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HEARD AT HALFTIME: Confidence from Beijing on holding Winter Games, unhappiness about the diplomatic boycott; world road 5 km records!

By
Rich Perelman
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The Beijing 2022 awards podium and backdrop (Photo: Beijing 2022)

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

“The Chinese government has reminded us on several occasions, and again last Friday, that we are moving forward. They are very confident. They have set up an extremely sophisticated sanitary bubble that keeps all the participants inside it. Athletes will have virtually no contact with the outside world and will perform a PCR test every day. …

“My main concern is the increase in the number of cases among athletes. We obviously do not like to lose a few weeks before the Olympics when they have made it their goal for many months. It is above all for them that we organize this incredible event.”

That was International Olympic Committee Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) from a Monday interview with the Swiss television channel RTS, confirming the determination of the Chinese organizers to hold the Games on schedule, beginning on 4 February.

The “closed-loop management” program went into effect on Tuesday, exactly one month prior to the Opening Ceremony. The Main Media Center, which includes both the Main Press Center and International Broadcast Center, opened on Tuesday and comprises 98,000 sq. m (about 1.05 million sq. ft.).

Japan’s Kyodo News reported comments from a diplomatic source on the Chinese government’s view of the Games, despite the problems caused by the pandemic.

“[Chinese President Xi Jinping] wants to host the Olympics in their complete form to show to the world that China has overcome the novel coronavirus. He believes it will be conducive to ensuring his appointment [for another term, in the fall].

“The determination is unwavering. Xi’s leadership is expected to accelerate efforts to tackle the pandemic in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, regardless of whether Chinese citizens are fed up with strong restrictions.”

The story also noted comments from another source said to be familiar with the thinking of the Chinese Community Party, including “China has been eager to hold the Beijing Olympics, with national pride at stake, so the diplomatic boycott has become one of the headaches for Xi.

“What China has been also worried about is that the image of it would worsen if it retaliates too much for nations deciding to implement a diplomatic boycott. But Xi cannot forgive them. China has been frustrated.”

Underlining the importance of maintaining strict political neutrality, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) said in his New Year’s message:

“This Olympic Truce Resolution [adopted by the United Nations] is another demonstration that we can only accomplish our mission to unite the world, if everybody respects that the Olympic Games must be beyond all political disputes. In this way, the Olympic Winter Games 2022 can set another great example for a peaceful competition. The Olympic Games stand above any conflict. In the Olympic Games we all respect the same rules and each other. In the Olympic Games we are all equal.”

Bach also praised the conduct of the Tokyo Games last summer and reiterated the IOC’s focus on sustainability, the solidarity model of sharing revenues and “driving the digitalisation of the Olympic Movement even further.”

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The International Fair Play Committee announced the winner of its Fair Play Award for the Tokyo Games, selecting the seven skateboarders who came to the rescue of World Champion Misugu Okamoto after she crashed on her first run in the women’s Park final.

All seven of the other finalists came to her aid, including eventual gold and silver medalists Sakura Yosozumi and Kokona Hiraki (JPN), bronze medalist Sky Brown (GBR), Poppy Olsen (AUS: 5th), Bryce Wettstein (USA: 6th), and Brazil’s Dora Varella (7th) and Yndiara Asp (8th). Although she crashed out in the first round, Okamoto came back to finish fourth overall.

An amazing part of the incident was the youth of the competitors, with five of the eight aged just 12-19 and the other three in their early 20s. Okamoto was 15 at the time of the Games.

International Fair Play Committee Secretary General Sunil Sabharwal (USA) noted, “The many positive actions on the field of play, accentuate sports’ positive attributes that show no borders.”

The Fair Play award was instituted in 2008 and the winner was selected by a five-member jury from 13 short-listed nominees.

The IOC noted findings from Dr. Tomoya Saito, the Director of the Centre of Emergency Preparedness and Response of Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), at a late November conference in Monaco:

“[T]here is no evidence that the virus was spread to the rest of the world by participants in Tokyo 2020. And no epidemic other than [the dominant] AY.29 [variant] in Japan means that virus strains that were brought in by the participants did not spread in Japan.”

Charts showed that the reproduction rate of the virus actually decreased in Japan during the Games period, demonstrating that the event was not the super-spreader that had been forecasted by some prior to the Games.

● Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: Paris 2024 ● Randstad France was reported as an Official Supporter of Paris 2024 on Tuesday and will help with recruitment of Games staff and out-placement after its conclusion.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Randstad was founded in 1960 and operates in dozens of countries. It is no stranger to the Olympic Games, with its Randstad Staffing services subsidiary in the U.S. deeply involved in staff recruitment for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. For that event, Randstad recruited 20,000 people who assisted with on-the-ground assignments such as bus drivers and ticket takers.

● XXVI Olympic Winter Games: 2030 ● Kyodo News Service trumpeted the possible selection of Sapporo as the site for the 2030 Winter Games in a New Year’s Day story, referring to sources explaining “Because Sapporo’s track record of hosting and managing events is highly regarded, the decision could be decided in the city’s favor before this year ends.”

Sapporo, in northern Japan, hosted the marathons for the Tokyo Games this past summer, which went well, and was the host for the 1972 Winter Games.

A public poll of enthusiasm for a 2030 Winter Games will be held as early as March; a budget for the Games was revised downward in November to ¥280-300 billion, or about $2.4-2.6 billion U.S.

The Sapporo bid is slightly behind Salt Lake City’s effort, as polling has showed overwhelming support for a return of the Winter Games there, and no new facilities need to be built. Its budget projection, including $250 million for legacy operations, is $2.2 billion.

Ukraine’s interest in the 2030 Games is being accompanied by a bid for the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games. GamesBids.com reported that Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Huttsait “confirmed that an official dialogue has already begun with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host in 2030, adding that the President now supports a bid for the earlier 2028 Youth Games.”

Their bid is well behind that of Sapporo and Salt Lake City, and will involve the construction of some new venues. That would make a 2030 Winter Games unlikely, but a future Games possible.

The Vancouver Sun reported that a 17-19 December survey by the polling firm Leger showed 34% of British Columbians in favor of 2030 Winter Games bid for Vancouver, with 35% opposed and 31% neutral.

That’s hardly a ringing endorsement, but the pollsters through it a reasonable starting point. The poll showed that contrary to the low-cost concept of the bid, 66% thought that substantial public funds will be needed to stage the Games.

Calgary carefully considered a bid for 2026, but the concept was rejected in a local referendum.

● Athletics ● Sad news of the passing on Monday (3rd) of two outstanding athletes: three-time Olympic triple jump winner Viktor Saneyev and four-time U.S. hammer throw Olympian Jud Logan.

Saneyev, 76, won the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympic triple jump titles and was second at the 1980 Games to teammate Jaak Uudmae. He also won two European outdoor Championships in 1969 and 1974 and set three world records during his career, with a best of 17.44 m (57-2 3/4) in 1972. He retired after the 1980 Games and became a coach, but left Russia in the 1990s for Australia.

He had a difficult time there, but eventually found work as a teacher and coach; he died in Sydney.

Logan was a four-time Olympian in 1984-88-92-2000 and was the American Record holder in the event from 1985 to 1994, improving the standard from 76.80 m (252-0) to 81.88 m (268-8). He became a very successful coach at Ashland University in Ohio, serving with the track & field program for 28 years and the last 17 as head coach.

His Eagles won the NCAA Division II men’s championship in 2019, both indoors and out, and the 2021 indoor title. His athletes won 59 individual Division II championships.

He overcame leukemia in 2019, but passed away on Monday at age 62 due to complications from COVID-related pneumonia.

● Ice Hockey ● USA Hockey named David Quinn as coach of the U.S. men’s Olympic team for Beijing and John Vanbiesbrouck as general manager.

Quinn was most recently the coach of the NHL’s New York Rangers from 2018-21, and has been part of international hockey as an assistant coach with the U.S. World Championship team in 2016, as well as in 2012 and 2007.

Vanbiesbrouck is USA Hockey’s Assistant Executive Director of Hockey Operations after a 20-season career as one of the finest goalies in NHL history and was the 1986 Vezina Trophy winner as the best keeper in the league. He was a U.S. Olympian in Calgary in 1988 and competed in four IIHF World Championships between 1985-91.

The U.S. men’s roster will be named later this month, with no NHL players available.

USA Hockey confirmed the U.S. women’s team roster for Beijing, with 15 of the 23 players having Olympic experience, with 13 returnees from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic gold-medal squad.

Forward Hilary Knight was named to her fourth Olympic team, joining Jenny Potter, Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu as the only American women to accomplish that feat. Four players made their third U.S. Olympic team: forwards Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker and Amanda Kessel and defender Lee Stecklein.

The U.S. and Canada have met in five of the six Olympic women’s championships games and are favored to do so again in Beijing.

● Judo ● The International Judo Federation once again rewarded the top-ranked judoka in each of its 14 weight classes with year-end awards of $10,000 each. The recipients:

● Men: Yung Wei Yang (TPE: 60 kg), Baul An (KOR: 66 kg), Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO: 73 kg), Tato Grigalashvili (GEO: 81 kg), Davlat Bobonov (UZB: 90 kg), Arman Adamian (RUS: 100 kg) and Tamerlan Bashaev (RUS: +100 kg).

● Women: Distria Krasniqi (KOS: 48 kg), Amandine Bucharde (FRA: 52 kg), Nora Gjakova (KOS: 57 kg), Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA: 63 kg), Barbara Matic (CRO: 70 kg), Madeleine Malonga (FRA: 78 kg) and Romane Dicko (FRA: +78 kg).

France topped the list with four winners, all women; Georgia and Russia had two men’s winners each and Kosovo had two women’s winners.

● Swimming ● Covid claimed another victim on the U.S. sports calendar as USA Swimming announced:

“In an abundance of caution, USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States, announced that it was cancelling its first TYR Pro Swim Series event of the year, originally slated for Knoxville, Tennessee, from January 12-15, 2022.”

The next scheduled Tyr Pro Swim Series event is in Des Moines, Iowa from 2-5 March.

The campaigning has started in earnest at the European Swimming League (known as LEN from its French acronym), after the vote of no-confidence against its current leadership. A 30 December letter circulated by Vice Presidential candidate Josip Varvodic (CRO) stated in part:

“In a nutshell, the [vote of no confidence] was a collective complaint against a system of governance and leadership at LEN that has become unacceptable to the majority.

“We all agree that LEN has spent too much money and energy on trying to become a rival and enemy of [international federation] FINA, rather than a responsible partner for the good of the sports. …

“We deserve better communications on important subjects such as financial reports, sport-driven projects, structure and function of LEN office, minutes and reports of work done by the Executive Board. We also believe that different opinions and debates should not be seen as threats that need to be crushed without pity. On the contrary, they should be reinforced.”

The special LEN Congress will be held on 5 February 2022.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Athletics ● Just before the end of 2021, records were set for the 5 km road race in Barcelona (ESP). Ethiopians Berihu Aregawi and Ejegayehu Taye ran away from the fields in the men’s and women’s races in the Cursa dels Nassos event.

Aregawi finished in 12:49 to break Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei’s 2020 mark of 12:51 by two seconds; Peter Maru of Kenya was second in 13:30.

Taye won by 45 seconds in 14:19, crushing the 14:43 mark for a mixed-gender race by Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) from February of 2021.

● Cross Country Skiing ● The 16th Tour de Ski concluded with races in Val di Fiemme in Italy, with Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Russian Natalia Nepryaeva coming out on top.

Klaebo won Monday’s 15 km Classical Mass Start in 41:31.2, an impressive 20.8 seconds ahead of Finland’s Iivo Niskanen and 23.7 seconds up on Alexey Chervotkin (RUS). Combined with his fifth-place finish on Tuesday in the 10 km Freestyle Mass Start, Klaebo won the overall title at 2:24:56.0, 2:03.2 better than Russian star Alexander Bolshunov.

Norway’s Sjur Roethe won Tuesday’s race at 31:42.1, just 2.4 seconds up on Denis Spitsov (RUS) and Friedrich Moch (GER: +18.9).

Nepryaeva won her second World Cup race in a row on Monday, taking the 10 km Classical Mass Start in 29:51.3, just 3.7 seconds up on Norway’s Heidi Weng. American Jessie Diggins fell back to 13th.

On Tuesday, Weng won the 10 km Freestyle Mass Start in 35:41.2, out-lasting Ebba Andersson (SWE) by 7.0 seconds, with Nepryaeva fourth and Diggins in 15th. The top Americans were unheralded Sophia Laukli (21) in fifth and Novie McCabe (20) in seventh!

The combined total showed Nepryaeva the Tour de Ski winner at 1:59.38.5, with Andersson second (+46.7) and Weng third (+1:07.7). Diggins, the defending champion, finished eighth, 3:15.8 back of the winner.

● Ski Jumping ● The third leg of the Four Hills Tournament was supposed to be in Innsbruck (AUT) on Tuesday, but strong winds forced the cancellation of the event. The show will move on to the fourth stop in Bischofshofen (AUT) for two events on the 5th and 6th.

Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi won the first two legs, trying to repeat his sweep of all four events from 2019.

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For our 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: Beijing’s Winter Games are 31 days away, plus FIFA. World Athletics and the USOPC to be in the spotlight in 2022

By
Rich Perelman
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As 2022 gets underway, our preview of the stories expected to make headlines this year started with nos. 10-6 on Monday. Now for the top five:

5. Track & field in the U.S. gets its moment in the sun with World Athletics Championships in Eugene in July

“Oregon, I’m unashamedly going to tell you is a really important moment for our sport. We’re into the U.S., every sport wants to be there. It is the largest sports market for us, and other sports. We need to leave there with what I have described as an ‘indelible footprint.’ …

“So I know the challenges that there are in promoting the sport, but all I’m really saying is that this is not just about creating a bigger footprint in the U.S. It is really vital that we improve the perception of track & field in the U.S., because that will actually help us grow the sport globally.”

That’s World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) speaking about the first track & field World Championships to be held in the United States, at the new Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from 15-24 July.

The rebuilt facility was completed in 2020, with a published capacity of 12,650 and “expandable to nearly 25,000” according to the fact sheets distributed two years ago.

It is expected that the stands will be full – Covid-19 permitting – but whether the event will have the desired impact, especially in the U.S., is up for debate. Will American viewers be engaged? Will the lure of U.S. gold-medal prospects in many of the events be a draw? In 2021, U.S. viewing of the Tokyo Olympics averaged a historically-low 15.1 million nightly in prime time, down 45% from Rio in 2016. The U.S. Olympic track & field Trials (at Hayward) last June averaged 3.2 million viewers across eight hours on NBC and 573,500 viewers across six hours on the now-defunct NBCSN.

World Athletics gets a break in the schedule, with the Olympic Winter Games in February and the FIFA World Cup not until November, so it should be the premiere summer event in global sport in 2022.

Very few details of the financing of the event have been shared publicly, with an $85 million budget revealed in 2017 that included $40 million in cash subsidies from the State of Oregon. The state’s tourism authority has contributed $20 million, but no additional state funding has been disclosed.

A December 2018 story in The Oregonian identified USA Track & Field as the financial guarantor of the event.

4. FIFA’s controversial 2022 World Cup finally arrives in Qatar … in November

Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup has been in controversy since its selection by the FIFA Executive Committee in 2010, with allegations of corruption in the vote, followed by years of criticism over the labor environment in the country, especially in the building of seven new stadia and a major renovation of an eighth.

The tournament will be held from 21 November-18 December, by far the latest dates in history; all of the prior events had been held in May, June, or July. This will cause substantial disruptions to the club football calendars in Europe and elsewhere, but that’s what you get for putting the event in a Persian Gulf country with brutally hot summers.

A total of 13 teams have qualified so far, of the 32 that will play:

● Host (1): Qatar
● Africa, Asia and Oceania: None
● Europe (10): Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland
● North/Central America & Caribbean: None
● South America (2): Argentina, Brazil

What will the weather be like? Will fans show up in Qatar to cheer on their teams? Will there be enough hotels, transportation, restaurants and all the rest to handle them? Will there be protests?

There is very little doubt that, regardless of the time of year, the television ratings should be excellent and that Qatar will work overtime to be as good a host as possible.

FIFA will say it was the right move to bring the World Cup to a tiny nation of 2.9 million people, and its staff will be determined to show that it can stage one of the world’s great events anywhere.

3. Will FIFA adopt a once-every-two-years schedule for its men’s and women’s World Cups?

It seemed impossible that anything could shove the controversies around the Qatar World Cup into the background even temporarily, but FIFA managed it by proposing to hold the men’s and women’s World Cups on an every-two-years cycle instead of every four years.

The Saudi Arabian football federation proposed that FIFA study the possibility during the 71st FIFA Congress in May 2021 and the study concept passed easily. But once the consequences became clearer, the proposal created a firestorm of protests from all sorts of groups which foresee serious damage from holding the fan-magnet that is the men’s World Cup every two years.

European and South American football clubs and their continental confederations – UEFA and CONMEBOL – have estimated their losses from reduced television, sponsorship and ticket sales in the billions of dollars. They might even pull out of FIFA altogether. The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) issued a statement warning:

“FIFA’s widely reported plan to increase the frequency of its World Cup creates upheaval, not only within the football world, but also for many sports and the important major global sporting events of which they are part. … These proposals from FIFA could impact the healthy development of sport and also put the sustainability of other international federations’ events at risk.”

And the International Olympic Committee, which would see the World Cup clash with the every-four-years Olympic Games, voiced not only its displeasure, but also those of other Olympic Movement stakeholders in its 11 December “Olympic Summit” that included FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI). The final declaration included:

“The attendees voiced serious concerns over proposals from FIFA for a biennial World Cup and the impact on the world-wide sport event calendar. It was noted that, until today, there has been neither any information nor consultation with other IFs, Continental Associations of NOCs or the IOC. The FIFA President explained that the ongoing discussions in FIFA were broader in scope than a biennial World Cup, and that what had been presented so far was only the preliminary results, which are still under discussion within FIFA. He offered to engage with the Olympic Movement in these discussions.”

The football confederations in Africa and Asia are for the plan, and the North American, Central American and Caribbean confederation (CONCACAF) has discussed a compromise plan of a new event between World Cups, but not an additional World Cup.

A FIFA “Global Summit” with 207 national federations was held on 20 December 2021 to discuss the issue further, with Infantino revealing the results of FIFA’s own studies:

“We have been advised by independent experts that a switch to a biennial FIFA World Cup would provide a combined additional USD 4.4 billion in revenue from the first four-year cycle, with these funds being distributed across our 211 member associations.

“This additional revenue would allow solidarity funding to move from the current level of USD 6 million per cycle to up to potentially USD 25 million on average per FIFA member association in the first four-year cycle.”

However, no consensus was reached and further discussions are coming; the 72nd FIFA Congress to be held on 31 March 2022 in Doha, but there is no indication yet that a vote will be held. The biennial World Cup concept is part of the revision of the “International Match Calendar” as the current women’s format will end in 2023 and the men’s in 2024.

It’s hard to imagine any single issue which could have more of a long-term impact on international sport that whether football expands its World Cup footprint.

2. Will the Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics ever meet? And if so, what will happen?

The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 became law on 30 October 2020 and created a “Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics,” with 16 members that was supposed to complete a thorough review of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee by the end of July 2021.

The members were nominated, with University of Baltimore law professor Dionne Koller and former USOPC Athletes Advisory Council chair Han Xiao as co-chairs, but nothing more has happened.

A request for $2,078,860 in funding for the FY2022 budget cycle with a 15-month timeline was made in September, but there has been no reported progress. Has Congress – with so many other priorities and mid-term elections coming in November – lost interest?

The Commission was supposed to review the USOPC’s recent governance reforms, diversity, athlete participation, licensing and fund-raising, spending and the performance of the U.S. National Governing Bodies for each sport. Some Commission members had also already flagged the EOPAAA language allowing the U.S. Congress to remove the USOPC Board of Directors or de-certify an NGB as potential Olympic Charter tripwires for a suspension of the USOPC by the International Olympic Committee.

But nothing has happened. And nothing may happen. Critics of the USOPC had hoped that the Commission would engage in a careful review of its spending, but the fate of the entire Commission is now in question.

It’s worth remembering that the Commission idea did not originate with either Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) or Sen. Jerry Moran (D-Kansas), the driving forces behind the bill. It came from a separate bill introduced by former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) that was incorporated into the EOPAAA … but may not be of much interest now.

1. The troubled Olympic Winter Games in Beijing are 31 days away … if they happen?

One of the unhappiest host-city elections in the history of the International Olympic Committee was held on 31 July 2015, when Beijing edged Almaty (KAZ) by just 44-40 to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

A long-shot at first, Beijing ascended as European winter-sport capitals Oslo (NOR), Stockholm (SWE), Krakow (POL) and Lviv (UKR) all opted out, primarily for cost reasons. But once selected, the event has drawn rising criticism directed not at the preparation for the Games, but of China’s heavy-handed human-rights and political actions in Hong Kong, against Taiwan and especially of its treatment – termed “genocidal” – against the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang Province.

Then came the out-of-nowhere November disappearance and reappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, a two-time Grand Slam winner in Doubles, who accused a former Vice Premier of sexual assault, but later recanted. Her physical safety was considered at risk, but she was on a 30-minute video call with IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) and IOC Athletes’ Commission head Emma Terho (FIN) to show she was all right. Doubts have continued to persist and Bach and the IOC expect to meet her in person prior to or during the Games.

A “diplomatic boycott” of the Games was announced by the U.S., and has attracted support from Australia, Great Britain, Canada and others. Calls have been made by U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the head of the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games organizing committee in 2002, and others to have NBC skip the pageantry and host-country promotional section of the Opening Ceremony.

And then there is Covid. China has been especially aggressive in its national countermeasures against the virus and its variants, even locking down entire cities. There is chatter about the 2022 Winter Games being postponed, but this is unlikely. China will implement a “closed loop” system to segregate the athletes, officials and technicians operating the Games from everyone else and it is expected to be rigorously enforced. No foreign spectators are being allowed and with just a month to go, even domestic spectators have not yet been approved.

By all accounts, the sports preparations have been fine and the competitions are expected to be held without incident. But the restrictions on entry are severe and the number of media attending the Games may be well reduced from prior editions, which may not be of much concern to the Chinese authorities. Especially as many will be as interested in Peng as in the competitions.

It will be a troubled Games, even with near-perfect execution of the ceremonies and the events themselves. The IOC will have its third Games out of the last eight in an authoritarian nation: Beijing in 2008, Sochi (RUS) in 2014 and Beijing again in 2022, and all three have been clouded by controversy.

As of today (4th), there are 31 days remaining until the Opening Ceremony and 47 days until the Closing Ceremony.

And what if, during that time, Russia invades Ukraine?

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: The top stories coming in 2022? Start with transgenders, U.S. sprinters, the 2030 Winter Games and some problem children

By
Rich Perelman
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2019 World 100 m Champion Christian Coleman (USA)

(Errata: Our end-of-the-year story on Thursday had Kevin Young’s 1992 world 400 m hurdles mark of 46.78 incorrectly listed at 46.72. Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Brian Russell for first spotting the error.)

The trials and tribulations caused by the coronavirus made 2021 one of the most trying years in Olympic history, but 2022 may be just as turbulent. The first of two parts looking ahead to the top stories forecasted for 2022:

10. Transgender issue in women’s sports may be raised at women’s NCAA swimming champs in March

The NCAA Division I women’s national swimming & diving championships are scheduled for 16-19 March at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic pool at Georgia Tech. Much attention may be focused on an athlete who presents the question of how transgender competitors should be handled.

Will Thomas was a swimmer for three seasons at the University of Pennsylvania, finishing second in the 2019 Ivy League men’s championships in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard Freestyle events. But after more than two years in transition (including hormone suppression), Lia Thomas now competes in the women’s division, and after being a middling male swimmer, goes into 2022 ranked no. 1 in the nation this season in the women’s 200-yard Free and 500-yard Free and no. 6 in the 1,650-yard Free.

Her 2021-22 seasonal times of (so far) 1:41.93 (200 y), 4:34.06 (500 y) and 15:59.71 (1,650 y) are not that close to his career bests in men’s competition of 1:39.31, 4:18.72 and 14:54.76. But her status at or near the top of the national rankings has raised questions.

A long-time USA Swimming competition official resigned over Thomas being able to swim against women, writing in a letter to the federation, “I told my fellow officials that I can no longer participate in a sport which allows biological men to compete against women. Everything fair about swimming is being destroyed. … That’s a male body swimming against females. And that male body can never change. That male body will always be a male body.”

Let’s be clear: Thomas, 22, is not threatening to make the U.S. National Team and USA Swimming has noted that she is not a member of the federation. But the International Olympic Committee issued new guidelines last November concerning transgender and hyperandrogenism issues, with Beijing badminton Olympian and IOC Athletes’ Department director Kaveh Mehrabi (IRI) telling a news conference, “I think it’s a process that we have to go through with each federation on a case-by-case basis and see what is required.”

The other Penn women’s swimmers are reported to have considered a boycott of their final home meet against Dartmouth on 8 January, but will not since it may affect their ability to compete in the Ivy League championship meet.

This issue is not going away and if Thomas competes in Atlanta – she has already qualified in the 200 and 500-yard Freestyles, it will surely be raised again. Some of the International Federations – notably World Athletics – have dealt with this issue concretely, but most have not and with the IOC having retreated from its 2015 guidance – dealing only with testosterone levels – the federations are going to be front and center on this issue, whether they like it or not.

9. Will 2022 be a triumphal return for Christian Coleman and Sha’Carri Richardson?

The 2022 World Athletics Championships will be held in the United States for the first time ever, at the revamped Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. That event could offer a launching pad to superstardom for two of the most enigmatic athletes in Olympic sport in the U.S.: sprinters Christian Coleman and Sha’Carri Richardson.

Coleman was, without doubt, the Tokyo Olympic favorite back in 2019 after winning the World Championships 100 m in a world-leading 9.76, moving him to no. 6 on the all-time world list.

But he was suspended for a doping violation, not because of ingesting any prohibited substances, but for missing three doping tests within a 12-month period ending in December 2019. His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was denied and his suspension ran through 14 November 2021. So he’s eligible to compete once again.

Coleman, now 25, was the World Indoor Champion in 2018 and is the world-record holder at 60 m (6.34) from that year. What’s his plan for 2022? The USA Track & Field Indoor Championships are 26-27 February in Spokane, Washington and the World Athletics Indoor Championships are in Belgrade (SRB) from 18-20 March. Will he use the indoor season to announce his return? Will he return to being the world’s fastest man in 2022?

Richardson, still just 21, ran a sensational 10.72 for 100 m to move to no. 6 all-time in April and then famously won the women’s 100 m at the U.S. Olympic Trials last June in 10.86 – after a wind-aided 10.64 in the semis – but was suspended for a month for smoking marijuana after learning of the death of her biological mother. That kept her out of the Tokyo Games, but highlights of her Trials races were seen 11,832,455 times on NBC Sports’ YouTube channel by the end of last June!

She did poorly in two post-Games races, while Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah won both the 100 m and 200 m for the second straight Games, and authored the no. 2, equal-4th and equal-8th performances of all time in 10.54, 10.61 and 10.64 during the season.

Will Richardson shine again in Eugene as she did in early 2021? Will Thompson-Herah break Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 10.49 world mark from 1988 in 2022? Will these sprinters raise the profile of track & field on the road to Los Angeles in 2028?

8. The LA28 sports program will come into better focus in 2022 … maybe

Speaking of the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad in Los Angeles, the program of sports and events for 2028 will continue to shift during 2022 on the way to being settled in 2023 and 2024.

The IOC Executive Board caused a sensation with its 9 December announcement that boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon are not included on the “initial sports program” for Los Angeles, but that skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will be part of the 2028 Games.

The federations for the three “problem children” sports – as IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER) referred to them – have a “pathway” back into the 2028 Games if they reform their governance and other procedures during 2022. The IOC continues to investigate the International Boxing Association on finance, governance and refereeing and judging issues, continues to be upset with the delays in culture and governance changes at the International Weightlifting Federation and is waiting for the UIPM to offer a concrete proposal for the modern pentathlon after its board decided to remove riding after 109 years as an Olympic sport.

Even for the 28 sports on the initial program for 2028, their disciplines and events will be reviewed in detail in 2022 based on evaluation criteria developed with the LA28 organizers that will be posted in March or April. With a hard athlete quota of 10,500, some events or entries may be sacrificed to make way for others.

Further, the IOC has asked the LA28 organizers to develop criteria and milestones by March or April of 2022 for any “added sports” it wishes to see included in the 2028 Games. There are more than a dozen sports asking for inclusion and sorting through them will be a delicate task ahead of approval in mid-2023.

7. A busy and critical year for the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2022

Soccer will be one of the most talked-about sports in the U.S. during 2022, for both on-the-field and off-the-field reasons:

● February: Interim President Cindy Parlow Cone, who has been serving out the term of resigned former federation head Carlos Cordeiro, will stand for election on her own in February. She has been credited with lowering the temperature within the USSF, especially with the National Team players – she was a member of two Olympic championship teams – and has been working toward new collective bargaining agreements with both the men’s and women’s teams.

● March: The U.S. Men’s National Team, which infamously did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, will complete the CONCACAF qualifying round. Heading into 2022, the U.S. men are 4-1-3 in their first eight games (of 14) and well positioned to qualify. But they need to finish the job and place in the top three in the standings to assure playing in the 2022 World Cup.

Much has been made of the increased U.S. talent level, with stars such as Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Miles Robinson, Weston McKennie, keepers Zack Steffen and Matt Turner and many more. But coach Gregg Berhalter needs results, not potential.

● March: Arguments are expected at the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for the U.S. Women’s National Team’s appeal of the summary judgement decision against their suit for “equal pay” with the U.S. Men’s Team in March 2020.

● April: FIFA is likely to reveal its choices for the venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. As many as 16 sites will be used, possibly 10 stadia in the U.S. and three each in Canada and Mexico, but FIFA will decide exactly how it wants to play.

● July: The 11th CONCACAF W Championship will be held from 9-24 July, with the top four teams to advance to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The U.S. is an overwhelming favorite to qualify, but the team for 2023 will look different from the 2015 and 2019 World Cup winners, with superstar Carli Lloyd retired and other veterans possibly following.

A busy year indeed, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to be held from 21 November-18 December 2022.

6. Salt Lake City poised for selection to host the 2030 Olympic Winter Games

After the success of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, a core team of that organizing committee has been carefully and deliberately working to bring the return of the event to Salt Lake City. That might happen in 2022.

The SLC-Utah Committee for the Games aggressively developed a plan in line with the IOC’s Agenda 2020 – cost-effective, logistically efficient and sustainable – then attracted interest and support at all levels of government in the state, made a detailed outreach to venues and support facilities, and created a budget projected at $2.2 billion.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee designated Salt Lake City as its bid city for a future Winter Games, and working in coordination with the LA28 organizers to eliminate any issues over having consecutive Games in the U.S., announced on 17 December that it would try for the 2030 Winter Games.

Salt Lake City’s bid is very far advanced, with Sapporo (JPN) also quite detailed, and both well ahead of the planning so far in Spain (Barcelona-Pyrenees), Canada (Vancouver) and in Ukraine, the other publicly-announced candidates.

A three-member delegation from the Salt Lake City team will visit the Beijing Games for a behind-the-scenes look at the current state-of-the-art, but do not be surprised if the IOC announces in the spring that it is entering into a “targeted dialogue” with the Utah folks to have the 2030 Games in Salt Lake City again.

Next: TSX picks for the projected top five stories of 2022.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HIGHLIGHTS: Diggins wins two Tour de Ski races; Meyers Taylor takes seasonal Bob lead; Sakci crushes world 50 m Breast record in Turkey

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Cross Country Skiing star Jessica Diggins: a second FIS World Cup seasonal title!

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

(Errata: Our end-of-the-year story on Thursday had Kevin Young’s 1992 world 400 m hurdles mark of 46.78 incorrectly listed at 46.72. Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Brian Russell for spotting the error.)

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS World Cup circuit was in high gear at year’s end, starting with three events scheduled for Bormio (ITA) in mid-week.

First up was the Downhill, won by Italian star Dominik Paris, who took his 20th career World Cup victory in 1:54.63, ahead of the Swiss duo of seasonal World Cup leader Marco Odermatt (1:54.87) and Niels Hintermann ( 1:55.43). American Travis Ganong was eighth (1:55.82).

Wednesday’s Super-G was the fourth win of the season for Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), finishing in 1:27.95, ahead of two Austrians: Raphael Haaser (1:28.67) and 2021 World Champion Vincent Kriechmayr (1:28.80). American Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished fourth (1:28.85).

Thursday’s Super-G, a make-up from 28 November at Lake Louse (CAN) could not be held due to warm weather.

The women’s tour was in Lienz (AUT) in mid-week, with seasonal leader Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. out due to the Covid virus. That opened the door for France’s two-time World Champion in the Giant Slalom, Tessa Worley, who triumphed over Slovakian star Petra Vlhova, 2:03.88-2:04.18, with Swede Sara Hector third.

Vlhova moved up to the top of the podium for her third Slalom win of this season, clocking 1:42.10 to beat Katharina Liensberger (AUT: 1:42.61) and Swiss Michelle Gisin (1:42.78).

Next up is another Slalom in Zagreb (CRO), for which Shiffrin hopes to be back.

● Bob & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup in Sigulda (LAT) brought a surprise on New Year’s Day, as Russia’s Rostislav Gaitiukevich ended the 11-race win streak of reigning Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (GER) in the first of two races. It was the first career World Cup win for Gaitiukevich.

Gaitiukevich won in 1:39.23, ahead of Britain’s Brad Hall (1:39.33) and Benjamin Maier (AUT: 1:39.40). Friedrich, who won the last seven races of the 2020-21 season and the first four this season, was way back in 12th (1:39.84) after hitting the guard rail on both runs.

On Sunday, order was restored as Friedrich won in 1:39.16, with Hall again second (1:39.22) and home favorite Oskars Kibermanis third (1:39.71). Codie Bascue had the top American sled in 10th.

The two-women race saw the first win of the season for American Elana Meyers Taylor, with Lake Kwaza aboard, in 1:41.88. That was 0.22 better than Mica Mcneill (GBR: 1:42.10) and Christine de Bruin (CAN: 1:42.12). The win also moved Meyers Taylor into first place in the seasonal standings with 1,129 points to 1,088 for de Bruin.

In the Skeleton racing, Latvian star Tomass Dukurs won his second career World Cup race in 1:41.36, 18 seasons after his first win in 2003-04! Younger brother Martins, a six-time World Champion, finished second (1:41.42) and Korea’s Seung-gi Jung third (1:41.73). Three-time European champ Janine Flock (AUT) won her first World Cup race of the season, edging Russian Yana Kanakina, 1:44.64-1:44.81.

The women’s Monobob World Series was also in Sigulda on 1 January with Canada’s de Bruin winning her second race in a row in 1:48.12, ahead of Breeana Walker (NZL: 1:48.68) and Russian Nadezhda Sergeeva (1:48.70).

● Cross Country Skiing ● One of the most-anticipated events of the season is the annual Tour de Ski, a six-event program in three countries and a mid-season marker of the top skiers of the year.

American Jessie Diggins made history in 2020-21 by being the first American to win this title and she started out strongly last Tuesday with the Freestyle Sprint in Lenzerheide (SUI). Diggins won the race, her first victory of the season, in a tight final over Mathilde Myhrvold (NOR), 3:00.12 to 3:00.25, with Anamarika Lampic third in 3:00.42. American Julia Kern was an impressive fourth in 3:00.71.

Thursday’s 10 km Classical race was won by Finn Kerttu Niskanen in 27:04.0, way ahead of Swede Ebba Andersson (27:22.2) and Russian Natalia Nepryaeva (27:34.5), with Diggins in 16th.

The men’s Sprint in Lenzerheide was win no. 3 on the season for Norwegian superstar Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (2:39.04), edging France’s Richard Jouve (2:40.03) and Lucas Chanavat (2:40.30). Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, Kerttu’s younger brother, dominated the men’s Classical 15 km, winning by 19.3 seconds over Russian star Alexander Bolshunov, 34:51.7 to 35:11.0.

The action moved to Obertsdorf (GER) on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, with Diggins winning the women’s Freestyle 10 km Mass Start race in a final dash with Swede Frida Karlsson, 21:30.8-21:31.3, and just 0.8 seconds up on Russia’s Tatiana Sorina (21:31.6).

On New Year’s, Nepryaeva won the women’s Classical Sprint in 2:36.41, ahead of Johanna Hagstroem (SWE: 2:36.73) and Johanna Matintalo (FIN: 2:37.27). That gave Nepryaeva the Tour de Ski overall lead with two legs remaining at 53:40, with Diggins third (+0:38).

The men’s 15 km Freestyle Mass Start was another win for Klaebo, this time over Bolshunov, 32:26.4 to 32:29.8. Klaebo won again on Saturday in the Classical Sprint, leading a Norwegian sweep in 2:54.77, with Erik Valnes second (2:55.14) and Paal Golberg (2:58.12). Klaebo has a 1:03 lead over Golberg in the Tour de Ski standings.

The final two legs of the 16th Tour de Ski will be on 3-4 January in Val de Fiemme (ITA).

● Freestyle Skiing ● Two Halfpipe events were held at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, with a North American sweep in the men’s event on Thursday (30th) with home favorites Brendan Mackay (97.00) and Simon D’Artois (94.40) taking gold and bronze, and American Alex Ferreira second (94.80).

The women’s Halfpipe saw the second straight World Cup win this season for Olympic favorite, American-born Eileen Gu (CHN), who scored 96.80 to 92.80 for American Hanna Faulhaber and Canada’s Rachel Karker third (90.20).

On New Year’s Night, Gu scored 92.80 in the second round and won again, ahead of Karker (89.40) and Faulhaber (88.60).

In the men’s second event, Mackay duplicated his victory, scoring 93.40 in the first round that only he came close to, scoring 93.20 on his final run. Ferreira was second again (90.40) and Canada once again scored bronze, with Noah Bowman (88.00).

● Ice Hockey ● The International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Wednesday:

“Following a recommendation by the tournament COVID-19 Medical Group and the IIHF Medical Committee, the IIHF Council has decided that, due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship will be cancelled to ensure the health and safety of all participants.”

Three games had already been canceled, including the Switzerland-USA game, and more were on the way. Teams had played only two or three of their group phase games in either Edmonton or Red Deer (CAN); the U.S. men had beaten Slovakia, 3-2, and had to forfeit the game against Switzerland.

At least a half-dozen of the 10 teams in the tournament have had infections reported.

The final two games of the women’s MyWhy Tour between the U.S. and Canada were also cancelled. Scheduled to be played alongside the World Juniors in Edmonton (3 January) and Red Deer (6 January), the final three matches of the nine-game series were scrubbed due to the virus.

The Canadian women won four of the six games played, with all but one decided by one goal and three of the six matches going to overtime.

● Luge ● The FIL World Cup continued in Winterberg (GER), with Germany’s Johannes Ludwig increasing his overall lead with his fourth win of the season in 1:44.679 to 1:44.747 for Austria’s Nico Gleirscher and 1:44.860 for fellow Austrian Wolfgang Kindl.

The Doubles also had a German winner ahead of two Austrians. Double Olympic champions Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won their first race of the season in 1:27.184, ahead of Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller (1:27.225) and Yannick Mueller and Armin Frauscher (1:27.338).

The women’s race was the fourth win of the season for World Cup leader Julia Taubitz (GER), finishing in 1:53.167, ahead of teammate (and defending champ) Natalie Geisenberger (1:53.408) and Austrian Madeleine Egle (1:53.423). American Summer Britcher was fifth (1:53.674).

● Ski Jumping ● One of the crown jewels of the FIS World Cup season is the annual men’s Four Hills Tournament over the New Year’s holidays in Germany and Austria. The 70th Four Hills began on Wednesday, with Japan’s 2019 champ Ryoyu Kobayashi winning on the 137 m hill in Obertsdorf (GER), 302.0-299.2-298.6 over Norway’s Halvor Egner Granerud and Robert Johansson.

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) on New Year’s, jumping off the 142 m hill saw Kobayashi win again, just 0.2 ahead of Markus Eisenbichler (GER) – 291.0-291.2 – with Lovro Kos (SLO) third.

Kobayashi leads Marius Lindvik (NOR) in the Four Hills standings, 593.2-580.0 with two legs remaining in Austria on 4 and 6 January.

The women’s World Cup tour was in Ljubno (SLO: 94 m hill) for the inaugural Silvester Tournament, with home favorite Nika Kriznar getting her first win of the year, ahead of seasonal leader Marita Kramer (AUT) and fellow Slovenian Ema Klinec in third: 263.7-259.9-257.2.

On Saturday, it was four-time World Cup champion Sara Takanashi, 25, with her first World Cup win of the season, extending her record for the most wins all-time to 61. She outscored Ursa Bogataj (SLO) by 266.8-261.8, with Kramer third (259.5). Kramer won the Sylvester Tournament title, 519.4-515.2 over Kriznar, with Takanashi third.

● Snowboard ● The six-event World Cup Slopestyle season for 2021-22 opened in Calgary (CAN), with a solid win for Canadian Sebastien Toutant (86.86) ahead of Norwegian veteran Mons Roisland (84.50) and American Luke Winkelmann (83.20).

Japan went 1-2 in the women’s Slopestyle opener behind Kokomo Murase (77.58) and Miyabi Onitsuka (77.18), with Laurie Blouin third (75.73).

● Swimming ● The FINA World 25 m Championships may have concluded, but the world short-course records have not.

At the Turkish national championships in Gazientep, Emre Sakci – who had been disqualified at the 25 m Worlds in the semifinals – won the 50 m Breaststroke in a world-record time of 24.95. That shattered the 2009 mark of 25.25 by South Africa’s Cameron van den Burgh, made during the plastic-suit era, which was equaled at the 2021 European Short Course Championships by Belarusian star Ilya Shymanovich.

By comparison, American Nic Fink won the 50 m Breast at the Short Course Worlds in 25.53.

Sakci also won the 100 m Free in 46.68 and the 100 m Breast in 56.00 for three golds at the Turkish Nationals.

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For our 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: The Tokyo Games, Karsten Warholm, the USA Gymnastics settlement and more topped Olympic-world news in 2021

By
Rich Perelman
-

(For our 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022
and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!)

Our difficult, mixed-up world was aggressively disrupted for a second straight year by the coronavirus in its various forms, but sport went on, including the holding of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo. Our choices for the top stories of 2021 – see nos. 10-6 here – includes some amazing performances … on and off the field.

5. LA28 chief assures City Council that enough revenue to host the 2028 Games is already under contract

During a 29 November meeting of the Los Angeles City Council committee reviewing the framework agreement with the Los Angeles 2028 organizing committee, LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman made a statement likely never before heard seven years prior to an Olympic Games:

“[T]he risk for Games in traditional cities comes from a cost perspective; our risk comes from a revenue perspective, if we can’t deliver the revenue to cover the costs, although as we sit here today, with well over half our revenue contracted, and we are prepared to deliver the Games – if we had to – with the revenue we have today.”

That’s amazing. LA28 has a published budget of $6.884 billion, consisting primarily of IOC support, domestic sponsorships, tickets and licensing and merchandising. And just to be sure that the full City Council understood, Wasserman told the subsequent Council meeting that approved the “Games Agreement” that “we’ll have plenty of financial ability to operate the Games fully without calling on the City to do anything.”

The concept of the LA28-City of Los Angeles financial structure carries on from the 1984 Olympic model, as Wasserman explained:

“I think it was explained [in the Agreement] that there is a baseline of services that the City operates at, and our job is to make sure that any costs above that baseline across City services is reimbursed fully by LA2028. So, we worked very clearly with the City to make sure that the City was protected. We weren’t asking for more for free; you know, whatever the City does, it does, and whatever is needed beyond that is a requirement of LA2028 to reimburse the City for those services. …

“We have no requirements for new venues. We have no requirements for additional infrastructure. We have no requirements for additional hotel rooms. Everything we [need] is in place today, in fact, it was in place when we put our bid in in 2016, and that bid is the bid we would deliver today, if we didn’t have new venues popping up [now] that create more opportunities.”

The LA28 folks have been fairly quiet since the award of the Games in 2017, but to be able to say that sufficient private-sector financing to stage the Games is in place seven years ahead has to be a new Olympic Record.

4. The already-troubled Beijing 2022 Winter Games is further shrouded by the Peng Shuai situation

The XXIV Olympic Winter Games in China was controversial from the moment Beijing was selected by just 44-40 over Almaty (KAZ) in 2015, and the situation has only gotten more complex.

While International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission head Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. (ESP) confirmed earlier this month that “things are very much on track … completely on track,” worries about the continuing Covid pandemic has eliminated foreign spectators, and with 37 days to the Opening Ceremony, there is still no announcement as to whether any domestic spectators will be allowed at the Games.

Further, China’s aggressive actions against Hong Kong and Taiwan and atrocities against the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region raised calls for a boycott of the Games. Remembering the cost to athletes – who had virtually no say in the matter – in the boycotts of the 1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Games, the response has been a “diplomatic boycott” by senior government officials of the U.S., Great Britain, Australia and tacit support by Japan and some others. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has lashed out at the announcements, but IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) told reporters, “The Games are about and for the athletes.”

The already tense situation was hugely exacerbated by the 2 November accusation on Chinese social media by Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai – a two-time women’s Doubles champion in Grand Slam events – of sexual abuse by a former Chinese Vice Premier. Her post was taken down and she essentially disappeared for about 10 days before a state-produced video of her appeared.

IOC President Bach, with IOC member Li Lingwei (CHN) and Athletes Commission Chair Emma Terho (FIN), had a 30-minute video call with Peng on 21 November and said later of the contacts with her that “The most important human right is physical integrity, and this physical integrity we have been ensuring during these calls and we will continue the calls and will continue the support.”

On 1 December, the Women’s Tennis Association announced it was suspending all of its tournaments in China – including the season-ending final – until it is convinced that Peng is safe and her accusations have been fully investigated. And then, on 20 December, Peng said her comments were misunderstood and that she was not assaulted. This isn’t going away.

The Beijing Winter Games will open on 4 February, but there will be more interest in a 35-year-old athlete who is not competing than almost any of the roughly 2,900 athletes who will be.

3. Settlement reached in the three-years-long USA Gymnastics bankruptcy (and abuse) case

Since the Larry Nassar abuse scandal exploded in August 2016, the road to closure for the hundreds of abuse survivors appeared to have no end in sight. USA Gymnastics, faced with a torrent of lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions, declared voluntary bankruptcy in December 2018 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana and there the case sat for nearly three years. Plans were proposed and rejected, and it appeared at times that the entire matter might fall apart and send all of the litigants back to file hundreds of individual cases in state courts.

However, under a Bankruptcy Court-ordered settlement conference administered by Judge James M. Carr, a breakthrough was announced with the filing of a 25 October amended re-organization plan that projected a $400.66 million, insurer-paid fund that would settle all abuse claims in the case, including those against the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and numerous other parties. The plan included agreement from eight of the nine primary insurers in the case, but not from TIG insurance Company, with $106.2 million in liability.

But TIG finally did come in for $45.0 million on a final plan approved by Judge Robin L. Moberly on 13 December for a total survivor-payment pool of $339.46 million and additional payouts to bring the total settlement to an estimated $380 million. The revised documents stated: “The Plan provides the means for settling and paying all Claims asserted against the Debtor.”

The approved plan is expected to be declared effective early in 2022 and a trust formed to determine the payouts to the survivors, who voted 476-0 in favor of the program (with 29 other ballots declared invalid).

The settlement and plan approval was a marathon, but the claims will be settled. Moreover, USA Gymnastics appears to have gotten a clean bill of health to move forward in the future as the USOPC dismissed its de-certification proceedings against the federation from 2018.

The plan agreement and confirmation of USA Gymnastics as the national federation for the sport in the U.S. do not lessen the tragedy of the abuse, but ends a difficult and hopefully not-to-be-repeated chapter in American gymnastics history.

2. Warholm wrecks world 400 m hurdles marks and outduels Benjamin in race of the year

Norway’s Karsten Warholm had been seriously chasing the men’s world 400 m hurdles record of 46.78 by American Kevin Young from 1992 since 2019 when he lined up for his first race of 2021 at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 1 July.

Running in his favorite lane seven in the final event of the day, Warholm tore out of the blocks and ran smoothly over all ten hurdles to win easily in a startling world-record time of 46.70! He did it!

That was just five days after American Rai Benjamin had won the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene in 46.83, then the second-fastest time in history, but now third. Their duel would inevitably be settled in the Olympic final in Tokyo.

Warholm had already set a world best for the 300 m hurdles in June in 33.26, and ran only once more before heading to Tokyo, a 47.08 win at the Monaco Diamond League meet on 9 July.

At the Games, Warholm won his heat in 48.65, then won his semifinal – over Benjamin – in a speedy 47.30 (to 47.37) and the final was set for one of the most-anticipated showdowns in Tokyo. It turned out to be even more, much more, than expected.

Benjamin was in lane five and Warholm in six and the Norwegian took off like a shot – as he always does – building a lead down the backstraight and into the final turn.

Warholm came into the straight with a solid lead, but Benjamin was gaining over hurdles eight and nine. Coming to the 10th, Benjamin nearly caught up, but Warholm had one more burst that sent him across the line, with Benjamin close, but a clear second.

Then the time was posted: an incredible, unbelievable, impossible 45.94, a staggering world record and the first time anyone had – unthinkably – broken 46 seconds for the event. Benjamin was second in an American Record of 46.17, also far below Young’s 46.78 mark from Barcelona ‘92.

How great was this race? Of the eight finishers, six set or equaled their national records. Warholm’s win ranks with the greatest performances in Olympic history, including Bob Beamon’s long jump stunner of 8.90 m (29-2 1/2) from 1968 and any of Usain Bolt’s world marks in the sprints.

The World Champion from 2017 and 2019 and the Olympic Champion in 2021, Warholm is still only 25, and he and Benjamin, just 24, are headed for a re-match on U.S. soil at the 2022 Worlds in Eugene in July.

1. The Tokyo Games actually happened and were amazingly competitive, compelling and even enjoyable

The seemingly unloved Games of the XXXII Olympiad took place in Tokyo a year later than expected, but it was that the event happened at all that was the most noteworthy story in Olympic sports in 2021.

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic caused the unprecedented move from 2020 to 2021 and even then, much of the Japanese public – stoked by its national news media – would have preferred another postponement or even cancellation altogether.

But stringent countermeasures – outlined in three editions of “playbooks” – were installed, with heavy testing, mask requirements, social distancing and quarantining of those infected as well as their close contacts. Some 1.017 million – yes, million – Covid screening tests were done by the organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with just 312 total positives (0.03%), with another 54,236 tests by the Japanese government at airport entry points, with only 54 positives (0.10%).

Of the 549 total positives reported during the Olympic period, 53% were from Japan-resident contractors, 27% were coaches and officials and just 29 (5.3%) were athletes. Among the 7,000 Tokyo 2020 staff and 70,000 volunteers, there were only 44 total positives.

Impressively organized and executed.

Those controls allowed the Games to go on and even though unable to attend the events, the Japanese public fell in love with the show. It didn’t hurt that on the second full day of competition, the Japanese brother and sister duo of Hifumi Abe (men’s 66 kg) and Uta Abe (women’s 52 kg) both won golds during the same session.

And on the same day, Japan struck gold with an upset by Yuto Horigome in the first-ever Olympic skateboarding event, the men’s Street final, followed on the next day with another gold in women’s Street by (then) 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya, ahead of Brazil’s Rayssa Leal (also 13) and Japan’s Funa Nakayama (16).

A week later, Japan’s Sakura Yosozumi (19) and Kokona Hiraki (then 12) went 1-2 in the women’s Park final, with Britain’s 13-year-old Sky Brown third.

As is often the case, the host team went crazy at a home Games and Japan collected a sensational total of 58 medals – a record – and 27 golds, by far its most ever. A reported 90% of the entire Japanese population watched at least some of the Games on television.

There were many more memorable performances, including five gold medals (and a world record) by American swimmer Caeleb Dressel, seven total medals (4-0-3) by Australian swimming sprinter Emma McKeon and a total of six world marks set in the pool. And who can forget the duel between Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and American Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400 m Freestyle final, with a come-from-behind win by Titmus, 3:56.69-3:57.36. Titmus also won the 200 m Free; Ledecky came back to beat Titmus in the 800 m Free and won the first-ever women’s 1,500 m Free. That gave the American star a career total of 10 Olympic medals (7-3-0) and she’s committed to continue through at least 2024.

American gymnastics icon Simone Biles suffered from balance awareness issues and withdrew from the women’s Team and All-Around finals, opening the way for teammate Suni Lee to win the All-Around gold and Jade Carey to take the victory on Floor. Biles returned to win a bronze on the Balance Beam.

On the track, the amazing Allyson Felix, at age 35, won an unexpected bronze in the women’s 400 m and a gold on the women’s 4×400 m to give her 11 Olympic medals (7-3-1) and become the most decorated American track & field athlete ever. World records were set by Warholm, by American Sydney McLaughlin in the women’s 400 m hurdles and Yulimar Rojas (VEN) in the women’s triple jump. Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah repeated her Rio double in the 100 and 200 m sprints, running an Olympic Record 10.61 in the final and Dutch distance star Sifan Hassan won the women’s 5,000 and 10,000 m plus a bronze in the 1,500 m.

The American men’s and women’s basketball teams both won, with the women taking their seventh Olympic title in a row. U.S. stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi won their fifth career Olympic golds.

The final tally showed a record 93 countries won medals and the U.S. piled up the top total of 113 medals, and passed China on the final day of the Games for the most golds, 39-38. The Chinese had the second-largest medal haul at 88 in total.

Tokyo 2020 was a historic achievement for the organizers and the Japanese government in a Games that will be long remembered, just because it actually, amazingly, happened.

To the readers of TheSportsExaminer.com, thank you for your support in a difficult year for everyone. Here’s hoping that 2022 will be a safer, saner and happier year for you, your friends and family and the entire Olympic Movement!

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

LANE ONE: Integrity push, protests, low U.S. Tokyo ratings and future Games among 2021’s top stories

By
Rich Perelman
-

(For our 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022
and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!)

There have been years with almost no sport at all due to war, but 2021 certainly ranks as one of the most chaotic years in sport due to the continuing presence of the coronavirus. The main focus of the year was the first-ever postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo, but that was hardly the only story of note.

Our recap of the top-10 stories of the year in Olympic sport, from no. 10 to no. 6:

10. Athletics-inspired “Integrity Units” springing up in response to scandals

The continuing scourge of doping in track & field led the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF; now World Athletics) to the 2017 creation of the Athletics Integrity Unit. Championed by its new President, double Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Coe (GBR), the AIU was led by the no-nonsense former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, David Howman (NZL) and quickly grew into a respected organization that relentlessly pursued anti-doping efforts and has spread out to “competition manipulation” and other forms of corruption.

It set the standard that is now followed by every International Federation that gets into trouble. By the end of 2020, the AIU was joined by the Tennis Integrity Unit, Badminton World Federation Integrity Unit, International Hockey Federation (FIH) Integrity Unit, Equestrian Community Integrity Unit, and the Biathlon Integrity Unit as the first in winter sport. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) appointed Canadian law professor Richard McLaren as its “Basketball Integrity Officer” in mid-2020.

Then came 2021. As the sport of boxing teetered on Olympic removal, its long-time federation changed its name to the International Boxing Association (IBA) and accepted a November report of an independent governance review team that recommended an Independent Integrity Unit for boxing. The IBA Congress approved it and it will open sometime in 2022.

The federation for aquatic sport – FINA – had long been plagued by questionable appointments and concerns over doping. But with the election of new President Husain Al-Musallam (KUW) and with American Brent Nowicki – formerly of the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport – the FINA Congress just approved the formation of an independent Aquatics Integrity Unit, also to begin in 2022.

Further, the International Weightlifting Federation, still mired in governance issues, will hold elections in 2022, with American candidate Ursula Papandrea – well-regarded during her time as Interim IWF chief – pushing hard for the creation of an Integrity Unit for that sport.

Combined with the International Testing Agency, designed to administer independent anti-doping programs for federations, an era of serious oversight of cheating and corruption may be opening.

9. Debate over athlete protests in Tokyo was hot, but actual protest activity was not

In January 2020, the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission issued a three-page set of guidelines concerning athlete protests at the Olympic Games, underscoring Olympic Charter Rule 50.2, stating “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

The 28 May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis changed and charged the environment in the U.S. and elsewhere, and the IOC was forced to reconsider its guidelines issued just months earlier. A 10-month program of consultations and polls was undertaken by the Athletes’ Commission and a new set of guidelines was issued in January of 2021, retaining the ban on protests at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and during awards ceremony, but allowing expressions “On the field of play prior to the start of competition” – for example during introductions – if not directed or targeted at an individual or country and not considered disruptive.

At the Tokyo Games, five women’s football teams went to one knee before the start of their first matches and USA Today’s Rachel Axon wrote:

“Given the statements, gestures, advocacy and activism athletes have been part of in recent years, it’s likely just the beginning of protests against racial and social injustice during these Games – no matter what the International Olympic Committee says.”

Instead, the football “protests” were just about the end. There were a few trivial demonstrations: a raised fist at the end of a gymnastics routine, a rainbow armband, two Chinese shooters wore small pins picturing Chairman Mao on the awards podium and American women’s shot put silver medalist Raven Saunders crossed her arms over her head after her awards ceremony was completed. That’s about it.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Team USA Council on Racial and Social Justice issued four sets of recommendations, each met with decreasing levels of interest, on 20 December 2020 (protests and demonstrations), 20 May 2021 (athlete voice and advocacy), 7 October 2021 (institutional awareness and cultural change) and 4 November 2021 (racism and acts of discrimination). It will be fascinating to see the impact of these efforts going forward.

8. U.S. television ratings for Tokyo showed significantly less interest in the Games

The IOC reported that the Tokyo Games was seen by an impressive 3.05 billion people around the world, with massive increases in the consumption on digital devices, including 28 billion video views and a record 217,512 digital coverage hours.

But the news in the U.S. wasn’t as good, with NBC’s average primetime audience and overall reach far below recent Games:

● 2021/Tokyo: 150 million U.S. viewers ~ 15.1 million avg. primetime audience
● 2016/Rio: 198 million U.S. TV viewers ~ 27.5 million avg. primetime audience
● 2012/London: 217 million U.S. TV viewers ~ 31.1 million avg. primetime audience
● 2008/Beijing: 215 million U.S. TV viewers ~ 27.7 million avg. primetime audience
● 2004/Athens: 203 million U.S. TV viewers ~ 24.9 million avg. primetime audience

Even the PyeongChang Winter Games in 2018 had a bigger primetime audience than Tokyo at 19.8 million (average) per night, and that was down 7% from Sochi in 2014.

Perhaps most vexing, the overall reach of the Games was down significantly:

● 2021: 45.3% of the U.S. viewed any Tokyo coverage
● 2016: 61.3% of the U.S. viewed any Rio coverage
● 2012: 69.1% of the U.S. viewed any London coverage
● 2008: 70.7% of the U.S. viewed any Beijing coverage
● 2004: 69.3% of the U.S. viewed any Athens coverage

NBC still made money; in a time of fractured attention across all media, Olympic programming still delivers a massive audience unavailable anywhere else over a multi-day period. So it’s still quite valuable to advertisers and will remain so. But the implications for the USOPC and for Olympic-focused sports in the U.S. are not good.

In this regard, the U.S. ratings for the upcoming Beijing Games, the third straight Games in Asia, will be instructive.

7. Aggressive Australia gets 2032 Games for Brisbane

One of the signature achievements of the Thomas Bach Era at the IOC is the metamorphosis of the Olympic bid process. Once the province of expensive consultants and bid committees spending millions of dollars to chase after an IOC member or two at a faraway conference, Bach pushed through a series of changes that, in June 2019, essentially eliminated competitive voting and allowed the IOC to pick a host city or region at a time of its own choosing.

The new format rewards aggressive bidders who can assemble an attractive bid that is cost-effective, uses mostly existing facilities and already has most or all of the needed infrastructure such as airports, roads, transportation, accommodations and so on.

In a dramatic demonstration of the new way of doing business, the Queensland region of Australia got on board with serious planning of a 2032 bid, centered in Brisbane, in late 2019 and was in direct talks with the IOC by early 2020.

Even with the pandemic, this early and direct work paid off as the IOC Future Hosts Commission selected the Brisbane bid for “targeted dialogue” on 24 February 2021. An agreement was formalized in time for the IOC Executive Board to recommend approval of Brisbane to host the 2032 Games on 10 June 2021 and the IOC Session confirmed the award of the Games of the XXXV Olympiad on 21 July 2021.

The award of the Games 11 years ahead of time followed the 11-years-ahead award of the 2028 Games to Los Angeles in 2017 and demolished any concept of the old voting protocol of the Olympic bid process. Bid groups in the formative stages in Germany, India, Indonesia, Qatar, Hungary and elsewhere were caught off-guard and angry, but they now know the game that is actually being played as opposed to what they might have thought.

6. On deck: Paris 2024 looks to reinvigorate the Games as sport and spectacle

The postponed Tokyo Games was a procession of worry, about costs, about Covid and whether the event would happen at all. The Paris 2024 organizers want to change the conversation and are well aware that its ultimate goal has to be the reinvigoration of the Olympic Games into the spectacle it once was.

It is taking its role seriously, introducing its revolutionary mass-participation event program in October, with a handicap race for 3,600 runners against two-time Olympic marathon winner Eliud Kipchoge (KEN, starting last) over 5 km, with everyone finishing ahead of Kipchoge winning an entry into the 2024 Olympic mass-start marathon open to the public. About 1,000 of the runners crossed ahead of the Kenyan legend in the first of several promotions for the “Marathon Pour Tous” in 2024.

Then the Paris organizers stunned the Olympic world with the 13 December announcement that the 2024 Opening Ceremony would be held along 6 km of the River Seine, moving right through the heart of Paris. Perhaps 600,000 spectators will able to see the event along the river, with ticketed seating on the low quays, 160 boats holding the athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees and a nightmare in logistics and security.

But this is bold thinking, directly inspired by Bach and the IOC’s experience with the outdoor opening ceremony in downtown Buenos Aires at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

The Paris organizers have not forgotten the sports aspects either, releasing an online catalog of 770 locations for pre-Games training facilities in July. National Olympic Committees need not send scouts to find places for their pre-Games programming; they need only to pick from the hundreds of options now available.

This is Paris’s challenge, and with 2 1/2 years to go, they are looking tres bien so far.

Coming tomorrow: our top-five stories in the Olympic world for 2021.

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

SPECIAL: Updated! Our revised, 832-event International Sports Calendar for 2022 now posted!

By
Rich Perelman
-

(Errata: Some readers received a version of Monday’s post erroneously identifying
IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell as “Kim McConnell.” Sorry, Kit!)

The coronavirus continues to plague our world, including the international sports calendar. But sport goes on, and as a guide, here’s our exclusive 832-event listing of events for 2022, with a few of the larger events beyond to 2026.

Our updated International Sports Calendar focuses on sports and events on the Olympic and Winter Games program for 2022 and 2024, plus a few other meetings and multi-sports events.

Please note: this listing will change, and some federations have still not posted their events list for 2022! 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 18-page listing in chronological order and a 19-page listing by sport (and in date order within each sport).

It’s free! Get your download right now, right here!

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

HEARD AT HALFTIME: IOC warns federations on anti-Semitism; cricket and MMA looking to be part of LA28; Japan’s Hanyu and Russia’s Valieva shine at nationals

By
Rich Perelman
-
Henri Vidal's Caïn venant de tuer son frère Abel (Cain, after having murdered his brother Abel), in the Tuileries Garden, Paris (Photo: Wikipedia)

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

A letter from the International Olympic Committee urged International Federations to scrutinize whether host countries of their competitions observe their promises to allow all nations to compete.

