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LANE ONE: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” as Qatar government bans in-stadia beer sales two days before FIFA World Cup opens

By
Rich Perelman
-

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Li Li Leung, the USA Gymnastics chief executive hired to lead the federation out of its sexual abuse mess, told 300 people in early November at the “Safe Sport Journey Symposium” co-sponsored by the International Gymnastics Federation, that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

She turned out to be a prophet … for the FIFA World Cup.

The football world, and Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the 2022 FIFA World Cup found that out on Friday with the stunning announcement that although planned and promised, beer would not be sold to spectators at any of the eight World Cup stadiums for the tournament which starts on Sunday (20th).

FIFA’s announcement was, appropriately, sober:

“Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.

“There is no impact to the sale of [non-alcoholic] Bud Zero which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.

“Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans.

“The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”

Belgian-based AB InBev told Agence France Presse:

“[W]e look forward to our activations of FIFA World Cup campaigns around the world to celebrate football with our consumers. Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”

A quickly-deleted tweet from Budweiser simply said, “Well, this is awkward …”

In late October, Budweiser – which first became a FIFA sponsor in 1985 – proudly outlined its FIFA World Cup programming, with “its biggest campaign yet, with activations taking place in more than 70 markets and at 1.2 million pubs, restaurants and retail outlets worldwide” and emphasizing:

“Because this is the first time the tournament is being held in the Middle East and in a country that restricts public consumption of alcohol, AB InBev and Budweiser teams have been working closely with FIFA to ensure that local customs are respected while fans of legal drinking age enjoy their beers. …

“Our largest Smart Drinking initiative is ‘social norms’ marketing, where we tap into the emotional connections people have with our brands to help influence positive behaviors and reduce harmful drinking. For the FIFA World Cup, we are launching ‘Drink Wiser, Cheer Better’, a marketing campaign that encourages fans to alternate regular beers with no-alcohol ones or water, eat before and while drinking, and plan for a safe ride home.”

It appears that the beer ban came in stages, as it was reported on Monday (14th) that the dozens of Budweiser sale tents inside the eight World Cup stadiums had been ordered to be re-located to less prominent locations.

Then came Friday’s ban on sales to spectators at all eight stadia, although beer, wine and spirits will still be available within stadium hospitality suites and at fan festival areas, as well as hotels and other normally-licensed premises in Qatar. The British newspaper The Sun reported:

“It is understood that Qatar’s ruling Royal Family has demanded the U-turn, with growing resentment against attempts to force through a more cosmopolitan approach to the tournament.”

A statement from the English Football Supporters’ Association included:

“Some fans like a beer at a game and some don’t. But the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem – the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters.

“If they can change their minds on this at a moment’s notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues.”

And promises broken is the issue, although the Supporters’ angst is misdirected: it appears clear that the Qatar government that banned beer and not the World Cup organizers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

In an interview with Sky News in October, Supreme Committee chief executive Nasser Al Khater asked for fans coming to the tournament “to be respectful of the culture” and regarding beer:

“Alcohol is available in Qatar. It’s more limited than perhaps in other countries in the world, whether it’s in Europe or the U.S. or other countries in eastern Europe and the East, but it will be more available in designated zones in Qatar, and here we are today, we have it in designated zones as we promised from day one.”

Not quite as promised now.

Having worked in and with organizing committees at more than a dozen events, including Olympic Games, Pan American Games, World University Games, two FIFA World Cups and many other events, I feel badly for Al Khater and his colleagues. They organized the tournament as they have promised, assured everyone that visitors would find a warm welcome in Qatar and the facilities and services they are used to at international mega-events.

The beer ban, along with the harassment of the TV2 Denmark crew while reporting live next to a public street on Tuesday, threatens to undo a decade of hard work and billions of Qatari Rials spent on construction, organization and preparation as the smallest country – about 2.9 million – to ever host an event of the scale of the FIFA World Cup.

TV2 Denmark correspondent Rasmus Tantholdt said after his incident, “Maybe it’s a kind of misunderstanding, but to me, also shows how Qatar is when there’s not a World Cup going on. Because, obviously, that is what those security guards has been told to do under normal circumstances. Now we have a World Cup going on, and maybe they have been told to behave in another way, and maybe not.”

The organizing committee apparently did not instigate the beer ban, and it did not ask the Danish TV crew to stop filming, but it said repeatedly that such issues would not arise. But they have.

What will hurt the most in the long term is not that beer is not being sold in stadiums, but that it was promised and not delivered. Qatar’s credibility as a business partner – an issue with implications well beyond sports – is what is now on the line.

There will eventually be discussions between FIFA and AB InBev about how the beer ban and its associated publicity will impact the brewer’s sponsorship. Al Khater and the organizers are no doubt trying to determine if there are other surprises coming their way from their own government.

And FIFA, like the International Olympic Committee and other mega-event owners, know that as events get closer, they have less and less control over what happens on the ground, because it’s too late to go anywhere else.

Qatar got the FIFA World Cup to advance its worldwide standing. That strategy, on the eve of the tournament, may be swallowed by the cultural edicts of its government. Let’s hope the tournament’s 64 matches are not somehow similarly impacted.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: Qatar World Cup finally starts on Sunday, with Brazil favored; FIFA launching “social media protection service”; Griner moved to penal colony

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Long-anticipated FIFA World Cup in Qatar opens on Sunday
2. FIFA and FIFPRO to activate “social media protection service” at World Cup
3. AB InBev unveils massive influencer campaign for Qatar 2022
4. Griner moved to penal colony southeast of Moscow
5. NCAA to examine allowing summer basketball games

The much-discussed 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar starts on Sunday with Qatar playing Ecuador and will run to 18 December, with Brazil – as usual – the favorite. Will Europe dominate like it did in 2018? With the tournament in November and December, how will U.S. television viewership fare against college football and the NFL? FIFA and FIFPRO, the professional players association, announced an intriguing “social media protection service” offered to all players at the World Cup, to moderate nasty social-media messaging on multiple platforms. While the Qatar organizers have created a controversial “Fan Leader” program to ensure social-media support, Budweiser unveiled an extensive influencer program of its own, from multiple countries, to promote its association with the event. American basketball star Brittney Griner was moved to a penal colony just more than 300 miles southeast of Moscow to serve her “drug smuggling” sentence, according to her Russian lawyers. The NCAA Division I Council has created two working groups to explore the possibilities for a modest summer season for men’s and women’s college basketball teams, a development which could, eventually, have a substantial impact on the World University Games.

1.
Long-anticipated FIFA World Cup in Qatar opens on Sunday

After all the construction, qualifying matches and protests, it’s here. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will open on Sunday in Qatar with the host country facing Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Almost all of the three million tickets have been sold and the tournament will go through a busy group stage to narrow 32 teams down to 16 by 2 December, with the playoffs beginning on 3 December and the final on 18 December.

While the discussions and protests continue, some football will actually be played, with familiar favorites at the top of the predictions. Current odds on the eventual winner, with their FIFA world rankings:

● 4-1: Brazil (1)
● 11-2: Argentina (3)
● 15-2: France (4; defending champion)
● 9-1: Spain (7)
● 19-2: England (5)
● 12-1: Germany (11)
● 14-1: Netherlands (8)
● 17-1: Portugal (9) /8/
● 19-1: Belgium (2)
● 33-1: Denmark (10)
● 51-1: Uruguay (14)
● 66-1: Croatia (12)
● 125-1: Serbia (21)
● 130-1: Switzerland (15)
● 175-1: Senegal (18)
● 209-1: Mexico (13) /16/
● 239-1: United States (16)
● 250-1: Poland (26)
● 275-1: Ecuador (44)
● 300-1: Morocco (22) and Wales (19)
● 425-1: Japan (24)
● 500-1: Ghana (61) and Canada (41)
● 550-1: Cameroon (43), South Korea (28), Iran (20)
● 750-1: Qatar (50) and Australia (38)
● 900-1: Saudi Arabia (51) and Tunisia (30)
● 1,000-1: Costa Rica (31)

A World Cup simulation from Nielsen had Brazil defeating Argentina in one semifinal and Belgium defeating France in the other, with the Brazilians winning the final. But, who really knows?

One element to watch is the continental balance. The most recent World Cups have been dominated by Europe, especially in 2018, where six of the eight quarterfinal teams were from Europe, plus Brazil. The recent history of advancement to the playoffs and quarterfinals:

Round of 16:
● 2002: 9 Europe, 2 South America-CONCACAF-Asia, 1 Africa
● 2006: 10 Europe, 3 South America, 1 CONCACAF-Asia-Oceania
● 2010: 6 Europe, 5 South America, 2 CONCACAF, 2 Asia, 1 Africa
● 2014: 6 Europe, 5 South America, 3 CONCACAF, 2 Africa
● 2018: 10 Europe, 4 South America, 1 Asia, 1 CONCACAF

Quarterfinals:
● 2002: 4 Europe, 1 South America-CONCACAF-Asia-Africa
● 2006: 6 Europe, 2 South America
● 2010: 4 South America, 3 Europe, 1 Africa
● 2014: 4 Europe, 3 South America, 1 CONCACAF
● 2018: 6 Europe, 2 South America

In the World Cups played in Europe in this century (2006 and 2018), European teams have taken 62.5% of the Round of 16 places and 75% of the quarterfinal spots. But for 2002 (Japan-Korea), 2010 (South Africa) and 2014 (Brazil), the European share was “only” 43.8% in the round of 16 and 50% in the quarterfinals.

In terms of participation in 2022, Europe (UEFA) has 13 of the 32 teams (40.6%), Asia has six (18.8%), Africa has five (15.6%) and CONCACAF and South America have four each (12.5%).

In the U.S., FOX Sports has exclusive English-language rights (with the games on FOX and FS1) and Comcast’s Telemundo has the Spanish-language rights.

(TheSportsExaminer.com will be closely following the performance of the continents against each other, as well as the U.S. television ratings of World Cup matches, especially in head-to-head timeframes against college football and the NFL.)

2.
FIFA and FIFPRO to activate “social media protection service”
at World Cup

Fans of Association Football – as soccer is formally known – unfailingly speak about the passion that the game generates, from players and fans. That can lead to some nasty comments on social-media platforms and so FIFA and FIFPRO (the professional players association) announced a “social media protection service” for players who want to use it at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The service is described as:

● “Through SMPS, all players from all 32 participating member associations at the FIFA World Cup will have access to a dedicated monitoring, reporting and moderation service designed to minimise visibility of hate speech aimed at them on social media and, therefore, protecting both players and their fans from online abuse during the tournament.”

● “FIFA is monitoring the social media accounts of all participants at the FIFA World Cup by scanning for public-facing abusive, discriminatory and threatening comments and then reporting them to social networks and law authorities for real-world action against those who break rules.

“Teams, players and other individual participants will also be able to opt-in to a moderation service that will instantly hide abusive and offensive comments on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, preventing them from being seen by the recipient and their followers.”

It’s worth noting that Twitter is not included on the moderation service.

This is a potentially critical service and, if considered widely successful, could herald adoption in other sports, to guard against abusive comments on popular platforms.

3.
AB InBev unveils massive influencer campaign for Qatar 2022

Much has been made of the “Fan Leader” campaign launched by the Qatar 2022 organizing committee, to bring a small number of fans from each participating team to the World Cup in exchange for their support on social media.

But the hosts are not the only ones on the influencer bandwagon, as AB InBev’s Budweiser brand – a long-time World Cup sponsor – will have its own team of about 100 influencers, from multiple countries at the event. MarketingDive.com reported:

“This year the brand has opted for an influencer-heavy activation that will put participating influencers in a music video for ‘The World is Yours To Take’ by Lil Baby as well as having them participate in events at the Budweiser Hotel.”

Budweiser said many of its influencer team is from the music field, such as “Tarryn and Clairise (TxC), a South African DJ duo with more than 100,000 Instagram followers.”

The influencer project expands the beer giant’s heavy promotional push of its World Cup association, already having done contests such as a scavenger hunt (using QR codes for items found), commemorative cans with a QR code as an entry for raffle prizes and a video spot with stars Lionel Messi (ARG), Neymar Jr. (BRA) and Raheem Sterling (ENG) that played in 70 countries.

4.
Griner moved to penal colony southeast of Moscow

Reports indicate that two-time Olympic gold medal winner Brittney Griner of the U.S. has been moved to a Russian penal colony in Yavas, in the Mordovia region, about 306 miles southeast of Moscow.

CNN reported a statement from Griner’s Russian lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, which included:

“First, on behalf of Brittney, we would like to thank everyone who has expressed care for her. We can confirm that Brittney began serving her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia.

“We visited her early this week. Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment. Considering that this is a very challenging period for her, there will be no further comments from us.”

The U.S. State Department complained that “the Russian Federation has still failed to provide any official notification for such a move of a U.S. citizen, which we strongly protest. The Embassy has continued to press for more information about her transfer and current location.”

American Paul Whelan is also being held in the Mordovia region, but in a different facility.

Winters in Yavas are extremely cold, with average highs in November and December going from 29 F to 20 F and from 17 F to about 30 F from January to March. Average lows from from about 20 F down to 3 F, in February.

5.
NCAA to examine allowing summer basketball games

In what could be the start of a radical shift in major-college men’s and women’s basketball that could have international implications, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division Council has formed working groups to examine summer basketball play:

“Many believe the initiative can provide a positive summer competition experience for student-athletes and can showcase the sport at a time of year other than during the traditional season.

“The working groups also will examine the overall landscape in college basketball during the summer period and may identify other opportunities to elevate the sport during the offseason.

“Both working groups will begin meeting next month with the goal of providing recommendations to the oversight committees by June.”

The earliest possible time that such games could commence would be the summer of 2024. Notable members of the men’s working group include University of Kentucky coach John Calipari and Ed Cooley from Providence; the women’s working group include Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and North Carolina coach Carole Banghart.

Calipari, in an interview with The Athletic, said he has been campaigning to allow 2-3 games between Division I schools as exhibitions in July and/or August each year, in arenas and televised:

“I’ve been pushing for five years now that we need to be doing stuff in the summer to bring light to college basketball, like spring football, except we’re playing games. And now it’s catching on, like OK, maybe we do need to do this.”

Observed: This is a potentially important development which could have a direct impact on the World University Games. Instead of the current requirement by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) for national teams in the Universiade, a change by the NCAA and a corresponding change in the FISU rules to allow actual university teams to compete based on the location of the school, you could see Kentucky play Russia’s Moscow State University.

Or UCLA against Shanghai’s Fudan University, or Kansas vs. Montreal’s McGill University, and so on. It wouldn’t work for all countries, but it would for many.

This would, over time, be a game-changer for the World University Games, which struggles to have its team sports taken seriously as spectator attractions when limited to national teams that are aggregations of players in each country who barely know each other. The opportunity to involve major university “brands” in the University Games would increase its value immensely and not only in the U.S.

Imagine if the FISU were to agree to this as part of an agreement with the North Carolina bid group for a 2029 World University Games, with the idea of seeing teams from North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke and others in competition with foreign schools? The NCAA’s move toward possible summer competitions in basketball makes such concepts possible, but only for basketball, but for other team sports as well.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● Three activists who protested the Beijing 2022 Winter Games at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece in October 2021, were acquitted by a Greek court on Thursday.

Reuters reported that Tibetan student Tsela Zoksang, 19, Hong Kongese-American Joey Siu, 22, and a 35-year old Vietnamese-American activist were cleared of “attempting to pollute, damage, and distort a historical monument.” They unfurled a Tibetan flag and a banner with the words ‘Free Hong Kong – Revolution,’ a day before the Olympic Flame transfer ceremony was scheduled to take place at Olympia.

Three other activists who protested against the Beijing Games at the ancient Olympia site during the flame handover are scheduled for trial on 1 December.

● Athletics and Swimming ● The ambitious joint marketing effort undertaken by USA Swimming and USA Track & Field will use Pasadena, California-based One & All as its activation agency. Its task:

“One & All will be responsible for developing sponsorship marketing materials, programs and strategies for the joint sales effort. The company will help identify, solicit and/or engage prospective sponsors for USA Track & Field and USA Swimming and any or all its official rights, events and media opportunities. One & All will effort to engage prospective media and content partners as two of the strongest national federations in the world of Olympic sport embark on the path of transforming how sponsors engage with the country’s premier Olympic sports and superstars.”

● Diving ● American Olympic icon Greg Louganis is offering 58 personal items – mostly photographs and autographed memorabilia – on auction and two Olympic gold medals in a private sale on his Web site.

The auction and private medal sale began on 11 November and runs through 4 December, with his 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold in the men’s 3 m Springboard and 1988 Seoul gold in the men’s 10 m Platform available, as well as his 1976 Montreal Olympic silver in the 10 m.

Louganis, now 62, won the 3 m and 10 m events in 1984 and 1988, as well the 1976 Montreal silver. He would likely have won both events in 1980 at Moscow as well, but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott. He has already given away his 1984 Olympic 10 m gold and 1988 Olympic 3 m gold already, and may sell the others if an appropriate price is offered.

● Football ● FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) was the only nomination received and will run unopposed for re-election at the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda on 16 March 2023.

● Volleyball ● The “Pro Volleyball Federation” announced its formation, expecting to play in February 2024 with an 8-10 team league, each with 14 players and a total of 16 matches. Players are to be paid $60-100,000 in base salary.

This is the third professional women’s volleyball project in the U.S., with Athletes United’s volleyball program and League One Volleyball (LOVB) both established in 2020.

These are separate from the FIVB’s Nations League program for national teams.

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TSX REPORT: IPC suspends Russia and Belarus; Russian officials cheer Bach’s G20 comments; Danish reporter stopped during live report in Qatar

By
Rich Perelman
-
The International Paralympic Olympic Committee meeting in special session on Wednesday. (Photo: IPC)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IPC votes to suspend Russia and Belarus as members
2. Russia fully in support of Bach’s remarks to G-20 Summit
3. Denmark broadcaster accosted while on-air in Qatar
4. Paris 2024’s “Les Phryges” mascots already a hot topic
5. USATF names Lyles and McLaughlin-Levrone as Athletes of the Year

The International Paralympic Committee General Assembly voted in special session on Wednesday to suspend the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees over the war against Ukraine. This is a step further than the International Olympic Committee has taken, which has asked for an athlete ban, but not on their National Olympic Committees. While furious over the Paralympic ban, Russian officials were mostly happy with IOC President Thomas Bach’s comments to the G20 Summit that sport should be free of politics, with athletes allowed to compete “even and especially if their countries are in confrontation or at war.” But the Russian Deputy Prime Minister dismissed the remarks as part of a “game.” A Danish television correspondent was asked to stop broadcasting during the middle of a live shot by security officials from Doha, Qatar, just days before the FIFA World Cup starts on Sunday. The crew was later allowed to continue, but the incident resulted in the tournament organizing committee issuing a directive “to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament.” The Paris 2024 “Les Phryges” mascots are getting plenty of attention, with the French ecology minister upset that most of the mascot toys will be made in China. USA Track & Field announced its annual award winners, with World Champions Noah Lyles (200 m) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400 m hurdles) taking athlete of the year honors.

1.
IPC votes to suspend Russia and Belarus as members

The International Paralympic Committee voted Wednesday during an Extraordinary General Assembly to suspend the National Paralympic Committees in Russia and Belarus in view of the continuing war in Ukraine.

The vote on the Russian suspension was 64 in favor, 39 against, and 16 abstentions; the IPC statement included:

“The decision by IPC members to suspend NPC Russia and NPC Belarus stems from their inability to comply with their membership obligations under the IPC Constitution. This includes the obligations to ‘ensure that, in Para sport within the Paralympic Movement, the spirit of fair play prevails, the safety and health of the athletes are protected, and fundamental ethical principles are upheld’ and ‘not to do anything (by act or omission) that is contrary to the purpose or objects of the IPC and/or that risks bringing the IPC, the Paralympic Movement, or Para sport into disrepute’. …

“Due to their suspension, NPC Russia and NPC Belarus lose all rights and privileges of IPC membership, in accordance with the IPC Constitution.

“Both NPC Russia and NPC Belarus now have the right to appeal the decision. Should any appeal not be upheld then only the General Assembly can revoke the suspension. The next IPC General Assembly is due to take place in the final quarter of 2023 at a venue yet to be confirmed.”

The vote on the suspension of Belarus was 54-45, with 18 abstentions.

The IPC’s vote is significant because it differs from the position of the International Olympic Committee, which has asked that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to compete, but has not suspended the National Olympic Committees of either Russia or Belarus.

The President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Pavel Rozkhov, decried the decision (DeepL.com translation):

“The Russian Paralympic Committee believes that the decision to suspend all membership rights of the RPC is illegal, unreasonable, lacks any legal basis and grossly violates the entire IPC regulatory framework.

“As the grounds for its decision the IPC referred to the violation by the RPC of the obligations on membership established by the IPC Charter, as well as violation by the RPC of the Olympic Truce. Meanwhile, the IPC has not provided any evidence that the RPC has violated even one of its membership obligations in accordance with the provisions of the IPC Charter. All the IPC allegations in this regard are absolutely unfounded.”

He added:

“The RPC intends to appeal to a wide international public and organizations, including with an open letter to the U.N., the IOC and international non-governmental human rights organizations for the disabled to call on the IPC to prevent discrimination of Russian athletes with disabilities on national grounds and infringement of their right to participate in international sports competitions and Paralympic Games through suspension of all membership rights of the RPC in the IPC.”

Dmitry Svishchev, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, told the TASS news agency:

“This is an inhumane and criminal decision. Monuments should be placed to these people [Paralympic athletes], they should be helped in everything. Such decisions simply deprive our athletes of their right to life, forbidding them to do what they love. Of course, this decision should be challenged in court.”

2.
Russia fully in support of Bach’s remarks to G20 summit

Russian officials cheered the remarks by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) to the G20 Summit in Indonesia on Tuesday, as he again asked for governments to stay out of sport:

“[I]n contrast to the far too many other wars and conflicts in our world, regarding this war some governments started to decide which athletes would be allowed to participate in international sports competitions – and which not.

“They did and they do so purely on political grounds, They want to decide which athletes can now qualify and finally compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. If sport becomes – in this way – just another tool to achieve political goals, international sport will fall apart …

“Olympic sport needs the participation of all athletes who accept the rules, even and especially if their countries are in confrontation or at war. A competition between athletes from only like-minded states is not a credible symbol of peace.”

Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin told TASS:

“The President is setting an example for us. This is a time of opportunity, a time of overcoming, a time of strengthening our national system and a time to show once again that world sport cannot exist without Russia. Bach’s speech confirms this once again.

“Let’s hope that world leaders and international federations will listen to Bach’s speech.”

Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov told TASS:

“For the first time since the end of February this year, the statement of the head of the International Olympic Committee was strictly in accordance with the Olympic Charter. Now it is very important that the verbal appeal of the head of the IOC to certain political circles of certain countries has practical meaning in the form of removing unfair recommendations that were imposed on Russian sports.

“I cannot give an assessment, but I reiterate the fact that in reality we are seeing for the first time since the end of February the speech of the head of the IOC with strict compliance with the Olympic Charter.”

Vitaly Smirnov, a Soviet and then Russian member of the IOC from 1971-2015 and now an honorary member, said:

“If we understood all the messages of Bach’s speech correctly, then we should treat it with great interest, let’s see how it will be treated in the world. But this is a real, correct approach, indeed, athletes should be able to participate in competitions, regardless of any political views and the current situation.

“I don’t like to guess what will happen next, life sometimes unfolds in such a way that it is very difficult to correctly predict the outcome. I think that everything is interconnected, and people are well aware of the fact that sport suffers without full-fledged competition: what is sport without our synchronized swimmers, figure skaters and rhythmic gymnasts?”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, however, was not impressed:

“Russian rhetoric from Bach’s mouth is not an epiphany; by his behind-the-scenes instructions, international federations are amending their charters, setting precedents for the subsequent exclusion of Russian sports federations.

“Bach’s speeches at the G20 are a double game and a banal attempt to put a good face on a bad game. As proof: the absence of the IOC proposals in the declaration of the G20 group.”

3.
Denmark broadcaster accosted while on-air in Qatar

Sometimes, not everyone gets the message. Danish reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was reporting live on TV2 from a ring road in Doha (QAT) on Tuesday in advance of the opening of the FIFA World Cup this weekend, when he was interfered with by security personnel.

Three men drove up to Tantholdt and cameraman Anders Bach during the on-air session back to Denmark. Said Tantholdt during the incident:

“[In Danish] Well, we can show the conditions right here if we turn the camera.

“[In English] We are live on Danish television; [in Danish] and as you can see they are trying to stop us from filming, and these are the conditions here.”

As a Qatar official put his hand over the camera lens, Tantholdt said in English, “Mister, you invited the whole world to come here. Why can’t we film? It’s a public place.”

“[Showing his accreditation] We can film with this permit, this is the upgrade pass and this is the accreditation. We can film anywhere we want.”

He was told he could not film by the security officers – whose comments were not intelligible on the video – and then reacted to instructions from a third official by saying to him, in English: “You can break the camera. You want to break it? You are threatening us by smashing the camera?”

The pair did finally complete their report after a half-hour wait, when a security supervisor confirmed that they could film as they wished. TV2 Denmark said on its Web site: “The team was bluntly told that if they didn’t stop filming, their cameras would be destroyed. This is despite the fact that TV2’s team has acquired the correct accreditations and reported from a public place.”

TV2 also reported that other media outlets have suffered interference, but Tantholdt said later, “I have received an apology from two organizations: Qatar International Media Office gave a written apology and Qatar’s Supreme Committee called.”

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy – the organizing committee for the tournament – said in a statement: “Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity” and said that it “issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament.”

Tantholdt said in a FootballTube interview afterwards, “Maybe it’s a kind of misunderstanding, but to me, also shows how Qatar is when there’s not a World Cup going on. Because, obviously, that is what those security guards has been told to do under normal circumstances. Now we have a World Cup going on, and maybe they have been told to behave in another way, and maybe not.”

4.
Paris 2024’s “Les Phryges” mascots already a hot topic

The iconic Irish poet and novelist Oscar Wilde wrote in 1910, “there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” It looks like the Paris 2024 mascots – Les Phryges, based on a cap that symbolizes freedom in France – won’t have that problem.

The Paris 2024 organizers posted the results of an instant online survey taken on Monday and Tuesday after the mascot announcement, 75% of respondents 18 and over liking the designs and 83% of children from 6-17 approving. Among the comments:

“[T]he French adults and children aged six to 17 surveyed suggested the Paris 2024 mascots are associated with positive values. They thought that they go well together (86% of French people, 92% among children), that they are easily recognisable (85% of French people and 86% of children), original (84% of French people and 88% of children) and that they look cute (80% of French people and 86% of children).”

That’s a good start on the path to sell a hoped-for two million Phryges toys, priced at €15 (~$15.59 U.S.) or more for the plush version.

But there are issues. Christophe Bechu, the French Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, told the FranceInfo radio program on Tuesday, “There is a problem,” with the manufacture of the plush Phryges toys being made in China.

“I want to believe that we still have a few months before the Olympics are held to be able to correct the subject. When we explain that we need short [production] circuits and to re-localize, we cannot end up with a production of mascots that is being made at the end of the world. When we defend the perspective of fighting against global warming, this means favoring what is made nearby.”

FrancsJeux.com reported:

“[T]he market for plush mascots has been awarded to two French companies, Gipsy and Doudou et Compagnie. They plan to manufacture around 8% of the Phrygian caps stamped Paris 2024 in France. The rest will come from China, where 75 to 80% of the toys sold in the world are produced today. Faced with such a virtual monopoly, it is difficult to ‘break the codes’.”

5.
USATF names Lyles and McLaughlin-Levrone
as Athletes of the Year

USA Track & Field announced its annual award winners with sprinter Noah Lyles taking the Jesse Owens Award and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone winning the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award.

Both are world champions from the Oregon22 extravaganza, with Lyles winning the men’s 200 m in 19.31, the fourth-fastest time in history, and a silver medal in the men’s 4×100 m relay.

McLaughlin-Levrone won the women’s 400 m hurdles in a stunning world-record time of 50.68 – the first ever under 51 seconds – and anchored the winning women’s 4×400 m relay in a sensational 47.9.

Brad Walker, the 2007 men’s World Champion in the vault, was named the national Coach of the Year, helping American women’s stars Sandi Morris and Katie Nageotte to a 1-2 finish at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and then Nagetotte and Morris to gold and silver at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Prep and World Junior sensation Roison Willis from Stevens Points (Wisconsin) High School won the Youth Athlete of the Year award. She won the World Junior 800 m gold at 1:59.13 and anchored the winning women’s 4×400 m relay. She also set a U.S. high school indoor record at 2:00.06 in February.

The Masters Long Distance Athlete of the Year was Jenny Hitchings, 59, who won the USATF masters 10-mile title by more than three minutes in 1:01:40. Flo Meiler was named the USATF Masters Track & Field Athlete of the Year – at age 87 – for eight national indoor title wins in the 80-89 age group and 10 outdoors.

The awards will be presented during the USATF Annual Meeting in Orlando in early December.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC confirmed Singapore as the site of its first “Olympic Esports Week” to take place from 22-25 June in 2023. Live, in-person championship matches will be held in addition to technology exhibits, panel discussions and education programs. The specifics, including the games to be contested, will be announced in 2023.

● Athletics ● The American Medical Association announced Tuesday that is opposes “eligibility criteria that force transgender athletes and athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) to medically alter natural occurring hormones.”

AMA Board member Dr. David H. Aizuss said, “Unnecessary medical interventions to change natural hormone variations as a prerequisite for athletic competition must not be forced on physicians to artificially alter the natural ability of transgender athletes and athletes with differences in sexual development.”

The policy statement was specifically in response to the World Athletics guidelines on testosterone levels in women with differences in sex development. No comment concerning competitive balance was included.

The Athletics Integrity Unit announced a five-year ban on Kenyan distance runner Keneth Renju for the use of the steroid Methasterone, found on three consecutive tests on 20 March, 2 April and 8 May 2022. A six-year suspension was requested, but Renju – for whom this was his first doping violation – admitted doping and had the ban shorted to five years, from 13 May 2022.

Renju, now 26, has a half-marathon best of 58:35 and won all three of the races for which he was caught: a 10 km race in Lille (FRA) in March, the Prague Half Marathon in April and the Lisbon Half in May.

After a 22-year career with USA Track & Field as a communications staffer and later as head of the communications team, Susan Hazzard has left the organization. She posted on LinkedIn:

“Nearly 8,200 days have passed since I walked into (what was then) the RCA Dome to start the next two decades of my life working for USATF and its athletes. Big life events happened during those 22 years, five-and-a-half months – celebrations, victories, losses; and this year, cancer and its cure.

“I am grateful for the experiences, the laughter, the joy. I’m grateful for all I’ve learned. I’m grateful for friends and colleagues. And so grateful for the athletes – incredible humans – who mean more to me than I can ever express.”

● Boxing ● Speaking to boxers and coaches gathered for the International Boxing Association Youth World Championships in La Nucia (ESP), IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS) asked for their help to return boxing to the Olympic program in 2028:

“I am here to help all of you. We cleaned our sport and saved the organization from bankruptcy. Now, we shouldn’t be silent, we should fight for our rights. If we don’t speak up, there will be no boxing at the Olympics. We shouldn’t be afraid to prevent this crime.”

A total of 596 athletes from 73 countries are expected to compete.

● Football ● The ball that was used for the infamous “Hand of God” match between Argentina and England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup was auctioned in London on Wednesday for £2 million (~$2.37 million U.S.).

The ball – used for the entire game – had been in the possession of Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who was head official for the quarter-final match between Argentina and England in Mexico, won by Argentina, 2-1. In the 51st minute, Argentine star Diego Maradona appeared to head the ball past English keeper Peter Shilton, but had actually punched it into the net. Maradona famously said afterwards that the goal was “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”

Maradona scored again on one of the most famous goals in history, a 68 m dash through the English defense for a legitimate strike in the 55th minute and a 2-0 lead, with the final at 2-1. Bin Nasser said before the auction, “I couldn’t see the incident clearly. The two players, Shilton and Maradona, were facing me from behind.

“As per FIFA’s instructions issued before the tournament, I looked to my linesman for confirmation of the validity of the goal; he made his way back to the halfway line indicating he was satisfied that the goal should stand.”

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TSX REPORT: Ex-IOC marketing chief Payne says no sport is safe at Olympics; Infantino calls for World Cup truce; gymnastics shares IOC-dependent finances

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the International Olympic Committee

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Payne on sports and the Olympic Games: no sport is safe
2. FIFA President asks G-20 for a FIFA World Cup truce
3. Valieva is innocent of doping, say Russian coaches and officials
4. Duplantis, Lyles finalists for T&F men’s Athlete of the Year
5. FIG in good financial standing thanks to IOC’s Tokyo contribution

Former International Olympic Committee marketing director Michael Payne made some interesting comments during last weekend’s Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne Congress, notably that “no sport is safe” on the Olympic program and that even equestrian’s place could be re-evaluated. FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed the G-20 Summit in Indonesia and suggested a “World Cup Truce” during the tournament beginning on Sunday as a step toward peace. IOC President Thomas Bach also spoke and asked for governments not to dictate which athletes from which countries could compete where. Russian officials declared that star skater Kamila Valieva must be innocent of doping as the World Anti-Doping Agency removed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. World Athletics announced its five men’s Athlete of the Year finalists, including American sprint star Noah Lyles. At its 84th Congress, the International Gymnastics Federation released its 2021 financial report, showing a big increase in revenue and reserves thanks to the IOC’s Olympic television rights share, but also underscoring the federation’s dependence on Olympic funding to stay afloat.

1.
Payne on sports and the Olympic Games: no sport is safe

Former long-time International Olympic Committee marketing director Michael Payne (IRL) provided some fascinating remarks at last weekend’s Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Congress, which eventually voted in favor of admitting obstacle-course racing as a possible discipline, with the idea to offer it as part of a new format to try and get into the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

But a portion of his comments went far beyond the specific circumstances of the modern pentathlon, and more to the situation for all sports seeking entry (or re-entry) to the Games:

“No sport is safe on the programme. Look at what has happened to Boxing and Weightlifting. And it is far from certain that these sports will make it back on the programme for LA28.

“Baseball and Softball are also struggling to get back on. Wrestling was dropped and only through a major overhaul did they succeed in getting back on.

“I would not be surprised if behind closed doors clear messages are not also being given to the FEI [equestrian].”

That view is certainly not universally shared, but Payne’s comments – given his experience and contacts – must be considered. As for pentathlon, he was part of an advisory group that pushed the UIPM for a change away from riding:

● “[T]o be perfectly honest, I am amazed that you are still on the programme.

“I have watched how over the last three decades; your sport has been repeatedly threatened with being dropped from the Olympics.

“You have dodged death multiple times. Some of you either cannot or refuse to understand what is at stake here today. No amount of lobbying or tinkering with the riding format will save you.

“Let me be very clear, once you have been dropped from the Olympic programme, it is game over: There will be no way back – and your sport will struggle to even survive without the Olympics.

“As I noted, when I was approached and asked if there was anything I thought could be done to save your sport, my initial reaction was ‘I doubt it.’

“I knew of the split in your ranks about riding, and it was my impression that a house divided cannot stand. I have watched with dismay, frankly with utter disbelief as certain groups try to defend their equestrian interests; how the debate has been highjacked for various political agendas. Is 30 years too long for an individual to be president – maybe, but for Christ’s sake that is tomorrow’s problem, not today’s.”

● “The IOC rarely says things directly – it is always couched in diplomatic language, and you have to read between the lines.

“The IOC does its best to respect the independence of each IF, and publicly only gives guidance, subtle hints.

“But privately the leadership of the IOC has been very clear – and more recently in public; riding must go.”

● “The IOC and LA28 need to understand where Modern Pentathlon and UIPM family stands on sincere, genuine change.

“At the moment, they don’t think you will be able to get your act together and they will just move on without Modern Pentathlon.”

The UIPM voted for the change that Payne supports, but the athletes group PentUnited was hardly impressed, tweeting during the Congress:

“The General Assembly have voted against the will of the athletes who have desperately battled bravely to defend their sport #savepentathlon”

Observed: Payne’s comments will certainly be an eye-opener for the equestrian crowd, which has been repeatedly praised by current IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER), including at the recent World Eventing Championships in Italy in September, saying “I’m very impressed by the many measures the FEI has taken to safeguard the wellbeing and the health of the horses, and I am pleased with everything the International Federation is doing to ensure the future of the sport.”

As for sports moving on and off the Olympic program, Payne is much more right than wrong, but there have been – and will continue to be – exceptions. The size of the Games was increased regularly after World War II, with host cities adding new sports as medal or demonstration events. And some sports have returned after being dropped, including:

● Archery, held in 1972 after having been out since 1920;
● Canoe Slalom, at Munich ‘72 but not again until Barcelona 1992;
● Tennis, held at Paris 1924, but not again until Seoul 1988;
● Baseball, held from 1992-2008 and again in 2020;
● Softball, held from 1996-2008, and in 2020.

And with the IOC’s current format, it’s likely that other sports may come and go. But Payne makes the point that it’s not easy to get onto the program and for those sports which are not highlighted at the Games, it’s easy to see them dropped.

And as for baseball (and softball), the LA28 organizers are keenly aware that the Dodgers and Angels drew a combined 6.3 million fans in 2022 alone, and that both Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium have been filled when hosting the World Baseball Classic. Those are good indicators that those sports will be prime candidates as additions to the 2028 program.

2.
FIFA President asks G-20 for a FIFA World Cup truce

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) addressed the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday and asked for a truce during the FIFA World Cup that starts on Sunday. Highlights:

● “Qatar has made significant reforms over the last two years, also thanks to the World Cup. As a consequence of that, for example, hundreds of thousands of workers enjoy better conditions than some years ago. So, three million fans will fill the stadiums and five billion people – five billion people – more than half the world’s population will watch the games on TV.”

● “We know that our main focus as a sports organisation is and should be sports. But because football unites the world, this particular World Cup, with five billion people watching it, can be the trigger for a positive gesture, for a sign or a message of hope.

“Dear leaders, Russia hosted the last World Cup in 2018. Ukraine [with Portugal and Spain] are bidding to host the World Cup in 2030 [among others]. Maybe, maybe, maybe that the current World Cup starting in five days can really be that positive trigger. So my plea to all of you is to think on a temporary ceasefire – for one month, for the duration of the World Cup – or at least the implementation of some humanitarian corridors or anything that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step to peace. You are the world leaders, you have the ability to influence the course of history.”

Infantino also had special commemorative World Cup 2022 soccer balls made with the name of each national leader at the meeting, and asked:

“If you don’t mind, I would like to ask everyone to sign maybe this particular ball, and then together with [Indonesian] President [Joko] Widodo, we can decide what we do with it.”

International Olympic Committee President Bach also addressed the forum, and once again asked for governments to stay out of sport:

“[I]n contrast to the far too many other wars and conflicts in our world, regarding this war some governments started to decide which athletes would be allowed to participate in international sports competitions – and which not.

“They did and they do so purely on political grounds, They want to decide which athletes can now qualify and finally compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. If sport becomes – in this way – just another tool to achieve political goals, international sport will fall apart …

“Olympic sport needs the participation of all athletes who accept the rules, even and especially if their countries are in confrontation or at war. A competition between athletes from only like-minded states is not a credible symbol of peace.”

3.
Valieva is innocent of doping, say Russian coaches and officials

“We cannot give any comments on this issue, since the federation is not a party to the process. But we do not doubt the innocence of Kamila Valieva.”

That’s from Russian Figure Skating Federation President Alexander Gorshkov on Monday, following the filing by the World Anti-Doping Agency at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and figure skating star Valieva. The skater had a positive doping test on 25 December 2021, but the result was not communicated until after she had participated with the winning Russian team in the figure skating Team Event at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

WADA is asking for a four-year ban and a nullification of her results since the date of her test in 2021; that would disqualify the Russians in the Team Event and promote the U.S., Japan and Canada to the gold, silver and bronze medals.

But Russian officials are having none of it. Legendary skating coach Tatyana Tarasova, now 75, told the Sport Express site:

“I think it’s a rare outrage. Is it possible that she could actually be disqualified for that length of time? I don’t know, it looks like anything is possible, just to ruin a girl’s life. They are guided by the fact that there was a violation, but I can’t imagine that there was a violation.”

And the head of the Sambo-70 club at which Valieva trains, Renat Laishev, told the Russian news agency TASS:

“Valieva will be even more hardened after all this history. We have to support Valieva so that she continues to train, to please us with her art.”

For its part, the International Skating Union – which must, in the end, certify the final results of the Team Event from Beijing – is waiting:

“The ISU has taken note of WADA’s appeal to CAS and continues to closely monitor the outcome process of this case. The Union will take action in due course.”

4.
Duplantis, Lyles finalists for T&F men’s Athlete of the Year

World Athletics announced its five finalists for its men’s Athlete of the Year, including World 200 m Champion Noah Lyles of the U.S. The final five:

● Mondo Duplantis (SWE): World Indoor and Outdoor Champion; world record of 6.21 m (20-4 1/2);

● Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR): World Steeplechase Champion and world leader at 7:58.28;

● Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR): World 5,000 m Champion and 1,500 m silver medalist; world 1,500 m leader at 3:29.02;

● Eliud Kipchoge (KEN): Won Tokyo and Berlin Marathons, and lowered his own world record to 2:01:09;

● Lyles (USA): World 200 m Champion in 19.31, making him the third-fastest all-time.

The finalists were derived mostly by the choices by the World Athletics Council (50%), with input from the World Athletics Family (national federations and others: 25%) and fans (265%, cast 1.3 million votes). The winner will be announced in December.

5.
FIG in good financial standing thanks to IOC’s Tokyo contribution

The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) held its 84th Congress in Istanbul (TUR) on 11-12 November, with several countries refusing to participate due to the presence of Russian and Belarusian officials who were allowed to participate.

But the Congress went on, with amendments to the governing statutes to deal with future wars, described as:

“Detailed definitions concerning ‘extraordinary events’, as well as clear and exhaustive provisions regarding protective measures that may be taken should such extraordinary events occur.”

The FIG financial report was presented for 2021, with the balance sheet substantially improved by the $31.36 million payment by the International Olympic Committee as the gymnastics share of the sale of Olympic television rights.

The FIG showed CHF 72.9 million in assets, up from CHF 44.5 million at the end of 2020 and reserves of CHF 35.6 million, up from CHF 25.4 million a year before. (CHF 1 = $1.06 U.S.)

Thanks to the IOC’s television money, FIG’s operating income for 2021 jumped to CHF 10.6 million vs. a loss in 2020 of CHF 7.2 million. The projections for 2022-24 show operating income of only CHF 13.8 million for 2022, CHF 13.0 million for 2023 and CHF 10.0 million in 2024. Reserves are expected to fall to CHF 26.3 million by the end of 2024.

Observed: Despite being one of the three Tier A sports in terms of Olympic television revenue receipts – along with Athletics and Aquatics – gymnastics very much appears to be yet another federation mostly dependent for its survival on the IOC. That is sad.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The Associated Press reported that the Trentino regional government approved a €50 million project (about $51.7 million U.S.) to add a roof to the outdoor Baselga di Pine skating venue, slated to be used for the 2026 Winter Games.

The Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee noted that it had nothing to do with the project, which is designed for long-term use of the facility by the region. However, it will be the beneficiary of an enclosed rink, strongly preferred for ice control by speed skaters.

● Football ● As Sunday’s start of the FIFA World Cup gets closer, many of the in-stadium details are now available and FIFA and the Qatar organizers have published a well-done, 76-page Fan Guide, available for download now.

It’s really for people on-site, with maps of each of the eight stadiums, how to get around, how to get in and where the fan festivals and other attractions are. Producers of any event will find it informative and a model for the future.

Another World Cup guide – sort of – was issued earlier in the month by Human Rights Watch, titled Human Rights Reporters’ Guide for 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Across 50 pages, it details the organization’s negative view of abuses in working conditions in Qatar, deaths during the construction period, the role of FIFA, discrimination against women and same-sex relationships in Qatar, and its recommendations, including calls – not so far answered – for either Qatar or FIFA or both to contribute money equal to the $440 million in team prize payments to remedy abuses caused and for reparations.

The U.S. Women’s National Team may have gone into its friendly with no. 3 Germany on 10 November needing a win after two straight defeats, but the game in Ft. Lauderdale did not get much interest from viewers.

Shown on FS1, Nielsen reported the game drew 323,000 viewers in a 7 p.m. Eastern time slot. One hour later, the Thursday night NFL game – Atlanta at Carolina – shown only on Amazon’s streaming service, drew 6.8 million viewers.

U.S. women keeper Ashlyn Harris, 37, announced her retirement on 14 November, finishing with 25 appearances and 21 starts and as a member of both the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners. She debuted with the national team in 2013 and last played in goal for the U.S. in 2020; she had nine career shutouts to her credit.

● Gymnastics ● Suni Lee, 19, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic All-Around gold medalist, announced on Twitter that she will complete her sophomore season with the Auburn women’s gymnastics team before leaving to concentrate on making the U.S. team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“This will be my last season competing at Auburn University. My focus right now is to make it the most incredible season yet and to be the best teammate I can be.

“I am so excited to share that after this season I will be returning to elite gymnastics. I have my sights set on Paris in 2024, and I know what I have to do to get there.”

Lee won the All-Around gold, the Team silver and Uneven Bars bronze in Tokyo, and stepped right in at Auburn, winning an NCAA Championships silver in the All-Around and winning on Beam in 2022.

● Swimming ● American Olympic fans remember Tracy Caulkins as one of the stars of swimming in the 1980s, winning golds at the Los Angeles 1984 Games in the women’s 200 m and 400 m medley and on the 4×100 m medley relay.

She married Australian swimmer Mark Stockwell in 1985 and moved to Australia, where she is a highly-respected sports administrator, including serving on the Swimming Australia Board since 2016. She stepped in as President of the organization when Kieran Perkins moved on to head the Australian Sports Commission in February.

But Stockwell’s term is over after nine months, as Swimming Australia elected Dr. Michelle Gallen, a former elite triathlete, as its new head. She was already a member of the Swimming Australia Board and was serving as Director of Strategic Projects for the Queensland Government’s Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport.

● Wrestling ● United World Wrestling posted its final 2022 men’s Freestyle rankings, with three Americans ranked at no. 1: Thomas Gilman (57 kg), Jordan Burroughs (79 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg). Both Burroughs and Snyder won world titles this year and Gilman won silver.

Also in the top three were 79 kg World Champion Kyle Dake, ranked second, and 86 kg World Champion David Taylor, ranked third. There were prizes attached to the rankings, with the top three in each weight awarded $5,000-3,000-2,000. The U.S. had 11 wrestlers finish the year ranked in the top 10.

In the women’s Freestyle rankings, Dominique Parrish (63 kg) and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg) both ranked no. 1, with Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg), Kayla Miracle (62 kg), and Amit Elor (72 kg) ranked second and Jacarra Winchester (55 kg) and Mallory Velte (65 kg) ranked third.

The U.S. had no top-three rankings in Greco-Roman.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday that two-time U.S. Greco-Roman Olympian Ben Provisor (74 kg and 85 kg) accepted a 16-month suspension for the use of a prohibited drug taken as part of a medication.

Provisor, 32, tested positive for amphetamine in June and although he ingested it as part of a prescribed program from his physician, he had no Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for the prohibited substance, thus the suspension as of 11 July 2022. He will be eligible again in November of 2023, in time for a run at the Paris 2024 Games if he chooses.

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, 951-event International Sports Calendar for 2022-23 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: U.S. Universiade bid chief proud of effort; WADA asks four-year ban for Valieva, U.S.’s McLaughlin an Athlete of the Year finalist

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ Want TheSportsExaminer.com insights for your team? Yes! Click here for info on speaking, research and consulting from editor Rich Perelman. ★

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. North Carolina Universiade bid chief: “bid will pay dividends”
2. WADA seeking four-year ban for Russian skater Valieva
3. U.S. beats Colombia, leads Group F for FIBA World Cup qualifying
4. U.S.’s McLaughlin named World Athlete of the Year finalist
5. Qatar organizers move World Cup beer stands to less visible spots

While the North Carolina bid for the 2027 World University Games was not selected by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), bid chief Hill Carrow was fully satisfied with the effort and that the U.S. bid was considered the best on technical merit. He indicated that North Carolina would consider hosting the 2029 WUG, but will not go through another bid process like the one just concluded, and that other events could also be considered. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has begun the process of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s filing for a four-year suspension of Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva. The case will finally resolve the results of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games figure skating Team Event, in which the medals have still not been awarded. The U.S. men’s national basketball squad, made up of G League players and free agents, defeated Colombia in the latest FIBA Americas World Cup qualifying game to move to 8-2 and the lead in Group F. The U.S. will still need to win at least one game in the February 2023 window to advance to the 2023 FIBA World Cup. American star Sydney McLaughlin, the World Champion and world-record-setter in the 400 m hurdles, is one of five finalists for the women’s World Athlete of the Year award from World Athletics. With the FIFA World Cup in Qatar set to open on Sunday, sponsor Budweiser has been directed to move its sales stands to less visible locations at the eight stadia getting ready to host World Cup matches.

1.
North Carolina Universiade bid chief: “bid will pay dividends”

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) selected Korea’s Chungcheong Megacity to host the 2027 World University Games last Saturday instead of the North Carolina 2027 bid from the U.S. But the North Carolina Bid Committee head, Hill Carrow, felt no remorse over the effort. In a Monday interview, a day after returning from the presentation in Brussels (BEL), he remained enthusiastic:

“We had a fantastic group over there, and we were very proud of the effort that went in and very pleased with the tremendous support across North Carolina that we got. There were more than 1,000 people involved in the effort, and our state stepped in more significantly than it ever has for anything like this, and our state and – I think – our country, because we represented the United States, can be very proud of the effort we put in.

“There was nothing in which we mis-stepped and maybe caused a shortfall. It was very political at the end and that’s what led to the vote going the other way. But in terms of representing our country, our state and our region, everybody has nothing but pride, because it was a first-class effort, and if things had been judged on the merits, there’s no doubt that we would have won.”

Carrow noted the impact the University Games bid has and will have:

“An effort like this really coalesces a lot of forces that are often very disparate, and we have that in North Carolina, it looks like we have that in country and just about everywhere across. In our area, it’s because there are a lot of different jurisdictions if you will. We ourselves were putting together five significant cities, five counties, we have 19 universities within the region and we had already committed to activities on 13 of them.

“So, you can imagine that those are a lot of little ‘kingdoms’ if you will, and for everybody to be willing to drop the provincialism and be willing to pull together, because they realize that a team is much more than the sum of the individual parts, and really represent our state and country very well. We couldn’t be more proud of that. That will pay dividends.

“I’ve already been reached out to on some other international events, including some in our hemisphere, and they know that North Carolina brought its ‘A’ game, and that if anybody wants to come here, they would get our ‘A’ game, that we have an unprecedented array of facilities. …

“The other thing about our region is, we have it built in: we do not have to build up a gigantic workforce to stage a major event like this. Yes, we’ll have 20,000 volunteers, but every single weekend in the fall and spring that’s an active sports weekend, we probably have 50 significant events on across our campuses and in our communities that are put on by professionals or very experienced volunteers every one of those weekends. So, we’ve got that all built in already.”

Carrow, a veteran organizer of major events, was disappointed by the decision of the FISU Executive Committee to ignore the measurable elements of the bid:

“If you look at the scores from their technical site visit, we aligned by far the best with FISU’s long-range goals. Sustainability? We’re number one in sustainability because we don’t have to build a damn thing! And dormitory-wise, and dining hall-wise, we’ve got it all. In terms of fit with university sports, they’re going to be on our campuses and be in our dining halls and dormitory facilities, they’ll be on a university campus. In Germany [for 2025], they’re going to be all in hotels.”

The technical visit scores were not revealed publicly, but a separate source reported that the North Carolina bid had the highest total at 605, to 574 for the Chungcheong Megacity bid.

What the Koreans did have was money, as the expansion of the Chungcheong Megacity area is ongoing and the Korean bid specified that €440 million (about $454.2 million U.S.) was promised for the Games, reportedly securing 92% of the organizing committee’s budget. However, the Korean project includes the building of 10 new venues, compared to none for North Carolina, and the wisdom of spending (or having to spend) perhaps $500 million on a World University Games is open to question. The North Carolina bid projected costs of $136 million, with $25 million already committed by the state and two potential multi-million dollar sponsorships that could be quickly closed if the U.S. bid had been selected.

Then there was the way in which the selection process was concluded. Said Carrow:

“We would not go through this process again. The end result, and also the way it was done at the end, was terrible, because it was the old [International Olympic Committee] thing where they bring everybody in a room, announce one winner and everybody else is just sitting there humiliated and downcast. We had our U.S. Ambassador there, we had our North Carolina Secretary of State there, we had the Mayor of Raleigh there … and that is a totally mortifying way to do it because you’re in front of this whole room and they announce one winner and you’re sitting there devastated, and the other side is jumping up and down. … I don’t recommend that ever again for anybody.

“We told them, ‘look, even if you got to another bid process, don’t do it this way when you announce a winner.’ Just before everything happens, call the guys who aren’t going to win, off to the side, and outside the room and say, ‘look, it’s not going to be for you guys,’ then bring the winners in and sign a document or something. …

“It’s like a death in the family or something this week, trying to field all these messages and get everybody to keep their chin up.”

So, what about a 2029 World University Games?

“That wasn’t our preferred year, but we told them we absolutely would consider that. That’s something that, you know, we know we have what it takes, we would like to demonstrate that and like the opportunity to demonstrate that, [so] that’s not off the table at all.

“The bottom line is that if that were to be the case, there would not be any sort of bid process and it would be, ‘hey, you’re already demonstrated you’ve got what it takes and we’re willing to work with you to just go ahead and put that in place.’

“I think the public-private partnership method in the United States is the way to go. We have the ability to offer FISU – and we did offer FISU – the ability to connect with many of our large American sponsors. We’re getting ready to have a significant presence by some of the largest sponsors in the world in North Carolina. But with the United States as our territory, that’s an untapped for FISU. They’re not set up like the IOC with any global sponsors to speak of, and they will readily admit that. They came here and saw that we had 53 companies already involved in supporting our bid. Their leadership even made the comment, ‘gosh, we’d like to have a little of that for the Games,’ and I said, you’ll have it if you come here, no doubt about it.

“I think the [consultative] process, which is more oriented toward professional staff working to try to secure the best possible long-term partner for these major sports events – like the International Olympic Committee is going – and as FISU was previously doing, is absolutely, 100% the way to go.”

In the end, the Koreans will organize the 2027 World University Games. But Carrow has no regrets:

“We felt very, very good. There’s no going back and second-guessing anything we did in our effort. We know we brought it and we know we delivered and the only upsetting factor is that didn’t count enough for the win.”

2.
WADA seeking four-year ban for Russian skater Valieva

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that it had received and is now acting on the filing by the World Anti-Doping Agency against Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency:

“WADA seeks a ruling from CAS that the Athlete committed an [anti-doping rules violation] pursuant to Article 4.1 and/or 4.2 of the RUSADA [Anti-Doping Rules], and that the Athlete be sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility starting on the date on which the CAS award enters into force, as well as the disqualification of all competitive results obtained by her from, and including the date of 25 December 2021, with all resulting consequences (including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes).”

Valieva’s 25 December 2021 sample from the Russian national championships came back positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, but the result was not known until 7 February 2022. Valieva was initially disqualified by RUSADA, but had already competed in the Team Event, which finished earlier that day. She was initially suspended by RUSADA, then reinstated on appeal and allowed to skate in the women’s Singles event by the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the Beijing Winter Games (she finished fourth).

If the WADA filing is successful, Russia would be disqualified in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games figure skating Team Event, which it won on the ice. The U.S. would be advanced from silver to gold, Japan from bronze to silver and Canada would be the bronze medalist.

The Court described the next steps as:

“In accordance with the Code of Sports-related Arbitration, the arbitration rules governing CAS procedures, the parties will first exchange written submissions and participate in the appointment of the 3-member Panel of arbitrators that will decide the matter. WADA will nominate one member of the Panel, and RUSADA and the Athlete will jointly nominate another. The third member, the President of the Panel, will be appointed by the President of the CAS Appeals Division, or her deputy.”

No timetable was given for the formation of the hearing panel, the hearing, or the result. But the matter is moving forward after the passage of WADA’s deadline of 4 November for RUSADA to complete its hearing, which has apparently not taken place.

3.
U.S. beats Colombia, leads Group F for FIBA World Cup qualifying

The U.S. men’s national team defeated Colombia, 88-81, on Monday in Washington, D.C., to close out the next-to-last window in the FIBA Americas Qualifying Tournament for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The Americans had a 30-18 edge at the quarter, but only 48-41 at the half. The lead expanded to 68-55 at the end of three quarters and the U.S. held on to win by seven. Guards Langston Galloway and David Stockton had 23 points each to lead the U.S., while Colombian forward Michaell Jackson had 25 and guard Romario Roque had 24. The U.S. shot 43.5% from the floor compared to only 38.0% for Colombia.

The U.S. victory, combined with Puerto Rico’s 76-68 win over Uruguay and Brazil’s 102-56 rout of Mexico, leaves the Americans at the top of the Group F standings at 8-2 (18 points), followed by Brazil at 7-3 (17) and Puerto Rico and Mexico at 6-4 (16 each). The top three teams advance to the World Cup, so the U.S. will need a win in the final window next February, when it will play Uruguay and Brazil.

4.
U.S.’s McLaughlin named World Athlete of the Year finalist

World Athletics named its five finalists for its women’s World Athlete of the Year, with the U.S.’s 400 m hurdles sensation, Sydney McLaughlin, on the list. The final five:

● Tobi Amusan (NGR): 100 m hurdles World Champion, and world-record setter at 12.12;

● Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM): 100 m World Champion (her fifth title) and 2022 world leader at 10.62;

● Kimberley Garcia (PER): Double World Champion in the 20 km and 35 km walks in Eugene;

● McLaughlin: 400 m hurdles and 4×400 m World Champion; set two world records, of 51.41 and 50.68;

● Yulimar Rojas (VEN): Triple jump World Champion both indoors and out; extended her world record to 15.74 m (51-7 3/4).

The finalists were primarily selected by the World Athletics Council (50% of the vote), with 25% from the World Athletics Family and fans (who cast 1.3 million votes).

The winner will be named at the World Athletics Awards 2022 in December.

5.
Qatar organizers move World Cup beer stands to less visible spots

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will open on Sunday (20th), and multiple reports from Qatar say that longtime sponsor Budweiser (part of AB InBev) has been required to move its sales stands in all eight stadia to less prominent locations.

Beer and other alcoholic beverages are available in Qatar, but strongly controlled. An AB InBev statement to Sky News included:

“AB InBev was informed on November 12 and are working with FIFA to relocate the concession outlets to locations as directed. We are working with FIFA to bring the best possible experience to the fans.

“Our focus is on delivering the best possible consumer experience under the new circumstances.”

The Qatar organizers confirmed that the number of stations for beer purchases has not been changed.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association, trying to get back onto the 2028 Olympic program, announced a 2023-28 sponsorship deal with Australian equipment maker STING. The company “will supply gloves, headguards, gauze, tapes, footwear, and uniforms for the athletes as well as uniforms for the volunteers and the IBA staff.”

Although hardly a blockbuster, the agreement is significant for the IBA to demonstrate some commercial activity, especially with companies outside of Russia. Almost all of the IBA’s financing since Russian Umar Kremlev was elected has come from the Russian energy giant Gazprom.

● Equestrian ● Belgian Ingmar De Vos, running unopposed, was confirmed for a hird and final term as the President of the Federation Equestre Internationale at the FEI General Assembly held in Cape Town (RSA).

The FEI financial report for 2021 was published, with the federation showing CHF 81.84 million in assets and reserves of CHF 23.1 million and another CHF 24.6 million in available but restricted funds. The FEI received $15.14 million from the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo 2020 Olympic television rights money, a key factor in showing a 2021 surplus of CHF 3.68 million after a loss of CHF 4.9 million in 2020. The FEI had revenues outside of the Olympic TV share of CHF 36.0 million in 2021, but expenses of CHF 40.8 million. (CHF 1 = $1.06 U.S.)

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TSX REPORT: Paris 2024 introduces Phrygian caps as mascots; UIPM votes move to obstacle racing; Korea gets 2027 Universiade

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Paris 2024 introduces mostly-red Phrygian caps as mascots
2. Modern Pentathlon approves obstacle racing to replace riding
3. FISU chooses Korea’s Chungcheong over North Carolina for 2027 WUG
4. Smith and Pugh score to give U.S. women 2-1 win over Germany
5. Trio of Olympic medals stolen from U.S. volleyballer’s home

The Paris 2024 organizing committee unveiled its mascots on Monday, a take on the iconic Phyrgian cap in mostly red, with the same style of character used for both the Olympic and Paralympic editions. At the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne online Congress, the addition of obstacle course racing was approved, allowing the UIPM to propose it as a new discipline for the 2028 Olympic Games, of which the sport is not currently a part. The International University Sports Federation (FISU) selected Korea’s Chungcheong Megacity bid over North Carolina in the U.S. for the 2027 World University Games. The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated third-ranked Germany, 2-1, in their second friendly in four days on Sunday, ending a three-game losing streak on second-half goals by Mallory Pugh and Sophia Smith. A burglary in Orange County, California resulted in three Olympic medals being stolen from the home of a U.S. volleyball Olympian and the public is requested to forward any leads.

1.
Paris 2024 introduces mostly-red Phrygian caps as mascots

“The Phrygian cap is a symbol of liberty. Since it is familiar to us and appears on our stamps and the pediments of our town halls, it also represents French identity and spirit.”

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet introduced the organizing committee’s mascots on Monday, the Olympic Phryges, a take on the Phrygian cap which developed in Roman times as a symbol of freedom and became an important symbol during the French Revolution.

The “Olympic Phyrge” and the “Paralympic Phyrge” took the typical red Phyrge cap and transformed it into a cartoon character with decided possibilities to appeal to children, to be used on signage and especially for pins, toys and other merchandise. Although mostly red, France’s other national colors – blue and white – are incorporated in the eyes, teeth, legs and shoes. The Paralympic Phyrge has a prosthetic blade for a right leg and “Paris 2024″ is spelled out in braille on the visible underside of the blade.

Paris 2024 Brand Director Julie Matikhine explained the development process:

“At the very beginning, the idea of the Phrygian cap emerged as a concept without any real shape. Then at that point, we said OK, what is this Phrygian cap going to look like? We got character designers to start working on it, graphic designers, on a collaborative project involving in-house designers and character designers whose job it was to bring the characters to life and give them a personality.

“It’s a laborious job. Every detail counts, every line, every look, every position, every expression took us hours of work. You will notice as you get to know these mascots that there are over 71 sporting poses. The mascots are staged in an environment, in a sporting pose and each of these positions requires an expression, an attitude that is as close as possible to a real athlete’s. It was a long and exciting process involving federations, sports directors, design departments and we interviewed athletes to approve these expressions and the inner energy that they channel in each of the poses, to end up with what you are seeing today.”

The introductory graphics show the Phyrges individually and in small and large groups – think of the Minions in the “Despicable Me” movie series – already in sport and non-sport poses. The design also allows easy costuming for live events of all kinds.

As a show of inclusion, the mascots are essentially the same for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. A “mascot tour” is now planned to introduce the characters, first in France and then elsewhere.

2.
Modern Pentathlon approves obstacle racing to replace riding

A boisterous and tense 72nd Congress of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne was held online on Saturday and Sunday, with a contentious discussion prior to a vote on replacing the riding discipline with obstacle course racing.

The UIPM announcement reported that the motion to change the disciplines in the sport (article 2.1) – by adding obstacle – was passed with 69 votes in favor, 11 against and three abstentions. This was 83% of the delegates who voted, and 71% of the delegates present, representing a clear majority.

The discussion was hardly as clear-cut, with the InsideTheGames site reporting UIPM Vice President (and International Olympic Committee member) Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. (ESP) telling the delegates:

“If we do not approve this we have zero chance of continuing in the Games. However if we do approve this proposal at least we will have a fighting chance to keep our sport in the Olympic Games. …

“It’s not a guarantee that we will be successful. But I do guarantee that our sport will never see another Olympic Games after Paris if we choose to remain the same. …

“Right now we are not relevant – we are dead last in every metric the IOC is interested in.”

Former International Olympic Committee marketing director Michael Payne (IRL), who participated on an advisory panel considering fifth-discipline options, advised the delegates to adopt the obstacle option:

“The IOC and LA28 need to understand where Modern Pentathlon and UIPM family stands on sincere, genuine change.

“At the moment, they don’t think you will be able to get your act together and they will just move on without Modern Pentathlon.”

The Pentathlon United athletes group, which has fought to retain a reformed riding discipline, was not allowed to speak at the Congress and tweeted after the Saturday session:

“The General Assembly have voted against the will of the athletes who have desperately battled bravely to defend their sport.”

UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER) said after the announcement, “Proposals will now be sent to the IOC Programme Commission and Sport Department.” The IOC has indicated that the decision on the Los Angeles 2028 program will be determined in the third quarter of 2023.

Another motion which was passed set term limits of 12 years for Executive Board members and another 12 years for a UIPM President, to be instituted as of 1 January 2025. Schormann was elected for an eighth term as President in 2021.

On Sunday, Schormann survived a vote of no confidence, with 13 voting to remove him, 55 in favor of retaining him and 20 abstentions.

3.
FISU choose Korea’s Chungcheong over
North Carolina for 2027 WUG

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) selected Korea’s Chungcheong Megacity as the host for the 2027 World University Games over North Carolina from the U.S. by a 14-7 vote.

Meeting in Brussels (BEL), the FISU Executive Committee gave South Korea the Universiade for a third time, after it hosted in Daegu in 2003 and Gwangju in 2015. The Korean government has promised funding of €440 million (about $455.9 million) for the Chungcheong project, with 10 sites to be built, nine of which are government projects.

The Korean bid foresees 18 sports being held at 31 sites. FISU Acting President Leonz Eder (SUI) said, “Chungcheong 2027 has the potential to be a very special FISU World University Games, making a lasting contribution to university sport.”

The North Carolina bid emphasized the large number of colleges and universities in the area to host the Games, and the enormous potential for FISU in the U.S., where it is hardly known. Said Eder:

“While FISU could only name one host for the 2027 FISU World University Games today, FISU is deeply grateful to both candidates for their commitment to international university sport.

“While Chungcheong is today’s choice for 2027, we would be delighted to have North Carolina as a host for the FISU World University Games in the future at the first available opportunity. FISU would like to thank both candidates for their professionalism and for the sporting way in which they have conducted themselves throughout the process.”

The next World University Games is scheduled for 2023, in Chengdu (CHN), followed by Rhine-Ruhr (GER) in 2025 and now Korea in 2027. The next scheduled Games would be in 2029. The event has been held in the Americas four times, with the last in Buffalo (USA) in 1993; the award to Korea will see the 11th Universiade held in Asia, including eight of the 13 held or attributed this century.

4.
Smith and Pugh score to give U.S. women 2-1 win over Germany

Speed kills and the no. 1-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team concluded its 2022 schedule in Harrison, New Jersey against no. 3 Germany with a 2-1 win thanks to the breakaway running of its front line.

The first half was mostly controlled by the Germans, who had 54% of the possession and got the only goal. A long cross by forward Svenja Huth from the right side found defender Sophia Kleinherne on the other side of the box in the 18th minute, and although her shot was blocked, the rebound rolled to Jule Brand, who left-footed it past U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher for a 1-0 lead.

Both sides got five shots in the first half, with the U.S. applying more pressure in the last 15 minutes, especially from speedy strikers Mallory Pugh and Sophia Smith.

The second half saw more open play from the start, with both sides getting multiple chances. German forward Lina Magull found herself one-on-one against U.S. keeper Naeher in the 53rd minute, but Naeher came out and made the save.

The U.S. counterattack came immediately, with midfielder Rose Lavelle finding Smith in the middle of the box, who dribbled closer, eluded two German defenders and popped the ball past substitute German keeper Almuth Schult to tie the match at 1-1 in the 54th.

Another counterattack led to a second U.S. goal, with forward Alexandra Popp sending a good chance wide of the net in the 56th minute, then midfielder Andi Sullivan of the U.S. sending a long ball ahead to Pugh against two defenders. She sped past both and then sent a left-footer past Schult for a 2-1 lead, still in the 56th minute.

The Germans did poorly against a high press from the U.S., turning the ball over repeatedly, and Pugh got a breakaway in the 77th minute, but Schult made the save; Pugh sent the rebound back to Lavelle, who shot wide with Schult out of the goal. That was the last strong scoring chance and the game ended 2-1.

The American women staved off a fourth loss in a row, which had never happened in program history, and ended on a positive note for 2022. Germany ended with 59% of the possession, but while the shots were 15-15, the U.S. had the better chances and made the most of them.

Observed: Despite the three losses in its final four games of the year, the U.S. team played creditably against no. 4 England, no. 8 Spain and no. 3 Germany with a roster that may look very different for the 2023 World Cup, with mainstays such as Sam Mewis, Julie Ertz, Kelley O’Hara, Tierna Davidson and others possibly available. When they return and how the team cohesion develops over the first half of 2023 will determine the American chances for a third straight World Cup title.

5.
Trio of Olympic medals stolen from U.S. volleyballer’s home

A Tokyo 2020 gold, London 2012 silver and a Rio 2016 bronze medal in women’s volleyball were stolen during a Laguna Hills, California burglary on 29 October and only publicly reported last week.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, an unknown burglar broke into the former player’s home and removed a safe in an upstairs room, which happened to contain the medals.

U.S. Olympic women’s coach Karch Kiraly (USA), himself a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the sport, told KCBS Los Angeles:

“You think of someone who steals a bag of stuff and they find a medal inside, well what can they do with it? They can’t do anything because as soon as they try to sell it to somebody else it gives away a lot of information. So, it’s either hang on to it for 100 years or throw it away — or maybe turn it in to help a rockstar person who has been a rockstar volleyball player.”

Only two U.S. volleyball players won silver-bronze-gold medals in the last three Games: star hitter Jordan Larson and middle blocker Foluke (Akinradewo) Gunderson. Information about the burglary should be given to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at (949) 425-1900.

This is the second time this year that a U.S. volleyball player has lost a medal. In July, setter Jordyn Poulter had her Tokyo 2020 gold medal stolen from her car. It was eventually recovered after the thief left it in a plastic bag outside an Anaheim barber shop; a suspect was arrested.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● The 2022 UCI World Urban Championships were held in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with American star Hannah Roberts winning her fourth world title in BMX Freestyle Park.

Roberts, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, scored only 47.20 on her first run and stood 10th going into the second round. But her 87.20 score was easily the best of the day and gave her another World Urban Championships gold to go with her 2017, 2019 and 2021 victories. Tokyo bronze medalist Nikita Ducarroz (SUI) was second at 84.70 and first-round leader Iveta Miculycova (CZE) finished third at 83.20. Americans Perris Benegas and Angie Marino finished seventh and ninth.

Japan’s Rim Nakamura, fifth in Tokyo, won the men’s Freestyle Park with a sensational first-round effort that scored 93.80 and essentially ended the competition. He was challenged by American Justin Dowell, the 2018 World Champion, who scored 91.50 two riders later, but he could not improve in the second round. France’s Anthony Jeanjean scored 91.20 in the second round to claim the bronze, with fourth going to Marcus Christopher of the U.S., who had a best of 90.26.

● Rugby ● New Zealand, the dominant force in women’s rugby, defended its 2017 Rugby Women’s World Cup title with a tight, 34-31 win over England in the final of the 2021 edition – played in 2022 – in Auckland, New Zealand.

The English had a 26-19 halftime lead, but was down to 14 players as Lydia Thompson was red-carded in the 18th minute. But Stacey Fluhler got a try in the 41st minute and Krystal Murray in the 49th to put the home team up 29-26. England’s Amy Cokayne got her third try of the final in the 54th minute for a 31-29 lead, but New Zealand’s Ayesha Leti-L’iga scored the game winner in the 71st minute for the 34-31 final.

In the bronze-medal match, France out-classed Canada by 36-0. It’s the third straight bronze for the French women, seven of nine all-time and France’s eighth appearance in the bronze-medal match in nine editions of the Women’s World Cup.

As for the Black Ferns, they have not only won two Women’s World Cups in a row, but six of the last seven and six of the nine Women’s World Cups in history. The next edition comes in 2025 in England.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● There was quite a stir last week as new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected the pledge made by predecessor Scott Morrison for the federal government to split the cost of Olympic infrastructure spending with Queensland.

More details came Friday during a hearing of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, as David Hallinan, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, explained:

“I think a fair way of describing this is the former government made a fairly public statement about a 50-50 funding arrangement for the games, but it was subject to a whole range of terms and conditions that would need to be negotiated with the Queensland government, which is why it’s presented as a risk in the budget papers rather than a condition or a financing arrangement.”

He was seconded by Department Secretary Jim Betts:

“I think the position of the government reflects a view that we are now at a stage where we would like to begin discussions with the Queensland government about the extent of the investment required to support sporting infrastructure and transport infrastructure and potentially other infrastructure as well, which may be managed by other parts of government. Rather than writing a blank cheque for 50 per cent of whatever the outcome is, we would like to have a discussion about what the infrastructure should be and what a worthwhile Commonwealth contribution should be. Those are the discussions which are just beginning to kick off now.”

Observed: For those who say politics and sport are not related, here’s where they are … without a doubt.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Tokyo 2020 Paralympian Parker Egbert filed suit on Friday (11th) against Tokyo 2020 teammate Robert Griswold, 25, alleging sexual abuse, and that the USOPC and the U.S. Center for SafeSport were negligent.

Egbert, who is 19 and autistic, qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as a swimmer (100-200 m Free, 100 m Back), was paired with Griswold, who suffers from cerebral palsy and was a two-time Paralympian himself (2016 and 2020) and won two Tokyo golds in the 100 Back and 100 m Fly (category S8).

The complaint alleges that “USOPC assigned Griswold to be a supervisor of Plaintiff, despite the fact that Griswold was a peer team member on the swim team rather than an adult supervisor and had no training or qualifications to serve as a supervisor. It was also during this time in Tokyo that Griswold began his sexual assaults on Plaintiff” and that “between June of 2021 and August of 2022, Griswold repeatedly subjected Plaintiff to violent abuse and rape.”

The complaint also states: “Remarkably, Defendant USOPC and Defendant U.S. Center for SafeSport allowed Griswold to supervise and share a bedroom with Plaintiff without any oversight, despite the fact that USOPC and SafeSport had received reports that Griswold was sexually assaulting other teammates.”

Sixteen claims for relief were made against Griswold for assault and battery and invasion of privacy, and for negligence, emotional distress, fraud and conspiracy against both the USOPC and SafeSport.

USOPC spokesman Jon Mason told the Colorado Springs Gazette:

“The allegations brought forth by the complaint filed today are extremely concerning and we take them very seriously.

“We’ve made the decision to place two staff members on administrative leave and have also stopped the work of several contractors with U.S. Paralympics Swimming. We’re also continuing our investigation of the allegations to help us determine the facts, and we are committed to taking appropriate action.”

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

● Basketball ● The U.S. men’s national team of G League players and free agents lost to Brazil, 94-79, in the FIBA Americas qualification tournament for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, in Washington D.C.

Even with the loss, the Americans still lead Group B with a 7-2 record and will play an important game against Colombia on Monday, also in Washington.

The Brazilians started fast, up 30-21 at the quarter and then 58-34 at the half. The U.S. won the final two quarters, but could only close the gap slightly. Forward Bruno Caboclo scored 24 for Brazil on 9-13 shooting, and guard Georginho De Paula had 18 on 5-6 from the floor and 5-5 free throws.

Guard Langston Galloway had 14 for the U.S., which was out-shot by 54.1-41.9% and out-rebounded, 40-32.

The top three teams from Group B will qualify for the World Cup and the U.S. now sits at 7-2, with Brazil and Mexico at 6-3, with three games to play. Colombia (3-6) is next and with a win, the U.S. would be 8-2 and if Puerto Rico defeats Uruguay on Monday, the U.S. would clinch a top-three finish in the group and a trip to the 2023 World Cup, being hosted by Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.

● Beach Volleyball ● The penultimate Volleyball World Pro Beach Tour Elite 16 tournament of the year was in Uberlandia (BRA), with the home teams dominating the action and taking five of the six medals available.

The women’s final saw 2022 World Champions Duda Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos (BRA) win a tight match from countrywomen Andressa Cavancanti and Vitoria de Souza, 21-17, 27-29, 15-11. The all-Brazilian bronze-medal match had Carol Salgado and Barbara Seixas de Freitas defeating Taiana Lima and Hegelie dos Santos, 21-19, 17-21, 15-13.

The all-Brazilian men’s final was won by George Wanderley and Andre Stein over Pedro Solberg and Arthur Lanci, 28-30, 21-15, 15-11. Olympic champs Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR) won the bronze medal over Renato de Carvalho and Vitor Felipe (BRA), 21-19, 19-21, 15-10.

● Fencing ● A busy weekend of FIE World Cup competitions, with five World Cups, in all three weapons, held in four different countries!

The men’s Epee tournament in Berne (SUI) saw a first-ever World Cup gold for 22-year-old Hungarian Tibor Andrasfi, who edged Colombian John Rodriguez in the final by 12-11; France won the team event over Korea. The women’s Epee in Tallinn (EST) saw Italy’s Alberta Santuccio, 28, also win her first World Cup gold and her fourth career World Cup medal with a 15-11 final over Marie-Florence Candassamy (FRA). Italy also won the Team final over Ukraine, 33-28.

In Bonn (GER), the men’s Foil was an upset victory for 23-year-old Kyosuke Matsuyama (JPN), who bested Italy’s 2021 World Champion, Alessio Foconi, by 15-11. The men’s team title wentr to the U.S. squad of Alexander Massialas, Nick Itkin and Gerek Meinhardt defeated Italy in the final, 45-40.

A combined men’s and women’s Sabre World Cup was held in Algiers (ALG), with Georgian Sandro Bazadze, the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist, stopping Luigi Samele (ITA) in the men’s final, 15-13. Spain’s Lucia Martin-Portugues won the women’s title, 15-12, over Michela Battiston (ITA). Korea won the men’s team final and France took the women’s team title.

● Figure Skating ● World Pairs Champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. won both the Short Program and Free Skate on the way to a solid win at the ISU Grand Prix in Sheffield (GBR) known as the MK John Wilson Trophy.

Knierim and Frazier scored 205.85 to easily top the standings, ahead of Sara Conti and Niccolo Macci (ITA: 184.19) with fellow Americans Katie McBeath and Nathan Bartholomay sixth (147.29).

Italy’s Daniel Grassl won the men’s competition, moving from second after the Short Program to win with 264.35 points, for his (and Italy’s) first Grand Prix victory and second career medal. That was almost 10 points clear of Latvia’s Deniss Vasiljevs; Americans Jimmy Ma and Tomoki Hiwatashi finished seventh (214.47) and ninth (188.73).

American Isabeau Levito was second after the women’s Short Program, just 0.17 behind Japan’s Mai Mihara, but Mihara won the Free Skate as well for her first ISU World Cup title, scoring 217.43 to 215.74 (a lifetime best) for Levito. Fellow American Bradie Tennell had a difficult skate, placing 10th in the Short Program and 12th in the Free Skate and finished 12th (153.19).

Two-time European Championships bronze medalists Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri won their second straight ISU Grand Prix gold, scoring 213.74 to out-distance Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR: 205.56). Americans Christina Carrera and Anthony Ponomarenko finished fourth (187.42) and the brother-sister combo of Oona Brown (18) and Gage Brown (20) were seventh (173.74).

● Football ● “Today we received a message from FIFA that the training shirt we had thought the players should train in, which says ‘Human Rights For All’ on the stomach, has been rejected for technical reasons, and we are sorry about that.”

That’s Danish Football Union director Jakob Jensen, speaking to the Dutch outlet DR Sporten last week, adding that other national federations had asked for permission for similar messaging, but had all been refused. He added:

“We are of the opinion that the message Human Rights for All is universal and is not a political call, but it should be something that all people can support.” However, FIFA’s World Cup regulations state:

“It is prohibited to display political, religious or personal messages as well as slogans of any kind in any language or form by players and officials on their playing or team uniforms, equipment (including bags, beverage containers, medical bags, etc.) or body.”

● Ice Hockey ● “Over the last year, the NHL and NHLPA have been working on plans to conduct the next World Cup of Hockey, the premier international best-on-best hockey tournament in February 2024.

“Unfortunately, in the current environment it is not feasible to hold the World Cup of Hockey at that time. We continue to plan for the next World Cup of Hockey, hopefully in February 2025.”

Friday’s announcement from the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association was a disappointment to those who wanted to see the national-team event continue, after last being held in 2016. The issue of Russian participation was one issue, but not the only one that ended up postponing the event.

● Short Track ● Korea’s Ji-won Park and Canada’s Courtney Sauralt each won two individual events at the ISU Four Continents Championships at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah (USA).

Park, already with two World Cup wins coming into the meet, took the men’s 1,000 m and 1,500 m in speedy times of 1:27.548 and 2:16.409. He led a 1-2 for Korea in the 1,500 with Kyung-hwan Hong (2:16.471) close behind. Canada’s Beijing 2022 bronze medalist Steven Dubois won the 500 m title at 40.316 over Andrew Heo of the U.S. (40.687). Dubois picked up a second gold in the 5,000 m relay.

Sauralt, a five-time Worlds medal winner, actually won three golds, taking the 1,000 m in 2:18.615 over China’s Li Gong (1:28.840) and then the 1,500 m in 2:25.614, ahead of American Kristen Santos-Griswold (2:25.708). Sauralt was also on the winning Canadian team for the women’s 3,000 m relay.

In the 500 m final, Korea’s two-time Olympic relay gold medalist Suk-hee Shim won in 42.273, but with Santos-Griswold right behind in 43.302. Santos-Griswold won three bronzes in the first two ISU World Cup meets and continues her move to the top echelon with two silvers.

China won the 2,000 m Mixed Relay, with the U.S. second with Heo, Marcus Howard, Santos-Griswold and Corinne Stoddard.

● Speed Skating ● The ISU World Cup opened with the first of six events, in Stavanger (NOR), with a new American star-in-the-making in 18-year-old Jordan Stolz.

A Beijing 2022 Olympian, he finished 13th in the 500 m and 14th in the 1,000 m, but over the weekend scored his first two World Cup wins. He first took the 1,500 m on Friday by almost two seconds in a track record 1:44.891 and on Sunday won the 1,000 m in 1:08.73, ahead of Beijing silver medalist Laurent Dubreuil (1:09.22)!

Japan’s Yuma Murakami won the men’s 500 m in 34.708, ahead of Dubreuil (34.750), and Beijing silver winner Patrick Roest (NED) took the 5,000 m in 6:20.651, just ahead of Beijing 10,000 m bronze medalist Davide Giotto (ITA: 6:21.512). Germany’s Felix Rijhnen won the Mass start in 8:03.98.

Dutch star Jutta Leerdam, a five-time Worlds medalist, won the women’s 1,000 m in 1:15.61, ahead of Korea’s Min-sun Kim (1:15.82), but Kim took the 500 m in 37.553 to 38.080 for Leerdam. Olympic champ Erin Jackson of the U.S. was eighth (38.302) in the 500 m and 13th in the 1,000 m; teammate Kimi Goetz was fifth in the 1,000 m (1:17.15).

Olympic silver medalist Miho Takagi won the women’s 1,500 m in 1:56.556, ahead of Norway’s Ragne Wiklund (1:57.495), but Wiklund took the 3,000 m in 4:02.119, beating Olympic champ Irene Schouten (NED: 4:05.017). Canada’s Beijing silver winner Ivan Blondin won the Mass Start in 8:58.72, ahead of Marijke Groenewoud (8:58.80) and Schouten (8:59.05), with American Mia Kilburg fifth (8:59.59).

● Swimming ● Italian distance star Gregorio Paltrinieri completed a pretty spectacular 2022 by adding another trophy to his collection with a victory in the fifth and final leg of the FINA Marathon World Series, in Eilat (ISR).

It took a final sprint for Paltrinieri to win the 10 km race in 1:46:41.8, just ahead of France’s Marc-Antoine Oliver (1:46:43.4) and David Betlehem (HUN: 1:46:44.2). Hungarian star Kristof Rasovszky finished fourth in 1:46:45.4 and he and Paltrinieri tied for the seasonal title with 2,400 points. That adds to Paltrinieri’s golds at the FINA World Championships in the 10 km Open Water and the men’s 1,500 m Freestyle from earlier in the season.

The women’s series title was clearly going to go to Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha, who won for the sixth time, after 2010–12-14-18-21. She finished a surprise second in Eilat, however, to Australia’s Chelsea Gubecka, 1:56:19.8 to 1:56:23.6, with German Leonie Beck third in 1:56:25.3.

Cunha, the Tokyo Olympic champ in the 10 km Open Water, took the seasonal title with 2,900 points to 2,700 for Rio Olympic champ Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED).

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TSX REPORT: Fourth arrest of Takahashi in Tokyo 2020 bribe probe; Griner on way to Russian penal colony; Blatter says France caused Qatar ‘22 selection

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Takahashi arrested for fourth time in Tokyo sponsorship scandal
2. Brittney Griner transferred to Russian penal colony
3. Ex-FIFA chief Blatter says France wanted Qatar to get World Cup
4. FIFA announces Israel and Palestinian fan flights from Tel Aviv
5. U.S. women tie it late, but Germany wins, 2-1, in the 89th minute

Former Tokyo 2020 board member Haruyuki Takahashi was arrested for a fourth time on Wednesday as part of the sponsorship bribery scandal at the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee. Prosecutors believe the combined bribes uncovered so far totaled more than $1.3 million. In Russia, two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner was moved – more quickly than expected – to a penal colony and is continuing to serve a nine-year sentence for “drug smuggling” while U.S. diplomats try to negotiate her release. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in an interview that French government influence ended up giving the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar instead of the U.S. He also called the selection of Qatar a “mistake.” FIFA announced an agreement to allow several thousand Israeli and Palestinian World Cup ticket holders to fly on special flights from Tel Aviv into Qatar, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel. In Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the no. 3-ranked German women defeated the no. 1-ranked U.S., 2-1, the third straight loss for the Americans, something which had not happened in 29 years.

This weekend, the 2027 World University Games will be awarded to the U.S. (North Carolina) or to Korea, and the modern pentathlon federation will decide whether to replace riding with obstacle course at the UIPM Congress.

1.
Takahashi arrested for fourth time in Tokyo sponsorship scandal

No let-up in indictments and arrests in the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship and marketing influence scandal as former organizing committee board member Haruyuki Takahashi was arrested for a fourth time.

Kyodo News reported that Takahashi, a former senior director of Japanese ad giant Dentsu, Inc., was arrested for a fourth time for bribes paid by advertising agency ADK Holdings and toy maker Sun Arrow, Inc.

The bribe line-up reported so far includes:

● ¥51 million from suit retailer Aoki Holdings (~$360,699 U.S.)
● ¥76 million from publisher Kadokawa Corp. (~$537,377)
● ¥15 million from ad agency Daiko Advertising (~$106,061)
● ¥7 million from plush-toy maker Sun Arrow Inc. (~$49,495)
● ¥47 million from ad agency ADK Holdings (~$332,325)

The Tokyo prosecutors have now alleged bribes totaling ¥196 million, or about $1,385,867, most of which went to Takahashi, but some to consulting firms that were aligned with Takahashi.

In the case of Aoki Holdings and Kadokawa Corporation, the allegation is that the companies became sponsors at a discounted rate thanks to Takahashi; Sun Arrow received a license to make toys with Tokyo 2020 marks and of the mascots; the advertising agencies wanted help to be named as agents for other companies who were sponsors or suppliers.

Prosecutors also indicted two Sun Arrow executives, three from ADK Holdings and Joji Matsui, the owner of a consulting firm who assisted with the flow-through of funds to Takahashi.

No indication yet of the timing of possible trials on the charges filed.

2.
Brittney Griner transferred to Russian penal colony

“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination.”

Two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner’s Russian attorneys, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, told CNN that she has been transferred to a Russian penal colony, following the denial of her appeal in October from a “drug smuggling” conviction and nine-year sentence.

“In accordance with the standard Russian procedure, the attorneys, as well as the U.S. Embassy, should be notified upon her arrival at her destination. Notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement:

“Following a sham trial and the unjust sentencing of Brittney Griner, Moscow is transferring her from a prison in Moscow to a remote penal colony. It is another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention.

“As we work to secure Brittney Griner’s release, we expect Russian authorities to provide our Embassy officials with regular access to all U.S. citizens detained in Russia, including Brittney, as is their obligation. Ensuring the health and welfare of U.S. citizen detainees in Russia is a priority, and we will continue to press for fair and transparent treatment for them all.

“Our hearts are with Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, as well as their family, friends, and supporters, who all continue to suffer from Russia’s decision to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens. We continue to work relentlessly to bring them home. I am focused on doing so, as are so many others in the Department. We will not relent until they are reunited with their loved ones.”

Griner is coming up on nine months since she was detained upon entry into Russia in February.

3.
Ex-FIFA chief Blatter says France wanted Qatar to get World Cup

Former FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter (SUI), now 86, told the Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger in a lengthy interview that French influence swung the 2022 World Cup host selection from the U.S. to Qatar.

Blatter was the federation’s leader from 1998 to 2015, when he was removed from office by the FIFA Ethics Committee over extravagant bonus payments made by FIFA. He was prosecuted by Switzerland for criminal misappropriation of funds and mismanagement, but was acquitted earlier this year. Blatter had plenty to say about the 2022 World Cup and Qatar (computer translation from the original German):

● “The choice of Qatar was a mistake. At the time, we actually agreed in the Executive Committee that Russia should get the 2018 World Cup and the USA that of 2022. It would have been a gesture of peace if the two long-standing political opponents had hosted the World Cup one after the other.”

● On Qatar: “It’s too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for [them].”

● On the selection of Qatar:

“A week before the 2010 FIFA Congress, Michel Platini [FRA] called me and said: ‘Sepp, ça ne va plus jouer.’ [Sepp, it won’t play anymore.]. What he meant by that was that our plan would no longer work. …

“[French] President [Nicolas] Sarkozy had just had lunch with the Crown Prince of Qatar. Sarkozy said to Platini: ‘See what you and your colleagues from UEFA can do for Qatar when the World Cup is awarded.’ …

“Yes. It came out exactly like this: Thanks to Platini’s four votes and his people, the World Cup went to Qatar instead of the USA. That’s the truth. …

“Again: this is the truth. But of course it was also about money. Six months later, Qatar bought fighter jets from the French for $14.6 billion.”

Blatter noted that once Qatar was selected and the stadium construction projects began – along with criticisms of the conditions – “we in FIFA supplemented the rules in 2012. Since then, social criteria and human rights have been taken into account in the award process.”

But he was also blunt about the bottom line:

“I can only repeat: the award to Qatar was a mistake. And I was responsible for that as President at the time. Now that the World Cup is imminent, I’m glad that, with a few exceptions, no footballers are boycotting the World Cup.”

4.
FIFA announces Israel and Palestinian fan flights from Tel Aviv

It’s hardly a breakthrough toward Middle East peace, but it’s a positive, as FIFA announced that Israelis and Palestinians will be able to fly on shared flights to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar:

“Direct charter flights will be temporarily operated between Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Hamad International Airport in Doha by an airline with existing landing rights in Qatar for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, subject to Israel’s security requirements and operational capabilities.”

Further details on the airline and the schedule are to come. Qatar has no diplomatic relations with Israel, so detailed negotiations were required to allow air travel out of Israel. FIFA initiated the process, which was described as:

“FIFA has met with representatives from FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22), the operational arm for tournament delivery, and from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture and Sport to finalise plans that will enable Israelis and Palestinians to attend matches at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which gets under way on 20 November. The meeting was conducted in accordance with Qatar’s commitment to FIFA’s hosting requirements.”

CNN reported that “More than the 8,000 Palestinians and 3,800 Israelis have bought tickets for the tournament.”

A Qatar 2022 spokesperson told CNN in a statement, “[W]e have always said that all ticket holders will be able to attend matches in Qatar. The announcement today illustrates our commitment to respecting FIFA’s policies and hosting requirements including the right of everyone to attend matches.”

5.
U.S. women tie it late, but Germany wins, 2-1, in the 89th minute

An entertaining match between the no. 1-ranked U.S. women and no. 3 Germany in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida offered a lot of thrills, but ended with the third straight loss for the Americans, 2-1.

The last the U.S. women lost three in a row was back in 1993 and the loss ended a 71-match unbeaten streak (64-0-7) in home games that dated back to 2017. The U.S. lost both games on its recent European trip, to no. 4 England (2-1) and no. 6 Spain (2-0), and continued facing tough competition with the European runners-up from Germany.

