● 47.8%: Excellent or Good
● 33.2%: Fair
● 17.6%: Poor
● 1.4%: Undecided

New Mayor Karen Bass, in office barely 100 days, but who has made a push against homelessness a high-profile priority, also failed to excite respondents:

● 50.2% Approve
● 13.8% Disapprove
● 35.2%: Undecided
● 0.8%: Won’t answer

The undercurrent here is that people living in the City of Los Angeles itself aren’t all that happy with it and with what goes on there, now and in the future, including the Olympic Games in 2028. How that changes – for good or bad – in the future will continue to color how the 2028 Games are viewed.

Observed: From the outside, it would seem strange that 22.4% of the respondents said that the 2028 Games won’t matter, were undecided or didn’t answer. This reflects the state of the city today, but also in part a subtle strategy employed by the LA28 organizing committee.

Unlike some other Olympic organizing groups – Atlanta 1996 comes to mind – the LA28 folks have been quiet. They are selling sponsorships, funding millions of dollars worth of City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks programs for youth and not hiring much.

Yes, there are jobs being filled, but the entire organizing committee so far is only in the 150-plus range, a tiny fraction of the thousands who will be hired by the time we get to 2028. There are no bombastic news conferences, no gaudy advertising campaigns and even a muted selection of 61 items – mostly T-shirts and pins – offered online.

Isn’t this a problem? No. It’s the smart play for now.

First and foremost, the LA28 organizers are keenly aware – minute-by-minute – that the Olympic Games they expected to stage in five years is changing in front of their eyes, daily. What happens to Russia and Belarus going into 2024 and the response from democracies in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, will shape the 2028 Games just as the U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow 1980 Games impacted the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

Beyond the impact of the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the questions of what happens to boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting, and any sports that the LA28 organizers want to add, are still to be decided, either by the International Olympic Committee alone or in concert with the LA28 organizing committee. That is going to impact the plans for the Olympic Village at UCLA, transportation, hiring, communications, broadcasting and other areas; the decisions are expected by the summer.

Moreover, the LA28 folks know this truth: every dollar they don’t spend on staff, office space and stuff today will be available when the detailed organizing effort is in full speed in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

The Paris 2024 organizers are under severe budgetary pressures brought on by a pandemic they didn’t foresee in 2017 and massive inflation and supply-chain issues that started in 2021. Waiting to see what the 2028 Games has to look like in view of the worldwide, national and local situation closer to 2028 is the right play right now. The time to spend will come and all too soon.

2.
World Baseball Classic ‘23 shatters all records

If you want the quickest possible snapshot of how great the 2023 World Baseball Classic was, just compare the attendance figures from the first edition in 2006 until now:

● 2006: 737,112 (18,900 per game for 39 games)
● 2009: 801,548 (20,549 for 39 games)
● 2013: 781,438 (20,037 for 39 games)
● 2017: 973,699 (24,342 for 40 games)
● 2023: 1,306,414 (27,796 for 47 games)

Looked at another way, the 47-game attendance in Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami of 1.31 million topped the 2022 Miami Marlins seasonal total by 44% (907,497), and the per-game average of 31,685 for the 15 games played there was 2.82 times the Marlins’ average of 11,204.

By the way, the 10 Pool C games played in Phoenix averaged 24,265, 22% higher than last season’s average attendance of 19,817.

That’s spectacular.

On television, the 10 March pool-play match-up between Korea and Japan in Tokyo drew 62.3 million viewers in Japan alone (44.4% share of all TV on during the game) and 2.7 million in Korea; it has been pointed out that the 2022 World Series averaged 12.5 million viewers in the U.S.

The tournament’s Most Valuable Player was, of course, Japanese two-star star Shohei Ohtani, who ended with the most innings pitched (9.2), tied for the most runs (9) and was named to the All-Tournament team as both Designated Hitter and Pitcher.

The U.S.’s Trea Turner set a WBC record for the most home runs with five, and Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida set the runs-batted-in record with 13.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who has been involved with the tournament since before its 2006 debut, said the next edition is confirmed for 2026, just three years away instead of the normally-planned four, thanks to the pandemic.