Following the refusal of Malaysia to allow Israeli entries to the World Team Squash Championships, the event – scheduled for 7-12 December in Kuala Lumpur – was canceled. The World Squash Federation’s announcement noted (without naming Israel):

“The WSF believes in an open and inclusive Men’s World Team Squash Championships and the possibility that some nations would be unable to compete due to the lack of confirmation over the issuing of visas and travel authorisations by the National Authorities has led SRAM [the Malaysian federation] to inform the WSF of the decision to cancel.”

The IOC’s letter, from Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) and National Olympic Committee Relations Director James Macleod (GBR) – reported by The Jerusalem Post – included

“We urge all [international federations] to be extremely vigilant when allocating and organizing international sports competitions,” and that promises made on access must be fulfilled.

The Post story also pointed out the refusal of Serbian authorities to allow Kosovan boxers to compete in November’s men’s World Boxing Championships in Belgrade, and added:

“The IOC said it plans to work with the National Olympic Committees of Malaysia and Serbia to come up with a long-term solution with their governments, ‘failing which such countries would, unfortunately, exclude themselves from the right to host international sports events until all the necessary assurances can be obtained and respected.’”

Athletes from Kosovo have also had difficulty in accessing competitions in Spain, while Israel has long had issues even if allowed to compete in many Middle East countries, as recently 10 days ago.

On 17 December, Israel’s Gal Zuckerman, finished routing the 10-entrant field in the women’s Formula Kite class at the World Youth Sailing Championships in Mussaneh, Oman, winning 15 of the 18 races.

But the Israeli flag was not raised and Israel’s national anthem were not played. The Omani government prohibited it, and the awards program was changed. Zuckerman told an Israeli television station, “When it was already clear [the day before] that I was going to win the gold, everyone’s anthems were canceled, because of me.”

She added:

“The competition’s site did not post our photos or announce us. We were there under the radar. One of the Israeli association’s agreements with the competition organizers, so that we could get there, was that we would walk around without flags and that if a competitor from Israel got on the podium, they would do it without the state flag.”

This also impacted the Israeli bronze medalists in the 470 class, Roy Levi and Ariel Gal, who were also not recognized with a flag-raising at their awards ceremony.

However, Zuckerman explained that she felt no antagonism from the local fans:

“‘The locals tried to treat us like any of other competitors,’ she said. ‘I even ‘clicked’ with one of the locals and every time we met him, he gave me a high five and wished me luck. After the competition he congratulated me on his personal Instagram and tagged me. That was touching. And the local manager of the competition always checked on us Israelis, to see how we were doing.’”

The IOC and other federations, notably the International Judo Federation, have been keen on anti-Semitic issues with Israeli athletes, as well as those from Kosovo. Perhaps 2022 will be a year in which these issues will recede. We can only hope so.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● China has pursued a zero-tolerance policy against Covid-19, most recently demonstrated with the lockdown of the city of Xian, with a metropolitan area population of about 13 million, last Thursday (23rd).

Located in central China, Xian is about 710 miles southwest of Beijing, with NBC News reporting:

“Households are allowed to send one member shopping every two days.

“Workers have also been spraying pathogen-killing solutions onto roads and buildings to disinfect the city, with residents being told to close their windows and avoid touching outdoor surfaces to prevent contact with the chemicals.”

Xian registered 150 cases of Covid on Monday (27th); for comparison, Los Angeles County in the U.S. reported 20,821 new cases on Sunday (26th), but with no lockdowns in place.

All of this points to very limited – if any – attendance at the Beijing Games starting in February.

Japan announced that it would not send any minister-level officials to the Beijing Games over continuing human-rights concerns in China. Seiko Hashimoto, a member of the Diet and President of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee, will attend, along with Japanese Olympic Committee chief Yasuhiro Yamashita and Japanese Paralympic Committee head Kazuyuki Mori.

This is seen as a tacit agreement with the diplomatic boycott of the Games by the U.S., Great Britain, Australia and others, but also in line with the presence of the head of the sports administration of China to the Tokyo Games last summer.

China’s Xinhua News Agency reported Monday that 18 visa applications had been made by the U.S. for the Beijing Winter Games for “security support operations.”

The story said that up for 40 other requests may be coming; the U.S. government has provided on-site security support for U.S. Olympic teams for decades.

While the Chinese foreign ministry said the application showed the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games to be a “farce,” it also said it would handle the applications in normal course.

Activists Zumretay Arkin from World Uyghur Congress; Frances Hui from We The Hongkongers; and Chemi Lhamo, a Tibetan-Canadian activist, released an open letter last week that called for athletes to boycott the Beijing Games. It included:

“We know athletes are people of conscience, full of strong and positive ideals, and desires for freedom and human rights. And because of this we – a Tibetan, Uyghur, and Hongkonger – are calling on you to not support the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics – The Genocide Games.

“Mass imprisonment and surveillance, torture, children forcibly separated from their parents, sexual abuse and systematic rape, LGBT repression, enforced disappearances, forced labor, fake democracy, patriotic education – these are all horrific realities that our people suffer on a daily basis at the hands of the Chinese brutal regime. …

“We know it is an extremely difficult ask for Olympic athletes who have dedicated so much time and energy to becoming champions in their sport. But it is not an exaggeration to say that life under Chinese government rule is literally death for our people. …

“We appeal to you to use your position, to stand on the rights side of history, and say no to the Genocide Games. Your support will bring so much hope to us, our family members, and our communities. It will set a precedent for other athletes to speak up.”

● XXV Olympic Winter Games: Milan Cortina 2026 ● “Today we are giving new life to an excellent corpse that will become the icon of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan Cortina 2026.”

That was Veneto region President Luca Zaia at a 21 December news conference announcing the initial funding of the creation of a new sliding track on the site of the famed – but dilapidated – Eugenio Monti track that was used for the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The project is estimated to cost €61 million (~$69.09 million U.S.) and be completed by early 2024 to allow for test events prior to the 2026 Winter Games. It is planned not only as a competition and training track, but also a year-round attraction for tourists.

Regional funding of €42 million has been allocated; the remaining funds are expected to come from Veneto, along with the Belluno Province and the city of Cortina itself.

The renovation of the track has been controversial, as the IOC suggested that an existing facility – perhaps in Switzerland – be used to save money. But the Veneto regional government sees the track as part of a larger renovation of the area and has been determined to use it.

During a year-end event, Italian National Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malago decried the passage of time on the infrastructure work needed since Milan Cortina was selected to host the 2026 Games, but said “Our Olympics will be the lowest cost ever.”

He also gave assurances that the opening of the Games will take place at the famed San Siro stadium in Milan, “whatever San Siro comes out, whether it is old, new or renovated. But we cannot risk that there is a construction site situation.” He also noted that the greatest concern at the moment was the new Milan arena for ice hockey, Palaitalia Santa Giulia: “Santa Giulia it is by far the most significant problem in terms of time in the dossier. this is a fact.”

● Games of the XXXIV Olympiad: Los Angeles 2028 ● Cricket is coming!

The International Cricket Council, after many months of internal discussions, is reportedly set to unleash a $3 million lobbying campaign to try and get the attention and backing of the 2028 Los Angeles organizers.

The IOC named the 28 sports on the 2028 program earlier this month, with cricket not included. This was expected; the sport’s best chance is to be an added sport, with the LA28 organizers expected to provide guidance to interested federations by March or April of 2022 and the selection to be finalized with the IOC in mid-2023.

An ESPN report noted that “A $3 million budget was set aside for the Olympic campaign with some of the funds dedicated to travel to encourage working group members to fraternise with relevant stakeholders,” and that the respected public relations firm Burson Cohn & Wolfe had been engaged to developed a campaign for inclusion.

There’s a long line of sports wanting in on 2028, but cricket stands an excellent chance of being named for 2032 for Brisbane, with the sport quite popular in Australia.

● Games of the XXXVI Olympiad: 2036 ● “Moscow should expect to hold the Olympic Games in the near future, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov told TASS on Monday.”

Pozdnyakov told the news service that Moscow’s existing facilities allow it to be in line with the IOC’s current push for sustainability. “Over the past 10-20 years, our country has moved much further in increasing the quantity and quality of sports infrastructure for almost all sports. Although there are a number of disciplines where problems remain, but this is rather an exception to the rule.”

Moscow hosted the 1980 Games and last made a serious bid for the 2012 Games, but was eliminated in the first round in an election eventually won by London (GBR).

● Alpine Skiing ● American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin reported that she has contracted the coronavirus, tweeting:

“I wanted to let you all know that I’m doing well, but unfortunately I had a positive COVID test. I’m following protocol and isolating, & I will miss Lienz.”

Shiffrin is the overall World Cup leader and ranks fourth on the points table for the Super-G, first in Giant Slalom and second in Slalom. Following the races in Lienz, the women’s tour goes to Zagreb (CRO) for a Slalom on 4 January.

● Athletics ● World Athletics announced changes to its policy on shoe thickness for track & field events, requiring all shoes to have a maximum thickness of 20 mm from 1 November 2024. In the interim, the existing rules allowing 25 mm thickness for shoes worn in events from 800 m on up remains at 25 mm.

Violations found after an event has been completed will be forwarded to the Athletics Integrity Unit.

Former Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar has been listed as “permanently ineligible” to participate in any aspect of the sport, indicating that he lost his appeal on sanctions by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Salazar had been banned for four years for doping violations, with the penalties upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and ending in September 2023.

The Center for SafeSport’s “Centralized Disciplinary Database” was reported by Sarah Lorge Butler of Runnersworld.com to have changed on 22 December to show “Permanent Ineligibility” for “Sexual Misconduct.”

Salazar and Nike are also being sued by former Nike Oregon Project athlete Mary Cain for $20 million in a civil action in Multnomah County, Oregon, in an action filed on 11 October (21CV40258), alleging “Personal Injuries – Negligence – Special Relationship – Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress – Fraud – Employment Discrimination – Sex Discrimination”.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The 21 members of the “5th Discipline Working Group” have been named by the Union Internationale Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), including President Klaus Schormann (GER) as the Chair, five marketing and broadcast experts, and 10 current or former athletes.

The group will meet in January 2022; interestingly, none of the 46 Olympic medal winners who signed the letter of complaint last November about the exclusion of riding were included among the 10 athletes selected.

● Weightlifting ● The impact of the continuing problems in the sport were underlined by the announcement of the weight classes proposed for the Paris 2024 Games by the International Weightlifting Federation.

In Tokyo, there were 196 total competitors allowed in 14 classes, down from 260 in Rio in 2016. The weight classes:

● Men (7): 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 96kg, 109kg, +109kg
● Women (7): 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 76kg, 87kg, +87kg

For Paris, only 120 competitors will be allowed in total, in 10 classes:

● Men (5): 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg, +102kg
● Women (5): 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg, +81kg

This is down from 10 classes per gender at the IWF World Championships, a demonstration of the implosion of the sport at the Olympic level due to the governance and doping issues at the federation level. The IWF and weightlifting itself are in danger of being dropped altogether from Los Angeles 2028 and are currently on what is a probationary status pending their future actions.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Figure Skating ● Overcoming a right ankle injury that had made his future cloudy, two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu convincingly won the men’s Japanese Nationals in Saitama, scoring an impressive 322.36 points.

Hanyu was followed by PyeongChang silver medalist Shoma Uno (295.82) and Yuma Kagiyama (292.41) with all three expected to compete in Beijing.

Kaori Sakamoto won her second national title in the women’s division, scoring 234.06, ahead of Wakaba Higuchi (221.78) and Mana Kawabe (209.65). Sakamoto was sixth in PyeongChang.

Miyu Yunoki and Shoya Ichihashi won the Pairs (115.72) and Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto took the Ice Dance title (178.17).

Russia held its 2022 Nationals in St. Petersburg from 21-26 December this year, with teenagers Mark Kondratiuk and Kamila Valieva stealing the individual titles.

Kondratiuk, 18, was second in the Short Program and only third in the Free Skate, but his total of 284.37 was enough to get past 2018 Worlds bronze medalist Mikhail Kolyada, who won the Free Skate after a dismal fifth in the Short Program (283.70 total).

Valieva, 15, is the newest women’s prodigy, easily winning both the Short Program and the Free Skate to pile up a sensational total of 283.48 points, way ahead of 2021 Worlds bronze winner Alexandra Trusova (17; 248.65) and 2021 World Champion Anna Shcherbakova (17; 239.56). Valieva won the 2020 World Junior Championship; she’s now one of the favorites for the Olympic title.

The Pairs competition was a tight race, with 2021 World Champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov winning from 2021 Worlds bronze medalists Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, 243.74-239.87. Veterans Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, three-time Worlds medalists, finished third (228.20).

Four-time European medalists Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin won the Ice Dance, scoring 223.37 to 207.70 for American-born Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin. Current World Champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov withdrew after winning the Rhythm Dance due to back pains for Katsalapov.

● Nordic Combined ● The U.S. Olympic Trials was held at Lake Placid, New York on Saturday (25th), with Taylor Fletcher coming from 56 seconds behind on the 10 km cross-country portion to qualify for the Beijing Games.

Ben Loomis took the lead during the jumping, out to 95.0 m, ahead of Jasper Good (92.0 m), Jared Shumate (91.5 m) and Fletcher (89.0). That gave Loomis a 34-second lead on the field, but Fletcher was flying from the start and caught Shumate and Good on the first 2.5 km lap. Fletcher caught up to Loomis on the third lap and the two battled to the finish, with Fletcher winning in 24:14.0 to 24:26.3 for Loomis and Shumate third at 24:58.7.

Beijing will be Fletcher’s fourth Winter Games; he was 45th in the Large Hill event in 2010, 33rd (Normal Hill) and 20th (Large Hill) in Sochi in 2014 and 35th (Normal Hill) in 2018.

The U.S. will have additional competitors in Beijing, but the remainder of the team – up to five are qualified – will not be named until late January.

● Ski Jumping ● The U.S. Olympic Trials for the jumpers was also held on Saturday (25th), with 25-year-old Kevin Bickner getting a Christmas present of his second Olympic berth by winning in Lake Placid.

He took the lead in the first round at 96.0 m and 128.5 points and added a 96.5 m second jump for another 128.5 points and a winning 257.0 total. He was followed by Decker Dean (244.0) and 2018 Olympian Casey Larson (229.0). Bickner meets the criteria for selection and hopes to improve on his 18th-place (Normal Hill) and 20th-place (Large Hill) finishes from 2018.

The U.S. has a second men’s slot for Beijing, but that selection will come later.

The women’s jumping was won by Anna Hoffmann (214.5 points), edging Logan Sankey (214.0) for the win, with Annika Belshaw third (200.5). The U.S. women currently have no qualifying positions for Beijing, but this could change during January.

≡ AT THE BUZZER ≡

Make no mistake, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) has its sights set on the Olympic Games. Its latest move is signing up for the World Anti-Doping Code, after six years of abiding in the WADA anti-doping regulations. Said WADA president Witold Banka (POL):

“In order to gain approval under the terms of the revised policy, the federation needed to go through a stringent process. This included the assessment by independent experts of its level of good governance, a review of its application by WADA’s newly created Signatory Expert Group – which is independent from WADA Management – and the completion of an extensive Code Compliance Questionnaire to demonstrate the quality of its anti-doping program. This is a positive step for IMMAF and its athletes, who will now enjoy the protection afforded by the Code.”

The IMMAF now claims 118 national federations approved or in review and will be lobbying hard for a future Games, perhaps not likely for 2028, but will no doubt be in the mix for 2032.

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THE TICKER: Shiffrin second at Courchevel, but has World Cup lead; NHL officially out of Beijing; Mod Pent’s Olympic issues not due to riding?!

By
Rich Perelman
-

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The FIS Alpine World Cup tour ended its pre-holiday schedule with competitions at Courchevel (FRA) and Madonna di Campiglio in Italy.

In France, Sweden’s Sara Hector, 29, moved up from second on Tuesday to take her second career World Cup win – and first in seven years – in the women’s Giant Slalom, ahead of American star Mikaela Shiffrin.

Hector led all skiers at the first run, with French star Tessa Worley second and Shiffrin third. Shiffrin skied well on the second run as Worley fell back, but Hector had the fourth-fastest second trial to finish at 2:13.03, 0.35 ahead of Shiffrin, who won her eighth medal across the 14 races on the World Cup tour so far (some of which she has skipped!).

Shiffrin now has a 750-635 points lead over Italy’s Sofia Goggia in the overall World Cup standings after 14 of 37 races, half of which have been speed races (Downhill, Super-G) and half technical (Giant Slalom, Slalom).

Of the remaining 23 events, 12 will be Giant Slaloms or Slaloms – Shiffrin’s strength – to 11 races that are Downhills or Super-G events. Barring injury, Shiffrin, who is still only 26, has an excellent shot at her fourth career overall World Cup crown.

In Italy, France’s Clement Noel got out to a big, 0.53-second lead after the first run of the Slalom, but was disqualified on the second run, opening the door for Sweden’s Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, who won in 1:34.59. That was just 0.10 seconds ahead of France’s Alexis Pinturault and 0.11 up on Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen (1:34.70).

Swiss Marco Odermatt remains the overall World Cup leader with 633 points, ahead of Matthias Mayer (AUT: 405).

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The Tokyo 2020 Games Organizing Committee provided, as promised, financial details of the Olympic and Paralympic Games today, noting considerable savings over the December 2020 version of the budget.

Wednesday’s announcement showed that the expected total cost of ¥16.440 trillion yen (~$14.399 billion U.S.) was reduced to ¥1.453 trillion or about $12.726 billion U.S.

The organizing committee’s own finances saw a ¥896 billion loss from the lack of ticket sales (~$784.7 million) for total revenue of ¥6.343 trillion yen (~$5.555 billion). The cost of staging the Games increased to ¥6.971 trillion (~$6.104 billion), but a subsidy for Covid counter measures of ¥628 billion (~$550 million) allowed the total to come down to ¥6.343 trillion yen, or the same as revenues.

The overall total for the Games is now estimated at ¥6.343 billion for the organizers (43.6%) vs. ¥8.187 trillion (~$7.169 billion or 56.4%) for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (¥6.248 trillion or ~$5.471 billion) and the Japanese national government (¥1.939 trillion or $1.698 billion). The Tokyo government bore most of the cost of the delay due to Covid (about ¥772 billion or $676 million).

The organizers still have more wrap-up activities ahead, including a final report on the Games, which will not be completed until mid-2022.

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● The formal withdrawal of National Hockey League players from the Beijing Games came today, as the International Ice Hockey Federation was informed of the decision. IIHF President Luc Tardif (FRA) said:

“Although we are disappointed to receive this decision by the NHL and NHLPA, we nevertheless fully understand the circumstances that forced this action to be taken.

“Throughout the discussions with the IOC, BOCOG, NHL, and NHLPA, we always operated with the understanding that this was a scenario that might occur. It was a shock to see how COVID-19 affected the NHL schedule almost overnight, and we understand the NHL’s decision is in the best interest of the health and safety of its players.”

Said NHL Commission Gary Bettman in a statement, “Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL’s regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events – 50 games already have been postponed through Dec. 23 – Olympic participation is no longer feasible. We certainly acknowledge and appreciate the efforts made by the International Olympic Committee, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the Beijing Organizing Committee to host NHL Players but current circumstances have made it impossible for us to proceed despite everyone’s best efforts. We look forward to Olympic participation in 2026.”

USA Hockey posted a notice that it will nominate new team leaders shortly and expects to name its Olympic roster with non-NHL players in mid-January.

The men’s tournament in Beijing will therefore look like 2018, with Russia likely having the best team, as the players from its Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) will be available. The Russians defeated Germany, 4-3 in overtime, in the PyeongChang final.

● World University Games: 2027 ● The North Carolina 2027 bid for the World University Games appears to be in a one-vs.-one contest with a Korean bid from the “Chungcheong Megacity Bid Committee” to host the Games, with the decision now expected to come in October 2022. Only the 2027 host will be decided by FISU, which has abandoned the idea of a dual award including 2029 (at least for now).

The North Carolina bid added a significant new set of venues to the bid from Greensboro, including the 22,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum, the Greensboro Aquatic Center at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and the Ike Belk Track at Truist Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University, making the bid offer even stronger.

● Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency published its testing and sanctions study for 2019, which will be a benchmark for pre-pandemic testing and violations levels.

The report showed that, worldwide, 278,047 samples were collected and analyzed. Of these, there were 2,701 adverse findings (0.097%) but actual sanctions were levied against 1,535 samples, with 546 samples still pending determination.

This is, once again, a small number overall and consistent with prior years. The 1,535 sanctions from samples were mostly men – by 77-23% – and from 83 sports across 115 nations.

In addition, the WADA investigations arm was responsible for 377 sanctions (351 athletes and 26 others), bringing the total to 1,912, down just slightly from the 1,922 total sanctions in 2018.

Of the sanctions handed out, the sport leaders were Bodybuilding (272 or 22%), Athletes (227 or 18%), Cycling (179 or 14%), Weightlifting (160 or 13%) and Powerlifting (119 or 9%).

By nationality, the leaders were Russia (167 = 19%), Italy (157 = 18%), India (152 = 17%), Brazil (78 = 9%) and Iran (70 = 8%). The U.S. tied for sixth with France at 62 (7%).

Of the 62 U.S. sanctions, 20 came from weightlifting (!), seven from track & field and six from triathlon; no other sport had more than four.

● Gymnastics ● The consent resolution dissolving the de-certification procedure by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee against USA Gymnastics was formally approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Wednesday, ending that process.

A notice of appeal was filed against the approved plan of re-organization of USA Gymnastics by Liberty Insurance Underwriters. Liberty’s motion for changes to the plan was denied, and it will now ask for help against what it sees as a limitations of its rights in the approved plan. Liberty is an insurer of USA Gymnastics, but is not listed as a participating insurer in the pay-out plan approved by the Court.

The report of operations for USA Gymnastics for November shows that legal fees in the case have swelled to $17,431,880, with $10,807,353 paid so far. The settling insurers are responsible to pay this cost.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) asked four of the most recognizable marketing and broadcast executives in the world to join its consultation group in the search for a new fifth discipline.

Marketing gurus Michael Payne (GBR) and Terrence Burns (USA) were named along with broadcast experts David Hill (GBR) and Peter Hutton (GBR). The four lend not only expertise, but also credibility to the group, whose task is to recommend a fifth discipline after the UIPM Executive Board proposed, and its Congress, approved, the removal of riding.

The full roster of the working group is due to be announced later this week.

However, the sport is hardly unified in this effort. Last Friday, a group of pentathletes met with International Olympic Committee representatives online, with a follow-up summary posted on the Pentathletes United Twitter page, including:

● “The IOC confirmed everything hat we feared and said back in October. The issue is not about riding. It is not about the sport or the athletes’ achievements. The major issues are ones of administration.

“It is Modern Pentathlon’s ‘performance’ both in and outside the Olympic Games in terms of expansion, television viewing, digital engagement, appeal to the youth, costs and complexity of organisation. This is not about events in Tokyo, but repeated issues over many cycles.”

● “[T]he UIPM took the greatest gamble in the sport’s history, despite all the warnings we gave – that going to the IOC with a proposal for Modern Pentathlon including an unknown fifth sport was not credible, and was never going to be accepted.

“Doing that has put us in the holding box, fighting for re-inclusion, something the IOC made clear in this meeting. Our potential for re-inclusion will be evaluated by the IOC EB in May 2023.”

● “We either can (i) stay with the current leadership of the UIPM or (ii) we work with a new leadership and fix the long-standing issues, so that Modern Pentathlon is brought forward into the modern world. That means engaging our spectators in a spectacular celebration of the vision of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. A combination of tradition and youth.

“We cannot pretend ti will be easy to return Modern Pentathlon to the Olympic Programme. To ensure riding remains part of our sport we need to make its cost and complexity is balanced by the delivery of a dynamic and vibrant sport. We need to make sure that the sport as a whole meets and exceeds the IOC criteria.”

More meetings were called for this week and the Athletes’ Committee has asked for representatives of every participating country in the sport. Stay tuned.

● Short Track ● South Korea’s four-time Olympic medal winner Suk-Hee Shim was suspended for two months by the Korean Skating Union on Tuesday for text messages she sent during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games that suggested she might intentionally crash to help a teammate win women’s 1,000 m final.

No evidence of an intentional crash attempt was found, but the Associated Press reported that the Skating Union’s disciplinary committee imposed the sanction “because her messages invited public criticism and undermined the dignity of other athletes.”

The penalty would keep Shim out of the Beijing Games; she can appeal, but the Koreans plan to submit their entry list to the Beijing organizers on 24 January. Shim, 24, was on the winning women’s 3,000 m relay in both Sochi (2014) and PyeongChang and won a 1,500 m silver and 1,000 m bronze in Sochi.

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PANORAMA: FINA short-course Worlds end with four world records; no NHL players in Beijing; another win for Mikaela Shiffrin!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin (Photo: Reese Brown/U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

Key status updates on the urgent stories in Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The 15th FINA World 25 m Championships in Abu Dhabi (UAE) ended with a bang as Tokyo Olympic open-water gold medalist Florian Wellbrock (GER) won the men’s 1,500 m Freestyle with a world-record performance to highlight the final session.

Wellbrock completed a wild double in Abu Dhabi, winning the FINA Marathon World Series open-water event earlier and then swimming 14:06.88 to claim the world record from Italian star Gregorio Paltrinieri, whose mark of 14:08.06 was set in 2015.

It was the fourth world record of the meet, to go along with Siobhan Haughey (HKG) in the women’s 200 m Free, Maggie MacNeil (CAN) in the 50 m Backstroke and Sweden’s equaler in the women’s 4×50 m Medley.

The U.S. women gold in the 4×50 m Freestyle to open the final session, with Abbey Weitzeil, Claire Curzan, Katharine Berkoff and Kate Douglass finishing in 1:34.22, not far from the American Record of 1:34.03 at the 2019 short-course Worlds.

Emily Escobedo followed up with a gold in the women’s 200 m Breaststroke, just 0.03 ahead of Russian Evgeniia Chikunova and 0.11 up on Britain’s Molly Renshaw: 2:17.85-2:17.88-2:17.96.

Canada’s MacNeil won her second gold of the meet in the women’s 100 m Butterfly (55.04), with Americans Curzan (55.39: World Junior Record) and Torri Huske (55.75) finishing 3-4.

Swedish star Sarah Sjostrom had a busy meet, but finally won an individual gold in the women’s 50 m Free in 23.08, just ahead of 50 m Butterfly winner Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED: 23.31). Sjostrom won the 100 m Free silver and 50 m Fly silver and four relay medals (2-1-1) for a total of seven in the meet!

American Nic Fink concluded a sensational meet with his second Breaststroke gold, this time with an American Record of 25.53 in the 50 m final, bettering his own record of 25.68 set in the semis. He won medals in all three Breaststroke events, as he took the 100 m bronze and the 200 m gold, and three more on relays for a total of six.

The U.S. also won silvers in three other men’s events: Ryan Held was second to Alessandro Miressi in the 100 m free (45.57-45.63); Shaine Casas took silver in the 200 m Backstroke as Poland’s Radoslaw Kawicki won the event for a fourth time, and the U.S. 4×100 m Medley was second to Italy, 3:19.76 to 3:20.50.

The meet saw five World Junior Records and 11 meet records and 28 countries won at least one medal, the most ever for a short-course Worlds. The 27-member U.S. team of mostly younger stars was superb, leading the medal winners with 30 total (9-9-12), ahead of Italy (16: 5-5-6), Russia (15: 4-7-4) and Canada (15: 7-6-2) and Sweden (12: 4-5-3).

Sjostrom (7) and teammate Louise Hansson (7) won the most individual medals at the meet; 10 swimmers won six. The top individual winners were Russian Kliment Kolesnikov and MacNeil with four golds each.

Observed: This was a very good World Championships for FINA, with its biggest-ever prize purse of $2.835 million, plus $200,000 in world-record bonuses, so the total payout exceeded $3 million. The added open-water and diving events were a plus and the approval of an Aquatics Integrity Unit was a welcome stamp of serious intent to step up its fight against cheating of all kinds.

The meet also saw the impact of underwater reviews of the two-hands-touch-on-turns rule in Breaststroke events, leading to a total of 24 disqualifications in the discipline. There were 12 disqualifications each for men and women, with 14 on the first day, and 16 total in the men’s and women’s 50 m events. The swimmers learned quickly to be observant.

The short-course Worlds was essentially a warm-up for the full World Aquatics Championships coming up in May in Fukuoka, Japan, hopefully with fans in attendance in the biggest international event to follow the Tokyo Olympic Games.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● Multiple reports today indicate that the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association have agreed not to have players compete at the Beijing Winter Games in view of a wide Covid outbreak among NHL teams.

CBC Sports noted that “Ten teams have been shut down amid COVID-19 outbreaks and a total of 50 games have been postponed this season.” The three-week Olympic break will have to be used to make up the postponed games. The NHL is facing a deadline of 10 January to withdraw from the Games without incurring a financial penalty.

NHL players participated in the 1998-2002-06-10-14 Winter Games, but the NHL did not allow players to go to PyeongChang in 2018. The NHLPA negotiated the opportunity to go to Beijing into the new labor agreement, but the Covid outbreak has apparently made that impossible.

News on the diplomatic boycott front has been fairly slow in recent days, with Austria and Belgium both saying they will not send any government officials to the Games. Belgium’s stance appears to be driven by human-rights concerns, but Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said, “This is not a diplomatic protest or boycott, but only due to the fact that the COVID restrictions in China are very high … We are against the politicization of the games and will coordinate within the EU.”

Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin said Tuesday that more than 1.2 billion rubles – about $16.3 million U.S. – has been spent to support Russian athletes preparing for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

● Games of the XXXIV Olympiad: Los Angeles 2028 ● The floor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will get a temporary, $1 million asphalt track installed for the season-opening NASCAR exhibition called the “Clash at the Coliseum” on 6-7 February.

The track will be 440 yards – a quarter-mile – just longer than the 400 m polyurethane track that will be used for the 2028 track & field competition, in a format similar to that used for the 2013 Stadium SUPER Trucks series. The 1984 Olympic track was removed in 1993 as the field was lowered for Los Angeles Raiders football games.

● Games of the XXXV Olympiad: Brisbane 2032 ● The Australian federal government named its four members for the board of the Brisbane organizing committee, including Sport Minister Richard Colbeck, special envoy for the Games Ted O’Brien, Swimming Australia Vice President Tracy Stockwell and Paralympics Australia board member Rebecca Frizelle.

The Brisbane 2032 board will be made up of 20 members, plus any Australian members of the International Olympic Committee, and the International Paralympic Committee.

Stockwell is better known to Americans as Tracy Caulkins, the three-time gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, in the 200 and 400 m medleys and 4×100 m medley relay. Now 58, she married Australian swimmer (and fellow University of Florida swimming alum) Mark Stockwell in 1991 and moved to Australia; the couple have five children. She received Medal of the order of Australia in 2008 “for service to sport as an administrator and proponent of sporting opportunities for women.”

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The first-ever “Team USA Service & Hope Award” winners were announced last Friday (17th), with four athletes receiving $25,000 from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation for service “in a volunteer role with charitable organizations whose missions focus on youth sport, physical activity, or health and well-being.”

The recipients were Shea Hammond (Para-soccer) working with CP Soccer US; wheelchair basketball star Darlene Hunter, with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association; sport climber Kai Lightner, working with Climbing for Change, and two-time Olympic fencer
Nzingha Prescod, with Fencing in the Park. Each of the non-profits they work with will receive 50% of the prize.

A total of 134 applications were made, 76% of whom were currently competing athletes.

● Athletics ● The second Wanda Diamond League meet in China was confirmed for the city of Shenzhen and the 40,000-seat Bao’an Stadium for 6 August. It will follow the 30 July meet in Shanghai as the first two meets following the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon from 15-24 July.

The training group formerly known as the Nike Oregon Project has been renamed. Continuing to train with coach Pete Julian, the Portland-based team will now be known as the Union Athletics Club.

Still sponsored by Nike, Julian has kept the group going in the aftermath of the suspension of former coach Alberto Salazar. Canada’s Running Magazine reported that the group still includes Shannon Rowbury, Raevyn Rogers, Jessica Hull, Donovan Brazier and Craig Engels, among others.

French coach and commentator P.J. Vazel tweeted on Monday that Russia’s Olympic women’s high jump winner Mariya Lasitskene may be delayed in starting her 2022 season in late January in Germany because the Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik V is “still not recognized in the countries hosting major indoor meets” and he added that this also applies “with Chinese vaccines, not only for Chinese athletes btw (for eg. 1/3 of vaccinated Ukrainian had Sinovac).”

Keep an eye on this story as it affects participation in the World Athletics Indoor Tour.

● Basketball ● USA Basketball confirmed that Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been named as the U.S. men’s national team coach from 2022-24.

Kerr served as an assistant coach on the 2019 FIBA World Cup team and on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic staff. He will be assisted by Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams (an assistant on the 2016 Olympic coach staff), Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga University coach Mark Few.

● Football ● FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) told reporters following Monday’s “Global Summit” that

“If I was going to a vote tomorrow, probably the majority would vote in favor of a World Cup every two years. But it is not the topic, we are looking at the entire calendar and how we can make football better and how many we can bring on board with a new way of organizing the future in football. …

“It is about getting the right decisions for football at the end of the day and we will take the time that it takes, to come to this decision. I will not commit to anything at the Congress [in March 2022]. Everything is open and flexible. We continue the dialogue, the analysis, we hope we can make progress, one way or the other, or some middle way, we will see.”

Mexico lost its appeal against sanctions for anti-gay chants by fans last October and will have its next two FIFA men’s World Cup qualifying matches held without fans.

FIFA imposed the two-match penalty and a fine of CHF 100,000 on the Mexican federation in November, and the Appeals Committee turned down Mexico’s request for change.

This means that the Mexican team will play home qualifiers without fans on 30 January vs. Costa Rica and 2 February against Panama.

Just eight days after FIFA announced separate rights packages for its women’s football and eSports programs, digital payments giant Visa announced it has become the first “Women’s Football Partner” for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.

Said Lynne Biggar, Visa’s Chief Marketing Officer: “Becoming the first FIFA Women’s Football Partner is part of a much larger investment in women’s initiatives to help recognize the limitless potential of women around the world.”

● Swimming ● China’s triple Olympic Freestyle distance champion Yang Sun, already serving a four-year suspension for violations of the World Anti-Doping Code, is accused of violating the terms of that suspension by training in a government-funded facility.

Britain’s The Times reported that he had been photographed while training in a “performance sport facility,” which would be against the terms of his sanctions. A World Anti-Doping Agency spokesman said:

“We are looking into the matter and, as part of that, we will follow up with the relevant entities, including the international swimming federation [FINA], to gather more information and to be in a position to determine whether the swimmer has breached the terms of his suspension, as per the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport of 22 June 2021.”

● Weightlifting ● The International Weightlifting Federation completed a meeting of its Congress in Tashkent (UZB) with 101 member federations attending in-person or online. The group completed the necessary procedures to move forward with an Extraordinary Congress on 30 January 2022 that will amend “the IWF Constitution aimed at speeding up the electoral process, on the basis that it will be repeating some steps that were recently undertaken.”

If passed, candidates can be nominated on 2 March and “vetting” of the candidates can be completed by 30 April. That would place elections potentially in May of next year.

This lengthy process, with starts, stops and re-starts, has irritated the International Olympic Committee to the point where it has left the sport off of the 2028 Olympic program, at least for now. The results of the elections will be an important step for the sport’s Olympic future.

On Saturday, an important election in the European Weightlifting Federation saw Moldova’s Antonio Conflitti elected President, over Britain’s Ashley Metcalfe. Russian Maxim Agapitov had been serving as Interim President and had suffered a no-confidence vote.

A 1997 World Champion at 91 kg, Agapitov had served a doping suspension from 1993-95 and has drawn the ire of the IOC, which tried to keep him from being accredited at the Tokyo Games as an IWF Board member, but ultimately failed after Agapitov appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Agapitov did not offer himself as a candidate for the EWF post and the ballot for the IWF elections will be watched closely by the IOC to see if Agapitov and others involved in the IWF during its period of corruption are allowed to run for office.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS World Cup circuit continued into the week with more racing in Italy and France.

In Courchevel (FRA), American star Mikaela Shiffrin won her third race – and second Giant Slalom – on the season, taking the lead after the first run and then getting the second-fastest time on the final run to win at 2:15.35 over Sara Hector (SWE: 2:16.21) and Michelle Gisin (SUI: 2:16.43). She now has 72 career World Cup wins, still no. 3 on the all-time list.

Another Giant Slalom will be held at Courchevel on Wednesday.

The men were in Alta Badia (ITA) for the second of two Giant Slalom races on Monday, with Switzerland’s seasonal leader, Marco Odermatt, winning his fourth race of the campaign. His combined time of 2:26.07 edged Luca di Aliprandini (ITA: 2:27.08) and Alexander Schmid (GER: 2:27.16). American River Radamus was 10th.

The men have a Slalom in Madonna di Campiglio (ITA) on Wednesday to end the pre-holiday schedule.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The FIS Freestyle World Cup Ski Cross racing concluded in Innichen (ITA) on Monday, with France’s Bastien Midol winning the men’s event over Swiss Ryan Regez and Tobias Baur (SUI) and Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund sweeping the women’s two-race series.

The women’s results were especially amazing, as Naeslund won for the fifth time in the six races held this season; Swiss Fanny Smith was second for the fourth time in a row and five out of six this season, and a Canadian skier – this time, Marielle Thompson – was third for the fourth straight race!

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HEARD AT HALFTIME: MacNeil gets 50 m Back WR in Abu Dhabi; Tokyo costs lower than expected; Covid may end NHL participation in Beijing

By
Rich Perelman
-
Five-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel (USA)

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The penultimate day of the FINA World 25 m Championships continued with another world short-course mark and multiple other records in Abu Dhabi.

The headliner was the women’s 50 m Backstroke final, where Tokyo Olympic 100 m Butterfly champ Maggie MacNeil of Canada blasted to the gold in 25.27, crushing Dutch star Kira Toussaint’s two 25.60 swims in 2020. MacNeil led a 1-2 for Canada – which won three golds on the day – with Kylie Masse second (25.62).

More highlights:

● Men/50 m Butterfly: A third career Short-Course Worlds gold for 41-year-old Nicholas Santos of Brazil, who touched first in 21.93, 0.05 ahead of Dylan Carter (TTO).

● Men/400 m Medley: History for Japanese star Daiya Seto, who won the event in 3:56.26, his fifth straight World Short-Course title in this event! He previously won the 200 m Medley and has a career total of seven World Short-Course golds.

He had to be quick to beat Russian Ilya Borodin (3:56.47), who set a World Junior Record, and American Carson Foster (3:57.99), who earned a second individual medal after his silver in the 200 m Medley.

● Men/4×50 m Medley: The U.S. team of Shaine Casas, Nic Fink and Tom Shields had the lead after three legs, but a sensational anchor by Russian Vladimir Morozov brought his team even with Ryan Held of the U.S. and the two touched together at 1:30.51 to share the gold medal!

Russia had Kliment Kolesnikov, Kirill Strelnikov and Andrei Minakov on the first three legs and Morozov out-swam Held, 20.37-20.52 on the final leg. The U.S. squad set the American Record, 0.4 better than the 2018 World 25 m Champs squad.

● Women/100 m Breaststroke: China’s 17-year-old Qianting Tang took the gold at 1:03.47, an Asian record, from Sweden’s Louise Hansson (1:03.50).

● Women/200 m Medley: The first international championship gold for Canada’s Sydney Pickrem (2:04.29), ahead of a World Junior Record 2:04.48 for Yiting Yu (CHN), with Americans Kate Douglass (2:04.68) and Melanie Margalis (2:06.02) third and fourth.

● Women/4×200 m Freestyle: Canada struck again with Summer McIntosh, Kayla Sanchez, Katerine Savard and Rebecca Smith, winning in a national record of 7:32.96. That was 3.57 seconds ahead of the American quartet of Torri Huske , Abbey Weitzeil, Margalis and Paige Madden.

In the women’s 100 m Fly semifinals, American Claire Curzan, 17, tied the World Junior Record of 55.64 and was the no. 2 qualifier heading into tomorrow’s final.

Heading into the final day of the meet, the U.S. leads with 23 medals total (6-6-11), trailed by Russia (13: 4-6-3) and Italy (13: 3-4-6), and Canada (12: 6-5-1).

While the World Short-Course Championships is not as celebrated as the long-course Worlds (coming in 2022), the event has the largest prize-money pool in FINA history. A total of $2.835 million will be distributed, with $15,000-12,500-10,500-9,000-7,500-6,000-4,500-3,000 for places 1-8 in the individual events and $10,000-8,000-7,000-6,000-5,000-4,000-3,000-2,000 for the relays. Plus bonuses of $50,000 for world records!

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● Kyodo News reported whispers that total costs for the Tokyo Games will be ¥1.45 trillion (~$12.75 billion), down from a projection of up to ¥1.64 trillion (~$14.42 billion) late last year.

Because of the lower overall cost, no additional public money will be needed. This figure is still to be confirmed; the split of the last-projected ¥1.64 trillion cost was to be 44.0% from the organizing committee, 42.8% for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and 13.2% for the Tokyo national government.

The pre-Covid budget had been ¥1.35 trillion (~$11.87 billion), so the expected added cost of ¥394 billion (~$3.47 billion) turned out to only be an additional ¥100 billion (~$880 million).

It’s still a lot more than the bid projection of ¥734 billion (~$6.45 billion) from 2013.

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● While tennis is not part of the Winter Games, the situation with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai took another turn that will cast a further shadow over February’s Games.

Peng gave an interview to Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao – a Chinese-language newspaper – that included (as translated) according to The Guardian:

“‘I wanted to make this very clear: I have never claimed, or written about anyone having sexually assaulted me,’ Peng said. ‘With regards to Weibo, it’s about my personal privacy … There’s been a lot of misunderstanding … There [should be] no distorted interpretation.’”

This is in contradiction to her post on Weibo on 2 November, in which she accused former Vice Premier Gaoli Zhang of sexual assault. She also verified that her reply to Women’s Tennis Association chief executive Steve Simon (USA) was hers and did include the comments: “I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you again for caring about me.”

Reuters reported a WTA statement: “We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern.”

Observed: The reports from the Singaporean newspaper raise more questions than provide answers. This isn’t over and the interest in Peng during the Beijing Games is only being heightened.

Continuing Covid-19 infections among National Hockey League teams is placing NHL player participation in the Beijing Games in doubt. The NHL and the Players’ Association released a joint statement on Sunday that included:

“Due to the concern about cross-border travel and, given the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions, effective on Monday, all games involving a Canadian-based team playing a U.S.-based team from Monday, Dec. 20 through the start of the Holiday break on Dec. 23, will be postponed and rescheduled”

and

“Given the disruption to the NHL’s regular-season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events – 27 games had been postponed as of Saturday and at least 12 more will be postponed through Dec. 23 – and the continued uncertainty caused by the ongoing COVID pandemic, the NHL and NHLPA are actively discussing the matter of NHL Player participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, and expect to be in a position to announce a final determination in the coming days.”

USA Hockey is reported to be actively working on a back-up plan for a U.S. team for Beijing in case the NHL players are not available.

The seventh women’s MyWhy Tour series exhibition match between the U.S. and Canadian women’s teams scheduled for tonight (20th) in St. Paul, Minnesota, was canceled due to Covid concerns. The teams had played two games in St. Louis last Wednesday and Friday – both overtime wins for the Canadians, by 2-1 and 3-2 – and were to play the final U.S.-based game tonight before two final games in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta on 3 and 6 January.

The Canadian women have won four of the six games played so far, with three going to overtime and four of the six decided by one goal.

● Athletics ● The annual Bowerman Awards, given by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the top collegiate athletes in the U.S. went to LSU super-jumper JuVaughn Harrison and Texas A&M’s Olympic 800 m champion Athing Mu.

Harrison won the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in both the high jump and long jump and won places on the U.S. Olympic teams in both events, apparently for the first time since Jim Thorpe in 1912!

Mu won the NCAA women’s 400 m title in a collegiate record of 49.57 and set the collegiate 800 m mark at 1:57.73. She went on to win the U.S. Olympic Trials at 800 m and then the Olympic 800 m in Tokyo.

Track & Field News announced its annual Athletes of the Year, with U.S. shot put world-record setter and Olympic champ Ryan Crouser (USA) as the men’s winner and Jamaican sprint star Elaine Thompson-Herah, the 100/200 m winner in Tokyo, as the women’s winner.

● Football ● The furor over FIFA’s proposal to stage its iconic men’s World Cup tournament every two years is reaching a peak with a “Global Summit” of 207 national federations held online today.

Reports issued at the meeting confirmed the obvious; FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) said:

“We have been advised by independent experts that a switch to a biennial FIFA World Cup would provide a combined additional USD 4.4 billion in revenue from the first four-year cycle, with these funds being distributed across our 211 member associations.

“This additional revenue would allow solidarity funding to move from the current level of USD 6 million per cycle to up to potentially USD 25 million on average per FIFA member association in the first four-year cycle, with the actual distribution being subject to FIFA’s governance principles.”

Moreover, if confederations also move to a biennial schedule, the men’s tournaments would see a total “uplift” of approximately $6.6 billion in the first four-year cycle.

No decisions were made; the FIFA announcement noted, “FIFA plans further consultations with confederations and MAs in early 2022, with the opportunity to examine these studies in further detail.”

Results of a survey of more than 77,000 people was also released, showed that of some 30,390 who identified football as their favorite sport, 63.7% would like to see a biennial World Cup and 52.4% would like to see a biennial Women’s World Cup.

The European confederation (UEFA) released a study last Friday (17th) which showed “alarming findings … which raise severe concerns over the sustainability of the plan for European associations,” including

“Adding up the losses from centralised revenues (media rights of men’s European Qualifiers and Nations League; distributions from UEFA EURO) and from individual sources such as ticketing and sponsorships, revenues for European national associations might drop between €2.5 and €3 billion over a cycle of four years, depending on the number of qualifying windows available (two or just one).”

In addition, UEFA Vice President Zbigniew Boniek (POL) announced that the 10 South American teams in CONMEBOL would join the European Nations League in 2024.

Super teams such as Argentina and Brazil, along with four others, would join “League A” and the remaining four to be in League B. UEFA and CONMEBOL have been the most strident confederations in opposition to the biennial World Cup plan.

Abdullah Ibhais, a former media manager for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organizing committee, lost his appeal against a prison sentence based on a confession that he says was coerced. According to the BBC, a complaint was lodged against him in October 2019, alleging crimes related to a contract for the management of the group’s social-media platforms.

Ibhais says he was coerced into signing a confession by Qatari authorities, and:

“He retracted the confession during his trial, but the court refused to invalidate it and found him guilty this April of ‘bribery’, ‘violation of the integrity of tenders and profits’, and ‘intentional damage to public funds’. He was sentenced to five years in prison.”

He says that he is actually being punished for “internal criticism of the Supreme Committee’s handling of a strike by migrant workers over unpaid wages in August 2019.” The appeals court reduced his sentence from five years to three.

● Swimming ● In addition to the World 25 m Championships and the surrounding Aquatics Festival, FINA held an Extraordinary Congress in Abu Dhabi (UAE), importantly approving the formation of an independent Aquatics Integrity Unit.

This new group will “protect our aquatics community from ethical and discriminatory violations, match-fixing and all forms of harassment,” and be operating as of 1 June, according to FINA President Husain Al-Musallam (KUW).

The Congress also approved the FINA Rules on the Protection of Harassment and Abuse and FINA Code of Ethics, both designed to reduce abuse and encourage whistleblowers.

FINA also named its annual awardees last Friday:

● Men’s Swimmer of the Year: Caeleb Dressel (USA)
● Women’s Swimmer of the Year: Emma McKeon (AUS)
● Swimming Coach of the Year: Gregg Troy (USA)

● Men’s Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Florian Wellbrock (GER)
● Women’s Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA)

● Men’s Water Polo Player of the Year: Filip Filipovic (SRB)
● Women’s Water Polo Player of the Year: Maggie Steffens (USA)

≡ AT THE BUZZER ≡

In the U.S., the Biden Administration nominated two Olympic personalities for ambassadorial posts, with five-time World Figure Skating Champion and two-time Olympic medal winner Michelle Kwan, 41, tabbed to lead the U.S. post in Belize and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, 50, to be Ambassador to India.

Kwan has been involved with U.S. diplomatic efforts since 2006 and worked for the Hillary Clinton campaign for the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. Garcetti has already his Congressional hearing, but will not be voted on until 2022.

A wild scramble in anticipated in Los Angeles for the mayoral race in 2022, with no clear front-runner at this point.

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LANE ONE: World Athletics chief Coe says of Oregon22’s impact on U.S. track & field: “We’re coming from a fair way behind if we’re being honest.”

By
Rich Perelman
-
World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (Photo: Leaders Business Summit)

(For our Highlights of the weekend’s top competitions, including world records
in weightlifting – 1,085 pounds! – and swimming, click here.)

“Oregon, I’m unashamedly going to tell you is a really important moment for our sport. We’re into the U.S., every sport wants to be there. It is the largest sports market for us, and other sports.

“We need to leave there with what I have described as an ‘indelible footprint.’ And that’s not just about our ability as an organization to have great [communications programs]. Oregon, to me, feels very much like a holistic project: it’s project management, It’s every facet of what we need to do. We need to come together with the [local organizing committee], with USA Track & Field, our own teams internally, just to make sure that we leave with all the fruit.

“And it’s just not about broadening that footprint in the U.S., as important as that is. It’s also the opportunity to create more competition events that will allow there to be more of a two-way street for European and African athletes to be competing in the U.S.

“It feels a bit still that we have the old, sort-of Victorian view that everybody comes to Europe to summer, you know, on the grand tour. I want our sport to be more global in terms of the events that we’re able to offer and create. And the Continental Tour has been a good example of how that is growing and building traction in the U.S.”

That’s World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR), the two-time Olympic 1,500 m champion from 1980 and 1984, speaking to a half-dozen reporters online last Friday about the state of the sport and what’s important for 2022. And the World Athletics Championships coming up next summer at the new Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is high on his list.

He has no illusions about some sort of automated “magic” that the event will bring to the profile, impact and stature of the sport in the U.S.:

● “I’m not going to sit here and tell you this is going to be easy. It isn’t. We’re coming from a fair way behind if we’re being honest.”

● “It’s still that conundrum, isn’t it? The U.S. is still the powerhouse of track & field, consistently been so. … It still poses that challenge that we’ve got athletes that are recognized within the sporting athletic world and more than ever that are beginning to cross over into greater perception outside of track & field. But that tends to be outside of the U.S. I know household names – that we consider in the sport – still walk with relative anonymity in their own home cities.”

● “I actually flew from Tokyo to Los Angeles on a flight with a great number of L.A.-based Olympic medalists and I expected to get off the plane with them in L.A. to be sort of side-stepping the media who would want to be chasing them and catching their reunion on domestic soil. They walked through the airport, you know, unescorted. So, I know we’re coming from a fair distance back and I made the point earlier that I don’t see this being about [World Athletics Communications chief Jackie Brock-Doyle]’s ability and her teams in Comms to be able to dial up the interest any more than it is simply [USA Track & Field] or the LOC. I think this has to be a really joint effort.”

● “It is really vital that we improve the perception of track & field in the U.S., because that will actually help us grow the sport globally. So, I’ve just crafted a message to all of our member federations making sure they understand how serious an opportunity this is for all our federations. This is not just about growing the sport in the U.S., although as important as that is.”

● “It’s a runway as well into [Los Angeles] 2028. So, look, I’m not saying that we’re going to swallow up all that ground in the next six months, but I see this not just as a way of promoting Oregon, I see it as a way of promoting the sport more generally in the U.S. so that we have a growing trajectory for it. …

“We need to really continue to ramp this up, because ‘28 is a very important mile mark for us as well in the sport. So, it’s sequential and incremental, but we do have to make sure that we cover a lot of ground in the next six months to build the perception around these championships.”

In terms of what is being planned, Coe explained, “It’s about social media, it will be about broadening the footprint on traditional media, getting broadcast, getting promotional work done in advance of these championships.”

He was not overly concerned about the finances of the event, saying that the budget is settled and that if all parties involved work together, it should come off as planned.

Beyond the 2022 Worlds, Coe did take some time to extol the coverage of track & field as “the no. 1 Olympic sport” compared with all others at the Tokyo Games last summer. He noted that in data provided to the International Federations by the IOC:

“We had the highest number of broadcast viewing hours in Tokyo, by some distance of any other Olympic sport, some 2.2 million hours. We had the largest number of media articles written, a good chunk of them by you folks on the call today, some 10,000. We had the highest number of shared articles across our social media, which was roughly about 700 million, and that led to over 62 million conversations on social media around athletics.”

He also championed new projects, especially with the European Broadcast Union to produce all-access pieces about the sport in the same style as ESPN’s “The Last Dance” about the sixth title run for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, or Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” about Formula 1 racing.

Asked about the doping history of weightlifting that has led it to the brink of extinction on the Olympic program vis-a-vis the doping problems in track & field, Coe pointed to the differences:

“Yes, we’ve had our doping concerns, but in track & field, we’ve done something about it. We created the Athletics Integrity Unit. The Athletics Integrity Unit forms the basis of our reforms in 2016, the practical implementation of them in 2019. …

“There is a distinct difference in what athletics has done and how other sports have dealt with this issue, and I am unashamedly happy to say that we got onto the front foot, we created a new system that made very much more independent the approach to anti-doping. It removed any vestige of thought that somehow, if you had a big reputation in the sport, or you were a large federation, you could somehow skip past these regulations, and I think that has lent confidence.”

He was also quizzed on the federation’s regulations for women’s competitions, especially for those with “Differences in Sex Development” such as Caster Semenya (RSA), Francine Niyonsaba (BDI) and others. He was resolute:

“It is about fairness and inclusion, it is about protecting female sport and that is very, very important. … The rules and the regulations that we [passed], the measures that we took, were supported by the Court of Arbitration, upheld in the Swiss Federal Court. Their words, not mine: ‘proportionate, necessary and realistic.’

“We’ve always made it clear that the 4, the 8, the 15 and/or the mile were those disciplines, that for our case to be defended in the Court of Arbitration, were those events that were most impacted. We had the evidence, we were comfortable with the science, but we then took the added data and relevance to those events.”

Coe noted that Russia’s reinstatement was coming closer, but will only be completed when “when I and the Council and the Task Force are entirely satisfied that reinstatement does not remotely jeopardize the devoted efforts of the thousands of clean athletes around the globe.”

And he was optimistic that cross country might be considered once again for the program at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Coe was pleased with how World Athletics came out of 2021, especially with the difficulties posed by the Covid pandemic and the challenge of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Recognizing that we are not yet in a post-Covid world, he is optimistic about the future of his sport, especially the opportunities presented by the first-ever outdoor Worlds coming to the U.S. next summer.

But as he underlined, there is a lot of work yet to do.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HIGHLIGHTS: Astounding 1,085-pound world weightlifting record for Talakhadze; Haughey sets world mark in Short-Course Worlds; U.S. men edge BIH, 1-0

By
Rich Perelman
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The astonishing Lasha Talakhadze (GEO), with three world records at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships (Photo: Wikipedia/Agencia Brasil from the 2016 Olympic Games)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world/updated/:

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS Alpine World Cup was in Italy and France, with the U.S. taking medals at both.

The men’s skiing in Val Gardena (ITA) started with a Super-G on Friday, with Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde taking his third win of the season (and second Super-G) in 1:25.91 over Austrians Matthias Mayer (1:26.13) and Vincent Kriechmayr (1:26.18). On Saturday, it was American Bryce Bennett, 29, with a surprise Downhill victory in 2:02.42, his first career World Cup medal. His prior best had been a fourth (three times), two of which had been at Val Gardena.

Bennett finished ahead of Otmar Striedinger (2:02.56) and Niels Hintermann (SUI: 2:02.74).

Sunday saw the first of two days of Giant Slaloms at Alta Badia (ITA), with Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen winning over seasonal leader Marco Odermatt (AUT), 2:25.04-2:25.35. Austria’s Manuel Feller was third (2:25.41), with American River Radamus sixth (2:25.77).

The women were at the famed Val d’Isere resort in France, with another strong performance from U.S. speed skier Breezy Johnson. Italian star Sofia Goggia, the reigning Olympic Downhill Champion, started seventh in the order and took the lead at 1:41.71, a time no one could match and giving Goggia her fourth World Cup win of the season. But Johnson, starting 13th, steamed through the course in 1:41.98 and was a clear second, with Mirjam Puchner (AUT) third.

It was Johnson’s third straight silver medal in a World Cup Downhill, underlining her chances as a medal contender for Beijing. In Sunday’s Super-G, Goggia got her fifth win in the last seven races in 1:19.23, ahead of Ragnhild Mowinckel (NOR: 1:19.56) and Italian Elena Curtoni (1:19.74). American star Mikaela Shiffrin was fifth in 1:19.98 and Johnson was ninth (1:20.31).

● Badminton ● The BWF World Championships was a wild conclusion to the 2021 season in Huelva, Spain, with Japan taking two wins and China one.

The biggest upset came in the men’s Singles, with unseeded Kean Yew Loh (SGP) overcoming 12th-seed Srikanth Kidambi (IND), 21-15, 22-20 for Singapore’s first world badminton title!

Japan’s wins came in the women’s Singles with Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) defeating Tokyo silver medalist Tzu Ying Tai (TPE), 21-14, 21-11, and in the men’s Doubles from Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (JPN), who beat Ji Ting He and Qiang Tan (CHN), 21-12, 21-18.

China’s Qing Chen Chen and Yi Fan Jia took the women’s Doubles over Sohee Lee and Seungchan Shin (KOR), 21-16, 21-17.

Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai won the Mixed Doubles title – only the second-ever gold in the badminton Worlds – over Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (JPN), 21-13, 21-14.

● Biathlon ● The fourth stage of the IBU World Cup was a busy schedule in Annecy (FRA), with more wins for powerhouses Norway and Sweden.

The women’s 7.5 km Sprint was a second straight World Cup win for Norway’s seasonal leader, Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, who won by 15.4 seconds ahead of France’s Anais Bescond in 20:22.0, with Swede Elvira Oeberg third (+16.1).

But Oeberg got her first World Cup win on Saturday in the 10 km Pursuit in 29:27.0, just ahead of France’s Julia Simon (+4.2), with Oeberg’s older sister Hanna getting the bronze (+11.6) and Roeiseland fourth. The 12.5 km Mass Start on Sunday was another win for Elvira Oeberg, who finished in 35:21.7 (one penalty), well ahead of Simon (+10.7).

The men’s races saw three-time World Cup champion Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) win his first race of the season in the 10 km Sprint (23:30.3), defeating Russia’s Eduard Latypov (+7.2). Saturday’s 12.5 km Pursuit was the second straight Pursuit win for home favorite Quentin Fillon Maillet in 30:58.3, well ahead (+16.1) of Latypov, who took silver again.

The 15 km Mass Start was a French 1-2, with Emilien Jacquelin taking his first win of the season (35:54.8; one penalty), ahead of Fillon Maillet (+3.5), with Tarjei Boe (NOR) third. With the win, Jacquelin took the seasonal lead.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The fifth of eight ISBF World Cups was in Altenberg (GER), with Germany’s superstar driver Francesco Friedrich continuing to roll.

Friedrich ran his World Cup win streak in the two-man racing to all four races this season in 1:50.37, ahead of Christoph Hafner (GER: 1:50.59) and Canada’s Justin Kripps (1:50.68).

The four-man on Sunday was the sixth race of the season, but the result was the same: Friedrich won in 1:48.88 over Kripps (1:49.16) and Russian Rostislav Gaitiukevich (1:49.23).

The two-women sledding saw the first win (and fourth medal) of the season for Kim Kalicki (GER: 1:54.49), ahead of PyeongChang gold medalist Mariama Jamanka (GER: 1:54.71) and Kaillie Humphries (USA, with Sylvia Hoffman: 1:54.92). Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S., with Lauren Gibbs, was fourth (1:54.97).

The women’s Monobob World Series was also in Altenberg, with Canadian star Christine de Bruin getting her first win of the season (1:59.96) ahead of teammate Cynthia Appiah (2:00.09) with Humphries third (2:00.15); Meyers Taylor was 12th.

In Skeleton, six-time World Champion Martins Dukurs (LAT) got his first win of the year in 1:53.90 over Germans Axel Jungk (1:54.09) and Christopher Grotheer (1:54.31), who continued his streak of winning medals in all five races this season. The women’s race was a second gold this season for Germany’s Tina Hermann (1:59.03), ahead of second-time medalist Valentina Margaglio (1:59.14).

Three extra women’s Monobob World Series races were early in the week in Lake Placid, New York, with Canada’s Alysia Rissling winning all three, each ahead of Australia’s Ashleigh Werner. American Brittany Reinbolt was third in the final race last Tuesday.

● Cross Country Skiing ● Sprint racing was on the program in Dresden (GER), with men’s and women’s and team races.

The men’s 1.29 km Freestyle Sprint was the fifth straight World Cup win by a Norwegian, this time for Havard Solas Taugbol (2:15.02), defeating Federico Pellegrino (ITA: 2:15.17) and Lucas Chanavat (FRA: 2:15.70).

The women’s 1.29 km Freestyle Sprint was the fourth Sprint win in a row for Swede Maja Dahlqvist, giving her the seasonal World Cup lead. She won in 2:33.36) over teammate Jonna Sundling (2:33.79) and Slovenian Anamarija Lampic (2:34.00).

In the Team Sprint events on Sunday, Norwegian teams went 1-2 in the men’s competition and Sweden (Sundling and Dahlqvist) won the women’s race over Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern of the U.S., 15:45.81-15:46.92.

● Curling ● The WCF’s final Olympic qualifying tournament in Leeuwarden (NED) provided three spots for men and women to Beijing. In the men’s tournament, Norway (skipped by Steffen Walstad) concluded the round-robin play 8-0 to earn one spot; Italy (Joel Retornaz) defeated the Czech Republic (Lukas Klima), 6-5, to earn another and Denmark (Mikkel Krause) defeated the Czechs, 8-5, to get the third spot.

The women’s qualifiers included Scotland (Eve Muirhead; which will play as Great Britain), the winner of the round-robin; Japan (Satsuki Fujisawa) defeated South Korea (Eun-jung Kim), 8-5, for the second spot and the Koreans got the third spot with a 8-5 win over Latvia.

● Diving ● The USA Diving Winter Nationals in Bloomington, Indiana took on extra significance as the selection meet for the 2022 FINA World Championships.

Tokyo Olympians Tyler Downs and Andrew Capobianco went 1-2 in the men’s 1 m Springboard, at 811.25 and 785.45, but Downs will pass on the Worlds, so third-placer Jordan Rzepka will go instead (735.00). In the 3 m Springboard, Downs won a second U.S. title at 897.50 in a close duel with Capobianco (874.10); Carson Tyler was well back in third (815.30). Capobianco was 10th in Tokyo and Downs finished 23rd.

The 10 m Platform qualifiers were Zach Cooper and 14-year-old Joshua Hedberg, who scored 839.85 and 832.10, respectively, in the tightly-contested final.

The women’s individual winners included veteran Sarah Bacon in the 1 m Springboard, ahead of Brooke Schultz and Hailey Hernandez, 566.25-540.20-518.40. Hernandez won the 3 m Springboard, scoring 656.75 to 649.75 for Bacon, with Kristen Hayden (593.50).

The women’s 10 m Platform winner was Daryn Wright (605.55), ahead of Maycey Vieta (593.40) and Ciara Mcging (Ireland, 583.70). Wright and fourth-placer Maggie Merriman will represent the U.S. at the Worlds due to Vieta having represented Puerto Rico in 2021.

In the Syncho events, the winners (and qualifiers for the 2022 Worlds) include Downs and Gregory Duncan in the men’s 3m, and Max Flory and Cooper in the men’s 10 m.

Hernandez and Delaney Schnell (Tokyo silver winner with Jessica Parratto) won the women’s 3 m Synchro and Schnell and Tarrin Gilliland took the 10 m Synchro and are headed for the Worlds.