The first half was scoreless, but with the Germans on offense in the first 15 minutes, with midfielder Lina Magull sending a shot just wide in the sixth minute. But the U.S. got busy, getting repeated chances, but Sophia Smith sent a shot over the goal in the 29th minute, Lindsey Horan’s header went wide off a brilliant cross from Sofia Huerta in the 35th, Horan hit the post off a stunning fake-and-feed close to the endline from Rose Lavelle in the 36th and Mallory Pugh’s hard shot from the left side was saved by German keeper Merle Frohms in the 37th.

And there were more shots that went wide or over the top of the goal, all the way to the halftime whistle. The sides shared possession equally in the half, but the U.S. quite rightly had a 9-5 lead on shots.

The U.S. kept up the heat in the second half, repeatedly attacking, with Horan sending a spectacular bicycle kick toward the German goal in the 51st minute, but it hit the post.

Worse for the Americans, the long rebound started a counterattack. Substitute striker Paulina Krumbiegel sent a hard shot from the left side of the box that was saved by U.S. keeper Casey Murphy, but the rebound found striker Klara Buhl, who shot from the left side of the box to the right corner, bounding off of Murphy for an own goal and a 1-0 German lead in the 52nd minute.

The teams made a host of substitutions after the 63rd minute, but the action continued. The Germans had excellent chances in the 73rd and 77th minutes, but sent their shots over the crossbar. In the 85th, a poor German clearance was recovered by U.S. star Alex Morgan, who gained control near the endline to the left of the German goal and sent a perfect cross to the onrushing (and unmarked) Megan Rapinoe, whose shot from the right side blew past Frohms for the 1-1 tie.

The Germans were undaunted and kept up the pressure, with substitute forward Jule Brand outrunning U.S. defender Alana Cook to a long ball in the U.S. zone, when sending a left-to-right cross beyond the American defense to Krumbiegel, who sent a rocket past Murphy from the right side for a 2-1 lead in the 89th that proved to be the winner.

Germany ended with a 56-44% edge in possession, but the shots were almost equal at 18-17 for the U.S. The two teams will play again on the 13th, in Harrison, New Jersey at 5 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. 

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World University Games ● The International University Sports Federation (FISU) is expected to select Saturday (12th) between North Carolina’s U.S. bid and the Korean Chungcheong Megacity bid to host the 2027 World University Games.

The summer Universiade has only been held in the U.S. once, in Buffalo, New York, in 1993. Korea has hosted twice, as recently as 2015. The North Carolina bid has $25 million in start-up funding available from the state and has no need to build any venues or housing. The Koreans want to use the WUG as a development tool to build 10 new sites and has allocated about €440 million to fund the event.

● Figure Skating ● The Russian news agency TASS quoted the International Olympic Committee on the Kamila Valieva doping appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency:

“The IOC expects the procedure to be carried out in strict accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and hopes that it will be carried out quickly in order to allow the International Skating Union to determine the specific results of the figure skating team competition at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and the IOC to make a decision on the distribution of medals.”

● Football ● The Minister of Justice and Security of the city of Buenos Aires, Marcelo D’Alessandro, said in a local radio interview that about 6,000 Argentinian fans will not be allowed to go to the World Cup in Qatar.

This follows a ban by British authorities of 1,300 known hooligans. Argentinian intelligence forces developed the list, and according to D’Alessandro:

“They were included for belonging to the barras [violent fan groups], for participating in violent acts, for illicit associations such as ‘trapitos’ [banned street businesses] and for owing child maintenance payments.”

Argentinian police will be present in Qatar to be on the lookout for any banned fans who might have been able to make it to the World Cup.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne Congress will take place online on Saturday and Sunday, with a heavy agenda that includes a request for a vote of no confidence against longtime President Klaus Schormann (GER) and the approval (or not) of obstacle-course racing to replace riding in the event.

The federation leadership has supported obstacle course, but has been bitterly opposed by a loose confederation of athletes known as Pentathlon United, which wants to retain riding, but with significant changes in safety and procedures.

At present, modern pentathlon is not on the program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, with the UIPM to present its proposal for a revised event to the International Olympic Committee for readmittance in 2023, when the LA28 program is finalized.

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LANE ONE: Metro Transit director says changing L.A.’s car culture is “the only way we will survive the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority Olympics Task Force Director Kasey Shuda at the LA Sports Innovation Conference on Wednesday (Photo: The Sports Examiner)

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

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Los Angeles’s decades-long love affair with the automobile is well known, but according to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (known as Metro), the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games has to be the pivot point to more reliance on public transportation … or else!

That was the point made by Kasey Shuda, Metro’s Director for Construction Relations and Mitigation Programs and its Olympics Task Force, at Wednesday’s LA Sports Innovation Conference. Organized by the Los Angeles Sports Council, the program was held at the YouTube Theater at the Hollywood Park complex in Inglewood, California that includes SoFi Stadium, scheduled to be the site of the Opening Ceremony of the 2028 Olympic Games, as well as the archery competition.

During an afternoon panel on the “Impact of Sports in the L.A. Community,” Erikk Aldridge, the LA28 organizing committee Vice President, Impact, noted that in addition to continuing transit programs for events like Dodgers baseball games and NFL games at SoFi Stadium, mega-events coming to the Los Angeles area soon will include the College Football Playoff championship game in January, multiple matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Games. He asked:

“As you think about these large-scale events, and think about the community, is your head about to pop off, or is this like what you just do?”

Shuda was more than ready with her answer, providing a clear summary of what Metro wants to achieve via the 2028 Games (parentheticals added for clarity):

“I would say the Olympics is our biggest project yet. Ten miles of the subway is being built on Wilshire Boulevard, between Koreatown and [Olympic Village site] UCLA. Those are diverse communities, at every different station we’re constructing.

“So we’re out and about in the community doing projects, on a small scale. Now we have to connect them, so I think one of Metro’s biggest goals for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games is making those connections, and forcing Los Angeles – including everyone in this room – to adapt to new mobility changes.

(Shuda is referring to the Purple Line extension along Wilshire, now under construction, that is expected to cost $8.2 billion for an 8.7-mile route and seven stations in three phases, expected to open in 2024, 2025 and 2027.)

“We all have to get out of our cars, and driving a Tesla does not count as helping the environment because you’re still in a single-use vehicle in a lane of traffic. So we have to think bigger, and with all of these sports events coming our way, we have an opportunity to test out and do pilot programs for shuttle bus systems. You know, we’re running some shuttle bus systems from the end of our [new, $2.1 billion K Line] here to SoFi. We have the amazing Dodgers Express, that is super-successful for Dodgers fans [from downtown L.A. and from Gardena].

“And so how do we take those small-scale, once-a-week opportunities and make them part of Los Angeles’s daily commute?

“And so we’re looking to do that by integrating Metro ticketing … with every ticket to a Dodgers game. So instead of driving to the Dodgers game, you already – with your ticket – paid $3 to ride Metro all day, that day for free. Same with SoFi: I’m also plugging, because I’m trying to get these guys to agree with this, to have integrated ticketing, where every time, you know what it says? Dodgers game, your ticket is coming up today; you can pay $60 to park, or you can take Metro for free.

“So how do we change people’s behaviors, and make those mode changes? That’s the only way we will survive the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the only way we’ll change Los Angeles culture for the better.

“So one of Metro’s big things is leaving a legacy behind. So we’re not just going to build mobility hubs for the Games and them tear them down, and go back to business as usual, which is what happened in 1984. We need to more progressive, we need to think more of our children, the future of the climate and make these changes – and it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be hard on all of us – I still drove here by myself. Like, I’m not out here preaching, but we do have to think about how we’re going to make those changes, to make it successful.”

Shuda is only the latest Metro executive to try and get Angelenos out of their cars and no one has been successful yet. However, there were some impactful park-and-ride programs implemented on a modest scale for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and the integration of shuttle bus service with Olympic tickets was widely used for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, which had severely limited parking at many of its venues.

The impact panel was interestingly introduced by Nicole Bekkers, the Head of Commercial Strategy and Business Development for the KNVB, the Dutch national football federation, which was a sponsor of the LA Sports Innovation Conference.

What? Netherlands? Why? Said Bekkers, appearing on behalf of SportNL, a public-private initiative to bring together the major sports organizations in the Netherlands as well as the government:

“We truly believe that sport should always have a positive impact on the local community. And you’re probably wondering why is the Netherlands delegation here?

“The answer is quite simple, actually. That’s because L.A. is the sports capital of the world, period. And the future of sports is being shaped here in L.A. We want to be part of that future, need to be here, want to be here and we want to be part of that future by working together with you. We want to help create more success for L.A. than ever before.

“We want to find ways to contribute to the success of L.A. from the sport angle, inclusion and sustainability. So that’s why we are here and will be here for the long term, the long haul.”

To her point: the Dutch government operates a Netherlands Business Support Office in Los Angeles, to support Dutch entrepreneurs working in Southern California.

The opening panel of the Innovation Conference was a presentation by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) reporting on the economic impact of sports in the L.A. area in 2021.

This was a follow-up to their report on sports and the economy in 2018, and despite the pandemic that swallowed most of 2020 and much of 2021, the total impact of professional and college teams in the area expanded by $500 million! The summary statistics:

● Total economic impact 2021: $7.0 billion ($6.0B professional teams)
● Total economic impact 2018: $6.5 billion ($5.3B professional teams)

● Total employment 2021: 39,690 jobs and $4.0 billion in wages
● Total employment 2018: 37,030 jobs and $3.6 billion in wages
(employment includes full-time [52.5%] and part-time workers)

● State and local tax revenue 2021: $363.6 million
● State and local tax revenue 2018: $353.9 million

And there was more that was not counted: “This report understates the economic impact of the sports industry in the region as the impacts do not include the impact of visitor spending or special events like the Super Bowl LVI held at SoFi Stadium in the 2021-2022 season.”

The seven-panel Innovation Conference ended with a $120,000 award in a live “Startup Showdown – Sports & Tech Edition” with entrepreneurs pitching their concepts and looking for investment for new ideas in sports from Los Angeles.

If Shuda and her team at Metro can change L.A.’s personal car habit by 2028, it will easily rank as the most amazing innovation discussed at Wednesday’s conference.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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

For our updated, 951-event International Sports Calendar for 2022-23 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: WADA removes Valieva doping case from Russia; U.S. Marathon Trials to Orlando; new Milan Cortina ‘26 CEO told to start fast!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Court of Arbitration for Sport

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. WADA takes Valieva case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
2. Ecuador’s World Cup place confirmed as Castillo held eligible
3. Orlando selected to host 2024 U. S. Olympic Marathon Trials
4. Varnier to be Milan Cortina 2026 chief … with a warning
5. Telemundo to offer wall-to-wall World Cup coverage

The World Anti-Doping Agency, tired of waiting for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to act on the months-long inquiry into skater Kamila Valieva’s positive doping test prior to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, has pulled the case out of Russia and to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, Valieva will be presumed to have been cleared by the Russians and will try to prove otherwise. The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that Ecuador will not be replaced at the FIFA World Cup by Chile or Peru, as wing Byron Castillo was determined to be eligible to play for Ecuador in the qualification phase. Orlando was selected to host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the first time the event will be held in Florida. The floundering Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee will get a new chief executive in Andrea Varnier, an experienced entertainment executive who was a key staff member of the Turin 2006 organizing committee. He is charged with reviving the domestic sponsorship sales program and energizing the organization of the Winter Games. Comcast’s Telemundo has the U.S. Spanish-language rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will deluge viewers with coverage on television and online, not only with live match coverage from Qatar, but pre-match and post-match shows, an hour-long discussion program at the end of each match day and a daily wrap-up show at midnight Eastern time throughout the tournament.

1.
WADA takes Valieva case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport

“Despite putting RUSADA under formal notice to resolve the Kamila Valieva case promptly, no progress was made. Therefore, I can confirm WADA has now officially referred it directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

That’s a tweet from World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka (POL) on Tuesday, removing the slow-moving case that has held up the results of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Team Event since February, from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, under Rule 13.3 of the World Anti-Doping Code (2021):

“Failure to Render a Timely Decision by an Anti-Doping Organization

“Where, in a particular case, an Anti-Doping Organization fails to render a decision with respect to whether an antidoping rule violation was committed within a reasonable deadline set by WADA, WADA may elect to appeal directly to CAS as if the Anti-Doping Organization had rendered a decision finding no anti-doping rule violation.”

Inevitably, the Valieva case was going to end up at the Court of Arbitration for Sport anyway, so the RUSADA Disciplinary Committee hearing has essentially been skipped. How did we get here?

● Valieva, who emerged as the favorite in the women’s figure skating competition at the Beijing Winter Games after winning at the European Championships, failed an in-competition doping test on 25 December 2021 as she tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine.

● However, the positive finding was not announced until 7 February 2022, just after Valieva – then 15 – had won the women’s portion of the Olympic Team Event and Russia had won the overall event, with the U.S. second and Japan third (and Canada fourth). The delay, from the anti-doping lab in Stockholm (SWE) was blamed on a lack of available technical staff due to Covid restrictions.

● Valieva was provisionally suspended on 8 February and the medal ceremony for the Team Event was postponed. After multiple appeals, Valieva was eventually allowed to skate in the women’s competition and finished fourth.

So the issue has been the Team Event, with the official results still not confirmed and no medals awarded. Thus, WADA has stepped in, after the Russian Anti-Doping Agency indicated on 14 September that its inquiry into the matter – that started in February – was complete and that a hearing would be held in October. But so far, no hearing.

WADA will request all of the information compiled by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency for the CAS hearing, and if it does not provide it, RUSADA could once again be suspended, again removing Russia from international competitions (in addition to the International Olympic Committee’s ban over the invasion of Ukraine). RUSADA said in a statement that it “is conducting the results processing procedure in accordance with the requirements of international standards.”

So the issue has been joined and WADA will move forward to appeal what is now an assumption under the World Anti-Doping Code that Valieva did not commit an anti-doping violation. Stay tuned.

2.
Ecuador’s World Cup place confirmed as Castillo held eligible

The last-ditch effort to dislodge Ecuador from the 2022 FIFA World Cup failed, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Tuesday that appeals by Chile and Peru were upheld in part, but not to allow either to join the tournament.

The furor was over wing Byron Castillo, who was born in Colombia, but played for the Ecuadorian team during eight of its World Cup qualifying matches. Both Chile and Peru claimed that Ecuador should be disqualified or forfeit the games Castillo played in and they should be advanced to the World Cup tournament. The CAS arbitrators found:

“The [Federacion Ecuatoriana de Futbol] did not violate Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code because the Player was eligible to participate in the preliminary competition to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Since the nationality of a player with a national association is determined by national laws (subject to time limits in case of a change of sporting nationality, which was not the case here), Byron Castillo was eligible to play for the FEF in the preliminary round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 considering that the Ecuadorian authorities acknowledged Byron Castillo as an Ecuadorian national.”

However, the Ecuadorian federation was found to have provided false information about Castillo in violation of FIFA rules, in that his date and place of birth was wrong, although it may have been Castillo who provided the incorrect details. Nevertheless, Ecuador was penalized three points in the qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and required to pay a fine of CHF 100,000.

Why not penalize Ecuador the three points now, which would elevate either Chile or Peru? The announcement stated:

“The Panel determined that the 3-point deduction should not be imposed in the present preliminary competition to the FIFA World Cup, but rather in the next edition, considering that the Player was eligible to play in the preliminary competition to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and that such competition has not been affected by the aforementioned rule violation by the FEF.”

Ecuador was drawn into Group A and will play Qatar in the opening match of the World Cup on 20 November.

3.
Orlando selected to host 2024 U. S. Olympic Marathon Trials

USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced Orlando, Florida as the host for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, with Chattanooga, Tennessee apparently the only other potential host.

According to the announcement: “The top three female and male place finishers in the Olympic Trials who have met qualifying performance standards will self-select for the 2024 USATF Olympic squad.”

The race is slated for 3 February 2024, with average highs in Orlando of 71-72 F and lows of 52-53 F, which could be fine assuming an early-morning start. The weather this year was warmer, with a high of 85 and a low of 59. Sunrise will be about 7:15 a.m.

Humidity will be the question, although early February tends to be the driest time of the year.

In June, World Athletics announced:

“Any national Olympic committee may choose to reallocate a quota place to an unqualified athlete, provided the athlete has achieved at least a 2:11:30 (men) or 2:29:30 (women) eligibility performance within the qualification window.”

This appears to mean that as long as the U.S. has three marathoners who have met the not-yet-announced qualifying standard – whether men or women – they can be replaced by others (i.e., who finish in the top three at the Trials), as long as they have run at least 2:11:30 for men or 2:29:30 for women.

The entry standards for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest are 2:09:40 for men and 2:28:00 for women; half the entries are hoped for on time and the remainder from the World Athletics world rankings. In 2022, just four American men have run faster than 2:09:40 and seven faster than 2:11:30; the women have done better, with eight faster than 2:28:00 and 10 at 2:29:30 or faster.

As for getting into the Trials in Orlando, the USATF entry standards are 2:18:00 for men (or 1:03 for the half marathon) and 2:37:00 for women (or 1:12:00 for the half).

4.
Varnier to be Milan Cortina 2026 chief … with a warning

In the face of disappointing domestic marketing results and a perceived lack of activity by the organizing committee, 59-year-old entertainment executive Andrea Varnier will be the new chief executive of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games organizing committee.

He’s no stranger to the Winter Games, having been the Image and Events Director for the Winter Games organizing committee for Turin 2006, and then continuing his involvement as a consultant on ceremonies to the IOC. He headed a television production company in Rome, and most recently has been the chief executive of Costa Edutainment S.p.a., the leader in Italy in amusement parks and aquariums.

He will be expected to move things forward quickly. New Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said at a sports conference on Tuesday:

“Tomorrow we will communicate the name of the new CEO, but as early as the day after tomorrow or in any case by the end of the week he must understand what to do.

“I tried to identify a profile starting from the characteristics of the person, not choosing the absolute best but the best relative, because the Olympic events need a deep knowledge. The timing is tight.”

Abodi further noted that the government will need to be closely involved, especially in oversight of the building projects attendant to the Winter Games. Said Italian National Olympic Committee chief Giovanni Malago:

“Now we can no longer make mistakes. We remember that the Fondazione Milano Cortina has nothing to do with the works [construction], but without them it is as if we have not started the game. Now we must to work as a team, to avoid personalities and there are all the conditions to do well.”

5.
Telemundo to offer wall-to-wall World Cup coverage

American fans are used to major events being covered from every angle, such as with ESPN’s “Mega-Cast” of major college football playoff games, and Spanish-language fans will get a heavy dose of FIFA World Cup coverage from Qatar from Comcast-owned Telemundo.

Where networks around the world have been moving their announcers and crews back home and using satellite technology to its fullest, Telemundo has gone back to being on-site:

● All 64 games of the tournament will be covered live by on-site announce teams, with an NFL-style video-review room with commentary from experienced referees;

● Ten additional positions will be set up around Doha, with four sets and stand-up positions, with the main set inside the Souq Waqif Marketplace;

● Then there are the shows around the matches:

(1) “Hoya de la Copa” (Today at the Cup): a 30-minute preview and review show covering each match;

(2) “Debate Mundial” (World Cup Debate): a 60-minute discussion program after the final match of each day;

(3) “Zona Mixta: Edicion Mundial” (Mixed Zone: World Cup Edition): daily at midnight Eastern time.

The coverage total across all platforms will comprise more than 2,000 hours during the month, produced by an on-site and U.S. team of 650. A free “Copa Mundial 24/7 Virtual Channel” will also be available on the Peacock streaming service.

Observed: It will be fascinating to see how the ancillary taking-heads shows do in terms of viewership and how this might influence NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The network is well aware of the steady decline in Olympic viewing, but the combination of iconic Paris and a friendlier time zone to the U.S. than the 2020 Tokyo Games is hoped to create a ratings rebound.

But NBC’s Olympic coverage is very much directed to live events and replays of events not held in a favorable time frame for American viewers. Relatively little time is devoted to Games chatter now, although there has been some in the past. If the Telemundo programming does well, it could shape new thinking about programming for Paris.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Good news for athletes and for the Paris 2024 organizers, who announced the signing of French food giant Danone as an Official Partner, to supply dairy and vegetable products to the Games.

Paris 2024 sponsorships are being closely watched as the organizers struggle to manage their budget under the weight of inflation and supply-chain issues. While the IOC already has a partner in this category in the China Mengniu Dairy Company (which has partnered with Coca-Cola to take the beverage area), Mengniu has no operations in France and an exception was made, reportedly with Danone to market its Olympic ties only in France.

● Athletics ● What happened to Brazil’s Daniel Do Nascimento, who stormed to the lead at the New York Marathon on Sunday, then crumpled to the ground after mile 20 and did not finish?

LetsRun.com reported that he is fine, according to his agent Gianni Demadonna (ITA), who said that he was taken to a hospital, suffering from a low blood sugar count and dehydration. He was released after about 90 minutes. Demadonna noted, “The problem was that he underestimated the humidity and the warm[th] of NY today and in any case he open[ed] too fast.”

Nascimento, 24, was running his sixth career marathon, all in 2021 and 2022. He did not finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but was third at the 2022 Seoul Marathon in a national record of 2:04:51, then finished eighth at the Eugene World Championships in 2:07:35 before trying New York.

Great work by Runner’s World, which checked out the shoe choices of the top-10 finishers at the New York City Marathon!

Among the men, it was Nike (5), adidas (3) and Asics (2) in the top 10. For women, the brand choices were Nike (4), adidas (1), Hoka (1), On (1), Asics (2) and Under Armour (1).

The problems suffered by some Kenyan athletes trying to get visas into the U.S. for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene have not been forgotten, especially the travails of sprint star Ferdinand Omanyala, who arrived less than a day before his first race and was eliminated in the semis.

Nandi County is one of the hotbeds of running in Kenya and its governor, Stephen Sang, has proposed to federal sports secretary Ababu Namwamba that Kenya’s national-team athletes should be issued diplomatic passports to aid their travel:

“Look at what happened with Omanyala. He is a great athlete in this country but the stories that surrounded his travel to Oregon were a shame. Our elite athletes have made a huge impact in our country and it’s time they were issued diplomatic passports.”

Namwamba promised to bring it up at the Cabinet level and if approved, to see that enhanced passports are issued. Start of a trend?

● Boxing ● The ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes has reached professional boxing, as the World Boxing Council announced that it would not sanction fights involving fighters from those countries, or matches to be held in either country.

This is an extension of the WBC ban on fights held in Russia, imposed in February after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The other professional boxing organizations – World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation – all imposed that sanction as well.

● Gymnastics ● The FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR) drew modest interest for its one appearance on NBC last Saturday. Starting at noon Eastern time, just before the kickoff of NFL games, the 90-minute Worlds highlight show drew 682,000 viewers.

All of NBC’s other coverage was on its Peacock streaming service.

● Swimming ● Italy’s Paolo Barelli was a power in swimming for years, as the head of the European Swimming League (LEN) and as a member of the FINA Bureau. Voted out of both groups, he has been suspended for two years by FINA’s independent Ethics Panel for “multiple rule violations of the FINA Constitution and the FINA Code of Ethics.”

The panel found that Barelli unilaterally signed an agreement that reduced the hosting fee due from the Italian swimming federation for the 2022 European Championships from €1.5 million to €500,000, while he was serving as President of both organizations!

Further, Barelli billed €495,587.22 (about $499,557 U.S.) in expenses to the Italian National Olympic Committee, despite have already been reimbursed through a grant by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. A court has ordered him to refund the second payment to CONI.

The FINA sanctions are in addition to, and not in place of, other actions against Barelli relating to these incidents.

● Tennis ● The Women’s Tennis Association allows Russian and Belarusian players to compete, but as neutrals and both countries had players in the championship matches of the WTA Finals in Ft. Worth, Texas.

France’s no. 4-ranked Caroline Garcia defeated no. 5 Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) in the Singles final by 7-6, 6-4, for her fourth title of the year. In the Doubles final, Russian Veronika Kudermetova and Belgium’s Elise Mertens won over the Czech pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 4-6 and 11-9.

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, 951-event International Sports Calendar for 2022-23 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: IBA blames ex-chief Wu for boxing’s Olympic problems; Qatar decries “double standards,” accused of spying; Valieva wins Russian Grand Prix

By
Rich Perelman
-
Four-division world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. at the IBA news conference in Dubai on 7 November (IBA video screen grab)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Without the Olympics, “boxing is going to be dead”
2. Qatar rips German “double standards” in World Cup criticism
3. Rowing’s LA28 goals aimed at adding coastal rowing
4. Italian rhythmic gymnasts allege abuse, demand change
5. Valieva wins Russian Grand Prix in Kazan

The International Boxing Association staged a news conference in Dubai (UAE) which featured famed boxer Roy Jones, Jr., a dual citizen of the U.S. and Russia, saying that “boxing at the Olympics can’t be touched,” but admitting that if the sport is not restored for LA28, “boxing is going to be dead.” The Foreign Minister of Qatar criticized the comments of the German Interior Minister that the country should not have been picked to host the FIFA World Cup by calling out a “double standard” on the tournament as against German interest in Qatar’s energy resources. The World Rowing President said that the federation has given up on keeping “Lightweight” rowing in the Olympic Games and is concentrating on adding three coastal rowing events, at minimal cost in the same area as the Long Beach Marine Stadium, to be used for main rowing channel. In Italy, three rhythmic gymnastics have alleged emotional abuse by coaches, especially over weight, prompting an investigation by the national federation and an apology from the Italian National Olympic Committee. Controversial Russian skating star Kamila Valieva won the third leg of the Russian Grand Prix in Kazan on Sunday, but missed on a quadruple toe loop. She tried it twice more after her routine was over, but missed them again!

1.
Without the Olympics, “boxing is going to be dead”

The International Boxing Association held a fascinating news conference in Dubai (UAE) on Monday, claiming it has fulfilled all of the requirements to be added to the Olympic program for Los Angeles in 2028 and blaming all of its problems on former President C.K. Wu (TPE).

IBA President Umar Kremlev (RUS) appeared with 1988 Olympic Light Middleweight silver medalist – and later four-division professional World Champion – Roy Jones, Jr., a dual Russian and American citizen, Rio 2016 women’s Lightweight winner Estelle Mossely (FRA) and 2022 women’s Flyweight World Champion Nikhat Zareen from India.

Jones made an impassioned plea concerning boxing’s Olympic status:

“We now have what the IOC asked for: they asked for fair judgement, they asked for financial stability, they asked for government [reform], whatever … [Kremlev] does it all. He’s done everything that they asked to fix this.

“So now, what I don’t understand is, why nobody want to talk about the fact that he’s done all he can to fix it, they want to talk about the past, but the past has nothing to do with him. … It’s now what’s happening today and for tomorrow.

“Boxing has a future … If we don’t all come together right now to save this sport, we’re going to be in trouble. Boxing at the Olympics can’t be touched; it’s the best thing in amateur sports to me. …

“When I was a kid, my dreams were to become an Olympic champion first. That’s how my career started. That’s how legends start, at the Olympics. For me, if we don’t all get together, on the same team, unite and fight for the betterment of amateur boxing, especially at the Olympic level, boxing is going to be dead.”

Kremlev barely addressed the Olympic issue, but doubled down on his stance that Russian and Belarusian fighters are welcome to participate in IBA tournament, with the use of their flag and anthem, in direct contradiction to the request of the International Olympic Committee following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

“IBA exactly demonstrates, by its decisions, that we are supporting unity of people, not separation of people, especially when we talk about our sportsmen. I said before, for the sportsman, it is very important to hear the national anthem and to see their national flag. Therefore, our task as a functioning sports organization is to protect their interest and this is exactly what we are doing.

“We should not be a political tool for somebody. Where sports start, their politics finish. Where boxing starts, the conflict is no more.”

On Saturday, the IBA Council declared Wu, the head of the federation, then known as AIBA, from 2006-17, persona non grata at all IBA events, with Kremlev adding:

“They say that corruption within AIBA took place, but this corruption has a name. His name is C.K. Wu. We should speak plainly without avoiding unpleasant or embarrassing issues. We [are] not afraid to reveal the truth. We need to decide once and for all: forget the past and put a full stop. We have to be strict, all those involved must be banned for a lifetime. We take a decision that these people will not ever take part in any IBA activities.”

The IBA Council approved amendments to the IBA Constitution for voting by the IBA Congress in December, including that “athletes affiliated to a suspended National Federation would not be deprived of their rights to take a part in the competitions under their national flag and anthem but without any symbols of the suspended National Federation.”

At the news conference, Kremlev also announced that the men’s World Championships will be held next May in Tashkent (UZB) and provide more prize money for medal winners, with $200,000 for the gold medalists, $100,000 for silver and $50,000 each for the bronze medalists, for a total of $5.2 million.

Observed: Kremlev is quite right when he blames Wu for a lot of the problems that caused boxing to implode on the Olympic level. However, his new IBA has not solved the IOC’s current issues with his federation, including its sources of income, election procedures, ranking systems, refereeing and judging processes and others. In addition, Kremlev’s declaration that the IOC’s ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is to be ignored, followed up by a motion to add this into the IBA Constitution, is not likely to win any friends at Olympic House in Lausanne. The IOC Executive Board is slated to discuss the IBA status regarding the 2028 Olympic Games in early December, and a positive outcome is not currently expected.

2.
Qatar rips German “double standards” in World Cup criticism

One of the reasons a city, region or country bids for a high-profile, international sporting event is to invite more attention. Qatar, which will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup – set to open on 20 November – is getting plenty, but is not necessarily happy about it.

On Monday, Qatar Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:

“It is unfortunate when politicians try to make their mark and score points at our expense. We are annoyed by the double standards.”

That’s a reference to German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser’s comments in late October concerning the selection of Qatar, including “There are criteria that have to be adhered to, and then it would be better if it weren’t awarded to such states.”

Al Thani continued:

● “On the one hand, the German population is misinformed by government politicians. On the other hand, the government has no problem with Qatar when it comes to energy partnerships and investments … or the rescue of German citizens from Afghanistan.

“But when we organize the World Cup, we want to enjoy this moment and celebrate together with the German team, then suddenly different standards apply. We cannot understand this.”

● “It is ironic when this tone is struck in countries in Europe that call themselves liberal democracies. It sounds very arrogant, frankly, and very racist.”

● “It seems difficult for some to accept that a small country, a small Arab country, should be allowed to host the World Cup.

“Racist stereotypes appear again and again. But that is not the case everywhere for a long time. There are fewer than ten countries from which such sharp criticism comes. The rest of the world is happy with us.”

Fans at Bundesliga matches in Germany last weekend showed protest banners criticizing the selection of Qatar to host the World Cup.

A lengthy story by Swiss broadcaster SRF added details to a story first reported in 2018, that Qatar officials created a $387 million intelligence and influence operation to ensure the 2022 World Cup was not taken away after its award in 2010.

A Qatari government spokesperson told the InsideTheGames site, “These baseless allegations are part of a coordinated, underhanded campaign to damage Qatar’s reputation. The report relies on documents that have been rejected outright by U.S. courts because of their inauthenticity. Multiple reputable international news outlets received the documents and opted not to publish the story once the inaccuracy of the evidence was revealed.”

3.
Rowing’s LA28 goals aimed at adding coastal rowing

World Rowing has been busy working on its presence at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In a major departure from its usual operations, it approved the use of a shortened, 1,500 m course for the LA28 Games in order to place rowing at the Long Beach Marine Stadium – site of the 1932 Olympic rowing events – instead of a more remote site at Lake Perris in Riverside County, 90 minutes east of Los Angeles.

Now, federation chief Jean-Christophe Rolland (FRA) told FrancsJeux.com the next step is to accept the International Olympic Committee’s desire to eliminate the remaining “Lightweight” class events and include the newer, expanding discipline of coastal rowing:

● “Today, rowing is no longer limited to its classic format, present at the Olympic Games since Athens in 1896. We also have two other disciplines: indoor rowing on an ergometer, and sea rowing. The latter discipline has two formats, both using the same boats: endurance, similar to sailing, with a mass start and a 6 km course at sea; and beach sprint, with a run on the beach, then a climb in the boat for a 250 m course to a buoy and back, all in direct opposition with elimination until the final. This format has been retained for the 2026 Youth Games in Dakar.”

● “In my vision for the future, the idea is to expand the rowing community worldwide through our three disciplines. Classic rowing is not minimized, it remains the base and we continue to promote it. But we are developing the other two. Beach sprinting is a discipline of the future, which can bring added value to the Olympic Games. It is fast, young, fun and innovative. It can attract a different audience without requiring large investments.”

Rolland said that World Rowing’s proposal for 2028 includes a men’s and women’s event and a mixed-gender event for two athletes. And guided by the IOC’s desire for cost containment:

“In our application, we insist that we do not need an additional facility. We can integrate into an existing site, which could be for sailing, triathlon or long distance swimming. There are several options, but the Long Beach perimeter seems the most logical, across the street from the classic rowing facility, planned on an inland inlet.”

If nothing else, Rolland has a firm grip on the reality of his sport’s future Olympic program:

“[T]he lightweights, we would have lost them at the Olympics, it was inevitable. … With sea rowing, we increase the population of rowers in the world. In a sport world that has become so competitive, it is vital to be able to grow.”

The decision on the event line-up for LA28 will come in the fall of 2023.

4.
Italian rhythmic gymnasts allege abuse, demand change

Three Italian rhythmic gymnasts have alleged “violence and humiliating treatment to stop us from eating” over many years.

In an interview with La Repubblica, Nina Corradini, now 19, said “I had spent every minute of the previous few months wishing I could escape. Now I want to tell all and protect young people, everyone needs to know the truth.”

Five-time World Championships group-event medalist from 2017-19, Anna Basta quit the sport in 2020 at age 19 and said the bullying made her contemplate suicide and said, “I dreamed about the scale, a nightmare” and “I know that in 2 days I can get back to my former weight but I must not touch food.”

Giulia Galtarossa, a two-time World Champion in group events in 2009 and 2010, explained:

“They tried to make me feel guilty, telling me that the federation had invested in me… for a long time I thought I was really fat and ugly and that it was my fault. But the only thing I did that was wrong was to stay silent until today.”

On Monday, Giovanni Malago, the head of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) told La Repubblica:

“I feel the duty to apologise to any current or former athletes who may have suffered due to inappropriate behaviour. …

“We need to work out if these were talking about individual errors or if there was a system that pushed people to make those errors … A certain degree of rigour and harshness is inevitable, but it’s something else when you cross the line into violence and humiliation.”

The Italian national gymnastics federation committed to an investigation into the allegations.

The revelations came just days before the World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR), where the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique co-hosted a “Safe Sport Journey Symposium” attended by officials from more than 50 countries.

USA Gymnastics President Li Li Leung was a featured speaker, talking about how to create change within organizations:

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” she said, and emphasized prioritizing athletes and well-being more than medals.

“We did have an underlying subculture, especially at the highest levels, that wasn’t healthy, and that enabled and ignored abuse. I wish I could say we undertook change all on our own, but the reality is that everything that happened forced a much-needed change, and it was the athletes who forced that change, and it is making the sport better than it was before.”

5.
Valieva wins Russian Grand Prix in Kazan

While her doping case from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games continues without resolution, Russia’s 2022 European Champion Kamila Valieva won another stage of the Russian Grand Prix, this time in Kazan.

Now 16, Valieva was a member of the Russian squad for the Beijing 2022 Team Event, which won the competition on the ice, but the report of her doping positive from December has prevented the event being finalized until an inquiry into her status is completed.

Banned from international competition, Valieva has been skating on the Russian Grand Prix, whose third leg was completed over the weekend. She won easily, scoring 241.72 points to 210.34 for runner-up Veronika Yametova, 15.

Valieva tried to complete a quadruple toe loop during her Free Skate program, but fell, then tried twice more – without music, and unsuccessfully – after the end of her program! She said afterwards:

“I decided to try, why not? I was really upset that I couldn’t do it, everything was fine in training. Now I had more confidence, but I held back, it didn’t work out once, so I’ll try twice more.”

The next stage comes this weekend in Moscow.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced a new policy for site selection for its major tournaments, including its five North American Cups, Junior Olympics and summer national championships:

“Beginning with the 2023-24 national tournament season and beyond, USA Fencing will give preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that harm members of LGBTQ communities as well as states that do not have laws undermining the reproductive health of women.”

The online announcement took pains to note that this was not a ban, but only a preference:

“[W]hy not filter by state laws first and only consider states without harmful legislation? Given the other factors outlined above, such a move would reduce the list of possible host cities to just over a dozen – with the possibility that additional states could pass similar laws in the future and further reduce the list.

“The resulting list also lacks geographic diversity and would require members in many pockets of the country to travel long distances to every tournament. While we could, to use one extreme example, host all of our tournaments in California, that would create an additional burden on families who live on the East Coast.”

The cities list was not provided; but the federation promised to “publish a matrix detailing the states that will be now given priority in our site allocation.”

USA Fencing’s Board of Directors adopted a new transgender participation policy, allowing athletes to “register with USA Fencing as the gender in which they identify and wish to compete during registration/renewal. Please note, this selection will be logistically binding and athletes will not be permitted to modify their gender during the season.”

For the junior, senior and veteran divisions, there are no specifications for transgender females as to allowed testosterone levels; as the new rule states only that:

“Athletes being treated with testosterone suppression medication, for the purposes of USA Fencing-sanctioned competitions may continue to compete in men’s events, but may only compete in women’s events after completing one calendar year (12 months) of testosterone suppression treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided prior to competition.”

The international federation for fencing (FIE) has no transgender rules at present. So, as of now, any U.S. athlete wishing to transition from male to female apparently has no restrictions.

● Hockey ● Pakistan’s Tayyab Ikram was elected as President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), to serve the two years remaining in the term of India’s Narinder Batra, who resigned earlier this year.

Ikram, who had been a member of the FIH Board, received 79 votes to 47 for Belgium’s Marc Coudron.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Pan American Championships concluded Sunday in Resende (BRA), with qualification for the 2023 Pan American Games available. Mexico’s Emiliano Hernandez won the men’s division over Vicente Lima (VEN), while Mayan Oliver (MEX) took the women’s title over Brazil’s Marcela Mello.

● Swimming ● Don’t think American distance icon Katie Ledecky wasn’t all-in for a world short-course record in the women’s 800 m Freestyle at last week’s FINA World Cup finale in Indianapolis:

“I pushed myself a lot after last week. It’s great to have all these fans here to cheer us on. It’s nice to have some [short course] benchmarks.

“I am really happy to be here and racing at the World Cup events. … It’s a fun way to start the fall and kick off the season. We usually don’t get the season started with an international level meet so it’s a little different for me.”

The big winners – at $100,000 each – were the overall winners of the three-leg program, American Beata Nelson and Trinidad & Tobago’s Dylan Canter. Said Nelson, who won “Triple Crowns” in the women’s 200 m Back and 200 m Medley:

“I am not usually a slap the water lady but it’s been a long three weeks and I am really happy with the finish. I had no expectations coming into this. I saw this as a great short course opportunity for me that’s in my wheelhouse. I am really happy with the results and wanted to take full advantage.”

Carter won a triple-triple in the 50 m Free, 50 m Back and 50 m Fly:

“I am so very happy, I am over the moon. I have been saying that this was a goal of mine but the pressure started to mount this weekend. I really felt like I could do it tonight.

“I was cooler this week than I was in Toronto. I think the confidence outweighed the nerves. It’s a massive step for me. I have always felt that I had massive potential but there were some things missing, and I was always trying to unlock them. I am pleased to see some consistent results.”

● Table Tennis ● At the Pan American Championships in Santiago (CHI), Americans reached the final in four divisions and came away with a gold and three silvers.

Amy Wang and Rachel Sung, ranked 26th worldwide, took the women’s Doubles title in a tense, five-set final over Brazil’s Caroline Kumahara and Bruna Takahashi, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-13, 12-10.

Brazil’s world no. 7 Hugo Calderano won the men’s Singles in a 4-0 sweep over the U.S.’s Kanak Jha, 15-13, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, while Puerto Rico’s world no. 11 Adriana Diaz defeated Lily Zhang, by 4-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-5, 11-3).

The U.S. got a third silver in the Mixed Doubles, with Brazil’s world no. 13 Victor Ishy and Takahashi defeating Wang and Nikhil Kumar, by 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5).

In the men’s Doubles, Argentina’s Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes swept Chile’s Gustavo Gomez and Nicolas Burgos, 11-7, 12-10, 11-5.

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TSX REPORT: U.S. ends on top of gymnastics Worlds medal table; another world record for Katie Ledecky; FIFA being pressed on Qatar reforms

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic gold medalist and now twice World Champion Jade Carey (USA)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Carey, Malone score Worlds Gymnastics golds as U.S. leads medal count
2. Ledecky claims 800 m Free world record in FINA World Cup
3. Kenyan sweep for Chebet and debutante Lokedi at NYC Marathon
4. Griner visited by U.S. Embassy officials in Russia
5. FIFA being pressed on Qatar reforms, as “Fan Leaders” program builds

American gymnasts led the medal table at the FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool, earning eight medals (3-4-1), including the women’s team gold, Jade Carey in the women’s Vault and Brody Malone in the men’s Horizontal Bar. U.S. distance superstar Katie Ledecky was pretty much a lock to smash the world 25 m (short-course) record in the final leg of the FINA World Cup in Indianapolis, and she did, slicing 1.92 seconds off of Spain’s Mireia Belmonte’s mark from 2019, in 7:57.42. Ten swimmers completed three-event sweeps of 18 events, earning $10,000 bonuses for each event. At the New York City Marathon, Kenyans Evans Chebet and first-time marathoner Sharon Lokedi won, in 2:08:41 and 2:23:23. Two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner was visited by the U.S. Embassy in Russia, with the U.S. government continuing to negotiate for her release. FIFA has asked for the federations competing in the World Cup to focus on sport, but continues to be pushed on human rights in Qatar.

1.
Carey, Malone score Worlds Gymnastics golds
as U.S. leads medal count

The United States came away from the FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR) as the top-scoring nation with eight total medals, including a men’s gold for Brody Malone on the Horizontal Bar.

All together, the American teams collected eight medals, with seven from the women (2-4-1) and the one men’s apparatus gold.

Following up on its team win and a second from Shilese Jones in the women’s All-Around, the U.S. women scored six individual apparatus medals. Jade Carey had won Worlds silver on Vault in 2017 and 2019, but got to the top this time, scoring an average of 14.516 on her two attempts, ahead of teammate Jordan Chiles (14.350) and Coline Devillard (FRA: 14.166).

Jones returned on the Uneven Bars and won silver with a 14.766 score, behind China’s defending champion Xiaoyuan Wei (14.966), with two-time champ Nina Derwael (BEL: 14.700) third. On Beam, Japan went 1-3 with little-known Hazuki Watanabe, 18, a surprise winner at 13.600 and Shoko Miyata third (13.533); Canada’s Ellie Black (13.566) won silver. American Skye Blakely was fifth (13.300).

Britain’s Jessica Gadirova was third in the All-Around and superb on Floor, winning at 14.200, ahead of Chiles (13.833) with Tokyo winner Carey and All-Around winner Rebeca Andrade (BRA) tying for third at 13.733.

In the men’s All-Around on Friday, Japan’s 21-year-old Daiki Hashimoto moved up from silver in 2021 to gold in 2022, scoring 87.198 to best defending champ Boheng Zhang (CHN: 86.765) and teammate Wataru Tanigawa (85.231).

Hashimoto led all scorers on the Pommel Horse (14.333) and was second on Floor (14.666), Rings (13.866), Vault (14.900) and Horizontal Bar (14.433). Carlos Yulo (PHI) led on Floor (15.166) and Parallel Bars (15.166); Zhang led on Rings (14.100) and Tanigawa led on Pommel Horse (15.000). It was Japan’s first win in the men’s All-Around since Kohei Uchimura finished his streak of six straight wins in 2015.

Malone of the U.S. led all scorers on the Horizontal Bar (14.500) and finished fourth overall at 84.931. The U.S. last won a medal in the men’s All-Around with Jonathan Horton in 2010; this was the second straight fourth-place finish at the Worlds, with Yul Moldauer fourth in 2021. Asher Hong of the U.S. was sixth (82.365) in his first Worlds.

In the apparatus finals, Giarnni Regini-Moran won on Floor, Great Britain’s first win ever in the event, scoring 14.533 to 14.500 for Hashimoto (14.500). Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan won the country’s second-ever Worlds medal (and first gold) in the Pommel Horse (15.300), ahead of Jordan’s first-ever Worlds medal winner, Ahmad Abu al-Soud (14,866), with defending champ Stephen Nedoroscik of the U.S. fifth (14.400). Turkey’s Adem Asil, seventh in the Tokyo Olympic Games on Rings, won at 14.933, ahead of China’s Jingyuan Zou (14.866); American Donnell Whittenburg was eighth (14.433).

On Sunday, Armenia’s Artur Davtyan won on Vault (15.050) – the country’s first Worlds victory – beating Yulo (14.950) and Ukraine’s Igor Radivilov (14.733). China’s Zou was easily the best on the Parallel Bars (16.166), clear of Lukas Dauser (GER: 15.500) and Yulo (15.366).

Malone, the Horizontal Bar bronze medalist in 2021, won this time, scoring 14.800 to edge Hashimoto (14.700) and Arthur Mariano (BRA: 14.466).

This was an impressive showing for the next generation of American women and a hopeful sign for the men, with Malone and Hong in the top six in the All-Around.

Ukraine’s two-time Rio Olympic medalist Oleg Verniaiev posted a video during the Worlds, asking for a lifetime ban on Russian athletes who support the invasion of Ukraine, in Ukrainian and English, with the English text including:

“I last saw my native Donetsk back in 2012. And soon the war will take away my opportunity to return home for almost 9 years.

“With the onset of a full-scale invasion, training was put on a back burner. From the first days, I started volunteering, as did some of my colleagues, Ukrainian gymnasts. About three thousand athletes and coaches are now defending the Independence of our country. Over a hundred of them will never return home.

“Silence settled in our training halls. But we must not be silent!

“We should not keep silent about Russia’s crimes against Ukraine, as Russian and Belarusian athletes do.

“Their silence is support for the bloody Russian terror. Terrorists have no place in international sports.

“I urge all citizens of the civilized world to support Ukraine on the sports front! Silence kills!”

In the Ukrainian text, he included, “All the Russian and Belarusian athletes who support the full-scale invasion and Kremlin’s rhetoric should be disqualified for life.”

Verniaiev’s hometown of Donetsk is one of the cities in eastern Ukraine that was invaded and then “annexed” by Russia. He is currently serving a four-year ban for the use of meldonium, and has appealed the length of the sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

2.
Ledecky claims 800 m Free world record in FINA World Cup

Everyone looking ahead to the final stop of the FINA World Cup in Indianapolis knew that American distance superstar Katie Ledecky was primed to claim the world short-course record in the women’s 800 m Free. And she did.

In her third event of the meet, Ledecky had the lead from the start and pulled away to a nearly 10-second win over Canadian star Summer McIntosh, 7:57.42 to 8:07.12, with American Leah Smith third (8:12.01). Ledecky lowered the nine-year-old mark of Spain’s Mireia Belmonte from 7:59.34 and set both the 800 m and 1,500 m world records in just a week’s time. It’s her second world 25 m record to go along with 14 long-course world marks.

Ledecky also won the women’s 400 m Free in 3:54.04, and was second in the 200 m Free to Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, 1:51.19-1:52.10, for three medals at the meet, and another $10,000 bonus for a world record.

In the meantime, 11 swimmers had a chance to claim $10,000 for a sweep – the “Triple Crown” – of individual events in all three World Cup meets. In all, 10 swimmers won sweeps in a total of 18 events:

Men (11):
● Dylan Carter (TTO): 50 m Free (20.72), 50 m Back (22.72), 50 m Fly (21.99)
● Shaine Casas (USA): 100 m Back (49.40), 200 m Back (1:48.40)
● Kyle Chalmers (AUS); 100 m Free (45.55)
● Nic Fink (USA): 50 m Breast (25.83), 100 m Breast (56.15), 200 m Breast (2:02.70)
● Chad le Clos (RSA): 100 m Fly (48.85)
● Matt Sates (RSA): 400 m Medley (4:04.12); failed in the 400 m Free

Women (7):
● Siobhan Haughey (HKG): 100 m Free (51.00), 200 m Free (1:51.19)
● Ruta Meilutyte (LTU): 50 m Breast (28.70), 100 m Breast (1:02.77)
● Beata Nelson (USA): 200 m Back (2:00.43), 200 m Medley (2:04.92)
● Kasia Wasick (POL): 50 m Free (23.10)

The three misses included Sates missing out on a sweep in the men’s 400 m Free; France’s Beryl Gastaldello in the women’s 100 m Medley and Beata Nelson of the U.S. losing in the 100 m Back.

In the other men’s events, American Kieran Smith won the men’s 200 m (1:41.78) and 400 m Free (3:35.99), plus the 200 m Medley (1:52.98); Olympic champ Bobby Finke of the U.S. won the 1,500 m Free (14:45.77). Le Clos also won the 200 m Fly (1:49.89) and Casas won a third event in the 100 m Medley (51.04). Sates won the 400 m Medley (4:04.12).

In the women’s shorter Backstroke events, Canada’s Kylie Masse won the 50 m in 25.96 and 17-year-old Bella Sims of the U.S. won the 100 m 55.75, setting a World Junior Record, her second in 12 minutes after a 1:52.59 swim for fourth in the 200 m Free behind Haughey. World Champion Lilly King won the 200 m Breast for the second week in a row (2:17.56) and Swede Louise Hansson won the women’s 50-100 m Fly events (25.16 and 55.45), with McIntosh winning the 200 m Fly (2:03.40). Canadian Sydney Pickrem won the 400 m Medley (4:26.66) over American Katie Grimes.

In the races for the top overall performer at the three World Cups, Carter barely edged Fink for the men’s title, 172.6 to 172.3, with le Clos third (166.3). Nelson won the women’s title, scoring 173.7 to 165.9 for Haughey. The winners received $100,000, with $70,000 for second and money for places down to eighth.

3.
Kenyan sweep for Chebet and debutante Lokedi at NYC Marathon

A lot of attention was paid to first-time marathoners at Sunday’s New York City Marathon, but more on two-time World 5,000 m Champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya than of countrywoman Sharon Lokedi.

The NCAA women’s 10,000 m champ for Kansas in 2018, Lokedi, 27, had been steadily moving towards road racing, competing in her first half-marathon in 2021 and finishing fourth in the NYC Half in March. But she found herself running right with 2022 World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) and bronze medalist Lonah Salpeter (ISR), Obiri and others through the halfway mark and then among six in contact at 20 miles. The field narrows to four by 22 miles and then Obiri dropped back, leaving Lokedi, Salpeter and Gebreslase for the medals.

Gebreslase was the first to let go, at about 25 miles and then Lokedi increased the pressure on Salpeter, separating for good in Central Park and cruising home in 2:23:23, an impressive time considering the 73 F temperatures and 69% humidity when she crossed the line. It’s the no. 13 performance in NYC Marathon history.

Salpeter was second in 2:23:30, followed by Gebreslase (2:23:39) and then two-time World Champion, now-42-year-old Edna Kiplagat (KEN: 2:24:16). Obiri was sixth in 2:25:49, followed by the top Americans, Aliphine Tuliamuk (2:26:18) and Emma Bates (2:26:53).

The men’s race was shaken up immediately by Brazil’s Daniel Do Nascimento, the Worlds seventh-placer earlier this year, who took off from the start and had a lead of more than two minutes past the halfway mark. He continued leading, but began to falter, stopped a couple of times and then collapsed after 20 miles, lying on the pavement and receiving immediate medical attention.

That left 2022 Boston Marathon winner Evans Chebet (KEN) in the lead. Running the New York Marathon for the first time, he calmly strode through the final quarter of the race with a solid lead over Shura Kitata (ETH) and won in 2:08:41, no. 24 on the all-time race performance list, but especially good given the tough weather. Chebet has won five of last his seven marathon and is reportedly the sixth man to complete the Boston-New York double in the same year, last done in 2011 by Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai.

Kitata, the 2020 London Marathon winner, was second in 2:08:54, followed by Abdi Nageeye (NED: 2:10:31). Scott Fauble finished as the top American in ninth (2:13:35), while Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Galen Rupp dropped out around the 17 mile mark.

This was the third straight Kenyan sweep of the men’s and women’s titles in New York; with the women winning eight of the last nine and the men winning eight of the last 10.

4.
Griner visited by U.S. Embassy officials in Russia

U.S. Embassy officials in Russia visited jailed two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner last Thursday, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters “We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances.”

Griner is still in jail after her appeal of a nine-year sentence for “drug smuggling” was rejected by a Moscow court last week. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted:

“.@USEmbRU officials visited Brittney Griner today. They saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances. We continue to press for the immediate release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and fair treatment for every detained American.”

Jean-Pierre added that “despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with Russia through all available channels. This continues to be a top priority.”

Griner was initially detained on 17 February and the WNBA Players Association has stated, “She is very clearly a hostage.”

5.
FIFA being pressed on Qatar reforms,
as “Fan Leaders” program builds

The build-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar continues, with SkySports reporting that FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) and Secretary General Fatima Samoura (SEN) sent a letter to the 32 participating federations that included:

“We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world. But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.

“At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world. “One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity. No one people or culture or nation is ‘better’ than any other. This principle is the very foundation stone of mutual respect and non-discrimination. And this is also one of the core values of football. So, please let’s all remember that and let football take centre stage.”

A statement from the UEFA Working Group on Human and Labor Rights on Sunday included:

“We will continue to support the momentum for positive, progressive change and continue to advocate for a conclusive outcome and update on the two key outstanding issues we have been discussing with FIFA for a long time.

“FIFA has repeatedly committed to deliver concrete answers on these issues – the compensation fund for migrant workers, and the concept of a migrant workers centre to be created in Doha – and we will continue to press for these to be delivered.”

The Qatar “Fan Leader” influencer program, in which a small number of fans from multiple countries are having their travel and accommodations to Qatar paid in exchange for supportive social-media messages about the World Cup, is reported to include 40 English and 40 Welsh fans.

The Guardian reported that British police will be sending “supporter engagement officers” to Qatar to act as an intermediary between fans of England and Wales at the tournament and the security forces, which will include Qatar and Turkish police. Said Chief Constable Mark Roberts:

“They will be engaging with supporters if we think there’s a risk that they may be overstepping a mark as viewed by the locals.

“Our first port of call will be for our officers to go over to them try to explain and try to deconflict. Equally if we think there’s going to be an intervention by law enforcement, [supporter engagement officers] will be seeking to engage with that law enforcement, just calm it down and move people on, try to inject a sense of balance.”

Both England and Wales are in Group B with the U.S. and Iran.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● Weini Kelati defended her title as USATF 5 km champion on Saturday in New York, pushing the pace from the start and winning comfortably in 15:16, ahead of Erika Kemp and Emily Infeld (both 15:30).

Adbi Nur, third at the U.S. Nationals in the 5,000 m on the track, won the men’s 5,000 m title in 13:24 for his first U.S. championship. He took over from American Steeple star Hillary Bor with 800 m to go and won by five seconds, with Kirubel Erassa third in 13:37.

Nur would have won by more, but followed the pace car as it exited the course about 15 m from the finish line, but was re-directed in time and won with a smile.

● Basketball ● The U.S. men and the Canadian women took the titles at the FIBA 3×3 Americup held in Miami (USA).

The top-seeded (and defending champion) American men’s team of 6-5 Canyon Barry, 6-2 Jimmer Fredette, 6-8 Kareem Maddox and 6-3 Dylan Thomas won its two group games by 22-6 and 19-15, then squeezed past Mexico, 21-19 in the quarterfinals and 21-15 over Trinidad & Tobago in the semis.

In the final, the U.S. faced second-seed Puerto Rico and won by 21-18, with nine points from Maddox on 6-7 from the floor, plus five each from Fredette and Barry; Travis added two. Guillermo Diaz led Puerto Rico with six point.

The U.S. women were also top-seed and Veronica Burton (5-9), Lexie Hull (6-1), Nalyssa Smith (6-3) and Camille Zimmerman (6-1) cruised through the group matches by 12-6 and 21-2, then stomped Chile by 18-11 in the quarterfinals.

But second-seed Canada surprised the Americans in the semis, 17-15, shooting 46% from the field to just 40% for the U.S. The Canadians went on to the final against Brazil, winning by 15-11 as 6-2 Michelle Plouffe had nine points to lead all scorers. The U.S. did rebound to win the bronze-medal game by 17-13 over Colombia.

Barry was named the men’s Most Valuable Player, with Plouffe winning the women’s MVP for Canada.

● Beach Volleyball ● The Olympic and World Champions from Norway continued their winning ways at the Volleyball World Pro Beach Tour Elite 16 tournament in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday.

Anders Mol and Christian Sorum showed once again they are the top team in the world, with their third Elite 16 win this season, taking out David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (SWE) by 21-19, 21-19. Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan won the bronze over Robin Seidel and Philip Waller (AUT), 22-20, 21-14.

The women’s gold-medal match was a 22-20, 21-16 win for Brazil’s Talita Antunes and Thamela Galil over Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil (USA), who won their second Beach Pro Tour medal of the season. Brazilian star Duda Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos won the bronze – their fifth medal of the season – over Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard (FRA), 21-15, 21-15.

● Bobsled ● Canadian Christine de Bruin, 33, the Beijing 2022 women’s Monobob bronze medalist, was suspended for three years for doping by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

De Bruin was tested in August and turned up positive for Ligandrol, a muscle-building and recovery drug. She admitted the violation, receiving a three-year penalty instead of four, and told CBC Sports:

“I appreciate and respect the need to have tough rules to keep the playing field clean, however, I signed the Early Admission and Acceptance Agreement … because I simply do not have the financial means to fight it.”

● Curling ● Canada’s 2006 Olympic champ Brad Gushue led his squad to the men’s title in the first WCF Pan Continental Championships, held in Calgary (CAN).

Gushue’s rink, the U.S. team led by Korey Dropkin and South Korea’s squad, skipped by Beyong-jin Jeong all finished 6-1 in round-robin play, with Gushue eliminating Japan in the semis and Jeong helping beat the U.S., 9-6. In the final, it was Canada with a 7-1 lead after four ends on the way to a 11-3 win and the gold medal. Dropkin’s U.S. squad defeated Japan, 8-7, for the bronze medal.

In the women’s division, Tabitha Peterson of the U.S. and Kerri Einarson of Canada led their squads to 7-1 records in the round-robin, but both were upset in the semis, with Seung-yun Ha (KOR) and Satsuki Fujisawa (JPN) leading their teams to the final.

The gold-medal match was a see-saw, with Japan up 3-1, but then tied, then up 6-3, but tied again in the 9th and 10th ends. But Fujisawa, who led Japan to a Beijing Olympic silver, got two points in the 11th for an 8-6 win and the gold medal. Canada won the bronze as Einarson’s team defeated Peterson’s rink by 7-5.

● Figure Skating ● The ISU Grand Prix moved to Europe for the Grand Prix de France in Angers, with the hosts celebrating the first Grand Prix win by a French man since 2009 as Adam Siao Him Fa came from third during the Free Skate to take his first Grand Prix medal.

Siao Him Fa won the Free Skate, scoring 180.98 points and totaled 268.98 to overtake Short Program leader Sota Yamamoto (JPN: 257.90). Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx, the 2022 Worlds silver medalist, won the women’s gold on her 23rd birthday on Saturday, winning both the Short Program and Free Skate with a total of 216.34 and her first Grand Prix victory. Korea’s Yelim Kim was a distant second at 194.76; American Audrey Shin was fifth (183.93).

Canada’s Deanna Stellato gave up the sport from 2000-16 due to injury, then came back as a Pairs skater, got married and as Stellato-Dudek teamed with Maxime Deschamps to claim their first Grand Prix win, taking the Short Program and Free Skate and scoring 185.84. France’s married team of Camille Kovalev and Pavel Kovalev finished second (179.85), with American siblings Maria Mokhova and Ivan Mokhov sixth (162.16).

Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri won the Ice Dance, including both the Rhythm Dance and the Free Dance, at 207.95. Canadians Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen were second (201.93), with Americans Eva Pate and Logan Bye fifth (174.03) and Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen eighth (164.89).

The ISU Grand Prix heads to Sheffield (GBR) next week for the John Wilson Trophy.

● Judo ● Host Azerbaijan won four weight classes to head the standings at the IJF World Tour Baku Grand Slam. Balabay Aghayev won the men’s 60 kg division; European Champion Hidayet Heydarov took the 73 kg title; Saeid Mollaei – the former Iranian World Champion – won at 81 kg, and Zelym Kotsoiev won the 100 kg clas.

In the women’s classes, 2019 World Champion Christa Duguchi (CAN) was victorious at 57 kg, and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Sanne van Dijke (NED) won at 70 kg.

● Rugby ● At the “2021″ Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, the hosts made it to next Saturday’s final with a tight, 25-24 win over France, while England defeated Canada by 26-19.

France led for much of its semi with the Black Ferns and had a 17-10 lead. But New Zealand stormed into the lead in the 57th minute and got up 25-17 before a late French try closed to 25-24. The French missed a penalty kick in the 69th minute that would have won the match.

New Zealand has won five of the last six World Cups and has a 4-0 mark vs. England in championship finals, in 2002-06-10-17. The final comes next Saturday (12th).

● Rugby Sevens ● In the opening tournament of the 2022-23 men’s Rugby Sevens season in Hong Kong, Australia overcame an early loss to Samoa in pool play and rolled through the playoffs, with a final, 20-17 win over Fiji.

After a 2-1 record in Pool A, the Aussies defeated Ireland, 26-19, then France by 10-7 in the semis before winning in the gold-medal match. France beat Samoa in the third-place game, 19-17, while the U.S. men finished sixth.

● Short Track ● They say the fastest ice in the world is at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, site of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games competitions. It was further proved with two world records at the ISU World Cup meet there, with Dutch stars Xandra Velzeboer and Suzanne Schulting setting the new standards.

In the first women’s 500 m race, Velzeboer was disqualified in the semifinals, opening the door for Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Kim Boutin to win the final in 43.095, ahead of Poland’s Natalia Maliszewska (43.145) and Kristen Santos-Griswold of the U.S. (43.170). Velzeboer came back in the second race and scored a world record of 41.416 in the heats, then went on to win the final in 41.602! Korea’s Min-jeong Choi, the two-time Olympic 1,500 m champ, was second in 42.384.

Schulting, the Beijing 2022 Olympic champ at 1,000 m, grabbed the 1,000 m world record at 1:25.958 in the heats and went on to win the final in 1:28.241. Canada’s Courtney Sarault was second (1:28.291) and Santos-Griswold was third (1:32.965). Korea’s Gilli Kim won the 1,500 m in 2:26.530 over Anna Seidel (GER: 2:26.743) and Korea’s Choi (2:26.899).

The men’s 500 m saw Canada’s Maxime Laoun, whose career appeared over after a bad leg injury in 2019, win his first career World Cup race, the 500 m, in 40.946. Jens van’t Wout (NED) won his second gold of the meet in the second 500 m, in 40.505.

Korea’s Ji-won Park won the 1,000 m in 1:25.202, ahead of teammate Kyung Hwan Hong (1:25.263). In the 1,500 m final, it was van’t Wout with his first World Cup medal – a gold – in 2:11.909 to beat Korea’s Park (2:12.204).

Korea swept the men’s 5,000 m and women’s 3,000 m relays, but China won the 2,000 m Mixed Relay, with Korea second and the U.S. team of Andrew Heo, Brandon Kim, Santos-Griswold and Corinne Stoddard third.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS World Cup season opened in Wisla (POL: 134 m hill) with a happy result for the home team, as Dawid Kubacki (POL), the 2019 Normal Hill World Champion, won twice.

Kubacki defeated Halvor Egner Granerud (NOR), 272.2-266.6 on Saturday, with Austria’s three-time World Champion Stefan Kraft third (258.80). He then repeated with another win on Sunday, scoring 287.0 to best Anze Lanisek (SLO: 278.7) and Marius Lindvik (NOR: 277.0).

Norway’s Silje Opseth won the women’s season opener – her second career World Cup title – scoring 251.5 over teammate (and World Cup champ) Marita Kramer (AUT: 244.2) and Austria’s Eva Pinkelnig (243.1). Pinkelnig got the gold on Sunday, however, at 262.3, over Katharina Althaus (GER: 251.4) and Frida Westman (SWE: 248.7). It’s Pinkelnig’s fourth career World Cup triumph.

● Triathlon ● Olympic champion Flora Duffy won the World Triathlon Series race in front of her home fans in Hamilton (BER) on Sunday, moving her into second place in the series rankings with a chance to win a fourth world title in the season finale in Abu Dhabi in late November.

Duffy was able to pull away from the field on the 10 km run, first taking the lead from Maya Kingma (NED) and then holding off American Taylor Knibb on the rainy course, for a 2:01:26 to 2:03:04 victory, with Britain’s Beth Potter third (2:03:17). Taylor Spivey of the U.S. was fifth (2:04:05) and Kingma faded to sixth (2:04:26). With one race to go, Britain’s Tokyo silver winner Georgia Taylor-Brown is the series leader with 3,925 points to 3,856 for Duffy and 3,369 for Potter.

France’s two-time World Champion, Vincent Luis, showed his comeback from injury was complete by holding on for a 1:49:37-1:49:45-1:49:54 win over Spain’s Antonio Serrat and Roberto Sanchez, who won their first World Triathlon Series medals.

With one race left, New Zealand’s Tokyo bronze medalist, Hayden Wilde, leads the men’s standings with 3,850 points, ahead of Olympic silver medalist Alex Yee (GBR) and Leo Bergere (FRA).

● Water Polo ● At the FINA Women’s Nations League Super Final in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (ESP), host Spain won a penalty shoot-out to win the tournament over Hungary, 19-18, while the U.S. took the bronze medal on penalties over the Netherlands, 16-15.

The U.S., the Tokyo Olympic winners and World Champions for 2022, was looking for an eighth-straight title in the Nations League, but fell to Hungary in the semifinals, 10-9. The American women have now won a medal in 17 of the 18 editions of the Nations League and 16 in a row.

● Wrestling ● Iran won its sixth UWW Greco-Roman World Cup with a victory on criteria after a 5-5 final score over host Azerbaijan in Baku on Sunday. The Iranians had 21 classification points to 19 for the Azerbaijanis, who were runners-up for the second straight time.

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TSX REPORT: Andrade wins All-Around gold, Jones gets silver; LA28 moving canoeing to Oklahoma? NYC Marathon comes Sunday!

By
Rich Perelman
-
A July poll said Americans like the 2028 Olympics being in Los Angeles by 78-4%!

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Brazil’s Andrade wins Worlds All-Around; U.S.’s Jones gets silver
2. LA28’s canoe slalom venue on the move to Oklahoma?
3. North Carolina touts no construction in World University Games bid
4. World Champs Gebreslase and Obiri clash in NYC Marathon Sunday
5. Modern pentathlon athlete survey favors retaining riding by 86-9%

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was the favorite in the women’s all-Around at the FIG World Artistic Championships and won her country’s first gold in the event, edging American Shilese Jones and Britain’s Jessica Gadirova. A short note in a report to the International Canoe Federation Congress in Thailand indicates that the Canoe Slalom competitions for the 2028 Olympic Games – in Los Angeles – may be moved to Oklahoma City! In the fight to host the 2027 World University Games, the North Carolina bid from the U.S. circulated a poster which emphasized the enormous U.S. collegiate sports market, that 13 colleges and universities will be involved in hosting the Games and that no construction is needed for either the competition venues or the athlete villages! The decision comes on 12 November. The TCS New York City Marathon comes on Sunday, with 2022 World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia leading the women’s field, but many are focused on Kenyan star (and three-time World Champion) Hellen Obiri, making her marathon debut at 32. An open, online survey of active modern pentathletes has received 335 replies over eight days, with the respondents – aged 15 to 35 – preferring retaining riding in its current form or with reforms for better safety, by 86-9% over obstacle-course racing. One respondent, however, suggested eliminating riding and retaining just the four remaining disciplines!

1.
Brazil’s Andrade wins Worlds All-Around; U.S.’s Jones gets silver

After a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade led the qualifying round at 57.332 and was a solid favorite to win the FIG World Artistic Championships All-Around gold in Liverpool.

She had to wait until the very end of the session, but with a solid 14.400 score on Floor, she completed a gold-medal performance, scoring 56.899 to best American Shilese Jones (55.399) and Britain’s home favorite, Jessica Gadirova (55.199) in Thursday’s All-Around final.

Consistency was the key, as Andrade posted the top score on Vault (15.166) and then the third-best scores on Uneven Bars (13.800) and Beam (13.533) to enter the final event with a 0.80-point lead on Jones, 42.499-41.699. They had been the top two in the qualifying round, with American Jade Carey third, but British stars Alice Kinsella (40.899) and Gadirova (40.799) were standing 3-4, with Carey sixth (40.532).

Gadirova posted the top score on Floor at 14.400 when Andrade came up for her routine, needing only a 12.900 to pass Jones, sitting at 55.399 after a modest 13.700 on floor. No problem for the 23-year-old Brazilian, in her third World Championships, as she also scored 14.400 to tie Gadirova, but was placed second due to a lower execution score: 8.40 to 8.30.

It was Andrade’s third career Worlds medal, with apparatus medals in 2021 on Vault (gold) and Uneven Bars (silver). This was Brazil’s second-ever Worlds medal in the women’s All-Around and first win; Jade Barbosa had tied for the 2007 bronze. And Andrade is set to chase more medals in the apparatus finals in the Uneven Bars, Beam and Floor.

For the U.S.’s Jones, her Worlds silver extends the American streak of a medal in the women’s All-Around to 15 straight World Championships, stretching back to 2003. It’s a meteoric rise for Jones, only 12th at the 2019 and 2021 U.S. Nationals, but second this year and national champ on the Bars and Floor. She’s qualified for the apparatus final on the Uneven Bars.

The individual apparatus leaders were Andrade on Vault (15.166), Jones on Bars (14.366), Yushan Ou (CHN) on Beam at 13.866 and Gadirova and Andrade, who both scored 14.400 on Floor.

Carey was strong as usual on Vault (second) and Floor (third), but could not match her qualifying scores on Bars (15th) or Beam (11th). She qualified for the Vault and Floor apparatus finals.

The Worlds continue with the men’s All-Around on Friday and then the apparatus finals on the weekend.

2.
LA28’s canoe slalom venue on the move to Oklahoma?

The venue line-up for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles continues to shift, with the International Canoe Federation reporting to its 2022 Congress in Pattaya (THA) that the Canoe Slalom competition could be moved out of California altogether.

The ICF Canoe Slalom committee report by Jean-Michel Prono (FRA) was primarily concerned with the forthcoming schedule, new events and getting past the pandemic, but also reported:

“Los Angeles 2028 CSL venue to be secured currently working on an existing ‘offset venue’ option, Oklahoma”

(Prono may have meant “off-site” rather than “offset,” but this is a direct quote from the report.)

That would be the well-known and highly-respected Riversport Rapids whitewater center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, already selected as the site for the 2026 ICF World Canoe Slalom Championships. The facility has hosted the ICF Canoe Sprint Super Cup in 2021 and did so again in 2022.

The LA28 bid showed the canoe slalom site as a temporary facility in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, along with sites for equestrian and shooting. The site for canoe sprint races has already been moved from the originally proposed Lake Perris in Riverside County (inland from Los Angeles) to the Long Beach Marine Stadium, used for the 1932 Olympic Games. It will also be the site for rowing, although on a shortened, 1,500 m course due to the existing 2nd Street Bridge.

The 1984 Olympic Games venue for canoeing and rowing was at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, but not proposed for 2028.

Under section 6.6 of the December 2021 Games Agreement with the City of Los Angeles, the LA28 organizers (“OCOG” below) will be required to obtain the approval of the City to move a sport out of the City proper, which would apply to the canoe slalom events:

“The Parties acknowledge, agree, and anticipate that, given the 2028 Games events are not scheduled to take place until 2028 and given that the Los Angeles region continues to add to its already expansive inventory of world class sports venues, relocating a competition event may benefit the presentation of the 2028 Games. Prior to relocating certain Olympic events (a “Certain Event”), the OCOG shall inform the City and obtain its written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed) if such relocation both moves a Certain Event out of the City and constitutes an amendment to the venue plan submitted to the City on January 18, 2017. For purposes of this Section 6.6, the following are Certain Events: any competition event to be held at a venue located in the City, the Media Village, and the Athletes Village.”

3.
North Carolina touts no construction in
World University Games bid

After the Chungcheong Megacity bid committee for the 2027 World University Games circulated its “closing argument” for its candidature via the popular InsideTheGames site, the competing North Carolina bid did the same.

Where the Koreans touted government funding promises of €440 million (~$429.2 million U.S.) to help finance the Games and build venues – 10 new sites are proposed – the North Carolina concept emphasizes building … nothing:

● The athlete villages will be located at the existing student residences at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

● No venue construction is anticipated, as existing sites are already in place such as the Greensboro Coliseum, the Greensboro Aquatic Center, the WakeMed Soccer Park and the famous indoor arenas Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke University), Dean Smith Center at UNC Chapel Hill and PNC Arena at North Carolina State.

● The proposed 2027 program area includes 19 college and universities (!) with 13 directly involved in the staging of the University Games, with more than 260,000 students.

The circular also made the point about the opportunity available in the American market:

“[T]he collegiate sports market in the USA has exploded, and is, by a large margin, the number one college and university sports market in the world. Dan Guerrero, President of the U.S. International University Sports Federation (USIUSF), a World University Games athlete in Baseball in the 1970 Games in Torino, Italy, and former long-time athletic director at UCLA, emphasized, ‘The United States collegiate and university sports market is the world leader in a number of categories: we are Number 1 in sports venues and facilities; in sports sponsorships; in sports broadcasting; in annual spending on college sports; in sports marketing, promotions, and advertising; and, importantly, in fan support.’”

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) is expected to choose between the two on 12 November.

4.
World Champs Gebreslase and Obiri clash in NYC Marathon Sunday

Cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s are expected for Sunday’s TCS New York City Marathon, with a long-anticipated debut marathon from Kenyan star Hellen Obiri to challenge 2022 World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia.

The race is one of the richest in the world, with $267,000 each for men and women for the top 10 placers: $100,000-60,000-40,000-25,000-15,000-10,000-7,500-5,000-2,500-2,000. There is an additional prize for the top Americans, of $25,000-15,000-10,000-5,000-3,000 to the top five.

The top women’s entries, shown with lifetime bests (and year):

● 2:17:45 (2020) Lonah Salpeter (ISR) ~ 2022 Worlds bronze medalist
● 2:18:11 (2022) Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) ~ 2022 World Champion
● 2:19:12 (2022) Keira D’Amato (USA) ~ 2022 Worlds eighth
● 2:19:50 (2012) Edna Kiplagat (KEN) ~ 2011 & 2013 World Champion
● 2:22:28 (2011) Des Linden (USA) ~ 2018 Boston Marathon winner
● 2:22:29 (2022) Mao Uesugi (JPN) ~ 2022 Osaka Marathon runner-up
● 2:22:28 (2021) Viola Cheptoo (KEN) ~ New York runner-up in 2021
● 2:23:18 (2022) Emma Bates (USA) ~ 2022 Worlds seventh

Kenya’s Obiri, 32, has been threatening to run a marathon for several years and her debut has been anticipated since her brilliant 2019 World Cross Country Championship gold. She owns World 5,000 m wins from 2017 and 2019 and Olympic silvers from 2016 and 2020 (2021). She won the silver at the 2022 Worlds 10,000 m in Eugene this past summer, so what will she do?

Americans to watch beyond former American Record holder D’Amato, Linden and Bates are 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials winner Aliphine Tuliamuk (best of 2:26:50 from 2019) and Stephanie Bruce (2:27:47 from 2019).

The top men’s entries:

● 2:03:00 (2020) Evans Chebet (KEN) ~ 2022 Boston Marathon winner
● 2:04:49 (2018) Shura Kitata (ETH) ~ 2020 London Marathon winner
● 2:04:51 (2022) Daniel Do Nascimiento (BRA) ~ 2022 Worlds eighth
● 2:04:56 (2022) Abdi Nageeye (NED) ~ Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver
● 2:05:29 (2020) Suguru Osako (JPN) ~ Third at Boston ‘17, Chicago ‘18
● 2:06:07 (2018) Galen Rupp (USA) ~ Rio 2016 Olympic bronze
● 2:06:38 (2022) Tadesse Abraham (SUI) ~ 2018 European Champs silver
● 2:06:55 (2022) Mohamed El Aaraby (MAR) ~ 2021 NYC Marathon runner-up

Defending champion Albert Korir (KEN: best of 2:08:03 in 2019) is also entered; he’s trying to become the first repeat winner since countryman Geoffrey Mutai did it in 2011-13 (Hurricane Sandy wiped out the 2012 race).

There is a strong American contingent, including three-time U.S. Half Marathon champ Leonard Korir (2:07:56 in 2019), Scott Fauble (2:08:52 in 2022), five-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman (2:08:56 in 2006) and Rio 2016 sixth-placer Jared Ward (2:09:25 in 2019). Making his marathon debut will be 2016 Olympian Shadrack Kipchirchir, fourth at the 2022 New York City Half Marathon in 1:01.16.

There’a also a $50,000 bonus for a race record, currently 2:05:06 for the men (Mutai/KEN, 2011) and 2:22:31 for the women (Margaret Okayo/KEN, 2003)

The race will be shown nationally on ESPN2 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday, with John Anderson and Sage Steele hosting and a bevy of analysts and reporters on the course.

5.
Modern pentathlon athlete survey favors retaining riding
by 86-9% over obstacle

The latest campaign in the fight for the future of modern pentathlon is an online survey, offered since 28 October, asking registered pentathletes aged 15-35 about their view of the sport’s fifth discipline.

Through noon Pacific time on 3 November – that’s almost eight days of survey – there have been 335 responses from 40 countries:

● The raw totals showed 182 in favor of keeping riding, but with new rules (54.3%), 106 in favor of keeping riding as it is now (31.6%), 32 in favor of the Ninja-style obstacle course as proposed (9.0%).

● There were 13 who had no opinion, one who preferred to eliminate riding and not replace it (quadrathlon?) and one who preferred skateboarding as the new fifth discipline!

Of the 335 respondents, 153 were from the senior division (over 21: 45.7%), 78 were juniors (19-21: 23.3%), 56 were U-19s (17-18: 16.7%) and 48 were U17s (15-16: 14.3%). That means that the sub-senior vote in the survey (so far) was 54.3%, an interesting barometer of athletes with their careers ahead of them. .

There were plenty of comments, mostly very short, but also including:

● “Change is a Must! But after what I saw in the new Obstacle-Run discipline test, lucidly, this isn’t modern pentathlon. … I fully respect the Obstacle-Run sport but we aren’t ninjas. Our sport is built for different and specific people. Unique ones.”

● “The sport will not be the same without riding involved. I will no longer continue competing at international level if riding is removed.”

● “I love riding and am gutted to see it lost from our sport but a change is absolutely necessary and stated by the IOC. Riding is not viable and we must adapt to survive.“

The UIPM Congress will meet to discuss this and other issues online on 12-13 November.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● International Federations ● Further to Thursday’s story on the publication of the actual amounts distributed by the International Olympic Committee to the summer International Federations, German journalist Jens Weinreich, an active observer of money in international sport noted in an e-mail message:

“The most important point, and ASOIF doesn’t say anything about it, nor do you, is this: the original plan/budget was to distribute $590m, not just $540m as in Rio.

“When ASOIF decided on the new distribution and the new amounts in Brisbane in May 2019, $50m more was also planned and was budgeted accordingly by the Olympic IFs.

“Group A expected $40m across the board, Group B $25.95m each, Group C $18.60m, Group D $16.30m and Group E $14.10m. These were increases of between 8.5 and 17.3 per cent depending on the IF grading.

“So you see, depending on the classification, the individual federations received between 1 and 8.5 million USD less from the IOC than they had expected three years ago.

“I’m surprised myself that it’s now only $540m, I just assume that the cut is justified by the consequences of the pandemic.”

● Russia ● A bill was introduced in the Russian State Duma, the national legislature, “to overturn the decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which makes unfair decisions against Russian athletes, [and to] help restore Russia’s sports sovereignty.”

One of the authors, Sen. Eduard Isakov, told the Russian news agency TASS:

“If CAS exercises its powers based on the belonging of a particular athlete to a certain nationality, thereby refusing to protect the rights of our athletes, then frankly I see no reason to further recognize the jurisdiction of CAS. I believe that in order to restore the sports sovereignty of the Russian Federation, it is necessary to recognize the [current] article as invalid.”

The bill, as submitted, is designed to “eliminate the primacy of international arbitration courts and their decisions over the decisions of the courts of the judicial system of the Russian Federation in the field of physical culture and sports.”

● Athletics ● Terrific work from Sarah Lorge Butler of Runner’s World, sifting through the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency database to find the most-tested track & field athletes of 2022. Noting the New York City Marathon on Sunday, it turns out that of the 18 athletes tested 10 times or more, eight are marathoners. The top five:

1. 17, Olivia Baker (800 m)
2. 16, Shelby Houlihan (1,500-5,000 m) ~ on suspension
3. 15, Shadrack Kipchirchir (distances-marathon)
3. 15, Nell Rojas (distances-marathon)
5. 13, Evan Jager (steeplechase)
5. 13, Leonard Korir (distances- marathon)

The other endurance athletes with 10 or more tests are Keira D’Amato (11), Sarah Pagano (10), Emily Sisson (10) and Kellyn Taylor (10).

● Cycling ● The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the appeal by star Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana – a Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana winner – of the finding of tramadol during a test during the Tour de France.

The ruling confirmed the tramadol presence and the UCI’s sanction of Quintana’s disqualification from the Tour de France and a fine of CHF 5,000. The UCI’s policy on tramadol includes:

“Infringements of the in-competition ban on using tramadol are offences under the UCI Medical Rules. They do not constitute Anti-doping Rule Violations. As this is a first offence, Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas is not declared ineligible and can therefore participate in competitions. …

“Since 1st March 2019, the UCI has banned the use of tramadol in competition across all disciplines and categories in order to protect the riders’ health and safety in light of the side-effects of this substance.”

● Football ● The International Labour Organisation has weighed in on the labor situation in Qatar in advance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, issuing reports on Tuesday (1st) covering the last year and last four years. The situation was summarized:

“The annual and four-year progress reports cover the substantial efforts that have been made in the areas of labour migration governance, the enforcement of the labour law and access to justice, and strengthening the voice of workers and social dialogue.

“These changes have already improved the working and living conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers, though additional efforts are needed to ensure that all workers can benefit,” and

“The ILO is set to continue working with the government, workers and employers to further support the alignment of Qatar’s laws and practices with international labour standards.”

● Swimming ● The first day of the final stop of the 2022 FINA World Cup circuit, in Indianapolis, saw seven swimmers come in with a chance at a $10,000 bonus for sweeping an event at all three stops, and five made it happen.

American Shaine Casas was the first, winning the men’s 200 m Backstroke in 1:48.40. He’ll have another chance for a triple in the 100 m Back later. Nic Fink of the U.S. won the 100 m Breast in 56.15, Dylan Carter (TTO) took the men’s 50 m Free in 20.72 and Poland’s Kasia Wasick triumphed in the women’s 50 m Free in 23.10 (moving to no. 3 all-time in the event).

South African star – and four time short-course World Champion in the men’s 100 m Fly – Chad le Clos, took the “Triple Crown” in that event in 48.85.

South Africa’s Matt Sates won the first two men’s 400 m Free races, but finished fifth (3:41.02) in Indianapolis, with American Kieran Smith winning in 3:35.99. French star Beryl Gastaldello almost took her third straight women’s 100 m Medley, but lost to American Beata Nelson, 57.81 to 57.82.

American distance star Katie Ledecky won the women’s 400 m Freestyle over fellow American Bella Sims (3:58.85), taking over after the 100 m mark. Ledecky finished in 3:54.04, the no. 6 performance of all time; she has three of the top seven.

The U.S. scored two more wins, with Casas taking the men’s 100 m Medley in 51.04 over countryman Michael Andrew (51.22) and World Champion Lilly King in the 200 m Breast in 2:17.56.

Canada got wins from World Champion Kylie Masse in the women’s 50 m Back (25.96) while World Champion Summer McIntosh took the women’s 200 m Fly in 2:03.40. 

The meet continues today and Saturday.

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TSX REPORT: IOC TV rights payments to federations revealed; Salt Lake City ready for 2030 bid; Qatar contracting influencers to come to World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Federation Olympic television shares for Rio and Tokyo revealed
2. Salt Lake City bid group welcomes 2030 opportunity
3. Qatar on offense, with trips for World Cup social-media influencers
4. China scores decisive men’s World Cup Team win; U.S. fifth
5. World record in sight for Ledecky in final FINA World Cup

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations surprisingly released the amounts paid to each International Federation by the International Olympic Committee for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games on Wednesday. The amounts range from $39.48 million for athletics (for each Games) down to $12.98 million for modern pentathlon, rugby and golf. The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games is ready to take on the 2030 Olympic Winter Games and is confident it can work out the marketing issues with the LA28 organizers, although the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has said that waiting until 2034 might be better for both. The Utah Sports Commission said that 13 national and international events in six different Winter Olympic disciplines will be held in 2022-23, all at the venues used for the 2002 Winter Games. Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the FIFA World Cup has gone on offense, recruiting several hundred social-media “Fan Leaders” from different countries, with some offered free air travel and accommodations in Qatar for the event. All must agree to post supportive messages of their teams, and portray Qatar favorably where possible. At the FIG World Artistic Championships, China won the team title comfortably – by more than four points – and led the scoring on five of the six apparatus; the U.S. finished fifth. The final leg of the three-stage FINA World Cup begins Thursday in Indianapolis, with American distance star Katie Ledecky poised for a world short-course record try in the women’s 800 m, while 11 swimmers will try to score a $10,000 bonus for winning the same distance in all three meets, with “Triple Crown” possibilities in 21 events.

1.
Federation Olympic television shares for Rio and Tokyo revealed

Once held in tight secrecy, the amount of money distributed to the summer Olympic sports federations for the 2016 Rio Games and the 2020 Tokyo Games (held in 2021) was published on Wednesday by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

ASOIF has undertaken a heavy effort to encourage good governance and transparency and the publication of the Olympic television shares is a show of good faith.

The International Olympic Committee does not decide how much money each federation receives from each Games. The IOC does determine the total amount of money from the television rights sales from each Games that is to be allocated to the International Federations, and then that amount is divided among the ASOIF members according to an internal agreement.

The distribution percentages were the same for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and the ASOIF decided on the current distribution process in 2013, based on a recommendation from the IOC on five tiers of classification for the sports based on their popularity during the Games. For Rio and Tokyo:

● Group A: $39.48 million to World Athletics and $31.36 million each to FIG (gymnastics) and FINA (aquatics).

● Group B: $24.45 million each to 5 federations: FIBA (basketball), FIFA (football), FIVB (volleyball), the International Tennis Federation, and the Union Cycliste Internationale.

● Group C: $17.31 million each to 8 federations: BWF (badminton), World Rowing, the International Judo Federation, ISSF (shooting), ITTF (table tennis), IWF (weightlifting), World Archery, and boxing (AIBA-IBA). The IOC has withheld the payment of the Tokyo allocation to the IBA, as it was on suspension for the Tokyo Games.

● Group D: $15.14 million to 9 federations: FEI (equestrian), FIE (fencing), FIH (hockey), the International Canoe Federation, IHF (handball), World Triathlon, United World Wrestling, World Sailing and World Taekwondo.

● Group E: $12.98 million to 3 federations: UIPM (modern pentathlon) and to the two new federations for 2016, the International Golf Federation and World Rugby.

The distribution was based on a total of $540.29 million provided by the IOC; the same amount is also set aside to support the National Olympic Committees through its Olympic Solidarity program.

The seven-member ASOIF Council also noted “various significant initiatives of the IOC, namely the Olympic Qualifier Series, the Olympic Virtual Series and Olympic qualification branding, undertaken in the context of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5 Recommendation 6, had caused certain challenges. Therefore, the Council requested ASOIF’s Commercial Advisory Group to assess the situation and provide support to the IFs to address the issues.”

Olympic Agenda 2020+5 Recommendation 6 is “Enhance and promote the Road to the Olympic Games,” with the IOC stating:

“[T]here are hundreds or even thousands of events which act as Olympic qualifiers. However, today, there are very few opportunities to connect these events with the Olympic Games through branding and other initiatives. The Olympic and OCOG brands effectively have no visibility and therefore the Road to the Olympic Games is not as visible as it should be.

“An opportunity therefore exists to create additional associations between the Olympic Games and Olympic qualification events. This would have benefits for all parties – the Hosts of the events, the NOCs / NFs of the athletes, the IFs governing the events and the athletes themselves. Additional digital assets could be produced specifically for athletes to use to share and promote their Olympic qualifying journey.”

2.
Salt Lake City bid group welcomes 2030 opportunity

“Obviously, with fewer cities competing, it opens up more opportunity for us. But I don’t know whether that’s in 2030 or ’34.

“We’ll just have to see how the IOC sorts that out. But we feel confident and hopeful that we’ll get one of those two Games. The upcoming process is focused on 2030 and we will fully participate in that process.”

That Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games chief executive Fraser Bullock at a Tuesday meeting, discussing the area’s chances for another Olympic Winter Games with the implosion of the Vancouver bid for a lack of government support.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has said that, strategically, it would be best to wait for the 2034 Winter Games, to give some breathing room between the Los Angeles 2028 Games and another Olympic Games in the U.S. in 2030.

However, there’s little doubt that the Utah folks want 2030 if they can get it, pointing out previously that waiting to 2034 would increase the cost-over-time to maintain the area’s busy venues. The Salt Lake City 2030-34 bid proposes to build no new sites and use the venues from its 2002 hosting, which remain active and busy.

Interestingly, Bullock said that he expects the IOC’s Future Hosts Commission for the Winter Games to invite both Sapporo and Salt Lake City into a “targeted dialogue” for the 2030 Games as it would provide an opportunity to “assess the strengths of their bids and also for some risk management because we’re still a long ways from a bid being awarded.”

In the one Games awarded under the new selection process, only Brisbane (AUS) was asked to enter a “targeted dialogue” with the goal of hammering out an actual host-city agreement with all of the relevant details. Bullock sees the “targeted dialogue” as “a very much engaged process of putting a really detailed bid together with all of the guarantees, all of the contracts, all of the pieces, to see if the city or the cities can put those together.”

And he feels Salt Lake City would come out ahead, and would be able to work out the marketing issues with LA28 and the USOPC.

One thing working in favor of Salt Lake City is its venue array. A Wednesday announcement by the Utah Sports Commission detailed that in the 2022-23 winter sports season, Salt Lake City-area sites will be used for 13 national and international competitions in Bobsled and Skeleton (2), Cross Country Skiing (1), Freestyle Skiing (3), Luge (2), Short Track (2) and Speedskating (3), all at 2002 venues.

3.
Qatar on offense, with trips for World Cup social-media influencers

“[H]elping to engage supporters, both in Qatar and around the globe, is the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) Fan Leader Network.

“Featuring a community of more than 400 fan leaders and influencers from 60 countries, the Fan Leader Network contributes to tournament planning through fan insight, research, content creation and message amplification.”

That’s from the Qatar 2022 organizers, with more details added last Sunday by Dutch broadcaster NOS, which explained that 50 Dutch fans will receive free travel and housing as guests of the Supreme Committee, in exchange for their support on social media and in promotional programs during the tournament. All “Fan Leaders” are required to agree to a four-page “Code of Conduct” which includes:

● “[I]ncorporate, where appropriate, SC Content into your Posts in accordance with the rules of the relevant Platform (Platform Rules). Please note that some Platform Rules (for example, Instagram) will require you to create additional editorial content whenever you submit a Post containing SC Content. That additional editorial content will need to be detailed, unique to you and relate to the SC Content and reflect your personal opinion;

● “[S]upport the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup by ‘liking’ and re-sharing third party posts about the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on the Platforms; …

● “You agree not to encourage offensive or degrading activities, or nudity;

● “You agree to report any offensive, degrading or abusive comments to the SC and, if possible, to take a screenshot of those comments and then promptly delete them. All other comments whether challenging or celebratory about the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 may of course remain publicly visible at your discretion; …

● “You understand that SC will be monitoring your Posts for compliance with this Code. SC has the right to address noncompliant Posts including by requiring you to amend or remove the Post so as to comply with this Code.”

The “Good Posting Principles” page includes:

“We are not asking you to a mouth piece for Qatar, but it would obviously not be appropriate for you to disparage Qatar the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (or other relevant entities related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022) or the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”

The social channels of interest to the Supreme Committee include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube, and Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin and Kuaishou for Chinese speakers.

The NOS story also noted reports from the French newspaper Le Parisien that there are 500 people on the subsidized travel program, including some from France and 20 from Belgium.

Observed: This is the natural path of the rise of social media and the follow-on, red-hot phenomenon of influencer marketing, now undertaken by the 2022 World Cup organizers. Qatari politicians and the Supreme Committee has bristled under what Qatar’s Emir called “an unprecedented campaign that no host country has ever faced” and that it “continues, expands and includes fabrication and double standards, until it reached a level of ferocity that made many question, unfortunately, about the real reasons and motives behind this campaign.”