The possibilities for national-team baseball are now obvious and it will be interesting to see if new discussions with broadcasters will take place that might change the format. Or if the concept of international baseball creates new showcases, for example, a U.S. vs. World All-Stars game during the All-Star break, or a series after the wild-card playoffs conclude and only eight of 30 teams are still playing.

It’s too good to ignore.

3.
Ukraine NOC letter makes legal case to keep IOC bans in place

The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board will meet in Lausanne from 28-30 March next week, with a four-hour block on the first day devoted to:

“Discussion of the conclusions and review of the feedback from a series of consultation calls held with IOC Members, NOCs, IFs and athletes’ representatives on the topic of solidarity with Ukraine, the sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and the status of athletes from these countries.”

In advance of the meeting, a 10-page letter was prepared by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and sent to the heads of National Olympic Committees, International Federations and members of NOC Athlete Commission. The request is simple, but the implications are dramatic:

“[W]e strongly urged the IOC Executive Board to remain in force [the] Recommendation of the IOC Executive Board of February 28, 2022, to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international sports competitions.

“However, should the IOC Executive Committee decide to allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, all the members of the IOC Executive Board must undertake personal responsibility for all consequences of such decision, including responsibility for safety of all participating athletes and general public and restoration of global peace.”

The core of the three-page primary letter and a seven-page annex is a detailed explanation of why the U.N. Human Rights Council volunteer “Special Rapporteurs” position that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials should be allowed to compete is so wrong, and that the IOC’s heavy reliance on their position is so badly misplaced.

In short, the U.N. volunteer opinions do not take into account the IOC’s responsibilities to holdings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the European Court of Human Rights. The Ukrainian letter cites a Court of Arbitration for Sport holding that “the right to participate in competitions is not absolute” in an appeal by the Russian Football Union to participate in UEFA events. The letter states that the European Court of Human Rights has “recognized the difference in treatment and limitation of individual’s rights and freedoms may be a justifiable measure if it pursues a legitimate aim, such [as] the aim of ensuring public safety, restoration of peace, protection of national security. In such cases, a measure is not considered discriminatory.”

The letter states:

“[T]he interests of the organizers of sports competitions in their smooth conduct and the general goal of ensuring the safety of all participants (both participants and the public) is a legal non-discriminatory measure that takes precedence over the right of Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in such competitions.

“It is appalling that the above-mentioned report of UN Special Rapporteurs, which served as a foundation of the IOC’s renewed position, did not take into account the relevant CAS and ECHR jurisprudence at minimum, ignored non-absolute nature of the rights involved and of the prevailing circumstances arising from the Russian aggression against Ukraine. It is therefore unacceptable that the fragmented and unsubstantiated conclusions of the UN Special Rapporteurs serve as a ground for any [of the] IOC’s further decision.”

4.
Ukrainian fencers will not face Russians, join in protest

“It was decided not only not to go to duels at competitions of any level directly with Russian and Belarusian athletes, but also for our athletes, coaches, judges not to participate in competitions in which Russian or Belarusian athletes will participate …

“The presidium decided to create a working group that will determine the specific plan and content of the active actions of Ukrainian athletes and coaches at the upcoming competitions at which an attempt will be made to return Russian and Belarusian athletes.

“In addition, specific actions aimed at challenging the illegal and shameful decision of the Congress of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) dated March 10, 2023 regarding the return of representatives of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to international competitions under the auspices of the FIE were also discussed.”

A Monday meeting of the National Fencing Federation of Ukraine was held online, with a statement (partially quoted above) released to confirm a boycott of any competition which includes Russian or Belarusian fencers. The FIE Congress decision to potentially include Russian and Belarusian fencers after 15 April could be allowed or foreclosed by the IOC Executive Board next week.

A protest was staged by Ukrainian and German fencers on Wednesday in Essen (GER) at the Congress of the Ruhr Political Forum, with IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) the key guest in a discussion of the “Olympic Games in the zone of tension between sports and politics.”