The Mixed Synchro spots went to event winners Quentin Henninger and Kristen Hayden in the 3 m Springboard and Tyler and Gilliland in the 10 m Platform.

● Football ● The world no. 12 U.S. Men’s National Team had a friendly on Saturday against 61st-ranked Bosnia & Herzegovina in Carson, California and came away with a hard-fought, if sloppy, 1-0 victory.

A hard, late foul on Kellen Acosta in the 40th minute in the visitor’s zone led to a red card against midfielder Amar Begic and Bosnia and Herzegovina had to play a man down for the remaining 50 minutes. But the half ended at 0-0, even with the U.S. owning 68% of the possession. Both sides had six shots, and American keeper Matt Turner had to make three saves.

The second half had the visitors packing in their defense and the U.S. unable to score. But in the 89th minute, a hard shot from just outside the box by defender Jonathan Gomez was stopped by keeper Belmin Dizdarevic, but squirted out in front of the goal, where substitute striker Cole Bassett – in his first game for the U.S. – knocked it home for the game winner.

The U.S. ended with 73% of the possession and a 10-9 edge in shots, but most importantly with the win. U.S. keeper Matt Turner got his ninth shutout of the year, a team record, and it was the 17th of the calendar year for the men’s team, a record, beating the 16 wins in 2013.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The third Ski Cross event of the FIS World Cup season was in Arosa (SUI) on Tuesday, with Swede David Mobaerg repeating as the winner (and getting his second World Cup win). He beat France’s Terence Tchiknavorian, who was second for the second race in a row. Canada’s Jared Schmidt won the bronze medal.

Canada’s Marielle Thompson, the 2014 Olympic champ, got her first medal of the World Cup season with a win over 2013 World Champion Fanny Smith (SUI) in the final. Canada also claimed the bronze with Zoe Chore, her first career World Cup medal.

The Ski Cross season continued in Innichen (ITA) on the weekend, with Swiss Ryan Regez winning Sunday’s men’s race over France’s Bastien Midol and Reece Howden (CAN). Swedish star Sandra Naeslund won her fourth women’s World Cup race in five editions this season, again beating Smith, who finished second for the third World Cup race in a row (and four out of five!)

A second race at Innichen will be held on Monday.

The Moguls skiers were at the Alpe d’Huez in France, with Japan’s Ikuma Horishima and Canadian star Mikael Kingsbury dominating the event.

Horishima won his second straight Moguls event on the World Cup circuit, scoring 87.84 to top countryman Daichi Hara (82.96) with Kingsbury third (81.34). But Kingsbury came back to take the Dual Moguls on Saturday, his 68th career World Cup gold; he beat Swede Walter Wallberg in the final, and Horishima won the bronze.

Australia’s Jakara Anthony swept all competition aside, winning the Moguls over Anri Kawamira (JPN), 85.97-77.21, with American Tess Johnson third (76.64). Anthony then took the Dual Moguls, skiing past Anastasiia Smirnova (RUS) in the final, with American Kai Owens getting third.

● Handball ● The 25th IHF Women’s World Championship concluded in Spain, with Norway making a furious comeback in the second half to defeat France, 29-22.

France, the 2017 World Champions, led at the half by 16-12, but the winners got big scoring efforts from Henny Reistad (6 goals), Nora Mork (5), Stine Bredal Oftedal (5) and Kari Brattset Dale (5) to rebound for the win. It’s the fourth women’s world title for Norway, which previously won in 1999, 2011 and 2015.

For the French, who came into the championships match with a 10-0 record in the tournament, it was their fourth silver medal, including two in a row in 2009 and 2011.

Both of the semifinals were tight, with France eliminating Denmark, 23-22 after trailing 10-12 at halftime. Norway and Spain were 11-1 at half, but Norway pulled away to win by 27-21.

The third-place match was won by Denmark, 35-28, over host Spain. It was the first women’s worlds medal for the Danes since a bronze in 2013.

Sweden’s Nathalie Hagman ended as the top scorer at 71 goals, with Alexandrina Cabral of Spain at 44.

● Luge ● The sixth of nine FIL World Cups for 2021-22 was in Innsbruck (AUT), with a strong win for home favorites Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller on the first day in the men’s Doubles.

Steu and Koller finished in 1:19.281 for their second straight win on tour, ahead of Andris and Juris Sics (LAT: 1:19.303). German stars Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken won the Sprint, with Latvia’s Sics second, 29.905-29.960, and Steu and Koller third (29.970).

Seasonal leader Johannes Ludwig (GER) won his third men’s Singles title of the season in 1:39.605, beating Austrian star Wolfgang Kindl (1:39.654) and Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller (1:39.880). Kindl came back to take Sunday’s Sprint race, 32.390-32.430 over teammate Jonas Muller, with Ludwig third (32.537).

Germany’s Julia Taubitz won her third race of the season in the women’s Singles, 1:19.546 to 1:19.588 over Austria’s Madeleine Egle, with two-time Olympic champ Natalie Geisenberger third (1:19.894). Egle came back to take the Sprint over Taubitz, 29.992-30.042. Taubitz remains the seasonal leader.

● Nordic Combined ● Same old, same old at the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Ramsau (AUT), where Norwegian stars Jarl-Magnus Riiber and Gyda Westvold Hansen continued their winning ways.

Riiber won his fifth consecutive World Cup race this season on Saturday, off the 98 m hill and 10 km race in 24:02.0, with Vinzenz Geiger (24:30.0) well behind and Finn Ilkka Herola third (24:33.9). On Sunday, Riiber won his sixth straight, again over Geiger, 23:58.0-24:13.3, with five-time World Cup winner Eric Frenzel (GER) third in 24:32.1.

The women’s event – 98 m hill and 5.0 km – went to Hansen in 14:10.5, keeping her perfect on the season: five wins in five events. She was trailed by Slovenian Ema Volavsek (14:57.1) and Yuna Kasai (JPN: 15:11.8).

● Short Track ● /Updated/The U.S. Olympic Trials in Short Track were held on the weekend at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, with Beijing 2022 spots allocated on a points system based on two competitions each in the 500 m, 1,000 m and 1,500 m distances.

On Saturday, the men’s 1,500 m competitions were concluded with Ryan Pivirotto winning the first race ahead of Andrew Heo and then Heo defeating Pivirotto in the second race, but Pivirotto was the overall winner of the event, with Clayton DeClemente third.

The women’s 1,500 m races were both won by Kristen Santos, who ended with 68 points to 42 for Corinne Stoddard and 26 for Julie Letai.

Racing was completed on Sunday. The men’s 500 m races went to Brandon Kim on Friday, over Pivirotto and Heo, then Pivirotto took Sunday’s race, beating Heo, Alec Sklutovsky and Kim. The combined scoring had Pivirotto, Kim and Heo as the top three.

The men’s 1,000 m saw Pivirotto outrace Kim and Heo on Saturday, and then Heo won on Sunday, ahead of Marcus Howard and DeClemente, with Kim (who fell) and Pivirotto fifth and sixth. Heo won the combined events, out-scoring Pivirotto and Kim, with DeClemente fourth.

The U.S. men qualified only two spots for Beijing, based on the ISU World Cup results, and Heo and Pivirotto getting on the plane, and Kim third. Pivirotto moves up after being an alternate in 2018.

The women’s 500 m races were held on Friday and Sunday, with Santos winning the first trial ahead of Maame Biney and Stoddard, and then Biney winning Sunday’s second trial over Santos, Stoddard, Letai and Eunice Lee. The combined event scoring settled on Santos, Biney and Stoddard as the top three.

In the women’s 1,000 m, Biney won the first trial on Saturday, beating Letai and Lee, with Stoddard fourth and Santos fifth. The Sunday final had Santos winning over Stoddard and Biney. The combined scoring had Biney as the event winner, followed by Santos, Stoddard and Letai.

The U.S. had five women’s qualification places available for the Beijing Games off a strong ISU World Cup showing, especially by Santos. She heads the Beijing squad, along with 2018 Olympian Biney, Stoddard, Lee and Letai.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS women’s World Cup had a single competition in Ramsau (AUT: 98 m hill) on the 17th, with Austria’s Marita Kramer – the seasonal leader – winning her fourth event in a row. She scored 261.0 points to out-score Germany’s Katharina Althaus (256.9) and Slovenian Ursa Bogataj (253.3).

The men’s jumping was in Engelberg (SUI) on a 140 m hill, with Germany’s Karl Geiger – the seasonal leader – getting his second win of the campaign at 287.4 points. Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi was second (286.6) and Timi Zajc (SLO: 282.6) was third. Sunday’s event was the third win of the season for Kobayashi, 306.0-293.8. Norway’s Marius Lindvik was third (293.5), his third medal of the season.

● Snowboard ● A busy weekend, with three different events, all in Italy!

The SnowCross competitions were in Cervinia, with a third straight men’s win for Austria, but this time by Jakob Dusek – his first medal of the season – beating Eliot Grondin (CAN) and Lucas Eguibar (ESP).

Olympic champ Michela Moioli (ITA) won the women’s final over American Faye Gulini, with Australia’s Belle Brockhoff taking the bronze-medal race over legendary American star Lindsay Jacobellis.

In Carezza, the Parallel Giant Slalom for men was a victory for Stefan Baumeister (GER), his first of the season, ahead of Dmitrii Loginov (RUS) in the final, with Edwin Coratti (ITA) taking bronze. The women’s racing was won by Daniela Ulbing (AUT), edging Olympic champ Ester Ledecka (CZE), with Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) third.

The “Alpine Snowboard” racers then moved on to 2026 Winter Games site Cortina d’Ampezzo for more Parallel Giant Slalom racing. The men’s title was the first career World Cup win for Swiss Dario Caviezel, beating Korea’s Sangho Lee; Ronald Fischnaller (ITA) was third.

The women’s PGS saw Ledecka ace her 20th World Cup win, finishing ahead of Russia’s Sofiya Nadryshina in the final; Swiss Ladina Jenny took the bronze.

● Speed Skating ● The ISU Four Continents Championships in Calgary (CAN) was held in mid-week, with many of the top stars not competing, but with five wins for the U.S. and three each for Canada and Kazakhstan.

Austin Kleba of the U.S. won the men’s 500 m (34.82) over Korea’s Min-kyu Cha (34.83) and Kleba also took silver in the 1,000 m. Kazakhs Denis Kuzin (1,000 m) and Dmitry Morozov (1,500 m) won the middle distances and Canada’s two-time Olympic medalist Ted-Jan Bloemen won the 5,000 m (and got the 1,500 m silver). Korea’s Cheon-ho Um won the Mass Start, with American Zach Stoppelmoor third.

The U.S. won the Team Sprint (a third medal for Kleba) and Canada won the Team Pursuit (a second win for Bloemen).

The U.S. won the women’s 3,000 m (with Jamie Jurak) and the Team Sprint and Team Pursuit (with Jurak). Yekaterina Aidova (KAZ) won the 500 m and was the 1,000 m runner-up, with Yu-ting Huang (TPE) taking the 1,000 m gold. Canada’s Kali Christ won the 1,500 m over Americans Sarah Warren and Jurak.

Jurak got a fourth medal with a second in the Mass Start, won by Chae-won Park, with American Dessie Weigel getting the bronze.

● Swimming ● The 15th FINA World 25 m (short-course) Championships are ongoing in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with one world record set and another tied in the first four days of competition.

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, who had been a star in the ISL (short-course) circuit, grabbed the world mark in the women’s 200 m Freestyle on the first day of the meet, winning the final in 1:50.31, over Canada’s Rebecca Smith (1:52.24) and American Paige Madden (1:53.01). Haughey’s time broke Swede Sarah Sjostrom’s 1:50.43 mark from 2017.

Sweden tied the women’s 4×50 m Medley Relay world mark, winning in 1:42.38 with Michelle Coleman anchoring, to beat the U.S. squad of Rhyan White, Lydia Jacoby, Claire Curzan and Abbey Weitzeil, the silver medalists in 1:43.61. Sweden equaled the 1:42.38 swim by the U.S. team at the Hangzhou (CHN) short-course Worlds in 2018.

Through the first four days of the championships, the U.S. led with 19 total medals (5-5-9), ahead of Italy (11: 3-4-4) and Canada (8: 3-4-1). The American men got individual wins from Shaine Casas in the 100 m Backstroke and Nic Fink in the 200 m Breaststroke, plus the 4×200 m Freestyle. Fink also took a bronze in the 100 m Breast. The men’s 4×200 m Free team of Kieran Smith, Trenton Julian, Carson Foster and Ryan Held set an American Record of 6:47.00.

Rhyan White won the only women’s individual gold so far, in the 200 m Back, and the U.S. 4×100 m Free team tied Canada for the gold in that event. In the 50 m Fly, Curzan (17) took bronze with a World Junior and American Record of 24.55.

Double winners in Abu Dhabi so far include Russian star Kliment Kolesnikov, who won the men’s 50 m Backstroke and the 100 m Medley; he also won silver behind Casas in the 100 m Back.

Haughey won the 100 m Free to go along with her world 200 m Free mark; China’s Bingjie Li took the 400 m and 800 m Free titles (Haughey got a bronze in the 400 m Free), and Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko, 18, won the 50 m Breast – the country’s first-ever world swimming champion – and then took the 100 m Medley.

Tokyo Olympic champion Yufei Zhang won the women’s 200 m Butterfly. Swedish sprint star Sjostrom won silvers in the 100 m Free and 50 m Fly.

Covid protocols have also taken a toll, with the U.S. having five swimmers exit the meet at various points, including sprint star Michael Andrew, Michael Brinegar and Backstroke winner White, followed by Jacoby and Katie Grimes. British Freestyle star Tom Dean, the Tokyo Olympic 200 m Free gold medalist, pulled out of the meet on Friday due to a close contact. The South African team did not come to Abu Dhabi out of caution over the Omicron variant and Australia sent only one swimmer (!).

The use of underwater cameras also led to a series of disqualifications in the Breaststroke events. On day one of the meet, seven women were disqualified in the heats of the 50 m Breast, followed by six men in the 100 m heats. Most of the swimmers got the message, but the incidents continued. A notable loss in the women’s 50 m semis was Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson, a medal contender, and on Sunday, four women were disqualified in the 100 m Breast heats.

Competition continues through Tuesday (21st).

The ninth and final leg of the FINA Marathon World Series was held in Abu Dhabi as part of the well-planned Aquatics Festival that is accompanying the World 25 m Champs, with Germans Florian Wellbrock and Leonie Beck taking the wins.

Wellbrock, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, won a dash to the finish from Italy’s Domenico Acerenza over the 10 km course, 1:48:09.4-1:48:12.0. Tokyo silver winner Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) was third (1:48:23.6).

Beck, fifth in Tokyo, defeated Olympic winner Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA), 1:58:17.0 to 1:58:19.3 and Rio 2016 gold medalist Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED: 1:58:22.1). It was Beck’s second career World Series victory.

A mixed 4×1,500 m relay was held, with Italy – anchored by star Gregorio Paltrinieri – winning in 1:06:49.1 to 1:06:51.7 for Hungary, with Rasovszky on the anchor. The U.S. team of Mariah Denigan, Grimes, Brennan Gravley and Brinegar was fourth (1:08:17.1).

● Weightlifting ● The IWF World Championships in Tashkent (UZB) closed with a bang, as Georgian superstar Lasha Takakhadze – who has to be the world’s strongest man – won his world title with sensational world record lifts in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and total.

In the men’s 109+ kg division, two-time Olympic champ and four-time World Champion Talakhadze started with a world mark of 225 kg (496 lbs.) in the Snatch, two kg better than his Tokyo Olympic lift. In the Clean & Jerk, he lifted an astonishing 267 kg (589 lbs.), also two kg better than Tokyo. That gave him a fifth world title and a combined-lift world mark of 492 kg (~1,085 lbs.), four kg better than Tokyo.

This is astonishing and if weightlifting is to make it onto the Olympic program for 2028, it will be because performances like Talakhadze’s just cannot be missed. Armenia went 2-3 with Varazdat Latayan (457 kg) and Rio 2016 silver medalist Gor Minasyan (448 kg).

The men’s 109 kg division was similarly dominated, by home favorite and Tokyo gold medalist Akbar Djuraev, who won the Snatch and Clean & Jerk on the way to a combined total of 433 kg. He led a 1-2 Uzbek finish with Ruslan Nurudinov second (421 kg).

The women’s 87 kg final was won by Mongolia’s Monkhjantsangiin Ankhtsetseg, with a 250 kg total, ahead of Tursonoy Jabborova (UZB: 244 kg). American Juliana Riotto was sixth at 233 kg.

The +87 kg title went to Korea’s Young-hee Son, who lifted a combined 282 kg, just one kg better than Thailand’s Duangaksorn Chaidee. American Sarah Robles, the 2017 World Champion, was fifth at 266 kg.

Counting only the medals for combined lifts, Korea led the medal table with seven (4-1-2), ahead of host Uzbekistan, Thailand and Colombia, each with five. The U.S. won two medals (1-1-0), from Meredith Alwine (1st: 71 kg) and Mattie Rogers (2nd: 76 kg).

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BULLETIN: USOPC Board kinda, sorta (definitely) approves Salt Lake City bid for 2030 Olympic Winter Games

By
Rich Perelman
-

“Our hat is in the ring and if we can make it work for 2030 on all levels, I think no one would be happier than all of us.”

That statement by U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair Susanne Lyons to reporters today was essentially a signal to the International Olympic Committee that Salt Lake City is a “formal” candidate to host the XXVI Olympic Winter Games in 2030.

The USOPC had recognized Salt Lake City as its candidate for a future Winter Games bid, after its successful staging of the 2002 Games, but had not announced whether it preferred a 2030 or 2034 hosting. Now, it’s 2030 if at all feasible. Said Lyons this morning, speaking after the USOPC Board met in Salt Lake City on Thursday (16th):

“At our meeting yesterday, the Board unanimously endorsed a resolution that read, ‘The Board resolves to formally recognize the tremendous progress made toward hosting the Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City. The strength of Utah’s vision and the public support for this effort, and the Board approved a USOPC commitment to advance dialogue – in alignment with LA28 – with the IOC and Future Host Commission towards hosting a future Winter Olympic Games as early as 2030.’

“So we’re very excited to have already begun conversations, which are part of a continuing dialogue with the IOC, about the potential for a Winter Games here in Salt Lake City as early as 2030 while recognizing the challenges of hosting a Games immediately following the Summer Games in LA28.

“We know that Salt Lake City offers a great opportunity for Winter Games that are athlete-centric, spectator-friendly, environmentally-conscious in a state that overwhelmingly supports hosting the Games. They have a plan that fits the long-term goals of this state and builds a legacy for global winter sports across the world.

“So these conversations will continue as part of this IOC future-host process, which most likely will continue after the Beijing Winter Games, as we are all somewhat preoccupied with that at the moment.”

The signals on this had been coming steadily over the past few months, but picked up steam in recent days with (1) comments from Los Angeles 2028 Chair Casey Wasserman that the organizing committee had already contracted sufficient revenues to host its Games, (2) the announcement from the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games that it had completed a budget projection – including a $200 million contingency and $250 legacy commitment – of $2.2 billion.

Asked about what stage the Salt Lake City is in, Lyons explained:

“At this point, we are really making all efforts to look at the feasibility of 2030 and it’s very important that we align with our partners in LA28 to do that. This would be the first time that a country tried to put two Games back-to-back; it’s quite complicated from a commercial and logistical point of view. So we’ll have to work together to ensure that it’s a doable thing.

“But we are pretty much in the process, our hat is in the ring and if we can make it work for 2030 on all levels, I think no one would be happier than all of us. … We don’t have to do anything else, and the dialogue will just continue to the point where, hopefully, all parties involved will think this is the right answer.”

This clears the way for the USOPC, the Salt Lake City bid team and the IOC Future Hosts Commission to talk more seriously, and possibly to designate the Salt Lake City for “targeted dialogue,” to reach a full agreement on becoming the hosts for 2030.

Lyons also emphasized the cooperative role of the LA28 organizers in the decision to go forward:

“I would say that they are very much willing to work very, very closely with all of us to see if we can find that path: can we make it work financially and logistically, so that we can be in a position to host both of those Games. They’re very deeply involved in those conversations and very positively and proactively trying to help us find those solutions.

“The decision to go forward for the search to host a Games really rests with the USOPC. However, this is 100% a partnership. We are absolutely committed to ensuring the success of LA28, so it really has to work together in a collaborative partnership. So they don’t, in effect, have veto power, but they are very much an interested party and one we would always want to have at the table.”

There will be some challenges, especially in the domestic sponsorship market, with hosting consecutive Games two years apart, but this is hardly new in Olympic history. Prior to World War II, the same country which was selected to host the Olympic Games usually hosted the Winter Games, as in 1924 (Chamonix prior to Paris), 1932 (Lake Placid prior to Los Angeles) and 1936 (Garmisch prior to Berlin). In the post-war period, it has not been unusual to have a Winter Games followed four years later by an Olympic Games in the same country, as in Cortina 1956 and Rome in 1960, or Lake Placid in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984.

The USOPC Board resolution clearly makes Salt Lake City the front-runner for 2030, with Sapporo (JPN) also with an advanced bid project and interest, but not clear planning, from Vancouver (CAN), a combined Barcelona-Pyrenees (ESP) bid and Ukraine. Award of the 2030 Games by the IOC is now likely in 2022.

The news conference also touched on the upcoming Beijing Winter Games, with the USOPC expecting to field teams of about 230 athletes for the Olympic Winter Games and 65 for the Winter Paralympics. A special Los Angeles-to-Beijing charter flight for most of the American team physically in the U.S. is being arranged with USOPC sponsor Delta Airlines, with other arrangements for the skiers and others in Europe.

The preparations for Tokyo, with the mandated Covid countermeasures, are being maintained, and the athletes will be prepped on behavior, safety and the laws of China. USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland noted:

“What’s really important to us, and where we feel we have a very strong sense of duty and obligation is to educate and provide the delegation with ample information and clarity around both the rules and the laws, in this case, the laws of the country where we’re going, also the rules of the IOC, the jurisdiction of the event itself. That applies broadly, across the laws of China, clearly, are distinct and different than those in the United States, and it’s our duty and obligation to ensure athletes understand what that means, and that the expectation is that we abide by the laws of that country.

“Likewise, the roles of the IOC, which has jurisdiction in the case of the Olympics, and the IPC for the Paralympics, and we educate and ensure that athletes have all the information they need to make informed and smart choices.”

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LANE ONE: No matter what name it goes by, the International Boxing Association is still on the Olympic chopping block

By
Rich Perelman
-

Known for decades by its French acronym of AIBA – for Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur – the international sports federation for boxing re-branded itself last weekend and promised further reforms in order to once again govern Olympic boxing.

It may not be enough.

During last Sunday’s Extraordinary Congress – held online – the federation confirmed its name as the “International Boxing Association” and adopted the “IBA” acronym instead of AIBA, with a new logo. More importantly, the 107 member federations present adopted a series of constitutional and operating reforms designed to return it to its former status:

● An Ordinary Congress will take place every year, creating a closer tie between the member federations and the governance process.

● A new Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (“BIIU”) will be created and be in operation during 2022, providing independent anti-doping, compliance tribunal, nomination checks and education services to the IBA and its members.

● Elections will be more tightly scrutinized: candidate eligibility criteria was enhanced as well as the “vetting process.”

● The IBA Board will be reduced from 22 to 18 members, with term limits and a defined selection process for independent directors – with specific skills which can help the IBA to succeed – to be adopted. Elections are to be held before 30 June 2022.

These changes came directly from the 15 November report of the AIBA Governance Reform Group, chaired by University of Zurich Professor Ulrich Haas (GER), a specialist in procedural law and arbitration, especially in the sports industry. The report noted, in its second paragraph:

“The [Governance Reform Group] notes that AIBA has made numerous changes to its rules and regulations in the recent past with the aim of improving its governance structure. These developments point in the right direction. The GRG, however, also notes that despite the above, AIBA was, and still is, in a serious crisis. In order to overcome this crisis and restore trust in AIBA, further far-reaching measures are urgently required.”

The report outlined, at length, the steps needed and a precise governance program and committee and commission structure. And a change of leadership is needed:

“In order to quickly restore confidence in AIBA and to avoid poor governance culture carrying over to the future, a ‘fresh start’ is required. In this regard, the GRG observes that most members in the Standing Committees and Permanent Committees have been renewed since 2018. The same is true, to a large extent, in relation to the staff employed by AIBA. The GRG recommends that a similar ‘fresh start’ should also be made in relation to the leadership of AIBA, more specifically the Board.

“The GRG, therefore, recommends minimizing any overlaps between the current Board members and the Board members to be elected/appointed in 2022. To this end, any Board member who made his / her career within AIBA predominantly during the eras of former Presidents Ching-Kuo Wu and/or Gafur Rakhimov should not form part of the Board to be elected in 2022.

“The GRG assumes that under these guidelines, approximately ¾ of the present Board
members need to be replaced.”

This report was followed up by a painful, 96-page report from McLaren Global Sport Solutions, outlining corruption and manipulation of the sport down to the individual match level from 2016 to 2021. In short:

“AIBA staggered through a revolving door of Presidents and Executive Directors causing instability and a lack of cohesive leadership from the top. Behind the curtain, there was constant interference from those formerly in charge of AIBA. Those bad actors combined with the instability created by the revolving door of top management provided the environment where the corruption and manipulation could continue with similar intensity to the conduct at Rio.

“As a result, this Stage 3 Report uncovers the weaknesses of the destabilised AIBA structure. There was a loss of organisational knowledge and institutional memory; inconsistent application of rules; no appetite to investigate the organisation or individual complaints; and ineffective disciplinary process without the force of sanctions. All of these problems contained within a failing organisational structure, ineffective in its operation.”

McLaren’s report alarmingly noted “Some evidence is emerging that bout manipulation may be occurring to facilitate gambling syndicates which will need to be examined further.” Exactly how the results of Rio 2016 Olympic bouts could be fixed was described in detail.

But McLaren’s report also stated “There has been noticeable improvement in the operation and administration of AIBA due to the leadership of the current President [Umar Kremlev/RUS] and the officials he has appointed such as the new Secretary General Istvan Kovacs [HUN] and others.”

All of this would point to improved standing for the “new” IBA with the International Olympic Committee, which suspended AIBA in 2019. Not so fast.

In a five-page report submitted on 8 December, IOC Director General Christophe de Kepper (BEL) and IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Paquerette Girard Zappelli (FRA) concluded that the boxing federation still has a long way to go. But there is a “pathway” for it to end its suspension:

● Finance: When elected in 2020, Kremlev promised to make AIBA’s debts of $26.5 million or more go away, and he said he has done so. This was apparently through a lucrative, but short-term deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom extending through December 2022 that allowed AIBA to pay off a debt of about $8 million to Azerbaijan-based Benkons MMC. Gazprom’s agreement is enough to fund AIBA through June 2022, but not beyond.

Further, there is a contested debt of about $22 million to Hong Kong-based First Commitment International Trade Ltd. (FCIT) from 2014 to support what turn out to be a failed AIBA marketing program. AIBA says it owes FCIT nothing, and FCIT filed once again in October 2021 for payment; in the IOC’s eyes, this is an unresolved issue that needs resolving.

So is the IBA really a going concern, or a taco, ready to fold up? Said the IOC report:

“AIBA ability to continue operating is still highly conditional upon adherence to the contractual obligations with Gazprom, to the capacity of AIBA to continue to find other sources of revenues after the Gazprom contract expires and to whether the risk of a potential litigation from FCIT materialises.”

and

“It should also be noted that the International Federation’s dependence on a state-owned company may also raise concerns regarding the potential situation of conflict of interest and autonomy.”

● Credibility of competitions: While the IOC-operated boxing tournament at the Tokyo Games appeared to go well, consulting firm PwC reviewed the AIBA men’s World Championships held in Serbia in October and November. There, the refereeing and judging process did not go as planned: “PwC noticed various concerning examples of human interference from the originally documented processes” and “PwC concluded that the new AIBA mechanism is not as independent from human influence as it should be, and that consequently, it leaves an open pathway to issues similar to those encountered in the past.” Not good.

● Governance: The IOC seems satisfied with the recommendations of the Governance Reform Group … if they are rigorously followed.

The bottom line:

(1) “Should the above-mentioned conditions be met by AIBA to the satisfaction of the IOC, the suspension of AIBA’s recognition could be lifted in 2023.”

(2) “Boxing’s inclusion on the list of sports for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 should be subject to AIBA meeting the above conditions.”

True, this is a pathway to reinstatement. But even if the governance reforms are taken seriously, the continuing problems with refereeing and judging and the very shaky finances of the IBA indicate it has an uphill battle ahead not just to reform itself, but to create a stable, credible business in the next 18-21 months.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: USOPC drops de-certification procedure against USA Gymnastics

By
Rich Perelman
-

Even prior to Monday’s settlement agreement approval in the USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee agreed to end its de-certification procedure against USA Gymnastics.

Documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Wednesday (15th) asked the Court to approve a consent resolution signed on the prior Friday – 11 December – to end the USOPC’s de-certification case. Signed by USA Gymnastics President Li Li Leung and USOPC Chief Executive Sarah Hirshland, the resolution states:

“Due to the substantial progress that USAG has made in addressing the USOPC’s concerns, the USOPC has agreed to withdraw the Section 8 Complaint and to enter into the USOPC Consent Resolution with USAG.”

Following Monday’s approval of the USA Gymnastics re-organization plan (and settlement with the insurers for abuse survivors and other debts), this is another major step forward for USA Gymnastics as it heads towards exiting bankruptcy and returns to normal operations, although it is not home-free yet. There are conditions:

● Continued implementation of the June 2017 Report to USA Gymnastics on Proposed Policy and Procedural Changes for the Protection of Young Athletes by former U.S. Attorney Deborah Daniels. A follow-up audit on this report was filed by Daniels in February 2021, and another review is required by 30 June 2022.

● Quarterly financial reports throughout 2022 and a quarterly report on “USAG’s efforts to retain members of its Executive Leadership Team.” That’s a considerable compliment to Leung and her senior managers.

● A 2022 survey to be co-prepared by the USOPC and USA Gymnastics on athlete and public trust in the organization, with quarterly reports on its progress.

Of course, the re-organization plan must continue in place, with $339.46 million to be distributed to abuse victims and a total distribution expected to be about $380 million after legal fees, set-asides for future claims and other claims are included.

The normal USOPC audit process for its National Governing Bodies will now be applied to USA Gymnastics. The resolution includes:

“The USOPC Consent Resolution allows USAG to emerge from its chapter 11 case on a more secure financial footing having removed any uncertainty about its NGB status. In addition, approval of the USOPC Consent Resolution is in the best interest of all creditors because, as to the survivors, it provides additional assurance that USAG will have the financial wherewithal to satisfy the non-monetary commitments in the Plan and, as to other creditors, that USAG will make the payments due to such creditors when they come due.”

As the Nassar abuse scandal exploded, the USOPC began the de-certification process against USA Gymnastics on 5 November 2018 by issuing a complaint under section 8.1 of the USOPC Bylaws (also 36 U.S. Code §220521(d)). On 5 December, USA Gymnastics declared voluntary bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, freezing all actions against it, including the USOPC de-certification action.

This did not impress the U.S. Congress, with Representatives and Senators asking in hearings why the de-certification procedure against USA Gymnastics were not continued, despite the bankruptcy filing. But, in fact, the federation and the USOPC ended up on the same side, asking their insurers to reach a settlement with the Survivors’ Committee, as was announced on Monday.

It is still possible that the Congress could de-certify USA Gymnastics, under its new-found power in the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 (S. 2330). The federation could be de-certified by a Joint Resolution of the Congress; such an act would cause consider chaos in the arrangements made in the re-organization plan for future payments by USA Gymnastics and would be a violation of the Olympic Charter, risking sanctions from the International Olympic Committee.

However, with the current turmoil in Washington, it’s hard to see where there’s the time or interest to further punish USA Gymnastics after substantial progress has been made, and acknowledged by all sides.

USA Gymnastics asked for a hearing on the motion for the consent resolution to be held on short notice, preferably next week.

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THE TICKER: WADA chief rejects “shouters”; France has Paris 2024 tech worries with China’s Alibaba; medals for U.S.’s Alwine and Rogers at IWF Worlds!

By
Rich Perelman
-

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

“Everything that we do is for you, to ensure a level playing field on which you can compete fairly and with confidence in the anti-doping system. I convey this message to all athletes of the world, not just to certain small, self-appointed groups that happen to shout the loudest. For me, all athletes are equally important and their dreams of success on the world stage are equally valid, no matter the sport they play or the language they speak.

“There are some who want to politicize anti-doping and turn it into a power struggle between certain factions or nations. But for me, it is important not to discriminate and we must not cede control to vested interests who want to place their organizations above others. When it comes to supporting athletes, it is crucial that we are equitable. A gap anywhere in the system is a problem for all of us and we must ensure that underfunded or lower profile regions of the world are not allowed to fall behind when it comes to protecting clean sport. I will not allow WADA to become part of anyone’s political game.”

That’s Poland’s Witold Banka, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in his year-end letter to athletes. He highlighted the governance and testing advances made during 2021 – such as the use of dried-blood-spot testing, the use of artificial intelligence and increased intelligence and investigations. But he also underlined how a clean-sport future must start:

“Anti-doping education is based on the principle that athletes start in sport clean and that the vast majority want to remain that way. When we are young and dreaming of winning an Olympic or Paralympic medal, we do not think about breaking the rules to do it. Instinctively, we know we want to win the right way. It is vitally important to protect and support the dreams of athletes as they strive to succeed in an ethical way that will allow them to enjoy their achievements long after they have retired, without having to lie or make excuses for what they did or how they did it.

“This is why the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code includes education in the prevention of intentional or unintentional doping, along with deterrence, detection, enforcement, and the rule of law. Education is a core component of any anti-doping program and was reinforced on 1 January 2021 through the introduction of the first International Standard for Education. This important Standard sets out the requirements that Signatories to the World Anti-Doping Code need to meet as it relates to education.”

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● The Beijing 2022 “playbook” for everyone else outside of athletes and teams, published on Monday, continues the Tokyo approach of maintaining distance between athletes and everyone else:

“To enable physical distancing, overall accreditation numbers have been reduced, venue operational plans adapted and access to venues restricted to what is strictly required for operational reasons”

and

“Keep a distance of at least two metres from athletes and one metre from other Games participants – There may be times when the distance between athletes and others is less than two metres, for example, on the Field of Play and in preparation areas. Beijing 2022, the IOC, the IPC and IFs will implement the necessary countermeasures.”

Masks are required at all times other than when competing, eating, or giving interviews.

For news media, “Press and photo capacities in all Games venues have been adjusted to take into consideration the need for accredited press to maintain a distance of at least one metre from other individuals and two metres from athletes at all times.”

This is the same approach as taken at Tokyo, and broadcasters will also be stringently controlled in the mixed zones and for interviews:

● “The use of a boom microphone (or an alternative suitable solution) will be mandatory in order to ensure the minimum two metre distance between athletes and interviewers is maintained.”

● “On-air talent and the athlete/guest being interviewed may remove their masks during live presentations. When interviewing athletes/guests, on-air talent may remove their mask only if ensuring a distance of two metres from the athlete/guest is maintained. All other staff must wear a mask at all times, keeping a distance of at least one metre from staff and two metres from athletes/guests.”

And entering the Main Media Center means:

“Your temperature will be detected automatically at the main entrance of the MMC and the entrance of media dining hall.”

Restrictive? Yes. But not dissimilar to Tokyo, where conditions weren’t so severe that media could not do their jobs. But it won’t be easy.

Reuters reported that Lithuania has confirmed its diplomats will not attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, with a debate in the European Union coming on Thursday.

France has said it would not participate in a “diplomatic boycott” of Beijing, but other European countries are divided and no clear decision is expected this week.

Bill Guerin, the General Manager of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, was named by USA Hockey as the General Manager of the U.S. men’s Olympic team for 2022. He will be assisted by Chris Drury, the President and General Manager of the New York Rangers.

Guerin was a three-time Olympian s a right winger in 1998-2002-2006, Guerin was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 after scoring 856 career points (429 goals, 427 assists) during a 18-year career. He played with eight teams and won Stanley Cups with New Jersey and Pittsburgh.

But the road to Beijing is clouded by the Covid situation. ESPN reported:

“The [NHL Players Association] is concerned about a number of coronavirus-related issues with the Olympics. Any player with a confirmed positive test must produce two negative tests that are 24 hours apart or the quarantine period can last from three to five weeks. Where that would take place, and whether a player could leave China rather than quarantining there, is among the issues the NHLPA is waiting for clarity on.”

Canadian star Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers said Tuesday:

“It’s obviously going to be a very fluid situation. There hasn’t been a ton of information come out, and then there’s that three-to-five week [quarantine] thing … it’s kind of been floating around. Just trying to gather all the facts and information.

“Obviously, it’s unsettling if that were to be the case when you go over there. I’m still a guy that’s wanting to go play in the Olympics. But we also want to make sure it’s safe for everybody, and for all the athletes, not just for hockey players.”

German speed skater Claudia Pechstein, 49, appears ready to compete in her eighth Olympic Winter Games after her qualifying performance in the Mass Start event at the ISU World Cup in Calgary last weekend.

Pechstein has won nine Olympic medals in her career (5-2-2) which began in 1992. She grew up in East Germany, but made her first Winter Games with the combined team in Albertville, winning medals in 1992-94-98-2002-06. She missed the 2010 Winter Games due to a two-year doping suspension (2009-11), which she fought ferociously, but lost. She returned to competition in 2011 and competed in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games, and now appears set for 2022.

● Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: Paris 2024 ● Agence France Presse reported on a behind-the-scenes issue for the 2024 Games: the ubiquitous presence of Chinese tech giant Alibaba in the Games. As a TOP sponsor of the International Olympic Committee, Alibaba will provide the worldwide distribution of the international television coverage of the Games, but if it provides the accreditation system for Paris, it will have access to the “personal and contact details of the tens of thousands of people who are accredited for the Games will be housed in the Alibaba cloud.

“These would include data from the authorities, such as the police, which is a tough one for the French Interior Ministry to swallow.”

AFP quoted comments from Guillaume Poupard, director general of the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI), including, “There is a fight. We are battling away and explaining that for security reasons, including personal data, this is not possible.”

There seems to be little doubt that any data which Alibaba hosts will be available to the Chinese government. Discussions are continuing.

● International Paralympic Committee ● During its 20th General Assembly, the International Paralympic Committee approved its new constitution, drafted over a three-year period and confirmed by a 123-5 vote.

As a part of its growth as the leader of the worldwide Paralympic Movement and owner of the Paralympic Games, the IPC will “cease acting as an international federation for the 10 IPC Sports through a managed exit process.” More:

“An aspiration for the 10 IPC Sports to separate from the IPC by the end of 2026. To manage this process and ensure the continued success of the sports, a new internal division called the World Para Sport Unit will be established. It will be operationally independent of the IPC with its own Board and staff.”

Observed: This will be interesting, and it is worth noting that there was no mention of any of the Olympic-sport International Federations absorbing the responsibility for governing Paralympic sport as well. This will not be an easy process, and could – in the shortest term – be a challenge for the Los Angeles organizers in 2028 to deal with a set of new Paralympic “federations.”

● Athletics ● The controversial Wanda Diamond League final-round field-event format has been modified after “consultation with athletes.” Wednesday’s announcement explained that instead of having only the top three performers at the end of five rounds compete in the sixth round, with the sixth-round performance to determine the event winner:

“The new approved format will see the best throw or jump from the entire competition, not just the Final 3, win the event. The second-best performance will take second place and so on through the rest of the athletes and places.

“To build drama and additional excitement into the competition and assist with event logistics and presentation, the ‘best’ performing athletes will compete at the start of each round, not at the end.

“There will be a short break after the first five rounds, before [only] the Final 3 compete [in round six] and any ‘live’ Field and Track events will be stopped for the duration of the Final 3 competition so broadcasters can focus on the head-to-head competition.”

Observed: So instead of having a steady order through the first three rounds, and then for rounds 4-5, the leaders are shuttled to the start of the order. So, does this scenario mean that an athlete seeded last who goes into the lead would then jump or throw immediately again, as the leader at the start of the next round? How do you follow this? How do you keep track?

Tweeted long jump legend Carl Lewis: “Break something, half fix it, and claim it’s fixed. This is so silly and doesn’t fix anything. Performances will still suffer and the audience will still be confused. Athletes just need to skip these events until they come up with a crowd and athlete friendly system.”

● Basketball ● USA Basketball named Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve as the USA National Team head coach for 2021-24, in advance of preparations for the 2022 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Reeve takes over for Dawn Staley, who coached the American women to their seventh straight Olympic gold in Tokyo during the summer. Reeve was an assistant coach for the U.S. team at the 2014 and 2018 FIBA World Cups and the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games and has won four WNBA titles with the Lynx in 2011-13-15-17. She was the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2020.

Although not yet announced, reports indicate Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr will take over for Gregg Popovich as the coach of the U.S. men’s team through 2024. Kerr served as an assistant coach with Popovich at this year’s Tokyo Games, where the U.S. team improved game-by-game and eventually defeated France for the gold medal.

Kerr’s assistants are expected to include Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams (an assistant on the 2016 Olympic staff), Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.

● Football ● “The U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. Women’s National Team have reached a deal to end the current allocation system and to extend the no-strike/no-lockout agreement under our current collective bargaining agreement through at least March 31, 2022.”

Monday’s announcement also ends the USSF “allocation system” with the National Women’s Soccer League in which the federation paid the NWSL salaries of players also on the national team. This helped to prop up the league, but with women’s clubs springing up in Europe – and paying more – the change allows players to sign anywhere. Said the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association in a statement:

“Dissolving the USSF-supported NWSL Allocation system means that, going forward, USWNT Players will have no restrictions as to the league in which they play club soccer. Players who choose the NWSL will sign directly with the NWSL / an NWSL Club and will be employed by the NWSL, therefore becoming members of the NWSLPA.”

As the USSF’s collective bargaining agreements with the men’s and women’s national team are both up, the federation also noted:

“We now continue negotiations with both of our Women’s and Men’s National Teams for new CBAs. We’re scheduled to meet with the USWNT today to continue economic discussions around the identical offers that we presented to both the USWNT and USMNT on September 14. We continue to wait on the USMNT Players Association to do the same and hope to soon work directly with USMNT players to get a deal done. We have much work ahead of us but are nevertheless hopeful that we’ll soon reach agreement.”

The U.S. Women’s National Team filed its written appeal of the summary judgement against it in its long-running equal-pay lawsuit decided in 2020. Oral arguments before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals may come next March.

● Triathlon ● Too many doping cases in Russia has led to a one-year sanction against the Russian Triathlon Federation by World Triathlon.

The Russian news agency TASS noted that “Three Russian triathletes were earlier slapped with suspensions over doping abuse. They are Alexander Bryukhankov (three-year ban), Igor Polyansky (three-year ban) and Vladimir Turbayevsky (four-year ban).”

World Triathlon’s sanctions include testing of all Russian triathletes, an education plan for Russian athletes and coaches, a refund of all prize money won by suspended Russian athletes, a ban on organizing any World Triathlon or European championship events in 2022 and “Russian Triathlon Federation officials must resign from any World Triathlon and European bodies for the period of one year.”

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Boxing ● The USA Boxing National Championships finished over the weekend in Shreveport, Louisiana, with 2019 Worlds Lightweight bronze medalist Rashida Ellis – also a Tokyo Olympian – winning her weight class by a 5:0 decision at 60 kg (132 lbs.) over Faith Mendez.

Defending their 2020 titles successfully in the women’s division were Esmeralda Gonzalez (48 kg), Jennifer Lozano (54 kg) and Morelle McCain (70 kg).

The men’s division had all-new champions, with all decisions on points except for Demetriuis Reed’s win by referee-stops-contest at 2:14 of the second round in the 203 lb. final over Ali Almajdi.

● Handball ● The IHF Women’s World Championship in Spain is into the playoff round now, with France, Denmark and Spain taking perfect, 8-0 records into the playoffs and the Danes and Spanish already advanced to the quarterfinals.

After cutting from 32 teams to 24 in the first round, the Main Round had four groups with the top two advancing to the playoffs. France, Denmark and Spain won their groups at 5-0 with Norway at 4-0-1.

The playoffs began on Tuesday, with Norway defeating Russia, 34-28; Spain edging Germany, 26-21; and Denmark getting by Brazil, 30-25. France defeated Sweden, 29-26.

In the semis, France (9-0) will face Denmark (9-0) and Norway (8-0-1) taking on Spain (9-0). The Spanish were the runner-ups in 2019, and France defeated Norway in the 2017 final. Denmark last appeared in the final four in 2011, when it placed fourth.

Sweden’s Nathalie Hagman is the leading scorer, with 62 goals in 79 shots!

● Swimming ● The World 25 m (short-course Championships begin tomorrow (16th) in Abu Dhabi (UAE), with 943 athletes from 183 countries registered to compete.

Swimming World Magazine noted that “Seven swimmers who won Olympic gold medals in Tokyo are entered in the meet: Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui (men’s 400 freestyle), Canada’s Maggie MacNeil (men’s 100 butterfly), Great Britain’s Tom Dean (men’s 200 freestyle), the USA’s Lydia Jacoby (women’s 100 breaststroke), China’s Zhang Yufei (women’s 200 butterfly), South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker (women’s 200 breaststroke) and China’s Wang Shun (men’s 200 IM).”

The U.S. has a 27-member team entered, including stars Michael Andrew, Melanie Margalis, Carson Foster, Tom Shields, Jacoby and others. This is a young team; veterans such as Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky, Lilly King and Simone Manuel are not entered.

The meet can be seen on NBC’s Olympic Channel, generally from 9-11 a.m. Eastern time.

● Weightlifting ● The IWF World Championships are continuing in Tashkent (UZB), with American lifters taking their first two medals.

Meredith Alwine, 23, won the women’s 71 kg class, in her second Worlds appearance. She finished sixth in 2018, but came from 10th after the Snatch to place first in the Clean & Jerk segment and first overall at 235 kg total. She’s fifth American women’s World Champion, beating Britain’s Sarah Davies by one kg (234 kg total), with Patricia Strenius (SWE) third (231 kg).

In the women’s 76 kg, South Korea’s Min-ji Lee started only fourth after the Snatch, but won the Clean & Jerk to take the overall title, 244 kg to 243 for American Mattie Rogers and 242 kg for Russian Iana Sotieva.

Rogers, 26, was third in the Snatch (107 kg) and second in the Clean & Jerk (136 kg) to earn silver, her fourth straight medal in the IWF Worlds. She is the first American to medal at four straight World Championships in 27 years since Robin Byrd-Goad did it from 1991-94.

Ukraine’s Alina Marushchak dominated the women’s 81 kg division, winning the Snatch and Clean & Jerk to finish with a gold-medal total of 248 kg, well ahead of runner-up Valeria Rivas of Colombia (239 kg).

In the men’s lifting, Korea’s Dong-ju Yu won the 89 kg class at 371 kg, winning the tie-breaker with home favorite Sarvarbek Zafarjonov (also 371 kg). Both were just one kg up on Georgia’s bronze medalist, Revaz Davitadze.

Colombia’s Lesman Paredes won at 96 kg (400 kg total) over Olympic winner Fares El-Bakh (QAT: 394 kg) and Iran’s Rasoul Motamedi won the 102 kg class at 397 kg, ahead of Korea’s Yun-seong Jin (396 kg).

The competitions continue through Friday.

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HEARD AT HALFTIME: “Olympic Summit” presses FIFA on biennial World Cup; second Beijing ‘22 “playbooks” issued; $2.2 billion for Salt Lake City ‘30?

By
Rich Perelman
-

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The “leading representatives of the Olympic Movement” met online on Saturday for the 10th Olympic Summit, with the International Olympic Committee’s positions reinforced, but most dramatically with regard to the possibility of the FIFA men’s World Cup to be held every two years.

The “declaration” of the Summit sent a pointed message to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was a participant:

“The attendees voiced serious concerns over proposals from FIFA for a biennial World Cup and the impact on the world-wide sport event calendar. It was noted that, until today, there has been neither any information nor consultation with other [International Federations], Continental Associations of NOCs or the IOC. The FIFA President explained that the ongoing discussions in FIFA were broader in scope than a biennial World Cup, and that what had been presented so far was only the preliminary results, which are still under discussion within FIFA. He offered to engage with the Olympic Movement in these discussions.”

More details on the IOC’s foray into eSports were noted, including:

“The Summit received a review of the successful first edition of the Olympic Virtual Series in 2021, bringing together the virtual sports of five International Federations and reaching nearly 250,000 participants, with more than two million entries. The Summit noted that, building from this strong base, the Olympic Virtual Series is planned to continue on an annual basis, providing opportunities for IFs to reach out, engage with and promote their sports, and reach new communities. Details for the Olympic Virtual Series 2022 will now be confirmed in the first half of 2022, including the timing and the sports to be included.”

The Associated Press reported that activists from the Students for a Free Tibet tried to get into the IOC’s Olympic House headquarters, noting:

“Local police were called to help block the activists who continued to sit at the front doors and hold up banners including ‘Boycott Genocide Games’ next to the iconic Olympic rings symbol outside the building.”

An IOC statement explained, “We have engaged multiple times with peaceful protestors and explained our position, but we will not engage with violent protestors who used force to enter the IOC building and injured a security guard badly by doing so.”

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● The second editions of the Beijing 2022 “Playbooks” were issued on Monday, one for athletes and team officials, and a second for everyone else.

The 70-page guide for athletes and team officials underlines the vaccination theme (with very limited exemptions):

“It will be mandatory to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to departure for China, in order to be allowed in the closed loop system … without quarantine. …

“While we strongly encourage Games participants to receive a booster shot, any requirement to have one is according to the requirement of the participant’s country/region of residence or national health authority where the vaccine was administered.

“Anyone not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing.”

Key to the operation of the Games within a Covid environment is the “closed loop system” from 14 days prior to the Opening Ceremony on 4 February and three days after the close of the Games on 20 February. In detail:

“This closed loop system allows you to enter China without undergoing a compulsory 21-day quarantine, subject to you being fully vaccinated. Within the closed loop, all Games participants will be subject to daily health monitoring and testing and will be allowed to move between permitted destinations (including Games venues, accommodation facilities, etc) in dedicated Games transport. This is to ensure there is no contact with the general public or anyone outside of the closed loop.

“The closed loop system will apply during your entire stay in China.”

Although designed to deal with the pandemic, the concept dates back to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where a similar system of “clean” transport was used to ferry people from site-to-site without requiring repeated accreditation and bag checks.

Daily temperature checks, reporting using a smartphone app and isolation for any positive cases and close contacts will once again be in place. How important is your phone? The Playbook suggests:

“Before you leave the plane and go through customs/immigration, have your phone fully
charged

“– Consider bringing an external battery pack, with the correct associated cables, to keep your phone charged on the go. Please note and respect all airline, country and airport rules on transportation of external battery packs

“– Make sure you pack and bring all the charging cables and power plug/transformers for your phone. It is recommended to take these in carryon luggage, also consider bringing spares in your check-in luggage

“– Consider bringing a spare mobile phone handset, just in case something happens to your primary phone while in China.”

And this:

“Please be aware that some of the measures described in the Playbook, such as those related to the entry into and departure from China, are under the jurisdiction of the Chinese authorities.”

South Korea will not institute a “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, per President Jae-In Moon during a visit to Australia on Monday.

Japan has not announced its decision, but local reports suggest that government ministers will not attend; Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has yet to announce a decision.

The current Covid situation in China is worrying National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, who stated he has “concerns” over multiple issues related to the Beijing Games. How positive Covid tests will be handled, entry and exit from China, quarantine issues and relayed questions are all to be worked out.

Said Bettman, “Ultimately, this is going to have to be a players’ decision, unless we jointly agree with the [NHL Players’ Association] to the contrary. And so that’s why, for all the reasons (provided), I am concerned.”

Apparently, financial penalties would attach to an NHL pull-out after 10 January 2022.

The International Skating Union confirmed the teams in the Beijing figure skating team event: Russia, USA and Canada top the qualifying list, followed by Japan, China, Italy, Germany, Georgia, Czech Republic and Ukraine. Each “team” will include “one Man, one Woman, One Pair Skating Couple and one Ice Dance couple (i.e. a total of six (6) skaters per Team), will compete.”

● Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: Paris 2024 ● A wild Opening Ceremony concept was announced by the Paris organizers, to hold the event n the Seine River:

“A 6 km procession will transport athletes along the Seine in a flotilla of some 160 boats, between Pont d’Austerlitz and the Pont d’Iena. The river, its bridges and the capital’s iconic monuments will serve as the backdrop for a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, showing the world the very best of Paris, with hundreds of millions of people watching on television. This bold choice means that the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony will be more open than any other in the entire history of the Games: at least 600,000 can experience it in the flesh – ten times more than could attend in the Stade de France.”

While there will be spaces for hundreds of thousands of spectators to see the parade for free, there will also be a significant ticketed element to the program, in the low quays, between the Austerlitz and Iena bridges. The high quays and bridges could be locations for free views.

Have no doubt that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) was one of the major, driving forces in this concept; the announcement included his comment:

“We started discussing this ‘Seine’ option with the Paris 2024 team and its President, Tony Estanguet, after the great success of the Opening Ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games
Buenos Aires 2018. There, over 200,000 people gathered around the iconic Obelisk monument. We were all inspired by this magical moment, but we also recognised the challenges it could create.”

Those challenges are many, starting with logistics and security, but Paris 2024 has set a goal for itself that it has 2 1/2 years to work out.

● XXVI Olympic Winter Games: 2030 ● The 2030 bid situation continues to heat up.

The Salt Lake City-Utah Bid Committee for the Games held a Strategic Board meeting on Monday and unveiled a $2.2 billion budget for a 2030 Games (in 2030 dollars), including:

● Operations: $1.75 billion U.S.
● Contingency: $200 million
● Legacy Fund: $250 million

It’s worth noting that the IOC’s Host City Contract for 2026 includes cash support for the organizing committee of $452 million in television rights sales revenues and $200 million from TOP sponsorship sales ($652 million total), about 29.6% of the projected budget. Something more will be available for 2030, perhaps up to a third of the total budget in 2030 dollars.

As for the bid effort itself, a total cost of $2.80 million is foreseen and $1.75 million has been raised so far, “sufficient for this phase.”

The possible Canadian bid by 2010 host city Vancouver has been floundering, but received new life last week with the announcement that the heads of the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam and Lílwat Nations – the “four First Nations” of the area that includes the 2010 hubs Vancouver and Whistler – would lead the “Host Nations Exploratory Assembly.” The group will examine the feasibility of hosting another Winter Games, with Vancouver and Whistler agreeing to be partners with them.

Canada-based GamesBids.com reported: “Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart, after his City Council was split over support for an Olympic bid, said last year that he would not pursue an Olympic Games that was not led by First Nations. On Friday he made good on his assertion by positioning the partnership as the First Nations inviting Vancouver and Whistler to participate.”

● World University Games ● The Executive Committee of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) met online last Friday, noting the sad cancellation of the 2021 Winter World University Games in Lucerne (SUI) due to complications of the pandemic. However, “conversations will be had with Lucerne to determine if they may consider 2027 to leverage all the work done in Central Switzerland in planning for 2021.”

The next Winter WUG will be in January 2023 in Lake Placid, New York, host of the 1972 Winter WUG. The Lake Placid organizers reported that thanks to state funding for the 2023 event, the Lake Placid sports venues have been brought up to international standards, and that ESPN will provide U.S. television coverage, including six hours on ESPN 2, 10 hours on ESPNU, and 130 hours of coverage on ESPN+.

For the 2027 World University Games, the two bids submitted so far are from Chungcheong Province in South Korea, and the Triangle region of North Carolina in the U.S., and online meetings are scheduled with both to continue developing their bids.

● International Paralympic Committee ● IPC President Andrew Parsons (BRA) was elected for a second term as the head of the IPC, as he ran unopposed and received 156 out of a possible 159 votes at the 20th IPC General Assembly held online on Sunday.

New Zealand’s Duane Kale was also re-elected – running unopposed – for a second four-year term as IPC Vice President. Among the 10 members of the IPC Council was American Muffy Davis, elected to serve into late 2025.

● Diving ● SwimSwam.com reported that “NCAA Champion and US Olympic Team diver Jordan Windle has been given a temporary suspension by the US Center for Safe Sport on ‘Allegations of Misconduct.’”

Windle placed ninth in Tokyo in the 10 m Platform event and SwimSwam added that the diver “is under investigation for allegedly exchanging nude photographs with at least one minor athlete who is also a member of USA Diving.”

The University of Texas announced “We have removed Jordan from all team activity, pending investigation. Any further action will be determined at the end of this process.”

● Football ● FIFA announced on Monday that it would be selling rights to its competitions in three groups instead of one. The packages to be sold will be for men’s football, led by the FIFA World Cup in 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., as well as youth tournaments; for women’s football, beginning with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and youth events, and for eSports and gaming through “FIFAe” competitions.

FIFA currently hosts youth tournaments for men and women in the U-20 and U-17 categories.

● Gymnastics ● Lots of statements from lots of people following Monday’s announcement of a settlement in the USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case, but the most salient might have been from Michigan-based attorney Jamie White, who represented several of the survivors:

“We need everyone to take a good hard look at this outcome. Not just people at the highest levels of the Olympics, or pro sports, or university athletic departments, but everyone – at the elementary schools, at the corner martial arts studio, at the recreational gymnastics program for little kids. Because it is everyone’s responsibility to keep our young people safe from predators, to listen when these kids try to tell you something, to not turn a blind eye. If that had happened from the beginning, if we had just listened to what so many girls in this case were trying to tell us, it could have prevented immeasurable pain.

“To the institutions that only care about maximizing profits while disregarding the human toll, we hope this sends a message: this is how much a cover-up costs. This is the price tag of being indifferent to kids.”

● Short Track ● The ISU Four Continents Championships to be held at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah is a victim of the Omicron variant:

“Following the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, the ISU was recently informed that several ISU Members will not attend the ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships, scheduled to take place from January 14 – 16, 2022 in Salt Lake City (USA), resulting in a very limited attendance.

“Following these withdrawals and considering the complicated epidemic situation involving travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, safety concerns, logistical challenges as well as the planned limited attendance, this Event will not be dignified anymore to remain an ISU Championships.

“Consequently, and for the above-mentioned reasons, the ISU Council decided to cancel the ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2022.”

The Korea Skating Union announced that 2014 and 2018 Olympic Short Track women’s relay gold medalist Suk-hee Shim’s actions in the 2018 women’s 1,000 m final in PyeongChang did not amount to race fixing.

The possibility was brought up after some text messages between Shim and a coach could be interpreted as a plan to deliberately throw the race. The Korea JoongAng Daily reported “Though Shim has been cleared of the race fixing allegations, a disciplinary committee is still to rule on whether she will face any punishment for insulting her teammates” in the text messages.

Thus far, Shim has not been named to the Korean team for Beijing; she has not been allowed to compete in the ISU World Cup series this season.

● Tennis ● After saying last Monday (6th) that it would not cancel its youth and developmental tournaments in China over the Peng Shuai situation, the International Tennis Association clarified its stance on Tuesday (7th) with a statement noting

“No pro tennis men’s or women’s ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments have been hosted in China since January 2020 and there are currently none scheduled for 2022.”

However, while the federation’s “primary concern continues to be to establish and ensure Peng Shuai’s safety and well-being,” the ITA did not indicate it would pause its development programs in China.

The Women’s Tennis Association, a strictly professional circuit, has paused its tournaments in China while continuing to try to help Peng, a famed doubles player and three-time Olympian.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Cycling ● The Pan American Freestyle Park Championships were in San Miguel (PER), with Costa Rica’s Kenneth Tencio Esquivel winning the men’s division over Jose Torres Gil (ARG), with American Nick Bruce fourth.

Colombia’s Queen Villegas Serna won the women’s class, ahead of Katherine Diaz Darmase (VEN).

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THE BIG PICTURE: Survivors’ Committee accepts $61.2 million less from TIG Insurance and approves USA Gymnastics re-org plan

By
Rich Perelman
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“The Plan provides the means for settling and paying all Claims asserted against the Debtor.”

That sentence sums up the outcome of Monday’s revised re-organization plan for USA Gymnastics that will begin the process for ending the hundreds of claims against the organization, primarily from the sexual abuse activities of former national team physician Larry Nassar.

Coming into today’s hearing at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, only TIG Insurance Company had not agreed to settle in line with negotiations involving USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Survivors’ Committee, a group of nine women who had suffered abuse and were representing the interests of all abused gymnasts.

But TIG Insurance did reach agreement – announced today – and the Plan notes:

“Through the Plan, the Survivors’ Committee offers to fully and finally resolve all Abuse Claims and the [Future Claims Representative] Claim against the Debtor and its Related Persons, the USOPC and its Related Persons, the Karolyis and their Related Persons, the Settling Insurers, and the Non-Debtor CGL Settling Insurer Covered Persons. This is a compromise resolution of the contested Abuse Claims based upon a reasonable assessment of the risks and potential costs of continued litigation.”

This really is the beginning of the end. In legal terms, the 10 involved insurers will buy back their policies from, primarily, USA Gymnastics and the USOPC with the proceeds going into a Trust that will be used to pay the abuse claimants according to a points scale, and others based on a negotiated settlement of their claim amount. The settlement also includes resolution of the accompanying claims against the Twistars gym in Indianapolis, at which Nassar was also involved.

The amounts that the insurers will pay:

● Virginia Surety: $27.0 million (unchanged from prior)
● National Casualty: $200.0 million (unchanged)
● TIG Insurance: $45.0 million, down from $106.2 million (-58%)
● CIGNA Insurance: $17.5 million (unchanged)
● National Union: $8.5 million (unchanged)
● Gemini Insurance: $2.4 million (unchanged)
● Great American: $35.0 million (unchanged)
● Philadelphia Indemnity: $1.9 million (unchanged)
● Twistars insurers: $2.1 million (unchanged)

The total for the abuse claims is now $339,457,311, down from the $400,659,129 previously demanded. This revised amount was approved by the Survivors’ Committee and will be used for eventual distribution to the abuse claimants.

The “Effective Date of the plan” is in the future and is the date after which distributions can be made. The plan must be officially confirmed by the court and then signed by all of the relevant parties. But this is going to happen fairly quickly.

In addition to the monetary claims, USA Gymnastics has undertaken a lengthy series of actions to prevent a recurrence of the Nassar horror. These were expanded in the final plan, notably:

● “The Debtor has charged all of its employees with supporting and encouraging athlete wellness. For example, the Debtor’s Chief Communications and Marketing Officer is responsible for incorporating the message of safety in all communications, and the Debtor’s Chief of Staff and Human Resources is responsible for ensuring that there is an internal, organizational culture of prioritizing safety. As part of this initiative, all new staff members receive SafeSport training within their first week with the organization.”

● “The Debtor has streamlined the reporting process by creating a dedicated, toll-free number, 833-844-SAFE; the safe sport email address of [email protected]; and online reporting at usagym.org/safesport. In addition to reporting violations of the Safe Sport code to USA Gymnastics, members are required to immediately report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, to law enforcement and to the Center [for SafeSport]. The Debtor will set up a reporting portal that is accessible through use of a QRC code and a hotline for ease of reporting by a person or child. The reporting portal and/or hotline will be user friendly and make it easy for even a child to report abuse. The Debtor will promptly provide all reporting information that it receives to the Center. The Survivors’ Committee may make additional suggestions to aid in ease of use of the portal.”

● “USAG will work with the Survivors’ Committee to address issues that currently exist with the Center’s performance and USAG will help facilitate that communication with the Center, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to arrange for a video conference with the Debtor, the Survivor’s Committee and the Center’s decision-makers and those with the ability to assist in implementing changes to the reporting process and procedures thereafter, including expediting timing of the investigation and its conclusion.”