A guest post at MarketingDive.com stated that “From roughly $1.7 billion in 2016, influencer marketing has soared to a $10 to $14 billion dollar industry today.”

It doesn’t always work, as shown last month, as celeb influencer Kim Kardashian was fined $1.26 million by the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission for promoting a crypto-currency company without disclosing that she was paid to do so. One commentator noted “she is now the poster person for why the role of influencers and influencer marketing needs immediate and serious reexamination.”

Time will tell if the “Fan Leader” program has the desired impact, or any impact at all. However, there is no doubt that after the World Cup final is concluded on 18 December, FIFA, the World Cup and Qatar will never be the same again.

4.
China scores decisive men’s World Cup Team win; U.S. fifth

China’s men’s team won or tied for the lead on five of six apparatus on the way to a dominant win in the Team final at the 2022 FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR) on Wednesday.

The Chinese men scored 257.858 to win by more than four points for their 13th Worlds team title, the most of any nation in history, and moved up from second in 2019 to the top of the podium again. China had also won in 2018 and had two returnees from that team in Wei Sun and Jingyuan Zou, both of whom led events on Wednesday.

Zou had the top score on Rings at 14.866 and on the Parallel Bars at 15.766, with two more event leads coming from Boheng Zhang, with a 14.966 score on Vault, and Sun’s 14.666 best on Floor Exercise.

Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto won on Floor (14.500) and on Pommel Horse (14.433) and led his team to a second-place finish with 253.395 points, its best Worlds finish since a win in 2015. Great Britain continued its strong resurgence with a bronze (247.229), placing in the top four in four of the six events.

The top three teams are now qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The American team was third in the qualifying, but had a tough time, scoring 245.692 for fifth, compared with 252.295 on Monday. The U.S. finished third on Rings, but fourth on Vault and Parallel Bars, fifth on Pommel Horse, seventh on Horizontal Bar and eighth on Floor. The best individual score on any apparatus was Asher Hong at 14.533 on Vault, good for a tie for eighth.

The U.S. men have not won a Worlds Team medal since a bronze in 2014.

The women’s All-Around comes Thursday, followed by the men’s All-Around on Friday and the apparatus finals on the weekend.

5.
World record in sight for Ledecky in final FINA World Cup

The third and final leg of the 2022 FINA World Cup starts on Thursday in Indianapolis (USA), with a huge entry of 140 American swimmers, including Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky.

She crushed the world short-course mark in the women’s 1,500 m Free at the second leg in Toronto last week, finishing in 15:08.24 to improve German Sarah Kohler’s time of 15:18.01 from 2019. Ledecky passed 800 m in 8:00.58, just missing the short-course world mark of 7:59.34 by Spain’s Mireia Belmonte in 2013) en route, but setting another American Record!

This time, she can concentrate on the 800 m Free by itself on Saturday and is expected to challenge Belmonte’s record, if not destroy it. A nice, $10,000 bonus is available for world short-course records set at the meet!

Ledecky is also entered in the 200 m Free (she was second to Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in Toronto), 400 m Free (second to Canada’s Summer McIntosh) and the 400 m Medley.

There are also 11 swimmers pursuing a “Triple Crown,” that is a sweep of an individual distance at all three World Cup stops, with each sweep also earning $10,000 bonuses from FINA:

Men:
● Dylan Carter (TTO): 50 m Free, 50 m Back, 50 m Fly
● Shaine Casas (USA): 100 m Back, 200 m Back
● Kyle Chalmers (AUS); 100 m Free
● Nic Fink (USA): 50 m Breast, 100 m Breast, 200 m Breast
● Chad le Clos (RSA): 200 m Fly
● Matt Sates (RSA): 400 m Free, 400 m Medley

Women:
● Beryl Gastaldello (FRA): 100 m Medley
● Siobhan Haughey (HKG): 100 m Free, 200 m Free
● Ruta Meilutyte (LTU): 50 m Breast, 100 m Breast
● Beata Nelson (USA): 100 m Back, 200 m Back, 200 m Medley
● Kasia Wasick (POL): 50 m Free

The World Cup also has a $100,000-70,000-30,000-15,000-14,000-12,000-11,000-10,000 payout for the top eight men and women in the overall points standings, with scoring for the top three finishes by an athlete in the meet with points for placement and performance. Going into the Indianapolis meet:

Men:
● 1. 114.5, Dylan Carter (TTO) and Nic Fink (USA)
● 3. 111.0, Matt Sates (RSA)
● 4. 110.2, Chad le Clos (RSA)
● 5. 107.4, Shaine Casas (USA)

Women:
● 1. 115.6, Beata Nelson (USA)
● 2. 112.9, Siobhan Haughey (HKG)
● 3. 105.3, Beryl Gastaldello (FRA)
● 4. 104.7, Kylie Masse (CAN)
● 5. 101.8, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU)

The meet is not being shown on U.S. television, but a live stream is available on YouTube, and results will be here.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World University Games ● The International University Sports Federation (FISU) removed the 2023 World University Games from Ekaterinburg in Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and reassigned it to Chengdu (CHN), which was supposed to host in 2021, but did not due to the pandemic.

But this has not stopped the Russians from planning their own version of a “University Games” for 2023.

Deputy Minister of Sports Azat Kadyrov announced Wednesday that an “International University Sports Festival” is to be held in Ekaterinburg next August:

“In the near future we will complete a detailed presentation of the festival project and bring all the information to the residents of the Sverdlovsk region, the inhabitants of our country and the sports community in general.

“Together with the government of the Sverdlovsk region, with colleagues from the organizing committee, we have already begun to draw up a schedule of events. In the very near future, together with The Russian Student Sports Union will start inviting universities from those countries that are members of the declared organizations: BRICS, [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation], [Commonwealth of Independent States]. Of course, these will be the largest universities that exist in these countries.”

The Chengdu World University Games are scheduled for 28 July to 8 August, 2023, pandemic permitting.

● National Olympic Committees ● The Czech Olympic Committee (COV) has asked that the country no longer be referred to as the “Czech Republic” but as “Czechia” instead.

COV vice chairman Roman Kumpost said in a statement, “We are following the examples of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which already made this change at the U.N. and NATO.” A request for a formal change by the International Olympic Committee has been made and expected to be approved. Now you know.

● Athletics ● The Russian separatist movement in sports has now reached marathons, as Sports minister Oleg Matytsin proposed to the sports ministers of the “BRICS” countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – that a “BRICS Marathon League” be established.

The program would start with Russian marathons in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan and include the largest marathons in each of the other countries.

The Athletics Integrity Unit published its disciplinary report for October 2022, with 27 individuals listed from 13 countries, led by India (4), Turkey (4) and Belarus (3).

A noteworthy penalty was assessed against Romanian shot putter Anca Heltne, an eight-time national champion and the 2009 European Indoor bronze medalist (best: 19.90 m/65-3 1/2) in 2010). She was banned for life for a third doping violation, the first ban dating from 11 March 2014. She was sanctioned for two offenses as an athlete and then again as a coach in 2020, with the AIU citing “Trafficking administration complicity.”

Her husband, Norwegian Runar Heltne, is also sanctioned for the same trafficking issues, but will be “eligible” again in June of 2025.

Italian middle-distance runner Alessandro Braconi was originally hit with a sanction of 12 years in 2016 for use, possession and trafficking, but then was found to have violated his “prohibition of participation” since then. He now is sanctioned for almost 30 years, to 23 March of 2046, when he will be 59!

● Curling ● The tumult continues within USA Curling in the aftermath of the Yates Report on abuse within the National Women’s Soccer League that forced ex-NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush out as the curling federation’s chief executive, and the Members Assembly vote to remove the Grand National Curling Club as a member region.

On Wednesday, USA Curling announced the resignation of Board Chair Lynn LaRocca and independent directors Shane Coppola and Hawley McLean. Bret Jackson, who was just elected to the Board on 21 October, was elected as Board Chair, and current curler Colin Hufman as Vice Chair.

● Football ● The complaint by the football federations of Chile and Peru that they should be allowed into the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in place of Ecuador, whom they allege used an ineligible player – wing Byron Castillo – during the South American qualifications, will be heard on 4-5 November. The World Cup tournament kicks off on 20 November.

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced early 2023 games for both the men’s and women’s national teams on Wednesday. The women will start their prep for the FIFA Women’s World Cup against co-host New Zealand, in New Zealand on 17 January in Wellington and on 20 January in Auckland.

The men’s national team, automatic qualifiers as a tri-host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, will play Serbia on 25 January at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles and then Colombia at the Dignity Health Sports Park in nearby Carson on 28 January.

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TSX REPORT: U.S. women take sixth straight gymnastics Team title; “Stop War” shirt not allowed; German minister OK on Qatar World Cup security guarantees

By
Rich Perelman
-
Ukraine gymnastics star Illia Kovtun during podium training at the 2022 FIG World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool (Photo: Suspilne.media)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. U.S. women win sixth straight World Team title in Liverpool
2. FIG asks Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun to remove “Stop War” shirt
3. German Minister Faeser satisfied with Qatar security guarantees
4. Russia continues pushing separatist sports organization agenda
5. Skate Canada Int’l audience almost level with Skate America

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team led from the start and dominated the Team event at the FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, winning by more than three points over host Great Britain and earning a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. During the event’s podium training over the weekend, Ukrainian star Illia Kovtun wore a “Stop War” shirt in national colors – blue and yellow – but was told by the FIG to take it off as a “political message” against its rules. Completing a two-day trip to Qatar, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she was satisfied with government guarantees that German visitors would not be harassed during the FIFA World Cup and would attend Germany’s opening match later this month. Senior Russian officials continued to promote a new, international sports organization separate from “the West,” but so far mostly reaching former Soviet Republics and some other central Asian nations. Although NBC showed only one session of last weekend’s Skate Canada International on its over-the-air network – and at an early hour on Sunday – it drew almost the same viewership as Skate America the week before.

1.
U.S. women win sixth straight World Team title in Liverpool

With a new team and a highly-energized effort, the United States women’s team won its sixth straight FIG Artistic World Championships team title in Liverpool (GBR), 166.564 to 163.363 for Great Britain.

Only Jordan Chiles returned from the Tokyo Olympic Team event squad in 2021 and Jade Carey from the 2019 World Championships, but the Americans led right from the start and never wavered.

The Americans started on Vault, with Carey scoring 14.800 and Chiles 14.400, ending up 2-3 behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (15.166), with Japan’s Shoko Miyata also scoring 14.400; the U.S. total of 43.133 had them first after one rotation.

The U.S. moved to Uneven Bars and posted the highest score of the day at 42.199, with Shilese Jones scoring 14.333 and Chiles at 14.100. China’s Xiaoyuan Wei had the best score (14.733), with Andrade next (14.633), Jones fourth and Chiles sixth overall.

On Beam, Italy compiled the top score at 39.766, followed by Canada (39.632) and then the U.S. (39.399). Chiles led the U.S. at 13.333, with Skye Blakely just behind (13.266). China’s Yushan Ou won the event at 14.266, with Chiles in sixth.

Going into the final rotation, the U.S. led by 2.20 over Great Britain and got three solid performances on Floor, from Jones (13.733), Carey (14.100) and Chiles (14.00) to finish at 41.833, the best score in the field to take top honors in three of four apparatus. Britain’s Jessica Gadirova had the highest score at 14.266, followed by Carey, with Chiles fourth.

It’s a remarkable performance from the new generation of American gymnasts, and clinches a place in the field for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, available to the top three teams in this year’s Worlds. Britain won only its second women’s Team medal ever (previously a bronze in 2015) and confirmed its rise after an Olympic bronze last year. Canada’s third (160.563) over Brazil (159.661) is its first women’s Worlds Team medal ever!

For the American squad, only Chiles competed in all four events; Carey and Jones were in three each, with Leanne Wong on the Uneven Bars and Blakely on Beam.

The gymnastics Worlds continue with the men’s Team event on Wednesday, with the American men looking for a top-three finish to also qualify for Paris 2024.

2.
FIG asks Ukraine’s Illia Kovtnn to remove “Stop War” shirt

“They understand us and our pain but they’re trying to avoid such proclamations in order to adhere to the line ‘sports are outside of politics.’ But how can it be so when Illia and I cannot go back to Ukraine since February 22nd? How is war not connected to gymnastics? We don’t understand that.”

That’s Irina Nadiuk, coach for Ukrainian star Illia Kovtun, 19, the 2021 Worlds men’s All-Around bronze medalist, in an interview on Monday on the Ukrainian site Suspilne.media, explaining the request of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) to remove the “Stop War” shirt he was wearing during podium training:

“It was Illia who wanted to wear this T-shirt in training and show this message. We thought there would be no problems because there was no negativity on it, no calls against aggressors or any sort of negativity. It’s made in our [Ukrainian flag] colors with the words “Stop War.” We didn’t call anyone names, we just want peace and our independence, so that no one would bother us. Illia wore it to podium training. He has a shoulder injury right now, so we skipped a few events during the second podium training session in order to preserve him.

“He went out on the competition floor to help me with other gymnasts. And two events later FIG officials approached us, showed a photo of Illia in this t-shirt and calmly, not in a rude way, asked to take it off and not to wear it again. We apologized because we didn’t want anyone from our delegation to have problems. And we moved on. Today the FIG asked our official from the Sports Ministry to come in, they scheduled a meeting with her and asked from her that we won’t wear these T-shirts. They fully support us and understand that this topic is very painful for us. But they want to preserve a calm atmosphere around the competition, so that there wouldn’t be any additional problems. That’s why they are asking us to keep our emotions in check. Because Russian media already started writing to them about Illia.

“I think we didn’t do anything wrong. That’s why I don’t know why they reacted like this. Although I can understand them at some level. That’s why we apologized so that we wouldn’t have any problems with the FIG, we drew our conclusions and aren’t wearing these T-shirts anymore. They informed us there won’t be any sanctions, just this verbal request. So there aren’t any sanctions for Illia or me. But they asked us to restrain our emotions. They understand us and our pain but they’re trying to avoid such proclamations in order to adhere to the line ‘sports are outside of politics.’ But how can it be so when Illia and I cannot go back to Ukraine since February 22nd? How is war not connected to gymnastics? We don’t understand that. We haven’t been home for so long, haven’t seen our loved ones. We keep being hosted by our friends. First, the Italians, and for the last four months, Croatians. We are already embarrassed that another country is taking care of us and feeding us. We’re constantly living out of suitcases like nomads. It has already become very difficult mentally and psychologically.”

FIG Secretary General Nicolas Buompane (SUI) told reporters:

“Even though we are in agreement somehow with the message ‘Stop War,’ we cannot accept those kind of political messages within our event. So, we went to the gymnast and to the head of the delegation to tell them that indeed we understand how critical it is for them, how sad it is, but it is something we don’t want to see during the World Championships, so, hopefully, that will not happen again.”

Meanwhile, Russian national team coach Valentina Rodionenko complained about not being able to compete in Liverpool, telling TASS: “This world championship is like salt in the wound for us, it’s a shame to miss it for unsportsmanlike reasons.”

She also had no doubt about where the Russian women’s squad – the Tokyo Olympic winners – would place:

“We watch this World Championship without fail, it is very important for us to watch who we would have to compete with. Now the Americans have won the qualification, but we don’t doubt for a second that our women’s team is clearly stronger than them. The results of the Americans are low. I judge from what we see.”

The U.S. women scored 167.263 points in the qualifying and 166.564 to win the team title on Tuesday.

3.
German Minister Faeser satisfied with Qatar security guarantees

Just days after publicly questioning the propriety of having Qatar host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser concluded an in-person visit to Doha and said she was satisfied with the promises made by the host country regarding security.

“It is important to support the country of Qatar in groundbreaking reforms. That is why I have decided to continue to be part of the process and travel to the first match of the German team.”

The Germans, ranked no. 11 worldwide, were drawn into Group E and will play Japan in its opening match on 23 November at the Khalifa International Stadium. Faeser’s ministry portfolio includes sport, and Agence France Presse reported:

“Faeser said Qatar’s Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani had offered her a ‘guarantee of safety’ for LGBTQ fans during the tournament.”

The Minister said that she wanted assurances “that everyone from Germany who comes here for the World Cup, no matter where they come from, no matter who or what they believe in, or no matter who they love, is also safe here in Qatar.”

She also said that Germany would “continue to support reforms in Qatar after the World Cup to further improve the lives of migrant workers and the human rights situation.”

Faeser created a furor when she said in an interview that aired last Thursday (27th) that “It would be better that tournaments are not awarded to such states.”

4.
Russia continues pushing separatist sports organization agenda

The drumbeat for an international sports program to challenge the “collective West” continued on Tuesday with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin urging new competitions to be led by members of the China/Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

“The SCO member states are unanimous that sports competitions should remain an effective and accessible tool for building trust and mutual understanding between peoples. Together we must fight any attempts to destroy the lofty principles of Olympism.

“It will bring together representatives of such structures of the states that are members of the SCO, BRICS [Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa], the EAEU and the CIS, while being open to other participants. Athletes from our countries will be able to demonstrate their achievements in a fair fight at major competitions. Moreover, the emphasis will be placed not only on professional, but first of all – for mass sports.”

Despite all of the organizations mentioned, Mishustin’s catalog essentially names mostly former Soviet Republics. The SCO includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Kygrystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, plus China, India and Pakistan. Several other countries are more loosely affiliated as observers (including Iran) or “dialogue partners.”

The “EAEU” refers to the Eurasian Economic Union – Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia – and “CIS” is the Commonwealth of Independent States, which includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

5.
Skate Canada Int’l audience almost level with Skate America

NBC has transferred most of its coverage of the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix to its Peacock subscription streaming service, but did showcase last weekend’s Skate Canada International on one program on NBC, last Sunday at noon Eastern time.

Slotted in just prior to the start of NFL games on CBS and Fox, the Skate Canada show drew a respectable television audience of 747,000 and a 0.49 rating.

That’s only slightly behind the viewership for Skate America, with many more U.S. stars, held a week earlier. The one NBC show from that event, on Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern, drew 760,000 and had a 0.48 rating. Three other sessions were shown on cable, drawing from 200-230,000 on either USA Network or E!

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030 ● Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported last week that the projected costs to operate Sapporo’s proposed 2030 Winter Games have risen due to inflation and a reduction in the value of the yen.

The budget projection increase is ¥17 billion (about $114.7 million U.S.), bringing the expected cost to between ¥297-317 billion, or about $2.00-2.14 billion U.S. Funding for venue construction from the city of Sapporo was now estimated at ¥49 billion (about $330.6 million U.S.)

The Salt Lake City 2030 budget, released in May, required no government subsidy and was estimated at $2.2 billion.

For the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee is committed to pay the organizers $452 million in cash from television rights fees and $200 million from its worldwide sponsorships. Those amounts are expected to rise for 2030.

● World University Games ● In the battle for the 2027 World University Games between the Korea’s Chungcheong region and the North Carolina bid from the U.S., the Koreans circulated an interesting newsletter this week with Hosung Chang, President of the Korean University Sports Board (KUSB) and chairman of Dankook University.

His pitch was for Chungcheong’s “four unbeatable strengths,” led by:

“First and foremost, the central Government and four local Governments have guaranteed generous financial and administrative support, including a budget of €440 million for the operation of the Games. Financial stability is the most important pillar for the Games’ success.”

The others were Korea’s experience in hosting prior World University Games (1997-2003-2015), the cohesiveness of its four host cities, and its existing facilities. And he notes:

“Among the 31 venues, 19 are existing, and two facilities will be built as temporary facilities; 10 stadiums will be built anew with the local Government budget, and only one out of 10 will be covered by the Organising Committee budget.”

The building of new sites places the €440 million (about $434.5 million U.S. today) funding guarantee in a slightly different light, as does the need for 10 new venues. The North Carolina bid is quite different, in the use of existing facilities and a far smaller budget of about $100 million.

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) is expected to make its decision on the 2027 host on 12 November.

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TSX REPORT: FIFA World Cup furor continues, in Tunisia and Germany; 2023 World Relays in China collapse; Miller on Putin, Russia and Olympism

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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for 2022-23 and beyond, click here! ★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. FIFA warns Tunisia on World Cup spot due to government issues
2. Storm over German Interior Minister complaint on Qatar hosting
3. Ukraine asks FIFA to exclude Russia, remove Iran from World Cup
4. Pandemic postpones 2023 World Athletics Relays in China to 2025
5. Australian Olympian Watson launches UIPM President campaign

Never underestimate the power of football to create headlines, especially right in front of a major event like the FIFA World Cup. Even with less than three weeks to go to the start of the 2022 World Cup, Tunisia has been threatened with the potential loss of participation in the tournament due to government interference with the operation of its national football federation. Comments by the German Interior Minister critical of the choice of Qatar as the World Cup host on human rights issues touched off a furor, with the Qatari Foreign Minister calling in the German ambassador for “clarification,” in advance of a trip by German officials to Doha. The Ukrainian Football Association asked FIFA to suspend Russia for claiming authority over teams and matches in Ukrainian territory it has “annexed,” and to remove Iran from the World Cup for its assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. China’s immovable anti-pandemic rules have forced the postponement – to 2025 – of the 2023 World Athletics Relays that were scheduled for Guangzhou. Australia’s three-time modern pentathlon Olympian Alex Watson opened his “longshot” campaign to be UIPM President on Monday, seeking to lead the sport back onto the Olympic program for 2028.

Long-time British Olympic historian and observer David Miller has shared a brilliant guest column, “While Putin exists, Russian Olympism perishes,” which can be read here.

1.
FIFA warns Tunisia on World Cup spot due to government issues

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar begins on 20 November, but the BBC reported that FIFA is concerned over possible government interference with the operation of the Federation Tunisienne de Football (FTF) that could jeopardize its place in the World Cup.

FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Kenny Jean-Marie (FRA) wrote to the FTF Secretary General, Wajdi Aouadi last week, explaining that the Tunisian body is “legally obligated to conduct their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.

“Any failure to comply with these obligations may result in the imposition of penalties under the FIFA laws, including suspension of the relevant association.”

The BBC reported that FIFA expects a reply by Friday, to resolve worries about possible actions by Tunisian Youth and Sports Minister, Kamel Deguiche, who has indicated that the government has the authority to “dissolve federal bureaux,” taken by the FTF as a direct threat against it.

Tunisia qualified for its sixth World Cup and was drawn into Group D, with defending champion France, Australia and Denmark; its first match is against the Danes on 22 November.

FIFA, like the International Olympic Committee, is highly sensitive to government control or interference with its national federations. The BBC story noted that Kenya and Zimbabwe are both currently on suspension.

2.
Storm over German Interior Minister complaint on Qatar hosting

“For us as the federal government, this is a very difficult award. … There are criteria that have to be adhered to and then it would be better if it weren’t awarded to such countries.”

That’s German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in an interview with the ARD newsmagazine show “Monitor” last week, expressing displeasure with the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar.

Faeser said that the placement of major events should take into account “compliance with human rights and sustainability principles” and “No World Cup takes place in a vacuum. Human rights always apply everywhere – and now the whole world is paying special attention.”

This set off a furious reaction from the Qatar government, with the Foreign Ministry calling her comments “unacceptable and provocative” and asking for a meeting with the German ambassador in which he was given a letter. Per the Foreign Ministry:

“The memo expressed the State of Qatar’s complete rejection of those remarks made towards a country whose hosting of the World Cup was justice done to a region suffering from an unjust stereotype for decades.”

On Monday, Faeser, German football federation President Bernd Neuendorf and others traveled to Qatar for meetings concerning the World Cup, reportedly including FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI).

However, the German Commissioner for Human Rights, Luise Amtsberg, did not go and told the ARD “Sportschau” program:

“The developments this weekend made it clear to me how difficult it is in the current situation in the run-up to the soccer World Cup to hold the open and critical talks I planned about the human rights situation in Qatar with the Qatari government.”

Neuendorf told the German ZDF channel that football itself has been changed by the experience of placing the FIFA World Cup in Qatar:

“It has become much more political. And we will – I don’t think – experience an award without taking into account issues such as sustainability and human rights – I don’t think – any more. You have to discuss these things in advance.”

The 2022 FIFA World Cup opens on 20 November.

3.
Ukraine asks FIFA to exclude Russia, remove Iran from World Cup

“I would like to urge UEFA and FIFA to take a step further and cancel or suspend Russia’s membership in their ranks.

“In the 70s, South Africa was expelled from FIFA for the policy of apartheid, and Russia should be expelled for the policy of genocide of Ukrainians and the bloody war they unleashed in our homeland.”

While the participation of Russian teams is already banned, Serhiy Palkin, chief executive of the Shakhtar Donetsk club, in agreement with the Ukrainian Football Association, has asked the worldwide and European football governing bodies to remove the Russian Football Union from membership in the organizations.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that the Russian Football Union will include teams from the “annexed” regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye going forward and that teams from Crimea and Sevastopol will join in 2023-24. All of these areas are legally part of Ukraine, but have been invaded by Russia, in 2014 (Crimea) and 2022 (Luhansk and Donetsk).

The Ukrainian Football Association also asked FIFA to remove Iran from the 2022 World Cup in view of its “systematic manifestations of human rights violations” and “probable involvement” in the invasion of Ukraine.

Palkin added:

“[T]the only way to defeat Russian aggression is to combine our efforts. It’s necessary to tighten the sanctions against Russia in all possible directions. It is important to limit Russia’s resource and information capabilities so that they feel isolated and stop.

“What can we do in the field of sports? To isolate Russia from participation in international sports competitions, and this, by and large, has already been done. But I would like to urge UEFA and FIFA to take a step further.”

4.
Pandemic postpones 2023 World Athletics Relays
in China to 2025

China’s zero-tolerance policy on Covid-19 has struck again, as World Athletics announced the postponement of the 2023 World Athletics Relays, in agreement with the Chinese Athletics Association.

The event was slated to be held in Guangzhou on 13-14 May, but will now be held sometime in 2025. No replacement event will be arranged, which means that a change in relay qualifications for Paris 2024 was needed; now:

“[T]he World Athletics Competition Commission, upon approval of the Council, has revised the qualification system to include the top eight teams from the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 and the top eight teams from the performance lists.”

The cancellation of the 2023 World Relays quickly brings into question whether China can host either of the two Wanda Diamond League meets scheduled for 27 April in Shenzhen and 06 May in Shanghai. China was scheduled to host two Diamond League meets in 2022, but both were scrubbed due to the pandemic.

At present, the Diamond League schedule still shows both Chinese meets.

5.
Australian Olympian Watson launches UIPM President campaign

“I’m not confident at all. If I said it would be easy, I’d be lying. No, it’s going to be tough, and the reason it’s even tougher is that so many of the national federations are frightened to stick their head out.

“They have been so used to this style of leadership , that if you don’t agree, you get intimidated, that they’re really nervous. So, we need to change that culture, and yes, it’s a longshot.”

Three-time Australian modern pentathlon Olympian Alex Watson told a London news conference on Monday that he wants to be the new leader of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM). To do so, long-time UIPM chief Klaus Schormann (GER) would have to resign, as he was re-elected for an eighth term in 2021. Said Watson:

“I’m not going to underestimate the odds, but I like tough odds, and I think if history goes the right way, and the athletes remain behind what we’re doing – it will be, inevitably – there must be change.”

Modern pentathlon has been in crisis after the horse-punching incident at the Tokyo Games last year, when the horse Saint Boy refused to jump for German star Annika Schleu and was punched by her coach. The UIPM Executive Board announced that it would replace riding with a different discipline, settling on obstacle course racing and to propose approval at the upcoming UIPM Congress – to be held online – on 12-13 November.

The International Olympic Committee, not only distressed by the Tokyo incident, but by the small participation numbers in the sport and its low public profile, left the sport off of its initial sports program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The UIPM Congress agenda includes a motion for a vote of no-confidence in Schormann, but as Watson noted, its passage is chancy at best.

Watson was the competition manager for the sport at the Sydney 2000 Games, and has produced a 21-page manifesto, and a 10-page question-and-answer document, which includes:

● “It recently came to light that in 2016 UIPM was in advanced discussions to merge with World Obstacle, despite this never having been minuted at the [Executive Board] or discussed at Congress. A fully negotiated legal merger agreement between the two international federations was disclosed. …

“In January 2017 UIPM committed to campaign for the inclusion of obstacles in pentathlon. This does not appear to have been discussed at Congress. … It appears that this long standing agenda from certain members of the EB is the reason that obstacles were chosen.”

● “There has been no test of how obstacles could be combined into a 5-discipline pentathlon, and not even a proposal for how that could happen. A proper test would require that the actual format of the discipline had been decided, and was being properly tested under international competition conditions, as part of a 5-discipline pentathlon. None of that has yet happened.”

● Watson noted the heavy push beginning in 2015 to increase the number of national federations from about 60 to 131 today. But: “Around 50 NFs have not hosted or had any athletes at all compete in any official UIPM competition in the last 4 years in any of the sports in the UIPM sports pyramid. A large proportion of those NFs didn’t even have any athletes licenced or registered on the UIPM website as at mid-September this year.”

As Watson said, it is hard to see the UIPM Congress removing Schormann. But he has the backing of the Pentathlon United athlete group, and that group’s efforts has energized some of the national federations, but how many is yet to be seen.

The UIPM posted a statement on Monday that included, “UIPM is a democratic membership organisation and the will of its National Federation members will be fully respected at the upcoming UIPM 2022 Congress.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Gymnastics ● The men’s qualifying was held Monday at the FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR), with six-time Team winner Japan leading the parade.

The Japanese, who last won the Team title in 2015, were solid throughout and ended with a commanding lead at 260.695, ahead of Great Britain (252.793) and the U.S. (252.295).

Japan’s Tokyo Olympic Team silver medalist Wataru Tanigawa and Olympic All-Around champion Daiki Hashimoto were 1-2 in the All-Around qualifying, scoring 84.731 and 84.665, ahead of Carlos Yulo (PHI: 84.664) in third. The U.S. also qualified two for the final, with Asher Hong in sixth (83.299) and national champion Brody Malone in eighth (82.631).

On the individual apparatus, the leaders included 2019 World Champion Yulo on Floor (15.266), Rhys McClenaghan (IRL: 15.233) on Pommel Horse, Courtney Tulloch (GBR: 14.666) on Rings, Armenia’s Tokyo bronze medalist Artur Davtyan on Vault (14.900), China’s Tokyo Olympic champ Jingyuan Zou on Parallel Bars (15.700) and Olympic gold medalist Hashimoto on the Horizontal Bar (15.100).

The U.S. qualified defending World Champion Stephen Nedoroscik on the Pommel Horse: (2nd: 15.233); national champion Donnell Whittenburg on Rings (8th: 14.333); and 2021 Worlds medalist Malone on the Horizontal Bar (5th: 14.433).

Tuesday has the women’s Team final, with the U.S. in good position to win its sixth straight title. The men’s Team final comes on Wednesday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC reported that the first 70,000 seedlings of a planned 590,000 trees in Mali and Senegal have been planted as part of its Olympic Forest project. Scheduled over four years, the concept is to re-forest parts of the Sahel region and restore as much as 5,000 acres of forest and farmland.

The project is designed to capture the equivalent of 200,000 tons of carbon, to allow the IOC to become carbon-neutral or better by 2024.

● Russia ● The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Chernyshenko, announced that the second Friendship Games, focused on aquatics, will draw athletes from 23 countries.

Russia’s response to its ban in almost all international sports, the next Friendship Games will be held in Kazan, a popular venue for major swimming competitions, from 10-25 November, with swimming, diving and artistic swimming events. Said Chernyshenko:

“The government has developed new formats for competitions in various sports with the participation of representatives of friendly countries. In November, the second stage of the Friendship Games international competitions is scheduled to be held in Kazan. Compared to the first stage, which took place in July and August this year, we have expanded the geography of participants – from 16 to 23 countries. Over 100 sets of awards will be played among 800 athletes.”

The countries were not named.

● Athletics ● Another step in the move to streaming coverage of track & field was last week’s announcement of a new mobile application for the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, “with a groundbreaking Second Screen feature that will transform the marathon experience for runners and fans alike.

“For the first time in the history of major marathons, the professional men’s and women’s wheelchair and open division races will be livestreamed on the app in their entirety, empowering fans to swipe between feeds and watch the race of their choice.”

The race, coming this Sunday (6th) will still be shown locally on WABC and nationally on ESPN, but the app brings more data and video to spectators:

● “The app allows spectators to track the elapsed time and pace of an unlimited number of runners.

● “The first of its kind Course Camera feature lets fans watch a live feed of their favorite runners at five key points along the course – at the start, mile 8 in Brooklyn, mile 17 in the Upper East Side, mile 20 in the Bronx, and at the finish.”

There’s more: “cheer cards” on social media, a live race leaderboard, a tracking device for individual runners and more. A next step.

● Cycling ● British Cycling’s chief executive, Brian Facer, resigned after heavy criticism directed at the federation after multiple controversies, including environmentalist anger at a major sponsorship agreement with Shell UK, a dip in revenues and membership totals and a reversal by the Union Cycliste Internationale of the British federation’s lenient policy on competition opportunities for transgender athletes.

British Cycling also requested that people not ride bicycles during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, but had to recant, with some embarrassment.

The deal with Shell UK was blasted by environmental groups as “greenwashing,” especially after British Cycling had touted its commitment to low emissions in its annual report.

Facer may be gone, but the British Cycling Board confirmed that the eight-year Shell UK agreement – with its badly-needed funding – will continue. Fascinating.

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MILLER TIME: While Putin exists, Russian Olympism perishes

By
David Miller
-
The logo of the Russian National Olympic Committee.

/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 IOC from 1997-2018. His opinions are, of course, his own alone./

The perceived ambition of Vladimir Putin is to recreate the empire of Peter the Great (1672-1725). We should recall that the resplendent Tsar in 1718 had his son and heir Alexei tortured to death … for being disloyal. Five hundred years on, Russia’s generic psychological deformity remains: mounting evidence emerges of tortured Ukraine civilians.

Alarm at Olympic HQ in Lausanne intensifies, President Thomas Bach alert to the potential – if Russia/Belarus are inevitably excluded from Paris ’24 – for a breakaway echo of the USSR era of Spartakiads: multi-sport events originated by the Red Army 1923-37, then regular festivals in parallel with the Olympic Games 1956-91, most notably the Friendly Games of 1984 for those boycotting Los Angeles.

The Russian threat poses disintegration of Bach’s idealistic ‘universality’ of all nations, championed by the United Nations. The ancient Greek tradition of military truce during a Games was feigned to be upheld during the Beijing Winter Games early this year: a strategic deceit by Russia to stall global opinion for a few days. Last week, the International Olympic Committee’s desperation was evident with the blatant appeal, by Vatican clerics together with Bach, “to seek peaceful solution to all conflicts.” For Putin, truce is for the birds.

Despite the continuing appalling war crimes in Ukraine, with torture/assassination of civilians by retreating Russian soldiers, perhaps Bach should not over-estimate latent Russian Olympic rebellion, attempting to keep the nation emotionally on side: suspending neither Russia’s National Olympic Committee nor their IOC Members, while ‘protecting’ Russian athletes by requesting International Federations to exclude them from competition at which ‘they might be insulted’.

I discussed the issue with Dick Pound, the IOC’s senior member. The Canadian lawyer and Olympic swimmer doubts if a Russian-led exodus could commercially survive. He observes:

“Thomas would like to keep Russian athletes ‘inside the camp’, for global integration, believing mute athletes are innocent of political and military intrigue. Yet not all of them are. And it has to be accepted that in an outlaw country, ordinary citizens have to pay the price for illegality.”

Pound should know: indirectly himself the emotional victim of political issues. Delegated in 1999 by then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch to head the legal investigation into voting bribery allegations in Salt Lake City’s Winter Games election in 1995 for 2002, Pound’s ensuing suspension/dismissal of a dozen Members inevitably embedded resentment among IOC colleagues; relegating Pound to third place in the Presidential election of 2001 … which he might otherwise have won. It was Pound’s constitutional revision commission, under elected Jacques Rogge, which implanted many constitutional reform principles then evident in Bach’s Agenda 2020 when he was elected in 2013.

“A Russian breakaway is certainly possible,” Pound reflects. “But if you exclude yourself from an idealistic arena, it’s inevitably self-defeating. You look bad. A rekindled Spartakiad would have no revenue, no momentum, no magic. In the sporting environment, if a nation or individual tumbles off stage, is alienated, then only if they reassemble are they welcomed back. Russia must face that reality. Yes, the Olympic Games welcomes everybody, but not an outlaw state.”

Leaving aside Russia’s exposed institutional drug manipulation of 2011-14, which poisoned the Games of London 2012, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018, recorded history has contaminated the nation’s inestimable evolving impact upon Europe. My memories of exhilarating Russian sports achievement – from Moscow Dynamos’ post-World War II enchantment of London, through Vladimir Kuts, a myriad of performers in athletics and the Davis Cup, plus the intellectual charm of Olympic officials such as Mikhail Bobrov, legendary hero of the Leningrad/St.  Petersburg siege, and of Vitaly Smirnov, 60-year totem of Russia’s NOC – are profound. Yet ultimately whom can one trust, within the complex national characteristic of entrenched misinformation espionage? Minds as corrupted as Stalin’s or as inspirational as Tchaikovsky or Solzhenitsyn.

Aware of totality of corrective political indoctrination came when taking the Trans-Siberian Railway to Tokyo ’64. During a train-change at Siberian capital Khabarovsk, the guide for my compulsory two-hour sightseeing tour – enabling KGB to search my hotel luggage – charmingly but categorically denied that Britain and USSR “were united in World War II”. Conversely, neither would she have been aware of the horrific Katyn massacre – ordered by Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin’s diabolical head of NKVD Security – of 22,000 Polish officers. My mother, a 17-year-old escaping a staid Victorian family in which women were irrelevant, innocently adored everything Russian when enlisting with an immigrant Belarus orchestra fleeing demonic Bolshevik revolutionaries.

My first direct view of Soviet extremity was as an unsuccessful member of the UK football squad for Melbourne ’56: the Games blotched by Soviet invasion of Hungary, students versus tanks on the Danube’s historic Gellert Bridge transferring to Melbourne’s water polo pool. A subsequent close friend Istvan Agics, young journalist reporting the Soviet horror, antagonised puppet communist premier Imre Nagy by confronting airport security to gain my entry, without visa, to scrutinise England’s imminent famed opponents in World Cup ’62. Several years later, the secret police finally nailed him: a faked car crash on the river’s idyllic Margaret Island … his widow presented with the derelict vehicle but not the body. That is totalitarianism.

Onwards trundled the world’s would-be integrated Olympics: Alexander Dubcek’s Prague Spring democracy uprising of 1968, likewise crushed by Soviet tanks, with the symbolic public suicide by torch of Jan Palac and the domestic dehumanising of fellow protestor and iconic Olympian Emil Zatopek. No impediments, of course, to Soviet collection that year of 90 medals at Mexico ’68, Cold War tensions thankfully eased by JFK having averted the Soviet/Cuban missile crisis six years earlier.

As the epitome of civil conduct within the free world, the Olympic emblem bravely fluttered through the Seventies, entrenched opposing political principles sparking boycotts in 1980-84. Yet Communist indoctrination was faltering: the bravado of Poland’s striking Baltic shipyard workers in the Solidarity Movement accelerated Kremlin fissures. I was the only UK journalist in 1990 at Gdansk’s Solidarity Games, presenting The Times 200th anniversary memento to Lech Walesa, iconic motivator of “the revolution without a broken window”. Within a year the Berlin Wall and Moscow had crumbled.

Brief rejoicing with reformative Gorbachev. Yet subversive, KGB-disciplined Putin emerged to reinstate corrupt, now capitalist, totalitarian rule. The aura of Beria’s evils re-emerged; unattributed assassinations on the street, political lockdowns, empire lust, reviving the dictum of 19th-century French historian Astophe de Custine: “Russia propagates tyranny as palliative to anarchy, despotism an endemic gene.” Following Afghanistan, heroic Ukraine is the latest victim: Putin’s ‘black death’ demands banishment from Paris ’24. Be warned, would-be African admirers such as Mali and Burkino Faso.

Comments are welcome here and or direct to David Miller here.

/David Miller’s biographical account of Thomas Bach’s presidency, ‘Igniting the Games’ is available from Pitch Publishing, £12.99/

TSX REPORT: Vancouver 2030 winter bidders want to talk; Infantino calls football “official happiness provider”; Ledecky crushes world 1,500 m Free record

By
Rich Perelman
-
The no. 3 800 m Free performance ever for Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky (USA).

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Vancouver 2030 bid team wants to talk to Province
2. FIFA World Cup: evacuations, Infantino sees worldwide benefits
3. Sullivan Award 2022 nominees include 13 Olympians, 11 gold medalists
4. Plush resigns as USA Curling chief amid NWSL report blowback
5. Tokyo 2020 winner Choong rips UIPM’s “shambolic mismanagement”

The Canadian Olympic Committee and the leaders of the four First Nations leading the bid for a 2030 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver decried the decision of the British Columbia government not to support the bid, especially not with more discussion. The bid may be ended, but there will be political ramifications into the future. The upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar has brought enormous scrutiny to the country, with Reuters reporting that workers were evacuated from a dozen or more buildings in Doha, sometimes on just a few hours notice. FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) told a conference in Saudi Arabia than bringing the event to the Middle East will “help to get more mutual understanding between people of different cultures and backgrounds.” The 19 nominees for the 2022 AAU’s Sullivan Award have been released, with 12 Olympians, including 11 gold-medal winners. Further fallout from the Yates Report on abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League, as Jeff Plush – a former NWSL Commissioner – resigned as chief executive of USA Curling. Tokyo Olympic men’s modern pentathlon champion Joe Choong (GBR) called for a change in the leadership of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, alleging mismanagement that could cost its place on the Olympic program for 2028.

At the FINA swimming World Cup in Toronto, American distance star Katie Ledecky destroyed the short-course world record in the women’s 1,500 m Freestyle and almost broke the 800 m record en route!

1.
Vancouver 2030 bid team wants to talk to Province

Thursday’s announcement by British Columbia’s Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lisa Beare, that the province will not support a bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games was met with frustration by the four First Nations and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

The Vancouver bid was framed as a vehicle for continuing reconciliation with First Nations, with the bid effort being led by the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. Said Squamish Nations councilor Wilson Williams:

“Our canoe is stalled right now. Truly, if we don’t get the provincial or federal government in the canoe, we are still here. We aren’t going anywhere. And the power of us working together, it’s not going away.”

Williams acknowledged, “No support from the governments would kill the bid. But we’re saying that we’re still here to have that conversation.”

Tsleil-Waututh Nation Chief Jen Thomas told CTV News, “We felt we weren’t respected enough to be a part of this decision with the province. … For true reconciliation, we have to find a way to work together on this journey and right now we just took 10 steps backwards.”

Beare’s comments on the bid were framed in terms of cost:

“The current bid is cost estimated at C$1.2 billion and an additional billion dollars in risk. And when we measured that against our government’s priorities we believe we need to focus on people.”

Tricia Smith, head of the Canadian Olympic Committee, stressed that British Columbia is being asked to support 17% of the total Games cost, while a private organizing committee would cover 52%:

“We need to have some clarification on those numbers and that’s all we’re asking for. Let’s get in a room. If it doesn’t make sense at the end of the day, it doesn’t make sense and we don’t go forward.”

The Canadian Press reported that a request by the Four Nations to meet with incoming British Columbia Premier David Eby has been turned down.

Without Vancouver, the remaining bids for 2030 are from Salt Lake City in the U.S. and Sapporo in Japan. The International Olympic Committee expects to target one city as its preferred host by the end of the year.

2.
FIFA World Cup: evacuations, Infantino sees worldwide benefits

The tumult of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar continues, with Reuters reporting on Friday:

“Qatar has emptied apartment blocks housing thousands of foreign workers in the same areas in the centre of the capital Doha where visiting soccer fans will stay during the World Cup, workers who were evicted from their homes told Reuters.”

The story noted that a dozen or more buildings were evacuated, in one case with two hours notice before the doors were locked. The Qatar government told the news service that those evicted have been “rehoused in safe and appropriate accommodation” and that the removals were not related to the World Cup, but to long-term plans for areas of Doha.

Last Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) made an appearance by video at the VI Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh (KSA):

“This FIFA World Cup 2022 is already having a huge impact on the Middle East. …

“We will have the opportunity for millions of people to discover a new part of the world: the Gulf, the Arab world. New people, rich culture, welcoming, new customs.

“And on the other side, it is also an opportunity for Qatar and the whole [Gulf] region to present itself to the world in another light and get rid, I think, once and for all, of some of the prejudice that sadly still exists. It will definitely help to get more mutual understanding between people of different cultures and backgrounds, I am convinced of that.

“And despite some critics who don’t know what really happens, we had 23 million ticket requests – a record – over three million tickets were sold, and we’ll be sold out. We’ll have five billion people watching on TV, and when it comes to Qatar itself – you were asking about the impact – some changes, some real changes have already happened.”

Infantino also added a unique view on the impact of football and the World Cup on healthy living, while smiling broadly:

“Football is joy … and we also know that, actually, FIFA is [an] official happiness provider, since over 100 years. And happiness is, obviously, one of the best medicines for all sorts of diseases as we know as well.

“So, I think, already by bringing the world together in the Gulf region, through the World Cup … enjoying and being happy and showing to the world – a world which is more and more aggressive, and tense – that, yes, people can live together whether they come from east, from west, from south, from north, they can stay together, they can enjoy together, they can feel together the same passion and for at least one month, show to the world that humanity can live in peace together.”

Also last week, the Security and Safety Operations Committee for the Qatar World Cup completed its leadership and training program, with 32,000 government security officers and 17,000 private-security personnel scheduled to support the tournament.

3.
Sullivan Award 2022 nominees include
12 Olympians, 11 gold medalists

The 92nd AAU Sullivan Award, presented annually to “the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States,” will be awarded on 8 December in Santa Monica, California, with the nominees announced last week.

The 19 nominees include 12 Olympians and 11 gold-medal winners (six won golds at Tokyo 2020 and four at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games):

Olympians:
● Jordan Burroughs, wrestling
● Nathan Chen, figure skating
● Allyson Felix, track & field
● Kallie Humphries, bobsled
● Erin Jackson, speed skating
● Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, track & field
● Chloe Kim, snowboarding
● Katie Ledecky, swimming
● Elana Meyers Taylor, bobsled
● Carissa Moore, surfing
● Athing Mu, track & field
● Maddie Musselman, water polo

Non-Olympians:
● Jocelyn Alo, softball (Univ. of Oklahoma)
● Aliyah Boston, women’s basketball (Univ. of South Carolina)
● Sophie Jaques, women’s ice hockey (Ohio State Univ.)
● Jaime Jaquez Jr., men’s basketball (UCLA)
● Ivan Melendez, baseball (Univ. of Texas)
● Logan Wisnauskas, men’s lacrosse (Univ. of Maryland)
● Bryce Young, football (Univ. of Alabama)

First awarded in 1930, the 2021 winners were gymnast Simone Biles and swim star Caeleb Dressel.

Fan voting is available through 9 November, with a maximum of one vote per day

4.
Plush resigns as USA Curling chief amid NWSL report blowback

Under pressure from a report that he did not act decisively on reports of player abuse during his tenure as Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League, Jeff Plush resigned as chief executive of USA Curling on Friday.

The federation’s statement included:

“The USA Curling Board of Directors has unanimously accepted Jeff Plush’s resignation. …

“[W]e are pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Gemmell as the Interim CEO of USA Curling. … A former national champion, Dean has served as the President of his home club in New Jersey, led clinics and camps for juniors and adults, worked closely with other [U.S. National Governing Bodies] as our sport’s athlete representative, and has worked most recently as our Director of Development.”

Plush was NWSL Commissioner from 2014-17 and was hired by USA Curling in 2020. The Yates Report, commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation, was delivered on 3 October and noted Plush’s inaction when informed of abuse accusations against then-Portland coach Paul Riley (GBR) in 2015, and did not respond to requests from Yates for information or an interview.

USA Curling’s Board of Directors had cleared Plush; in a 13 October statement, the Board stated it had initiated an investigation into the Yates Report findings concerning Plush and was “confident in Jeff’s ability to continue as an effective leader of the organization.”

However, members of the federation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force asked for Plush to resign last week, citing the Yates Report.

There was also controversy concerning the 21 October decision during the Members Assembly to confirm the Board’s vote “to remove the Grand National Curling Club (GNCC) as a member region due to its failure to uphold USA Curling bylaws regarding membership compliance.”

5.
Tokyo 2020 winner Choong rips UIPM’s “shambolic mismanagement”

Britain’s Joe Choong was the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the men’s modern pentathlon, the country’s first-ever medal in the men’s competition, and he intends to defend his title at the Paris 2024 Games. But he told a news conference in London on Monday that he fears for the Olympic future of his sport, not currently on the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Games; in a written statement he added:

“The [Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne] has caused our sport to be removed from the Olympic program through its shambolic mismanagement over the last two decades. In this period they have failed to modernise our riding discipline, and have made weak attempts to promote the sport beyond its current audiences. They then sought to introduce a completely unrelated fifth discipline without proper consultation or testing with the very athletes upon which the sport depends.

“If we don’t resolve this now, we will see most athletes and support staff around the world lose their livelihoods but, worse, we’ll lose the sport we all love.”

Choong is backing former Australian penathlete Alex Watson (1984-88-92) and the competition manager for the sport at the Sydney 2000 Games to replace current UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER, first elected in 1993). At Monday’s news conference, Watson called for Schormann to resign, with the idea that he could be elected.

On Friday, the Pentathlon United athlete group posted an 11-slide “The pathway back to the Olympics” presentation, criticizing the federation’s current leadership, dissecting the IOC’s directives and comments on the sport’s situation, and making the case that a reformed riding discipline is better than the currently-proposed obstacle course program, concluding:

“New riding is our best chance to get back to the OG – we can meet and exceed IOC requirements.

“UIPM lost our place in the OG. They have misled us for too long. It is time for change. It is time for new leadership. We thank President Schormann for his past service and contribution to pentathlon. But it is time for him to go.”

The UIPM Congress is scheduled for 12-13 November 2022. Expect much more from both sides over the next two weeks.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● Spain won its second consecutive FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Colombia on Sunday, as striker Laia Mertrat’s shot caromed into the goal after hitting defender Ana Guzman for an own goal.

The final and the third-place match were played in Navi Mumbai (IND), and Spanish midfielder Vicky Lopez was awarded the Golden Ball as the top player in the tournament. Nigeria won the bronze medal by defeating Germany, 3-2 on penalty kicks, after a 3-3 tie in regulation time.

● Gymnastics ● The U.S. women led all qualifiers in an impressive showing during the initial sessions of the 2022 FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR).

The American squad of Shilese Jones, Jade Carey, Leanne Wong, Jordan Chiles and Skye Blakely scored 167.263 points, nearly three points ahead of Great Britain (164.595), with Brazil third (163.563). The top three finishers in the team final will qualify for Paris 2024.

In the individual All-Around, Brazil’s Olympic runner-up Rebeca Andrade was the leading qualifier at 57.332, trailed by Jones (55.766) and Carey (55.132). Chiles finished 12th and would have qualified for the final except for the limit of two per country.

In the apparatus qualifying, Carey and Chiles were 1-2 at 14.483 and 14.316, with Wong ninth, averaging 13.433 on her two vaults. China’s 2021 Worlds bronze medalist Rui Luo led on Uneven Bars (14.900) with Belgium’s Tokyo gold medalist Nina Derwael second (14.700) and Andrade third (14.666); Jones made the final in fifth (14.566).

China’s Yushan Ou led the qualifying on Beam (13.900) with Blakely second (13.733) and Jones the first reserve in 10th (13.200). Brazil’s Flavia Saraiva and Andrade were 1-2 on Floor (both 14.200), with Chiles fourth (14.100), Tokyo Olympic champ Carey fifth (14.066), and Jones sixth (13.800), but not allowed to advance as the third from her team.

The men’s qualifying will be held on Monday, followed by the women’s Team final on Tuesday.

● Rugby ● The 15-a-side Women’s Rugby World Cup is down to its final four in New Zealand, with the hosts, France, England and Canada still in contention.

In the quarterfinals, France (3-1) clubbed Italy, 39-3, to advance, while New Zealand (4-0) ran by Wales, 55-3. England (4-0) had no trouble with Australia, 41-5, and Canada (4-0) dispatched the U.S., 32-11.

The remaining games will be played in Auckland, with the semis on 5 November and the final and third-place matches on the 12th.

● Sailing ● The 470 Class World Championships followed the change in the protocol for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and held a mixed-team race for its 2022 World Championships off Sdot Yam (ISR), after holding separate men’s and women’s championships from 1985-2021.

The German pair of Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenreith were clear winners, taking three races on the way to a net of 71 points. Wanser had been sixth in the women’s 470 class in Tokyo, with Anastasiya Winkel.

Spanish veteran Jordi Xammar – the Tokyo 2020 Olympic men’s bronze medalist – won silver with Nora Brugman (82 points) with France’s Camille Lecointre (bronze winner in Rio and Tokyo) and Jeremie Mion winning the bronze (85).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World University Games ● The II FISU Americas Games concluded in Merida (MEX) on 26 October, with the hosts dominating the medal table. About 1,000 athletes from 13 nations competed in 11 sports.

Mexico won 182 total medals, with 89 golds, 52 silvers and 41 bronzes. The U.S. was second at 66 (13-30-23), followed by Brazil (20-12-13).

● National Games ● Worth noting are the first Saudi Games, which opened on 21 October in Riyadh (KSA), with about 6,000 athletes competing in 45 sports and a prize pool of $53 million U.S.!

Medal winners in each event are to receive one million Riyals for gold (~$266,170 U.S.), SAR 300,000 for silver (~$79.851 U.S.) and SAR 100,000 for bronze (~$26,617 U.S.). Wow!

The competitions continue through 7 November.

● Athletics ● “Kenya is in a major doping crisis and it needs to end now. World Athletics needs to suspend Kenya for the foreseeable future.”

That’s from Canada-based Athletics Illustrated on Saturday, quoting Kenyan Sports Cabinet Secretary, Ababu Namwamba:

“Kenya is in the midst of a doping crisis. This year alone, there have been no less than 30 cases of doping which threatens to tarnish the good and shining image of Kenya as a sporting nation.”

The site further noted:

“Imagine if 30 Canadian, British, Australian, or American athletes were suspended in a 10-month stretch. For many countries, the athletics program would be decimated. Currently, there are approximately 70 athletes from Kenya serving suspensions for reasons related to anti-doping.”

Any move toward suspensions would have to come from World Athletics, which has had the Russian Athletics Federation on suspension for its state-sponsor doping program since 2015, under the watchful eye of a specially-commissioned task force. No such review group has been formed for any other country, yet.

● Badminton ● China won two titles at the 2022 French Open in Paris, with Bing Jiao He taking the women’s title from Spain’s Rio 2016 champion Carolina Marin (16-21, 21-9, 22-20) and Si Wei Zheng and Ya Qiong Huang winning the Mixed Doubles over surprise Dutch finalists Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek, 21-16, 14-21, 22-20.

The all-Danish men’s Singles final saw top-seeded Viktor Axelsen won in straight sets over Rasmus Gemke; India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty win the men’s Doubles and Malaysia’s unseeded Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah take the women’s Doubles victory, upsetting fourth-seed Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara (JPN).

● Figure Skating ● Japan dominated the 2022 edition of the Skate Canada International stop of the ISU Grand Prix, held this year in Mississauga, Ontario, winning three of four events with veterans and newcomers.

Two-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno won his third Skate Canada International title, overtaking teammate Kao Miura in the Free Skate by 183.17-171.23 to win the men’s event, scoring 273.15 to 265.29 for Miura. Camden Pulkinen was the top American in fifth (219.06).

Rinka Watanabe, 20, made an even more dramatic impression in her Grand Prix debut, standing only sixth after the Short Program, but winning the Free Skate at 134.32 to take the victory with 197.59 points. American Starr Andrews, 21, also flew up the standings, from fifth to second after scoring 126.57 in the Free Skate with a lifetime best 191.216 score. Young You (KOR) was third (190.15) and American Ava Marie Ziegler finished fourth (186.76).

World Championships silver medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara posted Japan’s first-ever Pairs win at Skate Canada, scoring 212.02 to beat Americans Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe, who posted their best-ever score at 186.48.

Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the 2021 Worlds bronze medalists, won their third straight Skate Canada Ice Dance title, taking both the Rhythm Dance and the Free Dance for a 215.70 point total. Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were second (209.18); the top American finish was in fourth by Caroline Green and Michael Parsons (194.19).

The Grand Prix tour moves to Europe next week for the Grand Prix de France in Angers.

● Short Track ● Dutch women dominated the first ISU World Cup of the season, in Montreal (CAN), with Beijing Olympic gold medalists Xandra Velzeboer and Suzanne Schulting winning two events apiece.

Velzeboer, an Olympic relay gold winner and 2022 World Champion at 500 m, won the 500 m in 42.123 and the first 1,000 m race in 1:29.070. Schulting, who won two golds, a silver and a bronze in Beijing, won the second 1,000 m (1:31.717) and the 1,500 m final, in 2:31.052. Korea’s Min-jeong Choi, silver medalist in Beijing at 1,000 m and the 1,500 winner, was second again in the second 1,000 m final. American Kristen Santos-Griswold won the 1,500 m bronze. The Dutch, with Schulting and Velzeboer, won the 3,000 m relay.

Home favorite and Olympic 1,500 m runner-up Steven Dubois won the men’s 500 m (40.345), and teammate Pascal Dion won the second 1,000 m race in 1:23.530. Dubois was second in the 1,500 m to Ji-won Park (KOR), 2:14.152 to 2:14.312. Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs took the country’s first-ever Short Track World Cup medal in the first 1,000 m final in 1:23.959. The Koreans won the 5,000 m relay, and the Mixed 2,000 m relay.

● Swimming ● American Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky was very much the center of attention at the second of three legs at the 2022 FINA World Cup, held in Toronto.

The meet was reportedly only her third career appearance in a 25 m pool, meaning that she was a threat to the record book. And she did not disappoint.

On Friday, she was the top qualifier in the women’s 400 m Free, then led for much of the final before being passed on the final lap by Canadian star teenager Summer McIntosh, 3:52.80 to 3:52.88, the nos. 2-3 times in history (short-course), and an American Record for Ledecky (lowering her own 3:54.06 mark from 2019). Said McIntosh, 16, fourth in this event in Tokyo and already a two-time 2022 World Champion in other events, “I’m a little bit in shock right now.”

Undaunted, Ledecky, 25, came back on Saturday and mauled the women’s 1,500 m Free record, winning in 15:08.24 to take near 10 seconds off the 2019 mark of 15:18.01 by German Sarah (Kohler) Wellbrock. Ledecky passed 800 m in 8:00.58, just missing the short-course world mark of 7:59.34 (Mireia Belmonte/ESP in 2013) en route, but setting another American Record! She won by more than 40 seconds, and said afterwards:

“I didn’t have it as a set goal [to break the record]. I really didn’t know what to expect coming out of this meet, being my first meet of the season, taking most of August off, getting back into training rhythm, didn’t have any type of super preparation for this meet, just wanted to come in and race international swimmers being a meet in North American soil.”

Just 10 minutes after her record swim, Ledecky came back for the 200 m Free final and finished second to Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey, 1:51.13 to 1:52.31. Ledecky will be back in action, with the 800 m Free world mark in her sights in Indianapolis next week.

The U.S. (31 total) and Canada (21) combined for just more than half of the 102 medals awarded at the meet. Americans won 15 events, with Shaine Casas taking the 100-200 m Backstrokes and the 100-200 m Medleys for four total golds, most in the meet. His win in the 200 m Medley in 1:50.37 was the second-fastest swim all-time (to Ryan Lochte’s 1:49.63 from 2012) and his 48.84 victory in the 100 m Back moves to no. 3 on the all-time short-course list.

Beata Nelson was the women’s 100-200 m Backstrokes and the 200 m Medley and Nic Fink tripled in the men’s 50-100-200 m Breast events. Lilly King won the women’s 200 m Breast and was second in the 50 and 100 m events; Brooks Curry won the men’s 200 m Free; Trenton Julian won the men’s 200 m Fly and Kelly Pash won the women’s 200 m Fly.

Canada’s McIntosh also won the 400 m Medley in World Junior Record time (4:21.49, moving to no. 4 all-time), but teammate Maggie MacNeil, the Tokyo 100 m Fly champ, won the women’s 50-100 m Fly races and the 50 m Back for three golds.

Haughey, who won three events in the first World Cup stop in Berlin, won the 100 m Free as well as the 200 m Free over Ledecky and was third in the 400 m Free. Lithuanian star Ruta Meilutyte doubled in the women’s 50-100 m Breast events.

The other men’s stars included Dylan Carter (TTO), who tripled again in the 50 m Free, 50 m Fly and 50 m Back. South Africa’s Matt Sates won the men’s 400 m Free and 400 m Medley.

Denmark’s Pernilla Blume, the 2016 Rio Olympic winner in the women’s 50 m Free, announced her retirement last Thursday (27th).

Blume, 28, competed in the 2012-16-20 Olympic Games and won three medals, with a women’s 4×100 m Medley bronze in Rio and a women’s 50 m Free bronze in Tokyo to go along with her Rio gold. She also won a FINA World Championships bronze in 2017 in the women’s 100 m Free and two European Champs silvers in the women’s 50 m Free in 2018 and 2020.

● Triathlon ● Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales and Brazil’s Luisa Baptista won the Americas Triathlon Championships in Montevideo (URU) over the weekend.

Two-time Pan American Games champ Grajales won the men’s race in 1:51:12, 12 seconds up on Chile’s Diego Moya. Baptista, the 2019 Pan Am Games gold medalist, led a Brazilian 1-2 in 2:02:18 with teammate Vittoria Lopes finishing in 2:02:31.

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TSX REPORT: WADA calls for Valieva case decision, or it will take over; U.S. has only one sport that matters; Vancouver 2030 Winter bid implodes

By
Rich Perelman
-
World Anti-Doping President Witold Banka (POL)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. WADA tells Russians to finish Valieva case or face direct appeal
2. “There is only one sport in the USA.”
3. Vancouver 2030 Winter bid collapses as province bows out
4. Griner’s sentence can be appealed again in six months
5. Russian athletes banned, officials still present in International Federations

The President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Pole Witold Banka, announced that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been informed that if it does not conclude the doping hearing of figure skater Kamila Valieva, WADA will take over the case, moving it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Following our story on how much larger the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup are than any other international sporting events, veteran Olympic writer Phil Hersh (USA) pointed to a compilation of the top 100 television programs in the U.S. in 2021: 95 were sports events, with 75 of those being NFL games. The Tokyo Olympics had 11 of the top 100. The province of British Columbia has decided not to support the Vancouver bid for the 2030 Olympic Games, effectively ending the effort and leaving the International Olympic Committee with a choice of Salt Lake City (USA) and Sapporo (JPN). Brittney Griner’s Russian lawyer says she can appeal her nine-year “drug smuggling” sentence once again in about six months. Although Russian athletes are banned, Russian sports officials are being heard in meetings of the International Federations of gymnastics and wrestling.

1.
WADA tells Russians to finish Valieva case or face direct appeal

In response to the announcement by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency that it would not announce the outcome of the review of the Kamila Valieva doping case, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency got irritated.

In a Thursday tweet, WADA President Witold Banka (POL) stated:

“WADA is concerned with the ongoing delay in Kamila Valieva’s case and has now put RUSADA under formal notice that unless the matter is resolved promptly it will use its right to take it directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Valieva’s case has been in the news since February, when her positive doping test from December 2021 was revealed the day after the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games figure skating Team Event was concluded. The International Olympic Committee has held up the results and no medals were awarded; Russia, the U.S. and Japan were the top three teams on the ice, with Canada fourth.

Section 13.3 of the World Anti-Doping Code provides:

“Where, in a particular case, an Anti-Doping Organization fails to render a decision with respect to whether an antidoping rule violation was committed within a reasonable deadline set by WADA, WADA may elect to appeal directly to [the Court of Arbitration for Sport] as if the Anti-Doping Organization had rendered a decision finding no anti-doping rule violation.”

RUSADA announced on 21 September that its inquiry into the Valieva case had been completed and that a hearing would take place with the independent RUSADA Disciplinary Committee on the case. So far, nothing.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER), in a Thursday interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, joined the call for a conclusion at RUSADA:

“Already in Beijing we clearly showed our position by appealing to the [Court of Arbitration for Sport] together with the World Anti-Doping Agency after the RUSADA decision was known. We lost, and now the proceedings are following WADA’s rules of confidentiality (being a minor she is protected by the Code). Although RUSADA’s position is to remain silent until there is a final verdict, WADA and the IOC can appeal the outcome.

“This would be the legal side. But in terms of transparency, we join WADA in asking RUSADA to make the data public to give everyone more credibility in this procedure.”

In response, Viktoria Loginova, the head of RUSADA, told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The process of processing the results in this case, as well as in all other cases that are under the jurisdiction of RUSADA, is carried out in strict compliance with Russian and international anti-doping standards.

“Due to the dissemination of false information in the press and a large number of media requests for comment, on October 21, RUSADA issued an official statement that it did not intend to voice details on this case and answer questions about the hearings. In accordance with the standards, the process from the very beginning should have be confidential. The decision to publicly disclose the data on the case after the final decision is made remains with RUSADA in accordance with paragraph 17.3.7 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules.”

2.
“There is only one sport in the USA.”

Further to Thursday’s Lane One comment on how the two biggest sports events in the world are the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup was an observation by Phil Hersh, the long-time Olympic writer for the Chicago Tribune, who continues to write on figure skating and other sports.

“There is only one sport in the USA.”

And that would be NFL Football, as shown by a Sports Business Journal story from 1 October that showed that in 2021, 95 of the top 100 shows on television – over-the-air or cable – were sports events and 75 were NFL games. The top 100 included:

● 75 NFL games;
● 11 Tokyo Olympic shows;
● 7 college football games;
● 2 NCAA basketball tournament games;
● 2 political events (inauguration, State of the Union);
● 2 entertainment shows (The Equalizer, Oprah with Meghan & Harry);
● 1 parade (Macy’s Thanksgiving Day).

The NFL had nine of the top 10 (six were playoff games), 18 of the top 20 and 41 of the top 50. The top Olympic broadcasts from Tokyo came in at nos. 41 and 43, with the next highest at 62nd.

The SBJ commentary noted that the sports domination – 95 of the top 100 – is up from 92 in 2019 and 75 in 2020, when political programming was strong in a U.S. election year.

3.
Vancouver 2030 Winter bid collapses as province bows out

“For more than a year, the Province has engaged in evaluating a potential bid for B.C. to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“I know that the prospect of hosting these Games is exciting to athletes and sports fans. However, the Province has the responsibility to weigh the benefits with the costs and possible risks of the project. There are billions of dollars in direct costs, and potential guarantee and indemnity liability risks on this project that could jeopardize our government’s ability to address pressures facing British Columbians right now. Based on careful consideration, the Province is declining to support a bid.”

That’s from a statement by British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lisa Beare on Thursday, vaporizing the already-behind, 2010 host Vancouver bid for a second Olympic Winter Games in 2030. A clear choice was made:

“Planning and hosting an event of this magnitude requires significant attention and resources. We have existing commitments to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2025 Invictus Games. These world-class events will bring the international spotlight to British Columbia, as well as economic benefits to support the province’s tourism-sector recovery for the next decade and beyond.

“Our government is focused on expanding the services British Columbians need, while building a more secure future. While there are many competing priorities and challenges, we are putting people first by focusing on the cost of living, health care, housing, public safety and building a strong work force.”

Canada-based GamesBids.com noted that “Without the support of the Province potential federal funding will not be activated, making the project impossible.”

The Vancouver bid was well behind the bid preparations from 2002 host Salt Lake City (USA) and 1972 host Sapporo (JPN), which appear to be the IOC’s actual choices for 2030. The IOC confirmed last week that it still expects to target one potential host by the end of the year and complete the process with a formal selection at its 140th Session in India in October of 2023.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has said that it would prefer a 2034 slot for Salt Lake City, in part due to today’s challenging economic conditions and the back-to-back hosting with Los Angeles in 2028. But it has also said it would accept 2030, and the folks in Salt Lake City appear eager to get the Winter Games back sooner rather than later.

Sapporo has been touted as a favorite after the Japanese staged a postponed 2020 Olympic Games in 2021. However, the interest in the 2030 Winter Games in Japan itself has been lukewarm and the expanding Tokyo 2020 sponsorship scandal is not helping.

4.
Griner’s sentence can be appealed again in six months

Two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner’s Russian attorney, Alexander Boykov, said on Wednesday that a petition to the Court of Appeal can be filed against her sentence of nine years for “drug smuggling.”

“We have six months to file an appeal,” said Boykov. “In practice, it usually takes three months from the time [the complaint] is filed until it’s heard.”

A TASS report specified that Griner pled guilty to charges under Part 1 of Article 228 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code for “illegal acquisition, storage, transportation of drugs without intent to sell” and Part 2 of Article 229.1 for “smuggling of drugs in a significant amount” in February when she arrived at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow

Griner’s appeal of 25 October was turned down; she has been detained since mid-February. The U.S. State Department considers Griner “unlawfully detained” and the WNBA Players Association called her a “hostage.”

5.
Russian athletes banned, officials still present
in International Federations

Although its athletes are banned from international competitions, Russian sports officials continue to be heard at the International Federation level, following the IOC’s protocol which has maintained the status of their members.

In gymnastics, seven delegations have announced they will not attend November’s FIG Congreess due to the presence of Russian and Belarusian officials. FIG President Morinari Watanabe (JPN) maintains they should be heard:

“As for the officials from Russia and Belarus, the FIG decided not to exclude them.

“We as an international federation had to do exactly that. When a representative of this or that country is elected as a member of an international organization, his nationality should take a back seat, and he himself becomes, in fact, a neutral person. But if these principles are not adhered to, then international federations cannot fully exist.

“That is why the U.N. and the IOC have not excluded Russia and Belarus from their ranks. International federations should make efforts to maintain relations, not to break them. The FIG will not only explain its position to colleagues from Russia and Belarus, but should listen to their opinion itself. After the war we must again become a team, otherwise we will not be able to create a bright future.”

In wrestling, Russian federation chief Mikhail Mamiashvili spoke to the United World Wrestling Bureau concerning the ban and told TASS (Deepl.com online translation):

“[UWW President Nenad] Lalovic [SRB] voiced at a meeting of the organization’s bureau that events on admission are not developing in the way we would all like, but things change in life.

“We have voiced our position; it is not unreasonable to recall that in none of the conflicts that took place on our planet, no sanctions were applied to any of the countries, including the initiators, participants. It never occurred to anyone – not Iraq, not Iran, not Libya, not Yugoslavia – to take the initiative to keep athletes out. There were radical outrages of the powers that be, but it never occurred to anyone to take the initiative to suspend the athletes.

“Everything is politicized and depends on the IOC, on a purely political whim. We live in the conditions we are in. There are no other thoughts except that we are with our country and president. I hope that the same position is held by all industries that are in a similar situation, the unanimous position is that the imposed restrictions are extremely unfair.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● The FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup Final is set for Sunday, with Colombia and Spain meeting for the championship and Nigeria facing Germany for the bronze medal.

A scoreless semifinal between Colombia and Nigeria was resolved in penalty kicks, with Colombia finally winning, 6-5. Spain defeated Germany, 1-0, in the other semi, on a goal in the 90th minute by Lucia Corrales.

● Gymnastics ● The 2022 FIG World Artistic Championships will commence in Liverpool (GBR) on Saturday (29th) with women’s team qualifying and run through the following Sunday.

The top three men’s and women’s teams will qualify for the Paris 2024 Games, with the U.S. fielding strong teams for both men and women. The team medal finals will be on 1 November for women and 2 November for men, followed by All-Around and apparatus competitions.

NBC’s Peacock streaming service will carry the medal sessions live; the only broadcast coverage will be an NBC highlights program on 5 November (Saturday).

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Championships in Rifle and Pistol concluded in Cairo (EGY), with German Olympic gold medalist Christian Reitz winning the men’s 25 m Center Fire Pistol event. Reitz won the 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol event in Rio and took bronze in Tokyo last year; he defeated Ruslan Lunev (AZE) in the final by 588-584.

The other finals were all for the 300 m Rifle, distance which last appeared on the Olympic program in 1972. France’s Emilien Chassat won the 300 m/3 Positions gold for men (592) and Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad (588) took the women’s title. Both won a second gold with France taking the men’s team event and Norway winning for the women. In the Mixed Team final, Poland was a 17-3 winner over Finland.

Norway’s Simon Claussen took the win in the 300 m Rifle/Prone Position (599/600!) and Swiss Anja Senti won the women’s gold, also hitting 599/600. Wow! Denmark took the men’s team title and Norway won the women’s team, with Duestad getting a third gold.

Duestad got a fourth gold, with Claussen, in the 300 m Rifle/Prone Mixed Team event, defeating Senti and Pascal Bachmann (SUI), 17-9.

Denmark’s Steffen Olsen won the 300 m Standard Rifle Open over Claussen, 591-586, with American Tim Sherry third (586).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Errata ● Two corrections on our Wednesday report of ex-IOC Marketing Director Michael Payne’s comments on the future of the Olympic Games on television. He was the head of marketing for the IOC from 1988-2004 (not 1998-2004 as initially shown) and is now an Irish, rather than British, citizen.

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard and Mexican Olympic Committee President Mari Jose Alcala announced Wednesday that Mexico has entered into a dialogue with the IOC concerning the Olympic Games of 2036 or 2040.

Mexico City hosted the 1968 Olympic Games, and will be a FIFA World Cup host with Canada and the U.S. in 2026. It hosted the Pan American Games in Mexico City in 1955 and 1975 and in Guadalajara in 2011.

● International Olympic Committee ● Buried inside the lengthy weekly Highlights post from the IOC for 26 October was:

“Back in Lausanne, on 23 October the IOC President [Thomas Bach] attended the finish of the 2022 Lausanne Marathon and participated in the 10km.”

The German-born Bach, 68, participated in the 10 km walk event and finished in 1:11:51.6. He can now truly say that he has “walked the walk.”

● Russia ● The IOC’s sanctions against Russia and Belarus are taking on a new dimension as the qualification competitions for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games get going.

Russia was not included in the list of teams eligible for the first qualifying tournament, to be held in Japan next fall (30 September-8 October for men, 16-24 September for women). Three tournaments will be held in all, to qualify six teams – two each – to go along with host France and five teams to be selected from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) world rankings as of June 2024.

The All-Russian Volleyball Federation said in a statement:

“In accordance with the Olympic selection regulations, the list of qualifying participants was formed according to the world ranking as of mid-October 2022.

“And at the moment, Russia is suspended from participation in official international competitions, and qualification will begin at the end of September 2023. If the temporary suspension from Russia is lifted, then it is likely that our teams can be admitted to the selection.”

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin reacted predictably:

“In recent years, we have repeatedly encountered discrimination in sports, which fundamentally destroys the Olympic ideals, absolutely contradicts sports principles, deprives fans from all over the world from watching the performances of the strongest. It is a pity that the political component is more important than a beautiful and fair game.

“The qualifying tournament will lose a lot, because our volleyball teams are consistently at the top of international rankings, and their games attract the interest of sports fans around the world. We do not lose hope for the admission of Russian teams to the Olympic Games in accordance with the FIVB rating. The essence of the Olympic Games is equal rights for all participants. And we hope that this will be the case.”

● Football ● Australia’s men’s team, getting ready to compete in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, posted a video that seeks to “embed reforms and establish a lasting legacy in Qatar.”

Midfielder Jackson Irvine said, “This must include establishing a migrants resource centre, effective remedy for those who have been denied their rights and the decriminalisation of all same-sex relationships.

“These are the basic rights that should be afforded to all and will ensure continued progress in Qatar.”

Football Australia posted a statement that included:

“We acknowledge the significant progress and legislative reforms have occurred in Qatar over recent years to recognise and protect the rights of workers, and we encourage all stakeholders to continue this path to reform.

“However, we have also learned that the tournament has been associated with suffering for some migrant workers and their families. …

“With this in mind, Football Australia, together with the Socceroos and Professional Footballers Australia, support the establishment of a Migrant Workers Centre that will continue to represent the rights of the workers beyond December 2022. …

“As the most multicultural, diverse, and inclusive sport in our country, we believe everyone should be able to feel safe and be their true authentic selves. Whilst we acknowledge the highest levels of assurances given by HH Amir of Qatar and the President of FIFA that LGBTI+ fans will be safely welcomed in Qatar, we hope that this openness can continue beyond the tournament.”

● Modern Pentathlon ● The tug-of-war between the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Modene (UIPM) and the Pentathlon United athlete group continues unabated:

● On 17 October, a reply from UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang (CHN) to Pent United on arranging a meeting noted that “In normal circumstances, please understand that International Federations with a democratic structure would not be obliged to communicate with unofficial organizations, let alone arrange a physical meeting.”

She also explained that UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER) cannot meet with the group until after the upcoming UIPM Congress on 12-13 November. And:

“[W]e are sorry if some of your representatives have felt ignored, denied, insulted or threatened (your words) at any point during the New Pentathlon Discipline process. This was never our intention.

“We have more than once provided information to you throughout the process and we invited you to our Athletes Meeting in Ankara and subsequent Test Events – where you would have had the opportunity to talk to the UIPM President – despite the fact that your approach towards UIPM has been continuously hostile from day one.”

The Pent United reply on 26 October stated disappointment that Schormann could not meet, and “We can only conclude that President Schormann does not feel it a sufficient priority to listen to the views of athletes that might differ from his own.”

● Meanwhile, the UIPM hosted a news conference on 25 October in Monaco, with athletes in favor of the change to Obstacle Course Racing, including Tokyo silver medalist Ahmed Elgendy (EGY), fourth-placer Jinhwa Jung (KOR) and 2005 and 2007 World Champion Yasser Hefny (EGY). Rio 2016 silver medalist Elodie Clouvel (FRA) said in a statement:

“I am talking about ‘evolution’ and not ‘change’ because we are looking at a new discipline which will be more dynamic, more inclusive, more current. All of that summarises the DNA of our sport: the Modern Pentathlon.”

Hefny said, “I can tell you that this new discipline is going to change our sport forever. For athletes, it is an exciting new challenge that will make the sport more accessible around the world. For fans, especially young fans, it will make the sport a lot more appealing. For the Olympic Games, this will attract a whole new audience and add value to the Games.”

● Pent United followed up with an 18-part reply on Twitter, noting it has been asking for a meeting with the UIPM leadership for more than a year, and calling the UIPM’s news conference “a social media campaign of pictures and statements from a small handful of athletes who are actually aligned with UIPM, primarily UIPM’s Ath Comm, attempting to create a perception of athlete support.”

None of the back-and-forth actually addresses how a change to obstacle or retaining riding will meet the IOC’s issues for the sport, especially lowering costs and raising its profile with the public.

● Swimming ● A very large field is entered in the second leg of the FINA World Cup, to be held in Toronto from Friday through Sunday.

As expected, a large American contingent will be present, including a rare appearance by Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky, making a rare appearance in short-course competition. She swam in 25-yard pools during her NCAA career at Stanford, and, according to SwimSwam.com, her only 25 m appearances came in 2013 and more recently in her one appearance in the International Swimming League in October 2019 (where she set the American Record in the 400 m Free).

She’s entered in the 200-400-1,500 m Freestyles and the 200-400 m Medleys, and she certainly could challenge some short-course records, including Thursday’s new mark in the 400 m Free by Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Bingjie Li:

● World 400 m Free Record: 3:51.30, Bingjie Li (CHN), 2022
● U.S. 400 m Free Record: 3:54.06, Ledecky, 2019

● World 1,500 m Free Record: 15:18.01, Sarah Kohler (GER), 2019
● U.S. 1,500 m Free Record: 15:32.90, Katie Ziegler, 2007

No U.S. television of this meet; coverage should be available on the FINA YouTube channel.

● X Games ● Private equity firm MSP Sports Capital purchased a majority stake in the X Games, created by ESPN in 1995 to showcase so-called “extreme sports” including BMX Freestyle, skateboarding and snowboard.

The event never turned into the mass-audience giant that ESPN had hoped for and the sale to MSP – with ESPN retaining a minority interest – is a play for a wider online audience. The events will continue to be shown on ESPN’s cable channels, but MSP will take over the streaming programming, which is where it sees growth.

The X Games has been a huge draw for many athletes, especially in winter sports, often more so than the FIS World Cup circuit in Freestyle and Snowboard. It will be fascinating to see if this continues under the new ownership.

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LANE ONE: In international sport, there’s the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and then there is everything else

By
Rich Perelman
-

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It wasn’t that long ago that the International Olympic Committee was a small, uncommunicative, sometimes sullen organization that rarely spoke up outside of its 10-times-a-year magazine, Olympic Review. Not any more.

On Wednesday, the IOC’s Web site proclaimed:

“Olympic Games confirmed as the world’s most appealing sports and entertainment event“

The story was sharing proprietary consumer research from Publicis Sports & Entertainment which shows that the Olympics came across best in a rating of “the appeal of leading global and national sports and entertainment events.”

One would have expected that a ranked list of events and how appealing they were would be shown, but this was not provided and the link for more information was to a 12-slide presentation of the Beijing 2022 Audience & Insights Report.

There, we found out that the Beijing Olympic Winter Games were “followed” by two out of three people among the 9,601 folks aged 13-65 in 16 countries or territories polled by Publicis. And more importantly that:

● The global audience on television – over-the-air, cable and online – was an impressive 2.01 billion for the 2022 Winter Games, up 5% from the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang (KOR).

● Cumulative watch time on rights-holding broadcaster channels was 11.88 billion hours, up 18% over the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.

● Total global coverage by broadcasters was 62,305 hours of over-the-air and cable television and 120,670 hours on digital channels.

Olympic audience reporting is not new and the IOC has provided this kind of data since the 2000 Sydney Games. But the statement that the Games is the “most appealing” event in the world – without any back-up – is unusually cheeky, especially for a usually sober organization like the IOC.

What you did not see was a bald, boastful claim that the Olympic Games is the “biggest” or the “best.” And good for the IOC on that. Because there are other contenders.

As for the most athletes, Tokyo had a reported 11,319 total competitors, contesting 339 events, but the Paris 2024 organizers and the IOC are committed to reducing that number to 10,500. The 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia had 11,300 athletes contesting 465 events, the most of any multi-sport event.

As for television viewing and the postponed Tokyo Games, held in 2021:

● The global TV audience was 3.05 billion, down 5% from the 3.20 billion who saw the 2016 Rio Games.

● Cumulative worldwide watch time on rights-holding broadcaster channels was 21.3 billion hours, down 29% from the 30.0 billion hours reported for Rio 2016.

● Total coverage offered by broadcasters was 150,426 hours on over-the-air and cable television and another 217,512 hours on digital channels, both up about a third from 2016.

That’s a lot bigger than the Winter Games, and far more than any other event on the planet, except for one: the FIFA World Cup. For the 2018 edition held in Russia, FIFA also released an audience report from Publicis Sports & Entertainment, which noted:

● The global TV audience on television was 3.572 billion, slightly higher than for the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

● Cumulative worldwide watch time on rights-holding broadcaster channels was 34.66 billion hours, down from the 36.52 billion hours for Brazil in 2014.

● Total coverage by broadcasters – live matches, replays and highlight programs – was 90,424 hours on over-the-air and cable television, down 7.8% from the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

At the World Economic Forum in May, FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) said the 2022 World Cup will break all records:

“The last FIFA World Cup was watched by four billion people, the last FIFA Women’s World Cup by 1.2 billion people.

“This World Cup in Qatar will be watched by five billion people, way above half of the world’s population. All these people who follow and pursue the same passion, they all feel the same way and they all know that football has this uniting force.”

An interesting table in the 2021 World Athletics Annual Report on “Share of Voice and Tonality” showed the shares of worldwide coverage, ostensibly in “mainstream and social media” from January to October in 2021, with football at 61%, the Olympic Games (and the IOC) at 23% and the next closest being athletics at 4%, followed by rugby at 3%.

Hey, 61% is a lot, and a lot more than everyone else combined. Wow.

The IOC can legitimately claim to be the most inclusive multi-sport event in the world, with the most delegations attending, just ahead of the World Athletics Championships, which has had more than 200 countries attend its events in 2013 (203 in Moscow), 2015 (205 in Beijing) and 206 in 2019 in Doha. The Rio 2016 Games had 207 delegations, including the IOC’s Refugee Team and 206 in Tokyo last year.

So there’s a lot for the IOC to talk about, and the Olympic Games is the originator of the concept of an international, multi-sport Games that brings the world together in one place at one time – starting in 1896 – which is eight years before FIFA was founded and 34 years ahead of the first FIFA World Cup, in 1930.

But as it stands today, and heading into next month’s extravaganza in Qatar, Zurich-based FIFA has the most-watched sporting event in the world, challenged only by its fellow Swiss sports organization in Lausanne.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: Griner loses appeal of Russian sentence; Payne sees Olympics on TV for a while; Qatari Emir questions harsh criticism as World Cup host

By
Rich Perelman
-
Two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner, playing for the Phoenix Mercury in 2019 (Photo: Lorie Schaull via Wikipedia)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Brittney Griner’s appeal in Russia turned down
2. Ex-IOC marketing director Payne sees Olympics on TV … for a while
3. Qatar’s Emir questions campaign against it as World Cup host
4. Russia sees new sports organization four times bigger than IOC
5. U.S. skater Bates frustrated over Valieva verdict secrecy

A Russian court turned down U.S. women’s basketball star Britney Griner’s appeal on her sentence for “drug smuggling,” with the WNBA Players Association stating “she is very clearly a hostage.” Former International Olympic Committee marketing chief Michael Payne said at the SPORTEL Conference in Monaco that he foresees the Olympic Games remaining on “free-to-air” television for years to come, but that there is a place for subscription streaming services for some special coverage. The Emir of Qatar said in a televised address to the national legislature that the country has been subject to an “unprecedented campaign” that has included “fabrication and double standards,” such that questions can be raised about the “real reasons and motives behind this campaign.” In Moscow, the Deputy Prime Minister told Russia President Vladimir Putin that a new sports organization led by China and Russia could have an audience of four billion people and would be much larger than the Olympic Movement, led by the International Olympic Committee. As the figure skaters involved in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Team Event continue to wait for the resolution of the Kamila Valieva doping case, American Ice Dance star Evan Bates expressed frustration at the delay and the announcement that the Russians will not reveal the outcome of Valieva’s hearing, saying “I think we’ve been pretty respectfully quiet through these months.”

1.
Brittney Griner’s appeal in Russia turned down

Although not surprising, two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner’s appeal against a nine-year sentence for “drug smuggling” was turned down in Moscow on Tuesday.

The Associated Press reported that Griner was not present in the courtroom, but watched the court action online “from a penal colony outside the capital where she is held.”

One of Griner’s Russian attorneys, Alexander Boykov, told the three-judge panel:

“No judge, hand on heart, will honestly say that Griner’s nine-year sentence is in line with Russian criminal law. The severity and cruelty of the sentence applied to Griner shocks people around the world.”

Her attorneys told the AP that Griner’s “punishment is excessive and contradicts to the existing court practice.

“Brittney’s biggest fear is that she is not exchanged and will have to serve the whole sentence in Russia. She had hopes for today, as each month, each day away from her family and friends matters to her.”

With credit for time already served since she was detained on mid-February, Griner still has eight years to go if she were to serve her full sentence. The U.S. government has held that she is “unlawfully detained” and has made a prisoner swap offer for Griner and another American also held in Russia, Paul Whelan, to which no “serious” response has been made.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Tuesday, “We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today.”

The WNBA Players Association posted a lengthy statement that included:

“This appeal [result] is further verification that BG is not just wrongfully detained – she is very clearly a hostage. … No athlete should be used as a political pawn.”

2.
Ex-IOC marketing director Payne sees Olympics on TV
… for a while

/Updated/The annual SPORTEL Conference in Monaco has been an intersection of sports media and technology and an opportunity to get a glance at the future.

Michael Payne, the now-Irish sports marketing savant who was the International Olympic Committee’s marketing director from 1988-2004, was asked whether the future of Olympic viewing will be online as opposed to over-the-air and on cable:

“First of all, with regard to the Olympics and television, the IOC is already got – pretty well – all the contracts in place for still another decade. So, they’re only going to be looking at the future of television for the Games of 2032 or 2034.

“And, I think, a fundamental principle that has always been there and I don’t believe will change, is to ensure you have the widest possible audience. And I think the IOC will continue to ensure that the basic coverage is free-to-air.

“But, there is so much coverage; I mean, in a summer Games, in two weeks, there’s 10,000 hours, 30 sports. So, So the opportunity for specialist coverage – OTT [Over-the-Top, i.e., streaming] – will grow, but I hope it never replaces the basic free-to-air.”

In the U.S., NBC has secured rights to the Olympic and Winter Games through 2032.

On the media build-up – and heavy criticism – of Qatar as the host of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, he spoke from experience:

“I think all major competitions are taken hostage by the media in the last two or three months before the event. Whether it’s the Olympics or the World Cup, whether it’s held in China, Asia or the Middle East …

“The media is dealing with an event that is being taken over by other players in the world. You have a big debate about politics, about human rights … But if the event didn’t take place, nobody would have talked about it.

“One thing is certain: as soon as the first ball rolls, the focus is on soccer. At the Olympic Games, as soon as the torch is lit, the focus is on sports. Today, the build-up has been greater and the media has become more aggressive on every issue, somewhat because of social networks. But even if sometimes people lack a little perspective, as soon as the sport starts, the sport becomes the hero.”

Payne also noted the critical change in the way fans are now part of the and not simply quiet observers, as in the role of social media:

“It’s incredibly important. It allows fans to express their opinions, connect with other fans or friends, respond and participate. They are no longer passive, but become active participants in the debate.

“This is very interesting for the media in particular. Fans can react and comment not only on sports but on all aspects of the media. This is positive!”

Payne sees the future for all forms of media to work toward a closer link with their audiences, to become more involved and therefore more attached to the medium or outlet which has drawn their interest.

3.
Qatar’s Emir questions campaign against it as World Cup host

On Monday, the Human Rights Watch organization posted a lengthy story starting with “Qatar Preventive Security Department forces have arbitrarily arrested lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and subjected them to ill-treatment in detention.”

On Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, called into question the continuous criticism of the country in a televised speech to the national legislature, including:

“Since we won the honour of hosting the World Cup, Qatar has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign that no host country has ever faced.

“We initially dealt with the matter in good faith, and even considered that some criticism was positive and useful, helping us to develop aspects of ours that need to be developed.

“But it soon became clear to us that the campaign continues, expands and includes fabrication and double standards, until it reached a level of ferocity that made many question, unfortunately, about the real reasons and motives behind this campaign.”

He added:

“This is a great test for a country the size of Qatar that impresses the whole world with what it has already achieved and is achieving.”

This includes significant labor reforms, but activists have been calling for many more changes in Qatari law, procedures and compensation for the impact of laws that have been changed, as well as injuries to workers on the World Cup construction projects.

Sheikh Tamim’s comments mirror those of Nasser Al Khater, chief executive of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the Delivery and Legacy of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, from a mid-October interview with Sky News. Asked if he thought the unending criticism of Qatar since its selection was racist, Al Khater replied, rather diplomatically:

“I’m not going to get into what the intentions of other people are, I’m not going to get into the minds and souls of other people. But you know, who knows? Possibly.”

The Associated Press reported Tuesday on a one-man protest by a British activist against jailing of gays, and subsequent claims that “he was arrested but later acknowledged that police had only briefly questioned him on the sidewalk.”

The Qatar authorities said the arrest claim was “completely false,” and that “An individual standing in a traffic roundabout was cordially and professionally asked to move to the sidewalk, no arrests were made.”

The FIFA World Cup begins on 20 November.

4.
Russia sees new sports organization four times bigger than IOC

Russian chatter disparaging the Olympic Movement and talking a new sports organization to challenge the International Olympic Committee continues non-stop, with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko saying Monday in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin:

“Also as part of your [16 September] proposal is the creation of an association of sports organizations [of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation].

“You see the number of participants, the potential audience of the population involved is four billion people – just our future audience – not the segment that serves the International Olympic Committee, about a billion.

“It’s a shame, of course, but I think everything will go back to normal.”

The SCO was founded in 2001 as an economic and security collective, with Russia and China as the prime movers, but also including India, Pakistan and the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are “observers.”

The chorus singing the praises of the idea of an anti-IOC sports organization was added to by Irina Viner, head of the All-Russia Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, who told the Russian news agency TASS (DeepL.com translation):

“We have a change of focus now. We are rearranging our work for interaction with members of the SCO, BRICS [Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa] and other countries that treat us in a friendly and respectful way. We need to host as many competitions as possible in our country, and we are doing so. All the World Cups that we had in the past years, we now make in Russia. They are open, they have a pretty decent representation of different athletes from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, China, Mexico, Syria, Belarus.