A statement from the protesters included:

“Meanwhile, as Ukrainian defenders, including athletes, defend Ukrainian land and die at the hands of an aggressor, the IOC allows the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Olympics in Paris under a neutral flag, thus tolerating the war. But we are against it and loudly declare it!”

Bach’s remarks at the Forum did not stray his from prior statements and included:

“If politics decides who can take part in a competition then sport and athletes become tools of politics. It is then impossible for sport to transfer its uniting powers.

“We must be politically neutral but not apolitical. We know well that politics rules the world. We know well that our decisions have political implications and we have to include that in our thinking.

“But we should not make the mistake to raise ourselves to referees of political disputes because we will be crushed by these political powers. …

“Ukraine wants, and this is a direct quote, ‘the total isolation of all Russians’.

“We are in a dilemma. We feel, suffer with and understand the Ukrainian people and athletes. On the other hand, we have, as a global organisation, a responsibility towards human rights and the Olympic Charter.

“Both do not allow such a total isolation of people with a specific passport.”

5.
IIHF continues Russian ban; gym team to miss Paris ‘24 qualifier

Against some movement in favor of Russian and Belarusian re-admission in other sports, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced Wednesday:

“Based on a detailed risk assessment from a renowned company that specializes in assessing risks due to various global challenges, the IIHF Council determined that it is not yet safe to reincorporate the Russian and Belarusian Teams back into IIHF Competitions, and that it will not be safe for the upcoming 2023/2024 IIHF Championship season. Therefore, the IIHF will move forward with the 2023/2024 IIHF Championship season without the Russian and Belarusian Teams.”

The Russian reaction included: “The removal of the Russian team from participation in world championships and other competitions for the far-fetched reason of ‘safety of the participants’ is a decision that is neither constructive nor beneficial to world hockey.”

NBC Sports reported that according to the Paris 2024 qualifying process for artistic gymnastics, the Russian men’s and women’s teams may be out:

“Gymnasts from Russia, and other European nations not already qualified, need to compete at next month’s European Championships to stay on the path toward Olympic qualification in the men’s and women’s team events.”

The deadline for inclusion for the 11-16 April event in Antalya (TUR) was Tuesday’s draw (21st), now completed, with Russia and Belarus not included.

However, according to Russian national team coach Valentina Rodionenko, it’s not over yet:

“We have long understood that we will not be able to compete at the European Championships, so the draw that took place without us was not a surprise.

“Let’s hope that we will be given the opportunity to take part in the June [10-18] Asian Championships in Singapore, which will be the only chance to qualify for a very important World Championships for us.”

The top nine team finishers at the 2023 FIG World Artistic Championships in Antwerp (BEL) – starting on 30 September – will qualify for Paris 2024.

The “Russian Olympic Committee” won both the men’s and women’s Team titles in Tokyo in 2021, but might be excluded from Paris in 2024. If so, and the ban on Russian and Belarusian gymnasts is lifted later, there may be time for individual gymnasts to qualify through the 2024 FIG Apparatus World Cup series.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Anti-Doping ● The author of a crucial book that described the workings of the state-sponsored East German doping machine, Dr. Steven Ungerleider, passed away on 18 March at age 73, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Ungerleider, a gymnast in his youth, was a founder of the Foundation for Global Sports Development and co-founded its film-making arm, Sidewinder Films. Author of multiple books, he received wide praise for his 2001 work, Faust’s Gold: Inside the East German Doping Machine.

A sports psychologist by trade, he was the producer of the acclaimed “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal” that appeared on HBO in 2019. He produced multiple films with Olympic and Paralympic themes, including “Munich ‘72 and Beyond” shown on PBS in 2016 about the families of the murdered Israeli team members, the 2020 PBS documentary “Positive All the Way” about International Paralympic Committee President Phillip Craven (GBR) and many others.

● Aquatics ● World Aquatics announced the completion of a comprehensive revision of its competition rules, including a regulation requiring a minimum of “three years of residence” to consider a change in national affiliation.