A November 2020 change in the USA Gymnastics Board structure was noted, in that “At least 1 of USAG’s directors will be a survivor. At least 1 member of USAG’s Safe Sport Committee and at least 1 member of USAG’s Athlete Health and Wellness Council will be a survivor.”

Today’s agreement between all parties will begin the process of closure of the USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case, with the federation due to come out of bankruptcy in early 2022. The abuse scandal will be settled as to the survivors, but the USOPC still has a paused de-certification proceeding against USA Gymnastics; no mention of this was made in the USOPC statement on the agreement. Further, the U.S. Congress could de-certify USA Gymnastics as well, but for now, today’s agreement is a major step forward to continue the healing process that has shaken the U.S. Olympic Movement badly over the past five years.

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LANE ONE: USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case plan to be heard on Monday, but leading to a conclusion or to chaos?

By
Rich Perelman
-

(For our Highlights of the weekend’s major competitions, click here.)

Over more than three years since USA Gymnastics declared voluntary bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, its case – primarily concerned with the sexual abuse of former team physician Larry Nassar – appears to have finally headed toward a conclusion, to be considered in a two-day hearing beginning on Monday (13th).

But the outcome could be chaos.

After lengthy settlement talks, the main parties agreed on a re-organization plan for the federation, which includes the formation of a trust to pay hundreds of millions of dollars of insurance proceeds to the abuse survivors, and smaller amounts to a host of other creditors.

There are 10 different classes of claimants, but the main group is Class 6 – the abuse claims – and in the vote on the plan by that class, 505 ballots were distributed and after eliminating 29 invalid returns, the plan was accepted 476-0.

So, we’re all set, right? No.

After the months-long mediation process, nine of the 10 insurance companies with policies covering all of the various claims (from all classes) agreed to essentially fund a pool of money to pay the various claimants. Only one – TIG Insurance Company – did not agree, with policy claims against it of $106,201,818, or about 26% of the total claim amounts (it has 199 claims against it).

TIG Insurance, Liberty Insurance Underwriters, the State of Indiana and the U.S. Trustee all filed briefs in opposition to the plan on varying technical grounds and these will be dealt with on Monday. None appear strong enough to implode the plan, but there may be some technical changes made.

The USA Gymnastics lawyers filed an 88-page brief on Friday (10th) defending the plan, but also laying out the possible outcomes. And all-out chaos is one of the options; from the brief (legal citations omitted and the paragraphs expanded for readability):

● “As of the filing of this Confirmation Brief, the Survivors’ Committee has not yet elected the Partial Settlement Option. TIG Insurance Company (“TIG”), the lone hold-out Debtor CGL Insurer, also has not accepted the Survivors’ Committee’s settlement proposal or reached an alternative agreement with the Survivors’ Committee. The Debtor [USA Gymnastics], with the assistance of the mediators, has been working and will continue to work to assist the Survivors’ Committee, TIG, and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (“USOPC”) in reaching a settlement.”

● “If, however, a settlement is not reached, the Plan before the Court will likely be the Litigation Only Alternative. This is not the result the Debtor wants, but if those speaking for survivors believe that a return to the civil courts is truly in their clients’ best interests, the Debtor believes that the time has come to respect that position.” (emphasis added)

● “Over 92% of the survivors participated in the voting process and all of those 476 survivors accepted the Plan and all three of its options. Of the 476 Abuse Claimants who voted for the Plan, 472 of them are represented by counsel. Given the strong voter turnout and the unanimous informed acceptance of the Plan, the time has come to provide Abuse Claimants with a path to resolve their claims.” (emphasis added)

In other words, while the re-organization plan can be declared effective, one of the options is the “Litigation Only” alternative, which would send all of the creditors in all of the classes – more than 625 – to file individual cases against all the USA Gymnastics, the USOPC and many others, with the insurers to eventually handle most of the claims (and with multiple cross-complaints coming between insurers as to their rights to defense and/or indemnification).

This is a process which will see many of the cases settled quickly for smaller amounts than might be available from a global settlement, but many of the abuse claims could go to dramatic, full jury trials and appeals which could take years to conclude. TIG’s enormous liability – over $106.2 million – has made it a hold-out; it appears to prefer to fight out the 199 cases against it one-by-one instead of contributing to the settlement fund and getting all of this over with.

For the Survivors’ Committee, a group of nine women who were abused who have been designated as the negotiating entity for the abuse claimants, the question will be whether it is better to accept the “Partial Settlement Alternative” which would distribute a lot of money to a majority of the abuse victims fairly quickly, or let everyone go their own way. The brief notes:

“Including the funds committed by the Twistars Settling Insurers, the total that has been raised to date is $294,484,311.00. Of this amount, $231,206,453 is being paid to buy back certain USAG insurance policies and $60,834,765 is being paid on behalf of USOPC by its insurance carriers, $2,125,000 is being paid on behalf of Twistars by its insurance carriers, and $318,093 is being paid on behalf of the Karolyis by their insurance carriers. The Debtor will continue working diligently through the Confirmation Hearing in an attempt to reach further settlement agreements so that the Plan may be confirmed under the Full or Partial Settlement Alternative.”

The USA Gymnastics filing last Friday (10th) stated for the first time that it is willing to let the Survivors’ Committee elect for litigation and begin a legal free-for-all, primarily (but not exclusively) in Michigan courts.

At the top of the list of questions for Monday’s hearing is whether TIG has agreed to join the settling insurers, and on what terms. If not, Friday’s filing explains just part of the confusion to follow:

“If the Plan is confirmed under the Litigation Only Alternative, the Debtor will receive a discharge but the Settling Insurers, Participating Parties, and other Protected Parties will not receive the benefit of the releases and injunctions proposed under the Full or Partial Settlement Alternative.”

The operations of USA Gymnastics itself would not be directly impacted by the Litigation Only Alternative, and would be able to continue as the National Governing Body for the sport. Its future, however, is hardly guaranteed as there is a currently-paused de-certification process begun against it by the USOPC, and it could also be de-certified by a Joint Resolution of the U.S. Congress under the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 (which would then constitute a violation of the Olympic Charter that could being sanctions against the USOPC from the International Olympic Committee.)

If TIG comes into the plan tomorrow, then the likely outcome is the “Full Settlement Alternative,” with the insurance money going to a to-be-formed Trust and the matter closed in 2022. If TIG stays out, the question is whether the Survivors’ Committee prefers a partial settlement and litigation only against TIG, or litigation, in which everyone is on their own.

Nearing five years after the Indianapolis Star brought Nassar’s abuse to public attention in March of 2016 and three years in court, that’s what at stake before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robin L. Moberly on Monday and Tuesday.

The beginning of the end, or the end of a long beginning?

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HIGHLIGHTS: Mantia, Bowe and U.S. relay skate to World Cup wins, two Super-G bronzes for Shiffrin, Monobob win for Meyers Taylor

By
Rich Perelman
-
Calgary World Cup winner Joey Mantia of the U.S. (Photo: International Skating Union)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS Alpine World Cup for women was in St. Moritz (SUI) for two Super-G races, with familiar faces on the podium, including American star Mikaela Shiffrin.

Saturday was the second Super-G of the season, after Sofia Goggia (ITA) and Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) went 1-2 at Lake Louise in Canada last week. This time, it was home favorite Gut-Behrami, the 2016 World Cup overall winner, who took the title for her 33rd career World Cup win. Goggia was second this time, but not by much: 1:19.82-1:20.00. Shiffrin was third, an encouraging finish for her Olympic hopes in the speed events, in 1:21.00. Fellow American Breezy Johnson was 12th.

On Sunday, Italian star Federica Brignone won her 17th career World Cup race, in 57.81, leading an Italian 1-2 with Elena Curtoni second (+0.11). Shiffrin was third again, at 58.24 (+0.43).

That’s six medals for Shiffrin in 10 races held this season, and she has the overall lead at 525 points to 435 for Goggia, after 10 of 37 races on the schedule.

The men’s tour was in famed Val d’Isere (FRA), with Austrian Marco Odermatt winning his third race of the season (and second Super-G) in 2:12.31. French star Alexis Pinturault was second (+0.59) and Austria’s Manuel Feller was third (+1.24).

Sunday brought the first Slalom of the men’s season, with French star Clement Noel winning in 1:30.52, ahead of Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE: 1:31.92) and Croatia’s Filip Zubcic (1:32.37).

● Biathlon ● The IBU World Cup circuit moved to Hochfilzen (AUT) this week, with Swede Sebastian Samuelsson taking his fourth medal in six races this season and rising to the men’s seasonal lead.

In Friday’s 10 km Sprint, Germany’s Johannes Kuehn got his first career World Cup victory in 26:05 over Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma (+14.3), with Samuelsson 14th. On Saturday, France enjoyed a 1-2 finish in the 12.5 km Pursuit, with Quentin Fillon Maillet winning his seventh career World Cup race, ahead of Emilien Jacquelin (+32.1) with Samuelsson third (+38.2). That gave Samuelsson a 250-243 lead over Jacquelin after six of 22 races.

The women’s 7.5 km Sprint was a win for Hanna Sola of Belarus, her first on the World Cup tour, in 20:44.4, ahead of Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA: +46.8). Sunday’s 10 km Pursuit went to seasonal leader Marte Olsbu Roeiseland (NOR), who won in 30:04.1, 4.1 seconds ahead of Sola. It’s Roeiseland’s 11th career World Cup win and second this season.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup was in Winterberg (GER) with two four-man and one two-woman race.

On Saturday, German superstar Francesco Friedrich drove his team to its fourth consecutive victory this season, winning in 1:47.95, ahead of teammate Johannes Lochner (1:48.00) and Canadian star Justin Kripps (CAN: 1:48.09). American Hunter Church’s team was 10th (1:48.72) and Codie Bascue’s squad was 12th (1:48.80).

On Sunday, Friedrich won again for his fifth straight win this season (in five races) and ninth straight over two seasons. His combined time of 1:49.38 was 0.30 better than Britain’s Brad Hall (1:49.68) and 0.36 better than Austria’s Benjamin Maier. Hunter Church had the top American finish in a tie for 11th.

The women’s racing was a German sweep for Laura Nolte (1:53.77), Olympic champ Mariama Jamanka (1:53.84) and Kim Kalicki (1:54.13). This was Nolte’s third win in four races this season; the top American finishers were Kaillie Humphries (with Sylvia Hoffman) in fifth (1:54.38) and Elana Meyers Taylor (1:54.46, with Kaysha Love) in sixth.

In Skeleton in Winterberg, Russian Alexander Tretiakov won his second race of the season, timing 1:51.05 to beat Germans Christopher Grotheer (1:51.34) and Axel Jungk (1:51.64), with Grotheer now the only man to medal in all four races this season.

Kimberley Bos (NED) got her first win of the season in the women’s Skeleton races (1:53.68), her third medal in four races, ahead of four-time World Champion Tina Hermann (GER: 1:53.93).

The Women’s Monobob World Series held races on Saturday in both Winterberg (GER) and Sigulda (LAT), with American Meyers Taylor winning her third race of the season in Winterberg in 1:57.83. She was followed by Breanna Walker (NZL: 1:58.06) and Cynthia Appiah (CAN: 1:58.24); Humphries was 13th (1:58.96).

Korea’s Yoo-ran Kim won the Sigulda race (1:49.51) ahead of Viktoria Cernanska (SVK: 1:49.57).

● Cross Country Skiing ● Sprint stars Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) and Maja Dahlqvist (SWE) are tightening their early-season grip on the World Cup leaderboard with wins in Davos (SUI).

Klaebo won Saturday’s 1.5 km Freestyle Sprint from two-time Worlds gold medalist Sergey Ustiugov (RUS), 2:22.84-2:23.71 for his second World Cup win in the last three races.

Sunday’s 15 km Freestyle was the second win in as many weeks for Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krueger (32:20.4), who out-distanced Klaebo by 22.9 seconds and Ustiugov by 27.2. Klaebo now has a commanding 476-315 lead over Ustiugov in the overall World Cup race, but after only eight of 32 events.

Dahlqvist won her Freestyle Sprint race by just 0.34 seconds over Swiss Nadine Faehndrich for her third win of the season, out of six races. American Rosie Brennan was fourth, 2.81 seconds off the pace.

The 10 km Freestyle race on Sunday was a second win this season for Norwegian distance superstar Therese Johaug. Her time of 23:40.1 was 14.5 seconds better than American Jessie Diggins – who won her second World Cup medal of the season – and Sweden’s Frida Karlsson (+17.1). Brennan was fourth (+24.3) and the U.S.’s Hailey Swirbul was sixth (+27.7).

Johaug, a 10-time World Champion in individual events, has been first or second in all four World Cup distance races this season.

● Curling ● World Curling has its final Beijing 2022 qualifying event ongoing in Leeuwarden (NED), with the Mixed Doubles completed and the U.S. sending Chris Plys and Vicky Persinger to Beijing after a 6-4 win over Russians Aleksei Timofeev and Anna Sidorova.

Two places for the 2022 Winter Games were available, with Australia (6-0) and Russia (4-2) finishing atop Group A and the U.S. (6-0) and South Korea (5-1) in Group B. In the final qualification matches, Australia’s Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill overcame the Koreans, 6-5 and Plys and Persinger defeated the Russians, piling up leads of 3-0 and 5-1 before two late points in the seventh end made the end result closer.

There was a major controversy during the first week of the tournament as the Dutch sex-toy sales site EasyToys had on-ice and in-the-rink signage as a sponsor of the tournament. As the live stream of the broadcast was suspended in the U.S. and Japan due to “broadcast partner policy complications involving sponsor agreements and usage,” the company agreed to replacement of its logos with “#equalityforall.” The Associated Press reported:

“‘During an Olympic qualifying tournament, it must of course be about the sport and not about the sponsor,’ Eric Idema, CEO of EasyToys parent company EDC, said in the statement, which was emailed to The Associated Press and translated from Dutch. ‘Curling also deserves that, as a sport that is one of the few mixed sports that is way ahead of its time. In fact, just like us.’”

The qualifying tournaments for men and women are continuing, with three slots in the Beijing tournament for each, and continuing through the 18th.

● Cycling-BMX ● The Pan American Freestyle Championships were on in San Miguel (PER), but results were not available in time for this post.

● Fencing ● The FIE World Cup, continuing to be impacted by the pandemic, resumed with the women’s Foil matches in Saint Maur (FRA), with 2018 World Champion Alice Volpi facing off in the final against Tokyo Olympic champ Lee Kiefer of the U.S.

The two had split their six career meetings, 3-3, but Volpi had defeated Kiefer, 15-13, at the 2019 World Cup held in Saint Maur. The 2021 edition was another classic, with Volpi winning again, but this time by just 15-14, for her third career World Cup win.

Kiefer had to settle for her 14th career World Cup medal and third silver. American Jackie Dubrovich shared the bronze medal with Italy’s Francesca Palumbo.

● Freestyle Skiing ● The sixth Cross Alps Tour in Ski Cross began in Val Thorens (FRA), with France taking 1-2 in Saturday’s men’s race with Terence Tchiknavorian winning his first career World Cup race, beating teammate Bastien Midol to the line, with Germany’s Florian Wilmsmann third. On Sunday, Swiss veteran Alex Fiva, 35, took his 13th career World Cup win over Tchiknavorian and Italy’s Simone Deromedis.

The women’s race was the second straight win of the season (and 18th career) for Swedish star Sandra Naesland, beating Brittany Phelan (CAN) and France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel. Naeslund got to the finish line first on Sunday as well, just ahead of 2013 World Champion Fanny Smith (SUI) and Canada’s Marielle Thompson.

In the Moguls at Idre Fjall (SWE), 2017 World Champion Ikuma Horishima won the men’s event on Saturday, ahead of Swede Albin Holmgren, 88.49-87.81, and France’s two-time Worlds silver medalist, Benjamin Cavet (85.06).

Sunday’s Dual Moguls was the 67th career World Cup win for Canadian superstar Mikael Kingsbury, defeating Horishima in the final, with Ludvig Fjallstrom (SWE) taking the bronze medal race.

The women’s Moguls saw 17-year-old Anri Kawamura (JPN) get her first career World Cup victory, scoring 85.99 to beat France’s PyeongChang 2018 gold medalist, Perrine Laffont (84.63). Australian Jakara Anthony was third, ahead of Tess Johnson (USA), 84.55–82.25.

Laffont won the Dual Moguls on Sunday over Rino Yanagimoto (JPN) in the final. Anthony third once again, this time beating American Olivia Giaccio in the bronze race.

The second week of Aerials in Ruka (FIN) started with a third straight win for Russia’s Maxim Burov, who scored 133.03 to best Swiss Noe Roth (128.51) and Pirmin Werner (128.50). The two women’s Aerials events went to Ukraine’s Anastasiya Novosad (98.70) over Chinese star Mengtao Xu (91.83), and Australia’s 2017 Worlds silver medalist Danielle Scott (102.93) over teammate Laura Peel (99.37), with Xu third (98.28).

The Halfpipe season started at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Copper Mountain, Colorado (USA), with American Alex Ferreira winning the men’s event over New Zealand’s Nico Poterous and Brendan MacKay (CAN) as all three scored over 90 points: 93.50-92.25-91.50. American Birk Irving was fourth (88.25).

American-born but now Chinese star Eileen Gu won the women’s Halfpipe, scoring 90.50 to 90.00 for Rachel Karker (CAN), with Estonian Kelly Sildaru (88.75) third. Americans Britta Sigourney and Hanna Faulhaber were 4-5.

● Handball ● The IHF Women’s World Championship in Spain turned toward its final week, with the quarterfinalists shaping up nicely.

In Group I of the Main Round, France leads at 4-0 (8 points) with Russia at 3-0-1 (7) and both are through to the quarters. The Netherlands and Norway are both 3-0-1 in Group II (7 points), but Sweden (2-0-2: 6) is a threat with one match remaining.

Group III will send Denmark and Germany (both 4-0: 8) to rhe quarters and Spain and Brazil (4-0: 8) will also advance from Group IV.

The quarterfinals will begin on 14 December, with the championship match in Granollers on the 19th. The Dutch are the defending champions from 2019 and the winners of the last 12 Worlds appear to be headed to the playoffs.

● Luge ● The fourth of nine FIL World Cup stages was in Altenberg (GER), with two Austrian triumphs on Saturday:

Madeleine Egle, the surprise winner of the women’s season opener in Yanqing (CHN), won again in 1:45.208, ahead of German stars Julia Taubitz (1:45.501) and Anna Berreiter (1:45.793), confirming her status as a medal contender for the Winter Games. American Emily Sweeney was fifth (1:46.041) and Summer Britcher was 10th in 1:46.320.

Austrian teammates Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller, the 2019 Worlds bronze medalists, took the Doubles title in 1:23.767, beating four-time World Champions Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken (GER: 1:23.770) and Latvians Martins Bots and Roberts Plume (1:23.980).

The men’s Singles race on Sunday was a wild affair, with 2017 World Champion Wolfgang Kindl leading after the first run. But he faded to third on the second run and Germany’s Max Langenhan came up from sixth with the fastest second run in the field and they tied for the win at 1:47.997! German Johannes Ludwig, winner of the first two races of the season, was third (1:48.030).

● Nordic Combined ● It’s still early in the season, but Norway’s Jarl-Magnus Riiber, the three-time defending World Cup champion, is looking set for a fourth title.

In Otepaa (EST), Riiber won the first of two 97 m/10.0 km events in 23:27.2, with teammate Espen Bjoernstad second in 23:35.5 and German Manuel Faist third. It’s Riiber’s third straight World Cup win and fourth in five events this season.

Sunday’s race saw Riiber win again, in 23:33.2, with Germany going 2-3: Fabian Riessle (+33.5) and Julian Schmid (+33.7).

The women’s World Cup had the third straight Norwegian 1-2 on the season, with Gyda Westvold Hansen winning the 97 m/5 km program on Saturday in 13:47.7, just 1.8 seconds up on Ida Marie Hagen and 24.3 seconds ahead of Japan’s Yuna Kasai. Sunday’s results were almost the same: Westvold won her fourth race – without a loss – this season in 13:47.4, trailed by Hagen (+49.0) with Marte Leinan Lund (+49.4) completing the Norwegian medals sweep.

● Ski Jumping ● Both the men and women were in Klingenthal (GER), jumping off the 140 m Vogtland Arena hill, with Austria’s Marita Kramer continuing to dominate the women’s season.

She won both events, on Friday and Saturday, both times ahead of Norway’s Silje Opseth: 247.9-245.3 and 260.3-239.0. For Kramer, a Team gold medalist at the 2021 Worlds, it’s her fourth win in six competitions this season and she now has 12 career World Cup titles.

The men’s opener on Saturday was another Austrian victory, the 22 career win for three-time World Champion Stefan Kraft. He scored 267.0 to overcome Norway’s Halvor Egner Granerud (262.0) and Polish star Kamil Stoch (261.9).

Japan’s 2019 World Cup champ Ryoyu Kobayashi – returned to the tour after a Covid positive – won for the second time this season on Sunday, scoring 262.8 off the 140 m hill to edge Norway’s Daniel Andre Tande (260.2) and Marius Lindvik (256.6).

● Snowboard ● Lots of action on the weekend, with the Snow Cross crowd in Montafon (AUT), where home favorite Alessandro Hammerle won over American Nick Baumgartner; Hammerle has won both races this season.

The women’s race went to 2021 World Champion Charlotte Bankes, over Australian Belle Brockhoff and 2017 Worlds silver medalist Chloe Trespeuch.

The Halfpipe season opened at Copper Mountain, Colorado, with Japan taking 1-3 in the men’s final behind Ruka Hirano (89.25) and Yuto Totsuka in third (87.75). Swiss Jan Scherrer was second (88.50); American Taylor Gold was fifth, with teammates Chase Josey sixth and three-time Olympic champ Shaun White eighth.

The women’s Halfpipe winner was Chinese star Xuetong Cai (80.50), ahead of Sena Tomita (JPN: 76.00) and Queralt Castellet (ESP: 70.50).

In Bannoye (RUS), the Parallel racing season started with a Giant Slalom and a first career World Cup win for Sangho Lee (KOR: 1:12.82), beating Germany’s Stefan Baumeister (1:13.61). Sunday’s Slalom saw Lee back in the final again, but finishing second to 41-year-old Andreas Prommegger (AUT) by 0.27 seconds, the 20th career individual World Cup win for the Austrian. Fellow Austrian Arvid Auner won the bronze, his second career World Cup medal.

The women’s Parallel Giant Slalom was a win for the home favorite, Russia’s Sofiya Nadryshina, 18, with her third individual World Cup gold. She finished in 1:17.17 to slide past Germans Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (1:18.12), with Carolin Langenhorst winning the bronze-medal race.

The Slalom race on Sunday was won by 2019 World Champion Julie Zogg (SUI), beating Japan’s Tsubaki Miki in the final. Russian Anastasiia Kurochkina was third, edging Hofmeister in the bronze race.

● Speed Skating ● The Calgary Olympic Oval was the site for the ISU Speed Skating World Cup, with a second straight win for three-time Mass Start World Champion Joey Mantia of the U.S.

This time, however, he continued his success in the men’s 1,500 m, which he won last week at Salt Lake City. His time of 1:41.86 was a clear winner over Canada’s Connor Howe (1:42.42), but was not what Mantia, now 35, was looking for:

“I was just tired. I had a big weekend last weekend and I thought I would be ready again this week, but I’m not.

“I flew in Wednesday, had a hard workout Thursday and I was pretty tired after that workout. I was questioning whether or not I’d be able to do anything this weekend. So it’s nice to know that even not prepared, or not what I think I should be to win, I’m able to hit the podium at least.

“The only thing I care about this year at all is winning a gold medal at the Olympics – multiple hopefully. So anything before that, the world record would have been icing on the cake.

“Maybe I could try again after the season or something, I don’t know. It’s always gonna be something that I want. I don’t think I’m not capable of it still.”

The U.S. picked up more hardware in the women’s racing. In the two 500 m sprints, Russian Olga Fatkulina won the first race over Japanese star Nao Kodaira, 36.726-36.817, with Angelina Golikova (RUS) third and American Erin Jackson fifth. In the second race, Golikova (36.669) won over Kodaira (36.764), but with Jackson picking up her sixth medal in eight races this season in 36.921.

The women’s 1,000 m was a win for Kodaira (1:12.510), this time over American star Brittany Bowe (1:12.543), with Fatkulina and Golikova finishing 3-4. Bowe has now medaled in all four races this season at 1,000 m and is in position to win the seasonal title: she leads Kodaira, 222-192, with one race to go.

Bowe came back on Sunday to win the 1,500 m in 1:52.054, ahead of Nana Takagi (JPN: 1:52.063) and Ayano Sato (JPN: 1:52.193). With one race remaining, Sato is leading Bowe, 188-184 in the seasonal points race, with Japanese star Miho Takagi close in third (180).

Italian star Francesco Lollobrigida won her first race of the season in the 3,000 m (3:54.437) over Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann (3:55.334), and then doubled in the women’s Mass Start, winning in 8:29.510 over Canada’s Ivanie Blondin (8:29.710).

In the men’s racing, Swede Nils van der Pohl, the world-record setter in the 5,000 m, won in Calgary easily, by 6:04.293-6:09.342 over Davide Ghiotto (ITA) with the returning Canadian star Ted-Jan Bloemen, the PyeongChang 10,000 m gold medalist, third. Albertus Hoolwerf (NED) won the Mass Start easily, by 7:38.880 to 7:46.360 for Belgium’s Bart Swings, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist.

The 500 m sprints went to Laurence Dubreuil (CAN: 33.778) and Russian Viktor Mushtakov (33.903). The men’s 1,000 m was a win for China’s Zhongyan Ning (1:06.656), trailed by American Jordan Stolz (1:06.968), just 0.31 behind.

The U.S. men, who set a world record in the Team Pursuit last week, won again in Calgary, but this time without Mantia. Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran finished in 3:35.592, well clear of runner-up Norway (3:36.242).

● Weightlifting ● The 2021 World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent (UZB) will continue through the 17th, with more weight classes completed over the weekend.

In the men’s 73 kg class, Tokyo bronze medalist Rahmat Abdullah (INA) moved up to gold, lifting a combined total of 343 kg to edge Albania’s Briken Calja (342 kg). At 81 kg, Bulgaria’s Karlos Nasar won his first Worlds medal – a gold – at 374 kg combined, over Iran’s Mirmostafa Javadi (367 kg). Nasar won thanks to a world-record Clean & Jerk lift of 208 kg, eclipsing the mark of 207 kg by Xiaojun Lu (CHN) from the 2019 Worlds in Thailand.

The women’s 59 kg winner was Tokyo gold medalist Hsing-chun Kuo, who won her fifth world title at 230 kg, also winning the Clean & Jerk portion (130 kg) and second in Snatch (100 kg). Colombia’s Yenny Alvarez got the silver at a combined 226 kg. Egypt’s Neama Said won the women’s 64 kg class at 233 kg for her first-ever Worlds medal, just one kg better than Wen-huei Chen (TPE), the Tokyo bronze medalist.

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THE TICKER: Joy for the three new sports for LA28, but stormy weather ahead for others; could Sapporo & Salt Lake get a double Winter Games award?

By
Rich Perelman
-

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The fallout from the announcements on the “initial sports program” for the Los Angeles 2028 Games came thick and fast from the federations that will join the party – skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing – and from those whose future is clouded, namely boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing release summed up the feeling of all three sports with its headline: “CLIMBING COMMUNITY ECSTATIC TO BE RECOMMENDED FOR INCLUSION AT LA28.” Also:

● “The International Surfing Association (ISA) has today expressed its joy and gratitude to the IOC Executive Board and the organizers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”

● Said World Skate President Sabatino Aracu [ITA]: “That’s … Three!! With three Olympic Games confirmed and as one of the 28 Summer Olympic IFs, World Skate’s position takes on a new dimension that will bear fruits in the future for both the International Federation and our NGBs.”

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman saluted the additions:

“These quintessential West Coast sports share a youthful energy and creative vibe and will be perfect for the LA28 Olympics. We are eager to have the LA28 sport program include some of the most iconic LA sports and welcome the IOC Executive Board’s proposal. These sports will bring fresh excitement and relevance to the Olympic Games in America and connect the Olympics with younger fans across Los Angeles and around the world. … We want to build on tradition, while progressing the Olympic Games forward.”

The reaction from the folks in boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon wasn’t as happy.

● Boxing: “The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is grateful for the decision made today by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) whereby boxing will remain on the Olympic Programme for Paris 2024 and a pathway has been established for inclusion on the Olympic Programme of Los Angeles 2028.

“Continued progress made by AIBA towards reform has also been acknowledged by the IOC, which has established a clear roadmap whereby AIBA’s suspension could be lifted in 2023.”

● Weightlifting: “The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) yesterday welcomed the decision of the IOC Executive Board to maintain weightlifting’s place on the Paris 2024 programme and reiterated its commitment to completing reforms aimed at safeguarding the sport’s long-term Olympic future.”

The IWF noted, however, that it does not expect to hold new elections quickly, but by “the end of the first semester of 2022.” Former Interim President and current IWF Presidential candidate Ursula Papandrea (USA) ripped the IWF’s continued errors that jeopardizes the sport’s place on the Olympic program:

“[T]here is no alleviation of the repeated risks the IWF Executive Board continues to take and the long-term Olympic future of our sport is now undeniably at stake. … As weightlifting survives another potential blow, the IWF Executive Board remains in full control of the sport a full seven months past their mandate, which expired in May 2021.

“The IWF Executive Board continues to put the sport’s long-term status in question. They have delayed our elections multiple times over the last year, with the latest postponement in direct violation of the newly adopted Constitution. They blatantly ignore transparency provisions of the Constitution and have yet to live stream Executive Board meetings. The new Constitution is useless if not properly implemented.”

● Modern Pentathlon: “UIPM gratefully accepts the clear communication from the IOC Executive Board, after its meeting on December 7-9, about the pathway for potential changes to Modern Pentathlon to be enacted via the 5th Discipline consultation. …

“We are delighted that the IOC Executive Board has noted the critical and timely stakeholder communication in recent weeks that has resulted in the agreement of the UIPM Executive Board and approval granted by UIPM Congress, where more than 80% of National Federations (NFs) voted in favour of replacing Riding.”

The UIPM is in a really difficult position. While the IOC handed it a tactical victory in recognizing the removal of riding, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) also handed it a considerable challenge:

“They’ll be doing testing of different alternatives throughout the course of the European summer in 2022 and then finalizing a proposal later next year and after we see that proposal, once we understand how it meets those objectives of being more accessible, reducing cost and complexity, which is a critical element across the Games and obviously a focus of this modern pentathlon review and we see the outcomes of that, we can further assess the situation. …

“The other point I’d make is that the athletes have to be a very central part of that review process and we’ve made ourselves available to discuss that with the UIPM Athletes Commission to be sure they have a very clear understanding of the position of the IOC in the pathway forward as well, to make sure they are well educated on the process and understand fully what needs to be done from this point on.”

The problem with athlete involvement is that many pentathletes do not want to have riding replaced and the national federation of Denmark has filed a challenge to the UIPM actions with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Further, many of the top pentathletes hold the UIPM responsible, with Pentathlon United tweeting, “Now our sport is potentially out of the Olympic Program.”

This sport is in a lot of trouble.

There are many more impacts to yesterday’s announcements. For World Skate, the International Surfing Association and the IFSC, their inclusion as part of the general sports program for 2028 means they will get a share – size to be determined – of the IOC’s television revenues from the LA28 right sale. That money won’t come until 2029, but there is Olympic gold for them at the end of the decade.

Further, the LA28 sports list is not final. The LA28 organizers can ask for added sports to the 2028 Games, with details on the selection criteria and timelines due by April 2022; a final decision by the IOC won’t be made until mid-2023. There is a long list of sports that want in and the conversations have already started.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The IOC released some details from a report on the worldwide exposure of the Tokyo Games, with Timo Lumme (FIN), the IOC’s Managing Director of Television and Marketing Services explaining:

“The total number of viewers of the Olympic Games on linear television – so traditional television and digital – is 3.05 billion for Tokyo 2020. So this is made up of actually two areas. The first is television, which is 2.8 billion viewers and then digital, or Internet viewers, which is 2.2 billion.

“But the 2.8 and the 2.2 billion somewhat overlap, so you do not add them up together; in fact, around just under nine out of 10 of people who watched on the Internet also watched on TV; so an unduplicated number is the 3.05 billion.”

“The 28 billion video views on the rights-holding broadcasters digital platforms is indeed a big increase, the corresponding number for Rio was 11.6 billion.”

Lumme was asked about the impact on the IOC’s sponsors of the closed nature of the Tokyo Games due to the Covid countermeasures, and his reply was fascinating:

“It was very well understood by everyone that some of the activities such as showcasing or hospitality, attendance of foreign guests, had to be restricted purely because of the Covid countermeasures. …

“Looking at future Games, one thing has come out very clear from the debriefs with the TOP Partners, they see increasing value in the association with the IOC, with the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. … we are talking about the development of the digital [platforms] that I mentioned, but also – importantly – the focus on athletes and the many purpose-led activities growing the footprint of the IOC’s activities in areas outside of Games organization.

“So what they are seeing is a values-based organization really delivering on the mission of the IOC and I think this is making us feel quite comfortable moving forwards in our relationships with future organizing committees, future bidders but also, of course, TOP Partners.”

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● Following announcements of diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Games by the U.S., followed by Australia,. Great Britain and Canada, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France will not agree, telling the BBC:

“I don’t think we should politicize these topics, especially if it’s to take steps that are insignificant and symbolic … To be clear: You either have a complete boycott, and don’t send athletes, or you try to change things with useful actions.”

In the U.S., pressure has shifted to the role of American companies and NBC at the Games, with Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott both critical; Rubio’s open letter of 8 December called for the event to be pulled out of Beijing and be postponed, or “pull all of their advertising dollars from the Olympic Games if they continue to be held in Beijing.”

In reply, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Bloomberg News: “What individual companies do is entirely up to them. We’re not going to pressure them one way or another. So if a company decides – as many companies have – that they want to make a statement against human rights abuses, then that would be great. But we’re not going to be pushing anyone to make that decision.”

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council met earlier this week and “discussed the status of the Chinese men’s ice hockey team ahead of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The Council confirmed that it will uphold the decision by the 2018 IIHF Congress to grant the Chinese men’s national team a host qualification position in the 2022 Olympic Games.”

There are grave concerns that the Chinese team is of such weak quality that it will lose by embarrassing scores during the Games. We’ll know a lot more on 10 February when the men’s tournament opens with China facing the U.S., a medal favorite, at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium.

● XXVI Olympic Winter Games: 2030 ● The race for the 2030 Winter Games came up at Thursday’s IOC Executive Board news conference, in the aftermath of the online meeting days earlier with the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. Said IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER):

“What you could feel there is this great unity. … they were very well prepared, they were very well informed and that the dialogue will continue to see when Salt Lake City would like to enter into a closer dialogue with the IOC and I think they are also looking for our advice there a little bit. So it was, from the part I attended, a very friendly and fruitful conversation.”

Asked if there could be a double-hosting award of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games as was done for 2024-28 summer Games, Bach dryly noted: “All this is in the hands of the Future Hosts Commissions, of which I am not allowed to be a member.”

● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC Executive Board made some personnel recommendations on Thursday, including three new members: Slovakian shooter Danka Bartekova, who had already played an important role as an IOC Athletes’ Commission member, David Lappartient (FRA), President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, who has also been heavily involved with IOC affairs, including liaison with the eSports community, and Yiech Pur Biel, originally from South Sudan, but a refugee now living in the U.S. He competed in the men’s 800 m in the 2016 Rio Games on the Olympic Refugee Team and is a goodwill ambassador for the United National High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Three long-serving IOC members were nominated to be Honorary Members as they will be age limited in 2022: Richard W. Pound of Canada, the current doyen; Pal Schmitt, a two-time fencing gold medalist who was also President of Hungary; and Israeli Alex Gilady, the first IOC member from his country.

The Executive Board recommended extension of the term of Colombian Luis Alberto Moreno as he is the IOC’s Permanent Observer to the U.N., and re-election of Dane Poul-Erik Hoyer.

Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU), the former artistic swimmer who is the head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for Los Angeles 2028, is recommended for re-election as an individual member. This is a change of status from her affiliation as an NOC officer for Aruba and confirms her importance within the IOC. Now 57, she can serve to age 70 if confirmed and is considered a possible candidate for the IOC Presidency in 2025.

● Athletics ● World Athletics announced the full calendar of its World Indoor Tour, with 38 total meets and seven in the top-level Gold category:

28 Jan.: INIT Indoor: Karlsruhe (GER)
29 Jan.: Millrose Games: New York (USA)
06 Feb.: New Balance Indoor Grand Prix: Staten Island (USA)
17 Feb.: Hauts-de-France: Lievin (FRA)
19 Feb.: Muller Indoor Grand Prix: Birmingham (GR)
22 Feb.: Copernicus Cup: Torun (POL)
02 Mar.: Madrid 2022: Madrid (ESP)

On prize money: “Each Gold meeting will offer at least USD$7000 in prize money for each individual discipline on the programme, including USD$3000 to the winner.” The scoring events for 2022 are 60 m, 800 m, 3000 m/5000 m, pole vault, triple jump and shot put for men, and the 400 m, 1500 m, 60 m hurdles, high jump and long jump for women.

● Boxing ● A new, 96-page report from McLaren Global Sports Solutions examined the actions of AIBA post-Rio 2016, a period marked by the federation’s suspension by the IOC in 2019. What happened? In short, the report noted:

“AIBA staggered through a revolving door of Presidents and Executive Directors causing instability and a lack of cohesive leadership from the top. Behind the curtain, there was constant interference from those formerly in charge of AIBA. Those bad actors combined with the instability created by the revolving door of top management provided the environment where the corruption and manipulation could continue with similar intensity to the conduct at Rio. As a result, this Stage 3 Report uncovers the weaknesses of the destabilised AIBA structure. There was a loss of organisational knowledge and institutional memory; inconsistent application of rules; no appetite to investigate the organisation or individual complaints; and ineffective disciplinary process without the force of sanctions. All of these problems contained within a failing organisational structure, ineffective in its operation.”

The report cites improvement as demonstrated at the recent men’s World Championships in Belgrade (SRB), with a more open attitude toward concerns from referees, judges and technical officials:

“This is a definite seed of change from Rio, where with a few exceptions, a wall of silence existed. Given that in the years leading up to and including Rio the fear, intimidation and sanctioned corruption came from AIBA leadership. There was no trust in the organisation nor leadership so complaints or reports of bad behaviour were rarely made. Often if an R&J did make a complaint, they were not taken seriously and, to add insult to injury, would have likely resulted in loss of nominations to tournaments since they did not support the systemic manipulation.”

The report sees the situation as hopeful, noting “There has been noticeable improvement in the operation and administration of AIBA due to the leadership of the current President [Umar Kremlev/RUS] and the officials he has appointed such as the new Secretary General Istvan Kovacs [HUN] and others.”

The conclusion supports the governance reform process commissioned by AIBA from outside experts, including an independent “integrity unit,” a better whistleblower system, election vetting and reforms such as term limits, an integrity education program and better disciplinary procedures.

● Swimming ● To no one’s surprise, Tokyo superstars Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky were named USA Swimming’s Athletes of the Year at the Golden Goggle Awards in Miami, Florida.

It was Ledecky’s seventh such honor and the third for Dressel. Tokyo women’s 100 m Breaststroke gold medalist Lydia Jacoby won both the “Breakout Performer” and “Female Race of the Year” awards, while the men’s “Race of the Year” winner was Tokyo winner Bobby Finke in the 800 m Free.

Breaststroke star Annie Lazor won the “Perseverance Award” after her U.S. Trials win in the 200 m Breast and later the Tokyo bronze. Coach of the year honors went to Gregg Troy, the 20-year coach at the University of Florida and most recently of the ISL Cali Condors.

The Golden Goggle Awards have been held since 2004 and raise money for the USA Swimming Foundation.

The newest fight in the questions surrounding transgender athletes is in the pool. From editor-in-chief John Lohn of SwimmingWorld Magazine.com:

“[T]he biggest storyline of the NCAA Women’s Championships [next March] could be the presence of Lia Thomas on the pool deck.

“The story is well-known. Thomas is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, and a transgender athlete. She previously competed for three years as a member of the Quakers’ men’s team, earning All-Ivy League accolades. A year ago, the conference, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, canceled all athletics. Meanwhile, Thomas had transitioned to female, and awaited the opportunity to represent Penn in women’s collegiate competition. That time has now arrived.

“In recent weeks, Thomas has been firing off a multitude of top times – primarily in the distance-freestyle events. At last weekend’s Zippy Invitational, on the campus of Akron University, Thomas blasted automatic NCAA-qualifying efforts in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.93) and 500 freestyle (4:34.06). Both times rank No. 1 in the nation, and her 200 free performance was quicker than last year’s gold-medal time at NCAAs.”

Lohn examines the issue in detail, one that is being hotly debated now at the international level. He also noted:

“‘There’s absolutely no question in my mind that trans women will maintain strength advantages over cis women, even after hormone therapy,’ said sports physicist Joanna Harper in an interview with WEBMD Health News. ‘That’s based on my clinical experience, rather than published data, but I would say there’s zero doubt in my mind.’”

Keep an eye on this story.

Swimming Australia, fresh off a great Tokyo Games where its athletes won 20 medals, has been accused of ignoring sexual abuse allegations by Rio 2016 silver medalist Maddie Groves.

Groves skipped the Tokyo swim trials in protest over abuse by elite coaches that she says has been covered up or ignored. Former elite coach John Wright is awaiting trial on multiple charges of abuse of teenage boys in the 1980s and 1990s, but Groves commented:

“I think seeing the report on the John Wright case, there’s this attitude that that type of thing is a historical issue and it doesn’t happen anymore and that times have changed. But I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

Swimming Australia has pledged that her claims are being looked into by Sport Integrity Australia, an independent agency.

● Weightlifting ● Three more doping sanctions for Russian weightlifters dating from tests in 2012 were announced by the International Testing Agency.

Svetlana Shimkova, Oksana Slivenko and Rinat Kireev were all found to have used steroids back in 2012, based on data from the infamous Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s Moscow Laboratory and investigations by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren.

Shimkova and Slivenko received two-year bans and Kureev, four. All are now retired and did not challenge the suspensions.

● Wrestling ● United World Wrestling named its award winners in each of its 30 classes, with the top three in the year-end rankings receiving cash prizes of $10,000-7,000-3,000 for a $600,000 total.

American men’s Freestyle stars Tom Gilman (57 kg), Kyle Dake (74 kg), Jordan Burroughs (79 kg) and David Taylor (86 kg) all topped their rankings, with Daton Fix (61 kg), Alec Pantaleo (70 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) second, and Olympic champ Gable Steveson (125 kg) third.

In women’s Freestyle, the U.S. also had four winners with Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg), Helen Maroulis (57kg), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg). Kayla Miracle (62 kg) was third.

The Comeback Wrestlers of the Year were Maroulis (women’s 57 kg Freestyle World Champion) and Russian Roman Vlasov (77 kg Greco World Champion).

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Handball ● The first stage of the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship in Spain has concluded, with the championship field from 32 down to 24 teams.

The group-stage pool winners included France (Group A: 3-0), Russia (B: 3-0), Norway (C: 3-0), the Netherlands (D: 2-0-1), Germany (E: 3-0), Denmark (F: 3-0), Brazil (G: 3-0) and Spain (H: 3-0).

The four-group Main Round is underway and will be completed over the weekend. The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals, to start on 14 December. The championship match will be on the 19th.

● Weightlifting ● The World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent (UZB) survived the country’s Covid restrictions and are underway, albeit weakened by the absence of the Chinese and North Korean teams, and many Tokyo medalists.

Among the winners in the lighter weights are home favorite Doston Yokubov, who won the men’s overall title at 67 kg. Thailand, which has been damaged by doping issues, has two wins in the women’s division, from the reinstated Thunya Sukcharoen at 45 kg and Surodchana Khambao at 49 kg.

The competition continues through the 17th.

≡ THE LAST WORD ≡

Ken Goe, the sort-of-retired sportswriter of The Oregonian, in a tweet last week about track & field:

“The only sport I covered in 43 years that had the mantra, ‘It’s all about the athletes.’ It’s not going to be more popular unless it’s about the fans.”

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 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE TWO: An under-appreciated legend in his own time: remembering track promoter Al Franken

By
Rich Perelman
-
Cover of Al Franken's 1974 Sunkist Invitational program - in orange, of course - featuring distance star Steve Prefontaine

Historians and journalists talk about people who were “larger than life.” The track and field community lost one of those on Wednesday with the passing of Al Franken, whose lifelong love affair with the sport created some of its most memorable meets and moments.

The creator, owner and operator of meets such as the Sunkist Invitational indoor, Pepsi Invitational outdoor, Jack in the Box Invitational indoor in San Diego and more passed away quietly in Los Angeles yesterday (8th) at age 96. He had been in declining health for some time.

Franken was a pure promoter. He came up with ideas and he made them happen. When the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena opened as a state-of-the-art facility in 1959, Franken, working with coach Herschel Smith, created the first major indoor meet on the West Coast, the Los Angeles Invitational, in 1960.

Best known as the Sunkist Invitational – named for the L.A.-based Sunkist Growers cooperative which sponsored the meet from 1970 through 1995 – the meet was a January fixture and showcased the athletes everyone wanted to see. Rome sprint sensation Wilma Rudolph? Yes, in 1961. Mile superstar Jim Ryun? Of course, at the very height of his fame, in 1967. Long jump record-setter Bob Beamon? Just three months after his Mexico City heroics, in 1969. Ryun’s Mexico City conqueror, Kip Keino? In 1970, after having also run in the 1966 meet. And so many more: Dave Wottle, Steve Prefontaine, unforgettable mile duels with Eamonn Coghlan and Steve Scott, hurdle stars Greg Foster and Renaldo Nehemiah, women’s stars like Evelyn Ashford, Gail Devers, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Mary Decker; five-time high jump winner Dwight Stones, vault star Sergey Bubka, shot putters Randy Matson and Al Feuerbach and many, many more.

And dozens of world and American records.

Franken gathered the entire Southern California track intelligentsia to the meet, working with long-time associates like Art Hoffman, Stan Eales, Dick Bank and many others. Eales and Scott Davis were the signature voices of the meet, part of a day-long show that included give-away drawings for Sunkist juicers to fans, and cartons of oranges staged around the infield, from which athletes threw fruit to spectators in the seats.

Not to be overlooked was the high school portion, conducted for years by Bill Gill, which would start as early as noon and run for six hours before the elite-class program would begin. Franken sold a lot of tickets to friends and families of the high school participants. The meet lasted for 43 editions, with the February 2003 event the last staged.

During the ‘60s, Franken expanded his indoor empire to San Diego, with the Jack in the Box and later Michelob Invitational one of the best late-season meets at the end of February. A reported 41 world records were set during its 21 meets from 1967-87, including Coghlan’s memorable mile world indoor records of 3:52.6 in 1979 and 3:50.6 in 1981. Franken somehow even got the USSR’s 1972 double Olympic Champion Valery Borzov into the U.S. to run in the 1973 Jack in the Box.

Franken also put on indoor meets in the San Francisco area and did an outdoor meet with sponsorship from Foot Locker in the 1980s.

He was in the outdoor track business in Los Angeles too. He put on a “Champions Meet” in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – just after the installation of a new, all-weather track – in 1972 (featuring Ryun), then sponsored by the Vons grocery chain in 1973. That meet failed, but Franken came back bigger and better with the Pepsi Invitational at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in 1978. Some 10,009 attended the first meet in 1978, but the 1979 edition might have been the best, with Nehemiah beating Foster in a world-record 13.00, and Houston McTear winning the men’s 100 m in 10.17. But in one of Franken’s most unbelievable diplomatic feats, he had three of Cuba’s greatest stars in the meet: Montreal double-gold medalist Alberto Juantorena, sprinter Silvio Leonard and former hurdles world-record holder Alejandro Casanas. How did he pull that off?

“Well, you just have to work at it, you know?” would be Franken’s answer to the same question about foreign stars like Borzov, Juantorena, Bubka and so many others. Pepsi sponsored that meet through 1988 and then Jack in the Box came in for 1989 and 1990, its last edition.

Franken wasn’t universally popular. The Amateur Athletic Union, then the governing body of the sport in the United States, suspended him in 1954 for helping an athlete get plane tickets to a meet, and again in 1966 for not including the AAU in discussions with Keino. Franken was not deterred.

What was amazing about Franken, whom I knew well, was how loud he was and yet so soft-spoken. A tall man with large hands, if there was a track meet of any importance in Southern California, he was there, with a ready smile and a firm handshake. He rarely snuck up on anybody, not owing just to his height, but to his outfits. Toned down over time, Franken was easy to spot for years in bright golf pants and a colorful polo shirt. And at the Sunkist meet, he usually wore a brilliant orange blazer – in honor of his sponsor – with one of favorite turtleneck shirts.

And he was at his best when a meet was over, chatting up coaches, writers, athletes of all kinds – including parents of top high schoolers – and anyone else who would listen. His devotion to the sport came through clearly and even if you weren’t his biggest fan, he was endearing. Rather than boast about his meets, he was low-key. After an especially gripping Sunkist two-mile in 1978, where Tanzania’s Suleiman Nyambui edged Kenyan Henry Rono, 8:18.0-8:18.3 – then the nos. 2-3 performances in indoor history – and had the crowd of 12,343 on its feet, Franken came through the press box to say hello to the writers, and mentioning, “Great two-mile, eh?”

To ensure that he and his meets remained in front of the press, he was the organizer – for many years – of a weekly Southern California track writer’s luncheon during the spring season, usually at Taix French Restaurant in Los Angeles. Well attended (and dependable story producers for Franken and other local promoters and college coaches) for years, the luncheons faded away in the 1990s, as sport faded in Southern California. But what a way to promote the sport and his meets!

As he told Randy Harvey in a 1989 Los Angeles Times interview, “We’ve survived because we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Anytime you can do something for 30 years, make a living and enjoy yourself, what else can you ask for?”

Franken is to be saluted because he put up his own money to do these meets. He came up with the idea, found the sponsors, invited the athletes, sold the tickets and put on the meet. Although he founded Franken Enterprises in 1952 and operated as the “Southern California Sports Association,” it was really just him and a couple of folks in the office, notably Hoffman.

Born in 1925, Franken attended Fairfax High School and UCLA, where he was the sports editor for the Daily Bruin. Those who knew him only from his track & field exploits would be amazed to know that he worked for the old Los Angeles Mirror, then became the public relations director for the new-in-town Los Angeles Lakers in the early 1960s and in addition to track meets, had a busy public relations business that included the Los Angeles Open golf tournament, the Los Angeles and Long Beach Boat Shows and assignments for the Virginia Slims and Volvo Tennis Tours. He was also involved in the early stages of Evel Knievel’s daredevil jumping career, which started as a promotion for Norton Motorcycles at the National Date Festival in Indio.

Franken is also a hall-of-famer, having been elected to the Los Angeles Coliseum-Sports Arena Hall of Fame, and in 1993, to the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

He is survived by son Don, daughter Jill and brother-in-law Arnold Fazekas. His wife Shirley predeceased him in 1995.

This is the end of an era, especially in Los Angeles and for everyone who met track & field’s Al Franken. He would hope that in the years ahead, there will once again be many meets like his and many more people who will share his love of track & field. Thank you, Al.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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LANE ONE: IOC to add skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing to LA28, while boxing, weightlifting and modern pent now in limbo

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

A few months ago, the sports of skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing were making their debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Now, they appear to be a permanent part of the Olympic program.

The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board, announced that, in concert with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee, those three sports would be added to the “initial sports program” for the 2028 Games, while three troubled sports were sidelined, at least for now: boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon. Said IOC President Thomas Bach (GER):

“The proposed inclusion of these youth-focused sports is based on the significant contribution to the overall success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, their commitment to innovation and the partnership expressed by LA28, and also recognizing the deep roots each of these three sports have in L.A. and in California.

“At the same time, the IOC and the L.A. organizing committee renewed their joint commitment to prioritize reducing the costs and complexity of the Games.”

All three were a small part of the Tokyo Games, with 40 athletes each for surfing and sport climbing and 80 for skateboarding. This was increased for Paris 2024 – still as added sports – to 88 for skateboarding, 68 for climbing and 44 for surfing.

This is important since Bach underlined that the overall athlete quota of 10,500 remains for Paris and Los Angeles, meaning the addition of these sports must take a bite out of other sports in terms of the number of athletes participating.

But not if boxing (252 athletes for 2024), weightlifting (120) or modern pentathlon (72) are reduced further or eliminated. Bach explained:

“For boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon, there will be a pathway for inclusion in this initial sports program. These three sports may potentially be included in the LA28 initial sports program by the IOC Session in 2023 if by then the respective international federation will demonstrate to the satisfaction of the IOC Executive Board that they have addressed the following areas.

“First, AIBA [boxing]. AIBA must demonstrate that it has successfully addressed the ongoing concerns around its governance, its financial transparency and sustainability and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes.

“Second, IWF [weightlifting]. IWF and its future leadership must demonstrate its transition towards compliance and effective change of culture. Furthermore, they must successfully address the historical incidence of doping in the sport and ensure the integrity, robustness and full independence of its anti-doping program.

“Third, and this is different, very much different from weightlifting and boxing. Third is UIPM [modern pentathlon]. UIPM must finalize its proposal for the replacement of horse riding and for the overall competition format. They must demonstrate a significant reduction in cost and complexity and improvements across the areas of safety, accessibility, universality, appeal for youth and general public.”

These “pathways” will be a tall order for all three sports. Bach further explained that AIBA still has major questions to answer, and he said that “serious concerns remain until today” about the IWF and its continuing governance issues, including not being able to hold elections on its own announced timetable.

Bach’s comments about modern pentathlon were especially grave:

“UIPM must finalize its proposal for the replacement of horse riding and for the overall competition format. They must demonstrate a significant reduction in cost and complexity and improvements across the areas of safety, accessibility, universality, appeal for youth and general public.”

These comments will come as a huge disappointment to many pentathletes who have protested the replacement of riding with another discipline – and are pursuing the issue with the Court of Arbitration for Sport – with a tacit acceptance by the IOC of the federation’s proposed change in the sport.

Moreover, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) made enlightening comments on the inclusion of the three new sports that underline the problem for modern pentathlon and perhaps even boxing and weightlifting:

“They are bringing new communities of athletes, young people around the world into the Olympic Movement, they are globally popular, they are easily accessible around the world and they have a global audience as well. … ‘[W]e’ve seen the success on the Olympic stage, all three brought the best athletes they have, all three had a really strong impact in terms of broadcast and digital engagement, all of these indicators around the Games and reached out to new audiences.”

What can modern pentathlon say about its global audience and broadcast and digital engagement?

The 28-sport (and possibly 31-sport) LA28 sports program, however, is set to possibly undergo more changes. Said Bach:

“LA28 has still the possibility to propose additional sports in 2023. At the same time, the Executive Board agreed to advance the decision about disciplines for each sport to be included in the Olympic program from December 2024 to mid-2023 to provide earlier and early certainty – in particular to the athletes, but also to all the NOCs, IFs and the organizing committee.”

So, the Los Angeles organizers can still ask for other sports, with baseball and softball widely expected to be requested – given their popularity in the area – and perhaps others. The federations for cricket, break dancing, karate, mixed martial arts, sambo, plus a sport which originated in the Los Angeles area – Ultimate Flying Disc – and many others are all asking for a place on the program.

Further to the 10,500-athlete limit, the IOC’s advanced review of the disciplines list could see events possibly removed from the 2028 program. For example, gymnastics includes the much-loved Artistic competitions for men and women, but there are also the less-popular Rhythmic and Trampoline disciplines. Do they survive? Cycling has events in road, track, BMX and mountain bike, and what about the events in weight-class sports or the programs in sailing and shooting, and others?

Bach also noted that the IOC is monitoring the discussions within FIFA for a possible biennial men’s World Cup, which could possibly start in 2028 and place it in the same summer timeframe as the LA28 Games. Bach said he had not been in consultation with FIFA about this, but if the change in schedule was adopted by FIFA:

“So we would have to study, then, what this would mean for the availability of the best players and then the IOC then will have to consider the consequences of such a situation but at this moment, this would be mere speculation.”

The message in all this is that the LA28 Games are getting closer, quickly, and just as the 1932 and 1984 Games looked different than their predecessors, so will 2028, with many more changes to come.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: IOC’s Bach on the diplomatic boycott of Beijing ‘22: “The Games are about and for the athletes”

By
Rich Perelman
-
IOC President Thomas Bach (GER)

The diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games was greeted with unusual optimism by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) at an online news conference on Wednesday:

“The IOC has always been concerned with the participation of the athletes in the Olympic Games. Therefore, we welcome the support for their Olympic team, all these governments have been emphasizing. This is giving the athletes certainty and this is what the IOC is about and this line is also in full accordance with the approval by consensus all the 193 U.N. member states, which includes all these governments, with their support for the Olympic Truce resolution, which in fact is requesting the U.N. member states to cooperate with the IOC and the [International Paralympic Committee] with regard to a successful organization of the Games.

“The presence of government officials is a purely political decision for each government, and also for this political decision, the principle of the political neutrality of the IOC applies.”

Beginning with the U.S. announcement on Monday that it would not be sending officials to the Games, Australia, Great Britain and Canada have followed and will certainly not be the last. But Bach was clear that what matters most is the participation of athletes:

“The integrity of the Games are about the integrity of the sports competitions. Therefore, we have our full focus on the athletes. The Games are about and for the athletes.

“And therefore you will hear the same comment from us for every political decision from any government. We have been concerned with the athletes. We welcome that they can participate, that they are supported by their national governments and the rest is politics and there, our political neutrality, the principle is applied.”

Bach was pushed hard on the related question of whether saying nothing about China and its human-rights abuses is, in fact, an indirect expression of support. On this, he pushed back hard:

“By not commenting on political issues, you are not taking a side, neither the one nor the other. This is the mission of the IOC, otherwise we could not manage to accomplish the mission of the Games to being, to unite the world. If we would start to take political sides on one way or the other, we would never get the 206 National Olympic Committees to the Olympic Games.

“This would be the politicalization of the Olympic Games, and this, if I would think it further, could be the end of the Olympic Games, as it was the end of the ancient Olympic Games, when politics got involved after 1,000 years of Olympic Games, and then the Roman Emperor [Theodosius] intervened for political reasons that it was the end of the Games.

“The ancient Greeks already knew that the Games, to exist, needs this political neutrality and this has not changed , it has even become more important in this confrontational world we are living in and this divisive world where the tensions are rising high, and if the Games would even contribute to rising tensions, this would be absolutely contrary to our mission.”

During a Tuesday news conference following the first of three days of IOC Executive Board meetings, Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission Chair Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. (ESP) emphasized that the organizing committee is “completely on track” and that:

“The Games, to be successful, have to be safe. It will be extremely safe. The closed-loop management system will be extremely safe. If the Covid situation changes, we will adapt and all the protocols for whatever happens are ready. Above everything, these Games, from a Covid perspective, will be extremely safe.”

A second edition of the Beijing 2022 “playbook,” dedicated to anti-Covid procedures, is expected to be issued in a few days.

The question of spectators at the Beijing Games is still up in the air. On Tuesday, the IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi (SUI) explained:

“Everything is planned according to the presence of spectators. Now, when it would be made I would expect in the next few weeks because past this time will be physically impossible to get the campaign up and running. …

“Even though we would go another few days before the decision is made, when it is made and it is a positive one, we know that the interest for the Games is absolutely outstanding.”

Bach spent much of Wednesday’s news conference talking about the IOC’s humanitarian efforts, including a new program in Afghanistan:

“Through our efforts, more than 300 members of the Olympic community of Afghanistan received humanitarian visas and could therefore already be evacuated from Afghanistan. This is, of course, an ongoing effort for many members of this community remaining in Afghanistan.

“Today, I can inform you that as a result of this quiet diplomacy, the Taliban accept and support humanitarian aid delivered by the IOC to members of the Olympic community who are still living in Afghanistan. According to our first evaluation, up to 2,000 people are concerned: that includes members of the Paralympic community, of course, but also from Olympic and non-Olympic sports. For this, the IOC Executive Board has today approved a humanitarian aid package of up to $560,000.

“This humanitarian aid package can only be implemented because of our excellent partnership we’re enjoying with [the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] and with U.N. High Commissioner Filippo Grandi [ITA]. As a result of these talks with Commissioner Grandi, UNHCR will help us distributing this support to the members of the Olympic and Paralympic community. AS UNHCR, they are one of the few organizations that can still operate in Afghanistan and they will also ensure the governance of the distribution on the ground.

“After these consultations with the Taliban, all of this will be coordinated with the NOC and its elected officebearers in order to define the final list of beneficiaries from the Olympic and Paralympic community from Olympic and non-Olympic sports. The amount per person for this, what the UNHCR is calling ‘winterization program,’ is 265 U.S. dollars. This means that also in this respect, this humanitarian aid program is fully aligned with the ‘winterization’ program of UNHCR in Afghanistan.”

Bach was pressed on the continuing contacts with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose two video calls with the IOC have been rare contacts with the world beyond China after making sexual abuse allegations against a former Chinese Vice Premier. He explained:

“[W]e have achieved, I think so far, with these talks, what we could reasonably be expected to achieve. The most important human right is physical integrity, and this physical integrity we have been ensuring during these calls and we will continue the calls and will continue the support. And this is the most important: it’s about an individual, it’s about an athlete. You have to take care of this human being, you have to approach a human being, you have to respect this human being.

“And in such a fragile situation Peng Shuai is in, you have to make all the efforts to build trust, to engage in a human relationship. And this, as you can appreciate, is not easy in a video call, but this is why we said we want to keep in touch, we want to have other calls, we want to keep supporting her and in this way being assured about her physical integrity as much as we can.”

Translation: By being a connection for Peng outside of China, the IOC has helped to assure people that she is, in fact, still alive and able to communicate, in a limited way, with the world. Bach has invited her to meet with the IOC when it comes to Beijing for the Winter Games, a further indication of support for her.

The IOC will meet on Thursday as well; a short presentation was made on Wednesday concerning the broadcast and digital audience for the Tokyo 2020 Games, with a total reach of 3.05 billion people around the world.

Tomorrow’s presentations are slated to include information on the continuing review of boxing and weightlifting on the Olympic program for 2024.

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HEARD AT HALFTIME: White House announces Beijing 2022 diplomatic boycott; Salt Lake City encouraged by IOC meeting; Tokyo 2020 cost savings!

By
Rich Perelman
-

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics games given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.”

The announcement by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday confirmed the long-expected U.S. governmental response to attendance at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, which will not affect the participation of the United States team.

“U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can’t do that,” added Psaki.

She noted that American allies had been informed of the decision and would make their own decisions on a similar move.

Reuters reported Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian as telling reporters prior to the Administration’s announcement, “If the U.S. insists in wilflully clinging to its course, China will take resolute countermeasures,” and that there should not be a boycott “so as not to affect the dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States in important areas.”

The International Olympic Committee posted a statement which included:

“The presence of government officials and diplomats is a purely political decision for each government, which the IOC in its political neutrality fully respects.”

Observed: This is a major victory for Olympic athletes, decoupling governmental actions from any attempt to keep athletes from competing. It will also increase the pressure on athletes from the U.S. and other countries whose governments do not send officials to Beijing, a situation that the athletes did not ask for or choose.

It is worth appreciating that after Beijing was chosen over Almaty (KAZ) by just 44-40 by the IOC back in 2015, the bid process for the Games has been completely overhauled to avoid exactly such an outcome. Future Games are now set for Paris, Milan Cortina, Los Angeles and Brisbane in 2032. And possibly in Salt Lake City in 2030 (see below).

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Salt Lake City-Utah Commission for the Games met online with International Olympic Committee staff and IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER) as part of the “continuous dialogue” discussions about a potential Salt Lake City hosting of the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games.