“In addition, all regions of our country cultivate and do rhythmic gymnastics. We’ve never had so many countries at the World Cup, and every region of Russia is like a whole country in terms of both territory and skill level. When we have the Cup of Russia, Russian Championship or club competitions, we have a huge representation of different regions, it’s comparable to the world championship. The competition is very big, and if we have different countries at these competitions, it will be the Olympic Games. We can call them something else: the SCO Games, the BRICS Games, the Games of another community, which we will be related to, but they will not be at a lower level than the one where we are not allowed to go now.”

Fact check: Contrary to the silly “a billion” comment about the reach of the Olympic Games were the recently-released reports on the actual viewing audiences for the Tokyo 2020 Games – held in 2021 – of 3.05 billion, and February’s Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, which drew 2.01 billion.

5.
U.S. skater Bates frustrated over Valieva verdict secrecy

Amid the furor over Russian star skater Kamila Valieva’s positive drug test reported during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games last February, the results of the Team Event in figure skating were not finalized and no medals were awarded.

Last week’s announcement by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency that it would not be announcing the verdict of its Disciplinary Committee continued leaving the skaters who represented Russia (first in the standings), the U.S. (second) and Japan (third), plus Canada in fourth, in limbo.

American Evan Bates, who with Ice Dance partner Madison Chock, won the Free Dance segment of the Team Event, told reporters after their win at last weekend’s Skate America:

“It’s been so frustrating. Extremely disappointing to be at this point, eight months later, and to still have it so shrouded in secrecy. And I feel like, you know, as a base line we should hope for transparency, and not only for the public but especially for the athletes involved. It seems only right.

“[The RUSADA announcement] was hugely disappointing, but it seems to be growing and becoming exponentially more disappointing as the days and months go by and there’s no resolution, and the most recent release by RUSADA about not making anything public compounds the frustration quite a bit. We’re just waiting like the rest of us to hear.

“Again, like, 19 athletes or however many are waiting for their medals all competed clean, and I think we’ve been pretty respectfully quiet through these months.”

The Skate America opener of the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix circuit drew modest U.S. television audiences on cable last weekend. While most of the coverage was on NBC’s Peacock streaming service, the television broadcasts on cable drew (per Nielsen):

● 200,000 on Friday night for the Short Program for Men and Pairs, on USA Network;

● 233,000 on Saturday evening for the Free Skate for Men and Pairs, on USA Network, and

● 200,000 on Sunday afternoon for the women’s Free Skate and Free Dance on E!

Showing once again the continuing power of the over-the-air network, the Saturday afternoon show on NBC with the Rhythm Dance and women’s Short Program drew 760,000, more than the three cable shows combined.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

● Rugby ● The 15-a-side Women’s Rugby World Cup has reached the playoff stage in New Zealand, with the hosts, Canada and England all undefeated in pool play.

The quarterfinals will pit France (2-1) against Italy (2-1) and New Zealand (3-0) and Wales (1-2) in the upper half of the bracket on 29th October, in Whangarei. The bottom of the bracket – in Auckland on the 30th – has England (3-0) against Australia (2-1) and Canada (3-0) playing the 1-2 U.S. team that finished third in Group C. The Canadians already beat the U.S., 29-14, in group play.

The semifinals will follow on 5 November and the medal matches on 12 November, all in Auckland.

Attendance in the group phase – 18 games – was 34,235, or an average of 1,902 per match.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paris 2024 ● French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told a French Senate committee that the Opening Ceremony on the Seine River will host the promoted 600,000 spectators.

Some 100,000 will be able to watch from the river banks and will purchase tickets for their places, while the other 500,000 will be able to watch for free from the street level.

Security will be provided by 35,000 guards, plus 3,000 private security provided by the Paris 2024 organizing committee. During the Games proper, “an average of 30,000 police and gendarmes” will be on duty daily.

● Alpine Skiing ● The back half of the daring, across-two-countries World Cup Downhill to start in Zermatt (SUI) and finish in Cervinia (ITA) was canceled due to a lack of snow and the resulting safety concerns.

After the men’s 29-30 October races were called off last week, FIS announced Tuesday that the 5-6 November women’s races in the “Matterhorn Cervino Speed Opening” had to be canceled and will not be replaced.

● Football ● As part of a plan to return Chinese women’s football to elite status, the country’s General Administration of Sport announced its intention to bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031.

China has hosted the event twice, starting with the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991 and also in 2007. The Chinese women placed fourth in 1995, won Olympic silver in 1996 in Atlanta, and famously made the 1999 Women’s World Cup final against the U.S. in 1999 and played to a scoreless tie at the Rose Bowl, but lost on penalty kicks, 5-4.

The new plan, called the Chinese Women’s Football Reform and Development Programme, aims for a top-eight finish at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, then in the final four at the 2027 Women’s World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games and as medal winners in a home 2031 World Cup and at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

● Skating ● Buried at the bottom of a summary of the International Skating Union Council meeting in Geneva (SUI) that finished on 12 October was the flip side of the continuing ban on Russian and Belarusian skaters:

“Further to the support for the Ukrainian Skating Federations and their members announced in Communication No. 2466, the Council has decided to secure an additional budget of Swiss Francs 200’000 with the purpose of supporting the Skaters from Ukraine who are living and training outside Ukraine.”

This is about $200,882 U.S.; the exact distribution between the disciplines will be determined in cooperation with the ISU’s Development Commission.

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TSX REPORT: New Russian 2012 doper may elevate U.S.’s Demus; USA Gym names women’s Worlds team; is the UIPM riding vs. obstacle fight missing the point?

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Lashinda Demus on her way to a silver medal in the women's 400 m hurdles at the 2009 World Championships. Following a doping positive by the London 2012 winner, she might be upgraded to Olympic Champion! (Photo: Andre Zehetbauer via Wikipedia).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Russian Antyukh disqualified for doping, with U.S.’s Demus in line for gold
2. Jones leads U.S. women’s Worlds gymnastics squad
3. FIFA sells 2023 Women’s World Cup rights in 28 European countries
4. What does it mean to be an IOC member?
5. Pentathlon fed promotes its athlete view, but is everyone actually off-topic?

London 2012 women’s 400 m hurdles gold medalist Natalia Antyukh was found to be doping during the Games period and was disqualified by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and if confirmed, would elevate American Lashinda Demus to Olympic Champion. USA Gymnastics named its 2022 World Championships women’s team, led by national All-Around champ Shilese Jones and including Olympic veterans Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles. After complaining about the television rights offers from the larger European nations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the federation announced the sale of rights to 28 smaller European countries on Monday. France’s David Lappartient, the head of the International Cycling Federation (UCI) said in an interview that being a member of the International Olympic Committee gives him access to data he would not otherwise be able to access, even as the head of a major federation. The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) circulated a declaration of its own Athletes Commission in favor of obstacle-course racing as the replacement for riding, but is the fight over the fifth discipline actually missing the IOC’s core issues concerning the sport’s Olympic future?

1.
Russian Antyukh disqualified for doping, with U.S.’s Demus in line for gold

Yet another Russian doping positive from the 2012 London Olympic Games has been announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit, this time in a tweet:

“Following AIU charges based on LIMS data, Russian athlete Natalia Antyukh has been banned for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method. DQ results from 15 July 2012 until 29 June 2013.”

The decision was actually made by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which informed the AIU.

Antyukh was the gold medalist in the 400 m hurdles, running the fastest times in the heats, semis and then taking over the final in mid-race from American Lashinda Demus and winning in a lifetime best of 52.70, moving Antyukh to no. 6 all-time. Demus, the 2011 World Champion in the event, was second in a seasonal best of 52.77.

The AIU announcement refers to the information provided to the World Anti-Doping Agency (and passed on to the AIU and the relevant national federations) from the infamous “Laboratory Information Management System” (LIMS) of the Moscow Laboratory of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, headquarters of the state-sponsored doping program from 2011-15.

Antyukh was previously held to be doping in 2013 in a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision announced in April 2021. Her results from 30 June 2013 to 31 December 2015 were nullified and she did not compete internationally after June 2014; she is still banned through 6 April 2025.

The new doping charge, which can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, extends the period of nullified results back to 15 July 2012 and includes the London Games, where the women’s 400 m hurdles were held from 5-8 August. Antyukh’s lifetime best will move back to 52.92 from 2010.

If the RUSADA decision is endorsed by the International Olympic Committee, Demus will become the London 2012 gold medalist, with Zuzana Hejnova (CZE: 53.88) moving up to silver and Jamaican Kaliese Spencer taking the bronze (53.66). Hejnova went on to win the World Championships golds in the event in 2013 and 2015.

If Demus, now 39, is declared the London 2012 winner, it will give her an Olympic gold to go with her 2011 Worlds gold, Worlds silvers in 2005 and 2009 and a bronze in 2013. She made the U.S. Olympic team in the 400 m hurdles in 2004 in Athens, but did not progress beyond the semifinals.

Reuters reported that the Antyukh disqualification is the ninth doping sanction against Russian medalists in track & field at London 2012 (there were many others who did not medal). Previous disqualifications include Mariya Savinova (women’s 800 m gold), Olga Kaniskina (20 km walk gold), Svetlana Shkolina (high jump bronze), Darya Pishchalnikova (discus bronze), Tatyana Lysenko (hammer gold) and Tatyana Chernova (heptathlon bronze), and men’s medal winners Sergey Kirdyapkin (50 km walk gold) and Ivan Ukhov (high jump gold).

2.
Jones leads U.S. women’s Worlds gymnastics squad

The USA Gymnastics women’s squad for the FIG World Artistic Championships in Liverpool (GBR) starting on the 29th was finally determined in a closed camp setting in Katy, Texas over the weekend, with plenty of familiar faces:

● Skye Blakely, Pan Am Championships 2022 All-Around bronze; U.S. Nationals 2022 All-Around sixth.

● Jade Carey, Tokyo Olympic champ on Floor, eighth in the All-Around and on Vault; 2019 Worlds Team gold and Vault silver; 2017 Worlds silvers on Vault and Floor.

● Jordan Chiles, Tokyo Olympic Team silver; 2017 U.S. Nationals All-Around silver, third in 2021 and 2022.

● Shilese Jones, 2022 Nationals All-Around silver medalist and winner on Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise.

● Leanne Wong, 2021 Worlds All-Around silver, Floor Exercise bronze and fourth on Beam; 2019 Pan Am Games Team gold.

Lexi Zeiss, 16, will be the traveling alternate; she was seventh at the U.S. Nationals All-Around.

During the Friday All-Around competition, Jones was the winner at 56.700, followed by Chiles (56.100), Carey (55.450), Blakely (54.650) and Wong (53.250). Jones won the Vault (14.500) and Uneven Bars (14.500), Carey won on Beam (13.750) and Chiles took the Floor Exercise at 14.250.

Only three events were held on Saturday, with Jones scoring 14.600 to win on the Uneven Bars. Blakely led on Beam (14.550) and Addison Fatta was tops on Floor Exercise (13.700).

The Liverpool squad has some experience, with Carey and Wong having competed at the Worlds previously and Chiles and Carey both members of the Tokyo Olympic team.

3.
FIFA sells 2023 Women’s World Cup rights in 28 European countries

Just days after FIFA’s Chief Business Officer Romy Gai (ITA) reported refusing broadcast rights offers from major European countries for the 32-nation 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the federation announced a deal with 28 European countries with the European Broadcasting Union on behalf of free-to-air public broadcasting companies in:

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.

That’s 28 of the 55 members of the European football federation UEFA; of these, only Ireland and Switzerland are qualified for the tournament. The deal does not cover 15 major federations, including nine qualifiers and one in a playoff for a spot:

● Denmark (qualified)
● England (qualified)
● Finland
● France (qualified)
● Germany (qualified)
● Greece
● Italy (qualified)
● The Netherlands (qualified)
● Norway (qualified)
● Poland
● Portugal (in playoff)
● Scotland
● Spain (qualified)
● Sweden (qualified)
● Wales

In addition, there are 12 smaller or troubled markets also remaining for rights sales, including Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Israel, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, Russia, San Marino, and Ukraine.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) told reporters at the Women’s World Cup Draw over the weekend that the event could cost $400 million (U.S.) to stage and he hopes the federation will break even.

The tournament, being held in Australia and New Zealand kicks off on 20 July 2023. Negotiations with the large European broadcasters are complicated by the time difference: Paris is nine hours behind Sydney and 11 hours behind Auckland, so night games will kick off before noon in central Europe and day games will be seen in the wee hours of the morning. Although unavoidable, that won’t help with viewership.

4.
What does it mean to be an IOC member?

The French-language FrancsJeux.com site asked David Lappartient (FRA), the President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, what it actually means to be a member of the International Olympic Committee, in many ways a smaller role than being the head of a large international federation.

Just elected at the Beijing Winter Games Session in 2022, Lappartient said:

“I knew the IOC, I attended the Sessions in my capacity as president of the UCI. Becoming a Member allows you to be better recognized, to really feel like you belong to this big family.

“For the rest, the difference is not very great, except that I can now express myself, I have access to documents and information which are not available to the presidents of International Federations. Since my election last February, there has not been a new Session. But my membership of the IOC comes with new positions in the Olympic movement: I am a member of the board of directors of the [French National Olympic Committee] and I sit on the board of directors of the Paris 2024 [organizing committee].”

Asked about his role as an IOC member and UCI chief:

“I feel very concerned by the development of the values conveyed by sport, and everything that can be done through these values, especially today in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Ultimately, the Games are only a tool at the service of this ideal. They were designed with this in mind. I also like diplomacy through sport. At the UCI, we were leaders in the international effort to evacuate athletes and officials from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over Kabul. We have succeeded where the political world had failed.”

And as for carrying the flag of the UCI?

“[Y]ou don’t join the IOC to defend your sport or your international federation. We do it to carry our values.”

5.
Pentathlon fed promotes its athlete view,
but is everyone actually off-topic?

With the Olympic future of a sport not presently on the program of the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad in Los Angeles in 2028 hanging in the balance, the back-and-forth between the Union Internationale de Penathlon Moderne (UIPM) and the Pentathlon United athlete group continues.

In response to Pent United’s announcement of multiple motions for the forthcoming UIPM Congress on 11-12 November, the federation distributed a statement by its Athletes Commission, calling for acquiescence to the replacement of riding with obstacle course as a fifth discipline, to go along with fencing, swimming and the laser-run combo of shooting and running.

It included:

● “In December 2021, the UIPM Athletes Committee had a meeting with senior decision-makers from the International Olympic Committee. We were told, in no uncertain terms, that if the Modern Pentathlon format proposed for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games included Riding, it would not be successful – and we all know what exclusion from the Olympics would mean for our sport.”

● “[W]e have unanimously reached the conclusion that Obstacle Discipline is the only way forward for Modern Pentathlon. Not only that, we believe it can be much more than a source of salvation, and actually can transform the global popularity, accessibility and commercial appeal of our sport.”

● “We will all miss our Riding discipline when it is consigned to the past, but we urge all athletes who care about the future of Modern Pentathlon to move forward, embrace change and stand together to seize the unique opportunity now in front of us.”

● “Today, with leading pentathletes from around the world declaring solidarity with the Athletes Committee’s stance, we launch a new movement entitled #OurFuture.

“#OurFuture gives a voice to athletes who may not have felt comfortable revealing their true feelings, or even joining a conversation about the pros and cons of the change, because of the negativity expressed in some quarters. We will continue to listen to all opinions, but we cannot let negativity become the reason we fail to save our beloved sport.”

The frothy point-counterpoint argument between the UIPM and Pent United may be unbecoming, but it’s quite real and deeply felt within the sport. And it isn’t going away.

Observed: The UIPM Athletes Commission statement simply mirrors what the federation’s leadership has been saying: if riding is maintained, modern pentathlon is off the Olympic program.

The back-and-forth between the UIPM and the Pent United group obscures the IOC’s instructions to “demonstrate a significant reduction in cost and complexity and an improvement across the areas of safety, accessibility, universality and appeal for young people and the general public.”

There are arguments to be made on retaining riding and for changing to obstacle. Riding is accessible, as shown by the presence of equestrian in the Olympic Games, with 137 national federation members. Obstacle courses seem easier to install, but the sport at the international level is so small that it isn’t even a “recognized sport” by the IOC and wasn’t even included in the 2022 World Games – the showcase for could-be-Olympic sports – held in Birmingham, Alabama this summer. But is this the IOC’s fault?; more on this below.

Critically, the continuing argument over riding vs. obstacle misses the IOC’s request to know how modern pentathlon is going to improve “universality and appeal for young people and the general public.”

Translation: not many people care about this sport, so why should we bother? The riding vs. obstacle debate has completely eliminated any explanation of how a change to obstacle is going to make kids want try modern pentathlon. And UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang (CHN) underscored the problem in a recent post, which included:

“And the hard fact is that UIPM Laser Run events have reached around 100 countries, while the full Modern Pentathlon has only reached half of them.”

While the UIPM says horse availability is an issue, why isn’t it an issue for equestrian? The two federations have almost the same number of members: 137 for the FEI and 131 for UIPM. Where’s the disconnect?

The Pent United folks contend that keeping riding in the sport maintains the format created by Olympic Movement founder Pierre de Coubertin (FRA) for the 1912 Games in Stockholm, and says the UIPM is responsible for not promoting the sport over the last 30 years or more. But, focused on the riding vs obstacle issue, it has not put forth its own promotional plan that fixes the lack-of-interest difficulty.

Is the IOC part of the problem? Back in November 2021 – before the IOC’s announcement about the 2028 program – the UIPM listed 13 criteria for a new fifth discipline which it stated “must” be met, but interestingly cited the UIPM Innovation Commission as the source of the requirements. One of them – and it’s a killer – is that the new discipline must “[n]ot fall under the governance of another IOC-recognized International Federation.” Why?

If that’s an IOC requirement, it makes little sense, as the other elements of even a revised pentathlon would include fencing, swimming and running (and maybe shooting), all governed by other IFs. Is this something that the UIPM Innovation Commission decided on, by itself?

There was wide discussion after the Tokyo Games horse-punching incident of swapping riding for cycling, which is the obvious cure to the accessibility and cost issues, but maintains the spirit of de Coubertin’s five elements from the early 20th Century. But whose requirement was it not to have an IOC-recognized federation involved?

The IOC is watching all of this and seems to hope for an insightful proposal from the UIPM. But that seems to be more of a question than anything else, heading into November’s Congress.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Curling ● Canada defeated home team Scotland to win the WCF Mixed Team Championship in Aberdeen (SCO) on Saturday.

After a 4-4 tie through four ends in the final, Canadian skip Jean-Michel Menard guided his squad to a 6-4 lead with single points in the fifth, sixth and seventh ends and the Scots conceded after the eighth. Switzerland won the bronze medal with a 6-4 win over Sweden.

It’s the third straight World title for Canada in this non-Olympic event, each with a completely different team!

● Shooting ● Team events dominated Monday’s competitions at the ISSF World Championships in Rifle and Pistol in Cairo (EGY), with China winning two golds.

China’s Ranxin Jiang and Bowen Zhang won the Mixed 50 m Pistol gold, defeating Mongolia, 17-9, and Yuehong Li, Zhiming Lu and Jueming Zhang scored a 16-6 victory over Ukraine in the men’s 25 m Team Pistol gold-medal match.

The Norwegian pair of Jenny Stene and Simon Clausson also won a 17-9 decision in the final of the Mixed 50 m Rifle/3 Positions.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Cycling ● The Afghan Women’s Road Championships were remarkably held on a 57 km course in and around Aigle, Switzerland on Sunday, with sisters Farima Hashimi and Yulduz Hashimi finishing 1-2, both timed in 1:32:40.

There were 50 Afghan riders, coming from countries across Europe, Canada and Singapore to race, under conditions that would have been impossible in their homeland. And the race had future implications as the Hashimi sisters were both offered a contract with the professional team Israel Premier Tech Roland for next season!

● Sport Climbing ● The new Paris 2024 event combining Boulder and Lead was tried for only the second time at the final IFSC World Cup of the 2022 season, in Morioka, Japan from 20-22 October.

Only previously tried at the European Championships, the rest of the world had an opportunity to try the new combination, as Speed will be a separate event in Paris.

Japan swept both the men’s and women’s titles, with home stars Tomoa Narasaki (three-time World Champion; 156.4), Yoshiyuki Ogata (138.4) and Kokoro Fujii (132.6) taking the medals. Japan’s Ai Mori – the 2019 Worlds bronze medalist in Lead – won the women’s event with 190.9 points to 171.2 for American Natalia Grossman and 131.8 for Korean Chae-hyun Seo. American Brooke Raboutou was fourth (126.0).

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TSX REPORT: Russia will not reveal Valieva doping verdict; Pent United on offense on modern pentathlon and LA28; U.S. wins three at Skate America

By
Rich Perelman
-
American teen Ilia Malinin during his winning Free Skate performance at Skate America (Photo: International Skating Union)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. RUSADA announces no announcement coming in Valieva case
2. Iranian climber Rekabi reportedly under house arrest
3. Pent United on offense against UIPM and new fifth discipline
4. U.S. women draw Dutch, Vietnam for FIFA World Cup 2023
5. Our exclusive, 951-event international sports calendar now posted!

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency, citing figure skater Kamila Valieva’s minor status, announced it would not release its decision on her doping case that inflamed the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The outcome will, of course, be known from other sources such as the World Anti-Doping Agency, but the Russians will say nothing. In the meantime, Valieva won the Russian Grand Prix stage held in Moscow over the weekend. The BBC reported that Iran sport climber Elnaz Rekabi was placed under house arrest after her return to Tehran from the Asian Championships after she did not wear her headscarf during the final. This despite the Iranian National Olympic Committee giving assurances that no action would be taken against her. The Pent United athletes group is on offense ahead of the November Congress of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), with multiple national federations filing motions to advance its agenda, including retaining riding as part of the sport. Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Joe Choong (GBR) said in an Instagram post that the IOC did not ask the federation to replace riding, but to make the sport cost raise its profile and lower its costs. The draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 was completed over the weekend, with the U.S. women – ranked no. 1 – to face the Netherlands, Vietnam and the winner of a playoff in Group E.

Our exclusive, 951-event International Sports Calendar – through October 2023 – is now available, and free!

1.
RUSADA announces no announcement coming in Valieva case

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency said on Friday that as figure skater Kamila Valieva is still a minor, it will provide no information on the hearing concerning doping positive revealed during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games:

“In order to protect the interests of the figure skater, a member of the ROC team, who is a protected person [minor], RUSADA declares that in accordance with paragraph 4.1 of the International Standard for Results Management, all processes and procedures related to Results Management, including the charge and the final decision, are confidential.”

“Strictly following the principles of international and Russian anti-doping standards, as well as taking into account the facts and circumstances of the case, RUSADA does not intend to announce the date of the hearings, the decision or other details in the case of the figure skater – a member of the [Russian Olympic Committee] team.”

Although unnamed, this is clearly the Valieva case, with the Russian news agency TASS adding:

“RUSADA’s Disciplinary Committee is set to notify Valieva of the verdict in her case on the day of its announcement and all following statements in this regard should be made by the athlete herself or her official representatives.”

RUSADA Director General Veronika Loginova indicated previously the hearing would be held in October, but gave no date. The reaction to the announcement that there would be no announcement was quick:

● ARD Germany’s Hajo Seppelt, who has chased doping stories for decades, tweeted:

“They lie and lie and lie and lie … always the same by RUS: RUSADA says Valieva doping verdict will be kept confidential – with absurd reasoning Won’t work. Anyway… A desperate (but obviously stupid) move to try to keep Olympic gold in team event.”

● The World Anti-Doping Agency told TASS:

“WADA will carefully consider RUSADA’s decision in this case and reserves the right to appeal it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, if appropriate.”

● Valieva, now 16, and competing in the Russian Grand Prix, told reporters:

“I won’t say anything about it.”

● U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart told USA Today that WADA, the International Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union must make the decision and all available details public as soon as possible:

“Short of this, it’s impossible for athletes or the public to believe what happened at the 2022 Beijing Games was real and not just another fraudulent win by the Russians like so many before, as the evidence has clearly shown. …

“Certainly, keeping the decision and facts secret makes a mockery of the whole process and there is no wonder athletes and the public do not trust the global WADA anti-doping system.”

Still in limbo – now for eight months – amid the controversy are the American (2nd place), Japanese (3rd) and Canadian (4th) squads from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games Team Event, won by Russia, but for which no medal ceremony has been held, pending the outcome of the inquiry into Valieva’s doping positive. Her 25 December 2021 sample came back positive, but was forwarded only after the Team Event was concluded in Beijing; she was initially suspended by RUSADA, but reinstated by its Disciplinary Committee and allowed to compete in the women’s competition by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (she finished fourth).

On Sunday, Valieva won the women’s division of the Russian Grand Prix in Moscow, scoring 244.86 points, ahead of Sofia Akatieva (238.68). Valieva won the Short Program and was second to Akatieva in the Free Skate. Valieva told TASS (DeepL.com translation from Russian):

“Emotionally I was fine. I have read a lot of snide remarks about me and my coaches; let’s leave it at that. But it was hard, it was normal, it was like I was going through it for the first time. And when you get it rolling, it gets calmer. I’m happy to share it, I’m ready to roll this program, if I wasn’t ready, I would have said so.

“The fans’ opinion doesn’t affect me. I only care about the opinion of my coaches and people in authority, I’m not a flower to please everyone.”

She plans to compete next in the third leg of the Russian Grand Prix from 4-6 November, in Kazan.

2.
Iranian climber Rekabi reportedly under house arrest

While a International Federation of Sport Climbing statement issued on Wednesday (19th) noted assurances from the Iranian National Olympic Committee “that [climber Elnaz] Rekabi will not suffer any consequences,” the BBC’s Persian service reported that she has been placed under house arrest on her return to Tehran.

Rekabi did not wear a headscarf (hijab) during the Asian Championships in Seoul, where she placed fourth in the combined Boulder and Lead event, which has special significance after the 16 September death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody after being arrested for “allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely.”

Her Instagram page showed a post in which she said that her headscarf fell off by accident, but it is not clear that Rekabi made the post, or that it was done for her. The BBC reported that while she received a hero’s welcome at the Tehran airport upon her return, she was forced into a confession. Instead of going home, “she was held at the national Olympics academy under the watch of plainclothes officers until she met [sports minister Hamid Sajjadi].”

The IFSC World Cup schedule has been completed for 2022 and Iran has no entrants for the final Asia Continental Cup event in Manila (PHI) on 5-6 November, so Rekabi will not be seen in any international competition until next April.

3.
Pent United on offense against UIPM and new fifth discipline

The next chapter in the ongoing tug-of-war for the future of modern pentathlon will be written at the 2022 Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Congress in Guatemala (and online) on 12-13 November, with the Pent United athlete group trying to keep riding as one of the five disciplines, and all sides trying to figure out how to restore the sport to the program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Since the Tokyo Games and the horse-punching incident revolving around German pentathlete Annika Schleu and an unwilling horse, Saint Boy, the UIPM leadership has moved ahead with a place to replace riding with obstacle course running. But the Pent United group isn’t budging, and is now moving on offense ahead of the Congress. In a tweet last week, the group wrote:

“It is now less than 4 weeks until the UIPM Congress when we hope that our National Federations will represent us and do the rights things to save our sport. … We have motions before Congress that can fix our sport. … These motions have come from a range of different National Federations, including Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Australia, Sweden and Denmark.”

On governance, the tweet cites seven motions, including a no-confidence vote in UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER; first elected in 1993), a 12-year limit for all elected persons, a financial reporting review, suspension of Russian and Belarusian national federations and officials, and disclosure of commercial agreements with any third parties, especially regarding the obstacle course test events and any relationship with the Tokyo Broadcasting System and its Ninja Warrior series.

On trying to get the sport back onto the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the motions including reincorporating a revamped riding program, a strategic alliance with the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and an opportunity for the Pent United group to address the Congress.

A motion from eight federations, led by Georgia, asks to keep Modern Pentathlon with riding as a non-Olympic event!

On the central question of whether the change away from riding to something else was requested by the International Olympic Committee, Finnish coach Jouko Pakarinen tweeted last week that IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) told Tokyo Olympic champ Joe Choong (GBR, shared in an Instagram post) “that the IOC never asked the UIPM to remove riding:

“‘Kit McConnell confirmed that the IOC did not explicitly or officially request the removal of horse riding, however the IOC confirmed to the UIPM the need to improve accessibility, attractiveness and reduce the cost and complexity of the sport. The IOC therefore supports the UIPM in looking to innovate while reducing cost and complexity of the sport.’”

That’s not a riding problem, that’s a cost and marketing problem, for which trading obstacle course for riding is at best a tactic and not a strategy. The tug-of-war continues.

4.
U.S. women draw Dutch, Vietnam for FIFA World Cup 2023

The draw for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, was concluded on Saturday in Auckland, New Zealand, with the no. 1-ranked American women in Group E with the Netherlands, Vietnam and a team to be determined. The groups and current world rankings:

● Group A: New Zealand (22), Norway (12), Philippines (53), Switzerland (21)

● Group B: Australia (13), Canada (7), Ireland (24), Nigeria (45)

● Group C: Spain (6), Costa Rica (37), Japan (11), Zambia (81)

● Group D: England (4), China (15), Denmark (18), play-off winner among Senegal (84), Haiti (56) and Chile (38)

● Group E: United States (1), Netherlands (8), Vietnam (34), play-off winner among Portugal (23), Cameroon (58) and Thailand (41).

● Group F: France (5), Brazil (9), Jamaica (43), play-off winner among Chinese Taipei (40), Paraguay (51), Papua New Guinea (50) and Panama (57)

● Group G: Sweden (2), Argentina (29), Italy (14), South Africa (54)

● Group H: Germany (3), Colombia (27), Morocco (76), South Korea (17)

The U.S. and the Netherlands played in the 2019 World Cup Final and the Americans enter as the two-time defending World Cup champions. If the U.S. should win Group E, it would face the Group G runner-up (Italy?) in the Round of 16 and then either Group A winner (Norway?) or Group C runner-up (Japan?) in the quarterfinals. The U.S. could see Spain or Sweden in the semifinals.

The tournament, which opens on 20 July 2023, has been expanded from 24 teams to 32 for the first time ever and figures to be the most competitive yet. The American women have won a medal in all eight prior World Cups, winning in 1991-99-2015-19, runner-up in 2011 and third in 1995-2003-07.

5.
Our exclusive, 951-event international sports calendar
now posted!

The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to cause chaos, including within the international sports calendar. But sport goes on, and as your guide, here’s our exclusive 951-event listing for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023 (as 20 October 2022), with a few of the larger events beyond to 2028.

Our updated International Sports Calendar focuses on sports and events on the Olympic and Winter Games program for 2024 and 2026, plus a few other meetings and multi-sports events..

Two calendars are included in the single PDF download: an 20-page listing in chronological order and a 21-page listing by sport (and in date order within each sport).

It’s free! Get your download right now here!

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Break Dancing ● Japan dominated the women’s competition at the World Breaking Championships in Seoul (KOR) with 2019 World Champion Yuasa Ami (“Ami”) winning a second title, this time over China’s Qing-Yi Liu (“B-Girl 671″). Defending champion Ayumi Fukushima (“Ayumi” – JPN) took the bronze.

Canada’s Philip Kim (“Phil Wizard”) defeated Japan’s Shigeyuki Nakarai (“Shigekix”) in the men’s championship final, 8-1, 3-6, 9-0 to win the gold. Defending champ Victor Montalvo (“Victor” – USA) won the bronze.

● Football ● The U.S. women’s U-17 team was eliminated by Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup being held in India.

The American women had given up only one goal (vs. 13 scored) in group play, but Nigeria’s Omamuzo Edafe scored on a penalty kick in the 27th minute to go up, 1-0. The U.S. tied it in the 40th minute on a Amalia Villareal goal, but that was the end of the scoring in regulation. Nigeria won on penalty kicks, 4-3, and moves onto to the semis to face Colombia, a 3-0 winner over Tanzania.

Germany defeated Brazil, 2-0 in the lower half of the bracket and will play Spain in the semis, a 2-1 winner over Japan. The semis will be on 26 October and the medal matches on the 30th.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Championships in Cairo (EGY) are headed into their final week, with the Chinese continuing a strong performance.

Veteran Ukrainian star Serhiy Kulish, the 2021 World Cup Final winner, took the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions title with an impressive, 16-6, final performance over 2018 World Champion Tomasz Bartnik (POL). In the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions, 22-year-old newcomer Wanru Miao (CHN) won the gold, defeating Norway’s Tokyo Olympian Jenny Stene, 17-13, in the final.

Norway captured the men’s Team gold in the 50 m Rifle/3 Positions final, 16-12, over France. Germany took the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions Team event, scoring a 16-4 win over Switzerland.

Korea was brilliant in the Pistol events, with 2018 World Junior silver medalist Gun-hyeok Lee winning the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol final, 31-30, over France’s Clement Bessaguet, the seventh placer from Tokyo 2020.

Korea’s Jang-mi Kim, the 2012 London Olympic winner, defeated China’s Yan Chen and German’s 2018 Worlds bronze medalist, Doreen Vennekamp, 32-31-22, in the women’s 25 m Pistol final. Chen came back to get a gold in the women’s 25 m Pistol Team event, with China whitewashing India, 16-0, in the final.

In the non-Olympic 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol Mixed Team event, Ukraine defeated India, 16-14.

The shooting continues through the 27th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Paris 2024 ● During a short presentation during the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul (KOR), the Paris 2024 organizers gave an update heavy on logistical issues and timelines.

Of general note, however, was that the organizing committees has now signed 25 commercial partners, and nine official supporters and has passed the 1,000 mark in total staff, with a little less than two years to go.

The next major announcement will be the Games mascots, in about two weeks.

● Russia ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) Council met in Soelden (AUT) on Saturday (22nd), with a clear decision on Russia and Belarus throughout the 2022-23 season:

“The FIS Council decided, with due regard to the integrity of FIS competitions and for the safety of all participants, and in line with IOC recommendations, to continue its policy to not allow Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes, to participate in all FIS competitions.”

● Alpine Skiing ● Saturday’s FIS World Cup season opener – the women’s Giant Slalom – on the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden (AUT) … was canceled, due to rain and wet snow, resulting in a surface that was too soft for racing.

The surface hardened enough for Sunday’s men’s race, with Switzerland’s two-time Soelden champ and reigning World Cup champ, Marco Odermatt winning his third straight in 2:04.72, 0.76 ahead of Zan Kranjec (SLO) and 0.97 over Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR). It’s Odermatt’s 12th career World Cup win, with eight in Giant Slaloms. American Tommy Ford was seventh (2:05.88).

One of the most anticipated races of the new season, the across-two-countries men’s World Cup Downhill to start in Zermatt (SUI) and finish in Cervinia (ITA) was canceled due to a lack of snow and the resulting safety concerns.

Although the men’s 29-30 October races of what is called the “Matterhorn Cervino Speed Opening” were canceled, there is hope that the following week’s women’s event can be held. That decision is expected on Tuesday.

● Badminton ● China dominated the BWF World Tour Denmark Open, winning four of five finals, two of which were all-Chinese affairs. Yuqi Shi won the men’s title, and Bing Jiao He took the women’s crown. In the Doubles finals, China posted wins by Qing Chen Chen and Yifan Jia in the women’s division and Siwei Zhang and Yaqiong Huang in Mixed Doubles.

Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto scored a win over countrymen Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the men’s Doubles final.

● Curling ● No surprise that Team Edin – named for Swedish star Niklas Edin, skip of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Champions – won the Grand Slam of Curling men’s Tour Challenge, the second of six events this season. Team Edin out-scored Matt Dunstone (CAN) and his squad by 7-3 in the final in the strength of three points in the sixth end and three in the eighth. The surprise was that Edin was not with the squad and it was Oskar Ericsson who piloted the team to victory.

In the women’s final, the all-Canadian final had 2022 Worlds bronze medalist Kerri Einarson’s rink trying for a second straight win this season, against 2017 World Champion Rachel Homan. It was a 5-4 match through five ends, but Homan scored twice in the sixth end and once in the seventh to clinch an 8-4 victory. It’s Homan’s 12th career Grand Slam title.

● Diving ● A year after winning only two of the eight events on the FINA World Cup program, China rebounded strongly at the 2022 World Cup, held in Berlin (GER), winning eight of nine events, all except the Mixed Team Event … which they did not contest.

Tokyo silver medalist Zongyuan Wang (562.20) and Rio 2016 Olympic champ Yuan Cao (513.85) were 1-2 in the men’s 3 m Springboard; Tokyo silver medalist Jian Yang (537.70) and five-time Worlds medalist Hao Yang (472.20) went 1-2 on the 10 m Platform; Wang and Cao won the 3 m Synchronized title (442.68) and Junjie Lian and Yang won the 10 m Synchronized event (444.84). That’s four events and six medals.

World Championships bronze medalist Yani Chang (363.75) won the women’s 3 m Springboard, followed by teammate (and 2022 World Champion) Yiwen Chen (346.95); Tokyo silver medalist Yuxi Chen (449.85) and Tokyo winner Hongchan Quan (430.45) were 1-2 on the 10 m Platform; Chang and Yiwen Chen won the 3 m Synchro event (330.03) and Yuxi Chen and Quan won the 10 m Synchro gold (349.80). Four events and six medals for a total of 12 and the rest of the fields were really not competitive. Impressive, but not unexpected.

The U.S. had a good showing, with six medals overall. These included a bronze from Brandon Loschiavo in the men’s 10 m Platform, a silver from Tyler Downs and Greg Duncan in the men’s 3 m Synchro, a bronze for Nike Agunbiade in the women’s 10 m Platform, a bronze for Brooke Schultz and Kristen Hayden in the women’s 3m Synchro and a silver for Katrina Young and Agunbiade in the women’s 10 m Synchro.

The American team of Young, Hayden, Zach Cooper and Downs won the Mixed Team Event, 375.80-370.85, over Germany.

● Figure Skating ● The ISU Grand Prix season opener at Skate America was a coming-out party for the newest American star, 17-year-old Ilia Malinin, who won the men’s title convincingly at the Albright Performance Center in Norwood, Massachusetts.

Known as the “Quad God” for being the first to land the much-sought-after Quadruple Axel, Malinin stood fourth after the Short Program, but won the Free Skate by 16.06 points – even with a fall – to take the event at 280.37, with Kao Miura (JPN: 273.19) and Junhwan Cha (KOR: 264.05) following. Fellow American Liam Kapeikis was seventh (219.50). Said the winner:

“I felt great, it was a really good skate. I’m still in shock. I just know that I trusted my practice and it worked well. It was very important to forget what I did yesterday [Short Program] and just focus on the long.

“I was really well prepared going into the long. That gave me the confidence to try the quad Axel and I was able to pull it off. I was very happy with how I landed it. I just have to keep that same confidence with every competition I do.”

Japan’s 2022 World Champion Kaori Sakamoto only led American Isabeau Levito by 0.42 points going into the Free Skate, but emerged as a clear winner, 217.61-206.66, after the Free Skate, earning her third career Grand Prix victory. American Amber Glenn was third (197.61) and comebacking Sochi 2014 Team bronze medalist Gracie Gold was sixth overall at 174.09.

The U.S. scored wins in both Pairs and Ice Dance. The 2022 World Champions, Brandon Frazier and Alexa Knierim won both the Pairs Short Program and the Free Skate and scored 201.39 to edge Canadians Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (197.89). Americans Maria Mokhova and Ivan Mokhov were fourth (145.23) and Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez (143.55) were sixth.

Two-time Worlds bronze medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the Ice Dance over fellow Americans Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, overcoming a 3½-point deficit after the Rhythm Dance, 202.80-202.07. Americans Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov finished seventh (167.05).

The ISU Grand Prix moves on to the Toronto area for the Skate Canada International next week.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The Freestyle World season opened with Big Air events for men and women at Chur (SUI), with familiar stars at the top of the podium.

Norway’s Beijing 2022 Big Air gold medalist Birk Ruud took the men’s victory with a best-two-of-three scores total of 188.75 to best 19-year-old Noah Porter MacLennan (CAN: 180.00) and 18-year-old American Troy Podmilsak (179.75). It’s the first career medals for both Porter MacLennan and Podmilsak.

Beijing 2022 silver medalist and 2019 World Champion Tess Ledeux (FRA) won the women’s event, scoring 181.00 to 170.75 for Norway’s Sandra Eie and 170.00 for Swiss Mathilde Gremaud, the Beijing bronze medal winner an Slopestyle winner.

● Judo ● The IJF World Tour was in the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, with Czech star – and two-time Olympic gold medalist – Lukas Krpalek winning the men’s +100 kg title.

Worlds 2021 bronze medalist Julia Figueroa won the women’s 48 kg class, and France’s Astride Gneto won her second World Tour tournament of the year, at 52 kg, as did Lucy Renshall (GBR) at 63 kg. China’s 2022 Worlds silver medalist Zhenzhao Ma won the women’s 78 kg division and teammate Xin Su won her first Grand Slam event at +78 kg.

● Snowboard ● Japan swept the FIS World Cup Big Air opener in Chur (SUI), with Takeru Otsuka and Ruki Tobita going 1-2 in the men’s final and Reira Iwabuchi taking the women’s gold.

Otsuka was dominant, scoring 166.50 to outdistance everyone, with Tobita second at 140.00. It’s Otsuka’s fifth career World Cup medal (third win), at age 21.

Iwabuchi, still just 20, won her eighth World Cup gold (seven in Big Air), to edge rival Anna Gasser, the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Champion. 180.75-164.75.

● Swimming ● The first of three FINA World Cups, all in short-course (25 m) pools, was held in Berlin over the weekend, with U.S. swimmers leading the medal table with 16.

However, the biggest individual winner was South African Matt Sates, who won the men’s 200-400 m Freestyles and the 200-400 m Medleys for four wins, plus a silver to Rio 2016 Olympic champ Kyle Chalmers (AUS) in the 100 m Free.

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, the reigning World 25 m champ in the 100-200 m Freestyles, tripled in the 100-200-400 m Freestyles for three golds. Trinidad & Tobago’s Dylan Carter scored a triple in the men’s 50 m Free, 50 m Back and 50 m Fly. They were matched by Americans Beata Nelson, who took the 100-200 m Backstrokes and the 200 m Medley, and Nic Fink in the 50-100-200m Breaststroke events.

American Shaine Casas won the 100-200 m Back events and Tokyo medal winner Hali Flickinger took the women’s 400 m Medley for nine total U.S. golds during the three-day meet.

The other multi-event winners included Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) in the women’s 50 m Fly and 100 m Medley; South Africa’s four-time World Champion Chad le Clos in the men’s 100-200 m Fly, and Lithuanian star Ruta Meilutyte – the London 2012 100 m Breast gold medalist – who won the 100 m Breast on Saturday and then scared the world 25 m record in the 50 m Breast on Sunday, winning in 28.60, just 0.04 short of Jamaican Alia Atkinson’s 28.56 mark from 2018, and the no. 2 performance in history.

The FINA World Cup heads to Toronto next week and then to Indianapolis in two weeks, with an even stronger American cast expected.

Japan’s 2022 World Championships 200 m Fly bronze winner, Tomoru Honda (JPN) set a world record on the short-course (25 m pool) 200 m Fly at the Japan Nationals in Tokyo, timing 1:46.85. He crushed the prior record of 1:48.24, held by fellow Japanese star Daiyo Seto from 2018.

● Tennis ● Romanian star Simona Halep, winner of two Grand Slam titles, was provisionally suspended for the use of Roxadustat, an anti-amenia drug which boosts the production of red blood cells.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced that Halep, 31, had tested positive at the U.S. Open and if her positive test is confirmed, could be suspended for four years. On Friday, she posted on Twitter:

“Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth. I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life. …

“I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.”

● Wrestling ● Another world title for new American star Amit Elor, 18, who won her third (!) World Championships gold in 2022 with a victory at 72 kg in the United World Wrestling U-23 World Championships at Pontevedra, Spain.

Elor had earlier won the UWW World Junior title in September, then took the World Championships gold in Belgrade, also at 72 kg and defeated two-time European U-23 champion Wiktoria Choluj (POL) last Friday by an 11-0 technical fall. He three matches were won by pin (5:31), pin (0:34) and a technical fall. Wow!

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For our updated, 951-event International Sports Calendar for 2022-23 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

SPECIAL: Updated! Our revised, 951-event International Sports Calendar for 2022-23 now posted!

By
Rich Perelman
-

The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to cause chaos, including in the international sports calendar. But sport goes on, and as your guide, here’s our exclusive 951-event listing for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023, with a few of the larger events beyond to 2028.

Our updated International Sports Calendar focuses on sports and events on the Olympic and Winter Games program for 2024 and 2026, plus a few other meetings and multi-sports events..

Please note: this listing will change, and some federations have still not posted their complete events list for 2023! However, this edition is a good place to start for following many of the events coming up in a very busy year ahead.

Two calendars are included in the single PDF download: an 20-page listing in chronological order and a 21-page listing by sport (and in date order within each sport).

It’s free! Get your download right now here!

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

TSX REPORT: IOC says 2030 Winter Games selection on for 2023, and Esports should not be medal events yet; USADA chief ready to forgive Armstrong

By
Rich Perelman
-
From the International Olympic Committee presentation to the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC still sees 2030 Winter Games selection in 2023
2. IOC says Esports games should not be medal events
3. USADA chief Tygart ready to forgive Lance Armstrong
4. FIFA rejects European TV bids for 2023 Women’s World Cup
5. L.A.’s 2016 bid legacy Ready, Set, Gold! expands 364% in two years

At the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul, Korea, a lengthy presentation by the International Olympic Committee confirmed that the plan to award the 2030 Winter Games to either Sapporo, Salt Lake City or Vancouver in 2023 is on track. The IOC also advised that it is not in favor of Esports events being included in multi-sport Games – such as the Pan American Games – as medal events; the 2023 Asian Games has scheduled eight medal events in Esports. In an interview with Germany’s SID, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart said the anti-doping situation in cycling is much improved, and since Lance Armstrong has confessed to doping, he could forgive him. FIFA rejected several offers from European broadcasters for rights to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, saying they were insufficient; FIFA is selling the rights to the Women’s World Cup on a stand-alone basis for the first time in many countries. Ready, Set, Gold!, a legacy program from the failed bid by Los Angeles for the U.S. candidate for the 2016 Olympic Games, has expanded greatly during the pandemic and its online program is now being used in 20 U.S. states and reached an unprecedented 40,500 students in the 2021-22 school term.

1.
IOC still sees 2030 Winter Games selection in 2023

The International Olympic Committee made a significant presentation during the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly, with IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper (BEL) explaining in detail the current status of bids for future Games:

“Thanks to the new approach to electing Olympic hosts, we have been able to build a strong community of interested parties, and we constantly have new potential hosts coming to the table as part of the continuous and open dialogue.

“Interested NOCs have told us they appreciate the reforms of this new approach, in particular, the fact that it helps them reduce costs, to emphasize the benefits for their communities and to keep their Games vision relevant, exciting and forward-thinking. …

“In respect of the summer Games, we are currently working with 10 NOCs and regions across four continents, without making any commitment and using minimal resources. Taking full advantage of the flexibility of the new approach, these projects are at very different stages, and are developing their missions according to their own regional or national timelines.

“The outlook for future Games, thanks to these reforms, is very positive.

“With regards to the Olympic Winter Games, the IOC is currently in continuous dialogue with three city-regions, with a declared interest for 2030, and their respective NOCs: British Columbia, Hokkaido-Sapporo and Salt Lake City, Utah.

“As part of this dialogue, the IOC is conducting a thorough feasibility assessment of each project, to inform the work of the Future Hosts Commission for the Olympic Winter Games. The Future Hosts Commission, chaired by IOC member Octavio Morariu [ROM] will meet in November to review the feasibility assessments, with a view to the opening of a targeted dialogue for the Olympic Winter Games 2030, to be in position to elect a host for 2030 at the 140th IOC Session, which is planned to be held in October 2023.”

The bids from Sapporo (host in 1972) and Salt Lake City (host in 2002) are considered to have a more complete project thus far than Vancouver (host in 2010). A selection of Sapporo would follow closely behind the Tokyo 2020 Games, while the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has stated its preference for the 2034 Winter Games, six years after the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games instead of two (and possibly in a better economic environment).

2.
IOC says Esports games should not be medal events

De Kepper also discussed with clarity the IOC’s view of Esports at present. While it is expanding cooperation with online gaming as standalone programs, the IOC declared its position that now is not the time for Esports as medal events:

“We support NOC continental associations in promoting virtual forms of sports, but there should be no medal events for these in multi-sports Games, as we will still need to ensure that all of the areas of athlete protection, anti-doping and integrity considerations and others need to be fully respected.

“Equally, any separate Esports championships or exhibitions need to strictly reflect the Olympic values, in the games selected and must also promote virtual and simulated sports, as we are doing through the Olympic Esports Series.

“Any non-sport titles should only be considered when they strictly respect our values and should not be included as medal events in your multi-sport Games.”

That’s clear enough, but it is also in direct conflict with, for example, the Asian Games, which in 2023 in Hangzhou (CHN), will have eight medal events and two demonstration events. The medal events will include competitions in Arena of Valor, Dota 2, Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2, FIFA, Hearthstone, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter V.

Esports were also a demonstration program at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG), but not part of the medal events.

De Kepper has outlined the IOC’s position; it will be fascinating to see how seriously it is taken.

3.
USADA chief Tygart ready to forgive Lance Armstrong

Travis Tygart, the intense head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, told the German sports-news service SID that disgraced American cycling star Lance Armstrong, stripped of seven Tour de France title due to doping, should be forgiven in view of his disclosure.

Tygart told SID that the situation in cycling has improved:

“Compared to back then, it’s a difference like day and night. We’re seeing a culture of clean sport returning to cycling,” although there are those in the sport today who would hardly agree with him.

Tygart also cited the improved vigilance of the Union Cycliste Internationale under its new leadership, compared to the early 2010s:

● “President David Lappartient [FRA] has recognized that clean sport is overrun by corrupt practices if it is not protected accordingly.”

● “They initially actively tried to prevent witnesses from cooperating with us and withheld important documents from us. We therefore felt it necessary to publish our evidence.”

The USADA famously pursued Armstrong for years and banned him from cycling in October 2012, a decision which was supported by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the UCI, which nullified his results from August 1998 on, including his seven straight Tour de France wins from 1999-2005. He made a confession of doping in a televised interview in January 2013, saying the stopped doping after 2005. (He rode in the 2009 Tour de France and finished third, and 23rd in 2010.)

In something of a surprise, Tygart told SID that Armstrong and other former dopers need not be persona non grata forever:

“Many of the riders at the time were victims of the system, and it is true that they were able to come back over time – also in another capacity. And we should also forgive Lance Armstrong after his confession.”

4.
FIFA rejects European TV bids for 2023 Women’s World Cup

“This is not a case of being priced out, but rather testament to a lack of willingness of broadcasters to pay what the women’s game deserves.”

That’s Italian Romy Gai, FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, telling Bloomberg that the federation rejected television rights offers for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup from broadcasters in France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy, and expects to do so in Spain.

Gai points out that the 2019 Women’s World Cup – held in France – attracted 1.12 billion viewers – on all platforms – for the Netherlands-U.S. final.

“Audience figures show that the Women’s World Cup 2019 in France was a catalyst for change in terms of TV audience.

“We know the opportunity for women’s football is there. Now, together, we need to capture it.”

However, the time zone difference between a European-hosted Women’s World Cup and one in Australia and New Zealand is severe; Sydney is nine hours ahead of Paris, so an evening match would end up in the late morning in Europe.

Gai, however, points out that rights fees for the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been 2% of those for the FIFA World Cup for men, where the viewership is about 20%. Bloomberg’s story noted that FIFA’s reports showed about $3 billion in broadcast revenue for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia vs. $300 million for the 2019 women’s event in France.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup rights for the U.S. have already been acquired by FOX Sports and Telemundo.

The draw for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup comes Saturday (22nd) in Auckland (NZL), with the U.S. going in as the no. 1-ranked team in the world.

5.
L.A.’s 2016 bid legacy Ready, Set, Gold!
expands 364% in two years

In 2007, the Los Angeles bid to be the U.S. candidate for the 2016 Olympic Games failed, when the U.S. Olympic Committee selected Chicago. But out of that bid came a remarkable new program called Ready, Set, Gold! that placed Olympic and Paralympic athletes with schools to teach Olympic values.

More than 15 years later, the RSG! program – as it is locally known – has not only survived the Covid-19 pandemic, but has thrived and due to the pandemic, has gone national.

The program, originated by the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, was originally based on in-person visits to Los Angeles-area schools by an Olympian or Paralympian multiple times during an academic year. By relating their own experiences of success and failure, the athlete’s story could become a launch point for the students to believe in themselves and their future.

Before the pandemic, RSG! reached about 12,000 students a year through 29 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. That shrunk to 8,725 in 2020 as school lockdowns came on and just 4,500 at 18 schools in 2021-22.

But the pandemic created the need for online programming, which has become a stunning success. While the in-person program in 2021-22 – aimed at grades 5-9 – reached 18 schools across four school districts in Southern California, the online project featuring stars like Tokyo beach volleyball gold medalist April Ross and Mexican tennis Olympian Giuliana Olmos – a Women’s Doubles quarterfinalist at the 2022 U.S. Open – has reached 36,000 students in 20 states, as far away as New York, Virginia and Florida. Sponsorship by The Foundation for Global Sports Development and Sidewinder Films was the key to creating this project.

The 2022-23 RSG! in-person program will bring Paralympians into seven Special Education centers in Southern California through a partnership with UCLA Health, further expanding its reach. And with in-person education finally returning in California, the projection for the new school year is for 32 schools to be involved, reaching more than 8,000 students.

The roster of 44 Olympians and Paralympians include recognizable stars like boxing gold medalist Henry Tillman (1984), Pairs world champion skater Tai Babilonia (1979), five-time Paralympic medalist Rudy Garcia-Tolson (2004-20: swimming), two-time Olympic hurdles medalist Mark Crear (1996-2000), 2015 World 10 km Open Water gold winner and Rio and Tokyo Olympian Jordan Wilimovsky, and many more.

It’s a remarkable legacy of any bid, let alone a failed one, and has the potential to expand even further.

≡ CALENDAR ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● It’s a little hard to believe, but the 2022-23 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup opens this weekend with Giant Slalom racing for men and women on Saturday and Sunday.

The site will be, as usual, the Rettenbach Glacier at Soelden (AUT), with Swiss star Marco Odermatt the men’s defending champion in the race and the reigning World Cup overall champion.

American Mikaela Shiffrin won her second Soelden title in 2021 and won her fourth overall World Cup title. Still just 27, Shiffrin owns 74 World Cup wins, no. 3 all-time, trailing only Ingemar Stenmark (SWE: 86 from 1973-89) and fellow American Lindsey Vonn (82 from 2001-19).

The FIS Snowboard World Cup season will open with a Big Air event in Chur (SUI). Canada’s Max Parrot and New Zealand star Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won the only Big Air events held last season. Both ended up winning Olympic medals in the event, with Parrot taking bronze and Sadowski-Synnott a silver.

● Swimming ● The three-stage FINA World Cup begins in Berlin (GER) on Friday, with the final two legs in North America, in Toronto and Indianapolis.

The three-day Europa-Sportpark meet includes some excellent fields, swimming in a 25 m (short course) pool, in advance of December’s 25 m Worlds in Melbourne. Among the entries are Rio 2016 men’s 100 m Free champ Kyle Chalmers (AUS), men’s 2022 World 100 m Back champ Thomas Ceccon (ITA), London 2012 men’s Olympic 50 m Free winner Florent Manaudou (FRA), Olympic men’s 10 km Open Water winner Florian Wellbrock (GER), with women’s stars including 50 m Back World Champion Kylie Masse (CAN), double Olympic Freestyle silver medalist Siobhan Haughey (HKG), London 2012 100 m Breast winner Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) and a lot more.

Americans stars confirmed for the entire series include Shaine Casas, the 2021 World 25 m Champion winner in the 100 m Breast; veteran Tom Shields, a 17-time World 25 m Champs medal winner; Nic Fink, the 2022 50 m Breast World Champion; Hali Flickinger, the Tokyo 200 m Butterfly bronze medalist, and others.

The FINA Diving World Cup is also underway in Berlin, continuing through Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games ● Also during the ANOC General Assembly was a short presentation by IOC Member Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), who is the head of the new Games Optimisation Working Group. She shared the immediate goals of the group, primarily looking ahead to Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina 2026:

“One of the goals we have is to ensure we have full stadia; that is our ultimate goal. How are we going to achieve that? Well, we believe we need to have a little bit more visibility on where our stakeholders will be prior to the event. This will not only allow us to sell tickets more effectively and efficiently but it will also allow us to provide better service levels to all of our stakeholders.

“We then spoke about transport. Transport was focused on being effective and sustainable, and making the best use of existing infrastructure. We want to focus on breaking the system down to ensure, at the end of the day, you have the effective means to get to where you want to go in the time that you have.”

As if getting the National Olympic Committee executives present ready for some significant changes to come, she closed with:

“The Games of the future may look different, but if we collectively work together, we will ensure that we remain relevant, positive and successful.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● The IOC announced that the estimated global television audience for the 2022 Winter Games was 2.01 billion unique viewers, up five percent from the 2018 Winter Games in Korea.

The rights-holding broadcasters showed a Winter Games record 120,670 hours of coverage on broadcast and digital platforms, with the average viewer watching about 5.9 hours of the Games, up 12% from 2018. Television still dominates, with 92% of all viewers watching the Games on TV, with only 8% watching on digital devices only.

● Paralympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games – slated for 28 August – will be held in the center of Paris, along the Champs-Elysees and at the historic Place de la Concorde at its eastern end.

It’s the first Paralympic opening not to be held in a stadium and the plan is for 30,000 spectators to watch for free along the Champs-Elysees and then 35,000 in temporary (ticketed) stands in the plaza.

● Association of National Olympic Committees ● Fiji’s Robin Mitchell was elected as ANOC President, running unopposed. Qatar’s Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani was elected as senior Vice President, also running unopposed.

● Russia ● The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov said on a social media post that the ROC has been meeting with other National Olympic Committee officials during the ANOC General Assembly and will sign coaching and education support agreements with Mali, Peru and South Africa:

“It can be firmly said that the Russian Olympic Committee is expanding the circle of partners and friends. And just today we held meetings with the NOCs of several countries, including the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia and Peru.”

As for the sanctions against Russian athletes, underscored by IOC chief Thomas Bach in the keynote address in Seoul, Pozdnyakov sees it differently:

“[W]e are grateful for the support of everyone who publicly speaks out for the lifting of sanctions against our athletes. And this opinion is getting louder.”

Anastasia Davydova, 39, the five-time Olympic gold medalist in artistic swimming and former Secretary General of the Russian Olympic Committee, left the country at the end of September with no plan to return.

However, she recently told the Russian artistic swimming federation that she does not plan to give up her citizenship. According to federation Executive Secretary Valentina Nemogaeva:

“I don’t know the reasons for her departure from the country. The only question I asked was whether they are renouncing Russian citizenship? She wrote to me that she does not renounce her citizenship. And that this does not mean that they left forever.”

● Athletics ● More Kenyan doping positives, as the Athletics Integrity Unit announced a three-year ban on Marius Kipserem, 34, the two-time winner of the Rotterdam Marathon, with a best of 2:04:04 from 2021, for use of the prohibited hormone Erythropoietin (EPO). His ban runs from 22 September 2022.

Two more provisional suspensions were announced, of Ibrahim Mukunga Wachira (1:09:55 half marathon ‘21) and Kenneth Kiprop Renju, the 2022 Kenyan 10,000 m national champion and a 58:35 half-marathoner, both for steroid use.

Just in the month of October, the AIU has so far posted suspensions of six Kenyan runners!

● Cycling ● The UCI announced that 49 riders will contest the 2022 women’s national road championships of Afghanistan, which will take place on Sunday (23rd) in Aigle, Switzerland.

Given the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban government continues to restrict women’s sports, the UCI is organizing the event with the Afghan federation, the Tour de Pays de Vaud and the Commune of Aigle, to start and finish at the UCI World Cycling Centre, with two laps of 28.5 km route (57 km total).

Afghan women now living in Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Canada and Singapore have entered. The UCI said that it, working with other partners, was able to get 165 Afghans out of the country and re-settled.

● Football ● Swiss federal prosecutors filed an appeal against the dismissal of corruption charges against former FIFA President Sepp Blatter (SUI) and UEFA President Michel Platini (FRA).

This was a major case in the football world, at the end of a seven-year inquiry. The prosecutors contended that a 2011 payment, arranged by Blatter and paid by FIFA, to Platini of CHF 2.0 million (about $1.99 million U.S.) for “consulting services” was fraudulent, but judges at the Swiss Criminal Court said last July they saw no wrongdoing in the arrangement.

Prosecutors have asked that the verdict “be set aside in its entirety.”

● Sport Climbing ● The Associated Press reported that the head of the Iranian National Olympic Committee said climber Elnaz Rekabi will not face any disciplinary measures since her failure to hear a headscarf was “unintentional.”

“It’s a small issue. I’m surprised that it is being talked about so much,” said Iranian Olympic Committee President Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa, on the sidelines of the ANOC General Assembly in Seoul.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced its team for the 2022 FINA World 25 m (Short Course) Championships to be held from 13-18 December in Melbourne.

The roster shows 15 men and 16 women, including defending Short Course individual champions Shaine Casas (men’s 100 m Back), Nic Fink (men’s 50-200 m Breast) and Rhyan White (women’s 200 m Back).

Familiar Olympic stars such as Ryan Murphy (four Backstroke golds), Lilly King (two Olympic Breast golds in Rio, three Tokyo medals), Michael Andrew (Tokyo relay gold), Hali Flickinger (two Tokyo bronzes), Torri Huske (Tokyo relay silver) and several more are on the team.

Andrew is entered in five individual events and Casas in four; sprinter Claire Curzan has the heaviest women’s workload with five events.

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TSX REPORT: IOC’s Bach insists sanctions continue on Russia and Belarus; 45,000 volunteers for Paris 2024; Seoul wants the 2036 Olympic Games

By
Rich Perelman
-
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) speaking to the ANOC General Assembly (Photo: IOC/Greg Martin).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Bach urges continuation of sanctions vs. Russia and Belarus
2. Paris 2024 projects 45,000 volunteers for Olympics & Paralympics
3. Korea leaks start of bid effort for the 2036 Olympic Games
4. Koreans furious over Asian Cup 2023 loss to Qatar
5. “Diana is completely guilty. I am sorry.”

In his keynote address to the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul, Korea, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) asserted that unity is the key to survival for international sport, and that means no changes in the IOC’s requested ban on Russian and Belarusian athlete participation in international events. The Paris 2024 organizing committee announced its staffing plan, to use a remarkably sane 30,000 volunteers for the Olympic Games and another 15,000 for the Paralympics, for a total of 45,000; applications will open next March. With the ANOC General Assembly in Seoul, it was leaked that the Korean Olympic Committee will begin efforts to attract the 2036 Olympic Games back to the country, which hosted the Games in 1988 and the Winter Games in 2018. A Korean bid to get the 2023 Asian Cup football championship lost to Qatar and the Korean Football Association railed against an “aggressive attempt to grab control of Asian football” by well-funded Middle Eastern countries. The former agent for now-suspended-for-doping Diana Kipyokei, the Kenyan winner of the women’s Boston Marathon in 2021 told LetsRun.com that “Diana is completely guilty.”

1.
Bach urges continuation of sanctions vs. Russia and Belarus

“I regret that I have to begin by addressing the position of the Olympic Movement with regards to the war in Ukraine.”

That was the start of a lengthy address by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) to the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly, meeting in Seoul (KOR) on Wednesday, in which he insisted that sanctions be continued against Russia and Belarus.

“[T]he situation is unique because of the consequences this war has for the sports world: Some governments are interfering in your autonomy. Some governments are interfering in the autonomy of world sport and with this jeopardising the integrity of international sport competitions. …

“We sanctioned the Russian and Belarusian governments by recommending that the International Federation do not organise any international sport events in Russia or Belarus. We recommended furthermore that no national symbols whatsoever of these countries should be displayed at any sport events.

“By recently annexing Ukrainian territory, the Russian government has even deepened its violation of the Olympic Charter.

“This annexation means that the Russian government is claiming authority over the people living in the annexed areas, including athletes. This is a clear violation of the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, which is protected by the Olympic Charter.

“All this means for us: the sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian states and governments must and will remain firmly in place.”

But he also made his continuing case to hold athletes blameless:

“On the other hand we had to ensure the integrity of international sport competitions and protect our autonomy by taking protective measures. Therefore we recommended as a principle not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials to take part in international competitions.

“We needed to do so, because we had to realise that some governments were starting to interfere in the responsibility of sports organisations. We had to react because the autonomy of sport and the functioning of the international sports system is at stake. Governments were and are undermining our autonomy by deciding who would be allowed to participate in international competitions – and who not.

“Some of you here are experiencing this interference first-hand: governments not issuing visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes.

“Some governments threatening your athletes to withdraw funding if they were to compete against Russian or Belarusian competitors.

“Some prohibiting athletes from participating in such competitions.

“Some governments pressuring your athletes and you through public opinion.

“This is why we had to take these protective measures. We did so with a very heavy heart – because they concern athletes and sports officials who did not start this war, who are not responsible for this war. Athletes should never be the victims of policies of their own government. …

“We had to protect the international sports system from the full politicisation of sport. Because: today it is Russia and Belarus. But if we let politics take over sport then tomorrow it will be you.”

He trashed the idea that the sanctions are a politicization of sport itself and declared:

“The reasons for the sanctions as well as for the protective measures still exist: this is not the time to change any of our sanctions or protective measures. …

“Keep following the sanctions and protective measures. Do not do less, because doing less means you divide the Olympic Movement. Do not do more, because doing more means you divide the Olympic Movement.”

And he also chided those who have asked for Russian and Belarusian sports officials to be sanctioned as well:

“This war has not been started by the Russian people, the Russian athletes, the Russian Olympic Committee or the IOC Members in Russia. Sanctions can and must only be imposed on those who are responsible for something.

“Imagine where the precedence of such a breach of the rule of law would lead to. Every individual, every athlete, every sports official, every sports organisation would have to be punished for any illegitimate political action of their governments.”

While reminding the delegates of the IOC’s impressive financial stability, he also warned against an uncertain future:

“Therefore each one of you has to be prudent. It is in your own interest to now look into all your actions and now set clear priorities. Review now all your planned activities and decide whether every event, every competition, every meeting is really necessary given the precarious situation the world economy is and will be facing.”

He also reminded the assembly of the IOC’s primary goals as regards the Olympic Games, to be illustrated by Paris 2024:

“The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will mark the beginning of a new era: Olympic Games inspired by and aligned with Olympic Agenda from start to finish.

“They will be more inclusive, more youthful, more urban, more sustainable and the very first with full gender parity.”

The heads of the Russian and Belarusian National Olympic Committees were allowed to be seated in Seoul by ANOC, and a letter from 11 NOCs contesting their attendance was cordially received and dismissed.

2.
Paris 2024 projects 45,000 volunteers for Olympics & Paralympics

The Paris 2024 organizers unveiled their volunteer program for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 45,000 staff expected to be used in all,

About 30,000 are projected to be needed for the Olympic Games and another 15,000 for the Paralympics, with recruitment to begin with an online questionnaire, in March of 2023. The requirements are simple enough:

● You must be at least 18 years old as of 1 January 2024;

● Speak English or French;

● Be available during the entire duration of either the Olympic or Paralympic Games and commit to 10 days of work;

● The application portal opens in March 2023 and applicants will be informed of their status beginning in September of 2023.

The volunteer application brochure also characterized the roles that volunteers will play:

● 60% are in “Games experience” roles: greeting, directing, answering questions, driving cars or minibuses or assisting medical staff.

● 35% are in sports performance roles, such as competition assistance, scoring and statistics or doping or medical controls;

● 5% are in accreditation, logistics and technical support roles.

All volunteers will be required to agree to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Volunteer Charter, which “sets out the rights, duties, guarantees, conditions for appeal, role categories and conditions of performance applicable to volunteers.” However, the Charter is not provided in the introductory materials.

Some volunteers could also be asked to assist during Paris 2024 test events. Paris 2024 has further committed to a minimum of 3,000 volunteers with disabilities.

Decathlon, the French sporting goods giant – it has stores in 60 countries – will provide help centers at about 50 stories in France beginning next March, to assist applicants with the volunteer process. They won’t be too upset if someone buys some Paris 2024 merchandise, of course.

Observed: The 45,000 volunteer total for Paris 2024 reflects some careful planning. The Tokyo Games had planned for 80,000 volunteers and ended up with about 70,000 after the postponement, many more than was needed for a closed Games. The Paris organizers were not tempted into a propaganda strike by trying to create an inflated number of staff for 2024 and the 45,000 number for both Games seems quite reasonable.

Busy volunteers are happy volunteers.

Veteran organizers have long heard the truism, “it takes money to use volunteers” and the cost of background checks, meals, transport and logistical support is not to be ignored, especially with a tight budget. The originator of the volunteer concept, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Games, had 33,500 volunteers, a few more than Paris is projecting for its Olympic Games, but with 32 sports, compared to 23 in L.A. That speaks well to the efficiency, at least in planning, of the Paris organizers. 

3.
Korea leaks start of bid effort for the 2036 Olympic Games

With much of the Olympic world attending the ANOC General Assembly in Seoul this week, it was the perfect time for a media leak about a 2036 Olympic bid for Korea in advance of a formal announcement next week in Lausanne.

Korea famously hosted the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, with IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP) working furiously to undercut a possible second consecutive Warsaw Pact boycott of the Games. In the end, Cuba, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, North Korea and a couple of others didn’t come, but a record 159 nations did and the event was considered a success.

The Koreans also successfully hosted the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, even under a possible attack by North Korea, which happily never came. And the Koreans will host the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon.

The newest Korean bid, according to local reports, is supported by 72.8% of Seoul residents in a recent poll.

According to GamesBids.com, many of the 1988 facilities will be used and updated:

“By using university sports properties and private sector investment the Games budget has been estimated at about 5.5 trillion won (USD $3.86 billion) with the largest cost being the Athletes Village which would be subsequently sold.”

Korean site Donga.com noted that city planners believe that with sites outside of Seoul to host nine sports, only two sports facilities (plus the Village) need to be built for a 2036 Games.

The polling data showed respondents expected economic benefits from foreign visitors, improved sports facilities and that Korea’s profile would be enhanced, but also included concerns over costs, the legacy of the new and revamped facilities and traffic.

4.
Koreans furious over Asian Cup 2023 loss to Qatar

A very sound bid from South Korea for the 2023 Asian Cup was passed by as the Asian Football Confederation awarded the event to FIFA World Cup host Qatar on Monday, which will delay the event to January of 2024 for cooler weather.

Korea had not hosted the event since 1960, where Qatar has been host in 1988 and 2011 and the UAE had hosted in 1996 and 2019. After the award to Qatar for 2023 (2024), the Korean Football Association made its view known:

“Even though we are a powerhouse in Asian football, we haven’t had the Asian Cup for 63 years, and we felt that it was a logical thing to bring the Asian Cup to East Asia to ensure more regional balance.

“We thought we had put together a strong bid, based on stadiums, transportation, accommodations and our people’s passion for the sport. But we had a tough battle against Qatar, with their abundant financial, human and material resources. …

“We believe Middle Eastern countries’ aggressive attempt to grab control of Asian football has influenced this decision. Saudi Arabia, which hopes to hold the 2027 Asian Cup, also pledged financial support for the AFC if a Middle Eastern nation won the right to host the 2023 tournament.”

The Korean Yonhap News Agency further reported:

“The KFA noted Qatar had pledged substantial financial backing for the AFC, which has been dealing with some difficulties in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, by way of corporate sponsorship and broadcasting rights fees. Qatar’s plan to use new stadiums built for the 2022 World Cup for the Asian tournament also worked in the country’s favor, the KFA said.”

5.
“Diana is completely guilty. I am sorry”

Stunning reporting by Jonathan Gault of LetsRun.com, with an interview with Italian Gianni Demadonna, the former agent for Kenyan distance runners Diana Kipyokei – the 2021 Boston Marathon winner (for now) – and Betty Wilson Lempus, both of whom were provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for doping, last Friday.

Demadonna said he was not involved in the doping efforts of either athletes and continued with some pretty frank comments:

“We establish a policy: they have to tell us every time they take a medicine. If they don’t tell us, they are guilty. What can I do? I cannot stay with the athletes. I cannot live with them…After 30 years, I am working this business and nobody can say to me you are not correct or you are doing things that are not correct. I can defend myself always without any problem. I am so, so sad about this situation that spoiled my name and spoiled the name of [clean] athletes that are doing their own training – not with something else. …

“I don’t know if she’s afraid of consequences. But as far as we understood, she was trying to cheat us…She gave us some stories, and we said, sorry, but you changed three times the name of the doctor. …

“Diana is completely guilty. I am sorry. She has done something very bad.”

He has discontinued his representation of both athletes, but also noted that the incentive is more than to simple cheat: it’s to win. He noted that the difference between the winner’s purse at Boston in 2021 and 10th place was $150,000 vs. $5,500, “so it’s true that with one race you can change your life.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● The quarterfinals are set at the 2022 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup in India, with Colombia winning Group C and Japan finished 3-0 in Group D.

In the elimination round on Saturday, Colombia (2-1-0) will play Tanzania (1-1-1) and Japan (3-0) will face Spain (2-1-0). The U.S. (2-0-1), winner of Group A, will play Nigeria (2-1), and Germany (3-0) will play Brazil (2-0-1), on Friday. The semis are on the 26th.

● Shooting ● China is dominating the ISSF World Championships in Rifle and Pistol being held in Cairo (EGY), with 20 golds and 43 total medals so far in senior and junior competitions.

In the senior 25 m Pistol, an Olympic event for women, Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Jiaruixuan Xiao moved up to the top of the podium, with a 575-573 victory over India’s Rhythm Sangwan, with fellow Chinese star Yan Chen (572) third.

The men’s 25 m Pistol is not an Olympic event, but Rio 2016 men’s Rapid-Fire Pistol gold medalist Christian Reitz (GER) won his third career World Championships silver in the men’s final, won by Ukraine’s Pavlo Korostylov, 582-575.

Reitz came back to score a gold in the 25 m Standard Pistol Mixed Team event with Doreen Vannekamp – the 2018 Worlds bronze winner – with a 17-5 win over Korea.

In other non-Olympic events, Serbia’s Damir Mikec outscored China’s Bowen Zhang for the men’s 50 m Pistol gold, with China’s Ranxin Jiang defeated Austria’s Sylvia Steiner, 550-543 for the women’s title.

Swiss Jan Lochenbihler won the 50 m Rifle/Prone title by 631.0 to 630.6 over China’s Yukun Liu, and the U.S. duo of Sagen Maddalena and Ivan Roe won the 50 m Rifle/Prone Mixed Team gold by 16-8 over Ukraine.

Competition continues through the 27th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Association of National Olympic Committees ● The ANOC General Assembly program in Seoul also included the ANOC Awards, given for the best performances at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games:

● Best Male Athlete of Beijing 2022: Dae-heon Hwang (KOR), gold medalist in the men’s Short Track 1,500 m, and men’s 5,000 m relay silver medalist.

● Best Female Athlete of Beijing 2022: Eileen Gu (CHN), gold medalist in the Freestyle Skiing Big Air and Halfpipe and silver medalist in Slopestyle.

● Best Male Team of Beijing 2022: Sweden Men’s Curling Team (represented by Daniel Wilhelm Magnusson).

● Best Female Team of Beijing 2022: Canada’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team (represented by Ann-Renee Desbiens).

● Best Mixed Team of Beijing 2022: Nick Baumgartner and Lindsay Jacobellis (USA), gold medalists in the Snowboard Mixed Team Cross.

● Outstanding Athletic Career: Sven Kramer (NED), nine-time Winter Olympic medal winner in speed skating, with victories in 2010 (5,000 m), 2014 (5,000 m, Team Pursuit) and 2018 (5,000 m), plus two silvers and three bronzes in five Winter Olympic appearances.

Other awards were given to the Chinese Olympic Committee for its contribution to the Winter Games and to Craig Reedie (GBR) for his contribution to the Olympic Movement as the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

● 2020 Olympic Games: Tokyo ● New charges surfaced in the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery scandal, as the ADK Holdings advertising agency saw its president arrested for monies transferred to then-Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member Haruyuki Takahashi.

ADK President Shinichi Ueno, 68, and two other ADK staff members were detained on charges that the agency paid Takahashi ¥47 million (~$313,683 U.S.) for his influence to get a sponsor to select the agency as its marketing agent.

ADK is the fifth entity accused of paying bribes to Takahashi, a former senior director of ad giant Dentsu and a key marketing advisor for the Tokyo organizers. The so-far-disclosed total of the bribes paid has passed ¥196 million or about $1.31 million U.S.

● Curling ● USA Curling chief executive Jeff Plush joined the organization in 2020, after serving as the Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League from 2015-17. Having been mentioned unfavorably in the U.S. Soccer Federation-commissioned report by former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates for a lack of response in the widespread NWSL abuse scandal, elements of the U.S. curling federation are now questioning his continued service.

The USA Curling Board of Directors reviewed the Yates Report and did its own inquiry on Plush’s involvement, issuing a statement of support, stating it “is confident in Jeff’s ability to continue as an effective leader of the organization.”

Eight of the 12 members (and three former members) of the federation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force feel Plush should be removed. The Athletes Advisory Council is withholding comment until an ongoing investigation by the NWSL Players Association is completed.

● Football ● “Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang … we will demolish it and rebuild according to FIFA standards.”

That was Indonesian President Joko Widodo after a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) in the aftermath of the stampede at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang (INA) on 1 October. The incident, following a league football match, saw at least 132 die, with 96 seriously injured, and 484 with lesser injuries.

A government report noted multiple errors that contributed to the deadly situation, including more spectators than the facility could hold, locked exit doors, the holding of the match at night instead of in daylight (as requested by police) and the indiscriminate use of tear gas.

Indonesia is to host the 2023 FIFA men’s U-20 World Cup next May, an event that will draw considerably less interest than the rivalry match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya, where the tragedy occurred.

● Gymnastics ● The Netherlands became the seventh national gymnastics federation to remove itself from the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique Congress in Istanbul (TUR) over the presence of Russian and Belarusian officials. Dutch Gymnastics Federation President Monique Kempff wrote:

“We support the position of European gymnastics, which has unanimously refused to communicate with the Russian and Belarusian gymnastics federations as the brutal, genocidal Russian war in Ukraine continues. As long as Russia continues this war, it is impossible to involve Russian athletes and officials in international sports. We hope that this war will end as soon as possible and that we can all be part of the Olympic Community in peace.”

● Sport Climbing ● The protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, on 16 September, while in police custody after being arrested for “allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely,” have now become an issue in Sport Climbing.

Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, 33, competed at the Asian Climbing Championships in Seoul (KOR) on 16 October and did not wear the headscarf (hijab) required by Iranian law. An AIPS report noted:

“By deciding not to compete wearing a headscarf, an obligation since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Rekabi made a strong statement in defiance of the restrictions for female athletes in her country, but now could face prosecution if she chooses to return to Iran.”

On Tuesday, a statement from Rekabi on her Instagram page included, “I must comment on the sensitivities that happened during the Asian Championships finals held in Seoul; due to improper timing and an unpredictable call for me to climb the wall, I unintentionally had a problem with my headcover.”

The International Federation of Sport Climbing posted a statement on Tuesday:

“The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is fully aware of the news regarding Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi.

“There is a lot of information in the public sphere regarding Ms Rekabi and as an organisation we have been trying to establish the facts. We have also been in contact with Ms Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation.

“Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival.

“It is important to stress that athletes’ safety is paramount for us and we support any efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation.”

A Wednesday IFSC statement confirmed that Rekabi had returned home to Iran and was with her family, including:

“A joint meeting took place in Seoul, South Korea, today, between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IFSC, and the Iranian National Olympic Committee, during which the IOC and the IFSC received clear assurance that Ms Rekabi will not suffer any consequences and will continue to train and compete. After the meeting, a phone conversation also took place between her, the IOC, the IFSC, and the Iranian National Olympic Committee.

“The IFSC, in close coordination with the IOC, the Iranian National Olympic Committee, and the IMSCF, will continue monitoring the situation and will wait for her to return to the IFSC circuit of events at the beginning of the 2023 season.”

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TSX REPORT: Long’s Berlin ‘36 Olympic silver sells for $488,435; Qatar ready for 2022, gets major 2023 event; Takahashi to be arrested for fourth time!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Berlin 1936 victory ceremony for the men's long jump (1-r): Japan's Naoto Tajima, winner Jesse Owens (USA) and German silver medalist Luz Long (Photo: Bundesarchiv via Wikipedia)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Luz Long’s Berlin long jump silver sells for $488,435
2. Qatar 2022 ready to go with a month remaining; ‘23 Asian Cup to Qatar
3. Takahashi to be arrested for fourth time on bribery charges
4. Modern Pentathlon federation and athlete group talking … sort of
5. Mauritius swimmer suspended for three years for “disrespectful words”

The silver medal won by German Luz Long at the 1936 Berlin Olympic long jump, behind American star Jesse Owens, sold at auction for $488,435 over the weekend, along with 31 other items that belonged to Long. FIFA and the Qatar World Cup organizers said they are ready to go with a month remaining, with Qatar awarded the Asian Cup for 2023 (to be held in January 2024). Former Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member Haruyuki Takahashi will be arrested for a fourth time on bribery suspicions related to sponsor selection for the Tokyo Games. The international federation for modern pentathlon and the athlete group Pentathlon United are communicating – at least – and appear to be ready to meet to discuss their differences; the future of their sport on the Olympic program for 2028 depends on it. An 18-time national record setter for Mauritius was suspended for three years for “gross misconduct” at last summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. He can’t believe it.

1.
Luz Long’s Berlin long jump silver sells for $488,435

The hammer came down on Saturday (15th) on a remarkable piece of Olympic memorabilia: German Luz Long’s Olympic silver medal in the Berlin 1936 Olympic long jump, where he finished second to American icon (and friend) Jesse Owens.

SCP Auctions offered a trove of Long items, but the centerpiece was his Olympic silver. The opening bid was $50,000 and the item was expected to go for between $500,000-1,000,000 and very nearly got there. Owens’ 1936 long jump gold sold for $1,466,574 in 2013.

All 32 of the items in the Long archive sold; beyond the Berlin silver, the highest-prices sales went for (including the buyer’s premium):

● $6,684 for Long’s Berlin 1936 identification card;

● $4,147 for Long’s Berlin 1936 participant’s badge (and ribbon);

● $3,691 for the 1936 German national long jump championships gold medal;

● $2,339 for Long’s German passport for 1935-40;

● $2,185 for a set of six Berlin 1936 photos of Long and Owens.

Long’s 1938 European Championships third-place medal and participant’s medal sold for a $600. Seven of the items went for the minimum bid prices, but for all 32 to sell was impressive.

2.
Qatar 2022 ready to go with a month remaining;
‘23 Asian Cup to Qatar

The FIFA World Cup organizers in Qatar are busy and will remain busy after the tournament ends on 18 December with a major new tournament coming in 2024. But at a news conference on Monday, FIFA and the organizing committee said they are ready. Per FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer/World Cup, Colin Smith (GBR):

“We operate over 168 official sites through the compact nature of Qatar, and each one of these sites is essential to the running and successful delivery of this World Cup. Way beyond testing the eight stadiums, the volunteers and accreditation centres are now fully operational, with the ticketing centre at the [Doha Exhibition and Convention Center] opening tomorrow and the [International Broadcast Center] and Main Media Centre to follow.

“I can only reiterate FIFA’s confidence and deep appreciation for all the work behind delivering the best FIFA World Cup ever in just over one month’s time.”

Ticket sales have reached 2.89 million and accommodations are still being added for visitors. The strong ticket demand has been from Qatar, the U.S.,, Saudi Arabia, England, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, France, Brazil, and Germany. Sales of hospitality packages have reached a record 240,000, with 63% purchased by international buyers.

On Sunday, the organizers announced that between 1.5 and 1.7 million people have applied for the required Hayya Card, required of all visitors to Qatar during the World Cup period. The card is a sort of omnibus credential incorporating a visa, match ticket (if purchased), transport pass and allows access to some fan zones.

Qatar has a resident population of about 2.99 million, but expects a million total visitors for the FIFA World Cup, which started on 20 November.

But while the World Cup will end on 18 December, the work will continue as Qatar was awarded the 2023 Asian Cup, originally assigned to China, but re-awarded in view of China’s ultra-strict anti-Covid policies.

Qatar beat out bids from Indonesia and South Korea for the 18th Asian Cup, held quadrennially, with 24 teams. In view of the hot weather, the 2023 event is projected to be held beginning on 24 January 2024. It will be the third Asian Cup in Qatar, after 1988 and 2011, and Qatar is the reigning champion from 2019.

3.
Takahashi to be arrested for fourth time on bribery charges

The Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery scandal will see a fourth arrest warrant served on former organizing committee executive board member Haruyuki Takahashi, according to Kyodo News.

Takahashi has already been arrested on bribery allegations involving Olympic sponsorship designations for clothier Aoki Holdings, publisher Kadokawa Corporation, Daiko Advertising as an agent for an English-language school operator and now for Sun Arrow, Inc., a maker of plush toys. Per Kyodo:

“Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, who has been at the center of a growing corruption scandal over the selection of Summer Games sponsors, is believed to have received a total of 8 million yen ($54,000) in cash from stuffed toy maker Sun Arrow Inc., the sources said.”

The total amount of money funneled to Takahashi, either directly or through third parties, is estimated at more than $1 million. Takahashi has admitted receiving money for consulting services, but denied these were bribes.

The companies paid Takahashi, a former senior director of the Japanese advertising giant Dentsu, for his assistance in obtaining not only the designation as an “Official Supporter” or licensee, but at favorable terms.

4.
Modern Pentathlon federation and athlete group talking … sort of

You have to start somewhere. The Pentathlon United athlete group has been asking for a serious, face-to-face discussion with the leadership of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) about its plans to replace riding with obstacle course racing.

In the aftermath of a clear statement from International Olympic Committee Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) that it is well aware of the Pentathlon United group, the UIPM appears to be moving toward a meeting.

However, instead of simply asking for preferred dates and locations, UIPM Legal Council Fulvia Lucantonio (ITA) sent a message on 11 October asking for Pentathlon United’s legal status, whether its leadership is elected and a list of its members. As for location, only Monaco was offered.

Better than nothing, so Pentathlon United sent back a next-day letter to UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang (CHN), characterizing Lucantonio’s message as “legalistic and not constructive, which is a shame because dialogue is essential.”

After describing the group as a free association of hundreds of pentathletes, with no legal or elected structure, that is dissatisfied with the UIPM:

“The very reason Pentathlon United was formed and continues to exist was that the UIPM had lost the trust and respect of their athletes. If UIPM appropriately engaged the community that it is supposed to represent, then Pentathlon United would not exist.

“UIPM’s response to Pentathlon United ha varied between ignoring, denying, insulting and threatening our movement. … PU’s letter of 26 August 2022 raised questions that are critically important to the modern pentathlon community. You ignored them and did not reply, despite repeated requests.”

Pentathlon United’s letter further states that it is ready to meet in Monaco, subject to (1) a list of attendees is confirmed ahead of the meeting, including UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER) in person, (2) that Pentathlon United “is allowed to provide a proposed agenda” and that sufficient time for discussion is allowed, and that (3) the meeting “is video recorded with a time code.”

Pentathlon United has asked for three dates to be offered, and is willing to have the meeting to open to news media if the UIPM is “amenable.”

That was from 12 October, but as of Monday evening, no reply had been made by the UIPM.

Observed: A meeting between the federation and the athlete group is important and critical to the sport having any chance to be reinstated on the program of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

As the riding vs. obstacle debate has completely dominated the discussion, the IOC’s other, crucial questions to the sport appear to have been poorly addressed, if at all. Beyond the question of the fifth discipline, IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER) said last December that the sport “demonstrate a significant reduction in cost and complexity and show improvements in safety, accessibility, universality and appeal for youth.”

Those issues must be addressed if modern pentathlon is to have a chance for 2028. That the two sides are on the verge of talking face-to-face is a positive, if overdue, development.

5.
Mauritius swimmer suspended for three years for
“disrespectful words”

In Mauritius, apparently, small actions can have large consequences.

The National Olympic Committee of Mauritius, an island nation of about 1.3 million in the Indian Ocean located 1,200 miles off the southeast coast of Africa, has suspended 2016 Olympian and 18-time national record setter Bradley Vincent for three years. Per the announcement:

“This decision was taken upon the submission of the Disciplinary Committee, which was held on 05 October 2022. The Disciplinary Committee found that both charges which were leveled against Bradley Vincent established by the [Mauritius Olympic Committee]. He was found liable of gross misconduct for having used disrespectful words against the representative of the Commonwealth Games Association Mauritius and having negligently and/or recklessly failed to attend the flag raising ceremony, during the recent Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham.”

Three fellow swimmers – Gregory Anodin, Tessa Ip and Alicia Kok Shun – received a “severe warning” after also missing the flag-raising ceremony, but blamed transportation difficulties.

Vincent, 30, a two-time African Championships Freestyle medal winner, denies the charge of misconduct:

“I did not dope, nor made racist or discriminatory remarks. However, I am suspended for three years. Athletes found guilty of doping or acts of discrimination, which are much more serious, from a sporting point of view, have less severe sanctions or are suspended for less than three years.”

He described the incident of “using disrespectful language against a member of the Commonwealth Games Association Mauritius” as innocent:

“There were other people on the bus who can be questioned. I simply asked what had happened with the £100 which was to be given to the sportsmen as pocket money. Because the others had already received the money. I asked the person who was in charge of the village where we were staying about the swimmers’ pocket money. It was completely legitimate to ask him for such information.”

Vincent said he does not have the money to appeal the sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and hopes the Mauritius NOC will reconsider.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● The U.S. women’s U-17 national team stomped Morocco, 4-0, in its final group-stage match at the 2022 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup being played in India.

Charlotte Kohler’s goal in the 24th minute was the only first-half scoring, but Samantha Smith made it 2-0 in the 68th minute, Kohler got a second in the 73rd and Smith scored again in the 81st for the 4-0 final.

The win gave the U.S. a 2-0-1 record and first place in Group A with a 13-1 goals-against record. Brazil was also 2-0-1 and outscored its opponents by 7-1.

Germany (3–0) won Group B, and the other final group matches will be played on Tuesday. The U.S. will meet Nigeria (2-1-0) in the quarters on the 21st.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Championships for Rifle and Pistol roll on in Cairo (EGY), with finals in the Mixed Team events for both disciplines.

China’s Yuting Huang – the women’s silver medalist – and Haoran Yang – on the Tokyo gold medalist team – won the Mixed Team 10 m Air Rifle title over Korea, by 16-6, while Austria’s Sylvia Steiner and Richard Zechmeister took the Mixed Team 10 m Air Pistol gold, also by 16-6, again over Korea.

In the non-Olympic women’s 50 m Rifle/Prone, Germany’s Jolyn Beer won with 627.0 points, to 626.7 for Sarina Hitz (SUI) and 625.7 for American Mary Tucker. Competition continues through the 27th.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Volleyball ● The International Volleyball Federation announced that future editions of the quadrennial World Championships for men and women will be expanded to 32 teams and eliminate the odd advancement formulas used this year.

In the men’s Worlds won by Italy in Poland in September, 24 teams competed in six groups of four, with the top two in each pool advancing to the round of 16, along with four of the six third-placed teams. This led to some complex tie-breakers, down to the ratio of points scored vs. points allowed.

The just-completed women’s Worlds, won by Serbia in the Netherlands, had 24 teams in four pools of six, with the top four advancing into a second round of round-robin play, with two groups of eight. The top four in each advance to the quarterfinals.

Now, with 32 teams, eight groups of four will play round-robin matches and the top two teams from each pool will advance to the elimination round of 16. Simple, and therefore better.

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TSX REPORT: Cycling doping drug now popular with Kenyan runners; France worries about Paris ‘24 transport; $9 million grant to build San Jose State track

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Boston ‘21 women’s champ Kipyokei latest user of favored cycling drug
2. French government sounds alarm on Paris ‘24 transport planning
3. Huntington University separates from two more in abuse scandal
4. California gives $9 million for new San Jose State track
5. India’s two-time Olympic medalist Kumar called with murder

An alarming report from the Athletics Integrity Unit announced a provisional suspension of 2021 Boston Marathon winner Diana Kipyogei of Kenya due to a positive test for triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid which has suddenly shown up in a dozen cases, all from Kenya. The French Transport Minister told reporters that he is concerned about the lack of progress in public planning for the transport needs of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A new committee has been set up to find solution, but the Paris regional transport director complained her agency needed more money. Huntington University, reeling from a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and doping by its distance coaches, released the two coaches who had been put on leave (with the third already dismissed). The school announced an outside review of its Title IX procedures and student safety program. The State of California gave $9 million for San Jose State to help start up a new track & field facility and a community center at the San Clara County Fairgrounds, a project expected to cost $25 million in all. The 1969 NCAA team champions, San Jose State eliminated its men’s program from 1988-2017 and demolished its track facility in 2019. India’s Sushil Kumar won two Olympic medals in wrestling in 2008 and 2012 and a world title at 66 kg, but is now charged with 17 others in the murder of a former junior wrestling champion. He and his fellow defendants have pled not guilty.