For swimming, the new rules allow full submersion under the surface of the water in the final 5 m of the backstroke. Something about this sound familiar? At the 2022 World Championships, Justin Ress out-touched fellow American Hunter Armstrong for the victory at 50 m, 24.12 to 24.14, but was disqualified for submersion at the finish. After a protest and a video review, Ress was reinstated, but now the issue won’t surface again (pun intended).

For Open Water swimming, the grueling 25 km distance has been eliminated from the World Aquatics Championships, leaving the 5 km and 10 km events.

● Figure Skating ● The first sessions of the 2023 ISU World Championships were completed in Saitama (JPN), with the home team taking charge of both the women’s and Pairs competitions.

Japan’s defending champion, Kaori Sakamoto, skated to a commanding lead in the Short Program with a score of 79.24, with Korea’s Haein Lee second (73.62). Mai Mihara (JPN) was third at 73.46, with U.S. champ Isabeau Levito fourth (73.03, in her first senior Worlds), Bradie Tennell eighth (66.45) and Amber Glenn 10th (65.5), all qualifying for the Free Skate.

In Pairs, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara – the 2022 silver medalists – led the Short Program at 80.72, with a healthy lead over defending champs Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (USA: 74.64) and Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (73.24). Two other U.S. entries advanced: Emily Chan and Spencer Howe in fifth (70.23) and Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea in ninth (63.40).

Skating continues through Sunday.

● Gymnastics ● Strong performance by the U.S. teams at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart (GER), with the men’s and women’s senior teams both winning their competitions.

The men’s team, with familiar stars including Brody Malone, Yul Moldauer, Shane Wiskus, Asher Hong and Fred Richard scored 258.800 to win over Japan (253.950). The women’s squad of Nola Matthews, Zoe Miller, Joscelyn Roberson, Ashlee Sullivan and Lexi Zeiss routed the field, scoring 162.300 to 155.950 for runner-up Belgium.

● Modern Pentathlon ● Having made the change to eliminate riding and concentrate on an obstacle course discipline in its bid to remain on the Olympic program for Los Angeles in 2028, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne created a 12-page brochure to try and entice obstacle-course athletes to expand to five events.

“Get Started With The New Modern Pentathlon” doesn’t flat-out promise that the sport will be contested in 2028, but says “Obstacle will be integrated into Modern Pentathlon for the first time in 2023, and the journey to Los Angeles 2028 starts HERE AND NOW!”

Page nine notes, however, “No, this doesn’t have to be all about LA28. If you already have Obstacle experience, you can choose any combination from the UIPM Sports Pyramid and take a longer-term approach to your Pentathlon journey(the Olympic is every four years, but the Pentathlon circuit is annual and we have opportunities for all ages.)”

The decision on whether Modern Pentathlon will be included in the LA28 program will be made later this year.

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

For our updated, 651-event International Sports Calendar (no. 2) for 2023 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Japan edges U.S. to complete perfect WBC; boxing officials threatened by IBA; Women’s World Cup hospitality on sale

By
Rich Perelman
-
Japan won all five of its games at the Tokyo Dome before two more wins in Miami made it three World Baseball Classic championships (Photo: Wikipedia)

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

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

★ A revised edition of our exclusive calendar of 651 international and U.S. events for 2023 and beyond, is now available! Click here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Ohtani closes out U.S. as Japan sweeps to WBC title
2. Officials federation decries IBA blackball threats
3. Alberta’s Commonwealth Games bid “less risky” than Olympics
4. FIFA notes success of Social Media Protection Service at Qatar ‘22
5. FIFA Women’s World Cup hospitality packages on sale

Japan completed a perfect World Baseball Classic with timely hitting and excellent relief work to claim a 3-2 win over the U.S. in the championship game and win its third WBC title, with a 7-0 record. The head of the International Federation of Sports Officials decried a threat by the International Boxing Association that boxing referees and judges who participate in the International Olympic Committee’s boxing qualifier series for Paris 2024 may not be selected in future IBA events. In Canada, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said hosting a Commonwealth Games would be “less risky” than an Olympic Games, but wants to see the outcome of the bid group’s study plan in August before committing to seek the 2030 event. FIFA used the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to salute its Social Media Protection Service from the 2022 FIFA World on Qatar, which scanned more than 20 million messages and either intercepted or reported more than 300,000 tp help protect players on five major platforms. The hospitality program for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has started, with a plethora of programs for single seats with food and drink service, group seating, seats with access to a lounge and private suites. But you have to get there on your own.