Following up on a 12 November online discussion with the IOC’s Future Hosts Commission, Monday’s two-and-half-hour meeting focused on the current process for bidding and possible selection. Said bid committee chief executive Fraser Bullock, the 2002 organizing committee chief operating officer:

● “This is a partnership, that we work together to figure out what fits best for the city in terms of timing and preparation and delivery of the Games.”

● “There is no specific timing. It could go way in advance of the historic seven years. It could even go a little bit later, but what we’ve seen with Brisbane – which they highlighted – it could happen any time, when the parties come together in a meeting of the minds. But there is no specific timetable or timeline for an award of any upcoming Games.”

● “The IOC recognizes that that’s really a decision that is made at the NOC level – or at the USOPC level [in the U.S.]. They’re willing to embrace either position in terms of a dialogue, so they said that’s an issue that you’ll decide in the United States and once that decision is made, then they will work with us specifically on that Games edition.”

With regard to that decision of 2030 vs. 2034, Bullock reiterated:

“All of this is led by the USOPC. So, we have meetings with the USOPC, we talk about the issues. The USOPC meets with L.A., and they’re the focal point of that decision. And then they bring us together to talk about different elements we have to work through collaboratively. … Now, it’s more into the detailed work of how which edition of the Games could go forward. …

“After Beijing, we believe that they’ll be a stepped-up amount of activity.”

Bullock also underscored Salt Lake City’s readiness to host the Games, as it has the venue infrastructure already in place:

“Fortunately, with the 2002 Games, there was an endowment left behind of $76 million which has kept the facilities pretty much up to date. Of course, there’s always small elements of refurbishments that would be needed and we’ve accounted for that in our budget that we’re still putting together. But, we have everything we need to host the Games. Yes, there needs to be a little bit added, but in our budget, there is very little that is needed to be able to host the Games going forward. …

“Even though we have 40% more events than 2002, we can fit them all within our existing venue infrastructure. So we’re very pleased with that.”

He also remarked on two points on which the IOC would be eager to select Salt Lake City based on its own priorities:

● “A big part of their presentation to us today was on sustainability. Fortunately, Mayor [Erin] Mendenhall and Governor [Spencer] Cox, they’re such huge champions of this that it fits seamlessly into our state’s objectives. In fact, the Games could help be a catalyst for some of those elements that we’re trying to accomplish. … It really was a little bit of symbiosis in terms of what they’re trying to accomplish and what we’re trying to accomplish”

● “One of the things that they continue to appreciate, and say maybe you can emphasize even more is the wonderful legacy we have. All the venues we have in place, all the athletes, all the events, is such a powerful element of moving sport forward and towards – hopefully – an Olympic Games. They say, ‘you need to tell that story even more.’”

Bullock said there was no discussion about a U.S. diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022; the in-person meeting hoped for today will be re-scheduled for next spring.

Observed: All of this, added to last week’s comments in Los Angeles from the LA28 organizers, point toward a 2030 bid from Salt Lake City.

Bullock noted the IOC’s comments on the “fit” between a Games and a city in terms of timing and preparation. It’s a short hop from there to recognize that an award for 2030 means the venues are four years fresher than they would be for 2034 and will keep Salt Lake City’s costs down.

Further, LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman’s comments to a Los Angeles City Council committee last week that “as we sit here today, with well over half our revenue contracted, we are prepared to deliver the Games – if we had to – with the revenue we have today” are another milestone on the road to getting Salt Lake City into the game for 2030.

That in-person meetings with the IOC are expected next spring – after the Beijing Games and the associated political fires are extinguished – shows that any award of the 2030 is not imminent, but could happen as early as next summer.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● Surprise! The Tokyo Games actually cost less than expected!

Kyodo News reported that the total cost of the project is now estimated to come in at about ¥1.5 trillion, or about $13.30 billion U.S. Given the measures against the Covid-19 pandemic, with the Games held without spectators, it had been expected that the total costs would rise from about ¥1.35 trillion (~$12.6 billion U.S.) to as much as ¥16.4 trillion (~$14.54 billion U.S.)

Instead, the cost-saving measures brought the total expenditures down below the level of the loss of ticket revenues. The split of the costs between the Tokyo organizers (expected to raise at least $6.7 billion), the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese national government is expected by year-end.

It is, however, worth remembering that the projected total cost of the Games in the Tokyo bid was only ¥734 billion or about $6.5 billion U.S. The cost explosion came, as usual, from the construction of new facilities, including a new National Stadium.

● Games of the XXXIV Olympiad: Los Angeles 2028 ● Amid the two-and-a-half-hour Los Angeles City Council session last Friday – most of which dealt with City approval of the “Games Agreement” with the LA28 organizing committee – Council Member Kevin de Leon (14th District) made special note of one of the issues surrounding the Games that the organizing committee can’t control and that does put the City at risk:

“One thing I will say, is the caveat for the 2028 Olympics, is our real danger of exposure is without a doubt if we don’t deal head on – as we have been talking about incessantly – on the issue of homelessness. Because, by 2028, if we haven’t resolved this humanitarian crisis, we are guaranteed to win the gold, silver and bronze when it comes to the largest concentration of unhoused individuals in the United States of America, perhaps even in the world.

“Because what will be guaranteed is that we will have cameras in Skid Row, in Venice, in Hollywood and throughout other parts of the City, not just at SoFi Stadium or the Coliseum or Staples [Center] or the Rose Bowl and elsewhere. That is the real fear of exposure …

“It’s not on [LA28 Chair] Casey [Wasserman] or anyone else, but that will be a real exposure if we don’t deal with this humanitarian crisis by then.”

By comparison, the City of Los Angeles budget for fiscal year 2021-22 shows $11.23 billion in projected revenues and expenditures of $11.48 billion. The LA28 budget to stage the Games with private finances is $6.88 billion in total over the next seven years.

De Leon is quite right that the governmental response to the L.A. homelessness crisis will be closely watched, and is right now, let alone in 2028.

● Athletics ● The 75th and final edition of the famed Fukuoka Marathon in Japan was won on Sunday by Kenyan Michael Githae in 2:07:51.

For many years, this race was essentially the world championship in the marathon and was won by some of the sport’s titans such as American Frank Shorter (four-time winner), multiple Olympic champions and the beloved Toshihiko Seko, who also won four times. The race, limited to just a few hundred runners and not designed as a mass-participation race, finally succumbed to costs and the decision to finish in 2021 was announced in March.

Not that it was a surprise, but there were plenty of rumors and outright lies told at the USA Track & Field Annual Meeting in Florida over the weekend. One of the whoppers was heard by and then tweeted by Monzavous “Rae” Edwards, now 40, who had a best of 10.00 in the 100 m from 2010 and was twice a Pan American Games bronze medalist for the U.S. on the men’s 4×100 m relay in 2007 and 2011; he hosts the track & field-themed “Raes Take TV” on YouTube.

Apparently Edwards heard in one of the many sessions that:

“When Simone Biles competed in her Tokyo finals she drew in 8 milllion [sic] viewers from NBC. When @itskerrii competed at the US Trials she drew in 11 million viewers!”

This is completely wrong and is not fair to Sha’Carri Richardson, a star-in-the-making in the sport. But she is no Simone Biles. The actual numbers at their respective U.S. Olympic Trials:

● 20 June: NBC averaged 3.53 million viewers for Richardson’s women’s 100 m session.
● 25 June: NBC averaged 4.59 million viewers for the first women’s session (with Biles).
● 27 June: NBC averaged 5.75 million viewers for the second women’s session, peaking at 6.6 million during Biles’ floor exercise routine.

At the Tokyo Olympic Games, NBC’s four highest-rated primetime nights were the four in which Biles appeared:

● 19.5 million on 25 July (Sun): Women’s Gymnastics qualifying
● 18.9 million on 29 July (Thu): Women’s Gymnastics All-Around
● 16.9 million on 03 Aug: (Tue): Women’s Gymnastics Beam final
● 16.2 million on 27 July (Tue): Women’s Gymnastics Team final

So where did the 11 million number for Richardson come from? Maybe from our 1 July story noting that video views of four clips Richardson during the Trials on NBC Sports’ YouTube page combined for 11,832,455 views (as of 30 June). There were five clips that included Biles that were viewed a combined total of 5,955,184 times through 30 June.

From the Games, the seven clips that included Biles had 9.59 million viewings through 1 December. Now you know the numbers.

USATF announced faster standards for the Olympic Marathon Trials for Paris, expected to pare down the fields considerably.

The men’s qualifying standard is 2:18:00 for the marathon or 1:03:00 for the half; women must achieve 2:37:00 or better in the marathon or 1:12:00 for the half. That’s one minute faster for the men across both distances and the women’s half, but eight minutes faster for the women’s marathon.

For the 2020 U.S. Trials, 260 men and 513 women qualified – 713 total – with 235 men and 450 women starting the Trials race in Atlanta. For 2024, LetsRun.com calculated that the number of qualifiers for 2020 would drop under the new standards to 169 men and 91 women, a reduction of 35.0% for the men but a whopping 82.2% for the women.

But this will also a make a Trials race much less expensive to operate, an important element in attracting a city to underwrite the costs of a program to choose six Olympic athletes.

● Boxing ● Agence France Presse reported that the 11 boxers and two officials that made up the Afghanistan boxing team at November’s AIBA men’s World Championships in Belgrade (SRB) have remained in the country, hoping not to return and come under the rule of the Taliban.

Said Hasib Malikzada, a 19-year-old lightweight, “If the Taliban find us… they will kill us.”

They are looking for a permanent solution that does not include returning to Kabul.

● Football ● A report on the rioting outside, inside and around Wembley Stadium on 11 July for the Euro 2020 football final pitting England against Italy found that mass casualties and deaths were “narrowly avoided.”

The Football Association commissioned the study, which found far more disorder than had been reported at the time:

“The report finds that more than 2,000 people gained access to Wembley without tickets, with 17 mass breaches of security, and a systematic targeting of disabled entrances as means of access. Previously unreported is the existence of a 6,000-strong crowd who stood outside Wembley throughout the final, waiting to charge the gates in the event of an England victory.”

Much of the trouble was ascribed to people under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. There 553 police on-site, but they were overwhelmed by the thousands of people around the stadium. The reality: “No one was fully prepared for what happened that day and it can’t be allowed to happen again.”

● Gymnastics ● Friday was the deadline for objections to be filed to the set-to-be-approved USA Gymnastics reorganization plan before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

Four filings were made: one by the State of Indiana, alleging that the procedures against future abuse by USA Gymnastics are inadequate; by the U.S. Trustee, alleging the wide-ranging release of claims under the plan is too broad; by Liberty Insurance Underwriters, stating the plan impedes its ability to obtain settlements against other insurers; and TIG Insurance Co.

TIG Insurance is the lone non-settling insurer and could potentially be on the hook for more than $106 million in damages under the plan. Its 150-page filing asserts that the plan improperly alters its rights as a non-settling insurer, prejudges certain coverages, improperly assigns the right to pursue payments from it to the trust that would be formed to distribute proceeds to claimants and other defenses.

The objections will be heard on 13 December at a procedure at which the USA Gymnastics reorganization plan could be declared effective, or modified.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Handball ● The 25th IHF Women’s World Championship is underway in Spain, with 32 teams chasing the world title. Play is continuing in eight groups, to be concluded today (6th), with 24 teams moving to the second round of pool play; the playoffs will include eight teams beginning on 14 December and finishing with the championship match on 19 December.

The Netherlands is the defending champion from 2019, with France winning in 2017 and Norway in 2015. All are expected to contend once again

● Speed Skating ● Near the end of Sunday’s program at the ISU World Cup at the ultra-fast Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah came the men’s Team Pursuit final, with Americans Joey Mantia, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson winning in a world record time of 3:34.47. That was 0.21 better than the gold-medal performance by The Netherlands at the 2020 World Championships … also held at the Olympic Oval.

Mantia led all the way with Lehman and Dawson pushing from behind. Said Mantia, who won the men’s 1,500 earlier in the meet:

“We got together a couple years ago and decided that this would be the best way. These guys practice together and I don’t practice with them on a regular basis. They just do a great job practicing the pushing, and obviously it shows out there.

“I did the easy job. I just get up front and lead the way and these guys are pushing me so hard that I can basically just move my feet and I keep the rhythm and keep the speeds up. The magic behind our Team Pursuit being successful is that everybody thinks everybody else’s job is the hardest.”

● Junior Pan American Games ● The first edition of the Junior Pan Am Games concluded successfully in Cali (COL), with about 3,500 athletes at the event.

Mexico won the most medals, with a total of 172 (46-78-48), followed by Brazil with 163 (59-49-55), and host Colombia at 145 (48-34-63). The U.S. was fourth with 114 total medals, but had 47 golds (+29 + 38).

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LANE ONE: USA Track & Field membership rejects USOPC-requested governance changes at Annual Meeting

By
Rich Perelman
-

(For Highlights of the weekend’s major competitions, click here.)

After winning a world-leading 26 medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games, you would think that the weekend’s USA Track & Field Annual Meeting would have been all about celebration.

Held in a part-in-person, part-online format from Lake Buena Vista, Florida, stars of the Games were honored, as shot put winner Ryan Crouser won the Jesse Owens Award and hurdles gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin received the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award as the top U.S. athletes of 2021.

In addition, Bobby Kersee – who coaches McLaughlin – received the Coach of the Year for the third time and “Wing Awards” went to women’s 800 m gold medalist Athing Mu for “Best Olympic Track Performance,” and Crouser won for the top Olympic field effort. Women’s marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel won for “Breakthrough Performer of the Year.”

So much for awards; the real action was in – of all places – the Law & Legislation Committee.

Why? Because the USATF members had been disenfranchised from the management of their own federation one year prior at the behest of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

In November 2020, the USOPC told USA Track & Field:

“The USOPC mandates that good (or effective) governance means that the USATF Board 1) must be the final authority to adopt bylaws and regulations; 2) shall elect the Chair and the elected Chair should have appropriate appointment authority; 3) include more independent members and have additional athlete representation; and 4) ensure volunteers don’t make decisions, which could impact the budgetary or operational aspects of the organization.”

These bylaw changes were not passed by the membership, but the USATF Board adopted temporary changes on its own that acceded to these demands. But those temporary amendments were up for approval again, and a November 2021 letter from USOPC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Holly Shick reiterated their position and closed with “we will closely follow the results of the December meeting for purposes of our 2022 audit.”

During the Law & Legislation Committee discussions, USOPC Chief of Sport Performance and NGB Services Rick Adams and Senior Governance Advisor David Patterson both urged permanent passage of the USOPC-requested bylaws. Activist Becca Peter of PoleVaultPower.com tweeted:

“Rick Adams continues to create the impression that any deficiency in our audit will result in us not being recognized by the USOPC.

“He is discussing what happens if USATF is not recognized.”

The threat of de-certifying a national federation as the governing body of a sport is a power which the USOPC holds, subject to binding arbitration on appeal (36 U.S.C. §§220521-220530). It’s a potent weapon of last resort, but did not impress the Law & Legislation Committee.

A series of compromise legislative proposals to modify the temporary amendments favorable to the USOPC was dismissed, leaving Sunday’s membership vote an all-or-nothing outcome for the USATF Board (and the USOPC).

They got nothing.

● Temporary Amendment 1, which enabled the Board to choose its own Chair, instead of having the elected President of the USATF serve as Board Chair was defeated: 33.65% yes, 65.77% no, 0.58% abstentions.

● Temporary Amendment 2, which gave the USATF Board the power to change the federation’s bylaws permanently, was defeated: 27.77% yes, 71.66%, no, 0.58% abstentions.

● Temporary Amendment 5, which changed the membership appointment structure of the Law & Legislation Committee, was defeated: 34.24% yes, 64.18% no, 1.57% abstentions.

Especially noteworthy were the differences between these voting outcomes and the voting totals from the Annual Meeting in 2020, when the membership was not as engaged on these issues. Temporary Amendment 1 was passed 57-42%, but short of the two-thirds majority required. Temporary Amendment 2 passed by 53-46% – also short of passage – and Temporary Amendment 3 had 62% in favor and 37.6% against, just short of the super-majority required.

In 2021, with the membership much more aware, all three proposals sank like lead.

As is usual at the Annual Meeting, the USATF Board of Directors met after the close of Sunday’s final session and a new cry to pass new temporary amendments was immediately raised. But strong voices were also heard against the idea, and no announcements of any changes were made.

There will, no doubt, be more consideration later.

Attendees at the Annual Meeting noted that in the last round of lobbying of the membership on these votes, the USATF Board couched its appeal not so much on the fear of USOPC de-certification – widely seen as highly unlikely considering USATF’s strong record in so many areas – but in the idea that the membership elects many (but not all) of the Board members, so the Board can be trusted.

But last year’s passage of the three temporary rules, especially allowing the demotion of elected President Vin Lananna to Vice Chair of the Board, has soured any trust in the existing USATF Board. How that impacts this Board going forward is anyone’s guess.

The USOPC is left with a clear defeat from a major National Governing Body, whose members will not be deterred from the governance of their sport. From its first days as an independent body then known as The Athletics Congress in 1979, the sport of track & field has had an involved, restless and sometimes insurgent membership and that has not changed.

The future is cloudy. Will USATF’s Board once again pass temporary amendments to placate the USOPC and once again ignore the membership? Will the USOPC insist? Will other National Governing Bodies who have been strong-armed by the USOPC also revolt? USA Fencing is going through many of the same issues and there are those who want to reverse that Board’s power play on the bylaws and demotion of its elected President.

What happened to athletes, coaches, training and competitions?

Thanks to the Larry Nassar abuse scandal, the USOPC’s responsibility for oversight of the National Governing Bodies has been emphatically underlined by the U.S. Congress, which itself took on the power to de-certify NGBs, in violation of the Olympic Charter. It is ironic that because of laws democratically passed in Washington, D.C., the USOPC has decided that it must eliminate the member governance of its NGBs.

The membership of USA Track & Field – in the sport which has won more Olympic medals for the U.S. than any other – isn’t buying it.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HIGHLIGHTS: Two bobsled World Cup wins for new citizen Humphries; Ledecky in amazing form at U.S. Open; third World Cup skating win for Erin Jackson

By
Rich Perelman
-
New American (and already two-time Olympic champ) bobsled star Kaillie Humphries

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

● Alpine Skiing ● The women’s FIS World Cup circuit was in Lake Louise (CAN) for speed racing, with Olympic Downhill champ Sofia Goggia (ITA) signaling she is going to defend strongly.

Goggia, 29, won both of the Downhill races, both times ahead of American contender Breezy Johnson, 1:46.95-1:48.42 and 1:48.42-1:49.26. Johnson, 26, collected her first four World Cup medals last season and now has two already for 2021-22. Austria’s Mirjam Puchner was third on Friday and Swiss Corinne Suter was third on Saturday.

Sunday’s Super-G was another win for Goggia, the fifth of her career in this discipline, as she finished in 1:18.28, just 0.11 up on Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami and 0.44 ahead of Puchner. American star Mikaela Shiffrin was sixth in 1:18.86.

The men were in Beaver Creek, Colorado for two Super-G and two Downhill races, with Swiss Marco Odermatt taking the first Super-G race, but then giving way to veteran Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who won the second Super-G and the first Downhill. Odermatt edged Matthias Mayer (AUT) by 1:08.61-1:09.39, but Aamodt was just 0.03 better on Friday, winning 1:10.26-1:10.29, with American Travis Ganong third (1:10.63) and Mayer fourth.

In Saturday’s Downhill, Aamodt was more dominant, winning over Mayer, 1:39.63-1:40.29, with Swiss star Beat Feuz third (1:40.64). American Ryan Cochran-Siegle was sixth in 1:40.87. Sunday’s Downhill had to be canceled due to strong winds.

● Athletics ● NCAA Cross Country champ Connor Mantz debuted in the Half Marathon with a win in the USA Track & Field Half Marathon Championships on Sunday in Hardeeville, South Carolina.

Mantz led for most of the race, sometimes alternating with Morgan Pearson, with 2017 USATF runner-up Sam Chelanga in close attendance. With a mile to go, Chelenga tried to break away, but Mantz maintained a lead and won in 1:00:55 to win, with Chelanga at 1:00:59 and Nico Martinez third in 1:01:13.

The women’s race was dominated by Keira D’Amato, who won in 1:07:55, ahead of Natosha Rogers (1:09:36) second and Dakotah Lindwurm (1:09:40). D’Amato attacked after mile five and was never headed; it’s her third Half-Marathon win in five races at the distance.

● Badminton ● The BWF World Tour Finals in Bali (INA) showcased winners from four different nations, with only South Korea able to post two champions.

In the men’s Singles final, Tokyo Olympic champ Viktor Axelsen (DEN) took the title with a 21-12, 21-8 win over surprise finalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA). Korea’s Seyoung An won her eighth World Tour title, defeating V. Sindhu Pusarla (IND) in straight sets, 21-16, 21-12.

Japan’s Takuro Hori and Yugo Kobayashi won the men’s Doubles in a tense 21-16, 13-21, 21-17 win over Indonesian stars Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. Koreans Soyeong Kim and Heeyong Kong won the women’s Doubles by 21-14, 21-14 over Namoi Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (JPN). The Mixed Doubles title went to Thai stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, over Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (JPN) by 21-19, 21-11.

● Biathlon ● The second week of the IBU World Cup in Oestersund (SWE), with Sprint and Pursuit races for both men and women.

The men’s 10 km Sprint was a second straight win for Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson, in 22:58.7, up 18.0 seconds on runner-up Emilien Jacquelin (FRA). Sunday’s Pursuit race was won by Norway’s Vetle Christiansen (30:14.8, with one penalty) over Samuelsson (+9.8; 4 penalties), with Jacquelin third (+11.0; 3).

The women’s 7.5 km Sprint was the first win of the season and the second medal for Austria’s Lisa Theresa Hauser, who beat Elvira Oberg (SWE), 19:30.2-19:42.7. Norwegian star Marte Olsbu Roeiseland won her ninth career World Cup title, 32:20.6-32:25.4, over France’s Anais Bescond.

The World action moves to Hochfilzen (AUT) next week.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup has moved to Germany with races in Altenberg, Winterberg and then back to Altenberg for the next three stages.

The one constant, no matter where the events take place, is Germany’s reigning Olympic champion driver Francesco Friedrich. He took his third straight two-man win in the 2021-22 World Cup, 1:46.96-1:47.20 over countryman Johannes Lochner, who finished second for the third straight time.

In the four-man, Friedrich won again to stay perfect on the season (3-0), finishing in 1:47.96 to 1:48.63 for Austria’s Benjamin Maier.

The two-women racing saw American star Kaillie Humphries win for the first time this season. The two-time Olympic champion (for Canada) had Kaysha Love aboard and finished in 1:54.10, ahead of Germany’s Laura Nolte (1:54.14), who had won the prior two races this season. Canada’s Christine de Bruin was third for the third straight race (1:54.45). American Elana Meyers Taylor (with Sylvia Hoffman) was fifth (1:54.77).

In the men’s Skeleton, two-time Worlds runner-up Axel Jungk led a German 1-2 in 1:51.71, ahead of Christopher Grotheer (1:51.82), with Latvian star Martins Dukurs third (1:52.16). Grotheer has now won medals in all three races this season.

The women’s Skeleton was a first seasonal win for Germany’s four-time World Champion Tina Hermann, who finished in 1:55.36 to 1:55.67 for Russian Alina Tararychenkova.

The women’s Monobob World Series continued in Winterberg and Altenberg, with New Zealand’s Breeana Walker winning in Winterberg on Friday in 1:59.54 ahead of home favorite Lisa Buckwitz (GER: 1:59.99).

At Altenberg on Saturday, new American citizen Humphries won for the first time this season (2:00.57), ahead of Cynthia Appiah (CAN: 2:00.63), with Meyers Taylor sixth (2:01.87).

● Cross Country Skiing ● The second stop on the FIS World Cup circuit was in Lillehammer (NOR), with Norway sweeping the men’s individual events and Sweden taking the women’s races.

Two-time World Cup overall champ Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his first race of the season in Friday’s Freestyle Sprint final, finishing ahead of teammate Thomas Larsen, 2:52.48-2:53.06. Saturday’s 15 km Freestyle was a Norwegian sweep, with Simen Hegstad Krueger just 1.6 seconds up on Hans Christer Holund, 32:26.2-32:27.8. with fellow Norse Martin Nyenget third (32:43.7).

The women’s Freestyle Sprint was the second win this season for Swede Maja Dahlqvist, just 0.35 up on American Jessie Diggins (3:14.07-3:14.42), with Tiril Weng (NOR: 3:14.93) third and American Rosie Brennan fifth.

In the 10 km Freestyle, Brennan collected her first medal of the season in third (27:09.7) behind the second win of the season for Frida Karlsson (SWE: 26:58.4), who barely edged Norwegian superstar Therese Johaug (26:58.7).

● Freestyle Skiing ● The short, two-event “season” in Big Air came to a conclusion (!) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with Austria’s Matej Svancer sweeping the two men’s competitions.

Svancer out-scored American Benjamin Hall by 188.50-185.75 to take the event and the seasonal title, with 160 points. France’s Antoine Adelisse was third on Saturday (180.00). Hall finished second on the season at 120 and Norway’s Birk Ruud had 86.

China’s Eileen Gu won the women’s Big Air event (184.25), confirming her contender status for the Beijing Winter Games. France’s Tess Ledeux was second (177.50) and Norway’s Johanne Killi third (177.00). For the season, Ledeux won at 180 points, followed by Sarah Hoefflin (SUI: 120) and Elena Gaskill (CAN: 110).

The Moguls and Aerials skiers were in Ruka (FIN) for their first events of the season. Reigning World Aerials Champion Maxim Burov (RUS) won both of the men’s events, over Pirmin Werner (SUI) and Noe Roth (SUI) on Thursday and then ahead of Zongyang Jia (CHN) and Roth on Friday.

The women’s Aerials events were both won by China, with Fanyu Kong defeating teammate Shao Qi and Kazak Zhanbota Aldabergenova (who tied for second) on Thursday and veteran Mengtao Xu and Kong going 1-2 on Friday with Hanna Huskova (BLR) third.

The men’s Moguls opener was another World Cup win – his 66th – for Olympic champ Mikael Kingsbury (CAN), scoring 82.99 vs. Pavel Kolmakov (KAZ: 82.10) and 2017 World Champion Ikuma Horishima (JPN: 81.12).

American Olivia Giaccio took the women’s Moguls win – her first World Cup victory – ahead of 2019 Worlds silver medalist Jakara Anthony (NZL) and fellow American Kai Owens, 78.51-78.17-76.61.

● Luge ● The second week of FIL World Cup racing in Sochi (RUS) – replacing the North American sites of Whistler and Lake Placid due to Covid travel issues – saw the first non-German men’s winner of the season. Latvia’s Kristers Aparjods scored a tight, 1:42.881-1:42.905 win over Johannes Ludwig (GER), who had won the first two races of the year. Italy’s Dominick Fischnaller won his first medal of the season in third (1:42.920).

Fischnaller won the first Sprint race of the season in 34.833, to 34.872 for Russia’s Roman Repilov; Austrian star Wolfgang Kindl was third (34.883).

In the men’s Doubles, Russians Andrey Bogdanov and Yuri Prokhorov moved up from second last week to winners on Saturday, timing 1:39.351 to beat four-time World Champions Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken (GER: 1:39.485).

The women’s racing on Sunday saw a German 1-2, with 2021 World Champion Julia Taubitz getting her first win this season in 1:39.434 over two-time defending Olympic champ Natalie Geisenberger (1:39.802), then winning the Sprint race as well (31.743), ahead of American Summer Britcher (31.764) and German teammate Dajana Eitberger (31.775).

● Nordic Combined ● The second stage of the FIS World Cup was in Lillehammer (NOR) for both men and women, as the women’s competition continued to move toward Olympic inclusion in 2026.

Both of the women’s events were off the 98 m hill and with 5.0 km racing, with Norway’s Gyda Westvold Hansen winning both over teammate Mari Leinan Lund. The margin was 8.4 seconds on Friday, with Annika Sieff (ITA: +56.1) third; on Saturday, Hansen won by 52.6 seconds, but with Lisa Hirner (AUT: +1:29.1) third.

The only men’s individual race was on Sunday, off a 140 m hill and a 10 km race, with another win for Norwegian star Jarl Magnus Riiber in the third 1-2 finish – in four races this season – with Austria’s Johannes Lamparter, 25:40.1-25:53.6. Five-time World Cup seasonal champ Eric Frenzel (GER) was third( 26:25.7).

● Rugby Sevens ● The men’s and women’s Sevens Series was in Dubai (UAE) for the second straight week, with South Africa beating Australia in the men’s final, and Australia beating Fiji again in the women’s final.

South Africa and Australia finished men’s pool play 3-0, and they whipped through the playoffs and into the final, with the South Africans winning a tight battle by 10-7. Argentina defeated France for third place, 38-21.

The women’s tournament was a repeat of the first Dubai edition, with Australia and Fiji both 4-0 in pool play. In the final, the Aussies won again, 15-5, after recording a 22-7 win in the first championship match. Russia won the bronze, 28-5, over France.

● Ski Jumping ● The women’s World Cup was also in Lillehammer (NOR) with two events, off a 98 m hill and the 140 m hill. The Saturday 98 m jumping was a win for 2019 Worlds silver medalist Katarina Althaus (GER: 278.1) over Austria’s Marita Kramer (273.2) and Slovenia’s Ursa Bogataj (272.3).

On Sunday, the positions were reversed, as Kramer won for the second time this season, 268.9-259.8 over Althaus. Norway’s Silje Opseth was third (253.2).

The men were in Wisla (POL) for one competition off the 134 m hill, with Austria’s Jan Hoerl getting his first career World Cup win, 261.9-255.2 over Marius Lindvik (NOR), with fellow Austrian star Stefan Kraft third (253.6).

● Snowboard ● Only two events in Big Air were included in the 2021-22 season and they’re both done after this weekend’s competitions in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The men’s winner on Saturday was China’s 17-year-old Yuming Su, who scored 155.25 to sail past Austria’s Clemens Millauer (139.50)and Norway’s Mons Roisland (134.00). On the “season,” Yu and first-event winner Jonas Boesiger (SUI) had 100 points, with Finland’s Rene Rinnekangas third at 98.

Japanese veteran Reira Iwabuchi won the women’s Big Air, way ahead of 2018 Olympic Champion Anna Gasser (AUT), 178.25-148.00, with German Anna Morgan third (132.25). Gasser won the seasonal title, scoring 160 points with runner-up finishes in both events. Japan’s Iwabuchi and first-event winner Kokomo Murase tied for second at 136.

● Speed Skating ● The ISU Speed Skating World Cup moved to the ultra-fast Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and home favorite Erin Jackson delivered again.

On Thursday, she won her third race of the season in the women’s 500 m, setting an American Record of 36.809, ahead of Russian star Angelina Golikova (36.935). “It feels great, especially with the home crowd out there. I get a lot of family support,” she said. “I was just happy to do a good one for the fans.”

The second women’s 500 m on Saturday was a win for Poland’s Andzelika Wojcik (36.775) over Golikova (36.786) and Olga Fatkulina (RUS: 36.937). Jackson finished 37.029. Japan’s Miho Takagi, the 2018 bronze medalist, won her first 1,000 m World Cup of the season in 1:11.834, ahead of Jetta Leerdam (NED: 1:12.254) and American star Brittany Bowe (1:12.608).

Takagi took the 1,500 m in 1:49.990 ahead of teammate Ayano Sato (1:51.468) with Bowe eighth in 1:52.320. Dutch stars Irene Schouten and Antoinette de Jong were 1-2 in the women’s 3,000 m (3:52.899-3:55.194). Canadian star Ivanie Blondin won the Mass Start (8:31.870), barely ahead of Marijke Groenewoud (8:31.88).

American Joey Mantia posted his first World Cup win of the season in the men’s 1,500 m in 1:41.54 – a lifetime best – ahead of Zhongyan Ning (CHN: 1:41.386). Dutch skaters swept the 1,000 m with Thomas Krol (1:06.448) winning over Kjeld Nuis (1:06.867) and Hein Otterspeer (1:06.959).

The men also had two 500 m races, with Yamato Matsui and Wataru Morishige going 1-2 for Japan on Friday (34.048-34.091), and then Morishige coming back to win Sunday’s race in a lifetime best of 33.997 over Artem Arefyev (RUS: lifetime best 34.003).

Swedish star Nils van der Poel set a world record in the men’s 5,000 m at 6:01.566, well ahead of three-time World Allround Champion Patrick Roest (NED: 6:04.415). Van der Poel cut 0.30 from Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN) and his 2017 mark, set in the same rink!

Belgium’s Bart Swings, the 2018 silver winner, took the men’s Mass Start race over Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup, 7:25.420-7:26.110.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming’s U.S. Open was held with noteworthy results in Greensboro, North Carolina for two Tokyo superstars from the U.S.

After superstar Katie Ledecky – now coaching and training at the University of Florida – won the women’s 800 m (long-course) in the second-fastest time of 2021 on Wednesday, she recorded the fastest prelim time in the 400 m Free on Thursday at 4:01.64, the no. 12 performance of 2021. She won the 400 m Free final Thursday night in 4:00.51, the no. 7 swim of the year (she has five of the seven).

Ledecky continued hot on Friday, setting a U.S. Open meet record of 1:56.06 for the 200 m Free and then winning the final in 1:55.47, the no. 26 performance in the world for 2021 and just 0.26 slower than she swam in the Olympic final in Tokyo.

On Saturday, she topped off the meet with a 1,500 m win in 15:45.32, the no. 10 performance of the year; she has seven of the top 10. In December? Not just amazing, but demonstrates that at 24, she is far from done.

Bobby Finke, the Tokyo Olympic men’s 800-1,500 m gold medalist, won the 800 m Free on the first night, was second in the 400 m Free on Thursday, took the 400 m Medley on Friday and the 1,500 m on Saturday.

Two-time Tokyo medal winner Regan Smith – still just 19 – was also a triple winner, taking the 100 m Backstroke in 58.69, then finishing on Saturday with wins in the 200 m Back (2:07.09) and 200 m Fly (2:10.58).

France-based Energy Standard won the third-season International Swimming League team title, edging defending champions Cali Condors by 534.0-522.0 in the final at Eindhoven (NED), with the London Road third (393.5) and L.A. Current fourth (305.5).

The individual stars included American Nic Fink, who won the 50-100-200 m Breaststroke events, setting American short-course Records in the 50 m on Friday and the 100 m on Saturday. His 100 m win in 55.56 lowered his own American mark from 2020 from 56.16.

British stars Ben Proud and Duncan Scott both won two events, with Proud taking the 50 m Free and 50 m Butterfly, while Scott doubled in the 200-400 m Medleys. Tokyo superstar Caeleb Dressel of the U.S. won the 100 m Medley and the 50 m Fly Skins race, but was second to fellow American Tom Shields in the 100 m Fly.

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey won the women’s 100-200-400 m Freestyles and was the only women’s triple individual winner, swimming for Energy Standard. Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, also swimming for Energy Standard, won the 50 m Free and the 100 m Medley; U.S. star Lilly King won the 100-200 m Breast events and was second in the 50 m race. American Hali Flickinger took the 200 m Fly and the 400 m Medley and Canadian Ingrid Wilm won the 50-100 m Backstrokes.

American Beata Nelson won the 200 m Back, but also set an American short-course record in the 100 m Medley, finishing second to Sjostrom in 57.72, lowering her own mark of 59.90.

The meet finished with one world short-course record by Dahlia in the 100 m Fly and U.S. marks for Fink (2) and Nelson.

The seasonal Most Valuable Swimmer award was won by Sjostrom, who scored 511.5 total points to Haughey’s 468.0.

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PANORAMA: Los Angeles City Council passes LA28 Games Agreement; USA Gymnastics reorg plan passes; world and U.S. records at ISL Final

By
Rich Perelman
-
Los Angeles City Council vote on the adoption of the LA28 "Games Agreement" (Photo: LACity.org video feed screen shot)

Key status updates on the urgent stories in Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The Los Angeles City Council approved the “Games Agreement” with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee by an 11-2 vote after a discussion of almost 90 minutes on Friday.

Eight of the 13 Council members spoke and asked questions of City Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso and City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo and LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman, who appeared by video.

The most dogged questioner was 11th District Council member Mike Bonin, who continually asked about the financial guarantees of the City, and then why the Games Agreement did not give the City “the power to dictate [to LA28] on some of these value-driven issues that are ancillary perhaps to the functioning of the Olympics, but vital to our neighborhoods and the people in them” such as homelessness, hiring and labor.

Fourth District Council member Nithya Raman asked why the City had given any financial backing to the organization of the Games and why the situation was not the same as for the 1984 Games, when the City had no financial responsibility. She was informed that those decisions were made prior to the signing of the Host City Contract by Mayor Eric Garcetti back in 2017. She and Bonin voted against the Games Agreement; the 11 others voted in approval.

Wasserman explained how a tight budget in 2028 would be handled the protect the City:

“We have a $615 million contingency built into that $6.8 billion [budget] number, but before we would get to a loss, the last $270 million – if you think about like a … bucket of money being used – the City would control every expenditure for that last 270, from essentially 270 to zero, so in other words, LA28 would lose control over its spending before it got into a deficit.”

Asked about future budget revisions, Wasserman noted, “Our plan will only change for two reasons: an increase in revenue or a decrease in expenses … our budget is very controlled and will only get more efficient and more effective …

“Our costs, we understand what they are, and we are continually evaluating how to make that plan better, but we have nothing that we’re building that would force us to drive the costs up.”

Tso added that a $615 million contingency amount is built into LA28’s budget, “So for LA28 to be able to tap in to use it, they would need City approval to do that.” The City would, at the point where LA28 would access that contingency amount, be working with LA28 to reduce the cost of the Games to assure financial performance.

Szabo explained the oversight process: “As we are heading in, we will just have to have active assessment of how they’re doing on their fund-raising. If we see that they’re off-schedule, we will expect and we will demand plans from them to adjust. And if their revenue is coming in as it should, then we would expect they would adjust on the expenditure side.”

Wasserman reiterated his confidence in the LA28 financial situation, adding “over 50% of our expenses are contracted in revenue today, and so we’ll have plenty of financial ability to operate the Games fully without calling on the City to do anything.”

A system of reporting to the City is set up in the Games Agreement for every six months.

The other Council members were generally positive; budget hawk Paul Krekorian (Second District), opined “I can’t see a significant risk here to the City of any exposure at all. If there is any exposure, its going to be limited because of our engagement and even if we fail in all of that engagement, it’s capped. So that gives me a lot of comfort.”

The agreement now goes to Mayor Garcetti for signature.

The USA Gymnastics reorganization plan before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana overwhelmingly passed in the vote circulated to claimants for sexual abuse and other matters.

The vote totals were posted late Thursday (2nd) and in the critical Class 6 – for abuse claims – a total of 505 ballots were received and after eliminating 29 invalid ballots, the proposal was accepted by 476-0.

The balloting for Class 5 – general claims – was also accepted by 61-1 (86 ballots were received; 24 invalid); these were for varying smaller claims from $44.26 up to $83,202.88 for unpaid bills for hotel stays, travel, apparel and so on.

The Class 8 indemnification claims – primarily by Bela and Marta Karolyi and their affiliates – were also accepted by a 6-0 vote; no dollar amounts were posted for these claims. The one Class 9 Future Claimant Representative claim and the seven Class 10 claims for abuse filed after the bar date were also accepted unanimously.

This means that a hearing will be held on 13-14 December to confirm the plan, which will allow the process to commence for payment of most of the claims. According to the Disclosure Statement, a fund of $400,659,129 is provided for the abuse claimants, of which all of the insurers have agreed except TIG Insurance Company, against which there are claims of $106,201,818 (26.5% of the total).

The deadline for TIG to join as a settling insurer is 13 December, the company has indicated it will file objections to the plan today (3rd). If it continues to refuse to settle, the non-TIG claims can be paid through a trust to be set up in early 2022. As a hold-out – and with more than a quarter of the financial burden – TIG can insist on going to trial for all 199 claims against it.

The acceptance of the plan is a major step forward in the process of completing the USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case; however, if TIG decides to go to trial – or to try to settle these cases individually on more favorable terms to it – the Nassar abuse scandal will continue to be in the headlines for months and years to come.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Athletics ● Former International Olympic Committee member and head of the worldwide track & field federation Lamine Diack of Senegal died at age 88 on Friday in Dakar.

The President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) from 1999 until his resignation in 2015, Diack was convicted of accepting €3.2 million (~$3.62 million U.S.) in bribes for covering up doping positives from Russian athletes, allowing them to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games and 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

His conviction in France in 2020 drew a sentence of four years in prison for corruption, but given his advanced age and failing health, he was allowed to return home, provided he returned if requested by the French authorities.

A second corruption case, concerning bribes to elect Rio de Janeiro as the site for the 2016 Olympic Games, is still pending in France. Carlos Nuzman, the then-head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and later the head of the Rio 2016 organizing committee, was convicted in the bribery scheme and sentenced to 30 years and 11 months prison time on 25 November.

Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, was also involved in the corruption program and was convicted, with a sentence of five years, in France last year. But he has remained in Senegal, which has not allowed his extradition.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Two-time Olympic bobsled champion Kaillie Humphries received her United States citizenship on Thursday, which will allow her to compete for the U.S. at the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Humphries, born in Calgary, was the driver on the winning two-woman event at Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014, plus a bronze in PyeongChang in 2018. She transferred allegiance to the U.S. in 2019, but while she was able to compete in the IBSF World Championships for the U.S., she had to get citizenship to compete in the Winter Olympic Games.

The Team USA statement noted that “Humphries was training in Germany for a race this weekend when she suddenly had to fly home to San Diego, where she lives with husband and former U.S. bobsledder Travis Armbruster, to complete an in-person meeting and be sworn in as an official U.S. citizen. She’ll head back to Altenberg to rejoin the competition as she seeks to qualify for the Olympic Games.”

Humphries still needs to be named to the U.S. team for Beijing, but she is expected to be a medal contender in both the two-woman sled and the new Monobob competition.

● Football ● FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani (CAN), the head of the CONCACAF region, told Reuters that he is in favor of some kind of event in between the current four-year spread between FIFA men’s World Cups:

“We used to have something in between the World Cups, which was the old Confederations Cup. It wasn’t a tournament that everyone was turned on to but for some confederations it was a nice link between your regional competition and an international competition and we lost that.”

He was not specific as to the kind of event to be created, but Montagliani’s view is important, as the UEFA (Europe) and CONMEBOL (South America) confederations have come out as dead-against FIFA’s biennial World Cup plan. Any chance of an every-two-years World Cup will depend on the support of the federations in CONCACAF, Asia and Africa.

FIFA will hold a “global discussion” on the plan on 20 December.

● Swimming ● Swimming World Magazine reported that British breaststroke superstar Adam Peaty did not compete for the London Roar in the ISL Final because he has not been fully paid for last season. He explained:

“I am still not paid for everything. I’ve been part-paid but not for all of it and that is from last year. If I’ve not been paid then who else hasn’t?

“That is the way it is and I don’t want to go on social media and I want the league to grow, I want to give it a chance, but there’s a certain amount of time, isn’t there? 12 months….”

The general manager of the Roar said that Peaty is the last of the team to be paid for last season and that he has assurances from the league that the money is forthcoming.

Peaty added (and there is much more in the story), “I know the league is in its infancy and I did try to say you need to put your foot down here because it’s not acceptable.”

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Swimming ● American Kelsi Dahlia smashed the world record in the short-course women’s 100 m Butterfly winning the International Swimming League Final in 54.89 in Eindhoven (NED). She lowered the 54.61 mark by Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) from 2014. Sjostrom finished fourth to Dahlia on Friday in 56.17.

U.S. star Nic Fink lowered his American Record in the final of the men’s 50 m Breaststroke at 25.72, 0.03 better than his time from the 2020 ISL Final.

The Cali Condors men’s 4×100 m Medley squad of Americans Coleman Stewart, Fink, Caeleb Dressel and Justin Ress set the American Record of 3:19.64, blasting the old U.S. standard of 3:19.98 by the national team at the 2018 FINA World 25 m Championships.

The ISL final continues through tomorrow.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

THE TICKER: WTA rocks world sport with suspension of China tournaments; new track coming to the L.A. Coliseum; pentathletes claim Congress victory?

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, to get an asphalt, 440-yard track for February's NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum (Photo: USC Athletics/John McGillen)

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

“I very much regret it has come to this point. The tennis communities in China and Hong Kong are full of great people with whom we have worked for many years. They should be proud of their achievements, hospitality and success. However, unless China takes the steps we have asked for, we cannot put our players and staff at risk by holding events in China. China’s leaders have left the WTA with no choice. I remain hopeful that our pleas will be heard and the Chinese authorities will take steps to legitimately address this issue.”

That’s from World Tennis Association chief Steve Simon (USA) on Wednesday (1st) in an announcement on behalf of the women’s tour, which also included:

“[W]ith the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.”

Chinese venues, including Hong Kong, hosted nine tournaments in pre-pandemic 2019 and the season-ending WTA Finals are contracted to be held for the rest of this decade in Shenzhen.

Simon’s message doubled down on not just Peng’s current environment, but on her accusation of sexual abuse by a former Vice Premier of the regime:

“Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation. The WTA has been clear on what is needed here, and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation – without censorship – into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation.”

For its part, China’s foreign ministry skipped any direct response with spokesman Wang Wenbin replying “We are firmly opposed to acts politicising sport,” to a question from reporters.

The International Olympic Committee issued a detailed statement replying in part to the WTA’s strong tactical stance, which included:

“[J]ust yesterday, an IOC team held another video call with [Peng]. We have offered her wide-ranging support, will stay in regular touch with her, and have already agreed on a personal meeting in January.

“There are different ways to achieve her well-being and safety. We have taken a very human and person-centred approach to her situation. Since she is a three-time Olympian, the IOC is addressing these concerns directly with Chinese sports organisations. We are using ‘quiet diplomacy’ which, given the circumstances and based on the experience of governments and other organisations, is indicated to be the most promising way to proceed effectively in such humanitarian matters.”

Observed: Although they seem connected, Peng’s situation is not directly tied to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, which will come and go in 80 days. The issue is more broadly involved with how international sports organizations deal with China so long as Peng (1) remains in China and (2) what happens to her abuse accusations. Every sports organization of any size has important relations with China as a major worldwide market.

Watch closely for future allocations of major events: who will go to China now? And if so, what will be the response of their athletes, especially women?

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games ● China’s national figure skating championships have been postponed, a possible sign of increased difficulty for the Winter Games.

Scheduled for next week in Chengde, about 125 miles northeast of Beijing, the pandemic has imploded the event with just more than a couple of months to go to the Winter Games.

Another sign of difficulty: no ticket sales have been arranged for the Games; one alternative for the Chinese government would be to open events only to selected audiences of its choosing.

● Games of the XXXIV Olympiad: Los Angeles 2028 ● The Olympic running track at the Los Angeles Coliseum was removed in 1993 and the field lowered to bring seating closer to the football field at the behest of the since-moved-on Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL.

For the first time since then, a quarter-mile track will be installed in the Coliseum – slated to be the home of track & field at the 2028 Olympic Games – for the annual season-opening NASCAR exhibition, to be called the “Clash at the Coliseum.”

This non-points event will be held outside of Daytona Beach, Florida for the first time on 6 February 2022, and a temporary asphalt track will be installed beginning later this month. According to Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president of strategy and innovation:

“[S]eries officials have considered two or three configurations for the quarter-mile bullring, with iRacing computer simulations helping to determine the track’s real-life profile. Simulated trials have taken place with 5 degrees, 2.5 degrees and no banking in the turns, [Kennedy] says. ‘You can only go so high, just because of the sight lines and the temporary construction, but we’ve played with a few different ones,’ … ‘We’ll have more at a later date on that.’”

The 2028 Olympic track will use polyurethane instead of asphalt and will have no banking, but the installation and removal exercise will be of great interest as an engineering feat well in advance of the temporary Olympic track installation for LA28.

● Games of the XXXVII Olympiad: 2040 ● International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER) said in an interview that he hopes that an African city will come forward as a serious contender for the 2040 Games.

“In my mandate, it was not possible to organize the Games in that continent. Or allocate them to it.

“I hope very much that for 2040 an African country will enter into dialogue with the International Olympic Committee to organize the Olympic Games.

“It’s really important to see the Games in Africa and the ball at moment is in the court of the African countries.”

● Archery ● Does archery suddenly pay?

World Archery announced that its five-stage 2022 World Cup that begins in April will pay out total prize money of CHF 323,600, with CHF 30,400 at each stage and CHF 202,000 at the World Cup Final in September. (1 CHF = $1.09 U.S.)

That’s up about 220% from 2019, and while archery is not going to rival any of the larger sports in terms of athlete prizes, this is another welcome sign from one of the most active and aggressive of all international federations.

● Athletics ● The World Athletics Council met in Monaco and agreed to the number of Authorized Neutral Athletes from Russia able to compete at 2022 World Athletics championship events to 20.

This is not a per-event total, but a total of 20 athletes across six events in 2022, including the 2022 World Indoor Championships (March), the World Championships (July) and the European Championships (August). The limit for the Tokyo Olympic Games had been 10 for that event alone.

Rune Andersen (NOR), the chair of the Russia Task Force, said in a report “the view of the Taskforce is one of guarded optimism. RusAF is making steady progress towards meeting the conditions set for its reinstatement to membership of World Athletics.”

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony announced on Wednesday (1st) that he will not stand in the way of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Karacsony had threatened to disallow the event to be held in view of the national government’s transfer of land from a proposed “Student City” to a Hungarian campus for China’s Fudan University, to be built with Chinese funds.

The mayor had demanded that healthcare payments from the national government be made and that the Student City project go ahead (and not the Fudan campus). Both apparently have been agreed to; while not confirmed by the national government, Karacsony said “I know for a fact that the government actually let this Fudan story go long ago. They let it go because the Chinese let it go because it’s not worth this much to them.”

World Athletics named Olympic 400 m champion and world-record holder Karsten Warholm (NOR) and 100/200 m Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) as its World Athletes of the Year on Wednesday in Monaco.

Two U.S. athletes won the “Rising Star” awards: men’s 200 m Olympic finalist Erriyon Knighton and Olympic 800 m gold medalist Athing Mu. The Inspiration Award was given to the Tokyo co-gold-medalists in the men’s high jump, Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi.

The Coaching Achievement Award went to American Bobby Kersee, whose Tokyo medal winners included the iconic Allyson Felix and women’s 400 m Olympic champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin.

The President’s Award was bestowed on retired American television executive Peter Diamond of NBC, with World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR) noting:

“Athletics owes Peter a massive debt of gratitude. Peter has worked alongside us for effectively 40 years and has been a constant source of great advice and wise counsel, and occasional humor that has softened the edges of any particular situation. And he has made athletics a lot better.”

The Woman of the Year award went to India’s Anju Bobby George, a former international long jump star, but now the Senior Vice President of the Indian Athletics Federation, who opened a training academy for girls in 2016 and continues to mentor women in the sport.

Sad news that former shot put World Champion C.J. Hunter (USA) passed away at age 52 on 29 November. A controversial figure, he was banned for steroids after testing positive weeks prior to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney (AUS). The cause of death has not been specified.

Married to Marion Jones at the time, they divorced in 2002 and both became headliners in the BALCO doping scandal which unraveled in 2004. Jones admitted to doping in 2007.

Ken Goe of The Oregonian reported today that the University of Oregon “strengthened protocols in late October to prohibit athletic programs from requiring athletes to be tested for body fat percentage.”

This became an issue in an October story by Goe in which such scans were routinely used at Oregon with the results provided to coaches; a half-dozen former Oregon women’s track & field athletes said the tests led to regimens that resulted in eating disorders.

The new regulations allow such tests to be done, but with the results distribution limited to medical and fitness staff only and not coaches.

● Figure Skating ● No great surprise, but the ISU Grand Prix Final expected to be held in Osaka (JPN) from 9-12 December has been canceled due to new restrictions on entry due to Covid-19/Omicron. Per the International Skating Union:

“Unfortunately, considering the complicated epidemic situation involving travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, safety concerns and logistical challenges, the organization of the event was extremely challenging. The Japan Skating Federation and the Local Organizing Committee tried their best to find solutions but ultimately concluded that, regrettably, they are unable to organize and hold the event as planned.”

● Modern Pentathlon ● The athlete group Pentathletes United is declaring victory at the last weekend’s UIPM Congress, saying that the federation’s news releases were in error in not announcing:

“The UIPM Constitution and Statutes and were not amended and horse riding remains a part of the Modern Pentathlon, for now”.

The three-page letter document included, “We understand that there is confusion and concern about what happened at the UIPM Congress on the weekend, particularly given the misleading press release the UIPM put out.”

It notes specifically that on Sunday (28th), “The [UIPM Executive Board] withdrew the proposal from the German [national federation] to remove riding.” This was not included in the UIPM news release and was one day after this proposal was carried, 66-15, by the Congress despite obvious procedural defects in its introduction. And:

“It’s disappointing that vote was passed to confirm the EB decision to remove horse riding, because it gives an appearance that most of the modern pentathlon community wants riding removed. We know this isn’t true. However, this Congress vote is meaningless because (i) the EB decision on 31 October is invalid, and (ii) Item 17 is illegal because the EB did not give Congress 30 days of notice. This will be part of our case at [the Court of Arbitration for Sport] and we expect to win.”

Based on the governance regulations, this issue can come up again only at a UIPM Congress, which means in 2022. Stay tuned. The GoFundMe page to “Save Modern Pentathlon” has raised €13,944 of its €25,000 goal (55.8%) for funding for its CAS case and other expenses.

● Weightlifting ● With new Covid-19 restrictions in place in Uzbekistan thanks to the Omicron variant, the World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent from 7-17 December are in danger.

The International Weightlifting Federation has not announced a change in the program, but Uzbekistan has banned flights from multiple countries. Stay tuned.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Swimming ● USA Swimming’s U.S. Open is underway in Greensboro, North Carolina, with Olympic icon Katie Ledecky showing that she is already in strong form after her move to coaching and training at the University of Florida.

She won the first night’s women’s 800 m Free in an outstanding 8:12.81, just 0.24 off her Tokyo winning time of 8:12.57. It’s no. 2 performance of the year in the event … in December!

Bobby Finke, the Olympic 800-1,500 m gold medalist, won the men’s 800 m in 7:54.07.

The meet continues through Saturday.

≡ THE LAST WORD ≡

“The International Esports Federation (IESF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Esports World Federation (ESWF) to work together on the development and unification of Esports around the world.”

Announced Thursday, this development is not to be underestimated in the advancement of eSports into more international, Olympic-related competitions in the future. One of the issues which can keep a sport out of a continental Games or the Olympic Games itself is the lack of a unified governance structure for the sport.

The beginning of a working relationship between the IESF and the ESWF can only advance the video-game attractiveness for the IOC and other organizations.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: USA Track & Field Annual Meeting starts today, as members consider disenfranchisement and reported grand jury probe

By
Rich Perelman
-

The Annual Meeting of USA Track & Field will begin in Florida on Thursday against a worrying report of a grand jury investigation of the organization and the continuation of a year-long power play between the membership, the USATF Board and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

The long-festering question of taking control away from the membership and handing it to the Board – at the request of the USOPC – is set to be voted on this Sunday in this part-in-person and part-online gathering and is expected to be contentious.

But all of American track & field was rocked by a RunnersWorld.com story on Tuesday by Eugene-based Sarah Lorge Butler, titled “Criminal Investigation Looks at the Financial Relationship Between USATF and Nike.”

The story explains that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia issued “a grand jury subpoena requested documents pertaining to USATF and its board of directors and three businesses: Nike; Matchbook Creative, a marketing firm in Indianapolis that counts USATF as one of its clients; and Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures LLC, a media and commercial rights advisory firm in New York.”

Documents were also requested about two “escrow agreements” from 2018 in the names of USATF chief executive Max Siegel and chief operating officer Renee Washington.

In response to a request for comment, USATF responded that it “is not able to confirm the existence of any investigation” and will cooperate with any government inquiry.

The request for records apparently goes back as far as 2012; the landmark 2017-2040 sponsorship extension with Nike worth up to $500 million was announced in April 2017 and was reported to have been brought to the federation by two former Nike executives, Chris Bevilacqua and Adam Helfant.

A grand jury inquiry is just that: an inquiry, led by prosecutors, out of which indictments can be issued to begin criminal proceedings. It is also possible that nothing may happen. But a grand jury is supposed to be a closed procedure, and neither the U.S. Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation would provide comment for the story.

Activist Becca Peter immediately questioned whether the USATF Board would take action in the way that it did in 2018, when it suspended elected President Vin Lananna because he spoke with federal investigators investigating possible corruption by then-IAAF President Lamine Diack (SEN: convicted of extortion regarding doping in France) in the award of the IAAF World Championships.

At that time, USATF Board Chair Steve Miller said “[T]o avoid any conflict or appearance of conflict of interest in relation to the investigation, the board voted to place Mr. Lananna on temporary administrative leave until the Department of Justice investigation pertaining to TrackTown and the 2021 World Championships is resolved.”

Lananna had to file a grievance to return to his position as President and won his case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December 2019, the same day as the USATF Annual Meeting began.

Wrote Peter on Tuesday on Twitter: “Soooo the board is going to place Max and Renee on leave, right? Isn’t that how this is supposed to work?”

Lananna’s role is central to the issue of member disenfranchisement question that will come up once again in 2021. At the 2020 Annual Meeting, he was demoted to Vice-Chair after the USATF Board bowed to USOPC demands for a change in its by-laws. A November notice to the membership explained:

“In February 2020, the USOPC sent a letter to USATF’s executive management in which they again outlined their concerns with our corporate governance. Citing the shift of the USOPC from NGB recognition to NGB certification, the letter noted that compliance with good corporate governance would be even more important for every NGB going forward.

“The USOPC mandates that good (or effective) governance means that the USATF Board 1) must be the final authority to adopt bylaws and regulations; 2) shall elect the Chair and the elected Chair should have appropriate appointment authority; 3) include more independent members and have additional athlete representation; and 4) ensure volunteers don’t make decisions, which could impact the budgetary or operational aspects of the organization.”

A response to the Nassar abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics, the USOPC is now being held responsible for the actions of the national federations and wants to be able to directly influence their operations without any input or review from federation members.

The 2020 measure failed, since it did not receive the 2/3rds majority needed for passage (but did get 57% of the vote). Disregarding the member vote, the USATF Board then overrode the members and adopted the new by-law changes by itself! It demoted Lananna to Vice Chair and installed 1992 Olympic Triple Jump champ Mike Conley as Chair, who continues to serve as the unelected-by-members head of the federation.

The “temporary amendments” voted in by the USATF Board last year are now on the agenda to be ratified or rejected by the membership this time. In a Q&A by Peter, posted on trackandfieldnews.com, current Law & Legislation Committee member – and former chair – Ed Koch explained that the actions concern the Bylaw to Article 21, Bylaw to Article 10, and Regulation 16-H:

“The Article 21 Amendment is the most important because it would disenfranchise the membership by doing three things.

“First, Temporary Amendments by the Board would continue indefinitely instead of merely to the next Annual Meeting. Second, even if eventually voted down by the delegates, the Board could override the delegates and make the Temporary Amendment permanent anyway. Third, for all other amendment proposals, the Board could block a proposal from even going to the delegates for a vote.

“In short there would no longer be any checks and balances. The Board could make any change for any reason, even if the membership opposes the change. For example, board members could vote to extend their own terms beyond the current term limits.

“The Article 10 Amendment provides that the Board picks its own Chair instead of the President automatically becoming the Board Chair. The President was the automatic Chair from 1980 to 2008, but in 2008 the USOPC began to take issue with this practice and our bylaws have since changed several times. As a result of the Temporary Amendment, Mike Conley is now the Board Chair instead of Vin Lannana.

“The Regulation 16-H Amendment changes the Law & Legislation Committee in two ways. First, up to now, the President has always appointed the six at-large members of the committee (including the chair) just as is done with most administrative committees. The amendment splits the appointments three & three between the Board Chair and President with the Board Chair appointing the L&L Chair. Second, the Temporary Amendment creates term limits for L&L members. In our view, the change in appointments stacks the committee.”

The USATF Law & Legislation Committee has prepared alternative proposals on the three temporary amendments passed by the Board last year; Koch indicated that the membership will vote on Sunday and that each “temporary amendment” requires a 2/3rds majority to pass. If they fail – and they failed last year – there are compromise amendments which could be heard.

USATF has been mostly free of the kind of abuse scandals which have rocked other national federations, such as in gymnastics and swimming. But the revelations in the RunnersWorld story and now the question of whether the USATF members will cede all power to its Board of Directors will make this Annual Meeting a pivot point for the organization heading into a year in which the World Championships will come to the U.S. for the first time. That event is supposed to change the trajectory of the sport in the U.S.; it’s not even top-of-mind this week.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HEARD AT HALFTIME: Covid variant causes Winter WUG cancellation 13 days out; 1980s star sprinter Emmit King killed; U.S. women end 2021 with 1-1 tie in Oz

By
Rich Perelman
-

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

In the age of Covid, nothing is certain. On Monday, just 13 days prior to the start of the 30th Winter World University Games in Lucerne (SUI) came this announcement from the International University Sports Federation (FISU):

“Following meetings of the Executive Committee of FISU and the Board of Directors of the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade Association, FISU and Lucerne 2021 have announced with deep regret that the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade scheduled for 11-21 December will no longer take place. Restrictions on international arrivals have been announced by Swiss authorities with regard to a number of countries where the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified. Many more restrictions are expected in the coming days. Similar restrictions are also being announced by national authorities elsewhere, and the first case involving the Omicron variant has already been identified in Switzerland.”

Said FISU Acting President Leonz Eder (SUI): “The new travel restrictions mean that staging the event has now been made impossible.” This applied not only to athletes, but also to the television production teams, timing and scoring operations and many other elements.

The Lucerne Winter WUG was originally scheduled to be held in January 2021, but was delayed due to the pandemic conditions then. Now, the event is canceled altogether and the next Winter WUG will be in Lake Placid, New York (USA) – pandemic permitting – from 12-22 January 2023.

There is considerable concern now about the 9-12 December ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final in Osaka (JPN), as the Japanese government announced a one-month ban on all foreign entries into the country on Tuesday due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, “When dealing with an unknown risk, it’s best to take every precaution.”

The event could be cancelled, held in a sequestered format or moved. But the clock is ticking.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The wrap-up of the Tokyo Games continues, with Kyodo News reporting that some 28,000 volunteer uniforms for city staff – not the organizing committee – went unused as people pulled out due to the pandemic.

“Tokyo has about 21,000 pairs of shoes and 23,000 polo shirts left unused. Meanwhile, Saitama has unused uniform sets for around 2,000 people, followed by Chiba with at least 1,200. In Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in northeastern Japan, there were some 1,000 and 800 unused uniform sets, respectively.”

The total value of the goods is estimated at $15 million (¥1.7 billion), with 11 municipalities holding unissued kits, all purchased from Japanese manufacturer Asics. The uniforms were purchased with public funds.

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● The war of words over the Beijing Games and the Chinese regime’s actions in sports is continuing as the February events comes closer.

Last week, the bi-cameral U.S. Congressional Executive Committee on China sent letters to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) and Athletes’ Commission chair Emma Terho (FIN). The letter to Bach referred to the IOC’s video call with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, and included:

“Your video call with Peng shows that you can in fact use the power of your office to weigh in on a human rights concern inside China. It further shows that you, as IOC President, personally can cooperate with Chinese authorities to address a human rights concern. Therefore, we once again reiterate the request that you use the IOC’s substantial leverage to demand that the Chinese government improve human rights prior to the start of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games.”

and

“With these concerns, we respectfully make two requests:

“● That you schedule a video call with us as soon as possible so we can hear from you directly about whether you will use the power of your office to address human rights concerns in China in the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games; and

“● That you arrange, using your demonstrated connection with relevant Chinese interlocutors, a video call between Peng Shuai and a small set of journalists from independent international media outlets in order to provide Peng an opportunity, should she choose of her own free will, to speak out over the censorship levied against her and her story by Chinese authorities.”