Plus world championships reports in track cycling, football, sailing, shooting and volleyball.

1.
Boston ‘21 women’s champ Kipyokei
latest user of favored cycling drug

Kenyan Diana Kipyogei won the Covid-delayed 2021 Boston Marathon women’s division in October of that year, ahead of countrywoman (and 2017 winner) Edna Kiplagat, 2:24:45 to 2:25:09.

On Friday, the Athletics Integrity Unit provisionally suspended Kipyogei and fellow Kenyan women’s marathoner Betty Wilson Lempus for doping violations following investigations for “Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) for metabolites of triamcinolone acetonide in samples they provided during in-competition tests last year.”

Kipyogei’s Boston Marathon sample came back positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid used for treat skin conditions. It’s used in the over-the-counter nasal spray Nasacort. She was also charged with “obstructing or delaying the AIU’s investigation through the provision of false information or documentation.”

If proved, Kipyogei would lose her Boston Marathon title, which was her third career marathon and second win, after the Istanbul Marathon in 2020, where she set her lifetime best of 2:22:06. She has been more active as a half-marathoner, with a best of 67:07 from 2018.

Lempus’ positive – also for f triamcinolone acetonide – came in September 2021, after winning the Harmonie Mutuelle Semi de Paris half marathon in a speedy 1:05:46, moving her to no. 12 on the world list for last year. She was initially cleared by the French anti-doping agency, but has now been charged with tampering via providing false information.

Glucocorticoids such as triamcinolone acetonide are banned in competition “because, when administered via prohibited routes, there is clear evidence of systemic effects which could potentially enhance performance and be harmful to health.” They can be used with a Therapeutic Use Exemption, which neither Kipyogei or Lempus had.

The AIU sounded the alarm on the widening use of triamcinolone acetonide among Kenyan athletes:

“The cases announced today are part of a recent trend in Kenyan athletics regarding triamcinolone acetonide, with ten Kenyan athletes testing positive for that prohibited substance between 2021 and 2022.

“Within the same time period in athletics globally, there have been just two positive triamcinolone acetonide AAFs [adverse findings] for athletes from all other countries.

“In the four years from 2017 to 2020, there were only three Kenyan AAFs for triamcinolone acetonide. Yesterday, the AIU announced that it had banned Mark Kangogo – the initial winner of the Sierre-Zinal 2022 mountain race in Switzerland – for three years for the presence of triamcinolone acetonide in his sample. In addition to the Kipyokei, Lempus and Kangogo cases, the AIU currently has four open investigations into AAFs for triamcinolone acetonide for Kenyan athletes; with two matters pending with [Anti-Doping Kenya].”

Matt Lawton, Chief Sports Correspondent for The Times (London) noted that this same drug has long been part of doping in cycling, including by disgraced American star Lance Armstrong during his win at the 1999 Tour de France and Britain’s David Millar, the two-time World Time Trial Championships silver medalist. Lawton’s follow-up tweet included:

“Triamcinolone the new go-to drug in distance running. Difference is, @aiu_athletics are taking the time to investigate if an athlete really has a [medical] need for it.”

2.
French government sounds alarm on Paris ‘24 transport planning

The French Transport Minister Clement Beaune told reporters during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Day that the government has work to do on the mobility planning for the 2024 Olympic Games:

“We have to be honest, we are behind on our accessibility objectives for transport and stations in particular. …

“We’re not ahead at all, we have to work twice as hard. We have to speed up. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are an opportunity for the month of the Games to reinforce things and to show that we are also capable of having innovative solutions, because we cannot make everything accessible immediately.”

Beaune has formed a “Strategic Mobility Committee” to find solutions, and mentioned expanded taxi or shuttle services, but this is contrary to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s preference to remove vehicles from the streets, not add them.

During the following week, Beaune reiterated his concern as the new committee met, saying:

“If the Olympic Games took place today, I’m not sure that we would be at the level of international standards. The objective is therefore to identify areas for improvement in the logic of the athletes’ journey, from the airport to the Olympic sites, via the city centre.”

He was immediately challenged on costs by Valerie Pecresse, the President of Ile-de-France Mobilite (IDFM), the regional transport authority that actually runs services in the Paris region, who stated that the costs of added transport services for the 2024 Games is estimated at €150 million (about $150 million U.S. today):

“150 million euros is 3 additional euros for the Navigo [public transport] pass. You can imagine that we cannot ask Ile-de-France residents to pay 3 euros more, in order to finance the Olympic Games for tourists. You must not send me back, saying that I can do everything on my own. It’s not true, it’s not what the law provides.”

Beaune said he is all for cooperation, but later in the day added:

“I remain in a spirit of partnership and cooperation. But the organization of transport in Ile-de-France is the region and IDFM. Obviously, the state cannot ignore it. We can be a support and a help. And I’m open to all leads. But we must be clear. It is the region that must manage and organize a budget.”

Observed: For the Paris 2024 Olympic organizers, this is a headache that they could do without. At its best, an organizing committee can bring people together and try to work out solutions that benefit everyone, at least enough to get through the Games.

But with ticket revenue of the IDFM down significantly due to the pandemic and fuel costs, and the French government already providing a €2 billion loan to the transit authority, a bail-out is not the government’s preferred solution. And Pecresse does not want to see the price of a monthly, all-zones Navigo pass rise from the current €75.20 to perhaps €100 a month!

That could start another French Revolution.

The Paris 2024 organizers do not control the transit systems, but they need them to work to make the Games function, and the increased attention to the Paralympic Games puts new pressures for better accommodations for the physically challenged. And that will cost more money.

3.
Huntington University separates from two more in abuse scandal

A Sunday statement from Huntington University (Huntington, Indiana) announced that Lauren Johnson and Curtis Hines, two coaches named – along with the already-dismissed Nick Johnson – in a sexual abuse lawsuit filed 30 September, “were placed on administrative leave on October 6, 2022, and will no longer be affiliated with the University’s women’s running program.”

The statement noted:

“[W]e were devastated and heartbroken when University leadership were made aware of the allegations included in a civil lawsuit filed on September 30, 2022, against three now formerly affiliated University employees, as well as against the University, and Board of Trustees. Following this discovery many have voiced concern, and we want you to know that we hear you. These allegations are not only disturbing, but also antithetical to everything we stand for.”

Former coach Nick Johnson is also being removed from the school’s Hall of Fame and the school has commissioned a full review of its Title IX programs:

“The University has now engaged an external review team to provide an independent review of the University’s Title IX and Sexual Misconduct policies and procedures and to provide recommendations regarding changes the University should consider implementing based on legal compliance and/or best practices. …

“The review will also examine the supportive measures used to protect all students, and to promote a culture of trust, integrity, and safety.”

The suit, filed by former Huntington star runners Emma Wilson and Hannah Stoffel, who alleged a “systematic doping program instituted by the Johnson Defendants during their coaching tenure at Huntington University,” and that the University “knew or should have known about the doping program” that the Johnsons were alleged to be involved at the Nike Oregon Project prior to their hirings at Huntington. Further allegations of sexual abuse were made against Nick Johnson, and a request for a jury trial was made.

4.
California gives $9 million for new San Jose State track

A nine-acre track & field and community center at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds to be jointly operated with San Jose State University has gotten a $9 million grant from the State of California for 2023. But this is only the beginning, as the announcement noted:

“Much work still needs to be done to complete the project, which is expected to be completed in phases. The university will work to secure additional funding for the project, with a total estimated cost of $25 million, as well as set out to plan the physical elements of the site, which will include a nine-lane track and field facility (including lighting and utilities), a Legacy Center and community facilities.”

California Assembly Member Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) asked for $25 million for the project, but the award was whittled down to $9 million.

San Jose State’s track & field heritage is centered on the “Speed City” years of the 1960s, starring 1968 Mexico City Olympic winners Tommie Smith (200 m) and Lee Evans (400 m). The Spartans won the 1969 NCAA men’s title under famed coach Bud Winter, with wins from Olympic 200 m bronze winner John Carlos in the 100 and 220 yards and the 440-yard relay, second from Evans in the 440 yards, third in the 100 yards from Ronnie Ray Smith (who won a Mexico City relay gold) and fourth for discus star John Powell.

Smith and Carlos have been immortalized by their raised-fist salute during the victory ceremony for the men’s 200 m, and a “Victory Salute” statue stands at One Washington Square on the San Jose State campus. But the track & field facility they trained on was demolished in 2019 in favor of a parking structure on the campus.

San Jose State closed its men’s track & field program in 1988 in a “reallocation of university resources,” and reinstated it only in 2018. A new track was planned, but has not been built; that’s where the new grant comes in.

5.
India’s two-time Olympic medalist Kumar charged with murder

Olympic athletes are justly lauded for the enormous effort, dedication and sacrifice to achieve their goals. For some, their post-sport careers go awry.

Indian wrestling star Sushil Kumar won a bronze medal in the men’s Freestyle 66 kg class at Beijing 2008 and a silver in London in 2012 in the same weight division. Kumar won the World Championships golds at 66 kg in 2010.

Last Wednesday, Kumar and 17 others were charged in the murder of former Indian junior wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar last May in New Delhi, in a property dispute

Kumar and the others were charged with varying counts of murder, attempted murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery, wrongful restraint, robbery, robbery and attempting to cause death or grievous hurt and criminal intimidation. ESPN reported:

“The court said that the facts and circumstances in the present case clearly reflected that all the accused persons had conspired to cause abduction and assaulted the victims resulting in the death of Dhankar. The court noted that the main gate of the Chhatrasal Stadium had been locked, many of the accused persons possessed weapons, and the assault continued for around 30-40 minutes. According to the prosecution, after abducting Dhankar and his friends, Sushil and his associates brutally assaulted them.”

The 18 defendants were to have appeared in court on Saturday (15th), but were not produced in person for security reasons; the hearing took place in a lockup facility and all pled not guilty. The trial is slated to begin on 10 November.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● The 2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships concluded on Sunday in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FRA) with traditional powers Great Britain and the Netherlands leading the medal table with 10 each.

The men’s individual star was Dutch sprinter Harrie Lavreysen, winner of the Sprint – his fourth straight world title in the event – plus the Keirin, where he won his third straight title, and a Team Sprint silver. Teammate Jeffrey Hoogland was also busy, winning the 1 km Time Trial – his third, after wins in 2018 and 2021 – plus a second in the Keirin, and a silver in the Team Sprint as well. Yoeri Havik won the 40 km Points Race for the third Netherlands gold.

Britain was led by Ethan Hayter, who defended his 2021 title in the Omnium, was on the winning Team Pursuit squad and grabbed a silver in the Madison (with Oliver Wood).

Fresh off his world record in the Hour, Filippo Ganna led an Italian 1-2 in the Individual Pursuit, ahead of Jonathan Milan, and those two were also part of Italy’s runner-up squad in the Team Pursuit. Italy scored a second with road veteran Elia Viviani winning the Elimination Race for the second straight year. Ganna won the Pursuit in 3:59.636, a world record, replacing American Ashton Lambie (3:59.930 in 2021).

The home country’s only men’s win came from Donovan Grondin and Benjamin Thomas in the Madison.

The women’s events saw Germany with three wins, and France, Italy and Belgium each took two golds. Germany’s Lea Friedrich won her second straight world title in the Keirin and was on the Team Sprint gold-medalist team with Emma Hinze and Pauline Grabosch. Friedrich also a silver in the Sprint and Hinze won two more medals with a silver in the 500 m Time Trial and a bronze in the Sprint. Franziska Brausse won her third straight medal in the Individual Pursuit: bronze in 2020, silver in 2021 and now gold in 2022.

Mathilde Gros won the sprint for France and Taky Marie-Divine Kouame won the 500 m Time Trial. Belgium got wins from road star Lotte Kopecky in the Elimination Race and she and Shari Bossuyt teamed to win the Madison. Italy’s Marina Fidanza defended her 2021 world crown in the Scratch race and then added a second gold in the Team Pursuit.

Not to be left out of the discussion is American star Jennifer Valente. The Tokyo 2020 gold medalist in the Omnium, she won her first world title in the event in 2022, 118-109, over Maike van der Duin (NED). Valente also won bronzes in the Elimination Race (won by Kopecky) and Points Race, won by Britain’s Neah Evans. Still just 27, Valente now owns 14 career World Championships medals: five gold, four silver and five bronze.

● Football ● Group play continues in Bhubaneswar, India at the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup, with the U.S. and Brazil playing to a 1-1 tie on Friday (14th) and both with 1-1 records with one game remaining for each.

The U.S. got the lead in the 33rd minute on a score from Nicollette Kiorpes, but Carol Cheves tied the game for Brazil just four minute later and that ended the scoring. The U.S. had 19 shots to 14 for Brazil, but a 7-2 edge on shots-on-goal. The U.S. plays Morocco on Monday and will advance to the finals with a win or a tie.

Germany, now 2-0 in Group B, and Japan – 2-0 in Group D – are the remaining undefeated, untied teams in the tournament.

● Sailing ● Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom dominated the 2022 ILC6 Laser Radial Women’s World Championship that concluded Sunday in Galveston Bay off Kemah, Texas.

Rindom, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in the Dinghy class (ILCA6), won two of the 12 races, finished second three times and third once on her way to a net of 47.0 points, far ahead of Swiss Maud Jayet (one win, 67.0) and defending champion Emma Plasschaert (BEL: one win, 69.0).

It’s Rindom’s second Laser Radial world title, also in 2015. Erika Reineke was the top American in 10th (97.0).

● Shooting ● Just as soon as the Shotgun World Championships ended, the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Championships got underway, in Cairo (EGY).

American Alison Weisz, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, won her first Worlds medal with a gold in the women’s 10 m Air Rifle, with a 16-14 victory in the final over China’s 16-year-old, Yuting Huang. China won the women’s Team event, 16-12, over the U.S. squad, which included Weisz, Sagen Maddalena and Olympic Mixed Team silver winner Mary Tucker.

The men’s 10 m Air Rifle gold was won by India’s Rudrankksh Patil, 17-13, over Italian Danilo Sollazzo. Patil got a second gold as part of the winning 10 m Air Rifle men’s Team entry, which defeated China, 16-10.

China won the men’s and women’s 10 m Air Pistol titles, with Kaiman Lu defeating Greece’s Tokyo silver medalist, Anna Korakaki, 16-10, in the final. The all-Chinese men’s final had Jinyao Liu as the winner, 17-15, over Yifan Zhang.

In the team events, China swept again, winning the women’s title, 16-8, over India, with the men defeating Iran, 16-10 in the final.

The events continue to the 27th.

● Volleyball ● Serbia defended its 2018 title with a 26-24, 25-22, 25-17 sweep of Brazil in the final of the FIVB Women’s World Championship in Apeldoorn (NED).

The Serbs ended 12-0 in the tournament and had a sensational 36-5 record in sets and swept nine of their 12 matches! Forward Tijana Boskovic was named Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite Hitter. Teammate Bojana Drca was named Best Setter and Teodora Pusic was selected as Best Libero.

Brazil’s Gabriela Guimaraes was the co-Best Outside Hitter with Italy’s Miriam Sylla and Ana Carolina da Silva was co-Best Middle Blocker with Italian Anna Danesi.

The Italians won the bronze medal match from the U.S. (the Tokyo Olympic champs) in a shutout, 25-20, 25-15 and 27-25. The American women ended with an 8-4 overall record.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC announced on Sunday that it has suspended the National Olympic Committee on Guatemala due to government interference with its operations.

The immediate impact is that IOC financial support to the Guatemalan NOC is frozen. Moreover, “the athletes of Guatemala can no longer represent the country and compete under the country’s flag/name at the Olympic Games and other international multi-sports events.”

The real-life impact of the previously-threatened suspension was the cancellation of the XII Central American Games, which were to have been held from 27 October-11 November in Costa Rica and Guatemala, and a qualifying event for the 2023 Pan American Games.

● South American Games ● The XII South American Games concluded in Asuncion (PAR) on Saturday, after 404 events were held in 34 sports. A total of 4,476 were reported to compete, from 15 nations.

The big winner on the field was Brazil, which won 319 medals (133-100-86), ahead of Colombia (255: 79-78-98) and Argentina (197: 58-65-74). Every country won at least one medal.

● World University Games ● You’re among the elite of multi-sport event followers if you’re aware of the 11-day FISU Americas Games now underway in Merida, Mexico.

About 1,000 athletes are contesting 11 sports: athletics, chess, basketball, judo, futsal, volleyball, table tennis, weightlifting, football, taekwondo, and archery. The 11 participating nations include Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Dominican Republic, United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Colombia, El Salvador, and Brazil.

This is the second edition; the first was in 2018 in Sao Paulo (BRA) with 13 countries competing.

● Archery ● The 2022 World Cup Final in Tlaxcala (MEX) saw Tokyo triple gold medalist San An add to her trophy case.

Still just 21, An won the women’s Recurve final in an all-Korean clash with 2015 World Cup Final champ Mi-sun Choi, 6-4, with Chinese Taipei’s Chia-Mao Peng taking the bronze. From 2020-22, An has won the Olympic individual title, World Championships golds in the Women’s Team and Mixed Team events and now the World Cup Final gold.

The men’s Recurve final had three-time World Champion Woo-jin Kim facing Spain’s Miguel Alvarino Garcia, the 2015 European Games gold medalist, with Kim winning by 7-1. It’s the Korean’s fourth World Cup final win after 2012-17-18. Turkey’s Olympic champ Mete Gazoz won the bronze.

● Athletics ● Ethiopian stars dominated Sunday’s Amsterdam Marathon, with 2016 Rio Olympic 10,000 m champion Almaz Ayana, 30, winning the women’s division in the fastest debut marathon ever, in 2:17:20, no. 4 on the world list for 2022.

Running with Ayana was countrywoman Genzebe Dibaba, the 1,500 m world-record holder at 3:50.07 from 2015, who ran with Ayana to 33 km, but then fell back and eventually finished second in her debut marathon in 2:18:05, no. 9 on the year list. Tsegaye Gemechu competed the Ethiopian sweep in third at 2:18:59.

Ayana’s run moves her no. 7 on the all-time list after her first marathon.

The men’s division was won by Ethiopia’s experienced Tsegaye Getachew, running his 10th career marathon and broke away from a pack of five after 40 km to win in a lifetime best of 2:04:49, equal ninth on the 2022 world list.

He led a parade of nine runners who finished under 2:06, with Titus Kipruto second (2:04:54), Bazezew Asmare (ETH) third in 2:04:57. Adeledelew Mamo (ETH) ran 2:05:45 and could get only ninth!

● Football ● The U.S. Women’s National Team lost games on the road to England (2-1) and Spain (2–0), but remained no. 1 in the new FIFA Women’s Rankings!

While the American women remained on top, Sweden jumped Germany for second, with England remaining fourth and France fifth. Spain’s win over the U.S. moved them from eighth to sixth.

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TSX REPORT: Qatar World Cup CEO asks for respect; FIFA says World Cup award has changed Qatar for the better; Val-de-Marne cleans the Seine for 2024

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Qatar World Cup CEO asks for respect, warns on drinking
2. Qatar progress praised, condemned at Council of Europe hearing
3. Holloway and Lyles nominated for Men’s World Athlete of the Year
4. France’s Val-de-Marne cleans Seine River, gets special ticket privileges
5. WADA President Banka asks Caribbean governments for support

The increasingly important intersection of sport and governments continues to widen, as today’s stories show, notably through the intense attention paid to mega-events such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Nasser Al Khater, head of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the World Cup, told Britain’s Sky Sports that preparations are in place to handle excessive drinking and that gay-rights supporters will not be harassed. But he also asked for visitors to respect Qatari culture. In a Council of Europe hearing in France, FIFA Deputy Secretary General Alasdair Bell (SCO) pointed to changes in Qatari labor laws and practices as proof of the positive impact of the award of the World Cup, and said compensation for injured workers should be explored. Critics called for more reforms in Qatar after the World Cup is over. World Athletics announced its nominees for men’s World Athlete of the Year, with fans able to vote; Americans Grant Holloway and Noah Lyles made the list. In France, the Val-de-Marne department, southeast of Paris, is helping to reclaim the Seine River for swimming and has been rewarded by the Paris 2024 organizers with ticketing privileges equal to those of regions with competition venues. At an online meeting with Caribbean sports ministers, World Anti-Doping Agency chief Witold Banka (POL) underscored the importance of government support to have anti-doping measures taken seriously in their countries.

1.
Qatar World Cup CEO asks for respect, warns on drinking

“We’ve always said everybody is welcome here. All we ask is for people to be respectful of the culture. …

“At the end of the day, as long as you don’t do anything that harms other people, if you’re not destroying public property, as long as you’re behaving in a way that’s not harmful, then everybody’s welcome and you have nothing to worry about.”

Nasser Al Khater, chief executive of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the Delivery and Legacy of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, told Britain’s SkyNews that 95% of the tickets for the matches have been sold and that as alcoholic beverages will be more available than normal, precautions have been taken to handle drunken fans.

“Alcohol is available in Qatar. It’s more limited than perhaps in other countries in the world, whether it’s in Europe or the U.S. or other countries in eastern Europe and the East, but it will be more available in designated zones in Qatar, and here we are today, we have it in designated zones as we promised from day one. …

“I know that there are plans in place for people to sober up if they’ve been drinking excessively. It’s a place to make sure that they keep themselves safe, they’re not harmful to anybody else, they don’t get themselves harmed, and I think it’s a good idea.”

He also noted that fans will be able to display rainbow flags supporting gay rights, and that whether players can wear political-message armbands is a matter for FIFA.

As for the continuous and loud criticism of Qatar’s human rights record, Al Khater had his own view:

“People don’t understand the amount of work that’s gone in over the past 10 years in terms of really, really overhauling the worker’s rights and the worker’s laws in this country. When people come out and say, ‘Yes, we agree that there needs to be some sort of compensation fund,’ they’re just reading off a piece of paper. …

“A lot of people that speak about this issue on workers’ welfare… are not experts in the industry. And they’re not experts in what they’re speaking about. … I think they need to really read and educate themselves a little bit more about what’s happening on the ground in Qatar.”

Asked by correspondent Rob Harris if he thinks Qatar is being scrutinized overly closely as the first Middle Eastern host of a major event like the FIFA World Cup, Al Khater replied:

“I think a lot of it has to do with that. Is Qatar worthy of hosting the World Cup, will Qatar ever be ready to host the World Cup?”

Asked if he thought the criticism was racist, Al Khater was diplomatic, but did not shy away from answering:

“I’m not going to get into what the intentions of other people are, I’m not going to get into the minds and souls of other people. But you know, who knows? Possibly.”

After all the build-up, the matches will start on 20 November.

2.
Qatar progress praised, condemned at Council of Europe hearing

“There has been real tangible progress in Qatar. We have worked hard with the Qatari authorities and the [non-governmental organizations]. The labor conditions in World Cup sites are setting the standards in Qatar.

“In 2020, something like 250,000 people were able to change jobs because of these reforms. Nearly 300,000 workers benefitted from the introduction of the minimum wage. We will look at ways to build on these reforms, to ensure they are enduring. A center in Qatar where migrant workers can receive advice is being explored. So is the possibility to find redress for anyone who suffered injury. It is not the simplest thing to put into place.”

FIFA Deputy Secretary General Alasdair Bell (SCO) told a Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly committee hearing in Strasbourg (FRA) on Thursday that the presence of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has made a positive difference.

Bell noted that FIFA introduced specific human rights requirements into its bid process in 2017 and that it has followed through in Qatar:

“We raised the profile of human rights in FIFA and that has had some significant spill over effect. This World Cup in Qatar will be the first big sporting event with a lasting positive effect in the area of human rights. It’s not something to be triumphalist about, but it is a fact, a matter of record. …

“It’s important that all the progress we have made is not lost after the tournament. Once the spotlight of the World Cup is turned off, it is important that these changes remain and also spread wider in the Middle East.”

As for compensation for workers injured during the construction effort in Qatar, Bell said the idea is “certainly something that we’re interested in progressing.”

Harsh critics such as Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness said that compensation “is difficult to frame it in but it is necessary, also for historical abuses, injuries and deaths,” and added:

“We have yet to speak about some of the elephants in the room: ensuring independent investigation of unexplained deaths. … The positive changes need to reach more than the 2% of workers the Supreme Committee covers. And the changes need to be lasting before we can talk about any legacy.”

In a remarkable exchange, Mahmoud Qutub, the Qatar Supreme Committee’s Executive Director of workers’ welfare and labor rights, told the hearing:

“We embarked on this [labor reform] journey after we won the World Cup bid [in 2010]. There was an acknowledgment at the time that gaps existed. We have demonstrated through our various ecosystems that meaningful steps can be taken to fill those gaps. …

“We recognize there are shortcomings. This was, after all, the reason why we pursued the World Cup bid … awarding the World Cup [in 2010] has done a lot of service to Qatar, the region, the globe.”

3.
Holloway and Lyles nominated for
Men’s World Athlete of the Year

World Athletics released its list of 10 candidates for its Men’s World Athlete of the Year, including nine World Champions and marathon star Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya:

● Kristjian Ceh (SLO): Discus World Champion, world no. 2 for 2022 at 71.27 m (233-10)

● Alison Dos Santos (BRA): 400 m hurdles World Champion; world leader at 46.29

● Mondo Duplantis (SWE): Pole vault World Champion indoors and out; world-record setter at 6.21 m (20-4 1/2)

● Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR): Steeplechase World Champion and world leader at 7:58.28

● Grant Holloway (USA): World Indoor Champion in 60 m hurdles; 110 m hurdles World Champion

● Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR): World Champion at 5,000 m, Worlds silver at 1,500 m and world leader at 3:29.02

● Eliud Kipchoge (KEN): Tokyo and Berlin Marathon winner, lowered own world record to 2:01:09

● Noah Lyles (USA): 200 m World Champion and world leader at 19.31

● Anderson Peters (GRN): Javelin World Champion and world leader at 93.07 m (305-4)

● Pedro Pablo Pichardo (POR): Triple jump World Champion and world leader at 17.95 m (58-10 3/4)

As with the women’s nominees, fans can participate in voting through the World Athletics social-media channels; the vote of the World Athletics Council counts for 50%; another 25% is reserved for the World Athletics “family” – including the national federations – and the fan vote also counts for 25%.

The winner will be announced in December.

4.
France’s Val-de-Marne cleans Seine River,
gets special ticket privileges

One of the key environmental goals of the Paris 2024 organizers, and the City of Paris, is to make the Seine River clean enough for swimming by the time of the Olympic Games. As it turns out, a major assist is coming from just outside of Paris.

The Val-de-Marne, a 95 square-mile “department” of France – kind of like a county in the U.S. – located just southeast of the City of Paris, was not selected to have a venue for the Games, but has invested €80 million (~$78.2 million U.S.) to help clean the Seine, which flows right through it, north to south, and the River Marne, a tributary of the Seine that runs to the east. The Val-de-Marne program “depollution program” helps to prevent the discharge of waste water into the two rivers.

The Paris 2024 organizers have noticed, and in a 6 October letter, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet wrote, in part:

“I would like to inform you that your department will have the same access to the Olympic and Paralympic Games as the host communities of Paris 2024.

“We are fully aware of the commitment of the Val-de-Marne to the total success of the Games, in particular to guarantee of the Games, in particular to guarantee the swimability of the Seine in 2024. It was therefore important that your department to benefit from the same access to the ticketing of the Games as the host communities, thus enhancing your investment and that of all your constituents in our project.”

This doesn’t end the Seine project, as the Paris department also has a lot to contribute, but it is a major step in creating better conditions in the river, which is slated to host the Open Water Swimming competitions during the Games, as well as the Opening Ceremonies.

Of course, the Paris 2024 Torch Relay will cross through Val-de-Marne, so despite not having any competition sites, it is creating its own role in the Games, and now stands on the same step as those French departments which are hosting Games events.

5.
WADA President Banka asks Caribbean governments for support

As part of a program to promote more effective anti-doping programs around the world, World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka (POL) addressed sports ministers from the Caribbean region online on Wednesday. Included in his remarks was an exceptionally clear summary of what WADA sees as the core of the fight against doping:

“In a short while, WADA’s Director General, Olivier Niggli, will outline some of the challenges in the region including around testing, capacity-building, resources for National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations and how governments can further commit to supporting clean sport in the Caribbean.

“From my perspective, there are three important aspects of anti-doping which always need to be remembered and considered.

“The first is the need for the global anti-doping system to be strong. That is, for each country to have a robust and relevant program. To accomplish this, we must collaborate. Governments play a crucial role and must be receptive to unlocking and enabling the creation of strong and relevant anti-doping programs at the national level.

“Long gone are the days when some claimed their athletes would never cheat. We must not be naive – doping can happen anywhere. No country and no sport is immune. Having strong testing, investigations and education programs in place to safeguard against it happening sends the right message. It will leave athletes in no doubt that the authorities take the matter seriously and will always support them to compete clean throughout their careers.

“Secondly, the issue of funding for anti-doping is a critical consideration. At WADA we are all too aware that most sports and governments have limited resources. However, when you consider the need to ensure the health and well-being of athletes, coupled with the immense negative effect that doping takes on families, societies, national pride and global prestige, it is vitally important to put anti-doping safeguards in place.

“Thirdly and finally, I would like to say something about our number-one priority – the athletes. Anti-doping is all about the well-being of athletes and giving them the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. A key priority identified in WADA’s Strategic Plan 2020-2024 is to be more athlete-centered so that whatever we do, we do it with the participation of the athletes of the world.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● The 2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships continued in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FRA), with five events decided on Thursday and won by five different countries!

Tokyo Olympic Sprint winner Harrie Lavreysen (NED) won his 10th career World Championships gold and third Keirin title by a huge, 9.571-second margin over countryman Jeffrey Hoogland, with Colombia’s Kevin Quintero third. It’s Lavreysen’s third straight World title in the event; he’s also the three-time defending champ in the Sprint.

Great Britain won the Team Pursuit final over Italy, 3:45.829 to 3:46.033, with Denmark taking the bronze, In the Scratch Race, a non-Olympic event, Canada’s Dylan Bibic won over Japan’s Kazushige Kuboki.

Italy’s women won the Team Pursuit title, timing 4:09.760 to 4:11.369 for Great Britain, with France third. Scratch Race winner Martina Fidanza won her second gold of the meet riding for Italy.

The U.S. won its first medal with a bronze finish for Tokyo Olympic Omnium winner Jennifer Valente in the non-Olympic Elimination Race, won by Belgian star Lotte Kopecky, who moved up from silver in 2021. For Valente, 27, it’s her 12th career Worlds medal (4-4-4).

The championships continue through Sunday.

● Judo ● To the surprise of absolutely no one, Japan concluded the 2022 World Judo Championships in Tashkent (UZB) with a win in the Mixed Team event.

The Japanese squad shut out the Dominican Republic in the Round of 16, 4-0, then whitewashed the Netherlands (4-0) and Germany (4-0) before a challenging final against France, winning by 4-2. Germany and Israel won the bronze medals.

Japan has now won the Mixed Team event all five times it has been held in the World Championships. The final medal count showed Japan with 13 medals (6-4-3) with France (1-1-3) at five and Brazil and Georgia with four each.

● Volleyball ● Defending champ Serbia will face three-time Worlds silver winners Brazil in the final of the 2022 FIVB Women’s World Championship on Saturday in Apeldoorn (NED).

The Brazilians overcame Italy, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24 and 25-19, in their Thursday semifinal, assuring Brazil of its fourth medal in this event, after silvers in 2006 and 2010 and a bronze in 2014.

Italy, the 2018 runner-ups, will face the U.S. – the Tokyo Olympic gold medalists – for the bronze.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Youth Olympic Games ● The International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN) met online on Thursday and said that the planning has made “great progress.”

With the event postponed from 2022 to 2026 due to the coronavirus, the Senegalese organizers are mounting an annual, eight-day festival – “Dakar en Jeux” – in the YOG areas to promote the event, especially among youth.

An important part of the preparations are initiatives in Senegal to boost participation in sport:

● “[T]he Olympic, Civic and Sports Certificate – a new education programme focused on the Olympic values that aims to reach up to 900,000 children in 11,000 schools by 2026. Students aged from 9 to 15 throughout Senegal will have the opportunity to attend the courses, with participants also given the opportunity to volunteer at the YOG.”

● “[T]he Kids Olympic Skills initiative, which will be launched during the Dakar en Jeux festival, will promote education and youth engagement through sport, with the nationwide project giving children aged from 6 to 18 the chance to try a range of different sports ahead of the YOG.”

● “[T]he Impact 52 Fitness programme will aim to encourage the practice of sport and improve the health and well-being among people of all ages throughout Senegal. The programme will be launched in 10 pilot centres in 2023 before a nationwide roll-out over the following years.”

These might end up being more important than the YOG itself, whose dates are still to be determined.

● Russia ● “Now all countries are watching how we overcome this crisis; it can affect any country if the IOC takes aim at such powerful sports powers as Russia and Belarus.”

That’s Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, speaking at a conference on sports in Minsk (BLR) on Thursday. In his view, the future of the Olympic Movement depends on what happens to Russia:

“If we stand, it is a guarantee that the Olympic Movement will survive, if there is an opportunity to shake us in some way, 100% of other countries will not be able to resist international pressure. Therefore, our voice must be heard, the media is also an important aspect that needs to be paid attention. The voice of our Olympians, heroes of sports, must be bright and sonorous, not only the voice of officials.”

● Swimming ● The USA Swimming Board of Directors approved up to $100,000 in emergency aid to clubs impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida:

“Teams in the affected region are eligible to be considered for a relief grant of up to $5,000. To be eligible to apply for a USA Swimming disaster relief grant, teams must have suffered material losses from Hurricane Ian. To be able to use grants to provide swim team dues relief, teams must have team members and families that have suffered loss of their homes for an extended period. Based on the number of teams impacted and the desire to maximize organizational benefit, USA Swimming may be unable to honor every eligible request for assistance. The average grant is expected to be about $3,000.”

Applications will be received through 30 November, or until the allocation has been expended.

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Ex-U.S. star Solo objects to USSF-USWNT settlement; Italy boycotts FIG Congress over Russia; Ealey and McLaughlin up for Woman of the Year

By
Rich Perelman
-
Retired U.S. keeper Hope Solo during a 2016 Olympic match in Rio de Janeiro (Photo: Andre Borges/Agencia Brasília via Wikipedia)

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

★ Want TheSportsExaminer.com insights for your team? Yes! Click here for info on speaking, research and consulting from editor Rich Perelman. ★

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Former star U.S. keeper Solo objects to USSF-USWNT settlement
2. Italy becomes sixth country to boycott FIG Congress
3. Russian figure skater Maria Talalaikina refused Italian residence
4. Ealey and McLaughlin nominated for World Athletics Woman of the Year
5. Is drafting the key to a sub-2:00 marathon?

The widely-applauded equal-pay settlement agreed between the U.S. Women’s National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation is being challenged by former star keeper Hope Solo. She is asking that the agreement be thrown out during the 5 December hearing as there is no clarity on what monies each plaintiff will actually receive, and moreover, only $14.1 million of the $22 million settlement will go to the players due to $7.9 million in attorney’s fees and costs! Italy announced it will boycott the 2022 FIG Congress next month over Russian and Belarusian officials being able to attend; it’s the sixth country to do so. Italian authorities would not allow Russian figure skater Maria Talalaikina, resident in the country for 11 months, to stay, and so she had to go back to Russia. But she is happy to be skating again. World Athletics announced its 10 candidates for Woman Athlete of the Year, with American World Champions Chase Ealey and Sydney McLaughlin on the list. A study led by the University of Colorado showed that better drafting during a marathon could lead to a sub-2:00 in-competition finish, especially with Kenyan star Eliud Kipchoge down to 2:01:09 in Berlin this year!

In figure skating, American star Mariah Bell retired and Boston was awarded the 2025 World Championships.

1.
Former star U.S. keeper Solo objects to USSF-USWNT settlement

“Based upon the foregoing, and because the Settlement is neither fair, reasonable, nor adequate, Class Member Solo’s Objection should be sustained, the Settlement should be rejected and, approval of the Settlement should be denied.”

That’s from a Tuesday filing (11th) by former U.S. goalkeeping star Hope Solo, now 41, who was a member of the American women’s team from 2000-16 and was on two Olympic champion and one World Cup champion teams.

Solo filed the objection to the much-lauded settlement agreement reached in February on the class-action suit between the U.S. Women’s National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation, alleging violations of the Equal Pay Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The settlement is coming for final approval on a 5 December hearing in Los Angeles before Federal Judge R. Gary Klausner. Solo is asking Klausner to reject the settlement.

Her main issues are the (1) lack of specificity on how the $22 million in damages that the USSF has agreed to pay is going to be distributed to her and other claimants, and (2) the amount of legal fees that will come off the top before anything is given to her and the other plaintiffs in the case.

On distribution, Solo’s filing states:

“The proposed Settlement Agreement fails to set forth with specificity the allocation of the Settlement fund for each class member. The failure to explain the plan of allocation is material.

“Neither the Class Notice nor the proposed Settlement Agreement provides the Class Members with the allocation of their individual relief. As a result, Class Members do not have the information necessary to calculate the allocation of the Settlement proceeds per class member.

“The lack of disclosure about the Settlement allocation denies Class Members the opportunity to make informed decisions as to releasing their claims in exchange for an unknown allocation of the proposed Settlement fund at an unknown time in the future.”

And then there is the question of how much money is actually going to be available:

“The Class Notice states that Class Counsel will request the Court for an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses, which will be paid from the $22 Million fund. The Class Notice further states that Class Counsel will ask the Court for 30% of the $22 Million fund ($6.6 Million) and seek approximately $1,319,127 in litigation expenses.”

That’s $7,919,127 off the top or 36% of the total of $22 million, leaving $14,080,873 to distribute. That’s a lot less, and Solo contends:

“Class Counsel’s requested attorney’s fees and reimbursement of expenses is disproportionate to the Settlement fund, and are improper as neither reasonable nor necessary.”

Solo’s filing also reveals that the USSF will not pay all $22 million at one time, but in four annual payments of $5.5 million, with the first made on 1 June 2022. So the claimants are going to have to wait for their full share – whatever that is – until mid-2025.

Once again, we are reminded of Yogi Berra’s famous 1973 maxim: “It’s never over till it’s over.”

2.
Italy becomes sixth country to boycott FIG Congress

The Federazione Gimnastica d’Italia (FGI) stated on Wednesday that it would skip the forthcoming International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Congress:

“FGI President Gherardo Tecchi announced that the Gymnastics Federation of Italy will not take part with its delegation in the 84th FIG Congress, scheduled in Istanbul, Turkey, on 11 and 12 November 2022, due to the desire not to meet delegates from Russia and Belarus.

“The decision of [the FGI] was taken, with the endorsement of the Italian National Olympic Committee, in support of the line adopted by other federations – to date Norway, Ukraine, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania – with reference to the declaration agreed by the Ministers of Sport – or their equivalents – of the 25 countries of the European Union and numerous non-European countries, in total solidarity with the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation.”

Italy is a significant player in the gymnastics world, but its announcement was brushed aside by Russian Gymnmastics Federation chief and FIG Executive Committee member Vassily Titov of Russia. He told the TASS news agency:

“The International Gymnastics Federation includes 143 countries, 130 have already registered.

“This means that the congress is competent, it will take place and make all the necessary decisions. that our sports colleagues are trying to overly politicize the situation with the participation of the Russian and Belarusian delegations.”

Titov also noted that the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in FIG -sanctioned competitions is still in effect. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin also said he sees no movement toward reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes:

“Statements that discriminate against Russian, Belarusian or other athletes are absolutely unacceptable. We hear some positive statements that sports cannot exist without Russians.

“The next year is important, and a lot depends on the position of the [International Olympic Committee]. So far, we do not see its change. The task of our federations and state bodies is to change the position of the international sports community to one where all Olympic principles are observed.”

3.
Russian figure skater Maria Talalaikina refused Italian residence

The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to have repercussions far beyond the battlefield and even sports competitions, but down to who can live where.

Russian-born figure skater Maria Talalaikina, now 20, who finished ninth in the 2020-21 Russian nationals, moved to Italy to improve her chances of competing internationally. She told the RIA Novosti agency that she received permission last year from Russia for a change of nationality … then the war came:

“Due to the political situation, the Italian government did not issue me a residence permit. Without this document, I could not represent this country in international competitions. And I could not continue to reside in Italy either.

“I spent almost a year in sports ‘quarantine’ in Italy in order to be able to participate in international competitions in the future. This period was difficult for me. I thought about quitting, then I realized I couldn’t live without figure skating. So I decided to come back [to Russia].”

She returned in October and was welcomed back to her old training group in St. Petersburg. She told TASS, “There was a letter of apology from the Italian federation, which said that they could not change anything, it was the decision of their government.” She explained that the Italians tried to help her with a transfer to Croatia, but the Croatian government has banned entry for Russian passport holders. So she had nowhere else to go.

She explained her situation this way:

“I think it’s no secret to anyone that every athlete has a goal not only to train, he wants to compete. At that time, I understood that in Russia I won’t have such an opportunity [to make a national team], but in Italy there was a chance. Since there was, why not try? I had to, so as not to regret later that I didn’t even try. …

“I think everyone in life has such a moment when they don’t know what to do. I had the feeling that everything was taken from me. I’m 20 years old, and from the age of four, I skate, I even slept in them when I was little. Well, I can’t live without this frozen piece of water. …

“I don’t need anything else; nothing can replace this. I love what I’ve always done, and I’m happy that I still can. Everything is fine, I’m at home and I’m glad I’m back, I don’t even remember when I was so happy for the last time.”

But don’t look for her to compete internationally any time soon.

4.
Ealey and McLaughlin nominated for World Athletics
Woman of the Year

World Athletics announced its list of 10 candidates for Women’s World Athlete of the Year, with two Americans making the list (in alphabetical order):

● Tobi Amusan (NGR): World Champion in 100 m hurdles and world-record setter (12.12)

● Chase Ealey (USA): World Champion in the shot; world leader at 20.51 m (67-3 1/2)

● Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM): Won fifth 100 m world title; world leader at 10.62

● Kimberley Garcia (PER): World Champion in 20 km and 35 km Walks

● Shericka Jackson (JAM): World 200 m Champion and world leader at 21.45

● Faith Kipyegon (KEN): World Champion at 1,500 m and world leader at 3:50.37

● Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR): World Indoor Champion; Worlds silver medalist; world leader at 2.05 m (6-8 3/4)

● Sydney McLaughlin (USA): World Champion in 400 m hurdles; world-record setter at 50.68

● Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH): World Champion in 400 m, indoors and out

● Yulimar Rojas (VEN): Triple Jump World Indoor Champion and World Champion; extended her world record to 15.74 m (51-7 3/4)

Fans can participate in voting through the World Athletics social-media channels; the vote of the World Athletics Council counts for 50%; another 25% is reserved for the World Athletics “family” – including the national federations – and the fan vote also counts for 25%.

The winner will be announced in December.

5.
Is drafting the key to a sub-2:00 marathon?

“Kipchoge only has to shave off about a minute. More disciplined drafting could easily get him there.”

A University of Colorado-led study of the impact of drafting during a full marathon indicates that even Kenyan world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge could obtain a substantial advantage of as much as five minutes!

In “The metabolic cost of emulated aerodynamic drag forces in marathon running,” published in July in the Journal of Applied Physiology, authors Rodger Kram (USA/University of Colorado), Edson Soares da Silva (BRA/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul) and Wouter Hoogkamer (NED/University of Massachusetts Amherst) conducted the strongest experiments yet to determine the impact of drafting on an endurance race.

They used a team of 12 runners, each working on a treadmill and competing six 5:00 trials, first without resistance, then with a rubber strap that pulled them backwards at a rate calibrated to simulate aerodynamic drag. And:

“The researchers conclude runners could theoretically increase their power by about 6% per 1% of their body weight in the absence of any wind resistance.

“Realistically, even the most ideal drafting can probably only eliminate about 85% of that drag. And notably, for reasons that aren’t yet clear, some runners appear to benefit even more from drafting than others.

“For a runner of Kipchoge’s size and speed, this means drafting alone can potentially save between 3:42 and 5:29.

“Surprisingly, slower runners can achieve about the same time savings. For instance, da Silva calculates, a 125-pound, 5-foot-7 female runner who typically runs about a 3:35 marathon could improve her time by as much as five minutes.”

Kipchoge famously ran 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019 in time-trial conditions that included a pacing scenario that allowed Kipchoge to draft most of the way. Kipchoge had three pacesetters working with him in Berlin for his most recent 2:01:09 record, who left after about the 15-mile mark (24 km); if they had been able to help him for another six miles (10 km), another minute could be saved, leaving the Kenyan star right at the 2:00 mark.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● The 2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships began on Wednesday in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FRA) and will continue through Sunday.

The men’s first-day winner was Australia in the Team Sprint – its first since 2012 – defeating four-time defending champion Netherlands in the final, 41.600-41.633. Great Britain took the bronze over Germany.

The women’s Team Sprint was a third straight World Championships win for Germany, with a world-record time of 45.967 for Emma Hinze, Pauline Grabosch and Lea Friedrich. All three have been on Germany’s three consecutive winning teams. China was second (46.631); Great Britain again won the bronze.

Italy’s Martina Fidanza defended her world title in the women’s Scratch Race, outlasting Maike van der Duin (NED) for the second straight year. Jessica Roberts (GBR) was third, with American Lily Williams fourth.

● Judo ● The individual weight classes at the 2022 World Judo Championships concluded on Wednesday, with two more medals for Japan, but neither of them gold.

In the men’s +100 kg class, Cuba’s Andy Granda, the 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist, won his first Worlds medal by defeating Japanese newcomer Tatsuru Saito in the final. The women’s +78 km crown was won by France’s Romane Dicko, the Tokyo Olympic bronze winner, who defeated Brazil’s 2021 Worlds bronze winner Beatriz Souza in the championship match. Japan took a bronze with Wakaba Tomita, the silver medalist in 2021.

The medal standings for the individual classes showed Japan once again dominant, winning 12 medals, with five golds, four silvers and three bronzes. Next closest were Brazil, France and Georgia, with four medals each. The Mixed Team event will be held on Thursday.

● Volleyball ● Defending champion Serbia moved into the championship final of the 2022 FIVB Women’s World Championship on Wednesday by defeating the Tokyo Olympic gold medalists, the U.S., in four sets.

Serbia swept the U.S. in pool play and won the semifinal held in Gilwice (POL) by 25-21, 25-20, 17-25 and 25-23.

The other semi, to be held in Apeldoorn (NED) on Thursday, has Brazil meeting Italy. The Italians lost to Serbia in the 2018 final and Brazil won silvers in 2006 and 2010.

The medal matches will be held on Saturday, both in Apeldoorn.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Memorabilia ● An update on Wednesday’s post on the sale of a mounted Olympic Torch from the 1960 Olympic Winter Games that sold at auction for $720,000, including the buyer’s premium. This turns out to be a record for a torch from this specific Games only. A confirmed sale in 2021 for a torch from the 1952 Helsinki Games was for more than $1 million.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field published its selection criteria for the 2023 World Athletics Championships marathon to be held in Budapest (HUN) next summer. It’s all on time:

“Three (3) team positions, per gender, will be selected based on the three (3) highest placing time performances on marks set on World Athletics approved courses (footnote) during the period of December 1, 2021 through May 30, 2023, who accept a position on the team.

“Each selectee must have met at least the World Athletics Championships qualifying standards of 2:09:40 for men and 2:28:00 for women or otherwise qualified based on world ranking or top five finish at a Platinum Label marathon held during the qualification period or by winning a Gold Label marathon held in 2023.

“Should not enough athletes accept positions using the above procedure, any remaining positions will be filled based on rank order as described above.”

With the selection period going back to December of 2021, the current time leaders who have met the qualifying standards are:

Men:
● 2:08:16 ~ Conner Mantz (Chicago ‘22)
● 2:09:28 ~ Zach Panning (Chicago ‘22)
● 2:09:36 ~ Galen Rupp (World Champs ‘22)
(no other qualifiers below 2:09:40)

Women:
● 2:18:19 ~ Emily Sisson (Chicago ‘22)
● 2:19:12 ~ Keira D’Amato (Houston ‘22)
● 2:22:10 ~ Sara Hall (World Champs ‘22)
(four others below 2:28:00 in 2022)

Lots to choose from on the women’s side; as for a possible 10,000 m berth instead, the 2023 U.S. Nationals are currently slated for 6-9 July, with no site publicly announced as yet.

● Figure Skating ● American star Mariah Bell, 26, announced her retirement on Wednesday, in an Instagram post that included:

“This journey was hard and I didn’t always like it but I did always love it. All of these experiences made me the person I am, a person ready to hang up my competitive skating and take on the next part of my life with knowledge I could only gain through gliding across a cold sheet of ice everyday. My dreams became reality!

“I’ve learned through perseverance and determination there are no limits. … I am so lucky that I am ending with my love of skating at an all-time high. …

“See you on the ice again but now just for the fun of shows.”

Bell appeared in four World Championships, with a best of fourth in 2022, and was 10th at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. She was a four-time U.S. Nationals medal winner, winning in 2022 and second in 2020. She won four ISU Grand Prix medals and won at Skate America in the fall of 2020.

The International Skating Union announced that Boston has been provisionally awarded the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships for 24-30 March. The 2026 meet will go to Prague (CZE).

The 2025 Worlds are slated for the TD Garden, which also hosted the event in 2016. It’s the 14th time that the United States will host the figure skating Worlds, beginning in 1930! It will be the fourth time in the 21st Century for the World Championships to be in the U.S.

The ISU published its allocation of judges by nation for the 2023 European, 2023 World Championships and 2023 World Junior Championships and no Russian or Belarusian judges will be involved. The ISU has maintained the ban on Russian and Belarusian athlete participation since 1 March 2022.

● Gymnastics ● The champions of the FIG Artistic World Challenge Cup were confirmed, with an unbelievable Vault victory for 47-year-old Oksana Chusovitina (UZB).

Although she represented the USSR through 1991, she was born in Uzbekistan and scored 85 points in her three Challenge Cup appearances to win the Vault title.

Ukraine’s Daniela Batrona won the Uneven Bars (56 points) and Beam titles (70); Hungary’s Dorina Boeczoego won the Floor championship (75), with Batrona second (50).

The Armenian Davtyan brothers won two of the six apparatus titles with Vahagn Davtyan taking the Rings (85) and younger brother Artur Davtyan winning on Vault (90). Israel claimed two titles with Tokyo Olympic Floor champ Artem Dolgopyat winning his specialty (90) and Alexander Myakinin winning on the Horizontal Bar (70). Kazak Nariman Kurbanov (72) won in the Pommel Horse and Ukraine’s Ilia Kovtun won on Parallel Bars (90).

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TSX REPORT: Olympic torch sells for $720,000; U.S. women lose to Spain, 2-0; abuse scandals at NWSL and Hockey Canada continue to expand

By
Rich Perelman
-
The 1960 Olympic Winter Games torch that sold for $720,000 at auction! (Photo courtesy Ingrid O'Neil Auctions)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Staggering $720,000 paid for 1960 Olympic Winter torch
2. Spain outclasses U.S. women, 2-0, in Pamplona
3. NWSL abuse scandal continues to expand
4. Hockey Canada imploding over assault scandals as board resigns
5. Paralympics impact comes “One, two, three or four years later”

A 1960 Olympic Winter Games torch presented by Walt Disney to his deputy for the torch relay and pageantry of the event sold for an astonishing $600,000 plus a 20% buyer’s premium at an online auction that concluded over the weekend. There were 13 more items that sold for more than $10,000 each. In Pamplona, Spain, the U.S. Women’s National Team lost to Spain, 2-0, and dropped consecutive games for the first time since 2017. The American side was missing a half-dozen of its stars, but 15 Spanish players had refused to play to protest the team’s coach! The abuse scandals at the National Women’s Soccer League continue to expand, with new cases reported, the Orlando Pride coach fired and sponsors suspending their support of teams in Portland and Louisville. Further north, Hockey Canada is imploding from revelations of millions in payments in abuse cases back to 1989, with the chief executive excused and the board of directors resigning en masse in advance of an election in December. Athletes in other sports are also pushing back against their federations, especially in bobsleigh and skeleton. The Paris 2024 organizers welcomed a crowd of perhaps 40,000 to its Paralympic Day last Saturday, with IPC President Andrew Parsons saying the Paralympic Games bring long-term change for those with disabilities, and the attention focused on them is the reason a merger with the Olympic Games would not be advisable.

1.
Staggering $720,000 paid for 1960 Olympic Winter torch

/Updated/Lot no. 1 of Ingrid O’Neil’s 485-item Auction 92 of Olympic memorabilia that ended on 8 October was a mounted torch from the 1960 Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California (now re-named Palisades Tahoe).

Given by Walt Disney – Chairman of the Games Pageantry Committee – to film producer, writer and director Tom Leetch in recognition of his work on the relay and the pageantry for the Games, the torch had a starting bid of $240,000.

It sold for an astonishing $600,000, plus a 20% buyer’s premium for a total sales price of $720,000 to an unknown buyer. O’Neil, who has been in the Olympic memorabilia business for decades, believes this is an “absolute record” for a torch from the 1960 Winter Games.

That was the stunner, but there were 13 other lots which sold for more than $10,000, not including the 20% buyer’s premium, eight of which were for Olympic torches:

● $65,000: A 1992 Albertville Olympic Winter Games torch.

● $45,000: The 1904 St. Louis bronze medal in the men’s triple jump, won by American Robert Stangland, with the original case.

● $35,000: A set of 1948 St. Moritz Winter Games gold, silver and bronze medals, apparently a souvenir given to the Swiss Chef de Mission Kurt Gassmann.

● $28,000: the 1904 St. Louis gold medal for rope climbing – part of the gymnastics competition – won by American George Eyser.

● $28,000: A Sapporo 1972 Olympic Winter Games torch.

● $24,000: Original 22×29-inch oil painting by French artist Michel Delacroix, commissioned by the 1996 Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and used to create a poster for the Games.

● $24,000: Calgary 1988 gold medal (USSR) for men’s ice hockey.

● $24,000: Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games torch.

● $22,000: A Cortina 1956 Olympic Winter Games torch.

● $20,000: A 1976 Innsbruck Olympic Winter Games torch.

● $18,000: A gold-plated and extremely rare Montreal 1976 torch.

● $13,000: A Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games torch.

● $12,000: A Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch.

Not everything went for big money. Six lots went for $80 each ($96 with the buyer’s premium): the U.S. Olympic Committee’s official book for the 1984 Games, 1988 Seoul Olympic mascot figurines, a 1992 Albertville U.S. Olympic Team beer stein, a 1998 Nagano commemorative beer stein, a 2004 IOC-awarded Athens participation pin, and a set of London 2012 Opening and Closing Ceremonies programs.

2.
Spain outclasses U.S. women, 2-0, in Pamplona

Despite a revolt from many of its star players, eighth-ranked Spain controlled the midfield and convincingly defeated the top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team, 2-0, in Pamplona on Tuesday,

The first half saw the U.S. control the first 30 minutes, but without any serious chances. Spain then came alive, found some offensive cohesion and got a quality chance on a powerful shot from outside the box by midfielder Claudia Zornoza in the 31st minute.

Off a Zornoza corner in the 39th minute, the ball swerved into the middle of the box, right in front of the American goal, and found the foot of striker Alba Redondo, whose shot was blocked. It caromed off the ankle of defender Rocio Galvez and defender Laia Codina clubbed it with her right foot past U.S. keeper Casey Murphy for a 1-0 lead. The half ended with Spain holding 54% of the possession and a 4-3 edge on shots.

The second half continued Spain’s control of play, with strong chances in the 63rd and 69th minutes and then a thunderous second goal in the 72nd minute. Moving down the right side, midfielder Oihane Hernandez sent a hard cross into the middle of the box, with Esther Gonzalez meeting it with her left foot and directing it into the left side of the net for a 2-0 lead.

The U.S. attack was inconsistent and Spain’s midfield was more and more efficient as the game progressed. The Spanish finished with 51% possession, but the U.S. had a 10-8 advantage in shots. The U.S. managed only two shots-on-goal on Tuesday, after two against England last Friday.

The game, played in front of a full house at the 23,576-seat El Sadar Stadium in Pamplona, featured two wounded teams.

The Spanish were without 15 players who refused the call-up for the national team on 24 September, citing issues with team performance and coach Jorge Vilda. A player’s letter cited “the general situation on the Spanish national team generated by recent events, events which [the federation] is aware of, is greatly affecting my emotional state and therefore my health.”

The U.S. was coming off its first loss of the year, a 2-1 defeat to England on Friday, ending a 23-match unbeaten streak, and without multiple first-line players due to injuries, including strikers Alex Morgan, Mallory Pugh and Catarina Macario, midfielders Sam Mewis and Julie Ertz, defenders Tierna Davidson and Kelley O’Hara, and others.

The last time the American women lost consecutive games was back in 2017, with losses to England (0-1) and France (0-3) in the SheBelieves Cup. And the schedule does not get any easier, with two matches vs. no. 2-ranked Germany coming up on 10 November in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and 13 November in Harrison, New Jersey.

The U.S. women’s recent friendlies have drawn modest interest from television viewers. After the USA-Nigeria match on 6 September (Tuesday) drew 336,000, the USA-England friendly on Friday afternoon (3 p.m. Eastern) drew 726,000 viewers according to Nielsen. That was the biggest soccer audience of the week in the U.S., but paled against college and NFL games, with 22 drawing more than one million viewers, and the Major League Baseball Wild Card Series games, where all nine had more than a million viewers.

3.
NWSL abuse scandal continues to expand

U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone said that the release of the federation-commission report on abuse compiled by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates has led to at least three additional abuse cases being reported.

Parlow Cone said the reports have been forwarded, as required, to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

At the Orlando Pride, coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant coach Sam Greene were fired, with team owner Mark Wilf’s statement including:

“Our organization has received a review of the findings regarding retaliatory conduct toward Pride players and supports the actions taken by the National Women’s Soccer League.”

Cromwell disagreed and posted a statement that read in part, “I am saddened and disappointed by the results of the NWSL’s investigation released today. I believe the investigation lacked transparency, professionalism and thoroughness and as a result my character and integrity have been mischaracterized.” She is considering her legal options.

The repercussions of the Yates Report, which focused on specific misconduct of coaches in Portland, Louisville and Chicago, continue to be felt at the club level. In Portland, owner Merritt Paulson announced that he will no longer serve as chief executive of the Thorns, saying “I am holding myself accountable for not doing enough.”

Thorns sponsors Laurelwood Brewing Company, Tillamook and Alaska Airlines have questioned their relationship with the team going forward; Alaska Air said in a Sunday statement (9th), in part:

“[W]e are taking an immediate next step to redirect Alaska Airlines’ Timbers and Thorns FC sponsorship funds this quarter to the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association ‘Support the Players Emergency Trust’ and to youth sports in the Portland community.”

Racing Louisville sponsor Sherwin-Williams announced last Friday that “Any future support will depend on the National Women’s Soccer League creating meaningful change to ensure the health and safety of the players.

“In lieu of the sponsorship, we have made a donation to Support The Players National Emergency Trust (NET), which will guarantee our funds go directly to the players.”

4.
Hockey Canada imploding over assault scandals as board resigns

A major abuse scandal is essentially dissolving the highest-profile national sports federation in Canada – Hockey Canada – over its own abuse scandal in the national sport.

Reports in July revealed that the federation had paid C$8.9 million (~$6.5 million U.S.) in 21 different settlements in abuse cases since 1989, some from its own funds and some from insurance. Another settlement, for C$3.55 million (~$2.58 million U.S.), was made in May related to sexual assault allegations from June 2018 involving eight former Canadian Hockey League players.

The repercussions have reached the boiling point, with federation sponsors Bauer Hockey, Canadian Tire, Nike and Tim Hortons all suspending their relationships with Hockey Canada. Hockey Quebec announced last week that it would no longer forward a portion of registration fees to the national federation, in which it had “lost confidence.”

On Tuesday, chief executive Scott Smith, who refused to resign in July, was dismissed and the entire Board of Directors resigned so that a new Board can be installed. Elections for a new Board will be held on 17 December.

The Toronto Star reported Monday that “Athletes in sports such as rowing, rugby, skeleton, artistic swimming, women’s soccer and wrestling have voiced concerns about Canadian sports culture and issues ranging from sexual abuse and maltreatment to toxic training environments and financial wrongdoings.”

Reports of misconduct have roiled the Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton federation and Gymnastics Canada has had its funding frozen by the Canadian Ministry of Sport.

5.
Paralympics impact comes “One, two, three or four years later”

The Paris 2024 “Paralympic Day” on Saturday (8th) brought perhaps 40,000 Parisians – no one knows for sure – to the Place de la Bastille for free demonstrations of 15 Paralympic sports across three temporary fields along with entertainment.

The French-language site FrancsJeux.com reported on the comments of International Paralympic Committee President, Andrew Parsons (BRA), on the impact of a Paralympic Games in a country:

“It’s important to mention that we don’t expect issues that are hundreds of years old to be resolved with the Paralympic Games.

“It would be unrealistic, in particular, to imagine that public transport would be 100% accessible. But the Paralympic Games are a catalyst. What we want is to push accessibility and highlight the needs in this area. So that there are always improvements in terms of accessibility for the city and for the country. Not at the time of the Games, but one, two, three or four years later. This is the opportunity. After the Games, it’s up to society to keep pushing for inclusion.”

Parsons noted in an August interview that while there was a significant inclusion of Paralympic events into the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG) in July, he does not see a merger of the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming … and does not want one:

“In the sport movement I think we are going to see more and more integration, but I still believe that the Paralympic Games is not only a sport event. I see the Paralympic Games as the only global event on this planet that puts persons with disabilities centre stage, so I still believe that this is a platform that needs to be owned by persons with a disability in an exclusive way because it’s their moment to shine, their moment to send a message, their moment to bring their agenda to the world.

“So while I do believe that in many other sports events like the Commonwealth Games – and I was there for a few days – it’s really great to see that level of integration, especially when the crowds, they don’t differentiate a Para athlete from an athlete without a disability, I believe that when it comes to the biggest sport event at a global level for persons with disability, we should still have the same format as we have now. Olympics, transition, Paralympics. And in some other games, when it’s possible, I think integration is amazing.”

The Paralympic athletes are fully aware. Said French long jumper Arnaud Assoumani, a six-time Paralympic medalist, who reached 7.58 m (24-10 1/2) on Saturday:

“The Paralympic Games and big events like that can change and really accelerate the perception, the awareness and then also to show that everyone needs to be part of that Movement.

“It’s not just for people with disabilities. It’s for all society, so we need the politicians, we need the media, we need the companies. Now we are in that moment in France where everything is speeding up like crazy, but we are building something.

“Today was the first Paralympic Day, but we want to have more in France in the next years, and this Paralympic Day needs to [be held] in other countries around the world too.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● The World Judo Championships are heading toward the finish in Tashkent (UZB), with the home team enjoying two wins in the men’s division.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Davlat Bobonov won the men’s 90 kg class by defeating Christian Parlati (ITA), and Muzaffarbek Turoboyev took the 100 kg title with a win over Canada’s Pan American champ Kyle Reeves.

The women’s 70 kg final was a triumph for defending champion Barbara Matic of Croatia, but this in a final against another Croatian, Lara Cvjetko, who won her first Worlds medal. At 78 kg, it was Brazilian Mayra Aguiar winning her third world title – 2014-17-22 – by defeating China’s Zhenzhao Ma.

The open-weight classes will be concluded on Wednesday and the Mixed Team event on Thursday will conclude the championships.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Championships in Shotgun concluded in Osijek (CRO) with the team events in Skeet, and the U.S. women claiming gold.

Dania Jo Vizzi, Austen Smith and Sam Simonton swept the Women’s Team final from Italy, by a 6-0 score, winning by scores of 11-9, 11-10 and 12-5. China won the bronze in a shoot-off with Germany, 11-10.

Italy and the U.S. met again in the men’s Team final, but it was much, much closer. The U.S. trio of Vincent Hancock, Dustan Taylor and Christian Elliott fought the Italians to a 5-5 tie after five rounds, coming back from am 0-2 deficit. But in the shoot-off, Italy triumphed by 12-11 to win the title. The Czech Republic won the bronze.

The Mixed Team final included Italy once again, but it was Britain’s Ben Llewellin and Amber Hill who managed a 7-3 win for the gold medal. Kazakhstan and France won the bronze medals; the American pair of Taylor and Simonton lost to France, 7-1.

The U.S. won five senior-level medals (2-2-1); Italy won four golds, plus two silvers and a bronze to lead all medal-winning teams, while Great Britain won six (2-3-1).

● Volleyball ● The serious business of the elimination rounds at the FIVB Women’s World Championship in the Netherlands and Poland has begun, with Italy, Brazil, Serbia and the U.S. advancing to the semifinals on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Tuesday, Italy dispatched China, 3-1, and Brazil edged Japan, 3-2, in Apeldoorn (NED), and will play on Thursday, also in Apeldoorn. Serbia had a tough time with home-standing Poland, 3-2, in Gilwice. The U.S., the Tokyo Olympic gold medalists, defeated Turkey for the second time in the tournament, 3-2. The Serbia-U.S. match will be in Gilwice.

In prior play, Brazil defeated Italy in a tight, 3-2 match in the second round. Serbia previously swept aside the U.S., 3-0, in pool play. The defending champion Serbs are the only undefeated team left in the tournament (10-0) and have won 30 of 35 sets played.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● the Athletics Integrity Unit confirmed the doping positive of British sprinter CJ Ujah and the disqualification of Britain’s men’s 4×100 m relay team at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where it finished second. The AIU stated:

“The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has banned British athlete Chijindu (CJ) Ujah for 22 months from 6 August, 2021 until 5 June, 2023.

“This is the outcome of the Case Resolution Agreement which the AIU and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have reached with Ujah who tested positive at last year’s rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for two prohibited substances (Ostarine and S-23) which are Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMS). The AIU and WADA were satisfied that the sprinter’s anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was not intentional as a result of his ingestion of a contaminated supplement and the applicable two-year period of ineligibility was reduced by two months on account of how promptly he admitted the violation.”

More Kenyan doping positives, both for marathoners. On Monday, the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Philemon Kacheran (best of 2:05:19 in 2021) for three years for testosterone use. On Tuesday, the AIU announced Mark Kangogo (2:14:08 in 2018) has been provisionally suspended for use of the steroids Norandrosterone and Triamcinolone acetonide.

Kenya’s The Nation reported that 21 Kenyan athletes have been suspended for doping in 2022.

● Football ● The fan festival concept, now a fixture in the country where the FIFA World Cup is being held and in many of the participating countries, is being expanded by FIFA through its sponsor AB Inbev this November. Fan programs will be mounted in five countries:

● London (ENG) at Outernet London, sponsored by BudX, on five dates only.

● Mexico City (MEX) at the Plaza de la Republica, sponsored by Corona, from 20 November to 18 December.

● Rio de Janeiro (BRA) at the Copacabana beach, sponsored by Brahma, on seven dates only.

● Sao Paulo (BRA) at Anhangabau Valley Park, sponsored by Brahma, on seven dates only.

● Seoul (KOR) at the S-Factory, sponsored by BudX, on three dates only.

● Dubai (UAE) at the Dubai Harbor, sponsored by BudX, from 20 November to 18 December.

All but the UAE have teams in the tournament, and the festivals will “only be open to consumers of legal drinking age.” This is a full-service concept, with the program tailored to each market and capacities of up to 10,000. More details, such as admission fees (if any) and special reserved areas, are yet to come.

FIFA announced the 2022 version of its Club Benefits Program, which will pay club teams up to about $209 million for players who are away from their teams for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA said it will pay about $10,000 U.S. per day, up to $370,000 per player who play in the medal matches, expected to be paid to 416 clubs across 63 countries. This is the same amount paid out for 2018; the program began in 2010. Smaller amounts will be paid to clubs for players who played in World Cup qualifying matches.

The U.S. Women’s U-17 team opened with an 8-0 rout of India at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, in Bhubaneswar (IND). Melina Rebimbas scored twice as the U.S. out-shot India, 30-2.

● Gymnastics ● Sunday’s final day of the Ukrainian national championships was canceled due to the bombing of Kyiv on Sunday by Russian missiles. The Gymnovosti.com site reported a tweet from 2016 Rio Olympian Angelina Radivilov, now working as a coach, that included an 11-second video of athletes sheltering and the caption:

“[T]his is how the final competition of the Ukrainian Championships went today. In the basement. And how is it at yours, Russians? Are you also hiding your athletes from rockets?”

Following the lead of USA Cycling, USA Weightlifting, USA Fencing and others, USA Gymnastics announced it “will cover costs for regular visits to mental health providers for National Team athletes and coaches under a new athlete health and wellness program rolled out this fall.”

Funded in part by USAG apparel sponsor GK Elite, the new project includes:

“Each National Team athlete in all disciplines will receive up to eight mental health visits per year, reimbursed by USA Gymnastics up to $125 per visit. Coaches are eligible for up to four visits per year. Athletes and coaches may use any provider of their choosing who has appropriate training and licensure in sport psychology or mental health.”

● Swimming ● Two outstanding American swimmers confirmed their retirements, both of whom won medals in international competitions for the United States.

Madisyn Cox, 27, won a World Championships bronze in the women’s 200 m Medley in 2017 and a gold on the 4×200 m Free Relay, plus 2016 World 25 m Championships bronzes in the 200 m and 400 m Medleys, and a 4×200 m Free relay silver.

But she will equally be remembered for fighting a 2018 doping ban for trimetazidine and winning. Cox was able to prove at the Court of Arbitration for Sport that a multivitamin contaminated with the drug was at fault and not her, and her suspension was reduced from four years to the six months that passed during her appeal.

Cox had said that the 2021 season would be her last, as she was moving on to medical school at the University of Texas.

Katie Drabot, 25, was a 13-time All-American at Stanford and won a World Championships bronze in the 200 m Butterfly in 2017 and a Pan-Pacific bronze in the same event in 2018. She wrote on her Instagram account:

“Swimming will always be a big part of my life and I’m forever grateful for the opportunities, individuals and experiences that it’s given me. It’s now time for me to focus on my health and well-being as I start this next chapter of my life.”

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Chepngetich 2:14:18! Sisson 2:18:29 U.S. record in Chicago; Kremlin cheers Russian boxing return; Luz Long’s ‘36 silver on auction

By
Rich Perelman
-
New marathon American Record setter Emily Sisson, seen in a 2019 race. (Photo: Alan Wilkinson via Wikipedia)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Chepngetich’s 2:14:18 no. 2 ever, Sisson sets U.S. record in Chicago
2. Kremlin salutes IBA’s re-admission of Russian boxers
3. Five countries now boycotting FIG Congress with Russia present
4. No. 4 England women defeat no. 1 U.S., 2-1, in Wembley showdown
5. Luz Long archive, including ‘36 silver, up for auction

A spectacular Chicago Marathon produced the second-fastest women’s marathon ever run, from Kenya’s 2019 World Champion Ruth Chepngeitch (2:14:18) and an American Record from Emily Sisson, in 2:18:19. The decision of the Russian-led International Boxing Association to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes was hailed by the Kremlin, the Russian Sports Ministry and four-time world professional champion Roy Jones, Jr., an American by birth, but who was granted Russian citizenship in 2015! Five countries have announced a boycott of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Congress in Turkey in November because Russian and Belarusian delegates will be allowed to participate; more may join. England’s European Champion women’s football team won a tight, 2-1 battle with the no. 1-ranked U.S. women at a packed Wembley Stadium on Friday, 2-1, with all the scoring in the first half. Continuing this week and into Saturday is an online auction of 32 items related to Germany’s Luz Long, including his long jump silver medal from the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, where he placed second to American icon Jesse Owens.

1.
Chepngetich’s 2:14:18 no. 2 ever, Sisson sets U.S. record 2:18:29 in Chicago

A cool day made for perfect running conditions at the 44th Chicago Marathon on Sunday, with one of the fastest races ever for women, a near-world record for Ruth Chepngetich and an American Record for Emily Sisson.

The 2019 World Champion, Kenya’s Chepngetich was primed for a fast race, especially after dropping out of the 2022 World Championships marathon in Eugene. She took off from the start, taking a 45-second lead by the 5 km mark, and 1:55 by 10 km, and was clearly on a path to challenge countrywoman Brigid Kosgei’s 2:14:04 world mark from the 2019 Chicago race.

Chepngetich passed the half in a steaming 1:05:44, moving her to no. 9 on the world list for 2022! She passed 25 km in 1:18:03, 90 seconds ahead of Kosgei’s 2019 pace, but then began to slow. She was still 49 seconds up on Kosgei’s pace at 35 km, but only nine seconds ahead at 40 km and finished in a brilliant 2:14:18, the no. 2 performance of all time.

Chepngetich now owns three of the top 10 times ever in the event and defended her 2021 Chicago title. In her career, she has now started 11 marathons, finished nine and won seven, at only age 28.

In her third career marathon, Sisson had Keira D’Amato’s American Record of 2:19:12 from January’s Houston Marathon in her sights from the start and was at the head of the chase pack for much of the race, between 15 and 30 km. She passed the half in 1:09:26, no. 6 on the U.S. list for 2022, and separated herself from Vivian Kiplagat (KEN) and Ruti Aga (ETH) after 30 km. A clear second for the final 10 km, she finished strongly and destroyed D’Amato’s mark with a 2:18:29 finish, moving to no. 22 on the all-time world list.

Sisson, 30, now holds the U.S. records in the half-marathon (1:07:11 this year) and the marathon and is no. 5 all-time U.S. at 10,000 m on the track. She obliterated her prior best of 2:23:08 from London in 2019; she did not finish at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta.

The race behind the top two saw Kiplagat get third in 2:20:52 and Aga fourth in 2:21:41. American Susanna Sullivan finished sixth in 2:25:14, now no. 14 all-time U.S., with Sara Vaughn of the U.S. seventh in 2:26:23.

The men’s race saw a lead group of 10 pass the half in 1:02:24, then reduced to five by 30 km and four by 35 km. With about 5 km left, Kenyan Benson Kipruto, 31, broke away and could not be caught. The 2021 Boston winner won his second World Marathon Majors race in 2:04:24, a lifetime best, the no. 4 performance in Chicago Marathon history and no. 4 on the 2022 world list.

Defending champ Seifu Tura (ETH) was the last to let go of Kipruto, and finished second in 2:04:49, ahead of John Korir (KEN: 2:05:01). Conner Mantz was the top American, placing seventh in his marathon debut in 2:08:16, just 20 seconds behind the all-time U.S. marathon debut best of 2:07:56 from Leonard Korir in 2019.

The prize money for elites was $460,000, with $75,000-55,000-45,000-30,000-25,000 for the top five men and women.

Next up is the New York City Marathon, scheduled for 6 November.

2.
Kremlin salutes IBA’s re-admission of Russian boxers

To the surprise of no one, the International Boxing Association’s decision to re-admit Russian and Belarusian boxers to competition on 5 October has been lauded by politicians and sport officials in Russia:

● Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov:

“Certainly, this is very important, very positive news. We see that, unfortunately, so far this is a very rare example of a federation that manages to defend the interests of our athletes.

“This is not a reason to calm down. On the contrary, it is only an additional impetus for our sports authorities to continue efforts to defend the interests of our athletes. Our elite sport can and should have the right to compete in international competitions, we must fight for it.”

● Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin:

“I sincerely want to congratulate our boxers on a very important victory – they are not only allowed to compete, but now they will be able to compete under the flag of Russia. There are many Olympic champions in our country who have written their names in the history of world boxing.

“The position of the International Boxing Association meets all standards of sports law. Sport should be out of politics, and athletes, no matter what country they are, should remain on an equal footing and participate in competitions. I hope that many international federations will follow the example of the IBA and demonstrate their commitment to sports values by allowing Russians to compete under their auspices.”

● Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov predicted that more federations will allow Russians back in competition, but again threatened that a separate organization to challenge the International Olympic Committee could be formed:

“It’s quite difficult now to assess which organization will be next. Another thing to note is that the background has changed. Because many international sports organizations have begun to understand that the ban of Russians and Belarusians is a dead end that could lead to a split in Olympic Movement.”

Pozdnyakov also noted, however, the blowback which has already started:

“Now we see that some national federations are beginning to boycott the presence of Russians in competitions. We have been seeing this for a long time, this is not very good. Many generations of sports functionaries have struggled with this, now this work has practically been reduced to nothing.”

The Russian Boxing Federation announced that it would send entrants to the World Youth (U-18) Championships in Spain from 14-26 November.

The International Boxing Association released a letter from four-class professional world champion Roy Jones, Jr., American born, but with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship since 2015. The 1988 Seoul silver medalist for the U.S. at Light Middleweight (in a terribly-officiated bout), Jones wrote to IOC President Thomas Bach (GER),  including:

“To exclude boxing from the Olympic Games would be nonsense, it would be no less than committing a crime. …

“It is unacceptable to blame IBA and its current leadership, who gave boxing a hand in the toughest moment in its history. Ask yourself whether they did something, at least a tiny bit, wrong. …

“To name a few, all debts have been settled, and the funds are allocated on an ongoing basis for the development. With the support of IBA, many countries were able to bring their boxers to the World Championships and win medals – ask yourself whether it is an achievement. …

“Generations of athletes should not be punished for C.K. Wu and his team’s crimes. The IOC should take into account the huge work of the IBA to clean the sport from past issues.

“I urge the IOC to keep their ears open and listen to the boxing community, which calls for transparent and fair decisions. Everyone sees how IBA has changed, but you.”

Jones’s letter simply skips over many of the IOC’s objections to the actions of the IBA, but is no surprise as he has been a steady supporter of the Putin regime.

As far as the IBA’s administration of boxing goes, not every tournament has turned out perfectly, as noted by a statement from McLaren Global Sport Solutions concerning the recent European men’s Junior Championships in Armenia:

“During the final days of the Yerevan championships several incidents of unsportsmanlike behaviour and possible breaches of the IBA Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics took place, including physical attacks on officials, attempts to influence officials’ decisions and Field of Play infringements. This tainted an otherwise generally well organised event.”

This is progress?

The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board will consider the IBA’s actions at its next meeting in early December, and could recommend expulsion of the federation from the Olympic Movement.

3.
Five countries now boycotting FIG Congress with Russia present

The Gymnovosti.com site reported that five countries have now announced a boycott of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) Congress in Istanbul on 11-12 November in view of the allowed attendance of Russian and Belarusian delegates.

Norway was to have hosted the event, but returned it when the FIG declared that Russian and Belarusian officials would be allowed to participate. Now, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Ukraine have refused to attend. A letter from Algimantas Gudiskis, head of the Lithuanian Gymnastics Federation, included:

“I fully support the position of the Norwegian, Polish, Estonian gymnastics federations and the gymnastics communities of other countries regarding the participation of aggressor states in the international sports movement. I also support the position of European gymnastics, which has unanimously refused to communicate with the Russian and Belarusian gymnastics federations, while the brutal, genocidal Russian war is taking place in Ukraine and completely innocent Ukrainian citizens, including children, are being killed – the future of our sport.”

“Therefore, as the president of the Lithuanian Gymnastics Federation, I cannot participate in the FIG 84th Congress in Turkey 2022. I think that my position will be supported by other countries – while Russia continues the war, it is impossible to include Russian athletes and officials in international sports.”

Former Soviet star Nelli Kim (BLR) is the FIG 2nd Vice President and Russian Vassily Titov (RUS) is a member of the FIG Executive Committee. Russia has four others who are members of FIG Technical Committees and Belarus has two.

4.
No. 4 England women defeat no. 1 U.S., 2-1,
in Wembley showdown

A dramatic match before 76,893 fans at Wembley Stadium in London saw European Champion England defeat the top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team, 2-1, on Friday.

The Lionesses, the darlings of English football since winning the Euro 2022 title on 31 July – at Wembley, over Germany – took the lead in the 10th minute on a goal from striker Lauren Hemp from six yards away after American defender Alana Cook missed a potential clearance. It was the first time the American women had been behind this year.

The U.S. tied it on a Sophia Smith goal in the 28th minute, after Lindsey Horan forced an English turnover and Smith lasered a right-footed shot into the net past English keeper Mary Earps.

England was on offense five minutes later when U.S. defender Hallie Mace was found – on a delayed video review – to have kicked English defender Lucy Bronze in the face, resulting in a penalty kick. Midfielder Georgia Stanway buried the penalty for a 2-1 lead as U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher guessed the wrong way.

It appeared that the U.S. had tied it up in the 37th minute on a Trinity Rodman score, but Smith was ruled offsides, negating the goal, and the half ended 2-1.

Neither side could score in the second half, with the game tightening considerably. Demonstrating the atypical nature of the game, England ended with 69% of the possession, and had an 11-10 edge in shots. The English were also called for 10 fouls to five for the U.S.

The U.S. entered with a 13-game win streak and a 23-game unbeaten streak, both ended. England is now unbeaten in 23 straight matches.

Credit the American women with an exceptionally challenging schedule of friendlies with no. 8 Spain in Pamplona coming up on the 11th and then two matches against no. 2 Germany on U.S. soil in November.

5.
Luz Long archive, including ‘36 silver, up for auction

No bids yet, but the Berlin 1936 silver medal won by German Luz Long – behind American icon Jesse Owens – is up for auction through the 15th of October.

A 32-item catalog of Long items is on offer, starting with his Berlin silver, with an opening bid of $50,000 and an expected sales price of $500,000-1,000,000. The accompanying auction magazine from SCP Auctions of Laguna Nigel, California notes that Owens’ 1936 long jump gold sold for $1,466,574 in 2013.

The other items have opening bids as low as $150 and include Long’s 1936 Berlin Olympic participation badge and ribbon ($500 minimum) and his Berlin ‘36 identity card ($500). His 1934 European Championships long jump winner’s medal and event participation medal are available, beginning at $500.

Also available are gold medals from the 1933 and 1936 German national championships in the long jump ($500) and medals from what became the World University Games in 1935 (Budapest: second-place medal: $300) and 1937 (Paris: first place: $400).

The Owens-Long duel in the Berlin long jump is legendary. David Wallechinsky, in his masterwork, The Complete Book of the Olympics, wrote that while Owens came in as the world-record holder, he fouled on his first two qualifying jumps; Long suggested he move his mark back since the required distance was only 7.15 m (23-5 1/2), and Owens qualified easily on his third try.

In the final, Owens set Olympic records of 7.76 m (25-5 1/2) and 7.87 m (25-10) on his first two jumps, but Long also jumped 7.87 m in the fifth round. Challenged, Owens extended to 8.02 m (26-3 3/4) in response and then to his winning mark of 8.06 m (26-5 1/2) on his final trial.

Owens and Long kept up a correspondence after the Berlin Games, but Long was eventually mobilized into the Nazi army in World War II and was killed at age 30 in July 1943 at the battle of St. Pietro, in Italy.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Archery ● Field archery is a nod to ancient times, with competitors walking on trails and shooting at targets of varying distances. The 27th World Field Championships concluded on Sunday in Yankton, South Dakota, with the U.S. taking a silver and a bronze medal in the Recurve (Olympic) division.

Two-time World Field Champion Brady Ellison of the U.S. faced fellow American Matt Nofel in the men’s semifinals, but it was Nofel who won, 65-59, to advance. German Florian Unruh was the eventual winner, out-scoring Nofel, 57-54 in the final. Britain’s Patrick Hudson defeated Ellison, 60-57, for the bronze medal.

Italian Chiara Rebagliati won a tight women’s gold-medal match from Bryony Pittman (GBR), 61-60, and then teamed with Marco Morello to win the Mixed Recurve Team event by 81-78 over France. The U.S., with Ellison and Savannah Vanderweir, won the bronze medal with a 76-72 decision over Pittman and Huston of Great Britain. It’s Ellison seventh career medal at the World Fields (4-1-2).

● Judo ● The World Judo Championships in Tashkent (UZB) are continuing, with Japan dominating the event, winning one or more medals in all eight weight classes held so far.

One of the great memories of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games was the same-day, brother-sister gold-medal performances of Hifumi Abe in the men’s 66 kg class and Uta Abe in the women’s 52 kg division. They did it again.

Both triumphed on Friday, with Hifumi Abe defeating countryman Joshiro Maruyama for complete a 1-2 finish and his third Worlds gold, after 2017 and 2018. Uta Abe defeated Tokyo bronze medalist Chelsie Giles (GBR) to also win her third Worlds title, previously in 2018 and 2019.

Japan won two silvers on Saturday, with 2017 World Champion Soichi Hashimoto losing to Mongolia’s Tokyo bronze winner Tsend-ochir Tsogtbaatar in the men’s 73 kg class and Haruka Funakubo losing to Rio 2016 Olympic champ Rafaela Silva (BRA) – her seconds World title – at 57 kg.

On Sunday, Japan took a fifth gold, as Meguni Horikawa won the women’s 63 kg class over Canada’s Tokyo bronze medalist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard. Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili won the men’s 81 kg division, moving from silver in 2021, by defeating Tokyo bronze medalist Matthias Casse of Belgium.

The Worlds continue through the 13th.

● Shooting ● Sunday’s Skeet finals at the ISSF World Championships in Shotgun in Osijek (CRO), with three-time Olympic Skeet champ Vincent Hancock of the U.S. settling for silver.

A five-time World Champion in Skeet, Hancock would have had to be perfect to even get into a shoot-off as Egypt’s Azmy Mehelba, the 2014 Worlds bronze winner, went 40-for-40 to win the final over Hancock (34-for-35).

Rio 2016 Olympic champ Diana Bacosi (ITA) won her second individual women’s Skeet world title, hitting 37 of 38 targets to best Amber Hill (GBR: 31). American Sam Simonton won the bronze, with 24 of 30 targets.

Competition continues through Tuesday with the Skeet team events.

● Table Tennis ● In the first major sporting event held in China since the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in February, China swept both the men’s and women’s divisions at the ITTF World Team Championships in Chengdu.

It was the 10th straight win in this competition for the Chinese men, who defeated Germany, 3-0, in the final with wins by Zhendong Fan, Long Ma and Chuqin Wang.

Japan and South Korea won the men’s bronzes, both losing 3-2 decisions in the semifinals. China beat Japan, 3-2, and Germany had two wins from Benedikt Duda to edge the Koreans and advance to the final.

The women’s final was on Saturday, with China defeating Japan, 3-0, with Meng Chen and Yingsha Sun completing 3-0 sweeps and Manyu Wang winning her match by 3-1. It’s the fifth straight women’s title for the Chinese.

Chinese Taipei and Germany settled for bronze medals after both lost by 3-0 scores in the semis, with China defeating Chinese Taipei and the Japanese defeating the Germans.

● Volleyball ● The quarterfinals have been set at the XIX FIVB Women’s World Championship, taking place in The Netherlands and Poland, with the winners of the last two titles – the U.S. and Serbia – heading to a possible semifinal match.

In Pool F, defending champion Serbia won the combined first and second round matches with a 9-0 record, winning 27 sets out of 29! The U.S. – the 2014 winners and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist – was second at 7-2 (21-11 sets), defeating Turkey (3-1) and Thailand (3-2) to close out pool play. Turkey and Poland ended up 3-4, both with 6-3 records.

In Pool E, Italy and Brazil finished 1-2 with 8-1 marks, followed by Japan and China, both 7-2.

The quarterfinals will match the top four in each pool, with Serbia facing Poland and the U.S. and Turkey meeting each other again in Gilwice (POL) on the 11th, and Italy meeting China and Brazil facing Japan in Apeldoorn (NED).

The semis will take place on 12-13 October, with the medal matches on 15 October.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Russia ● The TASS news agency reported that the budget allocation for the Russian Sports Ministry for 2023, 2024 and 2025. In a curious move, the budget is slated to be decreased each year, from 64.6 billion rubles for 2023 (U.S. $1.036 billion) to 55.9 billion rubles for 2024 ($896.6 million) and then 47.1 billion rubles for 2025 ($755.4 million).

So we have deflation in Russia?

● Archery ● World Archery is jumping on the NFT (non-fungible token) bandwagon, announcing that it has partnered with Spain-based Leverade for “one-off original digital artworks” that will be used for the Athlete of the Year trophies for 2022.

● Curling ● The Grand Slam of Curling, the top-tier international circuit, began again with the Boost National in North Bay, Ontario, with very familiar faces in the winner’s circle.

The women’s tournament was yet another win for three-time women’s World Champion Silvana Tirinzoni and her Swiss team. They defeated Kerri Einarson (CAN) by 7-3 in the final, taking a 4-2 lead after three ends and scoring single points in the fifth, sixth and seventh ends to seal the win.

The men’s final pitted Beijing Olympic champ Niklas Edin and his Swedish squad against 2006 Turin Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue and his Canadian team, in a re-match of the 2022 World Championship final (won by Edin). The Swedes had a 3-2 lead after five ends, but Gushue managed single points in ends 6-7-9 and took the championship with a 5-4 win.

● Cycling ● Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar won his fifth UCI World Tour event of the 2022 season with a sprint over Spain’s Enric Mas in the 116th Il Lombardia – one of the famed monument races – from Bergamo to Como in Italy.

The 253 km route had 13 separate ascents and Pogacar attacked with 19 km to go, on the penultimate climb – the Civiglio – and only Mas could keep up. Spain’s Mikel Landa joined Pogacar and Mas on the descent, but was dropped on the final climb, the San Fermo della Battaglia. That left Pogacar and Mas with Pogacar winning the final dash to the line in Como. Landa was third, 10 seconds back.

Pogacar won the UAE Tour in February, Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico in March, the Grand Prix Cycliste in Montreal in September, and was, of course, the Tour de France runner-up in July after wins in 2020 and 2021.

Okay, the Hour in track cycling is not an Olympic event, but Italy’s Filippo Ganna – the two-time UCI World Time Trial Champion – claimed a world record of 56.792 km (35.29 miles) at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland on Saturday (8th).

Ganna easily surpassed the 55.548 km mark by Daniel Bigham (GBR) from 19 August, set at the same site, and adds to his track cycling trophy case, where he already owns four world titles in the Individual Pursuit from 2016-18-19-20.

● Figure Skating ● NBC released its broadcast schedule for the 2022-23 season, with most of the action on its Peacock streaming service.

The seven competitions of the ISU Grand Prix circuit and final will all be shown on Peacock, with Skate America (21-23 October) shown live on USA Network, NBC or E! depending on the session.

None of the five following Grand Prix events will be shown live except on Peacock, with delayed highlight shows on NBC or E! The Grand Prix Final from Turin will have one hour live on E! and the remainder online, with an NBC highlights show the day after the event closes.

The U.S. Championships next January will be a combination of Peacock, USA Network and NBC and the World Championships next March will have some live coverage on USA Network, but only delayed coverage on the last day and two weeks after on NBC.

● Gymnastics ● At the final FIG Artistic World Challenge Cup in Mersin (TUR), Romania’s Ana Barbosu dominated the women’s competition, winning the Uneven Bars, Beam and Floor titles, while Slovenia’s Teja Belak won on Vault.

The men’s events had six different winners: Dmitriy Patanin (KAZ) on Floor, Yu-jan Shiao (TPE) on Pommel Horse, Ferhat Arican (TUR) on Parallel Bars, Gabriel Burtanete on Vault, Adem Asil (TUR) on Rings and Lithuania’s Robert Tvorogol on the Horizontal Bar, with Asil second.

● Skiing ● The Alpine Combined event, in which a skier contests both a downhill and slalom course, has been on the way out for years and is rarely contested on the FIS World Cup circuit, and will not be held in the 2022-23 season.

It has been part of the Olympic Winter program, but is under review. The French all-sports newspaper L’Equipe reported last week that the Combined could be re-formatted as a team event, to replace the low-interest Mixed Team Parallel Event held at the Beijing Winter Games last February.

A trial of a new format will be held at the 2023 World Junior Championships next January in Austria, using a team approach to the same races, but with the ability to use any skier for either event. That would be more interesting; the details are still being worked out.

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Brisbane’s A$1 billion “Gabba” stadium project may fold; Turkey sending troops to Qatar ‘22; U.S. women at no. 4 England Friday!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Illustration of the proposed redevelopment plan for Brisbane's The Gabba stadium and surrounding area (Photo: Brisbane Development)

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

★ Want TheSportsExaminer.com insights for your team? Yes! Click here for info on speaking, research and consulting from editor Rich Perelman. ★

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Brisbane 2032 chief Liveris says stadium project might implode
2. Turkey adds troops to police force help secure Qatar World Cup
3. No. 1 U.S. women on the road at no. 4 England and no. 8 Spain
4. Tura and Chepngetich set to defend 2021 Chicago Marathon titles
5. Only 570 athletes in AIU’s worldwide track & field testing pool

The Queensland government’s giant redevelopment of the Brisbane Cricket Ground – known as The Gabba – might be canceled due to cost, according to Andrew Leveris, the President of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic organizing committee. In a speech, Liveris emphasized the importance of cost containment and the role of the private sector in the Games. With the FIFA World Cup in Qatar coming up quickly, Turkey passed legislation to send a small number of troops to help with security, the sixth country to pledge military support. On Friday, the top-ranked U.S. women’s National Team – soccer – will take on no. 4 England, the 2022 European champions, before a sold-out crowd in London’s Wembley Stadium in the first of four matches over the next month vs. teams ranked 2-4-8 in the world. Sunday brings the 44th Chicago Marathon, with defending champs Seifu Tura (ETH) and Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) ready to go again. The independent Athletics Integrity Unit released its testing pool list for the fourth quarter of 2022, with a total of only 570 athletes under close watch, including 85 Americans.