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (volunteer recruitment started) = College Sports (Study shows net gain in sports sponsored since pandemic started) = Bobsled & Skeleton (Vogt retires after U.S. Nationals win) = Cycling (Faulkner disqualified for using glucose monitor) = Fencing (Russia ready to host “returned” German World Cup) = Table Tennis (2: China sweeps Singapore Slam; U.S. star Jha suspended for a year) ●

1.
Ohtani closes out U.S. as Japan sweeps to WBC title

Another memorable World Baseball Classic concluded before a packed house at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida with Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani striking out his Los Angeles Angels teammate, Mike Trout, to seal a 3-2 win that gave Japan its third Classic championship.

The game started with a 1-0 U.S. lead after shortstop Trea Turner hit his fifth home run of the tournament off of Japan’s starter Shota Imanaga, but the Japanese countered with a home run by third baseman Munetaka Murakami off starter Merrill Kelly and later a ground-out by center fielder Lars Nootbaar to go up, 2-1, at the end of two. The lead was 3-1 after first baseman Kazuma Okamoto homered off Kyle Freeland in the bottom of the fourth, while the U.S. bats were quiet.

The Americans had four hits in the first two innings off of Imanaga, but then Shosei Togo, Hiroto Takahashi, Hiromi Itoh and Taisei Ota held the U.S. scoreless on just three hits over the next five.

WBC veteran Yu Darvish came in to pitch the eighth for Japan, and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hammered foul after foul on inside pitches, then slammed a home run to the upper deck in center field on a 2-2 splitter to close to 3-2. U.S. relievers got through their fourth straight scoreless inning in the bottom of the eighth, then Ohtani came in to pitch the ninth to try and close it out. After a walk, he got right fielder Mookie Betts to hit into a double play and struck out Trout on a 3-2 sweeping curve.

Samurai Japan – as the national team is known – was the best in the world again.

The final was set up by a spectacular semifinal between Mexico and Japan that ended with a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth.

Neither team could score early; Patrick Sandoval shut out Japan through 4 1/3 innings, while Roki Sasaki sailed through the first 4 2/3 innings, then gave up two singles and three-run home run by second baseman Luis Urias that pegged Mexico to a 3-0 lead.

Japan got two on in the fourth, and loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth, but couldn’t score. In the seventh, a single and a walk preceded a right-field blast by left fielder Masataka Yoshida that tied the game off of reliever JoJo Romero. Mexico fought right back, with a double from right fielder Alex Verdugo and third baseman Isaac Paredes’ single for a 5-3 lead in the top of the eighth, but first baseman Joey Meneses was thrown out at the plate by Yoshida to save a run.

Japan scratched back for a run in the bottom of the eighth and came on in the bottom of the ninth down 5-4. Designated hitter Ohtani doubled off of new reliever Giovanny Gallegos, Yoshida walked and then Murakami sent a long double to the wall in center that scored two and pushed Japan into the championship game, 6-5. Wow.

Japan finished with an 7-0 record in the tournament, only the second team to win all of its games, after the Dominican Republic (7-0) dominated in 2013. The win gives Japan three of the five World Baseball Classic titles (also 2006-09); the U.S. is now 1-1 in championship games after winning in 2017.

It was a special tournament and shows the promise of international play between national teams. But you likely won’t hear much about it again until the 2026 tournament gets close.

2.
Officials federation decries IBA blackball threats

Boxing officials are now between a rock and a hard place, as noted by Patrick Vajda (FRA), head of the International Federation of Sport Officials (IFSO). As reported by FrancsJeux.com, he defended referees and judges against a new action by the International Boxing Association, which has threatened sanctions against any officials who participate at any of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic qualification tournaments. Wrote Vajda:

“Once again, we are attacking those who have no way to defend themselves, and who today find themselves in a very uncomfortable position, even impossible to manage …

“The World Championships of women’s boxing … will not count for the Olympic qualification, not more than the other events organized by the IBA until the Paris 2024 Games.