Neither is likely to happen. The letter to Terho was just as direct, including:

“Further, the silence on the IOC’s announcement on Ms. Peng’s accusation of sexual assault raises concern about the IOC’s sincerity in supporting its community of athletes. Given who the accusation was levied against, Ms. Peng’s decision to do so publicly exhibited not only bravery but a manifestation of her agency as a human being with rights. There is no indication that Chinese authorities are pursuing an investigation of Ms. Peng’s claim, and the censorship suggests they are trying to bury it. The IOC has an opportunity to validate the agency Ms. Peng has expressed and which Chinese authorities are refusing to recognize.

“Therefore, we ask you and the IOC leadership to take a more active role in defending Ms. Peng and her assertion of her rights, both in demanding that the Chinese government conduct a diligent and fair investigation of her allegations and ensuring that she has access to any psychosocial support services that she may require.”

Against more discussion in the West of a “diplomatic boycott” of the 2022 Winter Games, the state-controlled Global Times “reported”:

“The Global Times has learned that as the host country of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China never plans to invite US and Western politicians who hype the ‘boycott’ topic to attend the Games and experts said that their so-called boycott is nothing but self-deception. …

“The ‘boycotts’ of US and certain countries are in essence a smear campaign under the guise of “human rights” to politicize sports events, the spokesperson said. Their move is also a clear violation of the Olympic Charter, especially the principle of political neutrality of sports events.”

By the way, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be over in 83 days.

● XXVI Olympic Winter Games: 2030 ● The planned visit of a delegation from Salt Lake City and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to Lausanne to discuss the city’s bid for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games has been postponed to 6 December and will now be held online.

A small group from Utah is expected to attend the Beijing Games to see the current state-of-the-art in the staging of the Winter Games.

In Japan, the bid from Sapporo unveiled a revised, smaller budget. The 2019 estimate was ¥310-370 billion yen (about $2.7-3.3 billion U.S.), but the new projection was a cost of ¥280-300 billion yen (about $2.4-2.6 billion U.S.).

This will help to make Sapporo’s bid more competitive with Salt Lake City’s, with the latter’s budget estimate expected to be just over $2 billion.

● Athletics ● Terrible news that 1983 NCAA 100 m champ and two-time World Championships medalist Emmit King, 62, was shot and killed during an argument in Bessemer, Alabama on Sunday.

King and Willie Wells, 60, were in an argument and both drew guns and shot each other. Both were taken to a nearby hospital and King was pronounced dead.

King was a star sprinter at Alabama in the 1980s, had a best of 10.04 from 1988 and won the bronze medal in the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Helsinki in 1983 behind Carl Lewis and Calvin Smith of the U.S. King then led off the U.S. 4×100 m, handing to Willie Gault, followed by Smith and Lewis, setting a world record of 37.86. He competed in the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing sixth in the 100 m final, and in the 1988 Trials, finishing seventh.

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is holding an Extraordinary Congress on 12 December and has published a set of constitutional amendments and governance reforms aimed at retaining boxing’s place on the Olympic program and returning AIBA as the governing body of the sport at the Olympic level.

Its Governance Reform Group’s 38-page report included in its introduction:

“AIBA’s management of integrity issues needs to improve dramatically. A complete restructuring of the bodies competent to deal with integrity problems is required.”

Among the recommendations are for the abolishment of the inefficient, 22-member AIBA Council and its replacement with an 15-17 member Board of Directors, further noting “A ‘fresh start’ is needed in relation to membership on AIBA’s Board of Directors. Such a ‘fresh start’ requires that a clear majority of the current members of the Board of Directors be replaced.” Half or more of the members of a new Board should be specially selected based on their skills and expertise which can help the federation.

In addition, a fully separate “Independent Integrity Unit,” similar to that started by World Athletics and now being copied by other federations should be created and a special “Liaison Officer” be installed solely to coordinate communications with the IOC.

The report also – notably – recommends a single AIBA office and not a separate “President’s Office” as has been the case in the past; the report states that a “shadow headquarter” is not compatible with good governance procedures.

These are good concepts and will be well received by the IOC if approved and implemented. Whether that keeps AIBA and boxing within the Olympic program is another matter.

● Fencing ● On Saturday, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov was re-elected – without opposition – as the head of the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE) for a fourth term.

This is good news for the FIE, as Usmanov has kept the federation financially afloat, donating more than CHF 75.624 million from 2008-19 and an additional CHF 5.0 million in 2020 for a total of CHF 80.624 million (~$87.75 million U.S.).

● Football ● The African Football Confederation (CAF) voted last Friday to support the FIFA concept to stage the men’s World Cup every two years, becoming the first continental group to publicly support the plan.

The European (UEFA) and South American (CONMEBOL) confederations have come out strongly against the plan, as have other groups. But promoters of the idea are hoping for support from Asia and the Americas to help approve the idea. A worldwide conference on the topic is scheduled for mid-December.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy, awarded by France Fotball, for the seventh time on Monday, adding to his awards from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. His highlight of the year as leading his team to the CONMEBOL title, his first international trophy with his national team.

The Ballon d’Or Feminin went to Barcelona Femeni and Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas, leading her team to the national league title and the Women’s Champions League trophy in 2021.

● Gymnastics ● The deadline for objections to be filed to the USA Gymnastics reorganization plan before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana is coming up on Friday, 3 December.

On Monday, TIG Insurance Company, the lone hold-out among the USA Gymnastics and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee insurers – but with about 25% of the payment burden – filed a motion to compel USAG to respond seriously to its requests for documents and statements and asked for a hearing on Wednesday, 1 December.

The plan could be confirmed as soon as 13 December, but TIG is a major player in the drama. The Court has yet to rule on TIG’s motion as of 12:30 p.m. Pacific time.

● Modern Pentathlon ● Outfought at the UIPM Congress, which approved the removal of riding as a discipline, the athlete group championing the retention of riding has opened a GoFundMe page to raise money for the pursuit of their case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The “Save Modern Pentathlon” campaign has a goal of £25,000 (~$33,257 U.S.) and is being run by British pentathlete Kate Allenby, the women’s Olympic bronze medalist from 2000. Created on 16 November when the CAS appeal was filed, the effort has raised £13,679 or 55% of its goal so far.

● Rugby ● World Rugby announced that England is the “preferred candidate” for the 2025 women’s World Cup and that Australia is preferred for the men’s World Cup in 2027, with the U.S. identified as the “targeted” site for the 2031 men’s World Cup.

The men’s Rugby World Cup is a major event on its own, lasting for more than a month. The last edition, in 2019 in Japan, drew almost 1.7 million fans across 45 matches. The 2015 tournament in England drew almost 2.5 million, and generated a surplus at the end of more than £150 million!

The World Cup has been a sport-building idea for the U.S. for some time. World Rugby noted:

“As an emerging rugby market with a 10-year runway to the 2031 tournament, the USA will require a unique and extended approach that will require extensive further dialogue with key stakeholders. This dialogue will take place with a view to developing the most effective hosting model for a Rugby World Cup in North America and the global game in the long-term.”

The final approvals of these recommendations will come next May.

● Tennis ● The Peng Shuai story has not gone away, even after the video call with International Olympic Committee officials. A Women’s Tennis Association statement from last Saturday (27th) noted:

“[WTA chief executive] Steve Simon has reached out to Peng Shuai via various communication channels. He has sent her two emails, to which it was clear her responses were influenced by others. He remains deeply concerned that Peng is not free from censorship or coercion and decided not to re-engage via email until he was satisfied her responses were her own, and not those of her censors. The WTA remains concerned about her ability to communicate freely, openly, and directly.”

● Weightlifting ● The federation that can’t seem to get anything right has postponed its Electoral Congress because it could not meet its own internal deadlines.

The International Weightlifting Federation announced last Friday that “the proper legal foundations for the planned IWF Elections had not yet been fully complied. Due to this reason the IWF Executive Board decided, that the Electoral Congress, scheduled for 20-21 December, will not therefore see voting take place on those days.”

A new date for the IWF elections, on which its place on the Olympic program may rest, has not yet been determined. The IWF’s Legal Commission noted that the Eligibility Determination Panel was not ratified by the IWF Congress under the federation’s own rules and therefore was not properly established. So the process has to begin again.

Another Russian doping positive from 2014 was announced by the International Testing Agency, based on data from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s retrieval of data from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s Moscow Laboratory earlier in 2021.

Lifter Kseniya Kozina – then a teenager – was identified for a positive test for anabolic steroids and is now provisionally suspended until the matter is concluded. Kozina won the 2021 European women’s 49 kg U-23 title earlier this year.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Basketball ● Mexico defeated the U.S. men, 97-88, in Chihuahua in the second game of the FIBA Americas qualifiers for the 2023 men’s World Cup.

The U.S. team, made up of G League players and free agents, led 57-48 at halftime, but Mexico came on in the third quarter to take over, outscoring the Americans, 31-12 for a 10-point lead and held on for the win to go to 2-0 in Group D.

Mexican guard Orlando Mendez led all scorers with 27 points with fellow guard Paul Stoll scoring 18, with 11 assists. The U.S. was led by guard Isaiah Thomas with 21 points, and forward B.J. Johnson added 15.

The first window of games saw Mexico finish 2-0, with the U.S. and Puerto Rico at 1-1 and Cuba at 0-2. Each team will play six games in this round, the next coming in February.

● Football ● The U.S. women concluded their two-game trip to Australia with a 1-1 tie with the Matildas in Newcastle (AUS) on Tuesday.

Ashley Hatch got another quick score for the U.S., this time in the fourth minute, and it looked like the 1-0 lead might hold up for the entire match. While the U.S. continued to create chances for scores, the home team was shut down and had just one shot on goal until the final minutes, when star striker Sam Kerr passed to Kyah Simon, whose shot was reflected and skipped past U.S. keeper Casey Murphy for the equalizer in the 88th minute.

The U.S. had 64% of the possession and had 16 shots to eight for Australia, but had to settle for the tie in its final game of 2021. The American women finished 17-2-5 for the year and won the Olympic bronze medal (over Australia) in Tokyo.

● Table Tennis ● The first ITTF World Championships held in the U.S. concluded on Monday at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, with superpower China winning four of the five events.

In the men’s Singles, China’s Olympic silver medalist Zhendong Fan won his first individual world title with a 4-0 sweep of surprise finalist Truls Moregardh of Sweden. The all-China women’s Singles final saw Manyu Wang win her first individual Worlds gold over Yingsha Sun, 4-2, as China swept all four medals, including both bronzes.

The men’s Doubles was the only event the Chinese did not win, as Sweden’s Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson won, 4-0, over South Koreans Woo-jin Jang and Jong-hoon Lim. China’s Sun and Wang teamed up to take the women’s Doubles gold over Japan’s Mima Ito and Hina Hayata, 3-0.

The Mixed Doubles final, held on Sunday, was the first medal for Sun, partnered with Chuqin Wang, who swept aside Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto, 3-0.

The tournament was noteworthy for two special Mixed Doubles teams with players from China and the U.S. together to mark the 50-year anniversary of the “ping pong diplomacy” matches between China and the U.S. in 1971. The idea was developed and petitioned for by the national federations in China and the U.S.

China’s Wang and American champ Kanak Ja won their first two matches, but lost in the third round. The pairing of American women’s champion Lily Zhang and China’s Gaoyuan Lin did better, reaching the semifinals, but ended with bronze medals as they lost to Japan’s Harimoto and Hayata, in five sets.

China lodged a complaint with the ITTF concerning a taunt from an unidentified spectator at men’s Singles player Jingkun Liang, who reached the semis and lost to eventual winner Fan. The ITTF has said it will investigate the incident further.

● I Junior Pan American Games ● The 3,500-athlete Junior Pan American Games is underway and continuing in Cali, Colombia through 5 December. Competitions are being held in 25 sports (33 disciplines) for athletes under age 23.

Through roughly the halfway mark, Mexico leads with 90 medals (28-41-21), followed by Brazil (80: 30-21-29) and Colombia (78: 26-19-33). The U.S. is fourth at 65 (28–16-21).

≡ AT THE BUZZER ≡

The International Committee for the Mediterranean Games signaled grave concerns last week about the preparations for the 2021 Mediterranean Games in Oman (ALG), with committee head Davide Tizzano (ITA) urging “immediate solutions” to multiple delays in the organization of the event, slated for 25 June-5 July 2022.

A report to the ICMG noted “concern and worries about the delays in construction, the completion of international contests and the implementation of technology and transport programs.

“During the meeting, the scheduled communication with the General Manager of the Organizing Committee Salim Iles did not [occur] and for that reason, it was not possible to have answers on issues that ICMG wanted to discuss with the Organizing Committee. The suffocating time margins, the delays in the projects and the apparent deviation on the agreed schedule make necessary, the immediate and continuous cooperation of ICMG with the Organizing Committee. …

“It was also agreed to request meetings on the highest state level in Algeria, namely with the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Sports and Youth, as well as the National Olympic Committee in order to provide immediate solutions to the problems that have arisen regarding the progress of the works.

“ICMG President Davide Tizzano stated: ‘We respect the Algerian people and its efforts, we respect the Government for the great expenditure that has been made on the construction of the projects, but we must preserve the prestige and the name of the Mediterranean Games. We all want for the Games to be held in Oran, we will help in every way, but we cannot put in risk the top sporting event of the Mediterranean.’”

The Mediterranean Games date back to 1951 and the 2022 edition is expected to host 4,500 athletes from 26 countries, competing in 24 sports. This is the second hosting for Algeria, after Algiers held the event in 1975.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: A low point for Olympic sport: athletes revolt against UIPM for riding removal; Rio 2016 chief Nuzman sentenced to 30+ years for corruption

By
Rich Perelman
-

(For our Highlights of the weekend’s major competitions, click here)

The Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S. was hardly joyful in the Olympic Movement, as the top two executives of the 2016 Olympic organizing effort in Rio de Janeiro received long prison terms for corruption, followed by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne officially removing riding from the event over the howls of its highest-profile athletes.

But this is not the end of either story.

On Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Seventh Federal Criminal Court Judge Marcelo Bretas announced sentence for former Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman, 79, to 30 years, 11 months in prison for bribery in connection with the IOC’s selection of Rio in 2009. The Rio 2016 Director General, Leonardo Gryner, was sentenced to 13 years, 10 months and former Rio de Janeiro State Governor Sergio Cabral, 58, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months, in addition to prior convictions for kickbacks during his term for which he was sentenced to a total of more than 59 years imprisonment.

Wrote Bretas (computer translation of the original Portuguese): “The reasons that led CARLOS NUZMAN to criminal practice are highly reprehensible, having revealed himself to be a greedy person and that, despite having full knowledge of the criminal nature of his activities and the seriousness of his acts, used his public function to commit crimes.”

The 2009 vote-buying scheme for Rio came from concerns that despite having a strong bid and offering the opportunity for the Games to be held in South America for the first time, the Brazilians were very worried about being eliminated in the first round with votes scattered among other strong bids from Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid.

So, Nuzman – a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2000 and the then-President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee – engineered a deal with fellow IOC member Lamine Diack of Senegal, the then-President of the international track & field federation (IAAF). Cabral described the arrangement as a $1.5 million payment to Diack for a guarantee of 5-6 votes from other IOC members.

The money came from Brazilian businessman Alberto Soares and was transferred to a company controlled by Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack. Another $500,000 was added from a Brazilian foreign exchange broker named Willy Kraus, to secure three more votes to assure Rio’s advancement to the second round of voting.

At the IOC Session in Copenhagen in 2009, Madrid led the first round of voting with 28, followed by Rio (26), Tokyo (22) and then Chicago (18), which was eliminated. The bribes worked. Rio zoomed to the lead in the second round, 46-29-20 over Madrid and Tokyo, then 66-32 in the final round over Madrid to get the 2016 Games.

The case broke open in 2017 and Nuzman, Gryner and Cabral were all charged then. Proceedings against Soares and both Diacks were not possible since they lived outside Brazilian jurisdiction.

Nuzman’s attorney, Joao Francisco Neto, indicated an immediate appeal of the sentence and told news media (computer translation from the original Portuguese): “The judge sentenced him for sport, without evidence. Nuzman will certainly be acquitted. The courts of the Republic will not honor this unspeakable legal violence.” Nuzman, formally convicted of corruption, criminal organization, money laundering and tax evasion, has been released during the term of the appeal.

It’s another black eye for the Rio 2016 Games, which endured endless controversies and ran out of money at the end. The organizing committee was so broke after the Games that it is the only one never to have submitted a final report of the event.

The International Olympic Committee is also, of course, embarrassed by the case and will now have to investigate the bribery issues itself. A French proceeding against Lamine Diack related to the Rio bribes is still pending. There are likely to be more repercussions.

The revelations of the Nuzman case are a sad chapter in the Rio 2016 saga, and came just 11 years after the Salt Lake City bid scandal related to the 2002 Winter Games bid came to light.

The sadness around the Rio 2016 corruption cases is in contrast to outright anger over the removal of riding as a discipline in the Modern Pentathlon.

On Saturday, at the online 71st UIPM Congress, the motion of the German national federation to remove riding from the sport was passed by 66-15, despite a desperate campaign from a large group of the top current pentathletes. The federation’s announcement included:

“The delegates voted 81% in favour of ratifying the UIPM Executive Board’s historic decision to open a ‘5th Discipline’ consultation process, announced on November 4, to propose to the IOC a format for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with a new 5th Discipline, to be determined by the UIPM. The aim of this ongoing process is to evaluate alternative disciplines to Riding with a view to adding a new discipline to Modern Pentathlon after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“The ratification of Congress enables stakeholders to continue the 5th Discipline consultation process with the official backing of the global community. UIPM has submitted a provisional proposal for Los Angeles 2028 for consideration by the IOC Programme Commission at its upcoming meeting on December 1. Once the 5th Discipline consultation is complete, the UIPM community will have the final say on the proposed new composition of the sport with a vote during the 72nd UIPM Congress in 2022.”

Said UIPM President Klaus Schormann (GER):

“The high majority in favour of this decision gives us a very comfortable feeling and confirms that the UIPM EB acted in the interest of the UIPM family. The debate was fair, open and very clear. Delegates were given the opportunity to speak in chronological order according to a queue system, with no preferential treatment and full transparency.”

Using the Twitter name Pentathlon United, a furious campaign against the proposal included a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach (GER), signed by reigning Olympic Champions Joseph Choong and Kate French (both GBR) and a total of 46 Olympic medal winners as far back as 1960. After the Congress vote, the group tweeted:

“UIPM congress: The UIPM stifled debate, avoided questions being asked, discussion being had or criticism being heard. The UIPM demonstrated extremely poor governance, not befitting an Olympic sport. This was a shameful day for sport. Not just for modern pentathlon, for all sport.

“We doubt any IF, and the bar is very low, has ever been so bad or faced such a revolt from its community. The UIPM does not have a mandate. Not in our name.”

On Sunday, the InsideTheGames site reported that the national pentathlon federations of Denmark, Finland and Sweden wrote a joint letter to the UIPM complaining of the procedures used during the Congress, including:

“They have ignored and over-ridden the views of the overwhelming majority of the global modern pentathlon community, and the athletes they are supposed to serve.

“The President and secretary general have stifled debate at this Congress, using their control of Zoom to avoid questions being asked, discussion being had or criticism being heard.”

Against all this, the Danish national federation has already filed against the UIPM in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, insisting that the UIPM acted improperly in the development of the motion to remove riding.

At the same Congress, Schormann was elected for an eighth term as President by 72-12, running unopposed. American John Helmick was re-elected as Treasurer, also running unopposed. But there is opposition now from the athlete community, a negative for any sport on today’s Olympic program.

This isn’t over; it’s only starting.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

THE BIG PICTURE: Los Angeles City Council committee approves LA28 Games Agreement; Wasserman says LA28 has over 50% revenue contracted!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Flag of the City of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games unanimously approved, with minor modifications, the proposed Games Agreement between the City and the LA 2028 Olympic organizing committee.

Six of the seven members of the committee were present for an online meeting across more than two hours. The detailed Games Agreement, posted on 17 November, was approved intact, but with the exception that the plan for involving community businesses be delivered a year earlier than specified – by 31 March 2022 – and reported against every six months thereafter.

After more than a dozen public comments, most of which were supportive of the Games coming to Los Angeles and the agreement itself, the six Council members asked questions of the City’s negotiating staff and LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman for nearly an hour and 45 minutes. While there was extensive emphasis on avoiding any financial risks for the City, even more attention was paid to contracting opportunities for local business and jobs for local residents:

● Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, head of the ad hoc committee, explained:

“This agreement addresses the key elements that were brought up during the committee hearings, including the local hire provisions, small business involvement, a thoughtful, comprehensive approach to the arts and culture, comprehensive insurance policies, environmental impact protections, in addition to legacy.”

● Sharon Tso, the City’s Chief Legislative Analyst and one of the negotiators of the proposed contract:

“This Games Agreement is intended to serve as a template for further negotiations and discussions and commitments of LA28. … What this Games Agreement was intended to do was to protect the City from financial risk and also to establish a process by which we would address very important City policies and programs, and this Games Agreement essentially creates the vehicle for that public input and engagement for the very specific details of each one of those important City policies and programs.”

● Council member Paul Krekorian, one of the Council’s spending watchdogs:

“I think the work that we’ve done collectively on this committee over the course of the last few years has made this Agreement that’s before us now such a belt-and-suspenders kind of agreement that I’m satisfied that, it’s not without risk, but the risk is minimal, given the upside potential. We’ve crafted that in just about every way imaginable.”

● Council member Gil Cedillo noted the additional money that the Games will bring to City workers:

“When we talk about more services for the City, the City going beyond its normal and customary processes in delivery of services, I look at this as overtime. I look at this from the perspective of the City worker, the County worker and State worker. As a representative for the City, I welcome and embrace these opportunities for us to do more work. Because it means these families that are part of the City family will have an opportunity, and will budget and anticipate that they are going to do more work. There’s going to be more clean-up, there’s going to be delivery of services, there’s going to be more overtime. There’s going to be more experiences for them to have for them and their families. So I see this as a very positive thing.”

LA28 Chair Wasserman answered several questions, but also made a bombshell announcement about the organizing committee’s financial status:

“I think it was explained that there is a baseline of services that the City operates at, and our job is to make sure that any costs above that baseline across City services is reimbursed fully by LA2028. So, we worked very clearly with the City to make sure that the City was protected. We weren’t asking for more for free; you know, whatever the City does, it does, and whatever is needed beyond that is a requirement of LA2028 to reimburse the City for those services. …

“We have no requirements for new venues. We have no requirements for additional infrastructure. We have no requirements for additional hotel rooms. Everything we [need] is in place today, in fact, it was in place when we put our bid in in 2016, and that bid is the bid we would deliver today, if we didn’t have new venues popping up that create more opportunities.

“Even the rail lines that were under construction in 2016, or the airport [expansion] that was under construction in 2016 was not part of our delivery plan for 2028. So, our plan was what was in place in 2016 and we believe that plan is great. We believe that plan will continue to improve. But, the risk for Games in traditional cities comes from a cost perspective; our risk comes from a revenue perspective, if we can’t deliver the revenue to cover the costs, although as we sit here today, with well over half our revenue contracted, and we are prepared to deliver the Games – if we had to – with the revenue we have today.

“Now we don’t believe that will be our final revenue number. We feel very confident in our ability to drive revenue over the next seven years because of the economic platform that is both Los Angeles and the United States, and our ability to leverage incredible venues, incredible universities, incredible civic locations to make these Games truly unique.” (emphasis added)

The LA28 budget is $6.884 billion.

However, Council member Paul Koretz complained that a souvenir order recently placed had come with some defective merchandise; Wasserman promised to “dig into it” and fix the issue.

Cedillo also took strong issue with those critics who cite surveys of past Games which suffered from large cost overruns:

“I think we need to say very clearly that those studies that were referenced [about Olympic cost overruns] are closer to fraud, or it’s closer to fraud to suggest that those guide our analysis and perspective. They do not apply to the City of Los Angeles, and so we should not engage in some type of Olympic hysteria as we go forward.”

O’Farrell closed with an interesting perspective on a Games which is being privately organized, but which might have an aspirational impact on the City government going forward:

“My goal, in being a member of this committee all these years and now chairing it, has always been and will continue to be seeing a better Los Angeles the day after the 2028 Olympic Games conclude. We approach our task with a clear recognition of the considerable challenges that currently face our great city, to get the best Olympic Games agreement ever of any city, and one that helps us build a more livable and equitable Los Angeles, post-2028.

“I think of the 2028 Games as a prime motivator to leverage our collective resources to make real and visible progress on the production of coveted affordable housing, homelessness, climate change, equity – social and racial – and not, as some have claimed, to sweep our challenges outside, or under the rug, or hide anything. Nor can we allow our approach to bringing a successful Olympics to Los Angeles be led by fear, cynicism and negativity.”

With the 6-0 vote on the Agreement with the amendments on the dates, the matter will be forwarded to the full City Council for its review and approval.

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HIGHLIGHTS: Shiffrin wins Killington Slalom; Murphy sets U.S. 50 m Back record in ISL playoffs; U.S. women win at Australia, 3-0

By
Rich Perelman
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Back on the podium again: American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (Photo: Andreaze via Wikipedia)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world/updated/:

● Alpine Skiing ● The women’s FIS Alpine World Cup circuit is back in the U.S., with a women’s Giant Slalom and Slalom in Killington, Vermont for Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, heavy winds caused the Giant Slalom to be canceled.

But on Sunday, the Slalom course was good and reigning World Cup overall champion Petra Vlhova (SVK), winner of both races in Levi (FIN) the week before, led U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin after the first run, 49.87-50.07. But Shiffrin poured on the gas on the second run, cheered by fans who remember her early days at the nearby Burke Mountain Academy. She blew through the course in 48.26 to take the lead as the next-to-last starter, followed by Vlhova, who could only manage 49.21 (14th best) and had to settle for second, 1:38.33-1:39.08. Swiss star Wendy Holdener finished third (1:39.16); American Paula Moltzan was seventh (1:40.46).

For Shiffrin, it was her 71st career World Cup win and the 46th in Slalom, tying her with Swedish icon Ingemar Stenmark for the first World Cup victories in a single discipline. He had 46 Giant Slalom wins from 1973-89. Shiffrin remains third on the all-time victories list, behind Stenmark (86) and fellow American Lindsey Vonn (82); she has two wins in the five races held this season and now has the overall World Cup lead by 360-340 over Vlhova.

The men were scheduled for two Downhills and a super-G in Lake Louise (CAN), but the Friday race had to be canceled due to heavy snow. In Saturday’s Downhill, Austria’s Matthias Mayer, the 2014 Olympic champ, scored his 11th career World Cup win at 1:47.74, 0.23 ahead of countryman Vincent Kriechmayr and 0.35 seconds up on 2017 World Champion Beat Feuz (SUI).

More bad weather caused Sunday’s Super-G to be canceled. FIS reported an alarming 10 Covid departure positives in Lake Louise, but on re-testing, nine were found to be false positives. One skier tested positive again and was placed in quarantine.

● Badminton ● The Indonesia Open in Bali was hoped to show off the country’s outstanding Doubles teams and two made it to the finals.

Top-seeded Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo thrilled the home fans with a 21-14, 21-18 win over Takuto Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (JPN) for the men’s Doubles title, but second-seeded Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu were upset by Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (JPN), 21-19, 21-19 in the women’s Doubles.

The men’s Singles saw Danish star Viktor Axelsen win a tight battle with Kean Yew Loh (SGP), 21-13, 9-21, 21-13, while Korea’s Seyoung An scored a modest upset over Ratchanok Intanon (THA), 21-17, 22-20.

In the Mixed Doubles, Thailand got a win from top-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, who defeated Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (JPN), 21-12, 21-13.

● Basketball ● /Updated/The Americas Qualifiers for the 2023 men’s World Cup got underway this weekend with all 12 teams in action. The Group D openers in Chihuahua City (MEX) included the U.S. and Cuba, with a tight game ending in a 95-90 U.S. victory.

The American team of G League players and free agents fell behind by 37-27 after the first quarter, then rebounded with a 33-16 second quarter to take a 60-53 halftime lead. But the Cubans came back with a strong third quarter (24-13) to take a 77-73 lead. But the Americans came back with a final quarter edge of 22-13 for the 95-90 final.

The U.S. was led by guard Isaiah Thomas with 21 points on 7-20 shooting, followed by forwards B.J. Johnson and Brian Bowen (both 16), and forward Justin Anderson (10). The U.S. shot 49.3% from the field, but allowed Cuba to shoot 51.4%, with center Jasiel Rivero lighting up for 34 points (13-18 from the field).

The U.S. will play Mexico on Monday; the next window of games is not until February.

● Biathlon ● The IBU World Cup began its 2021-22 season in Oestersund (SWE), with Czech Marketa Davidova winning the 15 km Individual race in 42:43.5, ahead of Lisa Theresa Hauser (AUT: +1:17.7) and Germany’s Denise Herrmann (+1:23.0).

The men’s 20 km Individual race was a 1-2 for Norway, with Sturla Holm Laegreid winning his eighth career World Cup title in 51:04.0, ahead of Tarjei Boe (NOR: +59.2) and Simon Desthieux (FRA: +1:00.6).

Sunday was reserved for the Sprints. Swede Sebastian Samuelsson won his second career World Cup race with a 22:33.5 win in the 10 km race, well clear of Norwegians Vetle Christiansen (+11.8) and three-time World Cup winner Johannes Thingnes Boe (+12.2).

Sweden completed a Sprint sweep with Hanna Oeberg winning her seventh career World Cup race, covering 7.5 km in 19:01.5, ahead of Anais Chevalier-Bouchet (FRA: +11.3) and Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland (+15.4).

The biathletes will stay at Oestersund for a second week of competition beginning on Thursday.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The big sleds were in Innsbruck (AUT) for the second straight week, with German superstar Francesco Friedrich – the double Olympic champion – taking the two-man race on Saturday in 1:43.48 to 1:43.84 for teammate Johannes Lochner. Canada’s Justin Kripps was third (1:43.96); American Codie Bascue was 10th (1:44.54).

Friedrich also won – as expected – the Four-man, finishing 0.28 seconds ahead of Latvian Oskars Kibermanis, who came from sixth after the first run. Kripps, tied with Kibermanis in sixth after the first race, moved up to third overall. American Hunter Church’s crew tied for fifth.

Germany’s Laura Nolte won the two-women race for the second week in a row, repeating her victory over teammate Kim Kalicki, 1:46.71-1:46.77. The podium from the first week remained the same, with Canada’s Christine de Bruin taking the bronze. American sleds were fifth (Elana Meyers Taylor) and 10th (Kaillie Humphries).

The men’s Skeleton run produced an amazing three-way tie among Germany’s Chris Grotheer, Britain’s Matt Weston and Wenqiang Geng (CHN), all at 1:46.04. Russian veteran Elena Nikitina (1:47.83) won the women’s Skeleton solo over Kimberely Bos (NED: 1:48.03).

The women’s Monobob series was busy, in Park City, Utah during the week and Altenberg (GER) and Innsbruck on the weekend.

The Park City races saw Canada’s Alysia Rissling winning her fourth and fifth races of the season, timing 1:43.60 to beat Americans Brittany Reinbolt (1:44.26) and Nicole Vogt (1:44.69) on the 23rd and then Reinbolt and Canada’s Bianca Ribi (1:44.42-1:45.95-1:46.05).

At Altenberg, German Lisa Buckwitz won for the first time this season, beating Viktoria Cernanska (CRO), 2:00.61-2:02.35. In Innsbruck, it was American Elana Meyers Taylor with a second win on the season, finishing in 1:51.60 to 1:51.65 for Laura Nolte (GER); American Kaillie Humphries was sixth (1:51.84).

● Cross Country Skiing ● The FIS World Cup season opened in Ruka (FIN) with a full program and a strong start from the Swedish women.

Swedes Maja Dahlqvist (3:01.81) and Johanna Hagstroem (3:03.58) went 1-2 in the first race of the season, the Classical Sprint final, with Norwegian star Maiken Caspersen Falla third (3:03.83). Two-time Worlds silver medalist Frida Karlsson won the women’s 10 km Classical, beating Norwegian superstar Therese Johaug, 24:29.4-24:43.1; American Rosie Brennan was sixth (25:08.0).

The men’s Classical Sprint went to Russia’s Alexander Terentev (2:31.90), with Norwegian stars Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (2:33.08) and Erik Valnes (2:34.03) following. The home fans loved seeing Iivo Niskanen (FIN) win the 15 km Classical, over Russians Alexey Chervotkin (33:16.9) and two-time World Cup overall champ Alexander Bolshunov ( 33:22.7).

Sunday’s Freestyle Pursuit races saw Bolshunov lead a Russian sweep with a win over 15 km in 35:23.7, ahead of two-time Worlds gold medalist Sergey Ustiugov (35:24.2) and Artem Maltsev (35:24.4).

Norway’s 14-time World Champion Johaug took her first win of the season in the women’s 12.5 km Pursuit in 25:56.0, some 7.8 seconds ahead of Karlsson (26:03.8) and fellow Norwegian Heidi Weng (26:33.9). Brennan was fifth and Jessie Diggins finished 11th.

● Figure Skating ● The last “regular season” leg of the ISU Grand Prix was the Rostelecom Cup in Sochi (RUS), with host skaters taking three of the four titles.

Russia’s Kamila Valieva, the 2020 World Junior Champion, won the women’s division – a Russian sweep – by more than 43 points over teammates Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Maiia Khromykh, 272.71-229.23-219.69. American Mariah Bell was third after the Short Program, but slipped to fourth after the Free Skate, finishing at 210.35.

Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov and won the Pairs in another Russian sweep, scoring 226.98 to outscore Daria Pavliuchenko and Denis Khodykin (212.59) and Iasmina Kadyrova and Ivan Balchenko (193.58). Americans Andrey Liu and Misha Mitrofanov finished fourth (186.16).

Russia’s Victoria Sinistsina and Nikita Katsalapov took the Ice Dance, scoring 211.72 to win over Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (203.71) and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen (CAN: 191.40). Americans Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker were fifth with 187.62.

The biggest surprise came in the men’s event, where Georgia’s Morisi Kvitelashvili took his first Grand Prix title at 266.33, as Short Program leader Kazuki Tomono (JPN) fell to fifth in the Free Skate and finished third overall (264.19). Russia’s Mikhail Kolyada moved up from fourth after the Short Program to second overall by winning the Free Skate, scoring 264.64 overall. Kvitelashvili has done well in this event, finishing second in 2018 and 2020, his only prior Grand Prix medals.

The Grand Prix Final comes 9-12 December in Osaka (JPN).

● Football ● The U.S. Women’s National Team got a goal in the first 24 seconds of the game from Ashley Hatch and enjoyed stellar goalkeeping from Casey Murphy in her international debut to defeat Australia in a friendly, 3-0, in Sydney on Friday afternoon.

Hatch, in only her third appearance for the U.S., was set up on a header from Lynn Williams and sent a left-footed shot into the net for the third-fastest goal in U.S. women’s team history.

But the Matildas pushed back hard against Murphy, but could not score and the half ended 1-0. More of the same in the second half, but the U.S. went up 2-0 on a Rose Lavelle goal in the 49th minute and got a third score in the 68th on a penalty shot by Lindsay Horan, who had been fouled by Australia’s Ellie Carpenter.

The U.S. had the edge in total shots, 14-11, but Australia landed eight shots on Murphy vs. six shots on goal for the Americans. The crowd of 36,109 was the second-largest ever to watch the U.S. women on the road.

The U.S. women will take on Australia again on 30 November in Newcastle to close out its two-game tour.

● Freestyle & Snowboard ● The Freestyle Ski Cross season opened Saturday in China’s Secret Garden Resort, with wins for Russia’s Sergey Rizik (over Brady Leman/CAN) for the men and Swedish star Sandra Naeslund for the women, ahead of Swiss Fanny Smith.

The first Snowboard SnowCross competition on Sunday, with familiar faces on the podiums. Austria’s Alessandro Hammerle, the 2021 Worlds silver medalist, won the men’s race ahead of Italy’s Omar Visintin and American Nick Baumgartner, a two-time Worlds bronze medalist.

Czech star Eva Samkova, the 2014 Olympic winner, took the women’s race for her 18th career World Cup win, beating 2021 World Champion Charlotte Bankes (GBR) and 2018 PyeongChang gold medalist Michela Moioli (ITA) to the line.

● Luge ● The 2014 Olympic site of Sochi (RUS) was selected to replace both North American stops at Whistler (CAN) and Lake Placid, New York due to Covid travel restrictions.

The men’s Singles was a wild affair on Sunday, with the big names having terrible first runs. Two-time Olympic champ Felix Loch (GER) was 15th, PyeongChang bronze medalist Johannes Ludwig was 20th and 2020 World Champion Roman Repilov of Russia was 23rd. The weather was also deteriorating rapidly, so when the second run started, the early starters – those with the worst first-run results – had an advantage. The stars took advantage.

Ludwig had the fastest second run in the field and ended up winning at 1:44.626, followed by Loch – with the sixth-fastest second run – at 1:44.784, followed by Repilov, second-fastest on the second run, in 1:44.834. The first-run leader, Latvia’s Kristers Aparjods, had the 18th-fastest second run and ended up fifth (1:45.027).

In Doubles, it was Latvian stars Andris and Juris Sics winning a tight battle with Andrey Bogdanov and Yuri Prokhorov, 1:39.783 to 1:39.903, with Germany’s Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt third (1:40.012).

German Anna Berreiter took her third career women’s title, winning in 1:40.649 to 1:40.756 over Kendija Aparjode (LAT: sister of Kristers). American Summer Britcher was 10th (1:41.148).

● Nordic Combined ● The 2021-22 season also opened in Ruka (FIN), with three competitions off a 142 m hill. Friday’s event had a 5 km cross-country race, with three-time defending World Cup champ Jarl-Magnus Riiber (NOR) winning at 12:16.1, followed by Johannes Lampartner (AUT: 12:36.3) and Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR: 12:38.3).

Germany swept Saturday’s event with a 10 km final, as Terence Weber taking his first career World Cup gold in 26:11.0, ahead of five-time World Cup winner Eric Frenzel (26:12.2) and Vinzenz Geiger (26:13.3).

Sunday’s race was also over 10 km, with Riiber taking his second win of the weekend and his 38th career World Cup title. He finished in 25:08.3, with Lamparter (25:20.7) second and Oftebro (25:41.3) third.

● Rugby Sevens ● The Rugby Sevens World Series for 2021-22 got underway with tournaments in Dubai (UAE).

The 12-team men’s program saw Fiji, and South Africa complete pool play undefeated (3-0) with Argentina (2-1) and the U.S. (1-1-1) the top two in Pool B. In the playoffs, South Africa handled Argentina, 17-7, in one semifinal and the U.S. edging Fiji, 21-19 in the other.

Argentina won the bronze over Fiji, 19-12 for the bronze medal and then the South Africans crushed the U.S. Eagles by 42-7 in the final.

The 10-team women’s tournament had Australia as a 4-0 winner in Pool A, but Fiji, Russia and Great Britain were all 3-1 in Pool B. Fiji won the pool on the tie-breakers and went on to face Australia in the final, but the result was a 22-7 victory for the Aussies. The U.S. finished seventh.

● Short Track ● Olympic men’s 500 m champ Dajing Wu of China took his specialty at the second ISU World Cup, in Dordrecht (NED), defeating a good field in the final, with Canada’s Steven Dubois second, 39.878-40.023.

China also won the men’s 1,500 m with Ziwei Ren overcoming Sjinkie Knegt (NED), 220.352-2:20.511. Sunday’s 1,000 final was won by Hungarians Shaoang Liu (1:23.791) and American-born John-Henry Krueger (1:23.891).

Canada’s Kim Boutin won the women’s 500 m (42.464), beating seasonal leader Arianna Fontana (ITA: 42.756) and Russian Elena Seregina (42.792). Korean Yubin Lee won her second 1,500 m of the season at 2:21.931, over Courtney Sarault (CAN: 2:22.043), with American Kristen Santos fourth (2:22.107).

PyeongChang 1,500 champion Minjeong Choi (KOR) won the women’s 1,000 m on Sunday in a tight battle with Boutin, 1:28.417 to 1:28.510.

● Ski Jumping ● The women’s World Cup season opened on the 97 m hill at Nizhny Tagil (RUS) with a 1-3 finish for Austria: Marita Kramer won at 253.5 with veteran Daniela Iraschko-Stolz taking the bronze with 207.4 points. Slovenia’s Ema Klinec was second at 211.8.

Klinec came back to win on Saturday at 235.1, with teammate Ursa Bogataj just behind at 227.0. Germany’s 2018 Olympic silver medalist Katharina Althaus was third (225.9).

The men were in Ruka (FIN) on a 142 m hill, with Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi, the 2019 World Cup winner, taking his first title of the season at 324.5, over Anze Lanisek (SLO: 318.9) and Germany’s Markus Eisenbichler (304.4).

On Sunday, it was Lanisek’s turn, taking his first career World Cup win by 311.9-310.3 over Germany’s Geiger, with Eisenbichler third (3:05.2).

● Swimming ● The International Swimming League held its last “semifinal” matches before the December final, with the defending champion Cali Condors, Energy Standard (FRA), the London Roar (GBR) and the L.A. Current advancing to the championship round.

In the fifth playoff match, Energy Standard won with 561.5 points, ahead of London Roar (498.5), L.A. Current (415.5) and 289.5 for the D.C. Trident. The men’s star was American Backstroker Ryan Murphy, who won the 50 m Back in an American Record of 22.53 (bettering his own 2020 mark of 22.54), the 50 m Skins, the 200 m Back and was second in the 100 m Back.

Breaststroke star Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) won the 50-100-200 m events; American Tom Shields won the 50-100 Flys and Britain’s Duncan Scott took the 200-400 m Medleys.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, swimming for Energy Standard, was sensational with individual wins in the 50 m Free, the 50-100 m Flys and the 100 m Medley. Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey won the 100-200-400 m Frees, and three others won two events: Canadian Ingrid Wilm (50-100 m Back), Alia Atkinson (JAM: 50-100 m Breast) and Canada’s Sydney Pickrem (200-400 m Medleys).

The sixth match saw the Condors win easily (532.5) over Iron (446.0) and Aqua (444.5), with Toronto at 331.0. The men’s standouts were Romanian backstroker Robert Glinta, who won the 100 m and 50 m Skins races, and Dutch star Arno Kamminga, who took the 100 and 200 m Breaststroke events.

In the women’s racing, American superstar Lilly King won the 50-100 m Breast events and was second to Condors teammate Emily Escobedo in the 200 m Breast. Canada’s Kylie Masse dominated the 50-100 m Backstrokes; American Hali Flickinger won the 400 m Free and 200 m Fly, Kelsi Dahlia of the U.S. won the 100 m Fly and the 50 m Fly Skins race, and fellow American Beata Nelson tool the 200 m Back and 100 m Medley.

The final will be on 3-4 December in Eindhoven (NED).

● Table Tennis ● /Updated/The 2021 World Table Tennis Championships are ongoing at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, the first time the event has been held in the U.S.

One of the unique aspects of this tournament are the two special Mixed Doubles teams with players from China and the U.S. together to mark the 50-year anniversary of the “ping pong diplomacy” matches between China and the U.S. in 1971. The idea was developed and petitioned for by the national federations in China and the U.S.

In Houston, Chinese star Manyu Wang and American champ Kanak Ja won their first two matches, but lost in the third round. The pairing of American women’s champion Lily Zhang and China’s Gaoyuan Lin did better, reaching the semifinals, but ended with bronze medals as they lost to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata, in five sets.

Harimoto and Hayata moved on to face China’s Chuqin Wang and Yingsha Sun, and were swept aside in straight sets (3-0), the second Worlds win in a row for the Chinese.

The finals will be held for the other events on Monday (29th).

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THE TICKER: L.A. City Council hearing on LA28 agreement Monday; World Athletics reports abuse on Twitter during Tokyo Games; pentathletes want riding retained

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Los Angeles City Hall, a 1928 Art Deco downtown icon (Photo: Tim Ahem via Wikipedia)

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The seven-member Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will meet Monday (29th) to begin consideration of the proposed “Games Agreement” with the LA28 organizing committee.

The 23-page contract lays out a host of responsibilities for the organizing committee, but preserves the basic financial concept that the organizers will pay for the people, equipment and services it requires to put on the Games, but only for requests above the normal service level required by the City for its normal day-to-day operations.

An accompanying 22 November letter from City Council President Nury Martinez to Ad Hoc Committee Chair Mitch O’Farrell included:

“The Games Agreement is a significant step in creating a sustainable and financially viable Olympics in 2028. The agreement protects the city financially and provides a framework for investing any surplus revenue. With the launch of PlayLA on November 6th, we have already seen the immense benefit the Games can bring to our communities.

“The Games Agreement also lays out the work that still needs to occur. Most notably the formation of working groups to develop plans to advance specific city priorities particularly around legacy, human rights, workforce development, sustainability, transportation, and public safety. This work is vital in terms of creating an Olympics that aligns with the city’s values and which benefits all residents.”

In terms of public reporting, Martinez also emphasized that the LA28 organizers must make public presentations which include progress on the planning for the multitude of “benchmarks and deadlines” that are part of the Games Agreement.

From the City’s side, look for City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo and Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso to start the discussion, as their staffs were the primary constructors of the agreement. Beyond questions from the Council members, look for public comments both supporting and against, especially from activist groups who want to use the Games as a tool toward other goals having little or nothing to do with the 2028 Games.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The WADA Executive Committee and Foundation Board both met both in person and online in Paris (FRA), with significant changes to the governance structure.

A new WADA Athletes’ Council was announced, to be made up of 20 athletes, to be appointed or elected by other athletes or athlete commissions, and an Independent Ethics Board was approved.

The Executive Committee was expanded to 16 members, adding the chair of the new Athletes’ Council and an additional independent member. The Foundation Board was expanded to 42, adding four new seats with two representatives from the Athletes’ Council and two representatives of the National Anti-Doping Organizations.

These changes are in response to demands for more WADA independence and more athlete representation. They will not satisfy the activists, but these actions are moves forward.

The WADA Foundation Board also voted to honor Canada’s Richard W. Pound as the “Founding President” of WADA in recognition for his service to the anti-doping movement and the organization. Pound was the first WADA President from 1999-2007 and served on the WADA Foundation Board from 1999-2020, helping to create, pass and implement the landmark first edition of the World Anti-Doping Code in 2004.

● Athletics ● World Athletics released a limited, but disturbing report on abusive use of Twitter directed at athletes during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this past summer.

Threat Matrix, an effort from data science company Signify Group Ltd and sports investigations company Quest Global Ltd., was tasked to study the activity on 161 Twitter accounts of athletes involved in the Tokyo Games, “derived from a list of 200 athletes selected by World Athletics” from 15 July-9 August 2021.

The study included 240,707 tweets which included 23,521 non-text entries such as images and videos. Analysis showed:

● “132 targeted discriminatory posts from 119 authors, with 23 of the 161 tracked athletes receiving targeted abuse.

● “Out of the 23 athletes who received abuse, 16 were women with 115 of the 132 identified abusive posts directed at female athletes.

● “Female athletes received 87% of all abuse.

● “63% of identified abuse was directed at just two athletes – both black and female – while the two most common categories of abuse were of a sexist (29%) and/or racist (26%) nature, accounting for 55% of all identified abuse.”

Taking these numbers another way, 14% of the 161 athletes followed received abuse on Twitter and there were 0.0548% (132/240,707) tweets considered abusive. And of the 132 abusive tweets, 115 were aimed at 16 women and 17 were aimed at six men. Approximately 83 of the total of 132 abusive tweets were aimed at two women (both black) and about 32 were aimed at the remaining 14 women. (The division of the followed athletes by gender was not provided.)

No individuals were identified, of course, and the study noted that U.S. athletes received “89% of racist abuse” although representing only 23% of the study group.

The survey results will be folded into the continuing work by World Athletics in its new “Safeguarding Policy,” and that “existing safeguarding measures on social media platforms need to be tougher to protect athletes.”

World Athletics released the 2022 Diamond League schedule, with 14 meets beginning on 13 May and ending on 8 September:

3 in May: 13 (Doha), 21 (Birmingham or London), 28 (Eugene)
5 in June: 5 (Rabat), 9 (Rome), 16 (Oslo), 18 (Paris), 30 (Stockholm)
1 in July: 30 (Shanghai)
3 in August: 6 (in China), 10 (Monaco), 26 (Lausanne)
2 in September: 2 (Brussels), 7-8 (Zurich).

More details are expected by year-end.

American distance star Shelby Houlihan, suspended for four years the Athletics Integrity Unit for doping (nandrolone) through January 2025, has started a ClearShelby site, incorporating a GoFundMe site.

Her case was reviewed and her appeal rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the ClearShelby site continues to make her case and includes documents and a timeline. The home page includes:

“To clearly and unequivocally state, not only has she never knowingly taken nandrolone, the substance she was accused of, she has never knowingly taken any banned substance. This ultimately ended her 2021 bid for the Tokyo Olympic team. In her pursuit over the past 11 months to fight this suspension and prove her innocence, she has had to pay for the entire process out of pocket – this she cannot afford. …

“We are in firm belief that the documents provided help outline the nature of the case, and how ultimately, Shelby has had her career taken away for something she did not do.”

● Football ● A study to be released at the World Leagues Forum next week projects that having a FIFA men’s World Cup every two years could cost domestic football leagues as much as €8 billion (~$9 billion U.S.) a year from reductions in television rights and sponsorships.

Commissioned by the leagues, the study was reported on prior to release by Reuters and was compiled by the international consulting firms of KPMG and the Delta Partners unit of the FTI Consulting Group.

FIFA has committed to a worldwide consultation session in December on the issue; add the study onto the pile.

Two Norwegian television staff members were detained for 30 hours and had their equipment confiscated while trying to film a report about conditions for workers in Qatar during the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Associated Press reported:

“Qatar’s government accused NRK journalists Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani of ‘trespassing on private property and filming without a permit’ as the two returned Wednesday to Norway following their arrest.”

The Norwegian government protested their arrest and having to leave their equipment, as did the country’s football federation and journalist’s union. NRK’s statement said in part:

“Even if the Qatari authorities believe the journalists broke any rules, the treatment they were given is not acceptable. The detention of the journalists and the confiscation of all their equipment are in any case completely out of proportion. It threatens free and independent journalism and creates a serious chilling effect for all journalists visiting Qatar.”

The AP also posted a lengthy report that detailed how Qatari officials hired Global Risk Advisors, a company created by former U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operations officer Kevin Chalker “to spy on rival bid teams and key soccer officials who picked the winner in 2010. Chalker also worked for Qatar in the years that followed to keep tabs on the country’s critics in the soccer world.”

Qatar won the rights to stage the 2022 World Cup in an upset over the U.S., South Korea, Japan and Australia, and David Downs, the long-time broadcast executive who headed the American bid told the AP, “It’s very telling that they would be hiring ex-CIA operatives to get inside information. A lot of what they did was either bending the rules or outright breaking the rules.”

In the latest chapter of abuse scandals and the National Women’s Soccer League, the coach of the Chicago Red Stars, Rory Dames, resigned last Sunday (21st) a day after the club lost the league title, 2-1, to the Washington Spirit.

Dames, 48, left the club one day before a story in The Washington Post carried player allegations of verbal and emotional abuse. The news release announcing his resignation did not include any mention of the allegations, but included “For 11 years, I have dedicated myself to help build the Chicago Red Stars into one of the top international clubs. Effective today, I’m refocusing my attention to my family and future endeavors, and I am resigning as coach of the Chicago Red Stars.”

On Monday, the club posted a statement including:

“We stand with the players who are fiercely advocating for change, and we are committed to doing our part to ensure a safe environment for the League’s players, staff, volunteers and fans.

“In conjunction with our players, the Chicago Red Stars several weeks ago initiated an independent review of player health and safety and the team’s culture and work environment.”

On Tuesday, the club ownership posted a statement that included:

“We apologize to Christen Press, Jennifer Hoy, Samantha Johnson and those players who didn’t feel safe to come forward, and we are deeply sorry for the pain they endure.

“As the owners of the Chicago Red Stars, we commit to holding ourselves accountable and to doing better. There is no place for any type of abuse in women’s sports. The fact that it happened here, despite the belief that we had mechanisms in place to prevent it, means our club will require significant reflection and evaluation to ensure this does not happen again.”

The statement also committed the club to “player involvement” in the selection of a new coach, and a deeper screening of candidates prior to hiring.

Abuse issues have shaken the NWSL, which has seen allegations in at least three franchises and which caused a change in the league’s commissioner.

● Gymnastics ● The long-running USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case will enter an important week, beginning with a hearing in Monday (29th), with all ballots on the reorganization plan due on that date.

The voting report must be filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana by Thursday, 2 December and objections to the plan are due by Friday, 3 December.

If all goes according to plan, a hearing to confirm the plan could be held on 13-14 December.

A report on operations through 31 October has been filed, with total legal fees in the case at $17.245 million, with $10.807 million paid by USA Gymnastics’ insurers so far.

● Modern Pentathlon ● A group of leading pentathletes has been on a frantic letter-writing campaign under the umbrella of “Pentathletes United,” sending notices signed by as many as 46 athletes decrying the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Executive Board decision to remove the riding discipline from the event.

Letters to the national pentathlon federations were sent on 22-23-25 November, in advance of this weekend’s UIPM Congress, being held in Monaco and online. The main points made in the letters:

● The IOC has not asked the UIPM to remove riding in order to remain in the Games

● “Modern Pentathlon without horse riding would not be Modern Pentathlon”

● The actions of the UIPM regarding riding’s removal are outside of the federation’s rules.

The letters urge the national federations to (1) vote against the removal of riding and (2) to vote against incumbent President Klaus Schormann (GER) and the current UIPM leadership, characterized in the 25 November letter as “an ‘old boys club’ that has clung to power for decades.”

The best part of all of this is that it will be hashed out in a federation Congress, with all of the national federations getting to participate. Expect that this is the beginning and not the end of the process, regardless of what decision is reached.

● Table Tennis ● While the World Table Tennis Championships are ongoing (through the 29th) in Houston, Texas, the ITTF Congress was held and Sweden’s Petra Soerling elected president, running unopposed.

She succeeds Germany’s Thomas Weikert, the ITTF chief since 2014, and is not only the first woman head of the federation, but the first current World Champion to hold the office. She and Denmark’s Pia Toelhoj won the Masters women’s 45-49 doubles title in 2018 in five sets!

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Basketball ● The Americas qualifying tournament for the 2023 FIBA men’s World Cup starts this weekend, with the first competition windows with games from 26-29 November.

There are 16 teams in the Americas tournament, with seven countries to ultimately qualify. Each team will play 12 games, with the four groups:

● A: Argentina, Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay
● B: Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Chile
● C: Canada, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, The Bahamas
● D: United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba

The first games for the U.S. will be in Chihuahua City, Mexico, first against Cuba on Sunday and against Mexico on Monday. The next set of games won’t be until February 2022.

The U.S. team is made up of G League players and free agents and will be coached by former University of Utah and Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylan.

● The Last Word ● Another indicator of the rise of eSports: the new state budget of North Carolina includes $5 million per year for the Esports Industry Grant Fund, designed to encourage major gaming competitions to be held in the state.

The program is meant to be used for events costing $250,000 to operate and can be used to reimburse up to 25% of the spending on in-state goods, services, and staff.

A major incentive to bring these events to North Carolina, and it could set off similar concepts in other cities and states. It’s an important milestone in the growth of electronic gaming in the U.S.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HEARD AT HALFTIME: Another new track & field league? Beijing 2022 part of “ideological clash” with the West; U.S.’s Papandrea wants to modernize weightlifting

By
Rich Perelman
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The Track and Field League logo.

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

/Updated/How about another new U.S. track & field league?

During the pandemic, agent Paul Doyle put together a series of very well-regarded American Track League indoor meets and working with multiple promoters of the “Pro Track Series,” offered seven outdoor meets in 2021, mostly shown on one of the ESPN family of channels.

The 2022 ATL indoor schedule of three meets starts on 22 January in Birmingham, Alabama, all part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour at the bronze level. No word on an outdoor schedule, but now comes a new venture, the Track & Field League, being developed by former Southern Mississippi coach Kevin Stephen.

Twitter followers may have noticed sprint star Jasmine Todd’s recruiting messages of last week:

● “I’m pushing for this to work because Elite Track and Field needs it’s own entity in order to to ‘Professional’ Track and Field, especially in the USA. Worst case scenario it doesn’t work, best case it changes our sport! But we won’t know if we don’t support it!”

● “The Track and Field League is in need of:
“- Middle distance men and women
“- Distance men and women
“- Hurdles men and women
“- Throws women.

“Anticipated pay is within 24 hours after each meet via direct deposit and for draft bonuses payout after the contracts are signed.”

● “Track athletes said we need a league. We get one for American athletes (with good pay) and have a lack of support from the very same athletes…why?”

Todd also posted Q&A responses from Stephen, including:

● “The TFL did not exist anywhere other than in my head last year. We have not hosted any events to date.”

● “We have a three-tier funding program. In the top tier, we have commitments from three Fortune 500 companies. In the second tier, we continue to engage in talks with several companies in a variety of industries from automotive to insurance to health and wellness. The third tier is local businesses in the cities hosting events.”

The TFL Web site shows an eight-team league, with dual-meet formats among eight regional squads: Texas Fire, Washington Liberty, Arkansas Passion, New Mexico Unity, Virginia Inspiration, Alabama Freedom, Kentucky Dream and Illinois Justice. A “draft” is scheduled for 29 November, with 10 rounds (80 athletes) and draft bonuses promised of “1st round- $10,000, 2nd round- $9,000, 3rd round – $8,000, 4th round – $7,000, 5th round -$6,000, 6th round – $5,000, 7th round – $4,000, 8th round – $3,000, 9th round – $2,000, 10th round – $1,000.”

The schedule shows indoor meets on 2-9-16-17-18 January, all-star meet at the end of January and a indoor championship on 13-14 February. Outdoors are shown as two-day meets starting on 7-14-28 May, an all-star dual on 4 June, then 30 July, 6 August, 20 August and a 3-4 September outdoor championship meet.

The pay scale shows athlete appearance fees – essentially a game-day salary – of $4,000 for regular-season meets, $6,000 for the semis and $10,000 for the final. Prize money is $5,000-3,000-1,000 for the regular-season and semifinal meets, going up to $10,000-8,000-5,000 for the final. There is also a $1,000 bonus for each athlete if their team wins their meet. There is also a coaches’ bonus of $1,000 per athlete appearing in a meeting and $500-300-100 for placers 1-2-3.

No information yet on broadcasting.

It’s a nice idea if it works. Said 2016 U.S. shot put Olympian Darrell Hill on Twitter: “I’m down to pioneer, I just need more information. I’ve been asking very publicly, intentionally.”

This venture should not be confused with the National Track & Field League, also with eight teams, which appears to date from perhaps 2017, but which shows no schedule on its Web site.

(Thanks to reader Brian Springer for catching “bronze medal” instead of “bronze level” in the second paragraph.)

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● While there was no breaking news about Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Monday, a declaration of the Chinese government’s view of the upcoming Games was made in the state-controlled Global Times:

“The ideological conflicts between China and the West will escalate before the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 as anti-Chinese forces will converge to make trouble for China. This event will not only be a comprehensive stress test for China’s ability to respond to various crises, but also a catalyst for China’s growth in mentality as a major power. …

“China used to care about maintaining a harmonious atmosphere with the West and the way being regarded by the rest of the world, particularly by the West. This needs to be changed. With the rise of China as a major power and the weakened hegemony of the US, Western superiority has been shaken, creating a strong and unprecedented resistance to China.

“The only important thing for China in the future is to stick to its own path. The elites of the US and other Western countries do not matter much whether they are envious, jealous, hateful, fearful or angry. …

“The Beijing Winter Olympics will be held against the backdrop of the severe ideological clash between China and the US-led West.”

The International Olympic Committee announced that its agreement for donated doses of the Pfizer vaccine to cover Tokyo 2020 participants has been extended to cover “athletes, officials and Games stakeholders” for the Olympic Winter and Winter Paralympic Games.

The vaccinations will take place in the home territories of the participants, not in China.

● International Federations ● The Associated Press reported that the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) is planning to dissolve at its forthcoming meeting in Russia in May.

International Bobsled & Skeleton Federation President Ivo Ferriani (ITA) was elected as the head of the group on 12 November for a two-year term, but he sent a letter to the membership that included:

“One topic on the agenda that I would already like to bring to your attention is the dissolution of GAISF as already discussed before my arrival as President of GAISF.”

GAISF was originally formed in 1967 and was a significant counterbalance to the International Olympic Committee during its early years, especially under the stewardship of rowing federation chief Thomas Keller (SUI) from 1969-86.

The organization changed its name to SportAccord from 2009-17, causing confusion with the massive sports conference of the same name, then changed back to GAISF with slightly new wording. The umbrella organization has 95 full members and 20 associate members, and membership in GAISF has been a stepping stone to recognition of a federations by the IOC.

GAISF also owns the World Combat Games, World Urban Games and World Mind Games; the future of these events is unknown.

The organization has not posted any notice of its plan to dissolve, although it has been widely reported.

● Athletics ● A record-breaking year in the distances continued in Portugal on Sunday, as Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo set a new mark in the Half Marathon, running 57:31 to win the EDP Lisbon Half.

His mark was one second faster than Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie’s 57:32 from Valencia (ESP) on 6 December 2020. The 2020 World Half Champion, Kiplimo ran away with the race, winning by 2:08 over Ethiopia’s Esa Huseydin Mohamed (59:39).

Still just 21, Kiplimo won the Olympic bronze in Tokyo at 10,000 m, was fifth at the 5,000 m and is the world leader at 10,000 m at 26:33.93 from his win in Ostrava (CZE) in May.

World Athletics has released the final candidates for its male and female athletes of the year:

● Men: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA/distances), Ryan Crouser (USA/shot put), Mondo Duplantis (SWE/vault), Eliud Kipchoge (KEN/marathon), Karsten Warholm (NOR/400 m hurdles).

● Women: Sifan Hassan (NED/distances), Faith Kipyegon (KEN/1,500 m), Sydney McLaughlin (USA/400 m hurdles), Yulimar Rojas (VEN/triple jump), Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM/sprints)

The winners will be announced on 1 December.

Russian high jumper Aleksandr Shustov lost his appeal against World Athletics for his four-year ban from 2020-24 for “Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method.”

Shustov, the 2010 European Champion, with a best of 2.36 m (7-8 3/4) in 2011, was charged with doping infractions following the two 2016 reports by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren about doping in Russia from 2011-15.

Shustov’s results from July 2013 to July 2017 have been annulled, including a sixth in the 2013 Worlds Championships in Moscow.

● Football ● Now the Association of Summer International Federations (ASOIF) has gotten into the act with FIFA’s plans for biennial World Cup tournaments, issuing a statement that includes:

“The harmonisation of the international sports calendar is a challenging and delicate task which deserves more attention and consideration by the stakeholders in a spirit of constructive coordination. These proposals from FIFA could impact the healthy development of sport and also put the sustainability of other international federations’ events at risk.”

Abdullah Ibhais, previously the deputy communications manager for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the primary organizer of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was detained by Qatari police last week and is reported to be on a hunger strike.

According to the authorities, Ibhais was arrested for fraud concerning a 2019 social-media services contract, charges he denies. A Jordanian citizen, he claims that he was arrested for his support of migrant-worker rights in Qatar.