1.
Brisbane 2032 chief Liveris says stadium project might implode

Andrew Liveris, the former worldwide head of Dow Chemical and now the President of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, told a Queensland Media Club luncheon on Wednesday that the government’s proposed A$1 billion renovation of the Brisbane Cricket Ground – known as “The Gabba” – might be scrapped.

“I’m a fan of The Gabba being what it is – I like that idea, as a Brisbane boy … but we don’t want to have a blown-out budget to do it.

“I am completely, 100 per cent hired, deployed to implement what we agreed with the IOC. If a change is needed … the binding agreements are great but they aren’t perfect.

“I’m sure that people responsible for looking at the cost, which is the government, will come eventually and say: ‘This is the better plan’.”

The government’s re-development plan for The Gabba, which the IOC has specifically said is a local project and not something it has asked for, would create a new pedestrian plaza and link it directly to the nearby public transit network.

While Liveris’ primary message was the beginning of a process to select an agency to develop the Brisbane 2032 “brand,” he also touched on what is already the hot-button issue concerning the 2032 Games: costs:

● “I take very seriously cost neutrality on the OCOG budget – which means revenue-raising … I know what it is to sell to customers. I want people to come well before the torch is lit and stay well after the flame is out.”

● “Brisbane 2032 in my mindset … is LA 2028 and London 2012 combined. We do, indeed, have government input and oversight, which also require the organizing committee’s finances to be cost-neutral – effectively making us privately funded. You can’t get there without the private-funding model.”

He also delved into the branding question, projecting a possible program concept:

“We are multi-dimensional in our attributes … we celebrate the achievements of our athletes and we are devoted to the education of our youth, and safety and security. I list that as uniquely Australian. We should label that, brand that and deliver it.”

2.
Turkey adds troops to police force help secure Qatar World Cup

The Turkish Parliament approved a measure that will allow about 250 soldiers and a naval warship to be sent to Qatar to aid with security measures for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup that will start in November.

The Associated Press reported that the Turkish contingent would join with other visiting forces from France, Great Britain, Italy, Pakistan and the U.S. The U.S. Central Command has a forward headquarters in Qatar, southwest of Doha.

Turkey had already agreed to send some 3,250 riot police to the World Cup to help with crowd control. This group will include special forces, bomb experts and 50 bomb detection dogs.

3.
No. 1 U.S. women on the road at no. 4 England and no. 8 Spain

With the no. 1-ranked U.S. women’s National Team qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, time for a test in unfriendly settings with friendlies against two top European teams coming Friday and next Tuesday.

Wembley Stadium in London is sold out for the USA-England match that will kick off at 3 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, to be shown in the U.S. on FOX. The Lionesses are the darlings of English football at present after their stirring European Championship win in July in extra time – at Wembley – over Germany, 2-1, before 87,192.

Striker Beth Mead was the co-leading scorer in the Euros with six goals, supported by Alessia Russo (4); it was Chloe Kelly who scored the title winner in the 110th minute. Mead and Kelly are on the squad for Friday’s match, as is defender – and 2020 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year – Lucy Bronze.

The U.S. women have a 12-4-2 all-time record vs. England, with the last meeting a 2-0 American win in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup. The U.S. defeated England, 2-1, in an iconic match at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinals. And the American women are 13-0-1 in 2022.

The match against Spain next Tuesday (2:30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN2) will be played in Pamplona; the Spanish women reached the Euro 2020 quarterfinals, but were eliminated by England, 2-1, in extra time.

The American women will come back to play no. 2-ranked Germany in two games on 10 and 13 November in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Harrison, New Jersey.

4.
Tura and Chepngetich set to defend 2021 Chicago Marathon titles

The 44th Chicago Marathon is set for Sunday (9th), with powerful fields for both men and women, featuring Doha 2019 World Champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya. A $460,000 prize purse, with $75,000-55,000-45,000-30,000-25,000 for the top five men and women is set.

The top men’s entries:
● 2:03:40 in 2019: Herpasa Negasa (ETH)
● 2:04:09 in 2021: Bernard Koech (KEN)
● 2:04:21 in 2021: Elisha Rotich (KEN)
● 2:04:27 in 2021: Dawit Wolde (ETH)
● 2:04:29 in 2021: Seifu Tura (ETH)
● 2:04:48 in 2022: Stephen Kissa (UGA)
● 2:04:53 in 2021: Abayneh Degu (ETH)
● 2:05:13 in 2019: Benson Kipruto (KEN)
● 2:05:18 in 2019: Shifera Tamru (ETH)
● 2:05:47 in 2021: Eric Kiptanui (KEN)

Negasa has the fastest time in the field, but has never won a marathon in 11 tries from 2013, but has been second four times, including a 2:04:49 in Seoul this year. Koech has not run this year, but finished fifth in Chicago in 2014; he is also winless in 12 starts. Rotich won in Paris in 2021, but hasn’t raced since. Wolde set a lifetime best at Rotterdam in 2021, but hasn’t raced since.

Defending champ Tura was sixth at the 2022 World Championships marathon in Eugene and won in 2:06:12 in Chicago in 2021. Kissa was second in Hamburg this year in a national record of 2:04:48 in his debut; he failed to finish in the Tokyo Olympic 10,000 m final last year. Kipruto has run Boston three times – winning in 2021 – but this his first time in Chicago; he was third at Boston in 2022.

The top women’s entries:
● 2:17:08 in 2019: Ruth Chepngetich (KEN)
● 2:18:34 in 2018: Ruti Aga (ETH)
● 2:20:10 in 2022: Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN)
● 2:20:18 in 2022: Vivian Kiplagat (KEN)
● 2:20:19 in 2021: Haven Hailu Desse (ETH)
● 2:22:45 in 2019: Waganesh Mekasha (ETH)
● 2:23:08 in 2019: Emily Sisson (USA)

Defending champ Chepngetich is the favorite, based on her brilliant 2019 Worlds win in the midnight heat in Doha, plus her six wins in 10 career marathon starts. She won in Chicago in 2021 (2:22:31), but did not finish at the 2022 Worlds marathon in Eugene. Aga has run Boston and New York, but not Chicago; she hasn’t competed in 2021 and hasn’t finished a marathon since 2020.

This is the first U.S. race for Chepchirchir, who was fourth in Seoul (2:2010) in April.
Kiplagat also has a sensational career record of seven wins in 15 career marathons, including a win in Milan this year (2:20:18) and a fifth in Chicago in 2021. Hailu Desse won the 2022 Rotterdam Marathon in 2:22:01 and Chicago will be her first U.S. race and fifth career marathon.

Sisson is best known as a 10,000 m star, winning the U.S. Trials in 2021 and finishing 10th in Tokyo. She has run exclusively on the roads in 2022; this will be her third career marathon after a 2:23:08 sixth in London in 2019 and then dropping out of the U.S. Olympic Trials race in Atlanta in 2020.

The race will be shown online only in the U.S. – outside the Chicago area – on Peacock, from 7-11 a.m. Central time on Sunday.

5.
Only 570 athletes in AIU’s worldwide track & field testing pool

The Athletics Integrity Unit, the independent group responsible for anti-doping programs (among other things) for World Athletics, published a complete list of its “Testing Pool” as of 1 October.

These are the highest-profile athletes in the world and are watched with extra care by the AIU. But the list is pretty short!

Only 570 athletes are included on the 40-page roster; the U.S. leads with 85 athletes (15%) of the entries. The rest of the top 10:

● 69: Kenya
● 65: Ethiopia
● 25: Jamaica
● 19: Great Britain
● 18: China
● 14: Poland
● 13: Spain
● 13: Japan
● 12: Russia

There were 17 countries in all with 10 or more athletes listed. Obviously, national anti-doping organizations watch many more competitors from their countries, but it’s interesting to see the relatively small number of “stars” who are watched with extra care by the AIU.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Judo ● Japan started brilliantly at the 2022 IJF World Championships in Tashkent (UZB), taking victories in the men’s 60 kg and women’s 48 kg extra-lightweight classes.

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Naohisa Takato won his fourth World title by defeating Mongolia’s Enkhtaivany Ariunbold, who won his first Worlds medal. Natsumi Tsunoda won the women’s 48 kg title, her second consecutive Worlds victory. She won over Germany’s Katharina Menz, who also took her first Worlds medal.

The championships continue through the 14th.

● Table Tennis ● The ITTF World Team Championships, being held in Chengdu (CHN), are now in the playoff stages, with a politically-charged women’s semifinal between China and Chinese Taipei scheduled for Friday.

China has, as expected, zoomed through the tournament with a 6-0 record so far and has not lost a single match (18-0). Chinese Taipei finished 2-1 in Group 6 and then won its elimination matches against India and Singapore. The Chinese have won the last four women’s team titles.

In the second semi, Germany (5-0) will face Japan (6-0). Like China, the Japanese have not lost a set (18-0), while the Germans have won 15 of 20 matches and edged Hong Kong, 3-2, in their quarterfinal match. The U.S. women finished 1-3 in group play and did not advance to the playoffs.

In the men’s quarterfinals, China (5-0) will face Sweden (4-0) and Portugal (3-1) will play Japan (5-0) in the upper half of the bracket, with South Korea (5-0) and Hong Kong (3-2), and Germany (4-1) and France (4-1) playing in the lower half. The U.S. finished 2-2 in Group 1 and did not advance to the elimination round. China has won nine men’s titles in a row.

● Volleyball ● The second round of pool play at the FIVB Women’s World Championship in The Netherlands and Poland continues through 9 October, with the eight-team playoffs to start on 11 October.

In Pool E, Italy, Brazil and China are all 6-1, with Belgium and Japan at 5-2, with three days of matches remaining.

In Pool F, the U.S. was beaten by Poland, which placed fifth at the 2021 European Championship, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-18. The group continues to be led by Serbia (7-0) with Turkey at 6-1 and the U.S. at 5-2. The American women, the Tokyo gold medalists, have games left with Turkey (7th) and Thailand (8th).

The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Errata ● Some readers of our Thursday post saw an Item 5 headline about French cities refusing to put up fan festivals for the FIFA World Cup “Qatar 2024.” The event is in 2022; sorry about that.

● Athletics ● The finalists for the International Fair Play Committee’s Fair Play Award for the 2022 Eugene World Championships has been narrowed to three finalists:

● High Jump: Inspiring performances while their country was being invaded by Russia for men’s bronze medalist Andriy Protsenko and women’s silver winner Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

● Women’s Vault: Tokyo Olympic winner Katie Nageotte of the U.S. ran to help British star Holly Bradshaw after her pole snapped during warm-ups. Bradshaw withdrew and Nageotte again came to her defense, this time on Twitter.

● Women’s Heptathlon: British star Katharina Johnson-Thompson, the 2019 World Champion, knows the pain of failure and consoled Germany’s Sophie Weissenberg after the latter failed to record a legal long jump and withdrew.

The winner will be announced by World Athletics in December.

● Cycling ● Doping continues to be an issue in cycling, with seven Portuguese riders reported suspended and receiving sanctions of three to seven years. None are from top-level UCI World Tour teams, but continental-level riders for the now-suspended W52-FC Porto team. VeloNews reported:

“Joao Rodrigues, who won the 2019 Portuguese tour as well as the 2021 Volta ao Algarve, sees a four-year ban from the UCI for anomalies in his biological passport and an additional three years for a ‘possession of a banned method’ from Portuguese authorities.”

Six others received three-year sanctions use of banned substances and prohibited methods.

● Football ● With the 2022 World Cup getting close, FIFA released its new men’s world rankings, with Brazil continuing as no. 1, but Belgium close behind.

The cumulative points-based ranking showed the reminder of the top 10 to include Argentina, France, England, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark. The U.S. men are ranked 16th and its other opponents in Group B of the World Cup are ranked 19th (Wales) and 20th (Iran).

How much stock should be put in these rankings? Consider: Japan completely outclassed the U.S. last month in a neutral-site friendly, 2-0, and is ranked 24th.

● Short Track ● The International Skating Union is pumping up its six-stage Short Track World Cup for 2022-23 with a “Crystal Globe” trophy – just like in skiing – for the overall men’s and women’s series winner.

Skaters can get points for their 12 best placements, but no more than six in any one distance (500-1,000-1,500 m). Prize money of $20,000-13,000-9,000-6,000-4,000 will be awarded to the top five men and women in the seasonal standings.

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TSX REPORT: IBA welcomes back Russian and Belarusian boxers; Bach explains IOC’s Russian ban thinking; Paris 2024 reveals marathon route

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ Want TheSportsExaminer.com insights for your team? Yes! Click here for info on speaking, research and consulting from editor Rich Perelman. ★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Int’l Boxing Assn. re-admits Russian and Belarusian athletes
2. Bach says Milan Cortina 2026 is “according to plan”
3. Paris 2024’s landmark-filled marathon route announced
4. NWSL Portland and Chicago owners “step back” from control
5. French cities to protest Qatar 2024 with no fan zones

The already-suspended International Boxing Association decided to re-admit all Russian and Belarusian boxers and officials with immediate effect, brushing aside the International Olympic Committee’s February request to remove them from competitions. The move could result in the expulsion of the IBA from the Olympic Movement, with the IOC Executive Board’s next meeting in December. IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) told an Italian newspaper last week that planning for Milan Cortina 2026 is on track, and explained the IOC’s thinking on the Russian and Belarusian athlete ban edict. The Paris 2024 organizers revealed the Olympic marathon course, and the program for mass-participation races, including both a marathon and a 10 km event. In the aftermath of the deeply troubling Yates report on player abuse, the owners of the Portland and Chicago NWSL teams announced they were removing themselves from daily operations while a league inquiry continues. Multiple French cities said they would not be offering fan zones with big video screens during the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, partly due to the late date on the calendar as well as in protest of the conditions for workers who built the new stadia.

1.
Int’l Boxing Assn. re-admits Russian and Belarusian athletes

At the end of the International Boxing Association’s Extraordinary Congress held in Armenia on 25 September, Russian Umar Kremlev was re-confirmed as the organization’s President and told the assembly, in pertinent part:

“We are saying today that we are an independent organization, that we are here to protect our IBA that we all love. And we shouldn’t say ‘Olympic boxing,’ we should say ‘IBA boxing.’ We have to get to the point where boxing will be part of the Olympic Games in 2024 as well as 2028. We’ll do our best, with the team and with you, and no one can exclude us from anywhere. …

“Today, I have heard in this hall, a couple of expressions, ‘what will happen with boxing when it comes to Olympic Games’? We will join our forces, we will do a great job and we will defend the name of boxing to be part of the Olympic program, but this will not be the only thing we will do. Most importantly, we have to protect the interests of the IBA, our own organization. … Our World Series must become the important competitions.”

On Wednesday, Kremlev and the IBA followed the promised independent course and broke with all other Olympic-sport International Federations by re-admitting Russian and Belarusian boxers to all IBA competitions:

“IBA Board of Directors voted in favor to cancel its previous decision and allow boxers of Russia and Belarus to compete at the IBA events with immediate effect. The IBA strongly believes that politics shouldn’t have any influence on sports. Hence, all athletes should be given equal conditions.

“Respecting its own autonomy as the international sports federation, the IBA shall remain politically neutral and independent. IBA calls for peace and remains a peacemaker in any conflicts. Moreover, the IBA has obligation to ensure equal treatment towards the athletes and competition officials, regardless of their nationality and residence.

“Both Russian and Belarus teams will be able to perform under their flags, and the national anthems will be played in case they win a gold medal.

“According to the decision, the technical officials of Russia and Belarus will also be back in the competitions.”

The action reverses the ban on Russian and Belarusian participation in place since February, when the International Olympic Committee asked all of the International Federations to remove Russia and Belarus in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dutch Boxing Federation chief Boris van der Vorst, who challenged Kremlev for the IBA presidency but was never allowed to be in an actual vote against him, posted an angry letter on Twitter which included:

“Contrary to IBA messages, this decision is an enforcement of the Russian government’s geopolitical agenda on the sport of boxing. It is clear that IBA is held hostage by its Russian leadership and they are determined to keep the governing body under their control at any cost.

“This is totally unacceptable. Together with many representatives of National Federations, we will be looking for ways to ensure boxing competition integrity and will continue our fight to secure an Olympic future for our sport, with or without the IBA.”

Van der Vorst’s Dutch federation is part of the “Common Cause Alliance” of 15 national federations which have been railing against Kremlev – Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S. – which may now be ready to try and form an alternative International Federation to the IBA.

Further, with future IBA tournaments to include Russians and Belarusians, will boxers from those countries (and others) refuse to compete?

The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board will meet next from 5-7 December in Lausanne and could recommend expulsion of the IBA from the Olympic Movement. Already, the IOC has taken control of the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Games and boxing is not on the initial sports program for Los Angeles 2028.

Before Wednesday’s announcement, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera last week:

“If we had to evaluate what is going on in the international federation, boxing should have left as early as Tokyo: scandalous refereeing, elections of officials by acclamation, the arbitrary exclusion of Ukraine. Boxing has a formidable history, is wildly popular, and has the enormous virtue of taking so many at-risk youth off the street. It needs to change course, and right now boxing is excluded from the 2028 Games.”

There are two other Olympic-sport International Federations with Russian presidents. Alisher Usmanov is the head of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), but stepped down to deal with personal sanctions levied by multiple bodies, including the European Union. Vladimir Lisin is head of the International Sport Shooting Federation, which has so far maintained the IOC-requested ban on Russian and Belarusian participation.

2.
Bach says Milan Cortina 2026 is “according to plan”

More from the Corriere della Sera interview with IOC chief Bach (computerized translation from the original Italian):

● On the much-criticized progress of the Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee:

“Everything is going according to plan. We can count on the excellent work of Giovanni Malago both as president of CONI [Italian National Olympic Committee] and of the organizing committee. It will be a great edition. We understand well how difficult the economic context is with skyrocketing inflation: we will give all our support.”

● On the controversial and costly renovation of the sliding track in Cortina:

“The directives of the IOC are clear. Whoever organizes the Games must use existing facilities and, failing that, build temporary facilities with a low ecological impact. The local Italian authorities have assured us that the bobsled facility will be part of a sports and tourism project that will be developed even after the Games. We are only interested in one thing: that the construction costs will not be part of the Olympics budget.”

● Bach’s comment on the Russian situation noted the IOC’s immediate condemnation of the Ukraine invasion and included:

“Russian athletes certainly did not start the war. Those who have distanced themselves from the regime should be able to compete under a neutral flag. Our goal is to get athletes with Russian passports who do not support the war to compete again. But it is not easy.”

He also clarified that the IOC’s requested ban took the opportunity to create a relatively consistent approach to Russian and Belarusian participation, instead of having a checkerboard of different governmental responses on a country-by-country basis. Prior to the IBA’s action on Wednesday, tennis has allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutrals; judo did so for a while, but has banned them for the remainder of 2022.

Bach was also asked about the unsettled situation with modern pentathlon and with weightlifting for the 2028 Games:

“Historicity and tradition cannot be exclusive criteria for the survival of a discipline at the Games. Pentathlon has few practitioners and few national federations, significant costs for facilities. Equestrianism poses problems with the balance of competition, not only that, animal abuse has been highlighted. The international federation is trying to change the format: in Paris the discipline will remain and in traditional form, its future will also depend on how the federation replaces the equestrian test. …

“Weightlifting, on the other hand, will have to erase a widespread doping culture.”

3.
Paris 2024’s landmark-filled marathon route announced

The Louvre, Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, Chateau de Versailles and the Eiffel Tower will all be along the route of the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon loop course revealed on Wednesday.

The 26.2 mile (42.2 km) route will start in the middle of Paris at the Hotel de Ville – the city hall – then go west all the way to Versailles before turning and returning to the middle of the city, with the finish at the Esplanade des Invalides along the Seine River.

The circuit passes through nine communities and will challenge the runners with a rise from 27 m elevation (88 feet) at 14.2 km to 183 m (600 feet) at 20.2 m with an upward slope of as much as 13.5% and then the corresponding downhill return into Paris.

The great innovation of the Paris 2024 marathon isn’t the Olympic race, however. It’s the opportunity for 20,024 (get it?) people to run on the Olympic marathon course, and another 20,024 to run on a 10 km course that will use the Olympic start and finish, but stay within central Paris.

There are age minimums of 20 for the marathon and 16 for the 10 km race, per the regulations of the French Athletics Federation. About 3,000 places in the races have already been “won” and while participation in the races is free, places in each will be distributed by lottery, through various running events and from Paris 2024 sponsors. Naturally, you have to sign up online through one of three programs to register.

4.
NWSL Portland and Chicago owners “step back” from control

Monday’s powerful report detailing abuse of players in the National Women’s Soccer League clubs led to the owners of the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars to remove themselves from direct control of those franchises.

Portland owner Merritt Paulson announced on Tuesday:

“I have told the NWSL that I will be removing myself effective today from all Thorns-related decision making until the NWSL/NWSLPA Joint Investigation, which we are fully cooperating with, is released. Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub will also step aside. All Thorns-related decisions will now be handled by Heather Davis, Thorns General Counsel.”

The club posted a notice on Wednesday that “president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson and president of business Mike Golub have been relieved of their duties with both clubs [Thorns and MLS Timbers], effective today.”

Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler similarly announced:

“[I]n the interest of the club and the players, and fans we serve, effective immediately, I will remove myself from my governance role within the NWSL board of governors and will hand over operational control of the club to our executive team in Chicago.”

Neither indicated that they would be selling their teams.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman’s statement was in favor of the actions:

“The NWSL is supportive of the important steps taken by the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars today. As the League continues to evaluate the Yates report, I want to assure you that we remain committed to implementing reform and disciplinary action, both as a result of the Yates Report and the NWSL/NWSLPA’s Joint Investigative Team’s findings. The Joint Investigative Team is working towards concluding their report by the end of the year, and we will not interfere with that process, as the findings of that investigation will offer important input from our players.”

The Yates report for the U.S. Soccer Federation noted:

“Over the nearly ten-year history of the [NWSL], numerous coaches have verbally or emotionally abused players. Several are also alleged to have committed serious sexual misconduct during and/or before their time in the League. Our report details the reports of three coaches – Paul Riley [Portland and North Carolina], Rory Dames [Chicago], and Christy Holly [Louisville] – to illustrate the gravity of the misconduct at issue and the institutional failures that contributed to it. But Riley, Dames, and Holly are not the only coaches who mistreated players. By the end of the 2021 season, five of the League’s ten teams had separated from their head coaches in the wake of player complaints.”

5.
French cities to protest Qatar 2022 with no fan zones

“For us, there was no question of setting up big screen areas for several reasons: the first is the conditions in which this World Cup has been organized, both in terms of the environment and the social aspect. The second is the fact that it takes place in December.”

That’s Pierre Rabadan, the Deputy Mayor for Sports for the City of Paris, explaining that giant screens and fan-gathering places will not be set up in the city during the FIFA World Cup, which will start on 20 November.

FrancsJeux.com reported other cities are also skipping fan zones, including Lille, Strasbourg, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nancy and Reims. Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian explained: “While climate change is a palpable reality, with fires and droughts and other disaster, organizing a soccer tournament in the desert defies common sense and amounts to an ecological disaster.”

Toulouse, Rennes, Caen, Tours, Nancy, La Rochelle, Angoulwme, Bayonne and Limoges also announced that no fan zones will be created. In the southern cities of Nice and Cannes, no screens will be mounted early in the tournament, but this could change if the defending champion French team advances to the semis or the finals.

The French Football Federation said it was working with “a dozen” other national federations to provide support for migrant workers in Qatar during the tournament. Plans include a migrant worker welcome center, a compensation fund for the victims of accidents on the stadium construction sites and the wearing of special armbands by the captains of their teams.

FFF Deputy Vice President Philippe Diallo told a Tuesday conference on soccer in Paris that FIFA and the organizing committee were informed of the concepts: “We try to be pragmatic, to be efficient. Our choice is to accompany the evolutions, not to boycott, to ensure without arrogance in relation to the organizing country that the evolutions that we are beginning to observe can be prolonged.”

Rights organizations have been pressuring FIFA for a compensation fund for workers equal to the $400 million prize money for the World Cup, but so far without success.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Asian Games ● This might sound a little unbelievable, but Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games. That’s right, winter.

The Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly, meeting in Phnom Penh (CAM), confirmed the selection on Tuesday (4th) for the under-development ski resort of Trojena in the Sarawat Mountains of northwest Saudi Arabia. It’s part of the $500 billion Neom City project; the resort is projected for completion in 2026.

The Saudis will host the GAISF World Combat Games in Riyadh in 2023, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2025 and the Asian Games in 2034 (both also in Riyadh). The Olympic Council of Asia jumped on the chance to re-start the Asian Winter Games, held eight times between 1986 and 2017, but not since.

This continues to Saudi plan to diversify its economy beyond energy, but has drawn criticism as a “whitewash” of the Kingdom’s human rights abuses.

● Commonwealth Games ● The Commonwealth Games Foundation announced the full list of sports to be included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria (AUS), with BMX cycling, coastal rowing and golf to be included for the first time.

The CGF now only requires that athletics and swimming must be included in a Commonwealth Games. The 2026 Games will include a mix of able-bodied and Para sports in the program, including:

Aquatics (swimming, para-swimming & diving), athletics & para-athletics, badminton, basketball (3×3 and 3×3 wheelchair), beach volleyball, boxing, cricket (women’s T20), cycling (track, para-track, road, BMX, mountain bike), golf, gymnastics (artistic), hockey, lawn bowls & para-lawn bowls, netball, rowing (coastal), rugby sevens, shooting & para-shooting, squash, table tennis & para-table tennis, triathlon & para-triathlon and weightlifting and para-powerlifting.

The inclusion of coastal rowing is a potential boost for the discipline’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as the IOC is trying to remove lightweight rowing events from the program and World Rowing is pushing for coastal events instead.

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: U.S. Soccer, NWSL failed players on abuse; Ireland calls for new boxing elections; Ukraine joins bid for 2030 FIFA World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ Want TheSportsExaminer.com insights for your team? Yes! Click here for info on speaking, research and consulting from editor Rich Perelman. ★

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. U.S. Soccer, NWSL failed to curb abuse in women’s pro soccer
2. Irish Athletic Boxing Association calls out IBA suspension of Ukraine
3. Ukraine to join 2030 FIFA World Cup bid by Spain and Portugal
4. Jackson led all Diamond League prize earners at $99,500
5. African sport slowed again, as Guinea loses 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

A massive report delivered Monday detailed abuse on multiple levels within the National Women’s Soccer League and ineffectively dealt with by the league and the U.S. Soccer Federation, which was – at the time – deeply involved in the league’s operations. The national boxing federation in Ireland spoke out about the International Boxing Association’s suspension of Ukraine and said the IBA “appears to be choosing a path away from Olympic boxing.” The IBA, in the meantime, is allowing Ukrainian junior boxers to compete while their federation is suspended, with flags and anthems, and is calling for the same situation for currently-banned Russian and Belarusian boxers. It was reported that Ukraine will join with the already-potent Spain-Portugal bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, contending against two other multi-country host projects. A new study shows that Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson won the most money in the Wanda Diamond League in 2022, but that 71% of the 669 athletes who won prize money received less than $10,000 for the season. The push for an Olympic Games or World Athletics Championship in Africa is a challenge, as shown by the removal of the important 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in football from Guinea for lack of progress on infrastructure, the seventh straight time that a new host had to be found.

1.
U.S. Soccer, NWSL failed to curb abuse in women’s pro soccer

A 172-page report commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation on “Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women’s Professional Soccer” detailed abusive behavior by multiple male coaches against female players in the National Women’s Soccer League, with insufficient responses from both the league and the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Reports of abuse caused the USSF to hire former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates of the King & Spalding law firm in October 2021 and more than 200 interviews were conducted, significantly concerning three coaching situations:

● Christy Holly (NIR) of Racing Louisville
● Paul Riley (ENG) of the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage
● Rory Dames (USA) of the Chicago Red Stars

The inquiry led to clear conclusions:

“Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct – verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct – had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims. Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players. The verbal and emotional abuse players describe in the NWSL is not merely “tough” coaching. And the players affected are not shrinking violets. They are among the best athletes in the world. …

“In well over 200 interviews, we heard report after report of relentless, degrading tirades; manipulation that was about power, not improving performance; and retaliation against those who attempted to come forward. Even more disturbing were the stories of sexual misconduct. Players described a pattern of sexually charged comments, unwanted sexual advances and sexual touching, and coercive sexual intercourse.

“Teams, the League, and the Federation not only repeatedly failed to respond appropriately when confronted with player reports and evidence of abuse, they also failed to institute basic measures to prevent and address it, even as some leaders privately acknowledged the need for workplace protections. As a result, abusive coaches moved from team to team, laundered by press releases thanking them for their service, and positive references from teams that minimized or even concealed misconduct. Those at the NWSL and USSF in a position to correct the record stayed silent. And no one at the teams, the League, or the Federation demanded better of coaches.”

Multiple recommendations were made, but the culture of abuse was called out for special consideration:

“The culture of tolerating verbal abuse of players goes beyond the NWSL. While the scope of our investigation was limited to allegations of misconduct in the League, some of the coaches whose conduct we examined had significant connections to youth soccer, and, in Dames’s case, were also reported to have been abusive as youth coaches. During the course of our investigation, we confronted multiple historical reports of verbal and sexual abuse of youth soccer players. Players also told us that their experiences of verbal abuse and blurred relationships with coaches in youth soccer impacted their ability to discern what was out of bounds in the NWSL.”

The leadership of the NWSL has turned over since the abuse stories broke, and there is speculation that the team ownership, especially of the franchises which hired these coaches, could change. The USSF committed to immediate changes:

● “Establish a new Office of Participant Safety to oversee U.S. Soccer’s conduct policies and reporting mechanisms;

● “Publish soccer records from SafeSport’s Centralized Disciplinary Database to publicly identify individuals in our sport who have been disciplined, suspended or banned; and

● “Mandate a uniform minimum standard for background checks for all U.S. Soccer members at every level of the game, including youth soccer, to comport with the USOPC standards.”

A further plan of action is due before 31 January 2023 to install further changes, based on the report’s recommendations.

2.
Irish Athletic Boxing Association calls out IBA suspension of Ukraine

“The IBA appears to be choosing a path away from Olympic boxing. As a result, the IABA calls for fresh IBA presidential elections at the earliest opportunity.”

That’s from a two-screen screed on Twitter posted by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association on Saturday (1st), criticizing the leadership of the International Boxing Association (IBA) for its suspension of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation.

“The Irish Athletic Boxing Association condemns, utterly and without reservation, the illegal suspension of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation from the world governing body, the IBA.

“The fact that the IBA has suspended the Ukrainian Boxing Federation for alleged government interference shows the continued vulnerability of boxing’s world governing body to external forces and influence. It is the latest in a series of acts and decisions by the IBA which do not align with boxing’s core values and which show that the legacy of its predecessor, AIBA, lingers.”

The IABA called for the immediate restoration of the Ukrainian federation, and lays the Olympic jeopardy boxing faces for the Los Angeles 2028 Games at the feet of the IBA itself:

“The unethical imposition of this illegal suspension by the IBA and its decision not to lay that suspension before the IBA Congress on September 25th is surpassed in gravity only by the IBA’s decision at that Congress not to permit a free and fair Presidential election to take place. Holding a vote to hold [a] vote when the previous ballot was miss-run doesn’t stand up to even the most glancing of scrutiny.”

A reply from the Ukrainian federation included:

“@IBA_Boxing you are an utter disgrace for this amazing sport, you must remove [President Umar] Kremlev [RUS] and make amends before your reputation is gone out of the window!”

In the meantime, the IBA announced that even though the Ukrainian federation is suspended, it is allowing Ukrainian boxers to compete in the European Junior Championships in Italy, in national uniforms, with flags and anthems: “IBA strongly believes that athletes should not suffer, no matter of circumstances, and should be able to represent their country with pride.”

The corollary, of course – in the IBA’s view – is that Russian and Belarusian boxers should be able to compete without restrictions in international events. The International Olympic Committee asked in February, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that no athletes from those two countries be allowed to compete.

3.
Ukraine to join 2030 FIFA World Cup bid by Spain and Portugal

The Ukrainians continue in the news with a report that it will join the already-strong bid by Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

A formal confirmation is expected on Wednesday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, expanding the three multi-partner bids on the table. Already, bid conglomerations have been announced for Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and from South America that includes Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.

The inaugural World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 and so it is proposing a return for the centennial of the event. Of benefit to the Spanish and Portuguese bid is that Ukraine previously co-hosted the 2012 European Championships with Poland, at four venues with 16 total matches, including the final in Kyiv (won by Spain over Italy, 4-0), before 63,170.

4.
Jackson led all Diamond League prize earners at $99,500

The irrepressible George Perry, coach and founder of Texas-based NAL Athletics, input all of the Diamond League prize winnings into a comprehensive table and sorted it to reveal who won how much during 2022.

There were 13 meets in 2022, one less than expected since the two meets in China did not take place, with one replaced by a meet in Chorzow (POL). Prize money for all but the final was $10,000-6,000-3,500-2,000-1,250-1,000-750-500 with extra money in distance races down to 12th place, and double the amounts for the final, except for $30,000 for the winner.

Perry’s compilation shows 669 athletes won money in 2022; the leaders:

1. $99,500: Shericka Jackson (JAM/sprints: 10 meets)
2. $90,000: Alison Dos Santos (BRA/hurdles: 7)
3. $80,000: Femke Bol (NED/400 m-hurdles: 6)
4. $77,250: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR/high jump: 7)
5. $76,000: Mondo Duplantis (SWE/vault: 6)
6. $70,000: Chase Ealey (USA/shot: 5)
6. $70,000: Kristjian Ceh (SLO/discus: 5)
8. $66,000: Joe Kovacs (USA/shot: 5)
8. $66,000: Miltiadis Tentoglu (GRE/long jump: 5)
8. $66,000: Valarie Allman (USA/discus: 5)

Of equal interest is the distribution of the prize money among the 669 athletes listed as winning anything:

● 22 won $50,000 or more (of 669 prize winners)
● 13 won $40,000-49,999 (total: 35)
● 14 won $30,000-39,999 (total: 49)
● 46 won $20,000-29,999 (total: 95)
● 97 won $10,000-19,999 (total 192)
● 477 (71%) won less than $10,000

In fact, 182 athletes won from $1,000-2,000, and 141 won less than $1,000; that’s 323 in all or 48% of all prize winners.

That’s some good money for the top earners, but not much for most. Making a living in track & field remains pretty tough.

5.
African sport slowed again, as Guinea loses 2025
Africa Cup of Nations

There is great interest from the International Olympic Committee, World Athletics and many other major governing bodies to hold future major events in Africa. But it isn’t easy.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) removed the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations – a major event on the continent – from Guinea last Friday “due to the infrastructure and facilities in Guinea not being ready to host a world class AFCON competition.”

The Guinean government hardly agreed. Spokesman Ousmane Gaoual Diallo told Agenbce France Presse, “We are almost three years away from the deadline. The biggest stadiums that we build today are built in 24 months. The idea of saying that it is not possible to build all these infrastructures in 24 months is a prejudice. Unfortunately, that’s how football is run. It’s not just sporting, there are other realities that go into the decisions.”

The CAF Executive Committee announced on Saturday that bidding for 2025 event is re-opened. The Associated Press noted that this is hardly a new occurrence:

“The decision means every African Cup since 2013 has been moved because of problems with the original host country.

“South Africa stepped in as host for civil war-torn Libya in 2013, Equatorial Guinea was a replacement for Morocco in 2015, Gabon replaced Libya, which still wasn’t ready in 2017, Egypt took over for an under-prepared Cameroon in 2019 and Cameroon hosted its tournament three years later than originally planned in 2022, when there was also a one-year delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

The Cote d’Ivoire was slated to host the event in 2021, but their edition will now be held in 2024, with the new, 2025 bid winner following immediately.

The International Olympic Committee placed the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN) in 2026 as a first edition of an Olympic project on the continent. World Athletics considered Nairobi (KEN) for its 2025 World Athletics Championships, but chose Tokyo (JPN) instead due to superior facilities built for the 2020 (2021) Olympic Games.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Volleyball ● The second round of pool play at the FIVB Women’s World Championship in The Netherlands and Poland has begun, with the U.S. scoring a win over the Dominican Republic in Lodz (POL).

The U.S. defeated the Dominicans, 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-14 to go to 5-1 overall, with matches left against Poland (3-2), Turkey (5-1) and Thailand (4-2). The top four teams in this pool, which also includes 5-0 Serbia and 4-2 Canada, will advance to the playoffs.

In the other pool, Brazil dealt Italy its first loss, three sets to set and both squads are now 5-1, tied with Japan at 5-1 at the top of the standings. Pool play continues through 9 October.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2020: Tokyo ● More arrests in the sponsorship bribery cases, as three executives of Kadokawa Publishing were charged. According to Kyodo News:

“Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, 79, was indicted for giving 69 million yen ($477,000) in bribes to the former [Tokyo 2020 Executive Board member], Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, in return for the company being selected as a sponsor of the Games.”

Kadokawa has stated he is innocent and intends to clear his name at trial. Two other Kadokawa executives were also charged. The indictment specifies the ¥69 million was paid in nine installments between September 2019 and January 2021; in return, Kadokawa’s sponsorship fee was not to exceed ¥380 million (about $2.64 million U.S.).

● Athletics ● More tales of abuse, this time reported by David Woods of the Indianapolis Star, with the headline (subscription required):

“Christian college coach created a culture of doping and sex, star runners allege

“Athletes say there was a dark side to the amazing success of the women’s distance running program at Huntington University”

Tweeted Woods: “EXCLUSIVE: ‘I wanted to be dead.’ Former Huntington University runners allege track program was a cult of sex and drugs.”

Former Huntington star runners Emma Wilson and Hannah Stoffel filed a civil suit against the school and former cross country coach Nick Johnson on 30 September, stating:

“The following is the Complaint of two former student athletes at Huntington University who were victims of a coach and his supporters that gave Larry Nassaresque massages all the while acting like Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France pharmacist injecting unknown substances into their bodies. His name is Nicholas Johnson and he should be in prison. Nicholas Johnson and his co- defendants have been destroying the lives of young students and runners in Northern Indiana for years, today Plaintiffs take a stand to stop him and his enablers.”

The complaint specifies multiple counts of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, violation of Title IX and asks for compensatory and punitive damages. A criminal inquiry is also underway.

Statistician Phil Minshull of Spain Sports Services noted that Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele’s fifth-place, 2:05.53 finish at the London Marathon was actually a record-setter:

“To be fair to Bekele, he did add another accolade to his quite considerable resume which includes 20 world and Olympic titles on all surfaces and four world records (three outdoors, one indoor) as he ran a world over-40 best for the classic distance, taking 32 seconds off the previous best (2:06:25) set by Spain’s Ayad Lamdassem at the Seville Marathon on 20 February this year.”

Also in London, 1984 Olympic champ Joan Benoit Samuelson (USA) – now 65 – ran and finished in 3:20:20 to win the women’s 65-69 age group. She was preceded across the line by her daughter Abby Samuelson, who finished in 2:58:19.

Benoit Samuelson plans to complete the World Marathon Majors circuit, with only the Tokyo Marathon remaining on her list.

● Badminton ● Very few international sporting events are being held in China, but the Badminton Word Federation confirmed that the $1.5 million BWF World Tour Finals will be held in Guangzhou from 14-18 December.

Other BWF events have been canceled and only the ITTF World Team Championships – now ongoing in Chengdu – have been allowed to take place so far, in a “bubble” environment.

● Basketball ● Two-time Olympic champ Britney Griner is due back in a Moscow-area court for her appeal on a heavy sentence of nine years for “drug smuggling” on 25 October. She has been in detention since mid-February and negotiations continue between the U.S. and Russian governments for her release.

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LANE ONE: LA84’s Peter Ueberroth saluted with a plaque in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Court of Honor

By
Rich Perelman
-
Los Angeles 1984 organizing committee President Peter Ueberroth (l) with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at the dedication of Ueberroth's plaque at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Photo: TheSportsExaminer.com)

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LOS ANGELES – The Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1984 was one of the pivot points in the history of the Olympic Movement. Beset by the terrorist murders of Munich 1972, the financial fiasco of Montreal 1976 and the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games, the International Olympic Committee – and its new President, Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch – desperately needed a major success in 1984.

What they got was a revolution.

The man who led the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to heights never before imagined, Peter Ueberroth, was honored with a massive plaque saluting his achievement in the Court of Honor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Monday morning.

Ueberroth was the first staff member of an “organizing committee” that inherited more than $300,000 in debt – in 1979 – from the bid effort that had brought the Olympic Games back to the U.S. for the first time since Los Angeles in 1932. Five years later, his LAOOC had not only staged a hugely popular Games – despite a retaliatory boycott by the USSR and most of the Warsaw Pact countries – but had re-written the book on sports management:

● Completely privately financed, the LAOOC’s original budget projected $368 million in revenues and a $21 million surplus, but ended with about $780 million in revenues and a surplus of $232.5 million. The LAOOC’s new concepts in television rights sales, sports sponsorship and ticketing made the stunning revenue total possible.

● Of that surplus, 40% went to the U.S. Olympic Committee (now the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee), 20% to the U.S. National Governing Bodies and 40% to the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (now the LA84 Foundation). All three segments of the surplus continue to produce revenue today, through the U.S. Olympic Endowment, and the LA84 Foundation, which has supported more than three million children to participate in sports programs and certified thousands of coaches to teach them.

● The ‘84 Games was the first to widely use volunteers as the primary work force and more than 33,500 volunteers staffed the Games, mostly Angelenos, but with help from individuals from countries around the world. This program continues today and is a bedrock of the organization of every major sporting event in the world.

● The Olympic Torch Relay, up to then a short program ending with the Opening Ceremony, was expanded to a cross-country parade that raised $10.95 million for charity across 82 days, 9,375 miles and with 3,436 Youth Legacy Kilometer torch bearers.

● Significant expansions of women’s events at the Games, including the women’s marathon, and first-ever wheelchair races, with the women’s 800 m and men’s 1,500 m added as demonstration events in the track & field program.

Double Olympic champion Edwin Moses speaking at the dedication of a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum plaque to LAOOC President Peter Ueberroth (Photo: TheSportsExaminer.com)

These and many other firsts were recalled as Ueberroth, with wife Ginny and their family, was saluted by speakers including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, 1984 Olympic champions Edwin Moses (400 m hurdles) and Benita Fitzgerald Mosley (100 m hurdles) and LAOOC staff members Debra Duncan – immediate past Chair of the LA84 Foundation – and Anita DeFrantz, the retired long-time head of the LA84 Foundation and a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1986.

Garcetti, whose term as Mayor is ending this year and who helped bring the 2028 Games to Los Angeles, said of the 1984 organizing effort:

“We witnessed with our eyes what it meant to engage an entire city in an effort of common purpose. To unify a world that was split and divided; sound familiar? To see the potential of sport to not just come to the moment, but to meet that moment, and to re-write that moment. …

“You gave us a new narrative, for our city and for our world when we needed it most. …

“I hope we will not only meet the legacy, but match the legacy in ‘28, to pour more money into sports [and] games. In fact, I tried to get the surplus up front, so we got $160 million out of the IOC before we even started the Games, so whoever comes after me [as Mayor], don’t screw it up!”

The most dramatic comments came from Candace Cable, a nine-time Paralympian and the winner of six Boston Marathon women’s wheelchair titles, who was the third-placer in the women’s wheelchair 800 m race:

Nine-time Paralympian Candace Cable speaking at the dedication of a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum plaque for LAOOC President Peter Ueberroth (Photo: TheSportsExaminer.com)

“By adding the two wheelchair events to the 1984 Games, you created a massive paradigm shift for us, disabled people, and also for non-disabled people all over the world. It wasn’t just for the 90,000 people in the stadium, and it wasn’t just for us athletes that were on the floor of the Coliseum – which was amazing – or even all the disabled people watching. It really was a moment where millions and millions of non-disabled people in the global community that were watching those seven to eight minutes of competition, where their negative bias and stigmas surrounding disabled people, at that time, were peeled back on that day.

“Those few minutes [on] the worldwide broadcast took us – the discarded, dehumanized, disabled people – out of the dark shadows of worthlessness, and brought us into the bright light of truth: that we are all human beings with value and deserve access and inclusion to all that life has to offer.

“Using sport as the vehicle for inclusion and access messaging was perfection.”

Moses underscored the change the LAOOC’s television and marketing programs have made across the decades:

“Peter, you and your team really changed the way sports is looked at forever, and so when you look at a sports program, you see the marketing … all that started right here, at the Coliseum, thanks to Peter Ueberroth and his fantastic team. And I appreciate it and thank you on behalf of all the athletes that aren’t here, but it’s something that has changed our generations forever.”

About 200 people attended the ceremony, staged by the LA84 Foundation in conjunction with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. Duncan, a key member of the team that re-wrote how tickets could be sold at a major event, recollected the not-always-upbeat view of the LAOOC in the lead-up to the Games:

“We were such underdogs and did not have much support from outside our Committee. We knew we needed a lot of things to go right for the Games to go well. We never in our wildest dreams thought they would go not only well, but be the most successful Games ever, and change the trajectory of the Olympic Movement.

“Maybe Peter knew, but I certainly didn’t, how important to the entire Olympic world it was for these Games to succeed. … We are here to celebrate the success of a Games that will never be duplicated. We are here to celebrate the individual who had the vision and wisdom and ability to lead, my dear friend, Peter Ueberroth. …

“It was truly life-changing for me, a defining moment, that I could not possibly understand at the time. Like many of my colleagues at those Games, I worked on many other Olympic organizing committees, but nothing ever came close to the feeling of success and community that I had with those 1984 Games.”

U.S. IOC member Anita DeFrantz speaking at the dedication of a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum plaque to LAOOC President Peter Ueberroth (Photo: TheSportsExaminer.com)

Ueberroth, now 85 and in good health, spoke only briefly at the end of the program, continuing his message that was honed in front of then-dubious audiences in 1982 and 1983:

“I just want to thank everybody. You heard a lot of nice comments; some of them were true and some of them were exaggerated, but the fact is, in this society that we all live in, everybody that I can see [here] and everybody who can be behind us or in front of us, we can make a difference. And we can all make a difference, and God bless you all.”

The massive plaque was then unveiled, facing across from that saluting Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley (1917-98), who worked closely with Ueberroth to help make the Games a success. The LAOOC’s three phases – bid, organization and legacy – are now all saluted with plaques in the Coliseum’s Court of Honor for bid chair John Argue (honored in 2004), Ueberroth and Bradley (2019), and DeFrantz (2017).

Ueberroth joins William May Garland, the chief organizer of the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, with plaques in the Court of Honor, which also includes Baron Pierre de Coubertin (FRA), the founder of the modern Olympic Movement, honored in 1958, and Count Henri de Baillet-Latour (BEL), the IOC President at the time of the 1932 Games (honored in 1964).

DeFrantz, who joined the LAOOC in 1981, remembered that the organizing committee got no help at all from the 1980 Moscow organizers and had only sparse information from the 1976 Games in Montreal. But that hardly fazed Ueberroth:

“Peter saw it as an opportunity. We don’t have a map, so we’ll create our own. We’ll do the things we need to do. …

“Peter led us. I cannot, in all these years, imagine anybody else having presided over these Games. No one else had the ability to visualize what could be, and make it happen.”

Rich Perelman
Editor

The Ueberroth family, with Peter in the middle and wife Ginny to his left, at the unveiling of his plaque at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Photo: TheSportsExaminer.com)

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TSX REPORT: U.S. women take fourth straight FIBA World Cup; IOC wants “anti-war” Russians to compete? Chile and Peru try for World Cup berth at CAS

By
Rich Perelman
-
A fourth straight title for the U.S. women's basketball team at the FIBA Women's World Cup! (Photo: FIBA)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. U.S. women win 30th straight FIBA World Cup game, fourth straight title
2. Bach looks to reinstate “anti-war” Russians?
3. Kremlev expects Russians to return to boxing soon
4. Chile and Peru continue World Cup push at Court of Arbitration
5. Track & field isn’t the only sport with marketing problems

One of the most dominant U.S. international-sport teams in history is in women’s basketball and the 2022 edition won all eight games, its fourth consecutive title and out-scored its opponents by a combined 790-464. The U.S. women have now won 30 straight FIBA Women’s World Cup games in a row and qualified for Paris 2024. Wow. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) said a way should be found – eventually – to allow Russian who repudiate the war in Ukraine to be able to compete internationally again; this drew wide condemnation from Russian officials. International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev (RUS) said, essentially, Russian athletes should be able to compete regardless of the war in Ukraine and does not seem overly concerned about losing Olympic status. Chile and Peru continues their push to disqualify an Ecuadorian player as ineligible and force their way into the 2022 FIFA World Cup, now at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And while the track & field cognoscenti wail about the sport’s lack of public porfile, other sports feel the same pain, as demonstrated by Russian Short Track star Semen Elistratov.

1.
U.S. women win 30th straight FIBA World Cup game, fourth straight title

It wasn’t easy, but the U.S. women won their 30th straight FIBA Women’s World Cup game to take their fourth straight title in a hard-fought, 83-61 win over China on Saturday before 15,895 at the Sydney Superdome in Australia.

Both teams struggled in a low-scoring first quarter, with the U.S. taking an 18-13 lead, the same score as in their group-stage game. But the game opened up in the second quarter with a 25-20 U.S. advantage and a 43-33 lead.

This felt similar to the group-stage game between the two, with the Americans then holding a 19-point lead, but China closing back to nine with a strong third quarter. Not this time. The U.S. out-scored China, 25-14, in the third and had a commanding, 21-point margin going into the fourth and added a point to the lead for the final margin of 22.

China’s 6-7 center, Yueru Li, had 19 and 12 rebounds, tied for scoring honors with U.S. forward A’ja Wilson. The U.S. had four in double figures, as instant-offense guard Kelsey Plum had 17, guard Jewell Loyd had 11 and Chelsea Gray had 10. While the Americans out-shot China by just 44.6-42.9%, the U.S. put up 74 shots to 56.

The U.S. finished 8-0 in the tournament and won its 30th straight FIBA World Cup match going back to 2006. Cheryl Reeve, the coach of the WNBA Minnesota Lynx, was an assistant on the winning 2014 and 2018 World Cup teams and now the head coach of a World Cup champion.

Wilson was named Most Valuable Player and Wilson and Breanna Stewart were named All-Tournament First Team, along with Canada’s Bridget Carleton, Australian guard Steph Talbot and Chinese center Han Xu.

American Alyssa Thomas was named Best Defender, and the U.S. held its eight opponents to an average of just 58.0 points a game, while averaging 98.8 points a game on offense.

The U.S. won its fourth straight title, six out of seven and eight of the last 11. It’s the 11th title overall for the U.S., with the USSR second with six; the American women have won a medal in this tournament in 12 straight editions. China won silver for the second time, also in 1994, also in Australia. The U.S. qualifies for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the victory in the final.

Home favorite Australia won the bronze medal in a 95-65 rout over Canada, with Lauren Jackson setting a record for the most career World Cup games played (43) and leading all scorers with 30 points.

2.
Bach looks to reinstate “anti-war” Russians?

The President of the International Olympic Committee is trying to figure out how to bring Russian athletes out from the cold, where the IOC put them in February.

In a story published on Friday (30th), Thomas Bach (GER) said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera:

“It is not about necessarily having Russia back. It’s about having athletes with a Russian passport who do not support the war back in competition.

“Here comes our dilemma – this war has not been started by the Russian athletes. But we saw that some governments did not want to respect anymore the autonomy of international sports. …

“This is why we’ve had to take these protective measures to be at least still a little bit in the driving seat and not lose all autonomy. And this is why, on the other hand, we also have to see, and to study, to monitor, how and when we can come back to accomplish our mission to have everybody back again, under which format whatsoever.”

But nothing is happening right now:

“There is no change in the recommendations … We are very grateful to the International Federations that they are following them. …

“Sport is increasingly becoming an occasion for political retribution. This is a world full of conflicts, in sports we are seeing divisions. The mission of the Olympic Movement is to promote peace while remaining politically neutral, now we need to understand how we can do this. The organization of the Olympic Games serves to bring people together, especially in difficult moments.”

The Russian reaction was immediate condemnation:

● Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko: “Russian athletes are patriots and do not sell their homeland, for several years our athletes have experienced the prejudiced attitude of international sports organizations, including the IOC, their removal from competitions has become the apogee. What have our opponents achieved? Deprived world sport of objectivity, healthy competition and entertainment.”

● Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov: “From today’s statement by IOC President Thomas Bach, we can conclude that Russian athletes are offered to exchange their nationality and civic position for the humiliating neutral status of performing on the international arena. In this situation, artificially created by the recommendations of the IOC Executive Board, our athletes are, in fact, forced to violate the laws of their country and the Olympic Charter.”

● Russian Wrestling Federation President, Mikhail Mamiashvili: “What does it mean to distance oneself from power? Strange wording. That is, we are offered to admit that each of us is a Judas, to renounce our state, our country, our president? And then what? I doubt that the Olympic principles are based on the principles of betrayal, we live in some kind of looking glass.”

● National gymnastics team coach Valentina Rodionenko: “None of the athletes will ever agree to betray their country. All of us will not compete under such conditions.”

The Olympic Games were canceled three times, all due to World Wars, vaporizing the 1916, 1940 and 1944 Games. Germany and Japan were not invited to the London 1948 Games, held three years after their 1945 surrenders at the end of World War II (remember, there was no treaty formally ending the war), but did compete at Helsinki 1952, seven years after.

With Russia’s aggression in Ukraine still ongoing, what’s the rush?

3.
Kremlev expects Russians to return to boxing soon

Now fully confirmed as the President of the International Boxing Association through 2026, Russian Umar Kremlev told the “Russia – A Sports Power” conference in Siberia last week:

“As the president of the International Boxing Association, I want to say that managers should not deprive either the anthem or the flag, but should call for world peace. And today I would urge my colleagues to stop sabotaging, and join and help athletes participate in all international competitions and not to deprive them of either the anthem or the flag, this is the most important thing for an athlete. They are not coming for the sake of medals, but to represent their country, their people.

“I think that in the near future the International Boxing Association will have no right to deprive our beloved athletes of their achievements, their dreams, we must create conditions for them – this is our duty, we come to develop sports and help, create, not destroy or play political games.”

In the meantime, the IBA Board turned the politics of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on its head, stating that despite its – highly dubious – suspension of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation, it was allowing Ukrainian boxers to compete under their own flag at the European Junior Championships in Montesilvano (ITA), and paying for the team’s expenses. Said Kremlev:

“I reiterate that all boxers must be allowed to compete under their national flag, no matter what. … The time has now come to allow all the rest of the athletes of Russia and Belarus to participate in all the official competitions of their sports representing their countries.”

Observed: Will all this help the IBA’s return to the Olympic Movement? Probably not, but Kremlev does not appear too concerned:

At the close of the IBA Extraordinary Congress in Armenia on 25 September, he acknowledged the Olympic-inclusion issue but essentially told the delegates that boxing is more important to him than being part of the Olympic Games:

“I am working for you, not a side organization. … We are saying today that we are an independent organization, that we are here to protect our IBA that we all love. And we shouldn’t say ‘Olympic boxing,’ we should say ‘IBA boxing.’ We have to get to the point where boxing will be part of the Olympic Games in 2024 as well as 2028. We’ll do our best, with the team and with you, and no one can exclude us from anywhere. …

“The most important should be the World Series [of Boxing], however, because for the IBA and the boxers this is our house … this is what we will do; as an organization, should be the most important for us. …

“Today, I have heard in this hall, a couple of expressions, ‘what will happen with boxing when it comes to Olympic Games’? We will join our forces, we will do a great job and we will defend the name of boxing to be part of the Olympic program, but this will not be the only thing we will do. Most importantly, we have to protect the interests of the IBA, our own organization. … Our World Series must become the important competitions.”

4.
Chile and Peru continue World Cup push at Court of Arbitration

In the South American qualification tournament for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ecuador finished fourth with 26 points (7-6-5 W-L-T) to advance to Qatar.

But Chile and Peru are both protesting that Ecuador used an ineligible player – right back Byron Castillo – for eight of the qualifying games and is asking for a forfeit of these games. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee cleared Castillo, as did the FIFA Appeal Committee, so the matter is now with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Per the announcement of the separate appeals by the two football federations:

“The appeal filed by the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) is directed at the FEF and FIFA. The FPF requests that Ecuador be excluded from the FIFA World Cup 2022 and replaced by Peru, which is the best runner-up. The appeal filed by the Chilean Football Association (FFCH) is directed at the FEF, the player Byron David Castillo Segura, and FIFA. The FFCH requests CAS to rule that the Player was ineligible for the 8 matches played in the Qualifiers, declaring those matches as forfeited and placing Chile in the 4th position in the South America 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Both appellants request that CAS issue its final award on or before 10 November 2022 at the latest.”

The Chileans have complained that Castillo was actually born in Colombia and should be ineligible to play for Ecuador and the eight games he played in should be forfeited. That would move Chile up to fourth and into a qualifying position for Qatar. Peru finished fifth and lost a play-in game against Australia to go to Qatar, but says now that Ecuador should be disqualified altogether for using an ineligible player and it should be advance to fourth and qualify.

The World Cup begins on 10 November, Ecuador is in Group A with host Qatar, Netherlands and Senegal.

5.
Track & field isn’t the only sport with marketing problems

The Russian news agency TASS conducted an interesting interview with 2015 World Short Track 1,500 m champ Semen Elistratov, who won an Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014 on the men’s 5,000 m relay. It turns out he feels the lack of attention to his sport just as much as it heard in the U.S. from many Olympic sports, such as track & field.

Asked about his sport continuing to lag behind football, figure skating and hockey, he replied:

“Many athletes are closed [to promoting themselves and their sport]. I am also against getting into some things, I don’t post photos with my wife and son on social networks, this is too important for me, I don’t want other people’s eyes to see it. But since we are public people, communication is our job. This is necessary to popularize your sport, this is an absolutely normal thing.

“I can say that in Ufa [in Russia]. it is after Beijing that they recognize me, this was not the case either after Sochi or after Pyeongchang, but for some reason after Beijing. Once in a taxi they asked me if I knew Semen Elistratov, I modestly said that I knew him.

“If we take the promotion and media component of our sport, I can say that everything is hard. Before the competition, there should be press conferences, to gather athletes to communicate with the press – this is normal. Here we will have the championship of Russia, but will it be shown, for example, on Match TV? It is unlikely, but the Russian Figure Skating Championship is broadcast on Channel One. But it’s hard to compare, if you go to girls figure skaters on Instagram [banned in Russia as it is owned by Meta, considered ‘extremist’], they all have a million subscribers, which means people are watching, they like it.

“I do what I can, you can give an informational reason, go drunk to swim in the fountain – ‘Olympic champion Semyon Elistratov bathes in the fountain.’ Is it a good piece of information? But, on the other hand, for me it is immoral.

“I think that broadcasting requires a lot of money, but I don’t know where to get it. This is probably the work of experts. I have never had the task of making everyone around me find out, I take this calmly. The history of short track skating isn’t that big, so I don’t have any resentment.”

Elistratov, now 32, would like to go to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games – which would be his fourth – but with one condition:

“It is imperative to go to the next Games, but if there is a requirement to sign a declaration that I actually renounce my country, then there can be no question of a trip.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Championships in Shotgun continue, with the Trap events concluding with the men’s and women’s Team events.

Great Britain took the men’s title, out-scoring the Czech Republic by 7-1 in the final. Italy and Finland had go to a shoot-off in the women’s title match, with Italy scoring a 3-0 win after a 5-5 tie in regulation.

Britain’s Nathan Hales, 26, scored three medals in his three events: gold in the Men’s Team, and silvers in the Mixed Team and men’s Trap final.

● Volleyball ● The FIVB Women’s World Championship in the Netherlands and Poland continues, with the first round of group play completed. Italy (5-0) won Group A; Turkey (4-1) took Group B, Serbia (5-0) and the U.S. (4-1) were 1-2 in Group C and China, Japan and Brazil (all 4-1) were 1-2-3 in Group D.

The U.S. won its first four matches against Kazakhstan, Canada, Bulgaria and Germany, but was swept aside by Serbia in the final group match, 25-20, 25-23, 25-15.

The next set of matches will be held from 4-9 October, with the top four teams from each group assigned into new pools, and the top four from these second-round groups qualifying to the quarterfinals. The results against teams already played are counted, and games are played only against teams from other groups.

The U.S. is in Pool F in Lodz (POL), and is “2–1″ with Serbia (3-0) and Canada (1-2) also advancing. The American women – the Tokyo Olympic gold medalists – will play the Dominican Republic, Poland, Turkey and Thailand.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28-sponsored bill to assist athletes – California Assembly Bill AB-2747 – was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, providing in-state tuition rates across a 10-year period, into 2032.

Athletes training for a sport under the supervision of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and attending a California Community College, Cal State University or University of California campus will pay in-state tuition rates, which are considerably less than those for out-of-state attendees. Beginning 1 July 2032, the in-state tuition rates would apply to athletes training at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center.

● Athletics ● Kenya’s Amos Kipruto and Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw ran away with victories at the 42nd London Marathon on Sunday in speedy times of 2:04:39 and 2:17:26.

Kipruto, who had set a lifetime best of 2:03:13 while placing second at the Tokyo Marathon in March, was part of a seven-man lead group at the half (1:02:14) and held together past 35 km. Kipruto attacked late and built a 17-second lead by the 40 km mark and cruised home to win by 33 seconds over Leul Gebresilase (ETH: 2:05:12) and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Bashir Abdi (BEL: 2:05:19).

Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele was with the lead group through 35 km, but faded to fifth in 2:05:53. Andrew McCann was the top American, in 17th (2:21:39).

Yehualaw won in her marathon debut in Hamburg (GER) in April in 2:17:23 and claimed her second victory of the year after passing the halfway mark in 1:08:46 as part of a lead group of eight. Five were in contention at 35 km, but Yehualaw broke away and led by 16 seconds at 40 km on the way to a 41-second win over defending champ Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN: 2:18:07) and Alemu Megertu (ETH: 2:18:32). Marci Klimek was the top U.S. finisher, in 11th (2:37:56).

American agent and manager Dan Lilot tweeted “$800M for a new football stadium, yet still no M/W T&F and M XC” in reply to the announcement that Northwestern University will be renovating Ryan Field.

There is one difference worth noting. Northwestern’s football project will be privately funded, with – per the announcement – “NO taxpayer financing.”

If track & field-specific funds can be raised, it will get new facilities too. And, no, the new plan for Ryan Field does not include a track.

● Beach Volleyball ● Norway’s World and Olympic champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum were again the best, this time at the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Paris (FRA).

Seeded second, the Norwegians swept the final, defeating 2013 World Champions Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen (NED) in tightly-contested sets, 21-19, 21-18. It’s the second Elite 16 win this season for Mol and Sorum, in addition to their World Championships gold.

Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava (ITA) won the bronze-medal match against Marco and Esteban Grimalt (CHI), 21-16, 21-16.

Dutch stars Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon (NED) won the women’s tournament with a 21-16, 22-20 sweep of Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina (LAT). It’s the second Elite 16 victory of the season for the Dutch pair.

Brazil’s 2022 World Champions Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa edged Americans Betsi Flint and Kelly Cheng for the bronze, 21-12, 13-21, 15-8.

● Cycling ● The UCI BMX World Cup concluded for 2022 with rounds 7-8 in Bogota (COL), with France’s two-time World Champion Joris Daudet sweeping the weekend series.

Daudet won a tight battle with Britain’s Tokyo silver medalist Kye White, 32.037-32.646 on Saturday and then came back with a 31.956-32.440 win over Izaac Kennedy (AUS) on Sunday, with American Cameron Wood third (33.393). In the seasonal series, France’s 2018 World Champion Sylvain Andre was the winner with 2,537 points, comfortably ahead of Wood (2,249) and Kennedy (2,117).

The women’s round 7 race saw a familiar 1-2 with four-time World Cup champ Laura Smulders (NED) winning at 35.757, ahead of American Anne Willoughby (36.065). But defending World Cup champ – and home favorite – Mariana Pajon, the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist – won Sunday’s final race in 35.199, ahead of Merel Smulders (NED: 36.175) and Swiss Zoe Claeesens (36.289). For the season, Laura Smulders won her fifth World Cup title with 3,608 points to 2,858 for Claessens and Tokyo Olympic champ Beth Shriever (GBR: 2,181).

● Equestrian ● Belgium won its third-ever title at the FEI Nations Cup Final in jumping in Barcelona (ESP), with a faultless performance in the championship round.

The team of Koen Verecke (aboard Kasanova de la Pomme), Giles Thomas (Calleryama) and Jerone Guery (Quel Homme de Hus) each had no penalties, while Gregory Wathelet (Iron Man de la Padenborre) had one, but with only the top three scores counting, the Belgians looked perfect on the scoresheet.

France suffered single penalties on two runs and ended up second with four faults. Switzerland also had single faults by two riders and were third with a slower time than the French.

Belgium previously won in 2015 and 2018 and took home €417,000 for the victory. France received €251,000 for silver and the Swiss earned €167,000 in third.

● Football ● An Iranian women’s rights group called “OpenStadiums” has asked FIFA to remove Iran from the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of its abuse of women.

“The Iranian FA is not only an accomplice of the crimes of the regime. It is a direct threat to the security of female fans in Iran and wherever our national team plays in the world. Football should be a safe space for us all. …

“That is why, as Iranian football fans, it is with an extremely heavy heart that we have to raise our deepest concern about Iran’s participation in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

“Why would FIFA give the Iranian state and its representatives a global stage, while it not only refuses to respect basic human rights and dignities, but is currently torturing and killing its own people? Where are the principles of FIFA’s statues in this regard?

“Therefore, we ask FIFA, based on Articles 3 and 4 of its statutes, to immediately expel Iran from the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. …

“[We] call for action and punishment for years of oppression of women and fans in Iranian sport. The Islamic Republic’s authorities and its football federation must not be given the honour of participating in football’s finest tournament while it is killing its citizens on our streets.”

Iran is competing in Group B at the World Cup in Qatar, with Wales, the U.S. and England.

● Gymnastics ● Americans won two of the four women’s events at the penultimate FIG Artistic World Challenge Cup in Szombathely (HUN).

Addison Fatta, 10th at the U.S. nationals All-Around, won on Vault, scoring an average of 13.366 on her two trials, out-pointing Slovenia’s Teja Belak (13.216). On Floor, Katelyn Jong topped the field at 13.500, ahead of Greta Mayer (HUN), who scored 13.033; fellow American Levi Jung-Ruivivar was sixth (12.666).

Hungary’s Zoja Szekely won the Uneven Bars at 13.733, with Fatta third (13.600) and Jong fifth (13.133). Finland’s Maisa Kuusiko won on Beam, scoring 12.866.

Ukraine’s Ilia Kovtun, the 2021 Worlds All-Around bronze medalist, won the men’s Floor and Parallel Bars events. Nariman Korbanov (KAZ) won on Pommel Horse, Austria’s Vinzenz Hock took the Rings gold, Chinese Taipei’s Wei-sheng Tseng was the Vault winner and Hungary went 1-2 on the Horizontal Bar with Krisztofer Meszaros (14.166) and Krisztian Balazs (14.133).

● Ice Hockey ● The International Ice Hockey Federation’s Semi-Annual Congress in Belek (TUR) approved a “re-entry plan” for Russian and Belarusian teams whenever the situation in Ukraine is resolved:

“Russia and Belarus would return to the categories and divisions in which they were originally placed prior to the Council decision [to remove them].”

This does not means Russian or Belarusian teams are coming back any time soon:

● “Following the IIHF Council decision from 28 February 2022, Russia and Belarus are not allowed to participate in IIHF competitions until further notice. The upcoming 2022/2023 IIHF Championship season will proceed without the participation of these countries.”

● “The deadline for a decision concerning Russia and Belarus is after the last preliminary-round game of the respective IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in the men’s senior category to prepare the championship program for the IIHF Annual Congress.”

Olympic Statman Hilary Evans (GBR) tweeted that only Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Great Britain voted against this. Additional reporting showed that 98 of 119 IIHF members voted in favor, 10 were against – five countries with two votes each – and 11 did not vote.

IIHF President Luc Tardif (FRA) underscored that the decisions were meant for future planning only:

“To be clear, this decision does not indicate a return of the Russian and Belarusian teams to IIHF competition. Congress needed to take this decision so that the IIHF members understand the terms of a future reintegration of these countries into the IIHF program. The IIHF Council will continue to monitor the war in Ukraine.”

But the decision was welcomed in Russia; said former Russian team coach and 1998-92 gold medalist as a center, Vyacheslav Bykov:

“Reason has prevailed, most leaders of the hockey community are well aware that the development of our sport cannot do without the participation of a great nation in it, which does a lot for it. There is already a positive note, we remain in the top division, let’s hope that this is the first positive reaction before the complete lifting of all sanctions against our athletes. Everything largely depends on the international situation.”

The IIHF Congress also approved the plan to – more or less – sell the Women’s World Championship Division I Group A (second tier) to China for three years in return for $3 million per year for 2023, 2024 and 2025, contingent on China being qualified for Division I play. The tournaments would be held in Shenzhen.

Why the deal? According to the announcement:

“As part of the legacy program of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and to further develop ice hockey in the country, the Chinese Ice Hockey Association wants to be more active in hosting IIHF events and organize the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A in front of its home audience.”

Tardif has said that this is the first marketing agreement ever made by the IIHF for women’s hockey. Initially, the money will be used to support each participating team traveling to China with $100,000 in support fees.

The 2023 tournament, featuring China, Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Austria and the Netherlands, is scheduled for 17-23 April.

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TSX REPORT: LA28 and Delta intro first-ever combined logo; Russia already planning for 2028 Games; how does a golf guy become World Curling chief?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. LA28 and Delta present first-ever integrated Olympic logo
2. Russian sport preparing for 2028, regardless of 2024 outlook
3. Ukraine to boycott FIG Congress due to Russian presence
4. How does a golf-course guy become World Curling President?
5. Paris 2024’s Paralympic Day promotion shows IOC tie-in value

Another first for Los Angeles 2028: an integrated sponsor logo, introduced with its inaugural partner Delta Airlines and featuring separate emblems for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In Russia, planning for the LA28 Games is already underway, while participation in Paris 2024 remains uncertain. At a conference in Siberia, speakers continued to preach that the world misses Russian athletes so badly they must be returned to competition. Meanwhile, Norway will boycott the International Ski & Snowboard meetings this week in Switzerland and Finland is asking for Russian and Belarusian officials to be removed from the FIS Council. Norway is also boycotting, along with Ukraine, the International Gymnastics Congress in November to protest the presence of Russian delegates. American Beau Welling was elected head of the World Curling Federation on 11 September and explained how a golf guy from South Carolina ended up heading a winter-sport federation! With two years to go, the Paris 2024 organizers and others are staging a “Paralympic Day” in Paris on 8 October, continuing to demonstrate the benefits of its expanding ties with the International Olympic Committee.

1.
LA28 and Delta present first-ever integrated Olympic logo

“The integrated emblem is a new model of commercial integration into the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

“Partners are critical to the LA28 Games, and we’re excited to have Delta creating and storytelling with us.”

That’s Dave Mingey, Senior Vice President of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties, the joint venture between the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the LA28 organizing committee, introducing the first-ever integrated logo between an Olympic Games and a sponsor.

In this case, it’s Delta Airlines, the first founder partner of the LA28 organizers – from 2019 – but also now the airline sponsor of the USOPC for Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, Milan Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028.

Combined logos – whether stacked or side-by-side – of an Olympic Games and a sponsor have been in use for decades, but the unique, LA28 replaceable “A” in its emblem program allows for a new form of integration. A “Delta x LA28 integrated emblem” was created for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the option to create such a logo will reportedly be available – at least for now – only to first-tier partners Delta, Salesforce and Comcast (NBC).

2.
Russian sport preparing for 2028, regardless of 2024 outlook

The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, told delegates at the “Russia – A Sports Power” conference in Siberia that preparations are moving ahead for Russia to compete in Paris in 2024, but most certainly in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games:

● “Regardless of when the [Paris 2024] qualifying round starts, it is important to ensure that our athletes can compete the very next day when the opportunity arises. I hope they will start as early as next year.

“We are six years away from the Los Angeles Olympics, and we are laying the groundwork that our athletes should go. I am 100% sure that we will be there, and we should not just go and perform well, and take a place no lower than third. On the territory of a strong opponent, they must show a worthy result.”

● “No matter how the political situation in the world develops, the main priority of the [International Olympic Committee] remains an attempt to abstract and get away from political phenomena. events without any pressure from some countries.

“The tone of the IOC has become more pragmatic, in line with the current moment, there is now a realization that Russia is too big a sporting power to be excluded from the Olympic movement. This carries costs, especially for those federations that have connections with national [federations] here in Russia.”

ROC Director General Vladimir Sengleev told the assembly that plans for Los Angeles are already underway:

“We have about 160 members, we must protect and promote their interests, in a crisis situation, the professionalism of our members depends on the development of sports. The main goal is promoting the sustainable development of effective activities of ROC members.

“Under the pessimistic scenario, we went a little lower and started to promote the preparation of the Olympic reserve. For the first time, we are preparing for both the Paris 2024 Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at the same time.”

Multiple speakers repeated the theme that excluding Russian athletes was an unbearable burden for its competitors, even more so than for the Russians themselves:

● Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin: “I’m sure the [world sports] community is aware of the harm that it does to itself through competition bans, by not allowing our athletes to compete. We held tournaments that were recognized as the best in history. Suicide.”

● Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko: “The main thing is that the discriminatory policy towards Russia and our athletes did not bring the results that who counted on unfriendly countries, but robbed themselves, depriving the competition of worthy competition, entertainment and objectivity.”

● Russia President Vladimir Putin’s video greeting included:

“The sanctions aggression unleashed against our country and our citizens have affected many areas, including elite sport. Russian athletes, in fact, are deprived of the opportunity to represent their country, and Russia’s voice in international specialized organizations is deliberately ignored. This situation contradicts the very values of sports, the main of which are mutual respect and the principle of ‘sport is out of politics’.”

Putin added that Russia is “a cordial, hospitable country where open competitions are held at a high organizational level for representatives of different states and honor the ideals of Olympism.”

In the meantime, Pozdnyakov told the delegates that meetings on new cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) nations and BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina – countries would be held during the Association of National Olympic Committee General Assembly meetings in Korea from 17-21 October. A new “association of sports organizations” is a possibility.

Sports Minister Matytsin spoke about the mobilization of citizens for military duty in the Ukraine invasion:

“Sport cannot be singled out as a separate refined community that should enjoy some kind of exclusive privileges. We see that our athletes in previous years, and, I hope, during this period, show themselves to be patriots. It was many times announced at the start of a special military operation, they supported the President and expressed an absolutely unequivocal opinion that sport is a single family. …

“Now I can’t unequivocally answer about the mobilization. There will be no and should not be any exclusivity. Yes, we understand that athletes and coaches are a golden fund, especially those who are preparing for the Olympic Games, members of national teams. Certain protection measures for certain categories will possibly be given a delay while we are in dialogue with the government. I hope that the sports system will continue to develop actively despite the situation.”

In Zurich (SUI), meanwhile, two national federations are protesting the presence of Russian and Belarusian delegates at the International Ski & Snowboard Federation meetings, with Norway boycotting and Finland asking for the formal expulsion of those attendees. Said Finnish Ski Association Executive Director Ismo Hamalainen:

“In the future, the exclusion of Russia and Belarus should be extended not only to athletes, but also to the Board of Trustees and the representative board. The case should have been resolved officially earlier, including for athletes; we will definitely raise this issue in Zurich and demand the exclusion of [Russians] from the FIS Council.”

3.
Ukraine to boycott FIG Congress due to Russian presence

“The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation has decided not to participate in this year’s Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) which is to be held on November 11th-12th, 2022 in Istanbul (Turkey), since representatives of Russia and Belarus, [the countries] that are waging an aggressive and destructive war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, were allowed to participate in this official FIG event.

“Moreover, the venue of the Congress was changed by the FIG from Norway to Turkey precisely so that the representatives of the aggressor states could attend it, since the Norwegian Gymnastics Federation, which was originally supposed to host the Congress, refused to hold this event in Norway, according to recommendations of the Norwegian Olympic Committee, the Confederation of Sports and the Ministry of Culture and Equality not to invite delegates from Russia and Belarus to sports events. Similarly, there will be no representatives of Norway at the Congress in Turkey, for the same reason.”

Tuesday’s statement also included:

“The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation once again declares its position that not only athletes from Russia and Belarus, but also any other officials from Russia and Belarus who represent these countries in the FIG should be suspended from participating in the sports events of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), or hold official positions in the FIG as ‘neutral’ persons. The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation thanks the Norwegian Gymnastics Federation for its principled position, which advocates for the highest values of human life and dignity.”

The Israel-based Gymnovosti site made the point that while the FIG has maintained the IOC’s request to not allow Russian or Belarusian competitors in its events, it has also followed the IOC’s lead in not removing Russian officials and pointed to recent remarks by FIG President Morinari Watanabe (JPN):

“At the opening ceremony at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Sofia last week, Watanabe compared Russian and Belarusian athletes to flowers that cannot bloom because they are covered in snow and said that he hopes peace would come soon and the flowers would be able to bloom again.”

Russian national team coach Valentina Rodionenko said its gymnasts would accept competing under a neutral flag again but would not renounce the war in Ukraine:

“There’s a hope we will be allowed to compete at the Olympic Games, there’s always a chance. This depends not on us but on you know who. Competing under a neutral flag? We’ve already competed at the Olympics without a flag or an anthem, what else can we do? If they force us to condemn the special operation, to renounce what is happening in [our] country, we will never do that, of course. If we are told we are allowed to compete without a flag or an anthem and our superiors will decide [to allow it], then, of course, we will go, we’ve already competed like this.”

4.
How does a golf-course guy become World Curling President?

American Beau Welling, 53, was elected as the new President of the World Curling Federation on 11 September, the 11th to serve and the second from U.S., dating back to 1966. As he says, he’s not thought of as a “curling guy,” especially since his Beau Welling Design golf-course design and land-planning firm in Greenville, South Carolina has been busy creating more than 100 courses and land-use projects in the U.S.

So how does a “golf guy” end up as the head of World Curling? He shared some of the steps in an interview posted on the World Curling site:

● “It is 2002 and I come home late one night, turn on the television, and there are rocks, brooms and ice. And I’m like ‘that’s that curling thing.’ And this was now the Salt Lake Winter Olympics and found myself inexplicably drawn to the television.”

● “All members of the USA curling team for Torino were from the same place, Bemidji, Minnesota. I went online, and I learned that Bemidji was super into curling, produced more national champions than any other place. It was hosting the U.S. national championships two weeks after the [2006] Torino Olympics, so I decided to go. I wanted to go see this sport in person.

“I went and I was so incredibly welcomed by the people there. They thought it was so fascinating that somebody would come from South Carolina. This trip was a very formative thing because the people were just so nice. I went because I was fascinated by the sport, but I left totally fascinated by the community and the people.

“Actually, I had a one-way ticket to Bemidji and I ended up staying nine days. I just loved it so much and it ended with the President of the United States Curling Association naming me the official Southern ambassador for the sport, it was a fun thing.”

● “A few months later, I get a call from the new President of USA Curling and she said, ‘Beau, we’ve been asked by the USA Olympic Committee [sic] to get somebody on our Board that isn’t a curler, and we very much would like to see if it would be you.’”

● Welling helped to reconfigure the 2009 USA Curling national championships, which was also the Olympic Trials for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, and after a “rousing success,” Welling was rewarded with a trip to the Games as a member of the U.S. delegation.

“I did that and that’s where I first met [prior President] Kate [Caithness: SCO] and [Vice President] Graham [Prouse: CAN] and multiple people who are still involved with WCF. …

“The U.S. curling people said, ‘Wow, you really seem to relate to people very well from all over the world. Is there any way you would consider becoming one of our WCF representatives?’ And I very happily agreed to do that.”

● Welling’s term as an Independent Director with USA Curling lasted from 2007-18, when he was elected to the World Curling Federation Board, chairing the Structural Review Committee. He ran and won election as WCF President in the second round of voting, drawing 52.7% of the votes (127) for an absolute majority. He noted:

“Curling is a very strategic game and I’m a very strategic-minded person. It’s very obvious to me that golf and curling come out of the same ether. They are both sports that you can learn relatively quickly but they’re almost impossible to master. You can play them for your entire life, they’re all based around similar values of camaraderie, integrity and honor.”

That’s how you go from golf courses to being elected President of an International Federation.

5.
Paris 2024’s Paralympic Day promotion shows IOC tie-in value

The Paris 2024 organizing committee, in cooperation with the City of Paris and the national government, is heavily promoting its first “Paralympic Day” that will be held at the Place de la Bastille in Paris on 8 October.

This is a two-years-to-go program, with live competition in the men’s and women’s long jump, demonstrations of wheelchair basketball, Boccia, blind football, wheelchair fencing, Para athletics, Para-rowing, Para badminton, Para judo, Para table tennis, Para triathlon and sitting volleyball, plus several more non-Paralympic sports.

A main stage with a music and dance program, meet-ups with dozens of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and public participation programs such as a wheelchair obstacle course will encourage more direct contact with the Paralympic Games (and Paralympians).

This kind of program is the true value of the close association of the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee, which sees its role as beyond sport:

“The IPC’s primary responsibilities are to support our 200 plus members develop Para sport and advocate social inclusion, ensure the successful delivery and organisation of the Paralympic Games and act as the international federation for 10 Para sports.”

The introduction and promotion of challenged athletes into the sporting consciousness has the possibility to sensitize people to their needs within the greater society. The IPC promotes the idea that 15% of the world’s population has some sort of disability via its “WeThe15” campaign, introduced in 2021, “to change attitudes and create more opportunities” from the “other” 85%.

If the Paralympic Games were not co-hosted in the same city as the Olympic Games, would it get even a fraction of the attention it is getting now?

To the extent that the 85% are paying attention, it is in significant part because of the closer and closer attachment of the Olympic Movement to the IPC and its national federations, some of which are fully combined with the country’s National Olympic Committee, such as the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

For the IPC, it’s an unmeasurable benefit that appears to be paying dividends, but as with all cultural movements, slowly.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Basketball ● At the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Australia, the U.S. will go for its fourth straight title after smashing Canada, 83-43, in the first semifinal on Friday at the Sydney Superdome.

The game was over quickly, as the Americans were up, 27-7, after a quarter and 45-21 at the half. The Canadians shot only 21.9% from the field for the game, vs. 48.4% for the U.S. and the U.S. won the rebound battle by 53-37. Wow.

Once again, the American women had balanced scoring, with starting forwards Breanna Stewart, A’Ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas contributing 17, 14 and 10 points, respectively. Reserve guard Kelsey Plum added 14 off the bench. Wilson had 12 rebounds as the Americans won their 29th straight game in World Cup play.

The second semi was more dramatic, with home favorite Australia taking a 17-13 first-quarter lead, only to see China roar back for a 36-30 halftime lead. The game narrowed to 47-44 for China after three, but the Aussies tied the game at 51-all with 5:17 to go.

The game see-sawed from there, tied at 53, 55, 57 and 59 before guard Siyu Wang made two free throws with three seconds remaining to forge a 61-59 victory. Center Xu Han led all scorers with 19, point guard Liwei Yang had 18 and Wang scored 14 for the winners. Guard Samantha Whitcomb had 15 to lead Australia.

The medal matches will be played on Saturday, with the gold-medal game at 4 p.m. Sydney time. The U.S. and China played in the group phase, with the U.S. winning, 77-63, but was up only 56-47 after three quarters. Guard Meng Li had 21 for China and Wilson led the U.S. with 20.

● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Championships for Shotgun in Osijek (CRO), Italy won the Mixed Team Trap title in a 4-3 shoot-off with Great Britain following a 5-5 tie after the five regulation rounds.

Mauro de Filippis, the 2019 Worlds silver medalist and Giulia Grassia had Italy up by 5-1 after three rounds, but saw 2022 Worlds silver winner Nathan Hales and Lucy Hall sweep the last two rounds to force the extra shots.

● Table Tennis ● Almost no sporting events other than the Winter Olympic Games last February have been held in China due to the country’s “no Covid” policy, but the ITTF’s World Team Championships IS being played in Chengdu, with the opening ceremony – with 400 performers – on Thursday.

The event is being held in a “bubble” format made famous by the Winter Games, with constant testing of participants. A total of 40 men’s and 40 women’s team qualified, but 60 teams from 36 countries – 32 men’s teams and 28 women’s teams – are expected to actually compete. The tournament runs through 9 October; China has won this tournament nine straight times on the men’s side and four in a row on the women’s.

● Volleyball ● Pool play is continuing at the FIVB Women’s World Championship in The Netherlands and Poland, with undefeated teams remaining in all four groups.

Italy (4-0) and the Dutch (3-0) lead Pool A; Poland (3-0) is the only undefeated team in Pool B; Serbia (3–0) and the Tokyo Olympic gold winners U.S. (3-0) are unbeaten in Pool C and Brazil and China are both 3-0 in Pool D. The U.S. beat Bulgaria on Thursday in Lodz (POL) by 25-14, 23-25, 25-11, 25-15.

Pool play will conclude on 2 October, with the top four teams in each pool moving on to a second round-robin program beginning on 4 October.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● South American Games ● The XII South American Games will open on Saturday (1 October) in Asuncion (PAR), with a record 4,526 athletes from 15 countries competing in 412 events in 36 sports.

The largest delegations are reported from Argentina (592), Paraguay (572), Chile (539), Colombia (500) and Brazil (464).

The competitions are being live-streamed on the PanAm Sports Channel, across eight feeds.

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TSX REPORT: IOC Esports director says closer ties are coming; Tokyo 2020 ExCo member arrested for third time; Valieva hearing in October

By
Rich Perelman
-
The IOC and Esports? Getting cozier ...

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC wants to move closer to Esports
2. Takahashi arrested for third time in Tokyo 2020 bribery case
3. RUSADA’s Valieva hearing tentatively set for October
4. Atos to handle “sensitive data” instead of Alibaba at Paris 2024
5. Are you scared about being removed from the Olympics?

“We need to connect with the youths” is how the IOC director for electronic gaming explained the closer and closer ties being forged with the Esports community, although there is no timetable for inclusion as a medal sport in the Olympic Games. Tokyo 2020 Executive Committee member Haruyuki Takahashi was arrested for a third time in connection with the inquiry into bribery for sponsorship designations, with the total known payments now more than $1 million. The head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency said the Kamila Valieva doping hearings will likely be in October and will be closed. A significant security issue for the French government regarding the Paris 2024 Games was resolved with Chinese cloud-computing company – and IOC sponsor – Alibaba agreeing to pay French technology company Atos – also an IOC sponsor – to handle “sensitive data.” Austria’s Johannes Lamparter, a two-time World Champion in Nordic Combined at age 20, was asked if he is worried about the IOC’s view that the sport could be cut from the Olympic program after Milan Cortina 2026: “I am a bit scared.”

1.
IOC wants to move closer to Esports

“We’re creating a new product, we’re creating new experiences and we’re trying to create a new space for the Olympic Movement to demonstrate how it can attract the youths and connect with people and engage with people.

“We need to create opportunities to connect with people and keep contact with them. It is also about moving with society and following the trends and listening to people.”

The obsession with youth and digital continues to expand at the International Olympic Committee, with the organization’s head of virtual sports and gaming, Vincent Pereira (FRA) underscoring this at the Sports Matters Conference in Singapore on Tuesday.

“The most important thing is to bring together the Olympic Movement and the esports communities to collaborate on the future of these competitions.

“Competition is at the heart of the Olympic Games and, at the IOC, we are hoping to introduce new competition programs and new disciplines as we will see with breaking coming for Paris 2024 and skateboarding in Tokyo. And so what we’re trying to do is find a way of integrating these new ways of competing.”

Singapore will be at the center of the IOC’s next experiment, in 2023, with the first Olympic Esports Week, to be held over 3-4 days with about 10 virtual sports and simulation games, along additional exhibition games. This is an expansion of the IOC’s successful Olympic Virtual Series from May and June 2021, in which games simulating auto racing, baseball, cycling, rowing and sailing were involved with a total participation of nearly 250,000 people from 100 countries.

Explained Pereira:

“The Olympic Esports Week will be about entertainment and how we can encourage people to virtual sports and new disciplines. We can do it by creating a huge free-to-play zone where the idea for us is to create a journey for the people where they will enter into the Olympics through technology and innovation. [People] will come and experience [sports] by doing a golf simulator, enjoying some races and doing other activities.

“And why are we doing this? Because we need to connect with the youths. We need to keep this contact with the generation that is playing games…We shouldn’t miss this opportunity to connect with the youths.”

While there is no immediate expectation of gaming to appear as a demonstration or medal sport at the Olympic Games, eight medal events will be included in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) and the “Commonwealth Esports Championships” – as a demonstration – was held alongside the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG).

2.
Takahashi arrested for third time in Tokyo 2020 bribery case

Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrested former Dentsu senior managing director and Tokyo 2020 Executive Board member Haruyuki Takahashi for the third time in connection with bribery charges relating to sponsorship selections.

Takahashi was arrested again on Tuesday, this time for a scheme involving Osaka-based Daiko Advertising, Inc., to use the agency as an agent for a sponsorship designation for “a major English conversation school operator,” which became affiliated with the Tokyo Games in October 2018.

(A search of Tokyo 2020 sponsorship releases found that ECC Japanese Language Institute was announced as an “Official Supporter” in October 2018).

The allegation is that Daiko Advertising paid a consulting firm owned by Kazumasa Fukami, a former Dentsu associate of Takahashi, some ¥15 million (~$104,058 U.S.) in bribes, and that the money was shared with Takahashi’s own consulting company.

Takahashi was previously arrested for receiving suspected bribes of ¥51 million (~$353,881 U.S.) to help business-suit retailer Aoki Holdings obtain an “Official Supporter” designation and ¥76 million (~$527,353 U.S.) to aid Kadokawa Corporation in the publishing services category.

Another company, Sun Arrow, Inc., a maker of plush toys, is suspected of paying Takahashi ¥8 million (~$55,507 U.S.) for assistance with a Tokyo 2020 license. That would bring the bribery total disclosed so far to ¥150 million, or about $1.04 million U.S.

Takahashi has denied any criminal activity and while acknowledging receipts of some of the money, said it was for legitimate services.

3.
RUSADA’s Valieva hearing tentatively set for October

Veronika Loginova, the Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) commented on the upcoming hearings of its disciplinary commission in the Kamila Valieva doping case at the “Russia Is A Sports Power” conference on Wednesday:

“We can’t name the date. The investigation was in relation to the personnel – the coaching staff, doctors, so far I can’t name the date. Tentatively, in October.”

“In the code, we can see what sanctions are provided, the standard term is four years. But in different situations, different decisions can [be taken] depending on the circumstances. What sanction the disciplinary commission will issue, we do not know.”

Loginova also said that the decision of the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee may not be made public because Valieva – now 16 – is still a minor:

“There are special rules for public disclosure regarding a protected person. I can’t say yet whether it will be published or not.”

The hearing itself will be closed.

On the broader anti-doping front, Loginova said she was hopeful that RUSADA could once again be considered compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency by the end of 2022:

“We are waiting for the restoration. We have passed the audit, we are waiting for its result. We are implementing all the decisions of December 17. We are fulfilling everything and counting on a positive decision.”

An online audit of RUSADA was done by a WADA team from 6-9 September; the two-year sanction on RUSADA will end in December.

4.
Atos to handle “sensitive data” instead of Alibaba at Paris 2024

A major concern of the French government, especially its intelligence and security forces, has been the role of Chinese cloud-computing giant Alibaba – an International Olympic Committee TOP sponsor – to handle personal data of individuals involved with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Agence France Presse reported that an agreement has been made for Alibaba to pay the French-based digital-tech concern Atos – also an IOC TOP sponsor – to handle “sensitive data” involved with the 2024 Games.

Atos already handles the IOC’s results system processing at the Games and has been involved with the IOC as a worldwide information-technology provider since 2001. The French Government’s Court of Auditors noted last December that the management of the Games will capture “a large volume of personal data and government data. This data is particularly sensitive and incompatible with Alibaba hosting.”

The report was clear on the dangers: “Risks of exploitation of Olympic information systems databases for strategic purposes or economic espionage, Olympic information systems and inter-connections of government services, even for the purpose of taking or terminating further actions.”