“But nobody cares about the judges and referees who also have to train and practice refereeing at the highest level. Today, severe threats are hanging over them. IFSO condemns this political decision of the IBA which unjustly punishes international referees and their possibility to develop in their officiating career.“

InsideTheGames.biz posted a copy of an electronic mail message from IBA Development Director Chris Roberts (GBR), which referenced an invitation from the IOC’s Paris 2024 Boxing Unit that included:

“Considering that the International Tournaments announced by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit are not approved by IBA … participation in these tournaments is forbidden, unless otherwise approved by the IBA Board of Directors. In order to grant approval, the IOC, must, and as a matter of courtesy, request assistance and support from IBA to approach any [Technical Official] in the first instance. Disappointingly, this has not happened to date. …

“The lack of respect of the general principles in terms of loyalty towards IBA … will be taken into account when IBA enforce its right to appoint or do not appoint the Competition Officials for further IBA Competitions.”

The IOC Executive Board will meet on 28-30 March and may have more to say about this.

3.
Alberta’s Commonwealth Games bid “less risky” than Olympics

“I felt like we needed to at least see what the pitch was and what the plan is. That’s part of the reason we’ve agreed to at least go to this next step and see what kind of package they can put together.”

That’s Province of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith telling a Saturday radio audience that a bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, to be spread across multiple venues is worth exploring. She added:

“The Commonwealth is a little bit different because it’s summer games and is less costly, less risky, I think. But it’s also going across more jurisdictions.”

As to a referendum on bidding, Smith said, “We’ll have a full public conversation. I don’t think the report is going to be available or the final decision needs to be made until August. So, there will still be lots of opportunity to have input.”

The initial concept is for the events to be held in Calgary (site of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games) and Edmonton (1978 Commonwealth Games host) with the Tsuut’ina Nation also hosting. Smith noted that the Enoch Cree Nation and Canmore could also be included.

The question, of course, is costs. The Commonwealth Games is an 11-day event, with the Alberta bid expecting to hold it in August, with about 4,500 athletes. The current format allows the bidder to specify which sports are included, as only athletics and swimming are required. A total of C$4 million (~$2.92 million U.S.) has been provided by the cities and the province for the study effort.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG) had 20 sports and 280 events. The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria (AUS) has 21 sports on the program and is expecting 75 delegations to attend.

The British government’s short-term assessment of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, made by the KPMG accounting firm, showed:

“In net terms, taking account of expenditure and resultant economic activity which would have been incurred anyway had the Games events not taken place in the West Midlands, this equates to a net [Gross Value Added] impact of:

“– at least £200.9 million of net GVA in Birmingham;

“– approximately £396.9 million of net GVA in the West Midlands (including Birmingham);

“– approximately £764.7 million of net GVA to the UK economy (including the West Midlands and Birmingham).” (£1 = $1.22 U.S.)

4.
FIFA notes success of Social Media Protection Service at Qatar ‘22

More details are coming on the impact of the “Social Media Protection Service” (SMPS) at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, offered by FIFA in coordination with the player representative body FIFPro:

“During last year’s FIFA World Cup, the service scanned more than 20 million comments, replies and mentions across five major platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube). After two stages of review – by both artificial intelligence (AI) and humans – 19,636 posts were verified as abusive and were reported direct to the operator of the platform in question together with a request for further action, with a large number removed as a direct result of being flagged by FIFA.

“Additionally, all participating teams and players were offered access to a tool which allowed them to automatically and immediately moderate abusive and offensive replies, with 286,895 comments being hidden before the recipient and their followers could see their contents.”

The same service is being offered to players and teams for the forthcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand beginning in June.