FIFA said it was following the matter with interest; although not involved in the case itself, FIFA has been extraordinarily sensitive to charges of abuse of workers in Qatar who are building the massive stadium projects nearing completion for the World Cup finals.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The newest salvo in the heated debate about replacing riding comes from 1987 World Champion Joel Bouzou (FRA), whose open letter was posted on the UIPM Web site today, and included:

“When Baron Pierre de Coubertin invented the Modern Pentathlon, horses were not only used in military warfare but they were still a part of everyday life in many echelons of society. Today, horses are an expensive luxury inaccessible to the vast majority of people in the world. What can be ‘modern’ about a pentathlon discipline that excludes the vast majority of people in the world? …

“A new Modern Pentathlon without Riding will create a more level playing field. I ask all athletes who are distressed or angry about the consultation process to consider this. Also, I urge you to look back over your journey and imagine you had been training in a country where high-quality horses were rarely (if ever) available.”

Of course, the same review can be applied to all of the Modern Pentathlon disciplines, bringing into question the place of fencing and shooting!

The UIPM Congress, where all of this will be discussed in detail. will be held from 26-28 November.

● Swimming ● More trouble for the International Swimming League, which saw a Covid-related spectator ban implemented in the Netherlands on 12 November, impacting its playoff matches in Eindhoven last weekend, and this week.

Ticket buyers were offered a choice of a refund, a subscription to ISL’s streaming platform, or to donate the purchase money to the league. Wow.

On a positive note for the ISL’s swimmers, FINA declared that marks made in ISL competitions – all in short-course pools – are eligible for qualification into the 2021 World 25 m Champs to take place in Abu Dhabi in December.

FINA announced that the 2022 World 25 m (short course) World Championships will be held in Kazan (RUS) from 17-22 December. Kazan was host to the 2015 FINA World Championships and has been a favored location for FINA events ever since.

● Weightlifting ● On Sunday, the International Weightlifting Federation posted yet another notice that it has not done what it said it would do:

“The Eligibility Determination Panel (EDP) through Sport Resolutions was entrusted to conduct an independent eligibility control, however, the EDP did not deliver the final list of eligible and ineligible candidates by 19 November 2021 to the IWF President and Electoral Commission as required by the IWF Constitution and the Terms of Reference of the Eligibility Determination Panel.”

Sport Resolutions is a third-party contractor in this instance, and its statement in response included:

“The EDP, operated independently by Sport Resolutions, has considered the candidacies of individuals put forward for election to the IWF posts in accordance with its Terms of Reference, and its determinations were communicated to the candidates and the IWF on Friday 19th November 2021 in accordance with its Terms of Reference.

“Further to its issuance, the IWF sought clarification and/or further information on a small number of administrative matters, which were promptly provided to it.

“Should any further questions be put to it by the IWF, the EDP will address them.”

The question of whether and how the IWF elections, slated for 20 December in Tashkent (UZB), will take place, is once again up in the air. Have no doubt that the IOC has noticed.

Regardless of the electoral situation, American Ursula Papandrea is campaigning, releasing her plan for the federation, centered on (1) Integrity and Clean Sport, (2) Good Governance and Transparency, (3) Membership Empowerment, (4) Sport Development and (5) Financial Growth. Said the candidate:

“If I become IWF President, it’s fundamental that we conduct a strategic review and learn from what other sports have done to reinvent themselves for the modern age without losing touch with our core values.

“At present, we are not using fan data in any meaningful way, we are relying on tried and trusted methods that are long since out of date and after the challenges of the past 18 months, we need to refresh our brand and our approach to the sport.

“Let’s bring in global competitions, with new formats that create more drama and interest. Let’s stage international team events that excite audiences beyond just the lifting of the bar.”

The IOC has made public its appreciation for Papandrea’s actions during her short term in interim head of the IWF, before an internal ouster from within the federation’s board of directors.

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LANE ONE: China’s own system created the Peng Shuai drama, and now they can’t get out of it

By
Rich Perelman
-
IOC President Thomas Bach (left) speaking with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai by video on Sunday (Photo: International Olympic Committee/Greg Martin)

(For our Highlights of the weekend’s major competitions, click here.)

Truth is very much stranger than any fiction, with an accusation of sexual abuse turning into a government abuse scandal in China, all concerning a 35-year-old tennis player named Peng Shuai (family name is Peng).

She was a star player earlier in her career, having risen to no. 14 in the world rankings in 2014 and winning two Grand Slam Doubles titles, at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. A three-time Olympian in 2008-12-16, she’s won more than $9.6 million in prize money but currently ranks no. 307 in the WTA Singles rankings and 192nd in Doubles.

But on 2 November, she posted a message on her Weibo blog account, detailing sexual assaults three years ago by former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (now 75). The post was deleted within minutes and Peng’s social-media accounts went silent. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman was asked about this on 3 November and replied “this is not a question related to foreign affairs.”

Interest in Peng’s whereabouts grew as the silence in China grew louder and “#WhereIsPengShuai” became a trending social-media tag. But then the scandal exploded on 14 November when Steve Simon (USA), the head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) issued a statement which included:

“Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness. In all societies, the behavior she alleges that took place needs to be investigated, not condoned or ignored. We commend Peng Shuai for her remarkable courage and strength in coming forward. Women around the world are finding their voices so injustices can be corrected.

“We expect this issue to be handled properly, meaning the allegations must be investigated fully, fairly, transparently and without censorship.”

As Peng continued to be hidden from the public, Simon doubled down and on Thursday (18th), told CNN, “We’re definitely willing to pull our business and deal with all the complications that come with it. Because this is certainly, this is bigger than the business.”

For China, this is now a major problem on multiple fronts. Although various state-run media outlets released photographs and some video of Peng over the last few days, no one in the West believes in their authenticity, at least that they were made under coercion.

Moreover, few people realize the depth of the WTA ties to China and the astonishing timing of the scandal:

● While the Peng situation was unfolding, the WTA Finals was taking place on Zapopan, Mexico, from 10-17 November, having been moved from Shenzhen in China in September due to travel restrictions related to Covid-19 issues in China. But for the disease, the WTA Finals would have been taking place in China when the Peng issue broke open.

● The WTA has a long-term agreement to hold the multi-million-dollar WTA Finals – its showcase tournament – in Shenzhen through 2030.

● In addition, eight other WTA tournaments of varying levels were scheduled in China for 2021, but were all canceled due to Covid: January (Shenzhen), April (Anning), two in September (Guangzhou and Wuhan), three in October (Beijing, Tianjin and Nanchang) and the WTA Elite Trophy in November in Zhuhai, prior to the WTA Finals.

On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee got into the action, announcing that President Thomas Bach (GER), Athletes’ Commission Chair Emma Terho (FIN) and Li Lingwei, a member of the IOC in China, former badminton star and former member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress had been on a 30-minute video call with Peng. The IOC’s statement included:

“At the beginning of the 30-minute call, Peng Shuai thanked the IOC for its concern about her well-being. She explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time. That is why she prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now. Nevertheless, she will continue to be involved in tennis, the sport she loves so much.

“‘I was relieved to see that Peng Shuai was doing fine, which was our main concern. She appeared to be relaxed. I offered her our support and to stay in touch at any time of her convenience, which she obviously appreciated,’ said Emma Terho.”

The video itself was not released, but this was the first direct contact with Peng with anyone outside of China. A WTA statement, however, followed up with:

“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion. This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegations of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern.”

That’s where we are right now.

Beyond the calls for Peng to essentially be allowed to leave China to tell her story – a very difficult option for the Chinese Communist Party – there are many shrill voices still demanding that the 2022 Olympic Winter Games be removed from Beijing and castigating the IOC for allowing the Winter Games to be held there. That’s not going to happen:

● With 74 days remaining before the Opening Ceremony on 4 February, the Games isn’t going anywhere. For those who claim that the only reason that the Games will go on is because the IOC wants to collect its television rights fees, the 2,892 expected athletes from 84 or more countries are the central reason the Games needs to be held as scheduled.

● The IOC’s miserable experience with the host-city election for 2022 between Beijing and Almaty (KAZ) convinced Bach that the entire bidding system had to be changed to avoid such choices. And the process has changed. Instead of holding elections in which two bad candidates can end up as the only options, the IOC now chooses its host cities quietly and in a way which steers the selection to a suitable country. After Beijing, the next Games go to democratic countries in France (2024), Italy (2026 Winter), the U.S. (2028) and Australia (2032). The 2030 Winter Games are likely to end up in Japan or the U.S.

● The outcome of the Peng scandal may quite possibly be a very quiet, very unofficial version of the lengthy suspension that Russia is now undergoing after its national doping program centered on the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. The Olympics are not likely to return to China for quite a while.

More interesting, perhaps, will be the fall-out from all of this – including the assault accusations against Zhang – on the future of other sporting events in China. Major events scheduled for 2022 include the World University Games in Chengdu from 26 June-7 July, and the Asian Games from 10-25 September in Hangzhou.

There are lots of World Cup events scheduled in China for 2022 and World Athletics was supposed to hold its World Half Marathon Championships in Yangzhou next March, but has delayed it until 13 November due to Covid. On Monday, World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR) told BBC Radio Four that he would vote for holding events as scheduled and dismissed the talk of a “diplomatic boycott” of the Winter Games:

“That is a meaningless gesture and a damaging gesture. No organising committee or national Olympic federation, if I’m being a little blunt here, is going to miss a minister.

“But what does this mean and where does this leave our diplomatic mission? They are still on the frontline of diplomacy with China. Leaving the frontline diplomatic opportunities is a dilemma.

“Frankly, I think that is a hollow gesture. I think it is far better that you have ministers there, that you maintain diplomatic relationships, and that you ask the tough questions. …

“If you go back into the history of sport, whether it’s the 1936 Games of Jesse Owens or the Black Power salutes in 1968, sport is a very powerful driver of integration and change.”

There are other points of view, of course, and the WTA – not the IOC – is now the leader in the how-do-we-deal-with-China issue that has been centered on the genocide against the Uyghur Muslims, on the crushing of democracy in Hong Kong and other issues. But now the regime’s actions against an aging tennis player could be the first in a long series of steps which could impose a significant worry on the Chinese Communist Party: international disapproval, de-legitimization and isolation. All based on – as they say in tennis – an unforced error.

That is the power that sport represents.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HIGHLIGHTS: Jackson and Bowe post World Cup skating wins again; Peterson wins U.S. women’s curling Trials; Vlhova beats Shiffrin twice in Levi

By
Rich Perelman
-
American speed skating star Brittany Bowe

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world/updated/:

● Alpine Skiing ● Two FIS Alpine World Cup slaloms for women were held in the north Finnish town of Levi on Saturday and Sunday, with the race offering a reindeer as a “prize” for the winner. Actually, the winner gets to name a reindeer, but it’s a pretty good promotional gimmick nonetheless.

On Saturday, Slovakian star Petra Vlhova had the fastest opening run at 52.15, just 0.11 ahead of American Mikaela Shiffrin. And after Shiffrin and German Lena Duerr both posted strong second runs, Vlhova zoomed to the fastest time on her final run, winning 1:46.19-1:46.50 over Shiffrin, with Duerr third.

On Sunday, the results were exactly the same! Vlhova led Shiffrin after the first run by 52.14-52.32, then won the second run at 53.08, while Shiffrin faded to sixth (53.37), but remained second overall, 1:45.22-1:45.69. Duerr was again third (1:46.00). It was Vlhova’s fifth win at Levi.

● Badminton ● Great fields at the Indonesia Masters in Bali, with four of the five top-seed entries making it to the finals, but only two of them won.

Now recovered from injuries, top-seeded Kento Momota (JPN) won the men’s Singles with an impressive 21-17, 21-11 win over third-seed Anders Antonsen (DEN). Momota was one of three Japanese winners, with Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (JPN) upsetting top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA) in the men’s Doubles (21-11, 17-21, 21-19) and Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (JPN) winning the women’s Doubles over Na Eun Jeong and Hye Jeong Kim (KOR), 21-9, 21-11.

Top-seed Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) lost, however, in the women’s Singles final to Seyoung An (KOR), 21-17, 21-19.

In the Mixed Doubles, top-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA) defeated Chun Man Tang and Ying Suet Tse (HKG), 21-11, 21-12.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup was in full swing in Innsbruck (AUT), with reigning Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich (GER) taking his eighth straight two-man victory – over two seasons – with a 1:42.85-1:43.32 win over fellow German Johannes Lochner. Britain’s Brad Hall was third (1:43.48); American Codie Bascue – with Carlo Valdes – was fifth (1:43.61).

Friedrich then won the four-man, his fifth win in a row on the circuit, timing 1:41.31 for two runs, ahead of Hall (1:41.57) and Lochner (1:41.57), who tied for second. The top American sled was driven by Hunter Church in eighth (1:42.04).

German sleds went 1-2 in the women’s two, with Laura Nolte driving the winner (1:46.22) ahead of Kim Kalicki (1:46.39), with Canada’s Christine de Bruin third (1:46.51). Americans Kaillie Humphries (with Sylvia Hoffman) and Elana Meyers Taylor (and Aja Evans) were fourth (1:46.52) and sixth (1:46.71).

Russia’s Sochi 2014 champion Alexander Tretiakov won the men’s Skeleton, 1:45.07-1:45.14 over six-time World Champion Martins Dukurs (LAT), with Christopher Grotheer (GER: 1:45.23). The women’s win went to Russia’s Elena Nikitina, her 13th career victory, finishing at 1:47.49-1:47.59 for Kimberley Bos (NED).

The IBSF women’s Monobob World Series was also in Innsbruck (AUT), with an impressive 1-2 for Meyers Taylor and Humphries of the U.S. Meyers Taylor, three times an Olympic medalist with two women, won both runs to finish at 1:50.50 with Humphries, the two-time Olympic winner, at 1:50.63.

● Curling ● /updated/The 10-day U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha finished on Sunday, with Tabitha Peterson advancing to Beijing, and the men’s berth coming down to a final match.

In the men’s division, reigning Olympic gold medalist John Shuster’s rink led the qualifying round with a 9-1 record, ahead of Korey Dropkin (7-3). The two squads split their two meetings.

In the championship series, Dropkin won the first match by 8-4, but Shuster came back with two points each in the final ends on Saturday night to win 7-3, and force a final match on Sunday.

The championship game was tightly played, with Shuster taking the lead with a single point in the third end and Dropkin tying in the fourth. Shuster then took two points out of the sixth end to go up 3-1, and another in the seventh and eighth for a 5-1 lead. Dropkin’s squad fought back with two points in the ninth end (5-3), but Shuster got one more in the 10th for a 6-3 final.

Shuster came into the final having won four of the six matches all-time with Dropkin-skipped teams; they played five times at the Trials, with Shuster winning three. How close were they? Dropkin’s quartet out-scored Shuster’s squad, 27-26 in the five matches, but Shuster, Matt Hamilton and John Landsteiner will get to defend their Olympic title (plus newcomer Chris Plys).

The women’s double round-robin saw Tabitha Peterson’s rink also roll up a 9-1 record, trailed by Cory Christensen’s team at 7-3. Peterson won both matches with Christensen at 8-5 and 9-4.

Peterson took the first match of the championship series by 8-7, with a point in the ninth end. Then she earned her second Olympic berth with points in the first two ends, three in the fourth and one in the fifth for a 6-2 lead. She closed with three points in the seventh and eighth ends and won the tournament with a 9-4 final.

Peterson’s quartet included Nina Roth, Becca Hamilton and sister Tara Peterson. Tabitha Peterson, Roth and Hamilton were all 2018 Olympians – with Roth as skip – finishing eighth in PyeongChang.

● Fencing ● The FIE World Cup had competitions in Epee in Tallinn (EST) for women and Berne (SUI) for men.

The women’s tournament had an all-French final, with Josephine Jacques Andre Coquin winning over Marie-Florence Candassamy, 15-11. It’s the second career World Cup win for Jacques Andre Coquin and her first since 2012! American Anna van Brummen tied for sixth.

The men’s final in Berne saw a rare South American win in a European venue for Venezuelan star Ruben Limardo Gascon, who defeated France’s Alexandre Bardenet in the final, 15-7. Limardo, 36, scored his fourth World Cup gold, winning previously in Colombia in 2006, and Argentina in 2009 and 2013. Bardenet, 31, reached his first World Cup final since his only win in 2019.

● Figure Skating ● The fifth leg of the ISU Grand Prix was in Grenoble at the Internationaux de France with the home favorites Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron dominating the Ice Dance.

The four-time World Champions won both the Short Program and Free Skate and totaled 221.25 points to win convincingly over Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (203.16) and Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin (RUS: 200.29). Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were fifth (175.91).

Japan enjoyed a 1-2 finish in the men’s skating, with Yuma Kagiyama winning his second straight Grand Prix event, 286.41-264.99 over countryman Shun Sato. American Jason Brown was third at 264.20.

Russia went 1-2 in the women’s division, with Anna Shcherbakova scoring 229.69 (despite a fall in the Free Skate) over Alena Kostornaia (221.85). Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) was third at 204.91, with Americans Karen Chen (194.00) and Mariah Bell (190.79).

Russia also went 1-2 in Pairs, as Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii defeated Iulliia Artemeva and Mikhail Nazarychev, 216.96-205.15, with Americans Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier third (201.69).

● Freestyle Skiing ● The Freestyle World Cup resumed this weekend with Slopestyle events in Stubai (AUT), with Estonian teen Kelly Sildaru winning her fourth World Cup title and second at Stubai. She scored 88.68 points to finish ahead of Swiss Sarah Hoefflin (80.30) and Johanne Killi (NOR: 78.32).

Norway’s 2019 Worlds silver medalist Birk Ruud won the men’s Slopestyle at 87.60, ahead of Max Moffatt (CAN: 86.26) and fellow Norwegian Ferdinand Dahl (86.06). Ruud, 21, captured his sixth career World Cup victory.

● Gymnastics ● The 35th Trampoline Worlds were on in Baku (AZE) this week, with China winning its 11th straight men’s individual title, but this time with Langyu Yan, a first-time World Champion.

Yan scored 61.825 to win over Ryusei Nishioka (JPN: 60.620) and Aleh Rabtsau (BLR: 60.385).

Britain’s Bryony Page, the Olympic bronze medalist, won her first women’s title, scoring 56.235 to defeat China’s Yunzhu Cao (55.815) and Russia’s Iana Lebedeva (55.800).

Among the non-Olympic finals, Vasili Makarsvili (RUS) won the men’s Double Mini, with American Ruben Padilla third. Swede Lina Sjoeberg won the women’s DM (70.900), ahead of American Shelby Nobuhara (70.000). In Tumbling, Russian Aleksandr Lisitsyn won the men’s division (80.000 popints), with American Kaden Brown third (75.400); Megan Kealy (GBR) won the women’s division.

● Luge ● The FIL World Cup was at the Olympic track in Yanqing (CHN), with Germany taking the top three in the men’s Singles, with Johannes Ludwig (1:54.597), six-time World Champion Felix Loch (1:55.451) and Max Langenhan (1:55.455). Tucker West was the top American in 21st (1:56.742).

Germans Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken took the men’s Doubles over Austria’s Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller, 1:57.610-1:57.819.

Sunday’s women’s Singles saw Austria’s Madeleine Egle take an upset win over Germany’s Julia Taubitz, 1:58.822-1:58.928, with Lisa Schulte (AUT) third in 1:59.350. Ashley Farquharson was the top American, eighth in 1:59.867.

● Sailing ● /Updated/A tripleheader of World Championships was held in Oman, for the 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 classes, all part of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The men’s 49er class was a tight battle, with Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken (NED) just edging Germans Tim Fischer and Fabian Graf, 92.0-94.0. Lambriex and van de Werken won the medal race, which provided the final margin. Danes Frederik Rask and Jakob Precht Jensen took third, 112.0-113.0 over Ian Barrows and Hans Henken of the U.S.

The women’s 49er FX was another Dutch victory, with Odile van Aanholt and Elise Ruyter scoring a net 75.0 points, ahead of Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen (NOR: 83.0) and Tokyo gold medalists Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA: 94.0). Van Aanholt and Ruyter finished in the top three in eight of the 16 races.

In the Nacra 17 mixed multihull championship, Tokyo silver winners John Gimson and Anna Burnet took the title at 61.0 (eight top-3s in 17 races), followed by Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei (ITA: 70.0) and Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer (GER: 77.0).

● Short Track ● The ISU World Cup was in Debrecen (HUN), with seven-time World Champion Suzanne Schulting stamping herself again as a major contender in Beijing next February with statement wins in the 500 m, 1,000 m and 1,500 m.

On Saturday, she took the 500 m at 42.566 over Italy’s Arianna Fontana (42.801) and the 1,500 m over Korean Yubin Lee, 2:23.009-2:23.101. American Kristen Santos was sixth in the 1,500 m in 2:23.530. On Sunday, she came back to win the 1,000 m in 1:31.475 with Korean star Minjeong Choi second (1:31.789). Very impressive.

In the men’s skating, the Hungarian siblings Shaolin Sandor Liu and Shaoang Liu went 1-2 in the 500 m, at 40.955 and 40.965. China’s Ziwei Ren won the 1,500 m, timing 2:12.910 to beat Canada’s Pascal Dion (2:13.048). Korean Daeheon Hwang won the men’s 1,000 m in 1:25.425 over Dion (1:25.698).

● Speed Skating ● “When I crossed the line, I was kind of disappointed. It didn’t feel like a solid race, and the time didn’t seem like something that would be the winning time. I did not expect that to be the winning time.”

But a winner it was, with American Erin Jackson taking her third straight ISU World Cup victory at 500 m, again over Japan’s reigning Olympic champ Nao Kodaira, 37.602-37.708 in Stavanger (NOR).

Kodaira promised a win in Sunday’s second women’s 500 m and she delivered, in 37.253 to Jackson’s 37.761 for silver. Russian Angelina Golikova was third (37.712).

Six-time World Champion Brittany Bowe of the U.S. won her second straight World Cup in the women’s 1,000 m, finishing in 1:14.168 to edge Japan’s Miho Takagi (1:15.014) and Kodaira (1:15.161). American Kimi Goetz (1:16.139) was eighth.

Takagi came back to win the women’s 1500 m in 1:55.679, ahead of Dutch legend Ireen Wust (1:56.251) and Ayano Sato (JPN: 1:56.515). Bowe was seventh (1:57.316). Irene Schouten of the Netherlands took the women’s 5,000 m in 6:52.837 (track record), well ahead of Canada’s Isabelle Weidermann (6:54.953).

Canada’s Laurent Debreuil took the first men’s 500 m in 34.573 against 34.608 for Russia’s Artem Arefyev; Japan’s Tatsuya Shinhama won his second race of the season on Sunday in 34.578 over Dubreuil (34.610).

Dutch stars swept the men’s 1,000 m, with Thomas Krol (1:08.661) finishing ahead of Kai Verbij (1:08.688) and Kjeld Nuis (1:08.741). China’s Zhongyan Ning won the 1,500 m over American Joey Mantia, 1:45.167 to 1:45.552. Swede Nils van der Poel again won the 10,000 m in a track record 12:38.928, more than 17 seconds better than 2014 Olympic champ Jorrit Bergsma (NED: 12:56.088). Wow!

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS World Cup season opened off the 134 m hill in Nizhny Tagil (RUS), with the 10th individual win for German Karl Geiger, who out-scored former World Cup winner Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN), 252.4-243.7. Norway’s Halvor Egner Granerud was third (239.7).

Sunday’s jumping saw Granerud take his 12th individual World Cup win from Geiger, 235.3-226.5, with Austria’s three-time World Champion Stefan Kraft third (223.8).

● Swimming ● The second set of ISL playoff matches were held in Eindhoven (NED), starting with the Thursday-Friday match that saw Energy Standard (FRA: 583.0) take care of the field, with Toronto (407.0) second, the Aqua Centurions (ITA: 390.0) third and D.C. Trident fourth (383.0).

The star was Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, who won the 100-200-400 Freestyles for Energy Standard, and swam the second-fastest 200 m Free ever in a 25 m (short course) pool at 1:50.66, just 0.23 behind the 2017 mark by Sarah Sjostrom (SWE).

Sjostrom also won three events, taking the 50 m Free, the 50 m Free Skins race and the 50 m Fly, plus seconds behind Haughey in the 200 m Free and Louise Hansson (SWE) in the 100 m Fly. Also winning three was Canadian Backstroke star Kylie Masse (50-100-200 m).

The top men’s performers included five two-event winners: 50-100 m Backstroke winner Mark Nikolaev (RUS), fellow Russian Aleksandr Shchegolev (100-200m Free), countryman Kliment Kolesnkov (100 m Free-200 m Medley), plus Matteo Rivolta (ITA) in the 50-100 m Fly and Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) in the 100-200 m Breast.

The weekend match featured defending champs Cali Condors, with U.S. superstar Caeleb Dressel back in the pool for a couple of events.

The team battle came down to the Condors and the London Roar, with the Roar winning at 534.5 points to 474.5, and the L.A. Current third at 438.5.

The individual stars included three-event winners Kyle Chalmers (AUS: 50-100-200 m Frees), American Ryan Murphy (50-100 m Backstrokes and 50 m Skins), Britain’s Duncan Scott in the 400 m Free and 200-400 m Medleys, and American breaststroke star Lilly King (50-100-200 m).

Among the two-event winners: sprint star Kira Toussaint (NED) in the women’s 50 m and 100 m Backstrokes, Sydney Pickrem (CAN) took the 200-400 m Medleys and American Hali Flickinger won the 400 m Free and 200 m Fly.

Dressel won the 100 m Medley and was third in the 50 m Free in his two individual events.

There are two more playoff matches this coming week, prior to the final in December.

● Table Tennis ● At the Pan American Champs in Peru, Brazil took three golds to lead all nations, with Puerto Rico claiming two.

In the men’s division, Hugo Calderano (BRA) won the Singles over Eugene Wang (CAN), 4-2, and Argentina’s Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes took the Doubles, 3-1, over Juan LaMadrid and Gustavo Gomez (CHI).

Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz took the women’s Singles over Bruna Takahashi (BRA), 4-3 and then teamed with Melanie Diaz in the Doubles, defeating Daniela Ortega and Paulina Vega (CHI) 3-2.

In the Mixed Doubles, Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy and Takahashi were 3-1 winners over Horiacio Cifuentes and Camilla Arguellas of Argentina. In the team finals, Brazil topped Chile, 3-1, in the men’s final and Brazil defeated Canada, 3-1 in the women’s championship match.

● Tennis ● In the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin (ITA), Germany’s no. 3 seed Alexander Zverev defeated defending champion Daniil Medvedev (RUS), 6-4, 6-4, for the Singles title. France’s third-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut edged Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (GBR) in the Doubles, 6–4, 7–6.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

THE TICKER: World Athletics reveals 2022-30 “World Plan”; 13 more weightlifting dopers from 2012; how about a visual tour of ancient Olympia?

By
Rich Perelman
-

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

World Athletics revealed its ballyhooed “World Athletics Plan 2022-30″ at the World Athletics Congress on Thursday, a 57-page report which is strong on goals and objectives, and offers 67 ideas to help growth the sport.

The plan was developed via a survey taken by more than 25,000 people in 178 countries and detailed questionnaires completed by 181 of the 215 national federations in World Athletics.

The “vision” continued the Strategy for Growth 2020-23 plan published in 2020 and was simply expressed: more participation, more people, more fans and more partnerships:

● Participation: more “development pathways – from school to the world stage,” with a need for more facilities, more promotion and more emphasis on Masters events to make athletics a life-long sport.

● People: more support staff, not only in coaching, but also as officials, for athlete safeguarding and protection, and to help with gender equity.

● Fans: the visibility of the sport must be heightened, the reputation of the sport must be advanced and more digital engagement is needed.

● Partners: a better case must be made of the benefits of being involved with the sport. More host cities must be recruited for major events, broadcasters must be more closely integrated and more data is needed from existing programs to point the way forward.

How are these things to be accomplished? Detailed key performance indicators were provided as goals for each segment and action ideas were offered for each segment from 2022-25: 20 for participation, 12 for people, 22 for fans and 13 for partnerships.

The plan is more of a menu of opportunities than a list of tasks, as it notes:

“It is recognised that not all stakeholders will be able to deliver all actions within the specified time lines and that some actions may not be applicable to all. Therefore, it is expected that stakeholders including Areas and [member federations] will prioritise actions based on their unique needs and resource (financial and personnel) availability.”

One of the underrated elements of the sport is its new breadth, mentioned in the report to include much more than track & field, but also road running, cross country, race walking, mountain running, trail running and ultra running. This could be a key to broad-based interest moving forward.

There were interesting insights from the federation surveys summarized in the report:

● Better participation in the sport requires more integration into school curricula, better promotion and marketing of the sport and a better-understood “pathway” from school levels to international competitions.

● Smaller federations noted access to facilities, or lack of facilities, as a barrier to the sport in their countries.

● Overall: “A lack of media coverage is perceived to be the biggest single challenge to growing the sport with 24% of respondents saying this. This is closely followed by a lack of facilities (selected by 20% of respondents).”

The responses by individuals showed that only 33% said that athletics was a popular sport in their country. That’s not good, but it’s a starting point.

There was a lot of effort in the development of this program, but even with all of the goals and the many recommendations and action items, the report agrees that the task in front of track & field is enormous.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● Reports from Washington, D.C. are predicting some sort of a diplomatic boycott by the U.S. of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

Calls for any sort of forced athlete boycott have been pushed aside, but the Biden Administration is considering implementing a partial or total ban on U.S. governmental representation at the Games. Demands for a diplomatic shutout have come from both Democrats and Republicans, including a bi-partisan amendment offered on the National Defense Authorization Act for 2022, which included:

“The Secretary of State may not obligate or expend any Federal funds to support or facilitate the attendance of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games or the XIII Paralympic Winter Games by any employee of the United States Government.”

An exception is made for Federal support of the U.S. delegation to the Games, especially for security.

● Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: Paris 2024 ● The FrancsJeux site reported that a Monday meeting of the French government’s inter-ministerial working group on the 2024 Games included actions to (1) expand a program of 30 minutes of “daily sports activity” to all 36,000 elementary schools in the country, (2) expand the network of cycling lanes between all of the Olympic sites, (3) create a training program for security staff for the Games since there are not enough police to cover all of the sites, and (4) provide €11 million (~$12.5 million U.S.) in federal funds for the Cultural Olympiad, with €2 million to be allocated in 2022 and the rest for 2023-24.

The question of the opening ceremony, possibly to be held on the Seine River (!), is to be at least preliminarily decided by the end of the year. The idea is enticing, but everyone agrees that the question of security is problematic at best, not to mention the logistics.

● Games of the XXXIV Olympiad: Los Angeles 2028 ● Not as dramatic as the announcement of the City of Los Angeles-LA28 “Games Agreement” on Wednesday, the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the 2028 Games met with the LA28 organizers online this week.

“With seven years to go, the Organising Committee is now advancing planning, based on the strong foundations already in place.” That’s about all there is to say. From the IOC’s standpoint: so far, so good.

● Games of the XXXV Olympiad: Brisbane 2032 ● The head of the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission warned that the legislation that will form the Brisbane organizing committee contains risks if conflicts of interest are not declared.

The bill has language which exempts elected officials from having to declare conflicts of interest and which entirely exempts members of Parliament who also are members of the organizing committee board from the Queensland Crime and Corruption Act.

Commission head Alan MacSporran explained to a parliamentary committee: “The CCC has concerns with this aspect of the Bill as it presents corruption risks. If a conflict arises between an elected office bearer’s duties and their role as a director on the Corporation it should be declared and managed. Those considerations loom large for a body which is likely to be involved in the management of substantial public funds.”

The bill is continuing to be reviewed.

● Anti-Doping ● The U.S. side of the political fight with the World Anti-Doping Agency about governance was tightened up with a meeting last Friday (12th) between the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, USOPC corporate sponsors and the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The result was a continuation of the American policy stance on WADA governance; the meeting summary concluded with “AAC and USADA firmly believe that WADA must exercise total independence from those with a financial or political interest in sport, and that independent athletes are provided voting seats at the decision-making table.”

● Athletics ● The World Athletics Congress confirmed that “the Russian Federation continues to be suspended while the Council oversees completion of the Russian reinstatement plan.”

A report from Norway’s Rune Andersen, head of the federation’s Russia task force noted that World Athletics has had two experts in Russia for much of the time since the latest “roadmap for reinstatement” was approved in March of 2021. The status:

● “RusAF has made steady progress towards meeting the conditions set for its reinstatement to membership of World Athletics. The key milestones to date have been met, as well as the various key performance indicators set out in the Reinstatement Plan.”

● “There are still people in Russian athletics who have not embraced this new culture, and there is still much work for RusAF to do to ensure that they do not exercise influence, and instead it is the new generation of athletes and coaches that push Russian athletics forward. But the new RusAF leadership has shown what seems to be a genuine commitment to lead this change and ensure it becomes deep-rooted in Russian athletics.”

● “The status of RUSADA, the Russian national anti-doping organisation, remains an issue of concern. … It is not clear … whether RUSADA is able to perform its role as the independent Russian NADO effectively.”

The World Athletics Council will continue to receive reports from Andersen’s group and consider the progress of the Russian Federation.

World Athletics also announced that it has extended its broadcast agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) from 2024-29, with an increase in rights fees. Total World Athletics broadcast rights for 2020 (excepting Japan) were $14.775 million, up from $14.725 million in 2019.

Olympic 100 m silver medalist Fred Kerley of the U.S. got the Twitter world screaming when he posted on 14 November:

“9 18 and 42″

He didn’t explain further, but his lifetime bests are 9.84 for 100 m, 19.76 for 200 m and 43.64 for 400 m. Is he projecting a 2022 season with sub-10, sub-19 and sub-43 second times? Those would be world records in the 200 and 400 m; or is he saying “9.18″ for 100 m (also a record) and a sub-43 record in the 400 m?

Either way, Kerley is on his way to winning the off-season!

Three-time World Championships 200 m medal winner Wallace Spearmon posted USA Track & Field’s request for applications for “Head Relay Coach” for men and women for the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

At the top of the tweet, he added: “@Carl_Lewis put up or…. What’s popping?”

Lewis, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist in the sprints, relay and long jump who is an assistant coach at the University of Houston, has been highly critical of the continued American failures in the men’s 4×100 m relay, including at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. A botched second exchange from Kerley to Ronnie Baker in the qualifying heat led to a sixth-place finish, which did not qualify for the final. Wrote Lewis on Twitter:

“The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay. The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership. It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw.”

● Fencing ● Further to Wednesday morning’s story on the governance trials and tribulations within USA Fencing, the federation published late Wednesday a list of bylaw amendments to be voted on by the Board on 5 January 2022, with comments to be received by 31 December 2021.

Included is a change to section 7.21 that would allow the term of at-large director Lorrie Marcil Holmes to be extended from 2022 to 2023, without election. TSX reported that this had been approved already; instead, it is recommended by the Board for adoption, but must be available for public comment before a Board vote for passage can be made. Our original story has been amended.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The UIPM, international federation for the sport, playing defense against loud voices opposing the elimination of riding from the pentathlon for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, posted a message praising the “more than 50″ letters of support received from member national federations, but also noted “concerns” raised by others.

More importantly, the message included a look into the future:

“The EB would like to reiterate that this decision was not taken lightly at all. Besides the recommendations of the UIPM Innovation Commission, the EB also took into account a series of IOC evaluation and selection criteria that will determine the ranking of the sports and which sports are on the programme for LA 2028, and the urgent obligation to submit a proposal to the International Olympic Committee one week before the Olympic Programme Commission meeting scheduled for December 1, 2021.

“It is also important to reiterate that no sport nor event is decided for LA 2028 at this moment. The programmes are going to be decided by the IOC EB in its meeting on December 7-9, 2021 having been empowered with this competence by the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo in July 2021. And the decision will be based on the recommendations from the Programme Commission.

“In opening a consultation around the 5th Discipline, the EB acted entirely in the interest of insuring Modern Pentathlon’s future in the Olympic Games. UIPM would like to state that the EB decision only related to the proposal to be submitted to the IOC around LA 2028, and the EB has not decided on any amendments to the UIPM Statutes or UIPM Competition Rules or indeed any potential discipline to replace Riding.”

This raises the incredible possibility that riding could be maintained for all UIPM competitions except the Olympic Games after Paris 2024. The actual decision of what will happen is up to the UIPM Congress, which conveniently will meet from 27-28 November. Wow.

● Swimming ● FINA, the international federation for aquatics, sent a thunderbolt through the swimming world with the removal of East Germany’s Dr. Lothar Kipke from the “FINA Honours List.”

Kipke’s award, made in the 1980s for his “contributions” to the FINA Medical Committee, was given prior to his conviction in 2001 for giving performance-enhancing drugs to swimmers, without their knowledge.

FINA President Husain Al-Musallam (KUW) said in a statement, “For a doctor to harm athletes in the search for medals is unacceptable and I am proud that FINA has decided to send a clear message.”

Observed: This action opens the door to questions about results from the 1970s and 1980s where clear evidence of state doping is available, and, in many cases, those athletes who suffered at the hands of doped-up performers, are still alive. No investigations into possible changes of results have been announced, but it will not be a shock now if they are.

● Weightlifting ● More bad news for the sport from the International Testing Agency, which named 13 competitors from the 2012 European Championships in Turkey as doping positives for steroids from the re-tests of their samples.

They include Hysen Pulaku (ALB), Hanna Batsiushka (BLR), Dimitris Minasidis (CYP), Irakli Turmanidze and Rauli Tsirekidze (GEO), Cristina Iovu (MLD), Florin Ionut Croitoru and Razvan Constantin Martin (ROU), Oxana Slivenko (RUS) and four from Turkey: Gokhan Kilic, Bunyami Sezer, Hatice Yilmaz and Fatih Baydar.

Each now has the option to ask for a test of their second sample, but are for now provisionally suspended. These tests are part of the continuing inquiry into the IWF’s mismanagement of doping results from 2009-19.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Football ● The third window of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying matches was completed on Tuesday (16th), with the U.S. playing to a 1-1 tie with Jamaica in Kingston.

The American squad took the lead in the 11th minute thanks to a Tim Weah goal off a give-and-go from striker Ricardo Pepi for a 1-0 lead. But a sensational, straightaway strike by Michail Antonio from about 30 yards out tied the game in the 22nd minute and the half ended 1-1. The U.S. owned possession by 56-44 and was 5-1 in shots.

The second half saw the game seesaw mostly in the midfield, with the U.S. failing to find its way through a crowded Jamaica defense. The home team succeeded best on counterattacks, and Damion Lowe appeared to give Jamaica 2-1 lead in the 84th minute, but was called for a foul on U.S. defender Walker Zimmerman.

The game ended with the U.S. owning 62% of the possession, but was out-shot by the Jamaicans in the second half, 5-4.

The tie gave the U.S. men a 4-1-3 mark with six games left in the qualifying schedule. Canada shocked Mexico, 2-1, in 14-degree (F) temperatures in Edmonton (5 F with wind chill!), reportedly the coldest conditions in which a Mexican team has ever played, and moved to the top of the standings (!!!) at 4-0-4 and 16 points. The U.S. sits second with 15 points and Mexico (4-2-2) is ahead of Panama (4-2-2) on goal differential, +4 to +2. The next set of games begins on 27 January 2022.

● Weightlifting ● While the Pan American Weightlifting Federation has failed in its responsibility to post the results of its own championships, USA Weightlifting did publish the full results of the 1-7 November competition in Ecuador.

The U.S. team got six overall wins, from Hampton Morris (men’s 61 kg), and Keiser Witte at +109 kg, and Hayley Reichardt (women’s 49 kg), Meredith Alwine (71 kg), Katie Nye and Mattie Rogers went 1-2 at 76 kg and Mary Thiesen at +87 kg.

Colombia dominated the meet overall, with wins in the men’s division at 55 kg (Miguel Suarez), 67 kg (Francisco Mosquera), 81 kg (Brayan Rodallegas), 89 kg (Jhor Moreno) and 102 kg (Lesman Paredes). They won three women’s divisions, at 59 kg (Yenni Alvarez), 64 kg (Natalia Llamosa) and at 81 kg (Valeria Rivas) for eight total golds.

≡ THE LAST WORD ≡

What was ancient Olympia like? Microsoft, in a partnership with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport, has created an amazing fly-through tour of what the site looked like at the time of the ancient Games.

The Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds project “digitally preserves 27 monuments at the site, among them the original Olympic Stadium, the temples of Zeus and Hera, and the workshop of the renowned sculptor Phidias. In the 3D experience, these buildings are recreated in lifelike detail, painstakingly researched by the Hellenic Ministry’s expert archaeologists to be as true as possible to their original forms.”

It’s an tremendous program, but is a three-dimensional architectural record of the site and does not show how it actually operated. Viewed in conjunction with a static site map (example), one can begin to understand how the facilities might have looked when filled with people coming to see the ancient Games at the site renowned for the giant statue of Zeus.

Absolutely worth the time to explore and enjoy.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: City of Los Angeles releases text of proposed “Games Agreement” with Los Angeles 2028 organizers

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

It’s still almost seven years until the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and XVIII Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, but the City and the LA28 organizers are not waiting. A proposed 23-page “Games Agreement” outlining the services to be provided by the City and the responsibilities of the organizing committee was posted Wednesday evening, with a recommendation from City staff to approve it by 8 December.

The agreement itself does not break much new ground. As the introduction notes, “The City Attorney advises that any changes in the Games Agreement compared to the [existing Memorandum of Understanding] are not material in nature and continue the intent of the MOU” which was signed in 2018.

The core of the agreement concerns costs to the City resulting from the staging of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The contract summary states the key concept as:

“The City agrees to provide and maintain, at its own cost, normal and customary City resource levels leading up to and during the hosting of the 2028 Games. LA28 may request that the City provide enhanced City resources that exceed normal and customary levels. Costs resulting from requested and agreed upon enhanced City resources will be reimbursable to the City by LA28.”

This is exactly the same concept on which the City and the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee agreed for the 1984 Olympic Games. Further, a procedure is specified to determine the level of normal (existing) City service by 1 October 2024, with an “Enhanced City Resources Master Agreement” for activities to be concluded by 1 October 2025 to identify more-than-normal City activity to be paid for by the organizing committee and detail the “repayment timelines, audit rights, and other processes for the Games.”

A separate set of agreements are to be concluded by 1 October 2026 for specific competition and support venues operated by the City. Arrangements with sites outside the City will be negotiated separately with the relevant entity, on the same principles.

However, the proposed agreement goes much further in terms of what the LA28 organizers must provide to the City compared to the 1984 Games:

● City staff: In order to cover planning costs, LA28 will pay for the equivalent of up to four full-staff City staff beginning in 2024.

● Games Surplus: The Host City Contract specifies that LA28 will receive 80% of any surplus from the 2028 Games, and this amount will be moved to a “Legacy Entity” to be established by 31 January 2028. The City and LA28 will each nominate an equal number of directors, making it a shared-governance project. The other 20% will go to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti made a prediction at the 2019 Los Angeles Sports Summit that the organizers would realize a $1 billion-plus operating surplus from the Games. So breaking even is not really good enough.

● Human Rights: “LA28 will develop and implement, in close coordination with the City, a human rights strategy committed to human rights protections in the City of Los Angeles.” This program is to be developed between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025.

● Community Access: “LA28 will develop solutions in furtherance of making tickets
and access available and affordable to City residents in an equitable manner.” This is specified to include programs for low-and-moderate income individuals, residents near the venues, students, veterans, youth and “Caregivers of persons with high dependencies or disabilities” attending with their dependent.

● Community business and staffing: Programs will be required to “to ensure that small,
local, and underrepresented businesses have access and can participate in contract opportunities associated with the 2028 Games” and “a program in furtherance of ensuring that the 2028 Games workforce is fully representative of the diversity of Los Angeles.” The specific goals of both programs are due by 31 March 2025.

The City is also planning a “business attraction program” to promote business in Los Angeles, but LA28’s role is only to share information and collaborate.

● Sustainability: A plan is due by 31 March 2023 to support “advancement of the City’s applicable sustainability goals such as the City’s goals for zero carbon transportation, zero carbon grid, zero carbon buildings, zero waste, and zero wasted water.”

This is in line with the International Olympic Committee’s stance that the Los Angeles Games must be carbon-neutral, if not carbon-positive. The Games Agreement calls for the LA28 Games to meet “International Organization for Standardization 20121 standards.”

A “Games Energy Council” is also called to coordinate power requirements for the Games.

● Transportation: LA28 will “will develop and lead, in close coordination with the City, a mobility and transportation plan” and an operations plan for area airports.

None of these items were required of the 1984 organizing committee, which was a completely private-sector entity and received no governmental financial guarantees. The City of Los Angeles and the State of California are both on the hook for $270 million (each) in guarantees against an organizing committee deficit. Accordingly, the City must have not less than one-sixth of all seats on the LA28 Board.

There are several other items included in the contract:

● Arts and Culture: LA28 is obligated to stage a cultural program with the Games; the Games Agreement requires the organizers to develop a plan “to provide culturally diverse communities with opportunities and capacity to bid, propose, and receive contracts to produce local events, festivals, and cultural experiences in conjunction with the 2028 Games.”

● Public Safety: A “California Olympic and Paralympic Public Safety Command” was established earlier this year and is integrated into the agreement.

● Risk Management: LA28 is required to “maintain insurance policies in accordance with
prudent commercial best practices to include, but not be limited to, policies to protect against natural disasters, communicable diseases, terrorism, civil unrest, cyber-attacks, event cancellation, and coverage for reduced ticket sales and other revenue losses should the events become less appealing.”

A contingency is not less than $270 million – the City’s guarantee amount – is specified.

The agreement requires LA28 to make annual reports on 31 March of each year, as it has been doing, but does not mandate any other public reporting of its activities.

The already-executed Youth Sports Agreement, in which LA28 has committed to $160 million in funding for City Recreation & Parks Department programs through 2028, is also integrated.

Interestingly, the City has required an agreement by the end of 2022 to allow the City to use some of the organizing committee’s intellectual property (logos and other marks), but this must be approved by the International Olympic Committee.

Is this a good agreement for the City? For LA28?

It’s really not a final agreement at all, but an agreement to agree on more specifics at a late date. But for the City, it continues to underline its commitment to being reimbursed for all of its activities above and beyond its normal course of business in at least the last three years prior to the Games. And it has LA28 agreed to make efforts to hire local business, local people and make affordable tickets available to people who might not otherwise be able to attend the Games.

For LA28, the agreement is certainly not a cost-saver, but it prevents the organizing committee from being held up to fund normal City expenses. And it provides a valuable blueprint of specific civic-sector targets it must meet over the final three years of the organizing effort.

Activists will be unhappy, of course, because the agreement – depending on the activist – allows the Games to go on, and/or does not solve their pet problems, whether they be traffic, homelessness, climate or something else. Look for them to signal their fury at upcoming City Council hearings on the proposed text.

This “Games Agreement” is not a breakthrough, but it is incremental progress for both sides, and it shows a continuation of a positive working relationship as well as the agreed  concepts of city reimbursement on which the L.A. bid was based.

For now, that’s pretty good.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

THE BIG PICTURE: How USA Fencing & USA Track & Field sidelined their elected presidents, at the urging of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee

By
Rich Perelman
-

/Updated/One of the cornerstones of American democracy in the 21st Century is direct election of leaders at the local, regional and national level. But that’s not the way the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee wants its National Governing Bodies to be led.

In 2020 and 2021, two Olympic-medal-winning U.S. NGBs – USA Track & Field and USA Fencing – sidelined their member-elected Presidents through by-law changes demanded by the USOPC.

The first instance was at the December 2020 USA Track & Field Annual Meeting, where President Vin Lananna, elected in 2017, was demoted to Vice-Chair after the USATF Board bowed to USOPC demands for a change in its by-laws. A November notice to the membership explained:

“In February 2020, the USOPC sent a letter to USATF’s executive management in which they again outlined their concerns with our corporate governance. Citing the shift of the USOPC from NGB recognition to NGB certification, the letter noted that compliance with good corporate governance would be even more important for every NGB going forward.

“The USOPC mandates that good (or effective) governance means that the USATF Board 1) must be the final authority to adopt bylaws and regulations; 2) shall elect the Chair and the elected Chair should have appropriate appointment authority; 3) include more independent members and have additional athlete representation; and 4) ensure volunteers don’t make decisions which could impact the budgetary or operational aspects of the organization.”

The notice was a direct response to the new oversight interest from the U.S. Congress in light of the Nassar abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics. The USOPC is now being held responsible for the actions of the national federations and wants to be able to directly influence their operations without any input, delay or review from federation members.

A lengthy debate was held, with many elite athletes begging for the membership to give away control over the organization, lest any of the USOPC funding for athletes be reduced or eliminated. The measure failed, since it did not receive the 2/3rds majority needed for passage (but did get 57% of the vote).

Disregarding the member vote, the USATF Board then overrode the members and adopted the new by-law changes by itself! This can be changed again by the membership, but only at the 2021 Annual Meeting in December, with the changes already in place for a year.

With the Board able to decide on its leader, it immediately demoted Lananna to Vice Chair and installed 1992 Olympic Triple Jump winner Mike Conley as Chair, where he continues to serve as the unelected-by-members head of the federation.

Meanwhile, in late May of 2020, long-time referee and coach Peter Burchard won a surprise victory – after petitioning to be on the ballot – over two-term incumbent Don Anthony as President of USA Fencing, 1,367-1,154. Burchard began his term on 1 September, but almost exactly a year after his election – and with the USOPC’s help – the rest of the Board began the process of overturning the result:

● A “Governance Task Force” reported at the 26 May 2021 Board meeting a draft revision of the federation’s bylaws. The elegant watchdog site FencingParents.org noted the changes would (1) immediately abolish the position of President and replace it with a Board Chair and (2) beginning in 2024, the position of Board Chair would be selected from the five at-large directors, as opposed to having a member-elected head of the federation.

This was supposed to be consistent with how “other NGB’s are structured.” But FencingParents noted that “The Task Force was, however, unable to recall which NGBs they modeled, but promised to make all data available to the membership once a recommendation was finalized.”

● At the 9 July Board meeting, the text of the new bylaws was posted, to be voted on on 31 August, after member comments were received. FencingParents reported:

“US Fencing proposes to make significant changes to its’ Bylaws based on the recommendations of the Governance Task Force (GTF) appointed by the Board back in December 2020. These proposed changes are apparently driven by a need to comply with requirements of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for sports national governing bodies (NGBs) in order to bring their structures and governance into the 21st century. As such, the GTF included an USOPC advisor [David Patterson]. …

“We are chagrined that neither the US Fencing Board nor the GTF has clarified which of the proposed changes to the bylaws are directly connected to USOPC requirements as some of the proposed changes and the manner in which they will be made strike us as rather imperial.

“The GTF describes the change from President to Chairman of the Board as an innocuous retitling of the position. This is misleading. The proposed bylaw changes will eliminate the position of an elected President at US Fencing. This is a very substantive change.

“Going forward under the proposed changes, Chairman of the Board will not be selected by the membership, but will instead be selected by a simple majority of the 12 Board members from amongst the 5 elected at-large directors. This is a material change.

“Under Section 6.2a of the proposed bylaw changes, the Chairman of the Board can be removed at will by the Board members, a very drastic departure from the current situation where the Board cannot remove the President except for cause.”

● The bylaw changes were approved on 31 August and the FencingParents site lashed out:

“Perhaps August 31, 2021 should be remembered as the US Fencing’ Board’s day of infamy given the arrogance with which the Board dismissed strong member opposition to the bylaw changes. The Board passed the proposed bylaw changes with limited debate (strongly suggesting that a decision had been pre-determined before the meeting) on a vote of 9 to 1 with one abstention.”

The Governance Task Force which prepared the new by-laws was made up of six members, including former President Anthony and World Team Epee champion Kat Holmes as co-chairs, but also included Holmes’ mother, Washington D.C. attorney Lorrie Marcil Holmes – an obvious conflict of interest – plus three advisors, including USOPC Associate Director for NGB Governance Patterson.

The USOPC’s compliance staff was aware of the presence of the Holmes mother-and-daughter on the task force; astonishingly, the new by-law package extended the term of Lorrie Marcil Holmes by one year (without election) in another stark conflict of interest. The USA Fencing Board, after an initial motion to allow the term extension, agreed to vote on that section separately, at a later date.

● /Updated/At the 16 October Board meeting that began at 6 p.m., the bylaw amendment was proposed to extend Lorrie Marcil Holmes’s term from 2022 to 2023, without election. This will now be posted for public comment, with the Board to vote on it in January.

Then, under “Other New Business” and not previously announced, director Alan Kidd introduced a motion “To remove Mr. Burchard as Board Chair and appoint [Treasurer David] Arias as the new Chair.” Motion passed.

A news release announcing the change was posted on the USA Fencing Web site at 6:45 p.m. Central time; was the meeting even over at that point? Clearly, the release was pre-prepared as the outcome was already planned (with the Web site staff already instructed).

This is how the sausage is made, USA Fencing style. Burchard’s demotion would never have been possible without the USOPC’s push to change the bylaws for its own perceived benefit, not the benefit of USA Fencing. The USOPC is simply disenfranchising the membership of the national federations.

For USA Track & Field, membership contributions and fees are of little impact to the federation’s finances. Its 2019 financials showed $35.809 million in revenue, 61% of which comes from sponsorships (primarily Nike) and another $5.607 million (16%) from USOPC grants (mostly used for athlete payments).

For USA Fencing, it’s a lot different. It’s 2020 financials showed $8.487 million in revenues, with $3.101 million from registration fees and $1.955 million from membership dues. That’s $5.056 million or 59.6% from members; USOPC support was just $846,056 (10.0%).

But as one longtime observer of the sport noted the USOPC’s campaign to end membership voting rights in the NGBs, “maybe they think members don’t matter.”

What happens now?

There are those in the fencing community who are already working to reverse the actions of both the USOPC and the USA Fencing directors, and give Burchard his position back for the remainder of his term, through 2024. Whether they will be successful is anyone’s guess at this point.

We are coming up quickly on the 158th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s immortal “Gettysburg Address” on 19 November, where he ended by resolving that “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Has anyone at the USOPC heard about this?

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

LANE ONE: IOC introduces “framework” on transgender and hyperandrogenism in women athletes, but no rules and no timetable

By
Rich Perelman
-
From the IOC presentation of its "Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations” (Courtesy of the IOC)

“I think we can clearly say: we have not found the solution to this big question which is out there. But what we have tried to do is to outline a process which helps International Federations to set eligibility criteria and to find solutions. And we will continue helping them doing that work but clearly, this is a topic which will be with us for a long time.”

That’s a good summary from International Olympic Committee communications director Christian Klaue (GER) of the new “IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations.” Introduced at an online news conference from Olympic House in Lausanne (SUI), the six-page document outlines principles to be used together to help each International Federation come up with eligibility rules that “protect” the female category. The primary principles include:

1. Inclusion
2. Prevention of Harm
3. Non-Discrimination
4. Fairness
5. No Presumption of Advantage
6. Evidence-Based Approach
7. Primacy of Health and Bodily Autonomy
8. Stakeholder-Centered Approach
9. Right to Privacy
10. Periodic Reviews

What does this mean in practice, right now?

Not much.

Said Kevah Mehrabi (IRI), the IOC’s Director of the Athlete Department:

“We want to make sure that the process is done appropriately and thoroughly and one is not jumping to conclusion without having enough evidence and knowledge for defining the eligibility criteria. Again, from sport to sport, the work that has been done is quite different and … many sports already have done a lot of research. So if they feel they have enough to revise or introduce eligibility criteria before Paris 2024 qualification, that’s fine. If they feel like they need to go through a longer process to make sure that they get it right, that’s also fine.

“We want to make sure that the process is done properly and not forcing a conclusion because of a specific timeline.”

Pressed further, Mehrabi also noted:

“The Framework is not legally binding, to go into the core of it. … I think it’s a process that we have to go through with each federation on a case-by-case basis and see what is required.”

The major change in the IOC’s thinking from its’ 2015 guidelines that specified a 10 nmol/L testosterone limit for transgender or athletes with differences in sex development is a sport-specific, or even event-specific inquiry by the International Federations into what is needed to ensure a “level playing field” in the women’s category.

IOC Medical Director Dr. Richard Budgett (GBR) said it plainly:

“It is perfectly clear now that performance is not proportional to your endogenous – your in-built – testosterone. … What we’re really interested in is the outcome, and what this does is change the process to getting that outcome of performance.

“There was an agreement amongst many of us in sport that 10 nmol/L was probably the wrong level if you’re looking at testosterone anyways. Many sports have moved on from that, and gone to different levels, and what we’re saying now is, ‘you don’t need to use testosterone at all.’ But this is guidance, not an absolute rule. So we can’t say that the framework in any particular sport be it World Athletics or another is actually wrong. They need to make it right for their sport and this Framework gives them a process by which they can do it, thinking about inclusion and then seeing what produces disproportionate advantage.”

The hour-long presentation and discussion showed that the mindset of the IOC’s presenters was more on transgender athletes than athletes with naturally-elevated levels of testosterone (so-called “differences in sex development”).

Katia Mascagni (SUI), the IOC’s Head of Public Affairs, explained the change in the process this way:

“But rather than looking at defining who is a woman and who is not a woman, it will be actually looking at where there is a history of performance of an athlete who is competing in the female category, where she’s actually generating concerns in terms of a disproportionate advantage that she would have, for instance, and then, therefore, then look into that to determine where there is an unfair performance for that athlete, and therefore determine whether if that athlete would be entitled to compete or not.”

So, essentially, it’s only when an athlete – like South Africa’s double Olympic 800 m winner Caster Semenya – shows she’s extraordinarily good that sports federations should be concerned? Does that then lead to retroactive disqualifications – not contemplated in the Semenya case – for “unfair” outcomes that were “fair” at the start of a race?

These questions were not answered, nor will they be by the IOC, which has only set out a set of principles which the International Federations will be required to wrestle with on their own. The IOC did note that federations can ask for help with research funding.

Mehrabi did underline what the IOC wants to see eliminated:

“[P]olicies that requires [women] to modify their hormone levels to compete lead to serious problems in their health. So, again, instead of requiring unnecessary and potentially harmful treatment, we need to engage from an angle and simply find ways to understand what is an unfair disadvantage and include all [women] on that basis without requiring extra, unnecessary treatment.”

That would suggest that the World Athletics approach to Semenya and others is wrong.

However, Magali Martowicz (GBR), the IOC’s Head of Human Rights also stated:

“[W]hile it’s not about [and not] intended to accept all athletes – an exclusion can still happen – what we have to really ensure is that process, this fair process, is non-discriminatory in its nature.”

An evidence-based approach is considered essential, and a simplified system of “gender verification” is clearly frowned upon.

This is a start, and the IOC acknowledged that its efforts in this area since 2019 have produced no clear answer for all sports, or even all events within a large sport like athletics, cycling or aquatics. With the Framework to be “rolled out” in 2022, look for a lot more studies and a lot more activists asking the IOC to intervene with federations – like World Athletics – whose regulations, no matter how deeply researched, keep anybody out.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HEARD AT HALFTIME: U.S.’s Kynard awarded 2012 high jump win; “League of Legends” for LA28?; more Modern Pentathlon chaos

By
Rich Perelman
-

(For our Highlights of the weekend’s top competitions, click here)

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

American Erik Kynard was formally awarded the gold medal for the 2012 London Olympic high jump on Friday (12th) by the International Olympic Committee, after the on-field winner, Russian Ivan Ukhov, was disqualified for doping.

Kynard and Ukhov were the only ones to clear 2.33 m (7-7 3/4), but Ukhov then cleared 2.36 m (7-8 3/4) and 2.38 m (7-9 3/4) for the victory. Kynard missed once each at 2.36-2.38-2.40 m (7-10 1/2).

Ukhov’s disqualification moved up the three bronze medalists to silver: Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT), Derek Drouin (CAN) and Robbie Grabarz (GBR), each clearing 2.29 m (7-6).

This was one of five medal re-allocations; also:

● Athletics/Women’s high jump: Russian Svetlana Shkolina was disqualified as the bronze medalist and Ruth Beitia (ESP) was advanced to the bronze medal. American Chaunte Lowe moved up to fifth.

● Athletics/Women’s long jump: This event was won by American Brittney Reese, but placers 4-5-7 were disqualified: Ineta Radevica (LAT), Anna Nazarova (RUS) and Nastassia Mironchyk (BLR).

● Canoe-Sprint/Men’s C-1 200 m: Lithuania’s Jevgenij Shuklin was disqualified after winning the silver medal. Russian Ivan Shtyl moves up to silver and Alfonso Benavidez (ESP) to bronze.

● Wrestling/Men’s Freestyle 120 kg: Gold and silver winners Artur Taymazov (UZB) and Davit Modzmanashvli (GEO) were both disqualified. Third-placers Komeil Ghasemi (IRI) and Russian Bilyal Makhov were moved up to be co-winners, but Makhov is currently serving a doping suspension into 2024 and will not be awarded his medal while suspended!

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The IOC’s Olympic Solidarity Commission reviewed the Tokyo 2020 support program, which sent $47 million to 186 National Olympic Committees to assist 1,836 athletes. The Olympic Solidarity scholarship program offered direct financial help to 827 athletes (465 men and 362 women).

An additional $28.5 million in post-Games Tokyo 2020 support for the NOCs was approved, along with about $5 million to the NOCs for Beijing 2022 preparations impacted by Covid-19.

● Games of the XXXVI Olympiad: 2036 ● Thomas Weikert, the former head of the International Table Tennis Federation and a leading candidate to be the head of the German National Olympic Committee (DOSB) said in an interview that he is in favor of a German bid for the 2036 Olympic Games.

Speaking to the ARD national network’s “Sportschau” program, Weikert, 59, said (computer translation of the original German):

“[W]e have to apply as soon as possible, also for 2036. I know that there are discussions about whether to apply for 2036 against the background of Berlin 1936. But I am of the opinion: yes! You have to portray the image of Germans well, and work precisely to ensure that we portray ourselves well abroad. So the answer is clear: Paralympic Games, Olympic Games should come to Germany as soon as possible.”

He was not so sure about whether Berlin should be Germany’s candidate city, but the DOSB was surprised by the fats-tracked selection of Brisbane for 2032. The DOSB election comes on 4 December.

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● Polish luger Mateusz Sochowicz was expected to be released from the University Hospital in Yanqing (CHN) today (15th) after suffering left kneecap and right leg injuries when a gate was left open on the Beijing 2022 sliding track.

The Federation Internationale de Luge indicated that the accident was caused by “human error” and that the federation, “together with the track operator in Yanqing, has introduced additional track safety measures for Beijing 2022 after the Sochowicz accident.”

The Beijing 2022 organizers announced that two foreign luge racers tested positive for Covid-19 during the test-event period.

More than 1,500 athletes and coaches have come to China to try out the 2022 Winter Games facilities. The two infected athletes are asymptomatic and have been allowed to train, but have been placed in separate accommodations.

● XXVI Olympic Winter Games: 2030 ● Japan’s regional bid for the 2030 Winter Games, centered on Sapporo, but also including events at the 1998 host Nagano, is being reviewed to reduce the total budget for the event by as much as 20 percent.

Cost reductions of ¥90 billion (~$790 million) are being sought, with the total cost of the Games down to ¥280-300 billion ($2.54-2.63 billion U.S.). The prior budget was ¥310-370 billion ($2.72-3.24 billion U.S.).

This is also considerably less than the 2014 projection for a possible 2026 Winter Games of ¥453.7 billion ($3.98 billion U.S.).

Observed: The Sapporo bid for 2030 needed to come down in price, especially if Salt Lake City gets into the 2030 race, with no venues to build and a total budget of perhaps $2.1-2.2 billion. With the Barcelona-Pyrenees bid suffering from political infighting in Spain and public interest in a Vancouver bid waning, Sapporo’s chances look promising … except in comparison to the Utah opportunity.

A Salt Lake City delegation will visit the IOC late this month to learn more about the IOC’s vision for future Winter Games. If the ongoing dialogue with the LA28 organizers yields an agreement to allow SLC to bid for 2030, it will become the front-runner.