Said Alain Bouille of the cyber-security cooperative CESIN last December:

“With the Americans and GAFAM [Google-Apple-Facebook-Amazon-Microsoft], we manage to do things but with the Chinese, there is no agreement. If we give data to Alibaba, we know that the Chinese government can have access to it.” The idea of using Atos was floated as a possible solution, which appears to now be in hand.

Atos will reportedly handle the Games data on a cloud system used for its French military clients.

5.
Are you scared about being removed from the Olympics?

The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) featured a fascinating interview with Austrian Nordic Combined star Johannes Lamparter, 20, who won 2021 World Championships golds in the Normal Hill and Team Sprint and was fifth in the Normal Hill and eighth in the Large Hill events at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

In an English edition of a story originally appearing on the Italian online site FondoItalia, Lamparter talked about the coming season, but also about Nordic Combined’s future. The sport is clearly on the IOC’s chopping block and Lamparter was asked, “do you feel like a species in extinction?” His reply:

“We are definitely not happy about the decision they made for the girls regarding the Games in 2026. But most of them are still young and have time to develop, so I hope [the IOC] will make the right decision for all of us in future.

“We, as athletes, and everyone who’s involved in Nordic Combined, have to work harder and put all our effort into getting more attention on Nordic Combined, to make it more interesting for media and sponsors.

“It is not easy, but I hope that 2026 will not be the last Olympic Winter Games for our discipline. I am a bit scared, but I want to stay positive.

“Of course, it is sad that the women are not included yet and 2030 is far away, but we have a lot of World Cups, World Championships and Junior World Championships scheduled and all that will improve our sport even more.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Basketball ● The FIBA Women’s World Cup is into the elimination stage in Australia, with the U.S. marching into the semifinals by beating 2021 European Champion Serbia, 88-55, at the Sydney Superdome on Thursday afternoon.

The three-time defending champion American women – winners of 27 straight World Cup matches going in – blew open a tight game in the second quarter with a 15-2 run to end the half up, 50-33. The U.S. then scored the first eight points of the second half and with Serbia scoreless for 8:26 at the end of the second and start of the third quarters, the American lead ballooned to 58-33, and 66-40 at the end of three.

The U.S. shot 56% in the first half to 38% for Serbia, but ended at only 42% from the floor, with Serbia falling to 30% for the game. The Americans were led in scoring by substitute guard Kelsey Plum with 17, with starting forwards A’ja Wilson scoring 15 and Alyssa Thomas with 13.

This was the second straight year that the American women eliminated Serbia; the U.S. won the Tokyo Olympic semi match-up in 2021 by 79-59.

In the other quarterfinals, Canada stomped Puerto Rico, 79-60, and will play the U.S.; China sailed past France, 85-71, and will meet Australia, which beat Belgium, 86-69. The semis are on 30 September and the medal matches on 1 October.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Championships in Shotgun are on in Osijek (CRO) through the 12th of October, with the first senior-level medals handed out on Wednesday, in men’s and women’s Trap.

American Scott Mein was second in his semi-final, advancing on a shoot-off, but was near-perfect in the final to win his first Worlds gold. He hit his first 11 targets, missed one, the finished with 22 in a row for a 33 total. That was two better than Britain’s Nathan Hales.

Mein, 37, was 24th at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and had won one individual medal in ISSF World Cup events, a bronze in Lima (PER) in 2022. But he’s World Champion now and won a quota place for the U.S. for Paris 2024.

The women’s Trap title went to Carole Cormenier (FRA), who out-shot Spain’s 2015 World Champion Fatima Galvez, 31-29, in the final, with Tokyo Olympic champ Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova (SVK) third at 20.

Like Mein, Cormenier, 32, is a first-time Worlds gold medalist, after finishing 12th in Tokyo last year, an seventh at the 2019 Worlds.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2034 ● Thomas Weikert, the head of the German National Olympic Committee (DOSB) told the national ARD network’s “Sportschau” that plans are being advanced to bid for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games and if unsuccessful, for the 2036 Olympic Games.

“We are aiming for an application as soon as possible, should we be re-elected, and that would be for the 2034 or 2036 Games. … 2040 would also be a possibility, of course.

“The dialogue process mentioned will take a year and a half, two years, in any case until after the 2024 Games in Paris. Then we will sum up and see whether we apply and with whom we apply if the whole thing turns out positive from our point of view.

“We won’t commit to anything beforehand. The new guidelines of the IOC give us more flexibility. For example, it doesn’t have to be just one location where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are held, according to modern interpretation there can also be two.”

He has no illusions about the process, explaining:

“We want to ask everyone, especially the critics. People have to be taken along and heard. The debate culture in the DOSB is different now. It’s about education, information and participation in all parts of society.”

Germany has hosted only one Winter Games, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in 1936. Its last Olympic Games was in Munich in 1972 and prior to that, the infamous Nazi Games in Berlin in 1936.

● International Olympic Committee ● An updated brand identity and look was formally unveiled on Wednesday, developed by Canadian agency Hulse & Durrell in coordination with a team of international artists and designers.

The famous Olympic colors of blue, black, red, yellow and green have been specified with a brightened look and three custom typefaces – headline, serif and san-serif – have been created. These are already in use in IOC presentations.

● Court of Arbitration for Sport ● The first issue of the CAS Bulletin for 2022 was released, with interesting statistics on how large this little-known branch of the Olympic Movement has become.

The introductory report of Secretary General Mathieu Reeb (FRA) noted that CAS has 45 staff, with headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) and “registers about 900 arbitration procedures and organises more than 250 hearings each year.”

The CAS list of arbitrators is now at 425, including the anti-doping division. Compare this with 2012 figures of 373 annual cases and about 300 arbitrators (from 87 countries) and the CAS has grown considerably. That will continue.

● Athletics ● David Monti of the excellent Race Results Weekly notes that with her Berlin Marathon finish, American star Deena Kastor has joined a really exclusive club:

“Deena Kastor is just the fourth woman (and fifth athlete) to achieve [World Marathon Majors] 8-star status, the most elite club in all of marathoning.

“She has not only finished all six of the WMM commercial races, but also the World Athletics Championships and Olympic Marathons, the two other point-scoring competitions in the WMM series. The other 8-star finishers are Edna Kiplagat (KEN), Nuta Olaru (ROU), Aly Dixon (GBR), and Emmanuel Mutai (KEN).”

● Cycling ● The UCI BMX SuperCross World Cup is continuing with four sets of races in Bogota (COL) last weekend and this, comprising the final four races for men and women of the 2022 season.

In Round 5 (24 September), it was two-time World Champion and Tokyo gold medalist Niek Kimmann (NED) with a tight win over Cameron Wood (USA), 32.250 to 33.063 with France’s Sylvan Andre third (33.298). But Wood came back to win Round 6 in 32.275, ahead of 2021 Worlds bronze medalist Joris Daudet (FRA: 33.147) and Izaac Kennedy (AUS: 33.186).

Tokyo Olympic champ Beth Shriever (GBR) took Round 5 for the women, edging four-time World Champion Laura Smulders, 35.592 to 35.744. American Anne Willoughby – the 2020 World Champion – was third in 36.100. Smulders and Willoughby moved up to 1-2 in Round 6, timing 35.384 and 35.66, respectively, with Lauren Reynolds (AUS: 36.412) grabbing third.

● Football ● In case you missed it, the official attendance for the U.S. men vs. Saudi Arabia match is Murcia, Spain on Tuesday was … 364. Yep.

The Danish team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will have three uniform designs available for its matches, with the national colors of red and white … and black. The latter is a message, per the manufacturer Hummel:

“The colour of mourning. While we support the Danish national team all the way, this shouldn’t be confused with support for a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives.”

This is the first protest uniform to be unveiled and follows a commitment of the Danish Football Federation (DBU) to criticize Qatar as the host nation. In order to comply with FIFA regulations, there are no direct or visible messages or symbols on the jerseys and even the Danish crest is the same color as the shirts; the Danes (world rank: 10) will play reigning champ France, Australia and Tunisia in the group stage.

Seven European World Cup teams plan to have their captains wear armbands with a multi-colored heart on them as a protest.

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the Delivery and Legacy did not agree with Denmark’s criticisms:

“We wholeheartedly reject the trivialising our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects. That same commitment now extends to 150,000 workers across various tournament services and 40,000 workers in the hospitality sector.”

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: U.S. men in listless, 0-0 tie with Saudi; Kipchoge set three world marks in Berlin (not one); Valieva taunts doping critics with new routine

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

★ Want TheSportsExaminer.com insights for your team? Yes! Click here for information on speaking, research and consulting services
from the editor, Rich Perelman. ★

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. U.S. men’s World Cup team lackluster again in 0-0 tie with Saudi Arabia
2. Qatar conscripting hundreds of government workers for World Cup
3. Kipchoge set three world marks in Berlin Marathon, not one!
4. New Valieva free-skate program taunts doping critics
5. IOC budgeted $128 million for NOC programs in 2021

The U.S. men’s National Team played to an uninspiring, 0-0 tie with Saudi Arabia in its final warm-up match prior to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November, in Spain. In Qatar, a shortage of staff has caused diplomats and other civilian workers are reported to be conscripted to provide security staffing for the World Cup. Kenyan star Eliud Kipchoge didn’t just win the Berlin Marathon in a world-record 2:01:09, but he set two intermediate world bests as well! A new Free Skate program by 16-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva was unveiled last week and uses elements of the furor over her Beijing 2022 experience to needle her critics. The International Olympic Committee issued its 2021 Olympic Solidarity Report, showing $128 million in planned spending for athletes, coaches and National Olympic Committee.

1.
U.S. men’s World Cup team lackluster again in 0-0 tie
with Saudi Arabia

With about 1,000 people watching at the almost-empty Estadio Enrique Roca in Murcia, Spain, the U.S. men’s National Team disappointed again with a mostly listless 0-0 tie with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in its final warm-up match for the FIFA World Cup.

The Saudis, which won their World Cup qualifying group in the Asian confederation and will play in Group C with Argentina, Mexico and Poland, had a couple of quality chances in the first half, but American keeper Matt Turner was good enough to prevent a score. Despite a 60-40 edge in possession by the U.S., both sides managed five shots in the half.

The second half was just as dry, with some good U.S. runs into the box, but no significant scoring chances. The only real excitement was a dangerous tackle by defender Saud Abdulhamid against U.S. defender DeAndre Yedlin in the 57th minute that drew a yellow card.

For the game, the U.S. had 55% of the possession, but trailed in shot by 10-7, meaning it got two second-half shots in total.

Said U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter, “I can’t fault the effort, but we need to keep improving. … The confidence wasn’t there.”

In the two-game warm-up series against Japan (a 2-0 loss) and Saudi, the U.S. was outshot, 26-11, and did not score. The U.S. will open the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on 21 November against Wales, following by matches against England and Iran. In their matches in the UEFA Nations League, England drew with Germany, 3-3, and Wales lost to Poland, 1-0.

2.
Qatar conscripting hundreds of government workers
for World Cup

Reuters reported that the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup now include:

“Qatar has called up hundreds of civilians, including diplomats summoned back from overseas, for mandatory military service operating security checkpoints at World Cup stadiums.”

The difficulty of staffing a World Cup, with a home population of just 2.9 million and eight stadia in use, was always considered a concern for Qatar. The news service reported that a service term of four months (paid leave) is being used to cover training time – which began earlier in September – and the tournament itself, which runs from 20 November to 18 December.

Training is being done, five days a week, at a national service camp, with sessions conducted by the security department of the Qatar 2022 organizing committee. National service of this type is not unheard of, as it is used for support at National Day celebrations, but foreign-service staff are usually exempt.

3.
Kipchoge set three world marks in Berlin Marathon, not one!

Kenyan icon Eliud Kipchoge’s stunning 2:01:09 world-record marathon in Berlin on Sunday included two en-route world bests, one of which shattered a mark he has held since 2018.

On the way to victory, Kipchoge crossed 25 km in 1:11:08, breaking the mark of 1:11:18 by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto from 2012 – also in Berlin – and Kipchoge set a world best for 30 km in 1:25:40, replacing his 2018 Berlin time of 1:26:45. (World Athletics does not keep official world records for these distances.)

Another way to consider Kipchoge’s record run was his incredible average mile time of 4:37 and his 10 km splits of 28:23, 28:22, 28:55 and 29:03 before a final 6:16 over the last 2.2 km.

Women’s winner Tigist Assefa (ETH)’s 2:15:37 victory equates to an average just above 5:10 per mile.

Another career goal was met on Sunday by American star Deena Kastor, now 49, who finished in a very creditable 42nd in 2:45:12, her fastest since 2015. With that, she has now run all six of the World Marathon Majors races:

● 1 x Berlin: 2022 (42nd place)
● 1 x Boston: 2007 (5)
● 4 x Chicago: 2002 (6), 2005 (1), 2009 (4), 2015 (7)
● 3 x London: 2003 (3), 2006 (1), 2010 (15)
● 3 x New York: 2001 (7), 2006 (6), 2014 (10)
● 1 x Tokyo: 2019 (48)

Quite an achievement, but not unique. The World Marathon Majors calls everyone who completes all of its member races a “Six Star Finisher” with a special medal that incorporates the logos of all six races. Prior to Berlin, a total of 7,591 runners had completed all six.

4.
New Valieva free-skate program taunts doping critics

Russian media reported that the new Free Skate program of controversial skater Kamila Valieva, now 16, directly incorporates elements of the furor during February’s Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. The Russian news agency TASS reported:

“Figure skater Kamila Valieva’s free program at the test skates of the candidates for the Russian national team [in Moscow] began with quotes and headlines about the athlete related to the situation during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. …

“The quotes sounded before the music of the program. At the end of the performance, Valieva covered her face with a hood. The athlete repeated [this] gesture she made in the mixed zone on February 11 during the Olympics.”

Valieva explained later:

“The most important thing today was to convey my story through the program, and it seems to me that I succeeded. I am glad that so many people came to support me today. I am glad that I was able to touch their souls, that they lived this story with me. For me, it was the main thing. For me, the main thing is not quadruple [jumps], it was not the main goal, no matter how strange it may sound; it was important for me not to fall from the jumps.

“The production was proposed by Eteri Tutberidze and Daniil Gleikhengauz, having asked in advance if I wanted to touch on that topic again. It seemed to me that it was not possible, but I have to live, I agreed without hesitation. When they showed me the music at first, I could not hold back my tears. …

“[T]he program needed to be skated. Now I am happy that this has become my free program, I can show it to people; this is the main thing.”

Said Renat Laishev, head of the Sambo-70 sports center, with which Valieva is affiliated:

“This is a definite answer to the spiteful critics. … This cannot but please the huge army of admirers of Russian figure skating not only in our country, but also abroad.”

5.
IOC budgeted $128 million for NOC programs in 2021

The International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity program supports National Olympic Committees with an ever-increasing investment not only in athletes, but in coaching, administration and best practices.

The new annual report for 2021 details the programs and some of the spending, with $128.1 million allocated for worldwide programs ($63.79 million) and continental programs ($53.98 million).

This was part of a $590 million quadrennial Olympic Solidarity allocation from a share of Olympic television rights sales, the same amount as allocated to the International Federations. Among the spending plans:

● 1,836 direct-to-athlete scholarships for Tokyo 2020 (186 NOCs)
● 429 direct-to-athlete scholarships for Beijing 2022 (80 NOCs)
● 120 direct-to-teams support grants
● 56 Refugee Athletes assisted
● 54 NOC training awards for Youth Athlete Development

The Tokyo 2020 Athlete scholarship program turned out pretty well, with 1,836 athletes from 186 NOCs supported and 827 of these athletes making it to Tokyo (from 178 NOCs). Scholarship athletes won 30 gold, 36 silver and 47 bronze medals, which if counted as a discrete team, would have tied the United States for the most total medals with 113!

The program also made grants to 283 coaches in 119 NOCs, an area which is going to have to expand in the future. Of these 43 were for coaches in tennis, 28 for athletics, 27 for basketball, 19 for volleyball and 16 for aquatics.

The IOC also paid $56.3 million to NOCs for support in Tokyo, including airfare for six athletes, two coaches and two administrators for 148 NOCs, accommodations for two officials at the Olympic Family Hotel, training camp subsidies for 39 NOC and 157 received “Games Operations Subsidies.” The IOC’s “Uniform Support Program” provided 525 athletes from 74 NOCs with equipment. In all, 205 National Olympic Committees – which includes the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee – received some form of support from the IOC.

The IOC runs a dazzling array of programs for NOCs, including, but hardly limited to sport management courses, exchanges, forums with athletes, coaches and administrators, Olympic Day programming and more. Webinars were held on strategy, universality, sport development, entourage, NOC management, Olympic values and finance.

Observed: The IOC’s elite-athlete critics will tell you that all of this money should simply be sent to athletes directly, without concern about growing sport in each country. The IOC has a longer view, of course, but will be increasing its Olympic scholarship budget from $24 million for Tokyo to $30 million for Paris 2024. The proof of the success of the IOC’s approach is that a record 93 NOCs won a medal in Tokyo, the most ever.

But the weakness in many of the National Olympic Committees is shown by the breadth of programs that the IOC feels it needs to mount to help bring along sport in many countries. Much praise is lavished on the importance of sport, but in many countries, it is still seen as a luxury or at least a lower priority than many other, also-critical programs.

Based on the Paris 2024 initiative to get sport back into French school curricula, watch for the IOC to make a future push for more sport-in-school programs around the world.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Basketball ● The top-seeded United States women’s team concluded an undefeated group-play schedule at the FIBA Women’s World Cup with a 121-59 rout of Bosnia & Herzegovina in Sydney (AUS) and will play Serbia in the quarterfinals.

In its final game, the American women had a 63-31 lead at the half and won going away, shooting 65.8% from the field and led by guard Kelsey Plum with 20 points, followed by guard Chelsea Gray (16) and 15 each from forward Breanna Stewart and center Shakira Austin. It’s the 27th straight win for the Americans in FIBA Women’s World Cup play, including the three prior championships.

The U.S. ended group play at 5-0, outscoring its opponents by 536-305. China (4-1), Belgium (3-2) and Puerto Rico (2-3) followed in Group A. Australia came back from an opening-game loss to France to win Group B at 4-1, with Canada at 4-1, Serbia at 3-2 and France also at 3-2.

In the playoffs, Belgium and Australia and China and France are in the top half of the bracket and the winner of Puerto Rico and Canada will play the U.S. in the bottom half, all on the 29th.

● Volleyball ● The three-week-long FIVB Women’s World Championship continues in the Netherlands and Poland, with the Tokyo Olympic champs – the United States – winning their second game without a loss on Monday, 25-19, 26-24 and 25-15 over Canada in Arnhem (NED).

In Pool C, the U.S., Germany and Serbia are all 2-0; the top four teams in each pool will advance to a second round of group play, in two pools of eight.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The FrancsJeux site reported that the French Ministry for Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games presented its 2023 budget of €1.113 billion, or 1.8% more than for 2022.

Games-related spending takes up €320, with the biggest single amount is for the government-run Solideo, responsible for the construction of sites, with €295 million, including €61.3 million to deal with inflation. The Paris 2024 organizing committee, which is paying nearly all of its own expenses, will receive €25 million for the Paralympic Games.

And the previously-announced purchase of 400,000 tickets for use by children is listed; half of the €11 million total is shown for 2023.

● Russia ● The name Anastasia Davydova is not well known in the West outside of artistic swimming circles, but she won five Olympic golds in Duet and Team competitions in 2004-08-12 and 13 FINA Worlds golds between 2001-11.

She was, until Monday, the head of the Davydova Olympic Synchronized Swimming Center, and the Secretary General of the Russian Olympic Committee. But apparently not any more.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that Davydova, 39, has left, with a school statement:

“Yesterday, the staff of our center received a letter from Anastasia Semyonovna by e-mail, in which she announced her departure from Russia. She did not name the reasons for her decision, she only noted that she did not plan to return.”

Davydova did not resign from the Russian Olympic Committee; speculation is that her departure is linked to the Russian mobilization of reserves and comments from ROC chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov last Friday that “From the ROC’s point of view, we, as citizens of the country, see service to our native country as an honorable duty for every citizen, including the athletes of the national teams.”

● Athletics ● A fascinating tweet from Tokyo 2020 women’s shot runner-up Raven “Hulk” Saunders on Sunday (25th):

“I just asked this college track athlete if he knew who Flo Jo was and he said ‘she sound familiar’ Lord we are failing these kids”

World men’s 100 m silver medalist Marvin Bracy-Williams Jr. of the U.S. replied:

“I wouldn’t thumped him in the back of the head”

To which Saunders retorted:

“Man I swear you don’t know how bad I wanted to”

Just another pulse check on track & field’s place in the U.S.

More Kenyan doping cases, as the Athletics Integrity Unit posted suspensions of three years each for Felix Kipchumba Korir and Emmanuel Saina for use of steroids, specifically Norandrosterone.

Korir, 31, has a marathon best of 2:12:06 from winning the Nanjing Marathon in 2018. Saina, 30, is much faster, having run 2:05:02 in Dubai in 2019, finishing fourth. Both were caught from out-of-competition testing.

● Cycling ● Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel was fined A$1,500 (about $980 U.S.) by an Australian judge on Monday, after being arrested on two counts of common assault after apparently pushing two women who were knocking on his hotel room door repeatedly in the early morning hours prior to the men’s World Championship road race on Sunday.

Van der Poel was assessed the fine and had his passport returned and flew out of Australia later Monday. His attorney said he will appeal the fine. Van der Poel started the World road race, but abandoned after 40 km.

● Short Track ● The long-festering dispute between Olympic gold medalist Hyo-jun Lim – winner of the PyeongChang Olympic 1,500 m – and the Korean federation is finally over as Lim’s transfer to China has been completed and he is expected to the named to the national team.

Lim, 26, got in trouble in 2019 by pulling down the pants of a teammate during a training session, in front of female team members and announced his intention to move to China in March 2021 and was cleared by the International Skating Union in July 2022. He was reported to obtain Chinese citizenship in 2020.

Due to the pending transfer of allegiance, Lim did not compete at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

● Sport Climbing ● Slovenia’s Olympic champ Janja Garnbret added to her career medal haul with her 23rd IFSC World Cup Lead win at the Jakarta (INA) competition that signaled the end of the 2022 season in Lead.

She was the only one to reach the top, trailed by Chae-hyun Seo (KOR) with 40 points. Garnbret’s seasonal total of 5,805, ahead of Seo (4,405) and American Natalia Grossman (3,370).

The men’s Lead final saw Japan’s Ao Yurikusa emerge was a first-time winner with 29 points, ahead of countryman Masahiro Higuchi (28) with German Sebastian Halenke third (also 28). In the season’s series, Slovenia completed a sweep with Luka Potocar winning with 3,860 total points to 3,835 for Taisei Homma (JPN) and 3,812 for American Jesse Grupper.

The men’s Speed title went to home favorite Aspar Aspar (INA) at 5.39 in the final for his second career World Cup gold, ahead of teammate Karomal Katibin, who slipped. The seasonal crown went to Veddriq Leonardo (INA) with 4,455 points to 4,080 for Katibin.

Lijuan Deng (CHN) took the women’s title in 6.66 over Poland’s Natalia Kalucka (7.20). Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka – Natalia’s sister – took the seasonal title with 4,680 points to Emma Hunt of the U.S. (3,950).

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TSX REPORT: Kipchoge sensational with 2:01:09 world record in Berlin; IBA retains Kremlev; Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak now being cared for

By
Rich Perelman
-
Joy for Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge for a world-record win at the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09! (Photo: courtesy SCC EVENTS/@robin_we1)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Kipchoge lowers own world marathon mark to 2:01:09 in Berlin
2. International Boxing Association keeps Kremlev as President
3. Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak finally being cared for
4. AIU names seven countries on competition manipulation watch list
5. Curling, Luge ban Russia and Belarus for remainder of 2022

The amazing Eliud Kipchoge did it again in Berlin Marathon, breaking his own world record with a fantastic 2:01:09 victory on Sunday, taking 30 seconds off his 2018 mark in the same race. Women’s winner Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia set a national record of 2:15:37, the no. 3 performance of all time. At a special Congress in Armenia, the International Boxing Association backed incumbent President Umar Kremlev of Russia by 106-36, turning down a chance for a re-vote. The International Olympic Committee, which has not included boxing in the 2028 Olympic program, said it was “extremely concerned” over the proceedings. In Los Angeles, the Olympic Oak at the former home of Berlin 1936 gold medalist Cornelius Johnson is now being watered and cared for while the City Council decides whether to declare the home and the tree a Historic-Cultural Monument. The Athletics Integrity Unit named seven countries to a “Competition Manipulation Watch List,” including five former Soviet Republics, Albania and Turkey. The World Curling Federation and the Federation Internationale de Luge joined the biathlon federation in extending their bans on Russian athletes from their competitions through the end of 2023. In Australia, Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) and Remco Evenepoel (BEL) won the UCI World Road Championships for women and men.

1.
Kipchoge lowers own world marathon mark to 2:01:09 in Berlin

He did it again!

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, already the greatest marathoner in history, smashed his own world record on his favorite course at Sunday’s 48th Berlin Marathon, winning in 2:01:09.

Now 37, Kipchoge was in the lead right from the start, passing 10 km in 28:23, the half in 59:51 and 30 km in 1:25:40. His only companion after 15 km was Ethiopian Andamlak Belihu, a 2:09:43 man from 2021.

The two were together through 25 km, then Kipchoge sailed away, forging a 31-second lead by 30 km and 2:04 by 35 km. Belihu tired and fell back in the last 5 km and Kipchoge motored on to shatter his world mark from the 2018 Berlin Marathon (2:01:39) by 30 seconds.

Kenyan Mark Korir took over second place, finishing in a seasonal best 2:05:58, followed by Tadu Abate (ETH: 2:06:28 season’s best), Belihu (2:06:40 lifetime best) and Abel Kipchumba (KEN: 2:06:49 lifetime best).

Kipchoge’s greatness cannot be overstated. He has run 17 career marathons and won 15, including two Olympic titles and now, four Berlin Marathons to go along with four London Marathon wins. He has run four of the five fastest marathons in history and five of the top 13 performances ever. His top-10 marathons average 2:03:08, a time only seven others have ever run even once!

Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, a first-year marathoner who had run 2:34:01 in her debut in March, ran away in the women’s race to win in 2:15:37, the world leader in 2022 and the third-fastest women’s marathon in history!

The lead pack was down to five by the 20 km mark, with Assefa in the lead over Vibian Chepkirui (KEN). They passed the half in 1:08:13 and then Assefa surged after 30 km and had a 19-second lead over Tigist Abayechew (ETH) as Chepkirui fell back. Assefa was all alone at the finish, winning by 2:23 over Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru (2:18:00, now no. 15 all-time), with Ayabechew third (2:18:03, no. 16 all-time), and Ethiopian Workenesh Edesa fourth in 2:18:51. American record holder Keira D’Amato worked her way up from 13th at the half to finish sixth in 2:21:48, her second-fastest time ever.

Athens 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor of the U.S., now 49, finished a very creditable 42nd in 2:45:12, her fastest since 2015!

2.
International Boxing Association keeps Kremlev as President

Russian Umar Kremlev was easily confirmed as the President of the International Boxing Association at an Extraordinary Congress in Yerevan (ARM), receiving 75% of the vote on the initial question of whether a new election should be held.

Kremlev was confirmed as President in May after his only challenger, Dutch Boxing Federation President Boris van der Vorst, had been disqualified just prior to the vote. In June, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reversed the decision to keep van der Vorst out and a special Congress was called to decide whether an actual vote for President was to be taken and, of so, to decide between Kremlev and van der Vorst.

It never got that far. The IBA delegates rejected a new vote for President by 106-36, with four abstentions. Said Kremlev in a statement:

“I thank National Federations for their trust. This is the full stop in all governance issues within IBA, Congress showed its will clearly in a transparent manner. I respect the decision of our National Federations and will do everything possible to support them, as well as our athletes and coaches.

“I want to send a clear message today. IBA is an independent and strong organization. Our Congress has proved today that we are on a right track. Now I will present a 4-years development plan today at the Board of Directors meeting. I have a clear vision of what we have to do to achieve our goals.”

On Friday, the IBA took action against Ukraine in a thinly-veiled action with reference to the continuing Russian invasion:

“The Ukrainian Boxing Federation was temporarily suspended, due to the interference of the government in the work of the national federation. The suspension will be revoked if the conditions are met – the autonomy of the federation and recognition by Ukrainian authorities of the election that took place on 17 December 2021.

“This decision will not affect Ukrainian athletes, and IBA will take all necessary steps to ensure the participation of Ukrainian athletes in the competitions. IBA will fully support, including financially, the Ukrainian boxing team in its participation in international competitions. Mr. Volodymyr Prodyvus is appointed to be the IBA coordinator of the boxers affiliated with the Ukrainian Boxing Federation in respect of their participation in the competitions.”

The International Olympic Committee, which has excluded boxing from its initial list of sports for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, told InsideTheGames:

“The IOC is extremely concerned about the Extraordinary Congress of the International Boxing Association. Amongst other concerns, this includes the fact that there was no election, but only a vote not to hold an election, and the fact that the recognised Ukrainian National Boxing Federation was suspended shortly before the IBA Congress for disputed reasons, and additionally the chaotic circumstances of the voting procedure.”

Initially, 97 delegations were present and 30 more were attending online (127 total). However, after a power outage that lasted an hour, a test vote showed 152 federations present, with no explanation other than they were late. Votes were recorded from 146 federations.

Kremlev made some pointed remarks at the end of the Congress, aimed right at the IOC, including (spoken in Russian; in English per the interpreter):

“I am working for you, not a side organization. … We are saying today that we are an independent organization, that we are here to protect our IBA that we all love. And we shouldn’t say ‘Olympic boxing,’ we should say ‘IBA boxing.’ We have to get to the point where boxing will be part of the Olympic Games in 2024 as well as 2028. We’ll do our best, with the team and with you, and no one can exclude us from anywhere. …

“The most important should be the World Series [of Boxing], however, because for the IBA and the boxers this is our house … this is what we will do; as an organization, should be the most important for us. …

“Today, I have heard in this hall, a couple of expressions, ‘what will happen with boxing when it comes to Olympic Games’? We will join our forces, we will do a great job and we will defend the name of boxing to be part of the Olympic program, but this will not be the only thing we will do. Most importantly, we have to protect the interests of the IBA, our own organization. … Our World Series must become the important competitions.”

Kremlev also chastised the IOC for its support of former AIBA President C.K. Wu (TPE), who was elected to the IOC Executive Board in 2012 and ran for the IOC Presidency in 2013. He resigned his IOC membership in 2020, three years after resigning his AIBA Presidency in the face of financial mismanagement allegations, later shown to be quite correct. Said Kremlev:

“Wu, four or five years back, he was a Board member of the IOC. Let’s tell the truth. … [the McLaren Global Sports Solutions investigation] showed to the entire world community that corruption into boxing and bad governance were introduced by Mr. Wu and actually led the organization to bankruptcy. So, they [IOC] are silent about him. Let them terminate his membership [sic].”

3.
Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak finally being cared for

The Los Angeles City Council has not yet taken any action on the 4 August recommendation of the Cultural Heritage Commission to declare the Cornelius Johnson Residence and Olympic Oak as a Historic-Cultural Monument, but there has been a critical, positive development.

The West Adams Heritage Association, which has been supporting the designation of the site as a monument, reports that while the procedural steps are continuing:

“The real next step will be to find a willing buyer who will preserve the tree and the property. We recently learned that there’s been some progress there too. The head of the [City of Los Angeles] Historic Resources Department, Ken Bernstein, arranged with specialists from the Huntington Gardens to install irrigation lines, at their own initiative and cost, and do what they [can] to monitor and save the tree.”

Johnson’s Olympic Oak, planted upon his return from the Berlin 1936 Games, where he won the men’s high jump, has been in difficulty for some months due to lack of care. The expert opinions expressed at the last Cultural Heritage Commission meeting was that the tree needed care within the following 4-10 weeks, or could die. Happily, it is now getting that care.

4.
AIU names seven countries on competition manipulation
watch list

It’s not a good thing to be singled out as a potential cheater, but that’s exactly what the Athletics Integrity Unit did on Friday:

“Seven Member Federations have been placed on the new Competition Manipulation Watch List following an investigation of suspicious competition results conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). …

“Please note that this decision reflects the high degree of risk of results manipulation within the Member Federation’s territory and not the conduct of individual officials or specific cases.”

The “Competition Manipulation Watch List” now includes:

● Albania
● Armenia
● Georgia
● Kyrgyzstan
● Moldova
● Turkey
● Uzbekistan

The follow-on to being listed is that no results from meets “hosted by these federations” will be recognized, excepting the national championships (under certain conditions) and World Athletics Series events.

In addition, 11 athletes who competed in the World Championships, World Junior Championships, World Youth Championships or World Cross Country Championships between 2001 and 2013 had their results nullified due to age manipulation. Nine were two old and two were too young; the offending athletes were from Saudi Arabia (5), China (2), Morocco (2), Ethiopia (2) and one each from China and Eritrea.

5.
Curling, Luge ban Russia and Belarus for remainder of 2022

The World Curling Federation Board met Friday and, with new powers to remove a team “if in the sole opinion of the Board their presence at the event would damage the event or put the safety of the participants or the good order of the event at risk,” exercised that power:

“During that Board meeting, the decision was taken to not allow teams from Russia or Belarus to participate in any World Curling Federation competitions until 31 December 2022. …

“The Board are continually monitoring Member Association and athlete concerns relating to the conflict in Ukraine and reserve the right to revisit their decision if required.”

On Saturday, the Federation Internationale de Luge (FIL) Executive Board announced:

“Because of reasons for the safety and security for the athletes, it was decided that the Russian athletes and their support team, are temporarily suspended from participating in FIL sanctioned events. The FIL will be closely monitoring the situation and will react as conditions evolve.”

These sanctions follow the International Biathlon Union Congress’s decision on 16 September to continue the suspensions of the Russian and Belarusian national federations by 40-1 and to maintain the ban against Russian and Belarusian athletes in international events “until further notice” by 39-2.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Basketball ● The FIBA Women’s World Cup in Sydney (AUS) has been good so far for the U.S. women, who entered with a 22-game winning streak over the prior four tournaments.

After beating Belgium and routing Puerto Rico, the U.S. women dispatched China, 77-63 on Saturday, with a 44-25 lead at halftime and then holding on in the second half. Forward A’ja Wilson led the Americans with 20 points, guard Chelsea Gray had 12 and forward Alyssa Thomas had 12 also. Guard Meng Li had 21 points for China.

On Monday, the U.S. rolled to a 4-0 record in Group A, taking a 68-40 halftime lead (on 64% from the field) over South Korea and finishing with a 145-69 crusher. The U.S. shot 66% from the field and had eight players score in double figures, led by center Brionna Jones with 24, Wilson with 20 and guard Kelsey Plum with 19.

The 145 points was the most ever scored in a Women’s World Cup game, surpassing Brazil’s 1990 group-stage win over Malaysia, 143-50.

The American women will have a final group-stage game against winless Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday, then move into the quarterfinals on the 29th.

In Group B, Canada leads with a 3-0 record, with one game to play, and France and Australia are both 2-1. Canada and Australia will meet on Monday.

● Cycling ● The UCI World Road Championships in Wollongong (AUS) concluded over the weekend, with an amazing Road Race victory for the women’s cyclist of the year, Annemiek van Vleuten.

After fracturing her elbow in a chain malfunction and resulting crash during the Mixed Team Time Trial, van Vleuten hardly figured to win her second title, after taking the victory in 2019. Add in a rain storm over the mostly flat, 164.3 km route from Helensburgh to Woolongong, and everyone was going to have a hard day.

Van Vleuten caught up to a group of five leaders with less than 1,000 m to go and powered ahead, taking the sprinters by surprise and winning by one second over Lotte Kopecky (BEL: 2nd) and Silvia Persico (ITA: 3rd), among others.

The men’s road championship followed a similar route, but 266.9 km and 12 loops, vs. six in the women’s race. An early breakaway was caught and 19 riders were in a lead pack with three laps to go, then Vuelta a Espana winner Remco Evenepoel (BEL) continued his dream season by taking the lead with Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) for company. But then Evenepoel went solo and no one could follow. He had a 46-second lead entering the final lap and won in 6:16:08, 2:21 ahead of a 27-rider group led by Christophe Laporte (FRA) and Michael Matthews (AUS). Neilson Powless was the top American, in 18th.

Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel, 27, abandoned the race after about 40 km, following his overnight arrest for a disturbance at his hotel. He told the Belgian site Sporza:

“It was about noisy neighbors and they are quite strict here.

“I went to bed early and many children in the hallway of my room found it necessary to knock on the door. After a few times I was done with it. I did not kindly ask to stop. Then the police were called.

“I wasn’t back in my room until 4 o’clock. That’s certainly not ideal. It’s a disaster, but I can’t change anything anymore. I’m trying to make the best of it. It is on little sleep that I will race, hopefully on adrenaline.”

He was ordered to appear in court this week on two counts of common assault, but was granted conditional bail to be able to race.

● Rowing ● Five Olympic champions came up golden at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice (CZE), winning at the first rowing Worlds held since 2019.

In the men’s racing, the Tokyo-winning Double Sculls team of Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias (FRA) won decisively over Spain’s Aleix Garcia and Rodrigo Conde, 6:09.34 to 6:10.52. The Lightweight Double Sculls champions, Ireland’s Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan were easy winners over Tokyo bronze medalists Pietro Ruta and Stefano Oppo (ITA), 6:16.46-6:19.11. It was the second Worlds golds for both of the winning duos.

Three Tokyo winners triumphed in the women’s division. Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis (ROU) was clear winners, 6:47.77 to 6:51.02 over Roos de Jong and Laila Youssifou (NED) in the Double Sculls, and China, with the same team as in Tokyo, won the Quadruple Sculls.

In Pairs, New Zealand’s Grace Pendergast and Kerri (Gowler) Williams won their third World title, well ahead of Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meister (NED), 7:03.76 to 7:06.02. The American team of Madeleine Wanamaker and Claire Collins on the bronze, in 7:08.03.

Germany’s Oliver Zeidler won his second World title in the men’s Single Sculls, while Romania’s Marius Cozmiuc and Sergiu Bejan moved up from Tokyo silver to Worlds gold in Pairs. Poland won the Quadruple Sculls and Great Britain dominated the Fours and Eights, with the U.S. fourth in the Eights final.

Karolien Florijn (NED) finally got to the top of the podium in the women’s Single Sculls, defeating Olympic champ Emma Twigg (NZL), 7:31.66-7:34.03. Florijn had won Worlds medals before – a 2018 bronze in the Quad Sculls and a 2019 silver in Fours – but was all alone for gold this time.

Great Britain won the Fours easily and Romania took the women’s Eights, with the U.S. fourth. Britain’s Emily Craig and Imogen Grant moved up from bronze in 2019 to the top of the podium, winning over Mary Reckford and Michelle Sechser (USA), 6:54.78 to 6:57.92.

The U.S. also won a silver from Solveig Imsdahl and Elaine Tierney in the non-Olympic Lightweight Pairs.

● Surfing ● Kirra Pinkerton won the first World Surfing Games title by an American since 2016 in Saturday’s final at Huntington Beach, California. Pinkerton scored 13.63 in the final to win over 2016 Worlds silver winner Pauline Ado (FRA: 13.00), 2021 World Champion Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS: 11.60) and Daniella Rosas (PER: 9.20).

Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), the 2021 Tokyo silver medalist, won the men’s final, scoring 15.96 to 14.04 for first-time medalist Rio Waida (INA), 11.67 for Australian Jackson Baker and Portugal’s Guilherme Fonseca (9.36). American Nat Young finished fifth.

The winning men’s and women’s teams won a quota place for the Paris 2024 Games, with Japan taking the men’s title at 1,835 points with the U.S. second (1,555), and the American women winning their division with 1,880 points in a tight finish with Australia (1,815). The U.S. won the overall team title, with 3,435 points to 3,250 for Australia.

● Volleyball ● The FIVB Women’s World Championship is underway in the Netherlands and Poland, with 24 teams playing in four groups to qualify for a second group phase.

The U.S. – the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist – is in Pool C and won its opening match in Arnhem (NED) vs. Kazakhstan, 25-16, 25-13, 25-22, and will play again on Monday vs. Canada. Pool play will continue through 2 October.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2020: Tokyo ● The Tokyo 2020 sponsorship bribery scandal continues to expand, with Sun Arrow, Inc., the stuffed-toy licensee, now suspected of paying Tokyo 2020 Executive Board member Haruyuki Takahashi “several million yen.”

Sun Arrow is the fourth company identified as a possible payer of money to Takahashi, 78, or a firm run by a former Dentsu associate for the purpose of obtaining selection as a sponsor or licensee (or both) of the now-closed Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

● National Olympic Committees ● The Indian Olympic Association has been warned by the IOC that it must resolve its election issues quickly in order to avoid suspension. To this end, the Indian Supreme Court appointed former judge L. Nageswara Rao to help prepare amendments to the IOA constitution to bring into line with the national sports code (along with the Olympic Charter) and to hold elections by December 15, 2022.

The IOC selected Mumbai as the site for its 2023 Session, but the date has been pushed back from May or June to September or October to allow the IOA to solve its governance issues, or, alternatively, to find a new site.

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● During Friday’s meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee in Australia, the 2023 Prohibited List, with two significant decisions:

● Tramadol, an opiate which has been an issue in cycling since 2019, was determined to be prohibited in competition beginning in 2024:

“The delay in implementation is to provide an additional year for broad communication and education of athletes, their entourage and medical personnel so that there is a better understanding of the practical implementation of tramadol prohibition in competition. …

“Tramadol has been on the WADA Monitoring Program and data gathered through that program have indicated significant use in sports. Tramadol abuse, with its dose-dependent risks of physical dependence, opiate addiction and overdoses in the general population, is of concern and has led to it being a controlled drug in many countries. Research studies funded by WADA have also confirmed the potential for tramadol to enhance sports performance.”

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency calls the drug a “narcotic painkiller … that is both powerful and dangerous.”

● Marijuana, and specifically the ingredient delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was maintained on the banned list based on a comprehensive review.

However, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI) acknowledged: “The question of how THC should be dealt with in a sporting context is not straightforward.” Nevertheless, the WADA expert panel which has been reviewing its status since September 2021 felt it should be maintained on the banned list in the specific circumstances now specified:

“THC is prohibited in competition only, and only when the urinary concentration exceeds a threshold of 150 ng/mL. This threshold was increased in 2013 from 15 ng/mL. As such, the high level of cannabis required to trigger an Adverse Analytical Finding in competition today would be consistent with a significantly impaired athlete or a frequent user. Further, the inclusion of the ‘Substance of Abuse’ provision in the Code from 2021 significantly reduced the length of suspension from a potential two (or even four) years previously to as low as one month today for athletes who can establish that the THC use occurred out of competition and was unrelated to sport performance.” (Emphasis added)

WADA reported that 138 convictions from the 2011-15 Russian doping program have been made, out of a total of 810 cases opened, most of which are continuing. The cases all stem from the review of the data and samples retrieved from the infamous Moscow Laboratory in 2019.

● Football ● The U.S. Men’s National Team logged a desultory, even depressing, performance in its next-to-last friendly prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with a 2-0 loss to Japan in Dusseldorf (GER) on Friday.

Striker Daichi Kamada scored on a curling shot around U.S. keeper Matt Turner in the 24th minute for the only first-half score, and midfielder Kaoru Mitoma scored the final goal in the 88th with a left-to-right shot after advancing down the left side.

The Americans had 58% of the possession in the game, but were out-shot by 16-4. While Turner made six saves to keep the U.S. in it, the offense managed not a single shot on goal. The Japanese out-muscled the U.S., committing 16 fouls, but it worked. Said U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter:

“We need to play with personality. We need to play relaxed. We need to play with intensity. When we do these things, we’re a really good team, but when we don’t, we’re an average team. … We performed below expectations. We weren’t up to our normal standards. And that’s almost across the board.”

The U.S. will play its final warm-up match on Tuesday (27th) against Saudi Arabia in Murcia, Spain at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

● Gymnastics ● The fourth of six legs in the FIG Artistic Apparatus World Challenge Cup series was in Paris on Saturday and Sunday, with U.S. women winning three of the four events.

Tokyo Olympic Floor Ex champ Jade Carey won the Vault at 14.375, ahead of teammate and Olympic Team silver medalist Jordan Chiles (14.025). Shilese Jones, the U.S. Uneven Bars national champion, won again, scoring 14.700, with Chiles fifth (13.750).

On Beam, France’s Marine Boyer and Carey had the same score – 13.750 – but Boyer won due to a higher score for execution. Jones was fifth at 13.400. Chiles and Jones were 1-2 on Floor, scoring 14.050 and 13.500.

The American men also scored well, with Donnell Whittenburg, a two-time Worlds medalist, winning bronze on the Rings (14.600), behind Turkey’s Adem Asil (14.800). Asil also won on Vault, scoring (14.725).

U.S. All-Around champ Brody Malone and Whittenburg were 2-3 on the Parallel Bars, scoring 14.600 and 14.200 behind Brazil’s 2019 Pan Am All-Around champ Caio Souza (14.700). Malone won the Horizontal Bar final, scoring 14.640.

Ireland’s Eamon Montgomery won on Floor at 14.250 and teammate Rhys McClenaghan won on Pommel Horse, scoring 15.100.

The 2022 series has two more stops, in Hungary at the end of the month and Turkey in early October.

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For our updated, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Could Russian skiers return in 2022? France worried on Paris ‘24 security force; important new tech for FOX at FIFA World Cup

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ The Sports Examiner: Surveying, monitoring and explaining 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. FIS may consider allowing Russian return in skiing this season
2. An alternate to the Olympics? A handful have tried, all have failed
3. French Interior Minister worries about Paris 2024 security staffing
4. FOX Sports debuting stunning mobile “Flypack” tech at World Cup
5. USA Wrestling celebrates record-shattering World Champs

The Secretary General of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation said Thursday that the FIS Council could consider allowing Russian skiers and snowboarders to compete – as neutrals – in World Cup competitions this season at its next meeting. But the International Olympic Committee will have to approve. Russian chatter about building events and organizations to challenge the IOC recalls prior attempts over more than 100 years, all of which failed, per Olympic historian Bill Mallon. The French Interior Minister expressed concern over the number of security staff that will be needed for Paris 2024 and has already generated some ideas on how to meet the presumed shortage. In advance of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, FOX Sports is showing off a new, mobile technology package which will help to significantly reduce the number of staff needed on-site, and that will be carried to Doha in a Boeing 747! The accomplishments of the U.S. wrestling Freestyle squads at the recent UWW Worlds are worth celebrating, including 17 national records either broken or tied. The best might be the tie for World or Olympic medals in eight straight years!

1.
FIS may consider allowing Russian return in skiing this season

The Russian news agency TASS reported on Thursday that the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) may discuss allowing Russian athletes to return to competition this season as neutrals at the FIS Council meeting coming up in October:

“‘The agenda has not yet been approved, but the issue of the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes can be considered,’ the international federation noted.”

On Thursday, FIS Secretary General Michel Vion (FRA) commented to Eurosport about the possible return to competitions:

“Perhaps this will happen in December, then the teams of both countries, of course, without the national flag and anthem, will be able to compete at the World Championships.”

Vion also told the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang: “FIS will definitely not make this decision without a clear recommendation from the IOC. In other words, we are together in this, and the sport should be in unison. The FIS is waiting for clear recommendations from the IOC.”

Not everyone is ready to believe it. Russian national ski team coach Yuri Borodavko told TASS:

“Statements like the one made by the FIS Secretary General can be called a good face in a bad game. And by 60 percent I regard Vion’s words as a political move. But if we are allowed, then, of course, it will be super. But as the political situation and the situation in sports are developing now, this does not add optimism.”

However, the head of the Russian Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping federation, Dmitry Dubrovsky, said that his athletes were ready to go “if we are admitted in any status.”

2.
An alternate to the Olympics? A handful have tried, all have failed

Following up on our story from earlier this week on a forthcoming, Russian-led challenge to the Olympic Games, Olympedia.org co-founder and historian Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) reviewed the history of events designed to complement, or more likely, disrupt and possibly displace the International Olympic Committee on Olympstats.com.

On Tuesday, Russia’s Irina Viner, head of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development was clear about the plan, to begin with events coordinated through the Chinese and Russian-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:

“We are ready to negotiate with China to hold various events, from joint training camps to competitions. As our leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin said, now we must create a multi-sports organization independent of the IOC.”

Mallon looked back to the early days of the Olympic Movement and found five events which merited review as either possible Olympic complements, or designed to be Olympic replacements:

● 1919 only: Inter-Allied Games
● 1925-37: International Workers’ Olympiads
● 1963-66: Games of the New Emerging Forces
● 1984 only: Friendship Games
● 1986-2001: Goodwill Games

Ted Turner’s Goodwill Games proved to be the most successful, with five summer and one winter edition, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the reason for the event essentially disappeared.

Mallon’s bottom line:

“It is highly likely that Russia, if it continues to be banned from international sport, will come up with some [International Multi-Sport Event], hosting its friends to compete. It is also more than likely that these will be very short-lived or never held again.”

3.
French Interior Minister worries about Paris 2024 security staffing

In an interview with Los Echos published Thursday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said “We need around 25,000 more private security agents for the Olympics, or 20% of the total for the profession, which has 130,000 people [in France].”

So the question will be how to find them. This is an issue for the government, which is responsible for security at the Games, and Darmanin will create a “business division” in the Interior Ministry to liaise with private staffing companies.

And he would like to find college-aged students to fill these roles – “With training, there is no reason why they cannot become private security guards” – and will reach out to the “prefectures, in conjunction with Pole emploi [the French national unemployment agency], to call the tens of thousands of people in France who have a professional card but are registered as unemployed to motivate them to come and work in the sector again.”

Less than two years to go and a lot to be done.

4.
FOX Sports debuting stunning mobile “Flypack” tech at World Cup

Until quite recently, broadcasters had to ship tons of equipment and hundreds or thousands of people to major events like the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup. That’s all changing and the Sports Business Journal showcased the newest effort to save space, people and money by FOX Sports in advance of November’s World Cup in Qatar.

In a short video, Michael Davies, the FOX Sports Senior Vice President/Field & Technical Operations, explained the mobile “FlyPack” program that will debut in Doha from a parking lot outside the FOX Sports broadcast center in Charlotte, North Carolina:

“This tent that we have is roughly the same size we what we’re going to have in Doha, at least in the Corniche area, so it also helps us envision the space and how we’re going to utilize it. …

“It’s one thing to create a big thing like this, but a lot of the equipment that’s back there is also to allow us to produce programming from people who aren’t even there. So, a fair amount of the equipment also connects into our studio in L.A. So that we can have people working on the shows from L.A. instead of sending everyone to Doha.

“The biggest upgrade that you see back here is the fact that this is entirely [Internet Protocol-based]. There’s no actual video running around at all … it has nothing to do with baseband video except at the very, very end. So there’s a lot of very new, innovative things here, but that is the overarching innovation for the FlyPack.”

The project is already planned for use at FOX broadcasts of the NFL Super Bowl, future World Cups and future UEFA continental championship tournaments. And just about every system is completely backed and redundant to ensure continuity.

It’s going to head over to Qatar soon, on “a 747 that will take all of this stuff plus a variety of other things that is going to fill up the plane and will go into Doha and be trucked to our two different sites in that city.”

These are important technical innovations that will reduce the burden on organizers to supply acres of space and millions of dollars for the installation of a gigantic broadcast center for an event and lower costs for broadcasters who can keep most of their staff at home, with a much-smaller team on site. For the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, TOP sponsor Alibaba debuted a revolutionary “Olympic Cloud” service which allowed rights-holding broadcasters to receive the Host Broadcast signals in their home studios in real time instead of having to be on-site an the International Broadcast Center.

FOX’s FlyPack offers another approach, receiving the host signals on-site, but able to keep many staff at home and work cooperatively in real time – across around the globe via IP – to produce live programming. A behind-the-scenes, but important and cost-saving advance for major events of all kinds.

5.
USA Wrestling celebrates record-shattering World Champs

It’s hard to imagine a U.S. National Governing Body that’s smiling more broadly right now than USA Wrestling, enjoying one of its best-ever performances at a World Championships.

Over the nine days of competition at the Stark Arena in Belgrade (SRB), the American squad set or tied 17 national performance records on the strength of its men’s and women’s Freestyle squads. Among the most noteworthy:

● First-time-ever leader in total medals at a Worlds: 15, to lead Japan (13) and Iran (10).

● Most combined championships: 7 total, with four by the men’s Freestyle team and three by the women’s Freestyle squad. The most before was five by the Worlds teams in 1995, 2019 and 2021.

● Most total medals: 15 in 2022 equals the 2021 team (5-5-5). .

● Most finalists in a discipline: 8 in men’s Freestyle (4-4-0), breaking the 1991 World team mark of six (3-3-0). The eight medals ties the prior high, set way back in 1987. The seven medals by the women’s Freestyle team equals the best ever, by the 2003 and 2021 teams and the five finalists (3-2-0) equals the 2003 team (1-4-0).

● Most combined Olympic and Worlds championships: 7 by Jordan Burroughs (6 Worlds, 1 Olympic), breaking a tie with John Smith (men’s Freestyle) and Adeline Gray (women’s Freestyle), each with six.

● Most World Championships: 6 for Burroughs, tying Gray, who missed the 2022 Worlds while giving birth to twins in July. She expects to return to the mat with an eye toward the 2024 Paris Games.

Perhaps the most impressive feat belongs to 97 kg star Kyle Snyder, who tied Bruce Baumgartner with medals in eight straight Olympic Games or World Championships. Baumgartner won medals from 1983-90 (2-3-2) at 130 kg, while Snyder has won six Worlds medals and two Olympic medals between 2015-22 (4-3-1), and at just 26, is still going strong!

Any downside? USA Wrestling is well aware of the difficulty of maintaining such production and knows it need to improve its Greco-Roman performance – no medals in 2022 – in advance of Paris 2024. But it can enjoy a little champagne right now.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Basketball ● The U.S. won its opening game in Group A of the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, 87-72, over Belgium, and its second match in a 106-42 rout of Puerto Rico.

The American women had a 48-39 halftime lead in the opener and extended that to 72-56 after three quarters and then cruised home with their 23rd straight win in World Cup play. Forward Breanna Stewart led with 22 points on 8-18 shooting, assisted by guard Jewell Loyd and forward Alyssa Thomas, who had 14 each.

In Friday’s game, it was 54-21 at the half and the U.S. cruised in with center Shakira Austin leading with 19 points, forward Kahleah Cooper scoring 16, and center Brionna Jones with 15. Puerto Rico shot only 20.6% from the field, while the American women made 53.5% of their shots.

Next up is China (1-0) on Saturday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Awards ● On Thursday, the University of New Haven Sports Integrity Center announced its inaugural Noble Purpose for Sports Integrity Award to Canadian law professor Richard McLaren for his work in investigating corruption, doping and institutional governance issues through his McLaren Global Sports Solutions firm.

University of New Haven Associate Professor of Investigations Declan Hill tweeted:

“When sport has a problem, who you gonna call? Richard McLaren”

In his acceptance, McLaren noted “the dangerous lack of accountability” in sports against the evils of abuse, doping and other forms of corruption.

The other finalists were Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who brought attention to sexual abuse by Chinese politicians and continues to be, essentially, under house arrest, and basketball star Enes Kanter Freedom, 30, now an American citizen who has spoken out about repression in China and his native Turkey.

● Russia ● The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said at an Executive Committee meeting that even if Russian athletes are permitted to compete again in international competition, there are many more issues to be worked out:

“Unfortunately, there are no parameters for the expected return of Russians to international competitions, the situation is in the hands of the IOC, which initiated these restrictions, and international federations, which are formally responsible for the Olympic qualification process before the Games.

“But we clearly understand that the actual possibility of the participation of the Russian team in the [Paris] 2024 and [Milan Cortina] 2026 Olympic Games will largely depend on a number of non-sporting factors, namely: the visa regime, border customs procedures established by the countries of the European Union, the availability of direct flights, logistics, restrictions on cross-border payments in rubles or foreign currency, other technical aspects of providing for our team and delegation.

“Since this is not a complete list of all potential problems as a result of unfriendly steps taken by the political leadership of a number of countries, we have worked out the so-called alternative scenarios.”

But the details are yet to come.

● Athletics ● If you couldn’t get enough of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene this summer, here’s your chance for some discounted merchandise at the World Athletics shop site.

The trick is to shop for items in British Pounds (£) instead of U.S. dollars! While no discounts are shown on the U.S. dollar site, discounts of up to 50% off are available using GBP! Polo shirts are down to £25.00, T-shirts as low as £15 and so on. An official bottle opener is now £6.00.

The two best items, however – the hooded sweatshirt and the Legend mascot plush toy – are both sold out.

● Cycling ● The Union Cycliste Internationale Congress, meeting in Australia during the World Road Championships, approved the Haute-Savoie region of France as the host of the second UCI World Championships, in 2027, incorporating all disciplines of the sport.

The first all-discipline event will be held next August in Glasgow (SCO), but the 2027 edition will expand to 19 in all, adding six new championships to the 13 scheduled for next year.

● Football ● FIFA announced the opening of the final phase of tickets for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, to start online on 27 September and continuing through the tournament as long as tickets are available.

● Swimming ● You can look forward to more swims by sprint stars Simone Manuel of the U.S. and Sarah Sjostrom (SWE). Although veterans, both have signaled they’re still focused on the pool.

Manuel, 26, the Rio 2016 100 m Free co-champion, has been largely invisible since the Tokyo 2020 Games, first announced a training move to Arizona State, working with celebrated coach Bob Bowman (USA). On Tuesday, she revealed a new sponsorship agreement with arena, leaving TYR, with whom had been aligned previously. Said Manuel:

“Going back to my first days as a professional swimmer, I’ve always loved their gear, mainly for their performance, but also for their Italian style, and it’s great to be part of a team that includes many of the world’s best. As I start a new chapter in my life and my career, I’m looking forward to continuing my growth and taking my performance to the next level with arena.”

Sweden’s Sjostrom, 29, a four-time Olympic medalist and 10-time World Champion in the 50 and 100 m Free and Fly events, told Swimming World Magazine that a potential sixth Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 is in her sights (when she will be 34):

“Definitely. Very unlikely I am not doing it.

“Paris will be the first one and I try to always take one year at a time – that is the main thing.

“We’ll see – maybe I’ll find out in two years (and) I’m like ‘ah, no, I’m done’ but I don’t think so. I think I am going to continue for much longer …

“I’m very proud of course of my achievements and everything – I feel very lucky that I am able to do what I do and I’m very proud that I am successful in this sport. I’m working very hard so I don’t think it’s for the medals every time actually.

“My main focus is to swim as good as I can; I am working very hard to improve all the time.

Sjostrom’s focus is legendary. She overcame a nearly-broken elbow suffered in January 2021 to claim a Tokyo silver in the 50 m Free, then won seven medals at the 2021 FINA 25 m Championships last December, three medals at the 2022 FINA Worlds and five at the 2022 European Championships!

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Ex-federation official details bribery in taekwondo and boxing; Judo excludes Russians from Worlds; USOPC quietly helping African NOCs

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Ex-taekwondo and ex-boxing official alleges bribery at both IFs
2. Int’l Judo Federation bans Russia and Belarus from Worlds
3. Frenzy over lone report of Valieva’s “B” sample as positive
4. Behind-the-scenes agreement for USOPC to help Africa
5. Bach letter asks again to “Give peace a chance”

A long-time senior executive in Olympic-sport federations has detailed bribery allegations to Britain’s The Times concerning the admission of taekwondo as an Olympic medal sport and in the operation of the international boxing federation that led to its many problems. The International Judo Federation has allowed Russian and Belarusian judoka to compete as neutrals, but has now banned them for the rest of the year, including the upcoming world championships. A report from an aggressive U.S.-based reporter on Twitter says that the test of the second sample of Russian skating star Kamila Valieva came back positive, leading to immediate denunciations from Russian skating officials. No one pays much attention to the quiet interactions between Olympic-sport organizations, but the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is exchanging information and making friends under an agreement with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) posted a International Day of Peace letter on Wednesday, asking once again to “Give peace a chance.” But he also admits the future looks troubled.

1.
Ex-taekwondo and ex-boxing official alleges bribery at both IFs

A bombshell report published Tuesday in the venerable British newspaper The Times starts:

“A leading sports official has spoken of an endemic culture of bribery and corruption in the Olympic movement, claiming he was involved in paying bribes to committee members to secure taekwondo’s place at the Games as well as handing out $500,000 in cash to rig an election.”

The lengthy story details accusations by Korean Ho Kim, now 66, from his time as marketing director at World Taekwondo and as executive director of the International Federation for boxing, then known by its acronym, AIBA.

Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Lawton wrote that he spent four days with Ho Kim, who provided “hundreds of documents” to support his claims:

● He was the “delivery boy” for cash bribes and gifts of automobiles made to International Olympic Committee members in order to secure their vote to add Taekwondo to the Sydney 2000 sports program. Taekwondo was a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992, but was not voted onto the permanent program until the 1994 IOC Session in Paris, for the Sydney Games.

● Bribes paid to arrange the election of C.K. Wu (TPE) as President of AIBA in 2006. Wu defeated incumbent Anwar Chowdhry (PAK) in an upset, 83-79.

● Bribes for favorite refereeing decisions at boxing World Championships and Olympic Games, at least as far back as 2011.

Ho Kim was featured as a central player in the mismanagement at AIBA during the Wu Era in investigative reports commissioned by the post-Wu administrations at the re-named International Boxing Association, and compiled by McLaren Global Sport Solutions. In fact, the June 2022 report states that at the 2006 AIBA Congress where Wu was elected, “it appears that both candidates used cash bribes to obtain National Federation (‘NF’) votes.”

Lawton wrote that Ho Kim’s decision to “tell all” comes from the pending decision of the IOC to retain or remove boxing from the Los Angeles 2028 sports program and he blames the IOC in part for the Wu candidature, citing encouragement from then-IOC President Jacques Rogge (BEL).

The story did not excite the IOC or World Taekwondo. The IOC’s statement noted:

“The International Boxing Association (AIBA), how it was called at the time, dismissed Mr Ho Kim in June 2015. Throughout all this time, even before his dismissal, Mr Ho Kim was for many years a persona non grata at the IOC.”

As for World Taekwondo:

“World Taekwondo has absolutely no knowledge about any of these allegations against the former administration.”

Taekwondo has been confirmed as a sport for Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028; boxing is on the Paris program, but its 2028 status is yet to be determined. The IBA will hold an Extraordinary Congress this weekend, with a re-run of its Presidential election expected to be held.

2.
Int’l Judo Federation bans Russia and Belarus from Worlds

The 2022 World Judo Championships are coming up quickly from 6-12 October in Tashkent (UZB), but judoka from Russia and Belarus won’t be there, per the International Judo Federation on Wednesday:

“The Executive Committee of the International Judo Federation decided today, 21st September 2022, considering the current international circumstances and in order to ensure the protection of all athletes in the sport of judo, to not allow the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in international judo events until January 2023.”

The IJF had allowed Russian and Belarusian judoka to compete as neutrals; Russian fighters won nine medals at the Ulaanbataar Grand Slam in Mongolia in June, but skipped the IJF World Tour events in July and August, as well as the recent IJF World Junior and Cadet championship events.

The whispers were that Russia did not want to compete at the Worlds without their flag, and anthem in case of a victory. But the IJF has slammed the door in any case, for the 2022 Worlds and the three remaining Grand Slam events in October, November and December.

3.
Frenzy over lone report of Valieva’s “B” sample as positive

Reports from the U.S.-based Twitter site TheSkatingLesson that the test of the second (“B”) doping sample from December from Russian skater Kamila Valieva came back positive was quickly denied by Russian officials, but not the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which had no comment on an ongoing inquiry.

Valieva, then 15, tested positive for trimetazidine on 25 December 2021 and was provisionally suspended by RUSADA on 8 February 2022, the day after the end of the Team Event in Figure Skating at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Valieva appealed and was declared eligible for the remainder of the Games by the RUSADA appeals board and then by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. She finished fourth in the women’s individual competition, but the certification of the Team Event results has been held up – with no medal ceremony as yet – pending the completion of an inquiry into her original doping positive.

RUSADA has concluded its inquiry and expects to hold a hearing on the Valieva case in the next couple of weeks.

Renat Laishev, head of the Moscow-based Sambo 70 sport club, with which Valieva is affiliated, told the TASS news agency of the report:

“Of course, this is not true. These American sources are ready to pour some dirt on us in any field of activity. The fact that this is a minor does not stop them. Shame, stupidity, disgust and lack of culture – that’s what they do. Our girls are the best in the world , we will defeat everyone.”

Famed Russian coach Tatyana Tarasova also doubted the report and told TASS:

“What source could this be? If this [leaking of information] happens to someone, won’t the organization that this person is a member of immediately take action?”

Not in the U.S. and not about figure skating, anyway. The official version will come with the RUSADA hearing at the end of the month, or in early October.

USA Today’s Christine Brennan, who follows this story closely, tweeted last week following the RUSADA announcement of a hearing:

“By moving forward with hearings, Russian Anti-Doping Agency ‘must have found sufficient evidence of a violation or otherwise the case would be closed and WADA would be notified of its right to appeal,’ USADA’s Travis Tygart said.”

Stay tuned.

4.
Behind-the-scenes agreement for USOPC to help Africa

One of the unseen aspects of the Olympic Movement are the relationships between federations or National Olympic Committees, often including training site access and knowledge transfers.

An Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) announcement in June emphasized:

“Partnerships between ANOCA and various stakeholders such as International Federations, African Sports Confederations, [Association of African Sports Confederations], international bodies, specialised Universities, aim mainly to give athletes and technical staff full benefit of the available programmes.

“It also entails involving technical experts from African NOCs, Confederations, National Federations and international and continental expert groups. …

“ANOCA has concluded agreements with USOPC, NOC Cuba, UCI (ahead of the 2025 World Championships [in Rwanda]), FINA for the development and preparation of swimmers and the City of Marseille in France among others.”

So what is the deal between ANOCA and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee?

It’s a four-year agreement, signed in 2019, with the emphasis on know-how:

● Development of “resource generation” and “marketing strategies”;

● Event management expertise and logistical knowledge on multi-sport events;

● Coaching, sports medicine and sports administration information exchanges;

● Facility design, construction and maintenance best practices;

● Information on the U.S. Olympic Academy and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum programs.

No one talks about these projects much, but they are valuable, not only for the information exchanged, but the relationships built that will outlast much of the technical data. USOPC Chief External Affairs Officer Kate Hartman noted that this week, “We also just so happen to have Ugandans at the [U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center] getting a coaching education program.”

It will be interesting to see if the forthcoming effort of the Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics will be able to delve into the value of these exchanges and how USOPC support can be appreciated and expanded, especially outside of North America.

5.
Bach letter asks again to “Give peace a chance”

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) released a letter on Wednesday, the annual, United Nations-recognized “International Day of Peace,” with a rather bleak outlook for the future. Of note:

● “The fundamental idea behind the Olympic Games is to unite the entire world in peaceful competition. Peace is at the very heart of this mission.”

● “When it comes to building lasting peace, non-discrimination alone is not enough. It is not enough just to respect each other – we need to go a step further and support one another. We have to stand together in solidarity. There is no peace without solidarity.”

● “The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. They cannot address all the political and social challenges in our world. But they can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another.”

● “There is a new world order in the making. We can already see today that this new world order will be more divisive than the one we are striving for.

“This unfortunate trend is diametrically opposed to our Olympic mission to unite the world in peaceful competition. We know that in these divisive and confrontational times, we are not alone in looking for a common bond of humanity. Millions of people around the world are longing for peace. Together with all these people of goodwill, we want to make our modest contribution to peace by unifying the entire world in peaceful competition.”

He closed with:

“On this International Day of Peace, and in this Olympic spirit of solidarity and peace, I strongly reiterate the appeal to all political leaders around the world that I made at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions: Give peace a chance.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● At the UCI World Road Championships in Woollongong (AUS), the third edition of the Mixed Time Trial Relay went sideways from the start as Annemiek van Vleuten (NED), the premiere women’s cyclist of 2022, crashed just seconds into the race due to a chain issue that caused a tire to explode!

That opened the door for Switzerland, which won in 33:47 over the 28.2 km course, three seconds up on Italy (33:50) and 38 seconds ahead of Australia (34:25). The Dutch were fifth in 34:39.

● Calendar ● The World Rowing Championships in Racice (CZE) and the World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach (USA) are continuing this week.

The FIBA Women’s World Cup, with the U.S. women looking for a fourth straight win and six of the last seven, opens in Sydney (AUS) on Thursday, with the American women playing Belgium in Group A. The U.S. has a 22-game winning streak in Women’s World Cup play.

The FIVB Women’s World Championship will start on Friday in the Netherlands and Poland, with Serbia the defending champions. The U.S. won in 2014 and at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and will start against Kazakhstan on Saturday in Pool C, which also includes Serbia.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● At the opening of the third Global Education Conference in Sydney (AUS), WADA President Witold Banka (POL) spelled out the key ingredient to future anti-doping success:

“Education is the single best way to prevent doping in sport. Yes, anti-doping is there to ‘catch and punish’ but it is also very important that we ‘support and prevent’, too. WADA has fully embraced education and it is time that all Anti-Doping Organizations and governments of the world do the same, just as they are doing here in Australia.”

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Award-winning theater director Thomas Jolly was announced as the Artistic Director for the opening and closing ceremonies for the Paris Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Now 40, Jolly is recognized as an innovative force in French theater, both with classical works and modern programs. He will have a considerable task on his hands with the Olympic opening slated as a boat parade on the Seine River! However, with credits such as a continuous, 18-hour performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VI in 2014, and a 24-hour performance of Richard III in 2015 to his credit, he might be the perfect choice.

● World University Games ● Forget about actually using a flame for a pre-Games torch relay. Time to go electronic.

And that’s what the 2023 Winter World University Games organizers in Lake Placid (USA) have done, taking the Universiade flame from the site of the first WUG, in Turin (ITA), and transferring it to a “torch” that uses a battery-powered, light-emitting diode (LED).

The “flame” will begin its journey through New York State on 22 September, visiting 12 cities. The “torch” itself is 22 inches long and made of steel, with a glacial-blue body that is capped by recycled crystalline glass, to provide an artistic demonstration of ice and water.

● Athletics ● Another Kenyan doping positive, as posted by the Athletics Integrity Unit, this time for Lilian Rengeruk, 25, for 10 months as an agreed suspension for the banned substance Letrozole, a breast cancer treatment that lowers estrogen levels.

Rengeruk was the 2017 World Cross Country Championships bronze medalist and a 5,000 m best of 14:30.32; she was fifth at the 2019 Worlds at 5,000 m and 12th in the Tokyo final.

Her results have been nullified since 20 January 2022 (her last race was in September 2021) and her 10-month suspension began from 19 April 2022.

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association’s re-consideration and possible re-run of its May election for President will take place on Sunday (25th) in Yerevan, Armenia.

The first issue will be whether to have a new election for President, and if passed, for a vote between current President Umar Kremlev (RUS) and Dutch Boxing Federation chief Boris van der Vorst.

Van der Vorst is touting endorsements from the national federations from Australia, Canada, Wales and USA Boxing. A lengthy, 19 September letter from USA Boxing Board President Tyson Lee focuses completely on the issue of boxing’s current exclusion from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program. Lee wrote:

“USA Boxing decided to support Boris van der Vorst because he has committed to specifically address these issues with the IOC which will allow us to continue with what makes our organization relevant, inclusion in the Olympic movement. Boris has even gone a step further and pledged, ‘…to restore IOC financial contributions to the IBA, unlock additional Olympic Solidarity funds for boxing, and form the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit to protect boxers and National Federations…’ within his first 100 days or ‘HE WILL RESIGN.’ Boris additionally pledged, ‘… re-inclusion of boxing for LA2028…’ in one year or will tender his resignation. Can our current administration make the same commitment? …

“I have said to many of you that I don’t dislike anyone personally in the current administration. I think they have made efforts to improve IBA. For whatever reason, however, they have been unsuccessful in accomplishing the very specific and attainable requirements set by the IOC to get us re-included in the Olympic movement, the absolute most important requirement for IBA’s [existence]. We have learned of the importance of Olympic solidarity funding and what can actually happen when we attempt to go it alone. It looked great at the beginning, but now we are in a financial position again where our organization is struggling to pay athletes the prize money they have earned. Not to mention the additional funds promised but not delivered to the Confederations.”

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TSX REPORT: Eugene Worlds road races “not financially viable”; LA28 Games will not solve city’s homeless problem; new Russian challenge to the Olympics

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. World Champs road racing director says event “not financially viable”
2. Flash: LA28 Olympics will not solve L.A.’s homelessness problem
3. Putin suggests “major sporting events” for Shanghai Cooperation Org
4. Bach reiterates support for Milan Cortina ‘26, despite challenges
5. Paris 2024 starts ticket-sales program with registration in December

The race director for the six road events at the 2022 World Athletics Championships – marathons and walks – said the financial format for staging such events is not “viable” and requires “a huge amount of state funding.” At last week’s news conference closing the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission meeting for the LA28 Games, a reporter asking how the Games would solve the local homelessness and cost-of-living crises got the truth: “If we just closed up shop and went away today, [these issues] will still exist and they will still exist in 2028. And no one should be confused about that.” Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the Eurasian countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation should organize major sporting events, maybe as soon as 2024? IOC chief Thomas Bach said he has confidence in the under-pressure Milan Cortina 2026 organizers and agrees with waiting until after the Italian elections to name a new chief executive. And Paris 2024 announced how its initial ticket-sales process will work, starting with registration in December.

1.
World Champs road racing director says event
“not financially viable”

Eugene Marathon race director Ian Dobson served as the road races director for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, and his eight-person team had quite an experience putting together two marathons, four walking events and a 1,200-person public 5k during 10 days last July.

A 2008 U.S. Olympian at 5,000 m, Dobson sat down for a fascinating interview with Keith Peters for the highly-respected Road Race Management site as the Worlds were coming to a close, with lots of details of the behind-the-scenes operations of the road program. But he closed with a warning:

“I think there’s a real tension between events like this and – I don’t know how to articulate the tension that’s in my head – but like, this type of [World] Championships event is not financially viable. It requires a huge amount of state public funding.

“Atlanta, I don’t know the half of it, but their hosting the [2020] Olympic [Marathon] Trials was wildly expensive. And until the federations and local governing bodies figure out how to do this in a financially responsible way, they’re just going to be better off going to places where suitable authoritarian governments can just make things happen that we can’t here.

“The level of frustration that World Athletics broadcast had with us, not being able to lay out 14 kilometers of dark fiber that – we’re talking about millions of dollars of infrastructure – that’s not even a possibility. I think in their minds, it was like, you should just do this, you should make this happen. And these are good people.

“The expectations are just not realistic in a financially responsible way. The funding for these events – I don’t know enough about it to have an educated perspective – but I do know that we did not, would not right now, try to bid for the Olympic Trials marathon. You’re just going to lose money. We’re just an LLC; we’re a business. Maybe that needs to go to a nonprofit, maybe that’s the model. Maybe it has to rely more on lobbying than organizing.

“It’s just discouraging to me to think that this may be the only time we do something like this here because USATF or World Athletics hijacks or holds hostage any of the revenue that comes in for it. Partnerships are a huge piece of that, but we could not do this again in the way that we did it. And to be clear, I would have done this for free. I learned so much. It was really hard, but I had a really good time.”

The Eugene Worlds received $40 million in government funding – $31 million from the state through various channels and $9 million in a U.S. government grant to promote tourism – about half of its overall budget. No financial results of the 2022 Worlds have been disclosed, but reports immediately after the event indicated it likely broke even.

As for the future, the word seems to have gotten out about the financial burdens, as no host for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials has been named yet by USA Track & Field.

2.
Flash: LA28 Olympics will not solve L.A.’s homelessness problem

The International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission meeting in Los Angeles last week made no headlines in the local press and demonstrated that interest is elsewhere with a hotly-contested mayoral election coming in November and contentious issues such as homelessness and the continuing drought roiling the community.

A National Public Radio reporter from local station KCRW asked how the 2028 Games were going to resolve the cost of living and homelessness issues. He got two very good answers, but no doubt not the ones he wanted:

● IOC member and Coordination Commission Chair Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU):

“We adapt to a city, we’re not expecting a city to completely adapt to us. And in this case, that city has its challenges, and that happens all over the world. And in the city of L.A., of course, you have specific challenges that we will have to deal with, but also the city has to deal with. We are preparing to do that.

“We don’t want to take over the city, we are incorporating ourselves in the city during those days.

“We’re not so naive to think the Games are going to be solving these issues, but they have to be addressed, that’s a fact.”

● LA28 organizing committee Chair Casey Wasserman, who has said he will think about running for California Governor after the Games are concluded, was even better:

“The challenges that we face with homelessness in the city are real, and if we sit around, hoping that the Olympics will do something to fix those, or is going to do something to make them worse in 2028, we failed this community. We, as leaders in this community, have a responsibility to deal with those problems today, because if the Olympics weren’t here in 2028, those problems exist today and they will continue to exist unless we deal with them.

“So, as a community, as a city, as people who should care about each other’s well-being, homelessness is an issue we need to deal with. It was neither created by, or is going to be solved by any event, and so we need to be focused, as community leaders, as citizens of the city, what we can do to really make a difference in the lives of those who are affected. …

“We are committed to making sure that our plan, our operations fit within the city, and benefit the city, and hopefully, it becomes a motivating factor for everyone, when the entire eyes of the world will be on the city, that we can show the world that we had challenges and we worked together to overcome them.

“If we just closed up shop and went away today, [homelessness and the cost of living] will still exist and they will still exist in 2028. And no one should be confused about that.”

The lack of interest in the 2028 Games among local media was reflected in the news conference receiving 19 lines of coverage in the Los Angeles Times’ “The Day in Sports” round-up section the day after and only a reference in a story in the 10-paper Southern California News Group conglomerate, which focused mostly on U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair Susanne Lyons’ comment that the IOC was beginning to think about re-admitting Russian athletes.

3.
Putin suggests “major sporting events” for
Shanghai Cooperation Org

The Russian sports ministry has said that the country has no plans to create an “alternative” to the Olympic Games, but the concept has not gone away.

Russia revived the national Spartakiad concept in 2022, with a plan to hold the event every four years, and in early September, Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin told the Eastern Economic Forum:

“We keep extending invitations to come here and hold negotiations with our colleagues from BRICS and the [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation] with the aim of hosting tournaments and bilateral meetings. … Our President’s stance is that we are a self-sufficient sports power boasting tremendous resources.”

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded the idea, telling the SCO Summit in Samarkind (UZB):

“It seems that there are good opportunities to intensify sports cooperation with the prospect of holding major sporting events under the auspices of the SCO. To do this, we could think about creating an association of sports organizations under our association.”

The idea was seconded by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, an observer at the SCO:

“We suggest the possibility of holding a complex of sporting competitions within the framework of the SCO: summer events in 2024, winter in 2026.”

On Tuesday, Russia’s Irina Viner, head of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development spoke even more plainly:

“We are ready to negotiate with China to hold various events, from joint training camps to competitions. As our leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin said, now we must create a multi-sports organization independent of the IOC.”

The SCO, founded in 2001, includes China, Russia, four other former Soviet Republics, India, Iran and Pakistan, with Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia as observers and another nine countries – including NATO member Turkey – as “dialogue partners.” Its primary focus has been on security matters, but cultural, economic and now sports issues have come up.

Observed: The comments underscore the belief in Russia and Belarus that the sporting sanctions against it related to the invasion of Ukraine are going to go on for a long time to come, despite chatter to the contrary. There’s an eerie echo, almost a matter/anti-matter universe quality to Putin and Viner’s comments vis-a-vis those of  U.S. television visionary Ted Turner in 1985, who created the Goodwill Games – first held in Moscow in 1986 and ending in 2001 – to try and bring east and west together. Now, Putin’s SCO comments signal a desire tear international sport apart.

4.
Bach reiterates support for Milan Cortina ‘26, despite challenges

“As always before Olympic Games, there are challenges – in particular light of this new emerging world order and the financial and economic crisis.

“But we have overcome some challenges in the last couple of years. So I’m not too worried because we know about the enthusiasm, efficiency and the dedication of our Italian friends.”

That’s IOC President Thomas Bach (GER), during last week’s visit to Italy, where he met with Prime Minister Mario Draghi, with national elections coming up quickly on the 25th that will form a new government.

Given the financial difficulties of the Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee, which has required governmental financial support, there is little doubt that a new chief executive will be named to replace Vincenzo Novari. But not until after the elections, a point which Bach agreed with:

“The new chief executive must and should have the support of the new government. It would not be desirable to appoint him now, before the national elections.”

Bach also reiterated his view on the expensive-to-renovate bobsled, luge and skeleton run in Cortina, used for the 1956 Winter Games, budgeted at €80 million:

“[T]his would be a touristic and sport project which would go ahead anyway and regardless of the Olympic Winter Games.”

The IOC tried to get the Milan Cortina bid committee to change this site, but local authorities are determined to have it as a centerpiece of a larger recreational renovation program in the Cortina area.

SportBusiness reported good news for the 2026 organizers with the Italian office of TOP sponsor Deloitte agreeing to be the third domestic sponsor, providing management support for the event.

5.
Paris 2024 starts ticket-sales program with registration in December

Tickets for the Paris 2024 Games will go on sale in early 2023, with the sign-up process to start in December. The procedure was announced on Tuesday:

● Registration on the Paris 2024 ticketing site from 1 December 2022 to 31 January 2023.

● Beginning 15 February 2023, registrants selected at random will receive an email allowing purchase of “ticket packs” – tickets to three sessions – according to availability, for 48 hours.

● The first four days of the ticket-sales period – 15-18 February – will be reserved for members of the Paris 2024 Club, which can be registered for on the Paris 2024 site.

The announcement further noted that “Paris 2024 will open the sales phase for single tickets for the Olympic Games in May 2023 and for the Paralympic Games in autumn 2023.”

The Paris organizers are offering tickets beginning as low as €24 each, with one million tickets at that price and “Almost half of all Olympic tickets for the general public at €50 or less.”

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2036 ● Egypt wants to host the 2036 Olympic Games and will discuss the concept with IOC President Bach when he visits on the 24 September.

Bach will visit Cairo and tour the sports facilities in the country’s $45 billion New Administrative Capital, begun in 2015. The program includes a 93,400-seat stadium, two arenas, a velodrome, and other sports facilities. Egypt is one of many countries talking about 2036, but the IOC has shown great interest in trying to place a Games in Africa as soon as is practical.

● Archery ● Greg Easton, son of former World Archery President Jim Easton, resigned from the World Archery Executive Board as of last Friday (16th), citing “personal and professional reasons.” He added:

“My ongoing work with the Easton companies, the Easton Foundations and other ventures will continue my lifelong involvement in archery, and I look forward to continuing to support worldwide archery.”

Jim Easton, now 87, built his father’s arrow-manufacturing business into a sporting goods powerhouse, with market-leading equipment in baseball, softball and hockey as well as archery. He served as the Commissioner of Archery for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and was so widely respected that he also assisted the organizing committee as a Vice President of Technology and the Mayor of the UCLA Olympic Village!

During his 1989-2005 term as the President of FITA (as World Archery was then known), he led the changeover to elimination matches that helped popularize the sport on Olympic television and ensured its continued place in the Games. He served as an IOC member from 1994 to 2015, received the Olympic Order in 2015 and is an Honorary Member today.

● Athletics ● It’s not an Olympic event, but worth noting that Lithuanian ultra-distance runner Aleksandr Sorokin, 41, broke his own world mark for the 24-hour run last Saturday (17th).

He covered 319.614 km (198.599 miles or ~7:15 per mile!) at International Association of Ultrarunners European Championships in Verona, Italy, smashing his 2001 mark of 309.4 km (192.252 miles). Wow!

The promised audit of the All-Russian Athletics Federation by World Athletics is now scheduled for the latter half of October. World Athletics has had the RusAF on suspension since the state-sponsored doping scheme exploded in 2015, but has been continuously reviewing the situation to determine whether the suspension can be modified or lifted.

Former sprint star Irina Privalova, now the interim head of RusAF, told the TASS news agency that the steps required of it are being taken and that a reinstatement of the federation could occur by the end of the year.

● Fencing ● Amid last week’s confusion about the beginnings of a discussion about Russian reinstatement, the Ukrainian Sports Minister, Vadym Guttsait – also the head of the Ukrainian Fencing Federation – wrote to the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE), asking for the continued ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes:

“The ban on the participation of all Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions will have an impact on Russian and Belarusian society.

“The Ukrainian Fencing Federation urges you to prevent the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions, even under the neutral flag. Representatives of aggressor countries cannot be part of fair and honest Olympic sports while Russia continues this bloody war.”

“[W]e’re pleased to introduce the USA Fencing Member Wellness Program – a new initiative that offers free, confidential counseling services to members who need mental health support.”

USA Fencing has had athlete issues and team dissension over questions of abuse, so this new program is quite timely. Open to athletes, coaches, officials or other USA Fencing members who need mental health support, a contact is made with the USA Fencing office, who will “connect that member with a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed professional counselor or a licensed professional with a doctor of psychology degree.”

The announcement also mentioned USA Cycling, USA Weightlifting and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee as providing similar services.

● Football ● Ecuador’s place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup was confirmed by the FIFA Appeal Committee on Friday, which turned down a request from Chile to invalidate Ecuador’s results due to the use of a Colombian player.

Byron Castillo, who was born in Colombia, played eight games for Ecuador during the qualifying phase. The Appeal Committee “deemed that on the basis of the documents presented, the player was to be considered as holding permanent Ecuadorian nationality” and was eligible.

Chile, which would advance to the World Cup if Ecuador were to have its results nullified, plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The tournament begins on 20 November.

“All Russian teams are currently suspended following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee of 28 February 2022, which was further confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022. Russia is therefore not included in the UEFA European Football Championship 2022-24 qualifying draw.”

UEFA’s Tuesday announcement confirmed Russia’s non-participation in the Euro 2024 qualifying program, but Belarus is included in the teams to be drawn into qualifying pools on 9 October in Frankfurt (GER).

● Modern Pentathlon ● The PentUnited athletes group was at it again over the weekend, needling the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) and its insistence that the IOC has required the federation to remove riding from the sport. Noting the attendance of IOC chief Bach at the FEI World Eventing Championships in Italy:

“Seems IOC President Thomas Bach doesn’t have a problem with horse sport #savepentathlon #keepridingandchangetherules”

and

“‘I’m very impressed by the many measures the FEI has taken to safeguard the well-being and the health of the horses, and I am pleased with everything the International Federation is doing to ensure the future of the sport.’ Bach”

The athletes group has continually asked for documentation of the UIPM’s view that the IOC instructed the federation to replace riding with a new discipline in the aftermath of the horse-punching incident at Tokyo 2020 involving the coach of German pentathlete Annika Schleu, whose horse – Saint Boy – refused to jump, eliminating Schleu from medal contention.

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LANE ONE: Noah Lyles set to pass Usain Bolt in 2023, but in how many ways?

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Noah Lyles silenced all doubters with a brilliant 19.31 victory in the men's 200 m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics)

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

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No one had a 200 m season like Noah Lyles had in 2022. No one, not even Usain Bolt.

Lyles ran twelve 200 m races this season, in seven meets, winning them all and finishing all 12 under 20 seconds, one short of the single-season best of 13 by fellow American Kenny Bednarek in 2021.

Lyles won the U.S. Nationals in 19.67 and the World Athletics Championship in an American Record of 19.31, moving him to no. 3 on the all-time performers list, behind Jamaicans Bolt (19.19 in 2009) and Yohan Blake (19.26 in 2011).

And he vanquished his teenage challenger, Erriyon Knighton, five times to none during the season, winning at the U.S. Nationals (Knighton second), the World Champs (Knighton third) and the Diamond League final (Knighton fourth).

Lyles was ecstatic after winning the Diamond League final in Zurich (SUI) in 19.52, the equal-12th-fastest race ever and taking his first Diamond League Trophy:

“I do not like uneven numbers so I think I have to come back to get another [Diamond] Trophy. To be honest, it was a great race … all year it was all about running faster and faster. It is everything.

“The one thing is the win and the next is that everybody knows that the moment has just happened. Breaking the meet records and beating the fastest in the world, that is all about it. It just takes another year to run even faster. I already have so many plans. It has been an amazing season. It has been my best season ever. And that is exactly what I was set to do this year. No pressure, just have got to enjoy it and let it happen.”

So, now what?

Lyles clearly has Bolt’s epic 2009 world mark of 19.19 in his sights. But he will also pass Bolt in some other categories assuming a healthy season in 2023:

● Bolt has the most sub-20 times (all conditions) in history with 34, achieved between 2004-16 – ages 18-30 – but never more than six in a single season. Lyles has 33 at age 25 and, of course, he lost most of 2020 due to the pandemic. He should pass Bolt by the U.S. Nationals next year in this category.

American great Michael Johnson, way ahead of his time, ran sub-20 a sensational 23 times between 1990-2000.

● In the rarefied air of the top times in history, Bolt ran sub-19.6 an amazing nine times. But Lyles has six sub-19.6 clockings and four of those came in 2022, the most ever. Bolt had three in his super year of 2009. Another season like 2022 and Lyles will lead in this category as well.

In fact, there are only eight performers in history who have run wind-legal times of under 19.60:

● 19.19 best: Usain Bolt (JAM: 9 under 19.60)
● 19.26 best: Yohan Blake (JAM: 3)
● 19.31 best: Noah Lyles (USA: 6)
● 19.32 best: Michael Johnson (USA: 1)
● 19.49 best: Erriyon Knighton (USA: 1)
● 19.53 best: Walter Dix (USA: 1)
● 19.57 best: Justin Gatlin (USA: 1)
● 19.58 best: Tyson Gay (USA: 1)

Of the 23 sub-19.60 marks, Bolt and Lyles have 15 of them, or 65%!

● One of the favorite statistician’s measurements is the average of an athlete’s top-10 marks. Bolt leads Lyles in the 200 m match-up, 19.469 to 19.540. But Lyles is gaining quickly.

Bolt got the jump on Lyles, emerging as a sub-20 star at age 18, running a World Junior Record of 19.93 in 2004; his most productive year was 2008 with six sub-20s. Lyles ran his first sub-20 at age 20, then got five sub-20s in 2018, seven in 2019, six in 2021 and 12 this season. He’s still just 25. Bolt competed through age 31, in 2017.

Beyond the world record, what about titles? Well, Bolt has a big lead there, winning three Olympic 200 m golds in 2008-12-16 and four World titles in 2009-11-13-15. Lyles did not win in Tokyo (bronze), but his prospects for Paris are bright and he’ll be 31 by the time of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. He is on the road to challenge Bolt on Worlds golds, as he already owns titles from 2019 and 2022, with 2023 coming up fast.

The difference could also be in interest. Bolt never ran very much, especially after 2013, with one meet in 2014 (age 28), seven in 2015 (29), six meets in 2016 (30) and five in 2017 (31). Lyles ran in 11 meets in 2021 (at 24) and 15 meets – indoors and out – in 2022 (at 25). He seems to like to run, and to win.

Another factor in Lyles’ favor for the future is competition. Bolt won his four World titles in the 200 m by wide margins for a sprint – 0.62, 0.30, 0.13 and 0.19 seconds – and 0.66, 0.12 and 0.24 in his three Olympic wins.

Lyles, however, is dealing with strong sprinting at home as well as the rest of the world:

● Kenny Bednarek (23): 19.68 best, 20 career sub-20s
● Erriyon Knighton (18): 19.49 best, 10 career sub-20s already!
● Fred Kerley (27): 19.76 best, 8 career sub-20s

A total of 18 men ran under 20 seconds in 2022, including Cuban Reynier Mena (19.63), American 400 m star Michael Norman (19.76) and 19.80 for Trinidad & Tobago’s Jereem Richards. That kind of speed will push Lyles to be better, because he will have to be.

But in 2022, Lyles was much faster than all of them, at 19.31, and looking ahead to chasing Bolt on the clock. Lyles is accessible, funny, chatty and may have the fastest top-end speed in the world, as he showed when he ran down Knighton in the final 5 m at the U.S. Nationals to win by 0.02:

“I do what it takes to win, and Erriyon got the best of me on the turn. I ain’t worried about that. I saw him reach his top speed , and mine’s faster. So I’m going to catch him and it’s going to take the whole rest of the 100. And that’s what I did.”

Lyles is a star. But one of the endearing qualities of track & field is that everyone is even at the start. Lyles has a chance to be the best ever in the half-lap, but he has no time to waste. Knighton said so after Lyles’ win at the U.S. Nationals:

“The job’s not finished. It’s never finished.”

Absolutely right.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: IOC’s Bach at center of “Russian re-entry” thoughts; no Russia reply on Griner deal; U.S. wrestlers take men’s team title, four golds!