In a Tuesday post, FIFA shared videos urging support for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

5.
FIFA Women’s World Cup hospitality packages on sale

The hospitality menu is out for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with a variety of offers for individuals and groups:

● Match Place: a single seat at a package of matches with in-seat food and drink service; a package of one semifinal and the final starts at A$955 ($637 U.S.). A pack of four play-off round matches at Stadium Australia (including the final) is A$1,573 ($1,049 U.S.).

● Match Place Box: a block of seats – as few as six, but up to 15 – grouped together, with in-seat food and drink service, from A$1,582 ($1,049 U.S.)and up. A 12-seat block for the USA-Vietnam match on 22 July goes for A$3,861 ($2,576 U.S.).

● Match Club: a single ticket, with access to food service in a reserved lounge, with beers, wines and soft drinks before, during and after matches, plus a commemorative gift! Single match tickets start from A$327 ($218 U.S.) and you can buy tickets for all games at a specific venue, for a specific team or a final-round series – one semi and the final – starting at A$1,327 ($885 U.S.).

● Match Suite: a private suite, with dining included, for suites holding 8-20 people, offered by venue. The number of games varies; a five-match, group-stage buy at the Sydney Football Stadium costs A$61,364 ($40,941 U.S.). An eight-seat suite in Hamilton (NZL) for five group matches goes for A$20,957 ($13,982 U.S.).

A 20-seat package at Stadium Australia for a group match and each playoff round costs A$82,727 ($55,194 U.S.) , but the priciest is for a 20-seat suite at Eden Park in Auckland (NZL) goes for A$123,304 ($82,267 U.S.) or A$146,087 ($97,467 U.S.).

There are lots of other permutations, but you get the idea. It’s first-come, first-served, but no travel or accommodations are included. The program is being offered by Swiss-based MATCH Hospitality.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The application process for volunteering at the Paris 2024 Games opens on Tuesday (22nd), in a drive to recruit and ultimately train and deliver 45,000 individuals to help stage the event. The requirements:

“The Paris 2024 volunteer programme is open to all, both in France and internationally, and there are only three conditions to apply: applicants must be over 18 years old on 1 January 2024, speak at least French or English, and be available for at least 10 days during the Olympic and/or the Paralympic Games.”

The application period will close on 3 May and the process is inclusive of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Applicants will learn whether they have been chosen by the end of the year.

● College Sports ● St. Francis College of Brooklyn, New York, announced Monday that it was ending its intercollegiate athletic program at the end of the 2023 spring season, due to “increased operating expenses, flattening revenue streams, and plateauing enrollment in part due to a shrinking pool of high school graduates in the aftermath of the pandemic.”

The Terriers’ basketball program dates back to 1896 and the teams competed in the Division I Northeast Conference, which includes Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey.

They are the exception, not the rule. A study by longtime sports management professor and now Baldwin-Wallace Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences, Steve Dittmore, showed that coming out of the pandemic that began in 2020:

● NCAA Division I: 57 sports have been added, 71 have been dropped for a net of -14 (not counting 42 sports that were dropped and reinstated!).

● NCAA Division II: 195 sports added, 101 dropped (+94), with 53 of the drops due to closure of athletic programs (or the entire school!).

● NCAA Division III: 220 sports added, 107 dropped (+103), with 105 drops due to closure.

● NAIA: 170 sports added, 94 dropped (+76), with 61 drops due to closure.

Across all four levels, there were 259 net program adds. More sports, not less. Dittmore’s analysis indicates that while the “Power 5″ conference schools have little to no interest in new sports, there are good reasons for smaller schools to do so:

“[T]he overwhelming majority of these additions are at what could be considered enrollment-driven institutions. It should be apparent by now to all higher education administrators that many high school students want to continue their athletic identity in college. Sponsoring sports teams can be a vehicle to sustain enrollment. Administrators at enrollment-driven institutions are acutely aware of the impending ‘enrollment cliff.’ If adding sports can help keep an institution afloat, it might be worth doing.”

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The USA Bobsled & Skeleton National Championships were held last weekend in Lake Placid, New York, with a walk-off victory for Nicole Vogt.