● World University Games ● Korea’s bid for the 2027 World University Games is being promoted through a cooperative Chungcheong Megacity Bid Committee, which incorporates the governments of the Daejeon, Sejong and North and South Chungcheong provinces and the heads of Chungnam State University, Chungbuk Provincial University and Korea National University of Welfare.

Although the filing deadline for the 2027 WUG is open into January, the race is shaping up between Chungcheong and the Raleigh-Durham-Cary region of North Carolina in the U.S. Korea hosted the 2003 WUG in Daegu and 2015 in Gwangju; the U.S. has held the summer WUG once, in 1993 in Buffalo.

Korea is busy in the bid sector, with Gwangju and Daegu announcing last May a joint bid to host the 2038 Asian Games. It would be the fourth Asian Games to be held in Korea, with the last in Incheon in 2014.

The Lake Placid organizers for the 2023 Winter World University Games announced a moose called “Adirondack Mac” as its mascot. It was designed by Kristina Ingerowski, a sophomore at the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York.

● International Olympic Committee ● Agence France Presse reported that the IOC is in discussions with Riot Games, owner of the popular “League of Legends” video game about some future form of participation within a future Olympic program.

The IOC has so far shown interest in online versions of actual sports, but the status of e-sport programs will be heightened next year at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN), where eight e-sport medal events will be held – a first – including FIFA, Dota 2, Hearthstone, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, Street Fighter V, Arena of Valor and Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2.

The Korea-based International eSport Federation is holding its 13th World Championships this week (14-19 November) in Eilat (ISR), with 164 athletes from 11 nations (out of 85 who tried to qualify) competing across four games: Dota 2, CS:GO, Tekken 7 and eFootball PES Series.

Observed: The IOC has steadfastly refused to get involved with games in which violence is depicted or used, so it will be fascinating to see if the talks with the Riot Games folks really get anywhere, or if the IOC backs down. The chatter is all about eSports possibly being included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, but the LA28 organizers already have a long list of possible added sports starting with current or recent Olympic sports such as baseball and softball, skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing, karate, break dancing and many more trying to break in, such as cricket, flying disc (started in the L.A. area!), mixed martial arts, sambo, teqball and others.

As for the 2021 IESF Championships in Eilat, it’s strictly a tourism play for the Israelis. Said Mayor Eli Lankry, “We are excited to host the IESF World Championship and are proud of the choice of Eilat as the host city, reaffirming Eilat’s position as a leading tourism destination. Hosting the IESF World Championship will empower Eilat as an international sports city, as a leading Israeli host city for prestigious events and competitions and as an example to the hosting capabilities of Israel.”

● National Olympic Committees ● Reuters reported that Belarusian police “detained” 2019 World Freestyle Aerials Champion Aliaksandra Ramanouskaya last Wednesday for allegedly violating protest laws, then released after imposing a fine a day later.

The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation said that she was arrested in Minsk and fined the equivalent of more than $1,000.

Belarus has been in a state of confusion for more than a year since the disputed re-election of Alexander Lukashenko for a sixth term in August 2020. Belarusian athletes have been vocal in the opposition to Lukashenko and have been harassed; the IOC has been investigating the situation for more than a year and has imposed some penalties and is considering more.

● Aquatics ● The chaos involving the Ligue Europeenne de Natation (LEN) continues, with the confederation suspending Portugal and Croatia for a year on 6 November for their use of the LEN logo in a letter calling for the leadership to resign. Today, that action drew a rebuke from FINA, the international federation:

“Following discussion within the FINA Bureau, and with the support of 6 independent legal opinions, the FINA Bureau voted to not recognise the actions taken by LEN for the following reasons:

“1. The actions did not follow correct due process.

“2. The actions were clearly politically motivated and driven by self interest.

“3. The actions go against the ethos of the new FINA leadership which embraces inclusivity, equality, integrity and democracy.”

Further, FINA confirmed voting rights for both national federations not only at FINA’s own Congress coming up in December, but also confirmed the LEN Extraordinary Elective Congress in Germany next February. LEN member federations had successfully petitioned for a special election Congress under the LEN regulations, but had been ignored by the leadership, despite a vote of no-confidence against the current officers.

● Athletics ● “I listened to the bosses and decided to do as they said.”

That was suspended star Russian high jumper Danil Lysenko, 24, who was suspended through next August for collaborating in a scheme with Russian Athletics Federation officials to cover up a “whereabouts” failure. The scandal costs the Russian federation – close to being reinstated by World Athletics – to continue to be under sanction.

Reuters reported he is currently driving a truck for a Moscow construction company, but cleared 2.15 m (7-0 1/2) last month in Moscow. He apologized for the hurt he caused others, but explained that he feared repercussions if he reported on the scheme when it happened. Five federation officials were suspended and Lysenko’s ban was shortened by two years.

Lysenko still has hopes of returning to the sport and possibly competing in Paris in 2024.

● Gymnastics ● Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, 18, winner of the Tokyo All-Around, was pepper-sprayed in a racist attack in October while in Los Angeles. In a story on PopSugar, Lee was

“waiting for an Uber after a night out with her girlfriends, who are all of Asian descent, they were startled by a group speeding by in a car yelling racist slurs like ‘ching chong’ and insisting they ‘go back to where they came from.’ One passenger, Suni says, sprayed her arm with pepper spray as the car sped off.”

Lee won the All-Around, took silver in the Team competition and won a bronze on the Uneven Bars. She says she let the incident go, as it came and went so quickly.

● Modern Pentathlon ● A “5th Discipline Working Group” will be created to figure out how to replace riding within the Modern Pentathlon, and a two-and-a-half hour conference call with current modern pentathletes was held with the UIPM leadership last Friday.

The UIPM leadership explained why a change from riding is needed and “A Q&A session enabled the athletes to air their views and discover more about the context and timeline of the decision to replace Riding in Modern Pentathlon after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – and the criteria for the discipline that will replace it.”

Individual athletes and federations continue to publicly criticize the decision to replace riding, as opposed to changing the way it is operated within the event.

In Hungary – with a strong pentathlon program – “Over a hundred athletes, trainers, referees, and sports representatives gathered on Friday in Budapest to protest against a recent decision by the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) to remove horse riding from pentathlon’s Olympic program after 2024.” Similar calls have come from Pentathlon Canada noted that “it concerns us that the voice of the global community was not included.”

The Swedish federation sent an open letter to the UIPM, including, “We are convinced that a solution that will preserve the horse arrangement can be found. We also agree with the practitioners that if the current UIMP management considers itself incapable of doing so, it is – for the good of our sport – time to resign and hand over the baton to someone else.”

● Rowing ● Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and two-time World Champion Kjetil Borch (NOR) complained on his Instagram account about being disqualified by World Rowing after winning the men’s Single Sculls at the 2021 World Cup III race in Saubaudia, Italy.

Borch was sanctioned for “violation of the Commercial Publicity, Sponsorship, Advertising and Identifications Rules,” and World Rowing, in an unusual reply post, noted:

“Mr. Borch has violated these rules on three previous occasions at World Rowing events, from 2018 to 2021 (2018 European Championships, 2018 World Championships and 2021 World Rowing Cup I). Mr. Borch was informed and notified twice in writing and once verbally in a Zoom meeting with the World Rowing Athletes Commission Chair and the Executive Director. The Executive Committee twice gave him the chance to explain his actions and, based on his explanations, decided that a warning was the appropriate sanction in these cases: but with a strong statement that any further violations would result in penalties, no longer warnings. As a consequence, the violation in Sabaudia at the World Rowing Cup III resulted in a relegation.”

A separate letter was posted by the World Rowing Athletes Commission, which supported the federation’s position.

Stay tuned on this one.

● Weightlifting ● The infighting over the crucial International Weightlifting Federation elections coming up in December continues to boil, as Russian Weightlifting Federation chief Maxim Agapitov promises to challenge restrictions against Russian candidates in the elections.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, “The [IWF] Eligibility Determination Panel argues that Russia’s candidates are temporarily not eligible to contest seats on the IWF committees, commissions and the executive board. The EDP claims that Russian weightlifters have committed six or more violations of antidoping rules over a period of four years that resulted in disqualifications for more than three months.”

Agapitov, the 1997 World Champion at 91 kg, was suspended for doping in 1994, but says that now – under his leadership – “The RWF today is the world’s leader in the struggle against doping.”

Agapitov would have to file his claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport quickly, as the IWF elections are scheduled for 20-21 December in Tashkent (UZB).

Here’s how NOT to promote your sport. The Pan American Weightlifting Championships apparently took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador from 1-7 November. What appeared to be a few video highlights were posted on the Pan American Weightlifting Federation’s Twitter page.

But as of today (15th), more than a week after the scheduled end of the event, NO results have been posted.

Observed: This is how a sport implodes, when even simple things are overlooked, or go uncared for. Certainly many lifters won medals and should be recognized. Nope.

Only a small thing – just a continental championship – but yet another reason to question why a sport this incompetent should be on the Olympic program. And this has nothing to do with doping.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Curling ● The U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Curling are underway in Omaha, Nebraska, with six men’s and six women’s teams trying for an Olympic berth in Beijing in February. A double round-robin schedule precedes the playoffs, with the concluding matches on the 21st.

Defending Olympic champion John Shuster is back with three members of his gold-medal squad in Matt Hamilton and John Landsteiner, plus newcomer Chris Plys, who just won the U.S. Olympic Mixed Doubles Trials with Vicky Persinger.

Women’s 2018 Trials winner Nina Roth is also back, but this time as a member of Tabitha Peterson’s team, instead of as skip.

● Football ● The U.S. men’s National Team, now leading the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings after a 2-0 win over Mexico, will face Jamaica on the road in Kingston on Tuesday (16th) at 5 p.m. Eastern time. The match will not be shown on English-language television, but streaming on Paramount+. A Spanish-language telecast will be available on Universo.

The U.S. (4-1-2) defeated Jamaica, 2-0, in their first World Cup 2022 qualifier on 7 October in Austin, Texas. Midfielder Weston McKennie (yellow card accumulation) and defender Miles Robinson (red card) were each suspended for one match and will not be available against Jamaica (1-3-3, 6 points so far in World Cup qualifying). .

≡ AT THE BUZZER ≡

Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah was found guilty of forgery in a Swiss criminal court in September, and while removing himself from his role as an International Olympic Committee member and the head of the Association of National Olympic Committees and Olympic Council of Asia, was re-elected as head of the Kuwait-based Asian Handball Federation in early November (!).

On Friday, Sheikh Fahad stepped down “until further notice” as the head of the AHF, while he appeals the decision against him. This is apparently his last international office within the Olympic Movement.

The AHF will now be led by Japan’s Yoshihide Watanabe, the federation’s first vice-president. Now you know.

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HIGHLIGHTS: U.S. men club Mexico to take CONCACAF World Cup lead; Erin Jackson & Brittany Bowe score World Cup skating wins!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Breakthrough: American Erin Jackson (left) defeats Olympic champ Nao Kodaira (JPN) in the ISU World Cup Speed Skating 500 m opener! (Photo: ISU video screen shot)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

● Alpine Skiing ● The second event of the FIS World Cup season was a showcase for Austria on home snow in Lech/Zeurs in a Parallel Slalom.

Christian Hirschbuehl defeated Dominik Raschner in the all-Austrian final, with Atle Lie McGrath winning the all-Norwegian third-place races over Henrik Kristoffersen. It was Hirschbuehl’s first career World Cup win, at age 31!

The women’s title went to Andreja Slokar (SLO), 24, over Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR), with Norway’s Kristin Lysdahl third. It was also Slokar’s first career World Cup medal.

American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin reported that she is back in heavy training and expects to contest the famous Slalom races at Levi (FIN) next week. She won the season-opening Giant Slalom in Austria in October, but has been sidelined by back spasms.

● Basketball ● The United States claimed both the men’s and women’s tournament titles in the first-ever FIBA 3×3 Americup tournament, held in Miami.

The men’s team of Trey Bardsley, Canyon Barry, Charlie Brown Jr. and Kareem Maddox edged Mexico, 22-12, and Uruguay by 22-14 in pool play, then out-scored Jamaica, 22-17, in the quarterfinals. The U.S. beat Puerto Rico by 21-17 in the semis and then, in a physical final against Brazil, saw Maddox hit a clinching jumper for the 21-15 final and the title.

Barry and Maddox played on the gold-medal-winning 2019 U.S. men’s 3×3 World Championships team. The Dominicans squeaked past Puerto Rico, 21-20, for the bronze.

The second-seeded U.S. women’s quartet of Ciera Burdick, Blake Dietrick, Haley Gorecki and Brionna Jones defeated Trinidad & Tobago and Argentina, both by 22-2 scores, then breezed past the Dominican Republic by 21-7 in the quarterfinals. The semifinals saw a 21-11 win over Puerto Rico, leading to the final, also against Brazil, a decisive 21-9 win; the Americans average margin of victory was 21-6. Top-seeded Canada won the bronze, 18-12.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The women’s Monobob World Series continued with the fourth and fifth events of the season, this time in Lillehammer (NOR) with a sweep by 2021 Worlds silver medalist Stephanie Schneider of Germany.

She won the first race on Thursday (11th) in 1:51.15, finishing just ahead of Karlien Sleper (NED: 1:51.68) and did it again on Friday (12th) in 1:51.16, with Sleper second in 1:51.51.

The next step will be Innsbruck (AUT) on the 20th and then two races in the U.S. (Park City) on the 23rd and 24th.

● Fencing ● The FIE Grand Prix for Sabre in Orleans (FRA) resulted in a rare 1-2 for Greece in the women’s final, with unheralded Despina Georgiadou defeating Theodora Gkountoura by 15-14, for her first career Grand Prix medal!

The men’s tournament saw 2018 World Champion Junghwan Kim (KOR) out-point Italy’s
Luca Curatoli, the 2019 Worlds bronze medalist, 15-3 in the final. Kim had to defeat countryman and fellow World Champion (in 2019) Sang-Uk Oh, 15-13, in the semis.

● Figure Skating ● Amazing to realize that the ISU Grand Prix has passed the halfway mark, with the NHK Trophy in Tokyo the fourth of six stops. Japan and Russia split the four titles.

PyeongChang silver medalist Shoma Uno (JPN) delighted the crowd with a decisive 290.15-260.69 win over American Vincent Zhou in the men’s division. Uno won both the Short Program and the Free Skate for his sixth career Grand Prix win. Zhou was second in the Short Program, then dropped to sixth in the Free Skate, but collected his third straight Grand Prix medal. Korea’s Junhwan Cha (259.60) was third.

Japan went 1-2 in the women’s competition, with Kaori Sakamoto winning over Mana Kawabe, 223.34-205.44. Korean Young You (203.60) was third and American Alysa Liu (202.90) was fourth. The victory was the second career Grand Prix win for Sakamoto after winning last year’s NHK Trophy as well.

Russians went 1-2 in Pairs, with Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov scoring 227.28 to 213.27 for Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, with Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara third (209.42). The U.S. was 4-5 with Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc (202.79) and Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov (190.03).

A very tight Ice Dance saw Russia’s Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov (215.44) edge American Madison Chock and Evan Bates (210.78). Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third (191.91).

The Grand Prix schedule will conclude with the Internationaux de France in Grenoble next week and the Rostelecom Cup in Sochi on 26-28 November. The Grand Prix final will be held in Osaka (JPN) from 9-12 December.

● Football ● The U.S. men finished the first half of its CONCACAF World Cup qualifying schedule with a 4-1-2 record and 14 points to lead the standings on goal differential over Mexico (also 4-1-2).

That’s because the Americans defeated arch-rival Mexico, 2-0, in Cincinnati on Friday, to claim their third win over El Tri during the 2021 calendar year, reportedly for the first time ever.

The game was tense as expected, with the U.S. using high pressure to keep Mexico from being able to comfortably set up its offense, and maintaining a 54-46% edge in possession in a scoreless first half. Mexico had the better chances, but the U.S. led on shots, 7-5.

The U.S. was stronger offensively in the second half, with a turning point coming on a scratching-the-face, yellow-card foul by Mexican midfielder Luis Rodriguez in the 68th minute against American striker Brenden Aaronson. Star midfielder Christian Pulisic came in to replace Aaronson and scored the first goal of the game soon after, heading in a perfect right-to-left cross by Tim Weah in the 75th minute.

An increasingly desperate Mexico left some holes in its defense and Weston McKennie scored on a deflected pass in front of the goal that allowed him to send a diagonal shot from right to left into the Mexican net. That was 2-0 and it ended that way.

The game was rough, with 25 fouls, and four yellow cards handed out to the U.S. and two to Mexico. Defender Miles Robinson was red-carded on a second yellow in the 89th minute, but it did not impact the final score. The U.S. ended with an 18-8 edge on shots.

After seven of the 14 games in the CONCACAF “Octagonal,” the U.S. and Mexico are both 4-1-2, with Canada third (3-0-4: 13 points) and Panama fourth (3-2-2: 11). The top three teams qualify to the 2022 World Cup and the fourth-place team advances to a play-off. The U.S. plays at Jamaica (1-3-3) on Tuesday (16th).

● Speed Skating ● The five-stage ISU World Cup series opened in Tomaszow Mazowiecki (POL) with three American victories, including the first two career wins for sprinter Erin Jackson.

A 2018 Olympian, Jackson set a track record in winning the first 500 m race, after missing the 2020 season due to a freak eye injury from a bungee cord suffered while moving between houses.

But she announced her presence on the World Cup scene, winning on Friday over reigning Olympic champ Nao Kodaira (JPN), 37.613-37.744, then coming back on Saturday for a 37.555-37.635 win over Russian Angelina Golikova, in another track record. Kodaira was third (37.789).

U.S. teammate Brittany Bowe returned to the track with a win in the women’s 1,000 m (1:46.786, track record) over Japan’s Olympic bronze medalist Miho Takagi (1:15.385) and Kodaira (1:15.711). Takagi came back to win the 1,500 m (1:56.000, track record) with Bowe second (1:56.606).

Irene Schouten (NED) won the 3,000 m in a track record 4:04.990 and then doubled up in the Mass Start race in 8:25.210, ahead of Canadian star Ivanie Blondin (8:25.490).

The men’s 500 m sprints were won by China’s Tingyu Gao (34.265, track record) and Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN: 34.699), and the 1,000 m was a Dutch sweep for Hein Otterspeer (1:08.676 track record), Thomas Krol (1:08.699) and Kjeld Nuis (1:08.836).

American Joey Mantia claimed a bronze medal in the men’s 1,500 m, won by Min Seok Kim (KOR: 1:46.152), ahead of Zhongyan Ning (1:46.191) and Mantia (1:46.388). Nils van der Poel (SWE: 6:15.562, track record) took the 5,000 m and Masahito Obayashi (JPN: 7:56.910) won the Mass Start ahead of Ruslan Zakharov (7:56.990).

The World Cup tour heads to Norway, with competition in Stavanger from 18-20 November.

● Swimming ● The ISL playoffs began this week in Eindhoven (NED), with two matches. The first match pitted season one winners Energy Standard (FRA) and reigning champion Cali Condors (USA), with the Condors winning on the final event – the men’s 50 m Free Skins – by 534.5 to 522.0. D.C. Trident was third (359.5).

The big individual-event winners included Breaststroke star Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), who took the 50-100-200 m races; Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in the women’s 100-200-400 m Freestyles, American Lilly King, who took the 50-100-200 m Breast and added sterling relay duty, and American Beata Nelson, who won the 100-200 m Medleys and the 200 m Back.

Two-event winners included American Kelsi Dahlia in the 100-200 m Fly events and Swedish sprint star Sarah Sjostrom, who won the 50 m Free and 50 m Fly.

The second match saw the L.A. Current out-score the London Roar (GBR) by 506.0-494.5, with Toronto third (398.5). The individual stars were triple Backstroke winner Ryan Murphy (USA) in the 50-100-200 m events and American Fly specialist Tom Shields, who won the 50-100 m Fly events and was second in the 50 m Fly Skins race (to Matteo Rivolta/ITA) to clinch the L.A. Current team win.

Two-event winners included Australian sprint star Kyle Chalmers (men’s 50-100 m Free), and Dutch stars Luc Kroon in the 200-400 m Frees and Arno Kamminga in the 100-200 m Breast events. Australia’s Emma McKeon won the women’s 100 m Free and 100 m Fly, with Summer McIntosh (CAN) taking the 400 m Free and 400 m Medley.

The next set of matches are scheduled for 18-19 and 20-21 November.

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LANE ONE: Early numbers show collegiate Name-Image-Likeness is mostly about football, men’s basketball and social media

By
Rich Perelman
-

It’s early in the Name-Image-Likeness game in NCAA circles, but the conventional wisdom that the new rules would favor big-school college football and men’s basketball players is proving to be true so far.

Nebraska-based Opendorse is a big player in the emerging N-I-L software space, serving “the full lifecycle of supporting athletes: educating, assessing, planning, sharing, creating, measuring, tracking, disclosing, regulating, listing, browsing, booking, and more.”

The tracking part of what’s of interest as the company posted a scorecard of deals it has been involved with, or reported, for July-September 2021, the beginning of the NIL era. This is not a comprehensive look at all of the NIL activity out there, but it’s fascinating data:

● Most NIL activities (number of deals) by sport:
1. 35.0% ~ Men/Football: fall sport
2. 8.4% ~ Women/Volleyball: fall sport
3. 7.5% ~ Men/Basketball; winter sport
4. 6.0% ~ Men/Baseball: spring sport
5. 4.9% ~ Men/Track & Field: winter/spring sport
6. 4.8% ~ Women/Soccer: fall sport
7. 4.1% ~ Women/Track & Field: winter/spring sport
7. 4.1% ~ Women/Basketball: winter sport
9. 3.3% ~ Women/Softball: spring sport
10. 2.9% ~ Men/Soccer: fall sport
11. 2.3% ~ Women/Swimming & Diving: winter sport
12. 1.5% ~ Men/Wrestling: spring sport
12. 1.5% ~ Men/Swimming & Diving: winter sport
12. 1.5% ~ Women/Lacrosse: spring sport

That was the number of deals; the top sports by amount of compensation looks different:

● Most NIL compensation by sport:
1. 55.4% ~ Men/Football
2. 13.4% ~ Men/Basketball
3. 6.7% ~ Women/Volleyball
4. 4.7% ~ Women/Basketball
5. 4.0% ~ Women/Swimming & Diving
6. 2.0% ~ Men/Swimming & Diving
7. 1.8% ~ Women/Softball
8. 1.3% ~ Men/Track & Field
9. 1.2% ~ Women/Ice Hockey
10. 1.1% ~ Men/Baseball
11. 1.0% ~ Women/Soccer
12. 0.9% ~ Men/Tennis
12. 0.9% ~ Men/Lacrosse

Between football and men’s basketball, that’s almost 69% of the total dollars going to athletes in just those two sports. Acknowledging that we’re in the fall-sports season, it’s easy to understand why these two are in the lead, but the drop-off to women’s volleyball and basketball is dramatic.

And who had women’s volleyball ahead of women’s basketball?

And now to your next question: how much are these folks getting paid? There are plenty of stories out there about Alabama soph quarterback Bryce Young being offered $1 million-plus in NIL deals, but he doesn’t have much company:

● Average NIL compensation per athlete (who have deals):
1. NCAA Division I: $391.00
2. NCAA Division II: $78.00
3. NCAA Division III: $35.00

What? Sure, there are athletes making good money, but most make very little. The Opendorse database is of more than 50,000 transactions, and the split between male and female athletes is not likely to make women’s sports activists very happy.

The Opendorse stats show that in Division I, men receive 78.0% of the total NIL compensation to 22.0% for women and 80-20% in Division III. In Division II, however, women receive most of the total dollars, by 61-39%.

It’s true that this data snapshot is only of the third quarter, just at the start of the fall sports schedule. You would think that basketball, the star of the winter season, would move up when the fourth-quarter statistics are posted.

One more element to consider in NIL compensation tracking is the rash of transfers. A star player who made his reputation at one school (and in that commercial market) and then transfers to another school will get no “NIL love” from his “former” market. Example: Kansas star guard Remy Martin played four years at Arizona State, but with his extra year of eligibility thanks to Covid-19, moved on to Kansas, where he’s a starter on the no. 3-ranked Jayhawks. No NIL deals in the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe market for him!

(No, Martin cannot be sponsored by the famed Remy Martin cognac brand as the University of Kansas NIL policy does not allow promotion of “sports gambling, alcohol products, tobacco products (including e-cigarettes and vaping products), adult entertainment, substances banned by the NCAA, or products or services that are illegal or would violate the student code of conduct or student-athlete code on NIL as created by each team.” He’ll have to wait a year until he’s in the NBA.)

So, what do these athletes do for their money? Do they do anything at all? In fact, not much, according to Opendorse:

● Top NIL activities, by type:
1. 87.7% ~ posting content
2. 3.4% ~ other activities
3. 2.6% ~ licensing rights
4. 2.3% ~ creating content
5. 1.8% ~ signing something
6. 0.7% ~ appearing somewhere
7. 0.6% ~ selling products
8. 0.5% ~ doing interviews
9. 0.4% ~ providing instruction
(no others reached 0.1%)

This explains a lot, including why women’s volleyball players can be ahead of women’s basketball in the number of deals out there. It’s about posting content on your social media platforms, which makes Wisconsin middle blocker Dana Rettke, a 6-8 All-American star, an attractive NIL target for her 30,024 Instagram followers, many of whom are younger players who could be influenced by her comments and endorsements (her Opendorse profile is here).

In the future, college recruiters will not only need to promote their school’s academic and athletic programs, but also the school’s capabilities in terms of helping add followers to a star’s Facebook, Twitter and (especially) Instagram accounts. Suddenly, a school’s Sports Information Department profile and performance might be a critical, decision-making recruiting tool! Does the athletic director know this?

NIL is in its infancy and these third-quarter numbers are just the first returns. At some point, a national NIL statute will be passed to avoid the current patchwork of state laws out there, but for now, the market is just beginning to open.

Olympic-sport athletes are, for the most part, minor players at present. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2024 as some college stars push toward a possible Olympic berth in Paris, but today, an athlete’s value – outside of football and men’s basketball – is mostly their social-media standing.

But as everyone expected, right now it’s better to be a football player than anything else.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

THE TICKER: Beijing to deliver “extraordinary Games” in February, while trade confederation gives Beijing Games “gold medal for repression”; USATF names 2021 Hall of Famers

By
Rich Perelman
-
The International Trade Union Confederation's condemnation of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games

The latest news, notes and quotes from the worldwide Five-Ring Circus:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

“We are very grateful to our friends in Beijing, actually, because they are really going to deliver extraordinary Games, even in a very challenging period of time, very challenging conditions, due to Covid mainly.”

That’s how International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission chief Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. (ESP) characterized the preparations for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, beginning on 4 February.

In an online news conference on Tuesday (9th), Samaranch extolled the preparations, and the legacy programs, noting “We are convinced that these Games are going to inspire thousands of children and young students on Olympic and Paralympic values as part of the educational programs.”

He also added that against China’s stated objective of increasing winter sports participation by 300 million people, “[i]n the 2018-19 season, 224 million people [were] already engaged in China in winter sports.”

Even with no foreign spectators, Samaranch was looking forward to having fans in stands: “The presence of the public will be a tremendous boost to the these Games and the athletes taking part.” However, even with just three months to go, no tickets have been sold and even the specific capacities at each venue have not been set, due to the continuing Covid issues in China.

Said Samaranch, “We should have, by now – weeks ago – resolved the situation of ticketing. But, you know, and we have all learned together the hard way, jointly, how difficult it is to make plans in a Covid world.”

The IOC’s Olympic Games Director, Christophe Dubi (SUI) endorsed the preparations, explaining “We don’t have any big, systemic issues to resolve or discuss; this is a very good sign.”

But among the details, he acknowledged what has quietly become a major issue for those who need to attend the Games: booking flights into Beijing. Dubi said the IOC is working on the issue now, with 15 airlines to provide temporary (off-schedule) flights from about 70 cities worldwide direct into Beijing, and a hub system for everyone else, to go to a “hub” city which will have flights into Beijing.

Will it be enough? “The number of people that we do anticipate … is smaller than any previous Games. We are only accrediting essential people, but still well over 20,000 people that will be in Beijing.” For comparison, there were 13,608 media accredited in Korea in 2018, 80% of whom were broadcasters; look for many fewer media in Beijing.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● The Belgium-based International Trade Union Confederation issued a report on Tuesday titled “China: A gold medal for repression” detailing human-rights violations and accusing the IOC of ignoring them.

The catalog of allegations includes forced labor, jailing of trade unionists and democracy defenders in Hong Kong, intimidation of the nation’s LBGTI community, and repression of ethnic and religious minorities under the pretext of ”anti-separatism and counterterrorism.”

The ITUC General Secretary, Sharan Burrow (AUS) said in an interview:

“We want governments to take a stand in defense of their own athletes’ safety, and we want sponsors to actually review their association with the Beijing Winter Olympics. You’ve got major companies who are supporting these Olympics who really ought to live up to values that they say they respect, which is fundamental human rights.”

Said the IOC’s Samaranch during Tuesday’s news conference: “We have a lot of respect for other organizations that have other purposes in life … full respect, but we believe that our responsibility is what it is: celebrate the Olympic Games as a celebration of humanity, all together, despite our differences.”

He added: “Let me try to explain how it really works. We are the partners of the organizing committee. We are not discussing with the Chinese government anything. We have to make sure that human rights, and so many other things, in our world – which is related to the Olympic Games and around the Olympic Games – is fully respected. …

“To our knowledge, we are confident that [the Beijing organizers] are delivering on all their obligations under those circumstances.”

There was a significant incident at the sliding track at Yanqing on Monday, as Polish luger and 2018 Olympian Mateusz Sochowicz fractured a left kneecap and suffered a deep cut to his right leg while on a training run.

Sochowicz crashed into a gate that should have been open when a sled is on the track. He said afterwards that he let the sled out from underneath him, but was unable to clear the gate and was injured.

He told Onet, a Polish Web site, “The track [operating] team showed great incompetence. They didn’t know what to do at all. Someone came to me and tried to touch my (exposed) bone with a glove. Dante-esque scenes were happening there.”

An investigation is underway from the IOC and the Federation Internationale de Luge.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field announced its 2021 Hall of Fame inductees, including:

● Maxey Long, the Olympic gold medalist in the Olympic 400 m in Paris in 1900 and U.S. national champion at 440 yards in 1898-99-1900. A great all-around sprinter, he was also U.S. national champ in the 100 yards in 1900 and 220 yards in 1899.

● Mike Marsh, a UCLA star who went on to win Olympic 200 m and 4×100 m golds in 1992 in Barcelona, the U.S. 100 m title in 1995 and an Olympic silver on the U.S. 4×100 m team in 1996 in Atlanta.

● Kathy McMillan, who dazzled as the Olympic silver medalist in 1976 in the long jump at age 18 and then won two Pan American Games golds in the long jump in 1975 and 1979. She made the U.S. team again in 1980, but did not go to Moscow due to the U.S. boycott.

● Terrence Trammell was a two-time NCAA 110 m hurdles winner in 1999 and 2000 for South Carolina, then won the Olympic silver in Sydney in 2000 and Athens (2004), along with World Championships silvers in 20023-07-09. A great dual threat, he ended his careers with bests of 10.04 in the 100 m and 12.95 in the hurdles.

● Scott Davis, voted in as a contributor, especially for his work as an announcer and statistician. Davis began his career on the microphone at UCLA, assisting Stan Eales for a few years and then taking over as the “voice of Drake Stadium” from 1986-2010. He was a fixture as the voice of the Sunkist Invitational and Los Angeles Times Games indoor meets, and the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene for 21 years, among many assignments. He was also the director of the Mt. SAC Relays for 20 years, and as one of the leading statisticians in the sport, he was a co-founder and president of the Federation of American Statisticians of Track (FAST) and Secretary General of the international Association of Track & Field Statisticians.

Observed: Contributors to any sport, especially those off the field, are often forgotten, so it’s worth underlining that Scott Davis’s induction into the USATF Hall of Fame is well deserved. “The Red Baron” was devoted to the sport and his contribution to its history must not be forgotten. A long-time systems engineer at Xerox, he was precise, but also fun. He has been much missed by the track & field community, especially in Southern California, since he passed in 2010.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the six-month suspension of UAE Athletics Federation chief Ahmad Al Kamali from a December 2020 decision by the Athletics Integrity Unit.

He was accused of offering gifts to delegates to try and get their vote in his 2015 campaign for an IAAF Vice Presidency or Council post. He was suspended for six months and fined CHF 5,000, but was cleared of the fine since the “gifts” were of nominal value.

● Badminton ● The scourge of cheating popped up with two-year suspensions of two regional-level players in China. Per the Badminton World Federation last week:

“Zhu Jun Hao and Zhang Bin Rong … [b]oth were found to have breached the 2017 BWF Code of Conduct in Relation to Betting, Wagering and Irregular Match Results during tournaments in March 2019.”

Hao was found to have deliberately lost the first set of a 2019 match, having bet on that match and telling at least two others of his planned fix. The suspensions went into effect on 13 August 2021; neither player appealed the decision.

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association (AIBA), having scheduled its women’s World Championships to be held in November or December of 2021 in Turkey, has delayed the event to March 2022 due to “difficult situations or restrictions” in many participating countries.

≡ SCOREBOARD ≡

● Bobsled ● With the Olympic debut of the women’s Monobob coming in Beijing in February, the 2021-22 Monobob World Series started over the weekend in Whistler (CAN) with three events.

Sunday’s first race went to home favorite Alysia Rissling (CAN) over Brittany Reinbolt of the U.S., 1:52.49-1:54.21; Rissling beat Reinbolt again on Monday, 1:52.60-1:53.87, and then Rissling finished her sweep with a 1:52.88-1:53.06 victory over countrywoman Bianca Ribi, with Reinbolt third (1:54.79).

Competition moved to Norway for this week’s races at Lillehammer on 11-12 November.

● Football ● The U.S. Men’s National Team is back in World Cup qualifying action on Friday (12th), this time against Mexico in Cincinnati at 9 p.m. Eastern time and televised on ESPN2, Univision and TUDN.

Mexico leads the 14-match CONCACAF qualifying tournament with 14 points and a 4-0-2 record. The U.S. is second at 11 points (3-1-2). Mexico leads the all-time series, 36-21-15, and is the third meeting in 2021: the U.S. won 3-2 in the CONCACAF Nations League final and 1-0 in the Gold Cup final.

● Gymnastics ● Even though the FIG World Cup season has been completed, competition has continued in Europe, with two high-profile events in Switzerland:

● The Arthur Gander Memorial in Morges (3rd) saw a big win for American Olympian Yul Moldauer, only 19th in the Tokyo All-Around qualifying this summer, over Russia’s Nikita Nagornyy, the eventual Tokyo All-Around bronze medalist. Moldauer scored his biggest international win with both scoring 57.450, but Moldauer winning the Floor and Pommel Horse events; Nagornyy won the Vault.

Tokyo All-Around bronze medalist and 2021 World Champion Angelina Melnikova won the women’s All-Around, 43.200-38.500 over Rais Boura (FRA: 38.500) and American Ciena Alipio (38.450).

● At the Swiss Cup in Zurich on the 7th, Melnikova and Nagornyy teamed up in the unique mixed-pair competition to defeat Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Hubareva and Iliia Kovtun in the final, 28.400-26.150.

● Shooting ● The ISSF President’s Cup for Rifle and Pistol concluded on Tuesday in Wroclaw (POL), with a gold-silver finish for the U.S. in the women’s 50 m Rifle.

China’s Olympic bronze medalist Yuehong Li won the men’s 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol by 36-34 in the final over Olympic winner Jean Quiquampoix (FRA), and Ukraine’s Rio silver winner Serhiy Kulish won the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions final, 10-0 over Russia’s Tokyo silver medalist Sergey Kamenskiy.

The women’s 25 m Pistol was a win for Doreen Vennekamp (GER) over Rahi Sarnboat (IND) by 33-31, and the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions was an all-American final, with Olympic fifth-placer Segan Maddalena defeating Mary Carolynn Tucker, 10-8.

● Swimming ● In advance of December’s World Short-Course (25 m) Championships, the European 25 m Champs were held in Kazan (RUS) over the last week, with two new world 25m records set and two equaled:

● Men/4 x 50 m Medley: Italy’s Michele Lamberti, Nicolo Marginenghi, Marco Orsi and Lorenzo Zazzeri finished in 1:30.14, breaking Russia’s mark of 1:30.44 from 2017.

● Mixed/4 x 50 m Medley: The Dutch squad of Kira Toussaint, Arno Kamminga, Maaike de Waard and Thom de Boer claimed the world mark at 1:36.18, better than Russia’s 1:36.22 from 2019.

● Men/50 m Breast: Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) zoomed to a 25.25 mark, tying the ancient record set by Cameron van den Burgh (RSA) way back in 2009!

● Men/50 m Fly: Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) finished in 21.25, which matched the mark of Brazil’s Nicholas Santos in 2018.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, apparently now fully recovered from his elbow injury last January, won the 50-100 m Frees and 50-100 m Butterfly events for four individual golds, the most of the meet. Dutch Backstroke star Toussaint won the 50-100-200 m events and Russia’s Anastasia Kirpichnikova won the 400-800-1,500 m frees for three golds.

Szabo won the men’s 50 m Free and 100 m Fly in addition to his record-equaling 50 m Fly for three individual golds; he was joined by Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov in the 100 m Free and 50-100 m Backstrokes; Shymanovich won the 50-200 m Breast events for two individual golds,

Italy ended up with the most medals at 35 (7-18-10), followed by Russia (24:11-5-8) and The Netherlands at 18 (8-5-5).

The FINA 25 m Worlds come 11-16 December in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

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LANE ONE: Beijing 2022 breakdown shows “gender equality” at 48-42%, but “event equality” at only 69-31%

By
Rich Perelman
-

The XXIV Olympic Winter Games is coming up fast in Beijing, with the Chinese organizers continuing to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, National Olympic Committees feeling the crunch of back-to-back Games after last summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, many countries angry that the event will be held in a country widely accused of human-rights violations and one academic claiming that “These could be the most unsustainable Winter Olympics ever held.”

Then there is the continuing question of gender equality.

There will be a record 109 events across seven sports and 15 disciplines in Beijing, with the usual public tally showing 52 events for men (48%), 46 for women (42%) and 11 mixed (10%). But when “event equality” – whether the events being contested of equal distance or difficulty – is considered, the outcome is not as close. Sport-by-sport:

● Biathlon by gender: 11 total ~ 5 men, 5 women, 1 mixed
● Biathlon by events: 1 equal, 10 unequal

Although gender-equal on the surface, only the Mixed 4×6 km Relay is equal in distance for men and women. All five of the other events have shorter distances for women than for men: 15 vs. 20 km Individual, 7.5 vs. 10 km Sprint, 10 vs. 12.5 km Pursuit, 12.5 vs. 15 km Mass Start and 4×6 km vs. 4×7.5 km Relay. What, women can’t ski the same distances? In Cross Country, women ski 30 km!

● Bobsled & Skeleton by gender: 6 total ~ 3 men, 3 women
● Bobsled & Skeleton by event: 4 equal, 2 unequal

Again, gender-equal on the surface, but while the Skeleton and two-person Bob races are the same, the women have Monobob racing for the first time in the Games while the men have four-man sleds. Why? We give credit to the driver most of the time anyway, so why isn’t the men’s four eliminated and the Monobob used for men? This will also save 58 places that could be used for other events, based on the 29 four-man entries at the 2018 Winter Games.

● Curling by gender: 3 total ~ 1 men, 1 women, 1 mixed
● Curling by event: 3 equal

Perfect. Curling has the same format for the men’s and women’s tournaments and has a mixed event.

● Ice Hockey by gender: 2 total ~ 1 men, 1 women
● Ice Hockey by event: 2 equal

Almost perfect. The event formats are equal, but the men have 12 teams competing and the women have 10. Given the results of the World Championships, both tournaments could be reduced to eight teams and the quality would be better.

● Luge by gender: 4 total ~ 2 men, 1 women, 1 mixed
● Luge by event: 3 equal, 1 unequal

The men’s and women’s Singles and Team Relay are fine, but women’s Doubles is just now being introduced. Wouldn’t a men’s relay and women’s relay be more interesting than the silly Doubles?

● Skating/Figure by gender: 5 total ~ 1 men, 1 women, 3 mixed
● Skating/Figure by event: 5 equal

Can’t complain: men’s and women’s Singles, then Pairs, Ice Dance and a team event. Nice (if you like judged events).

● Skating/Short Track by gender: 9 total ~ 4 men, 4 women, 1 mixed
● Skating/Short Track by event: 7 equal, 2 unequal

The program of 500-1,000-1,500 m for men and women and a mixed relay are fine, but why is the men’s relay at 5,000 m and the women’s at only 3,000 m? No need.

● Skating/Speed by gender: 14 total ~ 7 men, 7 women
● Skating/Speed by event: 12 equal, 2 unequal

The 500-1,000-1,500-5,000 m, Mass Start and Team Pursuit are the same, but why do men race at 5,000 m and 10,000 m and the women at 3,000 m and 5,000 m?

● Skiing/Alpine by gender: 11 total ~ 5 men, 5 women, 1 mixed
● Skiing/Alpine by event: 11 equal

The event program for men and women is the same – Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom and Combined – but the courses are not (the women’s are shorter). It’s worth asking the women’s skiers if that should be the case.

● Skiing/Cross Country by gender: 12 events ~ 6 men, 6 women
● Skiing/Cross Country by event: 12 unequal

As with Biathlon, the distances for men and women are all different. In the individual events, the men race 15 km Classical, 30 km Skiathlon, 50 km Freestyle and Sprint Freestyle while the women have 10 km Classical, 15 km Skiathlon, 30 km Freestyle and a shorter Sprint Freestyle. Why not the same distances? The same is true for the relays. Is this necessary? Everyone knows it is not.

● Skiing/Nordic Combined by gender: 3 total ~ 3 men
● Skiing/Nordic Combined by event: 3 unequal

Nordic Combined for women is just now being introduced; perhaps it might debut in 2026?

● Skiing/Ski Jumping by gender: 5 events ~ 3 men, 1 women, 1 mixed
● Skiing/Ski Jumping by event: 3 equal, 2 unequal

There is “Normal Hill” and “Large Hill” jumping for men and a team event, but only “Normal Hill” for women, plus a mixed-team event. The better women’s jumpers are asking for their own “Large Hill” events, but the comeback has been concerns over safety as the number of World Cup big-hill events for women is just starting to expand. Where is the women’s team event?

● Skiing/Freestyle by gender: 13 events ~ 6 men, 6 women, 1 mixed
● Skiing/Freestyle by event: 13 equal

The program for both men and women includes Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe, Moguls, Ski Cross and Slopestyle, plus a mixed Aerials event. All even.

● Snowboard by gender: 11 events ~ 5 men, 5 women, 1 mixed
● Snowboard by event: 11 equal

Like Freestyle, this event is nicely balanced: Big Air, Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross for both, plus a SnowCross mixed team event.

So the totals show that of 109 total events, 75 are “equal” (more or less) in format and quality for 69%, while 54 are not (31%). Gold medals for real gender equality to Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard; close-to-equal competition programs are seen in Ice Hockey and Alpine Skiing.

Cross-Country Skiing and Nordic Combined get perfect inequality scores for different distances, or no women’s events at all!

Then there is the question of judged events vs. timed-scored-measured events. In the Winter Games, most of the events are timed/measured/scored at 82.25 out of 109 (76.8%) to 25.25 (23.2%). Judged events are in Figure Skating (5 of 5), Freestyle Skiing (11 of 13), Snowboard (6 of 11) and portions of Nordic Combined (50% of ski jumping) and Ski Jumping (50% of scores).

There is more to gender equality than the number of medal events, but as this overview shows, the opportunities are there to get to true event equality as well. Give the International Olympic Committee credit for insisting on more events for women, but it will be up to the International Federations to do more to create equality within their event programs for men and women.

It can be done; in the summer Games, swimming will have true event equality at Paris 2024, and track & field will be very close (only decathlon vs. heptathlon will be different), as will many others. Time for the winter sports to catch up.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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For our 743-event International Sports Calendar for 2021 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

HEARD AT HALFTIME: Is the new Modern Pentathlon discipline already selected? PlayLA youth sports program starts with LA28/IOC funds; 2028 rowing moves to Long Beach!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The J.H. Davies Bridge in Long Beach, California, bisecting the Long Beach Marine Stadium (Photo: Rick Warren via Flickr)

(For our Highlights of the weekend’s top competitions, click here)

News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport:

≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

The fight over the future of Modern Pentathlon is heating up as 650 current and former pentathletes sent a protest about the removal of riding while federation President Klaus Schormann (GER) supposedly the “Sportschau” program on the German national ARD network that the new discipline has already been selected.

In the aftermath of the decision to remove riding from the five events of the Modern Pentathlon, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne called for a consultation process to find a replacement. But that only accelerated things:

● Some 650 pentathletes, both current and retired, signed onto a letter to the UIPM, angry about not being consulted before riding was removed and demanding the resignation of the entire federation board.

● Schormann told the ARD network’s popular “Sportschau” program: “We will replace riding with another sport. But that will not be cycling.”

The program noted – per a Google translation from the original German – “As the functionary reveals, an agreement has already been reached on the replacement sport. ‘But I’m not going to reveal what it will be here yet,’ said Schormann.”

● His comments were reportedly widely within the sport and the UIPM had to post this today:

“Media reports suggesting that the new fifth discipline has already been chosen by the UIPM Executive Board are inaccurate.

“UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: ‘The consultation process is open, and I would like to clarify that no decision about the fifth discipline has been taken.

“‘We have received a lot of good ideas and proposals from our community, demonstrating the opportunity in front of us to create a new era for our beloved Olympic sport.

“‘All proposals will be evaluated by the consultation group and later by a dedicated working group.

“‘We thank our colleagues in the media for continually promoting the sport and our athletes with actual news and responsible reporting.

“‘We also encourage former and retired athletes to share their ideas and contributions with their National Federations, all of whom will meet during UIPM Congress on Nov 27/28.’”

The UIPM will hold an online briefing for current and recently-retired athletes on Friday to further explain the situation. Schormann’s comment of a consultation followed by a working group indicates that the process of selecting a fifth discipline will not be quick. Which means the sniping is likely to continue unabated.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The Olympic “Golden Rings Awards” for excellence in broadcast coverage of the Tokyo Games took place on Monday in Lausanne, with NBC Sports coming away with multiple honors.

The U.S. rights holder won the top prize for “Best Olympic Program,” “Best Olympic Digital Service,” shared “Best Innovation” for its “Friends and Family Integration,” “Best Equality and Inclusion Content” and “Best Olympic Feature/Documentary.”

NBC’s Peter Diamond, who has been involved with U.S. Olympic television coverage since the 1970s and just recently retired from NBC Sports, was very appropriately presented with the Olympic Order by International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER).

Seven Network (AUS) won for “Best Social Media Content/Production,” U.S.-based Discovery, Inc. – by its Eurosport division – shared “Best Innovation” for its “Eurosport Cube” concept, and Brazil’s TV Globo won for the “Best Athlete Profile” of skateboarder Rayssa Leal.

The Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS), the host broadcaster of the Games, was recognized for “Best Commentary,” “Digital Fan Engagement” and the Sailing coverage was singled out as the best host coverage of a single sport.

● XXIV Olympic Winter Games: Beijing 2022 ● The IOC confirmed its satisfaction with the progress of the organization of the Beijing Games, including the test events, during the final Coordination Commission meeting held last week Said Commission Chair Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. (ESP):

“There’s been extensive testing taking place in recent weeks in China at the Olympic and Paralympic venues. This is effectively the warm-up for next February’s Games, and the feedback we’ve received from both athletes and International Federations has been very encouraging. The quality of the venues in particular has been praised, as well as the organisational support and on-ground operations being delivered in China.”

According to the IOC, “international competitions in speed skating, figure skating, short track speed skating, wheelchair curling, bobsleigh and skeleton all took place in October. In November, further international events for luge, freestyle skiing and snowboard will take place, while ice hockey testing activities have also been planned.”

● Games of the XXXIII Olympiad: Paris 2024 ● The Paris 2024 organizers announced that the Accor Group has signed on as an organizing committee sponsor. The release importantly noted that “For the first time at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a hotel operator will oversee athlete and media accommodation facilities in their respective villages.”

● Games of the XXXIV Olympiad: Los Angeles 2028 ● During its online Congress over the weekend, “it was announced that the World Rowing Council has voted to support the proposal of Los Angeles 2028 to move the rowing venue for 2028 to the Long Beach Marine Stadium, venue of the 1932 Olympic Games. LA28 can now continue to work with the City of Long Beach on next steps.”

This is the first major venue change for the 2028 Olympic Games, but one which does not have to be agreed to by the Los Angeles City Council, as the originally-specified venue – Lake Perris in Riverside County – is outside the city.

The Long Beach Marine Stadium was the site of the 1932 Olympic rowing competition, but since then the J.H. Davies (2nd Street) Bridge was installed in 1956 in the middle of the course, potentially shortening the competitions to 1,500 m instead of the normal 2,000 m. Discussions will now commence in earnest with LA28 and with the Long Beach authorities, but also, no doubt, with the International Canoe Federation, which was also slated to hold its Sprint events at Lake Perris.

The move brings rowing – and canoeing – closer to the rest of the Games; the Lake Perris State Recreation Area is 65 miles east of L.A., while Long Beach will host multiple other events in 2028 already.

Announced Saturday by the City of Los Angeles:

“Mayor Eric Garcetti today launched PlayLA, an initiative to provide affordable and accessible sports programming to young Angelenos of all abilities. The initiative is made possible by the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee, which are investing $160 million to make sports more accessible to kids across Los Angeles ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. This initiative is the single largest commitment to youth sport development in California.”

As part of the agreement to have Los Angeles host the 2028 Games, the IOC committed to advance $180 million to the LA28 organizing committee during the first five years of its existence, with up to $160 million to be committed to youth sports in the Los Angeles area. That’s where the support for PlayLA comes from. According to the announcement:

“The City of Los Angeles is launching PlayLA with an initial $9.6 million grant from the LA28 Games to the LA Parks Department to subsidize participation fees throughout the school year for leagues, classes, and clinics for sports including tennis, golf, basketball, soccer, judo, and aquatics.”

With the Paralympic Games coming to Los Angeles for the first time in 2028, PlayLA will offer adaptive sports programs for kids with physical disabilities – a first in the City’s youth sports programming. The specific sports have not yet been determined.

● International Federations ● It was a good week for incumbents last week as multiple IF elections were held.

The International Handball Federation re-elected Egypt’s Hassan Moustafa for a sixth term; World Rowing re-elected Jean-Christophe Rolland (FRA) for a third term, and Federation Internationale de Gymnastique President Morinari Watanabe won re-election by 81-47 over European Gymnastics head Farid Gayibov (AZE).

USA Gymnastics President Li Li Leung was elected to the FIG Executive Committee.

The International Canoe Federation elected German Thomas Konietzko as President by 94-6 over Evgenii Arkhipov (RUS), succeeding 13-year head Jose Perurena (ESP).

● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency released its annual report for 2020 with some surprising news on finances.

Even in the midst of a tug-of-war with the United States over payment of dues, WADA’s financial report showed a surplus of $5.71 million for 2020, with contributions of $18.07 million from the IOC and $18.39 million from governments. In addition, governmental grants from Australia, Japan, the City of Montreal and the City of Lausanne totaled almost $1.68 million. WADA ended 2020 with a very healthy reserve of almost $36 million.

The staff count was 144 at the end of 2020, with 121 in the headquarters office in Montreal (CAN).

Total doping positives have been reported through 2018 (1,923), up slightly from prior years. For 2020, the report shows that WADA was informed of 2,978 doping decisions by national and regional doping authorities; not all of these are positives and WADA filed 17 appeals.

Perhaps most importantly, the report confirmed that the new “Dried Blood Spot” (DBS) technology can be used at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games and beyond. This style of specimen collection has multiple advantages, including much longer storage and stability and a better athlete experience as it is hoped to eventually replace collection of urine samples.

● Alpine Skiing ● The Associated Press reported Friday that American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin cannot ski at all right now due to a back strain.

After winning the season-opening Giant Slalom in Austria on 23 October, Shiffrin has been in pain and unable to train. She said:

“I just need to let it heal. It doesn’t take that long if I just take the time. But I want to be training right now. So I take a day, and then I’m like, ‘All right, maybe it’s good enough; I can go out and ski.’ And then I go out and ski and I take a few turns, and I’m like, ‘Ow. It’s really painful.’

“It just takes a little bit to be able to really push on my skis with full-on intensity, which is frustrating, because right now, this is the bulk of time where I would normally be training all four events.”

● Athletics ● Sunday’s amazing run by 40-year-old Olympic 10,000 m silver medalist Shalane Flanagan at the New York City Marathon concluded a sensational seven-week program, completing five of the six World Marathon Majors (plus a replacement for the canceled Tokyo race) and ran her fastest time in the final race:

● 26 Sep: Berlin: 17th women’s finisher in 2:38:32;
● 03 Oct: London: 19th in 2:35:04;
● 10 Oct: Chicago: 25th in 2:46:39;
● 11 Oct: Boston: 33rd in 2:40:34;
● 18 Oct: Solo in Portland: 2:35:14 (replaces Tokyo);
● 07 Nov: New York: 12th in 2:33:32.

Flanagan, the 2017 New York City winner and now a coach, finished with her fastest time in the final race, in New York. Her lifetime marathon best is 2:21:14 in 2014 in Berlin.

Also amazing on Sunday was the performance of Olympic bronze winner Molly Seidel of the U.S., finishing fourth in the women’s race in 2:24:42 – the fastest ever run by an American woman in New York – running a month after breaking two ribs. She was in a lot of pain for a couple of weeks, but felt good enough to run the race. Wow.

The lawyer for star coach Rana Reider, who guides Olympic 200 m winner Andre De Grasse (CAN) and American sprint star Trayvon Bromell, among others, is being investigated by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for possible sexual misconduct.

The coach, based on Florida, has not received any notice of allegations. Athletics Canada posted a notice that included “the Athletics Canada Commissioner’s Office confirmed with the U.S. Center for SafeSport that an investigation is ongoing. As a result of this investigation, Athletics Canada is suspending any payments to Mr. Reider for his work with Canadian athletes pending the outcome of said investigation.”

● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced the formation of a “Boxing Integrity Unit” last Friday, near the end of the men’s World Championships in Belgrade (SRB).

The new group will be designed “to address competition manipulation, abuse, harassment, eligibility check of candidates and other issues. Plans for the Unit will now go forward and it is expected to become ready for operations in time for final approval at the AIBA Elective Congress, expected in Q2 of 2022.”

AIBA is implementing multiple reforms in its governance and refereeing and judging programs, two of the keys to its possible reinstatement by the IOC as the governing body for Olympic boxing. Whether these will be sufficient is open to question.

● Figure Skating ● Two-time Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) withdrew from the ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy competition on 12 November due to a right ankle injury.

Hanyu was hurt prior to the 2018 PyeongChang Games, but still competed brilliantly there and won his second Olympic title. But now 26, and with the Beijing Winter Games coming in February, injuries are a concern.

His second appearance is scheduled for the Rostelecom Cup in Sochi (RUS) on 19 November.

● Weightlifting ● Things are finally getting serious in the race for International Weightlifting Federation President as USA Weightlifting nominated Ursula Papandrea, the former U.S. federation head and former interim President of the IWF.

Papandrea served on the IWF Executive Board from 2017-20 and took over from disgraced long-time President Tamas Ajan (HUN) until thrown out by the IWF Board in October 2020. The IOC noted its positive impression of Papandrea’s work in its statements noting its concern about the IWF, and she was praised for her role in assisting Canadian law professor Richard McLaren in his team’s investigation of the IWF.

The IWF elections will take place on 2020-21 December in Tashkent (UZB) following the World Championships, with the future fate of the sport on the Olympic program in the balance.

The U.S. federation smartly registered a full slate of nominees for various IWF offices.

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HIGHLIGHTS: Kenyans Jepchirchir and Korir sweep NYC Marathon; U.S. wins two World Boxing golds and two silvers

By
Rich Perelman
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Amazing: U.S. star Shalane Flanagan, 40, finishes her sixth major marathon in seven weeks, all under 3:00, at Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon (Photo: NYC Marathon via Twitter)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

● Athletics ● The 50th running of the New York City Marathon was another showcase for Kenya, which won both the men’s and women’s races for the seventh time in the race’s history, this time with Olympic champ Peres Jepchirchir and Albert Korir.

The women’s race included the Tokyo gold (Jepchirchir) and bronze (American Molly Seidel) medal winners and they were part of a nine-woman pack leading at the halfway mark in 1:12:43.

The race broke open between miles 19-20 and by the 20-mile mark, the race had narrowed to Jepchirchir, countrywoman Viola Cheptoo – the sister of American distance star Bernard Lagat and making her marathon debut – and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh, the 2019 Chicago Marathon runner-up. Seidel was fourth, but more than two minutes behind the leader.

Seidel closed to within 44 seconds of the leaders by the 22-mile mark, but fell back and finished fourth in 2:24:42. In her four career marathons, she’s finished 2-6-3-4 and at just 27, has a long career ahead of her.

At the front, the three leaders ran together past 25 miles and then Jepchirchir stepped on the gas and ran away in the final half-mile, winning in 2:22:39 to 2:22:44 for Cheptoo and 2:22:52 for Yeshaneh.

The men’s race saw Morocco’s Mohamed El Arabay and Italy’s Eyob Faniel share the lead at the halfway mark in 1:03:57, with Ethiopian star Kenenisa Bekele – running in his first NYC Marathon – 52 seconds back and not a serious contender.

By 18 1/2 miles, however, the race had changed, with Kenya’s Korir surging to the lead, ahead of countryman Kibiwott Kandie – the world-record holder in the Half Marathon – then Faniel and El Arabay. Korir slowly extended his lead and was up by 17 seconds over El Arabay at 22 miles and 28 seconds at 25 miles. Korir, who was second in the 2019 race, steamed home the winner in 2:08:22, followed by El Arabay (2:09:06), Faniel (2:09:52) and American Elkaneh Kibet in fourth (2:11:15). Bekele finished sixth in 2:12:52 and Kandie was ninth in 2:13:43.

Special attention was paid to the other finishers in the women’s race, as 2017 NYC Marathon winner Shalane Flanagan, 40, of the U.S. was trying to complete an astonishing six major marathons – Berlin, London, Chicago, Boston, a solo to replace Tokyo, and New York in seven weeks, all in under 3:00. No problem: she ran 2:33:32, ranking sixth among American women. This was perhaps the most amazing performance of the fall marathon season.

● Badminton ● Thailand scored two wins at the BWF World Tour Hylo Open in Saarbrucken (GER) with Busanan Ongbamrungphan taking the men’s Singles and top seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai winning the women’s Doubles.

Indonesian stars Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo won the men’s Doubles; Kean Yew Loh (SGP) took the men’s Singles and Japan’s Chisato Hoshi and Aoi Matsuda won the women’s Doubles.

● Boxing ● The AIBA men’s World Championships concluded in Belgrade (SRB) with a dizzying program of 13 weight classes and first-time prize money of $100,000-50,000-25,000 for the medal winners. Some 510 boxers from 88 countries had entries.

The medals leaders were Cuba, Kazakhstan and Russia, with five each, but the Cubans scored three golds (3-0-2), the most of any nation, with two each for the Kazakhs (2-2-1), the U.S. (2-2-0) and Japan (2-0-0). For Japan, these were the first-ever gold medals in an AIBA men’s championship!

Cuban winners included Andy Cruz at Light Welterweight – his third straight after wins in 2017 and 2019; he also won in Tokyo at Lightweight – plus Yoenlis Hernandez at Middleweight (his first) and superstar Julio Cesar La Cruz in the Heavyweight class, his five AIBA World title to go along with his 2016 and 2020 Olympic golds.

The Val Barker Award for the top fighter of the tournament was given to Cruz.

The U.S. scored wins by Jahmal Harvey at Featherweight and Robby Gonzales at Light Heavyweight. Gonzales scored a narrow, 3:2 semifinal win over home favorite Vladimir Mironchikov in the semifinal, with the Serbian corner protesting three times, but with Gonzales winning 29:28, 29:28 and 30:27 on three cards.

Americans Roscoe Hill (Flyweight) and Omari Jones (Welterweight) won silver medals. Japan’s historic victories came at Bantamweight (Tomoya Tsuboi) and Welterweight, with Sewon Okazawa defeating Jones, 3:2.

Kazakhs Temirtas Zhussupov (Minimumweight) and Saken Bibossinov (Flyweight) won gold and while Russia won five medals, it had one gold, with Mark Petrovskii winning the Super Heavyweight division.

● Figure Skating ● Japan’s Yumi Kagiyama came from seventh place after the Short Program to win the Free Skate and the men’s title at the ISU Grand Prix Gran Premio d’Italia in Turin (ITA).

China’s Boyang Jin (97.89) led after the Short Program, but Kagiyama (80.53) scored a startling 197.49 in the Free Skate with no one else clearing 181.25. Thus, Kagiyama’s total of 278.02 was a clear winner over Mikhail Kolyada (RUS: 273.55) and Daniel Grassl (ITA: 269.00) as Jin faded to seventh after a ninth-place Free Skate.

No surprise in the women’s skating, as Russia went 1-2 with 2021 World Champion Anna Shcherbakova (236.78) and Maiia Khromykh (226.35) well ahead of third-place Loena Hendrickx (BEL: 219.05).

China took gold and silver in Pairs, with two-time World Champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han winning with 224.55 points over Cheng Peng and Yang Jin (211.86).

Four-time World Champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) won the Ice Dance in a battle with American stars Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, 220.06-207.90, with Russians Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin third (202.18). Americans Caroline Green and Michael Parsons finished fifth (178.26).

● Judo ● Japan scored five wins and collected 10 medals to lead the IJF World Tour Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan.

Kosuke Mashiyama (90 kg) and Tatsuru Saito (+100 kg) won in the men’s classes, with Rina Tatsukawa (48 kg), Momo Tamaoki (57 kg), Utana Terada (70 kg) taking victories in the women’s division.

● Shooting ● The ISSF President’s Cup in Rifle and Pistol is ongoing in Wroclaw (POL), with half the program completed, with a great match-up between 2016 Olympic gold medalist Christian Reitz (GER) and World Championships medal winner Chaudhary Saurabh (IND):

● Men/10 m Air Pistol: Christian Reitz (GER) d. Chaudhary Saurabh (IND), 34-24;

● Men/10 m Air Rifle: Patrik Jany (SVK) d. Lihao Sheng (CHN), 29-28;

● Women/10 m Air Pistol: Olena Kostevych (UKR) d. Mathilde Lamolle (FRA), 30-30 (shoot-off);

● Women/10 m Air Rifle: Oceanne Muller (FRA) d. Laura-Georgeta Ilie (ROU), 33-26.

Competition continues through the 10th.

● Triathlon ● The second leg of the 2021-22 ITU World Triathlon Series was in Abu Dhabi (UAE) with a sensational win for Bermuda’s Olympic champ Flora Duffy.

The Sprint course of 750 m swimming, 20 km bike and 5 km running saw Duffy come from behind as usual on the run phase, clocking 16:12 for the fastest time on the course. She overtook British star (and Olympic silver winner) Georgia Taylor-Brown to win n 55:41 to 55:53. Britain’s Sophie Caldwell was third (56:11); the top American was Taylor Knibb in fifth (56:35).

The men’s race saw the third career World Triathlon Series win for Belgium’s Jelle Geens, who outran France’s 2019 World Champion Vincent Luis, 52:20-52:25, with Bence Biksak (HUN) third at 52:28.

It was an especially sweet win for Geens since he missed out on the Olympic race due to Covid-19.

● Weightlifting ● The Pan-American Championships are ongoing in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and while the event is being streamed live on YouTube, no results of any weight class are available via the Web, Facebook or Twitter.

Apparently, the Federacion Panamericana De Levantamiento De Pesas doesn’t want anyone to know (today at least). Or did we miss something?

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