By
Rich Perelman
-
He did it again: a sixth World Championships gold for American wrestling icon Jordan Burroughs! (Photo: Lima 2019)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. IOC mention of Russian re-entry came from Athletes’ Commission call
2. Russia has not responded to U.S. deal on Griner, Whelan release
3. Int’l Biathlon Union empowers Exec Board with exceptional powers
4. U.S. men win UWW World Freestyle title, with eight finalists!
5. Rowdy Gaines says Dressel may be on six-month hiatus

Last week’s headline that the International Olympic Committee is beginning to think about a return of Russia and Belarus to international competition appears to have come from remarks by IOC chief Thomas Bach during an Athletes Commission call on the 14th. But nothing is going to happen soon. The Russian government has not replied to a serious U.S. offer for the return of imprisoned Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whalen. The International Biathlon Union approved emergency powers for its Executive Board to deal with situations like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; Russian responses went from concern to a fantasy that the world wants them back. The U.S. men’s Freestyle team dominated the UWW World Championships, with eight finalists in 10 classes, world titles for Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Dake, David Taylor and Kyle Snyder and won the team title for the first time in five years. NBC’s swimming analyst (and Olympic gold medalist) Rowdy Gaines said U.S. sprint star Caeleb Dressel is taking time off, but feels better and will be fine.

1.
IOC mention of Russian re-entry came from
Athletes’ Commission call

More information is coming out about be the likely genesis of the surprise comment by U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair Susanne Lyons during last Thursday’s news conference, that the International Olympic Committee is “beginning to think about whether there is a pathway back for the Russian athletes.”

According to a TASS report quoting two-time Olympic gold medalist in Team Sabre, Sofya Velikaya, head of the Athletes Commission of the Russian Olympic Committee, the comment can be traced right back to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER). Velikaya told TASS:

“Yesterday [14th], the IOC organized a conference call, where there were athletes from all over the world.

“I had the opportunity, on behalf of our commission, to voice all our problems personally to Thomas Bach. About discrimination, about violation of rights, violation of the Olympic Charter. That everything that is happening now violates the rights of athletes and can lead to more serious consequences.

“Today our countries are suffering, tomorrow they will be different, and in the future there may simply be no Olympic Movement. Bach voiced all this in his speech. He replied that this was a dilemma for them, and the decision they made was hard for them to accept. In the future, they will think about how to deal with this dilemma.”

That’s exactly how Lyons characterized the situation a day later with U.S. reporters.

On Friday (16th), Bach said during opening remarks at the International Biathlon Union Ordinary Congress that there is no current plan for any changes in status:

“We must acknowledge that the time has not yet come to repeal these recommendations, but we hope that we are all united that the day will soon come when we can again follow our mission. Our role is to be an example that confronts conflict and division of people, and not reinforce them. We must be together to achieve our common mission.”

In Moscow last Thursday (15th), Dmitry Svishchev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, told TASS:

“Bach said two weeks ago that he recommends not inviting Russian athletes to international competitions. Now he says that the IOC is working on how to return Russian and Belarusian athletes in this direction. It will be incredibly difficult to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to the world stage in the near future.

“We need to continue to develop sports within the country, look for new directions and support our athletes and coaches.”

And Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov told the ROC Athletes Commission, also on Thursday (15th):

“Almost seven months have passed since sanctions were imposed on Russian and Belarusian sports. Although some foreign colleagues are trying to present this situation as a defense of the Olympic Movement, we do not agree with such an assessment. These are really sanctions. Any restrictions, prohibitions, any violation of freedom and the opportunity to compete in a fair fight are clear sanctions.

“We faced a problem that suddenly fell on us, because all the time that I was in the Olympic Movement, the main postulate was ‘faster, higher, stronger.’ Our motto demonstrated that athletes should defend the title of the strongest in wrestling, and we lived with this axiom, dogma until the end of February of this year. Now we see that the whole world is undergoing global changes, including the Olympic Movement. The IOC did not pass this test, the intervention of political forces, the collective West, made a similar split in all Olympic Movement.

“The Olympic Movement is very heterogeneous, but most of the National Olympic Committees, oddly enough, adhere to the postulate of distance from political influences. Another thing is that most of the [Olympic] political elite is occupied by representatives of those countries that impose sanctions against Russia at the state level. And this has spread to our athletes.”

Translation: nothing is going to happen soon, and the results on the battlefields in Ukraine will have the biggest influence on the future of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

2.
Russia has not responded to U.S. deal on Griner, Whelan release

“They have not responded to our offer. We have made a serious offer to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan back home. The Russians have not responded to that offer. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not still in negotiations and we’re not still trying.”

That’s National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby from a White House briefing on Friday (16th) on the continuing efforts to bring home detained Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, both imprisoned in Russia.

Asked why the Russians have not replied, Kirby explained that it’s not for a lack of trying on the U.S. side:

“I mean, man, if we had the answer to that question, we might already have a deal. I think that’s a better question put to our Russian colleagues. We made a serious offer. We want them to accept it. Frankly, these two individuals ought to be home anyway, period.

“But we understand that it’s probably going to have to be the result of a negotiating process, one that we’re willing to participate in honestly and fully. And we’ve been doing that. And we await them to take the offer that’s on the table. …

“We want these two individuals home, back where they belong with their families. They should be there already.”

3.
Int’l Biathlon Union empowers Exec Board with
exceptional powers

At its 15th Ordinary Congress in Salzburg (AUT), the International Biathlon Union membership approved the proposal to give its Executive Board more power to deal with situations like the Russian invasion:

“The Congress approved a number of motions, most notably the enhancement of the powers of the Executive Board to impose exceptional protective measures aimed at preserving the safe, peaceful and regular conduct of the IBU’s activities in the case of events or circumstances of an exceptional nature which are outside of the IBU’s control.”

The suspensions of the Russian and Belarusian federations were extended by a 40-1 vote, as well as the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in IBU events, by 39-2. When can they be lifted?

“The Executive Board had made it clear earlier in the year that the membership suspensions will be maintained until both national federations demonstrate their full commitment to support and promote the purposes and principles of the IBU, for example clearly distancing themselves from the war in Ukraine and ensuring that none of their officials or athletes are actively involved in the Russian military or take any part in the war effort.”

The head of the Russian Biathlon Union, Viktor Maigurov, asked the IBU Congress in an address:

“Could you indicate what conditions or criteria for restoration are set for the [Russian federation]? What will happen if the conflict lasts for several years, as it happens between Israel and Muslim neighbors or between the DPRK and South Korea? This does not prevent the athletes of these countries from participating in international competitions.

“Suspension can last for several years, and we have no control over it, but the consequences can be serious. Do you think this is fair?

“If you want to harm Russian biathlon, then this is your right, but many athletes and coaches can end their careers. You can also make our young athletes think about changing sports citizenship, thousands of Russian children can leave biathlon, preferring other sports – tennis, hockey or judo. World biathlon will survive without Russian athletes, but I’m not sure if this will help the sport, nor do I think it will help Ukrainian athletes. It’s your responsibility: we must build walls or bridges, make the right choice.”

Two-time Soviet Olympic relay gold medalist (1984-88) Dmitry Vasilyev had a more imaginative look at the future, reported by the TASS news agency:

“There is no murder of the Russian biathlon, no one doubted that the decision would be like that, in any case, I had no doubts. Because the engagement is 100% visible, that is, all of Europe and the Western world are imprisoned for to contain Russia in all industries and areas, including in sports. And biathlon is a popular enough sport to hit harder and more painfully, such a decision was made.

“As for the athletes, they will not lose, and even, perhaps, will benefit from this, because now the Russian Biathlon Union has established significant awards. Now the athletes are performing and earning money in competitions, then, when the sanctions against Russia are lifted, they will still think, it’s worth whether they should go to the World Cup stages or continue to stay in Russia to earn prize money. Therefore, I think that everything will be fine with them.”

Vasilyev also said this:

“All these are links of one chain, everything will be returned exactly when everything is over, when the population of Western countries will force their governments to negotiate with Russia.

“I think that this period will not last long, for them it will be a huge shock. And then it will be necessary to dictate our own terms, it will be impossible to agree on other terms. When the initiative is on our side, we will need to use it to the fullest.”

The IBU re-elected Swede Olle Dahlin, who ran unopposed, as President, and elected Jiri Hamza (CZE) as Vice President. American Max Cobb will begin his work as IBU Secretary General in October.

4.
U.S. men win UWW World Freestyle title, with eight finalists!

A spectacular showing by the U.S. men’s Freestyle team included eight finalists and four world titles at the UWW World Championships in Belgrade (SRB) and brought the American men their first team title since 2017. The World Champions:

● Jordan Burroughs (79 kg) won a sensational sixth world title, defeating Iran’s Mohammad Nokhodi, 4-2, in the final. It was his only close match, as Burroughs won his other bouts by 12-1, 12-1, 10-0 and 9-2. He’s now won nine Worlds medals (6-0-3) between 2011-22 and world titles in 2011-13-15-17-21-22. At 34, any doubt that he’s on the road to Paris?

● Kyle Dake (74 kg) overcame Iranian Younes Emami, 2-2, on criteria, in the semis and then Tajmuraz Salkazanov (SVK), 3-1, in the final. Dake won the Tokyo Olympic bronze and now owns four Worlds golds in 2018-19-20-22.

● David Taylor (86 kg), the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, won a brilliant final over Iran’s Hassan Yazdani, the 2016 Olympic champ at 74 kg and a three-time World Champion at 86 kg in 2017-19-21. Taylor won his preliminary bouts by 10-0, 11-0 and 12-0 before facing Yazdani and dominated with a 7-1 victory. It’s Taylor’s second Worlds title, after 2018.

● Kyle Snyder (97 kg), the 2016 Olympic winner and 2020 silver medalist, won his third Worlds gold with a 6-0 shutout of Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) in the final. Using his direct, methodical style, Snyder won his early bouts by 4-1 and 10-0, then overpowered Iran’s Mohammad Hossein Mohammadian by 4-1. That’s medals in six straight Worlds for Snyder (2015-22: 3-2-1) and he adds to his prior Worlds golds from 2015 and 2017.

The U.S. took silvers at 57 kg (Thomas Gilman), 65 kg (Yianni Diakomihalis), 70 kg (Zain Retherford) and 92 kg (J’Den Cox). Gilman lost to Albanian Zelimkhan Abakarov by 7-2; Diakomihalis lost a 13-8 brawl to Iran’s Rahman Amouzad; Retherford was overwhelmed by Japan’s Taishi Narikuni, 10-0, and Cox lost a taut match with Iran’s Kamran Ghasempour, 2-0, to defend his 2021 world title.

Narikuni’s mother, Akiko Iijima, won the women’s world title at 65 kg in 1990 and 1991.

There were only two classes without American finalists. At 61 kg, Rei Higuchi (JPN) stomped on Iran’s Reza Atri, 10-0. At 125 kg, Turkey’s Taha Akgul, the Tokyo Olympic champ, won his third World Championships gold, in 2014 and 2015 and now 2022. He defeated Monkhtoriin Lkhagvagerel (MGL), 6-2, in the final.

The U.S. finished with 198 points to 150 for Iran to win its fourth men’s Freestyle team title, also in 1993, 1995 and 2017. Russia had won the last three Worlds men’s team titles and 18 of the last 23.

The Americans also topped the overall medal table with 15 total (7-6-2), with Japan at 13 (7-1-5) and Iran with 10 (2-5-3). It’s the first the U.S. had won the most medals at a Worlds by itself this century; it tied for the most in 2017 and 2003.

5.
Rowdy Gaines says Dressel may be on six-month hiatus

Triple Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines said on the debut of NBC’s “Chasing Gold: Paris 2024″ show that American sprint star Caeleb Dressel is probably taking a six-month time-out on his career.

“Our pinnacle of success is the Olympic Games, and it’s every four years, so there’s so much pressure. … Can you imagine a Super Bowl being once every four years?

“When that was all done, it was hard for him to kind of get back in the groove, and he just didn’t really enjoy swimming very much. When I talked to him in the fall, I said, ‘Dude, take some time off. Take six months.’ And when I talked to him a couple days ago, he said, ‘You know, I didn’t really do that, but now, I’m in the best place I’ve ever been.’ Those were his words: ‘I’m in the best place I’ve ever been.’ So when you’re looking ahead for Caeleb Dressel, I think he’s going to be just fine, both in and out of the water. …

“So if Caeleb ends up taking six months off, which I believe he will, it’s going to take him about three months [to get ready]. No problem, we still have a long way to go to be prepared, and I think he’ll be ready both mentally and physically, when we get to those Olympic Games.”

After his five golds at the Tokyo Games in 2021, Dressel won golds in the 50 m Fly and on the men’s 4×100 m Freestyle relay at the 2022 FINA Worlds in Budapest (HUN), then left the meet after the heats of the men’s 100 m Free for “medical reasons.”

Time is certainly on his side for 2023, let alone 2024. The U.S. will select its 2023 FINA World Championships team at another “International Team Trials” from 27 June-1 July 2023 in Indianapolis; the Worlds are scheduled for Fukuoka, Japan from 2-11 August.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Cycling ● The 89th UCI World Road Championships are underway in Wollongong (AUS), with the men’s and women’s time trial completed on Sunday.

The 34.2 km women’s race, on a flat course, was won by Dutch star – and defending champion – Ellen van Dijk in 44:29, ahead of home favorite Grace Brown (AUS: +0:12) and 41 seconds better than bronze medalist Marlen Reusser (SUI). Americans Leah Thomas (+1:18) and Kristen Faulkner (+1:25) finished 5-6.

It’s van Dijk’s third title in this race, also in 2013. Dutch riders have now won three in a row and five of the last six.

The men’s race was held on the same course, with 2020-21 champ Filippo Ganna (ITA) looking for a third win in a row. But Norway’s Tobias Foss completed the circuit in 40:02 and no one could match him. Swiss Stefan Kung was second (+0:03) and Vuelta a Espana winner Remco Evenepoel (BEL) finished third, just nine seconds behind. Ganna rode well, but finished in seventh place, 56 seconds back of the winner.

● Equestrian ● The World Eventing Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) saw Britain win the individual title for the third time in the last five editions, but with a new face atop the podium.

Yasmin Ingham, 25, was riding individually in the Worlds for the first time and came away victorious on Banzai du Loir, jumping without faults and ending with 23.2 points. Germany’s Tokyo Olympic champ Julia Krajewski was a close second at 26.0, moving from fifth to silver with a clean jumping run. New Zealand’s Tim Price was third (26.2). The U.S. top finishers included William Coleman in seventh (27.2), Tamra Smith in ninth (32.0) and Ariel Grald in 11th (32.5).

Germany won the team title for the third time in the last five Worlds, scoring 95.2 points and winning €41,500! The U.S. finished second for its first medal since its 2002 victory, with Coleman, Smith, Lauren Nicholson and Boyd Martin totaling 100.3 points and winning €30,000. The top seven teams qualified for Paris 2024 and included New Zealand, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland.

● Gymnastics ● Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli won the individual All-Around at the FIG Rhythmic World Championships to finish with four golds in five events, and a bronze in Clubs to dominate the event.

Raffaeli, 18, was the leading qualifier for the All-Around and won the final with 133.250 points, just ahead of Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev (132.450) and decisively over Stiliana Nikolova of Bulgaria (128.800). The U.S. entries, Evita Griskenas and Lili Mizuno, finished 10th and 12th with 119.950 and 117.850 points.

Raffeli’s win broke a stream of 10 straight All-Around titles for Russian athletes, and 13 of the prior 15.

Bulgaria won the Group All-Around (66.60), ahead of Israel (64.650) and Spain (63.200), all qualifying for Paris 2024. The U.S. was 15th (53.900).

Italy (34.950), Israel (34.050) and Spain (33.800) won the medals in the 5 Hoops team event. Bulgaria (33.300), Italy (31.450) and Azerbaijan (30.750) took the medals in the 3 Ribbons + 2 Balls final.

● Underway ● The World Rowing Championships and World Surf Games are ongoing and will continue this week.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● The Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, Veronika Loginova, told the Russian news agency TASS about the timing of the forthcoming hearing on the long-delayed Kamila Valieva doping case:

“Yesterday we completed the investigation,” Loginova said on Thursday (15th). “Now there will be a procedure for processing the results in accordance with international norms and requirements. We cannot give an exact date. Either the end of September or the beginning of October.”

● Athletics ● The venerable Decastar meet in Talence (FRA) marked the end of the season for decathletes and heptathletes and was a showcase for Grenada’s Commonwealth Games champ, Lindon Victor.

He won the shot, discus and the javelin on the way to a lifetime best of 8,550 points, moving him to no. 7 on the 2022 year list. Manuel Eitel (GER) was second, also with a lifetime best of 8,193), and Estonia’s Risto Lillemets at 8,149, just seven points his personal record. The top U.S. finisher was Steve Bastien, fifth with 8,005.

The women’s hep ended in a rare tie, with Tokyo bronze winner Emma Oosterwegel (NED) and Ivona Dadic (AUT) both scoring 6,233 points. Biana Salming (SWE) ended up third (6,028) with American Ashtin Zamzow-Mahler fourth (5,889).

At the USA Track & Field national 10 km road championships, held on Saturday in Northport, New York, Abbabiya Simbassa and Stephanie Bruce used late charges to win their divisions.

Simbassa broke away from defending champion Sam Chelenga in the final quarter of the race, opening a 20-second gap and cruising home in 28:12 for his first national 10 km title. Chelanga was passed for second by 2017 USATF 10 km champ Leonard Korir, 28:34 to 28:35.

Bruce, 38, pulled away during the final 1.5 km to win, adding to her 2018 USATF 10 km title with a win in 31:52. Nell Rojas emerged over the final 800 m to take second (31:56), just ahead of Annie Frisbie (31:58).

● Triathlon ● The Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) is trying to take the sport to a higher plane, adding high-profile races to the existing World Triathlon Series and the Ironman calendar.

Sunday’s U.S. Open was held in Irving, Texas on a total course of 100 km, with a 2 km swim in Lake Carolyn, 80 km on the bike and a three-lap, 18 km run (vs. the Olympic distance of 1.5 km, 40 km and 10 km).

With temperatures in the 90s (F), Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle, the 2017 Worlds Champs silver winner, completed her sweep of the 2022 PTO 100 km events with a come-from-behind win in the final 2km in 3:37:17. Only in eighth place at the start of the run, she took the lead American Taylor Knibb and won with a run phase that was more than four minutes faster than anyone else. Knibb finished in 3:38:32 and Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) was third in 3:40:31.

American Collin Chartier moved up steadily, from ninth out of the water to sixth at the end of the bike phase and won the men’s race in 3:17:16 with the second-fastest run split of the field: 1:00:03!

He was a decisive winner, with Dane Magnus Elbaek Ditlev second (3:17:58) and fellow American Sam Long third (3:18:18), who was the leader at the start of the run.

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TSX REPORT: USOPC says Russian return being discussed; IOC CoComm “very, very happy” with LA28 progress; Mensah-Stock, Elor take wrestling golds

By
Rich Perelman
-
Los Angeles 2028 Coordination Commission Chair Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU) during Thursday's news conference on the LA28 Games. (Photo: video feed screenshot)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. USOPC Chair Lyons says “IOC beginning to think” about Russian return
2. Lyons on Salt Lake City: prefer 2034, ready for 2030
3. Hirshland: “we haven’t forgotten” 2022 Team figure skaters
4. IOC “very, very happy” with LA28 progress to date
5. Wasserman confident on sponsor revenue program for 2028

Back-to-back news conferences on Thursday by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles brought word that a return plan for Russian athletes is being considered, and that the preparations for the LA28 Games is going well. USOPC Chair Susanne Lyons confirmed the “preference” for Salt Lake City to be awarded the 2034 Olympic Winter Games, but that 2030 could work as well. LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman said the organizing committee is in a “strong position” with its revenue program and underscored the readiness of the already-built venues to host the 2028 Games. American wrestlers Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Amit Elor won golds at the UWW World Championships in Belgrade and 2016 Rio Olympic champ Helen Maroulis won silver as the American women finished second to Japan in the team standings.

1.
USOPC Chair Lyons says “IOC beginning to think”
about Russian return

“[T]his Olympic Movement is really built on the notion that athletes from around the world should be able to come together in peace and be able to compete with respect, equality and friendship. And we very much espouse that. That’s really the foundational reason why we have all of these athletes doing what they do.

“So, we know that the IOC is beginning to think about whether there is a pathway back for the Russian athletes. They are beginning to reach out to all of their stakeholders, including the NOCs, the International Federations to get input on that topic. So I don’t think any decisions have been made yet, but I think all of us feel that at some point in time, the individual athletes should not be the victims of whatever their individual governments [do, regardless of] political or other tensions are around the world.

“So, I think, inevitably, there will be a desire to see athletes who happen to reside in Russia, come back and be part of competitions, but what the timing is and what the pathway looks like is to be determined.”

That’s United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair Susanne Lyons, speaking to reporters during a Thursday news conference following the USOPC Board meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the first inkling that some movement toward Russian athlete re-admission to international competition is being discussed.

The International Olympic Committee asked all International Federations not to allow Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete in international events soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. But it has taken pains to emphasize that this was a “protective measure” to guarantee the safety of the competitors and integrity of the competitions and not a direct sanction against the Russian sports infrastructure. For example, the Russian Olympic Committee has not been suspended.

Asked about how Russian athlete reinstatement can be considered when American basketball star Brittney Griner is being imprisoned in Russia for “drug smuggling.” USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland explained:

“I think that while there may be a natural, sort of conflation of those issues, the reality is the conversation around Russian athletes is around how you actually separate, and try to avoid punishing Russian athletes for the decisions of the government. And I think that’s the motivation of conversation.

“But, it’s not lost on anyone in the United States that she’s there and it’s really very top-of-mind for all of us. So it’s hard not to conflate the issues and it’s hard not to bring them together, even though I think from a policy perspective, I’m not sure they are directly related.”

2.
Lyons on Salt Lake City: prefer 2034, ready for 2030

The question of the status of the Salt Lake City bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games and the recent postponement of the 2023 IOC Session in Mumbai (IND) was also raised, with Lyons largely reiterating prior comments:

“Our bid for Salt Lake City has looked at the possibility of either 2030 or 2034. That really hasn’t changed. As you know, there are some additional challenges with 2030 due to the proximity of the dates with L.A. [2028]. But as we have very clearly communicated to the IOC, if they need us in 2030, we will find a way to make that happen. So we’re very committed to whichever year that suits all the interested parties, including the global, overall Olympic Movement as a whole, and Paralympic Movement.

“So, does the moving of the [IOC Session] date really change much? it doesn’t change much for us, because I think our level of readiness is such that, if those conversations happen tomorrow vs. they happen six months from now, we’re pretty much in the same state of readiness that we need to be. It does give some of the other cities that are considering bids a little more time, I guess, to work through what they need to do.

“So we don’t really know what the impact will be. And, again, the delay for this meeting in Mumbai [India] has very little to do with the decision about bid cities. It has much more to do with some situations going on with the National Olympic Committee [of India].”

Asked about the USOPC’s stance on 2030 vs. 2034, she restated the current view:

“Because of the sponsorship and other commercial activities, it’s more complicated to try to do those two Games close together. And so we have stated a preference for 2034, but also stated that we believe that we have readiness to do 2030, if that was asked of us.

“I don’t think that has changed. I think our preference still would be to put a little bit more light in between those two Games, but again it remains to be seen how those awards will go.

“As you know, Salt Lake City is poised and ready, with their toes on the starting line, just waiting for someone to put off the gun.”

The other contenders are Sapporo in Japan and Vancounver (CAN), both prior hosts of successful Winter Games.

3.
Hirshland: “we haven’t forgotten” 2022 Team figure skaters

Hirshland was asked about the USOPC view of the announcement that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had completed its inquiry into the doping positive of skater Kamila Valieva that has been holding up the awarding of the Team Event medals since February:

“I’d love to tell you that I’m less maddened or less frustrated, but you know better.

“It continues to be an outrageous situation. We knew, going in, that there was a guideline in the WADA Code that sort of allowed for this six-month time frame. …

“Our number one priority is to make sure that our Team USA athletes, who are sitting without their medals, know that we haven’t forgotten them. And so I do touch base with them from time to time, and say, ‘I wish I had more information, but I don’t want you to know we haven’t forgotten,’ and we are continuing to push and continuing to ensure that both WADA and the IOC share our focus and that we keep this top-of-mind for everybody so that we’re doing everything we can to push the process, to try to come to a resolution, and, ultimately, to ensure that these athletes do get as much a moment in the sun as we can possibly create for them, given the circumstances.

“At this point, that’s where we are. We’re going to continue to do that. We’re going to send the message that none of us have forgotten that this is very much out there and unresolved and they deserve our love and attention and they deserve a celebration of their achievement. And we are continuing to endure that the process is happening against the guidelines and standards for the process.

“The bad news is, there can be hearings, and then, of course, there can be appeals, so as I said to you before, I fear this is going to linger for quite some time.”

4.
IOC “very, very happy” with LA28 progress to date

The third IOC Coordination Commission meeting for the Los Angeles 2028 Games concluded with a 40-minute news conference on Thursday, with Chair Nicole Hoevertsz – who competed at the Los Angeles 1984 Games as an artistic swimmer for Aruba – declaring:

“L.A. is an amazing place. The Games are going to be amazing, and the venues are amazing. So, in general, we are very, very happy, about this CoComm [meeting].

“The venues that are going to be used are actually a mix – and that’s so beautiful – of the historic venues that were used in 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games, and of course, we have world-class, modern venues that were built since the Games took place in 1984, so we have this beautiful mix of the old and the new, and the CoComm was actually very excited to be visiting the venues.

“We also saw a lot of beautiful projects with kids, that is one of the things that I want to talk about. The PlayLA program is actually fantastic, $160 million that the IOC and [LA28] are investing in these youth sports programs, and we saw them first-hand. …

“We saw a number of sports and we saw how the [2028] Games are already creating a legacy way ahead of the Games. That was so beautiful to see. When we talk about legacy, people always think about, ‘well, that happens after the Games are over.’ But that’s not true. We could see here, in the City of L.A. how a youth program – PlayLA – is already creating legacy now, today, for these kids.”

Hoevertsz didn’t stop there, commending the still-small LA28 organizing committee, now with about 130 people on staff, led by Chair Casey Wasserman:

“We saw great energy on the organizing committee. I cannot stop to congratulate you on the wonderful team you have assembled, that you are assembling. The best in the world, I would say, is really working on the L.A. Olympic Games. Wonderful people, young people, a lot of athletes and that’s wonderful, a lot of Olympians and Paralympians. We like that, that natural mix and we find it very important as you all know. The city of L.A. and the USA is going to be hosting, for the first time, the Paralympic Games and for us, that’s very important as well. …

“The Commission members were very pleased, were very impressed, impressed with the progress, impressed with the optimism that is really so clear to sense, to feel from the organizing committee. So we are very happy with what we saw these days and looking forward with great optimism.”

Said Wasserman:

“We are on track to host an incredible Olympic and Paralympic Games. …

“In short, the Olympics and the Paralympics are the biggest events on earth, and we think the City of Los Angeles is the perfect partner to host those Games.

“As we have said from the very beginning, our model is very different. We’re fortunate to have incredible venues, incredible facilities all over the city, and as such, we’re going to host a Games using those facilities for about 45 days in the summer of 2028 and turn them back over to their owners and their operators so they can return to their existing use.

“L.A. Live, SoFi Stadium, the Coliseum, Banc of California [Stadium], Dignity Health [Sports Center], USC and UCLA were visited by the Coordination Commission, and I think the ability to see those venues up close, in person, understand the level at which they operate, the competitiveness of the marketplace which requires them to be excellent, the passion and the commitment of their operators and their owners to not just the Olympics, but to every day make sure that they are the best venues on earth, really prove the point that we are Games-ready, our venues are ready, and the Games are going to be well taken care of, from the athletes on up when they arrive in 2028.

“We have no permanent new construction. Obviously, there will be some temporary venues, but we are ready to host the Games. Our venues are more than capable. L.A. is in the events business. We are one of the tourism capitals of the world. We host big events all the time. … that’s what we do here and that’s why we are proceeding with such great excitement and confidence. …

“Truthfully, the secret of our Games plan is USC and UCLA. There is no city on earth that has two universities at [their] scale, with athletic programs and student bodies of the size they are, that are in the city center, 10 miles from each other. And that truly is, the heart of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. … We are well positioned for an exceptional event, and we’re excited for 2028.”

Asked about the continuing process of finalizing sports and venues, Wasserman noted the remarkable flexibility afforded LA28 by the availability of facilities:

“Not every city has a venue like Intuit Dome being built [in Inglewood] that didn’t exist when we bid, and so our goal is to be responsible and adaptive to a city that’s ever changing, and that includes venues. So, obviously, one of the considerations for sports is where are they going to be and how are they going to fit into the venues that we have, and that’s obviously a part of our plan.”

One venue which has changed is for canoeing and rowing, moved from Lake Perris to the Long Beach Marine Stadium, albeit with a shorter-than-normal course for rowing of 1,500 m (vs. 2,000 m). The IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) noted the process of approval is ongoing, but the athlete impact was especially important to remember:

“What we’re heard from the president of the rowing federation, they are very happy to move to a shorter course. We have to go through the motions and the process for the validation of the venue itself going through the Coordination Commission, formally, the Executive Board.

“But what we’ve heard out of the rowing community is that for the benefit of being in the center of the Games, downtown south, we can change the length of the course. And guess what, this is a formidable opportunity and very good news indeed.”

5.
Wasserman confident on sponsor revenue program for 2028

Wasserman was specifically asked about the LA28 revenue production program, especially in light of the budget pressures on the Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committees from modest domestic sponsor funding and the impact of inflation. He was confident:

“We’re an organizing committee, but we’re a commercial organization, and we have our finger very clearly focused on revenue generation, and I can assure that our job is to align those expenses with the revenue, we think and we’re going to generate, and already have generated. And the IOC has been great partners in understanding that we’re going to have to be adaptable if the world changes.

“The one thing we can’t predict is the world we’re going to be in. The one thing we can control is how we operate and we’re very focused on that and we think that puts us in a very strong position.”

Asked for specifics on the domestic sponsorship sales so far, Wasserman noted:

“Obviously, we’ve got several significant deals already signed, with Delta – who was our first partner – and they’ve been incredible, and Salesforce and Comcast, sort-of second-tier deals with Nike and Ralph Lauren and Deloitte, Hershey and others. Obviously, just announced, our big deal with Fanatics, our significant deal with On Location, who has been a great partner not just to us, but to Paris and Milan and the three Games together as a first-time, sort of global hospitality solution, which is significant. Obviously, our deal with NBCUniversal adds a great underpinning to our success.

“And so, we sit in a very strong position. Obviously, the world is the one we operate in; sports continues to be the shining light. Sports is predictable and unique, in a world where very little else is, and the Olympic Games will command the world for 17 days and our job is to tell that story to brands and understand that the biggest event, the most inclusive and powerful event on earth is one of the most important cities in the world to speak from is an incredible opportunity to partner in.

“And we’ve had great success, and would say, stay tuned, we’ve got announcements coming in the fourth quarter of more partnerships. Obviously, the good thing is there’s lot of sports sponsorships being done and being handled; it’s not that we’re the only one in the marketplace, and the appetite for the Games coming back to this country is very strong.”

Hoevertsz was even more positive about future prospects:

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the United States of America and in particular, California and in particular, the city of L.A. is a unique market. We are very, very aware of that and we are very pleased by everything that has happening as outlined by Casey just now. …

“Each city has different goals, has different aspirations. The aspirations of the city of L.A. are unique because they are privately funded, completely. I mean there is not one other city that I think that could do that. And that’s what we’re benefitting from. It’s something that we are very proud of, and we want, therefore, the Games of 2028, to be so strong for the athletes because we think that as the Games were unique from 1984, they will again be unique for 2028.”

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Gymnastics ● Italy’s 18-year-old Sofia Raffaeli continued her march through the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia (BUL) with a third gold in the individual apparatus finals.

Raffaeli won the Ribbon title, scoring 32.650, with the highest degree of difficulty (15.600) to out-score Stiliana Nikolova (BUL: 31.850) and Ekaterina Vedeneeva (SLO: 29.900).

Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev won with Clubs, scoring 33.550 to best Nikolova (32.600) and Raffaeli (31.850). In the four individual apparatus event, Raffaeli won medals in all four (3-0-1), while Nikolova and Varfolomeev won three each.

The top 18 finishers in the combined apparatus scores qualified for the All-Around, with Raffaeli again the leader at 98.850, ahead of Nikolova (98.200) and Varfolomeev (96.050).

● Wrestling ● U.S. women scored two golds and a silver on the final day of the women’s Freestyle at the UWW World Championships in Belgrade (SRB) and finished second to Japan in the women’s team standings.

Tokyo Olympic champ Tamyra Mensah-Stock won her third Worlds gold at 68 kg, defeating Amy Ishii of Japan in the final by pinfall in just 2:10 after piling up a 6-0 lead. In her four bouts, she pinned two opponents and piled up a cumulative score of 36-0!

At 72 kg, 18-year-old Amit Elor added to her 2022 World Junior Championship gold with the world title! After a 10-0 technical fall win in her first bout, she pinned Turkey’s Buse Tosun, then out-fought Japan’s Masako Furuichi, 3-2. In the final, she overwhelmed Zhamila Bakbergenova (KAZ) in a 10-0 technical fall victory. Wow!

Three-time World Champion Helen Maroulis had to settle for silver at 57 kg, losing to Japan’s Tsugumi Sakurai, 3-0, in a tense bout with only one takedown. Maroulis won her sixth Worlds medal (3-2-1) over eight years in addition to an Olympic gold in 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020.

Anastasia Nichita’s win for Moldova at 59 kg was one of only two women’s classes that was not won by a U.S. or Japanese wrestler. She defeated Grace Bullen of Norway in the final by 4-1.

Japan won the team title for the 17th time in the 20 World Championships held this century, 190-157 over the U.S., with China third (84). American women won seven total medals (3-2-2), equaling the most ever, also by the 2003 and 2021 teams.

Competition continues in the men’s Freestyle division through Sunday.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The organizing committee announced the signing of the Italian office of the staffing giant Randstad as its second domestic sponsor.

This is good news for the beleaguered Milan Cortina organizers, considered to be making too-slow progress on the domestic marketing front. It announced its first deal, with Italian supermarket operator Esselunga in July.

● NBC ● The U.S. broadcaster for the Olympic Games will close its round-the-clock cable Olympic Channel at the end of September, but will introduce a monthly, one-hour program this Sunday called “Chasing Gold: Paris 2024.”

The first show will debut on NBC on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, amid live NFL coverage on CBS and FOX. The show, hosted by Mike Tirico and Maria Taylor, will be available the next day on the Peacock streaming service.

● Figure Skating ● History for American teen Ilia Malinin:

“ISU World Junior Figure Skating Champion Ilia Malinin (USA) jumped into sports history by landing the first quadruple Axel in competition at the U.S. International Classic in Lake Placid (USA) on September 14, 2022.

“The 17-year-old added the last missing jump to the quad arsenal – now all of the Figure Skating jumps Axel, Lutz, flip, loop, Salchow and toeloop have been performed as quadruples in an official ISU sanctioned competition. As the Axel is the only jump with a forward take-off, a quadruple has actually four and a half revolutions.”

The quad Axel has been pursued by stars such as two-time Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), and Malinin credited Hanyu’s attempts as his inspiration. Still 17, Malinin was born in Virginia to Russian-born Uzbekistani skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, and reportedly is using his mother’s surname “due to his parents’ concerns that his father’s surname would be too difficult to pronounce.”

He finished ninth in the 2022 World Championships, his first appearance at the senior-level Worlds.

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TSX REPORT: World Games gets $4 million more towards debt; Italian town rejects two rowing events and may be sued; Valieva case hearing coming

By
Rich Perelman
-
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, in the middle of the final event to be decided at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games! (Photo: Ttckcv21 via Wikipedia)

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

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Jefferson County Commission OKs $4 million for World Games debt
2. World Rowing may sue Italian town’s abandonment of two events
3. RUSADA ready to hold Valieva case hearings
4. Russian gymnast Kuliak’s suspension upheld
5. Paris 2024 torch relay details: 12,000 runners, 70-80 days

The World Games organizing committee in Birmingham will receive another $4 million to support its $15.66 million debt on a vote from the Jefferson County Commission last week. The money actually comes from part of a federal grant to support tourism losses due to Covid-19; the organizers have now been granted $9 million in total and are continuing to try to make good the losses. For the second time this year, the town of Sabaudia, Italy withdrew from hosting rowing events it had been awarded, this time the 2023 World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals and the 2024 European Rowing Championships, “due to recent unforeseen political changes.” The federation indicated it had contracts for both events and is considering legal action against the town! The Russian Anti-Doping Agency said it had completed its months-long inquiry into the Kamila Valieva doping case from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and would hold a hearing soon. The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation upheld the suspension of 20-year-old Russian Ivan Kuliak for wearing a pro-invasion “Z” symbol on his uniform at a March World Cup event. In Paris, it was reported that the 2024 Olympic Torch Relay will utilize 12,000 runners over 70-80 days and cost perhaps €30-35 million, with the host communities paying about a third.

1.
Jefferson County Commission OKs $4 million for
World Games debt

The second large chunk of funding for the $15.66 million debt left from the staging of the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, was confirmed last Thursday (8th) with the Jefferson County Commission voting on a $4 million grant.

Added to the prior $5 million approved by the Birmingham City Council, 57.5% of the total debt has been provided for. The Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau is also expected to contribute additional funds of perhaps $1 million, with the remnants of the Birmingham Organizing Committee working to raise the remainder from the private sector, including World Games corporate partners.

The Jefferson County Commission voted 4-1 for the grant, which will actually come from Federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The country received $113 million under the ARPA to deal with the impact of Covid-19 to area tourism and these funds will be used to help the World Games organizers. Al.com reported:

“Commission President ProTem LaShunda Scales made a point during the meeting to address criticism that the money should instead be spent on local needs. ‘I wanted to be clear that residents understand the difference in the dollars used for tourism versus the idea that monies are being taken away from the communities or roads or any other service we provide as a county,’ she said. ‘These dollars could not be used for operational needs that our citizens are looking for us to provide. The public needs to know that.’”

Said Commission President Jimmie Stephens:

“We discovered we are able to use reimbursable federal dollars without impacting monies we’d normally use to improve the quality of life of our citizens. That was a very fortunate finding because I was not prepared to use any dollars that could be used to improve quality of life.

“You want to help [the World Games], but I can’t extend [Jefferson County] taxpayer dollars to do something folks should have done right to start with. I don’t mind utilizing these fed funds that didn’t originate here. It was the World Games and people from the entire world came. I feel comfortable with that.”

2.
World Rowing may sue Italian town’s abandonment of two events

Don’t be surprised if you need to read this announcement from World Rowing a couple of times. It’s that shocking:

“World Rowing is disappointed to announce that the following World Rowing and European Rowing events, which had been attributed to Sabaudia, Italy, will no longer take place in Sabaudia, Italy due to recent unforeseen political changes.

“● 2023 World Rowing Coastal Championships & Beach Sprint Finals
“● 2024 European Rowing Championships

“The new Mayor of Sabaudia refuses to abide by the contractual obligations provided in the contracts validly executed in 2019 and 2020 and unilaterally decided to dissolve the Organising Committee in charge of the hosting of these events. World Rowing is currently considering all appropriate legal remedies against the Organisers of these events.

“The above-mentioned Championships will have to take place in other venues. World Rowing has invited its Member Federations to provide their expressions of interest in hosting the above-mentioned events by 30 September 2022.”

So, in addition to Covid and a possible worldwide recession, we now have “unforseen political changes.”

Saubaudia is a town of about 20,000 located on the western coast of Italy, south of Rome, in central area of the country. Alberto Mosca, a former general of the Carabinieri (national police) won June’s Mayoral election over former Mayor Maurizio Lucci, with 52.9% of the vote, with a margin of about 381 votes.

However, Saubaudia’s problems as a rowing venue started earlier. On 23 March, the venue pulled out as the site for the European U-19 Championships, scheduled for 21-22 May. The town of Varese, Italy stepped in and held the event instead.

3.
RUSADA ready to hold Valieva case hearings

“The investigation has been concluded. The next step is for the results processing department, it is preparing documents for hearings in the [anti-doping disciplinary committee], in accordance with established rules and procedures.”

That’s from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, the responsible party in the inquiry into the doping positive of then-15-year-old Kamila Valieva, the Beijing 2022 women’s skating favorite, who tested positive for trimetazidine at the Russian National Championships in December, but was cleared by a RUSADA appeals panel in February and declared eligible to compete at the Olympic Winter Games.

An emergency appeal by the International Olympic Committee, the International Skating Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency to keep her from competing in Beijing was turned down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Valieva won the women’s section of the Team Event and Russia won the event overall with 74 points to 65 for the U.S., 63 for Japan and 53 for Canada. She performed poorly in the women’s individual event, finishing fourth.

The IOC did not allow the medal ceremony for the Team Event to take place and has been waiting for the outcome of the Valieva case – including the inevitable appeal – to officially conclude the event and award the medals.

No indication of when a hearing would take place has been given as yet.

4.
Russian gymnast Kuliak’s suspension upheld

Remember the furor from the March 2022 FIG Apparatus World Cup in Doha (QAT), where Russia’s Ivan Kuliak, 20, brazenly wore the infamous, pro-invasion “Z” symbol on his uniform?

He won a bronze medal on the Parallel Bars, but was subsequently disqualified in May by the Disciplinary Commission of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, including:

“Mr Kuliak is not allowed to participate in any FIG-sanctioned event or competition organised by an affiliated FIG member federation for one year as of the date of this decision. If the protective measures keeping Russian athletes from competing are still in place on 17 May 2023, the ban shall continue and expire six months after the removal of said measures …”

On Tuesday (14th), the decision in Kuliak’s appeal to the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation was announced, including:

“In its decision, the Appeal Tribunal Panel confirms the decision issued on 17 May 2022 by the GEF Disciplinary Commission in upholding the one-year ban from competition. It finds, however, that this ban is independent of the protective measures currently keeping Russian athletes out of international gymnastics competition and should therefore not be prolonged beyond one year regardless of the status of the protective measures at the end of the ban.”

So, Kuliak’s personal eligibility will be activated on 17 May 2023, but if Russian athletes continue to be banned, he will too, but on the same basis as all others.

The appeal costs of CHF 5,000 remain in place and have been paid; this decision can now be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if desired.

5.
Paris 2024 torch relay details: 12,000 runners, 70-80 days

Initial details of the Paris 2024 torch relay were announced on Tuesday (13th), with the organizing committee explaining the basic outline of the program and reports adding in some of the financial specifics:

● Total relay program of 70-80 days with about 12,000 total runners
● Visiting about 60 “Departments of France” (regions)
● Cost roughly €30-35 million (about $30-35 million U.S. today)

The initial hope was to have the torch visit all 102 Departments of France – the 96 continental Departments and the six islands – but FrancsJeux.com reported that some of the regions had no interest in the support costs of €150,000 and passed.

The all-sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that each day of the relay will cost about €450,000 and will pass through about 700 cities. The areas to be visited are expected to be fixed sometime in November and the actual route in mid-2023. A visit to the surfing site in Tahiti is also planned.

The relay is planned to have three commercial sponsors, with the BPCE financial group (Banque Populaire, Caisse d’Epargne & Natixis) and Coca-Cola already committed.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Gymnastics ● The FIG Rhythmic World Championships are underway in Sofia (BUL), with Italy’s 18-year-old Sofia Raffaeli claiming first-day golds in both Hoop and Ball.

In Hoop, Raffaeli had the highest difficulty rating for her routine at 17.500 and scored 34.850 for a clear win over Stiliana Nikolova (BUL: 33.400) and Darja Varfolomeev (GER: 32.150). American Evita Griskenas was seventh at 30.450.

Almost the same story in Ball, where Raffaeli again had a high degree of difficulty (17.600) and helped her to a 34.900-34.100 win over Varfolomeev, with Italian Milena Baldassari third (32.400).

Raffaeli won the All-Around at three of the four FIG Rhythmic World Cups this season and won 13 medals in the 16 individual events held. She moved up from a bronze in hoop at the 2021 Worlds to the top of the podium with two more apparatus events and the All-Around still to go.

Russia has dominated the Rhythmic Worlds and its absence is obvious. Raffaeli’s win in Hoop broke a streak of six consecutive Worlds golds by Russians and the Ball gold ended a string of 12 straight Russian wins. The streak is 10 in Clubs and 10 in the All-Around (but zero in Ribbon!).

● Wrestling ● The U.S. won its first gold of the 2022 UWW World Championships in Belgrade, with Dominique Parrish claiming her first Worlds medal.

Parrish crushed her first two opponents at 53 kg by 10-0 technical falls, then defeated Greece’s Maria Prevolaraki in a tense, 3-1 battle to get to the final. She had a battle in the final against Asian Championships silver medalist Batkhuyagiin Khulan of Mongolia, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period, then getting a final takedown after Khulan had tied the score in the second.

Japan marched on with two more victories, at 50 kg and 65 kg. Tokyo Olympic champ Yui Sasaki dominated the 50 kg class and won her third World title with a pinfall against Mongolia’s 2021 Worlds bronze medalist Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal. American Sarah Hildebrandt, the Tokyo bronze medalist, won her third career Worlds medal with a win in her bronze-medal match with Alina Vuc (ROU) by a 10-0 technical fall.

At 65 kg, Miwa Morikawa moved up from silver at the 2021 Worlds to gold, defeating China’s Jia Long in the final, 2-0. American Mallory Velte lost to Morikawa (also by 2-0) in the quarterfinals, but fought back to win a bronze medal over Mimi Hristova (BUL) by 11-2. It’s Velte’s second Worlds medal, after a bronze in 2018 at 62 kg.

At 76 kg, Turkey’s Yasemin Adar, the Tokyo bronze medalist, won her second Worlds gold with a 6-0 shutout of Egypt’s Samar Amer in the final. Adar previously won the 2017 World title in Paris in 2017.

The U.S. women had a big day in the preliminary rounds of four other divisions and qualified three finalists: three-time World Champion Helen Maroulis (57 kg), Olympic champ Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg) and 18-year-old Amit Elor, the 2022 World Junior Champion, at 72 kg.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2020: Tokyo ● The arrests keep piling up in the Tokyo Olympic sponsor bribery case, with Kadokawa Publishing Chair Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, 79, detained by Tokyo prosecutors on Wednesday.

The prosecutors believe that Kadokawa Publishing paid ¥76 million (about $531,600 U.S. today) to the consulting firm of an ex-Dentsu staffer, working with former Dentsu senior managing director Haruyuki Takahashi, a Tokyo 2020 Executive Board member with influence over the sponsor selection process. Kadokawa Publishing was named an “Official Supporter” of the Games (third tier) in 2019, with a license to use the Tokyo 2020 marks on publications for sale to the public.

The inquiry has thus far pursued want-to-sponsor bribery allegations against Kadokawa, business suit retailer Aoki Holdings and Daiko Advertising, the latter on behalf of an unnamed client.

● Russia ● “We insist that Russia has been and remains a self-sufficient powerful sports power that can overcome these temporary sanctions.”

That’s Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin at a Monday conference, explaining that no permanent damage has been done to the country’s sports program as a result of near-universal sanctions on its athletes and teams:

“As soon as the sanctions measures were introduced, we adopted an anti-crisis plan. Today we will talk about its implementation, both in the format of the competitions and in terms of our international activities. The main task is to strengthen the national sports system.”

● Freestyle Skiing ● Canadian moguls star Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, 30, has announced her retirement.

She competed internationally for 15 years and was a frequent medal winner, with 27 medals in 142 World Cup starts and a Crystal Globe for the 2015-16 season. A four-time Olympian, she won silver at Sochi in 2014, one place behind her sister Justine, and won two Worlds medals in the dual moguls, a silver in 2011 and the Worlds gold in 2013.

● Swimming ● Italian Swimming Federation President Paolo Barelli, is a leading candidate for the Italian Senate in elections coming up on 25 September and the former head of the European Swimming League (LEN), was provisionally suspended by the FINA Ethics Panel on Wednesday.

The notice of suspension noted only “The FINA Ethics Committee is currently investigating multiple referrals of alleged wrongdoing from three separate cases against Mr. Barelli.” Other reports indicate the issues involve financial irregularities, with continuing investigations in Italy and Switzerland. Barelli was elected to a third term as the head of LEN in 2020, but was then removed in a 46-44 vote of no-confidence in September 2021.

In a statement, Barelli said in part:

“The time of the attack on my political role in the run-up to the elections is also suspect. I am sure that this story, like all the others with which people tried to tarnish me in Italy and abroad, will end with the full demonstration of my correctness.”

● Table Tennis ● Events have been canceled in China for months in nearly every sport except one: table tennis.

The ITTF World Team Championships has been confirmed for Chengdu from 30 September to 9 October, to be held in a confined-access environment similar to that created for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in February.

On Wednesday, World Table Tennis announced the WTT Champions Macau tournament from 19-23 October, with $800,000 in total prize money, and the WTT Cup Finals in Xinxiang, with a $1 million prize purse.

And perhaps the anti-Covid measures are being trimmed, as WTT Council Chair Guoliang Liu (CHN) said, “We expect players from all over the world to fully explore and experience China’s history, culture and customs by participating … May table tennis become the bridge connecting the world again.”

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, 620-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

TSX REPORT: Modest impact for Eugene Worlds on area lodging; van Niekerk comeback gaining steam for 2023; IOC suspension implodes Central American Games

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ The Sports Examiner: Surveying, monitoring and explaining 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. Oregon lodging stats show only modest increase from Eugene Worlds
2. Van Niekerk comeback accelerates in Bellinzona
3. Massive crowd opens Lusail Stadium in Qatar, but with some issues
4. Turkey wins Greco title; Japan sweeps women’s golds at Wrestling Worlds
5. Governance makes a difference as Central American Games canceled

The first statistics on the local impact of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene are out, with only a modest increase in occupancy, but a big gain in revenue thanks to increased prices. At the last World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Europe this year, South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk showed signs of being a major contender for 2023 honors with a 44.33 win in the men’s 400 m. A massive crowd of more than 77,000 opened the Lusail Stadium in Qatar last week – it will be the site of the FIFA World Cup final – but with some of the often-seen issues of supplies and transport management that need to be worked out. Turkey won the team Greco-Roman title at the UWW World Championships in Belgrade and Japan’s women continued to dominate, winning the first two Freestyle titles. Following the International Olympic Committee’s imposition of a delayed suspension of the National Olympic Committee of Guatemala to resolve governmental interference in elections, the Central American Sports Organization decided to cancel October’s Central American Games – to be held in Costa Rica and Guatemala – altogether. Wow.

1.
Oregon lodging stats show only modest increase
from Eugene Worlds

The first statistical reports are beginning to show up on the impact of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with a noticeable but hardly overwhelming rise in accommodations use last July.

Let’s start with noting that the 2022 Worlds took place from 15-24 July, so only 10 days out of a 31-day month. But the Oregon Tourism Commission’s “Oregon Lodging Statistics” report for July showed:

● Statewide occupancy in Oregon was down by 2.2% in July to 73.9%, year-over-year vs. 2021.

● Occupancy in the Willamette Valley region, which includes Eugene and Springfield, was up by just 0.3% for the month to 77.7% in 2022, year-over-year vs. 2021. (Many Worlds visitors would like to know where those 22.3% unused rooms were during the meet!)

● Room rates, however, were up 10.1% statewide in July vs. 2021 and in the Willamette Valley region, by 35.0% vs. 2021, to an average of $185.91 per room per night. Room revenue statewide for July was up only 8.1% in July, but 33.5% in the Willamette Valley region to $48.02 million, compared to 2021. That’s a reflection of the Worlds, no doubt.

Perhaps reflecting the concentration on the Worlds dates, “room demand” for all of  July in the Willamette Valley region was actually down by 1.1%, year-over-year, vs. 2021.

More reports are due from the Oregon Tourism Commission to more fully evaluate the impact of the World Championships, by the end of the year.

The June report, which includes the hosting of the poorly-attended NCAA Championships and USATF National Championships at Hayward Field, showed Willamette Valley occupancy at 75.2% for the month (down 2.0% from 2021) but an average room rate of $167.72, up 14.4% from 2021. That’s a remarkable increase, given that the NCAAs and the U.S. Olympic Trials were held in Eugene in 2021, with much better attendance.

2.
Van Niekerk comeback accelerates in Bellinzona

The end of the World Athletics Continental Tour in Europe for 2022 was the Gala dei Castelli meet in Bellinzona (SUI) on Monday, but it showed that the comeback of Rio 2016 men’s 400 m gold medalist Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) is just starting.

Still not the same following a freak injury during a celebrity touch rugby match in late 2017, van Niekerk went from bests of 43.48-43.03 (world record)-43.62 in 2015-16-17 to missing all of 2018, then 47.28 in 2019, 45.58 in 2020 and 44.56 in 2021.

In a non-Diamond League race in Zurich on the 8th, he won in a seasonal best of 44.39 and then won in Bellinzona in 44.33, his fastest in five years and no. 7 in the world for 2022. He beat 2012 Olympic champ Kirani James (GRN) – the Diamond League winner – who ran 44.38 for second. Age 30, van Niekerk was fifth at this year’s Worlds in Eugene and now has to be counted as a real challenger again for the 2023 Worlds … if he can stay healthy. He said after Zurich:

“The year has been challenging. I had to fight a lot of doubts and fears but I think it is going the right direction. It was just about getting back to believe in myself. I feel good, this was a good indication for me and great step forward.”

There were other strong marks on Monday, including a 47.61 win for Brazil’s World Champion Alison Dos Santos in the men’s 400 m hurdles, a 13.18 win for Jamal Britt (USA) in the men’s 110 m hurdles, another victory for E.J. Obiena (PHI) in the vault at 5.81 m (19-0 3/4) over American Chris Nilsen (5.71 m/18-8 3/4), and a shot put win for the U.S.’s Joe Kovacs over countryman Ryan Crouser, 22.19 m (72-9 3/4) to 22.00 m (72-2 1/4).

Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV) impressed with a 10.86 victory in the women’s 100 m and Puerto Rico’s Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the women’s 100 m hurdles in 12.72 over 2019 World Champion Nia Ali of the U.S. (12.80).

3.
Massive crowd opens Lusail Stadium in Qatar,
but with some issues

The final venue to be declared ready for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar saw a national-record crowd of 77,575 pour in on Friday (9th) for the Lusail Super Cup, with Al Hilal (RSA) defeating Zamalek (EGY) on penalties after a 1-1 tie.

The Lusail Stadium will host the FIFA World Cup final on 18 December and the match was not without incident. Reuters reported that with temperatures at about 93 F, water had run out at facilities inside and outside the stadium, and that crowds overwhelmed the nearby public transit station after the conclusion of the match:

“The station entrance is 400 metres from the stadium, but fans waited in a 2.5 kilometre line snaking back and forth across an empty lot. Officials said that was to prevent a stampede.”

There was confusion among medical staff, security and suppliers on entrances to the facility, not surprising for a first event, but indicating the continuing need for preparations for the World Cup, which will open on 20 November.

4.
Turkey wins Greco title; Japan sweeps women’s golds at Wrestling Worlds

Japan’s women Freestyle team has won seven World Championships team titles in a row and 16 of 19 this century. And there is no let up.

At the UWW World Championships in Belgrade (SRB), Japan scored the first two golds of the women’s tournament, with Tokyo Olympic champ Mayu Mukaida winning her third Worlds gold with a 10-0 technical fall over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Khomenets in the final, and World Junior Champion Nonoka Ozaki shutting down American Kayla Miracle, also 10-0.

Miracle won a Worlds silver for the second year in a row and had won her matches by 17-6, 6-1 and a pinfall, but was overmatched against Ozaki.

American Jacarra Winchester lost in the 55 kg semifinals to Mukaida, but wrestling back into the bronze medal round, she was pinned by China’s Mengyu Xie, and finished fifth.

In the Greco-Roman finals, host Serbia scored wins at 63 kg and 67 kg, with Sebastian Nad winning his first Worlds medal by defeating 2021 Worlds silver winner Leri Abuladze (GEO), 3-1 at 63, and 2021 European champ Mate Nemes moving up from a Worlds bronze in 2019 to win at 67 kg over Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Mohammad Geraei (IRI), 5-4.

Zholaman Sharshenbekov (KGZ) – the 2021 Worlds runner-up – won the 60 kg class this time, scoring an 11-2 rout over 2020 European Champion Edmond Nazaryan (BUL). At 82 kg, Turkey’s Burhan Akbudak also moved up from silver in 2021 to win at 82 kg over Uzbekistan’s 2021 Asian champ, Jalgasbay Berdimuratov, 7-6.

Rio 2016 Olympic champ Artur Aleksanyan (ARM) won his fourth Worlds gold with a 5-1 victory over Bulgaria’s 2018 Worlds runner-up Kilil Milov. Aleksanyan now owns World Championship golds from 2014-15-17-22, plus silvers from 2013-19 for six medals in the last nine Worlds.

Turkey won the Greco team title as three-time Olympic medal winner Riza Kayaalp took his fifth world title at 130 kg (2011-15-17-19-22) by defeating Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh, 1-1, on criteria. The victory gave the Turks 125 points in the Greco-Roman division, on top of Azerbaijan (118) and Serbia (110).

The meet continues through the weekend with the women’s and men’s Freestyle classes.

5.
Governance makes a difference as Central American Games canceled

Last week, the International Olympic Committee suspended the National Olympic Committee of Guatemala for interference by the Constitutional Court of Guatemala, to take effect on 15 October 2022.

The delay was to allow a solution to be found in time for the 2022 Central American Games to take place in Costa Rica and Guatemala from 27 October to 13 November. There’s no need for that now as the Central American Sports Organization (known as ORDECA) canceled the 2022 CAG altogether:

“The Executive Committee of the Central American Sports Organization (ORDECA), in an extraordinary session (September 12, 2022), in view of the governance situation facing the Guatemalan Olympic Committee (COG), reports that:

“– Adheres to and expresses its full support for the content of the letter sent by the International Olympic Committee dated July 1, 2022, which reiterates that the National Olympic Committees must be free from interference in their internal governance and operations in accordance with the principle of autonomy of the Olympic Movement established in the Olympic Charter.

“– In view of the governance situation that affects the normal operation of the National Olympic Committee of Guatemala in accordance with the Olympic Charter and given the administrative and financial insecurity that such a situation entails, it is decided to cancel the XII edition of the Central American Sports Games that would be organized together Guatemala and Costa Rica.

“– In order to offer Central American athletes the opportunity to compete in the Central American Games, in accordance with the ORDECA Statutes, applications will be opened from the host cities in 2023 and thus have a broad period of organization to the next edition of the Central American Games scheduled to be held in 2025.”

About 2,500 athletes from seven nations – Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama – were expected to participate. The CAG was to have been held in 2021, but was moved due to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to 2021. The last Central American Games was held in 2017 in Nicaragua, with 3,500 athletes competing in 27 sports.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Winter Games: 2030 ● A new poll by the Asahi Shimbun in Japan found that 55% support the Sapporo bid for 2030 vs. 38% against. However, the polling in the Hokkaido Prefecture – in which Sapporo is located – showed an almost even split.

Sapporo and Salt Lake City are leaders in the campaign for the 2030 Winter Games, with Vancouver working to catch up after a late start. The host is expected to be selected in 2023.

● African Games ● Next year’s XIII All-Africa Games in Ghana is being threatened by a dispute by the Association of African Sports Confederations.

MyJoyOnline, operated by Joy FM, the leading English-language radio station in Ghana, reported last week that a “[m]ajor disagreement over marketing rights between the African Union (AU), the Association of African Olympic Committees (ANOCA) and Association of African Sports Confederations (UCSA) – three organisations that usually collaborate for the games – is threatening the delivery of the event.”

The three groups signed an agreement to cooperate on the event in 2018, but the African Union entered a separate agreement with the government of Ghana for the 2023 event that contradicted sections of the 2018 deal.

The UCSA provides the sports officials for the event and without its assistance, it “would make it impossible to stage the games next year.” The event is scheduled for August 2023 in Accra.

● Deaflympics ● Japan’s post-Olympic program for its venues got another boost as Tokyo was selected to host the 2025 Deaflympics, the first time for the event to held in Japan.

The event dates back to 1924 in Paris and the 2021 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul (BRA) drew 1,489 competitors competing in 18 sports and 220 events. It will be the second time in Asia for the event; the 2009 edition was held in Chinese Taipei.

● Athletics ● Italian Steeple star Ahmed Abdelwahed, who had a career year in 2022, including a European Championships silver medal and a lifetime best of 8:10.29, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit on 7 September 2022.

The suspension posting notes the presence or use of a prohibited substance, in this case, meldonium, which has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2016.

“[M]aybe this will be my last big competition on the professional level.”

It was. Only hours after her fifth-place finish in the women’s javelin at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, Czech star Barbora Spotakova announced her retirement.

Now 41, she is one of the greatest javelinistas ever, winning Olympic golds in 2008 and 2012 and World Championships titles in 2007-11-17, 15 national titles and is the world-record holder at 72.28 m (237-2) from 2008. She currently has three of the top six performances of all time from other meets in 2008 and 2011.

Few also remember that she spent one season as a collegian in the U.S. at Minnesota, winning the Big 10 heptathlon and finishing second in the jav, and then fifth in the NCAA javelin.

She told a news conference last Friday (9th), “Every fairy tale comes to an end, and mine had a wonderful happy ending in the form of a bronze medal at the [2022] European Championships in Munich, symbolically closing the circle. My body was clearly telling me that it was time to quit. …

“I want to be a mom now. The boys are nine and four, and I feel they need me more than ever before. I found that it makes me happier when they play sports than when I do. In the past year, I had to watch myself a lot to stay as healthy as possible, and I missed the joy of athletics. I enjoy my boys’ sports all the more.”

Speaking of retirement, what about American Record holder Kara Winger?

She had a magical 2022 season – at 36 – including a last-throw World Championships silver medal and then not only a Diamond League Final win, but the world-leading throw for 2022 at 68.11 m (223-5) in Brussels, now no. 12 all-time. And she is automatically qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

After her Diamond League Final victory, she told reporters:

“I have to see how I feel, but at this point, I do not change my decision about my retirement. I loved this one-time season with my husband [Russ] by my side.

“It was amazing to share my career with Barbora Spotakova and we became good friends. That just feels perfect. I have been to Zurich like four times and it was always fantastic. But there was something special about today. I felt like the entire stadium was with me. I felt like I had so many friends with me. The season was like … disbelief.

“I just wanted to have a good time and it turned out to be the best season of my life. I know it was absolutely everything and I am so grateful for what I did because we worked really hard for this and I just cannot believe it. It was magic.”

The 2022 season was a traumatic one for all Ukrainian athletes. High jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, just 20, had the season of her life with a World Indoor gold, a silver at the World Championships in Eugene and the Diamond League victory in Zurich. She said afterwards:

“It is so cool to win my first Diamond trophy. I am done with my season now. We, as a team, we are very strong now because we are fighting for our country and it gives us more power.

“I managed to stay quite focused during the season and I really even enjoyed it today. It was so nice to compete here and I felt the support from the crowd very much. Now, every competition, every win is so important for me and for Ukraine.

“Now, I am really like an ambassador of Ukraine on the track because I talk to many journalists and I have the chance to talk about Ukraine. Now, we finish our season with 2.03 m [6-8], it is so nice and I hope I will find the power to compete in the new season. I was very close at 2.06 m [6-9] but it just did not happen this time.

“As the season is over, I do not know, I just want to be alive, I want to come back to Ukraine to my city. Let’s see. See you next season.”

Mahuchikh finished as the world leader for 2022 at 2.05 m (6-8 3/4), a national record. She and her teammates deserve a rest, but who knows what they will find at home.

● Football ● The no. 1-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team scheduled another challenging road match on its forthcoming European trip, adding a contest with no. 8-ranked Spain in Pamplona on Tuesday, 11 October.

That’s four days after the American women will play 2022 European Champion England at sold-out Wembley Stadium on 7 October, with England currently ranked fourth worldwide.

A month later, the USWNT will play no. 2-ranked Germany in back-to-back matches, first on 10 November in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and then on 13 November in Harrison, New Jersey.

At the recent European Championships held in England, Spain reached the quarterfinals and lost to eventual champion England, 2-1, after extra time. Germany won its first five games to reach the final, outscoring its opponents by 13-1 before losing an extra-time thriller to England, also by 2-1.

● Judo ● The International Judo Federation announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld its four-year suspension of the Iran Judo Federation for actions taken by Iranian officials at the 2019 World Championships to avoid having its judoka compete against Israeli athletes.

After its initial decision to suspend the Iranian federation indefinitely was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the IJF Disciplinary Commission sanctioned the Iranian federation with a four-year ban from September 2019 to September 2023. The 1 September 2022 opinion of a three-arbitrator panel confirmed the validity of the suspension, which continues in force.

● Rowing ● You don’t hear much about doping in rowing, but British competitor Christopher Bailey was suspended for four years by the International Testing Agency for a doping positive recorded at the World Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships from last February.

Bailey finished seventh in the men’s 30-39 event at 2,000 m, was selected for an in-competition test by the ITA and was found to be positive for the anabolic steroid. Drostanolone. Bailey submitted no response to the charge and is suspended through 24 April 2026.

Doping in an online competition? Wow.

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LANE ONE: IOC warns Modern Pentathlon federation on “other athletes” voice on new fifth discipline

By
Rich Perelman
-
Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had good advice for the Olympic future of Modern Pentathlon ... in 1858! (Photo: Matthew Brady in 1864, via Wikipedia)

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

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The Olympic future of Modern Pentathlon is in trouble. A lot of trouble.

Created by France’s Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, it was introduced at the Stockholm Games in 1912 and has been in every Olympic Games since, incorporating fencing, swimming, riding, shooting and running. It’s really a four-event program now with the shooting and running combined into the “Laser Run” in 2012.

But after the embarrassment of the Tokyo 2020 Games – at which the horse Saint Boy refused to jump for Germany’s Annika Schleu, with the horse being punched by German coach Kim Raisner – the sport’s international federation (UIPM) controversially voted in November 2021 to replace riding with a new fifth discipline, obstacle racing.

However, many of the sport’s top performers have refused to go along. And their voice is being heard.

When the International Olympic Committee Executive Board announced its since-approved initial sports program for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games last December, the Modern Pentathlon was left out. Moreover, the announcement stated:

“The UIPM must finalise its proposal for the replacement of horse riding and the overall competition format, and demonstrate a significant reduction in cost and complexity and an improvement across the areas of safety, accessibility, universality and appeal for young people and the general public.”

While the UIPM – Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne – has been busy promoting obstacle racing with three trial events so far and a fourth now scheduled for October, an athlete group called Pentathlon United has mounted a public shouting match, complaining loudly that riding needs to be reformed, not excluded from the sport. (Riding is being retained for the Paris 2024 Games.)

And at last Thursday news conference during the IOC Executive Board meeting, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) very diplomatically indicated that the Pentathlon United voice was not only being heard, but is important:

“In terms of the second question regarding athletes in Modern Pentathlon, I think – and hopefully you’re aware of this – when the IOC Executive Board did not include Modern Pentathlon in the initial sports program for Los Angeles 2028, there was a very clear framework that was set out, in terms of accessibility, cost and complexity and so on, and one of the key points was consultation with the athlete community.

“We ourselves had a call directly with the UIPM athletes community when the IOC Executive Board recommendation was made and then supported by the IOC Session, to explain exactly the situation and enforce their voice in that discussion.

“I think we should consider that there’s two aspects to this also: there’s the elected athlete commission voice and there’s other athletes which may or may not have the same opinion, which also have a voice. So, again, we’re looking forward to the UIPM reflecting that athlete voice both in their review of that fifth discipline, finalizing the recommendation of that discipline, and then in the proposals they put forth to us, and we’ll seek that athlete view in that consideration.”

Let’s be clear: the Modern Pentathlon is a tiny sport. From 1912 through 1996, with competition for men and a men’s team event, it never drew more than 66 total participants. By dropping the men’s team event and adding a women’s division in 2000, participation increased and the sport has had a quota of 72 athletes for 2008-12-16-20-24.

That’s by far the smallest of all of the sports in the Olympic Games, outside of the added sports requested by the organizing committees for both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. The next-smallest sport is Triathlon, with 110 participants for Paris, 53% higher.

In fact, for Paris, even the added sport of Skateboarding will have more athletes (88!) than the Modern Pentathlon, and Sport Climbing will have 68.

The UIPM’s elected leadership has been steadfast in maintaining that only removing riding and replacing it will keep the sport in the Olympic Games. However, it has had only modest interest in its obstacle course test events:

● The first obstacle test, following the UIPM World Cup Final in Ankara (TUR) in June, drew only 36 out of 71 participants and just 28 answered a UIPM survey about the event, which did not include a question on the option of retaining riding.

● The second test, held in Manila (PHI) on the sidelines of a Ninja World Cup obstacle event, drew 120 participants, but only 27 pentathletes, of which 22 agreed to complete a UIPM survey.

● The third test, held in conjunction with the UIPM Youth World Championships in Italy on 9-10 September, drew 122 participants (of 260+ event entries) on a beach course, with quotes from 28 athletes, but no report yet on survey and no information on a response option to prefer riding.

Pentathlon United champions its survey of 213 athletes from July, in which 90.6 percent were in favor of retaining riding (as is or with safety upgrades), 7.5% in favor of obstacle or Ninja-style racing and the remainder undecided.

And PentUnited has released a detailed, four-page plan for the reform of the riding discipline to remove the issues that were raised in Tokyo. A clever video released on 10 September showed 12 elite-level athletes ranked in the men’s and women’s top 30 against removing riding – including Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Joe Choong (GBR) – as well as 10 of the top 25 junior men and women in favor of “keep riding and change the rules.”

Two years before he was elected President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln famously said in an 1858 speech in his campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” He was right then and right now.

The IOC’s McConnell has served notice to the UIPM and to PentUnited that the sport’s Olympic future will be brighter with more unity. And as both sides harden their positions, what can the federation show as proof of reduced “cost and complexity” or expanded “appeal for young people and the general public”?

All this for 72 athletes and a sport which now requests a custom-built, all-in-one venue for men’s and women’s finals that will take all of 90 minutes each?

It is telling that an August announcement by the UIPM reveled in the possibility of being added to the program of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria (AUS). Not for the Modern Pentathlon, but for just the Laser Run. That’s hardly an endorsement for 2028.

If there was ever a time for unity, this is the time for the UIPM and its athlete critics to find common ground and a way forward. Because the IOC does not appear to be buying what is currently being sold.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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TSX REPORT: IOC excited about Paris, but is fine-tuning costs and emphasizing human rights (with no apology for Beijing ‘22); Evenepoel, 22, wins La Vuelta!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Bach: Olympics must be younger, more digital, sustainable, modern
2. IOC introduces “Strategic Framework on Human Rights”
3. Int’l Boxing Association “concerned” and “surprised” by IOC criticism
4. Munich ‘72 U.S. basketball team and IOC still at odds over silver medals
5. Belgium’s young star Evenepoel wins La Vuelta by 2:02

While pumping up the excitement for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) continues to re-shape his organization and the Games. He announced a powerful new “Games Optimization Working Group” to continue making the event “even younger” and “more digital.” In addition, the IOC Executive Board adopted the 50-page “Strategic Framework on Human Rights,” but asked about how this commitment matched up with hosting the 2022 Winter Games in China, he referred to the IOC’s Host City Contract. The International Boxing Association, not on the program for 2028 and slammed by the IOC again, posted an unhappy reply and says it has followed the IOC’s recommendations for reinstatement clearly and cleanly. A request by the 1972 U.S. men’s basketball team to have its “silver medals” given to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was turned down by the IOC, which insists that the only way for the medals to be awarded is for the players to accept them. That’s not happening. Belgium’s 22-year-old Remco Evenepoel won the final Grand Tour of 2022, the 21-stage Vuelta a Espana, becoming the first Belgian winner in 45 years.

1.
Bach: Olympics must be younger,
more digital, sustainable, modern

The drumbeat for Paris 2024 has already started, as evidenced by the comments from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) at Friday’s news conference following two days of Executive Board meetings:

“We are very much looking forward to this, hopefully, first post-pandemic Olympic Games, which will be more urban, younger, inclusive, sustainable Olympic Games, and the first gender-balanced Olympic Games in history, and they will be the first Olympic Games which are planned, ready and organized and in the best sense of the word, celebrated, in full alignment with Olympic Agenda 2020.”

He was especially enthused by the revolutionary idea of the Opening Ceremony to take place on the Seine River:

“The Olympic Games are already, now, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but having this Olympic experience, this will really be unique and a moment, I think, nobody of them will ever being on this boat and being welcomed and cheered on by up to 600,000 people on the river.”

And no worries about security? “We can really say we have full confidence in the French security authorities.”

However, excitement for 2024 has hardly tempered Bach’s continuing reform program of the IOC and the Games. Building off of the difficult re-programming of the Tokyo Games for a year’s delay, the economic issues plaguing Paris and Milan Cortina 2026 and Bach’s view of the future of the Olympics, the new “Games Optimization Working Group” was formally announced:

“It was about the organization of the Olympic Games, the optimization of the organization, meaning to adapt the organization of the Olympic Games to modern times, to our challenges … in particular on the financial and economical side, but also to make them even younger, to make them more digital, and on this behalf, we have created a Games Optimization Working Group.

“This Working Group consists of the major stakeholders: you have there executives from the different organizing committees, you have the presidents of the associations of the winter sports federations and the summer sports federations, you have the representatives from the National Olympic Committees and from the Paralympic Committee. There are media partners, press, TOP Partners, and, of course, our Olympic Games Department. And this extremely important working group is chaired by Kirsty Coventry [ZIM], who also chairs the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032.”

Bach noted that the group had already had its first meeting, and he was clear about its direction: “we want to make the Games more feasible, more sustainable and more modern, for the best athletes of the world to shine.”

He then introduced an even broader project, dealing with the IOC’s embrace of human rights as outlined by the United Nations (more below). But there were also questions about the future, especially the selection of the host for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games, in view of Thursday’s announcement of the delay of the 2023 IOC Session in India to September or October, at which the 2030 host is to be confirmed.

Ask specifically if the delay in the Session means the identification of a single potential host – Sapporo, Salt Lake City or Vancouver – won’t be made in the projected December time frame, Bach punted:

“This will be in the hands of the Future Host Commission to see whether they still want to come to the [Executive Board] in December or at a later stage. … This is in their hands.”

2.
IOC introduces “Strategic Framework on Human Rights”

Bach is a clear admirer of the United Nations and especially its goal-setting programs, and has now tethered the IOC and the Olympic Movement to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, introduced in 2011.

The 50-page IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights, introduced on Friday, is considered by Bach to be a central element in the future of the Olympic Movement:

● “This Framework will fundamentally shape the working practices of the IOC, the Olympic Games, and the entire Olympic Movement, ensuring that human rights are respected within our own respective remit.”

● “The overarching mission of the Olympic Movement, as you know, is for sport to contribute to a better world … It will address selection of future Olympic Games hosts and the delivery of the Olympic Games.”

● “What is clear … is the [host city selection] procedure, and there, you can see from this Human Rights Framework that the Future Host Commission, which is leading this process, will be guided by the U.N. [Guiding Principles].”

So what does this mean? The Framework sets out three limited “spheres of responsibility” for the IOC: for its own organization, for the organization of the Olympic Games and as leader of the Olympic Movement, with influence over the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees. The Framework is careful to set out these limits on the IOC’s view of its own purview, but within it are five priorities:

● Equality and non-discrimination
● Safety and well-being
● Livelihood and decent work
● Voice
● Privacy

And these areas will be applied to four target audiences:

● Athletes
● IOC/IF/NOC and organizing committee workforce
● Workers in supply and value chains
● Olympic-related communities

The IOC’s immediate goals for 2024 include 16 objectives, including internal actions such as amending the Olympic Charter and applying social and environmental standards to the IOC’s own supply chain. For future Olympic Games, the IOC plans to ask more questions and impose more oversight on bid cities and host cities, including prevention, mitigation and remediation measures.

(This is not new; FIFA is already doing this, and has asked each venue city for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. about this topic in detail.)

Issues of safeguarding – especially of very young athletes – and of freedom of the press to report at the Games without constraint are mentioned specifically.

With the broader Olympic Movement, the objectives focus on best-practice sharing, encouragement and monitoring, especially regarding athlete involvement and safeguarding from abuse at the IF and NOC levels.

So with all of this attention to human rights, what does Bach and the IOC have to say about February’s Winter Games in Beijing, especially in view of the 31 August human rights assessment by the U.N. Human Rights Office of China’s actions in Xinjiang regarding the Uyghur population? The report found “Serious human rights violations have been committed in XUAR in the context of the [Chinese] Government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-‘extremism’ strategies.”

Said Bach:

“We have, of course, taken note of this report. With regards to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which fall within our remit, the IOC worked together with the organizing committee to ensure that all the obligations in the Host City Contract were met, and if you read the report by the U.N. High Commissioner and you look into the recommendations which are directed to the wider society, there is the call, therefore, for respect of the U.N. [Guiding Principles], and this is what we are doing.”

Observed: The key here is Bach’s view of the limits of the IOC’s authority, which extends to the Olympic Games and no further. His repetition of the position that the Chinese organizers met the requirements of the Host City Contract is itself an admission that there was more than could have been done, but that was impossible in dealing with a world power on an event staged within its country.

Whether the IOC’s new human-rights program becomes meaningful, influential or worthwhile will very much depend on the credibility of the choices of the future host cities. For 2024, 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032, a significant challenge is not expected. What happens beyond is unknown and will be up to Bach’s successor.

3.
Int’l Boxing Association “concerned” and “surprised”
by IOC criticism

The IOC Executive Board issued a stinging rebuke to the International Boxing Association last Thursday, with a letter that stated:

“Boxing is currently not included in the sports programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. Considering the absence of a real evolution, the IOC Executive Board is not in a position to reverse this decision and will continue to monitor with grave concerns IBA’s governance.”

The IBA was upset, to say the least. In a Friday post, the federation:

● Complained that the qualification process that the IOC threw out and replaced with its own program was developed in part with the IOC, and:

“Neither is IBA aware of consultations made by the IOC with key IBA stakeholders, including IBA technical committees and IBA Athletes Committee, whilst it is claimed that the new qualification process puts boxers first.”

The IOC was highly critical of the thinning of the IBA’s supposed administrative headquarters in Lausanne in favor of what it called an expanding “Presidential office in Moscow” to support IBA chief Umar Kremlev, a Russian. The IBA’s reply: “the staff restructure of the Lausanne office was a necessary process for its continued smooth operation moving forward …”

● With regard to refereeing and judging:

“The perceived double standard approach relating to the joint assessment work in the technical officials space remains extremely disappointing. … Our work in the integrity space has already had a significant positive impact on results coming out at world level competition [IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul]. Trust is extremely important whilst working together in the team environment; positive feedback has been prevalent during this time, so it remains really difficult and disappointing to understand the sudden change in tact and direction.”

● As to governance:

“The newly formed IBA has moved away from the issues of the past. The organization has a new democratically elected Board of Directors, and it is a totally new entity … The forthcoming congress will dispel the myth and all doubts over IBA’s commitment to good governance.”

● As to IBA finances, which the IOC specifically criticized as leaning on the Russian state-owned energy giant, Gazprom, the IBA post stated:

“We believe that the IOC is not well-informed regarding the current financial state of IBA, but we remain open to any request for shared information. … we have agreements made with two main sponsors.”

The IOC has not been impressed.

The IBA’s own election processes have been less than perfect and the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the federation to hold a special Congress to determine if a re-run of the Presidential Election is to be held. That Congress will be held on 25 September in Yerevan (ARM), and the IOC stated that will be watching closely.

4.
Munich ‘72 U.S. basketball team and IOC still at odds
over silver medals

“Today is the 50th anniversary of the most controversial Olympic game ever – the US vs Soviet basketball game at the Munich ’72 Olympics. Here I am celebrating our win and then the refs took the game away from us. Till this day, we have never accepted the silver medals.”

Former Maryland star and later three-term Congressman Tom McMillen’s tweet on Friday commemorated a game whose outcome is disputed a half-century later, and is still not fully concluded.

The U.S. team refused to accept the silver medals after “losing” the Olympic final to the USSR, 51-50. The game initially ended with the U.S. winning, 50-49, but the final seconds were replayed twice more, with the Soviets finally making a basket off a long pass and officials declaring the game over.

The American position has not budged since and forward Ed Ratleff told The Associated Press, “I’m not taking it and I’m sure 100% we got cheated out of it and I think they knew that, too.”

McMillen asked the International Olympic Committee if the silver medals could be sent to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but the answer was no, with a spokesman saying, “The IOC expressed its appreciation for his efforts but felt that appointing an attorney to accept the medals would not be appropriate.”

In other words, if they players won’t accept them, they won’t be awarded.

Said McMillen: “[W]e say, ‘We don’t want these, we don’t think we deserve them, we think we deserve the gold. But I think everybody’s got different views. I mean, it’s really hard, so it’s probably going to stay the way it is.”

5.
Belgium’s young star Evenepoel wins La Vuelta by 2:02

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel weathered the last two climbing stages on Friday and Saturday and rode into Madrid on Sunday with the biggest win of his career in the 77th La Vuelta a Espana. Evenepoel finished the 21 stages in a cumulative time of 80:26:59, a clear winner by 2:02 over Spain’s Enric Mas and 4:57 over Juan Ayuso (ESP).

After three-time defending champion Primoz Roglic (SLO) was injured at the end of Stage 16, only Mas had a shot at the 22-year-old Belgian, whose most important victory had been the venerable, one-day Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in April.

On Friday, the 138 km route had two major climbs, but ended on a long, gentle downhill, so it finished in a mass sprint with Denmark’s Mads Pedersen claiming his third stage win in 3:19:11, ahead of Fred Wright (GBR: fifth top-4 finish!) and Gianni Vermeersch (BEL), with Evenepoel 40th (same time).

Saturday’s challenging five-climb, 181.0 km route to Puerto de Navacerrada was a third stage win for Ecuador’s Tokyo Olympic road race champ Richard Carapaz. He took over on the final climb and soloed to the finish across the final 7 km. A late challenge from Thymen Arensman (NED) earned him second (+0:08), with Ayuso (+0:13) third and Evenepoel sixth (+0:15).

That left the Belgian 2:07 up on Mas going into Sunday’s 96.7 km parade into Madrid. The expected mass sprint finish saw Juan Sebastian Molano (COL) edge Pedersen and Pascal Ackermann (GER) at the line with both timed in 2:26:36. Evenepoel finished 40th, 11 seconds behind the winner.

Evenepoel’s victory is the eighth by a Belgian at La Vuelta; seven men have won, but not since Freddy Maertens back in 1977. Gustaaf Deloor (1935-36), Edward van Dijck (1947), Frans de Mulder (1960), Ferdinand Bracke (1971) and the great Eddy Merckx in 1973 were the others, and now Evenepoel.

The eighth Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta for women also ended Sunday with Dutch star Annemiek van Vleuten defending her 2021 title in style, winning the second stage and finishing in the top 10 in four of the five stages.

Van Vleuten finished 1:44 in front of Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini, and 2:11 up on fellow Dutch star Demi Vollering. After the opening team time trial and van Vleuten’s win in stage 2, the races were won by Grace Brown (AUS), Silvia Pesico (ITA) and Elisa Balsamo (ITA) on Sunday.

Van Vleuten has had a season to remember as the absolutely dominant women’s rider, winning the Giro d’Italia Donne, the revived Tour de France Femmes and the Ceratizit Challenge. She also won two important one-day Classics in February’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April. At 39, she shows no signs of being done. Next up: the World Road Race Championships in Australia.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Rugby Sevens ● The quadrennial Rugby World Cup Sevens saw familiar teams at the top of the podium as Fiji and Australia won the men’s and women’s tournaments, held at Cape Town (RSA).

The Fijians, previous winners in 1997 and 2005, were hardly challenged, winning their Round of 16 match by 29-5 over Wales, then 21-10 over Samoa, 39-14 against Australia and the final by 20-12 over two-time defending champion New Zealand.

Ireland won the third-place match by 19-14 over Australia.

The women’s tournament was another match between the only two teams to win the title: 2009 champ Australia vs. 2013-18 champ New Zealand. The Australians won their matches by 48-0, 35-5 and then 17-7 against the U.S. in the semifinals, while the Kiwis won by 47-5, 28-0 and 38-0 vs. France.

The final figured to be a fight and it was, with Australia leading, 12-10, at the half. The Aussies got tries from Faith Nathan and Maddison Levi to expand the lead to 24-10, but then held on as New Zealand scored twice, but missed a conversion and fell short, 24-22.

In the third-place match, France easily defeated the U.S., 29-7. It was the second straight medal for the French (second in 2018) and the second consecutive fourth-place finish for the U.S.

● Volleyball ● Poland looked set to ace a third consecutive FIVB men’s World Championship before home fans in Katowice, but it was Italy that won a fourth men’s world title with a 22-25, 25-21, 25-18 and 25-20 win. The Italians had previously won in 1990-94-98 and this was its first medal since then.

Italy’s Simone Giannelli was named Most Valuable Player and Best Setter in the tournament. The Italian team won $200,000 as the champions, with Poland receiving $125,000 and Brazil, $75,000.

In the semifinals, Poland played a dramatic, five-set thriller against Brazil, losing the first set by 23-25, then winning the next two sets (25-18, 25-20), losing set four (21-25) before finally winning the fifth set by 15-12. Italy, on the other hand, swept aside Slovenia, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21.

In the third-place match, Brazil sailed past Slovenia in four sets, winning 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 21-18. It’s Brazil’s seventh straight medal at the Worlds, but the first time since 1998 that it has not been in the championship final. The U.S., which was eliminated in the quarterfinals, finished sixth.

● Wrestling ● The UWW World Championships are underway in Belgrade (SRB), with the first four of 30 world titles decided on Sunday, all in Greco-Roman.

At 52 kg, 2018 World Champion Eldaniz Azizli won his second career gold with an 8-0 shutout of 2019 World Champion Nugzari Tsurtsumia (GEO); American Max Nowry was fifth.

Former Iranian star Ali Arsalan (SRB) won the 72 kg division over 2022 European bronze medalist Ulvi Ganizade (AZE), 7-4; Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ) also won, 8-0, over 2020 European runner-up Zoltan Levai (HUN) at 77 kg, and Zurab Datunashvili won a second gold for Serbia by defending his 2021 world title, 6-2, over Turpal Bisultanov (DEN).

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Athletics ● The elite track & field season is almost, but not quite, over. At the Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb (CRO), the Saturday men’s shot put featured another showdown between Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser of the U.S. and countryman and two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs.

Kovacs had won the last two meets, but Crouser was better this time, reaching 22.19 m (72-9 3/4) in the fifth round to take back the lead from Kovacs, who opened with 21.95 m (72-0 1/4) but did not improve.

On Sunday, Americans scored eight wins, starting with Marvin Bracy in the men’s 100 m (9.97); Woody Kincaid in the 3,000 m with a final lean at the line in 7:38.83; a sweep in the 110 m hurdles for Grant Holloway (13.19), Freddie Crittenden (13.31) and Robert Dunning (13.36), and C.J. Allen in the 400 m hurdles in 49.10.

Shania Collins won the women’s 200 m in 22.80, Olivia Baker and Elise Cranny were 1-2 in the women’s 800 m in 2:00.16 and 2:00.49; Tonea Marshall took the 100 m hurdles in 12.74 and Ariana Ince got a lifetime best in the javelin at 64.38 m (211-3), now no. 4 on the all-time U.S. list.

Croatia’s two-time Olympic champ Sandra Perkovic got a season’s best of 68.46 m (224-7) to edge Tokyo Olympic champ Valarie Allman of the U.S. (67.55 m/221-7) in the women’s discus, and Sam Mattis was second (67.19 m/220-5) in the men’s discus.

Just one more meet on the European portion of the World Athletics Continental Tour, the Gala dei Castelli in Bellinzona (SUI) on Monday, with another good field expected.

Many of the middle-distance stars from the Diamond League Final in Zurich made the long flight to New York for Sunday’s Fifth Avenue Mile, held in rainy conditions and with a special race to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

The women’s mile was a breakaway performance for British star Laura Muir, who simply ran away from everyone after halfway. No one responded to her attack and she won easily in 4:15 (4:14.8), setting a race record. Well back were Nikki Hiltz (USA: 4:17), Eleanor Fulton (USA: 4:18) and defending champ Jemma Reekie (GBR: 4:18).

The men’s race was much tighter, but was another British win, this time for World 1,500 m Champion Jake Wightman, who concluded his best-ever season with a 3:50 (3:49.6) victory, defending his 2021 win and his third win in this race (also 2018). Fellow Brit Jake Heyward was second (3:50) and American Sam Prakel was third (3:51).

Easily the oldest nation vs. nation dual meet still contested in the annual Sweden vs. Finland dual meet, held 4-5 September in Helsinki’s historic Olympic Stadium.

The “Finnkampen” as the meet is known was a sweep for the Swedes, who won the men’s match by 227 1/2-204 1/2 and the women meet by 225 1/2 to 205 1/2.

Finland retains the overall lead in the men’s series – which started in 1925 – at 46-36 – while the Swedish women extended their series lead to 42-25 (first in 1953).

The top mark was Swede Daniel Stahl’s win in the men’s discus at 65.54 m (215-0).

National dual meets are an excellent promotional avenue for the sport, but have been mostly (although not totally) discarded in the U.S. since the close of the USA-USSR series that ran from 1958-85.

● Basketball ● In a battle of undefeated teams, Argentina edged Brazil, 75-73, in the final of the 19th FIBA AmeriCup, the quadrennial continental championship, played in Recife (BRA),

Both teams were 5-0 and the Argentines, two-time prior winners in 2001 and 2011, ran out to a 48-38 halftime lead. But Brazil, playing at home and four-time champs, roared back in the second half, and the game was tied in the fourth quarter at 67 and Brazil had a 73-71 lead with 1:28 to play. But a Marcos Delia dunk and a Gabriel Deck layin made the different for Argentina, which scored only eight points in the fourth quarter; Deck led all scorers with 20.

The defending champion U.S., with a squad of G League and foreign league players, won the bronze medal, 84-80, over Canada, overcoming a sluggish, 29-point first half and piling up a 55-44 edge in the second. Forward Gary Clark shot 8-11 from the field and led with Americans with 18 points, by far his best game of the tournament. Guard Zylan Cheatham had 16 and guard Craig Sword added 11.

In the semifinals, Brazil defeated Canada by 86-76, building a 67-54 lead after three quarters and holding on with 19 points from 6-7 forward Leonardo Meindl. Argentina defeated the U.S., 82-73, led by 30 points from 6-8 forward Deck on 9-13 shooting from the field.

Behind by 58-52 at the start of the fourth quarter, the U.S. got the lead at 64-63 with 5:49 left, but Argentina went on 17-7 run in the final five minutes for the win. Guard Norris Cole once again led the U.S. with 18 points.

● Curling ● The World Curling Federation selected a new President after 12 years, electing American Beau Welling with 52.7% of the vote in the second round during its 11th General Assembly in Lausanne (SUI).

Welling, a golf course designer and developer from South Carolina, was the leading vote-getter in round one and then took a majority of 127 votes in round two, to 73 for Hugh Millikin (AUS) and 41 for Graham Prouse (CAN). Welling, a WCF Board member since 2018, replaces Scotland’s Kate Caithness, who served as the federation chief for 12 years.

Welling is now the second American heading an International Federation, joining David Haggerty, the President of the International Tennis Federation.

● Football ● The newest bid for the FIFA World Cup 2030 is a three-nation project among Greece, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Such an effort, no doubt to be underwritten primarily by the Saudis, would place the World Cup once again in the fourth quarter of the year to accommodate the heat of the Middle East, similar to the situation for Qatar in 2022.

It’s the fifth known bid effort for 2030, with Portugal and Spain ready to work together, as well as a four-nation possibility from Romania, Greece, Romania and Serbia.

A South American bid to mark a century since the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930 also in formation, with the best-known concept a shared project with Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Morocco, which has bid five previous times, is also interested for 2030.

Historically, the World Cup has never been away from Europe for more than two editions. After the 2022 event in Qatar, the 2026 World Cup will be in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., making Europe a likely destination for 2030.

● Surfing ● Brazil triumphed once again in the men’s division, but it was Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore who headlined the World Surf League Finals off San Clemente, California.

Now 34, Gilmore had to defeat Olympic Champion and five-time pro tour world champ Carissa Moore (USA) for the 2022 crown, 15.00-10.90 and 15.23-11.97. It’s Gilmore’s eighth world pro title, after wins 2007-08-09-10-12-14-18; that’s the most ever among women, breaking a tie with fellow Australian Layne Beachley with seven between 1998-2006.

The men’s title went to first-time winner Filipe Toledo, who defeated the 2019 winner, Italo Ferreira (BRA) in the final, 15.13-14.97 and 16.50-14.93. It’s the fourth title in a row for a Brazilian and six of the last eight.

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