Now 33, Vogt teamed with Emily Renna to win the Two-Woman race in 1:56.00 (two runs), then announced she was retiring: “Wrapping up my career on home ice as National Champions with Emily was really special. It’s been an honor to represent Team USA and USABS for the past 12 years.” She competed for the U.S. in two World Championships, in 2019 and 2023, finishing fourth in the Team Relay in 2019.

Riley Compton and Macy Tarlton finished second (1:56.97) and four months after giving birth to second son Noah, four-time World Champion Elana Meyers Taylor (now 38) teamed with Amanda Fay to finish fifth (1:57.66). Lauren Brzozowski won the women’s Monobob title in 2:03.70.

The Two-Man winners were Geoffrey Gadbois and Paul Rabin (1:54.39) and Frankie Del Duca drove the winning Four-Man sled, finishing in 1:54.29.

Austin Florian won the men’s Skeleton title (3:38.47), while Sara Roderick won the women’s crown in 3:44.40 for four runs.

● Cycling ● American Kristin Faulkner was disqualified after an impressive third-place finish in the UCI Women’s World Tour race, the Strade Bianche in Italy on 3 March for wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).

You see these kinds of devices advertised on television for use by diabetics, but they are now making their way into sports use as a way to monitor nutrition status. Faulkner was careful not to use any data from the device during the race, but she was disqualified anyway; she noted later:

“I have never used glucose data in competition, which I provided ample evidence of to the UCI. I complied with all the UCI requests and sent them an honest, detailed explanation with evidence that no race data was ever transmitted during or after the race.

“I was under the impression that I could race with my device if it did not record any data, because there was no performance advantage whatsoever. The UCI holds the position that wearing a non-connected patch itself – even if there is no transmission of data and no performance advantage – is enough to disqualify me.”

The maker of the device that Faulkner used, Supersapiens, does not sponsor her and offered a statement defending its use, including:

“We request that the UCI start to see CGMs and Supersapiens as a tool for athletes to protect their bodies, not as some sort of performance enhancement device. This isn’t about going faster. This is about health.”

● Fencing ● The German Fencing Federation has “returned” the FIE women’s Foil World Cup scheduled to be held 5-7 May in Tauberbischofsheim due to the FIE Congress decision to readmit Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals (subject to future decisions of the IOC).

Not surprisingly, the Russians are ready to pick up the slack, with Dmitry Svishchev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, telling the Russian news agency TASS:

“We can host the World Cup stage. We have all the necessary opportunities and experience. Moreover, our athletes will be allowed to compete in international competitions. Therefore, I see no obstacles for us to host these competitions.”

Thus, a new test for the FIE leadership. The FIE’s elected President, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, suspended himself from his office as he defends himself against sanctions from the European Union and elsewhere. Emmanuel Katsiadakis (GRE) has been serving as Interim FIE President.

● Table Tennis ● The International Table Tennis Federation has been reorganizing its commercial stance, with its Singapore Smash event one of the year’s biggest – with a $2 million prize purse – and now completed, with China winning all five events and taking the runner-up spot in three!

All four singles finalists were from China. In the men’s Singles final, 2021 World Champion Zhendong Fan defeated two-time Olympic champ, Long Ma, 4-1, and Tokyo Olympic runner-up Yingsha Sun crushed Tianyi Qian, also by 4-1.

In the men’s Doubles, China’s 2019 World Doubles Champion Chuqin Wang and Fan won over Koreans Woo-jin Jang and Jong-hoon Lim, 3-1, and the all-China women’s final saw two-time World Champions Sun and Manyu Wang edge Meng Chen and Yidi Wang, 3-2.

The Mixed Doubles was a third gold for Sun, with Chuqin Wang taking a second gold in a 3-1 victory over Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata.

Four-time U.S. national men’s champion Kanak Jha lost his arbitration case with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and was suspended for one year due to “whereabouts” failures:

“Within a 12-month period, Jha accrued three Whereabouts Failures: the first on March 18, 2022, the second on June 2, 2022, and the third on September 4, 2022.”

His sanction was deemed to start on 1 December 2022, the first day of his provisional suspension after missing three test dates.

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